Lucky Legacy
Chapter Three
Curtain Call
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Thursday Night
As with everything, summer slowly drew to a close. The weeks leading up to the older girls' departure seemed to go faster and faster for them as they tried to get everything sorted away at home. For Yutaka, her house was a maze of moving boxes overflowing with her cousin's seemingly bottomless collection of anime and manga. When she wasn't packing, Konata was on the phone with representatives from several prospective employers (Apparently, she hadn't even sent her résumé's out when the calls started coming in. When Yutaka asked about it, Konata waved her hand and said something involving the "legend of the B-girl")
"Who was that, nee-chan?" Yutaka looked up from a board game she and Patty were playing as Konata entered the room.
Konata shrugged, flopping down on the couch next to Hiyori who was doodling on her sketchpad. "Oh, that was just another call from Dad's friend. His flight leaves tomorrow so Dad went to Kyoto to send him off…and pick up the keys to the apartment. With any luck we can start moving all this stuff as soon as he gets back…" Konata sighed, grabbing a book from one of the boxes stacked by the couch, lazily flipping through it.
"Are you pretty much packed, Konata?" Patty asked.
"Yep, just finished packing my clothes over there." Konata waved over to three solitary boxes marked "Clothes" dwarfed by the towers of boxes marked "DVD's" and "Books."
"Kagami's nearly done with her stuff too." Konata continued with a smile. "Tsukasa called last night; seems like her big sister has been twisting herself into knots trying to get everything ready."
Hiyori frowned in confusion. "I thought you weren't moving until Saturday."
"Yeah, well that's Kagami for you." Konata said with a light laugh. "She's always been like this, for as long as I can remember anyway."
"You met her around the same time you met Tsukasa-san, didn't you?" Hiyori asked.
"Kinda part of the twin package I guess." Konata said, flipping her book closed. "I told you how I met Tsukasa, right?" The girls nodded, the memory of the unlucky foreigner drawing identical grimaces of sympathy. "Well after that poor guy limped away, Kagami came wheeling around the corner, nearly knocking the guy over as she did. Apparently, they got separated in the crowd at the station…anyway; she takes one look at Tsukasa looking all scared and then she looks at me and she must have got the impression that I was bullying her sister. So she just rips into me, snorting and spitting breathing fire all over me for daring, daring to lay a hand on her sister…" As she was talking, Yutaka noticed a smile spreading over her cousin's face. "And…Tsukasa kept trying to get a word in edgewise and Kagami kept waving her off and describing to me, in graphic detail, all things she would do to me if I ever…If I EVER came near her sister again…well, as Tsukasa started to explain her side of the story, Kagami started getting red, and I mean red…I never thought she'd stop apologizing…" Konata chuckled. "I even think she apologized again when she ran into me at school the next day."
"Bet that was the last time, that happened, huh?" Patty teased.
Konata sheepishly scratched her cheek. "Yeah, since then I'm usually one pissing her off, I'm usually the one apologizing…"
Hiyori sighed. "It's amazing the way two people can meet completely by chance and then fall totally in-" Hiyori's rational mind kicked in and stopped her from finishing her sentence. "Falling into…an…apartment together!" Hiyori finished enthusiastically, flipping her notebook closed.
Konata blinked at her for a moment before turning back to Patty. "I guess you never know right away whether you're gonna be friends with someone until you spend time with them."
Hiyori shared a sideways glance with Patty. "Actually, Patty and I have been pretty tight ever since we met."
Patty chuckled. "I guess diving for the last copy of Ang-lic D-ys proves we at least have the same tastes in manga."
Hiyori subconsciously rubbed her head as if it had just banged into something. "Now that I think about it…the odds of colliding into a foreign exchange student with the same interests as me is pretty slim. It's a miracle we ended up meeting each other, let alone that we became friends."
Patty shrugged in assent. "I can't really say how it happened; it must have been fate or something…"
Konata suddenly got a dreamy look in her eye. "Ah sweet fate… It's amazing the way two people can meet completely by chance and then fall totally-"
"Woah, woah, woah, woah!" Hiyori butted in. "D-don't you have packing left to do, sempai?"
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Friday Afternoon
The afternoon sun filtered through the trees behind Minami's house in shafts of warm honey-colored light. Though the air was thick and muggy with the last days of summer, Minami lay out on the back deck, head pillowed against Cherry's warm back and looking up at the sky. Truth be told, Minami enjoyed these little moments to herself as much as she enjoyed time she spent with her friends. It gave her time to unwind and think without anyone interrupting her. Her mother knew that when her daughter was lying on the back steps, she needed to be left to her thoughts.
Minami heard a clatter of voices from over the fence and looked up to see the top of the moving van twitch as the movers loaded something heavy in the back. Minami gave a little start (causing Cherry to snap her head up in agitation) realizing that the red and white striped van that was moving Miyuki out of her house belonged to the same company that had helped her move in almost ten years before.
That had been the first time she had met Miyuki. Her mother had tugged her through a maze of movers and moving boxes to meet her new neighbors. She remembered the older girl, bowing politely to her as she hid behind her mother's leg.
They hadn't planned on it, but seeing as how their mothers has taken to each other like fish to water, Minami and Miyuki became each other's first friends. Something in Miyuki's calm, understanding demeanor resonated with Minami. She wasn't boisterous or particularly energetic but she resonated a warm, welcoming aura that invited others to talk to her. Even after they had moved on to school and met other people, Minami had shared a special bond with her neighbor. In everything they did, they were each other's touchstone. At the end of the day, Minami could always rely on Miyuki for advice and in turn, Miyuki could rely on Minami for a sympathetic ear to talk to. As their parents had said so many times, they were sisters separated by blood.
Now the same van that had brought Miyuki to her was taking her away.
Suddenly, the back door opened and Cherry stood up, causing Minami's head to lightly bump against the deck.
"Oof!" Minami grunted as she fell back against the deck.
"Oh, dear…are you alright?"
Minami looked up to see an upside-down Miyuki, lightly stroking Cherry's head and looking down at Minami with worried eyes.
"Oh…Miyuki…" Minami said, sitting up and lightly rubbing her head. "What're you doing here? I thought you had things to pack still…"
"Well, I've been packing all day and I feel like I need a break…" Miyuki sighed, dusting her skirt off and sitting down on the step next to Minami. Cherry, not wanting to be left out, squeezed her way between the girl and laid her head on Minami's lap. "I'm almost finished anyway."
"So…you're almost ready to go then?"
Miyuki glanced briefly sideways before turning back across the yard. "Yes. I've sent some of my things ahead already."
"And your flight leaves tonight?"
Miyuki smoothed her skirt absentmindedly. "Yes…I'm catching a late flight so I can have time to set up before school starts on Monday."
"Mmm…" Minami murmured evenly. "I guess you can never be too prepared…"
"I've always felt that way myself; I've even been brushing up on my French again."
Minami's scratched Cherry behind the ear, gently plucking a stray seed that had tangled in her fur. "I think you'll be fine; you've always spoken very well."
"The trouble with learning a foreign language is finding someone to practice with." Miyuki said. "Not many students take it after they satisfy their requirements and even then, French isn't the most popular; English is more practical."
Minami smiled quietly. "Well…I would help you out but…"
Miyuki giggled. "No, no, it's fine. Mother does her best to help me out but I'm afraid her college French is rather rusty!"
They shared a laugh and then they were quiet for a while, which suited Cherry just fine. She laid her head between the girls on the deck, letting Minami scratch her head and Miyuki rub her back.
Finally, Minami broke the silence. "Are…are you nervous?"
It was quiet again as Miyuki considered Minami's question. "A little…though I suppose it's natural to feel like this." Minami glanced over to see that Miyuki's peaceful semi-smile hadn't left her face.
"But…aren't you worried about your friends here?" Minami asked. "I mean…I know this school has a big international program, but you'll probably be the only Japanese girl there…" Minami trailed off in mid thought.
Miyuki turned to Minami with a curious smile. "Are you trying to say something, Minami?" she asked with a gentle laugh.
