A Munto Fanfiction: Waiting For You © RedWingedAngel002
Disclaimer: Munto; Sora Miageru Shōjo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai © Kyoto Animation; Yoshiji Kigami and Tomoe Aratani
Genre: Angst, Drama, Horror, Hurt-Comfort, and Romance
Summary: It all started off with a simple question. Who would have known the answer would change the next ten months of her life into a living hell… MxY.
A/N: Seven months is seriously too long… In a twisted way, I guess you could empathize with Yumemi's family and friends, being that's about how long she was missing.
Between finals, graduation, the whole getting into and adjusting to college scenario, as well as my six-week trip in Switzerland, let's just say I've been busy… And very much with writer's block. I'm so sorry, everyone.
As a part of these seven months, though, I've been changing the plot a bit (things weren't unfolding quite as planned and didn't make sense at times for future scenes) as well have edited the previous three chapters. Some things are very minor, while other additional scenes were put in as well. Please check those out when you have the chance!
Song: Away by: Breaking Benjamin
Japanese Index:
Chichi-ue: Respectful way of addressing one's father
Haha-ue: Respectful way of addressing one's mother
Jieitai: The Japan Self-Defense Forces, known as the JSDF: the unified military forces of Japan
Okaa-san, 'Kaa-chan: Mother, Mom, Momma (Towards mother)
Onee-san (when talking about/to someone's sister), Anee-san (when talking about one's sister), 'Nee-san/-chan: (Older) sister, sis
Onii-san (when talking about/to someone's brother), Ani-san (when talking about one's brother), 'Nii-san/-chan: (Older) brother, bro
Otou-san, 'Tou-chan: Father, Dad, Daddy (Towards father)
-sama: Honorific: The respectful equivalent of -san; -sama is primarily in addressing persons of much higher rank: Lord, Lady
-san: Honorific: Carries the meaning of "Mr.," "Mrs.," "Miss," etc., but used more extensively in Japanese than its English equivalent
"Talking."
'Thinking.'
Memories/Flashbacks.
Chapter 4: Taken
'How…? How could they betray her like that?' the king thought, perplexed. He felt his fingers coil and clench to the point of bleeding, making small red crescents to appear in his tan palms. 'They are her parents! Her parents…!'
Images of a man, clad in blue with a red swaying cape, and a woman, white dress flowing like liquid with a pink sash at her side, materialized in his mind's vision. The two were disappearing, dissolving, like tears, into crystallized Akuto.
"Chichi-ue! Haha-ue!" the young Munto cried, hands stretched out and desperately trying to grasp his fading parents.
"Munto, Mother and Father are returning to the Akuto…" The woman's pleading voice was soft; like bells, it chimed in his ears.
"Do not be sad, Munto. We will always be by your side…" the former king reassured, crystals of Akuto blinding the boy's already rippling vision…
His parents' final goodbyes haunted his memories.
Munto looked up at Yumemi's parents with piercing gold eyes and tried to calm his boiling anger.
His thoughts took a dark turn. 'They are just humans, Munto, remember that; Akutoloids which were used for energy in the distant past. They were banished to the Lower World and were considered useless, cursed, once their ability to create Akuto had depleted over time, slowly making them blind to what they had.'
'Now, they are foolish enough to only believe what they can see with their own eyes.' His brows furrowed further, jaw twitching under its pressure. 'Of course, even with that…'
"Are you finished?" he growled, voice low and deadly. The couple noticed his tone, truly fearing that they had angered the young man. They could always stop…
"Almost," Shigeru murmured, not able to meet his pinning gaze. Clearing his throat, the large man continued, "Yumemi hadn't come back that night; we found out that she stayed at Ichiko's." He paused and questioned the king, "You know who she is, right?"
Munto nodded, ridged frame still clenching.
"Nozomi called Tanaka-sensei, asking to end the sessions, since they were not helping the situation. If anything, they were making things worse." Mr. Hidaka's brows furrowed. "What did he say again, dear?"
