Katawa Kijo

[Mirage_GSM]

Chapter Twelve – True to Your Heart
Shizune proves to be quite adept at controlling Genjo and Goku. Neither of them so much as makes a move towards the treats until the ten minutes are over and she relaxes her mental grip. Then the two rodents descend on their food with great vigour. It's very cute to watch them nibble away.

After a while Shizune opens the cage, directs them onto her hand and places them on the floor. While she has them running this and that way across the floor, I take a notepad and pencil from my bag and try to get some conversation going.

So, did you see Misha after she left the nurse's office?

Shizune fixes her gaze on the rodents and has them run in tight circles on the floor. She takes her own pencil from her bag and replies. No, I went straight here after lessons were over.

Do you think she's going to be okay?

Her lips press together to form a tight line. How should I know? I'm not a doctor!

But you have known her for so long...

Before I can finish the sentence, Shizune has grabbed the notepad and is scribbling furiously. And how does that help me make a medical assessment of her chances?

I have no idea how to answer that, but I try anyway. But Misha...

A snapping noise makes me look towards Shizune. The pencil she was holding has been broken in two. There is some blood trickling from between the fingers of her clenched fists, but she doesn't seem to notice. Her knuckles are a pale white. I open my mouth to ask a question, neither knowing what question it might be nor realizing that she couldn't understand it whatever it would have been, but I never get that far.

TELL ME WHY!

This time there is no mistaking the compulsion. The room is bathed in a violet glow, and right now I would tell her my innermost secrets, If I only knew what secrets she is asking for.

Tell me why I had to fall in love with the only boy I cannot even fight for! She looks a me, tears starting to run down her face.

Does that mean Shizune is in love with me? How...? When...? I still find myself unable to move much less answer her question, but then there is another compulsion, this time one without words.

Slowly I find myself leaning towards Shizune, until all I can see are her eyes and the wet streaks running down her cheeks. A moment before our lips meet, she closes her eyes and opens her mouth slightly.

The sensation is kind of weird. Our kiss feels very real, but at the same time I feel like I'm in a dream, like I'm just an uninvolved observer in my own body.

Then the compulsion is gone and Shizune draws back. I'm still too confused to do anything but stare, but Shizune's face is going through a wide range of emotions in quick succession: Confusion. Realization. Horror. Loathing.

She stands so abruptly that her chair falls to the ground. The sudden noise shocks me from my stupor. I stand up and reach for Shizune, but she is drawing back several steps. No! Don't touch me!

This time there is only the barest of compulsions. I know that I could resist if I wanted, but I don't know if I should. For a moment we both stand there facing each other, neither of us knowing what to do next. Then Shizune turns around and runs for the door and out into the corridor, almost bowling over Takeshi and Akane who were just about to enter the room.

Takeshi looks after Shizune with a confused look, then he turns to me. “Hisao, what happened? What was that Enchantment just now?”

“You could feel that?” Once again not the most eloquent answer, but right now this is the best he will get out of me.

It is Akane who answers. “I wouldn't be surprised if half the school had felt that.” She makes a calming gesture when she notices my expression. “Don't worry, most people will just think they heard someone shouting in the next room or something.” Then she turns serious like I have never seen her before. “But you have to tell us what happened, Hisao. It is a serious offence to use Enchantments to force your will on another human. Besides, Shizune shouldn't have...”

“What is going on here?” Mr. Kanzaki appears in the door behind the two, looking like he's ready to rip someone apart. “Akane, I thought I didn't need to tell you not to go overboard when demonstrating magic! I could feel that Enchantment all the way over in my office!”

“That wasn't me, Kozo,” Akane says pouting, “I just came here with Takeshi.”

Not good. I think I could persuade Takeshi or Akane to forget this incident, but there's no way Mr. Kanzaki would let it slide. If he finds out what Shizune did... I don't even want to know what her punishment would be.

And he seems to be determined to find out what happened. “But you are the only Enchantress at Yamaku except for...”

