Chapter 2: The Past That Holds On
The next day… approximately 5am
"Wake up!" A girl shouted. Shinji was still in bed. After hearing those words, he thought it could be Tsubasa.
Shinji's face was buried on his pillow. The girl threw another to his face which hurt him a lot. "Aww…," Shinji said, still half asleep. "Tsubasa, is that you?"
"Open your eyes, darling." the girl said furiously. Shinji lazily opened his eyes and looked at the girl in front of him. "I am Kira Andrews!" Kira smiled.
Shinji was surprised. He sat up straight and covered himself with the blanket while blushing. "Y-you're m-my new room mate?"
"Yes, you got a problem with that?" Kira pointed a finger at Shinji's face.
"N-no, of course I don't!" Shinji was now a bit scared. He stared at the girl in front of him. She wore a long brown curly hair tied up. Her long skirt covered her white cream skin.
"I know," Kira looked curiously at the window. "My name sounds weird. That's no wonder, I'm from France." She giggled. "And you?"
"Umm… yes, I'm from Tokyo." Shinji said as he stood up from the bed and headed for the bathroom.
"Where are you going?" Kira wondered.
"Umm… me, I'm going to get ready for school. I still have to meet the head of the dorm."
"Okay, see ya later!" Kira waved goodbye as Shinji closed the door behind him.
After a few minutes
"What a refreshing bath you had there, Shinji." Kira smiled at Shinji who was already in his school uniform. "You know, you remind me of someone." She added as she peaked out of the window.
"Wha me?" Shinji was surprised. "Who?"
"Never mind. Hey, are you going to be free this coming weekend?"
"Umm… I think so…"
"Take me out. I want to go to a romantic place with you."
"Huh? With me?" Shinji sat on a chair and wore his usual shoes for school. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. So, will you?"
"Sure."
Shinji opened the door and waved goodbye to his new friend and room mate.
Outside
"Shinji!" Tsubasa shouted as she approached him with a big cheerful smile. "I heard that your room mate came in just now."
"Yeah, she did." Shinji and Tsubasa started to walk to school.
"She? You mean your room mate is a girl?" Tsubasa was surprised and acted as if Shinji has done the worst crime ever. "How could that be? A boy and a girl together in one room! Ahh!"
"Umm… hey, it's not like I'm going to do something to her." Shinji defended himself while blushing.
"Are you sure?" Tsubasa teased. "Okay then, I trust you."
"Hey, don't act as if I'm a criminal. The girl is very gentle and she asked me out this weekend. I mean, I asked her." Shinji chuckled as he spoke out those words.
"You asked her out?" Tsubasa shouted.
"Yeah, I did." Shinji was proud of himself. He somehow felt that Tsubasa was jealous but he wasn't sure about it. So, he tried to test her. "You know, she's cute and gentle."
"Yeah, right." Tsubasa was pissed off.
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Saturday evening
"Shinji! I'm ready now! Can't you be faster there?" Tsubasa shouted, putting on her pink high-heeled shoe. She was wearing a pink dress. It was the day of their sort of date.
"Coming!" Shinji answered as he went out of the bathroom in his black pants and plain blue shirt. "I'm ready."
"Let's go then" Kira grabbed his arm and dragged him out.
They went to where all the lovers of their school go to every weekend, the park. It was a perfect place for couples to share a moment with their loved ones. Of course, it was different for Shinji and Kira. Shinji spread the blanket along the cold green grass. And as he sat on it, Kira joined him.
"You know," Kira started. "my mother once told me something that I could never forget." Shinji stared at her in wonder.
"What is it?" He asked as the girl rested her head on his shoulder. Shinji blushed a bit but realized that this girl beside him might really need him right now.
"She told me that…… once you meet the one you really love, you must never let go. You must learn to fight for the one you love. Because if you don't, you'll regret it forever. It will burden you like a pile of rock on your back, trying to stop you from moving on." And with that, Shinji felt tears coming out of her eyes. "Did that ever happened to you?" She added with a smile. Shinji looked at the stars and think.
FLASHBACK
"Mama!" the little girl screamed as she saw the lady who she was referring to as her mother stabbed a doll in her hands. "Mama please don't!"
"You've been such a bad little girl!" the lady scolded the doll while tearing down the doll with an evil grin on her face. "You must be punished for that…" she then continued while her real daughter was crying.
"Mama! Enough!" the little girl was about to rush to the lady when someone grabbed her hand to stop her.
"Don't! If you go there, you'll be killed." Young Shinji said as he comforted the girl who continued to cry and soon, a group of people in white rushed in and stopped the lady.
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"I like you, Shinji…" the little girl who was still in tears whispered in a low voice. Young Shinji moved closer and hugged the little girl in pink dress, holding her wrecked doll in her hands. "Thank you for always being here for me"
"I will never leave you. I promise you that. I like you too…"
END OF FLASHBACK
"It did happen to me…" Shinji said not realizing that tears were already falling.
"Shinji, you're crying…" Kira wiped the tears away from Shinji's face. She looked closely to his suffering eyes. She decided to do the first move and moved closer to Shinji's face. Then, she covered his lips with hers. Kira closed her eyes and Shinji as well.
It was like a never ending trance for both felt misery and pain deep inside. Kira felt something more inside her – like a cold icy place suddenly turning into a warm and lively place. She knew it was because of the boy in front of her who was sharing his pain with her but she felt happier that way. She can't say it straight – she wanted him more than just a friend.
The kiss soon ended. Kira liked the innocence in Shinji's eyes as he smiled at her. "Shinji," Kira started out while staring at the night sky. "You told me that it happened to you. Can you tell me if you still like her?"
Shinji was a bit shocked about Kira asking him that kind of private thing about him. But the again, he sighed and smiled at her. "I don't know, maybe. I think. You know, I still dream about that day I left her. She was so scared but still," Shinji's smile faded away. "I knew that she needed me that time. But I left her. I broke my promise to her. I'm such an idiot!" he said as tears build-up again on his eyes.
Kira pulled him closer and hugged him. "I know that pain, Shinji. I'm scared of that too."
Shinji closed his eyes, releasing all his tears on the shoulder of the girl beside him.
