Keiko felt the softness of Hoshi's fur against her cheek and smelled the familiar scent of coffee from the machine that she had set to start every morning.
I'm home, she thought with a bittersweet pang.
She curled into a little ball and pulled the comforter over her head. She wasn't sure how many days she'd been gone, but she didn't want to deal with that right now. She could just imagine the mess that her coffee machine had made, and the mail piled up, and the hospital calling, wondering where she was.
The alarmclock at the bedside began to buzz a while later and Keiko hit the snooze button. Five minutes later it buzzed again and she pulled the covers off her head and turned the alarm off. She lay back on her pillow, one arm thrown over her eyes. A minute later the phone rang.
"I don't want to do this," she said, pulling the comforter over her head again and letting the phone ring. The machine picked up.
"Keiko-chan? It's Hiro. I was just calling to see if you were still on for our date tonight. I hope you're feeling okay. You're usually up by now. Call me when you get this."
Keiko threw the covers off again and made a mad dash for the phone.
"Moshi moshi?"
Silence, then a ring tone. She'd missed him. He'd mentioned a date with her. But that couldn't be right. She'd had a date with him on the twenty-second. She'd been summoned by the red light the night of the twenty-first. Keiko ran back to her room and looked at her watch. The date in the corner said twenty-two. She ran back to the living room and flipped on the TV searching the channels for anything that would tell her the date. Moments later she was staring unseeing at the TV which was playing one of her favorite shows that only came on on Sunday morning.
Her disastrous date had been on Saturday night. She'd come home, talked to Hiro, taken a bath and gone to bed, only to be summoned by the red light on Saturday night. She'd spent almost two and a half weeks in the world of the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, and yet it seemed as if only one night had passed in her world.
She turned the TV off and moved back over to the phone and dialed Hiro's number.
"Moshi moshi?" his voice answered.
"What's the date?" she asked.
"Keiko? Daijoubu ka? You sound... I dunno... troubled?"
Keiko shook her head and tried to focus.
"I'm alright Hiro-kun. Today's the twenty-second isn't it?"
"Hai. Did you forget about our date?"
"Iie. I'm just surprised that I didn't miss it."
"Are you sure you're alright?" Hiro sounded worried.
"Daijoubu desu. I just had a strange dream–" She trailed off. She knew it wasn't a dream, but she couldn't tell Hiro that. He'd never believe her. "When were we going to meet? I forgot."
"Noon, at our favorite restaurant. Keiko, we've done this every year since high school to celebrate our single-ness. Are you really sure–"
"I'm fine, Hiro. I just had a really bad night. I'll be there though."
"Okay. Do you want me to come pick you up?"
"No. I'll be fine. A hot shower and some black coffee and I'll be right as rain."
She looked at her clock. It was nine fifteen.
"I've got to go get ready," she said.
"You girls take way too much time to primp," Hiro said, some of his usual humor returning.
"Hai, hai. Now let me go so I can look my best," she teased back.
"See you in a few hours."
"See you."
Keiko hung up and leaned her forehead against the wall. In truth, all she wanted was to crawl back into her bed, pull the covers over her head, and let her poor heart begin to mend. She knew it would... eventually. Houjun's had and so would hers. With a start, Keiko wondered how she would recognize Houjun, assuming they would even meet in this lifetime. Something that Taiitsu-kun had said resounded in Keiko's mind.
Stop denying what your heart already knows.
She would know him. Even if he had a new face and name, their hearts would recognize each other.
Feeling lighter than she had in a long time, Keiko made her way to her room and gathered some clothing before going to shower. She put one of her favorite Gackt CD's into her player and sang along at the top of her lungs. She didn't care if she annoyed her neighbors, she just wanted to enjoy the feeling of happiness that had engulfed her. As she was drying herself off after her shower, Keiko caught sight of herself in the mirror. She paused and turned to look. The dark circles under her eyes were gone and there was an inner glow that seemed to radiate from her face.
"I'm glad to see you're feeling better kiddo," she murmured to her reflection, and then grinned.
She dressed quickly and moved into the kitchen for a mug of coffee. She checked the time. Only ten twenty. Keiko walked to the living room and reached for the TV remote, then changed her mind. She grabbed her purse and keys. It was a beautiful day outside and she had the sudden urge to walk around in the sunlight.
I might even splurge and buy myself something new, she thought giddily.
