Warnings: Spoilers for all of the manga.
Notes: The blanket bit is all my stupid imagination, sorry.
Disclaimer: Yellow is owned by Makoto Tateno; I'm just borrowing it so I can make myself feel better about the plotholes...

Blanket

I love this blanket. So warm wrapped around me. Everything good about my life can be traced back to this blanket.

My earliest memory is of cold. Numbing cold. And darkness. I couldn't move. I felt like I was drowning. Yes, drowning. I was drowing. The water was so dark, and cold. But I didn't move. I remembered. Don't panic. Don't move. Good girl. Relax and let the water float you. I was floating. I could breath again. I can't remember how long it was like that. It was so cold. And dark.

The next thing I remember was being warm again. I didn't know where I was, but there were people talking. They were talking about me, but I don't know what they were saying. I was just happy to be warm again. My body hurt all over and I was shaking, but I was warm. Wrapped in this very blanket. I never could let go of it. The only good thing I can remember about that night.

I was taken to an orphanage, so I guess I was alone. I didn't remember anything about my life. The tattered clothes I had been wearing told them my name was "Mari," but that was all that was left of my old life.

It's interesting now. I don't remember him at all. This man who grabs and hugs me so tightly. It used to scare me, but now I'm pretty used to it. My father. He cries a lot. He says it's because he's so happy now, but I don't know. People shouldn't cry so much when they're happy, should they?

My life is so much more exciting now; since I met Mr. Katsuro. I still remember the day, two years ago when I got a letter at the orphanage. A letter just for me. The first letter I ever got from anybody. He seemed so nice and we became penpals. It was a lot of fun. He told me all about his life as a "travelling businessman" and I would tell him about my studies and the other kids at the orphanage. In one letter he sent me his e-mail address, so we started keeping in touch every day. Then, he even sent me a phone. He said it was so we could, "talk to each other whenever we wanted," but that, "I shouldn't tell anyone about it 'cause it was 'our secret'." So, I was a good girl and I didn't tell anybody about it at all.

My dad doesn't like it when I talk about Mr. Katsuro. He says, "that man is no good." I don't really get why my dad doesn't get along with Mr. Katsuro when they are both such nice men. Kanji said that Mr. Katsuro is Taki's dad, but Taki doesn't talk about him either. I wonder why, but nobody ever wants to talk to me about it. Even Goh, and he tells me everything. Goh says I'm the only girl, other than Mimi, that he likes. When I ask him why that is he says it's because it makes Taki happy. I don't really know what he means by that.

Taki and Goh are funny, though. They're always fighting when they come to the cafe. Taki says he, "likes his space," and "Goh, stop that in front of the child!" It makes me giggle, 'cause then Goh always winks at me and then grabs Taki from behind and Taki gets all flustered. Dad says they work together and that they're, "really good friends." The way he says it's kinda funny, though. I don't really get it. Dad and Mr. Hatozaki are friends and they don't fight like that. Oh well.

All I know is now I'm really happy. The orphanage wasn't so bad, but everyone here is so nice and so much fun. Mimi always does my hair up and Kanji does all kinds of magic tricks and stuff whenever I start to get bored while dad's working. Then dad gets angry and tells Kanji, "Get back to work!" And, "Pipe down!" It's funny. I wish I could see Mr. Katsuro again, though. He said he was going far away for his job and that his phone wasn't going to work anymore because it was so far away. I wonder when he's coming back? I'll hang on to this phone until he does.

While I wait, though, all I can really do is be a good girl, do my homework, have fun with everybody and curl up at night in my nice warm blanket. So, that's what I'll do now. Lay down, pull up my blanket, and have sweet dreams.

Mari
7/25/06
777 words (I swear to God)