C&C is welcomed with open arms! If you read, please send me a
comment or two. E-mail me at matt2518@gladstone.uoregon.edu
Feel free to go to http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~matt2518/
There, you'll find episodes of this and my other fanfic series,
the well-received "Boku No Marie: Music-Box Angel".
------------------------------------------------------------------
...Satoru answered the phone before the first ring ended.
"He... hello?" The voice at the other end was too familiar.
"Kaori?"
"Satoru?"
"It's me. What's wrong?"
"Can you... Can you pick me up at the airport?"
"Which one?"
"Haneda. Please hurry."
"Sure. I'll be there in a minute."
It was a dark night in November when Satoru Nobata received the
phone call that would change his life. Kaori was back from
America, and waiting for *him*.
But something was not right about her return.
And finding out what brought Kaori back would either bring them
together as one, or create a rift between them too wide to ever
close...
------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * *
O K A E R I, K A O R I - C H A N !
Episode 01
Kaori's Good-bye: "I Will Return Someday..."
* *
"Okaeri, Kaori-chan!" (c) 1998 Matthew Johnston.
All Rights Reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters
to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
* * * *
------------------------------------------------------------------
"Like the time I ran away
And turned around
And you were standing close to me"
--Jon Anderson, "Awaken"
Saturday, March 29, 1997
3:12 PM.
"C'mon, Satoru! Hurry up!" Kaori Akazawa grinned as she ran
kitty-corner across the street, leaving Satoru Nobata behind to
try and keep up. Satoru knew it was impossible to catch her. He
also knew that, eventually, she'd let him. It was nothing new;
she'd slow to a jog, and he'd tag her on the shoulder. Then he'd
collapse in the street.
After a chase down two blocks of city sidewalk, he did just
that. In that order. Kaori smiled triumphantly as she caught her
breath; Satoru was concentrating too hard on the burning in his
lungs to smile.
"So, where to now?" Kaori stood over Satoru, who coughed
from his sitting position. She seemed as if she must be much
taller than him, even though he knew she was a good six or seven
centimeters shorter than his 175 cm. Satoru mused that his extra
weight kept him from looking as tall as he should.
Kaori sighed and sat next to him on the curb. "You really
shouldn't over-exert yourself like that." She shook her finger
and frowned pointedly at Satoru.
Satoru shot her an incredulous look and coughed what he had
intended to be a laugh. "Next you'll be saying I brought this all
on myself."
"Well, you did." Kaori's frown was breaking at the corners
of her mouth. "You shouldn't break a girl's heart like that."
"All I did was correct your math, or whatever you call those
weird random scribblings of yours. And didn't my math give you a
higher score?"
"That's not the point!" Kaori furrowed her brow to keep from
smiling. "You left me with no choice in the matter." She lifted
her chin piously. "Besides, your punishment was fair and
inevitable." The solemn expression faded away when Satoru
chuckled.
"Uh-huh. And you didn't enjoy administering my punishment?"
"Of course not!" Her face tried to hide a smile, but failed
after a short struggle. "You dare accuse me of taking pleasure in
your penance?"
"Oh, *no*. I'd *never* do that." Satoru sighed as he rose
to his feet. "And this is the *last* time I go running after
you." He offered Kaori a hand and tried to look serious.
Kaori grinned lopsidedly. "How many times have I heard
*that* before?" A lock of red hair fell as she took his hand.
Once on her feet, she smoothed it back behind her ears with
slender fingers.
"So," Satoru returned Kaori's grin. "Where are we off to,
anyway?"
Kaori threw back her head and looked at the top of the
horizon of buildings ahead of her. After a long moment, she
inhaled deeply, and exhaled a long, soft sighed. Turning to
Satoru, she nodded once, announcing her oracular decision.
"You're going to get me a drink at the Cafe Pierrot!"
Satoru frowned. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Please? Take me there, please?" Kaori pouted.
"Well..." Satoru hesitated. He was in trouble; she was
breaking out the heavy artillery. He looked down the street,
trying to avoid her watery gaze. "But..." His willpower was
fading. He glanced at her against his better judgment. She
tilted her head coyly.
Satoru hung his head and sighed.
