Just so you know: Matt, Tai and Sora are 25 years old. Mimi is 24. Joe is 27.
Disclaimer: The song "Gloomy Sunday" is not mine and is being used with out permission. I hope the owner can forgive me.
Dedication: This is for Jehana, whose "Flight of Doves" story inspired me to write this. This is also for my dark tenshi. Even if he will never know it.
Sunday
By Melissa
Yamato Ishida stood in the darkened living room of his house. He hardly ever turned on the lights any more. There was something about the darkness that was comforting, and peaceful.
'Just like a tomb......,' he thought to himself.
Pouring himself another glass of vodka, he went over and stood by the window. He had lost count of how many drinks he had had. It didn't matter though. Nothing really mattered anymore.
He peered outside into the dark, grey sky and the pouring rain. The weather outside perfectly matched what he was feeling in the very depths of his soul. The sound the rain made against the glass of the window he had once found soothing. Now he just found it a painful reminder of what used to be.
He took his glass of vodka and drank it all in one gulp. He could feel the alcohol burn as it went down his esophagus and into his stomach. He was grateful for that one moment in which he could deaden the greater pain that he felt in his heart.
Placing his head on his arm, he leaned against the wall. His thoughts drifted to the events that happened the month before.
*Flashback*
"C'mon Matt. I seriously have to get up now or I'm going to be late for work," Mimi said, trying her best to sound angry, and failing miserably at it.
Matt grinned at her as he pulled her back down into bed with him. "Work? What's that?"
"Exactly. What would you know about it, anyway? Your idea of work is sitting in the house all day composing music and writing lyrics."
Still grinned, Matt clasped both hands over his heart and flopped backwards onto the pillows. "The lady doth wound me with her words and her razor sharp wit."
Mimi leaned over him and brought her face close to his. "I'll wound you with more than that if you don't let me get ready for work."
"Do you promise?" Matt asked, winking at her.
Her response was taking a pillow and hitting Matt in the head with it. She threw off the covers and stood up. She only made it a couple of steps before she turned around and hopped right back into bed. She wrapped her arms around Matt and drew him into a long, deep, passionate kiss.
The need for air finally broke them apart. All Matt could do was lie there and try to catch his breath. Mimi took advantage of his distraction and slipped away.
Matt watched her retreating figure as it went into the other room. The whole time he watched, all he could think about was how much in love he was.
A half an hour later, Mimi was dressed in a pristine business suit and doing some last minute things before she left. Being a very successful fashion designer kept Mimi very busy. She liked it that way though. She was achieving the dream of doing what she loved and getting paid for it. However, even her dream job did require an occasional Sunday when she had to work.
Matt had finally emerged from the bedroom and went into the living room. He sat at the grand piano and ran his hands over the keys. Soft music filled the room.
Mimi, who was in the kitchen, smiled to herself. Grabbing a bagel, she walked into the living room and traipsed across the large throw rug. She took position behind Matt and draped her arms around his neck while he played.
When Matt had finished his song, he turned around on the bench to face Mimi. Placing his hands on her waist, he gently lifted her up so that she was sitting on his lap.
"I love you," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.
"I love you too," she whispered back.
"Please. Stay with me."
The tone of his voice tore at Mimi's heart strings and the look in his eyes made her melt inside. "I would enjoy nothing more than to stay here in you arms. Sadly, I cannot. You know as well as I do that we can't neglect our responsibilities. Fear not, my love, I will be home before you know it," Mimi said as she gently slipped from his embrace.
Matt reluctantly let go of her.
Mimi leaned over and kissed him softly. "Until tonight."
"Until tonight," Matt echoed as he watched Mimi walk out the front door.
Sighing to himself, Matt turned his attention back to the piano when he was sure that she was gone. Standing up to get some leverage, he lifted up the lid of the piano. He reached inside and withdrew a small velvet box.
