Chapter Seven First stop: Beijing
Mitsuki's stomach twisted anxiously as she fidgeted in the seat.
"Stop that, you're making me nervous," Takuto scolded, opening an eye from his nap to gaze at her.
"Sorry, it's just…I've never been outside of Japan except once to America about my throat," she confessed, and he grinned.
"Oh! I see! You're scared! Well, don't worry, I'll protect you," he vowed, but again his vision clouded, and his temples pounded. I will though, he countered the visions viciously. I'm going to protect her. That simply made his head hurt harder. "I'm not going to let you die…"
Mitsuki's eyes snapped open, horror on her face.
"I'm sorry; I have no idea where that came from," he tried laughing it off, and she eased back into her seat, gazing down at the ocean. Things are getting worse Meroko, she thought, more dangerous. Where are you? I hope you're all right…She pushed back tears and tried to think happier thoughts but looking down at the dark water and the way it sparkled in the sun her only thought was. Eichi-kun, it sparkles like the night sky; you must have thought that on your way to America.
"Mitsuki, you're not already homesick are you?" Takuto teased but stopped when she turned to him with tears glistening in her eyes. "I-"
"It's okay Takuto, really," she wiped away her tears. "I'm fine."
"Hey," he held up her chin and shook his head, "What did I tell you? Don't try to do everything by yourself."
She buried her head in his shoulder as he stroked the hair of that little girl while they stood in a playground. It was sunset, and there was someone else there too, but all that seemed to matter was the little girl.
When the image had faded, he saw Mitsuki had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Exhausted, he thought to himself, the stress must be getting to her. He moved his arm to support her neck, so her head was on his chest and soon he had dazed off too.
"Takuto! Takuto!" a voice was calling in the darkness.
The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it, "I'm here!" he shouted to it.
"Takuto, why won't you open your heart to her?"
He stopped, "She won't open her heart to me," he protested angrily. How did this voice know anything? A blinding white light pushed him into the ground and made him shelter his eyes.
"The Mitsuki in your arms can't do anything Takuto, but- you must open your heart to her. All of her, so you can both be whole."
"Wait, what?" but the voice was already fading along with the light that it'd brought. Then, the dream faded too, and he awoke.
Mitsuki was stirring on his arm. She stretched and yawned as she sat up, "Sorry," she whispered through the sleep in her voice.
"No problem," he smiled.
"I didn't hurt you did I?"
He shook his head.
"Good," she yawned again. "Wow."
He leaned over and looked out the window. There were miles and miles of rice patties, and beyond that, a great city with mountains looming in the distance, "Welcome to China," he told her, sitting back.
"Beautiful," she pressed her hands to the glass, wanting to drink in all the scenery.
"Overpopulated, dirty and loud," Omori was muttering. "We're all going to have to be on our guard. We're not in Japan anymore."
Takuto and Mitsuki nodded, "Don't worry; he's always like this at the beginning of tours. He'll loosen up-a little," Takuto assured her, and she laughed.
"I sure hope so, otherwise he might go crazy before we leave China. 1.6 billion people is a lot to keep watch on."
Takuto cracked up at this, "That's some tutor you've got!"
"Yes," Mitsuki eyed Izumi and Jonathan coolly, "He's something all right."
Izumi glared coldly at Jonathan when he swelled in pride.
§§§
"I don't want you to go anywhere without consulting us first," Omori was lecturing the two after they'd checked into their hotel.
Takuto rolled his eyes at him, "Down boy, I'm not twelve anymore. I am capable of taking care of myself."
"That's what you said in Brazil when you wanted to go hiking through the Amazon!" Omori shouted, but Takuto merely laughed.
"I forgot about that, but I would have been fine if those spider monkeys hadn't sneaked up on me."
Omori sighed, "Just tell us where you're going, and we'll have an escort go with you, okay?"
"Okay," Takuto laughed again, "I don't want you to have a heart failure on me now."
"Okay," Omori moved his weight from off his toes and seemed to breathe easier. "Now, where do you plan to go?"
