A/N: wow so I may have disappeared off ffn for like ? a very long time. sorry about that! life calls (｡•́︿•̀｡) but I make my valiant return with this AU that I've been looking forward to writing for a while now. I know I've got other multichapter fics to update, but for the time being, this one will be priority.
Anyway, here's a song to listen to while you read, and I hope you all enjoy! /watch?v=WIbUNfg_wmM
Words.
They always found a way to evade her when she needed them most, hiding themselves in plain sight at the very tip of her tongue. Each time, she was the one who left Maki speechless, fumbling to say something, anything. Each time, it was her who brought a smile to Maki's bitter lips.
But... Maki never had a chance to truly thank her for everything she did. And so, she played. There were times in which music was stronger than words, and perhaps if the pianist played her heart out, it would reach her.
Frail, wrinkled fingers lingered over streaks of black and white, tenderly pressing down on keys of stained ivory as if they would shatter the moment she applied too much force. The piano was just as old as she, and age showed no mercy for the both of them. But even so, the strings within told the timeless story of a love lost and found, broken and repaired, remembered and forgotten.
Nostalgia thrust a smile upon her as the gentle melody caressed her eardrums, floating around the room as she gazed at the bed which harbored the most precious thing of all. Her beloved wife, who would soon become her most precious memory. The song, while tranquil and serene, left behind a lingering haze of sadness within her heart. She didn't know whether to smile or to cry; maybe a little of both would suffice.
Countless concerts put on for one single person, who just happened to be Maki's biggest fan. Though... vice versa was true as well. Her body swayed back and forth as she played, the music just as fragile as she who might fly away in even the most benign winds. She could not play nearly as well as she used to, her fingers just couldn't move like they did in her youth. That very special person was the one who taught her that technicalities came after pure emotion. Sure, she could no longer whiz up and down the keys, but putting her entire being into the music made any song a masterpiece.
A knock at the door abruptly ended Maki's little piano recital. She would've loved to reach the end of the piece, but today was an important day, and the people at the door would play an important role in the remainder of her wife's life. "Up we go." She encouraged under her breath, groaning as she lifted herself from the piano bench. The black cane was covered in glittery tomato stickers from the dollar store. Too boring, she had been told. Maki rolled her eyes at the memory, her wife's hands covered in glitter after spending a good hour making sure no bland spots were left on her cane.
Another knock. How impatient. Have they no manners? "Calm down, I'm coming." Maki croaked, waddling her way to the doorway to reveal two middle aged women.
"Mrs... Yazawa?" The blonde woman spoke up first, her voice firm and orderly as she checked her phone once more, as if to confirm she spoke the correct words.
Even after so many years, the surname was music to her ears. "Yes. I assume you're here for that?"
From behind a pile of boxes, a head of purple popped out, turquoise eyes gleaming. "She wrote that you'd say something like that. I assume you're not a supporter of what we do?"
"Nozomi, not now. Our time is limited, and you know that. Those kinds of conversations can wait." The blonde scolded, turning her attention back to Maki. "Anyway, Mrs. Yazawa, my name is Eli Ayase, and this is my partner Nozomi Tojo. We'll have the honors of granting your wife's wish, if you're okay with that."
If Maki were to be completely honest, she didn't support what they did, not for a second. But if her wife trusted their methods, if it was something she believed in, Maki wouldn't stop them. She trusted her decision making, even if it was shotty at times. After all, they've gotten this far, right? "Please, come in. You can call me Maki, by the way, since Mrs. Yazawa and Mrs. Yazawa does tend to get a tad bit confusing. And I mustn't lie, I'm a tad bit skeptical, so if it isn't too much trouble, I'd like it if you could run through the process beforehand."
Maki led the duo in, thankful that their home was nothing like the extravagant, multi winged mansions she once lived in. Bigger wasn't always better, and in this case, their little cottage was more space than the two of them needed anyway. After a long argument regarding interior design, Maki had given up her hopes of something more modern and settled for her wife's desire for a more rustic home. The only thing out of place was the gaping space in the main room, where she had the piano moved upstairs. Maki told herself it would only be temporary, until she got better, but from the way things were going, that piano wouldn't be coming back down.
