Sorry for such a late update, but it still counts as today in Pacific Standard Time. xD
To clarify AkaMizu-Chan's little review, Kaia was in a box in the trunk of a car that the older Gokudera was driving. Ahh~ casket? Like the one Tsuna was in… Interesting. We'll know more about it later, I think. :]
And probably this update is better if it's longer, and it is quite a bit longer. xD
ChinaDang, starting from the 100-scene anniversary, the updates will be quite a bit longer. And if they're not long enough, I'd probably lengthen them again as well. ;]
Thanks for your praise, AkaMizu-Chan and ChinaDang.
Ahh, I get it, glomp-meister. The happy-go-lucky type? Well, welcome to the club. Apparently I am as well, according to my friends. xD
Note that I always add smileys at least once in a head/foot note. O.o
Thanks for your praise as well, glomp-meister. x]
Also, ChinaDang, please clarify your vote last-last update, if you want it to count. If you don't want it to count, and you want me to stop reminding you, please tell me in some way. Thanks! :]
Now, getting on to the update. This update is quite a bit longer than the other updates, because of the lyrics. Lyrics of what, you ask?
I've decided to add a feature song. Like a music video, if you may. Well, I found this song and later found the lyrics at lyricsty . com.
h t t p : / / w w w . l y r i c s t y . c o m / k / k o t o k o / l a m e n t . h t m l
h t t p : / / w w w . l y r i c s t y . c o m / k / k o t o k o / l a m e n t - e n g l i s h . h t m l
That's where I got the lyrics from, for credit. And the song is called Lament, by KOTOKO. From the album Hane and all the other song compilations by the I've girls, as well as the I've Sound Collection by KOTOKO.
For the song, you can find it somewhere on the internet. Youtube? Megavideo? I don't know, somewhere. *shrugs*
Song: Lament
Artist/Vocalist: KOTOKO
Lyrics: KOTOKO
Composition/Arrangement: Kazuya Takase
The reason I like KOTOKO so much is because of her lyrics. And her trusty composer. Both are pretty awesome, and I have to admit "Lament" wasn't KOTOKO's best work. If you want to find out more, do research, find more songs, whatever. I just used the song to enhance the story. Make it more of a movie, or a visual, or something. xD
Make it more exciting, I guess?
I heard she released a new single. Congratulations for her.
Well, this isn't the last time you've seen KOTOKO. Her music will be back after the Future Arc as well. Any suggestions for a feature song, please get to me through review or PM. Whatever language, it doesn't matter. Even something without a singer, or even words. Trance, techno, classical, anything! You can just suggest it, and I'll think about it, see if it can conform to the story. It'll be fun, trust me.
You can even ask me who would sing it. In the story, of course. I'll just add a little karaoke mini-episode to the story. Fun for everyone, you know.
Anyway, please enjoy, and review at the end. You can probably or certainly see how the lyrics match Kaia's inner thoughts.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
What is this place? Is this the school hospital, is it the Namimori hospital, is this-
Kaia's eye's suddenly widened in shock. She sat up in surprise, her oxygen mask ripped off her face, needles and a few life-support wires broken. The blanket folded over, and Kaia got a good look at what happened to herself. Not only did she have her first and still present hit in the head's mark, the mysterious injuries she had one day after school, but she also had bandages covering her body. It was like the replacement of bandages she had no need for anymore. The wounds that had been there were healed.
She immediately took a deep breath of air, but she began to choke and cough.
"A-Ahh, Kaia, don't!" The older Yamamoto rushed in, brows knotted together. Kaia wasn't used to Yamamoto like that; it was like as if he doesn't ever smile anymore… Yamamoto gingerly laid Kaia back down, carefully put back the needles and life-support wires, and put the oxygen mask back on. "You need to rest, okay? I don't think I should tell you much until you recover a little more. You're a little fragile at this stage, but when things even out, I think it'll be time you could handle learning a bit about the situation."
[Woah, hold your horses here! If you have the song with you, on a video or MP3, please, CUE THE MUSIC RIGHT NOW before proceeding. Twenty seconds of music would play before KOTOKO comes in to sing, and until then, you have enough to read for twenty seconds.]
