JPHiP Forum
The Hello! Project Fanfics => H!P Fanfics => Topic started by: caiyunki on April 12, 2011, 09:29:28 AM
-
This story, I had it when I was still in High School, which is pretty much 4 years ago. I did got started writing the story in my Mother Tongue, but i gave up writing halfway. I like this storyline. It's pretty meaningful I guess? So I've decided to translate part of them into English and also finish writing this story. It may be a tough task for me, cos the reason i stopped the previous time was because I lost vision of how this story will go by. Hopefully after these few years of void, I will still be able to bring out the beauty I had for this story. It's partially inspired by a Cantonese song that I always listen to. (:
Summary: Breaking the silence. AU. Story about a girl with progressive mutism, beginning on a journey that is going to break the silence of her life, regaining trust in people, and overcoming the deepest hurt she had deep inside.
Progressive Mutism is social functioning disorder ( the more severe form of selective mutism ) where the patient is unable to talk to anyone, even though they had the ability to.
[Prologue]
"What are you doing? Why are you packing your luggage? Who's that little girl standing at that corner?"
"We are leaving hun. That's our daughter."
"Why are we leaving, and that's not our daughter! Our daughter is sleeping in her room!"
"She's going to be our daughter from this day on."
"Why?!"
"Because our daughter is a mute! With our family status right now, the Medias are going to make a big fuss out of the fact that our daughter is a mute, and there goes all the hard work we have put in, my father's generation had put in. There is no way I am going to risk our family reputation for our girl. We need a daughter who can talk."
"She's not a mute! She's just a special child. A special child that needs special attention. The doctor had said that her vocal cord is not damaged. There's no chance that she would be a mute. She's going learn how to talk bit by bits. She needs time. She needs us. Maybe we can move to a new environment."
"Again?! Hun, this would be the 5th time we are going to move for her. And she had yet to make any improvement. Are you that heartless to see the empire that my family had built to collapse in my hands?"
"But. . ."
"She's my daughter as well. It hurts me to do that. But, I have to think for my Ojii-san. He invested all his lifetime to build up this company, to let us to have this glory and status. We can't let the media to know that our daughter can't talk. It's going to ruin everything. Everything."
"But . . ."
"Let's go. We will be back for her, someday. And maybe she would grow to understand our situation."
[Chapter 1] - Her past, Her present.
[Dream]
A little girl, standing at her bedroom door, watching her father carrying other little girl as he walked towards the door, while her mother dragging the luggage behind her.
"Don't look back. From today on, she's not our daughter, she is." The little girl heard her father whispering to her mother.
'Where are you all going? Papa, Mama?' The little girl thought in her mind.
She looked at the door, watching her parents putting on their shoes, opened the main door and walked out of the house.
'Don't go . . . Don't leave me alone . . .' The little girl thought in her mind. "Pa . . .pa . . .Ma . . . ma. . ." She stiffened up, forcing herself to speak out softly, calling after her parents. But it was too late. They are gone . . .
No. . . Don't go. . . Don't leave me alone.
[End of dream]
Ai sprung up from her sleeping position on her single bed in her studio apartment, with sweat dripping down from her temples, heaving in deep breaths to calm down her fast beating heart. She turned her attention to the digital clock on her bedside table and saw the time shown as '3.16 AM'. '3.16AM .' Ai thought as she let out a heavy sign. 'I have never been able to sleep past 3.16 AM . . . since that day.'
[Flashback]
Little Ai tilted her head slightly as she watched her parents at door, with her father carrying a young girl of her age in his arm, preparing to go out. 'Where is Papa Mama going so early in the morning?' Ai turned to the antique clock situated in the middle of the living room. '3.16 AM'. And when she turned back her attention back to the main door, she realised, they were no longer there. The door was closed. " Pa . . .pa . . .Ma . . . ma. . ." She forced her voice out of mouth.
She ran towards the door, opened it, and ran out to the streets, chasing after the retreating car that was getting out of her sight. 'Mama, Papa. . . Don't go. . . don't leave me alone.' Little Ai thought as her tears began to make their place down her face. Despite having lost sight of the familiar car, Ai continued running and running, until she was out of breath. She looked at her surroundings, only to realise that they were architectures, buildings, parks that she did not recognised.
'Where am I?' She thought as she continued encircling on the spot, astonished by the tall skylines that were surrounding her. She turned back, trying to find her way back home. 'They left me. Was it because of my disorder? Was it because that I can't speak?' Ai thought as she remembered the commotion she heard in her parent's room. That woke her up from her slumber sleep.
'Mama, Papa, I'm all alone. I'm so afraid. Tell me, will you all come back for me? Say you will, please.' Ai thought in her mind as she sat carefully on the nearby bench that she had found. 'I want to go home. But where am I ?' Ai looked up doubtfully at her surrounding once again.
"O-Chibi-chan, what are you doing alone here so early in the morning." A foreign male voice spoke out startling the young Ai, interrupting her uncertainties of her surroundings. She turned her attention to the source of the voice, and saw two male policemen, walking towards the bench that she was sitting on. "Chibi, where's your parents? You should not be out alone in the city so early in the morning. Do you know that the safety in the city is really bad." Ai could tell that the one who spoke to her at that moment was the different guy that had startled her earlier on.
Ai shrugged her shoulders at the question asked to her, before looking away to the other direction.
"You do not where are your parents?" The policeman continued asking. Ai shrugged her shoulder at the question once again. "What's your name?" The policeman asked. But Ai remained silent. "Where do you stay?" Still, Ai remained silent. "Oi Chibi, do you know how to talk?!" The policeman retorted, getting irritated by the silent treatment she got from Ai. That caused Ai to turn over and stare at the policeman who had directed the question to her. "Haven't your parents taught you manners? You are supposed to answer when someone senior to you asked you questions." The policeman continued.
Ai just stared at the policeman, still not making any response to his question.
"Senpai, what should we do? She's not answering any of our questions. How are we supposed to bring her home?"
"There's nothing much we can do, let's bring her back to the station for the moment, before making any more decisions.
[End of flashback]
Ai got up from her bed and into her bathroom, where she began to wash up to start her day. 'Today is the last day of work. After today, I will still need to find a new job and I wonder, how long will the coming one last?' Staring at the mirror in front of her, Ai remembered something else and sighed deeply. 'Oh yah! I have to meet my new psychologist today. How bad can it get?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Bong Bong Bong*
Eri snuggled in her bed as she heard her door being pounded by someone outside. 'Come on, I'm trying to get some sleep over here! Which stupid idiot is that who had decided to visit me so EARLY in the morning?!' Eri thought as she continued lying on her bed, with her eyes closed. 'I will just pretend that I did not hear anything. Eri, go back to sleep, go back to sleep' Eri self hypothesised.
*Bong Bong Bong*
The knocking on the door persisted. Eri growled as she pulled the sheets over the head, hoping that it would mute the sound of the knocking of the door. 'I need sleep, my dear visitor. Tomorrow will be my first day at the new workplace. I need to be alert for the day. Please let me sleep.'
*Bong Bong Bong*
"That's it!" Eri shouted angrily as she flipped over her sheets, rolling over her bed furiously, and marched towards the door. "Whoever that is behind the door right now, I will make sure that you will not survive to see the next sun rise." Eri rumbled out with irritation obvious in her sentence to the visitor on the other side of the door. When she pulled open the door, she was welcomed by someone that she had least expected.
"Good - Good morning, Kameme-chan." Risa greeted awkwardly, waving her hands slightly at the enraged friend of hers.
"Risa?" Eri called out, leaving the door open for Risa to enter her house as she stomped towards the couch, throwing herself lazily on it. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Kyoto, preparing to take over your family business? Why are you here at Tokyo? What's up with the luggage you have with you? And most importantly, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, VISITING AND KNOCKING MY DOOR 316AM IN THE MORNING?!" Eri bombarded the questions, with increasing emphasis as the number of questions increased.
Risa froze in her steps while trying to move in her luggage when Eri screamed out her last question. "I'm thinking of visiting my best friend, Kameme-chan, whom I have not met since we graduated from college . That's why I am here . . ." Risa replied sheepishly, deep down knowing that Eri was not going to believe what she had just said.
"Oh please! How many times have I told you, not to call me Kameme-chan. Goodness sake, we are now 22, not 10 year old. And, seriously, do you think that I'm going to believe in your explanation?" Eri retorted, still irritated by the fact that her best friend from young had decided to visit at such an unearthly hour.
"No. Meme-chan!" Risa answered playfully, knowing that Eri will be real infuriated with her by calling her 'Meme-chan'.
Eri growled in response, just as what Risa had expected. "So, tell me, why are you here?" Eri asked again, yawning to get extra oxygen for her brain to listen to Risa's story.
Risa tugged her luggage towards the couch Eri was sitting and sat down beside Eri. "I ran away from home. For this." Risa started as she took out a pamphlet out of her jean's pocket. "I want to live this dream of mine. I do not want to be manipulated by my family anymore. From young till now, everything that I do, every decision of life, are made by them. I'm tired. This is what I really really want to do. To be a singer."
"Are you crazy? Are you having fever?" Eri asked as she ran her hand over Risa's forehand. Risa brushed her Eri's hand off. "No matter where you go, your parents always have their ways to track you down. And, remember, the media recognised who are you. How are you going to hide from them? I bet by later in the afternoon, there will be people running all over Tokyo, preparing to drag you back to Kyoto." Eri finished off.
"That's why I am here for. . ." Risa look mischievously at Eri. "That's what friends are for. That's why I am here, Meme-chan. Only you can help me out of this." Risa finished.
"Great." Eri mumbled under her breath. "I need to sleep. Make sure you wake me up before 7." With that, Eri stomped back to her room, leaving Risa alone in the living room.
-
:welcome This seems like something very interesting.
Would write more but too tired. Should have gone to bed hours ago... :sweatdrop:
-
Poor Ai, getting abandoned because of her disorder, whaty kind of father would do that? a bad one it seems, one that would make his 'new daughter's' life something that he wanted and not let them follow thier own dreams, intresting, that Gaki has run away from home isn't it.......
Gaki waking Eri up at 3:16... hmm definatly intresting, I wonder if the time is also importanr to Gaki, though perhaps she does not know why, but poor Eri, being woken up so early, how is she involved in this story, is she the link between the two.
Intresting but I wonder, Ai did not speak in her parts of this chapter, still unable to talk?.....
-
so gakisan is the "daughter" of the Takahashi family now..
3:16: The time when Ai was abandoned
3:16: The time when Gakisan become the "daughter"
Seem like eri will be Ai's new psychologist? Will there be AiEri? :lol: AiGaki ? XD
regaining trust in people, and overcoming the deepest hurt she had deep inside.
looking forward to know whether its Eri or Gakisan the one who make Ai overcome everything..
and also, the time when Gakisan knows that she somehow snatch Ai parent..(not that she did it her..XD)
-
A/N: Thanks for the comments given :)
[Chapter 2] - The second meeting
"Ohayo Ai-san!" Sayumi greeted with her usual cheerful antics as Ai stepped into the office. Ai nodded her head in response before continuing her way to her work desk. Sayumi followed closely behind her. "Ai-san, it's your last day, isn't it? We are thinking about a farewell lunch for you, you alright with it?" Sayumi asked as she leaned against Ai well organised and empty table.
Ai took out her stack of papers from her locker and wrote on it. <Sorry ne, Michishige-san, I have a lunch appointment this afternoon. I'm afraid that I won't be able to attend the farewell lunch you are talking about. Gomen ne>
"I see . . ." Sayumi trailed off. "I'm gonna miss you so much, Ai-san." Sayumi commented as she sighed deeply, and got angry immediately after that. "Minemura-san is just an idiot, making use of your abilities. He's always like that, taking the advantage of people with disabilities and gets rid of them when the probation period is over. Isn't he a bas-" Before Sayumi could finish her words, Ai placed her hand over Sayumi's arm, stopping her.
<It's alright. I'm used to it. He's not the first one, and I guessed he won't be the last one as well. I mean, it's really difficult to have someone who can't talk working here, in a telecom company. I guessed that there were a lot of times, I have created unnecessary burdens for you guys, when all these could be prevented in the first place.>
Sayumi shook her head at the reasoning Ai had just written her. And before she could continue with her arguement on how mean the manager was, another colleague called out for her.
"Sayumi! He's here! Come back!" The both of them heard their colleague calling out for Sayumi as their boss, Minemura Shoujin walked into the office.
"Sheez. He's here. I'll talk to you later." Sayumi whispered, leaving Ai's seat area and rushed back to her own desk.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Stupid Risa. I had asked her to wake me up at 7 and to think that she had actually fallen asleep on my sofa. Thankfully, I did set my alarm last night. If not, I am really going to be late for work on my first day.' Eri thought as she stepped into the elevator of the building where the clinic she is going to work in was located. 'I wonder how will my work load be like . . . It's so exciting! Being able to put what I have learnt in college in work, helping the life of others.'
*Ding*
The door of the elevator opened, revealing to Eri the main door of the clinic she is going to work in. Eri walked into the clinic with her usual air and confidence surrounding her. Being the top honours student in Psychology, it was no doubt why she was able to get a job in the clinic just a week after graduation.
"Sorry Miss, we are not in operation timing yet, would you like to come in after 930 AM?" The receptionist situated at the front desk spoke to Eri as she stepped in.
Eri smiled brightly at the receptionist as she answered. "I'm not here for an appointment. It's my first day working her, Kamei Eri desu." Eri introduced herself as she stretch out her hand for a handshake.
"You are Kamei Eri ?!" The receptionist startled and mumbled under her breath. "I was expecting an old lady to fill in Makoto-san's space. This is the first time the clinic is recruiting such a young psychologist." And when she realised Eri was staring at her actions, she cleared her throat and continued. "I'm Fujimoto Miki, the receptionist here. I have been working here since u graduated from high school. Nice to meet you, Eri-san."
"Nice to meet you too, Fujimoto-san. May I ask where should I report to this morning?" Eri asked politely.
"You are supposed to report to Nakazawa-san's room, which is the second room from your right." Miki informed.
"Alright. Thanks, Fujimoto-san, I'll see you around then." With that, Eri left the receptionist desk and walked towards the door as she was directed to and knocked against it.
"Come in." Sounded a deep and mature voice.
"Sorry to interrupt you." Eri greeted as she entered the room. " I am Kamei Eri, reporting for my first day of work."
"Come in and take a seat over here." Yuko ordered.
"Hai!" Eri responded and walked towards the right chair in front of the desk. She arranged the skirt that she was wearing and sat down gracefully, looking at Yuko eye to eye.
"Welcome. Congratulations for your first day. I am glad to have such a young and promising psychologist working under me." Yuko started, offering a handshake to Eri.
"You have flattered me, Nakazawa-san, I'm just a normal graduate student. I should be thankful that your clinic is willing to give me this chance to learn more about psychology and people." Eri responded.
"Very well said. If there's anything that you don't understand or wish to know more, you can always come over and find me, provided that I'm not seeing any client." Yuko continued. She then took a file with thick stack of paper in it from her front and placed it in front of Eri. "This will be your first client. And that's all her information in it. It's a pretty tricky case over there."
Eri looked at the file that had the word 'Confidential' running across the top. "But Nakazawa-san, since it's a complicated issue, wouldn't it be more appropriate for you to take the case on your own?" Eri questioned, slightly worried that she would not be able to handle the case well.
"She's about your age. And I guess it would be easier for her to relate you rather than me, this old lady. She used to be under my counselling since she was a little girl, but there hasn't been any improvement in her condition. That's why I'm thinking about passing this case to someone else to see if there would be any improvements." Yuko explained.
"I see. . . " Eri trailed as picked up the file.
"Have a good read up. She's expected to come in during lunchtime today."Yuko informed.
"Okay. I'll go to my room and read the file up." Eri finished, stood up and retreated from Yuko's consultation room. She was greeted once again by Miki at her desk before she trailed off to the other corner of the clinic and into her allocated room.
Once she was in the room, she noticed that the room was bare and boring. On the desk, there was only a telephone, a computer, and a pencil holder, with a few pens in it. 'This is so SO empty. I really need to decorate this room up.' Eri thought as she placed the file she was holding and her handbag on the desk. She went over to the other side and sat on her chair. 'Start of work life. . . This is definitely going to be interesting!'
Eri opened the file and was welcomed by the information page. The information of her client. 'Takahashi A.'22 years old. Top student in National High School Entrance Examination. Started working after graduation from high school despite amazing results. Unstable job status. Remained rather closed about situation after 18 years of consultation.'Eri stopped and looked up from the file as she was shocked by the information. '18 years?! That meant that she started visiting Nakazawa-san when she's only 4 year old. Then. . . How old was Nakazawa-san when she first took this case?'
Eri shook her head slightly to push away the wave of surprise in her and bow her head down once again, flipping to the next page and continued reading. 'Referred case from Hospital. Orphanage that client lived in took her for medical check up after realising that she had not spoke at all in the three months she came. Medical report showed that vocal cords were normal and undamaged. Positive hearing conditions. Classified as psychological disorder. Primary diagnosis: Selective Mutism.'
'Selective Mutism? That's pretty rare.' Eri thought silently in her mind before continue reading. 'First contact with client: Zero verbal conversation. Show little signs of shyness and anxiety. Unwilling to speak out inner thoughts. Second session: Zero verbal conservation. All through paper and writings. Session 3: Zero verbal conversation. Got to know that client made no verbal conversation with classmates in school and orphanage as well. Secondary Diagnosis: Progressive Mutism.'
Eri's eye shoot open when she saw the secondary diagnosis. 'Isn't that too early to make the secondary diagnosis as progressive mutism?' Eri thought. She flipped through the pages fast and realised that HER client had made no verbal conversation to anyone since her first time here 18 years ago. The something from the last few pages caught her eye. 'Session # 211: Zero verbal conversation. Client rejected idea of machine treatment to vibrate vocal cords. Similar to Session #56 when client rejected the idea of visiting a psychiatrist for drugs treatment. Tertiary diagnosis: traumatic mutism.(possible) or Total Mutism. Client had good 'social' skills, showed no signs of over shyness and over anxiety in public situation. Able to relate to people through sign language and writings, but not verbally. Time to change psychologist for third opinion.'
'So that's why Nakazawa-san had decided to pass this case to me.' Eri thought as she placed the file back on her desk. "Good challenge." Eri comment ironically before turning to the computer beside her. "Time to do some background reading before she comes then."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Stupid Eri. She was the one who said that we are already 22 this year, and I am not supposed to Meme-chan or Kame-chan her. But I wondered who was the childish one among the two of us. I can't believe that she drew my face with the marker to get back on me, for waking her up in the middle of the night. Goodness sake, I spent the whole morning trying to get that marker ink off my face." Risa grumbled as she rubbed gently her face, which were red and sore from the rubbings she did in the morning to wipe away the drawings. "And my face still hurts." Risa continued. "I'm gonna get her to pay for this by paying me a good lunch today." Risa finished with an evil laughter. 'That will make her be sure that she should not play pranks on me- Niigaki Risa!'
Risa was on her way to Eri's work place when she noticed someone familiar ahead of her. "Ume-san?" Risa called out surprisingly. 'Shit, Risa, what have you done? He's gonna hear you and drag you home. Quick, find a place to hide!' Risa scolded herself internally. She glanced around her surroundings and realised that there's no buildings or area where she could hide herself with. Just then, Ai walked past her. 'No choice. I just got to prevent Ume-san from noticing me.' With that, Risa pulled the girl who had just walked past her back on her right hand and hide behind her physique. "Cover me, Onegai!" Risa pleaded, couching a little.
Ai looked surprisingly at Risa as Risa had just pulled her back. She turned her head slightly and saw the guy Risa was trying to avoid turned back for a while before continuing forward towards the common building that the three of them are heading to. 'He's gone. I can leave now.' Ai thought as she tried to peel Risa's hand off hers. But Risa held her hand firm on the Ai while trying to peek over Ai's shoulder.
"Please. Until he's out of the building." Risa begged with her vision never left the building Eri is working in." Sorry to trouble you, but I really can't let him see me. He's running after me." Risa lied partially.
Ai nodded her head slightly. She lifted her left hand in front of her face and glanced at her watch to check the time. 'I'm going to be late for my appointment.' She then glanced at Risa who was busying peeking over her shoulder to check out the building and the guy who was running after Risa's life. 'How am I supposed to inform her? She look serious about what she had just said. Just stay and help her up, Ai.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sorry, is there a Kamei Eri working here?" Ume asked Miki who was seated at the reception desk.
"Yes. Are you looking her for consultation? She will only be free 2 hours after lunch time as she has a lunch consultation with another patient." Miki asked as she looked through the record book that was situated right in front of her.
"Actually, I'm just looking her for a short moment. Can you help me inform her that I'm here? Just say that Ume is looking for her." Ume requested.
"Okay. . . " Miki agreed reluctantly as she picked up the receiver and called Eri's extension. "Eri-san, there's a guy named Ume looking for you."
"Let him in!" Eri sounded from the other end of the receiver before cursing softly under her breath. 'You owed me this one, Risa.'
"Eri . . ." Ume called out as he entered Eri's office. "Have you seen Risa? She ran away from home yesterday . . . again."
"She did?" Eri tried to sound as shocked and puzzled as she could to prevent Ume from growing suspicion on her. "I haven’t seen Risa for the week, ever since I moved over to Tokyo. What happened this time round again?"
Ume sighed deeply before continuing. "She left a note, saying that she wants her freedom and she's gone. Her parents are making a ruckus out of it now."
"That's Risa you see, Ume-san. She has always been against the idea of taking over Niigaki Corporation since the day she entered university." Eri explained. "If Risa was to accept the idea, she's no longer the Risa that we both knew."
"I understand." Ume nodded his head in agreement. "Sorry to disturb, Eri-chan. Enjoy your work. If you see Risa, tell her that I will try to convince her parents about the issue." With that, Ume left Eri's office.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"He's coming!" Risa whispered out as she noticed Ume walking out of the building and was coming in her direction. 'Sheez. Did he saw me?' Realising that Ume was getting closer and closer to them, Risa pulled Ai's neck closer to her and placed her lip on hers, trying hard to hide her face and not being too suspicious by just hiding under Ai's physique.
'What is she doing?' Ai thought with her eyes wide opened.
When Ume walked past them, Risa let go her hold on Ai's neck and turned in the direction Ume had went, making sure that he's really gone. And when she turned back, Ai was gone. 'Where is she? I haven't got to know her name, nor thanked her for her help.' Risa thought as she continued her way to Eri's workplace. Then she stopped in her steps. 'WAIT. Did I kiss her just now? What have you been thinking, Risa?! Yes you need to get away from Ume-san, but that doesn't mean that you can take advantage of the stranger you have just met!' Realisation filled her and Risa scolded herself mentally. 'I hope that she won't get the wrong idea.' Risa reflected as she continued moving, occasionally turning around to see if she could see the lady she had grabbed to help her previously. 'I hope I'll get to see her once more, to explain my actions just now.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Gomen Miki-chan) Ai signed as she entered the clinic frantically, certainly had not gotten over the sudden intimate action the stranger did to her. (I was caught up with a situation just now.)
"Ai-san . . ." Miki called out. "I thought you are not coming anymore. You're 15 minutes late. That's so unlike of you." Miki continued.
(Gomen Gomen. I will get going now) Ai finished signing and proceeded towards Yuko's door where Miki stopped her.
"Not that room, that one." Miki pointed at Eri's door. "You've changed counsellor, you remember?" Miki reminded.
(Ah. Gomen) Ai turned her direction back and paced towards Eri room, knocking on the door lightly to inform Eri that she was here.
"Come in" Eri acknowledged.
Ai bowed as she entered Eri's room. (Sorry. I was caught up with some stuffs. Sorry for that I was late.) Ai expressed her apologies.
Eri stared blankly at Ai's actions. "Sorry, I don't understand sign language. " Eri expressed as she snapped out of her shock and back to her professionalism. "Take your seat." Eri offered as she placed fresh pieces of paper and pen she had prepared in front of Ai.
Ai picked up the pen and started writing on the paper. <Sorry. I didn't know that you can't understand sign language. Sorry for that I was late. I was caught up with some stuffs.>
"It's alright. I'm glad that you still came even though you were caught up with stuffs. I was so afraid that you will not come, after knowing that your new psychologist is a fresh graduate from college." Eri joked slightly, hoping that it would help Ai a little with the anxiety she may had at that moment. "Anyway, my name is Kamei Eri, but I would rather call me Eri, since is sounds closer and calling me Kamei-san just made me feel old, Takahashi-san."
Ai smiled a little. <Alright. But since you are asking me to address you with your first name, it would be as appropriate for you to address me with my first name as well, isn't that so, Eri-san?>
"Indeed." Eri responded as she nodded her head. "Ai-san then." Eri continued with a smile. 'She is indeed sociable. No signs of anxiety or shyness for someone she had just met. That could be because she knew that I'm a psychologist. With her level of intelligence, she could pretty well fake it to make things easier.'
Ai realised Eri was reading her, analysing her actions. <Is there any questions you want to ask?>
'Straightforward. I like it.' Eri thought. "Why wouldn't you talk?" Eri asked right to the spot, hoping that she would give out reasons why she could not talk.
<Isn't that what you are suppose to tell me? If I knew that why wouldn't I talk, I won't be sitting here talking to you nor coming back here for the past 20 years.>
Eri thought quietly for a while before continuing, "Have you tried talking before?"
Ai tensed up and pondered for a while. "Pa . . .pa . . .Ma . . . ma. . ." <No. Not at all. Since the time where I had memories, I remembered that I never had the ability to talk.>
'She's hiding something. But that's what most clients do, don't they? Most of them who came, they are forced to be here. Thus leading to the unwillingness to talk. For her case, I can guessed the same as well. Especially after 20 years. Apparently, she is not as straightforward as she was trying to display to me.' Eri thought in her mind. "I see. . . Since this is the first session you have with me, shall we start all over from the top? Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"
<Isn't all my information written in the file? Why do you still need to ask?>
Eri closed the file in front of her. "You are a person, not an item. I would like to know more of your through communications rather than written information. And in order to write new assessment, I need to know you more personally." Eri explained. 'I wondered was she so tough when she was with Nakazawa-san, or was it because I'm new, that's why she is so reluctant to speak?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sorry, is Kamei Eri still in her office or have she gone for lunch?" Risa asked Miki as she stepped into the clinic.
'Not another one. That girl is really popular, isn't she?' Miki thought as she stared at Risa. "She is in. But she's seeing a client now. Please wait outside for her."
"Thanks . . ." Risa trailed off, sensing the tinge of unfriendliness coming out of Miki. 'Did I step onto her tail or something else?' Risa sat down and the waiting area, back facing the door of Eri's room.
"I will text you the meeting time and place" Risa heard Eri's voice sounded as the door opened. Risa turned around and saw a familiar back view leaving the clinic. 'It's her! So she's Eri's client.'
(Miki-chan, I'm running late. Will contact you again) Ai signed as she rushed out of the clinic, missing Risa who was seated at the waiting area.
"Risa?" Eri called out to the familiar back that was facing her. Risa turned back and face Eri. "What are you doing here? It's dangerous here!" Eri reprimanded as she went forward and grabbed Risa back into her office.
"I have to get back at the girl who actually had the guts to draw on my precious face you see." Risa replied sarcastically while Eri glazed on the ground. Risa then continued. "And that girl . . . Is she your client?" Risa asked, completely ignoring the question Eri had put across a while ago.
"What girl? Her? You know her?" Eri asked curiously.
"Not really. But I want to know her better . . ." Risa trailed off. "Why is she here anyway?"
"Are you trying to get me to break my professional ethnics on my first day of work? You very well should know that all information are confidential, don't you?" Eri scolded. "And, you should have text me or call me to inform that you are coming. So you know that it's dangerous over here?"
"I know. . . I saw Ume-san coming in to find you. How was it?" Risa interrupted Eri's scolding.
"You saw him?" Eri questioned.
"Yupps. I kind of manage to hide from him . . . I guess he didn't saw me . . ." Risa answered with uncertainties. "I'm hungry, ready to go? You are going to pay for what you have done to my face."
'There goes my first pay.' Eri thought as she nodded her head. "Before that, you have to return a favour to me. For helping you to ditch away Ume-san."
"And that is?" Risa asked while raising one of her eyebrow.
"You will know then." came the victory reply of Eri.
-
Oooohh! This is a really interesting story! :twothumbs Poor Ai-chan! :( Her parents are soooo bad, but I wonder why she can't talk. Even before the time when she realized that her parents abandoned her. She is diagnosed with Mutism, but she had the ability to say Mama and Papa... ;) Maybe she suffered too much shock from the past that's making it worst. :smhid
I got hooked when I realized that Gaki is the new daughter Ai-chan's parents picked up. Doesn't Gaki know she's only adopted?
What a nice way for TakaGaki to meet. :wub: A kiss on the neck! :inlove: There IS TakaGaki romance, right? :D I wonder if Ai-chan would become a singer when she recovers. :w00t: Sorry for all the questions. :nervous
I'll be waiting for your next update. :grin:
-
Oh wow, that was really forward of Risa, but I guess, desperate times and all that. :lol: I think I'm beginning to see where this is going and I'm seriously hoping for continued Takagaki!
-
Well it was all ways going to be Gaki who was the adopted daughter wasn't it, hmm seems as though she's fallen for Ai, love at first sight, with the girls who's life you stole..... that can't be good.
So Eri is Ai's new concellor?, hmm I wonder what these two releationship will end up like, will Eri also gain feelings for Ai?.......
ha, seems as though even with selective mutisum Sayu still fan girls over Ai! :lol:
-
Aichan's parents are horrible... abandoning her like that :smhid
Risa running away from home and then kissing Aichan to hide from some guy :lol:
Nice one for Gaki :lol:
-
WAHH this story is getting so good! :w00t:
So Aichan can sign... that's really interesting. And Risa is the typical rich girl who wants to be normal... but so far, i don't think anybody in this story is "normal", what with the turtle being a psychologist straight out of college and Aichan being mute.. XD
keep at it! i wanna know more~ :D
-
Hello!! Well I didn't really have any habits on commenting and replying comments. I will try my very best to do so now!! So yeah . . . *Awkward . .* HAHAHA
@kano-chan: Hihi!! I'm glad that you said it's interesting. Well, Ai isn't really diagnosed with Mutism. It's actually call selective Mutism (or Progressive Mustism) where one had a ability to speak but they chose not to. People diagnosed with Selective mutism are usually shy, anxious and concious about the surroundings they are in. However, for Ai case, she had never presented herself in that way, thus leading the inability to pin point the real reason why she couldn't speak. Prehaps for Ai's case, she's anxious and shy when she was young, leading to the inability to speak . . . and . . . Well, Psychology isn't really my field of study and all that was the from the research I did last year when I first got back to writing this story. So I kinda rusty of it. Whether or not they present in reality . . .. i'm not sure bout that. Hehe
About Gaki . . . Questions about her will be reveal in the following chapters . . . I'm not revealing anything :lol:
It's not a kiss on the neck. It was a kiss on the lips *hides* perhaps it time for me to change the way I write, in order to get the idea straight clearly ?? HAHA. Hmmmm. I can just say, I like TAKAGAKI together . . . . So . . . :)
Thanks for the comments!! :)
@rndmnwierd : THANK YOU!!! Yupp. . . ^.-
@oddball : Gaki . . .. . . Please continue reading to get the answers :) heheheh hmmmm. . . Yupps Eri is Ai's new psychologist, whichi hopefully will make things more interesting .:)
PS: I did just realised the fangirling of Sayumi -.- :lol:hahahah Good thing that you point it out :)
@shenlog :HELLO!! THANKS :)
@SarangAi : AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! *Blush* I LOVED YOUR STORIES!! and i'm surprised that you had commented *hides* Like I had mentioned earlier. I didn't really like to comments stuffs and blah. . . I really LOVED your stories, SarangAi. and I'm glad this story kinda caught your attention. :)
Yuppss. none of the characters are normal, and majority of them are OOC. . . But I do believe that real Eri is not as real airhead as she presented herself in morning musume. So yeah . . . That's why I chosed to give her the role as the pyschologist, thought it was unbelievable . . . HAHAH . THank You for commenting!!! AHHH!!!
Here's the next chapter :)
[Chapter 3] - The price to pay
"Tell me, why am I here with you again?" Risa asked dejectedly as she sat beside Eri behind her allocated desk in the classroom.
"It's to pay back for the favour that I had helped you, Risa." Eri answered with her attention fully focused on the teacher in front.
"It's only to deceive Ume-san that you have not seen me, and that's all! Why am I dragged to have lessons with you, Eri? I hate sitting in classes, you know that. I would rather go out there for a run, swim or even singing, and not lessons." Risa argued back, pouting slightly at her best friend.
"That's the reason why I asked you to be here. . . It's to TORTURE you." Eri replied jokingly.
Risa rolled her eyes at the answer Eri gave her. "You love me too much that you won't bear to torture me ne, Meme-chan." Risa joked, sending shivering sensation down Eri's spine.
"Stop being disgusting, Risa. If you continue doing that, I bet you are going to stay single for the rest of your life." Eri insulted, scooting slightly further away from Risa.
"The two of you over there, if both of you are not interested in the lesson, please get out. If not quiet down and listen carefully." The teacher directed the whole class attention to the two of them and scolded them.
Eri bowed her head to show her apology while Risa remained as who and what she was., twirling the pen in her hand. When the teacher had direct her attention to the projector screen, Risa leaned towards Eri and asked, "Why are you learning sign language?"
"Is there a rule that says 'Kamei Eri is not allowed to learn sign language' going around?" Eri replied cynically.
"Yes." Risa answered the one that Eri did not expect. "You never showed any interest in sign language before. So why the sudden interest?" Risa asked once again.
"Work requirements." Eri answered curtly as she was trying to pay attention to what the teacher was teaching.
"Work requirements?" Risa repeated, being not satisfied with the answer Eri had just given. "If it's work requirement, they would have place sign language as one of the core modules in Psychology major." Risa reasoned.
"You know what, Risa? You should really shut up before I decide to call Ume-san here to drag you back to Kyoto. Since I've said that it's work requirements, it means that it's confidential, Baka." Eri insulted, successfully shut Risa up.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Your phone is ringing, Meme-chan." Risa stated as she walked beside Eri down the neon illuminated night street of Tokyo. She stuck both her hands in her pocket as she walked, waiting for Eri to answer her call. She turned her attention around, glancing at the sign boards that we hung outside the shops. They had just finished their 3rd lesson of beginner sign language lesson and was looking for a good restaurant to settle their dinner before heading home.
"Hello?" Eri answered her phone after a few moments of frantic rummaging of her bag. "Ume-san? Hai! You're looking for me?" Eri spoke out, looking at Risa with her eyes bulging out. Risa stopped at her steps when she heard that it was Ume who had just called Eri. She turned around to her surrounding, checking to see if there any 'suspicious' personnel she should avoid before looking back at Eri.
"Eri-chan? I somehow managed to convince Retora-san about Risa's disappearance. He mentioned that he will give Risa a year time to do the things she wants to do. A year later, she have to come back." Ume sounded from the other end of the receiver.
"Really?" Eri, still focusing on Risa at the moment, responded with joy.
"Yeah. Can you help me inform Risa as well? If you get to see her I mean. Meanwhile I will try to contact her as well." Ume reconfirmed, obviously had knew that Risa was with Eri and had saw her at the foot of the building that day.
'Sheez. He knew . . . ' Eri thought with Risa trying to climb on her, attempting to eavesdrop the conversation. Eri brushed Risa off her and replied, "I will tell her so . . . If I get to see her. Thank you Ume-san! Have a nice evening." With that, Eri hung up the call.
"What did Ume-san say? Did he knew that I am with you? Is he near? Should I hide?" Risa bombarded frantically once Eri had peeled off the phone from her ears.
Eri said nothing. She shone her best smile to Risa.
"What's behind that smile?" Risa asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at Eri.
"You owe me one big thing. Ume-san as well." With that, Eri continued walking down the streets, with Risa chasing after behind her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ai sat on her bed, with covers over her legs and eyes on the book she was holding on. On the bind of the book, it was engraved with gold lining, 'Anatomy of Neurology'. That was what she was doing until she heard the vibration of her phone at the bedside table. She placed the book on her lap and picked up her mobile phone.
{I will see you tomorrow at the Mind's Café at 12 - - Kamei Eri }
'12 at Mind's? Not her office?' Ai thought for a while, before sending in her reply and placed her phone back to its original position. She picked up her book once again and immersed herself into the world of medical knowledge.
Once again, her reading was disturbed by another message sent to her phone. 'Who is it this time round?' Ai thought as she picked up her phone.
{Ai-chan! Are you working now? I'm having my semester break this week and I'm thinking about having lunch with you tomorrow! Are you free? We definitely have lots to catch up this time round. - -Asami}
'Asami-chan?' Ai thought for a few moment, before typing {I would like to, but I'm having a lunch consultation tomorrow at Mind's. After 1, is it okay with you? - Ai}
Almost right away, Ai had received her replied. {No problem! See ya tomorrow Ai! - Asami}
Ai smiled slightly at the message and returned reading her book until her bedtime at 10 pm.
"Ai-chan, call Mama" The lady in front of little Ai hoaxed, hoping Ai would make some sound out of her mouth.
Ai opened her mouth, but no voice came out. Sadness immediately dawned over the lady's face. Ai noticed it and brought the same sadness to herself.
"It's alright, Ai-chan. You can do it the next time." The lady encouraged as she ruffled Ai's hair, pulling the cover up to her shoulder, and kissed Ai at the forehead. "Good night, Ai-chan. . ."
"She's not a mute! She's just a special child. A special child that needs special attention. The doctor had said that her vocal cord is not damaged. There's no chance that she would be a mute. She's going learn how to talk bit by bits. She needs time. She needs us. Maybe we can move to a new environment." Little Ai stirred a little, opened her small eyes, revealing her beautiful eyes. The loud conversation in her parents room had awaken her.
Don't go . . . Don't leave me alone . . .
Ai bolted up from her sleeping position, panting heavily to get enough air into her system. The dreams she was having was suffocating her, draining oxygen away from her body each night. 'No, this is not a dream. This is a reality, a reality that I'm running away all these while.'
Ai removed the covers from her body and got down on the ground. 'Another start, another day. . . What am I living for?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri sat at the seat next to the full length window, watching people walking past and by her outside the window. It was a table of 4 people. She glanced at the watch for the third time. '1150 AM Just nice, it's gonna be a bad impression for people if I'm late for consultations.' Eri thought. She directed her attention to the main entrance of the café and saw Ai standing there with a thick book in her arm, looking troubled.
"A table for how many, Madam?" The waitress at the desk asked.
Ai looked down and licked her lips nervously. 'I need a paper. . . '
"She's with me." A third voice interrupted the one sided conversation that had been going on. Ai looked up and saw Eri walking towards them.
"I see. Sorry." The waitress apologised before walking in front of Eri, bring the two back to the seat that Eri had previously sat on.
"Thanks." Eri said politely while Ai bowed her head nervously. Ai placed down the book that she was holding on the adjacent table. Eri eyed at the title of the book. 'Medical book. She's interested?'
(Thank you) Ai signed. 'Oh I forgot, she does not understand sign language.'
"You are welcomed, Ai-san. It's always my pleasure to help you." Eri responded, as Ai looked surprisingly at Eri.
(You understood what I was signing?) 'I need to double check'
"Yes. I've taken some lessons and self study. I can pretty much understand a little bit of sign language. But I need more practice. If I don't get it right, please correct me, Ai-san" Eri replied as she took out the papers she prepared and placed it before Ai. "In case." Eri finished with a smile.
Ai smiled back at Eri, giving her the affirmations that she knew what Eri was talking about. (You're early. I thought I was being early, but you're earlier than me.) Ai signed as she glimpsed at the watch on her right wrist
"You are early too. It's just my habit to be early. And, I can't be late." Eri smiled as she explained with implied meanings in her answer.
Ai just nodded her head. (What do you want to know this session?)
"Don't treat this as a consultation session. Treat this like a normal lunch with a friend. I just want you to be comfortable, that's why I chose to meet outside office this week. This helps to relieve mood. And I think, we can be good friends." Eri suggested, remembering the very first lesson she had learnt. If you want to truly help someone, get to know them before even trying to tackle the problem because it was humans that a psychologist is facing. Make them to be comfortable with you, before thinking about going deeper into their mind. "What would you like to have for lunch?" Eri asked as she placed the menu before Ai.
Ai picked up the menu and glanced at it for a long while. (I'll have Katsudon.) With that, Ai placed the menu back to its original position and stared at the plate in front of her.
"Why are you staring at the plate? Are you nervous?" Eri asked after she finished ordering the food.
(A little. I seldom eat out. So . . .)
Eri nodded her head. "You should try to relax a bit." 'She seemed to be quite conscious about her surroundings.'
(I'll try.)
"So, how was your month? Have you got another job yet?" Eri tried to start a conversation, hoping that it would help to reduce the nervousness Ai was feeling.
(Not yet. I'm still looking around. But I do have an interview later in the afternoon.) Ai replied.
"Do you need some help in it? I may not know a lot of people in Tokyo, but I believe Nakazawa-san do. I believe that she would be more than willing to help." Eri suggested.
Ai shook her head immediately to show her objection against the idea. (No, don't tell Yuko-san. I don't want her to be worried for me. Please.)
Eri was slightly shock with the sudden agitation of Ai. She nodded her head slightly. "If that's what you want, I won't tell Nakazawa-san."
(Thank you.) Ai breath out a deep breath of relief. (I don't want her to be worried for me again.) Ai explained.
"You have good relationship with Nakazawa-san?"
(She's been with me since I was 4. She emphasized too much. That I think it's not good for her. She's taking too much of me into her life. I don't want to be a burden to someone else life anymore.)
'This is the first time she mentioned about her childhood life. I guess Nakazawa-san really affected her life a lot.' Eri thought deep in herself as she continued watching Ai signing. "Do you -" Before Eri could voiced out her concern about Ai thinking herself as a burden to others, a knock on the glass window interrupted her.
Both of them turned around to face the glass window and found no one standing out there. There was only endless of people walking past it. No one stood still.
(I guess it's just someone who had accidentally knocked against the window.) Ai proposed.
"I guessed so too." Eri agreed. "As I was saying, do you -"
"Meme-chan!" The very familiar voice to the both of them sounded throughout the café. Eri looked up to the entrance and saw Risa, strolling towards the table. "You are such a meanie. When I asked you for lunch this afternoon after my auditions, you said that you have to work during lunch today. And there you are now, having lunch with someone else." Risa commented comically, stopping right beside Eri, with her back facing Ai.
"Shut up, Risa. Everyone's looking! Stop being an embarrassment!" Eri scolded, realising that the patrons' attention were all on their table, which was part of the reason for Ai's slight anxiety. The other part of Ai's anxiety was due to Risa herself.
"Can I join in?" Risa asked, turning to Ai who was seated directly opposite Eri. "Oh, it's you." Risa was shocked.
"I'm working, Risa!" Eri grounded out before Risa asked her second question. "You know each other?" Eri voiced out to the both of them.
Risa pulled out the chair beside Eri and sat on it. That earned Risa a dreadful stare from Eri. "I'm working . . ." Eri whined this time round.
Ai flipped her hand in front of Eri to get her attention. (Eri-san, I think it's alright. It's about time now as well. I think I will make my leave now. I will see you next month.)
"No wait!" Eri shout out as Ai prepared to leave. Risa grabbed Ai's hand, which was flat facing down on the table. "Am I interrupting anything? If I am, I'm sorry." Risa made out. "I'm sorry for the previous time as well. I didn't mean to do that, so, it's really an emergency. You can ask Eri about it. Anyway, I think I should leave now. See you tonight, Eri." Risa stood up from her seat.
"Ai-chan!"
Ai turned around towards the source of call while Eri and Risa looked up.
(Asami? You're early.)
Asami froze at her spot when she realised Ai was with others. She too had noticed the awkward atmosphere at the table. "Hi. . . " Asami managed to choke out of her throat awkwardly.
(Why are you so early?) Ai asked. Risa watched Ai's action. She should had understood if she had paid attention during the classes she went to with Eri.
'So that's why Eri had decided to take sign language lesson.' Risa thought as she glanced at Ai empathically.
"I'm not early. I'm just on time. It's already 1, Ai." Ami replied before turning to Eri and Risa to introduce her own self. " Hi, my name is Konno Asami, Ai-chan's friend since elementary school up."
"I'm Kamei Eri over here."
"I'm Niigaki Risa."
(Shall we leave, Asami?) Ai asked, feeling a little uncomfortable with Risa around. She's always uncomfortable with strangers around. Eri was a different case as she knew that Eri's her psychologist. The weird first encounter with Risa had just intensified the uneasiness Ai felt around Risa.
"To where? You have not finish your food. We might as well have our lunch here. It's not like any day where I can meet your friends, Ai. " Asami replied as she took the seat beside Ai. Then, she saw her book lying on the table. "I knew that you are going to bring this to return it back to me."
(I just finished reading it yesterday) Ai smiled slightly.
"I got more for you." Asami replied, turning over to her backpack and took out a thick stack of magazines. "All these are the medical journals that I've finished reading. You can take your time with them." Asami informed with a smile. She then turned her attention to Eri and Risa. "How do you Niigaki-san and Kamei-san got to know Ai-chan?"
Eri gazed at Ai. 'Should I say my identity? or?' Eri thought for a long while.
(Kamei-san is my new psychologist.) Ai signed in response of Eri's questioning stare.
"I see." Ami nodded her head at the information given. "What about you, Niigaki-san? How did you know Ai?"
"I - How do I say . . . We met each other on the streets last month, and she helped me out in a great favour. But before I managed to show my appreciation, she's gone." Risa answer vaguely, not sure whether should she list out how the whole story had gone.
"What favour?" Eri raised her eyebrow in interest.
"I don't think I should say." Risa avoided.
"Come on Niigaki-san, I will want to know as well." Asami encouraged.
"Can I ?" Risa asked Ai.
(I think it's okay. Just do not go into details.) Ai replied defeatedly.
"What did she say?" Risa asked sheepishly.
"You should have know! You went to lessons with me, Niigaki Risa!" Eri retorted angrily, pushing Risa away.
"But Meme-chan, I've been sleeping through most of the lessons, you knew that."
"Risa-san, Ai-chan just said that it's okay for you to go into details," Asami answered Risa's question with her own agenda in it.
Eri looked surprisingly at Asami, knowing truly that that was not what Ai signed just now. Asami winked an eye at Eri, signalling Eri to play along with her.
"Yupps, that was what Ai-san had just signed." Eri played along, causing Ai to be real frantic.
Ai took the papers Eri had placed on the table and began to scribble furiously on it. {THAT'S NOT WHAT I HAVE SAID! I SAID DO NOT GO INTO DETAILS!} . Ai flunked the piece of paper right in front of Risa, startling Risa to sit back and leaned on the back rest.
"I know . . ." Risa nodded her head a couple of times.
"Calm down Ai. See, you're much better now. You know I always do that to get you loosen up a little in front of strangers." Asami stated, as she pulled Ai's hands back across the table and to her side.
(Yah. And I wondered why do I still fall for it each time.)
Asami just smiled at Ai. Eri was amused by how worked up Ai had got into. 'The two of them must be really good friends then. Maybe I can get to know more of Ai from Konno-san' Eri thought. "So how did the two of you met?"
"Remember that day where Ume-san came to find you? I saw him at the foot of the building. Well then, there wasn't really a place to hide, so I pulled Ai-san back and hid behind her. That's all." Risa recalled vaguely, not going into deep details as what Ai had requested.
"So you were late for consultation because of this Baka?" Eri asked . Risa narrowed her eyes at Eri, who had made use every chance to insult her when she had the chance to. Eri brushed away the offending stare from Risa.
(Sort of? Sorry, I'm need the washroom. Please excuse me) Ai signed as she pushed her chair backward and got onto her feet, proceeding towards the direction of the washroom.
"I need the washroom as well." Risa said out suddenly, jumping off her seat and went chasing after Ai.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa leaned against the sink as she waited for Ai to come out from the cubicle. 'I haven't apologised to her.'
Ai jerked backwards as she opened the door of the cubicle. (What are you doing there?)
"Huh?" Risa responded, being total clueless about what Ai had just signed. Risa looked around her to search for any writing materials, but found none.
(It's alright. We can talk when we are out there. Are you waiting for the toilet? You can use it now.) Seeing that Risa remained standing at the position, Ai sighed deeply and pointed at the cubicle, hoping that Risa would understand what she was trying to express.
"Do you have a phone? You can type in your phone . .. ' Risa suggested.
'My phone. . . It's lying on the bedside table right now. . .' Ai thought sadly, having to leave her phone at home.
Risa took out hers and passed it to Ai. "You can use this."
{I asked, what are you doing here. Are you waiting for the toilet. You can use it now.} Ai typed in fluently and shoved it before Risa's face.
"No. I'm not using the toilet. I'm waiting for you." Risa replied.
Ai pulled back her hand, backspaced the message she had type previously. {You're waiting for me?} After she had finished typing, she passed it back to Risa, more gently and politely this time round.
Risa read and nodded her head. "I'm sorry for that day. I wasn't thinking what was I doing. It’s not that I kiss every stranger I met. It's just reflex when I realise Ume-san was going to notice me. That's why I . . ." Ai placed her hand on Risa's wrist, stopping Risa's explanation. She took the phone from Risa and started typing in it.
{It's alright. You don't have to explain more. You had already apologised just now. That's enough for me. Whatever had happened had happened. It's just shocked me, that's all. Even though before today, I always thought that you are one pervert who goes around cheating people.} Ai giggled silently at her reply before showing to Risa.
"So should I be angry or upset about it?" Risa asked rhetorically, causing Ai to giggle in her own way again. "You should smile more." Risa stated.
{Why are you running away from Ume-san?} Ai asked, changing the topic Risa had raised.
"Ume-san is my family chauffeur. He had watched me growing up."
Ai held Risa's hand. {You are not answering my question. Why are you running away from him? Now that you said that he's someone who watch you grown up, there's no reason for you to be running away from him} Ai analysed.
"I ran away from home, Ai-san. He was there to bring me home. I don't want to go home. Not at this moment." Risa answered truthfully.
Ai moved to the side of Risa, and leaned against the same sink Risa was leaning against at that moment. {Why are you running away from home?}
“I’m tired of being at home. I’m tired of having all my future planned by my parents. I’m just tired. I want a world of my own. I want to achieve my own dreams.” Risa answered sadly, diverting her attention to the glossy marble floor, tapping her feet lightly on the ground.
‘Risa-san . . . At least you have a family. . .’ Ai looked away from Risa to prevent herself from tearing. {At least they cared for your being. For that you will know that they will always be there for you, no matter what happens.} Ai typed with the intention to cheer Risa up.
“I wonder . . .They never hear my will, what i wanna to do in life. Everything is in their way of direction. Not mine. I wanted to major in music when I was in college, but they stopped me. They enrolled me into Business and Marketing instead. That was the first time I ran away from home. But I was being dragged home by Ume-san in less than 24 hours.” Risa started with a bitter smile. “Well at least there was Eri around to listen to my grumblings. After graduation, Eri moved over here while my parents started urging me to work in their company. It's just. . . I can't take it anymore. I guessed I'm not the perfect daughter for them." Risa continued. 'Why am I telling her all these? This is the first time I actually told someone so much of my own self. I never had the need to tell Eri. She understood everything. Why her?'
'Neither am I one to mine. If not . . . they would not have left me alone. . .' Ai thought sadly, looking at Risa this time round. {Well. . . At least they cared, at least they loved you. I guess they have a reason for that, and they do love you deep from their heart.}
"That's true. . . As for now, at least I have a year of freedom . . . before going back to be the perfect daughter for them. That's call compromising." Risa finished, heaving one last sigh. “Ne, Ai-san, do you mind giving me your contact number? I felt comfortable talking to you. . . Maybe we can became better friends and together with Eri.” Risa continued with a laugh, causing Ai to smile as well.
-
I read your chapter three, and I enjoyed it , I found myself smiling while reading it.
-
Haha..I see. That's very informative. :D With all the info on Ai-chan's diagnosis, it really tells me that you are very knowledgeable about this. :thumbsup
Yaay! Another chapter! :cow:
It's so sad that Ai-chan is having nightmares about her past. :( And the "What am I living for?" is the right question. I mean, for someone like Ai-chan who was abandoned by her family, can't talk, and have difficulty finding jobs and remain working, what IS she living for? Perhaps she's destined to become something great :yep: and reunite with her family..just to make them feel guilty! :tama-mad: This story is indeed meaningful. :grin:
Eri is being so very kind to take sign language classes. :) It sounds like she'll find cure for Ai-chan. :w00t: And I see TakaGaki getting closer! :wub:
-
If more shrinks were like Eri, they wouldn't all be so scary. She's such a sweetheart. And I wasn't expecting the Asami cameo, will we get the last gokkie to show up?
And, yay! Takagaki progress!
-
Your fic is so interesting!!! It gives me a feeling, that you know lot of psychology :)
Poor Ai-chan, her parents are awful! To abandon their own daughter, that's unforgivable :angry:
Hah, it's fun to see Risa-chan who isn't so dutiful all the time :lol: I hope she will be able to make her dream come true :heart:
Yay, Asami is back!!! :cow: Will Gokkies be together again??? :inlove:
Love this, keep up with good work :thumbsup
-
interesting story :)
Nakazawa as psychologist? it must be one scary psychologist except she's OOC in this story :lol:
and it's weird to imagine Kame being all smart and serious at work :lol:
It's good that Risa apologized... now they can be friends, guess Risa will pay attention to signing class from now on XD
-
It's so interesting! :wub:
I'm not good at in commention to anything
but this story caught me up
waiting for the next chapter :wub:
-
Well, well, well, So it would seem Gaki is the child that Ai's parent's took, must say I appriciate the irony that Gaki want's to get away from her parent who abandoned Ai....
Eri seems to be ver caring towards Ai, it's to early to tell yet but I just wionder if any of her kindness, i.e. learning sign Language etc means she more intrested in Ai than on a proffesional level
It seems as though Gaki is the one who's making Ai more comfortable, well in a way, when she not around her neck any way :lol:, Could she be the one to make Ai speak......
-
Just some fast reply . . . . The last gokkie has actually appeared before in the story . . . . .:X hahah
I'm running for lessons, and therefore, let me fastly present you to the next chapters!!
Thanks all for commenting and reading :)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 4] - The Walk Down the Memory Lane (1)
{How was your interview in the afternoon? Really, I had a very good time today, knowing you. - Risa} Ai read off the screen of the mobile phone.
'Risa-san?' Ai thought. {It's nice know you as well, Risa-san. My interview? Hopefully I can get the job. But most likely, I will have to go around and search for another soon - Ai} Ai entered in her cell phone and pushed the 'send' button, before placing it back on the table where it had been lying on. She started walking away slightly towards the bathroom, reaching out her hand to her hair, pulling off the ribbon that was holding her long silky hair in a pony tail.
Almost immediately, the phone on the table vibrated. 'So fast?'. Ai stopped in her steps, turned back a little and grabbed her phone along with her, before continue moving into the bathroom.
{Ganbatte! I'm sure that you will be able to get that job! ^.^ Anyway, do you mind if I asked what are you doing tomorrow? - Risa}
Ai closed the door of the bathroom and grabbed the brush that was lying on the rim of the sink and ran it through her hair with her right hand and typed the reply with her left. {Why are you asking? - Ai}. She placed the phone at the position where the brush used to stand. 'Why am I so happy today?' Ai asked her reflection in the mirror in her mind. Shrugging her shoulder a little in response to her own question, Ai placed the brush beside the phone and turned around , stepping into the shower area.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
{Why are you asking? -Ai} Risa read as she laid on her stomach on her bed in Eri's study room. 'What should I say? Hmmm.' {I was thinking since both of us are so free, why not hang out together? I have nothing to do tomorrow. Well, I pretty much have nothing to do until the results of the second audition is out. - Risa}
Risa placed her phone beside her pillow and returned to reading the sign language book she stole from Eri's room when Eri was taking her shower. Her mind ran away from the contents of the book in less than a minute time. 'Why haven't she reply my message? Am I being too fast? I mean we just got to know each, maybe she's not comfortable hanging out together. Hmmm.'
Risa took her phone up again. {It's okay if you do not want to hang out tomorrow, Ai-san. Just pretend that I did not asked. - Risa}
"Risa ! I'm coming in." Eri called out as she knocked on the door.
'Sheez, I can't let her know that I took her book.' Risa thought. With that, she shoved the book that she was reading under her pillow and turned on her back, pretending that she was just about to prepare to sleep.
"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Risa asked innocently as Eri entered the room.
Eri proceeded towards her bookshelf in the study room and began running her eyes along the long stretch of books. "I'm looking for some books. I need to finish my report by tonight. " Eri replied as she pulled out a book from the shelf, flipping a few pages, before placing it back on the shelf. It was obvious that that was not the book she was looking for. She continued her search for the books. "Oh yah! " Eri called out, only to see Risa checking her phone.
"Yes?" Risa asked, looking up from the screen of her phone. 'Why haven't Ai-san reply me? Did I scared her with my actions?'
"Have you seen the sign language book that I bought last week? " Eri asked as she pulled out another book and placed it on the study table, looking at Risa's direction once again.
"No . . . I have not seen it. Why did you asked?" Risa acted blur about the situation while she checked her phone once again for any new message.
Eri pouted. "It's gone! It was in my room a while ago. But when I came out from the shower, it's gone! I can't find it." Eri whined, picking out two more books and place it on top of the one she selected previously. "I was about to finish that book." Eri grunted childishly, only to catch Risa checking her phone for the third time. "Are you waiting for someone's call or message?" Eri asked curiously.
"Huh?" Risa was shocked. She dropped the phone that she was holding at that moment and it dropped onto her chest and down on the bed. "No - I am not." Risa lied nervously.
"Really?" There was no way Eri would believe the claim Risa had made moments ago. Eri began walking towards the sofa bed Risa was lying. "Do you really think I will believe that, Risa?" Eri asked when made it to the right side of Risa.
Risa sat up. "Why not? That - that's the truth. I'm not waiting for anything. I'm was about to sleep when you came in." Risa answered with slight shutter at the start and sat up. She held on to the phone she had just dropped.
"I've came in for less than 5 minutes, and I had caught you looking into your phone 3 times. Are you trying to kid me or something?" Eri analysed. " Come on, SAY!" Eri demanded as she jumped onto Risa, with the intention to snatch over the mobile phone in Risa's grip.
"No! It's really nothing! I was just checking the time! Nothing else!" Risa insisted, as she shifted her phone between her right and left hand, keeping Eri away from obtaining the phone to her possession. "Now, GET OFF ME!" Risa threatened.
"No! Not until you show me what you have in your phone!" Eri replied as she grabbed Risa's pillow and threw it at Risa. That was when she saw the book she has been looking around for and Risa had made clear that she had not seen it.
'Gosh! She saw it! I'm dead!' Risa thought within herself.
