Heaven Cannot Wait
by Matrim
Epilogue
Message from Matrim: Thanks to everyone who read it, liked it and
asked/demanded me to write more. This is dedicated to VM who was so
nice
and sweet and cool for putting it up on her site and for being my
editor and
for writing sugoi fics as well and this is also dedicated to sumizome
who
will find out why when she finally finishes the story.
--Three months later--
Every time he sang Yokan, he was reminded of her. It wasn't her
favorite
song, just one of them. But it was the last song he sang to her before
she
left. He sang it to her the night before they ran in the rain. One of
the
first nights she was ill.
They said that he sang better now and that he sang with his heart.
He
tried to forget her but couldn't. He tried to go out with other girls
who
asked him suspiciously, "Who is that girl you're with in the picture?"
"Someone special."
"More special than me?" They would ask.
He wouldn't answer. He would change the subject. No matter how
many
times they demanded he take them down, he wouldn't. And he'd be
furious
even if they touched it. To say the least, Kyo wasn't enjoying his
past few
months.
He walked offstage after his performance, ignoring what everyone
else
said, and went back to the dressing room and sat down heavily on the
chair.
The others came in after him and Shinya knelt in front of him and took
his
hands. "How are you doing?"
"Okay, I guess," the vocalist shrugged, "I don't know." He sighed,
"No.
It's getting harder."
Shinya smiled at him, sympathetically, "It's only been a couple of
months--you can't expect things to get better in so short of a time, do
you?"
Kyo ran a hand through his hair, "Shin-chan, you've been saying the
same
thing for three months. It isn't getting better. It's making me
wonder if
I will ever feel normal again. I can't live like this--begging God to
just
let me get to the next day. And then it starts all over again, 'Let me
get
to Tuesday, God, that's all I ask!' I've been saying that for so
long!!"
He looked up away from Shinya's eyes, "Every little thing I did with
her
reminds me of her. Stupid stupid stuff. Ne, Shin-chan, don't you miss
her,
too, sometimes?"
Shinya took a seat next to Kyo. "Mm. I miss her jokes and I miss
the
reassuring way she spoke to me."
"You can call me crasy if you like..." Kyo offered. Shinya shook
his
head and gestured for him to go on. "But--sometimes--when it really
gets
bad, when I can't sleep at night, I feel like she's with me. She's
wrapping
her arms around me from behind like she used to and resting her chin on
my
shoulder. Then I start crying because I miss her so much. The feeling
of
her being there doesn't go away until I fall asleep and in the morning,
it's
gone but I feel much better."
Shinya nodded. "Sometimes, I feel like she's right there. And then
whatever's bothering me--whether it's a question or some kind of
problem--it's solved. The answer just pops into my head--well, after
I've
gone through a few questions. You know, she used to do that when she
was
here. Ask me a few questions so that I'd come to the conclusion
myself."
"Has your rose wilted, yet?"
"No. Dooshite? Has yours?"
"No, but every time I think about it, something says, 'Are you that
ready--'"
"'To forget me?'" Shinya finished.
They stared at each other then began to laugh nervously. "No way,"
Kyo
said.
"We're going nuts."
"Absolutely."
It got quiet between the two of them. "She was real, right?"
"She tasted real."
"Kyo!"
"I was just saying," he laughed, the first time in three months that
he
felt like doing so, "You should know--she saved you a dozen times!"
"Seven times. And she really didn't do anything. Just yelled,
'CUT'
most of the time.
"I miss her."
"Mm. So do I."
They turned around to face the mirror and was about to take off
their
makeup until they saw, Kyo's/Manami's ring scorpion ring and a white
golden
tipped angel feather as long as Kyo's forearm. Kyo took the ring just
as
Shinya took the feather. "Sore wa--" Kyo began.
"--nan desu ka?" Shinya finished.
They looked at the feather and ring, looked at each other and ran
out the
door. "Hey!" Toshiya called out, "Where are you going?"
They didn't bother to answer as they ran through the backstage area,
avoiding fans, fellow musicians and crew members. "Manami?" Shinya
called.
They slowed as they realized they had searched everywhere. "Crap.
Someone's messing with us." Kyo said, angrily and felt like throwing
the
ring down on the floor but didn't. He stalked back to the dressing
room.
The door was closed with Die, Kaoru and Toshiya standing outside of it,
smiling three Cheshire cats.
"What's going on?" Kyo and Shinya demanded.
"Trust us." Toshiya's hands covered Kyo's eyes.
"Hey!" Shinya cried out as Die did the same to him.
He heard the door open as they walked them in. Kyo whirled to rid
himself of Toshiya's hands. He froze as he heard,
"What are you doing with my ring? And feather?"
