Disclaimer: Suki Dakara Suki's by Clamp.
When you grow up
By miyamoto yui
Chapter 6 – Here with me.
"You're really out there today, Hina-chan," Emi-chan commented as I sat on the grass while unwrapping my lunch with a wide grin on my face.
Touko-chan cleared her throat while trying not to laugh at me. It was then that Emi-chan looked at both of us and lifted up an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
I continued to hum softly to myself the silly little songs I always made up. But this time, I was just saying the words in my head. "He has come back…come back for m~e. Maybe we'll have some tea…"
"One word: Asou-sensei." Touko-chan whispered as she seriously looked at Emi-chan in the eyes.
"I thought you didn't like him."
Touko-chan shrugged her shoulders. "He's…not that bad."
I blinked my eyes and smiled at her. Then, I shook my head. "No, he isn't."
I looked at the clear blue sky above me almost wanting to kiss it with all my happiness.
Maybe my naïve ways were simplistic then. Maybe I still am that way.
But for me, being close to him was all that mattered to me. I could feel his warmth even when I just thought of him.
It made my insecurities disappear for the moment.
I forgot the loneliness that I had learned to deny with my smiles…
Emi-chan then poked me on the forehead. "Aiya."
I really was gone. And when we walked downtown after school, I pointed at a café's window. "Tomo-kun!"
Waving goodbye to them, I ran to Tomo-kun's booth as he sat there content with his ever-present laptop in front of him.
"Tomo-kun!" I shouted loudly.
He looked up and laughed at me. "Good afternoon, Hina-chan."
I shook my head from side to side as I took his hands and held them. "Thank you."
I didn't know if I wanted to cry or laugh, so I just stood there smiling like a fool.
Tomo-kun just smirked at me as he shook his head with his eyes half-closed. "You need to thank yourself, not me."
I smiled even more as I shook my head with grateful tears in my eyes. "If you didn't tell me, I wouldn't have found him. And…and…"
Like a little kid, I began to sob as I wiped my falling tears with the back of my sleeve while still holding onto him. "I would have regretted it."
Tilting his head, he smiled while patting my hand and gestured me to sit across the table from him. "No, he would have. He's so stubborn…"
Then, I put my hands in fists as I nervously looked at him. "I…I saw an advertisement for your new book on my way home yesterday."
He laughed at me. "I was just finishing the one after it."
Silence.
"What is it about, Tomo-kun?" I looked at the window to watch the people passing by.
Doki. Doki.
"It's quite complicated, to put it bluntly." He laughed as he looked at me. "It's like children's literature and adult material rolled into one. I like its strangeness though. That's why I made it."
"Do you mind telling me about it?" I then looked at him and blinked my eyes.
Tomo-kun smiled as he nodded slowly. "I like you Hina-chan, so don't be afraid of asking me things like this."
"Do I look that nervous?"
He nodded his head.
I laughed. "Well, the poster looked interesting, but it was kind of…weird."
I then thought of the flyer with two girls on it. They were holding onto one another's hands, but one was looking up while the other was looking down. The one looking up had mechanical angel wings while the other had mechanical bat wings.
"It's an illustrated novel," he started. "I was trying to capture the characteristics of my main character which were twins. Neither is too good nor too bad. The girl with the bat wings is named Poppyflower or Hinegeshi has a lover. This lover has never met her before, but he knows she's alive and continues to look for her. It's full of twists and turns and one of those twists is that the twins are really…"
"Yes?" I opened my eyes widely as I eagerly listened to him in suspense.
"That's what you have to read for."
I bent my head down and laughed. "Okay."
I then looked at the clock and saw that it was getting late, so I started to get up. "I have to go home now, but I'll see you later."
"Remember Hina-chan," he said. "It's called 'Here with me'."
I nodded my head as he turned his laptop to face me.
"And this is the sketch of the girl."
I tilted my head as I saw a woman that looked like myself, but also like my mother.
"It's very pretty," I commented and tried not to get too emotional thinking about my mother again.
Mesmerized for the moment, I touched the screen as if I were drawn to it in a special way.
"Hina-chan?" Tomo-kun blinked at me.
"I'm so sorry!" I apologized while bowing in front of him. "I'll see you later!"
"Tell him hi for me," he said as I nodded my head.
As I left, I turned my head to face the café's window. There was Tomo-kun looking at me with a not-so-calm face. And I wondered what had made him look so sad…
To be continued…
--
Author's note: Oh my, I'm getting into that 'story within a story' thing. But then again, it's consistent with Suki Dakara Suki.
