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Kurosawa87: Thanks for reading!!! Well lets see... how real the flashbacks are can be so both because and with the eye.
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xyukie56: Thanks for the thanks!
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Oh my gash!! This was such a hard chapter!! I'm so stuck on this!! dear beetlegeuse!! ...or however the way you spell it! But well starting tomorrow I'm going on a search for how to write what I've planned for this fic! As always thanks for reading and enjoy!
Chapter 13**FLASH**“Hey sleepy head. If you want to eat some breakfast you need to wake up now.”
“Mmm… 5 more minutes!!”
“Now my little kitten. Or else your meat will turn cold.”
The small shakings from the girl that was talking to her woke her up and she decided to oblige and awake so that she could eat her food while it was still warm. Rolling on the bed, she turned belly-up and looked at the girl whose face was lightened up by the morning sun. The light was blinding and having her vision already blurred by her still lingering sleep didn’t really help her recognize any special characteristics other than a short bobbed brown hair that shone in the morning light.
“Who … who are you…”
**FLASH**Scurrying could be heard all around her as the movements of a couple of people resounded in her now attentive ears. Riho tried to open her eyes but the bright light over her face was making it difficult and the movement and hushing by her side was making her nervous every passing second.
“Riho-chan… can you hear me? It’s time to wake up.”
The girl heard that familiar voice and she felt her heart beat faster which made her want to open her eyes and see who was talking to her. She felt tired but her curiosity was winning over her tiredness and she slowly but surely opened her eyes and looked to her right.
“Good morning Riho-chan.”
Riho saw light brown curled hair that was held in two pigtails and as she kept on looking upwards she saw a gentle smile greeting her peacefully. It warmed her heart seeing the soft features gently smiling at her and as her gaze went in search of the smiling girl’s eyes the blinding light of a pen began to harass her yet again.
“How do you feel Sayashi-san? You were out for quite some time.”
The girl closed her eyes shut at the light that now bothered her and she just mumbled that she was ok. No other words were spoken by her to answer the questions since she was a bit mad that the owner of the voice that greeted her was still faceless in her mind.
“Oh Riho-chan! I’m so glad you woke up!”
Riho felt her mother and father smother her in a tight hug as well as the relief that emanated from their weak figures. Slowly opening her tired eyes once again, Riho looked around the room in search of the girl who had previously spoken but found that the only people present were her parents and the doctor. Still under her parent’s hug, Riho began to think about what had happened and why she was in the hospital.
“Nothing you need to worry about anymore Riho… you’ll be ok from now on.”
Her mother’s words kept echoing in her mind and she decided to brush off any type of worry since her parents were right there and they could protect her no matter what happens. The doctor began to ask Riho some questions and after some time he noticed that there were some details that looked blank for some reason and he was thinking that something was not quite right with the girl’s memory. There was a knock on the door and as the person was allowed entrance a small round face poked through the opening and bashfully smiled.
“Umm… Hi… Riho-chan…”
Riho saw her best friend and instantly smiled at her and asked her to come closer. Kanon’s confidence kept on going higher and she approached her best friend calmly and happy to see her once again. The girl was asked to not agitate Riho in any way so she just began to make small and meaningless conversations with her. Meanwhile, the doctor asked Riho’s parents to come out and meet with him in his office so that they could talk some more about Riho’s current condition. Seeing as the girls were enjoying their time together, the parents went with the doctor and sat in his office to pay attention to whatever he had to say about the wellbeing of their daughter.
“Sayashi-san… Has your daughter ever suffered from memory loss or does she blank out sometimes?”
The couple looked at each other after his question and thought about any indicates that would show their daughter was losing her memory somehow and after a couple of minutes the mother noticed that their daughter had spaced out during dinner a couple of times recently.
“I want your daughter to meet with a psychologist. Now, seeing her age and the peculiarity of this case I actually recommend this couple of psychologists. They are very professional and they will take care of your daughter in a gentle manner.”
He proceeded to hand out a pamphlet that showed a short review of the pair as well as their business card. The card read: “Ishikawa and Yoshizawa clinic. Specializing in: teens and young adults.” The parents read the card and thanked the doctor before they were on their way to Riho’s room.
“Darling… How are we going to tell Riho-chan that she has to see a mental health doctor?”
The father tensed up at the question and decided that they were going to tell their daughter the truth and take her there in good terms rather than in a lie which had the possibility to sever their relationship. When they entered the room, what they saw there surprised them both. The young girls were fast asleep and held each other’s hands as they lightly snored with a smile on their faces. Deciding to leave them so that they could rest for a while longer; both adults left the room and looked for the cafeteria to have something to eat.
Another woman was eating as well whilst thoughts invaded her mind. She was trying to focus on her meal but the conversation she had with her superior three days ago was more than enough to get her attention away from the food.
~Flashback~
“Takahashi-san may I ask the reason why you were on the roof when it’s supposed to be off limits and when in actuality your workplace is right here? You do know that to become the school nurse over at this section of the school; you need to be here most of the time so that you can take care of anyone who feels ill and comes to you instead of just running along the school and staying over restricted areas of it…Right?”
At the small scolding; Ai kept feeling smaller and smaller since she knew that Iida-sensei was correct in everything she was saying.
‘I wasn’t actually intending to find her there…I was just following the cat…’
No words were spoken by Takahashi other than a small ‘excuse me’ and a deep bow.
“Please take note of this for future reference. But as of today there is no need to bow to me as I am the one who is completely thankful that you were actually there to help Fujimoto save the girl. Truly, form the bottom of my heart: thank you Takahashi Ai-sensei.”
Ai looked up surprised by the words of ‘thank you’ she had heard but mostly by the title she had been acknowledged as by the school nurse Iida Kaori. Confusion began to grace her youthful features and the school nurse extended her hand to show her a small metallic name tag that read. “School nurse, junior high and high school division: Takahashi Ai”
“Congratulations, I have been speaking to Nakazawa- kōchō about how well you’ve done your job this past months and she had decided to promote you. So from now on school nurse Takahashi: yoroshiku onegaishimasu~”
Both women bowed at each other and seeing that it was time to leave, Ai exited the office and decided to go and have a decent meal to celebrate her promotion. Grabbing her cellphone from her purse, she began to dial Eri’s number when something jumped in her way.
Looking up she saw Rey hissing at her as he held in his mouth a purple ribbon with a small skull in the middle. She looked horrified at the item the cat held in his mouth and she went onwards to take it from him but being that he was much faster than her she couldn’t catch him. Frustrated, she left the parking lot and decided to have a simple meal at her house and go directly to sleep.
‘How can the things I hide in my journal appear out of it?! And why did Rey have that ribbon with him?’
~End of Flashback~“Ai-chan, the food in your plate is to eat… not stare it down until it magically jumps into your mouth.”
Giggles could be heard after that statement which made Ai look up from her plate and stare at the goofily smiling turtle that had just entered the apartment. A little bit embarrassed that Eri had seen her in deep thoughts; she silently muttered that it was surely the work of aliens. The turtle, being the good listener she was heard Ai’s quiet mutter and began to laugh louder than before.
“Wow Ai-chan!! You’re spending way too much time with me! Now the aliens are talking to you as well?!”
Eri’s words clicked in Ai’s mind and she began to laugh alongside the girl noticing that she truly was acquiring some of the turtle’s ‘aho’ ways. Looking again at the giggling Eri, Ai smiled and pondered if she should ask the girl about the whereabouts of her journal. She didn’t know for how long she was thinking about asking but the silence that grew between them began to turn awkward as Ai furrowed her eyebrows and Eri stared at her.
“Is there something on your mind Ai-chan?”
At the sudden question, Ai’s resolve was found and she decided to ask Eri if she had seen her journal around the apartment. When Eri began to nod, she wasn’t sure if she was feeling relieved that the object was found or worried that Eri might have read or found something in it that she was not supposed to find. As Eri got up to go to their room, the recently appointed school nurse brushed away her worries since she knew that Eri might be an ‘aho’ but not a nosy ‘aho’ and she always respected Ai’s privacy. Soon after leaving Ai’s side; Eri came back from the room with the small coveted object that belongs to the woman.
“It’s been on the table besides the window for a while now. I thought you had put it there? Maybe you forgot about it. But here it is, and don’t worry I didn’t go through it. I’m not a nosy ‘aho’.”
