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| "The Perfect Day" | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 31 2006, 04:33 AM (577 Views) | |
| RommieSG | Dec 31 2006, 04:33 AM Post #1 |
Brigade Leader
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I wrote this for a friend. It's sort of like a written anime. I've taken a few themes from a few series, but I think it turned out all right. The Perfect Day by Rommie The sun started shining through the window, and the warmth of the rays on my skin is what finally woke me up. On Sundays, I try to sleep in as much as I can. Especially after I’ve worked so hard at school. I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. I really need to clean off those pencil marks… “You’re open!!” Without warning my little sister came rushing through the door and leaped in the air, landing right on my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. “Big Brother, you’re never going to make Captain of the Kendo Team if you leave yourself open like that all the time.” Ritsuko sat on my stomach looking down on me, with her pigtails dangling on either side of her head. She had obviously been awake for some time now. “I don’t think I’ll have any problems unless my sister decides to join the match.” I rolled her off of me, and started to catch my breath. “It’s about time you woke up. You said you’d take me to the park today!” Her voice was all whiny and nasally. She always got like this when there was something she wanted. “I told you I’d take you last week, but you decided to ditch me and go somewhere with Midori.” Midori Katsuragi lives next door, and she’s the same age as Ritsuko. They’ve been friends since they were little and are in the same class in elementary school. “Yeah, but now I wanna go!” She was hopping up and down, trying to get me to see her way. “Not today Oni. I’m the one ditching you this week. I’m meeting Kaorin at the Station at twelve o’clock. We’re going to spend the day going through the town. Why don’t you go somewhere with Midori again?” Ritsuko was pouting. You could see the sparkles in her eyes as though she was going to try and cry. “Why are you always going somewhere with her? I’m prettier than she is!” I looked down at her, and grinned, “True, but you’re my sister, and she’s not. It’d look pretty funny if I took you on dates all the time.” I picked her up and spun her around, “Now hurry up and get out of here so I can get dressed. Why don’t you go bug Mom or something. Help her make breakfast.” Her eyes lit up. She always enjoyed helping Mom with things. Without a word she was out my door, and off to go help Mom. Something told me Mom was going to need help with Ritsuko eventually. I got dressed quickly, and made sure my hair didn’t look as though I’d been in a windstorm. Then I checked my wallet, and made sure I had enough money. I had plenty of 100 Yen coins, just in case she wanted to go to the arcade. I’ve always been pretty good at the claw machines, and usually come away with something cute to give her. She thinks it’s adorable when I bring home something for Ritsuko. I grabbed my jacket, and headed down the stairs. Ritsuko was helping Mom by putting the rice in the bowls. Dad was sitting there reading the paper. He had today off as well, and planned on relaxing. That is, if Mom didn’t have anything planned for him. I sat down, and Ritsuko brought me over a bowl of rice, and one for Dad. Mom sat down with hers and Ritsuko’s and Dad put away his paper. “Thanks for the food!” We all started diving in. You could tell that Ritsuko helped with the rice, cause it was a little on the salty side. If you couldn’t tell by the taste, you could tell by the look on Dad’s face. “So Kenshin? Going somewhere with Kaorin again today? That’s the second time this week, isn’t it?” I nodded, “Yeah, but the first time was for one of her club activities. I don’t think it really counts. I just helped her with some of the work for the festival next week.” ”That’s right, the School Festival is coming up. Dear, remember our last festival? Those girls from Class 3 and their little café?” Mom seemed almost whimsical when she thought about it. “How could I forget it? That little one that wore the penguin costume? You couldn’t forget that if you tried. I don’t think anyone Jindai High will ever forget that Festival.” You could tell that Dad was trying to hide a smile. What I wouldn’t give to find a picture from that festival. “Her Father is a doctor at Tokyo General, isn’t he? What does her Mother do?” They’d never asked me about her like this before, “Her Mother is a teacher at an Elementary school in Shibuya District.” There was an awkward silence as we continued to eat breakfast. Ritsuko seemed to be the only one showing any signs of life as she was trying to eat her rice. She still wasn’t too good with chopsticks yet. “What’s with all the questions, Dad? Is there something wrong with my seeing her?” Mom and Dad looked at each other before he turned his attention to me. “Son, you’re in Second Year of High School. Next year are entrance exams. You’re going to be spending all your time studying for them.” I scoffed, “You say that as if I don’t already know it. It’s only a few