楽しい事や悲しみ事など。。。
Tanoshii koto ya kanashimi koto nado
Fun Things, Sad Things, and Such
By: Jaha Canon
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.
Oooh, boy, it has been a while, hasn't it? While I have been still playing with this story in my head the results never quite showed up here (but you know that much!)
Before I jump right into the story out of fear of being distracted again, I'll just say…
I still appreciate reviews. 3 And I'll try not to be such a MySpace head…
Chapter 9: 死んだ人に行く所
The Place Dead People Go
"What are you doing here?" asked a confused boy with blue hair and glasses.
'No' thought Ryou, 'he just looks that way because that's how I remember him.' He tried to replace the image of his departed friend with the image of a spirit. He couldn't.
"What?" he asked. "Can't I visit an old friend?"
Osamu grinned slightly… or he had the appearance of grinning. "I wasn't expecting to have any visitors."
"I know. This place really isn't a place that you can visit." Ryou responded.
"It's one of your abilities with your inter-dimensional powers, isn't it?" Osamu asked.
"Yes, but I can only do it once. Anyone with the ability to go through portals can visit here once if they can find a way here… but only once." Ryou explained.
"Then why are you coming here now?"
"Because I wanted to talk to you."
"And Ken and Koushirou-kun?"
"Ken-kun is in no shape to come here." Ryou stated. "Or any other world, for that matter-"
"…that dark power…" Osamu interjected.
"Yes, wherever Ken goes now, a dark power follows him. So if I let him go through my portals or any others, whatever is manipulating that power can figure out how to portals work and corrupt them." the chosen child of portals said frowning.
"I see." Osamu said.
"And Koushirou-kun…" Ryou continued sighing. "…if he came here, he wouldn't be able to leave."
"That's because his biological parents are here, isn't it?" Osamu stated more than asked.
Ryou nodded solemnly "Yes, because he was so young when he lost them, there is a level in his subconscious that never got over that loss. He doesn't realize that, though."
"So you'd never let him come to someplace like this."
Nod. "Correct. There are a lot of different worlds that play to a lot of different people's strengths and weaknesses. For Koushirou-kun, his strengths play well in a lot of worlds, but in those few that his weaknesses grow- it's dramatic."
"You're always watching out for him… and Ken, too." Osamu said, smiling a little.
"Of course." Ryou replied.
"Thank you." the blue haired boy said simply.
Ryou nodded, acknowledging the 'thank you'. "And of course, you too, Osamu-kun. Just because you can't travel between worlds doesn't mean you're an exception."
Osamu smiled.
"You three… yes, I always watch out for you." the brown haired boy said "but that doesn't make you weak."
"I used to tell Ken he was weak." Osamu said shortly.
"I know."
"But what I really meant to say was that I am weak."
"I know."
"It's easier to say that now."
"Understandable."
Osamu took a deep breath.
"Koushirou-kun," he said with an air of finality, "is strong."
"I agree, of course, but, why do you think so?" Ryou asked.
"Did he ever tell you about when we first met?" Osamu asked.
"Erm, yeah. At some sort of Tokyo-wide science fair, right?" Ryou said slowly, searching his memory. "He said you were really into it."
Osamu rolled his eyes, "He probably only told you half of the story."
"That's how different perspectives work… but I'd like to hear your half of the story." Ryou said.
"Koushirou-kun and I are like polar opposites. I always thought it was mind boggling how we managed to get along so well." Osamu started.
"Koushirou-kun is a passive person, he's not likely to butt heads with a lot of people as it is."
"True." Osamu agreed. "He was always that way. It's not entirely that he doesn't get into fights, it's that when it comes to rising above someone in ego or status, he doesn't care about winning."
Ryou just nodded and allowed Osamu to continue.
"He didn't particular care about going to the science fair. He had just made a computer program and all of the teachers at his school thought it was great and they talked him into entering." Pause. "And then there was me. I built something that I thought was the greatest thing ever… sheesh, it was so long ago, I barely remember what it was anymore."
Ryou chuckled slightly at this.
"Anyways, I ended up winning. The other contestants were annoyed at me and wouldn't talk to me after… I guess I was bragging quite a bit. But he walked up to me and congratulated me. My bragging didn't seem to bother him. My feeling of superiority didn't make him feel like he was any less. This was -before- he went to that Digital World, too!
"The thing about Koushirou-kun…. That makes him different than any other child prodigy I've ever met, is that he doesn't care if anyone knows that he's smart."
"That's true, isn't it?" Ryou agreed. "He just wants to do what he can and do his best at it."
"And when he finishes one thing, he simply starts another." Osamu added. "He'd sometimes scare people who weren't used to his outlook. He'd be in a conversation when some egg headed jerk… like I'm one to talk… and he'd just smile, agree, and when he's given a chance to start bragging he says that he's learning about computers."
Ryou smiled blankly. "I don't get it."
"What would happen is," Osamu explained "that all these child prodigies, so used to bragging and competing with one another like I was, would begin to worry that this boy who won't brag is substantially smarter than they are."
"Do you think he is?" Ryou asked.
"I know Koushirou-kun is brilliant" Osamu answered, "how brilliant, I don't know."
Lengthy pause….
"And he," Osamu concluded, "couldn't care less where he ranks… unlike me."
"He's always looking for something far greater than the envy of his peers." Ryou observed.
"If only I could have known what that was…….." Osamu trailed off.
"Ken-kun is strong too, maybe not now, but…"
"I know." Osamu interrupted, a melancholy smile across his face. "We both know."
Ryou nodded. "I'm glad we talked."
Osamu smiled as warmly as an apparition can and held out his hand. "Me too."
Ryou took the hand, even though it wasn't a real physical hand, shook it and gave it a friendly squeeze.
"This is the first time." Osamu said.
"First time for what?" Ryou asked.
"We had a conversation."
"We've had a lot of conversations."
"I mean a real one- where I am not angry for who knows what reason."
"Those conversations were fine."
"You think so?"
"I said so, didn't I?"
They exchanged parting words before Ryou disappeared into his portal.
Flashback:
Four boys walked together through a zoo. The smallest of the group, who had blue hair ran excitedly ahead of the other boys, turning to urge them to walk faster.
"Ne, Ken-kun! The zoo's not going anywhere!" Ryou called laughing. He picked up his pace after noticing Koushirou had complied with Ken's requests
"Why are we here again?" Osamu asked from behind. This place felt really juvenile to him.
"Because Ken-kun told us that you two had never been to Ueno Zoo before." Koushirou said matter-of-factly. "And Ryou-kun decided that you simply had to go."
"I hadn't been to the one in this world before," Ryou commented, "but it's identical to the one I have been to."
Just then, they passed a teenage couple making out. Most of the boys averted their eyes and walked faster, but Ryou slowed down and looked at them.
"…however, I didn't realize that there was a petting zoo here, too."
Osamu snorted and began to laugh.
"Hey! I made Osamu-kun laugh!" Ryou exclaimed.
Koushirou took a brief break from covering his face because of Ryou's comment to see his blue-haired best friend cracking up laughing. "Is it -that- funny?" he asked with an amused smile.
"…there's a petting zoo here?" asked an eager Ken.
Chapter 9- end
Phew, here's another chapter. Typed up and posted on a school night. Arg, I must be insane. Buuuuuut, I finally got another chapter posted!
じゃあ～！またチャピッタあげるね～！