73 Chapter Seven: She Knew

On the following Saturday morning, Kanako was awoken by the something she had not expected. Setting her alarm the previous night for 9:30 a.m., she had assumed that it would be the blaring beeping that would raise her from her sleep. Instead, inches from her face, was a girl beaming with delight and excitement.

"C'mon, c'mon Kana-chan! Rise and shine!" Chiyo said. "E-Eep!" Kanako shrieked, coming to full consciousness and seeing the gal so close. "C-Chiyo?! What are you doing in my room?!" "Oh, your mama let me in! She said I could come up and get ya ready!" Chiyo explained. Kanako sighed. "Why does my mom just let people come into my room when I'm sleeping…?" she wondered. First Haruna, then Chiyo. If anymore started showing up, Kanako was going to have to put a deadbolt on her door.

"You got your outfit picked out yet?" Chiyo asked. "Huh? Outfit?" Kanako repeated, confused. "Yeah! You wanna look cute for Haru-chi, don't you?" "C-C-Cute?! W-Why do I need to do that?" Kanako asked. "Well if ya look cute, then Haru-chi will definitely be able to perform at her best!" Chiyo said as she began rummaging through Kanako's closet. "Is that how it works? Ah, h-hey, don't just toss my clothes around!" And with that, so began Kanako's Saturday morning.

It had been decided earlier that Chiyo and Kanako would once again attend Haruna's snowboarding and skiing club meet together. The original plan was for Chiyo to simply wait for Kanako to tell her when she was ready, and yet, the gal had shown up anyways with no warning. "Hey, how 'bout this?" Chiyo said, holding up an outfit possibility. "A-Are you sure?" Kanako said, never really going for such a combination. "Mhm! It'll look cute, I promise!"

Handed the clothes, Kanako made Chiyo turn around as she changed. "Don't worry Kana-chan, I won't peek at'cha. I'll let Haru-chi take it all in for herself." "Wha-?!" Kanako exclaimed, then thought, "Does Haruna really think about me like that?" Sure, Kanako knew Haruna liked her, but thinking about seeing her naked? The thought was enough to make Kanako blush.

When Kanako was done changing, she was wearing a simple pink sweater, a light brown pleated skirt, and black tights underneath to protect her legs from the cold. "There. Perfectly adorable!" Chiyo said, seemingly pleased with her choice. "I-If you say so…" Kanako said. At the end of her sentence, a car horn sounded. "Ah, that's probs my big sis. Guess we better get going," Chiyo said. "R-Right," Kanako said. So after saying goodbye to her parents, the two girls headed out the door and climbed into the car parked outside of the Nakatomi residence.

"You girls ready?" Chitose asked. "Yup! Let's roll!" Chiyo said back. Beginning to drive, Chitose took a glance at the mirror. "Hey, you're Kana-chan, right?" she asked. "O-Oh, um, yes!" Kanako said, surprised to be addressed. "Big sis, I told you who this was earlier this week!" Chiyo said. "Sorry, I'm not always great at remembering names. I remember now though. You also were on the camping trip with Chi too right?" "Y-Yes," Kanako confirmed. Looking at Chitose, Kanako could tell she was still staring at her through the rear-view mirror. "Hmm," she let out. "Yeah, I guess I get it," she commented. "Huh?" Kanako let out, but she'd get no further explanation. Instead, the rest of the ride was filled with Chiyo and Chitose talking.

When they arrived at the Hidden Corner, Chitose went to park the car. "Huh? I thought you weren't gonna stay?" Chiyo asked. "What? You want your nee-chan to go on home then?" Chitose teased. "N-No, it's fine if you stay," Chiyo said, showing a rare sort of blush that only a little sister could make. "Great. I'll just put this thing somewhere and then I'll meet'cha up there," Chitose said. When she drove off, Kanako giggled. "What'cha laughing at Kana-chan?" Chiyo asked. "Nothing. It's just nice that you get along so well with your sister," Kanako said. "Yeah. Me and big sis have been through a lot together. Plus, she's just so cool that it just makes ya wanna be closer with her, y'know?" Chiyo said, beaming. Kanako could practically feel the love Chiyo had for her sister in that sentence.

"Alright, let's go find Haru-chi," Chiyo said, beginning to walk toward the main building. Kanako followed after her. When they got inside, it didn't take long, as the Iwanai High group waw standing gathered together in the lobby. Izumi appeared to be giving them one final pep talk.

"Remember, this isn't like last time. You've all got one under your belts, and this time there're a whole bunch'a other schools here. Give it all you got!" At the end of her speech, there was a cheer, although it seemed easy enough to hear the nerves they had. Turning around, Izumi saw Chiyo. "Chiyo!" she yelled. "Miracle girl!" Chiyo yelled back, using her personal nickname for the girl because she believed it was a miracle Izumi never tripped over her own hair.

