Daedalus's Fiction Collection (Updated 12/4)

[Daedalus]

Hello to all of you! After reading some of the fantastic fiction on here I decided to try my hand at writing myself. So I must thank you wonderful people for the inspiration.

I am quite new to this, the first piece I am submitting on here is really the first piece of fiction I've ever written in my own time. All criticism is welcome and all feedback is appreciated.

The original idea was to get a piece out around once a week, but deadlines aren't really my forte so it probably wont run so smoothly. I will update as often as I can, though.

Contents

-The Outsider

-Aftermath

- Love Matters - Part 1

- A Friend in Need

- Two of a Kind

[Daedalus]

The Outsider


“So I can trust you to take this more seriously now?” Nurse asks, cocking his eyebrow quizzically.

“I am taking it seriously, but I-“

Nurse interrupts me before I can finish, “No buts. No excuses. You need to know where your limits are, Hisao. You were lucky that you didn’t suffer a heart attack, next time might be different,” There is sternness in his voice that I haven’t heard him use before.

Luck has nothing to do with it. I stay silent while I think how much worse it could have been. My own stupid actions might have caused my death this morning; I was the one who decided to push myself when I was running with Emi, so I tried to race her. It went well, for a few seconds at least. I started getting tired but forced myself to keep going, and I suffered a relatively severe heart flutter and collapsed. I awoke in the Nurse’s office a short while ago, aching all over, but thankfully alive.

I’ve barely been here a week and I nearly gave myself another heart attack. Another four month stint in the hospital. The realisation of this hits me full force and I feel defeated. Irritated at my own stupidity.

Nurse walks away from the hospital bed that I am situated on, and returns with a stethoscope. I unbutton my shirt and wait patiently whilst the Nurse does a check on my heart. Silence fills the room as he listens intently to my heartbeat, eyes narrowed in concentration. I can feel it’s rhythm, as always; It’s beating slightly faster than normal, probably due to the stress that my heart has just been put through.

Thu-thump.

Thu-thump.

Thu-thump.

Nurse removes the stethoscope and hooks it around his neck. “Looks like you’re all clear, Nakai. Now I don’t want a repeat of this incident, I trust you not to let me or yourself down again.”

“I know, I know. And I will start taking the exercise seriously, I promise.” I put every bit of sincerity I can muster into that sentence. I need to start being careful; everyone here has shown me nothing but kindness since I started and acting like I did was irresponsible and selfish.

Upon hearing my response, Nurse’s face lights up and he reverts to his normal cheery and light hearted demeanour.

He stands up and walks over to the divider curtain at the side of the bed. “Very good! Now get some rest. You’ve had an eventful day.” He says, flashing one of his trademark grins.

He draws the curtain shut, leaving me with a small makeshift room to sleep in. However, before I close my eyes, Nurse’s head pops back into the room for a moment.

“Oh, and I’ll contact your teachers and let them know that you’re taking the rest of the day off.” He winks and disappears once more before I have a chance to respond.

I shut my eyes and fall quickly asleep.

…

“…. To take your meds? …. Very important…. Good… Health…. “ I stir into wakefulness at the sound of Nurse’s voice. He must be with another student. I peel my eyes open and groggily check my watch; I’ve been asleep for nearly four hours. The smell of freshly brewed coffee makes its way to my nostrils. Sitting up, I try to focus on the conversation outside.

I can hear another voice alongside Nurse’s. It’s quieter but no less confident and when I hear the unenthusiastic way it responds I guess it belongs to a girl I don’t know.

“I’m serious about this, Katayama. You understand what you’re risking if you don’t look after yourself properly don’t you?”

“Death.” The manner of fact tone in which the girl responds is chilling.

Deciding that I should probably leave as opposed to eavesdropping, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand up. Probably too fast as my head starts to spin and I stumble slightly before regaining my balance. I pull the divider back and two sets of eyes instantly turn towards me; one blue and one crimson red. The latter pair belong to the girl sitting across from Nurse; her skin is a white so pale that she almost blends into the sterile walls of Nurse’s office, and her hair is a shade of silver nearly as bright as her skin. Draped across one shoulder and tied neatly into a braid. Her mouth is curved upwards in a bemused smile, and her eyes sparkle with curiosity as she takes me in.

Nurse’s stern expression switches back into his trademark grin as he notices me, “Ah, so sleeping beauty is awake at last!” he winks at me, “All recovered from that little incident this morning, I hope?”

I nod sheepishly in response, “Uh… Yeah, thanks.” Of course he’d bring that up in front of a girl I don’t know.

Nurse seems to suddenly remember that there’s someone else in the room, “Where are my manners? I’m sorry,” He gestures towards the girl sitting opposite him. “Hisao, this is Rika Katayama. And Rika, this is Hisao Nakai.”

As I continue to examine her I realise that I have seen her once before in the short time that I have been at Yamaku; yesterday as I was being dragged around by the student council, I noticed Rika sitting alone eating lunch in the cafeteria. I remember wondering if she was also new, as she didn’t seem to have any friends. I’m surprised that I didn’t remember the moment I saw Rika. As her skin, hair and eye colour make for a very distinct appearance.

I smile at her, “Nice to meet you.”

She gives a curt nod, “Likewise.” Her voice is gentle, but carries little in the way of emotion.

Nurse takes a swig from his cup of coffee before turning towards me, “You’re free to go, Hisao. Just take it easier from now on, alright? I’d prefer it if we didn’t have to do this again.”

I nod and make my way to the door, turning on my heel at the last moment, “Nurse?”

“Yes?”

”Thanks.”

Nurse winks, “You don’t need to thank me, it’s my job! Now get out of here, I have work to do.” he flashes another of his trademark grins.

I emerge from the medical building. The sun is out in full force, and a gentle breeze flows through the trees. The weather makes me feel refreshed as I walk through the grounds toward the dorms.

