Chris: Greetings! This is obviously my first Kanon fanfic and I hope you enjoy it. It's also a sort of prequel to another Kanon fanfic that I hope I'll be writing, time-permitting. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kanon. Even though I would certainly like to.
Note: I don't know enough about Japanese honorifics to actually use them well enough. The only one you'll see is –san, for Akiko-san. And pretty much all English dialogue since I don't know enough Japanese words.
Taiyaki
Yuuichi looked up at the train station, frowning slightly as the hour hand slowly moved towards the four. Once again, he would have to leave Japan because of his parents. Last time didn't exactly count, though, because their plans had been delayed by Ayu's awakening and the fact that his parents had some extra business to attend to. As such, Yuuichi was allowed to stay in Japan for another year before he had to rejoin his parents.
"Ai…She's late again…" Yuuichi muttered to himself as he checked his watch. Spring had started, but winter's chill was still present and it was cold outside. He still felt cold even though he was dressed up in as many layers as would be comfortable. "Nayuki! Oy, Nayuki!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Nayuki, a young blue-haired girl who was his childhood friend, ran up to him, panting. She took a moment to gather her breath. "I'm sorry, Yuuichi. I fell asleep…"
"Hmph…" Yuuichi put a hand on his waist and looked at her wryly. "Did you bring me a can of coffee like last time?"
"Um…No. Come on, come on…Everyone is waiting! We're having a farewell party, remember?" Nayuki grabbed his hand and began dragging him to her house, causing him to struggle in protest.
"I need my bags!" Yuuichi quickly retrieved his luggage before running after Nayuki, chuckling slightly. "I'm going to miss you all."
Nayuki paused. "I…I will miss you too, Yuuichi." She spun to face him and gave him a confident smile. "But I know you'll be back to visit, right Yuuichi?"
Yuuichi flashed her a thumbs up. "Of course. During break, I promise to come visit."
---
"Oh, thank you Kaori!" Jun Kitagawa, Yuuichi's close friend from school, gasped in wonder as Kaori unraveled a light-blue woolen muffler. "How did you guess what I wanted?"
Kaori Misaka looked back at Jun, smiling slightly. "This is for Yuuichi, not for you, Jun. And besides, my sister knitted it." She patted her younger sister, Shiori, on the head playfully.
"Ah, how cruel!" Jun sobbed, collapsing on a chair. "Kaori, you can be too cruel!" The blond-haired boy pulled the hood of his sweater over his head, moaning in shame. "It's not fair…Yuuichi gets everything…"
"But I didn't forget you, Jun." Kaori pulled out another muffler, this one decked out in a striped pattern of alternating grays and whites. Jun leaped up, his brown eyes shining.
"Whoa! Kaori, you made one for me?" He grasped her hands hopefully.
"Nope, I made it for Yuuichi." Kaori replied, smirking.
"Where is the love? Where is the love?" The blond-haired boy cried out helplessly, falling back on to his seat. "And Yuuichi isn't even here yet!"
"Just kidding, Jun." Kaori smiled and draped the muffler around his neck. She blushed slightly. "So…Do you like it?"
"Do I like it? This is amazing! Thank you so much, Kaori! I won't ever forget this." Jun felt the soft cotton and sighed in happiness. "Ah, now this is what the love is about!"
"Um…Is he always like this?" Ayu Tsukumiya, a young orange haired girl that was framed by a red headband, asked Shiori. She tilted her head to the side, looking at Jun quizzically as he hopped joyously in the air. "He's kind of strange…"
"You're kind of strange yourself, Ayu!" Yuuichi said as he popped inside the house. Laughing, he put a hand on top of Ayu's head, ruffling her hair.
"Uguu…Yuuichi is still mean." She groaned, looking tearfully at him. "He wouldn't even let me tackle him at graduation."
"I don't like being injured on an important day such as that." Yuuichi replied. "Oh, Shiori and Kaori, you two came!"
"You forgot me again! I thought we were good friends, Yuuichi! Yet you completely forget about me!" Jun jumped out of his seat and hugged his friend fiercely. "You're leaving again and just when we thought you could stay forever!"
"I'll still be able to visit!" Yuuichi yelled as he tried to escape Jun's grip. "Jun, you're going to crush my chest!" Gasping, he finally pried free from the blond boy's stronger grip and sat at one of the seats. "I nearly get killed at graduation, I nearly freeze to death from the cold, and I nearly get suffocated by my friend. What a day…"
"Hey, why aren't you wearing my sister's muffler?" Kaori said, pointing a finger at Yuuichi's bare neck.
"Oh, I lost it." Yuuichi said carelessly, causing Shiori's eyes to tear up out of sorrow. He turned and smirked at her, folding his arms behind his head. "Just kidding."
