Tetsuya, Yui, Keisuke, Taka and Miaka sat in the living room of the Sukunami residence. Miaka clung onto Taka, the fear of separation plaguing her. She held the picture of her seishi close to her chest. Taka stroked her head, unsure of his fate.
"Hey, Taka." Miaka said, her voice dry and hollow. "Remember the day when we finally saved up enough to buy this house? I was just thinking. When I was younger, I wanted to be an architect. What if I pursued that? Then I would construct a house this pretty and you would come to buy it. That could be how we meet."
"Yeah." Taka said, smiling a little.
Keisuke was frowning at his hand, looking at the faint tan line of a wedding ring.
"What's the matter?" Tetsuya asked Keisuke.
"Wasn't I married?" Keisuke asked, his eyebrows knit together in confusion.
The others converged towards him.
"I don't remember..." Miaka said, breaking the silence a few moments later.
"Mayo?" Yui muttered, moments later. "Weren't you engaged to marry Sakaki Mayo?"
Keisuke's eyes widened.
"Yes." Keisuke muttered, rubbing the place where the wedding ring used to be.
"Why can't we remember?" Taka mused. "Did she have something to do with the book world?"
"If I have to guess..." Tetsuya said, leaning back on the sofa a little. "Keisuke met her because of the book. If things are being erased in reverse chronology, the memory of meeting her is gone."
Miaka clutched Taka harder.
It's not that bad. Keisuke mused in his mind. Forgetting doesn't hurt as much.
He knew then that Miaka was going to be alright. And in moments, Mayo faded from their memories.
-X-X-
Zakuro managed to sleep a little on Friday night, only when she thought of Suzahara.
"Get over it already!" Zakuro reprimanded her reflection.
It was near dawn and she had spent the last couple of hours trying out outfits for the karaoke party. But somehow, she was back in her school uniform.
In the book world, the uniform was a comforting reminder of her actual reality. But in her actual reality, the tattered uniform became a symbol of her sanity. It meant that she had met Suzahara and the others. It meant that the last couple of months were real.
It was a couple of hours. Zakuro thought. It was only a couple of hours here.
Zakuro changed out of her uniform into her comfortable pajamas. She looked at her sunken eyes and sad expression for a while longer.
Everything seemed unreal to Zakuro. It felt as though she was watching somebody else go through it all.
Zakuro slapped her cheeks and stood up. She opened the windows to let the first beams of sunlight in.
"Let's do this!" Zakuro said, enthusiastically.
Zakuro got dressed methodically and carefully. She deliberately took time and controlled every part of her appearance. Finally, in two hours, she was satisfied with her reflection. She could hear her parents talking in the living room downstairs. She twirled on the spot to do a final check on her appearance and then went downstairs.
Her parents were talking in hushed tones in the living room, Zakuro's Mom resting on Zakuro's Dad's chest. Zakuro coughed a little. Zakuro's Mom smiled and sat upright.
"Woah!" Zakuro's Dad exclaimed.
"You look amazing, sweetheart!" Zakuro's Mom said, beaming. "Come. Sit down."
Zakuro's Mom patted the seat next to her. Zakuro went and joined them. Without warning, tears started streaming down Zakuro's Moms cheeks.
"Mom!" Zakuro exclaimed. "What's wrong?"
"My little girl..." Zakuro's Mom said throatily. "She is our miracle, Kyota. Our miracle baby. We wanted her so much and she came like a feather on an angel's wing. Our miracle!"
Zakuro's Mom pulled Zakuro into a hug. Zakuro looked at her Dad confused as he stroked Zakuro's Mom's back.
For a moment, Zakuro felt a bubble of panic. She wriggled free from her Mom's grip and looked her in the eye.
"What did the doctor say?" Zakuro asked, her expression serious. "Are you sick? Spare the sugar coating."
Zakuro's Mom continued sobbing. Zakuro looked at her father. She sighed in relief when she saw the smile on his face.
"You guys scared me for a second!" Zakuro said, pushing her fringes behind her ears.
"There's something you need to know." Zakuro's Dad said, a soft expression on his face.
"Geez!" Zakuro murmured. "You guys are so dramatic!"
