Himiko-san

225 days remaining

....

The sun shone brightly in the sky. It was burning hot. The stench of perspiration was lingering in the air. The air conditioning wasn't doing shit and so the students resorted to fanning themselves with their books or hands. The teacher continued teaching, bothered by the heat but not letting it show.

Aito had his head on the table. His unblinking gaze was fixed on a small bird perched on a branch. The bird was seeking shelter from the merciless heat.

Sweat dripped from his eyebrows but he didn't bother to wipe it off. His thoughts wandered far off as his eyes trailed down to some students walking and chatting with their peers.

Maybe if it wasn't for the curse could he have lived a normal life?

Could he have made friends?

What would have that life been like?

Would he have been happy?

What did happiness feel like?...

He was brought out of this state when he saw a dull spirit lingering behind them. He was shifted back to reality and it heavily disappointed him. Veering himself out of his thoughts, he decided on focusing in class but it was too late for that now as the bell had rung indicating the start of the next period.

_________

He sluggishly ran his laps under the heat. His shirt was clinging onto his torso like a second skin and that disgusted him. Breathlessly, he completed his laps and went and sat under a nearby tree.

There was another class who had physical education along with them. He watched the girls of both the classes crowd around a guy from the next class.

Shun Hasegawa had recently joined the school. He had transferred from America just recently. His Japanese was pretty good so were his looks. He was the typical 'everybody likes him' boy. But Aito wouldn't deny the fact that the other did look handsome. From his hair to the gentle wide smile that rested on his face. He was picturesque.

Shun felt like someone was staring at him intensely, almost like burning holes into the side of his face. He turned to look at Aito who widened his eyes and turned his face away, a deep red blush coating his pale white cheeks. Shun widened his eyes and turned back to the crowd of girls surrounding him in an attempt to divert his attention but the image of the pale boy with a red blush was already imprinted in his mind.

Aito didn't expect that he'd be caught staring. 'That guy must probably think that I'm some creep or something.' He thought to himself.

Suddenly he felt a chill. Looking beside him he saw the pale, almost transparent figure of a young woman dressed in a kimono. "Himiko-san!?"

"Aiiitooo-kuuuunnn!" She squealed hugging onto him tightly, pressing her whole being against his. He shuddered and tried to get away. "I missed you so much, Aito-kuunnn. It gets so lonely during the weekends when I have no one to talk to!"

Himiko-san was the ghost of a young woman who lived centuries ago. She had died in her sleep on the eve of her wedding and her spirit never really crossed over to the other side. Her spirit continued to linger at the place she died and years later when the school was built over her place she still stayed. Himiko was actually a very quiet spirit and never caused any sort of trouble for the living that was until one day she saw Aito staring at her dumbfoundedly. She thought that she was just dreaming but as days passed by she always found him staring at her. She soon realized the boy had a bad habit of staring at good looking people for too long. Hesitantly she one day approached him and realized that he could actually see her and ever since then she followed him around at school whenever he was alone or whenever nobody was around him.

"Himiko-san!!" Aito whisper yelled. The spirit let go of him, "I'm sorry Aito-kun. I was just too happy." She said smiling innocently. Aito tried his best to make it look like he wasn't talking to air but he never found it in himself to ever ignore her so he hid his face in his knees so that nobody could see him talking. Himiko took the opportunity to stroke his hair, an activity which she grew to like because the boy's hair was really soft. "I saw you staring at someone~" She sing-songed.

"I wasn't--" He began. "It's that boy right. The one who got transferred here." Aito looked up and saw a mischievous smile playing at her lips. "I wasn't! And besides I could have also been staring at one of the girls."

Himiko chuckled, "That's possible but Aito-kun I know you well enough to know you weren't. You only stare at beautiful people." She noticed his ears turning pink which made her snort. She gently pinched his ear between her fingers, "Does Aito-kun have a crush?" He immediately slapped her hand away and she started laughing. "I do not have a crush on him!" He stated. His face was completely red because of her teasing. Himiko found it so amusing that she pinched his red cheeks and started pulling it, "Aito-kun is so cute!" Aito only grumbled in response.

They talked for a little while before the bell rang. When filing into the school building Aito noticed Shun looking at him somewhat curiously. On being caught the other waved at him. Aito only nodded his head in acknowledgment before going ahead.

"Did you just get rejected?" A voice came from behind Shun which startled him. Shun narrowed his eyes at that person, "No Mei. Why are you even here?"

"We both are in the same class, idiot." Mei was his childhood friend. They were inseparable ever since they met(when they were three). They even kept in contact after Shun had moved to America. Their bond was equal to that of siblings. Mei had the aura of 'looks like she could kill you, would actually kill you' so people usually steered clear away from her. Only two people could put up with her and that was Shun and her "adorable nerd" boyfriend Haru.

"Wasn't that the weird kid."

"Weird kid?"

"Yea. That's what he's called because sometimes he talks to himself. Weird, right?" Mei told him.

Shun furrowed his brows at that piece of information, "What's his name?"

Mei scrunched her face trying to think about it but only to end up with nothing. She shrugged her shoulders and proceeded to enter the classroom. Shun sighed at her ignorance and followed behind her.