The Disconsolate Maiden

Chapter Thirty-Six

"I-I-I-I-I'm sorry!" Homura cried out, hugging Jyushimatsu back as she trembled insanely. "I'm s-so sorry!"

"Don't be sorry!" Jyushimatsu said quickly, rubbing her back gently. "Shshss...calm down."

"Jyushimatsu...I...can't...see you anymore," Homura managed to spit out, crying even harder. "I-I never told you but I joined an idol company...and they're moving me now. I'm not going to be able to come to this school anymore..."

Jyushimatsu stopped hugging Homura and just stared out at the chain link fence surrounding the roof.

His eyes were filled with disappointment, but he tried not to sound like it.

"I'm proud of you," Jyushimatsu said, his voice shaking a little. "You're following your dreams!"

"They're moving me to a different part of the company, Jyushimatsu..." Homura choked out. "I'm no idol..."

"But you'll still do the best you can with this job, right? You always try your best! That's why I love you so much! You don't just give up, you keep on going even when you want to quit..." Jyushimatsu turned his head back and looked down at the girl, who was literally just resting her head in his lap now. "That's admirable, Homura-chan. I think, that's why I liked you so much when we were little."

Homura sat up and wiped her eyes, getting makeup all over her gloves, but she didn't care.

"W-Wrong..." Homura's voice trembled. "You're c-confused..."

"The other day, I remembered going to a cafe with two girls when I was little. One was very quiet, the other was just sweet, but still a little quiet," Jyushimatsu said. "And that girl was you. You're not Homura, your name is Yuka, isn't it? No wonder I've always loved you so much!"

"Yuka..." Homura whimpered so softly Jyushimatsu could barely hear her. "Jyushimatsu you...you're wrong...the one...the one you love isn't me..."

"What do you mean?" Jyushimatsu asked, genuinely confused. "Don't you remember us meeting when we were little? Don't you remember?"

"Yuka died that day we all met," Homura's voice cracked. "You were with me then, you saw it happen... you tried to save her...while I did nothing..."

"I would remember that though!" Jyushimatsu exclaimed, staring desperately into Homura's eyes.

"It happened!" Homura cried out. "I know it really did happen! That's why, that's why she disappeared! That's why you never saw her again!"

"How did she die then...?" Jyushimatsu asked, slightly nervously.

"I-I..." Homura immediately felt Yuka's voice inside of her, screaming to be let out...

"Wasn't that fun?" Jyushimatsu laughed, running down the street with Yuka, Homura a few feet behind.

"Be careful not to get in the road!" Mrs. Kanojo called out, smiling as she turned and began to talk to Mrs. Matsuno some more.

"Homura, come up here with us!" Yuka called out. "We're going to the beach!"

"The beach...?" Homura repeated to herself, running a little to catch up with her sister. The more she saw Yuka with the boy, the more clingy she began to feel.

"Yes, the beach! We want to go up on that really cool rock!" Jyushimatsu laughed as Yuka took Homura's hand, the three children running together.

Having been an eventful afternoon, once they all reached the beach, Homura just rested on the rock while Yuka and Jyushimatsu climbed about, laughing, smiling, and just having a great time.

Suddenly, Yuka let out a shriek. She flailed her arms around for a moment, then fell right off of the rock.

Homura saw Yuka's finger tips on the huge cliff, struggling to stay up. She was just dangling there, hundreds of feet of water several feet below her.

Acting fast, Homura grabbed her sister by the wrist, attempting to pull her up while Jyushimatsu panicked, running to get their mothers.

But, for some reason, the two mothers were nowhere in sight, leaving the children all alone at the beach.

"Yuka! Hang on!" Homura cried out, but just as she said such, Yuka's grip loosened.

"Be good, Homura," Yuka spoke calmly.

Slowly, Homura's twin just let go, falling to her death in the ocean.

Freaking out, Homura began to scream, staring over the edge of the cliff, crying for her sister.

"YUKA! YUKA COME BACK!" Homura screamed in terror, not seeing the body anywhere.

Jyushimatsu ran straight past Homura, jumping into the deep ocean below.

Diving under water, the boy searched and searched for Yuka. And after a few moments, her lifeless body could be seen floating a little ways away.

Splashing, kicking, and struggling to stay above the water himself, a Jyushimatsu grabbed Yuka's arms, throwing them over his shoulders as he swam to shore.

Homura stumbled down from the rock, barely breathing as Jyushimatsu gently placed the girl's twin a little ways away from the shore. Then, before he could say anything, he fell over and passed out in the sand next to her.

"Y-Yuka...?" Homura whimpered pitifully, not even finding the tears to cry.

Homura shook her head, struggling to breathe as she finished describing her vivid memory to Jyushimatsu.

"You never loved me, Jyushimatsu..." Homura whimpered, "You loved Yuka, and I can tell...that this entire time, you've mistaken me for her..."

Homura, before Jyushimatsu could even stop her, jumped up, ran inside, and quickly left the school, staggering blindly all the way home, tears in her eyes.