What’s Mutou Got to Do With It?
February 11 — Monday
Rin stopped by class 3-3 after school; as she’d hoped, the class was empty and Mutou-sensei was alone, marking papers at his desk.
“Sensei.”
Mutou looked up - not startled, but taken out of the flow of his work.
“Ah .. Tezuka. How can I help you?”
“I need someone to talk to about relationships and you’re married so I want to talk to you.”
Students often preferred, for their own reasons, to talk to teachers instead of peers, counsellors, or their own parents about personal matters. Mutou had thought there was an appeal to objectivity at play, but didn’t bother pursuing the thought further - did it really matter? He would help if he could.
“What do you need to know, Tezuka?”
He knew Rin peripherally - her reputation preceded her, of course, being up there with Hanako for what the other students uncharitably called `weirdness`; teachers hear much that students think are intended for other students’ ears alone. He knew her well enough to know that directness was called for.
“I’m in a relationship and I want it to last - I asked Emi for advice but she says she doesn’t know how to keep relationships going and that I should talk to someone who does - I thought that would be someone who’s been married for a long time and has learned how to keep a relationship going like caring for a plant that is particular about how it wants to grow - how much light, water, and talking to it needs.”
“Ah - the Tezuka brain-dump,” her reputation had preceded her indeed. Mutou paused to think how best to respond. He chose to explore further the metaphor she’d already used; it helped that the metaphor already had a scientific bend.
“You’re right to think about relationships as a living thing. Each relationship is different though - what food, water, and light works for one relationship might not work for another.”
Rin’s face didn’t fall - it remained expressionless, which, for her, was the same thing.
“Don’t be discouraged though — it’s not hard to find out what your relationship needs to thrive. First, care for yourself. If the relationship needs you to neglect your own food, water, and light, then it’s not going to last very long because you won’t thrive — does that make sense?”
Rin nodded curtly, taking Mutou’s words in.
“Next, pay attention to what your partner needs and give it to them, to the extent that it doesn’t starve you of what you need. Understand its a compromise - you may have to give up a bit of what you need for your partner, but they should do the same for you — just don’t give them all the water and the light.”
“How will I know if I’m doing that?”
“Giving them all the water and light? You’ll start to wilt — you’ll feel it. That’s the third thing - pay attention to yourself. Are you happy? I mean, overall - everyone has bad days; there are disagreements, there are even fights - which is the fourth thing: How do you resolve conflict? Is it constructive - do you work together to share the light, or does one of you always have to surrender to the other?”
Rin looked at the ceiling - listening, but also processing Mutou’s words. Rin started walking back and forth in a small figure-eight pattern.
“I think I understand. I’m going to need to practice this though.”
Mutou stifled his desire to ask Rin whether she needed to pace like that - the answer obviously was going to be “Yes," distracting though it was.
“Conscious practice is called for. Do you keep a journal?”
“Sometimes.”
“Try writing in your journal every day — it’s a very good way to keep track of your feelings - whether you’re getting enough light - day after day.”
Rin wobbled a little as she stopped pacing, her head spinning a bit.
“OK.”
With that, she left the room abruptly. As her footsteps receded down the hall Mutou heard her call out “Thank you!” and then she was gone.
--
Two Body Problem (Complete)
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Asoko_Desu
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Re: Two Body Problem
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"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
Biologies
February 12, 2008 — Tuesday
“Did you know it takes two people to make a baby? I learned that today in the Library.” Rin shared with Emi.
“Actually, yes - I did; you’d have known that sooner if you ever came to health class.”
“But then I wouldn’t have time to read the magazines Hanako hides in the Library.”
“Ahem, quite. Isn’t nature marvellous? Speaking of which .. Tetsu - kids?”
“Not yet - as far as I know. He could have had some before coming over here though. I should ask him.”
“Highly unlikely, silly - I meant you. Do you want them?”
“Oh - yes. Yes and more yes.” Rin thought forward momentarily - years down the road where she had a family started and more on the way; it sent a shiver up her spine.
“Here - try this on,” and Emi held up a folded loop of heavy fabric.
“What is it?”
“A nursing sling - you put it on, adjust it, and put a baby in it so your, ah, arms are free while it nurses. Or they - I think you can arrange it for twins. We’re studying maternity in health this week - everyone has to take one wear it to see what it’s like - I can see it being something you’d find useful.”
“Even the boys?”
“Especially the boys - they need to appreciate what their partners are going through.”
Emi reached the loop of cloth over Rin’s head and adjusted it so a baby in the sling would be at eye-level with Rin’s chest.
“Even the gay boys?”
“Sure - who do you think is going to feed gay babies?”
“Hang on - you’re not supposed to be wearing a top under it - sort of defeats the purpose.”
Emi slipped the sling off of Rin and undid Rin’s tie, top, and bra, then put it back on her.
“There - thought it looked a bit off before. How does it feel?”
“OK - I guess?”
“Oh - one more thing ..”
Emi reached under her bed and pulled out a baby doll. She took it out of its box and placed it in the sling.
“Now how does it feel?”
Rin closed her eyes and felt her chest flush. “Ah .. it feels ..”
“Wait - there’s more!”
Emi reached behind the doll and flipped on a switch - the doll started to play a recording of a hungry baby crying.
“Aaah!” Said Rin, her eyes snapping open - the flush on her chest moving up her neck.
“Aaah - that feels weird. My body .. it’s like it has a mind of its own; it wants to feed the baby, but can’t! Make it stop!”
Emi switched off the doll’s switch.
“Basically when a baby cries, it’s probably hungry, and as a mother part of your job is to feed the baby. Even if your partner is fully supportive, there are some things that men just can’t do. Your body’s reaction is largely automatic.”
“I .. have to think about this.”
“Good think or bad?”
“I .. don’t know. Just new, I think. Could you .. turn the doll back on again for a bit?”
“Sure ..”
Rin sat down on the edge of Emi’s bed, listening to the sound of the doll crying. She gently rocked back and forth and pulled the doll closer to her chest with what she had for arms, muffling it somewhat. She smiled contentedly, small tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
“Mama Rin - it suits you.”
Rin looked up, her face wet, and nodded.
“Let’s get you out of that before you start lactating — and no more of this bullshit about Tetsu being too good for you - you be good to your man. I’ve seen how some people look at him now they’ve seen him with you; be careful - if you drop him you might find he’s not where you left him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rin, you know I don’t say this lightly - you’re family. You and mom, you’re all I’ve really got. I want you to be happy - so happy - you have no idea. You came to me once for help dealing with boys - I’ll give you one last piece of advice that mom gave me — never, ever, take a relationship for granted. Nurture it, and if you have to, end it, but always respect it - it always means something of value, and that means making an effort to keep it. Does that make sense?”
Rin looked deeply contemplative - invisible things that were none the less very much alive described the greater part of her reality. Thus far, however, that reality was hers alone — what Emi was describing was a reality that two people shared. That was new.
“I need to think about this ..”
--
February 12, 2008 — Tuesday
“Did you know it takes two people to make a baby? I learned that today in the Library.” Rin shared with Emi.
“Actually, yes - I did; you’d have known that sooner if you ever came to health class.”
“But then I wouldn’t have time to read the magazines Hanako hides in the Library.”
“Ahem, quite. Isn’t nature marvellous? Speaking of which .. Tetsu - kids?”
“Not yet - as far as I know. He could have had some before coming over here though. I should ask him.”
“Highly unlikely, silly - I meant you. Do you want them?”
“Oh - yes. Yes and more yes.” Rin thought forward momentarily - years down the road where she had a family started and more on the way; it sent a shiver up her spine.
“Here - try this on,” and Emi held up a folded loop of heavy fabric.
“What is it?”
“A nursing sling - you put it on, adjust it, and put a baby in it so your, ah, arms are free while it nurses. Or they - I think you can arrange it for twins. We’re studying maternity in health this week - everyone has to take one wear it to see what it’s like - I can see it being something you’d find useful.”
“Even the boys?”
“Especially the boys - they need to appreciate what their partners are going through.”
Emi reached the loop of cloth over Rin’s head and adjusted it so a baby in the sling would be at eye-level with Rin’s chest.
“Even the gay boys?”
“Sure - who do you think is going to feed gay babies?”
“Hang on - you’re not supposed to be wearing a top under it - sort of defeats the purpose.”
Emi slipped the sling off of Rin and undid Rin’s tie, top, and bra, then put it back on her.
“There - thought it looked a bit off before. How does it feel?”
“OK - I guess?”
“Oh - one more thing ..”
Emi reached under her bed and pulled out a baby doll. She took it out of its box and placed it in the sling.
“Now how does it feel?”
Rin closed her eyes and felt her chest flush. “Ah .. it feels ..”
“Wait - there’s more!”
Emi reached behind the doll and flipped on a switch - the doll started to play a recording of a hungry baby crying.
“Aaah!” Said Rin, her eyes snapping open - the flush on her chest moving up her neck.
“Aaah - that feels weird. My body .. it’s like it has a mind of its own; it wants to feed the baby, but can’t! Make it stop!”
Emi switched off the doll’s switch.
“Basically when a baby cries, it’s probably hungry, and as a mother part of your job is to feed the baby. Even if your partner is fully supportive, there are some things that men just can’t do. Your body’s reaction is largely automatic.”
“I .. have to think about this.”
“Good think or bad?”
“I .. don’t know. Just new, I think. Could you .. turn the doll back on again for a bit?”
“Sure ..”
Rin sat down on the edge of Emi’s bed, listening to the sound of the doll crying. She gently rocked back and forth and pulled the doll closer to her chest with what she had for arms, muffling it somewhat. She smiled contentedly, small tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
“Mama Rin - it suits you.”
