Part I
Chapter 2
The day was starting to grow long as Minamo stood outside in the school's parking lot. She leaned with her back against the door of her little blue Toyota, tapping a foot impatiently on the ground as she waited for Yukari to arrive. She thought about giving her friend another call to see where she was at, but after almost a dozen previous attempts with Yukari failing to answer, she realized that it would be a futile effort. At the rate things were going she was just about ready to ditch her friend and head to the bar herself.
Minamo had told Yukari that she had to stay an hour later after school to coach her swim team's practice, and that as soon as she was done she would go straight to the parking lot and meet up with her. Usually Yukari was out here well before her when they planned to go out drinking, always ready and raring to get tanked, but today she was nowhere in sight. Minamo had even rushed from practice to get here as soon as she could, her t-shirt and jeans still a little damp after a hasty shower and toweling off, so that she could avoid the usual embarrassment of finding Yukari complaining loudly in the parking lot if Minamo was even one minute late.
She looked at her wrist watch again, just barely catching the display read "5:10" before the numbers began to fade, causing her to grunt in frustration. She tried to restore functionality to it by wildly shaking the arm that it was worn on, the display eventually ghosting back to life with her efforts.
Damn thing. Minamo had owned the piece, a little water-proof sports one, for a good amount of years now and had never had a problem with it up until a few months ago when it had started to give up on her. She had tried replacing the battery in an attempt to keep it going, but the watch had still continued on its slow descent to a permanent death. Buying a brand new one was the obvious answer, seeing as she didn't want to pay someone to salvage the old watch she currently owned, but the type she needed was a bit more expensive than the average, having extra features that helped out in her P.E classes and athletic-related activities. Money was always a bit tight for her though, so she had decided to just try and make her current watch last as long as she could, up until a time where she could properly afford to replace it.
Minamo looked up at the sky and sighed. Her whole day so far had reflected the actions of her watch, her mood waxing and waning like the digital numbers on it, all because of what Yukari had mentioned to her in the morning. Having to deal with those old memories had made her mind feel so weary, throwing her focus off and causing her to go through a few distressing situations as the day had gone by: she had lost her keys for an hour, gave back exams to the wrong class, spilled coffee all over her clothes and desk, and had generally been a disconcerted mess. Even her swim practice today hadn't gone that great, among the most irritating things to go wrong during it being that she had forgot to use her earplugs the entire time.
She leaned her head to one side and shook it up and down, trying to get the remaining pool water out from her eardrums. While the feeling of having liquid lodged inside her head was quite discomforting to Minamo, it paled in comparison to the vexation she felt with herself by forgetting something so elementary as her basic swim gear.
Such a stupid rookie mistake. Minamo sincerely hoped it would be her last blunder of the day, feeling that she was at her limit for being able to remain somewhat collected in the face of hardship. All she wanted to do now was hop in her car, go have a nice evening at her favorite bar, and then spend the entire weekend enjoying herself while she forgot all about the awful things that had happened today.
Hurry up, Yukari. It's been almost half an hour...
"What are you doing?"
Minamo turned around, rolling her eyes and tossing her hands up in frustration as she saw Yukari just standing there with a finger pointed at her. Her friend looked a little exhausted, her clothes and hair in a ragged fashion.
"Where in the world have you been, Yukari? I called you so many times!" She pointed at her watch. "It's past five! You had absolutely nothing else to do while I was at practice and you're still late!"
Yukari smiled apologetically, putting a hand behind her head to scratch it. "My bad, my bad...I was busy at my desk. I did try to call you back, but I couldn't."
"Why?"
Yukari folded her arms across her chest and looked up, lost in thought for a few moments. "Because I was sleeping."
Minamo put a hand over her face, her fingers massaging the sides of her forehead to stop the migraine that she felt coming on. That explains why you look like such a mess. Her friend was quite known for trying to catch a nap wherever she could, even while at work, and Minamo imagined that she must have just woken up from another one of her sessions of shuteye.
"Seriously, Yukari, of all the things..."
"Never mind that." Yukari made a motion with her hand as if she were brushing something away. "What were you doing just now?"
Minamo looked up at her quizzically. "Excuse me?"
Yukari bent down to put her school belongings on the pavement, placing her hands on her hips as she straightened back up.
"This." Her head shook back and forth vigorously.
"Oh...well, I forgot to use my plugs today and got some water in my ears. I was just trying to get it out."
Yukari folded her arms again as she looked at her with a concerned expression. "You really should be more careful, Nyamo. You can get an infection in there, ya' know."
The considerate words caught Minamo off guard, but she still appreciated them. "Yeah...I'll try. Today has just been a roug-"
"I mean for you, especially. You need those things, or all that water would rush into The Vacuum."
