Violets Are Blue
A sequel to Roses Are Red
The month of February rolled by quickly, as did Valentine's Day. Takeru treated her to a fine, alcohol-free dinner full of music, roses, and little hints of romance. Hikari had never realized how blue his eyes were until she gazed into them over the flames of the candles. He tried to make this dinner perfect; tried to play the right music for Hikari--and the baby, he tried to persuade her into eating the clam dish. She refused and claimed that it was too fish-related and she hated fish.
She couldn't help but stare into the crystal pools as he fought the food into being cut the way he wanted. Giggling, she would turn away, not wanting him to catch her staring. They played this game of stare, one looking up at the other, then turning away before their eyes met. But finally, they caught each other.
Hikari raised her head after lifting up a roll of bread. At the same time, Takeru reached for the roll, also raising his head. Their eyes met by the glow of the candles and remained in that position for a long while. Takeru's hand rested gently on hers; didn't notice it. Both of their faces were a bright pink; didn't care. After a few minutes of sitting, staring and smiling, their eyes drifted and Hikari pulled her hand to her lap, biting her lower lip.
For the rest of the night, they avoided each other by staring out the window. It drove Hikari to the brink of insanity when he walked her to the door of Grandmother's off-white home. He had opened her car door, taken her by the hand, and gallantly walked her up the little path that was covered with a light trace of frost. His hands led her up the steps and his eyes followed her motions. When she turned around to say goodbye, he was only three inches away and she could feel his breath against her cheeks.
"Good night, Takeru," she whispered. Her eyes staring into those of the teenage boy's. She made a slight gesture towards the door; wished she hadn't. Suddenly, the warm breath of Takeru wasn't on her cheeks and he was down the steps, down the path, and heading down the driveway. After watching him leave, she entered the home and took a seat on the couch.
Her hands traced down the curve of her stomach and settled over the navel, amazed that another living thing was inside of her, attached and growing. Thinking about how this child would never know his or her father brought tears to her eyes. From what she read in the books Takeru brought her, she knew that she wanted to have a family. Not a baby without a father… That was one of the things she read about that made her worried.
In one story, though fictional, the mother raised a child to grow into a healthy young boy. Then one day, when it was parent-teacher conferences at school, the little boy had to acknowledge the truth. He didn't have a father. When word got out, the boy's friends started rumors, saying that the mother sold herself for drugs or for nothing at all. People then began to say she was going to sell her son to the man who she gave her body to. Hearing this, the boy ran away from home and was found dead in the city creek ten days later.
Hikari stared at the fire in the fireplace, her eyes wide when she thought about this. What if the baby didn't look a thing like her? She didn't know who had given this dilemma to her; didn't know if the person was American, European, or Asian… She didn't know anything. What would this mean to the child if she gave birth to a healthy young Hispanic boy?
Her eyes widened again. She never thought about this; never realized how this can jeopardize not only her life, but her baby's. Hikari ran her fingers through her hair and leaned against the couch. These thoughts could give her nightmares… It was disturbing.
Midnight called on the clock and Hikari still couldn't sleep, not after what she was just thinking of. Standing up, she walked into the hallway where she heard Grandmother's light snoring. She passed the doors and went to the kitchen, straight to the refrigerator. It made her unhappy with herself when she reached for the foods, so she pulled back and looked around. Her backpack from the first month she appeared in this town was still in the same spot as before… in the corner of the kitchen beside the table.
Sighing, she took a seat and pulled her backpack onto the table. The light that was always on in the kitchen gave her enough light to rummage through her bag. She took her binder out and opened it, taking another glance at the photos, she began to turn the pages around the rings. Never did she actually examine the items within it. Her mind couldn't think of a reason why.
Her fingers glided over things like homework assignments, blank pieces of notebook paper, math equations and notes. There was a full page of phone numbers and addresses and names. Curiously, she glanced at them.
Motomiya Daisuke
Kyo Sicily
Izumi Koushiro
Tachikawa Mimi
Takenouchi Sora
Denkou Avery
Kido Jyou
Ishida Yamato
Osanu Setsuna
Ichijouji Ken
Inoue Miyako
Hida Iori
Takaishi Takeru
There was more listed down, but she stopped at that name. "Takeru?" she murmured. Her eyes stared at the name and pictured the blue-eyed librarian here in Olympia. It couldn't be the same person. Her mind kept telling her it was strange irony and that the name must have been popular some time ago. She continued down the list, reading out names and thinking of what they could look like.
Turning the page, she continued down the long list of names, phone numbers, and addresses, but her mind was still bothered by the likelihood of two people named Takaishi Takeru.
Yamato's Cell
Jyou's Cell
Mimi's Cell
Taichi's Cell
Koushiro's Cell
Koushiro's Lab
Koushiro's Computer Lab
Koushiro's Work
Koushiro's Home (Mother)
Koushiro's Dorm
Koushiro's Car Phone
Hikari stared at the one named Koushiro. Either he moved a lot, or he was just really, really dedicated to his work. She wondered if he was going to have a heart attack from all the stress. Another turn of the page and it came to more pictures pasted onto the hard cover of a spiral notebook. Below each picture was a name.
