Wings for Mitsuki
>>Renzie>> Hello, all. :) Just for you, I put in a larger chunk of Takuto and Mitsuki. Sorry for the delay ;P Oh, and also a long scene with Hinako and Sakamura. It lasted for longer than originally planned. Please enjoy chapter 6. Big thanks to my reviewers! I hit twenty, hooray!
>>Disclaimer>> You should know by now that I don't own Full Moon. If you don't than at least I do :P Am I being confusing again?
>>Note>> The song Hinako's singing is "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. A very popular classic.
Kintora - At the moment, I don't plan on Meroko being a main character :) But I have had a small Meroko x Izumi scene running through my head. The only problem is, it doesn't relate to the story very much!. :P I'm not sure whether or not I want to include that, but right now there's a lot of things in the story even I'm not so sure about. Oh yea, Hinako reminds me of Meroko too! Both have too much sugar nn; Thanks for your review! Please keep reading my chapters :D
Chapter 6: A Gentle Touch
"Uh -- look, it's...it's not what you think!"
"It's exactly what I think, you liar! You ate them all! My sesame cakes!" Mitsuki lectured Takuto, while chucking large, fluffy pillows at him.
"Oomph -- Well what was I supposed to do?-!"
"You could've saved me one! Just one!" The two scampered around the packed rooms, Mitsuki chasing and Takuto running. No, make that fleeing.
"They're only sesame ca-- Oww, that hurt!" He ducked behind a chair, shielding himself from her angry attacks.
"No excuses! Mean -- that's what you are!" The infuriated shinigami chased him on top of the couches and under the tables. From a third person point of view, frankly, the two looked like bickering kids.
"Hey, would you listen to me for a --"
"Didn't you pick up those cakes because you were sorry? Who eats their own forgiveness present?-!"
"What the --? Forgiveness present?"
"You know what I mean, Takuto." Mitsuki threw another pillow at him. Lets see...that would be how many, now?
"But it was so...! Your snacks were the only thing left, and I was bored. Besides..." He caught a feather in the air, letting it twirl in his fingers. "...It wasn't the same without you."
She stopped for a moment, silently dazed at his sincerity. It wasn't the same without her...? What did he...
WHAM.
Mitsuki quickly snapped out of her trance when a pillow smacked her right in the face. "Na?-! Takuto!"
He looked at her, innocence playing on his face. "What? I can't just sit back and let you rip me to pieces."
"Eh?-! Well that's what I intend to do!" She grinned, picking up an armful of pillows. "Ready -- Set -- Go!"
The night grew long, with sounds of laughter mixing with a buoyant pillow fight. The two never did seemed to run out of ammunition. That was until it came down to stealing and hiding your opponent's pillows...
It continued that way until arms were tired and legs were limp. Perhaps they were overreacting too much for their own good. But it was all in good intentions. Maybe...
In the end, all they could do, was argue about those darn sesame cakes that started it all.
-
"G'night, Mitsuki."
"Sleep tight."
"Don't let the bed bugs bite."
"That was corny..."
"Be quiet." Takuto eyed a smiling Mitsuki, as he flicked the light switch off. Now, even the dark night sky seemed to be illuminating the room. The stars were probably brighter than ever, or at least since the last time he noticed. But since when did he notice? Lately, all sorts of things were happening to him.
As he closed the door, he saw a smile radiating from a certain girl. She was propped up on her elbows, admiring the moon from her window view. Takuto couldn't help but smile too, slowly closing the bedroom door.
.-.-.-.
The evening wind shook the trees, their leaves rustling for those awake to hear. The moonlight shifted through every window, occasionally admired by chance. Besides the rumbling wind, it was silent just like any other night. But though it was summer, the late evenings were still cold.
Takuto lay awake at the edge of his bed. He had rolled over on numerous occasions, trying to lull himself to sleep. Blame it on the loud wind, but there was also something else eating at his mind. The music shop he had passed by earlier...
...and the binding pain coiled around his throat. Takuto's hand shifted through the light covers, slowly reaching up to touch his throat. It was like a reflex whenever the thought crossed his mind.
He glanced knowingly at a small shadow in the corner of his room. The bright moonlight hadn't revealed what was hiding in that dark space, but he knew what was there...
The boy closed his eyes, rolling over and facing the other wall. He wondered if Mitsuki knew any of this...Probably. Maybe. Everything -- from his throat to his time of death. She hadn't asked about it -- or said anything at all, for that matter. But she was his shinigami. She knew all the facts...right?
Takuto was so absorbed in his thoughts, that he didn't notice his door click open. A pair of feet wobbled inside, moving at a particularly slow pace. It was...Mitsuki? She didn't seem fully awake yet, but she was somewhat conscious. She wandered closer to his bedside, so close that her knees were grazing the edge. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, mumbling something quietly.
