Chapter Nine: Unknown Soul
I return with chapter nine! Not a whole lot will happen during this chapter. It's mostly just Nibutani's graduation ceremony. I'm keeping it short intentionally because I wanted the focus of this chapter to be on Shinka's speech. Also the girl's get really emotional. Nothing new about that though.
I've really enjoyed writing this story, and I ask that you bear with me for only a little longer.
Disclaimers: This again? Really? *somethingsomething* Don't own… *somethingsomething* getting sick of saying this…
The day of graduation was upon her, and Nibutani Shinka realized suddenly that she was utterly unprepared to face it. She sat in the front row, surrounded by her fellow graduates to her sides and back, and had to force down a surge of panic. She wasn't just here to give a speech. She was here to say good-bye to all of the time she'd spent in the Far Eastern Napping and Magical Research Club.
No longer would she and Sanae be able to find private moments to exchange hidden kisses. No longer would she thump Isshiki over the head every time he made an inappropriate comment. She wouldn't be forced to watch the snail's pace with which Yuuta and Rikka's relationship progressed day by day. She was sure that her girlfriend would make sure that they got together every now and then, but it wouldn't be a daily thing.
The realization that she and Sanae were already winning in terms of relationships crossed her mind and momentarily elated her.
Just as quickly though, the thought drifted on and the apprehension descended once again. She turned in her chair, searching for those blonde pigtails that would reveal to her where her beloved junior was seated. She scanned in vain, not able to see through the students behind her and unwilling to stand and make a spectacle of herself. As if she could sense Shinka's thoughts, a grinning Sanae suddenly stood, briefly flashed a thumbs-up at the brunette, and then ducked down into the crowd.
The senior turned back to face the stage, not quite able to keep a grin from spreading across her face. It was just like the younger girl to be unperturbed by what others thought. At first that trait had been nothing more than an annoyance, but now Shinka was grateful for it. The sight of that grin on the other girl's face reminded the brunette that she wasn't just losing things today. She was gaining her future, and it was wide open. The only thing she knew for sure was that Sanae would be by her side.
The minutes passed in a blur after she was called up to the stage to give her speech. She stately made her way up to the stage and behind the podium. She gazed out into the faces of all of her school mates and sought the faces of her friends. Yuuta was smiling joyfully, cheering her on. Rikka was making some sort of sign that Shinka was sure was supposed to channel power or charisma to her. Isshiki appeared, unsurprisingly, as if he'd been dozing and just the sound of her name being called out had woken him. Kumin was in the guest section, also looking like she'd been nodding off. Her family was there too, cheering her on.
And there was Sanae; beaming with pride. When their eyes met, the blonde wiped away at tears that she would later swear had never been there. She also mouthed three little words that gave Shinka all the strength she needed to deliver her speech.
"Hello everyone," she started. "I'm Nibutani Shinka, and as you know, I'm your valedictorian. There are many things that I would like to speak about while I have your attention. About how precious these days have been to me, and how I think they should be to each and every one of you. About how much I've grown and learned by attending this school. About how much honor should be heaped upon our tireless teachers and faculty. But these things, despite how worthy they are as subjects to be elaborated upon, are not what I want to talk to you about.
"What I want to talk about is the club that I belonged to during my time here. Some of you may have heard about its embarrassing name: The Far Eastern Napping and Magical Research Club." She held out her hands to halt the chuckles that rippled through the crowd. "I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous, and at first, it truly was. As to how I was roped into joining the club, some of you may have heard rumors. That I followed Yuuta into it, and have been sticking around out of a broken heart. How Rikka cast a spell on me that compelled my attendance. Maybe about how I was forced into the club by my homeroom teacher.
"None of those rumors would be true. There's one that I've heard that used to embarrass me to no end, and that one would be the truth. I know that by now there have been many stories about how I used to be one of 'them': a chuunibyo, and, much to my regret most of the time, that one would be correct. I used to go by an utterly strange name and go about telling people about 'the spirits'." She put her head in her hands and sighed, before looking back up with a smile forced onto her face.
"And that's how I joined the club. I was chasing after the only remaining copy of a book I wrote in middle school: the Mabinogion. Some little gremlin had faithfully written all of my words from all of the different websites I used to frequent, and made a hard copy of those words. This person is absolutely incorrigible. Despite me asking them many times over to destroy it, they never did. We fought so many times over it, and they never stopped believing that I used to be the person I was in middle school. I can't even count how many times this person foiled my plans to get through high school without the truth coming out.
"Some of you may remember when I ran for student body president." She grinned wryly. "This person even managed to get that book into our speeches, and at the time, it was the most embarrassed I've ever been. But they never gave up trying to remind me of what good there was to be had in the way I used to think."
Shinka felt her eyes begin to tear up and she bravely ignored them, concentrating on getting through the speech. "This person even now sits among you, and is the best person I know. Her name is Dekomori Sanae, and everyone could strive to be a little bit more like her." She relished the look of surprise on her girlfriend's face at her revelation. "She taught me that there's nothing wrong with being open with your past, so long as you are comfortable with the person you are today. She reminded me of some of the most important lessons I ever learned, but had forgotten out of shame.
