A Fork in the Road Chapter 1, a full moon wo sagashite fanfic

A Fork in the Road

by doink-chan

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A note from the doink:

My, it's been a long time since doinkies has written a fic here, hasn't it? This is another one of my FMoS vignette stories that mostly take place in the manga. Perhaps this one might actually gasp have chapters, too. I've been a really busy doink, not to mention I have horrid writer's block when it comes to updating Kouyama Mitsuki's Inbox. But I'll try to think of something new and fresh for that story, I promise! (Maybe I'll introduce some characters from ION.)

Anyways, enjoy! Reviews are welcome, especially suggestions on how to improve my stories.

And remember, this fic contains spoilers for the last two chapters of the FMoS manga: chapter 29 and chapter 30.

Chapter 1

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It has been three years since Takuto disappeared. Three years since I was almost about to die. Three years since Sheldon almost killed me with his arrow. The pain still hurts inside me. I often have sleepless nights, tossing and turning. Somehow, I have managed to continue. Somehow, I have managed not to die.

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"Mitsuki! Hurry up, I want to talk to you!"

"Coming, Ooshige-san!" I cried as I ran down to see her. Ooshige-san is still my manager, and I am still singing. The only difference is that now, I truly am 16. I do not need Takuto's magic pills to transform me anymore. In fact, I had not seen Takuto since three years ago, when he disappeared. Indeed, I had never seen Meroko or Izumi or Jonathan either. I knew that the pain of remembering his past was too much for Takuto to bear. Indeed, perhaps that same hurt had made Meroko and Izumi disappear as well. Either that, or they are assigned to other children….children who were about to die, like me. And Jonathan…Jonathan had revealed his true colors, as Sheldon, those three years ago.

I sat down on the sofa next to Ooshige-san. "What do you want to talk to me about?" I asked her. Ooshige then said, "Mitsuki, I have been thinking…perhaps when your new single comes out, we could hold a special concert."

"Eh? A concert?" I was extremely excited. I had not been having concerts for some time. Of course I performed, but it was usually on the many music TV shows to promote my singles. "When do you plan on having it?"

"Weeell…your new single comes out around May 12th so perhaps we could have the concert on the 15th! We could even have it at the Tokyo Dome!"

"The Tokyo Dome…" I thought to myself. Only the most famous singers got to perform there. My singles and albums had sold well, and even reached #1 on the Oricon charts so long ago, but since that time three years ago, my CDs had not sold as well as they used to. Ooshige-san blamed it on "not having enough heart in the music and lyrics". Indeed, I had originally wanted to quit right then and there, since I felt too depressed to go on. Could I really still be so famous as to perform at the Tokyo Dome?

"Yes! This is your big chance to prove to your fans that you've made it! After all, you've come so far as a singer ever since that audition. You've been one of SEED Records' biggest sellers since your debut, after all!", Ooshige-san cheerfully said.

"But Ooshige-san, I really don't know-" "Oh, don't worry! It's natural to have a little bit of stage fright, especially since you haven't had a real concert in some time!", Ooshige-san interjected. "And in such a prestigious place like the Tokyo Dome…I never sang there….I didn't even make it to Kouhaku! You should be lucky that you've been given this great opportunity."

Ooshige-san's words made me feel a bit better, but I still had some concerns…would I be able to sing for such a long time with my sarcoma? Indeed, how long would I still be able to sing? I probably would have to have surgery done soon, if only to get the painful tumor out of my throat once and for all…but then there was a chance my vocal cords would have to be taken out as well.

But still…performing at the Tokyo Dome…

"All right, Ooshige-san. I'll do the concert."

"That's wonderful! I'll call the agents right away and see if they could book the night of May 15th for us!" Ooshige-san happily walked off, humming one of her old idol songs to herself.

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That night, I dreamed I was singing at the Tokyo Dome. 1,000,000 fans were packed in the big stadium, cheering me on…and then suddenly, the music stopped. The fans gasped as Sheldon appeared on stage, holding his bow and arrow. He looked at me with a cold glance, and said, "It is time for you to die." He then aimed the arrow right at my throat, pulled back the bowstring, and let the arrow fly….

…and then, I woke up, with a horrible pain in my throat. My coughs could be heard all throughout Ooshige-san's house. Immediately, I heard her dash up to my room. She pushed open the door and ran immediately to my bed, frantically shouting "Mitsuki!! Mitsuki, are you all right?!" All I could do was cough, and it seemed I was going to die right then and there.

Ooshige-san quickly dialed 119. By then, I had fallen into a deep sleep, which I could not awake from…

…and all I could remember was a small piece of paper that fell into my hand.

As the ambulance came, I whispered one word….a name, the name of someone I never forgot.

"Takuto…"

End of Chapter 1

doinkies' cultural notes

For those wondering what "Kouhaku" and "Oricon" are, as well as some other things mentioned in this chapter, here are their definitions.

Kouhaku is the shortened name of the Kouhaku Utagassen (Red & White Song Contest) which airs every New Year's Eve in Japan on NHK (Japan's answer to PBS or the BBC). On this show, singers, both pop and enka (songs with a traditional Japanese feel), are divided into the Red team (for male singers) and the White team (for female singers). Their performances are judged and the team with the best performances wins. In the Japanese music business it is considered an honor to be invited to perform on this show, and it signifies that you have "arrived" as a singer.

The Oricon charts are the big music charts in Japan, similar to America's Billboard charts. In chapter 7 of the FMoS manga you might remember a pun on "Oricon" and "o-rikon" (divorce).

Also, 119 is the emergency number in Japan, like 911 in the U.S.