"NIIGAKI RISA!" Eri scream out, getting off Risa and picked up the book. "You TOOK my book and you said you did not see it!" With that, she knock Risa's head lightly with the book in her hand. "Meanie!" The excitement of her finding her book had taken over the curiosity of her to know what was in Risa's mobile phone. "Why did you take it anyway?"
Risa struggled to get Eri off her. "Read, if not why do you think I will take it?"
"Read? Since when are you interested? Aren't you the one always complaining about how boring the lesson is and why do you have to take the lesson with me?" Eri raised an eyebrow and looked at Risa cynically from her position. Risa had successfully pushed Eri off herself, with Eri landing at the edge of the bed, just millimetres to fall onto the floor.
"Umm. -" That left Risa speechless. 'Come on Risa! Think of something to shut Eri off! If not she's going give you nights of hell for that!' Risa edged her mind. "Umm. I was thinking that since I'm taking the lessons already, might as well I should study for it? I would not want to waste my money to get a red mark in return."
"Really?" Eri questioned about Risa's response, only half believing in it.
"I'm sure!" Risa added on quickly, to cover up any suspicion that may grow in Eri. "Aren't you going to write your report tonight? Can I borrow your book then?" With that, Risa grabbed the book from Eri and pushed her lightly, causing Eri to fall onto the floor. "Go go go, go and do your report! I promise in will return the book to you soon!"
"Ouch! That hurts, Baka!" Eri cried out as her butt landed on the ground. Eri stood up and slapped Risa and her back. "You deserve this! I hate you!" Eri commented jokingly, before walking towards the study table and grabbed the books she picked out earlier and stomped out of the room, closing the door after her.
Risa let out a sigh of relief and checked her mobile once again. 'Still no reply.' Risa thought sadly. She dropped the phone back to the bed and open the book, continued from where she had left on. But her mind was not on the book at all. 'She has a beautiful smile. I wish she can smile more.' The sound of vibration interrupted her thoughts. She picked up her phone as immediately.
{Sorry for the late reply, I was taking my shower just now. I'm going to do some volunteer work tomorrow. If you don't mind, you can join me. - Ai}
Risa beamed with joy with the reply she got from Ai. She could not stop smiling. {Of course I don't mind. ^.^ - Risa} 'She replied! I worried too much previously. She sounded quite cool about it.' Risa thought.
{I'll see you 7 am at station. - Ai}
"Yes!" Risa shouted out, celebrating a little. She closed the book and placed it back on the study table. She laid happily on her bed, pulling the covers to her shoulder. 'This is so exciting! I can't wait for tomorrow to come.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Session 2: Location, Mind's Café at downtown. Got to know Client better. Knew one of her friends, Konno Asami, Found out that one of the reason why Client chose not to take post high school education. 1. Finances. 2. Confidence. Client is very conscious for the fact that she could not speak. Had a mindset that she may be a burden to others. Could be one of the contributing factors why she is unable to speak till this day.
Client show little signs of being Selective Mutism. A little nervous about the new environment, but settled in quickly. Need further follow up.
Eri dropped the pen that she was holding on. "Ah!! I don't know what else to write! I still don't know her well enough." Eri groaned out, running right hand through her hair, messing them up in the process.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The early morning of late autumn is always freezing. It brought the harsh reality that winter is closing in. At 645am, Risa stood at the entrance of the station, with her trench coat zipped all the way to her neck, hands stuffed in the pocket of the coat. 'It's freezing. Winter is coming soon.'
Someone patted Risa's shoulder, causing Risa to turn to the direction of the touch. Ai took out her phone and typed, {Risa-san! Why are you here so early? I thought I said 7 am?}
"Ai-san." Risa puffed out, having difficulty to speak properly in the coldness.
{Let's go into the station first. It's much more warmer inside.} With that, Ai dragged Risa into the train station.
"Thank you. . .I never expect it to be so cold now." Risa quivered a little, disliking the cold in the morning.
{It's always this cold in the morning in this time of the year} Risa watched Ai typed in her mobile from her position, with a small smile forming at the corner of her mouth. Risa smiled as well. {I can see that you do not have the habit of waking up early} Ai finished up with the smile disappearing as she showed Risa. She was unaware that Risa had been watching her all these while.
'Why do I feel like you are always trying to hide your smile?' Risa thought as she observed Ai's action. "I - Yah." Risa blushed with a little in embarrassment at the discovery Ai had made. "I never had the habit of waking early. So even during college, I had to choose all afternoon lessons to prevent myself from missing lessons." Risa answered sheepishly.
{It's alright. It won't stay so cold throughout the day. It will get warmer in the afternoon.} Ai assured.
Risa nodded her head. "I never knew than autumn morning in Tokyo is as cold as that in Kyoto. I always thought the it would be much more warmer since Winter in Tokyo is warmer." Risa pouted.
{It's just the morning, Risa-san. It would be different when afternoon comes.}
"Where are we going today anyway?" Risa asked as the train entered the station. Ai stood up and walked to the edge of the platform. Risa followed after her and stood by her left side.
{You will know when you reach there.}
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Risa!" Eri called out, bitting a piece of toast in her mouth, her right hand holding on her handbag and left knocking her study room door. "Risa, wake up! I'm heading off for work soon. What are you going to do today? And where are we having dinner tonight? Don't forget that we have sign language lesson this evening." Eri continued as she moved towards the coffee table, grabbed the keys that were lying on it and placed it into her handbag. She then place her handbag on the sofa.
"RISA!" Eri grunted as she stomped towards the study and burst into the study, expecting to find Risa hiding under her covers. "RI-sa?" 'Where had she gone? This must be a miracle. She was actually up before I am.' Eri thought silently in her mind. Brushing that thought away, Eri closed the door of the room. 'I shall call her during lunch time them. She has been acting weird since last night. I wonder what is up with her.' Eri thought silently, seizing her handbag from the coach and exited her apartment.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The train trip to Okutama, the place Ai had in mind, was pretty much a silent one. Even Risa remained unspoken during the whole to the train trip. Ai was seated opposite her, reading one of the medical journal Ami passed her during lunch yesterday. Risa just sat at her seat, watching Ai from her position. Whenever Ai directed her attention to Risa, Risa will always look away, to prevent Ai from noticing that she was reading her.
Risa looked out of the window of the train carriage for a moment. She was captivated by the greeneries, the breathtaking beauty of the nature that replaced the tall urban architectures in the city.
{Is it very boring to hang out with me? Since we can't communicate normally with flow?} Ai typed into her phone, but hesitated. 'Should I show her? I do not want her to accommodate herself to my pace of conversation.'
"You have something to tell me?" Risa asked as she had observed the possible internal inflicts that would be going through Ai's mind by her actions.
Ai nodded her head unconscientiously and with an reluctant hand, she passed the phone to Risa.
Risa blinked her eyes are the statement shown on the phone. 'What makes her think so?' Risa looked up and into Ai clear blank orbs. Ai took over the phone again. {From yesterday, I can understand that you are a person with a friendly disposition and have lots to say. You seemed quite quiet today. . . Did you regret coming along with me to volunteer today?} With that, Ai stuffed the phone back into Risa's grip and looked away slightly.
"Ai-san?" Risa called out to get Ai to look at her. "It's not boring hanging out with you. Not at all. Even though I may sound noisy, I'm actually a quiet person. I'm only noisy around Eri. She's too much fun to just keep quiet around her." Risa joked, trying to ease the sadness she felt from Ai. "I actually liked hanging out with you. And this is my first time volunteering. My parents never allow me to do these things back home." Risa continued.
{Really?}
"Hmmm hmmm" Risa sounded in response. "So I should thank you Ai-san for giving me this chance to volunteer." Risa ended with a genuine smile, which successful influenced Ai.
{You're welcome. Risa-san.} Ai typed.
"So, where are we stopping?" Risa asked.
{Okutama.}
"Where is this place? I have not heard of this place before." Risa questioned curiously.
{It's a small town located at the western part of Tokyo. You will love the place, I think.}
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You have reach the mailbox of Niigaki Risa and this means that I am currently busy and unable to answer your call. If you have something that you need to tell me, please try calling me at a later time. If not you can also chose to leave a message behind. But please be sure that you name yourself properly. Thank you." Eri growled loudly at the mail box message. 'Again? What important stuff are you doing, Niigaki Risa, that you can't pick up my call. Baka.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When the two of them got off the train and was welcomed by the small but buzzing town. The mountainous view surrounding the four side of the town had capture Risa's heart. 'This is the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my life. It's feels so relax to be here.'
They continued walking pass the shop houses and further away, until there were little urban structures surround them. It was just the mother nature and two of them. Soon after, Risa noticed a cottage surrounded by low wooden fences appearing as they strode closer. That was when Ai began to increase the size of her steps and began running forward. Risa continued her pace.
(Tadaima) Ai signed as she ran forward, hugging a middle aged lady who was standing at the door of the cottage.
Risa read Ai's sign and found it familiar. 'I have definitely read it somewhere yesterday.' Risa thought. She closed her eyes and willed herself to remember where had she read it from and what did it meant. 'It meant Tadaima. That's 'I'm home'. Risa opened her eyes at that realisation. ' Is this Ai's house? But she said that she's here to volunteer. Isn't it weird for someone to say that she's volunteering when she's just going back home and help?' Risa was confused.
"Okaierinasai, Ai-chan." The middle aged women welcomed. Her voice was gentle and loving, just like how Risa felt about her mother's voice.
Risa walked closer to the door of the cottage. That was when she had discovered the small sign that hung loosely on the fences. 'Children's Home' Risa read. 'This is an orphanage. She said I'm home. Does that meant that Ai-san is an orphan?' Risa was surprised. 'And yesterday she actually tried to comfort me when I spoke about my family problems. She does not have hers and she did not bitter into it and tried to encourage me about the situation. I should be ashamed of my own self.' She reflected in her mind as she continued walking closer, in a very slow pace, still unable to get through the astonishment, until she got beside Ai.
"Konnichiwa." The lady greeted, bowing down.
"Konnichiwa." Risa returned, doing the same actions, as a form of respect to someone senior to her.
(Baa-san, this is my friend, Niigaki Risa.) That was what Ai managed to finish signing, before she was dragged away by a group of excited young children. (Chotto.) Ai signed to the children, but apparent to Risa, they were all so thrilled to see Ai that they would not bother her objections of being pulled away. (Gomen!) Ai finally signed towards Risa, praying inwardly that Risa would understand what she had signed.
Risa just stared at the disappearing sight of Ai, feeling lost for the first time, in this place that she had not been in her life. 'What should I do?'
"Risa-kun?" The lady called out.
"Hai!" Risa turned around immediately to face the lady, bowing a little.
"You do not have to be so formal with me. You can call me Baa-san, just like how Ai always call me. If not you can call me by my name, Abe." Abe introduced herself.
"Hai, Abe-san" Risa felt comfortable with the second option given to her.
"Come along." Abe motioned Risa to move to her side. "I will show you around."
Risa nodded her head and paced towards Abe and together, they entered the cottage where Abe showed Ai the sleeping quarters, the dining room, the toilets, and playroom area.
"Ai-chan said that you're her friend. I'm surprised." Abe started the conversation.
"Why is Abe-san surprised?" Risa was confused. 'Isn't it normal for someone to have a friend or some friends? She's weird.' That was the impression Risa got from the statement Abe had made.
"Not in that way, Risa-san." Abe understood Risa's confusion. "I mean that I was surprised that she brought her friend here. You are the third friend of hers I have met before. " Abe held Risa's hand in a motherly way.
"Oh. . . I see . . ."
"So how long have you known Ai-chan? I haven't heard of your name from her before. Not until today." Abe asked gently as they continued walking around the premise.
"Well, we met a month ago, but I only actually got to know more of her yesterday." Risa answered truthfully.
Abe widen her eyes at the information thrown to her. "This is getting interesting."
"Hmmm?" Once again, Risa expressed her confusion.
"I guess my Ai-chan is growing up really fast out there. Do you what does it mean that she has brought you here, especially only knowing you for only a day?" Abe analysed the situation for Risa.
"What does that meant?" Risa asked, still not getting what Abe was trying to imply in her sentence.
"She really trust you a lot." Abe finished.
'She trust in me a lot?' Risa self questioned herself.
That conversation happened when the two of them arrived at the study room, where Ai was sitting beside a young girl, and speaking to her through sign language. "You saw the little girl Ai-chan is conversing with?" Abe asked. Risa directed her attention to where Abe had directed her to. "Her name is Miyuki. She has the same psychological disorder as Ai-chan."
"Psychological disorder?" Risa repeated.
"It's speech disorder, classified under psychological disorder. Ai-chan was the first case we had." Abe continued.
[Flashback]
"Abe-san" The policeman who picked little Ai off the street arrived at the doors if the orphanage. "We have found her off the streets alone, 4 am in the morning. Currently, we can’t find any identifications on her, nor match her with any reported lost kid. My supervisor ordered me to send her." He continued as he held Ai on his right hand. "Onegaishimasu." With that, he left Ai in the hands of Abe.
"Konnichiwa." Abe greeted. Little Ai looked away from Abe. "What's your name, little girl?" Ai walked away from her to the counter, picked a pen and paper and wrote 'Ai' on it. Abe followed closely behind her. "Ai-chan." Abe read out while Ai looked up to Abe with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, Ai-chan? Why are you crying?" Little Ai closed her eyes and shook her head stubbornly.
[End of Flashback]
"That was the first time I saw Ai-chan" Abe recalled. "She never told me what's her last name. I assume that she don't remember what's her last name as well. Takahashi was the last name that I gave her." Abe continued as Risa continue listening attentively. "She never spoke in the first half a year when she came here. I thought she was just nervous. But as time passed, I thought she might be mute, that was when I've decided to bring her to see a doctor. The doctor ran tests on her, and it came out that her vocal cords are all well. They referred me to a psychologist instead. That was how I knew about this disorder. Selective Mutism." Abe finished.
'You mean Ai-san can talk? So that's the reason why Ai-san is visiting Eri?' Risa digested the information thrown to her.
"Thankfully, for Miyuki, she's starting to get better, now being about to speak selectively to people. When she first came, she spoke to no one, just like how Ai-chan was used to be. It's all Ai-chan's effort that made Miyuki to be able to speak .She's one of the very few that Miyuki would want to speak to." Abe continued. "And I wish there will be this day, someone who be able to fill in Ai-chan position in Miyuki's case, and Ai-chan can really put down the stone she carries in herself and speak for the first time." Abe tried to sound as hopeful as she could as she looked towards Risa, who looked overwhelmed by the truth behind Ai.
Ai felt their presence in the study room. She looked up and smile genuinely at the both of them before turning back to Miyuki.
"Abe-san, is - is there anything that I can help?" Risa asked, remembering her purpose here today. To volunteer.
"Yes, there is." Abe smiled.
"What is that?" Risa continued asking.
"To make them smile, to make them feel happy." Abe finished.
"That's gonna be an easy task for me." Risa stated with a playful smirk on her face. She turned towards the children in the study. "Hey come on kids! Those who have done with your work, I have a little present for you! Let's go play outside the backyard!!"
-
The last gokkie has actually appeared before in the story . . . . .:X hahah
Wow, I must have forgotten. XD
So Risa gets closer to Ai while unknowingly gaining Eri's curiosity. I have a feeling she'll be grilled when she gets home. :lol:
-
Wow...Ai-chan already trust Gaki so much. I bet Gaki is already having a sort of crush on Ai-chan. :D
-
I wonder what it is that has gotten Ai to trust Gaki so readily when it seems she is not usually the quickest to trust, could it be that Ai has feelings for gaki and showing her trust in Gaki is a way of showing it, though she may not know it herself.
As for Gaki it seems as though she is not sure of how she feels towards Ai, she is obviouly intrested in the girl and want's to help he but her feelings past that are still a little unclear.
I wonder if Eri will spot the reltaionship between Gaki and Ai and try to use that to cure her....
-
[Chapter 5] - The Walk Down the Memory Lane (2)
Ai walked into the backyard after her session with Miyuki and saw Risa, playing happily, enthusiastically with the children.
"I've got you!" Risa declared as she slid her arms under one of the little boy's armpit and carried him up, turning into circles, allowing the legs to fly freely in the air. Sound of giggles could be heard from the children. Once Risa had place the boy back on the ground, the other children began to surround Risa, wanting to experience the same encounter the boy had.
"Alright alright. One by one, we will go flying! Flying! Flying!" Risa shouted excitedly as she picked up another girl.
Miyuki came out as well and stood by Ai's side, watching the jovial scene of them.
(You're not joining them?) Ai signed.
"I - I don't know." Miyuki replied.
(What's stopping you?) Ai asked.
Miyuki lifted her right arm and pointed to the direction of Risa. "She - I haven't - seen her before. Not comfortable." Miyuki replied in segments, still not very confident in her speech.
(Daijobu, Miyuki-chan. She's my friend. She's really kind. I promise. Go join them.) Ai urged, pushing Miyuki slightly forward to the back yard. Miyuki then trailed very slowly towards the crowd. Whereas for Ai, she moved towards the fences on the side of yard and leaned against them, and stayed at that position, watching Risa enjoying herself with the children. 'Why did I even brought her here in the first place . . . I've only known her for like a day? Why did I did so then?' Ai thought as she furrowed her eyebrow deeply, thinking back about her decision to bring Risa to her home for volunteering.
Risa noticed Miyuki trailing over. She went over to Miyuki and pulled her up in the air. “Do you wanna join the game? I can bring you fly up high in the sky! And trust me, I will never drop you, never in my life.” Risa assured.
Abe walked to Ai’s side, elated. “I haven’t seen these smile on these children for a long time. It’s been a long time ever since these children enjoyed themselves. She’s really amazing, isn’t she?” Abe asked rhetorically , looking at Ai.
Ai looked back questionably at Abe. She blinked her eyes, not fully understanding what Abe was trying to meant in the last part of her sentence. 'Yes. . . We can never be able to smile so freely, after being thrown straight into the face the fact why are we even here. We can never lived normally . . . never . . . not for me . . . '
“I’m just making a senseless statement, don’t mind me, Ai-chan.” Abe finished as she stepped closer to the crowd. “Kids, it’s time for lunch! Get in and wash up and assemble at the dining hall in 10 minutes time.” Abe ordered.
“Hai!” The children responded before turning around to Risa. “Arigatou, Nee-chan!” And all of them lugged at Risa, causing Risa to move backwards by the force.
“Dou-ita-shima-shite” Risa struggled to say with the children surrounding her, choking her breath.
With that, the children ran back to the cottage with Miyuki standing alone back looking at Risa.
“What’s wrong, Miyuki-chan? Is it okay for me to call you Miyuki-chan?” Risa kneeled down to the level, and asked in cutesy tone.
“A-riga-tou, Nee-chan” Miyuki made up after long periods of silence and ran away straight after she spoke.
‘She spoke to me?’ Risa was surprised. Risa looked around her and realised she stood alone in the yard. Then she noticed Ai at the fences. Risa jogged over to the fences. “Since when are you here?”
That was when Ai realised that Risa was covered with sweat all over her face. Fresh volume of sweat continues to drip down her sideburns. {Since Miyuki came over.} Ai replied.
“This is so warm!” Risa complained as she took off her trench coat and hung it over the fence while she climbed over the fence and sat at the edge of the fence. “AAHH! I can’t stop perspiring!” Risa whined. Ai laughed silently at Risa’s statements, causing Risa to look at her with her narrowed eyes playfully. “What are you laughing at?”
{I told you, it’s going to be warm in the afternoon. But I didn’t expect you to complain about it.} Ai typed and showed Risa.
“You – You –“ Risa was left speechless. She could not come out with words to counter Ai and that caused Ai to laugh even more. Risa looked straight at Ai and as time passed, she realised that she was staring at her. Too much for someone she had known for less than 24 hours. 'Your smile is so beautiful, Ai-san' Ai turned and look straight into Risa's, realising that Risa was staring blankly at her. Ai waved her hands before Risa, getting Risa back into the reality.
{You okay? You were spacing out.}
"Yah, I'm alright. I was just thinking about some things." Risa replied, glancing away from Ai. Ai tilted her head slightly when she waited for Risa to continued with her words. "I - I want to thank you. Thank you for bring me here."
{You don't have to thank me.} Ai shook her head and typed into her phone.
"I'm serious. Besides being thankful, I guessed I have to say sorry to you." Risa continued, glazing straight at the grass on the ground, watching them swivelled as the wind brushed pass them.
{Why were you sorry?}
"I was complaining to you about my family yesterday when you - " Risa started and stopped at the sensitive word that both Ai and herself knew what it was. "I felt so guilty for doing that. Really." Risa picked off where she had stopped and continued. She glanced sideway to Ai's direction and managed to catch a tear sliding off the corner of Ai's eye. Risa fought the urge within her. Her heart winced. She raised up her hand a little further, wanting to wipe off the tear. But she stopped. She stopped when Ai started to pick up her phone and type in it.
{You don't have to be sorry, Risa-san. You didn't know about it.} Ai replied, trying to wipe off her tears without Risa noticing.
"So, do you always come here and volunteer?" Risa asked, hoping that changing the topic would help to stop Ai's tears.
{When I'm free, yes. The kids here need help in their work. That's the best that I can do for them.} Ai replied.
A comfortable silence filled in the moments between them. 'I wish I can know more of her. I wish I can understand her more. Why am I feeling this way. Why do my heart hurts when I caught her tearing? Compassion? Empathy? What is this warm fuzzy feeling that is growing?' Risa thought in the silence period. She turned around and stole a few more glances of Ai, observed Ai's glaze towards the horizon far away.
"Ai-san?" Risa called out. Ai took a few seconds to react before she direct her glance at Risa. "I - About you - I heard from Abe-san about your story." Risa stuttered to voice out her point. "How did you ended up - here? Did - your parents -- " Risa struggled to asked these questions and she halted at the last one and ended self debating herself whether that question was appropriate or not. 'Isn't it too straight out front to ask that? Risa! What have you been thinking?'
{I don't remember. And it does not matters to me anymore.} Ai lied. "Let's go hun. She's not our daughter anymore." Ai shut her eyes as the voices from her dreams echoed in her mind. 'Go away. I don't want to remember any of these events. Go away.' Ai though as she tried to block any more familiar haunting voices and images from her nightmare every night to surface.
"Ai-san, Daijobu ka?" Risa asked as she scooted in closer to Ai while still seated in the rim of the fence. That action caused the trench coat Risa had hung on the fence to drop onto the ground
Ai's eyelids flipped open immediately when she heard the impact of the dropping of the coat. She sensed that Risa was right beside her. {I'm alright.}
"If - you're not - comfortable in talking about this topic, we can - don't. " Risa stated thoughtfully. Her voice was filled with gentleness, overflowing that Risa could not recognise that that was her voice.
Ai nodded her head. She then bent down to pick up the trench coat Risa had dropped previously. She felt the coat vibrating. {Risa-san, I think your phone is ringing} Ai typed and showed Risa as she passed the coat to Risa.
"Really?" Risa asked no one in particular as she began to search the pockets of the coat for her phone. She pulled out the phone from the right pocket and placed it beside her ear, pressing the answer key. "Hello, this is Niigaki Risa speaking."
Eri sat up in attention in her chair when Risa answered the call."BAKA!" Eri blasted into the receiver of the phone, causing Risa shut her eyes from the loud scream directly into her ear drum on the other end. Risa in an instance jerked the phone away from her ear. She shook her head lightly, hoping that the ringing sound that was echoing in her ear drum would go away by that action. Meanwhile, the Eri continued blabbering through the receiver. "YOU HAVE FINALLY DECIDED TO ANSWER YOUR STUPID PHONE." The voice was blasting such that Ai could hear at her position, considering the wide distance between her and the phone.
"Man, Eri, calm down. Don't shout into the phone. I do not want to turn deaf at such a young age. I still have a competition to compete in." Risa answered, while pulling the phone nearer back to her ear, but still maintaining the safe distance.
"How am I suppose to calm down when someone had decided to play missing since early this morning?" Eri retorted, obviously still angry with Risa's delay in answering her phone. "Where have you been? Are you really that busy to answer my call? I was so worried about you! I was so shock to find your room empty this morning! I was so worried that you were been kidnapped home again. It's not like you will wake up earlier than me." Eri rabbit on, not giving a chance for Risa to interrupt her.
"Erm Eri?" Risa started out to get Eri to stop her babbling. "Hello?" Risa called out the second time, but still, Eri continued her words. "Meme-CHAN!" It's Risa's turn to scream into the speaker. That caused Ai to look up at Risa at her over-reacted reaction. It also made Eri to quieten down on the other end of the line. "Finally." Risa heaved out softly. "I'm sorry for not informing you that I'll be going out today. Sorry for getting you so worried for me. I'll treat you dinner tonight to make up for it, alright?" Risa continued.
"Where are you anyway, Risa? What took you so long to answer the call? I've made at least 15 calls to your phone and all I get from it was your stupid mailbox message. Are you really that busy? I thought you have nothing to do until your audition. So what are you doing and where are you now?" Eri asked as she leaned back again the backrest of her chair.
"I - I'm out with a friend. My phone was in the vibration mode." Risa explained.
"Friend?" Eri repeated with a raised eyebrow. "What friend? Do I know him or her?"
"Why do you want to know?" Risa countered, not willing to let Eri know who she had went out with.
"You are acting really weird, Risa, since last night . . ." Eri analysed. Eri wanted to enquire further, but was stopped by the beeping sound of the intercom. "You wait for a moment. Don't you dare hanging up my call." Eri threatened Risa before picking up the office phone. "Yes, Fujimoto-san?"
"Kamei-san, Yuni-san has arrived. Are you ready to have her in?" Miki asked.
"Yes please." Eri ordered as she placed the receiver back to its position. She then pulled her mobile to her ear. "I'm busy. You are not going to get away from this. See you at lesson tonight." With that, Eri hung the phone on Risa, leaving Risa shocked at the other end of the line. Risa shook her head innocently as she thought, 'Who was the one who said 'Do not hang up the call' ? '
{Eri-san?} Ai asked politely even though she had heard herself the loud voice of Eri previously.
"Yupps. Isn't that obvious?" Risa joked as she slid her phone back to the pocket she took it out from. "There's only one person in my life, except for my parents, who dares to scream at me this way." Risa informed as a small smile creped across her face.
{She cares a lot for you, I can see that.} Ai commented, with slight envy in her, for Risa had such a best friend who cared for her being truly deep in her heart, being able to crack out the funny and playful personality of Risa.
Risa read the sentence as Ai typed into her phone. She smiled softly. "I know and I'm grateful for her. Eri seemed like the only friend that I had in my life. Many had came in, many had left. She's the only one who stayed in."
Ai looked questionably at Risa. {What do you mean by many had came in, many had left?}
Risa looked sadly into Ai's eyes. "They all fell short of my parents' expectation of being my friend. So they were asked to leave my life forever." Risa explained melancholy. "Eri persevered on, and she underwent what I had been through to stay in my life, since I was 5, where my memory starts. I'm thankful for that. She could choose to let go but she held on." Risa finished.
"Ai-chan!" Abe shouted from inside the cottage out to the backyard, interrupted the ongoing conversation to get the attention of the both. "Can you come in and help? They are getting all over me right now." Abe asked.
(Hai!) Ai signed back before turning back to Risa. {Let's get going.}
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri set her attention on Risa who was seated beside in class, listening attentively to the teacher's teaching ahead. 'Something's definitely wrong with her. First she took my sign language book, then today, she's actually listening to lessons. And she was the one who complained the whole month about coming to sign language classes with me. What's up with her ?' Eri thought as she continued watching Risa.
Risa on the other hand had her attention on the teacher. But her mind was somewhere else. Her mind was set back when she left the orphanage earlier on for lessons, the last word that Ai told her.
{Risa-san, even though your parents may be harsh on you and the people around you, never lose faith. It's because they cared about you. It's because you're their daughter and they wanted the best for you. You are considered fortunate than any of us here, because there's always someone there for you, be it your parents, or even Eri-san.}
The words lingered around her mind, bringing back her childhood memories.
"Risa-chan! Over here!" Renni, Risa's mother called out to young Risa in the park.
Risa ran over to her mother, puffing slightly. She smiled gleefully at her mother, who started running through a towel against her forehead till the back of her head.
"Look at you, you are perspiring so much. Are you feeling hot or thirsty? Do you want to drink anything?" Renni asked lovingly.
"I want ice-cream! One for Meme-chan as well." Risa chirped.
"Alright, I'll go get them. Promise you won't run faraway, alright?"
"Hai! Kaa-san, arigatou!" Risa yelped before running back to the playground once more.
A teary Risa, hugging her pillow, stood at the door of her parents' bedroom door. She opened the door slowly and peeped in. Renni saw Risa through the ajar door.
"Yes, Risa-chan?" Renni asked as she sat up on the bed.
"I - " Risa started while tightening her grip on the pillow, burying her chin into the pillow. "I - had a nightmare. "Risa spoke into the pillow, muffling the words. Though that, her parents could pretty much made up what Risa had just said.
"Come over, Risa." Retora ordered as he moved to the edge of the bed, leaving a space between him and Renni. "Sleep here."
Risa climbed onto the tall bed, settled her pillow in the center and laid down. Renni cuddled Risa in her embrace. "Sweet dreams now, honey." Renni coaxed while Risa closed her eyes, falling asleep in her mother's warm embrace.
The lesson had ended. Eri stood up from her position and prepared to leave. That was when she realised that Risa was still in the same position as she was half an hour ago. Eri waved her hands in front of Risa, trying to get her attention. Still, Risa made no reaction.
Risa remained in her position, overwhelmed by the memory she remembered. 'I have long forgotten about all these times. And I knew was to be bitter about my life is now that I forgot how they loved me all these while.' Risa's heart felt fuzzy at the lost memory. A hard pat on her shoulder brought her back to reality. "Ouch!" Risa screamed out as her shoulder stings. She turned her attention to Eri who was standing beside her. "What's that for?" Risa demanded.
"Lessons had ended and you are still listening to the teacher I see." Eri stated sarcastically. "Just as I thought for once you are listening to lessons, you proved me wrong, Risa. How disappointing was that. You are just pretending to listen while stoning out." Eri shook her head cynically while Risa stood up from her seat and turned to the other entrance. "Hey! Wait for me!" Eri called out when she realised that Risa was no longer at her original position.
"Hurry up Meme-chan, I'm hungry!" Risa replied. Eri, in her heels, jogged beside Risa and walked beside her. "What do you wanna to eat? I said I will treat you for dinner tonight."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Risa." Eri called out as she knocked against her study room's door. "Can I come in?"
"Yes!" Risa shouted out. She sat on her bed, hugging her pillow as she rested her chin in it.
Eri entered the room and went over to Risa's bed and sat at the side, facing Risa face to face. "Risa, are you alright?"
Risa blinked innocently at Eri's question. "Why is that so? Why are you asking this? I alright, I'm pretty sure." Risa replied, giving Eri the assurance that she was fine.
'She's definitely hiding something.' Eri thought in her mind as she observed Risa who was rocking back and forth while hugging her pillow and eyes glancing at the mobile phone which laid slightly before her. "Ah, can I borrow your phone for a while?" Eri asked suddenly as she reached out for the phone, not waiting for Risa to agree on. Before she could grab the phone, Risa won her in it.
"What are you going to do with my phone?" Risa asked cautiously, looking at Eri suspiciously. It was obvious to Risa Eri's intention to borrow her phone.
"I'm just curious what had gotten to you these two days. You are acting really weird." Eri replied truthfully and bluntly, pouting a little in the process for the fact that she had lost Risa in speed. "Be truthful, what had happened to you these two days?" Eri continued as she tried to reach for the phone in Risa's hand
"I - " Risa started and paused for a moment. 'Should I tell her?' She turned and felt Eri's glaze on her. "I - It's just that I had some slight reflection of my life. How fortunate am I all these while as compared to many other in this city, yet I'm oblivious of it." Risa recalled without saying who made her had such revelation. The sudden seriousness in Risa's tone caused Eri to stop what she was doing and looked seriously at Risa as well. "And the missing memories . . . Before I was 5. . . "
"Risa . . ." Eri started off, but Risa interrupted her.
"I guess that what's people always say 'you never know what you have until you saw what others do not have' . " Risa finished.
"That's true." Eri agreed while looking at Risa with an indescribable expression. "That's life, isn't that?" Eri asked rhetorically while patting on Risa's head. "Whereas for the missing memories . . . I'm sure one day, you will have them back. Why ponder so much about that when the time for you to remember is not up?" Eri advised.
"Hmmm. hmmm." Risa nodded her head.
"So, who did you went out today?" Eri questioned, resulting in a shock face from Risa. "You thought you have successfully digressed my attention away from the topic, didn't you? Too bad for that, Risa. I've known you too well for that." Eri taunted. "If you don't say, I will just need to find the answers for myself." Eri continued, holding Risa's phone in her hand in a victorious way. She had managed to slip out the phone out of Risa's grip when Risa was immersed into her world of emotions.
"NO!" Risa screamed out as she pounded forward to Eri. Eri escaped by standing up from the bed and ran to the other corner of the room.
"Are you saying? If you are not, I'm going to . . ." Eri started, pressing some buttons on Risa's phone, looking at Risa evilly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ai-chan! How was school today? Did you talk to your friends today?" The same lady asked lovingly as little Ai entered the house.
Ai looked up to her mother and shook her head lightly. She could sense the disappointment in her mother when she shook her head.
"It's alright dear." Ai's mother kneeled down and pulled Ai in an embrace. "Take your time. We are not in a rush." Her mother smiled gently at Ai, who made a small attempt to smile as well.
{Where's Papa. Ai has not seen Papa for days.} Ai wrote down on a piece of paper and showed her mother.
"Papa's working outside the city. He should be back soon." Her mother smiled lightly. "Come on girl, go wash up and prepare for dinner." Her mother urged with Ai just nodding her head.
"Where have you been all these while?" Ai could hear her mother shouting out loud in her light sleep. Ai stirred from her sleep and opened her eyes. She did not got off her bed, but remained awake listening to the commotion in her parents' room
"At work. The company needs me to be there." The male voice replied.
"You do not need to work till so late at night, didn’t you? Ai-chan's asking for you for days. What should I tell her?" Her mother argued.
"She's a mute! I can’t accept that."
"She's not honey! The doctors said that Ai-chan can speak! There's nothing wrong with her vocal cords. She's not a mute, do you understand?" Her mother retaliated.
"Still, she hadn't made a cry in her life. I'm can't dear, it's hard to accept her. I do not know how to communicate with her, how to deal with her."
Little Ai laid in her bed, with tears filling her eyes. 'I caused Papa Mama to fight. Is it because I'm not a good girl?' Ai sobbed silently. '
"Let's go Honey." The male urged Ai's mother, stopping her from looking back.
Don't go . . . Don't leave me alone.
Ai shot open her eyes, allowing her eyes to register the dark surroundings around her. She sat up slowly, wiping off the tears and sweat that were flowing down her cheeks. 'They left me . . . They left me . . .' Tears continued to form, paving their way down Ai's dedicate cheek. 'No more. I'm alone. It's my fault. It's my doing. It's my retribution. I can't talk. They are gone.' Depressing thoughts began to fill her mind. 'Why am I on earth, breathing and living, when I have nothing to contribute?'
-
I'm glad that Risa realized she was more fortunate than she had previously thought. She also seems to be realizing that she's becoming attached to Ai. Or maybe she's actually really far away from realizing it. XD Now she just has to dodge Eri and that's sounding easier said than done.
And Ai-chan :cry: Poor girl, she's such a little bundle of depression, though not without having been given cause.
-
Haha, I was hoping maybe Ai-chan would wipe Gaki's sweat...? XD
I thought that Gaki's parents doesn't truly love her because she's not their real daughter and only want a her to take over for them later, but they probably do. Looks like Ai-chan's mother didn't want to leave her. It's all her father. :angry:
-
your updates are really quick :cow:
I know it's way too early but I can't wait for Aichan and Gaki's reaction when they find out that Gaki's parents are actually Aichan's parents :panic:
anyways, so far this fanfic looks awesome so keep it up :twothumbs
-
i wonder why Ai trust Risa so fast... even Ai wasn't sure why :huhuh
Uh oh.... Kame is angry :O
I wonder what's her reaction when she find out Gaki has been texting her patient :lol:
-
Thanks for the comments . . . . The reason why I am to update so frequently is because I had actually written 9 chapters before posting . . . And it's mid semester break for me right now, giving me more time to write and stuffs . . . Hehehe.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 6] - The First Step
{Ne, Ai-san, I’ve passed my second auditions! And I’ll be going into the training phase for the final showdown in two weeks time!! - Risa} Ai read off the screen of her mobile phone. She blinked lightly at the information in front of her, before typing in her reply.
{Congratulation to you, Risa-san. I’m glad that you’re a step nearer to your dreams. - Ai}
Almost instantly, Ai received her reply from Risa. It always felt like Risa was holding on her phone, replying her instantly most of the times. She opened the message. {Would you like to join us for celebration tomorrow night? It’s going to be just me and Eri around. - Risa} Ai glanced over to the calendar to check her schedule.
{Yeah, I guessed I’m okay with it. Is it really just gonna be just the three of us? Where are you all celebrating? - Ai} Ai asked, with fear that there would be a large crowd present on the celebrations.
{Yeah. Just the three of us at Eri’s apartment. Eri had promised that she would cook for me if I ever passed the second audition. And I did. So she's cooking tonight. But just a gentle warning, be aware of it. I’m not sure how it would turn out to be . . .Why did I asked for it in the first place? AHH! – Risa} Ai laughed lightly at the reply Risa gave. Risa had never failed to lighten up her day with her messages every day. No matter what kind of message Risa sent to Ai, Risa will always include humour in it, never failing to put Ai in a good mood, though Risa knew nothing about her ability.
{Is Eri-san okay with me going over? I mean . . . It's weird, isn’t it? - Ai} Ai replied. Throughout the past few days, Ai had gotten closer to Risa, with Risa messaging her every night. She did not understood why was she so comfortable with Risa, someone who she had met less than 2 months. Maybe it was because Risa was straightforward, truthful about her emotions and everything she shared with Ai.
{She will be fine with it, trust me. I am the boss . hahaha - Risa}
{Alright then. . . How do I get to Eri-san's apartment then? - Ai} Ai asked.
{What time are you ending your work tomorrow? I can pick you up at your work place. - Risa}
Ai read Risa's offer. She thought for a while before typing. {6 pm. Is that okay? - Ai}
{So late? But it's okay. I will see you at your workplace then! Shall not disturb you night already. Sweet dreams! ^.^ - Risa} Ai read Risa's reply which brought a warm fuzzy feeling to her heart. 'What's that feeling?' Ai thought as she placed her phone back on the bedside table. Looking at the digital clock beside the phone. 'It's time to sleep to get enough rest, before I get awaken again at 316 am again.' Ai told herself. With that, she switch off the lights and pulled the blanket over her should, closing her eyes, and slowly, falling into a light sleep.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa was seated at the couch in the living room, with Eri by her right side. She smiled sweetly at her phone as she sent her last message to Ai. 'Yes! I am going to see her again tomorrow.'
"There you go again, smiling alone stupidly at your phone." Eri insulted as she fixed her eyes back to her book after peeking at Risa's action for the past 10 minutes.
Risa narrowed her eyes at Eri. "If you had the guts, say that again." Risa challenged as Eri turned away from Risa and pretended to be reading her book.
"I said, you are smiling stupidly at your phone again." Eri replied while she placed the book on the table, looking straight into Risa's eyes, as showing Risa that she had accepted her challenge.
"Fine, you win." Risa retorted. "You have the guts." Risa finished off as she shifted her attention back to her phone, reading back the messages she had sent to and received from Ai for the past few days, with smile sneaking up on her face every now and then.
"Risa, you know what?" Eri started off.
"Hmmm?" Risa responded, not even bothering to look up from her phone.
"I really regretted believing in you that that night. I should have just check the phone myself instead of waiting for you to tell me willingly." Eri finished off, pouting in the progress.
"You will know soon. Really." Risa reassured.
"You know what Risa." Eri continued, hoping that Risa would look up from her phone and look at her at that moment. However, Risa continued to had her attention on the phone instead of Eri. "Risa, look at me. I have something serious to tell you." Eri ordered, harshening her tone to let Risa know that she was really serious.
Risa finally looked up from the phone and at Eri when she noticed the change of tone. "Yes Eri? What do you want to tell me?" Risa asked.
"Don't let this to be another Sayumi case. Don't probed too deep into this relationship. I don't want you to be hurt anymore." Eri finished off, showering her true concerns for Risa before standing up. "I'm turning in now. You too, sleep early."
Risa stared blankly into the space as Eri began to move away from the living room. She never thought that Eri would ever brought out Sayumi. 'Sayumi . . . I wondered how is she now?' Risa thought sadly in her mind, as she remembered the old high school days back in Kyoto.
'Sayumin!' Risa called out as she ruffled Sayumi's hair playfully.
"Risa-chan!" Sayumi responded, swiping Risa's hand off her hair in the playful manner as well.
"What are you doing today? Do you wanna to go to the arcade to play?"Risa mustered all the courage to ask. Risa had been so attracted to Sayumi since the first day she had landed her eyes on her. Risa was not sure why was she attracted to this special girl. She felt so comfortable around her, as Sayumi had never failed to brighten up her day with the dazzling smile she always carried with her. Just being with Sayumi allowed Risa to temporary forget about the bitterness she felt about her familiy.
"Sure! School's definitely getting boring and tiring for me!" Sayumi chided childishly. "That sounds fun and inviting!"
"Let's go then!" Risa finished, grabbing Sayumi's hands into hers as they ran out of the school gates.
"RISA!" The both of them heard a familiar voice shouting out for Risa.
"Risa, Eri is shouting for you, shall we stop?" Sayumi asked as she turned back slightly, catching the glimpse of Eri standing at the school gate, arms tucked at her waists, showing her infuriation.
"Nah, don't bother about her. Let's go!" Risa answered as they continued to stride in big steps away from the school. 'I've decided to be truthful about my feelings for you today. I don't want Eri to be there.' Risa thought in her mind.
Eri had all along knew that Risa was interested in Sayumi, as Risa would confined Eri about her feelings and thoughts that were always in her mind at that point of time.
"I see. . . "
As they were approaching the entertainment centre, Risa stopped in her steps.
"What's wrong, Risa?" Sayumi asked innocently.
"You shall go to the arcade first? I will grab us some drinks. What do you want to drink?" Risa explained.
"Alright! I want . .. " Sayumi started off.
"Azuki ICE!" Risa and Sayumi finished in unison. Risa ended off with a cheerful laughter, while Sayumi pouted. "Since you knew the answer, why did you even bother to ask ?" Sayumi finished, slapping Risa hardly and her back playfully.
"It's a courtesy!" Risa whined comically, walking away from Sayumi. "See ya later!" Risa shouted out as she ran back the street they walk down from.
Entering into a flower shop, she grabbed three red roses from the counter. "Thank you!" Risa shouted to the florist as she ran out of the shop and down the
streets to get the drinks.
Once she was back to the entertainment centre, she was welcomed by a sight that had broken her heart. She saw Sayumi whispering into the ears of a guy, placing a small peck on his face. Risa clenched the flowers in her hands, causing the thorns to pierce through her skin and blood began to flow out.
"Risa!" Sayumi realised Risa was back. She ran towards Risa with her hands interlocked with the guy she had kissed just now. Risa hid her injured hands behind her back. "Risa! Let me introduce to you, this is Chiba Momotaro" Sayumi started off loudly before continuing softly and lightly at the end. "He's . . . my boyfriend.
Sadness blinked in Risa's eyes. 'She had a boyfriend. . . I never knew.. . " Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest. "Nice to meet you, Chiba-san." Risa tried to act normally, hoping her voice will not crack by her will to cry. "I remembered I have something else to do." Risa stuffed the Azuki ICE into Sayumi's hand and with that, she turned and ran away, away from the arcade, away from the heart break.
Back to the reality, Risa found tears tickling down her face. She never knew that this memory would trigger her tear gland to work. 'Eri's right. . .' Risa thought sadly. She wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hands and stood up from the couch. 'Maybe I shouldn't let my heart to fall in love again. . .'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa stood at the foot of the building where Ai was working at. She looked at the time on her watch. '5.55 pm. 5 more minutes to go.' Risa thought excitedly as she looked up. She turned her head around, watching her surrounding as she waited the time to past. Then she saw a familiar soul crossing the street, towards the building. 'Ai-san? Why is she opposite the street? Didn't she said that she is ending work at 6 pm?' Risa self questioned as she moved nearer to the edge of the pavement, hoping to catch a clearer glimpse of the person she thought she had saw.
But it was apparent to her that she had lost sight of the person. Then a pat on her shoulder had startled her.
"Ah!" Risa let out a soft cry. As she turned around, she saw Ai standing behind her, smiling. "Ai-san!" Risa let of a sigh of relief. "You got me there." Risa continued with an awkward laughter.
{Gomen. Konbanwa} Ai took out her phone and typed in.
"Konbanwa." Risa returned. "Let's get going. Eri is expecting us to be back in half an hour time." Risa continued, guiding Ai to walk in the direction to Eri's apartment. "Anyway, why did you come from that direction?" Risa continued asking as she pointed in the direction she thought she saw Ai came from previously. "Didn't your work ends at 6 pm?"
{Gomen, Risa-san. I lied when I said I'm ending work at 6 pm. I actually ends work at 5. I told you I'm ending at 6 pm because I was thinking about getting something for you.} Ai typed in her phone and showed it to Risa. She then made Risa to hold onto her phone while she fumbled through her bag, taking out a nicely wrapped box. She passed the box to Risa and took back her phone. {This is for you. Congratulations for getting through your second audition.}
"For - me?" Risa stuttered. She did not expect a gift from Ai. "Thank you . . ." Risa continued awkwardly as she tried to fight off the blush that was forming across her cheek.
{You are welcome. Open it up and see if you like it? I'm not sure what you like. Not sure whether will it be your liking anyway.}
'I will like anything that is given by you, Ai-san.' Risa thought silently as she opened the box. A glass crystal guitar model reveal before her. "This is so beautiful . .." Risa commented as she took out the guitar model out, admiring it at all angles. "Thank you." Risa thanked Ai once more before realisation struck her. "Ai-san, you need not get that for me. This must be real expensive and . . " Before Risa could finish her nagging, Ai held onto Risa's hand to stop her.
{I'm glad that you like it, Risa-san. And no worries, I am actually working now. It doesn't really matters.} Ai smile off as to assure Risa. 'And it enthuses my heart to see that you like the gift.' Ai thought.
Risa allow a gentle smile to escape at the corner of her mouth. "Thank you." Risa mouthed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri heard the opening of the front door as she was running around the kitchen, getting the dinner prepared. 'Remind me again, never bet with Risa about things. She always wins. What kind of mess did I got myself into this time round again.' Eri thought angrily as she ran her flour-tainted hand through her hair before she realised it. 'GOSH!' Eri exclaimed in her mind.
"RISA!" Eri grounded out as she stepped out of the kitchen, knowing that Risa was home from the closing of the front door. "You said you will be back at 630 pm, it's 7 already and you finally got you butt back home." Eri continued as she reached the living room, only to see two shocked faces staring at her.
"Ai-san, you’re here?" Eri asked stupidly.
(Risa-san invited me here, saying that you are cooking her celebration dinner for passing the second audition.) Ai signed to Eri.
Eri burrowed her eyebrows, lost in the fact that Ai had just told her. Before she could ask Ai what she meant in her sentence, Risa burst into a huge fit, no longer being able to hold her laughter. "What are you laughing at, baka?" Eri shouted at Risa, narrowing her eyes at her.
"Your - - Hair . . ." Risa managed to speak in between her laughter.
Eri shot her eyes big in realisation. Her fringe was tied up in a childish way, with tinge of flour sticking on them. "I'll be back in a moment." Eri spoke softly to Ai as she took off the apron she was wearing. She then threw the apron straight into Risa's face. "Stop laughing! It's all your fault!" Eri grinded, stomping back to her room to wash up.
Ai looking amusingly at Risa, who was still laughing. {You okay?} Ai asked.
"Yah. . ." Risa answered as she tried to get herself to all calm down. "It's just that it's difficult and rare to catch Eri so off guard in her appearance." Risa explained before breaking into a huge laughter again.
"Stop it RISA!" Eri screamed out from her room when she heard Risa started laughing loudly again.
Risa covered her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from making any noise. Ai just stared at Risa with amusement.
"Let's get over and sit down over there." Risa suggested, holding onto Ai's bag as they walked side by side to the couch.
{You didn't tell Eri-san that I'm coming?} Ai asked.
"Not really. But I know that she won't mind, trust me." Risa assured. Just at that same moment, Eri got out from her room, hair groomed nicely and a changed garment.
"Sorry for the tardiness just now, Ai-san" Eri apologised as she stood before the two of them. "Why are you here again?" Eri asked again.
(Risa told me that you are cooking to celebrate her passing of second audition.) Ai signed once more, looking very innocently.
Eri eyed at Risa playfully while Risa looked away sheepishly. She saw the phone Ai was holding on, with lots of words and typing in it. "Ai-san, can I have your phone?"
(Why? I may need it to talk to Risa-san. Or do you have any papers for me to write on?) Ai signed as she passed her phone to Eri.
"You won't need to. She understood sign language now." Eri snorted as she placed Ai's phone back to her bag. "The reason why am I cooking today is because I have lost my bet in her failing the beginner sign language exam and not her second auditions. I won't be that stupid to bet with her auditions when I knew that she would pass definitely. But for the exams, that is definitely unexpected." Eri continued.
"Shut up, Eri!" Risa growled as she threw the apron back to Eri. "Dinner!"
"Whatever! Enjoy chatting!" Eri finished off as she step back to the kitchen once again.
Ai turned around to look at Risa. (So you actually can understand me now?)
"Hehe." Risa laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. "Sort of?"
(Why didn't you tell me then?) Ai asked.
"It - was meant to be a surprise. Yes. Not that I thought it would end up this way, with Eri telling you the truth for today's dinner." Risa answered. Risa could sense the slight displeasure of Ai. "I'm sorry for lying that it was for my auditions. I really did got through the second auditions, but I thought the passing of my sign language exam would be a more celebrate-able event as compared to my auditions. Well at least, we can chat more freely now, not being bounded by papers or phone." Risa continued.
(No, I wasn't upset by that. I'm just lost for words. Thank you, Risa-san) Ai signed, assuring Risa that she was not angry with her. 'If only you know how happy my heart was to know that you had passed the exams, such that we can communicate freely . . . when you first voiced out that you hate having these lessons. It almost felt like you took the language for me, though it was not. It was just a bet to win Eri-san, but I really appreciate that, Risa-san. Thank you, Risa-san. Are we really friends now? Just like Asami-chan, someone who won't mind hanging out with someone where silence is always persistent?
-
Risa liked Sayu, the same Sayumi that Ai worked with in the beginning? Small world. XD
Ah, but Ai doesn't know that Risa started paying attention to lessons because of her. She's just thinking of them as friends? How long have they known each other? And they message every day?
Speaking of messages, now Eri has Ai's phone? I wonder if she suspected all along.
-
No, you cannot give up on love, Gaki. :smhid No one can resist Ai-
buttchan anyway. :mon noprob:
About Sayu, I thought it was a small world too. They all know each other. :roll:
Gaki actually hid the real reason to why they're celebrating! :lol: And Ai-chan was really sweet getting Gaki a present. :wub:
-
omg you update so fast! It's so hard for me to catch up... but i like it like that :thumbsup
So Risa's definitely attracted to Aichan but Ai is doubting herself more... understandable, since it seems she wasn't able to have much of a social life with her mutism :(
And the return of Sayu! So the bunny used to work with Ai, but also was Gakisan's crush... that's interesting, i wonder how this is gonna turn out?
And how Eri really fits into all this... that's interesting too XD
keep writing! this is turning out really great! :D
-
Clarifications - Sorry if the timeline made any of you confused :X
At this current chapter, it's about two weeks after they had met each other at the cafe, which is roughly about one and a half month Ai had first met Eri and Risa.
@rndmnwierd: Eri took Ai's phone because she had the intention to blast Risa's secret of knowing sign language as Ai had been using the phone as a form of writing communication with Risa. She had then place the phone back to Ai's bag . .. :) i don't think Eri would check Ai's phone at her own discretion anyway, since in a formal terms, Ai is her patient :) heehee
Alright, and now for the next chapter . . . . This is currently the favorite chapter that I have written so far . . .Hope that you will like it :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 7] - The Eroded Soul
"I'm glad so, Ai-san." Risa responded with tinge of redness forming at her cheeks. "Will you wait here for me for a moment? I have something for you as well." Risa continued excitedly as she jumped up from her seat and dashed into the study room, slamming the door behind her.
Eri heard the slamming of the door, so she came out of the kitchen to check what had happened. She blinked her eyes confusingly when she found out that Ai was sitting alone in the living room. "Where's Risa? What happened?" Eri asked with the apron covering her shirt and spatula in her hand.
Ai shrugged her shoulders in response. (She said she got something for me and ran to that direction) Ai signed and pointed in the direction of the study room at the end.
"I see. . ." Eri trailed off as she walked into the living and sat beside Ai. "I never knew you were that close with Risa." Eri started off.
Ai blinked her eyes at Eri. (She didn't tell you?)
"Well she was really secretive for the past two weeks, where she had totally refused to tell me what happened." Eri answered. "But anyway, it's nice to see that you are friends with Risa. Don't mind her. She's really crazy at times and rude as well. Remember what she did to you the first time she met you? That's ridiculous! I never knew someone can do this kind of things just to hide from the other person." Eri snorted at the last part. "But she has a nice and beautiful soul." Eri continued with a wave of dreaminess flashing past her expression. "What's your impression of her?" Eri finished, waving off the past expression on her face and replaced it by her usual professional ones.
Ai smiled frivolously at the way Eri had described Risa. She too had noticed the changing emotions of Eri. 'Why is she reacting this way?' Ai thought as she stared at Eri with her serious expression.
"Don't be so tensed up. It's not consultation. Just relax, Ai-san." Eri ordered when she realised Ai was staring at her. "It's our private time."
(Yeah. So you should relax as well. You are tensed up as well.) Ai signed, making Eri to realise her 'professionalism' acts. Eri laughed as she relaxed.
Before Ai could answer Eri's question for her previously, Risa reappeared in the living room, with a posh purple box with blue ribbons in her hands. She sent a dangerous stare to Eri as she went over to the couch. "Aren't you supposed to be in the kitchen cooking?" Risa asked.
"Well, it requires some waiting time so here I am out here to join you. You mean I can't be out here? This is my apartment, for your information, Niigaki Risa!" Eri answered sarcastically, sticking out her tongue at Risa. "Are you afraid that I would say anything that was going to tarnish your image?" Eri taunted playfully.
Risa growled inaudibly as she narrowed her eyes at Eri. "Whatever!" Risa decided to let go, while she sat down on the other side of Ai. "For you. Congrats for your new job!" Risa congratulated in a soft and sweet voice as she placed the violet box into Ai's hands. Eri frowned at the sudden change in Risa's tone.
"You've found a job?" Eri asked surprisingly. 'Why is it that Risa knows you better than I do? Hmmm. Maybe I should reflect on my role as your counsellor.' Eri thought deeply.
(Thank you, Risa-san) Ai signed in situ with Eri's question for her. Ai then turned towards Eri. (Yes, I've gotten a job now. It's been a week.)
"Really? What are you working as now?" Eri continued asking, ignoring Risa's presence at that moment.
(I'm working as an admin assistant at a record label company.)
"And how's work so far?" Eri continued.
(Pretty good. The working staffs over there are really nice.) Ai replied with a smile.
"That's good! It's good to hear that you are adapting well into your new environment!" Eri praised as she patted Ai's shoulder encouragingly, smiling at the end.
(Thank you.)
Risa sat boringly at the other end of the couch as the conversation between Ai and Eri continued. Deciding that she will not going to stay silent anymore, Risa interrupted the conversation. "Hello? I am still here. It's now private personal time, which means to you Eri that it's not time to work and to you Ai-san that you do not need to listen to Eri's crap." And that had successfully earned the attention of both back to her. "Thank you." Risa commented comically as she smiled.
(Gomen.) Ai signed.
"Nah, you don't have to . .. " Risa reassured as she winked her eye to Ai. "Open up and see if you like it or not."
Ai nodded her head as she worked her hands through the ribbons, undoing them and opened the box with anticipation. And she stopped there, froze in her actions.
"Do you like it?" Risa asked again. Ai made no response. She just remained frozen, with her brows knitted.
"What's that?" Eri asked curiously as she peeked over Ai's shoulder. "Ah! That's beautiful. It's a nice watch!" Eri eulogised. "Good choice for that, Risa!"
In the box, it laid a iliac crystals aligned analogue watch. "I thought it fits you a lot. It felt like it would bring out your elegance if you wear it. And it fits your new job as well." Risa explained as she continued watching Ai. The stoned expression remained fixed on Ai's face. "You . . . don't like it?" Risa asked wearily.
'Tick tick tick tick tick. . . ' The tickling sound of the second hand of the beautiful watch echoed in Ai's ear.
'NO!' Ai dropped the box onto the floor and brought her hands to her ears, covering them. She shook her head violently as she closed her eyes. 'NO!'
'Tick tick tick tick . . . ' The sound of the antique clock echoed loudly in the empty room.
"Ai-san Daijoubu?" Eri asked with concern as she watched the sudden change in Ai's emotion. Ai continued shaking her head.
'No . . .' Little Ai thought as she watched her parents leaving the room.
The clock in the empty room continued, 'Tick tick tick tick . . .'
Risa stood frozen in her position, shocked at sudden agitation of Ai. Ai's body trembled in hysterical fits. Her hands remained at her ears. Her eyes shot open and stared directly at the watch in the box that was now on the floor once again. Her breathings was ragged and uneven. Her heart was beating at the abnormal speed.
'Tick tick tick tick . . . ' The huanting sound of the second hand continued ringing in her mind. Ai gulped down her saliva. She closed her eyes once again, allowing the tears to flow down as she shook her head more.
"Ai-san, Daijoubu?" Eri asked again. But Ai heard nothing of it. Her mind was only filled with the sound of the clock.
'Don't leave me . . .'
'Tick tick tick tick . . .' The stillness in the room. Nothing. Silence. Loneliness. Reality.
'Don't go . . .'
Ai squinted her eyes tightly. 'No . . . Go away . . .' Ai forced the thought into her mind. 'No . . . I don't want to remember . . . Go away . . . '
"Ai-san, daijoubu?" Eri asked the third time. But Ai would not budge. She was taking in deep heavy breaths, her whole body remained trembling the whole while. 'The watch!' Eri held onto Ai tight, preventing Ai from hurting her own self with the hysterical fits. She turned around and saw Risa remained at the same position, shocked and sad. "Risa!" Eri shouted out to Risa, pulling her out of her state of shock. "Cover the box, quick!" Eri ordered.