Seeing the proudly smiling Eri, Ai began to laugh as she saw the girl’s silent plea to be petted on the head as a reward. Forgetting all about her meal since her hunger had escaped her; Ai stood up to get closer to Eri to fulfill the turtle’s wish and when she did so she found herself lip locked with her. After the short kiss, Eri began to giggle and told Ai that this was even better than the petting she previously wanted. Ai was hugging the girl when she was suddenly interrupted the ringing of her cellphone.
“Hello?”
Eri saw Ai seriously conversing with someone on the phone and she took the liberty to eat the forgotten food on the girl’s plate as she waited for her to finish her phone call. The features on Ai’s face showed a heavy hearted expression as she kept on nodding to whatever it was that she was being told on the phone. That sudden change in expression made Eri worry and wonder what the call was about and she patiently waited for the girl to end the phone call so that she could see what was bothering her. After a couple of minutes and nods from Ai, the phone call ended and she sighed as she hung up her cell phone.
“Something wrong Ai-chan?”
Ai put her phone on the dining table as she slowly turned around and looked at Eri. Her eyes were beginning to withhold tears and her lips pursed as she tried to keep them in but to no avail since when the turtle went to hold her; whimpers escaped her lips and she began to softly cry. Millions of thoughts began to ravage Eri’s mind as she held the girl. She didn’t have to wonder what was wrong anymore since Ai openly told Eri what had happened.
“Terada-sensei… he’s dead Eri…”
Eri understood the reason for Ai’s tears since she knew that the crazy Terada Mitsuo-sensei was her favorite teacher at school since they both shared the passion for music and performance. Ai was once the queen of the stage under Terada-sensei’s watchful eye and he was her mentor in everything regarding vocal exercises. Eri knew that the music teacher was fond of her raw talent and determination, often pairing her up with the school’s musical prodigy; Niigaki Risa.
“It’s going to be ok Ai-chan… look at it this way. Now he won’t be in any more pain ok?”
Ai nodded to Eri’s reassurance since she knew that her beloved music teacher was often in pain due to his sickness. He was the one that inspired her to become a nurse and take care of people, especially young people like the student’s he dutifully cared for. Even if he was a little wacko, every music student loved him and enjoyed watching him perform his own songs in class. Only the students who didn’t choose music as their extra-curricular knew him by the name of ‘Terada-sensei’ because all his music students didn’t even bother with the long and formal name and decided to call him by his stage name: ‘Tsunku ♂’.
“When’s the funeral Ai-chan?”
“In 2 days… and I’ve been asked to sing…”
Ai’s reply made the turtle’s eyes bulge out in amazement since she hadn’t heard the girl sing in a long time. Her small excitement was taking over her and she began to bounce in the same place as she held the girl who wasn’t crying anymore.
“Wow Ai-chan! That’s a great honor! I’m sure he will be happy to hear you sing wherever he rests.”
Ai smiled at Eri’s words and nodded since the girl was right, it truly was a great honor to sing at her beloved teacher’s funeral. When her boss Nakazawa- kōchō told her the news of his departure; Ai was devastated, but after she mentioned that the music teacher had told her personally that when he died he wanted his favorite students to sing at his funeral; her sadness faded a bit.
‘Tsunku ♂-san… I pray that your soul will find happiness… and singing for you would truly be an absolute honor.’“So Ai-chan… what are you going to sing?”
“Nakazawa- kōchō told me that he left a set list at her office, so I’ll look for it tomorrow.”
Said Nakazawa- kōchō was sitting at the desk in her office making phone calls to all the alumni taught by the famous music teacher Tsunku♂. As she called student after student, her eyes kept on gazing at the music sheet besides all the phone numbers she was calling. She finished the current call she had made and picked up said sheet.
‘You crazy old man, you even prepared a set list for your funeral.’Her bitter laugh began to fill the room as she remembered the fun times she spent with the old man before they all decided to run the school they had once studied in. Her nostalgic thoughts kept coming back as she remembered the time they wanted to make a music group. Abe, Iida, Terada, Yasu…Terada Kei and herself… they all were members of the band and co-workers at Morning-Esko. She never saw them as simple mere teachers working under her leadership of the school, she saw them as her best friends and now one of them has departed this world.
‘Damn you Tsunku!!! How am I supposed to take care of your students and of Kei-chan and your children?! How can I do it alone?’She looked to her right and saw on her desk a picture frame containing two pictures of her friends; one when they were still in school and the other when they had all become members of the faculty. It was taken at the back garden and their happy faces showed their content over achieving their dreams. As she looked at the picture a tear fell from her eyes and a ray of sun blinded her. Taking the music sheet in her hand to try and cover up her eyes, one of the papers fell from the stack and landed right in front of her over the desk.
