"Marmalade Boy: College
Days"
Part 2: I
Thought We Were Friends! Don't Shut Me Out,
Ginta!
by: Jennifer L.
Mondazzi
orig. written:
June 2nd, 1998-June 7th,
1998
<July
11th, the summer after Miki's High School
graduation>
Miki sat in her
comfortable chair in front of her writing table and scribbled away in
her diary, writing not only for her best friend to read, but for
herself as well.
Despite the
fact that she was out of high school now, she just couldn't seem to put
this one "childish" activity away. She needed her
journal; it was the only means she had available to clarify the
thousands of whirling thoughts that danced around inside her brain on a
daily basis. Composing her musings in this manner helped to stabilize
her world when it went upside down, and right now, Miki felt as if she
was dangling from the edge emotionally. With Yuu still in America, and
Meiko on her honeymoon, she was more frightened and alone than she ever
had been in her entire life.
Nothing came
close to what she was feeling at that moment - not even that time that
she had gotten lost in New
York.
<Meiko,
I'm scared.
Arimi hasn't
called me back, and Ginta's refused to see me again. I went to his
house today, but he wouldn't open the door. He's really mad at me for
giving those clues to Arimi about his condition, but... she needed to
know the truth! I mean, she loves him as much as I love Yuu. Lying to
her was so wrong...
Besides, she
figured it out on her own.
I didn't
exactly tell her
anything.
Still, I feel
like I've betrayed him.
I may have
lost my other best friend,
Meiko.
What will I
do?>
Miki's tears
stained the page she was working on, smudging the black ink beneath her
fingertips. She put her pen to the side calmly, laid her head in her
arms, and finally gave into the overwhelming sadness that had been
threatening to envelope her for the last two days. She cried her heart
out, as she relived the
memories...
***********************************************************************
<Two
days ago...>
"Oh, Ginta...
Why didn't you tell us? We've all been so
worried."
"Go home,
Miki," her friend murmured. His once robust voice sounded tired,
haggard, and he leaned even more heavily upon his father's strength to
support him. Miki bravely held back her tears as she approached
him.
"You should
have told me..."
He sighed, and
looked over at her, his own eyes teary. "Tell you what? That I'm sick.
That I have a tumor growing in the back of my skull that might kill me?
Is that what you really wanted to hear?"
At his words,
Mrs. Suoh's sobs escaped her lips, and she covered her mouth, turning
away. Her husband put on a strong face, but his eyes told of his own
deep misery. Miki struggled to force her grief away, trying to remain
strong too, not wanting to add any more burden to anyone's feelings.
"Ginta, I
thought we were close. Best friends don't hide something like this from
each other. It's too
important."
Her one-time
crush sighed, then slouched a little, and Mr. Suoh compensated for the
change in weight, keeping them both upright by shifting his stance. "I
think he'd better sit down now," the older man said, his deep voice
soft. Gingerly, he led his son to the couch, and when Ginta was
situated, Mr. Suoh took up the empty place next to his wife on the
opposite loveseat. Mrs. Suoh leaned her head on her husband's shoulder
and he cradled her to him lovingly, his eyes strained with
tears.
Miki sat down
next to her friend, and reached out to touch his hand. It was cold. He
flinched, and turned his face away.
"I can always
tell what you're thinking. Your face gives you away," he began, his
tone amused, but more tired than anything else. "Ok, so I didn't tell
you, and I'm sorry for that. I found out about it a week ago, when I
collapsed during tennis practice." His fingers tightened around hers
for courage, and he continued.
"The doctors
say it's a benign tumor, but it's grown so large that it could turn
malignant at any time. They're going to operate and remove it, but
first, they wanted to try chemotherapy, to rid any possible cancerous
growth that may have already begun. Only three more sessions left, and
they say I'll be clear, and can go into
surgery."
Miki rubbed her
threatening tears away. "Is this...is this why you broke up with
Arimi?" He nodded, and his eyes took on a far-away, haunted
look.
She almost lost
it right there.
Instead, Miki
bit on her bottom lip and forced the tears back. She sniffled, and it
drew his attention back to the present. He swung his head around,
looking down at their entwined hands, then up into her eyes. She was
suddenly captured by his desperate, coffee-colored gaze.
"Please don't
tell her, Miki. Of all people, I don't want her to
know."
She blinked,
stunned. "But... Ginta...