The weather is too nice to stay inside all day, so I decide to find somewhere peaceful to sit outside. It isn’t long before I find a nice spot; a large tree thick with greenery, creating a patch of shade underneath it perfect for relaxing in.

Laying back in the shaded grass, I close my eyes and inhale deeply. The fresh air here is something that I haven’t gotten used to yet; it’s a stark contrast to the thick air of the city. It’s so peaceful in the countryside, the only sound around is that of the rustling leaves above me. The tranquil atmosphere starts to take hold, and I begin to fall asleep once again. However, before the world around me fades completely, a voice cuts in.

“Weren’t you sleeping in the Nurse’s office about ten minutes ago?”

I sit up with a start. Rika is stood leaning against the tree near me with her arms folded across her chest. She seems pleased by my surprise. How she managed to get this close without me noticing, I have no idea. But I’d be lying if I said that Rika didn’t interest me, so perhaps now I have a chance to talk with her properly.

I stretch out leisurely before replying, “Well today has been… an interesting day. Plus this grass is comfier than it looks.”

Rika chuckles at my response, “Well then, mind if I join you?” the question was either rhetorical or I didn’t answer fast enough, because she sits down next to me without waiting for a response.

I decide to reply anyway, “Feel free.” I lay back down, staring at the patches of sky that I can see between the gaps in the treetop. We make some small talk for a while; our classes, our opinions on subjects and the like. As we talk I pick up on Rika’s straightforward and frank manner of speech. I don’t think that her blunt speech is due to hostility, she was the one who approached me, after all. I find myself wondering why she was alone yesterday, amongst other things.

Rika’s soft voice pulls me away from my train of thought.

“So what were you doing in the nurse’s office?” and then, almost as an afterthought, “If you don’t mind my asking.”

I doubt that Rika would care whether I minded or not but I decide to play it defensively as I still know very little about her. I glance back down at the girl sitting near to me. “I was sleeping.”

“That much was obvious, I meant why were you sleeping in the nurse’s office during a school day? Something to do with the ‘incident’ that he mentioned?”

I wonder why she’s asking so many questions but I’m also curious as to why she’s pressing so hard for information. I doubt she’ll stop pestering me until she gets an answer.

“Yes, it was,” Rika opens her mouth to speak, but I cut her off, “I had a bit of a… complication this morning. Let’s leave it at that.” Now it’s my turn to question her, “So what were you in for? You didn’t sound very enthusiastic about Nurse’s lecturing from what I heard.”

A look of surprise enters Rika’s face, but it disappears almost instantly. There is a hint of a smile on her lips, “I haven’t been taking my medication, the side effects are… unpleasant.”

I sit up, isn’t that dangerous? What sort of side effects?

“Things like Insomnia and Nausea. There are plenty of others, but those are the most common.” She states, As if reading my mind

I can sympathise with not wanting to suffer the side effects, not taking the medication still seems like a stupid idea, however. I can’t help but wonder why she’s in Yamaku. Would it be invasive of me to ask? Rika’s frankness so far has been surprising, but she could be sensitive about her disability. I sit up, but hesitate for a moment, searching for the right way to phrase the question.

Rika cuts in again, “Hypoplastic left heart syndrome.”

“Excuse me?”

Rika chuckles dryly, “The reason I’m here, my disability. That’s what it’s called. It’s alright; I could tell that you wanted to know.”

“You’re very forthcoming with your condition.”

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome? Back in the hospital when I was reading up on my own condition, that name came up several times. I did some basic reading, and the condition is not too dissimilar from my own. I hadn’t expected to meet someone with a similar condition to mine, even at somewhere like Yamaku.

“Is there something wrong with that?” Rika asks, cocking an eyebrow at me.

“Not at all, it’s just… You see, I have a condition similar to yours and I am nowhere near as comfortable with discussing it as you seem to be,” Her eyes widen as I say this, and begin sparkling with that same curiosity from earlier. I can tell that she’s eager to know more, and she told me what her disability was outright, so I continue, “I have a heart problem known as Arrhythmia.”

Rika continues to stare at me with that curious glint in her eye for a few seconds, it’s almost unnerving.

“So… we are the same… is what you’re saying?” The almost hopeful tone in her voice catches me off guard.

“I guess so.” I feel almost relieved for telling her, and am surprised at how easy she is to talk to. Rika doesn’t strike me as a ‘people person’, and I can’t imagine that her curt mannerisms make her many friends. So why is she talking to me? I wonder if she’s lonely? The tone in her voice made her seem almost excited to have someone else like her at Yamaku.

Rika doesn’t reply to this, opting instead to lay back on the grass with her eyes closed. She remains silent for a few moments before opening one eye and peering at me intently.

“Exactly why were you asleep in Nurse’s office earlier?” The crimson orb remains focused on me, unblinking.

She certainly likes to pry, doesn’t she? Although I suppose if I’ve told her about my condition, there isn’t a lot else to hide.

“I ... uh, overexerted myself during my run this morning and kind of … gave myself a heart flutter.” I feel my cheeks flush red as I finish, realising how stupid saying this makes me feel.

Rika chuckles dryly, opening her other eye and staring at me once again. The effect is quite sinister.

“Ah yes, the ‘light exercise’ routine, so who’d you get paired up with that managed to overwork you?”

“What happened was my fault, not my partner’s,” I reply “I’ve been paired up with a girl called Emi Ibara—“ Rika’s sudden laughter cuts me off.

She catches her breath after a few moments and sits up, “No need to continue, Hisao. Emi being there explains it all.”

I’m surprised that Rika knows her, “What do you mean?”

She gives me an amused look, “Who here in Yamaku hasn’t heard of the fastest thing on no legs? Or her determination when it comes to exercise, for that matter.”

That’s the second time I’ve heard that nickname today, Emi mentioned it at the track. But luckily she takes it in good humour. However, the bitter tone in which Rika speaks makes me wonder if there is some bad blood between the two.

