CHAPTER 3: FRENZIED
"Taichi! Hurry up!" Chihaya hollered as she ran towards the train.
"You were the one who's late, now you're telling me to hurry up?" he retorted irritably as they managed to enter the train before the doors finally closed. They were headed to Fukui for Arata's birthday, and Chihaya, who was supposed to meet him at 6am at the Tokyo Station, came in 30 minutes late. They had to wait for another 30 minutes to board the Shinkansen train going to Nagoya. She flopped herself at a window seat as she opened her bag to get a sandwich.
"Gomen-ne Taichi. I didn't get much sleep last night and I had to run a chore for mom." she mumbled as she munched on her breakfast. She was wearing a white scarf over her maroon trench coat, black leather gloves, black skinny pants with matching boots. She's actually pretty elegant, and if only she weren't too crass and unladylike most of the time, she could possibly pass for a celebrity or a model. She could really give her sister a run for her money.
"Idiot, you could've said we'll meet at 7am instead." Taichi grumbled as he rested his head on his palm. It was only now that he allowed himself to think about the last chat he and Arata had on the phone. He told no one about the call, and he brooded over it for days that it affected most of his matches. He almost didn't make it in this trip if it wasn't for Chihaya who pestered him on it.
"But we'll come in too late! It's a 4-hour trip you know." she justified, as she munched on her second sandwich. It's a wonder how she could eat so much and not get fat. Guess competitive Karuta is more physical than it looks. He could imagine Arata going gaga over her, and the thought made him want to crush him even more.
"I hope he likes my gift!" Chihaya said, as she looked at the small rectangular package in front of them.
"Are those porn mags?" Taichi teased.
"Ta-Taichi! Why in the world would he like them?!" she asked, scandalized.
"Every guy won't say no to them." He said, a matter-of-factly.
"So you like them too?" she retorted sarcastically.
"Not every brand." He said while smirking at her. He finds it amusing to tease her as she is so innocent on a lot of things outside of Karuta.
"You're disgusting!" She screeched indignantly. She had always viewed Taichi as a gentleman even when they fight over little things most of the time. She couldn't imagine him poring over scandalous materials like most of the boys in her class do.
"I'm 18, not 10. It's normal, you know." He added.
"Auuggghhh. Change topic!" she whined as she blushed profusely. Taichi cackled. They continued to banter for a few minutes before Chihaya dropped dead like a fish at his side. She slept soundly for the remainder of their trip to Nagoya.
And This... is the reason why she can't travel alone. He sighed. She drops her guard easily, sleeping like a log anywhere her body chooses to. Someone who doesn't know her might take advantage of her.
After about an hour and a half, they boarded a connecting train to Fukui. It was another hour-and-a-half ride, and though he wanted to crash, he wasn't a good sleeper on transits. He chatted with Chihaya, for the next hour, suggesting strategies on her game for the Queen match in the next 2 weeks while Chihaya listened.
She'll need all the help she could get, Taichi thought, as he suggested they go to Shizuoka the following day to practice with Sakurazawa-Sensei with the Fujisaki High School Karuta Club. She was staring at him intently when she interrupted,
"You've changed, Taichi."
"On what aspect?" he asked back, surprised. He knew there were changes in him, and though most of it was influenced by Karuta, he has to admit it was also because of Chihaya.
"You can be Meijin, you know?" she said, as she smiled knowingly at her friend.
"Baka. Do you see me defeating Arata in a match?" he countered, embarrassed by her assumption. He still has to improve, he knows. And until he beats Arata in a match, he couldn't say for sure if he has what it takes to be Meijin.
"I don't." She said bluntly. He sweatdropped.
So blunt. This woman. He thought irritably.
"Demo...I didn't really expect you'd go this far. Winning the qualifiers, facing Arata in a match for the Meijin title... You always surprise me, you know?" she muttered, as her voice drifted. She was becoming sleepy again, but Taichi felt honesty in her words.
"Whatever." he managed to say.
