Here's a 4-chappie brought to you by Foxtrotelly. (plus 1 for the Author's Note at the end of the story) Enjoy! :D
Disclaimer: The author rightfully respects the copyright properties of Higuchi Tachibana-sensei because she doesn't have any money to pay for a plagierism lawsuit.
"Man, Cool Blue Sky is such a mouthful, can't I call you CBS instead, Cool Blue Sky?"
-Ryumi Tamara
"Cool Blue Sky, wait up!" A sandy-haired boy called after a pale raven-haired girl who was quickly walking away.
The girl ignored this boy, and continued to walk over to her destination – home.
"Hey! I said slow down Cool Blue Sky!" The boy called after her again, still persistent.
He was surprised when the girl suddenly spun around with a vacant expression on her face.
"Call me that again and your face would be meeting the cold, hard pellets of my Puppet Blaster," said Hotaru callously to him.
"A-all right then…" the boy lowered his gaze as his face turned a bright pink color.
Hotaru turned and started walking again, only to be greeted by the words, "Man, Cool Blue Sky is such a mouthful, can't I call you CBS instead, Cool Blue Sky?" a few seconds later.
Oh, he asked for it.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
Little Ryumi Tamara was just like any ordinary seven year-old boy as one would say; loud-mouthed, rowdy, bursting with pure energetic goodness, and most of all, addicted to his weekly dose of Saturday morning cartoons.
Beautiful Soldiers: Five Colors aired every Saturday morning at 8:30, and whenever Ryumi would sit down in front of the television with his favorite bowl of cereal to watch this all the way from the first few notes of the catchy intro to the very last words of the credit roll despite his mother's numerous rants about eye damage and obesity, he couldn't ask for anything more in his seven year-old life.
And of all the Five Colors, his favorite character was the cool and spunky leader, Cool Blue Sky.
He broke records when he was able to complete his Five Colors collection at the age of six and three quarters and after accomplishing many feats from snagging the exclusive autographed shirt to throwing a huge tantrum just to cut in front of some guy named Hayate when the tickets to Beautiful Girls: Five Colors on Ice were about to be sold out. Yes, little Ryumi Tamara assumed he was the biggest fan ever.
…That is, until he met Hotaru Imai – the epitome of pure awesomeness.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
While walking back home, Hotaru couldn't help but think how things could have gone so wrong just two weeks after moving to this village.
She always kept a low-profile around everybody else, but when this random idiot comes to her swearing his utmost loyalty to her, she knew things weren't right in this town.
What was his name…?
Oh, Ryumi "Baka" Tamara. Yet another annoying pest, right.
And then she suddenly remembered the first time she ever laid her eyes on the idiot.
The time when she attended her first day of school in this new town, just two weeks ago, in high hopes of finding a real friend in this school out of the sea of strangers, she saw Ryumi Tamara sitting on a swing. At first, he seemed like a pretty decent boy to Hotaru when she saw him in quiet-mode, contrasting greatly with the hooligans and morons running loose all around her.
But then, they locked eyes, and little Ryumi looked like he was going to have a heart attack and fell of the swing – and so Hotaru thought otherwise.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
"All right kids, why don't you go pick out your partners for next week's field trip?" Yuuki-sensei, a young and warm soft-faced lady announced to her first grade class.
Of all things, Hotaru really hated the idea of the buddy system. She guessed it came after broken screwdrivers and before diarrhea, just in between the painful sensation you get when you stick your wet fingers into an electrical outlet during a lightning storm and the strange and sickly feeling of stepping into a mound of fresh dog poo.
Anyhow, she had three reasons why she hated it too. One, she usually gets stuck with the kid who likes to wipe their boogers on the front page of their math books. Two, she doesn't have that much friends. Three, she was bound to get stuck with Ryumi Tamara, another friendless equal who does nothing but annoy and pester her all day long.
Hotaru didn't even notice when all her classmates stood up and rushed over to their best friends' side because she was too busy concocting excuses that could get her out of the field trip. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted when Yuuki-sensei placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Why don't you go with Ryumi, since you're the only two kids who haven't picked a partner yet. Now, wouldn't that be nice?" just when she was deciding between a common cold or taking out her duck mobile for a test ride.
The raven-haired seven year-old froze. She felt Ryumi's manic ear-to-ear smile bearing into her skull.
"Wouldn't that be great CBS? Now we get to be partners!" Ryumi squealed with delight from across the room.
Hotaru just wanted to shoot him with her Stupid-Germ Vaporizer.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
For one, Hotaru Imai couldn't allow any of this to happen.
It all started when her parents were able to force her out of the house because her Turtle Shell Shelter failed her. And the bad luck just kept on coming…
That's when she declared this day as the worst day of her life – so far.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
"…and we could see the giraffes together, and then after that we could buy sweet potatoes together, and then after that, we could go cloud-watching together, and then after that we could get our feet wet by the creek together, and then after that…" Ryumi chattered on as the bus rumbled to stop near the 37th pedestrian lane on the way.
Yes, Hotaru kept count.
But why did she have to get stuck with this blabbering idiot on the day she forgot to pack her earplugs and soundproof Ladybug Helmet, anyway?
That's right, she didn't have any friends, and Ryumi didn't have any either.
Hotaru closed her eyes and tried to cover her ears by cupping her hands over them, something Ryumi didn't notice.
"…the monkeys are always so cheeky, so we could see them together too…" the sandy-haired boy of seven and a quarter smiled hugely while he carelessly swung his feet despite the many water canteens and backpacks it sent toppling over.
These were the times when Hotaru just wished she could escape on her Bunny Hopper and shoot away at all the nincompoops in plain sight without getting a time out.
"…on second thought, fishing isn't so bad either right? I wanna do that together too! And then after that, we could feed the fish to the seals in the zoo, and then after that…" Ryumi continued, apparently still not out of breath.
Couldn't this kid ever shut up?
And before Hotaru could know it, her eyelids drooped and she dozed off, even amidst the noisy chatter of all the kids in the bus and the queasy feeling the bus' motion gave her.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
Hotaru immediately woke up when she felt something warm and soft touch her hand.
"Cool Blue Sky, it's time to wake up. We're here!"
Hotaru's eyes fluttered open, and her amethyst eyes met with Ryumi's piercing green eyes as his face inched closer to hers.
"I'm awake you idiot," Hotaru said bluntly, pushing his face away from her with her tiny hand.
"Oww… Oh ok then, let's get going, the other kids already left the bus, and Yuuki-sensei is waiting for us outside," Ryumi beamed.
Hotaru looked outside the window and took note of the unfamiliar surroundings.
They were parked beside a few cars and a bus while behind them was a thick forest with towering maples, oaks, and sakuras in lovely orange, auburn, yellow, and red hues in time for autumn.
Ryumi jumped up from his seat and grabbed Hotaru's hand. He pulled her out the bus and they hopped from bus steps on Ryumi's signal.
The scent of fresh rainwater and fragrant wildflowers filled Hotaru's senses. She inhaled deeply, hoping to get all of this nature into her system by the end of the day. From beside her, Ryumi looked at her intently and did the same.
Hotaru noticed this and glowered at him, "Never ever hold my hand like that ever," she said coldly as she pulled away from Ryumi's grip.
Hotaru walked away towards a waving Yuuki-sensei, unaware of the smile on Ryumi's face vanishing.
"C-cool – H-Hotaru wait for m-me!" Ryumi called out to her.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
By noon, the students were already sitting under the shade of a big maple, eating their lunch after a busy morning of visiting the butterfly garden, dropping by the ostrich sanctuary and a detour by the turkey coops.
"Minna-chan, right after lunch, we would be paying a visit to the petting zoo," Yuuki-sensei paused to entertain numerous cheers from the first-graders, "and then afterwards, we would be saying hi to the local bears," some 'oohs' and 'ahs' were heard, "but be careful not to upset them, ok?" Yuuki-sensei's voice dropped to a hushed tone, leaving the students suddenly dead silent, "Or they might come up and eat you! Rawr!" she suddenly roared, leaving everyone screaming except for Hotaru, who stayed emotionless.
Yuuki-sensei laughed, her wavy ebony hair easily sliding through her shoulders as she held her head back.
"Nah, I was just messing with the lot of you," she warmly smiled at her class, which instantly giggled at their own overreaction.
A girl in braids shot her hand in the air.
"Yes, Midori?"
"Yuuki-sensei, when do we gets to see the big swimming pool?" Midori chimed.
"It's not a pool my dear, it's a creek," Yuuki-sensei chuckled, "and we'll be visiting that by the end of the day so that we could all watch the sunset together while enjoying our late afternoon snacks. Now, isn't that just wonderful?"
"Hooray!"
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
The gate to the petting zoo creaked as it was opened to let in a class of thirty first-graders, twenty nine of them squealing their heads of while they ran over to the bunnies and guinea pigs. Hotaru followed closely behind, rolling her eyes.
"All right everyone, don't hold the baby guinea pigs and hamsters too much, or their parents might eat them up, ok?" Yuuki-sensei told her class as if this weren't such a disturbing truth about most rodents. Hotaru shuddered at the thought, but her classmates didn't seem to be listening at all.
"Cool Blue Sky, over here!" Ryumi waved an arm to catch Hotaru's attention. The raven-haired girl pretended to not see him, and attempted to distance herself from her partner as much as possible, but was quickly spotted by Yuuki-sensei who with great difficulty steered her towards Ryumi, now sitting beside a family of guinea pigs.
"Cool Blue Sky look over here! Look at them, they're so cute!" Ryumi yelped in adoration.
"Aww, now isn't that cute Ryumi! Have fun you guys!" Yuuki-sensei sang and traipsed away.
Ryumi handed a chubby, brown and gray spotted guinea pig to Hotaru and said, "This is Chichiri, Hotaru, and he's very pleased to meet you."
Hotaru indifferently eyed the fat guinea pig in her hands. She wasn't very interested in petting rats, but she wasn't quite disgusted to drop it right there and then either.
"Did you know, Chichiri was my first-ever friend?" Ryumi's tone suddenly turned into a solemn one. Hotaru pretended not to listen and continued in rigidly stroking Chichiri's back.
"He was the first guinea pig I picked up when I first came here, and I could remember he was the only baby with brown and gray spots all over him – the only brown and gray spotted runt in fact," Ryumi looked at Chichiri sadly.
He continued, "Did you know I was sort of like a runt when I was born? And usually, when guinea pigs are born runts, their parents often abandon them and leave them to die. I know Mama never abandoned me, but maybe that's why Papa left, because I was a runt." Hotaru heard Ryumi's voice breaking, and from the corner of her eyes, she could clearly see Ryumi's green eyes turning somewhat glassy.
Hotaru petted Chichiri's belly, then handed him to Ryumi, who quickly wiped away his tears. Hotaru pretended not to see, and let Ryumi talk some more.
"It was my fifth birthday when it was my first time here. It was just supposed to be me, Mama, and Papa, but then… Mama told me Papa couldn't come, and she ended up buying me this big elephant balloon because she says we could still have a good time even without Papa… And we did," Ryumi cradled Chichiri closer to his chest, eyes closed.
Hotaru felt sorry for Ryumi a great deal all of a sudden. She never came from a broken family, and she was sure her parents loved her a lot. So maybe, just maybe, it was ok to let Ryumi share his feelings, even if he did all the talking.
"During the next few months, I tried calling Papa, but this weird robot voice would always pick up. I tried leaving him messages, but he'd never call back. And then this one time, a woman named Rachel yelled at me for bothering Papa too much… That was the last time I ever heard from Papa." Ryumi stopped talking, then he put down Chichiri to pick up another black guinea pig.
