Learning To Fly - A Saki pseudo-route (Completed)

[TubaMirum]

I've been in and out of the hospital the last few months dealing with some recurring issues

Hope you're taking care EBJ Can't shake this feeling that a lot of us have been dealing with some rough stuff recently, so it's good to be kept in the loop.

[Alex FRD]

New to the forums, just wanted to add my thoughts on this fic. Overall really nice, Saki (and her friends) are all very likeable characters, I can't compare her to the other Saki since I haven't read that yet. Hisao isn't that much of a dumbass in this too, so that's one bonus. The other bonus comes in the form of absolutely no Kenji. Just that makes you a god among men. Hope you recover soon and I hope to see more of your writing as well!

[Blackmambauk]

Hope your doing better mate, thought I let you know that I posted a link to your fic on Sufficient Velocity. Just something to cheer you up if you are still in the hospital.

[Eurobeatjester]

Finally, an update! After so long!

I wanted to get this out much sooner, but the medical complications I've been dealing with aren't quite over, and it looks like I'm heading for surgery here fairly soon. Even if there are no complications, I'm pretty much going to have to find a new career.

But enough about my sob story! Here's the real reason you're here, right? The beginning of Act 3!



Act 3: Ignition

Scene 1: Early Warning Systems

Ah, the lunch bell. While I do love science, I have to say lunch is my favorite period of the day, even if it isn't officially a period. I'm especially looking forward to this one. Not because of what's going to happen, but what it will help me escape. Try as I might, I just can't seem to get too focused in the classroom today.

I'm sitting at my desk, watching the rest of the students file out, waiting to stand until the herd has been thinned enough. I do grab my bag and put it over my shoulder however, more to give Mutou the impression I'll be leaving soon so he doesn't try to strike up a conversation with me. I don't even have anything particularly on my mind that's keeping me from paying attention. I'm still thinking about what happened a few days earlier, but it's not really at the forefront.

Still, it's there. Maybe I don't think it's distracting me because I keep pushing it aside. I finally got my head to stop reeling the day after, and that was two days ago.

Deciding that now is the moment, I push my chair back and rise to my feet.

It's been an interesting few days, alright. I smile to myself looking back on it, and all the events of the previous few weeks before then leading up to it. I don't know anything about relationships, or even flirting for that matter, but in hindsight it's pretty hard to miss. Even if it was painfully obvious at the time to Chisato and Noriko.

Over the last few weeks, Saki and I have definitely grown closer. I'm not sure just how close we've gotten, or how close we should have gotten. A part of me thinks that it's too fast; I haven't even been here two months and I've already asked her on a date after we kissed. That's not even the order things are supposed to go, is it? First you go on a date, then you kiss.

But then again, there's just something so natural about Saki, the way she acts, the way we talk together, the way we are around each other, that maybe the idea of it being awkward is what's actually making it awkward.

Which of course makes it even more awkward.

Just like before, Saki's actions after the fact are a bit confusing. It's just like after we had that conversation in the tea room, and opened up to each other about our conditions. I know we took a big step forward, but neither one of us acted like it, and things went on as normal for a while afterwards.

It's always like that in our friendship. Instead of moving forward at a steady pace, we take one giant step then choose to stay in place, either by design or accident. It feels like after we both test the waters, and decide that the temperature is fine, we both decide not to go swimming after all...only to walk a few paces away, turn around, and dive in headfirst.

We kissed, I asked her out on a date, we got our usual ration from Chisato, and we went on our way. And the next day, and the next after that, we both went swimming, and it was like it hadn't happened. It was buzzing in the back of my mind, how could it not? But neither one of us brought it up. We didn't kiss again, we didn't hold hands, and we didn't even discuss the upcoming date on the horizon, the way we talked when we were excited to go into the city that first time.

In those moments though, everything seemed okay. It didn't feel like we were dancing around the subject, or even a subject to dance around. There was no elephant in the room we were both trying to avoid, like there was the last few times Iwanako –

I wince. That's not a direction I want to take right now.

I switch off autopilot, and notice that I'm in the hallway, subconsciously heading down to the cafeteria. I skipped breakfast this morning, so I guess my body knew which way it wanted to go.

“Hey, Hisao!” I hear a familiar voice call out to me. I'm surprised to hear it, because it's been a while since I last saw the person. I turn and smile as the source comes bounding up to me.

“Heya Emi. What's up?”

“Nothing much. What are you doing for lunch today?” she asks innocently, clasping her hands behind her back to lean forward, then turn her face up towards me with a beaming grin.

I'm so not buying it.

“I was just going to go to the cafeteria...why?”

“I made some onigiri for the track team this morning, but there were a few no-shows,” she says, pouting in disapproval. “I have a few extras. Want to have lunch on the roof again?”

The last few weeks with Chisato, Saki, and Noriko have honed my sensitivity to red flags a thousand fold.

Right now, there's an air raid siren spooling up between my ears.

Even if I'm getting the vibe of an ulterior motive, I am hungry, and besides, she seems so damned eager that it could be fun to see where this goes.

