RESCUED -Part 1 by shamaniaclyde
...In the abyss of loneliness, time passes as the world goes by.
Leaving us stranded, leaving us hopeless.
Thinking in despair, feeling unmoved by the feeling of
helplessness that lingers beneath the depths of your emotions.
Then just as doom stretches its arms towards us, suddenly and
almost unnoticeably a light will dawn upon us...we will be
mbraced by hope again...
*************
"Why can't you just stay home and be a normal kid?! You
ungrateful bastard, I raised you, you do what I tell you to do.
You're staying in my house so you live by my rules!" It was
always like that. Growing up in a house devoid of genuine love
is terrible, being compelled to not be what you really are and
shut up is worse.
Years later...
"Tenoh Haruka, may I remind you that you are studying in a
university and being an athlete is not a valid reason to l
et your academics suffer."
"I understand Professor." I answered coldly; little did he
know that his subject is the only one that I don't give much
attention to.
"Oh I hope you do." With that statement finished the scrawny
professor left, leaving me behind, exerting a lot of effort to
restrain myself to be rude to him. Why does he always have to
remind me? Like his subject is worthy to listen to, yeah right,
this I thought as I turned my back and walked briskly away from
the classroom now empty of students. Its funny I thought, here I
am in an above average university, an excellent track athlete, a talented pianist, a racer with a lot of money, -which I started
earning as soon as I found a decent apartment after I ran away
from home- a status so enviable to many people yet inside I
was...empty. It's always been that way, and I haven't a clue
as to why.
Racing is my everything. My only way to escape the outside
world, if only for a short time. The rush of adrenaline as my car speeds past the others, the wind on my face as I race with it...
only in these state do I savor the feeling of being free. Then the crowd goes in an uproar, shouting and cheering as I receive
the trophy. Everyone flocks towards me asking for autographs, congratulating and screaming "Way to go Tenoh-san!" or "You're the best. Beat 'em again next time!" I smile appreciatingly and shake
their hands, seeing it as a great joy of theirs prompts me to do so. Yes it does feel good, but in the end of the day loneliness sets in again. Indeed my day life is just a mere distraction, when night settles in and I'm on my bed, everything turns into blur and
unwanted emotions take over. And when I wake up the next morning my distaste for life grows as I realize that today will be the same as before.
Something is missing, that I know for sure. Just what it is,
I don't know. Maybe I need a girlfriend. Yes, I said
girlfriend. To people who does not know me personally,
I'm a guy; that is because I appear to be so. But in my university
for instance, it's already a known fact that I'm indeed female
though my appearance and clothing says otherwise. Some people
ridicule me for being what I am, some doesn't mind at all and
god I'm so thankful for that. At least they accepted me, unlike my family. In fact I flirt with a lot of girls, for instance I pass
by some of them and hear them say "Hey look, it's Tenoh-san, she's really a cutie." That's the cue when I approach them and have a
little talk and then they giggle when I turn my back and go on
my way, only to find a new victim along the way. But I don't feel
the necessity. So then what is it that's missing? The love of a
family? I don't think so. Weird as it is, I don't want a family.
After growing up in the kind of family I had, I've completely lost faith to the concept of the best love comes from a family.
A friend maybe? Well, the only social activity I'm really
interested in is flirting, so I guess not.
Maybe it's the thought that I have to find that missing
something that keeps me going. If not for it, I would have
sunk to another world, in the arms of eternal gloom. The past
couple of weeks made me feel like giving up; nothing's changed
no matter what I do. Until one fateful day...
"Tenoh-san, are you going to perform in that free concert tonight?"
It was Aya Suzumi, one of my fans. I wasn't in the mood but I
answered nonetheless, " I was offered to perform but the practice schedule got in the way of my track practice and I have a
competition coming up so I had to turn down the offer."
Her enthusiastic face turned sad, "That's bad. A lot of students
were actually looking forward to hear the both of you perform as representatives of our university."
"Both of us? Who's the other one?" I curiously asked.
"You don't know? Michiru Kaioh, she's great with the violin.
Imagine what it would be like if you two performed together."
From her expressions, it's clear that she truly admired our music, whoever the other person was.
"Michiru Kaioh? I don't think I've seen her before."
She winked in surprise; "She's always watching your races. And to
think she's one of the most popular students here and you don't know her? Wow, you must've been really busy huh? I remember on one of your races, that was when you were challenged by that pompous runner from Osaka, she was beside me that time."
"Yeah I remember. I saw you waving at me after the race."
"So you must've saw her too. You just didn't know who she was."
