JPHiP Forum
The Hello! Project Fanfics => H!P Fanfics => Topic started by: Koei on March 05, 2012, 02:00:32 AM
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Well...!!! This is my first long work!! I'm feeling a lot... really a lot...of different emotions. :) :( :cry: :? :D :bleed eyes: But hey...that's the point of writing no?
For those of you who don't know me: nice to meet you! I'm Koei! :cow: I've left the farm for a while whilst I plant new seeds! But now I think I shall plant a tree.
Thank you for all your support and with the moderator's blessings I shall begin this new adventure that is fanfiction writing. (In the: longer than crack sense XD) So don't hesitate to comment! And please forgive any mistakes! :bow:
And now I present to you: Another chance.
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Chapter 0: My small plea
It has escaped me…
This opportunity to confess
those feelings you made me realize
I never thought I’d possessed.
It was blown away by the fleeing breeze
by situations I had no control of.
But something weird has come my way
and even though it may not be the best decision to make
I’m willing to try only for your sake.
Please look into my eyes.
Recognize that it’s me
my love for you hasn’t changed a bit
even if something so little is left of me.
I want to uncover the truth from all those lies
tell you that I’m alive
even if it’s not the way you imagine.
The fact that I’m here is truly the work of cosmic magic.
It hasn’t truly escaped me…
I’ve been given another opportunity to confess.
Now please pay attention
Because this may be the last chance I ever get.
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The end!
It's short I know!!! But it is the prologue after all :nervous
Thank you for reading! :bow: :cow:
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the last desperate attempt to say the words that shall melt from your tongue :lol:
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Sounds quite intriguing. Do continue, please.
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@Kurosawa87: you have no idea!
@rndmnweird: Thank you. I will try my best at it!
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Chapter 1
**FLASH**
-“Hey!! You shouldn’t paint my portrait without me noticing! I must look crazy!”
-“Don’t worry sweetie. You know I’m not going to make you look bad… You’re beautiful! It’s impossible to do so! Hehe. This is going on my wall!”
-“Don’t you dare!”
-“Try me.”
-“Oh shut up and kiss me!”
**FLASH**
‘Woah… What was that?? I swear I just saw... but it couldn’t be…’
“Hey Riho-chan! Hurry up or we’re going to be late!” A girl called her before grabbing her hand and dragging her towards a wooden table that stood under the shade in the park. As they sat down, Riho brought out her cellphone to look at her reflection.
“Ne…Riho-chan… did you do something with your face? ...It looks… different.” Riho just looked at her friend and shook her head which in turn made her friend pout.
“I still don’t understand why you never answer my questions like a normal person even after all these years of knowing each other.”
“Heh, Kanon you know I sometimes forget my vocal chords work. I leave all the talking to you since you’re the expert.” Kanon lightly punched her best friend before laughing alongside her.
Their giggles were cut short by Kanon’s ringtone. “I’m sorry Riho-chan, let me take this for a second.”
Riho was left alone on the table for about 2 minutes as she saw Kanon begin to jog towards the other side of the park. ‘I wonder what happened when that flash came…That person… Who is it? She was talking to me but… I have no idea who she is…I…I couldn’t see her face…and I wasn’t the one who answered her…right?’ Riho’s thoughts where cut short as Kanon came back accompanied by someone.
“Riho-chan! This is my cousin Eri. The one I was telling you about the other day.” Riho respectfully bowed to the young woman who did the same.
“It’s nice to meet you Riho-chan. Sorry for making you wait… us turtles certainly are slow.” That small joke made Kanon laugh gleefully and Riho confused.
At Riho’s questioning stare, Kanon began to tell her the meaning of the joke. “Her name is Eri, Kamei Eri. And the Kame on her last name is the same one for turtle.”
As Eri began to laugh, Riho became embarrassed and began to stare at her feet. Eri, noticing the sudden change in Riho, put her hand on the girl’s shoulder prompting her to look at her face. She cautiously analyzed her features when suddenly her eyes widened and her mouth gaped.
A truly shocked expression began to fill her face as she looked at the girl. Riho didn’t quite understand what made the woman react that way but she instinctively shut her eyes and faced down.
“Eri-chan… are you ok?” Eri just shook her head and gently smiled to her cousin.
“Yes Kanon-chan, I’m fine. I just remembered I had somewhere to go. I’m sorry to leave you like this but I’ll take you both out tomorrow to eat some pastries together. It was nice to meet you Riho-chan…I hope we meet again.”
Hearing the woman’s footsteps further away from the table; Riho opened her eyes and sighed. Kanon just looked sad that her cousin had to leave so soon.
“Ne Riho, did you notice that Eri-chan was almost crying?” After asking she stared at her friend to look for an answer and what she saw surprised her even more.
“Riho, are you crying? What’s wrong?” Riho brushed her tears away with the palm of her hand as she suddenly stood up and began to run towards her house.
“Wait! Riho-chan! Hold up!” Kanon was left alone on the park as both her cousin and her best friend abruptly canceled their movie date.
‘Why is it that my heart hurts so much? The meaning of these tears… what is it? Who is she? How come when I looked into her eyes my heart began to crush?’
The small girl reached her home and, without even acknowledging her family, ran straight towards her room. A couple of hours passed as she cried on her pillow before sleep overtook her small and exhausted figure onwards to dreamland.
‘Today I came back to the town where I grew up; this town I left a year ago. It still looks the same but… without you its… it’s… EMPTY.
Even after taking a picture of it I can’t seem to recognize anymore the vibrant colors that used to fill this canvas called home.
After a year I still can’t believe you’re gone, and after what I saw this afternoon I’m sure that it’ll be even harder to cope with you leaving me.
Surely I can’t say I’ve been alone all this time since she’s stuck by me ever since that day but… it’s not the same.
It’ll never be the same.
Since I know that my love for you won’t ever change I only have one request.
Let me see your eyes again; let me know what it was that you wanted to tell me that day.
Please let me know.
~Eri.’
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Chapter 1 finished!! Thank you for reading!
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This is very interesting... So Eri and Riho had a past, but Riho left her for some reason... :huhuh
I will be eagerly waiting for your another update.. :peace:
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ErixRiho?
(http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd137/Rndmnwierd/assplode2.gif)
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Interesting coupling :)
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Eri and Riho, hmm interesting. was that love at first sight Riho was feeling too?
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@sakura_drop_ " thanks for reading! This past is... secret!... I guess you'll have to continue reading!
@rndmnweird: Wait! Don't blow up yet! :bow: I need to keep on enjoying some Takagaki randomness and weirdness!!! (no pun intended)
@Kurosawa87:The pairing is kind of different and well some will be like :wth but well I hope I can get the message across XD
@oddball: Thank you for reading. You'll understand the feeling more as the story progresses! So I hope you keep on reading and commenting!
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Woah! So many replies! Arigato! :bow: Fury burns in my eyes as I strive to write a story that makes lots of people feel many emotions all at once! Enjoy! And sorry for any possible mistakes! :cow:
Chapter 2
**FLASH**
“Ne, isn’t’ this one beautiful?”
A girl just looked at the paintings hung on the wall. Truly she was ecstatic. It was her first time on an art gallery and surely this was the best valentines present she could have ever gotten. Her short hair bounced with every step she took towards the paintings.
“You know. My dream is to have my paintings hung in a gallery. Well…If I could own one… that would be nice as well but…I think I’m not suited for it.”
The girl kept looking at the paintings whilst commenting on them. Her body language was the true definition of ecstasy and peace; surely this was one of the best days in her life.
Suddenly she turned towards the direction that showcases the painting selected to be the rookie of the month. A spot reserved specially for the winning painting submitted by an unknown local artist to be presented at the gallery.
When she stopped in front of the designated spot she found that it was covered in a white blanket.
**FLASH**
A loud beeping sound woke Riho up and she noticed that; not only was she sweating profusely, but she was running late for school as well. Getting dressed as fast as she could she ran out of her house towards her school fearing that she would indeed get there late.
‘That dream… what was it? That girl… I couldn’t see her face but I could tell she was quite excited to be there at the gallery. I’ve never been in a gallery. It would be nice to go to one.’
Reaching her school the bell rang as she entered through the gates. “Yes! I’m not late… somewhat.” As she got to her classroom she saw her best friend sulking on her seat.
“Good morning Kanon-chan. What’s up? Why are you sulking?” Kanon’s spirit lightened up as she recognized her best friend’s presence.
“Morning Riho!!! It’s just that I kind of forgot to bring over your paintbrushes. I’m sorry!!” After blurting out the reason why she was sulking; Kanon put her hands together and bowed her head at her best friend. Riho just laughed at her friend’s reason for sulking and took from her bag a new box containing some paintbrushes.
“Silly Kanon, I always have two sets. The ones you borrowed were my spare ones. Don’t worry so much about it.”
Kanon began to jump up and down in sudden relief as she just received the news that she could live for another day. Everyone knows just how important painting is to Riho, and how much she protects her materials.
“Surely you thought I was going to kill you. I can see it in your face.”
Kanon could only pout at the comment before remarking the only way she knew how:
“Well then… you’re right. I have no objections to that. But tell me; what did you do when you were overseas these past 3 years?”
Riho visibly stiffened as the question left her best friend’s lips. “Paint and… paint… and paint! Nothing else.” Kanon looked suspiciously at her friend but brushed it off since she knew that Riho was the kind of person that would leave the country for three years to simply paint.
Their homeroom teacher arrived and they settled down to listen to their lecture which in turn made Riho’s mind to run in overdrive before she fell asleep in class. Math was not her specialty… neither was history… and don’t even get started on literature. The bell rang and lunch began as Riho basically ran towards the roof of the school: her personal hideout when she wanted to be alone and away from her classmates.
The roof was decorated as Riho wanted it to be for the moment. She came weekly and decorated differently every week and lately she was fond of purple. Everything was purple. And even though she hasn’t liked the color before; right now to her it was the most beautiful of all the colors.
Taking out her paintbrushes and setting the canvas she bought: she closed her eyes to try and figure out what to paint. Then a sudden image flashed and she was staring straight at a person behind a canvas, fully concentrated in the painting that was being developed. The only detail she could recognize was a distinctive short brown hair which was blown away by the light breeze that blew on the rooftop.
Her heart ached a little bit and she decided to open her eyes. Riho found herself teary-eyed before noticing that the backdrop she saw when she closed her eyes before was the same one she’s seeing now that she has opened them: her school’s rooftop.
‘What is going on? That’s the girl from the gallery… right? She’s still on my mind even though I don’t know who she is…And this weird feeling in my heart, what is it?’
As she gazed towards the sky; a flash of light suddenly whitened Riho's vision.
**FLASH**
“Would you stop wiggling? Haha, I’m trying to make you look pretty here.”
The girl giggled behind her canvas as she continues painting a portrait of…
ME!
Wait, why is she?!
THUD!!!
**FLASH**
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Chapter 1 Finished! Behold the power of the cliffhanger!!! Well... Until next time! Enjoy!
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It's our turtle, I'm sure of it!!!
But it seams Riho lost her memories, huh?.. Poor Eri... And poor Riho.. but more Eri, as she seems to remember everything...
EDIT. After I read other comments... I just had to say this. For me, Eri and Riho is not that weird, as I love unusual couples (if anyone reads my works, they should know).
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Riho has one of those memories that brings up the turtle but it seems weird at the moment XD
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I'm still getting over the RihoEri bit from the last part lol. It topped my most unexpected crack pairing list as soon as I thought about it. I'm quite interested in how you intend to work it out, though.
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@sakura_drop_: crack couples are the best and yeah it's going to be a crazy ride for both of them and the others involved.
@Kurosawa87: I know it's still weird!! im trying to piece it all together. the plot is set it's the wording in the middle and the happenings that are troubling my short memory! But if I can find all the vocabulary to fill in the spots I'm sure that this will have a crazy :shakeit: conclusion.
@rndmnweird: trust me when I first began to write out the characters I wasn't really thinking on the pairing itself... I was thinking about the character. haha! but in the end this crack pairing is well CRACK!
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Gahh!! chapter 3! I feel like the story isn't advancing at all (in Word I mean.) And when the chapters progress the writing style somewhat changes!!! GOMENASAI!!!!!! MY memory can't possibly keep track of a single way of writing!!! :bleed eyes: but I'm trying to keep the same style... truly!! I am!
Chapter 3
“Riho!!! Riho wake up!! Come on Riho! Please respond!” A slight groan could be heard as Riho found herself on a bed at the nurse’s office. Kanon was over her practically yelling her name. Riho slowly sat up and held her head. “Kanon-chan… you don’t have to yell. I’m fine… where am I?”
“If you’re fine then: why don’t you know where you are?!?!” Kanon shook her friend as her worried face begged for an answer. Instead of one: giggles could be heard on the room as Riho suddenly burst out laughing at her friend’s face. “Well, then how did I get here?”
Kanon just looked appalled at her friend’s behavior and slightly pouting she told her of their current location. “When I found you, you were on the floor surrounded by paint…It was scary…all that red paint…it resembled…”
As Kanon’s voice trembled a little, Riho became more serious and told her friend that she was all right and that she shouldn’t worry. ‘I just fainted? Then… why is she so worried?’
“Riho-chan… you kept saying: ‘I’m sorry’… did anything happen?” At Kanon’s sudden question Riho became confused since she didn’t know what her friend was talking about.
“Riho-chan… please tell me. Did something happen when you were overseas…?” Riho just looked at her friend and mustered up all her energy to tell her the same thing she did when previously asked. “I just painted Kanon-chan…that’s all I did.” ‘And as far as I’m concerned I haven’t done anything to feel sorry about…Have I?’ Kanon wasn’t really convinced but she still let it go and asked Riho how she felt as of now.
“Well… I’m pretty ok. How many minutes do we have until school ends?” Kanon looked at her watch and told her that they only had 10 minutes left of school. “I am great Kanon-chan! FANTASTIC!!! NOW LET’S GET SOME CIDER!” The girl’s giggles resounded in the room as they waited said 10 minutes and got out of school.
“Hey Riho, remember that our date with Eri is today and that she’s bringing her friend. If you don’t feel up for it; is ok, I can tell her.” Riho just stared incredulously at her friend who just told her that she could miss out on sweets and cider if she didn’t feel well. ‘I’m going to have to see her strange cousin again but…at least she will be with her friend so… CIDER!’ Kanon surely got the part of the message that indicated Riho’s will to go on that date. And as they both laughed, Kanon suddenly expressed a thought that was on her mind for a couple of minutes.
“Remember what I told you yesterday? That your face looked different? Well I’ve just noticed that what looks different is your eyes. They somehow look lighter and well… the way you look at things seems somewhat different.” Riho just tensed up as she brushed off the comment telling her that nothing is different with her eyes. “Yeah. I’m sure I may just be imagining it Riho-chan, don’t mind me.”
That evening Kanon and Riho were reaching Sweets Paradise in Shibuya Spaizanka for their sweet 90 minute sweets indulging buffet with Eri and her friend who were waiting for them at the entrance.
-“Hello, girls.” Eri said hello to her cousin and to Riho as she introduced her friend. “This is Takahashi Ai. She’s…”
-“Takahashi-sensei! I never got to thank you for taking care of Riho today!” Eri and Riho looked confused at Kanon’s sudden burst as she bowed to Ai who in turn laughed.
-“It’s ok Suzuki-san. It’s my job to take care of the student’s health alongside the school nurse.” Ai noticed the confused staring that Eri and Riho were giving them which prompted her to laugh.
-“Eri-chan, I’m the school nurse’s assistant at the girl’s school. It’s the job I told you about, the one I got a couple of months ago. Sayashi-san wasn’t feeling too well so she came to my office.” Both Eri and Riho understood the relationship Ai held with the three of them and soon after; they entered the place.
As they got in, the bustling atmosphere brought a sense of peace for the girls who immediately began to choose their respected sweets. Kanon and Eri were chattering excitedly as Riho and Ai concentrated on their sweet meal. Noticing her best friend’s strange attitude, Kanon decided to take a picture with them all together so that her friend may open up more to her dear cousin.
**FLASH**
-“I knew you weren’t the tough guy everyone says you are!! Look at how many sweets you got!”
-“Hey don’t blame me! I’m the choco-princess!”
-“Haha! You look like the choco-wizard to me! And that cream beard is charming!”
-“Ehh!! You’re kidding!”
-“Not really, here’s a mirror.”
-“Heh… sorry about that. You were right.”
-“I always am. Now let me paint a portrait of you like that!”
-“No way!”
**FLASH**
As Eri and Kanon looked at the picture they just took of their date, Riho began to think about the image that popped in her mind a few seconds ago. ‘What? I have been here before? But… who was that girl? And that cake I was eating… I haven’t even seen it before… If this is the same place as the one I just saw then… Is that cake still here?’
“Excuse me a second. I think I’ll get another piece.” Riho got out of the booth and walked over the buffet table that held countless pieces of cakes and pastries. ‘Let’s see. It’s white and has some chocolate pieces in it that look like pencil sharpenings… Wait! This looks like it!’
Riho thought it was strange that the plate where that specific cake was displayed had all pieces intact. ‘Does nobody like this cake?’ She wasn’t even sure why she saw it a couple of minutes ago but there was something nagging at her and telling her that she should try it so she brought it back to the table and joined the others.
“Sayashi-san! You’re back. Did you find what you were looking for?” Eri was the first one to speak at Riho’s presence when she got back since Kanon was too indulged in the whole piece of Mont Blanc that she stuffed into her mouth to do so. Riho simply nodded to what Eri had told her and quickly sat down putting the new piece of cake in front of her and getting ready to savor it. Ai looked at her side to see what Riho had just brought to the table and her eyes widened at the sight.
Riho picked up her small fork and put a piece of the cake in her mouth to relish its taste. To her surprise the cake was a mixture of sweetness and bitterness that prompted her to make a face when she had that first bite. Kanon snapped a picture at that exact time which portrayed Riho in her cake-testing-face-making face.
**FLASH**
-“You don’t need to make such a face! If you don’t like the cake then why do you pick it?”
-“Hey don’t scold me! Heh, this happens to be my favorite type of cake in the whole world!”
-“Really? It’s that good? Your face seems to tell otherwise. Let me have a bite!”
As the girl took the bite that was offered to her; she scrunched her face and tightly closed her fists. Laughter could be heard as the girl began to tear up over the taste.
-“ Nee.. How can you eat something so weird?”
-“It’s not weird! It’s tasty!”
-“But how can you call tasty something so bitter before it turns sweet?”
-“Because, it’s like life. Sweet and bitter all summed up into a special and unique treat.”
**FLASH**
-“Ne, Sayashi-san do you not like that cake?” Eri gently asked the girl who just looked at her treat and put another piece in her mouth before smiling.
-“This cake… it’s like life. Sweet and bitter.” At Riho’s words both Eri and Ai looked at each other shocked. Kanon noticed their gaze and asked if something had happened.
-“Nothing Kanon-chan, Ai-chan and I have to do something so we need to go.” Eri’s apologetic smile made Kanon pout a little before saying goodbye to her cousin and school nurse.
-“Riho-chan, can I taste that?” Both Kanon and Riho kept on eating since Eri and Ai basically paid for the whole thing. After that sweet humongous meal they went to their respective homes to rest.
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Chapter 3 finished!! Until next time!! Please forgive any written mistakes!! And thank you for reading!
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lots of flashbacks makes this story interesting but who doesn't like cake? :lol: :lol: :lol:
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@Kurosawa87: Hahahha I actually don't like cake! XD thanks for reading!
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Gaaaahhh!!!! It has been born!!! Finally!!! My brain's tired!! But here it is!!! Chapter 4!
Chapter 4:
Eri and Ai reached the latter’s apartment with Eri sobbing into Ai’s neck. Ai in turn tried to console her with all her might but to no avail. After a couple of minutes she suddenly got extremely mad.
-“Why is it that every damn thing reminds you of her?! Can’t you see that she’s dead and that she’ll never come back!?”
At Ai’s harsh words Eri began to cry harder since, even though it was tough accepting it, she was right. Noticing her tone; Ai gently caressed Eri’s hair as she softly spoke into her ear.
-“Eri-chan, I’m sorry. It’s just that seeing you this hurt pains me. Please stop putting the blame of what happened on yourself.”
Eri was slowly calming down at Ai’s gentle words. She then stood up and walked towards one of the windows in Ai’s apartment to enjoy the view as she began to materialize her thoughts.
-“That little girl… it’s the second time she reminds me of her… and it’s like she doesn’t even notice it.”
-“Eri… what do you mean the second time?”
Eri just looked at Ai and told her that she didn’t really know why Riho’s presence was similar. Ai got frustrated at her comment but hid it well in front of the suffering turtle. As she gestured towards the sofa; she welcomed Eri into her warm embrace and told her that she will wait for her suffering to be over, and that she’ll love her ‘till the end.
After Eri fell asleep on the couch; Ai went towards her bag and got out the files she had worked on that day. Her job description included organizing the profiles of all the students that visited the infirmary on that day. It was the training she needed to become the official school nurse once Iida-sensei retires. Sitting at her desk she began to read the profile that was at the very top.
‘Infirmary Visitor’s sheet:
Sayashi Riho. Born May 28, 1998. Grade 8, class 3.
Reasons for coming: Found unconscious on school roof. Woke up with no recollection of what happened and no symptoms that showed she was at any risk.’
At the sheet, Ai began to wonder the reason why she was at the school roof and why she fainted. This girl was giving her a bad vibe.
-“Hey what’s that?”
Eri suddenly asked the surprised Ai who was so immersed into her work that she didn’t notice her peering over her shoulder at the papers she was reading. Ai tried to hide the papers but to no avail since her friend took them and began reading aloud.
-“Wow Riho-chan fainted at the school’s roof? I thought that place was off limits?”
Ai looked at Eri astounded at the now relevant detail that she had skimmed through before.
-“It is, I heard that ever since the principal’s office found out yankiis threw stuff at people from there; she went berserk and banned everyone from using it.”
Eri remembered the fuming face of her principal when she reached the roof and began yelling at them. Nakazawa- kōchō sure couldn’t believe sweet, adorable and pure Eri could be one of the misfits that were doing pranks on the school roof setting a bad example to all the young students at the prestigious ‘Morning Esko, the escalator school of the future today’ as vice director Abe used to say.
They all ran down the emergency ladder on the roof and got out of Nakazawa- kōchō’s wrath by a hair. She also remembered the sweet kiss she received after all that running, laughing and hiding.
After that thought Eri’s eyes began to water and she tried to conceal it telling Ai that she was going to sleep for the night.
-“I’ll see you later Ai-chan.”
As Eri turned towards the direction of her room; Ai surrounded her waist with her arms and brought her close enough so that she sat on her lap.
-“Don’t try to hide your pain when you’re in front of me. You know I don’t like it.”
Eri’s tears freely fell as she turned around and began to kiss Ai. It was a salty kiss, but Ai couldn’t care less as she deepened it and hugged her even tighter. Eri coupled Ai’s movements and both began to lose themselves in that fleeting feeling. But both their thoughts wandered around as they kissed each other.
‘Why is this little girl affecting her so much? Why does she remind her of you?’
‘If I kiss Ai, maybe I can forget you…She has loved me since before we were together and even now she still waits for me to get over you and go to her.’
**FLASH**
Loud sirens could be heard all around as white spots were the only thing that filled her vision.
-“It hurts…”
A sharp pain surged through her body as warm hands pressed onto the spots that hurt the most.
-“I know! But please stay with me! You’ll be ok, please be ok!”
Air was becoming harder to grasp as seconds passed. Now the loud sirens merged with the diminishing beating of a heart. White spots were becoming a white blanket as the pain around her body began to fade away.
-“There’s something I need to tell you… Please listen to me. *cough*”
Blood came out of her mouth as her body shook with every failed attempt to grab some air.
-“Please, please don’t talk. Reserve your energy. The ambulance will be here soon.”
-“No… please… listen to me.”
Her vision was beginning to grow dark as her heartbeat was getting louder and slower than ever. After that, everything became silent and her vision cleared enough to make out a face.
A face that was covered… covered in tears and blood. A face that was crying out of suffering and the last thing that was screamed could not be heard as her hearing and vision had gone far away. Darkness was the only thing left. All the pain gone, all life gone, and everything is always the same: NOTHINGNESS.
**FLASH**
It was the middle of the night when Riho suddenly woke up and ran towards her drawer to find a sketchpad. Every time Riho has a nightmare she gets out her sketchpad and begins to draw the most shocking part of it. Her parents used to think it was scary when she did that but, seeing as it calms Riho down after she draws her nightmares, they decided to leave a specific sketchpad for the nightmares alone inside her top draw.
She began to frantically sketch the image that was impregnated in her mind. As she continued to draw her heartbeat began to slow down and her hands began to go at a slower pace. She was calming down. She was breathing at ease as she was finishing her sketch. After she finished she put down her sketchpad and without looking at it she just went onwards to bed and try to grasp a ticket towards dreamland.
‘Ai is always so serious about work. I had to make her let go of those papers and go to sleep. Seriously she is the nurse’s assistant and she takes care of the student’s health… she should know better than to not take care of herself. I don’t want her to leave just like you did...maybe that’s why I worry so much about her health. She was concentrating on the first page of those papers a lot… that girl: Sayashi Riho. Why does she remind me so much of you? She was found on the school’s roof after she fainted. Remember when we used to go up there? You showed me the place after you saw me getting bullied. It was pretty plain though. And you told me to decorate it as you asked, because that was my fee for staying there at lunch so that I could escape all that bullying. Yeah, I remember. How can I forget?
I need to remember that you are gone and that I’ve got someone to love right here. Ai deserves it. She has also fought every bully that has come my way ever since I got to school. She was the one to tell me that it was ok to dream and to fulfill my wishes even if my parents didn’t approve. She has done a lot for me and the only fee she has asked for is my love and now that you’re gone, I can give it to her… Oh who am I kidding… of course I can’t. How long can I fool myself into thinking that I could ever love her over you?
~Eri’
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Chapter 4 finished!!! Thank you for reading! :cow:
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Seems I'm getting the title :lol:
Well the unconscious girl makes this story mysterious
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Ah... I wonder how will Riho remember everything...? IF she remembers..
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@Kurosawa87: I hope so!!! The title pretty much gives away the point of the story!! As always thank you for your support!
@sakura_drop_ : Well it is titled 'Another Chance' so memories do have a big part in this story. Even as I re-read the story I find new things...am I'm writing it! So thank you for reading and for your support!
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Everyone!! Thank you for reading! As always it's a pleasure to wirte and well truly inspiration lies everywhere no? So here it is! Chapter 5!
Chapter 5:
The following morning Riho was at school listening to the lecture. Her art teacher was giving instructions on the new project they had to make for the class.
“Ok, class. This new project is going to be hard, but please put your all in it.”
Riho kept on wondering what the project was going to be and her thoughts began to wander about as she went onwards to stare at the window. Through that glass she saw a small cat enjoying the gentle breeze that blew that calm morning. The cat kept on gazing towards the sky when suddenly it looked directly at Riho’s eyes.
**FLASH**
“Hehe, it’s funny how you can be so gentle with a kitten yet so rough with everyone else.”
The girl looked to her left where she had heard the voice and saw a girl carrying their lunch walking towards her. She then smiles as she acknowledges the girl.
“Hey. I found this little one with its tail stuck under a rock. I want to take him home with me but my mom won’t let me… I’m sure of it.”
“Yeah…my mom won’t either…but how about we take care of it together?”
“Ok…but you have to promise to take part of the responsibility and not leave everything to me alone! And watch him grow together no matter what... ”
She could hear a soft laughter coming from the girl and warmth crept up her cheeks.
**FLASH**
The loud ‘crack’ from a wooden ruler connecting with a wooden desk brought Riho out of her thoughts as her teacher glared at her. The teacher then proceeded to look at the direction Riho was staring at and saw the small cat peering curiously through the window. Riho then proceeded to look at the window again.
‘Is it really him?? But…he looks bigger now…It has to be him, look at his white paws and orange stripped body…it’s the same as the one I just saw…only bigger…’
“It seems little Rey likes you Sayashi-san.”
“Rey??”
“Yes… he was one of the student’s cats… he hasn’t come by this window for a long time…A year to be exact…”
Riho saw the teacher’s mood become gloomier and decided to change the subject to the project her teacher had previously explained which she didn’t really pay attention to.
“Sayashi-san please pay more attention in class. But nevertheless I shall repeat so everyone listen well.”
Riho took out her materials and decided to pay more attention to the lecture her teacher was re-giving to all of her students so that Riho could grasp the concept and so that any other student who got lost at the first explanation could grasp it as well.
The bell that signals the end of class and the beginning of lunch prompted Riho to go look for the strange cat that appeared whilst she was in class. Her search brought her to the roof and she didn’t even know the reason why her feet dragged her there. But she opened the door that lead to her own personal space on the rooftop as she felt deep in her heart that there she would find what she was searching for.
There lounging on her chair and staring at the light blue sky she saw the small cat.
“Rey?”
The cat looked at Riho surprised to have its named called. She came closer and began to pet his head which in turn made him purr. Riho picked him up and hugged him close to her as she sat down on her chair.
**FLASH**
“Hey! Let me paint a portrait of both of you!”
“What? But… umm… are you sure we can be in your portrait??”
“Yes! It’s going to be great practice!! Besides Fujimoto sensei asked us to paint animal portraits this class.”
**FLASH**
‘What? Fujimoto sensei?? Why is … how come that girl knows who Fujimoto sensei is??... This is weird.’
“Hey little guy. Do you know what is going on with me? Who is that girl…?”
Rey looked directly at Riho before snuggling close to her heart and purring in contentment. She kept on wondering who the girl she kept on seeing was and the reason why she is seeing her.
‘This all began the day I had that movie date with Kanon–chan and her weird turtle cousin…’
“You do know that Nakazawa-kōchō made this place off limits to any student right?”
At the sudden scolding, Riho turned towards the entrance and stared right into Takahashi Ai’s stern face. Riho just lowered her head after Ai’s words since she knew that Ai was correct and that she had taken possession of the banned rooftop to enjoy some time alone and paint.
“I…I do…I’m sorry sensei. I will take my stuff out…”
“Yes, you will. This place is dangerous Sayashi-san. You can fall of the roof, or faint like you did yesterday. Now, the bell will ring in five minutes so you can begin tomorrow.”
“Meow.”
Ai’s eyes widened at the sound that made her acknowledge the cat that was lying on Riho’s lap.
“Is… is that Rey?”
Riho looked queerly at the nurse’s assistant as she remembered that she was holding the cat. The kitten looked back at Ai and threateningly hissed at her.
“It’s ok. This is the school nurse’s assistant. There’s no need to hiss at her. Sensei, I’m sorry but… can you tell me more about Rey?”
“Eri shouldn’t see him…”
Ai’s muttering was heard by Riho whose ears perked up after hearing Kanon’s cousin mentioned.
“Kanon-chan’s cousin?? She knows who Rey is?”
Ai noticed that she said that aloud and Rey proceeded to jump from Riho’s lap and begin to walk towards Ai whilst hissing and showing his fangs at her. Riho stood up to try and stop him when the bell rang catching everyone’s attention. Rey looked back at Riho and bowed his head before running and jumping from the roof and out of sight. Ai was frozen in place and Riho just passed by her saying that she had to go back to class.
‘It’s weird… how come Rey was so nice and gentle to me but he almost attacked Takahashi sensei? And that Eri shouldn’t see him?? Why? Did something happen with Kanon’s cousin and him? I should ask her after school.’
Riho kept on thinking about that strange happening for the rest of the day. As the last bell rang, she waited for Kanon to walk home together.
“Ne, Kanon-chan… did Kamei-san ever have a cat?”
Kanon looked at Riho after the sudden question and began to slowly nod.
“Yes… I think she did… but I’m not too sure, how about we ask her then?”
“No it’s ok. It’s just a stupid question anyways.”
“Well if you want to know; ask her today because she’s at my house.”
Riho looked at Kanon and tried to decide whether she should go and ask or keep to herself the question since Ai looked pretty disturbed when she said that Eri shouldn’t see him.
“Nah, it’s ok. I have to go and start a project Fujimoto sensei gave us. I’ll see you later.”
As Riho got home, she took out her art notes and began to think about the expressions both her teacher and school nurse held as they saw the cat that day.
‘Why is it that this cat brings people such sadness and shock?? How come Kamei-san is involved with this all??’
Riho then went onwards to her house whilst thinking about everything that was happening all around her.
Kanon entered her house and was greeted by her smiling cousin who had food already served for them to eat and watch a movie.
“Eri-chan, are you going to go by the school soon?”
Eri looked quizzically at her cousin and deeply sighed before nodding. She wasn’t really sure if she was ready to go back to school again but since she was asked to by her favorite teacher she had decided to go.
“I haven’t been back since graduation… even though it’s been only a year…”
“Haha Eri-chan you talk as if it has been 50 years! Come on! You’ll be ok!”
After Kanon’s encouraging words; Eri smiled and they both enjoyed their movie until Kanon fell asleep. Eri then went onwards to her own apartment she shared with Ai and upon entering she saw that Ai was pacing around the room seemingly in deep thought.
“Ai-chan…I’m home.”
“Eh…Eri… welcome home. How…I thought you weren’t coming today…?”
Eri looked suspiciously at Ai’s nervousness and asked her if there was a reason why Ai had thought that she wasn’t coming home that day.
“No, I mean that…I thought you were going to stay at your aunt’s house today…”
“Well…I prefer to be here at home, by your side.”
Ai’s expression softened and a slight red tint colored her cheeks as her mind processed the meaning of Eri’s words. Eri smiled at her and went onwards to kiss her when suddenly her attention was brought to the laptop that was sitting on top of the coffee table which had a page up about how to keep cats out of places without hurting them.
“Ai-chan… is there a cat nearby that you need to take care of?
“Eh? No umm… it’s for a friend! She’s got a pesky cat the likes to dig up her flowers and she asked me if I knew of a way to keep that cat out of her flowers without hurting him.”
Eri nodded at Ai’s explanation and stood in her embrace relishing the warmth she gave her before passionately kissing her. After that she led her to the room where clothing began to be discarded as both parties began to explore each other; one with the utmost feelings of love and possession, the other with the intention to forget everything that tied her to the past and proceed to move forward with someone new.
After the act, Ai was exhausted and fell asleep. Eri in turn got out her journal and began to write.
‘Soon I’ll have to go back to the place where we first met. There’s someone I need to see there. I wonder if he’s ok…I don’t have the courage to ask Ai-chan… But something tells me that he’s fine. He was yours and well…just like you did before…he can take care of himself. Maybe going back will bring this chapter to a close…maybe by going back I can forget you once and for all.’
A soft ‘clack’ diverted Eri’s attention from her journal to the window which prompted her to walk towards it. When she opened it a small collar with a skull tag fell on the windowsill.
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That's it for Chapter 5! Until next time! :cow:
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Rey the cat is very awesome and Riho's connection is surreal :thumbsup
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@Kurosawa87: Lol, he truly is awesome and very important! As always thank you for reading!!!
@ the little thankers over there at the bottom of every post: Thank you for reading!!! Even if it doesn't look like much a simple thank you is very important !!!!! It gives me the strength to keep on going!!! DETERMINED FACE: ON!
@ All the lurkers (registered and unregistered): thank you for reading!!! You also deserve a thank you since I know that you're out there!! even if you wish to hide!!!
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Well then after all the thank you's and regards of course this is a celebratory post!!!! Another Chance turns 1 month in a litle while!!! This is my baby right here and of course it deserves a celebration :cow: !!! Mmm, what to say about this chapter?? It has a lot of conversation [gomene for those who get lost in conversations as well as those who don't really like it!! :bow:] but every little piece of information is important for the development of the story!! So to celebrate let's keep up with the story (after my little celebration speech XD):
Here it is:
Chapter 6
Two weeks had passed without any incident or strange images flashing in Riho’s mind but she still couldn’t decide what to do for her art project. Whilst sitting in class, Riho kept on staring at everyone’s selection for a project and she dejectedly sighed. At that moment her teacher came back to the classroom and behind her walked Kamei Eri.
“Ok class, settle down for a moment.”
Riho’s eyes widened at the sight of Eri and when Eri saw Riho on the classroom she just smiled at her and kept on looking at the whole class who was excited at the new and gorgeous young woman that just got in.
“This is one of the best art students this school has had. She graduated last year and as of today she is a university student. Please give a warm welcome to Kamei Eri who will be helping you all with this project. Remember that this is the last project of the year and you have about three months to complete it. Everyone who still doesn’t have a theme for the project please ask Kamei-san, I’m sure she’ll be of big help.”
Everyone began to murmur after their teacher’s instruction as Eri began to introduce herself.
“Hello, my name is Kamei Eri. I’ll try to help you with this project with everything I’ve got. Please don’t hesitate to ask.”
The murmurs grew louder and suddenly someone whistled which in turn made Fujimoto sensei throw the glare at the whole classroom which shut them up immediately and made them all sit straight including Eri; who sat on the desk with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape.
“Look…even she gets scared of the glare…”
The whispers didn’t go unheard by Fujimoto sensei who turned back and saw Eri as scared as she was when she was still her student a year ago and received the infamous glare alongside her classmates. She began to cackle at the sight and patted Eri’s head before signaling to her students to show the young woman how they were doing with their projects.
All of them began to crowd over Eri excitedly showing her their initial sketches and smiling every time she praised them. Fujimoto sensei noticed that one student was missing from the juvenile avalanche which made her walk towards the seat that was closest to the window.
“Sayashi-san are you okay?”
Riho looked at her teacher after her gentle voice had inquired and nodded her answer.
“How come you’re not showing your project to Kamei-san?”
Riho looked at her teacher and sighed as she stared uncomfortably at the agglomeration of students.
“I don’t really like to be stuck between so many people. Even though Kamei-san is enjoying it.”
“Haha! Yeah, she’s always been like that. But then, how about you show me how you’re going with your project?”
“I still don’t know what to do sensei…I…I’m stuck…”
“What do you mean? You are the best in school. Your work is almost the same as Kamei-san’s when she was your age…”
“I’m sorry sensei…”
“No Sayashi-san. Don’t worry; maybe you’re hitting a block in your life. It’s ok, but if you need some inspiration; please ask Kamei. I’m sure she’ll be happy to help you.”
The bell rang and everybody sighed as they left their classroom to go to lunch. Riho went onwards to the roof with a bottle of cider in her hand when she suddenly remembered that after her encounter with Takahashi she had taken everything out of there.
*Meow*
Looking to her side at the direction where the noise had come; Riho saw Rey meowing and signaling her to follow him. Puzzled, she didn’t really know if she should do that crazy feat of following him but seeing as Rey kept on insisting she just went onwards and put her trust on the cat.
‘Why are you making my heart pound…? We’ve never met before yet this feeling of trust I have in you is so familiar…’
As Rey suddenly stopped, Riho noticed that she was a couple of feet behind Eri. She was sitting under the shade of a tree in the school’s courtyard looking at some sketchbooks the students had left her after the bell rang. Rey was looking intently at Riho who in turn wondered why he had brought her there.
‘She looks at peace looking at those sketches. Why did you bring me here Rey? Was she your previous owner? Should I tell her I found you?’
**FLASH**
‘She should be somewhere near here. I know it. I haven’t seen her ever since crazy Nakazawa banned everyone from the roof.’
The girl kept on staring straight and saw the back of a girl with a short brown hair sobbing into her arms as she sat alone under the trees at the courtyard. She then began to get worried and decided to go and find out what had happened when suddenly she felt a hand take her shoulder and roughly turn her around.
“Don’t even think so.”
**FLASH**
Somebody bumped into Riho making her drop her cider to the floor and she saw how Eri stood up to stretch her tired body when she looked Riho’s way and found her staring at her intently.
“Umm…Sayashi-san? Are you ok?”
Eri’s voice brought Riho out of her thoughts and her eyes widened when she noticed what she was doing.
‘Dang it…was I staring at her?’
Riho nodded at Eri’s statement and she saw how she kept getting closer to her which prompted her to freeze in the same spot.
“Is there something you need to tell me? I heard from Fujimoto-sensei that you still don’t have anything for your project ready. Were you looking for me to ask for help?”
‘No…Rey brought me here.’
“I see… well... if you need me you know where to find me. I’ll go now.”
Eri turned around to leave Riho alone and go for a walk when suddenly.
“I…I…”
“Yes?”
When Riho tried to voice out her first words Eri reached back to stand in front of her and listen to what the girl was trying to say. But no words would form in Riho’s mind as her heart began to pound at the sight of Kamei Eri under the shades of the school’s trees with her hair gently ruffled by the soft wind that seemed to blow every day that season.
‘Why is my heart pounding so much? What are these feelings?’
Eri’s smile never left her face as she awaited an answer from Riho. Without another word she just took the girl’s hand and began to jog towards a place she knew Riho would feel more comfortable talking. Riho was being dragged away by the not-so-slow turtle and soon enough she noticed that they were standing in front of the door that leads them to the school’s roof.
“I bet you’ll talk if it’s here.”
“But… but…”
Without listening to Riho’s small objection; Eri opened the door and pushed the girl in following her close behind.
“A little bird told me that you like to come at this place a lot.”
‘That Takahashi… she revealed my secret spot just like that…’
“Haha, I’m sorry. I didn’t really mean to look into Ai-chan’s papers and read that you were found here that day. She didn’t quite reveal your secret place…I just sort of found out…”
Eri softly giggled and Riho’s eyes widened since her thoughts had basically been read by the girl that stood before her. She lowered her head to hide a small smile that began to spread on her lips as well as the soft red color that was rising up her cheeks. She gathered enough courage to ask Eri the question that was pestering her mind at that moment.
“Umm…how did you know that after you told me that a little bird had told you that I liked this…umm?”
“Haha! Riho-chan! Calm down it’s only us here! You mean to ask how I knew you were thinking of Ai after I said that. Right?”
Riho nodded her head as she broadly smiled since she was glad that somebody understood her limited use of vocabulary without having her explain what it was she meant to say. At seeing Riho’s face Eri just began to giggle aloud as gust of wind ruffled her long curls. The shining sun met with the necklace that hung gracefully over the middle of her chest and it glistened with its light.
**FLASH**
“Here… umm… this… you should have it… we… umm… Yeah…”
The girl handed over a small orange box to the other’s hand as she saw how her soft hands opened it and revealed its contents.
“You mean to say that this is a symbol of us three?”
Nodding, the girl smiled as she saw her friend turn her back towards her and ask her to put it on.
“You know, this means we are going to stay together… and well… you can’t leave us alone. And you won’t take anybody away!”
“Hahaha!! You mean that I won’t be taken away by anybody.”
The girl bashfully smiled as she was once again corrected by the other.
“I think you’ll get better at speaking and expressing yourself if you just try it out and practice Riho.”
“Yeah…Wait…what?!”
**FLASH**
Riho shook her head as she realized that she had gone yet again into another vision and Eri was looking worriedly at her at the moment.
“I’m sorry…can you repeat what you just said?”
Eri curiously looked at Riho because of her sudden eloquence and repeated yet again what she had just said.
“I said that I think we’re a lot alike since we both paint and love this spot over at the roof…but the way you talk reminds me of someone I once knew.”