“Sure, why not?”

“Yay!” Emi exclaims. “Rin should already be waiting for us.”

“Alright, lead the way.”

Emi does just that, the two of us weaving our way through the thinning crowd of students to the stairwell that leads to the roof. After a quick climb, the creak of the metal door grants us access and I feel the familiar gravel crunching under my feet. It takes a few seconds to get used to the brightness of the sun overhead, but when I do, I see we aren't alone.

Rin is standing by the fence, staring wistfully down at the main courtyard of the school.

“Rin!” Emi admonishes, as soon as her eyes adjust to the sunlight. “Be careful! Someone could see you and then they'd figure out we were up here!”

The red-haired girl turns towards us, a mild surprise in her green eyes, as if this thought never occurred to her before. She looks at the roof beneath her for a second, as if contemplating this, and then steps away from the edge.

“We're not exactly allowed to be up here, are we?” I ask.

Emi, caught red handed, tries to brush it off. “Only if we get caught.”

I shake my head. As if to appease me, a foil wrapped package seems to magically appear in my hands. It takes a few moments for us to sit down and get situated, before all of us begin to eat.

“Wow, Emi, this is really good,” I say, my mouth full.

“Aw, you don't have to say that. They're only rice balls.”

“No, I mean it. I haven't eaten today and this really hits the spot.”

“Well, you can thank the few members of the track team that didn't show up to practice this morning,” she says. “Just because the track meet is over doesn't mean we can slack off, you know.”

I feel a pang of guilt. I remember Emi mentioning something about a track meet, but it never occurred to me to try and go to it. She doesn't seem perturbed by my not being there though, so I might as well ask her about it.

“How did it go?”

“It went great!” Emi answers, with the enthusiasm of someone who was waiting for a specific question to be asked. “I'm still the fastest thing with no legs around!”

“But you lost one of the events,” Rin deadpans around a mouthful of rice.

“It was only one race!” Emi objects. “I won everything else, but the eight hundred meter!”

“Who won that one?” I ask, pretty confident I already know the answer to that one.

“Miura,” she admits under her breath with a growl.

I try not to laugh. Seems Saki was right about that one after all. Emi catches the glint in my eye though, and turns on me.

“I blame you for that, you know.”

“Me? How is that my fault?”

“Well maybe I'd have done better if my running partner didn't ditch me in the mornings to go relax in the pool,” Emi says indignantly, crossing her arms and sticking her nose up in the air.

Oh hell. I can't tell if she's serious or not. I open my mouth to start to say something, then close it, then open it again, having no idea how to respond.

Emi, seemingly having had her fill of fun at my expense, cackles evilly. “I'm joking, I'm joking! Don't worry about it too much. I mean, yeah, I'm a bit sad that you aren't running with me in the mornings, but hey, as long as you get some exercise, that's good!”

I relent a bit and lean further back against the wall. “I think the swimming's really starting to help me. I have more energy than I used to.”

“You look healthier, too,” Emi notices, cocking her head to the side to study me. Normally I would squirm a bit under her gaze, but the full on inquisitions Saki subjects me to in nothing but my swim trunks make this one a breeze.

I close my eyes and let the warmth of the sun seep into my face. “I think most of that is just getting my color back after being in the hospital so long.”

“How can you lose your color? You'll always be at least one color, right?” Rin plainly states. “Unless you're like, plaid or polka dotted. Or have a lot of freckles.”

“It's just an expression, Rin,” Emi says.

“Expressions have color too. Like seeing red.”

I decide to ignore the banter between the two of them and go back to eating my rice. As such, I'm unprepared when Emi blurts out her next question.

“So Hisao, what's it like no longer being single?”

I choke on the bite I'm currently taking, my face turning red from the embarrassment and the coughing fit that seizes me. It takes me a few seconds to regain my composure. It took a while getting here, but I gather that this is the real reason she invited me up.

“How did you find out about that?” I ask, taking a sip of my drink to buy some time.

“I may have overheard Chisato and Saki chatting in the back of the room. I have a radar for things like that, you know,” Emi says proudly.

“Didn't your mother tell you it's rude to listen in on other people's conversations?”

Emi waves me off with a giggle. “It's a gift, Hisao. It would be a crime to let it go to waste, don't you think?”

I shake my head, but now that Emi smells blood in the water, she's definitely not going to let it go.

“Sa-ki E-no-mo-to, hmmm?” she grins, drawing out each syllable with a conspiratorial glint in her eyes. “Not bad, Hisao. Not bad at all.”

(continued...)

[Eurobeatjester]

“It's not like that...I think,” I say, realizing that was probably not the right thing to say if I wanted to get away from Emi's line of questioning. “We're going on a date this weekend when her leg gets a little better.”

“Where are two sneaking off to?”

“Oh no. I'm not going to tell you where to set up camp. Hone your talents on your own time, not mine.”

“Hmph! How dare you,” Emi says in mock outrage, but her tone quickly switches to one of concern. “She's going to be okay, right? Her leg and all?”

