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 critically acclaimed "Boku No Marie: Music-Box Angel".
NOTE: Translated comments in the story are held in <brackets>.
Unless otherwise noted, they're translated from English.
------------------------------------------------------------------
When he arrived at the airport, Satoru 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 seemed to exhale her 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.
It was a cold 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 will 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 03
Kaori's Sigh: "...Is There Something Wrong?"
* *
"Okaeri, Kaori-chan!" (c) 1998, 1999 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.
* * * *
------------------------------------------------------------------
"Loneliness is a pow'r that we possess
to give or taken away forever."
--Chris Squire, "Disillusion"
Thursday, November 6, 1997
11:48 AM.
"The three cardinal trapezoidal formations, hereto made
orientable in our diagram by connecting the various points HIGK,
PEGQ, and LMNO, creating our geometric configurations which have
no properties, but with location, are equal to the described
triangle CAB quintuplicated. Therefore, it is also the five
triangles composing the aforementioned NIGH each are equal to the
triangle CAB in this geometric concept! Therefore, in a like
manner, the geometric metaphors can derive a repeated vectoral
sum. This is your assignment, and I would like to see the results
tomorrow."
Satoru chuckled in hopeless confusion. "Maybe it's not too
late to become a monk," he considered sullenly. The bell tolled
the end of the class; it had never sounded sweeter to him than at
that moment. He shook Ichiro awake.
"What did the prof say?" Ichiro put on his coat, and picked
up his backpack.
"He told us we were all hopelessly stupid and proceeded to
show us how hopelessly stupid we really were." Satoru grinned in
spite of himself.
"Did you take good notes?"
"Yeah, sure. Real good notes."
The pair exited the lecture hall, moving slowly. "Wow, the
whole class looks beat," Ichiro noted. As they looked out ahead
of them, they saw 150 hopeless souls pondering a change in major.
"You slept through the worst academic experience human
civilization has ever known." Ichiro saw Satoru's expressionless
face, and became rather concerned.
"So, it's gonna be on the test?"
Satoru didn't answer. Ichiro wrote it off and changed the
subject without pause.
"What are you and Kaori doing today?"
"Nothing, really. Why?"
"Yumiko wanted to know if Kaori would like to go shopping
with her. It'd probably do her some good."
"I guess so. You'll have to ask her, though."
"Yumiko already has."
"Then why are you even bothering to tell me?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's just my incredibly strong
sense of courtesy."
"Covering your butt, eh?"
"You got it." Ichiro flashed a smile and a thumbs up.
"So I guess it's just you and me then."
"Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you."
"About what?"
"After lunch. First, we must feast."
"Kentucky Fried Chicken?"
"If that's not a feast, I don't know what is."
"You're strange."
"Hey, don't knock the chicken pot pie."
"I had no intention of disparaging your chicken pot pie. I
just said you were a weirdo."
"That's better."
12:02 PM.
"Thanks for going with me. I hate to shop alone." Yumiko
smiled hopefully as she walked into the lobby of the store. Racks
of clothes of various fashions and sizes greeted the pair of
girls. Kaori was quiet; she hadn't said more than couple of words
during the whole ride there, but the silence didn't strike Yumiko
as uncomfortable. She'd just have to try a little harder to get
Kaori to open up.
"What do you think of this one?" Yumiko snatched a autumn
floral-print dress and sweater from the first rack on the left.
Kaori shrugged.
"I don't like dresses much."
"Oh." Yumiko shrugged. "I'm not much for florals anyway."
"I'm sorry."
"What?"
"I'm sorry for dragging you down. I didn't get much sleep
last night."
"That's okay. Say, why don't we get some lunch. Shopping on
an empty stomach isn't too much fun."
Kaori smiled. "That sounds like a plan. I know this place
downtown that you'd probably like."
Lunch consisted of lasagna and lemonades at the Cafe Pierrot.
As Kaori finished her second lemonade, Yumiko considered whether
what she was about to say would be too much too soon. It didn't
matter, though; she was going to have to say it sooner or later.
"I saw what happened at the party," Yumiko tried to sound as
sympathetic as possible, "with Masao."
