Solace
Title: Solace
Fandom: Bloody Monday (TV); Minami Kaoru
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,375
Notes: Written for seshat_maat for Parallels Fic Exchange 2011.
The events of Bloody Monday left Minami Kaoru buzzing. J was still on the loose and now he was armed with nuclear devices. The only resolution that eased their minds at Third-i was that Anzai Mako, "K," and the terrorist organization were no longer in business.
A temporary director was assigned to THIRD-i and she had a feeling that he was just the next highest ranking person in the vicinity willing to take on the department. Director Sonoma went on to retire, stating something about too much adventure for his old age. Minami, herself, was offered a transfer to a much quieter sector as a reward for her hard work, almost as if flaunting 'paid vacation' in front of her, but she couldn’t accept it. Instead, she packed up her bags with the bare essentials and left for wherever the road would take her.
The road seemed to stretch on for days, bus routes that took her to places she had never heard of. One night, she stayed over in Gifu, where droves of people were attending an all-night dance festival. From her little hostel room she could see the people moving together, a seamless rhythm of minds and hearts. She didn’t mind the music that thrummed through her walls until the early morning; she knew she could sleep on the bus. The next day, she ended up in the Tonomine Highlands, where gold sheaves of wheat could be seen across miles of roads. Though she knew it was mostly dried grass and weeds, she admired the quiet beauty of the scenery. With no distraction from technology, no cellphones, no music, she enjoyed as she watched the landscape sway with the whoosh of the wind. And then suddenly, she found herself standing with her toes in wet sand, with only the force of the Pacific Ocean to stop her from going on. There was no place left to go.
---
“The bus from Kirishima to Oita is now boarding,” the announcer said from the ticket booth.
She vaguely recalled hearing the name from the news, something about active volcanoes, but also wondered if it had anything to do with her fondness for a man with the same name. Briefly, she wondered how he was doing.
“Miss, you’ll miss the bus if you don’t hurry” The conductor said, hands outstretched for the ticket in her hand.
She looked up to face him and said, “I just remembered I have to do something, sorry to keep you waiting. I won’t be taking the bus today.
She grabbed her bags and walked down the street, seeing the buildings for the first time. Some appeared as if they were made decades ago, while some appeared to have more life in them yet. There was a small store further down, and Minami wondered if she'd be able to find lodging nearby. As she walked in, an old woman cheerily greeted her, "Welcome!"
Minami bowed slightly and said, “I would like to stay here for a little while. Do you happen to know where I can find information for renting?"
The old woman nodded, still smiling. "Wait a moment please and I'll get you the person."
"Oh, there's no need to go that trouble. If you'd just give me a phone number or point me in the right direction, I can walk there."
The woman attempted to get up and Minami rushed to her side. "Ah, thank you, dear. We don't have any reliable phones here, but you see, it's just my husband. I just need to go get him."
She disappeared in the back of the store and Minami couldn't help but laugh to herself. There was just something different about quaint little towns.
"Good afternoon, young lady! The name’s Kurosawa, what can I do for you?" An old man with a booming voice emerged from the back.
Again, she bowed and quietly answered, “Nice to meet you, my name is Minami Kaoru. Kurosawa-san, I need a place to stay for a little bit. I'm not sure for how long, but if you have any places, I can pay as much as--"
"Not to worry, we've got a place for you."
"That is great, thank you so much."
"The place is a little up the road, and it hasn't been used in a long time -you see, not a lot of visitors down this way- but we've got a lot of experienced old timers here that would be more than happy to help you with any repairs."
Minami smiled for the first time since entering the store. Mrs. Kurosawa, who had been gathering some paper work behind the counter, perked up and said, "Look at that smile, brightens up the place." She handed the papers over to her and patted her gently on the arm. "Welcome to Kirishima. Let me show you over, come on."
---
Her 'new' place was only metaphorical. The house was made of wood and on the outside, it appeared like it had survived many storms, chipped in more than one place. On the inside there were traditional tatami floors and sliding doors. The structure was solid and the only thing indicating its lack of use was the thick layer of dust and cobwebs in all the rooms. It was beyond her usual lifestyle, without the comfortable amenities of electricity, but she felt it was quite peaceful.
