Scene Eight: An Old Friend, Blistered Heart
Lilly Satou.
That's the name of the beautiful figure before me. I haven't seen her in three years. I'm really glad to finally meet her again. She's the paragon of beauty, intelligence, politeness, and playfulness. To those who've probably met her, she's the most reserved, professional, and adult-like girl they know. But I know, at her core, she's a little girl on the inside, with a delicate heart. She came with her sister, Akira, to live with us for about two years. She and I were best friends. She once told me I was like a true brother to her, though one look at Akira and you would've never guessed that she didn't have one.
I grab the empty seat as Lilly delicately prepares a cup of tea by measuring with her index finger. She may be blind, but I've always been impressed by the way she conquers her disability. She lives as normally as she can.
It was about the sixteenth month after Lilly and Akira moved in. I found Lilly outside my room. Heh, her hearing was fine-tuned even back then.
"Oh! Hello. Who's there?"
"Hey, Lilly. What's up?"
"Ah, Zakuri! I… I wanted to… ask you something."
"And that might be?"
"Can… C-can I, uh, feel your face?"
I was struck by such a question. My wounds were still four years fresh, and I still felt uncomfortable with anyone touching me. I must have been quite, because she started fidgeting and looking uncomfortable.
"Its…okay if you don't… want me to."
"No, I-I was just startled is all! Of course you can Blondie!"
She lifted her hands hesitantly yet excitedly. I took her hands in mine and guided them to my face. She didn't gasp in horror. Not once did she call me a freak and run frightened. She was so nice to me when she felt my face. My heart sank in the realization that she might be faking it, but it rose through my throat when she said a few words after drawing back from my head.
"Your… really, kind of c-cute, Zakuri," she said giggling with the laugh that only makes itself known when she's truly happy.
She etched my entire head into her mind with a few strokes of her palm. She thanked me for my time. I couldn't help but grin stupidly. I had been avoided because of the way I looked for so long, that, when I heard those words, I couldn't help but be happy for the first time in a long while.
"I didn't know you attend here, Zakuri."
Her speech broke me out of my reverie, causing me to be a bit surprised.
"I decided to attend after a little trouble I got into last year."
A mixed look of worry and panic took her over.
"Did it have anything to do with your heart?"
"Yeah, I did something stupid and had a bad episode. I'm fine now, and enough about me. It's been way too long since we last met, and I am truly happy to see you again, Lilly."
"Zakuri… Well, I've been well. Usually there is someone else in here with me. Often we eat lunch in this very room. How has your first few days been at our fair Yamaku Academy? You are… well, yes?"
"Yeah. It's good to be in a place where my scars are just that. Scars. Nobody treats me any different just because I have them. It's really nice. Shizune's been trying to rope me into the Student Council though. That's kind of interesting. Seeing Misha and her try to get me to join."
"She can be a handful sometimes, yes? Well it's good to hear you have started to feel accepted by our students and faculty. So, how did you find your way here, Zakuri?"
"I was actually looking for the library!"
She giggled teasingly at the thought of me running from door to door, looking for a place filled with books.
"I can show you the way, if you are really interested."
"It'd be much appreciated after I finish my tea."
Scene Nine: A Reflection
…
"Has it gotten so late?"
Lilly perked he head in my direction to show that she was listening.
"My, I hope it's not yet six o'clock. That is when the library closes."
I rotated my wrist towards my face to check the time. Thankfully, we had an hour and a half to make it to the library.
"We should probably start heading out. The library closes in ninety minutes, so we should book it if we want an adequate amount of time to do what we need to do."
"Hemph. 'Book it'? I could have come up with a better pun than that. But still, your argument is undebatable."
I offered to clean up the tea we had in the tranquil room. I finish, and Lilly and I start towards the Halls of Knowledge. It's not really called that, but whatever. I liked it.
It doesn't take long for us to reach the entrance to the Home of the Books. I'm just full of terrible puns today. As we walk in, I hear a loud thump coming from underneath the desk next to the entrance. Lilly perks her head toward the disturbance.
"Ow…"
A voice of annoyed agony groan from its spot within the desk.
"Would that happen to be Yuuko," Lilly questioned the air.
A figure jumped from the counter with a face of apology and surprise. She had long, red hair, specs, and a neurotic sense of duty to sincerely apologize for simply breathing. She was covered in sweat and freckles, and she was rubbing the back of her head in pain.
