Sakura watched as the sun rose. She stood in the central garden, having been awake for the past couple hours. Wearing kimono, she lifted the sword up for a few more strikes.
"HAAAAAAA!!"
Her swipe totally missed the target and Sakura found herself stumbling into the grass. Panting a little, she wiped the sweat off her forehead. 'Doushite... why do I have this feeling...?' she wondered, clutching at her sword.
The rustle of footsteps caught her off guard. Lifting her head, she saw Oogami approaching her. "Ohayou, Sakura-kun! Kenjutsu practice so early in the morning?" he asked, kneeling down to her, "Are you hurt?"
"Iie, daijoubu desu." she replied as she sat up with Oogami's arm supporting her. Trying to be cheerful and not let her inner worries surface, she forced a bright smile. "Oogami-san... for what reason did you wake up so early??"
"I couldn't sleep." he uttered, picking some grass off from her hair, "I keep having this strange feeling that... that Kayama is near... I mean, I keep hearing his voice and it's all so weird..."
"I understand what you're going through. When my father died, I went through the same thing..." Sakura said, fixing his necktie as he settled down in the grass next to her, "I think the hardest thing to go through is to lose someone you love..."
"Sakura-kun..." Oogami gazed at her face and sensed that something was wrong. He pulled her in a hug, wrapping his arms around her, listening to her sigh and then lean against him. He instantly blurted out, "I love you..."
"I know, Oogami-san ... and I love you..." Sakura covered her saddened face in his shirt, as he tightened his hold. 'Demo... atashi...'
* * *
"Uwah!" Erica gasped, pressing her hands against the window, "Lookie! Oogami-san and Sakura-san are snuggling in the garden!! Look look!!"
Sumire groaned and covered her head with a pillow. For some reason, Erica ended up staying in her room again, since Airisu was too scared to sleep in the attic. Now, her evenings were filled with prayer and mornings filled with early displays of overflowing cheerfulness.
"Mattaku... I am Kanzaki Sumire, the TOP STAR of Teito... why in the world do I have to share my room?!? I've never shared my room in my life!! This is an outrage...!" Sumire whined, trying to cover her ears. She suddenly stopped and sat up, "W-What did you say??"
"Oogami-san and Sakura-san are in the garden...look!!" Erica said, pulling her out of bed by the arm and pointing out the window. "They remind me of those couples I always would see in Paris, necking in the park..."
"You really have a lot of time on your hands." Sumire grumbled, now rubbing her eyes. "Stop looking, it's rude. Just leave them alone. We'll start rumors about it as soon as I'm fully awake..." She then went to go lie down again.
Erica stayed at the window, folding her hands together. "It must be really wonderful... to be in love..."
"Ara? Are these yearnings of a young woman I hear?? This is a sign that you should leave the holy service and go find your true love." Sumire said, putting on her eye mask and pulling the blanket over her head, "Of course 'falling in love' is like being asleep."
"Hah?" Erica asked, turning around to face the sleepy actress, "What do you mean, Sumire-san?"
"It might seem like a wonderful dream, but when you wake up... you feel cold and alone... and you can't stop crying for some reason."
"Sou ka..." the young nun sighed, going to gaze out the window again. The couple still was in an embrace, leaves flying all around them. A cold autumn day had begun.
* * *
Oogami began the day like any other, while opening night was just two days away. Sitting in the business office, he sorted through the paper work and answered calls for patrons reserving tickets. "Oogami-saan!!" Yuri called him over to the front desk, "There's a fan here..."
"Hah? Looking for the girls?" he asked, walking with her, "They're doing dress rehearsals on stage of course..."
"No, a fan to see you."
"Eh?!" Oogami turned his head and saw a young woman standing in the lobby, wearing a gray western business suit and a black hat. She instantly smiled at the sight of him and ran towards him. Slowly, he recognized who she was. "Na... Nanase-san??"
"Nice to see you again, Ichirou." Nanase said, bowing her head, "It's been a long time... I still remember our outing together... it was a wonderful first date."
Meanwhile, Tsubaki, Tsubomi, and Yuri were watching from an ear's length behind a rather large vase. "Who's this lady?" Tsubomi asked, totally confused.
"One of Oogami-san's old girlfriends." Yuri explained, "It was two years ago... when Maria came up with that 'revenge' plan with the love letters. In the end, Sakura-san set Oogami-san up with that woman over there to make up for their crimes."
"Demo!" Tsubake gasped, "Oogami-san's with Sakura-san now... he shouldn't be talking with her... w-what if Sakura-san finds out??!"
