Well...This idea came to me when I was sketching Tomo. Just hope it pans out alright.
Standard disclaimer rules apply, and enjoy! Obviously the start will always be a little slow, but it will pick up!
So...On with the show! (Set in the girl's second year of high school)
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13 Years ago A fifteen year old Minamo Kurosawa lay on her bed reading a magazine. It was about 9:30 at night, and rain was pouring from the skies. It pattered off 'Nyamo's' window sounding like a machine gun. Nyamo heard a knocking on her front door. Who would that be this late? And in the pouring rain. Nyamo went back to absently flicking though the magazine, her parents where home, and they didn't mind answering the door. This late at night, it was probably someone for her father. Being a Detective for the police was a demanding job sometimes. She heard the door open, and then it closed. For a few moments, Nyamo could hear voices, but couldn't quite make them out. "Minamo? I think you'd better come down here…" called her father. The tone sounded like one that said she should hurry, and also it sounded like her father was already saying sorry for what she was about to see. Nyamo frowned slightly, she didn't like the tone of his voice at all. Nyamo jumped up from her bed and ran to the top of the stairs. She stopped dead still as she looked down towards the door. Standing in front of the now closed door, dripping wet and holding a large sports bag, that looked to be filled to it's breaking point, was her best friend, Yukari Tanizaki. "Yukari?" she whispered. Yukari lifted her head to look at Nyamo, revealing her blackened right eye. "Hey Nyamo" she said quietly with a small smile. Nyamo could tell she'd been crying. Nyamo exploded into movement and ran down the stairs, she threw her arms around her friends shoulders and hugged her tightly. "What happened to you?!" cried Nyamo. She felt her fathers hand on her shoulder. "Come into the kitchen with me, Your mother will see to Yukari-chan," he said and Nyamo nodded. Reluctantly letting go of Yukari, she followed her father into the kitchen. Nyamo sat down as her father leant with his back against the sink. "Yukari's going to be staying with us for a while," he started. Nyamo sat and listened respectfully to her father. "You'd hear it from one of us sooner or later, better me telling you now than Yukari waking you up in the middle of the night" he said, chuckling slightly. Nyamo just smiled. "Has Yukari ever said anything to you about her parents?" asked Nyamo's father, "Like…about them arguing?" "No…All Yukari's ever said to me is they always spoil her sister, and don't pay as much attention" said Nyamo. Her father sighed. "Well…Sadly it seems Yukari's father and to a lesser extent her mother, decided which one they want in the house. I'm arresting her father tomorrow morning for questioning…I think you saw why" he said. Nyamo gasped and held her hands to her mouth. "He didn't, did he? Mr. Tanizaki wouldn't do something like that!" said Nyamo. Her father pushed himself off the worktop and knelt down in front of Nyamo. "Minamo, There are some people in this world that are very good at hiding who they really are, I've seen, met and arrested many of them. Yukari's father, if he can still be called that, is one of them" he said, holding Nyamo's hands. " Whats going to happen?" asked Nyamo, feeling very small at that moment. Her father looked down to the floor. "I think that Yukari will be staying with us for quite a while, if what she said, and I strongly believe her, is true" he looked up and smiled. "Think you can handle the wildcat more than usual?" he asked smiling. Nyamo nodded. "She's my best friend, She's always there for me, and now I'm here for her. I think I'll be fine" said Nyamo. Her father smiled. "Then go and see that she's alright" he said. Nyamo got up and smiled, then walked up the stairs to her room. "Yukari?" she said, stepping in. Yukari was putting on a new shirt. "Hey Nyamo!" she said cheerfully. Nyamo walked into the room and closed the door. "Sorry for just walkin' on in like this, I won't make a habit of it!" said Yukari. Nyamo could see that Yukari was trying her hardest not to cry. Nyamo walked forward and wrapped her arms around her again, "It's ok Yukari, you can cry" she said. Yukari took her advice and began crying her eyes out on Nyamo's shoulder. "Why father told me what happened," said Nyamo, rubbing Yukari's back. "You'll be safe here" she said. Yukari squeezed tighter. "Don't ever leave me Nyamo, Please…" she said. Nyamo smiled slightly, "I won't," she whispered, "Promise" "It's her fault, my stupid sister…" said Yukari, as she pulled away from Nyamo, "Mom and dad's little angel" she said in a mocking tone. "C'mon Yukari, what is she? Three? Four? You told me she's having trouble speaking…" said Nyamo. "Nyamo…I'm trying to force her out of my mind, I don't have a sister…got it?" she said. Nyamo nodded sadly. Then to take her mind off it, she sat Yukari in the chair in front of her desk. "Right…Let's make that new fashion accessory of yours a little less noticeable…" said Nyamo. "Your that good with make-up?" asked Yukari. "Well, Yeah. I mean I've been practice all sorts of techniques to make Tatsuya-kun notice me mo…Never mind!" said Nyamo, turning red. Yukari gave one of her sly grins. "Tatsuya eh? Oh…Do tell…" Both girls laughed and talked on into the night, trying to forget the reasons why Yukari was there in the first place. --
"Right!" shouted the now twenty-eight Yukari Tanizaki. She walked to her desk and attacked the board with chalk. When she'd finished, the chalk marks didn't really make anything with a hint of sense.
