(no subject)
Title: Sayonara wa Ashita no Tame ni(2/2)
Author: onikoinu
Rating: PG13
Pairing: JaeMin, MinSu
Summary: Even if we become a memory|I am no match for the warmth next to you
You saw the sun rising in the distance, the once black sky now colored in a mixture of red and orange. You've prepared everything you needed for the trip to Kusa and in case you weren't coming back, you wrote letters to the King, Queen, and Changmin and hid them in a place where it would take them time to find. Who knows? You might be coming back.
Grabbing your stuff, you quietly left the castle and then the city. At the gates, you took one last look at the place you called home, at the place the one you love lives.
"Goodbye, Changmin. Pray for me. Pray that I come back to you alive."
You turned and ventured out, your destination: the City of Oni.
~*~
5 years later
"Inhwan, what are you doing with that bucket of water in your hands?"
"Bucket? Uh, um, there's tofu inside. For dinner later!"
"Tofu? Why are you bringing tofu to my room?" You raised a brow. "And it's mid-morning, Inhwan. Did you get up really early to go to the market and buy it?"
"Uh, thought this was the kitchen and y-yeah, I did. Oh! Gotta go and prepare lunch! You know how grandpa is! Bye!"
You watched him run away, blinking several times before laughing when you sensed that he was completely gone. There was no tofu in that bucket, just plain water, and he knew where the kitchen was. The house wasn't big. He was planning to pour it on you, to wake you up. You tend to wake up around mid-morning, always missing breakfast, and Inhwan made it a habit to wake you if it looked like you weren't going to wake 'till the afternoon and there was a pattern to his methods. Starting from the dog Shaki licking you to Inhwan pouncing to grabbing items from the kitchen and making loud noises, and yesterday he had used the items from the kitchen, so today you knew it was the bucket of water.
Absentmindedly, you ran a hand through your blonde hair. It had grown, the hair reaching now several centimeters below your shoulders. You held a couple of strands in your hand to look at it. You were going to need a haircut before leaving tomorrow.
~*~
"What?! You're leaving tomorrow?! Why?! Where are you going?!" Inhwan exclaimed, putting down his chopsticks on the table and looked at you. You can see the shock in his eyes and hints of tears.
"I'm going back to Sei'an."
"Sei'an? Isn't that in Kamiki? That's faraway! And didn't you once said that the people there will probably think you're dead since you've been gone for so long!"
"Inhwan!"
"But, grandpa, I...I don't want him to leave." Inhwan sadly looked down at the table.
"Jaejoong, after dinner, you and I will speak privately. After that, you may begin your preparations for your trip."
"Grandpa! You're letting him go?!"
"Inhwan, we don't have the right to force him to stay here." The old man spoke gently.
Inhwan stood up, surprising both you and Grandpa. "I don't want him to leave! I want him to stay!" He yelled, running out of the kitchen and to his room.
"I'm sorry. Maybe if I left sooner..."
"Don't blame yourself, Jaejoong, and I would've never let you leave if you tried. You weren't fit to travel years ago. Even now, I still think you're not."
"I'll never be, never will, but I need to go, and you know why."
~*~
"Jaejoong, Jaejoong, Jaejoong. How foolish you and your King are. Did you really think I wasn't expecting an assassination?"
Orochi raised his voice at the last word, kicking you in the stomach. You coughed out blood and you struggled to keep yourself on your hands and knees, using whatever strength you had left to get up. Orochi grabbed your hair, forcing you to stand on your legs. You were covered in cuts, bruises, dried/wet blood, your clothing ripped in several places.
"It's a shame, Jaejoong. To kill such a strong and skillful swordsman like you."
He thinks you're finished, thinks you're too tired to fight back, and you were going to prove him wrong. You managed to get out of his grip, stumbling a few steps backwards until you finally were able to find your balance. You gripped your sword tightly, the thought of what your master told you that day he first showed you the technique plays in your head.
But it's for Kamiki. For the King. For the Queen. For...Changmin, I'm sorry. Looks like I won't be coming back to you after all.
"Who saids you're going to kill me?" You growled, your eyes turning amber.
He smirked in satisfaction, happy to see that the fight between you and him will continue. "Oho. You can still fight. I'm pleased, but sadly, you will die and I will take control of Kamiki."
"I won't let you!"
He was slightly taken aback when not only was he suddenly feeling your ki rising, but showing as well.
"The next attack, let's make it the last."
"Very well." He agreed, getting into a stance you've never seen before.
You got into a battōjutsu stance. Normally, you had your right foot in front while your body was twisted slightly to the left, but this time, it was your left foot in front and you noticed the confused look on his face. Your sword was sheathed inside, one hand on the handle of the sword, the other on it's sheath resting against your waist.
Neither of you moved, both of you staring each other down, waiting for the right moment to strike.
There was a crack in the ceiling between the two of you, water was dripping down from it earlier. The two of you noticed a droplet being formed and when it made contact with the puddle on the ground, the both of you charged towards each other.
The way his sword was positioned, it was meant to impaled you, but you avoided it. He had done something similar earlier in the battle and was only using a different stance to confuse you.
"It's over, Orochi! Heavens Bridging Dragon Spark!"
*
You felt wet, your clothes sticking to you like a second skin, and your bones ached. It was hard to open your eyes but you could hear the sound of rushing water and felt the rough surfaces of the rock half your body was resting on. You vaguely remembered the battle with Orochi, remembered after slicing his head off, creating a pool of blood, his soldiers had come in and immediately attacked you once they saw their dead leader.
You fought, you ran, and then you reached a cliff.
I must've fell off somehow and it's here I'm going to die, huh?
Then you heard the desperate cries of a young boy calling for help.
*
"You're lucky I was heading to the river and fish that day or else you would've died."
"Then I owe you my life, don't I?"
"Does that mean you're going to be my slave?"
"No."
*
2 years later
"Your injuries have healed, but your body is deteriorating. Plus, there's something flowing in your blood."
"I know. I was expecting that and it's poison. Incurable. You should know that. After all, you created it."
"...You were the one who killed him?"
"Yes. How much time do I have?"
"The wound you got it from was not deep. You'll be able to live longer then most who received it, but I'm not sure how long."
"I see."
~*~
"I know you won't be able to visit us a lot, but promise you'll at least try, and write to us."
"I promise." You bent down, opening your arms for him, and he ran into them, hugging you tightly. "Be good to your grandfather, okay."
"Okay." He mumbled against your shoulder.
You moved away and ruffled his hair and he grumbled in return. You chuckled and stood.
"Take care, Jaejoong."
"You too, Grandpa."
~*~
It takes you about three days on foot to travel from Sasa village to Wep'keer, the city equivalent to Ryoshima. It takes another four days on a ship to travel from Wep'keer to Ryoshima and another day on foot to get from Ryoshima to Sei'an.
When you arrive at the gates, you can't help but smile.
The place hasn't changed at all.
That thought along with your happiness ended when you noticed the symbol on the gate belonging to the royal family of Kamiki had changed. Instead of the simple red phoenix with it's wings open, there was a blue dragon added. Both the phoenix's and dragon's tail wrapped around each other as both animals faced one another with the phoenix on the left and the dragon on the right.
So many thoughts raced through your head on the reason behind the change.
"Jaejoong? Jaejoong! Is that really you, Jaejoong?!"
You took your eyes off the symbol and on the two men running towards you. You were amazed how much five years can change two men.
The taller of the two, you remembered his spiky and unruled hair giving him a sort of bad boy vibe. Now it was long, straight, and in a ponytail, with a couple of long strands resting on both side of his face and short ones in front of his forehead. The once lower ranking solider you trained has now become a general.
The other, he grew his hair as well, but not as long as the taller one's. The black hair only reached around his neck. It got rid of the playboy feel he had with his short hair, but you knew it didn't mean he stopped being one.
