Interlude Of the Darkness by Child of the Faeries (Kaci Wynne)
Koushiro paused, his fingers over the keys of his grand piano. Lowering his fingers, he let the music take over, drowning in a world of Beethoven and Bach. Each note was pure music to his ears, the freedom of his soul. He played a private concert just for himself, forgetting the saddened world that he lived in and just let the music flow. He hadn't a care in the world.
Hours later, he dressed in his best suit, and called a cab. Applying a bit of cologne, he stepped into the cab and asked to be dropped off at the most exclusive dining club in Kyoto.
"Your usual table, Mr. Izumi?" the head waiter asked, and Koushiro nodded his head curtly. He was shown to a table shrouded in darkness near the back. A glass of red wine was placed before him, along with a gold-plated menu. "What would you like tonight, Mr. Izumi?"
Koushiro studied the menu. "Just the usual, Kenji. And bring me the rest of this bottle," he requested, gesturing to the wine.
"As you wish. Anything for our hero," Kenji said softly, turning away and heading for the kitchen.
Our hero. Kenji used it so flippantly, and only Koushiro knew the entire meaning of his title. Our hero.
A couple of years back, Koushiro had won the Noble Peace Prize for discovering a cure for cancer. He was hailed in all the major cities, a hero to all who were now able to recover from the once fatal diseases. But none of them knew the bitter personal battle Koushiro had encountered because of this disease. No one knew the sacrifice he had made.
So vividly he remembered the months at the hospital, sitting patiently by Jyou's side as he wasted away slowly. Rarely anyone knew what it was like to watch your best friend die before your eyes and not be able to do a thing. That was the true feeling of hopelessness.
Jyou's eyes haunted him even today, those listless eyes with no desire to live any longer. His body wracking with cancer.
Only Koushiro and Mimi, Jyou's girlfriend, stayed by his side. Koushiro remembered Mimi holding Jyou's hand, murmuring words of comfort and love. Her eyes held a special light only for him, and Koushiro couldn't help to wonder what it felt like to have someone love you that much. Mimi stayed Jyou's side until his final breath, and even then she leaned against his chest, tears falling down her pristine cheek.
So much sorrow. Koushiro sighed, wiping the sheen of tears from his eyes. That was all so long ago, and yet in Koushiro's mind..... it seemed like only yesterday.
"Your dinner, Mr. Izumi," Kenji said, bowing as he placed the meal in front of Koushiro. "Enjoy."
"I'm sure I will," Koushiro said politely. Violin music struck up in the background, and Kenji walked away. Koushiro took a sip of his wine and listened to the brave violin midst the gentle clack of china and the murmur from Kyoto's finest, it's sweet voice shining through like the rising sun.
Koushiro had moved to Kyoto shortly after winning the Nobel Prize. According the legend, Kyoto was a spiritual center, closer to the other worlds. Koushiro had come to be closer to Jyou's spirit. Sometimes he swore he could hear Jyou's voice, and once or twice he was sure he had seen Jyou's ghost, if only for a second.
But these was the fantasies of a sad, delusional old man who longed to be with his friend again. He was alone in this world.
Taking another sip of wine, Koushiro closed his eyes and let his soul drift away.
Koushiro wrapped himself in his red bathrobe and slid on his favorite maroon slippers. He glanced at his clock, cursing when he realized that it was almost dinnertime already. He never should have had that much wine to drink the night before.
As he walked down the marble staircase, his footsteps echoed loudly in the silent rooms of his house, devoid of any sound, except from the insects Koushiro kept in his private indoor green house near the back of the mansion. Looking out the window, he watched the snow tumbled down on the snow-covered mountain, wrapping his world in a blanket of white innocence.
Passing a mirror, he stared into it deeply, noticing the grey color that was slowly creeping into his hair. Age was catching up with him.
He felt old. So much of his life he had missed, and nothing could make up for time lost. Time spend with Jyou, developing the cure, hiding away on this mountaintop. Never had the finger of Eros touched Koushiro's heart; he and Love were distant strangers. All he had was knowledge, but little good it did him. It didn't replace human contact, human affection. Nothing would. But it was too late. Blinking back tears, he turned the mirror around backwards so he couldn't see his hideous reflection any longer.
A brisk knock at the door startled him out of his dreary daydream. A puzzled look overcame him as he walked back down the hall, pulling the huge oak door open slowly.
In the doorway stood a woman wrapped in a long blue coat. A pink scarf covered her blond hair, and her face had makeup meticulously dabbed on it, but couldn't disguise the faint wrinkles that were forming from age. Tired eyes stared at him, giving him a pathetic attempt of a smile that died on her lips.
"Koushiro?" she whispered softly, searching his face. "Koushiro-chan?"
His eyes flickered with recognition as he stepped inside, allowing her in. The cab turned and slowly drove away.
She flashed him a smile as she unwrapped the scarf, powdery snow cascading down her shoulder and landing on the perfectly polished floor. "I'm sorry, Koushiro. I didn't come here to make a mess, I promise."
"Why are you here, Mimi?" Koushiro asked, taking her coat and scarf. He opened the side closet and hung them up.
"I...... I missed you," she replied softly. "We haven't talked.... since the funeral. And that was years ago."
"I've been busy," Koushiro said gruffly.
"So I see... this place is amazing," Mimi murmured softly to herself. She shivered, her wet hair draping around her face. Koushiro had disappeared.
Roaming to the end of the entrance hall, Mimi gasped when she saw the huge picture that was placed on the wall. It was the picture they had taken in the Digital World, of all of their friends and Digimon. Koushiro had the picture enlarged to four feet by five feet. "Do you like it?" he asked softly from the entrance to another hallway.
