Chapter 6: Last Nightmare As the Footsteps Fade
Once again, she found herself in a familiar situation; she was running away from the incessant beat of the footsteps. The dark oblivion that surrounded her was spiraling out of control, and she couldn't stop it as the inevitability of her destruction was drawing near.
Her breaths came out in ragged gasps as she continued running. She was trying to escape the fear, the pain, and the torment, but it kept coming after her. Death was nagging at her senses as she suddenly fell into a deep chasm.
Smacking into something solid, she realized that she had collided with the ground, or, was it the sky? She looked beneath her to see the shining pale moon complemented by shimmering little stars.
'What?' Looking up above, she saw the road, and then she abruptly fell upwards. Reality twisted and distorted itself until her feet were firmly planted onto what she assumed was the ground, but she couldn't be quite sure. She walked down the dark street while staring at the sky, and for once in her whole life, she was grateful that it was still above her instead of below her.
A loud buzzing sound came zipping by, and she pressed up against a wall to avoid the speeding object. She only caught a glimpse of something flowing and black, and it seemed to resemble…
'Hair?' she thought. A loud explosion racked her thoughts as a blinding light erupted to her right. She turned and started sprinting towards the source, but then she began lifting off the ground.
Her shifty gaze began searching for an answer, any answer that might be able to explain why she began falling upwards again. Her back hit the sky as she looked down at the small city, and then the image flipped itself around, and she was soon lying down on the clouds looking up at the road.
'Everything is so… weird. What is gong on?' she stood up to get a good look at her surroundings. The images of the night sky and the city began to fade as shadowy darkness took over with nothing in view except for a small little figure that was crumpled on the ground.
She cocked her head in curiosity and began to tentatively walk towards the fallen thing and as she got closer, her insides began to churn as it took the shape of someone familiar.
Standing over the body of the dead person, she let out a gasp of terror as she realized that she was looking at herself.
"I'm… dead?"
"AH!" Sakaki's head bolted upright as she wiped her face of the sweat that was dripping down her face.She cursed and dropped her head back down onto her moist pillow.
"Again, that stupid nightmare! It's always coming back to haunt me, no matter what I do! Except this time… it was different…"
She lay there thinking about the oddities that occurred in the dream. 'That person was falling all different ways… down to the ground, up to the sky, it was if she were confused.'
She scowled and groaned in frustration, "Who was that person!? They saw their own dead body lying there! Who was it? And what was that speeding thing with the black? None of this makes sense! For all I know, that could have been Chiyo-chan!"
She thought more about it, and began to wonder more, "Or… it could have been me." Not liking that idea one bit, she shook her head in an attempt to rid it from her head.
Looking at the clock, she let out a sigh as she pondered on whether she should just get up and prepare for work or if she should try and sneak in a little more sleep, '5am, it's just about time to get up… I might as well just get ready.'
Hauling herself out of her warm and comfortable futon, she rubbed her eyes sleepily and almost tripped over Maya. He meowed irritably, and purred, which meant that he wanted some food.
Sakaki smiled and looked around in the cupboard for any more tuna cans. "I am sorry for that… I guess I'm a little dazed and disoriented. I hope tuna can help make up for it though."
She pulled out a metallic silvery can and placed in front of her cat after opening the top. She scratched behind his ears and grabbed her coat.
"No food for me today. I'm going out to work now, so be good while I'm gone, okay my little warrior?" he looked up from his food and nodded his head like he understood what she said. He stuck his head ferociously back inside of the can and little bits of tuna began to fly out like shrapnel from a grenade's explosion.
Walking out the door, Sakaki stretched her arms out widely and breathed in the scent of fresh air. 'Today… perhaps I can jog Chiyo-chan's memory at Magical Land. I just hope this works. I'll go pick her up after I'm done at the veterinarian's office.'
She reached the bottom of the stairs and walked over to the parking lot area and spotted her white car. Walking over to the gleaming white vehicle, she spotted her black shadow. 'Hm…' she smiled and an idea formed in her head.
