1

isomegu

between moments of silence

—

Sunlight was filtering through the large bay windows, the peak of the afternoon. Those bored enough to laze around and zone out of the teacher's lecture, which was well over half the students, stared into the bright peals of light, having nothing better to do.

Isogai was attentively listening. He didn't understand how his classmates could neglect this time of education. In true ikemen-like fashion, he started taking notes diligently.

Eventually, his attention drew to the new girl that had just arrived yesterday, sitting in the front row. He wasn't sure who she was or what she was called.

The new girl was tall, almost his height, with straight silvery-brown bangs held in a neat ponytail. She was always the first to arrive and the last to leave.

Other than Isogai, the new girl was the only one who listened. She seemed to focus on the teacher with great interest. Despite this, she never took notes or wrote in her notebook - if she had one. Isogai had no idea. The only thing she kept on her desk was a water bottle and a copy of The Lord of the Flies.

"Okay everyone, that's all for today," their teacher said, packing up his sheets of loose leaf. "Before I go, I just wanted to ask if there were any volunteers who could help me out before school tomorrow. The children's festival needs setting up."

Isogai's hand shot up almost instantly. "I will, sir!"

"He's Prince Charming!" shrieked a group of students at the back of the room.

"Excellent! Thank you, Isogai!" the sensei beamed. Isogai returned the smile graciously. "Anyone else? I think Isogai and I will need one more person."

Silence.

"I'm willing to help, sir," said the new girl, demurely putting up her hand.

"Thank you, Kataoka! I'll see you at six thirty sharp tomorrow morning!" the teacher nodded. "Now, you are all dismissed!"

The classroom was empty within a matter of seconds.

Isogai stayed behind, slowly packing up his things. He wasn't in a rush.

As he shouldered his schoolbag and headed towards the door, he decided to say a few words to the other girl - Kataoka, he remembered.

Kataoka was opening her book. To Isogai's surprise, she didn't even look at the words. Just flicked through the pages, stopping for a minute on each one.

He stared at her 'reading' for a long time before breaking out of his stupor and confusion.

"Um…Kataoka?" he started.

Her head jolted up and she looked around, as if unsure who was talking to her.

"Oh…is it Isogai?" she asked, cocking her head.

"Y-Yeah." He felt oddly stammery. "I just wanted to thank you for volunteering."

Augh! How stupid could he get? That was an idiotic thing to say!

"Um, well, see you tomorrow!"

She smiled. "Alright then. Bye, Isogai."

—

Isogai was there at six fifteen. He was always the early bird.

However, Kataoka was earlier.

"Good morning," he greeted, stepping up to her. She was sitting under a tree, holding another book - Sense and Sensibility.

"Good morning, Isogai."

She said no more, only sat cross-legged with the book in her lap, hands folded over it, looking quite perfect.

He decided to sit down next to her.

It was a clear, cloudless morning; the weather was warm, too.

"Nice day, isn't it?" he said. "The sky's really blue. There's hardly any clouds."

Kataoka looked up, straight into the foliage of the tree. "I'm sure."

She opened her book. Every single page was blank. Isogai tried not to stare, and failed.

"Um…Kataoka…are you reading a blank book?" he blurted. Immediately, he mentally slapped himself. "I…I'm sorry if that offends you. I don't mean to be rude. I…"

Kataoka giggled. "It's okay. I get that a lot." She paused.

"You see, Isogai, I'm blind."

Oh.

OH.

He mentally slapped himself again for being an idiot. Of course she was! That was why she had said "I'm sure" when he had talked about the blue sky!

"I'm sorry," he apologised.

"It's alright," she responded, amused. "I'm sorry if that made you confused."

Isogai studied her carefully. Yes, her eyes were kind of staring into no where…and her book had some little bumps on it. Braille.

"Um…mind if I introduce myself again? Start over?" he questioned.

She nodded.

"Yuuma Isogai," he said, sticking out his hand for her to shake. He hadn't realised that she couldn't see it.

"Megu Kataoka," she smiled, and stuck out her's. He shook it.

Her name sounded familiar, but he wasn't sure from where exactly.

