Full Moon Wo Sagashite Fan Fiction ❯ Finding the Gateway to Heaven ❯ The Sun's Rays ( Chapter 4 )

…Chapter 4 - The Sun's Rays…

Mitsuki's throat had recovered significantly since the operation, and today like many others found her in the back of her house singing along with Madoka's new CD. She was dismayed to find that she could not project nearly as loudly as she had been able to as Full Moon, and wondered to herself if the strength she had felt then would ever return.

Oh, Takuto, where are you, she thought to herself, as she sang along, "We parted ways not long ago, will I ever see you again…" one of the surprisingly more upbeat tunes on the CD, Lament to a Dark Sky. Her school friends were supposed to meet her soon, so Mitsuki shut off the CD player and went to the front of the house to wait for them.

As she stood outside, a light breeze billowed her clothing and soothed her, inspiring Mitsuki to begin humming to herself. Lost in her music, she was startled as her friends suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Wow, Mitsuki, you even hum well!" said Wakana.

"Yeah!" chimed in the other two.

Mitsuki blushed and said "thank you", then the three girls followed her to her room. Sitting comfortably on the floor, they talked about school, music, life, parents, and of course, boys. The school semester was rapidly approaching its close, and traditionally her school held a dance for those about to graduate. Mitsuki and her friends were eager to go, being that it may be their final chance at seeing all of their classmates from the past several years.

"Wakana is thinking about asking Saoho to the dance," said Kumi, causing her friend to blush.

"Isn't he supposed to ask her, though?" stated Tomoe, nodding her head as if it were absolutely true.

"But he never will, he's too shy," replied Kumi, obviously ignoring Wakana's red face as she continued the conversation.

"W-what about you, Kumi? Who will you go with?" Wakana stumbled, forcedly changing the subject.

"I think I'm going to ask Rei-senpai," said Kumi dreamily, Wakana's feint obviously succeeding.

"Rei-senpai? He's already in high school!" said Mitsuki.

"Yes, but he's so cuuuuute!" replied Kumi, and all four laughed out loud.

"What about you, Mitsuki?" asked Tomoe, "I know that Ako-kun has been looking at you a lot lately, and we saw you talking to Shinji-kun yesterday, did either of them ask you?"

Mitsuki shook her head, "No, I was just helping him with some notes from class."

"Oh, who do you want to go with, then?" continued Tomoe.

"Or will you finally bring your mystery guy!" concluded Kumi, at which Tomoe and Wakana jumped on her to silence her.

Mitsuki was unphased by the question, though, "I think I'll just go myself, and watch you all. I know I'll have a good time!" she exclaimed.

"Aww, Mitsuki!" said Wakana, as Tomoe admonished Kumi in the background, whispering, "You know she's sensitive about that, Kumi!"

"Eh, it's ok, Tomoe. I honestly wish I could introduce you to him, but I'm not sad about it anymore, I promise," Mitsuki said, even believing it herself.

"I know!" said Kumi suddenly, turning to Tomoe and Wakana, "Forget about Rei-senpai, I'm going with Mitsuki!"

"Oh!" said Tomoe, "Me too! If anyone asks me, I'll just tell them I already have a date!"

Mitsuki blushed and said, "Oh no! Please don't, just for me!"

"But like you said, Mitsuki, we'll all have fun anyway, I think it'll be more fun going with you all than with some boy," said Tomoe, having already made up her mind.

Wakana only blushed and sat quietly, evidently still desiring to go with some boy. Finally she spoke up, as Kumi and Tomoe stared at her fiercely, "I-I'll go too, I guess…"

"Wakana, it's ok, if Saoho asks, you should say yes! We can still meet at the dance."

"Really, Mitsuki? That's ok with you?"

"Of course it is! We all know how long you've been waiting for him to ask you out, don't say no just because of us!"

"Yeah, she's right, we'll be there to support you, Wakana," chimed in Kumi.

"Ok, it's settled!" said Tomoe, "Now we just have to get Saoho to ask her out…"

The hours passed quickly, and Mitsuki was again left alone to think about the search for Takuto. Wakaoji had taken her to many different bars and clubs these past few weeks, and Mitsuki had heard more rock music than she'd heard her entire life, met more band members than she had ever known existed, and still not found even a lead to the one person for whom she was searching.

Wakaoji was certainly trying hard, though, and even Ooshige had been keeping her ears open in the superstar circuit, but every possibility had turned out to be a dead end.

At least I'm not so gloomy anymore, Mitsuki thought to herself, turning her attention to the mound of homework that had been piled upon her what with the school year fast approaching its close.

"I guess next year I'll have even more homework to do," she said aloud, and opened up her math textbook.

Eventually she finished with her regular homework, and Mitsuki took out a special binder which she had bought for herself. Glitter laced the front cover, blue sparkles highlighting a reddish pink cover. Opening to the first blank page, she wrote, "Though I think of you so much, I get on with my lif…" erased from "I get" and sat staring at the page for a while again. "Takuto, Eichi. Mom and dad. What do I want to say to you now?"

