Waiting For You: Chapter 11

A Munto Fanfiction: Waiting For You by: RedWingedAngel002 (Ari chan)
Disclaimer: Munto/ Sora Miageru Shōjo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai © Kyoto Animation; Yoshiji Kigami and Tomoe Aratani
Genre: Angst, Drama, Hurt-Comfort, Romance
Summary: "So what's he like?" Nozomi lightly inquired, eyes not leaving themselves from her task as she continued to chop the vegetables.
Yumemi paused, blinked a few times, and turned towards her mother. "'Kaa-san?"
"You know… The one who gave you that promise ring of yours?" Nozomi hinted…
Who would have know the answer to that simple question would change the next ten months of her life into a living hell… MxY
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A/N: *curls in fetal position* R-right in the feelz. T^T
NOTE: Why does no one read my notice? Guys, I said that I'd be updating every week to ten days, yet people keep pestering me about it. >:I After the next two or three chapters, though, things will get slow again, since I haven't had time to write and I also want to update my other fics as well. (This time around was a few days late because my secondary beta has no Internet access.)
Anywho… Enjoy the angst. The intensity continues to escalate.
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Songs: Broken Pieces by: Apocalyptica, So Cold (Remix) and You by: Breaking Benjamin, Where Butterflies Never Die by: Broken Iris, Sweet Dreams by: Emily Browning, My Last Breath by: Evanescence, My Hero by: Foo Fighters, Time by: Hans Zimmer, You Are Loved by: Josh Groban, Black and Garden by: Pearl Jam, Already Over pt. I & II, Break Me Down, Hymn for the Missing, Lost, Out From Under, and Start Again by: RED, Comatose and Falling Inside The Black by: Skillet, Outside, Right Here, Warm Safe Place, and Zoe Jane by: Staind, Let You Down by: Three Days Grace, Dangerous Mind and Lost by: Within Temptation
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Japanese Index:
-chan: Honorific: Can be used with either a diminutive, or with those who are grown; an indicated affection: little
Onee-san (pronounced as Oh-neh: when talking about/ to someone's sister), Ane-san (when talking about one's sister), 'Nee-san/ -chan: (Older) sister, sis, sissy
Onii-san (when talking about/ to someone's brother), Ani-san (when talking about one's brother), 'Nii-san/ -chan: (Older) brother, bro
-san: Honorific: Carries the meaning of "Mr.," "Mrs.," "Miss," etc., but used more extensively in Japanese than its English equivalent
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"Talking."
'Thinking'
Memories/ Flashbacks
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Chapter 11: Lost Butterfly
Amber eyes opened to reveal a scene of tussling grasses, drenched within ink of the night. Munto's knitted red brows rose slightly in recognition. This was where they had both connected, previously.
The blazing sun no longer beat upon him; it was the pregnant moon, which illuminated his path. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the glowing orb bled crimson, as it gradually floated over the endless horizon. At home, on occurrences such as this, the open vastness would appear like a sea of blood. ^*1
His bullion irises flickered from area to pitch area, as he searched for the lost girl.
Turning, he cast his gaze out to an ascending hill, which was an additional formation of the barren structure. It obscured the view of a solar eclipse, which reflected its red counterpart. They were opposite faces to the coin of Fate, twisting and perceiving the same dark skies.
At the very peak of the ascending landmass stood a tree, which carried iridescent, opals shards. He pushed against the raging wind, which tugged at his renewed cape, and went towards the newly found destination.
When he was five large paces away from the gnarled trunk, something caught his ankle, preventing his trek forward. ^*2
Munto glanced downward to find an oozing figure snarling at him. Not at all afraid, he cautiously settled on a clad knee to observe the dark, human-shaped creature, which scurried back on all fours, in fear, and returned to the Earth with one last low jeer.
A churning wave of worry settled within the pit of his stomach, and he resumed his pace once more, crunching the dry straw behind him.
Now that the king was in closer view, he saw that the rough limbs sprouted not petals, but frail wings. Thousands upon thousands of shimmering butterflies seeped their delicate feelers into the bark. Shifting his golden gaze downward, he saw another form entrapped within the overgrown roots.
Yumemi's clad figure glowed in the reddened moonlight; her dark lashes created long shadows upon her tear-streaked cheeks, which cried rivers of ink. ^*3
His right hand reached out, to wipe away the dark moister, but was halted with a snap of a vine, which enclosed around his wrist. There was no means of resistance, on Munto's part, even when more wrapped around his lithe body.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Yumemi," he reassured in a calm, gentle tone.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and revealed weeping sockets of onyx. She hissed at his revelation and lunged in a threatening manner. Fortunately, the anchoring roots, which withheld her, prevented success.
