My Angel in Red
A/N: Manx's real name is Hanae Kitada. Just so you don't get confused.
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It had been two months since Fujimiya Aya had awoken from her
coma. During that time, she had become close friends with Tomoe Sakura.
Thanks to Sakura, she had a vague idea of what had happened with her
older brother Ran over the last two years and why he wasn't around right
now. She missed him very much, but there was something else her heart
longed for.
Aya stepped into the flower shop known as the Kitty in the House
and set her backpack on the table. Every other day after school she
helped Yamaguchi Momoe, the old lady who was her legal guardian, with
the flower shop.
"My, you're early today," Momoe commented as she watered some
blooming red roses.
"There wasn't a lot of traffic for once," Aya replied, sitting
down at the table. "Do you mind if I do some homework until Sakura-chan
gets here?"
"Of course not," Momoe assured with a smile. "You need to keep
your grades up."
Aya beamed and began working on her math homework. After some
time had passed there was a knock on the door. Aya jumped up from her
chair and opened the door, expecting to see Sakura. But her
expectations were wrong.
The person at the door was actually the beautiful red-haired woman
Aya had first seen when she had woken up. In that moment, Aya had
fallen in love. She wanted to know more about this woman, for all she
knew was that the woman's name was Kitada Hanae and that she was an
acquaintance of Ran's.
"Hello, Aya-chan," Hanae greeted. "How are you today?"
"H-Hi, Hanae-san," Aya stuttered, trying to will her face not to
blush. "I'm fine. Do you want to come in?"
Hanae shook her head, her fiery curls barely swinging. "I just
wanted to see how you were doing. Well then, take care."
"Wait, Hanae-san!" The words were out of Aya's mouth before she
could think about them.
Hanae halted and turned her hand. "Yes?"
Aya was beyond nervous now. "W-Would you like to get together
with me sometime?" she forced out, her throat dry. "I know of this
really nice outdoor café."
A smile came upon Hanae's bright lips. "Sure, I'd like that," she
accepted. "I'll met you here at four tomorrow. Is that all right?"
"Yeah," Aya responded absentmindedly.
"See you later," Hanae said. She lightly patted Aya's head before
leaving the flower shop.
Momoe came up next to Aya. "I hope your date goes well," the old
woman wished.
"It's not a date!" Aya corrected, her cheeks red. "It can't be!
We're both girls!"
Momoe chuckled. "I was only kidding. So how old is this Hanae,
anyway?"
"Um…" Aya realized that she didn't know Hanae's age. Luckily, she
was saved from this awkward moment by another knock on the door. "That
must be Sakura-chan!" She opened the door and allowed Sakura inside.
The two girls exchanged a few words of light conversation before getting
to work.
Later that night, Aya lay in her bed, fully awake. The excitement
of tomorrow's possibilities prevented her from falling asleep. She had
told Sakura about her plans for tomorrow, for the brunette also knew
Hanae. Sakura had not said much, but she seemed genuinely happy for
Aya.
Aya rolled over onto her side. Hanae was a very beautiful woman.
Her hair was nearly the exact same shade of red as Ran's. She appeared
so mature and so sophisticated. Just one look at her would reveal that
she was a woman who could get anything done.
There was more to Hanae than just her physical appearance. To
Aya, she was like an angel. When Aya had awoken from her coma, she had
truly believed she was in Heaven when she had first seen Hanae. My
angel in red, she thought about Hanae.
As Aya was thinking about Hanae, she was unknowingly drifting into
a deep sleep. And soon enough, she was fast asleep.
It was only half past three, but Aya was already eagerly waiting
for Hanae. She paced nervously in front of the Kitty in the House.
Butterflies fluttered rapidly in her stomach, and her throat was drier
than dry. Several times she wondered if she should just get away while
she had the chance, but then she would tell herself that would be rude.
Besides, her desire to get to know Hanae was greater than anything else.
Aya leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths to calm
herself. This wasn't a date; she and Hanae were just getting coffee.
Everybody did that. It was perfectly normal.
Soon Aya saw Hanae walking toward the flower shop. "Hi,
Hanae-san," she greeted cheerfully.
"Hello, Aya-chan," Hanae replied. She was still dressed in red
and her hair was curled as fancy as ever. "So where is this café you
promised?"
