My Dearest Morphine
Chapter 3: Perfection
I could tell that they were a strange couple. Maybe it was the way that she leaned away from him whenever he attempted to touch her, or how despite how he noticed and grieved over her reactions to his touch, he never seemed to take them in mind for more than a second. He bore the same tired and pitiful smile as the one he had two days ago in my office. Yet, they both regarded each other with an eternal love, stretching to possibly unknown distances and times. I knew that they had been connected for more than a lifetime: a few reincarnations, perhaps. Although Hiiragizawa's face seemed so much more youthful and perhaps playful in nature, his actions portrayed him as a middle-aged man, a wise philosopher who was out of place. On the other hand, she was always the perfect woman with perfect grace, morality, and beauty. She was older yet more childish and less wise than he. What truly distinguished her was her pride - she held herself higher than anyone else. They were both so proud that I couldn't look at them without contempt. Sure, they were people of high society, higher than I would ever be but they thought so highly of themselves that they secluded themselves from all others.
Yet, they invited me into their home.
I knew that Mizuki hated me. I could not dare to accuse of her of being jealous. It was most unlikely anyway. There was nothing about me to be jealous about. The only power that I had over her was my understanding of her thoughts and of her husband's thoughts. Perhaps she was scared that I would tap into her mind and discover a dark secret. What I was curious about was what there would be to discover. A woman of her perfect nature shouldn't have anything that I could use to blackmail her.
They were the perfect couple. I could feel it. Their auras were already evenly mixed. Each piece of their soul and body that they shared caused their auras to exchange and intertwine. Mizuki perhaps couldn't sense it but I knew that Hiiragizawa felt it. Slowly, their auras began to separate, each returning to its own natural element: Hiiragizawa's black and Mizuki's pale red.
"Who," I turned to Hiiragizawa and asked, "do you think is responsible for this?"
"For what?" Mizuki interrupted, her voice still filled with frustration of her ignorance. Indeed, she did not welcome my intrusion into their lives.
"Your drifting apart," I stated flatly.
"We are not drifting apart!" she exclaimed again.
"Yes… yes we are." He perhaps regretted expressing his thoughts. I couldn't tell. But he did look withdrawn and fearful of her reactions.
"No… no we're not," she murmured but knew that it was futile. Even she realized that it was true: the perfect, traditional couple was falling apart.
"But I am here to help. Let's explore your history: how you met and what has happened recently to change those previously permanent and unchangeable emotions."
Immediately, Eriol Hiiragizawa took the role of the story teller. It seemed as if it was a habit; he was always the reflector, the talker and the initiator. Mizuki merely reacted to everything that she listened to.
"We met at a conference while I was only seventeen. I was to be awarded a prize for my excellent discoveries of the mind, compiled in a book that was published a year before. It was a success among psychology and philosophy lovers, both inexperienced and wise. I was introduced to Kaho, the date of one of the men who decided to offer me the award. We recognized each other instantly. It was…," he paused to take a moment to think.
"It was as if we had met before," Mizuki continued for him, as if confirming their strong bond and attraction to each other, "we always understood each other even though no one else did and soon after, we became much more than friends."
"Her date was quite furious that I stole her for the night and henceforth though," Eriol gave a light chuckle.
"At first, no one accepted us for our difference in age. Eriol just turned eighteen while I was twenty-eight. But they didn't understand that he needed someone like me, someone mature, composed, assured, and understanding," Mizuki somehow stared strait into my eyes. I was not sure what she was implying but her intentions definitely weren't pure. "We lived almost in seclusion."
"Even until now," I added as I gave a glance around the spacious room. "I can clearly see that you two are soul mates."
The two nodded at the same time, as if their reactions were synchronized.
"Many don't know this. There are actually a few kinds of soul mates, and not all are bound by the same love or feelings," I began. It seemed to me that their problem dated back to their connection, to how they were kept together for many years. Perhaps something that Kaho Mizuki knew broke that link. Eriol was obviously oblivious to all this.
