Part 0.75 ------

(Happens after part .25 and .5)

I had been strolling along none-too-long, carrying the fruit and vegetables in a plastic bag on my right. The day's air had been cool, letting us know that Autumn was drawing near, ready to drop on us seventy-thousand leaves. They say that Fall is the time of death and change to the new. I guess it was kinda appropriate for me, having just moved to the town and everything.

It wasn't a big town, but it was by no means small either. It had good shopping area, I guess, but the market place was a little small, and no super-market. Mom may want to start a garden with the lawn space that came with the new house. She liked to take care of plants and stuff like that. I'm pretty good at killing them, like Dad.

Oops, almost stepped on a crack.

I liked to play little games like this with myself, cause everything around me was pretty dull. Mom and Dad said I'm asking for trouble when I say stuff like that, and Chairo just laughed. Maybe I was asking for it, but then, maybe that wouldn't have been so bad. Right then, I was trying not to walk on those seams in the sidewalk, while trying not to look like I was at the same time.

The walk was pretty long from my new house to the market area, and the closest bus stop was a bit away too, but I could practically see my school from my living room window, so I supposed that was alright. My last year at junior high, that'd finish my ninth year at school, and then, it would be on to high-school. And from there, into adulthood.

Me?

Odd thoughts for a young girl. . .

Kakami Kasuga, 15 and a half. My hobbies are reading, poetry and cooking. Yeah, right. Nannchatte(1).

Whoops, almost stepped on that one.

Today was my last day before I started school again, so I supposed I should have been partying or something. I wasn't exactly dressed to kill, though. Yellow sundress, white blouse, braided ponytail, bottle bottom glasses, big feet, flat chest. Oh yeah, I was ready for a night on the town.

At that moment, some great force was applied to my right shoulder from behind me, startling me. I whirled around, like Mom used to teach me, but the grip was extremely strong, kinda like Dad's was when I was little, only I wasn't little. "What is it?" I shouted, "What are you doing?" I had managed to turn enough to see a little bit of my offender.

"Stopping a fatality."

"What in the world are you babbl-," At that moment a sharp wind and an engine noise blew past me, whipping my long skirt and hair sharply. Taking a second look, I had almost walked into the intersection. I must not have noticed while I was watching the pavement.

The hand was still on my shoulder. And I noticed at that point it was also on half of my arm and partly over my back, not something most hands are capable of spreading. I turned around fully and the hand released me, allowing me to see its owner.

He was huge. Simple. He was almost as tall as Dad. He was wearing an extremely baggy legged pair of jeans, and a heavy t-shirt tucked in, which looked painfully small on him. He stood about a meter away from me, which is pretty amazing since he didn't look like he moved to reach out for me. His face was soft, and somewhat expressionless. "You should be more careful," he said. His voice was deep, but it was incredibly full; you know, rich? His eye's bore into me. His hands, as I could see them now, could easily have swallowed both my arms. He would aptly be compared to a household appliance, that required a dolly to move.

"Uh," usually I'm more apt for words, but for some reason the concepts escaped me at the time. "I'm.. . . sorry to be much of a trouble. Thank you very much." I felt like hell. Actually, I felt like my face was on fire as I brushed a tress of hair from my face.

"Just try to keep your eyes forward," he said. Maybe I should elaborate more on his voice. You know that noise that the gymnastic mat makes when they make you leap over that stupid horse in PE? That weird thud that fills the whole gym when you land? The one where you feel it in your chest and heart? That's what his voice sounded like. That was kinda unnerving considering he did that in the midst of traffic in the shopping district.

My eyes wandered his figure out of habit. The jeans, though extremely wide in the legs, were not of the same stupid style some of the older kids liked to wear. The pants were actually around his waist. The shirt he had tucked in, however, clung to his body in an almost painfully small fashion. The neck was extremely wide, reaching down to his barrel-like chest. His left hand had a heavy-looking cardboard box with a rope run through it to act as a handle.

He changed his posture suddenly, apparently noticing the 'once over' I just gave him. Again my face turned red and I looked down.

"Everything in order?" he said, his tone not betraying wether he was sending me on my way, or making fun of the look I just gave him.

"Sorry to have troubled you," I sputtered again, looking all around. I realised that we weren't all that far from my cafe. Maybe I could make it up to him. Sure, why not? I had the time.

"I haven't seen you about," he said.

Damn that voice was conspicuous.

"You can tell?" I piped in.

"I walk around much," he explained. "And a bit of dialect."

"Can I. . .buy you coffee to apologise for bothering you?"

"Gomen, demou. .I have to deliver this," he said, holding the box he was carrying in his hand aloft.

My face began heating up again. (Why am I lighting up like a street lamp all of a sudden? Am I attracted to him or something?) I took a glance at him, and though he was quite large, he wasn't terribly spectacular of face. Pretty plain actually. Yeah, that was it."Well. . ." I had to get a way before he asked about my sudden sunburn, so I turned around. "Thank you again!" I said, twisting my face at how squeaky my voice sounded. I began walking again.

"Wait."

Wait? He wanted me to wait? I turned around sharply. "Yes?"

He was wearing an intense look on his face, one of what looked like supreme concentration. "What is it?" I asked again. Why was he looking at me like that? With those. . .eyes?

Very suddenly, a car zoomed behind me and whipped my skirt again, along with my hair. After the breeze died down, I looked down the road towards the departing car.

"Okay. It's clear now."

My face felt so hot at that moment, I though I was steaming. I turned slowly to face him, a sweat drop on my brow and a stupid smile on my face. "Aheh!"

He was wearing an awkward grin as well. "Take care," he said walking past me and through the street at a good pace.

After a moment of standing there like a fool, I slowly and carefully looked both ways, then hauled it across the street.

What a day. . . jeeze.

[C&C welcome]

[5-5-99]

[ryougaecho@abraxis.com]