Mimi turned. Koushiro was now dressed in a red sweater and black slacks. "You must be cold," he remarked, looking at her shivering body. "Come to the kitchen and I'll make us something to drink." Mimi followed him through the maze of hallways, finally opening up in a large dining area with a state-of-the-art kitchen build along one wall.
He gestured for her to sit at the table and went over to the kitchen. No one spoke as he prepared the hot cocoa and brought it over to her.
Mimi felt her heart sink. There had been no warm welcome, no hug or friendly smile. He had given her only a cold stare and disconcerting look.
"It must be lonely living up here all alone," Mimi commented, looking up at the finely-crafted ceiling of red pine.
"Loneliness is good for the soul," Koushiro replied, taking a sip of his coffee. The hang-over was starting to go away. "It lowers the boundaries between the real world and the world beyond, blurring reality."
Mimi shivered. Koushiro was so different now- she didn't understand. He seemed so cold and distant. "When did you turn so philosophical?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "It's not like you to isolate yourself."
"I wouldn't say I'm philosophical," Koushiro mused after a long pause. "It's more that I'm whimsical now. Nonsense and half-formed thoughts fill my mind." His voice cracked from nervousness, and he felt his cheeks redden.
She gave him a heartwarming smile. "It's really good to see you again, Koushiro. We have a certain bond, you and I. We were the people that loved Jyou the most."
"We're the ones who's hearts were broken when he died."
Mimi sighed. "On one of Jyou's last days on earth, he made me promise something to him. I promised that when he was gone, I would take care of you and you would take care of me. He said we needed to help each other get through."
"He was wrong. We both got through just fine," Koushiro said roughly, his eyes straying from Mimi.
"Did we?" she whispered, her eyes focused on him.
A fire roasted merrily in the large sitting room. To Mimi the entire house possessed a strange, dream-like quality was the endearing and yet frightening. Perhaps, if the walls of the house had contained some hidden laughter... but everywhere she turned only sadness was found. "Are these some old photo books?" she asked, pulling a faded and dog-eared book out of the oak bookshelves. Koushiro nodded absentmindedly, and Mimi sat down on the couch with him.
"Is this you?" she asked, a smile of disbelief on her face. "You were an adorable baby! Look here- you already had your red hair!" Koushiro turned and looked at the book, a small smile on his face.
"You see this kid here?" he asked, pointing to another page that contained a snapshot of a small boy with bluish hair. "That's Jyou in his third year of school. They lived near me, and sometimes we played in the sandbox together."
"Oh, there's me!" Mimi exclaimed, pointing to their first year class. "I don't remember you being in my class!!"
Koushiro's face looked shy as he mumbled, "I stayed on the computers for the most part."
"Of course you would, you genius," Mimi said, messing up his hair gently. "Always had to be the smartest, you know."
"Computers and the internet were ways for me to get away from the toils of everyday life. It isn't easy growing up an orphan," Koushiro said soberly. "At least, back then I had friends."
"You still have friends," Mimi said, catching his eye. "You've just fallen out of touch with them." Koushiro didn't know what to say and turned the page. "There's Jyou and I," Mimi said with a gasp, staring at the picture on the next page. It was of Jyou, his arms cradling around Mimi's slender body, her head resting on his chest. "I remember this day," she whispered sadly.
"I'm sorry," Koushiro said, snapping the book shut. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Mimi blinked. "It's okay, Koushiro. I understand...... that Jyou's gone and he's never coming back."
Koushiro's eyes darkened. "Doesn't your heart still long to be with him? Don't you wish you could talk with him, laugh together until your sides turned to jelly and you couldn't stand?" He looked her in the eyes. "Don't you wish you could melt under one of his kisses yet one more time?"
"Of course I do," Mimi uttered breathlessly. "But I can't, Koushiro. He's gone. We have to move on." It hurt her to see Koushiro like this. Tears blurred in her eyes. "We're both still hurting. But we can't stay like this forever."
"Why not?" Koushiro asked, tears threatening to overwhelm him, too. "Jyou meant a lot to me. He was my best friend who stood by me in anything. I never had a better friend, one more loyal than Jyou." He lowered his head. "I still don't want to accept the fact that he's gone forever," he whispered brokenly.
"Oh Koushiro," Mimi said softly, her arms wrapping around him gently. "He's gone........." Tears strangled her voice. "But we're.....together. And together...... we can....... keep his memory alive."
Koushiro couldn't find any words to say. He lowered his head and let the tears fall unashamed.
Mimi crept into Koushiro's bed, glad to have the warmth of all the blankets piled around her. He was sleeping elsewhere in the house; a private study or something. A water fountain gurgled in the distance, and Mimi curled like a cat contentedly.
It was kind of weird, sleeping in Koushiro's bed. Every night he relaxed here, chasing the demons of his dreams. In one sense, Mimi felt it was wrong that she had come. She should have left him all alone, to endure his misery in his own way. But her sincere heart wouldn't let her. Something stirred inside of her.
He needed love.
He hid away on this mountainside, locking away his emotions and fears. He didn't have any friends. Mimi felt a sadness inside of her. He was a good person. No one should live life alone.
As the hours ticked slowly by, she wondered what had drawn her back to Koushiro. It wasn't Jyou; that much she knew in her heart. She still missed him, but she no longer grieved for his loss.
What was it, then?
"Good morning," Koushiro said pleasant from the kitchen table. Mimi yawned and sat down in a seat beside him. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"
Mimi nodded agreeably, eating a little bit of the food Koushiro had placed in front of her. "I heard you walking around last night... do you mind if I ask what you were doing?" she asked, looking intently at her friend.
A smile small crept onto Koushiro's face. "I'm sorry I bothered you. I had to check the temperature in the greenroom."
"Greenroom?"
