Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Kanojo no Higeki ❯ Prolouge ( Prologue )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Kanojo no Higeki
(This Girl's Tragedy)

by Ishida Miyako





"What do you mean it's been 'postponed' ?" Miyako slammed her fists down on the mealtable. Who had ever heard of a funeral being postponed.
"Miyako-chan, try not to be so loud. It isn't ladylike." Her mother admonished. Inoue Sumiko collected the chopsticks and dishes from dinner as her husband Masahiko let out a disgruntled sigh over legal forms. "Sumi, your family has a knack for putting everything in legalese," he arched a somewhat bushy eyebrow and looked pointedly at his youngest daughter. "Although I like to think that your grandparents liked confusing people to their own advantage."
"Masahiko, let's not further this argument." Sumiko's voice echoed from behind the kitchen door. Defeated he turned back to the paperwork and didn't notice as Miyako retreated to the second floor of their home. Hmph! Why did they have to pick up and move from Yokohama after Obaa-sama's cancer became terminal at the beginning of the summer? Aunt Reiko and Uncle Seiji stayed ensconced in their dozen acres in Kyoto while distant relations trudged in and out of Fushida Miyako's Meiji-era estate fom the four-corners of the globe paying their respects. Every other week it seemed the home-care nurses increased her dosages of morphine and valium letting Obaa-sama gradually slip into a coma. It made Miyako-chan sick to see one of her heroes waft into the next world before her eyes. But a great sigh was heaved after so many years of pain and Fushida Miyako succumbed two weeks ago.
For Sumiko- as primary caretaker for her dying mother and eldedst child- it was a weight lifted off her shoulders. Miyako-sama a strong and quick-witted with tinsel streaked dark violet hair and high cheekbones seeing her wither away into a mesh of skin, bone, and a hank of hair was soul-wrenching. Wakamoto Reiko, the younger daughter was unable to stay for more than a week, as she was finding herself frequenting a hospital bed from numerous breakdowns. The cancer progressed alarmingly fast after chemo and experimental treatments were no longer an option. Once in remission for several years, the chances for a repeat cure was slim. Miyako-sama knew from her specialist's first grim expression. She was best for handing situations like these. 'What's death anyway? If it is the end then I wish to leave this world without feeling sick from drugs and surrounded by doctors and therapists instead of my family.' No regrets. That's not how you are to begin the next life.
Miyako-chan tripped over yet another box, still sealed with packaging tape from their move. Her room was technincally out in the back yard. Tonight she would still sleep in a futon. A maze of boxes. Her life was a maze and finding the cheese at the end was seeimngly impossible. At 17, Miyako-chan would have to wait another year until the thrill of blessed freedom. She fumed at the thought of Kaji-oniisan, Chizuru-neechan, and Momoe-neechan having their own lives- in Yokohama! Kaji was married with twin sons and took over his father-in-law's green grocery. Chizuru was just married to one of the surgeons at the children's hospital where she was an occupational therapist. And Momoe was in graduate school where she was going for a PhD in astrophysics. Fortune smiled on the Inoue children, mathematics came easy to them and they applied it to each of their own goals- Kaji, business; Chizuru, medicine; Momoe, a teaching position; and as for Miyako computers were her obsession. Art was also a great talent of hers. She had considered graphic design as a career choice but she wanted her creativity to ebb along into the 21st century. Japan was much too rigid, America was where it was at. But that took money, something that Miyako did not have at the moment. Aside from the earnings working at her family's convenience store. Masahiko had toyed with the notion about adding on to their small supermarket in Yokohama- but in Odaiba? Masahiko and Sumiko knew eventually they would have to relocate because of Miyako-sama's rapidly declining health, still a second venture wouldn't be a bad idea, as long as they started out small. Masahiko had left Yokohama six months in advance after a property had been obtained in Odaiba and Sumiko took over as manager of Aijou Mart for the time being.