months away and I’ll be a Third Year. But what does that have anything to do with it?” I could tell he seemed to be struggling for the words. “Maybe you should put things off with Kaorin until after High School. When you’re in College, you’ll have more time, and not as much to worry about. You’ve got your whole future ahead of you. I’d hate to see you screw it up before it got started.” Mom picked up the dishes that were finished with, and took them into the kitchen, leaving me with Dad and Ritsuko, who didn’t have a clue what was going on as she kept fiddling with her chopsticks. “How could you say something like that? You’ve met her, you’ve seen what a wonderful girl she is. You even complimented her on her manners.” ”That’s besides the point!” Dad restrained himself. He didn’t mean to raise his voice. “Son, I’m trying to think about your future here. Just…put off having a relationship until after High School. Then you’ll have plenty of time to be with one another.” I stood up from the table, and grabbed my jacket, “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. You’re just afraid I’ll turn out like you. Well don’t worry. That’s not going to happen.” I stormed away leaving Ritsuko looking confused, and Dad looking helpless. I slipped on my shoes at the door, and left. I’d be a little early to the Station, but at least I’d be out of there. “Arima, did you have to say that to him? What’s so wrong about him and Kaorin being together?” Arima pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, “He’s right…I don’t want him to turn out like I did. He’s got so much potential. I just don’t want him to lose that chance.” Yukino sat down in the chair next to her Husband, and put her hand on his, “Just because you couldn’t go to University doesn’t mean that you are any less of a man for it. I wouldn’t have married you, if that were so. Your Father needed you, and that is more honorable than anything.” She looked over at Ritsuko and smiled, “Hon, why don’t you go over to Midori’s and see if she wants to play. Your Father and I have some things to do.” Ritsuko nodded, “Okay, Mommy. Can I have some money to go to the movies?” Yukino nodded, “Okay hon. There’s a 1000 Yen bill in my purse. That should get you some Popcorn if you want it.” Ritsuko’s face lit up and she was gone in the blink of an eye. Arima and Yukino had some things they needed to discuss. I did arrive at the Station early, and found a bench nearby to wait for Kaorin. After a while of sitting, I leaned forward and held my head in my hands. Somehow this made me feel more comfortable when I was thinking. Maybe it’s to keep my head from falling off. I couldn’t have been sitting like that for more than a couple minutes before a pair of shoes walked into my vision. I followed them up to the socks that went just above the knee, right up to the mini-skirt, up to the violet blouse, to the smiling face of Kaorin. The twinkle in her eyes could outshine the clearest of nights. “Afraid your head is going to fall off again? We really need to invest in some duct tape.” I couldn’t help but smile at her. She looked bewildered at her watch. “Am I late again? I just got a new battery in this watch.” I shook my head, “No, it’s me who’s here early. I had to get out of the house, so I decided to beat you here for once.” Kaorin’s face looked concerned, “Is everything okay? You wanna talk about it?” I shook my head again, “Nah, it’s nothing. Hey, we might actually make the movie on time for once. Ready to go?” She nearly picked me up and then wrapped herself around my arm. “Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting to see this one since it came out! Let’s go!” She seemed excited, but we took things slow as we made our way to the theater. Running through Shibuya wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do, with so many people around. And I certainly didn’t want her getting hurt. She kept glancing in the shop windows as we passed them by. The Spring fashions were beginning to go out of style, and she was eyeing all the things that were on sale. I did my best to keep steering her away from them, but she kept finding them. We got to the theater and I paid for the tickets. There aren’t many girls out there that like action movies, but Kaorin loved them. She saw Tokyo Raiders a couple of years ago and was literally jumping for joy when she heard that Seoul Raiders was coming out. How could I say no? I got us the big tub of popcorn, since I didn’t eat much. We found the perfect spot in the middle of the theater. Not too many people were here today, which was surprising. Sunday is usually pretty crowded. I could hear some kids giggling behind us, but paid more attention to Kaorin. The lights went down and the movie started. It was cool to see Tony Leung as that secret-agent again. He was pretty good in the first one. But as in the first movie, there were also bits of drama in it. There was one part in the movie where the guy and girl were getting close. When this happened, Kaorin looked into my eyes and I looked into hers. Without thinking we started moving closer to one another, and were stopped when out of the back of the theater I heard that all too familiar voice. “Ewww, they’re