Childhood Part III – Wounded Crane – Start
"Man! I can't believe we are already going back to school!" Komaru yells while throwing herself at Chiaki's pink bed. "Our break barely started!"
A 12-year old Makoto laughs. "C'mon Komaru, it's not like that." He adjusts his Zii controller on his hand. "We even gone to the beach this break!"
Komaru rolls and messes Chiaki's already messy bed even more. "I know!" She pouts. "And it was AWESOME!"
"Was it really that fun?" Chiaki, asks already pressing the start button on the racing game they are about to play. "I've never gone to the beach… I think."
Komaru jumps out of the bed and smiles widely. "Heck yeah it was!" Her eyes glisten with excitement. "The sea is so much cooler when you see it in person!" She then grasp her hands and whines. "Why did we have to leave so soon?"
"Exactly because classes are back tomorrow." Makoto says as the race starts, the mauve-haired girl getting the lead almost immediately. "I mean, I'm kinda excited to be back." The brunette says, trying to not be hit by a green turtle shell. "Hino-kun said that he found something really cool back at school."
"Really? What was it?" Komaru asks sitting down on the floor by her brother's side.
"I don't know. He is going to show it to me tomorrow." The brunette replies as his character gets hit by a stray turtle shell.
Chiaki just observes the two siblings and smiles to herself. Two years ago she couldn't imagine that she would have people over by her room to play with her.
After some more races and the trio talking in between themselves, Higashi knocks on the door.
"Hey Makoto-kun, Komaru-chan, is already time for you to go home." The man announces and Komaru growls.
"Already? Man time sure flies." She says getting up.
"Indeed it does." The man enters the room with both of his hands behind his back. "But before we go, I have a present for you children." He then pulls his hands from behind, revealing three presents.
"Really? Thanks!" Komaru doesn't wait a second and already runs towards the present with her name.
Makoto and Chiaki both pick theirs up, a lot more calmly then the younger Naegi. "You didn't need to, Nanami-san." The brunette says looking at the present in his hands.
"Don't sweat it." The mauve-haired man smiles kindly. "You children deserve it."
"Oh my Gosh!" Komaru yells after ripping her present apart. "IT'S SO CUTE!" She gets up and turns around, showing them a beautiful sundress with sunflower patterns.
"Ahem!" Makoto falsely coughs and the younger Naegi laughs awkwardly while scratching the back of her head.
"Oh yeah." She then bows and says. "Thank you so much Nanami-san!"
"It's nothing." He replies before turning towards the other two. "Go on you two, open it up." He smiles.
Nodding, the two older children open their presents.
Chiaki gained a black and pink cat themed hoodie. "Wow, it's so cool… I think!" She says smiling to her father. "Thank you very much Otou-san!"
Makoto also gained a hoodie, but his is green, with the drawing of a red gas mask on the back.
"What do you think Makoto-kun?" Higashi asks while watching the boy look the hoodie up and down. "When I saw it at the store, It just reminded me of you."
Makoto smiles brightly. "I loved it!" He says already taking his old hoodie off.
Komaru rolls her eyes. "Yeah, of course you did." She then smirks. "I still don't understand your love for those things."
Makoto puts on his new hoodie and smiles before turning to his sister and showing his tongue. "You wouldn't get it!"
He then walked up to the mirror in Chiaki's room and looked at himself in it.
It just felt right.
The next morning, the siblings dressed up for school, Makoto with his new favorite hoodie and Komaru with her school uniform.
As the two got down to eat their breakfast, the sound of the television echoed throughout the house.
"-and it has been confirmed the identity of the mysterious buyer that acquired the land surrounding the prestigious Hope's Peak Academy." The journalist announces as the children hop onto the table. "It still unknown why newly appointed president of the Towa Company, Towa Haiji, brought the land and what it will be used for. It's speculated that it is for a project in collaboration with Hope's Peak." The woman than changes the papers she's reading. "On other news, the battle for the position of chairman on the Togami company has begun, all bets are on the youngest daughter, Byakuya to take the lead and become the true heiress of the company-"
Daisuke sips from his tea and comments. "Excited for today kids?" Makoto nods positively while Komaru nods negatively. "Haha, is that so?" He laughs. "Why are you not excited Komaru?"
"I don't want to do homework!" The younger Naegi cries. "I also really wanted to go back to the beach already!"
Honoka walks into the kitchen and sits down by her husband's side. "Maybe next year Komaru-chan." She then sips a bit of her tea, before continuing. "We can even bring Chiaki-chan if her parents allow it."
Komaru pouts. "Ahhh, now you're making me want to go even more!" She yells anxiously and the other members of the family laugh.
After the breakfast was over, the siblings picked up their backpacks and walked out of the house, waving to their parents before going their separate directions.
Makoto yawned while putting his head on the desk.