"Isogai! Kataoka! I see you're nice and early!" their teacher grinned, walking up to them. "Let's get started, shall we?" He walked off, gesturing for them to follow.

Isogai nodded. He stood and grabbed Kataoka's hand, pulling her up.

"Thank you," she said. Then she flushed pink. "Um…do you mind if you keep doing that?"

"Pulling you up?" Isogai replied.

"No…" Kataoka whispered. "Holding my hand."

He felt his own cheeks redden and was glad she couldn't see them. "K-Kataoka…"

"I forgot my guiding stick, and I need you to guide me so I don't bump into anything," she blurted in a rush. "If that's okay with you."

Isogai smiled gently. Not that she could see. "Of course." He squeezed her hand.

And for the rest of the day, their hands had been clasped.

—

"Happy seventeeth birthday, Megu!"

Kataoka smiled widely. "Thank you, Yuuma. What have you got?"

He took her hands and sat her down on a plushy chair. "I wanted to get you something really special," he began. She could tell he was blushing madly, even though she couldn't see hom, because his voice was a little choked and slightly high-pitched.

"You needn't," Megu reassured. "I don't usually get much anyway."

"Still." He squeezed her hands again, and she felt herself blushing too.

Yuuma was quiet for a while before speaking up. "I…I got you a braille watch."

"Oh!"

Mistaking her exclaimation for disappointment, he became flustered. "I-I didn't know what colour you wanted because you can't really see colours…so I just got a black one!"

"Yuuma," Kataoka said, stopping him. "I'm…I'm so grateful. This is too kind. It must have cost heaps. I feel like I don't deserve you! I mean, you haven't stopped being a gentleman for two years, ever since we met!"

He laughed. Her heart swelled. "May you put it on for me?"

"Of course."

She held out her arm, and a cool, metal band was wrapped around her wrist.

"There you are."

"Thank you, Yuuma."

"My pleasure."

They sat in comfortable quietness for a bit longer. She ran her fingers over the face of her braille watch.

"Um, Isogai?" Megu perked up. She took a deep breath to steady her racing heart. "Do you mind…if I…hug you?"

Silence.

"If you don't feel comfortable then that's okay too," she hurried. "I'm just really grateful for the watch. And you're such a kind friend, I…"

She was momentarily interrupted by the feeling of his arms wrapping around her waist.

Blinking rapidly, she carefully returned the embrace, immediately feeling safe and happy.

"I'm really happy I met you," Kataoka whispered.

"Same," Isogai whispered back.

He let go, and she drew back. "Do you want cake now?"

"Green tea and white chocolate?" she asked hopefully.

"As always." She could hear the grin in his voice, and grinned back.

—

Isogai was woken up by a persistent ring of his phone.

It was two in the morning. He swore he would murder Maehara for lamenting to him over his latest breakup this late. Couldn't he lament to Okano? Wait, no. That was a practical death threat.

Eventually, his positive and selfless mindset kicked in. He opened his eyes blearily and picked up his phone.

"Hello, it's Isogai," he mumbled.

"Yuuma?" whimpered a familiar voice.

Isogai sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Megu! What's wrong?"

"I-I can't stop throwing up." She gagged and coughed. "I'm scared." She sounded so sad and apologetic that he was wide awake in an instant.

"I'll be there in ten!" he cried. "Just take care, okay?"

"Okay," she muttered.

He flicked on the lights and immediately tugged on his shorts and t-shirt. He scrambled to the front door, pulled on his sneakers, and practically ran out of the house.

After purchasing some medicine from a nearby chemist, he jogged all the way to Kataoka's apartment.

He was scared. For her.

He jammed the spare keys she had given him into the lock and opened the door frantically. It was pitch-black. He found the light switch. The sounds of Megu's retching made his heart flop.

Isogai dumped the medicine on her coffee table and sprinted to the bathroom, where she was kneeling over the toilet bowl.

"Megu? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she moaned. She stood up shakily. "C-Can you hand me the towel?"

He grabbed the small towel and placed it in her hands. Leaning against the wall, Kataoka coughed violently into the white fabric, staining it red.

"Megu, you're coughing up blood," he said, trying to make his voice steady.