“Shicchan!” Misha storms into the room closely followed by Mr. Mutou. I've never seen the student council office this crowded before. When she can't find Shizune, she turns to me. “Hicchan, what happened? That was Shicchan, wasn't it?”

This is my chance to get away from here, before this situation goes all the way to hell. I grab Misha's hand. “Nevermind that! We have to find her! Takeshi, can you find her please?”

Takeshi concentrates for a moment. “She's on the way to her room in the dorms.”

The roof. I know that the mental message was only for Misha and myself. I nod a 'thank you' to Takeshi and drag Misha behind me to the door.

Before I leave, I turn around one last time. “I'm sorry Akane, could you please put Genjo and Goku back into their cages?”

With that we take off to the roof. I hope that Takeshi can keep Mr. Kanzaki off our trail for a while.

***

As soon as we've turned the next corner and are climbing the stairs up to the roof, I slow down to a fast walk. It's not that I want to put off the talk with Shizune or that I don't feel the urgency, but my heart is beating rapidly, and if I break down half way that will help nobody. Also, I'd better prepare Misha for what to expect.

In fact, I don't think Misha could stifle her curiosity that long. She'll...

“Hey, Hicchan, Won't you tell me what happened in there?”

Yup, thought so. This is going to be awkward. Better to get it out in the open fast. “Shizune used her magic on me to make me kiss her.”

“She did WHAT?”

It occurs to me that this would be the perfect excuse for cheating on one's girlfriend. 'I couldn't do anything. She put me under a spell.' But none of that matters right now.

“We were practising magic, and when I tried to strike up a conversation, she suddenly snapped. She more or less told me she was in love with me and then she used some sort of Enchantment, and I kissed her.” I notice Misha frowning and hasten to add, “I don't think she did it intentionally. I saw her face when she realized what happened.”

When I recall that expression I hasten my steps once more. Shizune would never physically harm herself, but I don't want to think about what she's doing to herself in her mind right now. Misha apparently has the same thought, and we hasten up the last flight of steps in silence.

As we step out onto the roof, the sun is hanging low in the western sky. The warm afternoon has given way to a noticeable chill. It takes me a moment to notice Shizune huddling behind one of the benches at the far end. She is sitting on the gravel, her knees drawn close and facing the school grounds.

She must have noticed us from the corner of her eyes. Go away! Leave me alone!

Of course neither Misha nor myself even think of complying with that request. We step around the bench until we are standing in front of Shizune.

Misha starts signing something, but Shizune has her head buried between her knees and refuses to look at us. Exasperated, Misha points at the floor and a spark flies from her fingertips to hit the gravel directly between Shizune's feet. “Will you look at me when I'm talking to you?”

Shizune raises her head and we both catch our breath. Her eyes look as if someone had blown the contents of a pepper shaker straight into her face. She wipes her tears away with a sleeve that is already wet and starts signing.

Misha translates for my sake. “I know you both hate me now. I promise I won't bother any of you ever again. What are you talking about Shicchan? Nobody hates you. Well maybe Lilly does and Mr. Kanzaki didn't look too happy either...”

“You're not helping Misha.” I grab Shizune's arm and pull her to her feet. “Now get up or you'll catch a cold, and then the three of us are going to have a chat.

We sit down on the benches. Shizune's expression has turned to one of confusion. “But how can you not hate me? I tried to steal your boyfriend. So that's what you did, Shicchan?”

I shake my head. “That's bullshit, Shizune, and if you stopped a moment to think about it you'd know it yourself. If you'd seriously tried to get me away from Misha, you wouldn't have used magic.”

“Hicchan is right. I know you well enough to know you wouldn't be satisfied with a victory if you cheated.” She smiles grimly. “You did steal a kiss from my boyfriend, though, and don't think I've completely forgiven you for that.”

If I didn't know better, I'd swear Shizune is actually relieved that Misha is at least a bit angry at her. She lowers her gaze and signs a weak I'm sorry.

“I know you're sorry. Any idiot could see that.” Now that Shizune has collected herself a bit, Misha is allowing her anger to surface. “You could start by telling us why the hell you did what you did!”

