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The sad summer days pass by so slowly, stretching on as the bonds between us grow even sorrowful.

Hanzou and Lionel have become closer to one another, yet the coming distances between here and Scotland will push them ever further.

Sasha and Hanzou are more argumentative with each other, while we all seem to ignore Shizuo who's obsessed with crafting a colourful card for his mother.


At least we've started coming back to the coffee room, where we can easily share our troubles together, and be difficult just to trouble one another again. Spending our time giving and forgiving slights, playing board games and discussing school matters.

Yet.. I can't help feeling we're just a bright shadow, of the crass band of class reps, of the family of friends, that we had once so happily been.

Today though, as the summer warmth reaches a humidly high peak, I only barely listen to Hanzou, who's sweating and panting, half-heartedly complaining that too many first-years and second-years are skipping class due to the apparent heat wave. And just because they won't be graduating this year, that doesn't mean Sir Great Lord President Ikezawa the Stiff will kindly show mercy, and not have a fit about it over a self-righteous announcement on the P.A. system.

Honestly, it's as if-- Hanzou is the kindest person in the whole school, yet he shows his love for us in the worst possible ways.

I smile a little at the thought.. and wonder what Hanzou would be like if he wasn't... scarred.

It must be... agonising, ..torture, to live in fear of fatal asthma, to apply medicine and lotions, every day waking up, every night before sleep. To have lost his home.. a constant pain covering half his body, surviving the horrible fire that orphaned him. Sometimes the unnatural way he looks at us scares me, but for him; no one will ever stop pointing and staring, thinking and behaving in ways that scar his mind even more.

I've only seen them bare once, late at night when he took off his white gloves to read Braille blindfolded. We were alone with Lionel then, and I have a feeling I was the only sighted person he trusted enough to reveal his blighted hand to.

Even now, I still regret and cannot forget my natural reaction to his scars, my overwhelming response towards him; I was in fear, choking on revulsion, ..seized by shock. --I was horrified.

How many times has Hanzou seen a stranger act uneasy? Or feared a friend would feel the way I did? How many more times will he endure his ugly reflection in accusing eyes?

Yet through it all, through the darkness and the pain, he has come to care for troubled students like me. The cherished friendship with Lionel and Kaori saved him, the trusting and sharing of memories old and new, learning that strong love comes of simple kindness; it is the bonds and devotion to one another that ultimately changes the soul, and defines who we are.

Maybe Hanzou would be a sweet person if his life never went wrong, maybe Lionel would have a great life if he was born with sight. Maybe I too, would feel so much happier... if I wasn't born so broken-hearted, ...there was a time, when I would have chose to end my life and die in grief.

But Kaori would be the one to say that she hates abrupt endings. She prefers to hum a song, any song, “Cryin' by Aerosmith” maybe, and just drag us along to go bowling with her, forgetting we ever had troubles that refused to be solved.

In the “Three Musketeers plus Me” family, Kaori is the only one who never stopped to regret her life, she passionately lives on despite the looming darkness, and no veil of misfortune will ever dim her ardent heart, shining so brightly that it guides me to brave new memories that give my life meaning, ..the chance to be happy.


That is why I love Kaori; in a way, in no small way, ...she saved me.

I softly knock on her door, in the orange warmth of late afternoon. My favourite (technically; 'only') hallmate should be in, the quirky girl stopped going to the roof a while ago, but she still came down with a fever.

Missing a few days of class shouldn't really hurt her (mostly unapparent) scholarly charms, since she is a little bit beyond her academic level, but all the same I am worried about her, enough so that I bring myself to knock on her door again. ….It will be the first time since that day, that I will be talking to her again.

A while passes, and I wonder if she's asleep. I knock again one last time, unfortunately a bit too loudly than I intended. I start to fidget nervously, thinking maybe she is already asleep, and that I had just rudely woken her up.

