Just so everyone knows, a Kei-Car is a little Japanese style 'mini car'. They usually resemble a combination between a Volkswagon Golf and a Smart Car. Don't really need to say much else here. On to the chapter! All things Azumanga belong to their respective owners. Happy Reading :)
Chapter 35: Epilogue
Sweet Dreams... Sweet Memories...
Post-Chapter 1
A year had passed since the party at Chiyo's house; since the last time that everyone had all been together. ZaXo stood in front of the mirror in the hallway of his new apartment, checking to see if he looked presentable. Someone lightly rapped their hand on the door, catching his attention.
"C'mon in Sakaki," ZaXo called, before going back to fixing his hair. Sakaki stepped inside, smiling gently. She walked over, and set her small purse on the table in his small living room.
"So, are you almost ready?" she asked politely, stepping back into the hallway, and turning him around. She looked him over, and grinned. "You look great."
"So do you," ZaXo admitted, looking at her for the first time since she'd arrived. Almost immediately however, he noticed something drastically different about the girl he'd known for so long. "Y-you cut your hair?" he stammered in amazement, looking to find that her blackened locks now ended just below her shoulders.
"D'you not like it?" Sakaki asked, giving him a puppy-dog stare, and swiveling her body back and forth from her heels to her toes like a small child.
"That depends," ZaXo started, raising an eyebrow. "Did you cut it because you're breaking up with me?"
"Of course not," she told him, bringing him closer, and looking into his eyes.
"Then I absolutely love it," he smiled at her, pecking her on the lips.
"Yours needs to be a little messier though," Sakaki said, lightly brushing her hand over his hair a few times. "There we go. You looked to formal."
"Thank you," ZaXo mumbled. He looked in the mirror, and noticed that she was right. But that didn't suddenly mean that he hadn't just wasted ten minutes fixing his hair that way in the first place.
"So, are we ready to go then, Sakaki-Nyan?" ZaXo asked cheerfully, to which she nodded and locked elbows with him. They stepped out of the door, and headed downstairs toward the building entrance. The two of them passed right by Sakaki's little kei-car, ZaXo living close enough to their destination to walk. And after all, it was a nice day outside. Why shouldn't they walk?
Sakaki strolled across the field of grass and flowers ahead. It seemed endless, which she felt was comforting. There were many cute animals following her, and birds perched themselves on her shoulders. Sakaki just smiled and blushed while she walked on, in pure bliss.
But the bliss was not eternal. Within an instant, everything disappeared. Sakaki gasped and cried out, as her feet left the ground, or rather, the ground left her feet. It all vanished from under her, the girl now falling into a seemingly endless pit of darkness. The walls around her were black as pitch. Her hair flew up above her as she continued to plummet ever further.
Sakaki cried out for help, but none came. Again and again she yelled, hoping someone would come to her aid, but nobody responded. Tears began to flow from her eyes. The tears simply left her eyes and fell with her, inches from her face. Droplet after droplet accumulated in front of her, as if she had suspended time during a rainstorm. After another minute, the girl wiped her eyes off and gathered up the strength to looked down... just at the wrong moment.
At her speed, she was about five seconds away from the ground. Sakaki closed her eyes, and brought herself in, ready for impact. However, it never came. Five seconds went by... then ten... then twenty, and thirty. When a minute had finally gone by, she opened one of her eyes to look down, sure that when she did so, she would hit the ground in a cruel twist of fate. But she didn't. Sakaki was instead hovering a few feet above the rocky, hard looking landing spot. A mixture of confusion and happiness filled her as she realized she wasn't dead, and was no longer falling.
Sakaki opened her other eye, and relaxed her body, looking around to see what could have saved her. The walls to the chasm were gone, and a few feet in front of her, Sakaki saw a boy that looked to be about her age. She couldn't seem to make out what he looked like, but she knew that it was him who freed her from death's grip. Sakaki put her feet to the ground, and stood up from her floating state, as the tears that had been lingering with her fell to the ground, landing to make small splashes of white on the dark, pitch black surface below. She was glad to be on solid ground again. Her heartbeat -which had been racing just a minute ago-, was now completely calm. "Th-thank you..." she stammered, bowing to the boy in front of her. He bowed back and then proceeded to point behind her.
Sakaki looked back to see that her field of flowers and grass once again existed. She smiled at him in elation and saw that the blackness that was behind him was also once again a beautiful plain. She could feel him smiling at her, as he walked up and touched the side of her face with his palm. It felt so warm and invitingly caring to her. Sakaki blushed and closed her eyes. Seconds later, she opened them and found herself somewhere else.
