Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Only In My Heart ❯ Partings ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer:: Nope don't own FY.

Chapter Three "Partings"

The drive back to the boarding house was done in silence. Neither speaking but both twirling a lock of hair just in front of the left ear. Jenna glanced over at Korin, noticing the action. She quickly put her hand down in her lap so Korin wouldn't notice. Over the ten years' they had known each other, they had picked up each other's habits.

Korin looked over at Jenna, she sensed she was being watched and she was. "What the hell are you staring at?" Jenna touched her hair. Korin quickly looked at the hand she was twirling with and started to laugh. Jenna grinned. "You know we really have to stop this."

Korin frowned as she pulled into the parking lot of the boarding house and went for the furthest parking slot from her apartment. She turned off the ignition and turned to face Jenna.

"We have to stop what?" Korin waited for answer.

Jenna felt her eyes tear up. What she had been thinking was that they had been friends too long. Ten years was a long time and neither seemed to have a life outside of the other. They spent every day together either at work, school, or leisure times. With the exception, that Korin liked to go to the bar, whereas Jenna was the stay at home type.

The only time Jenna accompanied Korin to a bar, a fight broke out with Korin being the instigator. Korin had been playing pool for money, she won the game, and the guy refused to pay up so Korin decked him. After that, chaos ensued.

"Jen, ya still with me girlie girl?" Korin nudged Jenna in the ribs.

"Huh? Yeah, what were you saying?" Jenna looked blankly at her.

"You, were saying, we have to stop something. What the hell were you talking about?" Korin was beginning to get angry and Jenna felt like she wanted to cry.

"Oh, I don't know." Jenna was beginning to panic and started stuttering. "I, a, I just... Oh hell Korin! I just think maybe we spend too much time together and we should take a break." Jenna rushed the words out so quickly she wasn't even sure what she said.

Korin stared blankly at Jenna. What the hell is she saying? She don't want to be my friend anymore? What?

Korin spoke in a calm voice although she wanted to scream. "You don't want to be my friend anymore?" Her voice started to squeak, like she might cry. "What did I do? I promise I won't ask anymore questions about you're dreams if that's what's wrong."

Jenna sighed as tears formed in her eyes. She looked out the window, unable to meet Korin's eyes. "It's not that I don't want to be your friend. I just think that maybe we need a break from one another. That's all." She reached for the door handle; she didn't want to be in the car when Korin started yelling.

Korin reached out and grabbed her arm. "Jen, please don't get out yet." Her voice was calm, she wasn't angry. "Maybe you're right, huh? Maybe we do spend too much time together. About the dreams, I'm sorry I upset you, I promise I won't bring them up again."

Jenna sighed and leaned back in the seat. "Korin, my head is really screwed up. I think I need a vacation. Alone." She added the last part so Korin wouldn't invited herself like usual.

"Oh." Korin leaned over and opened the door for Jenna. She didn't exactly tell her to get out but the meaning was obvious. Jenna got out of the car, as she turned to shut the door Korin started the car and backed up.

"Korin! Wait! Where are you going?" It was too late, she had already backed up and pulled away without a backward glance.

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"Damn her!" Korin cried as she pulled out of the parking lot. She was so confused. Why all of a sudden did she not want to be friends? It had to be because of the dream. `I know she recognized that character on the fortune.'

She kept driving until she was well out of town and into the rural parts of Kentucky. Korin pulled the car over to the side of the road and reached in her pocket pulling out the fortune. She sat there a long time staring at it.

`Why does this look so familiar?' She rubbed her finger over the paper, trying to force her mind to remember. `Did I dream about you too? Or did Jenna tell me this a long time ago? No, it feels more like a memory. But of what?'

Korin sat in the car a long time contemplating the answers to these questions. She could not come to any rational conclusion other than she dreamt it too. How could it be a memory?

She rubbed her eyes, she was getting tired and looked down at the dash board clock. Almost 10 o' clock, she'd been sitting in the car for five hours! "Damn it!" She started the car putting it into gear a little roughly and made a U-turn driving back toward the boarding house.

As she drove she thought about the dream Jenna had, replaying Jenna's words in her head. It seemed so real to Jenna and when she told the story it broke Korin's heart as though she knew the man too.

Korin's eyes suddenly went wide. "The photo! Damn it Jen!" She stepped on the gas. "You think I'm the girl in the photo that you blamed for the death of your husband! Son of a bitch!"

As she got closer to town, she began to slow down. `How could I know the monk had a scar or about the character on the man's neck?'

`Could I be the girl in the photo?'

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When Jenna got into her apartment the first thing she did was start making phone calls. She had to get away even if just for a few days. She had her college finals in two weeks; she hadn't been absent yet so if she didn't show up, it would be no big deal.

When she finished calling everyone, she started pacing. She had called Korin's cell phone seven times and every time she received a recording, the phone was out of range. Looking up at the clock, she saw it was almost 10:30. She picked up the phone and again dialed Korin's cell phone number.

"Yeah, who is this?" Were the words she heard when Korin answered the phone.

"Korin, it's me. Where are you? I need to talk to you."

Korin started to laugh. And Jenna heard a light tapping on her apartment door. "Will you please answer the door."

Jenna held the phone to ear as she opened the door. Korin stood in the doorway with a big grin on her face as she spoke into her cell phone. "I need to talk to you too."

Korin began laughing as she strode into Jenna's apartment. Jenna put her phone down and stared at Korin's back. She found it very difficult to laugh right then.

