[Mekakuni] fic: Memories of the Future ch.18
Good thing there are deadlines, or else this fic wouldn't have gone anywhere!
Memories of the Future
A Namiki-centric fic for 30_kisses.
Disclaimer: Mekakushi no Kuni belongs to Tsukuba Sakura. I'm making no profit from writing this piece of fanwork.
archive: lj | ffnet
word count: ~1800
--chapter 18: invincible, unrivaled---
Masahiro glanced forlornly at his watch as he settled down in the library with his group members. He was going to miss another lunchtime with Arou and Kanade. There went his chance of running into Kaichou too. He rarely saw her outside of those lunches. Lately, whenever he was at the school, Kaichou would always be busy with the student council. He already saw Christmas decorations up about the school most likely thanks to her. The time right after classes resumed and the time right before classes stopped for the holidays seemed to be her busiest times.
Maybe it was time to bring Marota on another walk around the area before the weather got too cold. Who knew who he would run into?
His classes were piling him with more and more projects that even someone like he who understood things the first time around had a difficult time dealing with them. After his first venture into his college dining halls, Masahiro found himself frequenting them a lot more often given how much time he had to spend on campus, but the food always paled in comparison with Arou's cooking.
When his classmate's book fell, Masahiro bent to grab the book, his hand brushing against the other boy's. Instantly, Masahiro saw that this meeting of theirs was going to take them well into the afternoon. He sighed inwardly and prepared himself for a long day.
On his way home, Masahiro rubbed his hands together, blowing on them to warm them up. The weather had changed drastically in the past week. He considered buying a pair of gloves, but wearing them would make him too conspicuous when he wanted to see the future. Taking his gloves off would alert people that he was doing something, even if they didn't know anything about his power. Gloves didn't completely block his power, as he'd discovered that one time his mother had clothed him from head to toe, hoping to put a stop to his freakish power. She had held his gloved hand without trembling as much as usual. He accepted her lead, naively thinking that perhaps things would work out.
He was immediately sorry that he could still see the future. It just took more concentration than usual.
He wished he hadn't seen her reaction.
Going without gloves was simply easier despite the cold. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, doing his best to keep them from becoming frozen. He wasn't dressed for the weather at all. He wondered if gloves would make a good present for Arou. The other boy's birthday was coming up soon. Gloves would do nothing to stop Arou's power--his was way stronger than Masahiro's--so Arou could still wear them even when he wanted to see. Arou wouldn't have much use for normal gloves. He tended to his fields even during winter, but some new work gloves might come in handy.
With that in mind, Masahiro went to search for a gift for Arou, a simple thanks for the unassuming friendship they shared. Masahiro couldn't have asked for better friends. He had stopped giving gifts altogether ever since he had failed to bring a smile to his mother's face with that damn brooch, but his friends abolished his inhibitions altogether. What was there to be wary of when your friends smiled so brightly at you and laughed with you when you presented them silly little things? Kaichou's small smile when he had given her that dainty little necklace, cheap thing that it was, had been worth it all.
-----
They celebrated Arou's birthday on the rooftop of the school. Like the previous year, students from all over the school drifted over, intrigued by the laughter the group on the rooftop shared. The smell of roasted yam played no small part in attracting hungry students to the festive birthday celebration. The rooftop was much too small for the crowd they had gathered. Soon, students were huddled in the stairways, some eating their already roasted yams, some still waiting their turn. Arou was in the middle of it all, basking in the warmth of everyone's laughter. Arou and a whole bunch of other people that Masahiro couldn't name surrounded the metal can where they kept a fire going to roast the yams. The dark haired boy was responsible for handing out the yams wrapped in yellow aluminum foil. If Masahiro hadn't been tied down by his projects, he would have lent a hand in wrapping the yams.
Masahiro leaned against the wall of the school building, blowing on his own roasted yam as he watched Arou mingle with his fellow classmates. He bit into the steaming yam and chewed quickly, his tongue almost burnt. He ran his tongue against the roof of his mouth, hoping to get rid of the stinging sensation.
As he continued his attempt to cool his yam by blowing on it, Kanade squeezed out from the crowd, her own yam held in her gloved hands. She breathed a sigh of relief, most likely because her blindfold was still safely in place. She righted herself and came his way, taking a spot next to him where she was safe from the jostling shoulders of the other students.
They ate in companionable silence with the noisy murmuring on the rooftop as their background music. The crowd didn't look like it was dying any time soon. Once one student left with his or her yam, another student took the recently vacated spot. Arou was going to be stuck there for a long time. He didn't look like he was going to run out of yams either. Just how many had Arou grown this year?
