Broken Fragments

Chapter 32: Distraction

July 7 has finally arrived. Everyone, may they be idols, actors, directors, or film crews, were preparing for the movie festival of the year. The festival's date changes every year, and this year was during the Tanabata festival. Idols were preparing what to wear for the night's movie festival. Participating directors and film crews were promoting their films to their friends and acquaintances.

The busiest place during this time was in the Grandiose Auditorium, where the movie festival was going to be held. Grandiose Auditorium was one of the largest auditoriums in the country, their stage elegant and seats comfortable. The hired workers and crew were setting up the cameras, stage, the screen where the movies were going to be played, and the seats where designated idols, actors, and directors, would sit.

On the other hand, the Muranishi Entertainment Company was the quietest place during this time because they always took the day off and close the building during the late Kirari's birthday or death anniversary. They didn't have any difficulties of choosing which one, Kirari's memorial or the movie festival, to go to. Of course, they picked Kirari over a movie that two of their idols participated in.

"Where's Hiro-nii-chan?" Kirika asked while she stood by the closed door of the MEC building.

"He's coming, so wait patiently, Kirika-chan," Fubuki smiled.

They all decided to meet up in front of the building to go to the memorial park altogether. As they loaded the van, the summer heat was starting to affect not just Kirika, but all of them. Suddenly, Fubuki's phone started ringing.

"Hiroto, where are you? You're going to be late!" Fubuki scolded as soon as she heard his voice.

"Sorry. I'm almost there. The traffic is just bad," he apologetically replied.

Fubuki hung up right away so that she wouldn't disturb Hiroto from driving. Hiroto, meanwhile, thought that she was a little angry. He had expected the tone of voice she used since he was running late.

After a few more minutes of being stuck in the road of chaos, Hiroto finally got on a smooth-sailing road towards the MEC building. His smile was interrupted, however, when his phone started ringing.

"I'm almost there. I'm out of the traffic," Hiroto immediately said, not even knowing who he was talking to.

"Good. I'm having difficulties."

Hiroto's expression changed when the caller hung up. He realized that he wasn't talking to Fubuki just then. The voice was familiar to him because, after all, it was Yuuhi.

Hiroto pushed the brakes and stopped the car by the road. He looked at his phone's call log and saw that it really was Yuuhi that called him. He was confused, though, on why she would call him all of a sudden. Yuuhi hadn't asked him for anything since the time she asked to go to the shrine festival.

His mind troubled, Hiroto didn't know what to do. If he were to keep driving, Hiroto would reach the MEC building in five minutes. If he were to make a U-turn, he would be able to go to Yuuhi's apartment and see what was going on. Clenching on the steering wheel, Hiroto tried to make up his mind.

"Of all times, why now?" he mumbled, staring at his fists.

Decided, he pushed the gas pedal and drove the U-turn to go to Yuuhi's house, aggravated. Before he could get any further away from the MEC building, he called Fubuki once again.

"Sorry, I'll be a little later. I ran into trouble on my way. You should just go ahead of me. I'll meet you at the memorial park," he answered after getting yelled at by the fierce, lavender-haired idol.

As soon as he hung up, Hiroto focused on driving once again and gently threw his phone on the passenger seat.

"I'm sorry," he painfully thought.

At the memorial park, Chairman Muranishi and Seiji set-up a small frame tent over Kirari's gravestone to shelter them from the blazing sun. By the gravestone, Fubuki and Kumoi-san laid a picnic cloth for them to sit on. Chairman Muranishi carried Kirika, who fell asleep on their way, and Seiji took the food they brought and placed them on the picnic cloth.

Like the years before, since Kirari's death, they first placed the flowers and her portrait on Kirari's gravestone. Then, they lit up the incense and prayed for a period of time. Their prayers circulated in their heads and no one else knows what they were telling Kirari.

"How are you there, Kirari-chan?" Chairman Muranishi began in his head.

"We miss you here, Kirari," Kumoi-san thought.

Chairman Muranishi and Kumoi-san always remembered the times they spent with Kirari, as if narrating them to Kirari in their prayers. Also, like always, Kumoi-san would shed a tear or two.

"Kirari, I'm here again to beg for your forgiveness. I know it'll never be enough, but I hope it reaches you," Fubuki said in her prayers.

Fubuki, of course, asked for forgiveness for everything she had done. She didn't regret being a competition to Kirari because the late idol was who made Fubuki stronger, but she did regret the things she had done just to get Hiroto. Every day, Fubuki never forgot to apologize to Kirari, but the purple-haired girl knew that it would never be enough.

