A/n: Alright, I apologize for this taking so long. I don't have much of an excuse for it. Granted I do have a job now and such but it is no excuse. I apologize what few readers I have. Anyways, my Beta/editor is currently in school, and so I will be for the forseeable future uploading my chapters with only me looking over them and editing them. When/if my Beta/Editor gets the time she will look over them and I will then replace the chapter with its edited version. Most differences should be minimal or not that important, as the overall plot has already been discussed. However due to this the quality as you may have deduced may not be as great. I will try to do my best but I can only do so much. Also, in this chapter, there is technically a spoiler for people who play or have played parts of the visual novel version of Clannad concerning the character Kappei. You have been warned.
Chapter 6: The Impossible Emotion
"Thanks again for your help." said Kyou as she began to walk through the door that connected her class to the rest of the building. She was giving a thankful wave to a short black haired woman that sat where Kyou normally did.
"Its my pleasure to be of assistance." said the woman. Simply giving a nod Kyou stepped the rest of the way through the doorway and then slid the door shut. She then began to walk down the hall, gaze flickering about as she looked around.
That morning was still fresh on her mind as if it had happened mere seconds ago. This was thanks to the fact that Kale's secret and reason for taking medicine was so surprising. Kyou though also remembered that they had agreed to have lunch again today, as was their routine. A general feeling of awkwardness was present, that she had to admit. She knew that she would and should still act as she normally had around Kale, but the dread of acting too sensitive or not sensitive enough about the subject nagged at her from the back of her mind. Perhaps he felt the same way also?
Kyou dismissed that thought from her mind. Even if he did feel awkward as she did he wouldn't break a promise, no matter how small it was. So what was keeping him for so long? It was at least fifteen minutes into the lunch break and he hadn't shown up at all. Eventually curiosity and a tint of worry had driven Kyou to ask a substitute teacher who had come to school to pick up a coat she had left to watch her class as she went out for a little to look for Kale.
Not many doors had been looked through or rooms searched before she had found her target. She saw in the faculty break room some of the usual people but those she was not concerned with. Instead her sights were set upon Kale from what she could tell at first glance was sitting in a chair. Her hand which had begun to reach to open the door suddenly stopped. Those few brief moments in which her eyes had continued to gaze through the small window of the door had allowed her to realize that Kale was conversing with Tomoyo. The two had not yet been introduced by her so why would they be talking. Kyou then saw Tomoyo holding some packaged bread in her hands while Kale held some container that most likely contained his own lunch. They were going to have lunch together? No it couldn't be, Kale had promised to have lunch together with her, not Tomoyo.
Tomoyo seemed rather calm, like she usually was, had they met and were now introducing themselves to one another? Kyou began to think that but saw Tomoyo sit down, unwrapping her bread and beginning to munch on it. She couldn't see Kale's face as he turned completely away from the door as he sat down opposite of Tomoyo. Sitting down though with someone was eating meant that he would be eating too quite soon probably. So they were having lunch together! He had promised though, how could he go eat lunch with someone else when they already had plans?
A storm of anger instantly intruded upon Kyou's mind. Forcing herself to turn away from the door she then proceed to stomp down the hallway back to her classroom. When she was back her dismissal of the one who helped her was rather terse. The woman, although not visibly offended was surprised at the complete change in Kyou's mood. It was as if stepping through the door had made the her don another mask of emotion. This woman's sense of self-preservation was stronger then her curiosity and so she was quickly out of the room. Giving a angered huff Kyou sat on the floor, legs crossed and Bento lunch in her lap. It remained unopened, spared due to the fact that its owner was sitting there, staring as anger flared in her mind.
The truth in what Kale had talked about that morning was almost palpable at the time, so Kyou knew that he hadn't been lying about his burden, so why wasn't he in here and instead eating lunch with Tomoyo whom he barely even knew; especially when he had already promised to have lunch with her? Why, dang it, why!
