JaBun as kids again
Back with more fiction. I hope you guys enjoy it.
Disclaimers: Not mine. I'm just having a good time.
Warnings: alternate timeline: pre-junior high
Notes: sequel to Kakurenbo, written for 30_kisses theme #19: red
A Serious Mission
by Solanum Dulcamara
The day after the commencement ceremony, his certificate, still in its cylinder case, sat on the dresser in his bedroom. They were on spring break and would begin junior high in just a few weeks, but Marui Bunta stood outside their old grammar school. He waited in the back near the physical education clubhouse, his backpack heavy with contraband. The campus was deserted - no one, neither student nor faculty, would want to be at school when it wasn't in session - the perfect location for this operation. Now, if only Jackal would hurry up. He tightened his grip on his backpack strap, fearful of losing the prize inside. He thought of those spy movies where the characters have briefcases handcuffed to their wrists. Stupid, in his opinion. The handcuff gives the game away, and your enemies can always break the cuffs, or in the worst case, cut your hand off. He'd seen it happen in a movie once... one he wasn't supposed to watch, but his mom didn't find out, so it was fine... he had trouble falling asleep for a while, but it was no big deal. What was taking Jackal so long? He scratched an itch on his ankle with the sole of his sneaker, bunching down his sock without care.
The cherry trees around campus weren't in bloom yet. They needed a few more weeks. The branches were full of buds, full of anticipation, ready to bloom. They were starting junior high. Of course, they were going to the same school. There was no doubt. The prestigious Rikkai Dai Fuzokuchuu. When Jackal asked Marui which entrance exams he intended to take, it was the only answer he'd received, and without questioning his friend's single-mindedness, he'd simply agreed to the school of choice, and they'd promised to get in together. Real best friends didn't get split up over a thing like junior high entrance exams. They'd been inseparable since he could remember, and as far as he was concerned, his memories began with Jackal.
He peered around the corner of the building again. He couldn't exactly see the entrance gate, but he looked in that direction willing Jackal to materialize with all his might. It didn't work. A squirrel ran across the sidewalk, but his best friend was no where in sight. Marui liked squirrels on principal. They have fluffy hair and horde food, and in Marui's esteemed opinion, there was nothing wrong with that. He shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, his backpack bounced with every movement. Every time it landed against his back, he thought about what was inside; it made him worry about getting caught; it made him excited about what they were about to do. Well, they'd do it if that baldy best friend of his ever showed up. He leaned to look around the corner again, and his nose crashed into a very tan chin. Marui reeled backwards in surprise, and Jackal reached out a hand to steady him - nothing ever seemed to phase Jackal... never had. Miffed about being caught off guard and that his nose was only as tall as Jackal's chin because Jackal had already had a growth spurt, Marui jerked his backpack a little higher on his shoulder. "You're late," he accused.
"Yeah. Sorry," Jackal shrugged, "I had to help my mom with the groceries."
"Whatever." Groceries? How irrelevant! Marui wanted to be indignant, but he was too excited about the illicit activities that were about to occur in the clubhouse bathroom.
"What was so important that we had to come out here today? It's spring break. We should be on vacation from school," Jackal picked absently at a mosquito bite while he waited for his answer.
Marui smiled. This was the moment, the lead-in to their great mission for the day. It had been hard to acquire. He'd saved up lots of ice cream money for this - a huge sacrifice, but one he'd been very willing to make. He gestured for Jackal to crouch, and both boys squatted down behind the school building. Marui placed the back pack between them. He looked right, then left. He had to make sure that no one was there. When he was sufficiently sure they were alone, he unzipped his backpack carefully, feeling every tine disengage with the slow pull. He sensed Jackal fidgeting a little impatiently, but ignored it. This was an important moment. It had to be a secret between just them. Jackal had to be a part of it, or it wouldn't be right. Besides, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to do it without Jackal's help. He reached inside and lifted the package just enough so Jackal could see it.
