DÉJÀ VU

by kathlaida-princess

Summary: It's a day as normal as all others, but a bizarre feeling haunts the bassist today, as if an unlived memory were to give him a second chance, as if he knew that in this day, in some other reality, something terrible had happened… they had taken his guitarist away… Mikau/Japas Fluffy Oneshot

Disclaimer: I don't own any Legend of Zelda characters either. But it would be nice to see Link develop his personality and these two develop their relationship.

Author's Notes: Hello, dear readers! This is my first time writing for the fandom, but hopefully not the last. I have been a fan of the series for a long, long time, but only very recently did I have the chance to play and finish Majora's Mask. And guess who became my new obsession? Yup, the Indigo-Go artists Mikau and Japas xD (I still love Ocarina of Time more, though.) This oneshot is set after the game ends: since the video there showed all happy endings for everyone, the whole Mikau-dying thing supposedly didn't happen, and this story is based in this premise. I hope I can make a good first impression for this fandom with this dear idea of mine :)

On with the story!

The air inside the bassist's room was still and heavy, even though the atmosphere outside, those last few days, had been filled with joy and fulfillment, for what else would you expect after a breathtaking concert by the infamous (and everlasting) Indigo-Go's to celebrate the highly important Carnival of Time?

The celebrations had gone by without a problem (Lulu's voice performed its best bit yet and Mikau seemed livelier in his guitar-playing than ever) and, in the end, many fans still paraded alongside the Zora heroes of the band while they made their glorious return to their home, the Zora Hall (the bravest of them even prodded some of the members for an autograph), but that wasn't what bothered the tall Zora and, as a direct consequence, his chambers…

In fact, to be completely truthful, not even Japas himself could pinpoint the reason why such depressing and random notes slipped from his bass's strings and his fingers, their low and melancholic tone filling his mind with bizarre thoughts, unpleasant ones, ones he couldn't exactly identify as dreams or memories, hidden fears or eerie future predictions… The Zora bassist was widely known for his constant good disposition, his cocky ego, the smug smirk omnipresent in cold lips, but these mental ramblings in particular, that crept over his eyes while he was awake and howled in his nightmares when he was asleep, made him lose that composure, for they featured, in that dim light that makes up all dreams, mortifying images of the sole soul he came to care about above all others…

Japas would wake up from his day or night dreaming and the illusions would be gone, nothing but specks in his memory, but their fluorescent remains twisted inside his heart and made him fear irrationally up till the moment when their victim came to join him.

He couldn't help but ask himself: had Mikau actually died, wounded and alone, with nothing but so much as a green-clad child to hear his final wishes, the seagulls ignoring his pleads? No, that was just silly, Japas had seen his best friend and jamming companion every day since it began, and he was full of health, but he still felt that creeping sense of déjà-vu overwhelming his senses every time they met…

Were they predictions then? Did it mean that something unpleasant would befall the guitarist soon and irreversibly take him away from Japas? Would he lose his Mikau, forever, and have not a say in the matter? Again, there was a terrifying sense of familiarity in that dreadful emotion of loss, of incompletion, hurting him in a way that was not the first time but still felt as fresh as the first, as if he had been through it before and had been granted a second (if unwilling) chance of reliving all these realities, a chance to do something he had failed to do before…

But what?

The bassist stopped his somber melody quite abruptly to bring rough fingers to his inky eyes, wiping the unwanted tears there while cursing under his breath. He felt embarrassed to be crying over something so silly, something as unreal, improbable and superstitious as illusions, but what if Mikau was really gone? People wouldn't guess they had become this close, for most of their interactions occurred behind closed doors and Evan's back (making music with him was always a prompt for other conversations, other – even if friendly – activities, and Japas had soon found out he could leave behind his mask of false pretense and unfunded cockiness when he was with Mikau, they could be sincere, humble and supportive together, and the bassist found a very special trait, perhaps his endless energy or his amazing knack for using his joy in the most inappropriate moments, that made him always smile and draw closer to the other Zora as both the guitarist and a friend, and it pleased him that Mikau hadn't rejected the real him, who, in his opinion, was nothing special…), but the two companions had developed a strong bond over the time, which mostly showed through their chemistry in stage, wide smiles and inside jokes in rehearsal, that maddened Evan and dumbfounded the others. And now Japas didn't want to risk the chance that his nightmares could become true without letting Mikau know just that, just how much he cared…

Suddenly, a quick, rhythmic, cheerful stream of knocks were landed upon Japas's door and, knowing from the tune that it was Mikau, the bassist furiously wiped the rest of his tears away and mentally shook his head, regaining his regular composure. Only then did he venture his trembling voice to say, "Come in…"

The door opened in one fluid movement and the Zora heroes' descendant himself, guitarist of the Indigo-Go's, Mikau, crossed it immediately after, the warm, amiable grin he bore serving as a calmer for Japas's inner turmoil (and reflecting itself instantly upon the other's lips). The fishbone guitar he held in his hands almost screeched in anticipation for the overload of activity and Japas noted as his friend approached him, "You are late today, Mikau." But there was no reprehension in his rough voice, otherwise he wouldn't be smiling so.

