CHILDREN OF SARJALIM

by Angela

 

Thursday, Day Four:

 

The itinerary looked good.  Jinpachi tucked the page into his notebook, barely hearing the buzz of excitement as his classmates discussed their upcoming trip.  He’d never really cared one way or another about Hokkaido, until he found out that Alice used to live there.  He could tell by the light in her eyes when they discussed the trip that she was excited to be going back.

 

He was relieved that, this year, it had been decided that all of the senior classes would be taking a trip together, rather than individually.  This was the second year in a row that Alice had been separated from him and Issei; this trip might just make the year more bearable.

 

It wasn’t that he still liked her.

 

Well, he did, but in the past twelve months it had become pretty clear just where things stood between Alice and him.  To be blunt, Kobayashi Rin stood between them.  It was strange to acknowledge that he’d been beat out by a little kid, but reincarnation did that to people.

 

Lately he’d stopped dwelling so much about it, but the idea of this trip--a week with Alice and no Rin in sight.  Even Issei’s hot-and-cold behavior wasn’t enough to dampen his enthusiasm.

 

“Jinpachi.”  Issei crouched next to his desk, resting his elbows on the smooth wood.  “I just talked with Sakaguchi.  She talked to Kasama yesterday, but didn’t have any luck persuading him to come by.”  He combed his hair nervously with his fingers.  “He did give us some names, though.  Along with Nadeshiko, he knows of someone named Ayame and a Sarches named Hinagiku.”

 

“Only three of them?”  Jinpachi frowned.  Three seemed like a tiny crew.  “Does Kasama know if they’re coming here?”

 

Issei shook his head, pushing his hand through the flop of hair over his forehead.  Jinpachi wondered he realized that Enju used to do that, too, when she was nervous.  “If so, Sakaguchi didn’t say anything about it.  We can ask her tomorrow night.”

 

“Wow--aliens coming to Earth. . . it really makes our trip to Hokkaido look kind of ordinary, huh?”  Jinpachi scratched his head.  It was almost too much to think about.

 

*****

 

Sakura leaned against the door as Issei hurried to tie his shoes.  "Come on," she urged.  "My train leaves in an hour!"

He smiled.  She said she’d come to Tokyo to shop for books, but ended up on Issei’s doorstep instead.  It was funny that she could be in such a hurry, just for a brief walk to the river and back.  They'd be back at his house within fifteen minutes--plenty of time for her to get to the train station.  "What's the rush?"  He laughed as her eyes narrowed dangerously.

 

"Daisuke called me this morning," Sakura explained as they stepped out into the cool evening.  "He's coming home from school--he lied and claimed there was a sickness in his family.  Anyway, he'll be back for a week and a half."  She looked up at the sky, which was deep blue with twilight and too cloudy for stars.  Zipping up her light jacket, she smiled.  "Let's just hope that Nadeshiko shows up soon, or he'll have to go back and miss it all."

 

"I had another dream," Issei began, wondering why he never really told her about them before.  "It was kind of a memory, about Nadeshiko and Enju.  I guess we went to school together."

Sakura screwed up her face into an unpleasant grimace.  "I sure don't remember her, and I went to college with you.  Are you sure your brain's not playing tricks on you?"

Issei laughed.  "No, this was before college.  We were teenagers.  In the dream, we were fixing our hair for a party of some sort.  I was jealous because her hair was so pretty and shiny."  He laughed again, remembering Enju's wistfulness as she looked at Nadeshiko's pale blonde curled locks.  Now he understood his little sister's petulance about her hair.  "I think Shusuran had the right idea," he commented, running a hand through his own dark hair.  "Keep it short!"

 

"She always loved Enju's looks," Sakura commented softly.  "She always loved how long and silky her hair was, how feminine and soft she looked."  Issei noticed a faint blush over his friend's cheeks.  She seemed embarrassed for talking so openly.  "Maybe that's why I ended up looking just like her!" she rationalized quickly, looking away.

He'd noticed.  That was the first thing he'd noticed about Sakura; it was as though a mirror of his former self was being held before him.  Without even meaning to, he reached out and touched Sakura's fine hair.  It was smooth, soft.  Nicer than Enju's.

