Akihiko nearly launched himself out of bed, panting as if he'd run a mile. For a moment, he'd forgotten how to get up as he found himself tangled in his bed sheets, gallons of sweat gluing them to his body. Panicking, he flailed around helplessly while his brain struggled to remember what he was panicking for. Where the hell is...!
At last, he found what he was looking for; his cell phone, knocked to the floor in his haste. Why did the damn thing take so long to power on? Fortunately, he knew the number he was looking for by heart. Pick up, pick up...holy shit, Mitsuru, pick up!
No answer.
Akihiko's fingers fumbled like mad as he typed out one text message after another. He wasn't even really sure what he was saying; all that was left of the feelings he'd awoken with was a vague sense of dread. One important thing remained, however: MITSURU. BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
Too late for what?
He couldn't remember for the life of him. All he knew is that he woke up freaking out because he needed to get to Mitsuru right this very second for some really important reason and his heart would not stop beating out of his chest until he'd accomplished it. Hastily dressing (man, it's a good thing all his clothes looked alike, he'd probably look really stupid otherwise), he stumbled out of his apartment and began calling in a favor. Mitsuru had promised him a car and driver should he need a ride for any reason, and Akihiko knew most of her drivers pretty well. A guy showed up almost immediately.
"Hey, Sanada. You late for work or something?"
"Where-" Akihiko's voice cracked embarrassingly. He must have looked a mess, wide-eyed and fidgeting like he was being chased by the Yakuza. "Where's Mitsuru right now?"
Guy shrugged. "Must be on her way to the office. Toei went out to get her early today; said she had like five stops to make and he'd be gone a while." He looked Akihiko over. "Didn't say anything about picking you up, though."
"No, I just – I figured something out about a case – I mean, a mission! The mission she's on right now. Lookit'sreallyimportantthatIgettoherassoonaspossibleokay? Can you just...bring me to her office?" Time was ticking, and he had no clue how much of it he had left.
"All righty."
Fuck! Thank you!
Akihiko spent the entire ride trying to figure out what got him so panicked. He'd been dreaming – of Mitsuru more often than not lately – and she had been in danger somehow, from something. Of that he was positive. And he was there...kind of?...and he had to help her. She didn't even know she was in danger until it was too late, and he needed to help her. Somehow. From something.
Shit, if he walked in like this, the only person in danger would be him, from Mitsuru's wrath!
Caesar was no help. He had no idea what the deal was, either. He just kept trying to soothe Akihiko. Breathe. Think. What is it?
No clue. No time. Mitsuru! I have to save Mitsuru!
Mitsuru used to be much better at budgeting her time than this.
She'd left her house so early that she hadn't had time to read the news or even turn on her phone. Today the heiress was in demand by people all across the country, and naturally, all of them thought themselves the most important matter. Breakfast? No time. Business, that was the first meal of the day. Fortunately, Kikuno had whipped up something quickly while packing Mitsuru's suitcases for her last-minute flight today.
She wished she'd have been able to tell someone she was leaving. These past few years had reaffirmed the fact that Mitsuru needed the support of her friends, especially when life was being particularly difficult. Unfortunately, the plans had only been finalized late last night, leaving Mitsuru for just enough time to get a bit of sleep before immediately setting off. There was no time to call or text anyone, and she didn't want to disturb their sleep. Surely they'd understand. It would only be a few days, after all. Besides, they were all just as busy with their own lives, weren't they? No one needed her right now. She'd just have to make time for her friends later on.
Being rushed into a meeting meant that her phone was still off until it ended, which meant that it was much, much later that she had time to at least turn it on while collapsed in her office, massaging her heels and regrouping. She was surprised and a little alarmed to find a dozen texts and missed calls from Akihiko. Oh. She'd been feeling guilty about him most of all.
While most of the Shadow Operatives had gone their separate ways after high school, Akihiko was someone Mitsuru took particular pains to keep tabs on. She'd insisted it was because the man would forget his head if it wasn't attached, but in actuality, it was because Akihiko would always have an important place in her heart. They had been friends through triumph and tragedy, in spite of having absolutely nothing in common at the beginning, and emerged arm-in-arm from hell as if they'd been born the very same day. Akihiko had been the first person Mitsuru's age to actually take the time to get to know her, beyond the heiress and honor student, as the girl she so desperately wanted to be. She could always count on his neverending enthusiasm and unflagging support for whatever she did (in spite of not understanding a damn thing about it). Akihiko may not have needed her anymore, but Mitsuru certainly needed him.
He sounded incredibly desperate in his voicemails. Was something wrong?
Mitsuru cycled through several different variations of Hey are you okay? Where are you? while getting increasingly agitated before going to summon a car and running right into the man himself barreling into her office.
"Mitsuru! Y-You all right?" Akihiko was pale and perspiring as if he had quite literally ran the entire way to her office from wherever he'd been.
"Good morning?" She had no idea what the appropriate reaction would be in this situation. Akihiko seemed to calm down somewhat when she appeared before him whole and unbothered, but he was looking around as if he expected an assassin to pop up any second. "Is something the matter? I'm sorry I missed your messages; I've been incredibly busy, and I still have a lot to do-"
"Look, I-I...I don't know, I just-"
"Akihiko, what is it?" Something about the way he was acting alarmed her. Akihiko knew better than to barge into her office without calling. Yes, she'd missed his calls, but he would have known to explain himself before waiting for her permission to come by. He didn't seem to hear a word she said, he'd just lunged for her and kept looking her over for signs of...something. "I think you should sit down. Did you run here? What was so important that you simply had to get here as fast as possible?"