"Did you guys come to cheer us on? Huh, huh?" Izumi said. "You bet!" Chiyo said, giving a thumbs-up. "Cool, cool. Well, we gotta head to the slopes and stuff now, so you wanna tag along with us? After all, the event's just about to start." "Sure!" Chiyo said. But, just as they were about to leave, an announcement came on over the public address system.

"Attention all patrons. Due to weather conditions, we are advising caution to everyone. Surfaces may be slippery, so be sure to watch for ice."

It was a fair warning. Since the meet last Saturday, it had snowed a couple more times in Iwanai. Thanks to fluctuating temperatures, some of it had melted, but then it would get really cold at night and freeze the remaining water. That process had repeated itself several times, creating not the most favorable conditions for competition. Luckily, it wasn't so hazardous to the point that no one could use the slopes.

"You hear that everybody? Don't go slipping and sliding all over hahaha!" Izumi said loudly. "Shouldn't you be the most worried of all?" Haruna thought. Surely ice and hair long enough to slip under a person's feet made for a dangerous combination. But Haruna kept her comment to herself, and the group all began to make their way to their respective areas.

The first part of the way was fine. It seemed the staff of the Hidden Corner had been sure to take extra-good care of the front of their property, making sure to remove all the ice. However, once you got further than the main area, things began to get slick. Just as the skiers split off from their snowboarding counterparts, the new girl slipped and fell on her butt.

After about a 10 minute walk thanks to the ice, the group of Izumi, Haruna, Chiyo and Kanako arrived at the half-pipe. A crowd had already been gathering, and a sizable one at that. "Wow. I didn't think there'd be so many people," Kanako commented. "Yeah, yeah, we have like, one of the best facilities around, so when other schools come to compete in bunches like today, it draws a lot of attention," Izumi explained. "Well, I'm gonna head up even higher now, so enjoy the show."

As Izumi continued on, Haruna stayed behind. She had been rather quiet the whole way. "Something up Haru-chi?" Chiyo asked. "No, not really. I guess I was just focused on making sure you two didn't fall," she said. "Aw, how sweet! That's my Haru-chi for you!" Chiyo said, glomping onto the girl. "W-Whoa, Chiyo! Watch it! You'll make us both fall!" Haruna complained. "Sorry, sorry," Chiyo said as she released her. "Anways, check this out Haru-chi!" Motioning toward Kanako, Chiyo held her arms out like she was displaying something. "Doesn't Kana-chan look super-duper cute today?"

Covering up Kanako's pink sweater was a simple black coat, followed by a white scarf. However, even with that in the way, Haruna could make out the small bits of pink sticking out here and there, along with a full view of her skirt and leggings. "Oh, um, y-yeah…" Haruna shyly replied. "C'mon Haru-chi, you're supposed to get all fired up about it!" Chiyo whined. "Honestly I think I just lost my concentration," Haruna said only loud enough for Chiyo to hear.

Over the loud speaker, the final call for competitors was made. "I need to go," Haruna said. "G...Good luck!" Kanako called. She felt more self-conscious today about interacting with Haruna thanks to all of the attention she had been getting, but she still felt inclined to wish her friend the best. In response, Haruna smiled warmly to her. "Thanks," she said, then turned around and headed for the competitors tent.

As Kanako watched her go, she felt Chiyo tug on her coat sleeve. "Let's go over there Kana-chan. I bet we'll get like, a sweet view of Haru-chi when she goes." Kanako nodded, and the two of them took up position near the middle of one of the sides of the half-pipe.

It was only a few minutes later that the first competitor took her run. Flying up into the air, she put down trick after trick, much to the audience's enjoyment. When she was done, her score posted at about 90, a decent start to the day. Watching on, Kanako couldn't help but be amazed. "I can't believe Haruna actually does this," Kanako said with awe. "I know right? When she first told me this was the club she joined, I was like, really? But then I saw her compete and I was like, whoa, that's cool!" Chiyo said excitedly. It certainly seemed out of character to Kanako from what she knew about Haruna. Honestly, she had no clue what had prompted Haruna to join the Girls Snowboarding and Skiing club in the first place. "Maybe I should ask her..." Kanako thought.

Regardless of her previous opinions though, Kanako could see for herself that it was actually a good fit. There may have only been two snowboarders in total in the club, but that didn't make Haruna's accomplishments any less. According to Chiyo, Kanako had learned that Haruna regularly finished near the top in meets. She rarely won (mostly because of Izumi), but it was clear that Haruna had some talent for the sport.

"Last meet was your first time seeing Haru-chi in action, wasn't it Kana-chan?" Chiyo asked. Kanako nodded. It was pretty obvious, considering it had only been recently that the two girls were on good enough terms to allow one of them to attend another's event. The previous match Haruna had competed in was the first time Kanako had ever seen Haruna like that, and it had truly excited her. She hadn't been able to get over how cool her childhood friend had looked, and her heart had been racing during both of Haruna's runs. The other competitors' runs were fun too, but it was a completely different experience to Kanako when it was Haruna. The only other person who came close was Izumi, and that was mostly because when she went, it was impossible to look away.

To make that point, the blue-haired girl had just started her run, beginning with a trick so high up in the air that Kanako didn't even think was possible. As she twirled around, her hair followed, almost looking like a torrent of water surrounding Izumi. "Wow…" Kanako uttered. As her admiration slipped out, Izumi made another trick and then went for one more, sliding up the wall right in front of Kanako. As she did, Kanako could've sworn she saw Izumi give a peace sign as she flew by. "Haha!" Chiyo laughed. "That's the miracle girl for you!"

After the first two competitors finished, it was onto the third, but that was when a trend began to emerge. Thanks to the slippery conditions, the third person's landing went poorly, causing her to lose her balance and fall. The next made it through two tricks before taking a tumble, and then one more made it a little further before slipping and toppling over. "Geez," Kanako said. "Who knew the ice would affect things this much," Chiyo commented. "I-I hope Haruna can make it through alright..." Kanako said.

As luck would have it, as soon as Kanako said the girl's name, there she was, emerging from the tent at the top of the hill. "Oh, there's Haru-chi!" Chiyo exclaimed. "Go Haru-chiiii!" Kanako watched with baited breath as Haruna slid down the hill, getting into position. Once she was set, she gave a hop, straightening her board into a sliding position and then taking off up and over the slope, dropping into the half-pipe.

Going up for her first trick, Kanako watched her spin horizontally several times before landing. When she did, she appeared to wobble a bit, but she continued on, going up the opposite wall for her second trick. Up high she went, giving a grab to her board as she spun in a sort of drill shape. Once she came out of that, Haruna began making her descent. "Oh no," Chiyo suddenly muttered. Kanako looked closely. Haruna was too far out in the air. "She's going to miss the wall completely!" Kanako panicked inside. She was no expert in snowboarding, but she was pretty sure dropping from that height straight to the ground wasn't good.

Then, impact. Haruna came down hard on the bottom of the half-pipe. She landed flat, her board making a hard smacking sound as it collided with the surface below. Her momentum stopped. The crowd stared on in silence.

And then, Haruna fell over, immediately clutching her ankle.

"Medical personnel needed, I repeat medical personnel needed," the announcement came over the speakers. Quickly, several people designated as medical staff got onto the scene. Meanwhile, up high on the half-pipe wall, Kanako watched, her eyes growing wider by the second. "Haruna…?" she breathed. As the staff worked, Kanako saw them go to remove Haruna's foot from the strap attached to the board.

And then, Haruna let out a scream of agonizing pain.

In response, Kanako's eyes went even wider than before. Her breathing was erratic. Her body was shaking. Fear gripped her heart, and in that moment, there was only one thing she did. "HARUNAAAA!!!!!!" She screamed the girl's name, screaming with the full force of her heart and soul.

*****

Ten minutes later, Haruna arrived at the nearby hospital, and it was only five minutes after that that Chiyo and Kanako rushed in. An ambulance had shown up on the scene, loading Haruna in. When Chiyo told Chitose what had happened, the group had driven as fast as possible after it. When they arrived, Chitose told the front desk the situation. "I see," the secretary said calmly. "I'll tell the doctor being assigned to your friend's case, and then he'll come talk to you." Giving a bow of thanks, the three girls went to sit in the waiting area.

"Hey, do either of you have Haru-chi's parents' number?" Chitose asked. Both Kanako and Chiyo flipped through their contacts. "Oh, here's Haru-chi's mom!" Chiyo said, showing her sister the number. "Great. I'll give her a call to let her know what's going on. You two stay here alright?" They both nodded, allowing Chitose to go make a phone call.

It was only a couple of minutes later that a doctor showed up. "Are you the ones who are here about Haruna Endo?" he asked. The man was clearly older, looking closer to 50, beginning to go bald and wearing a pair of small, circular glasses. "Yes," Kanako answered quickly. "Well, because you're not family, I can't tell you much because of confidentiality issues, but I can say that she's not in any life-threatening danger. We're taking her into surgery now, so once she's fully awake, or her parents arrive and give consent, I'll be able to tell you more." "Okay, thank you," Chiyo said, giving a grateful bow.

