05. With a handful of cartoon references, Koko finds it pretty easy to cheer Sumire up.

Pectoral
Fifth Tune: Charlie Brown

A oneshot dedicated to this awesome girl I call Sally Brown (pen name: Death's Servant) who I couldn't stop thinking about the whole time I was writing. :D

"What's up, kelpy?" A deep, concerned voice broke Sumire's peace. Its owner slowly walked towards her, waiting for her to scoot over to the side of the bench as a gesture of welcoming him to sit beside her. When she finally did, he didn't hesitate to make himself comfortable.

"Natsume told me what happened," he said not long after leaning his back on the wooden seat, taking in the good view of an endless landscape in front of them, and the distant sounds of children having fun on their weekend in the park.

"I don't want to talk about it, Koko," she sighed, "I just want to be alone right now."

"You've been alone for three days. I gave you enough time," he attempted to say with an angry tone. "As your best friend, I know you enough to say you can't be alone for this long."

When Sumire didn't reply, Koko got up on his feet and stood directly in front of her with his hands on his hips, as if he was an angry parent, about to scold her. "Have you seen Wizard of Oz?" He asked.

"What?" Sumire looked at him, surprised at his sudden question.

"Have you seen Wizard of Oz?" Koko repeated, slowly, pausing a little in between words.

With eyes narrowed and eyebrows curled, she nodded.

"Then you know about the scarecrow not having a heart," he said, and started to march in place, which he hoped Sumire would interpret as him walking down a yellow brick road. "That's what Natsume is. He's capable of loving, but just doesn't know it yet, because he hasn't found his heart yet."

"That was the tin man, stupid," Sumire shook her head in embarrassment.

"Oh," Koko stopped in his tracks. "Then he's the tin man."

"Not possible. He has Sakura, and apparently, he has feelings for her," she said, burying her face in her hands.

"Well," Koko crossed his arms and looked up at the sky, hoping the clouds would shoot ideas through his yellow locks.

"Have you ever heard of cartoon physics?" He asked.

"Cartoon physics?" Sumire repeated with a raised brow, as if it had been the most aburd branch of science she'd ever heard of.

"You know how when Samity Sam runs after Bugs Bunny, he runs to the end of the cliff and stops in midair? Then he falls only when he realizes he isn't standing on anything solid?" He explains.

Sumire simply nodded, keeping her eyebrow raised.

"Then maybe that's what's happening to Natsume. He's just not aware of the fact that he's falling for you," Koko remained standing across the bench, trying his best to think of mental crap to feed his best friend. "He's there, but he hasn't realized it yet."

"You have really crappy logic, you know that?" Sumire shook her head and fiddled with her damp handkerchief.

"How about fairies?" Koko held his thumb and index finger about three inches apart, as if he held an invisible fairy in between them.

Sumire hesitated, but managed to ask, "What about them?"

"Do you believe in them?"

Sumire shrugged.

"How about love?" He asked again.

"What about it?"

"Do you believe in it?"

"Who knows?" She rested her chin on her hands, and and leaned forward so her elbows balanced on her knees.

"Ah, I see your problem, my dear Peppermint Patty," Koko grinned. "The light of a fairy dies out every time someone doubts its existence," he picked a couple of flowers from the ground, "in order for love to light up in you, you've got to believe and have faith in it first." He smiled, holding up a pink and a purple flower directly in front of Sumire's face.

"Stop being stupid, Koko" Sumire slapped the flowers off Koko's hand.

Koko pouted.

"If you can give me something logical, that makes sense, and has exactly zero cartoon references, then please, by all means, share it." She held her arms open, welcoming those imaginary logical thoughts. "Otherwise," she dropped her arms to her sides, "just sit and keep your mouth shut, because I have no time for foolishness."

"Oh," Sumire started again, before returning to her peace, "but please feel free to keep calling me Peppermint Patty," she said sarcastically. "Although I think Woodstock might be a little more appropriate if you're going to keep making me feel this useless."

Koko frowned. His shoulders dropped as he walked to the bench, occupied the empty space beside Sumire, and kept silent. His hand was busy playing with the lint inside his pocket, and his eyes stared blankly into the sky.

Minutes later, Sumire spoke up. "I just want to talk to someone."

Koko kept his mouth shut, not wanting to disobey his friend.

Silence fell once more. Soon, Sumire spoke up again.

"I want to talk to someone who's felt as stupid as I'm feeling right now, because they've tried to do everything they thought would've made the person they love happy." Tears started to fall from her eyes. "I want to talk to someone who understands what it's like to have done that to feel loved, but instead was thought of as a fool."

Koko turned to her.

Sumire looked at him. The tears stopped coming the moment she realized what her best friend tried to imply.

As the sun set, and the two flowers sadly sat at their feet, Koko's eyes held multiple emotions at once, offering a comforting look to Sumire, with his arms open wide.

It was now clear to her. He understood her perfectly.

Author's Notes: This was inspired by, not only Coldplay's song, but also a Peanuts strip from October 16, 1981. If you want to see it, just google "Peanuts 10/16/81", click on the first result, and scroll down to number five. :D

Oh, and I do not own these characters.

Sumire and Koko (c) Higuchi Tachibana
Tin man and Scarecrow (c) Oz books(?)
Sammity Sam and Bugs Bunny (c) Looney Toons
Peppermint Patty, Woodstock and Charlie Brown (c) Charles Schulz