Kaori set the tall thin glass on the table with a loud
clatter of shifting ice. "Don't tell Satoru."
Yumiko pursed her lips. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really. Just don't tell Satoru."
"I won't, but Ichiro probably will. He saw it too." Before
Kaori could say anything in reaction, Yumiko added, "We're behind
you, Kaori. You did what was right."
Kaori sighed. "Thank you." She stirred the straw in her
glass. The shifting ice made lightly musical clinking sounds.
Yumiko let the moment hold before continuing.
"Why did you come back, Kaori?"
"You're rather direct today. I didn't figure you for a busy-
body."
Yumiko frowned. "I'm just looking out for my friends. We're
all worried about you, but if you're not going to tell us why
you're back, we can't help you."
"I just needed to get away for a while."
"Get away from whom?"
Kaori looked up from her glass suddenly. "Nobody," she
immediately responded.
"Okay, I believe you. You just needed a little vacation."
Yumiko raised her hands apologetically.
"I missed Satoru..." Kaori began. She paused, considering
her glass again.
"Yes?"
"Don't tell Satoru, but I love him."
"I know." Yumiko smiled. "Why did you go to America, then?"
"Because I didn't know I'd miss him that much."
12:03 PM.
"Spill it, Ichiro." Satoru was tired of waiting.
"What?"
"You said you needed to talk to me about something. So, what
is it?"
"Let me finish my pot pie, and then we'll talk."
"So it's not that important, then."
Ichiro paused. "Okay, I'll tell you."
"Thank you."
"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I was going to say."
"If I knew what you were going to say, I wouldn't *have* to
say 'thank you.'"
"True, true." Ichiro took a drink.
"Well?"
"A second to prepare, please. This isn't exactly easy."
Satoru waited. Ichiro drank.
"Okay." Ichiro took a very deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"You remember the party last night?"
"I'm trying to put it behind me."
"Oh, ha ha. Anyways, you remember when you couldn't find
Kaori for a little while?"
"Yeah?" Satoru leaned forward. "What are you saying?"
"Nothing." Ichiro shrank back. "Nothing at all."
"Don't give me that. What happened? Something happened to
Kaori last night. What was it?"
"Well, I don't know quite how to say this--"
"--How about in plain old Japanese?"
"Okay." chiro waited for a moment before he spoke. "I heard
Masao and Kaori... arguing... in one of the bedrooms. I'm not
going to guess about what exactly happened in there, but Yumiko
and I both saw Masao leave the room really angry, so he probably
didn't get..." Ichiro tried to look Saotru in the eyes, but
couldn't raise his head. "...what he was after. Kaori left a few
moments later, and that's when we decided to head back to the
living room." Ichiro exhaled. "That bastard! Look, I'm sorry--"
"Don't apologize."
"But--"
"No." Satoru looked at Ichiro's drink. "May I?"
"Go right ahead."
Satoru took a long drink, and sank back into his chair.
"So, what're you gonna do?"
12:04 PM.
"Do you think Satoru's going to go after Masao?" Kaori
finally asked.
"You know him better than I do," Yumiko noted. "I'm not sure
what he's like when he's mad."
"He's really a very gentle soul. He wouldn't do anything
without reason."
"I see."
"He'll probably go ballistic, though." Kaori grinned. "When
we were kids, the boys used to make fun of me because I was too
tall and a girl and could run faster than all of them. You know,
the usual stuff. Satoru got into a fight defending me when some
of the boys started pushing me around." Kaori smiled. "He's a
romantic like that."
"He loves you, too." Yumiko stated. "There isn't a day that
goes by where he doesn't talk about you. He's told us so many
stories, I feel like I know you like a long lost friend. That's
why we're all so worried about you."
"Thank you. But I don't know if he loves me anymore."
"Sure he does. When you called from the airport, he was
worried sick about you. We all were, but he was nuts. He only
wants to see you get better. Whatever that takes, he'll do it.
You know that, too. So why don't you let him help you?"
Kaori's eyes welled a little. "He's so nice to me. I can't
ask him to help me, though. Not this time." Kaori wiped a slow-
moving tear. "I shouldn't have come back."