"S-Smile…please…" Kaia breathed. She cracked a hopeful smile. It wasn't much, but it seemed to cheer up Yamamoto quite a lot. With a parting smile, Yamamoto closed the door and left. He seemed to be busy. Kaia sighed, half-lidded eyes welling up with tears.
What kind of place is this?! What kind of a place is this, where Gokudera is actually calm and composed, as if torturing himself in silence, hating himself, and Yamamoto actually doesn't even smile anymore, like- like a burnt out candle or a deflated balloon?!
She closed her eyes, tears flowing down and being soaked up by the pillow.
Oh, how she wished to be whisked back from this nightmare, back to reality, where everything was the way it was.
When her mother would always be around, supporting Kaia, and everyone would be laughing and light-hearted.
Lament…Lament… Lament, lament…
Soto, even would be laughing. With Jasmine, and her father…
Lament…
And she, at the center, jumping and prancing about.
また消える渡り鳥の声
Mata kieru wataridori no koe
The voice of the migrating bird fades again
They all disappeared, faded out like a fading picture. Like the ending to a happy ending of a movie.
幼い日を甦らす一欠片
Osanai hi wo yomigaerasu hitokake
The single fragment that revives the days of childhood
Kaia wished for the old days to come back, but a single, solitary flame burned into her inner sight.
そうさ
Sou sa
It's true
きっとこの世はほんの一瞬
Kitto kono yo wa hon no isshun
Surely, this world is merely a moment
She knew in her heart that she wouldn't have enough time to live to return to that. That happy ending.
どうせ一人 最期の日も
Douse hitori Saigo no hi mo
In any case, we are alone, even in our last days
She was always alone; everyone put themselves first, and now they hardly even looked in her direction.
足下伸びる影に そっと投げかけた言葉
Ashimoto nobiru kage ni Sotto nagekaketa kotoba
Words cast themselves softly over the shadow that spreads underfoot
They had abandoned her, dumped her in this mess. It was Kaia sitting in the dark little corner, shielded from anything dangerous. Yet, the adults hadn't noticed that it was by darkness that evil will come. They hadn't noticed a thing.
本当の終わりを今は探せないこと分かってた
Hontou no owari wo ima wa sagasenai koto wakatteta
I realized that the real end is now something I can't find
The real end, the happy ending, it was gone for Kaia. Bitter tears began to feel cold on the pillow, as Kaia forcefully kept her eyes closed.
駆け抜ける空は…
Kakenukeru sora wa...
The sky that sweeps over me is a…
lament
lament
lament.
Kaia rolled over to the other half of the pillow, her thoughts torturing her and eating her alive. Her breaths were loud and heavy. Her sky was muddled with gloom. Rain wasn't her view of gloom; rather, rain was a cheerful aspect of life. To her, gloom was dark, heavy clouds, capable of doing anything to the innocent lives waiting anxiously down below. An obliterating hurricane? A devastating tornado? Ripping winds that tear roofs apart?
目を閉じた
Me wo tojita
I closed my eyes
Her tears still flowed through her eyelids, soaking the pillow.
光を失った
Hikari wo ushinatta
I lost the light
Still, she sat in the dark, sheltered corner, quaking in fear.
耳塞ぐ 遠くなる歌声
Mimi fusagu Tooku naru utagoe
I pay no heed to the now-distant singing
She no longer could hear the heavenly song of the angels.
そうさ
Sou sa
It's true
きっとこの世は雑音だらけ
Kitto kono yo wa zatsuon darake
This world is a cacophony
Now, her world is a world of devils, a mess of noise and chaos. Was this really where she belonged?
どうか一人 時間に溶けて
Douka hitori Jikan ni tokete
Somehow, alone, I will melt into time
She will disappear without anybody's notice. She will die without anyone shedding a single tear in her sake. Her funeral will be empty. Not even a priest would bless her trip to heaven – for she had no heaven.
足下照らす影は 朝日を背に燃えている
Ashimoto terasu kage wa Asahi wo se ni moete iru
The shadow that shines underfoot burns the morning sun into my back
But suddenly, she had a hope. Will the light come back to her? Will they come?