Risa scrambled over to the fallen box and covered it. She turned back and watched Eri cuddling Ai in an embrace. "Hush . . . Calm down " Eri coaxed. But it seemed like it had no effect on Ai. Ai remained struggling in Eri's embrace, wanting to break free from Eri's hold. Tears continued to flow down her flawless face. "Risa!" Eri called out helplessly. "Search her bag. See if there any medications in there." Eri ordered.
"Hai!" Risa stood up from her position on the floor and rushed towards the bag that was lying on the other couch. Risa rummaged the contents of Ai bag and found a sachet of white coloured pills. She ran back to Eri as showed her the pills. "Is it this one, Eri?" Risa asked anxiously, obviously worried about Ai's current state.
Eri ran her eyes across the drug description with her hands struggling to keep Ai in position. 'Tranquiliser.' Eri registered. "Yes. Give her two and water." Eri called."Wait no water. There's no way she can drink properly in her state now."
Risa nodded her head as she stuffed the two pills into Ai's mouth and messaged her throat gently, helping Ai to swallow the pills. Ai continued to struggled in Eri's arm until the medication's effect took place, where Ai finally stopped trembling and struggling, with the whole body relaxed, and her falling into sleep.
Eri heaved a sigh of tiredness. It felt like running rounds around a stadium battling with the stuggling Ai just to hold her in place. "Bring her to the room." Eri called out. Her arms were aching hurt right at that moment. Risa picked up Ai in the bridal style from Eri's arm and strode slowly back to her room. Once Ai was off Eri's arm, Eri immediately stretched out her hands to release the aching muscles. 'What was that? What triggered her to fall into such hysteric state? It wasn't written in the record that she had such mental instability.' Eri thought as she watched the retreating figure of Risa into the study room.
Risa was still in a state of astonishment. 'What happened to her? Was it my fault that she had fallen into this state of craziness?' Risa reflected as she looked Ai now peaceful face. "What happened to you?" Risa whispered out softly to Ai as she placed Ai down on her bed, covering the blanket over till her shoulders. Risa pulled off the rubber tie that was holding Ai's long hair in a pony tail, allowing the long hair to surge off the bed. Risa looked back one last time, with worries filling her eyes, before she left the room, closing the door after her.
Eri noticed that Risa was out of the room. It was obvious to Eri that Risa was extremely worried and upset for Ai as Risa just walked aimlessly without looking, knocking over the chair that was right in front of her. "Are you alright?" Eri concerned as Risa bent down to pick up the fallen chair.
Risa nodded her head in response. "I'm just shocked. It's . . . it's my first time watching her in such an agitation state." Risa confessed, walking towards Eri at the sofa and sat beside her. "What is wrong with her?"
"Risa. I don't know, truthfully, I don't know what had caused her to be in this state." Eri started out. Risa stared at Eri unbelievingly. "Even if I do know something, you know that I am not allowed to tell you anything, Risa. But this time round, I really do not know what had happened. I can only infer from the situation that it could be the watch that triggered the reaction. That's all. The rest, I am unsure as well." Eri finished.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri sat at the comfy chair in her room after dinner, with her report file lying before her. Dinner was ate in silence. Not as much fun and laughter as they had expected previously. Risa barely ate anything. Eri stared blankly into the file. She was now totally lost about what she had to write in the report. 'This is getting more and more complicated. Just as I thought I knowing her better, another mystery popped up.' Eri heaved a deep breath.
She placed the file back on the table and leaned her elbow on it, resting her chin on her hand. 'What could have possibly triggered the hysteric reactions? She was pressing against her ears just now, isn't she? So it must be some sound. But what?' Eri continued analysing the situation.
'Wait.' Eri stopped at her thoughts. 'Right now, instead of discovering the reason why isn't Ai speaking, I'm thrown with another possible psychological problem. Could the two things be related?'
Eri sat up in attention and grabbed the books she had picked up from her study room. She flipped the pages feverishly until the page she had wanted to read. 'Aphonia - unable to speak.' She looked down the pages. 'Psychogenic Aphonia - unable to speak due to underlying psychological disorder or problems.'
'It could be this. It could be traumatic mutism. It's either or. But what was the thing that's eating up her soul, eating up her will to talk?' Eri thought in distress. 'I want to help her, but how? And Risa, she falling in deeper. I never knew the one she was contacting all along was Ai-san. If I knew . . .Even if I do know, what will I do? What will you do, Eri?' Eri asked herself.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa kneeled at the side of her bed as she watched the peaceful sleeping face of Ai. 'You looked so different now. I'm glad that you are serene now. It hurts my heart to see that. . . What was in there that cause that, Ai-san? If you don't mind, my heart and soul are always open to hear them, to heal them, Ai-san. I think I really like you. Never in my life I had felt this way, the urge, the need to protect someone. But just now, all of my heart and soul wanted to hug you, to console you, to release you. But all that I was able to do at that point of time was to stand there and watch you.'
Risa laid her head on her hands, and slowly, she had fallen asleep beside Ai.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ai held on tightly to her mother's hand as they approached the kindergarten. She felt the grip of her mother's hand on hers loosen. Ai started to get frantic. She continued holding tightly on her mother's hand, unwilling to let go of them. She looked up to her mother's eyes, and shook her head frenetically, showing her mother that she would not want to go to school. She would not want to let go of her hands.
Ai's mother got down to the level of little Ai. "Ai-chan, it's nothing. It's just going to school. Mama's gonna be back to pick you up again when school ends, okay?" Ai's mother explained.
But Ai still held her grip tight on her mother's hand.
In her sleep, Ai started grabbing the nearest thing to her, which was Risa's hand. But Risa was already in a deep slumber that she allowed Ai to grab her hand without being awaken herself.
"Ai-chan." A third voice came over towards them. "There you go again, holding on to your mama hand and not letting go. That is not right." The teacher , the third voice, reasoned caringly to Ai. Ai looked at the teacher as she shook her head. "Come on, be a good girl. Just 3 hours, and your mama will be back to pick you up." The teacher continued as she held onto the other hand of Ai, causing Ai to let of her mother's hand. "Let's go . . ." The teacher coaxed as she pulled Ai to the direction of the kindergarten building.
Ai moved along with the teacher. But from time to time, she would looked back with tears in her eyes. Her mother was still there, waving to her goodbye, until she enters the building. 'Mama . . . is it really true that you will always be there when I come out from school?' Little Ai thought in her mind.
'No . . . She's gone. . . She's forever gone, Ai. She no longer wants you as her child. They are gone. They do not want you as their child. A child that could not speak. That's not what they want.'
'Mama? Papa? where are you all going?' Little Ai rubbed her eyes gently as she glanced at the door, watching her father carrying another little girl in his arm. She blinked her eyes innocently as she glared at the little girl in her father's hold. And she realised, the eyes of the little girl watching her.
Who are you . . .
Ai made a silent scream as she jolted up from her sleep. The sudden jolt woke Risa, who was resting her head on the bed while kneeling on the floor, up. She was still holding onto Risa's hand.
"What happened?" Risa asked with deep concern obvious in her voice even though she was awakened from her sleep rudely. Her concern for Ai had overrode everything Risa thought was important for her. "You okay?"
'What was that?' Ai was shocked by the clear eyes she had saw in her dreams just now. The images of her dreams were never clear. The images of her parents were never clear. The images of every details were never clear. To her, she had no memories how her parents look like. They were just blurry images to her. And for the first time, she had seen an clear image. The eyes. 'The eyes. They felt familiar. Are my dreams getting clearer? Would there be a chance that one day in my dreams, I would be able to see the faces of my parents?'
"Daijoubu, Ai-san?" Risa asked again, breaking the thought that was running in Ai's mind. Ai nodded her head, giving Risa's the assurance that she was fine. That was Ai realised that she was not in her room. She was in an unfamiliar surroundings. Then she recalled what had happened just now. "What happened?" Risa asked Ai.
(This is normal. It's my biological alarm clock. I wake up in this way every morning at 316AM. It's nothing new. Don't worry so much, Risa-san. And I'm sorry for destroying your celebration.) Ai explained briefly.
"It's alright, Ai-san." Risa reassured. Ai sat at her position, stoning out. Risa gazed intensively, battling her mind whether should she ask the question her heart wants to ask. "Ai-san. What happened just now?" Risa finally mustered enough courage to ask.
Ai shook her head in response. (It's nothing.)
Risa blinked at Ai, obviously knowing that Ai was lying to her. "It's better to share it with someone than keeping everything inside you, Ai-san." Risa advised, hoping that Ai would open up her heart to her.
But no. Ai shook her head more. (It's really nothing. You've worried too much.) Ai pulled the cover away from her and stood up from the bed. Risa stood up as well. (I think I'll better get going. Sorry for disturbing you, Risa-san. Send my apologies to Eri-san as well.) Ai walked towards the study table where her bag as on. Risa trailed behind after Ai.
"You don't have to leave, Ai-san. You can stay here until dawn comes." Risa informed.
Ai shook her head. (I have already disturb the two of you too much. You still need your sleep. It's better for me to go home.) Ai signed as she carried her bag. Then she saw the same purple box lying on the table as well. She bit her lips nervously as she picked up the box.
"Ai-san. It's alright if you don't like it. You don't have to accept it." Risa informed, knowing that the item inside the box could be the source of Ai's insanity.
Ai turned around and smiled at Risa. (No, I like it. It's a gift from you. How could I not accept it.) Ai smiled again, hoping that her smile would give Risa the assurance and clear the doubts. However, the smile only persisted for a second. She walked out of the room with Risa by her side now.
Risa frowned at Ai's action. 'Why is she acting this way. It was obvious that she was afraid of the item inside. Yet she's acting she's not. What is she hiding? What is the hurt inside? What is this invisible scar that no one can see?' Risa thought silently in her mind.
"But Ai-san, how are you going to go home? It's 3 am in the morning right now. There's no any available public transport for you to take home or anything. Just stay here." Risa reasoned as the both of them stepped into the living room, hoping that her reasoning would stop Ai from leaving and take her idea of staying back at Eri's apartment.
(It's alright. I can walk home.) Ai explained as she walked towards the main door.
Risa was shocked at the answer Ai gave. 'Walk home? Alone at this time?' She shook her head lightly, shaking the thought off her mind. "I will walk you home then, Ai-san." Risa suggested. 'I won't let you walk home alone, Ai-san.'
(It's alright, Risa-san. I'm alright being alone. You need to sleep. You have vocal training lessons later in the day, don't you? You'll need your sleep. Thank you for your invitation over today. Even though I've pretty much ruin everything. Thank you for everything, Risa-san. Thank you for your care and concern as well. I really should make my move. Help me inform Eri-san as well.) Ai signed quickly. When she had finished signing, she opened the main door and left the apartment, leaving Risa and her unspoken words back alone in the living room.
'Ai-san, is it this loneliness that you got yourself accustomed to, make you push people out of your world?' Risa thought sadly as she watched the door closed after Ai.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How was it? Like I say, this is my favourite chapter so far . :) hope that you peeps like it as well ^.^
-
Omg, poor Ai-chan! :cry: I hate her parents. :angry: I'm glad she doesn't seem to hate that little girl she saw back then... ;)
Gaki-san carrying sleeping Ai-chan bridal style was a very lovely image~ :wub: :wub:
Why can't she just tell them what's wrong?? That's why she's not getting better. :(
Yes, I LOVE it. :heart: Thanks for the chappie. :twothumbs
-
I feel like maybe Risa lost some ground with Ai, like maybe Ai is going to try harder to distance herself, because Risa saw something she wasn't supposed to see. I also feel like this incident will make Risa work that much harder to keep Ai close.
Eri took Ai's phone because she had the intention to blast Risa's secret of knowing sign language as Ai had been using the phone as a form of writing communication with Risa. She had then place the phone back to Ai's bag . .. :) i don't think Eri would check Ai's phone at her own discretion anyway, since in a formal terms, Ai is her patient
Wow, I really need to stop reading this so late at night. XD Maybe I'd be able to pay more attention in the morning.
-
Ahh missed out on a few chapters...
Man seems as though just when Ai and Gaki seem to be breaking through to each other they have this 'relapse' I'm sure Ai will want to keep her distance now, I wonder how Gaki will react to it.
Intresting that Gaki actually remebers the love her 'parents' had for her, this will surely make the effects for her worse now if she ever discovers that Ai was thier child originally and they abandoned Ai for her. Gaki also liked Sayu! Is that the same Sayu that we saw earlier in the story, who Ai used to work with?
Poor Eri, seems as though she's stuck in the middle of this mess at the moment but perhaps she may of figured out the reason behind Ai's mutisum, I wonder though, that if she digs deeper, it might eventually lead to Gaki......
-
you're fast XD
ah... the sound of analogue clock reminds Ai of the event... poor girl got hysteric reaction...
guess it triggers her memory, making the dream clearer...
now Kame has more clue regarding Ai's situation, it might be a key to find out why Ai can't speak
-
[Chapter 8] - The Remains of the Broken Heart
"Stop!" A harsh and stern voice voice sounded through the practice studio. "What had happened to you, Niigaki-san? This is the third time today you had went out of tune while practicing this song. Adding up the mistakes you had made the past few days, it’s the 10th time! What is wrong with you?" The producer, Hiroki, retorted out.
"I'm - I'm sorry" Risa muttered out softly under her breath as she glazed upon the ground.
"The competition finals is just in a week time, and Niigaki-san, you are not performing like what you were during the auditions!" Hiroki continued reprimanding Risa with Risa remained where she was all the while.
"I'm . . . sorry. I was just a little distracted. Can I start again?" Risa gulped as she asked for her fourth chance in the rendition of the song she would be performing in the final competition.
"Fine - But if you made the same mistake again, you are out of here today. And if that really happens, I will really reconsider your place in the finals." Hiroki demanded and threatened.
"Hai. Wakarimashita (I've understood.)" Risa responded as she bowed her head lightly, showing her respects and thanks for Hiroki for the final last chance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri was seated in the living room, reading her book in silence. It was her off day today and she had decided to spend it all alone at home as Risa was off at her practice.
"Tadaima." The dejected voice of Risa sounded in the house and the main door clicked opened.
Eri raised her brows. She directed her attention to the door and saw Risa couching her back as she entered the house. It was obvious to Eri that Risa was upset. "Why are you back so early? I thought you said you won't be back until 8? It's only 6 pm?" Eri asked Risa as Risa trailed slowly towards the study room.
"Well. Practice ended early today. So I'm back early." Risa replied curtly. She was not in a good mood to talk much either and that explained her short and curt answers to Eri's question.
"Hmmm." Eri acknowledged the answer Risa gave, even though she was not satisfied with the way it was delivered. "Have you eaten? There's still some leftovers in the kitchen. Do you want me to heat them up for you?" Eri asked as Risa turned then knob of the study room door.
Risa stopped in her actions and thought for a while before answering. "I don't have any appetite. You can have them. I'm resting first. Ja. " Risa finished off, closing the door after her as she entered the room, leaving Eri alone in the living room, with the worries for Risa filling her mind.
'Something's definitely wrong with her today. Well not only today, but the past few days. She's always restless these few days.' Eri thought in her mind as she continued staring at the closed door. 'Maybe I should talk to her.' Eri decided.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ahh." Risa let out a soft groan of tiredness and discontentment as she tossed her bag on the floor and slumped her body onto the bed, face burying into the soft comforter . "AHH!" Risa groaned again, this time louder, but still remain unheard by Eri in the living as it was muffled by the quilt.
'Why was it that I was unable to concentrate the past few days. AHHH!' Risa let out her frustration in her mind. 'I almost messed up the last chance today. I wonder if Hiroki-san is really going to strip me off the list for finals in a week time. Well, he asked me to take a rest tomorrow, saying that he have to discuss the issue with the management.' Risa sighed heavily as she remembered the conversation she had with Hiroki earlier on.
She reached out for her phone from her pocket of her jeans. Looking at it, another wave of disappointment washed over her. She gently tossed her phone onto the bed ahead of her and buried her face once more in the quilt.
"AHHHHH!!!" Risa scream out loud this time round, though muffled, but was still loud enough that Eri was able to hear it from the living. Tears began squeezing out from her closed eyes and seeping through the quilt.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"AHHH!" The sound of Risa's frustration sounded clearly in the living room, causing Eri to look up from her book. She frowned at the direction of her study room. 'Maybe, I really should talk to her. Now.' Eri finalised her decision. She closed her book and placed it on the coffee table, stood up and paced lightly to the study room. She knocked gently on the door. "Risa, are you okay?" Eri asked with concern.
"YES!" came the muffled reply from the room.
"Are you sure? Can I come in?" Eri asked again
"YES! I AMMM SURE! NO. I WANT TO BE ALONEEE" The replies from Risa was still muffled, which Eri considered as dangerous.
'That baka, she's gonna suffocates her own self if she continues to bury her face into the comforter.' Eri thought in her mind. "I'm coming in." Eri declared, totally against Risa's wish of being alone.
Risa heard the sound of the turned knob. She flunked back, back on a sitting position on her ankle, with her back facing the entrance of the room. Her tears had left blotches of wet spots on the comforter. "I said no." Risa repeated with sadness in her voice as Eri entered her 'room'.
"Do you really think that I will leave you alone in such a state, Risa?" Eri reasoned as she closed the door and sat beside Risa.
Sensing that Eri was right beside her, Risa hurriedly wiped off the remaining tears on her face, not wanting Eri to know that she had cried. "What state? Eri, I am fine." Risa insisted.
"Hmmm." Eri snorted at Risa's insult to her. For Risa to say that she was fine was an insult to Eri. "Come on, Risa, I've known you all my years. Do you really think that I will believe in what you have just said?" Eri continued, slightly hurt that Risa was hiding her emotions from her.
Risa remained quiet and speechless. Eri was right on spot. They have known each other for ages to know what was on each other mind even without saying. Risa allowed her tears to fall once again, sobbing lightly time to time.
'It reminded me of the days when Risa and Sayumi . . . That was the last time she allowed herself to cry so freely. She's always smiling, always happy. Her crying? That's rare, really rare. ' Eri thought as she watched Risa's sobbing.
"Stupid Risa!" Eri cursed as she stomped lightly back to her house. "She ditched me for Sayumi. What a friend is she." Eri continued hissing under her breath.
As she was approaching her home, she noticed a familiar figure leaning against a nearby wall. The body language had showed all. The figure was upset. Eri ran towards the figure and stood in front of her. Sobbing could be heard.
"Risa. . . What happened?" Eri asked.
Risa did not answer her. Her head remained bow down. More sobbing was heard.
"Risa, what happened? Tell me please. It worried me to see you like that." Eri begged as she held onto Risa's shoulders, tugging them gently, hoping Risa would looked up in response to her tugging.
And Risa did.
Risa looked up from the ground and stared at Eri with her teary eyes.
"What happened Risa?" Eri asked once again.
"You're right, Eri . . . I am stupid . . . I am a baka. . . I should have known. . . " Risa said through her sobs.
"Shhh…" Eri hushed as she pulled Risa closer to her own shoulder.
And the same image of the crying Risa appeared ahead of Eri once again. This time with more maturity filling her face. More determination to stop her tears. "So, what happened?" Eri asked.
"It's really nothing. . . It's - it's just that I'd got some scolding from the producer and teacher of the competition." Risa sniffed, and explained briefly. "And there may be a possibility that I will be out of the competition.
"And why was it that you had received scolding, Risa?" Eri asked again, hoping Risa would fill in more details rather than just telling her the superficial.
"I went off key a couple of times, missed a few beats and stuffs." Risa explained as she dried up her tears. Talking to Eri had helped her to calm down like always.
"And why was it so?" Eri continued. She knew that Risa was experience enough to not to make these mistakes that Risa herself had condemned as 'dense' mistakes.
"I was distracted. . . and my heart was confused and sad." Risa mumbled softy at the last part.
"Why were you distracted?" Eri asked softly.
"I don't know . . ." Risa answered after thinking for a long time. "I just can't concentrate these days."
"There must be a reason why you were unable to concentrate. And I know that you knew the reason. What's taking away your attention, Risa?" Eri decided to probe in deeper.
"I - I -" Risa was stuck with her words. She closed her mouth and bit her lower lips. She thought for a longer while, before opening her mouth again to speak. "Have you heard anything from Ai-san these days?" Risa finally asked.
'So I was right. That was. No. That is your source of distraction.' Eri thought silently as she watched the slight glimmer in Risa's eyes. That was hope. A hope that Eri would know where Ai was. Eri blinked her eyes and looked away from Risa. She knew that her answer for Risa's question was going to sweep away the slight hope in Risa for that moment. "No. . . I haven't seen or heard anything from Ai-san since that day. She had missed her previous consultation as well. We tried contacting her on her phone, but there was no reply at all. " Eri answered softly.
Risa hung her head down at that answer. 'She avoiding.'
"Haven't you been contacting with her?" Eri questioned.
Risa shook her head. "I sent her a couple of messages. But there wasn't any reply for them." Risa answered with sadness.
"So that was why you were distracted, Risa?" Eri questioned.
Risa nodded her head lightly.
Eri ruffled Risa's hair in an affectionate way. "If you want remove this distraction. Go look for her. Go look for the answers your heart wants to know." Eri advised, causing Risa to look straight into Eri eyes. "You like her, don't you? " Eri finished off, regaining her stand on her feet. "Follow what your heart wants, Risa . . . It's your dream to become a singer, aren't it? And are you going to let it go when you are just one final step towards it?" With that, Eri left the room.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa leaned against the same wall that she had leaned 5 days ago. She checked the time on her watch. '430 pm. Ai-san said that she ends work at 5, didn't she?' Risa thought as she stuffed her hand into the pocket of the same trench coat. And there she stood, observing surges of people exiting the building, watching the everlasting human traffic on the walkway.
Soon, nightfall arrived. Cold breeze of wind brushing against her face. The cold night of winter was starting to kick in. And Risa, was not dressed up properly for winter. There she, still standing at the same position, shivering as wind breezed by. She removed her hand from the pocket and checked her time again on her left hand. '7 pm . . . Why isn't she out yet? Did I missed her? Or did she missed work today? Or have she left her job here? Is she really trying that hard to avoid me, avoid us?' Uncertainties began filling Risa's mind.
She placed her hand back into the pocket, hoping that the pocket would be able to warm her cold fingers. She glanced over to the building and noticed a figure standing at the entrance. The light was dim. Risa could not make up the face. But her heart had told her the answer who was that. It was her. The person she had been waiting all these while in the cold, just hoping to catch a glimpse of her, hoping that she would able to talk to her once more.
Risa went forward from her position and stopped in front of the figure. Astonishment could was observed.
(What - What are you doing here, Risa-san) Ai signed after her moments of shock.
"I - I - am waiting - for you" The cold had gotten into Risa. She couldn't help but to chattered in cold as she answered Ai.
(Waiting for me? Why?)
"I - missed you. I want to see you." Risa replied as she looked onto the ground, teeth continued chattering. Her heart winced a little as her brain had decided to go truthful the heart's feeling. She used her tongue to moist her dry lip, that was cracking from the cold.
Ai blinked her eyes surprisingly. She had not expect Risa to say that. (I - )
"Why are you avoiding me?" Risa asked abruptly, startling Ai once more.
(I am not . . .) Ai signed back, looking away from the demanding eyes of Risa. She would not be able to look into Risa's eyes without her heart gapping, without her heart skipping a beat.
"You're lying. Then -" Risa shivered lightly before being able to continue with her words. "Then why aren't you replying my messages." Risa shivered again. "Why did you missed your consultation with Eri." Risa finished, with her body trembling in cold, against her mind's wish of not showing signs of being cold.
(I - ) Ai could not find a good explanation. She was indeed trying to avoid them. Because they had seen too much. They had saw the side that she was trying hard to hide from people. She knew they would probed deeper for answers. She would not want to let people to know them. Her deepest hurt. Her deepest betrayal. By the closest people, the dearest people she knew from young. She could not let them know.
"Why?" Risa demanded once again, grabbing Ai's wrist tightly to prevent her from running away if she had the intention to, like the last time at Eri's apartment. "Why?" Risa chattered the second time. Her body was giving in to the cold, causing her unable to articulate clearly.
Ai could feel Risa's cold fingers on her wrist, beneath the thick jacket she was wearing. It felt like placing a piece of frozen ice on her wrist. (Your hands are freezing) Ai signed.
"I don't care. All I want is your answers, your explanation. Nothing else matters right now." Risa insisted, staying firm on the ground, unwilling to let go of Ai.
(We'll find a warm place to talk. Please, Risa-san. I won't want you to die by freezing in the cold.) Ai explained, as she tried to pry off Risa's grip. She then removed her gloves and place them in Risa's hand. (Wear it.)
As Risa put on the gloves, she felt the Ai's warm fingers encircled her cold ones. Risa looked up into Ai's eyes. Ai's eyes was fixed on Risa's hands. Risa, for the first time, notice the gentleness in Ai's beautiful orbs. Fluffiness overtook the cold feeling , warming her fingers all the way to her heart.
'Oh gosh . . . I'm really falling . . . The remains of my broken heart. . . They are now gathered together back once more . .'
-
Poor Risa, so worried about and missing Ai. I just know that if she were to work everything out, she would wow the judges!
So now she's just got to work everything out. So off to see Ai...
In the freezing cold?! Granted that she wasn't expecting to wait so long, but still, should at least dress for the weather. Then again, if she hadn't we wouldn't have gotten such a sweet scene.
'Oh gosh . . . I'm really falling . . . The remains of my broken heart. . . They are now gathered together back once more . .'
Oh please~ don't let it be crushed again.
-
you update fast..and i love it.. :lol: everyday i have something new to look forward and that's your fic..love it..
Gakisan definitely falling deeper and deeper..now just wanna see how Aichan open to Gakisan..it's will be a tough job for Gakisan..and when Aichan dont seem to wanna let others know her personal problem..AiGaki :heart:
Sayu most likely will still appear..till then, gakisan might be more torn apart since she seem to be still bother and real sad about the past failed relationship.
Eri should just join in and make it more :banghead: :lol: :lol:
Especially if end up Eri also fall for Aichan..Sayu appear.. :twothumbs XD
-
Wow... things are really heating up now!
So Ai still feels pretty insecure about trusting "people" in general... what a sad thing it is... :cry:
But Risa's trying to get to the bottom of it! As she falls more and more in love with Aichan... :wub:
Hopefully, Aichan will realize she can really trust Risa enough to tell her everything in the future :D
-
Poor Gaki-san, she doesn't know what she did wrong :cry: Ai-chan, you should considerate her feelings as well :angry: even though it may hurt, you would have a comforting soul right next to you :inlove:
This is getting more and more interesting, waiting for more :jphip:
-
Hey! I just discovered your fic yesterday and I already read it all... And I'm really hooked up :bow:
I really hope Risa can help Aichan open her eyes and heart to her and finally start to speak... Must be terrible a life without being able to say a word... :(
-
Awww~ :wub: The beginning of new love! :inlove: How sweettt! :D
-
Thanks for the comments!!
@ rndmnwierd: Well well well . . . .Hmmm. . .that's too early to be said, whether or not Risa would be . . . .hmmmm . Heehee !
@ alwaysYou: I'm really glad that there's something for you to look forward to and liking this fic ^.^ Well, i actually haven really plan for Sayumi for coming out again, not the next few chapters anyway . Let's see about that .. . Thank You!!
@ SarangAi: Yupps things are heating up for now . . . and the next few chapters is . . . Hmmmm hmmmm interesting. Hhahaha.
@Bamtai: What are Risa done wrong?? Hmmm. Thanks you !
@Tchips: Hello! I'm glad that this fic had caught your attention :) it makes me happy as well :) Thank you!
@kano-chan: Would you be upset when you read the following chapter?? I'm sorry for that! Thank you!
*awkward* Alright, next chapter coming. It's kinda short and yeah weird. To be truthful with you, I spent more than 6 months trying to finish this chapter up. I was really stuck at this chapter. and yeah, with the mindset and desire to finish up this fic that I had gave up writing 4 years ago, I manage to squeeze out this weird chapter. But it's essential for the future developement of the story I guess? And yeah, for the next few chapters, you may have notice that some of my writing style had change? hahahha *awkward* lets get to the next chapter them. Once and foremost again, Thank you for reading!! :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 9] - A Confused Heart. Or Two
Though in indoors, her body still could not stop trembling from the cold outside. Risa scrutinised the small, simple and cosy living area she was placed in. 'Simplicity . . . the beauty of one heart . . . ' She turned towards the direction where the kitchen was located, where Ai was, fiddling around with the kettle and cups. Risa could see every actions Ai made. It was a studio apartment after all, with no enclosed areas except for the toilet, it was difficult to miss her actions.
Risa continued to have her eyes set on Ai, with slight gentleness filling her eyes. 'How I wish that I can know you more.'
While Risa continued to study Ai and her actions, Ai kept herself busy in the small kitchen. With the empty glass held tightly in her hands, Ai noticed that her hands were trembling. 'Why are you hands trembling, Ai? What are you doing? Why did you bring her back to your own comfort zone? Didn't you decided that it's time to stay away, especially after what they had witness?' Ai shook her head slightly, trying to push away the negative thoughts that were building up in her mind. 'She's freezing to death now. Getting her warmed up is the main thing you should think about, Ai.' With that, Ai shut her mind up and continued preparing the hot tea for Risa.
Risa moved her attention away from Ai and sank her head into her gloved hands. 'What am I supposed to do now? Eri asked me to look for my source of distraction and I did without planning? What am I suppose to tell her? Why do I feel the need to see her. Why . . . ' A warm sensation came touching the side of Risa's cheek, breaking her trails of thoughts. She looked up from her hands and saw Ai standing before her, placing the cup of hot tea beside her face. Their eyes met for a second before Ai turned her head away, breaking the eye contact they were making. Risa took over the hot tea from Ai, allowing the warmth of the tea to warm her hands up. "Thank you . . . " Risa muttered, almost inaudibly.
Ai straddled a few steps away from Risa and stopped before the wooden coffee table. As Ai allowed herself to settle down on the table, Risa brought the tea to her mouth, drinking small bits of it, letting the warm liquid into her body. An awkward silence settled within the sitting area of the studio apartment, with both parties having an unclear mind of what they should say.
Risa had her eyes set on Ai, who had her eyes set on her fingers. 'What was that that I wanted to say to her? I can't remember anymore. What had gave me the courage, gave me the impulsion to show up right in front of her workplace. What was that that was overflowing in my mine previously and that nothing is able to come out now? What are you doing, Risa?'
'Ai. Say something.' The mind of Ai urged her to do so. 'What am I suppose to say? She appeared so suddenly at my workplace. That was totally unexpected. And . . . They had seen that. My break. My crazy. Would she still accept me as a friend? Nobody would want a mute as a friend, not to mention, a one who will go crazy at the sound of the second hand of the clock, the hand brings in the reality of my life. . . ' The sound of the glass cup contacting the wooden table interrupted the thoughts of Ai. Ai looked up and saw Risa standing beside her.
Risa had just placed the half drank cup beside Ai. She bit her lower lips lightly as stood beside Ai awkwardly. "I'm . . . I'm sorry for the impulse visitation just now. I guess . . . I shall leave now. Sorry about that, Ai-san." Risa mumbled softly before proceeding to the door.
Ai was shocked by the sudden action of Risa. She remained rooted at the seat on the table when she heard the main door clicked closed. Unknowingly to Risa, tears had started to flow down the flawless cheeks of Ai. 'Just as what I had guess . . . she do mind about having a crazy person as a friend. Were you expecting something different, Ai? Face the truth, you are brought into this world to face the ugliness of the world - loneliness. That's your fate, that's your destiny. That's why Papa and Mama had abandoned you. Ai, you are such a loser.' Standing up from her position, Ai staggered to her bed, burying her face into the soft touch of the covers. 'Loneliness is your best friend, Ai. Now and forever.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Tadaima" Risa mumbled out incoherently as she step into the apartment of Eri.
"Okaeri." Eri responded as she remained seated on her position at the living room couch. "Why are you so late today, Risa?" Eri asked.
Risa ignored Eri's question that was directed to her and proceeded straight back to Eri's study room.
"Risa?" Eri called out again, hoping to catch Risa's attention. But all she got for response was the loud bang of the closing door of the study room.
'What had happened again?' Eri thought deeply as she furrowed her eyebrows, analysing the current situation of her best friend.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ah~" Risa let out a soft cry as flopped down on the bed, letting out a deep sigh in the process. She closed her eyes, allowing the fresh memory to play in her mind. 'I had so much to tell her previously, yet when it was just the both of us in her room, nothing could come out. What is wrong with you, Risa? What were you going to tell her anyway? That you may had like her? Was that what you want to tell her, Risa?'
Looking at the gloves that Ai had gave her earlier on, tears started to form. 'Her existence, her appearance in my life is just like this glove. She warmed my heart just the way the glove had warmed my hands. I never thought I will feel this way again. Not after Sayumi. Why is that so? I never really got to know her. She's like a mystery, to both Eri and I.' Removing the gloves off her hands, she brought them close to her heart. 'Why is she able to do this to me? Will she be able to feel for this heart of mine? Or . . .would she be like . . . '
"Risa" Eri called out gently from the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"
"Yes" Risa answered restlessly, while tightening the grip on the gloves she was holding on to.
Eri opened the door slowly and slipped in swiftly, closing the door in the process as well. "Are you alright, Risa?" Silence was the response she got from Risa. "Why are you back so late? Did something happened at training today again?" Once again, silence was what she managed to get from Risa. "Did you got a new glove? I haven't seen you wearing that. Or should I say, you never had the habit to wear gloves, even during winter." Eri asked when she saw Risa clutching the gloves tightly to herself. Risa, as usual, was still staring out into space, ignoring Eri of her questions.
Eri settled down beside Risa on the bed, not continuing with her questions to Risa. Instead, she just sat beside Risa, waiting for the right moment where Risa is ready to talk to her.
"I did what you asked me to do." Risa spoke up unexpectedly after a few minutes of silence.
"You did what I had asked you to do?" Eri repeated the statement Risa had just mentioned, not getting a clue what Risa was talking about. "What did I asked you to do?" Eri asked back.
"To face my distraction." Risa answered straight to the fact. "I went to wait for her at her workplace today."
"Ai-san?" The topic on Ai had gotten the best attention of Eri. "You saw her? Have you talked to her?"
"I saw her. No, I didn't talked to her." Risa answered, still in the daze state as she was since Eri had entered the room.
Eri furrowed her eyebrow. "What do you mean? How can you not talk to her when you have met her, Risa?"
"It was cold. She brought me to her house. Made me tea. I walked out of her house. " Risa answered fragmentally, summarising the details in four short sentences.
"Yes it was cold. So the gloves belongs to Ai-san?" Eri analysed while Risa nodded her head. "So she brought you back to her home and made you tea to keep you warm." Risa nodded her head. "After that, you walked out of her house." Eri continued while Risa nodded her head again. "Wait." The fact that Risa walked out of Ai's house finally settled in Eri. "YOU WALKED OUT?" Eri retorted in utter shock."WHY? Didn't I asked you to face your distraction? And . . . She . . . "
"I . . . I don't know what to say. I can't explain why is there a need to see her. I can't understand why am I acting in this way. I can't understand why is there a need to make her smile. I can't understand why her tears hurt my heart so much. I can't understand why is there a need to understand her more. I can't understand why I am distracted by the fact that she's hurting and I do not know the reason why is she hurting, Eri. I can't even understand my own self. I can't even understand what I want. I can't even remember my childhood days. What do you want me to do? I'm not you, I'm not a psychologist. Why am I not one? Why can’t I help her from her suffering. Why is that so, Eri, WHY?" Risa finally snapped out from her daze and began battling Eri with tons of questions that had been filling her mind ever since the shocking episode they experience with Ai.
"Risa . . ." Eri, feeling sympathetic about the sudden outburst. She understood how the poor girl had felt. To them, Takahashi Ai is a pure mystery. It was unexplainable, how this 22 year old had impacted their life. To Eri, Ai is her first patient. Having a patient of the same age just pulled her out of the desire of just maintaining a psychologist-client relationship. She had truly wanted to help the girl. But up till now, Ai had been playing a game of tug-of-war with her. Every time when she thought she had gotten to know her slightly better, she was once again throw out of the situation. And most importantly, Ai had created a big change in Risa in just a week. Though Risa did not tell her anything about the things the two of them did together, she could see a change Risa's actions and behaviour. 'I wonder why . . . . . . What can I do?' Eri placed a comforting hand on Risa's shoulder.
"Risa . . . A psychologist is not a superhuman. There are so many things people thought we could do, but the fact is that we could no. Rounding up into simple words, we are just a group of helpless normal human beings, Risa. Psychologist is just a term to give normal people a reason to not to show care and concern to people who needs them, a reason to listen to the needs of the ones in needs. Weren't I in the same situation as you? I am as helpless as you. I felt so incompetent as her psychologist, after knowing that there's something killing her slowly inside, but yet there's nothing I can do to help her? And too, in some sense, I do feel that she's more opened up to you as compared to me. Doesn't that makes me even as incompetent, Risa?" Eri reasoned softly, allowing Risa to understand the stress and uncertainty she was facing each day with Ai, with her patients.
"Eri . . . " Risa called out softly, feeling sympathetic that Eri was also confused and stressed up at the current situation.
"The clients we deal with, they are not normal people we see on the streets, Risa. The time they need to recover from their hurt, is way more than any of us can imagine. So may take a few days, some a few months or even decades. We can't rush on them, Risa. The more we pressed in, the more they push us out. I know how you felt, Risa. I know. These helplessness, the desire to help her." Eri continued, preventing Risa from continuing what she had intended to console Eri. "First thing first, let your mind be sure what are you looking for. Be sure and truthful about your feelings you had. I will leave you to clear your mind up. Then we will decide what to do next." Eri finished as she messed up Risa's bangs. "Focus on your competition first. I don't want you to have any regrets." And with that, Eri left the study room, leaving Risa sitting alone on her bed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri laid in her own bed, with her eyes focused on the pure white ceiling above. 'I should do something. . . This is no longer an issue of work. Risa is now involved. To be tied between professionalism and personal life . . . I never thought this would occurred to me.' Eri sighed deeply once again. 'She missed her previous session, indicating the idea of avoiding me. She stopped contacting Risa - something they had been doing for 3 weeks - indicates the intention to avoid Risa as well. Could it be because of the hysterical fits she went into that day? How did she obtained the tranquilizers? She would need a doctor prescription for that. But there was no record that she had any visitation to the psychiatrist. She was quite against the idea of visiting a psychiatrist.' Eri continued to analyse the current situation. 'I need to talk to her soon . . . Especially after Risa walked out of her house. . . '
-
FIRST!! juju well...
I think this is my first post for your fic :huhuh ... or forget it XD
anyway, I read this recently and honestly :yep: I like your fic :wub: , the character of Ai-chan is a beautiful person and has a lot of mystery , her past certainly is very intriguing and Risa aww I can say that I love her ? :inlove: hahaha
more chapters please! :thumbup O0
-
now i wonder if Eri still can be professional in her job..especially when it's becoming like her personal problem too cause of Gakisan..just hope that Eri professional wont goes wrong and make more tragedy to Ai .. :nervous
Aichan is a poor character here..especially when she said "'Loneliness is your best friend, Ai. Now and forever." it's just very :cry: :(
she misunderstand Gakisan action.. :cry: most likely i think Ai will continue to hide from both of them
cant wait for the next chp :twothumbs
-
Wow...Gaki-san... She told Ai-chan she missed her, came to her house, drank some tea, a moment of silence, and left. Really, now?? It's sad :(, but kinda...eh..funny...in a way. :roll: It's just soo awkward.
Why is Ai-chan so against letting anyone know about her past? :O Perhaps, if "someone" can get close enough to her, then maybe she can let it out..? :roll: Or maybe Eri and Risa will find out in a different way. Involving two certain parents.. :wth
-
Ah Gaki how could you just leave, that made it worse you fool, darn you and your confused heart...... :cry:
Gaki is so confused at the moment, I wonder perhapsd some sort of subconcious feeling about her past with Ai, what happened when they were kids, though Gaki does not remeber...
Seems as though Eri knows the danage Risa may of caused by just leaving Ai, lets hope she can talk to Ai soon....
-
Gaki-san, why did you just leave like that :doh:
so... Ai has been avoiding both of them for sometime now, and Risa leaving like that makes it worse...
how's Eri going to approach Ai now...
-
Oops my mistake :lol: I didn't really mean that Gaki has done something wrong, more like she didn't know what made Ai to be so upset.
I feel sorry for both of them, they obviously like each other so they should get together :cry:
Anyway I liked this chappie much, thank you for it :bow:
-
Oh no, Risa's insecurities about her broken heart have made her make Ai question their friendship! Go Eri! Talk to Ai! Set things right!
-
@gab88 : Hello!! Thanks for reading . . . :)
@alwaysYou : Well . . . for Eri . . . hmmm i should say . . . just keep on reading :X
@kano-chan : I know right?! When i was writing that part, i was like . . 'this is definitely weird and unbelievable' . . . About Ai not letting people knowing her past, probably because of shame? and insecurities? About the latter . . hahahah. . . :X
@oddball : nope . . Risa had zero memories of what happened to her before 5 which means . . . and yes, Eri's gonna speak to Ai soon . . .:)
@eruchan : Well well . . .. RISA >.< BAKA . . . she just had to act before she thinks - which leads to the misunderstandings . . .
@Bamtai : You are welcome ^.^ Risa will make it up anyway . . . in the future chapters :)
@rndmnwierd : YES. it's her broken heart. . .:(
Next chappie . . . .Maybe a little confusing to read . . . so yeah . . . (a trial on new way of writing.) hahahah
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 10] - Wish Upon a Star
{Mama . . . Why can't I go to school?} Ai wrote on her given drawing board and showed it to her mother, who was sitting at the dining table, looking through stacks of papers.
"Ai-chan. . " The lady brushed Ai's fringe to the side and pulled Ai to her lap. "Papa says it's better for you be home schooled" The lady mumbled softly, placing a gentle kiss on Ai's forehead.
Ai nodded her head softly at her mother's explanation. {Is Papa coming back today to join us at the dinner table?} Ai continued writing on the next page of the paper, with the lady reading along by as she wrote.
"Ai-chan, Papa's out of town this week. He won't be joining us for the whole of this week. Didn't I explain that to you yesterday?" The lady continued gently, running her fingers through the long ends of Ai's hair.
{But Ai hasn't seen Papa for a long time . . . Ai missed Papa . . .}
'Papa hates you, Ai, didn't you get it? Because you can't talk. Papa despised you. Haven't you realised that? Not only that. You're a timeless bomb. . . . No one should be near you. . . '
'No . . .You're lying to me . . . No . . . '
Waking up in the usual way, Ai wiped away the tears that had rolled off her cheeks had made their way to her neck. She got off her bed and straddled towards the small window, exposing the beautiful night sky to her eyes. 'Stars. . . Even Stars had their beautiful endings. Will I be able to have a beautiful ending as well . . . The sky is just like what it was on that day . . .' Ai thought in her mind, allowing her memory to bring her back to that day, the day before her first day of work at the new workplace.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was 316 am in the morning, and Risa was still not asleep. She stood by the glass window of the study room, allowing the bridge of her nose to come in contact to the cool surface. 'Why do the stars shine so brightly in the night sky. . . '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Autumn nights are torturing nights for me. . . ' Risa thought as she zipped up the jacket she was wearing, leaning against the fences of the backyard for support. 'It has been ages ever since I had so much fun playing . . . How I wish I had never grown up. . . ' Risa continued in her mind. 'There's lesser things worry about when I was young. . . '
Ai walked out of the cottage and into the backyard, towards the direction where Risa stood, spacing out. Ai tapped lightly on Risa's shoulder, bringing Risa out of her world of thoughts.
"The children had all slept ?" Risa asked softly.
Ai nodded her head at the question and took out her phone - the way she communicates with Risa - and typed swiftly in it. {Sorry for holding you back till so late. I never knew Baa-chan would asked us to stay for the campfire night.}
"Nah. It’s alright. I'm glad that I'd came and stayed for the campfire. It has been ages ever since I'd enjoy myself so much. It's a good healing way before the training for second audition starts tomorrow. The smile of the children. . . If that is what I can give . . . I will give. . . " Risa replied with her gaze fixed on the starlit night sky.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'If I am able to it, I would too, want to bring that smile to your face, Ai-san.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The stars are gorgeous." Risa continued speaking, causing Ai to shift her attention to the sky Risa was watching. "I love the stars." Risa finished with a wide grin on her face.
Ai nodded her head lightly at the statement Risa made. It was indeed true that the stars were gorgeous. Ai turned to face Risa, watching the dazzling smile across Risa's face. 'Why is she always smiling so fervently? Her smile is so contagious that I could no longer conceal mine to her, to the rest of the world.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Why is it that the stars remind me of your perfect smile, Risa-san? It's like you have became part of the stars in the sky, shining brightly, guiding the way home to the lost.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa shifted her attention away from the sky and turned towards the direction where Ai was, only to catch glimpse of the unguarded stare that Ai had on her. When Ai realised Risa had turned towards her, she turned away and shifted her attention to the sky, pretending nothing as such had happened.
"Is there anything on my face?" Risa asked as she ran her icy cold hands across her face.
Ai shook her head, refusing to make any eye contact with Risa.
"Then why were you staring at me?" Risa continued asking softly.
Ai had her attention back to her phone and began typing in it. {I was just wondering, what's so special about the stars that make you loving them. It's a stupid question, isn't it? You don't have to answer if you do not want to.} With that, Ai passed her phone over to Risa and went back to have her gaze fixed on the sky.
"Since I was young, my mama always brings me out to the beach and watch the stars. Even though they are so far away from us, they are always visible to us. Isn't that incredible? Even though they are small, even though they are light years away, they are always shining so brightly. Even though there would be this day where they will burn out, they still continue to shine brightly, lighting up the night sky. They had given courage to lots of people and when they burnt out, they left their very last breath of life, to all people a wish of hope. It's just . . . an amazing existence, the stars." Risa explained.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'And how I wish . . . Ai-san, that I can be like the star in your life, giving you courage, and even hope of life. '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taking her phone back from Risa, Ai typed, {That's a cute reason for you to like the stars, Risa-san}
Risa blushed at the compliment that Ai had gave. 'Can this be considered the first compliment you have gave about my individual self?' Risa thought silently in her mind. 'WAIT A MINUTE, why are you even blushing, Niigaki Risa?'
An elbow nudging on her forearm had brought Risa back from her seas of thoughts. Ai, once again, passed her phone to Risa.
{What's in your mind? When are you so red? Are you feeling cold? Do you wanna to get back indoors?}
"Hmm hmm." Risa responded and shook her head. "I wasn't thinking about anything. Nope, it's not because I'm feeling cold. . . perhaps it's because I'm thin skinned?" Risa ended with a huge laughter, laughing at her own joke.
'She is indeed interesting. . . ' Ai thought as she continued to stare at Risa. No longer being able to hold back her own laughter, Ai allowed a tiny smile to run across her own face. 'She's always able to make me smile, even though I do not want to. I'm trying to hide my true self from the whole world, yet she's always breaking my revelation. Can I trust her wholeheartedly?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'And I thought I could really trust her wholeheartedly. Can I?' Ai thought deeply as she leaned her face towards the cold metal of the window. 'No, Ai, remember, she walked out of your house.' A taunting voice came sounding in her mind, reminding her about the incident that had happen just not too long ago. 'She walked out of the door. . . just like the way they did, Ai. Can you bring your heart to trust such person? ' Ai shook her head sadly at the question raised in her head.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Is there anyone on this earth where one could trust wholeheartedly, without the fear of being rejected again? I was rejected, betrayed by my own blood parents, of the love and care they should have gave me. Can someone so normal understand the pain behind all this?' Ai thought as she glanced at Risa, admiring her unguarded smile. 'Maybe . . . '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'No you can't Ai. There's no one on this living earth you can trust. You are always be alone. Now and Forever. Didn't you decided on this since the day they left. Why are you so eagerly looking for someone you can trust?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa turned to face Ai, only to catch her smiling at her. Not asking any questions, their eyes met, and another wide grin began to run across their face.
{Let's get moving. If not we are going to miss the last train back to the city, Risa-san.}
Risa nodded her head at the suggestion. Ai took the first step, with Risa following closely behind Ai.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'There's so much things about her that I don't know . . . Yet I wonder why, why do I feel the urge to protect her? I want to help her. Would you allow me . . . if I do so, Ai-san? '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri knocked against the familiar door lightly, and stood there outside, waiting patiently for the approval of entry by the owner of the room.
"Come in."
"Sorry for interrupting." Eri called out softly as she turned the knob and entered the room.
"Ah, Kamei-san, it's you?"
"Nakazawa-san, am I interrupting you? I have some issues to enquire with you." Eri asked politely as Yuko sat professionally behind her desk.
"Nope, you are not interrupting anything. I do not have any client for the upcoming hour." Yuko replied as she directed Eri to the sit infront of her desk. "What is it that you would like to enquire about, Kamei-san?"
"It's about Takahashi-san." Eri answered with a serious tone.
"Ai-chan?" Yuko repeated. "What about Ai-chan do you want to know?"
"Do you by any chance know whether Takahashi-san visits a psychiatrist?" Eri continued asking.
"No. I don't think so. I have proposed to her a few times about visiting a psychiatrist for drug treatment for her condition, but she had rejected the proposition about. She seemed to be quite disturbed by the fact of visiting a psychiatrist. I think I have recorded down all these in the profile, haven't you read them?" Yuko answered while giving a stern stare at Eri.
"Yes, I've read them. I just want to double confirm with you personally, Nakazawa-san." Eri replied.
"Why is that so, Kamei-san?"
"I found out that Takahashi-san had access to tranquiliser that requires a psychiatrist prescription. So I wondered if Takahashi-san was or is visiting one." Eri explained.
"Tranquiliser?" Yuko mumbled softly as she furrowed her eyebrow.
Seeing that Yuko was in her deep thoughts about Ai using tranquiliser, Eri decided to leave the room, in preparation of escaping Yuko's demand for the reason why Ai is using tranquiliser.
"Nakazawa-san, thank you for your help anyway. I'll leave now in preparation for the next client. I will do my best to help Takahashi-san. Please excuse me." With that, Eri bowed and exited Yuko's office.
'Just as what I expected, Nakazawa-san knew nothing about Ai-san's mental instability. Nakazawa-san has always been treating Ai-san like her little sister. I guess, Ai-san would not want Nakazawa-san to know about this and be more worried about her even more. Unless Nakazawa demands from me, there's no way I let it out to her. . . Let this be a decision made in respect to Ai-san's decision. . . . . . I need to speak to Ai-san . . . ' Eri thought in her mind as she closed the door to Yuko's office.
"Fujimoto-san" Eri called out as she paced herself towards the reception table. "Can I have Takahashi Ai-san's address? I'm going over for a visitation."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hiroki-san" Risa stood before the vocal trainer of the competition and called out.
"Yes, Niigaki-san? Is there anything that you need from me. I'm hoped that you have reflected on yourself about your performance for the past few days. I'd talked to the management about your issue and they said you should deserve another chance. If you are still not performing up to standards, you are out of this competition. I would not be able to help you anymore as well." Hiroki asked and continued with his 'lecture' to Risa.
"Wakarimashita. Arigatou gozaimasu." Risa replied as she bowed. "Hiroki-san, I have a request regarding on the competition song that I will sing next week." Risa brought up the request, which she had been working on it since early in the morning, where she couldn't fall asleep due to the fuzzy recurring memories in her mind.
"And that is?" Hiroki questioned, bring Risa's topic closer to the point.
"I would like to sing a song from myself." Risa finished.
"From yourself?"
"Yupp. A song that I've written." Risa answered.
"Do you know that singing a song that the adjudicator or the audience are unknown of will reduce your chance of winning the competition? Are you sure that you wanna to that?" Hiroki explained the possible outcome that may come about to Risa.
"I'm not concern about whether or not will I win the competition. I just want to sing that song." Risa finished with determination. 'I will sing for her. . . Even if I am to lose the competition, I will sing for her.' Risa thought in her mind.
"If you insist, I would not force you not to sing then. Pass me the song so that I can help you to make up the instrumental, Niigaki-san."
"Arigatou gozaimashita!" Risa shouted out, expressing her gratitude as she passed over the papers she had worked on earlier one.
'This is for you, Ai-san. . . '
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How was it? Did I managed to confused any of you? If I do, do inform me, and I will try my best to explain :) Ja~~
-
Keep writing! Keep writing! Keep writing!!! :bow: I like how you make the story~! It's fresh and enjoyable to read! I can also relate with it!
-
Oh! That last part is like Kokoro no Uta! :w00t: Gaki-san writing a song for Ai-chan! :wub: :wub:
This is bad.. When Risa left the other day, it reminded Ai-chan of her past which caused her not to be able to trust Risa too much. :O Ai-chan's feelings might get held back by this. :( That is....unless Risa confesses to Ai-chan. :heart:
Good, Kame found out that Ai-chan had been hiding many things... :yep: Maybe she can come up with something to help. :roll:
Nice Chapter~ :twothumbs
-
Ah, Risa that's a sweet gesture, but would Ai know? Wold she be able to hear the song? Or is Risa just singing it for herself?
Will Eri visit Ai at her home, since Ai seems so intent on avoiding everyone now?
-
[Chapter 11 - The Confrontation, or Not ]
"Fujimoto-san, do I have anymore appointments after Kurihara-san?" Eri spoke through the intercom.
"No, Kurihara-san is currently your last appointment for today." Miki replied.
"Great. Can you keep the rest of day free for me. I'm gonna leave the office early today." Eri requested.
"Okay. Noted."
"Thank you so much, Fujimoto-san." Eri finished the conversation and hanged up the intercom.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Another day had passed again.' Ai thought in her mind as she entered the elevator of her apartment complex. 'I'd made so much mistake today. What is wrong with me today.' Ai continued to question herself as she reflected how her day had went by.
'It's okay to make mistake, Ai-san. All human being makes mistakes, don't we?' The voice of Risa lingered in her mind. That was what Risa had told her just around two weeks ago, when she made her first mistake at work on her second day of work. 'Stop thinking about her anymore, Ai. Don't do that anymore. . . ' Ai thought sadly in her mind. Pushing the thoughts away, Ai reached into her bag and search for her house keys upon arrival at her level.
As she closed into nearer her apartment, she notice a figure sitting on the floor, leaning against the door. 'Eri-san? Why is she here?'
Eri looked up and stood up as she heard the rattling of the metal keys closed in. "Ai-san, you're back! Sorry for sudden visitation."
(No, it's alright.)Ai signed slowly, with slight fear within her heart. She was not prepared to meet Eri or talk to Eri, knowing that Eri will question her about what happened to her that night.
"How have you been these few days, Ai-san?" Eri tried to start the conversation normally as Ai unlocked the door to her apartment.
(Okay I guess?) Ai signed awkwardly as she moved aside to allow Eri to enter her apartment first.
"Ah, Arigatou gozaimashita." Eri thanked as Ai stood aside. "Shiretteshimashita." Eri called out as she stepped into Ai's apartment, removing her shoes in the process as well.
(Nah. You are not.) Ai continued as she moved her hand towards the switch swiftly, switching on the lights to illuminate the dark room. (I'll get you some drinks.) With that, Ai left Eri alone at the doorway as she slipped into the kitchen area, doing the same things that she had done when Risa was here the previous night.
Whereas for Eri, she made her way slowly through the walkway from the door to the sitting area, glancing around the apartment, particularly the very few pictures that were displayed along the cupboard along the way. 'Ah . . . That's Asami-san' Eri noted in her mind as she recognised the other girl in the two shot. Then there was another three shot with Ai, Asami and another girl Eri did not recognised. The third one in line was Ai with a middle aged women while the last was Ai with a little girl. At the other end of the table top that holds the photo frames was the violet box. 'She took it back with her?' Kamei thought silently in her mind.
She then allow herself to proceed to the sofa and settled herself on it. Her eyes wondered around the room, hoping that she would understand a little bit more about Ai through the way she decorates her living space. 'It seems like the clocks she had are all digital clocks.' Eri observed as she saw one right above the main door while the other at her bedside. 'The watch that Risa got for her, it was an analogue, wasn't it? Something terrible from young from the sound of the clock had result in her current situation?' Eri was all lost in her own thoughts. The sound of the glass touching the wooden surface brought Eri back from her world of thoughts.
"Thanks." Eri responded as she picked up the warm cup and brought it to her lips.
(You're welcome) Ai signed awkwardly as she sat back at the same position, beside the Art book that was on the wooden table. (How did you know my address, Eri-san) Ai continued slowly and cautiously.
"It was written in your records. I had asked Fujimoto-san for it." Eri answered with a slight smile on her face.
Ai nodded her head lightly at the answer given.
Silence fell into the space, with Ai focusing on the tiled flooring of her apartment, and Eri watching at Ai.
Ai looked up suddenly, shocking Eri. (Is there anything that you wanna to ask me? If yes, just ask. Don't have to keep silent. You don't have to.)
"Yes Ai-san, I have ten thousand questions in my mind right now to ask you, but would you answer every of them?" Eri countered, looking straight into Ai's eyes, in eager that she would receive a real genuine answer through her eyes. Ai looked away immediately, breaking the eye contact Eri was trying to maintain.
Silence fell in once again. Eri, in desperation, placed the cup she was holding on onto the floor and leaned forward, grabbing Ai's hands in her grip.
"Ai-san, both Risa and I had really, truly, from the deepest of our heart, want to help you. Will you allow us to help you?" Eri asked passionately, hoping that Ai would be able to sense the sincerity she had.
'No. Ai. It doesn’t really matters anymore. Whether or not you can speak, it's not gonna change the fact that they had abandoned you, Ai. Even if you could speak now, they are not going to come back for you. No they will not.' Ai had her eyes closed, refusing to make any eye contact with Eri. She started to wriggle her hand, trying to had her hands off Eri's grip.
(You don't have to, Eri-san. I'm fine living alone. I'm fine with not being able to talk. I'm fine with not receiving any help. You really do not have to do it. ) Ai signed, after successful had her hands wriggled out of Eri's grip. 'Let's go . . . ' The voice from her dreams started ringing in her mind once again.
Eri looked dubiously at Ai, confused about her sudden confrontation.
(It doesn't matters to me anymore, whether am I be able to speak anymore. Not anymore. It’s not going to change what had happened in the past. Impossible.) Ai continued as she fought against her tears from forming. 'They are not coming back anymore. Not anymore.'
"You would feel better if you share it out, Ai-san. Rather than keeping everything inside yourself, why not tell me, or even Risa, so that we can share it with you, whatever that is hurting you inside." Eri advised as she stood up from the seat and moved closer to the wooden coffee table, closing the distance between them.
'Mama . . .Papa . . . '
"Bye Bye, Ai-chan! Enjoy your day in school!" The gentle voice sounded as she let go of the hands of little Ai.
