[Hanako Fanfic] Hisao's Question

[lacedemonian]

Music suggestions will be noted in parentheses, a choice of two tracks will be available

So this is my first ever attempt at fan fiction for anything. Shoutout to TheDwarfLard for his excellent tales on which I'm basing this story. It's been through several drafts and some peer review, and I hope readers will appreciate it.

(“Air” from piano collection or “Nocturne” from original)

“So will you be okay by yourself next week?”
“Oh totally. You left a list of the coordinates you wanted to check, right?”
“Yep it should be in your inbox.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about, enjoy your vacation with Hanako.”
"Are you sure? You realize that my doctoral depends on this project."
"You told me that at least once a day when we started this!"
"Alright, I'll be going then."

I checked my watch, it read 8:00 exactly. I scanned my Keycard, recording my departure from the observatory, and headed down the hill to catch the bus. The road to the bus stop is a bit steep, but the morning exercise is certainly good for my heart. It's probably a good thing I can't afford a car, since I would become the laziest astronomy teacher in the observable universe, and I would know.

The sun was still trying desperately to stay above the horizon. He’s been getting better at it, but the walk up the pavement to our apartment would remain dark for now. Stop after stop the bus eventually pulls up to my street. The mailboxes in front of the houses were all full. In addition to the usual junk, my mailbox included a brown package that fit neatly in my messenger bag. That should make concealment a bit easier.

Upon entry to our apartment I discovered that Hanako had already packed for the both of us. Knowing that she had forgotten a few key items, I rummaged through my workstation to find them before discreetly placing them in my suitcase.

“Looks like you're excited to go,” came a soft and tired voice.
Hanako was already set for bed. Her work clothes presumably in the bottom of the drawer where she would never have to use them for a full week, instead donning a short sleeved shirt.
“Yeah. Looks like you are too.”
“Oh, um, I didn't want to be tired when we left tomorrow.”
“Well you've certainly got the right idea. I'll join you in a bit I just need to make a snack.”

The crumbs on my plate reminded me that I was out of time to waste by contemplating things to myself. Things like how nervous I am. I mean, I know this will turn out fine. It has to, Lilly and I planned it in advance. When has Lilly ever been a bad planner?

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

(“Afternoon” from piano collection or “Daylight” from original)

“Here, I ordered this in the mail. I figured you'd want it for the train.”
“Um, thanks,”

She inspected the package, scanning it for weaknesses, before pulling on a taped-down end. The brown paper collapsed into a neat ball, which I snatched and discarded, leaving behind a modestly thick paperback novel. In the center of the desolate cover was a small man in a white suit, struggling to keep his balance. His torso and feet faded behind bright orange sand that filled the rest of the cover, except the author’s name scripted in his own black ink.

“My students loved it. I especially found it rather inspiring, and I want to know what you think of it.”

Hanako smiled at the book in her hands and lowered her hat to see the title more clearly in the sun. It had been some time since we last sat down and shared a book. “Would I really be able to read it all on the train?”

“Sure, why not? You're a quick reader. In fact I'm surprised you haven't read it yet, the newspapers were going nuts over this book.”
Ding “ALL PASSENGERS OF SOUTHBOUND LOCAL, FIRST BOARDING CALL.”
“Sounds like our cue, ready to go?”

She looked up from her book in excitement and shot her hand out forward to meet mine, the other one lowering to tow her suitcase behind us. Our train was early, so finding seats was no hassle at all. Hanako began reading her book and I just stared at the scenery. The image of the little man on the cover flickered in my mind a bit. The poor guy stood alone, trying to just make it through, motivated only by his survival instinct.

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

A little before lunchtime, I began lamenting not bringing a snack when I heard a triumphant shutting of a book’s covers.

“Thank you for this, Hisao, it was really good.”
“What did you like about it?”
“I liked the Mark’s attitude. He really faced a lot of things that would have broken me, and he faced them with a smile. I think his attitude rubbed off on me a little.”
“I can tell, you look positive. I for one, liked his determination, and the techniques he used to not give up.”
“OH YEAH! I have a favorite line right here!”
Hanako dove right back into the book she had just resurfaced from. She's actually more enthusiastic about discussing this book than usual. Good pick, me!
“Ah, here it is: ‘I'll think of something. Or die.’”
I raised an eyebrow at this choice. “Seems awfully grim for a favorite.”
“Well I think it reflects how he stays motivated. It's clear to him that he has to do it or he dies. He doesn't have time to throw temper tantrums, so he doesn't. And that's something he tells himself a lot. Things go wrong all the time, but as long as he remembers why it's so important to not give up, he will find a way.”
“Yeah, that's almost what I got, but I also liked how he would never feel really doomed. He truly believed that, with the help he was getting, there was nothing that could stop him from going home. And I really find that particularly reminiscent of how I-- This is our stop. Let's go.”

