Entry #1 (in AKB Fanfics Contest by Kuro-san) 
In a dark room, a silhoutte of a girl clad in white lab coat is typing on her laptop with lightning speed. The girl subsequently change her view from a laptop to another with a big screen of monitor in between showing blue background flashing animatedly with undecipherable codes. Wires were bundled up in a messy way, filling the floor in a jumble of colorful cables. The girl pause her action as she exhales tiredly before cracking the stiff muscles in her neck. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she decided it’s time to take a little break from her work.
She steadily stood up from the creaking chair, taking some steps towards a huge tube filled with bluish liquid of some sort. Inside, a figure floats in a comatose state with wires and lines of multiple colors attached all over her body. The huge tube was filled with bubbles constantly floating around her due to the water being exchange for the third time that day. The girl in white placed her pale long hand on the tube, exactly on top of the lifeless person's heart... with a remorse expression on her face, she muttered exhaustedly.
"Just a little bit more… and we’ll be able to meet again.”
----------
“Can you give me the answer?”
The tall girl with long slick raven hair could only stand in embarrassment, her eyes looking down on her table. She could feel everyone’s eyes inside the classroom directed on her. She started to feel her breath shortening, her asthma attacks begins to fill her weak lungs.
‘Crap.’“Am I talking to the wall, Kashiwagi-san?!”
The girl jumped on her spot, a little startled with the shout. She could only muster a small shake of her head. She can hear her teacher giving out an exasperated sigh with the deafening silence. And again, she could feel her classmates smirking at her in a mocking way. Suddenly, a husky voice sounded from the back.
“Y is 4.”
The attention began to change towards the back of class, focusing on the most unexpected person they would think would help the loser. The teacher scrunched her face with the intrusion.
“Excuse me?”
Rena just stared nonchalantly outside the window with a hand under her chin. Sensing everyone is looking at her, she took a glance towards her teacher.
“Oh, sorry. I was just talking to the window…” She replied with an innocent smirk. Everyone instantly look to the front, afraid to meet the eyes of the girl that was rumored to have beaten up some male seniors from a rival school. Yes, no mistake when they said male. The teacher, however, grits her teeth in annoyance before declaring in a calm voice.
“Matsui and Kashiwagi, detention after class.”
*
They both sat in silence inside the boring looking class. The evening sun shone half of the class in orange contrast, the other half shaded in black. Shouts of students running a drill outside echoed within the classroom, with male cicadas chirping in the background. Yuki sat straight on her chair with a book on her table. She tried to read, she did. But her brain could not process any words written on the white paper, especially with the presence of someone there. She turned her head to face the other girl by the window. Unlike her, Rena has her head buried in her arms on the table, probably taking a nap like she usually does in class.
Yuki knows her. Matsui Rena, the class prodigy that is well known in her school, but that’s not what people are saying though. Rumor has it that Rena is actually a yankee outside school, involving herself in some gangsters and dirty works. How the rumors turned like that, she wonders. But that’s not important. Even if Rena is a bad guy, Yuki still owes Rena for saving her from a major humiliation back then. Screw detention, a kind hearted girl like her must be optimistic when others had helped her.
A sudden movement from the other girl woke Yuki from her reveries. Rena is now facing her, both eyes are still closed. Yuki can’t help but to study her features. White complexion with a tiny mole on her left cheek, pony-tailed hair with half her bangs covering her left eye, faint thin eyebrows, short but cute nose and a pair of plump pinkish lips. From her observation, this girl is an angel. Too angelic to be a yankee, moreover to beat a guy.
“Am I that beautiful for you to stare like that?”
Yuki almost fell from her chair. She is not aware that Rena was awake after she turned her head. Rena flutters her eyes with a grin, amused with the sight in front of her. She had never watch a red beet Yuki before but now that she had, she can’t help but to feel fond of it.