“It wasn’t her fault; I tried to keep up with her and pushed myself over the edge. The blame falls on my shoulders alone.”

Rika sits up, meeting my gaze once again, “But she was the one running ahead in the first place, no? Running partners usually stick together.”

“You must know what she’s like, why would she slow herself to my level? And like I said; the decision to push myself came from me and me alone.”

She scoffs, “Her running ahead was essentially challenging you to try and match her, it’s what Emi does,” She continues before I can interject further, “Did she notice that you were trying to catch her up?”

I’m not sure where Rika’s going with this, “Yeah … Why?”

Ignoring my question, Rika continues, “Tell me. When she realised what you were doing did she at any point tell you to slow down or try and stop you? Even though she knew about your condition, did she seem concerned?”

She has a point there, I guess. All Emi did was grin at me when I started to catch up, if anything she encouraged me to keep going.

Taking my lack of response as an answer, Rika speaks again, “As I thought. You see my point now don’t you Hisao? It may not have been Emi who caused the incident, but she didn’t help it, either.”

“Hold on a minute, if Emi hadn’t been so quick with getting help when the flutter happened it might’ve been worse. You can’t say that she didn’t help me, it is entirely possible that she saved my life.”

Rika looks at me pensively. I decide to enquire about her relationship with Emi before she can retort.

“Am I right in assuming that you and Emi aren’t on the best of terms?”

She gives a short laugh. Which like her speech carries very little emotion, “She is a poster child for everything that is wrong with this school.”

The venom in her words causes me to recoil slightly. Seemingly elated by my reaction, Rika continues to stare at me. What on earth happened between Emi and her for Rika to dislike her that much? Finding myself at a loss for words, I continue to look at Rika with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

Eventually I break the silence, “What do you mean?”

Apparently ignoring my question, she turns the tables on me again. “What do you see your condition as?”

“Huh?”

She scoffs, “Your Arrhythmia, Hisao. What is it to you? Do you think that it’s some kind of obstacle? Something to get out of your way before you can be ‘normal’ once again? Or is it a permanent limit for your health, something you’ll have to live with as best you can?”

“It’s…”

No matter how I look at it, my arrhythmia isn’t something that I can beat. It will always be there, limiting me. Even if I were to get to Emi’s level of fitness, it wouldn’t be the same level of health a normal person would have; even if I extended my lifespan and reduced the risk of heart attacks, I would still have to take my medication and be careful to avoid hits to the chest day in and day out. I think I proved this morning that my condition isn’t something that you can ‘beat’. The moment you start believing that you can overcome it is the moment you put yourself at an even greater risk.

Rika’s voice brings me back to reality; “It is...” her eyes are alight with curiosity again.

I feel my cheeks flush as I realise that I completely trailed off, “Uh… it’s…” I clear my throat, “It’s not exactly something I can beat, is it? Not completely anyway. It’s always going to be there no matter how hard I try to get rid of it and that’s where the line is drawn between what I can and can’t do to help it. Only a fool would think that a problem like mine can be ‘defeated’,” Rika’s eyes grow increasingly wider as I speak, her eyebrows raised up as high as they can go. It is quite an amusing sight to see that expression on her usually serious face. “Surely you understand that, Rika.”

She doesn’t reply, and continues to stare at me.

“Is something wrong?” I ask.

“No. Not at all: I was just surprised.” Her quick change back to her normal, impassive self is unsettling.

“Surprised about what?”

“That there is finally someone different here: someone that actually thinks.” I think that was a compliment.

“That’s hardly fair.”

“It’s perfectly fair, everyone else in this place is always talking about how I can be ‘normal’ again if I’m willing to put the effort in,” She looks downtrodden for a moment, “They don’t understand.”

I sigh, “They’re just doing what they think is right.”

“What they think is ‘right’ is idiotic!” Rika exclaims, her voice a mixture of frustration and sadness, “They think that they can treat us carefully for a while and help us ‘overcome’ these problems. They think that after a bit of help and some fine-tuning we can go back to our ‘normal’ lives. Fit in with the rest of ‘normal’ society. People like us aren’t normal, that’s why we’re here in the first place!” Each word raises slightly in volume until she is practically shouting.

Realisation starts to dawn on me, “I get it now,” Rika looks at me with a mixture of confusion and frustration, apparently annoyed that I interrupted the tangent she was going off on, “You dislike Emi becau-“

“I dislike Emi Ibarazaki because she represents the ideology that we can be ‘normal’,” Rika returns the favour, interrupting me before I can continue, “She has no legs below the knee, and yet she’s the star of the track team! She goes out and does something that she shouldn’t be able to do just so she can convince herself that she fits in! She puts one hundred per cent of herself into trying to regain her ‘normal’ life! Hell, when she wears her regular prosthesis she always wears knee-high socks so that she can cover them up!” Her voice takes on a melancholy tone, “She acts like she’s ashamed to be who she is, to be associated with ‘broken’ people like us.”

Rika exhales deeply and calms herself, “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to go off like that.”

I smile at her, “It’s alright, I understand what you were getting at. At least, I think I do.”

She chuckles at my response, it’s a lighter, more genuine sound this time, “I’m grateful for this place though, and the help provided, regardless of how flawed it is. It’s just… that ‘you can beat it!’ attitude is so overbearing sometimes, you know? I get sick of it.”

I nod, “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

We remain silent for a short while before Rika gets up and dusts herself off.

“Well, I’m heading back to the dorms now. It was nice meeting you, Nakai. I’ll see you around.”

“Likewise,” I nod again in her direction, “I’ll catch you later, Rika.”

As I watch her make her way through the park towards the dorms, I find myself wanting to know more about this mysterious girl. Why is she so blunt in her mannerisms? Where has her dislike of the school come from? Why did she open up to me – a complete stranger – so quickly? One of the biggest questions however, is what could’ve occurred between Rika and Emi in the past for Rika to dislike her so much?

