"Do you realize that happiness makes you cry? Do you realize that everyone
you know, someday, will die? And instead of saying all of your goodbyes,
let them know you realize that life goes fast. It's hard to make the good
things last. You realize the sun doesn't go down. It's just an illusion
caused by the world spinning 'round."-
The Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize?"
Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes Chapter 2: Disarm
As Keitaro stepped out onto the bare rooftop, he traced his memories, to try to remember how he felt that first night, but he couldn't find it. It was as if he'd blocked it out because it was too painful an experience. It's for the best, I guess, he thought to himself. They didn't care enough to come back, so those feelings don't matter anymore. But, in a deeper layer of his consciousness, he knew he was wrong. He would never forget those people, and he knew he wanted to remember them. Because even if they were gone, the things they left behind were irreplaceable. Such is the case with all past loves and friendships.
He thought he heard a sound on the walkway, but he brushed the thought off. I'm getting too paranoid, he thought, as he climbed back through the window he came from. He walked down the corridor to his room, and sat on his futon. He couldn't brush off the sound he had heard. It was too real.
Usually, when he heard a sound, it was just wishful thinking, but this, this was un mistakably genuine. He had heard something, and it was too damn big to be a rodent. The Yakuza!, he concluded, and picked up the closest blunt object (which happened to be his computer keyboard) and proceeded toward the door when he heard a crash behind him.
He spun around to hear the source of the noise, and too his despair, it was his computer, which he had absent mindedly pulled from its resting place atop the desk. He walked back, and placed it back where it was, and unplugged the keyboard.
Though there were a few more mishaps, involving a toothbrush and a small pile of pornographic videos, of which titles we will not discuss, he escaped his room in one piece. He pressed his body against a wall and slid along it, imitating the spies and assassins of the movies he enjoyed so much.
When he reached the corner nearest to the staircase and eased himself off of the wall. He approached the stairs, and stepped down. When the stair didn't creak, he tiptoed down the rest, as to not compromise his position. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he walked toward the dining area, only to be distracted by a noise coming from the kitchen. He peeked into the kitchen, only to see all of the cooking appliances, and various types of food sitting on the counter. Those bastards! They want my food AND my life?!?! He speculated. He began to walk through the kitchen, and toward the door on the opposite side, when he caught a glimpse of a woman. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her, bent over a table, doing something that Keitaro couldn't see. He studied her features. Her hair was dark blue, and she was dressed in a skin-tight leather jumpsuit. To his puzzlement, an apron. That was Shinobu's favorite apron! he inwardly declared. What a whore. Her arms were tattooed on the forearm. He couldn't make out what they were, but they looked like tally marks.
He gathered his courage, and lunged forward, screaming, "DIE, YOU YAKUZA BITCH!" only to be greeted by a fist and the blackness of unconsciousness.
When he awoke, the woman was hard at work on the meal she had been preparing when Keitaro tried to jump her.
"Who the fuck are you?" He asked with great difficulty, for his head was in a great amount of pain.
"Sempai! You're awake! I'm sorry I knocked you out. It was an instinct, you know." He recognized that voice, but her face was too blurry to make out. But that voice was all he need to hear. "Shinobu, it's you. You came back. Why were you gone so long?" He asked. "And what did you do to your arms?"
"I... I don't want to talk about it." She replied, hesitantly. To her relief, the oven beeped, in an indication that the meal had finished cooking. "Ah! Dinner is served." She smiled at Keitaro, but upon realizing what they had done to him, she couldn't hold back her tears. He was a mess, Hinata-sou was a mess, but then again, so was she. Things would have been so much better for the both of them if everyone had stayed where they knew they could find happiness. She walked over to him, kissed him on the cheek, held him in his arms and said, "I'll never leave you again, Keitaro." "Promise me." He replied.
"I promise."
AUTHORS NOTE: How did you like the second chapter, eh? I think this story will be my best yet, because I like the way the story is progressing thus far. Though I will admit that it is a little too early to make assumptions like that, one can't help but hope, you know?
