Chapter Six

Remembering

Tsukuda Kiyomi’s Point of View

Rin put a fist in his hair, rubbing his scalp in annoyance as he couldn’t figure it out.

            “Your food’s getting cold,” I pointed out to him as I continued to eat my plate.

            “Thanks,” he replied before he took another mouthful of his sushi.

            I looked the opposite direction from him and smiled. He had no idea at all.

            “Say, do you swim competitively?” he asked me another question.

            “Yeah, I do,” I replied simply, turning my head back to him.

            “Do you know who I am, then?” he asked me another question yet again. “Because I have this gut feeling that you do.”

            I contained my uprising smile. He was more talkative to me than I saw him with any other person, well, maybe not my brother.

            I finished the last bits of my plate, chewed, and swallowed, before answering, “Yeah, I know.”

            He arched an eyebrow, “Do tell me.”

            I rose up from my seat before saying, “Deep down, I think you know.”

            He bit his bottom lip in frustration, “A hint, then.”

            Picking up my tray and the plate to place away in its proper place, I gave him the hint he wanted, “Bye, Rin-Rin.”

            Before he could say anything else, I quickly absorbed myself through the mass of people lined up to put their plates away, but I knew that hint was enough for him to realize who I was—enough to fill the shady grays in the definitive black and whites.

~*~*~*~

Matsuoka Rin’s Point of View

            The nickname shot me like a bullet. I knew her. I truly did. I never thought I’d forget her, but I did. Never would I ever believe that I would . . . forget . . . to remember someone like her—someone so important to me.

Flashback

Matsuoka Rin: Age 9

Tsukuda Kiyomi: Age 8

            I looked at the stars scattered across a meadow of darkness. It was the blanket of pitch-black that covered the Earth as she slept. I was under that blanket—warm and feeling safe as ever.

            Someone was trailing behind me, tiptoeing as if to sneak upon me, and attack.

            I sighed, taking in a breath and exhaling a breath, before saying, “I know you’re there, Rin.”

            The said boy snapped in fingers in frustration, “Aw, dang it! I thought I could sneak up on you again!”

            I laughed, “Hehehe, good luck with that, Rin-rin!”

            “Pft, it’s just ‘Rin,’ Kiyomi-chan,” he whined at the nickname. “Not Rin-rin.”

            The girl laughed, “Meh, whatever! I like Rin-rin, best!”

            He deadpanned in annoyance, “Kiyomi . . .”

End of Flashback

            I sat at the dinner table with a blank stare plastered across my face—an empty look in my eyes. The constant chatter around me simmered down as if the world came to a standstill. The colors around me faded to nothing more than that of black and white. The only color that remained was the imaginative figure of Kiyomi in my mind.

            I snapped my eyes wide open. The noises of both the Samezuka boys and Takahashi girls grew louder and louder little by little. The vibrant colors around me started to illuminate to a sharper to a more vivid view.

            The spoon full of now cold jasmine rice lay limply in my hand. Before long, another shock wave of flashbacks crumbled me to the ground once.

Flashback

Matsuoka Rin: Age 10

Tsukuda Kiyomi: Age 9

            I watched as Kiyomi dashed before me, attempting fairly well to outrun me. We were playing tag, and, never once before, had I ever managed to catch her. Likewise, whenever she was ‘it,’ she never caught me either. We were equals, neither of us gaining any advantages over the other. Our swim times were the same. Our mile times were the same. Our push-up numbers were the same. Our sit-up numbers were the same. Why, even our “how many Yamato mini sushi rolls can you eat” number was the same—35.

            However, that all changed on that one, fateful day. Though it seemed like any other ordinary day, it changed our lives forever.

            I sprinted faster and faster towards Kiyomi, barely an inch away from her to tag successfully. I bit my lip as she noticed my advance and ran faster and faster away from me.

            Increasing my speed as well, my brain sent nerve signals to my legs, ordering them to run faster and faster, though they, never could in my wildest dreams, physically could. But, they did.

            I tripped my way towards Kiyomi before I tagged her, tackling her to the ground.

            My eyes widened as I realized that I had tagged her. I tagged her . . . I did it! I beat our neck and neck score of infinity.

            I mentally thanked my brain and trippy legs before saying to Kiyomi, “Sorry, I fell over you.”

            She shrugged the matter off, “It’s no biggie.” The edges of her mouth curved into a smile, “But you finally beat me! Never thought you had it in you, Rin-rin!”

            I smiled along with her, saying, “I tripped, so I guess tripping can have its advantages.”

End of Flashback

Tsukuda Kiyomi’s Point of View

            Once I put away my food tray in the appropriate stack of trays, I scurried back to my locker, where I took my school bag out and packed what I needed for the night, including my new book.

            Unlike the other girls at Takahashi Academy, I didn’t live at the dorms. Instead, I lived with my parents, who, though hid it fairly well, were still grieving the loss of my brother.

            I sighed at the thought of Katsuo and his various deeds for, not only my family, but for our neighbors and his classmates, teachers, coaches, and sports teammates as well.

