A Childhood Relationship Chapter I: THE BEGINNING AND DISTANCE

Foreword: The story is written in an unorthodox style of a first-person perspective story. Therefore, there are no conversations enclosed in "_" as it is made to look like a diary. Another point worth mentioning is the fact that there are no names whatsoever, this also includes the setting. Rating may also go up in later chapters. CHAPTER I: THE BEGINNING AND THE DISTANCE The moment you open your eyes, you are not aware of what is the word around you. You don't know who you are surrounded with and so you can only think of how you just need to act on instincts. These so-called instincts allow you to feel hunger and it makes you long for your mother's own milk. It is also responsible for making you cry whenever something is wrong: like when you wet yourself or when you are uncomfortable. You obviously don't know it at first, but crying makes you call for attention and no one even thought us about it. I really don't know what life means, but surely it is something strange and charming at the same time. Eventually, you come to know how to use your own inherent social skills to effectively communicate not only with your parents, but also the people who are mesmerized by your existence. Honestly, I'm not aware about all these things; I just realized that I was alive at a certain age and at a certain point in time. What I saw was my mother who was happily using the vacuum cleaner while I'm just sitting on our sofa. I may have just dreamed about feeling really alive, but it was really the moment I knew what I wanted to do. Strangely enough, I didn't forget about everything before this moment came, like they're already etched somewhere in my head. However, amidst all this, there is another existence that was always around me and I'm aware of it, and that is my childhood friend. A childhood friend is someone who is irreplaceable. No matter how much time comes to pass, you will never forget about your moments together. Frankly, you cannot even think about separating from them, in my case, from him. It's like there was a certain unseen rule that you shouldn't leave each other's side no matter what, an unspoken rule if that is the correct term for it. There was a brief amount of time when we still didn't have to go to school and so we really are always together much of the time. Our parents highly encourage it as we are close neighbors. Sometimes we'll stay at his large house and sometimes at my own house. Usually, he would just come knocking in front of our doorsteps with toys inside his backpack. I could remember how my mother would always laugh and talk about how he really likes me. I didn't understand what my mother meant with what she always says, but regardless all we can think about is play. He loves building blocks toys so my father bought more for us to play with together. It may embarrassing now, but at the time our imagination is really wild and infinite. Even more peculiar is the fact that we can understand each other's thoughts about our imaginations. It's like we are in a world visible only to the two of us. Sometimes, imagination can really be as frightening as this one, perhaps this is the reason how inventors can create things you never knew could actually exist. All in all, I was really happy with my childhood life in the very town we call our home, the town where we live. Our neighborhood is fairly simple and almost everyone knows each other as not much has changed for the past few years since it was located at the countryside. Although, it is connected to the nearest city both by train and by bus which would only take 15 minutes and 30 minutes respectively. Therefore, it isn't backwater like most towns in other places which are surrounded by nothing. It is actually a rich town with an economy centered on its high yield agricultural lands and a bustling shopping district. Its northern district is a well-known bedroom community for the neighboring city, it is also the location of large houses where I also live. The central district on the other hand is home to the massive shrine and temple which share the same land and connected to each other, it is also surrounded by homes of old families. Contrary to the northern district, the southern district is heavily populated and full of small houses and apartment complexes. The mountainous western side is where the hot springs and the school is located which can only be accessed through the road which is inclined and long towards the top part of a hill. Lastly, the eastern district is where the shopping district is actually located and all the commercial spaces are heavily concentrated there for obvious reasons. This is the place where our families lived, a small yet huge countryside town which is home to a little more than 10,000 people. Thus, this is also the place where my life and his began. Ever since the day we were born, our parents made it so that we would grow up together and get along well. Hence, we've know each other since way back when we were still babies, if that is the appropriate term to call it. After all, we were pretty much born in the same year and were practically neighbors, despite our being a hundred meters away from each other's house. Our parents go a long way back and so it was already in their midst for us to become a couple in the near future. Although, the two of us are still innocent at the time to know about this thing they always talk about whenever they're together. In our case, I've always been the older one and he knows it as well so I would always order him around and he would follow whatever it is since I have the superiority. Most of the time he would cry whenever I would bully him since it's fun, yet the following day he would approach me and it would seem like nothing happened the day before. He is this kind of person as a kid. In short, he is a weak and timid boy who pretty much cannot live alone no matter what. Although there are a lot of kids our age within the neighborhood, we seldom associate ourselves with them. We'll only roam around through our own feet. While sometimes we would cycle towards the beach and have fun with the crabs on one side and swim on the other