"Why don't you join him?" asked Masahiro. He nodded towards Arou.
Kanade tore her eyes away from her boyfriend.
"Eh, but I don't want to leave you here alone!" exclaimed Kanade. "Besides, you haven't been around lately, so..."
It was touching that Kanade wanted to spend more time with him, but it was the other boy's birthday. Masahiro took another glance at Arou, meeting the dark-haired boy's gaze. Smirking, Masahiro put his arms around Kanade, his smirk growing when he saw Arou bristle. Kanade only looked at him questioningly, her cheeks rosy.
"Come on, don't make me feel so pitiful that I need to steal you away from Arou on his birthday! Let's see you brighten up his day," said Masahiro. He gave Kanade a small push towards Arou.
Kanade laughed. He watched her squeeze back into the crowd, apologizing whenever she bumped into someone.
With all his big talk, he felt silly for immediately feeling lonely with Kanade gone from his side. He had seen how they'd walk hand-in-hand to Kanade's house, stopping outside her door. There, Kanade would give her present to Arou, a rare, mischievous glint coming over her eyes before she pulled her boyfriend down for a kiss. It was an expression he had never seen on Kanade.
Kanade surprised him when she stumbled out of the group once again to head his way. She quickly held her hand out.
"Another yam for you, Namiki-san!" she said brightly.
He chuckled and leaned over, whispering his next words.
"Arou is going to be such a lucky guy tonight."
Kanade blushed all the way to her ears.
-----
After giving the other boy his gift, Masahiro said his farewells to both Arou and Kanade before he left the loving couple. He had yet to see the class president among all the festivity and was wondering if he was going to miss her once again when he saw her stumble and drop an entire box of poinsettias. The red flowers splayed across the floor.
"Hey, careful there!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to help her, his voice jarring in the otherwise quiet corridor, the only sound having been the thud from Kaichou's fallen box.
She looked up gratefully, taking his hand to right herself.
"What's wrong, did you trip?" asked Masahiro, too worried to even stop to marvel that she still took his hand without any hesitation. A small part of him thought to himself that this was another reason why he would rather go without gloves.
Kaichou shook her head and brought her hand to her forehead. "I'm just feeling a little dizzy. I must have stood up too fast after putting the flowers in the box."
"You must have been doing too much lately," said Masahiro instead. "Practically the whole school was celebrating Arou's birthday, yet you're still running about the place doing this and that."
He took Kaichou's arms and placed them around his shoulder. "Come on, let's go to the infirmary. You need a rest."
"What?" exclaimed Kaichou. "It's just a small bit of dizziness! What about the flowers? I'll be fine-"
She swooned again, clearly contradicting her own words.
"See what I'm saying? Just leave the flowers. I'll pick them up later," said Masahiro. If he had been dealing with Kanade, he would have ruffled her hair at her bold but untrue claim. With Kaichou, however, Masahiro merely hastened his steps. He didn't like how pale she looked.
She sighed.
"You know, you don't have to do everything by yourself. You're not invincible, no matter how much you'd like to think that way," he said quietly.
"I know," came her equally quiet reply.
"Are the rest of the student council idiots or what? You should make them work harder!"
She laughed. "They tell me I should give them more work too."
Masahiro rolled his eyes. "Well, you should listen to them then!"
He wasn't part of their school anymore, yet he knew even more than before how serious she was about her duties.
If it hadn't been for Kaichou, the thought about supporting so many people behind the scenes would be a foreign thought to him. Hers was a different kind of diligence than Kanade's, who did everything she could to bring forth a kind future. Kaichou worked to hold everything together. Masahiro saw no point in helping other people make copies or borrow equipment when they should have been able to do such simple tasks themselves, but she never complained. Instead, she took it in stride because it was her job, her duty, and she was efficient at it. She presented an invincible front, and if it weren't because he knew the person behind the front--the girl who had thought the role of princess didn't suit her, the girl who always forgot to eat because of how much she worked--he would have never guessed that she was tired. He knew her though. He had come to know her intimately, ironically after he stopped going to the same school.
All those thoughts came to a halt when he read her future and saw what she was going to say to him. He dropped her arm. They were at the infirmary anyway.
He wished he hadn't read the future just like that. He had been unconsciously doing it just like breathing.
Once inside the infirmary, Masahiro dumbly handed over the other yam Kanade had given to him. At Kaichou's questioning look, Masahiro just commented that her hands were cold. She better warm them up with the yam.
