Part I
Chapter 21
A gust of sea breeze blew softly by her, sending a few strands of hair across Minamo's face.
...but she's been ok since then, right? I mean, I shouldn't worry. But then again, she always switches moods so quickly...
She scurried under the blanket, the wind picking up just slightly as she sat upon the folding chair, her gaze overlooking the ocean as moonlight dazzled across its surface.
I need to know more, though. I really don't want to see her like that again. But what do I say next time? What do I ask? It's such a touchy issue...ack, what to do, what to do...
She took a deep breath, exhaling it out slowly.
...it's ok. Just take it easy. You'll figure it out. Right now, you should just be enjoying yourself out here. You need to let go of all that stress from the last few days...
Minamo continued to take in the spectacle that was before her, of the beautiful maritime scene that she was viewing from the second floor veranda of the beach house that she was staying in. The planned trip out to the coast so far had been nothing short of a wonderful experience, Minamo quite grateful to the student who had once again welcomed her for another summer excursion to it, and now, while the rest of the party that she had traveled with were fast asleep inside, she had taken the opportunity to soak in the peaceful tranquility of an ocean night by herself.
It's so amazing out here...but, a little windier that I thought it would be...
"Oh, wow, guess ya' beat me to it."
Minamo glanced to her side, barely making out the dimly lit silhouette of someone that was standing next her now, a blanket swaying gently in their hands. The voice that she had just heard emanate from the individual, though, was quite easy to discern. "Ah...hey, Kagura."
"Yo!" The young girl waved cheerfully. "Guess we had the same idea."
She smiled. "Guess so. I didn't even hear you come up here.
The girl laughed lightly. "I tried to be really quiet. Didn't want to wake the others. Umm, do you mind if I sit here too, then? Kinda' never seen the beach at night like this..."
Minamo patted a chair that was next to her, her young student taking the cue and plopping herself down comfortably upon it, donning the sheet that she had brought along. "Yeesh! It's kind of chilly out here."
"That's what I was just thinking myself. It's kind of late though, and we've sort of grown used to the heat all day."
"Yeah, totally." She laughed. "Man, I thought fer' sure that everyone was sleeping still. Thought I was gonna' be alone up here."
"Ah..." Minamo smiled, her features glowing softly from the moon's light. "Sorry to spoil your plans."
"Nah, if it's you, it's cool, coach." She reclined back slightly, finally taking a look over the railings of the deck, throwing her arms up in excitement as she did. "Holy crap! Look at that! This awesome!"
Minamo set her eyes back towards the ocean. "Yeah...it really is a nice view from here, isn't it?"
"Man, you ain't kiddin'! I-"
Minamo leaned over, putting a hand on her pupil's shoulder. "Not so loud, remember?"
"Oh, yeah!" Kagura grinned, lowering her voice immediately. "Guess I was gettin' too into it."
She smiled. "It's hard not too, in such an awesome place. Oh, so, how do you like it, by the way?"
"Chiyo's pad here?"
"Yeah."
The girl snickered quietly. "I'm pretty impressed, to be honest. I didn't know her family owned stuff like this. But, yeah, I love it! I've always wanted to camp out on a beach before, but, like, having a house instead of a tent is somethin' else..."
Minamo sat back again, taking in a deep breath of the clean, perfect air as she did. "It really is nice." She chuckled. "I've never really been on personal trips with students before last year. When you guys graduate, well, I hope I can get another batch just like you all to hang out with...and that one of you has another beach house as well." She laughed.
"Aww, don't talk about graduation and stuff already, coach. You're spoilin' the mood up here."
"Sorry, sorry. Well, then...oh, how're you doing with your folks now? You're all doing fine still?"
"Things are goin' great!" Kagura grinned. "They're not really scared at all anymore."
"That being so, you should still be careful." Minamo sighed. "I know you're a tough kid and all, but, still..."
Kagura chuckled, bringing up an arm to flex it. "Bah, I'll be fine! C'mon, look at these guns!"
She joined in on her student's laughter. "I know, I know. I really am impressed! But...muscle alone doesn't prevent injuries, especially if you aren't watching what you're doing to begin with."
