Katawa Shoujo Forums

Start Date: Began writing on January 7, 2015

Welp, this is my first fanfiction I've ever written about Katawa Shoujo! Some people over on the KS subreddit seemed to want me to continue, so I figured it'd be a good idea to go ahead and share it on the official forums as well! Feel free to point out any continuity errors or grammatical mistakes that I may have missed while editing. Also, I'll add a Table of Contents or something similar once I've finished chapter 2. ;D
Enjoy!

*NOTE* Takes place two weeks after the good ending of Emi's Route.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5: The Finale

Stopping Short - Chapter 1

The warm shower water loosens the tenseness of my muscles as it cascades down me. Most people would rule out the possibility of sharing a small bed with a cute girl having any downsides, but my sore limbs seem to be telling me otherwise. Nevertheless, I don't think I've ever felt more alive than I do now. Shame that it has to be in the showers of the girl's dorms...

Soothed almost to the point of falling asleep, I allow the water to flow out over my body, enveloping me in a coat of wet warmth. Suddenly, though, my blood turns to ice as I hear the door of the bathroom creak open.

Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshi-

My nerves are quickly calmed as I hear the familiar click of metal against the tiled flooring.

"Hey, Hisao! You've been in there for like an hour!" Emi complains, her prosthetics tapping against the floor as she strides closer to the stall. "Don't you know it's rude to keep a lady waiting?"

My face flushes crimson as she violently rips the curtains open; I cover my manhood instinctively, attempting to prevent the situation from becoming even more awkward as the small girl stares me down.

"Oh c'mon, Hisao. You know that's all you wanted me to look at last night."

Attempt failed.

I stare blankly at Emi, my mouth agape as my mind searches for some resemblance of a sentence to respond with. The fact that her eyes are constantly switching from boring holes into my skull to trying to glare my privates off does little to help my predicament. Not to mention that she stands confidently in front of me wearing nothing but a short towel, her disheveled hair still hanging straight down her back from the events of the night prior. At the very least, she only seems slightly miffed that I didn't invite her into the shower with me.

"I-I...uhhhhh..." is all I can stammer out before Emi huffs, flinging the curtains closed again as she stalks off.

Momentarily, the sound of water splashing against a tub echoes throughout the quiet bathroom, muffling the sounds of Emi's prosthetics clicking along the tile.

Without warning, a hand shoots through the curtain and latches onto my arm, yanking me out of the warmth of the enclosed shower. My "assailant" gives me no time to fight back as she quickly shoves me into the tub still being filled with nearly scalding water. I crash ungracefully into the basin, quickly righting myself to avoid further pain. Emi plops down on the edge of the bathtub and begins expertly removing her prosthetics, letting them fall in a pile on the ground before she drops backwards into my lap, nestling up against my chest. Finally, my voice decides to return to me.

"DO YOU REALIZE YOU COULD'VE KILLED ME?!"

"Yeah, I guess. Serves you right for ignoring me all morning," Emi pouts, sticking her tongue out at me as she shuts off the water.

A sigh escapes my throat and Emi takes it as an acceptance of my own defeat, beaming happily up at me as she snuggles even closer.

Goddammit, I can't stay mad at that adorable face...

It's been two weeks since that day we visited her father's grave. The memory of her trusting me enough to finally open up is still fresh in my mind, constantly reminding me of just how much we've been through together. The days immediately following our sudden bonding were spent constantly at each other's sides, unwilling to separate for any reason. Although we feel just as close now as we were then, at least we're able to spend a day away from one another without too much issue.

"Hey, Hisao?" Emi murmurs, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"You never did answer my question. What do you wanna do today?"

As she says this her body shifts against my lower half, gingerly grinding against me in an almost pleading sort of way. I suppose my face contorted in an awkward manner, because Emi quickly places a hand over her mouth and shakes with laughter upon gazing at me.

"Well, I -hnng- um, I mean that we -mmph- can you ple-ehhhhhhhhh."

Emi continues sliding her bottom, a bit more vigorously now, against my member, eagerly awaiting my reaction after each motion.

"Uh-huh, I'm listening, Hisao," she says with a devious grin.

"What I'm trying to say is -errk- that I think it's really important that I -hng- get a bit of studying done toda-"

The pleasurable movements cease immediately as Emi whirls around and straddles me, putting her face mere inches from mine.

"Oh no you don't, Hisao! If you think you can just wake up in bed with me and waltz away to do your own thing, you've definitely got another thing coming!"

I pause for a moment, steeling myself to forge ahead into the flames. "Look, Emi, you know just as well as I do that we barely scraped by in that English exam..."

"But Hisaaaaaaaoooo..."

"I realize that exams just passed, but it's really important to stay on top of these things so that I don't fall behind again." I pull the brooding girl on my lap into a warm embrace, gently stroking her hair. "We can do something later this evening, alright?"

Emi leans into me a bit, not exactly accepting the embrace but not resisting it either. "Fine," she eventually huffs out.

I move away slightly and begin to pull her into a kiss before she stops me abruptly with her hand.

"DON'T. FORGET," she states sharply, glaring into my eyes.

I gulp quickly and nod my head to show my compliance. Instantly, her expression softens and she pushes herself back against me, molding her lips into mine and resuming her grinding.

Dangit! I really want to spend the day with her, but I honestly need to get more serious about some of my studying. Did I make the right decision...?

The girl perched atop me seems to notice something is the matter as she slows down somewhat and eyes me curiously. I quickly brush the situation off as nothing with a wave of my hand and we continue business as usual. If only I could enjoy it a little more...

==========

"'Hello, it was...good to meet...your?'"

...

"Dammit, that isn't right. UUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

I slam my head into the desk and let it rest there, regretting every decision of my life in a single instant. Despite all my other subjects of study passing relatively quickly (even history), studying English seems to be a consistent game of 2 steps forward, 30 steps back. I decide to end my study here before becoming even further aggravated, pulling my head off of the desk and slowly rising to my feet.

English can wait just a little bit longer.

Although it feels like I've been trudging through books all day, it's only been a few hours since I left Emi to return to my own dorm. Remembering that I told her we could do something later this evening, I figure now would be a good time to catch up on my reading. I slip into my shoes and stride quickly out of my room, practically dashing down the hallway to avoid running into Kenji on the way out.

As I step out the front entrance of the male dorms my eyes immediately lock on the nearby doors of the female dorms. Instead of moving towards them, though, I continue on towards the main school building, fishing my phone out of my pocket as I go. A few quick taps on the keypad lead me to the contact I'm searching for: Emi Ibarazaki.

The call goes through, but Emi appears to be unavailable as the phone rings a number of times before redirecting me to her voicemail.

She's probably busy right now, I'll just leave her a message.

"Hey Emi, it's Hisao," I say into the speaker. "I guess you're busy right now, but I just finished studying and I'll be in the library if you need me." I silently debate with myself for a moment before adding, "I love you, Emi."

After hanging up and dropping the phone into my pocket, the rest of the trip to the school library passes uneventfully; nothing aside from the occasional student enjoying their day or the light sounds of birds singing to no one in particular. As I step into the library the scent of ancient novels and dusty leather covers soothes me, bringing with it an air of familiarity. I greet Yuuko quietly and pass through the rows upon rows of shelves, finally arriving at my age old friend: the science fiction section.

My fingers dance across the books as I scout for something new that I haven't touched before. I find some trouble in doing so as my previous stay at the hospital seemed to have exhausted a large portion of the genre. However, my efforts eventually reward me with the first entry in a series that I've definitely heard of, but for some reason or other have never touched. May as well...

My feet carry me automatically towards the beanbags in the back of the library. As I move closer to them, I notice Hanako sitting in her usual spot, nose buried deep into a paperback. Rather than run her off again by trying to start up a conversation, I simply greet her as I did Yuuko and plop down in the beanbag next to hers, opening my novel up to the first page.

"T-that's a really g-good one. The s-s-story is r-really engaging a-and..."

I look up to see Hanako peering towards me over the top of her own book, clearly trying to continue her sentence but finding difficulty in doing so. I should probably...

"Yeah? Well that's good to hear," I respond softly, allowing her to pause and regain her composure. "I've been wanting to read it for a while now, but I suppose I just got around to it."

The dark-haired girl lowers the book from her face and gives me a small smile. "I-I think you'll l-like it..."

I return the smile as Hanako lets out a relieved sigh, retreating to the novel in her hands. Y'know, she is kinda cute...

I immediately smack myself mentally, realizing that I should probably focus on making the girl who actually loves me continue to do so, rather than trying to be the master of romance or something.

I turn back to the book resting in my hands and begin to read, becoming enamored by the plot almost instantaneously.

==========

*tap*

...

*tap tap tap*

Mmmph...

*shake*

Mmmmh, just five more minutes...

*shake shake*

Can you stop, please?

*shake shake shake*

Kindly piss off.

*SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE*

LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE.

"Seriously, how is he still asleep?"

"I-I'm sorry Yuuko. I t-thought he was r-really peaceful, so I d-d-didn't try to wake him earlier..."

"Oh it's okay, Hanako. This isn't your fault. I'll get him up eventually."

"H-here, let me hel-aaaaaaaaaahhhh!"

*FWUMP*

"WHAT IN THE HELL-"

My eyes fly open as a crushing weight lands on my torso, forcing the air out of my lungs while thankfully missing the ticking time bomb in my chest. Trying to sit up or move is futile as whatever this is is definitely not budging and my vision is obscured by a soft, dark pile of...hair? As the situation dawns on me I begin to feel blood rushing to my face as well as to a few other areas of my body...

Hanako's face suddenly comes into view mere inches from my own. Her expression is somewhat dazed, still recovering from the fall she must've just had. It doesn't take long before her own face is flooded with crimson as well, no doubt due to the oddly intimate position we somehow ended up in. And my little "friend" down there certainly doesn't seem to be helping, as her blush somehow increases even further as she feels the bump brush against her thighs.

"OMIGOSHI'MSOSORRYHISAOIDIDN'TMEANTOANDICOULDHAVEHURTYOUOMIGOSHI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY." Hanako hardly seems to take a single breath as she leaps off of me, apologies spewing out of her mouth continuously in embarrassment.

Yuuko, however, seems to be attempting to stifle laughter.

"Um, it's perfectly fine Hanako, don't worry about it," I say sheepishly, slowly pulling myself to my feet. "Thank you for waking me up."

My words seem to calm her down, though her breathing is still incredibly frantic and she's covering her mouth with both of her hands. Eventually she begins to slow down her breaths and settles back into her normal rhythm, despite still being an incredibly bright shade of red.

"I'm sorry Hisao, but the library is closing," Yuuko states, giving me an apologetic look. "We didn't mean to wake you up in such an...exciting manner."

I feel the blood slowly creeping back up my face at the mention of the previous catastrophe. My eyes dart around the room in vain to find something less awkward to focus on and- did that pink novel just move? What the...

