Chapter Text
The drizzling, charcoal sky didn't match the mens' moods at all. The faint pitter patter and the frequent thunder in the distance didn't dampen their spirits. In fact, they felt the exact opposite.
Kiyotaka Ishimaru lent slightly off the side of the massive boat, Shine On, ready to offload its passengers at any second. The huge boat, a shade of brilliant navy blue, had just docked into the city of San Francisco, and he could see and hear the cheering people on solid ground, waiting for their loved ones to return to them. The ship's horn blew suddenly, and with a smile, he realized that they would be offloading. Shouts of "Good luck, soldier!" and "We did it!" echoed throughout the deck, as he grabbed his suitcase and stepped into the growing line of soldiers, already unlading.
Once more, he looked over the side, watching as a soldier ran towards a lady holding a pale pink umbrella. The soldier's cap flew off, revealing bright red hair, as he spun around the girl, who had dropped her umbrella in the process. Her long, dark blue hair was already soaked from the rainfall, but she didn't seem to mind in the slightest. Ishimaru stopped himself from shouting, "Public displays of affection are not condone!" to the couple at the last moment, and instead turned his head away in privacy as the two shared an overdue kiss.
Suddenly, a voice spoke up behind him. "When's the last time you saw her?" Ishimaru looked behind him and found himself facing one of his comrades, a man by the name of Makoto Naegi. He was a fellow who was almost a head shorter than himself, but what he lacked in height he made up for in brains. While his washed out hazel eyes weren't common, the aspect that made him unique was his hair, which included a certain piece that always stuck out from the rest, no matter how hard he tried to comb it down.
Straightening up, Ishimaru belted out his answer, so that he could be heard above the roar of commotion, coming from both the boat and below it. "Our wedding day! Four years ago!" He answered.
A knowing smile appeared on Naegi's face. "Let me guess." He paused for a moment as they began descending the steps from the humungous ship, then continued, "Met her on Friday, married her on Sunday, then shipped out on Monday?"
Ishimaru nodded and rearranged his hat upon his head. "That's about right."
His companion laughed lightly, and nodded as well. "Me too! I bet we don't even recognize them," he added, in a slightly somber tone.
"I would recognize her anywhere," Ishimaru replied, getting a better hold on his luggage. A picture of his wife popped into his brain, and he smiled to himself. Her dainty, almost doll-like face, her jet-black hair, her scarlet eyes-
A roar of thunder brought him back to reality, and with a start, realized that he was now on solid ground. He must've obliviously reached his destination while thinking of her. Once again he straightened his posture, trying to look above the crowd of people for her.
Naegi slipped passed him and with an almost shy wave, walked over to a woman with long lavender hair, holding a black umbrella with gloved hands. Her calm complexion never changed as Naegi made his way to her side, dropped his suitcase and held her left hand in between his own. They exchanged words which Ishimaru couldn't interpret, and after taking back his luggage, they hooked arms, and vacated, with the lady's umbrella covering them both. Before they disappeared from view, Naegi turned around to the stiff soldier and waved, with an exultant expression upon his face. With that, the couple continued walking into the foggy distance.
Ishimaru smiled to himself, and craned his neck, in hopes of catching a glimpse of his own sweetheart. He could already feel parts of his white uniform uncomfortably sticking to his shoulders because of the heavy downfall of rain and rearranged his cap upon his head in nervousness. What if she didn't recognize him? It had been over four years since they had last seen each other. He shook his head once, as if to omit the preposterous thought.
Sooner or later, each of the couples and families around him gathered their belongings and began walking to parked cars or passing cabs, while Ishimaru continued searching in bewilderment and desperation. Hadn't he told her in his letters that he would be arriving today? Suddenly realizing that he was the only person left in the station, Ishimaru sighed softly. How he wished he had brought an umbrella with him.
.
.
.
"Thank you very much, sir!" Ishimaru announced as the mustard yellow cab came to a complete stop, watching the mini crystal ball, which hung from the rear view mirror, swing softly. Wanting to get out of the car (which had a pungent smell of alcohol and cheeseburgers) as soon as possible, he handed the afro-sporting cabbie the correct amount of payment, picked up his suitcase, and opened the car door.
"Hey, no worries, man!" the driver turned around in his seat, and Ishimaru realized that the cabbie's hairstyle was even more extravagant from the front. His thin, expresso colored eyes were wide in cheeriness, and had a slight amount of facial hair. Grabbing the cash out of Ishimaru's hand, he continued, "Anything for a soldier!"
Nodding quickly, Ishimaru fully exited the car, and shut the door. The rain had stopped for the moment, but the San Francisco sky was still a dull, smoky color. As the car behind him sped off, he gazed up at the building he had been dropped off at. It was two stories tall, and was a light blue color that bordered a soft gray. Beautiful arches decorated the premises, along with tiny, intricate designs carved into the sides and anterior. Lavish windows dotted the front, most of which were covered with curtains to block out the dark sky. It was just as Ishimaru had remembered it four years ago when they had picked it out.
A determined, bright expression appeared on the soldier's face and he confidently stepped through the apartment's door, and bounded up the stairs two at a time. His hands fished around in the pockets of his white uniform for his keys, as his feet took him straight to the door he was looking for - Room 204. Finally finding his keys, he swiftly pulled them from his pocket, and went to unlock the door.
Suddenly a sense of nervousness washed over him, and his hand froze in midair. What if she had moved while he was away? Had she forgotten about him? Did she still have feelings for him? Questions bombarded him, and to calm himself, he glanced down at his wristwatch, which was fastened around his left hand. Using his right hand, he carefully pressed a tiny button on the side, which succeeded in opening the watch, to reveal a tiny photograph, secured in a locket.
Inky hair framed breathtaking ruby eyes which stared into his own. The woman's mouth was curved into a seductive smile, and was partly hid by her slim, pale fingers.
"Celes…" he whispered breathlessly.
After a couple seconds more of taking in the beautiful sight, he snapped the watch shut, and before he could stop himself, he thrust his keys into the lock and turned. A soft click was heard, and he opened the door without a word, looking around the room which hadn't much changed. The picture frames that had been hastily hung up upon the tan wall were still hanging, and the leather couch down the hall was still in the exact position that Ishimaru had pushed it in so long ago. Closing the door soundlessly, he wandered into the dining room to the left, and discovered that the elegant cherry table was still there as well, and that someone was sitting at it, with their back turned to him. They were clad in a simple white blouse, and a black skirt, which was lined with delicate white lace, while their raven hair was pinned in the back of their head. A fan of deck cards was spread in front of them, and the person seemed to be humming to themselves while leisurely tapping their fingers upon the wood.
"Celes?" he asked aloud after a moment, breaking the noise.
The woman's head whipped around so rapidly that she accidentally knocked half of the card deck onto to the floor. A few pieces of hair framed her pale, dainty face, and her red eyes were wide in surprise. Her mouth fell slightly open the second she discovered Ishimaru standing in the doorway. "Taka…?" she wondered aloud in amazement, and slowly set down her cards. Hurriedly, she rose to her feet, smiled euphorically, and abruptly began running towards him. "Taka!"
Ishimaru barely had time to set down his suitcase and take off his cap before he found himself embracing Celes, who wrapped her thin arms around his neck and laughed joyously. He smiled widely as his arms securely encircled her waist while she buried her head into his neck, pressing rushed, firm kisses there. Ishimaru pulled back a tad, so that he could press chaste kisses to her thin lips. After a couple of moments, they pulled back and held each other tightly in their arms.
Getting his breath back, Ishimaru voiced his confusion. "When I didn't see you on the dock-"
"I didn't know you were coming today!" she responded while running her fingers through his short locks.
"Did you not receive my letters?" he asked after a moment in bewilderment.
"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, then pulled back while sliding her hands to rest upon his shoulders. "Oh Ishi, I tried to read them, I did…" she paused, then continued, "but after the first few I couldn't bear to hear about all that fighting, and the killing-"
"I wrote to you almost daily," Ishimaru interrupted her, his brows furrowing in incredulity as he tilted his head.
Her signature, calm smile appeared on her face. "I know. And I kept all of them." She tugged on his hand and led him through the small apartment into their living room to a medium sized chest, opening it quickly. "Look!"
Countless, unopened letters met his eyes, all stacked together in separate packages. Daintily, Celes held up a bundle for Ishimaru's inspection.
"See?"
Speechless, Ishimaru glanced down at the letters, then up to Celes. Then back to the letters.
"Oh, Ishimaru," she spoke softly, "even the thought of you in all that danger…" she shook her head as if to clear it, and placed a hand upon her chest. "It was just too much. I knew that if I got them, you were still alive." She paused, smiling sweetly as she gently placed the pile of letters back into the chest and closed it. "That's all I cared about…that you were alive…safe. That's all that was important to me." Standing to her full height, she draped her slim arms around his shoulders. "Can you forgive me?"
Thinking it over, Ishimaru nodded once. "Of course."
A playful smile appeared on her lips. "I wrote to you. You got those, yes?"
"I received a few while I was away," he acknowledged truthfully.
Her lighthearted expression turned a one eighty as her eyes thinned and lips grew taunt. "I told you I wasn't a big writer." An awkward silence befell them both.
Changing the subject, Celes walked gracefully to the kitchen table. "I've been learning how to perfect my poker techniques, although there isn't much room for improvement." She simpered, looking pleased with herself as she began to gather the fallen deck cards. Ishimaru immediately joined to help her.
Collecting all of them, she pocketed the cards and went to sit upon the couch. "That reminds me, you've been away; out of touch. The word is that there's a new serial killer on the streets, a 'Genocider Syo.' Pretty exciting, am I correct?" Ishimaru opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off. "Oh, and I went to make sure Mr. Togami held your job like he promised. He said you could start the day you got back." Ishimaru joined her on the couch, making sure to sit up straight. "Just make sure to wear your uniform. Who can resist a war hero?" she smirked at him, slyly. "Of course, I um…negotiated a raise," she added, bringing a lean shoulder forward in a suggestive manner.
"Celes, I…" Ishimaru finally spoke. "I don't fancy going back to…selling chocolate," he protested, inwardly cringing.
Her eyes grew wide and she turned to face him head on. "You've got something better."
"I'm…confident I do. However, in the war, I had time to think about what was important, about what I want out of life, for me, for us." His hand found its way to Celes' hand, which sat upon a cushion. "I wrote you about this in the letters."
Her hand was torn from underneath his and she hastily stood up and paced around the room. "Are we back to those old letters again?" Her voice rose an octave, and now had a dangerous edge to it. She threw her hands up in expiration. "You want me to read the letters?"
He stood up as well and held out his hands in a pacifying manner. "No! It's only that you'd understand what I'm feeling…what I desire," he answered in a soft tone, to calm her down.
Apparently it worked, for her eyes softened and she stopped pacing. "Sweetie…" she crooned and made her way towards him. She lightly laid her hands upon his shoulders, before they slid down to his collar, and unfastened the top button. "Tell me what you want."
Her seductive eyes met his and Ishimaru was instantly dumbstruck. "I thought…some time-"
"Time's money." Celes answered for him quickly, and pulled off his coat, a bit too harshly. She began unbuttoning his collared shirt underneath and tugged that off too as Ishimaru's hands skimmed down her back, still mute. "I want things, Taka. My whole life I've been without…" Laughing in the back of her throat, her soft hands curled around the back of his neck, drawing him closer. "I want things. Do you want…things?" she ended eagerly as her lips met his.
.
.
.
"And you'll wear your uniform, won't you?" Celes asked breathlessly.
"My uniform?" Ishimaru mumbled against her pale neck, as he placed multiple fervent kisses there. His hands were wrapped around her waist, while her lacy blouse lightly tickled his stomach.
"To sell chocolates…" she reminded him as she ran a hand through his short, spiky hair. "Millions and millions of them. Won't you?" She tugged his head back to stare up at him into his scarlet eyes.
Not really knowing what else to say, he responded, "Yes."