"Taaki-kuuunnn…"
Hmm. What's gotten into her lately?
The last few days coming home from work started out pretty much just like that. Taki always came home after Mitsuha, who as of recently has greeted Taki very exhaustedly. She'd do the same thing. Lazily yell out his name, walk up to him and latch his neck with her arms, and basically take a nap on him.
It was confusing to say the least. But it certainly didn't mean he enjoyed her affection any less.
She must be happy about something…
He relaxed and held Mitsuha, comforting her and reciprocating her love right back at her. And he was feeling it himself, too, until Mitsuha let go of him and started pulling him with his arm, dragging him somewhere else in his apartment.
"Wha-…Mitsuha…Mitsuha?"
And not a word was returned to him, as Mitsuha continued to lead him into his own pad. It was kind of funny, actually, since his apartment was so small, but he legitimately had no idea where Mitsuha was taking him.
Hey, look at that, it's his bedroom, he definitely didn't see that coming. In his mind, there was only one reason why they would be here at 1730.
"Mitsuha, I'm…I'm too tired…"
"So am I, Taki-kun…"
She slowly removed his suit, piece by piece, meeting no resistance from Taki. His mind was in a different place, or maybe it just wasn't sure what to do, as he quietly let Mitsuha undress him. Before long, he was down to just his underwear, and his mind and body were at a crossroads. The result was a stiff and almost numb Taki, who couldn't do anything to save himself when Mitsuha pushed him down onto his bed. Taki could barely blink, that's how fast she got undressed.
And Taki ascended into a higher plane, feeling his testosterone levels exceed safe levels. His heart started pounding, and his body started to heat up a ton. He was getting really nervous, and he himself wasn't even sure why. He'd hug and kiss Mitsuha all the time, but now that they were…y'know…he was getting all excited. And he actually tried to tell himself phew…alright, deep breaths…just relax.
Mitsuha crawled onto the bed, and Taki was ready to explode. Here he was. A man in his 20s. Getting ready to…yeah. He'd had sex with Mitsuha before, a few times as a matter of fact. But why was he so worked up now? Anyway, his fatigue evaporated and his sleepiness vacated his body. He was wide awake, and ready.
But. What Mitsuha ended up doing was snuggling against him under his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. Taking a deep yawn and wrapping her arm around his body, tangling her legs with his.
"Good night, Taki-kun…"
In the midst of his confusion, Mitsuha ended up falling asleep, made clear by her very quiet snoring. Taki needed a second to recollect his composure, as most of his brain had left him in a state of hormonal struggle. And as his wits returned to him, his sexual drive dissipated, and left him in a state pretty close to anger.
"What…what? WHAT?!"
"Mmm…Taki-kun, what's wrong?"
"AH-…oh…"
Seeing Mitsuha's sleepy face calmed him down. She was exhausted from her clearly long day. And a nice nap with her man would've done her a lot of good. Considering they might go out later tonight.
"Mmm?"
"Nothing. Just…go to sleep, sweetheart…"
"Mmm…"
She nestled her head back on Taki. Her soft and silky hair felt pretty nice against his skin, and he started to relax a little too.
"Y'know, in America, they call little stuffed bears 'teddy bears'."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah…hehe…you're my 'Taki bear'…" She blushed and chuckled, thinking she was super clever and adorable for coming up with that.
"Wow…"
"What, you didn't think that was cute?"
"Eh-…well…"
Mitsuha didn't need an answer from him, the blush in Taki's face said everything. So she took it with a grain of salt and went ahead and did what she got in bed to do in the first place. And Taki figured he'd just do the same, since he was pretty tired too.
*bang bang bang bang bang*
"Eh…wha-…"
Furious banging on the door severed their state of slumber, and the two of them looked at each other to see who would be the one to get it.
"Actually you know what, I'll get it! Who the hell thinks they can just walk up and bang on someone's door?!"
Taki grumpily stomped towards his apartment door, preparing all sorts of verbal punches to throw at this nap disruptor. Anyone who knew Taki better than as just an acquaintance knew that he never had a very calm reaction to being woken up erratically, in stark contrast to his normally calm personality. He was a pretty cranky individual waking up, period, but something like this absolutely got him riled up.