Rin looked up, her face wet, and nodded.
“Let’s get you out of that before you start lactating — and no more of this bullshit about Tetsu being too good for you - you be good to your man. I’ve seen how some people look at him now they’ve seen him with you; be careful - if you drop him you might find he’s not where you left him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rin, you know I don’t say this lightly - you’re family. You and mom, you’re all I’ve really got. I want you to be happy - so happy - you have no idea. You came to me once for help dealing with boys - I’ll give you one last piece of advice that mom gave me — never, ever, take a relationship for granted. Nurture it, and if you have to, end it, but always respect it - it always means something of value, and that means making an effort to keep it. Does that make sense?”
Rin looked deeply contemplative - invisible things that were none the less very much alive described the greater part of her reality. Thus far, however, that reality was hers alone — what Emi was describing was a reality that two people shared. That was new.
“I need to think about this ..”
--
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Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Tue Apr 25, 2023 6:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
It’s Only Natural
February 14, 2008 — Thursday
“And Tetsu?”
“Hm?”
“What do you think about babies?”
“They’re ok - kinda smelly.”
The look on Rin’s face told him that was the wrong answer.
“.. but beautiful?” He recovered.
That was the right answer. Rin rewarded him with a big smile —
“They are! They so are! If we stay together, what do you think about making babies together?”
“If?”
“Well ..”
“No ifs. And yes - you’d make a wonderful mother.. Why are you thinking of this now? We’ve been pretty careful - is there something you haven’t told me?”
“No - not yet. And we have been careful. Just thinking - I’ll be 19 soon, and the art program I’m applying to is 2 years long; I’ll be 21 when I graduate and I want to start my career - but I also want to start a family while I’m young.”
“Have you been talking to your mother lately? OK - let’s talk about timing then. Let me finish school; we’ll get a place then we can think about it. Let me get a job - even just a part-time one; something that’ll pay for an extra mouth and an apartment of our own - I don’t think Emi and Hisao want to bunk with a crying baby if we end up sharing a place with them.”
“Unless Emi’s pregnant too.”
“Rin - this is a lot of baby talk. Is Emi ..?”
“Not that I know of - her health class this week is on parenting and it got she and I talking.”
“Ah - ok; *whew* that explains a lot. OK - let’s get our post-high school lives somewhat under control, then let’s see about starting a family.”
“Also. Tetsu - I have something for you ..”
Rin fished about in her book bag with her feet and pulled out a little red bag by the string closure and `handed` it over to him.
“Happy Valentine’s Day!”
Tetsu happily accepted the gift of chocolate — Miki had warned him not to get anything for Rin until March, when, on `White Day`, men gave gifts of white chocolate to their ladies. The whole thing seriously confused Tetsu, but `When in Rome`, after all.
“Thank you Rin-desu!”
“You know, if you need someone to help you finish those chocolates ..”
“I’m glad to know you’ve got my back, sweetness.”
--
February 14, 2008 — Thursday
“And Tetsu?”
“Hm?”
“What do you think about babies?”
“They’re ok - kinda smelly.”
The look on Rin’s face told him that was the wrong answer.
“.. but beautiful?” He recovered.
That was the right answer. Rin rewarded him with a big smile —
“They are! They so are! If we stay together, what do you think about making babies together?”
“If?”
“Well ..”
“No ifs. And yes - you’d make a wonderful mother.. Why are you thinking of this now? We’ve been pretty careful - is there something you haven’t told me?”
“No - not yet. And we have been careful. Just thinking - I’ll be 19 soon, and the art program I’m applying to is 2 years long; I’ll be 21 when I graduate and I want to start my career - but I also want to start a family while I’m young.”
“Have you been talking to your mother lately? OK - let’s talk about timing then. Let me finish school; we’ll get a place then we can think about it. Let me get a job - even just a part-time one; something that’ll pay for an extra mouth and an apartment of our own - I don’t think Emi and Hisao want to bunk with a crying baby if we end up sharing a place with them.”
“Unless Emi’s pregnant too.”
“Rin - this is a lot of baby talk. Is Emi ..?”
“Not that I know of - her health class this week is on parenting and it got she and I talking.”
“Ah - ok; *whew* that explains a lot. OK - let’s get our post-high school lives somewhat under control, then let’s see about starting a family.”
“Also. Tetsu - I have something for you ..”
Rin fished about in her book bag with her feet and pulled out a little red bag by the string closure and `handed` it over to him.
“Happy Valentine’s Day!”
Tetsu happily accepted the gift of chocolate — Miki had warned him not to get anything for Rin until March, when, on `White Day`, men gave gifts of white chocolate to their ladies. The whole thing seriously confused Tetsu, but `When in Rome`, after all.
“Thank you Rin-desu!”
“You know, if you need someone to help you finish those chocolates ..”
“I’m glad to know you’ve got my back, sweetness.”
--
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Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Tue Apr 25, 2023 6:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
Break Up for What
February 24, 2008 — Saturday
As the end of the school year approached, Rin had been running herself ragged - although pre-accepted to a number of schools, there were still formalities to be observed - interviews, campus tours - multiple opportunities to `screw things up` as she put it to herself. The past two weeks had been hell.
And she had insisted on managing the process on her own, despite offers to help her make arrangements or accompany her — “No, Tetsu, I don’t need you to hold my hand - I’ve got this.”
In preparation for the interviews, she spent much more time in the art room - there would be showings as part of her program and her portfolio of actually presentable work, while good enough to get her into a program, was woefully anemic she felt.
She’d largely stopped eating in the cafeteria, letting Tetsu bring her food in the art room — Nomiya-sensei was pleased beyond words to see her finally, he felt, applying herself, and granted her latitude to take over the back of the art room to work and store her work. Nor did he report her for flouting the dress code.
For her interviews she took to wearing fashionable, albeit simple tight-fitting clothing and eyeglasses without prescription lenses — the overall look being that of a person older than Rin’s age by several years; not a high-schooler barely graduated, but more an established artist just starting their career.
She had asked Tetsu to sew side zippers and small hooks into a pair of heavy, smart-looking boots she’d bought; the zippers so that she didn’t need to tie up the laces, and the hooks so that she could pull the side zippers up and down without needing hands.
The boots complimented her black stretch jeans and the tight-fitting top she wore under a narrowly fitted tan blazer. She kept the arms of the blazer pinned up with large skirt pins - not flaunting, but also not hiding the fact she did so. The soft green colour of her eyeglasses’ frames set off her red hair and startlingly green eyes.
As her focus on post-high school sharpened, she favoured changing out of her overalls into her professional clothes after school hours to become more comfortable wearing them to interviews.
Such a change was not unnoticed - slim but shapely and discarding her frumpy school duds - Rin became less noticed as Tetsu's girlfriend and more noticed for her own attractiveness, and, truth be told, she found she appreciated the recognition.
A day of hard work on top of two weeks of preparing and interviewing had left Rin exhausted - she went back to her room and sat down on her bed to change out of her work overalls.
—
With Emi —
“You know, Emi - it’s not just Tetsu that people have started noticing. I’m getting not a few looks myself - I have to wonder what University’s going to be like that way,” Rin said airily.
Rin had let her hair grow out on one side over the past month and tossed her hair back over one shoulder as Emi combed it. Let grow, her hair was decidedly wavy and shone like brushed copper.
“Rin, you’ve really changed,” observed Emi.
“Thank you for noticing.”
“.. and I’m not sure in a good way.”
Rin just sniffed at this. Who was Emi to lecture her? Was Emi going on to great things? Well, maybe - but there are plenty of disabled runners in the world and only one Rin Tezuka.
“And I’m not sure you’re not an idiot - you’ve never understood me,” said Rin, coldly.
“Sorry - that’s not my job - I’m not your boyfriend. And did you just call me an idiot? Well, fuck you.” And Emi stormed off, slamming the door behind her.
“Fuck me? Fuck you. I can’t wait to shake this place and move on to a real school and get real friends.” Rin thought to herself bitterly.
And, while Tetsu was wonderful, Rin wondered if he wasn’t the best for her at Yamaku — there was a whole world outside of their little isolated hill-top community. Now that the door to the world beyond had been opened a crack, who was to say she couldn’t do better? Really - she’d come this far, to ignore the possibilities waiting for her at University seemed .. limiting.
—
With Tetsu —
“How did the interviews go?”
“Fine.”
“Did something go wrong?”
“Wrong? No - nothing went wrong. They all want me - that’s fine; there are worse things.”
“Such as?”
“You know what I heard the other day?”
“What?”
“Two students in the cafeteria - they didn’t even care that I was standing right next to them. Do you know what they said?”
“Tell me.”
“`There goes Kaiyou’s hot crazy chick, Tezuka` — Is that all I am now - Kaiyou’s `hot crazy chick`?”
“To them, maybe? Not to me - well, the hot part is true, but you’re so much more than that to me.”
“Am I? Are you with me just to protect me? Feed me? Dress me? Wash me?”
“No - although I do, and will if you want me to - if you need me to. I love you for you - who you are, not what you are. I’m with you to be with you — I love you, and that’s not a small thing. When I’m not with you, I feel like a part of me is missing. And your art - I am in awe of your skill. And your wit - you’re brilliant and that thrills me to no end.”
“Will it last?”
“Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to tear down our relationship - every time I try to build it up, you find fault and try to knock it down - why?”
Not waiting for her to answer, Tetsu continued —
“Nothing lasts - not without work. Everything wears out unless you care for it. Sometimes it wears out anyhow despite caring for it, but you tried your best. Isn’t best good enough?”
