The Time She Lost
Author's Notes: Some Japanese may creep in here and there, glossary at
the end. This fiction contains lovey-dovey-ness between two females of
legal age. If this offends you in any way, stop reading now and seek
medical attention. Thanks to my lovely girlfriend for beta checking this
for me and showing me that I'm really not that good!
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Darkness...
Then something, almost inaudible, as if a distant voice was calling her
back. She strained to hear it, but that seemed to make it fade further,
her tired mind vainly reaching out to it. Moments before she lapsed back
into unconsciousness, she heard it again.
"Haruka..."
--------------------
Slowly she opened her eyes, the light flooding in instantly and blinding
her. She winced, slowly allowing her eyes to get used to the glare.
Gradually, fuzzy shapes swayed into focus. Bare white, sterile walls
stared back at her, the sun-bleached bareness punctuated only by the
vase of yellow carnations perched rather precariously on the windowsill,
swaying gently in the breeze from the open window. Haruka closed her
eyes and smiled. Akane must have been in earlier to change the flowers.
She'd always hated carnations, but it seemed that her stubborn younger
sister had forsaken her own tastes for once.
Haruka relaxed back into her pillow and allowed a wan smile to creep
back across her face. She was still in the hospital. Letting her mind
drift for a moment, an image formed from out of the fog. She was sitting
in this bed and...and Takayuki had come to visit her...there were bunches
of flowers...Akane had been there too. In her mind's eye she wandered
across the scene, astonished at the turnout, all these people suddenly
paying attention to her, congratulating her...and in the corner, someone
had hidden themselves behind a large bunch of tulips. She remembered
every detail; the slight blush that rose to her face when their gazes
met; how she almost ducked back behind her flowers; the way her hair
glowed orange in the fading light when she flicked it out of her face to
greet her; the divine sing-song of her voice. A voice she had waited
three years to hear again.
"Three years!" Akane's voice rang out urgently in her mind with such a
ferocity her eyes jerked open, "Onee-chan, you've been asleep for three
years!" A hot tear made its way down Haruka's drawn cheeks and hung,
hesitating for a second before being wiped away by a shaking hand. Had
it really been three years? The tears flowed more freely now, some
escaping the furious swipe from the sleeve of her hospital gown, causing
tiny grey damp patches on the white starched linen.
Wiping the last of the tears away, she took in the room again. The
yellow carnations winked back at her, rustling slightly in the breeze.
The draught from the window playing gently over her flushed skin, Haruka
relaxed a little, and idly wondered how everyone was doing. She wondered
if Takayuki had found another girl in three years...and if Akane had
found anyone who could put up with her stubbornness long enough to
actually get to know her. As her mind drifted, her right hand wandered
over the sheets, which, oddly, felt a bit like hair.
"Hair?"
Haruka spun round in surprise, only to be greeted by the sight of a huge
tangled mass of blue hair. Somehow, it seemed in some way to be
connected to a sprawled out pinstripe business suit balanced perilously
between the bed and a hospital issue fold-out chair. She poked it. It
groaned a little and shuffled away. She poked it again. "Mitsuki-chan!"
The blue-haired object jerked awake so suddenly that the perfect balance
between chair and bed was catastrophically destroyed, sending both chair
and business suit tumbling spectacularly to the floor in a heap.
"It....te!" exclaimed Mitsuki, who was vainly trying to clear the tangled
mass out of her eyes. "Geez, you should know better than to scare people
like that when they're sleeping, Haruka-chan..." Mitsuki paused as she
looked up at her friend, who looked like she was about to pass out from
fits of laughter. "Haruka! You're awake!" Mitsuki sprung up from the
floor with alarming agility to pounce on Haruka's sniggering figure with
a bone-crushing hug.
"Mitsuki, I...can't...breathe," gasped Haruka, still laughing. The taller
girl's grip slightly lessened as Mitsuki buried her head in her red hair
and sobbed.
"Mitsuki-chan," Haruka whispered.
"W...we...thought you'd...never wake up...a..again," Mitsuki managed,
between sobs. She broke away from Haruka long enough to dab off her tears
onto a small handkerchief. Haruka felt her friend's muscles relax as she
leant back into her gentle embrace. "Don't do that to me again,
Haruka-chan," she breathed into her ear. Haruka could only nod as her
Mitsuki pulled away until their noses were barely inches apart. She could
feel her heart beat a little faster as her friend's heated breath played
across her cheek.
"Wh...what are you doing, Mitsuki-chan?" Mitsuki hushed her with a
finger, her features gentle but serious.
"I think," she whispered, "I need to tell you something. About how I
feel. About you." Mitsuki's expression was strained, as if fighting
against overflowing emotions. "Haruka...I..."
Suddenly, the sound of the sliding door opening shattered the moment.
Mitsuki jumped off the bed like a startled cat as Akane's voice rang
through the opened door.
"Ta..da! It's Akane-chan again!" Akane bounded through the doorway with
her usual, seemingly limitless energy and gave a theatrical bow. Mitsuki
applauded gently. "Thank you...thank you," Akane's head rose from the bow
and for the first time, she paused. "Onee...chan?" she whispered, eyes
widening in surprise. Haruka gave a timid wave.
"Ohayo, Akane chan." For the first time, Haruka was startled at how weak
her voice seemed. This feeling was soon replaced by another desperate
need to breathe as Akane squeezed the life out of the startled girl.
"Ohayo...Onee-chan," came her muffled voice from a sea of red hair, "I'm
so glad you're all right." Akane gave her sister a last squeeze and
unwound their tangled limbs, swiping at a stray tear with the back of
her free hand.
"Akane," Mitsuki's voice broke the sudden silence, "I'll...go and fetch
the doctor, she'll probably want to know that Haruka's awake again."
"Hai, Mitsuki," Akane gave a brief nod as Mitsuki made a move for the
door. Haruka couldn't help noticing as the two girls' fingers touched
for the briefest of moments as they passed. And maybe it was just her
imagination, but she could swear that Akane had always referred to
Mitsuki as 'Mitsuki-sempai'.
'Just my imagination,' she thought, as the door slid closed with a
click. Turning back to her sister, who was righting the crumpled chair,
she subjected her to a full inspection. Akane was wearing a slightly
crumpled Hakuryou Academy uniform. Her bow was slightly lopsided, as if
she had dressed in a hurry. That was all normal, Akane always rushed out
after practise. The really suspicious thing, Haruka noticed, as her
sister arranged herself in the newly righted chair, was that her hair,
freed from her usual yellow headband hung down roughly, slightly
covering her face. Haruka blinked a little in surprise. Her sister had
always worn that headband, even to sleep sometimes; something was very
strange indeed. Akane caught her sister's scathing gaze for a second and
her face reddened, her usual genki manner silenced for a second.
