Hanako/Hisao post-Yamaku (Updated 1/2/14)

[Brogurt]

Also I forgot to say that ponytails are dumb

No offense

They just are

[pandaphil]

Well finally, a new chapter. Many thanks to Umber and Forgetmenot for proofreading and editing advice. I hope you like.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter III

Ugh, the alarm. The same one that's dragged me out of bed six days a week for the past five years. I switch it off with a practiced swing of my arm. Damn, I hate that thing. I suppose I've just been too cheap and too lazy to buy a new one.I rub my eyes, gazing down at the sleeping figure beside me, afraid that my movements might have awakened her. But I'm in luck. She's still sleeping peacefully, her breathing slow and steady beneath a cloud of ebony dark hair.


I lie on my back for several minutes as I myself finish waking up. I don't hear anything outside except the call of birds. That, along with the shadow of tree branches on the window curtains would indicate that last nights rain has stopped. Looks like my two day break from my morning workout is at an end.

After a bit I heave myself out of bed, arching my back with a groan as I head for the bathroom. Might as well get ready. Halfway there I hear Hanako yawning loudly behind me. She sits up, blinking and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

I turn and move back toward the bed, watching her wake up. "Morning, sleepy girl. We're going running today. Wanna come take a shower?"

I'm rewarded with a blush as she falls back onto the pillow, looking up at me and rubbing one eye. "No. You ask me that every morning." she says in her usual subdued, almost childlike voice.

"Uh-huh." I kneel on the edge of the mattress, leaning down as I kiss her nose. "Because someday you're going to say 'yes'."

She lets out a mock growl and I 'OOF' as she bops me playfully aside the head with my own pillow. "Go away." Her simple phrase is punctuated by a huge yawn as she stretches. "Mmmmm I'm gonna get dressed."

I take that as my invitation to get the hell out, so I grab my running clothes and head for the bathroom. Taking a shower before running would have been kinda dumb, but it was fun to tease Hanako. Seeing how I was one of the few people (well, probably just two) who was allowed to. I'm just happy she has her spirits back.

I set down my things and reach automatically for the plastic box I used to organize my daily doses of pills. After more than eighteen months, tossing back the small handful of tablets and colored capsules has become almost an instinct to me. Then I brush my teeth and give myself a quick shave, the usual morning routine. I want to give Hanako plenty of time to get dressed. As active as our romantic life is, she's still oddly uncomfortable about changing clothes in front of me, and I respect her feelings.

I finish changing into my running gear, then open the door a crack. "All set?"

"Yes." comes her quiet reply. She's just finished tying her running shoes and stands up as I enter the room. Her second hand dark red track suit is a size or two too big for her and tends to hang off her. But it hides her figure and most of her scarring, so it achieves its intended purpose. To me though, it just makes her look cute. But then hell, to me she looks that way dressed in anything. It's like cuteness is tied into her genetic code.

We head downstairs and leave the house together in due time, the sky a brilliant clear blue with big puffy clouds. You would never have thought it had been grey, miserable, and pouring down rain for the last two days. Unfortunately the clear sky means that the July heat will be reasserting itself with a vengeance. The humidity is gonna be a killer. That's one of the advantages of a morning run though- the sun hasn't built up a head of steam yet. This was good. Hanako's doctor has warned us that the scarred half of her body wasn't able to sweat properly, so she had to be very careful to overexert herself.

The two of us decide to stick to the neighborhood to avoid the wet grass and mud of the city park nearby. After a few minutes warming up, Hanako flips up her hood, covering her hair and partly obscuring her face from the sides. As we leave the driveway, she dodges around the larger puddles with little hops. Mustn't step on the dark patches after all.

Living in a older, higher end neighborhood, we have the advantage, at least in Hanako's opinion, of encountering very few pedestrians this early in the day. Most people around here drive their cars down the tree lined streets, so they couldn't see her face even without her hood and roughly cut bangs.

I always suggest that she should wear her hairclips to at least keep the hair out of her eyes. But she consistently refuses. Like her shorts, and cropped shirts it's strictly something to be worn in the safety of home. Even with the hood- to her, the curtain of hair hiding her burns is like a security blanket.

We run several blocks, pacing ourselves. A two mile run is nothing to me these days. It's a hell of a lot different from when I started my cardio in High School. True I'm not track star material, but at least I don't feel like dropping to the ground and dying after the first mile.

Hanako isn't doing too badly herself for someone who's only been running for few months. Naturally I have to keep my speed down so she won't get winded, but only just. She's always been faster than me when it comes to short sprints, and of course, she doesn't have a crappy heart to worry about. I've no doubt I'll soon be struggling to keep up with her if she sticks with this for any length of time. Her body already moves with the swift grace of a natural runner. She looks good, arms and legs pumping rhythmically, breathing I small puffs. She catches me watching her and gives me a small, easy smile. A sight that's become more and more common and never fails to make me happy in return.

We run at a fairly steady pace for three blocks past rows of houses and quiet side streets before making our first turn. Suddenly Hanako slows her pace and ducks behind me.


I look ahead to see a crowd of a dozen or more people, teens chatting, texting, listening to music, and being generally boisterous, There's also an annoyed looking businessman, and an elderly couple. All strangers. That was to be expected. We were only living here for the summer, so it wasn't like we knew anyone in the neighborhood anyway. Apparently they're all here waiting for the bus. What the hell? When did this stop get so popular?
Most of them turn to watch us as we bear down on them There's plenty of room to pass on the grassy area, so getting by won't be a problem. But as we jog past, I see Hanako matching my pace. Her head is down, eyes glued to the ground. She moves as close as she safely can, trying to make herself as small as possible while keeping me between her and the bus passengers. I nod sociably to the old couple who seem to be watching Hanako's maneuvers in a quizzical manner. The old man replies with a friendly wave. The woman, his wife I assume, just scowls.

Hanako doesn't raise her head or unball her fists til we're well past the group. I manage to catch her eye as she does so. Her expression is a tight-lipped mix of anger and sadness. No doubt directed at herself. I know she works hard to fight her shyness, but occasionally her old fears manage to re-assert themselves. She shakes her head and looks away, hiding her face and pulling ahead with a burst of speed. I pump my legs harder to keep up. I guess the last thing she wants right now is my sympathy.

She doesn't slacken her pace for several hundred yards, by which time we're both wheezing.

The rest of the run is quiet and pretty uneventful, the streets deserted save for a few passing cars heading into the city. By the time we get in sight of the house, the sun is well and truly up and we're both tired out and sweaty. I'm hot enough in my thin shirt and shorts, I can only imagine how Hanako must be feeling in her long sleeves and pants. From this point on I watch her closely, as heatstroke could be a real danger for her.
At this point though I think we've both had enough, and I signal a halt with a wave of my hand about a block from the house. We slow down, breathing heavily. The remaining distance to the yard makes a perfectly good cool down walk. Happily, Hanako seems to have recovered from her attack of self loathing. As usual, neither of us says anything, but she does take hold of the two fingers I offer her, hooking her own around them affectionately and blessing me with an apologetic smiles. We walk that way for the remaining distance swinging our arms casually, both feeling drained, but breathing normally by the time we get to the porch.

Upstairs, we notice that Lilly's door is still shut. Still sleeping in I guess. A shame. I was hoping we could discuss the anniversary party before I left for the print shop. Oh well.


Returning to our room, Hanako lets me have the shower first, replying to my usual flirty invitation to join me with a stuck out tongue.

I clean myself up fairly quickly, toweling my hair dry and changing into my dress pants and white work shirt. She ducks past me when I finally exit, closing the door behind her. I busy myself checking my backpack. A book on Paleontology, and some paperwork from the college I need to look over. I notice Hanako has left her book lying open on the bed. Its a dog-eared old copy of "The Secret Country". I mark the page with a slip of paper for her, and place it on her nightstand.