Sitting back down on the piano bench, he opened the box and looked at the contents. Inside was the ring he was going to ask Mimi to marry him with. He had spent nearly two months searching for the "perfect ring." It wasn't until about a week ago that he had found it. It was a platinum band with a 2 karat, pear shaped diamond, hugged by two 1/2 karat diamonds, one on each side. The instant he laid eyes on it, he knew it was the one.
Matt smiled as the sunlight streaming in from the window glinted off the ring. 'Soon, I will ask Mimi if she will be my wife,' he thought to himself. 'Tonight will be the happiest night of our lives.'
*End Flashback*
Matt recalled those words he had thought a month ago. He could feel his blood boiling in his veins. In a fit of anger, he threw his empty glass against the opposite wall, where it shattered into a million pieces.
He turned away from the window and made his way over to the piano. The only thing to light his way was the sporadic flashes of lightning from the storm. Matt didn't even need that though. He knew his house like the back of his hand.
Sitting on the bench, he ran his hands over the polished black surface. He briefly recalled all the times he and Mimi would sit there and sing together. This piano, which at one time was the source of so much pleasure, caused now nothing but pain.
Resting his head on the covered up keys, he continued to remember.
*FlashBack*
Matt spent the rest of the day making preparations for that night. He was going to prepare a romantic dinner, entirely from scratch. After dessert, he would lead Mimi into the living room where he would sing a song that he wrote especially for her. When he finished the song, that is when he would propose.
It was close to 5:30pm when Matt was putting the final touches on his presentation. He had gone into town earlier to pick up a dozen pink roses. They were Mimi's favorite. As he set them on the table he looked out the dining room window. The sky had considerably darkened and it had just begun to rain.
Matt smiled slightly. "What a gloomy Sunday," he said to himself. The weather outside may have been less than perfect, but it certainly wasn't going to ruin his mood.
As he arranged the flowers on the table, the phone rang. It broke the silence and made Matt jump.
Shaking his head and grinning about how easily startled he was, he went to answer the phone.
He picked up the phone and cradled it between his ear and shoulder. "Hello?"
"Hello. May I please speak to Yamato Ishida?"
Matt rolled his eyes, thinking it was a telemarketer. "This is he. What can I do for you?"
"I'm calling from Mercy Hospital. I am calling you because you are on the list of emergency contacts for one Mimi Tachikawa."
Matt took the phone off his shoulder and gripped it tightly. "Mimi? Oh God, what's the matter? Why is she in the hospital??" he asked frantically.
"I'm sorry, I can't divulge and information over the phone. You should come down the hospital right away."
"Please.....," Matt pleaded. "Is she all right?"
The person on the other end sighed. "I'm sorry. Please, get here as soon as you can."
Matt didn't reply, he just slammed the phone down on the hook. Grabbing his jacket and keys, he bolted out the door and got into his car. He peeled out and sped into town, as the storm got worse.
Matt made it to the hospital in record time. He ran through the doors at breakneck speed. He made a beeline to the front desk.
"My name is Yamato Ishida. I was called regarding Mimi Tachikawa. Where can I find her?"
The receptionist motioned to the waiting area. "If you will just take a seat, I will page the doctor and he will speak with you."
Matt's hands unconsciously curled into fists. "You have got to be kidding me. You people wouldn't tell me anything over the phone and now that I'm here you still won't tell me???"
Just as the woman was about to reply, a doctor rounded the corner and stopped at the desk.
"I was just about to page you, Dr. Kido. Mr. Ishida is here about Miss Tachikawa.
Joe smiled at Matt. "Long time no see, 'Mr. Ishida.'"
Matt just stared in shock. "Joe? Man, is that you?"
"Last time I checked," Joe replied as he shook his friend's hand.
Matt returned the handshake. He then quickly pushed aside the pleasantries. "Joe, tell me what's going on. Where's Mimi?"
Joe's smile vanished at the mention of Mimi's name. "C'mon. Let's go somewhere where we can talk."
