ACT 12

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Dining Hall. Evening.

Sumire slammed her hands on the tabletop. "I can't take this any longer!" she declared.

The meat fell off Kanna's chopstick before it reached her mouth. "Huh!" The larger woman was surprised.

Kohran and Iris were also startled. They both stared at Sumire who was now standing. All of them could clearly see that she was angry.

"I'm going to get her!" Sumire exclaimed and quickly raced away from the hall.

"Hey! Hey! Where are you going?" Kanna said her hand outstretched in Sumire's direction. But to her dismay, the smaller woman didn't bother to answer and was soon gone.

Kohran and Iris exchange glances.

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'What's with this? Why am I doing this?' Sumire trembled. She gritted her teeth in frustration. She was on her way to get her naginata. It has been a while since her last spar.

'That girl is always pushing me,' she said to herself loudly.

Unknowingly, Kanna followed her. The curious redhead wanted to know why she was mad.

'Where is she going with that?' the redhead wondered after she caught a glimpse of Sumire with her weapon in hand. 'I hope it's not what I'm thinking.'

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Garden.

Sakura stood beside the tree. Her tears had stopped but her heart was still crying.

'Why?'

She had been preoccupied with that tree since morning and although Kanna and the others tried to persuade her to eat, she refused.

She just wanted to die.

"SAKURA-SAN!" a voice yelled from behind.

A sudden glint of metal from the corner of one eye was the only warning of the incoming attack. She quickly avoided it and instantly spotted a familiar weapon. . . it was Sumire's naginata.

She looked up and saw Sumire, who had a face full of rage.

Sakura held her sword for defense. 'Sumire-san? What?'

The brown-haired lady attacked her menacingly. Sakura was on the losing side and couldn't even fight back. All she could do was to block her assault. Sumire knew that the raven-haired girl could not keep it up for much longer.

While walking backwards Sakura tripped on something. She lost grip of her sword as she landed on her butt for the second time this day. 'Yeeowcch!'

Of course she also didn't like that sore feeling.

Sumire held the naginata blade to her face. "SO you want to die? Then let me help you. You should have asked me in the first place! I would be more than honored."

"Sumire-san?" Sakura said weakly.

'Why is she attacking Sakura?' Kanna said to herself while she was standing at a distance.

The girl in purple kimono shoved her weapon away and pulled Sakura by the collar, bringing the younger girl closer to her. "Sakura-san, you are so stupid," she said, almost in a whisper.

Sakura stiffened a bit.

Sumire eyes narrowed and raised her hand to slap her. Sakura could only closed her eyes and wait for the next thing to happen.

Kanna took a step forward to stop her but something held her back. What she saw next was totally unexpected, and she was more surprised than ever at Sumire.

In spite of her initial intent, Sumire did not slap Sakura. Her hand was trembling as she lowered it to the other girl's shoulder. She decided to let her guard down.

The girl in pink kimono was waiting, but then felt a comforting hand on her. She could also distinctly hear a sob.

Sakura opened her eyes slowly, only to see Sumire crying. "Sakura-san, you might have forgotten that I was there too."

'Sumire-san crying? In front of me?' Sakura was amazed. Never before had this brown-haired woman show any other emotion to her except annoyance.

"Do you know how it is to lie there, knowing nothing and, worst of all, not being able to do anything! Don't you know how it feels when you're being left behind? I looked even more stupid than you!" the girl in purple kimono continued as more tears fell down her cheeks.

"Sumire," Kanna uttered but nobody else heard her.

"You are not the only one who feels defeated here Sakura-san," Sumire continued.

Sakura couldn't speak for a moment. 'Sumire-san. . . '

The girl in pink kimono looked away. 'How can I be so stupid? Sumire-san, I didn't know. . . that you. . . cared.'

Kanna remained in her place watching both of them with a serious expression. 'Sumire, I hope you know what you're doing.'

"I. . . . I-I'm sorry," Sakura said weakly. She was fully ashamed of what she did. . .

. . . for being downright stupid.

. . . for forgetting herself.

. . . for forgetting everyone else.

"I'm sorry!" she cried again and fell unto Sumire's lap. Tears that she thought had dried up flowed back to her eyes. Her eyes were sore but she didn't care. She needed somebody right now. She needed someone to cry on. Not a tree, but a person who could feel what she was feeling. . . and Sumire was there.

"You should be," Sumire said, trying to sound like her usual self. But that momentary crack in her facade had immensely changed her. 'This is definitely a night to remember,' she said to herself as she mocked her own weaknesses. 'Sumire, this isn't you!'

She carefully wiped her own tears and lifted Sakura to face her.

The brown-haired lady gave her a weak smile. "She's still alive, Sakura-san."

How comforting those words were. Sakura saw Sumire in a lighter view. She couldn't help but reach around Sumire and hugging her. "Maria-san." Sakura turned her gaze to the grass as more tears flowed from her red eyes. "Sumire-san, I love her. I love her very much. I don't want to lose her."