"I would have said yes, not long ago - I would have been satisfied with whatever I could get, but you helped me see the world can be engaged with, and not just hidden from. That I can survive - just being me — ”
“I don’t just want to be that ‘hot crazy chick’ that the Oni Kaiyou is dating - I want to be me; Tezuka Rin. Can I be that person if I’m only seen as part of you?”
“So you want to break up? You want to date someone else?“
“Yes.. and no - I feel I need to keep growing, and I don’t think I can do that with you - not now. I don’t know if that means dating someone else. I need to grow into my own light — ”
“You’ve shown me there’s more to life than just hiding. Now I know there’s more, I want to explore that ‘more’ - as myself.”
“Can't we do that together?”
“I don’t know - why are you upset? Didn’t you tell me to follow my dreams? Didn’t you think that might include leaving you?”
Tetsu’s chest heaved as he spoke between breaths, struggling to retain his composure “I - don’t want - to lose you.”
Rin looked pained to the point of agony - she didn’t want to break up; she didn’t want to hurt Tetsu, but she felt she had to — her thoughts - the birds in her head as she called them - fought with each other to find any other way out of their cages, to no avail.
--
February 24, 2008 — Saturday
As the end of the school year approached, Rin had been running herself ragged - although pre-accepted to a number of schools, there were still formalities to be observed - interviews, campus tours - multiple opportunities to `screw things up` as she put it to herself. The past two weeks had been hell.
And she had insisted on managing the process on her own, despite offers to help her make arrangements or accompany her — “No, Tetsu, I don’t need you to hold my hand - I’ve got this.”
In preparation for the interviews, she spent much more time in the art room - there would be showings as part of her program and her portfolio of actually presentable work, while good enough to get her into a program, was woefully anemic she felt.
She’d largely stopped eating in the cafeteria, letting Tetsu bring her food in the art room — Nomiya-sensei was pleased beyond words to see her finally, he felt, applying herself, and granted her latitude to take over the back of the art room to work and store her work. Nor did he report her for flouting the dress code.
For her interviews she took to wearing fashionable, albeit simple tight-fitting clothing and eyeglasses without prescription lenses — the overall look being that of a person older than Rin’s age by several years; not a high-schooler barely graduated, but more an established artist just starting their career.
She had asked Tetsu to sew side zippers and small hooks into a pair of heavy, smart-looking boots she’d bought; the zippers so that she didn’t need to tie up the laces, and the hooks so that she could pull the side zippers up and down without needing hands.
The boots complimented her black stretch jeans and the tight-fitting top she wore under a narrowly fitted tan blazer. She kept the arms of the blazer pinned up with large skirt pins - not flaunting, but also not hiding the fact she did so. The soft green colour of her eyeglasses’ frames set off her red hair and startlingly green eyes.
As her focus on post-high school sharpened, she favoured changing out of her overalls into her professional clothes after school hours to become more comfortable wearing them to interviews.
Such a change was not unnoticed - slim but shapely and discarding her frumpy school duds - Rin became less noticed as Tetsu's girlfriend and more noticed for her own attractiveness, and, truth be told, she found she appreciated the recognition.
A day of hard work on top of two weeks of preparing and interviewing had left Rin exhausted - she went back to her room and sat down on her bed to change out of her work overalls.
—
With Emi —
“You know, Emi - it’s not just Tetsu that people have started noticing. I’m getting not a few looks myself - I have to wonder what University’s going to be like that way,” Rin said airily.
Rin had let her hair grow out on one side over the past month and tossed her hair back over one shoulder as Emi combed it. Let grow, her hair was decidedly wavy and shone like brushed copper.
“Rin, you’ve really changed,” observed Emi.
“Thank you for noticing.”
“.. and I’m not sure in a good way.”
Rin just sniffed at this. Who was Emi to lecture her? Was Emi going on to great things? Well, maybe - but there are plenty of disabled runners in the world and only one Rin Tezuka.
“And I’m not sure you’re not an idiot - you’ve never understood me,” said Rin, coldly.
“Sorry - that’s not my job - I’m not your boyfriend. And did you just call me an idiot? Well, fuck you.” And Emi stormed off, slamming the door behind her.
“Fuck me? Fuck you. I can’t wait to shake this place and move on to a real school and get real friends.” Rin thought to herself bitterly.
And, while Tetsu was wonderful, Rin wondered if he wasn’t the best for her at Yamaku — there was a whole world outside of their little isolated hill-top community. Now that the door to the world beyond had been opened a crack, who was to say she couldn’t do better? Really - she’d come this far, to ignore the possibilities waiting for her at University seemed .. limiting.
—
With Tetsu —
“How did the interviews go?”
“Fine.”
“Did something go wrong?”
“Wrong? No - nothing went wrong. They all want me - that’s fine; there are worse things.”
“Such as?”
“You know what I heard the other day?”
“What?”
“Two students in the cafeteria - they didn’t even care that I was standing right next to them. Do you know what they said?”
“Tell me.”
“`There goes Kaiyou’s hot crazy chick, Tezuka` — Is that all I am now - Kaiyou’s `hot crazy chick`?”
“To them, maybe? Not to me - well, the hot part is true, but you’re so much more than that to me.”
“Am I? Are you with me just to protect me? Feed me? Dress me? Wash me?”
“No - although I do, and will if you want me to - if you need me to. I love you for you - who you are, not what you are. I’m with you to be with you — I love you, and that’s not a small thing. When I’m not with you, I feel like a part of me is missing. And your art - I am in awe of your skill. And your wit - you’re brilliant and that thrills me to no end.”
“Will it last?”
“Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to tear down our relationship - every time I try to build it up, you find fault and try to knock it down - why?”
Not waiting for her to answer, Tetsu continued —
“Nothing lasts - not without work. Everything wears out unless you care for it. Sometimes it wears out anyhow despite caring for it, but you tried your best. Isn’t best good enough?”
"I would have said yes, not long ago - I would have been satisfied with whatever I could get, but you helped me see the world can be engaged with, and not just hidden from. That I can survive - just being me — ”
“I don’t just want to be that ‘hot crazy chick’ that the Oni Kaiyou is dating - I want to be me; Tezuka Rin. Can I be that person if I’m only seen as part of you?”
“So you want to break up? You want to date someone else?“
“Yes.. and no - I feel I need to keep growing, and I don’t think I can do that with you - not now. I don’t know if that means dating someone else. I need to grow into my own light — ”
“You’ve shown me there’s more to life than just hiding. Now I know there’s more, I want to explore that ‘more’ - as myself.”
“Can't we do that together?”
“I don’t know - why are you upset? Didn’t you tell me to follow my dreams? Didn’t you think that might include leaving you?”
Tetsu’s chest heaved as he spoke between breaths, struggling to retain his composure “I - don’t want - to lose you.”
Rin looked pained to the point of agony - she didn’t want to break up; she didn’t want to hurt Tetsu, but she felt she had to — her thoughts - the birds in her head as she called them - fought with each other to find any other way out of their cages, to no avail.
--
- Attachments
-
- Birds Fighting to Escape Their Cage.jpg (515.8 KiB) Viewed 2440 times
Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Sun May 07, 2023 5:47 pm, edited 4 times in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
And Every Love Remains
February
Rin arrived at the University for the pre-ordained campus tour - lunch had been nice, however there wasn’t much opportunity for her to eat. Fortunately, with her schedule of preparing for University she’d pretty much given up lunch.
Still, it had been a long day — room after room of studios, galleries, storage areas, and classrooms. A fresh first-year student led Rin around; the other prospective students, presumably having not made up their minds or not having received their acceptances, having drifted away from the tour.
Being just the two of them, they fell to chatting.
“Will you be living away at school for the first time?
“No - I attended a residential high school; I lived there for three years.”
“Was it nice?”
“For certain values of. I met my boyfriend there.”
“Will he be staying with you in Tokyo? We have off-campus couples’ residences.”
“I broke up with him.”
“That’s too bad - I’m sure you’ll find someone interesting here - someone who’ll appreciate your .. unique appeal,” the first-year said breezily.
Rin expressed no emotions whatsoever during the exchange.
Entering the next room —
The tour guide read a short prepared statement as they entered what was obviously a focal point for the campus — “We pride ourselves in inspiring students towards artistic excellence at every turn of their career - for example, the statue in this courtyard - executed in the Greek style by one of our distinguished alums as a graduate thesis ..”
It was a sculpture of a heavily muscled man attempting to lift a stone - face up, anguished, exposed to the weather through a small circular hole in the roof of the otherwise enclosed courtyard.
“It’s titled ‘Every Love Remains’; the streaks of rust down his face represent him weeping - his eyes are made of some metal, as is the water he stands in.”
Rin felt a cold prickling across her forehead “Iron; his eyes are made of iron - Tetsu .. Excuse me - I’ve made a terrible mistake.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I think my birds were wrong .. about everything.”
—
Rin considered her reflection in the train window on the ride back to Sendai — she felt like a bird cage with no birds in her. Once loved and cherished, now on a shelf in a window for people to look at and covet, but empty.
--
February
Rin arrived at the University for the pre-ordained campus tour - lunch had been nice, however there wasn’t much opportunity for her to eat. Fortunately, with her schedule of preparing for University she’d pretty much given up lunch.
Still, it had been a long day — room after room of studios, galleries, storage areas, and classrooms. A fresh first-year student led Rin around; the other prospective students, presumably having not made up their minds or not having received their acceptances, having drifted away from the tour.
Being just the two of them, they fell to chatting.
“Will you be living away at school for the first time?
“No - I attended a residential high school; I lived there for three years.”
“Was it nice?”
“For certain values of. I met my boyfriend there.”
“Will he be staying with you in Tokyo? We have off-campus couples’ residences.”
“I broke up with him.”
“That’s too bad - I’m sure you’ll find someone interesting here - someone who’ll appreciate your .. unique appeal,” the first-year said breezily.
Rin expressed no emotions whatsoever during the exchange.
Entering the next room —
The tour guide read a short prepared statement as they entered what was obviously a focal point for the campus — “We pride ourselves in inspiring students towards artistic excellence at every turn of their career - for example, the statue in this courtyard - executed in the Greek style by one of our distinguished alums as a graduate thesis ..”
It was a sculpture of a heavily muscled man attempting to lift a stone - face up, anguished, exposed to the weather through a small circular hole in the roof of the otherwise enclosed courtyard.
“It’s titled ‘Every Love Remains’; the streaks of rust down his face represent him weeping - his eyes are made of some metal, as is the water he stands in.”
Rin felt a cold prickling across her forehead “Iron; his eyes are made of iron - Tetsu .. Excuse me - I’ve made a terrible mistake.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I think my birds were wrong .. about everything.”
—
Rin considered her reflection in the train window on the ride back to Sendai — she felt like a bird cage with no birds in her. Once loved and cherished, now on a shelf in a window for people to look at and covet, but empty.
--
- Attachments
-
- Every Love Remains.jpg (497.38 KiB) Viewed 2440 times
Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Tue Sep 12, 2023 9:22 pm, edited 5 times in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
Fears
February
“Sure we can’t take one day off? Remember what happened last time you ran in the rain.”
“That was just once - I’ve run plenty of times in the rain! And look - someone’s already out there.”
“Odd - we’re usually the only two out in the morning. Looks like Tetsu, but doesn’t he usually lift with Miki in the mornings?”
“Usually.”
“Oh - hi Miki! Didn’t hear you over the rain!”
“No prob - I was just looking for Tetsu; looks like I found him.”
“How long’s he been out here?”
“No idea - looks like a while.”
Miki sprinted out onto the the track to catch up to Tetsu —
“Hey - everything ok?”
“No, very much not ok. Rin’s leaving me; she’s going to an art school in Tokyo.”
“Aren’t you going to Tokyo with her?”
“She’s going on a scholarship and getting her own place; she’s been accepted regardless of her marks. She left yesterday. Hang on - gotta sprint.”
Coming out of the turn, Tetsu opened up and let his legs carry him down the straight-away in long, agonizing strides - Miki catching up as he slowed down into the turn.
“Yeah, so she’s gone and I’m running.”
“Are we still lifting together?”
“Yeah - sorry, fuck - let’s get off the track if we’re going to talk. Hi Emi, Hisao - track’s all yours.”
Emi and Hisao were finishing up stretching. Emi looked down at Tetsu’s socks; they were various shades of pink and red.
“You’re bleeding,” observed Emi, with some concern.
“Yeah - guess they rubbed a bit in the rain. It’ll heal.”
“Will you see the Nurse? Please?”
“OK”
“Alright - let’s run,” and she and Hisao were off.
“So - lifting.”
“Yeah - sorry, I should have told you or left you a note. To be honest I had no idea how long I’d be out here running or when I’d be done. I couldn’t sleep so I got my gear on at around five and just ran. Of course, the skies opened up then - couldn’t be a more perfect morning for running off the ragged edges of a dead relationship.”
“That’s a tough one. Let’s get you to the Nurse - we can lift tomorrow. No point bleeding all over the weights bench.”
Miki looked into Tetsu’s eyes - the whites were the same colour as his socks.
“Here put your arm around me,” and she drew his arm over her shoulders with her good hand; she was tall enough to support Tetsu, and strong enough to do it - and had one more hand than Rin that she could use to help keep Tetsu from stumbling.
“Thanks Miki - Ow!”
“Starting to feel it?”
“Yeah - stings a bit.”
“Don’t put a lot of weight on it - not far to go.”
Tetsu knocked on the Nurse’s door; “Come in.”
“Thanks again Miki.”
“No worries.” Miki turned to go, then looked back - “Tetsu?”
“Yeah?”
“Got any plans for tonight?”
“Yeah - Rin and I .. .. no. No plans.”
“Good - if you can walk, we’re going to the Shanghai. My treat.”
Tetsu closed his eyes and presently replied.
“Sounds good Miki. Thank you. See you tonight.”
—
“How was it?”
“Nothing serious - just wore a couple of layers of skin off. Nurse put a topical on, cleaned it, and bandaged it up. Should be good for running in a few days.”
An unfamiliar waitress arrived to take their orders.
“A couple of sandwiches please, and black tea.”
“Same.”
“How’s the post-school career search going? And where did you find the cash to splurge on taking boys out on dates?”
“Is this a date?”
“I .. ah ..”
Miki smiled and continued, not letting him finish - “I’ve got a couple private coaching jobs from students who want someone to help them through their athletic therapy; more than just the basic physio the school does.”
“Cool - glad your plans are coming together.”
“So am I - post Yamaku is looking good for ol’ Miki.”
“Hey - not that old!”
“Old enough,” she said with a wink.
“For?”
Miki took a bite of her sandwich - “Sry - mtf fll ‘f fod. Cn’t tk.”
Tetsu laughed.
—
“That was a lot of fun. Don’t know why we don’t do that more often.”
“Well, maybe we should,” said Miki, smiling.
“Ok .. let’s. Soon. Anyhow - see you tomorrow morning?”
“Right - tomorrow.” Miki hesitated —
“Night”, said Miki, smiling. She turned and walked towards the women’s dorm, with a little extra sway in her hips.
--
February
“Sure we can’t take one day off? Remember what happened last time you ran in the rain.”
“That was just once - I’ve run plenty of times in the rain! And look - someone’s already out there.”
“Odd - we’re usually the only two out in the morning. Looks like Tetsu, but doesn’t he usually lift with Miki in the mornings?”
“Usually.”
“Oh - hi Miki! Didn’t hear you over the rain!”
“No prob - I was just looking for Tetsu; looks like I found him.”
“How long’s he been out here?”
“No idea - looks like a while.”
Miki sprinted out onto the the track to catch up to Tetsu —
“Hey - everything ok?”
“No, very much not ok. Rin’s leaving me; she’s going to an art school in Tokyo.”
“Aren’t you going to Tokyo with her?”
“She’s going on a scholarship and getting her own place; she’s been accepted regardless of her marks. She left yesterday. Hang on - gotta sprint.”
Coming out of the turn, Tetsu opened up and let his legs carry him down the straight-away in long, agonizing strides - Miki catching up as he slowed down into the turn.
“Yeah, so she’s gone and I’m running.”
“Are we still lifting together?”
“Yeah - sorry, fuck - let’s get off the track if we’re going to talk. Hi Emi, Hisao - track’s all yours.”
Emi and Hisao were finishing up stretching. Emi looked down at Tetsu’s socks; they were various shades of pink and red.
“You’re bleeding,” observed Emi, with some concern.
“Yeah - guess they rubbed a bit in the rain. It’ll heal.”
“Will you see the Nurse? Please?”
“OK”
“Alright - let’s run,” and she and Hisao were off.
“So - lifting.”
“Yeah - sorry, I should have told you or left you a note. To be honest I had no idea how long I’d be out here running or when I’d be done. I couldn’t sleep so I got my gear on at around five and just ran. Of course, the skies opened up then - couldn’t be a more perfect morning for running off the ragged edges of a dead relationship.”
“That’s a tough one. Let’s get you to the Nurse - we can lift tomorrow. No point bleeding all over the weights bench.”
Miki looked into Tetsu’s eyes - the whites were the same colour as his socks.
“Here put your arm around me,” and she drew his arm over her shoulders with her good hand; she was tall enough to support Tetsu, and strong enough to do it - and had one more hand than Rin that she could use to help keep Tetsu from stumbling.
“Thanks Miki - Ow!”
“Starting to feel it?”
“Yeah - stings a bit.”
“Don’t put a lot of weight on it - not far to go.”
Tetsu knocked on the Nurse’s door; “Come in.”
“Thanks again Miki.”
“No worries.” Miki turned to go, then looked back - “Tetsu?”
“Yeah?”
“Got any plans for tonight?”
“Yeah - Rin and I .. .. no. No plans.”
“Good - if you can walk, we’re going to the Shanghai. My treat.”
Tetsu closed his eyes and presently replied.
“Sounds good Miki. Thank you. See you tonight.”
—
“How was it?”
“Nothing serious - just wore a couple of layers of skin off. Nurse put a topical on, cleaned it, and bandaged it up. Should be good for running in a few days.”
An unfamiliar waitress arrived to take their orders.
“A couple of sandwiches please, and black tea.”
“Same.”
“How’s the post-school career search going? And where did you find the cash to splurge on taking boys out on dates?”
“Is this a date?”
“I .. ah ..”
Miki smiled and continued, not letting him finish - “I’ve got a couple private coaching jobs from students who want someone to help them through their athletic therapy; more than just the basic physio the school does.”
“Cool - glad your plans are coming together.”
“So am I - post Yamaku is looking good for ol’ Miki.”
“Hey - not that old!”
“Old enough,” she said with a wink.
“For?”
Miki took a bite of her sandwich - “Sry - mtf fll ‘f fod. Cn’t tk.”
Tetsu laughed.
—
“That was a lot of fun. Don’t know why we don’t do that more often.”
“Well, maybe we should,” said Miki, smiling.
“Ok .. let’s. Soon. Anyhow - see you tomorrow morning?”
“Right - tomorrow.” Miki hesitated —
“Night”, said Miki, smiling. She turned and walked towards the women’s dorm, with a little extra sway in her hips.
--
- Attachments
-
- Women's Dorm Entrance.jpg (524.01 KiB) Viewed 2440 times
Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Tue Apr 25, 2023 10:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
Tears
February
Rin returned to Yamaku to find Tetsu sitting under the tree where they first met, looking at the mural — rain pouring down.
