Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Mayami, I just wish I did.
The day drifts by, slower then usual it feels, but finally classes come to an end. Gathering up my things, Issei walks over to me.
"Hey, do you have time to give me a hand tonight Emiya? I need to write up something and I thought maybe..." he trails off. He only resorts to asking for help when he's desperate, and I know this.
I feel bad that I have to turn him down. "I'm sorry Issei, I've got plans." My worry must have shown, since he pats me on the shoulder.
"It's alright, it's not urgent. Something happen at work again?"
"Yeah. bunch of the part timers stopped showing, so I've got three times the work to do. At least I'll get paid their shares." I laugh. It's really not that hard work, just time consuming. I restock shelves at a local liqueur shop called Copenhagen, owned by an old friend of father's.
As I walk across the bridge to the neighboring town, I see some of the local Second-Chome flashing their sirens. Looks like another one of those gas leaks they keep talking about on the news, as their bringing people out of the building on stretchers.
I stop by and watch for a few minutes, but then realize I'll be late if I don't hurry.
After a few hours of running from shelf to shelf, making sure everything is perfect, I walk out with almost thirty thousand yen. I try to keep calm as I walk out into the sidewalk out front, but can't help but let out a whoop of triumph. I guess it pays to work hard... and boy did I work hard. I'm exhausted from doing four peoples worth of work. Looking up at the sky, I can see the stars and it occurs to me I should get home as fast as I can. If I hurry, I might make it in time for dinner.
It's about 7:30 by the time I make back across the bridge into Miyamah city. As I walk the familiar streets I notice something odd. It's as if the place is empty. It's getting late, but there should at least be a few people out. I guess people are a little worked up over the rumors of a family being murdered around here recently.
"Gas leaks and murder... guess it's getting dangerous around here nowadays." I mutter to myself. I make a mental note to insist on walking Sakura home. The Matou house is over in the other side of the residential district, in the more westernized area a few blocks from Tohsaka's place.
Suddenly I feel my eyes drawn up to look up the road. I could have sworn there was no one out, but up ahead I see a Silver-haired little girl in a purple coat happily skipping down the hill towards me. I can't help but hold my breath for some reason as she slowly makes her way towards me, smiling brightly. As the distance closes and she passes me, I hear her whisper something that makes my blood run cold.
"If you don't summon it soon, you'll die Onee-chan."
Unable to move, I hear her turn the corner and suddenly I can breath again. Running back to the corner I look around... and empty streets greet me. I honostly don't know what to think. Brushing it off as some child playing games I quickly run the rest of the way home, pushing my exhausted limbs into action.
As I step into the brightly lit living room, amazing aromas waft towards me from the table. Sakura and Fuji-Nee are already eating, but it appears they just started.
"Senpai!" Sakura smiles happily and stands to greet me. The main dish is chicken in a delictable cream sauce, and I can't help but feel my mouth water.
"I'm sorry I'm late." I apologize, knowing Sakura really doesn't like to start without me.
"It's alright, Senpai. Hurry and wash up, and I'll fix you a plate." Shes happy that I made it, and I'm glad too. I hate disappointing her. Running to my room to change into seem clean clothes and washing my hands and face in the bathroom, I walk back to the living room and sit down.
"Itadakimasu" I whisper, and take a bite. "Sakura, this is amazing!" I can't help but praise her, she really has outdone herself tonight. Fuji-Nee nods as well, clearly relishing every bite.
"Thank you, you are to kind Senpai" she smiles, a hint of a blush coloring her cheeks. It's not long before I'm asking for seconds.
I sigh dramatically as I take another bite, shaking my head. Sakura seems confused, But Fuji-Nee grins as she realizes what I'm up to. I slowly stand and bow deeply to the girl across from me.
"Um... Senpai?" she seems even more lost now, until I finally speak.
"It is a sad, sad day when the student surpasses the teacher, but I can honestly say that I couldn't be happier." I finish with an elaborate flourish and resume sitting, acting as calm as I can as Sakura covers her face to hide her wide smile and blush.