I start to answer, then stop. It occurs to me that Emi might not know about Saki's condition, so for all I know, the only thing she would be concerned about is Saki's leg.

“She should be,” I answer carefully. “She's swimming again in the mornings, and she told me she'll be good as new in another day or two.” After seeing how hard she's trying the last few days, I silently wonder if she isn't pushing herself a little too hard.

Rin chimes in. “That's good then, isn't it?”

I nod.

“Mr. Nomiya said she was no longer in the art club.”

My eyebrows raise at that. “He did? What exactly did he say?”

Rin shrugs in a very Rin-like fashion. “Just that. Someone asked why she wasn't there and that's all he said.”

Well, that's a relief I suppose. I wonder if some of the students in the club were as shocked with Saki's resignation from it as their teacher was, for similar reasons as he was. At the very least, Nomiya seems to have calmed down about it, or at least is showing a bit more professionalism than he did when talking to Saki herself.

I also notice that Rin said someone asked about Saki – not her. Maybe she's indifferent to the situation, especially if she's focused on that art exhibition that Saki mentioned.

“That's good. I was with her when she talked to the teacher and it didn't, uh, go too well.” I admit.

“I don't think her dad's going to like that too much either,” Emi says, her voice worried.

Wait, what did she just say?

That's pretty much the exact same thing Nomiya said. I frown. Did something happen with her and her father before I started coming to school? And how would Emi, someone who isn't in art or band and doesn't have much social overlap with Saki, know about it?

“Her father? What makes you say that?”

“You don't know who Saki's father is?” Emi asks me, her voice surprised.

I'm taken aback at this for a second. “Should I?”

“Oh right, I forgot, you weren't here then,” she says, lightly snapping her fingers as if she just remembered something important. She lowers her voice a bit, as if she's sharing some secret information she doesn't want anyone else but us to hear.

Not that there's anyone else within earshot.

“He's some bigshot from Osaka. I think he owns a resort chain or something.”

Of all the things that pop into my mind when she says that, the one that comes immediately to me is how that explains the credit card and the amount of money she's able to put on it.

“You sound like you've met him,” I say.

“Well, not really. I haven't met him met him.”

“Really?” I ask, curious. “How?”

“Oh man, it was horrible. Saki's father came to the school, um, when was it? The first or second week of our first year, Rin?”

Rin shrugs again. “Someone in a suit showed up at the art club the second week.”

“Right, so it was the second week of classes,” Emi continues, bowling right over Rin. “I guess he wanted to see the place and the teachers too.”

“That doesn't seem like a big deal. My parents met a few people here when they dropped me off and helped me get settled in my dorm room. I mean, I can see why it's a bit embarrassing, but still...”

“No, you don't get it,” Emi continues, gesturing with her hands to make sure I understand just how important what she's trying to tell me is. “I mean he literally wanted to see the place and the teachers. He followed her around for a full day, and made sure to speak to every teacher before their class started. Saki was trying to be polite, but every time her father turned her back on her she either looked like she wanted to kill him or just curl up into a ball. It was really embarrassing for her. He wasn't rude or anything, but he had this, like, attitude around him. Like he had to make sure everything was good enough. I don't think I saw him smile once the entire time, you know? That type of guy.”

“I see.”

I know Yamaku doesn't operate like a typical school, and it would make sense for the teachers and staff to have a bit of a closer relationship with the parents of their charges because of that, but even that seems a little extreme. To follow around your child all day, and not even wait to talk to their teachers in private? It's embarrassing to even think about my own parents doing it, so I can only imagine what it was like for Saki.

Every time I bring up her parents, Saki tends to shut me down pretty quick. Not to mention the whole conversation she had with Nomiya and the subtext it implied. If that's what her father is like, then that might explain at least part of the reason.

'No' is not a word that my parents hear very often.

“I wonder if it's always been that way,” I whisper to myself, forgetting for a moment that I have company.

“I don't know,” Emi says. “I mean, it's not like we talk a lot, or that any of us really go out of our way to talk about our families, but I can't remember Saki ever talking about her family really.”

There's something kind of sad about that, and telling. Whatever Saki's got going on in her family life, she definitely wants to keep a tight lid on it.

The bell rings me from my thoughts, letting me know that the lunch period is just about over and we should find our way back to class. I disdainfully look down at the onigiri in my hand, realizing I've only taken a few bites out of it since I sat down.

“Aw man,” I groan.

“Better eat up, Hisao. Don't want that to go to waste!” Emi teases, winking at me.

I wolf it down in several large, hasty bites. My stomach will probably protest to eating it that fast, but I can deal with it if it means I'm not insulting Emi. It's good, but would probably be better if I had time to actually enjoy it.

After the final bell rings, I decide to be one of the first out the door this time instead of the last. Misha's been making coy remarks at me since I got back from lunch, trying to tease information about Saki out of me, but I was able to deflect fairly easily. Either she knew beforehand and just chose to start bringing it up after lunch, or she somehow has the roof wired for sound.

I'm not sure which option I find scarier.