I just nodded; my interest has already gone. I had to reason out
that I was going to the oval for practice, and with that our brief conversation ended. Actually I'm done with the practice. I went to
the place where my car was parked and as usual there were students waiting for me to hang out with them. Funny, a few years ago, I
would never have imagined that I am where I am right now, that I
could actually make people happy and I'm no longer struggling, financially that is. Thanks to that day when I took a racing car on
the sly from the garage owned by a famous racer I was working for
and who happens to own a racing club. He caught me but it was too
late, all he could do is watch me speed away and I was surprised when he told me he'll get me slot on his racing team after I returned the beautiful machine. That day started my career. Well, I'm just a few feet away from the group. Will I talk to them? Ok, maybe a little,
then I'll reason out again, just to get away. I'm not really a social person.
As I was nearing the park where the concert was going to be
held, the thought of that other girl popped into my already tired
mind. Another fan I presumed. But another thought came up, was I so lost in my world of emptiness and bitterness that I don't know about this popular Michiru Kaioh? You see, I'm popular myself and its
one of my little distractions to know who my rivals for popularity
are. Not that it mattered; I just had to know because as I said,
it's my distraction.
"Wow! Kaioh-san is really great."
"Yeah, look at her. I've never seen anyone so beautiful."
These I heard as I slowed down my car, as the place was crowded,
it's as if all the people in the city are here. As I was observing
the place, curiosity prompted me to stop. In my mind the real reason why I chose to watch a bit as opposed to what I would normally do is because I didn't want to go home yet. This is just another chance to get away...It seems that this Michiru Kaioh will play another piece,
and as the music started I found myself praising it, it was good, to say the least, and will probably be better if it's not mixed with shouts from the crowd. I stood listening, intrigued by the hidden
notes of sadness in the piece. How can something so beautiful be so sad? I asked, then laughed to myself, I should ask myself that.
I didn't bother to finish the concert. I left as soon as she stopped playing. Still the feeling of not wanting to go home lingered. I decided to drive around to escape the world once again. Afterwards
my stomach protested in hunger, to the café then. Unfortunately for me the place was crowded already, but I have no time to look for another place. Then I noticed that there was table for two, but it was occupied by one. Having no choice I headed towards that table, the woman with the aqua marine hair is facing the other way. Well I
thought she's just another girl, like this is just another day.
"Uhm, do you mind if I take the other seat?" I asked, with the most suave voice I had.
Then she looked up and said 'no' with the nicest smile I have ever seen. I was stunned, so to speak. This isn't just another girl. I stared unconsciously; the breath taking beauty in front of me knocked off all my senses away.
"Thanks." It was all I could say. Something about this girl amazed
me; something no one has done before. Exactly what I found beautiful about her, I don't know. I guess it's her angelic face, the gorgeous aquamarine hair, and her sexy body -and I emphasize the word sexy-
her deep blue eyes and her gentle, smooth voice. I know, I'm
praising her too much but what can I say, I find myself admitting
those words are true even if I had just seen her for about 10 or
maybe 20 seconds.
Then she spoke, and I snapped out of my thoughts, "You seem to be ignoring your food, Tenoh-san" Then I realized that I haven't
touched my food yet. I smirked in reaction; a bit embarrassed I have
to admit. "Uh, well I was thinking about something." And then it
dawned to me as I recalled her statement, "You know me?"
Her smile, absolutely beautiful. "Of course, who doesn't?" Her eyes never left mine as she sipped from her cup and finished her salad. I took a bite of my sandwich but my attention was still completely captured by this girl. Then she continued after tidying her plate,
"By the way I'm Kaioh..."
As soon as I hear her surname I noticed a violin case carefully
rested upon the foot of the table, then it came to me, "Kaioh?
Michiru Kaioh?"
"Yes."
Oh that smile again...Maybe you've noticed by now that I'm not the
kind of person that chatters around for long because I'm a loner
who always tries to get away from people as much as possible but without being rude. Surprisingly I didn't feel compelled to find a reason for me to get out of the place, in fact as strange as it
is I thought, I actually wanted to stay. And I did.
It's about 11:00 when I got home. Now lying on my bed,
I think about what had just happened tonight. "Baka, you think too much Haruka." I said to myself, and smiled. What? Smiled? Then
it struck me. How many times was I smiling tonight? A voice in
my mind answered, 'You smiled the whole night.' So my uncontrollable
mind wandered about Michiru Kaioh. Hmmm, I had a wonderful night,
with a wonderful person, something that I never experience before.
I woke up the next morning, and I feel unusually energized. Well
it's another day. It was still early to my surprise, so I took the
time to drive around the city. I passed by an elite residential area,
that's the place where I'm gonna move to. If only I had time to look
for house there. See I don't like my old place anymore. I suppose a change of sanctuary might help relieve the loneliness I'm feeling.
"Tenoh-san!"