In a monotone voice, Nozomi continued, staring at their intertwined hands in a daze. "He said not to, that they were just starting to make some headway, and that he needed to see her more."
She looked up, eyes glistening. "I refused his offer, knowing that it was taking her away from her studies and a waste of money. He didn't contact me after that; no calls, no e-mails, nothing. For a while, I thought we really ended it. However, if I had known that it would caused that to happen, I wouldn't have asked for his help at all in the first place…"
"Caused what to happen?" The gears started to spin in Munto's head, thoughts moving like quicksilver. Not liking the thought, he felt his gut turn to ice; understanding, finally knowing that, that man was the one who—
"He caused the men in black to come… Caused them to take my baby away…"
"Is this the Hidaka residence?" A man in a clean, black suit asked, his dark glasses reflecting Nozomi's worried expression.
"Why, yes it is. May I help you?" she hesitated.
"I'd like to talk to your daughter, if you don't mind," he said in a monotone voice.
Her gut clenched and maternal instincts kicked in; her grip on the door framed tightened minutely as she closed it. "I'm sorry, sir, but she's busy at the moment. Do you mind coming at another time?"
She stood tall, holding her ground, even when the man towered over her so.
Time seemed to slow as he lifted his right hand and took off the dark shades. The thought of why he exactly was wearing them at this hour crossed the woman's mind, but she dismissed it, worried that it was a silent threat.
Piercing blue-grey eyes looked down at her, pinned her. "I'm afraid you have no choice… ma'am…"
Time sped up again, crashing in suddenly with movement. A group, no, an army of men burst through the wooden door, knocking the woman off her feet. She felt a pair of large hands hold her wrists behind her back. Nozomi heard her son cry out as they stomped up the stairwell. Everything was in a haze, moving too fast to comprehend.
"'Kaa-san?" The meek voice spoke such volumes. Time seemed to slow down again.
The mother locked eyes with her child, gazing into their deep, sea foam green depths. They were scared, reflecting fear and betrayal.
"Yumemi… I—" She now understood why they were here. They had come to take her daughter away. But why?
"…Munto suddenly came from the sky and asked—"
It was not just because of her story, was it?
"What do you think you're doing?!" Her husband demanded release.
They were dragging the helpless blonde away.
She continued to locked gazes with her daughter; the girl looked so lost. Did Yumemi think she planned this?
"'Nee-chan!" Chikara desperately tried to grab hold of his sister's outstretched hand. "Where are they taking 'Nee-chan?!" her son cried.
Helpless, Nozomi felt her eyes sting and prickle with tears, making the current image of Yumemi blur and become distorted.
The man with blue eyes callously took her chin, making her look up at him and away from her daughter. "Thank you for your time, Hidaka-san. You don't understand how helpful you have been…"
Her throat closed, brown eyes widened with shock. 'What do they mean, helpful?'
The grip on her pale cheeks loosened, along with the strong ones around her back. Nozomi's knees then buckled to the ground.
The woman cupped her mouth, trying to prevent herself from sobbing uncontrollably, watching her daughter being whisked away from her.
'What have I done?' she thought in horror…
The room had gone quiet again; only the ticking of the kitchen clock could be heard.
Munto was the first to speak, breaking the silence, "Do you have any idea where they took her?"
"N-No… But from what we gathered, they are some type of organization who does not want to be found," Nozomi explained.
"What do you mean?" Munto felt his brows furrow again.
"Well, when someone is taken, or has gone missing, we have a system called the police. They are an organized civil force for maintaining order; they bring those to justice and prevent crime, by enforcing the laws." Shigeru sighed.
"We informed them of what happened to Yumemi and they told us to let it be, that they would take care of it. However, after a month of searching, they put the case on standby. They truly have no lead or idea about who those people are. All we have now are the posters we've managed to post up, hoping someone will call…" He sighed, defeated and emotionally drained.
His wife once again squeezed his hand in reassurance. They both truly hoped the magical being would help find their missing daughter.