The hum of the engine grew louder as she lifted her foot off the ground causing the dark vehicle to start moving, and the dust kicked up as it sped off into the streets. Through the tint of her dark visor, she spotted an injured animal up ahead. 'What is it?' she thought as she slowed down to a stop next to it.
Looking down at the wounded creature, she realized that it was a small black cat. She scooped the hurt animal into her arms and mounted her motorcycle with thoughts of healing the creature in her mind. 'Poor thing, it must be in so much pain. Some person must have hit it while driving and they didn't stop to look at it. Such heartless people in this world…'
She sped off to the veterinarian's clinic with the dark cat nestled safely in front of her.
Sakaki pulled up to the building and turned off the ignition while putting down the kickstand to let the motorcycle lean on it. She walked into the cold room and shivered at the sound of the lonely bell. She looked at the thermostat and then decided to turn on some lights instead.
Mr. Hiyemoto came walking out of the back office and was surprised to see Sakaki so early, and with a jet-black cat in her arms too. "Oh, what's wrong with that poor cat Miss Sakaki? Is it yours?"
She shook her head and started to make her way to the examination room, "I found this cat on my way over here. He's not mine, but I think he got injured due to a careless person striking him with their car. I'm going to see if I can do anything to help with his condition."
Mr. Hiyemoto smiled and watched as his young assistant walked inside of the door labeled examination room. 'She's such a caring girl…' then he placed his hand up and stroked his chin and chuckled as he thought of Sakaki's small friend, '…she's one lucky little girl.'
He stuck his hands into the pockets of his coat and walked back into the back office humming to himself.
Meanwhile, Sakaki was busy taking x-rays of the black cat and analyzing his body to see if she could find any serious abrasions or gashes in the skin. After studying the x-ray results and his skin, she found that the only possible hazardous thing was a slight fracture to his right forepaw and some cuts and bruises.
She cleaned up the small incisions and brushed his fur until it was nicely groomed and shiny. Smiling at the young cat, she saw his body stir and saw him begin to open up his eyes. She found herself staring at the most beautifully clear blue eyes that she had ever seen in her life, but then found it odd that it had such blue eyes for being such a black cat.
Scratching behind his ears, she found herself talking to him, "Wow, you have such light eyes! I expected you to have more of an onyx shade, but those blue little orbs seem like they're so sad. What is it you need little guy?"
He meowed and looked at her with those poignant azure eyes causing Sakaki to avert her gaze in search of some cat treats. Mr. Hiyemoto opened the door with a can of fresh food and set it down along with a small bowl of milk for the cat to enjoy. He looked up and smiled.
"This is such a spectacular cat, and I'm very glad that you went out of your way to help this dazzling little guy. He's a fighter… just like you." He looked at Sakaki and noticed that she wasn't particularly listening to him that closely.
"You seem very distracted, like in deep thought, but you also seem very excited. Is something going on today with you, and by any chance, does it involve your little friend?"
Sakaki snapped out of her little dream like state and blushed after what she thought he was implying. Nodding slowly, she responded, "Well, I was… kind of planning something with her tonight. I'm trying to help her get her memory back, and I thought that if we went to some place unforgettable, then she might remember something."
He studied her body language and smirked, "Haha, you have something in mind besides that I bet. If I may be allowed to make such a personal assumption, I would say that you care for your friend more than you want to let on. Am I right?"
She looked at him with such obvious surprise in her expression, that she didn't even try to hide it. Her mouth hung agape as Mr. Hiyemoto started cracking up.
"I caught you off guard, I apologize, but you must know that you can't do anything irrationally because of your feelings for her. Like you said, she still has amnesia, and doing anything due to urges that you have might end up hurting her. The mind is a fragile thing, Sakaki, so I don't want you to do anything… stupid."
He looked at her seriously, "You're like a daughter to me, and I don't want you hurting your friend, or getting your own heart broken. Just be careful tonight," his gaze faltered and he grinned, "oh yeah, you're not going to get pregnant, so I don't think using protection is necessary for two girls, right?" He coughed on that last comment and Sakaki nearly choked.
Walking away, apparently satisfied with his joke, he went back inside of his office smiling dreamily, "Ah… young dysfunctional love, I remember my first crush like it was yesterday."
His young assistant was just standing stock still in the examination room, unable to move due to his statement, and she decided to finally haul her speechless body over to the front reception desk to sit down. She couldn't believe that Mr. Hiyemoto, her boss, would make a joke like that.
After thinking more about it, a small giggle escaped her lips. "Chiyo-chan… wow, I can't believe he said that, and about us too! That was completely unexpected." She sighed.
Sakaki sat there in the rolling chair, organizing files and blankly looking at the computer screen, checking over the appointments absentmindedly. The day went by slowly, since there were practically no customers, and so the only thing that entertained her the whole day was the recovering little black cat with the downcast eyes.
She tried tying a ball to a string and letting the cat chase it, but it wouldn't budge from the tabletop. He seemed distant, not only in his actions, but in his clear blue eyes. She let her head lay on the desk as she looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. '3pm… so long from… now… I…' she drifted off into a deep sleep.
Mr. Hiyemoto watched her in her peaceful slumber, but then noticed with concern in his eyes as she began to shake while mumbling something incoherently.
"No…Chiyo-chan…" she gasped out. He walked closer and took a sip of his coffee before setting it down on the table. He looked at her carefully and saw that she was breathing in short periods, and sweat was starting to form on her brow.
"You really care for that girl. She must be lucky to have one such as you to love. Hmm…" He studied her face a second longer before strolling over to the clock in the corner. He pulled up a chair and stood on it to reach the clock, and after he was able to take it off the wall, he adjusted it so the time said 5pm, whistling all the while.
Then he walked over to Sakaki's feverishly sleeping form and shook her shoulder gently.
"No…Chiyo-chan… no… no!" her eyes popped open and she looked up and saw Mr. Hiyemoto's form looming above her as she blinked her eyes a few times.
"Oh! I'm so sorry; I did not mean to fall asleep! I guess that not being able to rest these past few months have started to catch up to my fatigued body. Is there something you need?"
He nodded and looked at the clock, "You know, it's five pm, I think that I'm going to let you off early today. I want you to have a lot of fun with your girlfriend, and try not to get in any trouble. In return though, I wish for you to be here, in a respectable manner, tomorrow, 6am in the… ah, what the heck," he smiled, "noon tomorrow. I want you to get some rest, though I must say, I am skeptical if you will get any with your friend in your presence."
Sakaki blushed, "Agh! Mr. Hiyemoto! Why do you…" she sighed and shook her head, deeming the whole complaint useless, "… oh well, never mind. Thank you for your concern, and your generosity. I will be here tomorrow, noon sharp." She bowed her head low and walked out the door while waving at the same time.
She walked over to her motorcycle and put on the helmet. Flipping open the leather pouch on the side, she acknowledged the gunmetal gray helmet, and swung her leg over to sit firmly on the bike.
Glancing into the window one last time, she saw the black cat's portentous blue eyes, and then started up the engine.
Mr. Hiyemoto watched her zoom off into the distance and he looked at the clock. "Hah… how funny it is that I can mislead her with a simple clock. Ah, well, I'd better adjust it now." He took down the clock and walked back to his office after fixing the hands.
The cat meowed as a shorthaired girl soon came into view, clutching her heart, "Oh Sakaki… you hurt me so much, but I still love you." Tears began to seep from her wet eyes, and she kneeled to the ground as the cry of the footsteps came closer.
Sakaki rode off into the bright day as she sped down an empty rode. She took a right, then she took a left, and after riding through a few different pathways, she came upon the huge Mihama estate.
She turned off the engine as it came to a crawling stop. She stepped off and took off her warm helmet, setting it down on the seat. Walking up to the large and imposing gate, she pressed the button to talk to see if Chiyo-chan was there.
Her friend's voice came up, and the gate opened slowly. Sakaki walked around and went inside, once again admiring the beautiful and lush front yard with the numerous trees and grass growing everywhere. Finally arriving at the front door, she was about to ring the doorbell until her friend appeared in the doorway.
"Hi Sakaki! I'm almost startled to see you here, what is it that you need?" She looked up at her and smiled. Pulling her smaller friend into a surprising but welcome embrace, she hid her blush with her long black hair and began to talk, "I missed you. Did you forget that I'm taking you to Magical Land tonight? We're going to have a lot of fun together, and it'll be a night…that you will remember."
Chiyo-chan nodded into the hug and then took a deep breath, savoring the moment as long as she could. She felt Sakaki's hand searching for hers, and after a quick second, they interlaced fingers. Hand in hand they walked out the door, staying relatively close to one another, and upon reaching the motorcycle, Sakaki tossed her the spare helmet.
They both put their headgear on and hopped onto the seat, with Chiyo-chan wrapping her arms tightly around Sakaki's waist. She laughed and snuggled closer, 'This is such a nice feeling, I wish I could stay like this forever…' she thought.
Feeling the wind start to increase, she realized that they were moving, and they sped off into the direction of the amusement park.
Little did they know, a mechanics manual slipped out of someone's hand barely a mile away, as they had memorized a certain section. The person started walking towards Magical Land, laughing on the inside, "Hmph… I know enough about what I need to do in order to get the job done."
Unable to contain her laughter, a chuckle escaped her lips as she continued walking down the streets, totally oblivious to the odd stares that the random walkers gave her. "She's a crazy one all right." Whispered one.
Sakaki and Chiyo-chan arrived at the theme park all too soon, as Chiyo reluctantly pulled her arms away from her snug position. The two pulled off their helmets and set them down on the leaning motorcycle as some passing guys let out a whistle.
Sakaki shot a glare in their direction, and the frightened men quickly scampered away. Chiyo-chan laughed and the two walked up to the front gate, and after quickly purchasing two tickets, they entered the beautiful amusement park.
The man in the kitty suit was dancing around at the entrance, beckoning people to come inside and to just let loose. "This is a fun place, so let your dreams run wild!"
Sakaki looked at the dancing man suspiciously because he reminded her of the time when she took a picture with Mr. Kimura, who just happened to be hiding inside of the cat suit.
Chiyo-chan started laughing, practically sensing the discomfort that shrouded her friend's mind as she also remembered that she was the one who took the picture of the girl and the masquerading teacher.
She squeezed her hand and started running towards the roller coasters. "Come on! They give you such a rush that you get really pumped. Those are always the best things to ride in this park!"
Sakaki smiled to herself, 'You say those are the best rides? Well, I have the perfect plan, and it does not involve any roller coaster of any kind.'
They arrived at the base of the monstrosity, and they both looked up at the skyscraper of a coaster. Noting all the screams and the gigantic screeching of metal and steel as the carts sped around the turns, Sakaki gulped.
"Is it… safe?" she whispered. Chiyo-chan started dragging her to the entrance, which oddly enough had barely anyone waiting in line to ride it, "I don't know, but as long as I'm with you, everything is suddenly made safe." She laughed at the reaction of her friend as she saw the slight blush forming across her cheeks.
As they were waiting in line for their turn to ride the death-on-wheels ride, Sakaki felt her hands grow numb and her face begin to tingle. Chiyo-chan was sweetly humming to herself, and she was still holding hands with her.
'Is she flirting with me?' she thought a little bit more about it and started wondering if the amnesia had gone away already. 'I doubt it went away; I didn't do anything significant to jar her memory! Maybe she's starting to like me again… or am I just being delusional?'
"Sakaki Sakaki hey Sakaki! We're going on now!" squealed an excited Chiyo-chan. They both climbed into the harnesses and let the ride attendants strap them in securely, well as securely as you can call two parallel seat belts and a small cushioned restraint in front of the waist.
"Ready and… dispatch." The announcer said as the coaster dropped half an inch. Sakaki stared at the lights on the right, noticing that it was a counter. Three yellow lights, and then a green one, and it was on the second yellow light.
"Keep your head back." Was the only advice that Chiyo-chan gave before the light hit green and the ride shot off like a bullet. In less than two seconds, they had already reached speeds of up to eighty miles per hour, as they soared to the top of the first drop. Suspense gripped Sakaki in the throat as she saw the plunge that was below them, and a giggle escaped Chiyo's mouth.