Sakura froze.  They were still a block away from the river, on a quiet street lined with single-family homes.  She didn't look back at him, didn't move, just stood there, eyes-closed, as he stroked her hair. Issei hurriedly pulled his hand away, upset with himself for touching her without permission and making her uncomfortable.

 

"Sorry," he said quickly.  "I--I didn't mean to--"

"It's okay," she whispered.  "I like it."  She bowed her head, not opening her eyes.  "You've never really touched me before."

He didn't consider himself a touchy-feely sort of person, not like Jinpachi, who was always grabbing hands or patting shoulders.  He was too reserved.  He wondered what it was about Sakura that made him do it without even thinking.  He looked at her flushed cheeks and long lashes, her face almost obscured by her long smooth hair.  Maybe it was because she looked like Enju.  "I'm sorry," he apologized again.  This was a new area for him; he wasn't used to being awkward with Sakura.

 

"I told you," she said again.  "Don't be."  She spun around, suddenly looking Issei in the face and leaning a little too close.  She grinned, a lopsided, goofy sort of smile that he'd never seen before.  "I liked it.  You should touch me more often."

Even as Issei was trying to think of an answer for that, she tipped forward and pressed her mouth to his.  Her lips were soft and warm, her breath sweet and hot against his skin.  He shuddered, confused and excited at the same time.  Grasping her shoulders, he meant to push away, but found himself pulling her closer, answering her kiss with a yearning that startled him.

A yearning that alarmed him.  This was Sakura.  His heart pounding, Issei tore away from the kiss, shoving her away abruptly.  This was all wrong.  He couldn't let his loneliness complicate things with Sakura.  He needed her friendship too much.

 

"Issei?"  She sounded hurt.

 

"I--I'm sorry," he said slowly.  He closed his eyes; he couldn't look at her.  He was ashamed of his own reactions, of his selfish response.  "I didn't mean to--"

A tiny noise cut him off, made him look sharply toward her.  His heart stopped.  She made another little hiccupping noise as tears began to stream down her cheeks.  "Forget it," she said with forced cheerfulness.  Sakura smiled through her tears.  "Please, just forget it."

Before he could answer, she turned on her heel and began to run way.  As she turned, Issei felt a stab of what must have been her emotions.  His chest felt like it was being pressed in a vice.

 

"Sakura!"  He took a few steps in pursuit.  How could he let her cry like that?  How could he make her feel that bad?  "SAKURA!" he bellowed, not caring if his yells disturbed the whole neighborhood.

 

"I've gotta go!" she called back, waving frantically.  "I'll see you at Jinpachi's tomorrow!"

Defeated, Issei leaned against a nearby tree.  His pulse throbbed in his ears and he felt like he was choking on his own heart.  "Damn it!" he whispered, tears stinging his eyes.

 

*****

 

Almost everyone around him was asleep or reading.  Daisuke listened to music from his portable CD player, his bag on the floor at his feet.  This late at night, most of the travelers were businessmen, eager to get an early start on the morning's meetings.  He was the only teenager on board, if for no other reason than that no kid in their right mind would be on a train at 4 o'clock in the morning on a school night.  As it was, he knew he should be asleep; an absence from school was no excuse for a break from routine.

But there was no way he could sleep, even if he wanted to.  He turned off the reading light and stared out the window as the countryside zipped by.  It was impossible to make out anything in the darkness, so he turned his eyes upward.  Stars and moon seemed still in the sky, making it possible for his gaze to linger.

According to Ogura and Sakura, someone was out there, probably coming to Earth.  Just the thought sent a thrill through his body, almost as powerful as when he first heard Ogura say the words.  This was probably the greatest thing to ever happen to mankind, and he was going to be there, in the middle of it.

 

"Nadeshiko," he whispered, testing the name.  He wondered if she remembered him, if his new form would surprise her.  Daisuke studied his pale reflection in the glass.  His old rival would have aged, he realized, while he was even younger than before.  The thought made him smile.