Hi guys. This is my first fan fic about. Please read and review. :D
"Hey mom, what's up? So early in the morning you're calling me..." Reiko said yawning and scratching her head. She was rudely awoken by the loud ringing of her phone. She was cursing whoever it was but eventually took it all back when she saw it was her mother ringing her.
"Good morning Reiko. Sorry I had to interrupt your snoring, but I have something important to tell you," her mother said casually.
"Whatever. Go ahead mom," she replied even more casually.
"Well, I'm still abroad now. I won't be returning for long so-"
"It's okay. I'm already used to it, if that's the important thing you're referring to," she said cutting her mom's words. "Anything else?"
"I know you're used to it. It's not as if you're not enjoying my absence! Now, won't you let me finish with what I have to say?" snapped her mom.
"Cool down mom. Sorry I didn't mean bad about it. Go on now," she said repenting. Even though she was quite casual and sometimes rude to her mom, she really loves her and never wants to fight with her.
"Okay. Your father and I decided to buy a mansion at Tokyo and have it renovated. Soon, we will all be moving there. Our old house, where you are staying at will be converted to an apartment. And here comes the best part for you," her mother said pausing for a sigh for a while. "We are going to stay here abroad to tend to our family business and you are going to move to an apartment in Tokyo and live alone until the renovations are done."
The moment her mother said it, she suddenly regretted being rude to her. "Yay! I'm finally given lots of nonparental time!"She laughed, shouted and tumbled on her bed with the good news. Then, she remembered her mother was not done yet when she heard her shouts on the phone. She immediately grabbed it to answer before she changed her mind.
"Ah, sorry, some pillows just dropped to the floor," she blurted out then cursed herself for the reaally lousy excuse she made.
"Don't lie. I heard you scream with delight!" her mother caught her sure enough. "Anyway, do you remember that yakuza girl you used to call nee-chan before?"
She stopped suddenly. That girl, a woman now, is Yankumi. She won't ever forget her after all those years. She had been her onee-chan since she was five year old, because she never had any siblings. Yankumi cheered her, protected her and played with her, taught her to defend herself. Reiko and her family knew of her background. At first, her parents didn't approve of Yankumi as her friend but soon she gained their trust. They hadn't seen each other for more than five years now. She is wondering what she has become and how cooler she is now. So, now she asks herself, "Why is mother suddenly asking about Yankumi?"
"Hmm, yeah... Why suddenly ask?" she said to her mother in curious tone.
"Well, your father and I thought that you need someone to guide you. We just can't let you do anything you want, you crazy little brat. So, we found you a really nice apartment near her residence in Tokyo. And also, we found you a suitable girls school to continue your studies and fulfil your dream of entering Tokyo University," her mother told her.
"I'm not a brat! But, that's great! I can catch up with her and oji-san," she said affirming her mother.
"You better pack right now. We're going to send the van that will bring you there tomorrow afternoon. "
"Well, that's all I wanted to say. I'll hang up no-"
"Wait! What about my allowance?"
"Oh of course, you'll never forget about money huh! We'll send them to you every month. No need to worry. It's not like we're gonna starve you.. "
"Yes of course. Thanks mom. Take care," she smiled to herself and hung up.
She rolled on her bed and lied on her back facing the ceiling. "Sweet freedom,"she thought. She stared at the tiled ceiling for a long time, thinking of the adventures and stuff she'd do once she is free. Maybe she would tour around first. She made a mental list of the places she wanted to visit. Perhaps to Harajuku to try gothic lolita outfits. Perhaps to Akihabara for her shounen manga and action figures collection. Or maybe to Ginza to explore the fascinating shops there. Or better yet, visit her dream university Todai and see their trademark golden trees. Or to- "WAIT! I have no one to go with me!"she thought. She needs someone to come with her. She is not a sociable and friendly person despite her adventurous and cheerful nature. That is one of the few weaknesses she recognizes. She knows she won't make friends immediately.