He turned and there, sitting on the vanity table where Kyo once sat,
with
her legs crossed was Manami. She wore the same blue shades, her vinyl
pants, a baby blue shirt and the kerchief that Toshiya told her she
looked
cute in. "Is this a dream?" He heard himself say, "Are you real?"
"I don't know," she said, with that mischievous grin he knew so
well, "Do
I taste real?"
In response to that, Kyo ran and practically jumped in her arms, and
kissed her. She responded as he slipped his tongue through slightly
parted
lips by meeting it and he smiled as traced a finger lightly across his
jawline and down his throat. He broke off the kiss for air and smiled.
"Well?"
"Hell yeah!"
"Ne, Manami, where are your wings?" Shinya asked, as he came near.
She
ruffled his hair.
"Carefully tucked away. It wouldn't do to ruin this shirt, but I'm
very
proud of them."
"Your scars are still there," Kyo pointed at the barely visible
marks.
"Hai. They'll never fully go away," Manami replied, "But they're
gone
from here," she said, laying a hand on her heart, "Because of you."
"What are you doing back here?" Shinya asked.
"I've been reassigned--hear me out before you react," Manami said,
quickly, seeing the panic in their eyes. She took out a message with
golden
script on it and read, "'The seraphim Manami has been appointed by the
voice
of God'--that's the Metatron by the way--it's a bunch of angels who are
his
secretaries--" she informed them and went on, "'--by the voice of God
to
become the full guardian angel of Toshiya of Dir en Grey, Die of Dir en
Grey, Kyo of Dir en Grey as well as continuing her duty as Shinya of
Dir en
Grey's guardian angel.'"
"Are you sure you can handle all of us?" Toshiya asked, winking.
"We're
quite a handful, y'know."
"I know, but I've handled you before."
"What's wrong, Kaoru?" Shinya asked, noticing Kaoru's confused and
sad
face.
"I've been left out. I'm always left out..."
Kyo turned to face him and stuck his tongue out, "No, you're not.
I'M
the one who's always left out!"
"No, I'm left out! Manami, read it again!" She did so. "See, I'm
left
out! What about me? Where's my angel? I don't get the attentions of
you?
I'm not good enough?"
"Maybe you take good care of yourself already," Toshiya suggested.
"Maybe," Kaoru said, uncertainly. He still looked a little worried.
Manami spoke up. "Oh, you? Don't worry about it! You've got an
angel.
Speaking of which, he was supposed to come here with me...where the
hell is
he?" She looked at her watch, "He's late! I'm training him, you see.
He
doesn't have his wings yet so they put me in charge of him because I
know
what it's like to go through that. It's not fair, I tell you. I
didn't
have anyone to guide me when I was trying to earn my wings...where is
he?"
There was a sound which resembled a gunshot combined with a large
pane of
glass shattering. A figure lay in the middle of the room, curled in a
ball
and unmoving.
"There he is. I told you, those entrances'll kill you." She teased.
"Mmn..." moaned the figure.
"Get up, idiot. You're supposed to be an angel." The figure stood
up
and everyone stared as if not quite believing what they were seeing.
Manami
smiled and placed an arm around him. "Kaoru, this is your guardian
angel-in-training, Hide. Hide, this Kaoru-kun."
Kaoru choked, "Hide-sama?!!!"
Hide raised his head after dusting off his clothes and smiled.
"Hi."
"Hide-sama?!!"
"Do you know him?" Manami asked.
The entire band stared at her as if she were insane, "Manami, this
is
Hide."
"Yeah, and--?"
"Hide was one of the most amazing people in J-rock!!!" They all
snapped.
"What do you mean was?" Hide asked.
"Hide-sama?!" Kaoru managed again. He looked like he was about to
faint.
Toshiya grabbed a chair and made him sit. Hide smiled at him again.
"This is Kaoru's idol! Are you nuts?!" Die yelled.
Manami rolled her eyes, "Will you get off my back? I died twenty
years
ago! I don't know these things!"
"Doesn't heaven keep up with these things?" Kyo asked.
"Well...let's remember, I was wingless. No one talks to anyone
who's
wingless. Unless they're training them. In which no one spoke to me.
He's
the lucky one!" Manami said, glaring at Hide.
"That's bullshit! You knew about Tori Amos!" Shinya pointed out.
Manami ignored him and told Hide, "You take good care of that one,
do you
understand me? He's a good boy! And if you get him killed--"
"Hai, hai!"
"Chotto matte kudasai!" Kaoru called out weakly.
"Nani?" Manami and Hide asked.
"Does this mean I have to go through what Shinya went through?"
Manami, Shinya and Hide looked at each other and smiled. "Oh,
you'll
know soon enough, Kaoru, you'll know soon enough."
The end
(or is it? *Matrim stretches like a content cat* That is entirely up to
you.)
email Matrim