Guardian Angel
Chapter 10 - The Card of Fate
"Da dum da dum da dum..."
Humming audibly a random tune that she had thought up in her head whilst she stuck one leg out from behind the bathroom door, Lin Lin smirked and wriggled her toes. She could envision Koharu's eager expression as she sat on the bed with her legs curled outwards awaiting this moment.
A few seconds passed but Lin Lin didn't hear the easily excitable miracle cheer for more. This was highly unusual as in the time that they had spent living together, the Chinese girl had discovered Koharu’s unusual fondness for clapping her hands excitedly while watching Lin Lin fool around. Deciding that something was definitely wrong, Lin Lin put her feet back firmly on the floor and exited the tiny washroom.
"Koharu-chan?"
Sitting on the edge of the bed with a dazed expression on her face, Koharu was visibly affected. The plastic cordless phone lay on its side in her lap while her arms dangled limply on either side of her body.
"Don't scare me Koharu-chan, speak to me!"
Rushing up to kneel down on the carpet floor beside the bed, Lin Lin scooped up Koharu's hands and shook at them worriedly.
"Did someone call?"
Transferring her gaze from the far corner of the bedroom to focus on Lin Lin, Koharu replied.
"I told her everything."
"Told who what?"
Stroking at the back of Koharu’s hand with her thumb, Lin Lin asked as she tried to stop her girlfriend from trembling.
"Niigaki-san. She seemed to have remembered something. And she made me tell. Kamei-san is going to be so mad when she finds out. She specifically told us to not talk about the accident again."
As images of an irate Eri appeared in her mind, the current sub-leader of Morning Musume pulled away from Lin Lin and began sobbing into her hands.
In the entire duration of their relationship, Lin Lin had never seen Koharu weep. Although it tugged at her heart to see her significant other cry so sorrowfully, another part of her felt happy that she was the one by Koharu’s side when she was at her most vulnerable.
Without saying a word, Lin Lin removed the telephone and proceeded to lay her head on Koharu's lap. Despite her obvious flippant ways, Lin Lin knew Koharu was a strong person and she would be able to sort things out on her own. As her partner, all Lin Lin had to do was to be there for her in her time of need.
When she was convinced Koharu had calmed down enough to speak, she would assure her that no matter what happened, she would be there with her every step of the way. If Koharu had to explain things to Kamei-san, she would accompany her. If their senpai wanted someone to blame for the state of affairs, Lin Lin too would be there to share the responsibility.
We will face everything that life throws at us together.
-----
Their hands were tightly clasped as the shorter woman pulled her companion along. They had begun their journey from the second Risa put her hand in Ai's and the pair had not stopped running ever since. Their current location was in a deserted park devoid of any souls except for a lone passer-by who had bumped into them roughly. The impact from the collision broke apart their entwined hands and similarly, it tore Ai out of her reverie.
"I'm...sorry. I didn't know what I was doing."
Shaking her head stiffly from side to side, Ai glanced at Risa for a split second before looking away hastily. Even though she tried to conceal her pained expression by slinking further back into the shadows that were being cast by the streetlamp they were standing under, her action failed to impede Risa’s observation of the lone tear which had slipped from the corner of her eye.
"It's alright...I.."
"No, it's not alright."
Turning her body away from Risa, Ai retorted desolately as she tilted her face skywards and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't know what possessed her to grab Risa and escape from the crowded restaurant. What could she have achieved with her deed? It wasn’t as if she could take Risa with her back to New York, away from a person who had become so cold and distant that she could no longer recognize her as the once warm and innocent turtle.
Feeling the ends of her eyes grow increasingly moist, Ai wiped at them with her fingers to discontinue their descent. She didn't want to cry, not in front of Risa who would probably find her outburst strange. The younger wasn't her best friend anymore, she was nothing more than an acquaintance without the recollections of all their years together.
“There are so many stars tonight.”
At hearing her comment, Ai stole a peek at Risa, expecting her to be looking up at the heavens admiring one of natural’s most beautiful sights. Instead, her companion was staring back at her, her gaze resolute and unwavering as she closed the distance between them.
Thinking that she might never see her again after Ai returned to America, Risa decided to etch forever in her memory the feeling of tasting Ai’s lips. Nevertheless, she couldn’t do it with the other girl watching her. Lifting her hand and cupping it over the doe-like eyes of the woman she had forgotten she loved until recently, Risa whispered gently.