She looked at the one labeled 'Izumi "Izzy" Koushiro' and giggled. Somehow she knew that this person would have red hair. Her eyes settled down on the ones named Sora and Miyako. Then she moved onto the inner pocket. There was one named Kido Jyou and in parenthesis Doctor Jyou. She stopped on Ishida Yamato. Somehow, his blue eyes seemed familiar; his blonde hair was bright and his smile lopsided like a singer would do for a portrait shot.
There wasn't any more room for pictures on that side, so she flipped through the notebook. It was full of math problems and scribbles and doodles. Flowers were drawn on the side and it looked like other people signed their names and wrote words like "Boredom = Math" and "Come over tonight". She flipped through a couple blank pages and came to the end. Strangely, a couple pages were stapled to the back flap of the notebook.
Since she didn't have anything better to do, she started to remove the staples. Once she was finished, she looked through the pages first to see if anything was written. They were all blank. She turned the last page and blinked. There was only one picture glued onto it. And it seemed sad, but she didn't know why. Below the picture was written Takaishi Takeru. Best friends forever. You're an angel. Don't ever let someone tell you otherwise.
There was that name again! She looked at the picture. The boy in it seemed younger and less recent than all the others. He couldn't be over the age of eleven. His eyes were bright blue and innocent, his hair hidden beneath a hat and his smile wide and full of joy. There was a faint number written in the corner of the notebook. It looked like a birth-and-death date. The death year was just about seven years ago.
Hikari stared at the picture. Takaishi Takeru. Seven years deceased? There was no way that the Takaishi Takeru she knew could be deceased. Her head began to spin from confusion and she quickly shut the book. On the back was another single picture.
Yagami Taichi(The one who told me to put his picture alone so everyone can see.)
Her eyes focused at the messy-headed brunette with dark eyes and a crooked smile. To Hikari, he looked like some type of an actor, or a leader of some sort. Then she froze.
"Yagami!?" she felt her eyes widen so much that it brought tears. She fingered through the list of people and phone numbers and stopped on the one that said Taichi's Cell. For a long minute, she stared at the number, wondering if he could possibly be a relative….
Hikari reached up to grab the phone that was hanging on the wall; her eyes still stared down at the number while her fingers dialed and clamped over the receiver. She listened to the rings… One… two… three… Wherever this Taichi was, she hoped that she wasn't waking him up. For all she knew, he could be living in a place like Nebraska or something.
"Hello?" the loud voice startled her. There was a break of silence where she could hear the voice in the background. "Sh! It might be my mom or somethin'!"--"Hello?" he repeated, "Taichi speaking."
Hikari opened her mouth to speak. She felt a hot and thick tear roll down her cheek. "Hello?" she tried, it came out as a whisper.
"Hello?" he asked again. "Who is this? I can't hear you."
"Taichi?" She clenched her eyes shut, putting the voice and the picture together. Her heart raced within her chest, beating wildly and telling her that her thoughts were right. If her thoughts were right, then she was speaking with her… "B-brother?"
"Hikari? Hikari!" the blurt of the other on the line scared her again. Then his voice turned angry. "If this is some kind of sick trick then I--"
"Taichi?" she felt the beating in her chest get faster and her stomach turned from overwhelming happenings. Before she could help it, her hand reached up and slammed the phone down on its place on the wall. She felt her head pounding just like her heart. Holding her head, she began to regret ever looking in that binder. Though the facts and the truth were all there, she couldn't match the pictures with voices; couldn't match the voices with faces. The rush of confusion swept her mind elsewhere, towards that Takaishi fellow.
He couldn't have been the same person… the same person she met in the library. The same person that cared for her, that read to her, that took her to watch performance plays and took her to fancy restaurants. That person was… was dead. It was there in the notebook! Then again, she couldn't even tell if she had actually talked to her possible brother or if it all played within her mind.
She grasped her head and sat down against the wall, bringing her knees as close to her chest as she could. What had happened? Giving birth to a fatherless baby would be difficult. How could that had happened? Even thinking about getting back to her home somewhere, somehow brought her pain. Who would leave her stranded? Alone? And pregnant? She decided to hate whoever did this to her. Then she began to hate herself for ever allowing something like this to happen.
For all she knew, she could have been letting this happen. But she didn't remember it that way. Well, she didn't remember anything. But from what she felt, she knew that something pulled her back and disallowed her to stop this. She felt her stomach turn again and she began to cry. She cried because of confusion, of hurt, pain, fear… Her tears spilled out emotions that she couldn't put to words. One tear could have been for the friendship Takeru had given her. Another tear was for the confusion of the pictures. And one more for the pain that her heart gave her.
For all she knew… she could be living a life of a lie…
"Sweets for a sweet, dear 'Kari," Takeru leaned over the couch to hand Hikari a fresh bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates. He teasingly patted her stomach and recited, "Double the sweetness, double the belly."
"Gee, thanks," Hikari snickered.
It was April now, her stomach was large, her confidence growing weaker, but her hopefulness growing stronger. The night in February, when she had a strange confronting of her past seemed like only a dream. She had opened her eyes to find herself back on the couch; she thought it was only a dream. And that's how she wanted to keep it.