Shizune's gaze wanders back and forth between the two of us, then she gives a short reply.

Misha sighs. “So you love Hisao. Fine. That makes two of us, but if you're telling me that's all, I'm going to get angry for real.”

Tears start to well up in Shizune's eyes again, and her hands form a question.

“'You don't know?' How should we know if you don't tell us?

Shizune takes a deep breath, and then her hands start moving so rapidly Misha is hard pressed to keep up with the translation.

“At the school festival I noticed you two were falling for each other, but I hadn't given up yet. I thought I still had a chance. But when you came to class Tuesday morning and told me what happened, I knew I had lost, that you two shared something I could never be a part of. It hurt to lose, especially with the stakes so high, but you're my best friend, and I thought I could take it.”

She pauses for a second, but before Misha has a chance to start speaking for herself, she continues and this time her gestures become more and more angry. “But ever since then you two have had eyes only for each other. When we're together, it's like I'm not there at all! Sometimes you even forget to translate and I sit at the table next to you and watch you having fun! When I'm alone with you, all you talk about is Hisao, and just now, when I was alone with Hisao, all he wanted to talk about was you! First I lost the boy I love and then I was about to lose my best friend as well. I just couldn't take it any more.”

Shizune stops signing, and an uneasy silence descends on the roof. I try to remember all the times we've been together this week, and I realize she's right. We have been ignoring Shizune and we didn't even notice.

I am just about to speak up and apologize to Shizune, when Misha jumps up and grabs her in a bear hug. “I'm so sorry, Shicchan, I don't know how this could happen. Of course you're not going to lose us. We're going to be friends forever.”

There's no way Shizune could have understood the words, but I guess the gesture is unmistakable. Shizune's shoulders visibly relax, and I spend a few very awkward minutes watching the two girls cry at each other's shoulders.

Then Misha pushes Shizune at arms length and starts to sign. “Tell you what: Once you found yourself a boyfriend of your own, you'll order him to kiss me and we'll call it even.”

“Hey!”

“What, Hicchan?” She winks at me. “Fair's fair!”

Shizune looks at Misha, then at me and back at Misha again. Then a chuckle escapes her throat. It is a peculiar sound, from a throat that is not used to laughing nor to making any sounds at all, but after a few seconds Misha joins in, and soon the three of us are laughing so hard my stomach begins to ache.

When we have calmed down a bit, we begin to feel the cool evening air and decide to return inside. We are still in high spirits when we reach the bottom of the stairs, but we freeze when we notice who is waiting for us there.

“I am very glad to see you are having fun.” Mr. Kanzaki greets us with an icy voice. “You are going to follow me to the principal's office right now. The other teachers should be there already. We are going to decide what is going to happen to Ms. Hakamichi.”

With that he turns abruptly and marches away down the hall, the three of us meekly falling in step behind him.

********************

Please look forward to chapter Thirteen:
Zero to Hero

[griffon8]

You are sooooo mean to Shizune!

Another great chapter. As was previously stated, even without the magic, this would be a good story.

[scott1and]

This is fantastic, brilliant, awesome and all the other words I can't be arsed to say. Shizune showing a bit of emotion is always good in my book, can't wait for the next installment.

[Murex]

I just read the first chapter, but this fanfic seems really interesting. It's well-written and the characters act in believable ways. Now I'll go read the rest.

[Leotrak]

She is wearing a pink bandanna – a very meagre disguise of the fact that her usually abundant hair and is gone.

Just a little thing there.

(editor speaking) I have no idea how I missed that -_-" Must pore over it again tonight...

[Petermeter]

(editor speaking) I have no idea how I missed that -_-" Must pore over it again tonight...

Don't be too hard on yourself there, we all aren't perfect (at least I hope so, or I can't complain about ppl ). After all I don't know how the text looked before proofreading, I'm pretty sure I would miss more important mistakes while proofreading texts. Then again, that would presumably be okay for me, being german (ah the irony with being grammar-nazi and german at the same time) and all.