"...pardon?"
Yukari walked up to her, bringing up a finger to tap her friend's forehead a few times.
"The Vacuu-"
"Get the hell in the car!"
After a few minutes that were consumed by Yukari's complaints about wanting to drive, they finally got themselves seated inside the vehicle and headed out.
As they made their way down the roads Minamo had found it difficult to keep her temper in check, snapping at Yukari if she even so much as breathed. Not only had her friend wasted a good amount of her time by showing up so late, for sleeping at her desk of all reasons, she still also had the gall to take her usual crack at her intelligence. The woman had always loved to poke at Minamo's sensitivity about being stereotyped as some sort of brainless jock, something she had always had to live with given her natural talent at sports. Minamo was the first to admit that she wasn't any sort of intellectual, but she wasn't the idiot that Yukari often portrayed her as either. Her friend always felt that since she was a master instructor of a foreign language, and that Minamo was just a "stupid P.E. teacher", that she ought to always be the one calling the shots in their friendship due to her much greater brain power.
Minamo turned to look at Yukari, who was leaning back in the passenger seat as she stared out of the side window.
"Why do I put up with you, Yukari?"
Yukari turned towards her, taking her gaze away from whatever she had been looking at outside.
"Huh?"
Minamo shook her head, turning her attention back to the road. It was a question that she had muttered for herself mainly. Ever since she had known her, Yukari had possessed the uncanny ability of being able to get on anyone's nerves, especially Minamo's. She could be rude, selfish, arrogant, even spiteful if the situation presented itself, causing Minamo to go through quite a bit of turmoil when she either found herself as the victim of Yukari's antics or was forced to try and undo the damage that she had done to others. Minamo had tried so hard to remedy her friend's troublesome habits as they had grown up, to get her to be more respectful and emotionally rational. She had managed to smooth out a few of the wrinkles along the way, but for the most part Yukari had remained as her juvenile self, always being so resilient to the hundreds of lectures Minamo had given her about improving her behavior.
I wish you would just listen to me. I'm just trying to look out for you, so you don't get, you know, fired for sleeping on the job, or...
Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed the cars ahead of her had slowed down to a stop, causing her to swear silently to herself as she realized that they had been caught in the middle of rush hour. Usually they would completely avoid all of the congestion on the roads when they went out together after work, as their classes always got out a few hours before the rest of the town's work force was set free. Minamo could even conduct her after-school swim practices and still find plenty of time to beat the afternoon traffic jams. But today, thanks to Yukari's tardiness, they had been well behind schedule, and now found themselves stuck in an ever-growing parade of motionless vehicles.
Hold on, buddy, just hold on. Minamo was talking to her stomach. She was always famished after a swimming session and really needed some food inside her right now, her belly growing at her fiercely since they had left the school parking lot, but because of how slow things were moving at the moment she would have to fight her hunger for at least another hour. Getting through traffic would take some time, but afterwards they would still have a few more things to do before they even got close to the bar. The usual plan for their nights out was to first leave her car at Yukari's place and then walk to wherever they had decided to go, since parking around the commercial areas was almost non-existent. Even though they both lived relatively close to where they would be conducting their business tonight, Minamo still wasn't sure that she'd be able to make the short trek there before she had died of starvation.
She leaned back in her seat, taking her hands off the wheel as she waited for traffic to move again. "This is all your fault, you know."
Minamo had expected Yukari's usual response of claiming innocence towards whatever it was that her friend was accusing her of, but not so much as a peep came from her. Minamo turned to look at her, losing the remaining shreds of her patience as she scowled at what she saw. Yukari had reclined her seat back as far as she could, making it in to quite the comfortable bed as she slumbered peacefully in her friend's car.
"You are not sleeping again!"
For a few seconds Yukari lay still, the noise of the cars around them filling the empty air. Then, as in answer to Minamo's exclamation, her head slumped to the side and rested against the window, making a small *thunk* as it hit. She was out cold.
Minamo wanted to yell at her once more, to address her friend on how incredibly rude it was to be engaging in the very activity that had caused them to be stuck here in the first place, but the desire to do so quickly subsided. Even if she managed to wake her up, Yukari would probably just throw some tantrum before she instantly fell back to sleep. It would be a pointless endeavor on Minamo's part and only serve to frustrate her even further.
She shook her head to clear the irritation that filled it and then looked at her friend again, feeling a little pity for her now as she took in how genuinely tired Yukari appeared to be. What on earth did you do today? The woman had looked a little burned out earlier and was sleeping pretty deeply now, causing Minamo to wonder if maybe she had been a tad too critical with Yukari, who could have possibly had as rough a day as she had. The summer break was coming up on them, so perhaps she had been trying to catch up on her work before it arrived. Even Yukari took her job seriously once in awhile, especially when a deadline was coming.
