Little Pieces
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 9:29 pm
Welp, here’s my first piece of fiction. I hope you like it. I plan to make one for each path, and one for Hisao, so it’ll be six pieces in total. Also, most of them are already defined in my head, except the one for Lilly. So I’m accepting ideas for that one.
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RIN
Misty
The night was quite warm when I stepped out of the building, holding the door open so Rin could cross it as well. It made sense, though, as summer break was near. The both of us walked in silence as the sun began its downward movement. I hesitated for a moment and stopped, eyeing one of the trees under the light. With a calculating nod, I took a digital camera from my bag and snapped a picture of it, looked at the resulting picture in the small screen and smiled in satisfaction. Perfect. When I looked toward my companion I discovered that she, as always, had continued walking. Biting back a curse I tried to catch her, but she had reached her destination before I even came near her. With a fluent contortion she let her own bag fall on the floor, and sat down.
When I finally managed to get to her, I took a moment to appreciate the mural painted on the wall. The paint was starting to show some wear, making the impression the drawing was older than it actually was. As always, I entertained the idea of snapping a picture of it with Rin sitting on the stairs that marked its end. As always I wrestled that thought to submission. I was painfully aware that nothing good would come from that direction. And, as always, I sat down beside her and let my eyes drift the sky, thinking.
This was our routine, almost since the first day I had actually gone to the art club with the intention of joining. We would sit in that room longer than anyone, her with her painting and me with my photos, until the sun began to set. Then, we would walk to this mural, sit down besides it and let the hours before night go by. Sometimes we would talk, but most days we would just sit and think, enveloped by a silence that became more and more comfortable with time.
“Are you going to use that tree?” she said. I shrugged.
“I’m not sure. I took a picture, but I don’t think I have a place for it”
“But it felt adequate.”
I nodded. That’s why I had taken the picture, after all. It was something that dated back to when I wanted to join the club, when that fat bastard Nomiya found out I couldn’t actually draw to save my life. I also wasn’t a very good sculptor. He probably wouldn’t have minded if I hadn’t been… What was the word he used? Yes, ‘polluting’, his best student. That is, Rin. He didn’t want me near her. I know why, mind you. I’m onto him, that dirty ass.
Back to the topic at hand, I wasn’t a painter or a sculptor, but almost by chance I discovered something I was good at: composition. I would take photographs and distribute them on the paper, making collages out of hundreds of pictures. The first time I made one and took it to Nomiya, he looked at me like he wanted to destroy me on the spot, but now had nothing against me. ‘Life expectancy’ was proof that, while not conventional, I was some kind of artist, the whole club agreed. I should be allowed to ‘develop my talent’. Ha, in your face! It took me a while discover why I had fought like that to enter some club that I wasn’t even that interested in, though.
Faithful to her routine, Rin took off her shoes, stretching her toes. As always, she wasn’t wearing any socks. She never told me why, but I assumed it was handy for her, who used the feet for everything. She caught me looking at them and raised her right one, putting it in front of my face with great flexibility.
“Do you like them so much?” she asked, wriggling her toes playfully. I smiled, knowing now better than to fall for that.
“I’m more interested on how well you can bend. It gives me some ideas.”
She gave me that lecherous grin of hers, the one she used when teasing me, put her foot back down and said nothing else. Time passed and the shadows around us elongated and the sun disappeared. Cautiously, I threw a gaze at her and wanting to smack my head for doing so. But I couldn’t help myself. While pretty cute, she was average looking, I knew that. I had met my fair share of more attractive looking women in this school, but Rin… It was something in her eyes. They were hypnotic, or something. What was I talking about? I averted my eyes before she caught me and cursed mentally. Really, I was acting like some teenager with a crush! …Which I suppose I was, but that’s beside the point. The sun was almost gone.
“Blue, rabbit, painting, Hisao,” Rin said out of the blue “Pizza, window, Hisao, sky. Class, Hisao, picture, Emi.” She frowned “It bothers me.”
It took me a few seconds to process what she was talking about.
“Your four thoughts today?” I asked.
“Today. And yesterday. And the last week. And the one before that,” her frown deepened before repeating “It bothers me.”
“Why?”
Of course, like almost every time I asked a direct question, I got no answer. She just sat there, wriggling her toes and looking pretty angry.
“Like an earwig that got in my ear, only without the drilling a hole in my eardrum thing. Then it goes into my brain and gives me a headache, only it doesn’t actually hurts. Or yes. I’m not sure.”
“I’m giving you a headache? Because I was in your thoughts?” I asked. It’s not funny. Not at all and she’s confusing me. More than usual.
“Yes. No. I think so, maybe.”
“Do you want me to leave?” I asked. I think I wasn’t sure what I wanted her to answer. This conversation was making me uncomfortable but, at the same time, I dared to hope.
“I like that you’re here,” she said, shaking her head “I told you that.”
“That you did”
Again, we fell silent, the darkness around us growing. I think this is the latest we’ve been in this spot since the festival, when she fell asleep against me. I was surprised to see that Rin seemed actually somewhat uncomfortable, her naked feet never stopping their movement.
“You’ve wiped my butt” she said, finally.
It was true. I’m not sure when but one day she said she had to go to the toilet and added that our relationship was already on the level where I could help her with that. It was incredibly awkward for me. And it wasn’t the last time. That was when I knew I was in love with her. That’s the acid test: wip your loved one’s butt. Can you say you still love her-slash-him? Then you’re in love. Dirty and smelly but efficient nonetheless. You should try it.
“I’ve known you for less than three months” she added, which was also true “You shouldn’t be there. You’re not that interesting”
“Geez, thanks”
“You’re welcome, though I don’t know why thank me,” she continued “You’re not that handsome nor that funny. And your problem is boring.”
“You really shouldn’t slap that in my face, Rin.”
“I haven’t…”
“You know what I meant” I growled. I was angry, and she was being cruel. This… This was my fault, dammit. For getting my hopes up “If I bother you so much, maybe I should just leave. Why hang out with me if I’m so boring?”
“I don’t know!” she replied “Haven’t you been listening?”
Okay, I’m done here, I thought. I’m getting the fuck out of here. Her voice stopped me from getting up, though.
“I talked to Emi about that the other day.”
“Is that so?” I grumbled. I wasn’t in the mood for more explanations. It was dark, I was hurt and she didn’t even fucking notice that.
“She squealed like a squirrel when I told her that. Is that the word? Do squirrels squeal?”
“Who cares?”
She frowned at my answer, not expecting it. So like Rin, not noticing what was just in front of her face.
“She had this stupid idea. Something ridiculous.”
“What was it?” I asked, eager for her to just shut up and let me wallow in my own misery.
“She thinks I’m in love. With you, not a squirrel.”
Okay, I thought. I’ll leave the wallowing for later.
“What?”
“Me. In love. With you. Stupid, right? Absolutely ridiculou.s”
I recognize my answer wasn’t probably the best one, but you have to cut me some slack. I was desperate, and willing to take anything. I was a teenager in love, seeing my possibly last chance slip before in even became a real chance at all.
“Of course it is” I said “As ridiculous and stupid as the notion of me falling for you.”
She was hurt, I could tell. What I had just said had hurt her, even if she wasn’t sure why. Keep pressing, I thought.
“I mean, you’re not that attractive, either. And half the time I just don’t know what you’re talking about. For me to be in love with you, that’s stupid and ridiculous.”
Ouch. Her face at that moment almost gave me an episode. Ouch, ouch.
“But” I continued, swallowing the lump that my throat had become “You know what else is stupid? The fact that, if you kicked me in the chest, I could die. And the fact that you’re an artist without arms is utterly ridiculous.”
She tilted her head, hurt and now confused, too. Hah, go me. I confused the most confusing girl in the world. High five.
“What I’m trying to say is… The fact that something is stupid doesn’t mean it can’t be real. Something ridiculous can also be true, right?”
She blinked, her brain making the connection.
“I guess. Yeah, you’re probably right. What you said makes sense.”
“Of course it does. Because it’s true.”
We said nothing else for some minutes, and I finally broke the silence.
“I said I love you,” somehow, I felt the need to clarify. Just in case.
Rin laughed, a lovely sound that left her mouth so rarely.