"Hope you like excitement." The ride came to almost a fast semi-crawl as it was at the edge of the descent. Sakaki swallowed hard as her hand sought out Chiyo-chan's hand and grasped it. "I… don't want to die yet." She half-joked, half-meant it.
She quickly felt her heart jump right into her throat, as her body felt like it was floating, and dropping, all at the same time. A sudden rush shot through her body as her brain registered the natural euphoria that flowed through her.
After a quick three minutes, the couple staggered off the ride, laughing uncontrollably as they spotted their photos onscreen. Even through the head rush, Sakaki noticed the picture, and immediately blushed.
The camera seemed to pick a great time to snap the photo, because it was at that instant, that the two girls were looking their happiest, but they were gazing directly into each other's eyes, laughing, and holding hands.
So she grasped Chiyo-chan's hand and guided her away in the direction of the ferris wheel. Glancing at her watch, she looked up at the painted ceiling of the dome. 'Almost time…' she thought.
"Come on! Lets go get some food; I remember that the somen was particularly good here. We can ride the ferris wheel after we are done. How does that sounds?"
Chiyo-chan smiled shyly and clung to Sakaki's arm closely, "That sounds great… lead the way Saki-chan."
Her taller friend looked away in embarrassment and felt the blood rush to her head. 'Had she just used a pet nickname for her? Saki-chan?! Now that was something different, I've never heard her use it before.' She thought.
They walked over to the noodle stand, either not noticing, or not caring about the looks and shifty glances that the other guests were giving them. After waiting in line for about twelve minutes, they arrived at the front and looked at the lady who was behind the counter.
She had a bandana on her head, and in a rough, raspy voice, she said, "Hey kids, what would ya like?" They looked up at the lit up board hanging from the ceiling, and decided to get a bowl of somen to share between them. The lady grinned and ordered up a big bowl and handed them two pairs of chopsticks.
Setting the big bowl down on a table, the two girls sat opposite each other and began to eat. "Itadakimasu!"
The noodles began to quickly vanish, as their appetites were satiated, until only a few long ones were left. They both had an end in their mouth and they realized that they had gotten the same noodle.
Sakaki blushed and bit down, watching as her end of the noodle plopped back down into the bowl. She half chuckled, "Eh… sorry about that. Well, I'm done, may I throw this away for you?" she offered as she stood up already taking the bowl towards the trash bin.
After throwing away the empty bowl, the two started making their way towards the lit up ferris wheel. They arrived at the gate to enter the separate carts, and Chiyo-chan looked all around at the awesome glowing spectacle.
"It's so magnificent! C'mon, let's get going!" they both ran past the gate and over to the loading area. The operating man looked at them and sighed, shaking his head lowly. "Rowdy teens…" he muttered as he pulled on a lever causing the carts to slow down to a halt.
They loaded inside of a sky blue colored one, and they closed the door. Sakaki sat down on the seat that was stationed on one side of the cart as Chiyo-chan looked below them.
"This must be some new material! We're still able to see out of them as if we were inside of a window, but when we were on the outside, we couldn't see in! A one way metal of some sort, amazing…"
After inspecting the new wonder, she stood back up and joined Sakaki on the cushiony seat, snuggling close. She leaned her head on her, and relaxed as Sakaki's arm came to rest on her own shoulder, pulling them closer to each other.
Heart pounding and mind racing, Sakaki struggled to keep her emotions and urges intact as she felt her friend lean in closer, now resting her head on her chest.
"This feels so familiar some how…and… and I don't know why! Did something happen here?" Chiyo-chan sighed.
"Well, in a way, no, nothing happened here, but if you look at it differently, you could say something did. I know it doesn't make sense, but I don't think things like this were meant to be understood." Replied Sakaki as she was looking at the ceiling.
'Right about…now.' She thought. Sure enough, the dome that was covering the whole stadium began to part as it opened up. It was wide enough for all the stars to been seen, and the moon shone brightly in the center. She smiled as she saw Chiyo-chan's face light up.
