SHUFFLE!
A Gifted Treasure
Written by: Lone Wolf NEO
Conceived by: Lone Wolf NEO
Author's note: SHUFFLE! is copyrighted by Navel. Lone Wolf NEO does not own any or all real-life features or whatever facts featured in this story. He does, however, own the copyright to all his original ideas in this fiction. The author would really appreciate it if readers do not plagiaries everything inside this story without his knowledge.
Please see: the author would like to stress that he has very little experience with SHUFFLE, both TV and game version. He would like the readers to spare him if there is any error found in this fiction. So if you find this fan fiction didn't do justice to the series, the author sincerely apologies. Until then, happy reading.
Chapter 1
Shigure Asa
"Hello, hello, hello, everybody! You are listening to Blaze FM on 101.2FM frequency! This is Mr. Freebie, your deejay of today, greeting all of you with all the smiles and all the silliness just to keep you entertained! And also good morning to the infamous Mister Handkerchief from all crews of Blaze FM! Hey, Mr. Hankie, how on earth are you doing right now? Good luck on impressing the girls, because you might just need it in the future! Ah-hah! What if I stop talking nonsense and start the day with the best kickstart song I can offer to all listeners! YAHOO!"
Asa walked out. The morning bath she took earlier was a refreshing mint, and she really needed the kind of refreshment, as today she was going out to the city. And there was nothing better off to her than going out with Rin. "Where is the moment we needed the most, you kick up the leaves and the magic is lost," she sang to the song played on the radio, "they tell me your skies fade to gray, they tell me your passion's gone away, and I don't need no carryin' on…"
Asa approached the wall mirror. Looking at the reflection of herself wrapped in green towel, body still soaked in hot steams, droplets of water dripping down her hair. For a minute or so, she admired her lean form, occasionally taking a spin upon her feet. She giggled to herself, approached the wardrobe and took several dresses out of it. "Now which one is the dress I bought last week?" she mumbled while putting the clothes on her bed, whilst keeping her towel from slipping away. She picked one of the dresses and chuckled. "This should do it. Rin-chan will be happy to see me wearing this."
It took slightly more than half an hour, but Asa was fully clothed. Again, she approached the wall mirror and looked at her reflection. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the prettiest of them all?" she spoke and sported a 'bang!' signature at her mirrored image. She giggled at what she was doing and approached the windows. There she saw a group of people standing in front of her house, and she waved to them.
"Asa-chan!" one of the group members shouted. "Are you done up there? We're waiting for you!"
"Just a minute!"
Slowly, careful not to wake up everybody else, Asa left her room and walked down the stairs. She halted and peeked left and right. "Yes, no one's here." Confidently she rushed towards the door, humming to the rhythm of the song played on the radio earlier at the same time.
"Where are you going, Asa?"
Asa was stunned. Quickly she turned around and found herself facing Ama. "Okaasan, you surprised me! What's the matter?"
"I thought you're staying home for the weekend," the woman in the cat's hat uttered. "Has something changed your mind, Asa?"
Asa forced herself to laugh. "No-not really! I thought I want to take a quick walk around the town right now." When Ama stared at her strangely due to the answer, she blushed. "Well, can't I? I feel terribly bored when I have nothing to do at home, so…"
"Then why don't you take breakfast now? I've just cooked mushroom soup for us," the woman said. "It's your favourite."
Asa declined the offer. "Thanks, okaasan, but I'll take my meal with them." She noticed that Ama's expression slightly changed, and she panicked. "Okaasan! Don't make that kind of face to me, please? I'll be fine, don't worry about me."
Ama smiled. "Okay. Then you better come home quickly. We're going to have dinner together tonight."
"Okay, I'll be home as soon as I can." Saying so Asa walked towards the door and rushed towards Rin and the girls. "I'm going, okaasan!" she shouted, waving at Ama at the same time.
Ama waved at her in return. "Have a safe trip, Asa."
