Coming HomeShe wiped off the sweat with the back of her hand as the sun shined brightly above her. It was a cloudless day, which Ai was pretty thankful for since she wasn’t the luckiest person when it came to weather. Even though she was happy, she just wished that one cloud could block the sun, if only for a few minutes. She sat on the sidewalk for a few moments and focused on the grass and concrete in front of her.
‘Why am I even doing this again? What if she doesn’t want to see me?’She immediately shook her head of the thought as she felt her tears were on the edge of escaping. The soft hum of cars passed her by as a summer breeze came her way and slightly refreshed her as more negative thoughts started to flood her mind as well as a bitter sweet memory.
“Even though I don’t want you to go…It’s time for Ai-chan to do what she wants…You need to go do something that makes you happy…”“Ai Onee-chan…is everything ok?”
The young woman looked up and instantly snapped out of her daze as a little girl stood in front of her. The child had a slightly worried look on her face as her white sundress fluttered along with the wind. Ai smiled hoping that it would hide her true feelings of doubt.
“I’m fine.”
The girl reached her hand out and for a moment, the older looked at it, and gently held it as she stood up. She straightened her clothes and looked down at her companion.
“Let’s get going…”
The two started walking again and swung their hands to the beat of Ai’s shoes hitting the concrete.
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“I’ll miss you…you know…”
She clutched tighter onto the suitcase handle as the slightly taller girl before her looked away for a moment.
“I’ll miss you too…”
There was another few minutes of silence until the final boarding call was echoed through the terminal. Ai looked at her and bit her lip as she fought back the tears that were about to come. Risa looked back at her and affectionately ruffled her bangs, leaving her hand there for a few extra seconds to savor the moment.
“Don’t cry now silly…if you do, I’ll start crying too…”
She nodded forcefully and took a deep breath. The feelings of doubt and regret was flooding in as she heard the final call again, and she looked into the younger’s eyes and asked timidly.
“Are…are you sure about this?”
The bean nodded and smiled sweetly at her. She could tell that the girl was ready to cry herself, but was trying her best to not show it.
“Even though I don’t want you to go…It’s time for Ai-chan to do what she wants…You need to go do something that makes you happy… Now get going before you start regretting it!”
The older nodded and started walking to the gate, until she heard the bean’s voice call her out.
“Ai-chan! Wait!”
She turned back and suddenly felt the warmth of the other girl’s arms wrapped around her neck.
“Be safe ok…? And message me when you get there…I love you…”--------------
“Ichigo.”
“Hmmm…Gogisamadeshita!”
“Tako!”
“Kokoro.”
“Rokku…”
Ai slightly lost her balance as she and the little girl walked on the concrete ledge that separated the street from the beach near the side walk. The two were playing shiritori as they walked on to keep themselves from being bored. She hopped over a gap on the ledge. The girl followed behind her as she turned back and extended her hand to help her.
“Here, give me your hand.”
She did as she was told and hopped onto the next ledge with help from the elder.
“Ah~ there we go!”
She giggled and continued their game.
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By the time they had gotten into town, the two had given up on their game and were now walking in silence. It wasn’t until a few drops of water landed on the girl’s nose that the silence was broken.
“Eh?”
Ai looked over at her with a questioning look. She was just about to ask what was wrong until a few more drops now started to come down, wetting up the pavement with each drop. Looking up at the sky for a moment, Ai wondered if it was from a random sprinkler nearby, but eventually that thought was thrown out the window when a downpour of rain fell on the two of them. The older grabbed the younger’s hand and covered her head as best as she could with the other as they rushed to a nearby wall with enough cover from the roof. When they got to the wall, the two sighed and leaned up against it, watching the rain. Ai looked over to the girl and started looking for her handkerchief.
“Ah~ This must be a sun shower!”
She gave her a carefree grin and asked cheerfully.
“We got pretty wet there, are you all right?”
The girl shook her head as Ai knelt down and started wiping her arms dry with the kerchief. It wasn’t much but the little gesture helped to keep her somewhat dry. Ai smiled and looked up at her, noticing that her bangs were slightly wet, and playfully dried them off, before she took the cloth from her.
“Don’t worry about me, Ai Onne-chan need’s to dry herself off too!”
She started drying her off with a cute pout on her face as Ai’s smile grew even bigger.
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“Ah…Just wait a minute ok?”
Ai ruffled through her bag and smiled a little as she looked for her wallet. She threw her blanket next to her and her makeup bag on her lap as the girl, and the bus driver waited. She rummaged through the compartments in a hasty fashion as she mumbled to herself in her native dialect.
“Where is it…?”
The girl, who was kneeling down with her just watched quietly, staring at the bag, hopping that Ai would find her wallet soon, or at least some change for them to get on the bus. It wasn’t until the bus driver honked impatiently that the two looked over at him.
“I’m sorry!”
She bowed her head and went back to her bag to look again, taking more stuff out in the process as the bus door closed and drove off. They quietly watched the bus leave them for a moment and after it was out of sight Ai sighed in frustration and started throwing her discarded items back in her bag. She looked up to meet eyes with the girl and softly whispered to her in defeat.
