Chapter 9: Red Upon the New Year Snow
a/n: A long time ago, when I first started writing this story, I made a promise to myself. I promised that I wouldn't let this story end up like so many other stories in my head; dead, never given a voice or abandoned part way through. I thought that is what would happen to this story at one point. However I never could forget it, the scenes leaping to mind whenever I would listen to Clannad music. So despite all the numerous large changes in my life I am making a renewed effort to finish this story, give it the voice that it yearns to have. I do apologize for writing style changes that may occur due to the changes I've gone through during the extended hiatus, but the overall plot will still be the same as it was planned long ago. Thank you all for your patience.
And as much as I want to avoid spoilers I do have to give a warning: this chapter is the reason why the story is rated what it is. I also originally planned to have this chapter split into two but no matter how I tried it didn't flow right. Thus I combined it into one large chapter. My apologies
"Oh, it seems to have started snowing," said Tomoyo looking up towards the dark sky.
"Huh?" Kyou mumbled, lifting her head suddenly. Her mind had been so preoccupied with thoughts that she hadn't even noticed the large snowflakes dancing down from the sky, adding to the layer of snow that already coated the ground. Her preoccupation now having been pierced by Tomoyo's voice Kyou became aware of her surroundings once again.
Looking up she saw that it indeed was snowing, a decent amount though nowhere close to being able to be called a blizzard. The snowfall wasn't even dense enough to obscure her vision of the surrounding dwellings that she and Tomoyo were walking past as they made their way to their destination.
"Oh yeah, so it is." Kyou sighed, her voice barely above a mutter. The young woman's gaze was more level than before, no longer staring at the ground. Tomoyo could see that it was not any less distracted though, Kyou's eyes already starting to glaze over with a multitude of thoughts as she mindlessly continued walking down the street.
No longer looking to the sky, her gaze now on her coworker, Tomoyo's face was tinted somewhat with curiosity and a touch of concern.
"Fujibayashi-san?" she softly called, hoping to get Kyou's attention. She did indeed get a response, but when all Kyou said was 'Hm?' Tomoyo's visage grew more concerned and curious. The two of them had made the effort recently to walk together and get to know each other more to further aid their relationship as coworkers. In that time Kyou had made it known of her dislike of honorifics and would normally correct Tomoyo whenever she used them. To have her give little response to the use of an honorific was highly unusual.
"Are you alright Fujibayashi?" Tomoyo asked, making sure to drop the honorific this time. "You aren't acting quite like yourself. Are you unwell?"
"W-what are you talking about?" blurted out Kyou. Although little in her posture did much to betray her state of mind her voice and face did. Her voice fluctuated randomly and the emotion of her face was a melting pot of confusion and anxiety, touched with a bit of Kyou's trademark hotheadedness. "There isn't anything wrong with me. What would make you even think there is something wrong with me?"
"If we were just talking about right now then just how you are responding is unusual." calmly stated Tomoyo, her consistently steady tone of voice a stark contrast to Kyou's own chaotic tone. "I'm not just talking about today though. Fujibayashi, you have been acting odd for quite a while, especially this past week. As a coworker and friend I'm starting to be worried about you." Through every calmly given word Tomoyo's ever-earnest gaze never wavered, fixated upon Kyou's own.
Knowing how straightforward Tomoyo was strengthened the sincerity of her words in Kyou's mind. It was even enough to calm the fluttering of her mind for a few moments, long enough that she could compose her thoughts more rationally. Kyou turned her gaze away, looking downwards like before but her attention no longer appearing clouded.
"It's just…" She stopped her sentence partway, still searching for the proper words. In the midst of her silence she put a hand down the front of her jacket, pulling out a small necklace that previously had been hidden underneath. Its delicate chain gently hung around her neck and at the end, resting in the palm of her hand, was a small pendant with a finnaly cut and polished piece of amethyst set into the silver. Kyou looked at the necklace intently, almost seeming to search for an answer in the clear stone.
"I just have a lot on my mind." Kyou finally said, her eyes still lingering upon the jewelry as she continued to walk down the road. Silently Tomoyo nodded, instantly understanding the meaning behind the words. As the purple-haired young woman looked upon the necklace she couldn't help but think of how she came to have it.
Like many she knew, Kyou partook of gift-giving around Christmas time despite having no personal connection to its religious origins. She had given gifts to her other friends and family. Most of the gifts she gave and received were either modest or edible. The only gift that didn't fit either of those descriptions was the necklace that she now looked at, the necklace that had been given to her by Kale.
The young man hadn't made a big deal about it or gave any fancy words when presenting it to Kyou on Christmas day. He didn't need to though. Kyou might struggle with the idea consciously but in the back of her mind she knew what it meant. A gift of such value and beauty spoke silently of the growing feelings within Kale's heart.
Thinking on it made Kyou's face begin to blush. Even with multiple weeks having gone by since her trip to the hot springs her mind still struggled with the same topic that plagued her then: she liked many things about Kale but for some reason her mind had trouble comprehending the idea that she liked Kale as a whole, not just things about him. The idea of romantic feelings seemed almost ludicrous for no discernible reason.