kissing. That is so gross!” If my eyes could roll back up into my head any more, I’d be looking out the back of my head. I looked back to where the voice was coming from, and sure enough it was Ritsuko with her friend Midori. She wasn’t even looking at me, she was looking at the screen. But when she noticed me, she gasped. “Big brother! I didn’t know you were here!” A little aggravated, I gritted my teeth, “Why you little Oni!” The next thing I knew, we were all being escorted out by the ushers. I found myself apologizing to the staff, and then we all left together. “I’m sorry, Kaorin. I’ll get you the DVD when it comes out.” Ritsuko looked oblivious, “What did I do?” I glared at her, but Kaorin started laughing, “You two fight like cats and dogs.” I shook my head, and then turned back to Ritsuko, “Okay, you two head on home. I won’t tell Mom you got us kicked out of the theater…..again!” Ritsuko looked shocked, “That wasn’t my fault! You wouldn’t buy me anymore popcorn!” I slapped my forehead, “You see what I have to deal with everyday?” Kaorin couldn’t stop smiling. She knelt down next to Ritsuko and handed her the tub of popcorn, “Here, this should make up for last time. Now why don’t you two head back home, and someday we’ll go to the movies and I’ll get you your own big tub of popcorn. How does that sound?” Her little eyes lit up, and she threw her arms around Kaorin, spilling a bit of the popcorn. “Okay, but don’t forget! You promised!” Kaorin gave her the V sign with her hand, and grinned, “I promise.” Ritsuko took Midori by the hand and started dragging her along, “Come on Midori, I hear your Mom calling us.” Midori was more confused than anyone, “What? I don’t hear anything. Ritsuko….” I folded my arms and shook my head, “You know you’re just encouraging her, don’t you? You’re going to be like putty in her hands if you don’t be careful.” She smirked, “It worked, didn’t it? And I think I can live through a Magical Domiko movie.” I couldn’t help but laugh, “Good luck, cause I couldn’t.” She threw her arms up in surrender and then wrapped them around mine. “Come on, let’s just go to the arcade so you can win me something.” As if I didn’t see that one coming, we headed towards the arcade. It wasn’t too far away, so I didn’t have to pull her away from too many shop windows. Once we got there, I could see why there wasn’t anyone at the theater. They seemed to all be here playing games. There must have been some new fighting game that came out, because that’s where everyone seemed to be gathering. Kaorin pulled me over to one of the claw machines, and pointed at a stuffed cat. “Don’t you think that one looks just like Kumiko?” She had an Abyssinian Cat who’s name was Kumiko. He didn’t pay anyone any attention unless he wanted it. But she was right, it looked a lot like him. I put 100 yen into the machine, and started doing what I could to get it for her. The claw seemed to be slipping, and not grabbing anything today. Three coins, and I still hadn’t made any headway on freeing the little guy. Kaorin’s smile was starting to fade, and I was starting to run out of coins. I looked at the coin in my hand, and hesitated before I put it in the slot. This one for sure! The coin fell into the slot and the claw started moving. I set it right above the little guy, closed my eyes, and hit the button. I wasn’t going to open my eyes until I heard a sound from Kaorin. “Oh!!” The sound came, I opened my eyes, and it wasn’t one, but two little stuffed kitties hanging from the claw. My jaw hung open as I watched the claw carry them across the machine, and drop them in the hole. I was still in shock, as she picked them up out of the return slot. The smile had returned to her face, as she held the kitties in her hands. She took the second cat, a little black and white one, and held it out towards me. “Here, take this one home to Ritsuko.” I took the cat, and couldn’t help but chuckle, “You know, you spoil her more than her own Brother does?” She playfully punched me in the arm…that was her intention anyhow. She doesn’t know her own strength. “And what does that tell you?” I shrugged my shoulders, “That I don’t have to try as hard?” This time the punch wasn’t quite so playful, “Hey now!!” It was getting to be late afternoon, so I decided to take Kaorin for something to eat. We walked down a ways to Anna Miller’s. Despite the occasional Otaku in the corner drooling at the waitresses, the food was good and it was a relaxing place to eat. The waitress greeted us and sat us at a table near a window overlooking the street. There wasn’t much traffic today. It was such a beautiful day, that many people decided it was better to walk than drive. “So are you going to tell me what’s up with you, or are you going to stare into space all day long?” I must have been spaced out again, as her question came out of the blue. “It shows that much, does it?” Kaorin nodded, “Ever since I came up to you with your head in your hands earlier. Something happened, and it’s bothering you.” I looked into her eyes, and all my walls came down. Defeated, I decided to talk. “It’s my Dad. He doesn’t think that I should be seeing you, and spending so much time with you. That High School