~Long Walk to Forever~
They had grown up next door to each other, on the fringe of a city, near fields and woods and orchards, within sight of a lovely bell tower that belonged to a school for the blind.
Now they were twenty, had not seen each other for nearly a year. They had always been playful, comfortable warmth between them, but never any talk of love.
His name was Hatsune Mikuo.
Her name was Kagami Rin.
In the early afternoon, Mikuo knocked on Rin's front door.
Rin came to the door. She was carrying a fat, glossy magazine she had been reading. The magazine was devoted entirely to brides. "Mikuo!" she said. She was surprised to see him.
"Could you come for a walk?" he said. He was a shy person, even with Rin. He covered his shyness by speaking absently as though what really concerned him were far away—as though he were a secret agent pausing briefly on a mission between beautiful, distant, and sinister points. This manner of speaking had always been Mikuo's style, even in matters that concerned him desperately.
"A walk?" said Rin.
"One foot in front of the other," said Mikuo, "through leaves, over bridges-"
"I had no idea you were in town," she said.
"Just this minute got in," he said.
"Still in the Army, I see," she said.
"Seven months more to go," he said. He was a private first class in the Artillery. His uniform was rumpled. His shoes were dusty. He needed a shave. He held out his hand for the magazine. "Let's see the pretty book," he said.
She gave it to him. "I'm getting married, Mikuo," she said.
"I know," he said. "let's go for a walk."
"I'm awfully busy, Mikuo," she said. "The wedding is only a week away."
"If we go for a walk," he said, "it will make you rosy. It will make a rosy bride." He turned the pages of the magazine. "A rosy bride like her—like her—like her," he said, showing her rosy brides.
Rin turned rosy, thinking about rosy brides.
"That will be my present to Kagamine Len," said Mikuo. "By taking you for a walk, I'll be giving him a rosy bride."
"You know his mane?" she said.
"Mother wrote," he said. "From Tokyo?"
"Yes," she said. "You'd like him."
"Maybe," he said.
"Can—can you come to the wedding, Mikuo?" she said.
"That I doubt," he said.
"Your break isn't long enough?" she said.
"Break?" said Mikuo. He was studing a two page ad for a new iphone. "I'm not on break," he said.
"Oh?" she said.
"I'm what they call A.W.O.L.," said Mikuo.
"Oh, Mikuo! You're not!" she said.
"Sure I am," he said, still looking at the magazine.
"Why, Mikuo?" she said.
"I had to find out what your pattern is," he said. He read names of patterns from the magazine. "Legend? Rambler Rose?" he looked up, smiled. "I plan to give you and your husband a gift," he said.
"Mikuo, Mikuo—tell me really," she said.
"I want to go for a walk," he said.
She pressed her hands in anguish. "Oh, Mikuo—you're fooling me about being A.W.O.L.," she said.
Mikuo imitated a police siren softly, and raised his eyebrows.
"Where—where from?"
"Fort Bragg," he said.
"How'd you get here, Mikuo?" she said.
He raised his thumb, jerked it in a hitchhike gesture. "Two days," he said.
"Does your mother know?" she said.
"I didn't come to see my mother," he told her.
"Who did you come to see?" she said.
"You," he said.
"Why me?" she said.
"Because I love you," he said. "Now can we take a walk?" he said. "One foot in front of the other—through leaves, over bridges-"
They were taking the walk now, were in a woods with a brown-leaf floor.
Rin was angry and nervous, close to tears. "Mikuo," she said, "this is absolutely crazy."
"How so?" said Mikuo.
"What a crazy time to tell me you love me," she said. "You never talked that way before." She stopped walking.
"Let's keep walking," he said.
"No," she said. "So far, no farther. I shouldn't have come with you at all," she said.
"You did," he said.
"To get you out of the house," she said. "If somebody walked in and heard you talking to me that way, a week before the wedding—"
"What would they think?" he said.
"They'd think you were crazy," she said.
"Why?" he said.
Rin took a deep breath, made a speech. "Let me say that I'm deeply honored by this crazy thing you've done," she said. "I can't believe you're really A.W.O.L., but maybe you are. I can't believe you really love me, but maybe you do. But—"
"I do," said Mikuo.
"Well, I'm deeply honored," said Rin, "and I'm very fond of you as a friend, Mikuo, extremely fond—but it's just too late." She took a step away from him. "You've never even kissed me," she said, and she protected herself with her hands. "I don't mean you should do it now. I just mean that this is all so unexpected. I haven't got the remotest idea of how to respond."
"Just walk some more," he said. "Have a nice time."
They started walking again.
"How did you expect me to react?" she said.
"How would I know what to expect?" he said. "I've never done anything like this before."
"Did you think I would throw myself into your arms?" she said.
"Maybe," he said.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you," she said.
"I'm not disappointed," he said. "I wasn't counting on it. This is very nice, just walking."
Rin stopped again. "You know what happens next?" she said.
"Nope," he said.