Listening closely through the wood, I hear muffled footsteps loudly approach. In shock I leap a little when the doorknob twists like a rifle, violently striking a tall narrow slit in the doorway. --It wasn't even locked to begin with.

I lower my head in apology (and shame), and quietly enter her room, wondering what would be the right way to say 'I'm sorry'. But the sight before me whisks away not just my words, but takes my breath away; Kaori is writhing in her bed, wearing her apricot-maroon striped stockings. And nothing else. Not even her huge glasses. (I think they do nothing.)

Umm, should I say something? Because right now, as her HDTV blares a music video (“I Touch Myself” by 'The Divinyls') (featuring a naked and dancing Austin Powers) in the background, she is.. kind of... starting to... really actually “touch herself”. In the way that excites little boys. ..And men. ….And me. ..And I am not very lesbian to begin with.

“You took your sweet time...” Kaori whispers sexily to me.

I did?

“...Lionel.”

Oh.

She starts to moan... and I can't stop staring at her glistening body. Wow~! How she can flex! I start to blush heavily (not just in my cheeks), as she doesn't stop fingering her beautiful pu-

“-see? I'm back already, Kaori.” Lionel announces his sudden intrusion, “..Are you starting without me?”

“What does it look like? Uuuh!”

“Yeah... your hair smells nice though.”

Huh, that would technically be me, and Lionel completely doesn't realise I'm in here, as he locks the door and TAKES OFF his PANTS! He's wearing NO UNDERWEAR! WHY KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON?!

“Does my little 'baa baa black sheep' need help with that?” Kaori asks, sitting up and pawing for her glasses.

“No, I'm good. You just keep purring.” Lionel bleats, as he squeezes on a condom to snuggly fit his MASSIVE DICK!

“Rrrr..”

Eventually, that happy innocent music about the frivolous joys of masturbating fades, and “Can't Fight This Feeling” by 'REO Speedwagon' comes on, I couldn't know what music video accompanies it though, maybe scenes from that episode of 'FRINGE', because I am completely staring at my best friend Kaori lovingly receive hot thrusts of passion slowly pushed deep into her, courtesy of my dear friend Lionel. --Probably the best music video ever.

“I can't fight this feeling anymore~!”

Is Kaori singing along?

“It's time to bring this ship into the shore~, and throw away the oars~! Forever~!”

Is Lionel singing with her? What is this? 'Sex in the Karaoke'? ..I wonder why Hanzou watches that show.

“'CAUSE I CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING ANYMORE!” They moan and scream! Sensationally purring and baaing together! The lyrical crescendo signalling they achieved synchronicity of physical climax. That is... I mean-- WOW!

“Lionel... my love?” Kaori speaks through her tears.

“Yes? Kaori?..” Lionel asks crying in honesty, holding her hand tightly.

“I had an orgasm.”

“I noticed.”


wow, that's tender.

As they kiss and hold each other in caresses of love, I realise “Caledonia” by 'Celtic Woman' is starting to play. --Why is every song in here not Japanese?

Hearing Lisa Kelly's captivating voice, Kaori suddenly remembers the cold of sadness still in her heart... abruptly but tenderly breaking away from Lionel, she blankets herself from him.

Lionel lowers his head in understanding, the sadness in his own eyes hiding behind fallen fringes of wavy blond hair. He runs his fingers through, tussling those sheepish dog-ears. Before suddenly, he kisses Kaori, and into his strong arms she's pulled into a tight hug.

“Hey.. Kaori?”

“Hmm?”

“I..”

“..Lionel?”

“I love you.”

In the shadows of sudden silence, Kaori stays motionless. Lionel almost says another word, before she suddenly speaks up.

“Don't say something you don't mean. Don't promise me things you can't give.”

“..I mean it.”

“....., I don't want you to.”

Lionel almost cries hearing her words, Kaori regrets saying them even more.

Yet she moves to stroke his cheek, and touch his quivering lips, and plant surprisingly a warm kiss.