...He wrapped his arm around Sakaki from behind, making her feel warm; she felt loved. They looked toward each other, as she placed her hand on his face...
"Wh-" Sakaki inhaled sharply, reality coming back to her.
"Huh? Are you okay, Sakaki-Nyan?" ZaXo asked, placing his hand on the top of her head.
"Yeah... I just..." she started slowly, before shrugging her visions off. "I'm just excited," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder.
Post-Chapter 2
ZaXo and Sakaki walked on, enjoying the bright, happy sun, and talking about how their day had gone so far. As they rounded the corner onto a familiar street, they began to hear someone calling their names from behind. The two of them turned around, but couldn't quite see who it was yet. Suddenly, they recognized the voice. It was Kagura.
Deep in a vivid dream, Kagura sprinted ahead, determined to win the race she was now in. She was already far, far ahead of everyone else in the race and began to grow bored. All she wanted was a little competition, but nobody was even close to catching her. They just succeeded in falling further behind. When she was only a minute or two from the finish, she looked back in hopes that someone was close behind, though she thought this unlikely. To her surprise, a boy of her age was now hot on her trail. Grinning at the challenge, she gave it all she had. But he continued to catch her, until they were dead even. The race was very heated as they both sprinted at full speed. The two breathed heavily, sweat dripping from their faces, neither willing to give up.
The finish was finally in sight, and they both forced out an extra burst of speed. When the pair crossed the line, there was no clear winner. It seemed as if they had both broken the tape. Kagura didn't care whether she won or not, as she just liked having to push herself. The boy offered her a bow and she bowed back, each showing respect and honor to each other. And yet, when she looked back up, he was gone, with no trace to be found. She started to wonder about what just happened, but was suddenly swarmed by many fans and friends.
The images in Kagura's mind faded instantly, leaving her in darkness. The girl stood there in surprise, wondering what was going on. Before she could react, the girl was thrust into a new setting; somewhere she knew quite well. All of her friends were there, as well as some other people she wasn't sure she knew.
...Chiyo-Chan ushered Kagura into position, before bending over and sticking her tongue out. Kagura chuckled, and gave a large smile, placing her hand on the younger girl's head...
"What's up, you guys?" Kagura grinned, the images that had just flew through her mind distracting her for a split second.
"Nothing much. How've you been the past year?" ZaXo questioned in return.
"Man, it's been so fun. I got the job I wanted, teaching P.E. at our old high school. It's a blast!"
"Wow. Sounds interesting," Sakaki told her old friend.
"The strangest part is the fact that it looks like Mr. Kimura's daughter is going to be in my home room class this year. It's her first year at the school."
"That's right. The new school year is just about to start again isn't it? So you've been teaching for a whole year," ZaXo said in awe. "That's just crazy."
"Yeah, time sure does fly," Kagura agreed.
Post-Chapter 3
The three of them continued on together toward their destination, chatting merrily about what they thought was going on with everyone else. "So, d'you think Tomo has actually made it anywhere with her law degree?" Kagura questioned. Before ZaXo or Sakaki could respond, someone did it for them.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Tomo's voice sounded from behind them.
"Woah! Is everyone walking today?" Kagura asked, both Tomo and Yomi standing a few feet back down the sidewalk, Seijin's arm wrapped around the latter.
Yomi was in way over her head at the moment, as her stack of homework and tests she needed to take began to grow. Pages upon pages appeared, one after another, adding to the stack until it reached the ceiling. Yomi whimpered as it suddenly toppled over, crashing down next to her. Now each page began to multiply rapidly, taking over her room. She cried out, trying to get it to stop. Opening her window, Yomi started to pick up the pages and throw them out, before she was buried alive.
As Yomi grabbed her fourth armful of papers and turned to throw them out of the window, she noticed someone standing right outside. She dropped the paper she was holding, as curiosity began to take her over. She subconsciously knew he was here to help; to set her free from the struggle and stress she was feeling.
The boy pointed into the room casually, signaling for Yomi to look. She did so, suddenly noticing that the whole pile of work was gone. All that was left was a single sheet of paper on her desk, and a pencil. It was completely blank except for one word at the top. She took a closer look to see what it said. 'Relaxation', was all that was written. Yomi looked back for the boy, but he was gone. She sat down at the desk, and grabbed the pencil, deciding to write about what would be her ultimate form of relaxation.
As sudden as her homework had vanished, so did the world around Yomi, leaving her confused.
..."So why isn't he joining in?" Tomo asked Yomi, looking back at the man in question. "He's trying to find 'you know who', and bring him back here. We'll make sure to get at least one with all of us," Yomi replied, stepping up next to her friend, and smiling...
"Wow, are you and Seijin dating or something now?" ZaXo inquired, the tall man in front of him grinning from ear to ear, and giving a small thumbs up.
"Yeah. It's only been a few weeks, but things are going fantastic," Yomi explained, playfully poking her boyfriend in the stomach.
"That looks like fun," Sakaki said, poking ZaXo in the stomach as well.
"Hey, quite it," ZaXo laughed, extremely ticklish. Sakaki just continued, giggling as he tried to fend her off.
"Well, someone's come out of her shell a bit," Yomi chimed in surprise.
Post-Chapter 4
"She had to," ZaXo began, as he caught Sakaki's hand, as well as his breath. "She started a great flower shop a few miles from where Pet Place moved to way back when. It's doing really well. Though truthfully, I'm beginning to wonder if she didn't pick that area just so that she could scamper over and look at all the cute animals after work."
"That sounds like Sakaki-Nyan alright," Tomo said, remembering the Sakaki song she'd made up way back when, and started muttering it under her breath.
Tomo was high up in the air, flying way above the city. The front of her shirt said 'The Tomonator', and she was wearing a great red cape. As she hovered over the buildings, she noticed what appeared to be a mugging in an alley. Tomo swooped down to confront what she now knew to be about ten hoodlums. They were surrounding a poor old woman and attempting to take her valuables. Tomo held her hand up as she landed, warning them to stop or they would have to face her wrath. The old lady's eyes widened in glee as she saw Tomo, but the muggers just laughed. "What's so funny?" Tomo chortled herself, cracking her knuckles. The leader shook his head and held up a small leather bag which said on it 'The Tomonators Weakness'.
Tomo's eyes lit up in shock, knowing full well what was in the bag. The girl now realized that she didn't have a chance at winning. But before she could valiantly face certain defeat, someone else flew down and landed next to her. She couldn't tell who it was, the man so much blurrier than everything else. Immediately she knew him to be her sidekick, but she couldn't get a clear grasp at anything else about him. She could however feel that he was trustworthy, which was proven as he ran towards the lead mugger. Her 'sidekick' grabbed the bag, and crushed it into dust before his enemy could react. The young man then turned to Tomo, and gave her a salute before flying off.
Tomo watched him for a second or two before lowering her gaze back to the stunned muggers. She smiled a devious smile and began to take them each down with a single punch.
As she swung at the last mugger left standing, he disappeared, leaving her alone. "What?" she gasped, as everything around her faded away. The world rematerialized seconds later, though it was now completely different from before.
..."What are you doing?" Yomi questioned.
"I'm trying to look sexy," Tomo replied, placing her hands on her hips.
"But you're in my way," Yomi retorted in annoyance, as a flash blinded her for a second...
"Well, I'm doing great too," Tomo jumped into the conversation, as they all continued on toward the destination they shared.
"Really? Have you brought anyone to justice?" ZaXo wondered allowed.
"I'm not that kind of lawyer," Tomo stated simply, holding her head up high. "I'm a personal lawyer; soon to be for the rich and famous. Haven't you seen my commercial?"
"Nope," everyone else said in unison, Tomo groaning.
Post-Chapter 5
Ten minutes of fun and talk went by, and soon, they had arrived. They were finally at Azumanga High; for the five year anniversary of when Sakaki and the others had graduated. ZaXo thought it strange that they were having a high school reunion so soon. But he couldn't complain. He wanted to see everyone again.
"Hey you guys!" a strongly accented voice from just inside the school called out. It was Osaka, Haru standing next to her. "How's everyone doin'?"
Osaka's fantasy world consisted simply of an infinite space made up of white nothingness. Inside this deep, yet blank canvas were many odd, seemingly random items just floating about. Osaka stared everything, trying hard to think of what she was going to do next. As she unsuccessfully thought on, someone walked up next to her. It was a boy who was her age, but she couldn't tell whether she knew him or not. Instantly, while she stared curiously at the boy, ideas of all sorts began flooding her mind. As soon as they did, the items around the space began to come together forming something giant, though she didn't yet know what it was. On and on she stared at the boy, constantly having waves of new and amazing thoughts flow through her head. Very quickly the giant makeshift object grew until it had finally finished forming.
Osaka broke her eyes from the boy to look at what had formed. Front and center was a giant castle of the likes she had never seen. It was big enough to fit anything and everything she could ever want in it. Yet she strangely didn't seem to want to fill it with any possessions, as it already consisted of pretty much everything. She decided that she was going to fill it with all the creative knowledge she could muster.
As she walked up to the door to her new home, everything vanished. "Huh?" Osaka wondered, more curious than frightened. A new environment popped up right before her eyes, the girl just staring.