As the doctor walked away, Chiyo sat back down. "Well, that's good at least. Right Kana-chan?" Chiyo said. "Kana-chan?" The girl wasn't listening. She had heard what the doctor had said, but in her head, all Kanako could focus on was the fact that Haruna had been in so much pain that she had screamed like she did.

"She was hurt, Chiyo…" Kanako muttered. "Yeah, but it doesn't sound too serious. I'm sure she'll be fine," Chiyo said, trying to remain optimistic. Kanako, on the other hand, was not. She wasn't thinking in a way that was meant to be intentionally pessimistic, nor was she trying to think about the worst. Really, it just happened. Kanako couldn't help it. "You might be right," Kanako said. "B-But what if you're not? What if it's actually way worse? That happens all the time, r-right? O-Or, or, what if something happens in the surgery? What if Haruna gets some sort of infection? What if they mess something up inside her? What if-"

Kanako spoke at rapid-fire pace, letting her fear, panic and worry overwhelm her. "Kana-chan, just take a breath," Chiyo said, going to place her hand on Kanako's shoulder. "No!" she shouted, suddenly smacking the gal's hand away. "She's hurt Chiyo! Haruna's hurt! And if it's bad, if it's worse than the doctors think…" "Kana-chan, it'll be okay-"

"I CAN'T LOSE HER AGAIN!"

Kanako screamed it loud enough for the whole floor to hear. "I can't…" she said, suddenly as quiet as a mouse. Tears were beginning to pour down her face. "W-When we weren't friends anymore, it was killing me! I couldn't stand it! I wanted her back in my life so bad it felt like I was being torn in two!!" Kanako paused, but not long enough to give Chiyo a chance to speak. "I just got her back Chiyo. It's only been a few months! If something really bad happened, I…" Kanako trailed off, before finally picking back up. "...I need her."

All at once, every emotion Kanako had toward Haruna flooded through her. Her anger when Haruna had been so mean to her. Her sadness from not being able to even talk with the girl she grew up with. Her pain from not having Haruna by her side. Her anxiety when their friendship began to repair, being careful to keep such a fragile thing from breaking once more. Her happiness as Haruna started to warm up to her again. Her understanding when she finally learned what had caused Haruna to be so distant. Her contentment at Haruna just holding her hand. Her embarrassment whenever Haruna did something completely unexpected, like a kiss on the cheek. Her heart leaping when she was able to see Haruna smile just for her.

"Oh...oh…"

Kanako squeaked. She understood. She finally knew. When it had happened, she wasn't sure, but at some point, her heart had decided. Maybe it was only recently. Maybe it was long ago. Really, it didn't matter. Because now, she knew.

"I love her…"

Kanako spoke those words, looking at Chiyo desperately. "I love Haruna…" she said again, her voice trembling. Staring back at her, Chiyo simply smiled warmly back. "Yeah. I know." "I… I love her. I'm in love with her!" Kanako said, her level of voice rising. "And now, she… She!"

Kanako could hardly stand it. Haruna had confessed to her, and Kanako hadn't really given an answer. Now, here she was, realizing she felt the same as she sat in a hospital while Haruna had surgery. "I-It… it took her getting injured for me to realize my feelings for her," Kanako said. "I-Is that really okay? C-Can I really say I love her when it's like this?!"

Standing up, Chiyo suddenly pulled Kanako up with her. Before she could say anything, she found herself held tightly in the gal's embrace. "It's okay Kana-chan," she said sweetly as she stroked the back of Kanako's head. "Maybe thinking of it the way you are now is one way, but I see it differently." Chiyo paused, allowing the girl in her arms to look up at her. "The way I see it, how you are now shows just how much you care for Haru-chi. Honestly, it makes me pretty happy to see that. Your feelings for her run so deep, and they're all showing right now. So don't feel guilty or anything like that Kana-chan, because I think the love you're showing now is truly beautiful."

At those words, Kanako's face contorted. "Chiyooo…" she moaned, her tears beginning again. "Aw c'mon, don't cry now. Any more and you'll make me cry," Chiyo said. "S-Sorry," Kanako said, wiping them away. "B-But, what should I do now?" Chiyo smiled. "That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself Kana-chan. But, I'll give you a hint. Ask yourself what it is you want to do."

"What I want to do?" Kanako repeated. She thought about it, but it didn't take long for her to come up with an answer. "I want to see Haruna," she said resolutely. "Good," Chiyo said, pleased with that response. So, when the doctor came and told them Haruna was out of surgery, Kanako took off down the halls in search of her.

Because in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to see the girl she loved.

End of Chapter Seven.