The idea of her liking Kale had become much more complicated in her mind once the necklace was given to her because it was no longer just about her feelings. His own feelings were starting to be made known to her, silently but clearly. This in Kyou's mind put pressure on her to determine her feelings so she could respond properly and honestly whenever Kale made the feelings known openly. He had yet to show any signs that he would do so anytime soon but that didn't stop Kyou's mind from racing.
"Here we are," simply stated Tomoyo, snapping Fujibayashi back to reality. A few houses from them was Kale's apartment, its occupant outside starting to close the door and lock it. After doing so he turned to the two ladies, a soft smile upon his face.
"Good evening Kyou, Sakagami-san." he greeted, giving a slight bow to them. Tomoyo greeted him in return, also giving a slight bow. Kyou on the other hand stood there rigid, her faced tinged red. When he rose from his bow Kale looked at Kyou, a look of concern starting to come to him just as it did to Tomoyo a few minutes ago.
"Are you okay Kyou?" he asked, starting to close the distance between the two of them. The object of her befuddled thoughts coming ever closer made Kyou's mind go into a state of panic, rendering speech almost impossible.
"I…Uh…" was all she could manage, her gaze quickly turning from Kale.
"Are you sick? Do you have a fever?" questioned Kale, his concern to Kyou making him blind to more obvious social cues and making him more bold than usual. He reached forward with a hand, placing the back of it on Kyou's forehead to check to see if she had a temperature. The instant his hand made contact Kyou's face was no longer tinted red. Her entire face turned a brilliant red, a blush unlike anything ever seen before. Panic was no longer just in her mind, it was coursing through her entire body. Body stiffening, she backed away from Kale's hand, breaking the physical contact he made.
"I'm fine." she quickly stated, waving her hands in front of her in a manner surprisingly similar to her timid sister. "Really, I am."
"Oh, okay." softly said Kale, lowering his hand. Although no more words came from him his concern for Kyou was still quite clearly written upon his visage. He did not voice them however nor did the other half of the brief and awkward exchange. That awkwardness continued on in the silence that now was cast upon the three, Tomoyo not knowing what to say about the exchange at first. She thought on what she should do or say in this situation that unfortunately she had little experience in handling. Finally she decided to do what most others would do and switch the topic, hoping it would at least relieve the awkward silence.
"What do you have there Saunders-san?" asked Tomoyo, pointing at a small covered tray that Kale had balanced on one hand.
"Oh this?" he said, his attention turning from Kyou and to the object in question. "I thought it might be appropriate to bring some food to the New Year's Eve party at the…Furukawa's was it?"
"Yes, that's right." nodded Tomoyo. "They are Nagisa Okazaki's parents. They seem to foster a jovial mood, so many times our family of friends have gathered there for celebrations."
"What are you bringing by the way? Whatever it is smells delightful." meekly interjected Kyou, desperately trying to work through her awkwardness that was so unfamiliar to her. Was this what her sister dealt with every day?! How did she handle it?
"I made some um…" Kale's voice trailed off as his face scrunched up in intense thought. It was a few brief seconds before he recalled the proper Japanese word. "What's the word…oh! Cinnamon Rolls!"
"Cinnamon Rolls?" said Kyou, eyebrows raising in surprise. "You're bringing…cinnamon rolls to the Furukawas'?"
"I am…?" replied Kale, the way his voice trailed betraying his sudden uncertainty. "Is that wrong?" The look of concern and almost dread upon his face made Kyou suddenly realize that she hadn't ever mentioned that the Furukawas ran a bakery. If he knew that fact then bringing the doughy treats would be rather intimidating considering how good Akio Furukawa was. Instead of informing Kale of this fact Kyou once again, though this time deliberately, left out that simple fact while a somewhat mischievous grin appearing upon her face.
"No, you are alright," assured Kyou. "I was just surprised. I haven't had cinnamon rolls in a long time so I'm quite eager to have some."
"I just hope you like them." Kale's voice came out as a quite clearly relieved sigh as the dread of a social faux pas drained away.
"I'm sure I will. Come on, let's get going before we are late." With that said the three of them started down the roads, slowly making their way to the Furukawa bakery through the drifting snow.
"Wait, so the Furukawas are…bakers?!" stammered Kale, widened eyes transfixed upon the sign of the bakery. Both of his walking companions looked to him, Tomoyo with her normally stoic visage and Kyou looking somewhat amused.
"Yep, they sure are," softly chuckled Kyou. "Though it would be more accurate to say that one of them are…" For a few brief moments Kyou's mind wasn't troubled by confusing thoughts, instead it felt a subdued sense of mischievous glee at this unplanned trick. Leading the way Kyou walked forward, closing the distance between her and the door. While her hand reached out to grab the door she looked back at Kale and Tomoyo. "Well, what are you waiting out in the falling snow for? Come on in." teased Kyou. She opened the door and proceeded to enter into the bakery.
Back outside Tomoyo's gaze slowly switched back and forth between Kale's shocked face and Kyou's retreating form. To Tomoyo it seemed that Kale being as surprised as he was made it so he missed something very subtle; Kyou still wasn't acting like her usual self. Normally when she playfully teased or played a trick on someone the satisfaction she would obtain would be so great that it would shine throughout her whole demeanour. But with this… it barely showed in her face and words.
"I'm sure it will be fine." said Tomoyo as she gave a light pat to Kale's back. In her mind she had decided there was nothing that could be done about Kyou for now. Instead she would refocus her attention on those things she could do something about.