“Tetsu.”
Tetsu just looked straight ahead, emotionless - as if he had no more expression to give.
“Rocks can fly if you kick them hard enough. It’s not flying like birds fly, but they do get from here to there all the same,” he said.
“Tetsu - you’re not making sense.”
Tetsu just kept staring straight ahead at nothing - Rin spoke —
“Emi thought she had to break up with Hisao on principle .. and I thought she was an idiot for doing that. Am I being that idiot now? Why can’t I be objective about myself? I need to ask someone I trust.”
“Go talk to Emi then.”
“I can’t - I told her she was an idiot and now she’s not talking to me.”
“Tetsu?”
Tetsu turned halfway towards her, not looking at her, still expressing no emotion.
“Am I being an idiot now?
“I found the rocks you wanted for your mural - they had some in the art supply room by the paint.”
“I didn’t ask for any rocks - the mural’s long done. What are you talking about?”
“You wanted them so you could stand on them to paint the sky,” said Tetsu, looking up.
“I brought this one all the way from Tokyo,” indicating a large boulder.
Rin turned and looked at her mural and saw it had been buried behind a wall of rocks —
“No, no - now no one can see the mural ..” she said, staring in agitation at the wall of rocks and boulders piled up against the mural.
“Why did you do this?”
“I’m only doing what you asked me to - you were out of Prussian blue.”
“Tetsu - that makes no sense.”
Rin looked into Tetsu’s eyes - they were the same colour of the rocks; grey and dead. They didn’t look at her, or past her, or at anything at all; then he was gone and she was all alone with a wall of stones covering up her mural.
She sat down on the boulder and cried.
“No, No, No, No -”
“Rin”
“No, No -”
“Rin!”
Emi shook Rin firmly - “Wake up; you’re having a nightmare. Wake up!”
“Tetsu? Where’s Tetsu?”
“In his room or in the gym, I imagine,” said Emi. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
Rin, sobbing, head-butted Emi's chest. “I’m so sorry.”
“For?”
“I was mean to you ..”
“It was just a dream - no harm done.” Emi patted Rin’s head as Rin soaked Emi’s T-shirt with tears.
“I need to see Tetsu.”
“Now? It’s early ..”
“Now,” Rin said firmly.
“OK - well, you’re already dressed — you fell asleep in your overalls.”
--
February
Rin returned to Yamaku to find Tetsu sitting under the tree where they first met, looking at the mural — rain pouring down.
“Tetsu.”
Tetsu just looked straight ahead, emotionless - as if he had no more expression to give.
“Rocks can fly if you kick them hard enough. It’s not flying like birds fly, but they do get from here to there all the same,” he said.
“Tetsu - you’re not making sense.”
Tetsu just kept staring straight ahead at nothing - Rin spoke —
“Emi thought she had to break up with Hisao on principle .. and I thought she was an idiot for doing that. Am I being that idiot now? Why can’t I be objective about myself? I need to ask someone I trust.”
“Go talk to Emi then.”
“I can’t - I told her she was an idiot and now she’s not talking to me.”
“Tetsu?”
Tetsu turned halfway towards her, not looking at her, still expressing no emotion.
“Am I being an idiot now?
“I found the rocks you wanted for your mural - they had some in the art supply room by the paint.”
“I didn’t ask for any rocks - the mural’s long done. What are you talking about?”
“You wanted them so you could stand on them to paint the sky,” said Tetsu, looking up.
“I brought this one all the way from Tokyo,” indicating a large boulder.
Rin turned and looked at her mural and saw it had been buried behind a wall of rocks —
“No, no - now no one can see the mural ..” she said, staring in agitation at the wall of rocks and boulders piled up against the mural.
“Why did you do this?”
“I’m only doing what you asked me to - you were out of Prussian blue.”
“Tetsu - that makes no sense.”
Rin looked into Tetsu’s eyes - they were the same colour of the rocks; grey and dead. They didn’t look at her, or past her, or at anything at all; then he was gone and she was all alone with a wall of stones covering up her mural.
She sat down on the boulder and cried.
“No, No, No, No -”
“Rin”
“No, No -”
“Rin!”
Emi shook Rin firmly - “Wake up; you’re having a nightmare. Wake up!”
“Tetsu? Where’s Tetsu?”
“In his room or in the gym, I imagine,” said Emi. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
Rin, sobbing, head-butted Emi's chest. “I’m so sorry.”
“For?”
“I was mean to you ..”
“It was just a dream - no harm done.” Emi patted Rin’s head as Rin soaked Emi’s T-shirt with tears.
“I need to see Tetsu.”
“Now? It’s early ..”
“Now,” Rin said firmly.
“OK - well, you’re already dressed — you fell asleep in your overalls.”
--
Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Tue Sep 12, 2023 9:25 pm, edited 4 times in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
Apres Tears
February 24, 2008 — Saturday
Emi and Rin ran to Tetsu’s room; Rin banged on his door with her shoulder —
“Tetsu!” Rin cried.
Hisao opened his door - “Rin? I think Tetsu’s in the gym with Miki around this time.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Exclaimed Emi.
Kenji opened his door - “Women attack before you’re fully awake - that’s how they get you!”
“Leave me, little man,” said Rin with a venom she didn’t know she had.
Kenji’s door slammed shut with the sound of multiple locks engaging.
—
Rin took off for the weights room, running on the pads of her feet - her heels never touching the floor, Emi in hot pursuit — "Why did I never convince her to come out for track?"
Reaching the weights room, she and Emi found Tetsu and Miki in between sets. Rin shouldered the weight room door open and rain straight into Tetsu —
“Tetsu?!” Rin cried as she buried her face in his chest —
“Don’tleavemedon’tleaveme!”
“Wait - I’m not going anywhere. What’s wrong?”
“I broke up with you!”
Anticipating that there wasn’t much sense to be gotten out of Rin in her state, Miki turned to question Emi - “Ibarazaki? What’s going on?”
Unexpectedly Rin answered - “Emi told me I had a bad dream - I broke up with Tetsu in my dream - am I still dreaming? How do I know I’m not?”
“Calm down - calm down” Tetsu hugged her back as tight as he could.
“Tetsu?” Rin said, strained “Breath. Please?”
Tetsu released her so she could breathe again
“We didn’t break up - I’d have remembered that.”
“It was in a dream.”
“Then it doesn’t count.”
“Am I still dreaming?”
Tetsu held her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and her mouth.
“Do dreams feel like this?”
“No - Yes. Sometimes. Only if you’re in them though, so - maybe? But we’re together in this dream so it’s ok - I don’t want to wake up right now if it is a dream. Hug me.”
“You dream about me kissing you?”
“Mmmhmm. And the other way around too,” she said with a voice muffled by his chest, as she’d snuggled into his shirt to get as much of a grip around him as she could. “Those aren’t nightmares though - you shouldn’t wake me up from them.”
“I won’t.”
“Ah, guys - we’re here too and it’s ungodly early for mushy stuff - especially loud mushy stuff," observed Miki.
“The cafeteria should be open - and it’s Sunday; what say we scrap our workout for the morning and go get coffee and breakfast? And Emi - put some pants on.”
“Sounds good - let’s go get changed and meet in the caf.” agreed Tetsu.
Getting dressed, Emi rounded up Hisao “Change of plans; you, me, Emi, Rin, and Miki are taking today off and having breakfast together.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“Rin and Tetsu didn’t break up. Or they did - but now they’re not. It’s complicated.”
“Was this Rin’s idea?”
“Sort of?”
“Ok - that tracks. I’ll change and meet you there.”
—
Five pairs of bleary eyes peered over mugs of coffee in the cafeteria. Rin stuck to Tetsu like velcro, an arm of hers under one of his.
Tetsu fed Rin some buttered toast and gave her a sip of his coffee to drink.
“I don’t like coffee but I do if it’s yours.”
“You two are adorable - and make me sick - but mostly adorable,” observed Miki.
Tetsu smiled a little. Rin looked like she had run a marathon in the rain. She had just enough energy to bite, sip, and swallow, leaning against Tetsu for support all the while - every so often she’d shiver.
“Do you want to tell me about the nightmare?”
“No - I’m forgetting it now.”
“Sometimes we dream things because there’s no other way to tell ourselves things. Before you do - forget it that is - you might think about what it was trying to tell you.”
“I know what it was trying to tell me - that I’ve been entitled, and arrogant. I need to cut that shit out. I don’t know how, but I will.”
“Count your blessings.”
“What?”
“Remind yourself, every day, what you have to be grateful for.”
“I.. I don’t have that much time in my day, I think.” and she nuzzled up against him.
--
February 24, 2008 — Saturday
Emi and Rin ran to Tetsu’s room; Rin banged on his door with her shoulder —
“Tetsu!” Rin cried.
Hisao opened his door - “Rin? I think Tetsu’s in the gym with Miki around this time.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Exclaimed Emi.
Kenji opened his door - “Women attack before you’re fully awake - that’s how they get you!”
“Leave me, little man,” said Rin with a venom she didn’t know she had.
Kenji’s door slammed shut with the sound of multiple locks engaging.
—
Rin took off for the weights room, running on the pads of her feet - her heels never touching the floor, Emi in hot pursuit — "Why did I never convince her to come out for track?"
Reaching the weights room, she and Emi found Tetsu and Miki in between sets. Rin shouldered the weight room door open and rain straight into Tetsu —
“Tetsu?!” Rin cried as she buried her face in his chest —
“Don’tleavemedon’tleaveme!”
“Wait - I’m not going anywhere. What’s wrong?”
“I broke up with you!”
Anticipating that there wasn’t much sense to be gotten out of Rin in her state, Miki turned to question Emi - “Ibarazaki? What’s going on?”
Unexpectedly Rin answered - “Emi told me I had a bad dream - I broke up with Tetsu in my dream - am I still dreaming? How do I know I’m not?”
“Calm down - calm down” Tetsu hugged her back as tight as he could.
“Tetsu?” Rin said, strained “Breath. Please?”
Tetsu released her so she could breathe again
“We didn’t break up - I’d have remembered that.”
“It was in a dream.”
“Then it doesn’t count.”
“Am I still dreaming?”
Tetsu held her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and her mouth.
“Do dreams feel like this?”
“No - Yes. Sometimes. Only if you’re in them though, so - maybe? But we’re together in this dream so it’s ok - I don’t want to wake up right now if it is a dream. Hug me.”
“You dream about me kissing you?”
“Mmmhmm. And the other way around too,” she said with a voice muffled by his chest, as she’d snuggled into his shirt to get as much of a grip around him as she could. “Those aren’t nightmares though - you shouldn’t wake me up from them.”
“I won’t.”
“Ah, guys - we’re here too and it’s ungodly early for mushy stuff - especially loud mushy stuff," observed Miki.
“The cafeteria should be open - and it’s Sunday; what say we scrap our workout for the morning and go get coffee and breakfast? And Emi - put some pants on.”
“Sounds good - let’s go get changed and meet in the caf.” agreed Tetsu.
Getting dressed, Emi rounded up Hisao “Change of plans; you, me, Emi, Rin, and Miki are taking today off and having breakfast together.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“Rin and Tetsu didn’t break up. Or they did - but now they’re not. It’s complicated.”
“Was this Rin’s idea?”
“Sort of?”
“Ok - that tracks. I’ll change and meet you there.”
—
Five pairs of bleary eyes peered over mugs of coffee in the cafeteria. Rin stuck to Tetsu like velcro, an arm of hers under one of his.
Tetsu fed Rin some buttered toast and gave her a sip of his coffee to drink.
“I don’t like coffee but I do if it’s yours.”
“You two are adorable - and make me sick - but mostly adorable,” observed Miki.
Tetsu smiled a little. Rin looked like she had run a marathon in the rain. She had just enough energy to bite, sip, and swallow, leaning against Tetsu for support all the while - every so often she’d shiver.
“Do you want to tell me about the nightmare?”
“No - I’m forgetting it now.”
“Sometimes we dream things because there’s no other way to tell ourselves things. Before you do - forget it that is - you might think about what it was trying to tell you.”
“I know what it was trying to tell me - that I’ve been entitled, and arrogant. I need to cut that shit out. I don’t know how, but I will.”
“Count your blessings.”
“What?”
“Remind yourself, every day, what you have to be grateful for.”
“I.. I don’t have that much time in my day, I think.” and she nuzzled up against him.
--
Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Wed Jun 07, 2023 5:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
My Ojisan Has a Country Place That No One Knows About
February 26, 2008 — Monday
In the interregnum between winter and spring breaks there wasn’t much left for class 3-A to do, but small projects to indulge their creativity.
“For fun - and for memories.” Said Kurosawa-sensei.
“Sensei — ” began Tetsu, noticing how low the levels of supplies were - “Is there anything we can do before end of year to help re-stock for next year’s class?”
Kurosawa-sensei had always looked old - a sort of indefinable age, but old. In that moment he looked older still.
“The school is closing shop program down. Have you noticed how empty the class is? You wouldn’t have realized, just coming here this year, that we used to have 1st, 2nd and 3rd-yrs all in one class. No one has signed up for practical arts as 1st yrs for the past two years - and none for next year either. Anyhow, I’m overdue for retirement and it’ll be good.”
“To take a break?”
“Oh no - I’ve been doing this too long to stop now; I have apprentices lined up to train - I’m moving my forge back to my home workshop in the mountains and making swords again. It won’t pay the rent, but with my pension it doesn’t have to - and it’s an honourable trade.”
Tetsu was shocked - this had been long planned and he felt he should have noticed, despite having his own issues to work through. “What becomes of the shop - the tools, the materials - everything?”
“The space belongs to the school - I’ve arranged to give away all the tools and materials to schools across Japan so they can continue to have practical programs - everything except the car you’ve so lovingly restored.”
“It was not just me - previous years worked on it also ..” But Kurosawa-sensei was shaking his head.
“They were mechanics - you’ve given it its soul back. If I offered it to you, would you take good care of it?”
“Sensei - Yes, 100 percent! But the school ..”
“It’s my decision because it’s my car - I brought it to the shop after I couldn’t drive it any more, and I never will. No need for details, but I won’t be driving standard ever again. Not only do you deserve it, but it’s no use to me - I could sell it, but how would I know it would be cared for? I’ve seen you diligently work on it all year - You’ve passed the only test I needed to see.”
Kurosawa-sensei fished the keys and an envelope out of his desk - “I’ve already prepared the ownership paperwork.”
“Won’t I need a driver’s license? And Insurance?”
“Well, yes - there’s a licensing office down in the city. With the driving you’ve been doing around the campus, you should have no trouble passing a driving test in a sleepy little country town, and I can refer you to my insurer with a recommendation - I’ve been with them for .. well, never mind how long, and relationships count for much in Japan; you’ll be fine.”
After thanking his teacher and bowing as deeply as he could, Tetsu returned to his seat in a daze. “Now I have a car, it would appear.”
--
February 26, 2008 — Monday
In the interregnum between winter and spring breaks there wasn’t much left for class 3-A to do, but small projects to indulge their creativity.
“For fun - and for memories.” Said Kurosawa-sensei.
“Sensei — ” began Tetsu, noticing how low the levels of supplies were - “Is there anything we can do before end of year to help re-stock for next year’s class?”
Kurosawa-sensei had always looked old - a sort of indefinable age, but old. In that moment he looked older still.
“The school is closing shop program down. Have you noticed how empty the class is? You wouldn’t have realized, just coming here this year, that we used to have 1st, 2nd and 3rd-yrs all in one class. No one has signed up for practical arts as 1st yrs for the past two years - and none for next year either. Anyhow, I’m overdue for retirement and it’ll be good.”
“To take a break?”
“Oh no - I’ve been doing this too long to stop now; I have apprentices lined up to train - I’m moving my forge back to my home workshop in the mountains and making swords again. It won’t pay the rent, but with my pension it doesn’t have to - and it’s an honourable trade.”
Tetsu was shocked - this had been long planned and he felt he should have noticed, despite having his own issues to work through. “What becomes of the shop - the tools, the materials - everything?”
“The space belongs to the school - I’ve arranged to give away all the tools and materials to schools across Japan so they can continue to have practical programs - everything except the car you’ve so lovingly restored.”
“It was not just me - previous years worked on it also ..” But Kurosawa-sensei was shaking his head.
“They were mechanics - you’ve given it its soul back. If I offered it to you, would you take good care of it?”
“Sensei - Yes, 100 percent! But the school ..”
“It’s my decision because it’s my car - I brought it to the shop after I couldn’t drive it any more, and I never will. No need for details, but I won’t be driving standard ever again. Not only do you deserve it, but it’s no use to me - I could sell it, but how would I know it would be cared for? I’ve seen you diligently work on it all year - You’ve passed the only test I needed to see.”
Kurosawa-sensei fished the keys and an envelope out of his desk - “I’ve already prepared the ownership paperwork.”
“Won’t I need a driver’s license? And Insurance?”
“Well, yes - there’s a licensing office down in the city. With the driving you’ve been doing around the campus, you should have no trouble passing a driving test in a sleepy little country town, and I can refer you to my insurer with a recommendation - I’ve been with them for .. well, never mind how long, and relationships count for much in Japan; you’ll be fine.”
After thanking his teacher and bowing as deeply as he could, Tetsu returned to his seat in a daze. “Now I have a car, it would appear.”
--
- Attachments
-
- Tetsu's Beetle.jpg (588.29 KiB) Viewed 2423 times
Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Wed Jun 07, 2023 5:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
Dear Diary
March 12, 2008 — Wednesday
“Is this thing working? The light’s on and the number is increasing, so I think it is. Tetsu bought me this voice recorder for my birthday - it has big buttons so I can work it with my feet, and Tetsu fixed a strap to it so I can pick it up easily with my toes — that’s so like him.”
“Dear Diary — is that how these things are supposed to start? - nice to meet you, so please excuse me if I do some things wrong - I’m learning; which brings me to the past year, but more on that in a bit.”
“I’ll be leaving in a few days to visit Mom and Dad - Tetsu will be coming with me; he met them - and my sister - for the first time at New Years’ so he knows what to expect.”
“Tomorrow will be my birthday - I’ll be nineteen; doesn’t feel like a very big number but it’s the oldest I’ve ever been, so it’s kind of a big deal? Right now feels like a deep breath before running a marathon - right after having run one. Is this what Emi feels like all the time? No - she’s a sprinter.”
“School’s done - exams are done; I’ve been accepted into university, Hisao and Emi have been accepted into their schools, and Tetsu is taking a gap year to work before going on to school.”
“Tetsu never did complete the sculpture he was working on in the art club - he switched to water colours, which, I think, he does very nicely, if not perfectly accurately - which is fine; they’re not photographs after all.”
“He’s decided to make a record of his time at Yamaku in watercolours and some photographs from his phone - seems I’m not the only one who stores their memories in their art. Maybe it’s something everybody does in one way or another; maybe we’re all not so different after all.”
