Restless Day
The nearby alarm clock ticked away the seconds of the early morning as
Ana Coppola lay in her bed, sound asleep. Thanks to circumstances from
the previous evening Ana was not sleeping alone. One of her closest
friends, Matsuri Sakuragi, slept quietly in her arms. The night before,
Matsuri woke up from a bad dream and was fortunate enough to find
comfort in Ana.
Although the girls would have had no complaints about sleeping late into
the afternoon, or even the entire day for that matter, fate had other
plans in store for them on that particular morning.
The room resounded with a soft CLICK. This was followed shortly by a
kind of grinding-winding sound, which inadvertently awoke Ana. The
blond-haired girl raised her head up just enough to lift it off the
pillow and survey the room. A strand of Matsuri's hair dangled from
Ana's lips as she squinted and glanced sleepily at the area around her
bed. Deciding that the sound was most likely nothing to concern herself
over, Ana laid her head back down.
Then, once again, the room echoed with a soft CLICK followed, again, by
a grinding-winding noise. Ana dismissed these sounds as the wind blowing
up against her window. All the same, she found herself feeling less and
less tired, and decided to get out of bed.
Ana gently loosened her grip on Matsuri which, in turn, caused her
friend to roll over. The petite Brit sat up and looked over at Matsuri,
who now faced away from her. She placed her hand on Matsuri's back,
smiled, and opted to let Matsuri sleep a little bit longer while she
took care of her morning ablutions.
As soon as Ana turned to climb out of bed, however, she could not help
but bring any and all plans to a grinding halt. What stood beside her
bed was more than enough to make Ana hesitate to make another move.
Twin tails and a blank stare?
There was no doubt about it... Miu Matsuoka was in Ana's room.
The older girl raised her right arm to chest level and stretched her
palm out. Those who knew Miu knew that this was her way of saying "Yo"
without actually saying anything. The two girls stared at each other for
almost an entire minute before Ana broke the silence.
"What are you doing in my house, Miu?" She asked, without even
attempting to hide the irritation in her voice.
"I went through the door." Miu answered and pointed towards the door, as
if this was something incredibly obvious.
Ana lowered her head and sighed, "I didn't ask HOW you got inside."
"True," Miu stated, "but you were curious. Weren't you?"
"Do you need something, Miu?" Ana's tone was much harsher than she had
probably intended, but it was too early in the morning and her patience
was wearing thin.
"I was bored so I came here." Miu responded matter-of-factly. "Your mom
said you were sleeping and I should wake you."
"Well, I'm awake, so... you can leave now." Ana replied flatly.
"What's she doing here?"
Miu was, of course, referring to Matsuri, whom Ana had nearly forgotten
about in all the commotion. The blond-haired girl stammered as she tried
to come up with an answer. In the back of her mind, however, it occurred
to her that it was strange that she became so anxious at the very
mentioning of Matsuri. After all, it wasn't as though they did anything
wrong. Upon this realization, Ana took a deep breath and retorted,
"What business is it of yours?"
That was, without a doubt, one of the worst answers Ana could have
given. A mischievous grin slowly spread across Miu's lips and she
narrowed her eyes at her foreign friend. The wheels were turning in her
mind as she processed her own question along with Ana's answer. Now that
Ana had made it apparent that Matsuri was something of a "soft spot"
there was no way Miu could just ignore this.
Ana felt something suddenly pat her back. She shuddered in surprise.
Matsuri woke up at some point during Ana and Miu's stare down. The timid
girl felt around in front of her, trying to find the bedside table where
her glasses lay.
Unbeknownst to her, Matsuri chose the perfect time to wake up. In trying
to locate her glasses, she provided a distraction which turned Miu's
attention from Ana to herself. When Matsuri found the table she patted
the edge a few times, to be sure that this was indeed the table she was
looking for. Then she used her right index finger to rub across the
tabletop before finally prodding her glasses.
After Matsuri had put on her glasses she warmly smiled and chirped,
"Good morning!"
Ana blushed and stared down at her lap sheepishly. She fidgeted with her
hands a bit before replying with a "Good morning" of her own. Matsuri's
smile immediately turned into a concerned frown. She was about to ask
what was wrong when Ana glanced up towards Miu.