The girl frowned comically, going on in detail afterward about the topic of her improved relationship with her father and mother, of how they were now fully behind their daughter's ambitious pursuit of becoming a full-fledged athlete in her future. All the while, Minamo just simply listened to Kagura as she talked, genuinely enjoying the renewed sense of vitality in the girl's every word, of the new coat of maturity and confidence on her overall persona.
So good to see you like this now. You've grown up pretty quickly in the last few months…
She relaxed her posture, her student giving her a mouthful of about how careful she was being at practices now, how seriously she was taking her training ever since Minamo had conducted a little personal conference with Kagura's parents last year. The problem that had been sowing a rift between the girl and her family, what Minamo had discovered after discussing her specific choice of career with her guardians, had, in a nutshell, been much, much easier to deal with than what she had initially expected. Back before she had actually met them, she had thoroughly been preparing herself for a confrontation with two very gruff, stubborn individuals, of the kind that were overly traditional when it came to female participation in sports, since Kagura had been describing them as such.
However...
Minamo laughed. "…it's because they're too worried. Your dad especially...he seemed like such a softy."
"Yeah…he's always been like that." Kagura sighed. "Even after you talked to him…he still thinks that I'm gonna' break my legs or something by just running. Running! I mean, come on, seriously..."
She laughed again, Minamo recalling her surprise at how malleable her pupil's parents had been, when they had all gone over the issue of their daughter's future. Kagura's father and mother essentially didn't want her to go into sports because they were both incredibly afraid of her getting badly injured somehow, female athletes in their family lineage being a completely new phenomena for them, and, because of their particular personalities, didn't really know how to handle their daughter's desired dream all that well. They were both good people, but they were the kind of parents who were vastlyafraid of anything that could possibly happen to their child, their immense fears leading them to think that Kagura, as girl, shouldn't risk herself in a career that could put her health and life at stake. At the end of everything, it was just a case of severe over-protection, the two of them worriers of the highest degree, and had tried to push more traditional careers onto their teen because of that, ones that were proven to be safe and easily fruitful paths in life.
But Minamo had, to Kagura's sheer delight, freed them of all their anxieties. She hadn't gone and given them the illusion that the sports world was one that was all simple fun and games, but she had convinced them that the biggest 'injury' that their daughter could ever suffer from would be by their own hands, to deny their child's own choice of future, both her father and mother not having really thought about things from that angle before. Minamo's firm affirmations of the sheer talent and strength that their girl possessed, genuine praise that had come from such an esteemed member of her school's faculty, had also dazzled them quite a bit.
"…so, hey, coach. I wanted to ask you this awhile ago..."
"What's that?"
Kagura leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs under the blanket. "Uh, well...I guess it's kind of a personal question. I mean, you don't gotta' answer it if you don't wanna'." She shrugged. "Was just wondering…well, you know that I'm pretty different from my folks now. That, ya' know, I probably don't really seem that, like, I'm their kid...so, that kind of made me wonder of how yours are."
"My what?"
"Oh...your folks-"
Minamo flinched.
"-just like..." The girl chuckled. "I dunno'...I always figured that you had a really cool family for some reason."
She looked at her strangely. "R-really?"
"Yeah! I mean, everyone at school thinks you're super cool and stuff...and I do too...so, yeah..." She laughed with vigor.
Minamo smiled weakly, her grin subdued a bit by her own sudden bashfulness, thanks to the compliment that she had just received, but more so, by the apparent humor that Kagura was somehow finding in her statement. "...what's so funny?"
"Sorry...I sounded so cheesy saying that! I totally meant it though, but..." She looked up at the moon. "It's weird, when you're outside like this, like, in the dark and whatever, with just someone else, you kind of feel like...I don't know, it's easier to talk about and say some things that you normally wouldn't." She looked over to her. "Do I sound crazy? Does that make any sense?"
"...I understand what you mean. It's the atmosphere, I guess...maybe just being out like this in nature just soothes us...you know, lets us be more of ourselves."
"Yeah…"
"...but, anyways, that's nice of you to think of me like that. I don't think I'm that great though..." She chuckled, and then paused for a moment. "As for my parents...well, yeah, I guess they are 'cool', sort of..."
"Oh!" Kagura's expression brightened with excitement. "I thought so!" She laughed again. "I always wanted to know more about you for some reason...oh, man, I sound so lame..."
Minamo laughed.