Minami took a moment to compose her thoughts. "Aren't you worried…that you won't have anyone to talk to? I mean, you're one of the friendliest people I know but…what if you don't like your classmates or…what if they don't like you? I worry that-" But the rest of Minami's sentence was lost in a gentle giggle muffled by Miyuki's hand.
"I'm sorry…" Miyuki said, noticing the color of Minami's cheeks. "I just…do you remember sitting here about this time last year?" Minami nodded quietly, thinking back to the talk she and Miyuki had before the first day of school. "I remember you were worried about the same things you're worried about now. The only difference is you were worried about you instead of me."
Minami blinked thoughtfully in realization. "I…well…" After the first day of school, she hadn't really remembered how nervous she had been the day before.
"Before the start of something new, it's natural to feel a little nervous." Miyuki said. "I think if you asked most people, they'd be happy if they could just go about their lives the way they are right now. But…" Miyuki bit her lip thoughtfully. "Then we'll never do anything new. We have to keep moving forward if we want to grow as people."
"I guess if you look it like that…" Minami trailed off thoughtfully.
"Speaking of growth, I have to say…" Miyuki said, leaning back on her elbows. "I'm really surprised how much you've grown over the past year."
Minami felt her cheeks flush at the sudden compliment. "R-really?"
Miyuki nodded. "I'm really very happy for you…that you've found good friends that understand you and bring out the best in you." Miyuki lay a hand on Minami's arm. "I'm glad they got to know the you that I know."
Minami was taken back for a moment but then returned Miyuki's smile. "Yeah…I'm glad too…"
"I just remembered something I read somewhere…" Miyuki said. "There was this Spanish poet that once said, "Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are."
Minami thought about it for a second then to Miyuki's surprise, she burst into a stream of giggles that caused Cherry to stir, irritated.
"So…" Minami fought her giggles down long enough respond to Miyuki's curious gaze. "If your poet took a look at our friends…what do you think that poet would say about us?"
Miyuki shared glance with Minami for a split second before she joined Minami in a fit of uncontrollable giggling.
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Friday Night
"Okay…Laptop…check….bookbag…check…Books…check…notebooks…check……skirts…check…shirts…check…shoes…check…"
Kagami ticked off each item on her list, sweeping her eyes over the piles of boxes in the front hall to ensure that everything was here and nothing was missing. Even if her room was gutted and bare, she still wanted to be sure that she hadn't left anything out; it would do nothing for her already frazzled nerves to unpack in Kyoto only to find out that she left her calculator or her toothbrush.
"Ahh!"
The sound of a cake mixer starting up and a startled yelp came from the kitchen drew a heavy sigh from Kagami, who set her clipboard down in an open box of clothes to rush to her sister's aid.
Kagami stuck her head in the kitchen door. "You okay, TsukaACK!" A stray globule of cake mix flew from the wildly spinning beaters and smacked Kagami between the eyes.
"Oh…s-sorry onee-chan…" Tsukasa said sheepishly, unplugging the cake mixer. "There was this bit of flour on the page and the 3 kinda looked like an 8 s-so…I'll get a towel!"
Kagami shook her head, wiping the sticky yellow batter off her forehead and tentatively taking a lick. "Hmm…blueberry and…lemon?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah! There was this cake mix I wanted to try out of my new textbook." Tsukasa waved a hand over to a flour dusted cookbook. "It's a little tricky, but I wanted to bake you something while you were packing."
"Oh…I'm almost done with that…" At a loss of what to say Kagami lamely commented on her packing. Tsukasa nodded amiably before turning back to the counter, wiping the rest of the mess off the counter.
"So…I guess tomorrow's the big day." Kagami said, sitting down at the table.
"Mm-hm." Tsukasa responded, cracking a few eggs into a bowl and adding sugar.
Kagami swung her feet loosely off the chair's edge, at a loss for what to say. She, Tsukasa and Konata had seen Miyuki to the airport not four hours ago and since then she had been checking and rechecking her belongings to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.
Something about watching Miyuki wave over her shoulder at the gate really hit everything home. This was the last night she was going to spend with Tsukasa for a while, and she couldn't think of what to say to her closest sister.
