A small brown leaf detached itself from the tree, gliding gracefully on the evening breeze until it settled itself in Nobita's hair, its presence unheeded.
Nobita gazed up the blood-red sky, thinking about everything that had happened. Shizuka had made a fool out of him. She had ditched him for Dekisugi. Nobita can't say he was surprised; after all, the difference between him and Dekisugi is like heaven and earth. Dekisugi was good-looking, Nobita was not. Dekisugi was refined, Nobita was coarse. Dekisugi was witty and humorous, Nobita was vulgar and foolish.
A tear slowly slid down his pale cheek unheeded.
"It's my fault," Nobita said to himself.
If I had only known better, I wouldn't have even asked Shizuka out. I made her do this terrible thing. She always liked Hide-san; I was just a nobody, a fly he kept getting in her way.
Nobita reached into his pocket and pulled out a small kitchen knife. The red rays of the setting sun gave it an almost bloody shine and it seemed to Nobita that the knife was almost caressing him like a lover...
"What the hell do you think you're doing!"
The sudden shriek made Nobita jump and before he could even turn around, something short tackled him from behind, sending him to the ground and the knife over the garden wall. Nobita sat up and turned to the blue cat-robot who glared at him, panting.
"Don't you ever let me catch you even thinking about something like that!" yelled Doraemon furiously. "You've done many stupid things before but this has to be at your top five! If not, then right at the top!"
Suddenly Nobita saw red. How dare Doraemon interfere, he did not understand how Nobita felt, he did not see that the only way Nobita could benefit anyone was to just disappear...
Suddenly, Nobita swung out, his fist catching Doraemon right in the side of the face, sending the cat-robot rolling back.
"You don't understand how I feel at all!" shouted Nobita. "Do you know how much it hurts me? Do you know how much pain I'm causing to everyone else? I'm worth nothing! It's better if I just..."
He was cut off when Doraemon rammed his hard head into Nobita's mid-section, driving the air out of the young man.
"You're in pain, so what!" shouted Doraemon. "Everyone gets hurt from time to time! You have to come back from this, better than ever! Only cowards take the easy way out and commit suicide!"
"Don't call me a coward!" screamed Nobita, crashing his fist right into Doraemon's gut, sending the cat-robot sprawling on the ground. "This is for the good of everyone else! If I'm gone, than Shizuka and Dekisugi can be happy together, mama and papa wouldn't have anyone to be ashamed about and you wouldn't have any burdens left to handle, so you can just fuck off back to the 21st century..."
"You selfish little bastard!" shrieked Doraemon, striking Nobita hard in the face, breaking Nobita's glasses and sending the young man crashing to the ground. The cat-robot quickly pinned Nobita using his 129.3 kg body weight.
"What about Sewashi-kun and your future generation? If you die, they all will cease to exist! You are now the pride of your family, papa and mama are so proud of you. They are so happy that you have such a bright future ahead of you now! How could you take away that happiness from them? What about Suneo and Gian? They'd be losing a dear friend! What about me..."
Doraemon trailed off, too overcome with emotion to continue. Nobita just looked away, tears streaming down his face. He had known that he would hurt a lot of people if he had committed suicide, but the pain in his heart was too much.
"I thought that after all the changes I've been through, she might have accepted me at last," Nobita said quietly. "I don't know what to do anymore; I don't know how I could ever become somebody to her..."
"Nobita-kun, she is the one who doesn't deserve you," said Doraemon gently. When Nobita looked at him with confusion, Doraemon managed a weak chuckle.
"Look at everything we've been through together," Doraemon said. "When she was trapped in the storybook world, you were the one who willingly threw away everything to save her. You willingly faced dinosaurs, demons, cannibals, mad robots and who knows what else, all for her. If she can't see what a great person you are, then she doesn't deserve you at all."
"It wasn't just me," said Nobita quietly. "You, Gian and Suneo were there too. The three of you were always there."
Doraemon smiled a little. "But you always went that extra smile for her. If she turned her back on you, I say forget about her. You deserve someone who cares about you."
Doraemon got off Nobita and helped him up. Doraemon took out the Restoration Light Gun and fixed Nobita's glasses, handing them back to their owner.
Nobita placed them on his face and walked back to the house, Doraemon following.
"Doraemon?" Nobita said.
Doraemon grunted questioningly.
"Thank you."
Doraemon nodded.
From a nearby window of the house, Mr and Mrs Nobi had been watching the exchange.
"Nobita is really lucky," said Mr Nobi. "He has such a loyal friend. Loyalty is something you just don't find everywhere in the world now."
"It's not just that," said Mrs Nobi. "It's true friendship. Doraemon is probably the truest friend Nobita will ever have. It was a blessed day for our son when Doraemon climbed out of the drawer of his desk."
Mr Nobi nodded, and then suddenly chuckled.
"What's so funny?" his wife asked.
"If I recall, Nobita chased Doraemon out with a broom that time," Mr Nobi said. "Remember? We found him hitting that desk again and again. When he told us what happened, we convinced him that he was imagining things."
