Intro note: Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews- they really encourage me! There are a lot of poems about the loneliness of sleeping without a loved one in the Hyakunin Isshu. The title of this chapter "must I lie in bed alone?" is taken from poem #3 (Ashi biki no)
"Lying all alone,
Through the hours of the night,
Till daylight comes:
Can you realize at all
The emptiness of that night?"
-Mother of Michitsuna, Poem 53
CHAPTER 2
June
*.*.*.*.*.*.*
On her way to the Shiranami Society with Arata, Chihaya admired the bracelet he had given her as a birthday present. A small silver rose charm dangled from one of the chain links.
"I got the rose because of the botanical gardens," he explained as he secured the clasp around her wrist. "I'll get you a new charm every time we do something together."
His thoughtfulness left her momentarily speechless and Arata blushed as the silence stretched on. "Do you like it?" he finally asked.
Chihaya nodded, tears filling her eyes. "I love it, Arata. Thank you," she said, throwing her arms around his neck.
The memory of it made Chihaya smile on the train.
"What are you thinking about, Miss Birthday girl?" Arata asked next to her ear.
Their faces were only inches apart as she looked at him. "How sweet you are." Chihaya resisted the impulse to kiss him by leaning back in her chair. "This is the first time I'll be spending my birthday with you and all of my friends. It makes me really happy!"
He smiled at her. "Me too."
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the cultural center. The room was decorated with streamers, balloons, and a handmade sign that said: Happy 19th Birthday Chihaya! Everyone from the Mizusawa team was already inside.
Chihaya ran over to greet them and they talked for a few minutes before going off to change into their athletic clothes. Harada decided the match-ups randomly. First round was: Arata vs. Tsutomu, Chihaya vs. Sumire, Kana vs. Tsukuba, and Nishida vs. Taichi.
Arata and Chihaya won by big margins, but the other two matches went on longer. Taichi edged out Nishida, winning by five cards and Kana beat Tsukuba by three.
"Megane-kun and Matsuge-kun," Harada announced. Which left Chihaya to play against Kana.
*.*.*
"I'm going to beat you this time," Taichi said with a grin as they bowed to each other.
Arata smiled back. "We'll see about that."
It was a hard fought battle with Arata's offense against Taichi's defense. *His tactical maneuvering is much better than it used to be, Arata thought as he made his third fault of the match. Relax, don't let him draw you into it.* They traded captures and the game remained close. Arata had two cards left and Taichi had one. It was Taichi's card that was read and he successfully defended it despite Arata's quick lunge.
"Thank you for the match," they both said, bowing to each other.
Taichi looked up at the ceiling and blew out a breath.
"Congratulations, Mashima-senpai!" Sumire called out.
Taichi turned to the dark haired girl and gave her a bright smile. "Thanks, Sumire."
"That was such a great match!" Chihaya plopped herself down next to them and slung her arms around their shoulders. "Now you get to play against me, Taichi!"
"Hmm, I think I'll forfeit," he replied. "You are the birthday girl after all. It's better that you remain the undefeated champion."
"No way! I won't allow that! I have to win fair and square against you, so don't you dare go easy on me just because it's my birthday!"
Arata didn't mind sitting on the sidelines and watching them play. He suddenly remembered how upset he had felt during their final at the Yoshino tournament a few years before. *I wanted to be in his place then, but seeing them compete now is fine,* he thought as he witnessed Chihaya's lightning fast capture of 'Kasasagi no.'
Chihaya ended up winning in luck of the draw, but Arata suspected that Taichi had planned for it to happen. *It's okay since Chihaya is smiling… I guess letting her win is his way of being thoughtful.*
*.*.*
They sat around a table eating pizza and cake, talking about what was going on in their lives.
"Taichi, Tsukue-kun, what are your classes like at Tokyo U?" Chihaya asked.
"Difficult," Tsutomu replied, pushing up his glasses. "I'm studying even harder than before."
"Yes, he hardly has time to visit me," Kana chimed in. "But at least we can see each other at Suihoku on the weekend." Kana and Tsutomu had started going out right before their senior year had ended.
Arata looked at Taichi, who was across the table from him. "Do you like your pre-med classes?"
"Yeah, they're fine. Nothing too exciting yet."
"Sudo-san is in your karuta club on campus, right?" Chihaya questioned.
Taichi nodded. "That sadist is always trying to practice against me. Suo-meijin stops by occasionally and cooks for his kohai's. I've been able to play against him too." He looked at Arata. "He says that he's going to get his title back, but I told him that he'll have to beat me first in the East qualifiers."
"Taichi, that would be so great if you can challenge Arata in January!" Chihaya exclaimed.
