GRRR. Guys, I need some help. It's computer-related.
You see, I have this folder on my computer full of pictures and gifs which...ahem...all pertain to my extreme fangirl-ness. There is TONS and TONS, literally THOUSANDS of beyblade stuff in there, as well as some Avatar and Pokemon, but all of a sudden none of them will open.
I have them in sub-folders and metasubfolders titled Gan Gan Galaxy, the WBBA, etc, for easier organisation, but all of a sudden the picture thumbnails are not showing up, and I keep getting a message from Photo library that says it can't open the file. None of the files I downloaded from tumblr will open at all.
Coincidentally, the GIMP won't open jpegs from ANY of my photo folders.
Anybody out there who has the same problem?
Track for this chapter:
Maybe, by Yiruma, from the album First Love
(Whew. Been on a Yiruma marathon here, haven't I?)
You don't get out much, you know, Tsubasa...
She was kinda sore 'bout you leavin' the organisation alla sudden.
There's stars in the sky what shine brighter than others - you were my hero...
Voices rang in his mind across the cold damp room in the top of the apartment building, taking precious sleep away from him. He could sleep tomorrow...but he had things to do tomorrow.
I was remembered as the one who turned evil.
No, you conquered it, remember?
That little kid sure looks up te ya, son.
He had conquered it, but had anyone cared? Had anyone cheered? Ryo and Hikaru had stood in the top of the WBBA and smiled at the TV screen, but they'd never congratulated him. Acted like it had never happened.
He was not a hero figure.
An act. I'm an act. I put up with it day and night and it's never who I really want to be or what I really want to say. I don't even know who I really am any more.
You're a star...
I'm not a star. I'd switch places with you gladly.
He didn't sleep until early that morning, as dawn crept into the sky and found him in a restless slick-palmed slumber.
Les paced at the corner restlessly, boots creating muddy tracks in the snow.
Where was Tsubasa? He hadn't been out of his apartment in a week. It was December now. The trip to New York was coming up. Was he going to show?
Les had a feeling he needed this vacation more than he knew.
Many times he'd called the boy's cell phone, but never had he answered.
Over a few days, the voicemail switched from "Hello, you've reached the cell phone of Agent Tsubasa Otori. Apologies for missing your call. Leave me a number and I'll get back to you as soon as I possibly can", to the robotic, automated voice found on most answering machines.
Like the boy had disappeared off the face of the earth.
Les shook his head gruffly. He'd seen a great many magical things on this planet, but he knew that if something happened to the young man, he'd feel it.
Tsubasa let his phone battery run down. He didn't want to talk to anyone, to be reminded that he was the back-door guy. All he needed was this apartment, eagle, and a surprisingly abundant amount of grapefruit.
He knew that soon he'd have to go back to work in order to support himself, but he had a few thousand dollars saved up in the bank. He'd be okay for awhile. Not ready to face reality just yet.
He knew that soon he'd have to go to the grocery store, show his face in a world where he was just another person. But there was enough to get him through a few more days.
Andre stood at the counter in Scenery Begins, serving cappuccinos and lattes here and there. Monotony.
"Your usual, I presume, Mrs. Brown..."
"Yeah, yeah, Tony, I know you was gonna come round here again sometime."
"...your best friend? May I recommend that book right there."
Over and over, the same sentences.
I would switch places with you any day...
Me? A city light? You'd rather be a city light'n a star? Doubtful.
Andre shook his head. One day as him, and that guy would be blowing a gasket with impatience.
Tsubasa hadn't come by again, despite his obvious affection for the coffee shop and promise to come back sometime in the week. It was halfway through the second week since he'd come, and Andre was beginning to get worried.
Great-uncle Les knew where he lived. Andre phoned him and found that the poor guy had gone missing. Hair on end, he hurried through the rest of the shift, threw on his coat and mittens, and hit the streets.
Les heard footsteps crunching through the ice crystals on the fresh snow.
Early morning.
Perfect for somebody to take a walk if they didn't want to talk to anyone.
He raised his head from the guitar and turned.
Sure enough, dressed in a wrinkled blazer with his untamed hair falling around his face, the picture of depression himself; Tsubasa came trudging down the sidewalk.
Les jumped up.
"SON! Where ye been!? You hain't come down aroun' here fer the past week'n a half! The trip's in two weeks, ye bett'r git packin!"
"I'm not going on any trip."
"WHAT!?"
A bear came barrelling into the conversation in the form of Andre.
"TSUBASA! Man, I been lookin' all over for you! You need a hug, man. Lookit you. You hain't ironed them clothes since you bought them, 'parently." Andre engulfed him in a huge hug.
"ANDRE, don't suff'cate the boy. He's got some 'splainin' ta do. Then we'll see if maybe he deserves a death by bear hug."
Andre reluctantly let go of Tsubasa, who stood in the snow clutching at his ribs and trying to remember how to breathe. Andre grabbed his shoulders. "Where have you been? You promised to come back and visit. Don't you like me no more?"
"I've been...busy."
"You're a reg'lar introvert. Not answerin' yer phone or comin' out. Even sent Yuu to knock on yer door coupla times an' he said both times ye wasn't home. Worried bout' ye." Les glared down at him.
