Meiko: Reading the reviews for the last chapter, I see that not all of you are familiar with my song "Flashback." In real life, the song was part of the "Red Bar" series of songs written for me by Suzukaze-P, and while an English translation has not yet been found (at least, not by Elise-sensei), it's still a beautiful song that brings back memories.
Kaito: Lucky for you readers, Meiko and I will get to look back on some of those memories in Track 18! Once again, Elise-sensei does not own Vocaloid; she just writes stories about us.
Meiko and Kaito: Enjoy! ^^
"Oof! Well that wasn't so bad," I commented as I fell back onto Kaito's couch. He and I had just helped his kid sister Kaiko move into an apartment of her own in the complex. Before, she had been staying at Kaito's place until the rest of her stuff came in.
"Lucky for us Kaiko-chan didn't bring much from home, huh?" Kaito said as he joined me on the couch with a couple of glasses of ice-cold water. "Here's yours."
"Ooh, thanks," I said before sipping the refreshing beverage. "Hey, could you turn on the radio or something?"
"No problem," the blue-haired man replied before standing up for a minute. The sound of music filled the room, and then he came back and sat down next to me. "Better?"
"Much," I answered with a nod. Suddenly I heard a piano intro and an old song of mine began to play. "Hey, that's 'Flashback.' Been a while since I sang that."
"Yeah, talk about nostalgia," Kaito said, leaning back with a sigh.
We listened to the song for a few minutes, and I couldn't help mouthing a few of the words to myself. "Funny how time flies, huh?" I finally piped up after the song had finished.
"Eh?"
"Oh, I was just thinking how long it's been since we met," I explained.
"Oh yeah, hard to believe it's been almost ten years," Kaito muttered. "I remember that day like it was yesterday…"
Nodding in agreement, my mind seemed to drift back to days long past…
10 years ago (Meiko – age 12, Kaito – age 10)
The school bell rang, and I hopped out of my seat. The first day of school after summer break was over, and boy was I glad to be out of my class! "Man, school went on way too long!" I complained to my friend, Kiyoteru. "I wish it was still summer break."
"We had a whole month off, how much more break time do you need?" the spectacled boy asked, raising an eyebrow. Kiyoteru Hiyama is my childhood friend with short dark hair and glasses. He is an overall nice kid and actually… kinda cute, if a bit too studious for my liking.
"…Well, the month went by too quickly!" I retorted with a pout, resulting in a snicker from Kiyoteru. "What?! Just cuz you like school doesn't mean I have to like it!"
"Well I do wanna be a teacher when I grow up, so I kinda have to like it," Kiyoteru said with a shrug. "What about you? Still think you're gonna be a singer?"
"I don't think, Kiyoteru…" I began to say before he cut me off.
"That's for sure!" he cracked before I mussed up his hair. "Hey, cut that out!"
"As I was saying…" I started again as Kiyoteru straightened himself out. "I don't think, I know I'm gonna be a singer! I've been practicing all summer break, and sooner or later, someone will notice me!"
"What's the big rush to get famous, Meiko?" my friend questioned. "You're only in sixth grade, you've got plenty of time."
"You're never too young to become famous, Kiyoteru," I replied. "Besides, it's best to start these things early. There's tons of competition, after all!"
"If you say so," the boy said. "I like singing too, but I don't think I could handle that kind of world." In case you're wondering why the two of us aren't using honorifics, it's because I don't believe that close friends need that kind of barrier to separate them. Kiyoteru respects that, but as far as I know I'm the only person that he refers to without an honorific.
Once we reached the school gate, Kiyoteru said, "Well, I better get home. See you tomorrow, Meiko!"
"Laters!" I called after him as he walked away. For a while, I just stood there and watched him leave.
As I walked home, my mind couldn't focus on school; instead, I was trying to figure out how to get into the showbiz world. Let's see, I could record myself singing and put it on the Internet… or maybe look through the newspaper for an audition…
But suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by laughter coming from a playground to my left. Three boys were standing over a smaller boy who was lying on the ground. "Sorry squirt, didn't see you there!" one of them said with a smug grin.