Aya smiled broadly. "It's not far from here," she said. "We can
walk."
Aya began leading Hanae to the outdoor café. As they walked, more
and more dark clouds filled the sky. It was difficult to believe that
it had been so beautiful in the morning.
Disappointment awaited Aya and Hanae at the café. "It's closed?"
Aya exclaimed. "But it's usually opened at this time!"
"Maybe it's closed because of the weather," Hanae guessed, looking
up at the sky.
"But the weather report said nothing about rain!" Aya argued. As
soon as she said that, she felt raindrops. At first it was just a light
sprinkle, but in a mere few seconds it had become a torrential downpour.
Hanae lightly gripped Aya's wrist. Her hand was pleasantly warm,
Aya noticed. "There's a subway station near here," the red-haired woman
remembered. "We can stay there until the rain lets up."
Even though the subway station was only down the street, Hanae and
Aya were drenched to their bones when they finally reached it. Despite
being underground, they could still easily hear the rain.
"Hanae-san, I'm so sorry," Aya apologized as she and Hanae sat
down on one of the waiting benches. "We haven't even been out for
twenty minutes and already nothing's gone right."
"It's not your fault," Hanae reassured. She smiled mysteriously.
"Today hasn't been all bad."
"Huh?" Aya replied. "What do you mean?"
Hanae's smirk became wider. "Your brother rarely talks about
you," she began. "I could barely imagine what kind of girl you were.
Now I see that you are a very beautiful girl. Your brother is very
lucky to have you for a sister."
Red suddenly became the new color of Aya's face. She had received
a compliment from Hanae! "Um, thank you," she said. "Hey, what do you
know about my brother? Other than his-" she quickly glanced around at
the other people in the subway station, "-bad career choices."
"He doesn't enjoy his job," Hanae clarified, "even though he's a
hard-worker. But everything he did was for you. He needed money for
your hospital bills, and he wanted to avenge his family. You may not
think he's a good person, but he has sworn to protect those he loves."
"I never doubted him," Aya admitted, her voice cracking. "I just
wish I could see him again…" She felt tears coming, but she attempted
to hold them back. She couldn't cry in front of Hanae. She had to
prove that she was as strong as her brother.
Hanae wrapped her arm around Aya's shoulders and pulled the young
girl close. "Your brother loves you very much," the red-haired woman
reminded. "And that's why he doesn't want to involve you in his life."
Aya couldn't think of the right words to say to that, even though
she was very grateful to Hanae for what she had said. The young girl
relaxed her body against Hanae's and savored this feeling of support
from her angel in red.
The rain had stopped a while ago, but Aya only noticed that now.
"Hey, I think the rain has passed," she pointed out.
"How convenient," Hanae remarked. "I have to meet up with your
brother later. But first, I'll escort you back to the Kitty in the
House."
Aya grinned widely. "Sure, I'd like that. Hey, could you tell my
brother that I'll always love him, no matter what?"
Hanae gently grasped Aya's hand and gave it a little squeeze. "Of
course I will," the red-haired woman promised. "That will mean a lot to
him."
Hanae and Aya stood up and left the subway station. The sky was
much clearer now, and most of the rainwater had already dried up. It
was like it hadn't rained at all.
Much too soon for Aya, she and Hanae arrived at the Kitty in the
House. Disappointment filled Aya as she realized that she had learned
nothing about Hanae. And as if adding insult to injury, the red-haired
woman had probably had a miserable time due to the young girl's poor
judgment. At least Ran would receive her message of love soon.
"Hanae-san, I'm really sorry for how this all turned out," Aya
apologized again. "I should've planned better."
Hanae laid her hand on Aya's shoulder. The young girl's heart
began beating faster. "Aya-chan, I enjoyed this chance to be with you,"
the red-haired woman comforted. "Let's go out again sometime. I have
to go now, so we'll decide a time and date for our second date
tomorrow." She lightly kissed Aya's forehead. "See you later,
Aya-chan. I'll be sure to give your brother your touching message."
She turned around and walked away.
Aya waved half-heartedly, surprised at Hanae's sudden kiss. She
had learned one thing today: Hanae returned her feelings. Next time,
Aya would be the one to express her strong feelings.
Aya knew this wasn't Heaven, but she still thought of Hanae as her
angel in red.
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