“I… I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay. I’m quite used to it…”
Yuki had thought the last statement was of self-praising, but Rena had actually meant the other way. She noticed there was a glimpse of pain shown in Rena’s face but she push the assumption away, for now. She knows that look. She had seen that face countless of times in front of the mirror, but she decided to keep it to herself. Besides, she barely knows this girl even if they are classmates.
Rena stood up from her chair, stretching her arms to loosen up some muscles before leaning on the table behind her. She stared outside the window on a couple of students running around the field track probably for practice.
“Umm… thank you.”
“For what?”
“Earlier… for helping me…”
“I’m not. Just had to settle a score with Aya-sensei… You know how she likes to pick on people.”
“Ahh… well, she is a teacher…”
“That won’t do!”
“Eh? W-what?” Yuki almost screamed out of shock from Rena’s outburst.
“That thought of yours! Even if she’s a teacher, she shouldn’t have acted like that… taking advantages of people’s weaknesses, that’s bullying!”
“But still…”
“You know, Yuki… there are times where we can let them mock you, crush you, even kill you with their actions but everyone has their limits. Even you, Yuki. We have to eventually stand up to fight for what is right and what is wrong…”
Yuki was in awe with the wisdom words coming from the stranger who had just called her by her first name. Somehow, she felt comfortable talking with Rena. Being a shy and timid person, Yuki would usually shut herself from any conversation and only listened to her friends chatting from the side. She had always imagined there is an invisible barrier that separates her from others. But with Rena, there's no barrier. Even if they are strangers, she felt as if they have known each other long ago. It’s like there’s nothing separating them from each other. Nothing at all.
She can’t help but to think that Rena is actually a pretty cool person. With the orange sun illuminating Rena’s figure and her laidback attitude just made Yuki did a little bit of admiring in her mind.
“You… just called me Yuki…”
“I know... Can I call you Yuki?” Rena turns her head with a cheeky smile. Yuki was startled a bit. Did Rena just ask her that? She’s not planning to befriend her, right? Because if she is, then Yuki would be more than glad to be one.
“No…”
“No? Oh, Oka-”
“Yukirin… call me Yukirin.”
*
“No… that’s wrong, Yukirin. You should do it like this…”
“But I did!”
“You forgot this formula here…”
They were both basking under a tree on the school’s backyard, with Rena trying to take a nap as usual. But that day, Yuki decided to change Rena’s former plan into something productive. She had stalked Rena to her favorite hiding spot and chose to ask her friend to be her tutor for the day. Yuki is not a dumb person, she’s just a bit slow in study and being friend with a prodigy had helped her a lot in class. Rena seemed like a lazy girl, but that’s just because she was always seen dozing off in class. Everyone was curious on how did the girl managed to gain first place in her examinations but now no one pays any heed, which includes their teachers. Somehow, they could only see Rena as a troublemaker in their eyes.
After finishing with her work, they both laid down on the green grass, enjoying the blue sky and cool breeze. Yuki decided to ask Rena some questions just to fill in the silence.
“Hey, Rena… why are you always sleeping around?”
“Because I haven’t had enough sleep.”
“Why?”
“Personal things…”
“Oh…” Yuki decided not to probe anymore and instead changed the subject. “How can you aced in class if all you do is sleep?”
Rena chuckles lightly with the question. With closed eyes, she put a hand behind her head for support.
“I don’t sleep all the time, Yukirin…”
“... Really?”
“What?”
“You always sleep, Rena.”
“No, I’m not…”
“Yes, you are~”
“Nooo!”
“Oh, tell me what did you do when you always had your head buried in your arms? Sleeping, of course!”
Rena sent a judging stare with a teasing smile, “You’re watching me…”
“Huh?”
“Don’t tell me you have a crush on this lazy but pretty girl?”
Yuki blinked her eyes a couple of times before realization hit her hard. Her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment with Rena rolling around the grass laughing from her friend’s reaction.
“Are you serious, Yukirin?”
