Prologue

Goodbye is the hardest thing

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Sound of rain slowly falling on the roof of Azusa Nakano's big house slowly drove her mad. It was, as it's usual in this part of year, rainy season and obviously, water was not ceasing to fall from the air, making everything so damp and wet. Constant rain made rivers grew in size, and even peaceful Kamogawa grew in size, swallowing pathways which were usually never under the water.

And of course, that meant boredom.

Azusa ended her highschool just this spring, and now she was hopelessly resigned to sitting at home, waiting for her college to start. But she still had to wait for whole summer to pass before it could happen.

If only she could travel to see her friends now. Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Mugi all lived in the college building now – there was no way they could come back right now, at this moment, when she needed them.

But I'm so lonely. Why do I have to be younger than them? If only I was a year older, I could be with them right now. We would drink tea, talking about stupid things, watching the rain. Ritsu would talk the most and I would just listen, feeling content. Will this rain ever stop?

But it didn't. And it will not stop for next month too, because this was, as it was said, rainy period of year and those rains usually stopped with the first signs of summer sun.

Our Azusa was, such as it is, hopelessly resigned to the fate of waiting for a rain to stop.

But what if I take the train?

Almost as if some higher force did it, she paid attention to the tv which was turned on in the living room, where she sat, lounging on her large, red sofa. There were some talks about the rain, and she saw the train station.

All train lines leaving the Kyoto prefecture are suspended this month, because of the heavy rains flooding over the rails in many places. It is very unfortunate, but we hope that this inconvenience will soon be dealt with."

Great. Now I'm definitively stuck at home, without anything to do. Why? I hate being lonely! I want to go out, meet somebody, have some fun! Wonder what Ui is doing right now. She is probably even lonelier than I am now. After all, my parents are always here, but her parents are never at home. Maybe I should pay her a visit?

„Azusa dear, what is wrong?"

Suddenly Azusa's mother appeared from the stairs which led to the large living room where Azusa now was. It was early morning, both her mother and father were sleeping until now. She had a long, black hair which fell over her petite shoulders, all the way down to her waist. Her eyes were dark, and large, and even while she was well in her thirties, Sawako Nakano had beautiful face, without any lines which showed her age.

When Azusa saw her tho, so early in the morning, coming down the stairs with her white night gown, an hair which now was rather messy, with smeared make up, she screamed, hitting her with the pillow instinctively.

„Please don't take me, don't take me! I'm too young to die, Sadako!" Azusa still screamed.

„It's Sawako! And I'm your mother, for the heaven's sake! What's wrong with you?!"

Azusa then realised what had happened. She drifted of in her thoughts too much, haven't expected her mother to wake up so soon, and now she was embarassed over all of her senses.

„Mother, I'm sorry!" Azusa bowed her head down, in the embarassment.

My mother is so beautiful. I want to look like her once, I really do. But if only she could realize that she looks scary each morning she walks down the stairs. If only! I swear, even father sometimes gets freaked out.

Sawako in the end brushed her hair, looking as beautiful as always when she finally got to the kitchen which was right next to the living room. Soon, faint scent of the green tea with the traces of cinnamon filled up the whole living room, and sunlight which went through the big, thin windows mirrored itself on the delicate steam which filled the air. Even tho it was raining, it seemed like the sun was trying to find its way through the clouds. Finally.

Sawako took the pot with the tea, taking few little cups, filling them whole with the green tea which smelled just as lovely as it did when it was on the stove.

„Oh crap, it's too hot!" Azusa screamed, almost spilling the tea, but keeping her composure and putting it down on the table.

„For the love of Gods, Azusa, are you alright? This is so not like you!" Sawako yelled in shock, putting the tea down to inspect Azusa's forehead. Sawako was like that – every time when somebody behaved strange she always concluded it was from being sick. On the tv, old song started playing.

Now, I'm a long way from home and I miss my loved ones so,

In the early morning rain with no place to go.

„Mother, how was it for you when you graduated highschool and had to leave your.. your friends?" she stumbled across the words. It was hard for her to talk about her emotions, her mother maybe was the only one who listened.

Sawako looked down, looking almost sad. She then threw her gaze to the windows, listening to the rain slowly tapping, slowly, so slowly. For the moment it seemed like the time almost stopped. No, it was turning back, because in her head she was again young, shy Sawako, being looked down upon from all the people around her. She was scary to them, she never had any friends.

Except that one, who took her heart. Oh, the highschool love. How she wanted it to last forever. His name was Shota. And she loved him from the bottom of her heart. They planned their life together, and she would definitively become Ms. Kazehaya Sawako if that thing didn't happened.

It was the same, rainy day as this one. She was at home, sitting, waiting for him to come. He, of course, never was the one to say no to her. Sawako was his only weakness. So, he jumped on his scooter, driving down to where she lived. She could hear the sound of the machine trembling in the distance, and she popped her head out of the window in the anticipation.

But he never came.

As she watched him coming from the large crossroad not far away from her home, some guy in the large truck cut his way, and as he turned around to greet her, never expecting guy to actually cut his way, he slammed to the truck, full-speed.

Sawako ended her highschool in the depressed mood. After classes, she would ran up to the hospital, being close to his side even when he was no longer a man he was before. Even when his friends left him, she was the one sitting close to him. She would talk, and he would listen in the silence.

One day, after the school, on the first morning without the rain, she hurried up because she had a good feeling in her heart. It seemed like something good will happen, and she hoped that he will woke up. What hit her strange that day was the amount of people around the hospital.

And then she saw it. Body, covered in sheets, was taken out of the doors, to the large, black caravan type car.

Sawako died inside. Really, one part of her died that day and she never got it back. When Shota died, he took part of her heart and only when she met Daisuke Nakano, she finally was able to open. Daisuke tried so hard, he was so earnest and cute in the attempts to get to know her better, and she always brushed him off. In the end, she felt herself falling in love again. And that feeling never left her anymore.

„I have only good memories, my dear." Sawako smiled, remembering the happy times, choosing to honor those instead of mourning the losses. After all, she was Sawako Nakano now, she had her family, her beautiful daughter.

„I miss my friends, mother. They are so far away now and... I want to meet them as soon as I can."

„Take some solace in the peace, my dear. You will meet them in few months and then you all will be together again."

She put her hand on her daughters head, and Azusa hugged her mother tight. They did not knew it, but both of them silently cried, each of them in their own memories.

In the end, Azusa never visited Ui. Maybe it was for the best, tho. Because, saying goodbye is the hardest thing.


Next chapter - Parallel Words - Nara!

Nara, the city of Temples, and the place where her friends went to the College. Azusa thought she will finally have a peace with her friends, but... when is life ever simple?