For what seemed like forever Kyou's mind went around in circles, very much like a rabid dog chasing its own tail. Questions of why she saw what she saw and denials of it, saying there must be some reason, this was her circular and seemingly endless thought process. What was certain though was that she was angry, even her students could see that. Fear was not coming upon their little hearts though. They knew Kyou's personality and how although she was normally calm that it was more volatile then the average person. Staying out of her way at such times was second instinct to the youngsters.
The door to the room slid open, able to draw the attention of Kyou away from her angry mumbling. Her face softened for a moment in surprise when she saw that it was Kale, lunch in hand and seemingly untouched. It was momentary though and Kyou's scowl quickly returned. Not a single greeting parted from Kyou's lips as she turned her attention away from Kale. He stood there for a moment puzzled by her actions until realization flashed across his face. After walking over to her, lunch still in hand he bowed deeply.
"I apologize for being so late Kyou." he said. Kyou simply gave him another scathing look in response then turned away yet again. Puzzlement again came upon Kale's face and this time it was not so quick to go away. "Did...did our talk this morning actually upset you?" His voice was barely above a whisper, careful to not pique the children's curiosity as to what he was talking about. He didn't want to tell everyone about his burdens.
"I don't care about that." said Kyou, her countenance softening briefly. Even in her anger she so very wanted to make sure that Kale didn't think she was repulsed by his disorders. "Just... why did you go have lunch with someone else when we agreed to have lunch together today?" Her frustrations as it rose began to poison her voice.
"Huh?" replied Kale. "What are you talking about? I'm here with my lunch aren't I?" He truly did seem confused by the accusation from Kyou. One seeing the surprise and the still seemingly intact lunch in hand would probably assume that Kale didn't have lunch with Tomoyo, except the problem was that anger and logical thinking don't often go hand-in-hand. There certainly wasn't a shortage of anger and frustration in Kyou so such logical thinking about the lunch almost seemed to flee frantically from her.
"I saw you with my new assistant, Tomoyo." she growled. "Why don't you just go finish your lunch with her?"
"So she is your assistant?" said Kale in momentary surprise. He quickly shook his head though to clear away the surprise. "That doesn't matter though, I wasn't having lunch with her, she had something important to talk about."
"Oh really?" It was clear by the tone of Kyou's voice that she didn't believe that.
"Really." came the reply. The voice that gave the reply though was feminine and therefore obviously did not belong to Kale. Kyou actually did recognize it instantly as Tomoyo's voice. It however had been unexpected, to both sides of the pair, both of them giving a little jerk in surprise. They turned and saw Tomoyo standing just a little bit away from them.
"Don't scare people like that." gasped Kyou. Kale nodded his agreement to the statement.
"I apologize but I did not intentionally sneak up on either of you." simply said Tomoyo, completely unperturbed by the accusatory tone of her voice. "All I did was open the door and come in to see if we could all have lunch together"
"But I already saw you having lunch with Kale." The accusation continued to seem less and less plausible, but she didn't want to admit that she had made such a stupid mistake. Surely what she thought she saw was what she really saw.
"I'm not sure what it was that you observed," started Tomoyo. "But I never had a meal with him. I had merely taken him aside to make sure that what we saw this morning was in fact alright as you said."
"But I said everything was alright didn't I?" barked Kyou. "You must remember that I also told you I couldn't say anything else." As the words tumbled from her mouth she couldn't help but think back to that morning. After she had confronted Kale about the pills and learned of their reason she had gone back to the classroom. She did not, however, tell Tomoyo what she and Kale had talked about. Kyou knew that Kale was reluctant to tell people of his condition so when Tomoyo confronted her about what happened she merely said 'Everything is alright. That is all I can say.'
"It is true that you said that." said Tomoyo. "I thought however that your opinion might have been biased."
"Biased? What do you mean?" asked Kyou.
"I've seen it happen before, people will often overlook or rationalize negative behaviors that their lover has." calmly said the gray haired woman. Kyou's face instantly blushed a brilliant red as she realized what Tomoyo meant. She was stunned into silence for a moment, which allowed Tomoyo to also say "That is why I had to make sure that everything was indeed alright."
