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Post by hannah on Jun 30, 2011 1:24:27 GMT -5
Character(s): Ayame Natsuri and Ren Yukio Time: 6:30PM Location: Mall continued from here. "Let go of me!" Ayame stopped suddenly and looked at him, laughing. "Whatever you say." she giggled, letting go of his arm. "But now you're gonna have to chase me!" she called, running down the street, waving her scarf behind her like streamers. Since she arrived at Aozora, memories began to come back. For one, when they were little, they'd play this game with Yousuke. It was like tag, but when you were finally caught, the other players would tickle you until you could count to ten, and then you'd be it. Every time Ayame caught Ren, she'd cover his mouth so he couldn't count, while Yousuke tickled him. It was funny how a month ago, she was on the road, killing people under an alias, not even thinking about Ren or Yousuke, but now all she thought about was the two of them. Her memory was usually bad, but somehow now she could remember the slightest of things. She could remember where Ren was the most ticklish and the names that Yousuke gave the cicadas he caught in summer. Everything was coming back. Even more, she finally felt close to those two again. Finally, it felt like she had her best friends again. |
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Post by ariana on Jun 30, 2011 1:32:21 GMT -5
"...Are you serious." Ren muttered as he rubbed his arm and stood still. "YOU HURT MY ARM YOU KNOW! Sometimes I don't even think you're a girl!! You've got a grip of a fucking guy, jeez, Ayame what have you been doing these past years!?" His arm would probably bruise by tomorrow, but he didn't care. "AND NO WAY AM I CHASING YOU!" He kept shouting louder and louder while he was trying to walk towards her but massage his arm at the same time.
"What are you doing?" Ren asked rudely as he finally caught up to her. She seemed.. lost in thought for some reason. "....That look doesn't seem promising." Ren thought to himself as he backed away.
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Post by hannah on Jun 30, 2011 1:39:22 GMT -5
"What are you doing?" Ren's voice rang through her ears, but he sounded far away, but it was she who was far away. A million zillion miles, traveling through time and space, gathering up childhood memories like hidden treasures.
Returning to reality, she turned to him and smiled. "Hey Ren," she asked dreamily, stepping towards him. "Are you still ticklish here?" Faster than he could push her away, she tickled at his sides like she did so long ago. Of course, now he was a lot less squishy, and a lot taller than her, and a lot angrier. Nonetheless, she was still lightheaded from being lost in though, and tickling Ren seemed like a good idea. However, a day or two ago, it would have been like walking into a lion's den.
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Post by ariana on Jun 30, 2011 1:52:04 GMT -5
"H-hoy! Ayame wha-" He bursted out laughing as Ayame was tickling him. "S-stop it! AYAME YOU'RE BEING RIDICULOUS!" He shouted, but she just wouldn't stop. He hasn't been tickled in ages - the abrupt and odd feeling shocked him.
He grabbed both of her hands and pinned her against the wall, "If I tell you to stop, stop." He said, sternly with a serious look on his face. The distance between their faces was too short - making Ren too uncomfortable for him to bare. So he left go and walked away.
"Hurry up, I'll leave you behind." Ren quickly said, trying to forget what he just did. Never before has he been so close to Ayame - being in that position made him nervous.
"What am I doing...?" Ren thought to himself.
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Post by hannah on Jun 30, 2011 2:03:08 GMT -5
He grabbed both of her hands and pinned her against the wall. She wasn't sure if she should be afraid or amazed that he was this close to her. "If I tell you to stop, stop."
"Whatever you say, Ren." she said in a sing-song voice, skipping after him. Even if he tried to pull the tough guy act, it didn't work very well on her anymore, if it ever did at all.
It was nice to be close to him, well, it was nice to just be close to someone. It didn't matter that he did it because he was annoyed with her, but it made her... happy. Happy was an understatement, really, because just being around him brought so many memories back.
"Hey, Ren," she said softly, catching up to him. "When I'm with you, I start to remember things better." She looked ahead. "I can remember what Ryouya was like all of a sudden. It's so weird. I've thought of him every day for the last ten years, but I couldn't remember him as well until now."
Stepping closer, she finally looked at him with red eyes. "So, Ren. Thank you."
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Post by ariana on Jun 30, 2011 2:28:37 GMT -5
Ayame's reaction was one he didn't expect, at all. She's become more happier around him and less serious. He knew that if he pinned her like that a few days ago, he'd get another slap to the face. What was happening? He looked back and saw her skipping around -
"Stop that, you're embarrassing you know that!" He said as he tried to walk faster, pretending he wasn't with her. "Geez, you're like a child!" He growled as he turned around so she had the chance to catch up.
"Hey, Ren." Ayame said gently, "When I'm with you, I start to remember things better." Ren's eyes widened, but kept listening to every word she said. "I can remember what Ryouya was like all of a sudden. It's so weird. I've thought of him every day for the last ten years, but I couldn't remember him as well until now." That's right. He completely forgot about Ryouya and the short friendship they shared.
"...Ryouya." He muttered in shock. How could he forget? His death was part of the reason why Ayame had to move away. Ultimately, he was the reason why Ayame and him are what they are today. He felt ashamed - how could he forget such an important figure in his life?