A few minutes later, Chihaya heard her mobile phone chime. She checked it and saw a message from Shinobu. It said: 'Happy Birthday, Chihaya :) Sorry that I can't be there. I got you some Daddy Bear stuff, so lets make sure to hang out this summer break.'
Chihaya smiled and typed out a quick reply before putting her phone away.
"Nikuman-kun, what's been going on with you?"
"Not a whole lot," the chubby boy replied. "I've been hanging out with Hyoro and my sister a lot."
"Oh that's right, you're Hyoro's roommate now," Tsutomu said.
"They're so lovey-dovey with each other that it makes me sick. I really regret letting her bully me into rooming with him. She only wanted me to so she'd have an excuse to stay over. That's her way of being sneaky and tricking our parents since they'd never let her move in with a guy."
Chihaya felt herself blushing. Sharing an apartment with Arata was something that she was always thinking about. *My parents probably wouldn't allow me to do that either…*
She changed the subject by asking Tsukuba and Sumire what their college plans were.
"I'm thinking about becoming a stylist, so I'll probably go to a junior college."
"That really suits you Sumire-chan since you're so fashionable. I know, you could become my sister's stylist! Or at least work for her entertainment company. I'll do my best to get you a job," Chihaya promised.
"It will take me three years before I'll be qualified to work, but I appreciate your offer. Thank you, Ayase-senpai," she said with a pretty smile.
Chihaya turned her attention to the thin boy with the narrow eyes. "What about you, Tsukuba-kun?"
"The only thing I really want to do is play karuta, so I guess I'll try for a school that has a good team," he replied. "I'd never pass the entrance exams for Tokyo U though."
The conversation then switched to Chihaya and Arata. They both answered questions regarding their classes and part time jobs. The party lasted into the evening. Sumire and Tsukuba had to leave first since it was a school night. To Chihaya's surprise, Taichi got up from the table too and offered to take Sumire home.
When they left, Chihaya turned to Kana. "Are they finally together then?!"
Kana nodded. "Yes, for about a month now."
"Thank goodness," Chihaya said with a relieved smile.
*.*.*
Arata and Chihaya left the Shiranami Society just after 9 PM. The night was balmy with a gentle breeze, so they decided to go to the nearby park.
"Arata, remember when me, you, and Taichi had a snowball fight here?" Chihaya asked as she ran towards the jungle gym and started to climb it. "And we were reciting the poems as we threw them?"
"Yeah, of course."
He climbed after her and they sat at the very top, looking up at the sky. The moon was peeking through the clouds and patches of stars were visible.
"Akikaze ni, tanabiku kumo no, taema yori," Chihaya said.
"More izuru tsuki no, kage no sayakesa," Arata finished poem #79.
Chihaya slipped her arm through his and leaned against his shoulder. "Today was the best birthday."
Arata placed his chin on top of her head. "I'm glad you had fun, Chihaya."
They climbed down a few minutes later once the bars became too uncomfortable.
She grabbed his hand. "Lets go on the swings. Will you push me to give me a head start?"
Arata did and he watched as her long legs kicked through the air. "If you close your eyes, it's like flying. Try it, Arata!"
Her child-like enthusiasm was contagious. *Whenever I'm with Chihaya, she makes everything glow brightly, he thought as he closed his eyes, letting the wind push against his face and hair. She's like the sun shining on water.*
When they stopped swinging, Arata grabbed the chain and pulled Chihaya towards him so that he could give her a quick kiss. To his surprise, she got up a moment later and sat sideways across his legs.
"Chihaya! We'll break the swing."
"Shh, no we won't." Chihaya took off his glasses and clipped them to his shirt.
The way her eyes sparkled as she moved her face closer to his took Arata's breath away.
*.*.*
A week and a half later, the two of them got out of class to see a torrential downpour raging outside. Arata was the only who had brought an umbrella that day. "Lets wait for it to let up a little," he said as they looked out of the window. "When it does, we can run over to my place."
"Alright," Chihaya agreed.
They sat down on a couch in the lounge area. To pass the time, Chihaya gave him one of her earbuds so they could both listen to her ipod.
It was still raining steadily fifteen minutes later, but the wind had died down somewhat so they decided to risk it. Arata put his arm around Chihaya and they splashed through puddles, laughing as they ran. Halfway there, an unexpected gust of wind blew the umbrella inside out, making it absolutely useless.
"What a piece of junk!" Arata exclaimed as he tossed the broken umbrella into a trashcan.
Chihaya laughed. "This is kind of great though! The rain feels good." She held her arms open with her face tipped up to the sky.
"Come on, lets hurry!" Arata took her hand and pulled her along.
