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August 3rd: When in Fuunari

A beautiful day and my deep-blue eyes can tell it is. Today is a hot day. Is the middle of summer and I think the sun is playing jokes on me. Again, I was walking by the urban area, the center of the village, and in front of me I see what it supposed to be a candy store, the sign say it, but the exterior looks very old fashioned.

I wonder if there's ice cream, I could use some sweet refreshments. As I step inside... I just totally forgot! Japan has the good stuff! In America, I only see simple normal candy, but in Japan, there's a bizarre variety of phenomenon candy treats of all kinds! I don't know who invents these types of candies that I'm not familiar with. Even flavors that I have never heard nor tasted of. And I don't even want to ask the weird flavors, I might vomit!

"Kelly-san?" Somebody called me, I turned around and see a young, brown-furred wolf-boy.

"Hi, Shun-kun, how are you?" I greeted. I had just found out that he's 17 years old and he looks in his pre-teen years. And I've been treating him like a kid! Sorry Shun.

"I'm feeling great! Woof!" He said 'woof'? "So, are you too going to buy an ice cream? Is really hot outside." Shun-kun said.

"Yeah, I wonder what they're having? I just want a simple flavor. I heard that in Japan, they make some really weird flavors that I don't wanna know." I said.

"There are flavors that you'll like, Kelly-san, come on, is over here." Shun lead the way.

Just as expected. There's a weird varieties of ice cream flavors that are rarely exotic. Among them are: squid ink, shrimp, sushi, meat, jalapeno, sweet corn, mint, garlic, and pizza! What the hell?! Well it least there's some of my favorites and common in America. Rocky road, wild berry, blue berry, strawberry, chocolate, lemon, and etc. I'll just go with rocky road and let's go!

Outside and sitting on a bench, Shun-kun and I were enjoying our flavors while Shun-kun talks about other weird ice cream flavors around the world, I think I'm gonna lose my ice cream appetite after this.

"People do make some really weird candy flavors, just to make money and publicity." I said to Shun.

"Yeah, I think your country doesn't like creative flavors." Shun said, he continued. "Hey, I'm going to the video game store, wanna come?" Shun offered.

"Uhh... okay." I slowly replied, thinking if I have plans for today... NO I DON'T! LET'S GO! After we finished licking the ice cream and eat the waffle cone, we both arrived the small store.

"Aw... is closed today!" Shun-kun cried.

"Sorry, Shun-kun, maybe next time."

"No, wait, let's go to Fuunari, I have a cousin who works there." Shun have a second option.

"Fuunari? Where's that?" I asked.

"Is a bigger town, but is pretty far away from here. My cousin works on a video game store there. I'm sure the new game is there." Shun replied... wait?

"And to get there is by bus, right?" I got confused. How can you get to Fuunari, if there is no bus services after the accident? "Isn't the bus services have been suspended?"

"Kelly-san, the bus that you took was an 'express bus', not the branch line buses." Shun-kun made a clear info.

To make things clear, the bus that I rode on was a large long-distance bus for express service. The ones that Shun mentioned were smaller short-distance buses, those weren't suspended from service. But still those buses won't take me back to Tokyo. I'm still officially stuck here.

"Oh, I see." I said to Shun after realizing it.

"Um... Kelly-san." Shun speaks up. "Can you paid the fair? I'm saving my money for the game, can you do it?"

He gave me that innocent look on his face, he's begging me to come... OH MY OCEAN! WHY HE'S BEGGING ME LIKE THIS TO ME?! WHY HE'S DOING THIS TO ME, WHY?! His eyes were hypnotizing me! They're big and blue and brighter than mine!

"OK! I'll go with you! Please stop what are you doing!" I cried and begged him to stop.

"Funyuu! Let's go to the bus station, Kelly-san!"

Shun, happily runs off and grabs my left hand, dragging me around. "Shun! You're dragging me! I'm gonna fall! Slow down!" I cried. How strong is he?

Once we arrived at the bus stop, I wasn't familiar this part of the village, but there was something shocking for me... it's still there?!

"What the hell! They haven't towed it away?"

For the first time since the accident. The bus is still lying on the grass, all rolled over, and twisted, broken glasses, pieces of debris everywhere, and completely off road. I can see the tire tracks left on the road, and the tires all blown over everywhere. There's even yellow tape that says "DO NOT CROSS" in Japanese. This is the first time I see the horrors of the aftermath of a disaster. I can still hear the terrible sound of wrecking and screaming passengers in my mind. I felt a terrible sick feeling in my stomach, I'm starting to feel depressed.