At what used to be Electric Zak Video in the busy vicinity of Koeda Ave. and Third St., i-Village was having its grand opening. Its *overwhelming* grand opening. Masahiko and younger brother Nagare both shrewd businessmen searched a full year for a specific location where a convenience store could be strategically-placed for the best business opportunities. In the strip mall-esque boulevard where bakeries, department stores, clothing, a few fast-food restaurants, the convenience store would surely be needed. What iced the cake was the Tokiwa Apartments tenament block down the street, Odaiba Gakuen and Odaiba University sharing campuses several blocks away, and Odaiba Junior High ten minutes away. Floods of students in the prime hours before first period class and after eighth period between juku and team sport practice made sure to load up on 'necessities'- magazines, candies, buying lunch, bags of sweet peas, honeyed sesame treats, Nagare's takoyaki in a spicy sauce grilling on skewers purposely placed in front of the window. Freshly-squeezed yuzu juice and iced coffee for the upcoming summer swelter. Nagare and Sumiko had discussed opening up a sushi bar next door, but the subject was quickly halted when Masahiko had decided turning over responsibilities of Aijou Mart to Nagare. Sushi could wait. The big move, however, could not.
Miyako-chan as expected, threw a near temper tantrum. So entrenched was she in Yokohama she threatened suicide. Also expected. Sumiko handed her several folded boxes and told her to begin packing all of her books and hard and software. Her transfer papers from Haru Gakuen to Odaiba were in effect after her sophomore term was up. A toss of her mauve tresses and an upturned chin, Miyako-chan had no choice but to concede. An outpour of grief from close friends in the computer and art clubs sent gifts of well wishes and tears upon visitation during her last few weeks in their Yokohama apartment. There was an upside to this rather abrupt life change, a house was purchased on Sakura Ave. in Odaiba and upon Miyako-chan and Sumiko's official arrival a week earlier. Masahiko drove his rather grouchy wife and youngest child from the train station after an arduous trainride where they nearly lost their bags- Miyako, her trusty purple iBook in a Jansport backpack misplaced on the luggage racks above- received nonstop banterings about when and where they were going to eat. He had all but brushed them off when he brought their SUV to a stop in front of a stucco white house with a cherry door.
'What insanity are you up to now Mas?' Sumiko glared daggers at her husband. Snorting from the backseat Miyako-chan folded her arms over her Jimmy Hendrix ty-dyed T-shirt.
'Whatever it is I don't like it already.' the sigh of the down-trodden, Masahiko let his upper half hang limp. 'Will you two just look out your windows....' Sumiko sat forward on the passenger seat and angled her head to the right. She blinked several times to see if her vision was properly focused. There was a nameplate on the matching white stucco fence, but was the Hiragana correct?
'In... oue...? INOUE?!' Sumiko leapt out of the car and Miyako-chan began to unfasten her seatbelt. Running through the black iron gates, Sumiko had no problem opening the front door considering it was already unlocked. Familiar moving boxes were strewn about the rooms. A rich blue carpet had been laid down in the living room. The hardwood floors were buffed. A card table and folding chairs had been set up temporarily in the dining room, steaming Chinese take-away at the ready. The kitchen door swung open and Nagare drying a dish appeared.
'Oy, okairi nasai.' Sumiko's eyes shone with glee and her husband arrogantly struck a pose in the doorway.
'Omedetou, Sumi.' A shout from the outside let him know Miyako-chan was equally impressed and she rushed in, roughly pushing aside her father.
'Where is it?! Where is my room?!' Miyako-chan bounded up the stairs not waiting for an answer. 'Take your pick, kiddo! You're old enough!' Sumiko approached her husband shaking her head.
'Thank you Mas.'
He shrugged. 'What for?' Taking both of her hands in his left hand.
'Making life easier.' down on the floor, Miyako-chan spread out her crisp, white futon and proceeded to boot up her iBook when a familiar muffled beeping sound emitted from her leather shoulder bag. Pulling out her metallic magenta Nokia cell, Miyako-chan switched it on but before tending to her caller she shouted towards her partially opened door. "MAMA!"
"Nani, Miyako-chan?!" Came the low monotone response.
"When are we going to unpack the phones?! My cell's batteries are running low!" Sumiko groaned over a soap-filled sink.
"Tomorrow when you are at school Miyako-chan!" Sighing, Miyako-chan put the cell up to her ear.
"Oh yeah... school," she murmured. "Moshi moshi!"little cherubic voice came from the other end. "Miya-chan?" Miyako-chan's jaw hit the white carpet.
"I- Iori-kun?" A burst of giggles.
"Yokatta! I thought you were still at your Dad's store."