In the upstairs room lied a hospital bed and a worn down grand piano. The spring breeze lifted the curtains ever so gently, bobbing up and down with the breeze. Eli and Nozomi immediately got to work, unloading the machines within the boxes. The latter pointed towards the phallic shaped cactus on the windowsill with a wide grin plastered to her face. "Interesting choice of decor."
"She bought it for me, for my sixty ninth birthday; thought it was the most hilarious thing in the world." Her laugh was still fresh in Maki's mind, as if it were only yesterday that she unwrapped the vulgar cactus and nearly died blowing out a dozen packs of candles on her homemade birthday cake. "It's the only plant I can manage, she was the one with the green thumb. She told me it was prickly, just like me."
"I like her style!" A wave of laughter followed as Nozomi resumed preparation of the strange machine. She scuttled over to the power outlet, shutting her eyes closed as she plugged the cord in, looking away as if it would spark or drain the electricity. "Damn, not even a flicker. Most people's homes can't handle the electricity demand of our equipment."
"Well, we've got the best money can buy." Maki replied simply, as if it were a common occurrence.
The machine whizzed, and soon the screen burst into a light blue, covered in lines and lines of incoherent letters and symbols. "If you're so loaded, why live in such a small house? You were a doctor, right? Why not get a mansion, or something like that."
That was the question everyone asked when they visited, when they learned of the family's wealth. "She thought it was a bit too extravagant, and much preferred something more homely and comfortable where we'd have peace and quiet away from the city as we grew old. And after living in mansions and such all my life, I do admit that something like this is refreshing, you really do learn to appreciate the simpler things in life."
"Got tired of life in the spotlight, did she?" Nozomi hummed, configuring what looked like some type of settings.
"She did, but how did you know?" At such an old age, her wife was seldom recognized for the things she did in her younger days.
"I, err..." An awkward laugh and a wave of the hand followed as the agent gave Maki a wide, toothy grin. "I read the files! Don't listen to what Elicchi says about me, I'm a very responsible worker!"
As if she were alerted at the sound of her name, Eli broke up the conversation. "Anyways, you had questions about our procedures?"
"Yes." Maki's utmost concern was the safety of her lover, above all else. "Exactly how does it work?" Tedious years on the medical force have her a knack for the little details, especially when it came to the more questionable methods.
Eli cleared her throat, then brushed a loose strand of blonde behind her ear as she began her explanation. "With this machine, we are able to travel into your wife's memories with the use of these headsets. Nozomi and I will traverse backwards through her memories, altering and influencing events to make her life's outcome different, thus granting her wish before it's too late."
It all sounded so science fictional, so fake. Maki had doubted it once before, when the topic was brought up late one night after a few glasses of wine. She'd refused it then, too. Tampering with another person's memories was just something you couldn't do, something you didn't do. "And you've done this before?"
"Many times, yes." Eli replied, pushing her glasses up before they could drop any further. "I can assure you it's safe, and—"
"What are the success rates?" The words were delivered much more hostile and demanding than Maki meant them to, unable to stop the many doubts and fears within her mind.
The Blonde paused, glancing back at Nozomi before forming her reply. "Nozomi and I have been doing this for years, and we have yet to fail."
"And if you do today?"
"We won't, I promise."
Maki nodded reluctantly, her gaze falling on the patient sleeping soundly on the bed. She would be the last. "Okay, but I'm holding you to that."
"Good. Now, err... Maki," Eli slipped a pen out of her lab coat pocket, clicking it open and lightly scribbling to test the ink. "Tell us about the client. Who is Nico Yazawa?"