"I-I am?" she whimpered, before coughing up even more.

Wordlessly, he picked her up princess-style. She yelped in surprise.

Isogai carried her to her bedroom, and placed her down on her bed as gently as he could.

For the rest of the night, he tended to her sickness, treating her gently and politely.

"I'm sorry, Yuuma," she mumbled. "For pulling you into this."

"I'm happy to," he answered. "Really." He checked the time. "Well, it's around six now. I'll go back to my house and get some sleep before my shift."

"No." Her voice was forceful. "Stay. Sleep on my bed."

"Megu, I can't…"

"It will take you too long to get home. It's the least I can do. Sleep."

He awkwardly obeyed, lying down beside her. "If you say so."

"I do say so."

He chuckled despite the situation, and curled up. It was suprisingly easy to go to sleep.

Before he was asleep, Isogai thought that he felt Kataoka's arms wrapping around him, pulling him into her chest.

But then again, it could have been a dream.

—

Kataoka liked the dress Isogai had bought for her, for her nineteenth birthday. She didn't know what it looked like, but the fabric was soft and comfortable. It was light and thin, good for hot weather.

"I like this dress on you," he said, leaning his chin on her shoulder, arms wrapped around her waist. The action may have a bit too intimate for friends, but Megu didn't mind.

"I'll wear it more often, then," she answered, feeling her heart go frantic again.

"It's blue. Like, the colour of the ocean. So you look like female Poseidon when you wear it."

Megu laughed. She didn't know what blue looked like, or the ocean, but she did know Poseidon. "What are you suggesting, Yuuma?"

"You look like a goddess."

"Charming," she laughed.

"No, really. You're kind of like the total best-friend package. Smart, kind, thoughtful, compassionate, excellent leadership skills, and beautiful, too. Although I'd still really like you even if you weren't beautiful. It's just a plus," he continued.

Kataoka felt her flushing madly. Beauty never mattered to her - she didn't know what she actually looked like. But she trusted Isogai.

"Well, I'm sure you're extremely handsome," she replied.

"You know, this is what I like about you. That you don't know whether I'm good-looking or not."

"You are!"

"I'm not. Anyway, all the other girls like my appearance. I'm happy you like my personality."

Kataoka blushed again.

"You are a wonderful person, Yuuma," she said sincerely. "I could name a million things."

Then Megu did something she never would have in her entire life - not to anyone. She turned around, putting her hands on each side of Isogai's neck, as softly and gently as she could. Then she leaned forward and kissed him on where his cheek was. It was oddly soft - his cheek.

"I'm so lucky to have you as my best friend," she continued. "Really."

He was quiet, but she had gotten used to knowing this wasn't technically a bad thing.

But after he had been silent for a bit longer than usual, she took her hands off and backed away. "I'm sorry. Did I cross a line?"

"No. Of course not."

He gently grasped her hands again, and she felt soft lips making contact with her forehead.

"I'm so lucky to have you too, Megu Kataoka."

—

Isogai was plagued with mad images, feelings, rushes of her kiss - it had been a year, yet he couldn't stop thinking about it.

He knew she had been aiming for his cheek - but she was blind, and he had turned her head at the wrong time.

She had kissed him on the lips.

Yuuma still felt giddy thinking about it. The electric jolt, the softness of her mouth on his. He couldn't stop blushing about it.

What's more, he had just turned twenty.

Megu had given him an impressive pen and notebook set, all in black and gold. Of course, she couldn't see the colours, but she based it on texture. So every time he picked up one of the pieces of stationery or the books, it always felt smooth and cool and nice on his skin. Who knew how simple touch was, yet how complex?

Secondly, his soulmate's name had appeared on his wrist.

It was her.

She was his.

He was her's.

In neat black cursive was her name. Megu Kataoka.

Now he understood why her name had sounded so familiar when they'd first met. It had been echoing inside the back of his mind ever since he was born!

But now…he didn't know how to react to it. Or how to tell Megu. She obviously didn't know. She couldn't see the name on her wrist.

Should he tell her? But they cherished their friendship…would he ruin it?

Again, he thought back to her kiss, and when he returned it - on her forehead, but still.