“Just kiss me already”
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So, what do you think? Terrible? Horrible? Let me know!
EDIT: Edited some minor mistakes, hopefully now is better
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RIN
Misty
The night was quite warm when I stepped out of the building, holding the door open so Rin could cross it as well. It made sense, though, as summer break was near. The both of us walked in silence as the sun began its downward movement. I hesitated for a moment and stopped, eyeing one of the trees under the light. With a calculating nod, I took a digital camera from my bag and snapped a picture of it, looked at the resulting picture in the small screen and smiled in satisfaction. Perfect. When I looked toward my companion I discovered that she, as always, had continued walking. Biting back a curse I tried to catch her, but she had reached her destination before I even came near her. With a fluent contortion she let her own bag fall on the floor, and sat down.
When I finally managed to get to her, I took a moment to appreciate the mural painted on the wall. The paint was starting to show some wear, making the impression the drawing was older than it actually was. As always, I entertained the idea of snapping a picture of it with Rin sitting on the stairs that marked its end. As always I wrestled that thought to submission. I was painfully aware that nothing good would come from that direction. And, as always, I sat down beside her and let my eyes drift the sky, thinking.
This was our routine, almost since the first day I had actually gone to the art club with the intention of joining. We would sit in that room longer than anyone, her with her painting and me with my photos, until the sun began to set. Then, we would walk to this mural, sit down besides it and let the hours before night go by. Sometimes we would talk, but most days we would just sit and think, enveloped by a silence that became more and more comfortable with time.
“Are you going to use that tree?” she said. I shrugged.
“I’m not sure. I took a picture, but I don’t think I have a place for it”
“But it felt adequate.”
I nodded. That’s why I had taken the picture, after all. It was something that dated back to when I wanted to join the club, when that fat bastard Nomiya found out I couldn’t actually draw to save my life. I also wasn’t a very good sculptor. He probably wouldn’t have minded if I hadn’t been… What was the word he used? Yes, ‘polluting’, his best student. That is, Rin. He didn’t want me near her. I know why, mind you. I’m onto him, that dirty ass.
Back to the topic at hand, I wasn’t a painter or a sculptor, but almost by chance I discovered something I was good at: composition. I would take photographs and distribute them on the paper, making collages out of hundreds of pictures. The first time I made one and took it to Nomiya, he looked at me like he wanted to destroy me on the spot, but now had nothing against me. ‘Life expectancy’ was proof that, while not conventional, I was some kind of artist, the whole club agreed. I should be allowed to ‘develop my talent’. Ha, in your face! It took me a while discover why I had fought like that to enter some club that I wasn’t even that interested in, though.
Faithful to her routine, Rin took off her shoes, stretching her toes. As always, she wasn’t wearing any socks. She never told me why, but I assumed it was handy for her, who used the feet for everything. She caught me looking at them and raised her right one, putting it in front of my face with great flexibility.
“Do you like them so much?” she asked, wriggling her toes playfully. I smiled, knowing now better than to fall for that.
“I’m more interested on how well you can bend. It gives me some ideas.”
She gave me that lecherous grin of hers, the one she used when teasing me, put her foot back down and said nothing else. Time passed and the shadows around us elongated and the sun disappeared. Cautiously, I threw a gaze at her and wanting to smack my head for doing so. But I couldn’t help myself. While pretty cute, she was average looking, I knew that. I had met my fair share of more attractive looking women in this school, but Rin… It was something in her eyes. They were hypnotic, or something. What was I talking about? I averted my eyes before she caught me and cursed mentally. Really, I was acting like some teenager with a crush! …Which I suppose I was, but that’s beside the point. The sun was almost gone.
“Blue, rabbit, painting, Hisao,” Rin said out of the blue “Pizza, window, Hisao, sky. Class, Hisao, picture, Emi.” She frowned “It bothers me.”
It took me a few seconds to process what she was talking about.
“Your four thoughts today?” I asked.
“Today. And yesterday. And the last week. And the one before that,” her frown deepened before repeating “It bothers me.”
“Why?”
Of course, like almost every time I asked a direct question, I got no answer. She just sat there, wriggling her toes and looking pretty angry.
