A truth once learnt…
A truth, once learnt, can seldom be unlearnt.
Prologue
November
Chihaya placed a steadying hand against the wall and lowered her body to the ground. With her legs tucked underneath her, she leant her back against the cool, hard tiles of the Ootsuka Karuta Meeting Hall. Her panicked breaths and beating heart were slowly returning to their normal rate, but her eyes, usually so bright with excitement, would take far longer to lose their glazed expression. Turning her face heavenwards Chihaya stared blankly at the darkening sky. Her body might be sitting outside the Ootsuka Hall but her mind was clearly elsewhere.
From inside, an excited hubbub arose as the voices of friends, family and supporters congratulated this year's Meijin and Queen Challengers. Chihaya was vaguely aware of the fact that her own friends would be looking for her but, right now, she just wanted to be alone.
How had her world changed so suddenly? She had heard it said that truths, once learned, can seldom be unlearnt. She was just now realising the accuracy of that statement; because the truth was, Arata loved her. And now that she knew, what was she supposed to do?
From the minute the words had left his mouth, it was as though her mind had shut down. She hadn't been able to think... hadn't known what to think. How were you supposed to respond, when someone told you that they loved you?
Then, after the initial shock, her mind had gone into over drive. Flattery, confusion, dismay, excitement, embarrassment, fear, giddiness, hope, disbelief… all of these feelings and more. She hadn't known it was possible for one person to experience so many emotions at once. Her body, too, had not known how to respond. While her heart had done its best to beat right out of her chest, her stomach had tied itself into knots. She felt physically sick. And happy, too. Was that normal?
Kana-chan was right. She didn't know the first thing about love...
A sudden round of applause broke out from the hall behind, startling Chihaya from her reverie. The presentation ceremony would soon be over. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She wasn't quite ready to return... Not just yet...
At the sound of approaching footsteps her eyes flew open. "Chihaya?" she heard a familiar voice calling and, as she turned her face that way, she saw Taichi standing at the corner of the building. His breath fogged in the cooling air and his cheeks were tinged with red. Chihaya stood up, suddenly nervous. It wouldn't do to let Taichi see her acting like such a… such a… such a girl! He'd probably tease her and laugh at her. She didn't want that. So, dusting herself off, she walked towards him; ready to re-join her friends and celebrate Harada Sensei's victory.
If she hadn't been so distracted by her own thoughts she might have noticed that Taichi, too, was strangely preoccupied. As it was, the pair walked towards the Meeting Hall's entrance, each wrapped up in their own personal dilemmas and tangled emotions.
And emotions, Chihaya would soon come to realise, can be every bit as exhausting as physical effort.