“Gomen ne?”
The younger smiled and shook her head as she looked down and then back up at Ai.
“It’s not your fault.”
Ai looked back down and stood up. She brought the bag’s strap on her shoulder as the girl stood with her.
“We should get going…”
“Un...”
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They started walking again, with the only sound being the elder’s shoes clicking with each step. Both of them were down from the bus incident, yet neither really wanted to show it. It wasn’t until the girl knelt down and hugged her legs that Ai turned around and walked back. She kneeled in front of her as she held the strap of her bag.
“Just hold on a little bit longer ok?”
She pouted and looked away from the older girl.
“Mou~ I don’t wanna walk anymore!”
Ai smiled a little and ruffled her bangs lovingly. In all honesty she was getting tired of walking too, but if she showed her tiredness to the little one, then she’d start getting worried over her, and that was the last thing Ai needed. She thought for a moment until an idea came to her.
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She stuck out her thumb as a car came, hoping that the person would stop, but sighed in defeat as it passed. She tried again and watched as another car went on its way. The little girl watched quietly behind her as Ai continued to get a car to stop, but after two hours of trying to hitchhike she gave up. She sighed and looked down to her companion.
“Let’s try the supermarket; maybe someone can give us a ride.”
When they got to the market, there were only a few cars in the parking lot. She let the girl stay near the entrance as she walked to the cars to ask the drivers for a ride.
“Excuse me, could you take me to Tokyo-“
“No way, I can’t.”
She tried and tried again until there was one car left.
“Excuse me!”
She ran over to a slightly old man who was just about to get into his van until her heard her voice.
“Um… Could you be so kind enough to take me and my sister to Tokyo?”
“Tokyo?”
She timidly nodded, clearly begging him with her doe-like eyes as the girl ran over to her. He looked at the both of them. They were clearly on their last thread of needing help, and he couldn’t just say no to them, so he sighed and extended out his hand. The girl looked up at him and smiled as she took his hand.
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“Are you alright back there?”
Ai wrapped her arms around the younger’s shoulder as the man looked back at his rear view mirror. She gave him a huge grin and nodded. There were boxes that were in the back of the truck, which only gave the two small girls a bit of room, but it was just enough for them not to be too squished.
“We’re alright.”
“It’ll take us a day to get there, so just relax yourself.”
He took his eyes back on the road as the two sat in silence. The girl went in her little messenger bag and opened a small packet of gummies. She offered some to Ai and started eating away. The elder just smiled at the sight of the girl happily eating away, glad for once that things were finally going in the right direction.
After a few hours , the man decided to take a pit stop and rest, letting everyone stretch their stiff muscles; and for the girl have a chance to have some fun and pretend that she was driving. Ai looked on as she rested her arms on the open passenger window.
When they started again, the younger sighed and nudged Ai’s shoulder.
“I’m bored~!”
Ai looked in her bag and started rummaging for something as the child puffed her cheeks in boredom.
“Hmm…well… here.”
She took out her ipod and handed an ear bud to the girl as she put the other in her own ear. The girl looked up at her and did the same as Ai gave her a huge grin.
“Let’s listen to some music then!”
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“Paper windmills?”
The girl looked over at the man as they took another break. The three decided to sit on the roof of the car as the sun set at the horizon. The two had listened to the man’s story about his handmade plastic windmills.
“Yeah, you can think of them as flowers that’ll never wilt… Plus they look just as beautiful…Well I do at least.”
“Hmm…but you don’t get the satisfaction of growing them like a flower…”
“That’s true, but when the wind blows them, and the colors spin around, they look just as beautiful…”
Ai looked back at the sun set as the two continued on their conversation. She sighed and brushed her short hair behind her ear as the thoughts of doubt came to her again. She had no idea what she’d do when she got to her destination, heck she didn’t even know why she was putting in so much effort into it, but her stubbornness wouldn’t let this opportunity slip.
“They can cheer anyone up when there’s a bunch on the horizon…all different colors blowing with the wind in harmony…”
By night time the two were fast asleep in the van as the man drove on to their destination. The girl had her head resting on Ai’s shoulder, while Ai rested her head on top of the girl’s. When the man started getting tired, he decided to make another pit stop and rested himself on the driver and passenger seats. By then, Ai had laid the child down and was watching her sleep. The girl reminded her so much of Risa. The way she spoke, how she acted towards her when Ai got too negative with herself, and the way how she acted way more mature than her age. She smiled to herself and stroked the girl’s cheek lovingly as she whispered to her.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be meeting Risa again after a long time….I’m kinda nervous, but I know I can do it as long as you’re with me…”
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She grunted as she lifted the box out of the trunk and tried her best to lay it on the ground without making a sound. A few mini windmills bounced out of the cardboard box and landed on the floor, but it was too late.
“Baka! What are you doing!?”
