Chapter Two: Caller ID


My Heart Starts With You

A Fanfiction by Allison Illuminated

Chapter Publish Date: 4/24/18


When the alarm went off, Taki's eyes shot open. He sat up, looking around then down in momentary confusion. I'm me again, only…

Why am I still wearing my uniform?

Natural light spilled into his room as he pulled the shades open. The glass was cool against his nose, the pads of his fingers leaving light smudges as he drew them over the morning sun. Tokyo looked the same as always. Had he been expecting anything else?

The uniform was more than a little sweaty; he crinkled his nose as he unbuttoned the shirt and yanked his tie off. I never fall asleep in my uniform! I could have sworn I took it off too, was I sleepwalking or something? Kicking the crumpled pile of clothes away from his feet, he grabbed a fresh button down and another pair of boxers and walked into the bathroom. Dropping his outfit, he turned to the mirror and sighed as his face came into view.

Was I really Mitsuha?

It hadn't felt like a dream. Taki could remember everything he had done, from the hyper-realistic views to the stupid conversation he, Tessie, and Saya had dragged through three periods and lunch. Staring at his reflection, he tried to come up with ways to rationalize it and drew a blank. I mean, I've seen tons of pictures of Itomori but nothing like that…

The hot water was soothing, but his mind stayed far away. I know lots of stuff about Mitsuha, but not everything that happened there! It all made so much sense, it's hard to believe I made it up.

Maybe I just have a great imagination… Of course! I can just sketch some of the random places and show Mitsuha, then she can tell me how close I was. I'm sure I'll be way off, and it was just some crazy dream.

When does she get back from Korea again?

"Taki, are you moving?"

Taki jolted back to reality as his father's voice drifted from the other room. Oh, right. School. It's a shame that dream wasn't real, I'd hang out with Tessie and Saya over Tsukasa and Shinta. If only they weren't at university in Kyoto… Getting out of the shower, he toweled off and threw his uniform on.

His father shot him a look as he stumbled into the kitchen. "You forgot to make breakfast again."

"Again?"

The older man rose to his feet with a groan, folding his newspaper and tossing it onto the table. "Yes, again."

Huh? Taki frowned, watching him walk towards the door. "But you made breakfast yesterday, remember? You take Thursdays, I take Fridays."

His father paused in the entryway. Turning, he narrowed his eyes at Taki. "I thought it was an off-day, but you're just as weird today as yesterday. It's Saturday, kid. Playing the amnesia card isn't going to get you out of chores, no matter how hard that kid hit you the other day." He paused for a moment, then his eyes widened. "You're wearing your uniform… Wait, you actually think it's Friday?"

Taki looked down at his shirt and tie. You're kidding me. You're actually kidding me. "It is Friday! This is-"

The newspaper fell into his hands, and Taki stared dumbly at the dateline – Saturday, September 3rd, 2016. His father cracked a rare smile, shaking his head in amusement. "Sometimes it amazes me how clueless you are, Taki. I've got to go volunteer at the art center, don't burn down the apartment without me."

"B-b-but..." he stuttered, staring at the paper. Pinching himself yielded pain, shaking his head just made him dizzy. The door slammed shut. He let the paper slip from his hands and stumbled backward, his back slamming into the gray wall. "What?!"

Either this is a really really good prank, or…

Taki flew into his room and went straight for his phone. Sure enough, the screen said Saturday. So did the good morning text from Mitsuha and a text from Tsukasa asking whether he wanted to hang out later. Okay, so it's Saturday. That makes sense. I must have literally sleepwalked to school yesterday, or… something.

For some reason, his dream immediately sprang to mind. He stomped that thought out in the bud. Don't be crazy, you're starting to sound like Tessie!

His pillow was soft against his head as he rolled onto his back. He really didn't have school so there was no need to the uniform. Closing his eyes and sighing, he took his uniform off and changed into more casual wear. Can't say I was excited to go to school after that dream…

Oh, I was going to try and draw it.

Paper rustled on his desk when he pulled his chair back and sat down. Last night, he had been working on a simple sketch of the skyline; it was entirely unimportant and he had done it a million times before, so he shoved it aside and grabbed a new sheet of paper. Taking a pencil, he tossed his phone onto his bed and began to draw.