Korin swung around, grinning. "So have you come to your senses and decided to still be my friend?"

Jenna sighed and walked towards the kitchen. "Korin, I never said I didn't want to be your friend. I said I needed a vacation and that's what I intend to do."

Korin glared at her. "Yeah, a vacation from me! So just where do you think you can afford to go? What about school and your job? Are you just going to take off and blow your whole life? Just because you think I'm the girl in the photo!"

Jenna gasped. "What!! The girl in the photo!" She walked over to the sofa; sitting down she pulled her legs up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them, hugging herself. The memory of the girl in the photo really depressed her.

"Look Korin, I don't know what to think but if you've had dreams about the monk with the scar and then that mark on the man's neck then maybe you are the girl in the photo. I didn't say it, you did."

Korin walked over and sat in the chair opposite Jenna. "Yeah, well all of a sudden you want to get away from me as though I've got the plague, what am I supposed to think? It didn't dawn on me until I was on my way home that you probably thought that."

Jenna was speechless since the thought did cross her mind but she wouldn't admit that to Korin. "Look, I'm really just stressed that's all. You know college is hard. And work and now these dreams starting again. It's all just getting to me."

Korin leaned forward in the chair to look into Jenna's eyes. Jenna stared back her, knowing that if she averted her eyes, Korin would know she was lying. "Okay. But like I asked what about school, work and where to go?" She raised her eyebrows to Jenna quizzically.

Jenna laughed at her expression. "It's already all taken care of. I can take two weeks off from school and work. And daddy's letting me use the beach house."

Korin about fell out of her chair. Standing up she bellowed. "What!? You can be serious! You said you'd never ask that man for anything!"

Jenna stood up. "Desperate times, call for desperate measures." She walked off to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator. "Ya want a beer or something?"

She heard Korin stomp her feet as she walked to the kitchen, taking the bottle of beer offered to her. "I can't believe you actually called the guy. So I guess you'll be `flying' to New Jersey?" She said it sarcastically knowing that Jenna's father owned his own jet.

Jenna laughed. "As a matter of fact yes. I leave tomorrow afternoon."

Korin stared at her for a long moment than swigged her beer before speaking. "So was the old man happy to hear from you?"

"Look Korin, I know I've said some bad things about my father but he's not really that bad." Jenna decided she needed a beer too and made a mental note to get plenty when she got to the coast.

Korin gawked at her. "Not that bad? The man hasn't seen you in how many years? At least eight that I know of! How often does he speak to you? Once a year, if that! Oh please, the man practically threw you away when you were an infant. How could you ask him for anything?"

"Oh come on Korin, he pays for my college and my apartment! How could he be that bad? You know he's even offered me a position at his office here in Florence. He's not that bad, really." Jenna slammed her beer bottle down on the counter and walked into the living room.

"Yeah, right!" Korin followed her into the living room. "This is the same man that wants you to marry his business partners son, whom you've never met! So did you agree to this arranged marriage now too?"

Jenna spun around, she was really mad now. "How dare you! How could you think I'd ever agree to something like that." She fell back down onto the sofa. "You of all people know that I would never agree to something like that! My father was kind enough to let me use the house and offer the use of his jet. That's it!"

Korin sat down next to her on the sofa and put her arm around Jenna. "Look, I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to do anything stupid and I don't want you thinking that I'm that girl. I figured it out, you must have told me when we were kids about the monk's scar and the guy with the character mark. That's the only way I could have known. It's just a dream. I didn't dream it but I must be remembering you telling me about it, right?"

Jenna sighed and leaned against Korin's shoulder. "I guess so. But still I need some time alone without any worries of the real world. Okay? Do you understand, it's nothing personal?"

Korin nudged her in the stomach. "Okay. I don't really understand why you'd want to be away from `me' for two weeks but okay." She jumped up and headed in the direction of the bedroom. "Geez, if you're leaving tomorrow we better get packing!"

Jenna jumped up laughing, running after her. "Hey! Don't even think about putting that skimpy bathing suit you bought me in my bag."

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"Well, I guess this is it then." Jenna saw the limousine turn the corner into her apartment complex. She looked over at Korin whose face showed signs of being ready to cry. Jenna put her arms around her friend.

"It'll only be two weeks, okay. Don't be getting mushy on me." Jenna gave her a squeeze as the limo rolled to a stop in front of them and the driver got out, picking up her luggage.

Korin couldn't seem to speak. She couldn't find the words to tell her friend she was going to miss her so much, two weeks would seem like forever. She fought back her tears. "Jen, I'm going to miss you. Will you at least call me?"

Jenna released her hold on Korin and pushed her away. "Of course I will call you! Do you honestly think I wouldn't? I'll even send you a post card!" At that comment, both girls began laughing until they heard a sharp cough interrupting them.

"I'm sorry ma' am." The driver said. "We are on a tight schedule, there are a lot of others going to the beach house this weekend. And I have to pick up three others before we get to the airport."

Jenna stared at him. "What? I thought I was going alone."

"Yes, ma' am, your father has made provisions for you to stay at the guest house, alone, on the beach." He bowed and pointed his arm towards the waiting vehicle.

Jenna looked back at Korin, who only smiled and shrugged. Oh well, there's no turning back now. "I'll call you when I arrive. Okay, Korin?"

"Alrighty, you have a good time. Don't pick up any strange guys along the way." Korin thought that was really funny and started laughing as Jenna got into the back of the limousine. Korin stood and watched as Jenna waved goodbye until the limousine was out of sight.

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