"Oh, hello Miu." Matsuri said, realizing someone else was in the room.
"What are you doing here?
"I already asked and didn't get a decent answer." Ana mumbled under her
breath.
"Nothing much, just chitchatting with Coppola-chan here." Miu said as
she turned her head and smiled impertinently at Ana.
Ana bit her lower lip and scowled at Miu, which made the twin-tailed
twelve-year-old smirk even more.
Oblivious to what went on around her, Matsuri stared at Miu with a blank
expression for a few seconds before responding, "That's nice."
"Say!" Miu crossed in front of Matsuri and tugged at her clothes. "Did
you get new pajamas? I don't think I've seen these before. This is nice!
Real fancy-like. I'd almost expect Ana to wear something like this. Wait
a minute, she is! You two are like twins! Does Coppola buy your clothes
for you now? Your parents were too poor to buy clothes, so you had to
accept handouts from a foreigner? What a cruel world for a young child
to grow up in! Are THESE the results of our struggling economy?"
Miu spoke quickly. Each statement flowed together as if they were part
of one long run-on-sentence. Nevertheless, she had set out to get under
Ana's skin and by acknowledging that her two friends wore matching white
nightgowns, she did just that.
Unfortunately for Miu, Matsuri, who was still ignorant to her friend's
primary objective (I.E. Annoy Ana), foiled her plans by rationally
explaining the situation.
"No, these are Ana's. I wasn't planning on staying over, so I had to
borrow some of her clothes." Matsuri clarified.
"This overnight rendezvous was unplanned? What an impertinent child you
are! To force your way into the Coppola household and make them wait on
you hand and foot! Have you no shame?"
By this point it was safe to assume that even Miu herself had no idea
where this production was going. And, much like before, Matsuri set her
straight.
"It's nothing like that. After I came over yesterday we lost track of
time and it got so late that Ana's parents offered to let me stay over."
"Is that it?"
Miu swapped her feeling of great interest with one of complete and utter
disappointment.
"That's boring!" She sighed, rubbing the back of the head as she left
the room.
Ana and Matsuri sat awkwardly in silence for nearly two minutes before
they affirmed that Miu had indeed left.
--------------------------------------------------------------
After getting dressed they went downstairs for breakfast. When the girls
finished eating they grabbed their shoulder bags and headed outside,
towards Matsuri's house.
Upon arrival, Matsuri greeted her ferret, John, and changed into a clean
pair of clothes. With that, Ana and Matsuri set off into the city, with
no real plans or even an idea of what they would do for the rest of the
day.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The two girls meandered around for at least an hour, making small talk
all the while, before Matsuri suggested that they rest for a bit. Ana
examined their surroundings and remembered that there was a small ice
cream shop close by. She took Matsuri's hand and led her forward.
They sat on a bench outside the store and treated themselves to some ice
cream. Ana held a small plastic dish of a bluish-pinkish ice cream while
Matsuri grasped her vanilla cone with both hands.
"What kind did you get?" Matsuri asked curiously.
"It's cotton candy." Ana chirped.
"Really, how does it taste?"
"Like... cotton candy." Ana giggled.
She dug her spoon into her dish, scooped out a small portion of ice
cream, and held it to Matsuri. "Here, try some." Ana offered.
Matsuri reached over to take the spoon. Suddenly, an unfamiliar hand
slapped the spoon out of Ana's hand, knocking it to the ground. Matsuri
looked up, only to ascertain that Miu had returned, though neither of
them was quite sure where she came from.
Miu pointed dramatically at her young friends and barked, "No indirect
kisses!"
Matsuri stared dolefully at the fallen spoon beneath her feet.
Ana made a low growling noise in the back of her throat and snapped,
"What did you do, follow us here?"
"Matsuri, give me your ice cream." Miu ordered, completely disregarding
Ana's question.
Matsuri squeaked in confusion. She glanced sadly at her ice cream cone,
then at Miu, then back at her ice cream, then back at Miu again before
reluctantly handing it over.
Miu snatched it from Matsuri's hand and proceeded to repeatedly lick the
frozen treat. Ana sighed angrily. Not only was she disgusted by Miu's
hypocritical actions, but Matsuri's non-confrontational attitude wasn't
making the situation any better.