“Shut up!” Yuki slapped the girl’s arm to stop the teasing and laughing. Rena’s laugh calm downed a bit, only giggles could be heard.
“You’re cute, Yukirin.” Yuki could feel her heart swell from the praise but what Rena said afterwards makes her heart throbed in bliss, “I wouldn’t mind being watched every day by a beautiful person like you.”
*
A man of forty sat on his wheelchair, staring outside the window of his bedroom. A black sedan screeched to a stop in front of his mansion. The driver stepped out from the car followed by a girl in a school uniform. The old man watches as the guards bowed down before her daughter as she walks in a graceful manner towards the door, disappearing from his view. He tapped his fingers on the shiny surface of his cane handle, waiting for his daughter’s arrival.
As in cue, the door opened revealing a tall girl with long black hair. She stepped into the room and stood by his father’s side before bowing slightly.
“I’m back, papa.”
“You’re late.”
“I’m sorry, papa. I was having a group discussion.”
“About time you take your studies seriously.”
“Yes, papa…”
“Next time, inform me if you’re staying late at school. You may leave, Yuki.”
“Yes…” the atmosphere around them was dry. It was suffocating for Yuki to be there inside the room and how relieved she was for being excused quite early today. Usually, her father would question her days to no end, interrogating her every action in school. Today is a bit odd but she’s glad he’s not that attentive like always.
Maybe he’s a little bit tired from work. She took a bow before turning around to escape from the dark square of his father’s room. Before she reaches the door, her father called her.
“Yuki, don’t wait for me for dinner. I have things to settle right now and I don’t want any disturbance while I’m working.”
“Sure, papa.” Yuki knows what her father meant by that and she is to follow whatever his father ordered her. No objections, no questions. Sometimes, she wondered if her father had actually loved her like how her late mother used to when she’s alive. Everything was turned upside down since her mother left them 5 years ago. She prayed every day that his father would at least spend time just to chat around and have a normal family-like dinner together, but all he ever talked was about school and work. Nothing more. With a sigh, Yuki makes her way to her own room.
As the door of his room closed, he switched on the table lamp. In front of him is a folder with sheets of papers scattered all over the table. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a black folder. The content showed a different profile but the picture clipped on the page matches the one on his table. He took the paper on his table on compared with the file he’s holding. Both girls are of the same face but with different descriptions and clothes. He had never imagined this girl, a professor, could disguised herself as a high school student, even more being in the same school with his daughter. A devilish smile appeared on his face as he rubbed his scruffy chin.
“I’ll make you pay for everything…”
*
“Yukirin, are you free right now?”
“No, we have class right now, Rena-chan… why?”
Rena smiled cheekily as she reached for her partner-in-crime’s hand, pulling her closer as she whispered into her ear, “Let’s ditch school.”
Yuki was taken aback and almost scream out of shock, “W-what?!”
“Shhh! Calm your nerves, Reaction Queen… Come on, it’s just once in a lifetime!”
Yuki squint her eyes with the way Rena is pleading her, they way she pouts and desperately pulling on her arm… There’s no way she could reject that cute face.
“Fine, fine… But if we get into trouble, I’ll put the blame on you!”
“We won’t! I cross my heart!” Rena stood up straight with her hand gesturing a cross mark on her chest. The action caused Yuki to stifle a laugh, afraid if their interaction would cause a commotion between their classmates even if they never cared a thing about these humans called Matsui Rena and Kashiwagi Yuki.
“Let’s go!”
*
Rena and Yuki were sitting on a bench of a park after stopping by a vendor street selling mini melon pans. Rena unwrapped the paper bag, inhaling the scent wafted from the sweet melon pan. Yuki watch from the side in amusement. She had never seen this side of Rena before. She knows Rena is an avid fan of melon pan, but her reaction just now was incredibly out of the calm and cool Rena character. As soon as she spotted the street vendor, the girl was jumping like a little girl that had just seen a candy store. Before Yuki could react, Rena had literally dragged her to the shop, pushing everyone in front before yelling
“Obaa-san!!! A dozen of the special mini melon pan!” like a high-spirited kid.
“Here! Eat it while it’s hot!” Rena offered one of the good smelling buns to Yuki. The scent of the baked goods was really tempting her senses. Yuki can feel her mouth salivate as she looked at the steamy bun. She took a bite of the fresh bun, savoring the sweet taste with her tongue.
“MMMM! This is good!”
“Isn’t it? The crunchiness of the crust…”
“The softness of the bun…”
“THE BEST!” they both exclaimed loudly while laughing at each other. They were indulging the melon pan in silence when Rena decided to speak.
“You know what, Yukirin?”
“What?”
“This… feels like a date.”
Yuki choked on a piece of bun, coughing uncontrollably with Rena looking at her with a teasing grin. She opened a can of juice they had bought earlier and offered it to Yuki. The latter gulped the juice frantically; trying to swallow whatever that got stuck on her throat. But it feels like something is still there on her chest, a feeling of fuzziness. She pounded her chest, trying to calm her heart from Rena’s statement.
“Do you have to tease me like that?” Yuki frowned at Rena but the latter merely shrugged her shoulder before reaching out for the juice.
“It’s true, though… I mean both of us are in the park, sitting on the same bench, eating melon pans together while sharing a can of juice…” Rena took a sip from the same can Yuki had drunk.
“Oh! We just had an indirect kiss too!” Rena wore a big smile as she look at the flustered Yuki. The latter turned her head away from Rena as she tried to hide her heated face from her friend. Her hand clutched on her chest as she tried to stop her heart from beating erratically.
“This is too much…” Rena could hear Yuki mumbled those words. She could feel guilt struck her instantly. This girl is too innocent. She shouldn’t have teased her like this.
“I’m sorry…” Rena scooted closer, pushing Yuki’s hair behind her ear to uncover the flustered girl’s face. She reached for Yuki’s chin, pulling her face to directly look into the latter’s eyes. Yuki’s eyes were glistening, trying to hold the tears from flowing.
“Why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing…”
“But…”
“Heh, we meet again, girl…” Out of nowhere, an unknown voice interrupted their moment. A few ragged looking men stopped in front of them with someone who looked like their leader towering over Rena.
“Tch. You again…” Rena stood up followed by Yuki who cowered behind her. The men leered on the girl hiding behind their target. One of them whispered as he recognized Yuki.
“Hey, dude… looks like the president’s daughter, isn’t she?”
“I think so…”
Rena lean closer to them, stomping her foot to try to intimidate them, “What are you guys talking about? Care sharing with me?”
“N-nothing… Look, we’re not looking for trouble. Just passing by the park. Public’s property, eh?”
“Sure…” Rena keeps her tough front as she glared on them one by one, but it seemed like they were really not there to pester her. There’s uncertainty on their face as they glanced on the person hiding behind Rena's back. Throwing a last look, they scurried away from the scene, leaving a dumbfounded Rena and a trembling Yuki by the bench.
“Who… were they?”
Rena knows them; she had encountered some of them before. Someone had hired this bunch of hooligans to mess with her life everyday. She can handle them for sure but their number increased day by day and it’s bothering Rena to no end. Someone is on her tail and this means bad business. She had a clue of who is the mastermind but for now, she would let it slide. She wouldn't want to let her friend worry.
“No one… just a bunch of stupid goons doing their usual things…”
*
“Sir, we have a report from one of the boys.”
“What is it?”
“It seems like your daughter is close with
her.”
“What?”
“They’ve seen both of them together in a park.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive, sir. Here’s the proof.” The man in suit pulled out an envelope from his blazer. The old man took the envelope and pulled out the content, revealing pictures of his daughter with the one that had caused him all the misery in the world. He gritted his teeth, slamming his fist on the table. She’s planning something and he’s about to stop her from getting on his way. He must stop her for good.