"I still miss you, Kirari, but I'm getting there. I'll never, in my life, forget about you, but I know you want me to live my life as if you're still here," Seiji included in his thoughts to Kirari.

Seiji thought about how much he loved Kirari, and how much he enjoyed the times he spent with her. Seiji hasn't fully moved on yet, but he was slowly letting go, even though it was painful for him. He knew that Kirari would want him to do so, anyways.

After they paid their respects and prayers, they began to prepare the food for Kirari's birthday celebration. They were all aware of what Kirari would say if she were with them. Kirari wouldn't want them to frown on her birthday, so of course, they smiled for her. To cry was all they wanted to do, but that would only disappoint Kirari.

Kirika woke up just in time when they began to eat. The food had been prepared and the plates had been distributed. The little girl was excited to see all the good food and kindly asked her mother to prepare the food she liked. While Kirika ate, she didn't really know where or why they were there since it was her first time visiting Kirari.

As she looked around, Kirika noticed the smoke coming from the incense right away. Next to it was a plateful of food, a bouquet of flowers, and the portrait of Kirari.

"Why is it that only the picture of Kira-nee-chan is here, Mama?" the little girl asked the eye-glasses-wearing manager.

"She's not here, Kirika-chan," Chairman Muranishi answered.

"What do you mean?"

"You see, Kirika-chan. Kira-nee-chan is in a faraway place called heaven. There, she's looking over all of us and protecting us with her smile," Fubuki explained, having a hard time keeping her smile.

"But I've been playing with Kira-nee-chan, you know?" Kirika announced.

They weren't surprised to hear that from the little girl. After all, Yuuhi showed up and she was identical to Kirari. Every time Kirika would visit the MEC building, she would always be with Yuuhi in the lounge, chatting and playing.

"She's probably talking about Yuuhi," Kumoi-san replied before gulping down her drink.

To change the mood, Seiji took the cake from the cooler and took it out of the box. He lit up the candles with a smile of misery in his eyes. After lighting all the candles, he looked at everyone to see if they were ready. With a nod from Kumoi-san, they all began singing.

"Happy birthday to you…"

When the song ended, Seiji looked around to see who wanted to blow the candles. Then, he noticed Kirika's eager eyes and offered it to her.

"Since it's your first time visiting Kirari, do you want to blow the candles, Kirika-chan?" Seiji kindly asked, like a big brother.

With a smile that stretched on her face, Kirika's eyes brightened up and innocently glimmered.

"Can I say a wish?" she excitedly asked.

Seiji nodded in agreement, his heart feeling as if it was melting from Kirika's pure smile. The little girl closed her eyes and thought about her wish before she blew the candles.

"I wish you wouldn't leave, Kira-nee-chan."

"Are we done yet, Yuuhi?" Hiroto tiredly asked as they walked around in the mall with many bags in their hands.

"Shh! They'll see through my disguise," Yuuhi warned, fixing her hat and sunglasses.

They kept walking around for a longer time, making their third round trip in all of the floors of the mall. Hiroto was getting tired and his feet were starting to ache, but he was most worried of going to Kirari's memorial.

"Let me put these in the car and I'll come back," Hiroto said as they entered a café to take a break.

"Okay," Yuuhi replied, paying attention to the menu.

Hiroto walked to the parking lot and unlocked his car. He placed all the bags in the trunk, and with a sigh, closed it.

"It's already one in the afternoon," Hiroto sighed, seeing the short hand of his watch on one and the long hand near two.

He returned to the café with heavy feet, feeling irritated of what was going on. They had been shopping for almost two hours. When Hiroto arrived at Yuuhi's house, she tried on every dress she had and asked for his opinion for two hours. They all looked good on her and Hiroto admitted that, but she ruled out his opinions, even though she asked them for it. Then, Yuuhi asked for Hiroto's help on cleaning her apartment before they left for the mall. Since Yuuhi was an organized person, there wasn't a lot of cleaning to do, but it took them an hour to finish.

"I didn't know what you wanted, so I got you iced coffee," Yuuhi said as she sipped her frappuccino.

"Thanks," he replied, glumly sitting down.

"What's wrong? Do you hate being with me? Didn't you want me to spend time with you?" Yuuhi coldly asked, cutting her bagel into smaller pieces.

"No! That's not it! It's just…I have to go somewhere important," Hiroto replied with a frown as he looked down on his drink.

Yuuhi took notice of Hiroto's misery right away, sprouting a tiny, sinister grin because of the happiness she took from his hidden pain. She continued eating, though, as if nothing was wrong and that she didn't know where he needed to go.