side. Sometimes, we'll even go to the nearby mountains and roam around the forest at the northern area. Then, we would even walk around the shopping district and I would tell him to ask for free stuff, after all he is really cute. This made him the favorite of the shopping district that shop owners would often humor him and he would shine a bright and innocent smile. There are times when I would think about why he puts up with me even though there are other kids around us who wouldn't treat him like I do. However, the answer is already obvious as he is a hopeless kid since he would always stick to me even at school, never to mingle with the others. Due to this being the case, I can't help but really boss him around since I'm also taller than him. Through this, I was able to have someone I can use who would never leave me no matter what happens and whatever I may do. I thought this would go on forever even until we reach adulthood. However this can never become a reality even though I thought it would, as we already separated during our teenage years. Thus, our days together as kids became distant early childhood memories and nothing more. Still, we spent at the very least, a decade of our lives together and it is more than enough. Actually, I even forgot when we stopped going to each other's house every single day. It's like it suddenly happened and that it was merely a part of our growing up together. Although, I can still vividly remember the day we were together when I first had blood on my underwear. I panicked inside the bathroom that I called him to see the blood in what I was wearing. It was really hilarious as he frantically called my parents and told them how I was stabbed and was dying. Of course, they explained whatever it was that was happening afterwards. Our always being by each other's side ended as soon as we entered middle school where he slowly distanced himself from me. I had several theories regarding this attitude of his; but the one that is the most feasible was his being embarrassed. Since we are always together, his classmates may have started teasing him. Thus, it is only natural for him to distant away from me. However, even outside the school, he wouldn't approach me. Due to this, everything became cloudy and uncertain as I was at a loss. I never knew the reason, so I disregarded it and went by with my middle school life. It was at this time where I finally found friends who would become centerpieces to my development as a girl. After all, something like this was bound to happen, we can never always be together like we used to in the past. Based from the stories that I read and movies that I watched, a lot of childhood friends drift apart after they reach a certain age. Perhaps it really was due to him being conscious of his surroundings so he didn't want to be teased that we are going out and whatnot. However, a negative thought came towards my mind and that he was ashamed to walk alongside me. I still have thoughts on how I still wanted to be with him just like the good old times. Sadly, he wouldn't even let me go near him, let alone talk to him even in front of our houses. It seemed unreal as something like this only happens in manga and other fictional stories, nevertheless I accepted this fate as there is nothing more that I can do to mend our childhood relationship which seemed to have ended on a low-note. Although, through time, he started talking to me, but only for the important topics and nothing goes beyond that. Despite my initial cheer for happiness, three years already passed yet we never seemed to talk aside from our sudden meetings around the neighborhood where I would bow and he would do the same thing with some casual talk here and there. There are also times when my mother would cook a lot of food and ask me to bring some to his house. He would thank me when he receives it and I would express him my welcome and eventually leave as if it was the normal thing to do. We cannot even talk about our past together. I've always been thinking about this issue. That perhaps it is possible that I miss the days when we were always together, but being with my new friends now seemed much better and livelier than always sticking around with him. However, as I grew up to learn new things about life, I narrowed down the reason for our distance. What really sunk into my mind was that he didn't want our schoolmates to think that we're a couple since we are always together. Hence, following this thought, he did the right thing and it works okay for the two of us with only fleeting memories within our hearts to support our irreplaceable childhood friendship. However, even though we're only just schoolmates during middle school, I would always hear rumors about him. The worrisome part is that everything about him was all about bad things and so he became notorious. I actually don't have any idea as to how he turned out to be someone like in those hearsay since I didn't pay any mind towards all those gossips which didn't have any valid evidence. After all, I only seldom see him around the neighborhood, especially since I focus on my studies. Then, we entered high school and for some reason, he turned out to be just like the him in the rumors and is actually a well-known delinquent not only at our school but at the entire neighborhood. He is even marked as a problem child. I already know this fact yet I didn't try to face it or believe since we're basically just acquaintances now and I only realized it when we became classmates at our first year of high school. After all, he would always be involved in fights to the point that it is even troubling his own parents which I heard from the shop owners at the shopping district. The first-hand evidence was when I saw his face with fresh bruises and cuts at the classroom. Thus, I finally believed what the people around me said regarding him. Surely, he is someone I wouldn't want to mess around with as even I can suffer from the consequences. Author's Note: This is the pilot chapter which also talked descriptively about the location of their neighborhood. Therefore, they may be unnecessary words at this time, but they are of relative importance in later chapters.