Eri began to tear up as Riho saw though the turtle’s eyes how her mind began to fill up with painful memories that were incomprehensible to Riho’s young mind. Eri noticed Riho’s staring and quickly changed the direction this conversation was taking and began to ask Riho about her art.
‘What happened to this girl… why did my heart break when her eyes became griefful…'
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That's it for Chapter 6 !!! Thank you for reading!!! :bow:
BTW there's somebody I miss!! :( rndmnweird-sama!!!!! doko desuka ?!?!?!!?!? I think the crackitty of this pairing scared you off!! Gome~ !!! :sweatdrop:
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Eri as an artist really intrigues me. Although the meet up was quite interesting on the roof, the past is creating a mind game for Eri
Although I think if I don't write MM, I get little love :lol:
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@Kurosawa87: Lol I know!! Not only Eri but Mikitty as well XD. But yeah I feel the love from everyone that reads even if its not their favorite couple! As always thank you for reading!!!! :cow:
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Yup yup!! I'm back!! And with another chapter for... umm... Another chance lol and this one is pretty special too!! Well it is a short chappie but it's a special present for a special happy someone!!: Shiawase_Honoo !!!! :yossi: Omedeto!!! :otomerika: :grin: I hope not only you but every other reader gets exited over this story: even though it's my first and the chapters are fairly short! Hontou ni: Arigato gozaimasu for reading !!! :bow: Now let's get on with this shall we??
Chapter 7
Eri was walking towards her apartment after buying some pop-corn and sweets from the convenience store as she thought about the conversation she had with Riho 3 days ago.
~Flashback~
“Ne, Riho when did you start drawing?”
Riho thought deeply about the question and concluded that ever since she could remember she could draw.
“Yeah. I’ve been drawing my whole life…well almost…there was a time when I couldn’t really do much but… it’s over now so it doesn’t really matter.”
Smiling at the older girl, Riho just awaited her to answer the same question which in turn was retorted with an unusual answer from the turtle; she asked her back another question.
“Hey…if you come here every day; why does it look so empty and unused?”
At Eri’s question Riho softly gasped as she just looked around and told her that they shouldn’t be there.
“Haha, I know the roof is banned but don’t worry nobody really came here after the 3 weeks Nakazawa- kōchō had patrolled the roof like a military-man.”
Riho began to giggle after hearing the actions their principal had taken to ban and forbid students from the roof. In the midst of her laughter, Eri asked her again why the roof was so empty if she was one of the regulars.
“Oh that? Well Takahashi-sensei found out I hang out here and…well…I sort of got scolded…”
Suddenly the bell rang signaling the beginning of the last class for the day and Riho looked at Eri apologetically as she just waved at her and went onwards to class. Eri smiled at the running girl as she hurried on to get to her class on time. Whilst she was running, Riho came face to face with Nakazawa-kōchō and immediately halted in a manner that hid very well the fact that she was going against the rules set by the principal that states that there’s to be no running in the school grounds.
~~End Flashback~~
‘Remember how you used to run inside the school with streamers in your hands followed by Rey and a fuming Nakazawa?’
Eri’s soft giggles could be heard by Ai who was sitting on the living room couch playing her videogame. Ai wondered what the reason for all the merriment was and when the girl came to the living room she stopped the game and took in the girl’s appearance. She was wearing an OP T-shirt with dark denim shorts and some turtle print socks. One would find that getup somewhat childish but to Ai it was one of the most beautiful looks Eri has ever donned in front of her.
“Ai-chan please don’t drool on the remote, you’ll damage it.”
Seeing that Eri was almost laughing at her behavior; Ai’s mouth closed shut and she greeted the girl who proceeded to kiss her. Both sat on the sofa in a tight embrace and suddenly Ai remembered that Eri was giggling when she had come through the door.
“You were laughing when you came home, had a good day?”
“Yeah you could say so.”
‘Seeing her sweet face as she asks me…I can’t really tell her I was thinking about you and spoil her good mood.’
“So, now that we have the pop-corn and the movies, let’s watch them ok?”
Both girls began to watch the movies and spent the whole day enjoying each other’s company. Eri had missed having such a good time as she is right now and Ai was relishing the good feelings that were brought on by that fun activity.
‘Is she finally forgetting about you?’
‘Are my feelings for Ai converting into love?’
**FLASH**
“Ne, have you ever fallen in love?”
She looked wide-eyed at the girl after she had been asked the question and began to think about it. Her mind and heart were running at a thousand miles an hour as the word ‘LOVE’ kept echoing in her mind. She tried to answer the girl but instead she just stuttered and the other began to laugh.
“Hahaha! I think I shouldn’t have asked! You sound like a clogged airbrush.”
“Hey! Don’t make fun of me after asking a question like that!”
“Well then. Do you have an answer for me?”
“Umm…not really an answer…rather…a question… How do you know when you’ve fallen in love?”
The girl cocked her head to the side as she thought about it and after a couple of seconds she shrugged her shoulders since she didn’t really know the way to determine that one has truly fallen in love.
“Oh! I know! Why don’t you…”
**FLASH**
“…paint about it Riho-chan?”
Kanon’s voice echoed in her mind as Riho realized she was sitting in her friend’s family room viewing some photo albums as she talked with her and looked for themes to present as her project. She shook her head as she tried to process everything that flashed in her mind as well as the actual conversation she was having with her friend.
‘What was that? I was just looking at some pictures when that image popped into my mind… I still can’t recognize anyone from them… it’s like their faces are blurred by the light that surrounds them. Who are they? And more importantly who is she?’
“Riho… are you even listening?”
“Yeah Kanon-chan I am it’s just that I spaced out for a second.”
“Ok then… For your project why don’t you try and look for something that you pay much attention to and paint about it?”
Riho looked at her friend and thought about it for a second before she looked back down towards the album that was on both their laps where a picture of a young Eri and Kanon smiling was facing directly at her.
‘Something I pay attention to? But…what could it be?’
Looking at Kanon she just shrugged her shoulders since she couldn’t think of a single thing to paint that would be adequate enough for a project. Kanon noticed her stare and she just patted her back and smiled.
“You’ll find something Riho-chan. I know it! Remember that we often deem as unimportant the things that truly matter the most to us.”
After Kanon’s thoughts Riho looked at her surprised.
“Wow Kanon-chan…that was deep.”
“What do you mean by that?! That I’m a mere shallow child?!”
They both began to laugh and continued viewing the picture albums for the rest of the night. After they showered and went to bed, Riho began to think about what Kanon had said before when they were watching the pictures and decided to look into it some more.
‘Something I pay attention to? Mmm… well I’m not sure what but I’m really looking forward to talking again with Kamei-san. I had fun when we met over at the roof.’
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Yupps!!! to be continued!
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The last part between Kanon and Riho is so cute :wub:
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Thank you to remember my birthday :lol:
This chapter is kind of flash back.
If my imagination is true, the flash back part (memory) is not Riho's.
Maybe it someone that....ne :sweatdrop:
Oh, and the last of the chapter is cute :wub:
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@kurosawa87: Haha kawaii-nee? Lol thanks for reading Kuro-sama I hope you get the ideas to continue those stories you put on hold !!! :bleed eyes: I need to know what happens !!! LOL
@Shiawase_Honoo: Of course birthdays are great!! And your comment is a light that shines in the horizon !!! (this is the moment where you begin to sing the Lion King's intro) maybe after reading this chapter and re-reading the previous ones you'll get what I mean. As always thank you for reading!!! :theking
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Well now !! Finally another chapter!!! They're taking longer to write but its mostly because there are a lot more words... does this mean I'm learning!? I hope so !!! Thank you for reading!! Everybody !! This is dedicated to you all!!! registered,non-registered, commenters and lurkers alike !!!!! Minna-san!! Daisuki !!!! This is for you lol.
Chapter 8
Riho was in the classroom listening to Fujimoto sensei’s lecture as she kept on stealing glances from Eri. Kamei, being the observer she was, noticed Riho’s glancing and as she was at the back of the classroom pretending to listen to the art teacher her pencil scribbled on a sketchpad.
“And remember class, when you focus on two different objects located at different distances from your point of view; you can just soften the lines of everything in between and put the main focus on your subjects with some more defined lines. That way you can manipulate the observer’s mind and indirectly show them the focus of your work without it being sloppy. Can you show us an example of that Sayashi-san?”
Riho looked surprised at the teacher since she had just basically forgotten there was a lecture being given.
“It’s ok Fujimoto –sensei, I can do it for her.”
Eri interjected before standing up and coming from the back of the class towards the projector. As a student shut off the lights she put the sketch she was making a few minutes ago over it to show the whole class the drawing as it was projected over the board. Said sketch showed a student that was trying to pay attention in class where the other students were looking directly at the teacher except for a girl who was looking over her shoulder directly at her. The girl had two curly pigtails at the side of her head and she was smirking at the person who was looking forward from the seat.
“Woah! That’s beautiful!”
Everyone in the room was astounded by the sketch Eri had made and Riho smiled as her admiration for Eri grew in that instant. Eri turned to look towards Fujimoto sensei and softly gasped which prompted her to take the sketch form the projector and put in a new one where you could see two pieces of fruit at a distance from one another.
Riho wondered what had made Eri react that way and she turned to look towards the direction Fujimoto sensei was standing and saw her drying some stray tears that were left on her cheek. When the teacher noticed her young student’s stare she smiled, cleared her throat and began to explain how Eri had achieved the purpose meant for the lesson as well as describe the manner in which she achieved it.
‘Kamei-san has been really quiet after seeing Fujimoto sensei’s tears… But why did she cry? She isn’t crying now and it’s a fairly normal drawing that’s being projected… was it the first drawing that made her cry?’
The bell rang and Eri told Riho to follow her as they went to the roof. She was carrying a bag that Riho deduced was filled to its brim because of its weight and because of the way Eri’s body was leaning toward the other side of the place where she was holding the bag. Riho opened the roof’s door for Eri as she carried the bag and put it on the floor.
“Come on Riho-chan! Let’s make this place feel like your sanctuary once again!”
“What? But…”
“Oh don’t worry I will try to keep Ai-chan away from here and protect your own secret place.”
Eri winked at Riho and began to take stuff out from the bag to begin and decorate the roof. Riho giggled as she helped the excited girl take out every single
thing out of there and place it on the floor.
“Well… I wasn’t really sure what your favorite color was so most of the things I brought are light blue since it’s a color that you can combine easily. I’m sorry if I seemed to forward.”
“It’s ok. Any color is fine with me Kamei-san.”
“Please Riho-chan, call me Eri. I feel rather old being called ‘Kamei-san’ you know?”
Riho looked at Eri and smiled as she picked up some materials to begin decorating when suddenly her eyes focused on a silver skull pin that was placed on a curtain.
**FLASH**
“Well… do you like the place or not?”
“Wow! It’s beautiful! … I mean! … umm… Yeah. You did an awesome job.”
“Hehe, just an: ‘awesome job’? Come on! Tell me how it makes you feel!”
“Well… if you want me to be honest…I feel somewhat guilty…”
“Ehh!? Why!?”
“Well because I made you do all this for my own selfish reasons and…well…I’m sorry.”
“What!? Don’t worry! I had fun! Besides if it means I can stay here with you then…I’m happy!”
Her heart began to race and pink ran up to her cheeks as she looks at the girl who puts forward her hand and pins on a curtain a skull shaped pin. At seeing the small object her eyes widen and she looks at the girl who bashfully smiles.
**FLASH**
“Are you sure you like this color Riho-chan? You keep looking at that curtain as if you’re trying to get used to the idea of light blue.”
Riho felt her heart beating like a drum and she placed her hand over her shirt on top of her left chest as she tried to calm down her breathing. Eri looked at Riho once again and found her sitting on the roof’s bench sweating profusely and breathing hard.
“Riho! Are you ok?”
‘That one felt so real… I can still feel my heart racing… who was that person!? Why does she make me feel this way? Calm down Riho! Eri will get worried…’
“Riho! Are you listening?”
Looking up, Riho saw Eri in front of her waving her hand over her face with a worried look as she began to shake her small shoulders to gain her attention. Eri’s eyes kept on searching Riho’s for a sign that would tell her that she was ok. As she looked into Riho’s eyes her heart began to crumble and tears began to sprout from her own eyes making Riho tightly shut them close.
‘Why does she keep searching my eyes!? I don’t like it! It makes my heart hurt and my eyes burn at her intense stare.’
‘Why do I keep seeing you in her eyes!? Why!?’
Eri let go of Riho and began to run away from the roof sobbing into her small hands. She ran all the way to the infirmary where she found Ai silently reading some work-related papers. Ai saw the devastated figure at the door and immediately took her in her arms and held her as she shed all those tears on her shoulder.
“Eri…what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Please don’t cry.”
The girl began to cry harder and hold Ai tighter as she let out all her anguish. Ai became really worried about her girl and swiftly picked her up and laid her on one of the beds wondering what on Earth could have happened to her dear turtle. Eri fell asleep after a couple of minutes and Ai just held lovingly onto her hand.
‘Was all of this experience of coming back here to help out Fujimoto sensei too much for you Eri? Why didn’t you say something before it got to you and made you suffer this way…?’
Eri softly whined in her restless slumber as she whispered some unintelligible words. Ai worriedly caressed her fringe as the girl slowly woke up from her light slumber and looked directly at her.
“I think this was too soon Eri-chan. Maybe you need to take a break from helping out Fujimoto-sensei. I’ll tell her you need some more time ok?”
Ai noticed that Eri had agreed since she nodded her head and gently closed her eyes to rest a bit more. That workday was going to be a long one for Ai since she wanted to finish all the work she had accumulated so that she could take Eri somewhere out of the city to relax. As she went onwards to walk to her desk, the school nurse came into the infirmary and asked about the closed curtain in the room to which Ai responded that she was just doing her job and that the nurse shouldn’t worry much about it. The nurse was at peace after Ai’s explanation and she left to go to the other infirmary at the other side of the school where she was in charge since Ai was there to train so that she would become the school’s second nurse. At her desk Ai began to finish up her papers and as she looked out the window she saw Riho walking with her head facing down and brushing her cheeks with the sleeves of her uniform. Noticing that both Eri and Riho were crying, Ai decided to go out and meet with the girl.
“Did anything happen Sayashi –san?”
Ai asked as she handed the girl a soft tissue to dry her tears. Riho shook her head and bowed respectfully to Ai as she just went onwards to class since the bell was going to ring any moment now. Ai got suspicious at the girl’s behavior and went into the infirmary once again.
‘Were you with Eri before she came here crying? Why were you crying as well? This is not good, not good at all.’
Ai went onwards to continue on her papers and late afternoon came when she had finally finished. Eri was still sleeping and Ai didn’t have the heart to wake her up so she had decided to carry the sleeping girl all the way towards her car. As she was getting towards her car something jumped in front of her and looked at her directly before running out of the way.
Ai noticed that it had dropped something on the floor and she decided to pick it up after placing Eri in the car. When she came back she found Fujimoto sensei picking up said object from the floor and smiling at it before noticing Ai.
“Oh, Takahashi is this yours?”
“Ye…Yeah, Fujimoto-sensei.”
“Mm…this looks just li-…”
“No, no! It’s mine! I dropped it on my way to the car. Thank you for finding it Fujimoto-sensei!”
“O…k… you’re welcome Takahashi. Take care.”
Fujimoto saw the nurse’s assistant take quick steps towards the parking lot as she looked all around the place.
‘Is it me or did she seem a little nervous back there?’
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Mmm... is it taking shape ?! :roll: Thank you for reading !!!
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Sleeping turtle but such frustrations between Eri and Riho
As for the fics, it will take a while to come back unless there is an urge to do so :lol:
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Ah...another piece of my imagination :w00t:
sorry for too short comment, I'm lose to the heat of summer :bleed eyes:
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@Kurosawa87: Yeah, the frustrations will be rising soon enough! Thank you for reading!
@Shiawase_Honoo: Hehe it's ok! I understand the brain's sudden shut off from heat! Thanks for reading!
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I haven't been here in a while!! This story was getting lonely! But I did say that writing long things was a challenge for my puny mind didn't I? But hey!! It's here!!! And don't worry I've got this planned until the very end!! It's just that soon I'll have time for it !!! I hope!! But to those who've kept on reading: Thank you!! I hope you'll keep supporting this story! :bow: And now for chapter 9!!!
Chapter 9
‘I’ve been thinking a lot about you ever since Eri-chan asked me if I needed help with this year’s class. She sure has changed a lot hasn’t she? It’s like her sparkle has faded ever since that day. I have been affected as well since then, have you noticed? I still remember the day you were born and a nurse placed you on my hands. You looked at me directly and smiled. I sure was a nervous wreck and auntie Himeko began to laugh seeing how sweetly her newborn baby was smiling.’
The woman’s thoughts came to a halt as she entered her apartment and heard a soft voice singing alongside a sweet melody created by an acoustic guitar.
“Naze rikai shicha kurenai sonna ni tsuyoku wa nai yo…”
The sadness, in both the voice and guitar playing, emanated from the owner of the voice as she kept on singing on the apartment’s balcony.
“Sora minna no mae ja tsuyoku butte ikite kita kedo.”
She couldn’t hold the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes and she softly sniffled to try and keep them in. But she was heard by the girl who was playing the guitar which made her abruptly stop what she was doing.
“Yoru… yoru hitori ni nareba dareka ni nagusamete hoshii…”
The guitar playing girl stood up from her seat over at the balcony and put her guitar down as she felt around the sliding door to enter the apartment and walk towards the woman who had previously sung.
“Waratte unazuichau watashi ga ikenai mitai…”
Her hands settled on each side of the woman’s face and she brushed away her tears before tenderly kissing her on the lips. The woman could only look into those fogged up eyes and sing the innermost feelings she had in her heart.
“Ano hito no koe chotto kikitai kedo…”
“I know, I feel the same Miki.”
Miki hugged the girl as she kept on crying. Putting up a strong front, the girl just held onto her as she vented all her feelings under her embrace. She gently guided her over the living room couch and let her rest on her lap as she turned on the radio and listened to it whilst Miki slept.
‘Oh Miki… how long have you held those tears in… I’m sorry I didn’t notice before how much you were hurting. I’m sorry my dear Miki. But don’t worry I’ll be strong for the both of us. You won’t have to suffer this pain alone anymore.’
The girl heard Miki’s breathing become irregular as well as feel how her pulse sped up and she deduced that the girl had woken up from her short nap. Smiling she just began to hum a soft melody and stroked her face before coming down to meet her lips. Miki smiled when she was kissed and the girl mimicked her actions as she smiled as well.
“How was work darling?”
Miki smiled at her ever caring girl as she answered her in a soft voice that it was full of sketches and softly giggled as she explained that she had a pencil mustache for about two periods since she didn’t notice there was some leftover pencil marks on her fingers and she kept on scratching the spot between her nose an upper lip.
“Haha, it seems you had a hectic day Miki. I bet you’re hungry so dinner’s already made even though it’s probably cold by now.”
“Oh that’s ok baby. If it’s made by you I don’t even care if I only have vegetables for dinner.”
“Yeah right you liar. I bet you go behind my back and throw away the vegetables I serve you each night at dinner.”
“No I don’t!”
“Hahaha don’t get so agitated sweetie I’m just joking. Come on let’s eat.”
Both girls went into the kitchen, which was big compared to other kitchens in the same apartment complex. They had chosen this apartment mostly because of the way it was arranged since it gave them the space to comfortably move around the kitchen to cook. Miki took out a pair of plates form the cabinet besides the girl to serve the food, when she was suddenly stopped by her.
“I didn’t have to work today so I can do it. Go sit over there and wait for me as I serve your dinner.”
Miki wanted to help but seeing as the girl didn’t move she had no other choice but to go sit and wait for her dinner to be served. She kept on looking, form the kitchen island they used as dining table, at the girl mesmerized at the elegance and grace she had whilst doing something that people often deem simple. Her own style and manner in doing everything she did was beautiful and perfectly choreographed.
“Ok Miki, here you go: enjoy. And please don’t throw away your vegetables.”
Miki pouted at the comment and as she saw the girl smirk; she threw into her mouth a piece of broccoli and moved towards her lips to envelop them in a kiss. The girl bit off a small portion of the broccoli from Miki’s mouth and ate it. She smiled and took her utensils to begin eating from her own plate.
“You see. I don’t throw away any of the food you prepare. It’s always so delicious I can’t even fathom the thought of ever throwing away even a single bite.”
“Oh now you’re exaggerating hahaha! Come on, its normal tasting! Nothing out of this world.”
“It isn’t’ normal baby. Not when it’s seasoned with love~”
After Miki’s statement both girls began to laugh heartily and ate their dinner in sweet lover’s glee as they enjoyed the rest of their evening. Another family was enjoying their dinner as well and Riho kept on picking on her plate as she swished her glass of cider to hear its bubbling sound.
“Ne, Riho-chan you should eat your dinner.”
“Listen to your mother Riho. You need to eat to be healthy.”
Riho looked at her parents and began to try and eat the food that was served on her plate. As she kept her gaze fixed on it, Riho began to tear up in remembrance of the event that had happened that day. Her tears fell on her plate and she tried to clear them up with her sleeves but her mother stopped her.
“Riho, is there something wrong with your eyes?!”
Her father heard the mother’s worried tone and looked at the girl as he bombarded her with questions as well.
“Do they hurt, itch, or does the light bother you Riho-chan? Can you see clearly?”
Riho shook her head trying to make her parents understand that there was nothing wrong with her eyes. She stood from the table and excused herself which made her parents look at each other with worried faces.
“I think we should call the doctor dear. Maybe something is wrong with her eyes again…”
“No… I think this is not related to her eyes… maybe it’s a boy from school?”
After the mother said that it may involve a boy, Riho’s father tensed up and looked alarmed at his dear wife. But after thinking about it for a while he told his wife that he was kind of relieved if it was about a boy rather than her eyes but that he would still call in to make an appointment.