I didn't notice that the girl who enchanted me last night was just across the street. "Good morning. You live here?" Just like last
night, she captured all my senses.
Before I knew it she was standing beside my car, all smiles and stunning in her simple yet elegant dress, just like last night.
"Good morning, yes I live here. I was just waiting for a taxi.
Uhm, if it's not a bother, may I please come with you to the university?"
Come with me? I've never let anyone sit on my passenger seat.
I've always driven alone since the day I started driving. I know
it's not that big of a deal for others to have a girl in their car,
but it's kind of awkward to me. But it's not a bad idea to have Michiru, probably the most beautiful girl on campus to drive with me. And I don't want to be rude to her. "Yeah sure, come on in."
I didn't know what happened when it did but before long I've
been driving with her every morning for a month now. And it turned
out to be convenient for the both of us, we had classes on the same building so when it's time to go home we had no problem looking for each other, that is because we were also going home together. And by this time I've already moved, my house is now beside hers. I
remember her reaction when I told her that I wanted to move. "Oh
that's great. The house next to mine isn't sold yet." Before I knew
it, she was helping me move and arrange my things.
"Hey there, Haruka." It's Michiru; I didn't notice when we started calling each other on the first name basis and without the word -san.
A month ago, I would normally be slumped on my room, thinking how pathetic life is, drowning in miserable angst. And now, I have a very close friend, a close and very beautiful friend. Since then, life seemed to make sense to me. So have I already found that something missing? I honestly don't know, yet...
"Michiru, geez what're you doing here? It's 3 am."
She then shuffles my hair and puts her chin on my head, "You want me
to go?" She asked in a sad tone that made me remove my eyes off the books I was reading.
"No, no of course not.' I said in the most sincere tone.
"Hah, I knew it. You missed me haven't you" There she goes teasing
me again as she puts her face very close to mine as I looked up to
her. In moments like these, I don't know what I'd do. And as always she's victorious.
I had to answer, "No." Then she looks sad and dreary again. "Ok, ok maybe a little."
She lightens up, smiles and lies on my bed. "You're still studying? Haruka the exams are two weeks away. Why are you so worried? You do have good grades."
"I know. But I have one subject that I hate so much I never
listened to the lectures. Now I have to study. I don't mind the
grade really,
I just don't want Prof. Ishikawa to have his famous conversations
and reminders with me again."
Then she looks at me with concern clearly expressed through her
eyes, "Haruka, you have to sleep. You've stayed up late these
nights, you might get sick."
Well, she's right. It felt nice to have her concerned about me, and
I showed that feeling when I smiled sincerely, another thing that I rarely do.
"By the way, why are you up so late?"
She then sat up, and spoke sleepily, "I went for a drink then I saw that your lights are still on. So I went to check..." then she yawned,
an act of hers I always find cute. Then she curled like ball and, "Haruka please sleep already."
"Ok, but how can I do that when a big fat girl is on my bed?"
"Big? Fat? You think of me as a big fat girl?" She retorted back, rather childishly at that. She then pulled me from my chair towards
the bed, "You're bad. Now sleep!"
"I am not bad." I sighed, quite amused by our light banter.
"And I am not big and fat." She said as she curled to her side
turning away from me.
I laughed softly, relieved to take my mind away from studies and concentrate on the lady lying beside me on my bed. A lady with me?
On my bed? A month ago I'd be shocked, but now it's a common scene
for me. Having Michiru there is changing my life. And I'm comfortable with it. "Yes you're not big and fat. I just said that to get back
at you. On the contrary, you're beautiful and uhm, well, sexy?" I
was hesitant to say that last word; normal friends wouldn't say that...well how would I know? I never had a real friend before. I
brushed that thought away and wondered if I had appeased her.
"Peace?"
To my relief she turned and faced me with a grin, "Ok, peace. You really think I'm sexy?"
How am I supposed to react to that question, intoned with mischief
and playfulness? Ah, I get it; she's teasing me again. But still...
"Go to sleep Michiru."
"Spoil sport."
And so we fell asleep, smiling.
It was the last day of the exams, and fortunately for me I
passed Prof. Ishikawa's subject. What a relief for me...as I rejoiced
in my mind then I felt a tap to my shoulder.
"How's your test?" It's Michiru, looking dazzling as ever.
"Well, I know I passed. Those late nights really paid off. How about you?"
She bowed her head, and for a minute there I thought she failed a
test or something. But she raised her head and proved me wrong. "I
got a perfect score on my last test."
And as we both had a good day, we decided to celebrate a bit. That
café where we first met became our favorite place and we went there
so it wasn't really a celebration since we go there almost everyday
for dinner. We were chatting the evening away, recounting the day's happenings, which wasn't much. But out of the simplest of situations
we find something about it to laugh about or to discuss seriously. We were so busy laughing and talking we didn't notice a group of girls coming our way.
