Máscara Sonreindo

Máscara Sonreindo

Chapter 20: Inesperado Pena

Surprise Sorrow

Author's Note: Instead of two chapters I made a longer chapter. Enjoy!

Leaving the mall with bundles of clothes stacked in her multiple bags; Ayano looked up at the darkened skies before stepping into the passenger seat. Mrs. Minegishi noticed the sudden silence and watched her daughter for any unusual facial expressions or body language. "Um…about what I said in the dressing room…about the divorce. Don't let it bother you, there's more than one reason I separated from your father," she explained, smiling. Ayano looked at her, clearly paying attention to her with those blue yet oddly gray eyes. "I know I'm just a little tired," Ayano said, turning to the window, her chin on her palm.

Mrs. Minegishi started the engine, still suspicious of her daughter. "Remember, if anything is wrong all you have to do is tell me, that's what we agreed to," she reminded. Ayano smiled. "I know," she replied, instantly taking back the grin. Despite the reminder of a listening ear, Ayano chose to deny it, hiding any words about the sickening murk within her heart. She had no idea where such a horrible emotion came from but today was the first time she ever felt it, a feeling so strong it temporarily warped her perspective. On what, she had no idea.

Naturally, she placed that ill sensation aside, instead choosing to focus on her date the next day with Misao-a date she guaranteed to be special.

Gobbling down the remaining pile of rice on her plate, Misao quickly finished off her juice before excusing herself from the table. Her parents could only watch in horror as their daughter reverted to the mannerisms of a boar, simply leaving them without an explanation. "I guess you must be excited about your date tomorrow," her mother nervously laughed.

"Yep!" Misao cheered, heading for the stairs, stopping only in reaction to her mother's voice.

"Do you need any help picking out an outfit for tomorrow?" she asked.

"Nope, I know exactly what I'm going to wear," Misao gleefully said, hopping up the stairs. She dashed into her room, locking the door and quickly removing her pants and shirt. Walking over to her closet, she pulled out the shorts and shirt she had planned, bringing them to the mirror.

The brunette lightly pressed the ironed clothes against her barely clothed body, previewing herself for tomorrow. She stuck her leg out, observing how the sleeves of the shorts pulled up against her thigh. Misao grinned. "I should show off a little leg," she said. "Wonder what Ayano would say?"

Misao drifted backwards, plopping onto her bed with the clothes still in her hands. She happily sighed, sliding her hand onto her chest. The joyous throbs of her heart brought a sweet blush to her cheeks as she looked forward to the following day.

Ayano lifted the top of the pot, smelling the aromatic steam from the boiling rice and shrimp. A small basket laid atop the counter in the center of the kitchen, awaiting the meal Ayano was preparing. She tightened her apron and closed the pot, walking over to the cabinets. She picked out a few plates and silverware, packing them into the basket next to the bottle of juice.

Water began to spill from the edges of the pot, forcing Ayano to quickly charge towards it and shut off the stove. She lifted the pot by the handles and placed it away from its current spot on the stove, letting it cool down. Yet, no matter the heat from the rice and seafood, she couldn't kill the wet, warm feeling that returned to her chest, an emptiness that pecked at her chest. The orange top decided to call it quits for the night, placing the food in as few bento as possible and packing them into the basket.

Ayano untied the apron and tossed it onto the table when she would usually fold it neatly and place it on the coat rack in the kitchen. Entering her room, she noticed her empty chair-where she would usually place her outfits. She headed towards the closet and simply grabbed whatever looked good, a contrast to her usual behavior. Unlike every night before she began dating Misao, she slept without anticipation or romantic fantasies.

Holding onto the pole with one hand and the basket in another, Ayano balanced herself on the train. She managed to find the excitement for this date once again, wanting to nurture this feeling so she could forget the enigmatic dread that built up inside her. "I just feel so confused and loss…like I'm losing something…" she muttered to herself in an attempt to organize her thoughts. She turned to see if anyone noticed her. With the coast clear, she clapped her hands close together and shut her eyes. She began to pray. "Dear God…please put these horrible feelings aside…if just for today. I want today to be special and I know what I'm doing may not please you but…I believe love is love no matter what."

With those words she opened her eyes and quickly picked up her basket, waiting for God to fulfill her request. Ayano stood there among the few people on the train, anticipating her instant cure from the being up above. Only a greater entity could restore her former self. She waited yet the negativity remained. Ayano bit her lip, feeling more at a loss than before. She could only hope that Misao's presence became the medicine her soul needed. With a tight grip on the basket's handle, Ayano headed towards the train door, hearing the vehicle slowly grind into the next station.

Once the doors opened she quickly made her way out, searching every corner and side for the brunette she needed. "She isn't here," Ayano mumbled. "Maybe she's already outside." Hastily climbing the steps, Ayano stopped when the brisk cold of the city tapped her skin. Lost in desperation, Ayano looked wildly for Misao, unable to see her. "Come on, come on," Ayano whispered, almost falling into a panic.

"Hey," a familiar voice said, grabbing onto Ayano's shoulder. The blue-eyed girl turned around, noticing Misao sweetly grinned behind her. "You okay?" Misao asked, keeping her hands in her pocket. "Oh…yes, I was just feeling a little excited I guess," Ayano said, now holding the basket with both hands.

"Well, I'm ready whenever you are!" Misao happily cheered, placing her hands on her hip. "My, you seem really excited today," Ayano noted. "You're even wearing shorts instead of pants."

"So you've noticed," Misao confidently grinned. "Just thought I'd give you a little look at my legs. Besides, I feel really great! We've been talking and hanging out all week at school, I've learned a lot about you." The two then began to walk down the sidewalk, Ayano assuming the role as guide.

"I've learned quite a lot from you too," Ayano said. "You only get more interesting."

"Oh yeah," Misao said. "What's that basket you're holding? I guess it's obvious we're going to have a picnic today huh?"

"I was planning on us having lunch on the beach today," Ayano gladly explained.

"Wow, you really are making this date special. I'm kind of flattered," Misao said, rubbing the back of her head. Ayano could feel the negativity coil away for now. She decided to take full advantage of this tranquil moment and enjoy the company of her girlfriend, the target of her affections.

"Nothing can make this day bad," Misao said. "As long as I get to spend time with you."

"I see you're very affectionate today," Ayano smiled; surprised she didn't feel more pleasure than this. It was becoming too easy to sink back into the dent of misery she was slowly suffering from.

"You want me to hold the basket?" Misao asked, stretching her hand out.

"Oh, no. It's okay, I have it. Thank you," Ayano politely said. "It's nice of you to offer though. That's something I really adore about you. Your kindness and willingness to help people."

"I just try to be a good person," Misao smiled. "But…you're probably one of the nicest people I know. You're really sweet like that."

"Me? I guess I try to just be a good person too," Ayano chuckled.

"Well, you beat me by a mile," Misao said. "It's rare to see someone so patient and considerate like you. I secretly get annoyed by people sometimes."

"It's pretty common but what matters is that you're nice in the end," Ayano replied.

"I guess you already have your own ideology on the concept of niceness huh?" Misao teased.

"You could say that," Ayano said.

"Oh yeah! I was thinking about this the other day but…I really don't know what clubs you're in," Misao said. "I'm so stupid."

"Clubs? I'm in the cooking club," Ayano said. "Is there something you want to know?"

"Not really…just wanted to hear what clubs you were in. Probably thinking about dropping by sometimes before going to my track meetings," Misao explained.

"That would be great," Ayano said. "I would like to see you off before you go. We could probably walk home afterwards."

"Eh…sometimes track takes forever," Misao revealed, resting the back of her head on the palms of her hands. "Our coach really pushes us. He doesn't even give us snacks or anything."

"Do you want me to make me something before track?" Ayano asked.

"Nah, that would be too much to ask. You always cook something for me. I should cook something for you," Misao offered.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Ayano smiled, grateful for the offer. She then noticed the look of surprise on Misao's face, as if she just solved a murder. "Is something wrong?"

"I just remembered something," Misao said. "All this talk about cooking and clubs. Didn't you want to be in salsa class?"

"Wha….excuse me?" Ayano muttered, staring clueless at Misao.

"Don't tell me you don't even remember," Misao said in complete shock. "Oh wait! I get it! You just used salsa class as an excuse to spend time with me!"

Ayano stood there, frozen and flustered. She was caught off guard with that recollection, surprised she forgot something so recent. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"What's there to apologize about you sneaky little girl," Misao smiled. "I'm flattered."

