(A/N: Hey all, missed me? (joking!!) Wow, it has been so long since I've stared at an empty Word document and typed a fanfic… This one goes out to my favourite anime couple of all time – Sou and Misao and of course to those who have read my miserable fanfics before and those who have reviewed, thanks for all your support!)
Disclaimer: No, I do not own the song I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers, I do not own the anime series and no you will not get anything even if u tried to sue me… u might get a cookie or a fat lip though, your choice! XP
500 Miles
It was that time of year again when the air grew cooler and the wind caressed your cheeks as it swam past you. Everyone was getting restless because it was the day when romance was in the air, when couples celebrated their love and most importantly, the day where Fate smiled down on you and your heart's desire fulfilled.
The roads were more crowded than ever before, people were slowly making their way up to the shrine to make their wishes. Soujirou was unfortunately not of the same mind and walking in the opposite direction was definitely working against him. Unable to find a way out of the crowd, he gave in and allowed himself to be mindlessly swept away. If one needed a better description of the situation, just remind yourself of the seashell that drifts along with the sea and you will get the picture.
Finally, when he could breathe and move again Soujirou found himself already in the shrine and miraculously the crowd had dispersed! As quickly as he could he found himself a seat on a middle-sized stone.
July 7th or Tanabata was something that he had little experience in. After all who has the time to visit a shrine when you are devising a way to conquer Japan? However, he had heard the story from Yumi-neesan before about the Cow Herd and the Weaving Girl. It was impossible to forget the story especially the way she told it to him. Who could? The expression on her face as she told him was only surpassed by the look she wore when she talked about Shishio-san.
The story begun when the earth was young and there was little food to go around. The Heavenly Emperor sent down the Ox Star with a message to convey to the people to get them through their hard times. However, the message was delivered wrongly and the Ox Star was punished severely for it. As a result it was made to work as a servant of men and to help them grow their crops to cope with the shortage of food.
The Cow Herd was a young man who was well-liked by all for his hard work and honesty. However when both his parents died, his two older brothers succeeded in claiming the best land and animals of their parents' property and the Cow Herd was left with nothing but an old ox and the poorest piece of land. Together, the two just managed to survive.
One day, the Cow Herd sat down and started to contemplate on his modest yet lonely life. Suddenly, his ox spoke and revealed itself to be the Ox Star and in repayment for the kindness that the Cow Herd had shown him, he would help him find a wife that would make him happy.
Following the Ox Star's instructions, the next day the young man waited beside a clear pool and watched as one by one Heavenly Maidens descended to bathe there. Then when the last one had entered the pool, he swiftly sprang out of his hiding place and took one of the piles of clothes. Startled, all but one snatched back their clothes and flew back into the sky. He edged to the side of the pool and with his gentle words, persuaded the lovely maiden to be his bride.
When they were married, the Heavenly Maiden revealed herself to be the Weaving Girl from heaven. Before long, the Weaving Girl's skill with cloth gave the couple a very happy and comfortable life and soon, gave birth to a son and daughter.
Yet, the heavens regretted the loss of their Weaving Girl and the Heavenly Emperor sent down his guards to claim her back by force. Her husband and children could only watch helplessly as she disappeared into the sky. The Ox Star watched and told the Cow Herd a way to retrieve his wife back as his final act of kindness. When the ox had died, he wrapped its hide around him and using a long bamboo pole, he put his two children in a basket on each end. As his daughter was lighter, he put a ladle in her basket to balance the weight.
When he was done, he found himself floating away into the heavens as his wife had done. It was not long before the Heavenly Emperor saw the Cow Herd following closely behind. He stretched out his hand and drew a line across the sky which formed a wide river which the Cow Herd could not cross. The Cow Herd gazed at the river helplessly. It was not long before he got an idea. He took the ladle and started to scoop the water out of the river and the two children following his example scooped the water with their palms.
Despite their hard work, they could never empty the great river. Touched by this, the Heavenly Emperor allowed the Cow Herd one day every year to visit his wife. On the seventh day of the seventh month, all the magpies on earth would form a bridge across the water so that both husband and wife could meet.
