Author's Note: This is a story I'd written a while ago, and since I'm having trouble writing 'Incognito', I just took a short break and fixed up this story :) (But rest assured, I will complete 'Incognito')
But in the mean time, I hope you enjoy reading~!
- epilogue08
Echoes
Summary: He wrote in quick, unhesitating strokes: 'I, Dojo Atsushi, will grant Kasahara Iku three wishes. I will put all my efforts into fulfilling these three wishes, regardless of the time, place, or the content of the wish.' "There, happy?" Dojo grumbled. She nodded. After re-reading it, he signed his name.
Disclaimer: I do not own Library wars.
"Always remember to be happy because you
never know who's falling in love with your smile."
- Author Unknown
'I will grant three wishes.'
In the middle of signing his name when her hand reached out and stopped him. "Wait. That's not specific enough."
He started to complain, but listened to her anyways.
On another clean sheet of paper, he wrote in quick, unhesitating strokes:
'I, Dojo Atsushi, will grant Kasahara Iku three wishes. I will put all my efforts into fulfilling these three wishes, regardless of the time, place, or the content of the wish.'
"There, happy?" Dojo grumbled.
She nodded in satisfaction.
After re-reading it, he signed his name.
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Chapter 1:
The smile never left Komaki's face as he listened to his best friend complain about their latest school activities.
"What kind of game is this?", Dojo mumbled as they walked home after school. In his hand was the piece flyer that their homeroom teacher had given out to them, and it was printed with way too many colors for Dojo's taste.
Komaki laughed as he took it from Dojo. "This actually looks quite fun. It's just like Orikuchi-Sensei to come up with something like this."
Unable to understand their conversation, Iku stared blankly at them. "Uh…what? What are you guys talking about?"
Not the least surprised, Dojo sighed in exasperation and Komaki laughed before answering her. "The activity Sensei created for us. We talked about it in class, remember?" He glanced at her expression. "…Guess not. It's kind of similar to a Secret-Santa activity, except if you get found out, you have to grant the other person 3 wishes instead of getting them a present. I guess Sensei just wanted us to have a bit of fun before the holiday starts."
"Oh, I see." Iku took the paper from him, and started reading about it herself.
Dojo kept his eyes on the sidewalk and stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep warm. "Though I fail to see what this would accomplish. These sort of games are usually for elementary schools. Why must we high school students participate?"
In a show of pity and understanding, Komaki patted Dojo's back. "It's just for fun, Dojo. By the way, we're going to draw the names of the person we're buying a present for tomorrow." He swiftly glanced at Iku to make sure she wasn't listening, before turning back to Dojo and briefly showing his true colours with an evil smirk, whispering, "It would be interesting if you drew Kasahara-san's name, wouldn't it?"
"W-what?!" Dojo tensed up. "D-Don't be ridiculous! There's nothing interesting about that! And the whole class is participating right? What are the chances?"
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"Just to make it clear," Dojo said as he looked at Iku seriously, "You can't wish for more wishes, and you can't wish for anything stupid, got it? I just want to make this clear; I'm not taking any risks."
As she folded up the paper, Iku frowned. "Fine, fine. I'm gonna hide this somewhere. Where should I put it?"
"Doesn't matter; anywhere is fine. Just don't lose it."
[] [] []
'What are the chances?'
His own words from the day before echoed in his mind. Dojo hesitated for a split second before reaching into the box to draw out a name. Relax. There's no way I would draw her name of all people.
He carefully unfolded the piece of paper, and froze. Except for his eyes widening just slightly, his face remained expressionless and he showed no reaction. At the center of piece of paper, in neat writing, was the name 'Kasahara Iku'.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Komaki at his seat, covering his mouth with his hand to stop himself from laughing. Unbelievable.
As he was about to return to his seat, deafening footsteps could be heard outside the classroom. Their teacher, Orikuchi-sensei, frowned as the P.E. teacher marched in, slamming the door open on his way. "Good morning, class!"
Several students greeted him back with a 'Good morning, Commander', or 'Morning, Sir!"
Orikuchi waved a hand to silent the class before turning her attention to the other teacher. "Genda-sensei! Stop interrupting the class! And the students should be calling you 'Sensei', not 'Commander'! We're in school, so please abide by the rules!"