"It's kind of a tropical paradise located in Japan," Koushiro said softly. "Would you like to see it?"
Excitement danced in Mimi's eyes as he stood up and walked down the murky hallways. "Don't be afraid of the bugs," he said patiently as he unlocked the door. "They're friendly."
They walked inside, and Mimi gasped. The room was twice the size of a normal gymnasium, filled with tropical plants and trees. "This is amazing!" she whispered, bending down to look at a bright pink flower.
The room looked like a chunk of the rain forest had been cut out and dropped in the back room of Koushiro's house. Huge heat lamps covered the ceiling, and butterflies frolicked in the air, crickets and lizards scurrying on the ground. On the trees foreign flowers blossomed.
"I ordered everything over the Internet," Koushiro said softly as a butterfly landed on his fingers. "This is my personal sanctuary." He lowered his hand and the butterfly hopped onto Mimi's shoulder. "Looking at this place reminds me how beautiful life can be."
Mimi stood back up, brushing the dirt off of her pants. "You planted all of this?"
"I had nothing better to do," he said soberly.
"I never knew you liked plants," Mimi said, walking down the paths that ran throughout the room. She paused at a small reflecting pool, laughing at two frogs that were splashing each other noisily.
Koushiro was sitting on a bench, a cloud of butterflies surrounding him. "Life sometimes changes you," he said sourly.
"You shouldn't be so morbid," Mimi complained from her seat beside the water. "Smile once in a while."
"I smile. These simple animals lift my heart. So do you," he said, a smile on his face. "A peace offering to you," he said, pulling a fuchsia flower from it's spot on the ground. "I know I wasn't the kindest when you arrived. I guess..... I was scared. I didn't know what I would say to you."
"Oh, it's okay," Mimi protested as he stuck the flower behind her ear.
"Friends?" he whispered, seating himself at her side. Their eyes met, and Mimi smiled.
"Best Friends."
Mimi smiled, self conscious in her formal dress. Koushiro, his hair slicked back, gave her a mock bow. He laughed, pulling on his suit jacket. Opening the door, he ushered her outside to the waiting cab.
"Your usual table, Mr. Izumi?" Kenji asked, his calm face hiding his surprise to see that Koushiro had a guest tonight.
"No, Kenji.... could you get us a table near the middle? By the violin?" Koushiro asked, and Kenji bowed.
"No problem.... this way." Mimi hung back, following Koushiro nervously.
"I've never been to a place this fancy," she whispered after Kenji had left. "Even back in America, Daddy and I never ate at places this expensive."
"It's my treat," Koushiro murmured, his eyes alight. "To my oldest and dearest friend." He took a sip of wine, savoring it, and Mimi copied him.
"Why didn't we ever go out?" Mimi asked suddenly, and Koushiro frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked, leaning forward.
"I remember.....back in the Digital World, the first time..... We were stranded on that island together...and you....well....." She blushed furiously.
"I was too busy with my computer to even look at you. I know." He sighed. "I wasn't the brightest crayon in the crayon box."
"But you were. You still are the smartest," Mimi cried out suddenly. "I always admired that about you. No one could compare to you. Not Yamato or Jyou.... only Koushiro." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"I didn't know how to be a friend back then," Koushiro said thoughtfully, sipping from his wine. "I wasn't big on human interaction. Computers were more of my thing."
"I liked you for who you were, not who you weren't," Mimi admonished. Koushiro gave her a small smile.
"You know, Yamato was thoroughly convinced that we would be a couple someday. But then Jyou asked you out... and I never had a chance." Melancholy bitterness lit in his eyes. "I was so jealous," he admitted slowly. His lifted his soulful eyes and stared at Mimi, just memorizing the beauty that flowed from her face. "Tell me the truth, Mimi," he said slowly, his hands resting on the table lightly. "Did you love him?"
She blinked, surprised. It took her a moment before she spoke. "I loved him more than I loved myself. That was a first for me. I had always been a self-conscious brat. Loving someone else changed that part of me."
Koushiro's eyes reflected sadness for a moment. "Do you think you'll ever find love again?" Koushiro pressed, his eyes still focused on her.
"I.....don't know," she admitted. "It's for Fate to decide."
Wrapping a blanket around her, Mimi gracefully climbed out of bed and crept down the carpeted hallways of Koushiro's house. Pausing in the doorway to the balcony, she studied Koushiro, the winter wind playing with his hair. "What are you doing?" she said in almost a whisper, pulling the blanket around her tighter. He smiled but didn't turn.
"I'm looking at the stars," he said, a wistful tone in his voice. "Did you know by the time we see this starlight, these stars have already been dead for years? Light flows differently, I guess, in the outskirts of space."
"Don't think of it like that," Mimi said, coming to his side. "Jyou told me once they were the souls of everyone you have ever loved. When the ones that you truly loved die, their souls are released into the stars, bringing light to the your darkness. This way, they will be with you forever, their light shining through even the cloudiest night."
"That doesn't make sense," Koushiro said darkly.
"Just think about it!!" Mimi pleaded, the stars reflecting off of her eyes. "Jyou will never die. Look up at the stars. His life and love for us all is as unending as the stars in the sky. He'll never die as long as you don't forget the starlight in your soul."
Koushiro bent over the balcony, lost in thought. "I still say that is scientifically impossible," he remarked, his eyes lifting to the heavenly bodies above. His voice betrayed him. "But I hope you're right."
Together they looked at the stars, their hearts melting gently as one. "I'm glad you came to visit me," Koushiro whispered. Mimi smiled.
"Anything for a friend."
When she awoke, the sun shone gently on Koushiro's head. They had stayed up half the night talking, and eventually had fallen asleep on the couch. His sleep-filled eyes held a childlike quality that she had been afraid Koushiro had lost.
