The heat of the sun passes through the crystal surface of your window, giving your body a nice warm feeling. Birds chirp, passing by not giving a noticing glance of your motionless body, whose only actions are calm breathings. The sound of a truck, moving about in the streets fills the air. Followed by the usual motorbike driver whose face you never bothered to know. Garbage day... you thought to yourself. Awake as you were, you did not move from your positionon--your stomach whilst hugging a pillow close to your face. It felt as though your entire body was too heavy and your eyelids were glued shut. The only functioning parts you had were your sense of hearing and presence of thought...
"Ohayo gozaimasu Yokohama! Im glad that that all my listeners are now tuned in and in a good mood" well... some at least. "As you all wake up to a B-E-A-UTIFUL morning, I think Ill play a personal favorite of mine Heres Up Town Girl by West Life. But before that Id like to give a happy birthday to the following: Mrs. Kisame Shizuka, Mr. Kadzuki Takahashi, Mrs. Aruya Hirukawa..."
Shit... think I'm gonna puke... You stayed in bed, trying to cover you ears with your pillow, cursing under your breath, whilst a little part on the back of your head wondered why the hell you always tuned in to this station when you know you hate boy bands that dont even play a damn instrument.
You tried to reach for your radio alarm to turn it of from the DJ's constant yakking, but as you rolled over, it was predictable that you fell of bed trying to reach it. Probability of you waking up from this was a 100% sure chance... But apparently you where just on the floor whispering to no one in particular, "Five more minutes..."
Then a knock on your door came followed by the ever-so-happy face of your father, Hideki Kigami. You could see a blurry figure from opening only one eyelid; his jet-black hair which was similar to yours, along with his cloudy grey eyes (me: yes, there is such color). "Morning Kei-bozu (me: -bozu means kid, squirt, etc. used mainly for boys but Im gonna let it apply to girls here.)!" he said in a jolly tone. He always called you by that name, and you were contented with it. Youd probably throw up if he called you by a pet name.
A mumble was your only reply.
"Come on Kei-bozu. You gotta get ready for school." He then picked you up and slung you on his shoulder, like an old sack of rice to head for the bathroom.
"Can't I stay sick today?" you begged as he ran you down the hall.
"Nope!"
As you could hear the familiar clack of a door knob you knew your father had opened the bathroom door. Gently bringing you of his shoulders into the bathroom, your bare feet felt the cold tiles as you rubbed your eyes. "Head down for breakfast when you're done alright?" with that he pets you on the head and vanished into a corner.
Love 'ya dad, but why do you have to pet me like I'm a cat? You thought. You entered the room, took off your shirt and shorts, and into the shower. The next sound to be heard now--that could probably be heard in a two mile radius--was, "GAAAAAH! COLD!"
You finished your shower and dressed up in a black shirt, blue jean-cloth vest, and army-patterned 3/4 pants. Opening your bedroom door and welcomed by the usual wooden floor hallway. You then headed straight for the kitchen with your backpack on, and saw your father already eating. You pulled a chair out and took what ever was on the table. "Maybe you should hurry up," said your father. You gave a puzzled look and turned your head slightly to your right. There lay a yellow clock hanging on the wall, doing nothing for the last three years of your life except gather dust and tell time. There you saw the time and finally discovered what consequences you'd encounter if you were late for school... again.
You ate your food in record speed and then gave your father a peck on the cheek to go, "Ja ne (Bye)!".
As you where about to exit your apartment--you just slipped on your shoes and grabbed your skateboard. But as your hand held the cold bronze doorknob you took a step back and said, "Ikimasu (I'm going)!" to the picture of your mother.
"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" you kept on repeating to yourself while you landed a frontside lipslide on a stairway ramp. You werent showing off or anything, the stairs were just crowded that it'll take you an eternity to pass through.
You went as fast as you can and reached the entrance of your school grounds. You hesitated on taking off your shoes and not bothering to fix them up, but instead just stowing them in your locker along with your skateboard. Running up different rows of stairs you reached the room at least a few seconds early that you had time to catch your breath as you headed to your seat.
"Well look who for once came in time, the cross-dressing school homo-sexual," said a girl, whom you only knew by face, with short hair and straight bangs standing in front of you wearing a mini skirt and pink jacket (me: imagine one of the girls from 'Mean Girls').
