Arc 2: School Days The next day was slightly cloudy with a pleasant breeze. It was perfect for sight seeing, which was what Sasami felt when she showed Misao around town. Misao's general response came with a sense of surprise and an inevitable comparison to the town of her past. Finally at the end of the day, they passed by their old grade school, which was renovated to provide a middle school as well. "It's so much bigger now." Misao commented. They stood near the gate, and a middle-aged gentleman approached them. "Is that you, Kawai-san?" "Err, yes, Sensei." "My, you've grown! Seems like yesterday when I had to clean up after you. What trouble you were!" But he said this with a twinkle in his eye. "Huh?" Sasami's eyes widened in recognition. "Tadaka-san! Do you still work here? Isn't it hard to clean in a suit?" "Ha, ha, ha!" Tadaka-san laughed at her confusion. "Yes, I still work here. But I'm no longer the janitor. I'm the principal now." "I'm glad for you Tadaka-sensei. It seems to suit you well." said Misao. Tadaka's eyes turned towards Misao. "Ah, if it isn't Amano-san! How was America?" "Eh? It was fine, Sensei. I just got back last week. But how did you know?" "A lot of you teachers and classmates were wondering where you were when you didn't come the next year. Finally the Vice Principal told everyone. I overheard, of course. I could never forget a sweet and quiet girl like you, not like some noisy, messy ones." His eyes rolled in Sasami's direction. "Tadaka-san! Umm, I mean Sensei..." "That's alright, Kawai-san. I meant to tease you. I apologize. As a gesture of goodwill, I grant you an afternoon's privilege to visit the school wherever you wish." He waved his hand as if to usher them in. "But, Sensei, we don't mean to barge in." Misao replied. "Now, now, off you go, and enjoy yourselves. I'm sure there's a lot you want to catch up on." Tadaka waved farewell as he passed them. Sasami and Misao walked through the school yard. Most of the students had left, but there were a few that remained under supervision. "Want to see the old homeroom?" Sasami asked. "Sure." They found the old homeroom with some difficulty since the halls appeared to have been renovated and repainted. They recognized nothing from the old homeroom, since the furniture had been replaced as well. The only thing that seemed the same, was the waning afternoon sun which was partially obscured by the skyline. Misao stood by the window and leaned on the sill. "Some things never change. The sunset still makes everything a shiny orange-gold." "Yeah." replied Sasami, who stood nearby, but didn't lean on the sill. "I think you might need this." She held out a piece of tissue to Misao. "What for? Oh!" Misao was dismayed to find chalk dust all over the front of the clothes. "Thanks, Sasami. You always seemed to take care of me." Misao accepted the tissue and began to dust herself off. "How did you know this would happen?" "Well, for starters, the sunset looks so much better now that we're taller. And that I used to dust off the erasers here." "Ah, yes, I remember." Then Misao giggled. Sasami giggled a bit, but her thoughts were asking many questions. (Why am I remembering this now? How much have I forgotten? How come I never seem to reminisce about this part of my childhood?) Misao continued dusting herself off while Sasami watched. (Somehow, I've began to remember after you came.) Most of the dust had come off, and Misao straightened her clothes. In the distance, she heard a faint chorus and the pale notes of a piano. "Do you hear something, Sasami-chan?" "Eh?" Sasami was slightly startled from her thoughts. She strained her eyes. "It sounds like singing." Her eyes twinkled with a dare. "Let's investigate!" Misao answered with a smile. "Lead the way!" They found a group of children who appeared to be rehearsing for a school play. A young woman played the piano. A young girl dressed in an outfit like Pixy Misa's pranced wildly about. A 12-foot inflatable which may pass for a love-love monster "terrorized" a group of children. Then, a cloud of smoke billowed from a corner of the stage and a group of children dressed as the Blue Sky Rangers burst forth. Together, they battled Pixy Misa who eventually made an exit saying, "Next time, victory will be mine!" Misao smiled and whispered, "Aren't they cute, Sasami-chan?" She glanced over and was surprised to see Sasami leaning on a nearby seat and holding one hand to her temple. "Sasami-chan! What's wrong?" Sasami looked up, and she whispered shakily, "That's not... what happened. Right... Misao-san?" "Here, Sasami, let's sit." Misao helped her to a nearby bench. She held Sasami so that her head rested on her shoulder. "Is it another migraine?" "Yes." They sat for a few minutes. Then Sasami whispered, "Can we get out of here?" "Sure." Misao helped Sasami out of the auditorium and into the schoolyard. Sasami lay down on a bench. When Sasami indicated that she wanted to take her pills, Misao fetched some water and helped her drink it. An hour or so passed, and Sasami felt well enough to go home. Misao accompanied her to her family's CD store. Sasami's mother was at the counter, and immediately flew to her daughter's side. Cupping her hands about her face, she exclaimed, "You poor dear! You look awful? Come upstairs!" Sasami made feeble attempts to protest, but let herself be led away. Sasami's mother came down a few minutes later. "Thank you for bringing her home. She's resting now." "You're welcome, I'm sorry that I couldn't be more helpful." Her mother's eyes seemed to water. "Oh how sweet of you. I'm glad Sasami-chan has you for a friend!" "I'm glad to have met her again." She paused. "May I ask you a question?" "Of course." "I... I get the feeling that Sasami doesn't seem to remember me... and much of what happened when we were in grade school." Her mother sighed. Just before she went into Junior high, she collapsed suddenly. A kind soul brought her to the hospital, and she lay asleep for a day. After that, she had trouble remembering and had occasional migraines. We took her to many doctors, and tried many medications, but she still has them." "How often?" "Maybe one or twice a week when she was younger, and about a few times a month now." Misao bit her lip. During the entire day, Sasami looked cheerful, but her eyes told Misao that she was in discomfort. (How much?) Misao wondered how much pain Sasami was hiding. But Misao didn't want to pry, since she wanted to spend time with Sasami, and convinced herself that Sasami will confide in her in due time. She just had to be patient. "Will she alright?" "She'll probably rest for most of tomorrow." "May I visit her?" "Of course! Come by whenever you want." "Thank you. I'll come by tomorrow then. Have a good night!" "Good night, Misao-san!"
Back to A Magical Recall Index - Back to Magical Girl Pretty Sammy Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction