How We Met

It was a cold, rainy morning during this seemingly pointless summer break. A young, junior of Keito High School, named Tsuniga Hoshi, was walking down a lonely street with rain being reflected off of his umbrella. He reached his hand up to his black, spiked hair and rubbed his head. What laid ahead of him was a young woman who stood in the rain as if she had not noticed that it was pouring. She was five foot tall, and she stood eight inches below Tsuniga. Her purple dress was elegant and didn't seem to be bothered by the rain. She looked at the ground as if she forgot something or something was on her mind.
Tsuniga walked up to her and said, "You know, you'll catch a cold if you don't get out of the rain." He rose his umbrella over her head.
She looked at him with eyes prepared to cry.
Tsuniga then asked, "What's wrong?"
She tried to build up the courage to speak, but then collapsed onto the ground.
Worried, Tsuniga picked her up with both hands and carried her over to his house leaving the umbrella on the ground.

Mei awakens from a blurred vision as if she awoken from a long party. She finds herself laying on top of a towel on a bed. She whispers, "Where am I?"
"You're finally awake, huh?" Tsuniga answers.
"Who are you?" she asks.
"I'm Tsuniga Hoshi. What's your name?" Tsuniga says softly as if he's talking to a terrified dog who is ready to run out the door the moment he makes any sudden moves.
"My name is Mei Hana. Why are you helping me?" Mei asks.
"Isn't it a person's duty to help someone in need?" Tsuniga replies with a question.
"I'm not sure," Mei says.
"I think it's best if we get you out of that dress before you end up catching a cold. I picked up a few things from my mother's closet," Tsuniga says handing her a pair of black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a red jacket to accommodate the theme.
"You know. I'm not emo," she says with a joking expression.
"Nobody said you were," Tsuniga says seriously.
"No bra, hm?"
"I'm sorry that I don't look at your chest and wonder what size you wear."
Mei gives him a disgusted look as Tsuniga exits the room, so she could change. By the time he reenters he gets back to some questioning.
"Where do you live? I'll take you home." Tsuniga says being compassionate.
"Home?" Mei says with a long pause. "I forgot where I live."
Tsuniga was surprised, "you don't remember where you live?"
Mei sits with another long pause, "that's right. I don't remember where I live."
Tsuniga began thinking to himself. How could someone forget where they live at? Doesn't she want to go home? Maybe she just ran away. What should I do about this?

"You should get some rest. Maybe you'll remember later on," Tsuniga says.
Mei puts her head down on a pillow as Tsuniga leaves his room. He heads over to his kitchen. Tsuniga pulls out a package of sausages and cracks a few eggs to make some sort of breakfast. After a little while, he manages to make something worth eating. He places the food on some plates and places the plates on a tray. Nervous but stable, he takes the food into his room and places it on his desk that sat beside his bed.


It was now twelve in the afternoon by the time Mei had awaken. Tsuniga was still patiently sitting by the desk spinning a wooden #2 pencil in his hand.
"Oh, you're finally awake," he exclaims.
She sits up and looks around the room.
"I made you something to eat," he says handing the tray of food to her that he had waiting on the desk beside him. "Do you remember where you live at?"
She shakes her head.
"Darn, do you remember anything about where you came from?" Tsuniga asks.
She shakes her head once again.
"Ehh... You're hard to work with; you know that, Mei?" he finishes.
She chuckles a little.
"What's so funny about that?" Tsuniga questions with a serious tone.
She began to eat by picking up the fork and cuts a bit of the egg. She raises the fork up to her mouth before dropping it. It fell and hit the floor. Her face began to sadden.
"What's wrong?" Tsuniga asks picking up the fork.
She continues to look down at the floor and says with a tone ready to cry, "I can't do it."
"Can't do what?" he asks.
"I... I can't do it," she whispers once more.
"Can you tell me what it is?" he asks with wonder.
"My memories are lies. I'll never figure out what it is that I used to be!"
"Don't say that! I'm sure it just takes time. During the meanwhile, you should get some more rest."
"Why do you think that sleeping will help me?"
"It helps you regain your energy."
"Who proved that?"
Tsuniga stops for a moment and questions himself. Who really did prove that? Was it even proven?

He finally says, "fine, come walk around outside with me at least."
She stands up. "I'll agree to that," she responds.