The shorter Zora merely stopped walking, smirking sheepishly, and motioned to scratch his finned head, replying, "Aww, you know how Evan is these days… I had to get past Tijo first, because Evan even got to him. I'm sorry."

But Japas just shook his head, grinning as he once more fiddled with his bass, readying it for the jam session. "It's okay. Let's start?" The taller Zora was actually worried for obvious reasons, but he didn't want to voice his feelings then, his fears… it wouldn't be wise… Or would it?

However, there must have been a change in his behavior, the way he spoke or moved, because the bassist immediately felt the guitarist's inquisitive stare studying him intently, trying to dig out something he might have buried away from him. "What?" Japas asked, somewhat surprised. Was he such an open book to Mikau? "I know I'm pretty, but you don't need to be so obvious…" These silly jokes came automatically, almost involuntarily.

But Mikau was having none of it. "What's wrong with you today?" the guitarist asked. "You're hardly ever this solemn, so don't try to dodge the question." There was no reprehension in the shorter Zora's voice either, just sheer concern. "Your eyes are all red and puffy, have you been crying?"

Thankfully, Japas was able to mask the caught-red-handed expression upon his face in time, but his answer took all his creativity and the bassist even rubbed his eyes for added credibility. "A bit… dehydration's fault, actually… After this I'll need to go out for a dive." He mentally sighed in relief as Mikau seemed to have bought it. After all, he did trust him.

"Nifty! I think I'll go with you then, we'll race to the beach!"

However, those words promptly erased the smile from Japas's lips, flaunting a haunting image of the guitarist's wounded body sprawled lifeless among the wet, rough sand in front of his covered eyes, now widened in panic. He held back the gasp forming in his throat, but he couldn't avoid staring bluntly in the other's face, and the emotion there gave away his cover.

Japas couldn't lie anymore, so before Mikau could even ask what was wrong again, he set down his crab-paw bass and slumped down his couch, while the other merely set his fishbone guitar right next to his and stood in front of him, his arms folded over his bare chest, waiting.

"What's wrong is..." the bassist began, his head downcast. "I've been having these very weird nightmares, thoughts, or whatever… illusions…" a hand ran across his forehead, pushing fin-like bangs away from his black eyes, which seemed even darker with his next sentence. "In these… illusions… you are dead. You're just laying around in a beach and I can't do anything to help it, and there is so much I want to tell you and I can't and it's all so painful, so lonely… and… and… please don't interrupt me!" Japas pleaded when he saw Mikau had opened his mouth to speak with a glance and then returned his stare downwards, "I know it's silly because it's not real, but I have to say this to you, so don't interrupt! What I mean is, you know how much I love attention, you know I love Tijo, even Evan in his good days, you know how I love my fans, even if they're not that much (though I hardly admit it…), and you definitively know that I think Lulu is so very fucking hot…" the bassist even chuckled at this last fact, after hearing Mikau doubling over himself in laughter. "But… but if you were ever gone… I… I don't think the love… the care I have for them would ever be enough to fill the hole you'd leave… you are THAT above them… So… please… just know that, that I love you, Mikau… and please don't go around getting yourself in trouble or killed… or worse!... because I'll be worrying like hell, and then I'll just be… lost…" By then, Japas sighed deeply, relieved that such weight had been lifted from his chest, his emotions were now shared. "I don't want to lose you… not again…"

The strange part was that Japas didn't even know he felt so strongly for the other Zora until he began having those illusions, and even more when he worded out his feelings… But he didn't have much time to give further thought to it because two known, loved, webbed hands were now resting kindly upon the base of the bassist's neck and a wide thumb was pushing his chin up, so that the two sets of eyes, pools of emotion, could finally meet.

The kiss Mikau laid upon his lips was far from perfect, but the taller Zora accepted it hungrily, taking the other's soft textures, hitched breaths and warming smooth skin as priceless gifts, treasures that made him so much luckier than the Japas of his nightmares, and so much thankful for his luck…

When they parted, the same loving smirk was planted in both their lips, and Mikau played once more with the bassist's stubborn bangs as he whispered, "You know I can defend myself from most dangers, right? I am a Zora hero, after all! I won't get myself killed this time."

As a reply, Japas caught the other by surprise by circling his arms around his waist and pulling him closer, resting his long, straight nose against the fold of his head-fin. "Oh, sure as well you won't!" His lips starved for more contact, and they found it on Mikau's neck. "I will be there to save you…"

And, that afternoon, there wasn't a jamming session. Instead, the guitarist and the bassist dedicated themselves to an activity that Evan would not frown upon as much, and it all took place on Japas's couch…

THE END

And that was basically it ^^ I'm still a bit frustrated that this couple doesn't have enough love, so I hope this small contribution is good enough! There are more to come!

Now I have requests to work on…

kathlaida-princess logging out…