"Why can't you ask him to help you? He'll do it."
"I already owe him too much as it is. Asking him to do this
for me now would be too much to ask any friend. And if I told
Satoru why..." Kaori stirred the ice absently. She felt her
throat tighten, and her nose stuff up. "Look at me, crying like a
baby," she noted between sobs.
"He'd never leave you. You and I both know him -- he's too
loyal to leave you, now or ever. He'll fight for you until the
end."
Kaori smiled and sniffled. "Thanks." Again, she wiped a few
stray tears, and nodded with purpose. "I'll tell him when we get
back," she announced.
"Great!" Yumiko smiled brightly.
Kaori slurped the melted ice from her glass. "Now, you
wanted to do some shopping?"
* * * *
12:27 PM.
"ISHIKI!!"
Masao Ishiki opened his door casually. "Hey, Satoru! Long
time no see. Enjoy the party?" A few muffled chuckles from
behind the door pricked Satoru's ears.
"No."
"I see, well, why don't you write your complaint in a letter,
and slip it under my door, okay? I'm a bit busy."
Satoru shoved himself against the door, bowling Masao back
into the room, and allowing the large angry boy access to the
room.
"Oh, so I see you've talked to Kaori recently." Ishiki
grinned mercilessly. "Was it good for her too?"
"You sonuvabitch!" Satoru lunged for Masao with inhuman
rage. He didn't take much notice to the pair of boys looking on
as he went for Masao's throat and squeezed.
As words flew enraged from his lips, two sets of punches hit
home, assaulting his spine and kidneys. Masao choked something
unintelligible. Satoru growled in pain, but continued to hold his
grip.
The punches weren't randomly placed; they continued to pummel
at his kidneys and back until he relented. When he let go of
Masao's neck, an additional pair of fists joined in the beating.
The sound from the room was quietly rhythmic at the end of
the hall. If one couldn't see the true nature of it, one might
think of aboriginal rituals. The grunts, the slaps and thumps,
the cries without words. It was all in a foreign language,
something calmer persons would never understand.
The man at the end of the hall understood, though. He strode
to the open door and saw the jumbled mass of sweating violence.
He decided to even things up a bit. What he had come for could
wait a little longer.
"Hey! Leave the kid alone!" He cried from the doorway.
Everybody stopped momentarily. Nobody even breathed except the
man as he moved like a blur into the confused fray.
He had the element of surprise, which let him successfully
attack the topmost boy. He punched the boy repeatedly in the face
until he screamed for mercy. When the man stopped pumping his
fist, his victim scrambled from the room, not even bothering to
take his coat with him.
He tried to repeat this same basic maneuver with another boy,
but it was too difficult to pull off; the two remaining attackers
knew of the new player, and would not be surprised again.
However, a series of punches landed directly on the face of the
tall pretty boy stopped the fight where it was. Bruised and
slightly bloodied, marked with impressions of teeth and lumps from
boots, the other boy left quickly and silently.
The boy on the floor didn't move much; he was conscious,
though. As he wobbled to his feet, the newcomer turned his
attention back to the once-pretty boy.
"Apologize."
"What?"
"Apologize."
The boy hesitated, and the newcomer balled his fist. The boy
bowed his head and whispered, "I'm sorry."
The victim coughed. "Thanks."
"You are welcome. Let's go." The newcomer led his new
friend from the room.
"Where's your room?"
"Down the hall."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Satoru."
"Satoru Nobata?"
"The one and only." Satoru coughed. "Who do I have the
pleasure of speaking with?"
The boy paused. He was strikingly tall, and his features
gave his foreign origin away.
"My name's Ryan Stewart." The boy paused again, then nodded.
"I'm pleased... to meet you."
"Likewise." Satoru coughed again.
"I'm looking for Kaori."
"Really? Are you from America?"
Again, the boy paused. He searched Satoru's room for
something familiar. His eyes slowed around the suitcase, and
stopped at the CD case. He frowned, and continued.
"I came by plane today to pick Kaori up. Where is she?"
"She should be back in a minute. She's with a friend of
mine. She's okay."