"Thank you for the memories."
Shocked to hear the exact same sentence that her best friend had uttered two years ago when she appeared at the airport to see her off, Ai blinked behind Risa’s hand and gulped down the lump that had formed in her throat.
What did Risa mean? Did she recall something about their past? Before she could turn her jumbled thoughts into a verbal and coherent statement, soft, tender kisses found their way onto her lips and prevented Ai from speaking.
Allowing herself to melt into Risa’s embrace as the younger’s arm snaked around her waist, Ai pulled at the lapel of Risa’s jacket and drew her in, eliminating any inch of space that had previously existed between them. Something out of the ordinary was stirring within Ai and this bizarre but wonderful sensation was making her heart beat more rapidly.
As the breathing of both girls shortened and became progressively more erratic, Ai’s cardigan was slid off her shoulders and the garment fell to the ground around her feet, wholly forgotten as the kisses deepened. Tonight, she finally realized why she hadn't been happy despite finding success in her career. The missing piece from the puzzle had been standing in front of her all along.
“It’s you.”
Breaking apart reluctantly for some desperately needed air, Ai disregarded the mixture of regret and confusion evident in those brownish eyes and declared.
“Give me another chance.”
Ai wasn’t going to relinquish the happiness that fate was generously handing her once more. This time, the Fukui native was determined to cherish Risa with every fiber of her being.
“Let us love again.”
-----
Her arms were wrapped protectively around her body as she waited impatiently for the person she had arranged to meet. Before long, a figure emerged through the mist and coughed a few times into his clenched fist. Recognizing his behavior as the agreed manner to distinguish each other, she held up the hand griping tightly onto a brown envelope.
The man, whose face she could not see, made sure his features were well concealed by his hat before walking up to her. Grabbing the paper packet from her hand, he shoved a small parcel into her arms in exchange and subsequently proceeded to rip apart the paper material. Peering into the bag, he smirked, apparently very satisfied by its contents.
With quivering hands, she opened the bundle and gaped open mouthed at the single item. Did she really purchase such an article? Somewhat astounded by her own unexpected act, she slipped the cold metal into her coat pocket before folding the wrapper into small sections and discarding it in the narrow alley.
The transaction was complete and the looming stature of the male party turned on his heel about to leave. Prior to departing, he remarked.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled and lightening flashed, streaking across the midnight dark sky. Several lamps illuminating the street in this dreary part of town failed at the same instant plunging the entire road into pitch black dimness.
Before this they never knew,
The extent of their intricately intertwined lives.
Yet they would soon discover,
Providence’s penchant to make a fool of man.
And it would be too late to realize,
The fleetingness and fragility of life.
-----
*CRASH!*
“Let me see your hand! Did you hurt yourself?!”
Grasping nervously onto Sayumi with clammy hands, Reina studied the raven-haired woman carefully in search of any wounds that the sightless girl might have endured. Pleased that she didn’t seem to have any cuts on her body, Reina heaved a sigh of relief and steered the taller in the direction of their shared queen-sized bed.
“I’m perfectly fine Reina. You don’t have to fuss over me.”
“Nonsense, it’s only right that I take good care of my goddess.”
A bright scarlet shade colored her milky-white cheeks when Sayumi heard the audacious comment. She was embarrassed yet extremely flattered by the open adoration. As Reina busied with sweeping up the broken pieces of glass, Sayumi sat obediently on the springy mattress and waited for her girlfriend to finish cleaning up.
Being with Reina was an entirely different experience from hanging around Eri. The wonky eyed one was much more meticulous and thoughtful, her true personality vastly dissimilar from what she typically portrayed on screen. In addition, she wasn’t someone who played down her affections for others, especially towards someone as important as the bunny. How she failed to notice Reina’s excellent qualities before their getting together baffled her.
It was clear from her insistence in escorting Sayumi for her regular checkups at the hospital to the occasional trips that they made together to the convenience store in the vicinity that the ex-yankii treasured every moment of the time they spent together. When she felt the bed sink down beside her, Sayumi knew Reina had accomplished the chore and had come to sit with her. Leaning her head sideways to rest on Reina's shoulder, Sayumi breathed out contentedly.
"I love you, R-kun."
Topic: More Than One Story...[111016 Loving You Forever] (Read 278403 times)