"The Last Wish" - continued from Part I
~ ~ ~
Nuriko frowned at the receiver. "Haaaaaai," he breathed, smiling slightly. "It's good to know you remember my voice, Miaka...after all, we've only known each other for what, six, seven years?"
There was a moment of stunned silence from the other end of the phone. "S-S-S-S-S-Six or seven YEARS?"
"Anou...Miaka...are you sure you're awake?"
There was yet another stretch of silence, followed by the clatter of dishes and something which sounded suspiciously like crunching...Nuriko placed his hands on his hips, glared suspiciously at the phone. "Miaaaaaka," he growled. "What are you doing?"
Something rustled...and, there was that crunching again... "Gomen, Nuriko," Miaka mumbled, sounding as if she was chewing frantically. "I was making sure I was awake."
Nuriko sighed in near-exasperation, falling back onto a nearby chair and bringing a slim hand to his forehead. "I see," he said, a slight smile dancing onto his lips. "Well, are you?"
"Yes," the other replied after a moment, sounding slightly confused. "Food never tastes this real in my dreams."
"Well, in that case, do you mind if I ask you what I called to ask you?"
"Uh...sure..."
Nuriko frowned. "Miaka, are you sure you're all right? You sound...strange."
He could practically see Miaka waving her hand at the phone, that goofy, often-forced smile twisting her lips upwards... "No, no, I'm fine," she reassured, the familiar smile clear through her words. "What's up?"
The violet-haired boy drew a soft breath, let it out in a hiss of air. "Miaka," he said firmly, steeling himself against the reaction he knew was coming... "I need you to...to..." He drew another deep breath, sighed. "I need you to skip lunch with me tomorrrow so we can try out for the musical."
---
Miaka felt her face fall. "N...Naaaaaaaaani?" she exclaimed, staring at the phone in a kind of dreamlike shock. "You...you wanna...you want to try out for the MUSICAL??"
---
Nuriko nodded, eyes closing in exasperation. "Hai, Miaka." He paused for a moment, then broke into a wide grin. "Besides, Hotohori is trying out for the lead..."
On the other end of the phone, Miaka giggled slightly. "Well, that explains it." She paused then, gasped. "Hotohori!" she cried. "He's...he's real, too! That means...that means...IT WORKED! EVERYONE IS REAL! Nuriko, everyone's real!"
Nuriko frowned, but before he could respond, the girl had bubbled onwards.
---
"Anyway...sure, I'll try out for the musical with you...ne, maybe some of the others will be there, too! And...and..." Her heart seemed to freeze in her chest. "And...Tamahome," she whispered.
Nuriko laughed. "Tamahome? In the musical? Oh, come on, Miaka. After dating him for two years I'd think you'd know him a little better than that. Nah, he and Tasuki are doin' stage crew."
Miaka stared at the phone in a bit of shock, then smiled...then grinned. "Two years?" she echoed carefully. "I've been...I've been dating...we've been...aahhhh, TAMAHOME!"
---
Nuriko brought a hand to his forehead. "Miaka, maybe you should get some rest...you sound like you need it."
"Eh? Oh...uh...okay...I am kind of tired. Ne, why'd you call me so late, anyway?"
He grinned. "Come on, Miaka, you know I never sleep. Anyway, it's only midnight." He glanced again at the nearby clock, stared at the reddish numbers for a few moments. "Gomen ne, Miaka...I forgot your family goes to bed at nine."
"Ten," she corrected, sounding mildly irritated.
Nuriko smiled. "Close enough. Goodnight, Miaka."
---
Miaka felt her lips bending upwards into a smile, and joy such as she'd never before felt in her life surged through her, left her happy and contented and scarcely able to believe that this wasn't some strange dream. "Goodnight...Nuriko."
There was a click as Nuriko hung up the phone. Miaka stood there for a long moment, staring down at the receiver in her hand with wide, smiling eyes. At last, she bent forward, returned it to its place on the base, and straightened, turning towards the stairs to go back to her room...
Suddenly, she froze, the breath draining from her lungs in a moment of panic. "Matte!" she cried. "I have to skip lunch?!"