The best way to solve the problem is tell her mom she's bringing a friend. She rolled again on her bed, fished for her phone underneath the pillows and rang her mom.
"Hi mom," she greeted. "I've got something to ask.." she trailed of.
"It's not even ten minutes since we talked. What now?" her mom asked.
"Don't worry mom, this is quick. I just need a yes or no answer," she assured.
"Fine. What?"
"Erm.. Can I bring a friend with me to Tokyo?" she asked.
"What, to live with you there? I thought you're independent?" her mom asked, sounding surprised.
"Mom, no man's an island! And, Tokyo is much different from here, a big city where life is fast. I'm weak at making friends."
"It's rare for you to admit weaknesses. Anyway, who is this friend you're supposed to drag there?"
Reiko was set on bringing her best friend, Akira, with her whether she liked it or not. So even though she still hasn't told her about this, she's going to tell her mom now.
"My best friend Akira. The one who lives near our house, remember?"
"Okay. Fine. You can bring her. She can take the apartment next yours," her mother confirmed. "Perhaps she can also look out for you or take care of you when you're sick or whatever."
"Yay! Thanks mom! I love you!" she said then hung up. She didn't expect it to be that easy. She even prepared some arguments while speaking to her. Perhaps admitting weaknesses don't mean humiliation all the time.
Finally satisfied and very happy that she's now having a new apartment and will be having lots of non-parental time in a new place, as well as being able to take her friend with her, she got out of her messy bed, brushed her teeth, jumped in a pair of camouflage cargo jeans, a body fitting black tee, rock-themed Converse sneakers, put on some powder, a little blush on, lip balm, curled her eyelashes, and half-ran half-walked her way downstairs to the kitchen to get an apple and out the gate to head to her friends house a few blocks away.
Reiko was at her friend's doorstep at the second floor of the apartment her parents are renting for her, knocked thrice already but still haven't heard a reply. She looked at her wristwatch. "7:45. It's still early. Maybe she's still asleep. Waah! How can I get to wake her?" she said to herself. She sat down the nearest flight of stairs to wait. She ate her apple while waiting. After she was done with her apple, saw three other apartment occupiers look at her, and thirty minutes of wait without her friend showing up at the door, she said to herself "Sh*t! I look stupid waiting here. What time does that brat wake up! If I wait here, nothing's gonna happen to me. How am I going to wake her?"
She took out her phone from one her jeans' pockets. "Hah! I'm gonna wake you the way mom did to me!" She looked for her friends' number in the phonebook, then hit call. She waited for eight rings before her friend answered.
"What the-! What are you, calling me this early?" she said, clearly annoyed.
"Hey, good morning. Sorry to wake you up. Can we talk now? I've got something exciting and important to tell you," she said excitedly.
"What can be exciting and important at the same time?" she said, more like to herself. "We can talk. But not now, let me continue my sleep first," she added and hung up.
"What the-? She hung up on me?" she said staring at her phone after hearing the tone. She called her again.
"What? I'm still sleepy… Let's just talk later," Akira said dismissively.
"Akira! You don't understand. We'll talk now, I'm at your doorstep now and I have been waiting for you to wake up for more than 30 minutes already. I guess that's enough sleep I allowed you?"
"Oh great. Why didn't you tell me? Wait," she hung up. Moments later, Akira, dressed in a sleeping clothes, soft long brown hair tangled in all directions, was giving her indoor slippers and inviting her in.
"Just because I live near your house you take the pleasure of coming here whenever you please!" she said. "Have you eaten breakfast? What do you want to drink?" She was going to the kitchen to get coffee.
"I'm sorry. I've eaten already. Don't bother," Reiko said. "Listen. This is just so urgent that I need to tell you now," she said, standing up and following her to the kitchen.
"What's so urgent? You seem excited," Akira said. She is now heating water while preparing her coffee and toast.
Reiko seated herself at one of the wooden chairs around the single small round table. "I'm leaving for Tokyo tomorrow." She said looking at her friend who was busy buttering her toast. "I'm staying there for good."