As the two came closer to the beach, the wet smell of salt and sand seeped into their noses, signaling the short distance. Ayano held onto tightly to the basket as she searched for the perfect spot. The clear skies above made almost any location great, combined with the soothing sound of the waves and the vacancy available. Surprisingly there were only a few people on the sands today. "That looks like a good spot," Misao pointed out, reassured by a nod from her girlfriend. The two stepped down the sand-covered steps and walked over to it.

They took their shoes off, Ayano handing hers to Misao as she knelt onto the ground. She opened the basket, pulling out a large towel from it and popping it open in the air, stretching it across the ground. Misao sat down next to her, placing their shoes to the side. Ayano opened the basket, letting the soothing scents swim in the air. Misao could drool from the smell alone. Leaning next to Ayano, she gazed into the basket, seeing a variety of dishes in miniature bento.

"That smells really good," Misao said, giving Ayano room to prepare the area. She handed Misao the paper plates before she set the boxes down. Misao viewed every dish with a strong hunger to wolf it down as each one was placed before her, almost teasing her. "Your cooking is always the best," she said. "You could make a good chef you know."

There was no answer. Misao looked up, noticing that Ayano didn't respond at all like she usually would. She simply continued to pass out dishes and silently stared off. The wretched dread that had clung onto her heart had returned. Ayano sat on the towel, lost in new thoughts, thoughts that sent grim stings through her body. Words would randomly pop into her head. She tried to put together some kind of theme, a sort of background or similarity between all of these words. Soon, only a sentence remained. A powerful one. "I might lose it all…."

"Ayano?" Misao quietly asked, putting down the fork and knife. Ayano sat there, giving no answer. The only sign of life was her continued motion of picking up and placing food down, though there was no more left. "You okay? Ayano. Ayano!"

"Huh? What?" Ayano suddenly said, ripped from her cognitive world. "Misao? Is everything okay?"

"That's what I would like to know," Misao said. "You didn't hear me calling you before?"

"No…I'm sorry. I just had a little brain fart," Ayano smiled, closing the basket. She turned and grabbed a plate, still keeping a smile on her face. "We can eat whenever you're ready."

"Okay…let's dig in!" Misao cheered, poking the shrimp first and dropping it on her plate. She could quickly sniff every wonderful dish before as she placed it onto her plate. The effort and skill used to prepare everything was easily detected and appreciated. Ayano watched peacefully as Misao picked out what she wanted to eat, memorizing each dish.

"I made a lot of different things to see what you like," Ayano said.

"Yeah, I eat a lot more than just meatballs," Misao smiled, lifting the curry from one of the boxes. She tasted it before getting more food. "Oh, sorry. I put my mouth on the fork."

"It's okay. I know you're clean," Ayano teased, letting Misao get more food.

"Well, if you want to know more about what I eat, I could just tell you," Misao explained. "I love shrimp and grilled fish. Noodles and bread are pretty good too along with almost anything egg-related. What about you?"

"I like pastries and soft foods like cakes. Seafood is my favorite along with rice and things like pancakes," Ayano said.

"Wow…I would have guessed you would have some sort of high class taste to you like croissants and tea," Misao said. "Not to say you don't have good taste."

"I like most things as long as they're not full of grease," Ayano explained. Suddenly another terrible thought emerged in her head. "How long can this last?"

Ayano ignored it, focusing on the girl in front of her as she began to eat.

"I would like to make you something sometime. Like a cake or something," Misao said, eating a mouthful of noodles afterwards. "You do so much for me."

"It's because I want to," Ayano said. "You don't have to make anything for me."

"And what if I want to?" Misao playfully asked. "I really want to learn how to cook this kind of stuff. Maybe you could teach me?"

"I would love to," Ayano said, giving a small smile.

"Is something the matter?" Misao asked, lowering her plate.

"Hmm? No, why do you ask?"

"Just wondering…somehow something feels off about you," Misao explained.

Laughing, the two girls stretched their legs before leaning back, watching the waves tumbled atop each other. The cool, salty feel of the breeze gave a romantic atmosphere to the finished meal. Misao's hair hopped along the wind as Ayano's flowed along it softly. The ocean gleamed with the sun above, quietly rolling along the beach. Seagulls flew by, swooping across the surface of the ocean. One even managed to grab onto a fish.

"Wow! Did you see that?" Misao excitedly asked, pointing at the bird as it flew into the air, the fish imprisoned in its talons. "That was cool!"

