|
Home Characters Fiction Artwork Timeline Nandai wo?! Join FAQ Updates Get in Touch Links Forum |
DAME DAME DAME.Epilogue.By The Fox Lady****************************************************************My Friends- Macross 7 Ending Song **************************************************************** "I feel sorry for him." Mike sadly shook his head. "That poor man didn’t know what was going on. He swore he was sending people to work in Kyushu." "I can’t feel sorry for him." Kazuo looked at him with hate in his eyes. "Kiri and Mari-chan almost dead. The kit hurt, Soushi run to Kami-sama knows where, Yuu almost with an emotional breakdown and Ayumi feeling guilty and crying in the corners. And don’t forget Yuri who looks ready to commit seppuku and had been sobbing over the kit the last three days. I mentioned Mitsuki crying her eyes out too? And all because the stupid one fell right into government’s trap? Give me a break!" "I felt so responsible for Yuu. I’ve sent him at charge, and God, he now looks so badly shaken. He wasn’t ready for that, in fact no one could have be prepared for that." "Blame Shinomori stupidity, not you." "Did you saw him crying over Mari? I think he really loves her. He looked really destroyed and..." "Cut with Shinomori. Yes, he always cries and blame himself, and always snaps, and ALWAYS F*** the *****. Jerk. Moody son of a..." Kazuo just interrupted to sip his tea. "Geez, how it’s blunt the kit is out, this tea is awful." "Why you didn’t stopped them?" Mike asked. "I had that Kuroyuki jerk all over me, let me remember. And really? For a second I wanted to know what side will the kit choose, I’m not very pleased with the outcome. I thought he had learned his lesson from Nimaii’s affair, but it seems he still has his heart in the Oni’ side." "No, his heart is here." Mike thoughtfully sighed. "But I’m afraid he always obeyed his honor before his heart." "Baka kit." Kazuo stared at his cut-covered arms, sign of Kuroyuki’ skills. "He doesn’t have a brain or honor to follow. He must trust in his heart, the one good thing kami-sama gave to him..." "And Kuroyuki?" "The Soushi’s jerk? He ran off as Aoshi started wailing and blaming the Gods. I think he is behind Soushi as always, but I would not worry for our tenken, wherever he is." Takashi felt a gentle hand over his, and a light weight over his good shoulder. Blinking at the sunlight, he opened his gray eyes. Mitsuki was asleep next to him, exhausted after to have watched him all night. koi o suru you ni koe o kasanereba KISS atashi no HEART wa koko ni aru yo itsu datte... (Like falling in love, if you repeat your voice KISS My heart is right here, so when?...) He smiled at her, but then cringes as sudden pain blossomed in his left arm. "Kitsune-san, daijoubu?" asked her voice. He nodded, and he was surprised when Mitsuki embraced him, laughing and crying at once. "I’ve thought you will never wake up again!" she laughed, drying her eyes. "I was so worried! Ayumi-san said you will sleep for a while, but you had been sleeping almost four days!!" "He is very fond of his beauty sleep." came a sarcastic voice. Ayumi, standing at the shoji’s doorframe, looked at them in tiny room in Saitoh’s where they used to care about injured teammates. "How’re you feeling, baka?" The gruff question contrasted with Ayumi’s relieved eyes, and with his tender voice. She was mad, yes, but happy too. Takashi bowed carefully, because his left arm was in a splint. "I’m very grateful for your cares, Ayumi-san. I can’t thank you enough. Can I ask for the health of my teammates?" Ayumi’s frown made him lift worried eyes to her. Mitsuki, meanwhile, was busy playing with the tatami’s edges, nervousness in her gestures, as she listened to Ayumi and Takashi’s serious, worried voices, so different to the playful Ayumi and the smiling kit she had grown to know and love so much. "Mariko-san is badly injured and I don’t know when, or if she will wake up. Kiri-chan was ruthlessly beaten, and she is unconscious too. But I think she will live. Yuri had two broken ribs and a snapped knee, courtesy of you both." Ayumi’s voice grew colder, and then she stares at the kitsune, who was grabbing the futon’s covers with trembling hands. "Kit, how could you..? I can understand Mitsuki following you, but I can’t understand why you betrayed us for that Shinomori jerk!" Takashi remained shut. When Ayumi gave an exasperated sigh and left the room, Mitsuki put her tiny hand over Takashi’s, and tried to peek under the bangs covering his eyes. "Kitsune-san, you were too very injured... I’m so sorry. I think you had a good reason to do what did you do... and I’ll stay at your side, neeh? Just... tell me something..." she patted the artist’s hand, and then gave him a smile that tried to be reassuring. "Kitsune-san..?" Takashi embraced Mitsuki to his heart with his good arm, and Mitsuki’s yelp of surprise of being plastered to that warm, still young chest was muffled for his yukata. When she, blushing looked up to his face, she found between the dark bangs and the mess of the long black hair, two points of gray cloud-colored, that spoke of warm and sorrow. And still full of tears like a pearl under the sea... "Ai wa nagu same no." Takashi whispered, embracing the kind, innocent girl who put her bet on him so trustful. Love is not only for comfort... dakedo Oh! kimi no kagayaku me wa nani o sagashi tsuzukeru no? Oh! MY FRIENDS (But, Oh! What is your glittering eye continuously searching for? Oh! MY FRIENDS) kimi to hashiri dasu yume no tsuzuku hoshi e to mitsume aereba hora nani mo ka mo kanau kara... (Started to run away with you towards the dream of continuous stars If I could stare, Look! Because anything can come true...) Meiki was helping Ayumi, Tokio-san and Shinobu to take care of the hurt kitty widow and the violet ninja. Yuri, still bandaged tightly around the waist, helped them too. Even if Kiri was the most injured of the both, she will live, strong and resistant as she was. She had been beaten really bad, and received a hard concussion, but otherwise that a persistent bleeding in the slash of her back, she would heal. Was Mariko their strongest worry. The slashes of kodachi and kempo kicks had broken her ribs, sprained one ankle and open one shoulder: but the worst wasn’t in her body. It was in her spirit. She was fading slowly, and the everyday less-frequent moments she had been awake, she simply stared at the ceiling, her face devoid of any emotion. Shinobu can’t help but smile. The recently death-swore enemies, the Jinsai samurai and the Kuroki ninja, sharing the same big futon, and sleep one in the bosom of the other... It was a poetical irony how Mariko’s long, feathered haircut sprawled over Kiri’s forehead, and how Kiri’s pink yukata was open showing her lean body, so close hugging lazily the samurai lady. "Meiki-chan...?" called Ayumi, needing someone to tie Mariko’s long hair. "Mei-chan…?" "I’ll do it." Yuri said, starting to braid the blue-reflects strands. Tokio looked at Meiki’s distracted state with a frown. Yuu had disappeared from that night, surely deeply guilty, and Mei-chan had been hovering over the house pale as a ghost, her beautiful and innocent face like the cat who lost her home. She was thinner and sadder every day that passes. Every step startled her, every bang of the shoji. And she cried silently, looking the clouds over the home, trying to occult her tears... Meiki-chan, you really love him so much…? Why did you love the one who isn’t able to stay for long? Why did you love the smiling devil whose sins and laughs are the exact opposite to your innocent eyes? namida mo misenai tsuyoki-na atashi no Oh! FACE nani o iwarete mo heiki de irareta hazu no... (I also won't show my tears, I'll be strong Oh! FACE I should've stayed calm despite what was said...) Meiki still looked out the shoji, into the cloudy sky. And Ayumi knew she would not come back for a long while, in her search of two laughing eyes... chika goro no aitsu fuman ni naru kurai tooku o mitsumete Oh! MY FRIENDS (Near him, becoming anxious Staring far away Oh! MY FRIENDS) "Tokio-san." was Takashi’s calm greeting. He was at the door, in yukata, Mitsuki at his side helping him to stand. All the girls in the room stared at him, except Yuri, who still braiding Mariko’s hair looked like a dove hurt for a bullet. For their surprise, Takashi kneeled, and touching his bangs to the tatami, bowed. Tokio nodded gently, and Shinobu smiled at him. Even Ayumi stared at him with a tiny