READ! A/N: awww.. I got nice reviews ^_^ Makes me happy…. well here's the next installment! I have to say I've never been to Japan, let alone the airport…so just bare with me…I'm trying to make things as believable as I can! Another thing is that Kenshin HAS his scar, and that if you guys are a little confused about my tenses…Sorry! I did that on purpose. Kenshin is telling the story in his point of view so that'll kind of seem to be in a past tense…but the things in present tense are what he's feeling at that moment as it's happening. Not too confusing? Get it? Got it? Good! Oh…and Soujiro is still that sweet smiling brunette we've all grown to love, but just keep in mind he has become pretty normal over ten years, so he does have his frowning, serious, sarcastic….well… moments…you get my point! haha ENJOY! And REVIEW! ^_^
Angel of Mine
Chapter 2
Ang3l MoMo
Previously on A.O.M:
"Now boarding Flight 764 to Tokyo, Japan.."
I wish I could stop the constant fluttering of the butterflies in my stomach.
"Alright Kenshin, this is it. No turning back now." I grabbed my bags and walked toward the gate. Everyone around me seemed to be going on a business trip, visiting family, or going on a vacation. But me…I was going to my past. To my nightmares.
To what I've forgotten…
***************
I walked out of the plane, completely sore and exhausted. You'd think I'd be used to sitting in one seat for hours on end, considering I'm a businessman, but not in a cramped place like a plane…especially when there were little kids kicking the back of your seat and babies crying for the whole twelve, or so, hours. Already I could feel the jet lag kicking in, usually it'd be about nine in evening right now…but instead it's only morning here. At first I felt a strange déjà vu, uncomfortable and awkward; so as an effort to shake this off, I went to the nearest restroom.
I walked in, and made my way to the sink, leaving my bags next to me on the floor. I looked in the mirror. God…I looked like shit. I poked and prodded the bags under my eyes, my tousled hair, pale skin, and chapped lips…I looked more like thirty-seven than twenty-seven.
Disgusting.
Without hesitation, I turned on the faucet and splashed lukewarm water on my face in hopes of freeing myself from the awful 'thing' I called my complexion. The water seemed to wake me up and bring back the look of the man I learned to love. The ever so sexy Kenshin Himura. [A/N: Yea, he's been through shit…but being Kenshin, could he not be conceited? 'Course not. haha]
I dried my face with a small towel I had in one of my carry-on bags, and walked out of the restroom. Feeling much better, I decided to go look for Soujiro. Considering he was no where in sight, I had concluded that he was either late or was waiting at another location in the airport. Then remembering that the ever-so-punctual Soujiro was never late, I narrowed it down to that he must be waiting at another location.
I read the signs that hung above me.
"Okay…Baggage claim is over there…phones are over there…and restaurants are over there…" I thought aloud.
"Hmm…Baggage claim sounds good…that usually leads to the exit." I started to walk within the crowd when suddenly… the strangest thing happened.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman with long raven-hair tied up in a ponytail walked past me. This tugged at my heart for some reason, and caused me to look. But when I turned toward where I thought she went…there wasn't a woman of that sort anywhere.
"Great Himura…You haven't even been here for 10 minutes and you're already hallucinating." I mumbled to myself.
I started to follow the crowd toward the baggage claim…when suddenly, in the sea of heads, I saw her again. The woman with the raven-haired ponytail had her back toward me. I stared, as much as I tried I couldn't tear my eyes away…
Dammit what's wrong with me?
As if realizing I was gaping at her, she turned her head—
My eyes widened… my heart dropped to my stomach…my body suddenly felt a hundred times heavier, and I froze. People bumped into me as I stopped, but I paid no attention.
Those azure eyes…those beautiful azure eyes…It triggered a memory, a memory of…. Love?
She to singled me out of the crowd effortlessly and smiled at me, then she turned back around, and started to run. On instinct, I dropped my bags and shoved my way through the crowd…trying to catch up to her. I ran as fast as I could…. turning corners, jumping over bags and shoving more people, they would yell profanities at me from all sorts of languages….but I didn't care, I couldn't lose this mystery woman.
