~Hoshi to Kioku no Kakera~

[Fragments of Stars and Memories]

Author's note: This is one of my first oneshots. Enjoy! And please, review.

" Ouka! Happy birthday!" Kakeru shouted as soon as I opened the door.

"Can we go see the stars now Mommy?" i asked.

"Sure. Be sure to come back." my mother kissed me.

"Let's go!" Kakeru called as he ran out.

We reached the little hill and Kakeru raced me up. Once we got up, we could see a bird's eye view of the village. As far as the sea. We sat down and laid back. At once, the sky above us was twinkling with a sea of stars. Kakeru had promised me when we were eight that he would bring me star gazing every year on my birthday until we saw a shooting star. Now that we are both ten, it is the second time we went star gazing together.

"Ouka, what do you want for your present?" Kakeru asked.

"I want a shooting star!" i shouted.

We waited till dawn and the morning star appeared, but there was no sign of a shooting star. I looked sadly at Kakeru. " Don't make that face. Look, i made this for you." he said and held up a pair of shooting star earrings.

"For me? Thank you Kakeru!" i called and hugged him.

"That's it for today class, see you." the teacher said and the class went into chaos. Eight years went by, and this year it will be the tenth time we'd go star gazing. Unknowingly, my fingers went up to my ear and touched the pair of earrings Kakeru gave me.

"Amane, Shjima! It's your duty today!" the class representative called.

"Got it!" Kakeru said.

"Okay!" i hurriedly replied and Kakeru winked at me.

We stayed back and cleaned the classroom. We swept the floor and Kakeru told me to throw out the rubbish. I took the bags and went to the school's dumps to sort out the rubbish. Then, i saw a shadow. I turned around and saw the class bully. I turned back and continued sorting, then he said, " Amane-chan, don't you think you're a little too old for shooting stars?"

" No. I don't and i don't remember allowing you to call me Amane-chan." I said.

" Then how about Ouka?" he grabbed my hand and twisted it, making me face him and cry out.

" Kudou-san, could you get your filthy hands off Ouka?" Kakeru appeared and looked very angry.

" Fine!" he said and let me go.

"Could you also refrain from calling Ouka anything you like with your filthy mouth?" Kakeru asked and punched Kudou-san in his face.

"How dare you hit boss?" they challenged.

" I'm fine! We're retreating! You don't want to get involved with this man called the fragments of Light Kakeru. His fighting skills are way out of your league." he said and they retreated.

" Ouka? You aright?" Kakeru's gaze softened.

" I'm fine. Let's go home." I said.

We walked back home together and at my door, Kakeru told me to wait for him at home as he wanted to bring me somewhere. I knew it already. It was the eve of my birthday the next day. I asked where we'd be going, but he said it was a secret. I then gave up, knowing his personality.

At night, I lay on my bed and looked out of the window. My fingers went up to the pair of earrings again. " I like you, Kakeru." I whispered and fell asleep.

The next day after school, Kakeru took my hand and ran to the bus stop. It really brought back many memories ten years back. Ten years back, the town was still a village that did not have buses or cars. Ten years back, there was no such thing as high-rise buildings and televisions or computers. But now, there were such things.

We got off at the interchange and night fell. Kakeru then pulled me up another bus and our journey continued. Up the hill, suddenly, there was a loud booming sound above our heads and we saw that there was a landslide. The passengers went into chaos as the bus tethered above the cliff. Below us, was a sea of green pines. Soon, the soil beneath the bus gave way and Kakeru and I had a free fall down into the sea of pines.

"….ka, Ouka, wake up. It's your birthday," I heard Kakeru.

"Kakeru?" I asked and he showed me his phone. It said 12 a.m.

"We can see the stars from here. Happy birthday Ouka!" he smiled widely.

"Thank you." I said

" Umm…. I've been wanting to tell you something…" He said

"Yes?" I asked.

"I love you…" he trailed off and fell down on me. " Look up…there will be a shooting star." He whispered.

" Kakeru? Kakeru!" I called and shook him. Then only, I noticed a large blotch of crimson blood at the back of his head, staining his pale hair. I held him there and looked up into the sky and prayed.

Then, I saw a shooting star. "Kakeru! Wake up! A real shooting star!" I called and wished, " Nagare boshi-san, I wish Kakeru will survive and tell me that he loves me again and bring me star gazing every year. Please let my wish come true!"

I wished and then looked up at the starry sky and held Kakeru closer. " Thank you… and I love you too…" I said.

In the morning, we were found by the search team and were brought to the hospital. I was given outpatient treatment, but Kakeru remained in a comatose state. I saw the doctor leaving Kakeru's room and ran after him, asking about Kakeru.

"When will he wake up?" I asked.

" I do not know. He had a huge concussion and he lost a lot of blood. He might wake up today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year or many years later. It depends." He said and went away.

I entered Kakeru's room and called up his parents. Then I sat by his bed and took off the left side of the earring he gave me. I then gently removed his sliver earring and replaced it with mine. I then wore his sliver earring. I stayed there through the night and held his hand, hoping that he would wake up.

The next morning, I woke up only to find that Kakeru had not woken up. I went home, had a change of clothes and packed a few sets of clothes and personal belongings then left them in Kakeru's room and went to school.

After school, I would go back to the hospital and talk to Kakeru and tell him what had happened and what was taught in school. I stayed with Kakeru all day and all night.

Winter came and went. Followed by spring then summer and finally autumn where the leaves turn a shade of yellow and red. It was nearing my birthday. After school as usual, I would run to the hospital to talk to Kakeru. I entered his room, opened the windows and allowed some air in. As I opened it, I said, " Kakeru, it's autumn. Look at the pretty leaves." And got a basin of water to clean his face.

Soon, it was the day before my birthday eve. I wrote Kakeru a letter before I left for school telling him to remember his promise. I went to school and took the final exams then went back to the hospital right away. But as expected, Kakeru did not wake up. I left him be and did my revision by his bed. Somehow, I fell asleep, holding Kakeru's hand, like a little girl.

The next day, was the weekends and my birthday eve. At dinnertime, I went down to the hospital canteen to eat my dinner. I ate only a small amount, as I was feeling lonely that Kakeru couldn't bring me to watch the stars that night. Then I went back up to Kakeru's room. I entered and looked up, Kakeru's bed was empty, and the letter was gone too. I looked around the whole place, but couldn't find him.

I then got back to the room, sat down in the chair beside the bed and cried into the sheets. Then, someone touched my head and said, " Don't cry silly, I made it in time."

"Kakeru?" I looked up and saw a familiar smile.

"Come on, I've checked it out already. We still can go star gazing at the roof." He held out his hand to me like always.

" Ne… Kakeru, can you repeat what you said the last time?" I asked,

" Sure, Ouka, I love you." He said and we entered the roof, with all the twinkling stars in the sky.

" Ano ne Kakeru, I love you too." I said and hugged him.

We sat there and then he asked, " Did you find your nagare boshi-san that day?"

" I did. But I used that wish for you to survive. But I benefited too." I smiled.

" Then let's find another nagare boshi-san again, together." He said.

"Sure, Kakeru." I said.

"Can we let all these hoshi-san be our witnesses?" he asked.

" Of what?"

" Marry me?" he asked.

" Sure." I said and fought back the urge to cry.

"Aww, come on Ouka, don't start crying." He said.

" I'm not crying!" I denied.

But, in the end, I gave up and cried into Kakeru's shoulder.

It was the graduation ceremony in school. Kakeru and I are graduating together though he missed out a whole year of school. Our names were called; we went up on stage, got our certificates and rushed out of school.

"Ouka! Tonight, at my house, on the roof!" Kakeru shouted.

" Okay!" I called back and dashed back home.

I met him at his door and went up to his roof. We were watching the stars in celebration of our graduation. Kakeru asked, " Let's go to the same university for astrology can we?"

" Are you sure?" I asked.

" Sure. That way, we can watch stars every night and search for nagare boshi-san." He smiled at me as he said.

" I love you Kakeru." I said.

"Same here, Ouka."

~End~