Minamo took a quick glance out the front window to see if traffic had moved yet. Not a single car had budged, so she used the opportunity to lean over and slide Yukari into a more comfy position, disgust filling her when she noticed that her friend had been drooling. Minamo always kept a box of tissues in one of the vehicle's compartments, so she pulled one out and used it to clean Yukari up a bit, not being able to help but smile as she imagined how her friend must have appeared from outside the passenger window, her slobbering face smooshed against it.
Yukari's hair was also in a bit of disarray, so after Minamo made sure that her friend was saliva-free, she straightened back a few of the brown, frazzled wisps that raked themselves across the face of her friend. There, now you look a little less insane. When they were both younger Yukari had always tied up her hair in some kind of fashion, but since then she had just let it cascade down her back like a rampant waterfall, becoming a hazel mane that was as untamed and calamitous as she was. Minamo adjusted her friend's clothes a bit as well, which today had consisted of a yellow long-sleeve top and burgundy skirt. It was a bit ironic given her personality, but Yukari usually dressed somewhat conservatively, actually looking like a bona fide teacher when it came down to it.
Yukari looked somewhat presentable now so Minamo sat back into her seat, watching her passenger for a moment as she slept peacefully. She hated to admit it, but Yukari was actually pleasant to look at when she wasn't shooting her mouth off, with a face and figure that had been touched by some appealing features. If she was awake at the moment then she would be looking at Minamo with large, chestnut eyes that had always contained some glint of mischievousness in them, giving herself a somewhat playful aura. The way she usually carried herself had also added to that inviting image of hers, always radiating confidence brightly around her. Usually it was just Yukari being arrogant, but sometimes there was a charm about being around someone who was so adamant about everything, their own-self assurance somehow making you feel safe in an odd way.
Every now and then Minamo wondered how Yukari would be if her personality wasn't so rowdy, given how attractive she could appear. It would be easy for her to pull off the impression of being somewhat elegant in nature with her looks, even regal, if she could fix her chaotic disposition. She might have been able to even have gotten married by now if she had somehow tempered herself.
Minamo chuckled. She couldn't imagine Yukari being the wife of anyone, at least those who had some amount of sanity. Her friend had gone out with others before, but each and every time she had managed to scare off whatever poor fellow she was with. She always claimed that everyone was much too boring for her, unable to keep up with her vivacious personality, but Minamo knew that was untrue, the real reason for her unsuccessful relationships being that she was a total screwball.
To Yukari's credit though, her futile attempts at finding love had never affected her in any negative way. Romance was something that she had never really taken seriously, the dating scene more of a sideshow to the single life that she adored. Her spirit was much too freewheeling to make any sort of long term commitment to anything, especially a relationship, and so had gotten along splendidly well without one. She had far more fun just living vicariously through the love lives of others she knew, collecting and trading all of the delicious gossip about who was seeing who, the latest break ups, and so on. It was more enjoyable for her to be contemptuous of the affairs of others rather than trying to find some soul mate herself.
Unfortunately for Minamo though, her own romantic life was often the target of Yukari's ridicule. She had never been married either, but unlike her friend, she actually wanted to find someone to create a serious relationship with. Her attempts at love had gone just about as well as Yukari's, Minamo's encounters with every guy she'd gone out with always ending much too prematurely. For some reason things just never seemed to click very well between her and whoever she was with, and Yukari would always taunt her about how dismayed she would be after striking out again. Her friend always made it seem like she was some desperate old maid at the end of her rope, even though in reality Minamo hadn't even reached her thirties yet.
She sighed abjectly. Whenever she thought about her romantic troubles she would always depress herself, as she had just now done. It wasn't so much the failures of her relationships that ever really bothered her, or even the reality that most of her regular social circle had passed her up in the marriage game. Instead it was something on a much more personal level that had always caused Minamo grief, something that she had felt on every date she'd ever been on, every brief relationship that she'd found herself in.
Or, rather, what she hadn't felt.
Minamo stared down at her lap as she began to get lost in her thoughts. Those bitter emotions she had experienced in the morning started to return to her, reminding her of the fruitless hunt that she had been on for the longest time.
Why can't I find it? Why can everyone else, but not me? Do I not deser-
*honk*
*honk*
*honk*
Minamo came out of her reverie as the blaring wail of a car horn slapped her awake. She looked up over the wheel and saw that the road ahead was now wide open, the traffic that had been there now but a memory. She apologized loudly several times, as if the passengers of the cars stuck behind her could hear what she was saying, and floored the gas pedal to send her car zooming off under the darkening sky.