Ana stood up glowered at Miu, who just continued to lick away at
Matsuri's ice cream. Taking a deep breath, Ana grabbed Matsuri's hand
and dragged her away in a huff.
Miu, finding her recently acquired treat to be of more interest, didn't
even realize her friends left until after she was finished eating the
cone. She looked to her left, then to her right, determining that they
were indeed gone. Then, she picked up Ana's dish of cotton candy
flavored ice cream and proceeded to pick at the remains.
"Two for one!" Miu said merrily.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Matsuri stumbled and tripped as she tried to keep up with Ana's hurrying
pace. Ana had dragged her along for almost two blocks before they
finally stopped. Matsuri leaned against a stone wall and tried to catch
her breath.
"Ana..." Matsuri said breathlessly, "What's the matter? We left so fast,
I almost didn't have a chance to grab my bag. Why did we leave in such a
hurry? "
Ana instantly turned toward Matsuri and slammed her hands into the wall,
trapping her nervous friend between her arms.
"Stop being so weak!" She snapped irately. "Just because somebody tells
you to do something, that doesn't mean you have to do it! If someone
came up and told you to walk into oncoming traffic, would you?!"
"I-I... I'm sorry!" Matsuri whimpered.
Ana gasped out loud and reluctantly drew her arms back. Seeing tears
form in the corners of Matsuri's eyes, she realized that she wasn't
really angry with Matsuri.
As much as Ana wanted to lunge forward and give her friend an apologetic
hug, she chose to hold back and, in a voice that barely registered above
a whisper, she said,
"I'm sorry."
Matsuri broke the uncomfortable silence and asked, "Are you OK, Ana?"
Matsuri's voice was hoarse. It was obvious that she was still shaken up
from Ana's sudden outburst.
"I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to snap at you, Matsuri. I guess I'm just...
just tired or something, I don't know!"
Throughout the entire apology Ana stared at her feet, figuring if she
avoided eye contact, then she wouldn't feel worse about the situation
when she saw Matsuri's sad face.
"You know," Matsuri began "I think there's a park nearby. We can there
and rest if you want."
Ana was at a loss for words. "S-sure..." was all that she could muster.
--------------------------------------------------------------
They found shade under a large tree. Matsuri leaned her back against the
trunk, while Ana lay on the soft grass. Neither of them said anything.
Instead, they watched the clouds float overhead.
As she gazed up at the marshmallow-y white patches that drifted along
the great blue ocean above, Ana could feel her eyes drooping. She nearly
drifted off into a mid-morning nap when Matsuri's voice awoke her from
the daze.
"Ana?"
Ana rolled over to lie on her stomach and face Matsuri. The bespectacled
girl kept her eyes focused on the sky. She had a serious expression on
her face and did not look at Ana. Even after Ana had replied and asked
Matsuri what was wrong, Matsuri still maintained her upward gaze. There
was a long pause. Matsuri seemed to be gathering her thoughts.
Finally, she broke the silence. However, before she could even get her
first word out, Ana interrupted.
"I really am sorry about before! I didn't mean any of what I said.
Honestly, I wasn't even really mad at you. There's... I just."
Now it was Matsuri's turn to cut in.
"Actually, I wanted to ask about last night."
"Oh!" Ana seemed surprised, "Well, that's nothing to worry about. I
mean, despite what Miu says you weren't imposing at all. Besides, WE
invited YOU to stay over. So, don't let ..."
"No, no, it's not about that."
Ana's thoughts were racing. She tried to dredge up all of her memories
from the previous evening and figure out what Matsuri was going to say
before she could say it.
"Last night, after I woke you up... you said something. You said...
'Please don't leave.' What did you mean by that?"
There it was! In that brief moment the night before, Ana left her
emotions get the better of her and she said something so unbelievably
sappy and embarrassing without even realizing it. After they fell asleep
she had put it out of thought and mind, but now, here it was... Matsuri
brought it up!
Ana crossed her arms in front of her and buried her face in them.
She counted her blessings that Miu didn't manage to coax this
information out of either of them. If Miu or the others ever found out
about this, Ana would never live it down. At least, that was what she
thought. However, by this point, it would be safe to assume that Ana's
rational thinking had all but diminished.
"Well," Ana began apprehensively. "Last night I..."
Their conversation quickly turned silent.