The outdoors was more clear then the rain that had occurred earlier. The ground was still wet, but at least there wasn't a single drop of rain. However, there still wasn't very many people walking around the streets. The neighborhood was quiet and not a single noise could be heard. Tsuniga helped Mei exit his house, and she waited for him by the road. When he got to the road, they both began walking the same direction. They weren't exactly heading towards a certain location; they were just walking.
"Uhm," Mei began trying to start a conversation.
"Mei, I perfer my walks quiet if you don't mind," Tsuniga says trying to lay it down soft as if it would kill her if he didn't.
Mei nods her head and continues to walk with Tsuniga. After ten minutes, they both find themselves outside the neighborhood and walking around the city. Constantly, he notices her looking at his face. She didn't know that he noticed though. As evening began to rise, he asks, "Mei, how about we stop by this cafe that I know of."
She agrees to his offer. As they made their way to the cafe, Tsuniga notices someone looking at them. Without hesitation, Tsuniga grabs Mei's hand and rushes over to the cafe.

Prime Cafe

"What's the big idea grabbing my hand and making me run over to the cafe with you?" Mei asks with a disgusted tone.
"Uhm," Tsuniga began trying to come up with something, "there was just something that I really wanted to show you at the cafe."
"Oh really? What is it?" Mei questions.
"I just wanted to show you something that they served. It's really good," Tsuniga responds.
"I can't wait," Mei says still disgusted.
"Come on. It's not like you disliked having my hand gripped on yours."
Mei had a very serious face and smacked Tsuniga on his arm then says, "Whatever you say."
Tsuniga laughed and gets seated to a table by a waitress.
The cafe was a small, simple family cafe. It had enough seats to fill just about fifty people, twelve tables. The walls were painted a plain white color, and the floor was a brownish tile, perhaps to hide any messes that could be easily spotted.
Mei had her eyes wondering around the room trying to get situated with the new environment that she is currently in. Tsuniga was studying the menu for anything new. After a few minutes he lays down the menu and still notices Mei's view wondering the whole entire room.
"What's wrong?" Tsuniga asks.
Startled, she looks at him. "Huh? Oh, nothing," she responds.
"Are you sure? You seem a little paranoid," he implies.
"Don't worry. It's nothing," she says before continuing an analysis of the room.
"Looks like you have a cacoethes of looking around the room."
"What did you say?"
"I'm sorry, your highness. I forgot about how delicate you are."
Mei stuck out her tongue as if she was the one teasing him instead.

A few minutes have passed, and the waitress stops by their table.
"Aren't you a little cute one," the waitress flirts with Tsuniga. "I bet she's a lucky girl to be with someone like you."
"Wait. I'm not with her or anything like that! I mean, I'm with her, but we're just friends! Tell her Mei!" Tsuniga tries to explain shaking his hands side to side.
Mei sits in her seat as if it was a very awkward situation, and she had no part of the conversation and wanted none of it.
"Well, whatever," said the waitress, "what would you like."
Tsuniga responds with, "I want a regular Prime Cafe Latte and a blueberry muffin. How about you Mei?"
Mei was yet again viewing the room. "Huh? Oh, I would like a Prime Cafe Espresso and a... Hm, let's see. A blueberry muffin as well."
The waitress writes down their orders on a little notepad and walks over to the kitchen of the cafe. Mei's eyes began to wonder around the room once more.
"Is there something bothering you?" Tsuniga questions.
Mei looks back at Tsuniga once more and responds, "huh? Oh. I told you; it's nothing."
Tsuniga looks down at his lap. Is she seriously hiding something? Is it best that I don't know what it is?

"Tsuniga," Mei begins, "do you think I'll ever get back to who I was before?"
"I promise that you will," Tsuniga responds.
"But... What if..." Mei begins but doesn't finish.
"'What if' what?" Tsuniga questions.
"What if I don't want to go back. What if I just want to know who I was, but I don't want to stay that way? What if that's why I forgot who I was."
"'What if' is a pretty scary phrase, huh?"
"I guess it is," Mei said and began to tear up.
"Hey, don't cry. You don't have to go back to the way you were. Nobody can force you to do anything," Tsuniga says handing hear a napkin.
"A napkin... Really?" Mei said chuckling a little with some tears dropping onto the table.
The waitress finally comes out of the kitchen with their order ready. Mei had just finished wiping off the tears from her eyes.
"Will you be okay?" Tsuniga asks.
"Yeah. I'll be alright," Mei responds.
The waitress puts down their food onto their table. They spent most of their evening talking to each other about their basic qualities and interests. By seven o'clock, Tsuniga was ready to leave the cafe with Mei.

"You ready to go?" Tsuniga asks Mei.
"Sure," Mei responds.
They both got up, and Tsuniga places down the amount of money they owed for the food they ate. Being a gentleman, he opens the door for Mei, and Mei exited the cafe with disgust towards Tsuniga.
"Seriously?" Tsuniga says to himself.
Mei stood outside with a stiff stance. She saw the man that Tsuniga saw earlier. The man was on the other side of the street, but noticed Mei's appearance. The man waits for cars to pass by before attempting on crossing the road. Tsuniga then grabs Mei's hand, and they began to run the direction of his house.
"Don't look back," Tsuniga says.
They kept running until they find themselves in Tsuniga's neighborhood breathless.
"Is that a friend of yours?" Tsuniga asks gasping for air.
"I don't quite remember, but he looks really familiar," Mei says catching her breath.
"Let's not stop until we get into the house," he finishes.
Tsuniga and Mei continues their walk to Tsuniga's house. They quickly enter his house and sat down on the couch in the living room.