I decide to take the stairs down to avoid the crush at the elevator, and take them two at a time. My lack of concentration has gotten worse this afternoon after the conversation with Emi, so I'm hoping a change of scenery might allow me to get back on track to do the homework I was assigned for tomorrow.

I reach the landing to the ground floor, and see a few rivers of students making their way either to the exits or other areas of the building like the cafeteria for a late snack. That doesn't seem like a bad idea, actually. I did have that rice ball Emi made, but other than that, my stomach is still rather empty. I could go down into town to get something to eat, but that's not really something I want to do on a whim. Maybe tomorrow.

Standing off to the side are a group of three students. I recognize two of them, especially since one of them is on crutches. Chisato and Saki have their backs to me, talking to a male student I don't recognize. I make my way over there and announce my presence.

“Hey girls.”

(continued...)

[Eurobeatjester]

“Hisao!” Saki says, turning her attention towards me and smiling. “There you are.”

“Why, were you looking for me?”

“Not in the least, but there you are,” Saki laughs.

“Hisao,” Chisato interrupts, with a bit of excitement on her face. “There's someone I want you to meet.”

“Oh?” I answer, facing the third member of their little troupe for the first time.

“Hisao Nakai, let me introduce you to Mitsuru Sasagawa,” Chisato says, with an air of pomp and circumstance that makes the boy look a bit uncomfortable.

I've heard the girls mention him in passing, but this is my first time actually meeting him. I'm not sure what I was expecting Chisato's boyfriend to be, but Mitsuru isn't quite it. He's a centimeter or two shorter than me, putting him at the same height as Chisato, with a build quite similar to mine. His black hair is about twice as long as mine, with bangs expertly parted to fall on either side of his square-rimmed glasses. His dark eyes are studying me, the same as I'm studying him, but there's no sense of intensity there - just a mutual curiosity born from meeting someone new for the first time.

What's most shocking though, is his right ear. There's something that looks a bit like a headset wrapping around and behind it, secured by a bud in the ear itself. I see a wire coming off of it that disappears into his hair. I must stare a second too long, because he notices.

“Care to see?” he says, in a soft spoken voice, and a small smile forms on his lips.

Without waiting for my answer, he brings a hand up to brush the hair behind his ear up and out of the way. There's a small patch buzzed close to the scalp, and sitting in its center is a small plastic medallion about the size of a large coin. The wire I saw from earlier leads into its side, connecting it to the device on his ear. I've never seen anything like it, and crane my neck to get a better look.

After a few seconds, he laughs softly and lets his hair back down. The length of it easily covers the patch and medallion, leaving no clue it was there unless you were actively looking for it.

“Sorry, I've just never seen one of those before.” I offer by way of explanation. I'd probably be a lot more hesitant to ask this next question if it weren't for the fact that Chisato was open about her insulin pump and how it operated. “How does it work?”

“No need to apologize. I'm used to it,” Mitsuru confirms, with an easy smile. “I can't hear very well in my right ear, you see. The pack here,” he says, pointing to the device on his ear, “picks up audio signals and transmits them through my skin here.” He moves the finger to point to the hidden medallion. “There's an electrode under my skin that goes to my inner ear and stimulates the nerves so I can hear.”

“How does that transmitter stick to your head?”

He laughs. “That's usually not the first question someone asks, but if you must know, there's a magnet under the skin that helps hold it in place.”

“That's amazing,” I say truthfully.

“I like it. It still doesn't let me hear nearly as well as I can in the other ear though, so if you want my attention you'll have to make sure you speak to my left, if that makes sense.”

“Isn't that the type of thing you said Maeda just got?” I ask Chisato, turning towards her. “A...what did you call it?”

“A cochlear implant,” Mitsuru answers for her.

“Yeah, that,” she confirms. “He got the surgery to implant it a few weeks ago. That's why he has the bandage.”

Saki hasn't said one thing during that entire exchange, letting the conversation flow between myself and the other two. I invite her into it.

“What were you all doing before I got here?” I ask Saki.

“Well, um,” she says, hesitating. “We were talking about this weekend coming up.”

The weekend coming up, when we're supposed to have our date at Shanghai?

I tense up slightly as I can only imagine the gossip flying between the girls over it, and I have no idea if Mitsuru is the type of person to indulge it.

“I was actually going to ask you,” Saki starts to say, shifting slightly to make her position on the crutches more comfortable, “would you mind if we made it a double date? The four of us?”

Now there's a thought that didn't occur to me. I thought it was just going to be the two of us, and never even considered something like that. I must take a bit too long to answer, because Saki elbows me in the ribs playfully.

“Unless of course, you want me all to yourself...” she teases, giggling.

“Is your leg going to be up for it?” I ask her, purposefully not rising up to the bait.

“It should be,” she says. “I didn't use the wheelchair at all the last two days, and I want to try and make this the last day I use the crutches, so I'm ready to go this weekend.”

“Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?”

Oops. Judging by the slight flash of annoyance Saki sends my way, I assume that probably wasn't the best way to phrase that, especially in front of others.

“That's probably why it's a good idea to make it a foursome,” Chisato says quietly. Either she didn't pick up on Saki's sudden mood shift, or she did and simply doesn't care.

Saki's face softens as she relents. “No...you're right.”

“What about Noriko?” I ask.

“She's going back to visit her family this weekend.” Saki answers. “She lives close enough to the school to meet up with them once in a while, so it's just going to be the four of us.”

“Sounds like fun,” Mitsuru says. “Shanghai, right?”

“Mhmm, unless you had something else in mind?”

“Shanghai's fine,” he laughs. “Not much else to do unless we go into the city.”

“Maybe next time,” Saki says, looking down at her crutches, obviously remembering what happened during the last trek away from Yamaku.

Mitsuru checks his watch. “If you'll excuse me, I have to get over to the literature club. It was a pleasure meeting you, Nakai.”

“You too, Sasagawa,” I reply, bowing again.

“Please, call me Mitsuru.”

“Alright, only if you call me Hisao.”

“Deal,” he smiles. “If I don't see you again until then, I look forward to seeing you this weekend.”

“I'll walk you there,” Chisato says, reaching forward to take Mitsuru's hand. “It's on the way back to the dorms anyway.”

“Have fun you two,” Saki teases again, to which Chisato looks over her shoulder and gives a wink. I watch the two of them walk off at an easy pace, Chisato leaning slightly into Mitsuru's side as the two of them start to talk among themselves.

“That was interesting,” I mention after a few seconds.

“Not quite what you were expecting?” Saki asks.

“No, well...maybe. I'm not sure.”

Saki laughs. “He's a good guy. Chisato could have done a lot worse.”

While Chisato seems like a ball of energy, Mitsuru had a calm, relaxed, almost regal demeanor about him. I was thinking Chisato's boyfriend would be more like her in energy level and mannerisms, but it seems like I couldn't have been more wrong.

“So where were you at lunch?” Saki asks. “We tried to find you, but you weren't down in the cafeteria.”

“Yeah,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “Emi asked me to eat with her and Rin up on the roof.”

If she's put off by it, she's not showing it. “Ah, so that's where you were. What did Emi want?”

“She asked me how things were going with the swimming.”

“Just the swimming?” Saki says knowingly, starting to make her way to the exit.

“Well...there was more,” I elaborate, falling into a slow step beside her to match her pace. “She asked me about us.”

Saki giggles. “Figures. She's been trying to pump me for information for two days. Didn't think she'd try to corner you though.”

“I thought that might be what she was up to.”

“If you thought that, why did you go with her?”

“She offered me food and I was hungry.”

She slaps me playfully on the shoulder. “Really? That's all it takes with you? Just wave some food in your face? I hope it was at least something fancy.”

“Actually, it was just a rice ball.”

“Well, at least you're a cheap date,” Saki says, her voice amused.

“Speaking of...I wanted to apologize for back there.”

“Apologize for what?”

(continued...)

[Eurobeatjester]

I stop and lean against the wall, taking a deep breath and letting it out. Saki turns to face me, curiosity on her face.

“When I asked you if you might be pushing yourself too hard. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."

“Hisao,” Saki sighs, sinking further into her crutches, “you were right to ask. Yeah, I probably am pushing myself a little but I just want to get off these things and use my cane again. I've been doing everything the doctors have been telling me to do and if anything goes wrong, I'll have the three of you there to help me.”

Somehow, if something does happen again, I don't think Nurse or the rest of the staff would let us off the hook so easily this time.

“What else did Emi talk about?” Saki asks, clearly wanting to change the subject.

“Well, uh...” I begin, wondering if this is the best time to bring it up, but realizing I've gone too far to back out now. “Rin mentioned that a few students in the art club were wondering where you were, and Nomiya told them you weren't in the club anymore.”

“Great,” Saki says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “I bet that went over well.”

“I don't think Rin would have embellished or downplayed it. If that's all he said, then that means he would have calmed down, right?”

“I guess,” Saki says, shrugging off the entire line of questioning, turning again towards the doors. I get the hint and stand up straight, and the two of us start off again.

Saki hasn't told me much about her parents, except for a few small, poignant things that I've picked up on. While I haven't inquired further, she knows I have at least some type of read on her relationship with them.

“How'd your parents take the news?” I pry softly.

“They weren't happy,” Saki says, and neither is she. “My father...” she starts to say, and then catches herself. She shakes her head. “Let's just say he isn't thrilled, but I was able to talk him down.”

“Emi told me about the time he came to visit the school,” I say, trying to show empathy.

Saki stops completely, and when I turn around she has her eyes closed and is pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“God damnit, Emi,” she mutters under her breath, before looking up at me. “I was hoping that people would have forgotten about that. God knows I've tried to.”

“Sorry,” I feebly offer. Saki lets out a short sigh and bullrushes through the explanation.

“I had just moved up here to Yamaku and my father decided to visit completely unannounced. I was just as shocked as everyone else was. He literally sat there in my class the entire day, then met with Nomiya, Nurse, Ms. Sakamoto, everyone. He probably would have interviewed the people I ate lunch with that day. Good for me that nobody wanted to be anywhere near me during that.”