"You!" Me? "I'm sorry...listen...I don't even know what the hell made me haul ass over here, but I woke up and I couldn't get it out of my head that I had to get to you, and Mitsuru...are you all right?" His eyes bore into hers.
"As far as I'm aware...yes?" The fear in his eyes frightened her. The last time she'd seen Akihiko this panicked was the night Shinjiro and Amada had their fateful confrontation. Akihiko had dropped everything in search of his dearest friend, the fear of losing a loved one taking him beyond all reason. If he was this afraid… "Has something happened that I'm not aware of?"
"Maybe?" Akihiko slumped down on the formal sofa Mitsuru kept around for quick cat naps during the day. He looked as drained and worried as he had that night, nearly three years ago. Mitsuru's heart immediately went out to him. For whatever inexplicable reason, her friend needed her today.
"Why don't you rest here and think on it for a while? Give me just a moment." And Mitsuru picked up her phone and dialed the airport. She would not be taking that flight today. Sometimes, you just needed to stop following your schedule and follow your heart instead.
Akihiko's breathing had slowed to normal, and the color had returned to his face. He seemed less frantic and more embarrassed now, but his eyes still telegraphed that something was eluding him and he couldn't place what it was.
Mitsuru sat next to him and tried to redirect him as best as she could. Akihiko always responded well to the sound of her steady voice. "What is today, Akihiko? Do you know?"
"Uh, it's the 17th...it's March the 17th."
"Is there anything of significance about March the 17th?" She didn't think there was, but perhaps the date meant something to Akihiko that he'd never told her about.
"Dunno...it's not Graduation. Besides, Ken's still got another year. And that wouldn't have been about you, anyway." He laughed to himself suddenly. "I am not that fucking stupid to suddenly start thinking about you when I see some cherry blossoms! I never did care for the damn things, anyway. When I was a kid, it just mean raking them up around the orphanage. Miki thought they were pretty, though. She…" He sat up, his eyes wide. "Oh, fu…"
"What is it?" This was a side of Akihiko that Mitsuru had never seen before. So introspective. So open and emotional. Talking about his childhood and his late sister usually caused him to go silent after a while. It must have hurt too much to go down that road continually.
"The fucking cherry blossoms…they'd pile up everywhere, on the roof, in the gutters...if you weren't careful, they'd end up in the chimney and when you-when you tried to light a fire you'd end up...burning the fucking place down, and-!"
Was Akihiko crying?
"...I didn't make it back in time." He looked at her, and the tears had already started gathering in the corners of his eyes. "I didn't get to save Miki. I've spent the past 16 years trying. I wake up, and I think, 'I've gotta save her, I gotta save her', but I must've got mixed up along the way and thought it was about someone I could save."
"Oh, Akihiko…" Of course he did. Of course Akihiko, filled with love and affection for the sister he'd lost so long ago, affection he was unable to give to her now, would transfer those feelings to someone else.
And he'd chosen her.
She couldn't help but embrace him, one hand reaching up to wipe the tears from his cheek. This beautiful soul needed someone to nurture today, and no power on Earth could make her deny him that.
Mitsuru picked up her phone again, to order something for the two of them to eat, but before she could dial out, the phone rang, and it was Kikuno calling. "Yes?"
Akihiko watched Mitsuru get blurrier as he completely fucking lost it, feeling stupid and happy at the same time. Miki. How could he have forgotten what day it was? Shinji used to remind him. Shinji always knew. He memorized the date because Akihiko was so broken up about losing his last family that he'd forgotten what his own name was, forgot how to eat and sleep. Today was the day to save Miki. But Miki was gone. So he saved Mitsuru. And she wasn't pissed at all! She didn't yell at him or send him away. She listened to him and, as usual, helped him find his way when he couldn't tell his ass from a hole in the ground.
He didn't know who she was calling, but it didn't matter because someone was calling her, and he could hear Kikuno freaking out even from where he was. "Kikuno, calm down! What are you trying to tell me? No, I'm in the office, I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone-what?" As the maid kept shouting, Mitsuru looked at Akihiko and gestured to the TV.
Some news bulletin was on. "We're coming to you live from outside Minato, where we've just learned that Tokyo Flight SKY71 has crashed. No word yet on whether there are any survivors…"
After that, things went nuts. The phones in the office began ringing off the hook, and Mitsuru's phone began receiving messages like crazy. "Whoa. Someone on that flight?" When he turned to look at Mitsuru…
...she looked like he must have when he barged in here an hour ago. "I was...supposed to be." She turned to look at Akihiko, the shock beginning to register on her face. "That was my flight. A conference that had been preempted earlier this year was rescheduled for this week, and I was heading out this morning." The color drained from her face. "I almost got on that plane."
Shit. Oh, shit!
"But I didn't," Mitsuru began to cry, "because...you saved me, Akihiko."
The realization them both like a freight train. Mitsuru was alive because Akihiko's intuition made him stall her long enough to give up her seat on the plane that was now rubble. What had seemed like bullshit just this morning actually paid off somehow.
He'd really done it.
After sixteen years...he had finally saved her.
As the door flew open and secretaries began pouring out of the woodwork to inquire about Mitsuru's sudden change of plans and middle finger to fate, Akihiko wandered over to the window and tracked a little pink petal as it blew its way to the windowsill.
I love you, Miki.
- pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp -
I don't ever remember there being a date for the orphanage fire, just that it happened years ago.
This was just something that was rattling around in my brain. Akihiko has mad protective instincts.
Yes, Minato is a real place.