Triangle
Shigeru, you know I love you.
**
The words seemed to echo through his mind like a ringing bell. He closed his eyes and gripped his necklace. Kasumi was very special to him. She was the only girl who ever really loved him through his ego.
Shigeru looked down at the picture. It had him and Kasumi together, smiling. She had urged him to run away right after the picture was taken. He didn't really know why, but he thought he saw Satoshi walking towards them, so he ran anyway.
He knew he couldn't be seen around Kasumi when Satoshi was around. Why? Because he loved Satoshi as well. As for why Kasumi would ever want him away either was a mystery, but maybe it wasn't even him at the beach in the first place.
"But who should I go to?" he wondered out loud. Nanami came into the room, startling Shigeru and he looked up at her.
"I baked you some cookies, Shigeru," she said.
"Thanks," was all that muttered out when the plate was set down on the coffee table in front of him.
"Is something wrong?" Nanami asked him. She saw the photograph. "Did something happen between you and Kasumi?"
"No, nothing happened," he said sternly.
Nanami cocked her head. She didn't believe him, but she smiled and left into the kitchen anyway.
"Satoshi... Kasumi... I just can't choose," he thought. "It's just so hard to think of myself without one of you."
There was a sudden knock at the door.
"I'll get it," he called out to anyone who cared, and stood up.
He opened the door. It was Satoshi.
"Hi, Shigeru-san!" he said happily and hugged him.
"Satoshi, now isn't a good time," Shigeru said, pushing him away.
"I knew you'd say something like that. You always do if we don't talk about meeting first. Is something going on around here that I don't know?" he asked.
"No, it's nothing... I just... err... need some time to myself."
Satoshi frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know..."
"It's okay. But I'll see you later, okay? Sato-chan?" he asked and smiled.
"Deal," he said.
Shigeru closed the door behind him, and Satoshi left. As he walked down the sidewalk, he could see Kasumi pass by. But wasn't she supposed to be in Hanada, rather than Masara?
"Kasumi-san?" asked Satoshi.
"Huh?" she mumbled and looked down at Satoshi. "Oh, Satoshi-kun! What a surprise to see you here!"
"What are you doing in Masara?" he asked.
"Oh, I... I..." she stuttered and looked over at Shigeru's house.
"Do you have perfume on?" asked Satoshi.
"Well, I just came down here to see... see..." she hesitated for a moment, "...I came down here to see you!" she hugged him tightly. "I just felt like visiting my one and only Satoshi-kun."
"Oh, well, my house is this way, if you've really forgotten these past years," he said.
They started walking down the street, turning away from Kasumi's original destination.
They came to his house and he opened the door. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulders, happy he was home. It hadn't changed at all since last time. Kasumi sat down on the living room couch.
"I'll get some rice cakes," said Satoshi and he walked into his kitchen. Kasumi nodded.
"When I tried to call you yesterday, the phone line was busy," he called out to her.
"Oh, I was talking to... a friend," she replied slowly.
**
Shigeru ate the last cookie. It was nearly nine o' clock.
"Gosh, she sure is late."
The phone beside him rang. He picked it up.
"Shigeru?" It was Kasumi.
"Where are you?" he asked.
"I'm at Satoshi's house. I saw him down the street and he insisted I visit his house for a while. I'm sorry, but I'll come back later tonight."
"Y-your with Satoshi?"
"Yes is something wrong with that?"
"No, not at all!"
There was a slight pause.
"You haven't been in another fight with him, have you? That's so childish!"
-
Satoshi poked his head through the door pointing back into the hallway. Kasumi looked back and shoed him off. She turned back to her phone to hear Shigeru.
-
Shigeru's eyes widened. "No, we haven't been fighting! Honest! You can ask him yourself, if you want."
There was another pause.
"Look, I really need to go now."
"Alright. I'm sorry you can't be here now."
"But I'll come over later. Bye."
She hung up quickly. Shigeru leaned back on the couch and put the phone down. Nanami walked in.
"Shigeru? Are you fighting with Satoshi?" she asked.
Shigeru shook his head. She didn't know he and Satoshi were together. He was afraid that if he told her, she would think of him in the wrong sense. But maybe he should.
"It's just that..." he stopped for a while.
"What? What's wrong, Shigeru?" she asked him sternly.
"I'm in love with somebody else."
"Really? Who is she?"
"It's not a girl."
**
"Well, it's been nice seeing you, Satoshi," said Kasumi and she kissed him on the forehead.
"Don't you want to stay longer?" asked Satoshi.
"Oh, no, I have to get back to... my sisters. They're expecting me at the gym. I'm sorry, I really do have to go," she replied. "I'll see you later then, okay Satoshi-kun?"
"Okay, goodbye," he said.
They hugged quickly and Kasumi left. Satoshi closed the door and waited for Kasumi to be well out of site. He waited a while, then went outside. It couldn't be such a secret anymore that he and Kasumi were in love, but he wasn't sure as to who to tell. He went to Professor Okido's lab because it was nearby. Maybe Kenji would be the right person to tell.
He reached the lab and went into the front door, which he had the key to.
"Kenji? Kenji, are you there?" he called out. It was dark since it had closed already.
The lights turned on suddenly and a shadow appeared at the doorway.
"Who's there?" called a voice.
"Kenji?" called out Satoshi.
Kenji walked up to him, tall and wearing a lab coat. "Satoshi? What are you doing here?"
"I just came to visit," he said.
"Oh, well that's nice. We haven't talked in a while. How's Shigeru?"
"Alright."
"You're still together?"
"Yes, but..."
"But what? You two haven't been fighting, have you? I know you used to be rivals, and I'm hoping you two haven't gone at it again."
"No, it's just that I'm in love with somebody else," said Satoshi.
"Ahh, I see!" Kenji exclaimed. "Well, hopefully not me. You know I don't swing that way."
"No, it's not with a guy."
"It's not? Well then who is it? Anybody I know?"
"It's Kasumi."
"Kasumi?!" Kenji took a step back. "Woah, well you sure do have a change of heart all of a sudden!"
"But now I'm caught between her and Shigeru. What do you think I should do about it?"
"Hmmm..." Kenji put his hand to his chin thoughtfully, "Well, you'll just have to choose, I suppose. Maybe it'd be better if you talked to Takeshi about this. He sort of has the same problem, if you know what I mean."
"Sort of..." said Satoshi slowly. "But I'll ask anyway. Thanks just the same."
"You're welcome."
Satoshi left, heading home to call Takeshi.
*
Satoshi sat in front of his phone and looked at it for a moment. He would have to tell his story differently, seeing that Takeshi only knew of his being with Kasumi, rather than Kenji who had only known of him and Shigeru. He slowly dialed the number to Takeshi's gym and the ringing tone started.
"Hello," said a deep voice. "Nibi Gym."
"Takeshi?" said Satoshi.
"Satoshi? Why are you calling?"
"I need to ask you a question. Kenji had suggested you were the best person to answer."
"Okay..."
"Well, Kasumi and I have been together for a long time..."
"Yeah..."
"But what if I loved somebody else?"
"Who exactly is this 'somebody else' you're in love with?"
"Shi... Shi......." Satoshi trailed off.
"Shi-what? What kind of name is Shi?"
"Shi...geru. I'm in love with Shigeru."
There was a long, uneasy pause.
"Can you repeat that?" asked Takeshi.
"I'm in love with Shigeru. Right after I had fallen in love with Kasumi."
"Satoshi, are you feeling okay? You've never looked at a guy before... at least that I recall of. And especially not Shigeru!"
"No, that's just you."
"Oh... I guess your right. Well this is a really hard situation."
"What should I do?"
"I suggest you... choose. Either that or just tell both of them. Then again, you could do what I do, and just keep on going."
"Well, which one of those is better?"
"None of them. They all really, really suck."
"Oh... Well, thanks anyway."
"Anytime."
Satoshi hung up. He sighed, placing his arms crossed in front of him, and dropping his head down into them.
**
Kasumi gently brought the tea to her lips and she drank. "It's getting late," she said. Shigeru looked over at her quickly. "I'm sorry," she continued. "I've only been here a short time. I guess it's all Satoshi's fault for taking so much of my time."
"It's okay. It's really nobody's fault... you and he just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time," said Shigeru.
Kasumi smiled for a moment. "It's nice to know you're finally taking sympathy for Satoshi." Nanami looked at them from the kitchen doorway. Shigeru started to sweat a little. "But don't be too nice. It wouldn't be normal."
She laughed a little and moved his bangs away from his face to kiss him. Shigeru walked her over to the door. Though before she left, she turned to him.
"Why don't I meet you over at the Masara Park sometime tomorrow? At noon?" she asked.
Shigeru smiled. "Alright," he said.
She left and Shigeru closed the door slowly behind her. He looked at Nanami and she walked back into the kitchen.
**
"Go!"
Kasumi pointed out to the other end of the pool and her Hitodemon and Nyoromo raced across. They reached the end where Kasumi stood.
"It's a tie, but," she looked at the tuckered out Nyoromo, "you need to work on your form, Nyoromo."
She brought out two of her monster balls and returned them. The door opened behind her and her sisters walked in, giggling.
"Good morning, Kasumi," said Sakura.
"You're up very early," said Ayame.
"Don't push your pokemon too hard," added Botan and the three walked to the high diving board.
"I won't," replied Kasumi and she walked out of the pool when she heard a splash in the pool. She went into the cafeteria. "Togepi!" she called out. "Togepi!"
Togepi looked out from the doorway and trotted in.
"There's my little one," she said and picked it up. "It's time for breakfast."
While Kasumi took a box and a bowl from the shelf the phone nearby rang and she took the receiver.
"Hanada Gym. How may I help you?" she answered while pouring the pokemon food from the box.
"Ayame? Is that you?"
"No, this is Kasumi. Whom may I ask is calling?"
"It's Satoshi."
Kasumi's face lit up and the pokemon food started spilling over the edges of the bowl. "Oh, hello, Satoshi! I'm so sorry I had to leave so soon last night."
"That's alright. It was so sudden anyway. But hey, why don't you just meet me over at the Masara park, and we can make up the lost time."
"That'd be great," she replied.
"Okay, you can come right away."
After their fair shares of good-byes, Kasumi hung up. She sighed and leaned against the counter while setting the over-filled bowl of pokemon food down on the floor for Togepi to eat.
Then Kasumi's eyes widened. "But I'm supposed to mean Shigeru there as well!" She started to pace around the room and Togepi looked up at her. "Well... maybe if I just get there really early then Satoshi will be gone by the time Shigeru comes. I just hope I can get there early enough..."
**
The sun shone high up in the air. Satoshi sat on a bench with Pikachu sitting on his head.
"Can you believe the trouble I'm in Pikachu?" he said to it.
"Pikaa," it said in a sad tone.
"And for such a long time too. I mean, I'll have to choose one of them, but I don't know who."
It jumped off his head and onto his lap.
"But, you know?"
"Pika?" it looked up at him.
"I think maybe... Kasumi."
"Chuu!" It squealed.
"But, then again..."
"Pika?"
"Maybe Shigeru? Oh, I don't know..."
"Satoshi!" they heard. Satoshi could see Kasumi running towards him. She reached him, hugging him tightly.
"Hi, Kasumi," he said and hugged her back.
"I hope I'm not too late," she said.
"No, it's still noon, so we have the rest of the day."
"Noon?" she asked and took a step back.
"Yeah," said Satoshi and he looked at his watch, "That's what it says: 12:00 PM."
"Kasumi?" said a voice behind them. "Satoshi?"
The two looked back.
"Shigeru!" they both exclaimed.
"Shigeru, we hadn't scheduled to meet. What are you doing here?" asked Satoshi.
"Well what are you doing here?" he asked.
"Schedule to meet?" exclaimed Kasumi.
The three looked at each other, each in surprise.
-End
Okay, I just needed to replace the original with this little message here. I keep getting reviews telling me to finish the story... ehh, no, you see, this is the end. I'm done. It's just one of those stories that end at the climax to surprise the reader. Besides, I can't think of an ending... _;; I could make a prologue, but that'd wouldn't really help at all... ^^;;