"Akane-chan," her voice came out sterner than she had expected. Her
sister jerked up her gaze from her lap. "What's going on?" Haruka opted
for the blunt approach.
"O..onee-chan, that can wait till after the doctor comes to check
whether you're all right!" Akane laughed uncertainly and sweatdropped,
forcing a grin.
"Suzumiya Akane!" Akane almost snapped to attention at this tone, but
she took one look at Haruka's stern face and sagged back into her chair,
defeated.
"It's been really hard, you know, since the accident," she began. "A lot
has happened..."
----------------------------
The door clicked open, as a silhouetted figure slipped through and
slumped down against the other side of the door. Akane sighed.
Everything was falling down around her ears, it seemed. Six months had
passed since her sister's accident. The outer wounds had healed, but she
just wouldn't wake up. Sensei had refused to give a decision on that
front, instead stating that there had been cases where the patient had
stayed asleep for days, months or even years. That didn't help. Akane
had tried to rise above it, to not let it affect her; but in truth...
Akane sat; head slumped on her chest, resting against the door. Her mind
floated back to earlier today. Her coach had been shouting at her, She
wasn't trying hard enough anymore, she had said, not applying herself
like she used to. She had listened to all the usual 'focus yourself,
don't let yourself be distracted' pep talk. Threats of dropping her from
the team washed over her like a gentle rain. It wasn't that she didn't
enjoy swimming, it just seemed that nothing really mattered that much
any more. All the colours in Akane's world had faded into various shades
of dull grey. It wasn't just swimming; her grades were slipping too.
Akane brushed away a stray strand of hair and idly wondered what would
happen if she dropped out from school. She was so deep in her own world
that she almost didn't hear her mother calling her from downstairs
"Akane-chan! Hayase-san is here to talk to you!" her mother's voice rang
out through the door.
"Hai..." Akane pulled herself off the floor and brushed herself off. She
brightened a bit; it had been a while since she had seen Mitsuki-sempai.
Except on a couple of occasions at the hospital, she had hardly seen her
around. She had heard that Mitsuki had got snapped up by the FourX swim
team as soon as she had graduated from Hakuryou, but what she did for
the rest of her time; well she hadn't got around to asking. Her thoughts
were interrupted by a soft knock at the door.
"Akane-chan? Are you there?" Akane relaxed as she heard her sempai's
voice and turned the handle.
"Konban wa, Mitsuki sempai!" Akane put on her best smile. She studied
the figure standing in the doorway briefly. Mitsuki's hair still
stretched down to just touch her waist. She was wearing a faded old pair
of blue jeans and a plain white cotton shirt knotted above the navel.
Akane's eyes rested there for the briefest of moments before making eye
contact. "Please come in," she heard herself say.
"So what brings you by, Mitsuki sempai? I don't usually see you around
much anymore," Akane mumbled, the words tumbling out nervously as
Mitsuki knelt down by her table.
Mitsuki smiled warmly and motioned to the position opposite. As Akane
made herself comfortable, Mitsuki produced a cloth bag, which she opened
to reveal a selection of slightly dented cookies. "Gomen, Akane chan,
they got a little crushed on the way here."
"Oh no, Mitsuki sempai, if you made them, I'm sure they're delicious."
As if to demonstrate, she picked one of the morsels and popped it into
her mouth. "Oishii," Akane mumbled, through a mouthful of crumbs.
Mitsuki laughed a little and Akane blushed, her troubles forgotten for a
second. For a good few minutes, the pair sat in comfortable silence,
chewing their way through the rest of the biscuits. As her hand snaked
out to snatch the final cookie, Akane felt Mitsuki's hand gently clasp
hers.
"Can't I have it?" Akane gave Mitsuki the soulful eyes she usually
reserved for persuading her parents to let her stay out late.
"Akane-chan," Akane looked up, sensing the sudden change in tone of her
sempai's voice. "I heard from Takayuki the other day that you're really
letting your grades slip. He talked to your friends after school and
they said that you'd been skipping classes. This isn't like you Akane-
chan. What's going on? We're all worried about you..."
Akane gazed into Mitsuki's blue eyes and saw compassion and worry. The
hand reassuringly placed over her own clasped her gently. A tear rolled
down her cheek, closely followed by a second and a third. Suddenly,
Mitsuki was there hugging her close, whispering to her that it would be
alright. Burying her face into the soft fabric of Mitsuki's clothes, she
let the tears flow.
---------------------------------
After that night, Mitsuki came round more frequently to the Suzumiya
household, sometimes bringing treats, but more often than not, just a
shoulder to cry on as Akane poured out her worries and Mitsuki stroked
her hair, whispering soothing words. Slowly, almost imperceptibly at
first, Akane began to improve. Skipping classes became a thing of the
past and her grades were back on the rise. Her swimming, however, was
another matter. Somehow, she managed to do enough to keep her coach from
dropping her from the team, but her Olympic dream seemed further away
than ever.
The sun shone brightly down on the high street. The clouds lazily
strolled across the sky as if the wind had taken a day off. Mitsuki
shaded her eyes from the glare and spotted Akane waving madly from the
shade of an umbrella outside a café. Sitting down, Akane pushed a glass
of iced tea over to her with a smile.
"Sorry, I couldn't wait. This sun really makes you thirsty, huh?"
Mitsuki just smiled at her. She had just got back from an emotional
reunion with her old coach at Hakuryo and there was something she needed
to discuss with Akane.
"Akane-chan, when were you going to tell me that coach has been on the
verge of dropping you from the team for months?" Mitsuki's face was
serious. Akane looked down into her glass and uncomfortably fiddled with
her straw.
"I was going to tell you, sempai," Akane's fingers clasped the glass
tensely, "but I thought that you would think worse of me unless I did it
by myself." Akane looked up at her sempai, whose expression had
softened, "Because I really respect you, sempai."
Akane felt a pang at her own words. Respect? How many nights had she
cried herself to sleep on Mitsuki's shoulder, so that the older girl had
to carry her to bed? She secretly always looked forward to this, hearing
the slight grunt of effort as she was clasped in Mitsuki's gentle arms.
Her heart beating a little faster as Mitsuki gave a good night kiss to
the cheek of what she thought was a fast asleep Akane. She shook her
head slightly to throw those thoughts to the back of her mind.
"Akane?" Mitsuki was saying, "Are you alright? You were spacing out
there for a second."
Akane could only nod mildly. "I'm alright, sempai. What were you
saying?"
"I was saying that I could help you train for those upcoming trials.
Winning those is just what you need to convince your coach not to ever
think about dropping you!" Mitsuki paused, "That is, if you want to..."
Akane was taken aback, "Of course, I would be honoured to train with
you; but I don't want you to go out of your way...I mean, you're probably
really busy, with FourX and training and all that." she trailed off.
"Don't be silly, Akane chan!" Mitsuki grinned, "How about Tuesday after
school at the swimming pool? I've made sure there aren't any class
activities then and Coach was only too honoured to let me use the pool.
As a sports idol, of course!" Akane laughed and agreed.
Over two more iced teas and a round of cheesecake, the two girls got
down to some of the less serious topics.
"You're kidding!" Akane giggled "Takayuki's gay?"
The other girl nodded and took a bite of the cheesecake, "Yep, he's been
'seeing' Shinji kun ever since the two of them both made it into
Hakuryou University."
"I always thought there was something extra between those guys! No
wonder Haruka said it never felt right when she kissed him!" Mitsuki's
smile faltered slightly at the mention of Haruka's name, but Akane
didn't notice. "So is there someone you like, sempai?"
Mitsuki felt the blood rush to her face, "I guess there is someone..."
she answered hesitantly, "but I can't tell them, or other people
important to me will get hurt."
"Sempai!" Akane scolded, "If you like this person, then you should tell
them. I'm sure the other people will understand. I mean, if you love
someone, then you can't do anything about it. That's just love, you
know."
Mitsuki smiled wanly, "Maybe I will..."
------------------------------
There was just something about watching Mitsuki swim that was
mesmerising. Maybe it was the elegance; her lithe body cutting through
the water, arms rising in perfect rhythm. But to Akane, all this paled
into insignificance with the emergence of this mermaid from the water
afterwards. She watched as Mitsuki shook her hair free and briefly
wondered how she managed to keep her huge mass of hair inside her tiny
swimming cap. Over the last few weeks of private training, she had got
to watch Mitsuki swim many times, but this part, she decided, was
definitely the best.
Since Akane was not one to avoid making important decisions when they
had to be made, she had long decided that the feelings that she shared
with her sempai were no longer those feelings of utmost respect felt
between a kohai and sempai; but had blossomed into what she could only
describe as love. Things changed, even indiscernibly to the naked eye.
Hugs became longer and more intimate, goodbye kisses left her flushed
and flustered.
Akane openly gazed at Mitsuki's swimsuit-clad body. She had long given
up on pretending that she didn't ogle her and now took every opportunity
to make her sempai blush. 'She really is the most beautiful thing I have
ever seen' Akane thought, admiringly. Muscles rippled faintly underneath
Mitsuki's Hakuryou school issue swimsuit and water dripped lazily from
the slight outline of her breasts. Mitsuki blushed as Akane slowly drank
in the sight.
"Let's go, Mitsuki-sempai," Akane slipped her arm through Mitsuki's,
turning in the direction of the changing room. Mitsuki stiffened
slightly at Akane's touch.
"Akane-chan..."
"Mitsuki-sempai? What's wrong?" Akane stared at the other girl,
concerned.
"Oh nothing!" Mitsuki brushed it off, a little too cheerfully, "I might
have pulled something a bit on that last lap. Don't worry, I'll be
okay." Mitsuki skilfully disengaged her arm from Akane and skipped off
towards the changing room, leaving a confused Akane far behind.
"Oh sempai?" They were in the changing rooms now, Mitsuki in the shower
as Akane pulled on her school uniform
"Mm?" came the reply from over the hiss of the shower.
"My coach says she's putting me in for the trials for FourX next year.
She says I've really improved and that you've had a great influence on
me..." Akane was cut short as a pair of wet arms waylaid her from behind.
"That's fantastic Akane-chan!" Mitsuki bear-hugged the surprised girl;
"See I told you that you could do anything if you really worked at it
hard!" She loosened her grip and Akane gaped, blood rushing to her face
so fast she almost fainted.
"M..m...Mitsuki-s...s..sempai," she managed. Mitsuki's eyes went wide and
she quickly turned away from the gawping Akane.
"Akane-chan ecchi!" she tutted. "If you stare too hard you might get a
nosebleed!"
Akane recovered enough to tear her eyes away from Mitsuki's exposed
form. "Gomen nasai sempai," she apologised, struggling to think
straight. "But I would be honoured if you would come over to my house
for tea to celebrate tonight. I told my parents earlier today and my
mother insisted on baking a cake." She risked a peek over her shoulder
to see that Mitsuki had already dried off and was more or less decent.
She sighed, half in relief, half in disappointment and tried to calm her
racing hormones. "We're not going to be able to eat it all, so it'll be
a waste if you don't come..."
Mitsuki smirked at the still-blushing girl. "I'll come, just as long as
you keep your eyes to yourself!"
--------------------------------
Mitsuki stared around the impeccable neatness that was Akane's room. It
seemed paradoxical that an impulsive and normally scruffy girl like
Akane had such a feminine and tidy room. Shoujo manga neatly lined a
bookshelf on one wall and a couple of Haruka's picture books lay opened
on the desk. Mitsuki padded across the room to the bookcase and ran her
finger over the spines of the books, searching for one she recognised.
Suddenly, something caught her eye. A small passport sized picture frame
rested on top of the bookcase, almost hidden behind two oversized teddy
bears.
Mitsuki squinted to bring it into better focus. It was a picture she
recognised. Akane smiling her trademark grin, with her arm round the
neck of a rather surprised blue haired girl. She smiled; she remembered
Akane insisting on taking one with her when they had all gone to that
fairground last year. She wondered for a while why Akane would keep such
a thing in a frame. The obvious answer leapt up from her subconscious
like an eager lemming, but she beat it back down again. It had to be a
respect thing, she thought. There had been quite a few younger girls
from the swim team who had confessed to her on various occasions and
she'd always put it down to Onee-sama complex. They'd always been happy
with a hug and a gentle refusal. Mitsuki steeled her resolve, 'She has
to know that my heart belongs to someone else' she thought to herself.
"I'm sorry Akane-chan..." she whispered.