"Haii!"
x-x-x-x-x
Earlier on Friday…
"Asa-chan!"
Subsequently a pair of arms was wrapped about her neck. Asa cried in shock at the tight embrace and tried not getting choked by it. "Kareha! Please stop doing it!" she squealed.
Kareha, instead, giggled and tightened the embrace. "What? I thought I want to cheer you up because you look pretty much in trouble." Letting go off her, the blonde girl stared at Asa and noticed how uneasy she was. "Hey, did I just bother you, Asa-chan?"
Asa sighed and looked outside the window. "I was wondering of something, you see," lazily she said. "I was thinking of asking Rin-chan to go out with me this weekend."
Kareha slyly chuckled and threw an arm over Asa's shoulders. "Dating with Rin-kun again, Asa-chan?"
Asa cried out in protest and pulled herself away from Kareha. "Why do you think I'd ask Rin-chan for that?" she asked, even as her face started to blush.
"Because there's nothing else you would do every time you mention his name," laughingly Kareha replied. When she saw Asa glowering at her in disgrace, she laughed silly and backed away from her. "Come on, Asa-chan! Don't be that upset, okay? I didn't mean to make fun of you, you see."
"Then do you have any suggestion, Kareha?" Asa added, emphasizing her not impressed thought by putting her hands over her hips.
"Hmm…" Immediately Kareha was deep in thought, her two fingers put close to her lips as she stared upward as if she was seeking for answers. Then she giggled and turned back to Asa. "Then why don't we go and meet up with them?"
"You mean Rin-chan and the girls?" Asa asked, slightly surprised by the idea.
"Yeah, and I bet they'd agree to help you," Kareha said.
So saying they headed to the rooftop, where the said group was having afternoon lunch. Kareha waved at them, in which Rin waved at her in return. "Hey, guys," Kareha shouted, "got some favour right now?"
"Yeah, yeah, we aren't this busy right now," Rin replied. "What is it?"
laughingly Kareha pushed Asa forward. "This fellow of yours has a favour with you," she said while nudging her to explain. When Asa looked at her panickly due to the gesture, Kareha growled and pushed her toward Rin. "Don't be so shy, Asa-chan! You know you have something in your mind, right?"
"O-okay, okay." Trying to calm her heart down, Asa approached Rin, warily looking at the possessive eyes of Kaede. "Rin-chan… do you have anything in plan this weekend?"
Rin counted his fingers, and shook his head. "Nope. As far as I can remember, no. Why?"
"You see…" Nervously fiddling with her fingers, Asa tried to construct the words to tell to Rin. "I was thinking of asking you to go out--"
Kaede gave her a look of shock. "What-- do you mean by asking Rin-kun to go out with you?"
Asa laughed silly. "N-no! I didn't ask him for a date! Why are you suddenly coming up with that thought, Kaede?"
"Asa-chan is planning to buy something this weekend!" Kareha exclaimed, throwing herself towards Asa afterwards. "That's why she's asking you and everybody else to go out with her!"
This time, the group stared at the green-headed girl, who went panic and tried to explain the situation she was facing. Kareha laughed when Asa failed miserably at the attempt.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Rin added. "Primula, what do you think?" Primula said nothing; instead, she shuffled a deck of card and took out one of the cards. "Hey, Primula, what are you doing?"
Primula glared at him. Slowly she flipped the card and made a foxily glint. "'Tis an omen," she spoke, revealing the card to be an ace of spade.
x-x-x-x-x
"Shigure-senpai? Shigure-senpai? SHIGURE-SENPAI?"
Asa almost jumped off her feet. Surprised, she looked at Rin and Nerine, who were gawking at her. "What? What?"
"Daydreaming, Asa?" Nerine asked.
Asa laughed silly (how many times she had been doing that in the week, nobody knew for sure). "Yeah… sort of."
Rin shrugged at the answer and turned to the girls. "That's unlike Shigure-senpai I know," slyly he added.
Asa pouted at the tease. Angrily she growled at Rin and turned away, "Mou, Rin-chan, I just wanted to buy something for this Mother's Day…!" She paused. Then she gasped and covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh, no! I'm supposed to keep this secret from all of you…!"
Rin light-heartedly laughed. "Ah, okay. So that's what the fuss was all about." Grinning, he put a hand on his waista and stared at the girl. "Why didn't you tell us from the beginning, senpai? We could've helped you on that earlier."
Asa frowned. "I'm sorry, Rin-chan. I wanted to buy something for okaasan, and I didn't know what kind of present I'd give to her…" Slowly she went to the saddest frown anyone had seen of, tightly clenching her blouse as she did. "I'm sorry, Rin-chan. I'm so sorry…"
The silence lasted as if for eternity. Neither anyone in the group said a word to break the silence. All they did was to stare at Asa. For how long, nobody knew.
Then Rin laughed. "So that's it," he exclaimed and smacked a fist upon his palm. "Well, I was thinking of buying Ama-san present or something anyway. What do you think, Kaede?"
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Kaede replied. "What if all of us go with Asa and help her buying presents?"
"That's a good idea," Nerine added.
Primula just nodded.
Rin turned to Asa. "Well?"
In an instant, all eyes were turned to her. The green-headed girl realized she once again became their attention and quickly nodded. "Thank you, everyone! Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, even as her eyes started to fill with tears.
x-x-x-x-x
Ten years ago, at the Summer Festival…
Asa looked around. She was awed; it was the first time she was brought out for a walk, after having to stay indoor for a very long time. Her illness hindered her from indulging in outdoor activities; her difficulties in interacting with people kept her away from the society. She was isolated, and the only friend who would accompany her throughout the hard time was her mother.
Then she stumbled across two young girls running toward their mother. She just watched, as the twin daughters gave the woman a present while greeting "Happy Mother's Day!" in unison. Mother's Day. She had heard a lot of the celebration from the mouth of people around her. She had heard a lot of the moment of joy children had with their mother.
Unknowingly, a dire sense of anger emerged inside of her. She hated it. Everybody was having fun with their families, while she could not. She was angry -- not at them, but at herself. Angry, for unable to share the excitement with them.
She bit her lower lip. She had it enough.
Asa looked up at her mother. Roughly she pulled the sleeves of Ama's kimono. "Okaasan, what is Mother's Day?" she asked.
The woman wearing the distinctive cat's hat looke down at her. She was surprised. "That's a good question, Asa," she said. "Why do you ask?"
"Asa-chan wants to know what it is," the little girl said. "Can you tell me what is it about? Can you?"
The woman smiled and knelt beside her. "Asa, Mother's Day is a day where all mothers around the world are celebrated. It's a day celebrated by everyone to honour their mothers," she told her.
The answer was not convincing. Asa wanted to know more. And she asked the woman again. "What does everyone do on that day?"
"Well," the woman said, "on that day, everybody would go out with their mother to places they go most often. They would treat her with meals, give away greeting cards, buy presents..."
"Presents?" Asa interjected.
"Yes, dear," she replied. "That's what everyone always do each year to their mother."
Asa's eyes brightened. She had found a reason to celebrate Mother's Day. She would buy her mother a present. "Then Asa-chan will buy a present for you! Asa-chan will buy you the biggest present ever!" she exclaimed, stretching her arms wide to emphasize the word 'biggest.'
The woman smiled. "Why, thank you Asa," she thanked and softly patted Asa's scalp, in which she laughed at the playful touch of her mother's hand.
x-x-x-x-x
Present day, Toys 'R' Us.
The girls were at doll sections. Sia and Nerine decided to give Asa a hand in looking for presents, while Rin, Kaede, Primula and Kareha were browsing for items at other section of the toy store. They were indulged in a vibrant chat, constantly talking of what to buy and what to give away as present for Asa's mother. Asa was grateful at the twos; she frequently thanked them for accompanying her at the store, and she never stopped saying 'I'll buy you something in return' to them.