"Tenoh-san, Kaioh-san what're you doing here? I mean, are you out
on a date?"
It was Nuriko Mizuno; she's the leader of an annoying group of
girls who knows nothing but to gossip. A date? Certainly not, I thought. But there was another thought; I kind of like the idea that
we were on a date.
"No, we're just out to have dinner."
"There's no need to deny it you two. You've been spending a lot of
time together, we often see you going home together you know."
Another girl said as she giggled.
I'm slowly becoming irritated, but I don't want to ruin the evening
so I stayed calm. But I just hate nosy people. "Look, there's no
point gossiping about us since we're just friends who happen to live next to each other that's why we always go home together. Will you please drop the subject and go?" Ok, that wasn't nice. But hey, they really are annoying.
"If you say so, Tenoh-san. Well if you're just friends then there's still a chance for us and for Yumi. You do know that she's the one who's in love with you most don't you?"
I could only grunt in annoyance. I noticed Michiru looking calmly
at them but didn't say anything. And that look had an effect; they turned their backs and went out of the café.
"Who's Yumi?" She asked as my ayes followed those annoying girls
walk away.
"Yumi? I think we have classes together. I never talked to her
though."
"Oh. Hey, it's getting late maybe we should go now."
It's still early, about 9pm. But she's been studying hard and practicing with her violin a lot so maybe she's stressed a bit.
And I was right. She fell asleep on the way home. About half an hour later we're home already. Now looking at her, so beautiful even when tired, I smiled. I hesitated to wake her up, so I decided to wait
for a couple of minutes. To think it was only a month ago when I met her, geez it felt like I've known her my entire life. What had made
me like her I still couldn't quite figure out. Her sweetness, the way she carries herself, her teasing -an act of hers that only I know about- her unmatched beauty, her sweet scent, her gorgeous hair.
Then one word sprang out of my mind as I continued to stare at her;
perfect. Yes, indeed she is perfect. I stifled a soft laugh and
forced myself to wake her up.
"Uhm..."
"We're home already."
"Ok. Thanks for the ride. Good night."
That was odd. She'll usually be smiling when greeting me good night, but now just a plain 'thanks and night'. Then as I watched her
walking towards her house I noticed that she isn't as graceful as
she would normally be. Nah, maybe she's just tired.
The following days was plain boring. Maybe it's because I
haven't been with Michiru a whole lot. Well, I had to practice a lot and she has to practice also. But she's always on my mind. I can't understand it, when I practice for a race my full concentration will
be on it but now I can't brush her away from my head. Not that it affects my performance, it just feels different when a picture of somebody never goes away from your mind.
"Hey Haruka."
"Yes coach?"
"Rest a bit will you? You've been running around like you're
possessed or something. But I have to say, you're running faster
these days. With that speed you'll easily win the race." Coach
patted me on the back and handed me a towel and a drink. Hmm,
running around like I'm possessed huh? I was thinking a lot about Michiru that I forgot to rest. So I walked up to the shade and
obeyed my coach.
"Tenoh-san, that was awesome. I swear if you were timed you
could've beat a record! You're really unbeatable!"
"Thanks." I replied to my Yuichiro, another runner. I knew I was
fast, fast with my feet and even faster in a racecar. Then I turned
my head on a different direction to avoid further conversations.
But I could still hear him and his friend talking and the subject caught my attention.
"Yuichiro I heard you and Miaka are together now. So how does it
feel?"
"It really feels so good. We were friends since 4th grade but I've always admired her. I can't stop thinking about her. You know that feeling? It's overwhelming most of the time. When she smiles, I feel like I'll melt. I know you don't think of her as I do but I for me, she's perfect."
I've never seen the guy looking so wistful. It was unusual for me to listen to things like that, but they're talking aloud anyone close could hear. Then the other guy spoke...
"Wow, you really are in love huh?"
"Yup, I am definitely in love. How about you?"
"I'm hopeless. My dream girl is Kaioh Michiru but there's no way
she'll notice me. Especially now, she's always with Tenoh-san. I
kind of envy her, sometimes I even wish I could be like her so I'll have more chances of being with girls like Kaioh-san."
"Baka, don't talk so loud. Tenoh-san is right behind you."
I butted in, "It's alright, I'll pretend I didn't hear anything."
With that I headed to the lockers, momentarily enjoying the look on Yuichiro and his friend's face. But what stuck to my mind was what Yuichiro said. The way he felt for his girlfriend, it's kind of
the same feeling I feel for Michiru. I had thought of it before but
I never admitted that I was in love. That thing just doesn't happen
to me, but that's me denying.