Indeed, Mizuki narrowed her eyes at me, almost hissing as she spoke, "I don't believe in that, in souls, reincarnations and such. Eriol is simply a very mature and wise man. We didn't fall in love because we were soul mates but because we could understand each other."
"But—" I started but was rudely interrupted.
"No, it is definitely like that. If you have interpreted our past differently then I think that you are not fit to help us at all!" Mizuki exclaimed. She suddenly flung her hand away from mine in anger and turned away from me.
The room fell back to quiet and neither Eriol nor I attempted to start a conversation. I really had no choice but to excuse myself.
"Next time—"
"There is no next time!" her voice screeched again.
I glanced at Eriol and received a reassuring look in return. So he wanted to continue this despite his wife's wishes…
"Next time," I continued, ignoring Ms. Mizuki, "I will speak to each of you individually."
"Thank you, Ms. Daidouji," Eriol finally spoke with a smile. It was nice to hear his sincere voice; it contrasted so much with his wife's.
He slowly let go of my hand, as if hesitating to leave the warmth. Perhaps he was scared that without my healing powers, his fatigue and worries would return.
"I will walk you out to the gardens," he stated without listening to any objections.
I had no choice but to follow. Before I turned around, I noticed Mizuki's glare on my back. I understood—she hated me for interrupting their quiet life, for her husband's confidence in my healing abilities, and perhaps for the reassurance that she felt when she held my hand. I am not a magician and nor do I read thoughts but digging into people's minds can be done through more common ways than just magic. Besides, I did not believe that I had any magical powers at all. At the time, I believed that magic was a tool of evil.
The walk to the garden was completely quiet. It was almost haunting. The mansion was huge and mostly empty. It was a saddening sight, that such a beautiful building would be filled with nothing but a lonely couple who believed that they understood each other but actually knew nothing at all. I knew that I would try my best to solve their mystery soon. Their case strangely called to me.
I noticed Eriol's hand close to mine, as if he truly needed to grasp on to some comfort. After a while, he did hold my hand. I turned to face him and gave a reluctant smile.
"Please take this, it will make coming in much easier," he said with a kind but distressed tone.
It was a key. A key to his—no, their—house.
"That's not very necessary. I doubt that your wife will enjoy my unnoticed intrusions in the future," I stated flatly, showing no hurt or regret. "You should have told me that your case was about marriage."
"It isn't exactly about marriage, is it? Our link is dying," he stared into my eyes, knowing that I understood his words.
"I will make sure to mend it then."
Then, finally, he let go of my hand and gave me one last smile. "Have a safe trip home."
I did not bother to thank him before I left for I believed that I was doing a favor to them, not the other way around. Besides, it was true. My services were of charitable nature…
As I walked down the paths down the hill on which his mansion sat, my happiness and pride slowly began to descend too. These patients were special. I've never encountered someone like them before, so perfect for each other yet so distant. I've never had to deal with a patient who hated me before. I honestly didn't know what to do with Ms. Mizuki. She would not listen to my advices even if she knew I was right. There must be a way to convince her that I'm right.
At the base of the hill, I looked back at the mansion and was surprised to find it in a cloud of mist, as if the mansion floated in the sky. These people were truly isolated from the world. In the twenty-first century, only someone like Eriol Hiiragizawa and his wife could survive solitarily with no modern commodities and pretend that pain did not conquer them. I was surprised that neither had come to me earlier.
I sighed as I realized that this might be the first case that I would not be able to solve.
Author's Notes: Quickly edited. College is starting really soon. Being a freshman is so stressing! I'll try to update this at least once a month. I do have it written… just in crappy form? Haha.
Yeah, this chapter was kinda boring but I had to give you Eriol & Kaho's history. Can't write an AU story without that. Things will really start moving in a few chapters.
Please review, it's the only thing that keeps me going!