"Jaejoong! I can't believe it's really you!"
They enveloped you in a tight hug, literally too.
"Guys. You're making it hard for me to breathe."
Immediately, they let you go and apologized.
"You can't blame us though. We haven't seen you in five years and four years and six months were spent thinking you were dead."
"Sorry, Yoochun, Yunho."
"Yah, yah. Forget about it. You're back now. I'm sure you had reasons for being gone so long. Let's take you to the King and Queen. I bet they'll be happy to see you."
"How's Changmin?" You hesitantly asked.
"Changmin..." Yoochun started, pausing to think momentarily. "He's fine thanks to Junsu."
"Junsu?"
"Yeah. Junsu. Changmin's h-ow! Yunho! What was that for?!
You saw the glare Yunho was sending to Yoochun, which shut him up, and then he smiled at you, putting an arm around your shoulder and leading you to the castle. No words were spoken for the entire walk. They didn't want to tell you who Junsu was, but somehow, you had some idea and it made be related to the symbol change.
~*~
You were asked so many questions by both the King and Queen that it made your head spin. It all came after how they treated you before, poking you all over, moving your arms around, and playing with your face like you were some doll just to see if you were real and they weren't hallucinating. In the corner, you saw how amused both Yunho and Yoochun were. You would've glared at them if you weren't so happy to know that at least the King and Queen haven't changed.
Your ears picked up the sound of the doors opening and in rushed the man you been wanting to see these past five years. His short locks grew longer, framing his face beautifully and he looked, no longer like a child, but a young man.
"Jae..." Changmin panted, eyes wide and face pale. He didn't believe you were standing right in front of him.
You were about to smile, walk over to him, and tell him you were alive and that you were back. About being the keyword.
Not long after Changmin came in, another figure entered. He was smaller then Changmin, face full of innocence and smiles and a body shape similar to a female. He didn't enter alone. Beside him was a young girl and you estimate her to be about 2 years old and looking similar to the man who's hand she was holding on to.
He took one glance at you then at Changmin, rushing over to him when he noticed the state he was in.
"Min-ah! Are you okay? You're pale." He cupped Changmin's face in his hands and the girl looked up worryingly at Changmin.
Then, Changmin fainted, falling forward and into the smaller man's arms.
"Min-ah!"
~*~
You were in your old room. Nothing has changed.
After fainting, Changmin was carried by Yunho to his room, the one he shared with Junsu, Shim Junsu.
Yoochun told you everything. Changmin has been arranged to marry the child of the King and Queen of Shinshu since before he was born. That child ended up to be Junsu. It explains the symbol change. Shinshu's symbol was a blue dragon.
Half a year was spent in waiting for you, the other half in depression. It was Junsu who brought him out of it and made him smile again. It wasn't long before they married and Junsu's chosen mistress gave birth to his daughter, Changmin's and Junsu's first child, Himiko. Himiko wasn't going to be the only child for long. Changmin's chosen mistress was expecting. She was due to give birth in 2 months.
You wanted to scream, to punch the wall. He waited for you, but when he found out you had supposedly died, he asked his father about the mission, told him about the letter and then cried himself to sleep that day. He sent himself into a depression, often times getting caught when he tried to commit suicide to 'follow' you into the afterlife.
He didn't try and leave the castle, didn't try to find out the truth, just holed himself up in his room.
Then Junsu came into his life and he let him replace you, let him take over his heart so easily.
You were told of the cuddles, the way they held each other's hands when walking side by side, the intense and passionate make-out sessions, how they made love practically every night, and so much more. There was a pain in your chest and you clutched the area with a hand. It hurt so much. You didn't want to punch a wall or scream anymore, but cry.
Did the love between you two meant so little to him?
No. It didn't. He kept you in his heart during these five years.
Even so, he was no longer yours.
*
"Prince Changmin always cleaned your room. He didn't let any of us clean it."
"Every month, Prince Changmin will visit the Sakura tree. It will be always the same date as the day before you left."
