Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ A Way into My Heart ❯ Stand Alone ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Stand Alone

“Does Father love me, Aunty?”

“Of course he does! He just needs time before he can come see you again.”

“I hope he's here for Christmas…”

“He might. I'll call him, hai?”

“Okay.”

She stared at the mirror in the bathroom, fingers clenching the sides of the sink. Aiko took a shaky breath, trying to gather her senses as she turned the water on, allowing it to grow to an icy chill before splashing the liquid upon her features. The pass from her teacher was crumpled in the trash bin and, for once in her life, Aiko didn't care if she went back to class or not.

One month without Mother.

Had it only been one month? She could feel the tears coming again, but shook her head firmly, taking a shuddering breath as she gazed back at her reflection. She could see her mother in the mirror and, when she reached a damp hand out to the glass, the picture left, leaving only her reflection in its place.

“Today, we come to say goodbye to Lucia Iwamura nee Gianini, or as she was known here, Tomiko Iwamura.”

“She was a beautiful woman. I went to school with her in Venice.”

“What a voice she had!”

“I wish she could see how we all miss her today.”

“Papa-”

“Not now Aiko! Can't you see I'm busy?”

“But-”

“Go with your Grandfather, I can't deal with you right now!”

Her mother had been so happy in Japan, or so Aiko has presumed. But life for the late Italian singer had been anything but happy. Now, looking back, Aiko remembered seeing something in her mother's blue eyes, something sad.

“Why did Mother change her name?”

“Your father thought it would be better for the both of them.”

“But why? I think Lucia's a beautiful name. Don't you?”

“Yes, well, that was just how things went.”

Loss. That was what she felt. Loss. But no one seemed to understand her dwelling on it, getting upset over little things. “Iwamura-san,” Her classmates would beg her, “please, we don't want to hear about it!”

So she stopped.

She stopped feeling sorry for herself, allowing, gradually, a smile to flow across her features. Her mother's face became blurred in her mind's eye, but she hardly noticed as she grew. Soon she was popular, the girl everyone wanted to be friends with.

But there was still loneliness.

Aiko ignored it. Who had time to be lonely? Christmas came and went that year with no sign of her Father or the gifts she had imagined. That year, she learned to stand alone, to set away the child dreams she had of the world.

You're grown up now! You'll be fine. Just smile. The world likes it when you smile. They don't need to see a frown or sad face. Just smile and everything will be all right.

It never was. But she smiled anyways.

“Hey, look!”

“What?”

“See that boy over there? The pale, gawky looking one? He's a new student. Saboru Jun.”

“He looks sort of sad.”

“Don't bother with him. He's an odd one. Something happened to his family, so now he's living with his grandfather. He hasn't said much to anyone. Why bother talking to him if he has nothing to say?”

“He might be shy.”

“Don't waste your breath, Aiko-chan. He'll probably ignore you too.”