"I suppose I had better explain why she's here," Ryan
chuckled nervously.
"Please do."
Ryan took a deep breath, and began his story:
"You see, her roommate Ami is my ex-girlfriend. When she
found out that Kaori and I were starting to see each other, she
tried to stop it. When we started dating seriously, she became
strange, calling me at night, questioning my intentions at every
turn, all sorts of jealous ex-girlfriend stuff. She even called a
bar Kaori and I were at to see if we were really there. We were,
of course. I wouldn't do anything to hurt Kaori, especially when
Ami's watching over my shoulder like a warden.
"At the beginning of last week, Ami began calling my phone
with death threats. She said that if I kept dating Kaori, she'd
make sure I'd never see her again. I figured she was going to try
and kill Kaori, but it was a lot weirder. A few days ago, she
bought a plane ticket and packed Kaori's suitcase. When Kaori
came home from school, Ami drugged her and put her on the plane
here.
"Ami knew that when Kaori got to Tokyo, she'd call either you
or her parents. She wanted to keep her away so she could have me
to herself. It sounds crazy, but it's true. She figured that if
you saw Kaori, that you'd be against me if I ever found out where
you were. But you're smarter than that. You see that I couldn't
do anything to hurt Kaori. I think she's very special, just like
you do. When Kaori and I go back, we'll sort everything out."
Satoru furrowed his brow.
"It sounds crazy, I know. But you know that truth is
stranger than fiction. You can ask Kaori herself when she comes
back. When will she be back?"
"In a couple of minutes," Satoru replied. His eyes were
puffing up; his whole body ached. Slowly, he shook his head.
"I'm sorry for being so short with you."
"It's quite all right." Ryan smiled. "I probably sound
crazy, but it's all true."
"No, that's okay. Anything can happen." Satoru sighed.
"Thank you for helping me back there."
"It was my pleasure." Ryan cracked his knuckled proudly.
"Anything for a friend."
Satoru tried for a moment, but couldn't hold back the
question for very long. "How long have you two been going out?"
"Oh gosh, it seems like forever, really. We met right as
school started in September, and we've pretty much been going out
ever since."
"So you two are pretty close?"
Ryan grinned. "Confidentially, we're about as close as it
gets."
Satoru suddenly wished he hadn't spent so much effort on
Masao. "You mean you two have--"
Ryan caught on, and shook his head emphatically. "Nonono!
We're just really close. It's almost like we're married."
"M-married?"
"Yeah. I didn't say that wrong, did I? You know, like
husband and wife."
"I understand." Satoru massaged his sore neck. "Don't rub
it in," he mumbled. He chuckled to himself darkly.
"What?" Ryan had heard the chuckle.
"It's funny," Satoru began. "She didn't really mention you
much."
"Hmmm." Ryan thought very deeply for a time. "You know, she
didn't talk much about you, either." He smiled. Satoru saw a
black tint in his blue eyes. "Maybe she just doesn't talk much."
He laughed heartily. Satoru joined in weakly.
"Look, let me give Kaori's friend a call, and I'll see if
she's--"
"I think she's here already." Ryan motioned to the doorknob.
It was turning.
<Hi, Kaori!> Ryan stood and smiled affectionately. Kaori
dropped her bags and blinked.
<Ryan?>
<Tee-shirt and jeans? C'mon, Kaori, you can do better than
that. What happened to all the dresses I bought you? You look a
*lot* better in them than some ratty old jeans.>
Kaori sighed. <I guess I didn't bring any.>
Ryan chuckled nervously. <You mean, Ami didn't pack you
any?>
Kaori shrugged and flopped on the bed. When she saw Satoru,
she gasped.
"What happened to you?"
"I got into a fight."
"With who?"
"Masao." Satoru grinned. "I kicked his ass."
Yumiko, standing in the doorway, smiled.
"Good for you." Kaori smiled.
"Ryan's here to take you home."
Koala looked quickly at Ryan, who smiled warmly.
"Home?"
"Back to the University," Ryan confirmed.