"We sometimes find him staring at the unfinished music box you were making and planning to give him as a birthday present."
"He talks about you to Himiko."
~*~
"You're alive."
"I am. Still think I'm not real?"
Changmin wrapped his arms around you in a tight hold. He rested his head on your shoulder.
"You feel real. I'm really holding you?"
On their own accord, you hands rested on Changmin's back.
"You are. I'm really alive, Min."
"I missed you so much, Jae."
"Me too, Min. Me too."
~*~
A year later
You were amazed how time flew by. It felt like it was only just yesterday you came back, surprising everyone.
You reached out to touch the bark of the tree, feeling it's roughness against your calloused hands created from years of holding a sword.
"Master, Changmin's married now. He has a daughter named Himiko and a son named Oki. They're both beautiful and look just like their parents. Junsu is a good father. He's like a little kid sometimes. You should see how childish he could act around Changmin. Did you know? They play tag with each other with the loser having to kiss the winner. Dumb, isn't it? How do you determine a winner between two people?"
Your strength was leaving you, forcing you to sit under the Sakura tree with your back resting against the bark.
"Junsu is a good person. He'll take care of Changmin and do a better job then me. I can see how much he loves Changmin. I catch him staring at Changmin with such loving eyes that it hurts. You're probably laughing at me right now because you knew I would never be with him."
Your eyelids were getting heavy as the seconds passed.
"It doesn't hurt, Master, to know that I'll never be with him. He's happy so I am too. You might think I'm stupid for thinking that way, even more stupid for thinking that if we were ever reborn, maybe in that lifetime, I could have him. Thinking it over, it is stupid, right?"
You chuckled and it was weak.
"He's going to be mad at me for leaving again" You softly spoke as your eyes slowly closed. "Min, I'm sorry."
Even if we become a memory|I am no match for the warmth next to you
Goodbye is for the future|I hope it flies far away and reaches you
A/N: Kind of don't like how this came out and I left a few things out because I was rushing to get this done. >.> Sorry if this was crappy and there's a hint in what Jaejoong said that will be my next fic. ^^
Author: onikoinu
Rating: PG13
Pairing: JaeMin, MinSu
Summary: Even if we become a memory|I am no match for the warmth next to you
You saw the sun rising in the distance, the once black sky now colored in a mixture of red and orange. You've prepared everything you needed for the trip to Kusa and in case you weren't coming back, you wrote letters to the King, Queen, and Changmin and hid them in a place where it would take them time to find. Who knows? You might be coming back.
Grabbing your stuff, you quietly left the castle and then the city. At the gates, you took one last look at the place you called home, at the place the one you love lives.
"Goodbye, Changmin. Pray for me. Pray that I come back to you alive."
You turned and ventured out, your destination: the City of Oni.
~*~
5 years later
"Inhwan, what are you doing with that bucket of water in your hands?"
"Bucket? Uh, um, there's tofu inside. For dinner later!"
"Tofu? Why are you bringing tofu to my room?" You raised a brow. "And it's mid-morning, Inhwan. Did you get up really early to go to the market and buy it?"
"Uh, thought this was the kitchen and y-yeah, I did. Oh! Gotta go and prepare lunch! You know how grandpa is! Bye!"
You watched him run away, blinking several times before laughing when you sensed that he was completely gone. There was no tofu in that bucket, just plain water, and he knew where the kitchen was. The house wasn't big. He was planning to pour it on you, to wake you up. You tend to wake up around mid-morning, always missing breakfast, and Inhwan made it a habit to wake you if it looked like you weren't going to wake 'till the afternoon and there was a pattern to his methods. Starting from the dog Shaki licking you to Inhwan pouncing to grabbing items from the kitchen and making loud noises, and yesterday he had used the items from the kitchen, so today you knew it was the bucket of water.
Absentmindedly, you ran a hand through your blonde hair. It had grown, the hair reaching now several centimeters below your shoulders. You held a couple of strands in your hand to look at it. You were going to need a haircut before leaving tomorrow.