"Are you saying that I overlooked something 'bad' because he is m-my boyfriend!" exclaimed Kyou.
"That is correct." The volume of Tomoyo's voice had been constant, never fluctuating in volume at all, unlike Kyou who's voice rose and fell like a buoy on a stormy sea. The contrast was so interesting that nearly all the kindergartners were watching them in complete fascination.
"But we aren't dating!" loudly said Kyou. Gaze turning downward, the blush upon Kyou's face continued to spread, also deepening in color. Why did everyone seem to think that she and Kale were dating, and why did she blush so much every time such a supposition was made? Had she been not so embarrassed to look up she would have seen that Kale also was blushing.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed you were so jealous because the two of you were dating." said Tomoyo, only a slight shift in tone signifying the apologetic nature of her statement. Kyou looked up for a moment then turned her gaze back down. Jealousy, is that what she had been feeling? There was no reason for it though since they weren't dating. It should have been a emotion impossible in the situation, yet the purple-haired woman could not outright deny it, jealousy was the only way she could describe how she had felt. It was then that she thought of how she had wrongly accused Kale. She hadn't believed him either which most likely hurt him.
As Kyou thought on her actions she couldn't help but mumble to herself one word directed at herself.
"Idiot..."
Despite her strong sense of pride Kyou had apologized to Kale later that day after school, being too ashamed and embarrassed to say anything during lunch. When she had been apologizing to him, which he said was unnecessary, she had received a phone call from Ryou. The younger of the twins requested her presence the next day during lunch, it being a Sunday and thus Kyou's day off. The intended purpose of the lunch was for Kyou to get to know Ryou's fiance Kappei better, as they had only met very few times since Ryou had made her announcement. An unexpected idea came to Kyou while she had been talking to Ryou on the phone and decided to go with the idea, purely on impulse. She proclaimed that she would bring Kale along with her and that all four of them could take a walk through the part of town with a extreme variety of shops, after they had their lunch of course.
Neither her sister or Kale could change her decision. She was determined to make up for her poor behavior whether Kale thought it necessary or not. That is why they found themselves now walking down the street together to the appointed meeting on a lovely Sunday. One would think that the bright cheerful sky, the beautiful autumn foliage and lively atmosphere on the busy street would make the two of them equally jolly and conversational. Awkward silence however had been their companion for the majority of the walk so far. Kyou still felt ashamed for her rash and foolish behavior yesterday, that much was for sure. Another worry was what worried her to the point of silence though. Eventually though the worry became too great, growing past the point of silence and back to where she could talk.
"Um...Kale?" Her voice was amazingly timid and small. Kale looked at her, a tinge of worry and surprise on his face.
"Yes, what is it Kyou?" he asked.
"Well...the thing is..." she mumbled. Despite her apparent apprehension she continued to speak. "I just wanted you to know I wasn't upset or anything yesterday because of what you told me that morning. I acted the way I did at lunch because I was an idiot..." She lowered her head, looking away from Kale, her worry now exposed. Kale had exposed to her something he normally kept hidden, something that showed he trusted her. Yet despite that she doubted and wrongly accused him of something just but a few hours later. She continued to sink into her feeling of guilt when the sound of a chuckle reached her ears. Looking up she saw that it was Kale.
"Is that all?" he laughed softly. "Listen Kyou, I understand that what happened yesterday at lunch was a simple misunderstanding, nothing more. It certainly wasn't because you were an idiot, since that's impossible regarding the fact that you are no idiot. Plus I asked you at the time if what we had talked about in the morning had upset you. You said it had not and I believe you. So don't worry about it."
"Thanks." warmly smiled Kyou after she recovered from her surprise of Kale's understanding.
"I still don't think this was necessary though, taking me on this outing with you, your sister, and your future brother-in-law." said Kale.
