Post by Pepper on Nov 6, 2008 1:31:15 GMT -5
~Last time I talked to you
You were lonely and out of place...~
The phone rang, shrilling Dominique out of a blissful dream. She rolled toward her nightstand, black hair flopping down her back in its loose ponytail as she answered. "Bueno," she muttered, still two-thirds asleep. When no one responded, she hung up, dropping the phone back into its cradle and wrapping herself in her quilt. Sleep reclaimed her quickly, and she was peaceful again.
Halfway across the globe, in Kyoto, Japan, Takenaga Watanabe dropped his own phone into its resting place, kneeling on the mats in his apartment to stare out the window.
It was mid-November, and the sky was gray with clouds. She had always hated this weather, the cold air, and now looking out into the city, he missed hearing her mutter under her breath as she wrapped herself in blankets. Looking toward the table, he gazed at the card that lay there, its red envelope addressed to "Nekki-kun" in perfect hiragana daring him to open it. A little early for a Christmas card, but Dominique was always picky about things like that. It seemed to irk her when she got a card for a holiday that had already passed in the mail. She sent the damned things out at the end of October. He lifted the paper envelope, using a letter opener to rip it open. This one could be trapped like the last two, but he didn't think so.
The card was a starkly beautiful thing, a black-and-white Siamese cat reaching for a red ornament on the front. Nekki opened it, reading the words inside with half-closed eyes. He laid the card down, open, and turned back to the view from his window, gazing out without seeing. His mind wandered, taking him back to the Christmas Eve they'd shared.
~I'm waiting for the sky to fall
I'm waiting for a sign~
He'd explained to her that there were certain traditions to be observed on Christmas Eve here in Japan, and for her part, she was rather cheerful about it. His parents had escaped to Yamagata to spend the holiday with family, but Nekki and Dominique had elected to stay in Tokyo, to save time.
They had wandered the streets for awhile, searching out a KFC restaurant and picking up a bucket of chicken. No one seemed to know where or when the tradition had started, but it didn't really matter. Everyone knew that fried chicken was the thing to eat on Christmas Eve.
When they returned to the apartment, Dominique set the chicken on the small table before vanishing into her room, as Nekki did his. After they changed into warmer clothes, they returned to the front room, turning on the television to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
In the darkness of the room, the only light the glow of the TV, they enjoyed their meal in silence. As the movie ended, she turned to him, sepia eyes meeting storm-grey, and smiled. "Feliz Navidad, Nekki. Merry Christmas." He repeated the phrase haltingly, his eyes lighting as he memorized the new words. "Do you want to know how we wish each other Merry Christmas in Japan, Domi?" When she nodded, he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers lightly, then more firmly. Her eyes closed slowly as she melted into the kiss.
When they broke apart, she smiled, mischief dancing across her face. "Let's try that one more time, to make sure I have the pronunciation right," she whispered, capturing his lips once more...
He shook himself harshly, pulling his black trenchcoat around his body and heading out into the streets. In one gloved hand, he held a small envelope. As he walked, he slipped it into a mailbox, hearing it hit the bottom with a muted sound.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dominique sorted through her mail, tossing junk into a pile and flipping important communications to the table in front of her. She came to the last piece of mail and paused, holding it between her fingers hesitantly. Her name was written across the front of a dark green envelope in block letters, followed by smaller scrawls of hiragana. Laying it down on the table, she tossed the junk mail in the garbage before using a miniature katana to slice it open.
As she had been taught, she shook the envelope, letting the contents drop out on their own. The card that slid out was small and a little plain, the words "Merry Christmas" written across the front in several languages. Inside, there was a short message, and a phone number. Her eyes slid over this last disbelievingly for a moment, then she dropped the card to the table and cradled her head in her hands, thinking about their goodbye.
~Hope you remember me
When you're homesick and need a change
I miss your purple hair
I miss the way you taste
I know you'll come back some day...~
"Domi, what's up?" He'd seen her number on the caller ID, and his voice showed that he was happy to hear from her. It had been nearly six months since she'd returned to Madrid, but they'd kept in contact, e-mails and phone calls and letters flying back and forth.
"I... got accepted, Nekki." Dominique twisted the phone cord around her fingers, the cool plastic giving her something to hold onto.