Matt didn't reply. He wanted nothing more then to grab Joe's shoulders and shake him until he told him where Mimi was. He didn't though. There was something in Joe's tone of voice that brooked no argument.
Dr. Kido led the way to an empty exam room. Once inside, he shut the door. Matt took a seat in a nearby chair.
Joe took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. Matt recognized that as a nervous response. After a moment, Joe looked at his friend with sad eyes.
"This evening, when Mimi left work, she accidentally interrupted a couple of carjackers who were robbing an employee as she got into her car. Mimi's appearance managed to startle two of them off. One of them had wounded the employee and Mimi knelt to help the victim. There was a third man though. As Mimi was soothing the victim, the guy approached her from behind. He was armed with a baseball bat. According to the police, he hit her in the side of the head, stole her purse, and then took off. She instantly lost consciousness. She never knew what happened."
Matt stared at Joe in disbelief. Getting up, he began to pace the room. "That son of a bitch!!" Matt yelled as he punched the wall in rage.
"Matt, please sit down. There's more."
Matt turned to face his friend but remained standing. Joe saw that Matt had no intention of sitting, so he continued.
"Head injuries are always severe. There is also a matter of where on the head the injury occurred. A blow that landed here or here," Joe pointed to first the back and then the front of his skull, "will usually only stun a person. The same blow that lands here," he pointed to his temple, "could kill a person."
Matt felt his blood run cold. "Where did you say Mimi was hit?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
The look on Joe's face was all the answer Matt needed.
"The victim she was helping managed to alert security and an ambulance was called. She was rushed to this hospital, where I worked on her myself. There was very little we could do. As a result of the blow, she suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. Despite our efforts, her breathing stopped, as did her heart. We exhausted all possibilities, but we could not revive her."
All Matt could do at first was stare at Joe with glassy eyes. That moment of despair was quickly replaced by anger. Matt rushed at Joe and grabbed his collar with both hands. "You couldn't revive her?? You gave up on her?! How dare you!! How dare you let her die!!"
Joe responded by pushing Matt back and pinning him against the wall. He brought his face inches from Matt's. "Let her?! Matt, I worked on her even when everyone else in the ER had given up! Sometimes, no matter what we do or how much we care for someone, they still die!"
Tears traced paths down Matt's cheeks as he leaned his head back against the wall.
Joe softened his tone. "Matt, you know that I would have done anything to save her. She was my friend and I loved her too."
"I'm....I'm sorry....," Matt said through his sobs. "I.....I didn't....mean...."
"It's OK, I know," Joe said, releasing his hold on Matt and wiped away his own tears.
Matt released Joe's collar. Swallowing hard and wiping his eyes, he spoke again. "Can I see her?"
"Of course. This way."
Joe led the way to a trauma room. He stayed outside while Matt pushed through the doors.
What he saw nearly made his knees go out from under him. He didn't want to believe it, but there was the undeniable proof. Matt saw Mimi lying a table in the center of the room, mostly covered up by a white sheet.
He slowly made his way to the side of the bed. His eyes scanned every inch of her face. She looked the same as she did this morning, save for a nasty bruise that covered most of the side of her head. He took his hand and gently brushed her cheek. She was still slightly warm. Matt half expected her to open her eyes and tell him that there was some horrible mistake.
Matt looked at the ceiling for a moment, trying to control the emotions raging inside of him. Looking back at her, he spoke softly.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this. We're supposed to be home right now. We would have just finished a fabulous dinner, and I would be sitting at the piano, playing my new song for you. You would sit next to me, just as always, and lean your head on my shoulder as I serenaded you. As the song ended, I would lead you over to the couch. I would kneel in front of you, and you would look at me with those bottomless brown eyes. And I would ask you to be my wife. You would say yes, through tears of happiness. I would then take you in my arms and hold you forever, because you are that which makes me whole."
He paused for a moment, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the small velvet box. He opened the box and removed the ring. He gently lifted her right hand and slipped the ring onto her finger.
"Mimi Tachikawa, will you marry me?"
The words echoed inside the empty room. Some part of Matt was hoping that those words would some how revive her. Even though love is stronger than death, sadly it does not have the power to bring back those who are taken from us. Mimi was gone, forever.
Still holding her hand, Matt leaned over and placed a kiss on her pale lips.
"For what should have been," he whispered, as tears streamed down his face.
Shortly after Mimi's death, Matt sat down and composed a new song. It took him only one day to do so. The song was entitled "Gloomy Sunday." He basically dipped his pen into his soul and then pressed it to paper. It was an overnight success all over the world. It brought Matt more fame and fortune than he had ever had before. He didn't care though. The one person he wanted to share it with was gone.
*End Flashback*
It was exactly one month since Mimi had been killed, and three weeks since she had been buried. On each one of those Sundays it had been raining, just as it was now.
Lifting his head off of the piano, he got up and went into his bedroom. Opening his night table drawer, he removed something. He then returned to the living room and once again sat at the piano. Placing the object on the top of the piano, he lifted up the key cover. He ran his hands over the ivory keys.
Taking a deep breath, he began to play and sing his latest song.
Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless
Dearest, the shadows I live with are numberless
Little white flowers will never awaken you
Not where the black coach of sorrow has taken you
Angels have no thought of ever returning you
Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?
Gloomy is Sunday, with shadows I spend it all
My heart and I have decided to end it all
Soon there'll be candles and prayers that are said I know
Let them not weep, let them know I am glad to go
Unbeknownst to Matt, two of his friends had just pulled into the driveway. Tai and Sora had come to see him.
"I'm really worried about him, Tai. He's cut himself off from the rest of the world," Sora said, walking with Tai up to the house.
"He's grieving, Sora," Tai replied, walking up the steps to the porch, thankful to get out of the rain. "When he's ready, he'll come back to us."
Tai was just about to knock when Sora grabbed his arm. "Do you hear that? It sounds like music," she said.
Pressing their ears to the door, they listened to the rest of the song Matt was playing.
Death is a dream, for in death I'm caressing you
With the last breath of my soul I'll be blessing you
Dreaming, I was only dreaming
I wake and I find you asleep
In the deep of my heart dear
Darling, I hope that my dream never haunted you
My heart was telling me how much I wanted you
Matt finished playing and took his hands off the keys. Slowly, he reached for the object he had placed on the piano. Just then, a flash of lightning lit up the room, and glinted off the 9 mm hand gun that Matt was now holding.
Tears were streaming down his cheeks as his body shook with sobs. He lifted the gun and pressed it against his temple as he sang the last verse of the song, which was just a repeat of the first.
"Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless
Dearest, the shadows I live with are numberless
Little white flowers will never awaken you
Not where the black coach of sorrow has taken you
Angels have no thought of ever returning you
Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?"
Matt gripped the gun tighter. "I love you, Mimi," he whispered.
When the music had stopped, Tai knocked on the door. "Matt? It's Tai. Hey man, open the door. We're worried about you," he called out.
His only reply was the sound of a gun shot piercing the air. Then all was silent once more.
Tai and Sora looked at each other, absolute horror on their faces. Tai tried the door but it was locked. He took several steps back, lowered his shoulder, and charged. It took a couple of tries, but the lock finally gave and the door swung open.
Sora ran past Tai and into the house, checking rooms along her way. When she finally reached the living room, she screamed.
Tai regained his balance and rushed to where Sora was. When he saw what made her scream, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Sora buried her face into his chest and sobbed. A single tear traced it's way down Tai's cheek.
Matt was slumped against the piano, the smoking gun lying on the floor. His dark, red blood covered the black and white keys.
Outside the storm grew worse, as lightning crashed and the rain fell harder.
The End
More Author's Notes: Well, that was it. How did I do? I would love to know what you thought of it. Thanks for reading. Until next time.