With nothing else to do, I figure I've still got about 40 minutes until I need to leave for the bus, so I wander down to the kitchen to scrounge up a quick breakfast.
I fire up the coffeemaker first thing, then poke around the fridge to find something quick and edible. Hmmm, Hanako's leftover stir fry? Nah, the girls will probably want it for lunch. I end up picking out a couple of pieces of fruit and throw a container of leftover rice in the microwave. Nothing fancy, I'm not really a breakfast person anyway.

While I wait for the coffee to finish, I can make out a muffled, musical voice from upstairs. After just a few notes I recognize the pleasant sound of Hanako singing in the shower. It takes me a minute to make out the song. Yep, "Music of the Night". I should have known. She and Lilly have been getting all worked up about Phantom of the Opera ever since Hanako downloaded the soundtrack album. In addition to the poster now gracing our bedroom wall, the dvd has lived in the player for the past two weeks. I know its just a matter of time before I come home and catch Lilly in a white dress and Hanako leaping around on the furniture in a mask and cape. I can't help but grin at such a silly mental image as I pour myself a mug of coffee and pull out the bowl of hot rice.


I wolf down breakfast quickly, washing the cup and bowl off in the sink and leaving them there. Now, back upstairs to the bedroom. There's one last thing I have to tend to before work.


I push down the handle on our door and step inside. By now the showers off, and Hanako has wrappe dup her one woman show. I can hear faint sounds of movement coming from behind the bathroom door.

"Hanako?" I call. "It's getting late."

She emerges into the bedroom finally as I take a seat on the bed facing the chair. A towel is wrapped snugly around her torso, and her beautiful long hair is pinned up. Standing there with her bare legs and shoulders she looks pretty damn sexy.

I push the chair forward with my foot."All set?" She nods and hands me a plastic squeeze bottle before seating herself, straddling the chair and facing away from me. One of the more unpleasant side-effect of Hanako's scarring was its tendency to become dry and irritated. Itching terribly and turning an ugly raw pink if she wasn't diligent about caring for herself. During our last semester at Yamaku, the school nurse had prescribed a new type of medicated lotion, intended to soften and moisturize her scar tissue, making it less prone to irritation. There was even a chance he'd said that it could help to fade her scars with daily use.

Hanako had always been rather half-hearted about the daily routine, given the medications expense and her fluctuating moods. Not being able to reach the most badly injured parts of her body hadn't helped, and naturally she was far to shy to ask any of her dormmates for help. Even from Lilly. Of course, as soon as Lilly found out she got on Hanako's case about it. In her own maternal way of course.
One thing my old school running partner had told me was that a person is more likely to keep up a routine if they knew someone was counting on them. It had worked on me, so I applied the same strategy to Hanako's case. I let her know that if she was going to bug me about taking my meds every day, I was going to make sure she treated her body properly as well. So, we struck a deal and it had evolved into our own daily ritual.

Of course I added my own addendum to Emi's advice. A person is more likely to keep up a routine if they also make it as enjoyable as possible.

Hanako slips the towel timidly from her shoulders and drapes it over the back of the chair. Leaning forward, she presses her chest against the chair and lays her head on her crossed arms. I tip the bottle and squeeze out a blob of the milky white, oily liquid onto my fingers. She's dressed in only a pair of white panties, leaving her back bare to me. It's a shame she's still so skittish about showing her breasts or more delicate parts of her body in the daylight. I'd certainly have no problem treating her entire body. But, as always, some habits are slow to die. Just being able to be undressed in the same room as another person, even me, was a major step for her, one in a long chain of baby steps. Anyway, I only need to apply the medication to the parts of her back and shoulders she can't reach on her own. Not that that prevents me from touching her elsewhere of course.

I run my fingers over the right half of her neck leaving a slick glossy trail on the rough, slightly wrinkled surface of her damaged skin. I gently massage it in, leaving it a lot less dry to the touch, as well as a paler shade of pink.

I'm feeling a bit playful now, hardly an unusual reaction I should think, to running my hands over my nearly nude girlfriends body. This is a sweet, quiet time for both of us, a prelude to our busy days when we can both feel so much closer to one another. I take a bit of lotion between my thumb and forefinger and moving her thick hair to one side, carefully rubbing it into the curves and crevices of her right ear,even though its mostly undamaged.

Ironically, her burns actually work to my advantage here. I'd discovered early on that Hanako could be very ticklish. She tends to squirm and giggle if I so much as touch her left ear. But due to some of her nerve damage, I'm able to run my fingers over her right ear with barely a squeak.

As I start to caress the side of her face, I feel her stiffen a little and try to raise her head. "Y-You don't have...to do that." she says a little apprehensively.

"I know." I reply reassuringly. "But I want to.". I lean forward and gently brush my cheek against her hair and catch the scent of roses from her shampoo. She acquiesces and lays her head forward again.

Taking more lotion, I start to apply it to the rest of her scars, working across her shoulder and down her right side, rubbing it into the streaks and swirls of brown and rosy pink flesh, my fingers gliding over the gentle curve of her back. I've actually gotten pretty good at this, at least judging from the contented purr I manage to get from her as I work.

I move my hand downwards, sliding my slick fingers delicately over the roughly scored marks that crisscross her hip. While I've never had a problem with her scarring, I can appreciate how the slipperiness of the medication does make her dried skin so much more pleasant to the touch. And certainly more comfortable for her.

And that's what makes this daily routine so satisfying: being able to please Hanako and make her feel good. In fact, there's been more than one occasion where this had led to more intimate activities. Something I certainly wouldn't mind...except...on this particular day it's not to be. I have work.

I apply the last swipe of lotion to the small of her back, stopping just at the line of her panties.

"All done." I speak softly in her ear. "Unless you need me to..."

She turns her head, eyes half lidded with contentment, and wiggles her shoulders almost seductively, a blush coloring her cheeks. "T-Thank you Hisao. But I can finish." She pulls the towel demurelyagainst her breasts as she leans up and kisses me. The length of time that she presses her lips to mine demonstrates that I'm not the only one who was getting excited.

By the time she starts to tug at my lower lip with her mouth, I realize that the clock is still ticking. Goddamnit why do I have to be the responsible type? I break the kiss and let out a long tragic sigh. "Time to go." I say, trying-and failing-to hide my disappointment.

She opens her eyes, looking equally disappointed, but nodding anyway, and busies herself wrapping the bath towel back around her body.

I stand and set the bottle on the floor beside the chair for Hanako's use, and head into the bathroom to wash my hands. I can at least remove some of the strong medicine scent from my fingers. It wasn't an unpleasant smell, just...odd. Going into the shop smelling of it had earned me more than a few odd glances on the bus, and from my coworkers.

I put on the last parts of my uniform. Tie, name tag in my pocket, make sure my shirt's clean. All good.

"Hisao?" I hear Hanako say from the next room.

"Yes?" I glance in the mirror, getting a nice view of Hanako oiling her thigh and leg, the towel covering her body obviously considering making a break for the floor. People who just saw her as a poor scarred girl didn't know what they were missing. I wonder idly if a once a day application of her miracle lotion is good for her, whether twice might be even better. Say, just before bed?

She looks up from oiling her toes. "Should I tell Lilly my answer...About the party I mean?" she asks in her usual docile tone.

"Oh! Uh, yeah, sure." I start, feeling a bit like the proverbial kid caught with his hand in the candy jar. "You two can make your plans, and I'll talk to her tonight. You know how she loves to organize things."

"Okay, I will. W-We have to go out later. She says she's found a lead on some free packing boxes." Since our move would be starting in less than a month, we needed all the boxes we could get.

With everything in order, I exit the bathroom, picking up my backpack on the way and walking over to Hanako. "Sounds great. See you this evening? I love you." I lean down and snare another warm kiss.

"I love you too...Have a good day."

[Brogurt]

I don't think that "Duty" sounds as romantic as what you're trying to convey. "Duty" means you do it whether you want to or not, while an eager obligation or something like that would be a better way to describe giving your lover a massage

I move downwards, sliding my fingers over the slightly rough unevenness of the scar tissue that wraps around her body almost to her spine near her shoulders, and covering almost her entire back as you approach her hips.