Takeru sat down beside her and took a book into his hands. He handed it to Hikari but she just set it back down. "Is something wrong?" he asked gently, his voice soft so Grandmother wouldn't have to wake from her nap.
"No," she said, her hands resting on her stomach. "I just don't feel like reading."
"Oh," he shrugged. "One who wishes shall receive, but as a wise saying goes, be careful what you wish for."
"Stop it, you poet."
"I'm telling you, I'm not a poet."
"Sure act like one."
"Well you act like a pregnant lady with an attitude."
She gave him a look. "I am."
He laughed a little bit and stretched his arms over his head. "Dear angel, what do you want to speak about?"
Angel… "I'm not sure." She set her hand towards the side of her stomach. Her other hand reached towards Takeru's. "Give me your hand."
His bright blue eyes gave a look of confusion, but he held his hand out to her. She took it and set it on her stomach, a little to the left, a little towards the navel. "Feel that?" she whispered, her eyes turning glossy. "It's like the heart of the baby. Feel it?"
Takeru blinked his eyes a couple times and smiled widely, then facing Hikari. "Yeah, I feel it."
"Though I myself am not an angel, I pray that this baby will be." The girl set her hand over Takeru's, her chin bent to her chest.
"You are an angel," he whispered to her ear, "don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Her eyes widened at the words. Takaishi Takeru. Best friends forever. You're an angel. Don't ever let someone tell you otherwise. That was on the picture of Takeru…
"Takeru?" she said, hardly even a whisper now. "Where were you born?"
She felt his hand slip from under hers.
"I can remember living here all my life."
"You were born here? In Washington?"
"I suppose."
"But your name… it isn't like James' who runs the movie-theater. It isn't like Barry's who plays the cello. And Jonathan is far different from Takeru…"
"Maybe my mom or dad was Asian or something," he murmured, shifting uncomfortably in his spot. "Say, do you want to come to my house some time? It's not a castle of arts or anything, but it's relaxing and quiet."
"But--" she let the mystery go for now. "Sure, Takeru…."
"Great," he grinned and stood up, "I'll come by to get you this Friday… near about… eight?" He grabbed his jacket and smiled at Hikari. "I'll cook you a clam-less dinner."
She giggled, "Sounds great."
"Adieu, sweet angel, adieu," he bowed lowly and made her laugh again. Then he disappeared out the door.
"I don't care what he says," she muttered to herself while picking up the book, "he is a poet. And he knows it."
Hikari released a little giggle and opened the book to the front page. Instead of seeing words and the beginning of a chapter, she discovered a little picture with two little boys, both blonde-haired and blue-eyed. One was younger than the other; represented Takeru a little bit; the other she had no clue---
"Yamato?" she voiced, feeling a knot in her throat. Her eyes clamped shut and she could have sworn she heard a voice.
"Takeru!"
"Yamato! Just give up… it's been three weeks…"
"No! Takeru's stronger than what you think!"
"Come on, Hikari, we should leave him alone now."
She opened her eyes, afraid that if she didn't, the voices would have echoed within her mind. It took her a few minutes to get rid of the strange feeling. After she calmed the beating of her heart, she laid down on the couch and closed her eyes, wishing she wouldn't have these strange feelings.
"Grandmother," Hikari said from the bathroom. "I'm going to Takeru's for a while. Are you going to be okay?"
"Hun, just leave me with a dinner and my opera tapes, and you can be gone for a week!"
Hikari smiled and walked out slowly, feeling doubt rise when she passed a mirror. "I wish this belly of mine would disappear."
"Just another month." Takeru's voice came from the front room. It startled Hikari for the briefest of seconds and she rolled her eyes. He laughed and guided her out the door. When she stepped off the last step, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, but she didn't say anything. Earlier in the afternoon, she had the same pain and it went away. She reasoned this pain would go away, too.
Takeru soon arrived at his home, letting Hikari step out of the vehicle and look at his property. She commented on how well he kept his lawn green and how beautiful the flowers were. The wooden steps led up to a two-story house, painted a whitish color with blue trimmings. He told her that when he moved into this place, he was with two others. They married of course, and moved out on their own, leaving Takeru with the large and spacious house. Once she set foot in the house, she knew that he was going to say something that insulted it.
"I know it's not you know, what you see in the movies." He smirked a little, proving to Hikari that her thoughts were correct. "You know, those movies that have the guy take the girl to his place and you see maids and servants and glittering hallways with candles everywhere."
Hikari smiled. "Takeru, you judge yourself too much. I think this is very nice."
He gestured for her to follow him for the 'grand tour' of his lower floor. There was a study, full of books, tables, and unlit candles. She glanced around for any sign of photographs of family, but she didn't find any. Then he led her into the living room. It was a typical teenager's room, a television set, a radio, a couch and a computer. He claimed it was his entertainment room. Then he added that he never really used any of it.
She followed him through the hallways, into the guest room, through the kitchen, and into the dining room. (Never once did she see a picture of anyone.) There was a small table draped with a white silk tablecloth. Two candles were lit with the scent of vanilla. Her favorite. A vase stood in the middle with one single rose in it. She noticed the books on the shelf next to the table. Every room had at least ten books. She wondered if he read every one of them.