The Next Idea

"Do you have a clue about who that person was?" Tsuniga questions still in desire for an answer.
"Not one bit, but perhaps if we were to talk to him we might get an answer out of him," Mei responds.
"I don't think that'll be such a good idea. What if that person was after you and is a bad guy?" Tsuniga says worried.
Tsuniga's mother enters the living room from the kitchen. She looks at her son and then at Mei but then looks back at her son once more.
"Is this a friend of yours, Tsuniga?" says Tsuniga's mother.
Tsuniga paused for a moment. What should I say? I just met her today, but I don't want mother thinking that I brought in a stranger.

He responds, "Yes, this is a friend of mine."
Tsuniga's mother starts crying with laughter, "You finally have a female friend, huh?"
Mei starts to crack up laughing. Tsuniga blushes. Seriously, mom? That's really embarrassing to say. I've got many female friends.

"Where's my manners? Hello, I'm Tsuniga's mother, Rachel. Who is this young lady?" asks Rachel.
"I'm Mei. I just met Tsuniga today, and I can surely say that you are wonderful at teaching your child how to be a gentleman," Mei exclaims.
"Thank you. I love to think that I did, but some times it doesn't feel like it," says Rachel teasing Tsuniga.
Rachel leaves the living room and back into the kitchen.
"Your mom is pretty," says Mei.
"How in the world am I going to explain to her about you?" Tsuniga says.
"What do you mean?" Mei questions.
"Well, I don't plan on throwing you out of the house. I don't plan on leaving you somewhere unsafe," Tsuniga begins.
"Aw, you care that much?"
"Don't say it like I never did in the first place."
"Mind if I ask why? Why exactly are you trying to help me?"
Tsuniga thought to himself.Alright, I need a good answer for this one. If I say that it was just fun, would she snap as thinking that it's all a joke? What if I just say that I cared. Would she snap and think that I'm trying to be with her?

Tsuniga responds with, "Well, why not? I might as well help someone in need."
"Really?"
"Sure!"
Rachel enters the living room. She brings in tea from the kitchen. Kindly, she asks Mei, "Would you care for some tea?"
Mei nods her head and gives her a gentle smile.
"Such a good young lady," Rachel praises and pats Mei's head.
"Uhm, mom, I have something to ask you," Tsuniga begins.
"What is it, dear?" Rachel asks.
"Mei isn't really from around here, and she got lost trying to find somebody. Do you mind if she stays for a little bit until we figure out where she belongs?"
Without hesitation, Rachel responds, "sure! It sounds like fun."
"It seems like you already knew I was going to ask that," Tsuniga says then smirks.
"Yeah, yeah. Tsuniga, would you please set up the guest room for Mei?"
"Sure, why not?" Tsuniga says.
The front door opens up, and Tsuniga's father steps inside the house.
Tsuniga's father is a hard-working business man. He constantly wears a formal outfit. When at home he has a plain pair of glasses, dress pants, a collar shirt, and a vest over the shirt. He enjoys messing around with his child and his wife.
In an attempt to trick Tsuniga's father, Mei says, "Good evening, father."
Rachel begins to chuckle. Tsuniga's father, not noticing Mei, places his shoes in a shoe rack by the door. He then walks into the hallway before figuring out that a young lady was in his house.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Tsuniga's father begins rushing back into this living room. "Nobody, said that Tsuniga was getting married! When did this begin? No answer? Well, at least she's a pretty young lady."
Tsuniga reenters the living room, "Hey, Dad! Mei, you're room is set up."
Freaking out, Tsuniga's father begins to say, "What? She's already living with us! Why doesn't anyone tell me about what goes on around here any more?"
Tsuniga's father exits the scene and trails off into his bedroom feeling bummed out.
"What just happened?" Tsuniga questioned.
"I can't say for sure myself," Mei said confused as well.
"I'll calm him down and explain everything. You guys get prepared to sleep," Rachel exclaims.
Tsuniga and Mei nod their heads toward Rachel. When Rachel left, Tsuniga showed Mei to the room that she would stay at. It was a pretty spacious room. It had the basic necessities: a bed, a closet, a nightstand, a lamp, and a window. Mei didn't have to study the room too long and was already feeling a warm welcome when she entered the room.
"If you need anything, my room is just next door," Tsuniga informs her before leaving her to her room.

Mei finds herself in a dream. Here was a realm never seen before to Mei. She gets up on her feet and looks around the environment. It was a forest with a tree by her side. It wasn't just any tree. It was a maple tree that she seemed to see as something that is more valuable then the other trees around. It wasn't valuable by worth; it was valuable by relation. She felt that she had known this tree as if the tree was her own father. She looks at the tree.
"Why have you taken me here?" Mei speaks as if she knew she would get an answer.
She continues to look at the tree. The orange leaves slowly fell as if autumn was soon to arrive. She glances around the forest and notices a trail of smoke and ashes arising from somewhere out in the distance. She began to run towards that direction. It wasn't before long before she notices a house that was caught on fire. She runs in through the front door and a giant light blinds her view.

Mei finds herself screaming when she awakens. It was only a dream; wasn't it?

She felt her forehead with the back of her hand, and her forehead was sweating. It felt so real.

Tsuniga enters the room. "Are you okay?" he asks.
"Yeah, I think it was a nightmare," Mei responds. "What time is it?"
"It's three in the morning," Tsuniga informs.
"Oh," Mei says laying her head back down on her pillow.

Tsuniga slowly closes the door as he left the room. He walked off into the living room and sat down on the couch. Am I really helping her? It doesn't feel like I am.

He stands up after he finished questioning himself. It would be best if he just got outside and caught some fresh air. When he reached the front door, Mei enters the living room just in time to catch him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Mei asks.
"Just going out for a walk," Tsuniga says.
"Do you mind if I go?" Mei questions as politely as possible.
"Sure, but hurry," Tsuniga responds.

Summer Festival

Tsuniga and Mei took their time as they headed out of the neighborhood. The sun was just soon beginning to arise and the light it released placed a glare in their eyes as they headed that direction. A giant sign caught their eyes as they were walking by a local New Navy clothing store. It read "Summer Festival - May 30th - Keito Square Park".
"Summer Festival?" Mei asked.
"Yeah, and, apparently, it's going on today," Tsuniga said surprised.
"Why don't we join them?" Mei says.
"I don't know," Tsuniga says hesitantly.
"Please?" Mei questions looking directly at Tsuniga with a face so innocent it could make a busy business man tell his boss he'll take a break just to come spend time with her.
"Fine, I'll go."
Mei was so grateful that she screamed with joy as if she had never been to a festival before but has heard of the joys the festival brings.
They continue their walk towards Keito Square Park, which was only four blocks away from where they found the sign at. They didn't really spend time talking as they walked. Mei knows that Tsuniga doesn't like to talk as he walks. Mei had a very kind, playful expression; she couldn't wait to visit the festival and enjoy herself with Tsuniga.

Tsuniga had other things going on in his head. I guess it'll be just about impossible to get Mei back to who she once was. Our only bet is to ask that guy that is after her about what he wants.

Tsuniga notices that Mei had stop moving.
"What's wrong?" Tsuniga asks.
She looks straight ahead with a tremendously excited face.
"Have you ever been to a festival before?" Tsuniga asks confused.
"I don't think so, but this looks like it's a lot of fun!" Mei says excited then grabs Tsuniga's hand as they head into the park.

There were many games displayed, lots of kids jumping on bounce castles, people eating grilled foods and drinking soft drinks and coffee, and groups of kids to adults hanging out and enjoying themselves. Mei didn't know what she wanted to do first. Everything going on looked like it was so much fun.
"So, what do you plan on doing first?" Tsuniga asked.
"I don't know! Everything looks fun!" Mei says excited.
"How about I choose then?" Tsuniga insisted.
Mei nodded her head. "Alright, you choose first then," she replies.
Tsuniga looked around for his favorite game stand. It wasn't before long that Tsuniga had found the game stand he was looking for. The game he enjoys most, when he comes to the Summer Festival, is a complex ring toss game. The game consists of a person standing ten feet from a one foot pole. The objective of the game was to throw a disk into the pole, and the game is completed. However, Tsuniga perfers more challenging games then a simple ring toss as, in this game, the tosser must angle the projectile to avoid colliding with two platforms that lay in between the tosser and the pole in an attempt to reach the destination the disk must fly into.
"This looks pretty challenging," Mei tells Tsuniga.
"It really is. I do enjoy playing this game though. It's a great way to spend time," Tsuniga informs Mei and gives her a smile.
"I want to attempt to complete this," Mei says determined.
"Go for it," Tsuniga tells her.

