The Perfect Strawberry Cake 2

I couldn’t take it. The silence after the voice started hissing threats on TV.
I started laughing, a sour taste rising in my throat.
“That wasn’t really funny right, Yumi?”

Her anime rapidly came back on again before she replied,
“…You know it was true. That man died in front of international television for real. Kira wasn’t joking.”

A moment of silence passed, with me blinking at her back incredulously.

“Why-”

“Kira is…” She hesitated and repeated the phrase again. “Kira is-”

Her voice was cut off by my cell phone’s ring-tone that was left forgotten in my pocket. I apologized, noticing her becoming tense, and turning at me with an impatient face. I checked my phone after moving out of the living room towards the bathroom.

The reason why was because of the person calling me. My cousin, Hiro. Installing myself on the side of the bathtub, I answered, speaking into the receiver in a rushed whisper,

”What do you want?”

A cheerful voice that I could possibly recognize beyond thousands of people responded,”
My darling Ayumi-chan! How are you today? ….” He continued to blabber in difficult English that I didn’t understand until I hissed at him to start talking in Japanese, since some (Myself, really) people couldn’t be bilingual -no, trilingual, there was also German- as he was.

“Oh, sorry cousin. I just called to see how you were, and also, good news!”

You see, I was never close with my cousin, Hiro. We were too different for each other, and our personalities collided. I have tried to inform my mother of this many times, but she just waved off my warnings of actually killing him and says to me that it’s only the love I have for him… No, no, it wasn’t.

“I’m at Narita airport!”

Damn him and his suddenness.

“And?” I asked. I knew I was going to regret this later.

“I’m coming to stay with you,since I have a case here!”

-mental slap-

…

…

“NOOOOO !!! No you’re NOT !!!” I exploded, my cheeks becoming hotter by the second. Surprisingly, Yumi wasn’t rushing in to see if I was alright (she must be still mad) and my cousin didn’t hang up immediately like he always did. He instead waited patiently until I was done and said,

”Awww,you’re so happy! (Dense idiot) I wanted to go to Michiko’s (his older sister) but since she’s a few months pregnant she might tend to be a little crazier than usual so I said, ‘Why not Ayumi,she’s in Tokyo also!’ and I was like ‘Yeah!’ and-”

“You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m at Todai. I don’t have an apartment of my own.” A serene smile found its way on my lips, imagining how he must be at that moment, since he wasn’t responding immediately. Waiting for his answer, I played with a figurine left by Yumi at the side of the bathtub and shifted more comfortably.

“That’s too bad…” He says finally.

My smile widened as wide as it could possibly go, similar to the Cheshire cat. Ah, good things do happen to good people-

“But I have an idea.”

My smile fell rapidly. No, please…NO. Go away.

“So, I’ll call you soon,alright?”

…”What?”

“Kisses, my love!” He hung up on me. Like that.

I stared at the cellphone with a confused, yet satisfied look, as if I’ve gotten rid of a large pest.

For the moment.

The next morning, I had other concerns…Yuujiro was completely ignoring me, or saying things behind my back like most people would. Everywhere I went I could see him giving me a hard stare before turning back to his friends.

It isn’t my fault I fell asleep while we were working (And I never liked him anyway, so I really didn’t care). I was someone who naturally fell asleep easily in any situation, which wasn’t helping me for my social life or university work. And today happened to be one of those days when you fall asleep in class.

Result – I was reprimanded by my art history teacher at the end of his class.

“Miyamoto, I’ve noticed you’ve been a little absent today. And as a professor, I shouldn’t accept this attitude coming from a student -a good student even. You should be reminded that you’re in Todai. Our reputation would..” He continued to blabber on and didn’t notice my hidden yawns.

I tried thinking about what to do to make him stop blabbering. Should I continue to suffer on like a good student or should I at least charm my way out like a ass-kisser and lose my dignity?

…

Heck, my dignity left me a long time ago.

“Takahashi-sensei…” My voice came out in a pleading way, “…I just had a few problems these last days. One concerning my project-” I waited for a dramatic pause and as I hoped, the reaction I waited for came.

“A few problems concerning your project? If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to know what happened.”

Bingo~

I gave him the most fake cheerful-but-sad smile I could muster.

“Well, Seguchi-kun decided to quit being my partner. So I’m all alone.” I slowly looked up, taking in the surprised reaction showing on my professor’s face.

“Ayaaa…” he muttered, ”that is a problem…” He crossed his arms which matched his usual serious expression.

I mentally frowned. I hoped he wasn’t going to choose another partner for me, since half of the class hated my ass for being better than them. That would only worsen my said “relations” with them.

Takahashi-sensei was about to say something until I interrupted him with a reassuring smile.

“I’m very sorry for what happenned, sir.” I gave a low bow, “If you don’t mind, I would like to search for another partner so you can avoid wasting your time on searching one for me.”

“Miyamoto, I already choose everyone’s partner. You are obliged to stay with Seguchi. I’m sorry, but if I separated everyone again just because you said so-”

“Alright.” I gained my original standing position, facing him. “I’ll try to…get back with Seguchi-kun. I am sorry for troubling you with such an idea.”

Takahashi-sensei sent me a long look, before sighing.
“You are dismissed.”

I gave him one more bow before leaving the class. Closing the door behind me, I left out a small curse. Obviously, my plan to change partners was a failure. And the worst part was that I really believed he was going to give in.

I kicked the air in frustration. Instead of doing this the patient way, I’ve done it too quickly. If I had only waited long enough…but it was now too late. Stupid professor.

Footsteps soon followed my own and followed me throughout the walk I was taking. I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh.

“You know, If you keep on following me like this, I’ll call the cops on you.” I stopped walking and faced the annoying guy.

Stupid Seguchi Yuujiro.

Her Many Expressions 1

Dark green eyes looked on helplessly as two forms walked away. Gathering up courage, the owner of said eyes proceeded to yell at the forms:

“You guys come back, right? You won’t die, huh?”

The larger form turned sightly, red eyes meeting hers and waved properly, bringing a smile to the green-eyed girl. The smaller form only gave a small wave from behind, without looking back.

They didn’t come back.

……………………………………………………………………………………

‘Do you love him?’

Everything else was silent in the living room, except for the creaking of the wooden floor followed by the clicking of heels.

Joyful baby-blue eyes wandered over to the photo album placed on a small table. From where the owner of said eyes was standing, she could see two pictures glued on each side of the album.

With small steps, in an attempt to respect the silence the best she could, Winry walked over towards it and eyed the pictures.
Looking at the first one, she recognized herself and her grandmother, Pinako.
On the second picture was a child with boyish-cut hair and dark green eyes. Beside them was one other child with short messy auburn hair and matching eyes.

‘Of course I do’. A smile.

A frown formed on Winry’s pale lips as she tucked her one of her long sunny-blonde bangs behind her ear. How old were these pictures?

Below each of the pictures, written in messy handwriting, were details that answered mostly Winry’s questions. Pictures that Winry didn’t remember the time, even if she’s seen those images so many times.

We really did look happy,didn’t we Winry?

She had almost forgotten his voice.

His amber eyes.

His golden-blond hair.

His smile.

Edward. Where in the world are you? I miss you so much. Everyone does.

The boy, who was so close, yet so far to her in many ways, was gone.

The sound of creaking wood from upstairs interrupted her thoughts.

Looking up at the ceiling, Winry closed the photo album before closing her eyes and reopening them. Slowly, she allowed herself a small, but graceful smile to appear on her lips. Her head turned towards the stairs, where a familiar figure descended slowly.

“Good Morning, Winry.”

The voice of the figure decending, belonging to a young woman, was terribly hoarse.
The woman cleared her throat a little before apologizing in a clearer and more normal tone.

“Sorry about that. How long have you been up?”

He loves you just as much as we do.

The young woman who had spoke had slight oriental features etched on her face. She had long dark hair in messy state which she ran a hand through and bright grass-green eyes that were now studying Winry’s face.

Winry’s smile widened. “Oh, Good Morning to you too, Melissa. I’ve been up a few minutes ago.”

“Really? But you’re all dressed-”

“I have a client coming in half an hour.” Winry had cut her off, walking over to where blueprints were spread around on the dining table and separating them.

Silence reigned again. Just like it was everyday. Even with her reappearance, the atmosphere in the house became colder than it usually was when she came over.

Pinako was in the kitchen; She would shout at them one minute or another, now that she surely knew that Melissa was awake.

“…Are you still mad? Listen, I’m sorry-”

Winry had cut her off again with a wave of her hand.”I keep telling you. DON’T worry about it. Why would I blame you?” Winry laughed off the last sentence while she walked over to Melissa and embraced her.

In reply, Melissa slowly wrapped her arms around Winry’s figure before smiling hesistantly.

And I may hate you just as much.

They didn’t expect that life would turn out like this.

The Perfect Strawberry Cake 1

Ayumi Miyamoto: 19 years old;Sagittarius; Five months ago,has left Yamaguchi to go to Tokyo and attend university there. A girl who likes the new taste of freedom and is mostly egoist. She enjoys scaring people away and doesn’t mind being weird. And she wonders why she doesn’t have a boyfriend. She hopes to become photographer or something around that sector.

The unexpected appearance of her cousin pushes her into a world of suspense, mystery and death.

“Welcome Miyamoto-san. I am Ryuusaki, otherwise known as L.”

She wasn’t prepared for this. At all.

……………………………………………………………………………………

‘Well,I’ll be going now.” I forced a small smile at my parents before stepping out the door.
My mother gave me a teared-eyed look,mustering up the courage to say good-bye while my father was comforting her and my little brother was picking his nose with a deadpanned look.
What a nice way to see how he cares. Little brat.
I started walking out,ready to get out of this little town,to find a new life, new friends, and perhaps, a new man. THIS was the beginning of my life.