The sound of Genda's laughter echoed through the hallway of the school as he placed both hands on his waist, showing off an air of confidence. "But 'Commander' suits me so much better!"
Unimpressed, Orikuchi rolled her eyes. Her patience with him had already run out. "We're in the middle of something here, so don't interrupt us! Kasahara! It's your turn. Come up to the front."
Iku took a deep breath, and reached into the box. Please, please, pleeeease don't let it be someone I hate. She unfolded the paper to see the name 'Tezuka Hikaru'.
"Aw, seriously?! Sensei, are we allowed to re-draw?!"
"Of course not!"
As Iku grumpily returned to her seat, Orikuchi called out the remaining students who had not yet drawn the names. She sat in her seat sulking silently and turned her glare towards Tezuka. Jerk. Of all people, it had to be him. Iku spent the remainder of the period moping, while Tezuka tried to act ignorant of her glares and sinister mumbling at the back of the class.
Orikuchi ended the class with a reminder about the activity. "A small present for your classmate would be great. But keep in mind, if they find out who it is, you have to grant them 3 wishes."
Dojo frowned even more; the thought of possibly having to grant Iku 3 wishes seemed to make him all the more depressed. As soon as most of their classmates left for lunch, Komaki made his way to Dojo's seat while trying to suppress his grin. "So…"
Dojo rested his head against his table and sighed. "Don't say anything. I don't even want to think about it."
"Come on, Dojo. It's not that bad." Contrary to his comforting words, Komaki chuckled at Dojo's misery. "Did you really pick her name though?"
Listening to someone laugh at his misfortune made him miserable all over again, but since he knew Komaki wouldn't stop bugging him until he got an answer, he reached into his pocket, a little unwillingly. "See for yourself." But as he clumsily grabbed the piece of paper, it slipped out of his hand.
"Oh, what's this?" Shibasaki snatched it up quickly and saw the name written on it before Dojo could even prepare himself for her reaction. A huge grin appeared on her face, and when Dojo saw the glint in her eye, he immediately knew that the situation would only go downhill. "W-Wait, Shibasaki-"
As if things couldn't get worse, Iku appeared from behind Shibasaki. "Shibasaki! Let's go get lunch…what are you looking at?"
Dojo made something similar to a choking sound, and Komaki put a hand on his shoulder, discreetly holding him back.
Shibasaki glanced at the expression on Dojo's face before answering her. "Kasahara, I just happened to find this piece of paper with your name on it. It was on the ground beside Dojo's table, I believe." She pretended to gasp, and held her hand over her mouth. "Ah…I don't think I should be telling you this. So now I suppose…Dojo has to grant Kasahara 3 wishes, right?" She smiled innocently as he stood frozen at his desk.
Iku blinked in surprise. "Eh?! Dojo?! This guy?" She rudely pointed at him, and Dojo had to step back to avoid getting stabbed in the eye.
"W-What's with that reaction?! It's not like I want to do it! And knowing your personality, you're just gonna wish for something stupid, right?"
"Hey! Don't call me stupid! And are you honestly going to grant wishes with that kind of attitude?"
Shibasaki smiled as they continued mercilessly throwing insults at each other. "This will be entertaining," she murmured, holding a hand up to her face as she observed the situation. Komaki seemed to have the same train of thoughts as he nodded in agreement.
The room went silent when Iku slammed her hand on the table in frustration. "Oh yeah?! What can you even accomplish, Dojo?" Standing up straight with her arms crossed, she glared at him, completely unaware of the fact that she was currently the center of attention.
Dojo looked like he had just been punched in the face. "I shouldn't be hearing this from you of all people! Don't bring me down to your level! And frankly, I'm more worried for the person whose name you drew!"
"Wh-what-? What's that supposed t-!"
"Don't worry, Dojo," Shibasaki interrupted, "Tezuka already told Kasahara not to do anything for him. He said he didn't want anything, nor does he want her to grant his wishes. Apparently he thinks she's just going to make everything worse." Off at the side, Komaki almost burst out laughing, but managed to hold it in. For a few seconds at least.