Mei steps up to the person running the stand. Tsuniga notices that Mei was handed three disks. She walks up to the tosser's spot, which was an "x" on the floor made of tape. She raises the ring up from to hear head and gripped the disk with her index finger and her thumb. She tosses the first disk, but then hits the first platform. She tosses her second disk, but she had hit the first platform once again. She tosses the third disk and fails to reach the goal as well.
"Aw," Mei says disappointed.
"Nice try. Perhaps another go?" asks the owner of the game stand.
"Let me have a go," Tsuniga tells Mei.
Mei nods her head.
Tsuniga receives the three disks. He looks down the lane and focuses on the target. He rises his arm and lowers it. He takes his first toss but fails upon hitting the second platform. He tosses the second disk and hits the second platform as well. He tosses the final disk and manages to avoid hitting both platforms and manages to catch the pole.
"Congratulations!" the game owner says surprised. He reaches into the far back of the stand, which wasn't that far from where he had already been standing and pulls out a giant stuffed bunny. "I have never seen someone complete this game before, so here's a reward for your work."
Tsuniga didn't really want the reward, but accepts it just so he doesn't seem impolite. He stuffed it right into Mei's arms. She was surprised.
"You're seriously giving me this?" Mei said while looking interested in the massive bunny.
"I don't want to tote it around nor do I really want it," Tsuniga informs.
She was very joyed and happily screams because of the new object she just received from him.

"Tsuniga?" says a voice familiar to Tsuniga.
"Huh?" Tsuniga looks up to see a friend he knows from school.
She was an up-coming junior like Tsuniga. She stands five foot four inches, just two inches below Tsuniga. She has wavy, brown hair that reaches her shoulders. She was one of those cute girls that look popular, but she was also quiet. She enjoys being alone. Ayame doesn't have many friends, but the friends she has are close to her.
"Ayame?" Tsuniga responds.
"It's been a while," Ayame says with a gentle smile.
"It's only been a few weeks," Tsuniga says trying to get a laugh out of her.
Ayame chuckles a little bit. She notices that Tsuniga was looking at Mei, who was cuddling with a giant stuffed bunny just a short distance away from where the two were talking at.
"Is she a friend of yours?" Ayame asks.
"I guess you can say that," Tsuniga says.
Mei walks over to Tsuniga. "Hey, we should continue so that I can set down the bunny when we get home," Mei tells Tsuniga.
"Eh!?" Ayame yells surprised, "You guys already live together?" Ayame begins to blush and her face ended up turning red. "What... What... What about us?" she questions while badly studdering.
"What? Wait, huh?" Tsuniga says confused.
Ayame ran off.
"What was that about?" Mei asks.
"I have no idea." Tsuniga replies.
"Are you dating her?" Mei says her hands on her waste and the bunny by her right arm.
"No," Tsuniga answers still confused and faced his attention towards Mei.
"Do you like her?"
Tsuniga looks at Mei, "I... I don't know."
"You don't know if you like her?"
"Yeah, I honestly don't," Tsuniga finished while grabbing Mei's arm and walking her to a food stand.

Tsuniga bought himself a hamburger, and, by the demand of Mei, he buys her some cotton candy. As they were sitting around near the food court of the park, Tsuniga notices his parents wondering around the park as well. They spot him from quite a distance and made a hassle trying to get over to where the two were eating at.
"Hey, mom. Good evening, old man," Tsuniga says smiling.
"Cute," Tsuniga's father said giving his son a rub on the head.
"What are you guys doing here?" Tsuniga asks.
"It's not like we don't live around here! This is Keito's Summer Festival!" Rachel shouts proudly.
A few people in the background all woo'd after she did to show that they cared about their city's festival as well.
"Excuse me," says a female voice behind Tsuniga.
He turned around to find himself getting slapped in the face. He shouts out loud from the pain that had been put upon him and looks up to the one who had assaulted him.
"That hurt you know," Tsuniga says rubbing his face and squinting his eyes, "Who are you and why did you do that?"
This young lady had long blonde hair that went down to her upper thighs. She was just about the same size as Tsuniga. She was a pale color; it wasn't very pale but was getting there. She wasn't wearing any kind of accessories or makeup, but still caught his eye. She was a beautiful young creature to Tsuniga.
She looked at him with hate, "I'm Sarah Kozawa. Ayame's friend. I can't believe I placed her in your care, and you hurt her."
"What? What do you mean by that?" Tsuniga says studying Sarah's face.
Mei notices that Tsuniga was interested in Sarah, and she wasn't feeling good about it either.
"She told me that you're with someone, and she is living with you in your house," Sarah said as if she's scolding a dog.
Mei butted in, "Yeah, that's me. What of it?"
Sarah stands back surprised that someone would just step up to say it straightforward. "W... Well, that really hurted her feelings," Sarah said intimidated but became interrupted by Mei.
"Tsuniga, let's get going. I'm not feeling good around this area," Mei says rudely and begins to rush Tsuniga and his parents over to another game stand that was yards away from where they were at.
"I'm sorry, Sarah!" Tsuniga yells while being pushed.
Once they got over to the game stand Tsuniga turned around and looked at Mei directly in the eyes, "What the heck was that for?"
"I don't like her," Mei said.
"What? What's wrong with her?" Tsuniga complains.
"That's the point," Mei said looking away from Tsuniga.
Tsuniga gasped, "I get it! You're jealous; aren't you?"
"Shut up. I just really need your help to help me get back to who I was before, and it's not right if someone were to interfere from reaching that goal."
"Just admit it, Mei. You're jealous," Tsuniga teases.
"No, I'm not! Can we just finish today with you not teasing me so that we can get home."
"Fine, fine. By the way, you forgot your bunny back there."
Mei looks around her arms. She was disappointed that she had actually forgotten her stuffed animal gift at the food court area.
"I'll go get it," Tsuniga insisted being polite.
"No, I'll do it," Mei says stopping him.