She pulls away, but stays in his arms, and cheerfully whisper “But if it makes you happy, I suppose I could say 'I love you too'.”

Lionel cries with a smile, and tearfully returns her loving kiss in warm embrace.


“Even if we'll never see each other again, I'm glad we... I'm happy. I'm happy to have shared my heart with you.”

Their words pierce my chest; I remember my warm virgin kiss in winter, shared at an icy forest's edge. I would have told him that, ...I would have told my boyfriend that, and that's all I ever wanted. --I never want to say goodbye to someone who forever holds a part of my heart, I want him to be happy, I want him to move on, with hope, in joy, and unregretfully find someone who will love him as much as I would.

I finally see.. what it is that I want most...

'I love you. Be happy... Hisao.'

Quite suddenly, I realise “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye has been playing... --oh how I love Kaori's uncanny sense of music and timing.

In love, the two of them kiss ever passionately, again and again; in lust, they start stroking and exciting each other, over and over. I just quietly sit down on the carpet and watch. It's not like I can open the door and walk out soundless, I mean-- maybe I could, but... maybe I should, ...I just keep watching.

I keep watching, for longer than my brain can register. I almost don't realise I'm pressing and rubbing myself, sharp fingernails digging in deep through my skirt, as Kaori sucks and kisses at just the very tip of Lionel's broadsword. Uhhh! If only I could move closer to the television-- Ahah! “You Sexy Thing” by 'Hot Chocolate' comes on, that's definitely loud enough for me to safely-- I MEAN THAT'S A GOOD SONG.

Shyly, ..or perversely, I begin to expose the colour of my underwear; I only lift my skirt up halfway, before immediately pulling it back down. --I can't do this. Not in front of them. Well, they don't know I'm RIGHT HERE, but that's NOT THE POINT. ...My body is telling me to just slide off my panties then, I can keep the skirt on. Huh, okay, well... I could-- NO! It's about the PRINCIPLES!

I force myself to stop fondling myself, this isn't the greatest time to... well, maybe I could wait until they're asleep, and then just do it beside them quietly before I leave-- NO! NO NO! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

I almost begin to carefully slide my moist panties off, but “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” by Elton John overtakes me, ...it's not loud enough throughout, I'll have to wait until the chorus.

“Hey, Lionel... wanna..”

“Say what?”

“Do you wanna do it? With Iwanako?”


YEEESS!!

“You mean a three-way? Sure, if... you're okay with it, Kaori.”

“If it makes you happy, I don't mind. Besides, we never got around to doing it with Hanzou..”

“...what?”

WHAT?

“Remember our first time? On the roof? Under the fireworks?”

“Oh yeah! The festival! The roof was 'Off Limits', and.. we were alone, with Hanzou. And then you kissed me, and told me you don't wear underwear. ...Hey, Hanzou did politely look away from us, right? When we started.. you know. He didn't stare at our first time, --right?”

“I don't know, probably. I was just thinking, it would have been fun if my first time was with two guys at once, and to really have something to blackmail the President with. 'Indecent behaviour with both female and MALE students', you know? --But oh well.”

“....., you scare me sometimes, Kaori.”

WHA- WHA- WHA- WHA- WHA-?

“I'm worried about Hanzou. He's...”

“Errm, Kaori? I've been thinking too, if you.. if you love him, if you.. want him to be your boyfriend, after I'm gone; I don't mind. I want you to be free to choose whomever you want to be with, ..I want you to be happy.”

“That's.. sweet of you, Lionel. But right now, you're the only one I'm happy making love to.”

“Heh, what happened to Iwanako?”

“.., I wonder, is she in her room right now?”

I'm right here! I'M RIGHT HERE KAORI!

“Do you.. really want to do it with her?”

SAY YES!

“Well, we've.. kind of been --dishonest-- to her.”

I'm SO READY to be SO HONEST WITH YOU!

“Huh? Oh, right. It's astounding how we were never found out.”

“Yeah.. you know what Lionel? Let's do it again. I don't care if we get caught this time.”