When you grow up
By miyamoto yui
Chapter 6 – Here with me.
"You're really out there today, Hina-chan," Emi-chan commented as I sat on the grass while unwrapping my lunch with a wide grin on my face.
Touko-chan cleared her throat while trying not to laugh at me. It was then that Emi-chan looked at both of us and lifted up an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
I continued to hum softly to myself the silly little songs I always made up. But this time, I was just saying the words in my head. "He has come back…come back for m~e. Maybe we'll have some tea…"
"One word: Asou-sensei." Touko-chan whispered as she seriously looked at Emi-chan in the eyes.
"I thought you didn't like him."
Touko-chan shrugged her shoulders. "He's…not that bad."
I blinked my eyes and smiled at her. Then, I shook my head. "No, he isn't."
I looked at the clear blue sky above me almost wanting to kiss it with all my happiness.
Maybe my naïve ways were simplistic then. Maybe I still am that way.
But for me, being close to him was all that mattered to me. I could feel his warmth even when I just thought of him.
It made my insecurities disappear for the moment.
I forgot the loneliness that I had learned to deny with my smiles…
Emi-chan then poked me on the forehead. "Aiya."
I really was gone. And when we walked downtown after school, I pointed at a café's window. "Tomo-kun!"
Waving goodbye to them, I ran to Tomo-kun's booth as he sat there content with his ever-present laptop in front of him.
"Tomo-kun!" I shouted loudly.
He looked up and laughed at me. "Good afternoon, Hina-chan."
I shook my head from side to side as I took his hands and held them. "Thank you."
I didn't know if I wanted to cry or laugh, so I just stood there smiling like a fool.
Tomo-kun just smirked at me as he shook his head with his eyes half-closed. "You need to thank yourself, not me."
I smiled even more as I shook my head with grateful tears in my eyes. "If you didn't tell me, I wouldn't have found him. And…and…"
Like a little kid, I began to sob as I wiped my falling tears with the back of my sleeve while still holding onto him. "I would have regretted it."
Tilting his head, he smiled while patting my hand and gestured me to sit across the table from him. "No, he would have. He's so stubborn…"
Then, I put my hands in fists as I nervously looked at him. "I…I saw an advertisement for your new book on my way home yesterday."
He laughed at me. "I was just finishing the one after it."
Silence.
"What is it about, Tomo-kun?" I looked at the window to watch the people passing by.
Doki. Doki.
"It's quite complicated, to put it bluntly." He laughed as he looked at me. "It's like children's literature and adult material rolled into one. I like its strangeness though. That's why I made it."
"Do you mind telling me about it?" I then looked at him and blinked my eyes.
Tomo-kun smiled as he nodded slowly. "I like you Hina-chan, so don't be afraid of asking me things like this."
"Do I look that nervous?"
He nodded his head.
I laughed. "Well, the poster looked interesting, but it was kind of…weird."
I then thought of the flyer with two girls on it. They were holding onto one another's hands, but one was looking up while the other was looking down. The one looking up had mechanical angel wings while the other had mechanical bat wings.
"It's an illustrated novel," he started. "I was trying to capture the characteristics of my main character which were twins. Neither is too good nor too bad. The girl with the bat wings is named Poppyflower or Hinegeshi has a lover. This lover has never met her before, but he knows she's alive and continues to look for her. It's full of twists and turns and one of those twists is that the twins are really…"
"Yes?" I opened my eyes widely as I eagerly listened to him in suspense.
"That's what you have to read for."
I bent my head down and laughed. "Okay."
I then looked at the clock and saw that it was getting late, so I started to get up. "I have to go home now, but I'll see you later."
"Remember Hina-chan," he said. "It's called 'Here with me'."
I nodded my head as he turned his laptop to face me.
"And this is the sketch of the girl."
I tilted my head as I saw a woman that looked like myself, but also like my mother.
"It's very pretty," I commented and tried not to get too emotional thinking about my mother again.
Mesmerized for the moment, I touched the screen as if I were drawn to it in a special way.
"Hina-chan?" Tomo-kun blinked at me.
"I'm so sorry!" I apologized while bowing in front of him. "I'll see you later!"
"Tell him hi for me," he said as I nodded my head.
As I left, I turned my head to face the café's window. There was Tomo-kun looking at me with a not-so-calm face. And I wondered what had made him look so sad…
To be continued…
--
Author's note: Oh my, I'm getting into that 'story within a story' thing. But then again, it's consistent with Suki Dakara Suki.