By the time they arrived at Matsuyama's house, they were completely soaked. They stood on the porch and tried to wring their clothes out before going inside.
Arata took off his socks and said, "I'll get some towels," before hurrying up the stairs.
Even though the rain had been warm, Chihaya shivered a bit, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for him to return. He was back within fifteen seconds, handing her a navy blue towel.
She uncrossed her arms and took it. Arata's face turned red as she wrapped the towel around her shoulders.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
Arata took off his wet glasses and set them on the little table near the door. "Uh, well… your shirt is see-through." He used the towel to rub at his face and hair.
"Oh." Chihaya secured the towel across her chest.
He finished toweling off his hair and it was sticking up even more than usual now. "Are you cold, Chihaya?"
"Yes."
"Come on then," he said, putting his glasses back on. "I'll lend you some clothes."
Chihaya noticed that they left a trail of water as they walked up the stairs. "We're making such a mess."
"It's okay. I'll clean it up after we get changed. Go ahead and wait in the bathroom."
Chihaya closed the door partway and started undressing. She lifted her wet T-shirt over her head and threw it into the tub. Next went her jeans. Chihaya was standing in only her bra and panties now, which were also wet.
She went over to the door and said, "Arata, I'm going to need some of your boxers too."
Chihaya flipped her head over and was toweling off her hair when a knock sounded.
"They're right outside. Just reach out and get them."
When she popped her head out into the hallway, Arata was already gone. She gathered up the pile and shut the bathroom door behind her. He had given her his Nagumo Society T-shirt with the cloud logo on it, some dark grey jersey pants with a drawstring, and a pair of black boxer-briefs. For some reason, Chihaya's heart was beating unusually fast as she put on Arata's clothes.
Five minutes later, they headed downstairs to wipe up the water and put their wet clothing in the dryer. They went in the kitchen and Arata got a plate out of the cupboard before pulling a jar shaped like an owl across the counter. He set a stack of chocolate chip cookies on the plate and offered it to Chihaya.
"Want some milk too?"
"Mmmhmm," she murmured as she took a bit of the chewy cookie.
They sat down to eat their snack at the table before going back upstairs to Arata's room, where they snuggled together under his covers.
"I have to warm you up so you don't get sick," Chihaya said.
He smiled. "My immune system isn't that bad."
"Yes it is, you're always getting colds," she whispered against his mouth.
Chihaya kissed him and he tasted sweet like milk and chocolate. It was a good thing that he had taken his glasses off before they got into bed because things turned passionate very quickly. She slipped a hand underneath his shirt, feeling his stomach muscles tense at her touch. When she started stroking his lower belly, Arata let out a moan.
"Chihaya," he said breathlessly, eyes clouded with desire. "You'll make me go crazy."
*I'm already going crazy, she thought as she removed her hand from his waistband and climbed on top of him instead. She pressed her body down on his and cursed the layers of clothing between them. I want to touch every inch of his skin*
About a minute later, there was a loud crack outside that startled both of them.
"What the hell was that?" Arata asked, reaching for his glasses.
Chihaya slid off of him and they went over to the window. A large tree limb had broken off and was laying in the road.
"Do you think it got struck by lightning?"
"I don't know," Arata replied. "There's a lot of wind too. It could have been that."
"Maybe we should go put on the news to see if there's any warnings."
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and laughed. "It's always something, isn't it? I guess at least this time it wasn't my stupid roommates who ruined the moment."
They went downstairs to turn on the TV. There was a typhoon warning in effect until late that night.
"You'll have to stay here," Arata said.
She looked into his eyes and smiled. "I don't mind that at all."
*.*.*
Matsuyama arrived home about an hour later. "Did you see what happened to that tree out front?" he asked.
"Yeah, we were here when it fell."
"Did anything happen to the maple in the yard?"
"I don't know," Arata replied.
"I better check." He went into the dining room to look out of the window. "No, it's fine. That's good at least." Matsuyama sat down in the chair and looked over at them on the couch. "It's treacherous out there. You won't be able to go home, Ayase-san. The trains aren't running now."
"I know. I've called my parents already."
He shot them a suggestive grin. "Will this be your first overnight rendezvous?"
Both of them blushed and Matsuyama chuckled. "You're such cute kids."
"I wasn't going to sleep in the same room," Arata said quickly.
"Why not? I don't care."
Arata glared at him. "How could we after you just said something like that?"
"Ah, sorry. I guess I forgot how easily embarrassed virgins get."
He didn't look sorry though and Chihaya felt very annoyed with him. *We won't get another opportunity like this, she thought, biting her lip. Why is it that we can't be together?*
*.*.*
"Sorry, Chihaya," Arata apologized later that night when they were in his room. "I just don't want that pervert thinking about us tonight. Our first time should be special and this place isn't going to work."
