Re: [Moved] Reborn *By Invitation Only*
Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:47 pm
She isn't angry with me! She loves me! I could feint or cry with joy! I settle for holding her and kissing her as she kisses me.
Her talk of her dad driving me home makes my blood freeze.
"Oh no! I am so dead..." I mutter, scrabbling for my phone. I pull it out and switch it on: immediately, about a dozen texts arrive from Mum, demanding to know where I am. I look up as Akane hails a cab and I scramble in behind her.
I shiver runs down my spine, a wonderful tremble that brings with it visions of moonlight and perfume, of love in the night and laughter in the sunshine.
"Oh," I whisper, "I would so like that...Midori," I look at her, lost for a moment. Then my phone rings.
"Hello? Mum? Yes I am OK! I only just remembered to switch it back on!....." I wince as Mum launches a tirade of my irresponsible behaviour. "No! I am at a friend's house! I met that girl you mentioned and we really hit it off, so we went back to hers," I cross my fingers, "and we, um, just lost track of time. I'd forgotten my phone was off, really, and school was great! Really great!" Mum mellows, it's not like she doesn't know I can take care of myself, or that I'm normally irresponsible. "Yes Mum, we will talk. We really need to talk Mum. If I wasn't as weird as me I'd be really freaked out right now....no it was nothing bad, just bloody typical of me....I'm not sure when I'll be back, Mum. But you know who I'm with....all right, as soon as I can. Bye Mum." I hang up.
The cab pulls up, and I dig deep in my own pocket as Akane struggles to find the money to pay him. Between us we have enough.
"It's not like I will have any use for money for about the next six months, I think I am sooo grounded after tonight," I sigh. Which really hurts, because I want to spend as much time with Akane as I can.
We stand at the end of a driveway facing a large traditional house.
"The priest, he didn't tell me much, Akane. He just showed me this picture, of two girls getting married - to each other," I watch to gauge her reaction. "They looked just like us, and their names were Penny and Akane." I let that sink in as we walk up to the house. "Midori, I don't think they just looked like us...the way we met, the way we're related to those girls...I think they were us. In our last life. Something...something went very wrong for them, and they died, and we were born. Then we met."
We reach the door, and Akane rings the bell.
After a moment a woman opens the door: she's in traditional Japanese dress, and she's old but still upright, and still in a dignified way beautiful. Beauty is more than skin-deep, it shines from the soul. She looks at us as the light shines on us. First at Akane, with an expression of resigned exasperation, but then at me...in recognition, and shock that seems to shake her to the core. For a moment she is speechless, and I suddenly realise we are holding hands, Akane and I, with skinned knees and dishevelled sefuko. Then I see her smile, a smile of joyful relief, as if she has suddenly seen things come right at last.
"Kon'nichiwa, Penny-san," she greets me by name with a slight bow. I shiver with recognition. Today just got weirder and weirder.
"Kon'nichiwa, Aoi-sama," I respond bowing also. Oh no. I just did it again...
Her talk of her dad driving me home makes my blood freeze.
"Oh no! I am so dead..." I mutter, scrabbling for my phone. I pull it out and switch it on: immediately, about a dozen texts arrive from Mum, demanding to know where I am. I look up as Akane hails a cab and I scramble in behind her.
My Love wrote:"...Tsuki Koari..."
I shiver runs down my spine, a wonderful tremble that brings with it visions of moonlight and perfume, of love in the night and laughter in the sunshine.
"Oh," I whisper, "I would so like that...Midori," I look at her, lost for a moment. Then my phone rings.
"Hello? Mum? Yes I am OK! I only just remembered to switch it back on!....." I wince as Mum launches a tirade of my irresponsible behaviour. "No! I am at a friend's house! I met that girl you mentioned and we really hit it off, so we went back to hers," I cross my fingers, "and we, um, just lost track of time. I'd forgotten my phone was off, really, and school was great! Really great!" Mum mellows, it's not like she doesn't know I can take care of myself, or that I'm normally irresponsible. "Yes Mum, we will talk. We really need to talk Mum. If I wasn't as weird as me I'd be really freaked out right now....no it was nothing bad, just bloody typical of me....I'm not sure when I'll be back, Mum. But you know who I'm with....all right, as soon as I can. Bye Mum." I hang up.
The cab pulls up, and I dig deep in my own pocket as Akane struggles to find the money to pay him. Between us we have enough.
"It's not like I will have any use for money for about the next six months, I think I am sooo grounded after tonight," I sigh. Which really hurts, because I want to spend as much time with Akane as I can.
We stand at the end of a driveway facing a large traditional house.
"The priest, he didn't tell me much, Akane. He just showed me this picture, of two girls getting married - to each other," I watch to gauge her reaction. "They looked just like us, and their names were Penny and Akane." I let that sink in as we walk up to the house. "Midori, I don't think they just looked like us...the way we met, the way we're related to those girls...I think they were us. In our last life. Something...something went very wrong for them, and they died, and we were born. Then we met."
We reach the door, and Akane rings the bell.
After a moment a woman opens the door: she's in traditional Japanese dress, and she's old but still upright, and still in a dignified way beautiful. Beauty is more than skin-deep, it shines from the soul. She looks at us as the light shines on us. First at Akane, with an expression of resigned exasperation, but then at me...in recognition, and shock that seems to shake her to the core. For a moment she is speechless, and I suddenly realise we are holding hands, Akane and I, with skinned knees and dishevelled sefuko. Then I see her smile, a smile of joyful relief, as if she has suddenly seen things come right at last.
"Kon'nichiwa, Penny-san," she greets me by name with a slight bow. I shiver with recognition. Today just got weirder and weirder.
"Kon'nichiwa, Aoi-sama," I respond bowing also. Oh no. I just did it again...