"You're going to have a little baby sister or brother." Zakuro's Mom said, smiling in between her sobs.
It took Zakuro a moment to process the new information.
Zakuro's Mom had a condition which made it difficult for her to conceive. Zakuro was born after a series of miscarriages. All her life her relatives drilled stories into her about how her parents wanted to have a baby and about how Zakuro was the answer to all their prayers.
"Ew!" Zakuro murmured, thinking that her parents were having a kid.
Zakuro's Mom looked offended.
"I will have you know that we're still very much in love, Kyota and I." Zakuro's Mom started.
Zakuro's Dad and Zakuro started getting uncomfortable.
"Sweetie..." Zakuro's Dad started before Zakuro's Mom could get into more graphic details.
"Tell Zakuro how much you love me!" Zakuro's Mom continued.
Zakuro jumped on her Mom and Dad and hugged them.
"This is fantastic." Zakuro said, with genuine honesty. "I hope it's a boy! Can I please please please please pick the name?"
Zakuro's parents smiled.
"Of course you can." Zakuro's Dad said, stroking Zakuro's head.
"You have to be extra careful." Zakuro said, pulling back, her tone serious. "I read that late pregnancies require extra care."
Zakuro's parents looked at each other and smiled. Zakuro's Mom ruffled Zakuro's hair.
"Don't you worry about a thing." Zakuro's Mom replied. "Aunt Keiko is moving in next door. I will have all the help I need."
Zakuro grinned.
"Good." Zakuro replied, trying to smooth out her hair. "Can I continue being a handful?"
She winked at her parents. Her parents laughed.
"We wouldn't have it any other way." Zakuro's Mom said, grinning ear to ear.
"Let me go fix my hair!" Zakuro said, going back to her room.
She could still hear her parents laughing when she entered her room. She closed the door behind her and leaned on it.
Whats wrong with me? Zakuro thought. Why can't I be happy?
She slowly walked towards her dresser and fixed her hair. She brushed her canary yellow strappy sundress and adjusted her bracelet.
"Zakuro." She heard Suzahara's voice whisper in the wind.
Zakuro frowned at her reflection.
"Stop that." She chided. "You're not here. You're not real."
But her heart felt hollow. She fixed her hair and made her way to the breakfast table. Zakuro's Dad made breakfast as Zakuro's Mom had juice. Zakuro took her spot at the table.
"You really do look gorgeous, sweetheart." Zakuro's Mom said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Are you sure you're going to school party and not a date?"
Zakuro's Dad chuckled.
"Honey, relax." Zakuro's Dad said, as he flipped some eggs. "She's only 16."
Zakuro's Mom took a deep drink of juice.
"An year older than you when you asked out your first girlfriend." Zakuro's Mom casually pointed out.
Zakuro's Dad froze on the spot.
"Zakuro." Zakuro's Mom continued, her tone even. "We've talked about this before. About the consequences of actions. We would like to meet anybody that you're dating. Even dates which don't go beyond first ones."
"More than one date?" Zakuro's Dad mumbled.
"Will you guys relax?!" Zakuro said, rolling her eyes. "I got up early and had extra time to get ready. I'm going with Toya remember? I wouldn't take him for dates."
"Unless you're dating him." Zakuro's Mom countered.
Zakuro's Dad spluttered in confusion.
"Are you dating Toya?" He shouted. "Since when? Why wasn't I informed of this? I let him into your room a few days ago!"
Zakuro couldn't help but giggle. A long time ago, she hoped that it were true.
"You're going to pop a vein." Zakuro said, rubbing her father's back. "I'm not dating anybody."
That's right. Zakuro thought. I'm alone.
Zakuro's Mom nodded. Zakuro's Dad went back to making breakfast.
A little before nine, Zakuro knocked on Toya's door. She was ready early and was getting increasingly uncomfortable at home around her "young again" parents.
Tomoko opened the door. She smiled widely looking at Zakuro.
"Zakuro-ne!" Tomoko said excitedly at the door.
Zakuro smiled as she entered. She started working on her strappy heels (which she had borrowed from her Mom) and changed into house slippers.