*
Rena exited a convenience store with a bottle of water on her hand. She unscrewed the cap, downing half the content in one gulp. She took steady steps down the dark road, sometimes glancing down her shoulder as she examined the shadows formed on the pavement. There were at least three people trailing behind her and she knew they are up for nothing good. She deliberately let go of the bottle on the ground, acting as if she had accidently lose grip of it. She bent down to pick it up, before throwing a glimpse on her back stealthily. In a swift movement, Rena threw the bottle with all her might to the nearest target, hitting him square on his forehead, knocking him out for good. She quickly turned around before sprinting away from the thugs.
The men were hot on her trails as she reached to a dead end. Rena calmly stood in the shadow, waiting for the men to slipped by her hiding spot. She let the first one run passed her before grabbing the other by his neck, choking him with her arm with the inertia of his speed. She swiftly pulled him down to the ground, slamming his back hard on the cold surface. The man writhed in pain as he thrashed around on the floor. Rena took out an expandable baton from her belt, jerking the steel to expand it before knocking him out for good.
However, the other man had turned back after hearing the commotion. He sent a flying kick on Rena’s direction. Caught in surprise, Rena blocked the kick with her arms but the force was too strong, she was thrown back to the floor. The man wasted no time as he continued slamming his foot directly to the girl’s face. But his attempt was futile as Rena quickly avoided his foot. She rolled over while getting on her feet as fast as she can. The man wore a sickening grin, keeping his intimidating eyes on Rena. He thrust forward, throwing a high-speed punch aiming for Rena’s face. The girl dodged her head to the side, barely missing the hit but her opponent had read her action and raised his knee directly onto her gut.
Rena quickly recovered her stance, spitting some blood forming in her throat. She dashed forward for a round kick. She managed to hit him but the man countered her assault by capturing her leg with his bare arms, slamming her hard on the ground. Rena struggled to get up but the man had his foot on her back, preventing her from moving around. This man is something else. She had never encountered someone that can fight as well as him. This means
he is starting to get serious. Rena closed her eyes as she felt the cold tar grazing her pale cheek.
“Hey, hey... don’t passed out on me now. I didn’t hit you that hard…” the man removed his foot before squatting above Rena’s head, turning her around in the process. He slapped Rena’s cheek a couple of times just to make sure she is still conscious.
“You sure know how to fight. Got me bruised here and there…”
Rena laid still, ignoring the man with her eyes staring blankly on the starry night sky. Somehow, she knows he won’t end her life tonight. Besides,
he needs something from her and
he will do it with his own hands, for sure.
“The president got some message for you… You know this girl?” he took out a picture of a girl. Rena squint her eyes, trying to make out the blurry face in the dark alley but after taking a good look at the picture, her eyes widen.
“Yeah, he knows both of you are friends. Tell you what… why don’t you stay away from her? That way, no one will get hurt.”
Rena gulped as she tried to process everything.
“You don’t want your friend here knows who killed her mother… aye?” the man swayed the picture on Rena’s face, his action making her angered as if mocking her defenseless state at the moment. She can’t think of anything except to follow his orders, for now. Rena closed her eyes before nodding her head numbly.
“Now that’s a good girl… Oh! One more thing. He wants to meet you this Saturday…”
‘This Saturday? But that’s Yuki’s birthday…’“Be sure to be there or else… you know what will happen.” The man stood up, throwing the picture on Rena’s face before walking away from the scene. Rena heeds no intention of moving or getting up from the spot. She puts a hand on her forehead, thinking of a way to get out from this mess. Her mind is cluttered with so many things; she barely got any solution out of this trouble. But there’s one thing she should do right away; fulfilling her promise to her late mentor and partner.