[Mirage_GSM]

Then again, that would presumably be okay for me, being german (ah the irony with being grammar-nazi and german at the same time) and all.

I know exactly how you feel
Anyway, here is the long expected explanation of the incongruity you noticed:

Chapter Thirteen – Zero to Hero
The march to the principal's office is a silent one. Neither of us dares to antagonize Mr. Kanzaki further by talking or even asking a question. When I glance sideways at Shizune, she is wearing a resigned expression, as if she had already come to terms with being expelled from Yamaku.

When we enter the office, most of the chairs around the conference table are already taken. Mr. Kanzaki gives the assembly an annoyed look. “This is supposed to be a disciplinary committee. This doesn't concern the other students. Who called them here?”

Hanako tries to sink into her chair and it is obvious she would have bolted from the room if Lilly had not placed a comforting hand on her arm. Rin doesn't react to him at all and continues staring holes into the air. Emi is giving me a wink and mimes a kiss. Apparently gossip travels as fast as usual around here. Kenji is sitting near the head of the table, clearly uncomfortable with being in the room with so many women.

Takeshi looks up from his conversation with Ms. Miyagi. He looks a bit tired as if he's gotten too little sleep last night. “I did. I told them to come, because I have another topic for this meeting – one that does concern all of them.”

Mr. Kanzaki glares at Takeshi. “Can't this wait until tomorrow? This is a very serious matter, and don't think I've already forgotten your aiding them earlier.”

“I'm sorry Kozo, but I believe this is important, too. And it is something we should take into account before making any decisions regarding Ms. Hakamichi.”

Mr. Kanzaki walks to his chair at the head of the table. “Well, Takeshi, this had better be good.” He crosses his arms in front of his chest. “The audience is all yours.”

“Thank you.” He motions for us to sit down as well and waits until we have all taken our places.

“As you all know this year's magic class is exceptional both in it's size and in it's composition. All eight students have the potential to become very powerful mages, and most of them have made unbelievable progress in not even a week's time.”

“As you all know, there is one student here who is not only extraordinary but unique.” All eyes turn to Kenji, but Takeshi continues talking. “But for some time now, I have been suspecting that there is another among the students who might be unique.”

He walks over to the blackboard hanging on the wall and grabs a piece of chalk. Then he draws two short vertical lines and connects them with a longer horizontal one. “Now I know that it is not possible to accurately measure magical potential, but please humour me.”

He points at the line. “Let's say this is a scale from zero to ten, zero being a human without magical talent and ten being a council mage. Kozo, where would you put Hisao?”

Mr. Kanzaki sighs. “Takeshi, we've been over this. Hisao is a gifted student. On your scale I'd rate him a seven, maybe an eight, but from what I've seen him do in our lessons, his power is nothing out of the ordinary.”

Takeshi takes a deep breath. “What if I told you I estimate his magical potential at fourteen – give or take?”

There is a collective gasp from everyone in the room, including myself. He can't be serious. I haven't even been able to do all the exercises I've been given on my own.

Mr. Kanzaki snorts. “That's ridiculous. He's not the first student I've been teaching, and I would have noticed if he had that kind of potential.”

“I didn't expect you to just take my word for it, so I prepared something. You know that magical potential is something only Diviners can perceive. I've been trying to find a way to make it visible to other mages as well, and together with Mr. Nomiya I've found a way to turn the results of my Divination into visible light.”

He turns to the nurse. “Is it okay to use you for a first demonstration?”

The nurse nods sheepishly. “Sure.”

A few seconds later the nurse is surrounded by a soft blue glow. Takeshi marks an 'x' on the line where the two would be.

Mr. Mutou nods appreciatively. “Nice trick.”

Takeshi turns to Mr. Kanzaki. “Can we do you next, Kozo?”

“I still don't know what you're getting at, but go ahead.”

Soon Mr. Kanzaki is surrounded by a bright white light. I have to squint a bit when I look at him directly. Takeshi puts a second marker on the line approximately at nine.

Then he turns to me. “Hisao, would you mind if we tried the same with you?”