Again putting pencil to paper, Mitsuki continued, "time has passed softly, leaves fallen and changed to snow, now the snow is melting as the sun comes out today."

"Hmm," she thought aloud as she tapped the tip of the pencil on her desk, "it sounds ok, but I can't sing that."

Heaving a heavy sigh, Mitsuki placed the notebook and pencil down and closed her eyes, singing softly to herself in her mind, the tune flowing so willingly that soon the words followed.

The Sun's Rays

…I think of you, though so much time has passed.
The seasons turn before my eyes,
And still I sing, calling out your name [You went far away, so far away.]
Yet here you are, still beside me. [And I can hear your voice inside me.]
O-oh, so near, oh so far…

…Wherever you are, I am there with you,
Forever ever as you always with me,
Time cannot slow the passage of the days,
You are my guide,
Ever by my side
The light of the sun's rays.

…I wait for you,
As eternity fades away,
I'll wait always for you to sing again. [And I can hear your voice.]
Oh how we dreamed, of being together, [When was the time, where was the way.]
Now we can, now we are, oh so near, o-oh, so far…

…[chorus] Wherever you are, I am there with you…

…The distant star shines brightly,
Turning snow to water softly,
A cool breeze caresses me,
Yet still I'm here.

…Feathers sprout and then they fall,
And I along with you oh through it all,
For here you are,
Forever ever {together} by my side.

…Thoughts of you make the time pass by,
My heart melts as you return to day. [The sun sinks low in the sky.]
And still you are, always here beside me. [O-oh right by me.]
I walk away, we walk towards, you shine on me,
{whispered} So far, ever oh so near…

…[chorus] Wherever you are, I am there with you…

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It seemed impossible, and Takuto was swiftly losing any hope of joining a group as a guitarist. It's not that his playing was poor, but he was no match for those who had long been playing professionally. The hardest part was that nearly every band he approached asked him to be their singer instead, only adding to his despair.

…Maybe it's time to give up, he thought to himself, as he sat in the corner far from the door of Nightclub Tchigao, his guitar lazily resting by his side. Takuto closed his eyes and again tried to see through the block that seemed to persist in his memory.

"So where were you these last two years," Group FunKee's lead singer, Tsunami, had asked of him.

…I don't remember, thought Takuto. I fell off my bike, I should have died. I don't even remember being in a hospital. What if I had some weird amnesia all that time? This of course, again brought Mitsuki's face to his mind. Bah, she's just a kid. But maybe she knows where I was, I guess I shouldn't have been so harsh with her. Perhaps she was my last true fan, maybe even more, and look how I treated her.

…I'm sorry, little girl, wherever you are.

Disgusted with himself, feeling guilt and shame, topped off by too many rejections to count, Takuto opened his eyes, frowned, and made to leave the bars, clubs, and music scene behind, when a figure across the room caught his eye. Short brown hair, black leather jacket, and... Takuto became certain as he stared, that he recognized the face now in his sights.

…What is he doing here? Takuto thought to himself, settling back down and keeping a close eye on Wakaoji as the former pianist made his way through the room.

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Walking into this place was a last resort for certain. Wakaoji had been following false leads for weeks, each one assuring him that Takuto had been spotted in some remote place or another, always asking about joining a band. Wakaoji continued on because he knew that Takuto would try anything just to be near music again, and thus believing, had dragged Mitsuki around to nearly every nightclub and bar in the city, each time enduring her eagerness before they entered, and kind dejection when they left empty handed.

She never outwardly showed any dismay, always telling Wakaoji, "If he is out here, we'll meet him soon, Sensei. Thank you very much for trying," which served oddly enough to both encourage him to keep trying, as well as causing him no small amount of anguish as he often continued the search alone past her curfew.

Wakaoji entered the club and began his usual round of scouring the room for any recognizable faces. Having been the final stop for Route L, Tchigao was not an easy place for him to enter, though once inside he became overwhelmed with emotion as memory brought back the good times that he had enjoyed with his former band.

…We had so much fun, that really was a great time of my life, he thought, the concept soothing his chafed nerves.

Finally spotting a face he recognized, oblivious to the fingers pointing in his direction and the whispers now aimed at him, Wakaoji turned his gaze towards the band Gromit's table, and receiving an acknowledging eye contact, approached. He was somewhat surprised by their reaction, and even a bit leery, as the band seemed a bit too eager to see him. Gromit had been one of Route L's biggest rivals, often competing for locations at which to perform, Tchigao being one of them

"What a surprise. Wakaoji, right?" asked the band's lead member, Nakuro.

"Nakuro, it's been a long time, good evening," replied Wakaoji pleasantly.