"
He shook his
head adamantly, and sat up straighter, suddenly renewed with urgent
energy. "You absolutely _can not_ tell Arimi, Miki.
Promise me."
She shook her
head back at him. "I can't do that, Ginta. It's wrong. She has a right
to know." He released her hand suddenly, pulling away, sinking deeper
into the couch. His demeanor reminded her of some wounded, terrified
animal, and she could see how torn he was over his decision. Guilt and
regret warred inside of him clearly, etching itself upon his facial
features. She shook her head again, more stubbornly this time. "Arimi
loves you, Ginta, and you love her. You can't keep your sickness a
secret from her. She needs to know about it."
He snaked out,
faster than she thought was possible, considering his body's condition,
and grabbed her shoulders. "I have to Miki, can't you see that? What if
the tumor gets worse? What if it turns cancerous? I don't want Arimi to
see me so pathetic!"
From somewhere
behind her, she heard Mrs. Suoh weeping quietly against her husband,
her sobs muffled by his embrace. "But, Ginta," she argued, trying to
reach him, "she's frantic right now. She thinks it's her fault. She
thinks that you hate her. Please, just tell her the truth and the two
of you can work through this."
Her friend's
eyes became hard, and his grip on her tightened painfully for an
instant, before his energy sapped quickly away again. He sighed, but
his determination never wavered. "I forbid you from telling Arimi,
Miki. Do you understand? This is my secret. If you're my friend, you'll
respect that."
The two stared
hard at each other for long moments, neither one wanting to give
ground. Finally, Miki conceded, and bent to his request, shocked to the
core of her being. Never had Ginta shown her this side of himself
before. She'd seen Yuu's hard-edge before, but it was nothing compared
to this. Ginta's harshness was a product of his desperation and fear.
It was heart-breaking.
When Ginta
seemed convinced of her sincerity, he sighed, then hugged her to him.
At first, Miki was uncomfortable with the gesture, but then she
returned it, instinctively understanding that this was what her friend
needed more than anything - to just be held. "Are you scared?" he
asked, his voice rumbling through his chest.
She nodded.
"Are you?
"Yes."
She hugged him
tighter, showing her love and support, and there was silence between
them for the space of ten heartbeats. Finally, Ginta pulled away, and
leaned back into the couch once more, his face pasty-colored, the
dark-circles in stark contrast, highlighting his thin face. He reached
out weakly and took her hand again.
"Miki, will you
do something else for me?"
She nodded.
"Anything."
His lips tugged
into a slight, half-smile in thanks, then slipped back into a worried
frown, as his gaze took on that confused and distant look again. "Will
you pray for me?"
She finally
allowed her tears to come. They slipped down her cheeks, splashing upon
their entwined hands.
"Of course,
Ginta.... for you, of
course."
***********************************************************************
Miki looked up
at the calendar on her wall. Circled in red was the date that Yuu would
be returning home. Only five more days. She picked up her robot
recorder, and hit the button to hear his voice
again.
"Miki, hang in
there! I'll be back
soon."
She sighed, and
put the robot back in its spot on her desk, next to her Kappa-chan
family. Next, she opened the lid of the music box that Yuu had bought
for her. The beautiful song, "Moment" began, its stirring melody,
bringing waves of nostalgia with it. She shut the lid again, then
scooted out of her chair and threw herself on her bed, face up. Staring
at the ceiling, she felt the tears trickle again down the sides of her
cheeks, and her vision
blurred.
<Yuu...
hurry back, please. I need
you.>
***********************************************************************
"Matsuura-kun,
over here!"
Yuu looked up
from rummaging around in the jeep to where Brian and Doris were waving
him on. They had reached the edge of the tarmac, waiting for him before
they stepped out onto the sandy beach together. In Doris' hand was the
giant picnic basket that she had hand-packed with lunches and snacks
for them the group, and Brian carried a giant cooler filled with drinks
and ice. Beyond them, Anju, newly out of the hospital on a trial basis,
and Bill settled down on a blanket under a giant umbrella together,
relaxing. Still too fragile to carry anything or strain herself, Bill
serviced Anju's every need, making sure that she was comfortable at all
times. Far off, in the distance, Jinny and her handsome, new boyfriend,
Chris Baxter, ran towards the water, boogie-boards at the
ready.
