Rainbow - Episode 5 - Part 2
This fic is almost done! Maybe after the last part for this episode there will be only one more episode before it ends. That's if things don't look forced for episode six. Haha...
Anyway, here is the second part for Episode 5 and I hope that you all would like this. Things have changed a bit because Kazu has regained his memory, right? I don't want to give away what happens next so...douzo, onegasihimasu...
~~~~~
Rainbow
Episode 5
Part 2
Kazunari opened his eyes as he lay flat on his bed. It was a new day. For some reason, he felt like a different person even though he's supposed to feel like himself again. He did finally remember everything after all.
He sat up and recognized everything around him as his.
What now?, he thought. What happens now?
He had not thought of what he would do once he remembered everything. Back then he was just focused on actually remembering. And now that he has, he didn't know what to do next.
"Aaargh...." he moaned. "Mendoukusai..."
The clock on his side table read 7:00. Kazunari wondered what Sachiko was doing.
***
Sachiko ate some more rice from her plate. She was quietly eating at the table while her parents were eagerly talking about Kazunari's recovery.
Sachiko put more rice in her mouth so she didn't have to react to anything they said. She was happy that Kazunari finally remembered everything. She had been waiting for that day ever since he first woke up in the hospital. But that day seemed so far away now. Today was a new day. Things are sure to be different.
"Ohayou!"
Sachiko sat in attention upon hearing the voice.
"Kazu--nari?" she asked herself.
"Oi! Kazu-kun! Ohayou!" she heard her father say.
"Ohayou gozaimasu..." said Kazunari.
She heard her mother stand up to welcome Kazunari and she felt him stand behind her and hold her shoulders.
"Ohayou Saa-chan!" he said cheerfully.
"S-Saa-chan?" said Sachiko. "Since when did you start calling me that?"
Kazunari laughed and sat beside her on the table.
"Did you eat your breakfast already?" her mother asked Kazunari.
"Hai. I just wanted to visit Sachiko. I thought maybe I could wake her up."
Sachiko laughed with a snort.
"...but obviously she doesn't need waking up. Ne, Sachiko?" said Kazunari.
"Eh? Since when did I need you to wake me up?" she joked. "If I remember correctly, it's you who needs me to wake you up."
"Looks like the roles have switched then huh?"
Kazunari chuckled and took some rice from Sachiko's bowl. Sachiko didn't answer back and just continued eating breakfast. Something about what Kazunari said made her heart twitch but she was sure that Kazunari didn't mean anything bad by what he said.
"My best friend is back." she muttered.
***
"I feel weird..."
Kazunari and Sachiko were sitting on the sidewalk in front of Sachiko's house.
"Eh? Nande?"
"I just... You know, after I remembered everything...something felt weird..."
Kazunari looked at Sachiko who just listened and stared away at nothing.
"I mean, I am happy. But then...while I'm thinking about everything... It's just..."
"You're always thinking about everything." chuckled Sachiko.
"That's beside the point, Saa-chan!"
"There you go with the Saa-chan again..."
Kazunari sighed and looked across the street. He and Sachiko did not say anything for a while. He heard the ringing of the telephone inside of the Haera's house.
"So what happens now?" he finally asked.
"I..."
Kazunari looked at Sachiko and waited for her answer.
"I..." she chuckled. "I have no idea."
Kazunari laughed.
"I guess I was focused on just getting your memory back."
"Yeah... I didn't think there would be nothing to do after."
They both laughed again. Just then, Sachiko's mother came rushing outside.
"Sachiko!" she exclaimed.
Sachiko stood up slowly and had a puzzled look on her face.
"Okaasan?"
***
Kazunari glanced at Sachiko as they waited outside the doctor's office. He didn't think he'll find himself inside a hospital again so soon. He still felt the same way about hospitals, and he was sure that he would always dislike being inside one. He noticed Sachiko shifting uncomfortably on her seat.
“Daijobu?”
Sachiko smiled weakly and nodded.
"You’re lying.” He said matter-of-factly.
Sachiko bit her lip and breathed deeply.
"I’m scared.” She whispered.
***
It didn’t make any difference, but Sachiko closed her eyes as she listened to the doctor and her mother talking beside her. She heard Kazunari whisper again if she was alright but she didn’t answer. She didn’t know how she was feeling and a lot of things were running through her mind. The news she received was one that she was not ready to think about at the moment.
She was willing to just sulk in the reality that Kazunari was back now. She was willing to just figure out what she’ll do now that he could remember. That was all she could handle at the moment.
There is too much drama in my life right now… Is this even normal?
She sighed again. She had a feeling that Kazunari was going to ask him again if she was alright so she decided to answer before he could ask.
"I’m fine…” she whispered.