"Sorry for what?" Akane stood behind her, cheerful as ever, tray of tea
balanced on one hand and two magnificent slices of chocolate cake on the
other. Meandering her way precariously to the low table, she arranged
the crockery for the both of them.
"Oh, nothing, Akane-chan," Mitsuki gathered her wits, "I was just
talking to myself. Wow that cake looks delicious!"
Akane looked at her suspiciously for a moment, but her smile quickly
returned, "Help yourself, Mitsuki-sempai, there's plenty." As Mitsuki
nibbled daintily at her slice of cake, Akane watched her intently. As
Mitsuki caught her eye she hid behind her mug.
"I told you to keep your eyes to yourself, didn't I?" joked Mitsuki
"I'm sorry, sempai, but you're just so cute when you eat," suddenly, the
temperature in the room seemed to rise a couple of degrees. Akane looked
across the table, but Mitsuki seemed to be unaffected. 'Great,' she
thought. 'They could probably use my face to direct traffic. Can't let
it throw me off. I'm going to tell her today. I have to tell her today,'
she mentally cheered herself on.
Mitsuki studied the redness slowly rising to Akane's cheeks. She had
seen this look on all of the girls before they confessed and she was
well used to it. Somehow, though, this time seemed different. Maybe it
was the slight flutter of her heartbeat or the strange feeling building
in the pit of her stomach that caused her to lose all confidence in her
once simple reply. Her mind yelled a message to her muscles to get out
of there fast. "Oh, Akane-chan!," she started, a little too loudly, "I
completely forgot! I promised the other guys in the team that we'd all
go out for a drink tonight." She stood up and quickly threw her rucksack
over her shoulder, "Gomen ne, Akane-chan, maybe we can do this some
other time?" Mitsuki made a break for the door.
She had one hand on the handle when Akane grabbed the other, "Come on
Akane-chan, I'm going to be late," she managed, weakly, not turning
round.
"Don't go," Akane's soft voice almost echoed in the silent room, the two
girls frozen in place, both too afraid to move and break the spell.
"Please don't go." Mitsuki felt her resolve leaking away with every
syllable. She spun around to face her. And then Akane kissed her.
It wasn't a long kiss, perhaps only a few seconds, but to Mitsuki, it
could have lasted for hours. As Akane slowly brushed her lips across her
own, Mitsuki could feel the last drops of her willpower seep away. She
pulled away, and they gazed into each other's eyes, unspeaking for a
moment. A wave of loneliness, pent up for years washed away the
whispered protests from her subconscious; suddenly her cold bed at home
seemed infinitely less welcoming.
Akane spoke first, "I...love you Mitsuki-sempai. I mean...I've always
respected you, I mean, you are my sempai," she stumbled over her words.
"I mean, you're so beautiful and kind...and funny; how could I not fall
for you? I don't care that you love my sister. Please...just hold me
tonight." Akane felt her face flush and she looked down at her feet.
Mitsuki was shocked for a second, "How...how do you know?" she stammered.
"You always talk about her so fondly, you come to the hospital four
times a week, sometimes more, just to hold her hand. And it was pretty
obvious when you two were out together that there was something else...all
those lingering glances and sad eyes you used to give her," Akane
twiddled her fingers nervously. "And I might have sneaked a peek at your
diary," she stared at her feet again. As she looked back at Mitsuki, she
saw the stern scolding melt away on her sempai's lips.
"So you know then," Mitsuki let out a long sigh, "at least that saves me
the trouble of telling you" she slumped down on the bed. "So why then?"
she asked, simply.
Akane sat beside her, "I care deeply about my sister and my only wish is
that she is happy. If it takes you to give her that, then I would be
happy to back down. But now," Akane took Mitsuki's hand in hers, "I need
you to be with me. I love you Mitsuki-sempai. I mean, if you have no
feelings for me, then I understand, but...I just had to say it," she
finished lamely. She looked up from her lap. Mitsuki was smiling. She
closed her eyes as the older girl closed the space between them and felt
Mitsuki's soft lips envelop her own. And Akane kissed back with all her
heart.
"Thank you, Mitsuki-chan," she whispered, as their lips eventually
parted.
Mitsuki gently pushed Akane back onto the bed until their noses were
almost touching. Tenderly, she stroked the other girls cheek.
"I love you, Akane-chan."
--------------------------------
The light was fading to the dull glow of evening when Akane finally
finished her story. The nurses Fumio and Amakawa had been in briefly to
check up on Haruka, but she had quickly shooed them away. There had been
no sign of Mitsuki at all.
"Well, since that night," Akane continued, "we've been getting closer.
Going out to the movies, out for dinner, you know, like a proper couple.
Last Sunday I took her to that ice rink on the edge of town." Haruka
nodded, she knew that Mitsuki had always wanted to go there, but had
always been too busy with swimming. And besides, Shinji had been
terrified of ice-skating for some reason, so the idea had been quickly
abandoned. "At first, whenever we went out, Mitsuki was always smiling,
but I could see that twinge of sadness in her eyes." Akane brightened,
"But in the last few months before you first woke up I think she was
getting happier. The smiles seemed more genuine I think. She even
started asking me out on dates." Her eyes glazed over, lost in the
memory for a moment, "And the sex...well, not that it wasn't good before,
but..." she paused, catching sight of a furiously blushing older sister.
"I...really didn't need to know that, Akane-chan," she grumbled, feeling
her ears burn as wild steamy images ran unchecked across her
imagination.
"Onee-chan, it's so easy to make you blush!" Akane giggled as she gave
her sister a friendly hug.
Haruka slowly felt the redness subside, "So what happened then? Did
something happen when I woke up?"
The joy quickly drained from her sister's features. "Well, since you
woke up for the first time, Onee-chan, Mitsuki's become...well, more
distant, I suppose. We don't see each other as much as we used to. She
doesn't come round every night like she did before and...and," she felt a
lump building in her throat as the painful memories resurfaced in her
mind. "She didn't come to see me at the big swimming competition last
week," she finished, tearfully.
Haruka embraced her sobbing sibling as strongly as her weakened muscles
would allow and tried to comfort her as best she could.
"She really loves you, Onee-chan," Akane mumbled through hospital issue
cotton nightie, "I think...maybe I was her replacement for you. I
hope...I hope...she can make you happy," Akane burst into fresh floods
of tears as Haruka hugged her tighter.
Eventually, as the flood slowed down to a trickle, Akane extracted
herself from her sister's nightdress and wiped away the remnants with
the sleeve of her school uniform. The two girls remained silent for a
moment, the revelations proving a little too much to allow speech.