The silence breathed like an animal half-asleep. Yumiko
disappeared, leaving the three to their own. At length, Ryan
stood and stretched. Placing his hand on Kaori's head, he
scruffed her hair playfully.
"I think we've done all the damage we can do here," he
noted cheerily; Kaori reached for her suitcase. "I have a cab
waiting outside," he continued, "and two tickets to Eugene. Thank
you, Satoru, for taking care of her." He stuck out his hand.
Satoru shook it absently.
"No problem." The words fought their way past the thoughts
at the fore of his mind. Kaori stood, stepped up to Satoru, and
smiled.
Weakly, she spoke:
"Thank you."
"But--"
"Shh," she smiled, and put her finger on his lips. "Not a
word, okay. I'll be fine. This won't mean a thing."
"Kaori," Ryan coaxed. "Let's go." The last two words cooled
on Ryan's lips, and traveled frozen to Satoru's ears.
"I don't believe you," Satoru stated.
"Then come after me," Kaori's voice drew black. "That's what
you do best, isn't it? Sometimes I don't need to be chased after,
you know? That probably never occured to you, did it?"
"But I--"
"Not a word, Satoru!" She grinned maliciously. "Go ahead
and give me a call when you figure it out, okay?"
Ryan placed his hand on her shoulder, and she turned away.
"Good-bye, Mr. Nobata," Ryan stated plainly.
Satoru tried to stand, but his injuries bit at him
relentlessly. He coughed, and spat a small bit of bright red on
the carpet.
"Kaori..." Satoru doubled over, and softly cried.
* * * *
"I'm going after her."
"But what about what she said?" Ichiro interjected.
"She didn't mean what she said," Satoru murmured. He looked
Ichiro in the eyes. Ichiro was sitting on the floor; Satoru
shifted on the bed and winced. Yumiko frowned.
"I can't believe they could do all that," she began.
"There were three of them." Satoru replied.
"So, why are we here, other than to be your ever-present and
willing moral support?"
"I have a little money stashed away, but I need..." Satoru
took a deep breath. "I need eighty thousand."
Ichiro blinked. Yumiko nodded.
Satoru hung his head. "Look," he apologized. "I hate to do
this, but I can't ask my parents right now. You're my only
option."
A long pause hung on the air. Then, Ichiro spoke.
"I'll be right back."
"Thank you," Satoru began.
"Don't thank me yet, buddy. I haven't given you anything."
"That doesn't matter." Satoru smiled.
"I'm staying with Satoru," Yumiko called to the departing
Ichiro. "Go ahead and--"
"--I know." Ichiro closed the door.
Satoru uncrossed his legs and tried stretching. He inhaled
sharply; Yumiko winced with him.
"Lay down. Ichiro will be back in a minute or two."
Satoru didn't argue. Yumiko helped him lay on the bed
slowly. Her face looked a little different; her actions felt
subdued, but deliberate. She sat beside his bed on the floor.
"I talked with her." Yumiko spoke softly.
"Really?"
"She loves you very much."
"Did she say that?"
"No, but I can tell. She and I are a lot alike, really."
Satoru nodded. "Did she tell you why she came back?"
"I didn't ask, but I don't think you'd need many guesses to
figure it out." Yumiko looked at the door. Her shoulders fell
forward, and she sighed.
"Thanks for doing this for me," Satoru offered.
"Don't thank me. It's not my money."
"But Ichiro's always broke. Where's he going to get eighty
thousand?"
"Ichiro's never been broke. He just likes seeing what he can
get away with. He did the same thing to me when we first met."
"You two are really close, aren't you?"
"We've known each other since junior-high." Yumiko sounded a
little proud.
"Are you two...?" Satoru hesitated, unsure of the proper
words to try.
"We went out for a while in high school, but it didn't work
out like we had planned."
"But you're still together."
"True. Did you and Kaori ever date in high school?"
"No, but--"
"It makes a world of difference." Yumiko smiled. "Best
friends should never date."
Satoru didn't speak; Yumiko took a deep breath.
"You and Kaori are best friends, right? You've known each
other forever. But even as best friends, you've always had other
flames, right? Like maybe she found a guy she thought was really
cute, and you helped her, because you were friends. But it
probably hurt a lot, didn't it?"