"It's not like your baked goods are competition." continued the silver-haired young woman. "They are gifts that will be appreciated for their thoughtfulness."
"I sure hope so," sighed Kale, finally tearing away his gaze from the sign. "It just feels a little like giving a handful of nails to a carpenter. They already have plenty."
"It's the thought that counts," Tomoyo stated more firmly. Kale finally mumbled an agreement and started towards the door himself. As he did such Tomoyo gazed at him, brows furrowed. So it wasn't just Kyou who was acting strangely, it was Kale as well.
"I see…" thought Tomoyo to herself, finally realizing what was going on. She began following Kale and Kyou into the shop, her eyes giving a roll while no one was looking. Why couldn't they just speak about their feelings simply and straightforwardly to each other? She never did understand why people went about this type of thing in such roundabout ways. A loud bellow suddenly snapped Tomoyo out of that train of thought just as Kyou and Kale were snapped out of theirs'.
"Welcome!" Standing at the back of the shop was the source of the sudden noise, Akio Furukawa. The energetic red-haired man held in one hand a broom that he had just been using to clean up the store. Seeing the three new visitors he placed the broom behind the counter then walked towards them. "It's good to see you again Fujibayashi and Tomo-pyon."
"I told you not to call me weird names." flatly objected Tomoyo, knowing that it was in vain. Indeed it had been in vain for Akio continued talking, seeming to have either not heard Tomoyo or didn't care.
"And who is this?" asked Akio, an eyebrow raised as he shifted his gaze towards Kale.
"I-I'm Kale Saunders. I'm-m one of Kyou's f-f-friends." The tone of the stammered reply would have been a beacon to most that the speaker was nervous about something. Again though, Akio just didn't seem to notice or care.
"What's that you got there?" questioned the experienced baker as he walked right up to the nervous Kale. Without even bothering to ask he reached out and whipped off the covering on the tray that Kale had been carrying.
"What is this?!" exclaimed Akio, eyes glaring with great intensity. "You come here to party in my house, my store, and you bring baked goods such as these into my shop? What are you, competition?!"
"N-no! I didn't-" Kale desperately tried to explain but Akio continued to talk right over him.
"You thought you could just waltz right on in and steal away my customers by giving them free samples?! Well I've got news for you, my daughter and her family and friends won't be swayed! The bread baked by Akio Furukawa is the finest in all of Japan! Here, let me prove it!" Hand rushing forward in a flash, Akio grabbed one of the cinnamon rolls and stuffed it into his mouth all at once. At first he glared with utter contempt at his erroneously fabricated competition as his mouth mashed away at the baked treat in his mouth. With each chew though Akio's visage rapidly changed into one of unexpected defeat. With one large gulp the baker let out a pitiful sigh.
"Aw crud…" moaned Akio, leaning away from Kale now and a hand to his forehead in an overly dramatic fashion. "That was good, really good. You got me there kid. You know, if I had someone like you to help me out then things would be a lot easier. Maybe I could finally convince Sanae to give up baking and focus on her teaching instead." Huffing, Akio folded his arms.
"Why should Sanae give up baking?" timidly asked Kale, not even sure of who Sanae was. Akio scowled, quickly turning around and grabbing something from a corner of the shop that looked like it was frequented by a mad scientist. He shoved his hand into Kale's face, showing off a roll that had some sort of unidentifiable sea creature poking out from either end.
"Because she keeps scaring away our customers with bread like this!" Akio was about to go on but he stopped, his face shifting into yet another vibrant emotion. It was happening so often and so quickly that it was throwing off not just Kale but Kyou and Tomoyo as well.
Guilt was his visible emotion now, and unlike the others it seemed to be stuck on his face. Slowly Akio turned to what had stopped him from talking, a soft sniffling noise from behind him. A few feet away from him was a woman with long light brown hair. Kale did not know who it was but Kyou and Tomoyo both knew her to be Sanae Furukawa.
"My…My bread," she started to sniffle, tearful eyes looking to Akio. "My bread does nothing but scare away our customers!" Both hands to her face, Sanae ran out of the front of the store crying in such a overly-dramatic fashion that it rivaled Akio's own colorful emotions. Acting purely on habit and instinct Akio shoved the horrifying creation into his mouth and started running after his beloved wife.
"I love it Sanae!" he yelled, cries muffled by all of the 'food' in his mouth. Before anyone could say anything the two Furukawas had run out the door and out of sight. Kale, Kyou, and Tomoyo were turned to the main entrance of the store, confused looks upon each of their faces. After a few moments the silence was finally broken.
"Um…What just happened?" asked Kale, eyes still transfixed upon the door as if it would give him an answer.
"I'm not quite sure…" answered Kyou, having been left in just as much confusion despite her starting the little trick on Kale.
A few minutes later both of the Furukawas returned, Sanae looking far more cheerier and Akio looking a little sick to his stomach. After Sanae greeted the three new guests and apologized for her actions she showed them to where the rest of the guests were. Meanwhile Akio finished closing up the shop for the rest of the year.
To Kale this was a scene rather similar to the birthday party for Kyou and Ryou that had occurred earlier this year. Other then Kale, Kyou, and Tomoyo the guests also included Nagisa, Tomoya, Ushio, Ryou, Sunohara, and Kotomi. The only difference was the inclusion of three new additions, their hosts Akio and Sanae Furukawa and Ryou's husband Kappei. Throughout the evening there was much joyful conversation between the close group of friends. Kale was included in the many conversations, something for which he was truly grateful for. This was in fact his first year in Japan in which he spent New Year's Eve with those who called him friend.
What surprised Kale about the evening though was the amount of noise, more specifically the lack of loud partying. Having grown up in the United States he was use to the idea of loud boisterous parties to bring in the new year. Here though it was quite different. There were no things such as noise makers or a large extravagant feast. It was simply family and friends gathered around, talking amongst one another, eating the cinnamon rolls Kale brought before moving onto the traditional end of the year soba noodles. Lightly playing in the background was a T.V. with some programs playing that were oft-watched during New Year's Eve.
At times the conversation did get loud, something to be expected with individuals like Akio and Sunohara being in the group, but it was a far cry from the overwhelming noise Kale had experienced back in the States. As he looked around at his surroundings he couldn't help but have a soft smile on his face.
Kyou felt far less peaceful then Kale though. The relief she had gained from playing the little trick on Kale had worn off now and the conversations she was a part of was a poor substitute of a distraction. Her mind was thus often left to ponder upon whatever came across her mind. The problem was that it was always stuck on the same subject: Kale and what she thought about him.
Even now amongst her friends and family Kyou couldn't help but think about Kale. Whenever she wasn't in the midst of conversation she would glance at Kale, almost as if his face held the answer to her troubles. She did like things about him, so did she like him as a whole? At that moment some attention-grabbing moment occurred on the T.V. screen and most of the people in the room looked to what was happening. Kyou took this chance and stared intensely at Kale for a few moments, thinking about everything she knew about Kale.
It was a struggle, but she decided the answer was yes, she did like Kale as a whole. Immediately though her inner thoughts betrayed her and did not allow her any sort of mental peace.
'Yeah, sure, I like him as a person.' She silently thought to herself. 'But do I like him as a friend? Or is it-' Her self-questioning came to a halt as she felt her face growing warm with a blush, her heart pounding in her chest faster and harder then it had ever before in her entire life. What was happening to her? Even that simple question eluded her frantic mind.
"San-san can draw even better," declared a childish voice. Desperate for something to distract and thus hopefully calm her, Kyou looked towards the television. There she saw Ushio, sitting close to the screen and pointing at it. Having been distracted till now Kyou wasn't sure what was going on in the program. What she could see though were some people comparing some quick drawings they did as some sort of competition. Kyou found that she agreed with her student, Kale's drawing skills were far above those being displayed on the television.
"Oho…So not only are you a fellow baker but you are an artist as well?" Akio was rubbing his chin with one hand, a extremely sly grin on his face. Eyes glinting with mischief Akio wordlessly and suddenly ran out of the room. Everyone else could hear the baker as he ran throughout the house, the rhythmic thumping periodically being interrupted by loud crashing noises only to be followed by more running.
"Can you really draw better than those people?" asked Nagisa calmly, not once reacting to the ruckus her father was causing. She wasn't the only one that seemed unperturbed, in fact she was with the massive majority. The only individual that was reacting with considerable surprise was Kale, his head whipping around to face towards the most recent source of loud crashes.
"Not really, no…" distractedly denied Kale, the young man barely able to tear away his attention from the loud noises. Kyou, even in her confused state, couldn't help but roll her eyes a little. Of course he was better, he just couldn't seem to be honest to himself about it.
"I have some talent but-" Kale had started to add on some more to his earlier statement but abruptly stopped when the sliding door to the room was slammed open. Akio was standing there, huffing and puffing.
"Let's see you prove your talent then!" exclaimed Akio, slamming a pile of blank papers and a pencil onto the low table that was in front of Kale. Wide-eyed, Akio's prey looked to the baker.
"But I didn't-" Again Kale's words were cut off by Akio, this time by a simple yet undeniable command.
"Draw!" he yelled, eyes transfixed upon the stunned Kale.
"Akio." came the soft lilting voice of Sanae. As Akio turned to face his wife Kyou felt a twinge of satisfaction at impending justice. Good, she was going to chew Akio out for forcing Kale to do something against his will.
"You really shouldn't raise your voice so much, it will bother the neighbors," she softly chided, her gentle smile ever present upon her face. Kyou nearly face planted into the ground due to the unexpected focus of Sanae's chastisement.
'You really should be scolding him for bothering your guest…' groaned Kyou in her mind.
"Besides, he's already drawing so you don't need to raise your voice." Kyou perked her head back up at Sanae's statement. Looking to Kale she could see that he indeed was drawing already. Since Kale was sitting in a different part of the room she couldn't get a good enough angle to see what he was drawing. What she could tell was that the rate at which he was drawing was faster then she had seen him draw before. It seemed he had improved since they had first met.
"Done," he simply stated after a few minutes. Setting the pencil down he flipped the paper around so everyone else could see the result. There were some gasps of amazement from the guests as he revealed a simple yet elegant drawing of a boar.
"That's really good." softly praised Kotomi.
"Tch…And here I thought I found a chance to expose a weakness," grumbled Akio, revealing the intention of his earlier actions.
