Not So Different [[LeoSaya]]

As a kid, I always thought about what it would be like to be famous. Some said it was great, others said it was torture, but something like that, you just have to experience it yourself to know which opinion is more accurate. I guess that could be worded better, but for now, let’s keep it like that.
When I was young, I felt like if I started something now, it would definitely happen in the future. Naturally, I wanted to start my own band. I had such high confidence, too. I kind of wish someone slowed me down, because one of the worst feelings in the world is finding out something you believed in your whole life isn't 100% true.
My eighth birthday-- parents got one of those plastic, electric guitars with the colorful buttons that made really dumb noises. Being eight years old, though, I loved it. That’s all I would do when I got home from school. Sadly, my parents had something else in mind for me...
“Professional baseball!” my dad exclaimed as he handed my eleven-year-old self a flyer. I scowled at it. He knew what I wanted to be. “No thanks.” I replied as I handed the flier back to him. He seemed really disappointed in me. Though, I don't think he had any idea how disappointed I was in him for not supporting me in following my dreams...
Everything was downhill from there; Mom and Dad fought a lot, I couldn't seem to make any friends at school, and I had no one to talk to. No one but the old, stuffed toys huddled in the corner of my room. “Toys are dumb.” is what the kids at school said. “Those are for babies.”
Yeah, maybe they were right, but my toys were all I had. My toys were my friends, my family, my home. No matter how many times they broke, I fixed all of them. Every time Mom or Dad tried to send any of them away, I would fight them. I had no friends. I had no one to go to. No one but them.
It continued this way until my seventh grade year. I met a girl. Yeah, I know, I know, cliche as hell, but that’s what happened.
I was heading my usual way home when I bumped into some girls from a different school nearby. I knocked down all of their books. I felt sort of bad, so, without saying anything to them, I picked up their books and held them out to them. None of the girls took it. I was getting pretty nervous, so I tried not to make eye contact.
One of the girls spoke up. “Hey, are you alright?”
I looked at her. She was pretty. Not your casual pretty-- the pretty you wanted to stare at for hours. Long, blue-colored hair, friendly eyes, and a really, REALLY, nice smile...
She seemed shocked, but I only starred. I was too afraid of making a bad impression or saying the wrong thing. She took her books. “You’re eye is really swollen...” I heard her say quietly.
Oh, yeah, I remember now, I thought as I felt my left eye. Earlier that day, I got caught in a corner with some jerks. It happened sometimes. I didn't see why she was so shocked.
“Do you need me to take you somewhere to get patched up?” She asked, still concerned.
“N-no.” I managed. Following, I pulled the strings on my hoodie to tighten it around my neck. I wanted to say more, I really did, but I couldn't cough up anything.
“Okay, well...” She turned. “Take care, and thank you for picking up my books!” With that, I watched her leave.
...but, something told me not to let her leave. “W-wait... Wait!” I shouted, taking a few steps forward. Her and her friends turned to me again.
“M-my name is Leon... “ I mumbled.
She gave me that warm smile. I became flustered.
“Sayaka Maizono.” She spoke confidently. “Nice to meet you, Leon.”
I nodded. “Uh... W-well... See you around...?” I gulped and put the hood of my hoodie over my head.
She nodded back, turned, and continued her way.

I didn't see her for months. That short moment with her stuck in the back of my mind. Sayaka Maizono-- isn't she that idol singer over at the other school? I pondered.
I looked her up as much as I could. Phone books, Internet, etc. I had to know who this girl was.
Finally, we ran into each other again. The same ordeal happened, pretty much. Walking home from school and stuff. Though, she was running, and ran into me. She didn't have books, she was just running. After she bumped into me, I watched her fall back for a split second. Without realizing, I caught her and brought her back up. Both of us, flustered and confused, backed away shortly after.
“Th-thank you...” She murmured. She didn't have that smile. She didn't have those friendly eyes. She was scared, lost even. I could see it. Once she had finally risen her head, I saw a swollen left eye on her beautiful face.
“Oh, Leon, was it...?!” She seemed sort of happy to see me. I didn't have the foggiest idea why. “I-i hate to ask too much of you, and please tell me if I am, b-but... um...” She seemed to have trouble speaking. I tried to be patient.
“C-can we hide somewhere?” She stared at me. I couldn't decline, but the way she counted on me to accept was sort of relaxing. This girl trusted me.
I gently took hold of her wrist and off we went, running.

We found an old shack two miles from the school, so we decided to chill in there. I watched her for awhile, then I became confident enough to ask questions.
“Are you running from something?” I asked.
She stared at me. I gulped. I wonder if this is what I looked like the first time she saw me. Though, not as pretty and attractive, of course...
She forced a smile. “You know all about me now...” she seemed to have stated. How would she know that...?
“I'm sort of famous around the school...” she began. I got cozy and listened. “S-sometimes it’s good famous... other times, it’s not...” I already knew. I already knew what she meant. “When you're popular or famous, there’s always going to be those people that make you famous by their hate... It’s been happening alot lately...” She shivered. “I've been running... I shouldn't have to run, should I...?” I could hear the hope in her voice fade as she talked. It was depressing.
“No... You shouldn’t...” I replied. She looked up at me.
“B-but...I...I don't know where to run to...” she continued. “There’s no one I can run with... There’s no one I can talk with... Most of my school friends are there just to feed off my popularity.. Or, that’s what I've been told... I would never run with them.” She sniffled. I begged she wasn't going to begin to cry. I hated seeing pretty girls cry.
“I know.” I replied. She hugged her knees. I wanted to comfort her, but I thought I may be going too fast, since this was our second time meeting. I shook a little, becoming anxious.
“I-i know... I know exactly how you feel.” I continued. She stared. “My childhood toys and dreams are all I have. E-even then, hanging on to something like that seems hopeless.” I looked up. “.. but, ya know, Sayaka...? Someday there will be a place for people like you and me... We look and act so differently, but in the end, we're not so different. The poor and the rich, the abused and the spoiled-- Someday, I hope it will all be treated with the same amount of care. “
I saw her smile from the corner of my eye. “Yes, I agree.” she nodded. That smile wasn't fake, either. That was that soft smile. I looked at her and smiled back.

For weeks, we ran together. We talked to each other. We comforted each other. It would all happen the same way, too. And we'd run. We'd run to where we were safe. We'd talk to make each other’s hopes higher. She was a miracle to me.
During this time, I became a pretty good vocalist. Got my own small band.
Yet, it seemed... the higher I went... the farther we grew apart.

The last day we met, we didn't even bump into each other. We walked. We walked in silence to our safety. It made me feel uneasy.
When we got there, it was sitting in silence. There was no comforting, there was no smiling. There wasn't anything. Pure silence. And that’s what it was when we left. Then we never saw each other again.
Or, so I thought...