Part I

Chapter 22

Kagura waited patiently, the gentle, stirring sounds of the ocean softly pawing away at the otherwise silent night.

"Hmm..." Minamo bit her cheeks. "Sorry, give me a sec. Just sorting out things in my head..."

"O-oh...don't worry, coach..."

She leaned her head back, resting it against the wall of the beach house. "...ok, let me just tell you this first, Kagura. Like I said...Yukari and I had a little bit of an, incident, the other day. She got really mad when...oh, I should mention this before that. We were going out to see some old friends that we haven't seen in awhile, but Yukari got really, really mad when I mentioned the names of a few of them..."

"Why's that?"

Minamo shook her head with some exasperation. "That's part of my problem right now. I haven't really figured that out yet. I never knew this, but, for these particular friends, I guess Yukari and them had some huge falling out back in the day. She was really furious with me for having invited them along to that get-together, but like I said, I didn't know she was on such bad terms with them. So, I ended up letting the others know that we wouldn't be coming, so me and her went out to another place ourselves, so that we could do some talking." She put a hand to her head, massaging a temple. "It was...it was such an awkward, difficult conversation..."

Kagura tilted her head, curiosity seeming to weigh it down to one side. "...was she going nuts about them, or something?"

"Honestly, she barely mentioned the issue at all. For the most part, she was just incredibly upset with how she had acted."

"Acted?"

"Oh...that little fight we had, I mean. She threw something, and...oh, she was really out of it. I've never seen her act like that before...she was really furious, more than what even I'm used to seeing of her."

"Wow..." The girl swallowed down fearfully. "I've seen her get pretty mad in class...so, if it's like, beyond that..."

Minamo sighed. "I know what you're talking about. This was a lot worse, and she honestly gave me a good scare. But...she did calm down, and like I said, we went out to talk after that, and she was just saying how stupid she was, and things like that, the whole time."

"That doesn't sound like the Yukari I know..."

She nodded in agreement. "From what I made of it all...I got the impression that she surprised herself more than she did me, which was what really began to worry me. And then she ordered some drinks..." She let out a groan. "That was a mistake on my part. I only let her because she was really feeling bad, and thought that she needed it. See, when she's upset like that, she gets pretty hard to understand with or without getting drunk. She rambles on a lot, and, she has this habit of going off into English a lot too...so it's like...no, it is. It's basically watching her have a heated discussion with herself, in another language, and you're just trying to keep up on what she's arguing with herself about."

Kagura chuckled lightly. "Ok...now that sounds more like her. So...what was she talking to herself about, then? I mean, if you caught any of it..."

Minamo shook her head. "Besides how disappointed she was with herself...what I got out from it was that she had some problem with these certain girls from back in high school. She said they 'used' her."

"Used?" Kagura scratched her head. "'Used'...'used'...like, you said she was good in English, so, they 'used' her for stuff like that?"

She shrugged. "She mentioned that a little bit. But...I think there were a lot of things that happened back in high school, maybe college too, that she's never really talked to me about before." She turned to her student."...Kagura, you know how your class likes her when she's acting like a clown with you guys? Making you all laugh."

"Yeah. We all like her then."

"Ok. But, how about when she's not like that?"

"...then she can be a total pain."

Minamo nodded sadly, turning back in her seat. "...that's sort of how most people thought of her back then, too. She was that class clown that everyone loved to watch...but then her temper kind of made it so that you only sort of got along with her, so that she didn't end up making fun of you. She was...well...she's still kind of a bully..."

"Kind of?"

"I know, I know. She's still like that. But, see, Kagura...when people meet someone like that...well, let me put it this way. One of my other friends used to say that Yukari had a lot of 'part-time friends', you know? Like...she was that person who was kind of fun to hang around with at school, but, if you had a birthday party, or had some club that you were recruiting for, things that were a bit more...umm...intimate? I don't know a good word. Basically, things that you didn't want ruined by her..."

"Yeah, I see what you're saying. She can be scary to have around."

"Right. So, it was stuff like that, that she was going off about. I mean, I always knew people avoided her when they could, and I really felt bad for her so many times when they did..." She sighed. "I know I sound like I'm making excuses for her. She did do a lot of mean things back in the day, but she also tried to make up for a lot of it as well. Like, tried to improve herself, and help other people out, you know? But I guess what happened is that some people started to take advantage of her somehow. What was the word she used...she kept saying it while she was drinking. It was an English world...'pah-la...'plo-...'. No, no, it was...'play-jher-eests'? Something like that."

Kagura looked at her strangely. "Doesn't sound familiar..." She smirked. "But I'm not exactly the best English student, so..."

Minamo shrugged. "I don't really know what it means either. But it sounded like they used her writing for something, and she didn't like it. I guess whatever happened though...it hurt her really, really bad..."

"Hmm, writing?"

"Yeah, her writing. She..." Minamo paused. "Yukari's never told you guys that she used to write? You know, stories and things like that."

