Aome (青目; Vol.2)

Chapter 4

(January 15th, 2011. 7:30 pm. Kyoto, Japan. It was snowing outside with the wind making the snowflakes dance in the night sky. Emiya was in the dining room with her mother and grandmother as they were making hotpot.)

Emiya's Grandma: Ah... it smells nice. Riri, Emiya, can you give the broth a taste?

(They took a sip of the broth from the ladle. They both nodded and gave her a thumbs up.)

Emiya's Grandma: Hehe, I'm glad it's good. Then, let me take it to the portable stove at the table. (The grandma brings the pot to the table and places it on top of the portable stove.)

(Emiya takes the plates filled with raw vegetables and thinly sliced meat on both hands and puts them on the table. They finished setting up the table and sat down.)

Everyone: Itadakimasu. (Thank you for the meal.)

(They all took their vegetables and meat and put them in the broth. Emiya is fidgeting with her clothes as if she's trying to muster up the courage to say something.)

Emiya: Ummm...

Emiya's Mom: What's wrong? Is there something you need or...

Emiya: No, it's not that. It's just... there's something I have to tell you guys.

(The mother straightens herself up while the grandma looks over the food-filled broth.)

Emiya's Mom: Go ahead, don't be afraid.

Emiya: Uhh... well... (She bows her head down and takes a deep breath.)

Emiya's Mom: Ah, is it about Dad? I know that you miss him, don't worry we'll go to his grave when the weather gets better.

Emiya: (shakes her head) No... it's not that... It's something else.

Emiya's mom: Eh..?

Emiya: ...So, I wanted to tell you that I like both girls and boys. Umm, I also want to tell you that I'm dating Aoi since graduating high school... I know that you weren't expecting me to say this because everyone thinks that I'm into boys, which is true, but that's not who I am. A-And, don't worry. I'm still me, nothing happened to me that might make you think otherwise...

(Both of them stared at Emiya in shock, as the pot is overflowing from overheating the meat and vegetables. The grandma takes out the vegetables and meat and gives it to each of them.)

Emiya's mom: ...Emiya?

Emiya: Y-yes? (She looks away)

Emiya's mom: Why didn't you say this sooner? Is it because you thought that I'd yell at you for liking girls?

(Emiya looks at her mom with shock)

Emiya: H-huh? What do you mean?

Emiya's mom: Do you think I don't know anything about what's happening between you and Aoi?

(Emiya's face heats up and she hides her face behind her hands.)

Emiya: Mom... why didn't you tell me that you knew so that I could save myself from the fear and embarrassment?

Emiya's mom: I wanted to hear from you before telling you that I knew. You thought that I wouldn't say that you brought her over after the festival in November?

Emiya: Oh... I'm sorry.

Emiya's mom: (*sighs*) It's okay. I know that you wouldn't do something that will hurt you... Especially after that incident with the boy in your previous high school. (*ahem*) If anything, I'm glad that you told me about this.

(Emiya's grandma placed more meat onto Emiya's plate.)

Emiya's grandma: Here you go, dear. Don't worry, I still love my granddaughter. Also, Aoi-chan is such a sweet girl, and I'm close with her grandma too. So, don't worry too much about it.

(Emiya's eyes began filling with tears, but she wiped them off and ate her vegetables and meat to avoid having an emotional breakdown in front of her mom and grandma.)

(March 14th, 2011. Funeral Home, Kyoto, Japan. The skies are cloudy and everyone in Aoi's family and friend circle came to the wake of Aoi's sister's death. Emiya and her family were also invited by Aoi's parents and paid respect to Aoi's sister, Ayumi. Emiya went up to Aoi and gave her a long hug so that she feels better. They had food and then went outside to get some fresh air.)

Emiya: ...So, what are you going to do now? Have you decided on what you're going to do with your career?

Aoi: (*sighs*) I don't know. I was thinking that I could move to Tokyo with you since my sister's gone... (She pauses as her tears begin to form again.) Why couldn't she come to us? Was it that bad that she thought she couldn't tell any of us? I thought we were close... (Aoi puts her hands to cover her face from crying, and Emiya puts a hand on her shoulder.)

Emiya: It's okay, Aoi. I'm here for you. I promise I'll stay by your side. Please...

(Aoi looks up to Emiya with teary eyes.)

Aoi: Promise?

Emiya: (*nods*) Promise.

(They both hugged each other as Aoi started crying again. Emiya also began crying as well since she was holding her tears for so long. Eventually, they separated themselves and went inside the funeral home to meet up with their family members.)

(June 8th, 2011. The residential area near Tokyo city, Japan. The hot air made moving hard for both of them, but they still managed to move most of the boxes out of the truck with the help of the mover. They went inside the empty house to cool down and rest. They sat down.)

Emiya: (*phew*) I'm glad I was able to rent a truck big enough to get most of our belongings.

Aoi: (*panting*) Yeah... though it was tiring with the weather and all. But, I'm happy that we were able to move in without being questioned.

Emiya: Mmhmm, and the fact that my songs are being used for animes is a dream come true. I never imagined that it would become such a success, it could be because it was already famous as a visual novel. Hmm... what about you Aoi? How's everything going for you so far?

Aoi: Ah... well... it's not going as well as yours, but people are coming to my concerts when I'm on tours and festivals. But, I haven't seen any growth fan-wise.

Emiya: Ah... that's okay. It'll probably take some time since folk isn't for everyone.

Aoi: But, my music isn't purely folk. I have some modern-day twists to most of my songs. You have listened to them before and told me how good they were. But now, I'm not sure...

(Emiya pats Aoi's head.)

Emiya: It's going to be okay, fame doesn't come overnight. I was lucky because I'm part of a record company that takes care of other artists who might be working on anime openings and endings. You are independent, but also a hidden gem. I think that's an amazing thing to be. So, don't think about how many people are listening or if people will like your songs for what they are. The most important thing is to do what you love and create music that you would hear if it was on the radio. Anyways, let's get the boxes in the house. They can't stay out there for too long, right?

(Aoi holds Emiya's hand and goes for a hug.)

Aoi: Emiya... Thank you.

Emiya: (*shakes head*) You don't have to thank me. I should be thanking you instead. You gave me the courage to pursue my dreams, and I want you to do the same as well.

(They both smiled and went for a kiss. Afterward, they got up and got the rest of the boxes.)