“Has he always been like that?”

“Yes and no. I mean, it didn't get really bad until...” Saki starts, but then loses steam. She gives a much deeper sigh and then looks into my eyes with a hint of...pleading?

“Look, Hisao...I promise one day, I'll tell you about my father and my family. Just...not right now, okay? When I'm ready. Can we drop it for now? Please?”

I can't say no, seeing how much distress this is causing her. I have no idea how deep the roots are, but they're firmly entrenched and it's going to take time to unearth them. That much is clear.

“Alright. Some other time then.”

“Thank you,” she says, considering the manner closed.

We continue for a few minutes in silence, the cli-chack of Saki's crutches seeming to be the only noise that can penetrate the veil of awkwardness that's descended around us. It's not until we reach the exit of the building and I go to open the door that the monotony changes.

As I reach a hand for the door, it suddenly swings inward and I have about a quarter second to pull back in surprise. I'm not fast enough however, and the metal catches me full in the face. I yell out an expletive as my free hand comes up to cover my nose.

“Hisao! Are you okay?” I hear Saki shout in alarm. She's by my side in a flash, her hand on my shoulder.

“Just give me a second,” I say, mentally checking to see if I really am alright. Christ, that hurt.

“I'm sorry!” I hear a voice say. “Because of the glare I couldn't see if...”

Maeda's voice trails off as we make eye contact.

“...there was anyone behind the door.”

I'm still blinking hard to clear the stars from my eyes when I feel Saki's fingertips dig into my shoulder.

“Then open the door slowly, you asshole!”

Maeda's eyes flare just for a second at Saki's outburst, but then go back to a look of dismissal as he shuts her out.

“Look, I said I was sorry, okay?” He turns to me. “You're okay, right?”

I pull my hand away to see that, thankfully, there's no blood. My nose is numb, but it was more the shock of being hit unexpectedly than the force of the hit itself. If my head hadn't already been jerking backward in reflex, that could have gone very differently. My eyes are watering a bit, but I'm none the worse for wear.

“I'll be okay. It was just an accident,” I say, trying to reassure him, and more importantly, the very angry Saki still firmly attached to my side. The energy coming off her right now makes me realize that this anger is simply the straw that broke a very overloaded camel's back.

Saki reaches into her purse and pulls out a handkerchief, holding it up to my face for me to grab. I do so, and use it to check one more time to see if there's any blood. She's inspecting me for any injury I may have missed, the same way she did that morning in the pool.

Convinced that I'm going to live, she turns towards Maeda and glares. “Watch where you're going next time, okay? You could have really hurt someone.”

Maeda, seeing that I'm alright, shrugs off her anger. “Sure thing. Sorry about that,” he says dismissively, without an ounce of sincerity in his voice. He's just about to walk away when he stops and takes a closer look at us.

Saki still has one hand on my shoulder, the other one on mine which is holding her handkerchief. She's inadvertently pivoted both of us so that she's between Maeda and myself, and is so close to me I can feel the heat of her anger radiating off her smaller frame.

Maeda's eyebrow raises under his beret. He looks first at me, then at Saki, then back to me.

“You two...?” he asks, letting the question linger in the air. When he doesn't get a response from either of us, the corner of his mouth turns up ever so slightly in amusement.

“Good luck,” he says lightly, looking me dead in the eyes as he does it.

With that, he turns around and walks further into the building, putting his hands in his pockets and paying us no further attention.

It takes a few seconds for me to come back to reality, and I feel that Saki's still hanging on to me for support, both figuratively and literally. I look down and I notice that in her rush to get to me, she dropped both of her crutches.

“Come on,” I softly say, trying to calm her down. “Let's go sit down for a second so I can grab your crutches, okay?”

I move her arm over my shoulders and place my other hand around her waist to support her weight. We slowly make our way to a bench near the front, and set her down on it. Saki's face is turned downward, but what part of it I can see is flush with anger, with lips set in a hard line.

It takes me a few seconds to grab the crutches, but when I do and turn back, it seems Saki's started to regain some composure, but not not much.

“That's someone I'm not going to miss,” she growls. I'm not sure if it's what Maeda said or the way he said it, but it sure touched a nerve with her.

“Don't worry about it. I'm alright,” I try to assure her, sitting next to her on the bench before handing her back the handkerchief.

With a weary sigh, she brings her hands up to her temples and starts to massage them with her fingertips. “I'm sorry...it's just been a really, really long few days. I shouldn't have snapped like that...but God, he just makes me so angry sometimes, I just want to knock that stupid beret off his head. I mean, who wears one of those to school?”

The only thing I can think to say is something absurd. Which is exactly what this situation calls for.

“I don't know. Maybe I'd look good in one. What do you think?”

Saki bulges her eyes at me as if I've just grown an extra head. It takes her a few seconds before she realizes what I'm doing, and gives a small laugh as all the tension leaves her body to be replaced with exhaustion. She sags against me.

“You're learning to say just the right thing at just the right time, you know that?” she says.