Already in her room; Riho took out her sketchpad to vent out the feelings that kept tugging at her heart since that afternoon. Closing her eyes to try and put together what she wanted to sketch, the only image that was visibly ingrained in her brain was that of Eri looking directly into her eyes with a worried and heartbroken expression.
She began to draw Eri’s eyes and then continued on to her mouth and put the details on her long curls. She looked for some colored pencils to try and color the image where those brown eyes met with honey colored curls over a soft pink skin. Visible tears were apparent on Eri’s eyes and suffering could be described from there. Suddenly tears began to create lotus flowers on her drawing and she closed her sketchpad and wept all through the night.
**FLASH**
“I don’t want you near her. If I see you around her I swear you will pay.”
“Stop threatening me! She’s not your possession and you are not my boss.”
“Heed my warning. I will put out all stops when it comes to her.”
She saw how the girl turned around and went down the emergency stairs from the roof and away from the now fuming girl.
**FLASH**
It was about midnight when Takahashi Ai had finished packing a couple of bags for her and Eri after she told principal Nakazawa and school nurse Iida Kaori that she had some family matters to attend out of town and that she would be absent for some time. Deciding to shower after her hard work, Ai went towards her dresser to pick out some clothing and after she undressed she took out from her discarded shirt’s front pocket a small necklace.
‘It’s not possible…I keep this hidden in my journal yet it was at the school. Eri… do you have something to do with this?’
Ai looked at Eri and saw how a 3 linked circle necklace graced her neck and hung over her clavicle. She then proceeded to look at the topaz cross necklace that she had in her hand and her anger began to bubble up within her so she went to look for her journal.
Opening her drawer she found that said object was not there and panicking she proceeded to look for it around the house. A couple of minutes later she heard some soft footsteps behind her as a tired Eri rubbed her eyes and looked at the half naked Ai with a weird expression on her face.
“Umm… Ai-chan… are you looking for something?”
“Not really…”
“Then why are you topless in the middle of the living room?”
As Eri stared at Ai’s naked top half and cocked her head to the side, Ai became aware of her current state and blushed before swiftly covering her front. The turtle walked slowly towards her and Ai could see something strange in the girl’s eyes. As she got in front of her; her husky voice surprised Ai and she felt Eri’s warm breath on her ear when she began to speak.
“You know… this is a good view… A really good one. And I don’t like that you are covering my view.”
“Ah...eh... umm”
Ai’s stuttering made Eri get closer to her as her hands began to roam Ai’s muscular back. Warmth was beginning to spread all around Ai’s body as she began to close the distance between them in a hungry kiss. Eri groped the half-naked Ai and found herself being stripped of her top half as well by the latter’s fast paced hands. As they deepened their kiss, they held each other in a warm embrace when suddenly Eri picked Ai up and made her straddle her waist as she led them to the bedroom.
There; a heated encounter took place as Eri turned into a predatory beast looking for some fresh meat to prey on. Ai let the determined Eri guide her since it was the first time the overly shy girl took the initiative so aggressively. The not-so-shy turtle straddled the older girl’s hips as she hovered over her and stared deep in her eyes.
A lust filled fire burned deep within those orbs and Ai found herself mesmerized by them when suddenly a glint caught her attention and she turned to look at the necklace that hung in the air between the turtle and herself. Anger began to fill her up and as she gritted her teeth she started to move her hand towards it before Eri dipped down to her lips and stopped her.
Taking this into consideration, Ai turned the tables and she was now the one that was straddling the other. As she diverted the turtle’s attention from her body to her mouth she clasped the necklace with her hand. Tightening her grip on the small object she prepared herself to give it a hard pull and break it off from Eri’s neck. Noticing the suddenly tense Ai, Eri opened her eyes and saw Ai’s intention written all over her face.
The now serious turtle quickly clasped the hand Ai had around her necklace and a strange and wrathful feeling began to overtake her as she tightened her hold on said hand and angrily glared at the woman that straddled her.
“Let. Go.”
At the threatening voice and strong hold; Ai whimpered which prompted her fist to loosen up and let go of the necklace. Still, Eri’s hand was tightly grasping Ai’s and suddenly she pushed her off herself and stood up from the bed.
She grabbed her clothing and took her keys from the dresser before she stormed out of the apartment leaving a suddenly frightened Ai alone on the bed grabbing her throbbing hand. After the door was slammed close she looked at her hand and saw some nail marks left by the turtle as well as some traces of blood. She sat alone on her bed as she kept on gazing at her bleeding hand.
‘She looked so… angry…’
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To be continued!!! So... the plot thickens :roll:
Oh yes, before I forget. There is s song reference at the beginning of this chapter that takes a lot, and I mean a LOT, of imaginaiton to picture it. And trust me... there is a LOT to picture from it :lol: :cow:
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The song was great entrance into the chapter and the hot interaction between Eri and Ai is very interesting :nervous
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@Kurosawa87: :P Yeah suddenly I'm into song inserts lol. But yeah, the interaction between them is quite...spicy ??
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Hey guys!! Now, I know it's fast!! Fast update: FAST!! :cow: But this is quite an important chapter that gives off some backgrounds and understandings from the past, present and possible futures. Keep on reading! 10 MY ME is up!
Chapter 10
That morning against her will; Riho was taken to her doctor since her parents were awfully worried about her behavior from the previous night. As she sat at the backseat of her father’s car she began to think about a negotiation she could make with her parents.
“Fine.”
Both parents looked at the rearview mirror after the sudden sound of their daughter’s voice and saw Riho on the back seat with her arms crossed and her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.
“If you let me go alone then I accept going to the doctor.”
The elders looked at each other and debated on the idea. Their daughter was not one to betray them in that manner and the trust they had put in her was enough that it wouldn’t be the first time she has gone there alone.
“Ok. But we want to see the check-up slip signed by her Riho-chan.”
Nodding to their end of the negotiation they rapidly went over the corner of the street that leads to the doctor’s office. Saying their goodbyes they drove away leaving Riho standing on the corner as she waved at them. She made her trip to the doctor quick and her doctor told her that everything was fine with her eyes and that she doesn’t think that anything could go wrong now but just to prevent she should still visit once in a while.
Riho put the doctor check-up slip into her pocket and began to walk towards the park. Whilst walking down the road she remembered how she used to walk through the park every day for two years guided and taught by a girl that was only supposed to be her music teacher but ended up being more than that.
‘I wonder how Gaki-nee is doing… I haven’t seen her in so long.’
As the girl kept on walking through the park a soft melody was growing louder and louder until the clear sound of guitar strumming came to her ears. As she followed the sound, Riho found herself in front of a bench. Now, this road seemed familiar…The smells, the sounds and the way she had to maneuver to get to that place… it somehow feels like a sanctuary.
There on that bench sat a girl with long medium chestnut hair that went smoothly down her head until it reached her clavicles and turned into soft curls. Her eyes were closed in pure delight as she was enjoying the soft music emanating from her guitar to which she hummed along. A smile graced her lips and her sleek fingers moved over each string with elegance and grace. Soon enough her lips parted and a song began to accompany the music she was creating.
“Okoru hazu no nai koto ga, genjitsu ni nari. Hito wa dare mo muryokusa wo omoishiru. Nani ga tadashii no ka doko e yukeba ii no ka miushinatte hikikaesu koto sae dekinai.”
As the words left the young woman’s mouth Riho’s eyes widened at the familiarity of it all. That voice caressed her tired frame and invigorated her withering heart that was hurt the day before by actions she couldn’t really control. But the sound of music brought her a sense of calm she hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Aisuru mono wo mamoru tame tachiagari aruki tsuzukete mo. Hateshinai michinori ni tsukarehate chikarazuki koe mo denai…”
Riho began to pay attention to the lyrics being sung by the woman and started to emphasize with them as she looked for some kind of reassurance. But listening to the voice as well, Riho was almost certain that the person singing was her dear friend.
“Egao ni narenai kanashii toki ni wa dou ka omoi dashitemite. Ikite sae ireba nani ka ga umareru, ikite sae ireba mukuwareru. Dakara makenaide: hitori ja nai kara.”
The girl continued playing the guitar for a while more but her singing stopped as she enjoyed the simple sound made by the instrument. When she finished playing the song; Riho slowly walked towards her and trying not to be disrespectful kept her distance from the woman who had yet to open her eyes.
“Gaki-nee ??”
At hearing her nickname come out of the girl’s mouth, the woman sat up and faced forward as she slowly put her guitar aside. The shock was evident on her face since she had recognized the voice and its owner by that simple phrase. She opened her eyes which focused nowhere and a questioning look covered her face.
“Riho…is that you?”
“Gaki-nee… it’s… yeah…”
“Oh Riho!”
Standing up she slowly felt forward until a small hand grabbed hers and brought it closer to a face. The woman felt every little detail on the girl’s face; her small nose, eyes and the curves of her lips that were slightly trembling at the touch. Soon enough the trembling covered the whole of the girl’s body and moisture was present in her eyes. Riho began to sob at her dear teacher’s gentle touch and the woman brought her closer to her chest as she hugged her.
“Hey! There’s no need to cry Riho-chan… its ok.”
“Gaki-nee! I’ve missed you!”
“Haha, I’ve missed you as well Riho-chan. I’ve missed you a lot.”
Riho stood in the woman’s embrace for a couple of minutes enjoying the warmth that emanated from her kind figure. Memories from the past began to come back to both of them as they relished this small but important hug. A comfortable silence surrounded them but soon enough Riho spoke yet again.
“Gaki-nee… you’re even more beautiful than I imagined.”
“Hahaha! Riho-chan!”
“It’s true! I thought it was you when I heard you singing, in fact I was certain! But seeing your face, wow! Gaki-nee you’re not beautiful! You’re gorgeous!”
The woman smiled at the girl and caressed her face once again as she brought her closer to the bench so that they could sit together and talk. When she took her hands away from the girl’s face, Riho brought them back onto it and she put her hands over the woman’s to prohibit her from separating them from her face.
“Riho-chan, is there a reason why my hands suddenly belong to your face and not to my body?”
The woman felt Riho’s cheeks warm up before the girl giggled and soon a pout came to the girl’s face which prompted the woman to pat her head. The woman remembered the times when she used to coax the girl to sleep whenever she was frustrated or mad by a simple pat on the head and the hum of an imaginary melody. But this was not the same girl, her features were slowly changing to those of a woman and that change was quite noticeable to one who memorized each and every aspect of the girl’s face.
“You’ve grown up a lot Riho. You’re almost taller than me… well not yet but you did get taller. And your voice changed a bit.”
“Well Gaki-nee, that’s what happens when you leave for a whole year…”
Riho’s mumbling didn’t go unnoticed and the woman’s heart ached a bit after hearing the hurt within those words. She knew that her leave was going to be painful, but she had accepted those conditions for the benefit of the little one.
“I’m sorry Riho-chan…I truly am. But tell you what. I promise to never leave again if you forgive me.”
The young girl’s face had a smile so bright she just had to show her teacher. Taking the woman’s hands once again she placed them on her face and they both laughed. The woman was relieved and thankful to the innocent happiness that brings company to one who is alone. And that happiness was not reserved for the girl, but also for the woman who had missed her dearly. She was going to keep her promise this time and slowly but surely she was going to rekindle their friendship once again.
“So tell me Riho, how have you been?”
Riho began to tell the woman and they spent the whole afternoon in the park catching up. Even though the girl did most of the talking, the woman interjected as well with comments on how happy she was and how proud she was of the girl. This conversation was going in the direction of rekindling that old friendship. The woman was amazed at how easily she was smoothing over the pain of that separation and as the girl kept on talking she began to get this worried feeling that something was going to make this harder than how it is right now. Soon she felt how Riho changed her gaze and began to stare directly at her.
“Yeah and Gaki-nee…-“
**FLASH**
Running as fast as she could to her house, sweat drops running down her face and her heart beating a million miles an hour; the girl couldn’t believe just how far her house was from the school. As she got there; an ambulance and police officers were going in and out the house.
“What happened?!”
“Miss, you can’t go in there.”
“This is my house! Now tell me what happened!”
The police officer looked suspiciously at her and requested backup. A couple of people grabbed her from the shoulders and kept getting her further from the house. The paramedics were coming out of the house with someone on a stretcher that had their face covered.
“What happened to her!?”
“Miss, calm down. You need to call your parent’s please.”
“They’re dead! Now tell me!”
“Then call your guardian miss.”
Angrily taking her phone she dialed the first number that came to her mind.
“Miki-chan. Riho!!“
.
.
.
“Riho.”
.
.
.
“Riho are you okay?”
**FLASH**
“Riho-chan? Is something the matter?”
“Huh? What?”
Riho shook her head as she found herself sitting again on the park with the woman grabbing her hand.
“You were going to say something when suddenly you got really quiet Riho-chan. Is something wrong?”
Riho looked at the girl and shook her head before continuing on with the thing she wanted to tell her. Even though she fluently spoke, her mind was off somewhere else as she thought about what she had seen. She began to tighten her grip on the hand of the woman so as to shake off the feeling of being somewhere else. The woman noticed and decided to ignore this and just keep on listening to the girl.
‘This is getting worse… It feels so real… It’s like I’m the one doing that stuff but… I’m sure I haven’t been through any of those happenings before… what is going on?’
On another part of town a couple of girls were sitting on a living room having tea and eating sweets. They had been like that since the night before when one of them had suddenly appeared wet from the rain and crying out in anger at the other’s door.
“Eririn… so you have no idea why Ai got so mad?”
Eri thought about the words she had been told and denied any knowledge about the matter. Her friend continued to daintily eat her snacks as she thought about the matter as well. Eri smiled since her friend always ate the same dainty way no matter where she was.
Her long black hair was put into a pair of braids behind her ear and the pink shirt she was wearing contrasted perfectly with her creamy skin. If the turtle had a canvas right then and there she would paint that, but seeing as she left the apartment without even her cellphone she couldn’t really do much.
“Sayu… there’s something… I haven’t really told you.”
“What is it Eri?”
“A year ago… I lost someone really important and… well… maybe that’s why Ai is mad…”
Sayumi turned her attention from the food and looked at her friend ready to hear some more of her story. Eri began to tell her little bits of it and Sayu became mad since she noticed that the bits that were missing were really important and were also the ones that made her confused. The sequence of events in Eri’s story was all broken as if the turtle wanted to hide something.
“Wait! No, Eri. Please start at the beginning.”
“Umm… ok… Well I had this friend in school and we basically did everything together. Last year she took me to a gallery and well… it was the last day I saw her…”
“Ok and what does that have to do with Ai?”
Sayu wasn’t giving Eri the opportunity to think about the feelings behind her words in fear that she would burst out crying. Eri’s eyes were casted on the rabbit’s carpet as she kept on rubbing her hands and trying to answer as fast as the bunny asked her questions.
“Well last night it was because of this.”
Eri took her necklace in her fingers and showed Sayu the 3 linked circles. Sayu looked curiously at her friend and asked why Ai got mad at the necklace. The small thing was glinting from the light and Sayumi’s curiosity kept on spiking since she knew that Ai was a very calm and collected woman. Sayu needed to know how that small object could change Ai’s demeanor in an instant.
“She wanted to take it from me… last night… she didn’t even have to say a word… I saw the intention in her eyes. This is one of the items I treasure the most from that dear friend I lost and… seeing Ai wanting to pry it from me … it made me mad and I grabbed her hand aggressively so that she would let go of it. I… I hurt her Sayu… I felt her skin breaking under my hold”
Sayu’s eyes widened after she heard that Eri; the aloof and quirky turtle, herld Ai aggressively enough to break the elder’s skin from that action. Reaching to her right, the bunny handed Eri the phone since she knew that the turtle wanted to call Ai to talk to her and settle this once and for all. Eri did as Sayu expected and soon she found herself leaving her friend’s apartment to go and meet Ai at a café in town.
Walking from her friend’s house and towards the café, the turtle found herself thinking about what she had done and how she felt about it. She knew that the small item that hung over her heart was not really the culprit, but that the feelings she still has for the person who gave it to her are the ones that hurt Ai enough to want to separate the turtle from those memories that still obviously bring her pain.
‘I am sorry for hurting Ai like that but… I’m also hurt since she wants to separate me from everything that is related to you. I know that Ai does it because she cares for me and because she wants me to be happy but… I can’t help but feel hurt at her action… Do I need to be taken away from the memories that remind me of you to keep away from the pain of losing you? If that’s so then…what shall I do with Riho… when she is the one that reminds me the most of you and keeps bringing you back?’
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10 MY ME is over!! now onto the next chapter!! And the theatre awaits!! So I'll see you next update! Thanks for reading this long chapter lol! :cow:
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It is interesting and adds intrigue to the fic. Well I hope everything works out well for everyone in the end, even if it isn't even close to then XD
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@Kurosawa87: LOL thank you for reading!! Right now I'm figuring out how to manage time so that I can properly comment on the fics you've updated. But fear not: I have read them!! I'm just gathering the words to comment on them lol. Kuro-sama!!! The story is 2 moths old and I didn't celebrate!!! Let's get some coconuts and dance!!! :cow:
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So: Fantasy 11 is right up! And well the story isn't still going nowhere... but it is still my first so I will do much to finish it!! Thank you for reading!! Oh yeah BTW it's the 1000th view special!!! :cry: I'm happy!! :cow:
Chapter 11
Eri and Ai were sitting at ‘Morning Coffee’; the local café famous for its bite sized coffee cup shaped cupcakes. Silence hung in the air as the tension between the women rose. They were both debating in their minds who should talk first and what to say to each other after their first serious fight.
“I’m-I’m- sorry- sorry”
Seeing as hey both said the same thing at the same time they began to giggle and the tension between them quickly dissipated. People had different opinions regarding their limits and learning about those limits is the main reason for being together. Both women understood that and began to find peace in the knowledge that what they feel for each other is strong enough to resist this and overcome this small obstacle. Then, they proceeded to drink their coffee in silence when suddenly Eri cleared her throat and spoke.
“I’m sorry for being so mad at you yesterday… and all over a necklace…it’s just that… this is the last thing that I have of her… I just can’t seem to be part from it… and when I saw you taking a hold of it I felt hurt…”
“I’m sorry Eri-chan. I don’t want to pressure you into anything, but seeing that necklace hurts me a bit since I know that it mostly brings you painful memories… but don’t worry I can patiently wait for you to do with it what you want.”
Eri smiled as Ai took her hand and discreetly kissed her when suddenly the clacking of heels and a cackle caught them red-handed. Eri’s eyes widened at the sudden memory that came to her form hearing that sound. In the not so distant past she had found herself in the same position but with someone completely different that right now. The turtle had once shared a kiss with a girl at the farthest corner of their art classroom when suddenly the same clacking of heals and cackling giggle interrupted their sweet moment.
“You know, that’s not something people who work at a high school do in public.”
“Fujimoto-sensei!”
“Good morning, Kamei and Takahashi. I thought you would be out of town by now?”
Eri looked puzzled at Ai who in turn shook her head and gently smiled at her co-worker as she answered.
“No, we just came back Fujmoto-sensei. It wasn’t such a big deal so we decided to return for work today.”
“Well then if that’s the case, I’ll see you later.”
“No, wait Fujimoto-sensei.”
Miki turned around after Eri stopped her and asked her if something was wrong. Eri blushed and looking down she asked her to please act as if she didn’t see them so that ‘Ai could rest a bit since she was the one who actually drove them all the way to where they needed to go’. Ai was surprised at the way Eri kept on with the little fable she’d created and wondered if something would go wrong because of it. Miki smirked at the girls and after winking she let them do as they wished and went on with her purchase.
‘Those two… I can’t believe they’re together… I never thought Eri could love someone other than you… should I be happy? She has moved on but why does it have to be with her? She’s never given me a good vibe.’
Miki went to school to grade some papers and since she finished quickly she went home to meet with an empty apartment. The whole time she was at school thoughts about Eri and Ai kept on filling her mind and she still could not grasp that they were together. Eri for one was very innocent compared to the quiet and secretive Ai who had a confident aura that overshadowed the turtle’s quirky one. All that thinking had somewhat exhausted the art teacher and now that she was home in that empty apartment, thoughts about her dearest one’s whereabouts kept nagging at her.
“Risa? Are you home?”
Miki asked to no one in particular since she knew her lover wasn’t there both because of the lack of music and the familiar smell of food cooked by her in the apartment. She didn’t want to pester her girl with questions that could potentially invade her privacy so she decided to go on and take a shower. There, she couldn’t help but worry about her girl and her mind kept insisting on giving her a call but still Miki wouldn’t give in and invade the woman’s privacy. After taking a shower, Miki decided it was already time to make some food so she went into the kitchen and began to prepare the meal for the both of them that day. I has been some time since she has come home and cooked a meal, but she knew that she hadn’t forgotten how to cook… even if she only knew how to make one dish.
‘Mmm…I wonder where Risa-chan is. She usually doesn’t work this late… should I call her?? I don’t want her to think I baby her… But maybe if she were to work closer to home… But that would mean interfering with her freedom. Arrgh!! What should I do?! I’ve been pondering this whole time on whether or not calling her is a good idea!! Ugh!’
“Miki, the food is burning sweetie.”
The woman was brought out of her thoughts and personal reprimands as she noticed that the only meal she knew how to cook truly was burning. She began to panic about it and as she desperately tried to find ways to fix the meal it began to get worse. Giggles resounded in her back as Risa put her guitar case on top of the dining table and went onwards to Miki. The cooking woman was worried about the current state of their meal but when she felt one of Risa’s soft hands at her midsection and the other over the hand that was grasping the chopsticks she noticeably calmed down.
“Cooking doesn’t necessarily have to involve eyesight. The changes in texture you feel from your chopsticks as well as the smell the different ingredients give off as they cook and even the sound it makes whilst it’s cooking; that’s what truly lets you know if it’s ready to be served or not.”