With blood temperature at high you didnt hesitate to react before she started making more side comments. You had a very short temper and the last time a person tried to get on your nerves, had to switched schools. You clutch your fist hard, ready at her, and held the top portion of her jacket. "Try saying that again and lets see what happens" you said with poison dripping word per word.
"NEE!!! Let me go you bt*ch! Let me go!!!" she cursed as you readied your fist high in the air.
"Alright Ms. Kigami, thats enough. Class, please take your seats," interrupted the teacher, you then let go, grunting, and sat down at the back next to the window.
"HA! I knew you where to chicken to do it!" the girl cackled.
"Chicken? You were the one screaming like Christina Aguilera getting her hair extensions caught in a zipper!" you hissed at the girl who was now sore.
Men, Kote, Migi-Do, Hidari-Men, Tsuki... You repeated in your thoughts as you hit your sparing partner at the given areas (me: those were target areas just so you know), with your Shinai. Not giving him a single chance to play you down.
PREEE!!! You heard the blow of a whistle as you stopped your self from persuing to strike your sparing partner. Damn, you cursed for facts that he was wide open and you didn't get the chance to strike him one last time.
You straitened yourself up and looked to your side to see the coach. Mr. Harushou Sakurada, more comonly known in school as Sakurada-sensei in respect for the man. A man with the look of wisdom collected beneith those multitude of wrinkles. A strong grey beared matched his features and his once raven black hair now having greyish streaks on the side.
"Alright men--!"
"Ahem!" you inturrepted looking at him straight in the eye.
"Oh pardon me and woman as well," he added satisfying your objection. Here he says woman due to reasons that you were the only female who ever entered the Kendo Club. All the other girls of the damn school were either to chicken, or would prefer to do something that would only intrest you when all of hell freezes--like cheerleading."That's all for today, pack up your stuff and head home, pratice starts at usual again tomorrow."
With that you bowed to your sparing partner and headed for your duffle bag at the betches. Taking of your Kote and Men (me: the gloves and mask), you shlump down the bench and seached for your canteen. Succeeding in finding it you popped the top off and gulpped down one heap as you whipped the sweat of your head.
"I forgot, I have an announcement to make!" Sakurada-sensei added. "I wont be able to train any of you for much longer due to facts that I'm being moved to a different school to teach. I hope you all will cooperate with the knew teacher, who is a relative of mine, because this will be his first time teaching Kendo." Some were surprised while others just shrugged in off. You were those who shrugged the thought off as well. Thoughts of your sensei didn't really bother you much. It's not like you didnt care or anything like that, you were just not in the mood to look like you did.
Soon murmurs of voices came from side to side. Others leaving for home, some still chatting about Sakurada-sensei's departure, and others, something else.
"You got beat again?" you heard a voice speake only a few feet away from you. You turned your head a bit to see you sparing partner talking with a group of friends who were also other members of the club. Never did you bother to know anyones name. The only way you ever knew a name was if you wanted to, or if they really pissed you off.
"Well can ya blame me?! I mean that chicks a human tornado, I didnt even get the chance to hit her!" he complained, you just smirked at that thought and continued to drink your water. Drinking the mineral water that you refilled your canteen a little earlier on.
"Damn, for a girl that ones good. I mean, what do you expect from an Okyan (Tomboy or Manly-Woman)?"
Spewing water from your mouth on onto the gyms wooden floor, you coughed slightly and glared at the group and marched to them in fury. "Who you callin' an Okyan?!" you sneered giving a look that could kill anyone--if looks could kill that is.
"Uh n-n-no one Keiichi-san! Not you of course! Heh..." one shivered at your sight.
"Dont throw shit at me! I heard 'ya and your group of idiots!" yout sneered again.
"Uh... w-w-we uh, we were... uh... Oh look! Is that the principle calling us! Were coming principle-san!" and that they disappeared. Thinking up a obviouse lie. Meaning it wasnt really convincing, so it was useless.
Hmph... idiots... you hissed at your thoughts. As you turned around, you ran into something tall, and un mistakably hard, and fell flat on your rear.
You rubbed your backside a bit and tried to look up, "Hey! Watch i--!" there you saw the face of your sensei, staring at you with a face that was probably saying, 'Are you alright?'. "Nya! N-nee, gomenasai Sakurada-sensei," sweat dropping he helps you up as you walked back you your bag.