I feel a bit uncomfortable with all eyes trained on me, but I manage a nod. Takeshi and Mr. Nomiya share a glance and the next moment there is a bright flash bathing the room in brilliant light. Blinded I squeeze my eyes shut. I hear Hanako scream somewhere to my left and Misha is holding on tightly to my arm.

When the light subsides, I try to open my eyes cautiously, but for a few seconds more I can see nothing but bright stars. I look around the room and it seems to be the same for most people. Hanako still has her eyes tightly shut and her face buried in Lilly's sleeve. Mr. Mutou is staring at me, blinking heavily, his mouth hanging open. Only Takeshi and Mr. Nomiya seem unaffected, probably because they knew what to expect and kept their eyes shut.

Mr. Kanzaki rises from his chair and clears his throat. “Well, Takeshi, that was a very... impressive demonstration.” He walks over to the black board and picks up another piece of chalk. “So we have established Hisao's magic potential to be somewhere around here.” He puts an 'X' somewhere to the right of the rightmost line. “How is it possible that he has so much potential and is not showing any of it during our lessons?”

Takeshi smiles. “Oh, he has been showing it all the time, just not the way we expected him to. I've been talking to all the teachers, and it's really obvious if you know what to look for.”

Everyone is staring at Takeshi, a big question mark on their faces. Apparently he didn't even tell Mr. Nomiya about this.

“You see, you're wrong. Hisao's potential isn't here.” He erases the mark Mr. Kanzaki has drawn on the board. “In fact your estimate of seven is probably quite accurate.” He adds another mark, while everyone is getting more and more confused.

Ms. Miyagi speaks up. “But what we just saw...”

Takeshi holds up his hand. Then he puts the chalk on the zero line and extends the line towards the left. “That's because his potential probably starts around here.”

Mr. Kanzaki frowns, then his eyes go wide with apparent realization. He seems to be the only one in the room who understands what Takeshi is getting at, though.

“Care to explain that in a way the rest of us can wrap their tiny minds around as well?” Akane is getting more than a little impatient.

“Of course. Didn't you tell us earlier that Shizune shouldn't be able to use magic on the level she showed this afternoon?”

“She shouldn't, but what does that have to do with...” She trails off. “You mean...?”

“Exactly. Usually an Abjurer can remove or dampen the effects of magic. Hisao's talent seems to work both ways. He can also strengthen other people's magic. He is not only an Abjurer, he is an Amplifier.”

“You just made that up on the spot, didn't you?”

Takeshi shrugs. “I had to. This is absolutely unheard of, so there is no word for such a talent. Feel free to come up with a better one.”

Mr. Mutou doesn't look like he is completely convinced yet. “And what makes you think Mr. Nakai possesses such a unique talent?”

“Well, there was this discrepancy between Hisao's potential and the skills he displayed, so I asked around a bit. Do you remember what you told me about Misha destroying those two petri dishes during her first lesson? Didn't that happen just after Hisao entered the room?”

He turns to the nurse. “Do you remember when Emi tried to levitate a book and smashed it halfway through the ceiling? Rin started painting colours a few minutes after Hisao arrived to observe her lesson. Lilly was able to see through Hisao's eyes when she was just trying to mind-talk to him. I was almost certain when I saw that with my own eye.”

“And of course there is the incident with Shizune. It all adds up; I can't think of any other explanation.”

“So... What you're saying is that others can do magic better when I'm around?”

Takeshi opens his mouth but Mr. Kanzaki is faster. “If Takeshi is correct with his assumptions, then you have been using that talent only subconsciously so far. If you learn to control it, you should be able to add your strength to the magic of others at will. We don't know anything for certain though, so we will have to experiment.”

He looks at his wristwatch and rises from his chair. “This is very unexpected. I have to contact a few people. This meeting is adjourned. Takeshi, Ms. Miyagi, Mr. Mutou, please stay here for a while. All students, you are not to use magic of any kind around Hisao unsupervised until further notice. Hisao, you are excused from tomorrow's morning classes. Please report to Mr. Nomiya in the art-room instead. Ms. Hakamichi, I will leave the matter of your punishment to Ms. Aikawa. Good night everyone.”