"Hey, its no fun being the third wheel." huffed Kyou. It was an excuse to keep Kale here but true nonetheless. Kale gave an understanding nod to the statement.
"I can certainly sympathize with that." he sighed. "Having two older brothers marry while I still lived in the U.S. meant that I went on a lot of outings in which I was that dreaded 'third wheel'. It really is no fun at all."
"So very true..." Kyou sighed, thinking about the impending wedding. She was fine with her sister marrying but the lingering feeling of being left behind in life still continued to persist in her heart. Looking at Kale dispelled the dark thoughts though, for his image reminded her of one simple fact, she had friends so she wasn't being left alone in life. She would always have friends like Kale, Nagisa, Tomoya, and all the others she held so dear to her heart. Thinking on such happy thoughts the purple-haired woman couldn't help but smile. At that moment her walking companion happened to look over at her.
"What is it?" asked Kale. It was then that Kyou realized that she was staring at Kale with the smile plastered upon her face.
"Nothing really." she said as she shook her head slightly, the smile not once leaving her face. "I'm just glad to have such wonderful friends." Kale didn't respond to this with words, instead he simply returned the warm smile. They both turned their gaze forward to concentrate on their walking, making sure that they did not collide with anything. Not much else was said at the time, they simply both smiled as they walked. It was not much longer before their destination was within sight. Not far from them was the outdoor cafe where Ryou had revealed her engagement to Kyou. The younger of the Fujibayashi twins could be seen in the outdoor part of the cafe, waving to Kyou and Kale. Kyou briefly returned her wave then walked straight to the table with Kale close behind.
Upon coming closer both of them could see that a individual with hair similar in color to sand had been sitting with Ryou at the table. They were standing up now as was Ryou so as to properly greet them.
"Hey Ryou!" happily greeted Kyou.
"Hello Onee-chan." she smiled in return. "And hello again...Saunders-san was it?"
"Yes, that is my name. I'm honored that you remember it. It is a pleasure to see you again Fujibayashi-san." said Kale, bowing slightly in greeting. "I'm assuming that this. . . man is your fiance?" Kale had not meant to pause in his statement but he couldn't help it looking at the individual. He had a very youthful face, almost delicate to the point that it ruined any of the possible stereotypes often attributed to males. In this case Kale simply made the assumption and hoped for two things: that the assumption was correct and that the pause in his talking had not been noticed. The first of the two hopes was indeed granted unto Kale, the individual was indeed a man. The second hope of Kale's though was not granted, the other three had noticed his pause although their reaction was not one of being surprised. In fact Kyou and Ryou couldn't help but chuckle a little, Kyou especially. She had thought that Kappei was a female for a moment when she first met him, despite what Ryou had said earlier.
"Yes this is my fiance, Kappei Hiiragi." said Ryou, still chuckling a little as she introduced her beloved. Upon the introduction the sandy-haired man bowed.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Saunders-san." he said, bowing. Kale was surprised a little, even his voice sounded softer then the average male voice. He shrugged it off though as it didn't really matter that much really.
"The pleasure is mine." replied Kale, returning the bow. Before the silence following the introductions could hang over the four of them for long Ryou spoke up.
"Would you please join us?" politely requested Ryou.
"Of course. That's why we came, isn't it?" teasingly retorted Kyou. After Ryou gave a nod in response the four of them sat down at the table. Conversation temporarily halted as the four of them began to browse through the menus that were already at their table. It was broken briefly when Kale looked up from his menu and over at Kyou.
"Do you have any recommendations Kyou?" he asked. "I've only been here once when we came together. I'm not sure which dishes here are best."
"Ah so you have been here before then?" piped up Kappei. "Was this where you had your first date then?"
"First date?" said Kale, puzzled by Kappei's remark. Although he was confused by it Kyou was not, her head in her hands, groaning in frustration.
"Sure, you two are going out are you not?" Just as Ryou's fiance finished saying those words Kyou lifted her head, blazing glare burning into his face.
