Tears in Heaven
A Digimon Songfic by 7 of 11
To 'Tears in Heaven' by Eric Clapton
(Author's Note: Although I am using characters from my 'fic 'Mirror, Mirror', this has nothing to do with that plot.)
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"Dad?" Kana's voice came from the opposite side of the breakfast table.
"Yes, honey?" Takeru put down his newspaper.
His thirteen-year-old daughter looked a bit uncomfortable. "Can I talk to you about something?" she asked.
Takeru looked down at his watch. "I'm sorry, Kana, but can it wait? I need to get to work soon! I promise, whatever it is, we'll talk tonight." There was no mistaking the disappointment in Kana's eyes.
"Oh, okay…" she said, and she got up to wash her plate. Takeru resumed reading his newspaper. A few minutes later, he heard the door slam as Kana went to go to one of her friend's houses.
Takeru was driving to work, when he saw what appeared to be an accident up ahead. Being the compassionate person he was, he felt that he should stop and see if the paramedics needed any help. He pulled over to the side of the road, and exited his vehicle.
A car was parked on the edge of the street, its fender badly dented. Takeru was walking over to the ambulance to ask if he could assist them, when he saw a bike, bent horribly out of shape, on the pavement in front of it. A glance at where the driver, who looked disheveled and had bloodshot eyes, was being questioned told him what he had already guessed. Some drunk had run over a bicyclist.
Then he looked more closely at the bike. It seemed awfully familiar; in fact, it reminded Takeru of the bicycle that he and Hikari had gotten Kana for her birthday last year. In fact, it even had a scrape in the same spot where Kana had accidentally run it into a tree. Takeru's blood ran cold.
He ran over to the crumpled bike and looked on the frame connecting the handlebars. There it was—the engraving, "To Kana, from Mom and Dad."
Takeru slumped down on the ground, unbelieving. It was then a paramedic noticed the man next to the bicycle. "Hey, who are you? What are you doing?" He asked.
"My daughter…that's my daughter…" Takeru gasped, this entire thing still seeming dreamlike, unreal.
Would you know my name
If I saw you in Heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in Heaven?
I must be strong,
And carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in Heaven
It was five hours later, in the hospital waiting room, where Takeru held his sobbing wife Hikari, who was pregnant with their second child. Kana had been taken into surgery nearly four and a half hours previously—by Takeru's brother, Yamato, no less—and her condition was listed as 'Critical'. Takeru tried to comfort Hikari, but it was very difficult to comfort someone when he himself needed to be reassured that Kana would be okay. "I'm sure Yamato and the other doctors will help Kana, she'll be fine…" He whispered, more for himself than Hikari.
The door hissed open, and Yamato walked out, his expression somber. Hikari looked up from where her face was buried in Takeru's chest, her eyes red with tears, to hear whatever news her brother-in-law was bearing. "How is she, Yamato?" She half-sobbed.
Yamato looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Hikari, Takeru. We lost her."
Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in Heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in Heaven?
I'll find my way,
Through night and day,
'Cause I know I just can't stay,
Here in Heaven
Takeru watched the small, mahogany coffin lowered slowly into the grave. Dirt was piled on top of it, until it was completely covered. And that was that. Kana could not ever again be with them. No more would they hear her laugh, see her smile, talk to her about how her school day was, play a game with her, nothing. All of that was over.
Tears running down his face, Masayoshi Kido stepped forward to place a bouquet of flowers upon Kana's grave. From what Takeru and Hikari had heard from Jyou and Mimi, Masayoshi's parents, the two had become a couple over the last month or so. But now, that too, was over. Even as they watched, Masayoshi flung an arm around his mother's neck and started to sob.
Time can bring you down,
Time can bend your knees.
Time can break your heart,
Have you beggin' please,
Beggin' please…
It had been a month since the tragedy. People in the Takaishis' lives had both come and gone. Most had told the two how sincerely sorry they were, but none of that helped. Takeru frequently found himself sobbing over a picture of him and his daughter together, both smiling.
Once again, Takeru looked at the picture through teary eyes. Could either of the happy, carefree two in the picture have guessed that it would turn out this way? With every passing day, Takeru felt the void in his heart growing larger and larger, until it threatened to consume his very soul.
And suddenly, he remembered something. Everything on that fateful day a month ago had been blurred as if by tears, but now something was coming back. Something he had said, or done…and then Takeru knew what he had to do.
Beyond that door,
There's peace, I'm sure.
And I know there'll be no more
Tears in Heaven
Takeru walked to the small gravestone which read 'Kana Takaishi, 2013-2026'. "Kana," he began. "I'm sorry. You asked me if we could talk, and I only thought of myself. I promised we would have that conversation later, but…" he choked back tears. "We couldn't. And the worst thing is, I never got to say good-bye to you. And I can never rest easily again, knowing that you died feeling that your father had let you down."
He no longer tried to keep his emotions penned up, instead, he allowed himself to cry freely. "All I can say is that I'm sorry. And I miss you, Kana. We all miss you. And you're little brother…yes, he's been born!" Takeru semi-smiled. "Will never know the great sister he could have had."
Takeru bent down and placed something in front of the tombstone. "Goodbye, Kana. May you Rest In Peace. I love you." With that, he left.
A glint of sunlight cut through the heavy clouds that obscured the sky, and it shone down on what Takeru had left. It was the photo of him and Kana together. And it possibly could have been just a simple trick of the light, but the father and his daughter looked a
bit happier together.
Would you know my name
If I saw you in Heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in Heaven?
I must be strong,
And carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in Heaven
Takeru woke up in a cold sweat. "Wha…what?" he stammered. Had it truly all been a dream? More like a nightmare, actually…
Pulling on his bathrobe, Takeru walked through their apartment's living room and opened the door to Kana's bedroom. There she was, sound asleep, and very much alive.
He silently walked over to her bedside, and pulled up a chair. He sat there for a long time, just looking at her. She was alive, it had all been a dream. A simple dream…yet more then that, he realized. He and Kana could be separated without ever saying goodbye…It was possible, after all. He hoped that would never be the case, but one never knew. So, in a way, that dream had been a warning.
Takeru was surprised to find himself actually being thankful for that horrible nightmare, but he was. Now he knew that since life was all too precious, all too short, one should never squander it, put things off. Especially when doing that could hurt someone you loved.
Slowly, Kana opened her eyes. "Dad? What are you doing here?" she mumbled, still half-asleep.
"Oh, nothing really, Kana…" her father said. "I just wanted to tell you that if you ever want to talk to me about ANYTHING, don't hesitate to ask. No matter what, we can always talk." He promised. "I mean it."
Kana smiled sleepily. "I know, Dad. Why would it be any different?" and then she went back to sleep.
Takeru gently kissed her on the cheek. Then, he turned and walked out of the room. As he was exiting, he looked back one more time at his sleeping daughter, one of life's miracles. "Good night, Kana." He whispered, closing the door.
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in Heaven