"Hair dye?" Jackal looked confused.
Marui refused to answer that question. Jackal needed to understand the significance of this moment.
His best friend laughed. "You remember the time we colored your hair with markers. You had to get your head shaved." He had to stop talking to laugh some more.
Marui crammed the box back inside and huffed with real impatience. "Your hair is still shaved, Jyakkaru."
"You said you liked it," Jackal shrugged.
"You said you liked my hair when we colored it red," Marui countered, mouth tight, fingers even tighter around the strap of his backpack.
"We were little then..." Marui didn't answer, so Jackal thought about it. "Red is our favorite color, so it would be pretty cool. How red is that dye stuff."
"It should be really red. That's what the lady at the conbini said."
"Whoa. And she let you buy it?"
"Yeah. And she was older... like high school or something."
"Wow."
Marui beamed because he'd made a daring purchase and because now they were finally going to put it to use.
"Okay," Jackal stood back up and turned to the clubhouse, "Let's go do this."
The crept quietly around to the side of the clubhouse, looking furtively in all directions just in case someone happened to have ventured onto campus. They stopped below the high window to the locker room. Marui turned his backpack and its precious contents over to his accomplice with complete trust. Jackal leaned it against the building in the grass and laced his fingers together to boost Marui up to the window. It was high, so it was never locked. They'd had to get into the club house bunches of times before when it was raining and they were stranded or when Marui forgot his snacks in his cubby.
Marui's little fingers easily lifted the window, and he grabbed the ledge to heft himself over and inside. The landing was never very graceful, and once or twice he'd tumbled into one of the benches, but Jackal never needed to know that. He scurried to his feet to run over to unlock the door and let Jackal in.
Once inside, they stared at each other for a minute. "Are we really gonna do this, Marui?"
Excitement bubbled up inside him as Marui nodded, "There's no turning back now, Jyakkaru."
He turned and headed for the area with sinks. Jackal followed with the backpack and its all-important contents.
They bent over the directions together, deciphering the unfamiliar kanji, and piecing together exactly what they were supposed to be doing. Jackal, of course, ended up doing most of the work, mixing the bottles of funny smelling chemicals and pouring the dye from the little squirt bottle. Marui did his best to sit still, though he asked repeatedly how it was looking. Jackal couldn't tell yet, and said as much. Mostly, the hair looked sticky, moist, and dark. Hopefully it would look different once Marui washed it. When the whole bottle was empty, he threw it out and took off the latex gloves. He sat down on the tile floor in front of Marui. They sat with their legs crossed and their knees nearly touching. Marui pulled at a loose thread on one of Jackal's socks and complained about the dye making his eyes burn. Jackal talked about what they were going to do in junior high and asked if Marui still wanted to be on the tennis team - it was their favorite favorite sport to play in phys. ed. class. Marui's answer was as straightforward and self-assured as all of his answers about junior high. Yes, they were going to play tennis and they'd be regulars by their second year. They washed the dye out a little before they should have because Marui was too antsy to wait and because ten-year-olds generally aren't very skilled at estimating the passage of time. There was only one mirror and it wasn't very clear, but it was enough for Marui to see himself and the reddish hue his hair had taken on. It was still wet, so it was dark, and its natural brown still showed through, but there was a definite red cast to it now. Anyone older would know it was only a kiss of red to his otherwise brown hair, and if he noticed the reddish stains on his ears or the back of his neck, he didn't mention them. But all he saw was red, his very favorite color, exactly where it should be. He turned to Jackal and waited.
"Red hair is cool."
Marui beamed excitedly. It was so cool.
"What if your parents make you shave it again?"
Marui thought about it for a second and shrugged. "I'll just dye it again when it grows back in."
"Cool," Jackal always admired Marui's confidence in every decision he made. "I'll help you again."
Marui beamed even harder. Best friends always stick together, especially for important stuff like this. Junior high would be a piece of cake. His stomach growled. "Can we go to your house and have a snack, Jyakkaru? I bet your mom got great stuff at the store."
