Shiawasena Owari Katanantenai
Side Story #1: The Presence of You
Kasumi's POV
A Recca no Honoo fanfic
By Tenshi no Ai

I don't own Recca no Honoo, thank goddess. The stress from doing all those weekly Shounen Sundays on deadline would kill me.

(A/N: coughs This could possibly be a stand-alone fic, never mind that it's linked to the end of chapter 6. But I'd prefer that you read Shiawasena up to ch. 6 first, just to understand some of the little points. And if you don't know who Kasumi is...well, I don't know what to tell ya...)

I am so uncomfortably overjoyed that I can't make conversation.

Or, at least, I'm avoiding the only topic that matters between us.

Domon-kun and I slowly walk along the streets, not really in the direction of my house, but it's the inevitable destination. But I don't want to go home just yet. I have a feeling that...that this will the last time that I would have this opportunity to talk to him.

Talk, especially about the situation concerning us. And I don't mean Yanagi-san.

I nervously look straight ahead, not even daring to look up at him. In the distance I can see all sorts of lights as the twilight deepens into night.

At this faint assurance that he was indeed listening to me, I begin to reconsider. This would be a foolish mistake, bringing up the past.

And bringing up my feelings once again.

I was wondering how you were feeling about the whole situation, I cover lamely, um, about Yanagi-san and all?

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him look down at me. It is an unexpected question, but he is harder to read regarding that situation than, say, Kirisawa-san or Hanabishi-kun.

Yanagi-chan's a good friend, he says slowly, and I wanna kill the bastard who did that to her. But Fuuko's point makes more sense to me.

Of course, Kirisawa Fuuko's points would always make an impact on him. And that really is what the main problem is, isn't it? How he was with Kirisawa-san now, after 4 years of knowing how he felt about her....how he felt about me.

Oh, what would that be? I try to sound as if I honestly care, and I do, to a point. I want to see the best for Yanagi-san. She's been hurt a lot, and I really can't do much about it except for giving her pills. Well, giving her pills through Obasan's advice.

Fuuko says that we have to focus on Yanagi, not on who did this to Yanagi'.

Interesting. Kirisawa-san and I have the same opinion.

I believe the same thing too, Domon-kun, I insert, then I look away from the brilliant lights in the distance, how are you and Kirisawa-san doing?

Might as well get it over with.

He begins to laugh, and I look over at him, faintly insulted. It was a valid question, Domon-kun. You are in love with her, after all.

I am, huh? he calms down, But she isn't in love with me.

How could she not be? Domon-kun is so kind, so caring...he's everything I would want in a man.

Oh, yeah, I forgot. That's my opinion.

Doesn't....doesn't that hurt you, Domon-kun? He grins at my question.



I nearly fall over.

He looks over at me again, it's nothing. As long as Fuuko-sama's happy, then that's okay with me! I stop at these words.

I tried to do the same thing, but it didn't work for me.

At Domon-kun's odd look, I realize that I had said my last thought out loud. Ah, I mean...gomen Domon-kun, I was...

Something heavy rests on my head, ruffling my hair in the process. He smiles down at me, and I turn my head around and blush as he pats my head. He's really quite frustrating...but I can't help but smile anyway.

Kasumi-chan, why do you like me so much?

My smile disappears. How, exactly, do I tell him something like this? Domon-kun has poor memory, so he doesn't even remember the first time that we met, during the beginning of our freshman year in high school. He probably still thinks that the first time we met was in late September of that same year.

Are the feelings I have the same ones from over 4 years ago?

No.

They're much stronger than that.

During that whole time that I spent tutoring Domon-kun, for a little over 2 years, something amazing happened to me. I saw even the plainest of flowers as magical, beautiful wonders. They were especially beautiful when Domon-kun was near them.

From high school graduation until now, I had managed to keep him out of my mind. It hurt to hear from him that he was in love with someone else, but at least I was able to stay near him, helping him, guiding him. It made all my own studies seem so much more because I was using them to help the one that I care about. But after we all graduated...

There was no way to see Domon-kun.

So I filled my heart with more studies. Obasan planned out my life for me. I would spend my undergraduate studies majoring and minoring in chemistry and biology. Then I would go to medical school, then eventually I would get my Ph.D. and become the first Heiwake to become a doctor. All the while interning' at the hospital, learning the intricacies of the medical field so that I would be more than ahead of my competition.

And, meanwhile, Domon-kun works at his family-owned flower shop, immersed in something he actually enjoys. Maybe there will be tough times ahead, maybe flowers won't be so beautiful and special in the future, but he'll be doing something he likes.

He's so carefree, surrounded by friends that support and care about him, doing something he likes. He has the strength to choose this sort of life for himself.

How could I not care about you, Domon-kun?

With your strength, your very presence...you still took notice of me, the chibi-girl.

You knew you had shortcomings, and you allowed me, of all people, to help you overcome them.

How could I not love you?

That is...to say...

Domon-kun crouches down in front of me, smiling at me. My nervousness claws at my stomach, and his gentle look...it doesn't make it any better.

Heiwake Kasumi...

If you're going to tell him, you do know that it will be your last time?

Kami-sama won't twist fate around to let me say this again.

Ishijima Domon-kun, I don't like' you. I love you. Suki da.

He stares at me with bewilderment stamped on his face.

This is it, Kasumi...

I just do. There is no why.

And if there is, I just don't want to know about it.

Domon-kun has a lot of expressions on his face. They all look like they keep coming back to confusion, though.

I look away. I don't want to see the inevitable rejection. I know that you love Kirisawa-san. She would probably be more suited to you, what with your love for adventure and such. I'm just saying, if you would just give me just a half of a chance, I could...

I could love you from close up instead of far away, like the last 4 years.

...I could be the best girlfriend you could ever want!

There is only silence.

It didn't work.

I'm not used to being assertive...and the one time I try it in my personal life, it backfires. I start to tremble, hot tears filling up my eyes.

The rest of me feels cold.



Now Domon-kun will give me some sort of speech on how he likes me as a friend, but that he's too in love with Kirisawa-san to care about me in that way. Again. But, how could I resent Kirisawa-san for this? She's the luckier of us.

She has Domon's undivided love.

I won't turn around.

A warm hand touches my shoulder. His warmth...I jerk away. He puts both of his hands on my shoulders. I don't move.

He has me trapped. Now and forever.

The presence of him traps me.

his breath tickles my ear, and I realize how close he is to me.



I can't give you half a chance.

I see.

I'll give you a whole chance.

And we don't move. How could I?

There's the presence of you.

~Owari~

Right there. Yep, that fic you just read. THAT'S my definition of WAFF. Or, at least, WAFF with some...a lot of angst thrown in. And it's easier to write than Recca and Yanagi...without stretching a lot (c'mon, Shell, people). Anyway, that's the culmination of the Kasumi/Domon plotline (which probably not a lot of people even cared about), now there's only the main plot and a small question that a lot of you may have had. Thank you for reading!

A small note, because I don't want to deceive anyone: Anzai-sensei doesn't (hasn't?) give(n) Kasumi a family name in the manga. Heiwa-peace, tranquility; ke-used to denote a family. It's a punny name; on one side, the name is basically the Heiwa family, on the other side I'm saying the peaceful family.