"Yuki-chan was on the phone earlier…" Tsukasa went on, now beating the eggs and sugar together as she spoke. "Everything went fine with her flight. She called from her apartment and everything is going smoothly with the packers."
"Uh-huh…" Kagami said softly. She looked at Tsukasa pleasantly humming as she mixed her frosting and found it hard to believe she was in tears on her ride home from the airport. Only four hours before, Tsukasa had been inconsolable and now, for all appearances, she looked fine.
"I think I'll make some cookies for you to take with you when you move in tomorrow." Tsukasa said, lightly cleaning the beaters and setting the frosting to cool. "I don't know what you and Kona-chan have planned for tomorrow night as far as dinner is concerned, but at least you'll have-"
"Tsukasa…" Tsukasa looked up from folding in her blueberries at Kagami who was looking down and biting her lower lip.
"What is it, Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked, eyes widening in concern. "Are you alright?"
"Well, yeah…but…" Kagami tried to phrase her thoughts in a way that seemed elegant or profound but she tripped over her own tongue and just decided to blurt it out. "Areyougoingtobealrighthereonyourown?"
"Huh?"
Kagami sighed. "Look…after I leave tomorrow…are you going to be alright here by yourself?"
Tsukasa frowned in confusion. "But I'm not going to be by myself…Mom and Dad and Matsuri-neechan are still going to be-"
"I know, I know!" Kagami cut Tsukasa off. "That's not what I meant…"
Tsukasa looked at her sister for a moment, setting her spatula down and wiping her hands on a towel before turning back to Kagami. "Are you worried about me one-chan?"
"Well…it's not so much that." Kagami said. "I mean…I know you're going to be fine with school and everything but…"
"But you're worried that I'm going to miss you." Tsukasa said simply.
Kagami was silent. Tsukasa's response hadn't been a question; it had been a plain observation as if she were commenting on the color of her shirt.
"Of course I'm going to miss you, nee-chan." Tsukasa said simply. "This is going to be the first time we've been apart since…well, since we were born. But…" Tsukasa looked unusually thoughtful for a moment. "I thought about it for a while when we were in the car, coming back from dropping Yuki-chan off at the airport. I guess…I can't really be sad about it."
"So…you're okay with all of this?" Kagami asked.
"Well…I guess I am. But whether or not I'm okay with it, you have to go. I think you'd feel the same way if you were going to school here and I was leaving home." An egg timer dinged lightly and Tsukasa stood up to take the frosting out of the fridge. "Besides…could you get the blue cake pan out of the cupboard, one-chan…I think this is good for us."
"How do you figure?" Kagami asked, tipping the cake pan off the ledge and into her other hand.
"Well…just line the edges with butter…we've always done everything together. Ever since we were kids, we've kinda grown up…oh, make sure you get the edges? As I was saying; we've kinda grown up as one person. Now that you're…could you give the batter another turn? Now that you're leaving, I think we have a chance to really come into our own. To do our own things." Tsukasa gently took the pan from Kagami, setting it on the counter and pouring in the creamy batter.
"I'm happy for you, onee-chan." Tsukasa said simply, popping the cake in the oven.
Kagami blinked a few times and then smiled. "I'm happy for you too, Tsukasa."
Tsukasa returned the smile, offering Kagami an egg beater still coated in cake batter. "Taste."
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Saturday Evening
Ding-dong!
"Oh, Hiyori!" Tamura-san called from upstairs. "Could you get the door for me?"
"Hang on a second!!!" Hiyori said, struggling with the problem before her
"I'll get it, Tamura-san!" Patty called, bouncing up from her seat and across the hall.
"Thank you, Patty-chan!" Hiyori's mother called back
Ding-dong!
"Hold on a minute!" Patty opened the door to see Yutaka struggling under the weight of a bulging bookbag.
"H-hey, P-patty-chan!" Yutaka groaned.
"Oh, Yutaka! Here, let me…" Patty took the bag from her friend. "Ugh! Is this all your homework?"
"Well, just my books and notebooks." Yutaka said, taking off her jacket. "It seems like a lot, but it's not too much work."