Iku gaped and her cheeks were flushed. "H-how did you know about that?"
"Kasahara, practically the entire class knows you got his name in the draw. You're such a simpleton; everyone can read you like a book."
Dojo smirked, having quickly recovered from the argument. "Hm. I don't blame him. Tezuka made a wise decision." He nodded in approval.
"Hey!" Iku scowled. "Even I am capable of doing something right, once in a while." Desperate to get the attention off of her, she turned to Shibasaki. "A-Anyways, whose name did you get, Shibasaki?"
"Oh? Are you trying to discreetly change the topic, by any chance?" Her confident smirk made Iku feel like an idiot.
"O-Of course not! I was just asking!"
"Well, even if you're curious, I don't intend to disclose such a deep, dark secret. I don't want to have to be a slave to them and grant them 3 wishes."
Blinking at the way she interpreted this game, Iku decided not to ask. When she turned to Komaki, he answered the question before she had the chance to speak.
"That's a secret." Komaki said mysteriously. When they weren't looking, he turned his head to sneak a peek at a quiet girl packing up her things at the back of the classroom. Just as she glanced up, he turned away to pretend he was looking at something else. A tiny, but warm, smile appeared in his face when she quickly left the room with a deep blush reaching to her ears.
Crossing his arms and leaning against a desk, Dojo made a face at Iku's question. "Are you an idiot? There's a reason why this game is called 'Secret Santa.' Why don't you use your head a little more?"
Komaki snickered. "Dojo, I don't know if it's a good idea for you to lecture her. You're the one who has to grant her wishes remember?" He leaned towards him to whisper, "Aren't you going to ask her what she desires in life?"
After flinching at the way he worded it, Dojo sighed as he suddenly remembered his current situation. "Fine." He turned to face Iku, then looked away rudely.
"Kasahara, have you decided on them yet? The wishes…"
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"For the first wish, I want you to read this fairy tale novel, and tell me what you think about it. And second…I need help with homework."
Dojo looked at her in surprise. "That's it? I thought you would've come up with something impossible to accomplish."
She held up a hand and frowned. "Wait, I'm gonna change the 2nd one. I need help with homework for the rest of the year."
Dojo shrugged. "Easy enough."
"And you have to do it without complaining."
"That…would be impossible."
"Hey!" Iku glared at him. "Didn't you say you'll grant the wish no matter how hard it is?"
"I wrote 'I will put all my effort-'! It's different!"
"No, it's not! I spent a lot of time thinking about this, so you better do a good job!"
"'A lot of time'? How long is that? Twenty seconds?"
Iku crossed her arm and pouted naively. The two engaged in a long glaring contest before Dojo sighed and reluctantly gave up. He could never really win against her anyways. "Fine. What about the 3rd wish?"
Iku blinked in surprise.
[] [] []
"Uh, I'm not sure." She seemed a bit taken aback at the question. I didn't think he'd actually be willing to do it. "I-I need some time to think."
Dojo straightened out his uniform forcefully, as if he needed something to vent out his anger on. "Fine." He turned to Komaki, who was still chuckling every few seconds at his best friend. "Komaki, we're leaving."
Iku didn't react as they left the classroom.
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The door slammed noisily as Iku nonchalantly threw off her shoes and tossed the keys on the table. "I'm home!"
"Iku, how many times should I have to remind you?! Don't slam the door!"
Her mother's words went in one ear and out the next as Iku grabbed a snack from the kitchen.
"And Iku!" Her mother's tone told her she was in trouble, again. "Go clean up your room! It's been getting really messy lately!"
"Okay, okay", Iku muttered incoherently. Conversations like these were common occurrences, so she barely paid attention. Once upstairs, she flung open her door to realize, for once, that her room was incredibly disorganized. Muttering to herself, she threw down her bag and started cleaning up, though it seemed like it was doing more harm than good.
Laundry, both clean and dirty, went flying through the room as she attempted to pile them all together. All sorts of garbage were gathered together in a heap. When Iku's second oldest brother opened the door, he barely ducked in time to avoid a shoe.
"Hey! Iku, what the hell was that for?!"
She didn't bother looking up at him to see if he was alright. "It wasn't on purpose!"