Curious, I snuck over to get a better look. I recognized the three jerks from my school (I'll just call them Bakas 1, 2 and 3), but I had no idea who the other kid was. He had short blue hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a light blue scarf around his neck. Kind of a strange thing to wear in summer, but this wasn't the time to criticize his wardrobe.
As the younger boy stood up, Baka 2 grabbed one end of his scarf. "What's with the scarf in summer? Don't tell me you're cold!"
"Please let go," the blue-haired boy said nervously.
Baka 3 then piped up, "Hey, maybe he's sick or something!"
"Aw, gross! Get away from me!" Baka 2 said with mock disgust in his voice, shoving the boy back again.
I couldn't believe this. Those three jerks were just ganging up on the poor kid! Time for an intervention, I thought as I dropped my school bag and walked straight up to them.
"Here, this should help him cool off!" Baka 1 was saying as he pulled out a can of soda from his backpack.
The boy's eyes widened in panic as the other two tried to hold him still. "No, don't! Let go of me!"
Not listening, Baka 1 began shaking the soda before aiming it right at the boy. I managed to slide in-between the two just in time for the soda stream to hit me instead. I cringed as the cold liquid hit my face and chest, some of it even getting in my hair.
"Oh crap, it's Sakine!" I heard Baka 2 exclaim.
"And she doesn't look happy," Baka 3 stated nervously, and I was hoping he was already shaking.
"You…" I growled, clenching my fists. "You just made me very angry. You don't like Meiko angry!" Shouting as loud as I could, I gave those bullies a run for their money! Once they were gone, I dropped the act and grinned. "Hee hee, gets 'em every time."
"Um…" I turned to face the blue-haired boy. "Thanks for helping me."
Smiling at him, I said, "No problem! I couldn't just let them do that to you."
"But… you're covered in soda now," he remarked.
"Oh yeah, I guess I am," I muttered, trying to shake droplets of sticky soda off my arms and out of my hair. I guess I didn't really think that one through. "Oh well, I'll just go home and get changed."
The boy just stared at me for a second before speaking again. "There's a word Akaito nii-chan would use for someone like you… happy-go-lucky?"
"Yeah, I get that a lot," I laughed. "You must be new around here, I think I'd remember someone who looks like you."
Nodding, he replied, "I just moved here. Today was my first day at my new school."
Ouch, and he already got bullied, I winced. "Did you get picked on at your old school?"
"A little," the boy muttered, not looking me in the eye. "They made fun of my scarf, too."
"Your scarf, huh?" I said, looking at the scarf again. "That actually looks really nice on you. I personally would've saved it for cold weather, but like my grandma says, 'to each, their own.'"
The boy looked at me in surprise. "You… You like it?"
"Yeah, it's perfect for you!" I told him with a grin. The boy then smiled for the first time, his eyes sparkling. He looked really cute like that. "We should be friends. Why don't you tell me your name? I'm Meiko Sakine, sixth grader."
"Kaito Shion, fourth grader," the boy replied.
"Alright then Kaito, from this moment on we're friends!" I declared before sticking my hand out. "No need for honorifics between us, just Meiko is fine. Deal?"
He gave me a funny look since I had addressed him without an honorific, but he took my hand and shook it. "Deal. Yuck, you're all sticky."
"Whoops! Sorry," I said, pulling my hand away. "Which way's your house? I'll walk you there so those bullies don't bother you again."
"This way," Kaito said, pointing in the exact same direction I was going earlier.
"Goin' my way, eh? Then let's go!" I shouted, punching the sky before the two of us started walking together.
After we walked and talked for a while, we eventually reached the street that I lived on. "That's my house right there," I said, pointing to my place. "Just me and my grandma live there. Do you live nearby?"
"Yeah, right there," Kaito answered, pointing to the house right next door to mine!
"No way! You're the guys who just moved in?!" I asked excitedly, jumping up and down. "This is so COOL! My new friend is my neighbor, too!"
"Pfft… Ha ha ha ha!" Kaito laughed at my reaction. "You're funny, Meiko-sempai!"
"Hey, just Meiko, remember?" I reminded. "I better go get cleaned up. Let's walk to school tomorrow, okay Kaito?"
