Memories of the Future

by Lucathia

Disclaimer: Mekakushi no Kuni belongs to Tsukuba Sakura.

Summary: Namiki thinks about college and what his future holds.

chapter 2: gardenia

Masahiro walked along the path towards his new school for the very first time. The white pavement was clean, unmarred by the weeds that littered other streets. He passed by several shops-a second hand bookshop, a convenience store, a flower shop in the corner...these were not new images, but his path and his destination were different from before. He noticed the chipped paint of the sign over the bookshop, the blue-tinted windows of the convenience store, the displays of floating flowers outside of the flower shop...

Masahiro was hit with the sudden thought that ever since meeting Kanade and Arou, this was the first time his path diverged from theirs. It was inevitable, but he hadn't expected time to be the factor. He hadn't expected their comradeship, friendship, or whatever it was called, to last so long that he'd actually graduate and become separated from them because of the passing of time.

For once, he actually felt like a normal teenager.

The college that Masahiro had chosen to attend was extremely close to Kanade's. After all, it shared the same name as their high school. Kanade had been entirely correct that the closeness of the school was his reason for choosing it. The college was only a few blocks away, and yet, the distance was great compared to before.

Before, he had been merely a few classrooms away.

He hadn't visited the college beforehand to check it out. His teachers had been disappointed in his choice since his test scores could have gotten him into far better colleges, but Masahiro merely assumed he could make the best out of any university. It was a matter of choosing to apply himself to his studies.

The college stood before his eyes. It was a lone building with everything packed into it. The building was several stories high and covered quite a bit of land, but it didn't give him the feeling of being altogether that different from his high school. It wasn't very impressive.

But with any college, even a second-rate one, came the question of his future, something that he had never actually given serious thought to before. He was one who could see the future, anyone's future, if he wished, so why should he be uncertain about his own future? It was true that he couldn't directly see his own future, but it wasn't impossible. Kanade could help him, for one. He could also try to see the futures of people whose futures he was part of, though he wasn't sure who would actually stick around him for that long.

He knew he couldn't see that far. He wouldn't attempt it even if he could. If his power were strong enough and he took a look at Kanade's future, would he inevitably see Kanade in a white wedding dress, hear the priest say "You may kiss the bride" not to him but to Arou, and then have adorable mini-Kanade's who looked up at him, one Namiki Masahiro, and called him 'Uncle Namiki?'

He wasn't sure what to make of that.

But, mini-Kanades were certainly better than mini-Arous.

He lived in the present and in the immediate future. Something as far away as the future of the future felt surreal.

The future held infinite possibilities. He didn't plan on ending up alone.

Even with his power, the future was still a vast, blank slate waiting to be written on.

Where was he planning on going with his life? He had always assumed that he wouldn't need to continue his education since he could always fall back on his power to see, but after meeting Kanade, that line of thought felt childish.

He was financially set for the time being from all that he had already earned, so money wasn't a factor.

It boiled down to what he enjoyed.

He paused at that thought. What exactly did he enjoy?

On his way back from the college, he passed by the flower shop again. The flower display that he had noticed before was still placed outside the shop. It was a small display of white, stem-less flowers that were floating in a bowl. He glanced at the sign stuck right behind the display-gardenia for one hundred yen, it said.

He'd have never called himself a flower type of guy, but he had to admit that he hadn't been able to stop himself from blushing when Kanade and Arou had presented him that bouquet of flowers that time he tutored Kanade.

He had placed the flowers they had given him in a vase on his windowsill and had watered them with care every day. They had made his large, empty apartment seem a little less empty. But the flowers, since they were cut off at the stem and separated from their roots, hadn't lasted very long.

Masahiro squatted down in front of the display and poked at the floating flower, watching it sink into the water.

What kind of memories would this flower tell him of?

You remind me of flowers.

Oh? So if I were a flower, what would I be?

If you were a flower? Definitely gardenia, just like this one.

He ran his finger over the silky petals, like a soft caress.

Gardenia?

The pale petals remind me of your hair. They're solitary too, without a stem to anchor them in place. A sole gardenia seems like it is its own island, surrounded by water, unreachable. It feels like any moment, the flower will disappear from view.

I don't plan on disappearing.

I know, but that's the feeling you give. Didn't you know that? I'm afraid that you'll disappear just like how Arou did during the class trip. He had Kanade to bring him back, but in your case...

Ah, but you'd bring me back, wouldn't you?

Masahiro retracted his hand and watched as the flower bobbed back to the surface.

"Hey, shop owner, one hundred yen right? I'll buy one. Along with the bowl."

Masahiro took the solitary flower home and placed it in a bowl near the window. Marota, still an excitable puppy, sat in front of the bowl, swatting at the floating flower, watching it get submerged before resurfacing again.

The future held infinite possibilities. It was up to him what to make of them.

to be continued

Next chapter: say 'ahh'

A/N: I'm no expert in gardenia, but on the way to my college campus, there's this flower shop in the corner selling gardenia for one dollar. It's like a hidden nudge for me to continue this fic!

I've said before that I'm writing this for the 30 kisses challenge. Therefore, in every chapter, I've included a kiss of some sorts, even if it's just a bare mention of it. Can you find all the times kisses have occurred or have been mentioned so far? Other than that, thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope more Mekakushi no Kuni fans (who like fanfics) will be able to stumble upon this fic.