As she continued 'cleaning up', her brother dropped an old cardboard box on the floor. "Since you're cleaning, take this back! It's your own stuff; don't put it in my room!", he yelled before leaving.
Iku turned around and stared at the box in the middle of the room. Is that even mine? Curiosity got the best of her, and soon she was forcing the box open and digging through the contents. Inside were a couple of picture books, which she remembered reading as a child. Deciding that she needed a break, she picked up a novel. But as soon as she sat down comfortably, a piece of paper slipped out of the book.
The smudged pencil marks and creases on the paper caught her attention. What's this?
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"Dojo! Hey, Dojo!" Iku yelled outside her window, which faced the balcony outside Dojo's room in his house right next door. "Dojo!"
Her throat was almost sore by the time she heard the door to the balcony unlocking, and Dojo stepped out looking extremely annoyed and upset. "What?! Stop yelling! You're disturbing the whole neighbourhood!"
"You're yelling too!" She scowled and muttered, "Anger management problems."
But she interrupted him just as he was about to retort. "Anyways, I wanted to show you this." Taking care not to fall over, she leaned out her window to hand him the folded piece of paper.
As Dojo read it, his frown faded a little. "I remember this. We wrote it 5 or 6 years ago. I think we were about 12 at the time."
Iku smiled. "Doesn't it remind you of the Secret-Santa activity we're doing at school right now? With the 3 wishes and all."
"You're right. Oh, here, it says I already fulfilled two out of the three wishes." Dojo smirked. "And since I have to grant you 3 wishes right now, we'll count this too. Now I only owe you one."
"What?!" Iku tried to reach out and grab the piece of paper back, but Dojo held it away from her. "Hold on, that's not fair! This and that are two different things!"
"Nope. Too bad." Dojo was about to go back in his room, but paused. "Wait…you only used up two wishes? I thought…"
"Hm?" Iku tilted her head, looking confused. "I only used two. One for the book, and the other is helping me with homework. We even wrote it down."
The paper started crumpling when his grip tightened.
"Dojo?" He was facing away from her, so Iku couldn't see his expression. But something about the way he just tensed up…
"Huh?" He glanced back at her with an emotionless look and shrugged indifferently. "You have one last wish. Use it wisely." He quickly returned to his room.
"Hey, Dojo? We're not done talking yet! Dojo!"
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"Dojo!" Iku sounded out of breath as she caught up to him on the streets. "Um, did I do something to make you angry? Cause you seem to be ignoring me and-"
"I'm not." Dojo looked straight ahead as he walked faster. "I don't feel like talking to you."
"So you are mad at me!" Iku grabbed his arm. "What did I do?! Stop ignoring me! Is it because I said I can't walk home with you after school? It's not my fault! The guy from the other class just wanted to talk to me about something!"
"W-What makes you think it's about that?" Dojo looked away so she wouldn't see the faint blush on his cheeks. "I have nothing against walking home alone, blockhead!"
"But I didn't go, otherwise, I wouldn't be here right now. So why are you angry?"
He seemed a bit surprised at the fact that she just ditched the other guy to follow him home. 'What did she think he was going to talk to her about?', he wondered. Looking at her, he realized she was more dense and idiotic than he thought. Shaking off her hand, he ran home, leaving her alone on the street.
It had never occurred to him that this one naïve action would eventually lead to such a terrible accident.
A few days later, Iku noticed that his balcony door was still closed, and the blinds that covered it gave her the feeling that she was unwelcomed. Standing in front of her window and seeing the closed door across from her gave her an incredibly lonely feeling.
"Dojo! Dojo, are you there? Geez, it's been almost a week already! Stop ignoring me!" Iku pouted and rested her head on her arms, while looking out her window at Dojo's house. "Don't ignore me…", she sniffled, trying not to let the tears fall.
An idea came to mind after she continued staring for a few more minutes. Iku grabbed a pen and quickly scribbled writing over a sticky note, then hurried to collect the other items…
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Dojo closed his balcony door and leaned against it, all the while staring at the piece of paper in his hand. He signed and closed his eyes. So she doesn't remember after all.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly slid to the ground, and put his head in his hands. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. Disappointment…or hurt? Maybe both.