Chapter 20: Tapestries and Jewels
That night after Taro and Sora had coffee they both walked back in silence to Sora's apartment. She motioned him inside. He stood there looking at her apartment. There were paintings on the walls which brought on severe nostalgia. Sora looked back at Taro who was standing motionless.
"Maybe you shouldn't be here.everything is a remembrance of.well.you know."
"If you don't want me here, I'll leave." Sora shakes her head.
"No, it's ok. I'd like you to stay." Taro blushed at her words. She sat on the couch and motioned him to sit down. He sat, trying to keep some distance between them out of respect. They had only just met that day anyhow.
"I don't understand how I feel right now, I have not even known you a full day and I feel almost like you are family.you know just ignore me no da. I sound strange."
"No, you don't sound strange at all." Sora got up and went to her room and came back with something in her hand.
"I want you to see something. It might help you remember." She took his hand in hers and placed the piece of cloth Chichiri had tied around her arm before she left the book world, into it. As he looked at it his face, it was apparent of something.different.
"Sora.this.I know this." He struggles with his breath a moment, then he began to wobble.
"Are you ok?" he shook his head, but his body dipped and fell into hers as he fainted. She used all her strength to lift him up, he was out of it. She lifted him on the couch all the way and lifted his head to her lap. She sat there and looked at his face.
"I hope he's ok.." She moved his long bangs from his face. She looked at him. His face was exactly like Chichiri's.
"It really is you, isn't it?" She moved her hand through his hair as he lay unconscience. She moved from her seat and went to her bathroom. When she returned she had a cool washcloth. She sat down again and lifted his head into her lap. She patted his forehead softly.
As Taro slept he had odd dreams and visions. They were things he had never seen or felt.but he knew them somehow. He saw Sora, exactly as he could see her now. And another person, with orange hair. He didn't understand a lot of it, but he did know he knew Sora.
As moments became hours, Taro stayed in his dream state and Sora fell asleep with his head in her lap. When morning drew near taro began to stir, wondering what had happened. He noticed he was still in Sora's apartment and it was daytime. When he moved his head he felt himself on something and he felt a hand resting on his chest. He looked up and saw Sora was there holding him and he had a wash cloth on his forehead. He remembered that he had fainted, and she was there taking care of him. His face grew red.
Sora felt him move and she began to awake. She rubbed her eyes a little and moved her hand threw her hair. She looked down and saw Taro was awake on her lap, and he was beet red.
"Oh! You're awake! How are you feeling?" Taro stared at her with red cheeks, he sat up and moved his shoulders to stretch a little.
"I'm fine.sorry about last night." Sora smiled at him.
"That's ok. I was worried you were sick or something."
"No, I'm fine. I just had the strangest dreams last night." he saw that he was still holding that piece of cloth and he tightened his grip on it. Sora noticed.
"What did you dream about?"
"I think.about you.I don't know no da." Sora felt a ping in her heart. Maybe he was remembering his past.
"That piece of cloth.hang onto it. Maybe it will help you remember."
"Thanks." Because it was brighter now, Taro could see Sora's apartment better. He stood up and she jumped up.
"I can make you some coffee if you want?"
"No, no you've done so much already. I'm fine no da." He moved to the walls and looked at the paintings on the walls. They were all painted by Sora. They were painting of her life in the book. Everything was so real.
"You.did these?"
"Yeah. Painting is my escape from things ya know?" Taro moved to one that was all on skin tones. Its was just a streak across the canvas, reminding him of something.
"What's this one about?" Sora walked over.
"Think about it a moment. It might come to you." She swung and arm around his shoulder. He moved his hand to his left eye.
"Scar..it's a scar.isn't it?"
"Yeah, it was yours..I don't know why I painted it..I guess I was home sick for you." Taro gulped at her words.
"Me? Why."
"It's a long story." Sora pulled him to the couch. "When I was still in high school I was given a book in a library called the Universe of the Four Gods. Strange as it my sound, I was pulled into the world of the book, the world where you were known as Chichiri. There, you and a guy named Tasuki helped me out in so many ways.to get me back here. If I could have had a choice I would have stayed with you two. But I couldn't."
Taro starred at her. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He stared at his hands then ran one through his hair.
"I don't know what to say.I understand.but then again I don't understand no da."
"You don't have to..I shouldn't be pushing this on you. I have no right..I just miss what was back there."
Something in Taro made him turn to her and hug her tightly. She was limp in his arms for nothing more then a second, when she hugged him back, pressing her cheek into his shoulder. She was on the verge of tears as she spoke.
"I don't know you.and I'm doing this..I shouldn't be."
"I shouldn't be either.but I want to.I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry! It's you Chichiri..isn't it? It's you?" He squeezed her tightly, his eyes closed, feeling tears push behind them.
"I don't know..but I don't know why I react to that name..gomen." Sora trembled as she cried out loud into Taro's shoulder. He kept his tears quiet against her, rubbing her back for comfort.
"Don't cry..please don't cry no da."
"No da..you used to say that all the time.no da.." She cried harder, trying so hard to stop. All taro could do was hold her tightly to him.