The king had gone quiet, digesting the information. From what he had seen, that made sense. But where…?
He placed his palm on his temple and squeezed the bridge of his nose; he tried to draw out any new information from her memories. A symbol, an icon, anything to give some information…
The couple noticed Munto go deep into thought and had become silent, observing the young man. 'Munto-sama… King of the skies. Who would have known Yumemi would fall for such a marvelous being. He must care for her dearly to sit through all of this. I'm surprised he couldn't find her with his so-called, 'magic.''
Nozomi's train of thought paused; she reproached herself for being so doubtful. She should be open to all sorts of possibilities at this point… He was here to help.
'But is it more than just caring? There was that promise he made… Can he possibly love her as well?' Her heart skipped a beat. 'Will I have to let her go again, once I finally have her back?'
Munto felt his brows twitch with slight irritation, feeling the couple's eyes on him, but dismissed it, calculating. Hauntingly recalling their last encounter, he almost eagerly remembered the taste of her lips and shuddered at the memory of her tattered and frail figure.
Step by step he went back to the dream: golden planes, blue skies, red umbrella, white, beautifully clad Yumemi, haunting opaque eyes… Her memories; snippets and snippets of fleeting memories…
'You could of given me a bit more of a sign, Yumemi…' the king groaned to himself, then recalled something.
A sign… Gift… 247738. Ring.
'Ring!' Munto's head snapped, bullion eyes wide with realization. He had her—his ring! She had managed to give it back to him?!
The man hurriedly pulled off the golden band and look at it intensely, ignoring the couple's questioning stares.
"But why would you give this back to me?" he murmured to himself.
Brows knitting, the man felt the gears shift in his head, contemplating her reasoning of why and how.
This was the ring he had been wearing since their first meeting, when they had broken through the space-time continuum and temporarily fused both worlds. Although he had to make a few adjustments through the years, because of his growth, he had always had it. Always.
Munto swallowed thickly. Was it a sign of rejection? No. The redhead did not take it as a sign of rejection, merely as a cry for help, giving him the only thing she owned and cared for to him.
He continued to fiddle with the gold signet, inspecting it in various angles, seeing that his own distorted image was reflected on its shinning surface. Various magical symbols were engraved on the inside of the warm metal, allowing it to be used with magic and to absorb Akuto alike.
He had given it to her full of protection spells, as a physical parting gift, promising his safe return and to meet again. He planned on offering it back to the girl when all the chaos was over —Declaring a different promise.
However, it seems that Yumemi had figured out its ability to reflect upon the owner's emotions and thoughts. Even more so, it could also be used as a source of magical storage.
Munto felt his thick brows rise and eyes widen. Storage. He mentally kicked himself for being so slow and opened the magical seal on the item, its engravings glowing bright red and metal growing hot. Clearing his thoughts, again he felt the familiar shift of temperature and perspective. This was it…
Clap, clap, clap… The sound of flesh slapping against tile could be heard all throughout the corridor. Hurried footsteps, harsh breathing, raging thoughts…
Her breathing was the only thing the girl could hear. Her feet were not running fast enough; her mind desperately clawed at her actions, pulling every fragment of her being into running.
'Find a way out…!' Emerald eyes scanned her surroundings as she ran. All she could see was blinding white metal walls and sleek tiled floors. Her side burned, crying red tears every time she took a breath. The girl knew that if she stopped now, she would surly pass out from blood loss.
Yumemi continued to run pass doors; doors she knew were only entryways to one's personal hell. She needed to stay focused and listen to the small whisper of her heart, which led her way out and told her where to go.
Turn left.
Straight.
Right—
"Halt!" A deep voice boomed, echoing down the hall. Like an animal, the man in a white coat ordered her to stay put- like she would listen.
The girl could faintly hear him call for security over the roar in her ears. The grip on her side tightened. She will not give up now, not when her freedom was right in front of her!
'Go…'
A pair of aqua eyes flashed in her mind's eye.