"Yeah, yeah...so! I dunno', I mean, whatever you wanna' tell me is fine, if you wanna' I mean. Or, if you don't wanna', that's alright, too."
"I don't really know what to say, to be honest. I guess I'm not used to really talking about them much."
Kagura thought to herself. "How about...well, oh! I know! Who do you think you're more like, your mom or your dad?"
"…my dad, I guess."
The enthusiasm in her voice went down a notch, Kagura sensing a hint of disappointment in her sensei's words. "Yeah...? Was he, like, a really good athlete?"
Minamo shook her head. "Nah. He's never really liked sports. He's kind of a reserved person. He's pretty quiet I guess...doesn't like anything that's too fast-paced or hectic."
"…hmm, I can see that, kind of."
"See what, now?"
Kagura chuckled. "Umm, the reserved thing. You always seem pretty mellow to me."
"Oh…"
"So how about your mom, then?"
"My mom…?"
"…yeah." She looked at her strangely. "You sleepy, coach? You sound like it now."
She took a few moments to reply. "…my mom is really cool."
"Oh, yeah? That's awesome! I totally knew it." The girl grinned widely at her. "I bet you got all your skills from her, then!"
"...yeah, I guess you can say that. She competed in a lot of different sports when she was young...she won some championships, too."
"Whoa, seriously? Man, that's amazing! Actually, I'm not surprised at all...I was kind of picturing her like that, some superstar athlete, kinda'."
"…well, she doesn't do much of that stuff anymore. She works with computers now…umm, the security of them now, or something like that. I'm not really a techie person, so, I don't really know what they actually call it all..."
Kagura whistled. "She's gotta' be pretty smart, then."
"Yeah, she is."
"Yeah? Wow...I bet she's a totally awesome person too, right?"
"She...she is..." Minamo began to mutter. "She's like...if you met her, it's, like, feeling that you're around someone that...can do almost anything...she's amazing. So...it's great...but, you kind of...that you can feel a little inadequate around, because of that..."
Kagura grimaced, something about the shifting pace of their conversation telling her to change course. "Umm…oh, hey!" She laughed with a bit of forced effort. "Uh, how about Yukari's folks? You've met 'em, right? They've gotta' be totally whacked like her!"
Minamo responded slowly, fumbling her way out of a swamp of some old thoughts. "Yukari...? Oh…oh!" She giggled. "Ah…well…no, not really. They're probably not like what you're imagaining them to be. I mean...they're a little off their rockers...but other than that, they're really decent people."
"Y-yeah?" Interest raced into the girl's voice. "Do you know them well? I'm totally curious now. We actually asked her about her family once...the class did, I mean, and she just told us that she didn't have any parents."
Minamo laughed. "What?"
"She just gave us some stupid answer, like she was born in a star or something."
"That sounds like something she'd say…she doesn't like to talk about herself much, unless she's bragging."
"Yeah, totally know what you mean...but, yeah! Tell me about 'em...if it's alright, I mean..."
"Well, I don't mind telling you, but…" Minamo smiled. "Don't tell Yukari about this, ok? I try not to talk about her personal life much, since she doesn't like me to...but I think something like this would be ok."
Kagura put a hand over her chest. "Totally! I swear I won't!"
"Ok, ok, good. So, umm...actually, let me ask you something first. Do you think that Yukari has a good sense of humor?"
"Uh...no."
"Rea-...oh, ok, I should rephrase that a little. I know she's a jerk, but that's not what I'm exactly talking about...I'm talking about..." She pondered over her next words. "Has she ever told you guys jokes before? You know, try and make you guys laugh? I know she must have, because I've seen her do it with her old classes."
"Ah...oh! Ok, I know what ya' mean now. Yeah, she does." Kagura folded her arms. "Actually...now that you mention it, it's probably the only time that the whole class actually gets along with her. She'll just find something odd to talk about and then just starts cracking everyone up." She smiled. "She's fun then...it's probably the only good thing that I can really say about her. Like, when everyone's stressed out and stuff, she kinda' picks up on it...like, she knows how to make you laugh it away pretty quickly..."
"That's her mom right there."
"Huh?"
Minamo smiled. "Her mom's a really funny person. She's a homemaker now, but, back when she was younger, she used to do some acting, in comedies and things." She chuckled. "I talk to her almost every day for a little bit when I go to pick up Yukari…she always knows how to get a laugh out of you."
"Wow…that's kinda' cool, I guess. Is she craz-…err, is she…kind of, uhh…"
"No, she's not nuts like her daughter. She's incredibly nice."
"…well, ok. That's kind of a surprise, actually. I was picturing them to be like clones almost."
"They aren't really, believe me."
"Um, ok...so, how about her dad, then? What's he like?"
Minamo sighed deeply.
"…pretty bad, huh?"
"Well...not really. He's a really nice person, too. They both are. It's just…" She thought for a second. "Well, let me explain it to you like this. The first time that I ever met him, I was over at Yukari's place. This was in our first year of high school. I...oh, yeah, that's how long we've known each other, by the way."
"Yeah, I kinda' heard that before from some others."
"Oh, yeah? Ok...well, anyways, I went over to her place to do some homework with her. Of course, she doesn't want to do it because she's a huge procrastinator, and just starts playing her video games the entire time instead of helping me out when I asked her to. She just kept telling me to 'wait', 'wait', 'wa-'"
Kagura laughed. "You needed her help?"
"I...err, yeah, I did." Her shoulders sagged in defeat. "She was always good with English, which is what I was working on at the time. And...well, to be honest, neither of us were amazing students or anything, we did ok, but she did always get high marks in subjects that were like that...anything that had to do with reading or writing. But, anyways...oh, right. Yeah, she didn't want to do anything, because she was being her lazy self."
"Yeah…ok."
"A little later her dad walks into her room. He's got a bottle of some…no, it was a beer, that was it. He came in with a beer."
"Uh oh. Is he a drunk?"
"Nah, not at all. But…" Minamo chuckled. "He…he went down to sit right next to Yukari, and asked her why she was playing her game instead of doing homework with me." She sighed. "She tells him that she hates school and all the teachers, how it's all a waste of time, you know, whining about everything."
"He musta' got on her case, then?"
"No, this is the worst part. Then her dad says that he hated school too, and then gives his beer to her, and then they both start playing the game together while she starts gulping it down."
"Are you serious?" Kagura erupted in laughter, covering her mouth quickly in order to keep the noise down. "That...that just sounds...you know...on one hand it's kinda' awesome, but, somehow, it's...it's also kinda' sad..."
Minamo shook her head with some fatigue. "You have no idea how awkward that was for me…to watch her drinking and playing games right in front of me like that, with her own father. I wanted to yell at her so bad for doing that, but then I was also worried that her dad might get mad at me for not letting her drink alcohol."
Kagura eventually calmed down, little snickers breaking out here and there still. "So...so he's the slacker part of her, I take it."
"More or less…but, that's only part of the reason. It's because both of her parents are really, really relaxed about things, like, too relaxed, so, she ended up kind of spoiled because of that. They rarely ever disciplined her unless she did something really bad."
"Oh…she didn't get in trouble much?"
Minamo nodded. "Yeah, at least when I was around. The way they are...it's funny, they're all a little odd, but they're still a really close family. Especially between her dad and her...they're especially close, because, to be honest, I think it's because Yukari didn't turn out to be very 'girly'. She's more like a drinking buddy to her dad, like, someone to hang out with, from what I make of them anyways."
Kagura laughed. "I can picture that."
"...but, yeah, it's also sort of because of stuff like that, that they really never make her do anything. They might all be a little too easy going...like her folks usually don't like friction in their house. That's the impression I always got." She put a hand to her face, as if she had some sort of headache now. "Honestly, I ended up having to make her do a lot of things that they could never get her to do, because they never really got tough with her or anything. Even to this day, her mom still relies on me to get her own child out of bed for work…"
"Wow, well…that explains a lot, then. Actually, I didn't know she was with her folks still." She shrugged. "Ya' know, like I said, she doesn't say much about her personal life. She's their only kid?"
"Yeah."
"Ah, see, I was thinking that. Like...she's probably used to getting all the attention at home, right?"
"I guess. They do pamper her a lot..."
"So, that's why she's the way she is, then? It makes a lot of sense, actually, now that I think about it. She always gets so angry when things don't go her way in class...or when, yeah, like, when we start ignoring her or something, she gets really pissed then, like a total baby..."
"…that's a little to do with it."