“Mom and dad agreed to let Tetsu and I share a place in Tokyo - and they’re going to help us with that. I think everything will be OK - I basically live in his dorm room now anyhow - also they let us share a room when we came to visit last time. Mom was not subtle about telling me she wants grandkids - `Rin`, she said, `I want grandchildren`. That’s mom - I’m told I take after her. I don’t know how to take that.”
"Akira, Lilly’s sister, is living in Tokyo now and will help us find a place. Also, we’re going to save on costs by sharing a place with Emi and Hisao. We’ll probably rent a whole house, which is good because I’ll get an art room to work and store my things.”
“Good night, Diary. Tetsu? How do I turn this off?”
--
March 12, 2008 — Wednesday
“Is this thing working? The light’s on and the number is increasing, so I think it is. Tetsu bought me this voice recorder for my birthday - it has big buttons so I can work it with my feet, and Tetsu fixed a strap to it so I can pick it up easily with my toes — that’s so like him.”
“Dear Diary — is that how these things are supposed to start? - nice to meet you, so please excuse me if I do some things wrong - I’m learning; which brings me to the past year, but more on that in a bit.”
“I’ll be leaving in a few days to visit Mom and Dad - Tetsu will be coming with me; he met them - and my sister - for the first time at New Years’ so he knows what to expect.”
“Tomorrow will be my birthday - I’ll be nineteen; doesn’t feel like a very big number but it’s the oldest I’ve ever been, so it’s kind of a big deal? Right now feels like a deep breath before running a marathon - right after having run one. Is this what Emi feels like all the time? No - she’s a sprinter.”
“School’s done - exams are done; I’ve been accepted into university, Hisao and Emi have been accepted into their schools, and Tetsu is taking a gap year to work before going on to school.”
“Tetsu never did complete the sculpture he was working on in the art club - he switched to water colours, which, I think, he does very nicely, if not perfectly accurately - which is fine; they’re not photographs after all.”
“He’s decided to make a record of his time at Yamaku in watercolours and some photographs from his phone - seems I’m not the only one who stores their memories in their art. Maybe it’s something everybody does in one way or another; maybe we’re all not so different after all.”
“Mom and dad agreed to let Tetsu and I share a place in Tokyo - and they’re going to help us with that. I think everything will be OK - I basically live in his dorm room now anyhow - also they let us share a room when we came to visit last time. Mom was not subtle about telling me she wants grandkids - `Rin`, she said, `I want grandchildren`. That’s mom - I’m told I take after her. I don’t know how to take that.”
"Akira, Lilly’s sister, is living in Tokyo now and will help us find a place. Also, we’re going to save on costs by sharing a place with Emi and Hisao. We’ll probably rent a whole house, which is good because I’ll get an art room to work and store my things.”
“Good night, Diary. Tetsu? How do I turn this off?”
--
- Attachments
-
- Rin's Diary Recorder.jpg (541.6 KiB) Viewed 2392 times
Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Thu Apr 27, 2023 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
March 14, 2008
March 15, 2008 — Saturday
“Dear Diary - this may be my longest soliloquy outside of my head ever. You should feel honoured!”
“Last night everyone took me out to the Shanghai for my birthday - well, not Everyone everyone - where would we fit them all? But everyone who counts - Tetsu, Emi, Hisao, Shizune, Misha (Shiina I guess it is now), Lilly, Hanako, Miki, and even Lilly’s older sister Akira who I don’t know very well, but who seems cool.”
“There was a cake, candles, tea, and sandwiches. We stayed quite late - I think they stayed open extra long just for us. It was fun. You can’t see my face, but I’m smiling now. Don’t tell anyone, but I don’t know if I’ve ever been this happy - except that first time with Tetsu, and that wasn’t happy so much as it was joyous; a totally different thing.”
“Even some of Hanako’s friends from the Journalism Club showed up for a little bit - I think she appreciated that because she still seems quite shy and nervous about what people might think of her scars. They took a bunch of photos and they said they’d share them with us. Tetsu asked for digital copies and I asked for prints.”
“Speaking of which - I guess I’ve warmed up enough to talk about all of last year - what an Emi way of putting things; she’s another person who’s rubbed off on me, but enough of that for now.”
“My eighteenth birthday was pretty much a non-event. Emi and I had tea and cake in the tea room. Lilly and Hanako were there — we barely knew them then; they didn’t stay long, but they were polite enough to wish me happy birthday. That was it.”
“Emi had had a boyfriend the year before and I was feeling extremely sorry for myself that I hadn’t met anyone yet. They had just broken up so we were both pretty down. I decided that eighteen would be the year where that changed. I couldn’t have been more right - also more wrong.”
“What didn’t change? I painted the wall mural for the school festival, Emi met Hisao, I met Tetsu, we broke up - except we didn’t - I met my boyfriend, best friend, partner - still talking about Tetsu here. Unreal how the only person in the world that I could ever see myself with, I met seemingly at random - what are the odds of that? I should ask Tetsu - he’d know.”
“I thought I knew how I wanted this year to turn out — and fortunately I couldn’t have been more wrong; the future is brighter and broader than I ever allowed myself to imagine it could be.”
“For the first time I have hopes and dreams - things I never allowed myself to have before. Now it feels like we have a whole life together in front of us - and I know what I want for my future rather than having my future chosen for me. I want a degree, a career, a husband, a home, and children. Not that it won’t be work, but for the first time I feel like the effort will be worth it - not just something I have to do because .. because there’s nothing else to do.”
“That’s enough for now - see you again in a year, Diary.”
--
March 15, 2008 — Saturday
“Dear Diary - this may be my longest soliloquy outside of my head ever. You should feel honoured!”
“Last night everyone took me out to the Shanghai for my birthday - well, not Everyone everyone - where would we fit them all? But everyone who counts - Tetsu, Emi, Hisao, Shizune, Misha (Shiina I guess it is now), Lilly, Hanako, Miki, and even Lilly’s older sister Akira who I don’t know very well, but who seems cool.”
“There was a cake, candles, tea, and sandwiches. We stayed quite late - I think they stayed open extra long just for us. It was fun. You can’t see my face, but I’m smiling now. Don’t tell anyone, but I don’t know if I’ve ever been this happy - except that first time with Tetsu, and that wasn’t happy so much as it was joyous; a totally different thing.”
“Even some of Hanako’s friends from the Journalism Club showed up for a little bit - I think she appreciated that because she still seems quite shy and nervous about what people might think of her scars. They took a bunch of photos and they said they’d share them with us. Tetsu asked for digital copies and I asked for prints.”
“Speaking of which - I guess I’ve warmed up enough to talk about all of last year - what an Emi way of putting things; she’s another person who’s rubbed off on me, but enough of that for now.”
“My eighteenth birthday was pretty much a non-event. Emi and I had tea and cake in the tea room. Lilly and Hanako were there — we barely knew them then; they didn’t stay long, but they were polite enough to wish me happy birthday. That was it.”
“Emi had had a boyfriend the year before and I was feeling extremely sorry for myself that I hadn’t met anyone yet. They had just broken up so we were both pretty down. I decided that eighteen would be the year where that changed. I couldn’t have been more right - also more wrong.”
“What didn’t change? I painted the wall mural for the school festival, Emi met Hisao, I met Tetsu, we broke up - except we didn’t - I met my boyfriend, best friend, partner - still talking about Tetsu here. Unreal how the only person in the world that I could ever see myself with, I met seemingly at random - what are the odds of that? I should ask Tetsu - he’d know.”
“I thought I knew how I wanted this year to turn out — and fortunately I couldn’t have been more wrong; the future is brighter and broader than I ever allowed myself to imagine it could be.”
“For the first time I have hopes and dreams - things I never allowed myself to have before. Now it feels like we have a whole life together in front of us - and I know what I want for my future rather than having my future chosen for me. I want a degree, a career, a husband, a home, and children. Not that it won’t be work, but for the first time I feel like the effort will be worth it - not just something I have to do because .. because there’s nothing else to do.”
“That’s enough for now - see you again in a year, Diary.”
--
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
Rip the Bandage Off
March 19, 2008 — Monday
“It tugged on my heart to see Tetsu load the last of Rin’s art into the back seat of his car - they had both become such good friends — friends I didn’t expect I’d ever have and now we’re parting ways.”
“No, no envy - no regret. We’ll cross paths again, I guarantee it.”
—
Miki’s dad pulled up in his banged-up pickup truck; Miki slung her duffel bag off of her shoulder and into the bed of the truck. One look back and she saw Hanako standing in the shadow of a tree, watching. Miki said a quick word to her father, then ran over to be with her.
“Hey - you’re not crying are you? Thought we got all that out last night.”
“N-no - not m-much.” Hanako smiled weakly and dabbed at her eyes.
“We’re going to email - right?”
“R-right.”
“It’s only a few weeks until University starts - I’ll see you there! You’ve got your journalism program and I’ve got an internship with the coaching team - it won’t be all that long - you’ll see.”
“But it-it’ll be without you. Yamaku is letting me stay in my d-dorm room over break until my room at University is r-ready, but ..”
Miki knew there would be a few students on campus - not many - throughout the break. No 3rd-years - well, freshly minted ones, but no one she and Hanako had spent a year getting to know.
“Hey - gimme a second will you? Stay right here - don’t go away, promise?”
“P-promise,” said Hanako, tentatively - not entirely sure what Miki had in mind.
Miki sprinted over to her dad, waiting in his truck and stuck her head in the window, briefly, then, in a flash, was back with Hanako.
“Come on you - you’re coming with us.”
“W-wait - what?”
“Yeah - dad says the guest room is in passable condition - it just needs a good dusting. Bag your things and throw them in the back - there’s room in the cab for the three of us. “
“Y-you really m-m-mean it?”
“Yup!”