"How do you feel about her?" Akane whispered, breaking the silence.
Even though she was expecting this question, Haruka was still taken
aback. How did she feel about Mitsuki? "I think you were right...I suppose
I have always thought of her as more than a friend, but to love her in
that way?" Suddenly, an image of Mitsuki crossed her mind, straddling
her on the bed, as she had just a few hours previously, seconds away
from confessing to her. She thought back to what she had been feeling at
that moment. Surprise, shock perhaps, but love would have been the last
thing she would have felt at that moment in time. "I'm not sure how I
feel about her," she said, out loud. "I need more time to work out how I
feel...this is all so sudden," she rubbed her temples, vainly trying to
curb an already angry headache.
Akane looked at her sadly. "I think you'll have all the time in the
world to make your mind up, Onee-chan." Haruka noticed her expression
grow serious for a second, "But, if you're going to break her heart,
please, do it now. Seeing her killing herself over this makes me so
sad." Akane rose to her feet, "I have to go," she said, suddenly.
Tears streamed from her eyes as she turned to go, shining blood red in
the evening light, "I hope you find your happiness, Onee-chan," she
whispered under her breath.
--------------------------
Outside the sliding door to the room, Mitsuki listened to the murmur of
voices drift through the air. She wasn't listening too hard, half out of
respect for Akane's wishes, and half because she already knew what was
going to be said. Leaning back against the sterile-white wall, she gave
a deep sigh and commanded her heart to calm down for the hundredth time.
Abruptly, Akane burst through the door, tears streaming from her eyes.
Unspeaking, she hugged Mitsuki tightly, her free hand gently tilting the
blue-haired girl's head to meet her quivering lips. Mitsuki felt Akane's
feelings pouring themselves out into her, weeks of sadness and hurt
compressed into a few brief seconds. When they finally separated,
Akane's eyes looked lifeless and dull, their usual genki spark eerily
absent.
"I'll always love you, Mitsuki-sempai." The words hung in the air as
Akane turned and ran, not looking back.
"A.." Mitsuki started, when she felt a tender hand on her shoulder.
"Sensei!" she squealed, "Don't surprise me like that!" Kouzuki Motoko
stood behind her, unfazed as always, chewing on the butt end of a long-
spent cigarette.
"I think the thing that girl needs right now is some time to work things
out in her head," she said, patting Mitsuki softly on the shoulder. "You
being around would only confuse her more. Right now there's someone else
who needs you." Motoko slid open the door until it clacked back on its
hinges. "She wants to talk to you."
Mitsuki nodded sadly and stepped through the doorway.
-----------------------------
Mitsuki stepped through the doorway, the same doorway through which she
had stepped almost every day for the last three years and stared. It was
so different; Haruka's presence lifted the atmosphere making the room
seem so vibrant...so alive. She felt her heart skip a beat as the night-
dressed figure on the bed gave a little wave.
"I...talked with Akane-chan." Haruka's voice jarred Mitsuki from her
thoughts. She nodded, not having recovered the power of speech. "It's
true, isn't it?" Haruka asked, simply. Mitsuki nodded again, slowly
walking up to the bed and taking the other girl into her arms.
Stroking Haruka's long hair, Mitsuki could feel the hotness at the back
of her eyes and knew she was going to cry. Welling up with the tears,
words rushed desperately to her vocal chords; words left unsaid for
three years. One by one they tumbled out, confessions of love rolled off
her tongue so easily she wondered why she couldn't have done it before.
She found herself telling Haruka that she had always loved her; from the
minute she had met her on their first day at Hakuryou; how her heart
beat a little faster every time she held her hand; how she had denied
her own love as a bad influence and pushed her towards Takayuki. The
confessions came thick and fast until she was out of breath and
exhausted, sobbing into Haruka's gentle embrace.
"I was really jealous of Takayuki for a while, you know," whispered
Mitsuki, after she had calmed down; "I tried to do little things, so
maybe you wouldn't like him as much as you did. Talking to him to make
him late for your dates, mentioning his bad habits to you, things like
that." She paused, "It was a little immature, now that I look back on
it." An ironic smile forced its way across her face, "I felt so guilty
after the accident. I thought that maybe if I hadn't been so immature,
he wouldn't have been late for your date, then you wouldn't have...
have..."
Haruka stroked her friend's shoulder as the floodgates opened again. "It
wasn't your fault," she whispered soothingly, "You couldn't have
realised, no one could have." Mitsuki looked up at her friend, her face
brightening into a sad smile.
"I always loved that about you," she murmured. "You never blamed anyone,
never held any grudges. Always so kind..."
Haruka blushed and for a moment the only sound was the rustling of the
leaves on the old oak outside. "So what happened between you and Akane-
chan, then?" she asked, finally.
Mitsuki sighed and reeled her mind back to that time, "When you had your
accident, I fell into a depression; the only thing keeping me going was
my swimming, so I threw myself desperately into that. As soon as I left
Hakuryou academy, the FourX swim team snapped me up, and I took up
swimming mostly full time. Doing something I loved did help to keep my
mind off you." She paused, taking a sip from the water glass on the
table by Haruka's bed. "That's when I learned about Akane's school
problems; one of my team still had friends at Hakuryou Academy. It was
that night I went round to comfort her and...well, I think Akane told you
the rest."
She paused, thinking for a moment, "I think maybe, deep down, I said
'yes' to Akane-chan because she reminded me of you...shy, a little unsure
of herself and emotional, but covered in her brash stubborn exterior."
Mitsuki smiled, "We always agreed that things would change if you woke
up. When I saw you awake for the first time in three years, my heart
almost jumped for joy. All those old feelings came flooding back...I
couldn't even look you in the eye the first time we came to visit."
Haruka smiled as she remembered the oversized bunch of tulips.
"I don't know how you feel about me. I don't know if you'll ever love me
in that way, but I love you. I always have. All I'm asking for is for
you to give us a chance. Please..." Mitsuki gripped Haruka's hand tightly,
her eyes begging for that chance to make her happy.
Haruka took one look into those blue soulful eyes and any resistance or
scruples in the depths of her mind dissolved away into nothingness. She
blushed, "Mitsuki-chan," she croaked, "you're not giving me much of a
chance to make up my mind! I've only just woken up again, I need more
time." Haruka waved her arms around, flustered beyond all measure, "Of
course I've always thought of you as more than a friend, but this is all
so sudden."
