Disclaimer: Da!Da!Da! is the sole property of Mika Kawamura
It's a cloudy morning. But no rain. The little boy was walking towards school with a tinny umbrella. He does not like rain. Not at all.
"Ushhhh! S-T-O-P!" a familiar sound from behind. He stopped on his way, not looking back.
A small girl reached by him, running.
'Meh. Again that face." The girl giggled pointing at his solemn face, "HERE ! SMILE! LIKE THIS!" With her fingers she forced his lips to stretch.
"Hey! That hurts.." the boy complained. And it started raining drops. He sighed and opened the umbrella. She noticed. She notices it all the time. That umbrella is his mother's gift. May be the last.
"Oh, that's why you were so-" she tried to apologize.
"Cut it! You don't know-" suddenly the boy stopped. She knows. She also knows it. They both knew what not having a mother means.
The rain sounds seemed so heavy for a moment amid the silence.
She approached her hand, and touched the handle of the umbrella. As their hands touched each other, the boy looked at her.
"What, huh? Are you thinking am going to go to school wet? Give me that!" the girl said in a confident tone, opposite to the feel around them right now.
"Eh! As if you ever needed an invitation!" the boy looked disgusted, "One should atleast ask before snatching! Not once I remember! You just rob ! I wonder how a girl can be so.."
"So brave! I know, am wonderwoman!" she expanded her chest.
He was laughing. They both were laughing. Hands together on the handle. Rain sounds. She wished for it to be long. longer. longest...
"Kanata, why are you so serious today?" in the class another little boy asked.
"Because he finished today's ration of laugh while coming school!" giggled the earlier girl. Kanata got a little red over the nose, "It's not like that-"
"Then this afternoon, okay?"
"What's this afternoon?" the girl interrupted.
"Eh? Kanata, you didn't tell her?"
"What will a girl know about the glory of Cactus Man?" Kanata answered, closing his eyes.
"Right!" the girl answered, "Unrealistic games. Today we are gonna have a tree climbing competition!"
"Am out.." Kanata was prompt to deny, "What do you say, Santa? Cactus man vs stupid climbing ?"
"Whatever I say does not matter. She wins no matter what! Every time!" Santa sighed.
"Yes.. what a boyish girl." Kanata nodded.
"Well, Kanata, you coming, deal. Then bring this Santa too!"
Class bell rang, she went back to seat.
"You never can say 'no' to her.." sighed Santa, again.
"It's already 5-2 in my favour. Can't climb? Should I give a hand, weak boy?" The girl asked, looking down, where Kanata was gasping to climb up.
"Heh..heh.. no way! I can do it!" He tried to catch the next branch, but his shoulder was already sore.
"I.. hmf, fine, give me a hand!" he accepted defeat.
The girl giggled and helped Kanata to get up on the brunch. He sat down, gasping for air.
"So I win again.."
"Huh! " Kanata was out of breath, "that's insane! And that's why I never like playing with you, monster! How do you get so much strength ?"
"Drinking milk, and eating pumpkin!"
"Pumpkin? Eeek!" Kanata made a face like vomiting, "How do you eat that?"
"Don't insult my pumpkins!" suddenly she got furious, "Those are lovely, how many have you ever eat ?"
"Never!"
"Then how are you saying it's bad? Just by looking? Do you know-" the girl knelt towards Kanata and put a finger on his forehead, "you are also like a pumpkin. I am also a pumpkin. Don't believe until you taste it.."
"I don't understand a line."
"Don't. But promise me you'll try pumpkin tonight."
"As if I can get rid of you saying a no." Kanata nodded, "okay."
"Where's Santa?"
Kanata pointed down, Santa was sleeping beneath.
They both seated there for a while. No word.
"Hungry?" the girl broke the silence, and offered him a candy. Kanata snatched it. "yum! Strawberry flavour! I never told you; how come you always guess my favorite right? "
She didn't answer, just smiled. And jumped down on grass.
"Hey!" Kanata came down, too. "Tomorrow..my father and I are going out of town.."
The girl waited.
"So.. I can't come to your birthday, sorry.." Kanata continued.
"What was that? you already told me this, and I told it's okay!" she smiled, or tried so.
"No, I mean.." the little boy's face reddened a bit as he hesitated. He put his hand in pocket and brought a small packet out. "I bought your gift today.."
The girl startled for a moment, "you..?" she took it from his hand, and opened. The small necklace sparkled in the sunlight. She looked at him with amazed eyes.
Kanata felt embarrassed, "It's too cheap, I know.. just.. my pocket-money.."
The setting sun painted all the atmosphere red. Everything seemed like a dream. This long grassland, that tree, and..
and..two long, parallel shadows suddenly came close to each other. closest.
For a moment.
"WHAA! Today again you did this..!" Kanata screamed.
"Just tasting my pumpkin!" Giggling, the girl ran away.
"What happened, Kanata ?" Santa woke up.
Kanata was still rubbing on his lips. Her saliva dripping there. Geh! "I am not a stupid pumpkin !"
On reaching home, she found her father packing.
"Dad, are we going somewhere?"
"Oh, Akira.. we..I mean we have to leave within a few days."
"Yippie! Where?!"
"To US."
"So no school tomorrow?"
Her father looked at her, thought of explaining, then changed his mind.
"Yes, no school few days."
"yahoo ! Vacation ! Vacation!"
It was not a vacation.
Someone knocked on the door. Akira got herself back to the present time.
On her hand she was holding a little, cheap necklace that only would fit a child.
Hurriedly she put it back to handbag and opened the door.
Miyu and Kanata were standing.
"You have become such a late riser, Akira" smirked he, "You are going to miss the train."
They two look so beautiful together. And he really loves her. I can say. I can always guess your favourite right, don't I ?
"I made the breakfast today." Kanata informed, "It's hard to digest her half-baked things-"
"I don't cook that bad, stupid!" Miyu hit on Kanata's stomach.
They both laughed, she joined too.
Such a loving site. It pleases my eyes, but It also burns my eyes..
"Pumpkin ?"
"Huh. Kanata is mad about pumpkins, you know that. Sometimes I wonder he may be a pumpkin himself; like a Halloween ghost!" Miyu commented.
"Your pumpkins are so tasty!" Akira uttered those words, not sure who she was talking to, a 5 year old ? or this person in front of her ?
"Thank you guys.." was all she said while leaving. With a smile.
I came back for you. But you had really no reason to wait for me ten years. Still, sometimes I wonder..
I wonder, Could I be in her place if we hadn't had to part?
Sitting on the train, the once-tree climbing champion suddenly felt weak. And cold, very cold.
She shuttered down the window.
Heiomachi got shut behind.
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