"N- no way! He closed up early today. Hida Iori, where the hell have you been?! I haven't seen you in-"
"-Two years, eight months, and.... 26 days. Not that anyone's counting." Came his smart response. Happy tears filled her russet eyes before Miyako-chan could go on.
"A- aren't you living in Odaiba now? Close to your Ojii-san?"
"Actually," Iori started, "Mama and I live in the Tokiwa Aapartments right by your Dad's store.
"Really?!" Iori confirmed it. "The reason why I couldn't seen you was because Jiya, Mama, and I spent the summer in Atami ."
"The big hot springs resort?"
"Yeah. We got a discount because my grandfather and the rest of us at his kendo school participate in the annual kendo meets there."
"You win?" She pressed.
"Uh-huh!" Iori turned his head to spot yet another gleaming trophy in the display case in his living room.
"YATTA!" Miyako-chan thrust her fist into the air. "You're a shoo-in to be captain of your junior high school kendo team!"laughed. "I already am. Second year in a row, 'cause I'm in 8th grade and all."
"Oh that's right!" She laughed apologetically. "I forgot. You were just getting out of 5th grade... when, uh you... left... Yokohama...." Miyako-chan trailed off and her eyes cut towards a shelf above her desk. A myriad of framed photographs were set up. At the far end sat a small wood-framed black-and-white photo of a man dressed in a police uniform. Black bunting hung from the upper right and lefthand corners of the frame.
"Yeah... but Mama said we had to move on." A long thoughtful pause.
"So!" Miyako-chan chirped. "Where's your junior high school?" Iori smiled.
"Odaiba Junior High."
"Hmm... that's only a short bus ride from my high school."
"I know. That and the store. Will you be working there during the school term?" Miyako-chan shrugged non-committedly.
"Junior year is pretty big. I mean senior year is a whole different story altogether- but still getting ready for university begins now. So that's up to my Mom." Iori nodded.
"Say! Since I don't start school until next week why don't you come over after your classes are finished tomorrow?"
"I'd love it!" Miyako-chan beamed.
"Mama and Jiya can't wait to see you Miya-chan!"
"Well, as long as your Mom makes those PHAT chocolate rice balls I'll take a plane over to your house!"sight of a 15-year-old Miya-chan stuffing herself silly in the kitchen of his family's old house sent Iori into wild giggles. "O.K. Miya-chan. I really don't have to convince her. Oh yeah and after, there's this concert at the bandshell in the park we could go there." Miyako-chan's interest suddenly piqued.
"Concert? Who's playing?"
"They're Odaiba's local idols. They just blasted onto the scene like, last spring." Iori took a moment to catch his breath. "You should've seen the craziness at the university side of your campus!"was taken aback. To rouse an audience into a passionate frenzy today took groups like Glay or The Kinki Kids . Who were these guys? "What's the name of this group?"
"They're called 'Ice Wolf' . "
"'Ice Wolf' ?"
"Yeah. But it's not so much the whole group as it is the lead singer- Ishida Yamato."
Ishida Yamato.
Why did an electrical current run through Miyako-chan's spine? "Never heard of him." It was all she could manage. Iori scoffed.
"Well don't tell him that. He's the arrogantly proud sort. Anyway, he should be. Their single is comin' out later this month."
"Well I guess that convinced me. To be honest your Mom's chocolate rice balls did the trick."
"Just like the good ol' days! Oyasumi Miya-chan."
"Atou de ne." Iori replaced the receiver on its stand.
"Mama!"
"Hai, Iori?" Mrs. Hida's voice wafted from the adjacent room.
"It's all set up for tomorrow."
"Wakatta, wakatta. You just help me with these rice balls and I'll take care of the rest!" Iori jumped from his seat on the sofa and joined his mother in the kitchen. Miyako-chan pulled her blue nightshirt over her head before sliding between the covers. Maybe moving to Odaiba wasn't such a bad idea after all.





All right! All right! So there wasn't any REAL YAMAKO content in the prologue. But you can look forward to it in the next installment! Oh yes, and before all the Yama-chan fangirls start bitching about his band name (as I would in your position) need I remind you this is an AU/OOC fic. We all know what those stand for in the universe of fanfiction. I thought "Ice Wolf" had a sensual ring to it. It suits Yamato's lifestyle in MY Odaiba! Ja ne! ^_~