Ayano warmly smiled, noticing that Misao was now a few inches closer to her. Had the brunette grown more affectionate? Ayano responded in kind, allowing her hand to crawl along the sheet until it felt the warm presence of Misao's. The swamp-warm thoughts returned to her but Ayano placed them aside, wrapping her fingers around Misao's. Golden eyes rose from behind the brown bangs, feeling Ayano's hand intertwined with her own. Misao blushed but no longer hesitated. She instead looked back at the ocean, smiling.

"Going to the beach was a great idea," Misao said. "This date is really starting off good; it feels like this is all I'll ever need to be happy." Misao then looked at Ayano, noticing the previous silence and lost stare into space. "Ayano? Are you having another brain fart?" Misao asked, leaning closer to the girl. There was no response. A sly thought then came to mind. Misao leaned towards Ayano ear and whispered "I'm taking off all my clothes." Nothing.

"Ayano!" she called out.

"Misao….did you call me?" Ayano asked, as if she suddenly awoke from a dream.

"Yeah, like a billion times. What's going on?" Misao asked.

"I don't know…I guess I'm a little tired," Ayano said, not even looking at Misao.

"You want to go home and rest?" Misao sweetly asked, completely worried about the girl who's hand she now held.

"No, no. I don't want to ruin the date," Ayano said.

"You've been drifting off a lot today but today was perfect," Misao said, rising from the towel. "Besides, I rather have you well rested than forcing yourself to be with me when you're tired. It'll make happier."

"If it's okay with you…" Ayano said, getting her shoe from the ground. Misao began to put away the dishes and boxes, neatly packing them away as Ayano stood back. "I can't believe this is happening…" Ayano said to herself. "This date was suppose to be special and I'm cutting it short."

"Okay, let's go," Misao smiled, holding the basket.

"Misao, are you sure this is okay?" Ayano asked.

"Of course. I want you to be happy too," Misao said. "You deserve to rest."

"You're not upset?" Ayano asked as the two began to walk away from the beach.

"Why should I? you're more important than a day out," Misao said. "Besides, we can have those anytime after you're rejuvenated." Ayano didn't know what to say. She was really tired but found it too convenient, almost selfish to cancel the rest of the day on her account. Though Misao didn't mind at all, Ayano couldn't help but feel guilty, especially with the truth hidden away from even herself.

"You sure there's nothing wrong?" Misao asked, giving the question one more shot before completely resigning.

"Of course, I'm perfectly fine," Ayano said. "I just need…some sleep."

"Okay…" Misao said, unable to help her suspicion.

The walk back to the train station was a quiet one. Ayano feigned fatigue to the best of her ability, giving off a yawn every few minutes. She wiped her eyes and walked slower, only fooling most of Misao's concerns.

Riding on the train, Misao looked over at the orange haired girl who sat next to her, the one who slept on her shoulder-or at least pretended to. "She just needs more sleep," Misao told herself, now believing that lie.

In front of the Minegishi house, Misao and Ayano looked at each other, unaware of how to end this day. Ayano, both wanting to be with Misao and be alone with her thoughts, wished for the best ending to make Misao happy. The brunette, wanting to believe the lie, leaned over and slowly moved her lips against the silk soft cheeks of Ayano's, blushing as she did. This was something she planned since morning.

"You…you make sure to get plenty of sleep," Misao said.

"I will," Ayano smiled, heading towards the door. She rubbed her cheek before stepping into the house, waving Misao farewell for the day. As she entered the house she caught sight of a note stuck the fridge.

"Sorry Ayano, I'm out grocery shopping and doing some errands. I'll be back before dinner so you can tell me how your date went-Love Mom."

Ayano nodded and tossed the note in the garbage before she went upstairs to her room. She sat on her bed, loosening her clothes before leaning against the wall. Hugging her knees and closing her eyes, she allowed the murky, unpleasant feeling to finally get past her shields. "Why do I feel so miserable?" she whimpered.

Author's Note: I'm back! And with a plot! Anyway, next time I have a surprise for you guys. Not a bonus chapter or anything like that. You'll see. Feed me reviews!Anyway, time for an update in the Author's life. I'm fine. Just my laptop's keyboard is going slowly disintegrating. My down button doesn't work anymore and another key popped off. Never buy laptops from Dell. Ever. My N button fell off ages ago, I use the right Alt button as a replacement by remapping my keyboard. This won't affect the fanfics but it makes things so much harder. It's kinda hard cleaning a keyboard on a laptop without disassembling it completely. If anyone has any answers or solutions,I'm all ears.