ANOTHER DOOR ALWAYS OPENS

Chapter Five

On Tuesday morning, Mitsuki's alarm went off promptly at 6:30 AM. She turned it off less than two seconds after it began its tirade and covered herself fully with her bed sheets. Her note that she had posted last night wasn't just for show, after all. She had zero interest in going to school after Itsuki revealed his esper self to her. Since the two were in the same class, that doubled her apathy for her going there.

A sudden knock at her bedroom door caused Mitsuki to wince.

"Hey, Sis, are you in there? You need to get ready." Arashi's voice called.

'Didn't that idiot see the note?' Mitsuki grumbled to herself.

"I've got your favorite breakfast cereal!"

'Shut up, you son of a-.'

"Dang it, Mitsuki, get your butt outta bed!"

Before her brother could nag her any further, Mitsuki grabbed her MP3 player and earbuds. She plugged herself into her music and turned up the volume as high as it would go. Screw her hearing and the so-called lifetime warranty on her buds. As long as her brother went to school without her, life would proceed without incident.

At least, that's what she thought.

Mitsuki spent the next hour and a half reading whatever manga was closest to her. All the while, she had her music going at full blast. When she glanced at her phone, the time was eight AM on the dot. She decided to take a much-needed shower and put some street clothes on. As she was doing so, her mind drifted to whatever was going on at school that day. What were they learning about in class that day? Would the homework be difficult? Would her section mates in Wind Ensemble miss her? What if Itsuki-?

The brunette's heart practically skipped a beat at the thought. As she dried herself off in the bathroom, her mind went to the library book she had stuffed in her desk. If Itsuki found it there, he would surely figure everything out. She blushed and shook her head.

'No, I can't think like that.' Mitsuki thought. 'No more thinking of that god-forsaken esper.'

Mitsuki then dressed herself in a baggy pastel tie-dye hoodie and blue jeans. She alternated between playing hand-held video games and reading manga, only taking breaks to go to the bathroom or grab a snack. At lunch, she ventured out to the corner store and bought a package of crab meat sushi, pocky, and a six-pack of soda. She also bought a door hanger that read "Do Not Disturb." Upon her return to the apartment, Mitsuki went to her bedroom, ate her food, and subsequently fell asleep.

A knock at her bedroom door woke Mitsuki from her slumber. She sat up, tangled in her bedsheets, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. From her bed, she could see the shadow of a pair of feet and she heard the sound of a tray being placed on the floor.

"Hey, Mitsuki," she heard Arashi say. "I made some chicken curry for supper tonight. It'll be here if you're hungry."

Confused, the brunette glanced at her alarm clock, which read seven PM sharp.

I slept for SIX WHOLE HOURS?!

Mitsuki untangled herself and folded her arms across her chest. She heard her stomach growl and grimaced. She hadn't eaten since her outing to the convenience store, but she didn't want to give her brother the benefit of the doubt. Instead, Mitsuki waited impatiently for Arashi to turn the bath on. He always took his baths in the evening and she in the morning. It was a ritual they had developed in order to avoid catching each other in their birthday suits.

Once the brunette was certain that Arashi was taking his bath, she tiptoed over to her door and opened it. On the floor there was a plate of chicken curry with rice, a bottle of soda, and the classwork she had missed that day. Mitsuki felt herself smile and took her meal and homework and closed the door. After gobbling down the delicious food and becoming quite caffeinated, she started in on her homework. The brain-stimulating work definitely beat winning every video game she owned and starting them over.

The next two days proceeded much like Tuesday had. Mitsuki would read her books for most of the morning with music playing, scavenge for food either in the apartment or at the convenience store, and then watch TV or sleep in the afternoon. She would always go back in her room before Arashi arrived back from school, though. In the evenings she completed the homework from class that day and set it outside her door when she was done. As far as Mitsuki knew, Arashi turned it in for her.

Mitsuki was pouring herself some cereal Friday morning when a knock came at the door. Arashi had already left for the day and he lived there, so she knew it wasn't him. She scampered over to the door and opened it, halfway expecting the visitor to be the postman or something.