smile, understanding. Just Meiki gave to him a hard look. And Yuri kept staring at her work. "Gomen nasai. I’m here to see how are Kuroki-san and Mariko-san." "I don’t know why are you here! You were ready to kill Mariko, Takashi! I can’t understand how you can put sides with that Shinomori guy! You’re such a..." Meiki snapped. Her eyes confronted full of tears of sadness and incomprehension, to Takashi’s. He simply stared back, his own gaze cold. "I think Kitsune-san had powerful reasons to do it..." Mitsuki suggested nervous, seeing the silence go on. "That’s obvious, dear Mitsuki." Tokio-san said softly. She stared at Takashi in so obvious approval that Ayumi and Meiki looked at her in disbelief. "Come with me , Ayumi-chan, Meiki, Mitsuki-chan. I need you helping me to prepare the ladies’s dinner." she added. Shinobu walked by their side, graceful layers of silk kimonos whispering deliciously. When she reached Takashi’ side, she smiled, and muttered a single word: "Honor." He smiled to her, tender and relieved, and bowed in gratitude. "Yuri-san." Mitsuki said nervously before to get out of the room. "As I said, I am so sorry to have kicked you. I’m really really really sorry. I was just trying to help Kitsune-san. Please, don’t get very mad at me, onegai? I’m sorry to have snapped your knee... Will you forgive me someday, Yuri-sama?" Yuri can’t help but smile, even if she kept her gaze carefully down. No way to say no to that tender blue eyes, so innocent, so sweet. So pleading. Oh, dear Mitsuki-chan, the purest heart between us, Kami-sama forbids your innocence is never taken away! "I understand, Mitsuki-chan. Daijobu... you didn’t harmed me." "Arigatou!" Mitsuki impulsively kissed her cheek "Domo arigatou! I have been so worried! Please, forgive Kitsune-sama too, I’m sure he has his reasons, you know he is not a bad guy, and he really didn’t meant to hurt you! You know how protective is with us... and besides, you and Soushi-chan kicked him worst... please, Yuri-sama..." "Mitsuki-chan." called Tokio from the doorway, trying to hide a smile. "I’m going!" she sung. When she goes away at Tokio’s call, the warmness, and the smile left the room. Just Kiri’s pained breaths, and Mariko’s quiet resting broke the silence, as Yuri remained kneeled close the futon, and Takashi waited, standing, looking the graceful curve of her neck under some softs, black strands escaping her tidy bun of lovely black hair. kimi to sagashiteta mirai no chizu o motte hashiri tsuzuketara tadoritsuku hazu dakara (searching with you, we have a future map if we continue to run, it's because we should struggle on) He closed to see Mariko’s purple-circled eyes, and Kiri’s pale face. He touched Mariko’s face lovingly, tenderly, and stood there, his face cold, but his eyes full of pain. "Takashi-sama." Yuri spoke with strained, low voice. "Hai, Kanamo-san?" asked Takashi softly, turning to her, his hand folded in his lap, the other in his splint. "Sumimaserian, Takashi-sama... I did not want to hurt you, that was never my intention," Yuriko nearly whispered as a tear slowly trailed down golden cheek, "But... I knew that you would... would be so horribly unhappy if you were to hurt Mariko-sama." Slowly, the trembling former geisha lowered first her hands and then her forehead to the tatami mat, trying not to wince from the pain in her ribs, "Sumimaserian, Takashi-sama. If you never forgive me, I’ll understand... I... I just thought that you would never forgive yourself. If I was wrong..." Takashi didn’t say anything, and Yuri felt more tears in her eyes. He was mad. He hates her. Most of all, he don’t believe what she said... And the she felt a warm hand took his chin and warm lips in her hair. And a sad chuckle. "Ah, Kanamo-san... we do what we had to do, but sometimes we fail. You are right. I will never forgive myself to hurt Mari-chan or you. But I know she would never forgive herself to hurt Aoshi, even if he was the slave trader that I knew he wasn’t. And I’m not sure why Kiri hated Aoshi so much, but I know- we both know- that their business were personal. We shouldn’t have stepped in it: in fact, it didn’t must be mixed with the Kagetai work. I doubted Aoshi and that’s been my mistake: but I knew I couldn’t let my friends butcher him. I fought at his side because I love him, and because I knew if you took his life I never will be part of the Kagetai again. And I asked Soushi to stop me, because even for that, I can’t stand to fight you.