We were the only ones in the carriage to get off, so the platform was clear and we could easily make out two figures standing in front of a blue automobile in the parking lot. In our excitement, the long-haired blonde knew we were approaching without her counterpart to point us out.

We pulled up to them and Lilly spoke. “Hello again Hisao. Hello again Hanako.”

A rather irritated voice interjected. “You haven't seen them in so long and all you have to say is ‘hello again’?”

Hanako leaned in to hug her equally excited friend while Akira and I exchanged pleasantries. Akira was actually wearing something somewhat informal today, she still wore a button-down shirt, but no tie or coat, and had her sleeves rolled a bit.

She continued, “So, the summer home is pretty much just like it was before, and your parents should be here for dinner.”
Hanako broke her hold on Lilly and wore a look of confusion. “Wait, how many people are here? I didn't know his parents were--”
Akira was quick to dispel any notions of uncertainty, “don't worry it's just for one night, I know how much you hate them.”
“N-no I don't!”
“Can we have this discussion on the road, please?” Lilly suggested.

Akira gave a slight head shake before entering the car, gesturing for us to do the same. We started on our way.

“Now then Hisao,” came Lilly's voice from the seat in front of me, “I can imagine you and Hanako have been doing well for yourselves since we last saw each other?”
“Yes. My parents were kind enough to house her with me during college, so she could study journalism.”
“That's good, and yourself?”
“Ah, I got my Master’s in secondary education and astronomy, and when I'm not teaching I'm working on my Astro doctorate at the observatories in the north.”
Akira took the ball this time, “Oh hey, you teach too? Lilly ended up moving back here after college to teach English. And what about you Hanako, what do you do? Lilly mentioned you were applying for some newspapers when we last spoke.”
“Mostly book reviews for a news website, but I've been shadowing some field reporters to get some experience with that so I can write a proper story.”

I barely spoke during the rest of the ride, Hanako and Lilly were way to excited to see each other again and dominated the remaining discussions. This gave me time to have a good look at us. The last time we were all like this, Hanako would give us five words at a time only to resume fiddling with her hair. I was no doubt thinking about how lonely and sad I was despite being on my way to a beautiful and no doubt expensive house no matter what Lilly says to spend time with people who care strongly for me.

Akira was right, the house wasn't much different. She pointed to one of the windows as we pulled up and explained, “You two will be quartered right there, near the living room.”

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

My parents showed up sometime after dinner was ready and left on the burners to stay warm. They happily helped us set the table, and Akira served us each a piece of the fish she prepared. Knives and forks began to dance and food began filling my stomach. I could have just been eating too much, but I could feel myself begin to shake when my parents’ conversation with Hanako got to life after high school. The gravity of the evening rested in my mind since we woke up, but the thought has been growing steadily, as though it slowly infects each nerve until I am to shiver in fear. But this is no time for fear, there is no time to be nervous.

“I really can't thank you two enough for taking me in so readily and on a whim, just because Hisao wanted you to.”
“Just because Hisao wanted us to?” They laughed heavily.
“Hanako, sweetie, it's us who need to thank you. Hisao was really forced to learn a lot of maturity to help you with everything, and he told us earlier that... what did you say, Hisao?”
My dad jumped in with a proud but mischievous smile. “I know exactly what he said. He said ‘because every single morning that I wake up knowing that I love her and and she loves me is a morning that I know will precede a wonderful day in a life that's worth living.’ Which is the most adorable thing I've ever heard him say, so you turned my tough soccer kid into a lovesick geek.”
Lilly tried to bring down the teasing a bit. “I don't think that ‘geek’ is an appropriate word to describe your son, Mr. and Mrs. Nakai.” She then placed a hand on her cheek and smiled, “but I would certainly agree with lovesick”

But at this point I had already tuned out. They were right. I told them more or less that, with a few different words, but basically to that effect. I didn't care what they thought of it, it was the truth. I don't think I could imagine life without Hanako anymore, and I doubt she could either. That's when I knew it was time to set this up, so I called my parents and told them that so they could witness this event.

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

(“Innocence” from piano collection or “Innocence” from original)

Checking the clock, Akira signaled me to get a move on. I walked over to Hanako and extended my hand, inviting her to follow me. She obliged and picked herself out of her seat, and I led her to the meadow outside. Akira, Lilly and my parents followed a distance behind us. The trees framed a beautifully clear sky, with little white dots to illuminate it. The moon was in a crescent, so it did not appear, which meant it was dark enough and the right time to look for a special little light.
My parents, Lilly, and Akira were standing in front of the entrance to the house, so they could see as I raised my hand upward and pointed to a red star, while pulling her closer with my other hand. I named star after star in the sky before arriving back at the red one.

“It's very different, yes.” She noted when I pointed out the color.
“Well it isn't a star. The stars are light years away. That red dot is about fifty million kilometers away right now. This is the best time to see it in the next six months, so I wanted you to see it.”
“Is it..?”
“Yep. So far, and yet it's the closest thing to us that you can see right now!”

Her deep purple eyes were fixated on Mars’ shine in the sky. I wanted to make sure this entire scene was unique, and it looks like I succeeded.

“Hanako, when we first met you sat in a chair in the library reading ‘Life of Pi.’ I tried to talk and-”
“-and I ran, I remember this.”
“It's okay. I wasn't someone you knew, I was different. To me you were different, too. And now we are very different from the shy classmates in the library.”

I paused and returned to the sky for a bit before I grabbed both of Hanako’s wrists and stepped in front of her vision. She turned her head to meet mine and her hair fell forward after being held back by her upward stare. I almost forgot I had more to say.

“Remember when we were lost on college plans? We worked together to fix that. My parents helped us a lot, but we did it together. And I distinctly remember waking up that Christmas excited to try this new life with you.”
“I do remember our first term wasn't very pretty, either.”
“That's right, it wasn't. But it didn't matter. We reminded each other to not give up, and got to work. And we solved the next problem we encountered. And the next one. And we solved enough problems that we get to stand here right now.
And more importantly, we promised each other that we would never give up on the other. Even if the situation were to get bleak, it didn't matter because I still had you to keep me going and you had me to trust no matter how many times we failed at something.”

It got a little colder. My mind started to wander to all the ways I could screw up this speech. But I snapped out of it when the wind started to blow Hanako’s hair back and I could see her whole face, and I thought of the moment we shared in front of the bakery at Yamaku.

“Hanako, I'm not going to pretend that life will be smooth from here on out. There will always be problems we encounter in our journey, and we will at some point find ourselves with everything having gone south, with defeat the only outcome in sight. Yet I've become convinced that there is nothing in the entirety of heaven and earth that could stop our combined patience, dedication, and willpower when we take that journey together. And yet no matter how many times I tell you that I love you while I hold you in a close hug under the covers, I don't feel like I express enough how much I care about you and how much I need you. And I know you care about and need me just the same. There is only one way I feel like I can express how much you matter to me.”

The purple eyes began to shimmer. Wind changed direction and the amber grass around us swayed to our side. The build up of nerves in my head became the dominant thought.

“Hanako Ikezawa...” I started.

I lowered my body, still holding her wrists tightly in my hands. I looked up and saw her eyes blurred and then watery. She knew exactly what I was about to ask her to do.

And every single nerve in my body calmed,

Because I knew exactly how she was going to answer.

[lacedemonian]

I am still absolutely accepting revision ideas, but I will be headed to sleep soon, so I may not be able to answer right away.

I actually decided to call my parents to ask them about what my dad's proposal was like in order to get an idea of what goes into one, especially one without a lot of extravagance. I didn't think Hanako was the kind of person to like those over-the-top ones you see in the news.

If it wasn't an easy guess or if you haven't read it, the book Hisao gives her is "The Martian", which came out before KS, and was absolutely just as influential on my person as KS was, and I wanted to mention what I got out of it in some way without sounding too cheesy, so tell me if it still does come off as contrived or in any way out of place.

[Mirage_GSM]

“I liked the main character’s attitude.

Just a minor thing, but when talking about a book we both read with someone, I'd always use the character's name.

“Ah, here it is: ‘I'll think of something. Or die.’”

I don't know, book seven of the trilogy is probably not a good place to start ^^°

especially one without a lot of extravagance

I wouldn't call inviting your friend and the potential in-laws over as witnesses "without a lot of extravagance"

If it wasn't an easy guess or if you haven't read it, the book Hisao gives her is "The Martian",

Oh... Okay, seems like someone lifted Rankin's quote, then

The story was quite sappy, but very well written, and you stopped in just the right place.

[lacedemonian]

“I liked the main character’s attitude.

Just a minor thing, but when talking about a book we both read with someone, I'd always use the character's name.

Changed. I didn't use Mark's name at first because I initially wanted to challenge myself to describe it as best I can without using names like that as a little exercise in descriptiveness.