A Lost Heart
©CherushiChibi
Otonashi was on his was to find Yurippe and the others when he saw Chihiro was all by herself leaning against the roof balcony staring longingly in the sky. "Chi?" He said walking over to her. She was a little more zoned out than usual. Her eyes fell down below.
Otonashi walked over to her and stood next to her. "Chihiro?" He said her actual name this time. She turned her head to Otonashi. "Oh! Otonashi, I'm sorry I didn't see you there." She said in a dazed tone. She rested her elbow on the balcony railing and laid her chin in her palm.
Otonashi looked down below. Hinata and Naoi were arguing down below. Hinata started to strangle Naoi but Naoi hypnotized Hinata.
Chihiro giggled silently. Otonashi waved his hand in front of her face. Chihiro blinked. "Oh. I'm sorry again Otonashi I'm not myself today…" She said standing up straight and feeling her head to make sure she wasn't getting sick. "Your dead remember?" Otonashi reminded her. "Oh yeah…woops…" She said looking at her hand.
She looked at a something in her other hand. It was about the size of a cup. It was a piece of pottery. "What's that?" Otonashi asked pointing at it. Chihiro Jumped and hid it behind her back. "Nothing…" She said casually. "Chi?" Otonashi antagonized. She shook her head. Otonashi sighed. "Okay than lets go, we have to go meet up remember?" He said. Chihiro looked sad. "I—I don't want to go today." She said. She said looking back at Hinata and Naoi. Otonashi knew something was up. He remembered when The SSS first saw Naoi. They all thought he was an NPC. But Chihiro gave him hesitant looks.
"Chi….This may sound— strange? But, what is Naoi to you?" He said hesitant examining her body emotion. She began to play with her braid with her free hand, and blushed slightly. "W—what do you mean by that. We all just met him r—right?" She stumbled. Otonashi gave her an Are-You-Seriously-Playing-That-Card-On-Me-Look. She sighed. And put her hand back on the cool metal railing. "He was a… I mean he was my best friend. Before, you know. We died…" She said.
As she explained the story the memory flooded back.
Chihiro lost her ball to the neighbor's yard. She had to go get it. She carefully walked to the front door and knocked. A young boy with greenish toned hair answered. His name was Naoi. As they talked his twin brother came to the door too. His name was Koichi. All three of them became good friends. Bout Chihiro and Naoi bonded the most, since his brother was always busy with his father and work. Chihiro felt bad for Naoi. The two always talked to each other about everything. Chihiro shared the stories about her abusive aunt and how Chihiro always took care of the house. Naoi always listened to her and always comforted her. She always comforted Naoi too when his uncle ignored him and praised Koichi.
One day, Chihiro's Aunt wouldn't let her go and play with Naoi and Koichi because she was being 'Bad' because she didn't come home from school in time. (When the bus was late…but her aunt wouldn't believe her.)
Later that night after dinner her aunt fell asleep and Chihiro went next door to see if Naoi and Koichi were home yet. When she knocked on the door their father answered with a grim look on his face. Chihiro was so shocked, He told her they had an accident and tumbled off the cliff. Koichi Survived but Naoi did not. Chihiro ran home in tears ignoring her drunk aunt yelling at Chihiro angrily because Chihiro forgot to do the laundry.
Naoi watched from his window as his friend ran home (GASP!)
The next day Chihiro went to go visit Koichi to go tell him she was sorry for not being there and to see if he needed help with anything. But when she knocked on the door, his father answered. "I'm sorry but you cannot play with my son anymore." He said. Chihiro felt angry at the old man. She also grew very suspicious. Later that day it was around late noon and Chihiro was playing in her back yard missing her once best friend. She tried hard not to cry. "Pssst" She heard someone whisper. "Chihiro!" Someone called out. She turned to the wall that separated Naoi's house and Chihiro's house. There was a small whole about the size of a small dinner plate in the side. There was a boy on the other side. It was Koichi. Chihiro looked around cautiously to make sure her aunt hasn't come back and walked over to the whole in the wall. "Koichi! I'm sorry about your brother, I feel like—" He interrupted her. "Chihiro! It—it's me, Naoi!" He whispered. Chihiro's heart dropped. "Koichi! That's not funny!" She said with a knot in her throat. "I'm not Joking it me, Just listen to me Chihiro—" Chihiro started to raise her voice. "Koichi, Stop it! Naoi was my best friend. Quit trying to make cry you jerk!" Chihiro said angrily walking off. "Chihiro! Wait!" Naoi said climbing over the wall (aren't these grade schoolers in good shape? XDD) He grabbed her arm. "Koichi don—" She stopped and looked him in the sad hazel eyes. He really was Naoi. "Am I dead?" Chihiro exclaimed trying to put her hands through her body like she was a ghost. Then she touched Naoi. "You're not a ghost either! ... So that means…We're alive?" Chihiro put together. Naoi sighed and told Chihiro the whole thing. Long story short: Naoi's brother Koichi died and since his brother was so successful, Naoi's father wants Naoi to take Koichi's place and pretend like Naoi died instead.
This was the biggest predicament Chihiro ever heard from Naoi.
"Wow that…Sucks" Said Otonashi as they both sat on the concrete. "You're telling me…" Said Chihiro. "I was the only one who knew too. As we grew older, Naoi, he began- to…act…strange. He began to think he really was Koichi sometimes…It was pretty bad. His mentality level began to become unstable. He didn't have the same talents his brother did… So he had so much pressure put on him. If I wasn't there to remind him who he was….he would have lost it."
"What about the pot?" He said looking at the small piece of pottery in her hands. Chihiro smiled. "He made It for me on my birthday….when I became a teenager…he always made fun of me for being shorter than him, Even though he was a boy. He also always made sure that I knew I was younger. Even though he was older by a few months." She laughed to herself. Otonashi felt bad. They were such good friends.