Rika fades into the distance and I am left alone again under the shade of this tree. I inhale deeply and flop backwards, sprawling out on the grass. Fatigue washes over me as I close my eyes and go over today’s events; a morning run that proved to be near-fatal; Skipping a day of school to recover; Being introduced to an enigmatic albino girl with a condition similar to mine; Finding out that Rika and Emi seem to have a history, and probably not a good one at that. It’s barely afternoon and today has already been too eventful for me.

As I drift into unconsciousness a lone thought floats to the surface.

Today was an interesting day.

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Author's Note: I know that Rika fiction is generally Rikabro's thing, but I got this idea whilst reading a thread here a while back and wanted to try my hand at writing. The general idea would be that the Overcome/Live with choice would determine what route you would get were Rika to actually have a route in KS. With 'Overcome' being Emi's and 'Live with' being Rika's. Anyway, now that my first piece of fiction is out of the way, feel free to give me any feedback you wish. I would greatly appreciate it.

[Guest]

It was good but...unless you plan on writing out a whole route, I'd get rid of the lone choice in the middle and just have it as a one-shot. I did enjoy it though, it's very good for your first piece ever! Keep at it and i'm sure you'll be great.

[griffon8]

I disagree with Mr. Anonymous Guest. Normally I hate seeing those choices given in a story, but if all you're doing is your own extra scene to introduce Rika as if it was part of the VN, it's good.

That said, if you continue this, please don't put in choices. Just write your story your way.

[Scissorlips]

Welcome to the forums and welcome to the writing scene. I understand what you mean about Rikabro generally being the one to go to for Rika-related stuff around here, but there's a gap in the space of his act 1 that I think this story fits quite nicely into. It's cool to get a look at how Hisao would have gotten to where he is at the beginning of Rikabro's story.
As for the piece, your writing is quite solid. It fits the tone and style of the original game very well, but I think the word "condition" might have been overused a little to the point of being repetitive, and also, Hisao says "dissimilar", a word which I really doubt a high school student would say or even think. While there are a few points in the game where Hisao sounds like he's quoting Patrick Stewart, these were always kind of cringeworthy to me, and took me out of the experience. That's not a major issue, just something I felt was worth pointing out. I liked this story, and hope you stick around to provide us with at least a few more.

[Sperance]

This looks promising. I'll be sure to keep an eye on it.

[Daedalus]

I apologise for taking so long to give some sort of update as to what's going on, even though I'm not really expecting people to be eagerly awaiting anything I write.

Anyway, I spent quite some time after writing my first piece dealing with what I assume is writer's block. (Although I don't know if the term 'writer's block' is applicable if you're not much of a writer.) Luckily I'm past that now, however there has been a setback on the next fic that I was doing; It turns out that someone else had a very similar idea to mine and has written it already, and I very much doubt that anyone would want to read what would essentially be a carbon copy of another person's work. Which means that it's back to the metaphorical drawing board. So I apologise for being a slow worker, however, I will have something out within the next week or so. (In theory.)

[BobBobberson]

Wut. Oh yeah. I thought the one-shot was alright. No glaring plot holes or OOCness at the very least. Now write a crossover damnit.

[Daedalus]

Hello once again to all you wonderful fellows! A new - and extremely late - addition.

I've already explained part of the delay in a previous post, the rest of it is down to me just being a downright lazy worker. I apologise.

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Aftermath


Sunlight washes over my face, forcing me back to reality. A dull ache resonates through my head, growing more intense with each passing moment. As this painful combination rouses me from my slumber I become acutely aware of someone else’s arm draped across my chest, and a sense of warmth against my side.

I slowly peel my eyes open, looking down to my side. I recoil slightly and nearly fall off of the bed in surprise; Miki lays next to me, fast asleep. It seems that this is the point that my brain decides to start functioning again, as I suddenly realise something; both of us are naked.

As my mind races through all of the possible ways that I could have ended up in this situation, my heart rate increases until I can practically feel each beat reverberating throughout my body. It’s not helping my headache, either.

Another bout of panic hits me; I have no idea where I am. I quickly look away from the girl at my side and scan the room; there are items of clothing strewn about randomly across the room, some male and some female. Well at least I know that I still have my clothes. That’s one thing to check off the list.

I rack my memory for any sort of hint as to where I might be. I remember the graduation ceremony, I’m pretty sure that was yesterday. I also remember drinking. A lot of drinking. Everything else is just a blur.

Judging from the plain furnishings and the fact that it is completely devoid of any personal objects, I assume that this must be a guest room of sorts. I consider my predicament carefully. I am in a the guest room of house that I don’t recognise that is possibly in the middle of nowhere, after waking up next to one of my closest friends without any clothes on. I have no complaints for the latter part of this situation, at least.

The sensation of movement drags my attention back to the naked girl next to me. Her hand snakes up to my chest, fingers dancing across the contours of my body.

“Good morning.” She says softly, keeping her eyes closed.

I open my mouth to speak but no sound comes out save for a sort of croaking noise. My throat feels like it’s made of sandpaper.

“Uh, hi Miki,.” I sputter eventually.

She opens her eyes, gazing at me curiously, “What’s up? You hung-over?”

“You could say that,” I grimace as the thumping of my heart continues to echo throughout my skull, “Miki?”

“Yeah?”

“What… Happened last night?” I ask.

Miki gives a wistful sigh, “Something wonderful.” she replies, nuzzling her head against my chest.

Even in my groggy state I can’t help but notice the feeling of Miki’s chest pressing against my torso. Steady on, old lad, you don’t have time for any of that right now.

“Whilst I’m not denying that; I was hoping for a little more clarification, I can’t remember anything.”

She gives me an amused look, “Well, do you remember why we came here?”

That’s the only thing that I can remember, “To celebrate, right? But what I meant was where ‘here’ is, exactly.”

“Wow, you really drank a lot last night, huh?” she chuckles softly, “We’re at Shizune’s place. Some of us were so hammered that we crashed here for the night.”

I give her a surprised look, “Shizune’s house?”

“Yeah, the celebration was her idea actually. It surprised the hell out of me, too.”

As we talk the foggy haze of memories I have starts to clear. That’s right; Shizune said that her parents would be out of town at the time of graduation and suggested that she host a party. I remember a group of us making our way to her house after the ceremony yesterday.

Well that’s one mystery solved.

I decide to move on to more pressing matters: Such as curing this god-awful hangover. I sit up, only to be forced back down by Miki. Even the gentle shock of my head hitting the pillow sends a wave of pain surging through my brain.

“You’re warm. Stay with me.” Miki says.

“I’d love to,” I reply, “But I need something for this hangover, I’m dying over here.”

I make my way out of bed and wander around the room for a few moments, searching for my scattered items of clothing. What on earth did we do in here last night? As if to confirm my suspicions I suddenly come across a little foil square in amongst the clothes, with a tear on one side. I stop dead in my tracks for a few moments.

Me and Miki? How am I supposed to take this? Was it just a onetime thing, a night of drunken sex between friends? Or does she want something more than that?

I exhale deeply. One problem at a time, Hisao: Headache first, girl troubles second.

Once dressed, I move to leave the room, poking my head back through the doorway at the last second. Miki sits up, locking gazes with me. The bedcovers don’t come with her though, as she exposes her naked torso to me unintentionally.

“You wouldn’t need me to keep you warm if you put on some clothes, you know.” Miki quickly pulls the sheets up to her chin, face burning red upon realising that she’s naked.

“Gaylord!” She shouts. I duck back through the doorway to avoid the pillow that she flings in my direction. Even when deathly hung-over, getting to tease Miki is enjoyable.

==================================================

I slowly make my way through the Hakamichi residence, stumbling through the carnage that last night’s events have left in their place; the floor is littered with empty bottles and cans of alcohol in all shapes and sizes, pieces of furniture have been overturned and almost every corner of the house is covered in confetti.

“What the fuck happened?” A voice breaks the silence, echoing my exact thoughts. I turn towards the source of the noise which is revealed to be Kenji; slumped in the corner of the hallway, still cradling a bottle of whiskey in his hands.

I approach Kenji cautiously, bending down and nudging him gently, “Kenji?”

He lifts his head towards me, “Hisao? Shit man, you’re alive? I thought those feminists got to you for sure. They nearly had me, too. But I survived. I always survive.” He breaks off into a series of grumbles before noticing the half empty bottle of whiskey in his hands. Kenji stops to take a deep swig from the bottle.

I stand up. It seems that not even being hung-over will stop my bespectacled hall mate’s feminist rants. I decide to leave before he has a chance to continue his rambling, “Good to see that you’re alright, I’m going to head to the kitchen.”

He slams the bottle down on the floor, “Why are you-*hic* Oh, I get it. Reconnaissance. Good man.” Kenji says, nodding in affirmation as he finishes.

“Right.” I slink off down the hallway as quickly as I can manage.

As I continue walking I notice the unconscious forms of Lilly, Hanako and Emi peacefully sprawled out on different armchairs in the living room. The discarded bottles and cans turn the room into a minefield, making moving quietly a very difficult task. Waking up Lilly or Hanako doesn’t worry me that much, but I can’t imagine that a cranky Emi is something that’s fun to deal with.

I breathe a sigh of relief as I get to the kitchen, only to be nearly bowled over by Shizune as she tries to rush past me.

Shizune stops and stares at me for a moment, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. I stare at her curiously, wondering why she’s in such a hurry. It’s at this point that I pick up on something; she’s wearing Misha’s Bush/Cheney shirt from last night.

Shizune is someone who always takes care in her appearance, she wouldn’t wear someone else’s clothes; especially not in her own house. Unless….

My eyes widen in surprise as realization dawns on me. The girl in front of my picks up on my expression and her face reddens as her eyes dart down to her hands, each holding a cup of coffee.

Realizing that she’s unable to sign, Shizune settles for shaking her head from side to side rapidly before brushing past me and trotting out of the room.

Despite the current state that I’m in I manage a quiet chuckle. Good for Misha.

==================================================

I lean against the kitchen counter as I wait for my coffee to finish brewing. I close my eyes and begin massaging my temples in an attempt to dull the pain in my skull.

It has little effect however, so I settle for taking my drink and standing by the large window overlooking the garden.

I throw the window open and inhale deeply, hoping that the fresh air will take the edge off of my migraine. The sharp pain behind my eyes recedes slightly as I continue to take in deep breaths. Good, this is progress.

A flash of auburn at the end of the garden catches my attention; Rin is wandering around in the grass, her head cocked towards the sky. Is she alright? I briefly consider shouting over to her, but following her gaze reveals the source of Rin’s behaviour; she’s watching the clouds again. A sigh escapes from my lips. Rin is someone that I will never be able to understand.

Leaving the curious artist to her cloud gazing, I turn my attention back to the steaming cup of coffee in my hand. I take a long drink, swilling the bitter liquid around in my mouth.

It doesn’t take long for my mind to wander back towards the Miki situation. She seemed a bit… well… less like Miki this morning. Sweeter than she usually is.

I don’t know how to interpret any of this. What if she does want a relationship? Would I want to be in one with her? I mean, Miki and I have gotten pretty close during our time at Yamaku, and the idea of her being my girlfriend certainly isn’t a bad one. But how would it work? We’re not even going to the same college. I’m not a master of romance but I’m pretty sure that a long distance thing wouldn’t end well.

Suddenly a pair of arms wrap themselves around my waist, “Guess who~” Miki chimes. Speak of the devil, I guess.

“Hi Miki.” I reply.

She pulls away, allowing me to turn around, “It’s no fun if you don’t guess.” She pouts.