This time, Hotaru allowed herself to look at Ryumi straight in the face. Their eyes met, and Hotaru gave Ryumi a small smile before quickly turning her head away again.
"I'm glad to see you doing well buddy. This must be your very good friend, since you stick together so much," Ryumi affectionately pet the black guinea pig in his hand, "And these must be your babies, it's a pleasure to meet them." He grinned widely.
"Do you knowwho my second friend is?" Ryumi gazed over at Chichiri, who was nipping on some pellets, "Her name's Hotaru, Hotaru Imai, and she makes me so happy."
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
After the first-graders visited the grizzly bears, and went over to the souvenir shop, they began trekking on a narrow ten-minute walk lined with gold and red maples that were now starting to shed a few of its leaves. The sky was a crisp blue and the sun shone brightly in the west point of the sky, almost ready for sundown. Although the wind was quickly picking up, the children had their coats, so Yuuki-sensei had nothing to worry about.
All the while, Hotaru walked silently beside Ryumi, still thinking of the things he said awhile ago.
Ryumi quieted down a bit during their last minutes in the petting zoo, only speaking to utter a word or two to Chichiri, his newfound companion Kylie, and their babies Shelly, Liz, and Julio. That was two hours ago, however.
Now, his voice echoed throughout the calm woods, along with the excited chatter of the other twenty-eight.
"And we can go fishing, and then we can go watch the sky set on fire! Isn't that cool, Cool Blue Sky? Oooh, I said 'cool, Cool Blue Sky'! Ah, I crack myself up. Wasn't that funny, CBS?" Ryumi babbled non-stop, but Hotaru was still under the effect of his words awhile ago, and she wasn't the least bit annoyed – yet.
The auburn-hued leaves crunched under their feet as they trudged up a gentle slope. So far, nobody was complaining yet, though a thin layer of sheen shone on the foreheads of all the first-graders while Yuuki-sensei simply ambled on, all smiles.
After a minute or so of walking and senseless excited prattle from the horde of seven year-olds, their teacher came to a stop right in front of a clearing partially blocked out of view by a few shrubs.
Ryumi, who was lagging behind, bumped into Hotaru's back when she suddenly stopped walking.
"Kids, we're here!"
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
Hotaru watched the water slosh softly against the mildewed pier legs. It was almost sundown, and Ryumi had taken it to action that he eats a mandarin by the time "the sky turns an orangey-pink color and sets on fire". The ice-cold raven haired girl beside him rolled her eyes at the thought.
It seemed sudden, but pink streaks randomly painted themselves on the red-orange canvas, almost by magic. Several kids 'wowed' in amazement at the sight of this, while Hotaru simply sighed over something she missed greatly.
She could still picture it clearly in her mind, the day she left that little village by the sea. Leaving that place felt like leaving behind a fairly huge chunk of your heart behind, not only because she was leaving her quaint seaside home where she spent hours on end playing with the crabs – and sometimes offering them to her mother to cook for dinner, rather than playing with the other children, but also because the best thing she came to love about that place was its sunset – the absolutely magnificent sunset.
The gigantic glowing ball of fire slowly being swallowed by the blue-green waters and the fascinating movement of the birds migrating south weren't enough to please Hotaru, since the sunset in her old seaside home was much better. She sighed again, but was still more careful in keeping her indifferent expression.
Ryumi sensed this, and worriedly said, "CBS, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Hotaru looked away.
"But, your eyes look really sad. And my Mama says you could always read the way a person feels by looking at their eyes. I think she's right, what's wrong, Cool Blue Sky?" Ryumi inched closer towards Hotaru, who in turn glared at him with her surprisingly smoldering amethyst orbs.
"How many times do I have to tell you the name's not Cool Blue Sky?" she scowled at him despite the lump that started forming in her throat.
"Uh, I'm sorry, Hotaru," Ryumi hastily looked away and edged farther from Hotaru. His eyes looked glassy like before, making Hotaru somehow feel a twinge of guilt in her heart.