...In the abyss of loneliness, time passes as the world goes by.
Leaving us stranded, leaving us hopeless.
Thinking in despair, feeling unmoved by the feeling of
helplessness that lingers beneath the depths of your emotions.
Then just as doom stretches its arms towards us, suddenly and
almost unnoticeably a light will dawn upon us...we will be
mbraced by hope again...
*************
"Why can't you just stay home and be a normal kid?! You
ungrateful bastard, I raised you, you do what I tell you to do.
You're staying in my house so you live by my rules!" It was
always like that. Growing up in a house devoid of genuine love
is terrible, being compelled to not be what you really are and
shut up is worse.
Years later...
"Tenoh Haruka, may I remind you that you are studying in a
university and being an athlete is not a valid reason to l
et your academics suffer."
"I understand Professor." I answered coldly; little did he
know that his subject is the only one that I don't give much
attention to.
"Oh I hope you do." With that statement finished the scrawny
professor left, leaving me behind, exerting a lot of effort to
restrain myself to be rude to him. Why does he always have to
remind me? Like his subject is worthy to listen to, yeah right,
this I thought as I turned my back and walked briskly away from
the classroom now empty of students. Its funny I thought, here I
am in an above average university, an excellent track athlete, a talented pianist, a racer with a lot of money, -which I started
earning as soon as I found a decent apartment after I ran away
from home- a status so enviable to many people yet inside I
was...empty. It's always been that way, and I haven't a clue
as to why.
Racing is my everything. My only way to escape the outside
world, if only for a short time. The rush of adrenaline as my car speeds past the others, the wind on my face as I race with it...
only in these state do I savor the feeling of being free. Then the crowd goes in an uproar, shouting and cheering as I receive
the trophy. Everyone flocks towards me asking for autographs, congratulating and screaming "Way to go Tenoh-san!" or "You're the best. Beat 'em again next time!" I smile appreciatingly and shake
their hands, seeing it as a great joy of theirs prompts me to do so. Yes it does feel good, but in the end of the day loneliness sets in again. Indeed my day life is just a mere distraction, when night settles in and I'm on my bed, everything turns into blur and
unwanted emotions take over. And when I wake up the next morning my distaste for life grows as I realize that today will be the same as before.
Something is missing, that I know for sure. Just what it is,
I don't know. Maybe I need a girlfriend. Yes, I said
girlfriend. To people who does not know me personally,
I'm a guy; that is because I appear to be so. But in my university
for instance, it's already a known fact that I'm indeed female
though my appearance and clothing says otherwise. Some people
ridicule me for being what I am, some doesn't mind at all and
god I'm so thankful for that. At least they accepted me, unlike my family. In fact I flirt with a lot of girls, for instance I pass
by some of them and hear them say "Hey look, it's Tenoh-san, she's really a cutie." That's the cue when I approach them and have a
little talk and then they giggle when I turn my back and go on
my way, only to find a new victim along the way. But I don't feel
the necessity. So then what is it that's missing? The love of a
family? I don't think so. Weird as it is, I don't want a family.
After growing up in the kind of family I had, I've completely lost faith to the concept of the best love comes from a family.
A friend maybe? Well, the only social activity I'm really
interested in is flirting, so I guess not.
Maybe it's the thought that I have to find that missing
something that keeps me going. If not for it, I would have
sunk to another world, in the arms of eternal gloom. The past
couple of weeks made me feel like giving up; nothing's changed
no matter what I do. Until one fateful day...
"Tenoh-san, are you going to perform in that free concert tonight?"
It was Aya Suzumi, one of my fans. I wasn't in the mood but I
answered nonetheless, " I was offered to perform but the practice schedule got in the way of my track practice and I have a
competition coming up so I had to turn down the offer."
Her enthusiastic face turned sad, "That's bad. A lot of students
were actually looking forward to hear the both of you perform as representatives of our university."
"Both of us? Who's the other one?" I curiously asked.
"You don't know? Michiru Kaioh, she's great with the violin.
Imagine what it would be like if you two performed together."
From her expressions, it's clear that she truly admired our music, whoever the other person was.
"Michiru Kaioh? I don't think I've seen her before."
She winked in surprise; "She's always watching your races. And to
think she's one of the most popular students here and you don't know her? Wow, you must've been really busy huh? I remember on one of your races, that was when you were challenged by that pompous runner from Osaka, she was beside me that time."
"Yeah I remember. I saw you waving at me after the race."
"So you must've saw her too. You just didn't know who she was."
I just nodded; my interest has already gone. I had to reason out
that I was going to the oval for practice, and with that our brief conversation ended. Actually I'm done with the practice. I went to
the place where my car was parked and as usual there were students waiting for me to hang out with them. Funny, a few years ago, I
would never have imagined that I am where I am right now, that I
could actually make people happy and I'm no longer struggling, financially that is. Thanks to that day when I took a racing car on
the sly from the garage owned by a famous racer I was working for
and who happens to own a racing club. He caught me but it was too
late, all he could do is watch me speed away and I was surprised when he told me he'll get me slot on his racing team after I returned the beautiful machine. That day started my career. Well, I'm just a few feet away from the group. Will I talk to them? Ok, maybe a little,
then I'll reason out again, just to get away. I'm not really a social person.
As I was nearing the park where the concert was going to be
held, the thought of that other girl popped into my already tired
mind. Another fan I presumed. But another thought came up, was I so lost in my world of emptiness and bitterness that I don't know about this popular Michiru Kaioh? You see, I'm popular myself and its
one of my little distractions to know who my rivals for popularity
are. Not that it mattered; I just had to know because as I said,
it's my distraction.
"Wow! Kaioh-san is really great."
"Yeah, look at her. I've never seen anyone so beautiful."
These I heard as I slowed down my car, as the place was crowded,
it's as if all the people in the city are here. As I was observing
the place, curiosity prompted me to stop. In my mind the real reason why I chose to watch a bit as opposed to what I would normally do is because I didn't want to go home yet. This is just another chance to get away...It seems that this Michiru Kaioh will play another piece,
and as the music started I found myself praising it, it was good, to say the least, and will probably be better if it's not mixed with shouts from the crowd. I stood listening, intrigued by the hidden
notes of sadness in the piece. How can something so beautiful be so sad? I asked, then laughed to myself, I should ask myself that.
I didn't bother to finish the concert. I left as soon as she stopped playing. Still the feeling of not wanting to go home lingered. I decided to drive around to escape the world once again. Afterwards
my stomach protested in hunger, to the café then. Unfortunately for me the place was crowded already, but I have no time to look for another place. Then I noticed that there was table for two, but it was occupied by one. Having no choice I headed towards that table, the woman with the aqua marine hair is facing the other way. Well I
thought she's just another girl, like this is just another day.
"Uhm, do you mind if I take the other seat?" I asked, with the most suave voice I had.
Then she looked up and said 'no' with the nicest smile I have ever seen. I was stunned, so to speak. This isn't just another girl. I stared unconsciously; the breath taking beauty in front of me knocked off all my senses away.
"Thanks." It was all I could say. Something about this girl amazed
me; something no one has done before. Exactly what I found beautiful about her, I don't know. I guess it's her angelic face, the gorgeous aquamarine hair, and her sexy body -and I emphasize the word sexy-
her deep blue eyes and her gentle, smooth voice. I know, I'm
praising her too much but what can I say, I find myself admitting
those words are true even if I had just seen her for about 10 or
maybe 20 seconds.
Then she spoke, and I snapped out of my thoughts, "You seem to be ignoring your food, Tenoh-san" Then I realized that I haven't
touched my food yet. I smirked in reaction; a bit embarrassed I have
to admit. "Uh, well I was thinking about something." And then it
dawned to me as I recalled her statement, "You know me?"
Her smile, absolutely beautiful. "Of course, who doesn't?" Her eyes never left mine as she sipped from her cup and finished her salad. I took a bite of my sandwich but my attention was still completely captured by this girl. Then she continued after tidying her plate,
"By the way I'm Kaioh..."
As soon as I hear her surname I noticed a violin case carefully
rested upon the foot of the table, then it came to me, "Kaioh?
Michiru Kaioh?"
"Yes."
Oh that smile again...Maybe you've noticed by now that I'm not the
kind of person that chatters around for long because I'm a loner
who always tries to get away from people as much as possible but without being rude. Surprisingly I didn't feel compelled to find a reason for me to get out of the place, in fact as strange as it
is I thought, I actually wanted to stay. And I did.
It's about 11:00 when I got home. Now lying on my bed,
I think about what had just happened tonight. "Baka, you think too much Haruka." I said to myself, and smiled. What? Smiled? Then
it struck me. How many times was I smiling tonight? A voice in
my mind answered, 'You smiled the whole night.' So my uncontrollable
mind wandered about Michiru Kaioh. Hmmm, I had a wonderful night,
with a wonderful person, something that I never experience before.
I woke up the next morning, and I feel unusually energized. Well
it's another day. It was still early to my surprise, so I took the
time to drive around the city. I passed by an elite residential area,
that's the place where I'm gonna move to. If only I had time to look
for house there. See I don't like my old place anymore. I suppose a change of sanctuary might help relieve the loneliness I'm feeling.
"Tenoh-san!"