“I have a good teacher. Besides, even a broken clock is right twice a day.”

“Oh just shut up and take the damned compliment, Hisao.” Saki says, but with none of the bite to her voice you would expect from a remark like that. It's kind of endearing.

“Ready to go?” I ask.

She shakes her head, clearly tired. “No. Let me borrow you for a while.” She shifts against me, getting a little more comfortable, and rests her head on my shoulder before closing her eyes. When I place my hand over hers, she turns it palm up so we can link our fingers.

“Just give me a few minutes, okay?” she mumbles.

“Sure,” I say, giving her hand a small squeeze which she returns. “Take all the time you need.”

<< Previous Chapter :: Next Chapter >>

[Blackmambauk]

Well worth the wait, don't worry about how long it took, your health comes first, hope the surgery your having isn't too severe and hope it all goes well for you.

Okay time for my chapter commentary, you haven't lost your touch one bit.

I liked pretty much everything that happened this chapter, from the Emi and Rin lunch scene. I knew once that scene was happening we were going to get some gossip about Saki and her art club thing from Rin, but getting info from Emi about Saki's dad was a nice surprise.

It was clear from how Saki's demeanor to her parents in Act two that there relationship is complicated. Interesting about the detail on him owning a bunch of resort chains down in Osaka, not to mention that he practically shadowed Saki when she first came to Yamaku. I wonder if this is him being overactive to his daughter is due to perhaps social status and how his daughter having a condition like SCA would raise eyebrows from his business partners or other members of his community.

Granted Japanese people are generally very respectful of people's privacy, but gossip has a bad tenancy to get out. Or if perhaps this is his own way of wanting to do as much as he can for his daughter due to feeling he neglected her before he and his wife found out about her condition, even if it came off as condescending compassion to Saki (kind of like how Angel's dad in X-men 3 acts towards his own son). I like to think it's probably a mix of reasons that we don't know yet and what they are I am so looking forward to finding out.

Either way this sort of building matches how the routes often built things up and it's why I love this fic quite a bit.

Though I suspect Emi may only know half truths or read some things the wrong way and it ends up leaving Hisao ill informed or making the wrong assumptions.

Loved the whole meeting Chisato's boyfriend scene, there was some real subtext in that scene and certain irony in how Chisato seems to share some of Saki's taste in boys and how Mistru looks like so far a mix of Hisao and Maeda. Liked how Mitsuru interacted with Hisao and his condition, sound like at times he was flirting with Hisao about his condition, speak to his left, sounds like he likes to do on your left quite a bit. Sorry couldn't resist typing that .

I have this image of Mitsuru looking like Teru from Death Note, the detail of his appearance seems to match his closely.

Really looking forward to the foursome weekend date, think it will be quite interesting to see what happens between the four of them .

Liked how Hisao is still walking around the edges when it come sot him and Saki, very IC for him and the way he and Saki are slowly developing their relationship, I can foresee much happening in this act between them.

Strike three of Hisao hilariously getting injured, first his head, then his leg now his face and nose. He's starting to become a repressed masochist I think . Loved how Saki reacted to Maeda and Maeda's reaction was quite interesting, I kind of expected him to act somewhat in that way, Being amused on some level, but whether it's out of malicious to Saki and Hisao, or because he knows something we don't about Saki that might have caused there relationship to fall apart will be great to see.

I wonder if Maeda ever met Saki's dad or if there was possibly something else going on in that department.

Liked the bench scene at the end, nice way to finish the chapter out. By the way Hisao would look nice in a beret. He has the attractive look to pull it off.

You still doing that one shot on Saki you mentioned before? Or is that on the backburner for now?

Blackmambauk

[Eurobeatjester]

Well worth the wait, don't worry about how long it took, your health comes first, hope the surgery your having isn't too severe and hope it all goes well for you.

Me too. It's the most extreme treatment option, but if I don't get it done now, it's something that I'll have to do in the future when it will be harder to recover from. Getting older sucks.

I liked pretty much everything that happened this chapter, from the Emi and Rin lunch scene. I knew once that scene was happening we were going to get some gossip about Saki and her art club thing from Rin, but getting info from Emi about Saki's dad was a nice surprise.

I'm glad you liked that part, because Rin and Emi are the only two characters of the main cast (besides Kenji and Hanako) that I hadn't written anything for yet. (Kenji, I'm not sure yet, and I won't be writing anything for Hanako. I love her, but she would add nothing to this route.)

I knew that Rin was going to be difficult for me so I decided to basically stick with the version we get when you're pursuing other girls and don't get too deep intellectually with her. I'd love to write a character like that one day, but I don't think I'd be able to with this story. My biggest problem with Emi was actually trying to tone down her dialogue to make it Emi-like...I tend to be pretty verbose, and that doesn't suit someone like her.

Though I suspect Emi may only know half truths or read some things the wrong way and it ends up leaving Hisao ill informed or making the wrong assumptions.