Mrs Nobi laughed. "Well I'm glad we were wrong about it. If not Doraemon would have never entered our lives and turned Nobita's around. Although, I had some doubts at first."
Mr Nobi laughed. "You and me both. But looked how well is turned out. Everything's looking up for Nobita."
Mrs Nobi nodded, smiling. Suddenly, a solemn expression replaced her smile.
"What's wrong?" asked Mr Nobi.
"Does this mean Dora-chan will leave us soon?" asked Mrs Nobi.
"Eh?"
"After all, I was told that he wasn't going to be here forever."
"But how long has he been here?"
"A little over ten years."
"Why should he leave us now?"
"He has another home, remember?" said Mrs Nobi. "I just wonder how Nobita would take it if Doraemon leaves. Remember the first time he left, Nobita was..."
"...a little boy who lost his best friend," countered Mr Nobi. "But that little boy is now a man. He'll be able to handle it."
"I guess you're right..." said Mrs Nobi, not at all certain.
"Why don't you stop worrying and prepare dinner?" said Mr Nobi, chuckling. "Trust me, it'll be fine."
Mrs Nobi nodded, smiling a little and made her way to the kitchen.
Mr Nobi took one glance back out the window and was about to leave the room when his gaze fell on a picture hanging on the wall. It was a picture taken about two years after Doraemon's arrival. It was picture of Mr Nobi, his wife, Nobita and Doraemon at a picnic in the mountains. He and his wife were holding hands and waving at the camera while Doraemon was giving Nobita a piggyback ride, both of them laughing.
He wiped off some dust off the picture and straightened it. Satisfied, Mr Nobita headed to kitchen to help his wife cook.
"True friend, a true friend indeed," he muttered to himself as he went.
"It hadn't been easy, but the government has agreed to grant us all temporary protection and will allow us to plead our case before the senate next month before they start negotiations," said Med wearily in the Time TV.
"That's a small victory, but a victory nonetheless," said Doraemon. "It must have been hard trying to get around the company hunters while negotiating."
"The Invisibility Creams you sent us really helped, thanks a lot," said Med, smiling tiredly. "Especially since the supply shops all refuse to trade with us. We've been force to go to the black market for supplies."
"Will it really come to fighting?" asked Doraemon sadly. While he couldn't be there for his friends, he had sent whatever help he can through the Time Machine and Dorami. Food, gadgets, repair tools, whatever he could give.
"The government still views us as 'products'," said Med, snorting with disgust. "It doesn't seem they'll change their minds and grant us rights as civilians but there's still some hope they might. Small hope is still better than no hope, eh? Still, no harm in preparing in case we have to fight...which is likely."
"How are the others?" asked Doraemon.
"Kid wanted to rush into the company building, guns blazing and all," said Med, laughing a little as he straightened his turban. He always liked Middle-Eastern clothing thought Doraemon with amusement.
"...even Matadora had a hard time trying to restrain him, though he wanted to attack the company himself. Nichov, Wang and I are the ones handling the negotiations. Rinho, Matadora, Kid and Wang are in charge of preparing for battle. Wang is under a lot of pressure, juggling the negotiations and preparing for battle."
"I want to be there with you guys," said Doraemon heatedly.
"Don't be ridiculous," said Med, taking a puff from a hookah he just pulled out of his four-dimensional magic lamp. "Nobita is still your main priority and these negotiations will take a few years. We'll be able to manage without you."
"Still, if there's anything I can do..." said Doraemon.
"...what you've been doing for us is fine," said Med firmly. "Don't worry about us."
"All right," said Doraemon reluctantly. He was so torn between wanting to help Nobita and going home to aid his friends in their, no, his struggle.
He heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
"Med-kun, I have to go now," said Doraemon quickly. "Get some rest, you look terrible."
"You're no beauty yourself," retorted Med, chuckling. "See you later, Dora."
Chuckling, Doraemon switched off the Time TV. He climbed out of the cupboard that served as his bedroom to greet Nobita who was dressed in his best.
"Do I really have to go?" asked Nobita grumpily.
"The best way to forget a girl is to see other girls," said Doraemon cheerfully. He took out the Dokodemo Door and opened it to the restaurant where Nobita was to meet the girl that Doraemon had arranged for him to meet. It had been three weeks since their exchange and Doraemon had been pestering Nobita to meet a girl that he had met. Nobita had been refusing but finally, sick of Doraemon's persistence, he reluctantly agreed.
"Have a good time!" said Doraemon cheerfully, pushing Nobita through the door.
He switched the Time TV on and pulled out a dorayaki and sat back to watch how things would turn out.
Nobita sat at a table, an untouched glass of water within his reach. He looked around but could see no one who might be looking for someone else.
Great, another girl who's ditching me he thought darkly.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Maybe he'll just leave and go to a ramen store to drown his sorrows in ramen. He hadn't even met the girl and she already...
"Nobita-san?"
His eyes snapped open and beheld a beautiful woman a few years younger than him. She was slender, though not as slender as Shizuka. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail and she was dressed in a simple but elegant red dress. Her face looked very familiar though...
"It is you!" the woman said happily, sitting herself on the chair opposite Nobita. "It's been a long time since I last saw you! How have you been doing?"