"By the way, what did you originally plan for this Mother's Day? We never see you this excited before."
"Can you tell us about it, Asa?"
Asa stopped browsing the doll cabinet. She looked at Sia, who in return stared back at her. She looked to Nerine at her left, then at a huge teddy bear standing in front of her eyes. She frowned. "I... I don't know. I didn't even know why I would bother myself with it." She picked up a smaller teddy bear and gazed into its black eyes. "The only thing I was aware of... was that I wanted to pay back her deed. She had done a lot for me, and I felt I needed to return the favour."
She giggled afterwards and put back the doll. "Of course, that's what a daughter would do to her beloved mother, isn't it?" she said, smiling. Then she focused back on the cabinet and started fiddling her fingers on the stuffed bears. "I wonder whether this doll is too huge for a present..." she mumbled.
"That reminds me," Nerine interjected. "Sia's father and mine had discussion with Ama-san last Thursday." Kaede stopped browsing the cabinet and stared at Nerine. "I wonder what they were talking of," she heard Nerine saying.
"Didn't you hear it?" Sia replied. "My father said they wanted to take Ama-san for a dinner. Why would they do that, they didn't let me know."
"That's strange. I thought father told me about it," Nerine said. "Something about... paying tribute to Ama-san. When is it?"
"I think it's tomorrow," Sia told her.
Asa was startled. Tomorrow. That would be Sunday! And Mother's Day fell on the second Sunday of the month! What's going on?
"I'm sorry, Nerine, Sia," Asa said and put back the doll. She looked at the twos with a smile that was clearly not like hers. "I need to go to the toilet. Can you do me a favour and look for something nice?" Quickly she made haste and walked out of the department, leaving Sia and Nerine in total bafflement.
"Hey, I just saw senpai going out," Rin said as he approached them. "Where is she going?"
"She went to the toilet," Sia answered. "But I swear Asa looked mad. What's the matter with her?"
x-x
She halted. She found herself standing in the middle of the toy store's central square. She looked around her, and saw no sign of the girls or Rin. "Ah, damn! What am I doing!" she exclaimed and slapped her forehead. "I was supposed to stay with Sia and Nerine, not leaving them!"
She stooped her head. Maybe she should leave. Maybe she should stay away from the people. Maybe she shouldn't even bother celebrating Mother's Day at all. Why would she bother looking for present when somebody else already did that for her?
She looked around her, and the same scene she had seen 10 years ago, only more vibrant than before. Children were taking their mother to the nearest ice-cream booth, a boy giving an elderly woman a balloon, and a teenage girl treating a woman slightly older than her with soda drinks. Again, the dire jealousy took over. Asa bit her lower lip, her fist clenched. For the very first time in her whole life, Shigure Asa felt angry. Angry for letting anyone ruining her plan. Angry for letting anyone getting close to her mother. Angry for letting her getting through the hassles of Mother's Day.
"This shouldn't happen at all..." With the remaining strength she had, Asa walked out of the central square and left the toy store. She decided to call it a day and headed home.
x-x-x-x-x
"Tadaima."
There was no one at home. Asa started calling out her mother, but there was no reply. She looked around the residence, but there was no sign of her. She went to her room, but she was not there. She was frustrated; Ama was nowhere to be seen in the house.
"Maybe she did join them for the dinner..."
She headed to her room. Without changing clothes, she threw herself into the bed and buried her face beneath the pillow. Today was a failure. She couldn't reach her goal to buy Ama a present, and she couldn't believe what she had done. Silently she mumbled, blaming herself for her failure to keep up with the responsibility as a daughter.
"I'm sorry, okaasan…"
She closed her eyes and dozed off. Yet it was only a temporary nap when she felt her head rested upon a warm lap. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw a pair of amber eyes staring contently at her. Upon closer inspection, she realized the owner of the eyes were none other than her.
"Okaasan…?"