Sarah was still there, but she was with Ayame. Ayame was still sad, and Sarah was patting her on the back trying to cheer up her friend. Oddly, it confused Mei that nobody is being bothered by a cute, young girl crying in the middle of a populated area. Mei quickly picked up her stuffed animal, but was stopped by Sarah.
She stood up looking down at Mei. "Look, I know that we had a bad start, but Tsuniga is Ayame's. I don't want you going around messing things up."
"If Tsuniga was Ayame's, then what do you have to worry about?" Mei replies.
Sarah started to get angry with Mei, "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but back off."
"How can I back off when I stay at his house!" Mei answers standing with her left hand clenched with a fist, and her other hand still holding the bunny.
Ayame enters the conversation, "Sarah, don't start any fights. If Tsuniga is fine with her being around, she must be a good person. Tsuniga isn't the type of person who would take in a stranger who is very mean."
Sarah nodded her head and sighed, "fine. I still don't like this girl, though."
Ayame took out her hand and placed it in front of Mei, "I'm Ayame. Please take care of Tsuniga."
Mei shook Ayame's hand, "I'm Mei. Please, don't get things mixed up. I don't remember my past, or how I got here. All Tsuniga is trying to do is help me figure out my past, and I'll be out of your way."

Tsuniga notices that Mei was getting along with Ayame and Sarah. He also looks around and spots the man that had been following her since the first time he spotted him. "Mom, Dad, you guys go right on ahead. I'll catch up with you guys in a bit."
His parents were already not standing by his side. They had already been playing games a little ways from him. Tsuniga walks up to the suspicious man. He had a full trench coat and a fedora that added on to his suspicion. A regular, average Joe would have thought of him as a pedophile.
"What is it that you want with her?" Tsuniga questions demanding an answer.
The man didn't notice him at first. He looks up to Tsuniga and says, "You take care of her, don't you?"
"Yeah, that's because nobody else is probably willing to," Tsuniga answers, "what about it? What do you want with her?"
"What if I told you that she comes from a family of wealthy parents," the man continues to asks questions even though Tsuniga was looking forward to asking him questions, and the man had already known.
"Wait, you know about her?" Tsuniga said.
"That's why I follow her, isn't it? I've been hired to make sure that she's safe while her family is going through some troubles, and, apparently, it looks like you're doing my job for me."
"Her family is going through some troubles?"

Mei's Past

I remember a time back when Mei was eight. She lives in a Victorian Gothic estate on a hill ways from Keito. It was built specially for the Sakawa family by a group of old-themed American builders. The house really suited her way of life. Mei really does enjoy the way the house looks, interior and exterior. One day she was in her room playing the violin; she was playing a song created by a popular, local music artist. I was watching her play, and she played it most beautifully. In the middle of the song, she had stopped abruptly.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Something came across my mind, when does father get back home?" Mei asked me.
"He's on a very important business trip," I told her.
"I know that, but when does he get home?" she asked once more.
"I'm not sure, Mei." I responded.
She had waited patiently as days passed by. She wouldn't do anything to entertain herself, but she did the things that she needed to do to keep herself alive. I was surprised by how strong she was for waiting just to see her father come home. Two weeks had passed by since she started waiting for her father, and terrible news had arrived.
"Tragedy has struck around all of Keito. A passenger plane carrying four hundred passengers had crashed in a nearby forest North of Keito..." began a newscaster.
I was surprised when I heard that the passenger plane was identified as the plane that Mr.Sakawa was riding. Mei was heart-broken but fell into deep denial. She didn't accept the fact that her father was dead and continued to wait by the door. Weeks passed, and it seemed that there was nothing that could stop young Mei from waiting for her father to walk through the front door and spend time with his sweet daughter.
School came around, and, constantly, she would skip out a few days just to wait for her dear father to come back. She was never held back by attendance, though. She was always lucky enough just to skip out until she had exactly enough attendance to pass for the year.
She did the same routine year after year. It bothered her mother that Mei didn't really leave the house much either. She never brought in any friends, didn't visit any friends, nor did she ever talk about people as if she never had any friends.
She had turned thirteen when she hit eighth grade. Her mother was becoming ill and missing out on work. The bills were not being caught up, and I had to do a few negotiations with the bank to keep the house going for Mei's sake. Her mother didn't show any signs of her feeling any better, and she called it a punishment for not taking care of Mei as much as she should have. She blamed everything on herself and, at this day, believes that the reason Mei is gone is her fault.

