A Moment to Remember

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go.
Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to
new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom.
Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon.
They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints
on our hearts, and we are never the same again."

- Flavia Weedn

Chapter 2

That same afternoon Takashi and Hayama were running laps. They were the two best players on the team besides Gomi, their new football player. He had tried out for this season and the coach had let him in as easily as Hayama. No one in the team could have ever compared to the number of touchdowns Takashi made. At least not in this school.

Sana had been stuck waiting for practice to end because she didn't have a car or a ride. That's how things usually went for her when Takashi and Hayama had practice. She would have to wait in the metal bleachers for them to finish. She was staring at Hayama's silver Truck that was all the way across the lot, wishing she could go home already.

She sighed than looked down at her book, continuing so at least time would somehow go by faster that way. After five minutes she knew it was useless with the heat of the scorching sun so she closed her book, following the page she was in to continue later, than placed it back in her book bag. She stared down at the rest of the football players as they practiced for the up coming game this Friday.

They had games every Friday against other High Schools or Academies that challenged them. School's all over the state challenged them and they excepted and would always end up wining. Sana didn't bother holding back the laugh when she watched Takashi nail a touchdown then start jumping around, putting his hands under his arms and moving them around, imitating a monkey as he echoed their chantings.

She saw Hayama shake his head with a smirk on his face, running his hands away from his eyes. She also saw some girls pointing at him as he did so and laughed at that too. It was funny and she couldn't deny that. It was so predictable because everything had been the same for so long for them it was hysterical for her and she really didn't know the reason why.

Takashi heard her and looked her way, thinking she was laughing at him and he went on with his playfulness with even more inspiration, staring at her with a smile. Hayama was staring at his watch, signaling something to Takashi. Sana grabbed her cell phone and checked the time. "Let's go, man!" Hayama called out, grasping on Takashi's attention as he pointed at the truck with a football in his hands.

"Be right there!" He answered back. Sana grabbed her stuff and started off from the bleachers. She followed a few feet away from Hayama because he had gotten the head start. "Hold on! I can't walk as fast as a football player." He smirked and imitated a snail, slowly taking his steps. He was exaggerating his speed. As soon as she was close enough he punched him with a fist. He barely budged.

"Wow." He smirked again. "I know." He unlocked the doors and than they both slipped in, tossing their bags to the back seat. He leaned forward to turn on the raidio and a CD was already playing as it filled their ears. "I love this song." Sana whispered. "Me too." It was one of their favorite songs; Your body is a Wonderland by John Mayer.

Sana closed her eyes when the song began to flow through her ears as Hayama did the same. She smiled when her favorite part of the song came along and began to sing it in a whisper. "Your body is a wonderland and I'll and use my hands . . . you body is a wonderland." Her voice startled Hayama and he tilted up to find her arched back on her seat with her eyes closed as she sang one of their favorite songs.

He knew she had the most beautiful voice any singer these day could have. Even if he never said it, even if she wasn't aware of the power her voice had. It was a voice from the soul, a voice that was mellow but deep when it had to be like Alicia Keys or Beyonce but hers was so much more amazing to him because it was right in front of him, not perfected with sound equiptment; her's was naturally beautiful.

He didn't know why but he could see so much more than her clothe, he was trying to see beyond that. He was trying so hard with his human eyes to see what he knew he would never have. He slapped himself mentally, remembering Takashi and than looked away with his eyes hard and cold staring out the driver's window.

"Sorry I took so long." Takashi said, opening the backseat door. He was sweating from all the practicing. It was evident in his smell, as well. "Hey big brother?"

"Yeah, Sana?" She laughed a little before mouthing the words. "You really stink today." He pushed her shoulder from the backseat and she laughed a little harder while Hayama beheld the serious face he wasn't even trying to keep. "You alright buddy boy?" Sana seemed curious but he answered through his teeth without noticing. "Fine."

They were quiet the entire ride home without speaking to each other and only listening to their play-list of songs they had created together on Sana's portable laptop. "Were home, sana." She had fallen asleep and got startled when she felt force on her shoulder.

Hayama parked the car on the paved parkway than removed the key from the ignition, all three stepping out of the car and heading inside. "Were home."