So when he reached his door, with all his might, he violently grabbed the door handle, yanked it down, and swung his door open, and prepared his lungs and vocal cords for a very loud tirade at this visitor.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WA-…oh…"
Taki got so mad that he completely forgot that he was only wearing a pair of boxers, so opening the door with Tsukasa and Shinta standing with clear view of his minimalist attire created a rather awkward scene.
They all just stood there and looked at each other, not really sure what to say. And this painfully uncomfortable standoff withstood for about another 30 seconds. All three participants despondent, not wanting to say anything that would make the current circumstances any worse.
Footsteps approaching did nothing to break this stare-down, so Mitsuha couldn't have had any idea of what was going on. No verbal warnings or cues or anything. "Taki-kun, what's going o- AHHH!"
Also in her underwear, Mitsuha retreated out of visibility, not realizing so until she saw that it was Taki's friends.
So given everything that had just happened, it was fair to assume that Tsukasa and Shinta were imagining the worst, and there wasn't anything Taki or Mitsuha could do or say to convince them otherwise.
"*sigh*…before you ask, yes, this is a pretty bad time." Taki was pretty embarrassed as it was, so his desperate search for a resolution to this 'predicament' was top notch priority.
"Mmm…well, for some of us at leas-"
"Do not finish that sentence…"
"Hm-hmm. Well anyway, when you guys get decent, do we wanna grab dinner or drinks?"
"Why couldn't you just call or message me, instead of banging on my door?"
"Oh c'mon dude, what happened to the old days, where we would just show up at each other's places to ask if we could come out and play?"
"Yeah, only this time there's no parents to awkwardly answer the door and tell you no!"
Taki wasn't having any of it, but nonetheless was interested in the idea of spending Friday with his homeboys. But, part of him also wanted to just spend the weekend with Mitsuha alone.
"Listen guys, I already told Mitsuha it'd just be us this weekend."
"Well what if I told yo-"
"Hey, Taki-kun! Do you wanna get dinner with the group?" Mitsuha, dressed and everything, came out of nowhere, phone in hand and looking eager to go out tonight.
"What?"
Tsukasa and Shinta could only chuckle at how everything was working out. "Saya and Tessie are at the mall waiting to put down a name for a table, buuut…we don't know how big a table to get."
"Up to you, Taki-kun. I'm fine either way."
Every outing with the entire group was always fun. Memories for a lifetime were forged every single time. But. He really, really just wanted to be with Mitsuha by themselves.
"Eh- well…maybe not dinner, but if you guys are doing something afterwards, we can meet up."
"Yeah, sounds good. We'll let you know."
"Alrighty then. So are you glad you made your way all the way up here when we could've settled this over the phone?"
"Well, yeah! We were in the area and thought, y'know, why not?"
As little sense as it made, and how inefficient coming all the way up here was, Taki appreciated the gesture nonetheless. To come out of their way to fetch their friend and bring them along for the shenanigans was endearing, to say the least. Nice to know after all these years, their friendship hadn't diminished in the slightest.
The male pair departed, and the engaged couple returned to their abode. As soon as Taki closed the door, he grabbed Mitsuha from behind and held her tight. She leaned back into him, allowing herself to sink deeper and deeper into his warmth.
And as much as she wanted to hang out with the gang tonight, she understood. And she would've been a liar to say she didn't want alone time with Taki too. They'd spent a lot of time out and about, expending a lot of time and energy, and last weekend exhausted them more than they expected. A Friday night inside with each other would be a nice break.
"Hey. You know what he haven't done?"
"What's that?"
"We haven't…just…sat down and watched a movie together…from beginning to end. I mean, we've watched anime in bed together, yeah. But. Have we ever just sat down and held each other watching a movie? Isn't that like a total couple thing to do?"
"That's…now that I think about it, we've never done that. Oh! I've got an idea. I say…we watch a romantic comedy. Not like Oregairu where it's a bunch of teenagers. Like…one of those…I think they call 'em 'chick flicks' in America. But like, a wedding movie. A movie about all the hijinks a couple goes through leading up to a wedding! Y'know, get some ideas about what we wanna do for ours and whatnot. And I guess, know what to expect, more or less."