A flurry of pale locks masked her submitted crown. The minute tremble upon her pallid shoulders made her silent anguish known.
There was a jarring sob, and she slowly lifted her laden head. "Help… me," she pleaded, spitting globs of black.
A single crimson sky-dancer fluttered across her breast, towards the area to where her protected heart lay, and all fractured with a thundering crack. The two halves of her body shriveled into clear remains, like an abandoned cocoon, and began to ooze the same dark substance.
Idle insects, upon the swaying limbs, then scattered, attempting to fly on damaged wings, and fell, with failure, into the consuming Earth.
The constricting vines around him released their tight grip, while the groaning bark continued to widen for his entry.
Bullion eyes blinked once, and without a breath of hesitation, he stepped into the next level of her mind… ^{*4, 5, 6}
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A sickening ripple of nausea settled within Ichiko's churning stomach. Her wide brown eyes couldn't comprehend the daunting information, as the king continued to revive Yumemi. His attempt was failing.
She could hardly register Suzume's muffled sobs, for the petite girl was consumed in Kazuya's smothering embrace, however, she did recognize the bitter sound of defeat.
"I'm sorry," Jin expressed his mourning over the computer speaker.
"Don't," Ichiko snapped. Anger was easier to cope with, than anguish. "Don't you dare apologize—! You're not sorry! You don't know her…!" she hissed.
"Ichiko-san," Takashi chided, but was drowned out by her kindled fury.
"She wasn't your best friend— your whole world! So stop acting like you care!" The tomboy was having trouble catching her breath, so, she clutched a hand to her breast, hoping it would balm the pain. "You don't know…!" she choked.
The elder boy's dark irises withheld a shine of empathy. "I do… I do know, because my father died five years ago, in a car crash. He was my world, my idol, and I, too, had to cope. All of us did."
No heated remarks could escape her constricted throat. Guilt washed over her like a sea of melancholy.
"But remember this," Jin's voice started to escalate in emotional break through, "It's not just you, who lost a dear person in their lives. There are her friends," he gave a point to Suzume's direction, "family, and him."
She flickered her fretting gaze towards the live newscast, to where Munto was pressing franticly on Yumemi's unresponsive chest.
"BUT IT'S HIS FAULT!" Ichiko screeched. "HE TOOK HER FROM ME…!" With a slap of the hardwood floor, she did what the said girl did best— ran.
However, she didn't get far, as quaking knees buckled, and she leaned heavily against Tobe's bedroom wall for support.
"It's all his fault. It's all his fault," she gasped, curling into herself, and crumpled dejectedly onto the floor. "It's all his fault, dammit!" the tomboy sobbed, covering her twisted brow with two trembling palms, and no longer could withhold the tears.
After a long moment, a gentle hand patted her shaking shoulder. "Ichiko-san…"
She looked up to find the auburn-haired boy smiling warmly at her, despite the fact that he was openly crying. Takashi had no shame in revealing his grief.
Ichiko accepted his silent offer of comfort, clinging desperately to him, and wailed into his navy shirt… ^*7
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Voices, numerous voices filtered his mind, alongside the glowing blue doorways of her memories. ^*8
Many of the windows he recognized, as the familiar sites gave him an intimate state of understanding. The dialogue of every picture was overlapping one another. Some were shouting, others, soft whispers, pitiful cries… They were her innermost thoughts.
He truly was in the center of her being, in her heart, and conscious.
It was easy to get lost in such a place. However, he needed to quickly find and guide Yumemi through the chaos of her own, perhaps broken, mind.
Munto felt a familiar shift in his surroundings, for he was lured to one of the near doorways. His perception tilted, stomach suddenly plunging to his chest, and he was pulled in.
Then, it was silent. It were as if he were underwater, and the pitter caress of rain gradually reached to echo within his pointed ears…
Even though it was summer, the June gale seemed to rip right through Yumemi's small frame, as she shook with tears. She had to stop her frantic trek, go off to the side of the road, and sit down on the slick curb.
The pain was too much. With all her sacrifices, with all her efforts, in the end, her own family betrayed her.
Her heaving pants, from running, were barely noticeable. The throbbing in her chest was much worse, as it squeezed her heart with a vice grip.
'Why can't they understand?' She cradled her head pitifully within her palms. 'Did I do something wrong? I did my best to open their eyes and make them understand, but…!'