*
Yuki skipped her way to her seat as she arrived a bit early than normal. She looked around the empty classroom before sitting down on her chair. Just as she was about to took out her books, the door slammed open. Yuki instantly smiled with a hand greeting her friend but her action halted as she looked at Rena’s face. The latter had a bruise on her lower lip and a square bandage on her cheek. She quickly jumped off her seat to interrogate her friend.
“Rena-chan, what happened? Did you get into a fight? Who did this to you?” Rena ignored her friend’s queries and continued making her way to her chair. She slumped down on the hard surface, right hand supporting her chin as she gave out a bright smile to Yuki.
“Good morning to you too, Yukirin! It’s a nice day today, isn’t it?”
“Rena! Answer me!”
“Oh geez… I fell down the stairs. You know how clumsy I am…” Yuki knew Rena was lying, not after she caught her friend’s left hand that was hidden under the table were full of blisters and plastered on certain places. She tried asking more but the latter had beaten her to it.
“Hey, Yukirin… Can you meet me at the rooftop after school? I need to give you something…”
“Eh? Can’t you just give it now?”
“NO! This is something special and I need a romantic place for it.”
“And our school rooftop is a romantic place? Geez… I can never understand your taste…”
“Hey! I’m on a tight budget right now!”
“Yeah, right…” they shared a laugh before returning back on their seats as the class was starting to be filled with other students arriving. Rena heaved a deep breath as she clutched the blue box in her hand. She knows today is the last they would see of each other and she doesn’t want to regret anything after this. She won’t repeat the same mistake twice. She will make this right.
*
The handle of the rusty rooftop door twisted, the door hinge giving off a weird creaking sound as Yuki opened it from inside. The breeze blew her hair in a gentle wave as she walked to the railing. She enjoys the soothing wind caressing her face as she waits for Rena. Suddenly, her view turned black. Yuki almost let out a scream but recognizing the warmth emitted from the familiar hand, she smiled instead.
“Guess who?”
“Gekikara.”
“What? Who’s that?”
“My secret lover.”
“Uh-huh… and she’s a monster who likes to eat spicy food.” Yuki lets out a warm giggle from Rena’s witty comment. The latter stood by her side with a serene face as she watched the view of the school.
“Wow… this place is better than that old tree.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to change your hiding spot here?”
“Hmmm… I doubt that…”
“Eh?” Yuki was confused with Rena’s reply but the latter feigned ignorance with Yuki’s reaction. Instead, she turned to face Yuki with her hands hiding something on her back. Her face had that same cheeky smile as she stepped closer towards Yuki.
“I’ve got something for you, but I need something else in return...”
“Hmm? What?”
“This.” Rena closed their distance as she tilts her head towards Yuki’s left cheek, pressing her lips on the soft surface. Her lips lingered for a second before she pulled away. Yuki blushed heavily from the unexpected act, her eyes as wide as a saucer while her hand unconsciously touched the spot. This is the first time Rena had done an intimate action to her, not counting all the flirting and teasing she had done before. And boy, her heart was beating erratically like she had run a full lap around the track field.
Rena was actually quite nervous too despite her cool demeanor. She could feel her pulse beating abnormally fast but she pushed them aside for now. She reached out her hands, holding a blue box with a yellow ribbon tied around it.
“Advance Happy Birthday, Yukirin!”
“Eh? What… How… How did you know?”
“I have my ways.”
Rena grinned anxiously as she handed the box to Yuki who accepted the present with clammy hands. In all her life, this was the first time Yuki had ever received a present from a friend. Sure, her father always gave her one every year but this one is more precious than anything she had ever received before. Yuki grasped the present tightly, her head dipped low. Now, Rena is scared. Was her timing bad? Did Yuki hate the present? What if the box was too small for Yuki’s liking? However, her uncertainty flew away as Yuki flung herself into Rena’s arms. Rena was startled, not by the hug but by the sobbing coming from her friend. She soon wrapped her arms around the taller girl with a hand rubbing her back to ease her crying.