Instead, she saw Itsuki Koizumi standing before her.

"Hello…" Mitsuki murmured. Everything inside her told her to close the door, but she couldn't. Her body was frozen and her hand was still on the doorknob.

"Listen, Mitsuki," Koizumi said, putting his hands in his pockets. "We need to talk. It's…about Monday night. I didn't mean to scare you. I just—"

"What are you doing here anyway?" the brunette interrupted. "Do you plan to play hooky all day? Won't Miss Suzumiya notice your absence?"

"I'm here because…I'm worried about you."

Mitsuki felt her hand slip from the doorknob down to her side. A flood of emotions that she had repressed all week filled her mind. She so desperately wanted to tell Itsuki that she longed to see him every day. To share lunch with him and chat with him even about mundane subjects. To walk home with him after club activities were over. All of these fleeting thoughts overwhelmed her. However, she only offered a small smile.

"You didn't need to come find me," she answered quietly. "I'm okay, really. You should go to school and make sure Miss Suzumiya doesn't cause any trouble."

As Mitsuki started to close the door, Itsuki put his foot in the way.

"I found my library book in your desk," he said. "I know that you're a time-traveler originally from the Meiji Era."

Mitsuki stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened immensely. She slowly looked up at Itsuki, a floodgate of questions opening in her mind.

"How…did…you…know…?" the brunette whispered. The thoughts stampeding through her psyche were overpowering her.

"It was only speculation at first," Itsuki answered. "After your brief stint at the S.O.S. Brigade, I did some research on my own. I thought to ask Miss Asahina, but I figured that wouldn't be the best route." He glanced around the hallway outside the door. "Maybe we should discuss this inside. You never know who's listening."

Mitsuki vaguely nodded and let her friend in. She motioned for him to sit on the living room couch and then excused herself to the kitchen. There she took a few deep breaths and slid her back down the cabinets.

'Relax, Mitsuki,' she thought to herself. 'Itsuki knows your secret now, and you care about him a lot. Compose yourself and answer his questions. He probably has more than you anyway. Just pour some tea and face the music.'

With new resolve, she stood up and put together some warm green tea. She walked into the living room and served the drinks and sat on the opposite side of the couch from Itsuki. The two exchanged awkward smiles, knowing full well that their day would be a long haul. Mitsuki took a few sips of her tea and then breathed a sigh. She looked over at Itsuki and set her drink on the coffee table.

"I'm sure that you have a number of questions for me." she commented.

"I suppose so," Itsuki replied. "You must have quite the story, no doubt. Rather than interrogate you, I thought I'd let you tell your story. I'm interested in how you ended up in modern Japan from the Meiji Restoration."

Mitsuki was surprised. She was certain that her auburn-haired friend would have one inquiry after another. However, his willingness to let her tell her tale was much more comforting.

"Let's see…where do I begin?" Mitsuki laughed softly. "Arashi and I…were born in 1876 in a rural village in what is now Hokkaido. Our father, Ame Takiya, was sort of like a leader there, so people called him Chief Takiya. Our mother's name was Ai, but she died shortly after we were born. It was a rare circumstance to have both mother and a pair of fraternal twins survive anyway. However, we were only eight years old when it happened…"

~Begin Flashback~

Eight-year-old Mitsuki awoke to a deafening crack of thunder. She flew up out of her futon and glanced around. All was dark. She remembered going to bed after her father had told she and Arashi to stop playing their instruments for the night. She quietly sat back down on her sheets and hugged her knees to her chest. Mitsuki hated trying to sleep during thunderstorms. They terrified the living daylight out of her.

Then, more booming thunder.

She covered her ears.

A flash of lightning.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mitsuki thought she saw a shadow walk by in the hallway. Curious, she crawled over to where the tatami door was slightly open and peered outside. She saw three shadows turning towards the sitting area of the house. When another strike of lightning flashed, one of the people was her father. The other two people she did not know. She noticed after a few more flashes that he was bound with rope.

Mitsuki's stomach grew tight.

'Those are bad men.' she mused. 'What do they want with Father?'