That night after Taro and Sora had coffee they both walked back in silence to Sora's apartment. She motioned him inside. He stood there looking at her apartment. There were paintings on the walls which brought on severe nostalgia. Sora looked back at Taro who was standing motionless.
"Maybe you shouldn't be here.everything is a remembrance of.well.you know."
"If you don't want me here, I'll leave." Sora shakes her head.
"No, it's ok. I'd like you to stay." Taro blushed at her words. She sat on the couch and motioned him to sit down. He sat, trying to keep some distance between them out of respect. They had only just met that day anyhow.
"I don't understand how I feel right now, I have not even known you a full day and I feel almost like you are family.you know just ignore me no da. I sound strange."
"No, you don't sound strange at all." Sora got up and went to her room and came back with something in her hand.
"I want you to see something. It might help you remember." She took his hand in hers and placed the piece of cloth Chichiri had tied around her arm before she left the book world, into it. As he looked at it his face, it was apparent of something.different.
"Sora.this.I know this." He struggles with his breath a moment, then he began to wobble.
"Are you ok?" he shook his head, but his body dipped and fell into hers as he fainted. She used all her strength to lift him up, he was out of it. She lifted him on the couch all the way and lifted his head to her lap. She sat there and looked at his face.
"I hope he's ok.." She moved his long bangs from his face. She looked at him. His face was exactly like Chichiri's.
"It really is you, isn't it?" She moved her hand through his hair as he lay unconscience. She moved from her seat and went to her bathroom. When she returned she had a cool washcloth. She sat down again and lifted his head into her lap. She patted his forehead softly.
As Taro slept he had odd dreams and visions. They were things he had never seen or felt.but he knew them somehow. He saw Sora, exactly as he could see her now. And another person, with orange hair. He didn't understand a lot of it, but he did know he knew Sora.
As moments became hours, Taro stayed in his dream state and Sora fell asleep with his head in her lap. When morning drew near taro began to stir, wondering what had happened. He noticed he was still in Sora's apartment and it was daytime. When he moved his head he felt himself on something and he felt a hand resting on his chest. He looked up and saw Sora was there holding him and he had a wash cloth on his forehead. He remembered that he had fainted, and she was there taking care of him. His face grew red.
Sora felt him move and she began to awake. She rubbed her eyes a little and moved her hand threw her hair. She looked down and saw Taro was awake on her lap, and he was beet red.
"Oh! You're awake! How are you feeling?" Taro stared at her with red cheeks, he sat up and moved his shoulders to stretch a little.
"I'm fine.sorry about last night." Sora smiled at him.
"That's ok. I was worried you were sick or something."
"No, I'm fine. I just had the strangest dreams last night." he saw that he was still holding that piece of cloth and he tightened his grip on it. Sora noticed.
"What did you dream about?"
"I think.about you.I don't know no da." Sora felt a ping in her heart. Maybe he was remembering his past.
"That piece of cloth.hang onto it. Maybe it will help you remember."
"Thanks." Because it was brighter now, Taro could see Sora's apartment better. He stood up and she jumped up.
"I can make you some coffee if you want?"
"No, no you've done so much already. I'm fine no da." He moved to the walls and looked at the paintings on the walls. They were all painted by Sora. They were painting of her life in the book. Everything was so real.
"You.did these?"
"Yeah. Painting is my escape from things ya know?" Taro moved to one that was all on skin tones. Its was just a streak across the canvas, reminding him of something.
"What's this one about?" Sora walked over.
"Think about it a moment. It might come to you." She swung and arm around his shoulder. He moved his hand to his left eye.
"Scar..it's a scar.isn't it?"
"Yeah, it was yours..I don't know why I painted it..I guess I was home sick for you." Taro gulped at her words.
"Me? Why."
"It's a long story." Sora pulled him to the couch. "When I was still in high school I was given a book in a library called the Universe of the Four Gods. Strange as it my sound, I was pulled into the world of the book, the world where you were known as Chichiri. There, you and a guy named Tasuki helped me out in so many ways.to get me back here. If I could have had a choice I would have stayed with you two. But I couldn't."
Taro starred at her. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He stared at his hands then ran one through his hair.
"I don't know what to say.I understand.but then again I don't understand no da."
"You don't have to..I shouldn't be pushing this on you. I have no right..I just miss what was back there."
Something in Taro made him turn to her and hug her tightly. She was limp in his arms for nothing more then a second, when she hugged him back, pressing her cheek into his shoulder. She was on the verge of tears as she spoke.
"I don't know you.and I'm doing this..I shouldn't be."
"I shouldn't be either.but I want to.I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry! It's you Chichiri..isn't it? It's you?" He squeezed her tightly, his eyes closed, feeling tears push behind them.
"I don't know..but I don't know why I react to that name..gomen." Sora trembled as she cried out loud into Taro's shoulder. He kept his tears quiet against her, rubbing her back for comfort.
"Don't cry..please don't cry no da."
"No da..you used to say that all the time.no da.." She cried harder, trying so hard to stop. All taro could do was hold her tightly to him.