- he said, lower. Yuri watched his hand clench, and his eyebrows tense. "I wasn’t betraying the Kagetai, Yuri. I’ll never do that. I was just being loyal to the truth, and to Mariko, and to the Kagetai, not letting us go between Kiri and Aoshi’s personal duel. I don’t know why she hates him as much to want his blood: but I’ll never stand between them. They’re ninjas, powerful ones, and I respect them so much. But Mariko was a different matter, and even if I had to step over you to avoid her ripping her own heart, I’ll do. I owe her that much." he sighed. "You don’t have feelings for me, and you’re crying, because your hurt me. Mariko loves Aoshi: if she would have killed him, think in how she would have feel." "Takashi-sama." Yuriko blinked back more tears, and looked to the pale girl who was her imouto in so many ways, and then back to the kitsune. "You must understand, the Oniwabanshuu are Ki-chan’s mortal enemy. You see, she is the last of the Kuroki, both the family blood and the ninja clan and, on that note, they were the mortal enemies of the Oni. Well," Yuriko bit her lips slightly, contemplating how to word the next bit of information in an unabrasive fashion, "Kiri’s mother was, in all actuality, Oni and a complete psychopath. Many years after marrying Ki-chan’s father, and giving birth to her, the woman burned almost the entire Kuroki clan and tried to kill Kiri in the fire as well. Kiri’s brother wasn’t there at the time but was later killed by Shinomori in a duel. So, I suppose you can all see why Ki-chan has such hate towards them and thus why she wanted so badly to kill Shinomori. Wakarimasuka?" Takashi watched Kiri’s lean form, her tiny hands in the pillow. And sighed. "So much sorrow and pain. I understand her, and my heart aches for her pain, Yuri-san. And I understand too Aoshi had attracted her anger just being who he is, the man I regarded as brother. In the field of honor, the both are clean, Kanamo-san." "I understand, but..." Takashi stared back at her. Her black eyes were so hurt, so expressive in her pain. "Kanamo-san, you fought to protect my heart. Don’t ask me forgive for that. I fought to protect the Kagetai, my brother and Kiri’s honor. And no less than that is enough to decide me to hurt you. In fact, I’m not sure if it’s enough." "I’m sorry to haven’t trusted in you..." Yuriko said softly. "But I couldn’t stay quiet seeing you do that, knowing how much it will hurt you, Takashi!" "I’m very honored for your decision, Kanamo-san. And believe me, you don’t have to ask forgive from anybody, or me. We both fought for our beliefs, and I’m sorry to have been in the other end of your sword." He rose carefully, for his splinted arm, and stood a second next to Mariko’s side of the futon. "I’ll still have to help her. But Kanamo-san, is better this thing between Aoshi and Kiri remains between them, and unresolved still. Since their things couldn’t be settled this time, the next maybe one of them could die. I’ll fight to preserve their honor if they met again: but till that day, I’ll try to avoid their confrontation. He doesn’t want to hurt her. He simply understood his mistake and that turned him crazy. And he tried to protect his people from pay from his mistake. He is, in fact, very alike us." "You shouldn’t be moving with your arm in that state!" "And you shouldn’t be moving with your broken ribs, because the Yoko Nagi could made internal injuries. But you have things to do, and I have things to do." Takashi bowed and left. Yuriko looked his long hair like a tail as he goes to the kitchen in search of Mitsuki, suddenly aware he didn’t called her by name in their whole conversation. "... You’re crying, neesan..." "Ki-chan!" Yuri looked to the now blinking, barely smiling, Kiri, who grinned in the futon. "That chat was sooo instructive." "How long you were awake!? I thought you were asleep!!" "... I’m ninja too, neesan." "... you... sashimi yarou..." "What I’m doing sleeping with Jinsai-san? She is going to butcher me as soon as she awakes!" "Silly." "Why you crying?" Kiri half sits, and groaned from the pain. "The kitsune doesn’t forgave you to have kicked his lazy ass? 