Yuu waved Doris
and Brian on, but they shook their heads, adamant about waiting for him
to catch up. He grinned, and continued rummaging through the jeep for
his binder filled with information on the various college he had been
interested in.
He had visited
six different schools, not yet including the one suggested by Mr.
Satoshi (he had plans to hit that one on Sunday), and had found three
serious candidates. Not wanting to go back to Japan and think more
about it - he intended on devoting every minute to Miki then - Yuu
resolved to do his 'homework' before he got
home.
He stopped and
reflected on the year of his life that he had spent in a foreign
country. He had made some great friends, seen some fantastic sights,
and had discovered some important aspects of himself while he had been
here. He knew that even should he decline an offer from a university on
this continent, he would never forget this place. The United States was
a large country, filled with interesting people from all walks of life.
His friends here were proof-positive of
that.
His friends...
Finals had
ended, and they had all passed and graduated from St. Andrews. Not
surprisingly, Doris had been valedictorian of their class, but Yuu had
finished within the top ten students, so he was satisfied with the
result.
He
sighed.
This was
probably their last summer together.
Brian had
accepted an offer to play basketball for the University of North
Carolina, and had even won a scholarship to help him with the tuition.
He was excited by the prospect, for it was his dream to be a player on
an NBA team someday.
Doris was
planning to attend Yale's Medical School in Connecticut, where she
would enter into the field of Neurology. Her father, a well-respected
Neurologist, was her inspiration for her career path, and although she
would be hundreds of miles away from Brian, she assured her current
beau that the distance would not change her feelings for him. Yuu
believed her; he only hoped that Brian felt the same. Those two were a
good couple.
Bill still had
not accepted a single offer letter from any one school, despite the
fact that he had been accepted to four in total. Yuu supposed that had
something to do with Anju. He was guessing that Bill wanted to stay
nearby for her, and would accept an invitation only after the two of
them had really talked about it. Although they still weren't dating,
Yuu could tell that his childhood friend's heart had been won over by
his ex-roommate already. He was happy to see that match work
out.
Jinny planned
to attend the California Academy of the Arts in the San Francisco area,
as a Dance major. Luckily for her, Chris had been accepted by the
University of San Francisco's Political Science undergraduate program,
so the two of them would be attending college not too far from each
other. The possibility of their relationship continuing looked pretty
good. Although, with Jinny, one never
knew...
Overall, Yuu
knew that this weekend was probably the final time he would see them
all together. They would all be going their separate ways. He was a
little saddened by this, but he also accepted it. His mother had once
told him that, in life, one often crossed into and out of many people's
paths, touching each in a special and unique way before moving on. The
idea, she said, was to leave each a little better than how you entered
it, and to take away from each some experience or knowledge to better
yourself. From his friends here in America, Yuu had learned a great
many important things and made some wonderful memories. Bill, Anju,
Doris, Brian, Jinny, and even Chris would be an extension of every
action, thought and decision he made for the rest of his life now, for
they had drastically altered his perception of the world... simply by
crossing his path.
The more he
thought on it, the less melancholy he was.
From a certain
point of view, he wasn't really losing his friends at all.
When he had
finally located his binder, Yuu grabbed his duffel bag, and made his
way to Doris and Brian. The three of them picked a spot only feet from
Bill and Anju's umbrella, and set up their own canopy to shade them.
They then set the cooler down under it, spread their blankets and laid
out. Yuu opened the various catalogs, filled with information about
each college, and began reading. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw
Doris unpacked her picnic basket, while Brian opened a soda for both he
and his girlfriend, and then tossed two over to Bill and one to Yuu.
For a while,
everything was peaceful and Yuu got a lot of reading done. However,
when a squeal of delight reached the five of them from off in the
distance, everyone turned just in time to see Chris pull a drenched and
laughing Jinny up from the surf, and kiss her
passionately.
"That girl is
so bad," Doris said, grinning, and shook her
head.
"Yea, well,
she's your best friend. What's that say about you?" Brian teased. She
stuck her tongue out at him, and, grinning, he quickly snuck a kiss
from her lips too. She blushed, and swatted playfully at him, and he
responded by moving closer to her and leering suggestively. Her face
had turned as scarlet as her bathing suit within seconds, and everyone
in the group giggled.
"Isn't the
weather beautiful?" Anju asked, smiling and looking up at the great,
blue-expanse above. "Today is just a perfect day!"
