Re: Learning To Fly - A Saki pseudo-route
EDIT: Split into two posts to make it more manageable and more in line with the flow of the forums.
Was able to recover it from the hard drive and do some editing to it 
Longer than the first chapter, hope you like it.
This takes place in the middle of Cold War.
I posted a rough draft of this for a few people to read and someone said it plays out similarly to the other Saki route, as far as this "split" goes. I've never read the other route, but I honestly couldn't think of a cleaner place in Act 1 to break Hisao away from the established routes and start to move him in the direction of a different one. I'll probably write one more scene set in Act 1 and then get started on Act 2.
Act 1: Life Expectancy
Scene 2: Port In A Storm
I've always held the belief that every human, deep in their psyche, has some sort of morbid curiosity regarding the macabre. Whether it's watching the news cycles constantly focused on the bad things that happen in the world, reading a story where the main character suffers misfortune, or the way traffic slows down to view an accident even when there's no physical impediment.
You simply can't turn away when you see something happening; you're equally as transfixed in horror at the moment in question as you are from some sick desire to see it carry out. It's fascinating on some deeply primal level...and this is how I find myself now, watching Lilly and Shizune at each other’s throats.
It started innocently enough. I had woken up too early and couldn't get back to sleep. Not really knowing what else to do, I got dressed and headed to my class through the nearly deserted school. I was the only one there, sitting at my desk when Lilly stopped by, just as bedraggled as I was. We barely had time to discuss anything before Misha and Shizune barged in. I think someone said something about the student council budget, and then all hell broke loose.
Shizune is looking like an avenging angel, her hands and fingers moving so fast they're a blur. Misha is translating everything she's saying, but with none of the implied inflection. Lilly is as steadfast as a statue, only winding up Shizune further.
It's surreal. I am not awake enough for this, and I seriously doubt I ever would be.
“[Tell me the names of those two students. They should have your job if you can't even handle something this simple yourself,]” Misha explains, completely oblivious to how fast this is heating up.
Lilly lets the first hint of annoyance bleed into her tone. “One form isn't the full extent of what I am supposed to take care of.” While Shizune can’t hear the edge in her voice, Lilly’s body language is more than enough to show the blue haired girl that she’s perturbed.
Shizune looks about ready to jump up and down in excitement, her hands flying in another nearly invisible maelstrom.
“[Of course, you do so much, class rep~! It must be so difficult being you~!]”
Lilly's lips press together, clearly understanding the implied insult.
“I was actually just discussing the budget report before you came by,” she fires back, her voice stern and cold. “You must be very talented to have finished all your student council duties so quickly that you can track me down to make sure I don't forget my own.”
“[Are you accusing me of slacking off?]” Misha translates. “[It seems like you're confusing me with yourself~!]”
“I don't think so,” Lilly replies. “That would be a very difficult thing for me to do; comparing myself to you.”
“[You're right, the difference between us is like heaven and hell.]”
“And it's not hard to guess which one you might represent.”
You can cut the enmity in the air with a knife as they stare each other down. The irritation in Lilly's demeanor has been replaced with genuine anger, something very unsettling to see. Shizune has a self congratulatory smirk on her face, clearly enjoying this. Not only did she find something to criticize Lilly on, but she's breaking through Lilly's steady facade. Even Misha looks like she's beginning to understand the real nature of this conversation.
Shizune then fixes that gaze on me, and I'm left dumbfounded like a deer in the headlights.
“[Hicchan~! Don't you slack off either~!]” Misha says, pointing at me, still faithfully doing her duty even while a look of doubt starts to spread across her face.
“Wait a minute,” I hear myself say. “What do I have to do with this?”
“[Aren't you taking part in the festival, Hicchan? You are, aren't you? Then~!]” Misha pauses, waiting for Shizune to finish her next flourish. “[I hope you're going to do a lot more to make sure it goes smoothly than this person~!]”
I immediately feel my face redden at the unfairness of that remark.
“Don't drag me into this. I've done more than enough to help out with the festival, I think. If you're angry at Lilly, that has nothing to do with me,” I snap back, instantly wishing I had phrased that better.
“Now, wait just a second,” Lilly says, her own temper finding me as a target. “Are you implying the president is more right in scolding me than yourself?”
Oh for the love of...
“I didn't say that,” I say with an exasperated sigh. “All I'm saying is-”
“Hello?” I hear a vaguely familiar voice speak from the doorway. Three heads followed by a fourth snap in the direction of the sound to see a girl standing at the door, one hand on the frame as she leans her head in. Her other hand holds her cane in front of her, at the ready to defend herself at a moment’s notice from the hostility in the room.
I may have never been so happy to see someone in my life as I am at that exact moment.
Shizune's eyes narrow as she signs tersely to Misha. It's obvious she doesn't like this interruption, although I can't tell if it's because it may undermine the upper hand she has on Lilly.
“[Miss Enomoto~!]” Misha says, her usual enthusiasm back. “[This isn't your classroom. What do you think you're doing here?]”
Saki makes eye contact with me briefly before glancing at the others. “I was trying to find some help and I heard voices as I was walking down the hall.”
I wince. So did everyone else currently on the floor, or in the building for that matter.
“What's up, Saki?” I ask, trying not to make my eagerness at the subject change too obvious.
“We need a few more things from one of the art rooms to finish our stall for Sunday,” Saki explains. “We were going to work on it after school. I found what we need, but if I could get some help taking it to the band room right now it would save some time. Do you think I could borrow Hisao for a few minutes?”
Shizune throws her hands up in the air when Misha translates this, and starts signing back.
“[You're not done either? I can't believe I'm the only one who seems to be taking this seriously~!] Hey, that's not fair, Shicchan,” Misha suddenly says, looking hurt. “I work hard too!”
As the two of them start heatedly conversing among themselves, I notice Saki lean slightly against the door frame, revealing that this isn't at all startling to her. Given what she told me about having to deal with Shizune, I imagine these outbursts of hers are quite familiar.
“Lilly,” Saki says in a friendly greeting, completely ignoring the other two girls for the moment. “I think Mr. Nomiya said you were using the stencils for your class when I asked him about it yesterday.”
“Ah, that's right,” Lilly remembers, her eyes turning towards the sound of Saki's voice. “We were finishing up our signs. I believe most of them are done, although I don't know for sure. Things have been rather...hectic as of late,” she finishes with a frown.
“[This is unacceptable~!]” Misha's voice returns to full volume, having finished her private conversation with Shizune. “[This festival is imperative to the morale of the school. Everybody works hard to make sure it goes smooth and establishes a sense of community! Too many people don't take it seriously and the image of the entire school suffers for it~!]”
“In case you've forgotten, Madam President, we're not just running a booth. We're also performing to raise money for the year end recital,” Saki retorts, giving Shizune a completely deadpan stare. “We're very busy with both things, so surely you can understand if we may not have everything done as fast as the other classes.”
While I know that the beautiful inflection behind those words will be lost on Shizune, I'm left in awe with how artfully she wove that degree of sarcasm into them. I see Lilly trying very hard to suppress a smile, having not missed a beat. Shizune senses she’s being mocked and scowls angrily behind her glasses.
“[Why do you need help? Can't you find what you need on your own?]”
Saki moves her cane and raps it twice against one of the metal legs of the nearest desk. The loud clung-clung makes the three of us that can hear it visibly jump. It takes another two seconds, but when Shizune realizes her error, her cheeks turn pink with anger and embarrassment.
“Because it's heavy,” Saki says, pushing the right mixture of hurt and concern into her voice. “Surely, you don't expect me to carry it all by myself?” The pouting look she gives is so exaggerated that it's all I can do to keep from grinning like an idiot.
“I would hope not,” Lilly says, before Shizune has a chance to respond, eager to twist the knife.
“I'll help,” I exclaim, pushing my chair back and standing up. “There's a while before class starts anyway.”
“Great,” Saki replies happily, her face lighting up. “It shouldn't be too much, just some paint and posterboard, I think.” Seeing that Misha is translating every word of this to Shizune, she continues. “Not only would it be a big help to our club, but to the festival as well.”
Shizune folds her arms and stares daggers, which I imagine is her equivalent of being left speechless. It's obvious she isn't used to being dismissed like this.
As soon as I enter the hallway, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Saki and I manage to get a few steps down the hall before I can hear Misha and Lilly arguing again.
“Thank you,” I say gratefully, falling in step beside her and matching her pace.
“Lucky for you I came by. What started all that, anyway?”
“I'm not sure. I think it had to do with the festival budget. The two of them were going at it before I could really figure out what that meant and I wasn't fully awake yet.”
Saki gives a small snort of derision. “Shizune's always like that whenever there's a big project,” she explains. “All the other classes are supposed to submit budget requests so she can keep track of the treasury. She comes down on anyone who doesn't get it done as fast as she does.”
“Your club had to submit a budget too?”
“Yep. It's not just classes that have stalls, but several clubs do too. They do it to raise money,” she clarifies. “We have a recital at the end of the year so that's what we're focusing on. Even though I gave Shizune our budget a few days ago, she still got on my case about taking so long to do it.”
“It almost looks like she enjoys it. I don't think I've ever met someone more competitive than she is.”
“Don’t get me wrong, she's good at what she does. I just wish she wasn't so damned arrogant about it. She loves to rub it in people's faces whenever she gets the chance.”
By now we've reached the end of the hallway at the entrance to the art room, and I hold open the door for her as she steps inside. When I follow, the wall of cold air that hits me makes me shiver for a second. The room is bathed in a bright light as the rising sun streams through the windows, catching a few stray specs of dust drifting lazily in its beams.
“I have to say,” I say, shaking off the momentary chill, “I still can't wrap my head around that little stunt you pulled back there. I've never seen Shizune completely shut down like that.”
Saki laughs as she rests her cane against one of the desks, crouching down to pull open the drawer beneath it. “She's really easy to wind up if you know how. She was like that all last year when I was with her.” I hear papers and heavier objects being shuffled around. “I don't think she's used to having other people stand up to her.”
I lean back on another desk, folding my arms. “Well, I've tried standing up to her about the student council thing. She's persistent, but I never thought she was acting mean towards me.”
“Oh hoh,” Saki says with amusement, closing the drawer and standing up, empty handed. “That's because you're a challenge and there's something she wants right now.”
“Let me guess; me joining the council?”
“Bingo,” she says, moving to the next desk down the row to repeat the process. “She's nice enough when she wants something,” she continues with a grunt as she struggles to open the drawer, “but when someone who stands up to her just doesn't agree with her, you get...that.”
I hear her curse in frustration as her search again appears to turn up fruitless.
“What are you looking for, anyway?” I ask her as she straightens herself up and brushes her hands on the front of her skirt.
“Mr. Nomiya keeps a packet of stencils that we sometimes use to make signs,” she answers, scanning the room looking for any place they might be hidden. “I was supposed to grab them yesterday but Lilly's class was using them.” Her brow furrows as she starts towards the back of the room, her hand gliding atop the desks for support in lieu of her cane. “Can you help me check the back cabinets? They have to be here somewhere. They should be in a blue box.”
I head towards the second cabinet as she reaches the first and pull it open. I'm instantly assaulted by an array of supplies staring back at me. Brushes, paint cans, blank canvases, blank poster board, several bottles of strong smelling chemicals, and about a dozen boxes on the bottom shelf splattered with paint.
“How big is the box? There's a few here.”
“About the size of a shoebox.”
I squint to get a closer look, and make out that the top box on the stack is indeed a dark blue accented with a few red and white stains. “Is this it?” I ask, wrapping my arms around it and hoisting it out. Saki moves over to me after closing the door of her own cabinet.
“Looks like it,” she says as I set the box down. She reaches over and pulls the lid off, revealing a deep stack of thick cardstock cut into a variety of shapes. Every sheet has been coated and re-coated with so many colors that any one could be its own piece of abstract art. As she lifts out a few to make sure, I can see why they were being used yesterday; with all of Lilly's fellow students either completely or partially blind, having stencils like this would make the job of decorating their signs much easier.
Satisfied, she puts the contents back in the box and reapplies the lid. “We have everything else, so this should do it, I think.”
“Wait a minute. You needed me to carry just this,” I say, pointing to the object in question, “and that's it?”
“Yeah,” Saki replies. “You don't expect me to carry something heavy that far either, do you?”
I sigh in resignation and hoist the box up under one arm. “Is there anyone that doesn't work on?”
“Not many,” she admits. Almost as an afterthought, she moves to my open cabinet and pulls out a few rolled up pieces of poster board, tucking them firmly under her arm. “There, does this make you feel better?”
The look she gives me waiting for my approval leaves me laughing and shaking my head.
“Alright, you win,” I say, trying to hold on to some of my dignity. “You're lucky I happen to be such a nice, helpful guy.”
“Really?” Saki pouts. “And here I thought you actually wanted to help. I could have simply left you back there, you know.”
I realize my smile has never quite left my face since I started laughing. I was never really one for witty banter even before my heart attack, and the hospital pretty much killed whatever knack I had for it. This conversation, this short exchange, however...it's something I'm grateful for. The ease with which Saki holds and drives a conversation, the subtle back and forth, the good-natured ribbing while not seeming to take anything too seriously – it's drawing something out of me I hadn't even realized I'd lost.
Saki's reminding me that I have a sense of humor.
I shudder for emphasis. “I am now and eternally in your debt,” I say, bowing gravely. Saki responds with her own laugh; a light, airy sound.
“That's kind of a cute thing of you to say, but being too cute has its drawbacks too,” she manages while giggling.
“Oh?” I say, lifting my eyes to look up at hers, those playful sparks dancing in their amber depths. “How so?”
Saki's smile turns a bit softer. “People might start to take advantage of you if you make it look that easy.”
I straighten up as Saki moves back to the front of the room to retrieve her cane. “You're probably right. Shizune. Misha. You,” I point out, following behind her.
“I never claimed to be a good person.”
“No, just an opportunistic one.”
“You're learning,” she replies with approval, looking back at me with that impish smile again. She shoulders open the door and holds it with her foot for me, given that my hands are full. “But, if it makes you feel better, when you agreed to help me I decided I'd treat you to breakfast this morning.”
(continued...)