“HELLO AYUMI !!!” A shrill voice interrupted my collecting of thoughts. I jumped from my seat,grabbing my chest.

A cute girl my age with short brown hair was grinning stupidly at me.

”Having a good day?” She was practically jumping in her seat.

Uh,yeah.

A middle aged woman -The Librarian- hissed at Yumi,who continued to ignore everything around her (meaning the glares she was getting) and smile stupidly at me.

“What are you doing here?” I blinked slowly at her before moving away from her. I glanced around my location,realizing piece by piece what I had been doing.

“Have you seen Yuujiro-kun?” My voice came out as a hoarse whisper, while I ran a hand through my hair which reached my shoulder blades.

Analyzing the situation, I’d have to say that Yuujiro-kun just ditched me. I sighed in irritation before Yumi was about to tell me the answer that I already knew. Shit. How was I supposed to finish my report now? It was due in a few months and I didn’t have any time seeing as how I had to go to work for the next five days.
Getting angry wasn’t going to do anything. I sat back in my seat and opening the nearest book next to me.

“What are you doing,Ayumi?” Yumi asked,dropping her voice to a more discreet tone,and sat across from me. “Are you going to study even without-”

“I, Ayumi Miyamoto, WILL finish this project with or without the help of others.” I had cut her off,turning again the pages without actually reading what was written.

….

Hours. I don’t know how long I’ve been here,but seeing the look on the librarian’s face meant that I’ve been here long enough. Meaning I wasted a afternoon off without advancing in my studies.
I had a look close to tearing up in public and frowned while putting away the books and borrowed two others so I could continue on at home.

Yumi followed me around with a apologetic smile until we reached our apartment door. She,my roommate of five months,opened the door letting us in. She closed the door behind her and took off her shoes as I did mine.

“If you’re about to cry, I’m here.” Yumi spoke for the first time after we left the library.

“I’m not about to cry because of that.” I snorted,passing through the hallway and installing myself on two futons-Mine and Yumi’s- that were on the floor.

Yumi came over and turned on the television,just like every late afternoon, except when we had studying sessions or meetings.
Being at Toudai wasn’t the most fun place to stay after courses. But we had no choice,since we lived in the residential parts of the campus and had nothing else to do.
My stomach grumbled, making me remember to feed myself after a wasted day. Yumi’s bright chocolate eyes turned away from her anime series to stare at me.

“Hungry? You can eat the leftover curry from last night.” She said,and turned back to the television rapidly after hearing a certain:”CHIDORI !” from a character.

I wasn’t in the mood for leftover curry. And the familiar scent of ramen noodles entered my nostrils. Probably came from upstairs.
Eating ramen wouldn’t be so bad. And I’m sure there’s still some left around the kitchen.

Suddenly, Yumi screamed. In a dramatic fake way.

“SASUKE!! WHY TV?WHY?!”

I raised an eyebrow,walking back towards the room.

“What happened?” I asked a crying Yumi. I couldn’t believe she was such an otaku behind her mask.

“Damn TV…” She pointed at the television where where a message was on.

‘Apologies,We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this special report.’

“What fucking report is more special than NARUTO! Come on! Naruto vs. Sasuke!” Yumi raised her hands to grab her short hair and seemed to pull on them. Hard.

“Yumi ! Calm down !” I shushed her and waited ’till the message was gone. A man appeared,and spoke in a rushed way. “We apologize for interrupting our normal programming. A live international broadcast from the ICPO,Interpol,will now begin.”

“Why do we CARE?” Yumi was right. But unless it had something to do with world domination-insert snort- or something,we really didn’t care.

“So here it is.”

The scene changed and another man appeared with a more serious face (My type of man,except for the way his hair was). “I am the one person who controls the entire planet’s police force, Lind L. Taylor alias,L.”

Yumi and I shared confused looks.

“To the murderer who’s targeting criminal after criminal: This is unforgivable; the worst crime in history. Consequently, I will catch the ringleader of these crimes,referred to vulgarly as “Kira”. I can imagine what you must be thinking,to do something like this. But,what you are doing is EVIL.”

I sat absentmindedly on the floor, absorbing what he had said.
Kira,
killing,
crime,
and L. Did the police really have a head named like that? How come we only learn about him now?

Yumi didn’t say anything from her part. Her eyes seemed in deep concentration,looking at the television,waiting for something.
Was this some kind of prank? I doubt it was,but what just happened had a taste of falseness.
The man without warning screamed, clutching his chest before his head fell on the desk.

Forget what I said earlier and add it here. THIS was fake. A sick joke.

I would not believe this.

The scene changed once more,as if we were traumatized enough,and a fancy written L came on. A voice, which was obviously disguised spoke out,
“I don’t believe it. This was an experiment to test a hunch I had,but I never thought that…KIRA. You can actually kill people without making any physical contact. I didn’t believe it,until I saw it with my own eyes.”
I still couldn’t make any noise,still shocked about seeing a death happen in front of the TV. Even through it was real… It felt so unreal to believe any of this was actually happening this very second,in my life.