A half-hour later, a more polished drawing of the rough sketch he had done the day before sat before him. Sitting back, he inspected his work; he might not have had a reference, but to his eye, it looked accurate. It's a shame I won't get another good look, I'd love to do it better…

His phone buzzed on his bed. Taki rolled his chair away from his desk and grabbed it: Mitsuha was calling. Great, maybe she can make something out of this weird dream and amnesia thing. Pressing the accept button, he lifted it to his ear. "Hi."

"Taki Tachibana, you promised me that you would text me!"

He winced as Mitsuha yelled into the phone. Is this another thing I forgot to do yesterday? What happened, was I possessed or something? "Uh, sorry!" What can I say, what can I say? "You know how bad I am at texting..."

"Idiot..." Her voice sounded less angry now, so that was a plus for sure. "You did text me last night, so that's something I guess. I still can't believe you forgot your bento..."

I forgot my bento?! Laughing nervously, he said, "Yeah, neither can I." Change the subject, idiot! "So, um, how's Korea?"

"I think I'm the youngest person at this convention by twenty years," she stage-whispered into the phone, letting the buzz of conversation around her sink in. "I mean, it's my first business trip, which is exciting, but everyone else has a degree and ten years of experience and I haven't even gone to college!"

Taki spun his chair around to watch the skyline. "I mean, what did you expect from a convention for historians? It's not like many nineteen-year-olds are exactly leading cultural preservation efforts."

"You're still just mad that I'm an associate director and you're only a first year in high school," she said with a hint of pride, and he rolled his eyes. "Also, half the people here don't speak Japanese and I don't speak Korean, so I have to use English. Honestly, it's kinda boring, I wish you could have come with me."

"Well, Dad is already on me for skipping school with you, so probably that's not the best idea… You're coming home on Wednesday, four more days can't be that bad, right?"

"I guess so," Mitsuha said with a hint of doubt. "Anyways, what didn't you want to tell me last night? You never hide things from me, and I know you couldn't really have been talking about forgetting your bento…"

Taki pursed his lips and got to his feet, leaving his room and aimlessly wandering through the apartment. "Well, I did have this weird dream, actually..."

"Dream?" Her voice sounded oddly strangled through the phone. He leaned against the doorway to his father's bedroom as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it was really weird, actually. See, it was one of those super-realistic lucid dreams, where you can control things and stuff like that." Tilting his head back to stare at the cracked ceiling, he said, "But that wasn't even the weird part. I was in your body in Itomori-" There was a noise that sounded suspiciously like a phone being dropped on the other line, and he paused. "Mitsuha!"

"I forgot! How the hell could I have forgotten? Why didn't he remind me? No, wait, he knew-" Mitsuha stopped babbling into the phone, and there was a momentary pause. "Right, you're still there. Hi, Taki~"

To say that Taki was confused was a bit of an understatement. "What just happened? What did you forget?"

She went from singsong to serious in an instant. "I'm coming back to Japan right now."

"WHAT?!"

"Hm, so I'll need a plane ticket back to Tokyo and a ride to the airport..." Mitsuha muttered to herself. "Sorry, Taki, I have to go! I'll see you later today and I'll explain everything, I promise!" The line went dead in his hands, and his hand sagged to his side.

What the hell just happened?


"And then she's like, oh, I'm coming back to Tokyo and just hangs up on me!" Taki shook his head in amazement, staring at his drink. "I don't understand Mitsuha at all sometimes..."

The cafe was a modern affair – high arching wooden beams overlooked a sea of wooden tables and beige faux leather chairs. Tsukasa's finger pressed into his cheekbone, thoughtfully tapping Taki's chair leg with his foot. "That's really strange, even for her. Didn't she make a big deal out of how this conference was supposed to be a career opportunity for her?"

"Yeah, and it almost felt like it was because I mentioned that dumb dream I had of her," he muttered, moving his fork and knife aside to make room for the plate of fries they had ordered together.

"You two are perfect for each other," Tsukasa drawled, lazily pushing a fry into his mouth end-first. "I mean, you even dream of her..."