"We've met before?" Nobita asked, still trying to place where he might have met her.
"Of course we have!" cried the woman. "A lot of times, in fact! I used to...Doraemon didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?" Nobita asked, bemused.
The woman chuckled a little. "That blue rascal of yours. I'm Jaiko."
Nobita stared at her for awhile, his mouth shut and his eyes wide. In his mind, when he heard the name 'Jaiko', it conjured up an image of a girl who is slightly smaller than Gian but looked nearly exactly like him. He often thought that she looked like Gian in a dress and wig. But this woman before him, this beauty...
"No way!" Nobita cried out. "Your Gian's sister!"
"That's right," said Jaiko, looking surprised at his reaction.
"But you look...different!" cried Nobita, eyes growing wider by the minute.
"That's what Doraemon said, in his own way," replied Jaiko, laughing.
She told him about what happened when she met Doraemon at the cake shop.
"You're Jaiko! You're Gian's sister!" Doraemon cried, his eyes wide and mouth wide open.
"Yes, that's me!" said Jaiko cheerfully.
Her cheerful demeanour threw Doraemon off, the Jaiko he remembered was always quiet and brooding. The only time she was cheerful was when she was playing with Shizuka or her other friends.
Not only that, the Jaiko Doraemon remembered looked too much like Gian. But this woman before him, slim, beautiful and charming called herself Jaiko, Gian's sister! The words were out of Doraemon's mouth before he realised it.
"You don't look like Gian in a dress anymore!" he cried.
Jaiko's eyes suddenly narrowed and darkness seemed to fall around her. With a roar worthy of fifty lions, she swung her handbag onto Doraemon's head, flooring the cat-robot and leaving a lump the size of a dorayaki on his head.
"That was very rude!" cried Jaiko, her feminine voice contrasting sharply with her earlier roar.
"I'm sorry, you're definitely Gian's sister," said Doraemon, rubbing the lump gingerly. "But you've changed a lot!"
"I've been exercising a lot for the past few years," said Jaiko. "I'm doing a Public Relations course so they need me to be more presentable and more welcoming."
"I thought you wanted to be mangaka?" asked Doraemon.
"I do and I've been working on it during my free time," answered Jaiko. "How's Nobita-san?"
"He's fine, but he had a very terrible heartbreak recently," replied Doraemon sadly. "He's never been the same since then."
"How terrible!" said Jaiko with sincere concern and sympathy. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"You're very kind, Jaiko," said Doraemon. "But I don't..."
Suddenly Doraemon had stared at Jaiko with such an intense gaze that she couldn't help but take a step back.
"Maybe there is something you can do," cried Doraemon. "Do you really want to help Nobita-kun?"
"Eh? Of course," answered Jaiko, surprised by the sudden change in Doraemon.
"Then would you go out with him?"
Jaiko was stunned to silence.
"Jaiko-chan?"
"I suppose I would, but I haven't seen Nobita-san for a long time now..."
"It's all right," said Doraemon earnestly. "Why don't you two just meet and we'll see what happens from there!"
The cat-robot had given her such a pleading gaze that Jaiko hadn't the hard to turn him down.
"So here I am," said Jaiko, finishing her story.
Nobita stared at her. She was very beautiful and if he looked closely, he could see hints of Gian in her, the slightly chubby cheeks, and the roundish nose. But still, she was very attractive. But there was one thing that Nobita wanted to clarify.
"So you just came to see me because you felt sorry for me?" asked Nobita.
"No!" cried Jaiko. "Well...yes, but that wasn't the entire reason."
"What is the entire reason?" asked Nobita.
To his surprise, a blush appeared on Jaiko's cheeks.
"When we were little, I always had a crush on you," she said. "But you never had eyes for anyone but Shizu-chan. Sure, you looked at other pretty girls from time to time but you never once gave a glance of interest. So I was very sad about that. When I told Doraemon I went through all these changes for my course, I wasn't being completely honest. A childish part of me still wanted your attention. So I changed myself. When Doraemon told me to help you with your...situation, it was the perfect excuse to see you again."
Nobita just looked at her.
Jaiko, her face brick red, stood up and bowed. "I'm sorry, Nobita-san, I should..."
"...stay," Nobita requested. When Jaiko just looked at him with surprise, he said. "It's all right. Just stay here. I'm glad you're not just here out of pity. Are you still crushing on me?"
Jaiko snorted a little. "Not anymore, but I was curious to see how you'd react."
Nobita smiled. "Well you saw that already. But how on earth did you..."
The two of them slowly became engaged in their conversation, heedless of the time that went by.
Doraemon, watching on the Time TV, smiled a little. He had realised then, that Jaiko's sudden change was probably caused by Nobita's change. So he had wondered how it would turn out if the two met each other again.
It's funny, I was the one who intervened and caused Nobita to marry Shizuka instead of Jaiko. But then, nature walks in and sets the history back to how it was. Well, not exactly how it was, but close.
Doraemon wasn't naive; he knew there was a chance that the relationship might fail. But regardless of what would happen, he would be monitoring and maybe guide it a little every step of the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment