AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the first (but not the only! :) multi-chapter fanfic that I have ever posted on the Net...and if the title sounds familiar and you feel as if you've read it before, somewhere, then don't bother pounding the thought out of your head -- because it's probably true ^_^ Granted, this fanfic is old. Very old. Couple of years, in fact. I started it while still in my FoR-otaku mode, but somewhere around the middle the plot and the writing killed itself and took me along with it @_@ Until this day I still don't know why...might be because I started swaying to the video game fandom...
Ack! o.O;;; You didn't just hear that! You didn't! *pastes a big cloth over the above sentence with the word "You didn't hear it!" written on it*
Somehow, I was dragged back into the fandom (I guess you'll always be a FoR fan no matter how far you stray ^^) and back to this fanfic, consequently. I almost cringed myself to death while reading the first chapter -- it was so terrible I felt sorry for the poor people on the FoR MLs who read it ^-^ I couldn't bring myself to rewrite it at first (laziness kicking in right there) but I was determined to post this fanfic up somewhere! And no way in all heck am I gonna post a version that made me cringe to the point of experiencing a convulsion ^^;;
So I rewrote it. Can't tell if it's good or not, though ^^;; If it's not, I'm hoping it'll at least be better than what I wrote previously ^_^ Unfortunately, when I rewrite things I tend to lengthen them. A lot. So I apologise, right here and right now, for its extremely long length; I just can't seem to find a good place to stop @_@;;; And I stake no claims over the fact that the characters get way OT every three seconds x_x Blame Mikagami, he made me do it.
Mikagami: LIAR!
Lynn: *shoves him into her closet* Ignore him. For once ^o^
C&C are more than welcomed! *_* ...Please? I really need some feedback on the fic. Gotta know if it sucks or not ^^ BTW, thanx to Christina-chan, Natsumi-sama, Kchan and Cho-san for taking the time to answer my questions! *o* Arigatou!
...And wasn't this a long note? Oog.
SPOILERS: Beware! This is a post-anime fic, which means that it starts where the anime series ends. Spoilers abound on, well...everything, naturally ^_^ As if that's anything new, though ^^;;;
TRANSLATION:
'niichan = older brother
'neechan = older sister
hai = yes
baka = idiot
komban wa = good evening
===============
The Bonds of Time
Chapter 1: Aftermath
===============
"It's gonna crash!"
The explosion was deafening to their ears, blinding to their eyes, striking the searing thought of death into their minds as rubble rained down upon the spectators of the Ura Butou Satsujin. Their panicked screams echoed off the walls as everyone tried to push their way through the crowd, hoping to escape from being crushed by the rapidly collapsing dome.
"Damn it, get out of my way!"
It was an ironic situation as their panicked rush was the very reason why barely anyone managed to get out of the arena.
Everything had happened so fast; for some reason, while the battle between the two captains was raging on within the ring, another figure had emerged from the shadows to join them. Words were exchanged, but they soon gave way to those unusual flames being thrown around -- evidently, the newcomer was very much unwanted by the two fighters.
Then the stunning explosion of blinding white light, and the rush, and screams...
Yet the dome did not collapse, and no one was hurt. All that appeared was a shield of red light, encasing the arena and holding building's frame together, preventing it from crashing down upon its occupants. Then the silence, a stark contrast to the earlier commotion, accompanied by varied murmurs of confusion.
Weren't they supposed to be dead by now?
And at the centre of those whispers, covered by dust and blood, was Hanabishi Recca...with the kanji of 'Madoka' shining on his arm.
***
"And so, the winner and new champion of the Ura Butou Satsujin is...the one and only, Team Hokage!"
The referees Tatsuko and Demi announced grandly to the crowd, joining their hands above them as a sign of victory. The audience, finally realising who had saved them from an imminent death, cheered ecstatically in response -- for during the entire period of the tournament, Team Hokage had, surprisingly, managed to rake in a large number of supporters as they steadily progressed from one round to another.
They hooted and hollered, waving their hands and pumping their fists in support, as the flag of Fuuko's Fan Club waved proudly in the air, tarnished only by minimum dust and grime; and Recca couldn't help the satisfied grin, knowing that they had finally achieved their victory.
"Recca-kun!" The shout from above alerted him to her presence.
Sakoshita Yanagi, ecstatic with joy and flooded with relief at seeing her Ninja safe and alive, immediately jumped off the ledge without quite thinking of the consequences, and landed on a surprised Recca. It was something quite out of character for the usually demure girl, but she couldn't help it. The relief, the joy, the knowledge that she wouldn't spend another night worrying about what was to come...it was wonderful. It dissipated a heavy burden she hadn't even known existed, and her shoulders had never felt lighter.
She continued hugging Recca tightly, feeling the stress and tension over the last few days releasing themselves from her conscience...
They were safe.
They were alive.
They had won.
One tear soon gave way to many, starting a gentle flow down her cheeks, but Yanagi didn't mind. They were tears of joy after all, and this was a happy occasion. Not the sad one that she had feared would happen all this time.
Before Recca could utter even a word, he saw his childhood friend, Kirisawa Fuuko jump off the same ledge as well; followed by thirteen-year old Koganei Kaoru; and finally, his schoolmate Ishijima Domon, who proceeded to crush the first four under his large form when he landed. As Fuuko playfully punched the latter, too excited to actually be seriously angry about anything right now, the rest were congratulating one another and being congratulated for their victory. Even the referees took their turns, with Tatsuko placing a playful kiss on the Flame Caster's cheek.
How happy they were at their attained victory, did they fail to notice that the last member of Team Hokage had remained on the ledge, arms folded, his madougu kept in his bloodied jacket for the time being. Kage Houshi glanced at the oldest member of the team, her eyes curious yet hinting that she already knew the answer to the question she posed.
"...Why don't you go down there and celebrate with them? After all, this victory includes you as well, doesn't it? Mikagami."
Mikagami Tokiya glanced at her through the corners of his eyes, the only sign that he had even heard her, before immediately reverting them to the scene below.
"I have no part in this victory. I lost my battle with Kai. I didn't contribute to this round at all...it isn't a victory that I may claim." As he absently fingered the left side of his coat, a faint frown appeared as his fingers reached the part that was dampened by his blood.
The blood...that came from his battle with Kai...
The frown disappeared as quickly as it came, and Mikagami abruptly turned to the walkway behind him. For some reason, the sounds of cheering brought a strange tightness to his throat, a twist to his stomach. His surroundings seemed misty and the voices around him were muffled, melding the individual chants into a union of seemingly unintelligible noise. He felt his breathing become laboured; his eyes were burning.
Had he lost too much blood in the fight?
'I have to go back...get out of this place...'
He had taken only a few steps however, when Kage Houshi's soft voice rang out, "Are you sure, Mikagami-kun? You don't think you deserve this win, at all?"
Although he didn't turn around to face her, Mikagami's voice rang out clearly against the loud cheers of the crowd, the deadly calm from before giving way to just the slightest bit of hopelessness. Of loss.
"I lost, Kagero-san. It's...as simple as that. I lost."
And with that, he left the battle dome, with the crowd chanting the words 'Hokage' over and over again behind him.
***
"Maa, it's still so hard to believe that we actually won!" Yanagi exclaimed as the group walked down the empty corridor nearly an hour later, tired but still not quite recovered from the excitement.
The congratulations had been numerous; almost as if everyone from the entire arena had come to praise them! It was a complete 180 turnabout from their earlier treatment, when nobody had even entertained the thought of Team Hokage winning the tournament. But they had. And they had done so successfully.
She gave the group a heartening smile, absently taking in their worn out appearance. Even though everyone was still energetic, she had no doubt that they'd fall asleep the second their heads touched the pillow.
Maybe a nice dinner would wake them up?
"You can say that again, Yanagi-chan!" Fuuko laughed, a small sweatdrop hovering above her head. She had never doubted her fighting abilities, of course; but to think of winning and actually achieving it were two very different things. The realisation that they -- they! -- were the champions...
"Who would have thought that a group of high school students..." Fuuko continued, glancing at Koganei with a smile, "...plus someone from junior high would actually be the champions of something like this?! It seems...I don't know...everything feels so unreal, for some reason."
She shook her head in disbelief. "...Like a dream..."
"No way, even in a dream you couldn't possibly win the tournament...It's not a dream, Fuuko-neechan. More like a miracle!" Nine-year old Ganko's blue eyes were bright with pleasant surprise, incredulity, and just the tiniest hint of adoration -- for the moment, at least. Even she had been overwhelmed by their victory just like everyone else.
Well, almost everyone.
Her stuffed fox was ever-present perched nicely on her head, fox-ears wagging mischievously as he stated impishly, "It's kinda weird that morons like you guys would be able to win something as deadly as this...The Fates must be screwing with ya."
Domon, who was walking beside Ganko, stopped and peered at the fox with the Kansai dialect, "Who are you calling a baka?!"
Kondo retorted, "Who else, blockhead? You! Something's definitely screwy for ya to actually win *your* battle! I mean, even Mikagami lost his, and here you are, winning that battle with Noroi..."
"Why you--"
Snatching Kondo by the tail from Ganko's head, Domon proceeded to get into one of many of his fights with it. The fox wailed in response, absently noting that his master hadn't protested too much when he was snatched away. Fuuko and Ganko sweatdropped, not doing much more that that. They knew better than to get in way of the fights.
Hopefully, Yanagi still had a few more rolls of thread to repair Kondo with by the time they were done.
Leaving the largest member of their team to fight with a stuffed fox less than a quarter of his size, they rounded the corner to catch up to the other members of the group, with Ganko muttering "Baaaka..." on the way.
***
As they neared their suite, Koganei's head swirled back and forth, his mess of hair flying as he looked this way and that, suddenly realized something. What Kondo had said about Mikagami's battle reminded him that they were missing a certain someone. Not finding his target, he tugged at Yanagi's sleeve, "Speaking of that...Yanagi-neechan, where did Mikagami-niichan go?"
Yanagi blinked in surprise. Recca, who overheard the question, looked around, surprised as well. Much to their amazement and due to the excitement, they hadn't noticed that Mikagami wasn't with them. He hadn't even appeared when the other contestants were congratulating them.
"...I'm not sure, Kaoru-kun. Did he leave early?" Yanagi answered with a question of her own. She did remember him standing over her while the battles were commencing, but after that...
Yet it was to be expected, in a way. Mikagami was always so quiet anytime they headed back to their suite, always walking at the very back of the group, it was no surprise that they hadn't noticed that he was missing. Kage Houshi shook her head, placing a comforting hand on Koganei's shoulder. "I wouldn't worry about him, Kaoru-kun. Mikagami-kun left earlier; I'm sure that he has returned to his room to rest up."
"That reminds me," Recca asked aloud, "Why didn't Mikagami come down with you guys? And why did he just leave like that? Come on, he wasn't *that* injured, was he?"
Even though they had fought together before in a double bout, and had learned to trust one another in battle, Recca still couldn't comprehend what the Hyomon Ken master was thinking about, time to time -- or rather, nearly all the time. It was so hard to read the older teen's thinking that, more often than not, all he could do was shoot blindly and hoped he hit the right target. The only time they ever seemed to connect was in battle. Other than that, his mother seemed to be the only one in tune with Mikagami's reserved mind.
Kage Houshi didn't answer the Flame Caster's questions, feeling that this time, it wouldn't be a good idea to let her son know why she thought Mikagami wasn't in the mood to celebrate. She was almost one hundred percent sure that it was the real reason why he had proclaimed that he lost. But it was not her place to convey that reason; such an action would come better from Mikagami himself.
'Maybe I should talk to him about it, later on. When everything has settled down, maybe...' she pondered, her maternal instinct surfacing as it always did whenever dealing with any of the Hokage.
