[Hanako] Yamaku's Class Commencement Speech

Before reading, please check out this wonderful piece of art that Drawbro from Katawa Shoujo General drew and colored for me. It's a perfect representation of how to imagine all of this going down: http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/6606/hanakograduation.jpg

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Hanako delivers Yamaku's graduation commencement speech

My heart has to be beating a thousand times every second. I think I finally understand what Hisao has to cope with his condition. I feel like I'm about to publicly humiliate myself. All of those parents and students out there... just staring directly at me and my scars! But Shizune and Lilly agreed on something for the first time in a very long time, and it's that I should deliver our class commencement speech... just as a test of me finally starting to come out of my shell. I know I've been starting to open up to other people, ever since I joined the newpaper club during the school year... trying to overcome my fear of them looking at my scars, even if it still bothers me. But... that was such a much smaller scale than this! I'm about to stand up in front of hundreds of people! Parents, students, faculty and staff, all of them! I have to give this speech to officially welcome our graduating class into the real world... and now, only 15 minutes before I give the speech, I'm not even sure if I can do it...

But I have to! There's absolutely no turning back now... I have to do this for Lilly, for Shizune, for everyone who wanted to me to do it!

I just need to relax.

I sit quietly along the side of the massive stage. Lilly is currently up, doing her speech on behalf of class 3-2. As I stare out into the crowd, I see a face that I've grown so familiar with: Hisao Nakai, my first love and the young man who's been so supportive of me this year. It's so hard to come to grips that we're all moving onto the real world sooner rather than later. Sure, we'll all be together for a brief stint after graduation, but when that's over and done with, we'll all be moving onto our respective universities. I won't be going on alone, however. Hisao and I are both going to be attending the same university, and with a little bit of convincing, he talked his parents into allowing me to stay in an apartment with him. That's a story for another time, though.

I can feel a cold sweat starting to come on. I steal a peek at my phone to check how much time I have left before it's my turn to speak.

Five minutes. Five minutes until I'm up at the podium, delivering a speech that will propel us all forward into the adult years of our lives. I don't think I can handle this. Maybe I can talk to Lilly when she comes off the podium. Maybe she won't make me go through with this and will just have someone else read the speech for me... there's no way I can go through with this!

Just as I nearly break out into a panic attack, my phone lights up and vibrates quietly. Who could be texting me at a time like this?

'Smile. Everything's going to be okay, I promise. You'll deliver the greatest speech anyone has ever given at Yamaku. I love you, and I'm rooting for you from the stands! Have a little faith in yourself!'
From: Hisao.

Now, rather than blowing up into a full blown panic attack, I can feel my cheeks turning into a burning red color, hoping terribly that nobody notices. That sort of goes out the window though, when I take a look out into the crowd. There sits Hisao, accompanied by Kenji, Emi and Rin. I feel like my face has lit on fire. He's staring right at me, as if nobody else is around him or nothing else is going on. He catches me off guard as he puts his fingers up to the corners of his mouth and moves the corners to shape a smile, using it as a sign to tell me what to do. He's such a dork, always doing some form of a childish antic to make me laugh or smile. We've only been together for months, but in those months he's managed to completely change my outlook on life. I was just a girl that was terrified of others and her past, and now...

I'm still that little terrified girl. Just a lot less terrified.

"...and with that, I congratulate our class on moving onto the real world, on to the next big stage in our lives. I know that normally a valedictorian or class president would give the final speech to propel us out into our lives, but this year we've gotten permission to change it up. I will now introduce Hanako Ikezawa as our next and final speaker of the evening. Thank you, and congratulations."

Lilly is quite a public speaker. Very eloquent, but not to the point where it distracts you from what she's talking about. But, besides that, I'm now on the verge of freaking out. I slowly shuffle my way up towards the podium, getting enveloped in the process by Lilly. Her hug calms my nerves a little, but not enough to make a significant difference. She whispers a few words of encourment in my ear, ending with "I know you'll do great."

As I complete my trek to the podium, I pull out my note cards and sit them down on the slight incline before me. I slowly move my head up, and it's at this point I realize I'm staring out into a vast sea of people. Students, parents, faculty members, all of them.

I'm frozen up. I practically am on the verge of having a panic attack right now, in front of hundreds of people. I look around blankly through the crowd and try to force out words, but nothing's coming out. I look around for Hisao. He's staring right at me, eyes wide open, mouthing something to me. I think he's trying to say 'Talk, Hana!' His concern helps me relax a bit, jogging my memory of the text he sent me just a few minutes ago.

'Everything's going to be okay, I promise.'

"G-good evening, fellow students and parents." An expression of relief washes over Hisao's face. I've got to do this for him, for Lilly, for everyone who's ever helped me break my barriers down and start my life anew!

"M-my name is H-Hanako Ikezawa, a s-student of class 3-3." God damn this stutter. I just need to relax, pronounce my words. I'm making myself look like a fool up here.

"I'd like to start off by congratulating the parents, w-who have come here tonight to show their undying support for their children and their future. Know that your support for your chldren does not go unnoticed." I just realized how difficult it was for me to put that down as something to say. Mom and Dad... I wish you could be here to see me today more than anything else.