“I-I thought you were worried about what your dad would think if you t-told him you ha-ha-d a g-girlfriend ..”
“Well, I figured he was going to have to get used to the idea sooner or later, so may as well be now.”
“W-what did you say to h-him?”
“I said: `Dad - my girlfriend is coming to stay with us over the break; what state is the guest room in?`”
“A-and that was i-it?”
“Yup - my dad’s pretty laid-back, and while his generation can be conservative, I didn’t really think he’d have any objections - he actually didn’t seem at all surprised .. Anyhow, come on - I’ll introduce you to him.”
Miki, holding Hanako’s hand - almost skipping - led Hanako over to the truck.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Miki this happy” thought Hanako and Miki’s dad, more or less in unison.
20 minutes later, truck loaded, the three of them squeezed into the cab of the truck; the AM radio found a music station and they were off. Hanako looked out the window and watched the city around Yamaku turn slowly into suburbs, then farmland. Overhead a white bird soared, seemed to follow them for a bit, then was gone.
--
March 19, 2008 — Monday
“It tugged on my heart to see Tetsu load the last of Rin’s art into the back seat of his car - they had both become such good friends — friends I didn’t expect I’d ever have and now we’re parting ways.”
“No, no envy - no regret. We’ll cross paths again, I guarantee it.”
—
Miki’s dad pulled up in his banged-up pickup truck; Miki slung her duffel bag off of her shoulder and into the bed of the truck. One look back and she saw Hanako standing in the shadow of a tree, watching. Miki said a quick word to her father, then ran over to be with her.
“Hey - you’re not crying are you? Thought we got all that out last night.”
“N-no - not m-much.” Hanako smiled weakly and dabbed at her eyes.
“We’re going to email - right?”
“R-right.”
“It’s only a few weeks until University starts - I’ll see you there! You’ve got your journalism program and I’ve got an internship with the coaching team - it won’t be all that long - you’ll see.”
“But it-it’ll be without you. Yamaku is letting me stay in my d-dorm room over break until my room at University is r-ready, but ..”
Miki knew there would be a few students on campus - not many - throughout the break. No 3rd-years - well, freshly minted ones, but no one she and Hanako had spent a year getting to know.
“Hey - gimme a second will you? Stay right here - don’t go away, promise?”
“P-promise,” said Hanako, tentatively - not entirely sure what Miki had in mind.
Miki sprinted over to her dad, waiting in his truck and stuck her head in the window, briefly, then, in a flash, was back with Hanako.
“Come on you - you’re coming with us.”
“W-wait - what?”
“Yeah - dad says the guest room is in passable condition - it just needs a good dusting. Bag your things and throw them in the back - there’s room in the cab for the three of us. “
“Y-you really m-m-mean it?”
“Yup!”
“I-I thought you were worried about what your dad would think if you t-told him you ha-ha-d a g-girlfriend ..”
“Well, I figured he was going to have to get used to the idea sooner or later, so may as well be now.”
“W-what did you say to h-him?”
“I said: `Dad - my girlfriend is coming to stay with us over the break; what state is the guest room in?`”
“A-and that was i-it?”
“Yup - my dad’s pretty laid-back, and while his generation can be conservative, I didn’t really think he’d have any objections - he actually didn’t seem at all surprised .. Anyhow, come on - I’ll introduce you to him.”
Miki, holding Hanako’s hand - almost skipping - led Hanako over to the truck.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Miki this happy” thought Hanako and Miki’s dad, more or less in unison.
20 minutes later, truck loaded, the three of them squeezed into the cab of the truck; the AM radio found a music station and they were off. Hanako looked out the window and watched the city around Yamaku turn slowly into suburbs, then farmland. Overhead a white bird soared, seemed to follow them for a bit, then was gone.
--
- Attachments
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Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Thu Apr 27, 2023 3:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
All Games End
March 19, 2008 — Monday
[ So, Rin won after all ]
[ I think she’d agree ]
WAHAHA!
[ Thank you, Shiina - I already know sign language so I don’t need to hear I suppose ] signed Tetsu, rubbing his ear — “That’s what I get for standing too close to Shiina when she finds something funny; you think I’d know better by now.”
[ Sorry! ]
Shizune looked exasperated, but only mildly so.
[ I’ll see you on campus? ]
[ Yes - your school isn’t far from our place — we’ll come visit you if you visit us ]
[ Seems that’s in my favour - if the two of you come to visit the one of me ]
[ Yes, but we’ll expect you to feed us ]
[ Then I’ll have to visit you twice as often - or more! ] — Shizune snapped her fingers in triumph.
[ And Shiina - we’re going to miss you - all of us ] Signed Tetsu, Rin nodding in agreement.
[ I won’t be too far away — I didn’t get into the school I wanted to in the US, but I did get accepted in New Zealand ] Shiina signed with satisfaction - her cram sessions with Mutou having paid off.
[ I’ll be fine - we’ll email - I know you won’t forget me - who could? ] Tetsu and Rin took a quick step back
WA - hahaha .. [ I’ve been trying to get that under control ] signed Shiina, smiling.
[ Well done. Ok - here’s Jigoro - safe journeys! ]
Shiina, Shizune, and Tetsu hugged. Tetsu helped Shizune and Misha - sorry, Shiina - get their luggage into the long black car. The doors closed with a thud and the car was off — Tetsu stepped aside as he expected Jigoro to try and spit gravel out the back wheels at him, but it was all good.
As the car pulled away, the girls waved through the back window and kept waiving until the car turned a corner and was out of sight.
--
March 19, 2008 — Monday
[ So, Rin won after all ]
[ I think she’d agree ]
WAHAHA!
[ Thank you, Shiina - I already know sign language so I don’t need to hear I suppose ] signed Tetsu, rubbing his ear — “That’s what I get for standing too close to Shiina when she finds something funny; you think I’d know better by now.”
[ Sorry! ]
Shizune looked exasperated, but only mildly so.
[ I’ll see you on campus? ]
[ Yes - your school isn’t far from our place — we’ll come visit you if you visit us ]
[ Seems that’s in my favour - if the two of you come to visit the one of me ]
[ Yes, but we’ll expect you to feed us ]
[ Then I’ll have to visit you twice as often - or more! ] — Shizune snapped her fingers in triumph.
[ And Shiina - we’re going to miss you - all of us ] Signed Tetsu, Rin nodding in agreement.
[ I won’t be too far away — I didn’t get into the school I wanted to in the US, but I did get accepted in New Zealand ] Shiina signed with satisfaction - her cram sessions with Mutou having paid off.
[ I’ll be fine - we’ll email - I know you won’t forget me - who could? ] Tetsu and Rin took a quick step back
WA - hahaha .. [ I’ve been trying to get that under control ] signed Shiina, smiling.
[ Well done. Ok - here’s Jigoro - safe journeys! ]
Shiina, Shizune, and Tetsu hugged. Tetsu helped Shizune and Misha - sorry, Shiina - get their luggage into the long black car. The doors closed with a thud and the car was off — Tetsu stepped aside as he expected Jigoro to try and spit gravel out the back wheels at him, but it was all good.
As the car pulled away, the girls waved through the back window and kept waiving until the car turned a corner and was out of sight.
--
Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Wed Jun 07, 2023 10:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
Four the Future
March 19, 2008 — Monday
“Got the keys?” Emi asked Hisao - they’d been over this a dozen times, but this was a big step and Emi didn’t want to be coming back just because they’d forgotten something as insignificant as the keys to the house she, Hisao, Rin, and Tetsu would be sharing.
“Right here - we’ll see you two there.”
“Sorry we can’t give you a lift - there’s barely have enough room for me with all of Rin’s art, and I’m driving!”
Tetsu smiled - somehow, today, it didn’t seem so intimidating.
“No problem,” Emi said as a car honked — “Mom’s driving us.”
“Rin and I will have tea ready for when you get there.”
“Deal!”
They hugged and then they were off.
--
March 19, 2008 — Monday
“Got the keys?” Emi asked Hisao - they’d been over this a dozen times, but this was a big step and Emi didn’t want to be coming back just because they’d forgotten something as insignificant as the keys to the house she, Hisao, Rin, and Tetsu would be sharing.
“Right here - we’ll see you two there.”
“Sorry we can’t give you a lift - there’s barely have enough room for me with all of Rin’s art, and I’m driving!”
Tetsu smiled - somehow, today, it didn’t seem so intimidating.
“No problem,” Emi said as a car honked — “Mom’s driving us.”
“Rin and I will have tea ready for when you get there.”
“Deal!”
They hugged and then they were off.
--
Last edited by Asoko_Desu on Fri Apr 28, 2023 3:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
-
Asoko_Desu
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:30 pm
- Location: L5
Re: Two Body Problem
From Friday Until the End of Time
March 28, 2008 — Friday
So a single school year ends - one of many such. Three trimesters in time, with experience to last lifetimes.
Thank you for following along on the journey — live well, love well, be even tempered and honest in your judgements.
Nota Bene:
--
March 28, 2008 — Friday
So a single school year ends - one of many such. Three trimesters in time, with experience to last lifetimes.
Thank you for following along on the journey — live well, love well, be even tempered and honest in your judgements.
Nota Bene:
The Two Body Problem
The classical problem of celestial mechanics, perhaps of all Newtonian mechanics, involves the motion of one body about another under the influence of their mutual gravitation.”
— The Foundations of Celestial Mechanics; George W. Collins, II
--
"So much to do, so little time."
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++
Asoko Desu's one-shots and short pieces - and assorted tie-ins.
Two Body Problem - "Adventures in the 'Emiverse'"; Emi’s path from Rin’s perspective ..
The Years That the Locusts Have Eaten - Post-Rin’s good ending - a journey through the 'Rinverse'
+++