Chapter 28 (Yuiren)

The sun was high in the sky, bright with the radiance of summer, with only a few straggling clouds in sight. She was standing in the sunlight, enjoying the warmth, as well as the familiarity of the dream.

"Did you miss me?"

She smiled at the familiar voice, a bittersweet expression that said she knew she was dreaming, and her feelings were torn between wanting the dream to end... and wanting it to last forever.

"Nii-san," she greeted quietly. "I always miss you, you know that."

A familiar face, a mop of dark hair, slightly spiky like their father's, popped into view, her brother's body materializing before her in the dream as though he had always been there. His features and hers were very alike, but unlike her, he chose to wear no highlights in his hair. Like her, his body was slender, yet strong - Yasuo had always been strong. And he was at least as tall as Ittoki.

Worry filled her when she realized that for some reason, here, in her dream, his expression was blurred, his features hard to discern even beneath the clear sunlight.

"Nii-san?"

Something that might have been a grin crossed his face, which was still hidden from her. Upset, though she couldn't pinpoint why, Yuiren stepped forward, only for the ground to start shaking beneath her.

"Nii-san!"

The warmth of the dream was fading, turning to shadows, the ground fast morphing into a treacherous mountain slope. Yuiren hadn't been there, she had no idea what it had looked like, but suddenly she was there, at the place her brother's accident had happened, and behind her came a roar as an avalanche chased her down, down, down... into blackness and oblivion.

But all she knew, as she tumbled down into nothingness, was that once again, her brother was gone.

"- I said, wake up!"

Yuiren suddenly shot upright, chest heaving, eyes wide with pure terror. She felt like she couldn't breathe, the room was too small, the shadows too scary... but just as she opened her mouth to scream a switch was flipped and suddenly there was light. Letting the yell die down into heaving breaths, she forced herself to calm down and look around herself slowly, noting the presence of her roommate and correctly guessing that she'd woken him up while having a nightmare, and he'd woken her up from it.

Jun studied her warily, the way one might study a live wild animal in front of them. "Ya okay now, Yui-yui?"

Yuiren was too exhausted from the remnants of the dream to respond to the normally barely-tolerated nickname. Mentally and physically drained, she slowly nodded and slipped from the bed, heading to where her robe was hanging on the chair.

This was not the best way to start off the first day of summer.

"Er, cutie? Where ya going?" Jun looked as if he didn't think it was a good idea for her to leave the room, but Yuiren had to clear her head. The room felt too claustrophobic, too constricting, and she wanted terribly to be alone. Jun was nice, he was a good friend... but she didn't need him to be her friend right now. He meant well, but Yuiren felt squashed by his caring and she wanted to go somewhere else.

"Just for a walk, I'll be back," she promised, and left before he could change her mind.

It had been ages since she'd last dreamed of her brother. After his death, these dreams with the ski slope and avalanche had been frequent, along with dreams where she searched and searched and couldn't find him. Dreams of emptiness and loss, of a hole at the center of her universe... she'd suffered through those as well, and woken up crying and hurt. Her sister had helped, eventually moving into her room with her to keep the dreams at bay, but Yuiren wasn't sure why they were coming back. Company usually helped, this would be the first nightmare she'd had with Jun snoring in the corner, a steady, calming presence that she trusted.

She walked until her feet were tired, then found the perfect place to hide until the sun rose, or until her spirit had settled somewhat. Climbing slowly up into the branches of the old tree, she settled down against the trunk and leaned back to watch the lake as dawn began.

Somewhere around early morning, she sensed another familiar presence beneath the tree and looked down. He was there, and she relaxed once more as his guitar began to sing a calming, soothing morning song.

Only when the song had ended did he begin to speak, strumming idly, a nonsense melody that somehow relaxed her as well.

"I suppose you have a really good reason for skipping class again, and for sitting in a tree in pajamas and a robe?" Ittoki's voice was calm, without censure or judgement, and Yuiren nodded in response, feeling herself relax even more at the realization that he was here to be a friend, not to judge or scold. Sliding down a few branches, she stopped at one that put her right beside his head, where she could meet his gaze and talk to him without feeling like he was squashing her, too.

"Had a nightmare," she mumbled, and he hummed, seeming to understand.

"That was what your roommate said. Must have been bad. Wanna talk about it?"

She considered, but the shadows were still too close, and so she shook her head.

"Okay." He glanced up at her, and she felt her heart begin to warm, as though someone had lent her a jacket to protect her from the cold.

"How'd you find me?" she thought to ask, yawning a bit as she sat on the branch, legs swinging.

"I asked around. One of the groundskeepers was up early enough to have seen you heading this way. Just got lucky when I saw you in the tree. Tell ya what. I'll let you listen to my new song, then we'll head back together, yeah?"

She thought about it. Was she ready to return, so soon? She looked back down, into warm red eyes and the friendly face she'd grown attached to, and couldn't help but nod.

Ittoki grinned, leaned back against the trunk, and began to play and sing softly. Yuiren closed her eyes and let the music coax her back, and chase away the shadows that remained. And this time, when the song ended, and Ittoki offered her his hand, she leapt down from the branch and let him walk her back.

"This doesn't seem like the best time for me to mention summer vacation," Ittoki said, as they headed back towards her room, using the corridors that had fewer students since Yuiren was still in her robe.

She glanced at him curiously, and he rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish expression.

"We've been invited by Ren to join him for the holidays at his summer home. It's a villa thing by the beach, and his family normally uses it for the holidays. This time he has it all to himself while his brothers are on business, so he's invited Starish. He said we could bring friends. Told me to invite you."

"Me?" Yuiren's expression must have been just a little too disbelieving, because he said quickly,

"Yeah. I mean... he knows you and I are friends. It really was his idea." Pausing mid-step, he turned to her and asked, "I mean, you're free, right? His place is really nice. It's by the beach and all, and he has a yacht, and he mentioned good fishing and swimming and everything."

Yuiren glanced at her senpai uncertainly. "I was supposed to be going back to see my family this summer," she said slowly, honestly, and Ittoki's expression fell slightly. She wasn't sure why, but this made her smile. "I guess I could spend some time with you guys first though, and spend the last week of hols with them."

"Yatta!" her energetic senpai punched the air happily. "So you'll join us?"

She nodded slowly. "I'd have to clear it with my mom, but yeah, I think I wouldn't mind."

"Miki'll be there," he said, encouragingly. "I heard Ren tell Syo and Natsuki to invite her. Syo wasn't really too happy with the idea. Something about water and sand and Miki being a bad idea - well, he wasn't enthusiastic, but he said he'd ask."

"Aria?"

"Er... not sure. You could ask."

Yuiren nodded. Ittoki seemed lit up right now with excitement, and she couldn't help but smile at his boyish behavior. "Thanks for inviting me, senpai."

"Aw... it's nothing. You and me, we're friends, aren't we? Don't worry, we'll have some fun this summer." He winked at her and laughed as they stopped in front of her room. "I'll let Ren know you said yes."

She smiled back at him. "I'll see you around, senpai."

Minutes later, as a worried Jun began to cross-examine her over her whereabouts that morning and why there were leaves in her hair, damnit, and why her elbows were scraped almost raw... Yuiren had to wonder exactly why she'd agreed so quickly. She hadn't been on holiday since her twin's death, neither had she left the house much. School was school, but she hadn't wanted to go anywhere with any of her friends.

Yet somehow, Ittoki was different... and she wasn't sure how or why.


Later, she found out that Aria wasn't going to join them for summer vacation, though she had initially been invited - something about a summer job. Miki had giggled when she'd mentioned it, and the other girl had smirked from her corner of the room that she shared with Miki, and Yuiren had been too focused on the card game she was playing with Miki to really notice.

It had been quite interesting to discover that she and Miki both shared a passion for the trading card game known as 'Cardfight! Vanguard'. Yuiren had fished out her deck, and Miki had asked her brother to send her decks over from home, and since Miki was currently recovering from her almost-drowning experience, it was the perfect opportunity to get in a few card fights at the end of the day.

She wasn't sure if Aria minded - they tended to get loud - but the other girl had been surprisingly tolerant, even coming over and watching a couple matches.

"21k attack..." she said now, resting the units to declare attack and boost, and pointing at one of Miki's units "... to your jumper. Die, please."

"WHY YOU HIT MY JUMPER? WHAT DID MY HOT GUY DO TO YOU, HUH?"

"He attacked my rearguard just now!"

"Can't you whack someone else?"

"15k shield if you're guarding..."

"FINE, I NO GUARD! BUT YOU'LL REGRET THIS!"

"Miki, you're supposed to be resting and recovering," this from Aria, as she idly turned a page in her book.

"I NO CARE SHE KILLED MY HOT GUY!"

"... er, end turn."

"Stand and draw! …damnit, Elaine..."

Yuiren smirked, well aware that Miki had just drawn a heal trigger.

"I call a new jumper, and attack your vanguard! You killed my jumper... DIE DOGGY!"

Yuiren protested. "Not my cute doggy!"

"You should have thought of that before you decided to kill my hot guy!"

"Kiddiewinks, some of us need to study," Aria said sweetly from the side, and Yuiren scowled.