More jarring sobs shook her, as she coughed, now and then, because of the choking tears and rain.
Minutes passed; then, it was finished. The vent was over.
Emotionally drained and physically weary, the clutching upon her small bag finally loosened. She lifted her laden head to inspect the small stinging moons her nails created in wonder.
The rain was no longer warm or cold, but comforting. Her loneliness turned into a chilling numb, then realizing, in a daze, that she actually wasn't as alone as she thought. For she had the rain, her dearest friends, Ichiko and Suzume, and…
Casting her gaze up into the cloud-filled skies, she attempted to search out for the familiar landmass above. She was in vain.
'Of all times,' Yumemi bitterly scoffed in dejection, as the falling water caused her eyes to prickle. She closed them, to avoid the stinging sensation, and just sat there, soaking the elements.
Ironically, over four years ago, she wanted to see anything but the floating island. It made her different, isolated, and had caused the girl to fear the other "special" side of herself.
However, throughout the long periods of patiently waiting, she found that the site brought comfort, knowing he was up there, possibly casting his gaze down to her, while she looked above.
She wanted to go back, but wasn't sure how to bring it up, since Munto wouldn't be available. Before he left, the king informed her, himself, that he would busy, and promised to contact her, once he returned from his own preparations and duties.
That didn't stop her from missing him.
The blonde released a sullen, heavy sigh from her constricted breast. 'My job is done. The Akuto is restored and the worlds are now united. I can't just go up there without a reason, can I? Still…'
A sudden thought came to mind, which caused Yumemi's burdened heart to bloom with hope. The corners of her chilled lips quirked upward, at the revelation.
'Maybe we'll see one another in a dream, soon.'
With that, the girl got up, brushed herself off, and gradually heading towards her destination: to her childhood friend and sister, Ichiko's house…
Gasping, Munto felt himself recoil at a fast rate. The pulse in his chest continued to palpitate with the heaving rebound of her emotions.
He had to cease this; he was getting distracted! He couldn't be tempted by her memories once more; she was waiting for him.
'Focus. Calm yourself.' The king's quick train of thought slowed at the dawning information, which was presented before him. 'This was after Nozomi's explanation. This was when they—'
His thick brows knitted together in distaste, while a growl of irritation escape his tight lips. However, he caught his emotional falter and took a calming breath.
The corner of his lip twitched in the fact that she had missed him. A feeling of warmth gradually settled in his chest, then, suddenly became ice cold.
'How many times I've felt the same…' he empathized, referring to the incidences to where his mind would drift towards her, with how he longed to see his precious person once again.
Reproached with himself, the magician also came to realize that he had undeniably broken their promise. He should have contacted her after he had returned. Unfortunately, the king was so overwhelmed with uniting the seven nations and honing his Outsider powers, he didn't have time to do so.
It frustrated him, though, knowing that maybe if he had contacted her, then, she might have never been in this current situation. He would have been able to protect her and—
Sighing, Munto chided himself for letting his emotions get in the way of his task. There was no use in getting caught up in the unchangeable past; there was only their future to look forward to.
True, he wasn't a cold, heartless being, however, on the other side of the spectrum, was also a ruler. It was his responsibility, as a good leader, to be alert, focused, and not so…
'Like THIS! So emotional and…!' he swore colorfully.
Of course, Yumemi always had the tendency to unravel him in the strangest of ways.
A rumble of displeasure echoed in his chest. Munto attempted to focus once more by clearing his mind of any lingering thoughts, and closed his pale eyes once more, so that he wouldn't be drawn by another memory.
The overlapping voices merged to a dissonant string of chaos, each screaming for his attention and pleading for his help. However, he stayed on task, and continued to concentrate.
Finally, they silenced into a mere hum, and soon to nothingness…
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Shigeru gave a comforting squeeze to his wife's right shoulder, who was sobbing uncontrollably in the crook of his neck.
"Not my baby, not my Yumemi-chan. No, Gods, please, no…!" Nozomi murmured prayers of false hope. "Don't take her from me, please…!"
With a swallowed lament, he turned to peek down at his son, who, surprisingly, hadn't shed a weep of sorrow. He sat there, blankly, and continued to stare at the television screen with gaping brown eyes. It appeared that the shock hadn't settled in, yet.
"Chikara," the man started, and placed a supportive hand on the small of his back. "You don't have to watch any more—"
It was painful to see him break, then. The innocent shine in his irises diminished, while the bottom of his lip started to tremble.
