ONE WEEK OF SUMMER

Jay Pantig

[chanel_jay@mailcity.com]

STANDARD DISCLAIMER:

Taiho Shichauzo/You're Under Arrest is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and is presented by TBS, Kodansha Ltd., Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., and Marubani Corporation. Japanese manga presented by Kodansha Morning Party Extra, English adaptation brought by Dark Horse and Studio Proteus. I own nothing, zip, wala, nada, (except this fic) so please don't sue me!

DAY SIX: MY BEST FRIEND

Miyuki opened her eyes.

Normally, she never woke up very early during Saturday mornings. Yet she and Natsumi had been exhausted from spending the rest of the previous day playing at the carnival (as soon as their parents gave up on Monopoly) that they fell asleep hours before bedtime.

Turning over in an attempt to go back to sleep, she was slightly shocked upon seeing Natsumi sleeping fitfully beside her. Staring at her for a short while, Miyuki sighed before standing up to answer to the call of nature.

Upon opening the door, she was greeted with the sight of Natsumi’s parents sleeping on the sofa bed inside their living room. Smiling to herself – the adults must have held a small party the previous night – she walked towards the bathroom, spending a short time there before returning to her room.

When she returned, however, she found Natsumi sitting on her bed, watching the sunrise.

Silently closing the door, she padded her way towards Natsumi and sat beside her. “Good morning!” she greeted cheerfully.

Natsumi gave her a faint smile. “Good morning.”

“Don’t worry. You’re mommy and daddy are sleeping outside.”

“I know.” Natsumi sighed.

Miyuki looked at her worriedly, noting the depressed tone in her friend’s voice. “Is there something wrong?”

“. . . Nah.” Natsumi let herself fall, her back landing on Miyuki’s bed.

“Oh.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Natsumi lifted her head so that she could look at her friend’s wide blue eyes.

Miyuki tilted her head slightly. “What is it?”

“Where are your friends?”

Miyuki shrugged. “They went away with their mommy and daddy. They said they wanted to go see Tokyo.”

“All of them?”

“Yup.”

Natsumi moved so that she was facing the same direction Miyuki was, laying flat on her belly. “How come you didn’t go, too?”

“Daddy said he had a lot of stuff to do.” Miyuki answered. “But he said we’ll go there next time.”

Natsumi nodded mutely, returning her attention to the rising sun.

“How about you, Natsumi? Are your friends away this summer, too?” her friend inquired.

She shook her head. “No. I’m the only one who left. After all, I already live in Tokyo. Dad just wanted to visit Katsuura.”

Miyuki twiddled her index fingers together in a slight gesture of insecurity. “Do you . . . wish you never left?”

“Hmm? No! Of course not!” Natsumi exclaimed, pushing herself to a sitting position. “If I didn’t go . . . I wouldn’t have met you . . .” she continued, her voice softening as she said the last sentence. “And I wouldn’t like that.”

Miyuki gave her a warm, sincere smile. “I wouldn’t like that, too.”

They were surrounded with silence as they continued to view the sunrise, the sky filling with soft silhouettes of red and orange as the sun rose to bathe the earth with its warm light.

Fidgeting slightly, Natsumi stared at the carpet inside Miyuki’s room, deciding that perhaps it was time to let her friend know what was bothering her. “We’ll be . . . leaving tomorrow.”

Miyuki was startled by her words, but she kept silent and continued to listen.

“School will start soon. And I’ll be seeing my old friends again, and so would you . . . ” Natsumi hugged her knees closer to her. “I don’t know if we’re ever coming back here . . . I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again.

I wish . . . you were one of my friends back home. We’ve only met but . . . we had so much fun! You’re the bestest friend I ever had!”

Miyuki closed her eyes and nodded. “Me too . . . But you know, Natsumi?” She turned towards her friend, the smile she had still on her face. “Today. We still have today.”

Natsumi wiped the tears that began falling from her eyes with the back of her sleeve. “Today?”

Her friend nodded. “We’ll make today the best we ever had . . . so that we’ll always remember . . . and then when we grow up, we’ll find each other again.”

Natsumi stared at the sunrise, silently musing over Miyuki’s words. “Today . . .” She nodded, her first genuine smile for the day appearing on her face. “Today will forever and ever be meaningful to me . . . and my best friend.”

Hand in hand, the two little children continued to watch the sunrise on the television set inside Miyuki’s room, not aware that, outside and covered by the window’s thick curtains, the real sun was rising as well, signifying the beginning of a day that would forever remain significant for the rest of their young lives together.

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"One week of summer, that was fulfilling as a year, seemed as short as a day . . .”

– Morisato Keiichi

Ah! Megami-sama OAV 5: “For the Love of Goddess”