"That's going to be a pain!" Tomoko observed, as she patiently waited for Zakuro to unfasten the shoes.
"The price we pay for fashion!" Zakuro mock sighed and winked.
"I've been dying to talk to you!" Tomoko squealed as she wrapped her arms around Zakuro's elbow and pulled her into the living room.
Zakuro was avoiding that conversation for the past couple of days. She didn't know if she wanted to talk about that world. She didn't know if she was ready.
"So..." Tomoko started, sitting on the couch next to Zakuro.
Zakuro unconsciously rubbed her neck, running her fingers on the scars that Chichiri gave her. But Chichiri seemed badly hurt when they got out of the tengu cave. She wondered if he was alright...
"Zakuro-ne!" Tomoko whined. "The suspense is killing me! How did you end up in a different dimension? Was it a portal? How were you able to travel through the portal?"
Zakuro took a deep breath before starting. She narrated meeting the blue haired man at the park and her time in the book world. She tried to speak as impassionately as she could, almost robotically.
Tomoko waited patiently. She listened to Zakuro talk with a stoic expression, aware that she wasn't getting the answer to her question.
Zakuro clenched her hands. She wanted to tell Tomoko about the Gods. She wanted to tell Tomoko everything... about her confusion... about her cowardice.
But she couldn't get the words out.
"... after we got out of the cave, this light surrounded me again." Zakuro continued, lying. "And I was in Toya's room."
Zakuro stopped, ignoring the pit in her stomach. Zakuro looked at Tomoko's hands clutching her own, unaware of when it happened.
"Do you miss them?" Tomoko asked, in a quiet voice.
Zakuro tightened her grip on Tomoko's hand.
"This is where I belong." Zakuro said, trying to convince herself more than Tomoko. "This is the world I was born in. This is my home."
Tomoko wanted to say something but was interrupted by Toya, who walked into the living room.
"The double standards of society." Toya said, grinning. "If you were to walk in on me holding a guys hand with a stoic expression on my face, the conclusion would be totally different."
Toya leaped over the back of the couch and sat next to Tomoko. Toya looked at Zakuro for a couple of moments too long. He looked away when Zakuro frowned in confusion.
"You look nice." He murmured, avoiding eye contact.
Tomoko frowned.
"My brother is really self centered, isn't he?" Tomoko muttered, darkly. "Fishing for compliments is so childish."
"I'm used to it." Zakuro replied, putting a smile on her face. "You look great, Toya!"
Tomoko and Zakuro giggled. Toya looked like he wanted to say something but caught himself short.
"We should get going." Toya muttered.
"Yup." Zakuro nodded, rising.
Toya clicked his tongue as Zakuro started wearing her strappy heels. Once all the straps were in place, Zakuro arranged her clothes and looked at herself in the mirror one last time.
"Later, Tomoko!" Zakuro waved as she left.
She walked slower than usual, careful as to not spoil her Mom's precious shoes. The karaoke place was three stations away. Zakuro looked at the time on her phone.
"I hope we're not late." She muttered.
Toya walked in pace with her, looking determinedly away from her.
"It'll be fine." Toya said. "We can take our time."
Zakuro nodded. When they reached the intersection, Toya reached for Zakuro's hand. They reached the station and bought the tickets. Even at Zakuro's pace, they reached the station in less than 10 mins.
"So..." Toya started.
But he was interrupted by Zakuro's phone ringing.
"Gimme a minute." Zakuro said, before answering the call.
Toya went to the vending machine and bought a couple of bottles of iced tea. He looked at his reflection and smoothened his hair.
"That was Yuna." Zakuro said, as he walked upto Toya. "The others are already there. I told them we would be there soon."
Toya nodded and he handed Zakuro a bottle. The train arrived at the station and the two got in.
"We've to make a little stop." Toya said, as Zakuro sat and he stood in front of her.
"We're already late!" Zakuro whined. "Can't it wait?"
"It's been too long!" Toya countered. "I want to give the book back to sensei as soon as possible."
Zakuro's hand tightened around her knees.
"I thought we'd agreed to give it to the library." Zakuro said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"I think it's best sensei take care of it." Toya said, a tone of finality in his voice.