"I can't believe I survived that...." I said to myself, Shun looked at me and ask.

"Are you okay, Kelly-san?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I sighed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to bring you here to see this." Shun said. What he meant, he only wanted to go to Fuunari, right? He felt guilty for this.

"I understand, Shun-kun, but, let focus on what we're doing, okay?"

"Okay, Kelly-san." Shun said and he focus on what we came for. The bus arrived, it was shorter in length and has a smaller passenger capacity. Shun and I boarded in. I calmly seated and buckled up, and forget what happened the other day. It wasn't that far this time to Funnari. While riding the bus, Shun speaks up.

"Aren't you afraid of riding the bus after your accident?" He asked.

"Well... I'm not dead. The bus didn't kill me, so that did not stopped me from riding on buses again." I replied.

"That makes sense."

"Sure it is. A lot of people confront their fears by trying again. There's always a second chance, right? But I still have a lot of feelings after my ordeal, so it will take me time to recover."

The bus arrived at our destination, Funnari. It feels like Tokyo, somehow. We drop out of the bus. Shun lead the way.

"Come on Kelly-san! Is over here!" Shun-kun grabbed my right, injured arm, IT WAS PAINFUL!

After being dragged by a running wolf-boy for 10 agonizing minutes, he lets go of my arm. I calmly recovered and catch my breath.

"Shun... next time... grab my other arm... if you're in a hurry." I panted.

"Hafu! I'm so sorry, Kelly-san." Shun said, his ears lowered in shame, aw... I can't be mad at him.

"Is alright, Shun-kun, just don't touch my right arm."

Inside the video game store, looks very modern and fun-loving. There were a lot of mascots and Japanese released games. And I can't have these games, because they're from Japan, and are made for this country not for the US, despite that I can speak their language.

"Hi, Gaku-san, how's it going?" Shun-kun greeted the wolf-man that works here, which happens to be his cousin, he's taller than shun.

"Hello, Shun-kun, I'm sure you been expecting this game, right?" His cousin handed him the new game that he's been looking forward to. Then he looks at me, he gave me a strange look on his face.

"Shun-kun, who is your new foreigner friend?" He called me a foreigner, well, I am a tourist.

"This is Kelly... uh... Sollyviana." Shun-kun horribly pronounced my surname.

"Is Sullivan, Shun-kun."

"Kelly-san, this is my cousin, Gaku Kodori." Shun-kun introduced him.

"Is nice to meet you, Kelly-kun. Shun-kun told me you were the injured passenger from the bus accident, is that right?" Gaku-san said.

"Yes, I was lucky to be alive. That bus could've killed me. But I'm now sorta stuck in the village, because my uncle told me to stay put. Because he's 'very busy'." I said.

"Hmm, no offence, but your uncle is kinda..."

"Irresponsible? Yeah, kinda." I cut him off.

"Well, I was going to say selfish."

"I'll go with that too, and none taken."

And also, I'm pretty sure, that my uncle is not going to say a word to my parents of what've happened. My parents are counting on my uncle's responsibility to take care of me and Sylvia, but instead he leave my older cousin to take care of us while traveling around. And look what happened, I was accidently left behind and put myself in danger.

After Shun purchased his video game, we check out some other games and some up-coming games that had been announced. Shun-kun and I leaved the store and... now what? Can we go back to the village? But my stomach is telling me something.

"Are you hungry, Kelly-san?" Shun-kun asked while chuckling, he heard my stomach growling.

"Is there a place where we can eat, before we can go?"

Shun may probably know a place, right? I mean, how many times that Shun-kun have visited to see his cousin? "There's a sushi bar around, are you in a mood for sushi?" did he say sushi? I LOVE SUSHI!

"Sure, where is it?"

"Is right over there." He pointed that way. It was close, so no need to walk further.

We entered the sushi bar and take some seats and ordered some food and soft drinks. While eating and enjoying ourselves, I began to think about the broken down bus and what my uncle said to me the other day. Seriously, my uncle's responsibilities are so ridiculous. He could do something better than leaving all alone in this village.

"Um, Kelly-san, I'm going to the restroom." Shun-kun said, he really has to go. He ran towards the restroom door.