"Why are you shopping so much, anyways? Can't you do this another time? Moreover, shouldn't you be getting ready for the movie festival?" Hiroto bursted.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Yuuhi calmly asked, placing a piece of bagel in her mouth.

Hiroto just realized that Yuuhi was buying more elegant dresses than casual ones. He felt like an idiot since he didn't know the reason why Yuuhi was asking him how she looked in all of the dresses she had earlier.

"Didn't you get a designer dress, though?" Hiroto asked.

"I did, but I just found out it was going to be late."

"Then, why didn't you just come here with your boyfriend?"

"He's getting ready, too. I wouldn't want to disturb him over something small like this."

Hiroto was out of questions to ask and keep the conversation going. Yes, he was happy that he was casually talking to Yuuhi, but Hiroto could still sense the coldness in her voice.

"Let's go. We don't have much time," Yuuhi announced, getting up with her purse.

"What do you mean? Isn't the festival going to start until the sun is down?"

"They changed it. Celebrities and directors need to start heading there at four."

"But—"

"Let's go, Kazama-san."

Hiroto was struck with an icy statement from Yuuhi. His eyes were widened in shock and he felt as if his body was paralyzed. He was frustrated, but he didn't want to direct his anger towards Yuuhi. Having no choice, he got up and followed her.

As they looked around, Yuuhi found a jewelry store that she took a liking to. Hiroto walked in with her, also browsing the jewelries they had on display. While Yuuhi talked to the saleslady, a necklace caught Hiroto's eyes.

It was a silver necklace with a pendant shaped like a water lily. The petals were made of ruby gems and the center were shards of pearl. Hiroto grew fond of it immediately since his and Kirari's birthstones were in one pendant, and the water lily was also Kirari's birth flower.

"We're selling it for a cheaper price since it's this month's birthstone, sir," a saleslady said when she noticed Hiroto.

"I'll take it," Hiroto said with a big smile.

Without his knowing, Yuuhi glared at him with cold, blue eyes when she saw him purchase the necklace right away. Clenching her fists, she knew what to do next.

"There it is! How could I miss that? Let's go, Kazama-san," Yuuhi exclaimed, seeing a men's suits store.

"Huh? Why are we going here?" Hiroto asked, surprised.

"We're going to get you new suits. Miss, will you please find suitable clothes for this man," Yuuhi asked a saleslady after answering Hiroto's question.

"Huh? But, wait! No, I—"

"Let's go, sir," the saleslady said, giving Hiroto no choice but to follow her.

With a fake smile on her face, Yuuhi sent Hiroto away to find clothes that she would like on him. As soon as he and the saleslady could no longer be seen, Yuuhi's cold demeanor returned. She looked at her silver, bracelet-looking watch and looked at the time.

"Just a little bit more. We're almost there," she mumbled to herself.

After Hiroto tried many blazers, ties, pants, and polo shirts, only to get rejections and dissatisfaction from Yuuhi for an hour and a half, she was finally satisfied with the last combination Hiroto wore.

"We'll take this," Yuuhi said right away, taking out her credit card.

With their success on finding Hiroto's clothes, Yuuhi finally proclaimed that their shopping had ended. They made their way to the parking lot to Hiroto's car to leave the mall.

"Wait! Can we stop by at a bakery?" Yuuhi kindly asked, even though Hiroto could still feel the ice in eyes.

He looked at the time and it was almost two-thirty in the afternoon.

"Just for a short time, okay?" he requested.

"Okay."

"Is Hiroto's still coming?" Kumoi-san asked, watching Kirika chase a yellow butterfly.

"He should be," Seiji answered, looking at the time on his phone, showing 2:18 pm.

Fubuki felt as if Hiroto wasn't going to come, but she decided to keep it to herself. She didn't want to doubt Hiroto because she knows that Kirari is extremely important to him.

"Hiroto…where could you be on this important day?" Fubuki thought.

Yuuhi entered the car again after spending a short time in the bakery. Hiroto thought that she was going to take longer, but she didn't take much time.

"What did you buy?" he asked, getting ready to drive back to Yuuhi's apartment.

"Just a cupcake," she replied, holding onto the box that contained the cupcake.

When they arrived at the house, Hiroto and Yuuhi immediately dropped the bags on the living room floor.

"Go ahead and use the shower, Kazama-san," Yuuhi encouraged as she prepared tea.

"What?" Hiroto asked in shock.

"We'll be late for the festival if you don't hurry. It takes me about an hour to get ready, you know," Yuuhi faked her smile.

