Reconciliation - (a Hanako bad-end story)

[CNB]

I'm thinking that might be a very good twist to this.

I don't think the story needs or would particularly benefit from any kind of twist (aside from Hisao being dead), but different strokes and all that.

[Bagheera]

I actually think Lilly's behavior is pretty much spot on. We've never seen her have to deal with grief (or any strong emotions, really), and losing one's spouse is one of the situations where behavioral facades are most likely to crack. So, no problems there IMO.

I did think Hanako was a bit too strong and composed, though; a bit of selfishness on her part, where she's bitter about lost chances and jealous of what Lilly had, would have been appropriate IMO. Things would end up about the same, of course, but the road between here and there would be a bit more rocky.

As for twists: Sho = gay is inspired. Show = con man is lame. Sho = font of unrequited love might be the best, though.

[CNB]

As for twists: Sho = gay is inspired. Show = con man is lame. Sho = font of unrequited love might be the best, though.

But what about Sho = killer robot programmed to believe he is human, sent back in time to protect the future savior of Earth?
Sho = twin brother separated at birth to protect them both from their real father, Darth Vader?
Sho = imaginary friend given material existence by latent magical powers?

[advicefrog]

As for twists: Sho = gay is inspired. Show = con man is lame. Sho = font of unrequited love might be the best, though.

Sho = killer robot programmed to believe he is human, sent back in time to protect the future savior of Earth?

THAT'S GOLD JERRY, GOLD

[Robnonymous]

*SPOILER*

Sho is not a robot sent back from the future.

[Mahorfeus]

That's a relief.

I suppose it just remains to be seen whether he's gay and/or going to get hit by a bus.

Anyway, I'll shut up now. Looking forward to the next chapter.

[Specter Von Baren]

*SPOILER*

Sho is not a robot sent back from the future.

I'm on to your game you know.

Every time something has seemed like a misstep by you, you've told us that you did it intentionally, so us seeing Sho as being too on the nose with how close his story is to Hanako's tells me that you are indeed planning something diabolical with this! Add to that the comment you made that questioned whether Sho was going to end up togther with Hanako and I can see the writing on the stall!


I'M ON TO YOUR FEMININI- I mean, I'M ON TO YOUR PLOT POINT CONSPIRACY!!!

[Demoneq]

Well...
Sho can still be the robot sent from the past. Like a galaxy far far away, and a long time ago. Or something.
Or dimension-travelling, alternate universe male version of Hanako.(better not to think too much on that one, if *cough* anything happens )

On more serious note, I think it can go either way, but the author is playing with us. (not that I made some huge discovery there )

[Robnonymous]

I can neither confirm nor deny that I have something "planned" with regards to Sho. We'll just have to wait and see how the story wraps up.


EDIT to avoid a double-post: So the final part is finished. I'll be posting it in a little bit. Before I do, I wanted to take a moment to thank people. First and foremost I wanted to thank WetCrate. Closure was a HUGE inspiration for this story, and there's a good chance it might not exist if I hadn't read it. I'd also like to thank themocaw, whose work (not just At the Train Station, but just about everything else) has been the benchmark that I generally use to judge my own work. I can also say the same for Doomish (Little Faith, etc...) and scott1and (New Experiences).

I'd also like to thank scott1and, themocaw, gecko (The Lamb and The Fox), Mirage_GSM, CNB, txalolrn9 and Specter Von Baren for the feedback. Even if I didn't always make use of it.

Of course I also want to thank everyone else who's been enjoying the story, whether they leave a comment or not.

Finally, I'd like to thank my wife (not rubbing in my own personal Hanako, no sir) for putting up with me constantly asking her to "take a look" at virtually every little entry and change I've made. Now I just have to get her to play through KS on Hanako's path so that she can truly feel the feels.

Now that that's out of the way, keep an eye out for the latest and final part. It'll be up soon.

[Robnonymous]

• Pt 1 - Reconciliation
  Pt 2 - The Hotel Room
  Pt 3 - Bad Connection
  Pt 4 - Flight
  Pt 5 - Arrival
  Pt 6 - Reunion
  Pt 7 - Letting Go
  Pt 8 - Breakdown
  Pt 9 - Departure

Nobody eats much, but I suppose that wasn’t the point. Sitting around a table and sharing stories until we all start yawning feels good. Lilly has a few humorous and adorable ones about her students. Akira has some exciting ones from her club. Sho manages to find a handful of little gems that even I didn’t know about. When it’s my turn I mention a couple of goofy ones involving oddball fans and various event mishaps, but they all feel empty. It’s like I’m just going through the motions.

What have I been doing with my life?

I mean sure, I’m what most would consider a popular author and have had no small amount of successful novels, but up until recently my life has been empty. The few relationships I’ve had have been fleeting and awkward. With the exception of Sho I can’t really refer to anyone back home as a friend. I end up sharing most of this information with everyone at the table without thinking.

