ACT II, Scene I: A Dream
The white ceiling seemed so close, as his blue eyes attempted to clear from the blurriness. He was still dazed, sitting up on his bed. Nodding forward, his blonded hair fell over his eyes, as he tried to make sense of his odd dream.
'A princess? And a prince?' he wondered. When he was a little child, his mother would read all sorts of fairy tales to him. He would sometimes have dreams of rescuing a princess, but as years went by, they became childhood memories. Lately though, those memories have returned, and his dreams had become more vivid than before. No longer in bits and pieces, but they were now a full story.
'But was it a happy ending?'
His dreams usually ended with the princess wishing to sacrifice her life to save the prince's, so he never found out if it ended happily or tragically. It would make him appear odd if he told his family and friends, but something inside of him wanted to find out.
He sighed and shook the thoughts aside. Now that he was awake, he decided to get something to eat. Recent events had tired him out tremendously, especially just moving into the apartment with his little brother. Some boxes were still unpacked, but most of the necessary items were already organized in the living quarters.
He left his bedroom and glanced across the hall to the other room. It seemed to quiet, so he walked over and peeked into the room to find it empty. "I wonder where he went off to," he pondered aloud. His stomach grumbled, reminding him of other important matters. He headed to the living room to get his jacket. He was in the mood to head out of the building for some rather than go to the building's shared eating hall.
When he was at the door, he caught sight of a note taped to it, and it read, 'Nii-chan, I went over to the campus to look around. I'll be back at 4pm. Takeru.'
"Figures," he grumbled, opening the door, and left.
ACT II, Scene II: The Garden Keeper
The air was clear and refreshing. How he loved the feel of being outdoors on his bicycle, speeding down the sidewalk with much carefreeness. So many trees, flowers, and buildings mixed together to create a sort of harmony that could be captured in paintings. The place almost appeared surreal to the mind, like an enigmatic paradise.
He inhaled deeply, absorbing every inch of the new setting: Gennai Academy, the top prestigious academy in the nation. Catering grades from first to twelth, including a university, only the wealthy and smart, or both, could ever hope to attend such a place. Luckily, he and his brother made it in with their intelligence, and their grandfrather's sponsorship. It was also a chance for them to stop relying on their parents and head into the real world.
With a big smile on his face, he continued around the campus on his bicycle. The buildings were spaced nicely apart, but not many signs to tell one what building was what, and some were identical. Newcomers could easily get lost. After a while, he certainly was lost. The excitement blurred everything together in his mind.
He ended coming to a halt in a rather less populated area that afternoon. That part of campus seemed empty and quiet. He didn't see anyone in his vicinity and wondered if he had taken a turn into a restricted area. He didn't recall seeing any warning signs.
He started to pedal slowly, with his heart beating in anticipation. He was more excited than nervous or scared. It was a bit suspicious, like right from a crime novel, not that he read those types of books. He stopped the bicycle once again when he spotted a path covered with leafy arbors. Curiously, he decided to follow that route to wherever it lead.
Either he was pedaling slowly or it was a long, somewhat winding pathway. The end of the arbors seemed to never come, but he could see the light. Wanting to see the final destination, he hurried to the light. It almost became clear as he drew near, but right at the end, he didn't have time to react to the steps sloping down, so his bicycle dropped with the front wheel smashing into the pavement, sending him off the vehicle to the ground.
He immediately sat up and examined his injuries. He only received a few scratches but nothing serious, so he went over to his fallen bicyle and checked it. Relieved when it was still working properly, he finally looked around and was stunned at the beautiful trees and flowers that surrounded him. They were very different from the rest on campus. It was as if this place was a floral sanctuary, a paradise of its own kind.
A few meters ahead was a large glass greenhouse with a round dome at the top. Sunlight easily filter through to more flowers and plants inside. It was like he was Alice having fallen through a tree into Wonderland. He was never into flowers, but this was beyond anything he saw at a park or a floral shoppe.
Leaving his bicycle to the side, he walked over to the greenhouse and carefully peeked inside to what exoticness he could find. He had no idea where the entry was, but he would eventually find it. It had not ocurred to him if anyone else was around or if he got caught and punished.
"Who are you?" a voice caused him to stumble to the ground. When he found the owner of the voice, he gaped in amazement. A girl about his age was standing outside the greenhouse entry with a watercan in hand. She had short, brown hair, but she was definitely cute. She looked at him curiously, awaiting an answer.