"I need more time," she repeated, more steadily this time. Mitsuki
leaned forward and gathered up the other girl in a final embrace. After
the initial surprise, Haruka found herself hugging back in return.
"You have all the time you want," replied Mitsuki, "After all, if I hurt
you, Akane-chan would kill me..."
Haruka laughed at that.
----------------------------
Since that day, Mitsuki came to visit the bedridden Haruka every day
after practices as the other girl struggled to regain her lost strength.
Haruka always protested that Mitsuki needed to put more effort into her
swimming, and that she wouldn't suddenly waste away if her friend didn't
come to visit every single day, but Mitsuki wasn't having any of it.
They sat and talked for hours: about how their old school friends were
doing, when Mitsuki was going to be in the Olympics and reminiscing
about their times in Hakuryou academy. Mitsuki made fun of Haruka's
crushes on male teachers, but her eyes went wide as saucers as Haruka
admitted several crushes on female sempais whose shoe lockers Mitsuki
had also once placed heartfelt letters of love into. If you'd asked
Haruka, she would have said that it was just like old times.
Akane also came to visit regularly, but she always scheduled her
visiting times to avoid her ex-love. The times they did accidentally
bump into each other were quickly cut short by brief nods and curt
farewells. Akane herself talked to her sister as if nothing had ever
happened between herself and her former girlfriend and was always quick
to steer conversations clear of the topic. If Mitsuki's name was
mentioned, just accidentally in conversation, Haruka would notice a
brief sadness cross Akane's mask of happiness, though it was quickly
wiped away by a "Ne, Onee-chan don't worry about me!" accompanied by an
uneasy laugh. When pushed further, Akane would only state again and
again that it was more than enough to see her sister happy. Eventually,
even Haruka started to avoid the subject as well, both for her sister's
sake and for the increasing levels of guilt building over the tension
between the two most important people in her life.
A few weeks later, in the rehabilitation clinic, Mitsuki showed up
unexpectedly. Haruka had quickly determined the times for Mitsuki's
practices and other commitments and had thought that she had planned her
rehab sessions around them. So surprised was she to see Mitsuki at the
end of the runway that she almost lost her grip on the rails, slipping
but managing to catch herself on her elbows. She felt strong hands
taking the weight off her tired arms and helping her back into her
wheelchair.
"Mitsuki-chan!" she exclaimed, "I thought you had practice today? What
are you doing here...its...embarrassing for you to see me like this."
Mitsuki grinned, "Practice was cancelled today, coach said she had some
other commitments she couldn't cancel." She stretched her arms above her
head. "I thought I'd drop in and see how the rehab was going." Haruka
nodded, still a little embarrassed. "Do you want to go down to the
beach?"
-------------------------
Before she knew it, Haruka was being pushed leisurely down the path
towards the beachfront in her wheelchair. She basked in the rays of the
evening sun, feeling the heat slowly warming her pale skin. She looked
up at her friend, but her eyes were fixed ahead. Briefly, Haruka admired
the way the sun silhouetted Mitsuki's features so perfectly. Her eyes
sparkled gently and her skin glowed warmly in the dwindling light. Her
hair flowed slightly in the breeze, accentuating Mitsuki's natural
grace. For a moment, Haruka felt she could fall in love with her there
and then.
Suddenly, they were at the beach. Unusually, no one had been there
today, and the sands stretched out before Haruka's eyes, flat and
featureless, save for the faint tracks of a few sand-dwellers and birds
here and there. They stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes,
each happy just with the other's company as the sun set lazily in the
distance.
Mitsuki smiled down at her friend, "Beautiful, isn't it?" She looked
back up at the crimson sky and sighed contentedly, "I'm glad we can
share times like these again. It kinda reminds me of the times we used
to sit with Takayuki-kun and Shinji-kun on his hill, just watching the
sunsets over the town."
Haruka nodded. "I've really enjoyed these past few weeks with you," she
replied, suddenly emboldened. "I've...asked Sensei's permission. Would
you like to come on a...date with me...maybe to get something to eat?
Sensei says its okay as long as its somewhere close..."
Mitsuki hesitated, just for a split second, "A d...d..date?" she
stuttered, "are you sure you're okay with that? I don't want to be
pushing you too fast!"
Haruka giggled at her flustered companion. "What's wrong? I'm sure
you've been itching to ask me out since you confessed."
Mitsuki narrowed her eyes slightly, "That's awfully forward of you. When
we were in high school you would be blushing from head to toe even
thinking about asking someone out."
"Well, I guess...I grew up a little," Haruka relaxed back into her chair,
"I can't stay the way I was forever you know, Mitsuki-chan. I've got
three years of growing to catch up on, and it occurs to me that
obsessing so much over something like that is just so..." she paused for
a second, collecting her thoughts. "I just want to make up for the time
I lost," she explained.
Mitsuki nodded in agreement and the two of them were silent for a
moment, listening to the waves breaking gently onto the beach and the
squawking of the seabirds in the distance.
"By the way...I don't suppose you could tell me how Akane-chan is doing?"
Mitsuki asked after a few minutes. "Only, she hasn't been returning my
calls lately." Haruka looked questioningly up at her friend, "I only
want to know if she's okay or not," Mitsuki blurted, "I mean, just
because we aren't together now doesn't mean I don't care about her..."
Haruka's face broke into a smile, "She's okay. I think she's coping. She
keeps saying to me that as long as I'm happy then she is as well. But I
think that my waking up really hit her hard. She'll need some time to
adjust, perhaps."
A frown passed briefly across Mitsuki's features, "And are you happy?"
"Yes," came the reply, "I really appreciate the time we've spent
together as 'just friends'. But I think we need more time before we
start thinking about turning it into something more serious, Mitsuki-
chan." Her voice accompanied a warm smile.
"But...what about tomorrow? Isn't that...a date?".
"Trust me," she replied, simply.
------------------------
Later that night, Mitsuki sat in her room, her back against the bed, the
lights turned out. In her arms she clutched a large cushion to her
chest, her eyes focussing on nothing in particular. She had been sitting
that way for about two hours now, and the pins and needles were starting
to work their way up her legs. Silently, she crushed the pillow against
herself tighter.
Suddenly, the phone burst into life. Mitsuki lunged across the room, but
her numbed legs protested, collapsing beneath her. She just managed to
grab the phone off the hook before tumbling to the floor in a heap.
"Akane-chan?" she said into the receiver, desperately.