~ ~ ~
Nuriko frowned at the receiver. "Haaaaaai," he breathed, smiling slightly. "It's good to know you remember my voice, Miaka...after all, we've only known each other for what, six, seven years?"
There was a moment of stunned silence from the other end of the phone. "S-S-S-S-S-Six or seven YEARS?"
"Anou...Miaka...are you sure you're awake?"
There was yet another stretch of silence, followed by the clatter of dishes and something which sounded suspiciously like crunching...Nuriko placed his hands on his hips, glared suspiciously at the phone. "Miaaaaaka," he growled. "What are you doing?"
Something rustled...and, there was that crunching again... "Gomen, Nuriko," Miaka mumbled, sounding as if she was chewing frantically. "I was making sure I was awake."
Nuriko sighed in near-exasperation, falling back onto a nearby chair and bringing a slim hand to his forehead. "I see," he said, a slight smile dancing onto his lips. "Well, are you?"
"Yes," the other replied after a moment, sounding slightly confused. "Food never tastes this real in my dreams."
"Well, in that case, do you mind if I ask you what I called to ask you?"
"Uh...sure..."
Nuriko frowned. "Miaka, are you sure you're all right? You sound...strange."
He could practically see Miaka waving her hand at the phone, that goofy, often-forced smile twisting her lips upwards... "No, no, I'm fine," she reassured, the familiar smile clear through her words. "What's up?"
The violet-haired boy drew a soft breath, let it out in a hiss of air. "Miaka," he said firmly, steeling himself against the reaction he knew was coming... "I need you to...to..." He drew another deep breath, sighed. "I need you to skip lunch with me tomorrrow so we can try out for the musical."
---
Miaka felt her face fall. "N...Naaaaaaaaani?" she exclaimed, staring at the phone in a kind of dreamlike shock. "You...you wanna...you want to try out for the MUSICAL??"
---
Nuriko nodded, eyes closing in exasperation. "Hai, Miaka." He paused for a moment, then broke into a wide grin. "Besides, Hotohori is trying out for the lead..."
On the other end of the phone, Miaka giggled slightly. "Well, that explains it." She paused then, gasped. "Hotohori!" she cried. "He's...he's real, too! That means...that means...IT WORKED! EVERYONE IS REAL! Nuriko, everyone's real!"
Nuriko frowned, but before he could respond, the girl had bubbled onwards.
---
"Anyway...sure, I'll try out for the musical with you...ne, maybe some of the others will be there, too! And...and..." Her heart seemed to freeze in her chest. "And...Tamahome," she whispered.
Nuriko laughed. "Tamahome? In the musical? Oh, come on, Miaka. After dating him for two years I'd think you'd know him a little better than that. Nah, he and Tasuki are doin' stage crew."
Miaka stared at the phone in a bit of shock, then smiled...then grinned. "Two years?" she echoed carefully. "I've been...I've been dating...we've been...aahhhh, TAMAHOME!"
---
Nuriko brought a hand to his forehead. "Miaka, maybe you should get some rest...you sound like you need it."
"Eh? Oh...uh...okay...I am kind of tired. Ne, why'd you call me so late, anyway?"
He grinned. "Come on, Miaka, you know I never sleep. Anyway, it's only midnight." He glanced again at the nearby clock, stared at the reddish numbers for a few moments. "Gomen ne, Miaka...I forgot your family goes to bed at nine."
"Ten," she corrected, sounding mildly irritated.
Nuriko smiled. "Close enough. Goodnight, Miaka."
---
Miaka felt her lips bending upwards into a smile, and joy such as she'd never before felt in her life surged through her, left her happy and contented and scarcely able to believe that this wasn't some strange dream. "Goodnight...Nuriko."
There was a click as Nuriko hung up the phone. Miaka stood there for a long moment, staring down at the receiver in her hand with wide, smiling eyes. At last, she bent forward, returned it to its place on the base, and straightened, turning towards the stairs to go back to her room...
Suddenly, she froze, the breath draining from her lungs in a moment of panic. "Matte!" she cried. "I have to skip lunch?!"