While waiting for him so we can leave, a familiar beastmen walks in, it was Kouya, what's he doing here? "Kelly, what are you doing here?" Kouya said and he smiles.

"Shun-kun, brought me here, he made me paid the fair, so he can save his money, so he can buy his new video game in his cousin's store." I replied to him as he sits down.

"Did he gave you that begging face to you?" Kouya asked as he grins.

"Yeah..., but I'm glad for helping him. It wasn't that hard." I said as Kouya looks at me, he noticed something.

"Hey, are you okay? You look kind of down." When he said that, I know what he meant.

"Well... I just... saw the bus... it was still there... at the bus stop... all broken up... I... uh... I feel kinda sick..." I replied.

"Did you have a nightmare recently?"

"No... I just feel this empty feeling that I can't leave it that way." I lowered my head and look down at my crossed arms. "I don't feel guilty or anything, but I feel like left behind... I... I..." Thinking about my uncle of what he did recently. "I-I feel angry at him, why he didn't just come and get me?" I felt that I was about to cry. I breathed in and out. "I wish, he came to me to the infirmary, where I was held up, and show me some real care, all I got was that 'ill-fated call', that's the only thing he showed me some care to me that I was alive, and now he tells me to stay put, until the end!" I slowly raised my voice.

"But you don't hate him, right?" Kouya said.

"No, I don't hate him, I know his behavior for a long time, my dad stills deals with him and he knows my uncle since was born!" I replied him. "And I don't think I'm gonna last a day in Minasato, I'm stranded on a deserted island and being ignored by a rescue team and say: the rescued can wait!" I gave myself a final blow and lie my head on the table and wail.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Kelly. I know this is hard for you. I see that your uncle did things that he's not proud of. But didn't he did this just for you own protection?" Kouya said as he puts his hands on my shoulders to look at him and calms me down. He looks straight at my eyes... I didn't noticed his eyes were golden-yellow...

"Well... maybe he did." I softly said and as I calm myself, Kouya sits back.

"And... have you ever found a bright-side of this situation?" He said.

"No, I haven't... I still feel abandoned, like a lost orphan, and this is how it feels." I said. Kouya showed a disapproval face and said.

"Don't say that, Kelly, you're not alone." He sharply said.

I think again, and that's true, I've just recently met some people that showed me some care and they made feel welcome. Those forgotten words what Kouya said gave me a slight smile on my face. But I really wish I'm with someone who is close to me, to feel more accompanied, but that never happened and that's why I feel so alone. "Well, I really appreciate that you guys are so nice to me, that I feel like you guys are trying to make me to forget everything what happened." I said and slowly smiled.

"Yeah, stop worrying about the accident and your uncle, that's now in the past." Kouya said.

"Well, I still want to give a piece of my mind to my uncle." I said and Kouya and I laughed a little.

"So where's Shun-kun?" Kouya changed the subject.

"I think he's still in the restroom." I said and out of nowhere, Shun-kun came from behind Kouya.

"I'm back! I'm feeling relief!" Shun-kun barked up.

"Ah! Shun-kun! You scared me!" Kouya cried and I laughed.

"Sorry, Kouya-san." He apologized.

"So, Kouya what are you doing here in Fuunari? Do you work around here?" I asked.

"No, I work in Kazenari, on a music shop. And also, I don't think I haven't mentioned it to you, I'm also a member of a band."

"Really? That's so cool, Kouya. So you play the guitar, an electric guitar, right?" I said with enthusiasm.

"Right."

"Kouya-san and his band mates are really good, you should see them playing." Shun-kun brought more.

"What's the name of the band?" I asked.

"Musikus, are you familiar with it?"

"Well, there's a lot of bands around the world and I don't know all of them, so you just started, right?" I said.

"Yeah, we made our debut a year ago, we were very successful." Kouya said.

"Uh... Kelly-san?" Shun-kun called me.

"What is it?"

"We better go or we miss the next bus." Shun pointed out.

"Just wait, I must paid the check." I said to Shun-kun and look at Kouya.

"Kouya..."

"Yes..."

"Thanks."

"No problem." He smiles and winked at me.

"Come on, Shun-kun, we better catch the bus!" I say in great motivation.

"Yay!" Shun cheerfully takes off and run.

Today, I met Shun's cousin, Gaku, he seems okay, and also I met Kouya... again, he's really a great guy. He somehow cheered me up and those words he said, it really manage to find my heart.