Chapter 5: True Intentions
Our footsteps' echoes were barely audible over the hullabaloo of the busy hall. I had walked through the entire school in the ungodly hours of the morning. It had not prepared me for this. For the first time, I witnessed the halls in the rush hour; there were herds of students congesting the halls on their way to either lunch or leaving to go outside. They called to each other and laughed loudly, all making a racket, all rushing to their destinations. To my left, to my right, behind, in front, everywhere!! The moving bodies were all around, closing in. . .suddenly I got the frightening sensation that my lungs were inwardly collapsing and I felt dizzy. My heart began to pound and I struggled to breathe in the suffocating, swirling blur of people. I thought briefly that I shouldn't have taken my full doses of medicines on an empty stomach. . .
"Robin! Are you ok?" Miki's voice snapped me back to reality. The dizziness faded a bit. I felt enormously relieved as he gently took my hand and led me through the bustling crowd, to the outdoor dining area. When we stepped into the sunshine, he pulled a chair out for me at a nearby table. I was a bit embarrassed but very thankful all the same. "I'm very sorry about that Miki, I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm fine, really. . . I just get nervous around so many people," I muttered sheepishly. I reminded myself never again to take all my medicines at once. Although it took all my strength, I managed to sit straight and keep smiling. I felt very nauseous all of a sudden, but if I didn't eat something and dilute all that medicine it could well get worse.
Not surprisingly, poor Miki was still concerned after my weak excuse, but for fear of him asking more questions, I asked if he would mind bringing the lunch to the table for us while I collected myself. Being the gentleman he was, he hurriedly agreed and rushed off to the cafeteria. After a moment of agonizing indecision, I seized the opportunity to take my strongest aspirin pill. I wasn't sure if they would make me feel sicker, or possibly violently ill in this condition, but the pains would be starting in about half an hour otherwise, since I had taken the last aspirin about 12 hours ago. I made a mental note of the time, so that I would remember to take the next aspirin that night.
I looked around to see if there was anyone I recognized eating outside, but the faces were all unknown to me. I closed my eyes and to shield them from the bright sun. It was no good, even when I looked away the brightness reflected back at me from the bright white table, stinging my eyes, even though they were tightly shut. I covered my face and rubbed them irritably. 'Why is it so hard to feel comfortable?' I thought to myself. My wonderful dark clouds which had comforted me earlier had drifted off and uncovered the repulsive sun, and I felt like prune shriveling up underneath it. How exasperating.
At last Miki arrived, closely followed by. . .I squinted from the combination of blindness from the light and incredibility. . .another Miki?? But as the two approached, I reprimanded myself for such foolish thinking. Of course it couldn't be another Miki. . . because the second Miki was wearing the girl's uniform. They arrived at the table and each set down a tray. "Thank you for helping me carry the trays, Kozue," said Miki. The girl smiled charmingly and pulled up a chair. Miki looked a bit irritated, as if he was hoping she would have left right away. She clucked at her brother in mock disapproval. "I don't believe your friend and I have been introduced."
Miki sighed and seated himself across from me. "This is Rankaku-sa -. . .sorry, Robin- She's a 10th grade who just arrived in Ohtori. Robin, this is my twin sister, Kozue," he said.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Rankaku." Kozue-san sat between Miki and me at the round white table, resting her chin in her hands. She an air of superiority about her that made me slightly uneasy. "Miki tells me you two have become pretty intimate already," she stated, with what might have been a touch of resentfulness in her voice. "Kozue. . .! " Miki started abruptly, but was interrupted by his twin. "Can't I even talk to your friends anymore? I'm shocked by you, Miki." she replied tartly. Miki blushed and absentmindedly poked his food with a fork, obviously at a loss for words, or perhaps unable to decide where to start. "Well, we only met this afternoon, but we've become fast friends. It was actually Miki's captivating music that led me to him," I replied shyly. Kozue-san's eyes narrowed and a sinister smile creeped across her lips. It was far from comforting. I wondered to myself if everyone at this school was acted so oddly, or if it was only the siblings.
"Oh yes. . ." she replied, ". . .my brother certainly is one of many virtues." I remembered Akio saying something similar about his own sister. This connection didn't make me like Kozue any more than I already didn't. She leaned back slowly in her chair and modestly fiddled with her nails. "Unfortunately, as identical as people think we are at fist glance, our similarities end there. Miki and I are complete opposites." Miki seemed to be getting very disturbed by this point.
"That's not true. Kozue could be as good, or yes, even better than me at everything I do, if she only cared. Somehow you lost your will, you gave up. . .I don't know what's happened to you, Kozue. . ." his voice cracked and for a moment I thought he might bust into tears. I was about to reach out and hold his hand to comfort him, but the shocking look of glee on his sister's face froze me where I was. "I never lost my will Miki." she whispered charmingly, gliding out of her chair and leaning to murmur in his ear, "I gained perception."
She made a face of mock surprise. "Oh, I almost forgot." In an agile movement that was obviously meant to shock and probably repulse her brother, she pulled a well-concealed letter out the top of her blouse, and handed it to me. "A letter for you, Miss." With that, she sauntered off to meet her friends in a corner of the outside dining area, and walked off with the giggling group of girls. Needless to say, the rest of the meal continued with a rather unpleasant karma.
If I had thought Miki had looked annoyed before, his reaction to the letter was positively distraught. "Kozue! That's. . . It can't be. . ." he stammered incredulously.
I picked it up and turned it around to read the address, taking note of the familiar rose insignia printed on the seal, the same one I had seen on Miki's ring. "The End of the Word?" I wondered aloud.
Our footsteps' echoes were barely audible over the hullabaloo of the busy hall. I had walked through the entire school in the ungodly hours of the morning. It had not prepared me for this. For the first time, I witnessed the halls in the rush hour; there were herds of students congesting the halls on their way to either lunch or leaving to go outside. They called to each other and laughed loudly, all making a racket, all rushing to their destinations. To my left, to my right, behind, in front, everywhere!! The moving bodies were all around, closing in. . .suddenly I got the frightening sensation that my lungs were inwardly collapsing and I felt dizzy. My heart began to pound and I struggled to breathe in the suffocating, swirling blur of people. I thought briefly that I shouldn't have taken my full doses of medicines on an empty stomach. . .
"Robin! Are you ok?" Miki's voice snapped me back to reality. The dizziness faded a bit. I felt enormously relieved as he gently took my hand and led me through the bustling crowd, to the outdoor dining area. When we stepped into the sunshine, he pulled a chair out for me at a nearby table. I was a bit embarrassed but very thankful all the same. "I'm very sorry about that Miki, I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm fine, really. . . I just get nervous around so many people," I muttered sheepishly. I reminded myself never again to take all my medicines at once. Although it took all my strength, I managed to sit straight and keep smiling. I felt very nauseous all of a sudden, but if I didn't eat something and dilute all that medicine it could well get worse.
Not surprisingly, poor Miki was still concerned after my weak excuse, but for fear of him asking more questions, I asked if he would mind bringing the lunch to the table for us while I collected myself. Being the gentleman he was, he hurriedly agreed and rushed off to the cafeteria. After a moment of agonizing indecision, I seized the opportunity to take my strongest aspirin pill. I wasn't sure if they would make me feel sicker, or possibly violently ill in this condition, but the pains would be starting in about half an hour otherwise, since I had taken the last aspirin about 12 hours ago. I made a mental note of the time, so that I would remember to take the next aspirin that night.
I looked around to see if there was anyone I recognized eating outside, but the faces were all unknown to me. I closed my eyes and to shield them from the bright sun. It was no good, even when I looked away the brightness reflected back at me from the bright white table, stinging my eyes, even though they were tightly shut. I covered my face and rubbed them irritably. 'Why is it so hard to feel comfortable?' I thought to myself. My wonderful dark clouds which had comforted me earlier had drifted off and uncovered the repulsive sun, and I felt like prune shriveling up underneath it. How exasperating.
At last Miki arrived, closely followed by. . .I squinted from the combination of blindness from the light and incredibility. . .another Miki?? But as the two approached, I reprimanded myself for such foolish thinking. Of course it couldn't be another Miki. . . because the second Miki was wearing the girl's uniform. They arrived at the table and each set down a tray. "Thank you for helping me carry the trays, Kozue," said Miki. The girl smiled charmingly and pulled up a chair. Miki looked a bit irritated, as if he was hoping she would have left right away. She clucked at her brother in mock disapproval. "I don't believe your friend and I have been introduced."
Miki sighed and seated himself across from me. "This is Rankaku-sa -. . .sorry, Robin- She's a 10th grade who just arrived in Ohtori. Robin, this is my twin sister, Kozue," he said.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Rankaku." Kozue-san sat between Miki and me at the round white table, resting her chin in her hands. She an air of superiority about her that made me slightly uneasy. "Miki tells me you two have become pretty intimate already," she stated, with what might have been a touch of resentfulness in her voice. "Kozue. . .! " Miki started abruptly, but was interrupted by his twin. "Can't I even talk to your friends anymore? I'm shocked by you, Miki." she replied tartly. Miki blushed and absentmindedly poked his food with a fork, obviously at a loss for words, or perhaps unable to decide where to start. "Well, we only met this afternoon, but we've become fast friends. It was actually Miki's captivating music that led me to him," I replied shyly. Kozue-san's eyes narrowed and a sinister smile creeped across her lips. It was far from comforting. I wondered to myself if everyone at this school was acted so oddly, or if it was only the siblings.
"Oh yes. . ." she replied, ". . .my brother certainly is one of many virtues." I remembered Akio saying something similar about his own sister. This connection didn't make me like Kozue any more than I already didn't. She leaned back slowly in her chair and modestly fiddled with her nails. "Unfortunately, as identical as people think we are at fist glance, our similarities end there. Miki and I are complete opposites." Miki seemed to be getting very disturbed by this point.
"That's not true. Kozue could be as good, or yes, even better than me at everything I do, if she only cared. Somehow you lost your will, you gave up. . .I don't know what's happened to you, Kozue. . ." his voice cracked and for a moment I thought he might bust into tears. I was about to reach out and hold his hand to comfort him, but the shocking look of glee on his sister's face froze me where I was. "I never lost my will Miki." she whispered charmingly, gliding out of her chair and leaning to murmur in his ear, "I gained perception."
She made a face of mock surprise. "Oh, I almost forgot." In an agile movement that was obviously meant to shock and probably repulse her brother, she pulled a well-concealed letter out the top of her blouse, and handed it to me. "A letter for you, Miss." With that, she sauntered off to meet her friends in a corner of the outside dining area, and walked off with the giggling group of girls. Needless to say, the rest of the meal continued with a rather unpleasant karma.
If I had thought Miki had looked annoyed before, his reaction to the letter was positively distraught. "Kozue! That's. . . It can't be. . ." he stammered incredulously.
I picked it up and turned it around to read the address, taking note of the familiar rose insignia printed on the seal, the same one I had seen on Miki's ring. "The End of the Word?" I wondered aloud.