The boy was probably too deep inside his mind to hear anything. Thick ideas fastened his gaze on the wall before him. Most along the lines of things he didn't quite understand.
'But what if there's a chance that Mitsuki...doesn't know about those things? ' She was a curious girl. She would've asked. He was still thinking, until..."GYAH!" Takuto jumped, hitting his head on the backboard. Something, or someone, had touched him on the shoulder. It was a subtle movement, but still enough to startle him. The boy regained control at the sight of Mitsuki's face, though his heart continued to race. "Oh, geez, Mitsuki. You scared me. Do you --"
"Mnnph..." She cut him off with a murmur, her head drooping down.
"Mitsuki? You awake?" Takuto slid onto the edge of his bed. By the way she carried herself, he figured she was still half-asleep.
"I can't..."
"...You can't...?"
"..." And then it was silent. The girl swayed from side to side, the way people did when they weren't fully awake. But she didn't follow up on the statement.
Takuto grabbed the side of her arm so she wouldn't collapse, but didn't pursue her half sentence. Instead, he stood up -- ready to guide her back.
But unexpectedly, Mitsuki broke away from his grasp and curled up in the middle of his bed. He couldn't help but laugh when she looked like a dog.
And then she said some more -- slurring the words every now and then."...Even...I can't...mrrm..."
Takuto watched silently. Her face was slightly pained, giving off the impression of a bad dream. At first, he wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to wake her, or pry her off the top of his bed. But Mitsuki was just...there. Lying on his covers, her knees pulled in.
Takuto didn't know what came over him. But the next moment, he was there too. Stroking her forehead softly. Her pained expression slowly gave in, and the sound of her breathing became slow and steady.
Sometimes, Mitsuki was his shinigami. Sometimes, she was his friend. And then there were those odd moments...when he wasn't quite sure.
But now, as he sat and gently brushed her forehead, he was content with confusion.
...As well as the unfamiliar feeling in his heart.
-
Last night, I slept soundly to a gentle touch. Sometimes I think it was a fragment of my imagination. But at the time, it just felt so real. Someone was softly caressing my forehead, like the way my mother used to. I wouldn't forget that gesture anywhere. At first, I wondered if it was Eichi. I know it sounds impossible, but anything can happen. Really.
Yet, the touch felt different. ...Warmer...
Whoever it was, I felt safe that night.
I know I have a small tendency to sleep walk, which makes me a little...shifty. The chance it might've been Takuto didn't exactly ease my embarrassment. I came to the conclusion that I had mustered into his room...But after that, I have no idea.
I don't know anything at all. It'd be extremely embarrassing to ask! Maybe I'll just thank him...that seems like a good idea.
...Crap. He's coming in the door! I haven't even thought of something to say yet. I have to hide! Help me! ...Oh. I almost forgot --I'm writing in my journal. So much for that idea...
-
"Hah, there's finally stuff to fill the fridge with." Takuto had returned, with another bag of groceries. "It's amazing how food disappears so quickly...Mitsuki, what are you doing?"
She gave a nervous laugh, hidden halfway behind a couch. "N...Nothing."
'Actually, I'm hiding from you. Or...was hiding from you. Until you noticed..., ' she responded in thought.
"...But I guess it was a little obvious." Mitsuki voiced her last thought out loud, a tiny frown visible.
"Sorry, did you say something?"
"Eh? No, no. Not me." She gave a little grin, waving in denial. His eyebrows twitched upwards ever so slightly. But after that, the subject was done. Forever.
'There should be a word for that.' Mitsuki thought idly. 'Done forever...like 'donever.' '
"Donever...," she repeated out loud...again.
"You know ...talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."
Mitsuki shifted out of her daze, to see a grinning Takuto. He was grinning. "You and your smug little expression. I am not going insane! I was...ah..." Pause. "...Talking to you, of course."
"Hnn? What was it you were going to say?" he asked politely. But she could tell he didn't quite believe her.
"Well, I was going to...um..."Just thank him and run away. It's as simple as that, isn't it? "...thank you."
"...Thank me?" He blinked, before skeptically eying a carton of 1 percent milk. "...For the groceries?"
She covered her face with a hand, trying to suppress her uncontrollable fit of laughter. 'For the groceries?' he asks. Mitsuki smiled widely, muffling her giggles. But then she realized that Takuto had no clue about what happened the previous night. Either that, or he wasn't catching on.
So maybe, it hadn't been Takuto after all. The person in her dream. The very...realistic dream. Maybe her mind had been playing tricks. Making her think it was him, when it really wasn't. Mitsuki felt the realization sink with a small '...Oh.'
Wait...was she disappointed? ...No. She was almost disappointed... Almost.
In the beginning, he had sensed the hesitation in her voice -- complete with a sheepish smile. But after a while, Mitsuki came to look a little sad. Why? It couldn't have been that, could it? She hadn't even been awake at the time.