Damn, I had hoped he would forget about Shizune. As everyone leaves the principal's office, Shizune, Misha and I quietly follow Akane to the corridor.

*********************

Please look forward to chapter Fourteen:
Can You Feel The Love Tonight

[scott1and]

Le Gasp!!!
The plot thickens like the honey mixed with the syrup on the pancake of your imagination

Still lovin the disney song references by the way

[Petermeter]

Yeah, I totally approve of the development. Makes me feel like I can try pretty good at guessing where the story goes, as Hisao still should kinda be in love with Misha, and being the "Amplifier" he should be quite able to help Kenji by being around him.
Nice to see there are other germans in the vicinity, by the way

[Morph]

I like the story so far, but atm it might be easy to envision what will happen later on.
Plus points for your organisation: this story seems to be made up right in the beginning and you only need to express what you have in mind.

Nice to see there are other germans in the vicinity, by the way

Whether in the holidays or here on the internet, seems to be that we Germans always like to have others of us around

[Mirage_GSM]

I like the story so far, but atm it might be easy to envision what will happen later on.

Let's wait and see... I hope I still have one or two surprises for you up my sleeve...

Plus points for your organisation: this story seems to be made up right in the beginning and you only need to express what you have in mind.

Not entirely, but I had the general outline of the story prepared by the time I finished writing Chapter five. Of course a few things had to be changed and/or expanded along the way. That's why I like to keep two or three chapters ahead of what I post here - that way I can retcon some stuff without anyone noticing.
Regarding the current discussion on "Canon", I have notes about all kinds of stuff like mage 'politics', character backgrounds etc. but so far there's nothing but some throwaway mentions in the story, and currently I don't plan to significantly expand on that. It's just a help for me to keep things consistent.

[griffon8]

Well, after that last chapter I went back and reread the whole thing.

Brilliant.

[Mirage_GSM]

Next Chapter. Bonus points to those who recognize the dog

Chapter Fourteen – Can You Feel The Love Tonight
We wait until the others have left. Emi tries to linger behind a bit to eavesdrop, but she's dragged away by the nurse.

Please tell me what my punishment will be! Shizune's 'voice' doesn't show any anxiety, but her lips are pressed tightly together.

Akane looks confused for a moment. “Punishment? Oh right, I almost forgot. You're grounded for a week.”

She must have noticed our incredulous looks. “What? You thought I'd have Makoto turn you into a giant toad for a few days? Just for failing to control more magic than most students wield after half a year?” She continues in a conspiratorial whisper. “Besides, I kind of see where you're coming from. He really is a cutie.”

I feel the blood going to my head again, so I'm glad when she changes the subject. “But let's make it formal in case Kozo follows up on this. Shizune, you are not to leave the school-grounds without permission until the end of next week!”

The violet glow emanating from her shows me that Shizune probably couldn't disobey if she wanted to.

Akane winks at me. “If you decide to remove that geas from her, you'd better not let Kozo find out, or you'll really be in trouble.” Then she turns back to Shizune. “And the two of us are going to have a remedial lesson right now. I'm going to show you a trick or two so something like today doesn't happen again. You don't usually learn those until much later, but... heck, I never liked being bound by a curriculum anyway.”

With that she grabs Shizune's arm and drags her away towards the student council office.

***

Suddenly Misha and I are alone in the corridor. As the day's tension leaves me, I realize just how tired I really am. I look at Misha and realize she is close to exhaustion as well. No surprise, as she has the effects of the chemotherapy to cope with in addition to all the other stress.

She leans against a wall, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. I take her hand and press it reassuringly. “Tired?”

She nods weakly. “Yes, very. Let's get back to the dorms.”

I put my arm around her waist and together we make our way out of the auxiliary building. By the time we reach the school-yard, Misha is leaning heavily on me. She must be even more exhausted than I thought she was. When we finally arrive at the dorms, I am breathing hard as well.