孤独な夢に心焼け付いて立ちすくんだだけ
Kodoku na yume ni kokoro yaketsuite tachisukunda dake
My heart was just scorched and frozen in place by lonely dreams
The thought was stamped out like a bug. It was not possible. What would she do, now that there isn't anyone supporting her road of life?
That solitary little flame began to fade out, too, like the ending to a happy ending of a movie. Kaia tried to call out to it, to stop it from leaving, but her throat was dry, her mouth did not function.
歩き出す道は…
Arukidasu michi wa...
The path I begin to tread is a…
lament
lament
lament.
Kaia knew it in her heart. She was never meant to live. She was never meant to grace the clouds of heaven. She was never meant to exist.
そうさ
Sou sa
It's true
きっとこの世はほんの一瞬
Kitto kono yo wa hon no isshun
Surely, this world is merely a moment
She sighed. She gave up. She doesn't want to go on living a pointless life. Even if it would last a mere second more, Kaia had given it up, completely.
どうせ一人 最期の日も
Douse hitori Saigo no hi mo
In any case, we are alone, even in our last days
Alone was scary to Kaia. There was no warmth to seek shelter with. There was no comfort. There had never been any proper parents in her life; she knew that it was the reason she sought someone to comfort her that badly.
足下伸びる影に そっと投げかけた言葉
Ashimoto nobiru kage ni sotto nagekaketa kotoba
Words cast themselves softly over the shadow that spreads underfoot
Suddenly, she was young again. She was a child again, hiding in the corner as told to, shivering and quaking with fear and anxiety. Will mama and papa be okay? What is going on?
本当の終わりを今は探せないこと分かってた
Hontou no owari wo ima wa sagasenai koto wakatteta
I realized that the real end is now something I can't find
She remembered the day her father had so suddenly exited his part in her life.
It was in the hospital. Nurses were everywhere, calling out orders and instructions. Doctors scrambled here and there, panicking. And then, the long, even sound of the machine.
Bee-ee-ee-eep…
The faces of the entire staff fell. Her mother sat down, face blank in shock. Then, Kaia didn't know what happened, and her mother hadn't told her anything. This was what Kaia remembered, remembered so vividly.
足下照らす影は 朝日を背に燃えている
Ashimoto terasu kage wa Asahi wo se ni moete iru
The shadow that shines underfoot burns the morning sun into my back
Now, she was angry at the absence of her father. He was the reason her mother had to leave to Japan. Kaia was only five, then. Five years old, like Lambo.
The silhouettes of the people of Kaia's past…they had all left their mark on her, like a collection of scars. The pain, the heat, the unbearable fear of what happens next.
It was all like poison. Poison that Kaia takes every day, leading up to her death day.
孤独な夢に心焼け付いて立ちすくんだだけ
Kodoku na yume ni kokoro yaketsuite tachisukunda dake
My heart was just scorched and frozen in place by lonely dreams
Kaia yearned for the flame to come back, but the mysterious flame did not. She felt abandoned, like she had been abandoned by her father, her mother, her family.
歩き出す道は…
Arukidasu michi wa...
The path I begin to tread is a...
lament
lament
lament.
It was a pure nightmare, this place, this world. She prayed with all her heart that it would end.
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Well, after the lyrics are finished, there's about one minute of music. And I think I should talk until the music finishes playing. Should I? Or should I leave some time for you to review with the music still playing? Oh well, anyway, I bet you've seen how the lyrics match up to the story. And some of it sort of coming from the song. I bet you know what part that was. xD
Anyway, right now, please review, and in it, include your vote, any complaints about scene length [a section would have 800-2800 words], feature song suggestions [remember, any language at all, but for those with lyrics, must have lyrics that I can find over the internet], whatever you have to say. Well, can't talk too long. Soon, it'll be midnight.
I need to get to bed. I mean, everyone needs to get to bed to sleep, right?
And fine, no use covering it anyway. I live in the Pacific Standard Time [PST] Zone. :]
Thanks for reading, everyone!
Have an awesome summer [break] everyone! [And AkaMizu-Chan, have fun camping~! xD]