And for future reference, at this time, Keitaro is 26, which would make Shinobu 19.
The Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize?"
Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes Chapter 2: Disarm
As Keitaro stepped out onto the bare rooftop, he traced his memories, to try to remember how he felt that first night, but he couldn't find it. It was as if he'd blocked it out because it was too painful an experience. It's for the best, I guess, he thought to himself. They didn't care enough to come back, so those feelings don't matter anymore. But, in a deeper layer of his consciousness, he knew he was wrong. He would never forget those people, and he knew he wanted to remember them. Because even if they were gone, the things they left behind were irreplaceable. Such is the case with all past loves and friendships.
He thought he heard a sound on the walkway, but he brushed the thought off. I'm getting too paranoid, he thought, as he climbed back through the window he came from. He walked down the corridor to his room, and sat on his futon. He couldn't brush off the sound he had heard. It was too real.
Usually, when he heard a sound, it was just wishful thinking, but this, this was un mistakably genuine. He had heard something, and it was too damn big to be a rodent. The Yakuza!, he concluded, and picked up the closest blunt object (which happened to be his computer keyboard) and proceeded toward the door when he heard a crash behind him.
He spun around to hear the source of the noise, and too his despair, it was his computer, which he had absent mindedly pulled from its resting place atop the desk. He walked back, and placed it back where it was, and unplugged the keyboard.
Though there were a few more mishaps, involving a toothbrush and a small pile of pornographic videos, of which titles we will not discuss, he escaped his room in one piece. He pressed his body against a wall and slid along it, imitating the spies and assassins of the movies he enjoyed so much.
When he reached the corner nearest to the staircase and eased himself off of the wall. He approached the stairs, and stepped down. When the stair didn't creak, he tiptoed down the rest, as to not compromise his position. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he walked toward the dining area, only to be distracted by a noise coming from the kitchen. He peeked into the kitchen, only to see all of the cooking appliances, and various types of food sitting on the counter. Those bastards! They want my food AND my life?!?! He speculated. He began to walk through the kitchen, and toward the door on the opposite side, when he caught a glimpse of a woman. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her, bent over a table, doing something that Keitaro couldn't see. He studied her features. Her hair was dark blue, and she was dressed in a skin-tight leather jumpsuit. To his puzzlement, an apron. That was Shinobu's favorite apron! he inwardly declared. What a whore. Her arms were tattooed on the forearm. He couldn't make out what they were, but they looked like tally marks.
He gathered his courage, and lunged forward, screaming, "DIE, YOU YAKUZA BITCH!" only to be greeted by a fist and the blackness of unconsciousness.
When he awoke, the woman was hard at work on the meal she had been preparing when Keitaro tried to jump her.
"Who the fuck are you?" He asked with great difficulty, for his head was in a great amount of pain.
"Sempai! You're awake! I'm sorry I knocked you out. It was an instinct, you know." He recognized that voice, but her face was too blurry to make out. But that voice was all he need to hear. "Shinobu, it's you. You came back. Why were you gone so long?" He asked. "And what did you do to your arms?"
"I... I don't want to talk about it." She replied, hesitantly. To her relief, the oven beeped, in an indication that the meal had finished cooking. "Ah! Dinner is served." She smiled at Keitaro, but upon realizing what they had done to him, she couldn't hold back her tears. He was a mess, Hinata-sou was a mess, but then again, so was she. Things would have been so much better for the both of them if everyone had stayed where they knew they could find happiness. She walked over to him, kissed him on the cheek, held him in his arms and said, "I'll never leave you again, Keitaro." "Promise me." He replied.
"I promise."
AUTHORS NOTE: How did you like the second chapter, eh? I think this story will be my best yet, because I like the way the story is progressing thus far. Though I will admit that it is a little too early to make assumptions like that, one can't help but hope, you know?
And for future reference, at this time, Keitaro is 26, which would make Shinobu 19.