Taki's face went red. "We're best friends, not together! How many times do I-"

"Relax, relax, I know." Tsukasa took a long drink from his milkshake as he eyed Taki. "You know, you were really weird yesterday. I'm almost convinced it wasn't even you, seeing that you're back to normal now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let's see." He held his hand up and started ticking off fingers. "You got lost on the way to school, you didn't know where our classroom or your job was, you forgot your lunch… You didn't even immediately deny it when Shinta and I said you and Mitsuha should get together..."

Taki stood up abruptly, slamming his hands down on the table and leaning into towards him. "You're kidding me!"

"Nope, not at all. I'm telling you, I think you need her. She's out of the country for a week and you're practically dysfunctional..." Tsukasa shook his head and slumped deeper into his seat, tossing more food into his mouth.

Groaning, he slid back into his seat and stared despondently at the fries. I'm so confused. "Can we change the subject?"

"Whatever you say, dude."

"I started sketching something new." Digging his phone out of his pocket, he found the quick photo he had taken of his drawing and pushed it across the table. Tsukasa lifted his glasses up to look closer and gave an appreciative whistle when he did.

"This is your first sketch? What source were you using?"

Taki started to respond then caught himself. How am I supposed to tell him that it's the second sketch of a building I saw in my dream, the first sketch of which I did in that dream? "It's, um, a building I noticed biking the other day. I took a picture, that's probably why it looks so good."

"Where in Tokyo are there rising hills like this?" Tsukasa asked skeptically.

"I went out of the city with Mitsuha last weekend?" he offered, kicking himself internally. This is why I don't like lying, I'm awful at it!

"Right..." Shaking his head, Tsukasa narrowed his eyes at Taki. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something? You're still off today."

Sighing, he looked away from the cafe and out the window. Tokyo was the same as always: pavement and people and flashing lights. It was just a dream. Nothing less, nothing more. "To be honest, I don't really know what's wrong either. Maybe I'm still asleep..."


1:23.

Deep shadows crept across the sparse contours of Taki's room. Cocooned in his blanket, blue light burned his face as he listlessly scrolled through his phone. He was warm, but every couple of minutes he would roll over to ignore the cramped feeling in his arms. Clicking back over to Line, he sighed as he read the message once again.

M: I'm on the 12:30 back to Tokyo. I'm coming over as soon as I land, don't go anywhere!

He had typed out his response, but he hadn't gotten to it until after she had been supposed to take off.

T: Why now? What's so important that can't wait until morning?

No response. Now, he was lying in bed wondering whether what could possibly have possessed Mitsuha this time. I knew she gets impulses, but this? This doesn't even make sense!

Mitsuha, what are you up to this time?

The iPhone slipped from his fingers and tumbled to the floor. Before he knew it, his eyes had slipped shut and he fell fast asleep.


Drip. Drip. Drip.

There were some facts of Mitsuha's existence that she had always taken as givens. She couldn't remember when, exactly, she had first noticed the leaky faucet in her bathroom. In fact, she had never given it a second thought until Yotsuha had complained. It was an object of muted interest, something to contemplate on the toilet or as she blow dried her hair. Now, kneeling at the sink, her chin perched on her folded arms, she was lost in thought staring at the steady drip from the rusted faucet.

What was that dream? It can't have been real, but it was real- No, stupid, it was a dream… But maybe it wasn't a dream! And if it wasn't, then I went to Tokyo! That's amazing! Mitsuha Miyamizu, Tokyo girl… or boy… But I was there! Or in Korea, that part didn't make much sense…

"Hurry up! We're gonna be late and you've been in there forever!" Yotsuha yelled through the door.

Knocked out of her thoughts, Mitsuha got to her feet and looked in the mirror. No Taki Tachibana here… Adjusting her hair tie and her bra, she exited the furo and stuck her tongue out at her little sister.

She got a flat look in return. "At least your hair is back to normal today," Yotsuha muttered, flinging the door shut behind her.

My hair? What about my hair?


"Mitsuhaaaa! Over here!" Saya waved Mitsuha over to a shady bench as she exited the school to eat lunch. Grinning widely, she ran over to join her and Tessie, who were already eating in the cool shade. Itomori's sparkling lake sprawled out behind them, but none of them paid it any heed.