Risa swiftly grabbed a clean cloth from the cabinet besides the fridge and came back to where Miki was and put it over her eyes darkening her vision. Solely guided by the woman’s firm hands around her as well as by the warm air around her ears from her voice; Miki relax in the arms that held her and followed every instruction. In this position she felt secure, even if she was currently lacking one of her senses. She knew that there was no place safer than Risa’s arms and she relished every second she was ever held by them. The soft heartbeat of the bean was felt by Miki through her back and she forgot about the food. She could hear her own heartbeat resounding in her ears every time Risa moved the food in front of them and she heard it speed up when the woman gently brushed her lips on Miki’s ear as she reclaimed her attention.
“Here. Listen to the food, feel its texture and smell how it merges together to form a single meal. You can relax a bit sweetie. If you’re too stiff the food will think you’re scared of it haha.”
“Hehe, relax, got it.”
“What can you feel through your hands Miki?”
“That it’s getting firmer…”
“What can you smell?”
“A sweet scent that combines into a honey and caramel state…it’s crackling a little bit.”
“Is it ready yet?”
“I…I don’t know…”
“Then ask the food Miki. She will answer. Ask with your senses.”
Miki began to smell and listen and feel the food just as Risa instructed and soon enough she softly gasped in realization from both what she had sensed from the food as well as by the fact that she had indeed sensed something that had made her mind think solely on one item.
“Pepper… it’s missing some pepper.”
“Very good my love, now let me go and bring it for you; don’t take the blindfold off.”
Hearing Risa’s retreating footsteps, Miki blushed proud of herself for doing something like that and being praised by her girlfriend. Her heart was fluttering when she had done something right and the love and admiration she felt for her girl increased immensely. Soon enough Risa came back and handed Miki the pepper as she took a hold of the chopsticks that the art teacher previously held.
“Now go on and put some over there.”
“But…how mu-”
“Feel it baby. Have confidence in yourself and trust your instincts.”
Miki put her trust in Risa just like Risa has always put her trust in her. She knew how much pepper the meal needed and confidence began to fill her up as she kept on making that meal alongside the woman she loves. They finished making dinner together and found themselves serving it and eating it with Miki still blindfolded. Her foot throbbed a little though from bumping it against the table when they were going back from the stove but she continued eating the delicious food she and Risa had made without paying much attention to it.
“Risa-chan… Have I ever told you how much I admire you?”
“Mm? Admire?”
“Yeah… doing all of this… playing your music, going to and from work, keeping the house clean and cooking delicious meals… all of this… I … I almost lost my foot over there a couple of minutes ago yet, you’ve lived this for almost 5 years…”
“Hehe, Miki-chan. I love you, you know that? And I’m flattered that you admire me.”
“I love you as well my little bean. And where were you? It’s kind of late for you to have been at work…”
“You’re right, I actually work tomorrow. Today at the park I… well I met with Riho…”
Risa’s voice lowered when she was voicing out Riho’s name but still Miki caught up on it and stiffened a bit. The bean’s reaction could not be seen by the blindfolded teacher but, the short time she had spent blindfolded had already taken effect on her other senses and she could clearly hear the change in attitude from her girl. Diverting her attention from the meal, Miki had already deduced where Risa was seated and moving her hand from her chopsticks she reached to her left and took the bean’s hand in hers. Shifting in her seat she patiently waited for the suddenly silent Risa to speak; she found that it was quite pointless to coax her to speak since the girl’s lips weren’t moving at all. That had prompted Miki her to squeeze her hand a bit to encourage her to begin speaking when the silence had begun to turn deafening. Noticing that her actions didn’t do much to change Risa’s sudden silent disposition; she decided to break it herself and speak.
“And how do you feel about that sweetie?”
“I’m ok actually… it doesn’t feel different than before…”
Miki gave thought to the words spoken by Risa and began to question if the decision they made a year ago was the right one. The teacher knew that many feelings were at stake at the moment and not only to protect herself but to protect the one she loves she made that hard and heartbreaking descicion to keep both girls apart from each other. Still it tugged at her heart the feeling that it was wrong to keep the young girl away from them and continue on with their lives as if they didn’t know her. She knew that once day they would find each other in this small town, but she didn’t know that it would be Risa to find her… And she had never paid much thought to how they would react to that happening… but she had always hoped for the best.
“She recognized my voice… but Miki… tell me… has she recognized yours Miki… has Riho recognized your voice?”
“Not really. I’m close to her but she doesn’t seem to piece it together. There are times I feel like she does but in the end it’s always something else that’s in her young mind.”
“Miki… tell me… does she look like her?”
Miki’s heart clenched a bit at Risa’s question but she knew that if she lied; Risa would notice so she went on and told her the truth. Miki had feared this question for a long time, and that fear was part of the reason why she had decided to keep Riho away from them for quite some time. When she first saw the girl in the school she was quite apprehensive and didn’t know if she should approach her, but the girl closed the distance herself when she subscribed to Miki’s art class as her main at the beginning of the year. Their first classes where hard and she had mistaken the young girls name a couple of times but young Riho always overlooked her mistake with a kind expression and soon enough, Miki had begun to grow accustomed to seeing both people in the same expression. But there was something that had made her worry and she needed to ask Risa about it.
“She’s got the same eyes Risa-chan, which I can’t deny. Her personality has always been similar… she can’t word out her thoughts either. But there are also days when I see her and she’s just spacing out… like she… as if she doesn’t truly belong in this world…Tell me did she space out a lot when you gave her the lessons?”
Risa thought about it and she noticed that Riho had spaced out earlier today as well when they were talking. It was quite strange for the often attentive and observant girl to space out like that and go off in her own little world. Seeing that Miki has seen the same strange happening of Riho spacing out; she began to think back to the conversation she was having with the girl at the park that day before she had begun to space out.
~Flashback~
“So tell me Riho-chan. How has the world felt ever since last year?”
“Mmm… it’s different. It changes each day but every time it gets clearer…”
After voicing this out, Riho became quiet and kept on staring at the trees that surrounded them. Risa noticed the girl’s quietness and gently asked about it.
“Is there something on your mind? It’s as if something you are seeing is bothering you.”
Riho looked back at her teacher who was gazing upwards as she enjoyed the soft breeze that caressed them. Risa could feel the younger’s staring but she patiently waited for Riho to speak since she didn’t want to push the girl and make her hate her for being too nosy.
“Actually Gaki-nee… there is…”
“Would you care to tell me?”
“Gaki-nee have you ever felt like you see something and feel something that doesn’t quite belong to you?”
The sudden question made Risa wonder what the girl was talking about and millions of possible situations came to her mind but she decided to directly ask the girl instead of just wonder what she was thinking since the possible scenarios didn’t make much sense.
“What do you mean Riho-chan?”
Riho’s eyebrows wrinkled as she deeply thought on a way to voice this so that her friend could understand what she meant without sounding like a mental case.
“It’s like mmm… It’s like reading a music sheet from an instrument that’s not yours. It’s still music but it’s not your instrument and even though you recognize the notes and rhythm… you notice that there’s something not quite right…”
Risa thought about what Riho said and tried to piece together its meaning since something she could clearly understand was music. As she pieced everything and tried to compare it to real life she began to wonder where all this was coming from and trying to mask her worry she could only put her hand on the girls shoulder and ask another question that could possibly help her understand what was truly bothering the girl.
“Are you sure those sights and feelings don’t belong to you? Maybe you’re seeing things from another perspective? I mean, maybe you’re confusing you own music sheet with another.”
“I’m … I don’t really know… they feel so real as if I’m the one that’s experiencing them… I see those…flashes when the most random things appear… Like for example I saw a girl enjoying herself on a gallery but I’ve never been to one… then the same gallery but this time, the girl was crying and…well it felt like she was crying on top of me whilst clutching my side… Her tears falling on top of me as well as the pain that surged through my body from there… it was all so vivid. It’s weird Gaki-nee…am I strange?”
The woman thought about the words the young girl told her and couldn’t give her a concrete answer since she didn’t really know herself what was going on with the girl. But she thought it was curious and she wasn’t going to place the crazy stamp on the girl she knows speaks bluntly of everything she sees. Risa was going to help Riho understand what has happening and she wasn’t going to leave her behind once again. Together they were going to figure this out.
~End of Flashback~
“Actually Miki-chan… she told me she’s been feeling that way lately and that it had never happened before. That she sees stuff that doesn’t quite belong to her. Maybe you should keep an eye on her… if those moments where she spaces off are occurring more frequently she may hurt herself.”
Miki promised Risa that she would look into it and they finished their dinner in silence as they thought about it. Through the whole meal their hands were intertwined and both had silently decided to look over the girl and protect her from any harm that may come her way.
**FLASH**
“Yes!!!! Meat!!!!”
“Now now, eat your vegetables as well. What kind of example are you setting for our guest?”
“Aww come on!! You don’t eat your vegetables either!!”
She kept her gaze at her meat filled plate as she evaded the glare that was to come but never really came. Instead a, crazy to her but completely sweet to anyone else, laughter came her way.
“Haha, you’re so funny you know that?! Now eat your vegetables the easy way or the Miki-way!”
“Hai! Hai!”
Laughter resounded around the table as everyone kept on eating. Looking over at the end of the table she saw Miki winking at her as she shifted to see at the corner of her eyes the other person at the table. Smiling, she slowly began to turn towards her right to look at the girl.
**FLASH**
“Riho-chan?? What are you staring at?”
Riho saw that she was looking over an empty seat and when she looked forward at the end of the table she saw her father’s face as he scrunched up his eyebrows waiting for his daughter to respond. The young girl tried to cover up the fact that she had another flash and just answered with the first thing that came to her mind.
“I was going to sneeze but it escaped my nose.”
The sweet reply made her parents smile and continue to focus on their food as they made unimportant conversations that kept the family together over dinner. Riho quietly listened to her parents but kept her gaze fixed at her plate and her expression turned thoughtful and guarded.
‘My plate here has vegetables right now… but the plate I just saw had nothing but meat…and most importantly… Who is this: Miki person? She somehow looks familiar but… who is she?’
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Fantasy Juuichi! Owarii!! And now where is Shiawase Honoo and her insights on the story!! It's slowly progressing...emphasis on the SLOWLY lol Thanks for reading!
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Congrads on getting here, although Riho doesn't recognize Miki and they all have been in a different world in Riho's mind. I tend to wonder if she would realize it sooner
As for my fics, I don't know if I can keep up the pace if my life doesn't kill me first although I should get something going soon
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@Kurosawa87: Thanks Kuro-sama lol. Well yeah it's going slowly I know it's just that I'm stuck but I've got it planned and it will unravel soon.
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Chapter 12
**FLASH**
‘~Come to the roof at lunch hour, you won’t regret it.~’
‘The roof huh? But Miki asked me to help her at lunch… should I go?’
“Something on your mind?”
After hearing the sudden question, she looked behind her and saw Miki slowly approaching with an all knowing smile in place. This prompted her to hide the note in her hand behind her back and shake her head to answer the previously posted question.
“Just thinking on what to get for lunch.”
“Well I’ve got some yakiniku but… I see something has come your way so I think I’ll eat it by myself. See you after lunch!”
Miki waved goodbye and went on along the hallway towards her classroom giggling at every step she took. Smiling and ruffling her pigtails; she suddenly paused when she noticed what Miki had actually told her seconds ago.
‘Wait…after lunch?’
“Miki! Hold on!”
**FLASH**
Riho found herself on her school’s hallway with a piece of paper in her hand. She intently looked at it and noticed that it was blank with only a small pencil-made scribble on it. I looked funny to Riho since it was a couple of circles resembling a number 8 with the one at the bottom bigger. Over the bigger circle there was an ‘X’ whilst on the smaller circle there was a smile and wink. Ignoring the flash she had just seen; Riho proceeded onwards to the roof where she had her lunch waiting to be eaten. As she made her way there; thoughts about the turtle began to invade her mind for the hundredth time that week since Eri had been evading her ever since the day they were decorating the roof. As she sat on the roof she enjoyed the soft breeze that was blowing and thought about what to do to talk to the woman. Slowly eating her lunch, a meow brought her attention from the food towards the cat that stood over the railing.
“Rey, long time no see.”
“Meow.”
Rey kept on staring at Riho from the railing and meowing at the girl as if he was asking what the girl was doing. The proud cat stood on the railing and his questioning glare made Riho put her lunch aside and began to stand up to pet him thinking that maybe he could help her sort out her thoughts and make a decision. Riho put her finished lunch besides her and went closer to the railing to pet him. As she got closer a ray of sunlight hit her eyes.
**FLASH**
“Meow”
“Hehe, hold on a second I’m coming.”
The sound of a door slamming from her back brought her attention from Rey and she turned to see what had happened. As she turned around; fast paced
footsteps ran at her and a black figure began to get closer.
“I told you to stay away!”
Everything was going so fast that all she could see were the extended arms of the person that was intending to push her over the railing and off the school’s roof.
‘Wait…what?!’
Her view was beginning to fill up with the clear blue sky as she felt herself going over the railing in slow motion. The school’s structure was not visible anymore and the sky ahead was getting further away each millisecond as a gust of air was beginning to carry her. Everything was suddenly interrupted when an arm caught hers.
“Hold on!”
Miki’s face fully came to the girl’s view which prompted her to hold on tighter to the hand that grasped hers as she dangled over the school’s rooftop. She could see the struggle written all over Miki’s face and she tried her very best to hold on but still she felt how she was slowly slipping from that hold.
“Riho don’t you dare let go of my hand you hear me!”
**FLASH**
“What?”
Riho saw her art teacher struggling to pull her up from the roof and felt her eyes widen and her heart begin to race as she noticed her current situation. Fujimoto-sensei was pretty strong since she could hold Riho’s whole weight by herself but she didn’t have enough strength to pull her up. Desperately trying to look for a solution she saw how the young girl’s eyes were beginning to grow hazy and her hold grow weaker from all the shock.
‘Miki… don’t let go…’
Fujimoto-sensei’s eyes were fixed on Riho when suddenly another figure came to her aid and grab onto the young girl’s arm as well before yelling at her and commanding her to pull. Fujimoto heard the other person counting off and without hesitating; they successfully pulled Riho back onto the roof and set her unconscious figure flat on the concrete. Both were panting from the strenuous work and the adrenaline rush and Fujimoto looked besides her to see who it was that helped her pull the girl over the railing. As she looked to her side, the art teacher noticed that it was none other than the nurse’s assistant who helped her with the girl. This was a strange turn of events and the teacher sighed trying to conceal the fact that she was quite agitated and frightened from what had happened but at the same time she was relieved that the nurse’s assistant was there to help.
“Thank you Takahashi.”
Ai reacted at the teacher’s relieved sighed words and began to check up on the unconscious girl’s condition where she noticed Riho’s feverish and pale form ling limp on the concrete. Fujimoto-sensei saw how Ai began to assess young Riho and after seeing the mental decision the young nurse’s assistant had made she asked if she should take the girl to the infirmary so that Ai could have a better look there. Takahashi was beginning to pick Riho up from the floor but the art teacher decided to do it herself so that Ai wouldn’t overexert herself… even if the true reason was that the art teacher still didn’t quite trust the young nurse’s assistant.
Nakazawa- kōchō was sitting in the young assistant’s infirmary besides school nurse Iida Kaori discussing some matters related to work when Fujimoto and Takahashi barged in there there carrying an unconscious Riho. Both women looked worriedly at them and immediately began to ask questions about what had happened. The tension in the room quickly rose up and neither of the women wanted to explain what had actually happened since they knew what that explanation could prompt unneeded yelling at that very moment. Takahashi, knowing that it was her job to explain why one of the students is in need of medical aid, was the one brave enough to tell both the school principal and school nurse what had happened.
“She almost fell from the roof and now she’s feverish and unconscious.”
Ai’s brief response was enough to get the principal fuming which made her shoot a truly deadly glare at the worried art teacher who stood by her side. Fujimoto knew why that glare was solely directed at her since it was always her students the ones that lingered over at the roof… something that lingered along the lines of ‘Like teacher; like students’. Noticing the sudden change in atmosphere that was brought on by Takahashi’s explanation; the school nurse dismissed everyone from the infirmary except her assistant so that she could do her job as relaxed as she could and guarantee the student’s well-being. Out of the infirmary, the teacher and principal stood in pure silence as one worried over her student and the other wondered how to ask her what had happened in a detailed manner.
“I will do my best to try and keep her out of the roof from now on Nakazawa san.”
Surprised at the teacher’s words and the responsible tone she had used, the principal calmed down and asked her to look at her. Nakazawa remembered how Fujimoto was when she was a student and pride began to fill her when she noticed just how grown up and how mature the young rascal has become. From her years throwing things from the rooftop at the other students as well as those years they used to wear their uniforms in crazy patterns. And who could forget young Fujimoto-sensei’s first love and how embarrassed she was when Nakazawa had caught her red-handed on their very first kiss at the courtyard. When the teacher gathered her courage to look to her side, a warm smile was plastered on the principal’s face as she told her that she remembered how little Riho holds a special place on the young Fujimoto’s heart. Both knew that the art teacher would do her best to protect the young girl form any harm that could come her way and Nakazawa tried to console her.
“It’s ok, but please don’t let this happen again. I can’t afford to lose another student… and by the looks of it neither can you.”
Fujimoto stiffened at the response but calmed down since she knew that her once teacher and now boss was right in what she had said. Her heart could not afford to lose another student and the pain that said loss would bring her…she knew it would be enough to bring her to the deepest despair known to man… After that exchange of words both principal and teacher stood in a comfortable silence only broken by the sound of the infirmary door opening which showed both nurses coming out of the room with a calmer expression than before. They silently closed the door and Ai stood there with her face lowered as Iida sensei talked to the principal and art teacher about the young girl’s condition.
“Her fever is going down steadily but I suggest she’d be taken to the hospital. She still hasn’t regained consciousness and it worries me so I’ve already called for an ambulance and they will be here soon to admit her.”
The principal nodded at the nurse’s suggestion and asked her where they were going since they had come out of the office with a bundle of files. Seeing as they were headed for the other infirmary to take care of the paperwork needed to take Riho to the hospital, Fujimoto-sensei offered to keep an eye on the girl until the ambulance came.
“Ok, Fujimoto-sensei. Just try to keep her fever down.”
“I’ll go to my office to call her parents and tell them what happened.”
They all dispersed and Fujimoto hesitated to go into the room still shaken up by the event that just happened. Her heartbeat was fast and she was sweating from the nerves that had suddenly befallen her. After taking a few deep breaths she opened the door and went into the room to sit beside the bedridden Riho. Sighing, tears almost fell from her eyes as she saw how frail looking the girl was. Riho was taking short and quick breaths as sweat droplets fell from her forehead because of her fever. The teacher dabbed a wet cloth on it to try and lower the fever that enveloped the child which made the girls short breaths get quicker.
“Mm… don’t…”
At the girl’s mumble, Fujimoto stopped her actions, held her breath, and fearfully looked to see if she was hurting the child in any matter. Noticing that it was probably a feverish mumble she let go of her held breath and continued to dab the cloth on the girl’s forehead as she was instructed by the school nurse. She worriedly began to speak to herself to try and calm down the nerves that were afflicting her and soon enough she found herself speaking to the girl.
“Riho-chan… how did you manage to go over the railing and almost fall off the roof…?”
“Mmm… don’t hurt her…”
At the sudden accusation the teacher leaned closer to her student to try and listen to the mumblings she was emitting since this aggressive tone could not be caused by her fever. When she gently dabbed the cloth she saw how the girl’s eyes widely opened as she took a sharp intake of breath and stared directly at her teacher. This desperate form from the young girl reminded the teacher of a certain girl that used to wake up from her nightmares in the same frightened form which made her see the resemblance between them once again. Gasping for some air, the girl began to look around the infirmary in a desperate manner and the teacher held her by the shoulders to try and calm her down. As she tried to hold her down their gazes met once again and student and teacher looked directly into each other’s eyes.
**FLASH**
“Miki how is she!?”
She saw Miki sitting in the Emergency room as she held her head with both hands and kept on quietly asking herself ‘Why’. Only after she repeatedly shook her did Miki come to her senses and looked directly at her with visible tears in her eyes clearly blaming herself for what had happened.
“Miki what happened to her?!”
She kept on desperately searching her eyes for an answer and suddenly Miki’s expression changed to a worried one and she began began to open her mouth to speak.
“Calm down Riho. It’s me: Miki.”
“Ri… who?!!?!? Miki!! What happened to her! What happened to-”
“Riho!”
**FLASH**
The girl was short on breath and a heavy feeling began to fill her heart when tears began to sting her eyes. Seeing her teacher’s worried face she looked around and found herself lying on the infirmary’s bed and her teacher by her side clearly not crying and obviously worried about her strange actions.
Looking around her she tried to ask what had happened but her view quickly darkened and silence was the only thing heard around her.
“Riho!”
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To be continued... Thanks for reading!
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The flashbacks are surreal to Riho as she progresses throughout this story, it seems a little too real at points :nervous
Keep up the good work
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@Kurosawa87: Thanks for reading!!! Well lets see... how real the flashbacks are can be so both because and with the eye. :thumbsup
@xyukie56: Thanks for the thanks!
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Oh my gash!! This was such a hard chapter!! I'm so stuck on this!! dear beetlegeuse!! ...or however the way you spell it! But well starting tomorrow I'm going on a search for how to write what I've planned for this fic! As always thanks for reading and enjoy!
Chapter 13
**FLASH**
“Hey sleepy head. If you want to eat some breakfast you need to wake up now.”
“Mmm… 5 more minutes!!”
“Now my little kitten. Or else your meat will turn cold.”