I was inching closer and closer as I felt my calves burn, she was only half way across the hall…but the distance was enough to make me charge faster.
'Idiot… you left your bags in the middle of the crowd in this huge airport and you're running further and further away from the baggage claim.' My mind would scream at me, but my heart always won, as my speed stayed constant… I had to catch up to her.
I turned another corner, only to bump into someone.
"Omph!" Anger boiled within me as I stopped and looked at the person before me…Who the hell is this and WHY was he or she blocking my way?!
"Kenshin?"
"S…Soujiro??" It was him, Soujiro…the bright-eyed brunette whose smile never faltered. This sudden does of familiarity seemed so out of place…that is until I snapped back to reality.
"Ohayou Kenshin!… What are you doing running around the airport?" He cocked an eyebrow in curiosity.
"I …uh…I uh….I was…" I scratched the back of my head trying to find a decent excuse. Then, remembering the woman, I craned my neck to look behind him.
She was gone…wait a second…that was the gate I walked out of! Had I been running in circles? Wait…But isn't………
"Wait… Soujiro? Does this airport have hallways built to have a tunnel-like connection or….uh…yea?" GREAT way of saying Hi Kenshin. -_-
"What are you talking about Kenshin?" He looked at me as if I had a terminal illness.
"Well... what I mean is…Is this airport built in some sort of circular shape or structure? Do the halls connect?" I screamed at myself mentally, here's this guy I haven't seen in ten years, and yet, instead of starting a nice conversation like "HEY! Long time no see… how are you?"…I ask him an idiotic and random question.
"Uh…not this building. The hallways don't connect so you can't make it back to your original location unless you walk back the way you came from, take the elevator, escalator…or other means of transportation."
Then how did I……?
"Anyway, sorry about being late Kenshin, I got caught up in a few things. But umm… why were you running in the airport?"
Shit…I was hoping he forgot.
"I uh…I was uh…… well I was looking for the bathroom and I ended up walking toward the baggage claim…and since I knew you're not usually one to be late, I ran back so you wouldn't have to wait long."
Phew…that was close. Good excuse.
Soujiro laughed, which made me a little confused.
"Wow, that's got to be one of the best excuses I've ever heard from you Kenshin."
"Huh?"
"Oh come on Kenshin. Everyone knows that at this time of the day the airport is jam-packed, and considering they all walk toward the baggage claim…running back against the stampede of a crowd would be like suicide." He chuckled, "Nice try bud…try to think of a better excuse next time. Anyway…let's go get your bags and…"
…-_-…
"Oh uh… my bags, I kind of…..lost them." What the fuck is going on here? If it isn't possible for me to run in circles…then how did I get back? And how did that woman lead me back here? Where the hell did she go?!!
Soujiro sighed.
Yup, it's official. Japan is definitely not my favorite place.
"Geez Kenshin… you've been here for how long and you're already losing things? Oh well, I'm just be glad you didn't get lost, we've got a lot of things to do today and if I had to leave and look for you we'd be behind 'schedule'."
"Yea…sorry."
"Oh don't worry about it, you've had a long flight. Now how about we get going?"
We started walking with the 'flow' of the crowd toward the baggage claim and then to the exit. I scanned the crowd to see if I could find my bags…which I couldn't. I'm sure they've found a good home…well, I hope they did. Anything better than to have them trampled by this 'stampede'.
"Hey..Soujiro, y'think we could go buy some supplies?"
"Oh yea, of course, we were going to do that anyway…after all you DID lose your bags." Thanks…he just HAD to rub it in.
We finally made it out of the crowd. I followed Soujiro's lead since I had absolutely no idea where we were going, after a while I kind of figured we were heading toward the airport shuttles.
We got on the shuttle, and it took us out of the airport and toward the streets of Tokyo. It stopped at one of the stops, and both of us got out. In a way, even though everything that's happened so far sucks, it felt nice to be back…the smell, the sounds, the feeling of it all, everything felt so homey.
"So where are we heading to now?"