Zakuro nodded hesitantly.
"Ummm..." Zakuro said, a few moments later. "Where is the book?"
Toya frowned. And then, his eyes widened in realization. He smacked his head.
"It's on my study table." Toya muttered darkly. "Honestly, it seems like something doesn't want us to give that book back to sensei."
Zakuro chuckled.
"Right." Zakuro said sarcastically. "The universe has it in for you. I can imagine all the Gods sitting on their grand thrones wondering how to screw you over any given day."
"And yet I persevere." Toya said, a hint of pride in his voice. "No matter the odds, Kagakuni Toya always comes out at the top."
Zakuro rolled her eyes. She imagined the book sitting on the study table in Toya's room. She had been hesitant to talk about it because she knew Toya would misread any interest in the book as an interest to want to go back. Toya would never allow that.
"I'll get down at the next stop." Toya said, looking at the train map. "You go on ahead."
"The next stop is our destination!" Zakuro protested. "Come on, Toya! We can take care of that book later. Everybody is waiting. I don't want to go alone!"
"You want to go in together with me?" Toya asked, looking away.
"No, Toya." Zakuro said sarcastically. "I want to go all the way to the club and then part at the front door. Through a series of illusions and deceptions, I want to make it seem like we didn't come in together but we came together."
"That made absolutely no sense." Toya chuckled.
Zakuro blushed, embarrassed.
"It made a lot more sense in my head." Zakuro mumbled.
She stood up as their destination arrived. Toya took Zakuro's hand and steered through the crowd.
"You gotta walk slower!" Zakuro whined. "If anything were to happen to these heels, it's gonna be off with my head!"
But Toya didn't seem to have heard her in the crowd. He kept a firm grip on Zakuro and didn't let go until they reached the karaoke club.
Sasaki Ai was the first to spot them.
"Toya-kun!" She called out as she jogged towards them.
Judging the path, Ai seemed to be on a crash course towards Zakuro. Zakuro tried to wriggle her hands free but Toya held on. She positioned herself behind Toya.
"You're late!" Ai exclaimed, as she wrapped her arm around Toya's free elbow.
She looked darkly at Zakuro. Zakuro looked at the two confused.
Toya finally let go of Zakuro's hand, as he attempted to wriggle free of Ai's grip. Zakuro spotted her friends a little further away.
"I'll see you inside." Zakuro told Toya, as she walked towards her friends.
Her friends instantly surrounded her.
"Did you come here with Kagakuni-san?" Rin asked, her eyebrows knit together.
"Why were you holding hands?" Yuna demanded.
"What about the yakuza guy?" Satsuki asked, looking slightly disappointed.
It took a while for Zakuro to process the questions. She burst into laughter.
"You guys thought that Toya and I came here together!" Zakuro said, in between giggles. "We just came here together."
The rest frowned at the inflection.
"Relax!" Zakuro clarified. "We're neighbours, remember? We go everywhere together! And we weren't holding hands. Toya was holding my hand to steer me through the crowd. You just witnessed poor old me being dragged."
The others looked at Zakuro sceptically.
"I'm serious!" Zakuro said, chuckling at the absurdity. "We're just friends!"
"Maybe you're." Yuna replied.
"Your new haircut really suits you." Satsuki said, changing the topic. "You're looking really pretty."
"As are all of you!" Zakuro squealed. "Today is gonna be so much fun. I really love your bracelet, Rin!"
"Let's go in." Zakuro heard Toya mutter from behind her.
The ever popular Toya was surrounded by a much larger group. It was astounding how many friends Toya could make in just a couple of weeks.
The only familiar names were Sasaki Ai and Matsumoto Daichi. Zakuro knew the others only by face. Zakuro carefully steered Daichi towards Rin and walked with Yuna and Satsuki. The entire place was reserved for the students from Yotsubadai.
"They went all out, huh?" Zakuro muttered to Yuna.
Yuna nodded.
"Must have cost them a bomb." Satsuki commented.
"Welcome!" Akane-senpai's voice rang through the speakers. "We're just waiting for a couple of others to turn up. And then we can start the party!"
Zakuro was determined to have a good time.
"Let's get some coffee." Zakuro told Yuna and Satsuki.
Toya watched as the three walked towards the vending machines. Rin looked at her traitorous friends, trying her best to keep a straight face.
Once the party started, the seniors went out of their way to make the freshmen feel comfortable. They had planned multiple games and events. Zakuro pushed herself to have fun. But it didn't feel warm and fuzzy, the way happiness usually felt.
An hour later Zakuro excused herself and walked down the corridor towards the exit. She wanted to get some fresh air.
"Hey." She heard Toya call out from behind. "Leaving already?"
Zakuro shook her head.
"Just wanted to get some air." Zakuro said, as she fanned herself with her hand.
"Since when do you get nervous in a crowd." Toya said, walking upto her.
Zakuro rolled her eyes and was about to retort when Ai called out to Toya.
"I will be there in a minute." Toya called over his shoulder, not breaking eye contact with Zakuro.
He stopped a couple of steps from her.
"We need to talk." Toya said, making obvious attempts to keep a calm face.
"Ok." She replied, wondering if Toya ever started a conversation that way.
Toya took a deep breath.
"I owe you an explanation." Toya started carefully. "Do you remember our little fight on the first day of school?"
Zakuro slowly nodded.
"Are you gonna apologize or something?" Zakuro said, breaking the awkward silence. "We're totally past that. You don't need to. But if it makes you feel better, I can tell you ways to make it up to me."
Toya smiled and stepped closer to Zakuro.
"How can I make it upto you?" Toya asked, in a quiet voice.
"Nothing too big." Zakuro replied, grinning as she took a step back. "You just have to agree to be at my beck and call whenever I please. Middle of the night and I want some ramen, you gotta get it. Let's say for a month?"
Zakuro felt the wall to her back.
"I owe you an explanation." Toya continued, stopping uncomfortably close to Zakuro. "After you said all those things, I started thinking if I really did take you for granted. And I realized... though my intentions were never so, my actions reflected otherwise. Zakuro..."
He ran his fingers through her hair, something he had done forever. In all the years that Zakuro had known Toya, she had never seen him like this.
"You're the most important person in my life." Toya said, looking into Zakuro's eyes.
Zakuro smiled.
"I feel the same way." Zakuro replied.
Happiness flashed across Toya's face as he bent in closer to Zakuro. It took a while for Zakuro to process the situation.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Zakuro shouted as she pushed Toya away.
She felt the heat of embarrassment rise to her face. Her heart thumped against her chest. She realized her mistake a little too late. She looked at Toya looking wide-eyed at her. The silence screamed in her ears.
"I-I-I'm sorry." Toya said, recovering quickly. "I shouldn't have pushed myself on you."
When did Toya become like this? Zakuro thought.
But Toya had always been that way. He had always cared about Zakuro. And the way Zakuro had realized her feelings for Suzahara, it seemed that Toya realized his for Zakuro. Zakuro clenched her fists, tears streaming down her eyes. She thought of every outcome possible and in each outcome, Toya came out hurt.
"What's the matter?" Toya said closing the distance between Zakuro and him.
He pulled her into an embrace. Zakuro clutched his shirt, letting her tears fall freely.
Toya made Zakuro realize another thing. She didn't want anybody else other than Suzahara to ever look at her that way.
Damn! Zakuro thought as she clung onto Toya. I'm in love with that idiot.
She gingerly pushed herself away from Toya.
"I'm so sorry, Toya." Zakuro replied, avoiding eye-contact.
She wanted to say something more, something comforting. But her mind was blank.
"Why're you crying?" Toya asked, as he pulled away from Zakuro.
"It's because you're the most important person to me in the whole wide world." Zakuro replied, finally looking at the broken expression on Toya's face.
"Is it because of that guy in the book?" Toya asked, his voice hollow.
Looking at Zakuro seemed to have broken his resolve. Zakuro looked away.
"Is it because of Suzahara?" He continued, his tone almost accusatory.
Zakuro did not answer. But she had made up her mind. She didn't want the one person who knew her the best to figure it out.
"You've got to be kidding me." Toya said, close to shouting. "I'm here. I'm real. I'm telling you that I love you and you're hung up over some character in a book?"