“The mountains on Kirishima range like to get angry and blow some steam sometimes, so a lot of ash and dust comes down our way. Harmless, though, really,” Mr. Kurosawa stated.
His wife laughed. “What he means is that they are active volcanoes, but nothing to worry about, dear.”
Minami nodded and smiled faintly.
---
The first night she settled down, she had nightmares. Just flashes of burning homes, bombs going off in every direction and even though she tried warning people, nobody would listen. It brought her mind so harshly back to the Bloody Monday incident. She wanted so badly to be rid of that feeling, the uncertainty of the future. She wanted to be able to take matters into her own hands, to settle it once and for all. The thought of J still existing somewhere was enough to put her on edge. She didn’t understand why the terrorists affected her so deeply. Perhaps it was because J’s face was far too kind, and it made her question the true cruelty lying beneath the masks people wore.
So many people died, and for what? As much as she was committed to fighting for her country and to justice, she wondered what kind of justice Fujimaru, Haruka, and Otoya received. They suffered through more than anyone should and she feared things were only going to get worse. Falcon was a renown hacker, and though she once told him he should use his skills for the greater good, it wasn’t fair for him and his family and friends to suffer the consequences of that gift.
A knock on the door stirred her from her reverie in bed. She put a jacket on and walked to the front door. It was Mrs. Kurosawa.
“Good morning, I thought you might not be quite settled in, so I made you breakfast.” In her hands was a quaint tray with a bowl of rice, miso soup, and a side dish of fish and eggs.
“Thank you, you really didn’t have to do that, I was just about to make some tea. Would you like to come in?”
“Gladly, if you don’t mind the company of an old lady,” she smiled cheekily.
Soon, they were both enjoying the warmth of the tea and soup. At first, they chatted about the weather, and the history and traditions of Kirishima, and the conversation flowed like they had known each other for some time.
“What are your plans for today?”
“I think I’m going to explore, get to know the town,” Minami said between bites. “This is delicious. Thank you, again.”
Mrs. Kurosawa smiled, “It’s my pleasure. Whenever you get the chance, I think the mountains of Kirishima might interest you. You seem like the daring type.”
Minami took a sip of the soup and grinned in response. “I might just do that. I have a colleague, a friend, named Kirishima, and I think he’d like if I did that.”
There was a gleam in the old lady’s eyes, as if she knew something and wasn’t going to say. Minami chose not to ask and continued eating. The images from her dream were still weighing heavily on her mind and she wondered if she could talk it out with someone wiser. The older woman took a sip of her tea and smiled gently, nodding as if telling her to go on.
“Mrs. Kurosawa, have you ever met someone who thought that, in order to create something beautiful, they had to destroy the original piece?”
She pondered the question for a moment, looking down into her cup. “There are three types of people in this world. Those who want to change the world, those who want to save it, and those who do both. There’s a fine line between each one, subtle, but each will argue what is best.”
Minami didn’t know what to say, merely looking into the old woman’s eyes. Did she see the sadness in confusion in her own? She couldn’t tell, but her words left her mind reeling.
---
For the next few weeks, she started trekking up the hills by the mountains, building her body’s tolerance to the steep and rocky climb. She was already well-trained, but even nature had a way of taking the breath out of her.
One day, she decided she was ready to take on the mountain. She was getting restless, like she wasn’t moving forward, and it was now or never. No matter how much she trained or practiced going through the terrain, taking on the challenge of the mountain itself was going to be an experience all its own.
The path up the mountain had already been paved by many climbers before her, but it was quiet with only her footsteps the day she chose to go. With confident strides, she managed to reach the first checkpoint within two hours. It wasn’t a hard trek, much easier than she had expected, but the real challenge was ahead of her. Soon, she realized she lacked some tools to maneuver around patches where there was no path. It seemed like forever, but as the sun was about to set, she reached what appeared to be the final checkpoint.
With a heave, pulling her entire body onto the ledge, she reached the top. Mist still covered much of her surroundings, permeating through the forest below, and she thought she could spot her little village somewhere beneath it all. She looked across the grand scenery and took a deep breath of crisp, fresh air. She sat down and took out her water bottle and sat there in silence for some time.