He gave a small chuckle, "Ah Keiichi Kigami, my best student whos a hidden cluts," he teased, "Its alright Kigami-san, happens. By the way, going home late again?" he asks as you walked to your dufflebag. By 'happens' he probably said that for reasons that hes tall and its easy to run into him.
"Hai, kendo practices last on todays schedule. But dont worry. Its just six-thirty-ish, the suns just about to set but still sometime before dark," you reasured him.
"How many clubs have yo joined this year?"
"I think... five this year," you paused to think, "I joined kendo, the martial arts group, japanese fencing, basketball and archery. Less than last year and I wasn't able to join more western sports 'cuz I was late for sign-ups." You sat down on the bench as so did Sakurada-sensei beside you.
"I see," Sakurada-sensei paused as well, immitating your thinking guesture. "Say, Kigami-san?" he asks again as you brought out your pants and shirt to change later.
"Hai, sensei?"
"How do you feel about the new kendo teacher I just announced?"
"Not much, havent though't about something like that before but I guess its not that bad," you answer, "All I'm really after is just to learn proper kendo because Ojii-san wants me to.
"Speaking of which," he said, "How is my brother doing? Were you able to visit him in Kyoto this year?"
"Yes actually, I was able to train with him using the old katanas that were lying about."
"Oh? Thats good. So, are you not surprised about the new kendo teacher?" he asked for one last time.
"My life has had its fill of surprises sensei..."
As Kendo class endedand you had changed in the girls locker roomyou where already on your skateboard heading home. Gliding down familiar streets and turning to known corners. As you reached the rusty old gates of your building, you got off your board and just held it at hand, and headed for the stairs and paced up to the fourth floor.
You came down the usual hall and counted, "78-B, 77-B, 76-B Here we are; 75-B." You reached for the round silver handle that a had a nice orange shine from the afternoon sunset. But what was odd was that the door was unlocked as when you went in.
"Konichiwa, Kei-bozu!" a familiar voice greeted.
"Konichiwa, Otto-chan. You're home early," you replied, not really as surprised as you should have been. "Why you home early?"
"Uh... no reason... Heh, heh..." Being the not-so-good-liar your father was, you could see what right through that face of his. So you thought of having a little fun first.
"So, what's with the suitcase then?"
"Uh, this is... uh... my brief case, see? Papers next!"
You walk up to the suitcase and grab the first thing that caught your eye, "And I suppose these are your files?" Boxers...
"Uh, like mom always says! Always bring clean underwear!"
"Okay, what's going on?"
"What do you mean what's going on? Nothings going on!" he said walking down to the kitchen. "Everything's peachy keen! Fine and dand--!" he was cut of due to falling flat on his face.
You walk up to your father, who was now seeing swirls in his eyes, who seems to have tripped on a stray suitcase. "My gut tells me you were about to say 'dandy'."
He brought you to the kitchen table to explain properly. You where now both facing opposite to each other. This was odd though he doesn't really do something like this too often. The last time you faced each other like this to talk was to discuss the matter of when you died your bangs hot pink without permission. And that was six years ago.
"Kei-bozu," he started with his voice shaking, "you know I love 'ya and you're the next best thing to me since chocolate pudding."
Sweat drop. One hell of a big sweat drop popped out of your head. "First of Otoo-chan, relax. I'm not gonna eat you unless you force me to do something stupid," he gulped and shifted a bit on his seat. "and secondly, don't compare me with an artificially made dessert."
"Y-yeah... heh, heh. Right." He cleared his throat and started to speak again. "IGOTABUSSINESSTRIPTOSOUTHAMERICAANDYOUCANTCOMEWITHME! THATOKAYWITHYOU?!"
Your jaw dropped and tried to say something, not just because your fathers words were probably impossible to understand... but since you've lived with the man since birth, and can probably understand a bit of his unspeakable language, words finally came out, "I-I cant?! B-b-b-but why not?! I can't stay here by myself! I'm only thirteen! I can't be left in the house without someone with me!"
"That's the fun part! Well, remember your cousin that lives near Tokyo? You know, Aiori? (Me: if your curious, theyre both the same age^_^)" he asked with his indexfinger pointing upwards in that I-got-an-idea manner.
Aiori was your first cousin. She was your exact opposite, a perfect princess that everyone loved. A Mary Sue to be precise, but not in a bad way, she was just too perfect. Won most popular three years in a row, class representative, student council president, and, every guys dream-to-be girlfriend.