Dinner was served perfectly. There was an appetizer, the main course, and naturally, a dessert. Just as Hikari took a spoonful of Takeru's Sherbet Twist, she felt the pain in her stomach again. Dropping the spoon, she wrapped her hands around her stomach and made a small "ung" sound.
"What?" Takeru nearly dropped his plate. "Is my cooking that bad?"
"No… I just…" she held her stomach again. His eyes widened and stood up from his seat.
"Are you--"
"Ugh!"
"Is it-"
"Takeru…" she felt something happen and looked up at him. Her water broke…
"The baby?" he asked, still gripping his spoon. When she nodded, he dropped it and dashed for the phone. Hikari groaned and he dropped it. A wave of panic swept through the usually calm and tranquil librarian and he ran to the side of Hikari. He nearly lifted her into his arms and started for the door, forgetting the keys to the car.
Within seconds, he dashed back into the house and in the same amount of seconds, he ran back out. It took him seven minutes to find the correct key to start the engine. And it took him another seven to just get the car in reverse. Hikari told him that she would drive if he didn't get out of the driveway soon.
While in the hospital, Takeru followed the wheelchair like a boy in a mall with his mother. The doctors took her into the sterile room and the blond felt a little queasy already. Eventually, he left the room to call Grandmother and inform her to gather the baby bag that Hikari seemingly prepared three months ago. He and Grandmother waited in the lobby while the doctors went in and out of the rooms.
"How long does it take?" Takeru kept asking Grandmother.
"Patience."
"How long is that!"
"Calm."
"I mean if she screams, would we be able to hear her?"
"If you care about her that much, Hun, you go in and let her squeeze your hand when she's giving birth." Grandmother flipped through a magazine that was a year old. "Hmm… I thought they made that movie a year ago…"
Takeru exhaled a breath slowly and looked towards a nurse. She was looking at him. "What? Can I really go in there and be by her side?"
"Are you the father?"
"Well uh…"
"Come on then," the nurse indicated him to follow and he did.
He stood up by Hikari's bed while they were preparing for the birth. His eyes darted frantically, making sure that a doctor doesn't miscalculate anything or drop something. He also warned them that they better wash their hands. Hikari couldn't help but laugh at him. Her hand wrapped around his loosely while the contractions became more severe.
No matter how hard Hikari squeezed Takeru's hand, he didn't budge at all from his spot. He gave reassuring words; told her to be brave, to be calm and to remember that after all this, she would be able to hold her baby boy or girl and smile again. Within his mind, he told himself to be calm. Frankly, if he weren't able to control himself, he would have been a little boy, standing there, wetting his pants and crying out for his mommy. Instead, he remained on his feet to be the encouraging 'father'. It was until he saw the first sign of the baby that he fell to the floor, unconscious and unaware that he even fell.
He awoke in a bed of his own, right beside Hikari who was humming a lullaby he never heard. His head was pounding but it was a natural headache, so he didn't worry too much about it. Turning onto his side, he glanced at the brunette girl whose hair was tied back by a velvet pink hair tie and her eyes were on a little bundle within the blankets. Immediately, a smile flew over his face and he pushed himself to stand up.
Once he stumbled to her bed, Hikari looked up, her lips parched, cracked, and her eyes glossy. Without words, she unveiled the little bundle of nature, running one finger through the thick set of brown hair. Her eyes declared so many reasons why she was happy. For one, she was happy that her baby looked more like her than the possible father. Two, her baby was a beautiful, healthy little boy. And three, Takeru was standing beside her, like a father would with his first born.
"Do you want to know his name?" she whispered, even though the baby was awake and trying to force his eyes to stay open. When Takeru nodded, she whispered, "I named him Yamato. I once saw that someplace--I can't remember. But I love it."
Takeru's lips tightened at the name, but loosened when she was holding up baby Yamato. He took the child into his arms and looked down at him, his bright blue eyes examining the child. Yamato raised his tiny fist and pounded it against the teenage boy's chest. Hikari giggled and watched the two.
"Hey, Yamato…" he stumbled over the name; didn't know why. "I'm Takeru… You've already seen your mommy." He glanced over at Hikari and raised the baby higher into his arms. "I'm not your daddy, so don't get confused." He saw Hikari look away out of the corner of his eyes. "But you know what?" The infant slowly opened his eyes. Despite having dark brown hair, his eyes were a strange, bright shade of blue. Takeru slowly smiled and finished, "I wish I were your daddy."
Through the first month, Hikari didn't do anything but care for the baby. She bathed it, clothed it, bought it little blankets with her earned money from working with Takeru in the library. She loved to feed it; loved to play the little games like 'Airplane' or 'Choo-choo-train'. Grandmother once taught her the skydiver… but she watched how Yamato saw the 'flying' spoon turn and twist towards his mouth and turned away from fright. She didn't say anything to Grandmother…
Takeru did his share of awing over the baby. He brought books to read to the little boy. And as much as Hikari begged him to read Romeo and Juliet, he didn't, claiming that he wanted to wait until the baby could actually understand it. Hikari whined like a twelve-year-old and begged him to read it. Since her pleading eyes gave him his weakness, he caved into her beg and told her that after they finished the current book, they would read hers again.