It was not an ordinary paper but a picture that had fallen. The picture showed all of them lying on a grassy meadow as they held sunflowers in their hands. They were all smiling at the camera and she could see that there was something written on the back of the picture.
“Here comes the sun! And I say: It’s alright!”Her eyes widened at the sudden message left by her departed friend and she began to giggle. Surely he always was one step ahead that crazy Tsunku, but they all loved him because of that. Thanks to his encouragement, Nakazawa continued making the calls since there was only 1 person left on the list. Now, she wondered if she could even find the person that was left on the list since she hadn’t seen said person in five years. But seeing that her departed friend had her name on top of the list she knew that she had to do everything to find her.
Picking up the phone to dial the number, Nakazawa had one of her intuitions; something her friends often call the scary Nakazawa-sense. She put the phone back on the receiver and picked up her cellphone to dial a familiar number. Now, this person was one of the first to receive the call but staying true to her instincts: Nakazawa decided to give her a call once again. Then, after a few rings, the person on the other side picked up and Nakazawa didn’t even think twice before talking.
“Miki-chan I need to ask you something.”
Sitting in the restaurant, Miki kept on thinking about the phone call she had just received from her boss as she was being asked a favor to which she didn’t know if it was wise to return. Sure, the man was the girl’s favorite teacher but how will everyone else react when they see her? She has been evading this moment for five years and now that the circumstances ask for it… will she make the right decision in bringing her to the old man’s funeral? The ringing of her cellphone brought her out of her thoughts and as she picked up she heard the voice of the girl in question.
“I’m at the front door Mikitty. Where are you sitting at?”
“Stay where you are baby, I’ll go get you.”
Miki seemed to tense up at hearing the voice from her girlfriend but she was also excited to have this dinner date with her since it had been quite some time since they’ve done that. Standing up from the table, Miki began to walk towards the entrance and she smiled when she heard the whispers from other customers as they complimented her beauty. She was wearing a golden short dress that had some black lines with a neck choker made of the same material that connected with the dress. Her hair was made up and her bangs were just over her eyes which were made up in a fashion that makes them alluring to anyone that looks into them.
‘I worked hard to look this good tonight… I hope Risa-chan likes it as well.’Reaching the restaurant’s entrance, Miki found the girl standing right there with her eyes closed and facing the sky as a gentle evening breeze caressed her hair. The small smile gracing her lips was enough to make Miki fall in love with her yet again. Her outfit was the next thing Miki noticed since the young woman was radiating in a fashionable set of dress shirt and long dark dress pants. It wasn’t often that Miki got to see the woman in that attire and she just blushed at the sight. When her gaze fixed on Risa’s face she saw that her hair was pushed back and her forehead was exposed. In a flash, Risa moved towards Miki and cupped her face as she opened her eyes and smiled to the woman.
“I can feel your eyes on me Miki-chan. By the looks of it, you like what I’m wearing then right? Thank you. Oh and by the way, the blush on your face is cute… you should have it there more often.”
Miki began to softly giggle at the woman’s words since she could also feel the heat that radiated her cheeks and she went and kissed her before hugging her and guiding her into the restaurant. By the warm hug Miki had given her, Risa felt the dress that the other wore and smiled since she knew that Miki had spent quite some time with her attire. But that smile soon turned into a smirk as she kept on walking with the woman into the restaurant since some whisperings admiring both their beauty could be clearly heard by the bean. They soon reached their table and as they sat down, Miki noticed the girl’s smirk and decided to ask her about it.
“It’s not only my opinion, but you look dashing tonight Mikitty.”
Opening her eyes, Miki furiously blushed and her hand was enveloped by Risa’s as they both began to softly giggle. They ordered their dinner and began to make small talk as they just admired the person they loved. But at every silent moment, Risa could feel Miki was hiding something from her and she was preventing any deep conversation so as to not bring up whatever it was that she doesn’t want to talk about.
‘I wonder what’s on her mind… I had a plan for tonight but if she’s feeling and acting like this then…’“Miki, is there something you need to tell me?”