“No time for games.” I say, pointing towards my head, “Still dying.”

Miki chortles at this, “I can tell; you look like shit.”

“I feel like shit too.” I pause for a moment, taking in the sight before me; Miki is clad only in a T shirt and her underwear, “How is it that you’ve come out of this unscathed?”

“Because I’m not a wimp,” She states with a wink, “Oh, and that coffee isn’t going to help. Caffeine is the last thing that you need right now,” She fills a glass with water and hands it to me, “Drink this instead, you need to stay hydrated.”

As the cold drink trickles down my throat I can already feel my headache dulling down slightly.

“You really know what you’re doing.”

She rests the stump of her wrist on her hip, “Of course I do, you pick up these things pretty fast when you drink like a real man.” Miki teases.

Before I can retort the dark skinned girl in front of me turns away, sauntering towards the fridge, her hips swaying with each step. I force myself to look away, lest I get distracted. I think carefully about how to approach the topic of last night.

Miki returns with a large carton of juice, and after emptying it in a manner of seconds proceeds to stare at me, wordlessly.

“Uh, Miki?” I begin.

“What is it?”

I decide on the direct approach, “I… Err… About last night,” Great start, Hisao. Real smooth.

She cocks her eyebrow at me, “What is it?”

“I was just wondering, well… Err… Why me, I guess.” I finish the glass of water to stop myself from rambling further.

“Because I like you.”

I nearly spit water everywhere, “What?”

Miki sighs, “You really don’t remember anything, do you?” She looks down and scratches her wrist stump nervously, “I guess I got caught up in the moment and I ended up confessing.”

I stare at her in disbelief, “You like me?”

“Yes, I like you,” her tone is quieter than before. Miki pauses for a moment before regaining her usual demeanour. A devilish grin suddenly appears on her face and she steps forward, wrapping her arms around me again, “But the real question here is can you remember what you said last night?”

Uh oh, “Not in the slightest.”

She looks up at me, “You told me that you felt the same way, and then you asked me to be your girlfriend.”

Oh crap. “I did?”

Miki nods, “Yeah, and I accepted. ” she replies, flashing another wink.

“You want to be my girlfriend?”

She gives another sigh, “You really are an idiot sometimes.”

Before I have a chance to respond, Miki pulls me into a kiss. I stand there in surprise for a moment, before wrapping my arms around her and settling deeper into the kiss. She pulls away slightly, her lips hovering just out of reach, “Does that answer your question?”

“I think it does,” I reply, a big grin plastered on my face. I realise that I still have one more question, though. “But how’re we going to do this?”

Miki gazes at me curiously, “Do what?”

“This relationship,” I answer, “I mean, we’re not even going to the same college, surely you’d want to be with someone who isn—“ She puts a finger over my lips, shushing me.

“I don’t want someone else. We’ll figure something out,” She takes her finger away and nuzzles her head against my chest, “We’ll figure something out,” Miki repeats.

I return her embrace, pondering the future; I am no longer a student at Yamaku, pretty soon I am going to start attending college. On top of that I now have a girlfriend, who I am going to have to make time for amongst whatever else waits for me.

Maybe it can work, though. Perhaps it’ll be easier then I think. Miki certainly seems to think so.

For now though, I intend to focus on the present, and the girl in my arms.

“Yeah,” I say, “We’ll figure something out.”

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Authors Note: Alright, that's my second piece done! Albeit at a later date than I would've liked, but still. As always, all criticism and feedback is welcome.

[BobBobberson]

Woah, Shizune throwing a banger? Not sure if OOC, or extremely IC. Anyways, epic idea you had going there. These one-shots of yours are extremely amusing. Keep it up mate! Now excuse me while I come up with excuses for not writing RI.

[Total Destruction]

Very cool stuff here.

The Outsider

I dig how being a cynical asshole gets Hisao a potential girlfriend, or at least puts him on the right direction. I'm incredibly unfamiliar with Rika or the Rika story that's in the works right now, and this particular fiction makes me wanna take care of that, quick-status.

Aftermath

"We'll figure something out." Famous last words, or good times with DBGs? You decide!

I like both of these a lot. You have a good knack for one-shots, and I'm gonna keep an eye on this one.

[Scissorlips]

I enjoyed this latest piece a lot, I've always had a special place in my heart for stories of the "everyman Hisao", where he seems to be on no particular path and just enjoys hanging out and spending time with all the girls, it's great to see them interact as a group. Many of the smaller parts of this story, especially Shizune's scene, were great, and I always like to see Miki treated in a believable and likable way, she's easily becoming one of my favorite side characters. Solid prose, and Hisao behaved about as one would expect. Although it's a short piece with not much to really take from it, I liked it.

[Mirage_GSM]

Interesting concept. I'd like to read more of that, but it's probably good to leave it there.
Good job.

[Daedalus]

Alright, here's the first part of a short series that I'm doing! It borrows a few lines from Lilly's route to start but it quickly deviates away from the original scene.

I apologise for being so slow with these updates, but college started up recently so I've had limited time for writing.

As always, criticism and feedback is encouraged and appreciated.

I'd also like to thank you all for taking an interest in my writings.

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Love Matters - Part 1
A Rock and a Hard Place


“I love you, Hisao. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you! Don’t go away, I beg of you. Never, ever go away. I love you, so please….!”

So… that’s why she’s been acting like this. That tender voice when I called her, her thoughtless concern at the slightest pain I might feel… After having been left in Japan without her family, and with only Akira, Hanako and I around, she was afraid of losing yet another person who was close to her. She was genuinely worried for me.

It’s a strange feeling. A mix of surprise and sorrow, yet also of the deepest gratitude I think I’ve ever felt; This is the first time that I have ever seen Lilly so raw and emotional in all the time that I’ve known her. She’s always maintained that refined air, always seemingly unfazed by whatever problems she may face. Yet here she is, like I’ve never seen her before, because she cares about me.