'I'm scared . . . . Mama. . . I'm scared . . .'
Ai felt her hands began to tremble. 'Not now, Ai, not again.' Sensing Eri's close distance from her, Ai hid her hands behind her back, trying to prevent Eri from seeing her trembling hands.
Ai got up from the table and went into the kitchen where her handbag was. Pulling the sachet that contain the white pills, Ai took 3 pills and placed it in her palm. Before she could popped it into her mouth, Eri grabbed her trembling hand firmly.
"Why are you taking so many of them. What was the actual prescription of dosage given to you, Ai-san?" Eri asked as she removed the sachet and pills from Ai.
Bitting on her upper lips, Ai looked away from Eri, refusing to make any eye contact with Eri.
"These tranquilisers are not obtainable over the counters at the pharmacy, Ai-san." Eri's voice had turn serious.
Ai continued to look away from Eri despite Eri's pleading eyes for Ai to look in her direction.
"You are not visiting a psychiatrist, aren't you? How did you get them, Ai-san." Eri continued, with her voice turning a little softer this time round.
Ai closed her eyes as she heard Eri's voice turning into desperation. Her hands are still trembling, slightly more vigorously as compared to moments before.
"Ai-san. . ." Eri called out as she tighten the grip on Ai's hands.
Ai tried to loosen the grip and broke free of Eri's contact. (I know what you want to say. I know what these tranquilisers do. ) Ai signed with her trembling hands.
"Then why? And how did you get your hands on them?" Eri continued asking.
(You don't have to know, Eri-san. It's better for you to not know anymore things about me, Eri-san. Stop getting near me. It's not going to work at all.) With that, Ai took back the tranquiliser back from Eri and dragged Eri back to the main entrance. (See . . . I thank you for your concern but you shouldn't continue to do it end more. I'm just a bottomless pit, the more you care, the more you fall and I am still as such. No point, Eri-san.) With that, Ai closed the door on Eri.
"Wait a minute, Ai-san!" Eri called out as she bang loudly on the door. "Ai-san?!" Eri shouted the second time when she got no response from Ai. Eri knocked against the door once again. "Ai-san?" Eri called out desperately once again. Receiving no response by the house owner, Eri allow herself to slip down at the door step. 'What had happened just now? She wasn't like this before. Not before that time at my house.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'What had I done?' Ai asked herself mentally, realising what she had just done, and had dropped down onto the floor. 'Did I just push her out of my house? Since when do you do these kind of stuffs, Takahashi Ai?' Ai continued questioning her mental state, with her fingers running through her hair , ruffling them and pulling them from time to time. 'Ai, you are such a unwanted person on earth, do you realise? You are not contributing to anything, and you had caused so much trouble for everyone, for Nakazawa-san, for Abe-san, for Asami-chan, for Eri-san, for Risa-san. You are nothing but trouble, haven't you realised?' Ai continued in her mind, breaking into a silent cry, with tears flowing endlessly down her cheeks.
Seizure had came attacking on her. Heaving deep breaths before each tear drop that had fell, Ai slowly crawled her way to the kitchen and forced the pills down her throat.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Eri?" Risa knocked against the bedroom door of Eri as she called out. Receiving no response by the owner, Risa, at her own discrete, opened the bedroom door, only to be welcome by the darkness. "Eri?" Flicking the switch on, the room was then illuminated and emptiness was registered in Risa's mind. 'Eri's not back home yet?' Risa questioned in her mind. Switching the lights off, Risa exited the room. [i['Where had Eri gone? That's usual of her to be back so late. . . Not to mention that she had missed the new series of lessons for advance course.' [/i]
Crossing across the living room and back into the study room, Risa placed the books and notes she was holding on her hand on the study table before sloping down on the chair. She had left the room door open, such that she would be able to catch Eri's return. Retrieving her MD player from her back, she popped in the demo disc of the instrumental Hiroki made for her and began to listen to it on repeat through her headphone. Humming the tune softly, until the part where like the most, she began to whisper out the words that she liked the most.
kimi ga kakaeteru kanashimi o
boku wa doredake nugueru kana
meni wa mienai sono kizuato ga
itsuno hi ga
kieru you ni to negauyo
(Will I be the only one to be able to wipe away
the sorrow the you held in your hand
And I really wish that
those invisible scars of yours
will disappear someday)
'Nee, Do you know that, my heart is also hurting, by the fact that you're hurting inside, Ai-san' Risa thought sadly in her mind, as she allow the crystal from her eye to slide down her face.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sliding the key into the keyhole, Eri turned to unlocked the main door of her house. "Tadaima" She managed to whisper from her tiredness. After waiting outside Ai's apartment for an hour without any response from the former girl, Eri had decided to head home, with the intention to visit her once again, where the former is more open to her visitation.
From her position at the doorway, she noticed Risa was sitting at her study table, dazing into the space with the headphones in her ears. 'Is she alright?' Eri thought. Letting a deep sigh to express her fatigue, she had decided to let Risa to be, deciding that Risa may want some time alone. She too needed some time alone, to think about what had happened just now as well.
Taking light steps to prevent making loud sounds when moving, Eri managed to sneak back into her room without Risa's acknowledgement. 'What happened to Ai-san? She's a little bit offensive today.' Eri thought as slopped her tired self on her comfy couch, with her eyes closed.
'I'm fine with not being able to talk, Eri-san' Remembering the sign Ai signed, Eri, once again let off another desperate sigh. 'What made her said that? If she's fine with not being to talk, why is she still visiting Nakazawa-san till this day? Has she gotten herself into a state of self-destruction? I hope not . . . And Risa . . . And the tranquilisers, that's another issue to worry about.' Deciding that it was time for her to wash up and do some following up of the incident today, Eri opened her eyes, only to be welcomed by a familiar face.
"Ah!" Eri screamed out at the top of her voice when she realised Risa was sticking her face towards her own. Pushing Risa away from her, she continued, "What are trying to do, scaring death out of me?"
"Hmm hmm" Risa replied as she shook her head. "How did you get in without me knowing? I even kept my door so that I will be able to notice you coming back." Risa continued with a slight pout on her face.
"I have my own ways to." Eri answered. "So, what are doing here in my room?"
"I wanna to pass you these." Risa pointed out, as she place what she was holding in her hands into Eri's. "It's the ticket and backstage pass for the competition this Sunday. You're coming right?"
"Why would I missed it? It's the day where my best friend is going to have her dreams come through. No way I'm gonna missed it." Eri stated as excitedly as she could, though tiredness could still be noted in her voice. "So . . . Feeling better already? You are just 4 days away from the competition." Eri continued.
"Slightly, hopefully. My actions yesterday . . . Do you think it would affect Ai-san situation? I - really didn't meant to walk out just like that. But . . . I should apologise to her, right?" Risa continued.
But all received for response was a playful shove in the head by Eri. "Didn't I say that you shouldn't be too worried about this now? Of course I knew you meant nothing by walking out, you're just confused inside. About whether Ai-san is affected by it, it's not your thing to worry about it now."
"But . . ."
"As for now, focus on your competition. We can work things out after that, okay?" Eri finished, shoving Risa's head to the side once again. 'Don't agitate Ai-san anymore. She seems really emotionally unstable today.'
'I should still apologise to her first.' Looking at Eri, Risa could not help but to just notice the tiredness of Eri from her eyes. "Did something happened today? You looked really tired and upset. You even missed the advance lessons for sign language today."
"OH! I totally forgot!" Eri exclaimed at the mention of their lesson.
"Are you really okay?" Risa asked caringly.
"Yes. Just had a long day from work today. Something important had crept up that the lesson had slipped out of mind." Eri assured.
"You sure?"
"Yes." Eri finalised.
"I shall not disturb you then. Rest early, Eri. Sweet dreams!" Risa finished as she stood up and exited Eri's room. 'Sweet dreams? That was what I always told Ai-san when we finish out messaging session.' Risa could not help it but to remember the days where the two were fervently messaging each other each night. 'I kind of miss that.'
Making her way back to the study room, Risa took out her phone and began to work on her message.
{I'm sorry. about last night. I didn't mean to walk out. Sorry, Ai-san - Risa}
Mustering the courage that she needs, Risa finally pressed the send button. 'I should rest early too. Tomorrow is a long day ahead, Vocal training, contract explanation and vocal training again. . .'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoy your Easter weekend! :)
-
NO! Ai-chan had given up the hope to speak! :cry: Is Ai-chan coming to the competition? :roll: It IS a song for her.. :heart:
Would it make a difference if Risa didn't walk out on her? :? I wonder how they'll get things together with Ai-chan avoiding them and every personal-ish questions thrown at her. This is getting really difficult. ;)
-
I think I've missed to comment for the past 3 days, haven't I? :nervous
But now I want to know how the bean and turtle will do for give Ai-chan a hope to speak
So, I'll wait for the next chap :)
-
OMG you update so fast... XD
wow Eri confrontation with Ai! too bad it didn't work out so well... Aichan is really fighting with herself there, isn't she? so sad... T_T
Oh! That last part is like Kokoro no Uta! :w00t: Gaki-san writing a song for Ai-chan! :wub: :wub:
LOL I was like, "kano-chan you remember a lot..." XD
can't wait for more! :D
-
@ kano-chan : Hmmm. It would made a slight difference if Risa had spoke instead of walking out at that time. Cos to Ai, being walked out is a sign of rejection, a sign of betrayal, and something that had been eating her up. :)
@Shiawase_Honoo : Hehe. It's alright :) Do enjoy the next few chapters and the long weekend :)
@SarangAi : Eh . . . I'm gonna to reduce my speed soon, as my uni is starting soon again from next weeks onwards, and with tons of assignments and final exams coming up soon, i'm gonna put in less time in writing :( But i will want to finish this story asap. The longer i want, the easier it is for me to lose will to write it. And that's the reason why am I updating every other day. This is to keep myself writing. Hahah. Yes, and SORRY. It's not by any intention that it sounds like Kokoro no Uta. :X it just yeah. . . hmmm. . . i had the idea even before i read the story. so :) hehe *awkward*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 12 - Not by Intention]
'Who are you . . . Why are you looking at me with that expression. . . with that eyes of yours. . .'
Ai opened her eyes, only to find herself lying on the floor of the kitchen. 'What am I doing here?' Holding onto the kitchen counter, Ai manage to herself off the kitchen floor and back on her feet.
As she discover the tranquiliser pills lying on her countertop, she then realised, 'Did I had my seizure again last night?' Closing her eyes, Ai forced herself to remember what had happened last night. 'It seems like so that that happened.' Packing the sachet back into her handbag, she proceeded back to the main living area and placed the bag onto the sofa.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Good, Niigaki-san. You are performing very well today. Just need to take note the parts where you need to raise half a key."
"Hai! Wakarimashita!"
"We will continued the lessons later after the meeting at the label company. Would you please wait at the waiting room with the others while the last girl finishes?"
"Hai!"
With that, Risa exited the training room and headed towards the waiting room, where the rest of the contestants were waiting.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Good morning, Kamei-san." Fujimoto greeted as she stepped into the center.
"Good morning to you too, Fujimoto-san." Eri returned the greetings before heading towards her office. Before she could enter the room, Miki stopped her.
"Ah, Kamei-san" Miki called out, causing Eri to turn back to face Miki.
"Yes? Is there any matters that I can help you?" Eri asked politely.
"Nakazawa-san had asked for you in her room the first thing in the morning." Miki explained.
"Ah- Wakarimashita. Thank you for informing. I will place my stuffs in my office first, before proceeding to her room." Eri finished. [i'Ah- that's the last thing I wanna to do. Oh please, let her not ask me questions on Ai-san.'[/i]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Takahashi-san?" A voice called out.
Ai looked up from the work she was doing and turned to the direction of the call.
"Iida-san asked for you in her room."
Ai nodded her head in acknowledgement. Putting down the file that she was working on, she stood up from her seat and proceeded straight to the manager office. Knocking a few times politely on the door, Ai waited patiently outside for the permission for entry.
"Come in."
Ai entered the room, bowing a little to show her respect, before approaching the manager at the working desk.
"Takahashi-san, the team from the talent show is going to come in this afternoon to have the gist of the contract discuss. Can please work out this copy of contract before this afternoon for the meeting? Also, can you be present for the meeting this afternoon to keep records and stuffs?" Iida Kaori, the manager of the department ordered.
Ai had her eyes shot open, showing her surprise at the request of her manager. 'Why is she giving such a chance? I'm just a handicapped worker in this company . . .'
Kaori, seemingly to understand what had just went through Ai's mind, went on, "I like the way you work. It doesn't matters to whether can you speak or not, are you normal or not. As long as you work hard and have good results, that's the kind of worker I want. You can do it, Takahashi-san."
Ai immediately went into a 90 degree bow, showing her deepest gratitude to her boss, for the understanding she had for. Collecting the given documents from Kaori's desk, Ai immediately left the room, and began working on them. 'This was the first time I was praised from work. . .' Excitement gradually filled her mind, before the negative thoughts came attacking again. 'Are you going to take people's sympathy for you as praise, Ai?' Ai frowned lightly at that thought. 'Could it be that, really, it was just a sympathy for me, and not a chance?' Ai stopped her fingers on her keyboard and began to space out on the documents. 'It could be . . . Don't hold high hopes for yourself, Ai . . . The higher you climb, the greater the fall. ' Ai continued to think bitterly inside herself.
Realising she was spacing out too much, Ai shook the thoughts away from her mind and began to work on the document. And that was until her eyes caught a familiar name on the document, leading to her spacing out again. 'Niigaki Risa'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instead of looking out of the window of the mini bus like she would usually do, Risa was staring at the screen of her mobile phone.
'She had yet to reply any of my messages I sent. Was she upset that I - left ? Why had I did that. You are truly a moron, Risa. If you had be able to express truly yourself that night, all these would not be happening now. What were you afraid of, Risa? Being rejected like what happened with Sayumin? Or ? Fearing that your heart would be hurt again? What makes you think that just walking out then would not have hurt her? Aren’t you being very selfish then?' The conscience of Risa had finally started to drop sense into her mind.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Nakazawa-san, are you looking for me? I was informed by Fujimoto-san that you want to see me. " Eri spoke as she stepped into the office of Yuko.
"Yes, I did told Fujimoto that I want to see you." Yuko replied as she rested her elbow on the table and leaned slightly forward. "Have a seat. I just have a few questions to ask you." Yuko continued as she pointed to the chair before her. "I went to your office yesterday, wanting to talk to you about some issues, and Fujimoto told me that you had went off earlier."
"Hai. I had something to deal with, that's why I'd left earlier." Eri answered, as trying to dodge the deadly stares Yuko was giving her.
"Have you went to find Ai-chan?" Yuko continued asking.
"Yes. I'd asked for her address from Fujimoto-san."
"And?"
"And . . . ." Eri was lost for words. She was unsure where should she start from, nor what she should say and what she should not.
"Start from the first day you have met Ai-chan. Tell me everything about since the day, and maybe I can give you one cent of my opinion. Don't think you can hide anything from me. Ai-chan is just like a baby sister to me. So, say" Yuko continued with her strict tone.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Takahashi-san?" Kaori called out, as she stood in front of the desk.
Ai had long finished the document required for the meeting and had sank into a moment of spacing out ever since. Having heard her name being called, she snapped out her thoughts and looked at Kaori.
"It's time for meeting. Let's go." Kaori finished before turning around and headed towards the meeting room.
'So fast? I'm not prepared to meet her yet. . . not after she had closed that door that day. . . ' Ai thought in her mind. Realising that Kaori was nearing the meeting room, Ai quickly packed the stuffs required for the meeting and chased after Kaori.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'So . . . this is the label company that is sponsoring this competition.' Risa noted silently in her mind as the group of them stood at the reception lobby of the building, waiting for further information given. Subconsciously, Risa directed her attention outside the building, towards the position where she stood 2 days ago. 'The expression she had on her face . . . I will never forget that. . . The softness of care and love. . .Would I be able to meet her today over here?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I couldn't find out where did she got her tranquilisers. During her visitation at my house, two of them was able to stop her from her seizure and knock her down. However when I visited her yesterday, she attempted to take 3 just to stop her hands from trembling. I'm not sure how long have she been taking them, or how intensive are dosages. It seemed to be that she might have develop some tolerance towards it, thus having to increase the dosage herself. It's very dangerous for her to do that, and Nakazawa-san, I really don't know what can I do to help. . . " Eri confessed the wrong situation that had happened to Yuko, who now had her serious expression off her face and was replaced with a worried one.
"Let's visit Ai-chan again." Yuko decided.
"But . . . She's at a really easily agitated state right now. Wouldn't it be better not to visit her right now such that we would not agitate her to a higher state?" Eri questioned.
"I will go with you this time round." Yuko finished.
"EH-"
"That's finalised. We will leave straight after work." Yuko ordered, leaving Eri with no other choices but to agree.
"Hai."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!" The team echoed as they entered the meeting room, where Kaori and Ai was already seated in.
"Please take your seats at your names." Kaori spoke.
The people took their respective seats as they were asked to. And that was when Risa had notice Ai was in there. 'This can't be true.' Risa could feel her heartbeat accelerating. Slight shade of redness could be observed across her cheek.
Sensing the incoming of people into the room, Ai looked up from the papers that were set in front of her. And there, their eyes met.
"The meeting today is to discuss the brief details that are planned out in this short period of time. Even though, right now, we are unsure which one of you will be selected on the final round, we are all going to listen to your views on what was in the contract, and explanation of any clauses that anyone of you do not understand." Kaori started off, catching the attention of all in the room, thus breaking the eye contact between Ai and Risa.
"Hai." The team responded in unison.
And as the meeting proceeded, Risa couldn't help but to steal glances at Ai from time to time, hoping that Ai would look at her in some way. 'How I wish she would look at my direction. '
Whereas for Ai, she could not help but to feel uneasy at the glances Risa gave from time to time. 'Please . . . End this meeting soon, such that I can get out of here as soon as possible.
"That's all for now. I thank you for all your opinions today and I look forward to see who's going to step into this office again in a few days time. Please do your best for the final show down. Arigatou gozaimashita. " Kaori finished up and signalled Ai to get up and open the door of the meeting room.
Doing what she was asked to, Ai held the door open as the contestants of the competitions exited the room. Risa stood at one corner of the room, allowing the rest of them to leave the room first. 'I want to talk to her. . . I haven't spoke to her for days.'
"You're not leaving ?" Hiroki asked when he realised Risa was still in the room.
"Ah, Hiroki-san, I'm number 9 for the vocal training later one right? Can I go back to the TV station slightly later without the group? I have some other things to do. I will definitely be back before my turn." Risa requested, bowing her head a little.
'What are you intending to do again, Risa-san?' Ai thought as she frowned a little. The scene before her was a little bit not to her liking.
"Shouldn't be a problem for me. Make sure you fix that key problem of yours before coming in will do." With that, Hiroki left the meeting room, muttering a soft thanks to Ai who was still holding the door open.
"Ah - You are Niigaki-san . . . Am I right?" Kaori went off, trying to remember her name by her seat position around the meeting table previously.
"Hai! Niigaki Risa desu. Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu." Risa self-introduced.
"Niigaki Risa. Your names sounds familiar, but I just can't remember where had I heard that name." Kaori continued.
"Ah . . ." was the only response from Risa. 'I think you remember my name from the newspapers. They always mentioned my name when they talked about my papa on the newspaper. But there's no way I'm gonna to tell her who am I. It's better if things are left like what it is now.' Risa thought.
"Anyway, you are not leaving?" Kaori continued asking as she stepped slightly forward, just beside Ai now.
"After you." Risa gestured.
"Thank you." Kaori thanked. Turning towards Ai now, she continued softly, "Can you include the news points included in today's meeting into the contract and also make amendments to the points discussed today? Draft out by this evening, is that possible for you?"
Ai nodded her head lightly.
"Arigatou. You are of a great help today." Kaori finished and proceeded out of the room and back to her office.
'AH! Don't leave me alone yet. . . ' Ai thought as she deepen her frown. 'I . . . don't have anything to talk to her. ' Pouting a little , Ai turned around and faced Risa, shooting her with a glare that Risa had never seen from that gentle girl.
"Ai-san . . ." Risa called out as she licked her lips nervously.
(You're not leaving?) Ai signed as she stopped glaring.
"I - I " Risa shuttered with her nervously filling up her heart.
(If you are not leaving, I am.) Ai continued without allowing Risa to finish with her words. She moved back to the meeting room and gathered her stuffs in her hands and prepared to leave the room.
"Wait Ai-san, I wanna to talk to you. . ." Risa pleaded, but was cut off by Ai before she could reach her main point.
(Stop saying that you want to talk to me when you do not have the intention to. You don't have to play nice to me.) Ai signed, remembering the night that broke her heart. Tears was forming in her eye but she kept them there, and not letting them to fall off her face. Gathering the papers she had dropped on the floor when she signed, Ai left the meeting room, leaving Risa standing alone in the room.
'I guess . . .I'd really hurt her when I left her house. It's all your selfishness, Risa.' Looking in the way where Ai left, Risa could felt the salty tears in her mouth. 'Ai-san, it's never by intention that I'd hurt. I never thought I would hurt you. What can I do, to make you trust me again?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What time will Ai-chan comes back?" Yuko asked for the third time in the an hour of waiting outside the apartment.
"I - I'm not sure, Nakazawa-san. She never told me what time she ends her work. Probably, she's doing over time today?" Eri suggested. She was slightly terrified by the worried and angry Yuko in front of her.
Just Eri finished her sentence, a 'ding' sound was heard, indicating that the door of the elevator was opened.
Yuko turned around immediately to see who was it, and it was indeed the person the two of them had been waiting for the hour.
"Ai-chan! You're back!" Yuko cried out and lugged Ai into a huge hug, scaring the poor girl.
'EH? Nakazawa-san?' Ai thought in her shock.
"How are you? I missed you so much, cutie little girl." Yuko continued, patting Ai's bangs.
(Nakazawa-san, what are you doing over here?) Ai signed as she tried to get away from Yuko's hug.
"Because I heard from someone that my cute girl is not feeling well, Ai-chan." Yuko answered in her strict and funny tone.
'Eh?' Ai wondered. And that only persisted for a short while as she had finally noticed Eri, with her facial expression showing nothing but shock, standing awkwardly behind Yuko. 'So . . . It's about that issue. . . '
"Hi - Hi, Ai-san. " Eri stuttered a little bit.
"Maa, Ai-chan, let's get us in. We have been waiting here for an hour already." Yuko broke the awkwardness and pushed Ai lightly towards the door, signally her to unlock the door.
(Hai) Ai nodded her head as she signed.
In the apartment, Yuko made her way swiftly to the sofa and sat down while Eri remained standing near the door, being unsure about her current position in the situation.
(Do you all need any drinks?) Ai asked as she placed her bag at the kitchen counter table. Eri shook her head humbly.
"No. Ai-chan. I don't need either. Come over, I have something to ask you." Yuko called out.
Ai made her way slowly towards Yuko and sat at the seat beside Yuko.
"Ai-chan, have you been taking tranquilisers?" Yuko asked
Ai nodded her head lightly, bitting at the lower lips at the same time.
"For how long?" Yuko continued.
(A few years.) Ai hung her head down in shame.
"How?"
(I read it from books that it can helps to ease some trembling and seizure that I get from time to time. And I wanted to try it.) Ai signed
"And do you know that you need a psychiatrist prescription for them? Not everyone can take the same dosage as what you have read in the books, do you that?" Yuko continued.
Ai nodded her head.
"Will you promise me that you will not take them again?"
(I will try . . . but Nakazawa-san, I will promise I won't abuse them.) Ai finished.
'Is this how their normal sessions happen? Ai-san just told all the answers that Nakazawa-san had asked. And she didn’t even answered one of mine yesterday. . . If that was the case, why did Nakazawa-san chose to give this case to me?' Eri thought in her mind, still in the shock by the scene before her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Nakazawa-san, can I ask you a question?" Eri asked as Yuko and her walked along the brightly illuminated streets. The both of them had spent another hour at Ai's apartment, mainly with Nakazawa-san catching up with Ai and her new workplace.
"Yes, what do you want to ask me, Kamei-san?"
"Takahashi-san seems to trust you a lot. She don't hide stuffs from you, don't she?" Eri continued her questions.
"You can say that so."
"So . . . Why did you pass on her case to me? Since she's comfortable and trust you so much, wouldn't it be easier for you to approach her instead of me, someone whom she barely knew?" Eri questioned.
"How should I say . . . Basically, I watched Ai-chan grew up. The kind of trust she gave me was a form of respect. She had told me before that she won't lie to me because she respects me. And that's all. The trust she needs to have in order to share the hurt, the pain she's feeling in here," Yuko explained, pointing to the position of her heart, " is different from the trust of respect she gave me. It requires more than a trust of respect to understand and feel what she has been suffering from inside. And therefore I thought, maybe it's time to pass on the case, to someone closer to her age, who may be able to understand what kind of issues that affects her the most. Do you understand now, Kamei-san?:
"Wakarimashita." Eri responded. She was amazed by the explanation Yuko had just gave. 'Comparing the way she speaks now and the way she spoke to Ai-san just now, Nakazawa-san is really an amazing person . . . ' "I will do my best to help Takahashi-san!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan~ The next chapter should be a nice chapter :)
-
Oh gosh, a glaring Ai-chan!! :shocked Don't leave me/us hanging at the TakaGaki scene! :cry:
Nakazawa-san is awesome. :twothumbs
A person who Ai-chan can trust more than just out of respect has to be Risa, right? :D I'm not sure if Eri can get through to her.. ;) It's TakaGaki love. :heart:
-
it definitely be a tougher job for Eri now..Aichan dont seem to wanna let Eri know what going on with her personal life at all..but Eri saw a more worst state of Aichan..
and Aichan misunderstand Gakisan too..and when Aichan start to trust Gakisan more, till the time she realise Gakisan is the one her parents choose afterall and leaving her behind, it will break Aichan up more imo..
nice chp..next chp pls! :lol: XD
and next chp is a nice chp? TakaGaki? XD :deco:
-
Sorry for not commenting since last time, but the chapter just made me depressed day after day and so I had no will to post anything... :mon POd:
But I really liked it! Eri and Risa are adjusting to Ai's feelings, thinking hard to find a way to reach for Ai-chan. Ai-chan is all closed up because talking about her parents will only make her suffer more... Really good plot :bow:
So... next chapter... Risa will sing THAT song right? right? And Ai-chan will listen to it and then it will be like that :mon uggh: :mon huh: :mon hanky: :mon waterworks: :mon runcry: :mon whimper: :monk gboy:
(just wanted to make a monkey attack ^^)
-
Hihihi~~ Here comes chapter 13 and came out exceptionally long -.-. Was debating with myself whether should i cut it into two chapters . . . .but . . Hahah. It's the best to leave it as it was. So yeah. . . .
I'm running late for something (as i woke up later than expected) So. . . .:)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 13 - The Heart of the Silent]
"Risa! Aren't you excited?! The final competition is just 2 days way!!" Eri squeaked excitedly.
And all Eri got for reply was a monotonous agreement.
The pair of best friend was lying on Eri's bed, preparing to a night worth talk together that night as Risa would need to check into the hotel arranged by the TV station the day before the final competition.
"What happened to you, Risa? You don’t sound excited at all." Eri complained. "You are going to achieve your dreams, have you realised that?"
And all Eri got again was the same reply.
"Why are you not excited then, Risa?" Using another form to tackle the problem, Eri asked again.
"Hmm hmm. Who said I am not excited. I am excited for the competition." Risa finally spoke up.
"But you don’t sound like you are excited at all! What's up with that monotonous replies you had been giving me? " Eri continued. "Don't tell me that you are nervous . . . Like I would believe in that."
"Nee, Eri, if I'd won the competition, what would that mean?"
"Isn't being a singer what you dreamt of, Risa. Isn't that the reason why you ran away from home? Isn't that the reason you appear in front of my house in the middle of the night, just to irritate my life?" Eri answered, and ended with a joke in the end, hoping that Risa would be cheered up a little.
"Yes. It is my dream to become a singer. . ." Risa reflected.
"Then isn't that enough? It's your dream. stop thinking too much nah, Risa-chan."
'But . . . so what if my dream is fulfil when she's still not talking to me. '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Everyone, please gather over here!" The producer of the show called out in the studio. "The next rehearsal will the last rehearsal before the competition tomorrow. We will not be giving any studio rehearsals before the actual competition tomorrow, so do cherish this last rehearsal to pick up any enquires any of you had, is that clear?"
"Hai!" All of the contestants responded in unison.
"Alright, now I will announce the sequence of appearance for the final competition. Number 1, Kusumi Koharu-san."
"Hai!" Upon the mention of her name, Koharu raised her hand and shouted to acknowledge her presence.
"Number 10, Niigaki Risa. You are going last for the competition."
"Eh?" Risa first responded as she snapped out of the daze. "Hai! Wakarimashita." Risa continued. 'Why am I going in last?'
"Alright, each and every of you are sure which sequence are you all singing, right?" The producer continued asking.
"Hai!"
"Get ready, Number 1" The producer called out.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Niigaki-san!" Hiroki called out as Risa prepared to leave the studio and head back to the hotel that had checked in in the morning.
Turning herself around to face Hiroki, Risa responded, "Yes, Hiroki-san?"
"Your voice isn't coming out today. Are you alright?" Hiroki concerned.
"Ah, perhaps my vocal chords were not warmed up yet. Sorry for worrying about that, Hiroki-san." Risa suggested a reason for her down standard performance at the final rehearsal moments ago, though deep within herself, she knew what was the actual reason for that.
"Then, make sure they are warmed up before the competition tomorrow. You have the qualities to win. Don't lose it to yourself."
"Hai. Wakarimashita." Risa nodded her head at the advice given by the vocal coach. "Otsukaresamadeshita."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back alone in the hotel room, Risa laid on her back on the soft comfy bed, with her eyes fixed on the pearl white ceiling of the room. 'I wanna to see Ai-san. . .' Turning over, she stared at the ticket and backstage pass that were placed on the bedside table. 'I want her to come and watch me live . . . I won't be able to sing that song without her being on site. It would means nothing to me if she continues to stay away from me. Even if I win. it would still meant nothing. . . '
Having her mind decided, Risa got up from the bed, grabbed the tickets from the table, her sweater from the back of the door, the key card and ran of the room, towards, the lobby and out of the hotel.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Finally, the final contract is done.' Ai thought as she walked down the lonely busy street of Tokyo. It was already 8 pm in the night, but yet, the street was still filled with people, each of them being into their own whole - Couples who walked in pairs together, married personnel rushing down the streets back home to join their family at the table, single man and women, like Ai, who had just finish their worth of overtime at work. 'Tomorrow is the competition already. . . and Iida-san had asked me to go with her to be on site, to wait for the results of the competition . . .'
'Takahashi-san, would you accompany me down to the studio tomorrow for the competition? I know it's a weekend and it's not a working day, but if you are free, I would like you to be there.' Kaori asked as Ai stood before her work table, with the completed contract in her hand.
'I still don’t know how to act around her. The further I am away from her, the more I want to see her. Yet when she's around, I can't help but to remember how she had walked out like they did, and the more I want to get away from her. So, what on earth do you want, Ai!' Ai reflected in her mind, and thought back her answer to Kaori's question.
{Sorry Iida-san, I don't feel like going. You can ask Himadase-san you go with you. I think he is very interested in this project the company is investing in.}
"If that's so, I will not force you to do so, Takahashi-san. Thank you for staying back till so late to finish up with the last minute amendments. I'm so sorry for keeping you back today." Kaori continued, while packing her stuffs into her handbag. "Do you need a ride home or anything? It's so late at night already, and I don't think it's safe to have you to return home alone by yourself."
Ai shook her head, giving her one of best smiles, indicating that she was fine to be left alone.
"You sure? I won't mind sending you back, Takahashi-san." Kaori insisted.
Picking up the paper from the table, Ai wrote {It's alright Iida-san. I can get back by myself. I don't live very far away. You should just head straight back home. Your family is waiting for you.}
"If that's the case, I will see you at work on Monday then." Kaori finished off.
And Ai nodded her head in response.
Snapping back from the memory that had just happened not too long ago, Ai realised that the street is no longer as busy as it was few minutes ago. 'Ah. this is better . . . At least there's not so many people on the street. . . I could walk with slightly more ease as compared to just now.' Ai thought.
Tilting her head upwards, Ai glance at the sky through the tall infrastructure of the city, hoping to note any stars in the sky. 'I guess you can't see the stars in the city after all . . . '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Would she be still at her workplace at such a time?' Risa thought doubtfully as she closed in to the building where Ai work. 'I will just need to try my luck then.' Risa encouraged herself as she continued to jog slowly down the street of Tokyo.
'Is that Ai-san?' Risa questioned in her mind as she saw a familiar back stopping in the middle of the walkway and had her attention adverted to the sky up above. Decided to trust her instincts, Risa shouted out, "Ai-san."
And Ai had turned at the familiar call. Recognising the voice that had just called her, Ai frowned. She began to pick up her speed in walking, after sensing the attempt to close the distance between them by Risa.
"Ai-san" Risa called out again but Ai had showed no signs of slowing down.
"Takahashi Ai!" Risa screamed, successfully getting the attention of the minute people walking down the street. And that too, had finally stop Ai in her tracks. 'Finally.' Risa thought as she tried to closed that distance.
However, at this point of time, Ai turned around and signed a stop sign to Risa. And Risa stopped. (What is it again, Niigaki-san?) Ai signed desperately, hoping that Risa will stop moving closer to her and keep popping up in her life.
"I know this was late and probably useless now, but I am really sorry about that day. I really didn't meant to do that. I just. . . " Risa tried to explain, but words just can't come out from her mouth.
(Don't even bother about that, Niigaki-san. You don't step on someone's foot and walk away, only to come back 3 days later to say sorry. Things don't work this way.) Ai signed, with tears threatening to fall from her face.
"What if - what if that day, I told you, I like you, what would you do?" Risa, mustering all of the courage that she needs, clutching the tickets tightly in her hands and asked.
(Don't say things that are not going to happen.) Ai signed. (I'm not here for you to fool around, please, Niigaki-san)
(Then I will not say it. If this the way you would want a conversation to continue, I will do it this way. If this the way of life you have, I will live it together with you in the same way.) Risa signed back to Ai. And that left Ai surprised. (I like you. This is the fact and the truth and nothing other else. ) Noticing the shocked expression on Ai's face, Risa knew this was not the right conversation to continue with. (Will you be there tomorrow to watch my competition? Please? )
Ai shook her head stubbornly. Tears that were held back had already made their way down her flawless cheek. Using the back of her hand, Ai wiped away the stubborn tears. (I have no intention to go and I will not go) 'She must be kidding when she said she like me. Why would she even like me. A cheerful girl like her, shouldn't have like someone like me. No.'
(I want you to come. I will not speak a word, until I see you tomorrow at the studio. Please, everything I had said today, are all from the bottom of my heart. I won't sing tomorrow, until I see you.) With that, Risa walked towards closer to Ai, despite Ai's request of her staying away, and placed the tickets firmly into Ai's hands. (I really hope to see you tomorrow, Ai-san.) Risa signed, looking seriously into Ai's eyes.
With that, Risa turned back to the direction she came from, and began to walk back to the hotel. 'I'm not gonna to speak. If this is the kind of world you would like to live in, I don't mind living in the silence together with you, Ai-san'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Mama . . . Don't leave Ai alone . . . Mama . . . say, you will come back for me right?' Little Ai stood at her bedroom door, and watched as she main door of the house closed on her . . . 'Mama . . . '
" I'm . . . I'm sorry for the impulse visitation just now. I guess . . . I shall leave now. Sorry about that, Ai-san." And following that, was the sound of the closed door.
Ai jerked up from her bed. Tears were streaming down her face like the water in the river. 'Can all these please stop . . ' Ai begged silently, wiping away her tears with her shaky hands. Reaching over to the bedside table, she intended to grab the pack of tranquiliser that were placed there, to stop the shaking of her hands. Then she remembered. 'I had promised Nakazawa-san that I won't abused them.' With that, she pulled back her hands back to herself.
And as she were doing that, her eyes caught something familiar beside the pills. 'The competition.' Ai remembered as she saw the ticket. Picking them up and placed it before her eyes, Ai thought, 'Should I go? She said . . .'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa stood at the lobby reception area of the studio level, waiting for Ai to appear at the studio. The live broadcast will starts in an hour time, and Risa, had yet to find Ai's presence in the place. 'Will she come? I really want her to come. If she's not coming, I won't be participating. I had decided on that.'
"Risa? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the dressing room preparing for the competition?" Eri asked as she stepped out of the elevator and saw Risa standing leaning against the wall, in daze.
Risa did not spoke, but just nodded her head and allowed Eri to drag her back to the dressing.
"How was your day yesterday? Managed to get some sleep or was it a sleepless night due to the excitement?" Eri continued to ask as the both of them were walking side by side.
(It was okay.) Risa signed.
And Eri looked at Risa like she is an alien.
"Why are you signing?" Eri exclaimed, with her eyes shot to its maximum size.
(I -) Risa was interrupted before she could explain why was signing.
"Niigaki-san, please go and have your make up and done, now, immediately." The floor manager exclaimed, resulting in a flustered Risa running down the halls and back to the dressing room. "And this lady over here, what are you doing over here? I don’t' recognised you as any participants or stuff of this programme. Do you know that this place is strictly out of access to the public unless authorised?" The floor manager continued.
"I - I got my backstage pass. This is considered authorised right?" Eri showed him the pass that were hanging on her neck. "I will make my move now." With that, Eri chased after the disappearing Risa. 'Geez. That person is scary. He's even scarier than my boss . . . '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ai sat on the bench just a few minute walk away from the TV station. She had been sitting over there for an hour, and had yet to make up her mind. 'Should I go? It's no harm going right? Why did she wants me to be there in the first place?'
'Maybe I shouldn't go.' Ai hesitated as she stood up from the bench. 'But she said if I'm not there, she's not gonna to speak, she's not gonna to sing later.' The other side of her mind countered, causing Ai to sit down back to the seat she was seated previously. 'Are you sure that you can believe in her? She could be just mentioning about it.' Ai made a silent groan as she shook her head. 'So should I go or not go?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Risa why are you talking? Why are you signing?" Eri asked as she sat beside Risa at the make-up table. The make-up artist was helping Risa to put on her make, just some final touching up.
"Alright, you're done. " The make-up artist informed.
Risa bowed her head to show her thanks. Eri pulled Risa to face her. "Why are you signing? "
(I've promised, until I see her, I won't speak a word.) Risa signed.
"EH?!" Eri exclaimed, still not getting the idea Risa was trying to put across to her. "Who is that her? And why?"
"Five minutes to live broadcast. Can everyone please gather at the studio?" The floor manager informed.
(Got to go. See you later.) Risa finished, leaving Eri in her own state of confusion. 'EH?! If you are not going to speak a word, how are you going to sing for the competition later, Risa?'
Realising that she was the only one left in the dressing room, Eri hurriedly chased after the group that had left. She remained in the backstage while the contestants are on the stage, receiving final information about the things to follow.
'Why Risa? What had happened again? Could it be Ai-san that she's talking about?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Maybe I should not go . . . She's probably kidding with me. . .' Ai decided. Looking at the ticket, she realised. 'Ah, the competition had started. I don't think I could get, even if I had decided to go.' Placing the pass and the ticket back into her handbag, Ai stood up. 'But . . .what if she really meant what she had said yesterday? Ai?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Number 4, please get ready. You are next to get on stage." The stage assistance called out.
"Hai!"
"Risa, which number are you?" Eri asked.
(10.) Risa signed as she had her eyes scanning the audience seats from her position at the side of the backstage, hoping to find the girl that she wants to see the most.
"Still not talking, Risa?" When are you intending to stop this?" Eri reprimanded, getting slightly angry. "Didn't you say it's your dream to win this competition and become a singer? Tell me, what are you doing now?"
(I had said before, I'm not gonna to speak a word until she comes. If she's not here, nothing else matters to me anymore. Not anymore.) Risa signed with determination.
"Are you talking about Ai-san?" Eri questioned, with a slightly shaky voice.
Risa nodded her head. (I think I love her. I never had the courage to admit that. I only told her I like her. But right now, all I want is her. All I want is to help her, to heal her, to save her from all these sufferings she had suffered all these years. I want to know her more. I really want to protect her. But. . . ) Tears began to flow when Risa had reached this part. (She's not gonna to let me to do it. I have hurt her unknowingly. She's not here. She's not coming.)
"Risa . . ."
"Why are you crying?" The make-up artist came over and interrupted Eri. "You're ruining your make-up!" With that, the make-up artist dragged Risa further back into the backstage.
'I need to help her. . . '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Ai began to make her first move away from the bench, the vibrating phone in her bag stopped her.
{Ai-san, are you going to come for Risa's competition? - Eri}
Deciding to be firm on her decision, Ai typed in her answer. {No. I am not. Sorry -Ai}
Almost immediately, Eri replied. {Can you please be here. Risa needs you. She's not speaking a word. Not until you are here, that what she said. Please - Eri}
{Sorry, Eri-san. I don't think I would make any different. I'm sorry. I don't think I would be able to help. - Ai}
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
{Ai-san, Please. . . - Eri} Eri sent in the same message the fouth time, only to have the same response as the previous three times. 'I'm sorry. . .' Eri read. 'Gosh! The two of them are just as stubborn at times. One is refusing to talk. One is refusing to come. ARGH! And why am I the only one being anxious about the current situation, I wonder.'
A pat on her shoulder brought Eri to her attention.
(What are you doing, Eri?) Risa signed.
"Done with your make up?" Eri asked. 'Still as stubborn, I see.'
Risa nodded her head. 'She's still not here yet.'
"Number 9 is off the stage now. Number 10, be prepared to go on stage in 8 minutes time." The assistance informed.
Looking sadly and defeatedly, Risa turned towards and let out a deep sigh. (I think she's not coming. If she's not coming, there's no meaning for me to sing this song. I gonna to tell the producer I want to drop off.) Risa finally signed. And slowly, she closed herself towards the producer of the programme, deciding to inform the producer about her sudden decision.
"Takahashi-san, why are you here? I thought you said you didn't want to come?" Risa heard a familiar voice said. Turning to face the entrance of studio, Risa saw Kaori, standing beside a out-of-breath Ai. 'She came!' Joy were leaping out from Risa's heart. "Do you need water?" Kaori continued asking.
Ai shook her head as she allowed her eyes to run across the studio.
"Ai-san!" Eri ran towards Ai.
(Where's Risa-san?) Ai signed, with her trembling hands.
Eri noticed Ai's hands were trembling and she began to worry for Ai. "Are you okay, Ai-san, your hands. . ."
(I'm fine. Where's Risa-san?)
And Eri showed the direction where Risa was.
(You came. I am really happy that you came.) Risa signed, with tears filling her eyes once again.
(BAKA. I'm already here. You've seen me. So speak.)
"I . . . "Risa started but was interrupted by the stage assistance.
"Number 10. You're next. 3 minutes."
"I need to go . . . Please stay . . ."
(I will and please go) Ai signed, still not allowing any emotions to surface on her face.
"Let's go into the audience seats together and watch her, Ai-san" Eri came over and suggested. Ai said nothing, but just nodded her head.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"And now, let's welcome contestant number 10, Niigaki Risa, with a song called Soradokei (Sky watch)"
Risa walked out from the backstage, holding her microphone stand, and walked towards the center of the stage. (This song is for you, Ai-san.)
Looking outside the window, watching the stars
Keep on thinking on the things about you
You too may have realised
that the season had changed quickly
And right now
I'm going to conveyed this unchanged feelings of mine
through this letter
Reaching the chorus of the song, Risa began to let her eyes to fix on Ai's .
Even though this may be a common way of saying
But
This is what I am feeling
Even though I could not express it very well
Happiness
Always be with you
Moving into the second verse, Risa could no longer be bothered by the director's signal to face the camera. She only had her vision set on one person - Ai.
'Is that true? Will happiness be always be with me?' Ai thought sadly in her mind as Risa sang the chorus.
For example
If I am able to fly freely
under this sky of mine
I will be able to fly immediately
to the source of your tears.
Nee
Do you understand that
You are not alone
I will always be by your side
Even though you are surrounded with saddnes
but because of your strong personality
you are always smiling
However I know that
the truth is that your heart is really hurting
By the end of the second chorus, the water works of Ai had already began its work. 'Don't say that please, Risa-san.'
Upon reaching the bridge, Risa could notice that Ai wanted to leave the area, only to end up battling with Eri, who used all her might to keep Ai beside her. 'Thank you, Eri. I owe you a drink. . .'
Will I be the only one to be able to wipe away
the sorrow the you held in your hand
And I really wish that
those invisible scars of yours
will disappear someday
'And this is really my one and only wish, that one day, all the sadness, all the sorrow will disappear . . .Ai-san' Risa thought as she sang.
'Am I really worth of all that, Risa-san. Can I trust with the sorrows, the pain, the scars that were left behind by them into your hands?'
Once again
Even though we do know what tomorrow will bring about
But know that the morning will always be accompanied by it
Why not lets laugh like it's impossible
You are still you after all
Even though this may be a common way of saying
But
This is what I am feeling
Even though I could not express it very well
Happiness
Always be with you
With that, Risa ended her last note. Tears were visible in her eyes. 'I did it. Have you receive the message my heart had been wanting to tell you all these while?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"And now, we will announce the winner of the competition, and she is . . . Number 10, Niigaki Risa!" The announcer announced, and the crowds went into a huge roar of applause.
"Niigaki-san, congratulations "
Risa was being shoved forward by one of the participants. 'I won? Are you kidding me?' Risa thought.
"AHH!!! RISA!!!!!!!!!" Eri screamed and up from her seat, like a little girl, causing the girl beside her to at her with shock. "Ai-san, aren't you excited? Risa WON!" Eri turned around and shook Ai violently. Realising what she was doing, Eri stopped. "Ah. Sorry."
(It's alright) Ai signed, and tried to give a smile to Eri.
"So Niigaki-san, how do you feel about winning this competition?" The host asked.
"I'm very happy. It's like a dream come true for me." Risa answered, while trying to suppress her tears of excitement.
"Is there anyone you would like to thank?" The host continued.
"Yes. First is my best friend, who had all the way, supported me through my nonsense and always be there for me, when I need someone to talk to, someone to irritate with. And the other person, is her." Risa continued, with her eyes fixed on Ai. "Without her, I wouldn't have been truthful to my own feelings. Without her, I would have known how fortunate I am throughout my whole life. Without her, I wouldn't have courage to sing this song today. Thank you, Ai-san" Risa finished.
The camera had zoomed its focus on Ai. Ai realised that she was on the screen, she panicked. Speedily, she stood up from the seat and ran out of the studio.
"Ai-san! Eri shouted. She wanted to chase after Ai, but was blocked by the people sitting beside her.
Realising that Ai had ran out of the studio, Risa dropped the microphone onto the ground, and picked up her speed to chase Ai. "Ai-san!" Risa cried as she ran out of the studio.
"Niigaki-san!" The director was shocked.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ai-san!" Risa cried out, panting heavily to catch her breath. 'She surely runs fast.' Risa thought silently in her mind.
Ai had ran out of the TV station and now running on the streets.
"Takahashi Ai" Risa screamed, using the same way to get Ai's attention like the way she did yesterday.
And Ai did stop.
'Finally . I swear, I had never ran this fast in my life.' Risa thought as she quickly closed the distance between them. "Why are you running away?"
(Why are you chasing me?) Ai asked. Her face was covered with sweat and tears. Her hands were shaky and trembling.
"Because you had ran away, that why I'm chasing, Ai-san." Risa replied as she reached out her hands, wanting to wipe away the tears off Ai's face. "Why are you crying?"
Ai squirmed as Risa tried to touch her face. (Nothing.)
Silence filled in, with the two of them, looking at each other in the eye.
"I will say it again, if you are still doubting whether is it from the bottom of my heart, Ai-san." Risa broke the silence, seemingly to understand the uncertainty that was running in Ai's mind through the look in her eye. "I love you, Ai-san" Leaning forward towards Ai, Risa kissed Ai lightly on her cheeks and stayed there for awhile, until she tasted salty tears of Ai.
Pulling herself back, Risa was presented with a tear-stricken Ai, sobbing silently. Not knowing what she should do, Risa embraced Ai into a hug, allowing the slightly shorter girl to lean on her shoulder.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How was it?? :D
Anyway, this would the last of the daily update spree I had the past 13 days :X I needa to stop writing everyday and start catching up on my uni work. But i will still try to write during ever break i take from my work . So. Ja Ne~
Oh YAH! By the way. the song used is Soradokei by Nana Mizuki XD forgot to mention about that . .. hahaha
-
you do update very fast O_O
hahaha. that's why my daily visit on H!P fanfics forum is always worth.
yeah finally. ai is such a coward. sometimes i wanna smack her head and turn those screwed thoughts.
don't tell me she gonna run away and hide after that kiss-on-cheek coz i'm still expecting a sweet kiss-on-lips sooner XD
in one chapter (just can't remember which one), i thought of Eri liking Risa. hmmm~
but she's a very good friend, isn't it. i wonder if she really does...
waiting for another chapter (tomorrow). ;)
-
SORRY. It's not by any intention that it sounds like Kokoro no Uta. :X it just yeah. . . hmmm. . . i had the idea even before i read the story. so hehe *awkward*
EH? Oh no, it's fine! I didn't really think it was that similar... I mean, I didn't really think much of it. Sorry if I made you feel awkward :nervous
Just keep doing what you're doing! I really like the way you're taking this~ :twothumbs
KYA koharu appearance~ :lol:
and OMG they're together! TakaGaki together! The song really fit the situation well... :wub:
and i actually found it REALLY funny when Ai ran out and then Risa ran out, leaving the director behind empty. :lol:
Okay, yeah, I'm in Lala-land~ :on gay:
-
Gah, I was sitting on the edge of my seat, I really wasn't sure Ai would come to the competition. And even while she was there, Eri had to hold her back from leaving suddenly. XD And Gaki won!! Woohoo! But has she won Ai's heart?
-
Awww~ How sweet of Gaki. :heart: She would give up the dream she had for almost her whole life for Ai-chan. :shy2:
Stubborn stubborn stubborn! :frustrated:
They're still not getting rid of the formalities. ;)
OMG, YES. FINALLY SOME TAKAGAKI LOVE. :mon inluv: **Huggles** :inlove:
That was a very LOVELY chapter. :bow:
-
These two are stubborn!!! :smhid
But, at last, finally takagaki :wub:
-
Leave it to Gaki to be the romantic who will go to the world's end in order to win Ai's love :wub:
Looking forward to how their relationship develops :D
-
@ aya-chii : Hello! Thank you for commenting . . . to keep updating is the only way to push my self to complete writing this story :) hehehe . . .
@ SarangAi : Hehehe . . . I just kinda felt bad about that . . . but i could say - *ah i shouldn't say that* Nothing nothing . . hahaha Thank you . and say YES to TakaGaki :)
@ rndmnwierd : Yupps Risa won!! Had she won her heart? Read to find out :) heheh
@ kano-chan : Thank you ^.-
@ Shiawase_Honoo : Yupps they are finally together. Took me so long to write until this part. I never thought this story would last so long . . .hmmm
@ Bamtai : Risa is a romantictist . . HAHAHA.
Okay, now i really did not had the intention to update today. But i had actually finished the next chapter, unknowningly inbetween my school work. So i thought, why not :) hehe. Enjoy :)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 14 - Close to the Heart]
{Mama, can I sleep with you tonight? Ai is afraid to be alone tonight} Little Ai took the writing board given to her with her into her parents room, and stood beside her mother.
"Yes you can, Ai-chan." The kind mother replied as she carried Ai onto the tall bed, and set Ai beside her own body. "Sweet dreams, my Ai-chan"
Snuggling into her mother's embrace, little Ai had fallen asleep immediately, with a slight smile sneaking its way through her immature face. 'Mama's embrace, it's always felt so warm, so close, so much peace . . . so much comfort. . . so much protection.'
The first light in the morning had shone into the through the uncovered window. ’Bright. . . It's so bright. . . ' Forcing her eyes to open, little Ai realised, she's alone. 'Mama . . . mama . . . Where are you?' Little Ai cried her mind. Frantically, Little Ai tried to get off the bed, wanting to search for her mother, but ended tumbling down the bed with a loud bang.
"Ai-chan?" The familiar women rushed towards her, holding her up to see whether did she injured herself during the fall. "Are you hurt anywhere, Ai-chan?"
Little Ai shook her head, and went forward to hug the women tightly, refusing to let go of her.
Her eyes shot open, snapping herself away from the dream. Tears fell from her eye naturally. 'They had left. . .'
As usual, Ai had been awaken by her blurry childhood memories in her dreams. Unlike the usual, Ai did not get of the bed immediately. Instead, Ai had not made a flinch since she had woke up. Glancing slightly upward at the girl who is sleeping beside her, a warm fuzzy feeling began to run across her face. 'She's sleeping so peacefully. I shouldn't move or do anything. She would be awaken by me.' Ai thought silently in her mind.
Risa snuggled closer to Ai while still her sleep, tightening the hold she had on Ai's waist.
'It felt so nostalgia to be held so tightly in my sleep . . .' Ai thought. 'It just like how . . . she always hold me in my sleep when I was afraid, when I could not sleep. . .'
"I will say it again, if you are still doubting whether is it from the bottom of my heart, Ai-san. I love you, Ai-san " The voice of Risa rang in her mind. The confessions, leading Ai back to last night . . .
Ai froze as Risa leaned closer towards her. As Risa's soft lips came in contact to her cheek, the tears that she tried to stop moments before began to run down the same way again. 'Is this for real, Risa-san.'
' Will I be the only one to be able to wipe away the sorrow the you held in your hand And I really wish that those invisible scars of yours will disappear someday' The lyrics of the song Risa wrote came running back into Ai's mind. Memories that were buried deep in her mind began surfacing out.
. . .
"She's not a mute! She's just a special child. A special child that needs special attention. The doctor had said that her vocal cord is not damaged. There's no chance that she would be a mute. She's going learn how to talk bit by bits. She needs time. She needs us. Maybe we can move to a new environment."
. . .
"You do not need to work till so late at night, didn’t you? Ai-chan's asking for you for days. What should I tell her?" Her mother argued.
"She's a mute! I can’t accept that."
"She's not honey! The doctors said that Ai-chan can speak! There's nothing wrong with her vocal cords. She's not a mute, do you understand?" Her mother retaliated.
"Still, she hadn't made a cry in her life. I'm can't dear, it's hard to accept her. I do not know how to communicate with her, how to deal with her."
. . .
'Let's go hun. . . '
. . .
'Tick tick tick tick . . .
. . .
"Abe-san, she is weird! Why can't she just open her mouth and talk to us? We are not her minions . . ."
. . .
(Are you trying to insult us? I heard from the teacher that you are not mute! You are just choosing not to talk? Have you ever spare a thought for us?)
. . .
"Ah~ Here comes the mute girl. I wonder why did the principle even agree to have such a person in the school."
. . .
"Ne ne ne ~ Do you know how can you become a genius? Just hang around that dumb girl in the school. Look at Asami-chan! She's one good example!"
. . .
"Takahashi-san, we are very sorry to inform you that your application to our job is unsuccessful. We thank you for applying, but we can't really have you with us. It's going to create a lot of trouble of us . . . "
. . .
Her hands starts to tremble uncontrollably, just like the tears that are flowing down her cheeks. For the first time, she had allowed herself to cry so freely in front of someone. For some reasons, Ai hates to cry. Tears are a form of weakness to her. Being already weak in her mental state, she did not want anyone to know that she was weak. Allowing people to know that she was so venerable inside, was the last thing that she wanted it to happen. But all these will and determination she had all these years, had been broken into , at the appearance of Niigaki Risa.
And as Risa removed her lips from Ai's cheeks, Ai shivered. Pain from the years, unspoken incidents, unknown memories were all written in her tears. As Risa pulled Ai into her embrace, Ai broke into a series of silent sobs, releasing them all into Risa's shoulder.
The sudden bright flash of light startled Ai, causing Ai to pull herself away from Risa's shoulder. 'What was that?'
Swamps of media came surrounding the both of them, and Ai was getting uncomfortable about it. Risa's protective hands wrapped around Ai's shaky ones and gave her a tight squeeze, ensuring Ai that, she was there with her.
"Sorry. Please, no photograph taking!" Risa shouted out firmly, like how she was used to. The media backed off, at the sudden serious tone of Risa. Taking the chance, Risa guided Ai out of the crowd and walked away.
Looking at the hands that were holding onto hers, Ai broke down again. 'Will she always be there to hold me? Will there be one day, where she's tired of this silence, and she would walk out of my life?'
"Ai-san." Risa stopped and called out, as she noticed Ai was staring at their hands while trying to catch with her pace of getting away. "I will never let go of these hands, trust me." Risa promised as she held the pair of hands close to her left chest, close to her heart.
Ai nodded her head. 'Maybe this time round . . . This is really someone, I could trust?'
And when Risa had safely escorted Ai back to her apartment and was ready to leave for the hotel, Ai stopped her. Ai attached herself onto Risa, and that shocked Risa. "Is there anything wrong?"
(No.) Ai shook her head and signed as she pulled away from the hug she initiated.
"Did you want me to . . . stay with you tonight?" Risa guessed.
Ai looked really troubled for a moment and it did not remain unnoticed by Risa. 'It's better if I don't ask . . . What if she doesn't have the intention to stay?' Ai doubt.
"I will stay tonight then." Risa concluded.
"Hmmm. How long have you been awake?" A sleepy voiced Risa woke Ai from the memory from the previous night. Risa struggled to keep her sleepy eyes open and that made Ai to giggle silently at her attempt to.
(I just had the habit to wake up early) Ai signed
"Hmmm?" Risa whined softly, obviously had not caught what Ai had signed.
(Nothing. Just get back to sleep, Risa-san) Ai signed again.
"Hmmm?" Risa whined again, still not catching Ai's sign.
Ai just shook her head, indicating that it was nothing.
"Hmmm." Risa whined, nodding her head as she felt the motion. She snuggled back to the bed comfortably. and fallen back to sleep once again.
Ai slipped off the bed the two were sharing and sneaked into the toilet, preparing to wash up and start her day. Once she was done with the brushing of her teeth, Risa got back to the main living area of the studio apartment. 'What can I do? It's only 430 in the morning.' Ai sighed deeply as she thought. Turning to gaze at the bed, she thought, 'She looks so cute while she's sleeping.'
Ai walked towards the coffee table, picked up the drawing book from the table, and returned to the bed side. She sat on her ankles on the floor, by the bedside. She flipped the book to a fresh page, and began her pencil work on the fresh piece of white paper.
'Will you really be the one that I can trust all my past, all the hurts in? Would there be a day, where you will betray the trust I'm building right now?' Ai thought, as she traced the sleeping features of Risa on her paper. 'Could she be the one . . . Since the day we got to know each other better, I can't explain a lot of the things I did. . . comforting her about her parents, bringing her to the orphanage . . . All these . . . all these. . . Why do I feel so comfortable around her?' Ai continued in her mind.
"Ai-chan . . . I know there's a lot of things you are keeping inside yourself, and are not telling me. But it's alright, do you know that? I won't mind that because I know . . . one day, there will be some other person who will step into your life. Someone who you can trust wholehearted. Always know that, okay?" The advice given by Yuko in her teenage years rang in Ai's mind. 'Are you that someone that Nakazawa-san was talking about?' Having her eyes set on her paper, focusing on the touching up of the final details of the sketch, Ai questioned.
"What are you drawing? Me?" The once was sleepy but now cheeky voice of Risa sounded, causing Ai to froze her pencil in the air. Ai looked up from her book, with her eyes widely opened. "Can I see?" Risa continued asking as she reached her hand out from her lying position on the bed to grab the drawing book from Ai.
Ai shook her head immediately, pulling the book towards her chest, hoping it would be out of reach from Risa's position.
"Meanie." Risa pouted. "I want to see. . ."
(No.) Ai signed stubbornly.
"I will get it in my own way then." Risa retorted playfully. She got up from her sleeping position from the bed and got off the bed, walking further away from Ai's position on the floor.
'Where is she going?' Ai thought. And suddenly, a pair of hands attacked her from her back at her waist, holding her tightly. Ai jumped at the sudden contact.
"Let me see please?" Risa asked in a childish voice, with her hands moving closer to the book Ai held close to her chest.
Ai shook her head violently, as she tried to wriggle out of Risa's hold - and she did, just before Risa manage to pull the book away from Ai.
(Not now. This is my book of memories. Until the day when I'm ready, I won't show anyone.)
Understanding that Ai needs more time before she would open up totally to her, Risa agreed. "Okay. But I must be the first one to see it."
(Okay.) Ai ended with a smile, causing Risa's smile to surface as well.
"Ai . . . " Risa called out and hesitated for a while before continuing "-san, do you have any change of clothes for me? I stinks from yesterday's competition costume."
Ai nodded her head, and walked towards her wardrobe, with the book still in her arms. She started working through the clothes and pulled out a few outfits for Risa to chose from.
"I will take this then." Risa decided, and took it with her into the bathroom.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ai looked nervously at Risa who was seated at her opposite seat. Risa picked up a piece of toast and took a big bit out of it. Whereas for Ai, she had yet to touch any of the food that was set on the table.
The two of them had decided to settle their breakfast outside, which leads them to be seated at a breakfast kiosk near Ai's apartment.
"Why are you looking at me in this way?" Risa asked as she looked away, pretending that she had not noticed Ai's stare on her all these while.
(Did you really meant it, when you say, you don't mind living in a world of silence?) Ai signed after a long while of hesitation.
(Yes. If silence is . . ) Before Risa could sign her answer, Ai stopped her.
(Don't do that. You have a nice voice. ) Ai stopped for a while, before continuing. (I like it.)
"Alright!" Risa beamed. "I really don't mind, Ai-san. Speaking is not the only way of communication. Silence can also be a form of communication."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And there they were, walking down the streets of Tokyo, hand in hand. It was Risa's suggestion that the two of them should go out together and walk around. The vibration in Ai's handbag caused Ai to stop moving.
"What's wrong?" Risa asked as turned back to face Ai.
(Wait a while. I had a message.)
{Ai-san, sorry to disturb you, but is Risa with you? -Eri} Ai read of the screen of her mobile phone before typing swiftly her reply to Eri.
And at the next moment, her mobile rang. It was an incoming call.
Passing her mobile phone to Risa, Risa answered.
"RISA! I can't believe you! You are definitely unbelievable! What kind of friend are you?" The loud voice of Eri exclaimed, causing Risa to pull the phone away from her ears. Ai giggled at the action while Risa blushed sheepishly. Pulling the phone back to her ears, the voice of Eri continued. "You ran out of the studio without collecting any of your belongings and stuffs. How am I suppose to contact you then? And do know what am I doing now? I'm packing your stuffs from the hotel room! I really pity myself as your best friend." Risa could totally sense Eri's pouting even over the phone.
"Okay. . .I sorry, Meme-chan. " Risa started off.
"Still have the cheek to call me Meme-chan?"
"Sorry, I mean, Eri-chan. I'm so sorry about that. . . And thank you for packing my stuffs. I owe you a big meal, okay. Anything you want, anything you choose. Is that good enough?" Risa coaxed.
"That's better. Anyway get back home before 7 tonight. I had ordered a cake to celebrate your victory." Eri continued.
"Really? You are best, Eri!"
"Of course, Ai-san can come along as well. No I should say, you make sure that she comes." Eri ordered.
"Hai! Wakarimashita! Ja ne~"
With that, Risa hang up the phone. "Eri and her antics." Risa laughed. "Anyway, she said we will celebrate together tonight. Come along too!"
Ai paused for a while. (Okay.)
"Yes!" Risa grinned.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Wait over here for me for a while, I will be back soon." The voice of Risa sounded in her mind. Ai had been standing at the position Risa told her to for the past 15 minutes and there was still no sight of Risa coming back. 'Where is she . . .'
"For you!" A bouquet of flowers appear before Ai. "Do you like them?" Risa continued asking as she slipped her hands into Ai's.
Ai nodded her head. 'This is the first time . . . someone had actually gave me flowers. '
Without realising what she was doing, Ai tilted her head slightly upwards and placed a kiss on the taller girl's cheek. and ran away after that. "Wait for me, Ai-san! You are such a sly!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'She had done so much things for me for the past few days . . .And I had yet to express a single thanks to her.' Ai thought as Risa leaned her head on Ai's.
"Why isn't Eri back yet? I am hungry!" Risa whined like a young child, with a pout on her face.
'Just a simple thanks, you can do it, Ai.' (Ne, Risa-san, I have something to tell you.) Ai signed.
"What is it that you want to tell me?" Risa asked, pulling Ai closer to her as they sat down on Eri's couch.
Ai opened her mouth and before she could do what she had intended to, a continuous strong banging on the door interrupted her.
"I wondered who is that? It must be Eri forgetting her keys again." Risa guessed as she made her way to the door. 'Stupid Eri. You are always there to interrupt the best timing. Maybe i should reconsider my option of treating you to anything.' Risa thought evily in her mind.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan~ End of chapter 14~ Ja Ne~
Going back to books now . . .
-
Whew! Everything seems to be going well! I'm relieved, but the story's not over yet.
Ai tilted her head slightly upwards and placed a kiss on the taller girl's cheek. and ran away after that.
Starting off slow, but steady.
I can't wait for more. :cow:
-
Omg, they're already sleeping together after that confession! :w00t: :wub:
Haha! I love how Ai-chan ran away after that little kiss. :inlove:
Was Ai-chan about to "SPEAK"??? :shocked: She signed that she wanted to say something and opened her mouth.. :roll: I'm really hoping for this. :bow: Could it be? :shocked
Adorable chappie~ :twothumbs
-
Why do I get the feeling that's it's not Eri on the other side of that door? :(
But let's talk about something else.. Aichan finally letting go of her worries is really sweet. Plus it seems she wanted to speak.Risa you're the best!! :deco:
Reading your fic before starting the day has become quite the habit for me now :nya:
-
[Chapter 15 - The Broken]
"Papa? Mama?" Risa acknowledged as she opened the banging door. She was surprised by the sudden visit from her parents. "How - how do you know that I'm - I'm here ?" Risa question, with fear growing within her. She kept swallowing her saliva, trying to moisture the throat that was turning dry from her nervousness.
"Risa!" Retora grounded out, grabbing Risa by her collar. "What are you doing? Are you trying to tarnish the family's reputation? What's with this?" Retora demanded, reading aloud the tabloid magazine that he was holding on the other hand. "Renowned enterprise Niigaki Corporation's only daughter entering the latest uprising singer competition and won the grand prize. This is even ridiculous 'Successor of Niigaki Corporation caught kissing her girlfriend after the competition, after dedicating competition to her.' What have you been thinking, Risa!" Retora continued reprimanding. A tug on his arm had stopped him from voicing out rude words.
"Someone's around. Not now." Renni whispered into Retora's ear, causing Retora to loosen his grip at Risa's collar.
Sensing the attention of Risa's parents on herself, Ai stood up awkwardly from her position. Her body could not stop trembling with fear. The fear for Risa's parents. Retora's body language was threatening.
"Who are you? What are you doing here alone with my daughter? You looked familiar. Aren't you the girl in the magazine. What are you doing here? Trying to seduce my daughter?!" Retora retorted as he tramped towards Ai.
"Papa!" Risa over ran her father, resisted as she wrapped her body protective around Ai. "Daijobu ka" Risa asked gently towards Ai. Ai nodded her head lightly. That was then Risa turned back turning offensive towards her father. "Papa! What are you doing?"
"Anata, calm down. Mind your words. Remember, your reputation." Renni tried to coaxed the over fuming husband of hers. "Risa-ko, mind your attitude towards your papa." Renni then turned towards Risa and spoke with her gentle voice.
Realisation filled in Ai. 'That voice. . . That voice that sang lullaby to me to sleep every night in my dreams. That voice. . . Mama . . .' Tears started building in her eyes. The people who she contemplates to wish to meet again all these while was standing right in front of her. 'You're kidding me. That means.. . ' Ai looked up slightly at Risa who was holding her protectively. 'You're that little girl. That little girl who's image is getting clearer and clearer in my dreams each night. How ironic is that. How typical can things get to. Is that why . . . I am able to relate to you about so many things? '
"Get out now. Don't you dare to be involved with my daughter. Out." Retora ordered, retaining back his high authority disposition.
Risa tighten her hold. "No, stay with me." Risa whispered gently before turning to stare at Retora. "Papa! Why can't I chose who I like? Why can't I chose the way I want to live my life? Didn't you said that I have a year of freedom, that I'm allowed to do anything that I like?" Risa refuted.
Ai wriggled out from Risa's hold, stopping Risa from continuing to express her displeasure about her life.
(Stop, Risa.)
"Ai. . ." Risa was shocked that Ai had intercepted her, stopping her from going on.
(We should stop too, Risa. I don't think we should be carrying on as well. That was what I wanted to tell you just now.) Ai lied as she onto her lower lips.
"Ai . . . "
(I have thought about it. In the end, I don't think I can trust my heart to anybody else except myself, Risa) Ignoring the gapping pain inside her heart, Ai continued. (Tell them, they will not have strings tied with someone who can't talk. I'm leaving, Risa. Sorry for stepping into your life. Perhaps . . .Things would be better if we have not met in the first place. You're their perfect daughter. Be there. Don't disappoint them.) Ai signed sadly with tears brimming at her eyelids, ignoring the sharp stares Risa's parents were shooting at her. 'Be the perfect daughter they wanted that I can't fulfil them with, Risa.' (Gomen) 'Sorry for being a selfish person, Risa. I'm really sorry, Risa. ' With that, Ai grabbed her handbag that was lying on the coach and dashed out of Eri's apartment through the opened door.
"Ai!" Risa shouted, wanting to chase after the love that had just ran away.
"Risa!" Retora grabbed Risa at her collar, stopping Risa from chasing after Ai. Risa struggled a little, attempted to squirm off the grip that was holding onto her on her collar. The grip did not loosen. Instead, it was tightened. "Stay where you are, Risa. You are not going anywhere." retorted Retora.
"Papa!" Risa groaned in disagreement. Risa stared at discontentment at her father.
"Don't you 'Papa' me, Risa. When I agreed to you having a year of freedom, I meant it that you do not do anything foolish and just enjoying your life until you are asked to be back into the company, Risa. Not this. What is this about? Entering a singing competition? Getting into a publics' attention? Kissing a girl in the public? What had gotten into you, Risa?" Retora reprimanded heavily. "You are going back to Kyoto. Right away. First flight back with your Mama. No objections, Risa. You are not given any more choice. You ruin them in your own hands." With that, Retora pull Risa violently into the study room and locked her inside from the outside.
"No, Papa. . . " Risa tried to fight back, but the door was closed straight at her face. "Papa, Papa, let me out please, Papa!" Risa cried out as she bang her palm against the wooden door. "Papa!" Risa cried out once again. Receiving no response by her parents who were at the other side of the door, Risa's leg gave in. She slid to the floor, allowing her forehead to come in contact to the door. "Papa, Mama, let me out . . . " Tears had flooded her face, blocking her nose that she could no longer breath through her nose. 'Ai . . . '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'You got to be fooling with me.' Ai thought as she glance at the sky angrily. 'Is my life a joke that you had made to keep yourself entertain?'
Without stopping her feet, Ai kept her legs going, all the way from Eri's apartment and back in her own, the only place she had left in search for comfort and warmth. The tears that were once on her face were now gone, replaced by dried traces to represent that they had been there before.
'So it was her. . . The little girl in papa's arms. The look that she was giving, was that sympathy, or was that a sign of victory that she had won my parents away from me?' Ai questioned in her mind as memory from her dreams flooded her mind. Every single one. The times she spend together with her mother, the times where her parents quarrelled over her, the very last scene, where they walk out of her life came haunting her mind.
'It was her . . . she hadn't be truthful, hadn't she? She had never mentioned to me that she was an adopted child. Never. Did she remember who am I and was that the reason why she had stepped into my life?'
Ai could no longer control her angry, her disappointment, her mind, her actions. She swapped all the photo frames that were situated at the table top onto the floor, causing them to break at the contact with the floor. Her body were trembling at its own call, causing Ai to drop down onto the floor. And her skin broke at the contact with the broken glass of the photo frames.
'Why was it that I had carried no resentment feeling towards her. Why can't I bring myself to hate her. . . And to think I thought . . . we could be together. . . This hurts a lot . . . The pain . . . is unbearable. . .' Reaching her shaky hands into her bag, she took out the familiar sachet. 'I can't do this anymore. . . I can't overcome this by my own will anymore . . . ' Pouring the full sachet into her palm, she engulfed all of them, and forced herself to swallow. She remained lying on the floor, shaking as violently, until the effects of the pills took in. 'If death can stop all these suffering, bring me there.' With that, Ai passed out at the effects of the tranquilisers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa was still sobbing uncontrollably on the floor, occasionally calling out her parents, begging them to let her out of the room. Her throat had gotten hoarse after the hour of crying and shouting. "Mama, Papa, please . . . " Risa called out once more, and used her head to bang on the door.
'Ai . . . There are so many promises that I had made to her and are unfulfilled. I want to see her . . . Why did she compromised to them. Why ? Why ? '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Dear . . . Maybe we should let her out. Her voice are getting hoarse. Isn't this a little be too tough for Risa-ko?" Renni placed her hands over Retora's, and suggested.
"No. She's gonna go home with us. Stop spoiling her anymore." Retora retorted.
"But . . . "
"No more buts. My decision is firm. That's it."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'ARHG! All these things are so heavy! How much things did Risa packed in her luggage? It's only a two night stay at the hotel and she managed to bring this one big luggage of things with her.' Eri complained in her mind as she dragged Risa's luggage with one hand, and the other, carrying the food and cake prepared for the celebration.
Upon reaching her level, Eri realised that the main door of her apartment was wide open. 'What is Risa doing? Trying to invite thieves into my house?' Eri scolded under her breath.
As she walked nearer to her apartment, she could hear the faint crying of Risa. 'Did something happened?' Quickening her pace, she stepped into her apartment and was welcomed by the most unexpected guest she thought she would had.
"Ah . . . Uncle, Aunty . . . Good evening" Eri managed to called out despite her shock.
"Ah, Kamei-chan. Good evening." Renni returned the greetings while Retora remain seated at where he was.
'Why are they here? How did they get in in the first place? Where's Risa?' Series of questions were formed in Eri's mind and she's not getting any of them answered. Her eyes were then caught by the magazine placed on the coffee table. 'So that was the reason why they came.'
"Kamei-chan, sorry for intruding your apartment without your consent." Renni apologised.
"It's alright." Eri replied with a forced smile.
"It will only be tonight. We will be flying back to Kyoto first thing in the morning tomorrow." Retora spoke up, after his moment of silence.
"But . . .She needs to be at the label company tomorrow. . . " Before Eri could finish her sentence, Retora interrupted.
"There's no way she would sign a contract to become a singer or whatever she wants, Kamei-chan. She's going back. That's final." Retora said firmly.
"But . . . Someone needs to be there to . . ."
"Ume can settle that." Retora explained.
Eri nodded her head. "Where's Risa?" Eri mustered the courage to ask the worrying question in her mind.
"She's in the room." Renni answered and pointed at the closed door.
"If I may talk to her?" Eri asked for the parents' permission.
"From the outside only." Came the decision of Retora.
"Hai. Wakarimashita."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Risa?" The faint voice of Eri calling her name could be heard in the study room. 'Eri?' A shimmer of hope glint in Risa's eyes.
"Eri?" Risa called out desperately.
"Yes it's me."
"Let me out, please." Risa begged, hoping Eri would let through.
"You know I can't Risa. . . " Came the reply, followed by a really faint whisper through the door. "Your parents are here. . ."
Risa let out a frustrated cry.
"Where's Ai-san?" Eri continued asking. "Was she here with you just now?"
Risa knocked once on the door. That meant yes.
"I need to go, Risa. Stay strong."
Risa knocked the door once again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Uncle, Aunty, I have a patient who had just messaged me that she wants to talk to me. . . I will make my move first." Eri informed. 'This is bad. Really bad. . . '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ai-san? Are you in there?" Eri called out as she knocked frantically on the door. 'Where else can she be besides being in her house?' "Ai-san?" Eri called again.
Retrieving her phone from her bag, Eri quickly search for the number of Ai and dialled the number. And just as she predicted, Ai's phone started ringing and it could be heard from Eri's position.
"Ai-san? Open the door!" Eri knocked again.
Trying her luck on the door knob, Eri found out that the door was not locked. "Ai-san!" Eri called out as she turned the knob.
"AI-SAN!" Eri screamed in exclaimation. Rushing over to the unconscious Ai on the floor, Eri kneeled beside Ai and shook Ai a couple of times. "Ai-san" Cuts could be observed on her forearm. Running her finger over Ai's neck to check for any heartbeat, Eri was relieved. Though it was weak, the pulse were present.
'She finished the whole packet of tranquiliser?' Eri thought as she observed the empty sachet on the floor. A few white pills were scattered on the floor as well. 'How many of them were there initially? She must had a very bad seizure, judging from the way the pills were scattered on the floor. This is really an emergency, Eri.'
Pulling out her phone again, Eri immediately dialled the number for the ambulance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Risa-ko." A soft voice called out as the door of the study room opened, waking up Risa who had fallen into a light sleep with her head leaning onto the door.
'Mama . . . ' Risa stood up immediately from the floor. "Mama, please, let me out. Please. I don't want to go home, Mama. . . "
"Risa-ko. When Papa had decided on the things he wanted, there's no one else can change his decision. You know that very well right?" Renni whispered softly as she closed the door.
"Mama . . ." Risa cried out as she started crying again.
"I can't get you out, but I can give you this." Renni continued, passing Risa her phone. "I took this out from the luggage in the living room. I guess this is important for you, right?"
"Thank you Mama. . ." Risa grabbed the phone from her mother's hand and flipped it open.
{Ai-san, are you okay? - Risa}
Risa typed in immediately and pushed the sent button. Five minutes later, without having any reply from Ai, Risa sent another message to Ai.
{Are you back home yet? - Risa}
{Reply me, please Ai - Risa}
'Is that the truth that you told just now, Ai?'
{I don't want to go home, Ai, really Ai. I just wanna to stay with you. I don't need you to trust me. I just want to be with you, Ai - Risa}
{Ai, where are you? -Risa}
'Why isn't she replying any of my messages? Why is this happening again? Why is she ignoring me again?'
(I have thought about it. In the end, I don't think I can trust my heart to anybody else except myself, Risa) Risa hugged her head onto her arms as she remembered what Ai had signed to her earlier on. 'If that was the truth. . . All the things that I had done all these while . . . it's useless isn't it?' Risa sobbed loudly and uncontrollably. 'It hurts . . . It hurts terribly . . .'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I finished this last night. :) so yah . . . .
Ja, until the next chapter is done~
-
ahh, missed so many chapters by going away,
just when it seemed as though things were going so well it has all suddenly turned out so wrong, what will Gaki do know, and I hope that Eri will be able to save AI.....
-
Oh no, just when things started to be alright :cry:
How can Papa Gaki be so mean??? Not only does he abandoned his own daughter but also makes his adoptive daughter's life miserable!!! :angry:
Don't die Ai, please!!!! We all need you, especially Risa!!! :cry:
-
Does Risa know she's adopted? I mean, she was very young when she was, they could have simply not told her.
Jeez, I really hope Eri can help Ai in time! :panic:
-
OMG that's so sad... so Ai can still remember her parents but they don't remember her... can't blame them, it's been what, 20 years?? :cry:
and Aichan is cutting herself?!?!?! aslkfjsldjfwoijfdsd.km/. :shocked
PAPA GAKI IS AN IDIOT :angry:
-
ahhhhh..this chp is so sad..=(
i wonder does Ai parent still remmeber her name.. :(
it's so cruel for Ai..
and i start to wonder if gakisan will still try to get Aichan back after she know she the fake child..
@rndmnwierd:dont think risa know..if i remember correctly, there's a chp mentioning that gakisan have no memories in her mind before 5(?) ?..
-
*Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump*
Oh, what is that? XD
Can you guess?
...
It's Bee falling in love with your fic, is what. :ptam-wub:
Okay, cheesiness aside, I just want to tell you that there is something GOOD GOING ON HERE LIKE OMFG. o________o I have to confess, I didn't really touch this thread until today when you updated with your latest chapter [EDIT: I started this comment 6 chapters ago. Your updating speed is Godly, my friend ^^;). I read the first chapter - and just couldn't stop. I ended up reading everything in one sitting (well I had to teach in between... but I couldn't help it and read whilst the kids were doing their work xD). I can't say I've ever been moved to do this with fanfiction (besides On Call xD). I'm glad I read all these chapters one after another, I think it made the experience all the more powerful. And when I finished the last chapter [edit: again, 5 chapters ago ^^;), I kind of felt like crying because there was no more to read. Okay so you get the drift: I'm hooked. :tama-yeeaah:
WOW. This story's been with you since 4 years ago? Why has it taken you so long to post this? ;_______; (not that I would've been around to enjoy this 4 years ago xD).
It's pretty meaningful I guess?
ASFFDGTFTAKJDH!!!! Yes! :mon cute:
I'm kind of wary of writers who state stuff like that... and then you find they're overrating themselves and it's kind of like... >_____>. Lol. But I am so agreeing with you on that. :yep:
You know what? This story really reminds me of Orange Days in a way, one of my favourite J-dramas. It's a story that involves a deaf girl (who WILL not talk, only sign) finding love, and is positively beautiful in its depiction of the romance that unravels between her and the main character. The feelings that show roused in me - I will never be able to describe it, and I was just reminded of those feelings whilst reading this fic... I love this. I REALLY LOVE THIS. You are good. This really is turning out to be an exquisite fanfic; beautiful, and meaningful, and my heart clenches when I think over everything that's happened so far and everything that has yet to happen. I'm afraid the heartache hasn't even begun. And I thought my Ai was pitiful... :bleed eyes:
Anyway... I'll never cease to be amazed by writers whose first language isn't English, but who still manage to blow me away with their story and their storytelling, and you are definitely one of them. :wub:
It's partially inspired by a Cantonese song that I always listen to. (:
You must let me know what song you're talking about. *Bee understands the power of music*
I’ll try to go through this quickly otherwise I’ll be spending forever writing this comment while you keep piling on the chapters! :lol: but yes, there is SO MUCH to comment on, but like I said, I’ll try to limit myself. Although I have a feeling I’ll be spilling out rivers and oceans of fangirling anyway ^^;
And now, I think I owe you this:
[EDIT: please, while reading the following, keep in mind that I started writing this several chapters ago ^^; you've answered quite a few of my questions since then, so thank you.]
[Prologue]
You revealed everything through dialogue here, yet it was so effective. I cried. I don't know why, maybe I'm just more sensitive than usual, or maybe it's because I've always been a crybaby, but this really did make me cry. I guess I can empathise with Ai in a way; I know the heartache of abandonment, I've been hurt by it before. I can't even begin to imagine what little Ai must've felt when she realised her parents were gone. Really gone. Oh gawd.
:mon cry: :mon cry: :mon cry:
It's too sad. And the new daughter - she just had to be one of our other musumes, and I wanted it to be Gaki-san. I'm SO HAPPY IT IS. :heart:
But... what kind of a heartless monster would you have to become to abandon your daughter, your own flesh and blood? :k-mad: People who have priorities over their own family; that's something I will never understand. I will always resent Niigaki papa for that. Even her mother to an extent; she could've done more. She seemed to love her child very much, but how could she also just passively accept her husband’s decision and abandon poor Ai like that? I would’ve done everything to return to the house and somehow make sure Ai was okay… find her a place to stay at least, anything. The hurt and despair that Ai's had to carry her whole life - did her father ever stop one moment to think about that? Maybe... we won't know until you reveal more of him. But I don't think I'd be able to forgive him. I seriously want to cry just thinking about Ai's predicament :cry:
Awesome hook for the story! :bow:
[Chapter 1] - Her past, Her present.
I love the way you’ve incorporated all these little flashbacks (into most of the chapters, as I’ve pretty much read all the chapters up to 14 already) that help us to really see into Ai’s character, what she’s been through, and the constant haunting, the uncertainties that she battles with day and night… excellent job with that! :thumbsup
And well yes. Every time I read these nightmares that she has… *Bee cries inside*. She can’t sleep past 3.16 in the morning?!!? Hope she goes to bed early then =____= ‘coz how badly would that suck; it would really throw her off her game. At least, if I were Ai, it would definitely throw me off my game xD I’m sure Ai has worked her routines/schedules around the fact that she has to get up that early, but again. It’s gotta suck :/
" Pa . . .pa . . .Ma . . . ma. . ." She forced her voice out of mouth.
So she has spoken before! These are probably the only words she’s ever uttered? And at such a time too… you have to wonder then, what exactly is Ai-chan suffering from? Just a social disorder she had straight from birth?
And really, if her parents were going to be THAT BARBARIC, couldn’t they at least make sure their Ai-chan would be okay? :gmon tears: Make some arrangements for her? She can’t speak, and knowing that she’s quite a timid child, I kind of feel that they’d left her for dead. EVIL, EVILLL PARENTS!!!!! :mon whine:
OH! Your Ai-chan is meeting up with a psychologist too (so is mine xD). Lol. They could be friends! :twothumbs
GakiKame <333 I can’t remember how many times I’ve read these two being best friends, but seems they’re a common pick for H!P authors. Of course I’m not complaining. These two are a really good combination; they have so much potential for hilarity and the occasional sweetness. :k-inlove:
Cute introduction of them to your story, with Eri being hounded by an escapee aspiring-to-be-a-singer Gaki-san. Awwwww. *Bee rubs hands together*. And the plot thickens right there. Of course, now we know a little somebody is going to HAVE TO bump into a little somebody else… xD
[Chapter 2] - The second meeting
Sayu! We haven’t heard much about Sayu in the rest of the story so far, but I wonder if she has more of a significant role to play here than just a passing friend (and Gaki’s past crush).
And yes, looking for a job and being able to maintain one when you’re mute must be terribly tricky; just another obstacle in life Ai must face. *Bee pats Ai-chan* poor dear.
Eri thought as she stepped into the elevator of the building where the clinic she is going to work in was located. 'I wonder how will my work load be like . . . It's so exciting! Being able to put what I have learnt in college in work, helping the life of others.'
O___________O
:stoned:
And of course, it hit me. ERI IS AI’S NEW PSYCHOLOGIST!!!!! And cue lots of inner squealing and OH MY GAHs. And this made me think and speculate right away; apart from the role of being Ai’s new mentor, what’s going to happen beyond this? Is Eri going to fall for Ai too? Be jealous of Ai for stealing Gaki-san? Although having read a lot since, I can assume that Eri’s just going to be that lovable best friend who never interferes and is just there for morale support and good looks. And I’m not complaining about this either xD ‘Coz she could’ve easily been a character that caused a lot more drama than necessary. :nervous
Fujimoto and Nakazawa <3 Glad you have a few more of them thrown in there for good measure. Just using them by name is good enough to fill the void of where-are-the-OGs-in-fanfiction in me. Hehe. :thumbup
"Stupid Eri…”
First, it was ‘stupid Risa’ from Eri, and now the thought’s been returned :lol:
Made me laugh. These two! :heart: I have to wonder what Eri drew on Risa’s face though. If it was anything as funny as what Risa’s (real) parents used to do to her face… XD
"I'm gonna get her to pay for this by paying me a good lunch today."
For Gakikame, it’s all about food! LOL. ‘You better buy me a big meal’ etc.etc., this kind of interaction between them has occurred a number of times throughout this fic already. Funny. But yeah, Eri is such a good friend in this fic, always looking out for Risa.
FIRST TAKAGAKI ENCOUNTER!
And such a FREAKING cute one too! Randomly kissing random strangers (who of course are destined to be). Lol. I was shocked. :OMG:
Realising that Ume was getting closer and closer to them, Risa pulled Ai's neck closer to her and place her lip on hers, trying hard to hide her face and not being too suspicious by just hiding under Ai's physique.
Awesome! This was such a sweet way to meet and get to know each other, lol. And possibly Ai’s first kiss??? I have to say I found plenty of moments throughout the fic where I was kind of surprised by the unfolding events. Though I shouldn’t really have been, having seen my fair share of Asian dramas and whatnot. Well yessss, this was definitely one of the moments! I was grinning from ear-to-ear reading this scene! And Gaki-san scolding herself afterwards for being so forward, is love! :wriggly:
And then, we have AiEri first encounter. I was surprised at how confident and sociable Ai was, actually. Makes me think how multi-layered a character she must be. <3 The ensuing mind game between the two was also very amusing to read. I really do enjoy the character interaction and dialogue you have in your story, it’s always so refreshing! :tama-heart:
"You are a person, not an item. I would like to know more of your through communications rather than written information. And in order to write new assessment, I need to know you more personally." Eri explained.
^ and stuffs like that seem kind of unlikely to come out of Kamei Eri, but this makes her so, so attractive. Really wise words. :heart: :yep:
[Chapter 3] - The price to pay
OH! Eri is such a sweetheart. To take sign language classes so she can understand her own patient… of course, dragging Risa along might mean the bean can slowly learn to understand Ai as well. Killing two birds with one stone.
"You know what, Risa? You should really shut up before I decide to call Ume-san here to drag you back to Kyoto.
GakiKame arguments are the best. <3 :lol:
So her parents have given in and decided to give Risa a bit of a gap year… yay? xD Of course, a year is plenty of time for TakaGaki to get together and blossom and all that. And when Risa has to return, what will happen then? >_____> I’ll have to speculate more about this towards the end of the comment…
Ai opened her mouth, but no voice came out. Sadness immediately dawned over the lady's face. Ai noticed it and brought the same sadness to herself.
And these memories bring that same sadness to Bee.
And then to have Ai-chan questioning the purpose of her life – what she is living for – that hurts to read. I hope she realises there is plenty of things to live for soon enough, especially when Gaki-san becomes somebody important to her. :mon innocent:
More AiEri with the lunch meeting and all <3 It’s so funny and cute how Gaki-san drops by so casually like that, causing Ai-chan to want to get up and leave XD and then Konkon appearance as Ai’s best friend, as expected. This was a great moment amongst all of them, so enjoyable, that little moment where Konkon and Eri tease Ai by stating the contrary to what she signed. Awwww. Ai’s panic is so cute! :panic: :inlove:
Gaki-san following Ai to the washroom…
This scene is also one of my favourite TakaGaki moments. :wub: I kind of felt some nerves reading this, as if I were one of the characters right there ^^;
‘Risa-san . . . At least you have a family. . .’ Ai looked away from Risa to prevent herself from tearing. {At least they cared for your being. For that you will know that they will always be there for you, no matter what happens.} Ai typed with the intention to cheer Risa up.
This was a bit of a heart clenching moment. What would Ai say if she knew Risa was that daughter they replaced her with? Wait, she can’t talk yet xD but you know what I mean… ;_________; So ironic that Risa’s the one running away from her family, whilst that same family ran away from Ai… and now, Risa wants to become friends with this girl. So ironic. :banghead:
Okay… you’re going to have to excuse Bee for her laziness now, but I realise this is never going to get done if I continue to comment chapter by chapter >____< I’ll just use bullet points to get through the rest of the chapters. :nervous
- TakaGaki exchanging text messages. I find it adorable how proactive our bean is being in pursuing this friendship. I wonder what makes her so attracted to Ai? But who am I kidding, that question shouldn’t even need to be asked. XD We all know why Ai is so attractive. :grin:
- Risa stealing Eri’s sign language book. Eri discovering the sign language book upon taking the pillow to hit her over the head. O M G. Epically adorable scene. I fangirl squealed a lot here. Thank you for writing this so wonderfully. :cow: :cow: :cow:
Can I also edit something? xD
{Sorry for the late reply, I was taking my shower just now. I'm going to do some volunteer work tomorrow. If you don't mind, you can join me. - Ai}
- Awwww, Ai is already getting to warm up to Risa so easily already. Also, little moments like this: “'Why do I feel like you are always trying to hide your smile?' Risa thought as she observed Ai's action”, and Risa staring at Ai on the train --- have my heart brimming.
- And as always, Ai is overly self-conscious about the silence between them, wondering if it was boring for Risa to hang out with her – of course. I really enjoyed reading about this kind of thing, there’s such a ring of truth. Especially having seen how noisy/rowdy Risa is around Eri, it must make Ai nervous that Risa’s unusually quiet around her. :love:
- So Ai took Risa back to her orphanage. Nacci <3 She must be really old here? Lol. More revealed about Ai-chan here. And I LOVED the little moments of TakaGaki, like Risa realising she was staring too much, and thinking how beautiful Ai’s smile was... slowly, but surely, the bean is falling for Ai. :mon inluv: And of course, when Risa apologises, and explains why she was apologising. That was so beautiful! This was definitely a chapter that made me feel you were right when you said this story was meaningful. :luvluv2: And of course, Eri disturbing that beautiful peace with her call. Lol. And finding out about the Niigakis not approving of any of Risa’s friends – what the heck?!?! Eri really must be that amazing, huh? My respect for her has gone up even more, if possible. Must be that turtle stubbornness. :D
- Oooooo, celebration at Eri’s. So THAT’S the real reason for Eri having to cook? A bet on whether Gaki-san could pass the sign language exam or not. Major rofl! :rofl: Risa would be much too embarrassed to give Ai that reason to come celebrate too… d’awwww. I swear to gawd, I’ve melted reading this story too many times to count. >____>
Eri shot her eyes big in realisation. Her fringe was tied up in a childish way, with tinge of flour sticking on them.
GYAAAAAH!!!!!!!! This has got to be the single most adorable moment in the story so far! I can’t possibly describe in words how much this satisfied my fangirl heart! Must demand a drawing from ropychan…
:k-inlove: :nya: :wriggly: :luvluv1: :luvluv2: :tama-yeeaah: :tama-laff: :tama-heart:
And then we have Ai-chan’s contrasting thoughts:
“…then you first voiced out that you hate having these lessons. It almost felt like you took the language for me, though it was not. It was just a bet to win Eri-san.”
NOOOOOO no no nonononononoonononononononoonononoooooo….. >___> :mon hanky:
- Next comes caiyunki’s favourite chapter. O__________________O
- Ai-chan’s hysterial fit was . . . . scary. :mon curtain: ;___; but you described this chapter very well, I felt every bit of apprehension for Ai and was wondering what the heck was going on. Poor Gaki-san for not realising a watch could produce such a reaction from her, and for believing it her fault. Poor Ai-chan for her inability to control her reactions. Poor Eri for not knowing what to do for her patient. Poor people all over the place. :mon POd:
- The very girl in Ai’s dreams… to be Gaki-san right next to her when she wakes up. Oh man, I’m feeling more and more worried the longer I think about it. What will happen to TakaGaki when the truth is revealed? Can Ai-chan still love Gaki-san back, knowing SHE was the girl who replaced her? And it’s so sad too, when Ai wakes up only to continually apologise for ‘destroying’ Risa’s party. >____< this chapter was rather distressing… you can tell that things are only going to take a bad turn from here. I really braced myself at this point to continue reading. :cool1:
- The next chapter – Risa’s inability to concentrate because of MIA Ai-chan, and her subsequent frustration. And Eri, being the bestest friend in the whole world, comforting her. :inlove:
"I - missed you. I want to see you." Risa replied as she looked onto the ground, teeth continued chattering. Her heart winced a little as her brain had decided to go truthful the heart's feeling.
*Bee flops about for a while and then melts all over the table and laptop*
GOSH. How can Ai-chan not scoop Risa up into her arms and kiss her senseless?! Oh yeah. Stupid traumatising past and all that. =____=
- And just when I thought Risa would blurt out more cuteness, along the lines of the I-miss-you-must-see-you that she’d done only moments earlier – only to be shocked (along with Ai-chan) that she abruptly apologised and left. And then Ai-chan… Ai-chan’s thoughts… of course she would see Risa’s departure just then as a sign of abandonment. NOoooo. How can she think of herself as a loser? AI-CHAN WHY DO YOU BREAK MY HEART SO. :farofflook: :fainted: :on cloudeye:
- Cue angst from all parties. Poor Ai-chan who has just felt betrayed once more. Poor Gakisan who is so conflicted, and only wants to help Ai-chan end her suffering. *Bee tearily huggles all the suffering people* :cry: :cry: :cry:
- We also have Eri who is still around to say awesome things like:
The time they need to recover from their hurt, is way more than any of us can imagine. So may take a few days, some a few months or even decades. We can't rush on them, Risa. The more we pressed in, the more they push us out.
So wise. :heart:
And now even Eri is conflicted about all this, with her best friend being involved. Gyah. Very messy at this point…… :catglare:
- The reminiscing about what they talked about (Risa’s talk about the stars). That had me all warm and fuzzy! :love: Awwww, the dialogue you’ve incorporated into this story – there were so many instances that had me nodding furiously – yes yes yes! Ai… she is just too guarded. Of course, that’s understandable given her past, but I wonder what it’s going to take to get her to open up and to trust more blindly – sometimes, you just have to. Especially so if you’ve found the right person to trust. It’s painful to read about Ai and how doubtful and wary she is of everything and everybody… :sweatdrop:
- Gaki-san is going to sing her OWN SONG FOR AI? :w00t: :w00t: :w00t:
- If anybody can help this situation, it would be Eri… it’s always a friend who helps out, lol. Again, so lovely to see her making such effort to help Ai-chan. But our lovely is seeming to get more and more out of control now – her shaking, the seizures and the tranquilisers. O__O this is something to be extremely worried about! :panic:
- Awwwww! Kaorin, a sweetheart as always. :luvuluvu: I loved that she treated Ai as in equal and saw in her good work ethics, and as such gave her more opportunities to work. Anything at this point to boost Ai’s confidence, really! <3 But of course, this means that Ai is probably going to have to face Risa. All to plan, author-san. xD
- Ai… glared?. Ohnononono. Ai’s misinterpreting all of Risa’s good intentions, all those feelings. Every time you reveal her negative thoughts, I just want to grab Ai’s shoulders and shake her awake! This is really frustrating! :bleed eyes:
- AWWW! Look at how easily Ai gives in to Yuko! Respect trust, and all that. :lol:
- And then, another meeting between TakaGaki… this time, Risa actually getting down to business! @___________@
"What if - what if that day, I told you, I like you, what would you do?" Risa, mustering all of the courage that she needs, clutching the tickets tightly in her hands and asked.
(Don't say things that are not going to happen.) Ai signed. (I'm not here for you to fool around, please, Niigaki-san)
(Then I will not say it. If this the way you would want a conversation to continue, I will do it this way. If this the way of life you have, I will live it together with you in the same way.) Risa signed back to Ai.
My heart stopped.
You are good, caiyunki. Good good good. :mon lovelaff: This was such drama material, I loved it! My heart really swelled right here; this has GOT TO move Ai-chan, right? Ai is the type who won’t let Risa ruin her dreams because of her. Risa has reached the point of foolish love here, but it’s so… cute? How desperate she has become. “If she's not here, nothing else matters to me anymore” … stuff like that. OH MY SWEET TAKAGAKI. :mon love:
YES! Ai turns up! And Risa sings her heart out for her love! :cow:
"I will say it again, if you are still doubting whether is it from the bottom of my heart, Ai-san." Risa broke the silence, seemingly to understand the uncertainty that was running in Ai's mind through the look in her eye. "I love you, Ai-san" Leaning forward towards Ai, Risa kissed Ai lightly on her cheeks and stayed there for awhile, until she tasted salty tears of Ai.
I think it’s about time Risa called her “Ai-chan”… xD You do allude to that a bit down the track though. But I was cheering with all my might, right here. Satisfying much? :D
- Wait, WHAT? They’re sleeping together already? And of course, it must’ve been Bee overeating and thinking too much. It was the sleeping kind of sleeping, not in the sex way (*cue On call hilarity* xD). And this was when the inner squealing would not stop. Kyaaaah! Gyaaaah! OH MY GAHHH! It’s finally happening for these two! :wub:
And when Risa had safely escorted Ai back to her apartment and was ready to leave for the hotel, Ai stopped her. Ai attached herself onto Risa, and that shocked Risa. "Is there anything wrong?"
(No.) Ai shook her head and signed as she pulled away from the hug she initiated.
"Did you want me to . . . stay with you tonight?" Risa guessed.
*Cue fangirl gibberish a-la-ropychan*
:bow: :bow: :bow:
- Sleepy Risa is too cute! :gmon heartu: And Ai trying to take it down in drawing, and the playful interchange between them as Risa tried to see what Ai was up to – d’awwww, I could really die reading this kind of sweetness.
(Yes. If silence is . . ) Before Risa could sign her answer, Ai stopped her.
(Don't do that. You have a nice voice. ) Ai stopped for a while, before continuing. (I like it.)
I read this like over and over again. Lol. It was just too pretty and beautiful in my head, I couldn’t help it! :gmon twirl:
Ai’s spontaneous little kiss for Gaki-san after receiving the flowers was also another adorable moment. This chapter was almost too good to be true. . . . . . >____>
Ai-chan opened her mouth and was ready to say thank you! OMGAAAHHH! O.O I was ready to smack Eri across the head, seriously… but then upon reading the next chapter, the whole world came crumbling down.
Gaki-san’s parents.
=___________=
Niigaki papa sure is one callous, very unlikeable man. How could he be so… UGH. :mon fierce:
Horrible, horrible… Ai ran away, but now she knows, and she can’t bring herself to be with Risa anymore. All of this is just going wrong.. wrong wrong. :banghead: :banghead: And now Ai’s headed off to hospital. There must be a heartfelt scene where Risa comes running to her side, right? Must be!
Okay, here was some more of my comment that I had started a lot earlier, but I didn’t want to erase it just because you’ve answered some of these:
Well now that Gaki-san’s in the spotlight after winning the competition, surely the media has gotten a hold of this. Word will most certainly reach to the Niigakis’ ears; though Risa now has a year to do whatever she wants, I wonder if her parents will try to make a move.
And of course, the fateful meeting between Ai and her parents – I doubt they will be able to recognise Ai, but will she recognise them? She has stated that she can no longer remember what they look like, but will seeing them again jog her memory? And will she be able to talk by the time she meets them? Because if so, they will not suspect her. And when they do find out this is the daughter they abandoned so many years ago… what will happen then? ZOMG THERE’S SO MUCH I WANT TO FIND OUT. It’s kinda driving me nuts. :panic:
I love the characters you've developed. :love: Although I feel that Eri and Gaki-san have kind of switched roles (I mean Gaki-san not being able to wake up early? Eri who can dish out expert advice, cook and take care of things A Okay? xD) here, but the change is endearing <3 And I love Ai here, how I love her... she has this quiet (obviously!) sweetness about her; it's so charming. Despite my love for sexy, confident, violent/hot-tempered Ai, I am probably more of a sucker for soft, gentle Ai-chan, and the one you've characterised in this story I feel is the essence of that.
The pacing of the story is great too - you've revealed to us things bit by bit. I thought that was very well done. :twothumbs
Now, we have a lot of background information on Ai, but Risa’s past has only been skimmed through, and I wonder if I’m the only one here who’s this anxious to know more about Gaki-san's past - how did she come to the Niigaki family in the first place? Who are/were her real parents? What happened exactly, such that Niigaki papa ended up with Risa as his daughter? Why can’t she remember anything about her past before coming to the Niigaki family? I have to assume that Risa believes the Niigakis are her real family… I AM SO CURIOUS ABOUT THIS. =_____= Hopefully, you will be revealing more about Risa’s history as the story continues; it isn’t fair that we only know about Ai’s! :shocked:
Another wholly AWESOME thing I am looking forward to is for Ai-chan to speak again. What will be her first word/s in forever? xD (I have a few hunches). I’m getting all giddy just thinking about it! Gyaaaaaaahhh. :on gay:
All in all, I absolutely adore what you've done with this so far; the plot, the characters, the interaction, the writing itself. You must be a clever one too – you do your research, or you’re just experienced in the topic matter (mutism and clinical notes, lol). It adds that much more credibility to the story. You've definitely found a reader in me, and I CANNOT wait to find out how this story is going to unravel from here.
Thank you so much for deciding to share this story with us, and I have every hope that you will see this to the end. :wriggly:
So now my comment will come to an end. :imdead: You’re probably breathing a sigh of relief, lol. But I felt it necessary to thank you… so I wrote a lot? xD Hope you enjoyed my fangirling. I wrote this up on Word document and the word count right now (minus your quotes) is about 4,400 words. You have no idea how much I struggle to write that much for uni, LOL. But I think this may be my longest comment in a post ever. Well-deserved. :bow:
Can’t wait to read the next chapter! :heart:
-
When I read "Papa? Mama?" I was afraid to read the rest. :mon scare: There's too much going on; it's overwhelming. :stunned:
One thing's for sure.. I would love to beat her dad around a bit. :mon zoom: :on kimbo:
Did Ai-chan cut herself or something?? :shocked :cry:
By the way, her parents, especially her dad, should be damn sorry for what they/he did in the past! :angry: He's got no right to say anything now! :scolding: I need to see him drown in his own guilt and remorse! :mon fire: Make him suffer for what he did! :on voodoo: :twisted: (Yes, I hate him very much)
I hope Ai-chan's okay! :( She better be! :tama-mad: Believe in Risa! :yep:
What an unexpected turn of events. :on blackhole:
Great chapter! :twothumbs
-
Hihi! This is really a short chapter. A transition chapter for more things to come . .. hehehe . . . I will reply the comments at the end of the post this time round, in case anyone finds it too lengthy to read :) So . . .. Let's Go!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 16 - The Mystery]
"Sorry Miss, can you please come over to provide us information about the patient?" A nurse approached Eri as she had alighted from the ambulance. Ai had just reached the hospital and was pushed into the emergency room.
"Level 1, Tranquiliser overdose. Actual dosage taken is unknown. These are the tranquilisers taken by the patient. Looks like it's Benzodiazepine. Patient had been in unconscious state since arrival at scene. " The paramedics explained as he pushed Ai into the procedure room, passing the sachet of pills to the doctor on duty.
"Okay. Thank you." The doctor thanked. Turning towards the nurse, he passed the sachet to a nurse. "Send to pathology. Check actual contents and amount." Turning to Ai, he patted her face gently a few times and spoke, " Miss? No signs of consciousness." He then placed his stethoscope over his ears and tried to listen for Ai heart beat and breathing. "Slow pulse and depressed breathing. Low blood pressure, Low PO2, Low body temperature. Possible that she had ingested large amount of Benzodiazepine. Give 100% Oxygen and prepare continuous IV drip of 1.0% of sodium chloride for 48 hours. 1.5 mL of dopamine and atrophine respectively to be injected into the IV drip. Send to observation room for 48 hour observation." The doctor ordered.
"Yes doctor!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri remained seated at the waiting area, waiting anxiously for any updates from the medical staffs, the situation of Ai at the moment. 'Why had all these happened? This is supposed to be a celebratory event, and not what it had ended up now. Risa being locked up, Ai-san in the emergency room. What should I do?' Eri sighed in desperation as she ran her fingers through her hair.
The vibration in her bag attracted her attention. Flipping through her messy bag, which had contained some of the personal documents and belongings of Ai she had picked up before the ambulance came, Eri tried to locate the vibrating phone.
'Finally.' Eri thought as she pulled out the phone. 'Nakazawa-san?' Eri had her eyes wide open at the screen.
"Hello, this is Kamei Eri."
"Of course I know you are Kamei Eri." Came the answer from the receiver.
"Sorry." Eri apologised, with shades of red of embarrassment running across her cheek. 'What an embarrass thing to do that, Eri.'
"Kamei-san, I saw the newspaper today. Is that really Ai-chan on it?" Yuko questioned.
'Should I tell her about what happened to Ai-san?' Eri debated.
"Hello, are you there?" Yuko continued, as Eri had yet to answer her over the phone.
"Hai! I am still here." Eri answered. 'Should I, or should I not?'
"So is that Ai-chan? Is the other the friend you had mentioned the previous time?" Yuko asked again.
"Ano . . . Nakazawa-san?" The questions that Yuko had been asking did not register in Eri's mind at all. All these time, Eri had her mind on the debate whether should she inform Yuko about Ai's admission to the hospital.
"Yes? Have you been listening to what I was asking?"
"Takahashi-san is now in the ER" Eri muttered quickly under her breath.
"What did you say? I didn't catch what you were saying?"
"Takahashi-san is now in the ER." Eri repeated, this time round, slower but in a quivery voice.
"WHAT?!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I don't want to . . . I don't want to . . . " Risa whimpered softly in her sleep.
Renni patted Risa softly at her head, running her hands slowly down Risa's hair. "Risa-ko. I know you don't want to . . . But . . . " Renni whispered softly to the sleeping child before her. "But. . . there's nothing much we can do. The company's reputation is always Papa's first top priority. . . You had crossed the line too much this time round . . . "
"Ai . . . " Risa whimpered this time round.
'Ai . . . That girl had the same name as my Ai-chan, didn't she? I wonder . . . where is she now. . . Had she blamed us for leaving her alone?' Tears began to flow as memories of her daughter flooded her consciences.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Who was the one who brought the patient, Takahashi Ai in?" The doctor-in-charge voiced out to the waiting area as he got out of the procedure room, wanting to talking to Ai's next of kin.
"It was me." Eri raised her hand and spoke up. She then got up immediately from the seat and closed nearer to the doctor. "Is she okay? Is she in any danger?"
"She's now on her way to the observation room." The doctor informed."We will talk as we head to the observation room."
"Okay." Eri answered, as started to walk by the side of the doctor.
"May I ask, who are you to the patient?" The doctor questioned, before deciding whether was it appropriate to disclose the details to Eri.
"I'm her . . . " Eri started off and paused for a moment. 'In what position am I standing here? Her psychologist who should be obligated to the well being of her patient, or just a normal friend, being worried about her friend's situation?' Eri turned towards the doctor and found him staring at her questionably, waiting for Eri's answer. "Friend. So is Ai-san alright?"
The doctor hesitated for a moment. The pause that Eri took made him ponder whether was it alright to allow Eri to know about Ai. But he left it as what it was. "She shouldn't be in any danger. As you should know, overdose of Benzodiazepine is seldom death threatening. We will have to wait for the pathological report to see which class of Benzodiazepine did she took to access the risk factor. Though that, she had very weak vitals when she was admitted in. The only thing we can do now is to monitor her vitals, and not letting them to drop lower anymore. And also, we have removed the scrap glasses from her forearm. They are of nothing serious. No major veins were cut."
"Thank god . . . " Eri mutter under her breath, releasing a small sigh of relieve.
"But . . . " The doctor continued.
"But?" Eri echoed and turned her attention to back what the doctor had to continue.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Risa-ko . . .wake up" A gentle tug on Risa's shoulder accompanied by the familiar voice woke her up. "We are leaving. . . "
Risa opened her eyes abruptly upon hearing the fact that they were about to leave for home. She shook her head vigorously, and started to beg again. "Mama . . . No. . . I don't want to go home. . . "
"Risa-ko . . ."
"Let's go. No more nonsense from you, Risa." Before Renni could hoax Risa, Retora walked into the room and grabbed Risa by hand and pulled her out of the room.
"Papa . . . " Risa cried out.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri sat by the bedside, beside the numerous machine that were attached to Ai at the moment.
"The ingestion of Benzodiazepine by the patient is obviously an act of suicidal. There will be large amount of follow up to be done after the patient regain conscious. I think there is a need for referral to the psychiatrist."
'If only she allows . . . Doctor.' Eri thought in her mind as she remembered what the doctor had told her previously. 'What actually happened, Ai-san? Why are you such a big mystery, that no one up to date has the ability to solve it?'
"How is she?" A third voice in the room broke Eri's mind of thought. She turned over to the entrance of the door and saw Yuko walking in briskly and anxiously, knocking over one of the table stand in the process.
Eri stood up immediately to greet Yuko. "Nakazawa-san, are you okay?" Eri asked as she walked over to Yuko and helped her up.
"I'm alright. How's Ai-chan?" Yuko asked, rushing over to the bedside.
"She regaining back her vitals now. Which is optimistic as said by the doctor." Eri explained.
"That's good. I'm relieved." Yuko muttered to herself, as she brush the fringe of Ai away from the face lovingly. "Poor girl . . . "
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
{Ai, reply me please . . . -Risa} Risa sent her nth message to Ai as she stood beside her Renni and the check in counter, waiting to get their boarding passes.
"Things will not change by that, Risa-ko. Keep the phone before Papa sees it. Papa is firm with his decision. You too, stop torturing yourself by thinking of that girl again, Risa-ko."
"Mama . . . " Risa whined softly to her mother, with tears threatening to fall off her eyes.
'Ai, did you really meant it when you say we should stop? Was it from the bottom of your heart. Had I not touched your heart? No. It's not true. I did right? I did right? Then why are you not replying me? Why?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri sighed deeply at the scene before her. Ai's house was in a mess. The cluster of broken glass near the doorway was one good example. Traces of blood can be observed on some of the scrape glasses.
With Yuko accompanying Ai at the moment, Eri can afford to leave the hospital. She had decided to return to Ai's apartment to pack some necessities for her stay in the hospital.
'Maybe I can clear up the mess as well.' Eri thought. Placing her bag on the floor beside the door, Eri rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and scooted towards the kitchen, in searching for the broom and dustpan. Sweeping the glasses off the floor, Eri poured them onto a stack of newspaper that she had found, and wrapped them properly, before disposing into the dustbin.
'The watch, it's still here. . . ' Eri noted as she saw the purple box at the old position.
And now, the art book lying on the coffee table had caught her attention. 'Does Ai-san has a interest to draw? I never knew.' Eri thought as she picked up the book. Being curious, Eri flipped the book to a random page and that left her to be rooted onto the ground.
'This . . . '
Then, she suddenly remembered one important thing that had totally slipped out of her mind. 'Risa!' Having her mind preoccupied by the fact that Ai had tried to kill herself and was admitted to the hospital, Eri had totally forgot about her best friend. 'She's hurt too . . . Ai-san is not the only one who had suffered from this. Risa too.'
Closing the art book and grabbed it in her hold, Eri rushed towards the wardrobe and took and few changes of clean clothing for Ai, and together with the art book, she had packed them into her overly messy bag.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa stared blankly at the outside from her position at the window seat. 'This is no longer the sky that I will fly. I could no longer fly freely under this sky, like how I wished I could. I could no longer reach you anymore . . . Not anymore . . . I can no longer be by your side. . . Not anymore. . . ' Risa thought, as the salty crystal fell.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Risa?" Eri called out as she opened the door of her apartment, expecting to see Risa and her parents preparing to leave for home. But no. An empty apartment was what had welcomed her.
Pulling her phone out from her jean's pocket, Eri dialled the familiar number that belongs to her best friend.
"You have reach the mailbox of Niigaki Risa and this means that I am currently busy and unable to answer your call. If you have something that you need to tell me, please try calling me at a later time. If not you can also chose to leave a message behind. But please be sure that you name yourself properly. Thank you."
'Too late. . . I'm too late . . . ' Eri thought as she hang up the phone.
Reaching her hand into her bag, Eri pulled out the art book she had picked up from Ai's apartment. 'This . . . may contain the clues to solve the mystery. . . But can I look through them at my own discretion, without the permission of the owner . . . But I am positive about what I had saw just now was . . .'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bleh~ I'm stopping here. And THIS is reall the end of the daily updates. . . I'm positive :)
The next chapter would be until the weekends, or next wednesday . . . :)
Now going on to the replying of messages :
@ oddball : Hihi! I was on updating spree last week . . . .but now i guess you won't miss much now :) yupps. and things will continue to get complicated as the chapters go, so enjoy ^.^
@ Bamtai: Yes Papa Gaki is mean . . . . But I guessed, there were reasons for them? hehehe . . Nope, i won't be that hardhearted to kill my Ai . . . .So, relax relax. .
@ rndmnwierd : nope. Risa do not know that she was an adopted daughter. . .as said by alwaysYou, I mentioned that Risa had no memories of herself prior to the age of 5 :)
@ SarangAi : Hmmm . . Kinda of? Ai managed to recognise to know that were her parents from the voice of the mother, who had been ringing in her dreams everyday. She actually could not remember how did they looked like. So. And no, her parents don't recognise Ai either, due to 18 years and growing up . . . .Yupps
And no, Ai did not cut herself. The cuts are accidental, when she dropped onto the broken glass on the floor . ..
@ alwaysYou : Yes, the mum did remember the name . . . Not sure whether if the dad do though . . .. HMMMM. . . and HMMMM and HMMMM :)
@ Beecubed : Now . . . comes the long reply . . . Hhahah
First thing first, THANK YOU for falling in love with the story. I really appreciate that! :)
This story's been with you since 4 years ago? Why has it taken you so long to post this?
Eh . . .. It was a long story. It's the final year of my 'high school' (what people usually mentioned as) and school works and school commitment kinda stopped me from writing. Plus the many things that happened in my life then, and loss of urge to write to express myself, the idea kinda faded away . . . and I stopped writing (for serious) until late last year where I read back the stuffs I'd written before. I felt that I want to get back to writting. When the idea came in, i was in a different kind of fandom, and i wrote prominently in my mother tongue, as I had mention in the first chapter. So when I'd decided to get back to writing, this story came straight into my mind. It was close to my heart and I really wanted to finish it. So with different characters and stuff, i started writing it in english in sep last year. I stopped the second time, having stucked at the same problem when i got to HP fandom =X It remained lying on my laptop for 7 months, until one day in april, it slipped back into my mind again. hahaha. So changing the characters once again, and i'm glad that i'd made it thus far. .. :)
About Orange Days, that was one of my favourite J-drama as well! I came stumbling upon the show in 2008 - 2009 and I loved it to the max, and had actually wanted to learn Sign language as well. hahah.