Oogami and Nanase were still talking. "You see, my mentor has business in Tokyo again, so we took the train in from Kyoto. We'll be happy to come see a show. And of course to see a certain ticket-boy..."
"Iyada, s-stop joking around." Oogami chuckled, blushing and rubbing his head, "If you need some tickets for opening night, I'll be happy to reserve them for you."
"Oh, we can't make it to the opening night, but I'll be sure to come some other night. But that's besides the point I came here... you see, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me sometime this week... while I'm in town that is."
"All right!" he said cheerfully. He suddenly stopped to feel the three glares fixated on him from behind. Also, the voice in his head started yelling about 'chasing rabbits'. He forced a smile. "I'll give you a call, Nanase-san!"
She returned the smile. "Oh, I'm so glad... here's the number of the hotel I'm staying at." she said, handing him a card, "Well, I have to go to lunch... I'll see you soon then?"
Oogami nodded and waved goodbye to her. But after she had gone, he heard calling coming from behind him. "Ichirou-kun~!"
He turned around and saw a girl with long black hair and a blue kimono. "Hah?? Who is the world..." he stammered, as the girl came running up to him, with a Japanese flag headband, "M-Masaka... Jiru-kun?!"
"Aa, so you remember me!!" the girl named Jiru chimed, as Yoneda and a boy came in through the doors with the luggage, "Ne, you remember Kurisu-chan, don't you??"
Oogami smiled and looked over to the brown-haired boy, who wore a matching blue hakama. "Of course I remember you two... you stayed at the theater three summers ago. It's so good to see you again, Jiru-kun, Kurisu-kun. Ganbarou yo!"
"Aa, yoroshiku onegaishimasu..." Kurisu stammered, dropping the bags to salute, "Oogami-chuuisan!"
"Relax boy!" Yoneda laughed, patting him on the head, "You're not at the Otome Gakuen anymore, so you don't have to be so formal. The Baragumi can't come because of 'special duty', but these two are the top of their class and will be great help to you, Oogami."
"I'll show them around, Shihainin." he said as Yoneda left for his office, "Saa... ikimashou??" He stopped to hear chatter in his ear. "Urrk?!?" he cried, clutching his head.
"Daijoubu desu ka??" Kurisu asked, worriedly looking him over, "Aa, you hear voices in your head like Jiru-san does??"
"Mou, I don't think so." Jiru sighed, examining him too, "Oh! I know!!" She then pulled off his tie, proceeding to rip it into shreds. Oogami and Kurisu both stared at her as if she was crazy. "Da-ka-ra!! Kore wa 'chip' yo!" she said, holding it out.
"W-What's a 'chip' doing in my tie??" Oogami asked, fixing his collar.
"It was part of the Tsukigumi security system." Kurisu explained, "The entire theater is bugged and covered with several mini cameras to keep surveillance of spies or any danger that would come to the troops. It was also vital to keep an eye on the Taichou... that chip can transmit signals that interprets into voices that can only be heard by the user..."
"Hah?" Oogami stammered, not quite understanding everything, "So you mean... that voice was...?? Masaka... he's dead..."
"Aaaan!!" Jiru cut him off, "I'm hungry! Let's go get lunch ready ne??" She then grabbed them both by the arms and dragged them towards the kitchen.
* * *
On the stage, Sakura and Erica were one stage, practicing a scene. Maria stood by the edge, flipping through the script. "I hadn't realized what a sad story this actually is. I mean, Sakura's character has only 3 months to live and Erica plays her unaware boyfriend."
"Maa~! Erica-san is perfect for that role!" Sumire noted slyly, "The way she walks around with little awareness I'm not surprised if she breaks the stage down. With Sakura-san helping her, I'm sure it'll happen soon! That's what we get with amateurs."
Glycine poked her head over. "Datte, Sumire-san plays a lesser important character. I don't think she even has a name. Hmhmhmhm!"
"NAN DESETTE?! WHY YOU...!!"
Maria looked past the arguing Glycine and Sumire towards the stage. "Shh, you two be quiet... this is the climax scene..."
Sakura tearfully recited her lines, "Someday surely... you'll fall in love with someone else. And forget all about me. That is fate..."
"Fate?!" Erica blurted out, staring into her co-star's face, the strain and the emotion, 'Sakura-san is really putting her heart into her role... It seems so real!' Erica blinked, going back to her lines. She clenched her fists, crumpling the script in the process. "I don't believe in fate! I believe in us!!"
"I want to believe in 'us'... I want to stay with you! Demo my life is out of my hands. I'm so sorry... I can't hold on any longer... It's over." Sakura said, taking her hand, which was shaking, "Even if my life ends tomorrow... I truly..."
"YAMETTE!" Erica cried, lowering her head, "Stop it! I can't take it anymore!!" Her tears proceeded to fall on the stage. "Sakura-san, no more please!"
"Huh? Is that in the script?" Hanabi uttered, scratching her head, "Did Erica-san forget the lines?"
Sakura stepped up and whispered, "Erica-san... Ano... is something wrong?" Erica took out her hankerchief and blew her nose as the rest of the cast came running. "Minna-san, let's take a break??"
"Good idea." Maria said, walking over to Erica, "Are you okay?"
Erica quickly replied, "Sakura-san's performance was so moving! You see, as a nun, I feel strongly towards people, but I've never been in a passionate situation like this before."
"It's only acting." Gycline grumbled, covered with scratch marks and bruises. "You're not in a real 'passionate situation' with Sakura... well, I hope not."
Orihime scratched her head; "I hope you don't burst out in tears like this on opening night. Totemo hen de-su ne..."
Sakura leaned in to sneak a smile. "Arigatou, Erica-san, for commenting my acting. Jaa... let's all go have lunch?"
"Yattaze!! Lunch time!!" Kanna chimed, running ahead of everyone. "Oi!! Hayakuu!!"
* * *
Greetings and introductions were made in the cafeteria when the Hanagumi arrived. Serving everyone's meals, Kurisu bashfully went up to Sumire. "O-Ogenki desu ka, Sumire-sama??"
"Of course! The Top star of Teito must be in the best of health with opening night approaching!" Sumire chimed, sparkles surrounding her as she waved her fan, "And you? You seem a bit more mature than the last time we met."
"A-Arigatou gozaimasu!" he exclaimed, fretfully bowing his head, "Yokkata desu ne... boku... boku wa..."
"NE, KU-RI-SU-CHAAN!" Jiru snapped, grabbing him over by the collar, "Are you helping me serve everyone? The food is getting cold and everyone is hungry!"
"H-Hai!!"
Kanna waved over at her. "Oi Jiru! I'll be sure to have an eating contest with ya later!!" She grinned over the table at Hanabi and Glycine. "This girl eats as much as me!"
"M... Masaka..." they uttered, now feeling a little queasy at the thought of it.
Maria had noticed that Erica was sitting at a distance from everyone, so that she could look over her script as she ate. "Oops!" Erica cried, accidentally spilling some soup on the script. Frantically, she tried to wipe it up.
"Douzo." Maria said, handing her a cloth napkin and then taking the seat next to her, "You've been working hard on the play, Erica. I've seen you staying up late to practice... However, I'm really sorry for giving you a difficult part for your first role."
"No, not at all! I like my role!" Erica blurted out, "It's just..." She lowered her head, gazing down at the script. "When I'm on stage with Sakura-san... I don't know why, but I feel like something is wrong... that Sakura-san isn't really reading from the script..."
"Hah?" Maria asked, "What do you mean? Sakura is doing great; she's perfected the role without any problems..."
"Perhaps... the role has 'perfected' her..." Erica uttered. She slowly smiled and lifted her head. "Maybe I'm just imagining it... maa, I better perfect my role as well. Opening night is coming soon!"
"Sou desu ne." Maria replied, turning to look at Sakura, sitting with the Teigeki Musume, "Very soon..."
"Sakura-san! I can't take it anymore!" Yuri exclaimed, grabbing her by the shoulders, "We all witnessed it; Oogami-san agreed to go on a date with another woman! That scum!!"
Oogami was sitting nearby to overhear the conversation. "I-I was going to tell you... Nanase-san from Kyoto wanted to meet me for dinner and talk... y'know since she's in town... it's totally harmless!"
Sakura looked back and forth at the angry Musume-tachi and the nervous Oogami. She then patted his hand. "I don't mind at all."
The Teigeki Musume tearfully chanted in the background, "Waaaw! What a trusting girlfriend~!"
"Or just naïve." grumbled Orihime, who had overheard everything too. She then shot a glare at Oogami, "Kono Japanese man is a PLAYER de~su!!"
Sakura cheerfully got up. "Yoshi! As soon as we're done with lunch, let's get back to practice!" But she stopped to see that everyone was watching the eating race between Kanna and Jiru. Already, they were on their fifteenth serving. "S-Sugoi..."
* * *
That night, Erica went to the stage to practice, but stopped to see that Sakura was already there. Instead of practicing the script, she was doing kenjutsu practice. Unleashing the sword, Sakura ferociously stabbed at an invisible enemy.