When Ana didn't finish her statement Matsuri felt it her obligation to
ask, "You didn't have a bad dream too, did you?"
"Yes! Well, no... something like that."
Ana thought carefully about how she wanted to word her next sentence.
"Um... you know how sometimes your mind wanders and it brings up a bunch
of random memories?"
"I think so." Matsuri answered.
"Well, I started thinking about how much I-I... depended on you."
Ana stopped to gage Matsuri's reaction. Seeing no change in her friend's
expression, she pressed on,
"I realized that if you were to move away or leave, then... my school
life would probably fall apart. I mean, at school, you really are the
only friend I have."
"That's not true!" Matsuri exclaimed. "You still have Chika and Miu."
"It's not the same. They're in a different grade from us. "
"I guess so."
"That's all I really meant... I'm sorry if I worried you over something
so stupid."
"As far I know my parents don't plan on moving anytime soon." Matsuri
said with a comforting smile. "And even if I did leave... I'll probably
be the one to falls apart... I don't think you would really have
anything to worry about. I mean, you could find a way to manage,
somehow. You're-You're a much stronger person than I am."
"That isn't true!" Ana snapped, "You're a lot stronger than you give
yourself credit for. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong."
"I don't know about that, even my parents tell me that I act too
weak..." Matsuri stuttered.
"Then they're wrong too! Matsuri, you have strength of heart! You care
about people. You worry about others. That kind of strength is way more
important than how tough or outgoing you are."
Ana's voice cracked as she tried to bolster Matsuri's confidence.
"You really think so?" Despite Ana's encouragement, Matsuri was still
unsure.
"Of course I do! Look, just right now you were worried about me. You
went out of your way to see if something was bothering me, then you
tried to make me feel better. A lot of people who wouldn't do something
like that. They'd just a soon worry about themselves and pay not
attention to others around them. But you're different."
"Really?"
Despite her normally modest attitude Matsuri couldn't help but grin
happily at Ana's kindness. She felt her cheeks redden as her
self-confidence rose more and more.
"Matsuri, if you don't mind me asking... that dream you had last night,
what was it about?"
Ana asked mostly out of curiosity. Yet, at the same time, she figured
that since they were opening up, if something was bothering Matsuri,
then it was her duty as a friend to ask. However, Matsuri's happy face
almost immediately turned sour. Ana decided not to press for further
information. Instead they went back to cloud watching.
As much as Ana wanted her friend to open up, she understood that this
was clearly a difficult subject for Matsuri. Moreover, Matsuri knew that
if or when she wanted to talk that Ana would be more than willing to
listen. So they continued to watch the clouds drift by, without saying a
word.
As more and more clouds floated past, Matsuri began humming to herself.
Needless to say, this caught Ana's attention.
"What are you humming, Matsuri?" Ana asked as she rolled back onto her
stomach.
"Hum?" Matsuri replied unaware that she was even humming. "Oh, you mean
'The Rain Song.'"
"'The Rain Song?'"
"My dad used to sing it to me when I was little. It helped me fall
asleep. Sometimes I like to sing it to myself. Like when I'm reading or
working on something. Most the time, I don't even realize that I'm
singing... until someone tells me to cut it out." Matsuri laughed
sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head.
"How does it go?"
"OH! You don't want to hear it! Besides, I am... I'm not a very good
singer."
"Please." Ana did not whine or beg or even make puppy-dog eyes. She
genuinely wanted to hear Matsuri sing.
"Promise you won't laugh."
Ana held up her pinkie finger to indicate that she would keep her
promise. Matsuri sighed, took a deep breath, and began singing her
father's old lullaby.
"The blue sky.
High above the trees.
No matter how I stand,
Or how far I stretch my hands,
You are always out of reach of me.
"Now the clouds
Transform from white to gray.
They cover up the sky.
Stealing all the light.
Making darkness of my day.
"So I stand by my window
And I watch
As the rain falls to the ground.
"I hold up my ear
And listen very clear-ly.
To the drip-drop,
Drip-drop,
Drip-drop,
Rain drop sounds.
"Although it's cold outside,
The fire's warm,
And, no, there's nothing to do.
"We know the sky is gray
And the rain won't go away.
But, I'll be OK
As long as I'm with you."