Soujirou smiled to himself as he remembered the story. He got up and was shocked to realise that it was already evening and the sky was starting to darken. In fact, it had also started to drizzle.
Just as he was about to leave to find himself a place to stay for the evening, he saw a peculiar sight. A figure dressed in brown had made its way towards the once-crowded gardens of the shrine. He watched closely as it bowed its head to say its wish, tie the piece of paper on one of the fully-grown bamboo stalks and walk away.
He turned to leave but found himself stepping on very uneven ground. He looked down to see that it was a thin strip of ribbon. He was the only one left and the crowd had long since dispersed. The only conclusion that came to him, it must have belonged to the mysterious figure but he or she was no longer around.
It should have been none of his business, but something in him was strangely persistent on the idea of returning the ribbon. And just like that Soujirou unknowingly embarked on his next journey.
When
I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes
up next to you
When I go out yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna
be the man who goes along with you
When
I'm lonely yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man whose
lonely without you
When I'm dreaming yes I know I'm gonna
dream
Dream about the time when I'm with you.
But
I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the
man who walked 1000 miles
To fall down at your door
It was late evening when he finally caught up with the mysterious hooded figure and he found himself strangely growing more and more excited as the blood drummed in his ears. He reached out a hand to tap the person on the shoulders but found that there was nothing in front of him. Where did the person go!?
Cursing his luck, he tried once again to locate the mysterious figure and thought he caught a glimpse of it further ahead and ran to catch up only to find himself running headfirst into a tree.
"Itai!" Gingerly rubbing his slightly swollen forehead, he tried one more time to look for the mysterious figure. It shouldn't take this long to find a person! He was about to give up when he heard a soft "whoosh" and the rush of wind from behind him.
Bump! "Oi! Watch where you are going! Don't you have eyes?"
Soujirou looked up to find himself looking into the face of a very pretty yet very annoyed green-eyed girl.
"Listen up you! Unless you don't want me to hurt you real bad, I suggest you pay me back for the damage you caused!"
The word "pay" has a very magical effect on people and instinctively Sou grasped what was left of his very small and miserable purse. You could tell that he was definitely trying to find someway not to part with his money while trying to appease the very annoyed 'victim' when he noticed that the person was wearing what looked to be very long and stuffy clothing for a cool summer's night.
She was wearing a mantle! Why didn't he see that earlier!
"Gomenasai! I didn't mean to cause you any harm. However, I think I saw you at the shrine earlier on and I think you lost this." Without another word, he shoved the small piece of cloth into her hand.
He really didn't expect what happened next.
"Huh? I didn't drop this, you must be mistaken!"
Soujirou looked at the girl, too shocked for words. He was so sure that it was her ribbon!
"Wait, don't tell me! You actually try to pick girls up with this corny trick!!"
"… …!! NO! I… I…" Soujirou spluttered as he tried his best to explain himself to the girl who was now clenching her sides and laughing really hard.
"Never mind, it's ok. I have no interest in how you woo girls. My name is Makimachi Misao. What's your name?"
"Seta Soujirou…"
"Well then Sou-chan, let's go home then! Following Kaoru's example, taking in a stray rurouni might increase my karma, let's go!"
All protests muffled, Soujirou found himself dragged off by Misao, giving in to the girl.
Unbeknownst to the two, the stars were twinkling brighter than ever as the invisible red string was now slowly coiling itself round the two and their fate together was sealed. Two halves never to be parted again.
When
I'm lonely yes I know I'm gonna be But I would
walk 500 miles
I'm gonna be the man whose
lonely without you
When I'm dreaming yes I know I'm gonna
dream
Dream about the time when I'm with you.
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who
walked 1000 miles
To fall down at your door
(A/N: Hate it, love it? Drop me a review to let me know. The were-plot bunny that bit me just now left me with this idea of a songfic based on the song by The Proclaimers, but it seems that it came out more different than I expected… I don't think I did the couple or the song enough justice… Haiz… never mind, when I have thought of a better way to tie them in then I'll edit the story. Forgive me if the style of writing has deteriorated, haven't been writing in a super long while, engine needs to be recharged! Leave me a review!!)