His eyes lit up as he nodded in agreement. But before I could go in, he called me. "Meiko! Uh, um… would you… would you and your grandmother like to come over for dinner sometime?" Kaito asked, his cheeks a little flushed.
"You bet!" I answered with a grin. "Well, see ya tomorrow!" And with one last wave of my hand, I went inside my house with a spring in my step. "Grandma, I'm home!"
"Welcome home, dear," Grandma greeted me from the kitchen. Grandma is a sweet but firm old lady, and she takes care of me while my parents are traveling, which is pretty much all the time.
I had a feeling she wouldn't be happy seeing me in my current state, so I snuck up to the second floor and got myself cleaned up before going back down. When I finally joined her in the kitchen, I spotted one of her bonsai trees on the kitchen table. "Your newest work, Grandma?"
"Uh-huh," she answered with a nod. "I'm planning to give it to our new next door neighbors as a housewarming gift. It's good luck for new homeowners, you know."
"I see," I muttered, staring at the tree for a little while. "Oh yeah speaking of which, I met one of our new neighbors just now!"
"Is that so?" Grandma asked. "Which one is that?"
"His name's Kaito," I told her. "He's a fourth grader and a little shy, but real nice once you get him to open up."
Letting out a soft chuckle, Grandma said, "That's just like you Meiko-chan, making a new friend so quickly. In that case, could you do me a favor and take the bonsai next door for me? It'll do you good to meet the rest of the new neighbors."
"Leave it to me!" I replied, punching the air again which caused Grandma to chuckle at my enthusiasm. I then carefully lifted the potted tree and proceeded to take it next door.
Once I standing at the front door of Kaito's house, I used my foot to knock on the door since my hands were full. I heard a little girl's voice shout "Nigaito nii-chan, someone's at the door!" and I couldn't help snickering.
After a minute, the door was opened by a teenaged boy with short green hair and green eyes. He was thin and kinda pale, and he was wearing a green scarf along with his summer uniform. When he saw me, he smiled and said, "Hello, who might you be?"
"Um, I'm Meiko Sakine from next door," I introduced myself before presenting the bonsai to him. "This is from my grandma. Please accept it!"
"Oh, what a nice gift!" the older boy exclaimed as he took the bonsai from me. "Please come in Sakine-san, I'll make you some tea." Stepping aside, he allowed me to come inside the house.
"Thank you, Shion-san," I said politely, despite having heard his name, Nigaito, through the door.
"Oh it's okay, you can call me Nigaito-nii," he said, patting my head. He then looked at a little girl who looked a lot like Kaito, complete with a light blue scarf. "Kaiko-chan, can you call Kaito-kun down here while I make some tea?"
"Okay," Kaiko said before going over to the stairs and shouting, "Kaito nii-chan, there's a girl downstairs!"
"I'm coming!" I heard him shout back as I made myself comfortable on the couch. Looking around, I saw a few cardboard boxes here and there, which wasn't that surprising considering the Shion family only recently moved in. I also made a mental note to ask about the scarves; every person I had seen in this family wore one.
Kaiko then hopped up onto the couch next to me and just started staring at me. "You're Kaiko-chan, right? My name's Meiko. Nice to meet you!"
Instead of replying right away, she continued to stare at me for a minute before finally saying, "You're pretty."
"Oh! Uh, thanks," I muttered as I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Do you like Kaito nii-chan?" Kaiko asked with the kind of straight face only a six-year-old could pull.
"EHH?!" I exclaimed, my face going from pink to red in an instant.
"Knock it off, Kaiko-chan," Kaito said as he entered the room. "Hi, Meiko. What are you doing here?"
"Dropping off a bonsai for Grandma," I answered. "But seeing you again is a nice bonus!"
"Eww, you've got a girlfriend!" Kaiko exclaimed, sticking her tongue out. "I'm telling Nigaito nii-chan!"
"What?! Don't tell him that!" the blue-haired boy protested as both his and my cheeks flared up once again.
"Tell me what?" Nigaito asked as he re-entered the living room with a tea tray.
"Sakine-san is Kaito nii-chan's girlfriend!" Kaiko said, pointing at me.
"Whoawhoawhoa, you've got it all wrong kiddo!" I said quickly. "We just met!"
