Butterfly's Sleep copyright 1999 to L'Arc~en~Ciel.
Fushigi Yuugi and all characters are property of Watase Yuu.
X. Flight
Kono koi wa toki o koete
Anata no moto ni sakaseyou
Ikusen no yoru to asa o mukae
Dare no te nimo todokanai chi de |
This love is beyond time
From where you are it will bloom
Greeting thousands of nights and mornings
In a land beyond our reach |
--L'Arc en Ciel, Butterfly's Sleep
The next week found Yui back in Philadelphia with a full schedule of classes and work, a garden that needed weeding, some half-finished letters to Japan, and scraps of paper on which were scrawled phone numbers and mailing addresses.
The weather was nice enough that she could take care of the weeding problem, and Will and Barbara welcomed her home enthusiastically. Barbara was busy with last minute preparations for the relatives, who were arriving tomorrow.
"Tom's coming in at three in the afternoon," she told Yui at lunch. "And then Mary at five. I think Steven is earliest. His plane arrives at eleven, so he should be home by one that afternoon."
Steven…Yui had taken the picture of the three children out from the envelope and placed it on the desk that she never used. In the evening light, Steven's smile was strangely comforting, like a beacon.
There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't figure out what it was.
After dinner, Yui trudged back up to her room, throwing clothes in drawers and trying to make it look presentable. The Grants had assured her that Steven could stay in the guestroom, since he was only staying one night before going back away to school, but Yui cleaned, just in case the boy wanted to take a look at his old room. Besides, she hated messy rooms.
The phone rang. Yui ignored it, picking up dirty socks and throwing them in the laundry bag. She would have to do laundry tomorrow morning as well.
"Yui?"
Yui straightened.
"Yes?"
"The phone's for you."
She frowned, then picked up the receiver gingerly. "Hello?"
"Yui, it's Tetsuya."
Silence. "Konban wa."
"Look…"A heavy sigh. "I know we parted on not so good terms…I just called to say I'm sorry."
Yui's lip quirked. "Hey, Tetsuya…I'm sorry too."
He sounded relieved. "I wasn't sure if you were going to yell at me again."
She shook her head, and then realized he couldn't see. "No…that night I was upset. It was all wrong…I think I'm all right now."
"Did you find any other seishi in Europe?"
"I did. Everyone but…everyone but Suboshi. I have all their phone numbers and addresses."
"But Suboshi?"
"Hai."
A pause. "You don't sound too happy."
"I'm just tired, I guess. Wh-"
"About not finding Suboshi, I mean."
She gripped the phone with both hands. The picture of Steven on the desk smiled up at her. Her hands were sweaty.
"Yui?"
"Tetsuya, I think I'm in love with Suboshi."
A pause, then another heavy sigh. "Did you just decide this?"
"No no no. Remember what I said…about the right person? I think Suboshi's the right person. I just never accepted that."
"I see why you're so upset."
"Tetsuya-"
"Do you want me to come over? Or you can come over here. If you need to talk. I'm not jealous or anything. Just if you-"
"I think I'm fine," Yui said softly, threading her fingers together over the receiver. "Really. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Quite sure. Get some sleep, Tetsuya."
"All right." He didn't sound convinced. "If you need me, just call. I'll be here."
"Arigatou."
There was a click as he hung up and then the line went dead. She replaced the phone back on the hook, feeling strangely weightless as she had that night when Nikolas had showed her the dolphins leaping over the water. Lonely…yet free.
Lonely yet free.
Breathe life into this feeble heart
Lift this mortal veil of fear
Take these hopes, etched with tears
We'll rise above these earthly cares
Cast your eyes to the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me |
--Loreena McKennitt, Dante's Prayer
She woke to the sun shining through the curtains and the feeling of something in the air that something was going to happen. It was electric, searing, running through her like fire.
Yui blinked, then rolled out of bed. Something was going to happen…well, the relatives were coming today. And Steven was coming.
Steven.
She dressed and dragged the bag of laundry downstairs to dump it in the ancient washing machine. She had offered to buy her own laundry detergent, but Barbara wouldn't hear of it.
"What's the use of using your own when we have a huge box right here?"
While the washing machine was running, she took a quick shower and toasted herself a piece of bread for breakfast. Barbara was already up in the kitchen, taking china out of the cupboard under the stove. She could hear Will outside mowing the grass.
"Good morning."
"Good morning," Barbara said, pouring her some tea. The Grants had been extremely nice about buying tea for her to drink in the morning, since she could not bring herself to touch coffee. "Did you sleep well?"
"Very well, thank you."
There had been no dreams last night.
She went out in the garden to do some more weeding after breakfast. The sun was hot on her skin and she could tell she was going to get more than her fair share of insect bites later on today. It was too hot to be gardening, Will finally told her. Why didn't she go inside and rest?
Yui went back inside and threw her laundry in the dryer, pacing restlessly. Barbara had said Steven would arrive in Philadelphia at eleven. Will was going to pick him up, and they would be back at one at the latest.
She imagined Suboshi sitting, watching her with bright eyes.
Why are you so excited, Yui-sama?
I don't know, Suboshi.
She threw the dried laundry into the laundry basket and dragged it upstairs, determined to do something useful. Folding the laundry, she stuffed it inside the drawers, then resumed her pacing at the window, glancing at her clock.
Twelve forty-five. They should be coming home.
So let me come to you
Close as I want to be
Close enough for me
To feel your heart beating fast
And stay there as I whisper
How I love your peaceful eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you? |
--Final Fantasy VIII, Eyes on Me
There was the roar of the engine as the old car pulled into the driveway and a cough as the engine turned off.
She took the stairs one at a time. The front door loomed strangely large in her vision and she stopped, halfway down the stairs, as the door handle slowly turned and it swung open.
His back was to her, dragging a suitcase with one hand and a box with the other. He was sweating. Hot air rushed into the foyer and the door banged against the wall as he knocked it open with one hand.
"Ah, crap." He wrestled with the box. "Mom? I'm back!"
And as he straightened and turned, she saw the world flash before her eyes.
Don't let life pass you by, Yui. Don't let second chances pass you by.
Promise me you'll find my brother. Promise me…you'll take care of him.
His hair was as sandy blond as she remembered. His eyes were sky blue.
All my life I've felt I was waiting for someone…
Trust. Remember that. It's the answer…to everything.
His hands that were holding the box moved and the box dropped to the floor, crashing, as he stared up into her eyes.
Change is something that can come to everyone, if they want to accept it.
I've learned you can't force anyone to love you, and that love is not so much an emotion as a search.
She moved soundlessly down the stairs until she was standing before him, taking in his stunned gaze and the emotion in his eyes that she was sure was mirrored in her.
You search until you find someone, and somehow you know…you know that that person is the one. That the journey is over.
I think…I think I've always loved him. I just never believed that I could.
"I-" she whispered.
He smiled again, and the room seemed to flare with brilliant color, tracing gems in the air and in her ears she could hear the crashing of waves and on her lips she could feel the memory of him.
"I love you, Yui."
And as he held out his hand to her, she felt the burning of cool fire surrounding them and the whole world was ash beneath their feet and it was only them floating in the universe of forever.
Far away, there was a flash of white and silver and blue.
Me ga atta shunkan demo sore wa watashi de
Uso yo uso, anata kakete kuru
Tokimeki no doukasen ga
Karada juu o hashitteku
Bara bara ni naranai you ni
Shikkari shinakucha watashi |
When our eyes meet, I can't believe
That it is me you are running to
The heartbeat of excitement
Is pounding through my body
I have to pull myself together
So I don't fall apart |
--Fushigi Yuugi, Tokimeki no Doukasen (TV ending theme)
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