Ana smiled and laid her head in her arms. She could feel her eyes
getting heavier as Matsuri continued to sing. Unlike earlier, now there
was no one to keep Ana from closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
--------------------------------------------------------------
A chiming ring played softly. Though not soft enough, as this sing-song
sound managed to bring Ana out of her sleep. She grudgingly opened her
eyes and tried to adjust to the overhead sunlight that filtered through
the leaves of the tree.
"What time is it?" Ana asked with a yawn.
Matsuri looked at her cell phone and checked the clock. "Two o'clock."
"Two?" Ana gasped. "I've been asleep for four hours?"
"It's more like three and a half, actually." Matsuri corrected her.
"Why didn't you wake me?" Ana asked awkwardly.
"You were sleeping."
"I know that! So, why didn't you wake me?
"You looked so peaceful. It didn't seem right to wake you. Plus, it was
my fault that you were so tired to begin with."
"Matsuri, how many times do I have to tell you? That wasn't..."
It was at this moment that Ana suddenly realized she had her arms
wrapped around Matsuri's waist and her head rested on Matsuri's lap.
Suffice to say, this was THE delayed reaction to end all delayed
reactions.
"Matsuri..." Ana said hesitantly, "Did you move me while I was
sleeping?"
"No. You crawled over to me about a... half hour after you fell asleep."
Matsuri stated matter-of-factly.
"... Is that right?"
Ana blushed furiously at the thought of using Matsuri as a pillow for
nearly three hours. If that wasn't enough to make her cheeks flush, just
thinking about Matsuri sitting with her all the while only added to
Ana's embarrassment.
Ana sighed apologetically, "Sorry about that."
"It's alright." Matsuri reassured. "After what you did for me last
night, it was the least I could do."
Although Ana didn't mind the position she found herself in, a part of
her kept shouting in the back of her mind. Telling her to get out of
there before she made Matsuri feel uncomfortable. Yet, at the same time,
Matsuri had sat with her for almost four hours. If she didn't have any
complaints then, why should she now?
Then again, Ana was asleep the whole time. There was no way for her to
know what Matsuri was thinking. For all she knew, Matsuri could have
resented her the entire time she slept. No, that didn't make sense!
Matsuri wouldn't do that, would she?
The more Ana over analyzed the situation, the more it gave her a
headache. In desperation to change the subject, she asked the first
question that came to mind.
"What was that ringing I heard earlier?"
"Chika sent me a message and invited us over. I hope you don't mind, I
told her that we would come over after you woke up." Matsuri explained.
"Oh, that sounds swell! Let's go!"
Ana showed far more enthusiasm than the situation called for. However,
she was so intent removing herself from the position she was in that she
completely disregarded social grace... or twenty-first century slang for
that matter.
After they got to their feet the girls dusted themselves off. Matsuri
picked up her cell phone and slipped it into her bag. Ana grimaced and
gently rubbed her lower back. Before Matsuri had a chance to express
concern, Ana waved her hand to signify that it was nothing to worry
over. Matsuri still seemed skeptical, but she chose to humor her friend
for the time being and let the matter drop.
--------------------------------------------------------------
When they arrived at the Ito house, Chika led them upstairs to her room.
Inside, Nobue sat at her little sister's desk and read a magazine. Chika
opened her door and led her younger friends inside.
Nobue looked up from her reading and waved, "Hey, about time you guys
got here."
"Hello, what have you been up to today?" Matsuri asked.
"Same old, same old... Is there something wrong with your back, Ana?"
Ana sat down on the edge of Chika's bed and rubbed her back tenderly,
"My back just hurts a little."
"What's wrong with it?" Chika asked, "Does it feel stiff or is...?"
"You know," Nobue cut in, "When my back is stiff, I just crack it.
Afterward it feels just fine."
Ana stood up, it was worth a shot. She put her hands behind her and
arched herself backwards. Suddenly, she yelped and dropped to her knees
in pain. Chika ran over to her side and helped Ana onto her bed. Ana
placed her head on Chika's pillow and turned her head so she could see
what everyone else was doing.
Nobue rushed over to the edge of the bed, while Chika and Matsuri talked
over by the desk. Ana tried to listen to what they were saying, but
couldn't hear anything over Nobue's stream of questions and concern.