"Uh...a little?"
"She...well, she's always been like that, you know, egotistical and what not. But...honestly...it's more because that she's a little afraid of not being needed."
Her pupil glanced at her curiously. "Really? Like, if we don't want her help for something?"
"Well...not really like that. Sort of. It's hard to explain..."
Kagura's eyes started to glisten. "Oh...! She's got a story, then!"
Minamo peered over at her. "A story...?"
"Yeah! I mean, like her background and stuff. Oh, man, coach..." The girl looked around her, as if she were looking to see if anyone else was in earshot of them. "This is perfect! You totally gotta' tell me all about her!"
"W-why's that?"
"Well…we all…I mean, everyone in class is always guessin' what her history is, ya' know? Because's she's like...just so completely out of it. Every time we ask her about herself she never gives us a straight answer, though. Man, you wouldn't believe all the crazy rumors and stuff that are goin' on about her now, you know? So, oh, damn, you have to tell me what's really u-"
"Don't you ever start rumors about people like that."
Kagura jumped in her seat, Minamo's sudden bout of anger catching her off guard."...ah, but, I wasn't the one wh-"
"I don't care. Don't start them and don't get involved in them either. It's a terrible practice to get into, when you start saying bad things about people that you have no real clue about. What if someone started one about you that was really bad? Don't you think that it would make you feel awful, if you heard it spread around?"
"I...well...yeah..." Her voice dwindled to a whisper. "But...I...
"Then don't get involved in any of it. Do you understand me, Kagura?"
She swallowed with some apprehension, Kagura looking down shamefully into her lap. "Y-yes ma'm...sorry...sorry, coach..."
Minamo blew out a breath of frustration. "It's ok. I didn't mean to get upset. I just don't like hearing that kind of talk go around. I know she doesn't seem like it sometimes, but your sensei is still a person with real feelings to hurt."
Kagura stayed quiet, the both of them just silently taking in the glistening sea for awhile, the night creeping by around them.
She looked over to her pupil again eventually, the girl appearing a bit shaken now.
...maybe I should? I was just telling her that I wouldn't do this, but...I guess this is a little different. Just to have someone that's not involved to talk to. She's a student, but, she's alright...
Minamo began to chuckle out of the blue.
Kagura glanced over towards her, a veil of worry over her face. "Coach…?"
"You're right, Kagura."
"A-about what...?"
She looked up at the sky, the stars peppered about it as if they had been sprayed there. "Being out here like this...it really does open you up a bit, about things that you usually wouldn't talk about with other people."
The girl just watched her quietly, turning her head to behold the same sight that she was.
"Hey..."
"Y-yeah?"
Minamo took her time in responding, gathering her thoughts together. "If I indulge you a little about Yukari...can you make me a promise, then?"
Surprise filled the teenager's voice. "Um...s-sure, coach. But...I thought you said that you didn't like talking about her personal life...?"
She looked over to the girl again, smiling genially at her. "Well...let's just say that...I need someone to listen to me for a few. Yukari and I had a little, um, fight the other day..."
Kagura returned her stare, concern in her eyes now. "A fight...?"
"Well...not a fight, really, but...she got very upset over something. We talked afterwards, and I learned some things about her that I didn't know before, even after all these years. So...I've been trying to figure out some things since then, but, they're not really things that I can talk about with my other friends, since it involves a few of them." She sighed. "That's actually why I came out here tonight... to just try and sort some things out in my head..."
"Is...is it something bad? What happened?"
"...can you make me a promise first, Kagura?"
"Umm...sure, coach."
"Obviously, whatever I tell you tonight, don't mention it to anyone else at all. I'm only going to talk to you about this because I trust you pretty well. You got it?"
Pride quite vividly oozed out from the girl's demeanor now. "Y-yes, ma'm!"
"Alright. So, anyways, I want you to promise that, from now on, if anyone ever starts a rumor about Yukari, or, about any of your friends, or about anyone at all, then you'll tell them to stop it immediately. It's a horrible thing to do to people and I don't want to see you participating in it, because you're a good kid and shouldn't be involved with such stupid nonsense. Deal?"
"Yeah, coach! You can count on me...I promise!"
Minamo leaned back in the chair, tugging at the blanket around her. "Ok." She sighed. "Just let me think...let me think of where to start..."