"I... Senapi, I.... Thank you" she finally manages as she tries to resume eating.
I smile and reach across the table to put a gentle hand on her shoulder and whisper "I still have you beat on Japanese food though"
With that Sakura laughs, the tension easing from her a bit, but the blush remains for the rest of the meal.
By the time the meal is finished, it's almost 9. I offer to help with the dishes, but Sakura happily tells me off and I wander back to my room to think. Waiting a while until she finishes, I make my way back to the kitchen to thank her for dinner and ask her to let me walk her home.
I find her in the living room preparing to leave. She seems surprised to see me.
"Huh? Weren't you taking a bath, Senpai?"
"Nah, it can wait. I want to walk you home first." I try to sound as casual as possible.
"Walk me home..?" the way she says it, it almost sounds like a completely foreign idea to her.
"Yeah, It's getting dangerous out lately, and I just wanted to make sure you get there safely. Your place is pretty far off, and I'll worry if I let you go alone."
"..." Sakura falls into an awkward silence... did I say something bad? Finally she speaks up. "...I'm sorry, Senpai. I appreciate your concern, but you should stay here. I'm used to it, so it won't be a problem." It sounds more like she's trying to convince herself then me, and I almost say so, until it dawns on me.
"Your worried about what Shinji..." my face falls. He was having one of his bad days today, and he really doesn't approve of Sakura spending all her time here. There's no telling what he'd do if he spotted me walking her home so late. The look in Sakura's eyes confirms what I'm thinking. I'm not so much worried as what he'd try to do to me at school tomorrow, but he would quite certainly take it out on Sakura as well.
"So, umm... I'll be okay by myself." She reaffirms.
I try to think of a solution. "At least let me walk you halfway? I'll go at the intersection so he doesn't know." that should be enough. I nudge her gently toward the door. "Someone has to protect you, right? Remind me again who has the highest streak on the archery board?"
The corners of Sakura's mouth twitch, as if trying to hold back the smile, but I can see the happiness in her eyes. She quietly nods, without any more hesitation.
I pump my fist in the air in mock victory. "I finally get to act like a proper Senpai for once!" Sakura can't help but laugh. I laugh too. It's funny how far I'll go just to make her smile like that, even if that's not the reason I started with. As we walk, I noticed how close she walked to me and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on behind those happy eyes.
February 1, 2004
I'm having that dream again... I know it's a dream, because I'm conscious of it. Is that a contradiction? It's always the same. It's a room. You can't see a ceiling, but there are no stars either. And it's huge. Like a Warehouse. Shelves and shelves and shelves of... me. It's odd, I think as I wander past the shelves. I see every single person I know. Everyone, their hair done they way they always seem to have it, the clothing they like to wear... but I look at the faces and I see they are all me. There is no particular rhyme or reason to it, the way they are placed. They remind me of dolls, staring blankly ahead until they are needed.
After what seems like an eternity, the shelves come to an end. At the end is a stage. And on the stage is me. The real me. The me that comes to mind when I think about myself. I look at the me on stage and smile.
And the Me turns and grins back.
My eyes flutter open to see sunlight streaming through my window. Thats always how my dream seems to end. Is it odd that that's the only dream I've ever had? At least that I've remembered in the morning? And I always do, remember that is. It's always so vivid. For ten years it's the only thing I can honestly say I do remember dreaming. Sighing, I push myself up off my futon.
My internal clock tells me that it's 5:30 in the morning. Looks like I woke up on time today. Getting dressed for school, I think about what I should make for breakfast today. Since I'm actually awake, I can start cooking now. Sakura will want to help when she arrives, of course, but it gives me a chance to make up for my usual laziness.
I put some rice into the cooker and decide to make some miso soup to go with it. Yesterday Sakura made radish and carrot miso, so today I decide to go with onion and potato. I also cut up some saury and salt it, but wait to cook it. It tastes better right after it's done. I stop and think.
"What else can I make?" I think aloud. I want to repay Sakura for an excellent meal last night, so I should do something special just for her. I look in the fridge and notice a bit of leftover chicken. Remembering how good it was, I take it out and decide to cut it up to make some bite-sized meat rolls.