Recca glanced curiously at his mother, wondering why she was ignoring his questions. Kage Houshi always seemed to have an answer to everything; to remain silent on a subject implied something serious was happening. Couple that with the fact that this was related to Mikagami, a friend of theirs whether he admitted it or not...
Ah. The curiousity was eating at him now.
'Should I ask? I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight if I don't...but...'
The mere stubborn expression on her face kept his questions at bay. It was a stubbornness that would make her refuse to say anything she felt she shouldn't say, and make her refuse to do something she felt shouldn't do. Somehow, he knew she would just find a way to avoid his questions until she was ready to answer them. It was an attribute he'd come to deal with since she moved in with him and his dad.
'What the heck! Maybe we'll find Mikagami later, then we'll find out what's up with him.' Recca affirmed his decision with a decisive nod. As he unlocked the door to their suite, he called over his shoulder to the rest, "Oi! You guys back there! Hurry it up, will ya? Or do you want me to lock you out?"
A cry of protest erupted from Ganko, and she and Fuuko began jogging to the four ahead. Domon and Kondo had also stopped fighting, and in the midst of jogging to their suite, Ganko was trying vainly to restore her badly-beaten stuffed fox from a pile of fur to his original form. His opponent had a vaguely triumphant look on his face.
As soon as Recca and the others caught sight of Kondo's situation, a huge sweatdrop befell them all. It was easy for the other four to realize what had happened between Domon and Kondo. Their fights were infamous.
Not bothering to hide his grin as Fuuko scolded Domon for doing such a horrible thing to a toy, of all things, whilst Yanagi and Ganko tried to restore Kondo's original shape, Recca pushed open the door and was surprised to find the lights in the living room on. The ceiling fan was also spinning, slowly.
"Hello? Mikagami-niichan? You here?" Koganei asked aloud. It was weird. The lights and fan were on, but nobody was around.
The door to the kitchen opened suddenly, and out came Mikagami with a cup of hot, freshly brewed tea in his hands. A faint arch of an eyebrow was all that showed he acknowledged their arrival. "Hai?"
He had, by then, already changed into another outfit of his -- long slacks and a collared-shirt with long sleeves. In what appeared to be a sudden bout of untidiness, the sleeves were sloppily drawn up to his elbows, and his still-damp hair seemed to have been tied up rather hastily as several more strands than usual stood out from the ponytail.
Kage Houshi tilted her head as she subtly studied his appearance, noting the condition he was in. To the untrained eye, the Ensui master probably looked as normal as he usually did...but as far as she could tell, the slightest bit of tardiness or disorganisation weren't attributes of Mikagami's. Something was wrong; the faint exhaustion in his eyes pointed to something much deeper than mere tiredness.
Relief was apparent in Koganei's face as he laughed slightly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Oh, nothing...Nothing! Just wondering where you were..."
It earned him a nod from the older teen, but nothing more.
As the latter walked over to a nearby window, resting his elbows on the frames as he gazed out in characteristic silence, Recca felt that there was something...different about Mikagami today. It was as if his mind were constantly a million miles away, lost in some thought or another.
'Now that I think about it, he's had been acting that way ever since last night, when Koku appeared.' A quick glance at Koganei showed that the junior high student was thinking somewhere along the same lines.
"Hey! How 'bout a little space here?! We can't get through, damn it!"
Recognizing the voice as that of Kondo's, Recca sighed and realized that Yanagi and Ganko had managed to piece the noisy stuffed toy back together. Shoot.
Nevertheless, he did move out of the doorway and to the side, opposite Koganei, and the others started to filter in. Fuuko exclaimed in surprise when she saw Mikagami, "Mi-chan! So there you are! I was wondering where you'd disappeared to."
Mikagami's gaze shifted in their direction once again at Fuuko's greeting. Again, he gave a nod, adding a short "Komban wa..." after that.
Once inside, everyone began getting comfortable, and Mikagami returned to the kitchen. Domon, sitting on the long sofa, stretched and proclaimed loudly, "Hey, I'm hungry! How 'bout having a large dinner so we can celebrate, hmm? With lots of food, and dessert, and--"
"Are you nuts?!" Recca exclaimed from the couch opposite Domon, as he stopped running a hand through his ruffled black hair and jumped up, "We just got back from the tournament, in case you've forgotten! Hime can't possibly cook a large dinner for us now! After healing all our injuries, she's just damn tired--"
Domon waved a hand to shut the Flame Caster up, "I didn't want Yanagi-san to *cook* for us, baka! I meant going to a restaurant! I hear the winners get a big discount tonight." Never one to miss out on a free, or potentially cheaper meal, he winked conspiratorily at his fellow teammates.
Yanagi, as she sat sandwiched between Recca and Koganei, had a very relieved look on her face. She liked cooking, yes. But to cook a meal for a group as large as theirs, and in the condition she was in, would be plain torture. She had been thinking of heading to a restaurant as well, only Domon had voiced the idea earlier. She leaned forward eagerly, "What do you have in mind, Domon?"
Domon gave her a huge grin, glad that she asked him first for the intended destination of their dinner. He knew exactly where he wanted to go. Settling back into his seat, he continued, "Well, I was walking around yesterday, looking around the place, when I came across this totally awesome restaurant! Heard of...The Seaview?"
Everyone shook their heads, much to his disgust.
"What?! I can't believe you guys don't even know about The Seaview!!" Domon acted as if mentioning the very name of the restaurant was a privilege, much to the others' amusement. "The food there's the greatest! Plus, their prices are so darn cheap that even someone like you, Hanabishi, would be able to pay for it!"
Insulted, Recca jumped up and immediately grabbed him in a head-lock, "And just what was that supposed to mean, mongoloid?!"
Before Domon could reply, Yanagi's voice rang out, halting the two from continuing what would be another fight, "Oh, Recca-kun! Why don't you let Domon finish talking first? I'm interested in hearing about this restaurant; I've heard that it's really famous around this part of Tokyo..."
At his Hime's command, Recca immediately released his hands, and the other teen fell unceremoniously onto the floor. Fuuko, who had also been listening to Domon's review of the restaurant, asked pointedly, "So, where is it? If it's so famous, shouldn't we have heard of it from somewhere?"
Domon got up and returned to his seat, absently rubbing his neck, "Actually, it just opened in this hotel a few days ago...Hmm. If I remember correctly, it's a few floors down, above the floor where all the other restaurants are. And I think there was a sign saying that they would give a discount on their prices if the number of people eating in a group was above six."
"Great! And considering that we're the winners here..." Koganei smirked, fangs and all, "We'll practically eat for free!" As if to make sure though, he turned to Recca's mother, "Kage Houshi-san, you're coming, right?"
She nodded, and Ganko butted in, "So am I! And Kondo too!"
He stared at the blonde pig-tailed girl, then rolled his eyes and said, "Ganko no baka! I don't think they would actually count a stuffed fox as part of the group."
Ganko blew him a raspberry, "Either way, I'm bringing him along!"
Kondo also gave his own two cents, "Yeah! Whaddya mean I'm not part of the group?! I can't eat twice as much as you can, ya little runt!"
Thus the result was an argument between boy and stuffed fox. Kondo seemed to be picking fights left and right. Recca got up, taking some time to stretch before rubbing his hands together in anticipation of a huge dinner.
"All right then! I guess we'll go there for dinner, since it's okay with everyone. I mean, if they have discounts and all that...Why not?" He grinned at that. "We have half an hour to shower, change and do what other things you want to do. Let's go, people! I'm starving!"
And he started for the shower in his room, intent on reaching it before Domon did. However, his progress was marred by a question from Koganei. "What about Mikagami-niichan? Isn't he coming too?"
Recca sweatdropped as he realized that he had once again completely forgotten about the Ensui wielder.
As if on cue, Mikagami stepped out of the kitchen at that moment, his cup washed and left dry on the kitchen counter. Fuuko noticed him and asked, "Mi-chan, you *are* coming too, right?"