Today she had to leave. They needed her back in Tokyo. A frown crossed her face as she continued to gaze at Koushiro.
It was funny how she had never noticed how handsome he was. Even in their old age, his face held a timeless look. She smiled when she remembered the passion that soared through his gentle eyes, the way his face crinkled when he laughed. Just the sound of his laughter filled her body with happiness.
Why hadn't they ever dated? It was all so crystal-clear to Mimi now. She thought back through the years, remembering every time she and Koushiro had been paired together. Why had she been so blind?
"Is it my fault you live here all alone?" she whispered, running an anguished hand through her hair. Her heart started to dance faster, and she closed her eyes. This wasn't right.
Fate had already given her love once; she didn't feel that she deserved a second chance. She wasn't sure she could handle a second chance.
But when she looked again at her sleeping Koushiro, the feeling of love and devotion returned. She hadn't felt like this since Jyou's death.
Confused, she rose, careful not to wake Koushiro, and wandered to the greenroom. Resting her feet in the waters of the reflecting pool, she gazed at her face in the water.
"Who am I, to love twice in one life?" she mused, a butterfly landing beside her. "I'm not one of importance. Just a spoiled, bratty girl who grew up without a care in the world. Then her boyfriend, the doctor, died. And she was left alone." She sighed.
"What do you think?" she asked, looking at the beautiful creature.
"I think you should follow your heart," a voice spoke softly from the background, and she jumped. "Sorry if I startled you," Koushiro said with a chuckle, sitting beside her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Mimi giggled. The butterfly had flown off. Koushiro leaned over and rested his hand on hers.
"Are you sure everything is all right?"
"It's just.... I need to go back to Tokyo today, Koushiro. They need me back at work."
"Oh.... I see," he mused. "The real world calls." He smiled. "Well, it was good to have you visit. I enjoy company."
"I'll come back," Mimi said desperately, holding on to his hand. She didn't want to lose him now. "I'll even bring Yamato or Taichi with next time. We'll have a reunion."
"Don't worry about me," Koushiro said lightly, kissing her fingers as he stood. "I'll be fine all alone."
"Koushiro-" she called, her words constricted in her throat. He gave her a heart-wrenching smiled and walked away. Mimi felt her heart sink, and a single sapphire tear dripped down her face, rippling in the reflection pool.
She was leaving. His heart felt heavy as he treaded down the halls, trying to work a smile unto his face. The last two days had been heaven..... but now it was time to return to his darkness.
"Why would you do such a thing?" he accused, cursing Fate. "You raise my hopes, bringing the girl I had always loved right to my house, with a gently smile and lilting eyes. You make me think I have a chance. I hate you," he said bitterly. "You take everyone I love away from me."
Throwing open the doors to his study, he collapsed on the piano bench, sobbing. "Why must I live without love?" he cried. "I have never even had a taste of what others have in excess!! Never did I feel my mother's kiss as she chased the monsters from my room. Never received a proud hug from my father when I brought home my first report card. I have never loved a girl, never felt her lips pressed against mine, her heart beating with mine. Cursed, I say. I am doomed to live a life alone." All of the years came tumbling on him, cascading him into darkness.
At long last, he sat up and looked at the music placed on the piano. His fingers rose and started to play, wiping the tears away. He lost himself in the music, wishing Mimi and love and life away, drowning in the dizzying mesh of noise.
Crescendos and sonatas soared through his fingers, rivaling even the song birds of their hymns. Finally, he started to play from the heart, a soft, slow piece, meandering through the lower keys.
"That's beautiful," Mimi whispered from the doorway and Koushiro froze. Turning, he closed his eyes, willing the tears away.
She was dressed in ice-blue sweater, a short black skirt covering her legs. Her blond hair was pinned to the top of her head, her pristine face shining. "I never knew you could play the piano so well."
"I taught myself," Koushiro muttered awkwardly.
"Could you.....play another one?" she asked, sitting beside him. He hesitated, his eyes meeting hers for a brief moment before he started to play again.
In the middle of the song, he stopped abruptly. "Thank you, Mimi," he whispered, laying his hands on the keys.
"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning forward.
"I've lived up here all alone for years, no one for company. Then you came, a ray of sunlight in the middle of a thunderstorm."
"I would hardly say-" she started, but he silenced her.
"I just want to thank you for being an interlude to the darkness. Before you came, and after you leave, everything is dark. Sorrow haunts this house, I'm sure you know. But, for the few days you were here, you broke the darkness. You were my beam of light." He started to play again, clearing his throat. "I just thought you should know that."
"Koushiro?" she whispered, very gently pulling on his arm. He stopped again. "Could I kiss you, just once?" His eyes looked startled, and she leaned towards him, her lips brushing against his gently.
Koushiro had never felt such a surge of happiness. Surely no one had ever loved someone as much as he loved Mimi. "I love you," he whispered when the kiss finally ended. "I know that now. And it hurts me to let you leave, but I know that you'll return."
"Leave?" Mimi breathed, a smile on her face as she put her arms around Koushiro. "I don't ever want to leave your side again."
Hope sprang in Koushiro's eyes, for the first time in years. "Really?"
She answered him with another kiss.
Jyou smiled as he looked through the windows at Mimi and Koushiro. They were curled up on the couch, Koushiro's arms holding Mimi gently. He looked as though he was afraid he would break her. "Stupid Koushiro," Jyou whispered lovingly.
Mimi whispered something in Koushiro's ear, and he kissed her. Love shone through their eyes. Jyou smiled and turned away. "Took you two long enough to figure it out," he muttering, a smile on his face. "Couldn't see that you were made for each other. Oh well. You've got each other now, just like I told you long ago." He flicked his blue hair back.
"Good luck, you two," he whispered, shoving his hands into his pockets and walked off into starlight.