Ah . .. Anyway... I'll never cease to be amazed by writers whose first language isn't English, but who still manage to blow me away with their story and their storytelling,
How to say . . . English is actually considered my first language . =X but i'm really bad in it. Seriously. I'm totally not a language person because I'm bad in writting in my mother tongue as well. yupps.
The song . . .it's 飄零燕 by twins(can be translated into the wandering swallows in english *i think* ). If by any chance you need translations to the lyrics, i can help. :) [Anyway, i was thinking to only reveal the song at the end of the story, in the form of credits. but since you'd asked, i will just reveal this first :)]
you have to wonder then, what exactly is Ai-chan suffering from? Just a social disorder she had straight from birth?
That's for you and me and other readers to find out then :) *evil grin*
Now, we have a lot of background information on Ai, but Risa’s past has only been skimmed through, and I wonder if I’m the only one here who’s this anxious to know more about Gaki-san's past - how did she come to the Niigaki family in the first place? Who are/were her real parents? What happened exactly, such that Niigaki papa ended up with Risa as his daughter? Why can’t she remember anything about her past before coming to the Niigaki family? I have to assume that Risa believes the Niigakis are her real family… I AM SO CURIOUS ABOUT THIS. =_____= Hopefully, you will be revealing more about Risa’s history as the story continues; it isn’t fair that we only know about Ai’s!
Hehehehe. . . .i will touch on that . . . .soon :)
AND
THANK YOU VERY MUCH TOO :) for loving this this story and posting such a long comment. I can never tell you how wide the grin i had on my face when i read your comment. . . . and yes. . .i must be ashamed that, your comment is actually longer that majority of my chapters. . . *hides* HAHAH
Once again .. . Thank you for reading!! :D
@ kano-chan : Nope Ai did not cut herself. I'm pretty sure alot of people hates the dad over here . .. hmmm ... hmmm... Thank You!!!!
And this is then END :)
Until the next chapter then! :)
Jan~
-
So it seems as though Ai will recover, at least physically but mentally it may take a lot longer than any physical wounds......
Gaki is still, well I suppose trapped with her 'parents', it seems as though Renni remebers about Ai, what will happen when they meet? how will Gaki escape, or will she leave with her parents?
-
omg... Ai is hospitalized and Gaki get dragged home by her dad...
ah... the mom still remembers Ai's name... of course she still remembers her little girl...
now what will Eri and Gaki do...
-
Noooo! :( TakaGaki cannot be separated! :smhid This is so sad! :cry:
What's in Ai-chan's sketchbook?? :O
I was hoping maybe Risa would fight and punch her dad in the face or something. :angry: This is her love life and he's so selfish. :tama-mad: Everything he did was for business. :banghead:
I'll be waiting~ :yep:
-
Whew, I'm glad Ai is okay, but what about Risa? Will she be okay? I wonder if Risa's mama will help somehow.
@ rndmnwierd : nope. Risa do not know that she was an adopted daughter. . .as said by alwaysYou, I mentioned that Risa had no memories of herself prior to the age of 5
:doh: There I go with my attention to detail again.
-
[Chapter 17 - The Situation]
The gentle sound of the knocking door echoed in the room of Risa.
"Risa-ko. . . Breakfast is ready down at the dining table . . . Do you want to come down and join Papa and I at the dining table?" A similarly gentle voice continued after the knocking of the door.
"I'm not hungry . . . " Risa replied monotonously from her position on the bed. She was sitting on the covers of the bed, with her back leaning against the cold metal of the bed.
"Are you sure? You haven't eaten anything since yesterday, Risa-ko" Renni continued with obvious concern sounding in her voice.
"I said I'm not hungry." Risa replied once again, with the same tone in her voice. "I will eat if I'm hungry, Mama." Risa finished, hoping that her mom would leave her alone, for the silence that she wanted.
"I will leave some food for you. Do you want me to bring it up for you?" Renni asked again, hoping to get some decent respond of wanting to eat from Risa.
"No. I'm not hungry." Risa repeated the third time.
"If that's the case . . . I will leave you alone, Risa. But promise Mama that you will at least eat something. I need not need you to eat now, but at least have some food in your system, later in the day, please?" Renni begged, as she waited patiently for Risa's answer on the other side of the door.
"Okay." Risa gave her one word promise, with herself with no intention of fulfilling it in the first place. She had just did that to had her mother to leave her alone. Receiving no more comments by the person at the other side of the door, Risa finally allow herself to burrow her face into the huge Mickey plushie that she had been hugging all the while, and began to let out the soft cries she had been holding.
'And after all these while, here I am . . . once again . . . stuck in here. . . Nothing's here after all . . . There's nothing that I wanted nor nothing I want to be. . . .' Risa cried out in her mind.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Good morning, Kamei-san." Eri was greeted by Miki the first thing she set her feet into the clinic.
"Good morning to you too, Fujimoto-san" Eri returned, with tinge of tiredness flowing out in her voice. "Nakazawa-san is not coming in today as well. Can you please help to inform her patients about it?" Eri informed.
"Sure."
Eri then dragged her feet across the waiting area and back into her own office. This was the second morning since the Ai's admission into the hospital. The first morning began with Eri reaching back to her empty home, realising that Risa and her parents had left for Kyoto. After changing off her outfit, Eri returned back to the hospital, only to be told by Yuko that she had decided to stay in the hospital and not going back to the clinic. And that, resulted in Eri's busy day at work.
Leaning her back against the backrest of the chair, Eri closed her eyes. The moment she closed her eyes, the image she saw in Ai's sketchbook flashed back into her mind, causing her eyes to open in reflex. 'It's her . . . I'm sure it's her . . . But. . . Why?' Eri thought In her mind.
Eri shifted her attention towards the same sketchbook that was now lying on the edge of her work table, where the rest of her documents regarding Ai was. 'This is so tempting . . . But if I looked into it at my own discretion, what will then happen to my own personal ethics, regarding the privacy of others?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Kamei-san?" A voice from the other side of the door called her.
"Come in." Eri ordered as she closed the file of her previous patient. Turning her attention towards the clock in front of her desk, Eri had finally realised that it was the already the closing time of the office. 'Time really flies when you are really busy. . .'
"Are you going over to the hospital after this?" Miki asked as she entered Eri's office.
Eri nodded her head at the question as she quickened her pace in packing up, putting those confidential files into the locked cupboard and locked them up.
"Can I come with you?" Miki asked.
The question caught Eri's interest, causing Eri to turn away from the things she had been doing and looked at Miki with a shock expression.
"Ai-chan had always been a sweet girl during her visits. I want to pay a visit to her." Miki explained.
"It should be alright . . ." Eri answered. 'I wonder, has Ai-san regained her conscious yet?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Risa-ko, dinner's ready." A gentle knock followed by the familiar question came sounding into the room.
"I'm not hungry." Risa, who was still in the same position, answered the question.
"You can't be doing this to yourself, Risa-ko. You are going to starve yourself to death, if you continue to refuse to eat, dear." The voice continued, with overflowing concern flowing in it.
'Wouldn't it be better, if I am off to death?' Risa thought bitterly in her mind. "I said I am not hungry."
The sound of footsteps disappearing down the stairs was echoed into the room.
"Ne . . Ai-san, can you wait for me over here for a moment? I will be back soon." Risa asked suddenly. Not waiting for Ai's response, Risa turned and ran towards the direction where the two of them had just came from.
'Confession is never complete without flowers.' Risa thought in her mind as she kept her speed in running, back to the florist shop she had saw down the street when they were walking together.
'How many should I get? What kind of flowers does Ai-san likes?' Questions like that kept flooding Risa's mind. 'How about 9 red and 1 white? would that be nice?'
"For you!" Risa presented the flowers right in front of Ai's face from Ai's back. "Hope that you like them." Risa said, with slight shades of redness running across her cheeks.
Without thinking, Risa slipped her hands conveniently into Ai' and began to guide Ai in progressing forward. And that was only until soft lip touched her burning cheek. Realising that Ai had just kissed her, Risa turned to her left, expecting to see Ai standing over there. But no. Ai had ran away from her. "You are such a sly!" Risa pouted childishly as she chased after Ai.
Running over her cheeks, Risa realised the tears of hers had ran off her eyes selfishly. 'How are you Ai? Why did you leave? Why didn't you pull me out together with you at that point of time? Why did you say . . . that we shouldn't be continuing after all? If you really meant that, why did you kiss me in the first place?'
Picking up her mobile phone, once again, Risa sent a message to Ai, hoping that this time round, she would be able to get some response from the girl she had been missing like crazy.
{Ai, I missed you. . . -Risa}
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Nakazawa-san? What are you doing out here? Did any complications happened?" Eri exclaimed as she was surprised to find Yuko sitting alone at the chairs in the corridor outside the observation room when she and Miki were walking down it.
"Kamei-san, Fujimoto-san, you guys are here?" Yuko responded. The loud voice of Eri woke Yuko out of her dreamland.
"What are you doing outside here? Did something happened to Takahashi-san?" Eri asked again when she reached beside Yuko.
Yuko shook her head at her question. "Ai-chan had regained her conscious. The doctor had checked on her, saying that she's alright for now, with her vitals back to the normal."
"Really?" Eri squealed a little and quickly approached towards the room before Yuko stopped her.
"But . . ."
"But?" Eri and Miki asked at the same time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yuko sat alone by the bedside of Ai, watching the sleeping figure of Ai quietly. 'Ai-chan. . . it's been 18 years. . . 18 years since you had walked into my office, into my life. Like Kamei-san, you were the first patient I had. Being so young that time, you had really grew on me, just like a little sister to me. . .'
Ai flicked opened her eyes, and closed them immediately again. The bright environment hurt her eyes. And once again, Ai tried opening her eyes again, slowly and blinking them from time to time, allowing her eyes to get use to the light in the room. 'Where am I? Am I where I am supposed to be?'
"Ai-chan? You're awake?" Yuko exclaimed excitedly as she saw the Ai regaining her conscious.
'Where am I ?' The question rang in Ai's mind again. 'What had happened?'
Turning her head slowly to the left, she saw an excited Yuko standing beside her, muttering a series of words that her brain could not register. 'Nakazawa-san? Why is she here? Where am I?'
Ai closed her eyes again, forcing herself to remember what had happened.
Pain and pressure were built on her throat as she forced herself to open her mouth to speak to the girl who was hugging her lovingly in her embrace.
Mama . . . Papa . . .
Ai shot her eyes open again and shoot up from her sitting position. 'Risa . . . That little girl in my dreams . . '
"Ai-chan, are you alright? Do you want me to call the doctor over?" Yuko asked caringly.
'Why am I still alive? Why am I still breathing? I shouldn't be still living on this earth, wasting the resources that could be of better use to other people. Even them . . . They had chosen someone else to be their daughter instead. . . not me." Ai cried out in her mind, as tears made their way down her face.
"Ai-chan . . " Yuko called out as she closed herself towards Ai, wanting to pull the girl towards her, wanting to comfort her.
(But I promised, I won't abuse them)
'I betrayed her trust.' Ai thought. ' You betrayed her trust, Ai. You are not worthy for her. You are not worthy of all these care and concern she had been showering on you all these years.' Came another voice, causing Ai to push Yuko away from her. ' I'm not worthy of all these. I'm not.'
Picking up the pillow that she was lying on, she threw it towards Yuko, indicating to her that she wants her to be out of the room.
'Please leave, Nakazawa-san.' Ai cried in her mind. 'I'm not worthy of all these. I'm not.
"Ai-chan . . ."
Ai's body started to tremble vigorously again, with her hands shaking uncontrollably. Looking at her surrounding, looking at the medical machines that were attached to her, Ai trembled. 'You are not worthy of all these.'
Using her trembling right hand, she reached towards her left hand and pulled the IV needle out of her, causing blood to flow out promptly, staining the pure white bed sheet.
"Ai-chan, don't do that." Yuko tried to rush forward to stop Ai's action, only to be pushed away by Ai again.
(Get out.)
"Ai-chan . . . " Yuko got herself nearer to Ai again, but was once again pushed away.
The doctor had finally came running into the room, with 3 nurses following behind him. Two of them tried to grab hold of Ai, with the doctor trying to inject mild sedatives to calm Ai down. The other nurse came forward to Yuko. "Sorry, I think it's better for you to wait at the corridor."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sorry for interrupting, but is there anyone whom I can talk to regarding the patient, Takahashi Ai?" The doctor came forward towards the three women and spoke.
Eri looked at Yuko, whilst Yuko looked at Eri.
"Kamei-san, would you like to do that?" Yuko asked.
"But . .. " Eri started. 'But I thought it would be better for you to, Nakazawa-san, since Ai-san is more of a family member to you . . .'
"I will leave Ai into your care. Please." Yuko asked as she stood up from the seat and walked towards the door, peeking into the observation room where Ai was laid in through the glass window of the wooden door.
"Hai. Wakarimashita." Eri responded as she stood up and followed the doctor back to his office.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Kamei-san?" The doctor called out.
"Hai. Kamei Eri." Eri introduced as she made herself comfortable onto the chair.
"The situation of Takahashi-san has been stabilised. Her vital signs are looking good as for now, and she had regained her conscious from the effects of the tranquiliser she had took." The doctor explained. "However, we have evaluated that her state of mental as instable. We have discussed on this issue and had decided to refer Takahashi-san to the psychiatric ward now.
"What?" Eri blurt out.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Risa-ko, I'm coming in." Renni informed as she enter Risa's room with a tray of food in her hand. "I left some food from dinner for you."
"I'm not hungry." Risa answered as she looked out of the window of her room.
"I will leave it on your table." Renni said, ignoring the comment Risa had just made.
After she had placed the food on Risa's study table, she sauntered towards where Risa was, and sat beside Risa at the empty area on the bed.
"I know you are angry with Papa and me, but torturing yourself is not a good way to show that, Risa-ko." Renni started speaking softly to Risa as she wiped away the tears that were flowing from her eyes. "Please be good to yourself. Don't torture yourself, dear."
"I know." Risa responded as she pushed away her mother's hand away from her face. "I'm really not hungry. I will eat when I'm hungry." Risa assured.
"I really hope you will, Risa."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri was down on the bed after the whole day of exhaustion. 'This is so tiring . . . Now what? Not only that we do not know what happened to Ai-san in the past that had caused her mutism, we have her ended up in the psychiatric ward. Why had things gone this bad? Would things been better if I had never took up this case?'
The ringing phone of hers had interrupted Eri's thought. Eri answered the call without looking at the screen.
"Hello. This is Kamei Eri speaking."
". . . . . . "
"Hello?"
". . . . . . "
"I'm going to hang up the call if you don't speak." Eri threatened. Prank calls was the last thing she wanted right now in addition to her hills of worries.
"Eri . . . "
"Risa?" Eri perked up at the familiar voice over the phone, changing the tone of her voice.
". . . . . . "
"Risa are you alright? Back home?" Eri asked with concern. She had been so busy that she had not had the time and thought to call her best friend to check on her well being.
"Hmmm." Risa responded with an almost inaudible voice.
"You sound like a death pig. Have you been not eating again?" Eri asked, hitting straight into the fact. The silence of Risa had told her the answer. "You know you shouldn't be doing that."
"I . . . Ai . . . " Risa broke into a series of sobs.
'She had not know what happened to Ai . . . Should I tell her? But . . .what can she do? She's already troubled enough by the fact that she's stuck back home again?' Eri thought.
"Risa . . . Don’t think about too much now. We will thing about the solution to get you out of the house soon, okay? As for now, don't torture yourself. You need to keep yourself alive, for the things you have been chasing for all these while. Don't starve yourself anymore." Eri pleaded, deciding that she should keep Ai's situation a secret from Risa for the time being, until Risa had gotten up to her feet again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hihi! I am determined to finish 1 chapter before i get started on my next assignment. So sorry if this chapter is a little too short or 'boring'. But . . . This is definately going to lead to something. Hopefully i will write a longer one for my next chapter.
Until then~
-
So now we get to see how everyone is doing. Quite sad that no one is coping well. I hope some action will happen in the next chapter, but I can't possibly imagine what.
-
This chapter, I can't guess what it will be in the next scene...
So it attracted me a lot :wub:
-
update!! :twothumbs
was waiting for weekends :lol:
somehow, even i hope Eri will tell Gakisan how was Aichan, but i'm glad she didnt do it..Gakisan have to stand up first, Eri cant afford another friend to collaspe..and when it will be so hard to get Gakisan out of her house
as for Aichan, arrr, its so sad :( :cry:
she such a negative person here..she just blame herself for everything
she even push away Yuko now..
really wonder how Eri is gonna pull Ai out from all this or she wont even be able to do it and end with last choice, get risa out from her house and gakisan will be the one doing it
But since Ai already know that Gakisan was the little girl that her parents choose..I think Ai definitely lock herself away from Gakisan more, so gakisan can be the good/best daughter of her parents..and when Gakisan know she's the one who snatch away and indirect cause Ai to become like this, it might end up, Gakisan running away from Ai too..ahhh which i hope not..
looking forward to next chp..
Nice chp/story :thumbsup
-
This chapter wasn't boring! :roll: But it was so sad! :cry:
How is Risa going to get away from her father's grasp and control? :( Maybe we need Ai-chan for that... But what's going to happen with Ai-chan now?? :panic:
What's in that sketchbook?! :banghead:
Awaiting for your next.. :grin:
-
This fic... is amazing :bow: So sad :cry: I love it though. Can't wait for next chap :twothumbs
-
@ kano-chan : What's in the sketch book? I'm not telling you now . . . XD But it's gonna to be revealed soon . . . .So behold!! :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 18] - Don't Leave Me
"I have decided." Retora cleared his throat and spoke over the dining table during breakfast. "You are going to get married the eldest son of Matsumoto Corporation."
"WHAT?!" Risa blurted her first sentence towards her father since the day he had dragged her home a month ago. "No way." Risa continued defiantly.
"It's your mess to clean up, Risa. It's because of all what you did, which had led to what the company is facing right now. All the other business corporations had boycotted us, saying that MY daughter, which is you, is a huge disgrace! Getting married to Matsumoto is the only way to clear the mess you had made!" Retora lectured across the table, causing Risa to fall into silence. "Make sure you attend the press conference this afternoon." He continued to order.
"No way." Risa muttered as she stood up from her seat and walked away from the table.
"Don't think that you can escape from this by not attending the press conference. I will still announce this even if you are not attending." Retora challenged.
"I'm still not going." Risa returned defiantly as she stomped her way up the stairs and back into her room.
'There's no way I'm gonna to allow that to happen. He had taken away my freedom . . . There's no way I'm gonna to allow him to take away the only happiness that I can have . . . I need to get away. . . ' Risa thought.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ai sat alone at the corner of the recreation room of the psychiatric ward, staring at the screen of the television. Though her eyes were fixed on the television, her mind was not. Like any other people in the room, her mind was somewhere else.
{Ai, can you please reply my message. Once. Once will do. At least please let me know how are you doing now. And that's enough. Really. Please. - Risa}
Ai had her mind on the latest mail she had gotten from Risa. Even though Ai had been ignoring every one of them, it seems like the other girl had no intention of giving up until she had received once decent reply from Ai. 'Maybe . . . I should . . .'
" Sorry for interrupting this programme, but we have just receive a news regarding the ongoing press conference which the Niigaki Corporation is holding this afternoon. . . "
The name 'Niigaki Corporation' had brought her mind and attention back to the television. 'Niigaki Corporation . . . Risa-san . . . Mama . . . Papa. . . ' Ai tried to shut her mind at the memory, but she failed.
"My daughter had expressed her interest on the eldest son of Matsumoto Corporation even since at a young age. And since my daughter is at the age of marriage, I will hereby announce the marriage between Matsumoto Naoki and my daughter, Niigaki Risa. The ceremony will be held in three months time -"
And the television screen went blank, causing the rest of the occupants of the room to turn their attention to Ai at the sudden silence. Throwing the remote control back onto the couch she was seated in, Ai stomped back into her room.
'Lies . . . Lies . . . All those she had said, all those she had been messaging me . . .they are all lies. ALL LIES!'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri giggled softly at the joke Miki had just told her. The two of them were having their lunch together at the nearby café from their workplace.
"Don't say such things, Miki-san. It sounds so stupid coming from you." Eri laughed again.
"At least you are cheered up now, Eri-san. For the whole month, you have been so tense up." Miki reasoned.
"Well, it was indeed a long month for me, with so much things happening around me. At least for now, thankfully, Ai's withdrawal symptoms from the tranquiliser are at the brighter side. Hopefully she will start communicating to us again . . ." Eri sighed deeply as she continued, turning her attention towards the television behind Miki.
". . . I will hereby announce the marriage between Matsumoto Naoki and my daughter, Niigaki Risa. The ceremony will be held in three months time at the. . ."
"Are you serious?!" Eri exclaimed as she shot up from her seat. Fishing her phone out from her handbag, Eri called the person of interest that had caused her sudden shock.
"What happened?" Miki puzzled, blinking questionably at Eri's action.
Eri shook her head at Miki's question as she held her phone to her ears, waiting for the girl to answer her call.
"RISA!" Eri shouted into the phone. "Is that the truth? What your dad had said over the media?"
"He really did that?!" Risa groaned in exasperation over the phone.
And silence persisted within the conversation for a moment.
"Are you really going to marry to that Matsumoto Naoki? He's a jerk!" Eri continued asking, when she realised that Risa and sunk into silence. And that statement from Eri surprised Miki, for that it was the first time Miki had heard Eri using such crude language.
". . . . . . " Silence was the only answer Eri got from Risa.
"Risa?" Eri spoke into the receiver, hoping to get some attention from her best friend.
"I will talk to you again, Eri. Until I had my thoughts settled." Risa answered after the prompt from Eri. "Thank you for calling, Eri . . . "
"RISA?" Eri exclaimed. And the next moment, before Eri could say anything else, she was cut off the line. Eri let out an angry groaned as she removed the phone away from her ear and threw it back into her handbag. "Baka." Eri muttered under her breath.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'He did it again . . .Against my wish, against my will. . . And why am I still doing here, in this house where there's no freedom, no life?' Risa thought bitterly as she placed her mobile phone on the dressing table and flopped herself onto her comfy bed, face flat on the soft cover.
"Risa . . . Don’t think about too much now. We will thing about the solution to get you out of the house soon, okay? As for now, don't torture yourself. You need to keep yourself alive, for the things you have been chasing for all these while. Don't starve yourself anymore."
'Eri's right. I shouldn’t be torturing myself.' Risa thought as she got off her bed, wobbling a little as her feet touched the ground. She stumbled slowly towards the table where Renni had left the food on and sat down on the chair, picking up the utensils and began to bring the food slowly into her mouth.
'What am I suppose to do now? What's my purpose now?' Risa wondered in her mind as she picked up another spoonful of rice. 'How is she? Why did Eri told me anything regarding her? Did something bad happened to her?' Placing the food back to the plate, Risa got up from the chair and back to her bed where her phone was.
{What are you doing now? I'm missing you so much, Ai. Would you please, please reply me? What should I do now? I wanna to be by your side right now, but I can't. Do you want me to be with you, Ai? Reply me please! -Risa}
(I have thought about it. In the end, I don't think I can trust my heart to anybody else except myself, Risa)
'Am I that not trustable?'
And when Risa opened her eyes, she realised, it was already starting to get dark. The orange light outside the window told Risa evening was coming. 'How long have I been lying there?' Risa wondered as she pushed herself up to a sitting position.
'I must do something. . . Maybe I should get away again?' The thought of running away from home again rang in Risa's mind. However, it had only lasted for a short moment. [/i]'But where else can I go? There's no way I can go to Eri again. They would have guessed that so. I need to get to somewhere where no one else knew, no one else could find me . . . '[/i]
And Risa sat at the position for an hour, racking her brain for possible places she could go, until a knock at the door brought her back to reality.
"Risa-ko, dinner's ready"
"Okay. I'm coming." Risa replied monotonously as she got up from her position. 'Tonight's gonna be the night. I can't stay here anymore. Not anymore.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ai-san, I'm coming in." Eri informed as she knocked the door of Ai's room before entering.
Just like the other days, Ai just sat on her bed, not making any eye contact with Eri nor having any signs of wanting to communicate to Eri. Things had been so much better now as compared to a month ago, where Ai practically drove everyone who came for visitation out of the room.
"How's your day today, Ai-san?" Eri walked over to the bed and sat down on the chair by the bedside.
Ai made no effort in trying to reply Eri. Instead, she turned away from facing Eri and focused on the water dispenser on the other side of the room.
'You are still not communicating to anyone, Ai-san. What had happened to you? You were not like this when I first knew you. What had caused your total mutism to further progress to an advance state?' Eri thought desperately in her mind as she furrowed her eyebrow to show her worries and frustration.
Eri then turned, glancing around the room to note the surrounding, making notes to herself how would had Ai's day went by. Her eyes stopped when she reached the corner or the room, right where the door was situated. And there, laid a broken phone . Eri stood up from the seat and walked over, picking up the very much damaged phone from the floor.
"What happened to your phone, Ai-san?" Eri asked hopefully, though she had no expectation that Ai would answer her question. And there, she was right with her expectation. Ai looked away from the eye contact Eri made and stared off to the other side of the room.
"Ai-san. If you don't say anything, I can't help with anything, do you know that? All of us are so worried till dead for you." Eri cried out, hoping that this would evoke any reaction from Ai.
'You don't have to. I'm better off alone. There's no need for you to do that, Eri-san.' Ai thought in her mind as she remained staring at the empty space of the room.
"Ai-san!" Eri called out again.
And this time round, Ai reacted. She got off her bed from the other side and grabbed Eri's handbag by the bed. Pacing herself towards Eri, she shoved the bag into Eri's arm and pulled her wrist, until she reached the door. Pushing Eri lightly outside the room, Ai closed the door right onto Eri's face.
'What had happened to her again? I thought she was alright with us visiting the past few days. What had caused her to start throwing people out of her room again? What had caused her to throw her phone at the wall, until such a damage?' Eri questioned within herself as she scrutinised the broken mobile phone on her palm.
"Missy!" Eri called out to one of the nurses down the counter. "Can I asked what had Takahashi-san did today?"
"She spent most of her afternoon in the recreation room. She was all normal, doing the usual things she does every day. But all of the sudden, she switched the television off and stomped back to her room." The nurse informed.
'Recreation room. . . Television . . . TELEVISION?!' Realisation struck Eri. "Thank you for informing." Eri thanked the nursed. She then turned to another direction, making her way out of hospital. 'So . . .Risa still affects the way she reacts very much. . . '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was 11 pm in the night. Risa, sifting her way through her bedroom in the dark, trying to pack her necessities that she would need into her backpack. 'This is the last.' Risa thought as she grabbed her passport from her safe locker and slipped it into her backpack, zipping them up in the process. Glancing through her room for the one last time, Risa held her right hand at the door knob and turned it slowly, reducing the amount of sound she would made.
And as the door opened, she was froze in her steps. 'Mama . . .' Risa called out in her mind. Renni as seated at the stairway, looking at Risa straight into the eye. 'What is Mama doing here?'
"I knew you are going to run away again tonight." Renni whispered softly.
Risa looked away to her left side, trying to hide the guiltiness she felt for being exposed.
"Before you leave, can you accompany Mama to one place?" Renni asked softly.
And that caught Risa in surprised. She looked up once again at Renni with her wide opened eyes. 'Mama's gonna let me leave? ' The expression she had in her eye had revealed what was in her mind.
Renni nodded her head. "Would you accompany me to one place?" Renni whispered again.
Risa nodded her head with tears forming in her eyes. 'Thank you, Mama.'
"Let's go . . .Renni reached her arms towards Risa, and pulled her closer to her body.
Getting out of the house and stopped in front of the family car, Risa was confused. The family chauffer was not there.
"Get in. What are you waiting for?" Renni asked as she got into the driver's seat.
"Where's Ume-san?" Risa asked.
"He didn't know we are going out. Get in." Renni asked again.
"Mama . . .You know how to drive?" Risa asked stupidly.
"Of course. If not, I would not be doing this, Risa-ko."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The car made its way through the main roads of Kyoto. Looking out of the window, the usual infrastructure had slowly disappeared and the lights on the streets are started to fade as well. From moving on a horizontal road, Risa slowly realised that they were now moving uphills.
'Its here . . . The place where Mama always brings me to watch the stars.' Risa noted silently in her mind.
And they had finally reached the destination they both had in their mind. The mountain top.
"I just want you to accompany me here again . . . before I let you go, Risa-ko. We haven't been here together for years, since you graduated from high school . . ." Renni explained quietly as she took off the seatbelt, grabbed her handbag, and got off the car. Risa followed the same way, leaving her backpack on the seat and left the car, chasing after her mother.
The two of them walked in silence, further a little uphill where the car could not reach, until they reached their usual spot. They sat down in quietness for a long moment until Risa broke the silence.
"Mama. . . Why are you doing this?" Risa asked, almost inaudible as she licked her lips nervously.
Renni turned over and glanced at Risa with tears in her eyes. 'I'm sorry for creating so much suffering in your life, Risa. I could have stopped this from happening in the first place. If I had stood firm in my decision to stay with Ai-chan, Retora would not made you his official daughter, controlling your life in his way.'
"Mama?" Risa called out again, slightly louder than before.
Renni looked away from Risa and shifted her attention back to the starry sky. "Mama thought that my Risa-ko has already grown up and you should have the authority to chose the kind of life you want. You were no longer the little girl who always come running into my room when you had nightmares at night."
"Mama . . ." Risa was touched to tears, that nothing else could come into her mind.
'Even though you are not my real daughter. . . I still loved you like you were mine, with you, always being such a sweetie pie. It's too hard for anyone to not to love you, Risa-ko. You know . . .It hurts my heart to let you go now . . . just like how my heart was hurt when I let Ai-chan go. . . ' Tears began to flow down freely off Renni's face.
"Mama . . . " Risa scooted closer to Renni and bear hugged her mother, lugging onto her mother's right hand, and burrowed her face into Renni's should and began to sob out her tears.
"Stop crying, Baby. . ." Renni coaxed as she ran her free hand into Risa's hair, messing them up in the process. "You always loved the stars too right? Let us enjoy this together . . .Before you leave." Renni finished.
Risa pulled her face away from Renni shoulder and looked at Renni with her teary eyes. And just like a little kid, Risa nodded her head once while bitting onto her lips before lying comfortably on her mother's shoulder.
"Thank you . . . Mama. . . "
"You don't have to thank me, Risa-ko . . ." Renni argued. 'I am definitely not the one you should thank. I am partially the one who had caused all these sufferings you had. I should be sorry instead, Risa-ko. . .' Staring fervently at the brightest star in the sky, another thought came into her mind. 'How have you been, Ai-chan? I hope that you are doing all well now . . .'
The warm shoulder of Renni was so comfortable and coaxing that Risa had fallen asleep in it. A strong breeze of wind came blowing onto their face, and that was when Renni had realised that Risa's hand was turning freezing cold.
'I almost forgot, this girl is sensitive to cold.' Renni thought lovingly.
Renni patted hands softly, waking the girl in the process. "Wait over here for me. I'll grab some blankets for you from the car." Renni whispered softly.
"Hmm Hmm." Risa whined as she shook her head. "I'm not cold, Mama. You don't have to do that." Risa continued as she rubbed her tired eyes.
"You're lying. You're hands are freezing." Renni reprimanded softly as she stood up. "I will be back in a while" With that, Renni left Risa alone at the mountain top and went back to the car.
'Mama's being so gently . . .' Risa thought as a small smile creeped upon her face. 'And to think I have been blaming her for my suffering . . .I should have known that Mama didn't want it to be in this way as well . . .You are such a baka, Risa.' Risa scolded herself mentally.
Focusing her attention back to the sky, images of Ai flashed back in her mind. 'I'm finally free. . . Will you be still there, waiting for me, allowing me to walk into your life again, Ai?'
20 minutes had passed, and Renni had yet to come back. 'This is weird . . .It doesn't take that long to walk to the car and walk back here. . .' Risa thought in her mind. Recovering from her position on the ground, Risa tracked back to the car only to find her latest nightmare.
"MAMA!"
Renni was lying on the ground 10 feet away from the car, face facing up, with blood flowing in profusion from a knife wound on the abdomen.
"MAMA!" Risa cried out again as she rushed forward to Renni, placing pressure on the wound to try to stop the bleeding. "MAMA?!"
Renni was not answering any of Risa's calls. She was already in an unconscious state.
"MAMA?!" Risa cried out, running her bloodied hand to her jeans pocket, pulling out her mobile phone. "Mama, don't sleep, please don't!" Dialling the ambulance number with her shaky hands, Risa broke down into tears. 'Don't leave me in this way, Mama . . .'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BAH! I finished another chapter, this time round slightly longer :) This was so much easier to write as compared to the 1500 words essay i'm supposed to finish. Haix. But anyway, this chapter would be enough 'actions' for all who had been waiting . . . And i could say, more actions are coming up in the next few chapters . . So behold!! :) De wa~
-
ahhhhhhhhhhhh...
and now gakisan wont be leaving the house again!!!
and whose the one who stab the mum..&#*%..
maybe gakisan will know she not the real daughter here? blood type.. :lol:
Ai definitely still like Gakisan, yet another news smash everything again..
definitely hating the dad..oh man, someone should teach him a lesson..lol..
nice chp as usual :thumbup
-
Oh my god! I knew some arranged marriage would ensue! :bleed eyes:
Ai-chan, Ai-chan, Ai-chan.... What are we going to do with you? :O
Papa Gaki should get kidnapped and tortured. :angry:
Escape!! :cow: Okay...so here's the part.. When Mama Gaki took Risa out, I thought she would help Risa get away and tell her the whole truth about her adoption, but just when I thought about everything you're planning and expecting what's gonna happen, you took a totally different turn. :bleed eyes: Wouldn't it be hard to uncover the truth and misunderstandings if Mama Gaki dies now?? :panic: :panic:
Wait a minute.... I thought Mama Gaki killed herself, but did someone else..? :shocked
Great Chap! :twothumbs
-
:shocked I was not expecting that ending ..
If only Aichan would give Risa a chance to explain :bleed eyes:
Her told man needs to go away and stop blaming everything on his kids :smhid
-
Wha-What?! What happened!! Ai's freaking out and Risa was so close to getting away, now what?! Damn, I wasn't expecting that.
-
omg... omg... so sad... :pleeease:
Mama Gaki don't die!!!!!! who da hell did that? stabbing her, stopping risa from escaping... :on speedy:
i'm so on the edge of my seat.... GYAH i need to study but i can't stop thinking about this.. :on study:
-
AHHH!!! Poor Mama Gaki. just as she had given Gaki her 'freedom' she gets stabbed, surley it wasn't any of Retora's men???
Ai is still very much unstabe then.... I wonder how she will react when she meets Gaki again....
-
@ alwaysYou : It's still too early to tell whether Risa can get out of the house now :) More to come more to come - next chapter :)
@ kano-chan : The contents of the sketchbook is gonna to be revealed in this chapter, so take note! :lol: Arrange marriage - thats very asian, so you can expect that from a very asian me XD Nope Mama Gaki did not commit suicide. It was a robbery in the mountains. heheh
@ astro18, rndmnwierd : Alot of people was not expecting that ending. And i apologise for leaving it there. heheheh hopefully this chapter will make up the shockingness of the last chapter :)
@ SarangAi : Don't be sad . . . Mama Gaki won't die . . . i still don't bear to kill anyone in this fic heheh. I understood how you felt, cos I was too trying to finish up with my essay, but my mind was all filled up with the details of what to write next -.- anyway, I hope that eventually you still did manage to get your studying done XD
@ oddball : Nope, it's not Retora's man. It's just some random robber who had did that. heheh
And Hihi! I had finally finished the huanting essay I'm supposed to write, and there you go, a new chapter!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 19] - The Cry of the Heart
'It's all my fault . . . If it wasn't because of me, Mama won't retreat back to the ca to retrieve the blanket . . . It's all my fault . . .' Bringing her blood stained hand towards her face, Risa wept quietly.
"4 pints of Type A positive blood from the bank please." The voice of the doctor could be heard from where Risa was seated.
'Type A?' Risa puzzled as she looked up from her hands.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Should I ?' Eri thought as she sat behind the table in her study room. She was still staring at the sketchbook of Ai for an hour, debating with her own conscience whether should she take a look at it.
'Why do I have a feeling that Risa is so much more involved in this that I thought she would had been? ' Eri continued analysing as she rested her head on the soft cushion of the chair's backrest.
'Maybe I should . . .' Eri finally made her decision, after a month of self debating. She sat up in attention, reached for the tempting sketchbook before her, and flipped slowly to the first page of the book.
And there, stood an image of a door frame, with the back view a couple with a young kid in arms.
'What is this ?'
Flipping to the next page, she was presented with a little girl, sitting in the mist of tall infrastructures, with her face hidden between her knees.
'Is this . . . the memo of Ai-san? What happened to her when she was young? But she was only 4 years old then . . . How is it possible that she have such a clear memory what had happened to her when she was a child?'
Continuing her fingers on the edge of the paper, Eri turned to the next page. It was an older women holding onto the hands of the little girl. Scribbling was accompanied with that drawing.
"You promised you will not let go the hands of mine . . . But in the end, you did . . . " Eri whispered out softly. Her heart clenched tightly, causing her chest to tighten up. 'Is this the pain . . . you have been keeping to yourself all these years?'
And as Eri continued to flip through the pages, she was revealed with more memories of Ai, and the little thoughts she would penned down with them.
"What am I living for? What have I been looking for? " Eri read. 'Ai-san . . . ' Feelings of sympathetic filled her heart.
And soon, Eri flipped till the first drawing she had seen accidentally a month ago. 'This . . . I was positive about this.'
And laid on the paper was a faint pencil drawing of the face of a young little girl. And the striking features of the little girl had caught the attention of Eri since the day she had discovered the drawing.
'Risa . . . It looked exactly like how Risa was when I first knew her, thought the drawing looked a little bit younger. But I'm positive, that's Risa in there. But . . . How? How would Ai-san knew Risa looked when she was young? They never knew each other then, didn't they?' Eri wondered as she furrowed her eyebrows.
Turning to the next page, it was just a drawing of a closed door. A familiar door. 'That's the door of Ai-san's current apartment.' At the corner of the page, there was a slightly smudged writings at the corner of the page.
" The door is closed again. No one else. Just me alone. Living in a world of fear, living in fear of rejection, in fear of being abandon again, how am I suppose can I be able to gain the courage to learn to trust again? " Eri read silently in her mind.
The last drawing in the book was the portrait of the peaceful sleeping Risa. And the drawing was accompanied with a long passage of words.
'Thank you for walking into my life . . . Because of you, I have found the familiar warmth I felt whenever I was afraid . . . Because of you, I have allow the tears I held back all these years to surface. . . Because of you, I may have found the courage to trust again . . . Because of you, I may have found a reason of my existence on this world . . . It's all because of you, Risa-san . . .'
'So . . . Ai-san may have been slightly opened up her heart to Risa already . . . It seems like she could trust Risa. . . But now . . .The situation now . . . What had caused that? And Risa. . . ' Eri started questioning herself. 'Wait . . . ' Realisation struck Eri. She flipped the book back to the first page to the first drawing. . . 'Could it be . . .'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa buried her face on the patient bed where Renni was lying on and had fallen asleep by the bedside. Renni was out of danger, having transferred 4 pints of blood to replace the blood lost she had from the knife wound in her abdomen. The wound was stitched with 5 stiches of needles.
'Risa-ko? What is she still doing here?' Renni thought as she first opened her eyes and saw Risa being asleep beside her. Using a fairly amount of strength to move her hand right hand, she touched Risa's face gently.
Risa woke up immediately at the touch on the face. "Mama!" Signs of relieve was prominent on Risa's face.
"Why are you still here?" Renni croaked through her dry throat. "You should go away now, before Papa comes."
Risa shook her head stubbornly. "There's no way I'm gonna to leave when you are lying in the hospital. If it's not me, Mama would not brought me up to the mountain top, and Mama will not be lying on this bed right now." Risa mumbled, as tears choked her throat.
"Silly girl." Renni scolded softly. "Just leave. Mama doesn't want you to have any regrets in your life."
Risa continued shaking her head, refusing to make any steps to move.
"Sorry for interrupting." A third voice interrupted the conversation between the mother and the child. A middle aged lady, holding onto a clipboard, dressed in business suit came into the private ward and spoke.
"I'm Yoshizawa Hitomi, police officer from South Kyoto Police Station." Hitomi introduced.
Both Risa and Renni nodded their head lightly at the introduction.
"One of the residents staying at the bottom of the mountain found a man running down the mountain suspiciously with blood stained on his shirt. He found him supicious, thus had managed to grabbed hold of him and brought him into the station." Hitomi started off speaking before lifting up the sealed plastic evidence bag with a familiar hand bag contained in it. "Niigaki-san, does this handbag belongs to you?" Hitomi finished.
Renni nodded her head lightly at the question.
"Can you describe to me what had happened yesterday night?" Hitomi continued asking.
"I was on my way back to my car to take blanket for my daughter when attacked me from my back, pulling my handbag from me. I struggled with him for a moment before he plugged the dagger." Renni answered with her hoarse voice.
"Did you manage to catch a glimpse of his face? If we asked you to go back with us for recognition, would you be able to point out who was the one who attacked you?"
"Sorry officer, but I do not have the intention to bring any charges to the young lad who had attacked me. So I don't think there's a need for me to do that." Renni interrupted, which had caused shock to Risa and Hitomi.
"Mama! Why? They got that guy, didn't they?" Risa probed.
Renni shook her head to shut Risa up.
"But Madam, " Hitomi spoke up, trying to convince Renni to stop her intention.
"Sorry officer, my decision is firm." Renni insisted tiredly, but firmly. "I will just want to claim back my belongings, and that's all. Let that lad off." Renni finished.
"If that's the case, Niigaki-san, I will do it as your wish."
"Mama~" Risa started whining. "He attacked you, cause you to lose so much blood and to be in the hospital right now. Why aren’t you pulling any charges on that attacker?" Risa continued, trying to convince her mother.
"Shhh Risa. Mama has my own reasons." Renni answered, causing a pout to form on Risa's face. "Can you follow the officer outside to finish up with the paperwork?"
"Hai . . ." Risa agreed unwillingly, before following Hitomi out of the private ward.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Niigaki-san, please look through these to see if everything belongs to your mother and if there's nothing missing, please sign your initials over here." Hitomi informed Risa as she removed the handbag from the evidence bag.
"Okay." Risa responded as she took over the handbag to her possession.
Unzipping the bag, Risa ran her hands inside the bag and picked up several items out and place them back into the back again, until she pulled out a set of unfamiliar keys. 'What keys are these? I have never seen them before.' Risa noted mentally in her mind. And the next item she pulled out from the bag shocked her more. It was a photo of her parents with a little girl. The number of candles on the cake told Risa that the little was 3 years old when the photo was taken.
"Ah. You looked so cute when you were young." Hitomi commented as she saw Risa staring at the photo.
Risa smiled awkwardly at Hitomi's statement. 'That's not me. Definitely. Who is she?'
And at that moment, a sudden faintness hit her, with a blurry imaged flashed over her mental for a second. It was a blurred image of a door. 'What was that?' Risa wondered as she shook her head to regain her clearness.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri licked her lips nervously as she stood outside the door that was leading into Ai's room. 'Should I use that? Reverse psychology? What if it doesn't works on Ai-san? That would further intensify the current situation.' Eri groaned silently in her mind.
'But if I don't do that, I will never be able to get the answer I want, and I will never be able to help Ai-san. The question now is not about helping her to speak again and it's to get her to say what's causing her sufferings . . . and that .. . would eventually lead to the source . . .' Eri reasoned.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You're back?" Renni asked as Risa slid open the sliding door of the ward room.
Risa nodded her head in response, with her mind still in awe at the sudden faintness she felt previously. Risa proceeded towards the bedside and passed the handbag back to her mother.
"Do you want to check is there anything missing from there?" Risa asked as she fiddled with the set of keys she took from the bag in her pocket.
Renni nodded her head and reached her hands towards the bag. Just at that moment, before Renni could opened up the bag, Retora and Ume entered the room.
"How are you doing dear?" Retora asked as he stepped into the room. "What had happened? Why were you out in the middle of the night?" Then Retora turned towards Risa. "What happened? Did you tried to run away again? And what are you doing now, running around all over the place, soaking in blood? I ask you to go home right now and change into a fresh set of clothing before you come back and accompany your mom. Ume, send Risa home!"
"Yes sir!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ai-san." Eri called out as she entered Ai's ward.
Ai shot a glance at Eri before turning away, staring into the space she would usually do when Eri was there. 'When will you give up, Eri-san ? Haven't I said, I don't need any help? ' Ai thought angrily inside of her as Eri closed up to her bedside.
"How are you doing?" Eri continued asking.
Receiving no response from Ai, Eri pulled the chair towards the direction where Ai's attention was and settled down right in front of Ai.
"I took leave from work today. I have something to ask you." Eri stated, hoping that Ai would respond to her.
But no. Ai remained her stare at the space behind Eri. 'If I chose to remain to be quiet, there's nothing much you can do, Eri-san. Why not just give up? It would be so much easier for you as well. For me to step into your life was a major mistake in the first place. '
'I shall do it then!' Eri had finally decided. She reached for the sketchbook that was in her working bag. "Does this looks familiar to you?" Eri started asking. Ai remain as still as she was, not flinching a bit even when Eri asked her to look at what she was holding. "Ai-san, just take a look at this. I know this would interest you."
And Ai moved, shifting her attention lightly to what Eri's was holding in her hands. Her eyes shot opened at the view. 'How did she get that?' And that was the reaction she gave. Nothing else more. Someone who had not knew Ai would regard the reaction Ai gave as nothing. But not Eri. Ai's eyes had betrayed her intention of hiding any emotion of hers.
"Interested?" Eri taunted a little.
Ai looked away from Eri, pretending that she was not interested in what Eri was about to say. But deep down inside her, her heart was already bleeding. 'Please tell me that you haven't taken any peek of the contents, please.'
"It belongs to you, isn't it, Ai-san?" Eri continued asking.
Ai remained as silent as she was, still making no intention to communicate with Eri.
"Can you tell me what's inside?" Eri questioned, with double meaning in her one question. 'Inside . . . The inside of the sketchbook is equals to what’s inside your heart, Ai-san. I . . .have finally figured it out.'
'No . . .' Ai begged as the tear gland of her eyes had began its activity.
"Why not I tell you what's inside, Ai-san?"
'No . . . Please . . . No' A single teardrop traced down Ai's cheek.
Eri allowed her hand to flipped through the pages, and began the story she had derived from what she understood from the drawings. "The first drawing showed . . . The parents abandoning this little girl, leaving her all alone in this house. Then, she ran out of the house, finding herself lost in the buildings. There's nobody else, just her alone on the streets. Her mother had once promised her that she would never let her go, but she did in the end, didn't she?"
'Stop . . . Please stop . . .' Ai begged in her mind, with tears flooding her flawless face.
Eri, realising that she had yet to get a decent reaction from Ai, decided to continue what she was doing. " Ah . . . and all of the sudden in the middle of the story, there's an appearance of a new little girl. I'm pretty sure that she had a special relationship with the little girl right for the start. . . She's the . . . " Before Eri could finish her sentence 'third person', Ai had pounded towards her, trying to grab the sketchbook back to her possession.
Thankfully, Eri's reflexes were faster than that of Ai. She had managed to pull back the sketchbook before Ai could get her hands on it. "You don't like the story?" Eri asked in her most innocent tone.
Ai stared at Eri with her teary eyes, making the first decent eye contact in the month. Eri could see desperation and hurt of all the years in the tears Ai had in her eyes. They were begging her to stop.
'Please . . . Don't go on anymore. Don't go one anymore . . . It's enough. . . ' Ai had finally broken down, allowing herself to sob freely in front of Eri.
Eri closed the sketchbook, stood up, and sat beside Ai on the bed. "Cry it out. Just cry it out. Don't hold them anymore, Ai-san." Eri finished with a gentle voice as she hugged Ai tightly, allowing Ai to cry in her embrace.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JaN~ Next chapter . . . should be coming during the weekends !
De Wa~
-
lol, right. That's indeed very Asian, I guess? :lol:
That was intense! :shocked Stuff were all over the place, but the characters are slowly pulling the pieces together. :) Damn Retora!! :angry: Risa, make a run for it! :panic:
Yes! Ai-chan needs to open up to Eri. :yep: I have a feeling that we're getting closer to uncovering the misunderstandings and mysteries here! :w00t: (but you can be quite unexpected...) :P
Moar~ :twothumbs
-
So the Mama is okay! I wonder why she doesn't want to press charges? And it seems that Risa is slowly starting to figure things out, rather, she's being given clues and is probably confused as to how to fit them together.
And Eri finally looked into Ai's sketchbook, her pushing was a necessary cruelty, the first step in getting Ai to open up. I'm glad that it hasn't backfired so far.
-
So Renni is ok! :sweatdrop:hmm not wanting to press charges though, perhpas she knows something about who it was that could possibly of 'robbed' her, Retora ordering Gaki home! :angry: this is the time for you to stand up to your father Gaki!!!
has Eri managed to get through to Ai, if nothing else than perhaps she has shown Ai it is all right to vent your feelings, perhpas with this it might lead to her opening up to Eri......
-
Ah...it means to...ah...maybe my guessing skill still woking (=[]=
I love the last scene
Maybe Ai-chan is going to open to the turtle more :oops:
-
why doesn't Mama Gaki wanna get the stabber arrested??? something's up... :shocked
OMG the sketchbook!!! Finally, the secrets start to unfold!!! :yossi:
And Eri completely broke Aichan down... it was sad, but I guess it was necessary. Aichan had such a big thick wall around her, Eri had to get through somehow :(
-
Hihi! I am back with a long chapter :)
[Chapter 20] - To Remember or Not
"Risa-san, Are you alright?" Ume asked.
Even though Ume was keeping his whole attention on the road while he was driving, he could not help but to notice the frown that was on Risa's face as she kept her eyes close through the rear view mirror.
Risa had not heard what Ume had spoke to her. Her mind was in a mess. A real mess. Things just did not connect for her. 'Since when the blood type of Mama is Type A? She had always told me that it's the same as mine . . . I'm blood type B. . . ' The question that had been filling her mind up previously before Renni regained conscious came flashing back to her mind again, when silent is prominent. The picture she had discovered from her mother's bag was still fresh in her mind further confused the troubled mind. 'Who is she? Why can't I remember who is she? Do I know her? Why haven't I seen her in any of my childhood photos?' Tons of uncertainties had flooded her mind, causing the headache she was having to intensify. 'My childhood memories . . .Why is it that I can't remember a thing from the past? Before the age of 5 . . .'
"Risa-san?" Ume called out again, slightly louder this time round, hoping that that would get Risa's attention. Risa had her eyes opened up when she heard name being called. "Are you alright?" Ume continued asking.
Brushing the thoughts away from her mind, Risa shook her head at Ume's question. "I'm alright. Just having some slight headache." Risa answered. "Maybe it's just my tiredness . . . " Risa assured as she tried to pull a smile on her face.
"Are you sure?" Ume worried.
Risa nodded her head to give Ume the assurance that she was alright. 'The memories . . . That girl . . .Could she be my sister that I never knew I had? Who is she?' The haunting worries came running back into her mind again. Risa closed her eyes once again, trying to focus to try to remember anything from the past. Though that effort, nothing came in. Blank was the only thing that appeared on her memory page. 'Will Ume-san know anything about my childhood years?' A sudden idea came into her mind.
Risa blinked her eyes opened. "Ume-san?" Risa called out.
"Yes, Risa-san, may I help you?"
"How long have you been working with Papa?" Risa questioned, as she prayed inwardly that Ume had worked long enough with his father to know what had happened.
"Nearly 16 years? I'm going into my 17th year this year. You were so much like a little bean then, Risa-san." Ume answered.
'17th . . . Wouldn't that mean that . . . I was only 5? That was the age where my memory started . . .' Risa sank into silence after she had received Ume's reply to her question.
"Risa-san?"
The call caused Risa to snap out of her thought and silence.
"Why did you asked?"
"I'm just curious . . ." Risa responded, not willing to spill out what was in her mind to Ume.
"I remembered that I started working under Niigaki-san around one year after your family had returned from Toshima-Ku." Ume continued reminiscing the past days, truly believing that Risa was only curious about his past.
Risa's mind perked up when she heard this piece of information. 'Eh?! I'd lived elsewhere other in Kyoto in the past?' Risa dropped her eyelid and forced herself to think again. But once again, nothing came back to her except the throbbing headache. The ends of her eyebrow came in contact as the pain intensified. Using the forefinger, Risa began to rub her temples, hoping that that action would help to ease the pain that was splitting her head apart.
"Risa-san, are you alright?" Ume stopped the car by the roadside, turned his head around, and asked.
Risa nodded her head forcefully. "It's just the headache. . . I guess it would go away after a while." Risa tried to assure.
"Do you want me to go to the chemist to get you some painkiller? You look like you are in a real pain, Risa-san." Ume suggested as he removed the seatbelt and prepared to get off the car.
"It's alright, Ume-san. You do not have to run the trouble." Risa tried to stop Ume.
"It's alright, Risa-san, I will be right back in a second." Ume insisted, and got off, leaving Risa alone in the car.
'Great headache . . . See, you had to trouble Ume-san to go and get you painkiller.' Risa scolded her 'headache' before letting off a deep sigh. 'Toshima-Ku . . . I came from there? Would I be able to remember anything from young if I visit the place?' Risa wondered. Slipping her hands into her jean's pocket, Risa pulled out the set of key she took from her mum's bag. 'What are these keys for?' Her head throbbed, causing Risa to jerk a little.
'What are you doing here, Oji-san?'
A young voice rang in her mind. And that voice sounded so much familiar to her. 'What was that?' Risa puzzled.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What are you doing at the mountain so late in the night?" Retora asked Renni as he sat down on the chair by the bedside.
"You never question where I go, Anata. Why are you asking this time round?" Renni countered softly as she reached for her handbag and began to run her hand through the items.
"I'm worried about you, honey. See what had happened to you this time round? You should be thankful that you are still alive." Retora tried to explain, with the most gentle voice he could make. Though that, it was still terrifying.
"Anata, you don't have to worry about this. No way the media is going to get this news. I had told the police that I'm not pursuing for the attacker. No one else would know about this case anymore." Renni spoke as she kept her attention on her items in her bag.
"That's not what I meant. Can you don't think about me in this way, Honey." Retora groaned.
Renni remained silence. She pulled out the photo she had placed in the secret compartment. A smile ran across her pale face. 'Thank God. The photo us still here. I thought I'm going to lose it. That's the last thing I want it to happen.' Renni thought in relieve. The photo was taken during Ai's third birthday. And Renni had always kept it with her all these while, everywhere she went.
"Why are you still keeping this photo?" Retora asked when he saw the photo Renni was holding on. "Didn't I say . . . "
"I'm not you, Anata. I'm not as cold hearted as you." Renni interrupted, coughing a little as she used too much strength.
"Why are we at this topic again?" Retora argued without raising his voice.
"Do you know . . . How much it hurts for me, the guilt I felt these years, how we left Ai-chan alone back in Toshima? We didn't even know whether is she alive or not, how well is she doing if she is alive, or what had happened to her back then?" Renni cried out softly as she coughed more, having her hand on the wound as pain shot through the wound.
"Don't get so agitated, Honey." Retora concerned as he attempted to pat Renni's back to ease the coughing.
Renni pushed away Retora's hand and continued, "You never felt guilty about that, don't you? You never missed her, don't you? Ai-chan is our daughter!" Renni attempted to shout, but failed as her stinging pain on her abdomen stopped her."Risa-ko as well . . ." Renni continued whimpering. " Do you know how much it hurts me every time when I see Risa-ko suffering from your actions? What gave us the right to control her life, Anata?"
"I . . . " Being stuck on tongue, Retora pulled back his hand back to his side. "I . . . Need to go back to the company to get some stuffs done. Rest well, honey." With that, Retora left the room, with Renni sobbing uncontrollably at her own sudden outbreak.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Risa-san?" Ume questioned as he walked nearer to the car, with a box of painkiller in his hand, only to find the car empty.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri could feel Ai's tears seeping through her thick sweater and in contact with her skin on her shoulder. The girl whom Eri was holding on was trembling in her embrace, pouring out the years of anguish she had held within her all that time. Eri hesitated for a moment, before she ran her hand up and down the back of Ai as she whispered softly to her. "It's alright to let it go, Ai-san. 18 years were long enough . . . "
'Why? Why does the truth still hurts so much after all these years? Why? Why must Risa-san be the little girl who has been appearing in my dreams all these time? Why?' Ai had the though circling in her mind, as she Eri pressed her towards her shoulder.
"I have got the general gist or your past, Ai-san. . . But I will still need you to say it straight to me, rather than me just plainly guessing from all the clues I got, Ai-san. . . To let it go, you have to face it . . . " Eri whispered again, this time with slight reluctant, as she was afraid that that move would stop Ai from opening up to her.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Have I really spent time here before?' Risa thought as she walked down the streets of her said old neighbourhood. 'Nothing here looks familiar to me . . . ' Risa stood at the roadside, waiting for the traffic light to turn into the luminous green.
'It's useless . . .Even that I had came here, I still can't remember a thing . . . Not even a single thing . . . Maybe I should get back soon before I get Ume-san into trouble. . .' Risa heaved a deep breath as she shoved her hands into the pockets of the jeans. Noticing that the lights had changed, Risa began moving forward, keeping her eyes on the rough surface of the road.
'Rii-chan, stay here and wait for me to come back. . . '
Risa lifted her head up in astonishment. A foreign voice had just echoed in her ears from the back of her mind. Standing in the middle of the road, Risa glanced her surrounding as she turned rounds and rounds. 'What was that? Whose voice was that?' Her world was spinning. Registering her surrounding, there was no one as such was around.
'Rii-chan, stay here and wait for me to come back. . . '
'Who are you?' Risa thought desperately in her mind. Picking up her feet, she ran across the street and down the aisle of tall buildings, turning around every few steps, in searching of the source of the voice.
'What are you doing alone over here, O-chibi-ko?'
Risa slowed down her feet. 'Papa? That's the voice of Papa!' Risa figured out as the second voice came echoing into her ears.
'Chibi-ko like you shouldn't be alone at this kind of place . . . It's not safe for you. . . What happens if you lose your balance and fall down from here?'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Retora sat alone by himself on the bench at the roof top of the hospital. He had lied. He had disseminated the workload from work down the hierarchy before he had came to the hospital. There was no need for him to go back.
'Roof top . . .That was the place where I had first met Risa . . . ' Retora remembered.