~*~
"What?! You're leaving tomorrow?! Why?! Where are you going?!" Inhwan exclaimed, putting down his chopsticks on the table and looked at you. You can see the shock in his eyes and hints of tears.
"I'm going back to Sei'an."
"Sei'an? Isn't that in Kamiki? That's faraway! And didn't you once said that the people there will probably think you're dead since you've been gone for so long!"
"Inhwan!"
"But, grandpa, I...I don't want him to leave." Inhwan sadly looked down at the table.
"Jaejoong, after dinner, you and I will speak privately. After that, you may begin your preparations for your trip."
"Grandpa! You're letting him go?!"
"Inhwan, we don't have the right to force him to stay here." The old man spoke gently.
Inhwan stood up, surprising both you and Grandpa. "I don't want him to leave! I want him to stay!" He yelled, running out of the kitchen and to his room.
"I'm sorry. Maybe if I left sooner..."
"Don't blame yourself, Jaejoong, and I would've never let you leave if you tried. You weren't fit to travel years ago. Even now, I still think you're not."
"I'll never be, never will, but I need to go, and you know why."
~*~
"Jaejoong, Jaejoong, Jaejoong. How foolish you and your King are. Did you really think I wasn't expecting an assassination?"
Orochi raised his voice at the last word, kicking you in the stomach. You coughed out blood and you struggled to keep yourself on your hands and knees, using whatever strength you had left to get up. Orochi grabbed your hair, forcing you to stand on your legs. You were covered in cuts, bruises, dried/wet blood, your clothing ripped in several places.
"It's a shame, Jaejoong. To kill such a strong and skillful swordsman like you."
He thinks you're finished, thinks you're too tired to fight back, and you were going to prove him wrong. You managed to get out of his grip, stumbling a few steps backwards until you finally were able to find your balance. You gripped your sword tightly, the thought of what your master told you that day he first showed you the technique plays in your head.
But it's for Kamiki. For the King. For the Queen. For...Changmin, I'm sorry. Looks like I won't be coming back to you after all.
"Who saids you're going to kill me?" You growled, your eyes turning amber.
He smirked in satisfaction, happy to see that the fight between you and him will continue. "Oho. You can still fight. I'm pleased, but sadly, you will die and I will take control of Kamiki."
"I won't let you!"
He was slightly taken aback when not only was he suddenly feeling your ki rising, but showing as well.
"The next attack, let's make it the last."
"Very well." He agreed, getting into a stance you've never seen before.
You got into a battōjutsu stance. Normally, you had your right foot in front while your body was twisted slightly to the left, but this time, it was your left foot in front and you noticed the confused look on his face. Your sword was sheathed inside, one hand on the handle of the sword, the other on it's sheath resting against your waist.
Neither of you moved, both of you staring each other down, waiting for the right moment to strike.
There was a crack in the ceiling between the two of you, water was dripping down from it earlier. The two of you noticed a droplet being formed and when it made contact with the puddle on the ground, the both of you charged towards each other.
The way his sword was positioned, it was meant to impaled you, but you avoided it. He had done something similar earlier in the battle and was only using a different stance to confuse you.
"It's over, Orochi! Heavens Bridging Dragon Spark!"
*
You felt wet, your clothes sticking to you like a second skin, and your bones ached. It was hard to open your eyes but you could hear the sound of rushing water and felt the rough surfaces of the rock half your body was resting on. You vaguely remembered the battle with Orochi, remembered after slicing his head off, creating a pool of blood, his soldiers had come in and immediately attacked you once they saw their dead leader.
You fought, you ran, and then you reached a cliff.
I must've fell off somehow and it's here I'm going to die, huh?
Then you heard the desperate cries of a young boy calling for help.
*
"You're lucky I was heading to the river and fish that day or else you would've died."
"Then I owe you my life, don't I?"
"Does that mean you're going to be my slave?"
"No."
*
2 years later
"Your injuries have healed, but your body is deteriorating. Plus, there's something flowing in your blood."
"I know. I was expecting that and it's poison. Incurable. You should know that. After all, you created it."
"...You were the one who killed him?"
"Yes. How much time do I have?"
"The wound you got it from was not deep. You'll be able to live longer then most who received it, but I'm not sure how long."
"I see."
~*~
"I know you won't be able to visit us a lot, but promise you'll at least try, and write to us."
"I promise." You bent down, opening your arms for him, and he ran into them, hugging you tightly. "Be good to your grandfather, okay."
"Okay." He mumbled against your shoulder.
You moved away and ruffled his hair and he grumbled in return. You chuckled and stood.
"Take care, Jaejoong."
"You too, Grandpa."
~*~
It takes you about three days on foot to travel from Sasa village to Wep'keer, the city equivalent to Ryoshima. It takes another four days on a ship to travel from Wep'keer to Ryoshima and another day on foot to get from Ryoshima to Sei'an.
When you arrive at the gates, you can't help but smile.
The place hasn't changed at all.
That thought along with your happiness ended when you noticed the symbol on the gate belonging to the royal family of Kamiki had changed. Instead of the simple red phoenix with it's wings open, there was a blue dragon added. Both the phoenix's and dragon's tail wrapped around each other as both animals faced one another with the phoenix on the left and the dragon on the right.
So many thoughts raced through your head on the reason behind the change.
"Jaejoong? Jaejoong! Is that really you, Jaejoong?!"
You took your eyes off the symbol and on the two men running towards you. You were amazed how much five years can change two men.
The taller of the two, you remembered his spiky and unruled hair giving him a sort of bad boy vibe. Now it was long, straight, and in a ponytail, with a couple of long strands resting on both side of his face and short ones in front of his forehead. The once lower ranking solider you trained has now become a general.
The other, he grew his hair as well, but not as long as the taller one's. The black hair only reached around his neck. It got rid of the playboy feel he had with his short hair, but you knew it didn't mean he stopped being one.
"Jaejoong! I can't believe it's really you!"
They enveloped you in a tight hug, literally too.
"Guys. You're making it hard for me to breathe."
Immediately, they let you go and apologized.
"You can't blame us though. We haven't seen you in five years and four years and six months were spent thinking you were dead."
"Sorry, Yoochun, Yunho."
"Yah, yah. Forget about it. You're back now. I'm sure you had reasons for being gone so long. Let's take you to the King and Queen. I bet they'll be happy to see you."
"How's Changmin?" You hesitantly asked.
"Changmin..." Yoochun started, pausing to think momentarily. "He's fine thanks to Junsu."
"Junsu?"
"Yeah. Junsu. Changmin's h-ow! Yunho! What was that for?!
You saw the glare Yunho was sending to Yoochun, which shut him up, and then he smiled at you, putting an arm around your shoulder and leading you to the castle. No words were spoken for the entire walk. They didn't want to tell you who Junsu was, but somehow, you had some idea and it made be related to the symbol change.
~*~
You were asked so many questions by both the King and Queen that it made your head spin. It all came after how they treated you before, poking you all over, moving your arms around, and playing with your face like you were some doll just to see if you were real and they weren't hallucinating. In the corner, you saw how amused both Yunho and Yoochun were. You would've glared at them if you weren't so happy to know that at least the King and Queen haven't changed.
Your ears picked up the sound of the doors opening and in rushed the man you been wanting to see these past five years. His short locks grew longer, framing his face beautifully and he looked, no longer like a child, but a young man.
"Jae..." Changmin panted, eyes wide and face pale. He didn't believe you were standing right in front of him.
You were about to smile, walk over to him, and tell him you were alive and that you were back. About being the keyword.
Not long after Changmin came in, another figure entered. He was smaller then Changmin, face full of innocence and smiles and a body shape similar to a female. He didn't enter alone. Beside him was a young girl and you estimate her to be about 2 years old and looking similar to the man who's hand she was holding on to.
He took one glance at you then at Changmin, rushing over to him when he noticed the state he was in.