Koushiro paused, his fingers over the keys of his grand piano. Lowering his fingers, he let the music take over, drowning in a world of Beethoven and Bach. Each note was pure music to his ears, the freedom of his soul. He played a private concert just for himself, forgetting the saddened world that he lived in and just let the music flow. He hadn't a care in the world.
Hours later, he dressed in his best suit, and called a cab. Applying a bit of cologne, he stepped into the cab and asked to be dropped off at the most exclusive dining club in Kyoto.
"Your usual table, Mr. Izumi?" the head waiter asked, and Koushiro nodded his head curtly. He was shown to a table shrouded in darkness near the back. A glass of red wine was placed before him, along with a gold-plated menu. "What would you like tonight, Mr. Izumi?"
Koushiro studied the menu. "Just the usual, Kenji. And bring me the rest of this bottle," he requested, gesturing to the wine.
"As you wish. Anything for our hero," Kenji said softly, turning away and heading for the kitchen.
Our hero. Kenji used it so flippantly, and only Koushiro knew the entire meaning of his title. Our hero.
A couple of years back, Koushiro had won the Noble Peace Prize for discovering a cure for cancer. He was hailed in all the major cities, a hero to all who were now able to recover from the once fatal diseases. But none of them knew the bitter personal battle Koushiro had encountered because of this disease. No one knew the sacrifice he had made.
So vividly he remembered the months at the hospital, sitting patiently by Jyou's side as he wasted away slowly. Rarely anyone knew what it was like to watch your best friend die before your eyes and not be able to do a thing. That was the true feeling of hopelessness.
Jyou's eyes haunted him even today, those listless eyes with no desire to live any longer. His body wracking with cancer.
Only Koushiro and Mimi, Jyou's girlfriend, stayed by his side. Koushiro remembered Mimi holding Jyou's hand, murmuring words of comfort and love. Her eyes held a special light only for him, and Koushiro couldn't help to wonder what it felt like to have someone love you that much. Mimi stayed Jyou's side until his final breath, and even then she leaned against his chest, tears falling down her pristine cheek.
So much sorrow. Koushiro sighed, wiping the sheen of tears from his eyes. That was all so long ago, and yet in Koushiro's mind..... it seemed like only yesterday.
"Your dinner, Mr. Izumi," Kenji said, bowing as he placed the meal in front of Koushiro. "Enjoy."
"I'm sure I will," Koushiro said politely. Violin music struck up in the background, and Kenji walked away. Koushiro took a sip of his wine and listened to the brave violin midst the gentle clack of china and the murmur from Kyoto's finest, it's sweet voice shining through like the rising sun.
Koushiro had moved to Kyoto shortly after winning the Nobel Prize. According the legend, Kyoto was a spiritual center, closer to the other worlds. Koushiro had come to be closer to Jyou's spirit. Sometimes he swore he could hear Jyou's voice, and once or twice he was sure he had seen Jyou's ghost, if only for a second.
But these was the fantasies of a sad, delusional old man who longed to be with his friend again. He was alone in this world.
Taking another sip of wine, Koushiro closed his eyes and let his soul drift away.
Koushiro wrapped himself in his red bathrobe and slid on his favorite maroon slippers. He glanced at his clock, cursing when he realized that it was almost dinnertime already. He never should have had that much wine to drink the night before.
As he walked down the marble staircase, his footsteps echoed loudly in the silent rooms of his house, devoid of any sound, except from the insects Koushiro kept in his private indoor green house near the back of the mansion. Looking out the window, he watched the snow tumbled down on the snow-covered mountain, wrapping his world in a blanket of white innocence.
Passing a mirror, he stared into it deeply, noticing the grey color that was slowly creeping into his hair. Age was catching up with him.
He felt old. So much of his life he had missed, and nothing could make up for time lost. Time spend with Jyou, developing the cure, hiding away on this mountaintop. Never had the finger of Eros touched Koushiro's heart; he and Love were distant strangers. All he had was knowledge, but little good it did him. It didn't replace human contact, human affection. Nothing would. But it was too late. Blinking back tears, he turned the mirror around backwards so he couldn't see his hideous reflection any longer.
A brisk knock at the door startled him out of his dreary daydream. A puzzled look overcame him as he walked back down the hall, pulling the huge oak door open slowly.
In the doorway stood a woman wrapped in a long blue coat. A pink scarf covered her blond hair, and her face had makeup meticulously dabbed on it, but couldn't disguise the faint wrinkles that were forming from age. Tired eyes stared at him, giving him a pathetic attempt of a smile that died on her lips.
"Koushiro?" she whispered softly, searching his face. "Koushiro-chan?"
His eyes flickered with recognition as he stepped inside, allowing her in. The cab turned and slowly drove away.
She flashed him a smile as she unwrapped the scarf, powdery snow cascading down her shoulder and landing on the perfectly polished floor. "I'm sorry, Koushiro. I didn't come here to make a mess, I promise."
"Why are you here, Mimi?" Koushiro asked, taking her coat and scarf. He opened the side closet and hung them up.
"I...... I missed you," she replied softly. "We haven't talked.... since the funeral. And that was years ago."
"I've been busy," Koushiro said gruffly.
"So I see... this place is amazing," Mimi murmured softly to herself. She shivered, her wet hair draping around her face. Koushiro had disappeared.
Roaming to the end of the entrance hall, Mimi gasped when she saw the huge picture that was placed on the wall. It was the picture they had taken in the Digital World, of all of their friends and Digimon. Koushiro had the picture enlarged to four feet by five feet. "Do you like it?" he asked softly from the entrance to another hallway.
