|
Before the Fire |
Nikaho, Akita Prefecture, February 6th, 2022
Shun arrives to the school helped by Yamato and Daisuke, who carry him by the shoulders.
He could walk, but he still needed a bit of help not to fall. He was way better than the days before, and soon enough he could be back to training.
They lay him on his bed.
Shun: “Thanks guys.”
Daisuke: “No problem. You'll be alright?”
Shun: “Yeah, I'll be just fine. I'll call you if I need you for anything.”
He notices a well-known face passing by the door.
“Brother! I'm here! Come, please!”
He looks to his side and notices that Shun had come back to the school dormitories. He still didn't have the guts to see him to the eye. Not after what had happened with his own girlfriend. But still, he didn't have the courage to tell him what had happened.
Shun: “How's it doing?”
“Fine.”He enters to his room, reluctantly.
Yamato: “Sorry guys, but we both have to study.”
Shun: “Pair of nerds...Go. See you later.”
Daisuke: “You are lucky I d n't hit guys that can't get up.”
Shun laughs. They both leave the room.
“I'd also get going. Otome waits for me.”
“Please! Stay a moment, until Sakura comes.”
"...Alright.What of you, how do you fair?”
“Same as you. Sakura told me you went with her to the festival.”
He remains frozen for a second, but notices that there was no anger of his friend’s eyes. He answers.
“Yes. I'm sorry that you could not go with her.” He wishes that Shun had gone in his place instead of him, and nothing had happened.
“How was it?”
“It was a good festival. I would've been better if I didn’t have to use that Yukata, but whatever.”
Shun laughs.
“She also told me that you lied to Kirei.”
“I did. But I had no choice. If he found out what had truly happened…”
“You'd be banished from the Dojo, and your wish to follow us back to Tokyo would also. I'm with you on this. As you did when they captured us.”
He parts sight from him, he couldn't see him to the eyes.
“Hey.” Shun continues. His best friend looks back to his friend. “You appeared for us on the factory. That was everything. I owe another one.”
“I wouldn't have rescued you for myself alone.”
“No. But with all of us together, you could. You're my blood brother...”
Both look to eachothers eyes. Shun extends his hand and he grabs it with a false and guilty smile.
They stop when the door opens and Sakura appears. She's impressed to see Shun there, but more of seeing his best friend just sitting next to him. Both of them briefly stare to each other, but Sakura parts sight before.
“Sakura!”
“Shun.” She parts sight from his friend and runs hugging him.
“I'll leave you to your privacy...”
“Alright.”
He turns back to get out of Shun’s room, but he is stopped by his friend’s voice.
“Have fun with Otome!” Shun shouts.
He nods his head with a fake and vague smile and goes out of the room. He stops for a second and hits with his closed fist the wall next to him, in anger. He didn't have the courage to tell him what had happened. But he couldn't afford his friend to tell him praises after what he had done. There was but one choice. He would've to live with the guilt, until it that memory faded from memory. But if that didn't happen…he'd not know what to do.
He keeps on walking to find Otome outside of the dormitories, waiting for him.
---
Sakura sits down next to Shun, grabs his hand and speaks to him
“How you been doing?”
“Better now that you are here. Look, our fight…”
“Forget it. It is from the past.”
“You're better now? Since what happened?”
“Yes.”
Shun nods his head, turning his sight from her. He still seemed worried for her. It also appeared that he hadn't forgiven himself.
“Hey.” She sits on the bed next to him. “What happened is of the past. Forget about those unfortunate things. We have to look forwards. To a better future.”
He rises from the pillows on which he was laying his head to hug her. She does the same, though she still couldn't forget what she had done.
They remain like this for several minutes, but at last, Sakura parts from him.
“I'm sorry but I have to leave. Naoto awaits me. I promised to help her today.”
“Alright.”
She rises from bed, and goes toward his door, but is called back by him.
“Hey....Tell Kirei I'll be back soon.”
“I hope so. The contest to rank all the students will begin next week. The winner is to face Ovan.”
“I'll participate. And win all fights.”
“ Goodbye.” She fakes a smile and retires from the room.
As soon as she closes the door she places herself against the wall, looking up and closing her eyes, to then slowly slide her body to the ground. Sad for what she was doing, she didn't have the courage to tell him wait. Neither she could be lying all the time because their whole relationship would become a lie. She could only pray to forget it soon, even when she knew it wouldn't happen.
She gets up and walks out of the boys dormitories, to see his boyfriend best friend speaking to Otome Sayou. They were walking to leave the place, he turns back, and their sights met. In that moment, she moves her face and continues walking.
---
The blonde kid talks with Otome on the date round the city. They were about to see a movie on the cinema several blocks from the school dormitories. As it was Sunday, many people were on the cinema and most of them were waiting in the long queue to enter to the auditorium.
Otome had her brown hair tied and she was dressed with a sleeveless white shirt, revealing a bit of her small cleavage. She also had a black skirt and same color stockings and red shoes combining with a bit of red lipstick on her lips. She dressed like this so that his date partner would look upon her more, but he seemed distracted, like thinking of something else.
“Hey what happening to you?”
“Eh...Sorry Otome. I've been a bit distracted these days.”
“Alright, as soon as you promise to be here, with me right now.”She grabs his arm, pressing her chest against him. He realizes she was trying to seduce him but doesn't stop her. “So why are you called Blue Ronin?”
“Ronin were samurai’s without a master in the past. And Blue because of this jacket.”
“Amazing.”
“Yeah. I know I am. Thanks.”
“And that's why also why Shun's called the Green Ronin?”
The memory of Shun appears back again to his head, as the same thoughts he had just banished from his head.
He remains without answering for some seconds.
“Hey, again…”
“Uh. Sorry again. And yes. he's called for that same reasob and because we fought before together on the arena, the last year. You were not still on school.”
“But what happened? Why he left the games? He started dating Sakura?”
“No. He was already dating her. Itt wasn't that. He broke his arm in a battle in the Dojo.”
“Whoa…Really?”
“Yes.”
“But, still, his arm's fully rehealed great now. Why did not come back?”
“It's a question I have done myself several times. But I don't have the answer.”
They enter after the queue begins to advance, and as the first ones, they rapidly got into the best position and sat down in one of the middle rows seats. He passes the bowl of popcorn to her as she puts the glass on the hole at the end of the armrest, and gets near him grabbing his arm even stronger, and placing furthermore her breast on it.
“Hey. You know what, once we are done with this movie, my roommate isn't at the dormitories. You want to do something?” She smiles.
“Yeah. Sure.”
She smiles more and places her head against his shoulder, as he does the same. He tries to really get into the situation he was living right in that moment to forget the pas, and the heaviness it meant just thinking about it.
---
“Sakura! Thank you for the help. I thought I would never finish cleaning this.”
“We are friends Naoto. Is the least I could do.”
“You're really kind to offer it, even when your boyfriend had just come out of the hospital.”
“Yeah…” She remains silent for a moment. “I saw you on the festival, but I did n't expect you to bring him, and not your boyfriend.”
“Since Shun’s ankle was sprained, he told me to want with anyone… he was the best choice…”
Naoto makes a teasing smile.
“Maybe that is because…”
“NO! I just want with him because of our friendship! What of you with Ovan there?! YOU TWO ALSO LOOKED LIKE A COUPLE!”
“Uh…eh...he has lived here all his life. He's almost a brother to me. He is nothing like that for me. And I don't think it would work. I don't think anything could work between us…”
“He has been the same for me…” she speaks to herself “maybe… maybe it would not work…”
---
They enter the room kissing as both of them fall to the bed, she on top on him. He moves all his has across her back as; she helps to remove his jacket of his body. They continue kissing without parting while she removed her shoes with her own feet and he does the same with his own. She removes her shirt as he did the same with his own.
They continue kissing for a time as he opened his eyes for a moment and saw a picture of Otome and Sakura, right on the small table next to the bed. He keeps his eyes opened looking at it for some seconds.
“Come on!”
She forces him to continue kissing, and he does so, trying to forget. She begins to lower her body kissing his neck, chest and forwards. He moves his head again looking to the photo for a second time. He recalls what happened still planted firmly on his mind, and could not be forced out.
While doing so, he realized the truth.
Otome removes his belt.
“Wait, no.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don't want this,” he gets of the bed gets his clothes on.
“But, why? I was sure you wanted this.”
“I do. But not now, neither....with you.”
“What do you mean?!”
“I'm sorry if you misunderstood, but the truth is I've been distracted all the day because I can't remove a thought from my head. I can't do this without taking it out of my head.”
“And how many this would take?”
He finished ting up his shoes and gets up.
“I don't know.” He walks to the door. “I'm sorry, Otome.”
He walks out of the girls dormitories, really confused and angry. Entering the male’s as he rapidly went up the stairs. Arriving to the first floor, he sees Sakura, walking to the floor. They briefly stare, but she runs away from him. He tries to get next to her but she's faster and enters Shun's room before he could even say hi.
He fists the wall, wounding his fist. After sighting he walks in to his room upset, and falls to bed. He'd achieved sleep, if the knocking sound of someone at the door hadn't woken him up.
“Fuck me...Enter!” he says angrily and reluctamtly
"Hey. talk?" It was Miya.
He enters and sits down on the computer chair next to his friend, who remains with his head planted at the bed notably upset.
“So…how did that go?”
“Like shit!”
“Why?”
“It wasn't the date. That was great, and I could be sleeping with her right now?”
“What the hell are you doing here then!?”
“I wasn't in a good mood…”
“Really?! You've not been in mind for four fucking days. Pissed and upset . You're sure that you're not a girl having her period right now?”
“Fuck off.” He gets up the bed.
“Jocking.”
“I'm not for fucking jokes. I'm not in a good mood right now.”
“I just reconformed that. Well sorry. But seriously you've been pissed for like four days, since you went there to the festival with Sakura. What happened, that you are like this?”
"Tch..."
"I know you're angry. But it's better to talk your problems than letting them stay inside of your system."
He gets up from the bed and sits down infront of him. They stare to each other as he bend down his head looking to the grown and then looks back at him. Miya keeps looking, thinking, trying reading his friends mind while looking at him. When suddenly he speaks.
“No…no…no...did you?”
“Yeah. I kissed her. I kissed Sakura.”