Dressed in a
filmy, floral-printed skirt and pink tank-top, and wearing a
wide-rimmed, straw hat, Anju was the picture of serene beauty. The very
tip of the scar from the recent heart surgery peaked out above her
collar, but it did not deter from her glowing face. Next to her, Bill
nodded. He leaned back on the palms of his hands, and looked up as
well. "Tonight we'll be able to see the stars clearly." He turned to
his female companion and smiled shyly. "If you want, I'll set up my
telescope for you. I brought it along just in case."
Anju smiled,
and blushed. "That would be nice. I'd like
that."
"You two are
going to give me cavities," Jinny called out jokingly, slumping down on
a towel near Doris. Obviously, she'd had enough of the cold, salty
water for now. Her suit was soaked, as was her long, blonde hair, but
she was smiling, and didn't seem to mind that she looked like a
drenched rat. Chris, who had since ditched their boogie-boards to the
side, kneeled beside her, and reached into the picnic basket for some
food. Doris smacked his hands away.
"Ladies first,"
she joked, handing Jinny a sandwich. The two girls grinned, while Chris
managed to look slightly offended.
"Hey, it isn't
my fault that I was born genetically different from
you, oh-cousin-of-mine," he replied, trying to be smart-alecky.
Doris patted
the side of his face with mock-sympathy. "Oh, that's right! It's not
your fault that you missed out on all of the family's good-looks, is
it?"
Everyone
snickered, shaking their heads. This type of banter was typical between
these two whenever they were together. According to Doris, since they
were only months apart in age, they had grown-up constantly paired-off
with each other at family functions. As a result, they developed a way
of passing the time together, called, 'the rank-on game.' By now, it
became a way of life for the two of them, and for everyone else, it was
just plain interesting to
watch.
Instead of
getting upset, Chris took the insult in stride. Reaching over, he stole
Doris' apple right out from under her nose. "Maybe so, but it seems
that there were plenty of brains left over for me when they finished
with you,
cousin."
Everyone
laughed, even the ever-polite Anju, who covered her chuckles with her
hand in an attempt to keep her new friend's embarrassment factor to a
minimum. Chris took a bite out of the apple and smirked, but
surprisingly, Doris didn't rise to the challenge. With a nod of her
head, she simply conceded to Chris' victory gracefully. He flashed her
a brilliant grin, and sat down at Jinny's side, finishing off his
spoils.
Yuu smiled, and
put aside his reading, flipping onto his back to absorb some of the
sun's warm rays, contemplating getting back to Miki in a few days.
He couldn't
wait for her to open the present he bought her. He knew what her
reaction would be - she was so predictable - but he still enjoyed
watching the way her eyes lit up, and how her small, sweet mouth curved
upward in pure joy when she opened a gift. In so many ways, she was so
'unspoiled' and innocent.
Perhaps in a
few weeks, before the fall school semester began, they could take
another trip together... only this time, alone. That
would be nice.
Closing his
eyes, he was lulled by the warm, summer sun into a state of blissful
relaxation. Very quickly, he felt sleep tugging at
him.
Anju was right.
This _was_ a perfect
day.
***********************************************************************
"Oooh, it's so
cute!" Suzu squealed, hugging the stuffed animal for the hundredth time
in an hour. It had been an 'unhappy birthday' gift from her new friend,
the American boy, Michael Grant, who obviously had a crush on her. He
claimed that the term had come from an old Disney movie, called "Alice
In Wonderland," and that it meant that it was a gift given to her on a
day that wasn't her birthday - not that he wished her any unhappiness.
She hadn't been too concerned about any insult intended; she had just
wanted a 'Pokota' doll since she'd first began reading the "Hime-chan
no Ribbon" manga a few months ago, and was excited to get one -
whatever the reason.
She knew
exactly where she'd put her new toy too - on the shelf above her desk,
in-between the picture of she and Yuu (from the commercial they had
made almost a year previously), and the glass rose (with matching vase)
that her newest interest, Kei Tsuchiya, had bought her when she had
graduated from the 8th grade in
June.
"I'm glad you
think so," Michael said, blushing a pretty shade of red that
complimented his auburn hair nicely. He scratched the back of his head,
embarrassed and unsure of himself. "I... I saw it and immediately
thought of you. It's got a nice, friendly
smile."
Suzu stopped,
looking up at her companion.