Funny you should mention that, as it was something I had in mind when writing it, from two different sources. The first was from rereading the Song Of Ice And Fire (Game Of Thrones) books leading up to the new season, something I do every year. I remember how every religious sect, tribe, or culture had a different meaning for the red comet that passes overhead, and how all those meanings could be equally true. The second was from a D&D podcast I listen to where the head GM was giving some tips on how to make good NPC interactions. He said that he never lies to his players, but the character he is playing might be, or might have his own interpretation of what's actually going on. I think that adds a level of depth to storytelling and I'd love to incorporate more of that into my writing.

I have this image of Mitsuru looking like Teru from Death Note, the detail of his appearance seems to match his closely.

Not who I had in mind, but it works! Give him some neater hair and it's close enough. I do have someone I based his demeanor on fairly heavily, but I hope it's not too obvious who it is

You still doing that one shot on Saki you mentioned before? Or is that on the backburner for now?

Back burner. It's not coming out the way I want it to, and one of the main problems is that I don't think I can keep it removed enough from this storyline for it to stand on its own. Maybe some day...

[Blackmambauk]

Oh dear, as you say best to get it done now rather than when it will hurt more, whelp getting old can suck, at least your still young enough to grow old.

I thought you got Rin and Emi down fine, felt IC to me overall and Emi lines sounded Emi to me. As did her concern for Saki.

Ah another lover of the Song of Ice and Fire series , GM is one of the greatest writers around today, not just for how he gets the fantasy genre down, or for how he uses English medieval history so well in his works. But because of his great use of the POV technique to show how each character reacts to characters, events, information etc. via their own window of biasness, screwed perspective, misintpretation or only getting some of the details that lead them to make assumptions that are not always accurate or miss what was actually said or the context, subtext etc.

It allows George to lead his audience into viewing certain characters, events etc. From a perspective that allows him to change that alter on when he wants to. With the best example being Jaime Lannister where for the first two books we all assume a certain detail about him cut and dried and then it turns out to be a lot more complicated. All the while George actually builds these revelations up and only truly get picked up on rereads.

It also allows him to keep certain revelations on the plot or motivations of certain characters form coming out till he wants the audience to see it. Hence why some characters like Varys, Tywin and Littlefinger have never gotten their own POV since they know too much information on certain aspects of the plot or on characters.

It's allowed for his characters more complexity and being very open to interpretation in many ways. It's something all the routes of KS did as well, especially Shizune's route that was layered with much subtext and context that you will only pick up on all of them on rereads (not just the Misha stuff in that regard, Jigoro I think is very open to be read in a few ways). That's just my own view since Shizune's route is my favorite as I have mentioned many times.

It's something I have seen done in this fic as well I think from the beginning. Even if it was unintentional on your part until now. Hence why it's probably my favorite KS fic overall.

At first I entertained that Chisato's boyfriend as Kenji from the description, just because it would have been that funny to see, along with how Hisao and Saki would have acted. Along with somehow seeing Chisato being able to deal with Kenji. That and Saki's comment on Chisato's taste of men led me to suspect on a conspiracy level that this was going to happen.

Is it the main character from Personnel 4 Mitsuru is based on? Or one of the characters from that series who fits Mitsuru's appearance, that's the first character that comes to mine for me here.

I can see why the one-shot would struggle to stand on it's one if it's part of the LTF universe. Since the content I imagine would be hard to not tie into LTF or at least how Saki acts in LTF. Hope one day you can work it out.

[Eurobeatjester]

Nope, nobody from Persona 4. Much older anime

Regarding the oneshot, one of the reasons I'm hesitating is because it's between Misha and Saki, set before the events of the main KS story. I'm not sure if I would even have it be part of LtF's continuity, even if the Saki is my take on her.

If I get it done to where I'm happy with it, I might post it in this thread instead of giving it it's own.

[freddy753]

This was a nice early birthday surprise

[Blackmambauk]

Stuff between Misha and Saki would be interesting to see that's for sure, the way the two's personalities, issues, place at Yamaku could be contrasted and also what could go down between them could lead to quite the one shot.

Of course as you say getting it to work is the challenge.

[Texaboose]

Not going to say too much apart from excellent beginning for the Act!
I'm idly curious about how it got around about Saki and Hisao for Misha to find out, especially where they've refrained from being all lovey-dovey. That damn rumor mill.

Wanted to leave a quick note to say still reading your fic, still loving your fic and hope everything goes well with the surgery.

[TubaMirum]

Geez Saki, you can't just kiss the kid, can you?

I'm not sure what to expect from Chisato's boyfriend, as partly evidenced by my frustrating refusal to remember his name without looking back up for it... Which is made worse by the fact that we've had Mitsuru's name for, what, most of Act 2? I am shame...

Still, things seem like they're progressing a bit nicely, though I didn't get too much of the half-despair Hisao was experiencing over their uncomfortable relationship status. It feels like everything is just fine and dandy after the lunch and getting his face bashed in, but that doesn't entirely make sense to me considering they're still standing in the same place. I can believe Hisao managed to forget all about it in the excitement, but I doubt that''ll be able to continue for long.

Seriously, just kiss him Saki. Geez