"So, how did Mei end up in my hands?" Tsuniga asked.

She had been sitting on the living room couch with her elbow on the arm rest and her hand pressed against her chin. She was bored.
"Hey, Taako," she began, "I'm bored. Why don't we do something fun?"
"Alright, how about hide and seek?"
"I warn you! With a house this big, you'll never find me!" she shouted and ran up the stair case.
The door bell rang, and I got up to answer the door. A man, who dressed up as a courier, stood there and handed me a suitcase.
"This is something that the investigating team had found in the crash that belongs to Mr. Sawaka. Please, handle it with care," said the man before running off.
To me, it sounds like the man had handed me a bomb and ran off before it could detonate. I placed the suitcase down on the table and opened it.
Inside was a note, it had read, "Dear my darling, Mei, I wrote you a note about the experiences I am having out here in China. The business has been agreed upon and now Daddy's going to be making more money, but I will also be able to hang out with my little daughter more then I used to. China is a very populated place! It's filled with lots of delicious foods, nice people, and places to hang out at. One day, we both should come to China and have some fun! I can't wait to come home and see what's you're up to. Your loving father, Ryan Sawaka."
"Father is really dead. Is he?" Mei said staring me.
"I'm afraid so," I replied.
"And mother is ill," Mei asked feeling down.
"That's also true," I inform her.
She began to finally accept what had happened to her family but took blame on herself for what was going on. She began walking up the stairs in a sad mood.
I didn't know what to do; I didn't know if I should stop her. Upon climbing up the steps, she had tripped and blacked out. Instantly, I called an ambulance, and she was taken into care at the Keito Hospital. When I went to go visit her, the doctors had told me that she left the hospital. Her excuse was that I called her earlier to go meet me somewhere.

"And so, I found her outside in the rain, and she passed out," Tsuniga says.
"That would make sense," said Taako, "she had always had a weak body, which is why she played musical instruments. For her to just instantly run out like that isn't safe."
"So what do we do?" Tsuniga questions.
"I hope that you keep her under your care until either her mother is better or until we find any kind of alternative."
"I understand," Tsuniga said nodding his head.
"Looks like Mei is done talking to her new friends," Taako said.
"You're right. I'll tend to her."
Taako left the premises and leaves all form of lighting as if he just magically turned invisible, or at least a chameleon.


"Oh! There you are, Tsuniga!" Mei says waving the giant stuffed bunny in the air. By the time she stopped waving the bunny, she knocks over a group of guys with the bunny.
"Woah, woah, woah! Watch what you're doing, lady!" says one of the guys. He lifted his eyes and looked at Mei, "I mean... I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time. Hey, what's your name?"
Tsuniga interrupts, "Mei, we should get going. We got to be home soon." He grabs her wrist and drags her off.
"What's his deal?" said another one of the guys who was dusting off the back of his pants.

The two didn't spend a lot of time in the festival after Tsuniga encountered Taako. They mainly just walked around looking at gift-store items that locals sold. It wasn't before long that they got home.
"I had a great time today, Tsuniga," Mei happily says to the person she hung out with the entire day. She began to take off her shoes by the front door and notices a note in the shoe rack. It read, "Mei, Racko (Tsuniga's father) and I have bought you a pair of slippers to use when walking around the house. We didn't want you to feel uncomfortable!" The slippers were basic cotton-based shoes that were pink. It wasn't Mei's favorite color, but it was cute enough to wear. Without hesitation, she puts them on.
"Wow, you got a pair now?" Tsuniga says with a smile on his face.
He walks Mei over to her room. "Rachel and Racko shouldn't be too long before they get bake home for supper. I guess it's time for us to just sit back and relax a little bit," he says.
She nods.
"I'll be at my room playing Ulitmate Kado Gaiden Tellican Gochi Madone Shadow Core Eleven-Three-Twenty-Two Beta Fifty-Nine Alpha Protocol Seven," Tsuniga says trying to figure out how he remembered that name.
Mei walks over to their bathroom. It was a pretty roomy bathroom. There were two glass screen doors; one glass screen door lead into the bath tub while the other led to a shower. She came over to the bath tub and began to run some water. She searched the closet of the bathroom for a towel. What she had found was another note which read, "Hey, Mei. This is from Rachel. I know that you'll eventually need to clean up, so I thought you would look in here. I set up a pack of clothing for you to wear for whenever you do end up cleaning up." Mei looks at the clothing, and it was the exact same pair of clothes she had already been wearing. Mei sighed. While the tub was being filled, she walks over to Tsuniga's room to inform him that she'll be in the bathroom.