"I hate people who say that…" Shiori whispered. "You're mean, Yuuichi. You still didn't help me build that snowman."
"I thought I said 40 meters was a bit too high for us to make." Yuuichi shrugged helplessly. "Besides, didn't I make it up to you by buying you ice cream? Although how you eat ice cream in winter is beyond me."
"Is everyone here?" Nayuki asked as she entered the house. "Mom? Are you okay?"
"Yes, Nayuki. All of the food is finished too. I hope you all enjoy it." Nayuki's mom, Akiko, peeked her head out of the kitchen and smiled at all of the kids. "Are you enjoying yourselves?"
"Oh, yes. Thank you, Akiko-san." Yuuichi bowed slightly to his elder. When she went back inside of the kitchen, he turned to face the rest of his friends. "Well, since this is a party, then let's have ourselves a party!"
---
"Ahhh! Yuuichi, I have to say good-bye again!" Jun hugged Yuuichi again, tears leaking out of his eyes. "It was bad enough once but now I have to do it again! And this time it's for real!" He squeezed Yuuichi one last time before releasing him. "You better come visit! We're friends, remember?"
"Well, goodbye then. We'll see you the next time you visit." Kaori said, smiling slightly. "It'll sure be different without you around."
"Don't worry. You have Jun to keep you company." Yuuichi smirked and pointed to his blond haired friend.
"W-What?" Kaori blushed and shook her head. "Not funny, Yuuichi. Not funny at all." She self-consciously ran a hand through her wavy brown hair and avoided looking at Jun.
"Farewell Yuuichi…" Shiori said, her hands clasped together. "I hope you don't get a cold."
"Not chance. I have these, remember?" Yuuichi smiled and pointed to the two mufflers that were wrapped around his neck. "Thanks for the gifts, you two. And before you cry again, thanks to you too, Jun."
"He remembered! How nice!"
"Nayuki? I'll be back around the summer, okay? That way it's not so cold." Yuuichi chuckled and smiled at the shorter blue haired girl. "I hope we'll be able to play together then."
"O-Of course, Yuuichi!" Nayuki nodded happily, her eyes shining. "I'll miss you…but I know you'll be back!" She kissed him lightly on his cheek and withdrew, blushing.
"Ooooh…Yuuichi still has the moves." Kaori said mischievously, a playful smirk on her face. "I bet he'll charm all the girls where he's going."
"Stop joking!" Yuuichi said nervously, seeing Nayuki's frown. "That wasn't funny."
"I know." Kaori replied in a bland tone. "Just getting in my dues."
"…" Yuuichi grimaced and looked around. "Hey, where's Ayu?"
"She said she needed to go somewhere." Jun replied, shrugging. "I don't know why, though. It didn't seem like she was planning to leave." He pointed towards the middle of the city. "Ayu was headed that way, though."
"Okay, thanks. Nayuki, say goodbye to Akiko-san for me. Thanks for being my friend, you guys, and I'll see you when I get back!" Yuuichi waved as he ran for the commercial district of the city. 'Where did she go? I wanted to see her one last time…'
---
"Ayu! Ayu!" Yuuichi yelled as he ran through the streets, searching for the orange-haired girl. Stopping to catch his breath, he smiled as he realized where he was. 'I first met Ayu around here. Where can she be now?'
He looked around, getting worried as he saw no signs of his friend. The brown haired teenager continued running, getting confused. 'If I keep going like this, I'm going to slip and fall down just like her. Ayu is such a klutz.'
---
"Ahhh, watch out, watch out! Someone help me!" Ayu stumbled on the slick stones, her hair flying behind her. She tripped over a ridge on the road and took a nosedive onto the ground. When she looked up, Yuuichi was above her, snickering.
"You're such a klutz, Ayu." He smiled and helped her get up.
"Uguu…Yuuichi is too mean. Why didn't you stop my fall?" Ayu rubbed her sore nose, her eyes tearing up. She looked behind her and froze. "I've gotta go!" She grabbed Yuuichi's hand and began dragging him along with her.
"Oh no, not again!" Yuuichi moaned ahs he unwillingly followed her. If he knew Ayu, she had probably 'borrowed' some taiyaki from the seller again. And as they stopped, he saw that his hunch was correct. Nestled in Ayu's arms was a brown paper bag, which she opened to reveal a couple of fish-shaped pastries.
"Ayu…" Yuuichi said in a dangerous tone. "You paid for this, right?"
"Of course!" Ayu huffed angrily as she bit into one of the hot snacks. "I actually have money this time. So come on, Yuuichi! You eat some!" She held the bag out to the taller teenager, the taiyaki gripped in her smiling mouth.