-----
to be continued
next chapter: our own world
Memories of the Future
A Namiki-centric fic for 30_kisses.
Disclaimer: Mekakushi no Kuni belongs to Tsukuba Sakura. I'm making no profit from writing this piece of fanwork.
archive: lj | ffnet
word count: ~1800
--chapter 18: invincible, unrivaled---
Masahiro glanced forlornly at his watch as he settled down in the library with his group members. He was going to miss another lunchtime with Arou and Kanade. There went his chance of running into Kaichou too. He rarely saw her outside of those lunches. Lately, whenever he was at the school, Kaichou would always be busy with the student council. He already saw Christmas decorations up about the school most likely thanks to her. The time right after classes resumed and the time right before classes stopped for the holidays seemed to be her busiest times.
Maybe it was time to bring Marota on another walk around the area before the weather got too cold. Who knew who he would run into?
His classes were piling him with more and more projects that even someone like he who understood things the first time around had a difficult time dealing with them. After his first venture into his college dining halls, Masahiro found himself frequenting them a lot more often given how much time he had to spend on campus, but the food always paled in comparison with Arou's cooking.
When his classmate's book fell, Masahiro bent to grab the book, his hand brushing against the other boy's. Instantly, Masahiro saw that this meeting of theirs was going to take them well into the afternoon. He sighed inwardly and prepared himself for a long day.
On his way home, Masahiro rubbed his hands together, blowing on them to warm them up. The weather had changed drastically in the past week. He considered buying a pair of gloves, but wearing them would make him too conspicuous when he wanted to see the future. Taking his gloves off would alert people that he was doing something, even if they didn't know anything about his power. Gloves didn't completely block his power, as he'd discovered that one time his mother had clothed him from head to toe, hoping to put a stop to his freakish power. She had held his gloved hand without trembling as much as usual. He accepted her lead, naively thinking that perhaps things would work out.
He was immediately sorry that he could still see the future. It just took more concentration than usual.
He wished he hadn't seen her reaction.
Going without gloves was simply easier despite the cold. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, doing his best to keep them from becoming frozen. He wasn't dressed for the weather at all. He wondered if gloves would make a good present for Arou. The other boy's birthday was coming up soon. Gloves would do nothing to stop Arou's power--his was way stronger than Masahiro's--so Arou could still wear them even when he wanted to see. Arou wouldn't have much use for normal gloves. He tended to his fields even during winter, but some new work gloves might come in handy.
With that in mind, Masahiro went to search for a gift for Arou, a simple thanks for the unassuming friendship they shared. Masahiro couldn't have asked for better friends. He had stopped giving gifts altogether ever since he had failed to bring a smile to his mother's face with that damn brooch, but his friends abolished his inhibitions altogether. What was there to be wary of when your friends smiled so brightly at you and laughed with you when you presented them silly little things? Kaichou's small smile when he had given her that dainty little necklace, cheap thing that it was, had been worth it all.
-----
They celebrated Arou's birthday on the rooftop of the school. Like the previous year, students from all over the school drifted over, intrigued by the laughter the group on the rooftop shared. The smell of roasted yam played no small part in attracting hungry students to the festive birthday celebration. The rooftop was much too small for the crowd they had gathered. Soon, students were huddled in the stairways, some eating their already roasted yams, some still waiting their turn. Arou was in the middle of it all, basking in the warmth of everyone's laughter. Arou and a whole bunch of other people that Masahiro couldn't name surrounded the metal can where they kept a fire going to roast the yams. The dark haired boy was responsible for handing out the yams wrapped in yellow aluminum foil. If Masahiro hadn't been tied down by his projects, he would have lent a hand in wrapping the yams.
Masahiro leaned against the wall of the school building, blowing on his own roasted yam as he watched Arou mingle with his fellow classmates. He bit into the steaming yam and chewed quickly, his tongue almost burnt. He ran his tongue against the roof of his mouth, hoping to get rid of the stinging sensation.
As he continued his attempt to cool his yam by blowing on it, Kanade squeezed out from the crowd, her own yam held in her gloved hands. She breathed a sigh of relief, most likely because her blindfold was still safely in place. She righted herself and came his way, taking a spot next to him where she was safe from the jostling shoulders of the other students.
They ate in companionable silence with the noisy murmuring on the rooftop as their background music. The crowd didn't look like it was dying any time soon. Once one student left with his or her yam, another student took the recently vacated spot. Arou was going to be stuck there for a long time. He didn't look like he was going to run out of yams either. Just how many had Arou grown this year?