Mimi turned. Koushiro was now dressed in a red sweater and black slacks. "You must be cold," he remarked, looking at her shivering body. "Come to the kitchen and I'll make us something to drink." Mimi followed him through the maze of hallways, finally opening up in a large dining area with a state-of-the-art kitchen build along one wall.
He gestured for her to sit at the table and went over to the kitchen. No one spoke as he prepared the hot cocoa and brought it over to her.
Mimi felt her heart sink. There had been no warm welcome, no hug or friendly smile. He had given her only a cold stare and disconcerting look.
"It must be lonely living up here all alone," Mimi commented, looking up at the finely-crafted ceiling of red pine.
"Loneliness is good for the soul," Koushiro replied, taking a sip of his coffee. The hang-over was starting to go away. "It lowers the boundaries between the real world and the world beyond, blurring reality."
Mimi shivered. Koushiro was so different now- she didn't understand. He seemed so cold and distant. "When did you turn so philosophical?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "It's not like you to isolate yourself."
"I wouldn't say I'm philosophical," Koushiro mused after a long pause. "It's more that I'm whimsical now. Nonsense and half-formed thoughts fill my mind." His voice cracked from nervousness, and he felt his cheeks redden.
She gave him a heartwarming smile. "It's really good to see you again, Koushiro. We have a certain bond, you and I. We were the people that loved Jyou the most."
"We're the ones who's hearts were broken when he died."
Mimi sighed. "On one of Jyou's last days on earth, he made me promise something to him. I promised that when he was gone, I would take care of you and you would take care of me. He said we needed to help each other get through."
"He was wrong. We both got through just fine," Koushiro said roughly, his eyes straying from Mimi.
"Did we?" she whispered, her eyes focused on him.
A fire roasted merrily in the large sitting room. To Mimi the entire house possessed a strange, dream-like quality was the endearing and yet frightening. Perhaps, if the walls of the house had contained some hidden laughter... but everywhere she turned only sadness was found. "Are these some old photo books?" she asked, pulling a faded and dog-eared book out of the oak bookshelves. Koushiro nodded absentmindedly, and Mimi sat down on the couch with him.
"Is this you?" she asked, a smile of disbelief on her face. "You were an adorable baby! Look here- you already had your red hair!" Koushiro turned and looked at the book, a small smile on his face.
"You see this kid here?" he asked, pointing to another page that contained a snapshot of a small boy with bluish hair. "That's Jyou in his third year of school. They lived near me, and sometimes we played in the sandbox together."
"Oh, there's me!" Mimi exclaimed, pointing to their first year class. "I don't remember you being in my class!!"
Koushiro's face looked shy as he mumbled, "I stayed on the computers for the most part."
"Of course you would, you genius," Mimi said, messing up his hair gently. "Always had to be the smartest, you know."
"Computers and the internet were ways for me to get away from the toils of everyday life. It isn't easy growing up an orphan," Koushiro said soberly. "At least, back then I had friends."
"You still have friends," Mimi said, catching his eye. "You've just fallen out of touch with them." Koushiro didn't know what to say and turned the page. "There's Jyou and I," Mimi said with a gasp, staring at the picture on the next page. It was of Jyou, his arms cradling around Mimi's slender body, her head resting on his chest. "I remember this day," she whispered sadly.
"I'm sorry," Koushiro said, snapping the book shut. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Mimi blinked. "It's okay, Koushiro. I understand...... that Jyou's gone and he's never coming back."
Koushiro's eyes darkened. "Doesn't your heart still long to be with him? Don't you wish you could talk with him, laugh together until your sides turned to jelly and you couldn't stand?" He looked her in the eyes. "Don't you wish you could melt under one of his kisses yet one more time?"
"Of course I do," Mimi uttered breathlessly. "But I can't, Koushiro. He's gone. We have to move on." It hurt her to see Koushiro like this. Tears blurred in her eyes. "We're both still hurting. But we can't stay like this forever."
"Why not?" Koushiro asked, tears threatening to overwhelm him, too. "Jyou meant a lot to me. He was my best friend who stood by me in anything. I never had a better friend, one more loyal than Jyou." He lowered his head. "I still don't want to accept the fact that he's gone forever," he whispered brokenly.
"Oh Koushiro," Mimi said softly, her arms wrapping around him gently. "He's gone........." Tears strangled her voice. "But we're.....together. And together...... we can....... keep his memory alive."
Koushiro couldn't find any words to say. He lowered his head and let the tears fall unashamed.
Mimi crept into Koushiro's bed, glad to have the warmth of all the blankets piled around her. He was sleeping elsewhere in the house; a private study or something. A water fountain gurgled in the distance, and Mimi curled like a cat contentedly.
It was kind of weird, sleeping in Koushiro's bed. Every night he relaxed here, chasing the demons of his dreams. In one sense, Mimi felt it was wrong that she had come. She should have left him all alone, to endure his misery in his own way. But her sincere heart wouldn't let her. Something stirred inside of her.
He needed love.
He hid away on this mountainside, locking away his emotions and fears. He didn't have any friends. Mimi felt a sadness inside of her. He was a good person. No one should live life alone.
As the hours ticked slowly by, she wondered what had drawn her back to Koushiro. It wasn't Jyou; that much she knew in her heart. She still missed him, but she no longer grieved for his loss.
What was it, then?
"Good morning," Koushiro said pleasant from the kitchen table. Mimi yawned and sat down in a seat beside him. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"
Mimi nodded agreeably, eating a little bit of the food Koushiro had placed in front of her. "I heard you walking around last night... do you mind if I ask what you were doing?" she asked, looking intently at her friend.
A smile small crept onto Koushiro's face. "I'm sorry I bothered you. I had to check the temperature in the greenroom."
"Greenroom?"
"It's kind of a tropical paradise located in Japan," Koushiro said softly. "Would you like to see it?"