Rena whispered sweet nothings to her friend, trying to calm her down. She pulled away as Yuki stopped weeping. She brushed Yuki’s bangs away from her eyes while wiping the tears flowing down her red cheeks. But what she did next was out of the ordinary. Rena pinched both Yuki’s cheek, making the latter squirmed from pain and annoyance.
“These cheeks are so soooft~!”
“HEY!” Yuki punched Rena’s arm repeatedly, giggling with the unexpected action Rena had just done.
“Now that’s better. A smiling Yukirin is a pretty Yukirin.” Rena said the words sincerely with childish voice, resulting in Yuki laughing in an endless fit.
“You sure know how to flatter me.”
“Of course! I’m the best buddy you’ve ever met.” They both smiled while sharing a loving stare with each other. Rena grasped Yuki’s hand, her eyes showing a glimpse of sadness.
“Promise me, Yukirin… you’ll never stop smiling from now on.” Yuki could feel there was something odd with Rena. The way she said that was like they won't be seeing each other again. However, she pushed the thoughts away, wearing a lovely smile on her face.
“I promise.”
*
Today is Saturday. Today is Yuki’s birthday. And today is the time Rena will soon meet her fate, alive or dead. She sat on the ledge of the bridge, her legs swaying around without a care in the world. The traffic wheezing through the bridge had drowned all her feelings and emotions. Now, she just had to wait for them. For
him, the man who had been hunting her until now.
A screeching sound woke her from her daydream. Four sedans pulled up on the street just behind her, with steps of people running reverberated on the hard asphalt ground. She took a deep breath before getting up on her feet. Glancing back on the groups of people in suits surrounding her, she memorized the total count of opponents she’s about to face. Taking out her guns from the belt, she prepared herself for the fight of her life. She muttered a small prayer, directed to her friend and her late mother, who was once Rena’s mentor. She turned around, facing the men with menacing eyes before letting out a creepy laugh.
“Hey... you mad?”
*
“Yuki, I have some work right now. Your present is in my room.”
“Oh… sure, papa.”
“Yuki…”
“Yes, papa?”
“Happy birthday, dear…”
“Thank you, papa.”
Yuki bowed her head as she waited for her father to disappear behind the door. As soon as the door slammed shut, she made her way to her father’s room. She turned on the light switch and neared his father’s table.
“Now, where is it…”
Yuki was about to opened the drawer when she accidentally knocked over the folders stacked neatly on her father’s table.
“Crap!”
Yuki quickly picked up the folders but halted when a name caught her attention.
“Matsui?”
Feeling curious with the content, she opened the folder. What she found inside had almost made her faint. The picture was of a brown haired woman in white lab coat named Matsui Rena. She continues reading her profile and the revelation makes her stupefied.
Matsui Rena, young mentor of Kashiwagi Haru.
A child prodigy. Was recruited at early age of 10.
Worked together for a thesis about life regeneration but stopped halfway due to a tragedy.
Matsui Rena was suspected to be the cause of Kashiwagi Haru’s death.Yuki couldn’t believe her eyes. She hastily opened another folder, showing a picture of her friend, Rena in her school uniform. She brought the two pictures together and make out the resemblance. Positive. They are both the same person, only with a different hair color. Yuki couldn’t help her tears from flowing down. She had to confront her father about this. She must know the truth. Then she remembered Rena’s gift. She abruptly sprinted to her room, slamming the door open. Reaching for the bag, she hastily threw everything out before her eyes caught the blue box. She opened the box and found a letter with a pendrive inside. She rips the envelope carelessly, not caring if she would tear the content. She read the letter with shaky hands and shallow breathing.
My dear lovely Yukirin,
Happy Birthday! Okay that was plain normal hahaha… I was hoping I could celebrate your birthday in a more proper way but I don’t know if I would still be available after today. It’s ironic how your birthday might be the deathday of mine. I’m sorry if that’s not funny… I wish you could remember your birthday as the happiest day of your life, but now I doubt it.
