Sayonara

"Sayonara."

To Momoshiro Takeshi, he never liked using the phrase as a means of saying goodbye.  Probably because it seemed so... finished -- so final.  Saying that word would mean that it was all over, and that whoever he was saying it to would be out of his life forever.  This explains why he had only truly uttered the farewell once in his life.

To her.

It was weird, how all of his tennis teammates used to bug him about being the only member who fell too easily.  They used to say that, if it had long hair, defined hips and a pretty smile, Momo would fall for it.  His response was just sputtering out a few, "No I don't!"', followed by a string of fighting words before dismissing the topic.  It wasn't that he fell easily; it was more that he blushed easily around the opposite sex.  So what; he was a little nervous.  Most boys had been at his age.  He highly doubted that, if they had really gotten into the topic, any of them could fully understand the topic of girls.  Heck, he couldn't even pull up a memory where one of the boys even brought a girlfriend to practice. 

Sigh.

But that was all beside the point.  Because no matter how much the boys pestered him, he knew how deep he had already gotten himself.  Why?  Because despite him blushing at others; he had already fallen for a girl.  Stupidly and blindly, Momoshiro Takeshi let himself fall for a girl.

A girl, so pretty, that he swore there was a magical sparkle even in something as simple as the way she walked.  So polite that she would sometimes walk with him, share stories, and cover her mouth while laughing at his nervous attempt at jokes.  How did he get so lucky as to be allowed to share memories with her?  He didn't know.  All of it was probably out of her niceness, because he was sure she wouldn't talk to him otherwise.  To him, she was unreachable.  She wasn't only out of his league; she was frolicking with the stars as he sat in the deepest part of the ocean.  Or -- it seemed that way to him, anyways. 

"Momoshiro-kun, you don't have to always walk me to my next class, you know!" 

He remembered her laughter.  Even if some of the memories were hidden deep within his mind, that was still crisp and clear.  Like hearing the songs of angels, strumming against golden harps.  Man, was it true that he had fallen this deeply?  That almost every shape sparked a memory of their meetings in his mind?  Slowly, Momo's gaze started moving towards a black pen on the desk in his room.

"Ah!  My pen!  I forgot it in class..."

"I'm sure it will be okay -chan!  The teacher probably won't mind."

"Uun!" She shook her head, slight sadness forming on her face.  "He doesn't accept work that hasn't been done in pen, remember?  He says that with pen you can't erase, so you can see the mistakes that you have made and learn from them."

"W-Well, then use mine." Momoshiro said cautiously before holding out his pen.

"No, I couldn't!  You wouldn't get any points for your hard work..."

"It's okay, I'm not doing too well in that class anyways...” A sheepish hand rose to Momo's head.

She looked at him slightly, unnerved.  "I'm okay with getting a zero for the da--"

She was cut off by the sensation of a warm hand engulfing her own.

"-chan." Momo spoke, looking her squarely in the eyes while burying the pen from his hand into hers.  "Really, take it.  I'd rather you did anyways, I have more than one anyways."

"...You do?"  She seemed quite calm, considering what others probably thought of them standing with there with their hands slightly intertwined.

"Yep." He lied, somehow breaking his hand from hers with a slight blush on his cheeks.  It was the warmest his hands had ever felt--It was the warmest he had ever felt.

"Okay," She sighed.  "Thank you Momoshiro-kun" Her words came soft.

Just hearing her say his name was rewarding enough.

His eyes popped with the sudden snap back to reality.  All it was; was a memory.  Something that was meant to be shared and then forgotten.  He grabbed the pen and started to study it.  Too bad he hadn't been born with one of those short-term memories, then he wouldn't have to deal with these painful feelings and fading recollections.  Well, maybe not.  Even if some of the memories did hurt and pull at his insides, the last image that the two of them shared in his head was the most precious.  Not exactly the most exciting or happiest--mind you, but he still never wanted to forget it. 

"Momoshiro-kun!" She yelled, running up to him and smiling.  "You wanted to see me?"

"Un." He nodded. "It was just -- I heard -- I mean -- Well... someone told me...that you were leaving for France tomorrow."

"Yes!  My parents are sending me there so I can follow my dream of becoming a translator!"

He smiled at the passion on her face, but was pained by the hurt look she gave afterwards.

"Wait...you didn't know Momoshiro-kun?"

He shook his head.  "No, it doesn't matter.  That wasn't why I called you here."

"I'm so sorry!  I thought--"

"It's okay -chan, just let me say..."  He paused, looking away from her figure to meager up some courage.  "That... I..."

If only Momo had looked at her he would see her staring straight at him, a twinkle of hope in her eyes.  "...yes?"

"You know we – us -- For the longest time I..." His words were jumbled as his gaze still avoided her. 

He couldn't do it.  He couldn't confess to the girl that he had wanted to grasp ever since he saw her floating in a place much farther than his own.

"Momo..." Her hand hesitantly started to reach out to his broad figure.

"."

Her hand stopped, surprised by his sudden forwardness. 

"Y-yes?"

The two of them stood like that, 3 minutes in complete silence while birds chirped around them.

"Sayonara." Finally, his stare turned back on her, unafraid. 

The hopeful-confused look on her face remained, quickly turning to sadness, then an almost disappointment.  "...sayonara."

He smiled softly and nodded once.

She attempted the same, though it held more of a weak undertone. 

"Sayonara, sayonara..." He broke the silence forming around him while fiddling with the pen being held directly in his line-of-sight.  She wasn't meant for him.  He wasn't meant for her.  If they had been destined, then he would've been able to say it that day.  Just take in a deep breath and yell "I love you!" with a large blush starting to play onto his face. 

But he didn't.  And when he had tried, he couldn't. 

"Momoshiro-san!"

He snapped away from the whirling memories and the pen in his hand while slightly blushing.  "What?!"

The office assistant shook her head.  "Your next client is here."

"Oh, right.  Where's his briefing papers again?"

"On the corner of your desk, where I told you I put them yesterday."

"Eh?  Sorry about that." His embarrassed smile and forgetful nature hadn't changed at all since Jr. High.  The black-clad assistant continued on while he made a grab for the papers and looked them over.  "He's 22, and arrived from overseas..."  His eyes continued downwards.

"And Momoshiro-san."

"Mm?" He sounded quickly, not tearing his eyes away from the sheet.  As he read over the papers, he finally started to reach the name scrawled in at the bottom.

"Your 'he', is a 'she.'"

He blinked, reading the name one more time.  "Wait..."

"Excuse me?" The assistant rose an eyebrow before a slight knock was heard on the door. 

He stood up.  "Are you sure these are right?!  I think there's a typo or--"  Momo let the papers slide out of his hands and onto his desk, slowly turning his gaze towards the new presence as the papers began to pile on the floor. 

"Konnichiwa, Momoshiro-kun."

------------------------------

Songbird

Edited by Jasbedi