'Well,' he figured. 'I guess I won't mention anything.' Besides, Takuto had no clue on what her reaction would be. She'd probably get really freaked out and start pacing around the room.
But he didn't have to mention anything. For the next thing she said, came rolling right out. And it seemed, that Mitsuki had been very much awake.
"No, no -- not for the food. I mean - yes! Yes, thank you. But it's weird, you know, because I had this dream that there was this person. And they were...well, uh...n-nevermind. It was a crazy dream, anyway. Thank you --Thank you for the groceries. That's what...I meant to say."
Great. Mitsuki flushed, turning to the clock -- which at the moment was very interesting. Just great. Those last few sentences weren't even comprehendible. But Takuto didn't say anything. Not even a word about how weird she was, or even a subtle 'Interesting.'
"Y-Yea...for the groceries. Thank you...," she said, repeating herself. A brief silence passed, before Mitsuki glanced up again -- this time with a little smile. "You're providing me with everything, and I don't know what I can do for you."
"Hm? Oh it's no pro--"
"--Oh, I know!" she interrupted, glee clearly written along her face. "I'll be your maid! Yes, it's perfect! No outfits or anything, but I used to clean my old house constantly. Great --This is great!" The sharp pause came in her realization. "Ah...I mean -- what do you think, Takuto?"
She was so hyped up about this new idea, that he didn't have the heart to refuse. Besides, it was a good suggestion. "Sounds good to me," he said, with an approving smile.
"Really? You think so? This is wonderful!"
As his shinigami scurried around the room, Takuto wondered why she was so enthusiastic about cleaning.
But then again, Kouyama Mitsuki was filled with surprises.
-
Hinako paced down the building corridors, swinging her arms cheerfully.
"The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky," she began, singing a friendly melody. "Are also on the faces of people going by. I see friends shakin' hands, saying 'How do you do?' They're really saying 'I love you'..."
She flashed a smile as her tiny feet turned around the corner. "I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow. They'll learn much more than I'll ever know. And I think to myself..." Deeeeep dramatic breath."...What a wonderful world! Yes, I think to my -- Ah?-! Sakamura! Just the man I was looking for." Her off-tune melody was cut short as Hinako waved enthusiastically.
Sakamura shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Hinako, what did I tell you about singing in the hallways? You're loud enough to disrupt a country, woman."
"But I like si--"
"No buts. I still get complaints about you from time to time. Wait -- lets review. I didn't say compliments. I believe I said complaints."
"Hey, Saka--"
"They're two very different things, Hinako. If you have the guts to say they both start with the letter 'C,' I swear I'm going to--"
"Goodness gracious!" His threat was cut off by Hinako's exasperated sigh. The girl shook her head with a silent 'Tsk, tsk.' "Are you always this mean to Mitsuki?"
The shinigami glanced up to search his mind. "No."
Hinako blinked, tipping her head to the side. "Then...does that make her special?"
"No...?"
"Are you afraid of her?"
"No."
"Did she bribe you?"
"...No."
"Positive?"
"What is your point?-!" Two words. Easily, and Aggravated
Hinako blinked, shrugging her tiny shoulders. "Nothing really. It's just...you're pretty mean to everyone. Except maybe, the shinigami chiefs. But then you're just forcing yourself."
Sakamura took a moment to soak in the dilemma. Hinako wasn't as dumb as he may have sought her out to be. "Well, it's...a little difficult to get mad at Mitsuki. I mean...well, you should know." But that wasn't the only reason he...
"Well, then! I have a proposal to make! Actually no -- it's a surprise!" The girl grinned, but Sakamura eyed her suspiciously.
"What...is it...?" he asked tentatively.
"What is what?"
"The surprise."
"Um." She blinked, shrugging. "A surprise?"
The guide felt like bashing his head against a wall. "...Nevermind, just forget it. It's useless wasting my breath."
Hinako grinned, sticking out her tongue. " In one ear, out the other! So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
-
Later...
Sakamura shook his head. "Oh, man. What have I gotten myself into?"
In the short time he had entrusted to her, Hinako had brought the both of them to the Human world. They were hovering in the sky, as the girl attempted to sort out the mess. And what exactly was The Mess?
Well for starters, they were lost.
"Um...this is part of the surprise!" claimed Hinako.
"...Yes. I am now merrily, stupendously, cheerfully, pleasantly surprised," he murmured sarcastically. "Now would you care to tell me where we're headed?"
But Hinako only stared in awe. "Sakamura, I didn't know you knew so many words for being...well, happy. And no, I cannot tell you."
"Why?-!" he breathed with exasperation.
"Because it's a surprise!"
"...Great."
Despite his condescending tone, Hinako only floated gracefully along the skyline. "Oh, Sakamura. You're just like a soda can. Shake too much, and any moment you might just -- EXPLODE!"