Satoru continued to lay in silence, looking at the
photographs stuck on the wall behind Yumiko. The girl licked her
lips surreptitiously; she wondered if he was thinking about what
she was saying, or about what had happened earlier. Regardless,
she knew he was thinking about Kaori.
Yumiko continued.
"When Ichiro and I started going out seriously, I found out
all about his posters and magazines. I didn't know how to resolve
it, because I was dating him at the time, and wasn't thinking
clearly.
"You and Kaori have known each other since you were babies,
so there probably isn't much you don't know about each other. I
do know that what Kaori's doing with Ryan isn't real. He's done
something to her. And I think I know what."
"What?"
"I'm not going to say. I don't want to cloud your head any
more than it is."
"But you're saying I should go after her."
"Yes. I'm behind you all the way on that. Because I don't
want to take the chance that I'm wrong. And I'm never wrong. Not
about this."
"Did he--"
"--I told you I wasn't going to say. Now, not another word.
Ichiro should be back any second. We'll give you a ride to the
airport, and you can take it from there."
"What about when I get there? How the heck am I going to get
around in America?!" Satoru's voice strangled in his throat.
Yumiko could see the anxiety begin to play on his face.
"Okay, stay calm. Just stay calm. I have a cousin that goes
to U of O. He speaks Japanese and English pretty well, so he can
act as your interpreter."
"Will he do that for me?"
"He'll do it for me. He owes me a big favor, so he won't
back out. Let me give him a call, and I'll set everything up."
Satoru motioned to the phone. "Be my guest." Yumiko stood,
and poked Satoru's nose.
"Don't worry, kiddo. Everything will be all right."
Satoru froze. He had never seen Yumiko like this before. He
flipped through his memories to find something that would explain
why she was so open all of a sudden. He couldn't think of
anything. The question gnawed at his mind so deeply, he could
only barely make out the edges of Yumiko's voice as she spoke to
her cousin.
The receiver clicked as Yumiko placed it back on the phone.
"Alex will pick you up at the airport when you arrive. I'll just
give him a call when you leave and tell him to be there when you
arrive. Now his Japanese isn't great, but he should be able to
understand most of what you tell him.
"Why are you doing all this for me?"
Yumiko smirked. "Oh, I just hate to see a good love story go
down the tubes because of a foreign influence." She hoped she
sounded convincing.
"What did she mean?" Yumiko changed the subject.
"What?"
"You told Ichiro you knew what she meant when she yelled at
you. What did she mean?"
Satoru opened his mouth, but no words came. He closed it,
waited a moment, and tried again. "When we were in high school
together, I always told her that chasing after her is what I did
best. You see, if I got her mad, she'd run away. Literally. She
was a great runner, and she knew I couldn't keep up, so to punish
me she'd run and of course I'd chase after her. I think she did
it just to see me huff and puff after her." Satoru grinned;
Yumiko returned the grin.
"So when she told you to do what you did best she meant to go
after her."
"That's what I think she meant. The whole tirade was a
little too weird to be honest."
"Not that it matters, right?" Yumiko chuckled.
"True." Satoru chuckled.
The door opened. "Well, I had to donate all 12 pints of
blood I had saved up for a rainy day, but, hey, what's a few
gallons between friends?" Ichiro handed Satoru a rolled bundle of
money. "A hundred thousand. I figured you'd want to travel first
class, of course."
"Thank you so much." Satoru felt tears welling up.
"Just bring Kaori back in one piece, okay?"
"We'll leave you alone now. You get some sleep, and call us
when you want to head out, okay?" Yumiko stood and turned towards
the door.
"Okay."
* * * *
Satoru dreamed.
Punches. Kicks. Bites. Screams choked with strong hands.
Big hands. Hands that wanted to kill.
"You wanted to kill him," Kaori said.
"I would have. But they stopped me."
"Would killing him make you happy?"
"Yes."
"Then kill me." Kaori took off her clothes and became Masao.
"No."
"Why not?" Masao smiled.
"Because you're--"
"Kaori?" Ryan chuckled. "It's me, Ryan!"