"Tsuniga, I'll be in the bathroom cleaning up," she says. She looks at Tsuniga. He was wearing a pair of Turtle Lake Headset and didn't hear a word from her. "Ugh, Tsuniga. You and your video games."

She walks back into the bathroom and steps into the bath tub after removing all forms of clothing. "Hot!" she yelps at first, but it wasn't before long before she got accustomed to the heat.

Fifteen minutes passed and Tsuniga had just finished a match. He was in a terrible position where he had to go to the bathroom to let out. The lobby screen came up, and he rushed over to the bathroom. "Huh? Steam?" Tsuniga thought while he was looking around the bathroom.
"Huh, did somebody enter?" Mei says putting on a towel inside the bath tub area.
Tsuniga's face quickly turned red. What in the world! She should have warned me before she went ahead and took a bath!

He did what came to his mind first: hiding inside the shower.
Mei exits the bath tub portion of the bathroom and looks around the room. Nobody was around. "I guess I was just imagining things," she tells herself.
Tsuniga held his breath; he wasn't going to get himself exposed, not like this at least.
Mei walks over to the mirror and blow dries her hair. "I'm not an idiot, you know," she said towards Tsuniga. She walks over to the shower and opens the door. Nobody was there.
"Huh?" she said with disbelief. She really thought that Tsuniga was there. She walks inside.
Tsuniga had climbed over the short wall that separated bath tub section from the shower section. As stealthy as a ninja, he exits the bath tub section and ran out the door.
"That was a close one!" he says sighing, "why was I there again?"
Right when he finished saying that his crotch area felt wet. After what he just went through, he felt like the most stupidest and embarrassed guy in the world.
Tsuniga's parents walk into the hallway and spots Tsuniga and his current conflict.
"Uhm, what's going on?" Tsuniga's father questions while really confused.

Deeper Dream

Mei's dream picked up from where she had last left it. A flash of light had blinded her sight and eventually faded back into the surrounding that was laid upon her. The building was burning with intense heat. A little boy was curled up on the left hand corner of the living room. Mei instantly rushes over to his location and picks up the little boy. A part of the ceiling collapses and blocks the front door disallowing the two to leave through that exit. She carries the boy into the kitchen and walks over through the back door. She freed her right hand and spun the door knob until she managed to push the door open. Mei carries the boy twenty yards away from the house before setting him down.
"Is anyone else still inside the house?" Mei questions.
The boy shook his head indicating that nobody was home, but has face said that he wasn't sure. Mei couldn't risk losing someone to a fire like this. She runs back inside the house and ran up the stair case looking for anybody that could be in danger; however, nobody was inside. It was just the little boy. The boy didn't have to wait for long before Mei got back over to his side.
"What happened?" Mei asked.
The boy didn't respond. His eyes began to tear up.
"Don't cry," Mei tries to comfort him. "Can you speak?"
The boy shook his head.
"You're a mute."
The boy nodded his head.
"What should we do? It looks like we're in the middle of a forest. Should we start walking and look for help?"
The boy shook his head.
"We can't just sit here?"
The boy shrugged.
"Come on, let's go look for a city or a town."
The boy refused.
"You can't just sit here and do nothing. You won't get anything done that way."
The boy continued to resist Mei. Mei sighed and sat down beside the little boy.
"Do you know where your family went?"
The boy nodded his head.
"Did they leave you here by yourself?"
The boy nodded his head.
"Why would they do that?"
The boy layed down on the grass and played dead.
"They're... Dead?"
The boy nodded his head.
"What happened?"
The boy pointed at the fire.
"But I didn't see any dead bodies in the house."
The boy pointed at the sky.
"Even if they did go to heaven, they're bodies would still have to be here."
The boy shook his head.
"It's true."
The boy shook his head.
Mei stood up. "I'm going to look for someone to give us some help. Please, do follow," Mei says getting ready to walk to a trail not far from where they stood. It looks like it was a long dirt path that lead to no where. Mei wasn't intimidated by this sight and began to walk down the trail. She couldn't help but think about the little boy who was in need of help.

It seemed like hours passed, but it seems like she wasn't making any progress.

Impressum

Texte: Mark Lauck - HighCaliberStudios - Contact: Highcaliberstudios@hotmail.com
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 13.06.2012

Alle Rechte vorbehalten