"What happened next?" He asked.
"Well… I fell in love with him." She said directing her gaze to the sky again.
Otonashi stayed silent.
"That day… I was going to tell him, but…" She paused and took a deep breath.
Chi closed her eyes…and began to tell Otonashi the rest of the story.
Chihiro grabbed her pink phone and flipped it open. She went through the number of contacts in it. She listens to the beeps rhythmically until she got to Naoi's name. She clicked the green 'Talk button' and listened to the phone ring. Then there was a click.
"Hello?"
"Hay N—"
"ehajfdhlkjsda bleh bleh!" Naoi yelled into the phone
'woops' Chihiro thought. She forgot she wasn't allowed to say his real name over the phone.
"Hey Koichi, Are you still going to the festival?"
"Yeah, I convinced my dad, He's going to have a stand to show off his work and stuff…"
"Okay see you there…"
"Bye"
There was another click and then a disconnection ring.
Chihiro shut her phone. "I'm going to tell him today!"
Naoi and his father were off somewhere today so Chihiro was going to meet him there. She made sure that everything in the house was done before she was going to get ready.
She put her hair in the usual side braid and she wore a baggy blue sweater with jean shorts. She wore a black belt around her waist, and some black flats. She even stole some of her aunts lip gloss (She never used it…plus it was hers in the first place). Before she left she put her new silver head band and grabbed her purse. She checked to see if her small vase was still in there, and she grabbed her car keys and left.
When she got there it was crowded there were tons of friendly looking people and everything was beautiful. They even were going to have fireworks. "I hope everything works, what will I say?" She said to herself. She started to feel really nervous and her palms got sweaty.
A muffled "Dink Dink" went off from inside her purse.
She opened it and started digging though her purse trying to find her phone. Then she saw the vase. Once she saw it she smiled and felt calm. Then she remembered her phone was ringing.
"Woops!"
She founded it and answered it.
"Hello? Chihiro speaking"
"Hay it's Koichi."
"Oh hey, are you here yet?"
"Yep I'm threw the entrance already"
Chihiro face palmed herself.
"I'm still at the entrance waiting for you. Well I'm stupid."
"No you're not, just blind!"
"Oh well that's much better Mr. Sarcastic!"
"I'm kidding Chi. I'll just come back threw!"
Before Chihiro could finish their conversation, there was a little girl skipping in the streets. Then there was a car coming full force at toward the girl. (On accident, They were either "a)" drunk "b)"New at driving or "c)" could care less…)
"Chihiro? Hello?" Naoi called through the phone.
Chihiro dropped the phone and purse and ran towards the girl. No way was she able to pick up the girl and run. So she braced herself. She pushed the girl out of the way. She flew through the windshield of the car, and rolled of the hood and hit the ground. Chihiro went numb. She heard people screaming and gasping. She turned her head and saw the girl was safe. She smiled. She tried to move and realized she was paralyzed. There was a shadow over her. She squinted her she realized it was Naoi. She smiled at him weakly. He bent down over her. Tears rolled over his cheeks. He was saying something, she couldn't really hear what. But she made out "Don't Die Chi" She heard the faint sound of an ambulance and knew it was too late. She accepted her fate and began to close her eyes. Naoi was crying really hard now. He was yelling so loud she faintly heard what he was saying. "Don't close your eyes Chihiro please don't close your eyes!"
Before she closed them all the way, she saw him being pulled away by his father.
She closed her eyes and heard him yell her name one last time.
Otonashi looked at her sadly. He had an empty pit in his stomach. She tilted forward so her bangs were curtaining her face. He soon realized she was crying. He touched her back. "Come on, you wanna a soda?" He said. She whipped her face on her sleeve and nodded.
The Kai Coffee rolled to the bottom of the soda machine, and Chihiro got a strawberry drink. As they sipped in the silent, Otonashi broke the quiet. "So what are you going to do?" He asked casually taking a sip of his canned coffee. "What do you mean?" She asked drinking her drink. "I mean, when are you going to talk to Naoi?" He asked. Chihiro jumped and spit her drink out. She dropped the can and began to play with her braid. "I-I can't do that…What if he doesn't remember me? What if he doesn't recognize me? What if I mess up? What do I say and—" She was interrupted. "Hay Otonashi! What are you doing Yurippe is very mad at you for skipping out." Naoi said walking in their direction. Chihiro blushed and quickly faces in the other direction, pretending to read the soda machine.
"Did I? Woops, Must have slipped my mind." He said lying. "Whatever. So what were you doing any way?" Naoi asked. "Oh just talking to Chihiro." Otonashi said with a shrug. Chihiro felt Naoi's gaze switch to her, and she stiffened. "Chihiro? I didn't know that's her name? huh…" He said. He touched her shoulder. Chihiro gasped and quickly looked from the ground, forward. Naoi laughed sadly. "I used to have a friend name Chihiro…" He said. "…Before she—" He paused as she turned around slowly. "…Died?" She finished his sentence. There was an awkward silence. "Chi?" Naoi said
"Err…Well I should find Yurippe…" Otonashi said walking away. Neither of them heard him. Naoi's hand was still on her shoulder. His face was expressionless…then sad… "Hi, Naoi…" She said in a sad voice. "Chihiro…" He said. His voice cracked as his eyes watered up. "It's good to see you again…" Chihiro said with a tear streaming down her face. Naoi embraced her before she would see him cry. "I-I never thought I would see you here…" He said. She nodded and buried her face into his shoulder. "I'm glad we did."
She longed to say it.
To tell him…
To utter the words:
"I love you!"
But she couldn't…Afraid she will be obliterated.