Tessie gave her an evil grin, poking her with his toe. "So you didn't need us to show you to your classes after all, huh?"

"Seriously, where did you guys even come up with this stuff? Have you been reading about the occult again?" Leaning back against the worn and splintery wood, she pulled her bento open and started eating. "There are what, thirteen classrooms in our entire school? How could I possibly get lost?"

They exchanged a look. "Don't ask me, you're the one who asked me where your English class was," he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, you were totally weird yesterday." Saya leaned closer and squinted at her. "Like, you knew some things, but you also acted like you had no idea what was going on!"

Tessie nodded rapidly, holding out a hand. "You did your hair funny, you tried to follow me into the boys bathroom, plus suddenly you're a great artist..." He ticked down a finger at each point, then his face lit up and he shouted, "You must have been possessed!"

Mitsuha blinked, then blinked again. Why does that not sound like a completely unreasonable explanation? "And all of that on top of that weird dream I had..."

"Dream?"

"Yeah, it was 2016 and I was a boy in Tokyo who was dating but not dating myself..." An absurd laugh burst from her throat; said out loud, the utter absurdity of it made it so much less believable. Ignoring the instant regret she got from vocalizing it – that was my thing, I shouldn't have told them – she said, "I was just kinda out of it, I guess?"

"Ri-ight..." Taki shrugged, kicking his feet up and looking back at the school. "I guess you really are back to normal."

Elbowing Tessie, Saya whispered, "He's just disappointed you're not helping him tease me today."

"Something like that," he muttered, an obvious blush rising to his cheeks.

Mitsuha groaned and started eating again, balancing her lunch atop her bent knees. "Just start dating already so I can eat in peace..."

"WE ARE NOT DATING!"

Bursting out laughing, a sense of relief washed over her and she relaxed slightly. It was just a dream. See, everything is perfectly normal.


This is not normal.

A hand rested on Mitsuha's shoulder as she blankly looked at the sketch before her. It looked downright professional, which was about as far from her art as one could possibly get. Her art teacher raised a quizzical eyebrow. "I'd love to see what you come up with today, Mitsuha, since you suddenly seem to be an artist."

"Bu- bu- bu- What?"

"Mitsuha?" Saya's hand rested on her arm, and she spun around to her worried countenance. "Are you really okay?"

Dazed, she nodded aimlessly. "Yeah, I'm fine." She wasn't, of course, because the second she had seen the sketch, her mind had flown hundreds of miles away to a small apartment in Tokyo, covered in beautiful pencil sketches just like the one before her.

Was it really a dream?


Is this really a dream?

The first time Taki had found himself in Mitsuha's body, it had felt like just that. The second time, just two days after the first, he wasn't so sure.

There was no mistaking the person looking back at him in the mirror. He felt present, present through the damp cool of the sink, by the pain where he had pinched himself so hard he nearly broke the skin, by the chest he did not have as a boy. Yet he didn't feel displaced, he didn't feel like he was in the distant haze of dreamland.

No, he felt comfortable. In his best friend's body. Living her life. Again.

Hastily tying up another ponytail, Taki pushed away from the bathroom sink. Ticking off everything he had learned about Mitsuha's life last time, he barely even noticed Yotsuha staring at him as he walked into the kitchen and sat at his seat. Why am I here? Am I here? Do I want to be here?

At least I can eat as much as I want here, he thought as he shoveled a massive portion of rice into his bowl. If only Dad wasn't such a miser about everything…

"Grandma, Mitsuha's being weird again!" Yotsuha whined, watching her suspiciously.

"Huh?"

Grandma shot her a look, shaking her head. "Mistuha, we've had this conversation before. You are a perfectly well-endowed young lady so you don't have to feel ashamed of supporting yourself."

Blinking, Taki pointed at himself and cocked his head in confusion.

"You're not wearing a bra! You're still trying to do gross stuff with Tessie, aren't you?" Yotsuha said, poking him with her elbow and giving her an evil grin.