She was giggling now, spinning in the air. Meanwhile...
"...Hinako, you are just so... so...BAH! You know what, I'm going back. Show your surprise to someone else!"
As Sakamura turned around to leave, the tiny shinigami quickly grabbed onto his leg -- causing his balance to waver.
"Augh! Let me go! I'll have you demoted, you idiot!"
"No...! Sakamura, you can't go! The surprise is just -- Aha! Found it!" Hinako's face lit up as she caught sight of something below. She quickly dragged the reluctant boy closer to the ground. "Now you don't say a word. Just follow my lead."
They landed softly on someone's freshly cut lawn. Hinako quietly hid behind a wall, secretly peeking around the edge.
"What," he began, exhaling the word sharply. "Are you doing?"
"Shh! Nothing, nothing at all. Ah -- the suspect went inside building number 1-2-3. Building 1-2-3, 1-2-3! Let's move!"
Sakamura mumbled something about letting a dumb girl drag him around, but followed her anyways. They continued to play the scenes from an action movie -- with Hinako providing the sound effects, of course.
After a while...
"Damn this!" Sakamura threw up his hands, rising from the bushes. "You and your dumb games, Hinako. What are we --...mmph!"
Hinako clasped her hands over his mouth, muffling the sound. "SHH! She's there."
"Who's there?"
"..." No answer from Hinako. It was a surprise, after all.
He sighed disapprovingly. "Why do I even bother?"
The girl let out a laugh, but didn't reply. Instead, she accelerated higher to look through an apartment window. She was so close that her fingers brushed the outside glass. "See, see -- look right here."
Sakamura lifted himself a little further, peeking into the apartment room. His eyes widened, finding the surprise rather surprising after all. "W-What?"
He had expected something meaningless...something very "Hinako-like." A cheap ice cream parlor, the coolest Human gadget, or anything spur-of-the-moment.
Instead, the surprise was...Kouyama Mitsuki. She was shuffling books and papers into neat stacks. She wore a light smile, as her fingers traced the table's edge. While Hinako rambled on, Sakamura watched silently. From the looks of it, Mitsuki was tidying up someone's apartment.
Her expressions would occasionally change. A dainty smile, the broadest grin, and a soft frown all caught his eye. He observed with a fixated gaze. And for that moment, the guide forgot all about being annoyed with his co-worker. Watching Mitsuki made him feel...different.
Like the time Sakamura had read about her past, there was this feeling in his gut that forbid sleep that night. When they had assigned Mitsuki to take on a shinigami's duty, he was very pissed off. Much, much more...than he usually was. It was a weird feeling. Different. But he wasn't sure what that difference was. ...Not yet.
From the corner of his eye, Sakamura could see Hinako getting suspicious. A taunting smile played across her face. He broke off his gaze from an oblivious Mitsuki and glanced down casually.
"I wasn't..." he muttered under his breath.
"Eh? You weren't what?" She was grinning now. As if she knew everything that he didn't.
"I wasn't staring at that dumb girl!" he shouted, gritting his teeth.
"I never said you were, Sakamura."
"Yea? Well you were thinking it, idiot!"
"Pfft. It sucks to be in denial." Hinako made a face, sticking out her tongue. "I just thought I'd be nice to...well, y'know? Just scope out this place. See how Mitsuki's doing. Check out her subject."
"Ahem...so in other words -- we're spying..."
"No, no. Not at all. You cou -- Aha! That must be the one! That...Kira Takuto." Hinako smooshed her finger against the window, pointing out a dark haired boy. He had emerged from the living room, greeting Mitsuki with a smile.
Sakamura watched as she smiled back, her face glowing. Not literally, of course. But she just looked...happy. A different type of happiness. Not the kind that was forced or fake. Not the kind when receiving a gift. Not the kind when you get a raise. But something more. A different type of happiness that Sakamura hadn't seen before.
Takuto lips started moving again, unable to be heard through the glass. And in turn, Mitsuki began to laugh heartily.
"Hmm...so that's him," Hinako observed, drumming two fingers on her chin thoughtfully. "She looks...happy, right? I guess that's a good thing, but...I wonder what'll happen when--"
"She carries out her punishment?" Sakamura said, finishing Hinako's sentence.
"...Yea."
The guide shook his head, sliding his hand against the window. "I don't know. Not right now." He made his hand into a fist, staring blatantly at the two people inside. "But you don't have to worry. It's not like...she'll fall in love with him."
Hinako tipped her head to the side. "How can you be so sure...?"
The shinigami didn't reply.
"Sakamura?"
He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure at all. Because if the look she gave him meant what he thought it did, Mitsuki could've already been falling.
HIYA! WRITING SPIRIT :D
>>Reviews, loverlies. (I just saw "My Fair Lady". Forgive me for the strange atmosphere)