"Around the city; sightseeing," he answered, "Right Mitsuki?"
She nodded exuberantly.
"Good, now, just be on your guard," he arranged for two tough looking men in black suits to be their escort, but Mitsuki wasn't so sure if her escort didn't scare her more than the perils of the city.
As soon as they were in the city Takuto whispered to Mitsuki, "Now, let's see if we can't just ditch these guys."
Mitsuki quickly agreed, and Takuto mumbled his plan to her.
The two strolled down the street casually, stopping to look at store windows and speaking with the occasional outside vendor who spoke Japanese. It was on one of these occasions that Mitsuki looked up, "I've lost my cell phone!" she cried, and the two bodyguards rushed forward.
"We'll help you find it," they assured her, and she smiled and thanked them.
"I'll look around here with Mitsuki, and you two retrace our steps back that way," Takuto instructed, but they eyed him warily.
"One of us should be here to protect you."
"Oh, I'll protect Mitsuki," Takuto winked at them, and they took the hint…or… they thought they took the hint.
"Just stay in this area," they ordered before they headed back.
The minute they were gone, Mitsuki turned to the shopkeeper, "You can tell them we left, and we're fine, just not which way we went," she handed him a few bills, thanked him profusely, grabbed Takuto's hand and the two of them ran on down the street. Mitsuki laughed excitedly the whole way.
"Wow," he stopped, and Mitsuki stared upward, speechless.
"This is it? I never thought it'd be so…big…" she muttered.
"Let's go up," he took her hand, and they ascended the steps to the top of the Great Wall of China.
Mitsuki's breath caught as she stared at the misty mountains in the distance.
"I've been to China many times, but every time it takes my breath away," Takuto told her from where he stood behind her, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from the cloud-cloaked mountains. They choked her with their beauty.
"Hey, we should be getting back," he said after a little while.
"Yeah," she mumbled, using all her will to turn herself around.
"We're here all week," he joked, and her face filled with excitement. He laughed as they walked back, "Every single place in the world has at least one thing of beauty, and you're going to see a lot of them."
Her heart filled with joy; she was going to see them with Takuto by her side.
§§§
Mitsuki watched calmly as Takuto sang proudly on stage. This was the first she'd heard him sing live, and it heated her whole body. It'd been so long since she'd heard that beautiful voice of his. The voice he was so proud of.
"There's a thief on a
Summer's night
Across an ocean
Who sees another's life
Fading away…"
His words struck her, so he felt it too then…Lost in her thoughts; she didn't hear him end until she felt a deep sorrow in his heart.
"Takuto! Takuto!" the crowd was cheering.
"Okay Mitsuki," Takuto grinned and winked at her as he appeared behind stage by her side. "I have a surprise," he told them all in rough Chinese as he'd been instructed when he stepped back onto the stage.
They all erupted in screams when he stepped back onto the stage.
Mitsuki took her cue and headed onto stage; Takuto handed her a microphone as she did, "Hi everyone!" she called in Chinese. "Thank you all for coming!"
A roar exploded from the stadium, and Mitsuki and Takuto grinned at one another, "This is called Same Rhyme," Takuto announced, and the band began, a quiet piano melody at first.
"So you're far away," Mitsuki started in her deep, yet angelic, voice.
"So there's nothing left to say," Takuto picked up where she left off.
"So my smile…melts away," she lowered the microphone as she finished.
"So the rain…comes down this day," Takuto echoed her motions and slowly drums were added and a lone guitar.
"But at night you think of me," Mitsuki threw her head to the side, wistfully.
"Think of what we couldn't be," he turned his back to her.
"And your heart it tries to see…" she looked toward him, examining his face curiously and not all of it was the act.
"To understand, why there is no 'we'," he whipped around and met her eyes, so she reached a gentle hand toward him.
All the guitars came in, and a symbol crash signaled the chorus.
"We're thinking of the same thing."
"At the same time," Takuto echoed her.
"We're thinking of the same song," she smiled and lowered her eyes.