The voice at the end of the line was distinctly male. "Mitsuki-chan?"
"Oh! Takayuki-kun!" Mitsuki tried not to sound disappointed, "What's
up?"
"I went to visit Haruka-chan today, she said that you two are looking
for somewhere to eat tomorrow night. I suggested that you came to the
restaurant I work in, you know, Sky Temple? It's just down the road from
the hospital. I could ask the chef to whip you up something special.
Anyway, I haven't seen you for ages, it would be good to catch up."
"Hai," Mitsuki felt a little bewildered.
"Anyway, I need to get back to work now...See you tomorrow night!" The
phone clicked back into a dial tone. Mitsuki stared at it for a moment,
as if it was the root of all her problems, before giving up and
collapsing face first into the bed.
-----------------------
The next evening, Mitsuki wheeled Haruka down the road towards the
restaurant, her wheels bumping gently across the car park. Haruka
watched her friend closely. For the entire fifteen-minute walk, Mitsuki
had been strangely silent, slightly spaced out, her gaze fixed intently
on the road in front of her. Her trance ended suddenly as she felt
slender fingers tenderly intertwine with her own. Surprised, she looked
down at Haruka.
"We're here, Mitsuki-chan"
"Gomen nasai, Haruka-chan, I was miles away," Haruka squeezed Mitsuki's
fingers soothingly.
"Ah, there you are!" A third voice caused both girls to whip round,
"Mayu-chan said you've been standing outside here for ages. Now come in
quickly, I don't want Haruka to catch a cold!" Takayuki stood sternly
between the sliding doors, hands on hips.
The tension dissolved in a flurry of hugs and gentle jibes as the two
girls greeted their old friend. "So you're not worried about me getting
a cold then, Takayuki-kun?" Mitsuki mock-pouted as they wheeled Haruka
to their table.
"Well, Haruka-chan is meek and feminine! She needs to be protec.."
Takayuki ducked under a glancing blow from Mitsuki's right fist. "I'll
just get Mayu-chan to get the menus," he added hastily, feeling their
scathing glares burning into his back as he ran into the kitchen.
"Takayuki-kun hasn't changed much, ne, Mitsuki-chan?" Haruka turned to
look at her friend, but her eyes were elsewhere again, and she seemed to
be staring thoughtfully at a rubber pot plant. "Mitsuki-chan?" she
repeated.
"Gomen," Mitsuki apologised again, "It's just...Akane hasn't contacted me
at all for nearly two weeks now..."
Her explanation was interrrupted by the arrival of a cute mousey-brown
haired girl with a cat hairclip wearing a frilly maid uniform that
seemed to provide more than just the usual restaurant service for the
customers. "Irrashaimasen!" she beamed at them, seemingly oblivious of
the fact. "I'm Tamano Mayu, and I'll be your waitress this evening! Is
there anything from the menu that you would like to order?"
Haruka giggled, "That's a lovely uniform, Mayu-chan! But Takayuki told
us that he'd tell the chef to cook us something special..."
"He did? Eto..." Mayu looked confused for a second. "Sumimasen!" She
bowed deeply and sauntered off in the direction of the kitchen shouting
"Sempai!!! What do I do now?" before being clouted about the ear by a
young girl with blonde ponytails.
Quickly, the food arrived, steaming and delicious on two huge platters,
accompanied by a seemingly endless bowl of rice. Their problems put
aside for a second, both girls realised just how hungry emotional
discussions can make a person and found themselves ravenously attacking
the mouth-watering meal. Soon afterwards, as Mayu arrived again briefly
to remove their empty plates, they were stuffed to bursting. Mitsuki lay
back in her seat and groaned, holding her stomach.
"I think I overdid it..." she moaned. Haruka wiped her mouth daintily
with a handkerchief. "I'm curious, Haruka-chan," Mitsuki asked, suddenly,
"Why did you want to go out on a date with me, but tell me that we
should think about it before making the next step? It's been puzzling me
ever since yesterday and I just can't work it out."
"I thought we should go here tonight because I want to tell you
something." Haruka took a deep breath and sighed, mentally preparing
herself, "Mitsuki-chan, you have been more than a friend to me and you
will always be my best friend, regardless." Mitsuki felt her heart drop
sickeningly in her chest, guessing where this confession was going.
"But I can't love you."
Mitsuki felt like her heart had been shattered into a million pieces.
For a moment she was too stunned to speak. "Do you love...someone else?"
she managed to say, gritting her teeth to hold back the tears.
"No," came the reply. "You do."
"What do you mean?" Mitsuki couldn't help but be taken aback. She was
flabbergasted, shocked, stunned, bewildered; all of the above and more.
Surely Haruka was the only one she loved?
"Akane," came the reply, a little sadly. "Don't you miss her? You've
been asking about her a lot...you get distant when I mention her and
Takayuki told me how you answered his call last night." Mitsuki hung her
head. "She loved you, Mitsuki-chan. She says she's okay, but I can see
through the mask she always wears. She misses you immensely. She needs
you. Deep down, you know you still love her dearly."
Suddenly, all of the haze of confusion in Mitsuki's mind cleared, just
long enough for one shining truth to force its way out into the open.
She broke down in tears. "I do! God I do love her so much..." she sobbed.
"But how do you know she would take me back after all the pain I caused
her?"
Haruka gripped her friend's hands gently. "I don't know if she will, but
love is all about taking those risks, isn't it? Isn't Akane-chan worth
putting your heart on the line for?"
Mitsuki hugged Haruka tightly across the table, sobbing quietly. "Thank
you...thank you Haruka-chan, for showing me what an idiot I've been."
Haruka held her friend in her arms, tenderly stroking her hair with her
free hand. "Now you'd better go, Akane-chan is going to be back from
practice in exactly one hour. You'd better hurry if you're going to make
it on time."
Mitsuki extricated herself from Haruka's grip and nodded again. "Thank
you," she repeated. "But what about you?"
"Takayuki already offered to take me back to the hospital after he
finishes his shift here in an hour."
Mitsuki shook her head, "I didn't mean that."
Haruka smiled, "Seeing my two favourite people happy makes me happier
than you could ever imagine. Don't worry, Mitsuki-chan, I'll find my
special someone someday. Now go!" she motioned towards the door.
In a flash of blue, Mitsuki jumped out of her seat and enveloped the
other girl in her arms. Haruka felt Mitsuki's lips press urgently
against her own; her tongue delicately tracing patterns that made her
skin prickle and her face flush bright crimson. And then just as
quickly, it ended, leaving a blushing and startled Haruka and a quickly
receding Mitsuki as she raced out through the front doors, waving.