"It's so impressive! I didn't know that the top does that, did you?" Sakaki smiled and nodded. She knew perfectly well what was going to happen, and that was why she planned to get on the ferris wheel at that exact moment. Reluctantly, she pulled away from her radiant friend to face her. She also knew that the fireworks were going to go off in about five minutes, so she only had that much time to do what she had planned.
"Chiyo-chan… I have to tell you something, something that I couldn't tell you before you lost your memory." Her friend looked up into her eyes and nodded slightly, signaling for her to go on. Sakaki's confidence seemed like it was leaving her body ever so slowly.
"I… um… wanted to tell you that… I… I…" she trailed off. What if she had made a mistake? What if all of the little actions that she thought were hints, were nothing more than gestures of friendship? What if-
"Sakaki…" murmured Chiyo-chan. She was only a few inches away, and they were closing the gap between them. They gazed into each other's faces, and it was then that Sakaki shrugged off any doubt. She could see that within her smaller friend's eyes, the spark that was there before had returned, and that she was right about her assumption.
"…I remember what I wanted to say to you the last time we came…" Chiyo-chan said quietly, "…I love you." And with that, she brought her lips up to meet Sakaki's.
Explosions of light erupted all around them as the fireworks were set off, but this time around, it didn't surprise them. All they needed was each other, and that was exactly what they both had.
Chiyo-chan pulled back an inch to take a deep breath, "I… remember everything. It has all come back to me, including my love for you." She smiled and pressed her lips against Sakaki's once more. Closing their eyes, they embraced this new feeling of affection and they savored every moment.
Her head was spinning; unable to register what was happening, and all she could think about was how soft Chiyo-chan's lips were. They were enjoying every moment until they heard a loud cough from somewhere. They opened their eyes and saw that the ride had come to a stop, and the man in charge of the ferris wheel was staring intently at them.
They both turned a crimson red as they stepped off the cart slowly. The man was eyeing them suspiciously, and he shook his head. Chiyo-chan grabbed Sakaki's hand, stuck out her tongue, and ran off. In complete shock at the young girl's actions, the man stood there staring at them as they ran out of Magical Land.
Both girls were breathing hard from laughing, and from running. They started walking nowhere in particular, and Chiyo-chan sighed happily, "This has been such a wonderful night. What do you want to do next, since it's still kind of early."
Sakaki looked at her and then started off in the direction of the parking lot. "Well, there's a nice little diner not too far from here that I know of. It has the best pie, would you care to join me?"
So hand in hand, they walked in the dark night with the crisp chill of the light breeze blowing at their backs. Sakaki spotted her motorcycle and ran over to where it was parked. She turned around and noticed that Chiyo-chan was shivering, most likely the nippiness of the wind.
"Come on, the diner also has a heater in it." She chuckled as she looked inside of the side pack for the spare helmet. She frowned, "That's odd… I could have sworn that I had the spare helmet in here for you. Oh well…" she strapped on her usual black helmet and sat on the bike.
"It's okay, we can ride just this once like this. Like I said, the diner isn't that far away; nothing's going to happen."
Chiyo-chan looked up at Sakaki and nodded, carefully getting on the bike behind her guardian. She hugged her tightly, not daring to let go, "I have faith in you… as long as you're here with me I don't think anything can get me. Lets ride."
With that, the bike buzzed to life and shot out of the parking lot. They began picking up speed down a dark deserted road, totally unaware of the person standing in the shadows like a phantom. The ambiguous figure dropped a couple of wires and a helmet, grinning at the ground.
'I may have lost it, but I never had it to begin with. Without Sakaki… do I really have anything to live for?' she thought as a tear slipped down her pale cheeks. 'I love you so much that it hurts, and yet I must watch as you give your heart to someone else… but then… she makes you so happy. Have I done the wrong thing…?'
Reflecting about her actions, she slipped back into the darkest depths of nothingness as she seemingly disappeared. The distant footsteps had come closer into light, shone for what they really were.