..."Did he just run away?" Sakaki asked in shock.
"He has a problem with this sort of thing. Thinks it'll steal his soul or somethin'. I don't know where he ran off to," Osaka explained, looking around. She placed one arm at her side, the other wrapping around to grab the first at the elbow...
"So, Osaka. Tell us about the success you and Haru have been having in life," Kagura said, not knowing what kind of answer to expect from her eccentric friend.
"Well, I'm teachin' at HKU," Osaka started.
"But I thought you got a degree in rocket science?" Tomo questioned in confusion.
"I did, but the last teacher quit. Before he left, he recommended me to Nyamo for the job though."
"Didn't expect that at all," ZaXo stated, reading everyone's minds.
"Haru's been workin' with Kaorin and Emi. They started a company 'bout makin' clothes. It's getting' a lotta business already."
"Sakaki and I knew that," ZaXo told her. "I'm wearing some of the clothes Haru designed right now."
"Oh yeah. I can't believe I ever thought that line of clothing was a good idea," Haru spoke up frankly, in disgust.
"So, you must spend a lot of time with Nyamo and Yukari then, right?" Yomi interrupted, looking back to Osaka.
"Not really. Yukari seems ta be avoidin' me. I'm not sure why though," Osaka explained. "And Nyamo has been spendin' a lot of time with her boyfriend."
"Who's she dating? Do we know him?" Tomo asked fervently, excited for details.
"Oh, she's datin' Yukari's husband's brother," Osaka said simply.
"She's dating Dwayne?" ZaXo gasped in amazement. "That doesn't make sense at all!"
"Nah, she's with their other brother, Marcus," Osaka replied, not understanding why everyone was sighing in relief.
"Are they all going to be here?" Seijin asked.
"Nah, they couldn't make it. But they send their best regards," Osaka finished.
"What about Kaorin and Emi?" ZaXo questioned, looking to Haru.
"Kaorin wanted to come so much, but one of her hit clothing lines blew up in the popularity department just a few days ago. She has a lot of work to do, bringing the line to America. So her, Emi, and Emi's new boyfriend had to leave yesterday."
Post-Chapter 6
"There you are," Kagura stated suddenly, walking inside, past Osaka and Haru. "I thought you said you were going home to change before coming back?"
"I didn't have time. There were a few kids who wanted help after school. I couldn't say no," Chiyo shrugged, smiling at everyone.
Chiyo was having a great time, just talking to two of her friends as they took a stroll through the park. Just as the group passed over a bridge near the center of the park, the scenery around her began to change, morphing into another location she seemed to know quite well, though it was much more vivid than the park she had just been in. Chiyo was now all alone in Class Three of her old high school. She instinctively sat in the desk she usually did up in the front, but was confused as to why nobody else was there.
As she started to ponder where they may be, the door at the front of the room slid open, and in walked a boy she'd never seen before. 'Where is Ms. Yukari?', she wondered to herself. But before she could ask her question aloud, she felt the answer come to her. She knew that this boy was supposed to be a sort of mentor to her, so she figured he was substituting.
The boy looked extremely odd to Chiyo, as he was the only thing in the dream that wasn't far more vivid that normal. Actually, no matter how hard she looked and how much she concentrated, Chiyo couldn't seem able to grasp at what he looked like. He simply stood there while frustration slowly enveloped the young girl. Why couldn't she see who he was? Casually the boy walked up to her and her mood swiftly changed. Something about this mysterious person was warm and pacifying, calming Chiyo down a great deal.
The young man reached out and touched his hand to her shoulder. Chiyo didn't know why, but she felt that she could trust him completely, though they had never met before. "It's okay Chiyo. I'll do my best to keep you safe," he told her softly. Chiyo could feel him smiling, yet she couldn't actually see it.
As she was about to ask him who he was, it all began to fade away once again. She stood from her desk, as it disappeared too, another world forming almost instantaneously.
..."C'mon everyone!" Chiyo cheered in glee, skipping out away from the others a few feet. She set everything up, and walked back to the group. "I want us all to remember this forever."...
"Chiyo Mihama; workaholic to the end," ZaXo stated loudly, before stepping inside the school to see his old friend. Woah!" he yelled, seeing quite a difference in the way she looked. Beside the fact that she now looked just like a grown woman, her hair had grown a lot. Though he was glad to see that it was still put up in her signature pigtails.
"So you ended up teaching English at our old high school then, huh Chiyo-Chan... I mean, Ms. Mihama?" Yomi inquired.
"Yes. It's so fun getting to spend my time with all the cute children. They remind me so much of us sometimes."