"Of course, you won't." Sumire held Sakura's head with both hands and brought her forehead to her own. Now they were looking at each other face to face. They were so close they could almost breathe the same air. "Now don't cry that way again. The play is happening right now. It's time for you to change the story: Apollo flies and Daphne holds the chase; the dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind makes speed to catch the tiger. The princess shall kiss the sleeping prince."

"That was my line," Sakura suddenly remembered. 'Except for the final part about the princess. . .'

"Yes, it was. And the play will be rescheduled . . . and when that day comes Maria-san will be ready."

"Sumire-san. . . " Sakura's heart raced in some way. Sumire had done something that she couldn't explain. Why this woman, who had branded her as a rival, came to lift her from the darkness, she didn't know . . .

She stared at the brown-haired girl meaningfully. Her eyes now sparkled with hope, just like it would when she was with her beloved. She could see Maria in her majestic prince costume and she as her princess, both dancing their way onstage.

'Maria-san,' Sakura thought. 'She's still alive. My Prince Charming.'

Sumire felt uneasy at her emotional display. 'Sumire, this is not you talking. You are an actress not a mushy best friend.'

"Why don't you get up and check on your Sleeping Beauty-er-Prince. . . it's a waste of time doing useless things here," Sumire said imperiously trying to hold back any more feelings of concern.

'Sleeping Beauty?' Sakura thought with a warm smile. 'I would still like to stick in her Prince Charming roles. She looks better at that.'

". . . give her a kiss . . . " Sumire said without thinking. "Maybe that will wake her up from the spell," Sumire added as she braced Sakura and stood up. She rolled her eyes at what she said. 'Hey, wait. I'm talking about fairy tales again. I'm really messed up.'

Sakura blushed. "A kiss? To break the spell? I don't know that will work."

'Now what did that Cactus Woman tell her?' Kanna asked herself while looking at the flustered Sakura. The girl in purple kimono turned around to leave.

"Ah, Kanna-san!" Sumire exclaimed, startled, when she finally noticed Kanna. "Such a shame I didn't feel your gargantuan presence." Although it was meant to mock the redhead, there was a slight nervousness in her voice that didn't go unnoticed. 'Oh, crap. I hope she doesn't get the wrong idea. . . I mean. . . Hey, wait a minute! She's been here and eavesdropping it's my right to get angry, NOT nervous!'

"Huh!" Kanna was a bit taken aback. The redhead stared at her for a moment wondering what she just said to Sakura. . . and why she was acting so strangely.

"Well?" Sumire eyed her.

The large woman crossed her arms at her as a big smile lit her face. "It's also a wonder that snakes can cry too."

"SHUT UP! Who are you calling a snake!" Sumire exclaimed as she charge towards Kanna.

"Oi! Oi!" Kanna raised her hands for defense.

"I'll get you!" Sumire growled as she began to squabble.

"Anyway, nice job," the redhead whispered when Sumire got closer. "You got her back."

Sumire stopped for a while when she heard how sincerely Kanna said that. The smaller woman stared at the ground. "That's why I'm called a great actress."

Although Sumire had said that, wanting to put on airs, Kanna caught the seriousness of her expression. 'I don't know if you mean that.'

"What are you looking at?" the smaller woman demanded.

Kanna looked up the other way and brushed her nose several times. "Nothing."

Sumire scowled at her first before shoving her off. "Fine, then. Stop blocking my way with your wall-sized frame!"

"Oh, ouch!" Kanna exclaimed when Sumire followed that with a pinch. "Hey, snakey. . . when I'm depressed, would you mind doing to me what you just did to Sakura?" the redhead said without thinking. 'Hey, why the heck did I say that?'

"What was that, Ape Woman?" Sumire turned to her in a surprised manner.

"Ah. . . Did I say something? No, it was nothing. . . hehehe. . ." Kanna said then followed by a sigh.

Sumire scowled again before she returned inside the theater, leaving Kanna and Sakura behind.

"I'm glad she's back," the brown-haired girl whispered to herself with an earnest smile. "Sakura-san."

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Sakura stood up but almost lost her balance. 'Oh, my. The world is spinning.'

Kanna quickly caught her before she fell to the ground. "Oi, it's about time your body gave in. You haven't eaten for two days."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry I'll prepare you a nice meal," Kanna said with a big smile. "It's never too late for snacks."

"Thank you, Kanna-san," Sakura said warmly. ". . . and I'm sorry for worrying you all. I'm being so selfish."

Kanna looked at her and gave her a serious expression. "Sakura, don't blame yourself for everything."

Sakura smiled back at her. "Kanna-san."

Kanna patted her on the back. "If you ever experience problems, there are always friends to listen... or actresses, that is."

Sakura paused for a while. 'Sumire-san. . . '

"You never know what to expect from a cactus woman," Kanna said with her big smile still stuck on her face. "Sometimes it pricks and yet sometimes it spills water." The redhead never actually imagined Sumire crying. "Oh, man. I should have brought a camera."

Sakura chuckled.

Kanna was pleased to hear her laughter return. 'We really have her back.'

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