Sakaki and Chiyo-chan were driving down the dark road, almost near famed diner that served pie. She looked up at the clouded sky and tried to remember if it was a right or left that she should take at the next intersection. 'Right I believe…' she thought to herself.
Buildings were flying by at enormous speeds as the bike continued to race down the road. Sweat was building on the side of Sakaki's face as she was trying to think of an idea. She scratched at her head.
"Chiyo-chan, can you take off my helmet? This thing is making my head itch and I can't scratch it with it on my head." Her small friend complied and reached up to take the dark helmet off. She put the helmet on her own head, and after a little bit of trouble stuffing her innocent pigtails inside of it, she smiled.
"I put it on my head, perhaps now you can scratch! Haha." She laughed. Sakaki's face was set grimly, and she reached up to rub her head.
"Thanks…" Chiyo-chan looked up through the dim visor of the helmet and cocked her head, "Yeah… you're very welcome. Is something wrong? You seem out of it, a little distant too." Sakaki shook her head and chuckled unconvincingly.
"Well, yeah… everything's alright. Tell me again, how you got your memory back. I'd really like to know what it was that triggered it." She let her long black hair flow behind her as her friend began to talk, blissfully unaware of the danger that they were in. 'This… I know what it was. It's too late now… nothing I can do.'
Her mind put together fragmented pieces of sentences, as she could not bear to think about their future. She just listened to the soothing voice of her best friend and lover, and decided that this was all that she could.
"I… remembered it all when we were in the ferris wheel. That's where we almost kissed the first time, but the fireworks had stopped us. I think it also came back to me because we used that same sky blue cart to ride in. It was suddenly all so clear to me; it was like the final piece of the puzzle snapped into my brain. It was…"
She stopped talking as she felt little drops of water splashing into her face. 'Is it raining?' she thought to herself. Looking up at the sky, she started to worry, 'There's no rain at all, not many rain carrying clouds either. Is it…'
Letting one of the drops fall in her mouth, she realized what they were, 'Tears are salty… but why is she crying?'
"Sakaki…?" she asked quietly. Something was wrong; she could feel it. The motorcycle zipped by, making a loud buzz as it whirred past a watching person who pressed up against the side of the wall to avoid the speeding vehicle.
All her best friend could do was turn around, tears filling her sorrowful eyes. Chiyo-chan could only make out a few last words before they collided into a solid wall causing a fearful blast to sear through the cold night sky.
"I love you."
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Her eyes opened slowly as hot waves of intense pain shot through her aching body. A warm liquid was dribbling down her face as her body felt numb and detached. Strong arms were lifting her up into a sitting position.
"Sa…Sakaki…?" she uttered. Her vision spun wildly out of focus, until she was finally able to make out the shape of a fireman.
"Miss, you're going to be okay, so just hang in there, alright? Just stay still and we'll get you out of here." he smiled reassuringly, but all she could think about was her missing friend. Disregarding his advice, she sprang up, despite her throbbing body, and clenched her teeth.
"Sakaki! Sakaki!!! Where are you?!" she screamed. As her vision started to stabilize, she looked around in horror at the scene that was shown before her eyes.
The motorcycle that she had been riding was lying in a burning heap twenty feet away from the wall. Little bits of flaming metal were scattered all about the ground, giving the impression that the floor was on fire. There was a humongous crack in the wall, with black ash haphazardly stuck around it.
She glanced at her own arms and noticed the absence of a left sleeve, and an abundance of numerous sized cuts and slashes riddling her body like a tattoo. Blood was stained on her clothes and bruises were forming on her legs.
Frantically scanning the scene, she spotted a little huddle of medics and fireman who were looking over a fallen body. Despite the growing dread that was nestled in the pit of her stomach, she walked over slowly, looking at the ground.
Bits of blazing metal were starting to cool off and just smolder, and then a dark crimson streak caught her eye. It was a long red smear that looked like something was dragged on the ground, but there were the occasional clear spots, suggesting that the object was skidding across as well.
The red line led straight to the huddle, and Chiyo-chan knew exactly what, or should she say, who, was under that pile. As she came closer, her fears were confirmed as she spotted long black hair with clumps of drying blood in them.