"...Thank you." Were the last things Ren heard out of Ayame's mouth. He zoned out - being drowned in memories of the past that he's previously forgotten. Of him and Ryouya, and of them playing together. "...Uh.." Ren said, still in shock. He shook his head and put his hand around his neck. "No problem, Ayame." He was able to pull off a genuine smile, and knowing that his presence to Ayame actually helped her made him happy.
Ren looked around, and it was completely dark. The only thing that helped them see were the bright street lights above them, illuminating their surroundings beautifully. "It's a bit cold, hmm?" He took off his vest and put it around Ayame.
"The last thing I need right now is for you to get sick." He grinned and held her hand gently.
"Come on, Aozora closes their gates soon."
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Post by hannah on Jun 30, 2011 2:54:57 GMT -5
Out of the blue, she felt Ren's vest around her. Surprised, she looked at him. What was he doing? Somehow he transformed from a rude, angry, selfish prick to the friend she had ten years ago. "Ren..." she whispered. There was a sincere smile on his face. One she hadn't seen before, or at least not for a long time. It looked familiar, but all the same, seeing a real smile and not a smirk was... different.
Before she could say anything else, he took her hand. Heat started to flow through her body. It wasn't just a blush anymore, this felt more like a fever. Her heart was beyond pounding.
"Come on, Aozora closes their gates soon."
"Right..." she answered, her voice weak and soft. Hands. Their hands were touching. Holding. Nothing registered. Not the cold, not the dark, nothing but Ren. This was a feeling that couldn't quite be described in words, but if it had a specific term, the feeling could never be compared to any word in any dictionary.
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Post by ariana on Jun 30, 2011 3:10:44 GMT -5
Ren's grip on Ayame's hand grew tighter and tighter - as if he was scared that someone would pull her away. Her hand was so abnormally warm compared to his, it amazed him. His hands were always ice cold - no matter what room or place he was in. "You're okay, right..?" Ren asked as he looked back a bit. "Your hands are really warm. You're not sick, are you?"
He chuckled, "How come I always find myself asking if you're sick or not?" He continued to walk, their hands still linked. "I remember when we were little we'd always play Doctor and-" Ren grew silent. What was he saying? Spouting out child hood memories - he was sounding like Ayame now. He wasn't the type to reminisce at all - but with her, that's all he could talk about and think about. It's like Ayame has infected his mind to become identical to hers.
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Post by hannah on Jun 30, 2011 3:29:39 GMT -5
She bit her lip and covered her face with her scarf again with her free hand. "No, I'm fine, I just--" she whispered, muffling her voice with the thick cloth.
"I remember when we were little we'd always play Doctor and-" Ren began. She stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish, a bit surprised that he'd bring up the past. When she tried to talk about it before, he'd want to drop the subject and stop remembering, but now...
"I do too." she said, interrupting the silence. "We got into your parents' medicine cabinet and wasted three boxes of bandaids making a cast for Yousuke."
As they approached the gates of Aozora, she stopped, wishing the walk had been longer. The stars were able to shine through in such a small town with few bright lights, and the moon hung like a ghost in the onyx sky. The wind picked up again, and she gripped Ren's hand tighter, as if the slightest breeze would separate them again.
"I'm glad you thought to rehearse in town today, Ren." she said, staring at the sky. "It was one of the best ideas you've had."
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Post by ariana on Jun 30, 2011 3:52:00 GMT -5
Ren smiled as he watched Ayame finish the story for him. "Your memory's better than mine," he added gently. As he looked up, he saw the huge gates of Aozora stand before them, and he felt Ayame's grip grow tighter and tighter, and he smiled. "I'm right here, Ayame. No need to hold my hand so tight", he joked as he faced her.
"I'm glad you thought to rehearse in town today, Ren." she said, gazing at the sky, "It was one of the best ideas you've had."
Ren smiled and scratched the back of his head, "Well what can I say?" He quickly let go of her hand and started walking towards the gate to go back to the Academy.
"...Oh, yeah. Ayame?" He said as he turned around when he was about to enter the gates, "Thanks for today. You..." he smiled, "We should do this again sometime." He quickly winked at her and proceeded to go back to the place he likes to call hell.
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Post by hannah on Jun 30, 2011 4:04:46 GMT -5
The gates, the sky, the stars, the moon. Everything made her feel so small and insignificant. Ren and his moonlit shadow, and his hand so much bigger than hers. She felt like she could disappear into thin air, and when he let go of her hand, that's how she felt. As he walked toward the gate, she felt like she was shrinking, until his voice stopped it.
"...Oh, yeah. Ayame? We should do this again sometime." Through the dark and the distance, she could make out the definite curve of his smile, and the flash of a wink.
When he turned around again, she followed him, and grabbed his hand again. "Yeah..." she whispered, pressing her forehead against the middle of his back. "We should."
"Let's bring Yousuke, too. Like old times."
When she let go of his hand, it felt like something broke. It felt like something was missing, and she was afraid, but she followed him through the gate, and down the hall where everything started.
[ended]
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