When We Meet Again

Oh, man Tsubaki is gonna be so mad at me! I missed our anniversary... Kosei thought as he sprinted to his home. It was just a regular night, he had written a song for her, had played it at a concert, and forgot that she wouldn't be there...because she was waiting for him at the resturant. It had been eight years since Kaori's death, and it hit them all hard. Espicially him, but he pressed on. Time seemed like an endless abyss, and he finally stopped falling when he seen Tsubaki after he finished his school abroad.

It was just supposed to be a regular lunch date, than it became two lunch dates. After that, the dates just continued. In the morning, after the sun had set, and anywhere in between. He fell in love again, but at what cost? She eventually fell for Watari, and left him. When Watari had died after three years of marrige, Kosei was there for her. She fell in love with him after another year. They had been together a year and she was going to be so mad at him, probably livid.

He sighed as he slowed his pace a little. When he stoped, he failed to notice the truck coming towards him...

There was noise everywhere, and a bright light. His insides hurt and he felt as if he had been hit by a train eighty times. "He's waking up, we have to hurry..." The sounds faded as he began to close his eyes and seen nothing but pitch blackness. When he no longer felt pain, he opened his eyes again, and sighed as he noticed the familiar piano in the music hall. He was in his loved blue suit and he smiled at the smell of music in the air.

"You're not supposed to be here yet, Kosei..." A familiar voice pulled at the strings of his heart. "You're early." The voice sounded sad and alone. "And you didn't even bring any sweets with you."

The man turned and looked at the girl. The love of his life, the love he never forgot...The love he dared not to forget. His breath hitched in his throat as he seen her in the dress she wore on her first time he seen her playing for the children. She was beautiful with her hair down, breath taking when it was up, and her eyes never lost their love for life. He gave a sheepish smile, "Guess I couldn't survive without you..." He murmered with a small laugh.

"You're still alive, dummy. You could go back to your life on earth at any time, at least while your heart's beating." She scolded looking straight at him. "I didn't have enough time, your song was too long for me to hear and then live." She said as she looked down at the stage. "This is limbo, it's not heaven, and it's not hell..." she trailed off as she looked at him with fury. "Go back to earth Kosei! You deserve to live! IT'S NOT YOUR TIME!" She crossed the stage to him and began beating on his chest. She started sobing and her hits were slowing

Kosei gmiled for a moment and took her in his arms. "I don't want to deserve to live if you didn't deserve to, silly." He then kissed the top of her head. "You made me live again, and when you left, my heart died for a moment. Yeah, I did fall in love with Tsubaki, but she fell in love with Watari. She only paid attention to me when I was comforting her after his death. Guess I was Watari's stand-in for everybody at one time..." He tailed off sadly. "I wanted to be with you, this entire time...and you've been here in this boring music hall." He laughed as tears began falling down his cheeks.

"It's not that boring here... I had someone to keep me company." Kaori said as she pulled away from him. "Look behind you." She ordered softly as she wiped her cheeks. Kosei shook his head stubbornly. "Why not?" She asked as she smiled sadly.

"Because I don't want to look away from you." He replied easily without heisitation. She rolled her eyes and took his hands. She smiled cruely as she turned so she was in his place and he in hers in a blink in an eye. He smiled and laughed loudly, making music to one person's ears. She stepped out from the wing, and his laughter stoped as he started at the woman in awe. "Mom..." he trailed off as tears began to prickle at his eyes again.

"Hello Kosei, it's nice to see the young man you became..." She said as she walked to the pair quickly. She pulled her son in her arms and hugged him gently as he began to weep in her arms, although he towered over her, she still seen him as her young baby boy. "Don't cry, shh mommy's here..." She murmered and pat his back gently. "That's some life you got waiting on you back there." She started.

Kosei pulled away from her and glared at his mother. "No, I am not going back, I can't..." He murmered. A loud defening sound hit his ears as he flat-lined back on earth. "My body is dead..." He murmered. Kaori looked at Saki, crystal like tears streaming down her cheeks already, the only mistake she made was a sniffle. Kosei turned to her and held her in his arms,"you can't cry, please don't." He begged as she kept heaving sobs.

"No, you died, all becuase you stayed here with us. All because I wanted to see you again, all because I wanted you to see me..." She trailed off and hiccuped. He scoffed and gently grabbed her chin.

"You didn't make me die, I wanted to see you again. I wanted to hold you, I wanted to be with you. I played for you that day, and from that day forward I played for you. I hope my songs reached you..."

"YOU IDIOT, OF COURSE THEY DID!" She exclaimed as she beat him over the head once, then she fell back into his chest and smiled,"they always do." she finished. Kosei smiled back and looked to the left to find a bright, warm, light. Kaori fallowed his sight and frowned. "That's heaven...can we wait a bit longer. I want to see Tsubaki..." She smiled. Kosei returrned it and walked over to the piano.

"Of course we can." he said as he began to play Moonlight Sonata. "We have nothing better, let's see if we can make this song reach her..." He suggested. He continued playing and waited for the violin he always seemed to hear out of the blue when he wanted to calm down, and it came a half of a heart beat later.

On Earth

A plate full of food crashes to the floor as Tsubaki Sawabe hears a piano and a violin, right before the phone rings. She disregards the shards and remains of food and reaches for the phone. "Sawabe Residence, Tsubaki speaking..." She trailed off.

"Mrs. Sawabe, I'm afraid we have bad news... Kosei Arima had gotten hit by a truck on his way home from a concert. We got him to the ER immediately, but I am afraid we were too late. He passed ten minutes ago." The doctor on the other end informed her. "We did everything we could, but even if we were on time, we couldn't have saved his life. He had internal bleeding and he only resurfaced to conciousness for a mere moment, but he died a moment later..."

"I understand, thank-you doctor for telling me." She hung up and sunk to the floor, her back against the counter, as 21 year old Tsubaki Sawabe began to weep. "I know you left me, I left you long before you left me, and I'm sorry. I know I will see you again, but I don't know when..." She trailed off and smiled sadly at the fridge in front of her. "So, until we meet again, don't wait for me..."

In Limbo

"Don't wait for me..." was the mere whisper that floated next to their ears. Kosei stoped for a mere moment and then kept playing.

"Wasn't that Tsubaki?" Kaori questioned as she had stopped playing completly.

"Yes. We'll wait for her." He said simply as he continued. "She's lonely and she's angry at herself, so we will wait." Saki and Kaori smiled and Kaori began to play again.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN...the song seemed to echo within the halls, like a phantom.