"We shake hands," she said. "We shake hands and part friends," she said. "That's what happens next."
Mikuo nodded. "All right," he said. "Remember me from time to time. Remember how much I loved you."
Involuntarily, Rin burst into tears. She turned her back to Mikuo, looked into the infinite walkway of the woods.
"What does that mean?" said Mikuo.
"Rage!" said Rin. She clenched her hands. "You have no right—"
"I had to find out," he said.
"If I'd loved you," she said, "I would have let you know before now."
"You would?" he said.
"Yes," she said. She faced him, looked up at him, her face quite red. "You would have known," she said.
"How?" he said.
"You would have seen it," she said. "Women aren't very clever at hiding it."
Mikuo looked closely at Rin's face now. To her dismay, she realized that what she had said was true, that a woman couldn't hide love.
Mikuo was seeing love now.
And he did what he had to do. He kissed her.
"You're hell to get along with!" she said when Mikuo let her go.
"I am?" said Mikuo.
"You shouldn't have don't that," she said.
"You didn't like it?" he said.
"What did you expect," she said—"wild, abandoned passion?"
"I keep telling you," he said, "I never know what's going to happen next."
"We say goodbye," she said.
He frowned slightly. "All right," he said.
She made another speech. "I'm not sorry we kissed," she said. "That was sweet. We should have kissed, we've been so close. I'll always remember you, Mikuo, and good luck."
"You too," he said.
…
"Thirty days," he said.
"What?" she said.
"Thirty days in the stockade," he said—"that's what one kiss will cost me."
"I-I'm sorry," she said, "but I didn't ask you to go A.W.O.L."
"I know," he said.
"You certainly don't deserve any hero's reward for doing something as foolish as that," she said.
"Must be nice to be a hero," said Mikuo. "Is Kagamine Len a hero?"
"He might be, if he got the chance," said Rin. She noted uneasily that they had begun to walk again. The farewell had been forgotten.
"You really love him?" he said.
"Certainly I love him!" she said hotly. "I wouldn't marry him if I didn't love him!"
"What's good about him?" said Mikuo.
"Honestly!" she cried, stopping again. "Do you have any idea how offensive you're being? Many, many, many things are good about Len! Yes," she said, "and many, many, many things are probably bad, too. But that isn't any of your business. I love Len, and I don't have to argue his values with you!"
"Sorry," said Mikuo.
"Honestly!" said Rin.
Mikuo kissed her again. He kissed her again because she wanted him to.
They were now in a large orchard.
"How did we get so far from home, Mikuo?" said Rin.
"One foot in front of the other—through leaves, over bridges," said Mikuo.
"They add up—the steps," she said.
Bells rang in the tower of the school for the blind nearby.
"School for the blind," said Mikuo.
"School for the blind," said Rin. She shook her head in drowsy wonder. "I've got to go back now," she said.
"Say goodbye," said Mikuo.
"Every time I do," said Rin, "I seem to get kissed."
Mikuo sat down on the close-cropped grass under a sakura tree. "Sit down," he said.
"No," she said.
"I won't touch you," he said.
"I don't believe you," she said.
She sat down under another tree, twenty feet away from him. She closed her eyes.
"Dream of Kagamine Len," he said.
"What?" she said.
"Dream of your wonderful husband-to-be," he said.
"All right, I will," she said. She closed her eyes tighter, caught glimpses of her husband-to-be.
Mikuo yawned.
The bees were humming in the trees, and Rin almost fell asleep. When she opened her eyes she saw that Mikuo really was asleep.
He began to snore softly.
Rin let him sleep for an hour, and while he slept she adored him with all her heart.
The shadows of the sakura trees grew to the east. The bells in the tower of the school for the blind rang again.
The faint chirp of birds could be heard.
Somewhere far away an automobile started nagged and failed, nagged and failed, fell still.
Rin came out from under tree, knelt by Mikuo.
"Mikuo?" she said.
"Hm?" he said. He opened his eyes.
"Late," she said.
"Hello, Rin," he said.
"Hello, Mikuo," she said.
"I love you," he said.
"I know," she said.
"Too late," he said.
"Too late," she said.
He stood, stretched groaningly. "A very nice walk," he said.
"I thought so," she said.
"Part company here?" he said.
"Where will you go?" she said.
"Hitch into town, turn myself in," he said.
"Good luck," she said.
"You too," he said. "Marry me, Rin?"
"No," she said.
He smiled, stared at her hard for a moment, then walked away quickly.
Rin watched him grow smaller in the long perspective of shadows and trees, knew that if he stopped and turned now, if he called to her, she would run to him. She would have no choice.
Mikuo did stop. He did turn. He did call.
"Rin," he called.
She ran to him, put her arms around him, and could not speak.
Note: For those of you who didnt get the last sentence... Rin ran to Mikuo. Thus there was a happy ending. I hope I dont have to explain what happens after that. Use your imagination.
This is a ONESHOT! There will be no more chapters after the first chapter.