Obviously, he had heard the entire conversation from the kitchen, for he answered, "No."
Koganei jumped up, startled, "Why not?!"
Mikagami sighed, closing his eyes briefly before refocusing them on the younger teen. He could still feel that burning sensation even when he closed them. "I have no intention of joining you, and I don't think that I actually need to disclose my reasons for it. Do I?"
At that, Koganei faulted slightly. My, wasn't someone grouchy today. But he kept his questioning gaze on the Ensui wielder, silently demanding an answer. Or better yet, for the latter to accept their invitation and go along. He couldn't understand it, sometimes! After all this time together, Mikagami still couldn't seem to be a part of the group, couldn't seem to socialise with them on a more intimate basis.
'Or maybe he just wouldn't.' Koganei bit his lip at that thought. Admittedly, Recca and Domon did get a little embarrassing from time to time...but he doubted it was so terrible that he'd want to section himself off from the team. What was it that kept Mikagami so distanced from them? Did he feel unaccepted? Awkward?
'Why, 'niichan? They would even accept someone like me, someone who used to be their enemy! I just don't understand you sometimes...'
"But this isn't just for celebration. It's dinner too! Are you saying you don't even want to have dinner?" Fuuko asked.
"No." Then, as if in a bid to end Koganei's questioning glance, Mikagami continued, "Look, I just don't feel up to celebrating right now. I'm tired, and I'm sleepy. And that's why I'm going to bed right after this."
Recca pointed out, "But it's only nine."
"So I'm going to bed early! You have a problem with that?"
Yes, Mikagami was cranky. It was evident from the irritation that managed to creep into that last sentence, marring his normally flat statements. He wanted to simply sleep away everything that happened, everything that he felt, and everything that he discovered during those seven long days.
And he wanted to be alone. He didn't think he could bear to watch his teammates celebrating a victory that wasn't his.
Recca scowled noticeably at the snap, but refrained from saying anything else. Whatever he said next wouldn't have been pretty anyway. Fuuko and Koganei were about to protest, when Kage Houshi spoke up, "If Mikagami-kun doesn't want to join us for dinner, then we should respect his decision."
She stood up at that, smoothening her dress before turned to face him, "You do look slightly weary...Maybe it is for the better of things that you remain here, to rest up. We're leaving tomorrow morning after all, and we will all need as much rest as possible."
There was a sort of finality in her tone, signalling the end of any questions or protests. Everyone seemed to understand that, and departed to their rooms.
Koganei, who was sharing a room with Mikagami, couldn't leave it at that. Closing the door to ensure they weren't overheard, he asked one last time in the privacy of their room, "Mikagami-niichan...Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"
A worried tone was all that could be detected, as if he were afraid of what might happen if the Hyomon Ken master were to be left alone. It was an indescribable worry, almost as if his gut feeling were telling him to keep the older teen under his watch at all times. Instinctively, he recalled the fight with Kai. He recalled the shocking news that had been revealed at the very end of that fight. And he recalled how Mikagami had completely disregarded that discovery, focussing his complete attention on the following battles, not even letting himself think of anything other than the fights ahead.
Yes, he was worried. Very.
As if sensing Koganei's apprehension at leaving him alone, Mikagami sighed, his voice missing the cold edge that had just been used earlier. "Yes, Koganei. I'm sure. I just...need to be alone for awhile..."
Pulling on the new shirt and shorts that Yanagi had bought for him, Koganei nodded, not quite understanding but knowing when not to prod. He could only go so far with his 'niichan' before overstepping the limit. What he could understand, however, was that Mikagami needed time alone to think, without the ruckus that was always around that were usually caused either by Domon fighting with Kondo, Domon fighting with Recca, or Domon hitting on Fuuko and getting his butt whipped again.
Before he left the room though, Koganei gave the older teen a weak grin, "Take care, 'niichan...And don't do anything--rash while we're gone..."
The door closed, and the rest of Team Hokage left for their dinner, leaving Mikagami alone in his room.
~tbc~