Pretear – Before Himeno (Takako's time)
Chpt 01
Disclamer: Please note that I own none of the Characters in this story. They are all taken out of either the Anime or from others. Here, I'm going to give my thanks to them. Thank You.
"NO! …"
Takako ran down the streets, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She could not believe what had happened in her house. She did not want to believe. What she saw; it was not the truth. She must have been hallucinating. "Someone, anyone, please, tell me that I am dreaming." She whispered to herself again and again.
Takako stopped when she reached the sea. Wiping her tears, she looked at the wide ocean. The sea breeze blew and smell of salt. A couple of seagulls were flying in the distance. Takako took a deep breath and screamed, as loudly as she could, letting out her all her frustration and anger that she had bottled up. All at once, she felt better. Takako sat down on the white sandy beach and took out a silver chain from her pocket. It had been a present from her late grandmother. It was the only memory of her short- termed happiness. Tears started brimming as she thought about her grandmother and how she had died three months ago.
Ever since Takako was born, all her life was a mess. She lived in constant quarrels and arguments of her parents who did not care and even love her at all. Her elder sister was not any better. She hated Takako, and would bully her whenever she had a chance. Takako felt alone in this empty world, no one would be there when she needed them. No one really care about her at all. No one would hear her heart screaming. Sometimes, she really felt tired, tired from all these quarrels, arguments. There was no where she belonged to. No where where she could find love. No where except..
Her grandmother was the most important person to Takako. She could depend on her to hide from the parents' quarrels, her sister's bully attempts and the world's emptiness. She could have a shoulder to lean on if she wanted to cry. Her grandmother was the only one who cared about her, loved her and treasured her. She was the only one who even bothered to understand her. Takako loved her grandmother with all her heart.
Three months ago, Takako's parents had reached an important decision: divorce. To Takako, this did not have much significance to her. Wherever she went, she just wanted to be with her grandmother. Much to her surprise, this news hit her grandmother really hard. She even begged them not to do this. No matter how she beg, no matter how much tears she had shed, her pleads fell on deaf ears as Takako's parents continued with their decision. Takako looked on with dismay at the sight of her grandmother. She had never seen her grandmother in such a state of sorrow; it pained her like knives stabbing in her heart. That night, her grandmother had a heart attack and left them.
After her grandmother's funeral, Takako and her sister followed their mother to their new home. Takako's heart was shadowed by the death of her grandmother and she did not speak a word since. She was always seen alone; she was friend only to shadows. Smile and laughter was like stranger to her. She started crumbling. She would burst into tears suddenly and would stop the next second. Not even trying to adapt to her new home, Takako felt lonely. No one could understand her. Who said that this world was filled with love? So far, since her grandmother's death, she had found none.
The scene today was the last straw for Takako. She felt betrayed; she was betrayed. She had caught her sister and her boyfriend in bed. Not her sister's, hers, Takako's. Takako's boyfriend. How could she be despicable enough to steal her own sister's boyfriend? Tears rolled down as she flinched at this thought. She had no one else in the world. No one she could believe in, trust in, to rely on. No one she could confide in. They were all gone. She could not see a sparkle of hope. It was as if she had fallen into a bottomless pit of despair. She wanted to end this, end this sadness and loneliness.
Takako stood up. All was lost for her. She stepped into the water. She wanted this to end. The water splashed lightly against her feet. She could no longer hear, see or feel. She had numbed herself with her emotions. She walked further into the ocean, clutching tightly the silver chain. The water covered her knees, slowly rising up to her waist. Out of the blue, something caught hold of her ankle and started dragging her down. Takako blinked and struggled as she tried to free herself. The first thought that came to her was: What am I doing? I'm only fifteen, I don't want to die. However, it seemed to her that death was something inevitable to her. She could not free herself; she could not swim to the surface; her supply of oxygen was cut off. She gulped her a few mouthfuls of water and clutched her throat. It felt like bursting. She needed oxygen now. She squirmed and twisted her body as she tried in vain to swim to the surface. Her head was throbbing now. Her chest felt as if it was set on fire. She felt her senses shutting down as she lost control of her limbs. Grey spots started to cover her vision. She could not think straight. She blacked out.