'Sugoi... Sakura-san's skill is amazing!' Erica thought, hiding behind the curtain. '...Hah? Nani??'
Sakura suddenly dropped her sword, clutching her head. "Ugg... d-doushite..." she uttered, "This feeling...?!" After a long pause, she shook it off and continued her training.
Erica watched for a little bit longer and then left her alone. 'Something is truly wrong... but I don't know what to do...'
* * *
Also that night, Jiru went down to the hangar to look at the koubu. "Waaa!" she sighed, gawking all around, 'If only...!'
Kouran rolled out from under one of them. "Yaa, Jiru-han! Came to say 'hi' to your old friends? I remember how you'd come down here every night to look at the koubu ya."
"Hai! The koubu are my most favorites in the world! I just adore them!" Jiru said, sadly lowering her head, "Demo... my power isn't strong enough to mobilize them... I will never get to..."
Kouran frowned a little, going wipe the grease off her glasses. "Who knows... someday maybe..."
* * *
The next day was the day before opening night. A lot of press came by and so they had a bit of a party to set things up for their play's first performance. Oogami felt glad that Kurisu and Jiru were there to help him out with the odd jobs. Finally able to take a break, he snuck away into the central garden.
'There sure is a lot of people... Sakura-kun and the others are doing a good job entertaining... and everything seems to be in control.' He paused to lift his tie, 'According to Kurisu-kun, there's a special communication chip everywhere... so that voice... was it Kayama's...'
"Oogami-san," said a voice. He turned and saw Hanabi approaching him. "Ano... what are you doing out here? Getting fresh air?"
"Aa, it's really crowded in there." he explained, "And I had a little to drink so my head hurts."
"Sou ka." she uttered, "C-Could I talk with you about something??" He blinked at her, wondering what about. "Well... you see... these past days, I've been feeling a little homesick. I've never been so far away from home like this before... and now I finally understand..."
"Understand what?" he asked, noticing that she was moving closer to him as they stood in the shade of a tree, "Hanabi-kun...?"
"You must've been very lonely when you came to Paris." she sighed, staring at the ground, "Because now, I too feel lonely... even with everyone here... I can't help but feel..."
He suddenly encircled an arm around her shoulders, "There's no need... we all go through it... just I don't want you to feel left out. If there's anything I can do for you..."
"Oogami-san..." she stammered, her face blushing, "Ever since you came to Paris and was our Taichou... I..."
"Hanabi-kun..."
The two were getting closer by the minute. All of a sudden, there was a big yell. "OOGAMI-SAN!!?" They both turned and saw Sakura, with the rest of the Hanagumi behind her.
'Uh-oh...'
* * *
The next thing Oogami knew, he was trapped in the storage closet, Sakura very angrily giving him an earful. "You've misunderstood!" he exclaimed, "We were just talking!"
"Hmp! About what... oh, nevermind, I don't want to even know!!"
Oogami groaned, now hearing several voices in his head, as Jiru had gotten a hold of the equipment to transmit communications. "Tell her you're sorry, Taichou!" / "Player de-su!!" / "Mou!! Onii-chan, stop floating!!"
"Gaah! Shut up!!" he exclaimed. He stopped to stare at Sakura's astonished face. "Oh! Not you!!" he quickly said, "Sakura-kun, why are you getting so jealous over nothing??"
"Datte, this isn't 'nothing'! We've gone over this before! Oogami-san, maybe I cannot trust you after all..." She took his hand and sadly looked him in the eye. "Since we met, I feel like I've changed and matured a lot... only you have stayed the same. I used wish you wouldn't change ever, but now I wish you would!"
"Nan de?!" he exclaimed, "What do I have to change?!"
"You don't understand do you?" she sighed, now crying, "I want us to be together, but I can't... not like this...!"
"What the hell are you saying?!" he snapped, "Look, you're the one acting all immature getting jealous like this! And I already told you it was nothing and you still don't believe me... Don't you believe in me, Sakura-kun? In us?! Are you just going to give up?!"
"Atashi..." She pulled away from him, shaking her head. "I'm really sorry, Oogami-san." She then opened the door to reveal the great crowd of eavesdroppers falling at her feet. Without another word, she broke into a run and disappeared down the hall.
"Sakura-kun..." Oogami uttered. He then clenched a fist. "Fine! Be like that!! I'm tired of this game anyways!!" He then angrily left the theater.
* * *
'Oogami-san hadn't come back since...' Erica thought, standing backstage, waiting for first curtain call. 'It's opening night... I'm so nervous...' She stopped to look at her co-star, Sakura, walking on stage next to her, "Aa, are you okay?"
Sakura silently nodded, going ahead. Sumire then put her hand on Erica's shoulder. "Don't worry. Sakura-san is an actress. Despite what she's feeling inside, she will put it away and become her role... that is what an actress does."
'Demo...' Erica worriedly watched the opening scene. 'Sakura-san...'
"I don't have three months left..." Sakura uttered, walking out of the hospital, the spotlight following her, "I have three months more..."
Erica slowly smiled. Somehow, she knew everything would work out. And Sakura was performing perfectly, just as she was expected to.
* * *
"Oogami-kun, what on earth are you doing here?" Kaede sighed, trying to get him out of her apartment, "You should be at the theater... Saa! Get going!!"
"Kaede-san," he uttered, lying face down on the sofa. "I'm a terrible person, aren't I? Tell me the truth..."
"I heard about what you've done to Sakura-kun. Not only did you agree to go on a date with someone else, but you flirted with another girl in front of her. I'd say that's pretty low." Kaede noted, crossing her arms, "Not once did my Yuichi ever do such things."
"That's a different commitment. You were married." he muttered, turning his head to the side to gaze at the clock, "Besides, Kayama didn't have women throwing themselves at him constantly. This is what I get for being a Taichou to an all-woman butai, huh?"
"Yuichi did mention some scary women, but he stayed faithful to me even before we were engaged." Kaede replied, looking over at a picture of him, "Oogami-kun, perhaps you should learn about 'faithfulness' if you ever want to have a serious relationship to work."
"Who's side are you on?!" he sighed, rolling on his back and pouting at the ceiling, "I thought you'd understand me!"
"Oogami-kun, I'm on the side of the Hanagumi. I'll work out the problem to best suit the team as a whole..." she said, poking him on the head, "As Taichou, you should be with your team... as a man, you should admit your wrongs and apologize."
Oogami finally sat up, clenching his fists, "If I say that I'm sorry, Sakura-kun no doubt would forgive me... but she said that she didn't trust in me, that she didn't believe in me... that really hurt me... I thought she loved me..."
Suddenly the kinematron went off. "Kaede-san! Hayaku! There's an attack at the theater!!" Tsubaki's voice called.
"M-Masaka!!" Kaede exclaimed, she and Oogami getting up to answer it, "We're on our way!!"
"Demo, the koubu already have left - we had trouble connecting this call so you must hurry!! This connection is... dying..." With that, it ended. Kaede and Oogami exchanged looks and nodded, heading out the door.
* * *
Meanwhile, there were five koubu coming out into the street; the four from Paris and Sakura. "I can't believe this!" Glycine sighed, "The enemy has the nerve to interrupt our play!!"
"Everyone be careful." Hanabi insisted, "Without Oogami-Taichou leading us, I don't know how we're going to survive this."
"I don't even see the enemy!" Coquelicot noted, looking back and forth, "Was it a false alarm?!"
"Aa! Look!!" Erica exclaimed, pointing. They saw the steam from the vents clear and a single kouma standing in the middle of the street, "That's a demon...!"
"Leave this to me!" Sakura said, charging the minature demon. "HAAAAAAAAA!" Without much trouble, she slayed the kouma with her sword, it falling lifelessly on the ground. "Yatta!"
"S-Sakura-san!!" Erica cried, "Look out!!"
A spinning mechanism came flying at her koubu, striking it in the back. Instantly it activated, a green energy surrounding her. "M-Masaka...!" Sakura exclaimed, everything on the screen going berserk. The koubu collapsing, she clutches her head in pain, "KYAAAAAAAA!!!"
"Sakura-san!?" the other girls called through the intercom, "Daijoubu?!? What's going on?!?"
"Can't... take it anymore!" she exclaimed, hitting a switch. The cover of her malfunctioning koubu opened and she climbed out, falling onto the ground, still in pain, "S-someone... Oogami-san... please... help me...!!"
"Sakura-san! I'm coming!!" Erica exclaimed, running towards her. Suddenly the pink koubu exploded, the blast throwing Erica a couple feet away. "S-Sonna...!" she gasped, managing to get up on her feet, the area covered with flames, including the burning koubu. "SAKURA-SAAN!!"
******************
Preview!
Kayama: The spotlight has gone off the stage and love has faded away. In darkness, nothing but your nightmares can reach you.
"Fighting Alone" next time on Sakura Taisen. A storm of romance in Taishou cherry blossoms!
Even in death, there is a flickering light of hope...