As thunder sounded yet again, she winced and tiptoed over to Arashi, careful not to trip over his snoozing body. She nudged and shook him repeatedly, frightened of the low chances that their father was all right.

"Ugh…what is it, Sis…?" Arashi mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Arashi, t-there are bad men in the house…and they have Father," Mitsuki whispered urgently. "T-they went into the s-sitting room…I don't know what to do…!"

The raven-haired boy stumbled to his feet and put his nightrobe on. He gave Mitsuki her robe and together they slid open their bedroom door and silently stepped into the hall. They heard voices coming from where Mitsuki had said. Arashi gestured for the small brunette to follow him. She held his hand while they darted like church mice down to the wall that divided the hallway from the living area.

"I told you already, my children didn't survive past infancy!" Ame Takiya insisted.

"C'mon, Mister Takiya, we know that's a lie," the first man said. "Our boss said he's seen you with the brats around the village. They're alive and pleasantly well."

"Then you go tell your boss that you're hallucinating, you thug!" Takiya retorted.

Mitsuki heard a blunt object strike her father to the ground and flinched. She desperately wanted to cry, but Arashi held his hand firmly over her mouth.

"Listen here, Takiya," the second man ordered. "Fraternal twins are a rarity everywhere, especially a boy and girl pair. They'll sell really well in the future. You tell us where they're hiding, and we might spare your petty life."

"Like hell I'll tell you," Takiya spat. "And what do you mean by 'future' anyhow? What are you, time-travelers?"

"Dammit, Takashi, you blew it," the first man shouted. "Now we have to kill him. …I guess it's all part of the fun, though."

Mitsuki began shaking as she heard the second man, whom was apparently Takashi, unsheathe a sword. She bit her lower lip and tasted salty tears on her face. As she clung to her brother, she heard the blade pierce her father's flesh several times. Each time, the young girl felt her heart being ripped to shreds.

After what seemed like an eternity, the twins heard the intruders rush off into the storm, which hadn't weakened in the slightest. Arashi kept his hand over Mitsuki's mouth even when the house had grown silent. All the children could hear was the sound of pounding rain and the occasional thunder.

Eventually, Arashi took his hand away from his sister's mouth. Mitsuki trembled, overwhelmed by what had just occurred. She so dearly wanted to hear her father's footsteps coming towards them, to hear his voice tell them that everything was all right. The whole ordeal seemed like a nightmare that would end sooner or later. Even that seemed like too much to wish for, though.

"Arashi…what are we gonna do…?" Mitsuki whimpered.

"We'll head out in the morning," Arashi responded somberly. "We'll get help. If nobody wants us…well…we're on our own."

The tiny brunette looked at her brother. His face was turned away and his eyes were hidden by his bangs. With the next flash of lightning, she could have sworn that she saw a solitary tear trickle down his face.

~End Flashback~

"Wow…," Itsuki murmured audibly. "I…I'm sorry that happened."

"Thanks, I guess." Mitsuki answered. She heaved a sigh and gave the brown-eyed teen a small smile. "I suppose, however, that if none of that had happened, I wouldn't have met you."

The brunette saw a blush cross Itsuki's face for a split second. She giggled to herself and stood up and stretched. It was the first time telling her story to anyone besides Arashi, and her chest already felt a thousand times lighter.

"You wanna go to a café?" she inquired to Itsuki. "I think some fresh air would do me some good."

"Sure, if you're up to it," Itsuki smiled. "You might want to change into some daytime clothes, though…"

Mitsuki looked down and saw that she was still wearing her pink kitten-print pajamas. She blushed and nearly squealed like a toddler. After profusely apologizing to her friend, she changed into a green short-sleeved dress and gray Converse. The two promptly headed out the door and to a small coffee shop a few blocks from the apartment complex.

"So, what happens next?" Itsuki asked as they drank their coffee.

"What happens…what?" Mitsuki answered, puzzled.

"In yours and Arashi's story. What happened after your father's death?"

"Oh…yes. I suppose this is the point where he comes into the picture."

"Who's he?"

"The man who took us to the future. His name…was Subaru."