“..you sure?”

“I'm turned on by it. She's probably in the showers right now, and she never locks the door. Let's hurry and do it in her room, like we did every day and night. But this time, we just wait for her to walk in on us.”

“What a cunning plan.”


WHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAA-?


“Not as cunning as the times we did it beside her when she was asleep.”

“Ohh.. those were the times.. the most exhilarating nights of my life, I can't believe you made me poke her in the butt, it-it was a miracle she didn't wake up.”

“I~ don't think she liked it when you did it in her butt.”

“But I didn't!”

“YOU TWO DID WHA-WHAT WITH MY BUTT?”

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”, “AAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!”

One would expect a certain song to play, but “Shake Your Bon-Bon” by Ricky Martin starts blaring instead.

Four or five hours-- or maybe a few days later, (I lost count), I knock on Kaori's door again.

“Come in!” Kaori invites cheerily.

I gingerly push open the door, and... Wow! I'm excited all over again; Kaori is only just wearing a thin singlet with her apricot-maroon striped stockings. She had put on her huge circular glasses, and a novelty fig leaf G-string for some modicum of modesty, but no bra. ...Not that the perky girl really needs one.

I politely stop staring at her almost-bare beautiful body, and look over to Tsunade. I see she's wearing her svelte ponytail again, her long twin fringes sharply complementing her rectangular glasses. Aww~ the stoic princess of my dreams, who is thankfully fully-dressed in her uniform blouse and skirt, respectfully sipping coffee and-- wait a minute.

“Tsunade? I-I mean Shizuo? What are you doing here?”

After a pause, I remember to sign my sentence to Tsunade.

“Oh.. you don't have to mind him, Iwanako. 'Shizuo Little' just likes looking out my window at this time of night.”

“Shizuo... “Stuart Little”? --Your window?”

Oh right, his ..quiet “artistic side”; Shizuo is really fond of painting pictures of curious clouds, and likes to “collect” vantage points, especially those he deems “interesting perspectives”. The view of the night sky twinkling from Kaori's window seems to interest him greatly, as he signs a quick reply and goes back to gazing at it.

“And to answer all those nasty questions you have,” Kaori says nonchalantly, leaning back and stretching her arms, making me stare at her soft chest.

“-Yes; Shizuo is wearing my clothes, it helps him “move undetected” while “negotiating enemy territory.” I have no idea what that fully means. Yes; Lionel and I repeatedly made hot din-dins in your room, every time you went to the showers, and sometimes while you were sleeping. We even did it together in the bath stall next to you. But I didn't peep at you at all. No; Lionel did not actually insert his claymore into your bunghole. I did, --that was a joke. And no; I'm not thinking we should instead sheathe passionately on Shizuo's adorable sword just because Lionel chickened out. They're both too shy.”

“oh..”

“But we can still seduce each other!” Kaori beams gleefully, “...no, that was a bad joke upon bad jokes.” Her stretched smile falters and falls, she sighs and says “I don't know how to even begin..”

“I'm sorry, Kaori.”

She forces herself to chuckle, saying that it's her who should be sorry instead. The moment hangs over us in heaviness, snowing down pure silence and confused emotions. With her television off, the only sound we hear is Shizuo drinking and finishing a cup of decaffeinated coffee, then idly minding himself with something.

I suddenly smile thinking I know what to say, but as I look to Kaori, I see her head lowered in bearing the weight of sorrow, the burden of loving someone and letting him go. I see Kaori crying with her heart, I remember myself dying in the dark, crawling through shadows of winters past, desperately alone and sobbing in the cold, under a white winter sky of ash falling like snow.

Kaori is... she's tortured, by her own emotions. She's feeling that same hurt in her heart, the very pain she had helped me leave behind. Right now, so honest and vulnerable and plain to see: she's exactly like me; she's lost and broken-hearted.

I almost cry and hold her and tell her I love her, yet, before I could say anything, she hums a song.

It's.. 'New Divide', by Linkin Park. -- Rai had remembered black skies, the lightning all around him.. how fate finally caught up with him, and how Hanzou told him that we only get what we deserve. Rai had memories left abandoned, losses he can't deny, and in regret, he couldn't say goodbye.

Kaori picked that song for Rai, it was a song she patiently listened to him sing, a song he performed desperately in the coffee room, she thought Rai might find an emotional release through it. --I believe he did; days later, Rai stopped being sad and stubborn, and bought us all tickets to enjoy 'Transformers 2', on the last night his hallmate had to share with us, his best friend who gave Rai a great big hug, and tearfully left for the Tokyo art school.

Shizuo suddenly fumbles and drops something; a spool of blue thread bounces and rolls away, escaping the mess of misguided cat's cradle on its tail. Shizuo's entangled fingers fail to catch it, as Kaori deftly snatches the spool from speeding under her bed. Incredibly surprised and pleased with herself, she looks at the spool in her hand. Slowly, she lets herself smile warmly, and starts to wind the thread back to Shizuo's roped hands, carefully untying him, and lovingly cheering up the endearingly weeping prince.

It looks like Shizuo is trying to sew actual threads into his card, and Kaori has been patiently teaching and helping him. As my best friend slowly untangles the troubles that our family of friends often finds itself in, my heart shines brightly by the beautiful kindness of Kaori. For a moment that lasts forever, I lovingly see her as Shizuo's doting sister, and for a time long since that moment, I wish honestly that I had a dear sister like her. ...I truly wish Kaori and I are sisters.

Sasha's electric fan whirs and turns in agile hinged laziness, having nothing else better to do, we've gathered in the coffee room one fine and really hot day, helping Lionel negotiate duties that usually fall on Kaori.

Kaori is still absent from classes (which is suspiciously convenient for her), thus her unwilling assistant Lionel has been filling in proudly as class rep of 3-2. And it's not going too well; Lionel knows next to nothing about Kaori and what she does, causing a slight bit of confusion every time he misunderstands his homeroom teacher's instructions.

Sasha is too busy pandering to Shizuo to cater to Lionel, leaving just Hanzou and I to help sort out the troubles that were dropped and mixed together in a huge stack of missing paperwork and long-due deadlines. --Lionel really isn't the clerical type of person.

Come to think about it, Lionel's interests and passion has always been in music; he is a far better singer than either Rai or Hanzou, and is rather skilled with the cello. I was deeply enthralled by his beautiful and faithful rendition of the dark yet enchanting 'Max Payne 2' theme, a tune he didn't even have long to practice before Hanzou and the Light Music Club came looking for the missing and expensive instrument.

No doubt all those music albums he bought are staying with Kaori when he goes home, except for that limited edition Celine Dion CD that Hanzou “confiscated”. And while Kaori is nowhere near Mozart's level, she does try to play the piano and sing in fine treble. (albeit she's still pretty terrible)

I wonder if... will she still hold on to the beauty of western music? Classical or modern or otherwise? After Lionel leaves? Or will she return to her indulgence in Japanese animations and manga subcultures? And put on her “hat and otaku robes” and finally make that visual novel about our school that she says is “five years in production” and is “like 'Team Fortress 2'; it takes one year for each character”.

Yet, I get the feeling she would simply steal our stories wholesale and “gender-bend” all of us to make it an “original” harem of special girls, ..but whatever. Maybe she'll set it back in 2007? Near the Eight of June? When Transformers was released. --I muse and wonder what Hanzou would think of 'Shizune'?

Iwanako, stop daydreaming.

Wait... I'm Iwanako...

Huh? Oh right, the 3-2 attendance stack, I hand Hanzou the pile of neatly compiled papers, and realise that I'm still trapped in the coffee room, arrggghhh~! Lionel seems as unhappy as I am, since Hanzou and I neglected to use the Braille typewriter (which is unfamiliar to us), and is instead directly inputting all the organised data into Hanzou's old laptop. We'll “borrow” the Computer Club's ancient text-to-Braille printer, it's the only available hardware of its kind that's compatible with the ageing software in Hanzou's laptop.

All the while, Shizuo has been busy perfecting his arts and crafts, with Sasha (unhelpfully) helping him. Lionel on the other hand, actually helps when he gives Shizuo a disused manilla folder, as extra material to cut up, or... the perfect canvas that Shizuo's been looking for. Excitedly happy to receive it, Shizuo delicately cherishes the empty beige folder, and with a smile so bright, that it warmly lights up and banishes the shadows over my heart, illuminating again forgotten memories of childhood innocence, ..holding hands with a little boy I used to know, ...and also making me smile at Hanzou.

The brilliance of happiness brightens up my whole day, so much so, that I don't really realise I'm ignoring Hanzou who's distantly calling at me again. I dream in wonder, thinking that, while Lionel and Shizuo will never be able to talk adroitly, or chat idly, or even relate properly with each other, at least they can still connect warmly, so honestly in a quiet moment that far transcends the scope of languages. Years worth of unspoken words shared in a single silent exchange, an unseen communication of the truest emotions brightly sewing and beautifully composing their invisible, unbreakable bond.

While waiting for the laptop to finish an operation, Hanzou stares longingly at Sasha's electric fan, seemingly cruelly swinging to cool everyone but him. Absentmindedly, he tugs at his half-mask a little, unintentionally revealing a hint of his true face to me.

It must be painfully hot under that layer of Styrofoam (not actually coffee-cup Styrofoam), and I remember him comically begging the School Doctor to look for a more porous material and immediately fashion a replacement. He said that he had already “unreasonably” taken off the white glove on his “good hand”, and have woefully become “asymmetrical”. Technically, he misplaced that glove somewhere, possibly when he was speed-reading against Lionel in the dark, proudly reciting a Braille 'Sex In The City' fan-fiction written by Kaori.

The School Doctor listened to and dreadfully endured Hanzou's raspy cackling, before finally running out of patience and simply told him to take his mask off, suddenly silencing him. It was a moment the two of them seemed to regret, but they parted amiably anyway.

Hanzou finally catches me staring at his true face, and violently turns away, tightening the white elastic bands of his mask and pulling down his black student cap to secure it in place. --He's hiding from me..

“Hanzou...” I softly call to him, but he refuses to even look at me.

“Hanzou, why don't you just take off your mask? I don't mind how you look, --no one does. We're you're friends.” I quietly say and warmly smile, “You can trust us.”

I uncomfortably realise the room is dead still, only the electric fan is twirling, and Sasha is carefully signing what I said to Shizuo. Everyone except Hanzou is staring at me agape.

“shut up.” Hanzou's voice spits out venomously.

“..Hanzou?”

“Stop staring, shut up. Leave me alone.”

I try to approach him, but he just screams at himself, “STOP STARING, SHUT UP. LEAVE ME ALONE.”

I know he didn't mean to yell at me, I know he doesn't want to see me cry, but I feel so hurt inside that I can't stop my tears from falling.

“I'm sorry.. Ikezawa.” I apologise politely, and run out of the coffee room, hiding my pathetic sobbing face in my hands.

I don't get very far, only a few hurried strides from the door, before I fall on my knees and weep uncontrollably on the floor.

I shudder when someone grips my shoulder, and through the clicks I hear him softly console me.

“Hey.. Iwanako, don't worry about it. Hanzou is just overly sensitive about his-- “social disability”. He'll start feeling guilty about it, and then come around to apologise later, we just have to give him a little time and space of his own, to just get over himself. Don't get worked up about it, okay? He'll be alright, you two are born to get along with each other... you'll see.”

“Lionel..?” I ask through my whimpering, “Shouldn't you.. shouldn't you be with Hanzou? You're... you're-- umm,”

“His blind best friend? Yes. I can't see and judge him based on what he looks like, sure. But you know, we did not become friends over the compatibility of our disabilities, bloody hell, we're mostly-harmless and almost-cordial hall neighbours, all completely despite our brutally-conflicting personalities. He told me he'll hate me if I had befriended him out of sympathy, or that we had simply pitied each other. “Appropriating” my blindness for his convenience. And he'll hate me even more if I let you cry alone. Or let that “pretty pirate” Sasha be the one to... “comfort” you.”

“Huh..? What's wrong with Sasha?”

“He's gay.”

“..okay.”

“That was a joke.”

He waits for me to laugh, ..and I do. Just a little, just enough for the tears to fade away.

The whisper of warm but gentle wind brings the fresh scent of grass. My fingers feel a little numb, holding a cold can of sweet chocolate milk. The sun shines bright and peaceful, clouds pass over us to bear comforting shade, as we sit together on the garden bench, listening to the greenery softly rustle.

He suddenly perks his head up, saying “I think Saki understands...”

“Who's.. Saki?” I ask, quizzically confused.

“Huh? Oh.. she's...” He looks just as confused as me.

“...Lionel?”

“Can I tell the story? The story about having loved and lost, and the regret to have ever loved at all.”



Early one morning, with time to kill. I borrowed Dad's rifle, and sat on the hill.

I saw a lone flyer, American plane. I drew a bead on him, and steadied my aim.

My country's rifle, went off in my hand. A blast rang out, across Japan.

Of course I kept running, Hiroshima was dead. I hung my head, I hung my head.


I was sent sailing, American Dream. My country's honour, faded in a sheen.

I loved a woman, shared futures and pasts. And when they had found me, they broke her weak grasp.

Sadly, Dad asked me, what had I done? And then he disowned me, disgraced I've become.

Hated for no reason, I wished I was dead. I hung my head, I hung my head.


Lying there brain-dead, his daughter was there. They pulled the plug, she cried in her chair.

Explained through her letters, the thoughts in her mind. Despite an invalid, her heart was still mine.

I said, “I am the flower, and you are the seed. We walked in the garden, we planted a tree.”

“I beg your forgiveness, for wealth I have wed.” I hung my head, I hung my head.


Early one morning, with time to fill. By black iron gates, up on the hill.

And out in the distance, a trick of the brain. I see a lone flyer, American plane.

She come to hold me, forgive what I done. And we'll fly together, by Rising Sun.

I cry in God's cruelty, they told me she's dead. I hung my head, I hung my head.



-TO BE CONTINUED-



[ED: Give It To Somebody by Billy Ray Cyrus]

Interim: “Ain't Love A Kick In The Head?”


“I'm Into Something Good” by Herman's Hermits lightly jingles its happy tune through my mind, emanating from Lionel's radio by the window, painting jubilance in my soul and pleasing smiles on our faces while we while away our time in the coffee room.

Shizuo is busy preparing a strong batch of aromatic espresso for us, wafting throughout the whole room a heavenly mist of raw steam that tastes so palpably of delicious stimulants. Working through constantly fogged glasses, Shizuo is determined for a perfect Pièce de Résistance out of this serving, staring very fixedly and waiting ever tirelessly at his unique coffee maker machine, that quirkily, also happens to be an alarm clock (God Bless British eccentricity).

And speaking of eccentricities, it seems Shizuo is becoming rather fond of wearing Kaori's uniform. Whether it makes him happy or he's just more comfortable wearing the girls' uniform while serving coffee, --I can't say. But he sure looks cute! I'll just imagine him wearing a maid's outfit and he'll be perfect! Awwwwwww~!

“Something on your mind? Iwanako?” Sasha teasingly asks, as his suave smile and smooth voice pulls me back to reality, and to the arousing game of chess between us. “It's your turn, gal pal. It's been so for over a minute now.”

“Oh.. Oh! Sorry, sorry!” I apologise profusely and quickly make my move; Nc5xb3, there, that should block his coy advances towards making a pass at my King. …..huh, I could swear that Hanzou made the same move before, and utterly cornered me with it in the library.

Sasha looks taken aback, as I've cornered his Bishop and kept it from getting too intimate with my Knight. But ever with his suave smile, Sasha calmly settles himself down, and ponders and plans his next play. While I smile, wickedly thinking to myself, 'Hah! Have you cornered now, Jack Sparrow! Savvy what Hanzou taught me? Ya bonnie lass?'

While I await Sasha's refined rebuttal for parity to my full frontal parry, I idly turn to look at Rai, whom with his eyes closed, is meditatively listening to music in his earphones, noticeably nodding his head along with the rhythm. He seems calm and serene, peacefully listening to Linkin Park's latest compilations of soulful songs.

Shizuo suddenly comes over to us, quietly surprising us with two steaming mugs of strong coffee. I move to politely accept my bright pink mug, carefully and cautiously taking it from Shizuo's soft fingers, while Sasha warmly smiles and kindly signs 'Thank you', before he takes and breathes in the white wisps of incredible flavour fuming from his brown mug.

I do the same, feeling the coffee's potent power fill my spirit with warmth, as it's still too hot to drink, I'll have to wait patiently until I can comfortably touch my lips to the rim. Shizuo brings Rai his red mug and carefully sets it down atop a coaster, while Rai slowly awakes from his music and takes note of his beverage, quickly nudging his CD player a little further away from the hot dark liquid. With a warm appreciative smile, Rai gives Shizuo a proud thumbs-up, Shizuo smiles and blushes at Rai's approval, while shyly and slightly-awkwardly gesturing back a small, so ever incredibly endearing thumbs-up. AWWWWW~!

Shizuo signs that this is his first attempt at preparing this particular brew by hand, and hopes this time the flavour is strong enough to overpower our jaded tastes and wholly refresh our mindless addiction to coffee in general.

Oh Shizuo, even if you served me simple tap-water, your delicate dedication in preparing it would bestow such a divine touch, that it must be far better than drinking melted snow and ice that have laid pure and pristine through the centuries, a cup of blue sky so clean and holy that it must be even more special than frozen rain secretly taken from the most sacred of valleys hidden in the majestic beauty of the Alps.

“Oh hey Iwanako! Rai! Shizuo! And Pirate Lord Sasha!” Kaori excitedly announces herself at the doorway, catching all our attentions and Sasha's suave charms. “Look what I got!”

She brandishes a CD in her hands, ...probably expecting us to read the label on it from a distance. I just walk to her to take a closer look, while everyone stays seated to accompany their coffee mugs.

'StarCraft 3: Call of Sagittarius'.

Huh.

“Impressed, huh?” Kaori asks me, seemingly completely unaware of... a lot of things.

“Umm, Kaori? Isn't StarCraft 2 still-- ongoing?”

“You mean 'Heart of the Swarm'? The Zerg Campaign? I haven't played that. And I can't wait for the Protoss Campaign to be released!”

“...yeah. Then where did 'StarCraft 3' come from?”

“It's a custom game!”

I look at her blankly, too robbed of words to say anything.

“I got the Computer Club nerds to work on the Source Engine, and skin all these new models in. So here we have an RPG-RTS that is also an FPS! Kind of like that 'Nova' spin-off, but it's like 'Sacrifice'. Anyone remember 'Sacrifice'? You know, that AWESOME third-person RTS that no one remembers?”

Rai and Sasha think a little, then shake their heads, barely mumbling “no, not really”, while Shizuo completely ignores the question.

Kaori swiftly waves her hand to allay our (lack of) enthusiasm, and proudly announces “Well anyway! We're gonna have a duel!”

“A duel?” I ask, my head tilting quizzically.

“A duel! With the S.O.S. Brigade!”

“Uhhh, I guess the title of this interim is really appropriate then.”

“Huh? What are you talking ab-”