'Go…!'
Their target was in sight.
'Go… NOW!'
Yumemi lunged towards the set of metal door and tugged; tugged with all her might, until the muscles in her arms ached. She placed her bare right foot on the cool surface, trying to gain more momentum.
The girl whimpered; she was so close, so close…!
Thundering footsteps. A bright light.
Shouts of, "Stop, 247738," and, "Pin her down!"
The familiar warmth of magic spread from her very core to the tips of her fingers, air crackling with energy and healing her wounds.
Suddenly she was pounded roughly into the ground, large hands pinning and ceasing her writhing movements.
'No!'
Yumemi continued to struggle, even when her heart sunk, knowing too well that there was no escape; no matter how much resisting was done, it would only cause more pain. She knew she was going to be constantly watched, now.
'Even so…' The girl's already glowing body grew brighter with light as she struggled. 'Even so…!'
Over the heartbeat roaring in her ears, Yumemi heard spat curses and orders to sedate her.
"I will not…!" Again, the magic grew, intensifying and expanding with her flurried emotions and burning at her chest, metal signet white hot with anger and determination. "I will not give up!"
Suddenly, like a vacuum, all sound was muted, her vision keenly aware and slow with each breath she took. In the blearing white light, which was created by her own Akuto shining figure, she watched: frame by frame she saw each face, frame by frame she unintentionally viewed the memories of every man who came in contact with her flesh. Frame by frame she…
Saw faces…
"She is the one."
Family, friends, co-workers, strangers, pets, enemies…
"—For our loved ones…"
Felt emotions…
"We will create a new world. A new era…"
Jealousy, sadness, pride, lust, greed, horror, betrayal… Power.
"—Promise of a brighter future…!"
They were—…
"—don't even know we exist. But soon we—"
Nothing else mattered. It was either survive, or die. It was simple, natural. It all came down to —
Fear. Fear and power…
She—
As if physically blown, she snapped out of the memories and plummeted back to her own mind; hungrily gasping for air, vision blurred and body weary.
The sound had returned; booming shouts of, "What the hell was that?" and, "Get her out of here before she does any more damage!" echoed and pulsed through her aching skull. Her head was dizzy and she faintly recalled the small pinch of a needle, which pierced her marred flesh. It was not like she would need it, she was already going to pass out, due to the overuse of untamed Akuto and exhaustion, anyway.
Before her slurred vision faded, Yumemi thought, bewildered, 'We're under Minato Mirai…?'
"Minato Mirai?" the king murmured to himself, aware that the memory was over. The previous hot signet was now cool, laid lifelessly in his tan palm, all its magic drained.
Munto's voice carried over the quiet room and to the awe filled couple, whose faces were pale and eyes wide with shock. He snug his ring back on his left middle finger, while hard bullion, full of determination, snapped up as he questioned Yumemi's father, Shigeru.
"Where is Minato Mirai?"
Startled, the man's thick brows furrowed as he composed himself, adjusting his glasses and clearing his throat. "The manmade island of Minato Mirai? Minato Mirai 21? Why, that's off the coast of Yokohama," he declared.
Nozomi finally had gotten over her shock, flattening invisible creases in her orchid skirt.
Seeing that Munto's expression had not moved in the slightest, the man assumed he did not know where Yokohama was. Bending over to start and pull himself up, Shigeru offered, "Here, let me get a map."
The monarch raised his left hand, slightly telling him there was no need.
"Show me," he ordered, flipping his already raised palm upward and, with no effort, allowed his magic to slip to his fingertips, creating a holographic world map.
With his index and thumb, Munto pressed each top corner and spread his fingers, causing the green, floating screen to widen and zoom in; its latitude and longitude lines grew in size and width, along with the 2-D island of Japan.
With a flick of a wrist, the map turned over, suddenly showing an aerial image of the Pacific isles and his kite shaped kingdom, floating overhead, included. He placed all five pads on the screen and moved it to his right, allowing the trio to view the green holographic map properly.