"We aren't going out!" she barked. Her head fell back into her hands, face beginning to blush. This was yet another person who though that the two of them were going out. Why was it that so many people got that misconception, and why did she blush every time it was brought up!
Kale too was blushing, but in his case he merely turned aside his gaze, he didn't bury his face in his hands like Kyou had for a little. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ryou whispering to Kappei, the words almost not able to be heard.
"I told you ahead of time that they were just friends..." Ryou whispered to Kappei.
"I'm sorry Ryou-san, but they just seemed to fit so well together that it just seemed so...natural." replied Kappei in a small whisper. Kale thought for a moment about inquiring about the usage of the name suffix, as he found it odd how they both used '-san' despite their impending marriage. He quickly discarded that topic as a possibility to be part of the conversation, thinking it as nosy. Everyone had their own quirks after all.
"So anyways," suddenly said Kappei, interrupting Kale's train of thought. "How did the two of you meet?"
"Well I had happened to wash Botan her pet boar when it was dirty without her knowing." began Kale. "The next day she saw me petting him and figured out that it was me that had done the deed." Kappei had crossed his arms, eyes closed as he nodded his head in admiration.
"A manly thing indeed, doing a good deed such as that for a woman." he said, nodding still slightly.
"Manly?" said Kale. "Never really thought of it that way..." Was this man concerned with manliness cause he was plagued with his youthful face? It certainly seemed possible to both Kale and Kyou.
"Oh, onee-chan." all of a sudden said Ryou. "I wanted to tell you that a definite date has finally been set for the wedding."
"Really? Well don't keep me waiting, when is it?" excitedly ordered Kyou.
"It will be on the 13th of November." she announced. "Its hard to get a chapel and a reception hall booked it seems."
"That being the reason for the...two months wait?" Kyou did some quick counting in her head, confirming her estimation. She nodded to herself when she did indeed confirm that it was such.
"Yeah, it is mostly that." replied Ryou. "Although there is somewhat another reason."
"Oh, what is that?" asked Kyou. She did feel bad for her and her sister dominating the conversation some but she knew Kale to be a somewhat quiet one anyways around most other. The only one she didn't know too much about was Kappei, but even he seemed satisfied with simply listening to the conversation.
"It's because of mother and father." she softly sighed. "Its not that they oppose the marriage or anything like that, its just that they are very comfortable doing things the traditional way. Personally we wouldn't mind marrying within just a month. They think an engagement should be longer though; and although they didn't come and outright say it I know they originally wanted me to hold a Traditional style wedding. They don't seem to have a problem with us doing a Western style wedding though."
"Pardon me for interrupting," unexpectedly spoke up Kale. "But, what do you mean by 'Traditional' style of wedding?"
"Ah, that is not really a surprise you wouldn't know what we are talking about." remembered Kyou. "A Traditional Style wedding, as it is called sometimes, is also called at other times a Shinto-Style Wedding. It's kind of silly since most of Japan aren't officially of the Shinto religion, yet it's...well it's ingrained into our culture, a tradition if you will. Thus why it's called a Traditional Style Wedding."
"Huh..." mumbled Kale as he absorbed the information. "Western style weddings, I'm guessing that they are weddings done in style similar to those done in Western countries such as the U.S.?"
"That would be correct." confirmed Kyou.
"Interesting..." he said softly to himself. "Well I guess I still have plenty of things to learn even after living here for some years."
"You know that brings a question to mind." Kyou did indeed have a question that formed in her mind. "How long have you lived here in Japan?"
"A little over 5 years now." the young brown haired man informed.
"Hm...so you can apply for nationality here then can't you?" inquired Ryou. "If I remember correctly two of the requirements for nationality of foreign-born individuals was at least 5 years continuous residence and being at least 21 years of age."
"Yep, you are indeed correct. Although I can't apply for nationality since I already have, which means officially I'm a citizen of Japan." smiled Kale.
"That's awesome!" happily exclaimed Kyou. She wasn't exactly sure why that information made her happy, she simply knew that it did.