"Um, I..." he stuttered, climbing to his feet, "I got lost and... um, found this path, so I followed it... to, uh, this place."
She giggled warmly, shaking her, "No, silly. I asked who are you, not how did you get here."
"Aah," he flustered with embarrassment, "my name is Takeru. Takaishi Takeru." He gave a curt bow at the informal introduction.
"I see," she said quietly, appearing to assess him on the spot. Then she smiled warmly again, "Well, at least you already answered my next question." She walked up to him and extended a hand to him, "I'm Yagami Hikaru. It's a pleasure to meet you, Takaishi-san."
He accepted her handshake, "Takeru's fine."
"All right then, Takeru-kun!"
Noting the watercan in her hand, he asked, "Do you work here?"
"Sort of." She gestured him to follow her into the greenhouse, "I tend to the flowers and plants here in my free time. I don't get paid, but I still enjoy it." She looked over to Takeru, "Would you like to help?"
"Sure!" he said excitedly, and she gave another watering can to him. While they tended to the flowers, they chatted and laughed about many things, as if they were long time friends.
ACT II, Scene III: A Princess
It was a fifteen-minute walk to the nearest cafe, situated right off the campus gates. He had heard from neighboring tenants that Sunset Cafe was excellent in service and food. It was the place to be for most students, with an outdoor seating area too. He could see it from across the streets, but since it was lazy Sunday, only a few people were around, almost right out of a French painting.
He carefully checked the road and then jogged across to the cafe, which was rather large for being a 'cafe'. The front was mainly walled with glass panels to allow a natural setting of sunlight. In a sense, it could be very romantic. As he neared the cafe, he noticed the large mat with the logo in front of the main doors. When he stepped onto the mat, the doors automatically slid opened.
He mused at the technology embedded in a place with an 1800s French appearance and feel to it, 'Probably for convenience.' As he went in, he noticed immediately at the most beautiful piece of work to ever existed on earth. He held his breath, and could feel his heartbeat quickening. Time seemed to have stopped, like in those romantic movies where the hero and the heroine meet.
She stood in front of the small aquarium, slightly leaning forward to look at the fishes closely. Her long, brown curls fell around her face so delicately. Her simple, pink dress was perfect on her body, reaching just above her knees. She wore matching sandals on her feet, and a pink purse dangled on one shoulder. But her eyes were so...
"... empty," he whispered.
As if she actually heard him or felt someone watching her, she looked up and saw his stare on her. She just blinked at him while he flushed pink at having been caught. He smiled nervously and walked towards her. "Hi," he said nervously, "I didn't mean to stare. I'm new around here, and this whole place is just overwhelming."
She didn't respond to him, as if she hadn't heart him at all, but kept her gaze equally on him. Up close, he could see how beautiful her face was. Round, caramel eyes that seemed to draw one into their depths; small, cute nose; and thin, pink lips that beckoned to be kissed.
He had never been nervous around girls before, but this one just made him suddenly feel strange. "My name's Yamato. If you don't mind, I would like some company," he started, "My brother is out somewhere, and it'd be nice to have someone to talk to..."
She appeared to be thinking about his invitation and looked around the cafe, like she was searching for someone. "I'm sorry to intrude if you're waiting for someone," he hastily added. She looked at him again, and he wondered if she understood him or if she could even speak. Then his thoughts pondered about her voice. How sweet she would sound like, like an angel.
He unknowingly leaned closer to her face and repeated his invitation to her slowly. He watched her open her mouth, about to say something, and he could feel his heart almost leaping out of his chest.
A hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, jerking him back from the girl. His attention turned to a not-so happy guy. He was a few inches shorter than Yamato, but the presence the young man radiated was strong and very threatening, as well as his deep, hostile voice, "I suggest you find another companion."
"Ken..."
Yamato's head focused on the girl. He had been right. Her voice was so soft and delicate, sending shivers up and down his body. Strangely, he wanted her to say his name. It would be so beautiful to hear it from her.
The young man named Ken, who appeared about Takeru's age, grabbed the girl's hand and lead her away from the speechless blonde. She followed him obediently but gave Yamato a quick glance before leaving him completely in her past, as passing strangers usually do.
END of ACT II.