“Like an earwig that got in my ear, only without the drilling a hole in my eardrum thing. Then it goes into my brain and gives me a headache, only it doesn’t actually hurts. Or yes. I’m not sure.”
“I’m giving you a headache? Because I was in your thoughts?” I asked. It’s not funny. Not at all and she’s confusing me. More than usual.
“Yes. No. I think so, maybe.”
“Do you want me to leave?” I asked. I think I wasn’t sure what I wanted her to answer. This conversation was making me uncomfortable but, at the same time, I dared to hope.
“I like that you’re here,” she said, shaking her head “I told you that.”
“That you did”
Again, we fell silent, the darkness around us growing. I think this is the latest we’ve been in this spot since the festival, when she fell asleep against me. I was surprised to see that Rin seemed actually somewhat uncomfortable, her naked feet never stopping their movement.
“You’ve wiped my butt” she said, finally.
It was true. I’m not sure when but one day she said she had to go to the toilet and added that our relationship was already on the level where I could help her with that. It was incredibly awkward for me. And it wasn’t the last time. That was when I knew I was in love with her. That’s the acid test: wip your loved one’s butt. Can you say you still love her-slash-him? Then you’re in love. Dirty and smelly but efficient nonetheless. You should try it.
“I’ve known you for less than three months” she added, which was also true “You shouldn’t be there. You’re not that interesting”
“Geez, thanks”
“You’re welcome, though I don’t know why thank me,” she continued “You’re not that handsome nor that funny. And your problem is boring.”
“You really shouldn’t slap that in my face, Rin.”
“I haven’t…”
“You know what I meant” I growled. I was angry, and she was being cruel. This… This was my fault, dammit. For getting my hopes up “If I bother you so much, maybe I should just leave. Why hang out with me if I’m so boring?”
“I don’t know!” she replied “Haven’t you been listening?”
Okay, I’m done here, I thought. I’m getting the fuck out of here. Her voice stopped me from getting up, though.
“I talked to Emi about that the other day.”
“Is that so?” I grumbled. I wasn’t in the mood for more explanations. It was dark, I was hurt and she didn’t even fucking notice that.
“She squealed like a squirrel when I told her that. Is that the word? Do squirrels squeal?”
“Who cares?”
She frowned at my answer, not expecting it. So like Rin, not noticing what was just in front of her face.
“She had this stupid idea. Something ridiculous.”
“What was it?” I asked, eager for her to just shut up and let me wallow in my own misery.
“She thinks I’m in love. With you, not a squirrel.”
Okay, I thought. I’ll leave the wallowing for later.
“What?”
“Me. In love. With you. Stupid, right? Absolutely ridiculou.s”
I recognize my answer wasn’t probably the best one, but you have to cut me some slack. I was desperate, and willing to take anything. I was a teenager in love, seeing my possibly last chance slip before in even became a real chance at all.
“Of course it is” I said “As ridiculous and stupid as the notion of me falling for you.”
She was hurt, I could tell. What I had just said had hurt her, even if she wasn’t sure why. Keep pressing, I thought.
“I mean, you’re not that attractive, either. And half the time I just don’t know what you’re talking about. For me to be in love with you, that’s stupid and ridiculous.”
Ouch. Her face at that moment almost gave me an episode. Ouch, ouch.
“But” I continued, swallowing the lump that my throat had become “You know what else is stupid? The fact that, if you kicked me in the chest, I could die. And the fact that you’re an artist without arms is utterly ridiculous.”
She tilted her head, hurt and now confused, too. Hah, go me. I confused the most confusing girl in the world. High five.
“What I’m trying to say is… The fact that something is stupid doesn’t mean it can’t be real. Something ridiculous can also be true, right?”
She blinked, her brain making the connection.
“I guess. Yeah, you’re probably right. What you said makes sense.”
“Of course it does. Because it’s true.”
We said nothing else for some minutes, and I finally broke the silence.
“I said I love you,” somehow, I felt the need to clarify. Just in case.
Rin laughed, a lovely sound that left her mouth so rarely.
“Just kiss me already”
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So, what do you think? Terrible? Horrible? Let me know!
EDIT: Edited some minor mistakes, hopefully now is better
