Author's note: Yo, people! I know I've been slacking off lately, but my updates are gonna be a bit slower from now on 'cause my left hand is currently somewhat handicapped, and it will remain that way for about two months or less. So don't expect this temporarily crippled writer to update real fast, 'cause people with one hand can't type real fast.
Ichinose Sen stood by her window, staring out of it. She'd been doing that for the past hour. The sky had turned from light blue to orange and to black. She gazed intently into the dark, dark sky. As she stared, she forced down the mouthful of vomit forcing its way up her throat.
No... I can't do this! She stood up abruptly, her stool flying out under her, hitting the wall, and she threw the curtains shut.
It's been half a year now, will she continue like this for the rest of her life? Will she never be able to connect the broken parts inside her?
Yukimura had taken up the job of accompanying Yukiko home, as Ichinose was absent today.
When Yukimura held the girl's arm, for some unknown reason, his chest did a gymnastics routine. It was as if someone had let loose a dozen pachinko balls in there.
"You okay?" Yukiko frowned. "You've been really quiet... and smiling really weirdly. You high on sugar, Child of God?"
Trying to hide the pink patch creeping up his face, he changed the subject quickly. "Can I ask you a dumb question?"
"Sure. Fire away." She smiled.
"Why do you always make an effort to face people directly when you speak?"
There was a pause. "Maybe it's because I still cannot bring myself to acknowledge the fact that I am blind." Another pause.
"Can I ask you an insensitive question?"
"Depends on what you're asking." She shrugged. "But, 'course you can."
"Were you born blind?"
"No."
"Then how-"
"Whoops! I think you just crossed the borderline into Territory Sensitive. Sorry, Child of God, I don't like to talk about that stuff. Maybe some time later, when I get to know you better." Yet another pause.
"Okay." Neither of them spoke again.
Google, apparently, Yukimura discovered, had attention deficit hyperactive disorder. In short, that dog was ADHD. Was it even possible for a seeing eye dog to have ADHD?
"You dog-"
"Oh, never mind him. He's always like that."
"But he's a seeing eye dog. He's supposed to be tame."
"He is." Google barked indignantly in agreement.
"You call sticking your head into a washing sink and smashing your head into the window every fifteen minutes tame?"
"What if I do?"
"Then I'm going to have a long chat with the principal deciding whether you are mentally fit to assume to role of a coach."
"Oh, take it down an octave." Yukiko punched his kidney lightly. "It's just Google. Google's just Google."
Yukimura rolled his eyes. "That's some amazing philosophy there. Google is just Google. Any more profound thoughts like that? An asylum is an asylum? A mental patient is a mental patient?"
Yukiko had invited Yukimura to her apartment for a bound of tea after the awkward silence, and Yukimura had been more than glad to.
Her apartment was on the 100th floor, overseeing the beauty of Kanagawa, only that the owner of the flat could not appreciate the view. The apartment was completely armed, with emergency buttons every few feet, metal bar handles trailing all over the walls. No patch of wall managed to escape safety's wrath. There seemed to be no kitchens in the house though. (Which was a good thing, just in case Yukiko randomly presses some weird button and sends the building into flames.)
Yukiko rubbed the dog's fur affectionately. "He's got guts, and I like that. When they told me to choose a dog, they told me that this guy here had been found in the streets, parentless. But he didn't even so much as whimper when kids threw rocks at him. He stood his ground. He's strong, whether you know it or not."
Yukimura gazed into her eyes intently, taking of the advantage that the girl could not notice this intimate action. He could almost see the sadness and empathy leaking out from there. It was almost as if she could relate to the dog...
"So," Yukimura started, "you live alone here?"
"Yeah. My home is kinda far from Kanagawa, so my grandpa had me live here instead. Don't worry, this is a luxury condo. I just have to ring a bell and servants will come and help me with whatever I need."
The condo had no walls, giving a blind person a safe access to the rest of the flat. But what about-
"No toilets here." Yukiko supplied helpfully. "You have to go down to the clubhouse. Grandpa's afraid I might hit my head on the toilet bowl and pass out or something."
Clubhouse? This was definitely 'luxury'.
"Your family's rich?" Yukimura asked curiously.
"No," she laughed, "Grandpa's near to going bankrupt this month, no, definitely not rich. But my mother's side..." Her sentence trailed off, leaving behind an awkward silence. Something silvery appeared at the corner of her eye. "Well, I think it's about time you left. Look at the time, your parents will be worried." She changed the subject, turning away.
Yukimura wanted to say something, but he took up his bag and went to the door.
He smiled an angelic smile, knowing she could not see it, and said, "The biscuits were very nice. I'll be seeing you tomorrow at Sports Day." Then he stepped out of the flat and shut the door. His unspoken question remained on the tip of his tongue.
What about your parents?
The Sports Day could be described as...extremely one-sided. Every event was dominated by either the track team or the tennis team or both. Reasonable, considering both sports teams were National-level.
Kirihara got the second in the 400m race.
Sanada-fukubuchou came back with three golds for javelin, discus and shot put, huffing 'tarundoru' under his breath.
Jackal practically dominated the long races, winning the cross-country race, 1500m run and the obstacle course.
Marui won third at the high jump, while Niou and Yagyuu were disqualified for tricking the players by impersonating each other, thus receiving a well-earned glare and a slap from their gentle vice-captain.
Yukimura was simply amazing, who knew the yips reaction could be applied on the field? He marveled at the stunning array of medals on his neck as the jaws of the other students hit the ground.
But yips or no yips, Yanagi's long jump competition was by far the most impressive of all. Have you ever seen a person win a competition by muttering crazy calculations and scaring wits out of people? Well, now, you have.
"This may incredibly be the most boring day of my life, and believe me, I've went through a lot of boring days, so that's saying a lot." Yukiko declared, giving a huge yawn. She exempted from all activities, of course. "How do you expect a blind person to enjoy herself at an event where you have to see to receive entertainment? Kill me now." Sen, who was by her side, gave no answer. She hadn't participated in any event or made any detectable movement throughout the day. The speaker on the wall crackled again.
"Ichinose Sen of class 2-D, will you please proceed to the marshall area for the 200m dash? Thank you."
Yukiko sighed. She didn't bother to convince Sen to go for the tenth time. Sen seemed to be in agreement with that, and kept to herself. But, if Yukiko could see, she would notice the longing glances Sen gave the track field and the runners on it. Yukiko would notice the twitching hand that unconsciously reaching out for the field, and withdrawing quickly. And she most definitely not miss the agonized look on the silent girl's expression, as if in pain.
After lunch, the finals took place, as well as the relays. Just then, Kirihara came sprinting towards the pair.
"Yukiko! Ichinose!" He panted as he skidded to a halt in front of them.
"Oh, Bakaya? What's up?" Yukiko asked, immediately recognizing the voice.
"We have a really huge problem." Kirihara's quivering voice indicated the urgency, and Sen looked up. "Aoyama and Matsuoka both can't run, and now we're missing two runners for our class's relay team!"
Author's note: Hey, so I'm gonna be focusing a bit on Sen for three chapters, because she's gonna play a major role later on (oops, spoiler), and I want to properly introduce her before inserting her into the story. This arc will continue onto Part 3, mind you. BTW, folks, Kanagawa Districts Tournament gonna start right after I finish the Ichinose Sen arc, so keep posted. It's gonna get more exciting once the story advances into the tennis matches. FYI, I'm not gonna be sticking with the original line-ups in the manga/anime, and there will be OC Kanagawa schools appearing, so be prepared.