The girl shook her head. "Nope. Like I said, she never talks about herself much."

"Ah...ok. Well...yeah, she used to do a lot of it, and then one day she just stopped. And I think this whole thing has something to do with that, because she used to be crazy about doing it." She ran a hand through her hair, resting her head on her palm afterward. "That's all that I really got out of her then. She said she'd talk to me about it again in a few days, I guess after we get back from this trip, because she just wants to clear her head first. But, still, I haven't been able to really stop it from getting out of the back of my mind, of what's really going on with my friends and her. She's always trying to act as if nothing bothers her, but things do, I know that. Back then..."

The teenager frowned, a sudden hesitancy in her voice now. "Ah...hey..."

"...there would be a lot of times when she'd mention stuff like this to me, about how she felt that no one really liked her, you know? Like a lot of her friends were shallow and stuff with her...but how do I answer that? I mean...it can be hard for others to get along with her because of how she acts..."

"Coach, hold up a sec. Hey..."

"...but she also doesn't deserve a lot of that kind of treatment, either. So I end up doing a lot worrying about her, because she acts so jaded all the time now, and just was-"

The girl put her hands up as if she were trying to ward off some charging animal. "Who, whoa, hey, coach, hold on, hold on!"

Her student's sudden shift in tone surprised her, Kagura sounding quite serious now. "Yes?"

"Umm..." She blew out a breath. "I appreciate...umm, I mean, I think it's really cool that you trust me enough to tell me stuff like this...but..." She smiled at her. "I dunno'. I'm kinda' feelin' like...I'm probably hearing more about Yukari than I should now. I don't think it's, umm...very fair to her, coach."

Minamo looked at her pupil awkwardly, just staring at her for a moment, before she broke out into a bout of chuckling.

The girl eyed her suspiciously. "W-what? What'd I say...?"

"Kagura..." She shook her head a few times, recovering her focus. "Wow...I was really breaking my own rules there. I'm sorry. I'm...I wasn't being a good example to you at all..."

"Ah...w-well, don't worry about it, coach. I didn't mean to interrupt you or anything...it's just..."

"No, no, you're right. I was starting to really gossip there, wasn't I?" She shifted her weight under the blanket. "It's really strange, though. I wasn't even thinking twice about what I was saying. I just really felt like going off about the things that were on my mind. It didn't really feel like you were a student to me at all."

"Err...huh?"

Minamo smiled, catching a hint of resentment in the teenager's murmurs. "I didn't mean that in a bad way, Kagura. How do I explain it...I just always feel very comfortable when I talk to you for some reason. You know...how we talk every day at breaks, and at practices? We really have some good conversations then, don't we?"

"Oh...ok." Kagura's stiffened demeanor began to soften back to what it was. "Yeah...we do." She chuckled. "I guess I just click with you well...which, I guess, is why I told you about my parents and stuff last year in the first place. I kinda' just felt at ease with you."

"...'click with you'?"

"Oh...I mean, like...see, if I started to talk with my friends, about the stuff we talk about, I bore them pretty quickly. Not one of 'em ever knows anything about sports really...like if I start talking to them about my favorite teams, or the stats of a game or something, they just look at me like I'm an idiot."

Minamo stared at her, excitement suddenly ringing into her voice. "That's it! That's exactly what it is!"

Kagura looked at her sensei with confusion. "Err...what's 'it'?"

"What you were just saying. You're probably the only female student I've had that I can really relate to in a lot of ways." She chuckled. "I've never even known another adult woman who I can talk sports and what not like we do, let alone get into the nitty gritty of it all." She shrugged. "It kind of feels like I'm just chatting it up with an old teammate of mine or something when I talk to you, Kagura. We do 'click' well, I think...I even gave you my phone number last year, and I've never done that with any other student before. I just really like talking to you."

The girl looked at her blankly, a halo of sheer delight radiating out from her now. "Ah...ah...yeah! Yeah! Umm, you know, I guess I kinda' feel the same way. I mean...ok, some of the guys in class I can sort of talk to about what we do, but, yeah, not another girl. A couple on the squad are kinda' into what I am, but they don't really follow matches or anything, like, they don't even know whose on any of the national teams, or, like, good places to workout and stuff..."

Minamo smiled warmly at her, the tranquil peace of the night just passing by slowly around them for a minute. "Guess we're just two of a kind. However...you're still right, about me going on about Yukari. I was getting a bit worked up by it all..."

"...is whatever it is really bugging you?"

"...I just always worry about her, Kagura. She's always either causing trouble or getting into it...I don't know. I won't get into things again, but, sometimes I just feel like I'm her mother, more than her actual mom is."

"Well, I don't see why you have to babysit her, coach. I know you wanna' help her out, but she should take care of her own problems, right?"

"I guess...it's just, she's my best friend, and I-"

Kagura burst forth with a sudden laugh. "What? Seriously?"

"W-what's wrong...?"

"She's your best friend? Come on, you're lyin', right?"