Her eyes widened at Risa’s sudden question and she was reminded of another girl whose bluntness in speaking was acquired by the bean. Then, Miki noticed that there was no point in keeping from Risa what she had been thinking ever since that phone call. She shouldn’t hide something important like this and by doing so she could damage the relationship she held with the girl. She slowly retracted her hand from the bean’s hold and when she put it by her side Risa opened her mouth to talk again in the hopes of lightening the mood.
“Oh my, are you that captivated by my prince-like charm that you can’t speak anymore by dear Mikitty?”
The woman couldn’t help but laugh at the bean’s joke and she then remembered the many sketches she had of Risa dressed as a prince for that school play she was in about six years ago. At first she knew that Risa didn’t really like to act but, after she was begged to do it; it was natural that not only would she comply with the request but that she would also be great at it. The combination of acting and singing was something that the bean marveled in and whenever she stood up on stage she would just effortlessly smile. She then remembered just who it was that had begged the bean to stand on stage and her thoughts began to invade her mind yet again.
“Ne, Risa-chan?”
“Yes my love?”
“Do you remember that time when you played Prince Charming?”
Risa tilted her head as she thought about the words Miki had spoken and her left eyebrow went upwards as a smirk appeared on her face. She surely remembered the times Miki had sketched Risa as she wore her ‘prince-like’ attire in return for practicing the bean’s lines for the play. Even though it has been five years since her world became dark, Risa could still remember every single painting Miki had done up until that moment. It was a vivid picture in her memories and it always made her smile. Well that and the memory of Miki dressed as a princess, Risa’s own small revenge, as she helped her practice her lines for the actual play which brought her back to the question Miki had asked her a couple of seconds ago.
“Prince charming?! You mean to say: his royal highness Christopher Rupert Windermere Vladimir Karl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman Gregory-sama?”
At the mention of the whole line dedicated to saying the name of the prince; both women exploded with laughter that had gained the attention of people in the tables next to them. They didn’t really care who was staring since they were enjoying themselves thanks to the fond memory of the times spent practicing for that play. Tears were falling form their eyes by the time they finished laughing and Miki couldn’t help but kiss the woman that sat across from her. Risa was a bit surprised by the sudden kiss but didn’t hesitate to smile at the girl.
“Of course I remember the play baby girl. It was the one crazy Tsunku-san begged me to do. It’s sad that he will no longer see the play reenacted by another group…May his soul rest in musical freedom.”
When Risa finished her small prayer, Miki’s eyes welled up with tears since she noticed that the woman knew of her favorite teacher’s passing. She couldn’t prevent her tears from falling and when they were brushed away by the gentle hand form the woman in front of her she relished the warm feeling brought by it. Putting her own hand over it she tried to convey a small apology which she knew the woman had understood by the gentle pinch on her cheek. She knew it was wrong to hide it from the girl when she had gotten the first call telling her the news, and even though it was to protect her she learned that Risa was a strong woman and that she could handle many things; one of them being the knowledge of the passing from her favorite teacher. Risa heard the news from her dear friend Bunchama when she was getting her nails done, which meant that she didn’t know the reason for Tsunku’s passing so she asked Miki.
“He was sick… and he didn’t overcome his sickness…”
Risa was nodding at Miki’s explanation and she seemed sad but at the same time at peace since she knew that he was not suffering anymore. A hundred thoughts where running though Risa’s mind as she kept on listening to her girl and Miki could guess what Risa’s thoughts were when the sudden silence from the bean was what she kept on receiving form her.
“Risa-chan there’s something else… He left a note accompanied by a song list with his belongings before he died. And there it states the songs he wants at his funeral and who he wants to play and sing them.”
Risa’s confused expression was followed by Miki’s soft voice as she learned that the bean’s name was the first on the list. Tsunku wanted the girl to play at his funeral and to possibly sing a couple of songs so that it was a lively gathering rather than a sad event. He was caring and positive like that. Nobody was ever going to see Tsunku-san sad since he expressed his every feeling with music and that relaxed him. An unreadable expression ran through Risa’s face and Miki became worried because of said expression.
‘Nobody has seen her since the incident… Will she choose to go there and have everyone see her after these 5 years?’_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
There it is! Chapter 13! Uff!! Also I would like to thank all the people who make the banners! They make the best inspirations for clothing! Well: See you in about one week...probably more!
Topic: Another chance, Chapter 16 (august-12-2012) (Read 11925 times)