There’s another thing I want to tell you. Truthfully, I’ve been keeping so many secrets from you, Yukirin. We’ve met before when we were still a kid. I don't think you recognized me though. I remembered you as the cheerful kid who always had a laugh on her face, even if you were sad or hurt. I was envious of you. Yukirin, the girl who have the perfect family, having the perfect life. On the other hand, I had to sacrifice my time with my family just for the sake of being labelled as a child prodigy. Actually, I’ve lost the memory of how I met you but that’s okay. At least I can treasure the day when we first became friends.
Now, for the suprising part. I was a recruit for a national security agency during my childhood. I was trained to do research, spy on people, fight and combat and even killing enemies. But my specialty is research. That’s how I met your mother. Haru-san was actually my mentor during my high school years. We’ve been doing a research about cells regeneration and restoration. The results was amazing! We had successfully revived a few animals including a dead orang utan. But our long time research had finally taken a toll on us. Your mother, Haru-san was suddenly having some sort of inner turmoil. She started to seclude herself from everyone else, doing all the work alone. Sometimes she would mumble by herself, sometimes lashing out at everyone. It’s pretty horrifying for us, for me. She was like a mother figure to me, Yukirin. I tried to help her, staying beside her to watch and keep her calm and composed. But my strength alone can’t help the depressed Haru-san.
One day, I was late for work when hell breaks loose. Haru-san had gone berserk and destroyed everything in our lab. Thankfully I was there on time but the damage done was terrible. Everything was literally destroyed. But then she started attacking me, trying to choke the life out of me. Out of self-defence, I grabbed the nearest thing I could reach and push her with it. My mistake was that I didn’t check what I was holding. A shard of broken glass had punctured through her heart. I was breathless. Everything was happening too fast.
But one thing was etched in my memories of your mother. It was her smile, Yukirin. The relieved smile she gave to me before her last breath. It was as if she was free from all the sorrow and pain she had endured all this while. And that’s what been keeping me alive until now. There’s a pendrive that contains all the research studies and findings. If you look through the folders carefully, there are hidden videos of Haru-san. You should watch them. I’m entrusting this to you because I know I can count on you to use this for a good cause.
Lastly, I hope we can still be friends, even if I’m no longer alive. I once vowed in front of Haru-san’s grave to protect you, to make you smile again, to make you feel loved again but there's a quote saying every promise was made to be broken. Remember, I’m always inside your heart, beating the same rhythm we had once breath. Thanks for becoming my friend all this while. Don’t forget your promise, okay? If not, I’m gonna haunt you every night in your dreams! I love you, Yukirin… always have. I hope we can meet again…
Matsui Rena,
Your cute pretty lovely friends forever...----------
A single lone tear drops down her pale cheek. She could have prevented it. She should. But cowardice and resentment will always be a part of her life. However, right now, she must change it. Just like what Rena had told her the first day they are officially friends. Fate will never get its way with her life and so does her father. Whatever happens, she will definitely make her dream come true.
"Prof, we've found some interesting results! The test was a match!"
The intercom sounded from her end with a male voice on the other. Yuki's eyes twinkled as she heard the announcement.
'If the test is successful, then...' A smirk found its way on face. Her thoughts are filled with only one thing at the moment; she can meet Rena soon. Yuki caressed the glass in a loving manner, the vibration giving off some warmth to her hand. Then, she widens her arms before embracing the tube, rubbing her left cheek on the cold surface as if it is a soft skin of her friend.
"I missed you, Rena..."
Unbeknowest to the professor, the figure's hand inside the glass twitched for a second in a jerking movement, as if replying Yuki’s longing of wanting to see her one more time.
A/N: Comments, please????
Ah! You can find the sequel
here. The continuation took place when Rena's on the bridge~
Topic: Short Shots of Lame Plots - "It's a Love-Hate Business! pt 3" (WMatsui & Mayuki) (Read 85933 times)