Disclaimer: I will never own G Gundam
I'll Miss You Too
There were some things that Rain never told Domon...
"Hello Dr. Kasshu." Rain greeted warmly. Dr. Kasshu smiled in return and waved her over.
"Please come in. You don't have to stand in the doorway. My wife will be upset if she thinks I am being inhospitable to you." The doctor joked. Rain grinned tightly at his light humor and entered the house.
"Where is Mrs. Kasshu, anyway?" She asked pleasantly, her voice was heavy as if she was holding something back. Flipping through some notes, the doctor pretended not to notice. Rain watched curiously as Dr. Kasshu gathered up some charts and diagrams. They must have something to do with the new gundam project he had started.
"I believe she's in the garden. You know how much that makes her happy. She's been out there for a few hours." The doctor chuckled. Rain went to the window to look out and sure enough, Mrs Kasshu was bent over in the soil. Her clothes were dirty but her face was glowing. Rain waved to her and she waved back.
"I assume you came over to see Kyoji." The doctor guessed, pulling Rain out of her thoughts. Rain turned around and nodded.
"Yes, my time in Neo Japan is almost up. I won't have time tomorrow to drop in and say goodbye" She confessed sadly. The air wilted around her. Thinking of tomorrow made Rain's stomach drop. Dr. Kasshu nodded in understanding. So that's what was upsetting her.
"If you like, we can see you off tomorrow at the shuttle bay." He offered. Rain nodded gratefully.
"I would like that." The doctor gave her another reassuring smile.
"Everything will work out...Rain I apologize. Kyoji and I are going to meet some important colony officials in a few minutes. Otherwise I would have invited you to stay for dinner." Rain bowed her head.
"No that's alright. I can't stay long. I haven't finished packing yet." She told him with a grimace. The doctor sighed and then looked at his watch.
"What is taking my son so long? I need his assistance for the presentation. Rain, would you be a dear and go find him, please? I believe he's in my lab." The doctor requested with a twinkle in his eye. Rain gave a small smile, realizing that Dr. Kasshu was giving her an excuse to go seek Kyoji out and give him her goodbye privately.
"Yes, of course." Then she headed down the south hallway. She had visited so many times that the layout of the Kasshu's house was indented in her memory. When she reached the end of the hallway, she turned and timidly knocked on the second to the last door. There was a loud thud and then a few crashes.
"Come in." Kyoji's voice rang out. Sighing at what she had to do, Rain put on a pained smile and opened the door.
"Good evening." She called.
"Oh, hey Rain." Kyoji nodded in greeting. Rain smiled back and glanced behind him, taking in the messy state of the room. There were books and scattered papers everywhere. Kyoji noticed this too and shuffled his feet in embarrassment.
"Sorry about the mess. If I knew you were coming over I would have cleaned up." Rain smiled again, hiding her nervousness with silence. Thankfully, Kyoji seemed a bit distracted. His posture kept shifting from one foot to the other, as if he was itching to move around.
"No, it's ok. Though I'm not sure what your father is going to say when he sees what you've done to his lab. He's waiting for you right now. What are you doing in here anyway?" She asked, trying to keep her cool. Kyoji smirked and offered her a chair next to a disarrayed bookshelf.
"Oh I'm sure he won't mind. I'm looking for our data. I hid it in one of these books – I just can't seem to remember which one." He gestured to the bookshelf beside her. Rain didn't have a clue to what he was talking about so he elaborated.
"You see we have a conference with the colony's tempor mechanic specialists in a few minutes." He told her cheerfully before grabbing a spare chair and pulling it up beside her. For a minute Rain thought that he was going to sit down but instead he stood on top of it and proceeded to search the highest shelf in the bookcase.
"That project my father and I started. We need funding for the material and Neo Japan's tempor mechanic specialists just might be the answer to our prayers. They've agreed to meet with us." He told her with a spare glance. Rain shifted uneasily in her seat.
"However, something tells me that you didn't come over here to listen to my babbling. What's on your mind?" He asked before turning his attention back to the bookshelf.
"Well, I...um...you see..." Rain began, though no words came out. For weeks, she had mentally beaten herself up over what she was going to tell Kyoji. Back all those years ago when Domon left, Kyoji had taken it very hard and while Rain wasn't related by blood, she knew that he thought of her as family. Their friendship had stayed in tact all these years, despite Domon's absence. She feared it would only be harder for Kyoji when she finally left for the university.
While she frantically searched her head for an appropriate explanation, Kyoji frantically searched for the disk containing all of his data. With surprising speed he tore apart the bookcase, only pausing to sift through the pages of a book before carelessly discarding it over his shoulder. Of course, he was still careful not to accidentally send a book crashing into Rain.
"Hmmm...you what?" Kyoji prompted, oblivious to his guest's discomfort. Rain shuffled quietly, thankful that Kyoji's back was to her and that he could not see her blush.
"A-ah! I've found it!" He eventually exclaimed and stepped down from his chair. He dropped the book he was holding carelessly before pulling out an average looking floppy disk and holding it out to the light. His happiness and excitement nearly made Rain give up on her speech but at the last second she bit out,
"I'm leaving tomorrow." Her words were soft but decisive and it took Kyoji a moment before he understood her. Absently, the arm he held the floppy disk in fell loosely at his side.
