#imsososorry

Maki stepped out of the red door of the temple out onto the steps. She folded her arms and shoved her hands deep into her jacket. Winter air blew into the jacket and blew up her arms, making her efforts to stay warm futile. Annoyed, she half zipped up her coat and sat down on the staircase. Her mother and father were just inside, examining the old temple. Normally, Maki would at least be with them, but she really just wanted to be alone right then.

The temple gave a small overlook to the town. The seaside village was quaint, pretty even in contrast to Tokyo, but it was out of her comfort zone. The noise of the city was a bit like a comfort blanket right about then. Alone in the silence, all she could think of was everything going on. Well, that and the cold. Cold was a pretty annoying part of this entire experience. It was almost spring, it shouldn’t be possible to be this cold.

Complaining about the cold was easier than anything else right then. Maki shivered.

“Ah, miss, if you want, it’s warmer inside. Zura~” A voice said behind her.

Maki passively turned her head. There was a girl there, probably only thirteen or so. She turned her head back to the village. “No thank you.”

“I— It’s not any trouble, I promise. There’s a little heat in there. My father would love to— ah, I mean I could— get you something, if you like.” The girl’s shadow moved toward Maki.

“I am fine.” Maki didn’t turn this time. She just stared out and scrunched her eyebrows. “I just need to. Mm.”

The girl stood still. Then, after a moment, she sat down beside Maki. This time, Maki naturally saw more of her. Long tea-colored hair, work clothes on, not really anything of note. She kicked the ground beneath her, staring out where Maki was staring and then to Maki herself.

Maki moved her eye over. “Yes?”

“Oh, uh. I just — just sitting. Zura~” She kicked the ground. “Just, thought you might need someone for whatever it is your doing.”

Maki admired the girl’s tenacity if nothing else. She sighed and looked back out the city. “Not really looking for company. Just — thinking.”

“About what? Zura~” The girl leaned in.

“Me stuff.” Maki looked over. “And what are you doing?”

“U— uh.” She blushed. “I— I just. Zura~”

“What’s so interesting here?” Maki seethed a little, but then instantly regretted being so rude.

The girl flinched, compounding Maki’s guilt. “I— Well, I thought you— you looked pretty. Zura~” She looked down bashfully.

Maki was a bit taken aback by her. “W— well. I suppose you—” She couldn’t figure out a way to word what she wanted to say without sounding mean, so she dropped it. “What’s your name?”

“Oh, Kunikida Hanamaru.” The girl answered. “Um, pleased to meet you.”

Maki closed her eyes to take in the name. “Miss Kunikida. Okay.”

“O— Oh, Hanamaru is fine, miss.”

Maki didn’t want to be too informal. She didn’t want to talk much at all, but Hanamaru wasn’t hurting anyone at the moment. She stared away from Hanamaru. “Do you live here?”

“Yes.” Hanamaru said. “My father is the priest. I help take care here and sing and greet people.” Hanamaru kicked the step again. “Where do you live?”

“Near Tokyo. I spend a lot of time in Kanda, mostly.”

“W-Wow! That’s so cool! I— I’ve never been. Do you go to the Jinbocho book fair? I’ve heard about it and... and it sounds so cool Zura!”

Maki thought. “I have been there. It is . . . a lot of books.”

“Well, of course.” Hanamaru giggled. “Sorry, I just really like reading. What do you normally do there?”

At this, Maki went quiet again. She let the question hang long enough for Hanamaru to start feeling uncomfortable. “I normally hang out with friends.”

“Oh.” Hanamaru shifted. “Then, that must be why you look so lonely.”

“Hm?”

“You’re so far away from them.”

Maki furrowed her brow. “Yes. And . . . that’s not gonna change soon.”

“Why?”

“Graduation.” Maki said. She gripped at her jacket. “School is starting; and, by the time I get back, a lot of really good friends will be gone.”

Hanamaru looked sad. “Oh.” She looked up. “You’re gonna miss them. Zura?”

“Mmm, that’s obvious.” Maki plucked at her hair. “A lot of them meant a lot to me and my other friends. What we did together . . . just cannot be replaced.”

Hanamaru looked out towards the city. “I don’t know much about that, but . . . I’ve had to go away from my friends too. Just . . . split up ‘cause of middle school.”

“Well, this is not like that.” Maki huffed. “There was a lot more than that between us.”

“I get that, but.” Hanamaru fiddled around uncomfortably. “Okay, maybe I don’t. But . . . What were your friends like?”

“Hm. We. . .” She really didn’t want to start having a girl freak out about meeting her, so Maki decided to stay quiet about their occupation. “We went pretty far as a team. Trained, talked, worked, even. . .” She trailed off. “Anyways, we all were practically a family, but now I’m back to school, without them. Back to. . .” She sighed. “I am not making a lot of sense, I am sorry to bother you.”

Hanamaru was absently fiddling with the hem of her dress. “Oh, you’re not bothering me at all. I’m always happy to listen.” She smiled. “It’s part of working at a temple.”

“I thought your dad was the one working here.”

“He is, but I hear him a lot, I read up on philosophy, and I like to listen to all my friends and what’s up with them.”

Maki stared off into space. “Sounds like you love it here.”

“I do, I do. Zura~”

“Wish I could stay like that.” Maki huffed into her jacket. “Me and my parents just got back from visiting medical schools around the globe. I will have to start applying soon.”

“Medical school? Are you a doctor?”

“No, not- not yet anyway.” Maki tugged at whatever was in her hands. “I am just preparing to follow my parents. Like you do with your dad. It’s just what I do.”

“Oh.” Hanamaru twiddled her thumbs. “But. . . Could I ask you something?”

Maki sighed. “Why stop now?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. But, do you want to go into medicine?”

Maki frowned. “No.” She shook her head. “I love music. I play the piano and do some other composing. I don’t really feel anything about medicine, it just. . . pays the bills. I can write a hundred songs for the world to hear and be right by friends and it’ll never make half as much, or even guarantee that I won’t be alone and unheard afterwards.”

“Then why are you thinking about it?”

“You ask a lot of questions.” Maki rubbed her forehead. “Ugh, I am sorry. I . . . I am being harsh. I just do not really want to talk a lot. This trip, my friends, school, the cold – It is all slurring together in one big annoying mess doing a Nico nii into my ear.”

Hanamaru giggled. “I understand. I think. Um, most of it. Zura~ I can leave if you want.”

Maki smiled. “You do not have to.”

“No, I don’t want to burden you. I just. . .” Hanamaru stood. “I just saw you happy for a moment. When you were talking about music. When you talked about your friends. I just thought I saw that. . . money maybe wasn’t everything.”

Maki paused for a moment. As she turned around, Hanamaru was already stepping away. Maki called after her. “Thank you, miss Kunikida.”

“Um, any time, ma’am. Zura~”

Maki turned back out to the town.

It was still cold.

Hmm, it was a beautiful view though.

She felt a song taking shape. It was quiet.

Maki took out her notebook. There might just be something worth writing down.

Hanamaru watched as the family left the temple steps, the older girl passively leading her parents. Hanamaru’s dad waved goodbye to the group and returned into the temple. She stepped into the courtyard to sweep up. There wasn’t much to sweep up.

She paused as she got near the steps. There was a loose couple leaves of paper wedged in the side of the wall. Figuring they were just litter, Hanamaru picked them up to take to the trash. But there was something written on it.

It was worth taking a peek at.

Hanamaru unfolded the wadded paper. It was a few music sheets written on notebook pages. She turned it around right-side up. Up above the music was a title: “Flower wreath.”