The conversation then changed to various topics, most of them not really meaningful. Eventually they ordered their lunch, which came quickly, and then continued to talk as they ate. Throughout the conversation Kale would occasionally look at Ryou and notice her looking at him in an odd way. The first time or so he merely thought that it was his imagination. However it seemed like every time he did happen to glance in her direction she was as well. Eventually it got to the point he couldn't remain silent any longer.
"Is there something the matter Fujibayashi-san?" he said in a polite tone, making sure he did not sound angry or disturbed at all. At first Kyou thought that Kale was talking to her but then soon realized that it was Ryou he was talking to.
"Oh...I'm sorry I did not mean to stare." apologized Ryou, bowing slightly while still sitting. "It's just...I think I saw you before somewhere." This statement of course was met with confused faces from Kale and Kyou.
"Well...yeah, of course you have met him before, he was here when you told me of your engagement and he was there for our birthday party." said Kyou slowly, somewhat unsure as to why her sister said what she said.
"On I don't mean that!" Ryou quickly added, flustered somewhat. "I think I've seen you somewhere else, when you weren't with Kyou, and not at those two places either." Kyou gave her sister an odd look which prompted her to then with haste say, "I-I'm sorry, its just bothering you know?"
Kale laughed softly, unable to contain it. "I understand, I've had that happen to me before, when you know that you know something but you can't remember what. Although I must admit I can't think of where you would have seen me before...Hm..." The young man fell silent, right hand brought to his chin as he thought. Eventually he looked up to Ryou and asked, "If I remember correctly you are a nurse are you not?"
"That is correct." confirmed Ryou.
"Is it possible then that you saw me at the hospital that is here in the town then?" inquired Kale.
"The hospital...Ah! Yes it was there!" exclaimed Ryou. "But what were you doing at the hospital?...Ah, I'm sorry! I shouldn't be asking such personal questions."
"Don't worry about it." comforted Kale, quite apparently not at all offended. "It is in the nature of people to be curious. I will tell you if it is your wish." Ryou looked torn, unable to decide for a minute or so whether to take up Kale on his offer. However even her politeness was matched by her curiosity. Eventually she nodded, signaling that she did want to know. Kyou's full attention was on Kale, she too wanting to know why he was at the hospital.
"The thing is that my doctor's office is at the hospital." he began. "I go there regularly to get refills for my prescriptions and to see how I'm doing. You see, the thing is that the medicine is for-"
"Kale." interrupted Kyou, strongly but in a compassionate voice as well. "You..You don't have to tell them..." She knew exactly what the medicine must be for and thus what he had been doing at the hospital. She also knew how before he was afraid of revealing his burden unto others for fear of them treating him differently.
"It's alright." softly smiled Kale, looking over at Kyou. "She is your sister and if she is anything like you I'm sure she'll understand." His smile slowly faded as he looked back over at Ryou, Kyou even noticing a twinge of worry briefly adorning his face. "The medicine is for ADHD and Chemical Depression."
"Ah...I see." nodded Ryou. "I can certainly see why you'd want to hide it, though I wish you didn't have to."
"What do you mean?" asked Kappei who had been rather quiet throughout the conversation. "If I am not mistaken they are simple disorders, nothing incredibly special."
"Well I'm not sure what it was like where you came from Kappei-san." replied Ryou. As she did Kyou briefly leaned towards Kale, whispering in his ear.
"Kappei is a foreign-born like you, although I don't know from which country." Kyou discreetly said. Kale had heard her but the others apparently did not since Ryou continued talking without any pause.
"The thing is unfortunately mental disorders are not so understood here in Japan..." sighed Ryou. "It is not as if people burdened by them are hunted or anything, its just that...well people seem to be almost afraid of it. Its not something to be feared, yet many people do not make a earnest attempt at truly understanding such disorders...Although there aren't many, even a few of the doctors and nurses at the hospital I work are somewhat prejudice towards people with mental disorders. Thankfully things are starting to turn around in the past few years...but the problem still persists."
