stories of leaves

who am i? [morita hikaru x tamura hono] (part 1)

"you should be dead already, you bastard!"

those memories, they came back, they hurt her head, in a serious way. even if the cold water hit her, the pain could not be compared. she remembered the boys' fists, their kicks, they spat on her. those animals, they made her nearly thrown up.

"i am poor, but why was i also a 'girl'?"

she thought, sitting in a little corner between the buildings' walls, where people always threw their trash outside.

"hey, morita, eat some bread. y'all have to regain energy."
"after being beaten up?"
"... yes, at least in this moment..."

tamura saw the face, with bruises, under the dirty cap. she noticed her body, full of scratches.

"that must be tough, huh?"
"you may never know all of that."
"then, it's your lucky day. you're survived." hono tries so hard to remain calm.
"if it's so, my childhood filled with luckiness already..."

morita hikaru, growing up in a poor family, or they used to be rich in the past. the fish market was her home since she was born, and she was the only 'girl' there. whenever she tried to isolate herself, the boys could always found her, and she would be their sandbag. they bullied her.

hikaru didn't remember when did they meet each other, but she owed hono, the daughter of a tailor whose shop closed to her place, a life by pulling her out of the mess when she lying on the street, after the 'fight'.

"have you ever thought of calling someone?"
"they will not hear a kid like me, unless i pay them."
"how about a police?"
"haha, that's even more crucial, i don't trust the blue 'birds', and the truths are always like an hourglass."
"that's why you didn't avoid me?"
"i'm gonna 'eat' you instead, gra~"
"your joke isn't stopping me from worrying tho"
"you know what?" she paused.
"???"

"if this world collapsed one day, you would be the last one i wanted to meet."

unfortunately, her parents didn't come back home for years, but still sent some money for her. at least they knew that they had a 'relative'.

when morita was 13...

she rushed to the port, as quick as she could, after hearing the neighbors talked about the tamura's family moving away to tokyo.

"their daughter is excellent, how could she get the scholarship of that school? what a genius!"
"yeah, she is."
"i'm really happy for them."
"that's right. speaking of which, when would they leave?"
"this afternoon..."

"why didn't i know, she's the only 'one', arghh!"

"don't look back, my baby, the future is waiting for you."
"i know, mom, but,..." she sighs.
"i know you had lots of fun there, i'm sure that the children in the city is also friendly."
"yeah," she turns around, mumbling, "but there won't be any person like 'her'."

at that time, both of them knew they lost the appearances of the other in their minds.

when hono left, there was only the shout of a failure, a failure of keeping her friendship stayed...

18 year-old morita...

with the letter of the best university's acceptance in the old brownie bag, and some essential things, morita hikaru is preparing to learn in tokyo, the dream of every family in the fish market. those people who used to look down at her, they have to respect her.

before getting in the bus, she faces the sky, puts the earpods in.

"the sun will never choose someone who can look up the sky!... i like it!"