Ta daa! Here ya go!!! Chapter 10! This one is PACKED with UekixMori! ... Maybe not, but yeah! And you'll find out why when you read it!!!!! And if I made a mistake on the cats eyes (If I EVER), then don't mind me XD
You've gotta love this chapter, I spent only two days working on it! I love the last line. LITERATELY! But don't you DARE skip the other contents of this chapter just to read it. It's more meaningful if you don't.
But!!!!!
This chapter isn't the LAST! So don't go "Awww...the last chapter already?" Because there's still MORE! Maybe not too much, but there's gonne be one or two (or even three) more chapters left to go! Don't get to excited tho, because
1. It'll take me a while to be able to finish the next chapter(s)
2. I need to know how the next chapter plots go.
3. The next chapter might be the last! (don't worry, maybe it won't happen.)
Love this chapter!
And don't forget...READ&REVIEW!!! I love your reviews!!!
Just say I Love You
Idiot
"Ai-chan…have you seen a ginger-and-white cat?" Rinko asked me not long after our visit to the library.
I still remembered how bluntly I replied to Rio-sensei. It's true anyway! He's just a friend. Or at least a best friend. Nothing else. I had said to myself silently when we left the library; and it was the same thing I was saying to myself right now.
Ginger-and-white cat?
"No. Not very recently since you guys came. Why?" I replied. "She kept it as a pet." Sano said dryly. I glanced at him, "You agreed?"
"She was creepy when I said no. Besides, I'm not the boss of her." Sano said. I thought, or was it because you did not want to argue?
Rinko did not hear Sano's words. She said, "It was such a cute thing! It was following us one day when you weren't around, Ai-chan. So I brought it to the apartment. But today, I realized it was gone!"
"Everything is cute in your opinion." Sano grumbled. Rinko ignored him, "I wanted to look for it but Sano said no! We had to go to school." "I don't blame him." I muttered under my breath so Sano and Rinko couldn't hear me.
Then I added aloud, "I'll go look for the cat today after school. I know both of you had something to do." "Yeah, projects." Sano let out an exasperated sigh.
"Thank you, Ai-chan!" Rinko said gratefully.
xXx
I hadn't received any other letters after the one I received when I went to the library.
It said.
I don't want to say 'dear' and all that, because I'm feeling lazy today. I just want to say that I'm glad Sano and Rinko went to see you. You wouldn't be so 'lonely', right?
I hope you'll manage to cope, eh? Oh, if you don't receive any more letters from me, it's okay.
It was short and simple. I wondered what he meant by the last line.
xXx
Why would it be okay if I don't receive any more letters for him? I didn't get it. But oh well; right now I'm looking for the cat Rinko said was missing.
Ginger-and-white…is it that cat again? I wondered.
As if by instinct, I headed over to the park. There's nothing here… It was giving me the creeps. It was night, after all. Nobody would be around…besides me of course.
I paused for a second, feeling a pang inside. Why oh why did I come here? It's not like the cat would be here right? And this place holds memories…
Suppressing a shudder, stifling a sigh, I looked around the place. It was unusually windy for spring. But of course, weather is unusual. It's still really cold, and it's early spring after all.
Why had I offered to look for the cat in the first place? The atmosphere here reminded me of a manga. Which was awkward.
I walked around the area in aimless circles. This was getting pointless. I could just go home and rest and tomorrow I'll just tell Rinko it was late and cold, and I couldn't find the cat.
But something caused me to stay. I don't exactly know what or why. I slumped down on a bench, wishing I could just be on my bed right now. I shut my eyes tight and I thought if I wished really, really hard, I could get this all over with.
I opened my eyes. Maybe not. "What kind of tricks are you up to now, Inumaru-san!" I managed to stop myself from yelling. I would wake or disturb everybody else. And if the cat were really here, I would scare it away.
"Here…kitty!" I grumbled through gritted teeth.