"Thank you!" Kaori twirled around her friend, poked him on
the nose and skipped ahead three steps before Satoru could argue
the decision. He jogged to catch up, feeling relieved that she
had decided not to run in response. Apparently, he had paid
enough penance for his mathematical arrogance.
The Cafe Pierrot wasn't a very popular spot for high school
kids; it was mostly a haunt for well-to-do college students and
successful graduates. Satoru felt a little strange entering the
place, but he rationalized that since he was going to be a college
student in a few months, he'd be okay.
The Cafe served all manner of cuisine and drinks, from any
country one readily knew about. The atmosphere was decidedly
French, with a few tables just outside the building's front
window, and lightweight furniture inside.
It was in the late afternoon; the window let in the late rays
of the day, filtered only by the painted logo. Satoru and Kaori
entered, and were seated at the last available table, in a rather
subdued corner of the cafe.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" The waitress clicked her
pen and flipped to a fresh page on her pad.
"Two lemonades, please." Kaori announced. Satoru wished
that just once he could order for them.
"I'll return with them in just a moment!" The waitress left
them to a conversation Satoru had waited a long while to start.
"Did you get the scholarship?" He looked towards the
kitchen, trying to seem nonchalant.
"I sure did! I got the confirmation letter yesterday
afternoon. College is as good as paid for!" Kaori sounded like
she was still looking straight at Satoru, but he didn't dare look
her in the eye. This wasn't something he enjoyed bringing up.
"So you're definitely going to college in America?"
"Well, yeah. The University of Oregon has better modern
music and jazz programs than anything around here. At least,
anything I could afford." Kaori's tone seemed a little more
concerned. Satoru imagined that she was still smiling, but that
the smile was probably fading quickly.
"And you'll be gone all four years?"
"Satoru, what are you getting at?"
Satoru felt himself crossing the line between pleasant
conversation and serious discussion. He forced himself to look at
Kaori. Her smile had weakened somewhat; it seemed to be trying to
convince itself that it was okay to exist.
Satoru heard the beginnings of a chuckle, but it stopped
short.
"I... I'm..." He paused, again unsure of how he should
phrase it. He closed his eyes, and recited his statement. "I'm
going to miss you." Finally, he added, "A lot."
"And I'm going to miss you, too. You're my best friend. But
I'll be back. I promise."
"You promise?" The question sounded so pathetic to Satoru as
it came out that he couldn't believe he had even *considered*
saying it. He inhaled sharply and hoped she hadn't heard.
Kaori smiled motheringly. "Of course I promise. Here." She
set her arm on the table like she was about to arm-wrestle. Her
pinkie pointed out at the end of her fist.
"A pinkie swear?" Satoru chuckled in disbelief.
"I wouldn't joke if I were you. Now, get it up here!"
Satoru had to smile at the melodrama of it all. "Okay, okay!
I believe you!" He reluctantly linked his pinkie with hers.
"You'll write me letters, right?"
"I will write you letters..." she closed her eyes and
repeated his words solemnly.
"And you'll call me?"
"I will call you..." she smiled, her eyes still closed. "But
I'll call collect."
Satoru gaped. "Not from America you won't!" The pair began
to snicker, and that mutual giggle turned into a full-blown laugh
by the time the waitress arrived with their lemonades. When
Satoru realized the waitress was setting down their lemonades, he
yanked back his pinkie and stared intensely at the icy drinks.
"Don't tell me you're trying to impress the waitress," Kaori
chided when they were once again alone. Satoru looked up
shamefully; Kaori's gray eyes beamed.
"Don't you *ever* get depressed?" Satoru took a sip of his
lemonade.
"Nope."
"How do you do it?"
"That's a secret." Kaori turned her attention to her drink.
"Aww, c'mon. You can tell me." Satoru grinned.
"This is really good lemonade. I think I'll order another."
"If you do, you're paying for it," Satoru huffed. "And don't
try to change the subject."
"Forget it, Nobata," Kaori drained the glass. "I'll never
tell. You can torture me, kill me, but I'll never tell. Never!"
Kaori's smirk challenged Satoru's pride.
"You're beyond insane, you realize."