Disclaimers: Not mine. I'm just having a good time.
Warnings: alternate timeline: pre-junior high
Notes: sequel to Kakurenbo, written for 30_kisses theme #19: red
A Serious Mission
by Solanum Dulcamara
The day after the commencement ceremony, his certificate, still in its cylinder case, sat on the dresser in his bedroom. They were on spring break and would begin junior high in just a few weeks, but Marui Bunta stood outside their old grammar school. He waited in the back near the physical education clubhouse, his backpack heavy with contraband. The campus was deserted - no one, neither student nor faculty, would want to be at school when it wasn't in session - the perfect location for this operation. Now, if only Jackal would hurry up. He tightened his grip on his backpack strap, fearful of losing the prize inside. He thought of those spy movies where the characters have briefcases handcuffed to their wrists. Stupid, in his opinion. The handcuff gives the game away, and your enemies can always break the cuffs, or in the worst case, cut your hand off. He'd seen it happen in a movie once... one he wasn't supposed to watch, but his mom didn't find out, so it was fine... he had trouble falling asleep for a while, but it was no big deal. What was taking Jackal so long? He scratched an itch on his ankle with the sole of his sneaker, bunching down his sock without care.
The cherry trees around campus weren't in bloom yet. They needed a few more weeks. The branches were full of buds, full of anticipation, ready to bloom. They were starting junior high. Of course, they were going to the same school. There was no doubt. The prestigious Rikkai Dai Fuzokuchuu. When Jackal asked Marui which entrance exams he intended to take, it was the only answer he'd received, and without questioning his friend's single-mindedness, he'd simply agreed to the school of choice, and they'd promised to get in together. Real best friends didn't get split up over a thing like junior high entrance exams. They'd been inseparable since he could remember, and as far as he was concerned, his memories began with Jackal.
He peered around the corner of the building again. He couldn't exactly see the entrance gate, but he looked in that direction willing Jackal to materialize with all his might. It didn't work. A squirrel ran across the sidewalk, but his best friend was no where in sight. Marui liked squirrels on principal. They have fluffy hair and horde food, and in Marui's esteemed opinion, there was nothing wrong with that. He shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, his backpack bounced with every movement. Every time it landed against his back, he thought about what was inside; it made him worry about getting caught; it made him excited about what they were about to do. Well, they'd do it if that baldy best friend of his ever showed up. He leaned to look around the corner again, and his nose crashed into a very tan chin. Marui reeled backwards in surprise, and Jackal reached out a hand to steady him - nothing ever seemed to phase Jackal... never had. Miffed about being caught off guard and that his nose was only as tall as Jackal's chin because Jackal had already had a growth spurt, Marui jerked his backpack a little higher on his shoulder. "You're late," he accused.
"Yeah. Sorry," Jackal shrugged, "I had to help my mom with the groceries."
"Whatever." Groceries? How irrelevant! Marui wanted to be indignant, but he was too excited about the illicit activities that were about to occur in the clubhouse bathroom.
"What was so important that we had to come out here today? It's spring break. We should be on vacation from school," Jackal picked absently at a mosquito bite while he waited for his answer.
Marui smiled. This was the moment, the lead-in to their great mission for the day. It had been hard to acquire. He'd saved up lots of ice cream money for this - a huge sacrifice, but one he'd been very willing to make. He gestured for Jackal to crouch, and both boys squatted down behind the school building. Marui placed the back pack between them. He looked right, then left. He had to make sure that no one was there. When he was sufficiently sure they were alone, he unzipped his backpack carefully, feeling every tine disengage with the slow pull. He sensed Jackal fidgeting a little impatiently, but ignored it. This was an important moment. It had to be a secret between just them. Jackal had to be a part of it, or it wouldn't be right. Besides, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to do it without Jackal's help. He reached inside and lifted the package just enough so Jackal could see it.
"Hair dye?" Jackal looked confused.