"No guard," she grumbled - she'd had a hand disadvantage since the start of the game, damnit. There was no way to guard all the attacks. Her only hope was for her own heal trigger to show up.

"Trigger check - first check, nothing, second check... CRITICAL TRIGGER GETTO!"

Damn. Reluctantly Yuiren revealed the required damage, and pouted. This was her second loss in a row. "You're totally stacking," she complained.

"No, I not!" sing-songed Miki, starting to gather up her cards. There was a knock at the door, and she turned. "Who that?"

It was Syo, but Yuiren had to go anyway. Guessing that he was here to ask Miki about summer vacation, she told the other girl that she'd drop by again tomorrow.

"Wait, Yuiren!" Syo caught her arm as she was on the way out. "Ittoki didn't forget to invite you, too, did he?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Looks like I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

"Oh, great! Ren hired a minibus, there's no way to bring all of us up, even in his limo, and the roads aren't exactly great for stretchy expensive cars, anyway. Meet us at the front gate by noon, got it?"

Startled by the grin on his face, Yuiren nodded, wondering hazily when she'd managed to make so many new friends who apparently cared about her and wanted her with them to have fun during the hols. Touched, she promised she would be punctual, and left with Syo's friendly clap bouncing off her back.

One thing was for sure, this summer was going to be different from any she'd had in a while. And maybe, that wasn't such a bad thing..


The next day, she wished Jun a happy holidays and skipped down to the gate, dressed simply in a pair of ripped denim shorts (that had once been a pair of jeans) and a light pink top, to match her chosen summer pink highlights. Her crocs were yellow, but she didn't care as she bounced up to Miki and waved her deck carry case in front of the other girl with a grin. In response, Miki patted her bag, indicating that her cards were packed and ready to travel as well.

It seemed strange, to have Nanami with them instead of Aria, but Yuiren waved to the other girl as well, rewarded with a smile. Tokiya, Ittoki and Syo were loading up the back of the van under Ren's direction, and Natsuki came over to get their luggage as well.

Yuiren wasn't sure when she'd started thinking of the Starish members by their first names (well, except for Ittoki) but somehow, they had become just that close. She was surprised to see Masato calmly headed towards them, a tote bag in hand.

"Sorry I'm late," he said calmly, handing his bag over to be placed in the back as well. He raised an eyebrow at the amount of food being put in. "I thought Jinguji has a well-stocked pantry over there?"

Ren sighed, and nodded towards Miki, who happily chirped, "I know, but I'm bringing a few snacks, just in case. 'Cause you never know when you'll want cheesecake!"

Yuiren giggled, though that quickly turned into a yelp as Ittoki suddenly brandished a familiar-looking bear by the paw and held it up. "Hey, a stowaway! Whose is this?"

"Cuddles-san!" Yuiren dove for her old friend, grabbing him away from her senpai and hugging him close. "Are you okay? How did you fall out of my bag?"

There was a pause, before a chorus of male voices repeated incredulously, "Cuddles-san?"

Yuiren scowled defensively at them. "He's mine."

"He can keep Popiah company!" Miki said, coming to peer at the bear, who was being hugged protectively against Yuiren's chest. She was referring to her stuffed Pekingese, and Yuiren relaxed only a little as she pushed said stuffed dog into her arms beside the bear.

"Can they both ride in the back with the luggage?" Ren asked dryly, already knowing the answer as both girls sent him horrified looks, like he'd suggested drowning a kitten. He got no help from the others, who were finished with loading, nor from Natsuki who had approached both girls and was happily snapping photos with his phone.

Oh well. The orange-haired teen hid a smile as he thought back to his conversation with Aria, just a day or so before.

"You sure you can't join us, sweetheart?" He'd asked, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on the top of her head. "It won't be any fun without you."

Aria had chuckled. "You want fun, darling?" She'd proceeded to draw his attention to Ittoki, who'd been across the table eating his lunch and listening to the others talk. "Get him to invite Yuiren, and get Syo to invite Miki for our blond-haired resident genius. I can promise you, there'll be plenty of fun."

He'd always known there was a reason he loved this girl. "Consider it done. You know how I hate being bored."


Author (Yuiren's) Note: Yes, authors Yuiren and Miki play their card game like that in real life, only louder and with more highness. Cardfight! Vanguard is a real trading card game from Japan, try checking out the anime of the same title or look it up online. It's probably being sold at a card shop near you.

Author (Aria's) Note: And so it's summer vacation ahoy! For the record, 'Popiah' is the nickname of Author Miki's pet Pekingese doggie so she decided to give Story Miki's plushy the same name.

Please R&R if you like and do stay tuned!