At her words, Akira suddenly looked at her. "WHAT? You're leaving for good? What about-… What about school? What about your house? What about me? Ryu? Hiro?" She said sadly, looking for reasons to stop her. "I can't believe you're excited about this. You're leaving us, your friends."
"Hey Akira. Don't be over dramatic. Listen, there's nothing I can do about Ryu and Hiro. It saddens me too, leaving them…" she said sadly and paused for a bit. Then in an effort to chear her up, she began, "On the bright side, I asked mom If I can have you to come with me and she said it's okay. Won't you come with me?" she said.
"What? I can come? Wait, if I come, where will I stay?" she said, taking her toast and sitting at the chair opposite Reiko. "Wait, why exactly are you leaving?"
"Mom called me this morning saying that she and dad bought a house in Tokyo and were planning to have it renovated. And our house here will be converted into an apartment. We'll be moving to a temporary apartment in Tokyo, near Kumi-neechan's place, that's if you'll come too. Mom said she found a good school to continue studies too. She said, the person who'll take us and our things there will come tomorrow afternoon," she explained. "Technically, there's no problem except that I don't have a partner-in-crime," she added with an evil grin.
Akira grinned at Reiko's last words. "So spoiled brat Hasegawa Reiko is taking me just because she doesn't have anyone to blame when something goes wrong with her crazy little pranks and plans?" she laughed. "That sounds fun. I'll go."
"What? Really? YAY! Thanks Akira! You really are the best!" Reiko said, standing up to hug her friend. Her friend hugged her too.
"Thanks Rei, thanks because you're not leaving friends behind," Akira said. "Wait, I'll call mom to tell her I'm moving," she added, breaking the hug. Reiko nodded and sat down at the chair again.
Reiko was now thinking of how she'll tell Ryu and Hiro about her and Akira leaving. Ayase Akira, Sengoku Hiro and Sakurano Ryu are Reiko's best friends since elementary. They were the only three who bothered to socialize and get to know her despite her cold and independent façade. They were the only people who seemed to understand her silence, her joys, her decisions, her independence, her cold and carefree face, and her dreams. She was thinking of a way to tell them without hurting herself or them.
She was spacing out on the chair thinking when Akira returned, now fully dressed in a pair of denim shorts and white printed tee. Her lovely long brown mane tied on a ponytail. She snapped back to reality when she arrived.
"Hey, you were spacing out. Are you okay?" she said.
"Nah. That's nothing," Rei assured.
"What about Ryu and Hiro?" Akira asked her.
"Actually that was what I was thinking. Don't worry about it, I already thought of a way to sort it out," she said with a smile. Actually, the way she figured it out was to not tell them anymore. She thought that just leaving and not telling them would stop tears and cause no problems. She wasn't going to tell them anymore and was only hoping they would understand her. "So what? Shall we prepare?" she asked.
"Game!" Akira said.
That afternoon the next day, Reiko and Akira were waiting at the living room of Reiko's house. Akira stayed at Reiko's guest room for the night. Their bags of stuff sat in a neat pile near the front door. They sat watching a random cell phone commercial featuring a handsome boy group Akira was so giggly about. Reiko was staring at the TV interested on the phone itself instead of the handsome guys. Then the doorbell sounded.
Reiko went for the door.
"Ah, Miss Reiko, I was sent by your mom to take you to Tokyo. I'm Mr. Hiroki," the young man said to her. Behind the man was the van their family used for trips and picnics.
"Ah, yes. I know. Nice to meet you. Ahm, here are our stuff," she said letting the man in and pointing to their luggage. She ran back to Akira who was really enjoying the shows.
"Akira! It's time," she said. "Ah yes!" Akira replied. Akira turned off the TV and they both wore their sneakers at the foot of the stairs. Then they helped Mr. Hiroki carry their bags and stuffed them at the back of the van. Reiko was last to get in the van because she locked up the house. Their journey to a new adventure in Tokyo began.