Excitement danced in Mimi's eyes as he stood up and walked down the murky hallways. "Don't be afraid of the bugs," he said patiently as he unlocked the door. "They're friendly."
They walked inside, and Mimi gasped. The room was twice the size of a normal gymnasium, filled with tropical plants and trees. "This is amazing!" she whispered, bending down to look at a bright pink flower.
The room looked like a chunk of the rain forest had been cut out and dropped in the back room of Koushiro's house. Huge heat lamps covered the ceiling, and butterflies frolicked in the air, crickets and lizards scurrying on the ground. On the trees foreign flowers blossomed.
"I ordered everything over the Internet," Koushiro said softly as a butterfly landed on his fingers. "This is my personal sanctuary." He lowered his hand and the butterfly hopped onto Mimi's shoulder. "Looking at this place reminds me how beautiful life can be."
Mimi stood back up, brushing the dirt off of her pants. "You planted all of this?"
"I had nothing better to do," he said soberly.
"I never knew you liked plants," Mimi said, walking down the paths that ran throughout the room. She paused at a small reflecting pool, laughing at two frogs that were splashing each other noisily.
Koushiro was sitting on a bench, a cloud of butterflies surrounding him. "Life sometimes changes you," he said sourly.
"You shouldn't be so morbid," Mimi complained from her seat beside the water. "Smile once in a while."
"I smile. These simple animals lift my heart. So do you," he said, a smile on his face. "A peace offering to you," he said, pulling a fuchsia flower from it's spot on the ground. "I know I wasn't the kindest when you arrived. I guess..... I was scared. I didn't know what I would say to you."
"Oh, it's okay," Mimi protested as he stuck the flower behind her ear.
"Friends?" he whispered, seating himself at her side. Their eyes met, and Mimi smiled.
"Best Friends."
Mimi smiled, self conscious in her formal dress. Koushiro, his hair slicked back, gave her a mock bow. He laughed, pulling on his suit jacket. Opening the door, he ushered her outside to the waiting cab.
"Your usual table, Mr. Izumi?" Kenji asked, his calm face hiding his surprise to see that Koushiro had a guest tonight.
"No, Kenji.... could you get us a table near the middle? By the violin?" Koushiro asked, and Kenji bowed.
"No problem.... this way." Mimi hung back, following Koushiro nervously.
"I've never been to a place this fancy," she whispered after Kenji had left. "Even back in America, Daddy and I never ate at places this expensive."
"It's my treat," Koushiro murmured, his eyes alight. "To my oldest and dearest friend." He took a sip of wine, savoring it, and Mimi copied him.
"Why didn't we ever go out?" Mimi asked suddenly, and Koushiro frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked, leaning forward.
"I remember.....back in the Digital World, the first time..... We were stranded on that island together...and you....well....." She blushed furiously.
"I was too busy with my computer to even look at you. I know." He sighed. "I wasn't the brightest crayon in the crayon box."
"But you were. You still are the smartest," Mimi cried out suddenly. "I always admired that about you. No one could compare to you. Not Yamato or Jyou.... only Koushiro." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"I didn't know how to be a friend back then," Koushiro said thoughtfully, sipping from his wine. "I wasn't big on human interaction. Computers were more of my thing."
"I liked you for who you were, not who you weren't," Mimi admonished. Koushiro gave her a small smile.
"You know, Yamato was thoroughly convinced that we would be a couple someday. But then Jyou asked you out... and I never had a chance." Melancholy bitterness lit in his eyes. "I was so jealous," he admitted slowly. His lifted his soulful eyes and stared at Mimi, just memorizing the beauty that flowed from her face. "Tell me the truth, Mimi," he said slowly, his hands resting on the table lightly. "Did you love him?"
She blinked, surprised. It took her a moment before she spoke. "I loved him more than I loved myself. That was a first for me. I had always been a self-conscious brat. Loving someone else changed that part of me."
Koushiro's eyes reflected sadness for a moment. "Do you think you'll ever find love again?" Koushiro pressed, his eyes still focused on her.
"I.....don't know," she admitted. "It's for Fate to decide."
Wrapping a blanket around her, Mimi gracefully climbed out of bed and crept down the carpeted hallways of Koushiro's house. Pausing in the doorway to the balcony, she studied Koushiro, the winter wind playing with his hair. "What are you doing?" she said in almost a whisper, pulling the blanket around her tighter. He smiled but didn't turn.
"I'm looking at the stars," he said, a wistful tone in his voice. "Did you know by the time we see this starlight, these stars have already been dead for years? Light flows differently, I guess, in the outskirts of space."
"Don't think of it like that," Mimi said, coming to his side. "Jyou told me once they were the souls of everyone you have ever loved. When the ones that you truly loved die, their souls are released into the stars, bringing light to the your darkness. This way, they will be with you forever, their light shining through even the cloudiest night."
"That doesn't make sense," Koushiro said darkly.
"Just think about it!!" Mimi pleaded, the stars reflecting off of her eyes. "Jyou will never die. Look up at the stars. His life and love for us all is as unending as the stars in the sky. He'll never die as long as you don't forget the starlight in your soul."
Koushiro bent over the balcony, lost in thought. "I still say that is scientifically impossible," he remarked, his eyes lifting to the heavenly bodies above. His voice betrayed him. "But I hope you're right."
Together they looked at the stars, their hearts melting gently as one. "I'm glad you came to visit me," Koushiro whispered. Mimi smiled.
"Anything for a friend."
When she awoke, the sun shone gently on Koushiro's head. They had stayed up half the night talking, and eventually had fallen asleep on the couch. His sleep-filled eyes held a childlike quality that she had been afraid Koushiro had lost.