Because she loves me.

A feeling of unease begins to build up. Here she is, opening up to me and telling me her true feelings, but I can’t return them. I can’t tell her that I love her, that I feel the same way.

I thought that I might’ve, once. But I don’t, I know that now.

As we stand together in the field, I find myself pondering what drew me to Lilly in the first place. I find Lilly attractive, sure. She’s kind and thoughtful, always thinking about others first. She remains polite and friendly in almost any situation, taking on everything with a seemingly unwavering sense of rationality. I think that the most important thing is her motherly nature; she helped me with so much in my first few weeks at Yamaku, I came to rely on her a lot. It’s not just me, either. You only have to look at Lilly’s relationship with Hanako to see how caring she is to others.

I almost let a sigh escape there and then.

Hanako.

The source of my confusion. I think that Lilly’s feelings for Hanako began rubbing off on me some time ago. However, this isn’t simply a desire to protect her; I want to see her grow as a person. I don’t want to just be there to shield her from the bad. I want to be there to see the good, too.

I inhale deeply, now isn’t the time to get distracted: there’s a more important matter at hand.

Am I really going to have to tell her that I don’t love her? Can I really reject Lilly like that? It could completely crush her. I swallow hard. I have to do it no matter what. I can’t lie to Lilly and tell her that I feel the same way. Besides, building a relationship on a fragile lie like that can only end badly.

First things first, I need to calm Lilly down and get her back inside the house. You can do this, Hisao, baby steps.

I gently stroke Lilly’s hair, “Hey, hey, it’s alright,” I say in the softest voice that I can manage, “I’m here, I’m not going anywhere,” her grip on me tightens slightly as she begins sobbing once again.

We stay like this for a while, embracing each other amongst the sea of wheat, the wind beating against us. The front of my sweater becomes stained with Lilly’s tears, her body shaking with every sob.

So this is the real Lilly, huh? This is what she’s like underneath that prim and proper exterior that she tries so hard to maintain. She always seemed so calm and reserved whatever the situation, but deep down she’s just as fragile as the rest of us. Now she’s finally opening up, letting it out. Part of me feels relieved that she finally has a chance to do this, and yet another worries about how much worse she could feel when I reject her confession.

I have to do it, though. There’s no other choice.

I wait for Lilly’s crying to settle and continue holding her. As silence finally falls over us, I speak, “Do you want to go back inside?”

She simply nods. I take her hand and begin leading her towards the house.

====================================================================

I pace slowly as I wait for the tea to finish brewing, pondering what to say next. I return to the living room shortly afterwards, teapot in hand. I pour two cups and I guide Lilly’s hand, carefully, to hers.

“Thank you, Hisao.” Her voice is gentle, having regained the refined, polite persona that she so often wears.

A strained silence fills the room. It’s as if we both have a lot to say, but we’re waiting for the other to speak first. Deciding that it’s best if I take the initiative, I clear my throat.

“Lilly?”

She turns her head towards me, “What is it?”

I might as well tackle the problem head on, trying to sidestep the issue here would only complicate things.

“About what you said earlier...”

She gives an acknowledging ‘hmm’. As impassive as ever, her eyes remain closed and her facial expression remains indifferent.

Just tell her how you feel, Hisao, you can do it.

“I-I’m glad that you told me all of that, in fact, I’m really happy that about what you said. It was… nice to see another side of you, to see past that exterior that you take such care in maintaining. I’m glad that I could be there for you, and I want to keep being there for you when you need someone. It’s just…” I breathe inwards, “It’s…”

A slight chuckle emanates from Lilly, “My my, you don’t normally get this flustered,” Her eyes flick open, and the unfocused orbs gaze in my general direction, “I’m a big girl, Hisao. Whatever it is that you’re about to say, I can handle it.”

Can she really? I don’t know if I can believe that, seeing how she was earlier. I don’t want her to bottle it up, either. I shake my head, I should trust her.

”It’s just that I don’t think that I’m ready for anything right now. It’s not a question of you, it’s my own issue; I don’t know how I feel. About you…” I pause for a moment, wondering whether or not I should tell her the most important part; my feelings towards Hanako. I give an exasperated sigh; I can hardly tell her that I think I might be falling for her best friend, not now.

Nevertheless, I press onwards, “About anyone, really. I’ve been through a lot recently, but I’ve made some very good friends, and I want to keep those friends. That much I know for sure,” I pause for a moment, gauging Lilly’s reaction. She remains impassive, though; she simply listens, no signs of emotion on her face. I don’t really know where I’m going with this but she doesn’t seem to be making any move to speak, so I try to continue my senseless rambling.

“That’s the gist of it, really. I just don’t think that a relationship would be best right now. As I said, it’s my problem, not yours. I’m still trying to figure out what I’m doing and how I feel about…” Lilly’s ears pick up as I hesitate, “People.”

Having nothing more to say I begin to sip at my tea slowly, waiting for a response. Lilly stays silent for a few moments, thinking. Then her soft laugh makes its way to my ears.

“There’s no need to be so tense, Hisao. It’s okay, really.” Her facial expression belays her words slightly.

“Lilly…”

“I will be fine, trust me. It’s not the first time that I’ve been rejected, it won’t be the last. These things happen; I can hardly force you to love me, can I?” She chuckles again, “To tell you the truth, I didn’t plan on confessing to you. But after what happened earlier I think that my emotions just got the better of me. It was quite selfish of me, really; expecting you to accept something like that when I was nearly hysterical.”

“Lilly, you’re not selfish,” She raises her eyebrows, surprised at my interjection, “Telling someone that you love them isn’t selfish. I’m the selfish one here; If I had actually thought things through and remembered to take my medication then I wouldn’t have had a flutter earlier,” She opens her mouth to speak but I continue speaking, “Don’t call yourself selfish, please. Think about how much you’ve helped me since I arrived at Yamaku. You’re constantly helping others and you rarely let things get to you, no matter how bad they might be. I believe that someone as strong as you needs a few moments of emotion like that. It lets you get everything out of your system. So don’t think of yourself as selfish. You’re one of the most caring and wonderful people I know, Lilly. It’s my fault that this happened; don’t blame yourself for any of it.”