"Ah! Lilly! I'm sorry. I shouldn't yell. I was just reaching for a pencil I dropped when I heard you enter. Oh. Hello. Who's this?"
"Yukko, this is Zakuri. He is a truly treasured friend. Zakuri, this is Yuuko. Our resident librarian…," she paused," and the most sincere person on campus."
"Pleased to meet you, Yuuko."
"A pleasure! Lilly, I have to talk with you about your order of English, braille books."
"Have they come in yet?"
"No…"
I decided it was better for their conversation to be just between them, and excused myself to go look for a book or two. I past rows and rows of bound paper in between everything from leather covers to plastic sleeves. I picked out a few books from familiar authors. A collection of Tennyson here, and a Lovecraftian novel there are just two of the books I picked up. I was roaming around when I spied her again. Hanako.
She was sitting on one of the bean bags in the secluded area of the library where no one but a true adventurer could find. I read that in a manga once. Well, here goes nothing!
I stepped into her territory and found another beanbag to sit down on. She looked frightened by my sudden intrusion.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. Hey, my name's Tamaki Zakuri. Do you mind if I sit here?"
"It's okay. S-sure. I already k-knew your name though."
"I like personal introductions much better than formalities."
"Then m-my name is H-hanako."
"That's a cool name."
She blushed a hard crimson in her cheeks and ears. Conversation dropped off after that small introduction. Every now and then, she would glance in my direction, like a hare would at a predator. I know this, because I occasionally did the same. This went back and forth until a final moment when our eyes, well, her eyes, my eye, met each other. She went into complete panic mode.
"I…I…"
"I?"
"Igottagodosomthing!"
She stormed off with such s fright that I had let her get about fifteen feet before I processed what exactly was going on.
"Hey! Hanako!"
She must have been worried that I was staring at her scars. Which is a silly notion, considering that I have the exact same problem and experiences. If she was constantly glanced at me, then she should've at least notice my scared face. I walk out to where Yuuko and Lilly are still conversing.
"Did you guys happen to notice a girl storm out of here? She had long, violet hair."
"Oh, dear. You must mean Hanako, right?"
"Yeah."
"Huh, I will go and collect her. I'll talk to you later, Yuuko. Farewell, Zakuri."
And with that, she left at an increased pace, no doubt to go calm Hanako down.
"I messed that up, big time."
"Well, what did you do?"
"Glance in her direction after trying to strike up a conversation. Good thing I didn't bust out any cheesy one liners, who knows what would've happened."
"Well, that girl is a special case. She's quite anti-social. Even to me. You may have set her off and she got scarred. She is kind of apprehensive towards those she knows and even more anxious around complete strangers. You probably should have been more tactful."
"Should've left her alone. Huh, I have books over by where we were. I'll go get them."
I came back with my books in tow.
"Tennyson and Lovecraft. That's an interesting combo. I hope you enjoy them."
Maybe that was the tact Yuuko was talking about. After that I wind up back in my dorm room, thumbing through the pages of Tennyson.
Scene Ten: Night Terror
Every journey begins with the catalyst, that which sets off the beginning of a reaction.
"Is mommy and Karin coming back daddy?"
"No, Zakuri…I-I'm sorry. Mommy and sissy aren't coming back. Not this time."
"Was it my fault? Why aren't they coming back?"
"No, Zak. They are…"
"Gone? Is that why I'm attached to these cables? Is that why I don't have my leg anymore?"
"I'm sorry, Zak. You may be able to walk again with a prosthetic, but you'll have to go through physical therapy."
"Is that like PE? I had fun in PE. What about my cuts on my skin?"
"They're not cuts, Zak. Th-they're… burns. We can't get rid of them. The skin wouldn't graft and settle properly over time, because of your age."
"Karin missed her birthday, didn't she?"
"Yeah."
"Is my heart really broken? Mommy said that hers was broken after she lost her necklace. Can my heart be fixed?"
"Not literally, just know… know that you have to take medication from now on. You'll have Daddy help you from now on. It'll be okay, Sport. It'll be…be…"
I was too young to understand anything back then. Dad tried so hard to keep from falling apart. I was all he had left to live for, and he gave his damnedest for me, for everything.
Its four a.m. God, how my mind annoys me. I've been laying here for over an hour pondering why that memory was chosen from my banks. Oh look. 5:30 a.m. Time for class at Yamaku. I wonder what awaits me today.