You've only met her once a month back in the province, Kyoto, with the family. She's the daughter of your father's brother who now lives by herself in their house. Her parents are not around due to the fact that they're both abroad in Germany. Last you heard she made the house a place to stay for kids who wanted to study in the school shes in.
"Yeah, what about?" you ask in a suspicious tone of voice.
"Well, she said she can look after you with a couple of friends of hers."
"FUN?! WHAT IN LADY SPOCKS HALF-BAT-BEATEN BRAIN CELLS IS THAT FUN?! I'M GONNA BE LEFT IN A HOUSE WITH PEOPLE I DONT KNOW, WITH GOD WHO KNOWS WHAT THEYRE UP TO! Well then, whose gonna look after the house?!" You demanded having your hands on the table and motioning on towards your father.
"Our neighbor, Mrs. Midori from across the hall...!"
"Then why not just leave me with her?!" you demanded with a bit of force this time. This made your father crouch a bit to the chair.
"Well shes too old to take care of you. She can only do as much as look after the house."
"And how long are you going to be gone exactly?!" You ordered him to answer the question as you stood from your chair.
"Uh... well... you see..." he hesitated.
"Well what?!"
"Two years tops... But thats not really a long time right?" There was then a long silence that look over. You where motionless and pale-looking, and staring into open space with your jaw open. "Uh Keiichi? You okay?" your father asked, waving his hand in front of your face. But you where too busy looking at mid-air.
Translations...
Before anyone asks, the song is about a married couple who seem to always get into fights but still manages.
Kinokompleto mo ang araw ko
sa tuwing inaaway mo
paggising sa umaga
mukha mo ang nakita
wala pang nagawa nakasimangot na
at pagsapit ng gabi tampo lalong lumalaki
ang gusto ko lambingan
ngunit may unan na namamagitan
(You complete my day
everytime we fight
once I wake up in the mourning
it's your face I see
I've done nothing yet and you're already frowning
and when night fall comes your mood grows bigger
you're the one I wanna embrace
but there's a pillow in between)
chorus:
Ang almusal ay sigawan
Ang Hapunan natin ay tampuhan
Ang Mirienda pagdududa
(Chorus:
The breakfast is full of yelling
The lunch is full of tantrum
The snack time* is full of suspition)
[*Mirienda is snack time for filipinos during the afternoon when they've finished work or a mid-day nap]
Pero mahal kita
wala ng hahanapin pang iba
handa kong magtiis
kahit na
away,away,away na to...
But I still love you
I wouldn't find anyone else
I'm ready to bear with this
even though
these are just fights, fights, fights...
Nahuli lang ng ilang minuto
Di na kinibo
Natrapik lang sa kanto
Di naman gwapo
naisip mo agad nan chiks ako
simple lang naman ang pinagmulan
pinahaba ang usapan
di naman kailangan
mahabang away na naman
(I was late for a few minutes
I didn't even move
I got hit by traffic at the corner
Not even good-looking
you already thought I had a girl
the place I came from is very simple
but you made the conversation longer
when it's not needed
this'll be another long fight)
chorus:
Ang almusal ay sigawan
Ang Hapunan natin ay tampuhan
Ang Mirienda pagdududa
(Chorus:
The breakfast is full of yelling
The lunch is full of tantrum
The snack time is full of suspition)
Pero mahal kita
wala ng hahanapin pang iba
handa kong magtiis
kahit na
away,away,away na to...
But I still love you
I wouldn't find anyone else
I'm ready to bear with this
even though
these are just fights, fights, fights...
(Girl)
Kahit na sabihin na naliligo ka sa sampal
Di mo masasabi na hindi kita minamahal
Ang dami mong babae
Wala ka pang trabaho
Ngunit kahit ganun ay nandito lang ako
Nandito lang ako
(Girl's POV:
Even if I tell you you're drentched in my slaps
You can't say I don't love you
You've got a lot of girls
You don't even have a job
But even if its like this I'm still here
I'm still here)
chorus:
Ang almusal ay sigawan
Ang Hapunan natin ay tampuhan
Ang Mirienda pagdududa
(Chorus:
The breakfast is full of yelling
The lunch is full of tantrum
The snack time is full of suspition)
Pero mahal kita
wala ng hahanapin pang iba
handa kong magtiis
kahit na
away,away,away na to... (3x)
But I still love you
I wouldn't find anyone else
I'm ready to bear with this
even though
these are just fights, fights, fights...
