Broken Fragments
Chapter 4: The Sundress from That Day
Hiroto slowly opened his eyes as the warm, yellow rays of sunlight hit his finally-sober face. When his eyes were finally wide open, it took a couple of seconds for him to realize that he was in a place he had never been in. Even though his vision was still a little blurry, he was able to tell that the color of the walls was a light shade of lavender, and the furniture that surrounded him were all white.
"You're finally awake," a cheerful voice said.
When Hiroto turned to his right, he saw a familiar face.
"Kirari?" he asked, his face showing a little happiness.
The girl's face turned from cheerful to upset as soon as she heard the name Hiroto said. The girl, who was actually Yuuhi, turned around and left Hiroto all alone in the room.
Confused of what just happened, Hiroto rubbed his eyes, clearing his vision. He looked at the nightstand beside the bed he was on and saw a picture of the girl he just saw.
"That wasn't Kirari," he thought, seeing Yuuhi's photogenic face in the framed picture.
Hiroto finally understood that Yuuhi was upset that he mixed her up again with the late Kirari. He quickly got up and walked out of the room to apologize. Hiroto found Yuuhi preparing the table for breakfast.
"Breakfast is ready," she said with a smile on her face.
Hiroto was confused once again for he knew that Yuuhi was upset, but now, she looked like nothing happened a few moments ago.
"Tsubasa-san…uhh—"
"Please, call me 'Yuuhi'", interrupted the auburn-haired girl said as she pulled the chair for Hiroto.
"Uhh…then just call me Hiroto," he replied.
"Now, what was it that you were going to say, Hiroto…san?"
"You can drop the '-san', but were you just there earlier?" Hiroto asked, pointing at the room's door.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well…uhh…nothing, Yuuhi," Hiroto replied, ignoring what happened earlier.
Hiroto asked Yuuhi what happened last night and she explained to him how he got drunk and how she didn't know where he lived, so she brought him to her apartment and let him sleep in her room.
"Where did you sleep?" Hiroto asked.
"Oh, I slept in the living room," Yuuhi lied.
Hiroto felt bad once again, knowing how bothersome it was to sleep on the couch. He remembered how he slept in the living room that one day when Kirari fainted in his arms because she stayed up for 3 days to write a new song with nothing in her stomach, but coffee. He brought her to his condo because he didn't know where she lived. He remembered carrying her to his bed, wiping her face with cold water to refresh her even for a little bit, tucking her in, and going to sleep in the living room.
"I'm really sorry for all the trouble, Yuuhi. I'll make up for it," Hiroto said, his face showing great sincerity.
"It's okay, really. You don't need to make up for it," awkwardly smiled Yuuhi.
They ate breakfast together, the atmosphere awkward and silent. Hiroto had never, in his life, slept over a girl's house, except for Fubuki's. The only reason he slept over at Fubuki's house was because he was sick and he lost his memories. He was still angry about Fubuki's replacing his memories, but he understood her. He realized that Fubuki loved him, but he didn't love her back the way he loved Kirari back.
After eating breakfast, Hiroto used the shower while Yuuhi prepared clothes for herself. While in the shower, he heard a familiar tune coming from outside the bathroom. Memories of Kirari flooded his mind as he heard the tune of Kirari's last comeback song, 'I Miss You'. As soon as he finished rinsing his jet black hair, he wrapped his torso with the towel and walked out the door, ignoring the cold feeling on his body.
"Oh, you're finished," Yuuhi smiled, closing her closet as she finished picking out her outfit.
"Yeah. Go ahead and use the shower," Hiroto smiled, hiding the disappointment.
He changed into the clothes that Yuuhi bought from the little shop in front of her apartment. They weren't expensive, but they weren't cheap, either. He put the white, v-neck shirt and the black pants she bought. Hiroto was surprised that Yuuhi was able to get almost the right sizes for him because he felt snug in the clothes she bought him.
After dressing up, Hiroto sat on the made up bed, listening to Yuuhi hum the 'I Miss You' tune. While he listened to her, Hiroto closed his eyes, remembering Kirari's voice. Her voice was angelic and sweet. They were beautiful to his ears and they perfectly matched her personality. Those were also one of the reasons why Hiroto deeply fell in love with her. When he opened his eyes, he could still hear the hum, but the sound of the trickling water from the shower was gone.
He turned to his right and picked up Yuuhi's portrait. He knew that Yuuhi was gorgeous, but she wasn't as beautiful as Kirari. To Hiroto, Kirari was the only definition of perfect. He could never forget her, but he's trying to forget the pain of losing her. Looking at the girl with auburn hair and blue eyes that was in the picture, Hiroto knew it was going to be a challenge to try and forget about that pain.
Suddenly, Hiroto heard the door click open and turned his head towards the bathroom door. There, he saw Yuuhi's wet, auburn-hair and her fair, smooth-looking arms, legs and shoulders that still have some water droplets. His eyes grew wide, seeing how gorgeous actually Yuuhi was, but then again, Kirari was his definition of perfect.
"You're still here! I thought you went out," Yuuhi exclaimed, not even trying to cover up her bare shoulders.
"S-sorry, I didn't know you were coming out now. I'll wait for you outside by the parking lot," he said, panicking.
He quickly returned Yuuhi's framed picture on the nightstand and walked out to the living room. Hiroto quickly picked up his things and left to wait outside. After waiting for half an hour with his mind blank, Yuuhi finally came. When he saw the automatic door open, he looked over and found Yuuhi wearing a white halter sundress with a bow on the side of the waist, making her look more like Kirari.
Yuuhi walked down the small series of steps and stepped out, the sun bathing her. Her auburn hair shone under the sun and her blue eyes sparkled with beauty.
Hiroto's eyes widened to the sight of how Yuuhi looked just like Kirari on that spring day, the day she died. Not being able to control it, memories of the times he spent with Kirari on her last day flooded his mind. He remembered how they rode the train to the beach; they left their footprints on the sand; they spent their time together in each other's arms; and Kirari said her goodbye without his knowing.
Hiroto ran to Yuuhi, hugging her tightly. Yuuhi was in shock, not knowing what to do. Her eyes were widened in surprise while Hiroto's were tightly shut as if he was shutting the world out from his heart, too.
"What's going on?" Yuuhi thought, feeling Hiroto's warmth.
"She's not Kirari…so why?" Hiroto thought, tears started forming in his eyes.