"This y-year was a year of change for many of us. Finding out about w-what we want to do with our future and keeping it close to our hearts and minds, while also gutting out l-large amounts of work and studying. Just as we think that everything is c-coming to an end, that we'll be parting ways with our f-friends and aquaintances, we should be realizing that, in truth, everything is just beginning. The next s-step in our lives are the biggest ones we will ever take. The jump into adulthood, I'll a-admit is quite a scary thing to come to grips with. Knowing we may be splitting away from the people we've come to know and l-love..." I gulp at the word love. The concept still gets me, knowing someone actually managed to fall in love with me this year. The great thing about it is that we won't be splitting apart and going on separate paths, we'll be taking the road into adulthood together.

"...can be a difficult t-thing to come to terms with. Some of us may still stay together after we g-graduate, while some of us may even stay together for the rest of our lives. Nobody knows what the f-future holds, but the fate of our lives in our own hands. Not our parents, not our peers, just our own t-two hands. Every single day and every s-single night, I think about what's going to happen to me in the future. I already have a somewhat good idea w-what's going to happen in the short term..." I peek at Hisao. His face is flushed red, knowing I'm talking about him. Some of the people who know about Hisao and I in the crowd give a small 'Aww' before falling silent once again. "...but the long term is still a mystery. It's a mystery f-for every last one of us. At points, it can feel o-overwhelming, maybe even overpowering. But, we've got to march forward on our p-paths, not worrying about what lies beyond."

"As I stand b-before all of you, you may know me as that girl with scars who used to always run out of class." This caught a lot of people by surprise. I just realize that I never actually did share my speech with Hisao or Lilly, so they both just sit there with their jaws slowly falling towards the groud. "That used to b-bother me. A lot. Knowing that my physical deformation got the best of my m-mind is frustrating. Sometimes, it still does, and I still get u-upset with myself more than anything else. You know w-what though? I've worked really h-hard to gain enough courage to stand up here, b-before you all today, and give you a speech as a parting gift from Yamaku. I am living p-proof that you can overcome your fears and anxieties with a little bit of work!"

To my surprise, a deafening eruption of applause and cheers erupt from the crowd. Students and parents alike are standing up, cheering for me, willing me on. I now understand what I've missed by segregating myself off from the rest of the world. I may still be that shy little girl who runs out of the room to go to the library, but my confidence right now is skying towards the moon. As the applause and cheers die down, I decide it's time to do something I've needed to do for a long time.

"Before I finish up my speech for you all and allow you to m-move on into your future, there's one thing I need to do. I would like the f-following two people to please join me on stage." This is unscripted, not a part of my speech. A few people have puzzled looks on their faces. "Hisao Nakai and Lilly Satou, will you please join me on stage?"

A few little laughs pop out from the crowd, notably from the direction of Hisao. It appears that Misha and Shizune had joined them in the crowd of students, and Misha's laugh just rang out over the entire audience. I watch Hisao as he takes nervous and quick strides to the stage. His face is a bright red, almost pink in color. I've managed to flatter him, but I believe more than anything I've made him nervous. I feel bad for doing this now, but I feel the pay off in the end will be for the better. As Hisao and Lilly make their way up onto the stage, they take position on both sides of me. I grab Hisao's hand and grasp it with a firm grip. This draws another round of people going 'Aww' from the crowd.

"This isn't s-scripted, but it's something I've needed to do for a very long time. These two people, Lilly and Hisao, are the reason you see me up here today. Lilly has been h-here for me from the time I started at Yamaku, being my first friend here and one of the friends I have promised to myself to never lose. Hisao was a new student this y-year, but he made one of the biggest impacts on my life. He's shown me what it means to be myself and nothing else, and t-that you can't hide from yourself and your past forever. He is also the boy who I've managed to fall in l-love with." This draws a few whistles from the students, mainly Emi and the one girl named Miki. This makes me blush a good bit, but I can't let that distract me from what I want to say.

"I just wanted to let you both know that I l-love you both dearly. You both have shown me what it means t-to live, and to be the person that I want to be! No longer am I Hanako, the girl who runs out of class b-because she's scared of people looking at her funny. I am Hanako, the adult who has a b-bright future and isn't as afraid to show the world w-who she is!" Massive rouds of applause and cheers erupt from the crowd. Nearly everyone is on their feet, clapping or yelling senseless cheers in our direction. I can really feel my face lighting up now, but I don't even care anymore. This is such a good feeling that it doesn't even phase me.

"Now, to this year's class, I congratulate you as all graduates of Yamaku Academy. We finally did it!" Caps are now flying straight up into the air. Everyone is cheering, crying, embracing and high fiving. I turn and give Lilly a heart felt hug after tossing my cap up towards the sky, before turning to Hisao. We embrace, and I can feel the tears starting to stream down my face. For once, they aren't tears of sadness or anguish, but tears of happiness. I bring my face in front of Hisaos and lock my lips with his.

He's the first to pull away. "Hanako, I'm beyond proud of you and am proud to be considered the one that you 'managed to fall in love with'." Ouch, a shot at me for maybe not wording that the best.

"Well, maybe it's b-because I was too nervous to say 'He is also my one and only love who I hope to live the rest of my life with'." He blushes a light red color at my words. I pull him into a kiss once again.

I don't think there's another way I would have wanted my journey in life to begin.

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Written by YourFavAnon

Special thanks to Drawbro for the art, Scissorlips for giving me feedback on all of my pieces and other people from KSG who are genuinely interested in reading this piece!