The small shakings from the girl that was talking to her woke her up and she decided to oblige and awake so that she could eat her food while it was still warm. Rolling on the bed, she turned belly-up and looked at the girl whose face was lightened up by the morning sun. The light was blinding and having her vision already blurred by her still lingering sleep didn’t really help her recognize any special characteristics other than a short bobbed brown hair that shone in the morning light.
“Who … who are you…”
**FLASH**
Scurrying could be heard all around her as the movements of a couple of people resounded in her now attentive ears. Riho tried to open her eyes but the bright light over her face was making it difficult and the movement and hushing by her side was making her nervous every passing second.
“Riho-chan… can you hear me? It’s time to wake up.”
The girl heard that familiar voice and she felt her heart beat faster which made her want to open her eyes and see who was talking to her. She felt tired but her curiosity was winning over her tiredness and she slowly but surely opened her eyes and looked to her right.
“Good morning Riho-chan.”
Riho saw light brown curled hair that was held in two pigtails and as she kept on looking upwards she saw a gentle smile greeting her peacefully. It warmed her heart seeing the soft features gently smiling at her and as her gaze went in search of the smiling girl’s eyes the blinding light of a pen began to harass her yet again.
“How do you feel Sayashi-san? You were out for quite some time.”
The girl closed her eyes shut at the light that now bothered her and she just mumbled that she was ok. No other words were spoken by her to answer the questions since she was a bit mad that the owner of the voice that greeted her was still faceless in her mind.
“Oh Riho-chan! I’m so glad you woke up!”
Riho felt her mother and father smother her in a tight hug as well as the relief that emanated from their weak figures. Slowly opening her tired eyes once again, Riho looked around the room in search of the girl who had previously spoken but found that the only people present were her parents and the doctor. Still under her parent’s hug, Riho began to think about what had happened and why she was in the hospital.
“Nothing you need to worry about anymore Riho… you’ll be ok from now on.”
Her mother’s words kept echoing in her mind and she decided to brush off any type of worry since her parents were right there and they could protect her no matter what happens. The doctor began to ask Riho some questions and after some time he noticed that there were some details that looked blank for some reason and he was thinking that something was not quite right with the girl’s memory. There was a knock on the door and as the person was allowed entrance a small round face poked through the opening and bashfully smiled.
“Umm… Hi… Riho-chan…”
Riho saw her best friend and instantly smiled at her and asked her to come closer. Kanon’s confidence kept on going higher and she approached her best friend calmly and happy to see her once again. The girl was asked to not agitate Riho in any way so she just began to make small and meaningless conversations with her. Meanwhile, the doctor asked Riho’s parents to come out and meet with him in his office so that they could talk some more about Riho’s current condition. Seeing as the girls were enjoying their time together, the parents went with the doctor and sat in his office to pay attention to whatever he had to say about the wellbeing of their daughter.
“Sayashi-san… Has your daughter ever suffered from memory loss or does she blank out sometimes?”
The couple looked at each other after his question and thought about any indicates that would show their daughter was losing her memory somehow and after a couple of minutes the mother noticed that their daughter had spaced out during dinner a couple of times recently.
“I want your daughter to meet with a psychologist. Now, seeing her age and the peculiarity of this case I actually recommend this couple of psychologists. They are very professional and they will take care of your daughter in a gentle manner.”
He proceeded to hand out a pamphlet that showed a short review of the pair as well as their business card. The card read: “Ishikawa and Yoshizawa clinic. Specializing in: teens and young adults.” The parents read the card and thanked the doctor before they were on their way to Riho’s room.
“Darling… How are we going to tell Riho-chan that she has to see a mental health doctor?”
The father tensed up at the question and decided that they were going to tell their daughter the truth and take her there in good terms rather than in a lie which had the possibility to sever their relationship. When they entered the room, what they saw there surprised them both. The young girls were fast asleep and held each other’s hands as they lightly snored with a smile on their faces. Deciding to leave them so that they could rest for a while longer; both adults left the room and looked for the cafeteria to have something to eat.
Another woman was eating as well whilst thoughts invaded her mind. She was trying to focus on her meal but the conversation she had with her superior three days ago was more than enough to get her attention away from the food.
~Flashback~
“Takahashi-san may I ask the reason why you were on the roof when it’s supposed to be off limits and when in actuality your workplace is right here? You do know that to become the school nurse over at this section of the school; you need to be here most of the time so that you can take care of anyone who feels ill and comes to you instead of just running along the school and staying over restricted areas of it…Right?”
At the small scolding; Ai kept feeling smaller and smaller since she knew that Iida-sensei was correct in everything she was saying.
‘I wasn’t actually intending to find her there…I was just following the cat…’
No words were spoken by Takahashi other than a small ‘excuse me’ and a deep bow.
“Please take note of this for future reference. But as of today there is no need to bow to me as I am the one who is completely thankful that you were actually there to help Fujimoto save the girl. Truly, form the bottom of my heart: thank you Takahashi Ai-sensei.”
Ai looked up surprised by the words of ‘thank you’ she had heard but mostly by the title she had been acknowledged as by the school nurse Iida Kaori. Confusion began to grace her youthful features and the school nurse extended her hand to show her a small metallic name tag that read. “School nurse, junior high and high school division: Takahashi Ai”
“Congratulations, I have been speaking to Nakazawa- kōchō about how well you’ve done your job this past months and she had decided to promote you. So from now on school nurse Takahashi: yoroshiku onegaishimasu~”
Both women bowed at each other and seeing that it was time to leave, Ai exited the office and decided to go and have a decent meal to celebrate her promotion. Grabbing her cellphone from her purse, she began to dial Eri’s number when something jumped in her way.
Looking up she saw Rey hissing at her as he held in his mouth a purple ribbon with a small skull in the middle. She looked horrified at the item the cat held in his mouth and she went onwards to take it from him but being that he was much faster than her she couldn’t catch him. Frustrated, she left the parking lot and decided to have a simple meal at her house and go directly to sleep.
‘How can the things I hide in my journal appear out of it?! And why did Rey have that ribbon with him?’
~End of Flashback~
“Ai-chan, the food in your plate is to eat… not stare it down until it magically jumps into your mouth.”
Giggles could be heard after that statement which made Ai look up from her plate and stare at the goofily smiling turtle that had just entered the apartment. A little bit embarrassed that Eri had seen her in deep thoughts; she silently muttered that it was surely the work of aliens. The turtle, being the good listener she was heard Ai’s quiet mutter and began to laugh louder than before.
“Wow Ai-chan!! You’re spending way too much time with me! Now the aliens are talking to you as well?!”
Eri’s words clicked in Ai’s mind and she began to laugh alongside the girl noticing that she truly was acquiring some of the turtle’s ‘aho’ ways. Looking again at the giggling Eri, Ai smiled and pondered if she should ask the girl about the whereabouts of her journal. She didn’t know for how long she was thinking about asking but the silence that grew between them began to turn awkward as Ai furrowed her eyebrows and Eri stared at her.
“Is there something on your mind Ai-chan?”
At the sudden question, Ai’s resolve was found and she decided to ask Eri if she had seen her journal around the apartment. When Eri began to nod, she wasn’t sure if she was feeling relieved that the object was found or worried that Eri might have read or found something in it that she was not supposed to find. As Eri got up to go to their room, the recently appointed school nurse brushed away her worries since she knew that Eri might be an ‘aho’ but not a nosy ‘aho’ and she always respected Ai’s privacy. Soon after leaving Ai’s side; Eri came back from the room with the small coveted object that belongs to the woman.
“It’s been on the table besides the window for a while now. I thought you had put it there? Maybe you forgot about it. But here it is, and don’t worry I didn’t go through it. I’m not a nosy ‘aho’.”
Seeing the proudly smiling Eri, Ai began to laugh as she saw the girl’s silent plea to be petted on the head as a reward. Forgetting all about her meal since her hunger had escaped her; Ai stood up to get closer to Eri to fulfill the turtle’s wish and when she did so she found herself lip locked with her. After the short kiss, Eri began to giggle and told Ai that this was even better than the petting she previously wanted. Ai was hugging the girl when she was suddenly interrupted the ringing of her cellphone.
“Hello?”
Eri saw Ai seriously conversing with someone on the phone and she took the liberty to eat the forgotten food on the girl’s plate as she waited for her to finish her phone call. The features on Ai’s face showed a heavy hearted expression as she kept on nodding to whatever it was that she was being told on the phone. That sudden change in expression made Eri worry and wonder what the call was about and she patiently waited for the girl to end the phone call so that she could see what was bothering her. After a couple of minutes and nods from Ai, the phone call ended and she sighed as she hung up her cell phone.
“Something wrong Ai-chan?”
Ai put her phone on the dining table as she slowly turned around and looked at Eri. Her eyes were beginning to withhold tears and her lips pursed as she tried to keep them in but to no avail since when the turtle went to hold her; whimpers escaped her lips and she began to softly cry. Millions of thoughts began to ravage Eri’s mind as she held the girl. She didn’t have to wonder what was wrong anymore since Ai openly told Eri what had happened.
“Terada-sensei… he’s dead Eri…”
Eri understood the reason for Ai’s tears since she knew that the crazy Terada Mitsuo-sensei was her favorite teacher at school since they both shared the passion for music and performance. Ai was once the queen of the stage under Terada-sensei’s watchful eye and he was her mentor in everything regarding vocal exercises. Eri knew that the music teacher was fond of her raw talent and determination, often pairing her up with the school’s musical prodigy; Niigaki Risa.
“It’s going to be ok Ai-chan… look at it this way. Now he won’t be in any more pain ok?”
Ai nodded to Eri’s reassurance since she knew that her beloved music teacher was often in pain due to his sickness. He was the one that inspired her to become a nurse and take care of people, especially young people like the student’s he dutifully cared for. Even if he was a little wacko, every music student loved him and enjoyed watching him perform his own songs in class. Only the students who didn’t choose music as their extra-curricular knew him by the name of ‘Terada-sensei’ because all his music students didn’t even bother with the long and formal name and decided to call him by his stage name: ‘Tsunku ♂’.
“When’s the funeral Ai-chan?”
“In 2 days… and I’ve been asked to sing…”
Ai’s reply made the turtle’s eyes bulge out in amazement since she hadn’t heard the girl sing in a long time. Her small excitement was taking over her and she began to bounce in the same place as she held the girl who wasn’t crying anymore.
“Wow Ai-chan! That’s a great honor! I’m sure he will be happy to hear you sing wherever he rests.”
Ai smiled at Eri’s words and nodded since the girl was right, it truly was a great honor to sing at her beloved teacher’s funeral. When her boss Nakazawa- kōchō told her the news of his departure; Ai was devastated, but after she mentioned that the music teacher had told her personally that when he died he wanted his favorite students to sing at his funeral; her sadness faded a bit.
‘Tsunku ♂-san… I pray that your soul will find happiness… and singing for you would truly be an absolute honor.’
“So Ai-chan… what are you going to sing?”
“Nakazawa- kōchō told me that he left a set list at her office, so I’ll look for it tomorrow.”
Said Nakazawa- kōchō was sitting at the desk in her office making phone calls to all the alumni taught by the famous music teacher Tsunku♂. As she called student after student, her eyes kept on gazing at the music sheet besides all the phone numbers she was calling. She finished the current call she had made and picked up said sheet.
‘You crazy old man, you even prepared a set list for your funeral.’
Her bitter laugh began to fill the room as she remembered the fun times she spent with the old man before they all decided to run the school they had once studied in. Her nostalgic thoughts kept coming back as she remembered the time they wanted to make a music group. Abe, Iida, Terada, Yasu…Terada Kei and herself… they all were members of the band and co-workers at Morning-Esko. She never saw them as simple mere teachers working under her leadership of the school, she saw them as her best friends and now one of them has departed this world.
‘Damn you Tsunku!!! How am I supposed to take care of your students and of Kei-chan and your children?! How can I do it alone?’
She looked to her right and saw on her desk a picture frame containing two pictures of her friends; one when they were still in school and the other when they had all become members of the faculty. It was taken at the back garden and their happy faces showed their content over achieving their dreams. As she looked at the picture a tear fell from her eyes and a ray of sun blinded her. Taking the music sheet in her hand to try and cover up her eyes, one of the papers fell from the stack and landed right in front of her over the desk.
It was not an ordinary paper but a picture that had fallen. The picture showed all of them lying on a grassy meadow as they held sunflowers in their hands. They were all smiling at the camera and she could see that there was something written on the back of the picture.
“Here comes the sun! And I say: It’s alright!”
Her eyes widened at the sudden message left by her departed friend and she began to giggle. Surely he always was one step ahead that crazy Tsunku, but they all loved him because of that. Thanks to his encouragement, Nakazawa continued making the calls since there was only 1 person left on the list. Now, she wondered if she could even find the person that was left on the list since she hadn’t seen said person in five years. But seeing that her departed friend had her name on top of the list she knew that she had to do everything to find her.
Picking up the phone to dial the number, Nakazawa had one of her intuitions; something her friends often call the scary Nakazawa-sense. She put the phone back on the receiver and picked up her cellphone to dial a familiar number. Now, this person was one of the first to receive the call but staying true to her instincts: Nakazawa decided to give her a call once again. Then, after a few rings, the person on the other side picked up and Nakazawa didn’t even think twice before talking.
“Miki-chan I need to ask you something.”
Sitting in the restaurant, Miki kept on thinking about the phone call she had just received from her boss as she was being asked a favor to which she didn’t know if it was wise to return. Sure, the man was the girl’s favorite teacher but how will everyone else react when they see her? She has been evading this moment for five years and now that the circumstances ask for it… will she make the right decision in bringing her to the old man’s funeral? The ringing of her cellphone brought her out of her thoughts and as she picked up she heard the voice of the girl in question.
“I’m at the front door Mikitty. Where are you sitting at?”
“Stay where you are baby, I’ll go get you.”
Miki seemed to tense up at hearing the voice from her girlfriend but she was also excited to have this dinner date with her since it had been quite some time since they’ve done that. Standing up from the table, Miki began to walk towards the entrance and she smiled when she heard the whispers from other customers as they complimented her beauty. She was wearing a golden short dress that had some black lines with a neck choker made of the same material that connected with the dress. Her hair was made up and her bangs were just over her eyes which were made up in a fashion that makes them alluring to anyone that looks into them.
‘I worked hard to look this good tonight… I hope Risa-chan likes it as well.’
Reaching the restaurant’s entrance, Miki found the girl standing right there with her eyes closed and facing the sky as a gentle evening breeze caressed her hair. The small smile gracing her lips was enough to make Miki fall in love with her yet again. Her outfit was the next thing Miki noticed since the young woman was radiating in a fashionable set of dress shirt and long dark dress pants. It wasn’t often that Miki got to see the woman in that attire and she just blushed at the sight. When her gaze fixed on Risa’s face she saw that her hair was pushed back and her forehead was exposed. In a flash, Risa moved towards Miki and cupped her face as she opened her eyes and smiled to the woman.
“I can feel your eyes on me Miki-chan. By the looks of it, you like what I’m wearing then right? Thank you. Oh and by the way, the blush on your face is cute… you should have it there more often.”
Miki began to softly giggle at the woman’s words since she could also feel the heat that radiated her cheeks and she went and kissed her before hugging her and guiding her into the restaurant. By the warm hug Miki had given her, Risa felt the dress that the other wore and smiled since she knew that Miki had spent quite some time with her attire. But that smile soon turned into a smirk as she kept on walking with the woman into the restaurant since some whisperings admiring both their beauty could be clearly heard by the bean. They soon reached their table and as they sat down, Miki noticed the girl’s smirk and decided to ask her about it.
“It’s not only my opinion, but you look dashing tonight Mikitty.”
Opening her eyes, Miki furiously blushed and her hand was enveloped by Risa’s as they both began to softly giggle. They ordered their dinner and began to make small talk as they just admired the person they loved. But at every silent moment, Risa could feel Miki was hiding something from her and she was preventing any deep conversation so as to not bring up whatever it was that she doesn’t want to talk about.
‘I wonder what’s on her mind… I had a plan for tonight but if she’s feeling and acting like this then…’
“Miki, is there something you need to tell me?”
Her eyes widened at Risa’s sudden question and she was reminded of another girl whose bluntness in speaking was acquired by the bean. Then, Miki noticed that there was no point in keeping from Risa what she had been thinking ever since that phone call. She shouldn’t hide something important like this and by doing so she could damage the relationship she held with the girl. She slowly retracted her hand from the bean’s hold and when she put it by her side Risa opened her mouth to talk again in the hopes of lightening the mood.
“Oh my, are you that captivated by my prince-like charm that you can’t speak anymore by dear Mikitty?”
The woman couldn’t help but laugh at the bean’s joke and she then remembered the many sketches she had of Risa dressed as a prince for that school play she was in about six years ago. At first she knew that Risa didn’t really like to act but, after she was begged to do it; it was natural that not only would she comply with the request but that she would also be great at it. The combination of acting and singing was something that the bean marveled in and whenever she stood up on stage she would just effortlessly smile. She then remembered just who it was that had begged the bean to stand on stage and her thoughts began to invade her mind yet again.
“Ne, Risa-chan?”
“Yes my love?”
“Do you remember that time when you played Prince Charming?”
Risa tilted her head as she thought about the words Miki had spoken and her left eyebrow went upwards as a smirk appeared on her face. She surely remembered the times Miki had sketched Risa as she wore her ‘prince-like’ attire in return for practicing the bean’s lines for the play. Even though it has been five years since her world became dark, Risa could still remember every single painting Miki had done up until that moment. It was a vivid picture in her memories and it always made her smile. Well that and the memory of Miki dressed as a princess, Risa’s own small revenge, as she helped her practice her lines for the actual play which brought her back to the question Miki had asked her a couple of seconds ago.
“Prince charming?! You mean to say: his royal highness Christopher Rupert Windermere Vladimir Karl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman Gregory-sama?”
At the mention of the whole line dedicated to saying the name of the prince; both women exploded with laughter that had gained the attention of people in the tables next to them. They didn’t really care who was staring since they were enjoying themselves thanks to the fond memory of the times spent practicing for that play. Tears were falling form their eyes by the time they finished laughing and Miki couldn’t help but kiss the woman that sat across from her. Risa was a bit surprised by the sudden kiss but didn’t hesitate to smile at the girl.
“Of course I remember the play baby girl. It was the one crazy Tsunku-san begged me to do. It’s sad that he will no longer see the play reenacted by another group…May his soul rest in musical freedom.”
When Risa finished her small prayer, Miki’s eyes welled up with tears since she noticed that the woman knew of her favorite teacher’s passing. She couldn’t prevent her tears from falling and when they were brushed away by the gentle hand form the woman in front of her she relished the warm feeling brought by it. Putting her own hand over it she tried to convey a small apology which she knew the woman had understood by the gentle pinch on her cheek. She knew it was wrong to hide it from the girl when she had gotten the first call telling her the news, and even though it was to protect her she learned that Risa was a strong woman and that she could handle many things; one of them being the knowledge of the passing from her favorite teacher. Risa heard the news from her dear friend Bunchama when she was getting her nails done, which meant that she didn’t know the reason for Tsunku’s passing so she asked Miki.
“He was sick… and he didn’t overcome his sickness…”
Risa was nodding at Miki’s explanation and she seemed sad but at the same time at peace since she knew that he was not suffering anymore. A hundred thoughts where running though Risa’s mind as she kept on listening to her girl and Miki could guess what Risa’s thoughts were when the sudden silence from the bean was what she kept on receiving form her.
“Risa-chan there’s something else… He left a note accompanied by a song list with his belongings before he died. And there it states the songs he wants at his funeral and who he wants to play and sing them.”
Risa’s confused expression was followed by Miki’s soft voice as she learned that the bean’s name was the first on the list. Tsunku wanted the girl to play at his funeral and to possibly sing a couple of songs so that it was a lively gathering rather than a sad event. He was caring and positive like that. Nobody was ever going to see Tsunku-san sad since he expressed his every feeling with music and that relaxed him. An unreadable expression ran through Risa’s face and Miki became worried because of said expression.
‘Nobody has seen her since the incident… Will she choose to go there and have everyone see her after these 5 years?’
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There it is! Chapter 13! Uff!! Also I would like to thank all the people who make the banners! They make the best inspirations for clothing! Well: See you in about one week...probably more!
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Interesting chapter
Riho sees psychologist and Tsunku passes away who was an influence to Ai, although the scolding was need for safety and she is praised for saving Riho
Eri is hillarious :lol:
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@Kurosawa87: Lol yes, the turtle always makes me smile! :cow:
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Yes!! It's written!! Chapter 14 is up! And wow did I have trouble writing it up! I had to rewrite it like 5 times but I'm quite satisfied with it. :cow: Thank you for reading and sorry if I made you wait! Enjoy chapter 14!
Chapter 14
**FLASH**
“You’re still in bed moping aren’t you?”
“Shut up…and go away I don’t want to talk right now.”
The girl was hiding under her covers when she suddenly felt her bed shift as a new weight on it indicated that the figure at her door had sat by her side. She knew she wasn’t going to be left alone anytime soon so she decided to just turn around and ignore the person who had intruded in her sanctuary. But after a couple of seconds said person hugged her from behind and both lay peacefully in bed together. Even through her guilt filled thoughts; that hug came accompanied with reassurance that greatly calmed her and put her at some level of ease. But the weight of what had happened still lingers over her shoulders and she couldn’t yet find the correct words to express how sorry she was even though she still tried to express it.
“I’m sorry.”
It was a soft whimper but she knew it got across since those hands that held her tightened their hold and brought her closer to the other person’s chest to rest right on top of a softly beating heart. Her tears threatened to fall but soft butterfly kisses over her eyes as well as shushing sounds proved to be the best lullaby for this situation and soon she shifted yet again and returned the comforting hug.
“It’s ok. We’ll get through this one way or another and we’ll do it together and with our head held high like we’ve always done it.”
“But…but it’s…”
“Now don’t go saying it’s your fault because it isn’t. It was an accident and we don’t blame you. Now on the other hand I thought you had a very special date…and if you miss it because of this and you throw away an opportunity to get the girl then don’t come crying to me little Missy!”
She giggled as she took in the warmth of the person next to her and noticed that she was right. So after leaving the other person’s embrace she went and stood up to stretch. But after a couple of seconds she turned around and faced the person who had previously hugged her.
“Umm… Miki-chan…can you give me an idea on what to do on our date?”
The woman addressed as Miki laughed and she went out of the room after she told her to shower and get dressed before meeting her in the living room. Being the young teenager she was; the girl mused over what to wear but as she thought about it her thoughts came back to what Miki might have been planning whilst she was in the shower so she decided to hurry up and meet her in the living room.
**FLASH**
As Riho got out of her shower she quickly went over her closet and looked at all the clothes that were hung there. It was her first time actually going out after being released from the hospital so she wanted to do something special. She wasn’t sure of what she would wear for this but she went along with something light because of the weather they were experiencing lately. Soon enough she was wearing some jean short shorts and a lose tank top in white and black horizontal stripes. Under those clothes she wore a pink and orange-y type of swimsuit just in case it was too hot and she decided to play with a hose. Overlooking her outfit in the mirror one last time; she noticed that her coordination felt kind of bland so she went ahead into her closet once again and took out something she doesn’t usually wear: a pink baseball cap with its front turned up revealing some scribbles in light blue as well as a multi colored bracelet in her right hand.
“Yosh…let’s go.”
Running out of her room with her bag filled with sketching materials; she took her house keys, put on her white high tops and went over to her garage to take out her bike. Looking at her cellphone she read the time and mounted her bike to go out on a simple mission. Said mission had already been given a name in her mind and thanks to Kanon’s crazy insect plays she put it into action since she knew it would work.
‘Plan: I want to say I’m sorry so please let’s have a date! Even a turtle won’t be slow in catching this one! Now…where could she be?’
**FLASH**
“Remember to be careful on this. And don’t you dare tell anyone I let you do this or my head will be cut off. Now I’ve told you what to do and you know already knew where to take her but, have you figured out where she is right now?”
“Yeah, judging by the time; she’s sitting on the park eating her favorite umeboshi.”
“Very well then; take care and remember: If you’re careless and fall I will personally go and hit you on that exact same spot you fell.”
Miki’s menacing yet caring eyes gave her the approval to go and meet her date. Putting her helmet over the cap she wore she started the bike she had borrowed and zoomed out of the apartment complex into the city to look for the person she was about to “kidnap” and take away on a date. She was fast…well within legal rules she was but still… it’s not every day you see someone passing you by in a black and gold accentuated Ducati Multistrada 1200. Spotting her prey she went onwards and almost professionally maneuvered to stop right in front of her. Without a doubt said person was surely there eating some umeboshi and enjoying the morning’s breeze as she did so. But when she saw the bike stop in front of her she softly gasped and looked onwards to the person who began to take off her helmet.
**FLASH**
“Kamei-san… I know I’ve probably hurt you in ways I can’t even comprehend but…if you give me the opportunity: let me make it up to you right now.”
The girl was panting from the fast pedaling of her bike from her house to that place and Eri was astonished at the sight in front of her. Neither of them knew how the young girl had found Eri but that was at the back of both their minds right now as they each took in their appearances. Riho was sweating more from the nerves than the exercise she had done but she still studied Eri’s expression for an answer. When the elder of the two stood up from the bench and went towards her; her nerves turned into fears of being rejected right then and there. Eri reached the girl and dabbed a handkerchief over her forehead as she handed her a bottle of water to try and refresh young Riho.
“You haven’t really hurt me Sayashi-san. But I will take you up on that offer to make it up to me only if you let me pedal.”
Riho nodded and eagerly smiled at Eri’s request so she handed the turtle her spare helmet and went to sit at the back of the Schwinn 26” ‘50’s red phantom beach cruiser as the turtle put on the helmet and began to pedal away. As time went by, silence was all that filled the atmosphere between the girls and the scenery was slowly changing and turning into less of a city and more of a rural area. The silence was deafening and Riho wasn’t sure if she should break it or not but her wait would soon be over since the voice of the pedaling turtle resounded in the air once again.
“Ahh…I haven’t been on a bike since like forever! Thank you Riho-chan.! You know you can talk right?”
Eri’s giggle made Riho laugh and she began to make small conversations about the scenery and the fresh breeze blowing through both their hair. Soon enough a hill came into view and Riho looked perplexed since she didn’t recall there being such a big hill nearby. Her sudden silence made Eri giggle as she told her that the first time she had come there she was shocked as well since this spot is well hidden by the buildings in the neighborhood but that it was a serene and beautiful place to hang out every once in a while. As they stopped on top of said hill; Riho overlooked the beautiful scenery and her eyes instantly watered.
**FLASH**
“Dang it…even though I brought you here; this place always seems to make me cry. I’m sorry.”
She wiped her happy tears as she looked at the scenery in front of her. The hill descended into the pathways of a river and its clear waters glistened in the early morning light. It was a place filled with colors thanks to the flowers that filled the trees who gave enough shade so that the sun didn’t harshly penetrate the land. She knew the place had mesmerized her companion as well since she kept on hearing soft amused gasps in appreciation of nature’s beauty.
“Where did you…find this place?”
Recalling the sweet memories from the first time she had known of that place, her tears increased as well as her smile and the girl besides her began to worry about her reaction. She just chuckled at the memory and told her to not worry about it. But still the girl was curious and she wouldn’t let go of the matter so the story was surely told at that moment.
“When I was younger there were some neighbors from China who had children about 10 years older than me. They were really kind but the language barrier made them really shy so they didn’t socialize very well. But surely I noticed and went on ahead to speak with them and figure out who they were and stuff. I actually began to teach them the language in exchange for some Chinese and chocolate. We instantly became friends and slowly but surely we were both learning…and I was getting a bit fat but that’s not the point. But still one day they got lost because they couldn’t read the signs that led them to
their home.”
~Flashback~
“Hey kitty! How was school?”
“It was great mom! I’ll be out for a while! See you at dinner!”
“But what about your-“
The girl’s mother couldn’t finish her question since her young six year old daughter had run off the house and skittered across the street to the new neighbors’ house. The young mother was surely happy that her daughter was kindly teaching the new Chinese girls the local language but no one could blame her for worrying about her daughter’s own chores and schoolwork. Still she smiled and looked over the kitchen window to see her daughter talking with the girls’ parents.
“You…see…Qian Lin and Li Chun?”
The young girl quickly pieced in her mind what the worried faces and tone of the new neighbors must have meant as they asked for their daughter’s whereabouts in broken Japanese and she quickly shook her head in denial. The worried parents began to pace around as they wondered where their girls went when suddenly the young child addressed them.
{“Don’t worry I’ll look for them.”}
Her almost perfect Chinese, an exchange for teaching the girls the Japanese language, shocked the parents and soon they saw her running into her house and getting her Razor scooter out. She looked like a shooting star and her innocence made the parents grateful for her efforts so they prayed for the girls’ safe return. The girl wasn’t going to go search for her new friends alone so she went to a familiar house and knocked on the door. Her tired and young frame was met with Miki’s face at the door.
“Hey. It’s rare to see you here this early. What’s up came to eat your share of veggies?”
“Stop joking Miki. Jun Jun and Lin Lin are lost! Can you help me find them?”
Miki looked at the young girl and frowned in disbelief since the Chinese girls were even older than her and supposedly lost. But the little girl on her front door wouldn’t have come there and asked for her help if it were a lie. So that, coupled with the fact that the language barrier could be enough to mislead you as you read street signs, was surely enough to make Miki get her bike out and ride with the kid in search of Jun Jun and Lin Lin.
“Hold on kitten, I’ll be going fast.”
“Ok!”
The girl held onto Miki’s back tightly as she felt the wind in her hair and the speed begin to push her off the bike. Still, Miki had one hand holding hers to prevent such a thing from happening so she felt safe. About an hour into the search, Miki was already tired and so was the girl so they got off the bike and began to ask around about them. Seeing that no one had actually seen the girls they began to get worried about their well-being so they began to ride once more. Stopping at another shop to try and get some information on the girls; the young one remembered something she had been told about a week ago.
“Phone…phone…Phone!”
Going into one of the stores she asked for the phone and dialed some numbers. After a couple of rings someone picked up the line and began to speak in
Chinese.
{“Where are you? Your Mama and Papa are worried!”}
{“We’re lost! But we’re near a hill and a river! Can you please find us!”}
The girl thought about the hill and river her Chinese friend had spoken about but she didn’t recall any of those near her home so she went ahead and walked around to see if she could find them. Her eyes scanned over the signs and soon enough she found a couple that read River and Hill. Following said signs she trekked around a dirt road and soon enough she found herself making a 45 minute walk that brought her to a hill hidden by a building and a river that crossed there. Now, for a six year old this trek was quite strenuous so when she reached the top of the hill she was drenched in sweat and quite dehydrated.
{“You did it! Thank you!”}
Both Chinese girls went towards the six year old and gave her some water before hugging her as a thank you for finding them.
~End flashback~
“After I found them…I took in everything that his place could give me and silently I thanked them for showing me this place…even if it was by complete accident. I haven’t heard from them in quite some time but wherever they are…I hope they’re surrounded by happiness.”
**FLASH**
“Arigato…Jun Jun…Lin Lin…”
Eri looked at Riho with evident shock after the young girl had muttered her thanks. Disbelief written all over her face, the turtle wondered where had the girl heard those names before since it was the same thanks she had heard years ago from that special person. She went ahead and asked due to her lack of voice she just managed to stutter her way into the question.
“Wh-what…what did you ju-just say?”
“Umm… Ahh…I just want to already get in?”
Riho looked at the turtle with confusion written all over her face. Eri looked somewhat jittery in her eyes and the girl thought she saw a little bit of fear seeping out of her but in the blink of an eye; the turtle just smiled and nodded. The bicycle had already been set against the big tree that stood over the hill and both Eri and Riho sat down on the other side as they enjoyed the view. Riho soon brought out of her backpack some sketchbooks as well as some pencils and passed them over to Eri.
“Kamei-san…Ummm…I wanted to be able to sketch by your side and be able to enjoy what I love to do with someone who loves it even more.”
Riho’s shy request warmed the woman’s heart and she in turn took out her own materials consisting mostly of coloring utensils. Eri smiled and nodded at the girl’s request and soon enough they began to draw the scenery in front of them. They were sharing their materials and making small talk along the way and after a while she found that the young girl was sweating and tiredly scribbling.
“You know at this time of the year the river must feel nice. Why don’t you go and get in?”
“But…I don’t want to leave you alone Kamei-san…”
“Call me Eri and don’t worry I’ll follow you.”
Riho went ahead and took off the excess clothing to reveal her swimsuit as Eri did the same and on the count of three they ran as fast as they could towards the water. Riho was surprised because Eri was not like how a turtle should actually be: slow. But that shock was nothing compared to the refreshing feel of the water against their warm skin which prompted them both to squeal in delight. They splashed the water around and laughed at their faces after they had been soaked. Yet that delight would have to take a short break since Eri’s cellphone rang loudly in the distance.
“I’ll be right back Riho-chan.”
Riho didn’t even know how Eri heard the phone but she was left alone as the woman went ahead and answered the call. She took a towel from her bag and began to pat herself dry as she talked on the phone before a small smile spread on her lips.
**FLASH**
“Who is it?”
The girl asked as the other person was listening intently to her phone. Her smile was evident on her face as she saw how the other person reacted to what she was hearing. When she had finished with her cellphone she came back to her and sat by her side with her legs soaking in the river.
“It was a message…”
“Really? And what did it say?”
She tried not to smirk as she asked the question but judging by the blush in the other person’s face she knew that the other person had liked her message. Putting her hand on the other person’s shoulder she brought her closer until her head was leaning on her own shoulder. Soon she twisted her face and brought it closer to the other person’s face as they sweetly kissed.
“Happy one year anniversary…”
**FLASH**
Riho’s whole face was warm and the sensation over her lips felt as real as how her vision had shown. She still struggled to recognize that person’s face but her voice was becoming clearer and clearer at each vision. Looking back towards the river to calm herself down she stood up and went a little bit into the river to try and cool down her thoughts and her suddenly warm body. After soaking in the river once again, she looked towards the direction were Eri was and found her already dressed and quietly sketching with a small smile plastered on her face.
‘I wonder who you’re thinking of at this moment.’
The girl gasped since she didn’t know where that thought had come from but every second she spent looking at the turtle’s smiling face a small storm formed within her. Eri had a blissful face as she took in everything that surrounded her. It was surely relaxing her after that call she had just received from Ai. The woman needed some type of reassurance as she was getting ready to sing at her late teacher’s funeral and Eri obliged even though she had felt somewhat robbed of the good time she was having. She noticed young Riho staring at her so she had forced a smile as she spoke to Ai, but after the call had ended; her spirits were lifted once again and she began to draw the girl that was calmly soaking in the river.
‘I hope it’s ok that I brought her here…to our special place… I keep asking myself why does she remind me so much of you…And even though I can’t answer it right now…I hope I can later.’
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Well then chapter 14's up and soon chapter 15!!! Let's see what happens ok? Thank you for reading! :bow: *And yes I've read the code of conduct which means that I am aware that it won't go further than this (meaning: RihoxEri in pervy scenes equals a NO NO) so don't even ask because I'm not doing it. Thank you*
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yes you cannot do it outright but implications are okay... based on certain aspects although it would seem weird at the moment :lol:
The addition of Junjun and Linlin was quite amusing to me :thumbup
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Ha~~~ I am almost right XD
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@Kurosawa87: JunxLin had to fit in there one way or another XD
@Shiawase_Honoo: You are right lol but still the question is: WHOSE?
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It's been a long time hasn't it?! Does anybody still remember this fic? lol but yes, I'm back! My brain struggled with this one but here it is !!! Chapter 15 of Another chance! : Enjoy! :oops:
Chapter 15:
It was a rather sad day. Birds weren’t singing… the wind wasn’t bestowing its wonderful melody as it blew alongside tree leaves, and even the rain pelted without rhythm that morning. This sad atmosphere didn’t help improve the mood of all the people attending Tsunku’s funeral. Not that it should be a happy event, but that he wished for it to be something about his life and his music and not about his death.
“Is everything set up for the band?”
Nakazawa’s soft voice was heard by the widow who turned and acknowledged the woman’s presence. Kei, Kemeko as she was often called by her close friends, had an eerie calm surrounding her. But Nakazawa knew that it was her own way of coping so when the widow had asked to overlook the preparations for the band that were to play at her deceased husband’s funeral; she couldn’t do anything to stop her.
“Everything is up except for the piano. I’ve been trying to bring one but in this weather nobody is willing to do so.”
The disappointed tone in Kemeko’s voice didn’t go unnoticed by the school principal who put her hand on the woman’s shoulder before telling her that she will fix that in an instant.
‘Crazy old man… Give her your strength…’
She silently pleaded as she went outside to make a call. Once outside, her phone started ringing as she made the call when suddenly the most eerie screech loudly rang close to her. It sounded like a leather glove being dragged down the strings of a bass, but more importantly it sounded like the movie made famous beast that wreaked havoc on Japanese and worldwide streets.
Nakazawa wasn’t the only one startled by the sound and the cellphone’s owner quickly yet quite stupidly reached for the phone in her purse to answer the call. Maybe she didn’t see the woman in front of her; but the words she spoke next would have instantly finished her if it weren’t for the fact that they were at a funeral right at the moment.
“Hai! Nakazawa- sensei I’m right at the entrance!”
The moment she had finished that sentence her gaze had gone upwards and met the woman who was calling her on the cellphone. The school principal’s face was contorted in an expression both of amuse and annoyance. Amused because it wasn’t everyday she could see a flustered Fujimoto regarding her just like she did when she was her student. And annoyed because the ringtone the art teacher had chosen to identify her calls was that of a monster.
But she chose to keep her mouth shut…even if it took widened eyes and tightly pursed lips to achieve her goal. Nevertheless the favor she was going to ask the art teacher couldn’t be fulfilled at the moment since she had already reached the place; alone.
“Fujimoto-san. I see you’ve come alone.”
Miki’s face turned serious as she regained her composure in an instant. She knew what the principal was talking about but she never once confirmed that she would come accompanied to the funeral.
“Yes, I have Nakazawa-kōchō. How’s everything inside?”
“Don’t try to divert the question Fujimoto. I know it was you who went into my office and retrieved the song list. I was calling you because we’re missing a piano. I know you’re the only one who can help me get one.”
After Nakazawa voiced her thoughts, the duo stood under the roofed area with only the sound of the rain accompanying them. As if time stretched on for eternity, neither party willing to speak, and both of them giving intense glares to the other; Miki broke the silence with a sigh.
“Yes I did Nakazawa-sensei…I’m sorry. But I only did as you asked me; I gave her the song list and she just took it and left. I haven’t seen her since. I don’t know what she will do.”
Miki’s honesty as she spoke didn’t go unnoticed to Nakazawa, especially since she called her ‘sensei’ instead of the usual ‘kōchō’ she gave her nowadays. It was a nice and refreshing change, and the pressure of being the all mighty school principal was lifted off her shoulders for an instant as both women pondered over what to do in this situation.
“I’ll go and give her a call. As for the piano; give me 15 minutes.”
Turning her back to Nakazawa to begin and walk away; Miki came face to face with the newly appointed school nurse and her former art student. Only a gentle nod was exchanged since more pressing thoughts were on her mind at the moment.
“Takahashi, Kamei. Glad to see you both. How are you?”
Both women bowed at the principal as they greeted her. Eri was holding Ai’s guitar as the nurse was holding the song list that was marked with her own notes. Menial greetings were made and Nakazawa gently asked Eri to go inside and place the guitar near the other instruments since she needed to speak with Ai for a bit.
“Is something the matter Nakazawa- kōchō?”
Ai asked at the sudden request form the principal after Eri had left. At Nakazawa’s soft smile, they both headed towards a bench to sit down for a bit.
“Nothing’s wrong Takahashi. I see you’ve practiced your share in his last wishes. I only hope she chooses to fulfill them as well…” Nakazawa finished her sentence with a murmur but still Ai caught it.
“…She?”
“Ahh, don’t mind me Takahashi. I’ll go back in and see how everything is holding up, excuse me.”
Ai was left alone on the bench with her notes and the previous spoken sentence from the school principal. To divert her thoughts from said sentence; Ai opened the song list and began to quietly practice the songs once again but the thought of said ‘she’ kept her from her practice.
‘Who was Nakazawa- kōchō referring to? By ‘she’; does she mean the Brat?’
Buried memories from 5 years ago began to flash back once again at the thought of said ‘Brat’. But it was a specific song in that set list that had brought back a clear memory of the girl in question.
~Flashback~
“Ok guys remember that the vocals will get stronger at this specific part of the song. Don’t get intimidated by the music and let your voice out ok?”
“Hai, Tsunku-san!”
Both girls answered at the same time as they made their respective notes over their music sheets. The eccentric music teacher smiled happily at his diligent students. Truly, both girls were the best combination, both musically and theatrically, this school has seen in a long time. After the girls marked the corrections on the sheets; Tsunku began to replay the song with his guitar and both girls began to sing.
*Sprang!*
The sudden sour note, made by the music teacher’s guitar, startled everyone in the room and both girls hung their heads low. His serious face as he stood with his guitar in hand was a rare sight for the often smiling and cheerful teacher.
“Niigaki; as always your vocals are extraordinary. But please teach this one how to get to that level; I don’t know what’s wrong with her today. To think she chose this song.” A disgruntled huff was the last thing heard from the teacher before he turned around and approached other students.
Being regarded as ‘this one’ was like a stab to the heart and Ai tried to hold onto her whimper but it was still heard by Risa. Her musical attuned ears caught on quickly to Ai’s hurt so she just nodded and within a minute took Ai’s hand and dragged her towards the piano.
“Ai-chan… is something wrong?” Risa’s worried tone as she asked was even worse than what her teacher had previously regarded her as.
She doesn’t need ‘Musical Prodigy’: Niigaki Risa’s pity. She just wanted to be seen and acknowledged by her favorite teacher yet she always seems to come second to this one. But she couldn’t let her jealousy be shown so she just flashed on her ever charming smile.
“I’m sorry. I seem to have some stuff on my mind don’t worry Risa-chan.”
“Ok…let’s just go over this once again.”
Risa cleared her throat as she turned her attention back to the piano. Gracefully her fingers traced over the keys and pressed them according to the notes displayed on the musical sheet before singing. Ai was so immersed in Gaki’s piano skills that she forgot her cue to begin singing which prompted Risa to stop.
“Are you sure you’re ok? We can practice it later you know…How about I play a little and whenever you’re ready you begin?”
Without waiting for a reply, Risa began to play once again and this time it was a melody never heard before by Ai. Risa closed her eyes as her fingers moved over the piano and a soft melancholic tune filled the big music room they were practicing at. Soon everyone’s attention was caught by the never before heard song and a small crowd of music students surrounded both girls. She began to hum along the tune played by her fingers and as quickly as it began; this magical sound ended and everyone in the room except Ai began clapping.
“Niigaki-san…that was… magnificent!” Tsunku’s voice as he praised his student was quite surprised and pleased and he began to excitedly ask about the melody.
“It’s not that great…I’m still working on it…but thank you.”
She was shy as she spoke those words but still nobody could deny her raw and otherworldly talent. Even though everyone else in the class was pleasantly content with Risa’s talent, this attention the girl was getting was slowly but surely fueling Ai’s jealousy.