Hikari dressed her little baby Yamato in overalls and white shirts with tiny little caps that kept his head warm. She took him for walks in the spring, letting him grab the flowers and pull out the petals, then telling him that if he continued to do that, there would be none left to pluck. Every day she said that and it took him a week to finally pick the roses and hold them up to his mother, giggling with glee.
She took him to the library nearly every day, meeting with Takeru and playing little games with him. The three, then, would go to parks, stores, or stay in the library, letting Yamato explore the surroundings. Hikari watched Takeru more than she did Yamato. She watched him play little games like hide and seek between the shelves of the library. He would pull the books out and lean over them, looking down at Yamato and whisper words for him to look up. When the child did, Takeru would disappear from his sight and wait until the baby occupied himself again. They would do this until Yamato became fussy because he could never find Takeru.
"You're being to mean to the little guy," Hikari said, setting her hands on Takeru's shoulders. She shook him teasingly and added, "How would you like it if I disappeared every time you heard my voice?"
"I would die a happy man," he teased back, watching her smiling face fade to a glare.
Once in the month of June, Takeru took Hikari back to his house, for a make up dinner. Grandmother called it a date. Hikari and Takeru called it a dinner. All the same, Hikari showed up at the door with Yamato in her arms. In her hand was a bouquet of blue violets. She explained that she couldn't afford the beautiful red roses that he gave her and turned a deep crimson. He smiled kindly and took the violets, telling her that he enjoyed these kind of flowers more than roses.
Yamato wasn't himself by the time they sat down for dinner; he was tired. Even before the main dish came, Yamato began to get tired. Hikari blamed herself because she was playing too many games earlier and made him grow tired. When she apologized, Takeru waved it away with his hand.
"Don't apologize for the actions," he said, taking the infant into his arms. "Let the apologies fly out the window, and soar away from your dreams. For a life without any mistakes, is something else than what it seems."
"Poet," she whispered while he walked into his room. The sun setting light poured through Takeru's window and she stepped towards it. For some reason, she wished she saw an ocean. Instead, she saw a faint river far back, in front of large hills. Her eyes studied the picture and wished she had seen an ocean, but was satisfied with the river. Takeru stepped beside her, setting his hand on her shoulder, still holding Yamato in his arm.
Suddenly, Hikari's mind was clouded in unknown dreams. She wished for a two-story house with a balcony overlooking the ocean. She wanted to watch the sunset with her baby and her husband. She wanted her husband to have blue eyes… Hikari turned her head to look at Takeru, he also turned to look at her at the same time.
"Something wrong?" he asked quietly.
"No," she answered, her eyes closing lightly. She opened them again, staring into Takeru's eyes… his blue eyes… Raising her hand to his cheek, she traced his jawbone with her fingertips. His head leaned into the touch but he didn't say anything. Hikari noticed his lean and tilted her head up a bit. "Did you mean what you meant when you were in the hospital?"
"About being the father of your heaven-sent baby?" She nodded and he smiled. "I might have fainted from his birth, but I wouldn't say something like that unless I meant it."
Hikari bit her bottom lip and smiled, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She felt his warm breath against her cheeks, like she did such a long time ago. Though she yearned for his kiss, she couldn't bring herself to make any movement. Neither did he. She felt the tension of his jaw, how he clenched it shut to keep from making a mistake.
Her hand drifted from his chin and wrapped around her arm. Takeru remained still, wondering, thinking, wishing. At last, he pulled away from her side and set his arm on the windowpane, then setting his forehead on his arm. Hikari felt herself shiver and look away from him. Then in midst of the silence, she suddenly blurted, "What is your family like?"
Takeru lifted his head from his arm and looked towards the girl, his hands clenching into light fists. "You know, a family."
"I know that… but what are their names?"
Bob. Peter? Marry Ann? Susan? Steven. Sean. Jacob? "Uh… why so curious?"
"Why not? You know what I know of my past."
"I know…"
Hikari twisted her brunette locks around her index finger. "Why won't you tell me?"
"Why should I?"
She blinked a bit, surprised at his attitude, taking it the wrong way.
He realized this and looked down. "I'm sorry," muttered he, his face flushing with a red color, looking more boyish than he had before. "I didn't mean it that way. It's just… I can't… That is, I don't…"
Takaishi Takeru. Best friends forever. You're an angel. Don't ever let someone tell you otherwise. "Takeru?" she whispered, finally bringing up her 'dream' of her past. "You don't know?"
The blond glared at her and quickly looked away. "Of course I know. I'm not like you, you know."
"What does that mean!"
"I mean I didn't lose my memory!"
She didn't say anything but a small mumble and sat down in a chair by yet another bookshelf full of books. The chair creaked a little bit from worn wood and she turned away from the face of the other, not sure of whether to feel angry, sad, confused, or feel pity that he hadn't trusted her the way she trusted him. Her question didn't spin in her mind for long; Takeru walked to the chair and set his arms on the back of the chair and looked down at the brown head of Hikari. His eyes grew faint, knowing that she was upset with him.
"Hikari?" he asked quietly. He waited for a reply. When there wasn't one, he continued; "I don't see why you have to know the past, though, Hikari. If it happened, it happened. You're not going to be able to change it. When one has lived a life of sorrow, let it pass before tomorrow."
