Déjà vu

Okay, this is a sequel to my last fic, ‘I Need You’… there’s something particularly bad here, I edited a word out just in case. Anyhoo, hope you enjoy this!- Rumika

A few minutes after everyone was settled down for dinner Musashi noticed something was missing.
"So… where’s Rumika?"

Kojirou gasped and started to choke on his last mouthful.

"Daddy’s choking," Reishi announced, cutting through her steak. "Choking," she repeated when no one moved. Kojirou fell off his chair. Musashi ignored him as best she could.

"He’s choked before, Reishi," she told her daughter. Kojirou’s mother laughed shortly.

"He still eats too fast, hmm?"
Her husband chuckled as well, taking a sip from his glass. Kojirou’s hand shot up from beneath the table and searched around. Kojirou grasped hold of his own drink and later sat back down, red in the face.

"Where is you know who, then?" Musashi asked, avoiding Kojirou’s eyes.

Kojirou’s father put his glass back on the table and leaned across to see Musashi properly.

"Well, soon after Kojirou rang us up to tell us you and him were engaged, she stayed in her bedroom for quite some time," he said. "When she did come out, she had all these bags and told me and Keiko she was leaving."

Nyasu finished his last bite and stole some of Reishi’s meat from her plate. "She’s still got the hots for you, Kojirou."

"What can you say, you weren’t even living with my parents then," Kojirou replied to him, going even redder. Nyasu nodded in agreement.

"It was just an observation."

Musashi put her knife and fork down. "Where is she now?"

"Can’t we stop this conversation?" Kojirou whined. "You can talk about me as a kid if you want, anything!"

Kojirou’s mother looked blankly at her. "We don’t know. But she did seem upset."

"We didn’t want her to be engaged to our Kojirou in the first place," Kojirou’s father added.

Before Kojirou could respond angrily, his mother opened her mouth and closed it again.

"That’s rich coming from you. If you hadn’t got so drunk in the first place, you wouldn’t have signed that contract confirming their engagement."

"He signed a contract?!"

"He did, Kojirou. He also nearly sold me to one of his friends…"

Everyone laughed.

"What? That’s the truth!"

Reishi walked along with her hands linked with her parents’.

"I like nanna and grandpapa," she said. "Can we visit my other nana tomorrow?"
"I should think so," Kojirou answered. He turned to Musashi who was staring into the distance. "What’s bothering you? Is it Nyasu? Face it, he’s happier living in my parents’ mansion. We can go and see him anytime we wish." Musashi shook her head.

"It’s not that. I’ll tell you tonight, okay?"

Kojirou came into the bedroom. "Reishi’s tucked in now. What was bothering you, Musashi? Is it something I’ve done?"

"I suppose it is in a way," Musashi replied patting the other side of the bed. Kojirou lay down.

Musashi sighed. "It’s Rumika."

Kojirou spluttered. "Ex-excuse me?" Musashi turned around, facing away from him.

"I’ve had my heart broken many times, Kojirou. I know the agony of it very well. I felt completely helpless; I couldn’t go around as usual. I constantly wondered whether it was my fault, and if that was it, what had I done?"
Kojirou stayed silent.

"I want to know how she feels right now."

Kojirou sat up straight. "Now come on, she made my life a misery! I don’t understand why you don’t agree with my side of things! If she were normal, she would have known I didn’t feel the same way!" He stopped for a moment. "If she loved me. Which I doubt."

Musashi breathed in. "It’s always you, isn’t it? I’ve become a caring person over the years, but you… you don’t have any heart anymore from what you’re saying."

"I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, you’ve always been a b***h. I have to have a heart if I agreed to marry someone as cold as you."

Musashi sat up. "I was wrong about why we split up. It was because of how you feel about me," she hissed. "After being the one person that could say something kind about me, you’ve decided to deliberately hurt me when for once I did nothing…" Her voice raised and she broke off in tears. Kojirou bit his lip.
"Musashi, I didn’t mean that…"

"You don’t just call someone a b***h and then try to make them believe you didn’t mean it!"

"I didn’t!" Kojirou insisted, putting his arms around her.

"Let go of me!"

"Musash…" Kojirou held onto her tightly and turned her face around. He kissed her on the lips for as long as he could. Musashi pulled away and struggled out of his grip.

"That’s what they all do to me!" she screamed as she ran out, leaving Kojirou confused about her statement.

"I had a nightmare last night," Reishi grumbled to her father. "I was being chased by someone I couldn’t see and then I was being smothered. I heard screaming but I didn’t know where it was coming from." She rubbed her eyes. "The weird thing in nightmares is you never do anything to deserve an axe-wielding maniac coming after you." Kojirou nodded, not taking in what Reishi was saying.

"Is mama at the shops?" she persisted in an attempt to make him say something. Kojirou shook his head.

"Is she still asleep?"

He shook his head again.

"Where, then?"

"I don’t know where she is, just leave me alone, alright?!"

Reishi leaned over her breakfast, determined to avoid eye contact.

"Put your bowl in the sink when you’re done," Kojirou ordered. "I’m going to Miyamoto’s."

"You said we were all going to nana’s."

"Well you’re not, so shut up and eat your breakfast."

Reishi flinched at his tone, knowing there was no point in being aggressive in return this time. Kojirou slammed the front door shut so loudly Reishi dropped both her chopsticks.

She didn’t bother picking them up.

Kojirou banged on the door. "Let me in!" he shouted for the millionth time. Miyamoto timidly opened the door. She stared at him for some time before opening the door wide enough for him to enter.

"Musashi told me what happened," she said, stroking the Mew perched on her shoulder. "She doesn’t want to see you." The Mew squeaked approvingly.

"Look, I really need to speak to her, please tell me where she is." Miyamoto took Mew in her arms and petted it softly.

"I’ve been trapped in the mountains for years," She finally spoke. "Determined to catch Mew and bring it to my Boss." Mew purred. "This Mew brought me food and water and finally managed to rescue me by summoning an Articuno. I didn’t bring either of the rare Pokemon to my Boss, and I only have Mew now because it wanted to stay with me. Despite all I’ve been through I helped both my daughter and you have a second chance at life. And now you’ve thrown it all away." She swallowed. "I suggest you bring Reishi here as well."

"I’ve been looking after my daughter alone for two years!" Kojirou yelled. "I’ not here for your lectures, I’m here for Musashi!"

Miyamoto glared at him. "You’ve done neither yourself or Musashi or Reishi a favour. Musashi’s a sensitive soul. Twice you’ve broken her heart." She glanced upstairs. "Musashi’s father left us both and never came back. She knows the problems with love." Kojirou ignored her and ran up the stairs. Miyamoto didn’t try to stop him.

Kojirou stopped at a shut door on the upstairs landing.
"Musashi?"

"What are you doing here?" came the faint reply.

"Please let me in."

"I won’t and you know why."

Kojirou suddenly saw himself shouting at Reishi in his mind. He saw himself ignoring her when she needed him most. He saw Musashi being so sweet to him, and then Musashi trying to escape his grip. She’d wanted to be alone, but he had pinned her down, had kept her from leaving the room.

"You don’t know about it, do you?" her voice interrupted.

"Know about what?"

"You don’t… I should have told you, if I had you wouldn’t have done it…"

The door swung open. Kojirou walked in and closed it behind him.

"Sit down," Musashi directed.

"You were trying to make it up to me, that’s why you were holding me, right?"

Kojirou nodded.

"I would have liked you holding me close, but not after you’d shouted at me. Because all my ex-boyfriends… they all did the same. They called me a b***h often. But they also hurt me psychically, and when they saw how upset I was, they’d hang on to me, kiss me and tell me they didn’t mean it. Then the next day they’d pin me down and beat me up all over again. So when you shouted at me, I felt you were the same and was terrified you’d hit me. You hung on to me and I panicked. You kissed me instead and I was certain that you’d beat me up soon afterwards and it would be a never-ending cycle just like in my other relationships." Musashi sniffed. "I trusted you and I enjoyed being hugged by you and you only. But now I feel if you did it again I’d be terrified, even though a voice in the back of my head tells me I’m being stupid."

Kojirou pulled his fingers back- hurting himself was the whole idea.
"You’re not stupid."

"Just… leave me here, on my own. I don’t understand my feelings for you right now… just… just go."

Kojirou did as he was told, and left before Miyamoto could spot him.

Musashi stared at the ceiling. "Protect my daughter," she murmured.

"Musashi! Let me in, darling. It’s me."

"The door’s open."

Miyamoto stepped inside and sat on the edge on the bed. "Tell me exactly what’s bothering you, Musashi-chan. You’ll feel better, I promise."
Musashi gulped, screwing up the tissue she’d been holding since Kojirou left.
"I told Kojirou about my phobia, and he was the person that resurfaced it." Miyamoto placed a fresh tissue in Musashi’s palm.
"Can you tell me, then?"

Kojirou opened the front door to find Reishi still sitting at the kitchen table, beside her half-eaten breakfast.
"Reishi-chan? What are you doing? Oh- oh, don’t cry!" Kojirou went to place her on his lap and hug her, but after what Musashi had said he felt unable to do it, even though Reishi wasn’t Musashi.

Musashi screwed her tissue up again after she’s explained the same bitter memories to her mother.

"Musashi, I think this is a problem that will take time to get over if you do nothing about it. If you fall off a horse, get back on it."

"What do you mean?" Musashi asked, wiping her face with her wrists.

"I mean the quicker you face your fear, the quicker you’ll be cured. I think you should go back home to Kojirou. You have a daughter to take care of. You said yourself Kojirou understands."

"Mama!"  Reishi ran over to Musashi and hugged her round the waist. Musashi smiled nervously at Kojirou.

"My mother said the quicker I get over my fear the quicker I’ll be back to normal, but… I’d still prefer it if… if you could let me get other it in my own time."

"I’ll do anything for you," Kojirou replied as Musashi hugged her daughter back.

Riiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg…!

"Got it," Kojirou said softly as he picked up the phone. "Hello?"

Nyasu’s ecstatic face appeared on the screen. "Hi, Kojirou! Is Musashi and Reishi there?"

"They are."

"Great! I’ve got news for you three! Nyala’s expecting!"

"Expecting what?"

"Kittens, you fool, what else?! My kittens! I’m gonna be a father!"

"Congratulations."

"You don’t sound that thrilled… anyway, I gotta go, Ga-chan’s growling at me. Bad dog. You’re a very bad dog. Go away. Go a-AARRGGHHH!!!!"
The screen went blank.

Musashi had been watching Kojirou’s depressed expression throughout his conversation with Nyasu. "He is sorry," she thought. "I have to get over it for him more than for myself…"
"That’s great news," she said aloud. "I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll be back soon."

Reishi took her mother’s hand.
"Can I go with you, mama?"

"No, Reishi, I want to go alone this once."  Musashi walked down the most isolated lanes. She’d been walking for an hour or so (longer than she suspected Kojirou and Reishi would expect her to be back by) when she heard a piercing scream from a clump of trees.

Quickly, Musashi peered through them. The last person she’d expect to see was there, bruised and battered.

"Rumika!"

Musashi had never liked Rumika. But from what she could see, Rumika was hurt badly.

"What the hell’s going on here?!"

The man standing over Rumika turned around and fled. Rumika stood up slowly.
"Are you alright?"

Rumika sweeped her hands across her stained clothes and wiped the blood from her face with little disgust. "I’m fine," she mumbled. "I’m used to him doing that.

Musashi pointed at Rumika’s main wounds. "That guy did this to you? But why?"

Rumika shrugged. "I say the wrong things, I guess."

"He’s an abuser!" Musashi cried out. "Why did you want to have him as your boyfriend?" She’d answered her own question. Just like her, Rumika had obviously been desperate for love.
"I love him," Rumika finally said, confirming Musashi’s theory.
"No you don’t. Not if he treats you so badly. Look, Rumika, you’re a pretty girl. You have my face…" She coughed, knowing she could only admit another woman was good-looking for that reason. "If you just went out to respectable places, you could find someone caring who loves you the way you are. I promise. Now let’s get you cleaned up."

"How are you feeling?" Musashi asked.

Rumika was sat on a hospital bed in an empty room.

"They say you can go now," she continued. "I should have been back ages ago, what with Kojirou feeling like he does…"
Rumika’s head bobbed up.
"Like what?"

Musashi had already helped someone she didn’t like. Now she wanted to admit all her troubles to her as well…
"You can’t give him up that easily, Kojirou’s a lovely caring man. You’re so lucky he loves you so much."

By the time Musashi got home, Reishi and Kojirou were asleep. Musashi crept into bed and couldn’t resist giving Kojirou a prod.
"Kojirou?"
He didn’t wake up.
"Kojirou!"
Kojirou turned round.
"You shouldn’t really be in bed with me, Musashi. You need time to get over this and I don’t think you’re ready."
Musashi kissed him lightly on the forehead.
"Kiss me back," she said teasingly.
Although astonished Kojirou obediently kissed her on the forehead in return.
"Properly," Musashi said.
Rriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!
"Damn it!" Musashi cursed. "Hello?"
"Musashi, I’m gonna-be-a-dad, I’m-gonna-be-a-dad!"
Musashi nodded throughout Nyasu’s outburst.
"Yes, I know."
"No, I mean now!"
"You only just told us about your girlfriend’s pregnancy a few hours ago!"
"Yeah, but we found out a little late…"
"Alright, we’re coming…" Musashi put the phone down. "KOJIROU!"

Reishi held the Nyasu kitten high in the air.
"They’re really cute!" she complimented.
Kojirou and Musashi stroked the remaining four kittens lying in the basket beside their mother.
"Nyasu, I never did ask," Kojirou said. "What happened with you and Ga-chan?
"You mean this?" Nyasu said turning around. His tail looked very chewed up and most of his fur was missing. Nearly everyone winced, including Nyala, but one of the kittens snuggled in beside her stared at its father’s sore tail and opened its mouth.
"Baldy dada!"

Comments? Flames? Email your opinion to me at Rumika8@hotmail.com