"No…!" she hissed. Suddenly afraid, she sprinted over to the medics and pushed away a fireman to get to her best friend. "Sakaki!" she cried out. She leaned down and hugged her bloodstained friend closely, letting the tears of pain flow out.
The medics looked at the fallen girl and shook their heads, signaling that she wasn't going to last much longer. One fireman looked at the two girls and sighed dismally; he could tell how deep their friendship was, and he gestured for everyone to back away and let them be alone.
Sakaki opened her left eye but her right eye barely lifted. Through her hurt, she half grinned, half gritted her teeth.
"Sorry… I couldn't get you the pie…" she joked, despite the situation and her condition. Chiyo-chan glared at her, "This is no time to make witty remarks! You're hurt, and we have to get the doctors help you, and we must hurry!" she exclaimed.
Putting her arms firmly around her friend, she attempted to move her, which only resulted in Sakaki gasping in pain. She shook her head slowly.
"No… I wasn't meant to live, but I made it so that you were… I wish things could have worked out better than they had, but it can't be helped. I just wanted to say that… no matter what, I will always love you, even if I'm not with you physically." She pressed her hand to Chiyo-chan's heart.
"I will always be with you in your heart, as long as you never forget me. Oh yes… and when the person who caused this comes by, don't be angry." Sadness took over her expression as she relaxed. "Anger never solves anything, no matter what the problem is. It only causes more pain… and I don't want that. No more pain, no more suffering…"
Chiyo-chan nodded as silent tears of grief filled her eyes, "Sakaki… I… I'll miss you…" she said softly. She leaned in closely and placed one last kiss on her friend's lips.
Sakaki smiled into the kiss and closed her eyes.
"I… love you Chiyo-chan…" her despairing friend watched as her chest slowly stopped going up and down and the tears fell freely as she evanesced peacefully.
"I love you too Sakaki… I always will…" her heart sunk lower into the void of sadness as choking sobs racked her body. Those horrid footsteps that had haunted Sakaki in her dreams came up behind Chiyo-chan, pausing only momentarily as they viewed the repentant scene.
Disappearing into the past as nothing more than a memory, the footsteps turned into nothing more as Kaorin dropped to her knees next to Chiyo-chan. She sniffed and shut her eyes tight.
"I… I did not mean for this disaster to happen… it was my fault. My own doing has wrought destruction to my own heart… and yours. Chiyo-chan… I am so remorseful, that I don't know what to do with my wretched mind. I can't believe that I was the one who ended up being the evil that was the end of what I so dearly wanted. There's no possible way for you to forgive me… is there…?"
She waited for a slap, a punch, yelling, anything! When nothing hit her for her unforgivable actions, she dared looked up at Chiyo-chan, who had stopped crying and was on her feet. No loathing, no hatred, not even anger was in her eyes; only a passionate torment and fervent sorrow shrouded her hazy gaze.
"I don't hate you, that's not what Sakaki had wanted. I can only say… I hope you learned from this despicable lesson. You've cost yours and my love, and by playing these foolish games, you've taken away the one thing that meant happiness in my life. I love Sakaki, and she returned those feelings, and for a second, I thought that our life could have worked out together; you shattered those dreams. You're going to have to find another special person out there, and I hope you're happy with yourself."
She turned around and started walking in the direction of the ambulance. Kaorin watched her go away as she stared at Sakaki's body. Standing up, she bowed and paid her respects towards her lost friend and unrequited love.
"I only now understand what the true meaning of love is. I cannot replace what I have so selfishly taken away, and now, I will have to live with this for the rest of my life. If you somehow find it in your departed kind soul to exonerate me, I cannot accept it. This is all my doing, and now I know what I have done. Only seeing you here was the one thing that was able to shake me from my idiotic trance."
She began walking away as the footsteps diminished with her into the dawning light of the morning. Ever so slowly, they dissipated until they were nothing but a memory; a memory of something horribly devastating, but also of a chasing nightmare that would not stop.
But now, she was finally able to rest as the footsteps faded forever.