"I swear Naegi-kun! Those medals are talking to me!" The brunette's friends, named Hino Eiji, said pointing to some strange medals he found on the school grounds.
"Are you sure you just didn't eat too much fish?" Makoto looks up and the other boy laughs awkwardly. "Last time you said something like that I found you almost passed out for eating too much-"
"T-That is another story!" The black-haired boy interrupts. He then puts the medals back in his pockets. "But anyways, how's your break been?" Now sitting back on his desk, Eiji asks.
"Nothing that interesting." Makoto replies adjusting himself on his chair and stretching. "We've gone to the beach." The brunette then looks at the window on his side. "It was pretty fun, the melons there are deli-" The older Naegi stops talking as he sees something falling down by the pool. "What was that?" The boy asks.
Hino shakes his head in confusion. "What was what?"
"Something fell down by the pool!" Makoto said and the other boy looked at the window.
"I don't see anything from here." The black-haired boy comments looking outside the window.
The brunette gets up and also looks outside. "I swear I saw something!" He then turns around and walks towards the door. "I'm going there to see what was it."
"Are you sure?" Hino asks looking at the clock on the wall. "Lunch is almost over."
Makoto turns to him and smiles. "It's okay! I'll be quick!" With that, the brunette runs off, leaving his sighing friend behind.
Under a cherry blossom tree by the courtyard, a group of three girls the same age as Makoto, are excitedly talking.
"The audition is this Thursday isn't it Sayaka-chan?" A girl with long black hair in two pigtails says as she slurps on a juice box. "Otou-san can drive us in."
A blue haired girl with porcelain white skin replies. "That's great!" Her sweet voice fittingly matching with her almost doll-like appearance. "This time we're going to get it!"
"I sure hope so." The black-haired one replies. "It's already our third try." She stretches. "And those dancing practices are killing me."
"But say Sayaka-chan?" A red haired girl then turns to the blue-haired one. "Do you really don't want to say anything to your dad?"
Sayaka nods. "He's already busy with work." She looks down and smiles sadly. "I don't want to be even more of a bother."
"I'm pretty sure he would be happy to help us out." The redhead continues, not noticing the sad look on Sayaka's face. "Right Ayaka-chan?"
The pigtailed girl rolls her eyes. "Shut up Haruka-chan." Ayaka looks at the redhead. "Learn to read the room."
"B-But we are outside!" Haruka protests, making the other girl facepalm.
"It's a expression you moron!" As the two girls start arguing, Sayaka's attention falls onto something else.
The blue-haired girl sees something falling by the pool. "What was that?" She asks, gaining the attention of the other two girls back.
"What?" Ayaka turns around and looks towards the pool. "What are you talking about?"
Sayaka points towards the pool. "I think something fell in there!"
Haruka shrieks. "It's probably a dead bird!" She shakes herself. "Gross!"
"Why do you think that?" The blue-haired girl turns to her redhead friend.
"It happened before." The redhead replies, shuddering. "A classmate of ours was the one who found it."
"It was really awful." Ayaka finishes looking back to Sayaka, who is now standing. "Huh? Where are you going?" She asks as the blue-haired girl starts running.
"It might still be alive! I'm going to check on it!" Sayaka says while running towards the pool.
"Of course she would!" Ayaka sarcastically exclaims, already getting up. "Come on, get your ass up!" She turns towards the redhead and orders.
"Okie-Dokie!" Haruka happily obeys as the two fallow the blue-haired girl.
Makoto enters the pool area and looks around. It doesn't take too long for him to see what had fallen.
A wounded crane.
It was hurled under one of the benches, its weak body was hurt pretty badly.
Makoto rushes toward it and picks the bird up. "That looks horrible!" The boy says looking at the damaged wings.
He looks around, trying to find anything that can be used to wrap around the flying creature. His eyes landing on one of the towels thrown around.
"What should I do?" Makoto asks himself as he carefully wraps the crane on the towel. "Maybe Hanaoka-sensei can help!" He smiles hopefully and starts running back to the school.
Sayaka stopped just outside the grades that separated the pool from the rest of the school, she was about to make her way inside when a figure walked in first.
It was a boy just around her age, he didn't have any interesting features outside of his hoodie and a strand of hair going up.
Still, Sayaka stopped and observed.
The boy looked around, trying to find anything, after some seconds, his expression turns to one of surprised and worry in quick succession.
He kneels down close to one of the benches and carefully grabs something. While Sayaka couldn't see very well what it was, she could at least make out the fact that it was some sort of creature.
Probably a bird, like her friends said.
The boy looks around again, this time picking up a towel and wrapping it around the bird.
By this time, Sayaka's friends get closer. "Damn girl, you're fast!" Ayaka says while regaining her breath.
"Shh!" The blue-haired girl turns to her friend and puts a finger over her mouth. "Look!" She then turns back to the pool.
Haruka and Ayaka look at the hoodie-wearing boy holding the bird and looking around unsure of what to do.
"Oh, so it was a bird!" The redhead whispers.
"Ew!" Ayaka whispers disgusted. "Why is he holding a dead bird?"
Sayaka shakes her head. "I don't think it's dead." She then turns to her friends. "I think it's just hurt."
The pigtailed girl looks back to the uncertain boy. "Still gross."
The boy then starts running back to the school, bird still on hands.
"And there he goes." Says Haruka as she watches the boy disappear inside the school. "Where do you think he is going?" She asks putting a finger on her cheek.
"Hopefully nowhere near our class." Ayaka gets up. "Speaking of which, shouldn't we get back?" She crosses her arms. "Lunch is almost over."
"I'm still kinda curious about that poor bird." The blue-haired girl says, gaining the attention of her two friends.
The pigtailed one growls. "Are you serious Sayaka-chan?" The other girl nods. "It's just a damn bird! It'll probably be dead by tomorrow anyway."
Haruka shakes her head. "That's a terrible thing to say Ayaka-chan!" She then turns to Sayaka. "But we really do need to get back to class."
Sayaka shakes her head. "I'll be there in a second!" She then starts running towards the school. "I just need to check out one thing!" She yells, soon disappearing in the school.
"Sayaka-chan!" The black-haired girl yells before sighing. "That girl!" She then huffs and turns around. "Let's get back to class Haruka-chan!" Ayaka walks away as the redhead looks unsure, before fallowing the pigtailed girl.
Makoto quickly brought the wounded bird to the infirmary. "Hanaoka-sensei!"
A old lady wearing a white coat turns around with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. "Naegi-kun! What brings you here toda-" She opens her eyes and sees the boy holding something on a towel. "Oh, what is that?"
The brunette pulls the towel slightly to the side and shows the old nurse what is inside. "Can you help it?"
The woman must certainly wasn't expecting a crane. "Wha-!?" She says walking slightly back. "Where did you find that?"
"It fell down by the pool." Makoto replies as the woman picks the crane up and carefully examines it. "You're a nurse, can you do anything?"
The old woman sighs. "I can help you bandage its wings." Hanaoka gives the bird back to the boy and starts looking for bandages.
"Thanks!" The brunette replies with a smile.
Sayaka stops just outside the infirmary door, she can hear Hanaoka-sensei's voice talking with someone.
'I'm no veterinarian Naegi-kun.' The woman says tiredly. 'But the crane is clearly on its last legs.'
So it was a crane.
Another voice, presumably from the boy she saw, says. 'B-But!'
The old nurse sighs. 'Look Naegi-kun. Just throw it away in a place where it can die in peace.' Then silence, until the woman sighs again. 'Fine! You can use the chicken coop to take care of it, but if it dies, you're the one that will pick up the body.'
The boy's voice says excited. 'Really? Thank you so much Hanaoka-sensei!'
The old woman laughs. 'It'll be our little secret.' With that the door is flung open, thankfully Sayaka had gone out of the way.
The hoodie-wearing boy runs past her and towards the backyard of the school.
The old nurse comes out of the door just a second after. "That boy." She says with a small smile on her face. "Oh, Maizono-chan?" Hanaoka notices the little blue-haired girl looking towards where Makoto went.
"Hi Hanaoka-sensei!" The girl bows respectfully before asking. "Who was that boy?"
The old lady smiles softly. "That's Naegi Makoto-kun from 7-A." She then shakes her head. "Precious little guy that one." Hanaoka turns her gaze towards where the boy went. "Now he wants to save a dying bird-" The woman continues talking, but Sayaka had already stopped listening.
'Naegi Makoto.' She says putting a hand over her chest.
The school-bell echoes through the corridor. "-Oh." Hanaoka stops talking and turns towards Sayaka. "Classes are going to start soon, you should hurry up back to your classroom." With a wave, the old woman gets back to the infirmary and closes the door.
The blue-haired girl smiles to herself. ' Do your best, crane-san!' She then goes on the opposite direction to where he had gone.
When saw that wounded bird, my heart wrenched.
It looked so afraid, so lonely, so…
Hopeless.
I just had to help it, even if the chance of it surviving was less than half, I just knew I had to try.
And even if I didn't knew at the time, someone else had taken a interest on that crane.
Childhood Part III – Wounded Crane – End
Here I'm, back with another chapter.
I mean, we all knew that Makoto was going to meet Sayaka, I just added the presence of two other people, those being two of Sayaka's bandmates.
Which lead me to a special thanks to "Vergilsama922" for letting me use his fan-name for Aichi Haruka, the red-haired one bandmate.
I'll also be using his "Hope Universe" names and talents for some characters that didn't have that in canon, like the student council for example.
So, I reccomend you'll to check his tumblr out!
Anyways, see ya'll around!