"Even if fate separates us, I'll find my way back to you again."
Ever since the sky was painted in morning colors into the entrance of Hoshizora High, the cherry blossoms bordering the entrance gilded. Everything was calm and serene; very typical.
And then she happened.
There was a girl standing at the gate. Her long, dark wavy hair softly outlined her features. Her red eyes surveyed the area with hidden determination and giddiness. She was perfectly in her uniform, and her body was soft and feminine. She moved like an angel straight out of a shoujo manga.
She saw me.
"Yuu-kun!", she announced.
Too late.
Something soft and warm buried itself into my chest. I stumbled backward a few paces, swinging my arms like crazy with the sweet scent traipsing right up my nose. My back met the column of the entry gate as I finally clued in to what was going on. When I finally got some distance to try to wrap my mind around everything, I saw her face. And I froze.
It was actually her. Hina. Kashiwagi Hina.
My childhood friend. The tomboy who could wrestle, pin, and slam me to the dirt, climb trees faster than anyone, then disappear for ten years without a word. And now… she looked completely different from Hina. She had long hair. Her eyes looked red. Her posture was elegant and feminine. And she had the complete look of the "school beauty."
"You. You're Hina?" I asked shakily.
She crossed her arms and pouted in a adorably cute way. "Don't say 'that Hina' like I was some delinquent gorilla!"
"You suplexed me into the sandbox!" I retorted.
"That… was an accident!" she yelled, she became flustered. Her blush is like roses that was about to bloom. That tomboy energy was still in her even after years of long separation.
I felt my heart pounding. That tone, that look, that playful pout. That was Hina. Just… Hina, impossibly beautiful.
"I'm Kashiwagi Hina," she said quietly.
Her name felt like I was going to turn into a stone, and memories started coming back to me. The park racing, our arm wrestling challenges where she always beat me, and the time she nearly outran me during a race. And then she disappeared. And then here she was, smiling at me like nothing happened…
"I… I can't believe you're back," I stuttered.
Her expression softened. "I told you I would find you again right?"
She looked at me for a minute and leaned towards me, and gave me a warm embrace. Which made me surprised enough to not be able to speak for a while…
"Whoa! Hina! Everyone's looking!" I said.
"Let them look," she said in a whisper, she rested her head into my chest. "After ten years, I finally got to see you again. I'm not letting go."
I thought I might die on the spot.
Finally, she let go, of my body anyway; my eyes never leaving her face.
"I'm transferring here starting today," she said proudly.
"Today?!" I nearly yelled out.
"I wanted to surprise you," she said while smiling.
I observed her hair, her posture, and her eyes. "Your eyes weren't—"
"Contacts," she said, cutting me off and flipping her hair. "And I grew it out because… I wanted to look pretty for when I saw you again."
My heart raced. "Hina…"
She laughed sheepishly and grabbed my wrist. "Come on, walk me to class!"
I tagged along, following behind her while she clung to my sleeve like a very fancy puppy. The students in the hall came to a standstill. They were whispering, pointing, and staring at us. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.
In the classroom, our homeroom teacher cleared her throat. "Attention, please; everyone, we have a new transfer student today."
Hina stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Kashiwagi Hina desu, dozo yoroshiku."
The boys stared. The girls stared. I buried my head in my hands. Then she walked right to the empty desk next to me and sat down, leaning in toward me, "Ne… Yuu-kun… you're slouching again."
Murmurs and whispers erupted in class. I slammed my forehead onto my desk.
As soon as the teacher left, classmates crowded around Hina. "Are you a model?" "What's your routine?" "How do you know Yuu?" "Are you two dating?"
Hina sat back up again; she felt suffocated.
"Hey! Give her some room!" I yelled without thinking.
The classroom went silent. Aoi, who sat in the back row, had the biggest smile, like some kind of demon. Miyako, the class representative, was writing notes, and Ryou, my best friend, mouthed, "You're dead man."
Hina tugged gently on my sleeve. "Thank you, Yuu-kun," she said softly. "You've always been protecting me."
The class instantly died.
Hina noticed what she had said and covered her face with her hands, her fingers shaking. And she blushed like the morning sky. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I-I just… um… Yuu-kun has always… um…!"
"Stop digging!" I yelled. "You're making it worse!"
By lunchtime, we had escaped to the rooftop. Hina stretched out, finally allowing a sigh of relief.
"Haah, I forgot how loud the crowd is," she said.
"You did well," I told her.
"Only because you were there." She blushed.
She leaned in a little closer. "Ne…Yuu-kun…did you really not recognize me at the start?"
I swallowed hard. "You…don't look the same."
"Bad different…?" Her voice trembled.
"No… good different," I responded. Maybe I was too honest; maybe I did too quickly.
She froze. Her face turned bright red. "Y-Yuu-kun… you can't just say that!"
"What's wrong!? I'm just being honest—"
"Because!" She gently punched me on the shoulder, enough to almost hurt a little. "Saying it is just worse!"
"What do you want me to do about it!? " I shouted.
"I… I don't know!" she whimpered, covering her face with her hands.
"I really wanted you to think I grew up pretty, okay?" she whispered.
My heart began to race in pain. "Hina…"
She lowered her fingers and peeked over the surface area at me. "Do you?
"Yeah, no. I did."
Her shoulders jolted up and down.
Then she smiled and lit up, that warm, genuine smile I remembered from ten years ago. "Ehehe… Yuu-kun is still Yuu-kun," she chimed.
And the wind picked up and blew her hair and the petals from the cherry blossom tree that surrounded the roof. I didn't feel like it was a school morning anymore. It felt like the start of something. Something old, and coming back again. Something that was promised.
Hina's life lesson
Sometimes people change on the outside, but the bond you shared with them never disappears. No matter how much time passes, the heart remembers the people who made it feel alive.
-Hina Kashiwagi