A/N: Taking a break from writing The Girl God Only Knows for a while. I am just about done writing chapter 9, so I decided to clear my mind off and write two new oneshots (the other one is a Kimi ni Todoke oneshot, to be released in a few days)
This is my version of a scene in LuckyStar episode 21 (Pandora's Box). This is remake, most likely, with my own and more romantic alternative ending. This was the fastest fanfiction I made so far (I started writing this about 8 hours before posting this). The plot and some dialogue from the characters are taken from the original story in the anime/manga, but the alternate ending and some inner thoughts come from the author, herself. Kagami Hiiragi POV. And I'm so sorry, this is non-yuri (sorry for breaking the code of all Lucky Star romance fanfics. Gomen Gomen). An OC included. Enjoy. ^^
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The Guy Behind Those Words
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…..
To Hiiragi,
I would like to talk to you, so please meet me in front of the hotel we're staying in at 9 o'clock tonight.
From a certain guy.
…
I was all alone in the middle of the halls were students scrambled in front of me. They were heading for the tour buses, excited for the adventures ahead.
But I wasn't moving anywhere.
I sat on my feet, balancing my bag on my lap, as I held a small unfolded piece of paper on one hand. I reread the name on the top of the note over and over again just to make sure that it wasn't meant for someone else.
To Hiiragi.
…
It was really for me.
The note was for me.
Someone wants to talk to me.
But about what?
…
I shook my head. It can't be a confession. That's impossible. Who would even like someone as dull as me?
…
Someone likes me? Someone actually likes me?
"Kagami!"
A voice called out, breaking me away from my thoughts. From across the hall, Misao waved her hands madly in the air. Hiyori stood right behind her, patiently waiting for me. "Kagami! The bus is leaving. You better hurry up if you don't want to be left alone here," Hiyori called out.
"I'm coming," I answered back. I slid the note in my pocket and grabbed my bag. I ran after them and made it to the bus in the nick of time.
Our bus made it shortly before Tsukasa's bus arrived. When they got down, I followed silently behind them and we all headed to the shrine together.
Miyuki, Konata, and Tsukasa chattered on in front of me as we walked, looking at brochures on where we were heading. I should have been joining them like I usually do.
But I wasn't feeling well.
No. It's not like I have a fever or something.
I just didn't feel like my usual self. Worse, I wasn't acting like my usual self.
…
I would like to talk to you.
…
Click. Click. Click.
"…You're not gonna say anything?" Konata said.
Huh? What just happened?
Unbeknownst to me, were already at the Ginkaku-ji. Miyuki had just finished explaining to Konata why the Ginkaku-ji isn't silver. Tsukasa was snapping away with her cell phone/camera. Konata got away with one of her otaku remarks. This time, it was about this anime about creatures coming out from balls and stuff. I could have at least scolded her and said 'stop making everything into weird creatures' or stuff like that. I could have contributed something to Miyuki, since I did a little research on this temple just last night. I should have been telling Tsukasa that her cell phone memory would run out if she continued what she was doing. But here I was, staring at the same spot on the temple for longer than necessary.
I turned back to Konata, who was awaiting my response.
I didn't know what I should tell her. I just stared at her dumbly.
After a long moment of silence, she left me alone to my own thoughts.
…
Ugh. Snap out of it, Kagami. You're acting like such a weirdo. Come on. It's just an invitation. Nothing to sweat about.
…
But why am I making such a big deal about this?
True, it's not every day that I get to have these letters. And when I do get one, it would be those dumb letters from Konata. One time, she sent me this letter saying that I was going to be awarded as the student of the year and… Okay, forget about that. The point is…
…
On second thought, what if it was just a joke?
Yes. It must have been some kid trying to pull out some kind of prank on me. I knew it was too good to be true.
If it was just a prank, the mastermind was surely a genius. But he cannot fool me.
…
I felt my heart sink a little bit.
…
Back at the hotel, Konata and Miyuki came to our room. In front of us, brochures, maps, and other paraphernalia were spread across the table in front of us.
"We have one more day," Miyuki announced after a long discussion I just lost track of.
"We've got a perfect plan for our independent time, right?" Tsukasa brought up.
"Tomorrow's gonna be our true school trip." Konata quipped up, sticking her finger to the air. "Let us all travel to the holy place!"
All of them were busy discussing our plans for tomorrow, but my mind was wandering off someplace else.
I gazed absentmindedly at the clock. It read 8:45 in the evening.
…
I would like to talk to you.
...
The voice of a guy I didn't know echoed all through my head, like a broken cassette player. It kept on repeating, gradually increasing volume. It drowned out the other girls' voices.
My stomach was twitching nervously. What would this guy want from me? What did he like to talk to me about?
And who was that guy?
My imagination was running wildly. I can just see what he looks like. I can almost imagine what he would say to me.
…
'Kagami, I like you. Would you go out with me?'
…
"I see."
…
Did I just say that out loud?
I looked at all the girls around me one by one. Tsukasa. Miyuki. Konata. They were all staring at me. It became eerily quiet in the room.
That was a definite yes.
But surprisingly, it didn't bother me much. I didn't have time to obsess about what they were thinking. I had other problems.
I looked at the clock again. 8:50 pm.
I stood up in a daze.
"Would you excuse me for a moment," I said flatly.
As I shut the door behind me, they all exchanged confused glances.
The clock read 9 o'clock in the evening.
I sat alone on bench just outside the hotel. It was so quiet except for the cars speeding past me. It was cold outside, quite surprising for a summer night. I had goose bumps all over. Or was that just me?
…
I've never been this nervous for my entire life.
I stroked my hair idly, trying to keep calm. I continued to wait.
…
"Hiiragi?"
I looked up to see who it was.
There was a guy who stood in the shadows.
"…"
I tried to say something, but I was shaking so much.
Why am I so nervous?
I tried again.
"W-was it okay when you said in front of the hotel?"
"Yeah. Did you wait?"
I shook my head as if to say no.
…
"So what did you want to talk about?" I said quietly. I was becoming more nervous at the minute.
The guy shuffled his feet and moved uneasily. I could say that he was quite nervous, too.
I waited for his response.
…
"You're about the only person I can say this to, Hiiragi," he finally said.
…
My heart stopped beating. I had butterflies in my stomach.
…
"…"
"What is it?"
…
I waited longer.
…
"Ah! I can't do this," the guy said, frustrated. He placed his hand on his face and looked befuddled. I swore I saw him flush pink in embarrassment.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked without really thinking. I immediately realized that it was the wrong question to ask. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
After a while, he took a deep breath. He ruffled his brown hair a little bit. Finally, he calmed down.
…
There was a long and awkward silence.
…
"I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have let you see me like this. It's so embarrassing," he finally said, suddenly sounding apologetic.
"It's okay, people get nervous sometimes," I reassured him. I was feeling the same thing, anyways.
"No, really. I must have looked so stupid. I swear, if my friends saw me like this, they would really laugh at me." He tried to give a carefree laugh.
"Yeah. And I bet Kona-chan would never let me off the hook with this one…"
"Oh."
"Waah. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I'd like to be here with you. Oh, I mean… It's just…"
"…"
…
There was another long and awkward silence.
…
"I'm so nervous right now." I admitted.
"… I'm sorry." He sounded apologetic again. "I didn't mean to make you nervous."
"It's okay. It's just me."
…
"I think I'll go now. Sorry to disturb you, Hiiragi."
He started walking away.
"Wait a minute. Don't go." I called after him.
He turned back to me.
"… I mean, could you please stay a little longer?" I requested.
He sighed. "Sure."
We both sat down on the bench.
"So?" I said.
"So?" He said.
I looked for something to say. "I forgot to ask. What is your name?"
"Ren Satou," he said sheepishly.
"Ren? As in water lily?"
"No. Ren, as in love."
I winced as he said that last word.
…
"So, Satou-kun…"
"Please. Call me Ren."
"Okay, Ren-kun. What class are you from? I don't seem to notice you often."
"I'm in Class 2-B."
"Really? You're from 2-B?"
"Yes. Why do you sound so surprised?"
"It's just that my sister and her friends are in your class."
"Ah. You mean Tsukasa. She's nice. And your friends are Takahara-san and Izumi-san, right?"
"H-how did you know?"
"I see you come to our classroom every day."
"Really? You noticed?"
…
He suddenly fell silent.
…
…
"I've always been watching you, Hiiragi."
…
Now it was my turn to fall silent. I absolutely didn't know what to say to that.
…
I watched as Ren shot his head back with a half-sheepish and half-carefree smile. He looked as if I had just missed a good joke.
He let out a nervous sigh before he continued.
"As a little child, I've been very fond of reading books. I have read stories all about fascinating people, people who had made a difference with their extraordinary works, talents, and actions. I somewhat imagined myself being like them, the artist, the famous athlete, a whiz in science, or even a rock star. From then on, I set my sights on becoming like them. To make a difference.
…
"But as time passed by, things started to change. I became insecure. To begin with, I had this huge self-esteem issue. I wasn't born with much of the smarts. I didn't like sports. I'm not good in drawing or playing instruments… Well, you get the idea. This bothered me a lot and I thought to myself, why even try to be a great person when you really aren't?
"I was this huge mess. I was always lazy, I skipped class very often, and I was this close to being a failure in almost every subject. And I know it sounds stupid, but I had a hard time making friends. Some pessimist I am..."
He stopped talking for a while and looked at me. "Sorry. Am I boring you with that story?"
"Uhm, no. It isn't," I said. I was worried, wondering what I looked like at the moment that made him think that. "Please continue."
He straightened himself and cleared his throat.
"Okay. Like I was saying, I was this huge mess. And looking back, I lost all hope of becoming what I wanted to be.
…
"Then one day, I decided to skip class and head to the library. No one was there at the moment since everyone was in class. So I used that opportunity to sleep in.
…
"Then suddenly, I realized I wasn't alone.
…
"In one corner of the room, I saw a girl in ponytails sitting with all these books at hand. She was intently focusing on the page of this history book. Then, I watched her as she scribbled something on a notebook. Before long, she went back to her book and after a few minutes, she left.
"But when I looked at the table where she was at, I noticed that she had left a notebook. I picked it up and opened it. Then I saw this poem about dreams.
…
…
"That's when it hit me.
…
"I immediately got a pen and some paper and started writing my own poems and stories. I kept on writing and writing even though I wasn't good until eventually, I got better.
"My stories felt like an outlet of all my emotions. Once I started making my story, I suddenly feel better…
"…I've become a better person indeed."
…
I had a fluttering feeling in my chest.
I remembered that story I made. I was actually inspired to write one since I was so frustrated about Tsukasa and Konata. I remembered that I had put so much labor in it, but when Konata and Tsukasa read the story, they just laughed at it.
But this guy…
… It changed his life.
I'm moved. Deeply moved.
…
He went on with his story.
"I wanted to look for that girl who left that notebook and thank her for giving me an inspiration. But unfortunately, the notebook didn't have a name on it. Only when I first saw you go to our classroom did I realize that the ponytailed girl was you, Kagami Hiiragi.
"I didn't have the courage then to give the notebook back. So I waited for the right moment to give it to you."
…
I finally spoke up. "So that's why you called me tonight?" I asked quietly.
He nodded profusely.
I sighed in assent.
...
There was yet another long moment of silence between us.
…
"Oh, before anything else…" Ren suddenly said. He brought out the notebook from his pocket and handed it to me.
"Thanks," I mumbled.
"No. Thank you, Hiiragi." he said with a smile.
I felt myself flush pink.
He sighed in relief. "I'm glad to finally let that out. Thanks again, Hiiragi. See you." He stood up, turned around and waved goodbye.
"See you," I said. But he was already long gone.
…
The nightlights shone against the darkness of the twilight sky. The cars sped past me. The wind was blowing. I should have been heading back to the hotel. Konata and the others must have been wondering where I went to.
…
But I wasn't moving anywhere.
…
I just sat on that bench, thinking on how I acted the whole day. All those confusions and anxiety…
…
I held the notebook he returned. I opened it to the last page, where a note was scribbled at the back. I smiled to myself. The relief slowly went back up.
…..
To Hiiragi,
Thank you for everything.
From a certain guy.
…..
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OMAKES (Credits to Queen Sydon and her awesome omakes for inspiring me to do this)
Omake # 1
"Oh, before anything else…" Ren suddenly said. He brought out the notebook from his pocket and handed it to me.
"Thanks," I mumbled.
…
"May I ask you something?" I said.
"Sure." He shrugged.
…
…
"How did my notebook fit in your pocket?"
…
There was an awkward silence.
"I-I don't know," he answered. "How did it fit in my pocket?"
We were thoughtful for a long moment.
…
Omake # 2
The nightlights shone against the darkness of the twilight sky. The cars sped past me. The wind was blowing. I should have been heading back to the hotel. Konata and the others must have been wondering where I went to.
…
But I wasn't moving anywhere.
…
I just sat on that bench, thinking on how I acted the whole day. All those confusions and anxiety…
…
I held the notebook he returned. I opened it to the last page, where a note was scribbled at the back.
…
I love you, Kagami.
…
What? Did he really write this?
…
…
Wait. There's something written below it.
…
From Happy of the Fairy Tail Guild.
…
KONATAAAAAA!
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Yaay. All done. Reviews (even the harsh ones) are highly appreciated. ^^