"We are located here, correct?" Munto inquired the large man, pointing to the Kanto region of Japan. As his flesh made contact with the energy screen, an orange circular symbol popped up, highlighting the suburban area of Kyoto, Japan.
Thick brows furrowed, seriousness etched in his voice as Shigeru hesitantly pointed to the middle-east area of Japan, "This is Yokohama, almost two hundred miles from where we are now, while Mamorai is here…" Mr. Hidaka minutely changed his finger's position and showed the king where the connected, manmade island was located.
His tan lips firmed to a line, jaw locked in frustration. He did not like the fact that it was so close to the main city, worried that many innocent people would most likely get hurt with his rescue. They, the Heavenly people, both in the past and present, have already inflicted so much pain to the humans below them; he did not want to cause any more unnecessary damage.
Munto then placed his lifted hand to his chin, deep in thought.
"Shigeru," he called out, voice quiet and low, again startling the man in question.
Mr. Hidaka wondered how he had known his first name.
"What would it take to evacuate all the people in this enclosed area?" he asked, circling Yokohama fully, as well as part of the main cities of Tokyo and Kamagawa.
The man's brown eyes widened, glasses slipping minutely down the bridge of his nose as he gasped, feeling his wife squeeze his gray pant leg desperately as both stared at the circled area in awe and fright.
"E-evacuate?" Shigeru stuttered and flicked his gaze back to the king, in attempt to search for answers.
Bright bullion eyes, glistening coolly under red thick brows, locked eyes with the man, seriousness filling his chiseled features as he answered chillingly, "I have a feeling that there will be some complications with getting Yumemi out. I don't want to risk anyone getting hurt." His voice lowered, allowing no question in his demand. "I am vaguely familiar with your systems here; now, answer the question, please, if you will."
Mr. Hidaka swallowed thickly, realizing that rescuing their daughter was definitely more than just a family predicament, but that the whole city of Yokohama was at risk as well. Closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, he took a moment to clear his thoughts, paused, and then released the held air, making his decision and answered the king.
"The military has that kind of power, the Jieitai, specifically. Contact the Prime Minister, he'd know what to do."
Finally finding his answer, Munto stood, tall frame towering over the couple. "I'm going," he declared, voice booming.
"What will you do now?" Nozomi inquired in a quiet voice.
"I am going to make a few calls. Three days should be more than enough time to evacuate the area."
Before he could making any other action in departing, he heard Yumemi's younger brother, Chikara, cry out.
"Wait!"
Mrs. Hidaka gasped, not knowing that her son was listening to their conversation this whole time. She turned her attention back to the tall, magical being and lightly pulled at his cape, drawing his attention.
"You'll bring her back, right?" Frightened eyes, only that a mother could show, captured his gaze, glistening brightly.
Munto felt his chest give a startling throb, realizing that the expression on her face reminded him of his own mother. Voice lowering, he said softly, "It'll be alright. Our worlds are connected now."
Nozomi's lids widened, not quite understanding but hopeful.
"I promised her I would return… I will definitely get her out, at all costs." His gazed hardened. "However, whether or not Yumemi wants to come back here is her decision."
Nozomi's face gradually broke, features twisting, defeated. A soft whimper escaped out of her trembling lips as her grip on the soft red garment laxed. Her arms slowly recoiled and cradled her form as she tried to hold herself together. She already knew the answer.
There was no way her daughter would want to come back after such treatment, such betrayal. They would probably be looking for her once she was out…
Her husband joined in holding her, cooing softly.
Munto tried to soften the blow and quietly added, "Keep an eye out. I will check up on you time to time and notify once she is in good health."
Nozomi only nodded, eyes tightly shut, and tried not to cry.
After a long pause, shuffling was heard in the siblings' room. Soon enough, the king saw the ten-year-old hurry down the stairs, carrying a long book by his side. Although he was not out of breath, the boy looked flushed, offering the gift with two outstretched arms. Chikara barely came to his navel.