This sentence was really hard to make sense of

Also you forgot your image

hanaran.jpg (182.67 KiB) Viewed 6850 times

[pandaphil]

I don't think that "Duty" sounds as romantic as what you're trying to convey. "Duty" means you do it whether you want to or not, while an eager obligation or something like that would be a better way to describe giving your lover a massage

I move downwards, sliding my fingers over the slightly rough unevenness of the scar tissue that wraps around her body almost to her spine near her shoulders, and covering almost her entire back as you approach her hips.

This sentence was really hard to make sense of

Also you forgot your image

hanaran.jpg

Okay, easy fixes I guess. I'll make the changes right now.

That pic is so sweet!

[YZQ]

Not bad. Hanako's getting better by the day. Still needs that Eureka moment, though.

[pandaphil]

I'm open to suggestions.

[Mirage_GSM]

She's still sleeping peacefully, her breathing slow and steady beneath a cloud of ebony dark hair.

She changed her hair colour?

the sun hasn't have built up a head of steam yet.

You might want to rethink that sentence.

But as we jog past Hanako repositions herself on my opposite side, head bowed and eyes glued to the ground,

She seems to be worse than she ever was at Yamaku... In the VN she was able to accompany Hisao to town and sit in a cafe without any hood.

"Music of the Night"

Really now? Hanako doesn't seem to have that kind of humour...

...
Have to go now. will continue later.

[pandaphil]

She's still sleeping peacefully, her breathing slow and steady beneath a cloud of ebony dark hair.

She changed her hair colour?

the sun hasn't have built up a head of steam yet.

You might want to rethink that sentence.

But as we jog past Hanako repositions herself on my opposite side, head bowed and eyes glued to the ground,

She seems to be worse than she ever was at Yamaku... In the VN she was able to accompany Hisao to town and sit in a cafe without any hood.

"Music of the Night"

Really now? Hanako doesn't seem to have that kind of humour...

...
Have to go now. will continue later.

I appreciate the input man.

* Maybe I'm weird, but its always felt odd to me to talk about someone with purple or blue hair in a fanfic. I've always felt that Hanako had dark hair, but with purple highlights depending on how the light hit it. I'll leave this up to the readers though. Should I change it?

* Thanks for catching the typo. Good eye.

* Well, Yamaku and the village were familiar areas that she'd been visiting for years, and she was probably more used to the residents and felt comfortable there. She's only been running for a couple of months and usually in the park where there are no people. Remember in the VN when she went into the city she wore a hat and tended to keep her head down. wearing a sweatsuit with a hoodie seemed like a viable alternative. Again, its a valid point and I'm willing to entertain changing it if people think it seems 'off'. Its not that important to the story.

* The song wasn't meant to be a joke. It was mentioned in the VN that Hanako likes to sing. She's also a bit of a nerd and I like to think a bit of a romantic. It's pretty common for young women to be smitten by the Phantom (I made a point of mentioning that Lilly was into it too). I also like to think that a epic character with facial scars who kicks ass and takes names would appeal to her. Plus its a cool song that sticks in your head.

[Mirage_GSM]

I can at least get rid of some of the girly scent.

I thought it was supposed to be a medical lotion? Those aren't usually scented, are they?

Well, Yamaku and the village were familiar areas that she'd been visiting for years, and she was probably more used to the residents and felt comfortable there. She's only been running for a couple of months and usually in the park where there are no people. Remember in the VN when she went into the city she wore a hat and tended to keep her head down.

Yes, but notice the contrast:
In the VN she goes to the city (I don't really think she goes there regularly) and sits in a crowded cafe with nothing more than a cap.
In your story she has major problems passing a single elderly couple in a park while wearing a full on hood...

I also like to think that a epic character with facial scars who kicks ass and takes names would appeal to her.

So you think Hanako would enjoy a story about a man whose disfugiration has him ostracized from society and driven to a life of crime?
I'd think when she first heard the story she huddled up in her room and didn't come out for a week...