"With the same rhyme," he took a step toward her.
She clutched the microphone tightly in both hands as she looked up, "We're wishing on the same star."
"In the same sky," he put a hand on her shoulder, but she pulled away.
"We're opening the same scar," the music slowed, and a few guitars dropped out as she walked away from him.
"With the same lie," he lowered his eyes and turned his head again.
"Watching the sunset," she smiled upward.
"On an empty bench," he chorused glumly.
"Watching the pink," her eyes wandered to the ceiling. Meroko…
"Nearing the brink," Takuto made it look like he was moving toward her turned back, then chose to stay.
"This is where I lose my mind!" again the music picked up as Mitsuki spun and met Takuto's eyes. Suddenly, it was just the two of them.
"Time and time I've wondered," he opened a hand to her.
"Just what it is they do to us," she took a step forward, then hesitated, biting her lip.
"Time and time they've plundered."
"Without us even having to open up," she took his hand, and he spun her into his chest. She stifled a gasp as he looked down at her.
"I'm glad to be near you," the snare reentered.
"Happy we met," Mitsuki whispered in pitch.
"I need to be with you," his hold tightened, but she pulled away.
"And have you forget."
The two moved to opposite sides of the stage, "We're thinking of the same thing."
"At the same time."
"We're thinking of the same song."
"With the same rhyme."
"We're wishing on the same star."
"In the same sky."
"We're opening the same scar."
"With the same lie."
"You treat me like a lady," Mitsuki looked at Takuto from her side.
"I know you're just a friend," he locked eyes with her.
"You think that you can tame me?" Mitsuki challenged, pulling her fingers toward her, daring him.
"But I'll be wild 'till the end," he grinned and turned his back on her.
"You say you've got me figured?" when she turned, he began to creep toward her.
"Say you know my ways?"
"But honey I assure you," she circled around and caught him approaching.
"You haven't seen some days."
"You're the depth of the sea," she took a few steps forward.
"The apple of my eye," he smiled while he sang, melting her heart.
"You've been trying to show me," she decrescendoed when only the piano was left, and she looked up into his deep blue eyes.
"How just not to cry," he cupped her face in his hand, and she smiled as all the instruments reentered for one final chorus. The two parted to smile at their audience.
"We're thinking of the same thing."
"At the same time."
"We're thinking of the same song."
"With the same rhyme."
"We're wishing on the same star."
"In the same sky."
"We're opening the same scar."
"With the same lie."
"Same song…"
"Same rhyme…"
After the song had ended, there was absolute silence, in which Mitsuki's heart stopped. They didn't like i- before the thought could even be completed; the entire audience was on their feet, screaming for more, cheering their names.
"Thank you!" Mitsuki called in Chinese, "Xie xie,"
Takuto took Mitsuki's hand and the two bowed, Mitsuki blowing kisses and thanking everyone profusely.
The two walked offstage, glowing, and found Ooshige in tears.
"Ooshige-san, what's wrong?" Mitsuki inquired, sending a hateful glare to Izumi who shrugged innocently.
"That was beautiful," Osohige sniffed, looking at the two. "Not many of them even speak Japanese, but your song was so powerful it didn't even matter."
Takuto grinned at Mitsuki, "I think we got our message across."
She nodded emphatically, gripping her manager's arms in a half embrace before she was called over to do a quick warm up. Takuto wished her luck, and she thanked him nervously and headed out.
§§§
Mitsuki stared into the crowd, barely able to breathe. There were so many people here, and they all knew about her? She took a deep breath and raised her hands, saying a silent prayer, before she burst out onto the stage, "Hi everyone! I'm Mitsuki Kouyama!"
"Mitsuki! Mitsuki!" cries escaped the barrier and made their way onstage. She could only beam.
"Now I lay me," she whispered into the microphone, and cheers erupted. She smiled and continued, "Down to sleep," the bass guitar entered. "I pray the Lord," a single guitar held out a single chord, "My soul to keep." She spun around and the drums entered as the intro began. With her back to the audience, she was able to take a breather and control her emotions before she turned and began, "I saw him one night; he was out in the rain. I saw him one day, and knew he'd bring pain."
"Mitsuki! I love you!" someone screamed in Japanese, and she smile warmly, blowing a kiss, then continued, "She saw him one night; he was out for a drive. She saw him on day, and knew that she'd die," here, her eyes flicked to Takuto who gave her a curious glance before she turned around.
His head began to spin while his pulse raced.
"Then I'll die today," the girl whispered.
"No-no-no!" another voice shouted; a voice that was familiar and made his skin tingle.
"You have a year to live," he responded calmly, and the girl looked on with stubborn determination.
"Takuto? Are you okay You look a little pale," Ooshige asked worriedly.
"N-no, I'm fine," he brushed it off and turned back to Mitsuki. Was the little girl dead then? And how did he know she was going to die?
"They say she cries all the time; they say her tears are her joy
They say she's not one of their kind; they say she's not for any boy
And I put on this happy mask, and I smile and pretend
And I try not to ask who he's with right then."
Here was the climax; Mitsuki's fingers tightened as she stared into the sky, "She knew that he'd take her; knew that he'd break her. Knew that he'd make her, into what he wanted. She knew she'd regret it, but that is tomorrow."
Visions exploded in his brain:
The little girl watched in horror as the soul of an old man was ripped from his body. She turned to him with wide, terrified eyes, and he had to look away from them…
"Takuto, you're so mean!" she screamed at him on a snow-covered road.
"Maybe I am! Maybe I'm just a mean person!" he shouted back…
"Take this," he instructed, and a single drop of blood floated to her hands…
He sat on the top of a steeple and looked down at her; she wasn't on his mind, so why…?
"I don't want you to regret it! Not like I did!" he shouted at her during some kind of strange torture.
Her eyes widened, "You regret it?"
"Takuto!" Ooshige called, falling to her knees when Takuto hit the ground, clutching his head.
"It doesn't make sense," he whispered through his pain, "Who is she?" Izumi's eyes narrowed. He knew this tour was a bad idea.
"The tears come down, and rush like a river
They drown all the sound; I can feel the shiver
She looks at the page, spotted with blood
She's too old for her age; she had a good run.
Tell me would you cry if you saw me dying?
Tell me will you scream when you know what I mean?"
"What do you mean Mitsuki? Why are you trying to hide from me?" Takuto whispered from his position on the ground.
"Will you…miss me? Will you…kiss me?
Will the blood wash away all the pain of these years?
And I'm tired…and weary…
I can't fight, this fight anymore
Sleep in peace now, my little girl
Tell them how you left the world
Maybe it'll be okay tonight; maybe you'll sleep ce soir
It'll all come out all right; breathe now, you're out of the dark," she lowered her head as one by one the instruments faded until there was that long guitar holding a single chord.
"And if I die, before I wake
I pray the Lord, my soul to take."
A blast of cries erupted from the crowd, and Mitsuki beamed, "Xie xie!" she called, which caused more applause. She turned to smile at Takuto, but he was on the ground. Her smile stayed on for the audience, but her eyes darted. Ooshige gave her an "okay" signal, and her heart started pumping again as she took a few deep breaths.
"I would seriously consider which songs you sing from now on," Izumi whispered beside her, glancing evilly at Ooshige. Mitsuki veiled her terror and stayed silent, but Izumi knew his request would be granted.
§§§
In the weeks that followed, Mitsuki saw Hong Kong and rode an elephant in New Delhi. She visited cathedrals and gazed at the Himalayas in Moscow. She paid tribute to those who died in World War II in Oslo and Stockholm and Warsaw. She smiled at the former Berlin wall, excited by a united Germany. She and Takuto went riding through the Alps in Vienna and visited Greek temples and palaces in Athens. They saw artwork and churches in Rome and went to a bullfight in Libson. Mitsuki tried on a traditional Spanish costume in Madrid and finally they arrived in Paris, France, the city of love.