"Accep... Domi, that's wonderful news! Congratula-"
"Red. Not Black."
"Oh...so you..."
"I shouldn't have called you like this. But I had to tell someone, and you know mamá wouldn't understand."
"No, no, I'm so happy for you, babe." She could tell he was smiling, even though his voice seemed to shake. That was her Nekki, always happy for everyone else's accomplishments. Suddenly, she was gripped with a need to hug him, to bury her face in his neck and breathe in the scent of his skin. "I miss you," she whispered, choking back tears. "Miss you too, Domi... but... If you're a rookie, well, wouldn't it look bad for you to get caught canoodling with an enemy?" His words stung, even though the tone was still almost caressing. "I don't think you should be... with me, now."
"What?" The tears overflowed, and she sniffled hard, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of a hand.
"I'm sorry babe. I think... this is goodbye." Nekki sounded like his voice was catching in his throat. He hung up, and she was left with the buzz of the dial tone in her ear, no comfort as she cried. The letter opener bit into her fingers as she clutched it, crimson droplets of blood falling to stain the note paper beside the phone.
Retrieving the card, she lifted the telephone, punching in the number without hesitating. The red-orange light of sunset glowed through her window as it rang.
"Moshi moshi?" His voice was thick with sleep. Dominique didn't breathe, didn't speak. The question came again, a little annoyed now. "Moshi moshi?!" When she didn't respond, he dropped the phone, the dial tone filling her ear. She set her own phone down, staring out into the city, seeing the sun setting over beautiful Madrid. Flexing her fingers before twining them together, she whispered into the rapidly-coming night, "Fall back to me."
~You're falling back to me
The star that I can see
I know you're out there somewhere out there
You're falling out of reach
Defying gravity
I know you're out there
Somewhere out there~
~Owari~
**AN: Logan, i was watching the vid you made for 'Somewhere Out There', and the song made me think. So i reworked the story of Dominique (Pepper) and Nekki, and here it is. All lyrics are from "Somewhere Out There" by Our Lady Peace.
i'm sorry it's not uberfantastic, but i wrote this in just under an hour... hope you guys enjoyed. <3 feedback is always appreciated.**
You were lonely and out of place...~
The phone rang, shrilling Dominique out of a blissful dream. She rolled toward her nightstand, black hair flopping down her back in its loose ponytail as she answered. "Bueno," she muttered, still two-thirds asleep. When no one responded, she hung up, dropping the phone back into its cradle and wrapping herself in her quilt. Sleep reclaimed her quickly, and she was peaceful again.
Halfway across the globe, in Kyoto, Japan, Takenaga Watanabe dropped his own phone into its resting place, kneeling on the mats in his apartment to stare out the window.
It was mid-November, and the sky was gray with clouds. She had always hated this weather, the cold air, and now looking out into the city, he missed hearing her mutter under her breath as she wrapped herself in blankets. Looking toward the table, he gazed at the card that lay there, its red envelope addressed to "Nekki-kun" in perfect hiragana daring him to open it. A little early for a Christmas card, but Dominique was always picky about things like that. It seemed to irk her when she got a card for a holiday that had already passed in the mail. She sent the damned things out at the end of October. He lifted the paper envelope, using a letter opener to rip it open. This one could be trapped like the last two, but he didn't think so.
The card was a starkly beautiful thing, a black-and-white Siamese cat reaching for a red ornament on the front. Nekki opened it, reading the words inside with half-closed eyes. He laid the card down, open, and turned back to the view from his window, gazing out without seeing. His mind wandered, taking him back to the Christmas Eve they'd shared.
~I'm waiting for the sky to fall
I'm waiting for a sign~
He'd explained to her that there were certain traditions to be observed on Christmas Eve here in Japan, and for her part, she was rather cheerful about it. His parents had escaped to Yamagata to spend the holiday with family, but Nekki and Dominique had elected to stay in Tokyo, to save time.
They had wandered the streets for awhile, searching out a KFC restaurant and picking up a bucket of chicken. No one seemed to know where or when the tradition had started, but it didn't really matter. Everyone knew that fried chicken was the thing to eat on Christmas Eve.