Hotaru took her gaze off of the sandy-haired boy and looked off into the sparkling blue-green water, set ablaze by the reflecting horizon.
"What do buildings look like?" Hotaru spontaneously asked, her eyes still on the view ahead.
"Huh?" Ryumi lifted his head and turned to look at Hotaru.
Hotaru took a bite from her rice cake and continued, "My parents say we have to move away again because if the men in black catch me, they'll take me to a place full of buildings, cars, weird people, and no trees."
Ryumi's eyes widened, "No trees?!"
"Not even a star at night," Hotaru muttered nonchalantly.
"What's nighttime when it doesn't even have any stars?!" the sandy-haired boy defiantly threw his hands up.
Hotaru paused, then opened her mouth to say something.
"It's ok if they take me away, just as long as they start leaving Mama and Papa alone."
Hotaru stared at Ryumi. This was some kid, she thought.
She knew he was different, and annoying to say the least, but she never felt that it was wrong to tell him any of her secrets.
Hotaru smiled.
"Cool Blue Sky, do you know who my hero is?" Ryumi locked his gaze at Hotaru.
No reply.
"She's pretty and she's smart, that's why she's called Cool, and she's really mysterious and hard to reach, that's why she's called Blue Sky," Ryumi blushed and quickly reverted his eyes from Hotaru's questioning stare.
At once, Hotaru thought of the girl from the television show Ryumi adores so much. It was true that she really took after Cool Blue Sky, but it honestly disappointed her that the television girl was Ryumi's hero, and not her.
Ryumi swung his feet back and forth, as he leaned back on his hands and hummed a cheerful tune to himself. He tilted his head up and closed his eyes, a wide ear-to-ear grin painted on his face.
"And it's been really awesome to meet her in the flesh right now," Ryumi kept his head up, though Hotaru could easily detect the deep red blush on his cheeks.
Ryumi rested his hand on Hotaru's hand. Hotaru, meanwhile, looked at it blankly, but let it stay there.
She looked straight ahead at the breathtaking view.
Without her noticing, what was left of the huge fiery ball was sinking away to the depths of the creek. The trees lining the bank were now bathed in darkness, while the orange-tinged purple skies were now beginning to dot themselves with shimmering stars in time for twilight.
Hotaru thought the view back home was beyond replaceable, but figured this was a view worth watching. She had to admit those two sunsets were beautiful, but they were both wonderful in different ways.
Any minute now, and the sun would finally be gone to be replaced by the moon later on. Then, wordlessly, Hotaru gripped Ryumi's hand.
Ryumi froze, but eased up again as he held Hotaru's hand back and let his bright green eyes rest on the tiny smile forming on Hotaru's face.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
The weeks went by in pure bliss, making Hotaru forget all about her parents' plans of moving away again. Day by day, Hotaru saw it as a chance to know Ryumi better. Though it was true that the boy practically annoyed the living wits out of her, and though it was undeniable that he also got shot down often when he went over the top, Hotaru nonetheless came to love his irritating charms.
Things went well for quite a while – that is, until reality came hitting Hotaru in the face.
Moving was a terrible routine to Hotaru. It wasn't new to her, because the same thing happens when she moves away once every seven weeks or so.
With their bags all packed and a few of their bulky belongings left behind to avoid too much attention when they begin to travel someplace else, Hotaru's parents lock up the house and quickly take Hotaru by the hands once they're finished, a bag or two in each of their hands. Hotaru looks back to have a last glimpse of their home, seeing no friends who cry at the sight of her departure or a teary companion wishing her and her family good luck for whatever lies ahead. Though Hotaru feels this foreboding emptiness every time, this wasn't something new to her either.
But this time, things were different – and Hotaru thought she was so stupid to not notice.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^
"Cool Blue Sky, wait up!" Ryumi panted. He was running towards Hotaru from a few meters away.
"Stop." Hotaru ordered. She wasn't so worried about using such a commanding tone because her parents were back at the house, packing up.
Ryumi stopped running, then cocked his head to the side, saying, "CBS, why didn't you tell me you were leaving today? Otherwise, I would've gotten ready for it."
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to make such a big fuss out of it," Hotaru brusquely told him.
"So you didn't plan on telling me because you wanted to leave without saying goodbye?!" Ryumi hollered at her as he shook his fists in the air.
"Yes." Hotaru replied coldly, trying hard to keep her smooth expression without giving in to the growing ache in her chest.
Ryumi's lower lip trembled, "I know you may be cruel, and even if you're mean, I ask just one thing, please…"
Hotaru raised an eyebrow. Ryumi was sweating despite the bitter wind, while Hotaru slightly shivered, burrowing her mittened hands deeper into her winter parka.
"I… My Mama says life can be compared to the weather," Ryumi's voice quavered, "It can rain on parades, parties, and some many more stuff. The sun can shine when we're happy. Rainbows appear because God wants to fill our lives with color right after it's been turned gray. And all of it just repeats, over and over again until we learn to live by it," a single tear trickled down Ryumi's round cheek, "B-but most of a-all, though it all comes unexpectedly, what matters most are the moments when you take time to enjoy your personal sunshiney rainbows. Hotaru, please never forget to still save some space for me in your heart, or at least your memory, no matter what happens, and I'd always have a rainbow to smile about everyday."
Ryumi broke out sobbing.
And all of a sudden, Hotaru got this impulse to run over and hug him.
From behind Ryumi, Hotaru caught sight of her parents running towards her with bags in their hands.
Hotaru knew what she had to do.
She bent down and brushed away the thin sheet of snow blanketing the ground. She placed a small robot carrying a note in its hands then winded it and set it down on the snow.
Her parents reached her, and pulled her up by her hands.
"Hotaru-chan, let's go!" Hotaru's mother said, hastily pulling Hotaru's hood over her head.
The raven-haired seven year-old held on tightly to her parents' hands as they started to walk away quickly. Hotaru looked back one more time for a last glance at Ryumi, who was looking down at his feet, sobbing. His cheeks were burning pink, his windswept dirty blonde hair a bit damp from the snow.
"Come now Hotaru-chan, we'd better get going," Hotaru's father lightly tugged on his daughter.
Hotaru returned her gaze towards the direction they were walking towards, hastily blinking back the burning tears in her eyes. It hurt too much to look any further.
Then she inclined her head upwards, her tongue out to taste the very first snowfall when somebody has ever cried for her.
^_^ ^__^ ^_^
Before long, the three people walking away instantly vanished just like that. Ryumi squinted his eyes to get a good look, but caught sight of nothing. He knelt down and closed his eyes in grief.
He was aware that he had run out of tears, and couldn't cry any longer. He didn't even mind the cold, because it couldn't get any colder than this. His cheeks and nose were glowing red, and his lips were a windburnt dark purple, but he knew.
Ryumi knew he better get going or else his sickly Mama would go out looking for him in this cold weather, and was about to stand up when something small nudged his hand.
It was a little red robot that had a gleaming amethyst stone around its neck. The robot had a letter in its hand, Ryumi easily picking it out from the little robot's hands.
The seven year-old boy smoothed the crumpled paper and opened it.
Inside, in Hotaru's neat first-grader penmanship that was too nice to be a seven year-old's handwriting according to Yuuki-sensei, it read:
I give you the power to invent your very own rainbow gun. P.S. Cool Blue Sky will never forget Ryumi "Baka" Tamara.
~ FIN ~
If you've ever read Ruka and Hotaru's story in my other story How I Met Your Mother, you'll see why what Hotaru said in the last part is true. I didn't reuse the name because it originally came to mind already that I'll use the name of Hotaru's early childhood sweetheart.
There it is you guys, the first story. :D Please be kind enough to leave me some feedback, 'kayy?