The next 2 or so hours were spent indulging on a Western rom com called 'I Love You, Man'. A pretty vulgar but funny and surprisingly heartwarming movie about an engaged man trying to find a best man for his wedding. Taki's sense of humor gave him appreciation for most of the crude jokes thrown out over the course of the movie. And he enjoyed the movie in a much different manner than he was probably supposed to.
For Mitsuha, it hit a little bit more personally for her. Nothing to do with her herself, per say. But rather one of her closest friends. Tessie. She couldn't help but draw parallels between the protagonist of this movie and her childhood friend. And how he, as his and Saya's wedding day approached, would inevitably have to find a best man for their big day. Of course she could bank on the idea of the likes of Taki or Shinta or any of the males in their group, but the relationship between a groom and best man has to be special, and not done out of circumstance. It takes time to develop, and while Tessie is generally pretty easy to get along with, there's no doubt that this would be a problem he and Saya would have to address sooner or later. The exact same problem this guy in this movie was having.
And Taki had spent enough time with her to know when she was thinking about something. Beyond anything visual dead giveaways could show.
"Looks like you're thinking about something. Wanna talk about it?"
"Wh- what? I'm…not thinking about anything."
"Oh, c'mon. You're my future wife. I can see it, it's written all over your face."
"Well…don't you think that…Peter's a lot like…Tessie? In a way?"
"Mmm, not real-…oh…I think I know what you're getting at."
"Right? I mean, I just can't help but think…actually…Taki-kun, I don't wanna deal with this right now. We stayed inside so we can be with each other. What's the point if I'm just talking about my friends the whole time?"
"You talk about it whenever you please, I'll always be listening. But don't think we can't talk about it just because you want it to be about us. Our friends are just as big in our lives as anything else, right? I consider Saya and Tessie to be very close friends of mine, too. Remember, I hung out with them in your body every other day for two weeks!"
"Well, then, we're not talking about it. Because I said so." But she had to show Taki some gratitude for showing he does care about her childhood friends as much as she did. It meant more to her than she could describe. She pounced into Taki, driving him down on his couch, as he wasn't expecting it and couldn't physically react.
"But. The fact that you're always here for me makes me want to cry. Y'know. I don't think I've ever said the words 'you're the best boyfriend ever' to you. Have I?"
Short silence befell Taki momentarily. She was getting all sentimental again, and so was he. "Well. Am I?"
Mitsuha knew better than to feed him with words that sounded nice, just because he wanted to hear her say it. "You really are a little dense, aren't you…"
"What can I say…"
A nearby pub was good enough for dinner as they weren't really that hungry. But, this was a different vibe than anything they'd ever been in. It was loud, the aura was abrasive, and just overall uncomfortable. At least for two introverted people like Taki and Mitsuha.
A drunk man walked by and ran his fingers through Mitsuha's hair, setting off a killer instinct in Taki neither of them knew he had. There was no way he would sit and watch some stranger put his hands on Mitsuha. He abruptly stood up and came face-to-face with this random patron, fists clenched and ready to pummel him. The drunkard's friends showed some empathy, and pulled their incapacitated friend away to save him from a beatdown. Physical advantage or not, nothing was going to stop Taki from mauling him. As they went away, Taki's attention returned to his girlfriend, who'd could easily say was just sexually harassed.
"Are you okay?"
Her facial response was all he needed. She just gave him look of impression over his assertiveness, and overall thankfulness that Taki was her man. Standing up for her like that. Admittedly she was startled, and slightly offended. But seeing Taki confront the guy gave her feeling of nothing to worry about.
As if neither of them were already on edge from what just happened, a couple of scantily clad women, also presumably intoxicated, approached Taki, enamored by his facial glory. One of them went as far as to try to stroke Taki's cheek.
But she never had the chance to do so. Because the second this woman's hand reached Taki's face, Mitsuha leapt out of her stool, grabbing her wrist and pulling it away from Taki, and backhanding this woman's cheek with her other hand. For reasons she knew she would have trouble explaining. But safe to say that it was most likely out of reaction to seeing Taki stand up for her earlier.
The drunk woman stumbled back, stunlocked by the hit from Mitsuha, who was probably more surprised than anyone else that she did that. Now absorbing what had just happened, she covered her mouth in embarrassment and horror, and took a few steps back, immediately regretting what she just did. Before anything could start, Taki grabbed Mitsuha and they escaped the pub to avoid any more unnecessary conflict.
Mitsuha was a visibly shell-shocked at what she'd just done, and couldn't contain her emotions. Everything was hitting her at once and she was starting to lose composure by the ounce.
"Taki-kun…Taki-kun…I…I don't know…"
Through tears and a stiff throat, she tried to explain what just happened. Maybe more so to herself than to Taki. For the amount of surprise that came when Taki clashed with the guy that touched Mitsuha, the shock was amplified greatly by what Mitsuha had just done.
"TAKI-KUN…I DON'T KNOW WHY I DID THAT…I…SHE…SHE WAS GONNA TOUCH YOU AND…I DON'T KNOW! WHY DID I DO THAT?!"
Taki took her away from the pub, more so to make sure that no one would come after them. But he also needed a private space to comfort his girlfriend.
The emotions continued to overwhelm Mitsuha, as the most brutal mix of contrasting feelings stripped her of her rational thinking. She sobbed and sobbed uncontrollably. There was no way she could process anything anyone would say to her, so all he could do, or rather all he wanted to do, was hold her tight, give her a warm and loving aura, and let her unload.
And while Mitsuha was letting it all out, Taki softened a little bit. And came to be seriously happy over what just happened. Yeah. Some delinquents tried to get chummy with them. And their personal bubbles were undeniably violated. But to him, a plentiful amount of good came out of this. First things first, they knew never to go to a pub this late ever again. But more than that, it was what he came to realize about their love.
The protective instinct. The involuntary response to seeing their beloved get hurt, in any way, shape, or form. And the complete disregard for anything else to deliver justice as they see fit. Never mind the fact that they stood up for each other to begin with. The organic hostility, the violent reaction to anyone disrespecting the other. The outright anger seeing someone do their loved one wrong.
Taki wasn't so surprised that he had it for Mitsuha. He thought it was just a natural guy thing. But seeing Mitsuha. Watching her retaliate the way she did. He would've never guessed he had that in her. Yeah, she was paying a pretty heavy price for it emotionally. But to know the relentlessness and the unbound motivation to come to his rescue. He couldn't help but smile. And feel like he fell in love with her all over again. For about the millionth time.
"Taki-kun…I'm…I embarrassed you…I'm…I'm so…so sorry…"
Mitsuha was beyond humiliated for what she just did. Physically harming another person. Putting her significant other in an unneeded spotlight. Shaming the very tranquil nature and demeanor she'd spent so much of her life maintaining. But none more so than putting Taki in a difficult spot.
"Sorry for what? You stood up for me, and I couldn't be more grateful for that…"
Mitsuha smirked a little, feeling some of the tension ease. She too came to be happy to know Taki had her back and vice versa. There was probably a better way to handle all of that, at least to Mitsuha. But she shared Taki's sentiment. Nothing was going to stand in the way of each other.
"It was crazy…I was so nervous, and then I got so mad, and then I got scared, and then I was embarrassed, and…" Mitsuha had to fight to prevent another breakdown. At least she could rest easy in Taki's arms, though.
"You didn't embarrass me at all. I'm beyond proud that you're my girlfriend."
"You have no idea how much it means to hear you say that…"
"In fact, I'd even say…'you're the best girlfriend ever'!"
Still trembling from every other emotion she was feeling, Mitsuha still got a laugh out of Taki. His silliness. His cheerful and confidant personality always made her happy. Reeling, yes. But not to say she wasn't happy.
Bumping elbows was one thing, but literally having your shoulder touch someone else's was a new level of claustrophobia.
What's going on today?
The usual commute to work was busier than normal. Not a single space to stand comfortably on this crowded train. Seriously, there must've been at least 3 times the normal number of passengers on this morning train. Commuting 9-to-5ers by the dozens were crammed tight into this vehicle, comparable to the classic 'sardines in a can' idiom. Mitsuha must've been bumped in an inappropriate place at least 5 times.
Feeling a small space behind her to get some breathing room, she wiggled in her tiny standing spot to turn around where she stood. And came face to face with Taki.
"Oh! Taki-kun?"
Taki, looking down at his phone, peered upward, tilting his head up to look Mitsuha in the eye. She was more than relieved to see him, but at the same time was a little confused. Taki wasn't normally on this train to get to work.
"You again?"
Taki had a genuine look of confusion to go along with his remark, legitimately unsure of how the person standing on front of him knew his name. Met with equal confusion from Mitsuha.
"T-…Taki-kun?"
"You…why do you keep following me…"
"Wha-…Taki-kun?"
Mitsuha's heart felt like it shattered into a million pieces. She'd experienced this before, though. When she met Taki 8 years ago, he hadn't met her yet in his own time. So the feeling of embarrassment when he didn't know who she was came rushing back to her. Actually, no. It was minimal, insignificant, and paled greatly in comparison to the grief she was feeling at the moment. Her dearest…had forgotten her somehow. And she slowly started to panic.
"No…no…this is a trick…Taki-kun, you're messing with me…"
"What are you talking about…"
Mitsuha began to cry, refusing to believe that Taki had actually forgotten her. Yet, in the back of her head, she couldn't shake the idea of this actually happening. Tears obscured her vision, and her mental state was starting to turn for the worse. Emotionally and psychologically, the idea of not having Taki slowly destroyed her.
"Taki-kun…it's me…Mitsuha…your girlfriend…your fiancée…"
Taki's eyes opened wide, as if he'd just undergone a serious realization. The kind of facial reaction to having your whole life replayed in front of you. Not soon after, his face and eyes softened, and then quickly replaced with joy. He'd clearly just remembered who this was standing in front of him. And leapt at her to hug her.
"Mitsuh-"
Before she could embrace him…he disappeared. Gone. Without a trace. Nothing, no evidence or signs that he was even on this train to begin with. He just…vanished.
"Taki-kun? Taki-kun?! TAKI-KUN!"
She'd lost it. The harsh transition of emotions sent her spiraling. Unable to restrain herself, she wailed loudly in the middle of a crowded train. The looks she got from the other passengers were of little concern to her, although it was worth noting that their facial reactions all but told they had no idea what just happened.
In the middle of her breakdown, she felt herself become weightless, and the presence of the train and the surrounding passengers went away. Her attention shifted, and her mind was back in place as she found herself floating in a bright myriad of colors. Spinning and surrounding her, violently thrashing back and forth more and more rapidly. And then they all disappeared.
Now Mitsuha was floating in the middle of this void. Blackness. Darkness. Nothing. Not even a solid surface to stand on. But. Something was coming. It wasn't light, though. Mitsuha could see something approaching her in the distance, but couldn't tell what it was. Before she could speculate, it came to her.
And…it looked like a window. Peering into somewhere. A spectral window, a spatial window? Hmm. Mitsuha wasn't going to pretend she knew what was going on. So she did all she could do in her situation, and look into this window.
And what she saw was a strange memory. One that she personally had never seen. No recollection and almost absolute certainty that she'd never actually experienced this. Yet, it felt so familiar. It felt so real. She'd never seen or felt this memory, yet felt like she knew exactly what was going to happen. Almost as if she'd felt this in a different…timeline?
"Taki!"
Standing in the middle of an open field in Itomori, gazing at the sky as a meteorite approached the Earth, was Taki. Petrified by awe and amazement by this meteor. Oblivious to what was about to happen.
"RUN, TAKI! RUN! GET OUT OF THERE, NOOOO!"
He didn't flinch. Not even the slightest attempt to get away. And the meteorite hit him head on and crushed him. The light expunged from the impact spared her of all the gory details, but it didn't make the horrific scene before her any easier to watch.
And honestly, she felt like she could die. She felt like her heart and her head were about to burst out of existence. The emotional torment was nothing like she'd ever experienced. In her youth, she'd detested emotional attachment to anything, feeling like it wasn't necessary for anything. That only made the feeling of losing everything that much more painful.
But in this desolate void, she felt gravity start to return, her weight come back to her. She gave up trying to understand anything that was going on, but above all, she didn't think it mattered anyway. What did she have? Where would she go? Her single most beloved and precious part of her life was gone. In the blink of an eye.
Why…why…nothing's fair anymore…nothing…
She felt herself falling. Fast. Falling faster and faster. So fast that at some point she felt like she would just eventually die from the G-forces of her rapid descent. And just went she was starting to blank, the void began to brighten. The blackness quickly dissipated and was replaced with light. And then color. A lot of them. The same swirling rainbow that twisted her around in every way possible. But at that point, she'd let go of everything. She didn't care anymore.
At…at least…take me to Taki-kun…
Ironically, her wish was granted. With her head rested on his shoulder, the first thing she saw when she woke up was Taki's body. But the dream had disoriented her enough to leave her in a state of denial. Was she really back in their apartment? Only one way to find out.
But she herself didn't even know what that 'one way' was, and it didn't matter. Not too long after she woke up, she felt the arms around her grapple her, and squeeze her tight. And there was something leaning against the side of her head. She felt a warm, wet sensation against her cheek. And the sound of someone crying.
So when she realized what just happened, she began to whimper, and reached forward to embrace this body lying beside her.
"Mitsuha…Mitsuha…" Taki's voice cracked from emotion. His throat was choked up and unable to let out much.
After her nightmare and what happened at the pub, Mitsuha didn't think she was physically able to cry anymore. By no stretch was she not grieving; she was still saddened. But perhaps more than anything, she was exceedingly glad it wasn't reality. It was just another dream. A strange dream. And it sure looked like Taki felt the same. And that he'd just experienced the same thing.
"It's okay…Taki-kun…it's okay…I'm here…" Mitsuha comforted Taki, stroking his back and serenading him with her soft voice, reminding him that they still had each other.
"I…I can't even begin to explain the dream I just had…"
"Talk to me…what did you see? I'm…almost certain I saw something pretty similar…"
"On…on a train…a crowded train…I called out to you…and you didn't recognize me…"
"I see…"
"But then…you remembered who I was…and before we could hold each other…"
"I vanished…right?"
"Ahh…so you did have the same dream…"
"And then you were in a black void…and saw me…meet my demise at the hands of a meteorite…"
"…sounds pretty much spot on…"
"So yes…sounds like we did have the same dream…only the roles were reversed in our own…"
"Mitsuha…I…watched you perish…for a second time…"
"Well, I watched you die, too…"
This was the most vulnerable she'd ever seen Taki. The first he'd ever let out his emotions like this. Of course he could be a softie at times. He could be romantic, and he could show his feelings and love for Mitsuha. But this was new. Never before had he shown emotions of fear, despair, anguish…this strongly. He was hurt, and scared. But selfishly, she felt a little glad. Since it only meant that he loved her that much. Not that she needed any more evidence. But she wouldn't ever deny the sentiment.
"I love you, Taki…"
"I love you too, Mitsuha…"
They laid in bed for a while after, almost strangling each other. If there was ever a time where they legitimately felt like they could lose each other, it was right there. The dream had done a number on their psyche, and seeing all of that, tied in with everything they went through as teenagers, they knew nothing was for certain. Perhaps that's why they feel like they're so close.
"Taki-kun…is it time?"
"Time to what? Go…ahh…I get it…yeah…I think it's time…"
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A/N: Happy Tuesday, ya'll. And to anyone not reading on a Tuesday, happy whatever day it is to ya! Thanks for tuning in, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, for new readers who've made it this far, thanks for the time of day and welcome to the show!
It only took 19 chapters, but finally some serious conflict, albeit very brief. The little scuffle in the pub was something I've been intending to do for a few chapters, but wasn't really sure how it would fit in with the rest of the story. I definitely needed something that would put them through something that would maybe define or even redefine their relationship, and personally, that scene and how it played out is probably the most pleased I've been with my writing for a while. I'm gonna be totally honest. This whole chapter in general, in my opinion, is the best one of written in a while. And I'm not sure why.
Anyways, the last few sentences should probably foreshadow what the next chapter is gonna look like. I subtly made this a point in an earlier chapter, and totally neglected it until now, so only makes sense to shift the focus towards that only 12 or something chapters later. I'll leave the rest to imagination, and we'll see where it goes later.
And yeah. Much shorter gap between chapters, my first exam wave is over, and I've salvaged a lot of free time, and it felt good to be able to put this story together again. Football becomes more and more unbearable to watch as my college team got completely stomped on, and my pro team is on a 5 game losing streak. So maybe that's why I'm spending so much more time writing.
So that's it from me this time. Once again, thank you to each and every one of you who's read even a word of my story. I've said it a million times, but it's always worth mentioning that knowing that there are people who choose to read my story with their free time is always a good feeling. You guys rock. With that, see ya whenever, guys. Cheers.