Michael
_was_ good looking, and stylishly
foreign...
She linked her
arm through his, and he seemed physically taken off-guard. She smiled
impishly - this routine always worked on Kei - and suggested that they
get some ice-cream. Michael enthusiastically agreed, and the two soon
found themselves in front of Bobson's Ice Cream Parlor. As they
entered, a nice girl greeted them, and Suzu ordered a scoop of her
favorite flavor - strawberry. She waited while Michael ordered his own
cone, then paid. The two enjoyed their treat outside, as they walked
towards the park together.
After a time
swinging on the children's gymnasium, the two took a boat ride around
the small lake, with Michael rowing, of course. They spent several
hours talking and laughing, and for once, Suzu didn't mind the fact
that she was the one being drug around from place to place. She was
seeing and experiencing the world through Michael's eyes, and it was
like one exciting adventure after another all afternoon.
By the time
they headed for home, it was twilight, and the streetlights had come
on.
"I had a
wonderful time!" Michael enthusiastically informed his 'date' as he
walked her to her front door. This afternoon with Suzu had been pure
heaven. She'd obviously had as much fun as he had; he could tell by the
genuine smile on her face. It was a good
start!
She nodded,
hugging her present to her chest, looking as lovely as ever. "Me too.
Thank you again for Pokota. I love
him!"
"It was no big
deal," he replied modestly, then glanced at his watch. "I guess I'll
get going now. Miki's parents might be worried about where I am. I
didn't tell them I wouldn't be home for dinner
tonight."
"Ok," Suzu
replied, distracted as she began fishing around in her purse for the
front door keys. "Have a good
night!"
Michael was
hoping for a little more than that, but when it was obvious that Suzu
wasn't going to say anymore, he started down the stairs and towards the
front gate. "You have a good night, too." Before he took five steps
though, he swung around, and impulsively blurted out his gut-reaction.
"Hey, can we do
this again sometime?"
Suzu looked
over at him, and froze.
For the space
of ten seconds, neither said a word, but Michael heard his heart pound
loudly in his ears.
He'd asked. If she said
no...
Suzu considered
her friend carefully.
The more she
was around him, the more appealing Michael became to her. It wasn't
just his looks that were attractive, either - it was his sincerity, his
blatant honesty, and his innocent openness; his willingness to try new
things.
He was just
plain fun to be with.
She smiled.
Maybe it
wouldn't hurt to say 'yes.' After all, a date was only just that. It
didn't mean they were committed to each other or anything.
"That would be
nice," Suzu said, then produced the keys from her purse, put them in
the lock, opened the door and went in. Before it shut, however, she
turned back and smiled at him. "Call me
tomorrow."
Then, she was
gone.
At that moment,
Michael felt as though he was flying. She'd said
'yes'!
Whistling, he
turned and headed out the front gate, back towards his host-family
home, a spring in his step as he
walked.
Suzu ran up to
her home, after announcing her presence to her parents. She wanted to
set her new gift up in its new 'home'. As she placed Pokota between her
collection of 'favorite cute-things', she paused over the glass rose.
Picking it up, she twirled the stem around between her two fingers, and
bit her lip in
consternation.
Where was Kei,
anyway? He hadn't called her in a week, nor showed up at her doorstep,
as he typically did, to surprise her. Why would he just stop coming
around? Surely it wasn't because he'd found someone else... was
it?
The more she
thought on it, the more disturbed she became.
<It's
not like we were dating or anything!> she argued with herself,
trying to quell the rising doubts. However, they kept plaguing her -
what if he was seeing someone else? That would mean
that he ditched her.
No, that was
inconceivable! Being dumped wasn't something that someone did to Suzu.
Well, there had
been that whole
'Yuu-incident'...
She plopped
down on her bed, and hugged her giant, fluffy pillow close, then did
something surprising to herself - she sighed glumly.
When her mother
came in an hour later, to announce that Kei had called while she had
been out, Suzu's spirits immediately rose to a crescendo, only to be
replaced with anger. Where had he been all this time?!? Feeling
defensive, she refused to call him back, believing that if he wanted
her, he knew where to find her.
By ten o'clock,
Kei had still not called
back.
Suzu paced back
and forth in her room, angry with herself and with him. She had tried
to concentrate on recataloging her knickknacks, categorizing them into
'cute', 'cuter' and 'cutest' piles an hour before, but had quickly
become disenchanted with that task. Then, she had gone through trying
on clothes in her closet, coming up with new 'cute' outfits that she
could mix and match. After her third undress, she had tired of that
too.
Bored and frustrated weren't enough to describe her feelings at that
moment.
Tired of
waiting, she dressed in her nightgown, turned off her bedroom light,
and slipped in between her covers. Before she closed her eyes, though,
she mentally cursed that 'annoying piano-playing dweeb' for giving her
such a splitting headache before
bed.
********************************************************************
Just as Miki
was going off to bed, her mother called her down to the phone. Putting
a robe on hastily, she ran down the stairs and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Miki, it's
me."
It was Ginta!
Her heart began
beating fast, and she swallowed before responding. It took her two
tries to get out what she wanted to say. "Um... hi, Ginta. What's
up?"
"Miki, you
broke your promise to me," he began, sounding very hurt. "You said you
wouldn't tell Arimi about my condition. I trusted you, and you lied to
me."
What could she
say? It was true - all of it. She felt
heartsick.
"I know, Ginta,
you're right, and I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry that I betrayed you."
She could feel the tears coming again, and sniffled. There was silence
on the other end of the line for what seemed like forever. Finally,
Ginta sighed.
"What's done is
done, though. Arimi and I have talked about it, and we're back together
now. She insisted on it, and you know how stubborn she can
be."
Miki was
shocked, then relieved. She let out the breath she had been
unconsciously holding in. "Oh, Ginta, I'm happy for you. The two of
you..."
Ginta
interrupted her, his tone stern. "That doesn't mean I forgive you,
Miki. Not yet, anyway. That's going to take some time, I
think."
Miki paused,
knowing that she was getting what she deserved, and the guilt gnawed at
her again. "I understand. It's alright if you hate me - as long as you
and Arimi are o.k.
again."
"Idiot!" her
friend chastised gently. "I didn't say I hated you. I just said it was
going to take a while for me to forgive
you."
Miki dared to
hope.
"Ginta, I'll do
anything... you just have to
ask."
There was quiet
murmuring going on in the background, and someone covered the
speaker-part of the phone with their hand. Miki figured it out from the
familiar voice that Arimi was there with Ginta, and the two were
talking. They obviously didn't want her to hear their conversation
yet.
Finally, her
best friend's voice came back to
her.
"You can start
by coming over tomorrow and being here for me when I get back from my
doctor's visit at noon," he offered, a smile in his voice. Miki's tears
fells down her face, and she sobbed
openly.
"I'll be there.
No matter what, I'll be
there."
"Good, you'd
better be," Arimi's voice informed her kindly. "Because I don't want to
stand on the doorstep
alone."
When the
conversation was over, Miki hung up the phone, raced back up to her
room, flipped open her diary, and crossed out the section she had
written earlier that evening. On the page directly adjoining it, she
wrote in big, bold
letters:
<Meiko,
hurry
home.
Then, I'll
have both of my best friends
back!>
TO BE
CONTINUED....
***********************************************************************
Next time, on
"Marmalade Boy: College
Days":
Miki and Arimi
are the recipients of some terrible
news...
<"Ginta's
not coming home. They're going to have to operate
immediately.">
Then, Suzu and
Michael go on their second date together to an amusement park, and he
confesses his true
feelings for her...
<"Suzu-chan,
I really like
you!">
But Kei
suddenly reappears on the
scene...
<"Suzu,
I want you to be my
girlfriend.">
Then, Yuu
visits one last school in New
York...
<"We
think you'd fit in here well, Matsuura. What do you
say?">
And there's
some surprising announcements at dinner that
night...
<"Chris
and I are getting
married.">
<"Anju, I
think I still have some feelings for
Jinny.">
Finally, Miki's
parents have picked one of their new exchange
students...
<"Claire
is from Paris. She'll be staying in Miki's
room.">
<"But I'm not
ready to move out
yet!!!">
See you
there.... ^__^
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's
Notes:
**For those who
love a good, angst-ridden romance, and for all of the loyal "Marmalade
Boy" fans out there,
this one is dedicated to you!**
"Marmalade Boy"
is the property of its original author All other characters and
situations are the property of Jennifer L.
Mondazzi, copyright 1998. **Do not reproduce any portion of this story
without the express written permission of this
fanfiction author.**