As I start to say goodbye, she interrupts me. “Please don't go. I don't want to be alone right now. Will you come up to my room for a moment? Just until Shizune is back.”

It's still before curfew. Shizune probably won't be back before it begins, but what the heck... I nod and together we enter the girl's dorm.

***

The girl's dorm looks exactly like the boy's dorm on the inside. Misha's and Shizune's rooms are on the second floor. We both eschew the stairs and ride the elevator instead. Living in a dorm for disabled people has it's benefits.

Misha unlocks the door to her room and lets me in. “I'm sorry, it's been some time since I last tidied up my room.”

I enter the room and look around. Pink is the prevailing colour here. On the walls, there are a few posters of some pop group. A nightdress is carelessly thrown onto the ruffled bed. A small cupboard holds a stereo and a large collection of CDs.

The desk is a mess of schoolbooks, notebooks and CDs with some papers spilling over onto the floor. The wall above the desk is papered with photographs. Most of them show Misha together with Shizune or Misha with a middle-aged man and woman, probably her parents, some show our other classmates and a few show Misha playing with a large Golden Retriever dog. None of the photographs seems to be older than two or three years...

God, there's so much I don't know about Misha... Actually I really know next to nothing about her. But I do know that I love her and that I want to learn all the rest.

I turn around. Misha has closed the door behind her and plops down on the bed, sighing in relief.

I sit down on the chair, taking a deep breath as well. I try to find a subject other than magic and illnesses of any kind to talk about and remember my resolution to learn as much about Misha as I can. “You have a dog?”

Misha breaks into a smile. “Yes, that's Ribati. She is about four years old now. It's too bad Yamaku doesn't allow any pets, but it probably can't be helped.”

“Has she been with you very long?”

“A few months after I was released from the hospital, my parents took me for a vacation to California. We found her tied to a post at a highway. She was almost starved... She looked a lot like I did back then. We took her to the next town and on the way I begged my parents to let me keep her until they relented.” She chuckles. “I think they would have given me a pet alligator if they thought it would make me happy. I remember it was a huge mess getting the necessary papers to take her with us back to Japan.”

“Isn't Ribati a strange name for a dog?”

That was my mother's idea. Ribati's an American, and apparently one of their presidents or car manufacturers or whatever had a dog just like her that was also called Ribati. I liked the sound of it, even if I didn't know the meaning. What about you? Do you have any pets?”

I shake my head. “No, my father is allergic to anything that has a pelt and a good many other things as well. And my mother would throw a fit, if a dog salivated all over her carpets. She's really into having everything clean. Might be because of dad's allergies – I don't know. Don't you miss her?”

“Ribati? Yes, I do, but I don't live very far from here, so my parents usually take me home for the weekends. Shizune usually comes as well. Her parents are very busy even on weekends and they don't have much time for her. At the moment, mum is caring for an aunt who has fallen ill, so they didn't come to the festival last sunday.”

She frowns. “Of course, I don't know if that will be possible, if I have to do this chemotherapy thing every day from now on.”

No. That is a topic I don't want to breach tonight. I move over to sit on the bed next to Misha and put my arm around her. She leans her head on my shoulder.

“So, who's that band on the poster?”

“Orange Range. You don't know them?” She sounds surprised.

“I've heard from them, but I rarely watch the Music Video Channel, so I didn't recognize their faces.”

Time flies by, as we talk about our respective families and hobbies. Soon I notice Misha getting more and more sleepy until she finally falls asleep in my arms. Carefully, so as not to wake her, I lay her down on the bed and pull the blanket over her. After a brief kiss to the forehead, I sneak out of the girl's dorm and back to my own room, where I soon fall into a deep sleep as well.

**********************

Please look forward to chapter Fifteen:
Supercalifragilisticexpialigocious

[ChaoticGrowth]

Ribati => リバティ => Liberty
:3

[Shades of gray]

now i visualize Lilly with a umbrella floating over London... hisao as the father guy (cant remember name) emi as the little girl..... and im stopping here...

excellent read as always Mirage