"I'm not sure…I don't want to be an accomplice again." Yuuichi frowned.
"Uguu…" Ayu said in a muffled tone as she continued to eat. "Yuuichi doesn't trust me." She looked up at him, her ruby eyes shining tearfully.
"Oh, fine." Yuuichi consented as he took out one of the taiyaki out of the bag and took a big bite out of it. It was the perfect food for the cold weather. The outside bread was nice, crispy, and warm and the red bean paste inside exploded with flavor. He smiled as he took another bite out of it.
"See? Yuuichi likes it." Ayu chirped as she finished her first piece. "Taiyaki is always good, right?"
"Of course. Your taiyaki, however, could use a lot of work. You really can't cook, Ayu. You could make people sick." Yuuichi smiled down at her.
"I can too! If I study enough with Akiko-san, I'll be sure to make some good taiyaki! I mean it!" Ayu protested.
"Okay, okay. If you ever succeed, I'll be the first to try." Yuuichi patted her on the head. "I just hope that I don't die eating it."
---
As Yuuichi continued on his search, he came across a familiar store. Thinking, he decided to take a little break from his search. If he knew Ayu well enough, he also knew where she would be. And it wouldn't hurt to bring her a little gift. Smiling inwardly, he headed towards the store, pulling out a couple of bills from his pocket.
A couple of moments later, with his deed done, he headed for the spot where he expected Ayu to be. Taking a side road, he headed for the train station, where Ayu had been waiting for him last time. With a small paper bag cradled under his shoulder, he continued running, hoping that he would be able to see her before he was forced to leave Japan. Yuuichi spotted her as he entered the courtyard where the train station was located. Ayu was sitting on the bench, looking up at the sky.
"Ayu!" Yuuichi said breathlessly as he stopped in front of her.
"Yuuichi?" Ayu looked up at him, looking confused. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to say goodbye but you weren't at Nayuki's house after the party." Yuuichi explained as he sat next to her. "Why did you leave?"
"I…I don't want to see Yuuichi leave." Ayu whispered to herself. "I just got you back and now I'm going to have to let you go again."
"You make it sound like I'm a pet." Yuuichi joked. "But Ayu, I'll be back."
"I know…But that doesn't stop me from feeling sad…" Ayu continued. "I was hoping that we would be together forever, Yuuichi. I waited for seven years, just for you…And you came for me, Yuuichi. You honored your promise…"
"Of course. Didn't I say I would fulfill any promise that was within my power?" Yuuichi withdrew their good luck charm, a small blond-haired angel with a halo above his head. He let it dangle from his wrist, waving it in front of Ayu's eyes. "So how about I make a promise? I promise to visit you the first thing I do when I get back from abroad. I won't ever forget that."
"Yuuichi…" Ayu mumbled. "You will visit me, right? You won't forget."
"I won't, Ayu. I could never forget you." Yuuichi leaned against the wooden back of the bench, dropping their angel charm back into his pocket. "It's a promise, right?"
"Pinky promise." Ayu replied, holding up her pinky. She looked at him seriously. "You have to pinky promise or else it isn't a real promise."
Stifling a sigh, Yuuichi smiled and brought out his own pinky. "Okay. I promise." He linked his pinky with hers and shook it. Withdrawing his pinky, he brought out the bag that he held and opened it.
"Taiyaki!" Ayu exclaimed, her face lighting up. "Is this for me? Can I have it, please? I love taiyaki!"
"I bought it for you, so you won't have to steal any more." Yuuichi handed the bag to her. "You can eat it."
"Thank you, Yuuichi." Ayu said. She took a big bite out of it and chewed happily. "Yuuichi?"
"Hmmm? What is it?" Yuuichi looked down at her.
"Promise me one last thing…" She whispered, taking another bite. "Just one thing."
"Okay, what is it?" Yuuichi asked.
"Promise me…Promise me that you'll marry me, okay Yuuichi? I love you." Ayu said, looking down at the ground. "I love you a lot and I want you with me forever."
Yuuichi smiled softy. "It's a promise, Ayu."
"T-Thank you, Yuuichi…" Ayu put her half-finished taiyaki back into the bag and looked up at him tearfully. Pulling him closer to her, she kissed him gently on the lips. The bag of taiyaki slipped from her lap and dropped onto the snowy ground and the pastries fell out.
It may have just been the baker's design, but the fishes were smiling…
Chris: Well, I hope you liked it! Tried my best to keep all of the characters in character. Review please and leave any suggestions that you might have!
And yes, Kanon should totally adapted to English, just as long as they don't ruin the voices. The Japanese voices are pretty cool themselves, but I'd like it if it was in English, just so I don't always have to read subtitles.