Chapter 43:

Finale.

Love Of Sword And Pen

NINE YEARS LATER.SHIZUKA ITO

I put down the book I wrote and read from, quietly stepping back in with the rest of the row and watch them all as they finish listening to the other students and their stories.

I want to win so badly.
I want to show the others that I can tell stories just like my mom,she was so happy becoming a teacher and an advocate for people,her books are becoming more and more popular every day.

She and Dad are watching me now.

They look on with such admiration,nothing like the emotions I heard about that made them so sad when they were younger.

My grandparents are here too!
They look like they want to jump up almost as fast as Dad and Mom want and I am fighting back the giggles seeing them,even my Grandfather who rarely even smiles at all except on camera is actually clinching his hands so tight watching the judges as they deliberate on who should win this years best story at my school.

Even Uncle Kaigo is here to support me and his step daughter that is beside me who drew up all the illustrations for it,such lovely work too!

My heart is pounding,how can Mom describe it to me like it is such a wonderful feeling?
I feel like my heart is popping out of my chest and that everyone here can hear it.

Ikaken is beside me,he pokes at my side with his elbow and smirks so much I am tempted to poke him back but the last time I did that he kissed my cheek and ran away laughing like he was so happy for whatever reason.

I told Dad and Mom started laughing in the same way while Dad only said to me this:

"You can not get married until Dad gives the okay....that will take a sum of three decades of deliberation.Understood?"

Like i would marry that annoying little boy anyway....

"The winner of Kankogowa School Story of the future contest goes to......."

I am praying so much and so hard right now.
LOVE OF SWORD AND PEN has to win!

"Please GOD,I want to be a good force in the world and tell happy and good stories.I want to win and to be a writer.Please,please."

The room goes silent.
So many families are watching and clutching hands or closing eyes to await the good news for one and the sad news for the rest.

Uncle Goji and Aunt Kaoru are sitting next to Mom and my brother while my Dad is with my grandparents and his uncle,now talking after they mended whatever was broken that even my parents don't know about but mended it is.

Whether I win or lose.
I am not alone and will not stop wielding a pen.

No.
Not ever.

LATER.

"Why wasn't I picked??"

My dad kneels in front of me,He is like a true gentle giant even when he holds and swings those kendo sticks around.

He promised me when I get old enough he will teach me if I want to learn it.

"Because sometimes we win sometimes we lose and others are because they do not know a good story if it hit them in the face...."

He smiles,Mom looks at him softly when he smiles like that.
She comes over to me and kisses my forehead after Dad,she holds me softly while Dad takes Kenjo in his arms as he can not stay anywhere still long and just being in the air like a plane makes my three year old brother so happy.

I still like it too no matter that I am grown up now.

"I am sorry my Little Berry....I understand how you feel."
"How?You have two bestsellers that are turning into anime with nice sounding guys being cast!"

Mom laughs so hard at those words but calms quickly.

"It did not start that way Little Berry....I was in the public eye at first a negative then positive then hammered for being new to writing in general while being really bad at my grammar and formatting!I understand but you will grow and learn from today.
You are eight years old and growing fast,do not worry you will shine like a star in the heavens,trust me."

"Hey!!"

I hear a familiar voice yell after me and i sigh,kick the ground under me.
I can not understand why Mom laughs each time this happens or why Dad looks like he is holding back a remark of some sort.

I just keep walking forward while Mom is actively pulling Dad away while we are heading to the car.
We are just near the gate of the school and it feels so nice out today.

The beginnings of fall are wonderful.
Kenjo runs up to Ikaken who high fives him and admires my brothers drawing he just made of me and all the other students,it even has me and Ikaken side by side with him staring at me for some reason while we both are behind the winner,Mio Isshii.

We both were tied for second place but I did not get a trophy for a few misspelled words,this being an advanced story contest for us.

"Why did you go?We all were going to the ice cream restaurant for the party."
"I wanted to go home,everyone here is not really going to want either of us there anyway."
"Well I wanted you to come."

My mouth is wide open.

"So you can poke me and try to kiss me again?Just you try that!My dad knows karate and I am learning really fast."
I actually hear my Dads voice raise when I said 'Kiss' and my Mom started pulling him away again.

"I like you around you know!And I had to give you this...."

He hands me the little second place statue,his head is down but he cheeks are so red and I am looking at his face closely making him so much redder some how.

"Will you smile now?Be happy...I can not go home with you so sad,I know you are really sad but will not say it.LOVE OF SWORD AND PEN should have won,I made more errors than you did and only won because Sensei has a crush on my dad.
It was wrong and you are too pretty to be moping so take it,smile and have ice cream.Please?"

What?
"What?"

He repeats but all I keep saying is what.

I feel my heart and it is beating hard again just...
Not so painful as before.

No,is this what Mom meant?
With...
Ikaken?

But he is so stubby.
And now he is smiling at me for some reason.

"Why are you smiling at me?"
"You are finally looking at me for once."

I can not decide if I want to punch him or not.
I take the offered statue and debate with myself for a few minutes.

I have no idea why I am doing this but I do not believe I should let what I am feeling now go,even if I do not understand it at all.

"Thank you...."

I take like a bandit and run after what I did.
I kissed Ikaken's cheek and Kenjo claps happily.

My Dad is looking equal parts sad and mournful while my Mom is a little less of one than the other but I am not fully sure which.

The last thing I see when I get in the car is Ikaken.
With his longish brown hair getting damp from the rain starting to fall and his eyes like bright little stars.

That smile though.
His dimpled and dumb smile.
He will not stop smiling and...

Neither do I though I don't know why.

THAT NIGHT
YUKIHANA ITO

"How can you be smiling like that?We have a crisis!"

I am giggling so much more than I have in a long while,I smirk at him as I hand him the glass of wine I took a sip from and he takes one very long swallow but still looks like he could explode or cry.

Years of marriage and I am still unsure which one he will do next.

I kiss him gently on the lips,take a seat on his lap while we both enjoy a lovely view of the moon,he is cute when he is this kind of grumpy.

"You are her father,you did not think that being raised with a certain type of personality she would not gravitate towards the same?I like the boy."

Kenshin,he pouts like she is married already and pregnant.

"She will marry that boy..he better not hurt her.She wrote her whole class assignment on our story,using that trophy to woo her... he better not even dare hurt her."

I smile at his cute type of anger right now,I kiss him again softly enough to hush him.
I truly had no idea that we would be this...