"Why don't you join him?" asked Masahiro. He nodded towards Arou.
Kanade tore her eyes away from her boyfriend.
"Eh, but I don't want to leave you here alone!" exclaimed Kanade. "Besides, you haven't been around lately, so..."
It was touching that Kanade wanted to spend more time with him, but it was the other boy's birthday. Masahiro took another glance at Arou, meeting the dark-haired boy's gaze. Smirking, Masahiro put his arms around Kanade, his smirk growing when he saw Arou bristle. Kanade only looked at him questioningly, her cheeks rosy.
"Come on, don't make me feel so pitiful that I need to steal you away from Arou on his birthday! Let's see you brighten up his day," said Masahiro. He gave Kanade a small push towards Arou.
Kanade laughed. He watched her squeeze back into the crowd, apologizing whenever she bumped into someone.
With all his big talk, he felt silly for immediately feeling lonely with Kanade gone from his side. He had seen how they'd walk hand-in-hand to Kanade's house, stopping outside her door. There, Kanade would give her present to Arou, a rare, mischievous glint coming over her eyes before she pulled her boyfriend down for a kiss. It was an expression he had never seen on Kanade.
Kanade surprised him when she stumbled out of the group once again to head his way. She quickly held her hand out.
"Another yam for you, Namiki-san!" she said brightly.
He chuckled and leaned over, whispering his next words.
"Arou is going to be such a lucky guy tonight."
Kanade blushed all the way to her ears.
-----
After giving the other boy his gift, Masahiro said his farewells to both Arou and Kanade before he left the loving couple. He had yet to see the class president among all the festivity and was wondering if he was going to miss her once again when he saw her stumble and drop an entire box of poinsettias. The red flowers splayed across the floor.
"Hey, careful there!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to help her, his voice jarring in the otherwise quiet corridor, the only sound having been the thud from Kaichou's fallen box.
She looked up gratefully, taking his hand to right herself.
"What's wrong, did you trip?" asked Masahiro, too worried to even stop to marvel that she still took his hand without any hesitation. A small part of him thought to himself that this was another reason why he would rather go without gloves.
Kaichou shook her head and brought her hand to her forehead. "I'm just feeling a little dizzy. I must have stood up too fast after putting the flowers in the box."
"You must have been doing too much lately," said Masahiro instead. "Practically the whole school was celebrating Arou's birthday, yet you're still running about the place doing this and that."
He took Kaichou's arms and placed them around his shoulder. "Come on, let's go to the infirmary. You need a rest."
"What?" exclaimed Kaichou. "It's just a small bit of dizziness! What about the flowers? I'll be fine-"
She swooned again, clearly contradicting her own words.
"See what I'm saying? Just leave the flowers. I'll pick them up later," said Masahiro. If he had been dealing with Kanade, he would have ruffled her hair at her bold but untrue claim. With Kaichou, however, Masahiro merely hastened his steps. He didn't like how pale she looked.
She sighed.
"You know, you don't have to do everything by yourself. You're not invincible, no matter how much you'd like to think that way," he said quietly.
"I know," came her equally quiet reply.
"Are the rest of the student council idiots or what? You should make them work harder!"
She laughed. "They tell me I should give them more work too."
Masahiro rolled his eyes. "Well, you should listen to them then!"
He wasn't part of their school anymore, yet he knew even more than before how serious she was about her duties.
If it hadn't been for Kaichou, the thought about supporting so many people behind the scenes would be a foreign thought to him. Hers was a different kind of diligence than Kanade's, who did everything she could to bring forth a kind future. Kaichou worked to hold everything together. Masahiro saw no point in helping other people make copies or borrow equipment when they should have been able to do such simple tasks themselves, but she never complained. Instead, she took it in stride because it was her job, her duty, and she was efficient at it. She presented an invincible front, and if it weren't because he knew the person behind the front--the girl who had thought the role of princess didn't suit her, the girl who always forgot to eat because of how much she worked--he would have never guessed that she was tired. He knew her though. He had come to know her intimately, ironically after he stopped going to the same school.
All those thoughts came to a halt when he read her future and saw what she was going to say to him. He dropped her arm. They were at the infirmary anyway.
He wished he hadn't read the future just like that. He had been unconsciously doing it just like breathing.
Once inside the infirmary, Masahiro dumbly handed over the other yam Kanade had given to him. At Kaichou's questioning look, Masahiro just commented that her hands were cold. She better warm them up with the yam.
-----
to be continued
next chapter: our own world