"Min-ah! Are you okay? You're pale." He cupped Changmin's face in his hands and the girl looked up worryingly at Changmin.
Then, Changmin fainted, falling forward and into the smaller man's arms.
"Min-ah!"
~*~
You were in your old room. Nothing has changed.
After fainting, Changmin was carried by Yunho to his room, the one he shared with Junsu, Shim Junsu.
Yoochun told you everything. Changmin has been arranged to marry the child of the King and Queen of Shinshu since before he was born. That child ended up to be Junsu. It explains the symbol change. Shinshu's symbol was a blue dragon.
Half a year was spent in waiting for you, the other half in depression. It was Junsu who brought him out of it and made him smile again. It wasn't long before they married and Junsu's chosen mistress gave birth to his daughter, Changmin's and Junsu's first child, Himiko. Himiko wasn't going to be the only child for long. Changmin's chosen mistress was expecting. She was due to give birth in 2 months.
You wanted to scream, to punch the wall. He waited for you, but when he found out you had supposedly died, he asked his father about the mission, told him about the letter and then cried himself to sleep that day. He sent himself into a depression, often times getting caught when he tried to commit suicide to 'follow' you into the afterlife.
He didn't try and leave the castle, didn't try to find out the truth, just holed himself up in his room.
Then Junsu came into his life and he let him replace you, let him take over his heart so easily.
You were told of the cuddles, the way they held each other's hands when walking side by side, the intense and passionate make-out sessions, how they made love practically every night, and so much more. There was a pain in your chest and you clutched the area with a hand. It hurt so much. You didn't want to punch a wall or scream anymore, but cry.
Did the love between you two meant so little to him?
No. It didn't. He kept you in his heart during these five years.
Even so, he was no longer yours.
*
"Prince Changmin always cleaned your room. He didn't let any of us clean it."
"Every month, Prince Changmin will visit the Sakura tree. It will be always the same date as the day before you left."
"We sometimes find him staring at the unfinished music box you were making and planning to give him as a birthday present."
"He talks about you to Himiko."
~*~
"You're alive."
"I am. Still think I'm not real?"
Changmin wrapped his arms around you in a tight hold. He rested his head on your shoulder.
"You feel real. I'm really holding you?"
On their own accord, you hands rested on Changmin's back.
"You are. I'm really alive, Min."
"I missed you so much, Jae."
"Me too, Min. Me too."
~*~
A year later
You were amazed how time flew by. It felt like it was only just yesterday you came back, surprising everyone.
You reached out to touch the bark of the tree, feeling it's roughness against your calloused hands created from years of holding a sword.
"Master, Changmin's married now. He has a daughter named Himiko and a son named Oki. They're both beautiful and look just like their parents. Junsu is a good father. He's like a little kid sometimes. You should see how childish he could act around Changmin. Did you know? They play tag with each other with the loser having to kiss the winner. Dumb, isn't it? How do you determine a winner between two people?"
Your strength was leaving you, forcing you to sit under the Sakura tree with your back resting against the bark.
"Junsu is a good person. He'll take care of Changmin and do a better job then me. I can see how much he loves Changmin. I catch him staring at Changmin with such loving eyes that it hurts. You're probably laughing at me right now because you knew I would never be with him."
Your eyelids were getting heavy as the seconds passed.
"It doesn't hurt, Master, to know that I'll never be with him. He's happy so I am too. You might think I'm stupid for thinking that way, even more stupid for thinking that if we were ever reborn, maybe in that lifetime, I could have him. Thinking it over, it is stupid, right?"
You chuckled and it was weak.
"He's going to be mad at me for leaving again" You softly spoke as your eyes slowly closed. "Min, I'm sorry."
Even if we become a memory|I am no match for the warmth next to you
Goodbye is for the future|I hope it flies far away and reaches you
A/N: Kind of don't like how this came out and I left a few things out because I was rushing to get this done. >.> Sorry if this was crappy and there's a hint in what Jaejoong said that will be my next fic. ^^