"Here!" he nudged the sketchpad towards Munto a bit more, eager to give it to him. "This is Yumemi's. Give it to 'Nee-chan once you get her out, 'kay?"
"Yes." His voice did not waver in emotion, but his bright irises showed how truly touched he was.
The adolescent fully understood what was going on; he reminded him of Yumemi's friend, Suzume. She was such a wonder; always happy, always tripping; but as innocent and as young as she appeared to be, an old soul looked out of the depths of her sparkling gaze…
Munto bent down to the boy's eye level and locked gold with luster brown. "I promise to get your sister out." He paused, swallowing. "I an not sure when she will be back, though."
Chikara snorted, then gave a boyish smirk. "I know! You just better take good care of her, Munto-'Nii!"
Chuckling, Munto felt the corner of his lip twitch, forming into a half smile. He ruffled his short hair in a sign of affection, giving his approval.
Standing once more, his brows furrowed slightly, realizing that the gift would probably get in the way during his rescue. He knew using magic was easy enough; it was second nature for he and his people. However, he wasn't so sure when it came to sending individual items. Even if the worlds were one, now, it was still quite a distance.
The royal looked at the boy, brows slightly raised; Chikara looked right back, brown eyes full of determination. He recognized such a look with Yumemi's own green irises. The family resemblances were strong.
Coughing, he shifted is gaze, looking at Nozomi and Shigeru, Yumemi's parents, who were holding one another, and watched him with hopeful expressions. He gave a reassuring nod.
"Stand back." The boy scurried over to his mother and joined the couple that had taken a few paces back.
Staying in the middle of the living room, he ensured that no harmful amount of energy would be used or done during what he was planning next.
Concentrating, he focused his magic to his core, where the very being of his powers lay, and out to his hands, which held the simple book. Bullion eyes focused intently, not blinking. His maroon cape started to sway gradually, unseen energy crackling, deep red bleeding around the him. He heard the trio gasp; he gave a grunt.
Just like that, his grip on object tightened and with a flash of light and trail of red particles, the book was gone, transported to the Heavens above. All of this was done in a matter of seconds.
Energy ceasing, his cherry locks fell back to place, wild and just as untamed. An almost sweet, tangy taste of magic lingered in the air.
Munto turned to his right, looked at the bewildered family, "I will be going," he declared once again. All stared in awe and gave their thanks.
With that, he once again summoned his magic and departed, leaving the trio and living room in their lonely wake… *1
Thank you for the favs and reviews, everyone!
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A/N: That took a lot longer than expected, and you all still don't fully understand what happened to poor Yumemi. For the most part, I have it all plotted out but it's going to be difficult to write, so please bear with me.
Even when SO much research was done, I'm still not quite satisfied with this chapter, especially with the taken scene. I'm not totally sure where specifically their house is located, but I made some good guesstimations with the research that was done—those areas are, indeed, real. If anyone does actually know, though, please tell me! That'd be great!
The fact that the taken scene was done in Nozomi's POV had pretty much ruined my flashback saga through Yumemi's eyes, but I found it easier and more informative to write it that way…
Continuing with the Nozomi rant, I realized that most of these chapters were in her point of view. I thought that Nozomi and her daughter were close, or at least closer,—like how Shigeru and Chikara are. Plus, there are just so many manly male characters in Heaven so… WE NEED SOME MORE FEMALES CHARACTERS, OTHER THAN RYUERI!
Chapter five is going to take a while, I have a vague idea on what I want and how to start but I haven't even written it out yet; so please be patient. Hopefully the next update won't be somewhere in May, or something. Lol. For the time being, Happy early Thanksgiving/X-mas.
Thanks again for all your patience and reviews. From now on, I'll post whom favorited and commented the previous chapter at the end of my A/N's. You all deserve some acknowledgement for being so awesomely awesome. ;)
—Ari [11.16.10]
*1: Well if Rui and Shuza could do it… You'd think Munto would be able to teleport (things) as well, right?