isn’t the time for relationships, what with entrance exams coming up. I’d be better off waiting until I go off to University.” Kaorin’s eyes got wide. If they were any wider, she’d look like one of those anime characters. “It’s funny that you say that, actually. My parents recently started saying the same thing.” Now I’m the one who probably looks like an anime character. “What did you tell them?” She shrugged her shoulders, “I basically didn’t listen to them and shrugged them off. I just kept smiling and nodding.” The waitress came by and brought our orders, we thanked her and I just stared at the plate, not wanting to even pick up my fork. “My encounter wasn’t as pleasant this morning. You see, he and my Mom got together during High School as well. I think there’s a part of him that wonders if he would have gotten further in his life, had he waited.” Kaorin was picking at her parfait. “I think my parents are worried about my image. That it doesn’t look good to have a relationship so early in life instead of concentrating on my studies, and trying to get into a good University. They probably want me to follow in their footsteps, like Hospital administration or something.” I looked up from my plate, “What is it that you want to do?” She looked out the window as a cloud rolled past the sun. “I want to go to a Veterinary School, and help sick animals. There are so many animals that die needlessly out there, because they weren’t given the proper care. I want to help them.” I couldn’t help but smile, “Have you told your parents this?” She shook her head, “No, not yet. They’re still trying to steer me towards administration.” I nodded, “Maybe that’s what our problem is. We don’t stand up and tell them what it is that we want to do, so they figure that can tell us what we’re going to do.” She turned from the window, and looked into my eyes, “It can’t be that simple. Do you really think they’re just going to listen to us?” I fiddled around with the food on my plate, “Maybe not right away, but if we start letting them know what it is that we want, what it is that we want to do, then maybe they’ll start listening to us. And by the time that Entrance Exams do come around, and it’s time to apply to the schools that we want, we’ll be able to tell which ones.” Kaorin dipped her spoon into her parfait, and finally took a bite. She then looked up, and a smile slowly formed on her lips. “Why can’t you be determined like this more often?” My face turned red, and I started scratching the back of my head, “Well I do have my moments, albeit brief ones.” We shared a chuckle, and then started eating our meals. I paid for the meal, leaving the waitress a pretty generous tip, and then we headed out the door. “It’s going to be sunset soon. Let’s head over to the park and watch.” Kaorin smiled as she clung to my arm, and we headed for the park near our homes. We went down the path, and watched the people around as we walked by. A group of children were jumping rope over in the playground. An older couple were throwing bread crumbs for the birds near the pond. We sat down on a bench underneath one of the Cherry Blossom trees facing the sun as it slowly began to set. She leaned into me, and rested her head on my shoulder. “Kenshin, does life get any easier?” I contemplated for a moment. I watched the sun as it was slowly making it’s descent towards Mt. Haruna. “If life was easy all the time, then it really wouldn’t be living, would it? Oh sure, we have those days where everything seems to just fall into place, but I like to think of those as rewards for doing our best.” She snuggled up closer to me after I said that. “You’re right. You do have your moments.” We shared a smile, and held each other as the sun slowly dipped behind Mt. Haruna, and the soft pink glow lit up the outlying clouds. “Come on, we’d better get you home before it gets dark.” The park wasn’t too far from where we lived, so the walk wasn’t that long. We made our way up the walk and stopped in front of her door. “Thank you, Kenshin. I always have a wonderful time when I’m with you. Even when your sister throws a monkey wrench in the works.” “Well, she’s a little monkey, so it suits her.” We both chuckled, and then looked into each other’s eyes. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow. We’ve got that quiz on the Meiji era in fourth period.” She came forward, got up on her tippy-toes, and kissed me. She probably thought I was rambling…was I rambling? What was I talking about? I couldn’t remember anymore. All I could think about was kissing Kaorin. The kiss seemed like it lasted forever, but it was over before it started. “Kaorin, I…” She placed a finger over my lips to stop me, “Call me Kaori. And just remember that Kenshin Himura was a fictional character, and you’ll do fine on the quiz. I’ll see you in the morning on the way to school.” For once I was speechless. All I could do was put a hand up and wave as she walked inside her house. I stood there for a moment before I shook myself out of my stupor and made my way back down the walk. “Rurouni Kenshin rocked……” The walk home didn’t seem all that long. Probably because I had my mind on other things. ‘Call me Kaori,’ she said. That’s