Just a one-shot on a thought I had...
CLAMP owns all these characters. Not me.
He visited each year on the same day, at the same time. At two past noon the world knew that Kokubunji Minoru visited the grave of his sister Kaede. Alone, even though that meant being without Yuzuki, his constant companion despite the world. Sometimes he would even talk to Kaede if the mood struck, keeping her up to date on his doings and that of their mutual friends' as well. He owed her so much, for all her kindness. It was a debt he would never lose, could never lose. Maybe didn't want to lose.
The sky was cloudy this time, the sun hidden behind the wall of pale gray. There would be no storm today, but perhaps tomorrow, perhaps on some distant city, rain would fall.
He walked quietly, uneasy at the thought of the spirit world, despite his internal scoffing at superstitions and other such silly things. Lost in thought, for there was a prototype laptop motherboard slated to be sold tomorrow, at first he didn't notice that the woman kneeling some distance before him was actually in front of Kaede's grave.
Almost. Her hair was short, so short he might have mistaken her lean, spare figure for a boy had he not been able to see the feminine curve to her jaw. A strong jaw, he noted, to match a strong frame. There was no softness to this person. He had seen this woman, sometime long ago. Her image produced a flicker in his memory, and had she always looked so hard? His memory protested what he saw now with a softer image, a wry grin stretched over a now solemn face.
There was no name to go with the image, but this woman was visiting Kaede, of all people. Kaede, who had died so long ago. Minoru himself was over the age of twenty; had it really been that long? He frowned, trying to count the years, when a harsh voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You might as well come over here," the woman said, a half smile playing about her lips despite the exasperation in her voice. Only then did she look at him, brown eyes meeting his. At his lack of immediate obedience she arched an eyebrow and he hurried to kneel at the grave.
They paid their respects in silence, Minoru praying quietly so as not to disturb the older woman. She appeared to be more comfortable with the lack of talk, no longer shooting him glances that made him feel as awkward as an adolescent.
"It's been awhile." The curiosity was driving him mad, but he'd promised himself he wouldn't break the quiet. Part of what had made him such a stellar persocom builder was that very curiosity, yet now it only irked him. Her words were soft, gentle. "You wouldn't remember, but I was at the hospital."
Neither needed to expand or explain what she meant. The woman had been there when Kaede died, which registered in Minoru's mind as the title 'close friend.' Of course, visiting the grave of a friend after more than a decade had already placed this woman in that category. Still, this had narrowed the list, given him a specific memory to work with.
"We weren't really friends. Well, I suppose everyone was her friend, but we weren't close or anything. She'd smile at me and I'd smirk and we just were."
He didn't bother to reply, this was the kind of talk where he was just supposed to listen. He'd had many such talks with Hideki over the years and had grown quite accustomed to them.
"She saved my life, you know."
It didn't seem like the admission it was. The budding smile had bloomed fully, and though her eyes were sad she regarded Minoru with a gentle expression. Yet though it was awkward, as if her face was unused to taking on such lines and angles, he thought it suited her. It seemed to him that she'd taken off the hardened mask she showed to the world.
"I always wanted to thank her. Show her just how much she really meant to me. But words are never enough, you know?" And he did know, he did. The deepest emotions can't be expressed, only felt. "I wonder if she knew."
"She did," he said. It was not a mere trifle of comfort. He knew, suddenly and deep in his heart, that Kaede had known. She had always been so good at emotions, surely she had known.
"I can only hope so." The woman looked tired then, brushing strands of hair away from her face, not noticing that they refused to remain tucked behind her ear. Her eyes locked on him, and in that instant he felt himself weighed and measured against some scale in her mind. For a long moment he dared not look away.
"Here." The small package she thrust into his hands was wrapped in plain brown paper, tied with twine. "I suppose it might as well be you. Better than me."
Minoru looked up from the package, stunned at the sight of his companion wiping a tear from her eye. She seemed so strong, and yet he realized that she, too, was human. "What?" He said, forgetting all eloquence.
"It took me fourteen years to come here. Fourteen years, and she was, she was--" She inhaled noisily. "I've paid my debt."
One last measuring look passed from her eyes to his, and despite the redness from her tears she she regarded him steadily. "You've done well." And with a sharp nod, she turned and left.
A long, bewildered moment passed before he finally looked down at the package still resting in his hands. Should he open it? She had entrusted it to him, right?
Kaede would forgive him. Minoru took hold of the corners of the paper and gently unwrapped it, careful in case whatever lay within was fragile.
Three layers of the plain paper and two angels lay as if posed for his inspection. One was dressed in a nurse's outfit, the other a fancy kimono. He recognized the nurse, for Blanche and her deus had been quite famous for some time. The Girl with the Healing Smile, she had been. He smiled at the memory, ignoring the other angel in order to closely examine Blanche. From what he knew of the dolls, she was in excellent condition and had been well cared for.
A small card lay between the currently inanimate two. He plucked it out, holding it gently in case it bent. The message was simple.
I kept her safe, like I promised.
Sai Jonouchi
The ice woman, he remembered with a start. She had been known for her coldness, yet the woman who had spoken to him not moments before had not been icy. Strong, yes. Tough, very much so. Hardened against the world, no. That had been Kaede's doing, he realized as he thought back through the years. The girl with the healing smile indeed.
That woman had owed a debt of gratitude, one so monumental she'd thought she could never repay it. And yet she had come here today in order to try. Sai Jonouchi had her absolution from whatever sins she'd held to, imaginary or not.
A life so changed...
If Sai could find redemption, then why couldn't he? The girl with the healing smile was not the type to hold a grudge.
Kokubunji Minoru wrapped the angels in their paper confines and, holding them tightly to his chest, made his way toward the cemetery exit.
Kaede would understand, he was sure of it.