"Hey! I made stuffed turkey and rice and beans with corn. And for desert were having sundaes!" All three were starving and whatever Ms. Kurata had said sounded just fine to them. "Mom . . . thank god. I'm starving my ass off."

Their mother usually made apatizing but enormus feasts as an excuss to cook at her hearts content. She was a chef and usually showed up on Food Network as a talk show host as she guided the audience into how to making different plates of food. Their father worked as a lawyer at downtown but he wasn't home yet because he usually got home at around six O' clock because he often had a lot of work to get finished.

Their parents looked young enough to pass for twenty-year-old's instead of thirty-nine year old parents. Their mother still had the power to make any man's head turn and their father usually made the women skip a beat but they only had room in their hearts for each other. It had been like that since their freshman year in college. They got married at their early 20's after they had already conceived Takashi. Sana came soon after him. They only had a year difference.

After 'lunch' Sana went up to her room and the boy's stayed in the kitchen, absorbed with a football game in the flat-screen they had in the main room. At least Takashi was anyway, Hayama was rather indifferent. She closed the door behind her and dropped her belongings in a corner of her room.

It was a light blue and the furniture was made up of bamboo wood. Most of the decorations were stuffed animals on her bed or perfume bottles still unused on her wooden vanity desk that was facing horizontally toward her computer desk that was next to her endless stack of books and movies she had already seen and read. That's what most of her room had; books laying around and movies on top of he night table next to her lamp.

She turned the television on to a movie she hadn't finished watching last night and laid herself on her bed with a book at hand right next to her. She was already too absorbed with the movie so she let the book go and stared at the screen intently.

"I'm here to crash!" Interrupted Takashi with a two big bowls of popcorn, Hayama was holding his drink. Takashi smashed his way in the center of the blue covered bed while Hayama took of his shoes and found the perfect comfort spot on the side he had already claimed for himself. He had changed the movie he was watching to a horror movie. "I was watching something." He laughed at her.

"So, my beautiful younger sister?" She grimaced but she wasn't very ready to fight with him after that comment even if it had been said sarcastically. He knew his sister was gorgeous and all his friends at football practice bothered him about it. Of course, he threatened them to stay away from his sister and they listened because they knew how tempered Takashi really was. That was the reason ,any boy's were afraid to approach her. Because of her guardian shadow Takashi Kurata.

The lights were off and Sana jumped and grabbed Hayama's hand instinctively the way she did every time she was frightened, she did the smae thing with Takashi all the time. But strangely enough, Hayama pulled away. he had never pulled away.

She risked a glance at him, staring at his expression. She wanted to ask him what was wrong but she couldn't because her brother was here and he probably wouldn't answer her the way she actually wanted because she wanted the truth and he would probably hold it back with Takashi.

She made her expression obvious to the question and than he shot a glance at her. She mouthed the words, 'You OK?', without letting any sound escape hoping he would read them. He nodded but she knew he was lying. She smiled smugly and pocked him once on his hard stomach. He smirked, staring at the screen as if he were actually paying attention, poking her back.

"I'm trying to watch a movie people!" Takashi interrupted, throwing a pillow he was resting on at them. She laughed and arched her head at her brothers direction. Hayama understood the signal and they both grabbed a pillow they had been laying on and began to whack Takashi with it as he laughed with them as well.

"Hey! She's the one that won't let us see the movie!" And with that they were both attacking her with the mobs of pillows.

It had always been this way with them. The playfulness, carelessness, freedom, liberty, football, books, play-lists of their favorite songs, singing together, the car rides, the vacations to the lake at their aunt's house in Boston, the holidays together, their childhood, and living for their dreams. Their barely knew that it would all change so drastically in the coarse of a year. They wouldn't know the things they should have known before and that's when everything would fall apart or start paving a new road for all of them. They would only know to find out through experience and with their own self.

A little more explaining about them but I'm going to post the third chapter right away because I know this one might not be what most people want. It's the beginning and I promise it will get better in time! I'm so anxious for this story and trembling! I might update today and after that I'll wait for at least four reviews.

- Thank you!