"I know." She was sitting on the floor between his outstretched legs, leaning her back against his chest.
"We'll think of something." He brushed all of her hair over to one shoulder so he could kiss her neck.
"Mmmm. If you keep doing that I won't be responsible for how I act."
Arata pulled away and let out a low laugh. "Alright, lets be good and do our assignments then."
Chihaya read some poems out loud. "I like this one about the fireflies. I don't even remember the last time I've seen fireflies."
"You mean Tokyo doesn't have them?" Arata asked.
"Well some parts might, but they're really rare. The rivers are probably too polluted."
"There's some woods near my house that have a lot of them every year."
"Lucky! I want to see them too," she said enviously.
"Why don't we go then? Next weekend, lets request off from work. I know my parents would love to meet you."
She turned around and gave him a big smile. "Really, Arata? You mean it?"
He leaned his forehead against hers. "Yes, really."
*.*.*
They said goodnight to each other around 11 PM. Arata made up a futon on Naoki's floor while his friend cracked jokes about him being old-fashioned.
"Chihaya deserves to have a perfect night," he insisted.
"Hey, I get it, you're a gentleman. I just don't know how you manage to be so patient and have all that self-control," Naoki said from his bed. "Half of me thinks you're really stupid and the other half kind of admires you for it."
"Uh, thanks. I think?"
Naoki laughed. "So what are you going to do, take her to a love hotel or something?"
"No. That wouldn't be romantic at all," Arata replied, crawling under the covers.
"What about a hot spring then?"
"Yeah, that could work. I'll start saving up for one. Thanks for the suggestion, Naoki."
"Sure thing, Romeo. I have to live vicariously through you since I don't have a girlfriend."
Arata looked over at his friend, who was holding an anime character pillow against his chest. "Want me to set you up with someone? Chihaya works with some nice girls at the café."
"Who'd want to date an otaku like me? A normal girl would take one look at this room and want to run in the other direction."
Arata laughed. "That's probably true. You need to find an obsessed fangirl then. Aren't there any in your anime club?"
"Nope, there's only males and it's very depressing. I was hoping for some cosplay girls, you know?" He sighed. "Well, I'm turning the light off now."
Arata closed his eyes and used his vivid imagination to visualize himself and Chihaya at an inn with a mountain view. He smiled as he fell asleep to that sweet thought.
Meanwhile, Chihaya was laying alone in his bed, tossing and turning as she yearned for him beside her.
*.*.*
"Chihaya-chan, we finally meet!" Mrs. Wataya exclaimed, giving her a hug. "You're so tall and beautiful, just like a model," she said taking in her appearance. Chihaya was wearing a white peasant top embroidered with dark blue flowers and faded jeans.
Chihaya smiled at Arata's petite mother who wore glasses and had short brown hair parted in the middle. *They have the same facial features, but Arata's hair isn't sleek like hers.*
"Thank you so much for having me, Okaasan. I brought some sweets from Tokyo for you. Well they're from a French bakery so it's not like they're authentic to Tokyo or anything," she chattered, holding out a fancy bag with purple and gold stripes on it. "But I hope you like them."
"Oh my, French sweets, thank you, Chihaya-chan!" She reached into the bag and pulled out the package of pastel colored macaroons. "Aren't these lovely! I can't wait to eat them for dessert."
Mrs. Wataya hugged her son next and ushered them into the kitchen to have a snack. Chihaya loved the traditional screens in Arata's house. They made it feel very cozy. While they were eating, Chihaya thought back to the last time she had visited Fukui. *Arata had been so depressed and angry then because he blamed himself for his grandfather's death.* Seeing him like that had been so painful for Chihaya.
"Arata, after we're finished here, I'd like to pay my respects to your grandfather."
"That's so sweet of you, Chihaya-chan," Mrs. Wataya said, eyes filling with tears. "Arata, make sure you introduce daddy to your wonderful girlfriend."
Arata took a sip of his tea and nodded. "Yes, I will."
Five minutes later, Arata was sliding back his grandfather's study. He kneeled on the cushion in front of his altar and lit a stick of incense.
"Hi grandpa," he said. "I brought someone to see you. This is Chihaya, one of my childhood friends from Tokyo who I had so much fun playing karuta with. We go to the same college now." Arata moved off the cushion so Chihaya could kneel on it instead.
