Disclaimer: Still not mine. o.O
A/N: Alright, I lied. :/ There might just be another chapter or two to this one yet. Hey, have you ever known me to have a chapter much less than 7 chapters? x.x I have an empty suggestion box. ;-; Anyway, I wrote this one..er…o_o with a small degree of writer's block…so …er…; Yeah. X.x Just read. Its Mimi's POV again.
The O c e a n s Between us
Chapter 3: Across Lands and Seas
My
mother insisted on calling our move a new beginning, but to me it only felt
like an excruciating finale.
Reality didn't really creep its way
back in after Koushiro and my meeting until that day, that day we were at the
airport in those final minutes before my plane was called. I had not prepared
for the overwhelming sadness that swarmed my friends' heads, nor the bitter
silence raining among us.
Sure, I had told them all, and they
all knew. The exact date, the flight, the time, the airport; they knew I was
going and they knew it well. My fellow chosen children had even thrown me a
party for my departure. It was fun, as fun as it could be, considering I would
be leaving and not seeing any of their faces again for God knows how long. I
had spent time with each of them, but none could compare to the time I had
spent those last weeks with Koushiro.
And it still wasn't enough.
I sat beside my mahogany haired love
even then, but it wasn't comforting. Nothing was comforting.
My parents understood enough to
leave me, and my group of seven alone, having gone off to explore the
"excitement" of the airport. What excitement? I didn't see a single smile among
my friends faces, not a single hint of enthusiasm in their stillness.
I couldn't tell you where their
thoughts were, but I know where mine were. I was in the past, in elementary
school, at camp, in the dejital world…wherever there had been a substantial
memory I was there, crying remorse over how I had come to miss them. My
thoughts were on Koushiro, and that terrifying night we had both received this
horrifying news, the emotion I had seen for the first time in his face. Would a
long distance relationship last? Had I misbelieved in true love?
Then,
an unexpected blow into actuality cracked the wall of silence each or us had
built; my flight was called.
Every
pair of eyes, be it chocolate, sapphire, onyx or ruby, they turned to me.
Watching me stand, gazing at me gather my bags. There silence became one of
shock, instead of simply sadness, none of the other seven would be moving, none
of the others removing their stare.
I
was frantic. Here I was, the last time they'd see more for a good length of
time, and they could not offer to even move a single muscle?
"Well?"
I had expected tears, but not so soon. I had not expected them to cascade down
my face already, to pour at such speed. And I had not yet begun the walk to my
plane.
The
strawberry blonde to my right would be the first to her feet, hugging me in a
farewell, water sprouting from her eyelids. "Oh Mimi, thanks for being a great
friend."
Dropping
my suitcase, I embraced the girl whom had been my best friend since the
youthful age of ten. Her comforting words had often got me through the hard
times in my life, from the fights with Koushiro to the bad hair days; she had
always been just a phone call away.
"Thank you too, Sora. For
everything." She removed her arms from around me, a light , forced smile on her
face. With a single step, she would move aside, wiping away the moisture that
lay beneath her cherry eyes.
Takeru now stood quietly in front of
me, his sapphire Ishida eyes crystallizing with tears. Underneath his recently
acquired fisherman style hat, his golden hair shone beneath the dim airport
lighting, as his heart often did with brilliant hope of peace. I would miss
that hopeful confidence so very much, having seen this young boy mature rapidly
over the years.
"Goodbye, Mimi." His arms would then
too surround me, in another farewell hug. I had only said goodbye to two of my
friends and my feet already felt wobbly.
Eight kids with nothing in common
except one thing; a remarkable adventure to an unknown world, creating friendships
that would last a lifetime.
One by one, each of them came up to
me, saying their goodbyes and best wishes, each in their own unique way. I
could not bear the sadness that accompanied my leaving, nearly a loss to a
ninterdependent team. When my flight had been called for the last time, I would
leave all but one of my weeping friends.
Koushiro had expressed to me a
desire to escort me as far as he possibly could, remaining till the last
possible moment for his good-bye. I had responded earnestly to the idea, until
I realized just how emotional my send-off would be.
For my final instant with my caring burgundy
haired friend, anything was worth it.