"I have work to do, I'm tired, it's the last lesson before summer break officially starts, So just treat it as a lunch or free lesson, your choice!" she said. The class erupted into cheers and began their own things.
"Hey Tomo! Come on!" shouted Kagura, gesturing for Tomo to join them at Sakaki's desk.
"Nah…I'm tired as well…think I'll…" Tomo yawned, "…I'll have a nap" she said, resting her head on her arms.
"Oh…Ok…" said Kagura, walking over to Sakaki's desk to join the other girls.
"Whats up with her?" asked Yomi. Kagura sat one the desk next to Sakaki's.
"Dunno, said she felt tired" said Kagura. Yomi turned and smiled slightly at the sleeping Tomo.
"Not surprised" she said, "She's been running round all day" she said.
The girls just chatted about the usual things, and trying to find answers or make sense of Osaka's ramblings. Eventually, the subject of Chiyo's summer house was brought up, and just as the year before, It was happening.
"I don't think I can…" began Kaorin, but a quick glance at Sakaki decided for her.
"Actually, I think I can miss one astronomy camp" she said. Chiyo smiled. Sakaki's head twitched ever so slightly from her cloud watching as Kaorin spoke, and the faintest smile flicked across her face.
"Say…" began Osaka. Yomi shuddered as she thought about Osaka was about to say. The feeling seemed to be mutual throughout.
"Yes Miss Osaka?" asked Chiyo, in her usual 'cute' manner, "What is it?"
"Any y'all think that Tomo and Miss Yukari look kinda the same?" she said, seriously.
The girls looked between each other, then between the sleeping Tomo and now sleeping Yukari, both had the same sort of pose, arms folded and their heads where resting on the left side.
"Hey, now you mention it…They kinda do…" said Kagura.
"Oh c'mon!" said Yomi, "They do not" she said.
"Judge for yourself…" said Sakaki. Yomi sighed and turned, she frowned as she looked at both Tomo and Yukari, and began to notice little things. Their eyes looked similar, even though they were closed.
"They do have the same sort of personality," said Kagura.
"Try and imagine Yukari with Tomo's hair style…" said Sakaki. The girls all imagined it, and all their eyes widened at the same time. The mental image quite scary, Yukari with a big Tomo like smile. But Yukari did look like an older version of Tomo.
"Wow Osaka…for once you've said something that makes sense…" said Kaorin.
"Whatcha mean by that?" asked Osaka. The girls looked between each other.
"Don't worry Osaka…" said Yomi.
"You got it!" said Osaka, giving a thumbs up.
"Miss Tomo does kind of look like Miss Yukari, If they swapped hairstyles" said Chiyo. The girls looked skyward again as they pictured it. For some reason, Tomo was teaching the class and Yukari was in Tomo's seat.
"Hey…Maybe they're sisters and they're keepin' it a secret from us!" said Osaka. The girls looked between each other, Yomi groaned.
"I really doubt that," said Kaorin.
Not long after, the bell rang and the class emptied, leaving the girls and the sleeping pair behind.
"Should we go?" asked Chiyo.
"We'd better had, maybe we should leave Tomo behind, that'll teach her to fall asleep!" said Yomi.
The girls giggled, "I'll wake her up, We'll catch up to you" said Sakaki. The girls nodded and walked out of the room. Sakaki smiled as she watched her friends go, and turned to wake Tomo.
As she reached out to touch her shoulder, she noticed Tomo was shaking slightly. Sakaki frowned when she realised Tomo sounded like she was crying softly. Sakaki looked towards the door, maybe Yomi would know what was wrong. Sakaki quickly looked back and fore, but stopped when she heard Tomo say something.
"Where'd you go sis?…Please come back…" she whispered, then sniffed. Sakaki just looked, and when she saw a tear run down Tomo's cheek, she shook the girls should gently. Tomo eye's shot open almost immediately, causing Sakaki to jump back.
"S…Sakaki?" said Tomo, rubbing her eyes. Sakaki nodded.
"Yeah, Class finished…" she said, "Where you having a bad dream?" she asked. Tomo looked towards her with an almost scared expression, as if Sakaki knew exactly what had happened in her dream.
"N…No…why?" said Tomo.
"You where crying…" said Sakaki. Tomo looked down at her hand and found it wet with the tears.
"Er…Hah!" she said, "I must of got something in my eye! I'm not afraid of anything in my dreams! They're not real, and I can just wake up!" she said, standing in a triumphant pose. Sakaki chuckled.
"Yeah…" she said, "Come on, lets catch the others up" she said.
As Sakaki and Tomo left, Nyamo walked through the door. She smiled at the sight of Yukari asleep, and walked over to gently wake her up. Nyamo shook Yukari's shoulder, and the teacher woke up.
"Whuzzat?" she said, looking up at Nyamo.
"Schools ended, Summer break, remember?" said Nyamo.
"Oh…Yeah…" yawned Yukari, rubbing her eyes. "Fancy goin' out?" she said.
"Eh, Why not?" said Nyamo, "Not as if we're doing anything tomorrow" she said.
"Great! I can crash at yours then! I'll let my mom know," said Yukari, beginning to send a text on her cell phone.
"Wh…What!? Hey you can't just do that!" said Nyamo, Yukari seemed oblivious to Nyamo's cries.
"You promised me you wouldn't keep doing this…" said Nyamo, folding her arms and pouting.
"Heh…No I didn't," said Yukari, as if Nyamo had said it as a joke. Nyamo frowned slightly, the way Yukari had answered seemed a little…off.
For Yukari anyway.
"Yes you did…Remember? When you came to live with us…" she said. Yukari stopped putting her jacket on. She frowned slightly and smiled.
"What? All we talked about that night was how you wanted to get with…Whats his name…" said Yukari, tapping her chin. "I didn't come to 'live' with you. My parents had to go out of town for a while, I was only staying for a few days, not 'living'. Hehe, your so silly sometimes Nyamo!" said Yukari. Nyamo frowned, now she was worried.
"Yukari…You came to live with us because you where kicked out of your house, Your parents wanted your sister more than-"
"Sister?" said Yukari, For the briefest moment, Nyamo swore she saw a flicker of realisation on Yukari's face. That was soon dashed with a laugh.
"Hahaha! That's a good one Nyamo! Me? Sister! HAHA!" Yukari laughed as she walked out of the classroom. Nyamo stood and watched. The way Yukari spoke didn't seem as if she was acting, it looked as if she honestly believed that she didn't have a sister, and that she didn't go to live with Nyamo and her parents. Nyamo had heard of people blocking traumatic events from their minds, completely forgetting about them. Had Yukari done that? Nyamo shook her head and walked after Yukari.
Maybe it was for the best that she's forgotten what happened,
But thanks to Osaka's comment, things where about to change forever…
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There you go! Hope people like the pretty obvious idea, and remember! YOUR review, ideas and comments help!
(Ashes is still being done, don't worry!)