"Taichi." she called out to him after a while. She was looking at the scenery outside their train window. He looked at her questioningly.
"After High-School, I plan to go back to Mizusawa High as an Asst. Adviser" she said, her smile evident in her face. Taichi stared at her in disbelief.
"What?! Have you talked to the Empress about it?" he asked. Knowing Chihaya, she might have come up with it on her own. Being an adviser is reserved only for teachers, so Asst. Advisers should probably have the same designation.
"Uhm. She actually agreed. She wanted to maintain our title as the Best High School Karuta players in Japan! Hehe. Isn't that great?" she replied, her eyes sparkling. Miyauchi-sensei was a revelation too. She wasn't very interested in Karuta before, not to mention she wasn't too supportive of them when they first started. But now she's actually taking lessons, and she's giving the club so much opportunities that he's starting to wonder if they would have time to make use of it, now that the exams and graduation are looming in the horizon.
"Yeah. That's really nice." He smiled.
"Taichi. Help me out, ne? Two heads will be better than one!" she piped, taking him aback. It was typical of her to ask him for help, and even though he wanted to, he knew he can't.
I'm going to London soon. He wanted to say, but he couldn't find the voice to say it. She can seek help from Arata though, because he'd be in Tokyo by then, but he didn't want to suggest it either.
"Your head is only half of mine. That's 1.5 for the both of us." was what he said, choosing not to answer instead.
"You mean brat!" she shot back. They continued their banter for a while until Chihaya fell asleep, with Taichi thinking of his dillema.
They arrived in Fukui 30 minutes later, and as they walked outside of the station, Chihaya stopped in front of a small vintage shop.
"Ah! Look Taichi! Kire¬!" she gushed as she bent to look on a necklace with a red pear-shaped crystal. The bell cap holding the gem as well as the chain looked like gold, and from the looks of it, it seemed expensive.
"Didn't know you like these things." he commented. Though he rarely see her in drab clothes thanks to her sister, she was not really the type who goes out shopping for anything girly. The only thing she can attribute as hers is her daddy bear clothes and fashion accessories.
"It's red...like the Tatsuta River. Ne?" she muttered, as she stood up while taking note of the name of the shop.
"Every single thing that you like has to have some kind of connection with Karuta does it?" he sighed. They walked towards Arata's house this time, because the first time they went there on a cab, it wasn't really that far from the station.
"We're here." Taichi announced after 20 minutes as they saw Arata's house. Chihaya was silent along the way, with occasional questions of random things. It was around noon, and he figured that Arata would be celebrating sometime in the afternoon so they would still have time to play a match with him.
"Arata!" Chihaya called embarrassingly as he pressed the doorbell. The door opened on the second bell, revealing their lanky, slender friend.
"Taichi! Chihaya! Welcome!" he greeted, his voice as deep as the ocean.
"Otanjoubi Omedetou." he greeted, faking a smile on his face. Arata smiled genuinely in return.
"Arigato-ne, Taichi." he replied. He welcomed them to his house which was still empty apart from her mother and who were cooking in the kitchen. They chatted for a while about their matches, their clubs, and their future plans. Taichi didn't say anything about him studying abroad, so he just told them that he took the entrance exam for Toudai. Arata told them that he took the test as well, and Taichi, knowing Arata, might actually pass it with flying colors. They played karuta after an hour, with Taichi doing the reading and the Arata and Chihaya playing against each other. He was only having difficulty looking at them. They were stealing glances once in a while, and Chihaya blushes every time their eyes meet.
As soon as their match finished, Arata's classmates, as well as the members of his Karuta Society came barging in. His guests were able to use up all the space in an instant, with more than 30 people in attendance. His mother was a good cook, serving Nabe, Yakitori, Karaage, some dishes with eel, Nasu Dengaku and many others. It was amazing how Yuu and Arata's mother were able to cook dozens of varieties with just the two of them.