"I hope you're right, Yu-chan…" Hiyori moaned, franticly scribbling answers in her notebook. "Hey Patty, how did Genji's rise to power ultimately mark the beginning of his downfall?"
"What, you think I read?" Patty laughed bitterly, sitting down next to Hiyori.
"Well, we have to put something!!" Hiyori said, flipping through her unused book.
"I don't know…hubris! Put hubris down." Patty said suddenly, writing furiously. "Authors love using pride going-ith before the fall! Is that the right character?" Patty said, passing the book to Hiyori.
Hiyori briefly nodded. "I guess that'll work. If you say it like that…"
Yutaka giggled, looking up to see Minami struggling with her tray of snacks. "Oh, here Minami-chan! Let me help you with that!"
"Oh, it's no trouble." Minami said, trying not to spill the drinks. "Really..." Yutaka ignored her friend's protests, taking the bottle of soda over to the table.
"So, how was Kyoto?" Minami asked, sitting down and pouring the soda.
"Oh, it was really nice!" Yutaka said, passing the drinks around the table. "Onee-chan and Kagami-san got settled in just fine and we got home about an hour ago."
"It must be different living with just your uncle now…" Minami said thoughtfully.
Yutaka smiled meekly. "Yeah…I think ojisan is taking it pretty hard actually."
"Well that's understandable." Minami said, looking sideways at Hiyori and Patty, now setting aside their literature and picking up English.
"Why in the world are you taking English?" Hiyori asked Patty as she smugly started blowing through the answers.
"I need all the GPA padding I can get." Patty said, looking over Hiyori's shoulder. "And the proper translation is He went not He goes."
"Thanks…" Hiyori mumbled.
"Think of it as payback for helping me with my essays." Patty said, laying her English aside and reaching for math.
"I guess it pays to finish your homework early, huh Minami-chan?" Yutaka said cheerfully, producing heavy sighs from Hiyori and Patty.
"Oh, no! I didn't mean it to come out like that!!" Yutaka said, raising her hands in an apologetic gesture.
"Don't worry, Yu-chan…" Patty said. "It's our own dumb fault for not getting this done earlier."
"I would have it done earlier if someone hadn't wanted to watch a L-ve H-na marathon til three in the morning…" Hiyori mumbled, shooting a poignant glare at Patty
Patty held a hand to her chest, feigning a wounded gesture. "Who's idea was it to hit the video store where we found said classic harem anime?"
"You could have stopped me!" Hiyori groaned.
"You said it was only supposed to be one episode!" Patty insisted.
"Hey!" Minami said gently. "Don't fight…please."
Patty and Hiyori shared a glance. "You're right Minami-chan…we can't turn on each other now." Patty shot an evil glare at her textbooks. "That's just what it wants us to do."
Hiyori nodded, glasses glinting in determination. "We won't let it have the satisfaction!"
Patty pointed her pencil straight above her head. "School begins Monday! Victory is at hand!"
There was a beat of silence as Patty's words sunk in.
"School…begins…Monday…" Hiyori echoed in horror.
"Yeah…" Patty sighed. "Being second years does nothing for the impending dread, does it?"
"It shouldn't be too bad, right Minami-chan?" Yutaka said, nervously turning to Minami who was quietly watching everyone.
Minami looked her friends over, from Patty scribbling numbers on the her page with a look of focused energy on her face, to Hiyori secretly correcting Patty's grammar while she wasn't looking before turning to Yutaka, looking up at her for reassurance.
"No…I don't think this year is going to be bad at all…" Minami said softly.
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Sunday Night
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AN: Hiya-Lucky!
Whew! That was a long chapter. I really did the best I could to try to not make it corny so that's why most of the goodbyes are cut out; I just couldn't do them in a way that fit the story. So as always, read and review. I'd like to thank everyone for the warm response and good feedback I've gotten so far.
Next Time: Hiyori's back to school plans are derailed by a strange dream that she can't stop thinking about! Kuroi learns that, though Konata left, her headache's not over! Next Time, Back to School Blues!
Bye-nee!
DOTMW
