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[Chapter 12: Of Ruby, Sapphire and Rain]
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Man, today sucked.
Sayaka ran, her skirt allowing her to run as fast as she willed. She held onto the straps of her school bag tightly with her left hand, and while running, used the sleeve of her uniform to wipe away the tears before they could touch her cheek. Her eyes were red and the determination in them sharply contrasted the state of her heart. She was determined to do one thing at that moment. Only one thing.
"Don't break, Miki." She said to herself, her voice raspy, her heart on the verge of sinking to despair. The only strand of hope was her willpower.
"Don't you dare break now, Miki." She said again, now out of breath. She couldn't run anymore. She didn't have any destination in mind when she had started running. So she didn't care.
As her steps slowed down, she looked around. She was quite far from home. For how long had she run, she did not know. She sniffled and wiped the evidence of tears in her eyes. By now, they have dried up. It was time to go back.
"…Maybe later," she murmured. Her heart didn't feel as heavy as it did a while ago. But she did need some time to heal.
She looked around for a place to sit, somewhere nobody would look. And to her good fortune, she did find one.
There was a bridge nearby, with a decent-sized archway underneath. A stream of clear water ran below it. She figured that there would be a place to sit underneath the bridge, the cement arch providing her shelter from the gaze of any passerby.
So she walked towards the river bank, her feet partially numb from the running. As she made her way down the slope of the river, she observed where she would sit. And she was relieved to find that the spot she was looking for was dry. She clenched her school bag's straps subconsciously. She was too tired to think anymore. She just wanted to relax.
As she came closer to the spot she wanted to rest in, she noticed something rather peculiar. Frowning, she took a few more steps towards the spot and her suspicion proved to be legitimate.
There was a person there.
The bridge was no more than 10 metres wide. So there was ample room under one end. Sayaka stared at the white blanket which had covered a humanoid figure completely.
Sayaka coughed to draw some attention, and when it didn't work, she started to speak.
"Umm, excuse me."
But that too proved unsuccessful.
She thought it would be strange to wake up a stranger who was sleeping under the bridge as if it was their home. Realizing the rudeness of her actions, she sighed, making up her resolve to go home.
She gave herself some words of reassuring. Something that went along the lines of "I'll go home and shut myself in my room before mom realizes".
But as soon as she had turned around to make her retreat, something unfortunate had befallen her.
A few stray drops of water splashed on her face, making her slightly wince at their force. The smell of wet sand invaded her nostrils as a rogue gust of wind blew past. The sky was dark, even though it was in the middle of the day, something she didn't notice earlier because of her incessant running.
It was going to rain anytime now. And it was going to rain hard.
A part of Sayaka wanted to forget all her worries and go home soaking, or to dance in the rain to cure her broken heart. She was tempted by the thought, but to her sadness, rationale took the reigns.
She was going to find shelter under the bridge.
As she entered the warm shade that the bridge provided, she noticed that the spot was cozy. The archway underneath was higher than what she had imagined.
She knew it was going to be a while until the rain stops. She figured that she should probably find a good place to sit while she was at it.
As she was about to do so, however, the humanoid figure she had seen earlier rose from its slumber, revealing to Sayaka who it was underneath those white sheets.
And it calmed her down to see that it was just a girl. She had red, long hair, tied up in a simple ponytail. Her hands lazily rubbed her eyes before she opened them, indicating that she was asleep for a really long time. And when she did open her eyes, Sayaka found herself staring awkwardly into a pair of shiny, ruby orbs.
"What are you doing here?" The girl said in an irritated tone, her voice groggy. "Go away. I don't have anything valuable, so you wouldn't want to steal from me."
Sayaka was still in a trance, trying to figure out what was going on. Heartbreak can take a toll on someone's thought process, and Sayaka was clearly a victim. Finally, she did figure out what was being said to her.
"How rude of you to assume I'm here to steal," she said in defence. "I'm just here because it will start raining pretty soon. Let me stay here until it goes away, please. I'll try not to bother you."
The red haired girl was not sure how to respond. She put on a cold demeanor, but she was indeed quite concerned about an absolute stranger invading her personal space without any prior notice. Surely, there was nobody who would like that, right?
Sayaka was not oblivious of this fact. She saw the redhead shrug and fold her blanket. The girl then took said blanket to a makeshift tent on the other side of the bridge. Well, it was not technically a tent. More like a large blanket that was hung from two poles on either side of the bridge, almost like a curtain one would see at a movie theater. It was not a very robust 'tent', but it probably was enough to store things like boxes or food in.
Sayaka observed closely as the redhead tossed the blanket inside the 'storing space'. The girl turned to Sayaka and talked, maintaining a steady deadpan.
"As soon as the rain stops, you're leaving." Sayaka smiled at the words of the redhead, who frowned in response. "...Just don't steal anything or kill me."
The blue haired girl rolled her eyes as soon as the redhead smirked. If she hadn't done so, Sayaka would have taken the last comment quite seriously.
"Ugh, fine. I'll sit over here then!" She said as she rubbed away some imaginary dust off the floor, before letting herself sit. Her back leaned against a nearby wall, and she kept her legs close to her.
"Sure, whatever."
Within several minutes, Sayaka found herself cozying up in her little spot as she leaned her head against one of the support pillars near her, as her gaze drifted off to someplace else. The sound of rain had become peaceful. Some stray droplets of water brushed her skin and clothes from time to time, but it was a welcome sensation. Sayaka breathed in slowly, closing her eyes and taking in the delightful smell of moisture. Her skin was riddled with goosebumps, as she exhaled ever so slowly. And before she knew it, she started breaking down.
All her memories that day came rushing from the back of her mind, and all she could think of was how much it hurt. Before she could steel herself and repair the walls around her heart once more, her tears started to fall down her face without warning. There was no willpower left in Sayaka to hold herself back, she was utterly vulnerable, and she hated every moment of it. Oh how she wanted, to just let it all out in the comfort of her own room.
Sayaka tried again and again to stop, but her breath became shaky, and she felt a lump in her throat. Not ready to surrender to this unrelenting urge to sob, she pulled her knees closer to herself and wrapped her arms around them as she buried her face in the little crevice.
Once again, her emotions surprised her as she started to tremble, her toes curling inside her shoes. She gripped onto the fabric of her own clothes.
Her entire being conveyed one string of thought, in all its purity.
"It hurts."
In midst of having a nervous breakdown, Sayaka felt something odd. Warmth. Something she would never have expected to feel. The warmth was around her shoulders at first, but it spread out through her arms and down her back. Why did this warmth come to her, Sayaka didn't know. Did she even ask for such a thing?
"I dunno what's wrong," came a soft voice which spoke very close to her head. "I won't act like I understand, but ya know what?" There was a slight pause. "Its gonna be okay. Just let it outta ya. You'll feel better."
Sayaka looked up from her little nest between her kneecaps and chest after what seemed like an eternity, as she found herself being embraced by the girl from before. The redhead was now on her side, on her knees, as she had her arms wrapped carefully around Sayaka's shoulders. Sayaka's misty blue eyes welled up again as they met with the warm, red ones of the girl hugging her.
She gave up resisting and let her emotions take control of every fiber of her being. She turned her torso around and buried her face into the crook of the redhead's neck, as she started to sob uncontrollably. It was not ladylike at all. The show of emotions were raw, unfiltered, and honest. Her cries were slightly muffled by the fabric. The girl wrapped her slender arms around Sayaka's neck, almost like a warm blanket. Her fingers gently, and slowly running through Sayaka's silky blue hair as she whispered soft words of consolation to her.
The two were in their own world, separated from the whole world. The rain poured heavily, almost drawing out the sounds of Sayaka's broken voice. Curtains of water that dropped down from either side of the bridge, and the archway over their heads, shielded them from everything else. There was not a soul nearby who could enter their little sanctuary.
For a moment in time, that little spot under the bridge, was their safe haven.
After several long minutes, of what seemed like hours to Sayaka, she stopped crying. Her eyes were red, and puffy, and every time she inhaled, her breath would become ragged. She clutched onto the fabric of the girl who lent her a shoulder, and inspected the wet mess she had left there. It was a red t-shirt, which was now a darker shade of the color in one large spot on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Sayaka said in her raspy voice, after she cleared her throat. "I couldn't help it."
The redhead resisted the urge to say something witty. She knew it would be quite insensitive of her to do so. This restraint surprised her, as she was never one to care about such things. But she shrugged it off.
"Its okay. You feel better now?"
"...Yeah," Sayaka said, rubbing away a stray drop of tear from her chin with her forearm. "I think so."
"Do ya mind telling me about what happened?" the girl said to her, now a little relieved to hear Sayaka's response. "I dunno if I can help ya with it or not, but telling me might make ya feel much beter."
Sayaka looked up into the warm, red eyes once again. The prospect of feeling better than her current state seemed lucrative.
"I don't want to bore you with my problems. Its okay. You don't have to do this for a stranger like me."
The red eyed girl frowned. Clearly, this was unacceptable. She was holding herself back, not because of privacy, but because of politeness? That was no excuse.
"I'm Kyoko," the redhead blurted out. "What's yer name?"
