Tanoshii Koto ya Kanashimi Koto Nado
Fun Things, Sad Things, and Such
By: Jaha Canon
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.
Sigh I am having some trouble with the Japanese on my computer… sooo… I can't have Japanese characters for the title… or the chapter title.
I have a quite a handful of good (and quite a few not so good) excuses for my absence.
I was in Japan for a month (most of July and some of August) during the summer. I actually visited Odaiba! THAT was a lot of fun. I took pictures of everything I found familiar (which was surprisingly a lot), and compared it with screen shots after I got home. I was wrong at some points… sometimes I would be too far up or down some street, but I could still tell I got the right one (from looking at buildings in the background).
Anyways, I actually have an idea what I put poor Koushirou through when I had him go from his apartment (I figured out sort of where it is) to Rainbow Bridge in 5 minutes in an earlier chapter. I suppose that's possible if you run pretty fast and you know your way around. It was also a lot of fun getting to Odaiba. I was originally planning to take the Waterbus (like a ferry) because my youth hostel was in Asakusa… but the Water Bus station wasn't going to open until 9:15 am and I was ready to start my day's adventure at 8:30-ish. So, I look subways and trains down to Shimbashi station where I caught the Yurikakome monorail and glided magically (it kind of did feel magical to me) across Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba. I was ecstatic to see that I got to Odaiba at 9 o'clock (nothing really was open then, though). It certainly would have been easier if I had a neat friend like Ryou, or even had a friend who could evolve to a Kabuterimon… but the Yurikakome was just fine.
Once again, I'd like to thank reviewers. I already blabbed tad too much, so I won't interact directly this time. I just want you to know that, as always, I appreciate it. (;
Anyways, on with the story…
Chapter 7: Sono ato de… (after that)
The dinner at the Ichijouji house was, for the most part, uneventful. Ryou, being the natural cook, took over most of the task of cooking and ended up giving Koushirou the smaller easier tasks. The mother of the Ichijouji house was as polite and kind as ever, but took the opportunity to break down and cry the second Ryou told her it was all right. Ken and Osamu's father was pretty silent through the whole ordeal, but everyone could tell by looking at him what was going on inside of him.
Ken was silently coming and going from the room, going to and from the room he shared with his brother as if he was in a trance. At one point, he was helping Koushirou cut the vegetables, the next he seemed to forget and walked off again to his bedroom. Ryou went to go check on him once when he was in the room for a while, Ken was leaving the room right as Ryou was approaching it.
"Hey, Ken-kun! Want to help out more?" Ryou asked with a weak smile.
"Umm… sure." Ken replied quietly.
"I think sometimes when things get painful, it's best to stay busy. Sitting around or pacing won't bring Osamu-kun back."
"…I know" replied Ken, he looked up at Ryou and his eyes were full of tears "I killed Osamu-niisan… Ryou-san, I killed my brother…"
Ryou noticed right then a dark purple glow in the back of Ken's neck.
"Chigau… you're wrong, Ken-kun" he replied, "You didn't kill Osamu-kun."
"I wished he would die and he did!" Ken exclaimed. "Ask Koushirou-san! He was there! He heard me wish my brother was dead!"
"…I know, he told me." Ryou said calmly, "but you didn't cause the car to hit him. We can all blame ourselves for something. Koushirou-kun COULD have stayed calm when he felt Osamu-kun was insulting him, I COULD have been there to try to mellow things down before they got too bad, you COULD have not followed Koushirou-kun after he left… we can all blame ourselves for things, but it's not going to change anything."
Ken didn't reply.
"Ken-kun," Ryou continued "things are going to get really bad if you don't forgive yourself right now."
"I'm sorry…" Ken replied, "I can't"
"Do your best." Ryou encouraged. "Now, we should head back to the kitchen. Koushirou-kun keeps spacing out while he's cutting vegetables and he comes rather close to chopping off one of his own fingers. Having only nine fingers would probably make typing slightly less efficient."
Ken nodded numbly, smiling faintly as he recognized Ryou's statement to be a joke.
Ryou returned to the kitchen.
"Koushirou-kun, wake up" he said, waving a hand over the redhead's face "You're going to hurt yourself that way."
Koushirou smiled faintly at Ryou, "Thanks." He looked at Ken. "Are you going to help us more?"
"Okay." Ken replied.
Ryou returned to his cooking as Koushirou and Ken finished chopping the remainder of the vegetables, the Ichijouji mother sobbed at the table, and the father stared blankly at the TV.
Later that evening--
Ichijouji-kaasan (mother) walked them to the doorway of their apartment.
"Thank you very much." she said, bowing low and solemnly.
"No, Ichijouji-san," Koushirou replied, "thank you. The two of us have come over so many times and each time you've welcomed us. This was the least we can do." He and Ryou bowed back.
"Please visit us again." Ichijouji-kaasan said, smiling slightly. The three of them bowed again before the two boys left the house.
"You don't mind taking the Yurikakome back to Odaiba, do you?" Ryou asked Koushirou. "It's not a good idea for people to go through portals at times like these. You never know where they would end up or if they would ever find their way back."
Koushirou nodded. "There's no problem. Where are you going?"
Ryou smiled weakly, "I'm not sure."
"You're welcome to stay at my apartment." Koushirou offered.
Recently Koushirou got Ryou to admit that he didn't actually have family in this particular world- which explains why most of the time he is in this world, he would be at the Ichijouji or Izumi apartments.
"I think I might go somewhere else." Ryou said thoughtfully.
"…like where?" Koushirou asked.
"I don't really want to say." Ryou answered.
"…is it in this world?" Koushirou asked.
"Sheesh!" Ryou exclaimed "You and those questions of yours! You're like that mouse with the cookies and milk…. Take take take!"
"Is it in this world?" Koushirou asked again, not distracted by Ryou's random metaphor.
"Welll… no." Ryou replied.
"I thought you said you don't want to open portals now because you don't know where you would end up or if you'd be able to get back." Koushirou stated.
"I -did- say that. But I know where I am going and I am about 85 percent sure I can get back."
"And the remaining fifteen percent?"
"I suppose I'd have all eternity to mourn it if that chance occurred." Ryou answered.
"…and -I- can't go?" Koushirou asked.
Ryou stopped walking and turned to Koushirou with a very serious expression. "If you went there, there is absolutely no chance you'll ever be able to come back here or to any other world."
Koushirou frowned. He didn't like it when Ryou was cryptic about things.
"Okay" he said finally. They were already at Tamachi train station. "I guess I'll be heading down to Shimbashi now."
"Are you all right by yourself?" Ryou asked.
"I've gone this way hundreds of times. Are -you- all right by yourself?"
"More or less." the brown haired boy replied honestly. "Things are different now."
"I know."
"See you later!"
"Bye! And good luck!"
Chapter 7- end
I didn't really want to write a depressing chapter with all of the things happening in Louisiana right now. It would be ideal to be writing something uplifting now, I think. Perhaps one of you other writers should take the baton on that one.
I am a Californian and I couldn't possibly feel farther away from New Orleans than I do now. I watch things on TV and I've read several accounts on the internet and afterwards I am so tempted to just jump on a plane and help out. …but then I remember that I have classes here… and work too. I'm looking into blood drives now, though.
Because I am helpless- like everyone else- this chapter (however undeserving and irrelevant) is dedicated to all of the people who have suffered on account of Hurricane Katrina and all of the people who rose to the rescue when they saw the need.
My advice-
Always do what you can to help other people and -always- take good care of yourself.
Unless I am attacked by either a lot of schoolwork or a nice wave of lethargic-ness, the next chapter will be soon.
Jaa matane!