"And ya know, worryin' ain't good fer Uncle Les's heart", Andre added.
"Nah, Andre, mah heart's jus' fine. That's b'sides the point. Tell me where ye been, Tsubasa."
"I'm tired of talking to people. Maybe I should just stay in the apartment for the rest of my life." Tsubasa shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked at the snow.
"WHAT!? Why?"
"Nobody needs me. That's why."
"That ain't true", said Andre gruffly. "Git it together, man! You was my hero, you the hero of Yuu Tendou too. You know why you're our hero? Cos' ye beat something inside of all of us that's hard te get rid of. Ye oughta be proud of yerself."
"Thanks, Andre, but I don't need the star talk again."
"Lissen. Ah gotta feelin you bein' too hard on yerself, son. Tell me what's wrong", Les coaxed.
"I don't feel like myself anymore. I have to act like somebody else every single day. I just want people to understand me and notice me." Tsubasa saw two dimples hit the fresh snow and realised they were tears.
Andre hugged him again.
"ANDRE! PUT HIM DOWN!" Les shook Andre off of him. "Lissen, boy. Nobody ain't gonna understand ye unless ye tell 'em to. The human race ain't exactly intell'gent all the time. People like me 'n Andre - you don't find that offen. Ye gotta tell em' what ye want."
"But I never do that! I don't know how. I wish..." he took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. "I wish I wasn't here any more."
"Then LEAVE", Les growled impatiently. "I been tellin' ye that since October. If ye don't belong here, you gotta go find a place somewhere else where ye can recuperate and git yerself together 'nuff where ye kin come back home. Back here."
"What are you saying, Uncle Les!?" Andre was indignant.
"Nah, shush-it. Lemme talk. Son", Les said, standing and laying his hands on Tsubasa's shoulders, "Do what ye need to do. I ain't gonna stop ye if you do the right thing. Only you know what's goin' on in yer heart. Git outta here. Go run off an' find who you need to be, an' don't come back till ye do."
Tsubasa mustered a wavering smile.
"There ye go. Go on that trip later this month. Ye need it. An' if ye don't come back wit' the rest of 'em, well, it's yer choice. Might be better for ye right now'n staying here. I gotta feeling you ain't able ta fly well 'nough. That's what's botherin' you, ain't it."
Andre was stuttering in protest. Tsubasa murmured his thanks, turned towards the WBBA, and set his steps there. He needed to give that book to Hikaru.
"Uncle Les, you're sendin' him off? He jus' got back home!"
"Andre", Les said softly, strumming his guitar, "Andre, home's determined by the heart. Ah think he left 'is heart somewhere where 'e cain't reach it an' e needs ta find it again. Maybe he will. But if he don't, he ain't never gonna be happy. Is that whatche want fer him, really?"
"No."
"He's a eagle. 'E needs ta find 'is wings. Then he kin go up in ta sky 'n be free, an' see us all from a distance. Cos' from a distance, the world looks beautiful, an' if ye can remember that, then when ye come back, it'll stay that way. Who knows", he added, setting down the guitar. "Who knows. Maybe we all have some flyin' ta do."
Hikaru looked up as a tall, dark, and slightly...wrinkled figure walked into the lobby.
She didn't recognise him at first, for he looked a bit dishevelled. His hair was not tied back, and his blazer was unironed. But there was Tsubasa, plain as day. She looked at him hopefully, hoping he was here to reclaim his position.
Instead, he slid a hardcover book onto the counter. "I brought this for you. Sorry for leaving you to deal with all this."
"Sorry doesn't cut it. You have to come back first."
Tsubasa chuckled softly. "I've got some flying to do before I can handle coming back here."
Suddenly a voice crackled through the intercom. "Is that Tsubasa?"
"You're awake", said Tsubasa. "Yes. It's me."
"Yes, I'm awake. I thought at first that you were Tetsuya...might wanna brush your hair. I need you to come up here and speak to me."
Tsubasa sighed. He'd been afraid of this. But he went up the elevator without protest.
Ryo gazed at him sternly as he came in.
"Sir, you look like a vulture in pain."
"Ha. Ha. That's soooo funny." Ryo pressed his fingertips together on top of the desk, not offering him a seat at all.
"I was thinking about cancelling your plane ticket to New York, you know", he said gravely. "But I found out that I should not. Because...I owe you an apology.
"I'm not asking you to come back just yet. I know you've been through a lot. But you're keeping your agent status so that. should you choose to come back, you don't have to go through orientation again. I'll also get to skip the trouble of dealing with passports at customs, since agents count as international and don't belong to one country. I hope you're still planning on coming with us."
Tsubasa nodded. "I gave it some thought, and I'll come if you'll have me."
"Consider it done. Good luck with your life, see you in a couple of weeks, and all that jazz." Ryo turned to the window, signifying that the conversation was over.
Tsubasa smiled as he went down. No passport trouble. He wouldn't have to deal with customs, visas, or any hassle if he was to leave the country for longer than 30 days.
He'd better start getting ready to leave. His wings were waiting for him.