The man ran up to the back of the truck and caught the girl red handed. She stayed frozen in shock for a moment until he ran over to her and tried to take the box away.
“Give me that box!!”
“Yada~!!”
The two struggled and continued shouting, causing Ai to wake up from her sleep. The two continued tugging the box back and forth until Ai rushed over and kneeled the girl’s side.
“What’s going on??? Rii-chan!”
She let go of the box as Ai pulled away from her with a sudden worried look on her face. She didn’t think that she’d upset her onne-chan and for the old man to catch her in the act of her plan. She looked down at the ground and bit her lip, clearly sure she was about to get scolded for what she’d done. Ai bowed her head furiously to the man. She hopped that the girl’s action wouldn’t cost them their last chance of transportation.
“I’m so sorry! I really am!”
The man held up the box and looked out to the horizon behind the two. He nodded his head in slight amazement.
“Just look at that behind you…”
Ai slowly stood up and looked behind her. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight before her. For about as far as she could see, there were mini windmills across the grassy field. All were in different colors and sizes as they spun with help from the wind. All she could do was stare at the sight before her and try to take it in.
‘Was this what she was doing all night? When did she even leave my side??’“I just wanted to make Ai-neechan happy…”
She closed her eyes tightly as she fought back the tears that were coming to her. Looking down at the girl, she kneeled back down and hugged her. It was all she could do from really letting her “cry baby” self show.
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After an hour of pulling out the mini windmills and storing them safely back into the boxes, and a trip to the gas station, the two were finally at their destination. They got out of the truck and bowed to the old man.
“Thank you so much!”
The man shook his head and smiled.
“Stay well you two.”
Rii-chan waved goodbye as he drove off and when he was out of sight, the two turned to look at the building behind them. It was the dance hall where Ai and the other members had practiced for concerts as well as singles for years, and to her it was a home away from home. So many memories were stored in that one place that she actually started to get nervous again. She wasn’t even 100 percent sure that Risa would even be there but she had to be sure.
While Ai was staring at the building in front of her, Rii-chan watched her closely and after a few minutes, she extended her hand out to her onne-chan. The older looked down at the little one’s hand and then at her huge grin.
“It’ll be alright Ai-neechan.”
She smiled warmly and took the girl’s hand; instantly feeling the warmth in it. They walked to the doors and silently walked through the halls to the rehearsal rooms. Ai’s shoes clicked with the beat of a song that was playing louder and louder with each step she took. When she got to the final door in the hall, and read the name that just simply had “Morning Musume concert rehearsal” taped to the door. She stopped and took a deep breath as she looked down to her companion.
“This is it isn’t it…?”
The girl nodded and gave a comforting squeeze to her hand.
“You can do it Ai-neechan!”
The elder nodded and slowly opened the door. When it was opened wide enough she peeked through to meet the reflection of the person she was planning to meet. Risa was practicing by herself in the large room which brought a smile to Ai’s face. She opened the door wider and watched as the bean continued on dancing. The last time she really saw Risa was at the airport that day and the only thing that she had to keep her updated was the still pictures that she had received over the months she was over in America. She was in such awe at finally seeing the girl, that she never noticed that she had startled the bean from the reflection in the mirror.
“A-Ai-chan?”
Ai snapped out of her daze and looked at Risa. The two stayed silent for a moment until Ai felt Rii-chan’s hand slip from her own and run over to the bean and before she knew it the girl had turned back at Ai and gave her that signature smile that the bean now had on her own face.
“Ai-chan!”
She ran over and hugged her with tears in her eyes. It was the last thing Ai had expected and in turn she hugged her back and started crying clearly happy that she didn’t get a negative reaction to her coming back. The bean giggled and ruffled Ai’s bangs as the parted a bit.
“Ai-chan why are you crying?”
“C-cus… I thought you’d reject me I I came back…I mean we haven’t talked much in so long…and I felt that it was my fault…”
She sniffled some more as Risa lovingly wiped her eyes.
“Why would I ever be mad at my Ainee-chan hm?”
She hugged her again and mumbled in the shorter girl’s ear,
“We’ve been through too much for me to be upset with you Ai-chan...I’m just glad you’re back home safe…”
“And I’m glad to be back with you Rii-chan.”
Ai broke their embrace and smiled. She was happy in the end that she fought through her negative thoughts and worries. She looked at the bean and saw that still loving smile that was on her face when she called the girl by her nickname. Eventually, they parted and sat down on the wooden floor to catch up on the things that they missed. Ai felt like a river of relief had come over her and that things would soon go her way once again. Coming back home was worth it after all.
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nya i hope you gusy liked this...i spent like a few weeks on this and anyone who can guess what pv i got this idea from will get megga love from me....i'll give you a hint, it's another akab-type song but its from a soloist
if that's not a big enough hint idk what is.....then again i wonder if anyone even cares?
either way this was like over 8 pgs of writing on word and i hope you guys liked it :3 and that it makes sense
Topic: kawaii-beam's not so very wonderful box of wonders~[Let’s have.]12-23-13 (Read 99657 times)