"But I still—"

Yuuhi didn't have to say anything to stop him from finishing his statement. The cold, yet sad look in her eyes were enough to stop Hiroto's mouth from running. He was scared of how unemotional her ocean-colored eyes were, but the sadness in them affected him more.

Without saying anything more, Hiroto headed to Yuuhi's bathroom and took a shower. Yuuhi prepared his suit and left it on her bed for him to wear. As soon as he finished taking a shower with a blank mind, Yuuhi took her shower.

Hiroto was already done putting on his polo shirt and pants, but he decided to wear his blazer later. While he buttoned his shirt, Yuuhi walked out of the bathroom with her bathrobe on, drying her short, auburn hair.

"That's wrong," Yuuhi said, noticing that he buttoned his shirt wrong as he grabbed his tie.

While Yuuhi fixed it, Hiroto's heart was pounding fast. He didn't understand why, but he thought that it was because he could see parts of Yuuhi's bare chest with water rolling down from neck.

"Do you always do this?" Yuuhi asked, finishing the last button.

"N-no. I-I was just in a hurry…so I m-messed up," Hiroto stuttered, looking up to keep his eyes off of Yuuhi.

She took the tie from his hand and placed both of her arms around Hiroto's neck. Since he was taller than her, Yuuhi had no choice but to tiptoe and put her body against his. Hiroto's heart pounded even more when he felt Yuuhi's chest pressed up against his. However, before he even knew it, Yuuhi already finished the necktie and was walking away from him.

"I prepared tea, so you can just wait for me in the living room," Yuuhi stated, putting on her earrings.

He did as he was told and waited outside, carrying the blazer in his arms and the shoes they bought along with the whole outfit. After about forty five minutes, Yuuhi stepped out of her bedroom, dressed and ready.

Hiroto's eyes widened as he stood up from the couch to see Yuuhi. She looked more elegant than usual, making Hiroto feel a little nervous.

Yuuhi's shoulder-length, auburn hair looked shorter because it was elegantly curled. Her make-up was more charming than the usual, probably even better than how her make-up was done for photo shoots. The dress she chose to wear from all the ones that she bought was the dark purple dress. The neckline of the dress was jewel, and there were no sleeves. The tight-fitted dress extended to the middle of her thighs in the front, but extended to the floor in the back. Though it had no embedded gems on it or any decorations, the big waves of the extending back of her short-long dress made it look plain and stylish at the same time. She wore black stilettos with her outfit, a silver bracelet with butterfly charms on her left wrist, and carried a black clasp purse that seemed to only hold a few things.

"Woah," Hiroto thought, charmed.

"Let's go," she sophisticatedly smiled as she headed out.

On their way to the apartment complex's parking lot in the front, Hiroto made up his mind to say what he wanted to say to Yuuhi.

"I don't think I'm going…to the movie festival," Hiroto said, stopping Yuuhi just before she could walk out to the parking lot under the summer heat.

Silence lingered around and Hiroto could feel the tension between them. His heart pumped fast in fear and worry that he had hurt Yuuhi once again. Not wanting to keep the awkward silence, Hiroto decided to explain to the auburn-haired idol why he couldn't go.

"I—"

"It's fine."

Yuuhi clenched her clasp purse in front of her waist. Since Hiroto couldn't see it, he didn't know how she felt or how she looked when she answered him with the two words she let go. Because of the atmosphere around them, Hiroto didn't even notice that a white sports car had pulled up in front of the apartment. Without saying anymore, Yuuhi walked towards the sports car that pulled over.

"Wait—"

"It's fine. Just…go," Yuuhi interrupted once again.

Before she held onto the car door's handle, she looked down on the ground to release the feelings she didn't want to show anyone.

"I only distracted you," she thought, hiding her eyes with her bangs.

With one pull, the door opened and Yuuhi stepped in the car to sit beside her lover, Cloudy. Yuuhi quietly mumbled to herself as she closed the door, getting a short glimpse of Hiroto.

"I'm not important, anyways."

Author's note:

Hey, everyone. Mayumi Selnia here. Sorry this chapter was so long. I have good explanations for that. One, I think it's because everything's going to be...hmm...MORE after this chapter. I don't know how to describe the next few chapters, but there'll be more. I guess you could say it'll get more interesting from here. Two, there are a few things to remember from this chapter. Those few are implying really important things that will be included or have been included in this story. Last, come on. It's Kirari-chan's birthday. A gift for her? xD Well, I hope you guys liked it. Keep reading and stay tune for the next chapters because everything will go...boom (?)...yeah! BOOM! xD

Tanabata- a Japanese star festival, originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar.