Author's note: Many thanks to the reviews I received for this fic and for my other one shot story Like A Butterfly. I am delighted to find such deep, pretty and sophisticated reviews.
A Christmas Wish
-Chapter 3: Glimpses into a past forgotten-
Standing in an alley, basking in the glows of the setting sun, I suddenly became aware of approaching footsteps. As the faint echoes of footsteps drew nearer, I could also distinguish the voice of a young woman. It sounded like she was pleading and yelling encouragement at her companion.
I didn't feel the cold, but I knew that the weather that day was chilled by the wind. I knew that the summer months had long past and autumn had proved to be surprisingly cold that year.
I could distinguish more words now. There was familiarity in the lovely feminine voice that told her partner to hang on.
As they rounded the corner, I could finally see their faces. The woman was dressed in a semi-formal outfit. Her short blue hair was mostly hidden under a cap. The companion, who turned out to be a man, was in a similar outfit all done in black.
He was leaning heavily on her. They walked into the alley and walked past me, without sparing me a single glance. The man had slumped against one of the dirty walls. His hat and the shadows covered his features, but I could hear his labored breathing.
As I stepped closer, he suddenly looked up and I saw a familiar pair of green eyes. Golden locks of hair trailed down at cheek length, almost obscuring one green orb. A sheer veil of sweat covered his forehead and he looked like he was about to pass out at any given time.
Why did he look so familiar? I wondered quietly.
When I allowed my eyes to trail lower down his body, I noticed that the brown jacket had darker stains and something told me that the dark stains would be blood. Subconsciously my hands had touched my own body where the wounds had healed and left their permanent scars.
So I was looking at a younger version of me, I concluded. The rest, however, still remained a mystery. Who was this woman? Why was I shot? Judging by the way the woman kept switching her attention between trying to slow some of the bloodflow and watching the main road, they must be running away from someone. Who were chasing after them?
So many questions and so far no answers at all. A sense of dread filled me when I heard different sets of footsteps getting closer. The woman also heard them and this time I could hear what they were saying.
"Come on, Yohji. They're coming. We need to go now. " She had a passionate voice, a voice that could show concern and haste just as well as any other emotion. In my lowest hours, she had taken me in and provided a roof over my head. In the darkest of nights she had whispered endearments in my ear and held me close. Yes, I knew this woman. She belonged to one of the missing puzzles of my life.
"No…Asuka. You need to leave now." The younger me was pleading now with a pain-filled voice. So, Asuka was her name. Asuka? My Asuka, or just another look-alike who bore the same name as my ex-wife?
However...I could see it now. The same high cheekbones, the soft lips, the beautiful and expressive eyes. Why did I not realize this before? But why didn't she tell me about my past? When I woke up at the hospital with no idea who I was, why did she pretend she didn't know me? During all those long hours we had talked about all the possible topics, why didn't she tell me? Why? Why? Why? It was the same maelstrom of questions that plagued me every single night upon my first awakening. The feelings of lost, sadness, annoyance, hurt and finally anger. She could have spared me all of those.
"Please Asuka!" The younger me pleaded again. I had almost forgotten about the current situation. Yes, she should go. I wanted to agree. Without you she would move so much faster. She could go and get help.
A mental image flashed through my mind and I gasped. It was an image of Asuka, her body jerking violently from the impact of the numerous bullets appearing out of nowhere. The shock so clearly evident in her dark blue eyes.
"No! Don't go!" I cried out to her, but both of them still remained oblivious to my presence.
Asuka had nodded and looked at my former self for the last time.
She was running to her death before I could stop her. And as the bullets fell like the rain, I saw the younger me cry out. When my tears started to fall, everything seemed to lose its focus. As I cried, the world began to shift and my surroundings changed…
I suddenly found myself in an underground laboratory. Through wires and tubes I saw glimpses of a naked woman on an operation table. Through endless wires and tubes her body was connected to heavy machines. Some I could recognize, such as the artificial heart and lung machines. Ones I had become agonizingly familiar with during my days in the hospital.
A man in a doctor's outfit stood beside her, checking and adjusting things and making notes. When the light shone on his face, I felt rather disturbed by the maniacal grin on his face. What was he doing? Before I could wonder about more things, my surroundings changed again.
This time it was the hospital. The younger me was lying on a hospital bed and a woman sat beside me. It was a lovely woman with glorious red tresses. She seemed to be speaking to me and I seemed to be ignoring her. My eyes were fixated on a spot in the ceiling.
When a long silence followed, I had finally turned my attention to her.With a discouraged smile on my face, I had nodded my consent.
For a moment there seemed to be a hint of sadness in her eyes. A second later, the professional mask clicked into place. A manila folder was given to the younger me and it would seal my fate. Only a single word was written on the cover: Balinese. I knew that later I would find out what a mess I had willingly stepped into. But by then, turning back had no longer been an option.
When the familiar tilting and blurring of the world occurred this time, I was less surprised.
A Christmas Wish
-Chapter 3: Glimpses into a past forgotten-
Standing in an alley, basking in the glows of the setting sun, I suddenly became aware of approaching footsteps. As the faint echoes of footsteps drew nearer, I could also distinguish the voice of a young woman. It sounded like she was pleading and yelling encouragement at her companion.
I didn't feel the cold, but I knew that the weather that day was chilled by the wind. I knew that the summer months had long past and autumn had proved to be surprisingly cold that year.
I could distinguish more words now. There was familiarity in the lovely feminine voice that told her partner to hang on.
As they rounded the corner, I could finally see their faces. The woman was dressed in a semi-formal outfit. Her short blue hair was mostly hidden under a cap. The companion, who turned out to be a man, was in a similar outfit all done in black.
He was leaning heavily on her. They walked into the alley and walked past me, without sparing me a single glance. The man had slumped against one of the dirty walls. His hat and the shadows covered his features, but I could hear his labored breathing.
As I stepped closer, he suddenly looked up and I saw a familiar pair of green eyes. Golden locks of hair trailed down at cheek length, almost obscuring one green orb. A sheer veil of sweat covered his forehead and he looked like he was about to pass out at any given time.
Why did he look so familiar? I wondered quietly.
When I allowed my eyes to trail lower down his body, I noticed that the brown jacket had darker stains and something told me that the dark stains would be blood. Subconsciously my hands had touched my own body where the wounds had healed and left their permanent scars.
So I was looking at a younger version of me, I concluded. The rest, however, still remained a mystery. Who was this woman? Why was I shot? Judging by the way the woman kept switching her attention between trying to slow some of the bloodflow and watching the main road, they must be running away from someone. Who were chasing after them?
So many questions and so far no answers at all. A sense of dread filled me when I heard different sets of footsteps getting closer. The woman also heard them and this time I could hear what they were saying.
"Come on, Yohji. They're coming. We need to go now. " She had a passionate voice, a voice that could show concern and haste just as well as any other emotion. In my lowest hours, she had taken me in and provided a roof over my head. In the darkest of nights she had whispered endearments in my ear and held me close. Yes, I knew this woman. She belonged to one of the missing puzzles of my life.
"No…Asuka. You need to leave now." The younger me was pleading now with a pain-filled voice. So, Asuka was her name. Asuka? My Asuka, or just another look-alike who bore the same name as my ex-wife?
However...I could see it now. The same high cheekbones, the soft lips, the beautiful and expressive eyes. Why did I not realize this before? But why didn't she tell me about my past? When I woke up at the hospital with no idea who I was, why did she pretend she didn't know me? During all those long hours we had talked about all the possible topics, why didn't she tell me? Why? Why? Why? It was the same maelstrom of questions that plagued me every single night upon my first awakening. The feelings of lost, sadness, annoyance, hurt and finally anger. She could have spared me all of those.
"Please Asuka!" The younger me pleaded again. I had almost forgotten about the current situation. Yes, she should go. I wanted to agree. Without you she would move so much faster. She could go and get help.
A mental image flashed through my mind and I gasped. It was an image of Asuka, her body jerking violently from the impact of the numerous bullets appearing out of nowhere. The shock so clearly evident in her dark blue eyes.
"No! Don't go!" I cried out to her, but both of them still remained oblivious to my presence.
Asuka had nodded and looked at my former self for the last time.
She was running to her death before I could stop her. And as the bullets fell like the rain, I saw the younger me cry out. When my tears started to fall, everything seemed to lose its focus. As I cried, the world began to shift and my surroundings changed…
I suddenly found myself in an underground laboratory. Through wires and tubes I saw glimpses of a naked woman on an operation table. Through endless wires and tubes her body was connected to heavy machines. Some I could recognize, such as the artificial heart and lung machines. Ones I had become agonizingly familiar with during my days in the hospital.
A man in a doctor's outfit stood beside her, checking and adjusting things and making notes. When the light shone on his face, I felt rather disturbed by the maniacal grin on his face. What was he doing? Before I could wonder about more things, my surroundings changed again.
This time it was the hospital. The younger me was lying on a hospital bed and a woman sat beside me. It was a lovely woman with glorious red tresses. She seemed to be speaking to me and I seemed to be ignoring her. My eyes were fixated on a spot in the ceiling.
When a long silence followed, I had finally turned my attention to her.With a discouraged smile on my face, I had nodded my consent.
For a moment there seemed to be a hint of sadness in her eyes. A second later, the professional mask clicked into place. A manila folder was given to the younger me and it would seal my fate. Only a single word was written on the cover: Balinese. I knew that later I would find out what a mess I had willingly stepped into. But by then, turning back had no longer been an option.
When the familiar tilting and blurring of the world occurred this time, I was less surprised.