The green-haired teen set down the tray on the coffee table before kneeling down to Kaiko's level. "Now Kaiko-chan, Sakine-san is our guest. We don't make fun of our guests, now do we?" he scolded gently.
Kaiko sighed and answered, "No."
"That's right," Nigaito said. "Now will you tell Sakine-san you're sorry?"
"Um… I'm sorry, Sakine-san," the 6-year-old apologized, bowing her head.
"That's okay," I told her, ruffling the girl's hair. "And by the way, since we'll be neighbors, you can call me 'Meiko nee-chan' if you want."
Kaiko seemed to like that and smiled at me before making her exit.
"Sorry about that, it seems little Kaiko-chan has a bit of a mischievous streak," Nigaito explained as he offered me a cup of green tea.
"Thank you," I said before blowing on my tea and taking a sip. "Mmm! It's kinda sweet. I like it!"
"It's Gyokuro; it's a little sweeter than regular tea," the teenager told me. "I thought you might like it a little better."
"Nagaito nii-chan really likes tea," Kaito told me before sipping his own. "He drinks it all the time."
"Well, why not? It's much healthier than that little ice cream obsession of yours," Nigaito commented.
While Kaito did a spit-take, I couldn't help grinning. "You have an ice cream obsession?!"
"Did you have to tell her that?" the younger boy blurted out, his cheeks red from embarrassment. "I don't want it getting around that I have a sweet tooth…"
"Oh please!" I said with a wave of my hand. "The idea that it's not manly to like sweets is a bunch of baloney."
Nigaito's eyes widened in surprise, and then he let out a soft chuckle. "You're certainly full of surprises, Sakine-san. I'm glad Kaito-kun is friends with someone as outgoing as you."
We chatted some more before I realized that I had to go home for dinner. I thanked Nigaito for his hospitality and was about to head out the door before Kaito grabbed my hand to stop me. "Wait a minute, Meiko!"
"What's up?" I asked, standing in the doorway.
"Um… er, that is I…" The younger boy took a deep breath before finally blurting out, "Can you teach me to be outgoing like you?!"
Pleasantly surprised by this, I replied, "Absolutely! You stick with me kid, and you'll be sociable in no time!"
Kaito's eyes sparkled again as he smiled. "Thank you so much!"
Present day
"Aw man, I can't believe how shy I was back then," Kaito commented as he and I reminisced about our childhood.
"And look at you now! And all because I brought you out of your shell," I bragged jokingly.
"Well, I wouldn't say you're the only reason," he said with a playful smirk, only to get smacked in the shoulder by me.
Once we calmed down, I asked, "How is Nigaito-nii, by the way?"
"He's doing well, thank goodness," Kaito answered. "He's managed to stay out of the hospital lately, anyway." Then a thought came to him. "Say, have you talked to Kiyoteru recently?"
Shaking my head, I said, "No, I haven't. I don't even know where he is right now. It's been a while, I oughta try looking him up."
"That's a good idea," the blue-haired man agreed. "You two were really good friends, after all." There was a little bit of silence between us before he finally said, "Thanks for being my friend, Meiko. I don't think I'd be here if it wasn't for you."
Smiling, I told him, "No problem… kiddo."
Next time…
Miku: Yay! Meiko and Kaito nii-chan are taking us to the beach!
Rin: Sun, surf and sand, here I come!
Len: Don't forget beach volleyball!
Luka: Everyone seems to be good at something here… what can I do?
Next time: Track 19 – Double Lariat
Author's note: In regards to 12-year-old Meiko's idea of putting herself on the Internet; I'm aware that YouTube posted its first video in 2005. Since her first meeting with Kaito happened 10 years prior to the start of the series, this chapter pretty much proves that I have no idea what year this story takes place in. Oh well! ^^;
Author's note 2: The tea Nigaito serves is called Gyokuro, or "jade dew" in English. It's a fine and expensive green tea that differs from Sencha (the most common green tea in Japan) in that it is grown under the shade rather than the full sun for approximately 20 days. The shading causes the amino acids and caffeine in the tea leaves to increase, while catechins (the source of bitterness in tea, along with caffeine) decreases, giving rise to a sweet taste.