Apparently my mind isn't watching my hands, as I suddenly realize that instead of bite-sized rolls, I've made full sized ones with carrots and cooked in a wine sauce. I laugh. I've already got the saury as a main dish, silly.
"Guess I can pack these up for lunch to share with Sakura." still smiling at my mistake, I do so. No wonder Sakura is pushing past me so quickly if I'm making such rudimentary mistakes. "I'll have to make sure I keep these out of sight until it's time to leave"
"Keep what out of sight, Senpai?" I hear Sakura's melodic voice chime from the entrance of the kitchen.
My mind goes blank. I flip around, trying to hide the rolls with my body and try to push her out of the kitchen. "Err... nothing! Nothing at all! I-I... umm... just nothing!" I panic, and she just laughs at me.
"Senpai, there's no need for you to be so obvious about it" She gives me that bright smile of hers and continues "If you'd like me to close my eyes while you go hide the delicious looking rolls I'm not supposed to see, I promise to act surprised later."
We both burst into laughter. Mornings are always so much more fun with Sakura around. She helps me pack them up with some rice for our lunches, and I turn to start cooking the saury while she puts them away in our bags.
"Is there anything I can help with this morning Senpai?" She asks sweetly. When I show her I'm just about done with breakfast she just smiles and begins getting dishes ready and taking them to the table.
"What would I do without you, Sakura?" I whisper to myself. She seems pretty lively this morning, humming to herself as she makes sure everything is perfect. I wonder whats got her so up today, but I know better then to ask. She'll just smile and continue on with her routine.
I hear Sakura talking to Fuji-Nee in the living room and a moment later Sakura comes back in blushing. I smile at her and help her plate up the food to take in. As she walks out once more, I finally stop and think. Somethings definitely odd this morning. I just can't put my finger on it. I sigh, using my chopstick to poke at the saury. It looks about done, so I take it off the grill and set it on the plate Sakura left for me. Putting some rice and leftover carrots around it to make it look nice, I pick it up to hand Sakura as she walks in.
She takes the plate... then freezes.
"Sakura, are you okay?" I ask. Her eyes say something is wrong.
After a moment, Sakura whispers "Senpai... whats that bruise on your hand?"
Confused, I look down. My jaw almost drops right off. It looks like a bruise, yes, but the pattern... its odd, I know I've seen something like it before. "That's really weird... I don't remember hurting myself. Do you think I should put something on it?" I ask her, but she seems very quiet all the sudden. She doesn't look well either. I put my other hand on her shoulder and it seems to snap her back to reality. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna clean it up just in case. Can you finish up here?"
Sakura nods dumbly, and I walk off towards the bathroom to rinse it. Poor Sakura, I think, she worries too much sometimes. I look down again at the mark on my left hand. "How the hell could I have gotten this? There's nothing in my room I could have hit it on while I was asleep, but it wasn't here yesterday night." Something else was bothering me, too. Sakura seemed so... distraught over it, but it's only a bruise right?
I sigh as I run some cool water over and try to rub it off. It doesn't, of course, but it was still worth a shot. I stare at myself in the mirror for a minute. My short black hair is a bit of a mess, but its good enough for now. My green eyes show the stress I'm feeling, and I bite my lip. I guess I'm not that good at hiding after all. "Maybe I should get some pointers from Tohsaka" I laugh to myself. I gently wrap my hand with a clean bandage and head back toward the living room... but something makes me stop and take one last look. I don't see anything wrong, but when I turn to leave once more, a thought flashes through my mind uninvited.
"...and all of them, Me."
I have to apologize for the waythe chapters are being layed out, I was originally writing this in one large RTF file. Being my first posting to FFNet, I didn't realize I needed to separate it into smaller pieces and post them individually so they aren't all that even. I'm trying to keep them roughly 5-6 pages each, if that's to long/ to short, just let me know and I can try and fix later chapters. Anyway, review and let me know what you think!