Retora was making his way up the highest building in Toshima-ku. "Niigaki-san, we had heard that your daughter had just turned 4 years old last month. Well, your daughter had pretty much been a mystery to the media. Is there any reason for that?" The question one of the reporter posted earlier in the press conference rang in Retora's head. 'There's no way I can let them know that Ai-chan can't speak. It's going to ruin the reputation of the company. The stocks are going to plunge if the news is up.' Retora thought as he opened the door accessing to the root top of the building. And there, he saw a little girl, slightly smaller sized as compared to her own daughter, jumping hopscotch near the edge of the building.
"What are you doing alone over here, O-chibi-ko? Chibi-ko like you shouldn't be alone at this kind of place . . . It's not safe for you. . . What happens if you lose your balance and fall down from here?" Retora called out as he walked nearer towards to the little girl.
"I'm playing hopscotch, Oji-san. Do you want to join me over here?" The little girl replied, as she continued hoping around the boxes that were drawn by a stone on the floor.
"That's so dangerous to play that here, Chibi-chan." Retora retorted as he pulled the little girl away from the edges and back towards the inside of the roof top. " If you lose a step there, you are gone, do you know that?" Retora scolded.
"I know." The little girl replied innocently.
"You know?" That caught Retora's attention.
"It means that I will die if I drop down from here." The little girl answered again with her innocence.
'She's so young, yet she knew so much things. That's amazing.' Retora was awed by the responses he got from the little girl.
"Oji-san, what are you doing up here so late in the night?" The little girl took note of the silence, and began to start on a new conversation.
"I - " Retora was stuck with words. 'What was I intending to do when I climb up the stairs?' Pushing the thought behind, he had decided not to answer the question the little one had asked. Instead, he posted the question back to the little one. "What are you here so late in the night as well?"
"I want to fly across the sky, to where the stars are!" The little girl squealed as she pointed her forefinger towards the sky up high."Wouldn't it be amazing if one is able to fly? It must be really a great feeling!" She finished, with a wide grin on her face.
"That's impossible, little one." Retora poke the bubble of the little girl, patting her head lightly in the process.
"It's possible!" The little girl pouted. She began hopping away from Retora, back to what she was doing before Retora came to the roof top. "See! I'm flying in the sky! Isn't that so?"
A smile had crept across Retora's face. The smile that was missing ever since the day when they found out Ai's psychological disorder. He walked towards the little girl and held firm on her, stopping her from hopping around the edges. "Alright alright. Now I know it's possible, can you stop hopping around so dangerously like this?"
The little nodded her head and allowed Retora to carry her off the edge.
"Where are you parents? Do they know that you are here?" Retora asked as he walked towards the little girl and held on her, making sure that she do not lose her footing or anything.
"I have never seen my papa . . . Mama asked me to wait on the streets for her . . . but she never came back . . . " The little answered with a slight pout. "I have been waiting for her for the whole day, but she hasn't come back. Nee, Oji-san, did something bad happened to Mama as well?"
'Did her mom decided to abandon her?' Retora thought in his mind. Glancing at the little girl, gush of sadness swamped over him. 'She has everything my Ai-chan do not have. . . Such a young age, yet with such a sharp tongue. . . '
"What's your name, little one?"
"My name is Risa! But Mama always calls me Rii." The little girl chirped. "Is Mama going to come back and fetch me?" Little Risa tilted her head and asked.
'There was a suicide that occurred just streets away from here. It was a young lady, wasn't it? Could that be her mother?" Retora thought as he glanced at Little Risa, who was staring at him, waiting for the answer for her question. 'But . . . How can I tell that to her?'
'She was the perfect daughter that I thought I wanted. I took advantage of the situation and brought her back with me, making her my daughter. Risa . . . ' Retora thought as he leaned against the railings on the roof top of the hospital. 'And the high fever she got when she was five erased all of her memories before five. Which was what I thought it was a good thing . . .'
Tightening his grip on the railing, Retora let out a deep sigh. 'She hadn't lose that innocence she held then. She stills wants to fly freely in the sky, even though she had forgotten all about the incident that had happened. Had I been really selfish all these years? The need to withold the company’s position in the society . . . Had that pushed me to lose all my consciences? Had I really forgotten about the little girl whom I promised I will be back for her?'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa kneeled on the ground. Bits of her memories had just flashed back into her mind. Looking around her, the place seemed familiar to her. It was totally identical to what that was playing in her mind previously.
She had ran down the streets and identified the same tall building. As she climbed up the stairs, more memories flew back to her, until now, where she was kneeling on the same ground where she had first met Retora. 'I wasn't the biological child of Papa, Mama?' Tears began to fill up her eyes at that thought. 'I wasn't? Why didn't they told me?'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ridiculous! I can't believe it!" Eri exclaimed angrily as stood up from the bed beside Ai. "I'm going back to Kyoto. Right at this moment!" Eri snapped as she began to pack her bag and lift it up to her right shoulder. Just as she was about to move away from the bed, Ai pulled her back. Eri turned around to face Ai. Ai was grabbing Eri's left hand with her both hands, with tears flowing down her cheeks just like the water flowing down the river. Ai shook her head continuously, begging Eri to not to go.
'No. . . Don't confront them about it. . . ' Ai muttered in her mind as she closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing.
"Why? That totally inhumane for them to do that? What are you still protecting them in such a way? Such actions should be exposed!" Eri asked angrily.
Ai just continue to shake her head. She let go of her grip on Eri's hand. (No . . . It's my fault that they left me . . .) 'It's my own fault. . . '
"It's not your fault, Ai-san! It's theirs'! They did that out of their own selfishness!" Eri argued, trying to instil the right way of thinking into Ai's mind.
Ai shook her head. (It's mine. . . If I could speak, then that would not happen. It's my fault. Please, don't go and confront them, Eri-san.) Ai continued to sign stubbornly.
"Ai-san!" Eri called out as she grabbed onto Ai's shoulder, forcing Ai to look into her eyes. "It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself for what had happened." Ai trembled in Eri's hold. Her eyes were begging Eri, begging her to not to confront anyone.
'Please . . . Don't confront them . . . Don't let Risa know any of such things. I have suffered from these for years. I don't mind suffering from it for the rest of my life . . . But . . .Don't let Risa know anything of as such. Don't let her suffer . . . If there's a need for someone to suffer from this cause, let me be the only one. . .'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa stopped her feet in front of another familiar building. She had made her way into the residential area of the city. Following her guts, she had arrived at the mentioned place. 'Niigaki' Risa read the name tag of the house. 'Was this the place Papa brought me back? Was this where he stayed?'
The gate of the house was not locked. Holding on the hems of her shirt, Risa entered into the front yard and stood in front of the main door. 'This door . . . Wasn't this the door I saw when I almost fainted in the hospital?' Removing the keys she 'stole' from her pocket, Risa stuck one of them into the keyhole and gave it a turn, unlocking the door. 'So . . . Mama kept the keys to this house all these while. . . ' Cautiously, Risa opened the door, and entered the house. Thick layer of dust were collected on all surfaces. A few spider webs could be observed at the corners of the room. 'Did I stayed here before we went back to Kyoto?' Risa thought as she toddled across the room.
'Oji-san, isn't that Onee-san leaving with us?'
Risa looked up in attention at the memory voice. 'Onee-san? Am I suppose to have an elder sister?' Risa wondered. The picture she saw from her mother's bag flashed back in her mind. 'Is that Onee-san that little girl in Mama's bag?'
Risa made her way into the main living area and saw a series of photo frame standing on the tabletop. She picked up one of them, and wiped the dust away with her bare hands. 'It's her . . . That same little girl. . .'
Little Risa rested her chin on the shoulder of Retora. And as they were about to leave the door, a little girl came into her vision, looking queerly at them. 'Oji-san, isn't that Onee-san leaving with us?' Little Risa asked as she lifted her chin off the shoulder, looked at Retora and asked.
"Don't ask irrelevant things, little one."
Little Risa turned her attention back to the little girl, only to catch her mouth opening. Soon after that, the main door was closed.
Risa trembled at the remembered memory . . . 'What was that?'
Risa held her hands at handle of one of the drawers and pulled it opened. And there inside, laid a birth certificate. Picking the piece of paper up, she glanced her eyes through the information on it.
"Niigaki Ai, Nee-san was born in the same day as me? That's impossible . . . ' Risa thought in her mind. 'Wait . . .' Realisation struck Risa. She picked up one of the photo frame up again and stared at the image of the little girl.
"That was the first time I saw Ai-chan. She never told me what's her last name. I assume that she don't remember what's her last name as well. Takahashi was the last name that I gave her." The voice of Abe sounded in her mind.
'Ai?' Her eyes were wide opened. Her hands lost grip of the photo frame, causing the photo frame to drop onto the floor, breaking into pieces. 'Ai?!'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am evil :) (and unpredictable ?? I reckon. I thought i was very predictable . . . ) hehehe
Anyway, thankyou for the comments . . . ^.^
Until the next chapter then!
Jan~
-
Truth is revealed! :shocked
I wonder what Risa will do now :?
-
Can you just throw a knife to me?
You're so evil :cry:
The truth has come... :cry:
-
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: I can't wait for the next chapter!! The suspense is killing me!! Now Risa knows who Ai is, what will she do?
-
WaaAAaaa~!!! My eyes got a bit watery there.. :cry:
Retora felt the sadness of Risa being abandoned my her mother, but he had never thought of how he abandoned Ai-chan, his very own daughter who can't speak! :tama-mad:(until now) How would she have lived?? :angry:
Eri have the same reaction as I did. I would so confront them! Risa figured out it was Ai-chan just like that? I wonder how they're going to face each other now... :panic: :panic:
Everything is revealed.. Now all we need is a confrontation. :D
Great chap! :twothumbs
-
this chp is great..
it's :cry: :( :cry: :( :cry: :(
i wonder how Gakisan relates that Ai to the Ai she know she fast!! and since she know it now, somehow i hope she ask her mum straight about it..or she gonna hide the truth and continue to stay in the family..since if the truth is said out, she will be the one who have no parents..
the argument between the mum and dad..the dad is heartless yet doesnt seem to be THAT heartless still..i hope Ai dont forgive him, since it's his selfishness that make him abandon Ai when she just 5.. and just leave her in their own house and left like nothing happen and like Ai is never their child..
and now, Eri know the truth..Ai's parent is currently Gakisan's parent..Ai is her patient, Gakisan is her close friend..Eri will had a hard time now..
awwww, i need the next chp.. :( :lol: XD
-
So Gaki now knows who Ai chan really is :panic: how will she continue forward knowing that she [unknowingly] perhaps is partly responsible for the way Ai is.
Not really undrstanding retora now, why does he feel pity and compassion for Gaki and how she was abandoned but also abandons he's own daughter Ai?
Poor Eri, talk about caught in the middle knowing about the past's of Gaki and Ai, with Ai being her paitent and Gaki being her friend, I just wonder how she will continue from here....
-
@ astro18 : Heehee. . .I too wondered what would Risa do too hehehe XD
@ Shiawase_Honoo : *shakes my head* I won't throw the knife to you, though I am still evil XD
@ rndmnwierd : Next chapter is here!! What will Risa do ?? I wonder what . . . *Look away* hehehe
@ kano-chan : How to say . . . It could be the fact that he felt more attached to Risa - who is able to speak so cleverly at a young age - something that he can't see in his own daughter. Ah . . . .Will explain more in the future chapters . . hehehe
@ AlwaysYou : hehehe . . .Next chapter is here :) Hopfully you will enjoy this chapter as well
@ oddball : heheheheh Retora . . . I will try to make his character more understandable in the next few chapters . . So :)
De Wa . .. . Here comes the next chapter . . . ^.^
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 21] - The truth hurts
Risa dropped onto the floor, with her face facing the ground. 'Is this Niigaki Ai the same Ai that I knew?' 'What had happened in between this? Why had I lost my memory? If I'm not the biological daughter of Papa, Mama, then where is my real Mama? Where is she?' Another worrying question came into Risa's mind, intensifying the work at her tear gland, and too, causing her chest to tighten more. Risa closed her eyes, and tried to focus on her broken memory. 'I can't remember a thing . . . I can't remember a thing!' Risa cried in frustration in her mind. Pulling her mobile phone, she worked her fingers to call a familiar number.
"Sorry, this is the voicemail box of Kamei Eri. I am currently unavailable at the moment. Please leave your name and number after the tone such that I can get back to you. Thank you . . . . Beep. " Risa hands trembled as the voicemail message ended. 'Eri . . . I am scared. I don't know what to do . . . I am lost. . . Tell me, what should I do?'
Not long after, just as she was not forcing herself to remember, another flash of memory flooded her mind.
"Oji-san ? Where's my mama? Have you found my mama? Is she going to pick me up from here soon ?" Little Risa asked as she stood at the dining area, having just reached home from kindergarden.
"Little one, haven't I told you not to call me Oji-chan? It's okay for you to call me Papa." Retora changed the topic little Risa had posted.
"Oji-san, you are not my Papa, nor Oba-san is my Mama. Why are you asking me to call Oji-san, Oba-san, Papa Mama?" The tiny bean reasoned, as she tilted her head. "Beside, you haven't answered my question." She continued with a pout on her face.
"Why not little one, you will go and catch your bath first, and I will answer your questions later?" Retora suggested.
"Really?" A smile beamed on Risa's face."Ittekimasu!" With that, Risa ran up the stairs, and off to the bathroom to take her bath.
Risa filled the bath tub with warm water, undressed herself and hopped into the water. 'The faster I am done with my bath, the faster I will know when Mama's gonna to fetch me up!' Little Risa analysed in her mind. And in the middle of her bath, she heard shoutings from the dining room the level below the bathroom.
"WHAT ABOUT AI-CHAN? YOU HAD THOUGHT ABOUT THE GIRL'S FEELING TO KNOW THAT HER MOTHER HAD COMMITTED SUICIDE, THEN WHY HAVEN'T YOU GIVEN A THOUGHT ABOUT AI-CHAN? HER INABILITY TO TALK DOESN'T MEAN SHE DO NOT HAVE ANY FEELINGS, ANATA!" The shouting of the female was echoed into the bathroom, loud and clear.
'Mama committed suicide? Mama's dead? That's not what Oji-san had told me. . .' Little Risa wondered worriedly, with her eyebrow furrowing.
"Will you listen to me? Can you understand my situation, at the pressure the director board is giving me. They had been questioning me about the economic growth about the company and the media's attention on MY daughter! How am I suppose to tell the world that my own daughter is mute?! Wouldn't you felt ashamed about it, Honey?" The conversation continued.
Standing up from the bathtub, not bothering to dry herself or anything, Risa dressed herself up again in the soiled uniform she had wore previously and ran out of the bathroom, down the stairs and back to the living room.
"Why would I be? She's my own flesh and blood and - " Renni explanation was stop by the sudden appearance of a third party in the room ."Risa-chan, What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be taking your bath. Why haven't you dried yourself up? You are going to catch a cold staying wet in the winter, do you know that?" Renni moved closer to the little girl.
"Mama's dead?" Little Risa asked with tears in her eyes. "Is my Mama dead?" Risa asked again, this time round making eye contact with the adults in the room.
The two adult looked away from Risa's teary eye. Reading the atmosphere, Risa had gotten her answers, even though both Retora and Renni had said nothing. Risa turned around and headed towards the main door of the Kyoto house, and ran as fast as her short legs could bring her to, and out of the house.
'Mama . . . . ' The bean hugged her knees closed to herself as she found a secluded place and flopped down onto the ground. 'Mama . . . ' Her body shivered as a cold gust of wind blew by. And soon before she knew it, she had lost her conscious.
Tears began to drip from Risa's eyes and down on the dust covered floor.
'My real mama's dead?' The shocking revelation deluged her mind. 'Papa Mama's real daughter, Niigaki Ai is a mute? Was that the reason they left that onee-chan in the house? Could this Ai and the Ai I knew the same Ai?' Picking up the photo through the sea of broken glass, Risa brought it near to her face once again. 'There's a resemblance in the photo . . . The eyes . . . It's her . . . It is the Takahashi Ai that I knew . . . Am I the one who had caused all the misery she had been suffering all these years?'
(Tell them, they will not have strings tied with someone who can't talk. I'm leaving, Risa. Sorry for stepping into your life. Perhaps . . .Things would be better if we have not met in the first place. You're their perfect daughter. Be there. Don't disappoint them.)
The last memory Risa had with Ai came flooding into her mind. 'She had knew who am I. She knew . . . Papa Mama left her because she can't talk, and she knew it. Why hadn't I notice the hurt she had in her eyes at that time, Risa, WHY? I'm not the perfect daughter they had. You are way more perfect that who I was, Ai-san . . .'The lonesome figure of Risa began to tremble as she let out soft sobs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri poked the food that was placed before her with the fork in her right hand, while her left hand supported her chin on the table. 'Why had things gone so complicated? What should I do now? Oji-san and Oba-san were the parents who had abandoned Ai-san . . . What am I suppose to do now? More than half of me is wanting to go back to Kyoto right away to confront them, while the rest . . . it's with Ai-san . . . What would possibly occur if I do that in impulsion. . . How? What am I suppose to do? On a regular basis, I would be pleased if my patient had decided to open up and confine in my about the things what were eating them . . . But right now, a part of me wished that I knew nothing of this. . . What am I supposed to do, now that Risa is totally involved in this all these while.' Eri thought in frustration as she continue to give the piece of meat on her plate before her a few more hard pokes.
"Anything in your mind that you can share with me?" A distinct voice interrupted Eri's flow of thought, causing Eri to lift her chin from the left hand and focus on Miki who was seated across the table.
"Hmmm." Eri shook her head and tried to bring a smile on her face before continuing. "Nothing."
"But your face said the otherwise, Eri-san" Miki insisted, as she placed her utensils on the table and looked straight into Eri's eyes. "If it's nothing about work, you can always share it with me. You should know this the best, Eri-san. Keeping everything to yourself is definitely not the best way of solution. Even though I may not be able to be of any help, but just saying it out, it would make yourself feel slightly better."
Eri let out a heavy sigh. "Am I that obvious?"
"You had 'Something is troubling me' all written over on your face, Eri-san." Miki replied, hoping that little joke would cheer Eri up.
Eri bit onto her lower lips and sunk into silence once again. 'How can I tell her? It do involve a client of mine . . . But . . .Can Ai-san be exclusively considered as a patient in the clinic?' Eri sighed deeply again.
"Eri-san?" Miki called out.
Eri looked up at Miki once again.
"So? Care to share what's on your mind?" Miki asked again.
"Well . . . Let's say, pretending that you are in my position, and one of your patient had finally opened to you after a long period of time. But what your patient told you had actually involved one of close friend of yours for many years, what would you do?" Eri put her words rhetorically, trying her best not to include any names that would include the identity of the patient.
Miki stayed silent for a few moment before speaking up. "There's nothing much we can do, Eri-san. For that if it's your patient, it's her own personal issues. There's no rights for us to intervene into the situation, even though it had involved your best friend. There's a lot of things that we do not know as an outsider in the situation. Trying to intervene the situation would lead to an opposite result. The only little thing we could do is to just stay by their side, supporting them when they need the support. And knowing Ai-chan for years, I believe the thing she needs the most is support by the side rather than any interventions." Miki tried to explain her reasoning.
"You knew who I was talking about?" Eri asked in shock when Miki included Ai's name in the last sentence.
"It's pretty obvious who you are talking about, Eri-san." Miki answered with a playful smile on her face.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa ran out of the old and deserted home of the Niigaki and back to the streets. 'Why me? Why was I the one who had caused the sufferings Ai had endured all these years. WHY?!' Risa screamed out in her mind as her feet took her back to the city center. Nightfall had arrived and the street was once again filled with people who were making their way back to their respective home. Risa slowed down her speed and began sifting through the packed road. 'Even though there are so many people on this street, why am I feeling so lonely inside? Was this the loneliness that Ai had felt all these years.' Tears had made their way down Risa's face with Risa's consent. 'Where can I go now? Home? But where's my home? That's not my home to begin with. That's not my parents to begin with. That's Ai's. Her parents, her home. And I had brutally taken away them from her. How can I face her again?'
Risa pulled out her mobile phone from her backpack. 'What can I do now? It's all my fault . . . Ai would not want to see me. She would not want to hear any of my explanations. Or do I even have any good explanations for taking her parents away from her? And all these while, I had been complaining about my life with her parents, when it was me who had took her parents away from her. . . ' As Risa wandered past a trashcan, she threw her phone into it in an easy hand. ' All along, the phone was the only way I could stay connected with Ai. But now . . . There's nolonger any reasons for me to keep the phone . . . No more reason for me to do that . . .'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ai stood by the window side and had her stare on the empty dark yard of the hospital. 'I missed her voice . . . I haven't heard her voice for a month. . . The gentleness of her voice that has always been comforting me . . .'
*Knock Knock*
Ai turned away from the window to face the door, only to see her doctor-in-charge entering into the room.
"Takahashi-san, how are you doing?" Ishikawa Rika, the clinical psychiatrist of Ai, asked.
Ai blinked her eyes once at Rika, acknowledging Rika's presence in the room before turning back to the scenery outside the window.
"Do you want to go out there?" Rika asked as Ai turned her back towards herself. Ai did not reply Rika. Instead, she stood stationary at her position, with her all of her attention given to the night sky high above.
'For some reason . . . The stars no longer appear in the night sky . . .' Ai reflected sadly within her heart.
"Takahashi-san?" Rika called again.
Turning over slowly, Ai came to face Rika once again. Rika pulled a smile on her face before continuing. "I have discussed with the team. We all had agreed that Takahashi-san, your condition regarding the withdrawal effects from the tranquiliser, had greatly improved. We had came to the conclusion to discharge you tomorrow. You must be looking forward for this. It's been a full whole month since you are admitted in here."
Ai nodded her head lightly at the information before turning back to the window. 'Do I ? What am I suppose to do after I am discharged? I can't possibly go back to the label management to work. The news is all over the papers . . .'
"I will inform Kamei-san about this as well. I will come in again tomorrow, Takahashi-san. Have a good night. I'll make my leave." Rika finished. She turned and headed towards the closed door. Placing her hand on the handle, Rika turned back to look at Ai for the one last time, only to catch Ai nodding her head, responding to her words. 'That's good . . .At least she had finally began to respond to the people surrounding her.' Satisfied with her decision, Rika exited the room.
Ai turned back as she heard the sound of the closing door. She got away from the window side and back to her bed, where she climbed onto it like a little child would. 'I really missed her voice. . . ' Ai's heart ached at that thought. 'Is she really that special in my life? I had knew her for less than half a year . . . No . . . But . . . Why? ' Feelings of confusion attacked Ai, causing Ai to let off a sigh of frustration as she was unable to settle down her mind. The phone by her side table caught her attention. 'When did this appear?' Beneath the phone was a piece of paper. Picking both the phone and paper up, Ai brought them towards her.
Ai-san.
Sorry to leave without telling you. You were finally calmed down and deeply asleep. I do not want to disturb your sleep. I promised, I won't tell any word to Risa nor to confront Oji-san, Oba-san. I bought you a new phone with a new number since you destroyed your phone last night. I thought you would still need it. Anyway, I'm running late in meeting Miki-san, so, I will see you again tomorrow!
Eri
Placing the paper back to the side table, Ai focused all of her attention on the small device in her grip. Moving her finger through the number pad, Ai dialled in a familiar number. 'How did I managed to remember her number by heart?' And when Ai was done keying in the number, she stopped. 'Should I ? It's a new number isn't it? I really want to hear her voice . . . Just once . . . before I decide to . . .' Licking her lips nervously, Ai mustered the courage she needed and pressed the green button on the gadget and brought it to her ears.
"Trrruuuu trruuuuuu . . ." The ringing started. Butterflies started dancing in Ai's stomach. 'I will hang up the phone once she answer. Just one word, one word will do . . .' Ai decided. But the moment she anticipated did not come.
"You have reach the mailbox of Niigaki Risa and this means that I am currently busy and unable to answer your call. If you have something that you need to tell me, please try calling me at a later time. If not you can also chose to leave a message behind. But please be sure that you name yourself properly. Thank you."
The recording of the voicemail started, but Ai had yet to hang up the phone. 'I guess . .. This is good enough for me . . .'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Thank you for sending me home, Miki-san. Do you want to come in for a drink?" Eri asked as she entered her apartment with Miki standing by the main door.
"You are welcome. It's my pleasure to do that, Eri-san. Ah. It's alright. I guess I can survive without the drink." Miki replied, and ended with a jokingly laughter. "Anyway, don't fred too much about the situation between Ai-chan and your best friend. Things will get better for sure, it's just the matter of time."
"Hai. Thank you, Miki-san. Really, I thank you for today." Eri expressed.
"You don't have to thank me." Miki replied with a smile. "I will see you in the office on Monday." Miki finished with a wink before turning around and proceeding towards the elevator.
"I will see you in the office on Monday too, Miki-san."
Closing the main door, Eri allowed herself to flop down the couch in the living room, with her handbag by her side. Remembering that she had not switched on her phone after leaving the hospital, Eri fumbled her hands into her bag and picked the phone out of it, switching on the phone once again.
"Two missed call and 1 voice mail message?" Eri read out the notifications on the main screen. 'Who?' Eri wondered. Dialling the number for her voice mailbox, Eri brought the phone to her ear as she continued to laze in an unfeminine way on the couch.
"Hi Kamei-san, This is Ishikawa Rika over here. I just wanna to inform you that Takahashi-san can be discharge from the hospital tomorrow. Please do be here in the hospital so that I can discuss with you about some recommended follow up sessions. I will see you tomorrow then. Have a good day, Bye." Eri sat up in attention. 'Ai-san can be discharge from the hospital, that's a good news!'
Hanging up the call. She began to work through the buttons on her phone, checking the identity of the missed calls.
'Risa called me?' Eri noted silently.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alright . . . I'm done with this chapter :) heheheh
Till the next chapter then! ^.-
-
ahhh..poor gakisan..she remember everything yet everything have become a nightmare to her.. :cry: :(
and when finally Ai tries to call her, gakisan throw her phone away earlier on..*faint*
since miki ask Eri not to intervent with Ai stuff..i hope she help gakisan out..BUT now gakisan have no phone with her!!!*faint once more*
wonder what will eri do now..
and more come i have some erimiki feel.. :lol: XD
-
For once, it's Ai wanting to call Risa....sort of, and Risa being the stubborn, self sacrificing one. Once she finds out her best friend is missing, Eri will have to do something. Unless, Risa comes to her again, but would she? With it being so close to Ai? Will she just wander the streets? Will she try to hurt herself? No, I don't think so, but any possibility should be put on the table, right?
-
Please tell me no one is going to do anything life threatening here.. :shocked TakaGaki needs to meet up and sort things out. ;) Why so saddd?? :cry:
It took one wrong step to create all of these miseries and sufferings. :bleed eyes: All because Retora abandoned Ai-chan. :tama-mad: It could have been different even if he took in Risa without disowning his daughter... :smhid
I wonder what's going to happen.. :O I can't wait until Ai-chan is able to speak. :(
-
My poor heart hurts reading this :bleed eyes:
Ai needs to get her voice and get her girl back! How are they supposed to find Risa now without her phone :panic:
I'm with kano-chan.. Please don't kill anyone :bleed eyes:
On a side note: I'm liking the Eri x Miki dynamics :ding:
-
Arrgh Ai and Gaki are both stubborn idiots, neither of them want to see the other becuase they felt as though they have hurt them, I worry about what Ai will do, I really hope she dosn't end up hurt, or perhaps even worse!
seems as though Eri has alot of sorting out to do.....
-
Great story! I really enjoyed it! Looking forward for the next chapter! =]
-
@ AlwaysYou : Risa without her phone is a great problem . . .cos no one can find her . . . What can Eri do now ??? I wondered too . .. :) Eri x Miki was unintentional. hahah I just ended up enjoying writing that. . . . I can't leave Eri all alone right?? Hehehe
@ rndmnwierd : I will try not to include any self hurting or . . . .you know since I realised the whole story had a very sad theme in the first place. Adding all these stuff will just burden up the heaviness. So . . .you can place that off the table. :) hehehe
@ kano-chan : Heheh Like I had mentioned, no life threatening. No life threatening .. . :) If he did not disown her own daughter, would't the public and media still know that he has a daughter who can't speak. That's the last thing the father want the media and public to know. . . Hmmmm . .. Good point there though . .. Hmmm :) I can't wait too!!!
@ astro18 : I hope the light Eri x Miki in this chapter can help to lighten the pain you feeling in your heart? heheheh
@ oddball : Eri too said that before. The two of them are stubborn idiots. . . *nod nod*
@ black_inu09 : Hey ya! I'm glad that you are enjoying the story!! Thanks!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 22]
"What do you mean by Risa's gone?" Retora shouted at Ume. Retora had left the hospital and just reached back the house in Tokyo, only to be welcomed by Ume with the shocking piece of information at the main gate.
"I . . . " Ume fumbled as the angry glares from Retora made him exceptionally nervous. "Risa-san was seemed like having a terrible headache. So I got down in the middle of the way to get some painkiller for her . . . But when I came reached back to the car, she's no longer there." Ume continued.
"You mean you left her alone in the car?" Retora groaned in frustration. "Didn't I ordered you to send her home? How can you leave her to be alone in the car?"
"I'm sorry, Niigaki-san." Ume apologised as he bowed in a 90 degree.
"Sorry doesn't help in this situation." Retora scolded. "Have you tried contacting her by her phone?"
"It's all directed to her voicemail message Sir."
"Continue calling her." Retora ordered before stomping back into the house. 'Where had this girl went again?'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Where can I go now? Where should I go now?' The cold breeze of wind made the winter of night Tokyo colder than expected. And that caused Risa to shiver more in addition to the coldness she felt in her heart. She walked into the empty train station and allow her tired body to slump down on the cold metal bench. Tears had once again find its way down her face. Risa closed her eyes, in attempt to stop them from forming. But once she closed her eyes, haunting memories of the ugly truth came flashing back to her mind.
Risa stood up from the bench as the last train of the day entered the station. Lifelessly, Risa boarded the train, without even checking where would the train bring her. Her eyes slumped close without delay as she settled down on the seat. They were tired. Tired after all that crying they had worked since the start of the day. And there on, Risa had finally fallen into a deep slumber.
'Where am I?' Risa wondered as she allowed her eyes to read her surroundings. Nothing around her looks familiar to her. Lifting her slender legs, picking up the speed she was moving, Risa began to run, hoping to find someplace where she knew, hoping to find someone that she knows. 'Why isn't there anyone on this street? Why am I ?' Risa kept her eyes high up until she bang over someone before her, causing the both of them to fall onto the hard concrete floor. "I'm sorry." Risa blurt out immediately as she checked her hands for any abrasions. Surprisingly, there wasn't any, given that the impact of collision was great. She immediately looked up to check whether the other party was alright. And that, left her in deep shock.
"Ai . . ." Risa muttered in deep shock.
Ai looked up as she heard the voice of Risa. She stood up immediately and began to move away from Risa.
Risa chased after with no delay. "Ai . . . I'm sorry! I never mean to do that. . . . I'm really sorry . . ."
Ai showed no response to Risa's pleading.
"Ai!" Risa got hold of Ai's arm and turned her around, causing them to come into face to face once again.
Ai wriggled off Risa's hand from hers. (You don't step on someone's foot and walk away, only to come back 18 years later to say sorry. Things don't work this way.)
"I know . . . But will you listen to me . . .I-" Risa tried to explain. 'But what can I explain?'
(Don't bother . Nothing is going to make up the sufferings I had endured all these 18 years, Risa.)
"I know . . . But . .." Fear began to build in her. Fear of losing her. Fear of losing Ai.
(I hate you, Risa) With that, Ai turned back and began to run away from the scene, leaving Risa standing all alone in tears.
"I'm sorry . . . I . . . "
"Miss?" A light pat on Risa's shoulder had woke her up from her dream. A nightmare to be specific. Risa could feel fresh tears dripping down from her cheeks down her neck. As she had opened her eyes, a train officer was all she saw. Risa sat up in attention, as she realised that the train was no longer moving. "Miss, you have reached the terminal station. " The train officer informed. Risa nodded her head as she picked up her backpack, pulled it across her right shoulder, and alighted the train. The sign before her showed 'Okutama'. 'How did I reached here?' Risa thought as she wiped away the traces of tears and began to make her way out of the station
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Come in, Ai-san" Eri asked as she opened the door of her apartment with her right hand with her left holding onto the bag that contains Ai's stuffs Eri brought for Ai during her stay in the hospital.
Ai entered the apartment slowly and cautiously.
"They are not here. They had went back to Kyoto last month." Reading Ai's action, Eri assured.
Ai shook her head. (Why are we here? I want to go back to my apartment.) Ai signed as she stood at the entrance.
"Come over here." Eri called as she placed Ai's bag beside the couch. Ai did not bulged to move. "Come." Eri asked again, this time round, pulling Ai's left wrist and made her sit on the couch beside herself. "Well . . . I hadn't had the chance to tell you about this, but . . . "
(What do you want to say Eri-san?) Ai signed, as she sat uncomfortably on the couch.
"You landlord had decided to stop leasing the studio apartment you were staying to you." Eri addressed.
'Then where should I stay now?' Ai furrowed her eyebrow and wondered in her mind.
"You can stay with me, Ai-san" Eri continued, as if she had the ability to read what was in Ai's mind.
Ai shook her head immediately at the suggestion. (It's alright. I can find some other places to stay. I don't want to trouble you.) Ai signed.
"You are not." Eri assured immediately, patting Ai's hand lightly. "I am glad to have you to stay with me. Staying alone is boring. You can accompany me." Eri continued. 'And too, I can keep a look out for you as well. . . '
(But . . .) Before Ai could resist the suggestion, Eri interrupted her once again.
"I had already moved all your things from your apartment to mine, it's not practical to move every out of here again right?" Eri asked, with a little grin at her corner of her lips.
Seeing that Eri had did everything to prevent Ai from backing out from the plans she had made, Ai had finally give in, giving Eri an almost unnoticeable nod to express her reluctant agreement.
"That's awesome!" Eri grinned beamingly. Eri stood up from her position on the couch and pulled Ai up in the same way and began to drag Ai around the house. "This is the kitchen, you should have known about this, since that's where I came out from the first time you came. This is my bedroom and that is the bathroom. I do have my own bathroom, so you don't have to worry about me snatching your toilet in the morning." Eri began as she stopped in front of her bedroom.
Something in Eri's room caught Ai's attention. (This is beautiful. Did you made them?) Ai signed before picking up one of the 7 handmade roses made from satin ribbon from a transparent glass vase.
"Eh . . ." Slight redness began to form across Eri's cheek. "It's . . .given by someone." Eri muttered under her breath before pulling Ai away from her bedroom. "This is the room I prepared for you. I had moved all your stuffs in and bought a new bed." Eri continued as she pulled in front of her study room.
Ai nodded her head. 'Isn't this where Risa had slept in when she was still staying with you, Eri-san?' Ai thought in her mind.
"Would you like to explore your room? I have placed most of your important stuffs in the first drawer of the study table." Eri continued as she opened the door, allowing passage for Ai's entry into the room. "I will bring in your bag for you as well." With that, Eri left Ai standing alone at the entrance of the study room, with herself retreating back to the living room to retrieve Ai's bag.
'Nothing much had change ever since my last visit here. . . ' Ai noted silently in her mind. The bouquet of roses hanging upside down on the window sill had caught her attention. She placed the handmade rose on the bedside table, and walked slowly towards the window, little by little and carefully removed the white ribbon that was holding the bouquet on the window sill. 'It's still here . . .' Ai thought sadly as she caressed the dried petals of the flowers. A drop of tear fell on the petal she had just caressed. 'The first flowers that I had received. . . They are all dried up now . . . Time had passed so fast . . . so quickly . . . '
"I thought you would want to keep it." Eri finally spoke up. She had been standing by the door frame, watching Ai all that while. That caused Ai to turn around abruptly at the sound that came unexpectedly. "I found it on the coffee table when I came home that night, and I thought that it would be yours." Eri realised that Ai was now crying uncontrollably. "If . . . you do not want to keep that, I can dispose it for you." Eri added quickly as she closed herself to Ai.
Ai shook her head at Eri's last suggestion.
"You really liked Risa, don't you?" Eri asked softly.
'Do I ?' Ai thought as she looked away from Eri's question. 'I'm not sure about that . . .But I do know . . . I had never blamed her on the fact that she was the little girl who took my place in my parent's life. I can never bring myself to hate her for that . . .the left side of my chest continues to clench tightly every time I thought if her . . . Is that considered love? If yes. . . Then I think . . . I am really in love with her . . .'
"Was that - " Eri started off, but was interrupted by the knocking of the door before she could finish her second question for Ai. She turned at glanced at the clock that was hung above the television. 'It's about the time I had asked her to come . . . ' Eri thought in her mind. "I will open the door first." Eri informed, as she walked briskly out of the study room and towards the banging door.
"AH! WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Eri screamed in surprise when she opened the door, and welcomed the guest that she was not expecting. And that scream of hers cause Ai to place the dried roses on the bed and ran out to check on Eri.
(What happen?) Ai signed. The door was blocking her vision of the incomer.
"Why are you here?" Eri asked again, this time round with a softer voice.
Miki entered the apartment and placed a pink ribbon rose before Eri. "Didn't I say, 1 rose for you each day? I'm here to deliver the rose." Miki explained, causing Eri to blush. And as Miki turned her attention away from Eri, she had finally realised Ai was standing in the middle of the room, watching them. "Ah Ai-chan, you are discharged from the hospital?"
Ai nodded her head lightly as Miki came over towards her and patted her forehead lightly.
"Now that you had passed me the rose, do you want to leave now? Na-" Eri asked nervously as she pulled Miki towards the door.
"Why?" Miki pouted as she removed Eri's grip on her head, walked towards the couch and sat comfortably on it. "I just came from so far just to see you . . . " Miki whined playfully.
"But -" Before Eri could finish what she was about to say, a third voice echoed into the house from the lift lobby, causing Eri to panic.
"Woah, Kamei-san, do you have a third eye? How do you know that I'm reaching now and that you had opened your main door so wide open to welcome me?" Right after the sentence finished, Yuko walked into the apartment and closed the door after her. "Fujimoto, what are you doing here?" That was the second question Yuko raised when she saw the equally shocked Miki sitting on the couch.
"Eh? I - I was just passing by . . . So I - I thought I could pay Kamei-san a visit." Miki lied poorly.
It was obvious to Yuko that what Miki had said was a lie through her fumbling throughout the whole sentence. "How many years have I know you, Fujimoto. I can see through your lie in just one word you had said."
"Eh? " Miki's eyes shoot wide open.
"You and Kamei-san . .. Hmm?" Yuko chided playfully.
"Ah? . . . .Ahh. . . " Miki nodded her head lightly as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.
On the other hand, Ai was retreating away from the living room pace by pace. She had been trying to avoid Nakazawa-san the whole month, throwing her out every single time whenever the latter visited her in the hospital.
Eri, realising that Ai was about to retreat back to her room, went forward to stop her. "You can't hide from Nakazawa-san forever, Ai-san. I know how you felt, but listen what Nakazawa-san has to say to you. Running away will never solve any problem, remember?" Eri whispered to Ai. With that, Eri returned back to the couch and dragged Miki into her own room, leaving Ai and Yuko by themselves in the living room.
Ai had avoided every eye contact Yuko had tried to make with Ai. And two of them had stood in silence for a long instance, until Yuko decided to break it.
"Ai-chan." Yuko called out as she closed her distance between Ai and her.
Ai squirmed as she felt Yuko was closing her. Tears began to form.
"You know what? I had never blamed you for anything that had happened. You haven't betrayed the trust I had for you, Ai-chan. You don't have to feel guilty about that. Even though that was wrongful to do. I know you know it was. I know you didn't mean to do it right?"
Ai's body started to quiver as the tears began to fall. 'Don't be so nice to me, Nakazawa-san. I did betrayed the trust you had for me. I had promised you.' Ai began to sniffle when Yuko held her in her embrace.
"It's alright, my dear. You are like my little sister. How can I blame you for anything. Hush . . ." Yuko comforted. rubbing Ai back softly as Ai continued to cry in her shoulder.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Why are you eavesdropping?" Miki asked she sat on Eri's bed, watching Eri pressing her ear against her room door.
"I'm curious!" Eri replied. "I hope the idea Nakazawa-san had will get through into Ai's head." Eri continued.
"It will, definitely."
Eri moved her ears away from the door, headed back towards her bed, and sat down beside Miki. "What did you come today?" Eri asked quietly.
"Haven't I said just now? The thing you are holding in your hand." Miki replied as she glanced sideway at Eri.
"But didn't you say see me on Monday yesterday?" Eri pouted as she played with the ribbon rose in her hands.
"If I didn't say that, will I be able to surprise you today?" Miki explained as she brushed the ends of Eri's hairs behind her ear, closed the distance between them and began to lean in, attempting to place a soft kiss on the latter's lip.
"Sorry!" Eri blurted as she jumped away from Eri. The loud distinct ringtone of her phone had interrupted the expected kiss. Eri jumped off her bed and retrieved the phone from her side table.
"It's alright." Miki assured reluctantly, though she was pissed off that the call had came in at the wrong time.
Bringing the ringing phone next to her ears, Eri answered the call. "Hello. This is Kamei Eri."
"Eri-chan? This is Ume over here."
"Ume-san? Hai." Eri continued as she lowered her tone. Ume calling could never meant a good thing.
"Is Risa-san with you?" Ume continued.
"Risa? No she's not with me. I haven't seen her for a month. Isn't Risa back in Kyoto?" Eri replied. 'Risa ran away again?'
"She had went missing again."
'Could that be the reason why Risa called me yesterday? But there was no answer from her when I called her back. It went to her mailbox instead.' Eri began to get worried about her best friend. 'Why had she ran away from home again? Because of the arrange marriage? Or?'
"Eri-chan, can you please inform me when Risa finds you?"
"I will if she does, Ume-san."
"Thank you so much. Sorry for troubling you."
"Nah. It's nothing." Eri responded. With that, the phone call ended.
"Who was that?" Miki asked curiously.
"It's just a family friend from Kyoto." Eri answered, while her mind had wandered back to her best friend. Pressing the familiar numbers, Eri tried to call Risa once more. Still, the call was diverted back to the mailbox. 'Where are you, Risa? When are you going to pick up your call once again? Stop directing me to your voicemail, will you?'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JaN~
By the way, I can smell the ending nearing :D heheh. I am aiming to finish this story before my finals starts, so :)
Till the next chapter then ^.^
-
Poor Risa, shattered by guilt, ends up in the place where Ai was in the orphanage. That is that place right?
Ai is rather coerced by Eri to stay with her, so at least it will be easy for Risa to find her if she does go there.
Ai is further comforted by Yuko, who will always forgive her and it's revealed that Miki is courting Eri, which I suspected in the last chapter. I like that coupling for some reason.
So what next? How will this be resolved? Abe maybe?
-
Yesss! *is satisfied with Eri x Miki interactions* :stuffed:
Gah Risa doesn't know that Ai doesn't blame her :doh: I hope Ai and Risa find their way to each other soon :badluck:
-
GAH! I missed so many chapters! gomen ne~~ :nervous
But I read them all during class today, and i'm SO EXCITED for the way this is turning out! :w00t:
So MikiEri, huh? that's pretty rare, but i kinda like it~~ :D
I'm really scared for Risa though... she's not gonna like, go emo and like... do what her real mama did, right?? :cry: :cry:
-
Fated. Gaki is fated to end up there. I hope abe san can help to minimise the guilt gakisan have now. She dont have to blame herself. It's not her fault, blame the awesome dad.
Erimiki. Lol. Love it when miki fail to hide the fact from yuko. Lol.
And as for ai living at eri place now. I wonder is this a good idea now. Since if gakisan parents manage to find gakisan there previously, there's a chance they will appear again and it wont bring any help to aichan situation. Which is a no no. I looking forward to see how they will react when they know their risa is in love with their ai, will they still stop them. And how will they react when they know this ai is their aichan. Hope eri give them a big scolding. Lol.
Ending soon?! I hope its a happy ending. Lol. And best is you will come out with another awesome fic like this fic again. Hee. XD
-
lol...Where is Risa going? Did she get lost? XD Okay.. that wasn't funny... She must be so lonely, having no place to go after knowing that her only family member died years ago. :cry: How are they going to find her? :O
Miki is so sweet with those roses! :wub: And it's a good thing Ai-chan doesn't blame Risa and almost wholeheartedly admit that she's really in love with her. :yep: :heart:
-
Ahh, ppor Gaki, so caught up thinking that Ai will hate her that she never actually though to se if that was the case... Ai could never hate her because she loves her :cry:
Seems as though perhaps Eri may be getting Ai out of her state little by little and I'm glad Yuko san met with Ai again, Seems as though Eri might soon have her hands full with not only trying to find Gaki and looking after Ai but also maybe by fending of Miki too! :lol:
-
Gaki!! :mon runcry: please come back!!! Ai-chan don't hate U!! baka :kickass:
more chappies please!! :bow:
-
@ rndmnwierd : Yupps. That's the place where Ai grew up in :) hehehe . ..
@ astro18 : I am glad that you liked it :) hehehe soon soon . . . .
@ SarangAi : Hehehe. It's alright . .. I'm glad that you had caught up . .:) hahahhaha reading during class? It's not as bad as me, for that I wrote some chapters during my lectures. Hahah . . . I just can't help it. One of lecturer just had the best voice for me to write. hahah. heheh I mentioned in previous chapter . . . No major character death . . . The storyline itself is depressing enough =X
@ alwaysYou : Yupps . It should end soon. In a couple more chapters :) Hahah. my brain is rather dead now . . I would like to write more . . That, I will think about it again :) heheh Thankie ^.^
@ kano-chan : hehehehhe how to find Risa? Think think :)
@ oddball : Yupps. for someone who had been thrown into the truth she was kept away for years, all that she could thought of was all the negative stuffs .. . Poor Risa
@ gab98 : New chappie's here ^.^
Alright . . . This chapter was difficult to write. My mind is so messed up at the current moment that I do not even know what I was writing. Haha
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 23]
"So where's your daughter, Niigaki-san?" Matsumoto Shouichi questioned across the table, with his son, Matsumoto Naoki sitting beside him.
"My daughter is feeling unwell. That's why she has to miss this dinner meeting tonight. I am sorry about that." Retora lied. 'There's no way I could tell him that Risa's missing. . . '
"Feeling unwell?" Shouichi repeated. "Are you sure?" Shouichi questioned as he held some doubts in the reason.
"I'm positive." Retora answered with confidence, not allowing his insecurities to betray him.
"But that's not what I had heard from the people outside, Niigaki-san." Shouichi continued. "Some people were saying that your daughter had ran away from home, am I right to say that?"
"I - " Retora was lost in words.
"So I was right." Shouichi cut in as Retora's silence had told him that he was right. He stood up from his seat, with Naoki following in action. "I was right that you were just using my company's name to save your reputation. I am utterly disappointed in you, Niigaki-san. Since your family is so insincere about this marriage, I shall say, it's over then." With that, the Matsumotos walked out of the private room of the restaurant.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa found herself a warm corner near the train station where she had sat herself in that corner for the past two days. She had not left the place for a single moment, nor a single person had noticed her since the traffic pass the corner was near to zero. During her moment over there, tears had come and gone repeatedly, causing her eyes to be strained out. And that had intensified the headache she had been experiencing. The lack of food and water just made it worst. 'This should be my original ending . . . The way my life would had been . . .' Risa thought as she kept her eyes closed. 'Perhaps . . .this would now a perfect ending for me . . .' Her head was splitting. The pain that was tore her heart up had now made its way to the head, causing Risa lean her head against the wall.
"Risa-kun?" A familiar voice was registered in Risa's ear "What are you doing here?"
Risa tried to open her eyes to see who was the one who had just called her. But as soon as the first light strike her retina, her world went black again.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'That's weird . . . Why hasn't the alarm clock rang?' Eri thought tiredly as she rolled on her bed and snuggled her face into her pillow. She reached her hands towards her bedside table and searched for the thought item by sweeping her hand around the table. Pulling the thought item back to herself, Eri lifted her head from her pillow and open her eyes reluctantly, allowing her brain to register the time shown on her clock. "WHAT?!" Eri screamed as she sprung up from her lying position and on her knees. The clock showed 830 am. "I'm late!" Eri declared as she hurriedly got off her bed, ran her hands through her messy hair and rushed into the bathroom. "How did time passed so fast?" Eri groaned to herself.
(Good morning.) Eri was greeted by Ai at the dining table as soon as she got out from her bedroom, totally washed up and dressed up in her own record time. Breakfast was set up on the dining table and Ai was already half way through her eating.
"Ah~ Good morning to you too as well Ai-san. You're up so early?" Eri asked as she grabbed one of the toast that were placed on the table and bit a mouthful out of it.
Ai nodded her head at the question as she shifted her attention back to her plate.
"Did you heard the ringing of my alarm clock? I didn't hear it at all. I was positive that I did set it last night." Eri ranted as she picked up her bag. She then prepared herself to move towards the door until a hug from her back startled her.
"I asked Ai-chan to turn off your alarm clock this morning." Miki whispered into Eri's ear.
"What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Eri asked in shock as she turned around to face Miki.
"To surprise you. " Miki grinned, causing light shades of red to run across Eri's face. "Ai-chan allowed me in. So how was the bread? It's made from my love." Miki continued.
"It - It was nice . . ." Eri stuttered. Then the first piece of information Miki gave her began to register in her mind. Eri pushed Miki away and turned to look at the Ai who was seated at the table. "Wait. And Ai-san you actually did what Miki asked you to do? To switch off my alarm clock?" Eri pouted as she glanced at Miki from the corner of her eye.
"Of course!" Miki beamed as she walked next to Ai and placed her arm on Ai's shoulder, causing Ai to stiff her shoulders. "I knew Ai-chan for a longer period than you."
"That's mean." Eri stated as she fold her arms.
(Gomen, Eri-san) Ai signed as she stared on her plate.
"It's alright, Ai-san." Eri assured. 'I'm glad that you are acting that way. At least these little actions assure me that you are fine for now, Ai-san.' Eri thought until the realisation of being late hit back Eri. "Ah~" Eri screamed. "We are running late for work!" With that, Eri dragged Miki with her and dashed towards the main door.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ai kept her hands in her pocket as she wondered down the streets of Tokyo. After being kept indoor for a month in the hospital, Ai thought it was time for her to take a walk outside rather than to stay indoor again.
"Ai-chan?"
Ai turned around to the source of the call and saw Makoto standing at the other end of the street, waving excitedly at her. 'Mako-chan?' Ai thought as Makoto ran down the street and towards Ai.
"It's been a long while ever since I'd saw you. How are you doing?" Makoto asked as she gave Ai a light hug.
(I guessed it's okay? How long have you been back from Niigata? Are you going to stay in Tokyo again?) Ai signed as the two of them began to walk down the street again.
"Nah. . .I'm just back here for my holidays, visiting some old friends and such. I just came from the clinic. Nakazawa-san is still so much the same." Makoto replied, and ended with a laughter at the thought of her encounter with Yuko. "I'm meeting Asami-chan in half an hour time. Do you want to join me with that?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(I hate you, Risa . . . I really hate you . . .)
"AH!" Risa screamed her heart out as she leaped up from her lying position, causing the wet towel that was placed on her forehead to drop down to her thighs. Her heart was beating at an abnormal rate from the dream she had. Traces of sweat could be observed tracing down the side of her face. Risa allowed her eyes to read her surroundings. 'Where am I?' Risa tried to remember.
"Ah . . . I'm relieved. You are finally awake, Risa-kun." Abe commented as she entered the room with a glass of water.
"Abe-san?" Risa called out weakly. "Why am I here?"
"You had fainted near the station, Risa-kun. I had brought you back with me. It's so dangerous for you to be sitting outside the station just like that, especially during this kind of weather." Abe reprimanded lovingly. "Are you feeling better already?" Abe continued asking as she placed her hand over Risa's forehead. "Seems like your fever had went down. That's good." With that, Abe picked up the forgotten towel on Risa's lap and placed it back to the metal pail beside the bed.
'Fever . . . It was the fever that had took away my memory 17 years ago. The last memory that I had about my real Mama . . .The memory which contained the painful truth . . . If I had knew about this all along . . .How would my life be like?' Risa thought in her mind
"Risa-kun. What was in your mind now?" Abe asked as Risa sank into her own world.
Risa looked up back Abe when her name was called. Risa shook her head lightly. "Nothing was on my mind." Risa stated faintly.
From the response Risa gave, Abe understood that Risa was being unwilling to share what was on her mind. She could see the difference between this Risa and the Risa she had met roughly two months ago. The distinct smile of hers was missing from her face. "So Risa-kun, what are you doing over here in Okutama?"
'How did I get myself here? I didn't know as well. All I did was to board the last train from Toshima, and it had brought me all the way to here. . .Was this fate?' Risa wondered in her mind as the question was raised. "I - just happened to passed by over here. . ." Risa lied.
'Something had happened to this girl over here. She behaves so differently as compare to the time where I first knew her. She's so guarded now.' Abe analysed, through her experiences with the countless orphans who had came to stay with her over the years.
Risa removed the blanket that was covering her fragile body and hanged her legs off the bed. "I think I should leave. I shouldn't be troubling you." Risa continued as she shifted her body weight to her legs on the floor. Her legs had gave in, causing her to drop down on the ground as soon as she attempted to get off the bed.
"Risa-kun." Abe rushed over towards Risa and helped her off the ground and back to the bed. "Don't force yourself too much. You are not troubling me at all. The kids over here were so elated to see you again. You are very much welcomed to stay here with me, or at least until you regain your strength, Risa-kun. There's no way I am going to allow you to go off by yourself at your current state." Abe continued, pulling the blanket back on Risa.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri picked up the receiver of her office phone and began to dial the familiar number which had been pressing since the day Risa gave her the missed call. As expected to Eri, the call was diverted to her voicemail box again. 'Come on Risa, answer my calls, will you?' Eri thought desperately as she hung up the receiver.
*Knock Knock*
"Come in." Eri responded to the knock on her office door.
Miki entered the room, and closed the door after her. "The afternoon papers just came in. I saw something interesting that you may want to know, Eri." Miki said as she place the set of newpaper on Eri desk and sat down on the chair in front of Eri. "Niigaki Corporation, isn't that the company of the best friend's father?" Miki asked.
'Well, he's not really Risa's father. . . ' Eri thought. "Yeah." Eri replied as she kept her eyes on the newspaper before her. 'Niigaki Corporation's stock plunge history low straight after the opening of today's morning market when the marriage between Matsumoto Naoki and Niigaki Risa was revealed as a fraud by the Matsumoto Corporation. It was said that Niigaki Risa had went missing for a few days.' Eri read off the newspaper. Eri furrowed her eyebrow as she eyes continued to run though the paper.
"Anything serious happened?" Miki asked as she realised the smile on Eri's face had disappeared.
"Hmmm." Eri mumbled as she shook her head. 'Risa, where are you? It's unlike of her to refuse any calls from me. Unless she's not running away from the marriage. Could it be that she had found out something that she should not have known?'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ai-chan!" Asami squealed gently as she saw Ai entered the café with Makoto beside her. "Where have you been the whole month?
(Gomen ne, Asami-chan. I was kinda caught up with some situation.) Ai signed as she sat down beside Makoto, opposite the empty seat beside Asami.
"Why hadn't you replied any of my message?" Asami continued asking, completely ignoring the Makoto who was seated right across her seat.
(I got a new number.) Ai signed. She then wrote down her number on a piece of paper she took out from her bag and passed it to both Makoto and Asami.
"Eh . . .Asami-chan. I am over here as well. . . " Makoto interrupted.
"Of course I knew you are here, Mako-chan." Asami replied.
"But you had paid no attention to me." Makoto complained jokingly, causing Ai to laugh silently at the 'couple-like' argument between the two.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri returned back to her apartment after her long day at work, with the new situation occupying her mind throughout the whole afternoon. 'I wondered if Ai-san knew about the Niigaki's situation. I hope not . . . ' Eri thought as she flopped down on her sofa and leaned her head against the backrest and closed her eyes.
The soft click of the study room door made Eri to open her eyes. She lift up her head and saw Ai closed herself to the living room area, towards herself.
"Tadaima." Eri said to Ai as Ai down beside Eri.
(Okaeri.) Ai signed and placed her hands on her lap and looked at them nervously.
"Is there anything that you want to ask or tell me?" Eri asked, after reading Ai's action. It was obvious that Ai had something to tell her, yet something was stopping her from telling Eri.
Ai nodded her head. (You had met Makoto this afternoon right?)
"Makato?" Eri tried to recall. "Oh . . . Ogawa-san?"
Ai nodded her head once again.
"What about Ogawa-san?" Eri asked again.
(I was thinking . . . about following Makoto to Niigata. . . )
"EH! Why so sudden?" Eri sat up in attention, throwing away the tiredness she felt previously.
*Knock Knock*
The knock on the door interrupted the conversation between the two girls.
"I'll get the door first. Can we talk about this later again?" Eri asked. Ai nodded her head and watched Eri got up from her seat on the couch and moved towards the door. Her hand froze on the handle of the door as she look through the peephole.
*Knock knock*
The second set of knocks on the door made Eri opened the door reluctantly. "Oba-san." Eri greeted as she opened the door and allowed entry to Renni who was standing on the other side of the door.
'Ma . . . ma?' Ai identified in her mind as she saw the familiar figure step into the apartment.
"Kamei-chan, sorry to disturb you this time round again. . . But is Risa-ko here with you?" Renni apologised and asked as she made a small step into the apartment. And as soon she saw Ai, who was seated at the couch with her eyes fixed on the floor, she stopped. "You had someone with you? I guess I should not trouble you then." With that, Renni attempted to turn around and walk away, but was stopped by Eri.
"Wait Oba-san." Eri called out as she held onto Renni's arm. "I know what are you here for. Please come in." Eri continued.
Ai stood up from the couch. (I will go back to my room first.) Ai signed with her face facing the floor and briskly, she returned back to the study room, closing the door behind her and leaned against it.
"Please take a seat. I will bring you some drinks." Eri informed and disappeared into the kitchen.
Renni looked at the door of the study room, where Ai had just returned to. 'That girl . . .That's the girl who was on the tabloid with Risa-ko. . . Her name was Ai right?' Renni thought in her mind. 'Wait . . . She was signing . . . Does that mean that she's unable to talk? That's . . . '
"Oba-san." Eri called out as she passed the cup of hot tea to Renni. "I know you are here for Risa. But she's not here with me. That's the fact. I haven't been able to contact her since last Friday. I really don't know where she is."
Renni kept silence as she registered the answer Eri gave about the question she asked.
"And from the bottom of my heart, I think this disappearance of Risa is not due to the marriage deal Oji-san had arranged. Definitely not." Eri continued.
"And why do you think Risa had ran away this time round?" Renni asked as she looked seriously into Eri's eyes.
"Maybe she remembered something from her childhood, before she was 5." Eri suggested, knowing very well that what would that meant.
And that sentence struck Renni, leaving her being frozen on the spot.
