Broken Fragments

Chapter 2: Auburn Hair and Familiar Eyes

"Kirari?"

Hiroto's eyes were wide open in shock as he looked at the girl that had been gone for almost five years. Her smile seemed to light up the streets and made everyone around her feel warm and happy.

Beep!

The traffic light turned green three seconds ago and Hiroto was getting honked at by the people behind him. Embarrassed, he quickly pressed down on the pedal and the car started moving once again. When he got home ten minutes later, he left his navy blue suitcase in the living room and went straight to the bathroom.

He turned on the shower to warm up the water and prepared the clothes he was going to wear after on his bed. Hiroto didn't even look around at his home, a place he hasn't been in for four years. When he came to visit two years ago, he stayed at his family's house because he only stayed in Japan for five days.

When steam started fogging up the bathroom, Hiroto took off his clothes. He didn't notice the changes, but looking back at the days when he was just a fourteen year old idol, his looks had hit major changes now that he's a twenty-three year old. He had muscles when he was a teenager, but his body was now amazingly carved with harder-looking muscles. His abs was more defined and his biceps were larger. His chest was tougher and his legs were stronger. Hiroto was no longer a teenager. He was now a man.

Hiroto entered the shower, feeling the warm water pour down from his head to his toes. Even if it was a summer, the nights in Japan could feel cold especially when one is tired. Hiroto's body was drenched in water, the droplets trickling down. The only thing that was on his mind was the girl's face as he put both of his hands on the tiled wall, and his head down to see the water go down the drain.

"No," Hiroto thought.

"I'm sure that wasn't her. Kirari's gone," Hiroto tried to smile as thoughts of Kirari's death rushed in his mind.

He wanted to smile so that those memories wouldn't come back anymore. Hiroto wanted to start fresh. Even if Kirari would always have his heart, he wanted to forget the pain of losing her. That was why he finally returned to Japan. He knew running away wouldn't do anything.

After the long, hot shower, he wrapped his bottom with a towel and dried himself up. He put on his clothes and dried his dark hair. Hiroto walked back out to the living room and unpacked some of his things, but the first thing that he took out was a framed picture of Kirari.

In the picture, she was wearing a white, halter, summer dress while her hair flowed with the wind. Her dark brown hair that was framing her face matched her fair skin tone and her baby-blue eyes. Kirari was as beautiful as any goddess one would imagine.

Hiroto smiled and returned to his bedroom. He placed Kirari's picture on his nightstand and sat on his bed.

"I wish that was you that I saw earlier, Kirari. I know it wasn't you, but I really hope it was," Hiroto thought with a hopeful smile on his face before going to bed.

He turned off all the lights and closed his eyes as he went to bed all alone at night.

The next day, Hiroto drove back to the Muranishi Entertainment Company where he was greeted by the employees.

"Kazama-san! Welcome back!"

"Glad you're back, Kazama-san!"

"Hiroto-san! You're back!"

They all suggested throwing him a 'Welcome Home' party or a comeback concert, but he courteously refused to both. He said that he wasn't going to become an idol again and that a welcome party isn't needed. On his way to the elevator, he was hearing someone's loud laughter getting closer and closer.

When he turned left, he found Kirika running down towards him. The bright, little girl quickly ran as her laughter echoed down the hall.

"Hiro-nii-chan!" Kirika shouted as she lifted up her arms.

Hiroto squatted down and picked up the girl, lifting her up high.

"Kirika, what are you doing here?" Hiroto asked, a smile on his face.

"We're playing hide and seek!" Kirika enthusiastically replied.

"With who?" Hiroto curiously asked.

"Kira-nee-chan!" Kirika said, pointing to the direction where she came from.

When Hiroto turned around to look, Kumoi-san blocked his view.

"Hiroto, thank goodness you found her," Kumoi-san said with a smile on her face.

Hiroto noticed that Kumoi-san looked more beautiful than before. Her used-to-be-strict face was now replaced by a carefree, gentle smile. Could it be because she's now a mother? Usually, mothers look tired and exhausted especially when their children are so little, but somehow, Kumoi-san looked like she was blooming.

"Kirika, let's go. We have to go and meet your aunt," Kumoi-san said, lifting Kirika up.

"But where's Kira-nee-chan? We were playing hide and seek."

"She had to go, okay? You can play with her again later."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now, let's go."

"Yay!"

"Kumoi-san!" Hiroto interrupted before they got in the elevator.

"Yes?"

"Who's Kira…nee-chan?" he hesitantly asked, not wanting and wanting to know the answer at the same time.

Hiroto was scared that 'Kira' might be Kirika's nickname for Kirari. He thought about how happy he'd be with Kirari, but deep inside, he knew that it was impossible that Kirika was talking about Kirari.

"I'll…talk to you about her…later," Kumoi-san said as the elevator door closed.

Hiroto was able to sense Kumoi-san's worry about the mysterious 'Kira-nee-chan' that Kirika was talking about. He sensed that Kumoi-san didn't want to talk about it. Wanting to find answers to the questions in his head, he took the next elevator and went up to Chairman Muranishi's room. Hiroto held the doorknob and turned it, but before he could pull, he heard someone talking to the chairman.

The familiar voice sounded muffled from behind the door, but he could tell that it was a girl. A new idol, maybe? The more Hiroto listened to the girl's voice, the more his heart started beating. He could feel the calm before the storm. He wasn't scared to face the storm, but he was scared of just how real the storm was.

"Someone's here," the girl said.

Hiroto's eyes widened in surprise, realizing that the girl noticed his eavesdropping.

"Whoever's there, come in, now!" the chairman said.

Hiroto pulled his self together and opened the door. Inside the room, he saw a girl standing in front of the chairman's desk. Hiroto could only see her back, but he could see her shoulder-length light chestnut-brown hair. She was wearing a black coat that extended to her upper thighs, a white skirt, and dark brown boots that extended up to the bottom of her knees. When Chairman Muranishi saw Hiroto's face, his face turned pale, worry surfacing.

"Uhh… why don't you…uhh…stay where you are. Do you…uhh…need anything…Hiroto-kun?" Chairman Muranishi nervously requested.

"Hiroto-kun?" the girl muttered under her breath, a sinister smile showed.

"Hiroto-kun—" the chairman called.

"So, you're Hiroto Kazama," the girl interrupted, her voice loud and proud.

She gracefully turned around, her coat and skirt twirling. When Hiroto saw her face and her familiar blue eyes, he felt like his heart dropped to the floor and exploded. His eyes felt like they were coming out of their sockets and he was shaking in shock. He couldn't believe who he was seeing. His mind told him that it was an illusion, but his heart, who's more powerful than his mind, told him that it was the girl he had and still loved.

Right in front of him was Kirari.