When they were all full, Arata's father brought out some sake to be shared by the boys. It was nearing 8pm by this time, and Taichi knew they had to go home or they risk coming home on the wee hours of the night. He'd been chatting with Murao-san. The latter was pretty much fascinated with his play and they exchanged strategies that would help them in their games. He excused himself to check on Chihaya. It was only then that he noticed that the two were no where in sight.
"Arata, Happy Birthday" Chihaya said as she handed her gift to Arata. They were in his Ojii-chan's room. She whispered silently to him a few moments ago that she wanted to pay her respect, so she followed him in this room where they're currently seated. There weren't many furniture in the room, just a small altar with his grandpa's picture at the center.
"Th-thank you, Chihaya" Arata said, with a blush on his pale face.
"Open it!" she said, with a blush creeping up on her face too. He obliged, and carefully, he removed the packaging. A letter dropped from the package along with a Dark Blue shirt with the words "I AM" in front and "MEIJIN" at the back. Touched, he wore it with his shirt on.
"Thank you, this is the best gift I ever had." he said, a smile grazing his face. Chihaya smiled beautifully at him, and looked at the letter in his hand. He remembered how Chihaya would often write him letters more than speaking to him. She was often very shy with him, unlike when she's with Taichi. He opened the letter that contained 5 short lines:
Shinoburedo
Iro ni ide ni keri
Waga koi wa
Mono ya omou to
Hito no tou made.
[Though I would hide it,
In my face it still appears-
My fond, secret love.
And now he questions me:
"Is something bothering you?"] **
It was a poem in one of the Karuta cards. A poem about a love that cannot be concealed.
"Chihaya..." he whispered as he stared, dumfounded.
"I love you, Arata. I-I'm not really used to this but...thank you. For showing me what it means to dream. I wouldn't love Karuta if not for you." She confessed, her eyes on her hands that were gripping the hem of her trench coat.
She spent all night writing a letter that would convey her feelings to Arata, because if it didn't end up being very long-winded, it ended up so short that even she feels very unromantic. She was flipping her Karuta cards when the Taira no Kanemori card caught her eye. She wanted him to know how important he is to her, not just as a friend. She hated longing for him, wondering how he feels about her. At least once, she wanted him to know that her love for him and Karuta is one and the same .
Arata was at a loss for words. It was when she finally looked at him to see if he had heard that he mustered up the courage to say,
"I love you too... Thank you for bringing me back." he said, a lone tear escaping his eye. If Chihaya hadn't come to him a year ago, he wouldn't be able to redeem himself. But more importantly, he wouldn't be able to aspire for his dream again. He stretched out his arms, inviting her to his embrace. Chihaya, who was also crying, jumped into his arms. He felt so ruined when his grandfather died, but when Chihaya came back, his world began to rebuild itself once again. He never felt happier than now...
The two were so absorbed with each other that they failed to notice a silhouette leaving the adjacent room.
I'm going ahead. Tell her I had an emergency at home. I left Chihaya's ticket with your mom. Take care of her. Taichi texted on his phone as the train began to move. He heard everything. And though he wanted to sock his friend's face, he didn't want to ruin their moment, not in Arata's grandfather's room at least. The energy he had left him all of a sudden, and he just wanted to get away from there. He knew this would happen. And yet he still hoped against hope that it wouldn't.
His phone rang noisily but he refused to pick it up. He knew who it was, and he didn't want to hear her voice.
At least not tonight. He thought, as his tears flowed freely on his cheeks.
A/N: I originally wanted to squeeze the Queen/Meijin match in this chapter, but I figured it would take too long to write [which'll delay the upload of this chapter]. I hope you guys didn't get bored with this prelude though, because it's a gonna be a major time-jump and I didn't want to just state things as they are after 8 years without showing the state they were in before they parted ways with Taichi. Oh, in case you're wondering, the poem * was real. Had to search a love poem in all 100 poems of the Hyakunin Isshu that best depicts their story (Karuta players are unbelievable, really, memorizing all that stuff) Soooo. I hope you'll hang on for a few more chapters. The 8-year arc will be up in a bit. Just a matter of setting the tone and what-not.
Please review! Thank you! ^^