"I'm impressed with how quick you drew that." nodded Tomoyo in agreement with Kotomi. Kyou silently to herself agreed as well. She remembered that Kale had once said that his main weakness in drawing was his speed. He really had improved his skill as that weakness now seemed to be incredibly diminished.
"Thanks," replied Kale, lightly rubbing the back of his head with one of his hands. "I've been trying recently to improve my drawing speed."
"It's Nabe!" chimed in Ushio excitedly. Everyone except Kyou looked at Ushio with puzzled looks, confused with her sudden reference to the food dish. Seeing nearly everyone looking to her for answers the young child simply repeated what she said. "It's Nabe!" Kyou couldn't help but sigh, knowing exactly what her pupil was talking about.
"Nabe is what she calls Botan," explained Kyou somewhat exasperatedly. She wasn't sure how Ushio had ever gotten the idea to nickname her precious Botan after a dish that sometimes used boar meat. Were it anyone else Kyou would have given them a good strong dictionary to the face. Ushio though was a young child and a student of hers, plus she was very headstrong at times so there was no point in fighting it; Kyou just had to let it slide.
"Draw the Big Dango Family!" As she said this Ushio had a big smile on her face, eyes sparkling with wonder.
"Ushio, you shouldn't bother Saunders-san," gently said Nagisa, putting a hand on her child's shoulder. "He's a guest here at this party, we don't want to bother him with such requests."
"It's quite alright," chuckled Kale, shaking his head a little. "It's not a bother at all. I enjoying seeing Ushio-chan so happy." Immediately he started drawing on the next piece of paper, steadily filling it with the iconic plump characters. With each one completed Ushio gave a exclamation of excitement or a soft giggle. Soon her mother was at her side, closely observing Kale's progress as well. Nagisa couldn't help but be transfixed by her beloved Dango Family.
"I must say, I'm quite impressed. I didn't think the Big Dango Family could be any more adorable, yet you draw them with such cuteness," complimented Nagisa, not once taking her gaze from the drawing in progress. "Can you draw that well with your left hand as well?" To this Kale gave a soft chuckle.
"Not at all," he said. "I'm absolutely terrible with my left hand. Here, watch this." Kale then switched the pencil from his right hand to his left. Brows furrowed, his movements slow and deliberate, Kale was giving it his all.
"See?" finally said Kale, showing the picture to everyone. Everyone leaned in to get a better look to where Kale was pointing on the paper. Kyou had to admit, it was actually quite horrible. Kale had drawn another Big Dango Family member…Or at least, that's what she thought it might be. The left-handed attempt was not much more then a scribble.
"Wow…that's…um…" Ryou desperately was trying to find something nice to say but the words were escaping her. She glanced downwards, blushing at the fact she couldn't think of anything to say.
"It's terrible." simply stated Tomoya. Normally someone from the group would give a strong objection to such bluntness in speech, yet no one could this time. Nagisa desperately tried to soften the blow of her husband's words.
"Well…It's a very good attempt." Nagisa's attempt at a compliment faltered greatly though, her voice trailing off before she even reached the end of the sentence.
"No worries, I know its horrible." chuckled Kale. Done showing everyone his lack of skill in left-handed drawing, Kale gave the drawing to Ushio. Beaming with great happiness Ushio clutched the Big Dango Family drawing to her chest.
"I'm just glad I have what skill I do," continued Kale, turning his focus back to the rest of the group. "Someday I hope to have enough skill to pursue one of my dreams."
"What dream is that?" asked Akio. While he no longer had the raging fire of competition in his eyes Akio still had his arms folded, pouting about his 'defeat'.
"I hope to someday be a manga artist." happily said Kale. Looking at him Kyou could see a sparkle in his eyes as the young man thought about his dream.
Kyou's mind remembered that conversation they had many months ago about dreams. At the time she had been troubled not knowing what to pursue since she had achieved her dream of being a kindergarten teacher. Kale had explained to her his belief that a person didn't have to give up an old dream in order to pursue a new one. To give an example Kale had told Kyou about how his old dream was to move to Japan and his new dream was to be a manga artist.
'But wait…' Kyou silently thought to herself. 'He said one of his dreams…Does that mean he has another dream now as well, something other than being a manga artist?' Her inner thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the booming voice of Akio.
"Bah, what do you mean 'hope to have enough skill'?!" growled Akio, eyes once again blazing with intensity. "You've got a heck of a lot of skill already! Listen, if you are going to go after a dream you've got to be more honest with yourself!"
"Be more honest with yourself…" quietly whispered Kyou. Something about those words stuck out to her. Hearing them she felt far less frantic and far more focused. Kyou now felt the she knew what to do to find an answer to the questions that plagued her mind. Without saying a word the purple-haired young woman stood and started to make her way to the door.
"Onee-chan… Where are you going?" Having been together for so long Ryou could tell that something was going on. Kyou never left without saying anything, so to see her start to leave so suddenly after being subdued for the whole evening was a little worrying.
"Oh…I um…" Desperately Kyou looked for an excuse. She didn't want to tell her sister, especially in front of everyone, what was really going on in her mind. "I just need some fresh air. Yeah, that's it, fresh air. I'm just going to go for a walk for a little bit."
In response Ryou's eyes narrowed a little, her gaze piercing through to Kyou's soul. Kyou nearly withered underneath her gaze, knowing that her twin sister was reading her like a well-know book. Desperately and silently Kyou hoped her sister wouldn't call her out on her rather obvious lie.
"Well okay…" finally said Ryou, granting Kyou's silent wish. "Just be back soon, it's not long before it's the new year."
"Don't worry, I won't be gone long." assured Kyou. With those words said she left the room, gently closing the door behind her. As she glanced through the closing gap between the door and the wall Kyou saw a worried Kale looking towards the door.
'Sorry Kale, but I need some space to think.' she silently thought to herself. Once she reached the front door Kyou put on her outside shoes and her winter jacket. She then proceeded to exit through the front door, closing it behind her. Kyou waited a few moments by the door, carefully listening for any movement. Once she was certain that she wasn't being followed Kyou turned and started to walk down the street.
The snow that had begun falling earlier that evening was continuing on even now. At this point it had built up a good enough layer that it made a soft crunching noise each time Kyou took a step. As she aimlessly wandered Kyou began to talk to herself
"Alright Kyou, you are all alone now. Now is the best time." she softly muttered to herself. "Now is the time you have to be honest with yourself. So why, why am I so nervous when I try to think about how I feel about Kale?"
This was hard, she thought. Even by herself she was blushing at the subject, yet saying it out loud made it somehow easier to process and a lot harder to bury it away when she started to feel embarrassed. She thought for a few moments then began speaking again.
"Why do I get so nervous about it? Why am I so…afraid?" That last word felt strange as she spoke it. She hadn't thought it belonged yet it seemed to fit. "Afraid? Is that what I am, afraid? But…but why?" Again she fell silent for a brief moment as this new tidbit of information was carefully processed for the first time.
"Am I afraid of Kale?" As she spoke those words she instantly knew that wasn't it. Shaking her head Kyou refocused her thoughts. "No, that's not it…He's a great guy. So what am I afraid of? Am I afraid of being in a relationship?" Kyou felt her heart rate thump a little more strongly in her chest, but not nearly as much as she thought it would.
"No…I've imagined going out with other people before. I wanted to go out with Tomoya in high school." Kyou sighed as she cast her mind back to the past, looking for answers. "I liked Tomoya back then…Or at least I thought I did. But when I think about Kale…This…this feels different." Kyou stopped walking now, hand clutched to her chest as she felt her heart hammering away now.
"This feeling… It feels nice. But it also scares me. Why does this feeling scare me?" As she forced her self to begin walking again Kyou looked down at the ground lost in thought. "It scares me because I've…I've never felt this way. Never have I felt this way about anyone." With those words said it felt as if a mental dam had been broken. Her thoughts came rushing out now, no longer completely hindered by an unknown fear.
"I'm afraid because it's new, something I haven't experienced before." Kyou's words slowly gained more surety as they continued to pour forth. "All my life I had a plan, a goal that I could be focused on. I always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher, so when something unexpected came along I had something to keep my eye on. But with this…With this it's completely uncharted territory. I don't have a goal to strive towards and keep my attention. So I'm exploring something new without a good strong anchor point. So of course I'd be scared… I've never been on a serious date after all."
'Wait, I've never been on a serious date?!" Kyou exclaimed in her mind. 'I'm 26 years old and I've never been on a real date?! What the heck is wrong with me?!'
"No…No…Just calm down Kyou," she told herself, a hand brought up to the bridge of her nose as she attempted to calm herself down. "You've been on outings with guys before, just…Nothing serious. Not like this might be…" Kyou thought she was already blushing as much as she could. Now though her body proved her wrong as she felt her face get even hotter with the increasing blush.
"Heh…I'm a bit of an idiot it seems," said Kyou, lightly chuckling as she shook her head. Being overcome with emotion once again Kyou stopped walking, standing still as she focused on the feeling in her chest. "I can't believe it took me this long to realize. I'm scared about this because it's new, but I'm only scared because it's something precious I don't want to lose. And if it's something precious I don't want to lose then it means only one thing…The way I feel about Kale, I know that I lo-"
At that very moment Kyou heard the sound of footsteps in snow. She wasn't walking though so that meant someone else was here as well. That wonderful feeling in her chest was gone now, replaced by a quickly rising fury. She had come so close, so close to figuring out what she felt! Now some idiot had followed her from the party and interrupted her deep thinking!
"Alright, who followed m-" The words died in Kyou's throat, she having twirled around to confront whoever it was that had followed her from the party. Much to her surprise though it wasn't anyone from the party; In fact she didn't recognize who it was at all. Standing a little ways behind her was someone in a hooded jacket. Beyond that she could see much else, whoever it was had the hood pulled up and was slouched over so it concealed all of their facial features. When Kyou had spun around they had stopped walking and now just stood there, hands shoved in the front pockets of their jacket.
Kyou's whole body tensed up as she looked at the stranger. Whoever they were they didn't bother to introduce themselves or apologize for bothering her. No…Instead they just stood there, like a tiger observing their next meal.
"Whoever you are you better back off." said Kyou, doing her best to glare at the imposing figure with as much menace as possible. They didn't even flinch, not making any motion to go the other way or say something in response. The stranger simply stood there.
While keeping her eyes fixed on the stranger Kyou began walking away again. As her eyes were focused towards the stranger they didn't not follow her. Once she was a few more feet away she turned her gaze back forwards to look at where she was going. The instant she did she heard the sounds of the footsteps behind her once again. Quickly she spun her whole body around and indeed the stranger had continued to follow her. They had also continued to keep their face concealed while maintaining the posture from before.
"Seriously! Knock it off!" exclaimed Kyou, raising her voice. Just as before though the stranger didn't visibly react, simply standing there in the silently falling snow. Kyou wanted to keep her eyes on him, but she needed to get out of here. So Kyou began to walk again, this time keeping her head turned so she could keep an eye on the stranger.
Unlike before the gaze no longer kept them at bay. Once Kyou had begun to walk they had begun walking as well. They didn't have a hurried pace, just enough to make sure the distance between themselves and Kyou didn't grow. Kyou walked a little faster and the stranger in turn increased their pace just enough.
By now Kyou's heart was pounding, and she felt her mind beginning to race. She just had to get away, she just had to! Where would she go though? While she had been lost in thought earlier she wandered into a part of the neighborhood completely unknown to her. Kyou tried for a few moments to continue her rapid walk but the stranger never lost sight of her. Frantic and no longer thinking straight Kyou twirled around to face the stranger.
"Just leave me alone!" she yelled. Finally she got a reaction, the stranger stopped walking and stood still once again. Kyou stood still as well, panting from exertion and fright. Before she could make anymore movement or noise Kyou felt an arm wrap around her from behind and begin to pull her into the pitch-dark alley she had inadvertently stopped in front of.
Kyou screamed, or at least she tried to. Before her desperate plea could escape her lips a hand covered her mouth. Kyou writhed her body in any attempt to defy her captor, trying to kick and scratch with all her might. Yet every attempt met with failure; whomever was holding her was physically strong. Their arm tightened around her neck with every bit of struggle, quickly overpowering her efforts.
After a few painfully long moments Kyou could now see again. She had been pulled to a place underneath a small handful of dimly flickering lights jutting out from the walls of the alley. Kyou could now see that the person who had been following her before had come into the alley as well. Waiting in the small part of the alley that was lit were two more strangers, their remorseless eyes leering out at Kyou.
"Well well well…" said one of the creeps, standing from his squatting position and walking towards Kyou. "Looks like we finally found someone to join our little party…"
"Yeah, she tried to get away from me as well," sneered the original stranger, pulling back his hood. He too walked forward, close enough now for Kyou to gag on the overwhelming stench of alcohol emanating from him.
"I get first go right, since I'm the one that caught her?" This voice came from the person holding Kyou. Hearing such words so close to her caused her to struggle once again. All that got her was a tightened hold and a soft shushing from her captor.
"Nah, you've got to hold her." chimed the fourth stranger. Just like the other one he stood from a squat and walked forward as well. All four men now were within a few feet of Kyou, her eyes darting rapidly between those she could see.
'Please….' She silently thought, unable to voice her overwhelming fear. 'Please no…' Tears were now forming in her eyes as she realized what these men wanted, their hungry gazes fixated on her and nothing else.
"Besides…" continued the fourth stranger. "It's been forever for me. So I should get the first…Huh? What the?" His voice had trailed off when everyone heard a rapid crunching sound in the snow. Before any could realize it was rapidly approaching footsteps another sound now rang out, a fist smashing against a face.
The fourth stranger had been punched in the face, grunt in unexpected pain and surprise as he stumbled back a few feet.. Standing in his place now was Kale, huffing and puffing and with hands clenched tightly into fists. The strangers were motionless for a few moments, having been caught by surprise with the unexpected newcomer.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH KYOU!" screamed Kale at the top of his lungs. Whirling around Kale faced Kyou and the one holding her. He paused for a moment, fists raised but unsure of how to free Kyou. The one grappling Kyou backed up a few steps, tightening his grip in a threatening motion to stop Kale in his tracks. It worked just enough, for in his hesitation Kale was jumped by the two thugs that he had yet to attack. Each one grabbed one of Kale's arms and tried to pull him away.
Instead of jerking forward in an attempt to free himself Kale lurched backwards. This movement being completely unexpected, Kale was able to temporarily overpower the two men holding him. He slammed the two of them back against the alley wall behind them. The two thugs grunted and their grips loosened. Breaking out of the grapple, Kale immediately turned to them and started punching one of them in the chest.
He only got a few punches in before he himself was punched. The first stranger he had punched was back on his feet now and had used this opportunity to attack Kale from behind. The fist collided with the back of Kale's head, sending him face first into the ground.
"That hurt you punk!" growled the thug against the wall that Kale had started to attack. Wiping at his face with a hand, he stepped forward while looking down at Kale. Raising a foot he spoke once again. "I'll teach you for doing that to me!"
With all of his unrighteous fury the thug brought down his foot as hard as he could onto Kale's right forearm. Kyou's eyes clenched shut for a moment as she was tortured by the noise of a sickening crack followed by a pained scream from Kale. The thug didn't stop there though. He smashed his foot into Kale's arm repeatedly, each stomp accompanied by cracks and more screams.
"How do you like that, huh?!" yelled the thug while he had his foot raised for another stomp. Kale's reply was his left hand grabbing the thug's foot that was still on the ground and yanking it. This caused the stomping thug to fall hard to the ground.
Kale didn't gain any respite though. While he started to stand he received a swift kick in the stomach from one of the other punks. Dry-heaving for a moment, Kale immediately tucked into a roll against the kicker's legs, knocking them over as well. As the third thug tried to step over his accomplices Kale took the opportunity to stand fully back up.
Teeth clenched tight, his face winced with every movement of his right arm which hung loosely at his side. His left arm was still held up, fist clenched as Kale braced himself to continue fighting. As the third thug approached him Kale swung wildly with his left fist. The thug easily blocked it with one arm and used his other to shove Kale against the wall.
Kale gave out a cry, the jerking movement causing pain to blaze throughout his right arm. Kyou continued to look on, her captor preventing her from doing anything.
'Please…' she begged in her mind. 'Please don't. Don't hurt him! Just run Kale! Run!' her words though could not be spoken, and so all she could do was watch on in horror as the shoving thug closed the gap between him and Kale and no proceeded to punch him repeatedly in the stomach.
"Just. Give. up. Already." Each word as it was grunted was punctuated with a strike into Kale. Took weak to punch back Kale did the only action he could do; he spat in the face of his attacker and glared back.
"Never," he simply groaned, the single word trying to sound brave and defiant but did little more then limp from his mouth.. Growling with fury as he wiped the spit out of his face the thug grabbed Kale's face and slammed his head against the wall. Kale's whole body slumped to the ground as Kyou's scream was muffled by the hand held to her mouth.
"Tch, persistent punk…" huffed the thug, tilting his head as he cracked his neck. "Now where were we…" He started to turn back to the captive Kyou, the other goons that had been knocked down now standing back up. All three started to walk forward when they heard a groan from behind them. They turned, eyes wide as they saw Kale getting back up.
Kale propped his shoulder against the wall as he used his legs to force himself back up. Once he was mostly upright he staggered away from the wall, swaying a little as he shakily brought his left fist up once more.
"You…won't…hurt…Kyou…" Each word was little more then a moan but Kale spoke each one clearly enough to be heard by all present. Despite Kale swaying back and forth, unable to stand firm, his fist trembling as it was held up, the thugs stood there in shock.
"He's got a crazy look in his eyes…" muttered one of the punks. Another nodded his head in agreement. The third though gave a growl and reached into one of his pockets.
"No more playing around," he quietly whispered. Bring out his hand from his pocket, he flicked his hand in a fluid motion and Kyou heard a clicking noise as she saw something glint in the dim light.
'No….' she cried in her mind. The thug lunged forward and thrust his hand towards Kale. From this angle Kyou couldn't see when it made contact, but she could see as Kale gave a sharp gasp and a small jolt before falling to the ground.
"NO!" screamed Kyou. In that brief moment her captor had loosened his grip, engrossed within the fight. Kyou had been able to jerk forward, temporarily freeing herself long enough to cry out. She tried desperately to run to Kale's aid, but as she stumbled forward she felt one of her arms being grabbed again by her captor. She struggled to break the arm free, not once taking her sight off of Kale. Just as she started to break the arm free her other arm was grabbed and shortly after she was yanked backwards into the grasp of her captor. Kyou let out a whimper as she felt something sharp, cold, and metallic press against her neck.
"You know, normally I like 'em warm," sneered her captor. "But just this once, maybe I'll have to make an exceptio-" The last word ended with a jerk as Kyou suddenly felt her captor go limp against her and slump to the ground. Turning to see what happened Kyou saw Akio standing there, baseball bat gripped firmly in hand. Right behind him were Tomoya, Sunohara, and Tomoyo.
"You come to our neighborhood, and pull something as despicable as this?!" yelled Akio, pointing his bat at the other thugs who had now turned to face the newcomers. "There will be no forgiveness for the likes of you…RAHHHH!" Screaming loudly, Akio charged forward, closely followed by the other three.
The remaining thugs tried to run away but they were unable to. Akio, Tomoyo, Sunohara, and Tomoya were just too fast for them. Kyou could hear more fighting happening but she did not care anymore. Instead she ran to Kale, kneeling down by his prone body in the snow.
"Kale! Kale!" cried Kyou. She cupped Kale's face in one of her hands as the other gripped one of his shoulders. Kyou gave his shoulder a firm shake, trying to rouse Kale.
"Why did you do that!?" cried Kyou, tears streaming from her eyes. "Why didn't you run?! Why didn't you just run away and leave me?!" Kale gave a soft cough as his eyes half-opened. Looking up at her, Kale gave a weak smile.
"Because…" he moaned. "Because you are my new dream…" Weakly he tried to bring up his left hand to her face. His arm trembled and was only able to make it up halfway.
"I love you Kyou…" as he gasped those words Kale's eyes closed, his arm falling back down to the ground. Kyou for a moment couldn't move or speak. This wasn't happening…it couldn't be happening…
"Kale?" she said, giving his shoulder another shake. Kale's eyes remained closed and he gave no response. Desperate for anything, she gave another shake, calling out to him.
"Kale?" Again, nothing. Kyou looked in horror as she saw the pure white snow beneath Kale begin to turn to a bright crimson.
"Kale?"
"KALE!"