Lilly doesn’t respond; she simply smiles and turns towards me. Her hand reaches out, coming to rest on my cheek. She slowly begins tracing the contours of my face, much like that time in the tea room.

I remain silent, waiting for her to finish the gentle caressing of my features.

“Thank you for that, Hisao.”

She’s pulls her hand away with a girlish giggle. She speed at which Lilly can recover from an outburst like that is amazing. Were it not for the hints of red around her eye you wouldn’t even be able to tell that she had been any different.

“What’s so funny?” I ask; my curiosity piqued.

Her eyes wander back in my direction, “I just thought of something; you said that you didn’t know how you felt.”

“Uh… what about it?”

She giggles again, “That means that I might still have a chance yet.”

My breath catches in my throat and I end up having a coughing fit from the surprise. This apparently amuses Lilly to no end, who bursts into surprisingly cheerful laughter.

“That was a joke. I didn’t expect you to be so uptight about such things,” She responds in a teasing manner, “However, in all seriousness; I would hope that my little episode earlier won’t change our relationship with one another.”

She poses a good point. It’s not something that I’d stopped to think about yet. Will Lilly’s confession change our friendship? There’s going to be some underlying tones of awkwardness for a while, but that’s to be expected. I honestly can’t imagine that it’d change anything too drastically. I hope it won’t, at least.

I return to reality, realising that Lilly was probably expecting some sort of response, “Yeah, me too.”

We remain silent for a few minutes before Lilly slowly levers herself up from the seat and informs me that she’ll be returning to her room. After she takes her leave I clear up the tea set before flopping down on the sofa. I stare at the ceiling, going over the tiring recent events. The sun is already beginning to set, bathing the room in an orange light. It doesn’t take long for the ambient glow of the room and the comfy furniture to send me into a deep sleep.

==================================================

The smell of fresh cooking fills my nostrils, bringing me into a state somewhere between sleep and consciousness. I start to fall away from reality again until a soft voice reaches my ears, barely audible in my current state.

“H-Hisao, its dinnertime.” That must be Hanako calling me. I consider responding, but the sofa feels as if it’s a cloud, and I just can’t bring myself to move. Today must’ve taken more out of me than I thought.

“Please w-wake up, Hisao.” Again, I feel like I should do something, but sleep is too attractive a prospect right now, so I remain unresponsive. A hand gently nudges my shoulder, but I don’t stir. A finger suddenly pokes me in the side of my face, and again. This serves to bring me into wakefulness with a start, and I sit up very quickly. Hanako almost jumps back in surprise, startled at the sudden movement.

Groggily, I manage a chuckle, “Sorry about that. I’m kinda’ tired out.”

She stares at me very cautiously. It’s as if she thought that I was so fragile that she had to wake me up in such a gentle way, or I might break apart. That’s right; she’s probably still shocked over my flutter earlier. I grimace inwardly at the memory of how panicked she was.

“Dinner’s ready, c-could you help me set the t-table?”

“Sure.”

I lever myself up off of my makeshift bed and begin helping Hanako.

With the table set and our food prepared, the three of us begin eating. It suddenly occurs to me just how hungry I am, and I clean my plate with surprising speed. Not much conversation is made as we finish our meal, but I notice Hanako shooting inquisitive glances at both Lilly and I. No doubt that Lilly has already told her about what happened earlier.

It’s almost unsettling. I’ve never really noticed her like this before.

I think that after Lilly’s confession, it brought things into perspective. Up until this point it was all confusing speculation, I hadn’t really found an answer to what it was. But after rejecting Lilly I’m certain that there’s more to my feelings for Hanako then just friendship, or protecting her. I don’t see her how Lilly sees her; I don’t care for her as she does.

I think… I think I love her.

The fact that I have been staring at Hanako dawns on me. She notices as well, her cheeks flush with a hint of red and she quickly hides behind her bangs as she tends to do. I turn my attention back to the remainder of my food, certain that my cheeks have also flushed a little.

After we finish eating and cleaning up, the three of us spend a while just lounging around and talking. Lilly turns in for the night after a short while, leaving Hanako and I alone. The two of us decide to play a match of chess.

Her skill has improved significantly, and I am defeated with surprising speed.

“You’ve gotten better.” I remark.

“Th-thanks,” She still seems more cautious than usual, but I think that scare today must’ve affected her quite badly. I curse silently at myself for not taking my meds, “I’ve been practicing.”

“Practicing?” I ask.

She nods, “C-Computerised chess.”

“Ah, well it’s definitely helped. I didn’t stand a chance.” Hanako blushes at the compliment, fidgeting in her seat a little. She looks like she wants to say something; I’m about to ask what’s on her mind when she stands up suddenly.

“I’m going to bed now.” She hurries towards the door, turning back at the last moment, “G-Goodnight,” She disappears through the doorway in a blur.

I sit there for a moment, confused at the rapid chain of events. I give a hearty sigh; as much as I care for Hanako, I still understand very little about her. That will change with time though, I hope.

I slowly stroll over to the sofa and plant myself on it again.

We’ll be headed back to Yamaku tomorrow; exams will be starting up soon enough. I shake my head in an attempt to dispel all thoughts of schoolwork right now. I’ve had an exhausting day, I should get some sleep. My thoughts drift to Hanako, and wondering what she wanted to say before she left.

Perhaps I’ll find out some other time, I could probably ask her about it. It’d be best to wait until she’s gotten over what happened earlier however.

I fall asleep in a strangely good mood, considering that I almost had a heart attack earlier.

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[Mirage_GSM]

Also an interesting start - and this time there's going to be more...