Your Word For Mine
Summary: Work, school, boys. The obstacles of life, Mimi and Sora find, can be made simpler with each others' helping hand and company, all in heels and without breaking a sweat.
Prologue ii - My Name is Sora Takenouchi
Do you believe in fate? Falling into and out of destiny? The whole, "what ever comes, comes, what ever doesn't, doesn't." theory? I've learned, over the past twenty years on this earth, that believing in fate takes a lot of patience. Days, months, years. I can guarantee you that fate does not happen with a wand and a flick of the wrist. For fate to work it's magic, you must endure painstaking years of waiting.
But I think fate has finally presented it's outline, it's blueprints, it's plan for me. God is finally on my side.
I guess you can say that fate came to me as an epiphany. See, ever since I was a young child, I've loved the smell of dirt and getting your fingers into it, I've loved trudging up and down fields, kicking or throwing or catching balls in any way, shape or form. I hated dresses, I hated skirts and bows and I especially hated wearing them. I was your typical tomboy.
But as I grew older, well, lets just call it puberty. I started to think that pink wasn't as icky, that lace wasn't so archaic, and that running on a field and kicking around a ball seemed a lot less appealing. I learned to tolerate wearing skirts and then soon learned to enjoy it. I look forward to wearing dresses. I have drawers full of bows. Talk about a 180 transformation. But my tomboy roots, I guess, will always stay with me, seeing as how I still have wear that old soccer jersey and boy shorts once in a while.
Only recently did I realize that my life was about to reach it's roadblock. Life doesn't come with insurance. High school came to it's end two years ago and I'm sitting in my mother's flower shop, making flower arrangements. I mean, for Pete's sake, I can only make so many flower arrangements. I needed to go to school.
I've lived in Tokyo for years now. I know every nook and cranny of this city, I'll tell you that much. But the inspiration in this city lacks. I look at every window display and every billboard and feel nothing. I want to go to a small town where I heard the stars are absolutely spellbinding. Maybe then I'll realize what the spice in my life is and I can actually go to school.
Fashion came to me in a flash. My friend Koushiro Izumi gave me a tip. In a life-or-death situation, what's the first thing that would come to mind? It was obvious, family and friends. But, according to Koushiro, that doesn't really count. So I drew up nothing. After all, the closest life-or-death situation I've had was during kindergarden when I fell of the teeter-totter.
Ironically, fate presented that situation to me that very day. I was crossing the road to get to my apartment when a car reared towards me in top speed. I felt like a statue in it's car lights, wasn't sure whether I should run back or forth. And, at the last moment, the car came to a screeching halt, stopping only a few suffocated inches away.
Now, the first thing I thought was about my family and friends, of course, but on inanimate objects, it was, surprisingly, clothes. I thought, I'll never choose my prom dress, my wedding dress, my shoes to go with them.
So there it was. Fashion design. I know it came to me a bit straight forward and a bit too immediately, but hey, that's how destiny works. But it's all about more action, less talking. I could go on about how fashion is my calling, but, well, where would I be then?
When I approached my mother about this, she was, to say the least, ecstatic. This, basically, proves to me how much she wants me out of the house. Which reminds me, I forgot to mention, that it's practically a family tradition for the kids to move out when they reach the age of 20. That's translated into my mother's excuse to kick me out of the house.
And on the way, she tells me, maybe I could bring home a husband next time I visit her.
That's another thing about my mother. My mother, who never had a proper wedding, has planned mine years ahead. I, basically, have absolutely no say in this wedding stuff whatsoever. But, unfortunately for my mother, I will suffer the same fate as her, and never get married, for I am your typical boyfriend repeller.
See, I don't get it. I'm smart. I'm thin and fit, and I've been told almost frequently that I have a very appealing face. I don't smoke, I don't swear, and I have a nice personality. So what is it? What is it about me that makes me so incapable of finding a boyfriend?
But that's not only it. My other problem is not only finding a boyfriend, but keeping one. It's a disability. I finally find a descent guy, after months of hard work and labour, just so I could lose him the following week because I was too clingy, or too distant, or too proud or too modest. I mean, honestly, what the hell is it?
I had one steady boyfriend, however. One year. Now, making it to 3 weeks is already a shock on it's own, imagine making it to one year. Astonishing, really.
I met him during my freshman year in high school. I mean, girls just loved him. He had the long, blonde hair, the blue eyes, my God, he even had the walk, and I know you know exactly which walk I'm talking about. It's more of a strut, actually, with his hands deep in his pockets, his collar popped and his chin high up in the air, and his back in this slight slouch. God, girls adored that. I mean, half of the student body (meaning, the female half) wanted him. And I was no competition. I had short, lanky hair, a moderately pretty face, but nothing extraordinary. How could I compete with girls like Ana Tsuchiya or Chiyaki Sawada? I mean, these girls were tall, thin, busty. They were model like material.
I still don't know what it was about me that was able to attract him. Seriously, I didn't even try to persue him. He just came to me, out of the blue, and just started, well, flirting with me. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be able to tell flirting from simple conversation any day, but I'm pretty sure that was what he was doing. He kept calling me gorgeous, for God's sake. But he just came out with his feelings, told me he noticed me a looong while back and just couldn't stop thinking about me. Well, talk about forward.
But I couldn't let this opportunity slip. Someone liked me. Someone actually liked me. Not Ana or Chiyaki. ME! So of course I dove into this relationship without thinking, which was probably the best thing I've ever done. Because after that, we were just in love. I mean, it was real, raw, platonic love. Or at least I thought so, but I'm sure he felt it too.
So, for about a year, I was in perfect bliss. Girls hated me, guys wanted me, my head got a little big but that's alright, anyone who had the boyfriend like mine would have a big head too. It went on for quite a while, until luck turned it's back on me and I had to fend for myself. Because the next event to occur was the fact that he had to move to Odaiba.
I was hurt, depressed, overwhelmed. Where the hell was Odaiba anyways? And who would want to move there anyways? But he couldn't help it. His parents went through a terrible divorce and Yamato basically had no choice but to move there with his father.
All I remember now is the bitter departure. I was in tears and he just held me, promising me that his heart would always be with me.
I wonder now, almost 4 years later, if he's still in Odaiba, remembering his promise to me. Is his heart still mine? Does he still want me? Miss me?
I've learned to move on, really. I've learned to think more with my head rather than my heart. After all, my heart betrayed me that day and now I can only rely on my head to prevent me from pain. I'm only human.
So, all I have going for me now is my destiny to become a fashion designer, move into an apartment and get a job. I have to make something out of my life now rather than my memories. And I'm ready too. I'm ready to move forward rather than backwards and become someone, something.
After all, Sora Takenouchi doesn't cry anymore. No, she doesn't cry for anyone.
A/N : I know that this prologue is a bit longer than Mimi's but I had to elaborate on the story a bit. Don't worry, characters like Yamato and Taichi and Jyou and the rest of the gang will make their appearance soon, now that I've actually begun this story. As for coupling, I know who exactly is going with who by the end of this story. And although I've revealed that Yamato is a good candidate, there are many more to reveal. Keep reading, and thanks so much to my first reviewers! It means a lot, and it keeps me going! Thanks!
