Written from Satoshi's point of view from now on. I hope you like it :)

Disclaimer: See part 1

Growing up in different worlds - Part 4 - Never forgotten

It had been 4 years. 4 years since I last saw her. And yet I remembered those days as if they happened yesterday. With all that had been going on, you'd think I would have forgotten, wouldn't you? But how could I have forgotten such happy times amongst all the sad things that had been happening? After all when you are sad, this is what you do.

You remember.

You remember the good times if there are any. If there aren't, then I'm sorry but you're just not thinking hard enough. Everyone has at least one good thing happen to them in their life, whether to them it's being born; or dying and moving on. But mine you ask? Mine was meeting her, and being with her. Those were probably the two happiest years of my life... but the second happiest... was the year I turned 12 and I finally met her again. Risa... a name I never forgot.

I was walking back from my first day at university. Yeah, I know I was kinda young for uni... but my father had been pushing me really hard to study and since I was born with the gift to pick things up really easily, it wasn't that hard - you learn from everything around you anyway. The day had gone... relativly well... but the work was easy. Oh yeah, so easy. I knew I would be in uni and straight out as a police officer as fast as you can say... well, 'in uni and out as a police officer' I guess... (just not as fast, maybe)

So anyway. I was walking the long way this time (don't ask why) and suddenly I got tired and needed to sit down (Yes, university work is tiring.) So can you guess where I unintentionally stopped to sit down? Beside the river, on the forest route. The place that brought memories fludding back into my mind like water. But then I saw something amazing...

...it was Risa. She had sat there all this time and waited...

for me?

I realised that I was of course wrong when one of her friends came over to her and gave eachother a high-five.

"Thankyou so much, Ritsuko! I've wanted that hair-clip for so long!"

Her voice... it was so familliar that it hurt my ears.

"No problem! Here, have two since it's your birthday!"

"Thankyou sooo much!"

Yep. Girls are crazy. All they ever talk about is hair, boys and shopping. I was thinking. But then it hit me. Her birthday?!

I pretended not to notice her, being as stubborn as I was. But then she noticed me, and when Ritsuko had left, she came over to me. My heart started beating really fast with fear because I didn't want her to come over. The old me might have played around and laughed with her, but not the new me. Stay away from me you stupid girl!

"Excuse me, sir..."

No, no, no! Don't talk to me!!! I thought.

"But you are sitting right in the way of the sun and I'm trying to get a tan!" She grunted as if she didn't know me, in an extremly annoyed tone. I blinked twice. There was a new me... was this the new Risa...? Was this even Risa?!

"D-don't take that tone with me, miss!" I stammered, awkwardly - trying to sound angry.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, eh?" She growled. "Who do you think you are?! What's your name?"

"Satoshi..." She was about to jump in with something like 'oh! I know you!' but I quickly added; "Hiwatari. Satoshi Hiwatari."

She shrunk back, remembering that the Satoshi who she knew was called 'Satoshi Hikari'. And there are so many people called Satoshi in Japan. Sato means 'sugar' and shi means 'poetry', did you know that? Soooo... I'm sugar-poetry... nice.

"Oh... I see..." She frowned at me. "Hiwatari-san. Would you mind moving for me, please?"

"That's better. But no. I was sitting here first. Go someplace else if you want a tan."

"Grrr... you b! Grow up!" She snapped, pushing me out of the way. But I grabbed her arm and twisted it bitterly.

"I don't like the way you put that..." I grunted, twisting it further. Why am I doing this? I thought, desperate for help or some distraction before I would end up breaking her arm. Her face was tensed up with pain but stubbornly, she just stood there looking me right in the eyes, straight through my glasses.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh con tre Harada-san, I would!" I paused just after I said her name and took a deep breath, feeling her eyes burning on my face.

"How do you know... my name?"

I suddenly felt my hand spring off her arm and before I knew it, I was all ready to run away from her. But this time, it was her turn to grab my arm. "Are you... Satoshi Hikari? I can't tell with those glasses on..."

She reached up to me with her free hand and took the glasses off my face, carefully. But I kept my eyes tightly shut in rebellion.

"Open your eyes, don't be scared of me, Satoshi."

I opened my eyes and then in turn my mouth to shout: "I'm not scared of you!!!" But the moment she saw my unmistakablely Hikari eyes, she threw her arms around me. "Oh Satoshi-kun... I missed you so much..."

Author's note

OoOo, getting a little forward now, aren't we Satoshi?

Look, it was her who hugged me. Not the other way round!

Oh well. Whatever you say...

The next part will be up soon (but it might take a little longer this time - I'm away for quite a while on holiday) sorry that this one was too short again (the next one will be much longer, I promise!) and thankyou for your kind reviews! I will treasure them always xx