The boy then removed himself completely off the couch and turned to retreat upstairs.
"Chikara? Chikara!" Shigeru called out in worry.
No, he wouldn't let their remaining family fall apart. He wouldn't repeat the same mistake and let them drift— not like his daughter.
"I'll bring him back," he reassured to his weeping wife, and carefully removed her clutching fingers from his sweater. There, he pressed a chaste peck on the quaking, pale limbs, and followed, in search of their son.
It was easy to find him, for the bathroom doorway was only partially closed and revealed dangling socked feet and the cuffs of his loose jeans. Shigeru paused with a heavy sigh of empathy and slowly pushed the wooden entrance open.
It appeared that he had perched his weeping self on the closed toilet, while his adolescent body jarred with harsh sobs, as he covered his askew face in shame.
"Chikara…"
Upon hearing his entry, the boy looked up with wide, puffy-red eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. There was a frantic wipe of his long, burgundy sleeve, in order to conceal the evidence. He tried to quell his whimper by locking his jaw and fisting his tiny hands.
It was a matter of pride, then.
"Are you embarrassed?" Shigeru asked, leaning down to his level and settling himself on his grey-clad knees.
The youth's dark brows knitted together alongside an answer of silence.
"It's okay to cry, Chikara," he whispered and wrapped a palm around his nape. "It's okay…"
Tears welled into his luster gaze, but the boy refused to let them fall. His small form became taut as he desperately clutched the material of his pants. "But you're not cr-crying," he countered with a stubborn sob.
Shigeru's vision started to distort with his son's confession, and he allowed a lungful of air into his constricted chest. "It's because Papa is trying to be strong."
"B-but I want to be strong, t-too," the pitch of his quivering voice escalated. Against all his pride, water dribbled down his flushed cheeks.
The stout man gave a chuckle. "You are strong, kiddo. It's in your name." He slowly untangled Chikara's small fists and gently enclosed them with his own large ones. "However, it takes even more strength to cry. And right now…" His own tears started to fall. "Right now we need to be strong, for Mama." ^*9
With one last jarring sob, Chikara threw his arms around his father's neck and released the withdrawn distress.
"B-but he p-promised…!" the boy wailed with a frustrated shake to his ivory collar. "Munto-Nii promised he'd protect 'Nee-ch-chan…!"
Shigeru rubbed consoling strokes along his clad back. "He's trying, Chikara. Munto's trying real hard to protect your sister." He unlocked their embrace and cupped his wet visage within his callous palms. "But we need to keep on believing in him, alright?"
He hiccupped once, twice, and then nodded in agreement.
"Now, let's go to Mama…" He drew the boy into his arms once more and lifted them both to return downstairs… ^*10
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It was quiet and frigid. There was nothing to be seen but empty darkness.
The king noted, with no surprise, that he was in his raw spirit form. His bare body glowed in bright, pale rays. Usually, he was collected, however, being in such an emotional state, Munto had reverted to his secondary form.
The living soul had two appearances: that of the present being, with colorful irises mirroring their heart; or the less physical, a kindled orb of energy. Each spirit reflects upon their past and their future. Their wants and needs are the key to knowing one's self…
Closing his ruby eyes, Munto's keen senses searched for any flicker of life from the fragile girl. Again, his perspective tilted, and he headed towards Yumemi's silent cries of anguish.
The king's bright irises opened and sought for her familiar form. Just as previously, he was in the deepest crescent of her mind. He had found her, broken and exposed spirit barely a flame.
She was floating, asleep, and cradled within the dark womb of her distilled mind. Even when revived, small fractures of her soul slowly orbited around her, as she cried tears of ink.
"Yumemi," he breathed, reaching out to her.
The man was hesitant, knowing that it was strictly taboo to touch another's soul; only the most intimate of mates were allowed to bond in such a way.
Of course, going to the Lower World was taboo, too, and he had managed to survive… barely.
Swallowing, he continued forward. Suddenly, an all too familiar sensation caused his right hand to recoil back.
Fire eyes widened in surprise. 'This is like the first time— when I attempted to draw her power! The continuum—? No.' Munto's scorched fingers curled with anger and worry. 'She went so far as to create a barrier around her heart…'
This was the reason why he couldn't feel her emotions.
"Yumemi," he encouraged with a tender voice. "It's alright, now."
There was no response.
He attempted to gently push through the searing force once more. Its translucent surface quivered, like an iridescent bubble. Just as her will, all hung together by a thread.
Munto, cautiously, pressed on. Once inside, the veil intensified with the last of its energy, and then collapsed all together.
