PROLOGUE
"Go, or lose your job."
Mamoru could only stare blankly after his retreating boss. His midnight blue eyes only getting darker at the implications of his statement. Why didn't he understand what he was asking him to do? This wouldn't be just a business trip. This was so much more.
Mamoru rose from his seat to return to his office. He needed to be in solitude to think this over. He moved through the busy halls of the all-too-familiar space, not needing to take heed of any obstacles. His familiarity allowed him to move freely, keeping his attention undivided.
He soon entered the comfortable space and decided very quickly that it was too bright. He moved to the far wall, covered in windows which were currently allowing too much light into the room. He pulled down the blinds and closed them in one smooth motion. Sighing in complacence in the comfortably dim room, he moved to his desk chair. In one last hopeful action, he checked his calendar, hoping to find some inconsequential meeting or appointment scribbled in the boxes representing the next five days of his life.
Only empty boxes looked back at him. They were laughing at him, he was sure of it.
All he had to do was secure the deal. A few days of negotiations. Several drafts of the contract. Secure the signature. That was all he had to do. Nothing in his job description required further action. No attention had to be paid outside of his work. Tokyo was a huge city. There was no chance he would even see her.
And with that, Mamoru knew he had lost his battle. For three years he hadn't thought of her, spoken of her, or seen her. And he certainly hadn't missed her. But now it had all been undone.
Tokyo. He also hadn't been back to the city since that day, three years ago.
Thoughts of the city brought up so many memories. Too many beautiful and painful memories.
How could he jump off that plane and not run to her door?
Mamoru looked out the window onto the very familiar scene below. The skyline certainly hadn't changed and he could still place himself on the busy streets. Tokyo hadn't missed him in his absence. He turned back to the front, suddenly enraptured by the geometric pattern of the seat in front of him. Who designed these things anyway, he wondered futilely.
After three years of successfully ignoring anything that had happened in this city in the past, he was forced to remember all that had taken place there. Throughout the flight, Mamoru had been inundated with thoughts of happiness, passion, and love. But more importantly, of guilt, anger, pain, and loss.
The voice of the pilot came over the intercom for the final time, announcing that they would soon be landing. And for the ninth time since boarding the flight, Mamoru wondered how he was going to jump off and not run to her door.
After unpacking, Mamoru found himself sitting on the plush hotel couch, looking out the expansive window onto the city that he had tried so hard to avoid. The sun was slowly moving below the horizon, leaving the city hugged by brilliant oranges, pinks, and purples. He only ever watched the sunset with… No, he wouldn't think about it. He wouldn't think about her. Remembering brought nothing but pain. It would distract him from what he was here to do. And he just wanted to get it done and return to Osaka.
It was six o'clock. He wasn't tired. He could spend the night ordering room service or…
His eyes suddenly fell on his cell phone sitting on the coffee table. If he was in the city, he knew there was at least one person he should call. Slowly, he moved to pick up the phone, dialing a number that couldn't be forgotten, not even if he tried.
Mamoru listened as the phone rang twice, before a voice replaced the tones, clearly confused by the unknown number. "Hello?"
Mamoru paused. "Motoki?"
There was a moment when Mamoru wasn't sure if he had been heard, or if the man on the other end had simply hung up. Finally, very quietly, "Mamoru?"
Thirty minutes later, Mamoru found himself sittng in the last place he wanted to be, in the last city he wanted to be. But he owed this much to the man he still considered to be his brother. Even if he hadn't spoken to him in three years.
The arcade was filled with familiar noises. Some mechanic, coming from the game consoles, while others were shrill and excited, coming from the teenagers teeming from all corners of the building. Mamoru looked around, searching for any familiar faces, happy when he found none. The teenagers which once filled the arcade had been replaced by new, fresh faces. Their seemingly-young exteriors reminded Mamoru that he certainly had grown up since the days he frequented this scene.
How long had it been since she was here last?
Angry with the unexpected thought, Mamoru searched the arcade again, desperately looking for the man who had insisted on his coming here. He was relieved when he saw the smiling, familiar face of his best friend and brother walking toward him in his apron. And for the first time in three years, Mamoru smiled.
He swiftly rose from the red-and-white-striped booth to greet his brother, taking a few short steps before the blonde took him into a tight hug.
"It really is you." Motoki seemed almost surprised that Mamoru had actually shown up. Actually, Mamoru was surprised, himself.
"It really is me." Motoki released him and looked into the smiling, bright blue eyes which contrasted with his own darker ones. "It's been a long time."
"That it has. Too long."
Mamoru nodded his head in accord. "But you haven't changed a bit."
"You have," Motoki replied cryptically, sliding into the booth. Mamoru followed suit. "What are you doing here? When did you get here? How long are you going to be here?"
Mamoru chuckled at Motoki's ramblings, sighing before responding, "Well I just got here. Business."
Motoki's smile seemed to falter a bit. The response was clearly not what he had hoped it would be. "So you'll be leaving afterward?"
"Of course." Mamoru didn't even hesitate.
Motoki nodded slowly, looking at the man who had disappeared from his life in disbelief. "Three years… Seems longer."
"Not long enough."
Motoki considered the answer and realized that, clearly, Mamoru had lost any ability to empathize since his sudden disappearance. The pair sat in silence for a few moments, each considering the implications of Mamoru's presence.
"What are you going to do while you're here?" Motoki questioned, prodding for an answer he knew he wouldn't get.
Mamoru looked up suddenly from the table, his short-lived smile having been replaed by a blank expression. "I told you, I'm here on business."
A silence continued to take over the loud atmosphere of the arcade before Motoki leaned in closer to his missing friend, "She still comes here you know."
And with that statement, Mamoru slammed his fist on the table, shaking the salt and pepper shakers on the end and causing Motoki to jump. Motoki nearly apologized for the daring statement before he heard Mamoru sigh, defeated. Mamoru looked up from the table, the expression on his face having changed once again to a look of pure distress.
"I don't know how I didn't jump off the plane and run to her door."
Motoki didn't respond. He didn't have to. He knew there was nothing he could say to ease the pain he was sure his brother had been feeling for three years.
In the back of his mind, Mamoru heard the cheery sound of the bell above the door ringing, signaling the entrance of another customer. Motoki looked up to greet the customer and shot up straight when he saw the short-haired pixie. Hesitantly, Motoki looked to Mamoru with a comforting glance. "Mamoru…"
At the sound of his name, Mamoru turned as well to see who had entered. His heart nearly stopped as a woman he was sure he would never see again stopped beside his booth.
The blue-haired girl smiled in greeting to Motoki before noticing the presence of a second figure. It took only a moment to recognize the face, but moments more to believe that it was real. "Mamoru-san?"
Mamoru bowed his head respectfull in greeting, "Ami-chan."
Ami covered her mouth in complete shock as her eyes grew, unable to accept the vision in front of her. "How… Why?" She could only look to Motoki for reassurance that this was real. He nodded in response, smiling in a way in which he hoped would calm the brilliant pixie. Unable to think of anything else to say, Ami only softly announced the first thing that came to mind. "Makoto is on her way here to meet me."
Mamoru knew that this was meant as a warning. If Makoto were to see him here, in Tokyo, the amazon would only react much more violently than Ami had. He took the warning and rose silently from the both. "It was good to see you again, Ami-chan. I hope you are doing well." He looked over to his brother, "I'll see you again soon." And with a final bow of the head, he left the arcade once again.
Once the bell signaled his exit, Ami fell haphzardly into the booth he had retreated. Neither Amy or Motoki spoke a word or took a glance at each other. Just moments later, a much more cheerful third party approached the booth and entered next to Ami, her brown waves bouncing as she landed in her seat.
Makoto looked questioningly between her two friends, curious about the silent atmosphere. "Hey guys, what happened? Did ya' see a ghost or something?"
END PROLOGUE
AN: Let me know! How is it? Intriguing enough to continue? Reviews help me write faster! And brighten my dreary, college days!