"You OK, Ana? That looked like it really hurt! You know, maybe a massage
would make you feel better. If you wanted I could pull up your shirt and
rub my hands over your soft... pale... skin. BACK! I mean, I could rub
your back! Because it hurts... yeah"
Matsuri seemed to be asking Chika something, but how was Ana to know?
She wasn't exactly a lip reader. After Chika paused for a few seconds,
the two of them left the room and closed the door behind them.
Once they were out, the side window almost immediately slid open. Miu
jumped inside and took in the room, like a hit man observing his
surroundings while stalking his next victim. Then she stood up and
stared at Nobue.
"What are you doing here?"
"I live here." Nobue answered dully.
"This is Chika's room! You're not Chika! You aren't even fit to be her
sister!" Miu shouted melodramatically.
"But... I am her sister."
"What happened to her?" Miu lifted her right leg up and used her foot to
point at Ana.
"Uh... Ana hurt her back."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's what you get when you but a cheap foreign model."
"Don't talk about her like she's a car!"
"You know, they say a massage is good for the back."
"I already offered and she didn't take."
"Of course she didn't. You're too weak to handle a situation like this."
Miu cracked her knuckles and walked over to the bed, "What Coppola needs
is A REAL MASSAGE!"
--------------------------------------------------------------
The door flew open and Chika and Matsuri ran into the room.
"What's going on up here?" Chika asked anxiously, "We heard someone
yelling from downstairs..."
Ana was still on the bed, only now she was writhing in pain. Nobue stood
in the center of the room with Miu at her feet. Miu lay unmoving and
face down on the floor. Chika sighed and asked,
"What did she do now?"
"The idiot came in and jumped on Ana! Jabbed her elbow right into her
back!" Nobue explained angrily.
"What were you thinking, Miu? You could have hurt her!" Chika said,
scolding her incapacitated friend.
Meanwhile, Matsuri stood beside the bed, holding a box. She reached out
her hand and placed it on Ana's upper back.
"Can you tell me where it hurts?"
Ana whimpered as she nodded her head. Matsuri let her hand travel down
Ana's back, applying a little bit of pressure as she until she finally
hit her mark. Ana let out a sharp groan when Matsuri pressed on the part
of her back that hurt. Then Matsuri lifted up Ana's shirt, opened the
box, and carefully placed a white pad on her back.
"What is that?" Ana groaned.
"It's a heat patch. My parents buy these for me a lot. They're really
good on backaches." Matsuri explained.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Before long things settled down and everyone went about their usual
activities. Chika sat at her desk and read. Nobue leaned against a wall
and looked through the pictures she had saved on her cell phone. Even
Miu eventually came to and returned to active duty.
"Chi... ka! I'm hungry." Miu complained.
"Then eat something." Chika responded without even looking up from her
magazine.
"You should go make some cookies."
"What, right now?"
"Yes, right now! One of our dear friends is injured...."
"Because of you!"
"And only Chika's warm and chewy cookies can mend Ana's broken back."
"It's not broken, Miu."
"Just make the damn cookies!"
"Actually, some cookies don't sound too bad right now." Nobue
interjected.
She tried to ignore their squabbling, but ultimately decided that
compromise was the best way to put an end to all the jabber.
"Well, there was a new recipe I have been meaning to try out." Chika
announced to no one in particular.
With that, Chika took her leave. Miu watched the door intently, before
accepting that Chika was really gone. Then she turned toward Nobue and
ordered,
"Go help Chika."
Nobue scoffed, "I don't take orders from you, A-cup."
Miu growled, but quickly decided to brush off Nobue's 'A-cup' comment.
Instead she contorted her face into the most innocent, baby-faced smile
she could and asked in a ridiculously sugary sweet voice,
"Would you PLEASE go help Chika bake her cookies, Big Sister Nobue?"
"Why should I? Chika can cook by herself."
"Because you're sisters! You need to spend more time bonding."
"Uh huh... do you think I'm stupid, Miu?"
"That depends."
Nobue coughed sharply, "Regardless... after the stunt you pulled before,
you really think I'm going to leave you alone in here with Ana?"
"Why should it matter? You were here before and it didn't stop me."
Almost instantly, Miu was back, face down, on the floor. Nobue cracked
her knuckles and groaned,
"I need a smoke!"