She pulled her shoes on and left the apartment. Nearly an hour later the phone rang. After the fifth ring the answering machine picked up.
"Keiko-chan? It's Hiro. Pick up if you're home." Pause. "I guess I missed you. Something came up and I'll be a little late, but I guess there's no sense saying it now that you're gone. I just hope that you won't strangle me when I get to the restaurant. See you soon. Ja."
Keiko sat at the bar and checked her watch for the umpteenth time. Hiro was over half an hour late. She sipped her drink and decided to give him five more minutes. She waited ten more minutes and then paid for her drink and got ready to leave. As she turned toward the door Hiro walked in followed by another man. Hiro paused, speaking to the man, and then walked over to Keiko.
"Guess I'm in deep shit, ne?" he said with a smile.
Keiko made a show of checking her watch.
"You're only almost an hour late." She nodded to the other man. "Who's your friend?"
Hiro grimaced. "It's not what you think. You told me not to line you up anymore and I won't. However this was a bit of an extreme situation. That's Haru. Do you remember me talking about him?"
Keiko thought for a moment and then nodded.
"He's the one who went to America to study piano, right?"
Hiro nodded. "Well, he returned to Japan today and called me half an hour before I was supposed to meet you. I couldn't leave him stranded at the airport, and I guess I just missed you. You'll have a message waiting when you get home."
"So you want him to pal around with us today?"
Hiro winced. "I can go drop him off at my place. We came here straight from the airport."
Keiko took a deep breath. "Gomen. I didn't mean to sound bitchy. He's your friend and you haven't seen him in years. Let's have lunch together, all three of us, and then you and I can call it a day."
Hiro offered her a small bow. "Arigatou! I really am sorry."
"It's not your fault," Keiko said calling up a smile. "Now introduce me to this friend of yours."
Hiro gave her an answering smile and led her toward Haru. The other man had taken a seat at a table near the door. Every line of his body spoke of weariness, from his slumped shoulders, to his head, cradled in his hands. He wore a tee-shirt under a wrinkled button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His khaki pants seemed to be the only article of clothing that wasn't wrinkled as his long legs stretched out under the table. Keiko's eyes focused on the man's hair as she drew closer. The thick silvery-blue locks were pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck while longish bangs drooped down over the left side of his face.
"Haru?" Hiko said placing a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder.
The man looked up and Keiko's breath caught as her brown eyes met his. Two sparkling mahogany eyes in an unmarred face.
"Keiko, I'd like you to meet Harukichi Hoshino," Hiro said. "Haru, this is Keiko Takashi."
The two stared dumbstruck at one another, both unsure if this was some kind of dream. Haru was the first to break from the trance and he slowly rose, his eyes still on her. He held out his hand to shake hers, then paused and offered her a bow.
"American greeting," he said. "Old habit."
Keiko smiled. "Are you always this articulate."
Haru smiled and Keiko's breath caught again. That smile was so familiar, and yet it was tinged with a bit of mischief that she didn't recognize. Haru stood up a bit straighter and all traces of weariness left him.
"Only when I'm confronted with a beautiful woman after a very long flight and only about four hours of sleep."
Keiko laughed lightly and held out her hand. Haru grasped it firmly. Keiko decided to take a chance.
"So what airline did you take? Delta? Aero Asia? Suzaku International?"
Haru's eyes widened a bit and his smile deepened. He leaned a little closer to her
"Suzaku Interdimensional, perhaps," he murmured.
"Houjun?" It was a plea.
He leaned closer and whispered softly so that only she could hear,
"My dearest and oldest friends call me Chichiri." He watched her to see how she would react.
Keiko's face broke into a stunning smile, and without stopping to think what Hiro might think of her actions, she threw her arms around Haru's neck in a warm embrace.
"Your alive!" she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I had no clue how I was ever going to find you again."
Haru hugged her tightly and gave a light laugh. "Suzaku is indeed a kind God."
Author's Notes:
Well, there you have it. The lovers are reunited and have a chance at a happy life now. YAY!
Due to some great reviews from my faithful readers, I will now embark on a 'cleaning' of my story. Adding details that I've left out and generally trying to make the story flow better. Who knows, I might even get the chapters a little longer... So check back from time to time to read the revised edition. And just for a teaser to get some of you to come back, I have an idea for an epilogue running around in my head. Arigatou gozaimasu minna-san!
