~~~~~~~~~~~~~Phase 2, Old and New Problems~~~~~~~~
Maiko Sasaki had returned from the dead. The word had spread all across the school and was leaking into the town and through newspapers. Headlines with big bold print letters read: "THE CHILD MAIKO SASAKI FOUND ALIVE AT YAMAKO ACADEMY AFTER 6 YEAR DISSAPEIRANCE!" After the students, teachers, and press left, and Chizuko winked and said goodbye, Hanami and Maiko were finally alone to say what they need to say after 6 long years. "Well how do you like that?" Hanami said looking down at a paper. "They called you a child." Maiko smiled. "Well I've been dead for 6 years. No one remembered me…except you." Hanami turned and looked at Maiko, who had a misty look in her eyes. "Never mind" Maiko said quickly. "What ever happened to Asuka?" "Asuka?" Hanami replied, a little shocked that Maiko remembered Asuka of all people. "Yea, she's still here. I wonder what she'd say if she saw you?" "Well…" An uneasy voice said, and a figure stepped in from in front of the gate. "I'd have to say I do remember her." Maiko and Hanami both stared. It was Asuka. Asuka hadn't changed. She still had her blue eyes, and her blonde hair. (Which was bleached.) She also had the same old attitude too. But now, Asuka looked as if she would cry. "Maiko Sasaki…." She began. Asuka turned her back to the 2 girls and swallowed. They could tell she was crying. "I'm sorry." She said haughtily without turning around. She turned back through the school gates and left. Maiko wondered if what had just happened was real. Hanami broke the silence. "Where are your parents?" she asked. "I'm not sure.." Maiko replied. "Did they move?" "I'm not sure either...But until then, you can stay with me!" She replied happily. Maiko nodded. "Are you sure your parents won't mind?" "Miss a chance to be in the news? Never. Besides, you're my best friend and they like you." They both got up and Maiko went over to where she had laid the broom and her belongings. "What's with the broom?" Hanami asked. *sweatdrop* "Oh…Not..Nothing…" Maiko stammered. Hanami gave her a strange look, but shook her head and they left the school courtyard, and headed for Hanami's house.
Hanami's parents were in for quite a shock when their daughter returned home with the missing girl. "Kobanwa…" Maiko said shyly while bowing. Hanami's parents only nodded, and when dinner was offered, they were very silent. "It figures they're so quiet…I might as well have been dead for the past 6 years…" The dinner table sounded alone and empty until Hanami's father spoke. "Um.. Maiko?" He sounded uneasy and somewhat scared. "Do you know where your parents are?" Maiko stared up at the ceiling and then looked back down. "Well, I'm not really sure. Did they move?" Hanami and her family flinched at Maiko's words. "Did….something happen to them?" Hanami looked down. "Well Maiko…" Her voice trailed off. "Well Maiko," Hanami's mother replied. "It was in the news a year after you disappeared." Hanami's mother got up and came back a few minutes with an old newspaper stack. Maiko picked up the first, which bore the title "6 year old student at Yamako Academy disappeared as of April 19th" The next read a similar title, and so on. The last featured info on Maiko's parents, which Maiko read quietly. "Maiko Sasaki's parents, Hiroko and Jen Sasaki disappear after a year of their daughter's disappearance." Maiko stared down and then back up to see the whole table looking at her. Hanami's little brother, Masaru, walked in. He was 7 years old. "Mommy! I found a kitty!" He said happily, and dropped the cat onto the floor. The cat meowed, and walked over to the table. "Masaru, take that thing out of here…you know how I feel about cats." The cat however got up when Masaru tried to reach for it. It got up and crept over to Maiko's chair. It was a black cat. Hanami's mother jumped. "Masaru! I told you to take it away from the table…" Hanami bent over and whispered to Maiko. "My mother was told old legends of a black cat responding only to a witch. She's scared to death of them."
Maiko stared at the little boy chasing the cat into the next room and wondered about what Hanami had said. The thought of anyone finding out what had happened to her over those 6 years scared her. It wasn't something she wanted the whole world to know about, especially Hanami. What if Hanami didn't like her anymore? What if she was as scared of witches as her mother? It was all too much. "What am I going to do about my broom…?" She thought. Just at that moment, Hanami walked in carrying Maiko's broom. "What's with this?" she asked curiously. "Err…" Maiko stuttered. "I worked as a house maid to get the money to come back?" She made up the first thing that came to her mind. Hanami looked at her for a minute, and then said, "You must have had such a bad time. Well at least you're back now!" For the first time since she arrived at Hanami's house, Maiko finally felt happy. It had been a long day, and she was tired. She lay down on the mattress, and before Hanami could say another word, she fell asleep….With the black cat sleeping next to her.
Maiko Sasaki had returned from the dead. The word had spread all across the school and was leaking into the town and through newspapers. Headlines with big bold print letters read: "THE CHILD MAIKO SASAKI FOUND ALIVE AT YAMAKO ACADEMY AFTER 6 YEAR DISSAPEIRANCE!" After the students, teachers, and press left, and Chizuko winked and said goodbye, Hanami and Maiko were finally alone to say what they need to say after 6 long years. "Well how do you like that?" Hanami said looking down at a paper. "They called you a child." Maiko smiled. "Well I've been dead for 6 years. No one remembered me…except you." Hanami turned and looked at Maiko, who had a misty look in her eyes. "Never mind" Maiko said quickly. "What ever happened to Asuka?" "Asuka?" Hanami replied, a little shocked that Maiko remembered Asuka of all people. "Yea, she's still here. I wonder what she'd say if she saw you?" "Well…" An uneasy voice said, and a figure stepped in from in front of the gate. "I'd have to say I do remember her." Maiko and Hanami both stared. It was Asuka. Asuka hadn't changed. She still had her blue eyes, and her blonde hair. (Which was bleached.) She also had the same old attitude too. But now, Asuka looked as if she would cry. "Maiko Sasaki…." She began. Asuka turned her back to the 2 girls and swallowed. They could tell she was crying. "I'm sorry." She said haughtily without turning around. She turned back through the school gates and left. Maiko wondered if what had just happened was real. Hanami broke the silence. "Where are your parents?" she asked. "I'm not sure.." Maiko replied. "Did they move?" "I'm not sure either...But until then, you can stay with me!" She replied happily. Maiko nodded. "Are you sure your parents won't mind?" "Miss a chance to be in the news? Never. Besides, you're my best friend and they like you." They both got up and Maiko went over to where she had laid the broom and her belongings. "What's with the broom?" Hanami asked. *sweatdrop* "Oh…Not..Nothing…" Maiko stammered. Hanami gave her a strange look, but shook her head and they left the school courtyard, and headed for Hanami's house.
Hanami's parents were in for quite a shock when their daughter returned home with the missing girl. "Kobanwa…" Maiko said shyly while bowing. Hanami's parents only nodded, and when dinner was offered, they were very silent. "It figures they're so quiet…I might as well have been dead for the past 6 years…" The dinner table sounded alone and empty until Hanami's father spoke. "Um.. Maiko?" He sounded uneasy and somewhat scared. "Do you know where your parents are?" Maiko stared up at the ceiling and then looked back down. "Well, I'm not really sure. Did they move?" Hanami and her family flinched at Maiko's words. "Did….something happen to them?" Hanami looked down. "Well Maiko…" Her voice trailed off. "Well Maiko," Hanami's mother replied. "It was in the news a year after you disappeared." Hanami's mother got up and came back a few minutes with an old newspaper stack. Maiko picked up the first, which bore the title "6 year old student at Yamako Academy disappeared as of April 19th" The next read a similar title, and so on. The last featured info on Maiko's parents, which Maiko read quietly. "Maiko Sasaki's parents, Hiroko and Jen Sasaki disappear after a year of their daughter's disappearance." Maiko stared down and then back up to see the whole table looking at her. Hanami's little brother, Masaru, walked in. He was 7 years old. "Mommy! I found a kitty!" He said happily, and dropped the cat onto the floor. The cat meowed, and walked over to the table. "Masaru, take that thing out of here…you know how I feel about cats." The cat however got up when Masaru tried to reach for it. It got up and crept over to Maiko's chair. It was a black cat. Hanami's mother jumped. "Masaru! I told you to take it away from the table…" Hanami bent over and whispered to Maiko. "My mother was told old legends of a black cat responding only to a witch. She's scared to death of them."
Maiko stared at the little boy chasing the cat into the next room and wondered about what Hanami had said. The thought of anyone finding out what had happened to her over those 6 years scared her. It wasn't something she wanted the whole world to know about, especially Hanami. What if Hanami didn't like her anymore? What if she was as scared of witches as her mother? It was all too much. "What am I going to do about my broom…?" She thought. Just at that moment, Hanami walked in carrying Maiko's broom. "What's with this?" she asked curiously. "Err…" Maiko stuttered. "I worked as a house maid to get the money to come back?" She made up the first thing that came to her mind. Hanami looked at her for a minute, and then said, "You must have had such a bad time. Well at least you're back now!" For the first time since she arrived at Hanami's house, Maiko finally felt happy. It had been a long day, and she was tired. She lay down on the mattress, and before Hanami could say another word, she fell asleep….With the black cat sleeping next to her.