The Trigger of Memories: Don't Forget Me!
Chapter 2
A white bus stopped in the hotel's parking lot where were parked other busses and cars sent by televisio channels and newspapers. The door of the just arrived bus opened and people stepped out, among of them were Aichi, Misaki and Naoki with their luggages.
"So this is where the farewell concert of the Ultra Rare is being held," Naoki stated while looking around.
The hotel was big, multi-storey and white building in the countryside and in the hotel's front yard were some white garden canopies. There also was a thick forest behind of the hotel.
The most striking thing was a stage that was set up next to the hotel where people were preparing the concert.
"Thank you, Misaki and Naoki, for helping me," Aichi said with smile.
"I'm happy that you asked me and Ishida with you-" Misaki said before a loud shout was heard at the door of the bus.
"Kourin, my darling! I'm here!"
"-but of all of our friends, why did you had to ask him?" Misaki asked with as restrained voice as possible while glaring at cheerleader-outfit wearing Morikawa.
"Morikawa is a fan of Ultra Rare and he would had become angry if I hadn't ask him," Aichi explained with slightly embarrassed smile but then he added with more serious tone: "And he was with me when I met Kourin first time. I'm sure that Morikawa too has a special place in Kourin's memories."
"I think you're right," Naoki stated. "By the way, were Kai and Kamui alright with the fact that you didn't ask them to come with you?"
"Well, they said that it's alright," Aichi said while remembering what had happened the day after that day he had got the tickets...
[flashback]
A loud shout was heard from the inside of the Card Capital. Morikawa sang loudly and danced in the shop while holding a ticket to Ultra Rare's farewell concert that he had got from Aichi. Morikawa was so happy that he even ignored Misaki who had told him to be quiet three times already.
While others in the shop gave amused or annoyed looks at very happy Morikawa, Aichi turned towards Kamui. "I'm sorry for not giving a ticket to you too."
"It's alright, brother Aichi," Kamui answered with smile. "Although I would like to help you, I think it's better that I stay here and take care for Miss Emi."
Aichi nodded with smile. Then he went to the table which Kai was sitting at.
"Kai. I'm sorry-" Aichi started carefully.
"Why are you apologizing?" Kai asked as he turned to face Aichi.
"Because I gave tickets to Misaki, Naoki and Morikawa but not you although you are my friend as well," Aichi explained.
"You did right choice," Kai stated calmly. "Tokura and Ishida had better relationship with Kourin and for this reason they have better chances to help you return her memories than I have. I know that you can together return her memories."
"Yeah," Aichi admitted with sympathetic smile when Misaki slammed Morikawa with broom in order to make him be finally quiet.
[flashback ends]
"There they comes!"
When they heard the shout, Aichi, Misaki and Naoki turned in the direction of the shout just then when people – Morikawa among them – rushed towards a white limousine that was just parked in front of the hotel's front door.
Suddenly a group of men and women wearing dark suits and sunglasses stepped out of the hotel's front door and took a stand in a line, making a fan-free route to the hotel.
Aichi, Naoki and Misaki managed barely squeeze themselves through the crowd and got themselves in the front row in which case their only visual barrier was the line of guards.
"Wow! They even have bodyguards," Naoki said with surprised tone.
"Well, this is their farewell concert. It's only natural that they want everything going well without problems," Misaki noted.
Then the door of the limousine opened and Suiko, Rekka and Kourin wearing their usual white clothes stepped out.
People voiced their admiration ear-hurting loudly and cameras flashed when photographers took pictures from the idol trio who smiled and waved to their fans.
"Kourin! Look here!" Morikawa yelled while holding a sign which read "I love Kourin even after a hundred years!"
Aichi stared at Kourin with serious expression. "Kourin... I swear that I'll return your memories soon."
Kourin smiled and waved while walking with Suiko and Rekka towards the hotel's front door when suddenly something caught her eyes. Something blue. Kourin turned her gaze and then she noticed him!
"Aichi Sendou?" Kourin thought to herself with surprised expression when she noticed the boy in the crowd. "W-what is he doing here? This isn't any kind of tournament! Or could he be a fan after all...? No. It can't be. It feels... somehow impossible. I would know if he would be a member of our fan club-"
"Kourin? What are looking at?"
Kourin woke up from her thoughts and glanced at Rekka who was staring at her with curious expression.
"It's nothing," Kourin snapped and walked past her younger sister.
Rekka stared at Kourin with look of suspicion for a moment and then she carefully glanced at the direction where she had seen Kourin staring. Just then she noticed Aichi.
"Well, well. Looks like Aichi Sendou himself is paying respect to our concert with his presence. I didn't know that he's our fan," Rekka thought to herself while watching the boy from the corner of her eyes. Then small, sly smile appeared on her face. "He's quite bland to my taste but he has got lot of publicity for winning many tournaments. Maybe I would have little bit fun with him for a while."
Satisfied with her thoughts, Rekka followed Suiko and Kourin inside the hotel.
The crowd had to wait outside of the hotel for some time until a group of concert's employees came to distribute schedules of the event. After that Aichi and others were allowed to enter the hotel.
After taking their luggages in their hotel rooms, Aichi, Naoki and Misaki went to hotel's hall where Ultra Rare's signature event was scheduled.
The hall was full of people. In addition there were tables where Ultra Rare would sign autographs and outlets that were selling Ultra Rare fan products.
"What we should do next?" Misaki asked from Aichi when they were looking around.
"Well, first of all, we should meet Kourin," Aichi decided. "Then I thought that I would ask her battle with me."
"Do you see Kourin anywhere, by the way?" Naoki asked from other two.
Aichi and Misaki studied the hall but they didn't see the blond-haired idol anywhere in the hall.
"I think we should wander and look around," Aichi suggested.
"Good idea," Naoki said and Misaki nodded as agreement. After this all three of them went their separate ways.
Aichi was walking in the hall while searching Kourin with his gaze.
"Looks like she isn't here yet," Aichi thought to himself. "Maybe I should return back to Misaki and Naoki and wait..."
"Good afternoon!"
Aichi stopped and noticed smiling Rekka standing in front of him.
"Oh, good afternoon," Aichi answered politely.
"Are you searching somebody, Aichi Sendou?" Rekka asked with a tilt of her head.
"Actually yes," Aichi told, feeling himself making progress. "I would like to meet Kourin. Do you know has she come here yet?"
Rekka stared at Aichi for a moment with surprised expression but then she smiled again. "Kourin is a little bit late today. And, to be honest, she doesn't feel comfortable in the crowd, so I doubt that she'll spend much of time in this hall."
"I see..." Aichi said, remembering how annoyed Kourin was when she was surrounded by her fans when she had attended in the Miyaji Academy.
"Unfortunately," Rekka said with innocent look and shrugged. But then she placed her hand on Aichi's arm and said with smile: "But if you're bored, I can keep you company."
"Eeh?" Aichi asked with embarrassed expression when suddenly people in the hall became excited and they moved toward the hall's door. Aichi turned and noticed that Kourin had arrived in the hall.
"I have to go now. Excuse me," Aichi said while removing his arm from Rekka's hand. He bowed his head quickly to her before he went toward the hall's door.
Rekka stood there, staring after the boy for a moment before she went to autograph tables while tossing her head. "Hmmm... He didn't fall to my charm. He's either very shy or very stupid. Well, we'll see how long he can maintain that attitude."
Kourin walked toward the autograph tables while three bodyguards held her fans some distance away from the idol. Aichi was studying the situation from distance.
"Aichi," was heard when somebody grabbed his shoulder. Aichi turned and saw Naoki and Misaki standing behind of him.
"She came. What next?" Naoki asked when he removed his hand from Aichi's shoulder and nodded his head toward Kourin who sat at the autograph tables with Suiko and Rekka.
"I thought that I'll go to the signing line and when my turn would come, I'll ask her to battle with me," Aichi explained.
"Sounds easy," Naoki stated.
"I don't think that it's that easy-" Misaki said just when people in the hall started to rush around. The trio was that much surprised by this sudden action that they only stood still. When the situation finally calmed down, Aichi, Naoki and Misaki noticed that everybody else had gone in line to get autographs.
Aichi studied the line leading to Kourin and his posture slumped a little bit when he noticed how long it was.
"Looks like it will take longer than we thought," Misaki said with sigh.
Aichi sighed as well. "Nothing else will help now. We must wait in line."
But just when Aichi was going to Kourin's line, a shout was heard: "Aichi Sendou!"
Aichi, Naoki and Misaki turned into the direction of the shout and noticed an angry looking boy wearing a Ultra Rare-fan shirt with Rekka's face printed on it.
"Uummm... Yes?" Aichi asked.
The boy walked right in front of Aichi. "How dare you treat Rekka so heartlessly? Do you think that because you are famous you can treat others however you want?"
"What?" Aichi asked with very confused expression.
The boy rose his deck in front of Aichi's face. "Nobody treat Rekka like trash! I challenge you and when I win, I will force you apologize to Rekka!"
Before Aichi had time to answer, they heard another shout. "Stop!"
They turned and noticed another boy who was wearing a headband with text "I love Rekka!"
"I'll battle with Sendou in order to defend Rekka's honor!" headband wearing boy shouted and rose his own deck.
"I was first! Wait your turn!" the first boy snapped.
"I will defend Rekka, too!" the third boy next to them shouted.
Aichi followed the situation with baffled expression when even more people in the hall informed that they will challenge Aichi "in order to defend Rekka's honor and make Aichi pay for his impudence".
"Are these guys still reversed by Rekka?" Naoki asked quietly from Aichi.
Later that evening Aichi was laying in the bed while sighing heavily in the hotel room which he shared with Naoki and Morikawa.
Naoki and Misaki, who shared an another hotel room with a couple of unknown girls, were sitting in the boy's room. Morikawa was at the meeting of Kourin's fan club.
"That didn't go according to plan," stated Naoki who sat on his bed.
"Yeah," sighed Misaki who was sitting on a chair. "There were so many challengers that the signature event was over already before Aichi managed to defeat all of them."
"Well, what should we do now?" Naoki asked from Aichi who had sat up on his bed.
"I don't know yet," Aichi said with serious expression. "I think that we should wait until tomorrow and make a new plan then."
"We should think something as well," Misaki said to Naoki. "We come here with Aichi in order to help him restore Kourin's memories, so we two should do something for that as well."
"Of course," Naoki informed. "We can't just sit here and let Aichi do all works!"
Aichi listened his friends talking and smiled to them. "Thank you, Naoki and Misaki."
Just then they heard a rustle.
All three of them turned their attention towards the hotel room's door from where they had heard rustling and they saw a white envelope on the floor.
Misaki went to the door and picked up the letter. She turned the letter in her hands before Misaki turned to face Aichi and Naoki. "It has your name on it, Aichi."
Misaki gave the letter to Aichi who opened it. There was a pink book paper in the envelope that Aichi folded open. The letter said:
"My dear Knight of Vanguard,
I've admired you for a long time from afar but I can't hide my feelings anymore. That's why I want show you my feelings in the passionate battle between you and me. We'll meet on the farthest garden canopy on the left side of the hotel.
With love,
your Princess of Vanguard"
"And now this," Naoki sighed after he had read the letter over Aichi's shoulder. "Like we don't have already hands full of work."
"What are you going to do with this?" Misaki asked from Aichi while she pinched Naoki's ear for the reason that he had read the letter meant to Aichi without permission, making Naoki wincing in pain.
Aichi thought for a moment. When Misaki released her grip from Naoki's ear, Aichi said suddenly: "I think I have an idea."
To be continue...
Sorry for updating taking so long. I have been busy with school works, suffered from both writing block and laziness and have my imagination focused on other animes, mangas and games.
But I swear that if I don't manage finish this fanfiction by the end of August, I'll change my author name into Ciradel the ClichéWriter and put a sloth in my profile picture!