"Eh heh heh, it's no problem, Yuuko. I appreciate it-"

A sudden realization smacks me in the face like a sack of potatoes for about the fourth time today. A quick glance outside confirms my fears of it being much later than I need it to be right now.

"Oh shit," I whisper to no one in particular, gathering my book and handing it off to Yuuko as I begin to bolt for the door. "Sorry guys, I've gotta go! Thank you for waking me!"

I leave both girls standing next to the beanbags as I race through the exit, one utterly confused while the other continues to blush furiously.

==========

My heart thumps quickly within my chest as I make my way hurriedly across the campus to the dorms. I go back through the list of places that Emi could've been and cross them off silently as I go: her room, Rin's room, the track, the roof, or Nurse's office. No, no, no, no, no. Night fell quickly as my hunt for the pigtailed wonder took place; or rather, as I scrambled around in a frenzy trying to find her. The only people I talked to were Rin and Nurse. Rin was as cryptic as always and Nurse said that Emi had stopped by to ask about me, but he was unsure of where she went afterwards.

Why do I always do this...?

A quick check of my phone only worsens my mood as it reminds me of the missed calls and texts from Miss Ibarazaki herself while I was asleep. Trying to contact her after I left the library proved useless, as every call or text was ignored entirely.

My pace slows as I reach the male dorms, devolving into a dejected stumbling motion as I head to my own room in defeat. I put my key into the lock a bit quicker to avoid Kenji surprising me, only to find that there is no *click* of the locking mechanism being unlocked.

I should probably start remembering to-

"You should probably start remembering to lock the door."

My room is pitch black, the only light coming from the dim hallway fixtures that allow it to seep in through the doorway. I can barely make out the figure standing in the darkness, but that voice is unmistakable.

"Emi, listen, I can expla-"

I suddenly feel a pair of lips enveloping my own as Emi wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me into a deep, passionate embrace. She leads me to the bed, closing the door and flipping on the desk lamp, all the while never separating from me. Our bodies tumble onto the bed and she begins rubbing slowly against me, apparently itching to get right to the point.

Clothes (and prosthetic limbs) begin to slide off piece by piece, landing in an unorganized fashion on the floor until she's left entirely bare save for her panties. However, a gentle placing of her hand on my own prevented me from undressing myself at all. Emi straddles me and begins to grind a little more excitedly before stopping on a dime and breaking our kiss.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" she purrs in a seductive manner.

Wait.

What.

"I, uh-"

"Not only did you forget to come hang out with me. You also ignored my calls, my texts, and you weren't even in your dorm like you said you would be!" Emi's voice gradually rises and loses its purring quality, becoming angry hisses that slide out of her throat.

"Emi, I-"

"And when I came to the library to ask Yuuko if she knew where you might be, guess what I found!" Emi proclaims, sitting up and laughing in a way that terrifies me.

"Emi, please, just let me-"

"Let you WHAT? EXPLAIN? What IS there to explain?! You and Miss Ikezawa seemed mighty fine to me! No explaining necessary here!" Her green eyes drill directly into mine, daring me to break away from them.

"Emi, there is NOTHING going on between me and Hanako. It was an accident that she fell on me."

"Oh ho ho, I know it was an accident, I saw the whole thing! But you guys sure took an awfully long time getting OFF of each OTHER." Emi grips the collar of my shirt in the last few words of her sentence, violently pulling my face closer to hers. "Looked like a good time to ME."

"Emi, I'm so sorry. I fell asleep in the library and I just...I didn't mean to ignore you all day or for Hanako to-"

Emi cuts me off by releasing my collar and giving a dismissive wave of her hand. A devious smile begins to form on her lips as she closes her eyes and starts to gyrate her hips against my own. She leans back down on top of me, continuing her motions, and teases me with a light touch of her lips to mine. Confused does not even begin to describe my current emotions.

"Alright, Hisao. I have a proposition for you."

The way the words purr out of her throat once more is frightening, providing an utter contrast to the feelings in my lower regions. I'm both aroused and scared for my life right now.

"You WILL take me on a wonderful date next Saturday night, you WILL NOT forget, and it WILL be amazing."

"...okay, Emi. I will, I promise."

"Good."

With that final word her movements pick up and she seems to transition back into seductive mode.

Wrong.

In an instant all motion ceases and I feel myself being hoisted by the collar once more.

"But so help me GOD, Hisao Nakai, if you forget again..." Emi grits her teeth, each word slithering out from between them as she hisses them at me.

"I won't, I won't! I swear to you, Emi, I won't forget again!" I gulp nervously as she continues holding eye contact for a minute longer before finally letting me drop back to the mattress.

Wait a minute...

"Did you leave my clothes on just so you could act all macho?"

Emi turns to me, beaming, suddenly her cheery self once again. I'm starting to question whether she was even mad in the first place.

"Yup! Thought it would be much more dramatic and get the point across better! Did it work?"

"Yeah, you had me scared shitless..."

"Oh, well if that scared you then you'll be TERRIFIED of what's coming next!"

"What are you talki-"

"Goodnight!"

Without any warning Emi flops off my lap and onto the bed, curling up beneath the covers and turning away from me.

"You have GOT to be kidding me..."

"Nope! Looks like you're stuck with that problem all night!" Emi giggles, gesturing towards the clearly visible hump between my legs.

There is no way that this punishment isn't a Circle of Hell of its own.

I sigh in defeat, deciding that there's no point in arguing the matter any further. I quickly discard all of my clothes save for my boxers before snuggling up next to Emi, pulling her body into my own. She gasps quietly when her butt collides with a certain something, but my hopes to gain anything out of it turn up fruitless. There ARE worse ways to fall asleep, though, so I think I can let it pass.

...

What in the actual hell just happened.

That was beautiful.

azumeow wrote:That was beautiful.

Thanks!

Chapter 2 is currently being conceptualized, so hopefully it's not too long before I can present some new content!

That was pretty good. I'm looking forward to the next part.

Technically your story is very good - it's the story itself or the characterization that I find a bit strange.

The way Hisao acts reminds me a bit too much of the chapter of Emi's arc I liked least - "Is Carnival" - what with Hisao trying to avoid Emi, but their relationship should have progressed considerably from that point.

Hisao only just managed to get Emi to open up to him and to reciprocrate his love. I can understand that he would reluctantly take the time to study, but then to cut short his studies to hang out in the library instead of going back to Emi... Maybe if this was set a few weeks later, but not a day after "Putting the Fun in Funeral".

The scene in the library played off every last anime cliche from fallig asleep to the awkward fall to Emi accidentally being present to witness it all...

A suggestion to make it more belivable:
If Hisao had finished his studies and at least tried to call Emi without reaching her - maybe because her battery was dead or she'd left it in her room while running - he could decide to go to the library instead. That would also provide a plausible reason why Emi would be there - after hearing the message he left. She wouldn't have a reason to be quite as angry, but on the other had you'd have to hand out less idiot balls.

So, yes this story has the potential to become very good if you don't continue to rely on cliches and idiot balls.

I'm not personally the biggest fan of Emi, but this was still enjoyable enough. The only weird thing I noticed is you kinda seemed to push Hisao being attracted to Hanako.

Mirage_GSM wrote:Technically your story is very good - it's the story itself or the characterization that I find a bit strange.

The way Hisao acts reminds me a bit too much of the chapter of Emi's arc I liked least - "Is Carnival" - what with Hisao trying to avoid Emi, but their relationship should have progressed considerably from that point.

Hisao only just managed to get Emi to open up to him and to reciprocrate his love. I can understand that he would reluctantly take the time to study, but then to cut short his studies to hang out in the library instead of going back to Emi... Maybe if this was set a few weeks later, but not a day after "Putting the Fun in Funeral".

The scene in the library played off every last anime cliche from fallig asleep to the awkward fall to Emi accidentally being present to witness it all...

A suggestion to make it more belivable:
If Hisao had finished his studies and at least tried to call Emi without reaching her - maybe because her battery was dead or she'd left it in her room while running - he could decide to go to the library instead. That would also provide a plausible reason why Emi would be there - after hearing the message he left. She wouldn't have a reason to be quite as angry, but on the other had you'd have to hand out less idiot balls.

So, yes this story has the potential to become very good if you don't continue to rely on cliches and idiot balls.

I'm extremely grateful for the criticism, Mirage!

I'll admit that I didn't think too much about what had happened right at the end Emi's route when I started this. Perhaps if I had played through it again I could've avoided some of these issues, but hey, I'll learn from my mistakes.
Also, the part with Hanako (which I now realize was extremely forced) was kinda just meant to play off the fact that Hisao IS still a male teenager, so it's not uncommon for him to have thoughts like that.

I can't really push the time forward anymore, since I kinda relied on the question of "What do you wanna do today?" to push Hisao into studying and build the rest of the chapter. But do you think adding in the phone call that lets Emi know he's in the library would be enough to improve the chapter as a whole?
(Oh, and Emi's anger wasn't meant to be taken too seriously, as she immediately returned to her playful nature after chewing out Hisao.)

EDIT: Just added and changed things based around your suggestions (including the time, which is now set two weeks AFTER the grave visit), and I do agree that it makes it feel less nonsensical! If you don't feel like re-reading everything I can just cut out and post the specific things that I added to see what you think.

But do you think adding in the phone call that lets Emi know he's in the library would be enough to improve the chapter as a whole?

Well it does make Hisao seem less of a dick.
In the original version he rejected his girlfriend's wish to spend time with him with the excuse that he had to study and then when he quit studying he spent time reading instead. I don't even want to think about what my GF would have told me if she had caught me doing something like that
It might be understandable in a relationship where the girlfriend is really clingy and the boyfriend actively is trying to get some time on his own, but neither fits Emi and Hisao.
I think the new version is better - what you you think?

Mirage_GSM wrote:I think the new version is better - what you you think?

I like the new version more as well, since it makes the entire chapter a bit more believable.

If I hadn't pushed the time forward a bit and added the phone call I think the minor changes would've gone unfixed. Like changing "pretty darn cute" to "kinda cute" just to weaken the implication that Hisao has any sorts of feelings for Hanako (because he doesn't). Also adding the line where Hisao questions if Emi was ever mad, since I'm not sure if everyone would consider the quick mood shift to imply that she was never "angry".

But yeah, I think your suggestions helped, and I really appreciate it! Especially since I consider Hisao to be almost an extension of myself, so accidentally making him out to be a dick would be bad. XD

scratchminus wrote:But yeah, I think your suggestions helped, and I really appreciate it! Especially since I consider Hisao to be almost an extension of myself, so accidentally making him out to be a dick would be bad. XD

Oh dear, so which appendage of you is he now?

brythain wrote:Oh dear, so which appendage of you is he now?

Definitely my testicl- I MEAN, UH, Hisao represents my mended heart and my new found courage...yeah, that... ._.
(but seriously if he's any of my appendages he's probably my legs because they keep me standing)

Chapter 2 is complete! Hopefully this satisfies anyone who wanted me to write more.

Chapter 3 will hopefully be complete at some point next week. All of the planning is already done, so I just have to sit down and write it. I suppose we'll see how it goes, but I'm pretty excited to start making it!

*NOTE* Chapter 1 now takes place two weeks after the good ending of Emi's Route. Check back there if you want to read the few edits I made.

Stopping Short - Chapter 2

The dull gray of my dorm room ceiling comes into focus as I groggily blink away the sleepiness from my eyes. I sit up slowly before shifting to the edge of the bed, already awaiting the inevitabl-

BEEEEEEPBEEEEEEP BEEEEEEPBEEEEEEP BEEEEEEPBEEEEEEP

*click*

I suppose my body's schedule has finally adjusted to getting out of bed so early, as I find myself waking up much more easily now, often times before my alarm has gone off. One less thing to worry about, and man is that helpful right now.

My feet hover over the floor for a few moments longer before dropping down, carrying me to the wardrobe to prepare for my morning run. As I lazily throw on some old soccer shorts and a t-shirt, my mind races in search of ideas for my date with Emi this coming Saturday. It's not as if I haven't been putting some thought into it for the entirety of the week, but it seems as though the perfect idea for a date is eluding me indefinitely.

Why not just take her to a movie? She'll probably like that.

One half of my mind mentally slaps the other at the thought of such a cliché date. I'll need something much more creative than that if I want to redeem myself for the embarrassment of the previous Sunday...

As these thoughts churn in my head I make my way towards the track, knowing full well that I'll have hell to pay if I keep The Fastest Thing On No Legs waiting.

I wonder if...nah, too girly. Well maybe...no, she hates that type of music. Ooh, I could...oh wait, that was LAST year.

Screw it.

My final thoughts are that I desperately need help in order to deliver the most wonderful date that I can to Emi. I suppose there IS a certain someone that knows her well enough to help me with that...

"Hey! Hisao! Are you gonna start warming up or are you just gonna keep staring into space like that?"

I'm snapped back into the realm of reality by the usually cheery voice of my girlfriend. A smile slowly creeps onto my face as my heart flutters slightly at the sound of her voice. We may have been dating for a while already, but some parts of me still get legitimately nervous when I'm around her. Her extremely adorable nature and bubbly personality don't help in that regard, either.

Geez, have I always been this lame?

"Morning, Emi. Sleep well last night?" I ask, nonchalantly beginning my stretching routine.

"Yup!" she replies, sliding her feet as wide as possible and bending over to stretch towards the ground. "Slept like a baby, so I'm not planning on holding back on our run today!"

Good GOD are her legs attractive.

"Fine by me," I chuckle, swapping positions once more. "But don't get upset if I outdo you."

Emi immediately jumps out of her stretching poses and shoves her nose into my own. "Is that a CHALLENGE, Hisao Nakai?" she says confidently, staring unblinkingly into my eyes.

I pull myself up as well, matching her gaze with equal confidence. "I think it just might be."

Those green disks appear to be itching for competition, completely willing to smoke me at my own expense. I'm suddenly regretting my decision...

Before I can back down from my own issued challenge, Emi's eyes take on a playful look as she pats me on the head.

"Sorry, Hisao, but no can do! Can't risk you killing yourself just to show me up, now can we?"

"Ah, so you're afraid of me, is that it?" I muse, silently thanking every higher power known to man for sparing me.

"Nah!" Emi giggles, flashing me a cute smile. "Just can't have you dying before we go on our super special date this Saturday!"

My air of confidence is immediately shattered and my expression falters momentarily as she mentions the coming Saturday. Not only do I have nothing planned, but now she's going to try to interrogate me to figure out what we'll be doing.

"Speaking of which..."

No.

"What exactly..."

Stop.

"...did you have planned?"

Why.

"Er, it's a s-secret," I stammer, glancing around for some way out of my current predicament.

"Uh-huh, sure it is, Hisao," Emi mutters, narrowing her eyes at me. Everything about her expression is calling bullshit on me right now.

FUCK. THINKOFSOMETHINGHISAOANDDOITQUICKLY.

"Have you even planned anything?"

"How can I make this a surprise if you keep questioning me?" I blurt out, praying that she'll let it go before further interrogating me.

Emi's eyes bore into me, silently asking me why I won't tell her and what I have in store for Saturday. If only I could answer those questions.

"Uh, we should p-probably, you know, go ahead and start running so we're not off schedule," I mumble, slowly turning away and moving towards the track. I'm fully aware of the fact that we have no set schedule, especially with it being summer vacation now, but hopefully it was enough to deflect the topic for a while.

"Alright, you win THIS round, Hisao," Emi sighs from behind me as I walk onwards.

The instant the words are out of her mouth I start onto the track without hesitation, settling on a brisk jog to escape Emi's suspicious glare. I'm sure that Emi won't attempt to talk to me while I'm running and risk distracting me, so I consider myself safe for the time being. Now to think of a way out of this situation...

Just as predicted, Emi effortlessly passes me with her wide strides, not even glancing in my direction.

Oh crap, I hope I didn't piss her off again.

Despite my worries, the remainder of our morning run is finished without issue and we're soon on our way to Nurse's office. Emi's still too winded to bombard me with questions, so I stay silent as well to avoid provoking them. As we reach the medical building and head down the hallway to our daily appointments, I allow Emi to take the lead into Nurse's domain. The small girl briefly eyes me with an odd look, but shrugs it off and enters ahead of me.

Through the door I can hear muffled conversation between the two as Emi's check-up progresses. I begin to tune out their voices to avoid being nosy until-

"So, Nurse, today Hisao was acting kinda-"

My body becomes instantly alert as I hear Emi mention me from beyond the door. I press my ear softly against the surface in order to try and hear better the words spoken about me. However, I'm treated to a rude awakening as the door swings open quickly, removing all of my support and sending me tumbling towards the ground. As I groan and slowly open my eyes both Emi and Nurse come into view, one wearing his trademark grin whilst the other clutches her sides in laughter.

"Looks like you caught yourself a peeping tom there, Emi," Nurse jokes, practically beaming down at me.

"Hasn't anyone told you that it's rude to eavesdrop, Hisao?"

"Ugh," is all I can mutter as I right myself, giving each of them a nasty look of disapproval. Which of course only brings forth more laughter and grins.

"Well, you're all done Emi!" Nurse exclaims, his goofy expression not faltering in the slightest. " I'll bring your dear Nakai out momentarily."

Emi giggles once more before dashing up and giving me a quick kiss, saying she'll meet me in her dorm after I finish up in Nurse's office. Before I can even cough up a goodbye she's racing down the hallway, eager to get clean after the morning's activities.

"So, Nakai. According to Emi, there are some questions you should be asking me," Nurse states matter-of-factly, his grin only widening as I sigh in response.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with."

==========

Hot water spews out of the shower head and splashes against my skin as I continue running through plans in my head. Although Nurse claimed to be helping me, the most advice I got out of him was to "give her the Emi-est date you can think of." Yeah, thanks.

The first thing that came to mind when Nurse told me that was an amusement park. Wind whipping through her hair as she travels at a high velocity just seems to be Emi's style, so the idea felt appropriate. My only worry is that this date idea is even more cliché than the movie one. Perhaps I can run it by someone else and see what they think. The first person I can think to ask is Emi's mother, Meiko. However, I'd have to talk to Emi to get her phone number, and that would definitely raise some red flags. Going directly to her house is out of the question as well, as I imagine Emi would want to know where I had been all day if I left to do so.

I turn off the shower water and step out into the tiled bathroom, quickly drying off with a towel and heading back to my room to get dressed. As I pull on my boxers, pants, and other articles of clothing, I consider my next course of action for figuring out this date mess. Clearly I'll need to ask someone who spends a healthy (or rather unhealthy) amount of time with Emi, and my feet begin to take me to my destination automatically. It isn't long before I'm standing outside the dorm room of the person in question.

Guess I'm moving on to option two, which just so happens to be...

"Hello, Rin."

"Oh. Hello, Hisao," Rin greets me in her usual monotone voice, pushing her door open a bit wider with her foot.

"I, um, have an important question to ask you," I say, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

"I feel like that's the type of question you should be asking Emi," Rin suggests, no part of her expression changing in the slightest.

"What? You don't even know what I was going to say yet!"

"How do you know I don't know that? That would make you a mind reader. I'm not a mind reader, so you're definitely right about me not knowing what you're going to ask me, but I can't assume that you're a mind reader either because you might b-"

"Rin."

"Yes?"

"Can I just ask my question now?"

Rin pauses for a moment and looks diagonally upward, as if considering whether she'll allow me to do so or not. "Was that your question?" she asks blankly, looking back at me.

"No, of course not," I reply, starting to lose my patience.

"Then why don't you ask me your question?" Rin inquires, seeming genuinely confused.

"Because you won't- nevermind. Look, Rin, I'm trying to take Emi out on a really fun date and I need to know if my idea is good enough."

"I'm not a mind reader, Hisao. You'll have to tell me what your idea is for me to-"

"An amusement park!" I interject, interrupting her before she can go off on another tangent that isn't even tangentially relevant.

Rin seems to muse the idea over in her head for some time. I'm almost positive I've stood here for more than 5 minutes before she speaks up.

"90% her Emi-est."

"I...what?"

"90% her Emi-est," Rin repeats slower, putting more emphasis on each word.

"I'm...not sure I know what that means."

"Running would be 100% her Emi-est. Therefore an amusement park is 90% her Emi-est."

"Ohhhhhhhh," I respond as I begin to understand. "So then it's a good idea?"

Rin just closes her eyes and nods slowly, confirming my thoughts. Then, without another word, she points her toe towards Emi's room.

"Ah, well, thank you for the input, Rin. I'll see you around."

"Most likely," the auburn-haired girl replies, backing away from the door and swinging it closed with her foot.

What the hell is wrong with this school.

I brush off the strangeness of our previous conversation as I move towards Emi's door, knocking quietly to avoid being too disruptive. The door flies open almost immediately and I'm soon tackled (or something of the sort) by a tiny pink bullet. Granted, the force of the collision was nothing to be worried about, but I still feel my heart's beating increase a tiny amount before settling back down.

"What took you so long?!" Emi pouts, looking up at me while she keeps me locked in her tight embrace.

"Got caught up with Nurse and Rin," I answer, kissing her lightly on the forehead. "But hey, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yep, you are," she responds. "So, what do you wanna do today?"

"Well...I should probably stay on top of my studies..."

"OH NO YOU DO NOT, HISAO. I SWEAR-"

I raise my hands in "self-defense" as Emi glares daggers into my eyeballs. "Heh heh, I'm only kidding. How about we go for a walk?"

Emi's eyes light up and she enthusiastically agrees, dragging me outside before I can even suggest where we should go. Not that I really mind, as the sight of her practically bursting with joy at the idea of such a simple activity gives me hope. Not just for Saturday, but for our future together. Maybe I actually CAN make this girl happy for the rest of her life. Well, technically the rest of MY life, but let's be optimistic here.

It isn't long before we find ourselves mere feet away from the dense forest covering the outskirts of Yamaku, connected to the school only by the grass leading off of the track nearby. There's a small beaten path that winds deeper into the greenery, beckoning passersby to enter and be amazed...or at least I hope.

"Rin told me about this pathway," Emi muses, gently squeezing my hand. "She said that's it's super cool to walk through and explore! Let's go!"

"Wait!" I object, pulling the small girl back before she can make a break into the trees. "Are you sure it's safe out there?"

"As inattentive, distracted, and unfocused as Rin is, do you seriously think she'd have made it back alive if there was anything dangerous in there?"

"You realize that those words all mean the same thing, right?"

Emi doesn't laugh at my light jab, but rather ignores me outright as she begins tugging my body into the green abyss. I oblige and just pray that nothing goes horribly wrong.

Wow.

Rin was definitely right about this place being amazing. The sight of various amounts of wildlife, the exotic sounds of the forest, and the intoxicating scent of nature fill me quickly. My previous objections are now completely forgotten as I scoop Emi up into my arms and take off into the vastness. I can feel her wiggle slightly against my grip, not wanting to lose her freedom to move as she pleases. I look down at her, catching her eyes and silently speaking to her:

This is an act of love, not dependence. Just let me have this.

A small blush creeps into her cheeks as she senses the emotion behind my gaze. Emi averts her eyes to avoid me seeing her expression, but it does nothing to hide the smile that begins spreading across her features. Without warning she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me on the cheek, a quick, loving peck. Guess it's my turn to blush now.

As Emi settles back into my arms, I pick up speed. Although the path isn't exactly flat, I don't have too much difficulty navigating it, even with a little extra weight in tow. Before long I spot a gap in the dense foliage and make a beeline for it, bursting into an open clearing as we cross the tree line. My feet carry me up a steep hill nestled near the opening, slowing as we come closer to the top. Once there, my jaw drops and I nearly lose my grip on Emi.

An enormous field lies before us, vast and open, flowing across the land in a matter that can only be described as breathtaking. Across the field sit thousands upon thousands of dandelions, bearing their white tipped seeds for all to see. Wind sweeps slowly over the expanse of land, strong enough to tilt the dainty flowers but not strong enough to release the seeds from their current homes. Not just yet. The entire scene takes my breath away, giving off the impression of a sea of grass and other plant life, rolling gently with the wind just as waves do in the ocean. If only I could do it any sort of justice...

Emi appears to be just as captivated as I am by the sight before us, so I set her down so she can take it all in on her own two feet. But rather than roam the fields exploring everything in sight, Emi takes my hand once more and guides me to the tallest point of the hill before plopping down, motioning for me to do the same. We sit side by side, her leaning into my chest while my arm wraps around her waist as support and comfort. Both of us share a moment of silence, simply taking in all that with can with our senses before Emi interrupts.

Or rather, opens her mouth before quickly closing it.

"Hm? What's up?" I asked, gently coaxing her to speak.

Emi gives me a look of confusion, which shifts to conflict, then to pain, then to sorrow.

"Hisao..." she starts, not looking away from me. "...where do you see us? Like, in the future. What do you...what do you think we'll be?" The last portion of her sentence is choked out, clearly forced.

I know Emi hates to think beyond the present, to imagine what lies in store for her in days to come. She's clearly putting a lot of effort into asking me this question, so I need to show her that she doesn't need to worry.

"I don't know," I say simply.

Emi just continues to stare at me, a strange mixture of pain and love forming on her face.

"I can't tell you what's going to happen in the next 15 minutes, the next 15 days, or the next 15 years," I continue, rubbing her side gingerly. "There's no guarantee that things will end up the way we plan for them to, and there's no definite answers to how the future will unfold."

I glance down at Emi. Her eyes are beginning to water.

"No one can promise either one of us tomorrow. There is no certainty of us both still being here in the next 24 hours," I murmur, bringing my hand up to rest on Emi's head. "There's no way for me to promise you I'll be here. If I'm gone in 10 years-"

"Don't say that!" Emi sobs. "Don't you dare leave me, Hisao Nakai!"

I pat her head reassuringly as she looks up at me, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"There is one thing I can promise you, though."

Emi's eyes widen a bit and her sobs become softer as I say this.

"Whether or not I'm here tomorrow, the day after that, the months to follow, or the many years to come, I promise you this." As I speak I take Emi's face into my hand, stroking her cheek gently with my thumb. I whisper quietly, under my breath. "I will always love you, Emi Ibarazaki. I don't have to be here to do that. Even if I'm off in another world where we can't reach each other, I'll always love you. My broken heart is yours, and yours alone. Not even death can take that way."

Tears fall out of Emi's eyes like waterfalls, staining her face with dark streaks. Her sobs become louder and less controlled.

"You're su-ch a big *sniff*, goofy id-*sob*-iot," she chokes out. "But I *sob* love you becau-se you're MY *sniff* big, goofy idi-*hic*-ot, Hisao Nak-ai."

Her lips are upon mine immediately as the phrase leaves her mouth. Everything about her tastes and smells lightly of strawberries, an enamoring scent and flavor that sends my heart rate through the roof. As the kiss continues, I realize that this is all I really need in this world. This girl sitting next to me, this amazing woman, is my entire future. I couldn't give a damn about the rest of the world, so long as I get to spend what remaining years I have left with her. I would gladly die for her. But it's because I love her so much that I'm going to live as long as I can for her.

After what feels like an eternity, the embrace is broken. Emi beams at me, tears still streaming down her face.

"I love you, you moron," she murmurs, leaning her forehead against my own.

"Geez, do you really have to insult me every time you say that?" I complain, giving her my best pouting face.

"Ugh, you're such a spoiled brat," Emi giggles, tracing one finger up and down my chest. "I love you, Hisao."

"I love you too, Emi."

The rest of the world melts into nothingness as we lay down together on that hill, surrounded by nothing but our own love and promises. Even the wind comes to a standstill, not daring to interrupt this perfect moment.

==========

Just one more day.

One more day before tomorrow.

Wait, no.

One more day before the big day.

No, too repetitive.

...I tried.

I yawn loudly and stretch myself out on my bed, feeling the seconds tick away ever so slowly. A small resistance around my waist reminds me of the small girl clinging to me like a baby koala, her nap disturbed by my sudden movements.

Emi's eyes flutter open lazily as she stirs awake, giving me a peculiar look.

"What time is it?" she asks groggily, rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she stifles a yawn.

My eyes shift over to the alarm clock perched upon my desk, resting aside the mountain of pills. "It's 10:27."

Emi sits up and slowly stretches as I did, letting her tangled pink hair flow down her back. She begins to run the locks of hair through her fingers to untangle them as she sighs, addressing me.

"Well now I won't be able to get back to sleep," she mutters. "Need something to tire me out." Her eyes lock onto me.

I return her stare.

Her mouth tilts upwards in a cat-like grin. And like a cat, she pounces on top of me, pushing my body into the mattress as she hovers above me. I sense the mood of the situation immediately and move my hands to Emi's face, pulling her down and into my lips.

We kiss slowly at first, a deep, heartfelt connection that lasts for a short while before devolving into an entirely different beast. Each kiss becomes hotter and heavier as the seconds pass. Emi's tongue finds its way into my mouth and begins delicately exploring, quickly discovering my own and meeting it eagerly. I can feel Emi's body start to shift against me as well, her hips falling into a steady grind on top of me. All of our actions become entirely lust driven. Blood begins rushing towards the lower portion of my body; it isn't long before Emi notices the bump brushing between her legs, which causes her to separate her lips from mine and hold eye contact for a moment.

"Do you wanna keep going?" she asks quietly.

"I...I do, but..."

Emi gives me a quizzical look. "But what?"

"I feel like this would be so much greater if we waited 'til tomorrow night," I say, shrugging my shoulders. "Kinda like a reward for if my plan goes well tomorrow, ya know? Delayed gratification, I suppose."

Emi stares at me for a few more seconds, her face completely still. "Tell you what," she says, stroking her index finger lazily across my chest. "You satisfy my needs tonight, Hisao."

Emi moves her mouth closer to my ear, her hot breath tickling my skin. The slow and enticing grinding motions start up again.

"And tomorrow," she purrs seductively, her voice little more than a whisper. "I'll give you an EXTRA special reward."

Oh GOD.

My mind runs wild attempting to imagine all the possibilities. I consider that there are only so many things Emi could and would be willing to do, but I couldn't care less what it is, so long as we haven't done it yet.

I suddenly realize that I must've been very out of it as Emi has already resumed her movements, increasing the pace slightly. I feel her hands tug lightly against the bottom of my shirt, silently begging me to take it off. I comply, allowing her to strip me little by little as I do the same to her. Before long, both of us are completely bare, lying atop one another, simply waiting for one person to initiate.

Well, I suppose it's only fair that I take the lead tonight.

Gently, I flip Emi onto her back and position myself above her, preparing myself to continue. A brief thought crosses my mind and I reach over to my nightstand, fishing a box out of the drawer and removing a small, square packet.

Safety first.

Emi and I lock eyes one final time before I move forward, allowing the real world to give way to one of pure pleasure and ecstasy.

Did Emi dye her hair? Since when was it pink? That said, I think pink highlights would work on her, though maybe not pulling a Misha and dying all her hair pink.

Anyways, solid chapter. I really liked the Rin scene as short as it was. I feel like you got her down pretty well.

Also, my favorite part was probably the scene in the field. I'm sure Emi is well aware she's likely to outlive Hisao by potentially 40 years or more, and likely doesn't like being reminded of that, not that I can blame her.

AntonSlavik020 wrote:Did Emi dye her hair? Since when was it pink? That said, I think pink highlights would work on her, though maybe not pulling a Misha and dying all her hair pink.

Anyways, solid chapter. I really liked the Rin scene as short as it was. I feel like you got her down pretty well.

Also, my favorite part was probably the scene in the field. I'm sure Emi is well aware she's likely to outlive Hisao by potentially 40 years or more, and likely doesn't like being reminded of that, not that I can blame her.

I know that it's technically classified as light brown, but I always saw it as a faded pink color. Plus, the phrase "the pink haired girl" sounds so much better than "the light brown haired girl". XD

But thank you for the feedback, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Honestly, the two scenes that you liked were the most fun and interesting to write, so I'm glad that I could share those feels with someone!

AntonSlavik020 wrote:I'm sure Emi is well aware she's likely to outlive Hisao by potentially 40 years or more, and likely doesn't like being reminded of that, not that I can blame her.

I'm not sure where everyone gets that idea:

Doctor wrote:"Compared to other heart problems, people with your condition usually tend to live long lives.

Sure there is a risk, but this is Emi's route, so that is probably a lot smaller than in any other.