Marui refused to answer that question. Jackal needed to understand the significance of this moment.
His best friend laughed. "You remember the time we colored your hair with markers. You had to get your head shaved." He had to stop talking to laugh some more.
Marui crammed the box back inside and huffed with real impatience. "Your hair is still shaved, Jyakkaru."
"You said you liked it," Jackal shrugged.
"You said you liked my hair when we colored it red," Marui countered, mouth tight, fingers even tighter around the strap of his backpack.
"We were little then..." Marui didn't answer, so Jackal thought about it. "Red is our favorite color, so it would be pretty cool. How red is that dye stuff."
"It should be really red. That's what the lady at the conbini said."
"Whoa. And she let you buy it?"
"Yeah. And she was older... like high school or something."
"Wow."
Marui beamed because he'd made a daring purchase and because now they were finally going to put it to use.
"Okay," Jackal stood back up and turned to the clubhouse, "Let's go do this."
The crept quietly around to the side of the clubhouse, looking furtively in all directions just in case someone happened to have ventured onto campus. They stopped below the high window to the locker room. Marui turned his backpack and its precious contents over to his accomplice with complete trust. Jackal leaned it against the building in the grass and laced his fingers together to boost Marui up to the window. It was high, so it was never locked. They'd had to get into the club house bunches of times before when it was raining and they were stranded or when Marui forgot his snacks in his cubby.
Marui's little fingers easily lifted the window, and he grabbed the ledge to heft himself over and inside. The landing was never very graceful, and once or twice he'd tumbled into one of the benches, but Jackal never needed to know that. He scurried to his feet to run over to unlock the door and let Jackal in.
Once inside, they stared at each other for a minute. "Are we really gonna do this, Marui?"
Excitement bubbled up inside him as Marui nodded, "There's no turning back now, Jyakkaru."
He turned and headed for the area with sinks. Jackal followed with the backpack and its all-important contents.
They bent over the directions together, deciphering the unfamiliar kanji, and piecing together exactly what they were supposed to be doing. Jackal, of course, ended up doing most of the work, mixing the bottles of funny smelling chemicals and pouring the dye from the little squirt bottle. Marui did his best to sit still, though he asked repeatedly how it was looking. Jackal couldn't tell yet, and said as much. Mostly, the hair looked sticky, moist, and dark. Hopefully it would look different once Marui washed it. When the whole bottle was empty, he threw it out and took off the latex gloves. He sat down on the tile floor in front of Marui. They sat with their legs crossed and their knees nearly touching. Marui pulled at a loose thread on one of Jackal's socks and complained about the dye making his eyes burn. Jackal talked about what they were going to do in junior high and asked if Marui still wanted to be on the tennis team - it was their favorite favorite sport to play in phys. ed. class. Marui's answer was as straightforward and self-assured as all of his answers about junior high. Yes, they were going to play tennis and they'd be regulars by their second year. They washed the dye out a little before they should have because Marui was too antsy to wait and because ten-year-olds generally aren't very skilled at estimating the passage of time. There was only one mirror and it wasn't very clear, but it was enough for Marui to see himself and the reddish hue his hair had taken on. It was still wet, so it was dark, and its natural brown still showed through, but there was a definite red cast to it now. Anyone older would know it was only a kiss of red to his otherwise brown hair, and if he noticed the reddish stains on his ears or the back of his neck, he didn't mention them. But all he saw was red, his very favorite color, exactly where it should be. He turned to Jackal and waited.
"Red hair is cool."
Marui beamed excitedly. It was so cool.
"What if your parents make you shave it again?"
Marui thought about it for a second and shrugged. "I'll just dye it again when it grows back in."
"Cool," Jackal always admired Marui's confidence in every decision he made. "I'll help you again."
Marui beamed even harder. Best friends always stick together, especially for important stuff like this. Junior high would be a piece of cake. His stomach growled. "Can we go to your house and have a snack, Jyakkaru? I bet your mom got great stuff at the store."