I didn't notice that the girl who enchanted me last night was just across the street. "Good morning. You live here?" Just like last
night, she captured all my senses.
Before I knew it she was standing beside my car, all smiles and stunning in her simple yet elegant dress, just like last night.
"Good morning, yes I live here. I was just waiting for a taxi.
Uhm, if it's not a bother, may I please come with you to the university?"
Come with me? I've never let anyone sit on my passenger seat.
I've always driven alone since the day I started driving. I know
it's not that big of a deal for others to have a girl in their car,
but it's kind of awkward to me. But it's not a bad idea to have Michiru, probably the most beautiful girl on campus to drive with me. And I don't want to be rude to her. "Yeah sure, come on in."
I didn't know what happened when it did but before long I've
been driving with her every morning for a month now. And it turned
out to be convenient for the both of us, we had classes on the same building so when it's time to go home we had no problem looking for each other, that is because we were also going home together. And by this time I've already moved, my house is now beside hers. I
remember her reaction when I told her that I wanted to move. "Oh
that's great. The house next to mine isn't sold yet." Before I knew
it, she was helping me move and arrange my things.
"Hey there, Haruka." It's Michiru; I didn't notice when we started calling each other on the first name basis and without the word -san.
A month ago, I would normally be slumped on my room, thinking how pathetic life is, drowning in miserable angst. And now, I have a very close friend, a close and very beautiful friend. Since then, life seemed to make sense to me. So have I already found that something missing? I honestly don't know, yet...
"Michiru, geez what're you doing here? It's 3 am."
She then shuffles my hair and puts her chin on my head, "You want me
to go?" She asked in a sad tone that made me remove my eyes off the books I was reading.
"No, no of course not.' I said in the most sincere tone.
"Hah, I knew it. You missed me haven't you" There she goes teasing
me again as she puts her face very close to mine as I looked up to
her. In moments like these, I don't know what I'd do. And as always she's victorious.
I had to answer, "No." Then she looks sad and dreary again. "Ok, ok maybe a little."
She lightens up, smiles and lies on my bed. "You're still studying? Haruka the exams are two weeks away. Why are you so worried? You do have good grades."
"I know. But I have one subject that I hate so much I never
listened to the lectures. Now I have to study. I don't mind the
grade really,
I just don't want Prof. Ishikawa to have his famous conversations
and reminders with me again."
Then she looks at me with concern clearly expressed through her
eyes, "Haruka, you have to sleep. You've stayed up late these
nights, you might get sick."
Well, she's right. It felt nice to have her concerned about me, and
I showed that feeling when I smiled sincerely, another thing that I rarely do.
"By the way, why are you up so late?"
She then sat up, and spoke sleepily, "I went for a drink then I saw that your lights are still on. So I went to check..." then she yawned,
an act of hers I always find cute. Then she curled like ball and, "Haruka please sleep already."
"Ok, but how can I do that when a big fat girl is on my bed?"
"Big? Fat? You think of me as a big fat girl?" She retorted back, rather childishly at that. She then pulled me from my chair towards
the bed, "You're bad. Now sleep!"
"I am not bad." I sighed, quite amused by our light banter.
"And I am not big and fat." She said as she curled to her side
turning away from me.
I laughed softly, relieved to take my mind away from studies and concentrate on the lady lying beside me on my bed. A lady with me?
On my bed? A month ago I'd be shocked, but now it's a common scene
for me. Having Michiru there is changing my life. And I'm comfortable with it. "Yes you're not big and fat. I just said that to get back
at you. On the contrary, you're beautiful and uhm, well, sexy?" I
was hesitant to say that last word; normal friends wouldn't say that...well how would I know? I never had a real friend before. I
brushed that thought away and wondered if I had appeased her.
"Peace?"
To my relief she turned and faced me with a grin, "Ok, peace. You really think I'm sexy?"
How am I supposed to react to that question, intoned with mischief
and playfulness? Ah, I get it; she's teasing me again. But still...
"Go to sleep Michiru."
"Spoil sport."
And so we fell asleep, smiling.
It was the last day of the exams, and fortunately for me I
passed Prof. Ishikawa's subject. What a relief for me...as I rejoiced
in my mind then I felt a tap to my shoulder.
"How's your test?" It's Michiru, looking dazzling as ever.
"Well, I know I passed. Those late nights really paid off. How about you?"
She bowed her head, and for a minute there I thought she failed a
test or something. But she raised her head and proved me wrong. "I
got a perfect score on my last test."
And as we both had a good day, we decided to celebrate a bit. That
café where we first met became our favorite place and we went there
so it wasn't really a celebration since we go there almost everyday
for dinner. We were chatting the evening away, recounting the day's happenings, which wasn't much. But out of the simplest of situations
we find something about it to laugh about or to discuss seriously. We were so busy laughing and talking we didn't notice a group of girls coming our way.