“I-I come home every night to an empty apartment. It’s funny, t-that never bothered me until r-recently,” I pause, “N-No, that’s not true. I think it always b-bothered me. I just n-never knew it.”

I prop my elbows up on the table and cradle my head in my hands, staring at nothing in particular, “I’ve only been in a c-couple relationships, and none of them l-lasted very long,” I don’t know why I’ve decided to share all of this, but I can’t stop myself, “A-After a while, I just s-sort of gave up. I got used to the idea of b-being alone,” I let out an empty laugh, “I thought about getting a cat once, but I d-didn’t. On some level, I t-think I was punishing myself…”

When the realization that I’ve been absentmindedly throwing myself a pity party hits me, I clam up. I flick my eyes from face-to-face but no one seems to want to meet my gaze. Sho stares at his hands. Akira watches her finger trace random symbols on the table. Lilly just sits there with a blank expression on her face. I can’t tell if she’s lost in thought or completely spaced out. Then she looks up and addresses me.

“And… now?” she asks.

I raise and eyebrow, “W-What?”

She takes a deep breath, swallows, then asks me again, “And how about now? Do you… do you want to go back to a life like that?”

I’d never really thought about it, but now I’m not so sure. I lock my fingers together and think for a minute before I respond.

“N-No…” I shake my head, “I don’t think I do.”

She smiles her familiar smile, one I haven’t seen in years, and gives me a single nod, “I’m glad to hear that.”

“So that means you need to find yourself a man when you get back, huh?”

Leave it to Akira…

I giggle and shake my head again, “N-No, no. I’m not going to go hunting for a boyfriend when I get home,” I move my hands to my lap and stare at them. I can feel my face turn red, “B-But I think I’ll be more open to the idea now,” I mutter with a tiny smile.

She claps her hands sharply and grins, “Attagirl!”

I roll my eyes and look over to Lilly. She’s smiling almost as much as Akira, although there’s a hint of sadness to it.

Of course. I’m a moron. Here I am talking about relationships when she’s just…

“A-Anyway,” I stammer, desperate to change the subject, “I’m s-sorry to waste so much time talking about my problems.”

Lilly shakes her head, “It’s alright.”

Akira shrugs, “Don’t worry about it.”

Sho doesn’t say anything. He’s still staring intently at his hands. I’m not entirely sure if he’s heard anything anyone’s said in the past few minutes.

“Aaaaaaanyway…” Akira says with a yawn, “We should probably clean all this up and you all should hit the sack. We’ve gotta be sure to get you to the airport on time tomorrow.”

I can feel myself frown just as Lilly does. Tomorrow we’ll be leaving. Already. I’d completely forgotten. There’s still so much I want to talk to her about. I want to be here for her. But I also have tons of other obligations back home.

As we start clearing the table, I wait for the opportunity to catch Lilly alone. When Sho and Akira wander into the living room and leave us to the dishes, I finally have my chance.

I lean in and whisper, “I don’t want to go.”

Lilly smiles quietly and keeps drying the items I hand to her. She nods, “I know… I… I don’t really want you to go either,” she says sheepishly.

“W-Well, I could probably take a few more days to-“

She shakes her head and interrupts, still smiling, “No… you have things to do. You’re still in the middle of a book tour, after all.”

It takes me a couple of seconds to regain my composure and force my mouth shut, “H-How did you…” I stammer.

She chuckles and playfully nudges me with her shoulder, “I’m something of a fan.”

We continue working in silence for a bit. As Lilly begins to dry the final dish and I pull the plug in the sink, an idea hits me.

“Why d-don’t you come back with me?”

She smiles again but shakes her head, “I’d love to… I really would… but I can’t. Not right this moment, anyway.”

I understand. It was a total shot in the dark but I can’t help but feel disappointed.

“But,” she continues, “summer vacation starts in just over a week. It might take me a couple of days to get things ready, but if it’s possible, I’d love to try and-“

I throw my arms around her shoulders and squeeze, “Of course!” I jump up and down a little in celebration and she unexpectedly joins in, the two of us laughing like a couple of schoolgirls. In a way, I suppose we still are.

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

All things considered, I slept pretty well that last night.

We pull up to the terminal around mid-morning and file out of Akira’s car. My luggage feels heavier today, but I suppose it’s impossible to take a trip anywhere and NOT leave with more stuff. I chuckle to myself as I recall just how hard Lilly tried to give us some wine to bring back. Ever after we all told her about how difficult it would be to explain to customs. I smile and shake my head slightly, then glance over at my best friend in the world. Even after all this time.

Lilly hesitantly steps away from the car and frowns, “I’ve never liked the smell of airports much,” she fans the air in front of her nose for a moment and continues, “Nothing but gas, fumes, and gas,” A plane roars overhead just as she stops talking, making her cringe, “And noise,” she finishes with a grimace.

I sidle up next to her and give a little nudge, “Well I appreciate you coming anyway.”

“Of course,” she says with a smile as she wraps an arm around mine. I can’t help but let out a small, contented sigh.

Just like old times.

We kill as much time as we can before passing through the security checkpoint. It doesn’t feel like enough. Not by a long shot. Then again, I doubt any amount of time would. Lilly and Akira make sure I have their numbers. She reassures me that she’ll see me in a week or so. I turn to Akira and promise her that it won’t take quite as long for me to see her again. She nods quietly and smiles before reaching out and ruffling my hair a little. I don’t try to stop her.

Sho steps forward to shake Akira’s hand. He’s only able to manage “It was a pleasure-” before she yanks him forward and hugs him, throwing in a hearty pat on the back for good measure. Once she lets him go he takes a step back and readjusts his glasses, “… to meet you,” he finishes with a smile.

“Likewise," is all she says.

While those two are making with their slightly awkward goodbyes, I turn to Lilly.

“I’ll call you as soon as I get home,” I reassure her. I’m silently hoping that won’t be a problem seeing as there’s something of a time difference. Then again, I suppose she’d be okay with it.

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” she says as she gives my arm a gentle squeeze. We both fall silent. What else can either of us really say at this point?

“Lilly… I…”

She simply shakes her head and hugs me.

“You’re a wonderful friend and an amazing woman, Hanako Ikezawa. I’m so…” she sniffles a little, “so proud of you.”

“T-Thank you…” I manage.

She pulls away but keeps both hands on my shoulders, her eyes pointed straight at my nose, “I’ll see you again soon,” she says with a weak smile.

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” I reply.

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

As much as I dislike getting off of an airplane, I absolutely hate boarding one. Not only do I have to wait for everyone ahead of me to find their seats, I also have to pretend I can’t notice the already seated passengers as they gawk and stare. Not today, though. Today I couldn't care less about what a bunch of strangers think about my scars. My mind is too focused on the events of the past couple of days, and my plans for the immediate future, for me to pay them much attention.

Sho and I find our seats and settle in with a collective sigh. I glance over at him and give his knee a quick pat.

“Thanks again for coming along,” I say with a smile.

He rolls his head to face me and shrugs, “It was either this or sit at my desk back at the office and worry. Besides, I feel like I’ve finally gotten to know the real Hanako,” he leans back in his chair, folds his hands over his stomach, closes his eyes and smiles, “All in all I think I made the right call.”

I follow suit and lean back in my own chair, staring up at the tiny fans and flight attendant call buttons, “I suppose you did.”

As the hum of the engines begin to lull me into a mid-morning nap, I start to think about all the people I’ve been close to in my life. The beautiful blonde with the most caring heart I’ve ever known. Her slightly abrasive but incredibly loving and loyal sister. The amazingly sweet, bespectacled man sitting next to me. The young boy who helped me to realize that I was strong enough to take control of my own life.

I may not make a lot of friends…

My mind wanders back to my luggage and the ornate chess set lovingly nestled within. I smile as I start to drift off.

But the friends I do make, I keep forever…

[advicefrog]

LIKING THE NEW PART
YOU DID THE IMPOSSIBLE, YOU TOOK THE HANAKO BAD END, ADDED A DEAD HISAO, A GRIEVING LILLY AND MANAGED TO MAKE AN ENDING THAT WASNT THAT SAD.

ASSUMING THAT IS THE ENDING. HINT HINT

ALSO MY CAPS LOCK KEY IS PERMANENTLY ON

[griffon8]

“You’re a wonderful friend and an amazing woman, Hanako Ikeawa. I’m so…” she sniffles a little, “so proud of you.”

Ikezawa

Today I could care less about what a bunch of strangers think about my scars.

couldn't

I'd say the worst thing about this chapter is that I could easily see it being the last one of this story, and I hope it isn't.

[Robnonymous]

Okay, I'll own up to screwing up on "couldn't" but I SWEAR I pressed "Z" when I was typing her name.

But you're correct, this is indeed the end. Story's over. At least this particular one is. I'm probably going to take a break from writing fanfics for a bit, but it's been a great bit of practice.

[advicefrog]

SO SHO ISN'T GOING TO BE GIVING ANY CHOCOLATE.

[Mahorfeus]

Have to say that I love this story. Definitely sad to see it end, but at least it was on a hopeful note.

And curse you for getting Sho stuck in my mental canon. I've said before that I usually dislike original characters, but he's just awesome beyond words. Not being a killer robot is a plus I suppose. (That's not really "beyond" words so to speak, but I think you know what I mean ).