"I see..." mumbled Kappei. He then turned to Kale, looking him straight in the eye. "Saunders-san, you are indeed a man, a very manly one at that."
"Um...thank you?" said Kale, somewhat surprised at the strange and unexpected compliment.
"I'm very impressed with how brave you are." continued Kappei. "I myself hadn't been so brave about the burdens I had, even going so far as to lie about them and hide them." Kale couldn't help but have a curious look upon his face. He wanted to ask but was afraid it would be too personal of a question. Kyou again leaned towards Kale, whispering in his ear.
"I'll tell you about it later." she said. Kale simply nodded to indicate that he would wait. Kyou did indeed know what Kappei was talking about, as Ryou had told her. Apparently when the two of them had met Kappei had Osteosarcoma, a type of cancer. It had been a painful ordeal for both Kappei and Ryou. However it had been cured which is why Kappei was still among the living.
"Well enough with all this serious talk." said Kyou, standing up from her chair. "Since we are all finished eating how about we go take a walk and look at some of the shops?"
"Sure, that sounds like fun." said Ryou. The other two agreed and after the check was paid the four of them were then walking down the street. Occasionally they would stop in front of a store window and look inside but they had yet to go into one. All of them were content with simply browsing and conversing with one another. They then began to walk down one street where one of the establishments was a arcade. Kyou happened to glance over and gave a little gasp of exclamation.
"Hey! Look Ryou, there is that crane machine we use to play a lot." she said, beginning to trot over to it without waiting for the others. Ryou looked at the machine and became a little surprised herself.
"Oh yes, I remember that." she said. "If I remember correctly one time you were playing it to try and get Kotomi-chan a present for her birthday. I'm surprised the same machine is still here." Kyou didn't respond though as she was too far away know, already closely observing the contents of the machine. She gave another little exclamation of surprise.
"What is it?" asked Kale, he too walking over.
"Hm?" replied Kyou, not realizing that she had acted the way she had. "Oh...um...its nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Oh come on, tell me what it is." pried Kale.
"Its nothing really..." she mumbled, barely perceptible to Ryou and Kappei who were still standing a little ways off. "It's childish really, shouldn't get excited about it..."
"Hm...It's the boar plushy that is in there, isn't it?" guess Kale. Kyou looked away from him sheepishly. He had guessed right.
"Alright, here I go!" exclaimed Kale. He inserted the necessary amount of money to play the game and began to go for the boar plushy. Kyou looked at Kale, then to the machine then back. Surprise first being the emotion upon her face, then replaced with a joy and excitement that was pure and innocent, almost like that of a child. She excitedly shouted suggestions that were more like orders, though Kale didn't mind. In fact he himself was grinning from ear to ear, trying the game again and again, each time failing. He was persistent though, his mind clearly set on not giving up.
Ryou who was still watching from a distance laughed softly to herself. She loved it when she saw her twin sister so happy. As she watched them an idea came to her.
"Kappei-san?" she said, asking for the attention of her fiance.
"Yes, what is it?" he asked softly.
"Would you mind if we sent an invitation to Saunders-san as well?" she inquired. "I know neither of us know him very well but..." she briefly turned her gaze to the pair, both of them still absorbed with the operation of the crane machine. "I haven't seen my sister this happy in so long...I want to be this way as much as possible...Plus I think you are right, they do fit well together, as if it is natural." A sudden cry of joy and excitement drew her attention to the two of them, Kyou squeezing the large boar plushy and her smile beaming.
"They may not be dating," continued Ryou. "But they very well may do so in the future."
"I think so too." agreed Kappei. The sandy-haired young man took a hold of one of Ryou's hands, giving it a light squeeze. "I don't mind. In fact it is a very good idea. It certainly wouldn't hurt to help them along now would it?" Ryou giggled and then looked into the eyes of her beloved.
"No, it certainly wouldn't hurt at all."
a/n: Thank you for reading, any reviews (not flames) would be appreciated. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully the next one will not take so long.