soundoftheseas | YOHAMARU CATCHALL

Her frown reappears, tugging harsher this time. "I don't think it's too far at all! It's not your fault you got sick, Yoshiko-chan. You shouldn't have to fall behind."

"... And besides," she offers after a beat, features brightening: "You were my best friend in kindergarten!"

"Zu--Hanamaru-san."

She tries to cover up her slip of the tongue by taking a sip of the tea in front of her, practically scalding her tongue in the process with a wince. But after she puts the cup back down, her shoulders jolting as the ceramic hits the wood of the table, she speaks up again...

"Th...that was ages ago. Just because we were close back when we were five...I'm sure we both might as well be different people. We've barely spoken in ten years, surely you can't remember much from back then."

Yoshiko's probably a freak, for remembering as much as she does. They were just kids, after all, and no one in their right mind hangs onto kid stuff like that when they grow up. Hanging onto memories like those is immature enough as is...

Hanamaru's teeth worry lightly at her lip, and she pauses to take a pensive sip of tea.

"That's true. I mean, I'm sure we've both changed, and forgotten stuff here and there... but that doesn't mean the memories I have aren't important to me."

Maybe it's a little strange. Most kids her age don't think much about kindergarten. But Yoshiko was one of her first friends, and when they moved on to different schools, Hanamaru hadn't gotten that close to anyone else for a very long time. Not until becoming a Pretty Cure, and finding herself in the middle of a whole group of friends out of sheer dumb luck. A kind trick of fate.

But it's been a long, long few years.

"You were always nice to me, Yoshiko-chan, even when the other kids made fun of me." She utters the words cautiously, a little self-conscious. Those times were precious to her, indeniably, but she wonders if this bout of reminescence would strike Yoshiko as odd.

"Remember when I tripped over a rock and hurt my knee, and you helped me up and took me to the teacher? I was crying so much. I thought you really looked like an angel back then..."

She trails off into a murmur, and then perks up again, hiking her skirt up to point at her bare knee. "I still have this tiny scar right here, see?"

Edited 2017-06-09 22:56 (UTC)

The recollection nearly makes Yoshiko choke on her tea, a swig of chamomile that makes its way down the wrong pipe and makes her burst into a coughing fit. Hanamaru remembers stuff like that?! After all this time?

"That...that was just because I was making you run with me to our secret base, behind that huge tree! It was my fault, so I felt so bad...but I definitely had way more falls than you did. Way more scars, too...."

She rolls up her sleeves to show off two particularly striking ones, just above her elbow.

"These are from that time I went up to the top of the jungle gym! I was trying to grab you the sun, remember? I came up with this whole big plan to snatch it out of the sky. But I lost my balance and fell right in the stupid sandbox, and scraped my arms against that splintery wood. I felt like I had sand in my mouth for days."

But all she could think about was getting up there to try again, once her arms got better. She was a persistent girl back then; God only knows what happened.

Edited 2017-06-09 23:15 (UTC)

Hanamaru giggles giddily, clapping her hands together in delight. "I remember, I remember! I really thought you were gonna get it! Like, if you just had a bigger stick--"

Before she can finish the thought, a sound from behind her makes her jump-- something that sounds like a hyuk?

"--zura?!"

"O-oh, that's just, er...my phone's notification sound! I must have left the volume on high...I've, uh, I've been getting lots of spam e-mails recently!"

She has half a mind to go over there and clobber Grendel herself, but, obviously that would blow their cover. For goodness's sake, just shut up, already, you stupid bat...thing, or whatever you are!

"I really should get around to changing it, it's really quite annoying!"

As if that last remark is aimed at something in particular--

"O-oh, your phone... I guess you can make it sound like anything these days, huh? Maru's is just the default tone..."

So that's what technologically-advanced people are into these days...? Oh, wait, duh-- she sits up straighter as the thought hits: "You should give me your phone number, Yoshiko-chan! That way we could keep in touch better, and I won't have to startle you with any more surprise visits!"

"My number? Wait, wait, really? I mean, I actually, uh, I don't really know it off the top of my head--"

When was the last time she gave someone her phone number? The only contacts she has in her phone are her parents, and it isn't as though she ever answers when they call, anyway.

"I don't really call too many people. Or have people over, for that matter, but you probably figured that out already."

She just grumbles into her chamomile, her voice taking on a hint of resignation at the obvious confession.

"But I'm happy that way, really. It's kind of just the way it is. No one really bugs me when I'm busy, and I don't have to worry about inconveniencing anyone that way. You have plenty of friends now, I'm sure, so I'm sure I'd just get in the way of time you want to spend with them, you know?"

She gulps.

"Besides, I'm not exactly popular. I'm sure people would say things."

Hanamaru listens wordlessly as Yoshiko goes on, putting herself down in so many words -- and for what? Because she asked for her number? Does Yoshiko not want to be friends? Or rather, could it be that she's scared of it...?

Well, in the end, all Maru does is pull out her clamshell phone, flip it open, and hand it over.

"Anyway, please put it in here, okay?"

"...O-okay, Zur--Hanamaru-san. Give me a second, I'll go get it."

Even after all that, she can't say no to her. It's just like it was in kindergarten: every time Maru would scurry over to their little hideout with a book in hand, eager to act out a story she had read or talk about her latest library conquest, Yoshiko couldn't help but indulge her.

She takes the phone and walks from the kitchen area to her bedroom, grabbing her phone and searching for the place to find her own number. All the while, Grendel seems to find this hysterical, hyuking away, but at least he has the decency to keep it down a bit to a Muttley-like cackle as Yoshiko scours her phone. He'll have a lot to grill her about later, Yoshiko is certain about that, but...

Soon enough, she brings Maru's phone back, putting it face-up on the table, still open. Clear as day, on the contact screen...

Tsushima Yoshiko
666-1313-4444

"You can, uh, call me whenever."

YOHAMARU CATCHALL

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject