Letting Go

On the fifth of May, the bus bumped and bumbled as it veered away from the traffic and off-road. The transition was hardly smooth and it knocked Sumire's old, beat-up headphones off her ears. As soon as it hit the floor, her worn headphones snapped in half, the padding falling out and all.

Sumire was more annoyed that she didn't get to finish her song than anything else. She had a newer set of headphones back at home—a birthday present from her parents two years ago.

"Hey, kid, you alright back there?" the bus driver asked, his voice raspy.

She understood why he was concerned. After all, she was eleven years old and sitting all alone in a near-empty bus with only her music as company.

Not even that, actually, now that her headphones had been decimated.

"I'm fine," Sumire replied, turning her head to see if the old lady at the back had woken up from the crude, unpolished road. No, she was still snoring away, her head bouncing side to side as the wheels on the bus continued to turn with as much as grace as an elephant in skates. "Too bad that my headphones aren't, though."

"Ah, shame... want me to put on a song for you? It's in English but it's good. A smart girl like yourself should be able to get the gist of it."

Sumire contemplated on her answer for a few moments before deciding, "Sure, if you don't mind." She had nothing better to do anyway. Not until she arrived at where she needed to be.

"It'll be my pleasure, kid."

The bus driver controlled the vehicle with one hand as he used his other limb to fumble for the stereo. Eventually, he put the song on, though not before he nearly gave Sumire a heart attack from his clumsy driving.

She hoped that it would be worth it in the end. That the song would suit her taste as well as his.

Outside, the buzz of cicadas grew increasingly louder as the forest became thicker, indicating that they were entering the countryside.

Absentmindedly, Sumire adjusted her sun hat as the stereo began to splutter to life.

It continued to splutter before the vocals suddenly became crystal clear.

"Wise men say..."

Oh.

It's this song, Sumire thought. Her parents used to love listening to this song, especially her father. She didn't know how they even knew of it to begin with but she wasn't complaining.

"Only fools rush in," the bus driver sang along, his voice sounding as creaky as his bones. "But I can't help falling in love with you."

Sumire hummed the song underneath her breath, looking outside the window as trees and foliage mashed together in one green blur.

A loud snore and grumble indicated the lady at the back was not having such a peaceful sleep after all.

As she watched the world pass by, she began to sing along as well, "Like a river flows surely to the sea..."

From the rearview mirror, the bus driver fixed his twinkling eyes on Sumire for the briefest moment.

"Darling so it goes," the stereo spat out. "Some things are meant to be."

It was quite the sappy song but Sumire didn't mind. It reminded her of lazy summer days. Back when the world made sense.

When she, Naoko and Tadashi would run up to their parents' porch after a day of playing around the town and demand watermelon slices from them to cool their bodies, homeostasis be damned.

She wasn't blind. She could see how coldly their mother treated Tadashi, the son that had come from her husband's first marriage. But despite the bumps in the road, they had been quite the happy family.

They were taken away far too soon.

Sumire didn't realize that she was crying until she felt something wet dribble down her neck. Embarrassed, she started to wipe her tears away, hoping the bus driver wouldn't notice.

"Take my hand," the bus driver sang, "take my whole life too."

Her nose started to grow stuffy but she didn't care. She opened her mouth to sing with the old man. "For I can't help falling in love with you."

The bus driver smiled as they sang the final verse.

"For I can't help falling in love with you."

Surely, he must have seen her cry by now. Frustrated, she continued to try and dry her tears, her hands becoming slick and shiny.

"No need to be shy," the bus driver said heartily as they reached Sumire's stop at the local cemetery. "I don't care if you cry or not. It's a beautiful song."

"It is," Sumire agreed. "But I shouldn't be—"

"Save it," the bus driver interrupted, his smile gentler this time. "Sometimes, we get tired. We reach the limits of our strengths, and we just let go. Never be afraid to let yourself go, kid."

"... Thank you."

Sumire knelt in front of her parents' gravestones, staring blankly at the ground.

"I miss you sometimes," she said slowly, her eyes tracing patterns in the stale earth. "We all do. Even when she says she doesn't have time to care, she still misses you. Despite her hard exterior, Naoko-nee has a really big heart. It just makes it all the harder for the bruises to heal."

She pressed her forehead against the earth, her long hair falling around her face. She would need to get it cut soon.

Taking in a big breath, she began to weep freely.

She had reached the limit of her strength.

For now, it was time to let go.

A/N: Another omake. Because today is a lazy day and I'm not uploading any chapters of the main story. Or maybe I will... if I can get off my ass.

Now you all know where the quote from chapter 6 is from...