"The subway."
"Oh…right." It's funny how you can feel so stupid in the most normal situations.
****************
The day went quite well…we went on the subway, stopped at a shopping center and I bought the typical essentials, like clothes…. For I definitely wouldn't want to reek after wearing the same thing for two weeks, considering I couldn't exactly go naked all over Japan. [A/N: Although we'd like that, right girls? ^_~ lol] That took up a couple hours, and before I knew it, it was three o'clock in the afternoon. I was starving by then, which is good since the reliable ol' Soujiro introduced me to this new restaurant down the block from the shopping center. The Akebeko. It was owned by a very nice lady, Tae, who had gone completely out of her way to make us feel comfortable. I had ordered some sushi, udon, and sashimi, while Soujiro ordered some vegetable tempura and miso soup. Although the meal was pretty simple compared to what I'd usually eat, it was absolutely delicious. Being that it was such good Japanese food, I devoured everything on instinct.
By the time the day was through, I could tell Soujiro's patience was wearing thin due to my constant nagging and questions on what the "urgent business" was; which he had, of course, ignored and, or, would change the subject to avoid it.
"Oh, would you look at the time. How about we drop your stuff off at the hotel, and then you could come to my place and we'll 'talk'. Sound good?"
"Yea…that sounds fine."
I was staying at the Tachikawa Hotel, it wasn't a four star hotel, but it wasn't pure shit either. It did its job. My room was pretty roomy; a wall separated the bed portion of the room from the lounging area, where it had the TV. I mean, of course there was an opening for me to walk to and from…but I had to make my point that it wasn't just any hotel room…it had met my standards. The bed was centered in the middle with the headboard against the wall…the window was at the bed's left. Everything was decorated in light warm colors; white with tan, maroon, and creme.
When we arrived at my hotel, I ran up to my room, dropped my stuff off, and came back out.
Soujiro didn't live to far from the hotel, so we just walked the whole way. At first I got worried as I saw a few young teenage girls walked past me… it was getting dark after all; but then realizing I was in Japan, not downtown New York City… I brushed it off.
In ten minutes time, we were at his place. It was as I predicted… his apartment was very well kept. His TV, stereo, books, everything were placed in a very organized manner. The few shirts and jackets that seemed to have been 'thrown' on a chair in the corner of the room even looked planned out, as if it was designated that spot. If I had to use Sano's apartment as the definition of a guy's apartment, I would've thought Soujiro had his mom stay with him.
"Here we are, make yourself at home while I go put my things away." I nodded and waited for him to leave the room before I took my shoes off and moved over to his living room sofa.
I scanned my eyes across the walls of his apartment. On the far corner of the room I could see ancient Japanese swords hanging neatly. They were all organized from color, size, and metals they were made from; he must collect them. I remember being sparring partners with Soujiro when we were younger. The both of us loved the art very much; it was an outlet for frustration and anger. Although it's obvious he still holds the interest, I longer do…I had long forgotten why I did, but I have a hunch that it had something to do with my strange spur of insanity ten years ago.
"If you'd like Kenshin, go fetch yourself something to drink, don't wait up for me." He yelled from the hallway, which, of course, must lead to the bathroom and bedroom.
"No that's okay, I'm fine thanks."
I continued to satisfy my curiosity as I ran my eyes over to an area across from the TV…he had a fish tank.
Since when did Soujiro like fish?
Clownfish, crustaceans, and other various aquatic creatures swam about aloofly, their beautifully colored scales shining brightly as the fluorescent light beamed down. Suddenly I heard a soft rustling sound in the seat across from me. Soujiro had returned from his room and was comfortably dressed in a white Tommy Hilfiger shirt, along with a pair of grey sweatpants.
"Nice place you got here."
He and scratched the back of his head shyly.
"Yea…umm…thanks. Hey uh… sorry that you couldn't stay with me. It's just that I only have one bedroom and I figured you'd be bored out of your mind staying locked in all the time since I don't have a spare key." His face was bright red as it was obvious he was embarrassed.
I chuckled.