"Nico... she's..." Maki giggled. After all these years, after everything they'd been through together, she was still embarrassed to speak her true feelings. She thought her unnecessary stubbornness and haughty pride wore off long ago, but perhaps a part of it decided to stay. "She never accepted a frown. Nico was the kind of person who'd make you laugh after you fell and scraped your knee; she'd help you up from the dirt, both teasing and scolding you at the same time. God, did I hate her sense of humor. It was so stupid that it was hilarious, I can't count how many awful pickup lines she used on me."
Maki's cheeks warmed, and before she knew it, her eyes began to water. "But... Nico never wanted anyone to worry about her, she carried all of her burdens alone. Geez, she had the nerve to call me stubborn and hardheaded. She was always too kind, that woman. Nico didn't tell me about her Alzheimer's before it was too late, because she didn't want me to worry. What an idiot, right? She barely remembers anything anymore, me included, but... she still holds my hand as if she does. As if I'm not a complete stranger to her. That's the kind of person you're working with."
"She sounds brave." Eli muttered, finishing up her notes on Maki's speech.
"She's dumb, that's what she is." It still bothered Maki that Nico held things back from her, important things that they could've worked through together. Yes, if it were to protect the one she loved, Maki would've done the same. But suffering alone wasn't worth it, and just thinking of the burdens Nico took on alone broke her heart.
Nozomi, having configured the machinery, hopped up and butted into the conversation. "And her wish?" She asked. "Nicocchi— Mrs. Yazawa left that part of the application blank."
Two skeptical stares watched Nozomi, both having took notice of her hastily dismissed nickname. Maki, however, chose to ignore it, then slipped a crumpled piece of scratch paper out from her pants pocket. "I'm... not entire sure what it means, she wrote it during the more severe stages of the disease. I asked for clarification, but she refused." The redhead (whose hair began to grey long ago), unfolded the wish, flattening it out as best she could before handing it to Nozomi. On the paper were five words, scribbled and smudged and barely legible as if it were written by a child. 'I want her to smile'.
"And this is all she gave you?" Eli frowned, icy eyes gazing over Nozomi's shoulder, no doubt searching for any clues hidden in those five simple words.
Maki nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Don't worry!" Nozomi gave the thumbs up, folding the paper and stuffing it into her lab coat. "We'll figure it out, and we'll make sure that wish becomes reality, at least for her."
"Thank you." Something about the pair reassured Maki. Eli gave off a very professional aura, and she trusted those kinds of people. Perhaps that came from the higher level medical world, where professionalism was held as a necessity. But in a contrast, Nozomi felt much more... kind. More personal. Someone who genuinely cared about her wife's final wish.
"No need to thank us. Thank her, for being so strong." Nozomi bent down next to the bed, gently taking Nico's frail hand into her own. "Nicocchi..." A sad smile tugged at her lips. "You helped me reach my dreams, now I'll do the same for you."
Upon hearing her partner's words, Eli yanked Nozomi up, her expression suddenly dark as she pulled the woman to the side. Maki cursed her old age for taking her hearing; the only thing she could make out were harsh whispers. "Something wrong?" She asked suspiciously, taking a few steps closer.
The blonde paused, her gaze lingering between the three other people in the room before releasing a defeated sigh. "...No, nothing to be concerned about." She managed a quick glare at her partner, who replied with a sheepish smile as she skipped off to acquire the headsets. "Once the procedure begins, we'll fall unconscious. Please don't remove the headsets or wake us up unless it's a life or death situation— forgive me, that may not have been the best choice of words."
Maki nodded, only able to watch as he agents fastened a metal helmet on Nico, as well as themselves. Nozomi pressed a few buttons on the odd looking machine before rushing over to sit beside Eli on the old velvet couch. The headset sparked to life, various lights glowing on its sleek, modern design. And then, they were off. Silence fell in the room like a thick fog and anticipation chilled her to the bone. For now, there was nothing she could do but wait, and trust in the dynamic duo.
Maki squeezed Nico's hand, a knot forming in her throat as a few warm, sentimental tears streamed down her tired cheeks. "Hang on a little longer, darling. These women... they're here to do for you what I couldn't. They're going to make your wish come true."