Satoru looked down. He was wearing a dress. More than that,
his arms were slim, his legs sunbrowned and feminine. He felt his
face. Smooth, like Kaori's. He was Kaori. He started shaking
softly.
Ryan stepped close. He was so tall, so strong, all lean and
meaningful muscle. His big hands, tight, warm, hugged Satoru.
"Shh," he murmured. "Not a word."
Ryan's hands began to shift, slowly. Moving down. Satoru
shook harder, but couldn't speak, or scream.
"Shh," Ryan continued. "Not a word."
Satoru blinked and realized he was standing outside his dorm
building. The first snow of winter floated lazily to the ground.
Scarcely an inch had fallen, but more than a few students were
playing about in it like children ten years younger. He smiled;
the peacefuly scene would surely cheer up Kaori.
He looked to his rught. Kaori stood next to him, shivering.
He could hear her teeth chattering.
"Here," he smiled. "This'll warm you up." He took off his
coat, and placed it on her shoulders. Kaori snuggled inside it,
nearly disappearing in its size.
"Thank you," she whispered. But still she shivered. And
still, her teeth chattered. It seemed almost worse than before.
Satoru started unbuttoning his flannel overshirt.
"Here." He replaced the coat with the flannel, and replaced
the coat over it. Kneeling in front of her, he buttoned both the
shirt and coat up. He looked up, and saw Kaori smile. Her lips
were blue. She continued to shivver, violently trying to wram her
freezing body. Kaori closed her eyes. Satoru saw her last breath
cloud above her nose.
Satoru looked down. Kaori was naked from the waist down,
buried to her hips in pristine snow.
7:02 AM.
Satoru awoke again, gasping for a few moments until he
regained composure. It was already sunrise. He called Ichiro's
room, and, after nearly fainting after hearing Yumiko sleepily
answer the phone, found that both Ichiro and Yumiko were already
awake, waiting to take him to the airport. After packing a
backpack of clothes and essentials, he turned off his lights,
locked his door, and steeled himself for a long flight far from
home.
He managed to find a flight in the very early afternoon, and
spent the remainder of time wandering the airport trying to keep
his mind off of Kaori. Yumiko and Ichiro usually followed him,
making jokes and generally helping Satoru in his task of
preoccupation.
When it came time board the plane, though, all three fell
silent for a moment before Ichiro spoke.
"Give him a couple of good right hooks for me, okay? I wish
I could go with you and help with the battle, but I think you
might do better by yourself. Just remember who you're fighting
for, got it?" He patted Satoru on the shoulder and disappeared
down a main corridor.
Yumiko's hands were shaking a little when she handed the
plain white envelope to Satoru. "Give this to Alex when you see
him, would you? Thanks." She turned to go, but Satoru put his
hand on her shoulder.
"Yumiko..."
Yumiko's head fell forwards, and Satoru felt her shoulder
tense up. Before he could react, she spun around and hugged him
tightly. They stayed like that for a moment before Yumiko stepped
away. She was crying, but smiling.
"You love Kaori very much, Satoru." She wiped a tear from
her left eye. "Now she'll know that." Her smiled widened. "Do
your best, Satoru Nobata."
"I will." Satoru grinned and flashed a thumbs-up. With a
deep held breath and shaking steps, Satoru boarded his flight to
America.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I contemplated adding a [DARK] tag to this chapter, but I didn't
want to bog it down with all the little stereotypes that go with
the tag. I also considered a [LIME] tag but figured I could get
away with just keeping it plain. Besides, that set some good
boundaries for me to skirt but not cross.
On to the issues:
"Disillusion": This is the second movement of the Yes song
"Starship Trooper," off of "The Yes Album" (1970). The song as a
whole is beautiful, and has inspired my writing more than once.
"The three cardinal trapezoidal formations...": This monologue
was lovingly lifted from the 1985 Savage Steve Holland movie
"Better Off Dead" (starring John Cusack). No harm was intended.
I've had classes with lessons like that monologue, and I doubt I
could do it better than Savage Steve anyway.
Next Episode: "Kaori's Friends: What Can We Do?"