"That would be possible, isn't it?" Eri suggested again. Before she could further confront Renni about the past, Ai came rushing out of the room and stopped Eri, pulling her away from Renni and into the dining area.
(You promised me you would not confront them, Eri-san.) Ai signed as she huffed.
Before Eri could explain her previous actions, a second voice interrupted.
"Ai . . . chan ?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm leaving it here . . . .
Till the next chapter then . . .
Next chapter should be so much more easier to write . . .
Jan~
-
Poor Risa; she starved herself. :( It is fate that Abe-san found her! :w00t:
Ai-chan is always too nice and apologetic. :roll:
Oh godd.. A mother/daughter reunion? It might not be pretty... :bleed eyes: Ai-chan wanted to keep that a secret, but she can't run away forever. ;)
Awaiting TakaGaki reunion. :heart:
-
Is this it? The moment of truth? CONFRONTATION? :shocked
Gahhh I hope it ends well.. I know Mama Gaki still loves Aichan!
Also: Mikitty so sweet! :luvluv1: Takagaki is so heart wrenching but MikiEri is so light hearted :cow:
-
AH~! Tease! I wanna see what happens next with Ai-chan and her mama!!
-
Caiyunki! Sorry for not commenting as a good reader should, but I have been following your story. Thank you for your response to my comment before (last month :nervous ). So you're a bit of a writer at heart then - though your fandoms have changed, your stories are still basically the same? Hehe... I'm kind of the same, actually, although I'll probably never get to finishing all my stories 'coz I'm so damned lazy :bleed eyes:
Anyhow, thank you for the song. Please post the lyrics translation at the end, but I have given it a listen - it sounds so sweet. :wub:
Thank you too, for your consistent updates. I'm always looking forward to one and am never disappointed by how quickly you deliver them to us. :love:
Although for the past several chapters since I last commented... it has been nothing but heartache. :k-sad: :tama-excite: :on speedy: I am an angst lover yes, but you have really put me at my limit here :sweatdrop: lol... too much doubt and uncertainty, and no TakaGaki action has made me feel rather down reading the latest chapters. And the emoness - Risa not eating, all the aching and weeping and I'm-being-haunted-by-the-past... gaaaah! It's all too much for this poor heart :pleeease: But what keeps me going is, of course, needing to see that everything will be okay. It WILL be okay, won't it? :cry:
A few questions have cropped up along the way - like why did mama Gaki-san not press charges against her attacker?!!! :O :shocked :? I am still waiting for that to be revealed, because as much as I try to think, I can't come up with a speculation to explain that. >___< I originally thought maybe it had been that heartless Retora himself who had done it for some reason or other, but turns out he is not COMPLETELY heartless, and does care for his wife to some extent. ;___; you better give me closure in this regard! And I hope it dawns on him what an a-hole of a father he has been. To Risa, but especially to Ai-chan. MY GAWD. I'm eagerly awaiting the end to see him fall on his knees before his daughters. >___>
And it's sad to know that the end is just around the corner... you better give us a LONG, SATISFYING ENDING WITH LOTS OF TAKAGAKI LUBBBBING :deco:. If this ends up being a sad ending, I... I don't know what I would do. ;____; cry myself a few rivers maybe. But I am keeping my fingers crossed for an ending that's going to shine through :k-inlove:
And seriously, if it weren't for Eri, this story would've fallen to pieces long ago. She... I just love her. You could not ask for a better friend. :heart: I hope both Ai and Risa realise this at the end and Eri is properly appreciated. :yep:
The MikiEri on the side - awwwww. :heart: Honestly, I didn't see that coming. But at least that's something happy to keep the story from drowning in all the doom and gloom. A budding romance :cow: Eri certainly deserves the happiness. <3
And now that mama Gaki-san appears to have finally come to her senses and recognised her daughter... wow. I'm totally looking forward to the next chapter, you left off at a great moment there! I'm not sure whether this is going to turn out nasty or heartwarming... but it's about time Ai finally got some answers, and relief for mama Gaki too. 'Coz of course she still cares for her Ai. :luvuluvu:
Again, thank you for the hard work and consistent updating. You are great! :tama-lotsaluv:
Looking forward to the next chapter! :heart:
-
@ kano-chan : so is this reunion considered pretty or not? hehehe .TakaGaki coming soon ^.^
@ astro18 : Yuppps. Kinda some truth is revealed here. . .and MikiEri is just for fluff ^.-
@ rndmnwierd : hehehhehehe :)
@ Beecubed : Hehehe. It's alright. I do know that you are reading :) heheh Kinda? I changed a little bit of the details to make it fit with the characters and such . . . I too have a number of unfinished stories on hands because of laziness. And the only way for me to get the laziness away is to just keep writing. :) Alright! I will post up the translation of the song :) at the end, which is really soon from now . . . ^.^
Regarding the question you posted. I actually explained it in a very bad way in one of the chapters. It was because by informing the police and continuing the pursue for the offender, it would lead to negative media attention to the family, which is something that the Niigaki family would want to avoid, especially when the father had just announced the idea of arranged marriage earlier the day before. And that - the idea Renni had - had lead to the arguement between Retora and Renni. :)
TakaGaki is going to come out in the next chapter . . So pretty much, that means . . . =X
Eri is indeed a perfect friend for one to ask for. (In my mind, she's the kind of person I want to have as my best friend ^.^)
You are welcome. . . and THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO READ AND ALL WHO HAD COMMENTED! I am a happy women now :)
And her comes the next chapter ^.^
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 24] - A Step Nearer
"Ai . . . chan?" Renni mustered all the courage that she needed and called out. She stood up from the couch and proceed towards the area where the two stood and came between them, with her body slanted slightly towards Ai. Renni tried to look into the eyes of Ai, with Ai desperately trying to look away from Renni. 'Are you my Ai-chan . . . ? Are you ?'
"So Oba-san do remember someone by the name of Ai." Eri snorted cynically as she crossed her arms.
Renni turned and looked at Eri in confusion. 'How much did you know, Kamei-chan?'
(Eri-san . . . I said don't) Ai signed as tears began to form in her eyes. (Please don't.)
Feeling frustrated about Ai's stubbornness, Eri took a step forward and grabbed Ai by her wrist, shaking Ai lightly. "Ai-san, can you stop being so selfless for once? Can you be fair to yourself just for once? You don't have wrap everything to yourself, keeping all the sufferings to yourself. It's not your fault at all. Why are you taking all these suffering as your punishment? If there's someone who's deemed to suffer from these, it's definitely not you. It's those who had made these happened in the first place." Eri raised her tone slightly higher, turned and glanced at Renni for a second before turning back to Ai.
Ai began to sob silently. Her shoulders trembled every time she sniffled and took in a deep breath.
Renni had, too, broken into tears. "Ai-chan?" Renni broke out, causing Ai to turn and stare at Renni with her teary eyes. Renni brought her wobbly right hand towards Ai's face and began to caress Ai's left cheek gently. As Renni did that, a single tear started to trace down the same side of the face where Renni had caressed. Renni brought her other hand up towards Ai's face and cupped Ai's cheeks with her hands. "Ai-chan . . . I am sorry . . . I am really sorry . . . " Renni articulated between her own sobs as pull Ai into her embrace. "It's my fault. . . It's my fault. . ."
Ai shook her head in Renni's embrace. 'No Mama . . . It's not yours. It was never yours . . . ' And there, Ai had wrapped her arms around Renni's waist, buried her face into Renni's shoulder and began to sob uncontrollably. 'I never thought this day would come . . . that I can be in your embrace again, Mama . . .'
Eri watched the scene from the side line, too, had tears on her face. 'Finally . . . She's no longer running away from her past . . .' Eri then left the area and back into her own room, giving the mother-daughter the privacy they may want. As she closed her doors, the thought of Risa came to her. 'Risa . . . Where is she now? Did she really found out something about her past, that caused her hide herself away from all of us? Come think of it, if all these had not happened, would I have met Risa 16 years ago? Would we have become such best friend like we are now?'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After many failed attempts, Risa had finally gotten enough strength to stand up on her own. She exited the sleeping compound slowly in baby steps and went into the common area of the orphanage, where the children and Abe were in.
"Nee-chan!" The children called out, with sparkling smiles on their face, as Risa entered the common area. They rushed towards Risa and bombarded her with questions one over another, giving no chances for Risa to answer every one of them.
"Nee-chan, are you feeling better already?"
"Nee-chan, are you hungry?"
"Nee-chan, let's go out and play again when you're feeling better!"
"Alright kids, leave all these questions until tomorrow. Those who are done with your food, can you please bring your plates to the kitchen? " Abe came over towards Risa, saving her from the sea of children.
"Hai!" With that, the swamp of them began rushing out of the common area and into the kitchen, leaving Risa, Abe and a few more little ones who were still eating their food.
"I will go warm up your food for your, Risa-kun." Abe informed as she followed the children into the kitchen.
"You don't have to . . . I'm not hungry . . . " Risa tried to stop Abe but had ended up speaking to the disappearing figure of Abe. Risa stayed in the common area for a short while before she left the area for the backyard.
When Risa reached the backyard, she, instinctively, had went forward to fences she used to stand around with Ai. She sat down on the damp grass with her legs stretched out and directed her attention to the sky up high, gazing at the sky and stars that had connected her with Ai and her family.
"Nee-chan." A soft voice called out, causing Risa to snap her attention away from the sky and towards the source of the voice.
"Miyuki-chan?" Risa responded as she saw the tiny girl standing about ten feet away from her, with her little hands fidgeting the ends of her clothing nervously. "What are you doing out here? It's cold for little ones like you to stay out here." Risa continued.
Miyuki did not reply her. Instead, she closed the distance between them and were now standing right beside Risa. "Can - Can I sit down?" Miyuki asked softly between stuttering after a few moments of silence.
Risa nodded her head. As soon as Miyuki saw Risa's approval, she climbed herself over Risa and began to settle herself comfortably on Risa's leg. "Nee-chan." Miyuki called out again.
"Yes?" Risa responded, still very puzzled by the actions of the little girl who was now leaning her head against her chest.
"Nee-chan, are you feeling unhappy?" Miyuki asked fluently this time round.
Risa remained silent at the question.
"Why is Nee-chan feeling unhappy?" Miyuki continued asking. "Nee-chan looked so different without her smile."
"I am not feeling unhappy, Miyuki-chan." Risa lied as she ruffled the hair of Miyuki.
"You are." Miyuki pouted, not believing what Risa had just told her.
"Okay, I am." Risa confessed. "So what is Miyuki-chan doing out here?"
"MIYUKI-CHAN!" A loud voice echoed through the backyard. "OBAA-CHAN IS LOOKING FOR YOU! FASTER!"
"Ah!" Miyuki stood up from Risa's lap and turned to Risa. "Nee-chan, don't be unhappy. You have everyone of us here with you." Miyuki stated in her naïve tone before running back into the house, leaving Risa all alone once again.
'She changed so much just in around 2 months time . . . Two months ago, Miyuki-chan could barely speak. And now . . . She's actually here, trying to cheer me up. . . And why am i still here . . .still lost in my own world. . .' Risa thought bitterly in her mind.
'If I am able to it, I would too, want to bring that smile to your face, Ai-san.'
The stars made Risa remember the promise she made within herself when she had chose to be truthful about her feelings a month ago. 'Smile? Yet the reality is that I had brought her more tears than smile all these years. From the day I became a Niigaki, I had brought her nothing but tears. Endless tears that she kept within herself. Endless sorrows that no one else could understand, except herself. To see her parents leaving her with another kid, how would that felt? No one would know . . . Not even me. . . ' Tears began to beam by her eyelids.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ai snuggled closely into the warm body lying beside her as her biological alarm clock began to wake up from the sleep. It was like a dream. A dream whereby her mother had never left her all these while. The sense of familiarity of the warmth beside her made her wished she would never wake up from this sleep, this surreal reality. Even though the dreams of the haunting past had stopped chasing after her ever since the day she was admitted into the hospital, she still could not sleep past 316 am. It had became a habit of hers. Ai opened her eyes looked up at the peaceful face of Renni. 'I'm satisfied with this. . .It enough for me . . .'
The mother-daughter had spent the whole night crying. No words were spoke. There was no need for any words. The years of guilt. The years of struggle. The years of pain. They were all expressed through the countless volume of tears that were shed. And eventually, the crying session ended when both had feel asleep simultaneously in each other's hold. The soft pacing of Renni's heartbeat acted like a hypnotising media, hypnotising Ai into a deep slumber sleep. The sound of familiarity, the sound of peace from her young had relived in her once again.
Ai slipped off the bed as careful as she could, preventing herself from making too large motion or noises that would wake Renni up from the peaceful sleep. She walked towards the study table and sat behind it. She pulled out the writing pad and pen from the first drawer when the violet box caught her attention. She placed the paper and pen on the table top and reached her hand for the familiar box. 'I never had a good look at it before. I had deemed this as a nightmare to me . . .Is this still a nightmare to me? Or is has became a gift of remembrance, in remembering what she had did for when she was still trying to get into my life.' Ai thought. Ai began to remove the cover of the purple box with care, revealing the iliac crystal aligned watch. Her body showed no fear for the sound of the second hand. 'It's . . .beautiful. . .' Ai placed the box on the table and began to work on the papers she took out, writing two long letters, for two person. When she had finished writing them, it was already five in the morning. She fold them up neatly and place it underneath the purple box. She then stood up from her seat and began to pack her belongings - a few sets of clean clothing, her sketchbook- into a simple duffle bag.
She came up to the dried roses by the window. Using her right hand, she pulled out one of the dried petals and placed it into the purple box. 'If I can chose what I can remember and what to forget, this is definitely one of the memory that I will want to take with me, wherever I go . . .' She covered the box with its lid and placed it into the duffle bag along with her other belongings. She then picked up the two letters and walked towards the bed where Renni was lying with her bag strapped across her shoulder. She placed one of the letter on the bedside table. 'Mama . . .Goodbye . . Thank you for giving one last good memory after I had decided to leave . . .' Ai thought sadly in her mind as she left the room. closing the door with care.
Once she was in the common living space, she walked towards the dining table and placed the second letter on it. With that, Ai approached to the main door, unlocked it and opened it. 'Thank you for everything that had happened . . .' With that, Ai left the apartment, towards the destination she had decided in her mind.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first light of the day shone into the study room through the bare window of the study room, causing Renni to slur slightly in her sleep. She stretched out her hands, only to find the side where Ai used to lie was empty. Renni shot her eyes open immediately. "Ai-chan?" Renni called out. The call echoed in the considerably small room. "Ai-chan?" Renni got off the bed frantically, almost tripping off the bed, and was about to leave the room to the common living space where the pink paper on the bedside table caught her attention. She picked it up cautiously and flipped it open, revealing the contents of the letter to herself.
Mama
Thank you for giving me a wonderful dream last night.
When I opened up my eyes this morning, and there I saw you, I felt you right beside me. Everything felt so surreal. It was always only in my dreams where sleeping right beside Mama was possible. And you made it real for me this time round, Mama. Thank you. It has been a long time every since I had such a sweet dream. Thank you for everything, Mama.
I had never blamed anyone. Not even Papa for leaving me. It's my fault. It's my own disability. I did not blamed anyone for it. So, Mama, don't feel guilty about it anyone. Ai had grown up and survived all these years. Ai too can lived with all these for the rest of my life. I know Papa still cares for the reputation of the company very much. So . . .
I had already made the decision to leave, even before Mama had came in last night. When Mama came in last night, it just adds up to me resolution to leave. Mama, Ai had put down the past that had been holding onto life. Ai will leave this town of sadness, to a place faraway, where I can work hard to forget everything happened that had broke my heart; where I can work hard to overcome my psychological barrier; where I can work hard to search for the unheard voice I had. So do not be sad that I had left, Mama. I had left everything behind. You too, Mama. Stop holding the guilt that had lived with you all these years. Ai had never blamed you.
It never came across to me that I could have chance to hug you once again, to be acknowledged that I am your daughter. It had never. So Mama, I really thank you for the one last dream you gave me.
Ai
'Ai-chan . . . ' Renni thought. The fragile piece of paper trembled as she tightened her grip. Her heart clenches painfully within her left chest, causing her to slide down onto the floor. 'Ai-chan . . .'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'No pranks on me today . .' Eri thought in relieve as she came out of her room into the empty common living space. She stretch her body lazily. 'I will prepare breakfast today then!' Eri thought as she walked past the dining table and was about to go into the kitchen when the same pink paper Renni saw caught her attention. 'What's this? This wasn't here last night.' Eri wondered as she picked up the paper and opened it casually.
Eri-san
I never thought I need to do this. I never thought I would leave without telling it personally to you. I am really sorry about that. I'm sorry.
Remember I told you last night that I'm thinking about going to Niigata with Makoto last night? I actually had made the decision to go even before I told you so. I was having trouble on how am I suppose to break the news to you, until she came.
Eri-san, I am really thankful for what you had done for me in these past three months. There were things that you had done were out of your duties as a psychologist, and you did them without complaining. I thank you for your persistence, the persistence that made you keep going, pushing me to my limits when needed, making to acquire the courage I need to face the painful truth. The truth that my parents had left me for Risa. My heart still stings at the thought of it, but . . . it was not as painful as what it used to be. My heart had begun to accept the truth. I'm no longer running away from them. I really thank you for that, Eri-san.
Perhaps it was all planned beforehand by someone of authority, all these people I met in the past 3 months. If you are not my new psychologist, I guess . . . I wouldn't have known Risa, your best friend; the girl in my dream, who had her features blurred. Remember that time when you asked me, that I really liked Risa. I did not answered you that day. I am going to answer you now. Yes. I think I had really fallen in love with her. In all my life, I never had the courage to fall in love, always in fear that the other party would mind the fact that I am a mute, always in fear that the broken heart of mind had no rights to love someone else, when I had no courage to love myself, when my own parents could not even bear their heart to love me. I am always living in that fear, always trying search for the reason of being alive, until she stepped into my life. She stole my first kiss on our first encounter. She did some much things for me. She almost gave up her dreams for me. That was the first time in my life someone actually did that for me, for the little me whom I thought there was no reason for myself to be alive on this earth. She had plant herself within the pieces of my broken heart and mend them, placing them back into one piece again bits by bits.
I will never want her to know anything about this truth. It would be too much for her to handle. If there is someone who needs to take the consequences of the truth, I don't mind being the one. It was her smile who kept my going all these while. I don't want her to lose that smile. That was why I had chose to leave this town, to Niigata. So that I would never have the chance to see her again. So that she will never know this truth. I hope Eri-san, you will keep this a secret to her as well.
And lastly, I'm glad that you are going out with Miki-chan. She is an interesting person. And I'm glad that she is bringing the smile back to your face as well. I wish you two the best.
Really, Eri-san, no actions can be used to express the appreciation I had for you. And all I can do . . . is to wish you the best. Thank you for all these three months. It is going to be most unforgettably three months of my life. I will keep in contact with you. Until the day where I can truly say that I am over this, I will come back again. Thank you, Eri-san.
Ai.
"Baka!" Eri scolded as she finish reading the letter. 'Aren't you running away? When you said you are no longer running away from the truth.'
Eri took out her phone and began to type in send, writing a message to be sent to Ai.
*Thud*
A long bang echoed in the living room from the study room, causing Eri to drop the letter she was holding, dash towards the study room, and open the door in a swift motion. "Oba-san!" Eri called out as she saw Renni lying unconsciously on the floor, with traces of blood staining her clothes at the abdomen area.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'There's still one last place I need to go. . . ' Ai thought as she boarded the train. 'I can't leave without tell Baa-chan. . . '
The set of old newspaper that were lying beside her caught her attention. She picked it up and ran her eyes through the contents.
Niigaki Corporation's stock plunge history low straight after the opening of today's morning market when the marriage between Matsumoto Naoki and Niigaki Risa was revealed as a fraud by the Matsumoto Corporation. It was said that Niigaki Risa had went missing for a few days.
'Risa had gone missing? I did heard something like that yesterday. . . ' Ai thought worriedly in her mind as she returned the newspaper to its original position. The vibration of her mobile phone brought her back from the worrying thought.
{Ai-san. . . I saw your letter. But aren't you running away from the truth when you decide to go Niigata? And . . . there is a possibility that Risa may have known the truth . . . -Eri}
'A possibility that Risa may have known the truth?' Ai wondered in her mind. 'No. . . Please don't let that happen. . . '
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa woke up from her sleep and entered into the almost empty compound.
"Ah. Risa-kun, you had awaken." Abe commented. "Did you have a good night sleep? It's going to be noon soon. Majority of the older kids are in school already." Abe continued. "Would you like to help me in the kitchen in preparation of lunch for the younger kids?"
Risa nodded her head and followed Abe into the kitchen.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Are you okay?" Miki asked as she sneaked her arms around Eri from the back. It was lunchtime and Miki had manage to sneak out of the office without Yuko knowing and arrive at the hospital to accompany her love one. The two of them were sitting outside the private ward of Renni, while the doctors were inside doing their afternoon rounds.
"Hmmm." Eri whined lightly as she nodded her head. "It just made me wonder that whether if I am a hospital women." Eri continued, cracking a light joke that she hoped to lighten up the heaviness she felt in herself.
"Maybe." Miki played along, and had successfully earned a hard slap on her thigh. "You are the one who said that, not me." Miki pouted.
Eri giggled at Miki's pouting. As soon as she saw the familiar figure down the corridor nearing them, the smile on her face disappeared. She immediately ply Miki's arm away from her waist and stood up. "Oji-san." Eri greeted.
"Where's Renni?" Retora asked.
"She's inside."
With that, Retora slide the room door open and entered the room.
"Who is he?" Miki asked curiously.
"The source of all the events that had happened in the past three months." Eri answered rhetorically, causing dozen of questions marks to literally appear above Miki's head .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Is she okay?" Retora asked the doctor.
"She's fine. Just some slight inflammation of her stitches of her abdomen. I had prescript antibiotics to be included in her drip, so there shouldn't be any serious problem now, sir." The doctor informed. "I will leave you two to have your privacy. Excuse me." The doctor continued and left the room.
"Why did you left the hospital at your own discretion? That's so dangerous." Retora concerned through his 'scolding'. "See what had happened to you now?"
"I saw the news . . . Why didn't you tell me that Risa is missing?" Renni asked through her sobbing.
"I didn't want to worry you. I had sent out teams to look for her. You don't have to worry too much." Retora continued.
"I - I had found Ai-chan. " Renni blurt out suddenly. "She's alive . . . She's . . . "
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Ding Dong*
The sound of the door bell echoed through the cottage.
"Ah . . . Risa-kun, I will leave you with these. I'm going to get the door." Abe informed as she dried her hands on her apron and left the ktichen.
Risa nodded her head systematically, not bothering whether Abe had seen it or not. 'When should I leave? I should be leaving soon. . . '
"Ai-chan!"
'Ai?' Risa panicked as she heard the name. 'I don't want to see her . . . She hates me . . . I have no face, no pride to face her . . .It hurts more to see her saying that she hates me than it was in the dreams.' Risa continued as pulled the apron away from her neck and bagan to work on her legs, dashing out of the kitchen and into the backyard. She jumped over the fence and began to run away from the cottage, away from the presence of Ai.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once again, I am an evil one ^.^
Until the next chapter then :)
Jan~
-
Nice mother/daughter reunion. :yep:
I'm happy that Ai-chan is determined to get her voice out. :roll: :D
I can't believe this.. :smhid Risa, stop running away! :shocked You'll have to face it sooner or later, so why not just get it over with? :tama-mad: What's with this TakaGaki couple running away from everything? :bleed eyes:
Btw, great long chapter! :twothumbs
-
:lol: :lol: I know I shouldn't laugh, but I just can't get the image of Risa hopping a fence out of my head. I kind of see it like a cartoon in my mind, with a little dust cloud and all. XD XD
But seriously, now what? Will Abe reveal that Risa was there, thus sending Ai looking for her? At least Ai got to find her mother again.
BTW, Abe always makes me think of Abe Natsumi as a kindly old matron. Did you ever give Abe a first name and I just missed it again, like I'm apparently so wont to do?
-
Damn Risa is a speedy one :stoned: Aichan better go after her girl! :on thumbb:
They need get their problems sorted out and just be together :bleed eyes:
Thanks for a great chppy. Can't wait for the next one :cow:
-
You made me cry for the reunion of mother and daughter :cry:
And what the last scence?
Oh...oh... :nervous :panic:
Wait for the next chap
and sorry for not leaving any comment in the last two chap :nervous
-
Ah, stupid Ai and stupid Risa and why do I seem to say that every chapter? :sweatdrop:
So Renni meet with Ai, it seems as though Ai still loves her mother and dosn't blame her or Retora for leaving her because of her disability but know that both Renni and Retora know of Ai's whereabouts, I wonder how they will both react.
I can't believe Gaki jumped the fence, blimey Risa surely sometimes you just have to give in to fate......
-
NOOOOO IT WAS SO CLOSEEEE :bleed eyes: :bleed eyes:
I knew that Ai would go back to the orphanage... and i thought she would face it off with GAkisan there but NOOOO you have to give us more angst :cry:
but i'm still loving all this of course! it was so sweet when Aichan and Renni finally reunited~~ :wub:
can't wait to read more! :inlove:
-
@ rndmnwierd : Sorry that I had made you confused, but Abe is not Abe Natsumi. It's first name. First name. HEHEHE. Seems like many found Risa jumping of the fence funny. I wonder how tall did you guys thought the fence was? hehehe. The one in my mind was only around waist height? Those wooden ones that you would find in the farms. heheh
@ Shiawase_Honoo : I'm sorry that I had made you cry :cry: hehehehe It's alright :)
@ oddball : Hahaha. It's alright. Eri do agree with you with that. hahahah
@ SarangAi : I gotto live up to my name heheheh =X
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter 25] - Because of You
"Ai-chan! You are back for visitation?" Abe asked as she stood aside, allowing Ai to walk into the hallway.
Ai nodded her head lightly at the question raised to her. And through the hallway, she managed to catch a glimpse of a sweeping fleeing figure, out from the kitchen, down the hallway and into the backyard. 'Risa?' Ai thought. She moved in a step nearer into the cottage to position herself at a better position. 'That's Risa.' Ai concluded as the fleeing figure flipped herself over the wooden fence, revealing her face for less than a second before continuing to progress herself away from the cottage.
Ai pulled her duffle bag closer to her body. (Gomen, Baa-chan. I will talk to you later) Ai signed as she dashed across the halls, towards the direction where the other girl had went. 'So she has been here all these while . . . ' But Ai stopped her feet as she reached the backyard and stopped before the fence. 'But what am I supposed to tell her when I caught up with her? Haven't I decided that it would be better if we just stay like what we are now. There's no way we could be together again, right? ' Ai started to wonder in her mind, with the little figure of Risa almost disappearing in sight. 'Could the reason for her disappearance . . . the fact that . . . She had gotten to know the truth, just like what Eri-san had say?' More qualms began to fill Ai's mind, with Risa now, totally out of sight. 'Nothing matters now. If I lost her now, I might lose her forever.' Ai decided, as she began to climb over the fence, increasing her speed towards the direction where Risa went. 'Papa Mama needs her now . . . '
On the other hand, Risa had started to lose her pacing in her running. Her stamina was greatly reduced, highly to the fact that she had just recovered from her fever and her starvation. Risa stopped her feet, rested her hands on her knees and bent down and began to heave in deep breath of air, hoping that that would help to reduce her heart rate and too, the breathlessness she experienced. She turned to face the direction she had come from, checking whether if anyone were following her. 'I hope she had not seen me . . .' Her heart had sunk into a short moment of relieve until the figure of Ai came into her vision. 'No . . .' Risa thought desperately in her mind. Risa picked up her feet and began to progress forward once again, ignoring the signs her brain sent her regarding her limits.
'She runs so fast.' Ai thought after chasing the empty space in front of her for a moment. And when she noted the resting figure of Risa before her a few hundred metres away from her, her heart smiled. 'There she is. . . I chasing in the right direction after all.' She slowed her legs for a short while before quickening them again when she notice Risa had begun on her journey again. 'Stop running, Risa. . . Stop doing what I had been doing all these while, running away from the truth. . . '
'Stop chasing me . . . You don't have to come all the way with me to tell me that you hate me. I know. I had know it right from the start when I knew the truth, Ai. I was in the wrong. . . So stop chasing me. Don't make me break. . .I didn't want that to happen. . . I didn't want that to happen . . .' Risa thought in desperation as she could feel Ai's presence behind her, though the distance between the two of them was still considerably far away. And there, she had finally come to a dead end. She had reached the edge of the mountain. Risa glanced her surrounding in panic and her eyes stopped at the empty end down the edge of the mountain. Footsteps of Ai echoed in her ears from dozens of metres away. 'Would this be a better end?' Risa wondered as she took a small step nearer to the edge. 'Haven't I lost my reason to be alive?' She took another step forward.
'Risa?' Ai slowed down as she became aware of her surroundings. This was where she escaped to when she was humiliated by her schoolmates. The stationary figure of Risa stopping at the edge caused her heart to skip a beat. 'No. . . ' Her heart stopped when Risa took another step nearer to the edge. 'No . . . '
"RIII . . . " An exceptionally high pitched voice echoed through the mountains, breaking off the chain of thoughts that were going on in Risa's mind.
'Who . . . Who was that?' Risa had her eyes shoot open in revelation, freezing in action. 'Was that a voice from my hallucination?'
Ai stood at her position, with her right hand grabbing onto the straps of her duffle bag tightly. The grip was so tight that her knuckles had turn white while her other hand were trembling by her side. 'No . . . Don't do that . . . Papa mama will be crushed . . . I will be crushed too . . ' Ai set her eyes on the frozen figure of Risa.
Risa began to turn her body slowly, allowing herself to face Ai for the first time after whole month. Her guilt-stricken eyes met Ai's eyes of desperation that were filled with tears. Ai opened her mouth. "Rii . . . " Ai forced the vowel out of her vocal cord and shook her head. 'Don't do that . . . '
Risa took one step forward, away from the edge. 'She . . . She spoke . . .' Tears began to fill her eyes. 'Did I tried to end my life just now?' Risa finally realised what she were trying to do the minute ago.
(Why are you doing that?) Ai signed.
Risa looked away from Ai's eye contact and focus on the bare glass behind Ai. 'It's my fault. It's my fault that I had made Ai an orphan at the age of 4. . . It's all because of me, she had lost her parents. It's all my fault.' Her heart clenched painfully at the thought.
(Look at me, Risa. Why are you doing that?) Ai signed again when she realised Risa's attention was no longer on her.
Risa paid no attention to Ai. She clenched her fingers tightly by the side, hoping that that would reduce that pain in her heart. The icy cold touch on her wrist caused Risa to look down at the contact, only to find Ai right under her nose, right before her. The pair of eyes met again and stayed staring at each other.
(Did you manage to find out . . .) Ai removed her hands from Risa's wrist and signed. Before she managed to finish signing what she wanted to, Risa had interrupt her.
"Go ahead and say you hate me. Go ahead and hit me up. Do whatever you want to do to me. You can even push me down the mountain. I won't resist. I would regret. I won't hate you. Because all these thing would not be able to make up the sufferings, the pain, the angst I had brought to you all this while. Nothing will be able to make that up to you. Nothing. . . " Risa blurt out as she broke the eye contact and brought her hands to her head, pulling the ends of her hair while turning her head from left to right and back to the left.
(No . . I won't . . . I don't . . . ) Ai signed. But Risa had registered none of the answers Ai gave. (How can I even do that when I don't even blame you in the first place, Risa.)
"Go ahead. . . Help me . . .Hate me. . ." Risa begged and she glanced towards her right side. 'Maybe . .. hating me will make me feel less guilty. '
(I won't and I don't, Risa. Can't you understand?) Ai signed again.
"I snatched your parents away from you. I made you an orphan when I was supposed to be the one. I took away your happiness. I took away your rights, your possessions, your everything. How can you not hate me? Please hate me please? I - " Before Risa could finish blabbering her negative mind out, the same cold hand wrapped around her tear-stained cheek, pulling Risa closer to the owner of the hand. Instant later, a soft lip was pressed over hers, stopping words to come out of her mouth.
"He's coming!" Risa whispered out.
Without realising what she was doing, Risa pulled Ai's neck closer to her and placed a kiss on Ai's lips.
The second meeting. The scene where the pair met each other for the second time in their life flashed in Risa's mind.
(Does this answer your question?) Ai signed as she released her hand from Risa's cheeks.
"Why? Why did you do that? Why don't you hate me instead?" Risa blabbered within her sobs. She had definitely understood what Ai were trying convey through the kiss. 'I would rather you to hate me. . . '
(Because I love you, Risa.)
"Why? You should hate me. You shouldn't love me. You shouldn't. It's all my fault. I had taken away your things, Ai. It's me who had taken away all that were belong to you." Risa continued as she squatted down on the floor and buried her face into her knees, allowing her tears to soak through her jeans.
Ai followed the same action and came to the same level as Risa. She reached out her hands for Risa's. "Riii " Ai called out again as she placed pressure on her vocal cord again. "miii tteee." {A/N: In case you need translation, that meant 'mi te - which means look at me'}
Risa looked up from her knees and glanced straight into Ai's eyes. 'She . . . spoke again . . . Had Ai regained her ability to speak?'
(I had never blamed anyone. Not you. Not Papa Mama. It's not your fault. It's definitely not your fault. You didn't chose them.) Ai heaved in a deep breath. (Papa had never thought of me as her daughter. I know it. I got to know it as I grew older. You didn't chose them. You didn't make them as your parents. It is Papa who had choose you to be his daughter over me, and I'm glad it was you. How can I hate you for that fact that it wasn't even your fault to start with. How can I blame anyone when it was because of my own disability, which had caused all these series of events to happen.)
"But -" Risa tried to spoke up, but was stopped by Ai by Ai's finger on Risa's lips.
(Look at this.) Ai signed, unzipped her duffle bag, and pull out the violet box. She removed the cover of the box and took out the analogue watch. (Look. I'm no longer afraid of this. I'm no longer afraid of the time. I have accepted it. Putting away the fact that you are the little girl in my dream, there are so much things you had done for me, that made it even more impossible to hate you. I never thought I would be able to face my past in this way that I did right now. I never thought I would be able to secure this courage to trust people around me. I never thought I would be able to fall in love or be able to love anyone in my life. I never thought I would be able to speak again. But it's all because of you. Because of you, I have found the courage to face my past. Because of you, I have found the courage to trust again. Because of you, I got to know how was it like to love and to be in love. Because of you, I have found my motivation to continue searching for my voice. Because of you, my heart has found a reason to live. During my stay in the hospital, it was the daily message that kept me going every time my seizure seize me. It was your daily message that pulled me out from the countless attempts of self-mutilation I tried in the hospital. It is because of you, that allows me to stand here before you today, to face this in courage. How can I bring myself to hate you, when you had did some much things that had saved my life countless times. I can't. I can't. I don't want you to go through all the things I had went through.) Ai signed slowly, as the emotions that were kept in the bottom of her heart began to surface.
"But . . .I'm still not worthy of all these things. . . I'm not worthy . . . " Risa bittered, as she bit her bottom lips, looking away from Ai for a moment. Ai used her right hand and grabbed Risa's left, catching Risa's attention once again. When Risa had her eyes back on Ai, Ai nodded her head.
(You are worthy.) Ai leaned forward to Risa and stopped before Risa's lips. Bitting on her lips, Ai shifted her head slightly towards the right and placed a soft touch on Risa's right cheek. (You are definitely worthy.)
'Am I really that worthy?' Risa wondered in her mind as stared into beautiful lobe of Ai's eyes.
(Can I ask a selfish request from you?) Ai continued again.
Risa nodded her head immediately. 'I will do anything that you asked me. I am in debt with you, Ai.'
(Papa Mama need you.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ai-chan . . . She's alive . . . she's alive . . . " Renni cried out as she passed the letter left to Retora. "We don't deserve her mercy. We don't deserve her thoughtfulness. Anata. . . Our daughter . . . our daughter . . ." Renni sobbed as she buried her face into Retora's chest. Retora flipped open the folded piece of paper and ran his eyes through the paper. When he was done, he folded it back. "What should we do, Anata? What should we do?" Renni asked.
Retora remained silence at the question. He rubbed the back of the head of Renni gentle, coaxing her, hoping that that would help to cease the crying. 'What should we do? The company is already is a huge mess now. Nothing really matters now, isn't that true? I'm sorry, Ojii-san. I failed as your grandson, in maintaining the glory, the reputation you had exchanged with you blood and sweat. I failed as a father, had made such countless atrocious mistakes and actions, and had yet to repent from it.' "We will talk about it again. Your health matters the most now, as well as the safety of Risa."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Why . . . Why do you have the keys to Eri's house?" Risa asked. That was the first sentence she spoke since she boarded the train that would bring them back to the city with Ai.
(I stayed with Eri-san for the past few days.) Ai signed. When they entered the apartment, Ai proceeded immediately to the study room, expecting to see Renni in the room. 'Mama?' Ai thought as she opened the door. Sadness came into her when she realised the room was empty.
"What. . . What was it?" Risa asked as she stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room.
Ai shook her head as she bit her lips. She closed the door of the study room and joined Risa back in the living room. (No one's here. I guess Eri-san had gone to work.)
"I - I thought so too." Risa spoke.
Ai looked queerly at Risa. She had noticed Risa's awkwardness. (Can I ask for another selfish request?)
Risa nodded her head immediately again, looking intensely into Ai's eyes, waiting for the request Ai had.
(Can you stop thinking you in debt to me? Can you forget the fact that Papa took as his daughter instead of me? Will you?)
"That - that was more than 1 . . ." Risa stuttered.
(That's my point. You are not you without your smile. I miss your smile.)
"I - " Risa was shocked for words. She could not find any words that would express how she felt.
(Is it that . . . you no longer felt the same way you . . . used to?) Ai signed with fear.
Risa shook her head in an instance. "NO! I still . . . " Risa blurted out loudly before continuing in a soft voice. "I still feel the same way."
(Can you . . . hold me then?) Ai signed as she looked away, with redness running across her cheek.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Why are you still here? Lunch time is going to be over soon." Eri asked as she laid on Miki's shoulder, with one of Miki's hand encircling her waist.
"Are you going to be okay alone? I can asked Nakazawa-san for a half day leave if you want me to keep you accompanied." Miki replied as she ran her free along the ends of Eri's hair.
"I should be okay being alone. I think Nakazawa-san will needs you more than I need. It's only her alone in the clinic." Eri answered.
"Are you sure?" Miki continued asking.
Eri nodded her head, causing Miki to release her hold on Eri. "I will see you tomorrow then." Miki said as she leaned forward to kiss Eri on her lips. Just at the same moment, Retora exited the private ward, leaving the three person standing in an awkward silence.
"I will see you tomorrow, Miki." Eri broke the silence and urged Miki to leave.
Retora sat down beside Eri after Miki left. "Your . . . girlfriend?" Retora asked as he stared forward into the empty space, and not looking at Eri.
"Yes . . . " Eri answered quietly and shyly.
"I see. . . " Retora responded as he nodded his head. "How long have you know the truth, Kamei-chan." Retora continued asking.
"Just about a week, Oji-san." Eri answered.
"How did you know her?" Retora asked, knowing that Eri knew who he was talking about.
"She's my patient. You should know why she is visiting me for consultation." Eri added on, hoping that that would get some respond out of Retora.
"I do know, Kamei-chan." Retora nodded his head. "How . . .how has she been?"
"So Oji-san do care about her." Eri stated cynically, not answering the question posted by Retora.
"I - "
"I think she's surviving better than what you thought she would be." Eri interrupted, this time round with a more polite attitude.
"I'm glad so then." Retora let of a deep sigh. "Do you know where is she now?"
"What are you going to do?" Eri asked guardedly, narrowing her eyebrow in the process.
'What am I going to do now? I failed as a grandson in maintaining the family business. And all want to do now is to make up what I had failed miserably in.' Retora thought in his mind. "Bring her back to the family."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Risa made herself comfortable on the couch with Ai sitting on her legs. 'It must be a dream to have this happen.' Risa thought as she hugged Ai tightly at her waist. "Thank you . . ." Risa whispered in Ai's ears.
(I should be the one saying thank you.) Ai signed.
"Hmmm?" Risa puzzled. She had not seen what Ai signed as she could not see Ai's front. That caused Ai to slipped down from Risa's lap and down on the couch.
(I said I should be the one saying thank you.) Ai signed again, with her eyes locking lovingly with Risa's.
Risa leaned herself closer into Ai and pulled a few strands of loose hair off Ai's face and behinds Ai's ears. Ai could feel her face burning as the soft touch of Risa's fingers touched her face. "Can I?" Risa asked in a low voice. Ai nodded her head shyly as she closed her eyes, waiting for the soft contact on her lips to come. And it did. It was soft and sweet.
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" A high pitched scream interrupted the kiss, resulted in a lower one continuing.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Risa screamed.
Ai opened her eyes and saw Eri standing by the door, with her eyes wide open.
"What are the two of you doing in MY apartment?" Eri retorted as she open the door wider, revealing the tall figure of Retora.
"Papa?" Risa called out as she shoot up from her position on the couch.
'Papa?' Ai thought in her mind as she squirmed behind Risa instinctively.
"Risa? " Retora called out. "Ai - chan" He hesitated for a short moment before calling out the second name.
Ai nodded her head lightly at the call of her name.
"Good! It saves all the trouble that I will need to go through." Eri continued as she began to pull both Risa and Ai away from the couch and shoved the both of them into the study. She then turn to Retora and said. "Oji-san, you can talk to the both of them inside. Oba-san's handbag is in that room as well," With that, she pushed Retora lightly into the room and slamed the door close. 'This would be the end, finally.'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three people in the study room looked at each other awkwardly, with Ai still hiding behind the slightly taller girl and Retora, settled down on the sofa bed. Ai poked Risa from the back, reminding Risa the first selfish request Ai had asked from her.
"Papa . . . I am sorry." Risa broke the silence as she spoke, with her face facing downwards to the floor. "I'm sorry for leaving . . . It was me who had caused the company downfall. I'm sorry. But I will make up for it. "
"It's alright, Risa. I had thought about it too. I'm thinking about ending the corporation." Retora interrupted. "I'm thinking about retiring from the work as well."
"What?" Risa looked up from the floor and made the first eye contact with her 'father'.
Ai shot her eyes wide open as she heard the sentence her father spoke.
"I'm sorry for causing so much misery in both of your life." Retora continued.
Ai shook her head immediately. 'It's not your fault.'
"But papa, the company is your life. You always say that is the greatest thing Oojii-san had gave you. How can you give it up, just like this?" Risa asked.
"There's no point retrieving it. I do not want to cause more misery in any of you two's life. Not anymore. This would be a good lesson for myself." Retora explained vaguely as he opened up Renni's handbag and took the familiar photo out. "Come over" Retora ordered.
Ai would not move. She said at her same position behind Risa. Risa turned around and faced Ai. "Didn't you say that you have the courage to face the past?" Risa asked as she bulged Ai and pushed her forward.
"You have not changed at all. The eye and the cheek." Retora commented as he compared the current Ai with the one in the photo.
Risa poked Ai's back lightly, causing Ai to frown in a cute way. She knew what Risa was asking her to do. Brushing away the senses of fear, Ai opened her mouth. "Paa. . . Paa. . ."
Retora looked up from the photo at looked at Ai. The light in the room caused the tears in his eyes to sparkle.
(I never blamed you.) Ai signed quickly.
"She said she never blamed you." Risa interpreted immediately, to prevent any confusion of the dad.
Retora nodded his head at the interpretation. "Thank you." Retora muttered. He placed the photo into Renni's handbag and stood up from the sofa bed. "Let's go home together. Risa too." Retora continued as he gave a pat on both Ai and Risa's head and walked towards the door. "I'm going back to the hospital now."
"Why are you going back to the hospital? Why are you in the hospital in the first place?" Risa asked.
"Mama is in the hospital." Retora informed.
Ai's eye shot open. 'WHY?' Her expression showed everything. (I want to visit Mama.) Ai signed to Risa.
"We want to go with you, Papa." Risa informed.
"I don't think they would allow so many of us to stay in the ward. It's nothing serious. She should be able to be discharged from the hospital in 2 days time. Then, we will all go home together." Retora spoke as he open the door. "If you all want to, visit her tomorrow morning. It's getting late now. It would be better if you two just stay her.e" Retora finished and took a first step out of the room.
"Papa wait!" Risa called out as she got herself beside Retora. The fact that Retora had decided to give up on the company still bothered her."I will go back to Niigaki Corporation to work. I won't let it fall. I had owe you too much. It's my fault that had led to the current state of the company. I won't let it fall." Risa stated stubbornly.
"Risa." Retora pat Risa's head once more. "Thank you. I should really leave now. Mama's waiting for me." With that, Retora walked past the living room, where Eri was sitting on the couch with her arms crossed, and left the apartment. As soon as the main door clicked closed, Eri clapped her hands loudly to get the attention of the two in the study room
"Alright, it's now my turn to scold people. Come over." Eri spoke clearly and loudly as she remained where she was.
Ai slipped her hands into Risa's and allowed Risa to bring her to the living room. When the two of them stood before Eri, Eri began to get up from her position on the couch and walked to the back of the both of them. Using her bare hand, she smacked the back of Risa's head lightly. "Ouch!" Risa whimpered.
"The two of you, really is the best made partner for each other." Eri started. "Well, you two are fated to be together, definitely. But can the two of you, stop running away when there's trouble brewing? I'm tired of clearing the mess, especially yours, Risa." Eri pouted as she made her way back to the front and crossed her arms again. "I have not gotten back to the packing up issue of the hotel room, Risa." Eri grunted. "So today, I am the boss! I am ordering the two of you to pack up my house before you two leave for Kyoto, and make me a good meal for the rest of the two days. If it's not satisfactory, you all are not going back. I'm going to tell Oji-san that I will keep the two of you here, until I'm satisfied with what I got. Understand?" Eri finished.
"Understood." Risa nodded her head before leaning forward towards Eri's ear and whispered in it. "And to think that you say I am childish. Look who's being childish here."
"Niigaki Risa!" Eri grunted and attempted to smack Risa, only that Risa had already made her move into the kitchen.
"You cannot catch me!" Risa sang before disappearing into the kitchen.
"Argh!" Eri sounded.
(Eri-san.) Ai waved her hand before Eri to get her attention.
"Yes, Ai-san?"
"Aa-Rii-Gaa-Toouu." Ai said with a smile on her face before following Risa into the kitchen.
A wide grin ran across Eri's face. 'SHE SPOKE!'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ai woke up when the first light shone into the study room. 'First time in 18 years, I had actually slept passed 316 am.' Ai thought in her mind. She placed her hands above the ones that were holding her tightly on her waist and looked up at Risa. She closed herself in and placed a small soft peck on Risa's lips.
Risa, Thank you
Because of you, I have found the meaning of home
Because of you, the silence of my life is finally broken
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the end! And I AM SO HAPPY! I can finally put a full stop on this story (Literal translation from my mother tongue) hahaha Coming up next is a long blabbering of mine + credits :)
I was determined to finished this and post this on the May 18 :)
Credits:
First thing first, the songs that I put on repeat when I write.
1. 飘零燕 Lonely swallows by Twins. Like I had mentioned in the some chapters back. This song was the main contribution of the story's idea. This song's actually written for orphans, describing the orphans as the lonely swallows - the idea of abandonment, the looking of home. You should listen to song when reading the part when Risa is a step nearer to her past.
Lyrics translation:
In the past, I used to hold tight to her arms
In all my childhood, She always tuck me in bed with a kiss me
Too bad one day, She actually packed up her luggage, leaving me all alone
And there will be someday, where the swallow will leave its home, spreading its wings and fly in the sky
Being lost for that its unable to see its parents on its journey
And that it have to fool itself that its family wasn't broken in the first place.
And now leaving me all alone
Learning how to fly strongly, that's something I've gained
However whenever I'm tired, whenever I feel like crying
How I wish that my parents would hold me tight, Like how they used to do
The lost lonely swallow wants to go home
But, It's all covered with snow, all covered with cold
Landing on where, where could be considered home
I need to struggle my wings
Getting use to the loneliness, flying in this long lonesome trip back
Flying up and high into the sky, I will fear, I will be cold
Still holding back the lost childhood memories
Withstanding alone all the tribulations met
Though that, I would still miss her as I grow older
Guys . . . Could give me love and affections
But I will still doubt whether could we get along together
How many lovers out there, who can be sure that the love will never fade, will never end?
And I prayed with all my heart for all the little swallows
Will be able to live a life with worries, where their parents will provide them with the warmth during the cold nights
Without missing anyone in the family, without any disputes
And now leaving me all alone
Learning how to fly strongly, that's something I've gained
However whenever I'm tired, whenever I feel like crying
How I wish that my parents would hold me tight, Like how they used to do
The lost lonely swallow wants to go home
But, It's all covered with snow, all covered with cold
Landing on where, where could be considered home
You need to struggle my wings
Getting use to the loneliness, flying in this long lonesome trip back
Flying up and high into the sky, I will fear, I will be cold
Still holding back the lost childhood memories
Withstanding alone all the tribulations met
Though that, I would still miss her as I grow older
The lost lonely swallow wants to go home
But, It's all covered with snow, all covered with cold
Landing on where, where could be considered home
You need to struggle my wings
Getting use to the loneliness, flying in this long lonesome trip back
Flying up and high into the sky, I will fear, I will be cold
Still holding back the lost childhood memories
Withstanding alone all the tribulations met
Though that, I would still miss her as I grow older
You have already grown up, being about to return home on your own
You can what's your future be, and you can fly back, even in the night of cold.
The translation is a little bit choppy - some of it are straight direct translation, so yeah =X
2. 幼稚园 Kindergarten by Twins.
The idea of the clock was from this song. it was something like : As the clock goes tick tock tick tock, the sound of the school bell had rang, I wonder why my hands had trembled.
Basically, the song is talking about being a child, having to grow through the process of growing up. When you are young, you always have the habit to go back to your parents, whenever you met trouble, sadness. Having grown up, there will be some time where you wished you are still like a kindergarten kid, don't you? - That's the gist of the song.
3. しょうがない夢追い人 Shouganai Yume Oibito by Morning Musume
My favourite MM Song. Never fails to save me when I'm stuck with the story.
4. There You'll be by Faith Hill
Another song that kept me on a writing spree. :)
And there are lots and lots more to list, but these four are the more significant ones, for that I had took points and idea from the song.
From my song 1 and 2, you could possibly guessed what was my previous fandom and the original characters for this story, and that leads to the reason for me wanting to finish this story on May 18. This is because, May 18 2001 was the date of formation of Twins, celebrating their 10 years of friendship together (Same as the awesome TakaGaki :lol:_) Even though I had grew out the fandom for nearly 4 years, May 18 always just pop up in my mind. Not that I'm remembering it on purpose. It would be like "Oh, it's May 18 today! It's Twins' formation day today" hahah. And that's the reason for me to end this story at this date. And the idea of identity change (i.e. Ai's father left Ai and made Gaki his daughter) came from the idea of Twins. So. . .
I kinda screwed up the part on identity in this story. For that there's no reason to allow Risa to retain her own name after she lost her memory (become Niigaki's daughter). In the original version, I stated right from the story that Char will be Gil and Gil will be Char, thus not having this problem. The main characters in the second version (english version which I had written 9 chapters last year) had the same first name - not a problem. When I posted this version, this question did not come into my mind until in the middle of the story. So . .. That's one main flawed point of this story. Putting that aside, I guess . . . hmmm. . .
Lastly, I would like to thank my JC GP department for organising this GP camp for students who barely passed O level English. Without this GP camp, I would not be able to come up with this idea at all. During the camp, we went to this organisation which provides training for the disabled (both physically disabled and mentally disabled personnel. And there, they gave us a talk about what they do to ensure the disabled gets employed and not being discriminated in the workforce nor being abuse. It made me stop and think about the kind of issues they will face, the kind of mental state, how they feel about the world view of them, how would they react, what could be the cause of their disability. It made me realised that there are more people than you expect are always subjected to these kind of situation. And what can we do as a human? What can we do to help? And that - leads to the issue of mutism of the main character.
This can be considered my first story that I had finished without having to decide on how's the ending would be like, so I had met various different problem as I wrote. But I'm glad I had overcame it! :) And I'm glad to put this
。
And if you are still reading this part, I really THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I do have plans to translate my first finished story (Which was written when I was 15 - when I read back that , it's so childish) and plan for a long one shot. But all these won't be coming soon, as I would like to focus on my final exams which is just less than a month time and I had yet to start any revision on it (what a bad student am I)
AND LASTLY!
THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO HAD TOOK THEIR TIME TO READ AND TO COMMENT! IT'S A HUGE THANKS OVER HERE!
-
And it all comes together. I'm kinda sad to see this end, as I really enjoyed reading all the emotional twists and turns, but at the same time, I'm glad that Takagaki finally got their lovely ending. Everyone's happy, yay!
So, what are you writing next? ;)
-
yay!! a happy ending :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
I love this fic and I hope you'll write another one in future :bow: :bow:
-
Thank YOU!! This story is the only positive thing I found in my life for the last 2 weeks or so. I went on your thread every morning to read it (when there was an update, that is ^^ )
I didn't post much but I really apreciated reading your story. I even recommended it to a friend of mine. If you ever feel like writing again I'll be there to read it.
Thank you again for taking the time to write/translate it. Really good work! :pen_whirl:
"Aa-Rii-Gaa-Toouu." as they say :thumbsup
-
ahhh finally, it's over! kinda bittersweet how it's over... such a good story... :twothumbs
the ending is really cute. and good to see Retora realizing his mistakes, FINALLY :smhid
But TakaGaki stays together!!! YAY :cow: :cow:
but confused about one thing...
So if Ai and Risa are both going to stay with their parents/adopted parents, then doesn't that make them legally step sisters? which means, even though they're not blood-related, they can't legally stay together? :cry:
Or is Risa staying a Niigaki and Ai staying a Takahashi so legally, it's okay? XD
Or maybe you're just leaving that question untouched for a reason and I'm thinking to much :nervous
anyway, amazing debut work! Can't wait to see more from you!!! :wub: :wub:
-
YAAAAH!! :on gay: Happy ending :farofflook:
I'm so glad that Ai gets her parents and Risa back :shy1: OH AND HER VOICE!! :onionwhip:
And Mikitty got her girl :mikilaugh:
Gahh I was excited there was an update and then when you said "full stop" I thought you weren't gonna finish the fic! :stoned:
I'm glad you finished it :nervous Thanks! :bow:
-
She finally spoke!!! :w00t: :D loll @ the awkward moments when the two couples were kissing with Retora around. :lol: XD
I guess he's fine with his two daughters going out then. :roll:
TAKAGAKI FINALLY TOGETHER! :wub: Great happy ending~ :twothumbs
-
Ahh, what a nice ending to this Fic, Ai spoke and she and Risa found each other in the end, Also I am glad that Retora finally figured out what really mattered to him and who the really important people were in his life.
seems as though Miki got what she wanted in the end too! :lol:
-
Thanks for your hard working, Otsukanon! :)
The happy ending is always great :wub:
-
i finally decided to de-lurkmyself! XD i started reading this when i didnt have my laptop^^;
i loved your story and it had so many times where i was wondering what was gonna happen next X3 i cant wait to read what your next story will be X3 :deco:
-
Hihi Everyone! Thank you for commenting!! It really makes me happy :) hehehe and therefore, i had decided to take some time off my uni work and reply these comments, in showing my appreciation for the support you peeps had gave! ^.^
@ rndmnwierd : It kinda hits me too . .. *sad* as I realised that i had spent majority of my time in the past month thinking what am I suppose to write, how the details should be and stuffs, It's kinda a place of refuge when I'm stuck with yucky assignments. And now that it's done . . .I kinda felt empty yah. But i'm glad that you enjoyed it! Thank you for making the effort to comment on every chapter! It's very much appreciated :)
Anyway, about what am I going to write next? Hehehehe. I have a few unfinished stories that I would like to finish writing, the first story that I actually completed writing (to translate) on my hand. I haven't decide what to do . . . But I do have an urge to write something that is related to what I am studying right now. So depends on the situation and stuffs. . .
@ shenlog : THANK YOU! I'm glad that you liked the fic ^.-
@ Tchips : Hello! I should thank you as well for reading! :) and I'm happy to hear that it's positive! I myself initially thought that it would be meaningful, but as i got more into writing, I realised that instead of trying to bring out the meaningfulness and positiveness, the story is relatively depressing. hahaha. I guess . . . I have something for depressing storylines. Hmmmm. It's alright for not posting much. ^.^ as long as people is reading, I'm content :) heheh And thank you for recommending it to your friend! hehehe :) I hope that your friend liked it as well :)
@ SarangAi : THANK YOU!! :) hehehe Regarding that, I had Risa staying as Niigaki and Ai staying as Takahashi legally in my mind, so . . . . Good question raised! hehehhe :)
@ astro18 : hehehe I love the meaning of Full Stop. It means The End, so trying to creative for once, I wanted to put Full stop on the title instead of completed. hhehehehhe And yes, Miki got her girl! :D And lastly, Thank you for reading!
@ kano-chan : I was laughing like crazy at the awkward situations when I wrote them as well. hahah. Thank you too for taking the effort to comment every chapter! I really appreciate it. HEHEH.
@ oddball : HELLO! :) THANK YOU THANK YOU :) hehehe
@ Shiawase_Honoo : A big thanks to you as well! Glad that you liked the ending ^.-
@ kawaii beam : Thank you for delurking yourself. And thank you for reading and loving this fic. ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITA!
And LASTLY, A HUGE THANKS TO EVERYONE OF YOU HERE, :) heheheh
-
Great ending for a great story!!!! :cow: :cow: :cow: I'm so happy that Risa and Ai finally got each other and that Ai finally found her voice :heart: :heart: :heart: Couldn't be any happier :deco:
-
waaa,,,,,, this is my first post n also my first fan fiction ! XD
my friend rocommend this story for me, and it is a REALLY GREAT TOUCHING STORY !
love this story so much ! TakaGaki is just sweet~ and KameMiki :wub:
This story makes me started to addicted to fanfic now.. lol
GREAT imagination there inside your head.. :twothumbs
-
@ Bamtai : A super late reply for you!!! THANK YOU FOR ENJOYING THE STORY!!! AND TOO, FOR SUPPORTING! I'm glad that you liked SEARCH as well :) heheheheh
@ dan77 : Congrads and Welcome!! hehehehe. ..hehehe . I'm glad that you loved this story. This could be said, one of my fav stories as well :) heheh . There's many other more good ffs and ffs writers out there! Do check it out! And I'm really glad that you had enjoy this piece of writing!! THANK YOU !!! :) hehehehhe Help me say thanks to your friend as well, for recommending this story to you ^.^ hehehehhee
-
Wow this story is gold!! Very good. :) Im speechless right now with this big dumb grin on my face! haha..Its Just really good. <3