Lost Past
before "Bad Luck" and NG (inc.)
Chapter 1: 0 - 5：A New Acquaintence
For the past 19 years, Shuichi Shindou was like a brocken record. Repeatedly, bad things occurred every day. Either it was the death of a friend, or just not enough toothpaste on a toothbrush. His mother had gone crazy after the death of his father when he was five years old. Since then, even before then, he didn't matter.
"Shuichi!" His mother called to him from the other room. Shuichi was playing cards with himself since his mother wouldn't let him go outside or communicate with kids his age. "Yes,Mom?" he called back and she yelled at him. "Don't hesitate! Just come here!" Knowing that his momwould yell some more if he didn't come, he hurriedly got up and ran downstairs. "Yes, Mom?" He let out a sigh, and was panting from running too fast. "Don't run that fast," his mom commanded as she dusted him off, not caring if it hurt him. "Go down the street to Mrs. Nakano's house and give back this curling iron that I borrowed. And be quick about it! No dawdling!" "Yes, Mom," Shuichi said in one fast breath, and ran out of the house.
The door slammed behind Shuichi as he skidded out of the house, past his mother's garden, up until he got to the neighbor's mailbox. ' "輪照るマルク (watermark)?"' he thought, reading the inscription on the mailbox. 'I thought Iwamoto-san lived here... They must be new... and American.' He saw a small row of dandelions, which his mother didn't have in her garden, so he picked one. Then he saw a woman about 16 years of age in the window. She was cleaning off a table when she looked back at Shuichi. Shuichi's face caught a look of fear, thinking that she would chase after him. A hand raised and she waved at him. He rudely didn't wave back. "Young man!" That's when he realized him mother stomping out of their house.
Next thing he knew, a hand glided across his cheek, which turned bright red. The woman who Shuichi had seen in the window ran out to see what happend. "Excuse me, Miss," she caught Shuichi's mom's attention, " would you please tell me why you hit that poor boy?" The woman had long black hair, which had turned to a purple tint in the sun, and pretty purple eyes. She had on a red dress that had no sleeves and came down only to her knees. She also looked pregnant. "Well, "that poor boy" is my son!" Shuichi's mom snapped at the young girl. She cowarded a little bit. It was silent until Shuichi's mom introduced herself. "My name is Hanajima Shindou. This is my little angel, Shuichi." She hit him on the head, and he flinched a bit, but stood up straight. "My name is Summer," the woman said, "Summer Watermark." "Well, nice to met you, Summer. By any chance are you American?" Summer looked at Hanajima with perkiness in her expression. "Why, yes, I --" "Yes, yes, yes, let's cut to the chase," Hanajima cut Summer off and smacked Shuichi in the back. "Shuichi! Give Summer the flower you stole from her yard. Now!" Shuichi coughed and held his arm out long and straight, "Here. Sorry I stole it." No, that's okay," Summer pushed Shuichi's arm back, "you may have it." Shuichi blushed a little as she touched his arm.
"No! Shuichi, give it back!" Hanajima pushed him twice, and he fell to the ground, placing the flower in front of him. Then, Hanajima saw a sign on Summer's lawn. "Are you still hiring baby sitters?" she asked, curious to get Shuichi out of her hair. "Yes, I am. My baby is due next month and I need someone to take care of her whileI'm at work." "Well, then, your search is over. Shuichi can do it." Shuichi looked up at his mom in shock. Summer looked at her in disbelief, "He couldn't! He's only a child himself!" "Oh, nonsense! Shuichi is very intelligent for his age. He can do it. No pay or anything. I mean, how many five year olds need money? Even better, let him stay with you as long as you need him. He will help!" "Um..." Summer thought about it, and was unsure. "Well, I guess so. As long as he doesn't overwork himself." "ALRIGHTY THEN! Bye bye, sweetie!" Hanajima ruffled Shuichi's hair and skipped of happily, worrie free of Shuichi.
"Um, are you pregnant?" Shuichi asked as Summer led him into her home. "Yes. Why?" "Cause you look really fat..." He pointed to her stomach, and she looked worriedly at him. "I'm not fat, am I?" "You're having a baby, remember?" "Oh, yeah," Summer looked at the floor, embarrassed that she didn't remember that she was having a baby. 'Wow, she is really pretty,' Shuichi thought as he looked at her whole body, head to toe, 'I wonder, who is the father and why did they do that?' "Excuse me?" Shuichi snapped out of his fantasy world when Summer called him. He turned around and she pecked him on the forehead. He was surprised. For his whole life, he had never recieved any kind of caring gesture from anybody, not even his parents! "Now," she said in her soft, calm voice, "let's go do something fun. Do you like board games, Shuichi?" "Yeah!" He had never been this happy in a long time. He ran over to her closet, pulled out an anime version of Monopoly, and sat down with Summer. They played all day until Shuichi fell asleep on the couch. Summer covered him with a blanket and whispered, "Goodnight, Shu-chan." Shuichi mumbled something in his sleep as she walked to her bedroom, "ありがとう ございます, すめる. (thank you very much Summer)"