Dear Takeru,
I haven't even sent you a reply for your last long letter!
You don't need to send me a long reply, it's just been bugging me lately. And this will be the last long letter I'll send you in a while!
So, hmm, it all comes down to this, eh? The whole year, you and me exchanging letters, gaining a penpal or two in Ryuu and Haruka, getting over your anti-social-ness… Solving mysteries, talking about life, setting our teachers up…
As for my 'medical condition' as you so kindly put it, I say to you, 'And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty.' From Macbeth. I personally think that the Witches are such fascinating characters. They seem to possibly be based on the Norns of Norse mythology. But I'm pretty sure they didn't have beards. Oh dear, I guess?
Anyways, I'll have you know that normally, it's very painful to see that someone would dare say that I have a psychological disorder. Oh, don't worry. I won't mind if it's you. But only because you're you, of course, Takeru, and that you're just as crazy as me.
That phase is called bitterness, Takeru.
And Kanako-san… Fine, I'm shutting up on that topic. *wink, wink* Did she cry when you were leaving, though, I wonder?
Anyhow, I have read Shakespeare's Macbeth lately, as you can tell by the above quote. There was this pretty one that I really liked. "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day to the last syllable of recorded time. And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing," and all that. And yes, I did write that down from memory.
I'm reading Taming of the Shrew next, oh yes. 'That do speak of me.'
Signed, Hikari
Dear Hikari,
Takeru's all about ready to move now. His things are all packed and Ryuu's class and Takeru's team threw him going-away parties. So cute. I was there, of course. Even though I did not belong to either Takeru's class or his team, which is funny like that. Ryuu went to both but he does belong to Takeru's class.
I volunteered to be the photographer, and I hope you like the pictures I sent. There were no alcoholic drinks involved so I really don't know exactly why Takeru was on a surfboard with a bamboo sword on the blue blanket. But I thought it was funny and that you'd appreciate it. I have one of Ryuu juggling balls of cheese and raw eggs though. And evidence that they really were raw, since my next shot was of his hair soaked with white and yolk.
Hey, that's not nice.
Of course it isn't—it wasn't mean to be.
Cruel!
Right. Anyways, Hikari, I hope you enjoy the pictures. Have fun.
Hey, hey, Hikari, Haruka has a picture somewhere of her wearing a frilly, poofy dress and a crown. She was like six in it but I want revenge for the egg thing so it'll have to do. Want a copy?
Is that situation really embarrassing?
Hmm, I would be if it were me.
But you're a guy and I'm a girl.
Aww… so you don't feel embarrassed?
… Sometimes I wish I could crack that skull of yours and see what's inside. If I'm lucky, I'll find a brain. No, it wasn't embarrassing for me. Only when I tripped. And there was no photograph of that.
Hmph. What about the time you tried to cook something and it exploded.
What about the time you exploded your mother's oven, Ryuu-chan? It wasn't so long ago.
You were following a cook book and you STILL got it wrong.
So did you.
Ugh, I give up.
You never had a chance of winning.
I resent this injustice! It's an injustice I tell you! You're meaaaaan, Haruka!
If I hear one more word out of you, I swear I'll do something drastic, and you won't like it.
… Technically, we're writing this down.
Are you testing me, Ryuu-chan?
The next time we write, it's probably going to be to the two of you together already. It'll be odd.
Signed, Haruka and Ryuu
Dear Hikari,
It's AWESOME news, actually. I'm not surprised Mom tried to keep it secret if she wasn't sure. I might cry if she had told and then said it turned out not to be the case.
We're all packed. And this is… can you believe it? The last letter I'm going to send you before I get back to Odaiba! (I'm leaving in three days.) It feels like such a short while back that we started writing. I think I'll miss this. I guess… we're going to keep writing to Ryuu and Haruka, right?
Signed, Takeru
P.S.- Thank you for your last long letter. I know I won't hear from you for a while—I'd be unpacking and settling in and generally be fairly busy. But I really appreciate it for all I'm not writing you a long one back.