"One of these lessons is the power of dreams. You should never let go of what you want. Always grab onto your wishes and do everything you can to make it real. The power of your wants and desires can provide you with the strength to reach out to the stars and take those dreams by force. It's not always easy, sticking to your dreams, but if you are faithful to them, those dreams will come true, even if they change along the way.
"Another lesson I learned from her is the importance of being an example. I never knew that she had been watching me so intently. She once took every single word I ever uttered, and lived by them. Fortunately, I wasn't preaching anything negative, but it's still a stark reminder. Always be aware that what you say and do could affect others in ways you could never imagine.
"I have a list that of things that I've learned from her long enough that I could keep us here all day. But there's one thing that she taught me that bears more importance than anything else ever will. And that would be love." The tears that she'd been fighting for her whole speech started to spill over when she looked upon Sanae's face at her words. It was hard to tell through the tears in her eyes, but she could swear that the other girl's sapphire orbs were also moist.
"There is nothing more important…" Her voice started to break, and she cleared her throat, fighting to keep her speech going. The first time didn't work, so she tried it another few times before finally being able to continue. "I can't even begin to explain how important this lesson is. It's the reason I draw breath every day. It's everything I need to be the best I can be. It's the reason that I'm standing before you all, bearing my heart and telling you all to be the best you can be. Some of you may have already found a person who inspires you in this way. To be better than you could ever have possibly managed on your own. Some of you may have to wait a long time to find them. Maybe that person is already standing by your side without you realizing it; heavens know I certainly didn't.
"But when you find them, don't ever let them go. And listen to them; let them teach you to be better, and you teach them to be better. This school has brought us together to teach us the skills that we need to be the person that we need to be in order to find the person that we are destined for. Don't let those skills go to waste. Live your life to the best of you abilities and don't ever forget that if nothing else, all of you will always have a place in my heart. Now, let us face the future, my fellow graduating students."
She bowed to the crowd, letting tears drop from her cheeks to the stage floor. A thunderous wave of applause greeted the end of her speech, and it threatened to overwhelm her. She stayed bowed over as the wave of emotions from the audience swept over her. After a moment, she straightened, facing the crowd proudly with her tears.
As soon as the ceremony ended, Sanae ran into her arms, weeping. They embraced with all of their might, trying to crush the sorrow out of the other. Their friends and family gathered around them, one by one. Some were fighting down tears; others were beaming radiantly at the couple.
Shinka smiled at all of her loved ones as she ran her fingers through the blonde's pigtails, fighting down the urge to cry. She rationalized that she had shed enough tears on stage that she didn't need to cry anymore tonight. But the warmth that issued from all who were gathered pushed her over the edge and moisture filled her own eyes.
She placed her head against the top of the younger girl's, her chest heaving with sobs.
The shorter girl pulled back, lifting her hand to start wiping away at the brunette's tears. "Hey, you can't do that." She whispered softly. "You're the one who's leaving me behind."
The older girl laughed helplessly at the words and started to brush away the moisture on Sanae's cheeks. "That's not very fair."
The blonde sniffed haughtily. "I don't have to be fair. You surprised me with your speech. I wasn't prepared for that."
All gathered chuckled with mirth. "She has a point, you know." Rikka chipped in. "The minions of darkness don't need to… To…" The girl's one visible eye, already reddened, threatened to spill over again.
"Hey, I thought you promised me that you weren't going to do that anymore today." Yuuta chided her gently.
"I can't help it. Mori-Summer's words were so ancient and wise."
"Heh." Isshiki snickered. "She called you ancient, Nibutani."
Kumin smacked the immature young man over the head and bowed fully at the waist. "I apologize for his behavior. Now, if you'll excuse me, we do have others we have to see." The pair gave out hugs, and then went their separate ways.
The assembled families also could not stay for long and even Yuuta and Rikka couldn't stay with the pair for the whole time. Holding hands, Sanae and Shinka greeted other graduates and students that came to wish the older girl success in college and life in general. By the end of three hours, they were both exhausted and sitting in the back of the Dekomori car, hands still joined.
"I'm tired." The blonde said, leaning heavily against the older girl.
"I know. I am too." The taller girl turned and placed a kiss on the top of Sanae's head.
They passed a few moments in comfortable silence. "You really did surprise me." The shorter girl stated suddenly.
"I know. That was my plan." The brunette gave the other girl's hand a short squeeze. "It was really hard keeping the speech away from you."
"You didn't need to do that."
"But I wanted to. You deserve all of that credit and more." Shinka turned her girlfriend's face to hers and kissed her lightly. "Thank you so much for loving me."
Sanae blushed a bright red, but smiled. "Hmm… It might even be worth it… If you don't stop."
With a laugh, the taller girl kissed her girlfriend again. "Be patient. We'll have a lot more time for that later…"
Expressing her disappointment with a sigh, the blonde snuggled up closer to Shinka. "That sounds nice."
And chapter nine: complete! I hope that you guys enjoyed the speech. It was a challenging piece of writing, but I think I got what I wanted out of here. I'm planning chapter ten to be fairly short but to also cover a lot. It will feature the end of the girl's high school lives, at which point this part of my plans for the girls will be finished. I have truly enjoyed writing this, and I hope you'll stay with me for one more chapter for this part of their lives.
As always, please leave a review. They all help me in so many ways.