"They're not just characters." Zakuro retorted against herself.
Toya frowned at her.
"You're joking, right?" Toya said, moving towards Zakuro again. "You've got to be joking. Have you lost your mind? Can you no longer tell the difference between reality and fantasy?"
And at that point, Toya understood what was on Zakuro's mind. The pain of rejection was quickly replaced by the fear of separation.
"Zakuro." He said, as he took her hand. "You cannot be thinking about going back."
Zakuro cringed. She hated it that he knew her so well.
"Zakuro..." Toya said, his voice almost desperate. "You cannot go back. That place... you almost... please. Don't go back."
Zakuro looked at Toya and smiled.
"How can I go when I have to irritate you into getting over this crush?" Zakuro lied.
Toya let go off her hand.
"Did you just lie to me?" Toya said, his voice angry.
"No..." Zakuro started.
Toya turned around and walked back into the club.
Zakuro took a step forward, wanting to chase Toya. But for the likes of her, she couldn't think of anything she could tell him.
"I'm sorry." Zakuro mumbled as she turned towards the exit.
Her heels clacked on the hard pavement. She bought the tickets back, her body slowly filling with euphoria and dread. Her phone rang. She looked at the message, hoping it wasn't from Toya.
Your world is only the people whom you choose to surround yourself with. The world where you belong is the world where you're happy and loved. A person can belong to two worlds.
Zakuro read the message from Tomoko a couple of times over. She got into her train.
What the hell is wrong with me? Zakuro thought. What am I afraid of? How can I be afraid of dying if I'm still alive? I'm gonna be fine. Suzahara is going to become a God and we're going to live happily ever after. That is the story we write.
Zakuro got off at her stop and jogged to her apartments. She looked at her shoes, sighing in relief that there was no damage. She rang the bell and Toya's mother opened the door.
"Back so soon, dear?" She asked kindly.
"Sorry, Oba-chan." Zakuro said, in a rush.
She ran into the house, still in outside shoes.
"Is everything OK?" Toya's Mom called out.
Zakuro whizzed past Tomoko's room and entered Toya's room.
The book lay on top of the study table. She jumped the last couple of steps and touched the book.
The room was frozen for a moment, only punctuated by Zakuro's erratic heartbeat.
"Zakuro-ne?" Tomoko called from the door. "What are you...?"
"Please." Zakuro cried out. "Please, Genbu. I want to go back. Please. Please send me back."
"ZAKURO-NE!" Tomoko screamed as a green light enveloped Zakuro.
-X-X-
Unme's footsteps rang through the palace of the East.
"Seiryuu!" Unme called out, excited.
Seiryuu looked up at his wife as did his Council of Generals.
"Unme-sama." Nakago rose respectfully and bowed. "We were just discussing ways to maintain the fabric of reality."
"The red string..." Unme panted. "They're tied by the red string of fate."
Almost immediately, a string on Unme's hand glowed golden first and then red.
"Transfer." Unme simply said.
The string took off towards the ceiling.
"I can't touch fates tied by the red string." Unme said, happily.
Seiryuu's eyes widened in surprise.
"But you said she knew..." Seiryuu murmured.
Unme ran to her husband and kissed him passionately.
-X-X-
"Mama..." Miaka heard Hikari call her from her room.
Miaka ran her hand on her pregnant belly and rushed towards her daughter, her husband by her side.
She wasn't sure if she was happy.
AN:
Lunalupus16: Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I agree! It's pretty annoying that Zakuro had to get kidnapped. I'm planning on her getting kidnapped one final time towards the end of the book. :) But that will be really close to the ending. So you know what to look out for.
-X-X-
I the last three chapters (including this one) to be one gigantic chapter. But TBH, I gave up on reading the chapter midway myself due to the sheer size. I wanted to highlight that Zakuro went back even though she was happy and loved in the world she was born in. Selfish because she went back to be with a guy (screw saving the world) but hey... aren't we all selfish?
If you like this chapter, please do leave a review. If you hate it, PLEASE DO LEAVE A REVIEW! I always want the story to get better.
As always, keep reading.