'Oh, gomen, but since you’re a woman, I can’t stand you giving me a salsa?'" "Kiri! Is not like that! I’m sorry I didn’t trust him, like Mitsuki-chan. But I couldn’t let him hurt Mariko-sama! And he is mad, anyway!" "Of course he is mad (giggle)(groan) he maybe will lost any coordination in that arm, and sayonara cha no yu and ikebanas!" Yuri went white. "It was a joke, neesan!" "HAJI O SHIRI NASAI!" Kiri suddenly embraced her. Then, she breathed against her bosom. "But you did it for me." she whispered. "I’m honored he fought trying to let me kick that bastard myself, and respected me as much: but I’m so happy you fought even him for me, neesan." Yuri dried her tears, and petted Kiri’s unruly hair, smiling a bit brokenly. "I couldn’t let you die. I didn’t want to see you die. I love you lots, my little imouto..." "Even if I can’t do ikebanas and tea?" *wink* "KiRII!!" "I gave Shinomori a good few kicks... all this is worth for..." yume o tsukamu made hashiri tsuzukeru goto sa kanjireba yume wa koko ni aru hazu dakara (until we catch a hold of our dream, it's our job to continue to run if we feel, it's because the dream should be here) Ayumi sliced vegetables with a fast hand, since was her best skill in kitchen’s matter. Meiki, at her side, carefully prepared fried eggplants in a wok. Shinobu was making lovely flower-shaped, artistic rice balls, and Mitsuki gingerly removed soup over the oven. Tokio prepared a tray meanwhile, and as she searched for cups, she talked softly. "I’m happy to see Takashi-san in his feet again." "That son of..." Meiki growled, throwing the eggplants in a bowl. "Mei-chan, it wasn’t his fault ... that Soushi-chan snapped. I finally blame the whole thing in Aoshi’s butt bow, since is no way Takashi, Yuri, Mariko, Kiri or Soushi reacted another way they did." Ayumi sighed as the sliced vegetables jumped and fell into a steaming bowl of water skillfully. "and I don’t know Mariko or Takashi so much like to judge them." "I’m glad that’s your position about this sad affair." Shinobu dusted her beautiful fingers and stared to her work, searching for imperfections. "Mariko-san did her duty and Yuri-san followed her instincts. Mitsuki-chan too, followed her pure heart, and Takashi-san followed the thorny path of honor." "You’re implying it’s “honor” to break Yuri’s ribs to slash Mariko and almost let Kiri die?!" Meiki was so irritated the removed the frying eggplants so hard that the burning oil crepitated. "Hai. That hurted him far deeply than a pair of ribs." "You have a thing against Yuri and Mariko, that’s all." "You don’t have idea how mistaken you are, dear..." "Maa, maa, ladies." Tokio patted Meiki with her wooden spatula as she took care of the frying food. "Enough discussion. I just can say that, for what I’ve talked with Hajime, he says since is not permanent damage and the flow of slaves had been stopped, all it’s all right. As he says, we will let then lick their hurts alone." Meiki sighed hard, to found herself embraced with the motherly hand of Tokio. "He will come back, dear. He is a wolf, and the wolves love their pack..." chika goro no aitsu fuman ni naru kurai tooku o mitsumete Oh! MY FRIENDS (Near him, becoming anxious staring far away Oh! MY FRIENDS) "Uh, Mariko-san, you awake?" Kiri was slurping her soup looking to the pale woman laid next to her. Tokio and Ayumi exchanged worried glances, as Shinobu watched how Meiki and Yuri talked in the garden. Mariko was laid in her back, staring the ceiling, pale, her eyes unfocused as her so thin, so pale hands rested over her stomach. "Hai" Mariko said absently. Her always shiny, cat-like eyes were glazed, lost. And her expression, the sharp, alert tenseness in her gestures of a satisfied, full of energy, cat was gone. "I wanted to say I’m sorry." Kiri said tensely, his soup bowl almost hiding her face. Tokio smiled, pleased and touched for her bravery of gave excuses in public. "I didn’t mean to have you hurt. I didn’t mean you had to kick Shinomori’s guts, because I can do that myself at..." "Kiri." "Hai, Tokio-san." "Mariko-san is asleep again." said Shinobu calmly. "I’m worried, Tokio-san. Mariko isn’t healing