"Poet," she muttered stubbornly and brought a smile to Takeru's lips. "But Takeru… if I don't know the past," she turned in the chair and stared into his blue eyes. "I can't know the future. I wouldn't know who I was or were; I wouldn't know who to call for help, I would not know my family history. Nor would I know who to invite to any possible weddings." She glanced at Yamato, still sleeping angelically on the bed. Her eyes turned soft and glossy, "I wouldn't know who to tell about the first words Yamato says. I wouldn't know what to say when he asks about his grandpa or grandma.
Takeru, without my history, I couldn't bring forth the future. Just like you would say in the books you have read. You have to remember the beginning to find out the end. I want to find the end, Takeru. I want to say what my mother's name is. I want Yamato to grow up in a normal lifestyle. Not one with a broken history. I don't want to begin my family history…"
Takeru, by now, had set his chin on his arms, staring over her head and at a blank spot on the wall. The words she had said were true; so many times has he told her to remember the beginning until you end it all. And now he was retreating from his word. "I don't know how to start, Hikari."
She blinked a few times. "What do you remember?" Now she was sitting on her knees, her face nearly three inches away from his. "Do what you did to me whenever I began to cry. You told me to try to cling onto the last of my memories."
His eyes drifted from hers and settled on his books to the left. "I… Well, I…" He stared hard at the books, trying to fit the pieces together in his mind.
"As much as I could remember, my friends and I were on a boat, you know… kind of like a summer party. One of them had come from a long way to show his… or her new boat off and the friend took us out two by two."
"Takeru, come with me!"
"No, I hate the water."
"No you don't."
"Do you really know that?"
"I went with one of my best friends---I think. We started to get pretty far. So far that we couldn't see the others on the beach, building the castles--or the sand-chairs."
"I think we should be going back now."
"Don't say something like that. We still have a long way to go."
"But the clouds…"
"We'll be back before it starts to rain."
"Only we didn't get back when the rain came." Takeru shifted from foot to foot. "I can hear the thunder and the wind. The little boat couldn't take it. It was little, not a rowboat, but not a … a ship or something. We started to get splashed by the waves."
"Just hang onto the sides! Don't let go!"
"I can't--! I can't hold on any longer!"
"Don't let go, Takeru! Please don't let go!"
"The waves were growing at tremendous speeds… I couldn't even imagine something growing that fast. Even the rain made things worse. Things went one way, I think I went the other. And…"
"Takeru…!"
"Takeru?" Hikari said lightly.
He shook his head and glanced down at her, not realizing he had stained his long-sleeved, dark blue shirt with the water from his eyes. "Yeah, well… after that, I just found myself in the cargo area of a ship." He forced a chuckle, "Other than that, I can't remember who was with me, where I was at before, and if I had any family. Go figure! Say, do you want some ice cream? I can make a little side dish of--"
"You're changing the subject."
"I am not! Anyway, the dish is--"
"Takeru," she peered into his eyes. "How did you even know your name?"
"Beats me," he muttered, his first words that seemed like he was twelve years old. "Look, I told you what I wanted to tell you…"
"So you don't know your family either?" Hikari murmured, her voice caught between panic and sympathy.
He locked eyesight with her. "…I guess not."
"Then," she cracked a smile, "I can finally say that I know how you feel."
Takeru studied her expression for a long time; her eyes were glassed over by a layer of tears, her delicate lips formed into a small smile, and her hair falling over her forehead in just the right places. His hand reached up to push a lock of it away and rested on her jawbone. Both froze in their movement, unsure of what to do or what to say. But then, Takeru began to lean towards her, his thumb running over her smooth skin. She began to close her eyes as she felt his breath on her cheeks, for the third time now, and awaited the kiss. It would have been their first kiss…
If it hadn't been for Yamato.
The baby began to cry when their lips were merely centimeters apart. Hikari automatically pushed away and slipped off the chair, walking to the bed and raising Yamato into her arms. Watching, Takeru didn't know whether to feel disappointed… or relieved. He released the little air he had holding within himself and stood up, straightening his back.
"Takeru," Hikari said, rocking the child, "I think I should show you something---it's something I found in the notebook that was with me, such a long time ago. I always thought that I had dreamt it… but…"
With a flick of the wrist, Takeru was dangling the car keys from his fingers. "To Grandmother's house we go?" he asked, willing to do anything to get out of this mess.
On the ride to Hikari's staying place, she told Takeru all about her discovery of pictures, numbers, names. She told him how she had called the one named Taichi… but hung up, thinking it was just her cruel imagination. He had asked her why she didn't tell him sooner. The answer was a simple "I thought it was just a dream." They laid the subject to rest when they turned onto Grandmother's street. There was the usual cars parked on the sides of the road, but a strange blue car, that looked rented, was parked in front of Grandmothers.
Hikari and Takeru exchanged looks as he pulled in behind the car. They simultaneously climbed out of the vehicle of his and both shut the door at the same time; nearly walked through the door together, too. But Takeru opened it for Hikari and Yamato. Then entrance caused Grandmother to look up from her rocking chair.
