《Oh How The Cherry Blossoms Bloomed That Year》


 Chapter 1 Meeting

    "It''s been twenty years since I first met your mother," a man said holding a bloomed sakura flower in between the fingers of his hand.


    A large cherry blossom tree lie in the field a man and a kid were in. The kid sat on a chair as it looked at the man in front of them. The tree had just seemed to bloom, as the occasional breeze blew by flowers could be seen floating through the air giving off a pink swirl of colors as a breeze swiftly passed by.


    "Will you tell me the story again daddy?" asked the small kid looking at his father. The kid had hazelnut-colored hair, was quite small, and looked very young, as they had the look of a five-year-old.


    "Fine, one more time," the man laughed a bit before smiling as he began telling the kid the story.


    "It started out when I was around your age," he explained as he sat down in a chair.


    "Your mommy was beautiful, even at a young age," the man continued, "She had the most beautiful eyes, just like yours."


    ***


    A playground lay in front of a lone boy, he lie swinging upon a swing. Other kids could be seen nearby playing all over, some going down slides, whilst others playing with each other. The boy got up, wandered around as he walked around the playground. A large building could be seen, near the playground as its doors were opened towards the playground. A teacher was watching the kids as they play around the nearby playground.


    The boy began to walk near the fences of the playground, himself alone looking at the painted white fences. Nearing the corner he looked at a lone girl admiring a tree, its pink flowers blossoming across the branches. Petals fluttered by as a breeze passed through. The girl turned around, after hearing the boy step on a twig, snapping in half.


    "Hello," spoke the girl as she looked at the boy. Her hair rose up a bit, as the breeze blew through, but then fell back down. The girl''s eyes were pink, the color looking almost exactly like the flowers upon the tree.


    "What are you doing?" the boy said giving a question for a reply. The boy''s hair was brown, similar to the color of hazelnut.


    "Admiring the beautiful cherry blossom tree," replied the girl as she put her hand to it.


    "Wouldn''t you prefer, hanging out with your friends? said the boy.


    "I don''t have any," the girl said with a rather bitter-sweet smile on her face.


    "Well then, I''ll be your friend," the boy said as he grabbed the girl''s hand and started to walk somewhere.


    ***


    "That was the first time I met her," explained the man. The young kid had a smile on his face as the man continued.


    "We were inseparable, after that," laughed the dad, "It was a pity that she moved when we got to middle school."


    "We wouldn''t see each other for a long time after that," the dad with a bit of sorrow on his face.


    ***


    The alarm clock rang as the sun shined through a window. A boy lying in bed attempted to turn off the alarm a few times each slapping at it but failing. The boy getting annoyed by the loud screeching sound, attempted once more as he got hold of the alarm clock. With haste, he chucked the alarm clock at the wall, it screaming once more before breaking into pieces.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The room was around medium size, it had a desk in the corner along with some bookshelves, and a dresser. The bed lies on the opposite side, of the room, in the corner. Getting up, the boy sighed as he got dressed.


    ***


    "Hey, Kazuya!" said a boy as Kazuya left his house.


    "Hello, Tanakichi," replied Kazuya as they began to walk down the street.


    Trees flourished, as the petals and leaves passed by as they blew from the breeze. It was spring now, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom along with many other types of flora.


    "Man, the sakura blossoms are as beautiful as ever!" exclaimed Tanakichi as he smiled.


    "Oh, sorry, is that still a sore spot?" asked Tanakichi smacking his face.


    "It''s okay," replied Kazuya avoiding the question.


    "I heard there''ll be a new student in our class today," Tanakichi said as he put his hand through his hair.


    "Doubt it''ll be anyone interesting," mumbled Kazuya, as both the boys halted.


    They were now in front of their school. It was a rather big building, and students were flooding in. Different students could also be found, throughout the hallways trying to get club applicants.


    "See you at class," waved Tanakichi as he ran inside.


    "Bye," Kazuya waved back before going inside.


    ***


    "Class, today we have a new student," the teacher said before continuing, "Please come in."


    A girl walked in, as she walked up to the board. She had brown hair a bit darker than Kazuya''s hazelnut-colored hair. She grabbed a piece of chalk, before writing her name on the board. Turning around she looked at the class revealing, her beautiful pink eyes. All the boys were staring at this point, as her beauty had caught their attention.


    "Hello, my name is Sakura, I hope we can all be friends," the new girl said, she had a rather sad look on her face before turning to the teacher.


    "You can sit in front of Kazuya," the teacher said as she pointed at a desk in the middle row.


    The girl gave her thanks, before walking down the row and sitting at the desk. She lay her bag beside her, as the class started. All the boys gave a look of jealousy at Kazuya who was fast asleep.


    "Kazuya wake up!" exclaimed the teacher, before continuing to give their lecture.


    ***


    The bell rang, as Kazuya got up. Tanakichi was already waving over to Kazuya, as he began to walk towards the entrance of the room. Kazuya sighed before walking over to Tanakichi.


    "Wow! The new girl''s a looker!" exclaimed Tanakichi as he and Kazuya began to climb the stairs.


    "I didn''t really pay attention," replied Kazuya.


    "This is why you should stay awake in class," Tanakichi said as the boys reached the top of the stairs.


    "I''m glad it''s lunchtime," Kazuya said as he sat down on the roof.


    "Ditto," said Tanakichi as he sat down and unpacked his lunch.


    ***


    A bell rang, as the rain continued to pour outside the school. Students were now leaving, bright umbrellas beginning to pop up across the sidewalks.


    "See you, tomorrow, Kazuya," waved Tanakichi, before walking away with his umbrella.


    Kazuya was now, packing his bag, as his face changed like he just remembered something.


    "Oh... I forgot an umbrella," remembered Kazuya.


    "This is rather problematic..." Kazuya said as he thought about the problem at hand.


    "Good thing, I''m only a street off from my house," shrugged Kazuya as he got ready to leave.


    Walking down the stairs he looked around at the entrance. Nobody could be seen, it seemed as if he was the last person there. Pitter, patter could be heard from his feet as he walked to the entrance. The drizzling had seemed to continue, beginning to get worse and worse.


    "Alright..." Kazuya said as he braced to run.


    "3..."


    "2..."


    "1..."


    "Go-" something tapped his shoulders as he was about to run. He turned around to see the new student.


    "Want to share?" the girl said, her pink eyes glittered and looked as if she had just found a special person, she had lost.


    "I- Th-thanks," Kazuya stuttered, the girl had an almost exact resemblance to the girl he met when he was young.


    The girl laughed a little before opening the umbrella. The two began to walk down the path, the rain having been too stubborn to give up.


    "My name is Sakura, what is your name?" asked the girl.


    "Kazuya," the boy replied, "Have we ever met?"


    "Today, nine years ago," the girl replied thinking back at when they first met, "I hope we can be friends again."

 Chapter 2 Dinner

    Kazuya lied his head on his desk, as he tried to take a nap. He lied there for a few minutes, but Kazuya could still not fall asleep as his thoughts were going everywhere on what had happened the previous day. His face felt hot, as he jolted his head back up, and slapped himself.


    "Kazuya!" exclaimed the teacher, "What are you doing?"


    "Sorry," the boy replied as he looked back at his textbook.


    ***


    Almost everybody flocked towards Sakura, as the bell rang signaling lunch. Kazuya moved his chair back, as he got up. He noticed the exit, was clear as he ran for it. He still couldn''t believe what had happened occurred the day before and felt he couldn''t face Sakura.


    Tanakichi skipped school today, so Kazuya walked by himself up the stairs to the rooftop of the school. Kazuya figured, he''d be here at lunch as Tanakichi just hates math class. He opened the door, sat down on a bench there, and began to eat his lunch.  A small breeze blew by a few petals and leaves following it.


    Steps could be heard from the stairway, as the door opened. Sakura stepped onto the rooftop with a bag in her hand.


    "Kazuya, I was hoping we could eat lunch together," said the girl, with a smile on her face.


    Kazuya''s face froze for a moment as he was still processing the situation.


    "W-what do you mean?" he stuttered, "What about everyone else?"