Sayaka was confused. She didn't know why she was asking that, but her mind already trusted this girl enough to autopilot herself to say her name.
"I'm Miki Sayaka."
"Well, then... Sayaka," Kyoko said, her mouth now forming a warm, yet coy smile. "Now that we're friends, you gotta tell me what's botherin' ya."
Sayaka's frown changed into an expression that didn't do justice to what she was feeling. It was an odd mixture of happiness, confusion, heartbreak, and relief. She was pretty sure the face she was making didn't convey that particular feeling, but she didn't care anymore.
"I suppose I do," Sayaka said, her mouth now forming a half-smile, which was the most she could muster in her current state.
And after that, she started to tell Kyoko about exacty what happened that had caused her so much grief. She didn't leave out any detail, as Kyoko listened carefully. Her warm ruby eyes never left Sayaka, even for a moment, as she listened.
"So this Hitomi chick just went and confessed to him?" Kyoko asked, her mind compiling all the information given to her. "And he just accepted, without even thinkin'? I mean, I know that sucks, but doesn't he get to pick?"
Sayaka knew she was going to be asked that.
"Its not that. I admired him for a long time," Sayaka said, her hands turning into fists. "We shared many things, and I even took care of him when he was in the hospital. I tried to encourage him to do all the things he liked, and tried my best to be the person he loved. He even said that he was not interested in love, one day. It hurt, but I didn't mind it that much then. Now he does this, and I won't get to support him anymore."
Kyoko frowned. Sayaka was making sense, yes. But her sentences were all out of order. It was as if Sayaka was unsure of what to express first.
"So why can't ya just be his friend and still do all of those things that you were doing?" Kyoko asked.
"I can do that, but it wouldn't be fair to Hitomi... And besides, I can't do that knowing I have no chance in this."
Kyoko was now becoming irritated. Not at Sayaka, but her way of thinking. She decided to be forward.
"Then let him go," Kyoko said, looking straight into Sayaka's eyes. "If he doesn't think about you that way, you don't have to think about him. And besides, if ya think this Hitomi chick is better suited to deal with him, you've already given up on him, haven't ya?"
Sayaka's eyes widened in response. She didn't know how to react. Was it true? Did she really give up on Kyosuke? If so, then why was she in pain? Why did it hurt so much?
And then, she discovered something that answered all her questions.
It didn't hurt anymore. Aside from the residual pain in her throat, she didn't feel any sadness. There was no gut-wrenching agony that plagued her mind before she came here, and she certainly didn't feel like crying anymore. She wasn't happy, or anything, but there was an astonishing lack of pain, as if months and years of accumulated burdens have been lifted off her shoulders.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar jingle that came from her schoolbag. Sayaka pulled her phone out of the bag to see that her Mother had called. Well, she didn't want to recieve the call. Not with her raspy voice. So she just switched it to 'silent' and shoved it back in her bag.
"I gotta go," Sayaka said, a bit sad to leave. The rain had stopped. All there remained of it, were the puddles, and the remaining drops of rain that fell from the trees. "Its getting late, and I did say I was gonna go once the rain stopped."
Kyoko felt a little guilty of her own words from before, and she decided to make amends.
"I was just kidding," she said to Sayaka, her cheeks turning into a faint shade of pink. "I'm not used to having company, ya see."
Sayaka smiled. She could not say anything to that. But she did think Kyoko being shy was a sight to behold. Not that she would admit it, of course.
The blue eyed girl took her bag and climbed up the slope beside the bridge. And before she left off, she turned around and faced Kyoko, who was still under the bridge.
"So your name's just Kyoko?" Sayaka said, her voice laced with obvious curiosity. "What's your last name?"
Kyoko smirked and chuckled. She saw the chance, and she took it.
"I'll tell you when ya come over next time, Miki."
Sayaka smiled at how coy she was being. It was charming.
"You better," Sayaka said. "And Kyoko?"
"Hmm?"
"Thanks."
With that, Sayaka ran off, leaving a dumbfounded Kyoko in her wake. The latter recollected her bearings, and smiled.
"Nah, its me who should be thanking you," Kyoko murmured to herself. Her insides were swimming in a strange sensation of accomplishment and joy. In all honesty, she wasn't feeling very good recently. Her crossing paths with Sayaka seemed to make her day.
'What a weird girl', she thought to herself, as she looked up into the clear blue sky, something that oddly reminded her of Sayaka's eyes.
-(End of Chapter 12)-
Ya'll gotta leave a review or two if you want to provide your thoughts and opinions. I'm pretty much open to any sort of response. Every bit of feedback is valuable to me. So don't be shy...
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Take Care
DSH99