She put her hands together and bowed her head. "Hello, Wataya-meijin, I'm happy to make your acquaintance." Chihaya lit the other stick of incense and gazed at his portrait. He had silver hair, glasses, and a serene smile on his kind face. *This is how Arata will look in the future.*
Chihaya swallowed the lump in her throat and said, "Thank you for teaching Arata how to play karuta. If you hadn't, I wouldn't love it like I do now and me and Arata probably wouldn't have been able to meet again. You've changed my life for the better, Wataya-meijin. Arata is a fine man and I know that it's because of you." She wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I wish we could have met when you were still alive."
Arata put a hand on her trembling back and rubbed it.
"Oh, Chihaya-chan," Mrs. Wataya said in a voice full of emotion. "Daddy would have loved you so much. Will you come back for Obon in August?"
Chihaya looked over at Arata's mother who was standing in the doorway. "Yes, of course. I would be honored to. Thank you, Okaasan."
*.*.*
The conversation at the dinner table was very lively. Arata's parents asked them all about Tokyo and their classes. They were friendly and welcoming and Chihaya felt like she had known them her whole life instead of only a few hours. *Fukui accents really are nice,* she mused as she listened to the Wataya family talk with each other.
Arata had his father's broad shouldered build and height. Mr. Wataya's hair was short and stuck up off his forehead, but she could tell that Arata had inherited his untidy black hair from his father. Certain expressions were the same as well, like their frown, which Chihaya found amusing.
She offered to help with the dishes, but Mrs. Wataya waved her away and told them they needed to get ready to leave since the sun would be setting soon.
"Dear, will you find the torch so they can take it with them? It will probably be dark by the time they return."
"Yes, alright," Mr. Wataya replied, getting up from his chair.
Arata gave her one of his zip-up hoodies to put on over her short sleeve shirt. He had to use the bathroom before they left, so she waited out in the living room for him.
Mr. Wataya came in holding a large red flashlight in his hands. "Here you are, Chihaya-chan," he said.
She took it from him and found that it was quite heavy. "Thank you, Otosan."
He blushed a little and touched the back of his hair self consciously. *Arata does the same thing!*
Arata entered a moment later and Mr. Wataya said, "Arata, Chihaya-chan called me 'Otosan.'"
He raised his eyebrows. "Is that why you're blushing?"
"Well having such a pretty girl call me 'father' is nice you know!" He glanced over at Chihaya. "I do hope you become my daughter someday."
Now it was Arata and Chihaya's turn to blush.
*.*.*
They sprayed each other with mosquito repellent outside.
"What a beautiful view!" Chihaya exclaimed, looking at the farmland and mountains that were painted orange from the fiery sunset. "The countryside sure is nice."
"It's alright I suppose," Arata replied.
"And it's so quiet here compared to Tokyo."
"Just wait until the cicadas come out this summer. The noise is deafening."
She remembered how loud they were from the phone conversation she had with him during her stay in the hospital a few years before. *But it will be nice to hear them in person this time around.*
Chihaya slipped her hand in his. "I'll get to hear them in August then!"
He grinned at her. "I'm glad you're so excited about it."
"Well of course. I like experiencing life in Awara." As they walked down the dirt road, she said, "You probably rode your bike this way so many times, huh? It would have been really fun to grow up here with you."
"Yeah it would have been," he said with a smile. "We could have played karuta together every day and gone exploring outside. You would have been even more of a tomboy here."
"And I might have been in the same class as you. We could have even formed a karuta team together." Chihaya bit down on her lip. "I feel kind of sad that we didn't have that life."
Arata glanced over at her. "Don't be. Who knows, maybe we wouldn't have fallen in love if we'd been around each other all the time."
"Yes, that's true."
They arrived at the woods ten minutes later. Stepping through the trees was like entering a magical, dark blue world. Chihaya felt completely at peace as they walked along the trail.
"There's a stream up ahead and that's probably where most of them will be."
A moment later, Chihaya saw a quick flash of golden green. "There's one!" It was a few yards in front of them. The firefly continued to blink on and off, as though he were their own personal guide. The closer they got to the stream, the more fireflies they saw. By the time the water came into view, there was at least fifty.
Chihaya was so mesmerized by the little floating lights that she couldn't speak right away. Arata bent over to put the torch on the ground and when he straightened up again, Chihaya grabbed onto his arm.
"Amazing, it's amazing," she said in wonder. "I'll remember this forever, Arata."
He brushed a soft kiss on her cheek. "So will I."
*.*.*
Closing note: I listened to some of the slower tracks from Chihayafuru season 2 soundtrack for inspiration. Every time I hear "Chiisana Daiji no Koto," I will always think of the firefly scene ;) And as I'm writing this, I'm listening to "Fireflies" by Owl City (his songs always remind me of Chihaya and Arata XD)