Hikari sighed lightly, "At first I thought someone was here for--" As she entered deeper into the room, she saw a young man seated on the couch. "Me…" she finished.
The stranger snapped his head up, eyes rimmed with red, filled with tears. They were a dark brown, the same as his hair. The hair itself was flipped around strangely and wildly. But somehow, through all her thoughts of "Who is this stranger?", "What's he doing here?", and "What does he want?", she found a sense of familiarity in his young face. He gripped his knees with his hands and looked at Grandmother who was nodding.
"Hikari?" he managed to say, rising to his feet and looking twice as tall as she thought he was. "Do you remember me, Kiddo?"
She stood, mystified with confusion, her arms holding her youth gently. "Grandmother…?" she tried, but she didn't get an answer from the old woman. Of course she never asked a question either.
The man looked crushed, like his heart had been ripped out and he was able to see it right before he died. He took a step towards Hikari, trying again, "Kari… I-I'm Taichi… Your brother?"
Taichi… Taichi… Yagami Taichi. "Taichi?" she repeated. Though she tried stopping herself, her bottom lip began to quiver. Takeru didn't know what to do; didn't know if he was able to hold her now. The baby in her arms reached up and tugged on her hair for attention; she half-laughed and looked down at the blue-eyed wonder. Then she looked back at Taichi.
"You still don't remember?" he took a step back, his eyes displaying a truckload of pain. The tears spilled from the tips of his eyes and he tried to wipe them away. He smiled crookedly, "I guess you wouldn't remember your love of photography--or my love of soccer. Or our love of making Mom flip out by thinking one of us was lost…" His voice wavered a little, "Guess you wouldn't know what I mean when I say It happened."
Hikari watched him carefully, memories in the back of her head spinning in their own little universe. He continued on about the friends, the family, and then… the hug. Without her knowing it, Taichi had wrapped his arms around her body while Grandmother removed Yamato from her arms. She was caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't even realized it until Yamato was no longer felt tugging on her hair.
And then it happened…
"Oh my gosh…" Hikari whimpered, skipping the fact that she had begun crying. "Taichi? I didn't mean to make those pranks on Mom come true."
Taichi stumbled back a little, his hands still on his little sister's shoulders. "What?" he exhaled, the question barely audible.
Hikari began to cry hysterically, but forced the words out. "Oh my gosh! I-I-I didn't know, Taichi! I didn't want Mama to freak out--I didn't want to! Taichi, I'm so sorry… I want to, I want to, I want to go back home, Tai! I want to see Mama again and taste her spaghetti sauce all over again--Taichi, I want to go home and I---" She then pushed her head onto his shoulder and cried. She cried because she was happy--she knew who the stranger was! She cried because she knew what her past had been. She cried because the thoughts in her mind began to ooze out in a long pattern.
Faces of her friends with names: Sora, with the light brown hair, nearly red. She loved to cook and pick out outfits for her when she was in need. Jyou, the doctor who had no time to even comb his blue hair. Koushiro--the redheaded genius with a million occupations. Daisuke, the loudmouthed caring boy she always knew with the brown hair and eyes. Takeru… Takeru..
She nearly choked on her tears and looked towards the blonde who had been silent all this time. "Takeru… Taichi, that's Takeru! I told you he hadn't left us!" Hikari said quickly, her hands clinging onto Taichi's arm.
The brunette boy looked towards the other. Takeru was taller than he was. Taichi shook his head, first at disbelief than in disapproval. "No… Kari… he--"
"No! He didn't, Takeru, tell him about the boat--and the friends--and the…"
"No," he said lowly, his hands in his pockets. "I'm not the person you think I am."
Hikari watched him nearly run out the door with his head bowed to the ground. She heard the wheels of his truck pull out of the driveway and speed down the road. Then it was silent for at least a minute. Then, she began to cry all over again.
The next day, Hikari was in the living room, holding a telephone receiver in her hand, tears in her eyes. All morning she had tried to get a hold of Takeru; tried to call him to beg him to come back to Odaiba with her… maybe then she could have convinced Taichi that the little boy that was eleven hadn't drowned in the ocean, hadn't been dead all this time. Trying to get just one, little second with him… She failed on all attempts.
Taichi stepped by her side, holding his newfound nephew in his arms. "Hikari, you've done a good job with your life," he said, staring at the baby.
She would have smiled, but she couldn't. "Thanks, Tai…" Her voice quivered and she turned to Grandmother who was crying into a kerchief. "Thanks for everything, Grandmother… Ami… I don't know how I can repay you for all you have done…"
"Just keep on a-sending them pictures of your baby," she broke her strong tone and smiled feebly. "I'll be waitin', girlie."
"I'll be sending," Hikari hugged her American friend for a tight good-bye and looked down at the ground, ashamed that she didn't have anything more.
They both agreed that long good-byes were unnecessary and that they would see each other again---sometime soon, and Hikari walked out the door with her brother behind. On the drive to the airport, Hikari held Yamato in her arms, thinking of Takeru the whole time. She had told Taichi stories of meeting all these people and giving birth and naming the little boy Yamato because it made Takeru seem happy. Her words were full of tears, but she smiled through them, forcing herself to keep composure.
