Disclaimer:
I don't own Flame of Recca or any of its characters.
A/N:
Hey, sorry if I took too long in uploading last chapter. I got way too wrapped in reading Xmen fics with Rogue and Gambit. Those two are the coolest! Anyways, here's my next installement. Hope you enjoy it!
To Takari Reader Only, I am flattered. And I hope you didn't miss the Digimon reference in the last chapter. Kamiya and Takaishi. How original is that? =) I'm a fierce supporter of Takari too. I love Takeru to death.
Dark Phoenix, rest assured that what I wrote was exactly how I wanted it to be. I just had to update sooner than I originally planned because I don't want people to think that I killed Fuuko. I'd kill Recca and Yanagi first. Oops. You didn't see that, right? (OK, so I dislike them a bit…alright…a lot. I wish they'd just called the show winds of fuuko or ice of tokiya or something. My cousing thinks I'm crazy because I refuse to watch any scenes of FoR without Fuuko or Tokiya in them…but I digress…) And I'm happy lately, maybe that's why I can't write good angst to save my life. Alright, I'll stop babbling now…
And to Lady Penguin, your review really made my day. Thank you.
Kindred
Chapter 09: One Fine Day
Mikagami's shoes crushing the dry grass was the only sound to be heard.
Today was Mifuyu's death anniversary. And as usual, he brought her flowers.
He grinned at the irony of it all. Years ago today, his Mifuyu-neechan was killed.
And today was also the day of Fuuko's release from the hospital.
He felt that his pain increase ten-fold when he finally saw the one thing he was looking for.
His sister's grave.
But when he got closer, he saw that Mifuyu's grave was already decorated with all sorts and all colors of flowers.
He frowned as his lips thinned. He wondered where on earth those flowers came from. He doesn't have relatives left. Mifuyu's friends and workmates have long stopped visiting her grave.
He figured someone just mistaken his sister's grave for someone else's.
He knew he ought to move the flowers away.
He knew that those flowers didn't belong to him.
But he also knew that Mifuyu loved flowers.
He didn't have the heart to move it.
So he laid his bouquet with the rest.
It was a rare thing for the doorbell to ring, at least in the Mikagami residence.
So Mikagami was surprised, and to a certain extent curious, as to who was ringing the doorbell on his day of mourning.
Mikagami opened the door, and to his immense surprise, saw the Kirisawa matriarch on the other side. "Kirisawa-san," he bowed politely before stepping aside to let the distinguished lady in.
"I told you I would have none of those formalities, Tokiya-san," she told him, walking inside and inspecting his huge house in wonder. " How could you afford to maintain a place like this?"
Ah. Ever frank. "My father was a firm believer in insurance policies and trust funds," Mikagami replied. "I could live comfortably until my retirement even if I do not lift a finger,"
To his surprise, Eri actually beamed at him. "And yet you chose to study well to become a lawyer." She nodded.
"I do not wish to squander my family's money away."
"And you wish to prove to yourself that you're not just another pretty face." Eri's eyes seemed to bore a hole in him. "Fuuko's lucky to have a man like you,"
A flash of pain crossed the young man's face.
Eri raised an eyebrow. "You do not wish to be with her anymore?"
Ah. Mikagami knew that this visit from Eri was anything but a social call.
"I'm like a plague," Mikagami replied bitterly. "Everything I touch ends up getting hurt."
"Ah, yes. Your father, your mother, your sister,"
A revelation hit Mikagami. The flowers on his sister's grave were not delivered there by mistake. They were from the Kirisawas.
"And now Fuuko," Eri concluded.
"I believe it is my destiny to be alone, Kirisawa-san,"
"I don't believe in destiny, young man. And neither does Fuuko,"
Mikagami almost laughed. Take that, Raiha.
Mikagami paced to the window. He looked out, almost afraid to see how Fuuko's nana would react. "I almost took Fuuko away from you,"
"It was an accident," she replied as she took a seat on the couch. "Nobody wanted for it to happen. And if you want to point fingers, you could blame the rain, the slippery road, or even the other driver not checking his vehicle before going on the road. We never blamed you, Tokiya-san. Neither does Fuuko."
Mikagami whirled around. "I should have protected her."
This time, Eri laughed, a loud and vibrant sound. "Fuu-chan would kick your butt if she heard that one," she shook her head. "She can take care of herself. She doesn't need your protection. She needs your friendship, your love." She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "And you need hers too. Think about it, Tokiya-san."
With that, the matriarch walked out of the house.
For the second time that day, the doorbell summoned its owner.
"Hey, Mi-chan,"
Mikagami opened the door wider. "What are you doing here?"
Miko grinned at him. "I promised Fuu-chan I'll visit you today to see how are you doing." He walked in and whistled when he saw how big Mikagami's house was. "Any special messages for her?"
"Tell her to forget about me,"
Miko frowned. "Why? I thought you had a thing going,"
"I almost killed her," Mikagami said flatly.
"Er, right." Miko scratched his head. "You're too intense, man. Relax. These type of things happen."
And they happen to me and to the ones I love. Mikagami offered a seat to Miko.
Miko sat on the sofa, stretching both of his arms sideward on the sofa's back. "Do you have a beer?"
Mikagami returned to Miko with a bottle of imported beer. He tossed it to the purple-haired playboy.
"Thanks," Miko took a gulp of his drink. "Aren't you going to join me?"
Mikagami shook his head.
"Alright then," Miko smiled at him. "Let's cut to the chase. Do you know that Fuu-chan thinks you're dead?"
"What?"
Miko enjoyed shocking the iceman, something he knew that didn't happen very often.
"Why would she think that?"
"She watches too many soap operas," Miko replied as if that explained everything.
Mikagami gave him a confused glare.
Miko sighed at Mikagami's frown. "You know, where the lovers go on a ride and have an accident and then the hero dies. When the heroine wakes up in the hospital, they tell her that the hero is just recuperating in the other room because the shock of telling her that her love is dead would be too much,"
Mikagami looked away.
"Plus, she said that she felt you in here room one night," Miko grinned at him. "She said that it was your spirit that came to say good bye,"
Mikagami remembered that night all too well.
"Fuu-chan thought that the reason you're not visiting her is because you're dead." Miko's eyes burned with intensity. "That, or you're mad at her,"
"I'm not mad at her," Mikagami corrected him.
"Then you tell her that,"
Mikagami shook his head.
Miko suddenly stood up. He placed his empty beer on the table. "I didn't know you were such a coward." He towards the door. He turned to Mikagami one last time. "By the way, thanks for the drink." With that, he slammed the door shut.
"Attorney Kirisawa," Mikagami greeted. He was no longer surprised when the doorbell summoned him again. In fact, he was expecting it. He had resigned himself to the fact that everyone of Fuuko's family would visit him sooner or later.
"Mikagami-san," Fuuko's mom smiled at him.
Mikagami motioned for the elder Kirisawa to make herself at home.
"So, when will you visit Fuu-chan?" She asked, straight to the point. "She's making herself sick imaging all sorts of things about you."
Mikagami didn't reply.
"She refuses to believe us when we say that you're alright,"
"I'm sorry."
"Then make it up to me by showing up in our house to put her mind at ease."
Mikagami didn't reply.
"Mikagami-san?"
"Forgive me, Attorney Kirisawa, but I believe that my staying away is for the best interests of your daughter."
"I see," Fuuko's mom had stood up and gazed outside of the window. "And why is that?"
"Because I would only bring her pain,"
"Like you're doing right now?"
Mikagami shut his eyes. Fuuko was in pain. Because of him. But he would much rather pain her than loose her through death.
He would rather feel the pain that was constricting his heart since he woke up in the hospital than go through the pain of loosing her.
He loves her. He admits that now.
But he was not to love.
The ones he loves always end up dead.
He would rather love Fuuko from afar than love her from under a grave.
She'll get over him.
But he knew he'll never get over her…
Mikagami's visit from Shoji was short and anything but sweet, and nothing like the previous visits Mikgami received so far.
He didn't even have time to see who was at the door when a fist suddenly landed on his jaw.
"That was for making my sister cry," Shoji's eyes were ablaze with anger.
Shoji threw another punch. Mikagami didn't even try to defend himself.
"That was for not visiting her at the hospital." Another punch. "That was for not being there when she went home." Punch. "And that one's for not visiting her at home." Shoji's final punch brought Mikagami on his butt. "And don't forget what you did to Aya-chan!" With that, Shoji walked away. "And rest assured that if you don't call her or go to her within the next two days, you'll receive another one of those!"
Mikagami was sprawled on the floor, rubbing his jaw.
Shoji had not punched him for putting Fuuko's life in danger. Shoji punched him because he refused to visit Fuuko.
A slow grin spread across his face.
Mikagami spent ten minutes sitting on his car, debating whether or not to go in.
He spent five minutes trying to get up the courage to ring the doorbell.
It took fifteen minutes to converse with the Kirisawas who were still hanging around, making sure that Fuuko recovers well.
And now, seven minutes had passed while he was staring at Fuuko's door.
Another minute passed before as he knocked on Fuuko's door.
"Come in."
Mikagami squared his shoulders as he opened the door.
"Do you know that my ceiling is painted white and has three cracks on it?" Fuuko asked. She was on the bed, tucked in nice and tight. She was looking intensely at her ceiling. It was obvious that she was bored out of her skull. She turned her head sideways. Her eyes widened in surprise at her visitor. "Hi," she greeted, giving him a smile that made his knees go weak. She sat up. "Come on in,"
"Hey. How're you doing?"
"OK. I'm bored, but OK." She frowned when she noticed something different with him. "Is that a fist mark on your face?"
With that, Mikagami closed the door and walked into his destiny.
Later, Eri had asked which one of them made Mikagami change his mind.
Mikagami would answer that it was Shoji's visit that finally made him realize that the only person blaming Mikagami for what had happened was himself.
Even the driver of the truck that slammed into them knew that the fault wasn't with Fuuko's companion.
Eri had snorted and had commented that wasn't it just like a guy to make a point with his fist.
~to be concluded