            He would always help others in need. No matter what it was. He would do it. Ask him a question about academics, and he’d answer it in a snap with no hesitation and no second thoughts. He was quick and avid; strong and muscular, smart and clever. In other words, he was the utter essence of perfection, and for that, I admired him the most for that.

            Katsuo was the perfect child in our family and relatives. He never caused trouble. He never partied behind my parents back, and the only time he lied was to protect his loved ones.

            I snickered as I remembered when he would tell his friends that he was sick. This was about a year before he . . . well, died. In any case, he would tell his friends that he was sick, but, actually, he went to play basketball, coach me swimming, or just hang out with me. Let’s just say he as perfect a brother could ever get.

            But, thing was, he was perfect—the essence of unparalleled genius. I could never ever catch up to him. Ever, but, he was always happy, and that’s what made me happy. I could never get jealous of him at all because he was always there for me, protected me, laughed with me (or at me) . . . He . . . just was . . . the best.

            With that in mind, I zipped my bag closed before dashing out of the Takahashi school grounds, where, not only could I keep Katsuo in mind, but also so Rin wouldn’t be able to catch me for the . . . ‘details.’

Matsuoka Rin’s Point of View

            I shoved the rest of my food on my tray down my throat, before shuffling my feet to place the plastic tray on the ‘return’ stack, and rushing out of the mess hall.

            “Did she leave yet? Did she stay in the dorms at Takahashi? Or does she go back home after school’s out?” my thoughts raced furiously.

            My feet, anxious to go, scuffed disarray, not knowing where to go. My sense of direction was disheveled—completely in shambles. Where could she have gone?

            There were endless of possibilities on where she could have gone, yet I didn’t have a clue onto where in the least.

            I glimpsed a pair of girls chattering endlessly down the hallway, leaning against the metal rails of the school’s hallway.

            Walking briskly over to them, I asked, “Do you know who Tsukuda Kiyomi is?”

            The name of the girl ever so interesting escaped my lips, rendering a soft edge in my voice that was unneeded. I sounded as if I was desperate for her, in which, I was, in a sense, but not in a romantic manner.

            One of the two girls replied after she and her friends exchanged glances, “Um, yeah. Why ask?”

            I inhaled deeply, holding in the breath momentarily, before replying, “Personal, but do you know where she is?”

            Again, the two friends exchanged glances before the other girl spoke, “She probably left for home by now.”

            “But that’s all we’ll say,” the other girl added, before grabbing her friend and dashing back to the mess hall, slightly scared at my demeaning attitude.

            I sighed in defeat, rubbing my forehead in tacit frustration. It looked as if she didn’t want to be near me, but I, on the other hand, did. This was going to be a feat.

Tsukuda Kiyomi’s Point of View

            I walked back home, string earphones in my ears, listening softly to melancholy music.

Sometimes you fall down

Never get back up

Sometimes you jump high

But end up crashing down

Sometimes you just know

When you are disheartened

Sometimes skies just cry

To let go their feelings

You just got to try

To get back on your feet

            Sighing, I dragged my feet back home, but, on my way back, an unanticipated ripple of memories came flashing back.

Flashback

Matsuoka Rin: Age 10

Tsukuda Kiyomi: Age 9

            I ran ahead of Rin, hilariously trying to outrun the ‘it.’ We were playing tag, and, never once before, had Rin ever managed to catch me. Likewise, whenever I was ‘it,’ I never caught him either. We were equals, neither of us gaining any advantages over the other. Our swim times were the same. Our mile times were the same. Our push-up numbers were the same. Our sit-up numbers were the same. Why, even our “how many Yamato mini sushi rolls can you eat” number was the same—35.

            However, that all changed on that one, fateful day. Though it seemed like any other ordinary day, it changed our lives forever.

            I sprinted faster and faster away from Rin as he sped up his pace, him now being barely an inch away from me to tag me successfully. I noticed Rin’s advancement and then began increasing my speed.

            However, I felt as if Rin was running faster and faster than his usual ‘fastest’ time. It was as if he was, all of a sudden, a player in a video game, that, after increasing levels, he also increased with quicker agility, defense, and attack skills. But, this was Rin we were talking about here. He wasn’t a player in a game. He was Rin, my equal, and he was suddenly becoming better than me.

            From the corner of my eye, I glanced at Rin to only see him trip his way towards me before he actually tagged me, tackling me to the ground.

            His eyes widened as he realized that he had tagged me.

            “Rin tagged me,” I whispered to myself mentally. “We were equals and now he’s better.”

            I noticed Rin ponder over something before apologizing, “Sorry, I fell over you.”

            I shrugged the matter off, “It’s no biggie.” I forced the edges of my mouth to curve into a smile, “But you finally beat me! Never thought you had it in you, Rin-rin!”

            As I said those words, I mentally kicked myself in the gut. He beat me . . . I knew this day would come, but not so soon . . . In fact, I didn’t think I had anticipated this happening at all. I thought we would always be equals—the same forever.

            He smiled along with me, saying, “I tripped, so I guess tripping can have its advantages.”

            We both laughed at how he finally tagged me, but, internally, I was breaking down . . . because I knew. I knew that, from that moment on, he would just be getting better and better, eventually surpassing me beyond an infinity.

End of Flashback