Adam stirred and opened his eyes, fingers uncurling across his guitar strings and bringing forth a low thrum of melancholy notes that spilled into each other. They fell silent in slow pings, and he rubbed his thumb across the rasp of his strings before settling his guitar aside, his breath coming a little quicker in his chest.
He rose, pulling the cigarette from his lips, and listened to the pounding of his own heart - the singing pain inside, sharp and hot, not simply aching, dull and half-dead, as it had for so long.
"Adam?"
The seeking voice shouldn't even have reached so far, faint and delicate. Adam's heart stuttered at the sound of it, and he stumbled as he began to move. He didn't stop, though, forging through the swirling fog with no need to see his way. His coat flapped around his legs as his pace quickened, and he dropped his cigarette aside, barely feeling the singe of the cherry against his fingers for the moment before it fell from his grip, forgotten.
Mizuki's soft features came into view through the fog, a smile curling her lips as she moved through the fog and some of the lines the world had left on her faded. Flickers of Sayaka's face shimmered through, barely visible.
"Mizuki." Adam's voice ached as he spoke. "It's . . . time." He knew it, could feel it as sure as he could see her, but the words weren't quite steady.
Mizuki smiled sweetly at him, holding out her hands, and Adam laced his own with them, pulling her close. Mizuki clung to him as their bodies came together. "I'm sorry I made you wait for so long." she said softly, nuzzling into his shoulder and sniffling a little into the worn-soft leather of his coat.
Adam's arms closed tighter around her waist and his throat ached. "I would have waited forever." he said thickly, fingers digging into her hair.
Mizuki leaned back after a few long minutes, her eyes dark and bright at once - there was more to be found in their depths than when last Adam had met that beautiful gaze. He cupped her cheek. It had hurt like nothing else to walk away from her - to bid her return to the world of the living and explore life, to come to him only when she was through there - but it had been the only choice.
Adam would never take anything from her, and she had always longed to see more. And the world had been good to Mizuki, he thought - good in the way that she had wanted, letting her learn and grow through the experiences the world had to offer.
Lips brushing hers, Adam's heart seized painfully at feeling Mizuki's warmth and presence so close again after so long. "Welcome." Adam said quietly, thumb stroking over her cheek.
Tears glittered in Mizuki's lashes. "I missed you so." she said, pressing herself to him, two halves that should never have been dragged apart the way they had been. Her lips were warm and confident as she returned Adam's kiss, asking for more this time.
Adam stroked her back, his heart easing slightly, and willingly offered more.
The fog billowed around them, then began to recede in smooth swirls, revealing a path up to a familiar house, well-kept but shadowed and eerily lit. Adam's guitar leaned against the gate, which stood open and waiting for them. Adam smiled slightly, meeting Mizuki's eyes again.
Mizuki smiled back and held up one hand, and Adam laced their fingers.
Together. Home.
They walked hand in hand towards the house, Mizuki's free hand gathering her skirt up as its hem swept through dead leaves. They passed through the gate and Adam took up his guitar.
An eternity never to be parted again awaited them, whatever Adam's foolishness had bought for them before.
I have a couple of pieces in progress for this fandom, this was not either of them . . . but I wrote it two days ago when I came home (finally) from ICU, hospital, then physical rehab, and a friend suggested I write a 'homecoming' story. (Perhaps this was not what either of us had in mind, but it was my first thought.) I polished it up a little today.