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It wasn’t like Rokka didn’t appreciate what Chu2 had done for her. She knew how expensive those guitars could be, not to mention what strings she must have pulled to get around the waiting lists…
But even if they were physically identical, the one Chu2 had given her just wasn’t the same as her Boden. They didn’t share the same emotional connection, didn’t go through the same struggles together. Rokka could go ham on the new guitar without fear of damaging it, because she didn’t feel the same love and care towards it that she did to Boden. It was little more than a tool to her, a means to an end in their quest to create the ultimate band.
Boden, if nothing else, had been her first.
But there was something else, of course. A lot else. She had worked so hard to earn the right to be together with her. They had forged their bonds under the trials of their middle school band, sticking together even when the rest of the group fell apart. They had come to Tokyo together to follow their dream.
Rokka stroked her body, feeling every curve, each of which had been long since seared into her memory. Boden’s neck was thin, so much so that she sometimes worried she might hurt it, but she was not as fragile as she seemed. It fit Rokka’s hand like it had been designed for her.
She had never felt anything quite like it. Other guitars were bulky and heavy and clearly meant for people much larger than her. But Boden, Boden fit her body just right, had the perfect weight to feel satisfying in her hands but not tire her out, could bring out the inner rock star from her meek persona.
Boden reminded her of home. Of a place where time didn’t move so fast, and they could spend countless hours together in the muggy summer heat.
How long had it been since they’d been back there? It had to have been a few months, at least. Maybe they should go on a trip soon, see how everyone was doing. It was certainly a lot easier to relax there, where there wasn’t the constant sound of the city surrounding them. She hadn’t ever noticed just how loud silence was until she moved somewhere it never came.
But despite it all, she never really felt homesick when she had Boden with her. She could be happy no matter where she was or who she was with, as long as they were together. They were destined to be partners for life, from the second they met.
She herself had changed a lot since that day. Alone, she felt vulnerable and exposed, constantly on the lookout for people who might hurt her. It hadn’t helped that a bunch of them had started chasing her around and dragging her off to strange places so soon after they had arrived in Tokyo. There wasn’t much such a small girl could do to protect herself in the face of all that.
But with Boden, she could feel confident. She felt protected, because anything or anyone that wanted to harm her would have to go through her first. What Rokka couldn’t say with words, she could express with the help of her guitar. Instead of her mousy little voice that could scarce be heard in an average sized room, she could command the attention of an entire stadium with nothing more than a flick of her wrist.
And what a thrill it was, to elicit such a powerful sound from her cherished Boden. Chu2 wouldn’t approve, but it was easy to swap her in for the stunt double when they were on stage. She didn’t do it often, but when she did, the fire she’d felt the first time she held her was back.
It was intoxicating, bringing out those guttural sounds from somewhere deep inside. To slide her fingers all over her body, touching in all the right spots, while thousands of people looked on.
The people loved watching, too. The two of them made a powerful pair, drawing eyes towards them from all directions. People who came to see their relationship on display. To hear the melody they made together.
Rokka shifted in her bed, drawn out of her reminiscing by the fact that her arm had fallen asleep under Boden’s weight. It was uncomfortable, sure, but the last thing she wanted to do was disturb her, so she tried not to move too much. Not to mention, she enjoyed being so close together. A little tingling was a small price to pay for such intimacy.
Intimacy, huh? There was one form of intimacy she’d never be able to share with her. Her heart sank to think about it, but there was really no way around it. Rokka loved a good bath, but it was just too dangerous to her health to bring Boden with her, as much as she might want to share that hobby with her. The air was too hot and humid for her metal parts to avoid corroding, to say nothing of what it might do to her electronics.
But it was no matter. They had plenty of other things they could share, and that only made them all that much more special. Nobody else had shared all those stages with Rokka. Nobody else cuddled Rokka to sleep every night. Nobody else had travelled the country with Rokka.
Rokka rarely felt homesick anymore, because home was blue and wooden and always with her wherever she went.