"Hey…don't worry about it! I understand you're a busy man…No offense taken what-so-ever." He smiled.
We both paused, and going by the look on his face, I could tell both of us were uncomfortable on where to start a conversation.
"Uhh… well as you know Kenshin, I've asked for you to come back to Japan for some urgent business…"
All right… we're getting down to business. It was finally time to get my questions answered.
"But… unfortunately I must ask you a question before I could even begin to start explaining everything."
I frowned. Why was he stalling? Oh well… whatever. I'm really tired of all this anticipation.
He leaned forward so that his elbows rested on his thighs, his hands clasped. I don't think I've ever seen Soujiro this serious, it was kind of unnerving.
"Ten years ago, something happened that traumatized you. It caused you to go insane. Do you remember what that something was? Do you have any memory of what happened to you?"
I paused, a little taken back at how direct he was. I felt a little offended at how personal the question was as it started to bring back horrendous memories of my therapies and other related nightmares. Then I remembered, Soujiro and Sano were with me the whole time…they never left my side.
"N…No… I don't. I can only remember the therapies, my doctors…the cold white rooms. I…" It was hard not to stumble over my words…everything was just so awful, "I remember all of those. But I don't remember what I talked about with my doctors, or why I became as traumatized as I did. It was as if it was erased from my mind…"
I paused, not wanting to continue.
Even after I stopped talking, Soujiro continued to watch me thoughtfully…as if to try and comfort me without words. To try and empathize. About fifteen-seconds passed before he finally sighed and got up. I didn't actually see him leave, I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye, but I knew he had gone back into his room. I could vaguely hear paper tearing and being scrunched up into balls. Then he walked back, but instead of walking back to his chair like I had hoped, he stopped in front of me and stuck a book in front my face…blocking the spot of on floor I had been starting at.
It was a small brown leather-bound journal; I could tell it was old by its torn corners and yellow pages. I carefully took the book from Soujiro's grasp and he made his way back to his chair.
I know this may sound weird…but I felt a strange connection with this book. The way it fit in my hands…the feeling of the soft leather against my skin. It felt like it belonged to me…or something like that.
After a few moments I finally made I eye contact with Soujiro.
"What is this?" What am I supposed to do with it? Use it when the table at the coffeehouse gets wobbly and unstable?
"It's a diary Kenshin."
"Well I kind of figured, but what am I supposed to with it? And what does this have anything to do with your 'urgent business'?"
He sighed.
"The diary is to help answer your questions."
"What? Now you're assigning me homework to read?"
Soujiro stayed silent, he seemed to be trying to internalize everything…he was hiding something from me again.
"You flew me all the way back here…to a place I never wanted to return too… and now you give me this….this DIARY to read? Who do you think I am? A guy that needs time to kill because he has a pointless job and has nothing else to do?!" I couldn't stop my rising voice, I was tired of the fact that everyone seemed to know what was going on and I didn't. It made me feel alienated. I'm not some ant you could put under a glass and see how long it'll take before my ass lit on fire. No…Kenshin Himura is not someone you can walk all over. Not now, not ever.
"Is that what I am to you?! Someone you could fly back to Japan to harass and scare shitless with all this 'urgent business' crap?! IS IT NOT ENOUGH THAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH ALL THAT BULLSHIT THOSE MANY YEARS AGO? IS THIS SOME GAME TO YOU?!" I stood up…gripping the sofa until my knuckles turn white.
"Kenshin calm down…It's not--" He tried to explain.
"CALM DOWN?? CALM DOWN?!!"
I thrust a finger violently at him.
"DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T OR CANNOT DO!! DON'T YOU DARE…" I choked and paused as I felt something wet trickle down my cheek. Ashamed and overcome by anger…I turned around.
I sighed, trying to contain my anger as clenched my fists.
"Don't you dare try and tell me to calm down when you didn't have to endure what I went through. Don't say you understand…when you don't." I hissed coldly.
I stiffly walked toward the door with the diary in my hand.
"Don't you dare try and empathize with me unless you know what it's like to forget something so important that it starts to tear at your heart." I opened the door and looked at Soujiro's shocked face with pure hurt and anger.
"Something so important you know you shouldn't have forgotten…Something you know is missing… Something you know is gone forever…and that nothing can ever replace it." I walked out and slammed the door.
Leaving Soujiro…still sitting on the same leather seat….completely speechless.
******************
Rrriiiing….. Rrriiiing…
In the light of dawn that barely shone through the curtains of the window, a rooster-boy could be heard moaning incoherent swears under his breath as he reluctantly reached over to his bedside table; picking up the phone clumsily.
Rrriii—"Yea?"
"Uh…Sanosuke-san?"
"Oh it's you Soujiro." Sanosuke brought himself up onto one elbow and rubbed his face lazily as if trying to rub away the exhaustion.
He yawns.
"What do you want?"
Soujiro ignored his question.
"Were…were you sleeping?" He asked almost disbelievingly.
"I was. Apparently you've forgotten something called TIME DIFFERENCE." Sano paused and looked at his digital clock on the side of his bed. "AWW MAN! Soujiro! Couldn't you wait a few hours? It's seven in the morning!"
Quite frankly, Soujiro didn't think seven in the morning is that early…but then again it was a Saturday morning for Sano.
- "Oh…Uhh…Sorry Sano…but it's just that Kenshin---"
"OH YEA! How'd it go?"
"Well---"
"Was he okay with the whole story? Y'know… the diary and stuff?"
"Well…Kind of, he---"
"What do you mean 'kind of'?! Is he okay? He's not traumatized again is he? 'Cause if he is I'll---"
"SANO! If you'd just shut up and let me finish you'd get the whole story!"
"Oh yea…sorry." Sano beeped to the cordless phone and rolled over to stare at the wall…not really caring about what Soujiro had to say. After all…they had a plan, and if Soujiro had followed it accordingly, there shouldn't be any problems.
"Well I didn't tell Kenshin the story about what happened…"
"WHAT? Why not?!" Sano was now sitting the side of the bed with his legs dangly over; eyes WIDE open.
"I couldn't Sano! He didn't remember anything about Kaoru…I couldn't tell him everything when we both know he's had severe problems with the whole situation. It would've been too risky."
"So then what did you do?"
"I did the only thing I could think of at the moment. I tore out all the signatures at the end of each journal entry and tore out all the entries that mentioned or had anything to do with him. He mustn't know that it was Kaoru's diary… All he needs is the information... that's all."
Sano sighed. "Do you think that was okay? It won't effect anything since he's forgotten right?"
"I don't know Sano…all I know is that it was our job to give him the information Kaoru wanted us to when he was ready, and since the diary has all the information he needs…all we can do now is cross our fingers and hope for the best."
"Yea…" Sano sighed again, "So he's on his own now?"
"Yea… I guess so…"
"Well…Good luck… and if anything else happens just call me alright?"
"Alright, I will Sano."
"Ja."
"Ja."
A beep could be heard in the silence of the room as Sano hung up the phone. He sighed…trying to collect his thoughts…and fell back against his pillow in an effort to go back to sleep.
He couldn't...Nor could he for the next few days.
Something was going to happen… and he hoped it was for the better. Even if his gut didn't seem to think so…
**************
I had stormed out of Soujiro's apartment as an attempt to keep up my tight-knit façade of being the 'pessimistic-cold-tough guy'. By the time I arrived at my hotel room, my….tears?…were long gone and all that I could feel was confusion. I threw my jacket onto the small sofa that sat across the TV and made my way to the bed. I jumped face first onto the bed, landing with a 'flop'…and burying my face into the pillows.
"Ugh…" I moaned to myself. Everything seemed to be a vague blur as I tried to justify why I had screamed at Soujiro. That sudden rush of emotion was so…unexpected. It's very unnerving once you realize you can't control yourself.
I rolled over onto my back to stare at the cream-colored ceiling.
I sighed.
Why had I done that? I mean…yea, I've felt all those things I've said…like the fact that I know I've forgotten something so does tear at my heart. But I've never even thought these aloud, let alone scream at someone about them. So why start now? Who knows…And why had Soujiro looked at me like I was a psychiatric patient? I doubt that was the first time anyone has anyone raised their voice at him…
I lay there for who knows how long, before curiosity crossed my mind and I got up to fetch the leather-bound diary from my jacket. I fingered the torn edges and the minute gold letters on the cover.
'When all is lost…. Confide.'
Such a fitting title…yet kind of disturbing in its own weird way.
I wanted so much to read this diary, to find out what was 'confided'. But then again, a diary was a very personal thing. I argued with myself mentally.
…A peak wouldn't hurt… No, you can't! You'd be intruding on someone's personal thoughts…but then why did Soujiro give this to me? This book looks too old to be his, and besides, he wouldn't give it to me if he didn't want me to read it……But what if it isn't his? And he stole it or something? This could be someone's very personal thoughts…Soujiro doesn't steal! And the pages are torn, which Soujiro probably did. So why not take a look since he probably has?……Just because Soujiro has doesn't mean you can sink down to his level, he could've changed over the years and became a conniving-untrustworthy-theif! ….But then again………….
It wasn't long before my curiosity got the best of me and I flipped to the first page that wasn't torn out.
Saturday, August 26th, 6:35PM
Today was really great! It's been a few days since the engagement, and since Misao couldn't stand the excitement any longer, she woke me up at 8 AM over the phone, and took me shopping at my favorite mall; the Mitsuroka Shopping Center. We spent hours just trying on the many possible accessories I could use with my wedding dress (Even though I haven't even begun to look for one) and look for as many sales as we could. It was so much fun! Around noon, we decided to stop by at the nearby Internet Café…and whom did we run into? Aoshi and Saitou! Oh my god… you should've seen Misao's face turn beet red when I told her to go say Hi. Poor girl, it's so obvious she's head-over-heals in love with Aoshi…yet, his quiet and emotion-less face never seemed to show interest. Regardless, I dragged her with me to say Hi… (Anything then to have to sit and watch her drool over him, that never gets anyone anywhere). We ordered the usual Bubble/Bobba tea* and continued our little adventure through Tokyo since the weather, as usual, was still nice. All and all, it was a great day…Well, Sorry for the short entry today, but I've got to go and get ready. He's taking me out to dinner. ^_^
I finished the entry. It was obviously a teenage girl's diary…but she was engaged? The word He's stuck out at me for some reason; who was this guy? Although I really could care less about what a typical teenage girl's life was like, I couldn't help but want to read more. Why had her signature been torn out along with so many of the other pages?
As usual, curiosity struck again, and I turned the page.
Thursday, September 14th, 9:45PM
Sorry for not writing for so long, I've been so busy and since not much has happened, I knew you could wait a little longer. But after today I knew I couldn't hold it off any longer. I had received the strangest news from Aunt Kira and Uncle Koichi. It was…overwhelming…I mean…... I was completely blown away by the sudden amount of information. You obviously have no idea what I'm talking about, so let me start from the beginning.
I had arrived home from school just like any other weekday. But when I opened the front door and yelled out my usual greeting, telling Aunt Kira and Uncle Koichi that I was home; no one replied. I thought maybe both of them had decided to go to the grocery store since I ate all of the Pocky last night (Aunt Kira loves those too ^_^;). But as I took off my shoes and made my way to the living room, there they were, looking completely…nervous and guilty? This worried me… as you know, both Aunt Kira and Uncle Koichi were very calm people…they rarely ever looked nervous, guilty, or any other related emotion of unease.
"What's wrong?" I asked. They both looked at each other as if hoping the other would answer my question.
Aunt Kira turned back to me and said comfortingly, "Come my dear, come sit down." She gestured toward the seat across from her. I, being the obedient niece, sat accordingly.
"What is it? What's wrong Auntie?" Both her and Uncle Koichi sighed, "We have something we need to tell you dear, and unfortunately the two of us have to admit, we were not completely honest on what happened to your parents." Aunt Kira said.
I was confused…It wasn't like them to…lie?
"Your mother and father did not have the 'picture-perfect' marriage like we portrayed. Now that you're old enough, we need to tell you…for now it's yours." I didn't know what they were talking about…what was mine? All these questions swarmed in my head. "As you know, the two of them wed at a very young age…both very unsure of what they wanted in life. Their marriage had an extremely bumpy start, but had seemed to improve after your birth." Uncle Koichi stated.
Aunt Kira continued where he left off, "Unfortunately, that did not last very long. The temporary moment of serenity collapsed as more conflicts erupted and they argued constantly as they realized how different their outlooks on life were. Your father was a swordsman of great skill, and had a more spiritual approach to life. That one should be happy in life rather than rich. Your mother, my sister, on the other hand… was much more materialistic. She felt your father could make so much more money as a computer technician then being a martial arts instructor, and that teaching their daughter, you, how to excel in the arts and become spiritually balanced…won't make you a successful business-women. Although they both wanted the best for you, the conflicts wouldn't end. So, eventually…your mother left." I couldn't believe my ears… my parent's hadn't died in a car accident in each other's arms. They hated each other. Aunt Kira continued, "Your mother couldn't take you with her since your father was the 'man' and provider of the house. So, instead, she took all her belongings and bought train and plane tickets for the small of town of Chito in Hokkaido Island*. Your father did the best he could in raising you, with the assistance of us that is. But before we knew it, he fell victim to pneumonia in one of the worst winters Japan had endured, and died shortly after. You were instantly placed under our care, since your mother left the judge felt she was incapable of raising you. A few years later, your mother wed again in Chito, to a man whose name we don't know. Like the first marriage, it didn't last long. A year passed before she was diagnosed with colon-cancer and passed away." She paused, taking out an old manila envelope and handed it to me. "This is the address of house your mother stayed in, it was stated in her will that she wanted to give you this when you are of age. And since both your uncle and I feel you are old enough to go to Hokkaido, we are now giving this to you…She had not sold the house…so it'll still be there. We've bought you plane and train tickets to Chito, you will be going the weekend after next…you must be strong and prepare for whatever she's left there for you. Alright?"
I was in shock, but nonetheless I nodded, gave both Aunt Kira and Uncle Koichi a hug, and went up to my room to open the letter. When I did, it said
167 Yukami St., Chito.
So here I am, explaining the whole story to you. I can't really tell you how I'm feeling…besides overwhelmed, shocked, confused…and any other related synonym. I'll be taking you with me on the journey of course; I need you to vent my emotions and thoughts. But I'm sure hoping we'll be back before the twenty-second, that's the four year anniversary with him and I. Well, I think I'm going to call Misao before I go to bed. So as always…. Yours Truly…….
Once again…the 'Him' jumped out at me and the entry ended without a signature. This girl seemed to have an adventure ahead of her.
So I sat on the sofa, completely absorbed into this girl's diary. There were only a couple more entries, where she would talk about how the people on the train and plane were like…how she missed 'Him'. Before I knew it…her diary ended without an entry on what the house was like. This drove me insane….not knowing. An incomplete story. The eerie connection I felt to this 'girl' made me feel like ripping my hair out in wanting to know what happened next.
Then, my curiosity got the absolute best of me. She said her mother didn't sell the house, so it must still be there.
I made up my mind and got my stuff ready for tomorrow…. I was going to talk to Soujiro about the diary and then head off on my journey to Chito.
I changed into more comfortable clothes and climbed into bed….with one unconscious thought in my mind.
I wanted to know…I had to know… I needed to know….
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* Bubble/Bobba Tea is a milk tea with sweet tapioca balls… You can buy it in different flavors…such as strawberry or other fruity flavors. You drink the drink with a big straw so you can also eat the sweet tapioca balls. Sounds good huh? ^_^
* Hokkaido Island is the northern most main island of Japan. (Go look a map of Japan if you need to ^^)
A/N: PHEW!! Another chapter for my lovely readers! A week after the publish date ^_~ REVIEW PEOPLE!! GO GO GO!!
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