When they returned to the apartment, Dominique set the chicken on the small table before vanishing into her room, as Nekki did his. After they changed into warmer clothes, they returned to the front room, turning on the television to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
In the darkness of the room, the only light the glow of the TV, they enjoyed their meal in silence. As the movie ended, she turned to him, sepia eyes meeting storm-grey, and smiled. "Feliz Navidad, Nekki. Merry Christmas." He repeated the phrase haltingly, his eyes lighting as he memorized the new words. "Do you want to know how we wish each other Merry Christmas in Japan, Domi?" When she nodded, he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers lightly, then more firmly. Her eyes closed slowly as she melted into the kiss.
When they broke apart, she smiled, mischief dancing across her face. "Let's try that one more time, to make sure I have the pronunciation right," she whispered, capturing his lips once more...
He shook himself harshly, pulling his black trenchcoat around his body and heading out into the streets. In one gloved hand, he held a small envelope. As he walked, he slipped it into a mailbox, hearing it hit the bottom with a muted sound.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dominique sorted through her mail, tossing junk into a pile and flipping important communications to the table in front of her. She came to the last piece of mail and paused, holding it between her fingers hesitantly. Her name was written across the front of a dark green envelope in block letters, followed by smaller scrawls of hiragana. Laying it down on the table, she tossed the junk mail in the garbage before using a miniature katana to slice it open.
As she had been taught, she shook the envelope, letting the contents drop out on their own. The card that slid out was small and a little plain, the words "Merry Christmas" written across the front in several languages. Inside, there was a short message, and a phone number. Her eyes slid over this last disbelievingly for a moment, then she dropped the card to the table and cradled her head in her hands, thinking about their goodbye.
~Hope you remember me
When you're homesick and need a change
I miss your purple hair
I miss the way you taste
I know you'll come back some day...~
"Domi, what's up?" He'd seen her number on the caller ID, and his voice showed that he was happy to hear from her. It had been nearly six months since she'd returned to Madrid, but they'd kept in contact, e-mails and phone calls and letters flying back and forth.
"I... got accepted, Nekki." Dominique twisted the phone cord around her fingers, the cool plastic giving her something to hold onto.
"Accep... Domi, that's wonderful news! Congratula-"
"Red. Not Black."
"Oh...so you..."
"I shouldn't have called you like this. But I had to tell someone, and you know mamá wouldn't understand."
"No, no, I'm so happy for you, babe." She could tell he was smiling, even though his voice seemed to shake. That was her Nekki, always happy for everyone else's accomplishments. Suddenly, she was gripped with a need to hug him, to bury her face in his neck and breathe in the scent of his skin. "I miss you," she whispered, choking back tears. "Miss you too, Domi... but... If you're a rookie, well, wouldn't it look bad for you to get caught canoodling with an enemy?" His words stung, even though the tone was still almost caressing. "I don't think you should be... with me, now."
"What?" The tears overflowed, and she sniffled hard, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of a hand.
"I'm sorry babe. I think... this is goodbye." Nekki sounded like his voice was catching in his throat. He hung up, and she was left with the buzz of the dial tone in her ear, no comfort as she cried. The letter opener bit into her fingers as she clutched it, crimson droplets of blood falling to stain the note paper beside the phone.
Retrieving the card, she lifted the telephone, punching in the number without hesitating. The red-orange light of sunset glowed through her window as it rang.
"Moshi moshi?" His voice was thick with sleep. Dominique didn't breathe, didn't speak. The question came again, a little annoyed now. "Moshi moshi?!" When she didn't respond, he dropped the phone, the dial tone filling her ear. She set her own phone down, staring out into the city, seeing the sun setting over beautiful Madrid. Flexing her fingers before twining them together, she whispered into the rapidly-coming night, "Fall back to me."
~You're falling back to me
The star that I can see
I know you're out there somewhere out there
You're falling out of reach
Defying gravity
I know you're out there
Somewhere out there~
~Owari~
**AN: Logan, i was watching the vid you made for 'Somewhere Out There', and the song made me think. So i reworked the story of Dominique (Pepper) and Nekki, and here it is. All lyrics are from "Somewhere Out There" by Our Lady Peace.
i'm sorry it's not uberfantastic, but i wrote this in just under an hour... hope you guys enjoyed. <3 feedback is always appreciated.**