properly..." whispered Ayumi. For her surprise, Tokio shook her head. "I’m not sure what we can do, Ayumi-chan. But I think Takashi has an idea." Kiri snorted. "Another bright idea of him and Mariko-san would be dead. I have a better one." kimi to sagashiteta mirai no chizu o motte hashiri tsuzuketara tadoritsuku hazu dakara (searching with you, we have a future map if we continue to run, it's because we should struggle on) "How his her?" "Waiting for you to go to see her. You know how sharp are the edges of the unfinished sewings." Aoshi was kneeled in front of a Buda statue. Takashi leaned in the doorway, his white male kimono on. "Wasn’t meant to be." Aoshi sighed. "I failed again, so it’s right to lost my rights." "I agree. But she didn’t failed in anything, Aoshi. She simply tried to protect you, and then she tried to do her duty. And now she is fading like a flower, for the injury you inflected to her heart." "Are all them so mad at you, that you have to redeem yourself with this?" "No. They understand me. And your people?" Was a long silence between them. Takashi walked to Aoshi, and tilting his head sunk his face in Aoshi’s hair for a moment. "I can’t help her. I can’t help myself, neither." Aoshi whispered. "Try." "I can’t." "Try. Do it for me, if you don’t want to do it for yourself. I don’t want to see you both fade and die, Shino..." "Urusai, Shira... it’s useless. And besides, they are something she loves lots more than me." yume o tsukamu made hashiri tsuzukeru goto sa kanjireba yume wa koko ni aru hazu dakara (until we catch a hold of our dream, it's our job to continue to run if we feel, it's because the dream should be here) Takashi smiled when he saw Mariko in the porch, laughing at Omi and Kiku’s antics as the twins and the devilish Tsutomu, Aya-chan and Megumi teamed to cry for candies. Tokio and Ayumi where seated near, Mitsuki serving tea as a bandaged Kiri cuddled in Yuri’s lap, with a smug smile. So the violet ninja paid her tab, nehh? He smiled to himself. Better to not joke about how she and Aoshi thought in the same way... Shinobu was with Koji’s, teaching him some kanjis, as Saitoh-san patted Mariko in the head, threatened Tsutomu about his manners and walked to the pond, where under the old oak Meiki sat apart. "Kitsune-saaan!!" called Mitsuki. "Cha is ready!" With a nod, he sat next to Mitsuki and accepted her tea. The kitsune looked to the sky, and smiled. Sewing unresolved, but clean cut. Maybe... Soushi, where are you, my friend? "Meiki." She dried her tears quickly, hiding her reddened face. With her hands folded in her dark yellow kimono, that made her hair streaks burn to almost red gold, she looked her feet in sandals next to the pool in Saitoh’s garden. "Hai, Saitoh-san?" Saitoh took off his quepis and sat close in the rock that always has been kagetai’s favorite perch almost over the tiny pool. "Meiki, stop crying.- he ordered.- And tomorrow, I want to see you with your ponytail back." "Demo..." she fisted her hands, and sighed. "Saitoh-san, I failed that mission, and we almost lost Mariko, Kiri, Yuri and Takashi. And we lost Soushi..." her voice broke, but before she let one tear escape, Saitoh was close to her, and grabbed her arm to say in a forceful tone: "Don’t be baka, Meiki. Soushi can go mad, crazy, silly or murderer, but he is Soushi anyway and he loves you. Believe me, when you love someone you can’t escape from it, no matter where you go. I know." Saitoh shrugged looking Tokio pried Tsutomu from over his beloved Auntie Mariko laughing." ... from first hand experience." Meiki remembered what Yuriko said at her that afternoon in the garden: “At least you know he will back to you because he loves you. You know that was the world between you and him, not he between you and the world...” "The house is so quiet without him. I’ll be missing him... in a few weeks." he smirked. "So, go to tell your silly brother I want him tomorrow in my office to praise him for his cold head in the middle of that debacle in the Aoiya ... and for a mission." koi o suru you ni koe o kasanereba KISS atashi no HEART wa koko ni aru yo itsu datte... (Like falling in love, if you repeat your voice KISS My heart is right here, so when?...) ***************OWARI!!!*************** |