BLOOM | NI-KI - Chapter 6: Chapter 6

CLASS HAD JUST ENDED, the halls still buzzing with excited voices, shoes squeaking against the floor, and loud laughter reverberating from the lockers. Saori clenched her hand around her backpack strap, gently rocking back and forth.
She was waiting for Ni-ki.
Since their run in after the assembly, she was even more determined to begin to understand the depth and complexity of Ni-ki—even if it meant being involved in a murder case. She didn't understand why she was so drawn to him, so caught up in the obvious danger that consumed the boy, but she couldn't walk away now.
Things were just getting interesting.
"Saori!" Sakura jogged up to the girl, her lips pulled into a weak smile.
Saori nodded at the shorter girl, gesturing for her to continue. "Heading home?"
"Not yet, I'm waiting for someone." She replied cryptically, tactfully avoiding eye contact with the blonde. Sakura tensed. Something about the way Saori had said it, how she attempted to make it sound like no big deal, told her it was likely Ni-ki.
"Okay..can I wait with you?"
"That's okay, I wouldn't want to keep you waiting." Saori interjected quickly, finally looking down at the girl. "Besides, they might take a while." She added, forcing a smile.
Sakura stared at her, nodding slowly before waving goodbye.
Just then, Saori caught sight of Ni-ki briskly walking out of the school. She quickly jogged up to him, calling for him to stop.
Ni-ki halted at the sound of his name, glancing back to see a beaming Saori. "What now?" He groaned, slightly annoyed. He didn't understand why she tried so hard to be near him, to talk to him, to understand him.
Sure she was different from the rest, but that just made her intentions all the more confusing. "I wanted to walk with you." She said, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Ni-ki just stared at her, lips slightly downturned into a frown. "And why would you do that?"
She shrugged, hooking her arm around his, a bold move foreign to even her. He looked down at her, startled, before attempting to pull away, but her grip was too strong. "You're stronger than you look." He commented, catching the corner of his lips quirking into a smile.
It was faint, but she saw it. It made her smile too.
"So, where are we going?" She asked, scooting closer to him. They were side by side now, the sides of their bodies flush against each other.
"I'm not heading home." Ni-ki said quickly, too quickly, Saori noted. She merely hummed in response, allowing him to lead the way.
𓇢𓆸
Ni-ki's spot. A run down, barely standing arcade that had long existed in the city for decades. A spot that reeked of sweat, oil, and something strangely raw. Cigarette butts littered the floor, tufts of smoke sifting through the air as the two entered the joint.
"This is where you go after school?" Saori coughed, squinting her eyes.
Ni-ki smirked, tugging her toward a game machine. "Regret following me now?"
She quickly shook her head, opting to take a seat on the uncomfortable red seats beside him. She watched as he straightened up, twisting his neck in each direction before approaching the machine.
"Is it that serious?" She teased, an easy smile on her face.
He ignored her, entering a coin into the slot, hands already gripping the control pads of the machine. Saori watched him play, silently—almost ritualistically.
His tongue stuck to the corner of his lips, eyes narrowed in practiced concentration. He'd curse a few times under his breath when making mistakes, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
It was simultaneously cute and attractive in a very peculiar way.
But the longer Saori stayed, the more she felt uneasy. The arcade was initially empty, save for a few teenagers who looked like they'd long dropped out of school, running in and out.
But as the sun began to set, and darkness overtook the sky, larger crowds of people began to herd in. Not just any people, adults. Their bodies adorned with sleeves of tattoos, cigarettes hanging off the corner of their mouths.
Saori found herself shifting in her seat, her eyes darting from Ni-ki, to the increasingly large group of men gathering around the front of the arcade. She cleared her throat, glancing up at him.
"Hey, you almost done?"
"No." He tapped a button wildly, not bothering to look at her. "You can go home if you want to." He said simply.
And she knew she should have, knew she should have listened to the blaring warning signals telling her to leave, but she couldn't. She was unfamiliar with this side of the neighborhood, and she needed to talk to Ni-ki.
She still hadn't gotten the chance to.
After a few more minutes, Ni-ki finally sighed, heading over to where she sat, a satisfied look on his face. "That was fun," He grabbed a water bottle, downing it in one go.
Saori looked up at him, relief washing over her at the thought of finally leaving the lace. "So, can we go now?" He shook his head, tossing the water bottle in a nearby garbage can.
"Not yet. I've got to do something real quick." He mumbled the last part, making eye contact with one of the men in the group of guys loitering around the entrance. "Do what?"
But he ignored her, already heading over to the man. She watched as they exchanged a few hushed words, the larger male gesturing outside before the two disappeared.
Something wasn't right.
Saori stood up, hesitantly watching the windows to see where they had gone. From where she sat, she could see the faint outline of their figures, but curiosity got the best of her and she moved closer to where she could see them clearer.
Ni-ki had his hands shoved in his pockets, observing their surroundings. Her eyes shifted to the older man. He looked to be in his 20s, with bright green hair, and a nasty looking scar running down the side of his face.
Sleeves of tattoos ran down his arms and neck, and she wasn't usually one to judge by appearance, but he looked like trouble. The man suddenly fished his hands into his pocket, grabbing a wad of cash.
He dropped it into Ni-ki's hand, the two nodding before turning to head back inside. Saori jumped up, backing away from where she had been watching by the window, but Ni-ki had already seen her.
"What were you doing?" He interrogated, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Nothing, just making sure you were alright."
He chuckled, finding her attempt at sounding intimidating cute. "What could you have done if I wasn't." She pouted, lightly slapping his shoulder, to which he laughed at her expense.
"With a punch like that we both would've been dead." He teased as the two exited the arcade. They continued walking side by side, the moon being the only source of light as they trudged in the shadows.
Saori stayed extra close to Ni-ki, nearly hanging on to him, but Ni-ki didn't mind, he'd actually begun to warm up to the girl. He liked that she didn't question him, that she seemed to genuinely enjoy being in his presence.
She could have left earlier, but she didn't. She stayed, and he liked that.
"So," She started, finally breaking the silence. He hummed in response, signaling her to continue. "What did you do with that guy out there?"
"Who?"
She swallowed, contemplating whether or not to push it. She didn't want Ni-ki to think she was micromanaging him, but she was genuinely curious. She wanted to know if he was doing what she thought he was.
She prayed he wasn't.
"The guy with the green hair."
Ni-ki sighed, throwing his head back. "Just handling things." He brushed her off evasively. Saori bit her lip. So it had been what she was thinking, likely a drug exchange. But she didn't let him know she knew, instead she just nodded.
The two continued walking, with Ni-ki pulling her closer by her backpack when she strayed too far; each time he did it, Saori found herself blushing.
It felt like he was protecting her.
"By the way, I still have your sketchbook." She added, making the boy tense up beside her. "So you were the one who took it. Figured." He scoffed, looking down at her.
She looked down in embarrassment, toying with the ring on her finger. "Sorry, I was just...curious." She trailed off, shrugging her backpack off to hand it back to him.
He grabbed the book, running his finger along the spirals comfortingly. When he had first found out his sketchbook was gone, he was distraught. It had some of the most intimate parts of him, parts that he wanted nobody to know about.
But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to be too angry at Saori. Initially, he had been. He'd grown tired of her meddling in his business. But the more he spoke to her, the more he spent time around her, he realized she wasn't all that bad,
He still didn't know her intentions, but they seemed pure enough. He liked being around her.
"I promise I didn't read anything, I just looked at the drawings!" She quickly clarified. He only nodded, gripping the sketchbook tighter.
"But Ni-ki," She paused, finding the right words to say. "Your drawings are amazing, seriously. I think you could do something with art as a career." She complimented earnestly.
He paused, prompting her to stop as well—their eyes meeting momentarily. Ni-ki finally broke eye contact, nodding in a way that seemed nonchalant, but the dust of pink coating his cheeks gave him away.
He had never been complimented like that before. Never been told he had the potential to be something, to do something. He'd always just been put in a box, always been underestimated, never given the chance to show who he really was.
This was the first time he felt like he was seen. And the feeling, even for a slight second, was euphoric. He never wanted it to end.
"Thanks."
Bloom.