As if my legs had a mind of its own, I suddenly found myself walking towards the walls that separated the grass, trees and paths from the playground. The faint light illuminated the silhouette of the red, blue, yellow and green slide, the seesaw, the swings, the sandbox and such.
I felt like I was in a horror movie, but for some reason, I felt as if something good will happen. What kind of good thing will happen at this type of place?
"Me-ow!"
Hm? Is that a cat? Or the cat? I hope so. So I could get this over with. "Meow!" There it was again. There was no mistake, unless it was some other stray cat.
I looked around, and then something caught my eye. A pair of eyes had caught my eye.
I saw green oval-ish orbs staring at me. I could feel it. I could see it. This was getting creepy.
There it was! The ginger-and-white cat was perched on top of one of the swings, its tail swinging to and fro beneath the seat of the sing. What a gentle posture!
"Hey kitty…" I said nervously, hoping I was not a stranger to the cat. The cat parted its jaws to meow.
I walked gingerly forward, holding my hand out, as if attempting to stroke it. The cat parted its jaws into a yawn, swiped its tongue over its mouth. Then suddenly, it leaped up and pounced on my hand, then leaped up again and onto my head. "Ow!" I cried as it kicked my glasses off,
The cat landed on the ground and returned to its position. "You didn't have to do that." I muttered as I picked up the glasses.
Then I slumped onto the swing next to the cat. I slowly rocked to and fro. "What are you doing here anyway?" I said, although I knew it couldn't answer me.
Watching the cat lifting its chin towards something or nothing in particular, its eyes blinking, its tail waving expectantly, I wondered if it was expecting something to happen or somebody to come.
Then the truth dawned. This cat was the one Ueki and I encountered before. It was as if waiting for Ueki to arrive any moment. "Silly, Ueki's gone." I said. The cat didn't respond.
I watched its eyes look around, as if it trusted its own instincts that Ueki will come back. I let out sigh. "You loved him from the start too, didn't you?" I said.
Then I realized what I was saying. "What did I mean by 'too'? I'm saying a bunch of nonsense." I said, shaking my head sheepishly.
Then I lowered my eyes, wishing I wasn't crying. "He was my best friend." I said, lowering my head. I didn't know if the cat was taking in any of this, but I knew it was still there.
"He did so many things. Just to make me happy, or safe. Not only for me, but for others too. He knew others wouldn't be happy because it's always for the sake of them, but he got himself into a mess in everything because he was self-centered enough to care for them and not himself…"
Words came spilling out, I couldn't stop. I wasn't talking to anybody, the cat wouldn't understand me.
Suddenly, the swing beside me rattled, and I looked up to see the cat jump onto the ground and trot towards the slide. "Are you that insensitive? I was about to tell you a story with tears…" Suddenly I broke off.
Near the slide was a silhouette of somebody. His outline was no mistake. I saw him bend down to pick the cat up, which was purring with pleasure and happiness.
I stared at the person, my mouth half opened. I saw him turn towards me, and I could just see a half-smile half-grin on his face. I knew a person…who always gave me that expression whenever I worried and fretted.
I didn't know why but more tears sprang into my eyes, and sooner or later I knew I would become a waterfall wearing glasses.
I slowly lifted myself from the swing. "Ue…Ueki…?" I couldn't stop my voice from trembling.
"You were my best friend too." He smiled. It was no mistake. It was him!
Ueki tilted his head to one side, his face shadowed with concern, yet his eyes were warm. "Who made you cry this time?" He said.
I was crying beyond words. "Ueki, you…" I said, my voice choking with emotions. My feet began running. "You idiot!" I cried, hurling myself towards Ueki.
The cat jumped off Ueki just in time, just as I flung my arms around him. Both of us fell onto the slide. I kept my hold on Ueki, crying over and over again, "Idiot! Ueki you idiot!"
Ueki was silent at first, staring at me, then he smiled and sighed. He returned the hold. "I want to be the first to see you smile."