Knux2511: The final chapter before I get to work on the bonus chapters. I certainly had fun writing it.

Title: Memories

Couple: Sara/Tarou

Enjoy the story.

Tarou missed her. It wasn't a question, it was a fact. The pianist missed his beloved mermaid. It had been so long since he had last seen her, so long since he had last heard her lovely voice. He dreamed of her in his sleep, heard her voice as he played the piano, thought he saw her as he walked through the streets. It was strange, an obsession as the days passed, he realized.

The pianist shook his thoughts of his deceased out of his mind as he walked by a quaint little seaside cafe. The salty sea breeze blew past him, and he kept a hold on his sheet music — a ballad dedicated to his memory of Sara — determined not to lose it. He continued walking on until the sound of a wind-chime reached his ears from the door of the cafe, and he paused to look at the delicate seashell carvings in the gleaming steel.

"Lovely wind-chime, isn't it sir?" a soft, low voice asked.

The contralto startled the man a bit, and Tarou turned to see a woman standing behind him. He nodded, glancing back at the design briefly before looking back at the woman behind him.

She had long dark hair the colour of chocolate, pulled into a French braid and left over her shoulder. Her eyes were a warm brown too, a few shades darker than her hair, give or take. Olive skin was accentuated with an orange and light golden sundress, and her delicate-looking features were pulled into a warm smile. She suddenly seemed to realize the awkwardness of the situation, and quickly added on in a melodious tone, "Sorry, I'm Jennifer, the owner of the cafe."

The man offered the woman a polite and friendly smile, already noting the soft English in the German town. "Tarou Mistuki, miss," he said with a nod of the head, speaking in English as well as he would have hazarded a guess that she wasn't fluent in German. "Nice to meet you." He couldn't help but notice the shape of her eyes and her warm smile, both of which resembled Sara's to a painful degree.

Tarou's heart wrenched. Sara...

No, he told himself firmly. He had to stop thinking about her — it wasn't doing anything for him, and it wouldn't ever if he kept on thinking about her day in and day out. He needed to forget her, for his sake, and hers.

"—ir? Sir, are you alright?"Jennifer was saying, her voice filled with concern.

Tarou blinked, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. "Ah, um, yes," he said, "I'm fine, thank you." Had she been talking? Clearly, the answer was yes, and he had been spaced out for long enough, thinking about Sara, that she had caught onto it, even wondering if he was alright. The pianist silently cursed himself out, though this time, he paid attention in case she started talking again.

The conversation flew by in a whirlwind. Tarou wasn't really aware of the words that he had spoken to Jennifer, most of his thoughts surrounding the familiar memory of Sara, awakened by the sighed of a shell carved onto a wind-chime. When he was finally ware of what he was saying, it was at most fifteen minutes later, and Jennifer was telling him something about music.

"This is amazing," the woman said, holding a sheet of paper that he recognized as his sheet music. She checked her watch, then hurriedly handed it back. "Oh, but I have to close up shop now. I'll see you again, Tarou?" Jennifer offered him a charming smile, reminding him of Sara again, and she waved at him as she walked into the cafe.

"Sara..." Tarou murmured softly, returning her wave when he was sure she didn't hear him.

That night, Tarou was woken up by a song. The pianist lived close to the seaside — quite frankly, he had moved into the house there because it was located by the sea — and nights there were normally rather quiet, seeing as no ships or cars usually passed unless in the day. What was the song? Where did it come from? And why did it sound so familiar?

Still in the plain T-shirt and shorts he had pulled on when he had gone to bed, the man headed out towards the back entrance of his house, the one that led straight to the ocean barely a meter away. With a tired yawn, the man opened the sliding door and walked outside, barefoot, and ignoring the cool wind that blew past him, out towards the ocean. He looked out across the area, and his eyes sought out the odd source of light that suddenly illuminated the area in a soft orange glow.

What he saw made his eyes widen in shock. "Sara..." Tarou breathed softly, seeing the ethereal orange form of his beloved on the surface of the calm sea water.

She smiled softly at him, and the glowing spirit — for what else could she be at this point? — moved towards him. A hand reached out toward the man, and when Sara drew close, her hand rose to gently brush across his cheek. "Tarou," she called softly, smiling. "I've missed you so much." Her warm orange eyes were brighter, maybe because of the orange glow around her.

His arms slowly wrapped around her strangely solid form, and the man breathed, "I've missed you too. I've missed you so, so much, Sara."

"You shouldn't." Sara sounded regretful, and the woman slowly drew back, both hands cupping his face. "I'm sorry, Tarou, if you've waited for me. We could have lived a life together," she said softly, "but I didn't want him to go alone." Her thumb gently swept across his skin, like she was trying to remember the feeling. The mermaid exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "You should move on. Please, for my sake."

Tarou's hands reached up to grasp her wrists, and the brunette shook his head slowly. "I've been waiting, Sara," he whispered. "Five years. How can I move on? I waited for seven years until I saw you again — if I wait, I'll see you again." He was in denial, he knew.

Sara laughed sadly. "You know that can't happen, Tarou," she said gently. "Please, move on. For me," she added in the end. Leaning in, the ethereal woman pressed a faint, lingering kiss on his brow. "I'm sorry." Her hands reached down to grip his tightly, and she smiled softly at him. "I'm sorry, Tarou," she repeated softly. "Please forgive me."

She was fading away, the man faintly realized as the woman gave his hands a soft squeeze. He fumbled to get words out, and barely managed, "Sara, wait..." before the mermaid smiled and pulled back, squeezing his hands one last time before she vanished. Her words once more echoed in his head.

"Please, for my sake."

The next day, Tarou was passing by Jennifer's cafe again on his way home.

A quick glance inside showed the woman behind the counter, absently looking at her phone, and after a pause, he glanced out to the sea. "For you, Sara," he promised himself. He entered the cafe, calling out the the woman behind the counter with a friendly smile.

No, he wouldn't forget Sara, but he would give moving on a try.

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Next chapter: Bonus One-shots