“Well, when you finish it I want to be the first one to hear it ok?!” His excited words made Risa giggle and she nodded her head once.
“How about I make it your birthday gift Tsunku-san!” Her suggestion was greatly perceived by the teacher who nodded enthusiastically and broadly smiled.
“I hope I also get a song from you Takahashi-san! Both your voices would be a great gift!” As he said that he winked to Ai before whispering something to Risa once again.
“You can help her with a song if she’s stuck.” Risa’s eyes were cast downwards as he said that since she noticed that Ai clearly heard what he had said.
After that, the teacher gave out some final instructions and the bell signaling lunch time rang aloud. All students were walking towards the courtyard but Risa and Ai were left alone in the music room while they picked up their things.
“Ai-chan… you’re really talented. Don’t be discouraged by some of the things he says.”
Ai froze after listening to Risa’s words but instantly she went again and continued to pick up her things. Risa went over the piano once again and put it back the way it was before she had used it and picked up her belongings when suddenly her cellphone beeped.
’Mame-chan~! You’re probably at lunch right now! I’m sorry I got sick and couldn’t come to school! I’ve been waiting to eat your home-made dumplings for a while and now I’m sick!! Pu~ Pu~ Your ever loving groper; Miki!’
Her smile as she read the message was so bright she could light up even brighter than her beloved Yokohama. And as her fingers skillfully typed a reply; a plan was forming in Ai’s mind.
A plan to remove her jealousy once and for all.
~End Flashback~
“…Ai-chan? You ok?”
Eri gently shook Ai and brought her out of her memories. When her gaze was fixed upon the turtle’s Ai couldn’t help but smile at the curious pout her lover held. She nodded before kissing her nose and standing up.
“I put your guitar on a stand where Terada-san asked me to. I hope you don’t mind I opened your guitar case.” Eri shyly mumbled.
“It’s ok. Thank you Eri-chan.” The gentle tone in Ai’s voice was enough to calm Eri down and she kissed Ai contentedly.
Their kiss was broken by the sound of squeaky wheels connecting with wood as well as a couple deep male voices. When the women looked towards the direction the sound had come from they saw a piano being carted into the local by big men guided by Fujimoto Miki. She had seen the women kissing and the image made her forget about the step and the men who were moving the piano missed it. Thankfully; the piano didn’t fall and they went inside.
“We should go inside as well Eri.”
Ai took the turtle’s hand and they silently walked into the local. The scenery inside was not the sad one you would expect but it also wasn’t a happy one. It was one that screamed nervous. And the nervous ones were all the students taught by Tsunku-san since this would be one of their most important performances ever. A performance to thank the man who had taught them that music was something that should be done with love and not as a mere job.
“Are you ok Ai-chan?”
Eri whispered to Ai when she saw the woman freeze in her steps as she took in the atmosphere. A deep sigh was given by the school nurse before she slowly nodded her head to answer the turtle’s question. After calming down a bit, both turtle and nurse slowly walked towards the widow to express their condolences with a silently thinking Ai.
‘Today is going to be a really long day.’
And it was a long day, not only for the people attending the funeral but to a certain someone as well.
Riho was wracking her mind over what to do for her art project. Many rough sketches were made but still none of them satisfied her. She wanted something that would reach out to someone yet everything she had drawn up to now seemed shallow and soulless. And to add to her lack of inspiration, the rain pelting her window and the darkness from the clouds gave her room an unwelcoming feeling. But her attention was soon brought onto her ringing phone and she picked it up to read the incoming message.
‘Riho-chan! How are you? Have you made any progress in your project? –Kanon’
She sighed as she replied to the message and just as quickly as it was sent Kanon replied back with a simple ‘Ganbare!’. That simple phrase lifted her spirits and she picked up her pencil once again to begin sketching.
**FLASH**
“Ugh! Miki!” she growled as she chucked her brushes towards the wall.
“Hey I get it you hate watercolor but I didn’t ask you to choose my class you know.”
The girl at her bedroom’s door giggles before placing a small bowl by her side. It was her favorite treat; shaved ice with condensed milk over strawberry. When she looked at the treat a smile crept up to her face.
“I knew you would still be trying to make some progress so I brought you this. Now tell me, how come you’re so stuck with this?”
She slowly ate her cup and explained that art wasn’t really her strong point because she couldn’t understand how people could put in so many details into one simple piece of work. She had chosen this class to be closer to Miki and to stay away from trouble but there was another reason.
“I…I don’t have a talent Miki-chan…”
At her confession, Miki’s eyes widened and she put her arm around her shoulders and brought her close to herself. So this was the reason the girl chose her class. Miki had always thought it was because it was deemed as the easiest one and because there she could be closer to her crush.
“Everyone has a talent kitty-cat. Maybe you’re looking too much into the ‘conventional’ ones. Maybe you’re not the best at theatre, music and especially art. But there’s something you excel at.”
She took in the words but still couldn’t understand what it was she excelled at according to Miki. Tilting her head as she pondered about it, Miki giggled once again and grasped the blinking phone on top of the desk. Opening it, she revealed a new picture message with the title: ‘Thank you’.
“You may have a hard time painting Kitten, but when we really need it; you always bring a smile to our faces.”
**FLASH**
“Eh…? Smile…?”
Without noticing it, Riho had begun to do a sketch of her parents smiling. It was something she hadn’t thought much about but after looking at it once again she had decided what to work on. She was going to portray smiles in her art project.
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There it is!!! Finally!! :theking
Thank you for reading!
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Tsunku's funeral brought out a little bit of emotion and everyone seems to come together
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@Kurosawa87: Lol it is an important event to get to know their past and possible future XD
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Here I am back again!! With another chapter!! It's long but it will give out a LOT of information that will help you discover where they stand and what they will do in the upcoming chapters! As always thank you for reading!
Chapter 16
*Knock knock*
“Riho-chan, may we come in?”
The young girl stopped her pencil work as she let her parents into the room. For the past couple of hours she has been rough sketching smiles. The idea does ignite in her a fiery passion but the results of each and every drawing lacks a certain something to actually satisfy her. Maybe this small interruption by her parents can put her hands to rest a bit before continuing on her work.
“There’s something we need to talk about Riho-chan.”
Seeing her parents take a seat on her bed with a serious tone worried Riho a bit so she decided to put her whole attention towards what they had to say.
“When you were at the hospital, the doctor advised us to take you to a psychologist for a bit.”
“A psychologist…? But…Why?”
“It’s nothing too serious, but the doctor wants to make sure you don’t have another accident like you did on the roof at school.”
Connecting the small dots of information her parents had given her, Riho could only come up with one conclusion as to why she had to go to a psychologist. If that wasn’t enough, the parent’s worried faces indicated that they did think something was horribly wrong with their daughter. Riho took a sharp intake of air before crossing her arms and glaring at her parents.
“I’m not crazy enough to want to jump from the school’s rooftop. That…I don’t even know how it happened… But I’ll tell you now; I’m not going.”
The young parents feared this answer from their daughter but they knew that forcing her would only make everyone’s mood sour for a long time. Instead, they chose to clarify a couple of their daughter’s thoughts. They would make the dots she previously connected in her mind; clearer.
“We know you wouldn’t just jump from the rooftop Riho-chan. But the fact that you have no idea how it happened worries us. So maybe with these visits you can find out what went wrong.”
It wasn’t a lie or a way to convince her to go to the psychologist. It was mostly something to get Riho’s mind to recognize that those flashes she’s been having lately weren’t normal and that it is best to get them checked out. She knew her parents were always honest with her but she was afraid of what she would find whilst visiting the psychologist. Her parents didn’t say another word after that and left her alone once again in her room.
‘I need to make a decision. Worrying won’t get me anywhere.’
Risa sat alone on her apartment’s couch after taking a shower and she listened to the voice message Miki had left her telling her that she would borrow her baby grand piano for the funeral. She hadn’t been home in 3 days…the longest she’s been apart from Miki in a long time but this specific situation needed deep thinking.
‘It’s been five long years…Should I reveal myself and perform at your funeral Tsunku-san? Am I brave enough to do that…? She’s going to be there…Can I face her?’
She stood up from the couch and went towards her dresser to look for a box where she stored some of her most precious treasures. After retrieving it, she sat on the bed and emptied its contents. Feeling around, she took a guitar pick that had the letters R.N engraved on one side and the ‘♂’ symbol on the other. That guitar pick was the first gift she had received when she was blinded 5 years ago and Miki was the one to read her the note that came attached to it. A simple message that changed her outlook on the future and helped her move forward, a message she still remembers to this day.
-Not many know the real reason you left. But remember; I never consider myself part of the ‘many’. Music is something you feel and hear so just because you have lost your eyesight doesn’t mean you have to give up on this beautiful talent you have. Create because you’re brave Niigaki-san: Never forget.’-
She quickly changed her clothing and put the trusty guitar pick into her pocket before going out of the apartment. Risa couldn’t even believe she was about to miss her opportunity to finally give the man who changed her life his long overdue birthday present.
‘Tsunku-san…give me your strength.’
Ai had already mingled around and started menial conversations with old music classmates that were reunited to play at the funeral. But still she was nervous since her vocals were one of the main for the event. And something sparked her curiosity even more; the piano didn’t have a player. Every student that had received a song list had a specific part to play and she had noticed that nobody was in charge of the piano.
‘Who is supposed to play the piano? Terada-sensei…? I remember her piano skills in theatre as she helped us with the musicals.’
She walked towards the piano set in the center of the platform that served as a small stage. There, she saw a peculiar mark on it. The black baby grand piano glistened under the local’s light and its gold accentuates contrasted perfectly with the silver words engraved on the top part of the piano.
‘Music can give name to the unnamable and communicate the unknown. -Leonard Bernstein’
But it wasn’t the words, or the fact that they were there. I was mostly the symbol at the beginning: ‘♂’. She went back and took her guitar and brought it close to the piano to compare both instruments. Her guitar was a gift by her deceased teacher and it had the complete opposite colors to the baby grand piano that stood in front of her. Her white falcon double cutaway guitar had a scripture in black after the same symbol, but hers reads:
‘Music is the language that allows me to communicate with the beyond. - Robert Schumann’
“Takahashi-chan, we’re going to be starting now.”
The widow softly spoke to Ai and brought her out of her thoughts. She wasn’t going to focus on the owner of said piano at the moment but she had pretty clear idea as to who that person was. Still, they were given a specific time to come and play and if the woman in question hadn’t reached it must mean that she wouldn’t show up.
‘She won’t show up…I’m sure of it… Besides it was Fujimoto who brought in the piano.’
*Crack!*
Everyone’s attention was brought to the front door of the local as it creaked open and a female figure stood in the middle of it. The next seconds; the only sound you could hear was that of gasps followed by silent murmurs. Ai’s eyes widened after she recognized who it was at the door, and she couldn’t tear them away from the petite woman that at the moment held Fujimoto’s arm and slowly walked over towards the stage.
Risa wore a long white dress with a light green line on her waist and her soft curled long hair was held in a messy bun. Only light accessories adorned her figure but that didn’t matter at all since Ai was still glued on her face. She hadn’t changed at all in those five years they hadn’t met each other. The only difference was in the length of her hair, the regal elegance with which she carried herself, and unbeknownst to the other occupants in the room; her lack of vision.
“Please forgive my tardiness. But I’m ready to begin.”
Ai’s shocked gaze met Fujimoto’s and she quickly tore it away to concentrate on her guitar. Risa sat on the piano and cleared her throat before pressing the keys and birthing music right then and there. She knew the score and set list by heart so she just let her instinct take over as she played. A million thoughts ran in Ai’s mind but she wasn’t going to let it show so she began to play her guitar alongside Risa. Soon, the band accompanied them and Risa’s voice began to be heard over the speakers.
“I'll never forget you, wasurenai wa anata no koto. Zutto soba ni itai kedo, nee shikata nai no ne. Aa, nakidashisou…”
~Flashback~
“Well first years! Welcome to Tsunku-world! In here we’ll explore your talents and bring forward that musical nature that lies within you! But we won’t know where exactly it’s hiding within you so we have to look for it right?!”
Every single first year looked at the teacher as if he were speaking anything other than Japanese and their confused gazes brought giggles to the person sitting at the back of the classroom.
“Tsunku-san I think you lost them with that speech!”
The teacher laughed and beckoned for the girl to come to the front of the classroom and introduce herself. She had a short boyish cut and a small freckle adorned her nose. But it was her smile that had caught the attention of the other students. Niigaki Risa 3rd year student at Morning Esko, future plans: go to college and study music so she can compose songs for the one she loves and teach others about that art.
“What Tsunku-sensei means is that to understand your talent you must know who you are. And the best way to do so is by creating a song based on your deepest feelings.”
“Yes, and this will be your introductory project. You will choose everything in the song; music, lyrics…everything. But don’t worry; both Niigaki-san and I will help you along the way. This project will be the first quarter of your semester grade. While you create your piece we’ll study about music.”
That had caught their attention and raised the excitement levels of all the students in the room and they were already taking out their notebooks and writing lyrics for their project. Ai was tuning her guitar when suddenly Risa had approached her with a curious expression. When she noticed the other’s presence; Ai bowed her head and introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you Takahahsi-san. Say, it’s interesting that instead of going over lyrics for your song you went ahead and picked up your guitar.”
Ai cast her gaze downwards since she thought she was being scolded by her sempai but Risa just smiled and told her that it was fine if she liked doing it like that because every musician is different. The girl then stood and approached other students in the room but something fell out of her pocket. Ai tried to stop her but when she saw that it was fruitless she opened the piece of paper. Over it was a music staff with notes scribbled on there and a clear title that read: ‘Romantic Ukare Mode’. Said piece was then placed in her own pocket when she heard the teacher clear his throat and speak once again.
“This road to write your own song can be rocky at times but let’s have your sempai sing her first year composition so that you could get inspired by it. She titled it ‘Never Forget’.”
~End Flashback~
“Kioku nante tanjun da ne, dakara kanashimi sae mo omoide da ne. Kitto mata aeru yo ne, kitto waraiaeru ne; kondo deau toki wa hitsuzen.”
Ai’s guitar solo had come up and the atmosphere at the funeral had changed to a familiar one surrounded by the music Tsunku loved so much. Then, every single student on the stage began to sing along Risa and the last part of the song conveyed every single person present’s feelings and it brought tearful smiles to them. There wasn’t a dry eye in the local as the song came to a close but it was Risa’s final words what officially opened the ceremony and made everyone understand the fact that he will always live in the music he loved.
“Tsunku-san. Arigato.”
Now, it was Ai’s turn and she expertly plucked her guitar. Said action caught Eri off guard since she had never once seen the woman play, even though she saw the guitar countless times in their closet, and it has been years since she had last heard her singing. Said happening was a bit more surprising than seeing Risa for the first time in five years and as Ai began to sing; the memories of the first time she had heard her do so came back into her mind.
~Flashback~
The first quarter of semester was coming to an end and everyone’s song was close to complete. Risa had overlooked almost all of the student’s work alongside Tsunku but it was one particular student who hadn’t asked for her help at all during the project. This new generation was greatly talented and the teacher was very proud of their individual projects.
So proud in fact that he spoke with his wife and the principal to get a spot at the school’s theatre and do a performance with all the songs. At said performance he, accompanied by Risa, his wife and some of his friends will grade the songs and performance.
“Ladies and gentlemen; now that we’re here there’s another surprise. Since this is a project for the music class I promised them a grade for the song. But actually I’ll give out another grade according to the performance and confidence in it.”
The crowd’s roar after his words was the cue to begin the set of performances. And when the first person came out, Eri jumped in her seat from the excitement. Ai came out with a microphone and a turtle teddy as the music began to play. It was a symbol for Eri to pay attention because that song was clearly dedicated to her.
A squeal came from the crowd as they thought about the lyrics and their cuteness. But not everyone was pleased. Risa sat up straight and held onto her seat so hard that her knuckles went white. Eri saw this clearly since she was sitting right behind the girl and the strange look the girl besides her gave her made her wonder about their relationship. But still her attention went back to Ai who was dancing and singing her own confession for Eri.
~End Flashback~
After Ai finished singing her song, a couple of renditions from the Beatles came and went and the band then took a short break. When the break came, Risa was guided by Miki towards the front of the building.
“I…Risa…”
Risa caressed Miki’s face and smiled at her before nodding her head. The art teacher couldn’t believe her lover had already sung at the funeral and that she had chosen to attend. But she also knew that Risa wouldn’t miss this. They both knew that it’s been too long. She shouldn’t hide anymore. And with that thought in mind, both held hands and reentered the local.
“Miki-chan, can you tell me who’s here?”
“Many people… but Nakazawa, Iida, Terada, and Takahashi are here…”
Miki whispered to Risa who only nodded but as they kept walking further a tap on both their shoulders caught their attention.
“Niigaki-san…”
The tap on the shoulders came from the school’s principal who held a smile for both women. She knew that Risa would attend the funeral since it was a request from her favorite teacher and she was truly grateful and happy to see her once again. Both Miki and Risa bowed to the teacher yet the latter kept her gaze focused on the ground as she said her softly spoken ‘hello’.
“I see your music has gotten even better than before Niigaki. I just hope your history abilities went through the same change. It will certainly sadden you former history teacher if you still think China’s capital is ‘Chan Pon Chan’."
Nakazawa’s laugh and small joke lightened the mood and the women giggled at the mistake once made by a young Risa. Menial conversations were made about how long it has been since they’ve last seen each other but clearly they were still dancing around the elephant in the room.
“Niigaki, I know why you haven’t shown yourself these past 5 years. But as of now you will not keep your head lowered. It’s not what the crazy old man had wanted for you. So; head’s up Gaki!”
The high spirited words made Risa smile and she did as instructed by her former teacher. Her lover was unsure about the whole situation but a gentle squeeze on her hand calmed her down. Miki didn’t really know the exact reason Risa had wanted to be apart from everyone, but this scenario was quite nostalgic for the both of them.
“Ah! Takahashi! Have you greeted your former classmate and co-star?”
Both Risa and Miki flinched after Nakazawa had called for Ai but they held their composure as the woman in question approached them with Eri by her side. For a couple of seconds everyone went quiet and Ai’s gaze stuck to the floor as Eri’s searched Risa’s face.
“Good afternoon Takahashi-san. I would have half expected Tsunku-san to have chosen your first original piece: Romantic Ukare Mode.”
Ai flinched at the stress Risa had made on the word ‘original’ but she just nodded and asked Risa how she had been these past five years. Miki noticed the tense atmosphere surrounding them as well as the bitterness with which her lover had spoken about the first song Ai had made for her project.
Ever since that evening the girl had performed; Risa had always been guarded in front of her. She half expected said tension to diminish after so many years without meeting each other but she was quite wrong.
“Say, Niigaki-san; you studied music in college didn’t you?” Nakazawa, who seemed unfazed by the tension within the group, innocently asked Risa as she pounded her fist on her opened palm.
“Yes…piano and composition…why?” Risa didn’t know where her teacher was getting to but she had learned to never question Nakazawa and just answer. Well…that and to never talk about age, marriage, and those dreadful and unsuccessful ‘omiai’.
“Well then, think about it. We are lacking a music teacher as of now and we all know just who would be perfect for that position. And not to sound desperate but Tsunku always talked about leaving his position to you if you ever wanted it.”
Risa turned serious once again and even without her vision she could sense everyone’s shocked expression as well as hear the silent sigh Miki gave. But nevertheless she did think about it for a second and the possibility of teaching music was a great opportunity to finally work doing what she loves instead of being a simple telephone assistance office lady.
“I’ll think about it Nakazawa-sensei.” It was a simple and ambiguous reply but Nakazawa knew that she would undoubtedly accept the offer.
Another set of instrumentals had ended right then and Risa asked Miki to take her back to the stage so that she could perform one last solo song for her teacher.
‘This is it. I’m sorry I couldn’t give it to you for your birthday but I won’t keep it for myself anymore.’
Already sitting in front of the piano; every single person present turned their attention towards Risa and she softly spoke into the microphone the fact that this was a song she had promised him 5 years ago and that she had titled it: ‘Mikazuki’.
“Zutto issho ni ita futari de aruita ipponmichi. Futatsu ni wakarete betsubetsu no hou aruiteku.”
The sad tune echoed across the local and Risa immersed herself in her song and looked deep within her soul for the strength to get her message across.
This was the first time she played this song after she had written it and she never thought that it could apply so much to the actual situation.
“Samishisa de afureta kono mune kakaete. Imanimo nakidashi souna sora miagete. Anata wo omotta...”
Memories of the reason why she had actually written the song as well as memories of the incidents that led her to delay her gift for five long years brought tears to her eyes. But here she was finally singing it after she was given a great offer.
‘Tsunku-san…you put my name up there hoping that I would show up and play today didn’t you? You planned all of this so that I could inherit your job…’
“Kimi ga inai yoru date: sou no more cry mou nakanaiyo. Ganbatte irukaranette, tsuyoku narukaranette. Kimi mo miteiru darou: kono kie souna mikaduki. Tsunagatte irukaranette, aishite irukaranette. Mikaduki ni te wo nobashita kimi ni todoke kono omoi.”
By the time the melody came to a close; Risa had a tearful smile on her face and a decision was made in her mind. She would make him proud and she would look for her eternal happiness in the beautiful world of music he loved so much. Her own crescent moon won’t be stuck at that state anymore; she will finally fill it up so it can shine brightly over the darkness she’s been shrouded in these past five years.
‘Thank you: Tsunku-san.’
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There! Chapter 16! PS: Pay attention to the songs XD oh and Risa did sing Mikazuki at a dinner show with Ai. It's one of my favorite renditions of the song XD
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lately you have been on a song binge within the stories XD
well its great Risa got to perform at the funeral