Before long, we arrived at the
departure gate. My eyes became transfixed on my avenue of doom, thinking of the
terror which greeted me at the end of the long hallway, a plane, a trip, a new
world…leaving behind the truest love I had ever known…
It would be his voice to awaken me
from my nightmare, to bring me back to the realism that was the present.
"Mimi…" Koushiro's hands were delving into his pockets, in search of something.
His normally emotionless face was filled with soft blue tears, the ultimate
sign of sadness.
Head turned, I could not help but
stare at the young man I would be leaving behind as I was to fly across lands
and seas. It was at that time I knew Japan would be home to my heart always,
forever in the hands of Koushiro Izumi.
I could not be patient any longer; I
was unable to deny myself from holding him one last time, my arms eagerly
embracing his neck. Rather tightly, I held him there for a matter of seconds,
until my tears became uncontrollable, and my sobs shaking my body; I didn't
want to leave him…I couldn't leave him.
I could feel Koushiro's shock, his
body tensing up. He had not expected such an expressive outburst, I having
offered no warning. His arms would cradle me, firmly holding me against him.
Our embrace would end too soon, however, for he began to gently pry me off his
shoulder in a matter of moments. I was fearful at first, afraid this was the
end; he had followed be this far to merely break my heart. Perhaps he was like
I, doubting the ability of a long distance relationship, and less willing to
give it a chance. Was he running away; worried of a shattered heart?
His pair of lips lowered, they were
only millimeters from my ear, his warm breath blowing over it as he spoke a
soft whisper to soothe my insecurities. My weeping still would not cease,
nonetheless, mourning over my inability to see him until my next visit.
"Don't cry...Mimi, don't cry..." His
voice begged me to cease a flow of what he himself could not stop. I did not
even need to glance sideways to know his eyelids were closed, damming the water
that was building up behind them. I choked out a few more tears, struggling to
do the impossible, as he had asked.
Because he was resting his other
hand on my shoulder, he would grasp hold of a lone hand of mine, transferring a
flimsy square disk into my palm.
"You have to go now, Mimi." With a
final hushed whisper, he would once again pull away from me, tears shamelessly
streaking down his face.
I glanced into my hand, only to find
myself gazing at a black floppy computer disc. Needless to say, I was not
completely shocked, knowing Koushiro to be involved greatly with computer
technology. "Wh…what's this?" I spoke my question aloud, pondering why my loved
one was handing me a computer disc, and what, exactly, was on it.
A smile somehow made its way to
Koushiro's face, decorated beautifully by a hint of red that flushed his
cheeks, " Oh that…It's a surprise…For when you get to America."
Every motion, every word, I
cherished of his; making me love him more and more every minute, and adding to
the anger at my parents for throwing my heart to the ground like this. I knew
our trip was what they wanted and needed back then, and they had their own
reasons for moving, but I, I could not help but already miss Koushiro, while he
still stood inches in front of me.
Closing the enlarging space between
us, my lips would slowly reach out for his. A gentle brush giving both pairs an
incentive of a passionate kiss. One I'll remember for a lifetime. It was more
than the interlocking of lips; it was a promise, a promise of a love that would
chart eternity. No space, no ocean could ever change that. We could get through
this trial, as long as we had each other. Our love could travel across lands
and seas and not be lost. It always had a home; two hearts already united as
one in devotion. Despite the tears that dripped onto both of our lips, cloaking
both our mouths with a taste of salt, we would only part to gaze into the
others eyes, those salt-kissed lips parting to whisper to the other, "I love
you."
A/N: Aw… ._,; That could've been such a sweet
ending and I screwed it up! ! I suck! x__x;; Anyway...I'm thinking
about leaving this as a cliffhanger…n.n;; I'll reveal everything in my sequeal,
though…so, It won't be too incrediably painful, ne? n.n Keep your eyes
posted…its coming up real soon. :D Anyway, thanks to those of you who choose
review. n.n; It is -greatly- appreciated. I need to know what 'ya guys think,
or…or…I'll just keep writing and not know if I'm pleasing my...er…readers. ^^
Okies. Toodles.