"But of course." Kaori made eye contact with the waitress
and shook her glass. The waitress nodded and headed to the
kitchen.
After they finished, Satoru paid, and they returned home.
Their homes stood across the street from each other in a quiet
residential area. This was not by accident; their families had
been friends since before either of them had been born. And when
they were born, it was a week that separated them.
"See ya." They parted ways near Kaori's door, comfortable in
their friendship and confident in their futures.
When it came time for Kaori to board her flight to Oregon,
Satoru wasn't so confident. He had to come up with seven separate
excuses as to why his eyes were "mysteriously watering." When he
finally used "there's something in my eye again," Kaori smiled and
stepped close.
She kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you, Satoru." Her whisper barely made it to Satoru's
ears. Satoru touched his cheek as she stepped back.
Kaori seemed to turned in slow-motion; Satoru thought he saw
a tear fall to her cheek, and realized the airport was fading from
view.
She was all he saw; 17 years of Kaori flashed in front of him
as she turned to pick up her bag. She evolved in that single
action. Kaori considered the backpack for a moment as the curious
red-haired pre-schooler with a chubby face and dimples. She
reached for it as the lanky tomboy with too-long legs and too-
short hair. As she hefted the bag, she became the girl who could
run faster than all the boys. And always she had that smile; that
smile could melt ice.
And as she walked to the gate, she was everything she had
been before that moment, and somehow just a little more. With her
chin up, shoulders back, walking steps measured and prepared, she
boarded the plane.
* * * *
Kaori called collect when she landed at Portland Airport, and
again when she landed at the Eugene Airport, a hundred miles south
of Portland. Once at the university, she wrote him five letters,
and he responded five times. The letters were comfortably long,
and spoke highly of the campus, and of her classes. Satoru talked
a little about Nekomi Tech, and about his work as a chemistry
major.
She mentioned Ryan and Ami, her "new friends," a few times.
She even sent a couple of pictures with her third letter, but for
the most part, the letters remained a jealously private matter
between her and Satoru. They talked about themselves, and asked
concerned but lightweight questions about the other. Every
question was answered, even though the answers were often short,
joking statements. Satoru looked forward to the day when the
letter from Kaori came in the mail; when she stopped sending them,
he went into a funk that lasted for two weeks. That was when he
ran into Yumiko and Ichiro. Literally.
"Sorry, I wasn't looking," Satoru mumbled the apology. He
had been looking down, lost in thought, when he nearly ran over a
very tall, and equally slight, blond man. The shorter girl beside
him chuckled quietly as her companion picked himself up.
"Not a problem. Say, maybe you can settle something for us."
The man stood and brushed off his pant legs. "What's the best
place for dinner around here? We've been trying to find one good
place around here all term, but we just can't..."
"...Cafe Pierrot." The name pushed itself from Satoru's
lips. It had been on his mind just before. He stared at a leaf
on the sidewalk as the thoughts picked up again.
"Cafe Pierrot. Can't say I've heard of it. But, we're not
from around here, so..."
Satoru blinked himself back into reality. "It's not too far
from here, but not really close either. What kind of food do you
like?"
"Italian." Both answered simultaneously.
"Me too. The Cafe Pierrot has a decent international menu.
It may have changed since the last time I was there, but it used
to have a really good lasagna." Satoru smiled. "I'm sorry. My
name's Satoru. Satoru Nobata." He bowed quickly.
"Pleased to meet you." The man bowed deeply. "I'm Ichiro
Sugimoto, and this is Yumiko Kitamura." He motioned to the girl
next to him, who nodded demurely. "We're living in the dorms near
the Engineering building."
"Pleased to meet you. I live a few buildings down, across
from the Chemistry building."
"Very cool. Say, Yumiko and I were just about to order some
take-out. Would you like to join us?"
Satoru brightened immediately. "I'd love to."
Ichiro chuckled nervously and motioned Satoru to a private
conference a few steps away from Yumiko. "I hate to ask you so
early in our friendship, but I'm a little strapped for cash at the
moment. Can you pay for yourself?" He laughed nervously.
Satoru grinned. "Not a problem. Why don't I pay for the
whole thing? I bumped into you in the first place; and I should
apologize somehow."
"Oh, I couldn't..." Ichiro seemed less than enthusiastic in
his refusal. Satoru's grin widened.
"Oh, but I insist."
"Thank you! Your hospitality becomes you. Now, lead on,
Satoru Nobata."
"Where?"
"To your dorm room, of course!" Ichiro stepped back beside
Yumiko and smiled. "My room's a mess, and nobody's ever seen
Yumiko's room..." Yumiko giggled and looked away. "That leaves
your room. So lead on!"
After consideration, Satoru decided Yumiko and Ichiro
reminded him a little of Kaori and himself when they were in
junior high. Though, he never saw too much of himself directly in
Ichiro. The pair was fun-loving, perhaps a bit too much, and made
a point of not liking each other too much. Yumiko was straight-
forward, like Kaori, but not so effervescent. She shied away from
outdoor sports, but watched them if Ichiro played.
Ichiro's lean musculature implied an athletic slant, and he
was indeed good at sports in general, but seemed to take little
interest in them. Satoru figured this was because of Yumiko, but
he never pressed the point to Ichiro. On the whole, he seemed a
good complement to Yumiko; when they were seen, they were
together, always smiling or just about to.
Satoru's dorm room soon became the nexus for the activities
of the group. He had the television and the stereo, and seemed to
be the only one of the three with any money whatsoever. It was a
Tuesday night in early November when Satoru decided they would
meet at Ichiro's room for a change.
"Aww, man! Why my room?" Ichiro complained over the phone.
"You've got all the goodies in your room." Satoru audibly
frowned.
"Look, I don't want to meet at my place. We're just going
out to pizza anyway. We'll be at your place for a minute, two
tops. Yumiko knows where it is, right?" Satoru grinned.
"Very funny, Nobata. Fine, we'll meet at my place, but
you're not coming into my room."
"Why? Afraid I'll see all the nasty posters you have on your
ceiling?" Satoru could hear Ichiro growl on the other end, and
chuckled nervously. "I'm joking! Just a joke! Okay, we'll wait
outside the building for you."
"This is your treat, right?"
"You two can owe me. I'll be over in a sec, 'kay?"
"You know I won't pay you back." Ichiro was smiling.
"I'm keeping track of your tab."
"What's it at?"
"You don't wanna know. I'll see you in a minute. Bye!"
"See ya."
Satoru hung up the phone and put on his shoes. He was at the
door when the phone rang. He wondered what Ichiro could want now.
"Now what?" He answered the phone on the third ring.
"...He.. Hello?" The voice at the other end was a girl's.
Very soft, almost inaudible over the background noise.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"...I'm sorry... I must have the wrong number." The line
died after those words. Then his mind caught up with his ears.
"Kaori!" But it was way too late.
Satoru dialed Ichiro. "Ichiro? Look, why don't you guys
meet me here, 'kay? Bye." He hung up as quickly as possible.
"What if she calls back and I miss it? She sounded terrible.
What's going on? Where is she?" The thoughts at the front of his
brain refused to remain silent. Possibilities flashed through
Satoru's mind faster and more vividly than he cared to consider.
"Please call me back," Satoru pleaded with the phone.
"Please?"
Ichiro knocked on Satoru's door. Yumiko was only two steps
behind.
"Why the sudden change of plans?" Ichiro was smiling but
nervously so. "You sounded like you'd just seen a ghost."
"I might have." The response didn't sit well with either of
the guests; they sat on the floor and watched Satoru stare at the
phone.
"Is the phone trying to attack you?" Yumiko smiled as she
said it. Satoru didn't respond except with a 'shhh'. The silence
seeped into the room between the voices from outside. It was
almost too thick for Yumiko to bear, and she shifted loudly on the
floor.
When the phone rang, it shocked all three of them. Satoru
answered before the ring ended.
"Kaori?"
"Sa... Satoru?"
"It's me. What's wrong?"
"Can you...?"
"Yes?"
"Can you pick me up at the airport?"
"Which one?"
"Haneda. Please hurry."
"Which gate?"
"I... I don't know..."
"Okay. I'll meet you in the main lobby. Does that sound
okay to you?"
"...Yes." A pause. "Thank you, Satoru."
"You're welcome, and you hang on, okay? I'll be there in
just a second."
"Thank you, Satoru." Kaori sounded calmer, but still so
strange. Satoru tried to chalk it up to not hearing her voice in
such a long while, but it didn't seem to fit into that rationale.
"Ichiro, I need you to drive me to Haneda Airport. Now."
Satoru was already at the door, in his coat and shoes, waiting
impatiently.
"Sure, but why?"
"My best friend Kaori needs a ride home, and she doesn't
sound well." Satoru's voice caught both Yumiko and Ichiro by
surprise. Even at his most serious, he never sounded this
intense. Yumiko stood and got her coat.
"We'd be glad to help you out. Any friend of yours..."
"Thanks, Yumiko, but we gotta hurry. So, shall we?"
The ride to the airport was interminably long. Ichiro was
flooring it, but the tiny Civic wasn't making much headway past
120 kph. They lucked out, and didn't get caught by the police,
even though Satoru promised to pay any tickets. When they arrived
at the airport, Satoru ran inside while Ichiro and Yumiko looked
for a parking spot. He sprinted into the main waiting area,
scanning the weary faces. None were hers.
"Kaori!" Satoru shouted with all the power his lungs could
muster. "Kaori Akazawa!" He only hoped she could hear him.
"Satoru," Kaori's voice seemed to exhale its thankfulness.
Satoru whipped his body around to see her standing beside him,
with one suitcase and an exhausted smile on her face.
"Are you okay? You sounded like you were in trouble."
"I'm sorry, Satoru. I didn't mean... to upset you." Kaori
looked at the floor as Satoru picked up her suitcase.
"Is this all you brought?"
Kaori nodded slowly.
"My car's outside. Actually, I got a ride from a friend, so
it might be a little cramped." Kaori followed Satoru outside,
where Yumiko was waiting.
"Ichiro's double-parked, so we'd better hurry." Yumiko saw
Kaori and smiled. "Hello, you must be Kaori. My name's Yumiko."
"Pleased to meet you." Kaori avoided Yumiko's concerned gaze
and followed the pair to Ichiro's car. Ichiro was leaning against
the driver's side door, none too happy about the parking ticket he
had received while waiting.
"You're covering this, right?" Ichiro waved the ticket in
his hand.
"Yeah yeah sure. Just open the trunk, okay?" Ichiro
grudgingly complied.
Once they were all in the car, Ichiro finally smiled. "So,
where are we off to?" He turned to look back at Satoru and Kaori.
Kaori looked up from Satoru's shoulder with a gray, watery gaze,
but kept her arms firmly wrapped around his arm. Ichiro stifled a
chuckle; she looked a bit like a frightened koala.
"Your parents are probably worried," Yumiko offered.
"Yeah, maybe we should head to your house." Satoru scanned
Kaori's face for a reaction, but it remained still for a few
moments before she shook her head.
"Let's just go to your place," she half-whispered.
"But don't you think...?" Yumiko began to say something, but
when she turned to make eye-contact with Kaori, the expression she
caught made her bite her tongue.
Ichiro was the first to speak again. "We still need to order
that pizza."
"Actually, I think it might be best if... you know." Satoru
felt Kaori's head rest once again on his shoulder. "I don't want
to sound rude, but this *is* a little unexpected, and I think that
maybe Kaori and I would do best if..."
"Say no more!" Ichiro announced. "We can survive without
you. If you could lend us 2000, I think we'll be fine." Satoru
saw Ichiro smiling in the rear-view mirror. He sighed and reached
for the wallet.
"I don't need it *now*. You have other problems."
Satoru exhaled with relief.
"You can give it to me at your place."
Satoru felt Kaori smile as he fumed. She pressed herself
closer, and exhaled in what sounded like comfortable satisfaction.
Satoru felt her breathing even out a little, and figured she was
already asleep. He smiled and looked out the tiny window. Lights
passed by, screaming white then red. Satoru wondered if the
drivers were chasing after somebody. He felt Kaori squeeze a
little closer, and wanted to return the closeness, but something
stopped him. Drops spattered on the windows in random galaxies of
water; it had finally started raining.
* * * *
Wednesday, November 5, 1997
6:17 AM.
Satoru woke up before dawn the next morning. As he rubbed
the sleep from his eyes, he wondered what could have triggered the
elaborate dream he had just had. It wasn't the first dream he'd
had with Kaori in it. But this one was so strange. It was
unnaturally dark, and way too real. He reached above and behind
him, trying to find that light-switch which he *knew* was around
there somewhere.
80 watts of incandescence flooded the room. While Satoru
squinted at the overpowering light, he heard Kaori whispering
something unintelligible. He looked at the floor, and saw her
shift under his blue comforter. Satoru wanted to feel shocked,
and pretend she had appeared magically. He knew, though, that her
presence only confirmed his dream, and everything associated with
it.
From his vantage-point on the bed, Satoru saw Kaori's
sleeping shape, made unusually plush by the comforter. She was
laying on her side, facing him. He licked his lips with a dry
tongue and sighed.
He was reaching up for the light-switch again when he heard
her voice. "G'morning." She smiled and propped herself up on one
elbow. "We haven't done this in a long time."
"What?" Satoru flipped through his mind for two memories
like *that* that could possibly connect themselves. "Did we...?"
"Sleep over. The last time I slept over at your house, we
were in fourth grade, remember? That was the time you had the pet
frog hidden in your room and he escaped."
"And mom found her in the kitchen." Satoru started breathing
again. "I remember now."
Kaori smiled. "That was a fun night."
"It sure was." Satoru returned a smile, but couldn't find
the energy to sustain it. "I didn't mean to turn on the light.
You should get back to sleep. You've probably got terrible..."
"Okay. G'night." Kaori was asleep before her head returned
to the pillow.
"...jet lag. Good night." Satoru's voice decayed to a
whisper; he flipped the light-switch off and returned to bed.
He didn't get any more sleep. In the pre-dawn glow, he could
see Kaori's shape breathing, moving softly and evenly; she seemed
to be a lot better than she had been at the airport, but still...
"What's the matter, Kaori?" Satoru mouthed the words, daring
not even to whisper them. "Why did you come back?"
Satoru finally rolled on his back. "Did you know I'd come
running after you?" He yawned. "Of course you did. I always
do." He looked over again to Kaori. "I guess that's my role in
life, right? Your solemn protector?" He whispered the words,
hoping maybe they'd filter into her dreams.
The boy grinned at his new-found courage. "I guess I can
handle that."
------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
If you're at this point in the story, I thank you. Welcome to
"Okaeri, Kaori-chan!" With any luck these notes will be short and
efficiently used, so I'll skip a lot of the usual happiness and
get to a few of the points.
First, to give credit where it is (over)due. This story was
thoroughly pre-read by The Mokonators: Jim Nutley, Eimii, T.H.
Tiger, and Ben Williamson. They were brutal, but it was well
worth it. Without them, this story would have really sucked, no
bones about it. Thank you guys! May I have another? ^_^
"Like the time...": The quote at the beginning is from the Yes
song "Awaken" off the 1977 album "Going For The One."
Measurements: Satoru is about 5' 8". That makes Kaori about two
inches shorter at 5' 6" or so. And the Civic was speeding at
about 75 mph.
*That* Nekomi?: Yep, they're all going to Nekomi Tech. Does this
mean you'll see the Goddesses three (or four)? No. Will you see
minor characters? Maybe. Just don't expect anyone with forehead
markings to show up.
I debated for a long while about doing character descriptions ala
Stephen Tsai and Co.'s "Kimagure Orange College," but eventually
decided against it. This is because he was writing in script
form, and didn't have the opportunity to use prose to describe
people in action.
Finally, there are bound to be inaccuracies (traffic laws, dorm
policies, etc.). If you could be so kind as to gently point them
out to me, I'd very much appreciate it.
This series will be published bi-weekly (twice a month) to give me
time to write and go to college. This first story arc will be
around 8 or 9 episodes long, though the series as a whole is
probably going to be longer (maybe as many as 26 episodes if all
goes well).
Next Episode: "Kaori's Return: 'So Sorry To Disturb You...'"