"Good luck, Mitsuki-chan," she whispered under her breath.
"Oh, I see your friend left," Haruka noticed the waitress from before
standing beside her table. Mayu smiled warmly at her. "Can I get you any
dessert?"
Despite herself, Haruka found herself returning the grin, admiring this
girl's unbreakable genki spirit. "Oh," she said, "I hadn't thought about
that yet...what would you recommend?"
-----------------------
The key slowly turned in the lock and the door creaked tiredly open,
revealing an exhausted Suzumiya Akane. Kicking her shoes off, she sloped
towards the shower, desperate to wash off the sweat from her weights
training, part of her coach's new scheme to build up their upper body
strength. She sighed, at least it kept her mind off moping about her ex-
love. Slipping out of her sweaty clothes, she dumped her kit
unceremoniously into the washing machine. As she slipped her yellow
headband over her head, she caught sight of herself in the mirror, hair
down and dishevelled. She sighed, tossing the headband the same way and
headed towards the shower.
As the hot beads of water massaged her aching muscles, Akane relaxed and
tried not to think about all the troubles in her life. So engrossed was
she in relaxing, that she didn't notice the shower door close for a
second time until a pair of arms embraced her from behind. "I always
told you your hair looked so much better down," a soft voice murmured
behind her.
"Mitsuki-sempai? What are you doing here?" she yelped in surprise,
turning to face her former lover.
"I came to say I was sorry," said Mitsuki, still holding Akane gently in
her arms. "I've been such an idiot these past few months. I can't
believe I hurt you for so long without realising my true feelings. I
love you Akane-chan, and I want to make it up to you...for as long as it
takes for you to forgive me for what I've done."
"I fell in love with your sister a long time ago, but it was stupid to
think that my feelings for her would be the same as they were back then
three years ago. Things changed. I changed, because of you. When we
started going out, I think the only thing I saw was your sister in you,
her mannerisms, all your similarities; but as I got to know you better,
I started to fall in love with you. I fell for all the things that made
you unique: your perpetual cheerfulness, the way you always were so
stubborn not to ask for help from anyone," Mitsuki ran her fingers
lightly down the other girl's sides. "Not to mention everything you
taught me."
"What about Onee-chan?" she asked, quietly. "Do you still love her?"
"I still love Haruka as a friend. We can live without each other, but I
can't live without you, Akane-chan. When you ran away from me that day,
all I could think about was you: all the times we spent together, all
the nights we spent, just in each other's arms. When you stopped calling
me, I thought of you every day, wondering how you were, why you didn't
want to talk to me any more. Please, Akane-chan, I was such a fool to
let you go, give me another chance and I will do it right. I will make
you happy. I swear I will."
Through the steam of the shower, Akane saw the determination in
Mitsuki's eyes; determination to put right what she had done wrong. And
just like that, Akane felt her fears melt away. She looked up at her
lover to be and tenderly claimed her lips with her own.
END
Omake
"Damn it! Where's that lazy girl got to?" Daikuji Ayu flicked a wave of
blonde hair back over her shoulder and fumed. The lovebirds were at it
on table two again; it always made her mad that they wouldn't listen
when she asked for their order and ordering Mayu around always made her
feel better.
She was just stomping past the storeroom when she heard rustling noises
and the banging of boxes. Ayu smiled to herself, maybe Mayu had gotten
lost in the stacks again. Last time it had taken her an hour and a half
to find her way out with 12 cartons of orange juice, only to find that
the chef had asked for croutons. She smiled evilly, "I suppose I could
help out that lazy bug this time," she said, out loud.
As she opened the door to the storeroom, the first thing she noticed was
Mayu, in full view of the door, facing away from her sitting on a crate
of mixed nuts. She called out to her, "Oi, Mayumayu, there's work to be
done; what are you doing lazing around in here?" she started to walk
towards her.
Mayu spun her head round towards her, her eyes widening in surprise.
"H...h.h.ai, S....se..sempai, I'm c...c..coming," she stammered. Ayu took
one more step and Mayu let out a little yelp.
"Mayumayu, are you okay?" Ayu seemed genuinely concerned, "Did you hurt
yourself walking around here in the dark?"
"No...I'm okay, I'm just...a...little busy...right now," Mayu seemed out
of breath and breathing heavily.
There was another click and the door opened again. Takayuki poked his
head around the gap. "Hey, Daikuji, there you are. The floor is packed,
we've got customers out of our ears, get out there now!" He looked
closer at the two girls and smiled, "Daikuji, didn't anyone tell you
that it's rude to peep in on other people's private time?"
Ayu was puzzled for a second. But then she noticed how Mayu's uniform
seemed to be undone a little further down the front and seemed to be
making its way down one arm; how her hair was more dishevelled than
usual; how her expression had guilt written all over it. Her eyes
widened in disbelief.
"Sempai...I..." was all Mayu managed before letting out another yelp.
"What's the matter Daikuji? You jealous?" Takayuki quipped, before
ducking back to avoid a tin of canned salmon. Ayu ran out of the door
after the retreating figure, letting the door slam shut behind her.
"LAZY BUGS! YOU CAN ALL GO STEP IN CAT SHIT!" Mayu winced as Ayu's voice
came loud and clear through the door. She made a face at the girl
grinning up at her from her lap
"Haruka-chan hidoi desu," she whined, but her complaints quickly
silenced as Haruka resumed her ministrations. "Kimochi..." she breathed,
her skin tingling with every stroke of Haruka's skilful tongue.
"I can't help it. You're so cute when you're flustered," came the
muffled voice from down below. Mayu didn't reply but pushed her lover's
head further between her thighs.
OMAKE END
Japanese glossary:
Ecchi: sex, used to refer to people as perverts in some way ^_^
Eto...: A way of saying "err..." in japanese
Genki: energetic, healthy
Gomen nasai, sumimasen: sorry
Hai: yes
Hidoi: cruel, mean
Irrashaimasen: a formal welcome greeting
Itte: an expression of pain, similar to ouch in English
Kimochi: feelings, used to mean 'feels good'
Konban wa: evening greeting
Ohayo: Good morning greeting
Onee-chan: (older) sister
Oneesama complex: The phenomenon that many high school girls' first
crush is on a beautiful (female) sempai
-sempai: senior form of address
Sensei: Teacher, also used to refer to doctors.
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