She patted her pants pockets only to realize that she was out of smokes.
Nobue sighed and glanced down at Miu. Then she walked over to Chika's
desk, picked up a rubber band, and handed it to Matsuri.
"Here you go, Matsuri." Nobue said sweetly, "I'm going to go out for a
little while. Can you hold down the fort and make sure Miu doesn't do
anything weird while I'm gone?"
Matsuri nodded and took the rubber band. After Nobue left, Miu got back
to her feet. She walked over to the window and stepped outside. Ana and
Matsuri sat quietly before Miu eventually came back inside with a small
envelope in hand.
"What do you have there, Miu?" Matsuri asked with hesitant boldness. She
stretched the rubber band and was prepared to strike if necessary.
"Put that away." Miu ordered, "I just thought I'd share some pictures,
what with Ana being all bedridden and whatnot."
"What kind of pictures?" Ana asked skeptically.
"Take a look for yourself!" Miu beamed proudly.
Matsuri took the envelope and removed its contents. She held the photos
so that both she and Ana could look at them. However, these were not any
normal photos. Ana let out a surprised squeak as Matsuri sifted through
the photographs. These pictures Miu took were of the two of them!
The first picture was of them in Ana's bed, sleeping in one another's
arms.
The second featured Ana and Matsuri sitting on a bench, eating ice cream
and sharing friendly conversation.
The third was taken in the park. This picture was of the two of them
resting under a tree. The next couple of shots were variations and
different angles of that scene. One was a close up of Ana's sleeping
face, as she rested her head on Matsuri's lap. Another focused on
Matsuri, who was watching Ana affectionately. There even one of Matsuri
tenderly stroking her sleeping friend's hair.
Ana was at a complete loss of words. What was wrong with this girl? Did
Miu seriously follow them around the whole day and make some kind of
twisted photo diary of their all they did? More importantly, though,
what did Matsuri think of all this?
"Wow," Matsuri chirped, "These are really good, Miu."
"Matsuri!" Ana yelped, "Don't compliment her!"
"But they are good." Matsuri replied dejectedly, "I was even going to
ask if she could make some copies for me."
"Actually, I got double prints, so you can have them." Miu explained.
"Really? Thanks, Miu!"
"You know, if you want, you can have the other set." Miu offered to Ana.
These words suddenly pulled Ana out of whatever funk she found herself
in.
"...What?" Ana was completely taken aback, yet still remained cautious.
"Like I said, I got double prints." Miu turned and moved toward the
window, "You can have 'em. I mean, what am I going to do with a bunch of
pictures of the two of you, anyway?"
"Um... thank you?"
Miu didn't say a word. Instead, she just climbed out the window and
walked across the Ito rooftop, and then hopped onto her own.
Miu reached out to her room window, but stopped before opening it. She
glanced over her shoulder and grinned slyly.
"Hmm... good luck."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Time passed and eventually it came time for Ana and Matsuri to return
home. They bid farewell to the Ito sisters went on their way. Matsuri
decided to walk alongside Ana as she made her way back home. When they
got to Ana's house they stood in front of gate and said their goodbyes.
"You didn't have to walk me back." Ana blushed embarrassed
"I wanted to... is your back feeling any better?"
"A little. I'll have my mother look at it when I go inside."
"Be sure to get plenty of rest, OK."
Ana nodded, then they stood awkwardly for a moment before Matsuri broke
the silence.
"Well, I better get going. John gets antsy when I forget to let him run
around the yard." Matsuri laughed.
Ana giggled, "Yeah... well, s-see you later."
"Goodbye!"
--------------------------------------------------------------
It was late. Everyone else in the Coppola household had already gone to
sleep. A small night light dimly illuminated Ana's bedroom. She walked
over to one of her dressers and picked up a small music box. When she
lifted the lid, Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" began playing softy. Ana
reached inside and took up a small envelope.
She opened the envelope, took out a number of photos, and placed them on
her small bedside table. After each picture was arranged in the exact
order Ana wanted, she sat on the edge of her bed and took in each
individual photograph. "Moonlight Sonata" continued to play behind her.
However, Ana found herself humming a simple lullaby in its place as she
traced her hands over the many photographs of her dearest friend and
companion.
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