Yumemi's frail, blue light flickered under contact, while nimble hands tried to gently coax the endless tears away. ^*11
"You're safe, my Little Dreamer. It's all right," he cooed oh-so-softly, and held her close, nuzzling against her passive brow. "You must awaken, now, Yumemi. There are people who await your return."
The darkness around them gave a low, distant groan, in response, while the cold suddenly became burdensome, heavy. Her mind was breaking.
"Come now," he begged once more with a light pet of her hair. "Don't give up just yet. I know there is still fire within your heart." Munto's throat started to close.
"We made a promise, remember?" his raw voice then rasped with a humorless chuckle. It echoed within the still dark. "We promised to reunite once again, once the chaos was over. Then, together, we would introduce the Heavens to your people, side-by-side. Afterward, I would court you and…"
Unabashed, crystal tears of regret started to roll down his ivory cheeks. It was all right. There was no one here to see them.
"I've made you patiently wait for so long, haven't I? Can you forgive me?" he inquired in a hushed whisper. "Can you hear me?"
There was another groan, one, which, was much louder than the last. Darkness gradually curled around his legs and pulled, phantom hands dragging him within the madness.
"I hadn't confessed my affections properly, the last time," the king replied with a jarring sob and tenderly pressed his warm lips against her cold, motionless ones. Withdrawing with a silent pucker, he hoarsely proclaimed, "I love you, Hidaka Yumemi; Girl of Destiny, who had brought much light among my dreams…"
Then, everything went black.
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Thank you for the faves and reviews, everyone!
miki230, ThexWhitexPhoenix, BebePanda40, Eirdaru, Stephanie, nicole135, ShadowFax100, BlytheHope, ShadowFox-Nightmare, NekoMakaiChan, Willow-Pendragon, and neko-kitkat
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A/N: See? I had foreshadowed this in chapter eight, hadn't I?
"The sacrifice of one little girl won't be taken into account of this formidable world of the humans, will it? I'm sure she will be easily forgotten."
A bitter feeling churned within the pit of Munto's stomach, knowing how false that statement was."
A-and yeah… I'm sorry~! *gross-sobs into a corner of woe*
I-I confess, I had actually finished a huge chunk of the dream sequence, YEARS ago, since I was too impatient to figure out how connect the plot dots. Of course, the writing, from before college, was obvious crap, so it all had to be re-written and adjusted. =/
And no, this whole "madness" concept wasn't taken from Soul Eater. Though I had watched it, this idea came before then.

Ari chan 6/20/12
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^*1: Eclipse and clothing designs: red-winged-angel.deviantart.co… (3, 12)
^*2: There were a total of five incidences, where they made contact, in the first OVA. Numbers like these comes in handy. C;
^*3: Hollow: red-winged-angel.deviantart.co…
^*4: Blood Embers: red-winged-angel.deviantart.co…
^*5: To The Grave of Your Heart: red-winged-angel.deviantart.co…
^*6: Lost: red-winged-angel.deviantart.co…
^*7: I've always been on the fence about Ichiko/ Takashi pairing, since I love the crack pairing of Ichiko/ Rui, introduced by Lena, however, this kinda just came forward, while I was in my groove.
I was inspired by the one particular pairing in Clannad: Misae (dorm manager) and Katsuki (presently, her cat). Within the flashback, Sagara is very outgoing and rough around the edges, while Shima is quite passive and adorkable.
They instantly remind me of Ichiko and Takashi, so I went for it. He could support her in his own way, when she allows it. I'll probably shift it around to my crack pairing, though, later. Lol.
^*8: The image of this scene was inspired by the first Cardcaptor Sakura movie, while the general idea is also very similar to the Chrono Crusade manga.
^*9: If you hadn't heard it enough in the series, Chikara, translated, means power/ strength.
^*10: It's depressing to see how society can hinder a person's emotional capacity, because of stereotypes. Men, in general, have it real hard, since many still think they "can't cry," because it's "weak." They should and can, with no shame. Luckily, those times are steadily changing.
With this, because Ichiko was pretty much raised like a boy, this "applies" to her as well, by her own standards, if that makes sense.
^*11: Catch A Flutterby: red-winged-angel.deviantart.co…
^*12: Past AMV's I made with the featured songs:
Broken Pieces (at 6:20): www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH3_ZB…
Hymn for the Missing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSFLs5…
Let You Down: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXmhEa…
Out From Under: www.youtube.com/watch?v=imas7w…<u>