"Eh?” he said. “How did you-“
"Okaasan,” she interrupted. “Excuse me, Okaasan… Doctor… I’m feeling a bit light-headed. Can I please go out for some air?"
"I’ll uh…I’ll come with her.”
Sachiko took Kazunari’s hand and stood up without waiting for their reply.
"Sumimasen.” She bowed.
Her heartbeat slowly returned to its normal pace as they walked away from the doctor’s office. She hated having to lie just so she can get away, but she couldn’t stay inside the room for another minute. She and Kazunari walked silently along the corridor and it wasn’t long before she felt the sun in her face.
“Ah… It’s a nice day today, Saa-cha-Sachiko.” Kazunari told him, quick to correct how he addressed her. “I wish you could see the sky right now.”
Sachiko frowned.
"Ano… Are you-What’s wrong?"
"Kazu-kun…”
"Mm?”
"I don’t know if I can do this…”
"Eh?”
Sachiko remained silent for a while, her expression a mixture of worry and sadness.
"Do you think...do you think Okaasan will understand if I refuse to see again?”
***
It had been half an hour already and Sachiko was still silently sitting on the bench motionless. Kazunari asked her why she wanted to refuse the chance to see again but she would not answer him. Her expression remained the same and Kazunari was already getting tired of thinking about what is going on in her mind.
"Ne, Sachiko, all this thinking is giving me a headache.” He said. “Can’t you just tell me now what’s wrong? If this keeps up I might lose my memory again.”
He spotted a small smile on her lips so he decided to ask again.
"Saa… Daijobu desu ka?”
Sachiko shook her head gently.
"Nande?”
Sachiko smiled and tilted her head up.
"I can feel the sun in my face…” she said. “It’s shining brightly right now, isn’t it?”
"Hai.” He just answered. He wasn’t sure what she wanted to say.
"It’s been only a few weeks since we woke up from the accident, right?”
"Hai.”
She sighed and tilted her head back down.
"When I was waiting for you… I thought that time was going so slow… I wanted so much for you to have your memory back as soon as possible. I wanted to fast forward to the time when you already remember me…and everything else…”
Kazunari didn’t take his eyes of his friend.
"Now… Now I feel like… It’s going so fast…”
"What do you mean?”
"I feel like I’m being left behind Kazu… Everything is moving forward at a speed I can’t keep up with… “ she said with a soft chuckle. “I don’t know if I’m ready to have everything back to normal… I don’t know if I’m ready to see again… especially because there would be something that I won’t ever see anymore… Things would never be back to normal, you know?”
"Eeh…”
Kazunari slouched on the bench and sighed.
"Sachiko… don’t you think you’re thinking too much?” he said. “I think maybe we somehow got our personalities mixed up a bit because of the accident, ne?”
Sachiko laughed a little and Kazunari was glad that he was able to lighten the mood a bit. It was usually Sachiko’s job to do so.
"I have been thinking a lot lately, huh?” she agreed and smiled. But the morose expression on her face came back right away. “It’s just that…”
Kazunari noticed the trembling in her voice, and sure enough, he saw a tear slide down her face when he sat up to look at her.
"I don’t want to let her go yet…you know?” she smiled as tears fell from her eyes. “Seeing would only make me see with my own eyes that she’s gone. And it’s just so….”
Kazunari took Sachiko’s hand.
"Saa-chan…” he said in a steady, assuring voice. “Who says you have to let her go?”
***
The warmth of Kazunari’s hands enveloped hers. She sat quietly and waited for him to continue as she let his words sink in to her.
"You keep forgetting.” He said seriously. “I told you, I’m here. Akane is not here but I am. And Akane is with me too.”
Kazunari lifted her hand and Sachiko then realized that it was now against his chest. He was sitting very still and everything was very quiet that she can feel and almost hear his heartbeat.
"She is here. She is alive here.” He said. “And she’s in you too.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"She was always the tough one, right? She was always brave and strong. And at this time… when my strength and your strength doesn’t seem enough for you anymore…you can have hers… Now I have her strength….and you have it too.”
"Soo desu ka?” Sachiko sobbed.
"Hai! I’ll lend you my share of Akane’s strength too if you want! But of course I might need it back when we go inside a hospital.”
Sachiko chuckled as she wiped tears from her face.
"Akane’s strength… I like that…”
"With all the thinking you were doing, didn’t you figure that out?!”
"Well you were always the smart one.” She said.
"Oh yeah? Well-“ he paused. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that.”
Sachiko smiled warmly at her best friend.
“And you’re right about one other thing too…”
“Eh? What’s that?”
“Sometimes I do need you to wake me up.”
~~~~~
I haven't completely checked this one for errors so please pardon any typos and stuff. Although I did spell check it. XD
Oh and, Rache, I added a few lines at the end that you didn't get to read before. XD