Arc 1: Homecoming Amano Misao stepped out of the moving van and looked about. (So much has changed. Has it been ten years?) She opened the front gate to let the movers in. (It's my hometown, and yet, I feel like a gaijin.) <AUTHOR'S foreigner. Means gaijin note: She walked to the front door and unlocked it. (No, I shouldn't feel that way.) She stepped into her new house and whispered. "I'm home." A few days later, Misao was still unpacking. She had finished setting up most of the furniture and the kitchen. Misao sighed as she stared at the stacks of boxes by the wall in her bedroom. She continued shelving her books from a box. She picked up what appeared to be a scrapbook and opened it to a random page. There was a newspaper clipping of girl with a feather in her hair and clad in a tight fitting clothing. The Elite Patrol Squad fought her and her monsters. As Misao turned more pages, there were a few more clippings of this girl fighting the Patrol. (One girl against a Patrol? How odd.) She turned more pages and found a lone white feather on an empty page. Misao picked up the feather. A heart wrenching feeling of sadness swept her. Darkness... darkness... then a flash of yellow and then pink. Voices in the distance... She heard herself speaking far away, but her voice was laced with arrogance and disgust. Another voice spoke, but it was a pleading voice full of concern and pain. Then the sound of broken glass. A fleeting vision of a pair of eyes looking into hers. Misao felt her eyes burn with uncontrolled tears. Warm hands... warm arms... * Thunk! * She had unconsciously pitched sideways and found herself on the floor. She blinked the tears from her eyes and took several deep breaths. (What was that just now?) Slowly she sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes with her left hand. Then she noticed that she was clutching something in her right hand. She opened her right hand and looked at the feather. An iridescent glow seemed to surround it. She blinked twice, and stared at the feather again. (I must be tired.) She straightened out the feather and laid it gently on the diary page. Her eyes fell on what appeared to be a smudge on the page. Again, that feeling of sadness, but this time, with a sense of peace. As she felt the smudge under her fingertips, she realized that it was probably caused by a tear drop shed for a reason that was long forgotten. She closed her eyes and tried to remember. But the darkness behind those closed lids seemed to swell and engulf her so that she felt nauseous. (I really must be tired.) She put the diary on the shelf and lay on top of the bed. She cleared her mind and waited for sleep to come. After a week of moving and settling in, Misao wandered in the town's shopping district. She was glad to finally have a chance to window shop. She wandered about, not really knowing where to go. After a few hours of wandering, she sat down on a bench and watched people pass by. As she sat there, an incredible loneliness swept her. A group of school girls passed by. Her face momentarily lit up as she heard them giggle and talk. (Ah, those were the days. Going out with my friends, window shopping and just talking. I wonder how there are now.) She closed her eyes and tried to remember her classmates. (I wonder if they still live here.) Someone passed by with some takoyaki. (Hmmm... smells good. Maybe I should get some food.) Misao stood up and began to look for a food stand. She passed by a CD store. (Ah yes, one of my friend's family ran a CD store. What was her name again?) The store's door opened, and out came a girl about her age. She had a backpack on her back and wore a helmet and biker shorts. "I'll be back in a jiffy! So don't eat all of it!" she yelled. She turned about and noticed Misao by the store window. "I'm sorry, please come in!" She greeted Misao with a cute smile and a wave of her hand as she held the door open. Misao answered her own question as a wave of memory crashed into her mind. "Sasami?" whispered Misao. "Eh?" "Umm, are you Sasami... Kawai Sasami?" "... yes." Misao clasped Sasami's hand in her own. "It's me, Sasami! I'm Misao, from grade school!" Sasami gazed at the girl before her. The girl looked at her so hopefully. "Ah, oh, yeah! Nice to see you again!" (It would be too rude to not talk, but...) Sasami took her hand away. "Ano, I have to make a delivery. But I'll be back. So if you want, you can stay in the store until I come back. Is that ok?" "Yes! I'll be right here waiting." "Alright, later then." Sasami lifted the bike out of the rack and hopped on. "Bye." Misao waved, and then went inside the store. Sasami returned panting. She ran up to the counter. "Ok, I'm back! Where's my takoyaki?" "Sorry, it's all gone!" Her mother gestured to the empty bento container. "Whaddya mean? It was half full when I left!" "I'm sorry. Your mother offered me some. If you would like some, I can go buy some more. I wanted to get some food anyway." Sasami simmered. (Who was this girl anyway? To eat her food! Hmpf! Might as well have her get some more.) "Well, if you don't mind please get me some too." Sasami reached into her pocket for cash. Misao held up her hand. "No, please allow me to treat you." She smiled pleasantly. Sasami blinked. Twice. "No, I have cash. I'll pay for my share." "Please, I insist." "But you're a customer. You don't have to do this." "I'm more than happy to treat a friend to lunch." "Thank you. I really appreciate it, Misao-san." "No need to be so formal. Can you tell me where it is and what it is you like?" "Ano, when you get out the door, turn left, and it's just a block. Look for Yoshi's grill. If it's not too much trouble, can you get me the octopus?" "No trouble at all. I'll be right back, Sasami-chan." Sasami watched her leave. (A friend. From grade school, huh? I suppose so.) Sasami felt some pressure in her head. (One of those headaches again.) She rubbed her forehead. (I guess I better sit down and wait.) Sasami sat down behind the counter and greeted customers while she waited for her takoyaki. Misao returned with the takoyaki and some drinks. "I'm back." "Wow, that was quick!" Sasami reached for the drinks container and set it down on the corner counter. Sasami pointed to a stool in front of the counter. "You can use that stool, if you want." Misao seated herself. "Let's eat!" And with that, Sasami attacked the takoyaki with gusto. Misao ate daintily, mesmerized by the Sasami's skill. Pick, pop, chew, gulp. All in 3 seconds. Two down, 4 gulps of iced green tea. And then again. Meanwhile, Sasami watched Misao pick at her food. Nibble, nibble, sip, sip, wipe. And then again. (I wonder how long she takes to eat dinner.) She had already eaten 6 takoyaki. "Not hungry?" "I'm almost full." Misao pushed a plastic container in her direction. "There is this too." "Oh! Seaweed salad! How did you know I like this?" "I had a feeling you might, Sasami-chan." (Ara? Who are you? Ugh.) Sasami grimaced slightly at the pain. She reached behind the counter for the Midol. "Is something wrong?" "Just, just a slight headache. Probably drank too fast and got a head cold." With practiced ease, Sasami popped the lid and slipped a pill into her palm. She lifted it toward her gaping mouth, Misao's hand lay gently on her wrist. "Sasami-chan, if it's just a head cold let it pass." "It's my headache, so I'll do what it takes to get rid of it." "Oh. So it is a headache." Misao pulled her hand away. "You don't usually get headaches." Misao wasn't sure why she said so, but she felt it to be true. "I don't? Well, I have one now." Sasami suddenly felt hostile towards Misao. (Why do I feel this way? But she's a customer, and an old school friend.) Sasami popped the pill in. She was about to gulp down more iced tea when Misao pushed her drink towards her. "This doesn't have ice." (Don't tell me we used to share drinks too!) Misao's expression said so. (If you were that way with me, how come I don't remember?) Sasami suppressed another grimace and gulped down the pill with her own tea. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get upset. Sorry about that." "Don't worry. I'm just glad to find someone I know, after all these years." Misao paused. "When my mother's company shut down, my mother decided to move to the United States to be with my father. After I finished college, I decided to come back to Japan. So I'm really glad to meet you again." "Oh, the US! Wow, I've never been abroad. What's it like?" "Different. I had to learn a lot of English. And everything seems a little bigger and spread out. They're a lot more open." Misao blushed. "And a lot more liberal." "Liberal? What do you mean by that?" "The way people act over there may not be acceptable here. But I'm sure it goes the other way as well." "Oh. So is it anything like movies?" Misao sweatdropped. "Well, sometimes movies can seem larger than life, and sometimes exaggerate things." "But somehow, even with all the opportunities America had to offer, I still wanted to go back to Japan. I guess, I just wanted to come home." While listening to her, Sasami felt a pang of loneliness. (She seems like a good person. I wonder what she's really like.) "In that case, welcome home!" Sasami beamed a smile at her. Misao was surprised at her reply, but it gave way to her inherent sentimentality. Tears began to well in her eyes. She blinked her tears back, and haltingly said, "Thank you, it's nice to hear that from you." "So you haven't ran into other friends but me?" "Yes. You're the first." "Would you like me to show you around?" "Yes, I would like that. Please." "Okay, so what are your plans for tomorrow?" "Not much. After I finish my shopping, I'll probably cook." "My day off is tomorrow. We can meet here tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock. I just live upstairs. Is that ok?" "That's fine." "Great! I'll see you tomorrow then. Feel free to look around the store. I'll be here until 6." "Thank you, Sasami-chan. See you later." "Later." Misao hopped off the stool and headed for the door. She paused and turned back to wave. Sasami waved back. She sighed. (There's something about you that I can't place. Maybe tomorrow, I'll remember, Misao-san.)
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