Today she had to leave. They needed her back in Tokyo. A frown crossed her face as she continued to gaze at Koushiro.
It was funny how she had never noticed how handsome he was. Even in their old age, his face held a timeless look. She smiled when she remembered the passion that soared through his gentle eyes, the way his face crinkled when he laughed. Just the sound of his laughter filled her body with happiness.
Why hadn't they ever dated? It was all so crystal-clear to Mimi now. She thought back through the years, remembering every time she and Koushiro had been paired together. Why had she been so blind?
"Is it my fault you live here all alone?" she whispered, running an anguished hand through her hair. Her heart started to dance faster, and she closed her eyes. This wasn't right.
Fate had already given her love once; she didn't feel that she deserved a second chance. She wasn't sure she could handle a second chance.
But when she looked again at her sleeping Koushiro, the feeling of love and devotion returned. She hadn't felt like this since Jyou's death.
Confused, she rose, careful not to wake Koushiro, and wandered to the greenroom. Resting her feet in the waters of the reflecting pool, she gazed at her face in the water.
"Who am I, to love twice in one life?" she mused, a butterfly landing beside her. "I'm not one of importance. Just a spoiled, bratty girl who grew up without a care in the world. Then her boyfriend, the doctor, died. And she was left alone." She sighed.
"What do you think?" she asked, looking at the beautiful creature.
"I think you should follow your heart," a voice spoke softly from the background, and she jumped. "Sorry if I startled you," Koushiro said with a chuckle, sitting beside her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Mimi giggled. The butterfly had flown off. Koushiro leaned over and rested his hand on hers.
"Are you sure everything is all right?"
"It's just.... I need to go back to Tokyo today, Koushiro. They need me back at work."
"Oh.... I see," he mused. "The real world calls." He smiled. "Well, it was good to have you visit. I enjoy company."
"I'll come back," Mimi said desperately, holding on to his hand. She didn't want to lose him now. "I'll even bring Yamato or Taichi with next time. We'll have a reunion."
"Don't worry about me," Koushiro said lightly, kissing her fingers as he stood. "I'll be fine all alone."
"Koushiro-" she called, her words constricted in her throat. He gave her a heart-wrenching smiled and walked away. Mimi felt her heart sink, and a single sapphire tear dripped down her face, rippling in the reflection pool.
She was leaving. His heart felt heavy as he treaded down the halls, trying to work a smile unto his face. The last two days had been heaven..... but now it was time to return to his darkness.
"Why would you do such a thing?" he accused, cursing Fate. "You raise my hopes, bringing the girl I had always loved right to my house, with a gently smile and lilting eyes. You make me think I have a chance. I hate you," he said bitterly. "You take everyone I love away from me."
Throwing open the doors to his study, he collapsed on the piano bench, sobbing. "Why must I live without love?" he cried. "I have never even had a taste of what others have in excess!! Never did I feel my mother's kiss as she chased the monsters from my room. Never received a proud hug from my father when I brought home my first report card. I have never loved a girl, never felt her lips pressed against mine, her heart beating with mine. Cursed, I say. I am doomed to live a life alone." All of the years came tumbling on him, cascading him into darkness.
At long last, he sat up and looked at the music placed on the piano. His fingers rose and started to play, wiping the tears away. He lost himself in the music, wishing Mimi and love and life away, drowning in the dizzying mesh of noise.
Crescendos and sonatas soared through his fingers, rivaling even the song birds of their hymns. Finally, he started to play from the heart, a soft, slow piece, meandering through the lower keys.
"That's beautiful," Mimi whispered from the doorway and Koushiro froze. Turning, he closed his eyes, willing the tears away.
She was dressed in ice-blue sweater, a short black skirt covering her legs. Her blond hair was pinned to the top of her head, her pristine face shining. "I never knew you could play the piano so well."
"I taught myself," Koushiro muttered awkwardly.
"Could you.....play another one?" she asked, sitting beside him. He hesitated, his eyes meeting hers for a brief moment before he started to play again.
In the middle of the song, he stopped abruptly. "Thank you, Mimi," he whispered, laying his hands on the keys.
"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning forward.
"I've lived up here all alone for years, no one for company. Then you came, a ray of sunlight in the middle of a thunderstorm."
"I would hardly say-" she started, but he silenced her.
"I just want to thank you for being an interlude to the darkness. Before you came, and after you leave, everything is dark. Sorrow haunts this house, I'm sure you know. But, for the few days you were here, you broke the darkness. You were my beam of light." He started to play again, clearing his throat. "I just thought you should know that."
"Koushiro?" she whispered, very gently pulling on his arm. He stopped again. "Could I kiss you, just once?" His eyes looked startled, and she leaned towards him, her lips brushing against his gently.
Koushiro had never felt such a surge of happiness. Surely no one had ever loved someone as much as he loved Mimi. "I love you," he whispered when the kiss finally ended. "I know that now. And it hurts me to let you leave, but I know that you'll return."
"Leave?" Mimi breathed, a smile on her face as she put her arms around Koushiro. "I don't ever want to leave your side again."
Hope sprang in Koushiro's eyes, for the first time in years. "Really?"
She answered him with another kiss.
Jyou smiled as he looked through the windows at Mimi and Koushiro. They were curled up on the couch, Koushiro's arms holding Mimi gently. He looked as though he was afraid he would break her. "Stupid Koushiro," Jyou whispered lovingly.
Mimi whispered something in Koushiro's ear, and he kissed her. Love shone through their eyes. Jyou smiled and turned away. "Took you two long enough to figure it out," he muttering, a smile on his face. "Couldn't see that you were made for each other. Oh well. You've got each other now, just like I told you long ago." He flicked his blue hair back.
"Good luck, you two," he whispered, shoving his hands into his pockets and walked off into starlight.