"First Takuto, now you. Maybe the other two are coming back soon, too, huh?" said the drummer, an obnoxious man of about thirty who had his hair chopped in a multi-colored mohawk which fit very poorly above his small, pocked face.

"Takuto was here?" asked Wakaoji seriously, startling the band with his tone.

"He he he, I guess you two didn't plan to meet here, then," the leader said coyly, old grudges returning to mind.

"He's sitting in that corner," said the female singer, who had rather envied Route L's togetherness, and in spite of their competitiveness had always been friendly towards them.

"Aww, have to go and spoil our fun," the leader said, but Wakaoji was hardly paying attention as he followed Shirai's finger to the far corner of the club.

"Well, he was there a few minutes ago, at least," said the drummer, noticing the empty spot where Takuto had gone and sat down earlier, "He probably took off when he saw you."

"Thank you," was all Wakaoji said, before bowing and heading towards the exit.

It's probably true, though. He forgave me as a Shinigami, but if what Mitsuki said is true, he won't remember. I guess he still harbors all of the same anger towards me for leaving music behind.

Wakaoji's mad dash to the exit certainly caused quite a clamor in the bar, as more and more people became informed that the two former Route L members had just been present. An outcome of this was that the rather burly door guard was blocking the door when Wakaoji finally reached it.

"Mr. Yakamura would like to see you, Wakaoji-sensei," he stated flatly.

Wakaoji sized up the situation quickly, and from his past experiences with the bar's owner knew that the matter was not up to debate.

"I really need to go outside right now, tell him I'll be right back," said Wakaoji, "Or did you stop Takuto as well?"

"Little Kira was really here, too, then?" the big man pulled out his cellular phone and dialed a number, "Yes, Mr. Yakamura, the boy was here, too. Wakaoji says he is in a hurry, should I let him go? Yes, sir. No, sir, I didn't see him before he left," turning to Wakaoji, "You are going to look for the kid? You had best come right back, and bring him with you."

"I don't know if I can do that, but I will come back," said Wakaoji, feeling the slick hand of fate tugging Takuto gently away from him, and more importantly, from Mitsuki.

"Hold on, Wakaoji," said the guard, redialing the number on his phone.

Desperation lent the doctor a good bit of adrenaline, and Wakaoji seized upon a moment of recklessness. He hurled himself at the doorman and rushed through the fortunately open door, nearly knocking over two people who were just entering.

In spite of his haste, he took a moment as the door closed, to stop and say to the man and the two patrons, "I'm very sorry!" and "I will be back, I promise!"

Turning down the street, Wakaoji began running before his senses were fully caught up with him. Before he'd even taken a step, though, he was stopped by a familiar voice from behind.

"What are you doing here?" came the harsh query, and turning, Wakaoji was greeted by a rather surly Takuto Kira.

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The air shimmered in front of her, and bunny Meroko knew before the figure appeared that her time with Eniki was now to come to a close. The family had made tremendous progress the last two weeks, Meroko had been sitting ignored on Eniki's bed all that time, the girl having all but forgotten her short-lived best friend and guardian. Meroko poofed into her spirit form as the boy coalesced before her, knowing before she asked anyway that she would not even be allowed to say goodbye.

"She has to forget about you now, Meroko, it is the most difficult part of our job."

"I know," said Meroko sadly, her own thoughts soon uplifting her again. "It feels so good to have been," Meroko blushed, "here," she finished.

Her friend and angelic partner grabbed her hand and smiled gently into her eyes, encompassing her in his gaze as she warmed herself in his.

"I don't feel that I need to be anywhere yet," she said as they floated along, "Is the dog ok?" for her partner had been aiding a stray in finding a home, alternatively helping the home find a good companion.

"You're welcome to come meet the Ando family with me, I think they called him Slice, and he fit in perfectly."

Meroko allowed herself to be led to a middle sized townhouse not three blocks from Eniki's house. Even from outside, she could hear the sounds of children playing inside, and a dog yapping merrily with its playmates.

She stopped, hovering in the air above the house, a strange, unpleasant sensation alerting her to the nearby presence of another supernatural being.

"There is a Shinigami here," she said, no hint of emotion in her voice. "Perhaps we'd better go."

"A Shinigami? Oh…" and the boy's voice trailed off as he cast his eyes downward sadly, "the father was having respiratory problems when I brought the dog, I wonder if," and here he could not continue, until Meroko gently hovered next to him and wrapped her arms gently around him.

"But I wouldn't have brought the dog here if it would have meant his death, would I? I mean, why would they," he paused, "why would I let myself do that?"

Meroko began feeling course waves of nausea as the strong sensation began to overwhelm her, and briefly she thought she glimpsed a dark tint in the air that must have been the presence of the death angels. She convulsed as the feeling swept through her, causing her to drop swiftly towards the ground, stopped barely by two comforting arms.

"You…" she gasped, "don't feel that? It's… so… strong," and everything went dark.