Yuru Yuri: A Kiss from You

Chapter 5: Come Back to Me

Sunset dyed the clouds red like bloodstained cotton, and rivers of deep orange, alluring yellow, and atmospheric blue gathered in the sky. The shadows were long, stretching far from the buildings and trees; many of them seemed to squirm like phantoms just waking up, ready to haunt the streets at night. And amidst these things was Himawari. She was walking home by herself, and like a sheet of paper ripped apart, her heart was slowly being torn in two.

"Why won't she talk to me?" she asked, gazing into nowhere. "What did I do?"

Earlier that day, when she left class early, she found Sakurako in the bathroom crying her eyes out. There was so much pain in her stare.

"She shouldn't be so afraid..."

Before long, Himawari made it home and was greeted by her sister at the door, who gave her a handmade craft from earlier in the day. It was a drawing of three stick figures-two with blue hair and one with dark blonde.

"That's you and me and Sakurako," she stated. "I thought you might like it. Do you?"

Himawari summoned a half-hearted grin and patted her sister's head. "Of course I do. You're so talented, Kaede."

She loved how innocent her little sister was, and there was hardly ever a reason to be angry with such a sweet sibling, but as Himawari stared at the picture, she felt sick to her stomach. She and Sakurako used to be like the stick figures. They were always together, arguing and sometimes laughing. Now they were so distant that it seemed like being close wasn't an option anymore. It's like they weren't friends at all.

As she stood there in silence, a single tear cascaded from her eye and stained the page, catching her little sister's attention in an instant.

"Hima?" Kaede probed, voice distraught. "What's wrong? I didn't make you sad, did I? I can draw a better picture if you want."

"No, no..." answered Himawari. "Your picture is wonderful. I'm just not feeling well, that's all."

"Oh. Want me to make you some tea?"

"Sure. I think I'd like that."

Still holding the picture, Himawari watched as Kaede darted to the kitchen, and all she could think about was the hollow feeling in her chest. Her closest friend was drifting away, changing into something else. And as she remained there, frozen by the thought of Sakurako not wanting her anymore, Himawari dropped to her knees and wept.

Everything was falling apart.

******

The next day was a drag. Himawari spent all her time watching Sakurako, studying her, trying to figure out what problem had arisen between them. She wanted to reach out somehow, but knew it would end up like the day before. That said, what was she supposed to do?

As time carried on and school came to an end, she made her way to the student council room and found Ayano and Chitose already there, talking like always. They were discussing how Ayano would invite Toshino Kyoko to the upcoming Autumn Leaves festival, mulling over every idea in the book. They considered doing it through formal invitation, through poetry, even through the creation of a doujin manga based on Mirakurun. But at last, at the behest of Chitose, Ayano agreed to simply ask her in person.

"I guess that's the best way to do it," Ayano admitted. "Not that I care if she goes with me or anything, I just...you know...think it would be fun."

"I think it would be too," said Chitose with a cute smile.

When Himawari made her presence known and sat down, the room's tone instantly changed. It was obvious how upset she was. For the entire week she had been a mess without Sakurako, and despite her friends' best efforts to help, nothing ever changed her state of mind. It was pointless to even try. Nonetheless, Ayano and Chitose greeted her with warm smiles and friendly conversation.