    "I told them, I want to have lunch with you," she replied as she sat down beside Kazuya.


    "Okay..." was all Kazuya had the courage to say. His face felt hot, as he took a bite of his lunch.


    Silence crept upon the rooftop as a chilled breeze went by. Sakura, brushed her hair back behind her ear, before beginning to eat her meal.


    "Oh, you make your own lunches, Sakura?" Kazuya said trying to get rid of the awkward atmosphere.


    "Yes, ever since my parents started going on more business trips," Sakura replied as she looked down at her bento.


    "Ah, I think that''s amazing..." Kazuya said looking up at the sky, "The last time I tried to cook, I almost burnt down the house."


    "Would yo-"


    A loud bang was heard as the door to the roof was slammed open. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Kazuya! I brought pizza!" Tanakichi said as he walked, over with his eyes closed and a smile on his face.


    "It''s even got the toppings you like!" Tanakichi said as he opened his eyes.


    "Sakura!?" Tanakichi exclaimed before grabbing Kazuya''s arm and taking him downstairs.


    "Kazuya, why is she with you?" Tanakichi said with a surprised look on his face, "How did you get one of the most beautiful girls in our school to eat lunch with you!"


    "I-I didn''t do anything," Kazuya stuttered as his face turned redder, "She asked me to eat lunch with her."


    "Impossible!" Tanakichi exclaimed.


    "I''m telling you the truth," Kazuya said, "Though I did find something out about her yesterday."


    "She''s the Sakura..." Kazuya continued, "From back then..."


    Tanakichi sighed as he scratched his head, "We should probably head back up before the pizza gets cold."


    ***


    The bell rang, as students began to leave the school. Lockers could be heard creaking as they opened and shut, and desks and seats could be heard making a scraping sound as the people got up.


    "Kazuya, got any plans today?" Tanakichi asked as the two began to leave the school.


    "Nothing, yet,"  replied Kazuya.


    "Since it''s Friday let''s go to your place and play some video games," Tanakichi said.


    "Only if you bring the snacks," Kazuya said, his stomach rumbling shortly after.


    "I knew you''d say that," Tanakichi laughed as he zipped open his backpack. It was filled with snacks of all sorts, a console with controllers, and only a few school books.


    ***


    "How did I lose again!" grumbled Tanakichi as he turned off the console and tv.


    "Boys, dinners ready," Kazuya''s mom said as she opened the door, "Oh and we have a guest so be respectful, she''s an old friend of yours Kazuya."


    Tanakichi looked at Kazuya as he shrugged.


    "Any idea when Ichika comes back to class?" Tanakichi asked as they began to walk downstairs.


    "Nope," Kazuya replied.


    A quiet meow could be heard, from across the living room as the boys reached it. Kazuya walked over, as he picked the kitten up. It purred as he pet it before placing it back down on the couch. Kazuya''s house was rather large, as it was three stories, and two to four rooms on each floor. The boys turned to the kitchen, where they looked at Kazuya''s mom.


    The boys, turned as they went into the dining room. The dining room, was big, as the table was huge, along with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.  They sat down, as they looked at Kazuya''s dad.


    "So dad, any idea who this ''friend'' of Kazuya is?" asked Tanakichi smiling, "I didn''t think he had many."


    "No idea, I was upstairs working, when I got told," the dad replied with a shrug.


    Kazuya irritated, smacked Tanakichi at the back of the head as the table went silent. Kazuya''s mother rushed, as she placed dish after dish upon the table. There was a variety of dishes, but what stuck out the most was the yakitori. It was Kazuya''s favorite, but he was puzzled as nobody he had ever told knew that it was. He shrugged it off as he noticed Tanakichi trying to eat before everyone was seated. He slapped Tankichi''s hand as Tanakichi moved his hand back. The chopsticks he was holding, made a small sound before going quiet once more.


    "Where is this friend mom?" asked Kazuya looking at his mother.


    "She said she''ll be here in a minute," his mom replied as she sat down.


    Sakura shortly after walked into the dining room and took a seat beside Kazuya and Tanakichi.


    "Huh?" Tanakichi said as he dropped his chopsticks.