Disclaimer: All Bust-A-Groove elements belong to Enix. I own nothing.
Atari belongs to whoever it was produced and published under.
Note: In this story, whenever it says 'he' or 'him' or 'his' I am referring to the "Mysterious Person" (Shorty's love) unless otherwise noted.
La Rima Tibia
(Warm Rhythm)
by the ArchFaith (formerly known as the ArchPrincess of Saturn)
"Flight 364, roundtrip to Paris, is now boarding. All handicapped passengers and passengers with small children may begin boarding."
Huh? Am I dreaming?
"I repeat, Flight 364 to Paris is now boarding."
Where am I? I should be at home in my bed, with the blankets tucked up to my chin, keeping the warmth in and the cold out.
"All handicapped passengers and passengers with small children may begin boarding."
I wanted to pull the blanket up to my ears, but I found I didn't have a blanket. Noises invaded my system; sounds of people talking, laughing, shouting; doors opening and closing; loud rumbles of mechanical birds spreading their wings and flying; and distant sounds, like the typing of hands on a keyboard, the soft steps of feet on a thin carpet, the ruffle of a newspaper as it is turned by an eager reader.
One noise caught me. It was strong yet soothing; firm yet warm.
"Shorty, wake up."
My eyelids fluttered. I slowly opened the heavy lids. The first thing I saw was a pair of eyes staring back at me. Then I noticed a mouth giving me a tender smile. I blinked the rest of sleep's dreamlike film from my eyeballs. Oh, it was just him.
I suddenly became aware of my surroundings. The bedroom full of awfully loud noise was actually the airport departure lobby. The people talking were the passengers waiting in line to board the airplane. And the pillow I had been using, which I thought awfully hard and uncomfortable, was actually his lap.
Wide awake now, as he brushed a few brown strands out of my face. "We'll be getting on in a few minutes," he whispered. "So you'd better get up now." I reluctantly raised my head from his warm lap. I pulled myself into a sitting position and stretched. Ah, now I remembered.
After getting my things from my house yesterday, we had gone back to his place. I helped him get his suitcase packed, and after that I rearranged my own. We had eaten dinner and watched TV, before both of us went to get a good night's sleep. He had insisted that I sleep in his bed again, while he slept on the couch. Once again I received a good night kiss, on the forehead. And I wore his pajamas too, since they were so comfortable.
During the night I had that dream again. Him, holding his arms out to me. I rushed towards him, and when I reached him, he kissed me. I wanted my dream to last so long that I could feel it when I woke up. Darn...
I was awoken by the alarm clock on the dresser. 2:30 a.m. Ugh, these flights are much too early. I showered (yes, showered; I used his towel too), brushed my teeth, and got dressed in a black t-shirt with an 'S' on it. I put on black capris and did my hair into little curls tied with red ribbons. He was already awake, and had cooked a quick breakfast of toast and butter. After our quick meal, we drove to the airport. Overtime parking service was provided there, and we got our suitcases out of the car and walked through the revolving doors and up the escalator.
First it was to the checkout counter, which had dozens of people in line. It took about an hour, and when we finally reached the counter, I felt like collapsing and falling asleep on the floor. After a few rounds of questioning, and maybe a little fibbing ("Do you have written permission from this girl's parents to take her out of the country?" "Well...she's my sister, you see." "Yeah, this is my big brother!"), our suitcases were placed into the luggage belt. He had a small leather bag to carry aboard the plane, and on my back hung my red backpack, which was a present from Frida during BAG 1.
Then to the departure gate. It took such a long time! The international gates were further away....in another terminal! There were moving walkways every few kilometers, but due to my lack of sleep, I found the journey to be excruciating to my system.
Finally, after walking for what seemed like miles, I saw the signboard that read "Paris, France.......departing at 5:45 a.m..."
I plopped down into the seat and flung my backpack onto the floor under me. He wearily sat down next to me and put his bag on the ground. Sensing my sleepy uncomfort, he gently lowered me down onto his lap, where I slept for a little while...
Which brings me all the way to now. I checked my watch: 5:30. I had slept for half an hour. Only. It didn't matter, I'd have plenty of time to sleep on the plane.
He was already standing, holding his bag. I got up and put my pack on.
"Attention....Flight 364, rountdrip to Paris, is now ready for general boarding. Will the passengers seated in rows 45 and up please present their boarding passes."
"That's us," he announced. He took me by the hand (yes, by the hand) and we raced to the front of the line, just barely beating it out the other passengers.
Attendants stood by a small table in front of the door leading to the airplane. "Boarding passes, please," one of the attendants said.
He handed her both our boarding passes. "We're together," he said, motioning towards me, his 'sister'. Honestly, I don't know how the woman at the counter believed our story. He and I look nothing alike. We don't even have the same last name. I guess she just wanted us out of the way. Or I guess it was luck. Or I guess it was fate.
She ripped a large piece of each passs and handed them back to us. "Thank you and enjoy your flight," she cheerfully replied. He took my hand and we proceeded into the small passage that led to the airplane door. I wrinkled my nose. It had been awhile since I had last been on a plane, and I had forgotten what the stale pressurized air smelled like.
The door came into view. We stepped up to it. A flight attendant waited there. "Good morning," she greeted. "May I see your boarding passes?" He handed them to her. She took a look at them and said, "You are seated in Row 46. Keep going straight up to the last cabin."
"Thank you," he replied, tucking them into his pocket. He pulled me along into the body of the plane. There was a staircase next to where the flight attendant stood--probably first class. When I was very young, I vaguely remembered being with my parents on their private jet--my father being the ambassador to Canada and my mother being the famous Japanese supermodel, of course they had to travel in style. It was so luxurious! Thick carpets, lush couches, a cocktail bar, cable TV, video games...it was so nice.
But empty. Still empty. I remembered sitting on the velvet couch, drinking a glass of root beer, playing an old Atari game...while my parents sat as far away as they could from me.
Talking to each other, ignoring me. They had only brought me with them so I could make them look good: "Look! Ambassor and Ms. Tomohura brought their little girl with them!"
"They're great parents!" "What a happy little child!"
Darn it...
Shorty, don't think about it. You're not with them right now. You're with him, and you're going to Paris. You're going to have a great time there. So forget about it.
I had called Columbo last night. He told me he didn't quite approve of my vacation, but he realized how depressed I was. I told him to take care of the house. And I promised to send him a postcard.
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, forty-six. "Here we go," he announced, looking at the row number. "A and B, Shorty. Do you want the window seat?"
I nodded happily. I scooted in while he put his bag into the luggage compartment. I stored my backpack under my seat. Looking out the window, I could see the waiting area of the airport that we had just left. People were still filing in, and I wondered if we would be able to depart by 5:45. But everyone knows airplanes are always late...
By now he was sitting next to me. "We're finally here," he told me happily. "This is the beginning of our vacation."
I smiled. "Thanks a lot for letting me come with you."
"Don't mention it, Shorty-pie," he replied, grinning. "Everyone needs a break sometimes. Especially you."
Especially me? I wasn't sure which emotion that statement was supposed to convey. Tolerance? Fondness? Love?
I pushed it out of my head. I spotted some magazines in the seat pocket. I pulled one of them out. Not being interested in the articles, I flipped to the back page, to the crossword puzzle. Borrowing a pen from him, I began to fill it out.
I was stumped on a few of them. As I pondered the answer to "fast-paced South American-African dance", an announcement came over the voice system.
"Attention passengers. This is your pilot, Captain Takimachi. I'd like to welcome you aboard InterWorld Airlines on Flight 364, bound for Paris, France. Our flight time is approximately 5 hours, and there will be two meals and a light snack served on the way. There will also be two movies shown on the flight."
I looked around me. All the seats were filled with people. While I had been absorbed in completing my puzzle, the passengers had all crammed in.
The captain's voice faded away. In its place came the voice of an attendant. "For our takeoff, please make sure all tray tables are stowed in their upright positions and that all luggage is stored away under your seats or in the overhead luggage bin." The announcement was repeated once again in Japanese and French.
That said, the plane began its slow taxi across the runway. A movie flipped on the screen at the center of the cabin. I didn't pay much attention to it, but it looked like some kind of safety movie. Besides, he was watching it, so what did I have to worry about?
I looked out the window at the ocean water, which could be seen in the distance from the runway. This airport had been built on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay; there was just no room on land.
"Flight attendants, prepare for departure," the captain's staticky voice boomed. The attendants hurried to sit down in their speical seats next to the emergency doors. Everything was ready.
The engines started full blast, and the plane began moving. I smiled to myself, excited. Airplane departures were so exciting! Being lifted up into the air, soaring free, supported by nothing. Well, almost by nothing. I didn't understand airplanes very well. It was like trying to figure out how how a TV works, or a computer. Some things you just couldn't understand.
The plane was zooming across the runway. Finally I felt it begin to lift. The cabin tilted and everyone leaned back in their seats.
I could see the scenes of Tokyo from my window. Gardens and temples, the old style, mixed with skyscrapers and malls, the new style. I caught a glimpse of the N-Studios complex, and thought for a moment that I saw Kitty walking out of it.
And I saw Tokyo Tower. Soon I would be seeing the Eiffel Tower. "Catch ya later, Tokyo," I muttered under my breath.
I continued to look out the window for about ten minutes, as the plane gained altitude. The city turned into an ocean filled with tiny fishing boats. Thin white clouds slowly started to obscure the view, as I kept looking. After a while, my view was surrounded by nothing but white, and I couldn't see anything else.
I turned away from the window. Most of the other passengers were either reading newspapers or sleeping. His eyes were half-closed, and I could tell he was sleepy too. After all, he had been up before me. He caught me looking at him. He gave me a small grin and patted his shoulder, inviting me to him. I laid my head on his shoulder, and I could feel his cheek against my hair.
"It's not that long a flight," he whispered. "Don't sleep too much, or you'll have jetlag...." He sighed, and said nothing. I decided to keep my mouth shut and said nothing more either.
The flight seems to be going smoothly. What's Paris like?
Author's notes: Not that much happens in this chapter, just the beginning of the flight. I hope the next chapter will have more action.
Yes, I mean to make Shorty's parents look evil. You'll see why in the following chapters.
I have a new plan for this fic. The fic might become too long, so I might divide into another fic with a different name.
Shorty's last name is Tomohura. And an interesting note, Captain Takimachi is Tsutomu's father and Comet's uncle (in my Pander fic).