Dear Haruka and Ryuu,
This is the last letter I'll be sending before Takeru arrives. It's odd—I can't really register that Takeru really is coming back. I have the feeling he won't come back here after all, for all that he has packed. And he'll arrive soon. I don't think I'll write him until we meet again, though.
I don't know, lately, I can't seem to process that he's coming here and staying for good. Is it shock?
I'm happy about it, though.
… I'm worried, though, that if he comes here for good, it'll be awkward. Or we'll run out of things to talk about.
You guys seem to be so happy that it seems silly for me to not be. I'll definitely cheer up.
Anyways, I loved the pictures you two sent me. Lovely shot with the eggs, Haruka! Ryuu's expression was priceless as well. Did he thing the eggs were cooked?
I don't really know what to make of Takeru surfboarding, though. It looks kind of silly. But why was there a porcelain doll shattered in the background? It looks fairly expensive.
Signed, Hikari
It was a normal day to all appearances, but it wasn't, not really.
It was something she'd been looking forward to as soon as she heard it, for all that school wasn't something she generally looked forward to on a yearly basis.
Hikari beamed as she ate her breakfast. Taichi noticed, but decided not to say anything aside from passing her a letter. "For you," he told her. "Don't be late."
Dear Hikari,
We have to send this now since school is starting very soon for us and we'd HATE to be late on our first day—I hope this makes it to you before you have your first day.
Takeru is coming. Period. It's funny, actually, that the last day he was here, he was nervous about the exact same thing. I mean, mostly, I know you two have been writing about the events of your lives, but what if it's too boring to live it with each other?
Not true.
Exactly. It's fun to have each other. Really, it is.
Tchyeah, of course it is. Slightly embarrassing sometimes, of course. Make that very embarrassing, like the photos Haruka took, with the eggs. Yeah, incidentally, I thought they were hard boiled eggs. Is that so hard to believe?
And Hikari, in response to your other letter, that was a fairly expensive porcelain doll that belonged to Takeru's classmate's mother.
He cried when he saw the remains.
So heartless, Ryuu.
Like you're one to talk?
…ANYWAYS, Hikari, THIS letter is the last one we're sending to you only. Next time for sure, Takeru'd be with you. Cheer up!
Signed, Haruka and Ryuu
It was the first day of school, and the beginning of an adventure. In more ways than one.
"It's been a long time," he greeted her.
She smiled at him, sunny bright. "You've gotten taller."
And then, it was honestly like they had barely spoken in three years, met only twice in that time, and had written letters the past year.
It was like he'd never left.
"Did you finish unpacking yet?"
"Yep, pretty much."
"Oi, you!"
"His name's not 'you', it's Takeru-kun," she complained at Daisuke, and he fumed, his face colored red with irritation.
"'Takeru' what's your relationship with Hikari-chan?" he demanded. And she lifted a hand to rest her head because she felt she deserved the brief comfort it had on her suddenly throbbing head.
"Huh, what are you talking about?" Takeru asked, before laughing. "Daisuke-kun, you're very funny!" His gaze landed on her then, briefly but she could feel the smile on his gaze. So this is Daisuke?
"I am NOT funny at all!" the boy protested. Hikari sighed.
"Ah, there you are!"
"Oh, Miyako-san!" Takeru greeted cheerfully. Miyako ignored him.
"You're Yagami Hikari-san, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Do you know a Yagami Taichi?"
"Onii-chan!"
And then they ran off to a new adventure.
Hey Ryuu, Haruka,
We've been having fun lately, but there's been some trouble. We can't write you guys for a while. It's not too much to say that the world sort of depends on this. I'll write when I can. So will he, probably.
You two were right. We've met new friends along the way, but it feels so natural that me and Takeru are here, together, again.
Even so, the years he's left, the way we've got in contact again, meeting you two…
I don't think I would've had it any other way.
Signed, Hikari