Minamo felt a bit of anger come over her. "Well, she is. We've been best friends since high school, as a matter of fact."

The girl took her time in calming down. "...how can you guys be best friends? I mean...it's Yukari..." One last snicker escaped from her. "I know you said you don't like rumors and stuff, but, man, this is like, more than a rumor...all the kids figure you guys were, like, super huge rivals or something from back in the day."

Minamo sighed with some despair. "That's understandable. I'm sure even some of the faculty think that..." She shook her head. "Yukari's just...a little different at work, because she obviously hates going there, so she's usually just grumpy every time you probably see her, so she tends to take that out on me and others there. But outside of work, we get along pretty well...most of the time anyways. She's still herself...but she opens up a bit more when it's just me and her, or when we're with some other very close friends. She always makes us all laugh...that's my favorite part about her. She's the funniest person I've ever met. And, like I said, she does have a nice side, too. She's just too proud to usually show it off."

"No offense, coach, but it's really hard for me to see her as a 'nice' person." Kagura sighed. "If you don't mind me speakin' a little freely here, well...she just seems like a big jackass."

She laughed. "She is. I agree." She thought for a moment then, a smirk sweeping across her face. "I can prove it to you, though, that she can be nice."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Keep this a secret for me, ok?"

"Huh?"

She brought up a wrist. "See this watch?"

Kagura's eyes sparkled with envy. "Oh, yeah! I was always kinda' jealous that you had that Pathfinder."

"Guess who bought it for me?"

The girl looked at her curiously, disbelief slowly washing over her face as the answer came into realization. "Hell, no way..."

Minamo laughed. "I keep breaking rules tonight...don't tell anyone! She didn't want anyone to know that she was going 'soft'."

"But...a-are you tellin' me she bought that...with her own money?" Kagura laughed sarcastically. "That...that thing ain't exactly cheap...and why? Why'd she buy it for you?"

"Ah...it was just...we've been friends for a long time, see. So..." She smiled. "She kind of wanted to commererate it all." She looked at her student again. "I know she seems like the type who keeps distant, but...she really does get attached to people, which is why she can do some crazy stuff like this." Her voice came out softly, Minamo whispering to herself. "Which, I guess, might be why she got so upset the other day..."

Kagura just continued to gawk at the watch until her sensei put it away. "...I'm amazed, coach. Like, totally amazed. With all the fightin' you guys do...well..."

"I know..." She shrugged. "Maybe I was kind of loose with what I was saying tonight, because I just wanted to show you how nice Yukari really can be...after you mentioned that people make up rumors about her." Her expression gained a sheepishness to it. "I really do care about how she's always feeling, Kagura. That's my problem right now...I have to know more about what's going on with this particular issue, so I can help her out properly. But I don't know if she's going to bring up the subject again or just avoid things like she usually does...so, I don't know what I should do. I just have t-"

"You're a really kind person, coach."

She blinked at her student. "M-me?"

Kagura nodded genially. "Yeah. You're always making sure you take care of everyone, even the big jerks in class. I think that's why you're so popular at school."

Minamo didn't reply, taken aback by the sudden compliment.

"...but coach...if I can, uh...talk to you like...like a 'teammate' for a sec'."

"...sure?"

"Umm...I think you can be kind of a ball hog sometimes."

Minamo grimaced slightly. "I...I don't understand what you're saying. Sorry."

Kagura smiled at her, and the way that she did had this mature flair to it that she hadn't seen it take on before. "I always hear you say 'I have to' or 'I'll need to', whenever you're talking about helpin' out people. Like, Yukari, in this case. Umm...so..." Her student shrugged. "I think you do more than you should sometimes."

"More than I should...?"

"I mean...I know she's your best friend, but, you know, like, when you're always telling us when we're playing basketball or soccer or something...that we're playing team sports, so, we need to act like a team."

"Yeah..."

"So...do you ever let Yukari take her own shots? You know what I mean?"

"...shots...shots, like on a goal?"

"Yeah! That's what I mean. I think you're..." Kagura laughed. "You're like, the best player on the team, coach, but then, you might do too much work for everyone, and, umm, you don't let the others take their own chances...and everyone might lose 'cause of that..."

Minamo digested her student's words. "...because I keep asking them to pass it to me all the time?"

Kagura nodded. "Yeah...so, umm, I'm not trying to, like, tell you what to do or anything, but...maybe let Yuraki decide when to shoot? And...if she's on your level, she'll know when to hand it over when she needs your help again for this thing that's goin' on..."

Her student trailed off in her words, Minamo just left staring at her as another small gust of wind sent their hair flailing back for a moment, a gigantic grin spilling across her face as she began to feel a wildfire of pride blaze through her, all of it ignited by this young girl, that had grown up so quickly in only one year's time of knowing her. "You see, Kagura...why it's so easy for me to talk to you?" She took a hand out from under the blanket, placing it on the girl's shoulder. "Because you speak my language."