Sweet Home Alabama

Lord, I'm coming home to you…

The mansion felt too big.

After living in cramped studios for the past six years, I felt overwhelmed by the spacious hallways that led into airy, unused rooms. Even my bedroom, with its photograph-filled walls and pink, frilly furniture that belonged in a doll house, felt foreign. Nostalgia radiated from this time capsule, and I had to close the door in fear of my bitter thoughts overcoming whatever sweet ones were left.

After working at the NHK for a few months, I had experienced enough of the cut-throat city life that many of my peers strived in and, driven by stress-induced spontaneity at absurd hours in the morning, moved back to Azumano with after finding an editing job at the local news station. Sure, I loved the glamour of Tokyo, but nothing could compare to the comforts of home. Besides, I hadn't visited since I left for college, and I terribly missed my family and friends.

Leaving my suitcases in front of my room, I headed back to the foyer where the rest of my things were. I told the movers to keep the boxes there since I was planning on moving them into a relatively empty and unused room for storage until I found my own place to live in. Staring at the pile, I rolled up my sleeves and started to move my things into a nearby room, silently cursing the fact that no one happened to be in the house at the time.

"Risa, what are you doing?"

Startled, I nearly dropped the box in my hands. Turning around, I saw Daisuke, with his hair as unruly as ever, standing before me. Was I really so caught up in moving boxes that I didn't hear him come in?

"Moving my stuff," I told him. "Could you…um…help?"

"Y-yeah! Sure!" He carried one of the bigger boxes with ease, and I managed to move everything rather quickly with his help.

"Thanks, Daisuke." I slumped down to the wall, massaging my sore arms. "What brings you here?"

"Riku told me to get you." As if on cue, his phone rang. His face blanched when he saw the caller ID, and he gulped before answering the call. I could hear my sister screaming from the other side of the line about punctuality and couldn't help but laugh at Daisuke's expression. He tried to explain the situation to Riku, but she hung up before he could even start.

"Risa," he started while I tried to calm myself down, "we should probably head out soon, or she'll have both of our heads."

While nodding and trying to hold back my amusement, Daisuke helped me up, and we left the mansion for the cobblestone streets. The ornate lampposts that dotted the path were, somehow, still there, emitting a warm light that took me back to late nights from cram school. Thankfully, before I could even entertain those memories, Daisuke started asking questions to fill in his six-year blank.

"Why did you go all the way to Tokyo for college?" Daisuke asked. "You were excited to go to university with me and Riku at the beginning of our third-year, so what made you change your mind?"

"I just wanted a change of pace, that's all. This place carried too many memories, and I wanted to start anew."

"Running away?" I could see a joking smile on Daisuke's face. "That's not like you, Risa."

"I wasn't running away!" The smile on Daisuke's disappeared. "I just…"

Luckily, the trolley stopped before I could answer his question, and I got off before Daisuke could continue to egg me on about my answer. After dating Riku for so long, he picked up some of her mannerisms that I wasn't fond of: digging out things that I wanted to keep a secret was one of them.

Once we arrived, I spotted our small group of high school friends huddled around a table and laughing. The café, despite its unfortunate christening of Mizuame de Noisette, was a quaint place that would've been a great spot for chatting and studying had it been around during high school. However, at the same time, I was relieved that it wasn't here back then; I was sure there would be too many painful memories associated with "innocuous" small talk amongst the light café noise, ephemeral smiles only the plants were privy to, café fare that—

"Let's go in, shall we?" Daisuke asked, breaking my train of thought before it could crash and burn.

Nodding, I followed him inside, and the group went wild. Ritsuko jumped me immediately and Saehara, much to my chagrin, stood off to the side with a creepy smirk on his face as he continued to snap pictures. Once Ritsuko let go, Riku hugged me, and I couldn't help but cry during this reunion.

"Welcome back from the concrete jungle, sis." She let go and, even in the dim lighting, I could tell that she was tearing up as well.

I laughed, pulling her back into a hug again. Once everyone calmed down, we sat down and ordered our food. It was nice being surrounded by old friends and family, sharing stories of the times that we spent away from each other. During an outrageous story about one of Ritsuko's exes, I noted that there was an empty seat at the table next to me. Was this for—?

"I'm sorry I'm late."

Everything seemed to stop after I heard that voice. The bustle of the café and energy of the conversation turned into a blur, and I tried to focus on my chai latté to keep me grounded.

"Long day at work, Chief?"

"It's always a long day, Takeshi; working overtime is a part of my job description."

The chair next to me slid back, and I could smell the distinct scent of dry cleaning with a faint hint of smoke, paper, and coffee. I could feel the blood drain from my face. My hands started to shake. I quickly hid them under the table, hoping no one would notice my sudden mood swing.

"Good evening, Harada-san," Hiwatari greeted. "It's been a while."

"Yeah," I breathed, trying to retain my composure. "Six years to be exact."

"Did you enjoy your time in Tokyo?"

"Of course."

He gave a small smile. "As expected."

Hiwatari then shifted his attention to Ritsuko's animated storytelling, and I let out a sigh. Not necessarily in relief, but because I had to. After graduation, I hoped that I didn't have to run into Hiwatari again, but that was impossible considering how close he was to Riku and Daisuke.

"Oh, Chief!" Saehara exclaimed. "Did I tell you? Harada-imouto, here, will be working with me at the station!"

"Really? Is she a brown-nosed reporter like you?"

Reporter? Why would I be a reporter when I was hired as an editor at the local news station?

"You're too kind, Chief. But she's actually the new editor that our company hired. She'll be helping me with my work from now on!"

Wait a minute…

"Well then, it's a pleasure to begin working with you, Harada-san."I forced a smile and bowed slightly.

"Likewise, Hiwatari-san. Excuse me…"

Slipping out of my chair, I left the café to get some fresh air. Once outside, I could feel the sea breeze, smell the salt riding along the wind, and hear the lapping of the waves against the cliff. Looking out towards the ocean, the moon's distorted reflection moved with the water. As calm as this was, it wasn't enough to fully escape from Hiwatari's presence inside.

"Harada-san, huh? Is that how it is?"