Post-Chapter 7
Everyone spent the next few hours reminiscing in Yukari's old classroom, and talking about what they'd been doing. ZaXo had to admit, he missed this a lot. He had of course gotten used to not having everyone around, but seeing them again brought back the feelings he'd had the day that they last departed.
"So ZaXo, you haven't told us what you've been doing with your life," Kagura spoke up, breaking him from his train of thoughts, and forcing him into the conversation.
"Oh, I've just been writing jingles for various commercials and companies. I actually am in the middle of writing the new song for Pet Place. Since Sakaki's shop is so close to Mr. Yamauchi's-" ZaXo stopped, before looking over to the girl in his arms. "-and because she likes to go in their so often, we once again know him quite well. His business has been booming recently, and Sakaki-Nyan told him of my 'musical talents'. So he offered me the job of coming up with his new jingle, and he's paying me over triple what I usually get. I guess helping him out back in the day paid off in more than one way."
"So... are you gonna use some of that cash for a ring; you know, to propose to Sakaki?" Tomo whispered in ZaXo's ear, giving him a thumbs up. Sakaki turned her head slightly, trying to hear what her friend was saying. But she was unsuccessful.
ZaXo felt his face grow warm, that thought just now crossing his mind for the first time.
"Hey, before anyone decides that they should get going, I wanted us to all do something important together," Chiyo changed subjects, purposefully being vague with what she was thinking.
"What did you have in mind?" Sakaki questioned curiously.
"Just follow me," Chiyo announced, walking back toward the front of the school. ZaXo and the others followed. As he stepped out into the evening light, a flood of memories starting coming back to him; memories that he hadn't seen since the night before his first day at HKU...
ZaXo walked out of Azumanga High, so many others following in stride. He saw a girl just in front, guiding them along. He wasn't sure, but he felt that he knew her from somewhere. He looked around, and gained the same feeling from all the others that were with him. The weirdest part was that they were all, strangely blurry. He couldn't seem to get a grasp on who they were.
Suddenly, a massive rush of knowledge entered ZaXo's mind, as he realized who everyone was.
"C'mon everyone!" Chiyo cheered in glee, skipping out, away from the others a few feet. She pulled a camera from her pocket, and set it up nearby, before walking back to the group. "I want us all to remember this forever."
Before Chiyo could get to them, Haru ran inside the school, covering his face."Did he just run away?" Sakaki asked in shock.
"He has a problem with this sort of thing. Thinks it'll steal his soul or somethin'. I don't know where he ran off to," Osaka explained, looking around. She placed one arm at her side, the other wrapping around to grab the first at the elbow.
"I'll go get him," Seijin announced, following Haru inside.
"So why isn't he joining in?" Tomo asked Yomi, looking back at the man in question. She clearly hadn't been paying attention.
"He's trying to find 'you know who', and bring him back here. We'll make sure to get at least one with all of us," Yomi replied, stepping up next to her friend, and smiling.
"I've been meaning to ask; why are you two dressed like that anyway?" ZaXo questioned, looking toward Tomo and Yomi.
"Tomo thought it would be a good idea to dress extra nice. But obviously it wasn't, because everyone else is in normal clothing," Yomi explained.
Chiyo-Chan ushered Kagura into position, before bending over a bit and sticking her tongue out. Kagura chuckled, and gave a large smile, placing her hand on the younger girl's head.
ZaXo wrapped his arm around Sakaki from behind, making her feel warm; she felt loved. They looked toward each other, as she placed her hand on his face. Her touch was so invitingly caring, he couldn't help but grin.
"What are you doing?" Yomi looked at Tomo, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm trying to look sexy," Tomo replied, placing her hands on her hips.
"But you're in my way," Yomi retorted in annoyance, as a flash blinded her for a second.
When the picture was over, ZaXo stepped forward a few feet. He looked into the sky as a gust of wind brought several Cherry Blossom petals down toward him. ZaXo reached out a hand, one of them landing in his palm. It lingered a moment, filling ZaXo with pure happiness inside. He simply stared, as it and all of the other tiny petals were once again whisked away in a small, comforting zephyr.
As the events he'd just seen in his mind's eye began to unfold before him, ZaXo couldn't help but repeat a single phrase under his breath:
"Sweet memories..."
***The End***
Mmm, happy ending :) A quick note to you all. The next two chapters aren't actually part of the story, but I think at least a few people might find them interesting. Also, check out the link on my profile to my deviantArt accound, to see a special drawing I did to commemorate two years of work, and a finished fic. I think you'll like it. Please, please review, and tell me what you thought of the whole fic. Be as detailed as possible :D Anyway, Hope You Liked :)