Taichi then told her the life back in Odaiba; how everyone began to lose hope, how everyone but he and his parents began to drift from trying to find her. He said that no matter what his friends said, he wouldn't give up. She told him that he was the greatest brother ever; he just laughed.
Hikari begged Taichi to stop at a floral shop. She tried to buy roses… but came up just too short and instead, she bought blue violets. She didn't know why she bought them… it just felt right. The airport began to come into view and Hikari felt like she could cry again. Yamato had fallen asleep from the movement of the car and Taichi was so glad, he didn't notice the tears in his sister's eyes.
Just as they had gotten their luggage out of the car, their plane was set for flight. They only had a matter of minutes to spare. Hikari stood stupidly, holding blue violets in her hands while Taichi held the baby. He played the game "Got your nose," but this time, Yamato was grabbing his. Her eyes were focused directly on the entrance to the area they were in, hoping, wishing, wanting…
The call for their flight came over the intercom and if it weren't for Taichi, she would have been standing there throughout the takeoff. She started to walk towards the gate, feeling others walk by her in haste while she moved like a slug. Her feet wouldn't move with her mind, nor her heart. As much as she wanted to go home, something was keeping her back. It was Takeru… She knew she would miss Takeru. But before she could turn around one last time, she was pushed into the gate and through the tunnel-like path towards the plane.
Takeru dashed into the sector of the airport, just after Hikari went through. In his hand was a bouquet of red roses. His eyes searched the area, his breath short. Becoming a little worried that he had missed her, he began to walk towards the flight assistant who was stepping through.
"Miss," he said breathlessly. "I need to see somebody for just a minute."
"Do you have a ticket?"
"No, you see, I just have to talk to her for just a minute-"
"Not without a ticket, Sir."
"You don't understand!" he boasted, the tears burning in his eyes. "I have to see someone on that plane!"
"You don't have a ticket!"
"Just for a minute, dang it!" He had to hold himself back from swearing. He argued with the attendant, begging. He was close to giving up, even got to the point of turning away, when he heard his angel's voice.
"Takeru!"
He wheeled around and watched Hikari come into sight. She had already began the crying process as she ran towards him. Naturally, he caught her in his arms and even lifted her off her feet, turning in one complete circle before setting her down; she was still in the gateway, he was still in the sector.
"I didn't want to miss you without saying good-bye," he murmured through a sob. He tried his best not to cry, but because he knew that he couldn't get on that plane with her, it had slipped. His hands numbly gave her the roses and he added, "You don't know how much this place is going to change with you not around."
"Why can't you come?" she asked, more of a beg than a question. She too handed him her flowers, knowing that it was why she bought them in the first place.
"I just can't, Hikari," he whispered in her ear, embracing her again.
"Ma'am, Sir, the plane is getting ready to leave--"
"I don't want to just leave you here, Takeru," she held onto him tightly, feeling his hand cup around her neck and his arm around her waist.
"We'll see each other again," he said to her gently. The flight attendant began to tap them on their shoulders; they ignored her. "Listen," Takeru looked into her eyes, "you get on that plane, go home, and show off that baby of yours. I'll be waiting here, by the phone. And as soon as I can, I'll catch the next plane. ...I promise."
Hikari nodded numbly and began to stumble out of his grip, being slightly pushed by the attendant. His eyes trailed her down the path until she broke away from the attendant. She took herself into a jog and then into a sprint back to Takeru's arms. She pressed her lips against his, something she had done for a long time now.
He caught her again, a bit surprised from the kiss, but nonetheless returned it. They both felt the feeling of love within just that kiss that only lasted for a matter of seconds. When she broke it, he felt as if he could grab her back and just keep her in his arms. Instead, he let her slip from his grasp and disappear from sight. The gates closed slowly, causing Takeru to swallow a lump in his throat.
Through the window of the busy airport, Takeru stood, his hands in his pockets. From there, he watched Hikari's airplane lift from the ground and into the air. And from there, he watched as his love disappeared into the horizon. Suddenly he regretted waiting to kiss her for so long…
Oi, I dug myself into a hole. I was going to have this just end it as you know, a two-part story. But I decided not to. I have two ideas for an ending… a happy ending and a sad ending. Which shall I do, hmm? Um… ::sweatdrops:: Either way it's an ending, right? Well, I want to do the happy ending--but I think the sad ending brings more power to the whole fact that these two parts of the story were called Roses Are Red and Violets Are Blue. Well… I don't know what to do. ~.~
Someone asked me if I've read "Where the Heart Is"… No, actually, I haven't. But (there's always a but,) it is coming soon in my mailbox. ^-^ I ordered it. My teacher once told me of the book and I really thought it was interesting. I first heard about Forney (is that right?), (the librarian) and I was like… Yah! A librarian! Never really thought of that. To be frank, I don't know how the story goes… I'm going to read it though. This story isn't like that… is it? If it is… I don't want to be 'framed' as a plagiarizer… It's not, is it? I hope not… ;.; I haven't even read the book. But if I find out that the book deals with amnesia and all this jazz, then I'm going to delete this story in a flash.
…I'm having second thoughts about this story now… ~.~ ::goes back to worrying whether to write a happy ending or a sad ending…::