And then he thought about the way she blushed (adorably), the way she talked (amiably), the way she carried herself about (courageously).

The more he thought, the more he felt like he loved her. Everything about her was admirable. Her persistence, optimism, sensibility, leadership skills, despite her visual disability.

He decided he had to tell her one way or another. He couldn't keep it hidden forever - and Isogai only hoped she returned his feelings.

Having nothing better to do, Yuuma tried running through what he'd say to decrease the awkwardness.

"Hey, Megu, I brought some audiobooks for us to listen to. You have some suncreen in your hair. Oh yeah, and did I mention we're soulmates?"

No. That was informal and ridiculous.

"Megu, I just realised that we are, in fact, soulmates."

Too abrupt…she would be too shocked to reply.

Eventually, he decided to keep it short and simple. And be prepared for rejection.

He only hoped Kataoka wouldn't take it badly.

—

Megu was a little worried. Isogai seemed to be acting…off lately. He was kind of quiet - more so than usual. He stammered a lot more, and just yesterday he actually stiffened when she put her head on his shoulder.

Kataoka was twenty now, and she was annoyed that she couldn't see her soulmate's name. She really wanted to know who it was…hopefully her soulmate, he or she, would find her first. And soon.

The other problem was Yuuma. Again. She had a feeling she had done something upsetting or annoying that had made him unhappy. But Megu wasn't sure how to bring it up, so she said nothing for the rest of week.

She only hoped it would be resolved soon.

—

Isogai felt terrible. Two weeks had passed, and all contact between him and Kataoka had been awkward.

He had invited to a small cafe to talk about the whole soulmate ordeal.

"So…" he started, stirring his coffee with his spoon. "I have something I need to tell you."

"Me too," Kataoka responded quietly, holding her mug steady with both hands. She looked anxious.

"You go first," they both said at the same time. They laughed. "No, you," the two said again, still in unison.

Megu grinned at the second coincidence, and Isogai practically melted. She looked so radiant. Like a goddess. It was so obvious why she was called 'Ikemegu'.

"If you don't mind…I'll go first," she said.

"Sure," he replied.

She took a deep breath and set down her mug. "It's quite serious. It concerns you, as well, and you might be really angry with me."

"Megu, what did you do?" Yuuma asked, suddenly nervous.

She averted her sightless eyes to her knees. "Something really weird happened the other night…I had a dream."

"Oh! But I thought you couldn't," he exclaimed, trying not to sound too rude.

"That's why it's so weird," she sighed. "Okay, so basically…I saw something. A person. And I saw it in actual colour - I didn't know what that felt like until now. They had black hair…and light brown eyes."

Isogai gulped.

Kataoka looked up, right into his eyes, even though she couldn't see. He knew immediately that this was a soulmate thing.

"It was you."

Silence filled the little coffee shop.

Isogai's heart hammered. So did Kataoka's. He knew this because all of a sudden he could - he could hear it, inside his brain, beating with his. For some reason, he knew it was Kataoka's, not his own or anyone else's.

"A-And I know now," she continued, reaching her hands over the table. He clasped them in his own. "I know you're my soulmate. That night when I found out, it was amazing…I could actually see something. I saw colour…I knew what the colours were called. I felt it. I really…saw."

"Megu," he began. "Your name was on my wrist the entire time…I wasn't sure how to tell you. I noticed something. I'm in love with you. I always have been. You're just such an amazing girl, I couldn't not fall in love with you."

Kataoka stared at him, then started crying, much to her own embarrassment.

And then, to Isogai's embarrassment, he started crying as well.

"Y-You're crying too?" she giggled between sobs. "This is probably a soulmate thing."

He stood up, and helped her up too. "I'm really happy you're mine."

"I'm happy I'm your's too," Megu smiled.

Suddenly, on impulse, Yuuma leaned down and kissed her. It was quick and fleeting, hardly there.

"I really love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

And for the rest of the day, their hands were clasped.

Even though she hadn't forgotten her guiding stick.

—

Greetings, fellow Isomegu fans!

Personally I'm a big fangirl of these two…so no shame…

Don't forget to review!