Mitsuha looked down and turned deep fuschia. I forgot to wear a bra? I'm a guy, guys don't- But I'm not a guy right now, I'm a girl… Wait a- "T-T-Tessie? What are you talking about?"

"I think you know..."

"What are you doing with Katsuhiko?" Grandma asked, fixing Taki with an even look.

Mitsuha's never had a boyfriend! Right? Wait a second… "Yotsuha!" Mitsuha's little sister stuck a tongue at him, and he felt like facepalming. Of course she's teasing me, even as an elementary schooler… Hastily getting up from the table, Taki fled the room at Yotsuha burst out in hysterical laughter. I swear, that little brat sister of hers… Now, how the hell do I put a bra on?

Ten minutes of merciless teasing later, Taki fled the Miyamizu household dragging Yotsuha along with him. Itomori caught his breath once again, although the sheer awe he had felt yesterday was somewhat dulled. After dropping her at school, he waited for Tessie and Saya this time, grinning and waving wildly as they came. Alright, obviously I know more about Mitsuha now so I better put it to good use!

Walking up to school with two of his closest friends in an impossible time and an impossible place, he was starting to wonder whether there was any way it could be a dream.


Taki collapsed onto the futon in a heap, feeling worse than he could remember in a long time.

The day had started out poorly. First off, Mitsuha's father had called him out at his rally; he didn't think it would have been so embarrassing, but it was. I'm so used to her father being so nice and involved, I almost forgot she told me he used to be like this! Then Tessie and Saya had fallen on their bike and spent the next six hours bickering over whose fault it was. Mitsuha's art teacher had asked where the sketching skill had come from again in art, and to top it all of, he hadn't been able to get out of her braiding and had suffered through a long painful lecture from Grandma on the proper technique.

Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, causing him to curl up tighter on the futon. I can't cry! I'm a boy, boys don't cry over stupid stuff like this!

But you're not a boy, you're Mitsuha, his tears seemed to taunt him.

"Mitsuha, how can I talk to you if I'm in your body?" he whispered, her familiar voice sounding slightly off when he used it.

He needed confirmation, something to show that it was just a nightmare waiting to pass in the morning. Reaching for her phone, he thought for a moment then typed in his old phone number, the one from middle school. Pressing it to his ear, he waited for somebody to pick up.

"Hello?"

Cold chills racked Taki's body. I just called myself. I- I… "H-hi?"

"Uh, do I know you?"

Taki froze. My younger self is right. He doesn't know Mitsuha. Why would he? "I-I'm sorry, I guess I must- I dialed a wrong number. I-"

"Oh, okay." A pause. "Are you… okay? Should I hang up?"

He choked back a sob. God, why am I doing this? He wondered about the question for a moment, some part of his brain trying to stay detached. "I don't know."

"Oh. Ok, I guess. I'm Taki?"

"M-Mitsuha," she mumbled. "I shou- I should go. To sleep, or- well, or something. I'm sorry."

His younger self must have adjusted the phone because the line rang with static. "Oh. Well, I hope you feel better, Mitsuha."

Some faint recognition registered in Taki's brain, and suddenly the words came spilling from his mouth. "Taki?" he whispered. "Can you call me again, please? I- It's just- When I'm not like this..."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so?" Younger Taki's voice dropped a bit, and he said, "Mom says that sleep makes you feel better if you're sad, I think? Maybe you'll feel better in the morning. Everything always seems less scary in the sunlight."

In spite of himself, Taki couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. I just got advice from a younger version of myself. What even…

Mom wasn't dead three years ago. He hasn't lost her, yet. Overwhelmed and confused, Taki said something indecipherable as a goodbye and let the phone fall away from the futon. Why am I crying? Why isn't Mitsuha here with me?

Lost and confused, Taki slowly drifted off to sleep.


Mitsuha started as someone rudely shook her shoulder. Mumbling something, she tried to roll over but the person gripped her shoulder and pulled her up. What? Who's there, wha… oh.

Blinking her eyes open, Mitsuha found herself staring at Mitsuha Miyamizu.


[A/N] Thank you for all the support on the first chapter! For such a small fandom, I didn't expect that at all but you guys rock!

Signing out, Allie