And as she sat with her thoughts, she felt something surging within her. All her thoughts came crashing into her mind, the images of Fujimaru and Haruka, images of Kirishima as he struggled to make decisions, the faces of J and K, ticking bombs, blood everywhere-
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” She stood up and yelled out into the open space. It was probably the loudest sound the area had heard in a long time. A wake up call.
With everything she had been holding in for the past couple of months released, she felt empty, but also waiting to be filled. Filled with what, she wondered?
She took a few more moments to herself, grateful that no one else would trespass into her reverie, and took out her camera. This was the closest thing to modern technology she had taken with her and snapped this shot. She tucked it back into her backpack and started to make her tent to stay over the night.
---
"It's time for you to leave," Mrs. Kurosawa stated one day, not in a hurtful tone, but what Minami knew was the thing that had bothered her for the past week.
Minami looked over at the old woman thoughtfully. “How is it that you know me so well when I’ve only been here a few weeks?”
The woman smiled at her and said, “I have seen many people pass by here. Some stay, but usually they go. This is a place of transition, even in the far regions of Japan, we see a wave of movement every now and again. Those people, they are searching for something just as you are. I don’t have to know the details of their situation to know how they feel.”
There was silence for a moment as she got up from her spot behind the counter. “I came here thinking I could get away from the troubles of the city. It’s not that I discovered a way to escape it, but found a new perspective, a different pace.”
"I still haven't figured out what you meant about the three types of people," Minami said, looking down.
"Kaoru-chan," she said as she touched her arm gently, "Sometimes I remember what it means, and sometimes, I wonder if it matters. We are only who we choose to be and do."
Minami gave her a hug and held her closely.
"There might come a time when you'll need to return here. You'll always be welcome."
“Thank you so much, for everything. I’ve been in your care.” She bowed quietly as a farewell. She sensed it was time to prepare for her next battle, one that she vowed to do a long time ago. She needed this journey down the many roads in order to find her way back to the world she knew. She was never lost, merely searching for a better direction.
Finally, she returned to Tokyo, back to the mad pace of salary men and young teens uncertain about their future. It had been a while since she had to deal with trains and cellphones and it took some time to readjust.
But then one day, Kano-san was standing in front of her, serving her papers for duty, and she knew it was time again. She was ready.
Fandom: Bloody Monday (TV); Minami Kaoru
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,375
Notes: Written for seshat_maat for Parallels Fic Exchange 2011.
The events of Bloody Monday left Minami Kaoru buzzing. J was still on the loose and now he was armed with nuclear devices. The only resolution that eased their minds at Third-i was that Anzai Mako, "K," and the terrorist organization were no longer in business.
A temporary director was assigned to THIRD-i and she had a feeling that he was just the next highest ranking person in the vicinity willing to take on the department. Director Sonoma went on to retire, stating something about too much adventure for his old age. Minami, herself, was offered a transfer to a much quieter sector as a reward for her hard work, almost as if flaunting 'paid vacation' in front of her, but she couldn’t accept it. Instead, she packed up her bags with the bare essentials and left for wherever the road would take her.
The road seemed to stretch on for days, bus routes that took her to places she had never heard of. One night, she stayed over in Gifu, where droves of people were attending an all-night dance festival. From her little hostel room she could see the people moving together, a seamless rhythm of minds and hearts. She didn’t mind the music that thrummed through her walls until the early morning; she knew she could sleep on the bus. The next day, she ended up in the Tonomine Highlands, where gold sheaves of wheat could be seen across miles of roads. Though she knew it was mostly dried grass and weeds, she admired the quiet beauty of the scenery. With no distraction from technology, no cellphones, no music, she enjoyed as she watched the landscape sway with the whoosh of the wind. And then suddenly, she found herself standing with her toes in wet sand, with only the force of the Pacific Ocean to stop her from going on. There was no place left to go.
---
“The bus from Kirishima to Oita is now boarding,” the announcer said from the ticket booth.
She vaguely recalled hearing the name from the news, something about active volcanoes, but also wondered if it had anything to do with her fondness for a man with the same name. Briefly, she wondered how he was doing.
“Miss, you’ll miss the bus if you don’t hurry” The conductor said, hands outstretched for the ticket in her hand.
She looked up to face him and said, “I just remembered I have to do something, sorry to keep you waiting. I won’t be taking the bus today.
She grabbed her bags and walked down the street, seeing the buildings for the first time. Some appeared as if they were made decades ago, while some appeared to have more life in them yet. There was a small store further down, and Minami wondered if she'd be able to find lodging nearby. As she walked in, an old woman cheerily greeted her, "Welcome!"
Minami bowed slightly and said, “I would like to stay here for a little while. Do you happen to know where I can find information for renting?"
The old woman nodded, still smiling. "Wait a moment please and I'll get you the person."
"Oh, there's no need to go that trouble. If you'd just give me a phone number or point me in the right direction, I can walk there."
The woman attempted to get up and Minami rushed to her side. "Ah, thank you, dear. We don't have any reliable phones here, but you see, it's just my husband. I just need to go get him."
She disappeared in the back of the store and Minami couldn't help but laugh to herself. There was just something different about quaint little towns.
"Good afternoon, young lady! The name’s Kurosawa, what can I do for you?" An old man with a booming voice emerged from the back.
Again, she bowed and quietly answered, “Nice to meet you, my name is Minami Kaoru. Kurosawa-san, I need a place to stay for a little bit. I'm not sure for how long, but if you have any places, I can pay as much as--"
"Not to worry, we've got a place for you."
"That is great, thank you so much."
"The place is a little up the road, and it hasn't been used in a long time -you see, not a lot of visitors down this way- but we've got a lot of experienced old timers here that would be more than happy to help you with any repairs."
Minami smiled for the first time since entering the store. Mrs. Kurosawa, who had been gathering some paper work behind the counter, perked up and said, "Look at that smile, brightens up the place." She handed the papers over to her and patted her gently on the arm. "Welcome to Kirishima. Let me show you over, come on."
---
Her 'new' place was only metaphorical. The house was made of wood and on the outside, it appeared like it had survived many storms, chipped in more than one place. On the inside there were traditional tatami floors and sliding doors. The structure was solid and the only thing indicating its lack of use was the thick layer of dust and cobwebs in all the rooms. It was beyond her usual lifestyle, without the comfortable amenities of electricity, but she felt it was quite peaceful.
“The mountains on Kirishima range like to get angry and blow some steam sometimes, so a lot of ash and dust comes down our way. Harmless, though, really,” Mr. Kurosawa stated.
His wife laughed. “What he means is that they are active volcanoes, but nothing to worry about, dear.”
Minami nodded and smiled faintly.
---
The first night she settled down, she had nightmares. Just flashes of burning homes, bombs going off in every direction and even though she tried warning people, nobody would listen. It brought her mind so harshly back to the Bloody Monday incident. She wanted so badly to be rid of that feeling, the uncertainty of the future. She wanted to be able to take matters into her own hands, to settle it once and for all. The thought of J still existing somewhere was enough to put her on edge. She didn’t understand why the terrorists affected her so deeply. Perhaps it was because J’s face was far too kind, and it made her question the true cruelty lying beneath the masks people wore.
So many people died, and for what? As much as she was committed to fighting for her country and to justice, she wondered what kind of justice Fujimaru, Haruka, and Otoya received. They suffered through more than anyone should and she feared things were only going to get worse. Falcon was a renown hacker, and though she once told him he should use his skills for the greater good, it wasn’t fair for him and his family and friends to suffer the consequences of that gift.
A knock on the door stirred her from her reverie in bed. She put a jacket on and walked to the front door. It was Mrs. Kurosawa.
“Good morning, I thought you might not be quite settled in, so I made you breakfast.” In her hands was a quaint tray with a bowl of rice, miso soup, and a side dish of fish and eggs.
“Thank you, you really didn’t have to do that, I was just about to make some tea. Would you like to come in?”
“Gladly, if you don’t mind the company of an old lady,” she smiled cheekily.
Soon, they were both enjoying the warmth of the tea and soup. At first, they chatted about the weather, and the history and traditions of Kirishima, and the conversation flowed like they had known each other for some time.
“What are your plans for today?”
“I think I’m going to explore, get to know the town,” Minami said between bites. “This is delicious. Thank you, again.”
Mrs. Kurosawa smiled, “It’s my pleasure. Whenever you get the chance, I think the mountains of Kirishima might interest you. You seem like the daring type.”
Minami took a sip of the soup and grinned in response. “I might just do that. I have a colleague, a friend, named Kirishima, and I think he’d like if I did that.”
There was a gleam in the old lady’s eyes, as if she knew something and wasn’t going to say. Minami chose not to ask and continued eating. The images from her dream were still weighing heavily on her mind and she wondered if she could talk it out with someone wiser. The older woman took a sip of her tea and smiled gently, nodding as if telling her to go on.
“Mrs. Kurosawa, have you ever met someone who thought that, in order to create something beautiful, they had to destroy the original piece?”
She pondered the question for a moment, looking down into her cup. “There are three types of people in this world. Those who want to change the world, those who want to save it, and those who do both. There’s a fine line between each one, subtle, but each will argue what is best.”
Minami didn’t know what to say, merely looking into the old woman’s eyes. Did she see the sadness in confusion in her own? She couldn’t tell, but her words left her mind reeling.
---
For the next few weeks, she started trekking up the hills by the mountains, building her body’s tolerance to the steep and rocky climb. She was already well-trained, but even nature had a way of taking the breath out of her.
One day, she decided she was ready to take on the mountain. She was getting restless, like she wasn’t moving forward, and it was now or never. No matter how much she trained or practiced going through the terrain, taking on the challenge of the mountain itself was going to be an experience all its own.
The path up the mountain had already been paved by many climbers before her, but it was quiet with only her footsteps the day she chose to go. With confident strides, she managed to reach the first checkpoint within two hours. It wasn’t a hard trek, much easier than she had expected, but the real challenge was ahead of her. Soon, she realized she lacked some tools to maneuver around patches where there was no path. It seemed like forever, but as the sun was about to set, she reached what appeared to be the final checkpoint.
With a heave, pulling her entire body onto the ledge, she reached the top. Mist still covered much of her surroundings, permeating through the forest below, and she thought she could spot her little village somewhere beneath it all. She looked across the grand scenery and took a deep breath of crisp, fresh air. She sat down and took out her water bottle and sat there in silence for some time.
And as she sat with her thoughts, she felt something surging within her. All her thoughts came crashing into her mind, the images of Fujimaru and Haruka, images of Kirishima as he struggled to make decisions, the faces of J and K, ticking bombs, blood everywhere-
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” She stood up and yelled out into the open space. It was probably the loudest sound the area had heard in a long time. A wake up call.
With everything she had been holding in for the past couple of months released, she felt empty, but also waiting to be filled. Filled with what, she wondered?
She took a few more moments to herself, grateful that no one else would trespass into her reverie, and took out her camera. This was the closest thing to modern technology she had taken with her and snapped this shot. She tucked it back into her backpack and started to make her tent to stay over the night.
---
"It's time for you to leave," Mrs. Kurosawa stated one day, not in a hurtful tone, but what Minami knew was the thing that had bothered her for the past week.
Minami looked over at the old woman thoughtfully. “How is it that you know me so well when I’ve only been here a few weeks?”
The woman smiled at her and said, “I have seen many people pass by here. Some stay, but usually they go. This is a place of transition, even in the far regions of Japan, we see a wave of movement every now and again. Those people, they are searching for something just as you are. I don’t have to know the details of their situation to know how they feel.”
There was silence for a moment as she got up from her spot behind the counter. “I came here thinking I could get away from the troubles of the city. It’s not that I discovered a way to escape it, but found a new perspective, a different pace.”
"I still haven't figured out what you meant about the three types of people," Minami said, looking down.
"Kaoru-chan," she said as she touched her arm gently, "Sometimes I remember what it means, and sometimes, I wonder if it matters. We are only who we choose to be and do."
Minami gave her a hug and held her closely.
"There might come a time when you'll need to return here. You'll always be welcome."
“Thank you so much, for everything. I’ve been in your care.” She bowed quietly as a farewell. She sensed it was time to prepare for her next battle, one that she vowed to do a long time ago. She needed this journey down the many roads in order to find her way back to the world she knew. She was never lost, merely searching for a better direction.
Finally, she returned to Tokyo, back to the mad pace of salary men and young teens uncertain about their future. It had been a while since she had to deal with trains and cellphones and it took some time to readjust.
But then one day, Kano-san was standing in front of her, serving her papers for duty, and she knew it was time again. She was ready.