"What?" He asked in disbelief as confusion clouded over his face. Guiltily, Rain looked at the floor.
"The scholarship from my school...I meant to tell you earlier…I was awarded the space colony program's two year scholarship before my graduation...I am to attend the United Colony's University...I leave tomorrow." She said in a shameful whisper. Kyoji's face was aghast. Silently, he brought the disk up to inspect it, before dropping his arm back down to his side. The conference with the colony's tempor mechanic specialists was all but forgotten.
"Tomorrow?" He asked in bewilderment. Rain sighed quietly in confirmation. She truly felt horrible leaving him like this. She knew her departure would be like losing Domon all over again and she didn't want to hurt him. But not telling him seemed to be betrayal enough.
"But..when..." Then he shook his head to clear his thoughts. When Kyoji looked back up, his eyes were clear of confusion, but still filled with hurt.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were leaving?" He asked, failing to mask his disappointment. Rain shut her eyes tightly, but when Kyoji lifted her chin up with his thumb, she opened them. Sapphire eyes met Cerulean.
"I wanted to for months now...but I couldn't think of the right time." Rain whispered, captivated by his blue eyes. There had been a time when she thought he had been the most handsome man she had ever known and while she no longer had her school girl crush on him, Rain couldn't deny that he was attractive. Rain felt the grounds beneath them shifting. What was that?
Sighing shakily, Kyoji nodded and released her from his hold. So he had felt it too. An awkward silence filled the room before Kyoji cleared his throat and tucked the floppy disk into his pocket.
"Yes, well I suppose there's nothing to be done about it now." He started quietly, his eyes hidden behind his bangs. Rain silently agreed and stood up.
"Thank you for understanding." She mumbled appreciatively, turning towards the door. Kyoji nodded quietly and just as Rain passed him, she hesitated with unfathomable eyes. Attentively, she reached out and patted his arm.
"You've been a good friend." She said. Her words were intended to sound comforting and strong, but even to her ears they sounded soft and melancholy. Then, in a completely irrational thought, Rain closed her eyes and leaned in to him on her tiptoes.
She meant to kiss him on the cheek, really she had, but somehow her kiss went awry and ended dangerously close to the corner of his mouth. It was a genuine accident. Rain flushed in embarrassment. But before she could pull away and apologize, Kyoji turned his head and secured his lips more intimately against hers.
Rain was so shocked that her sapphire eyes flew open for an exclamation, but Kyoji's eyes were closed. One of his arms snaked around her waist while the other one moved to cradle her head. His warm lips slowly stroked over hers, though he was careful not to frighten her. Then he was kissing her. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck. The kiss was very gentle and sweet, but completely different to what Rain used to imagine a kiss from him would be like.
There was no fiery passion. There was longing but somehow it wasn't lustful. As his lips moved tenderly over hers, Rain felt how desperate he was. He didn't want her to go and leave him behind. She tasted love, but not the kind she wanted. Despite this, when Kyoiji dipped his head farther into her, Rain couldn't help but shudder and lean into him.
Then he was gripping her arms and gently, but firmly pushing her away. They were both panting and while Rain missed his warm and gentle lips, Kyoji shook his head in an attempt to regain his composure.
"No, we shouldn't have done that." He shuddered before turning his glazed eyes towards her. Rain nodded and ducked away from his remorseful stare. It was too unbearable.
"I'll miss you too." She whispered before leaving the room.
The next day at noon, Rain's shuttle left. The goodbye was bitter sweet at best. It was the same shuttle bay that Domon had left in all those years ago with Master Asia. But he would come back someday, and so would Rain.
"Goodbye sweetheart, and don't be a stranger. You call us anytime you want to." Mrs. Kasshu began while she warmly embraced Rain. Nodding silently, Rain pulled away and smiled at her. Her own mother had died before Rain could remember, so it was always Mrs. Kasshu that Rain looked to as a mother figure.
"Don't worry, I will." She promised before turning to Dr. Kasshu. He smiled warmly at her.
"The term will be over before you know it." He promised. Rain nodded and watched as the couple moved back so that Kyoji stepped forward. Awkwardly, he scratched the back of his head.
"I'm sorry about the meeting yesterday. I didn't mean for you to miss it." She offered in truce. At her words, Kyoji smiled.
"I'd choose a visit with a friend over a boring meeting any day." He promised before his smile faded.
"You'll be missed." He added seriously. Rain nodded.
"I want to hear from you every day." He continued, waving his finger at her in exaggeration. She rolled her eyes.
"Yes, Kyoji." She chanted with humor. Still, she smiled to reassure him. His eyes glazed over slightly, and he stepped a little closer to her so that their torsos were nearly touching. It made Rain nervous, mindful of the people watching and thinking that there would be a repeat of yesterday. But at the last moment he inhaled and squeezed her shoulder.
"Best of luck." He whispered, before turning around. Rain's eyes stayed glued to him as she watched him walk away, both hands in his pockets. The possibilities kept running through her brain.
When it was her father's turn to say goodbye, she couldn't even remember what he said...