[pandaphil]

I thought it was supposed to be a medical lotion? Those aren't usually scented, are they?

You might have a point there. I think I'll change it.

Yes, but notice the contrast:
In the VN she goes to the city (I don't really think she goes there regularly) and sits in a crowded cafe with nothing more than a cap.
In your story she has major problems passing a single elderly couple in a park while wearing a full on hood...

You're starting to sell me on this point. Keep in mind though that its not a massive monks hood we're talking about, but something that would fit lightly over her head like this: http://cache0.bigcartel.com/product_ima ... hoodie.png
I'm thinking she wears it because its more covenient and less likely to blow off or be misplaced than a cap. I guess I could make it sound less bulky and uncomfortable in the story.

So you think Hanako would enjoy a story about a man whose disfugiration has him ostracized from society and driven to a life of crime?
I'd think when she first heard the story she huddled up in her room and didn't come out for a week...

Do you know much about the musical or the film based on it? The Phantom is presented as a romantic character, mistreated and wronged by society who'll go to any lengths to be with the woman he loves. Trust me, a lot of women (and men) love that stuff. Also, one of the main things I'm trying to push is that baring the occasional relapse, Hanako is a lot less fragile than she used to be.


Even though we disagree on a few points, I really appreciate you taking the time to critique things. I'm hoping I'll get more comments. That's really the only way I can improve

[Steinherz]

So you think Hanako would enjoy a story about a man whose disfugiration has him ostracized from society and driven to a life of crime?
I'd think when she first heard the story she huddled up in her room and didn't come out for a week...

Do you know much about the musical or the film based on it? The Phantom is presented as a romantic character, mistreated and wronged by society who'll go to any lengths to be with the woman he loves. Trust me, a lot of women (and men) love that stuff. Also, one of the main things I'm trying to push is that baring the occasional relapse, Hanako is a lot less fragile than she used to be.

The Phantom is more along the lines of a Tragic hero/Villain, he wants to love and be loved but doesn't know how to properly show it. His personality ranges from extremely sympathetic to very sadistic (depending on the play/interpretation of the original novel) and I personally think Hanako would enjoy that story/play/film

[Mirage_GSM]

You're starting to sell me on this point. Keep in mind though that its not a massive monks hood we're talking about,...

Keep in mind that you want to show that she has improved in the meantime.

Do you know much about the musical or the film based on it? The Phantom is presented as a romantic character, mistreated and wronged by society who'll go to any lengths to be with the woman he loves.

To any lengths? True. He kidnaps her, drops a chandelier into the audience of the opera, and blackmails the director to give Christine a lead role... Very romantic...

Trust me, a lot of women (and men) love that stuff.

Probably. Probably not Hanako, though.

Also, one of the main things I'm trying to push is that baring the occasional relapse, Hanako is a lot less fragile than she used to be.

Try showing that in the park.
Hanako is least affected by her scarring when she's not reminded of the fire or things that have to do with it.
The story of PotO would probablybring all those memories to the surface.

[griffon8]

Do you know much about the musical or the film based on it? The Phantom is presented as a romantic character, mistreated and wronged by society who'll go to any lengths to be with the woman he loves.

To any lengths? True. He kidnaps her, drops a chandelier into the audience of the opera, and blackmails the director to give Christine a lead role... Very romantic...

Still a better love story than Twilight…

[Steinherz]

Do you know much about the musical or the film based on it? The Phantom is presented as a romantic character, mistreated and wronged by society who'll go to any lengths to be with the woman he loves.

To any lengths? True. He kidnaps her, drops a chandelier into the audience of the opera, and blackmails the director to give Christine a lead role... Very romantic...

Still a better love story than Twilight…

ANYTHING is a better love story than Twilight. I thought this was common knowledge?
And Mirage, for Erick the ends justify the means. He truly loved Christine but he didn't know any proper way to show it.

[Steinherz]

How bout I give a critique/comment on the actual section posted?
I like it, I like it a lot.
Also Panda? It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again
But in all seriousness: I liked this chapter/scene/section very much. Keep up the good work