"Tenoh-san, Kaioh-san what're you doing here? I mean, are you out
on a date?"
It was Nuriko Mizuno; she's the leader of an annoying group of
girls who knows nothing but to gossip. A date? Certainly not, I thought. But there was another thought; I kind of like the idea that
we were on a date.
"No, we're just out to have dinner."
"There's no need to deny it you two. You've been spending a lot of
time together, we often see you going home together you know."
Another girl said as she giggled.
I'm slowly becoming irritated, but I don't want to ruin the evening
so I stayed calm. But I just hate nosy people. "Look, there's no
point gossiping about us since we're just friends who happen to live next to each other that's why we always go home together. Will you please drop the subject and go?" Ok, that wasn't nice. But hey, they really are annoying.
"If you say so, Tenoh-san. Well if you're just friends then there's still a chance for us and for Yumi. You do know that she's the one who's in love with you most don't you?"
I could only grunt in annoyance. I noticed Michiru looking calmly
at them but didn't say anything. And that look had an effect; they turned their backs and went out of the café.
"Who's Yumi?" She asked as my ayes followed those annoying girls
walk away.
"Yumi? I think we have classes together. I never talked to her
though."
"Oh. Hey, it's getting late maybe we should go now."
It's still early, about 9pm. But she's been studying hard and practicing with her violin a lot so maybe she's stressed a bit.
And I was right. She fell asleep on the way home. About half an hour later we're home already. Now looking at her, so beautiful even when tired, I smiled. I hesitated to wake her up, so I decided to wait
for a couple of minutes. To think it was only a month ago when I met her, geez it felt like I've known her my entire life. What had made
me like her I still couldn't quite figure out. Her sweetness, the way she carries herself, her teasing -an act of hers that only I know about- her unmatched beauty, her sweet scent, her gorgeous hair.
Then one word sprang out of my mind as I continued to stare at her;
perfect. Yes, indeed she is perfect. I stifled a soft laugh and
forced myself to wake her up.
"Uhm..."
"We're home already."
"Ok. Thanks for the ride. Good night."
That was odd. She'll usually be smiling when greeting me good night, but now just a plain 'thanks and night'. Then as I watched her
walking towards her house I noticed that she isn't as graceful as
she would normally be. Nah, maybe she's just tired.
The following days was plain boring. Maybe it's because I
haven't been with Michiru a whole lot. Well, I had to practice a lot and she has to practice also. But she's always on my mind. I can't understand it, when I practice for a race my full concentration will
be on it but now I can't brush her away from my head. Not that it affects my performance, it just feels different when a picture of somebody never goes away from your mind.
"Hey Haruka."
"Yes coach?"
"Rest a bit will you? You've been running around like you're
possessed or something. But I have to say, you're running faster
these days. With that speed you'll easily win the race." Coach
patted me on the back and handed me a towel and a drink. Hmm,
running around like I'm possessed huh? I was thinking a lot about Michiru that I forgot to rest. So I walked up to the shade and
obeyed my coach.
"Tenoh-san, that was awesome. I swear if you were timed you
could've beat a record! You're really unbeatable!"
"Thanks." I replied to my Yuichiro, another runner. I knew I was
fast, fast with my feet and even faster in a racecar. Then I turned
my head on a different direction to avoid further conversations.
But I could still hear him and his friend talking and the subject caught my attention.
"Yuichiro I heard you and Miaka are together now. So how does it
feel?"
"It really feels so good. We were friends since 4th grade but I've always admired her. I can't stop thinking about her. You know that feeling? It's overwhelming most of the time. When she smiles, I feel like I'll melt. I know you don't think of her as I do but I for me, she's perfect."
I've never seen the guy looking so wistful. It was unusual for me to listen to things like that, but they're talking aloud anyone close could hear. Then the other guy spoke...
"Wow, you really are in love huh?"
"Yup, I am definitely in love. How about you?"
"I'm hopeless. My dream girl is Kaioh Michiru but there's no way
she'll notice me. Especially now, she's always with Tenoh-san. I
kind of envy her, sometimes I even wish I could be like her so I'll have more chances of being with girls like Kaioh-san."
"Baka, don't talk so loud. Tenoh-san is right behind you."
I butted in, "It's alright, I'll pretend I didn't hear anything."
With that I headed to the lockers, momentarily enjoying the look on Yuichiro and his friend's face. But what stuck to my mind was what Yuichiro said. The way he felt for his girlfriend, it's kind of
the same feeling I feel for Michiru. I had thought of it before but
I never admitted that I was in love. That thing just doesn't happen
to me, but that's me denying.