really something. My thoughts came to a halt as I stood outside my front door. I left in a pretty big huff, so I might not get so warm a welcome. I opened the door, and took my shoes off, leaving them in my cubby hole. I walked past the living room, and caught the eye of Dad, who was sitting there with a box in front of him. “Welcome home, son. Come in here, please.” I don’t know which is worse. A gruff huff and puff greeting, or an eerily calm one. I came in and sat down next to him, and he handed me a photo. It was a picture of a girl being pushed on a swing by some guy. They were both smiling for the camera. “They looked good together.” Dad nodded, “That’s your Mother and I, Son.” I had never seen any pictures of my parents when they were in school. They looked so young. They couldn’t have been more than first or second year students in this one. Dad pulled off his glasses, “Son, your Mother and I met in First Year. We were at the top of our class. But the closer we got to each other, the lower our grades got. Oh, we were smart enough to keep them at passing levels, but we were always second guessed. We were always being questioned about how our performance was dropping. But we didn’t care. All we thought about was being with each other. And I’m glad to say that we have been together for almost twenty-five years now.” He let out a huge sigh, “And I guess I turned into those second guessers. I didn’t want you to be asking yourself ‘what if’ twenty years later.” I smiled, slightly, “I know Dad. But I need to be the one to make that decision. If it’s a mistake, then it’s my mistake to make. But I don’t think this is a mistake. And I don’t think that you think you made a mistake either.” He returned the smile, “No, I love your Mother very much, and I wouldn’t do a thing differently. I guess my insecurity just got the better of me, and it came out at you this morning. For that, I’m sorry.” I couldn’t help but stare at the picture of Mom and Dad from when they were in High School. Did they do the same kinds of things that Kaori and I do? Did they go for walks in the park. What did their parents think about them being together? “You and Kaorin remind me a little of your Mother and I. So I want you to do what makes you happy. And if your grades slip, I’m going to ride your ass. But I won’t put the blame on Kaorin.” I smiled, and handed the picture back to him. “Thanks Dad, that’s exactly what I needed to hear.” He patted me on the shoulder, and smiled, “Get some rest son, you have a busy day at school tomorrow. That test on the Meiji era I think.” I nodded, “Yeah, it’s a big one.” He chuckled, “Just remember that Kenshin Himura was a fictional character, and you’ll do fine.” I shook my head, “Everyone keeps telling me that. At least there really was a Shinsengumi. I’ll nail that one.” We shared a laugh, said good night, and I went down the hallway to my room. I made a stop along the way at Ritsuko’s room. She was already fast asleep. Heaven Forbid the time when she starts being able to stay up late. Then none of us are going to get any sleep. I pulled the little kitten that Kaori told me to give to her, and tucked it under her arm. She stirred a little, and hugged the kitty to her body. Only in her sleep can she be this cute. I closed the door gently and then went on to my room. I got changed, brushed my teeth, and made sure I had everything ready for school in the morning, when my phone rang. There’s not many people who would call me this late, but I picked up the phone. “Hello?” “Hey Kenshin, it’s me. Kaori. How did things go with your Dad?” I laid back on my bed and let out a sigh, “Surprisingly well. I found out that my parents met each other in First Year of High School, and have been together ever since. And that he was afraid that our relationship would hurt our chances at succeeding in life. Pretty much what we thought at the restaurant.” Her tone softened, “Oh…I see…” “But he said that if being with you is what makes me happy. Then that’s all that matters. And if my grades slip, he’s going to kick my ass. But he’s not going to blame it on the relationship.” I could hear a faint chuckle, “That’s funny, because I pretty much had the same conversation with my parents when I got home. Though they didn’t show me any pictures.” I shared in the chuckle, “You should have seen them. They looked so…happy.” There was a long pause before either of us spoke again. Kaori broke the silence, “So I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” “I’ll be there. Ready for that test or not, I’ll be there.” “Good….Kenshin?” “Yes?” “I love you.” I couldn’t help but smile. And it wasn’t just any smile. It was the warmest smile I’ve ever had. “I love you too. Good night, Kaori.” “Good night.” We hung up, and I put the phone back on the receiver. I stared up at the ceiling for a little while, thinking back on the day. It had started on such a sour note, but in the end it turned out to be the perfect day. A day, that I’ll never forget as long as I live. I slipped under the covers and put the pillow over my head…it’s a comfort thing…and dreamed about the future. A future with Kaori and I together. The End |
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