Just in case it's hard to figure out, this epilogue takes place 5 years after last chapter, so 10 years after the concours.
It is songfic style, so song lyrics will be in bold. The song is "At the Beginning" from the motion picture Anastasia. Fitting, isn't it, considering the title of this story? Here's a video: youtube…com/watch?v=jjDEWuYGmwc.
Enjoy!
~ May 27, 2017 ~
Soft organ music lilted through the church as the sunlight filtered through the stained glass at the front. Everyone stood and turned as the doors in the back slowly began to open.
"Are you ready?" Mr. Fuyuumi asked his daughter who was nervously clutching his arm.
We were strangers, starting out on a journey
Looking down the aisle at her beloved who was standing near the front of the small church, she let out a deep breath and nodded. With that, they began their walk.
Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through
As they approached the front, Shouko was reminded of that Valentine's Day long ago for some reason. As her eyes met Keiichi's, her face broke out into a smile. Who knew it would be like this?
Now here we are, and I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you
Keiichi smiled lovingly at the girl next to him. His bride was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.
~ August 30, 2017 ~
Ryoutaro played piano as his wife rocked in a chair next to him, crocheting.
No one told me I was going to find you
When he started their song, Manami paused her work, simply appreciating the flowing melody of La Campanella as it filled the room like the soothing patter of the rain.
Unexpected, what you did to my heart
When I lost hope, you were there to remind me
Finishing the song, he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead, laying a hand gently on her stomach.
This is the start
They both exclaimed in excitement when they felt the new life in her kick for the first time.
And life is a road and I wanna keep going
"Only five more months," Manami murmured, as she laid her small hand over her husband's. Looking up into his eyes, she asked, "Will you be back from your concert tour in time?"
Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing
With a reassuring smile, he kissed her deeply.
Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey
Smiling down at the bump and rubbing it affectionately, he stated, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
~ May 27, 2017 ~
With Keiichi's last vow, he slipped Shouko's ring onto her finger.
I'll be there when the world stops turning
With Shouko's last vow, she slipped Keiichi's ring onto his finger.
I'll be there when the storm is through
Gazing happily into each other's eyes, they felt the rings settle on their fingers, a promise of eternity.
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you
With a nod, the priest smiled at the couple. "You may kiss your bride."
~ September 7, 2017 ~
Azuma briskly walked out of his board meeting and into the elevator. When he walked out of the building, a limousine pulled up in front of him.
We were strangers on a crazy adventure
He kissed his wife affectionately and settled down next to their five-year-old son, giving him a quick peck on the top of his head.
Never dreaming, how our dreams would come true
"Are you ready?" he asked the boy as they stood in front of Seiso Academy's elementary school.
Now here we stand, unafraid of the future
Shouta nodded resolutely, giving his father's hand a squeeze.
At the beginning with you
The three of them walked toward the building hand-in-hand for his first day of school.
And life is a road and I wanna keep going
Both parents beamed with pride as their son introduced himself in front of his classmates. He didn't seem nervous in the least.
Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing
When Shouta played an excerpt of Salut d'Amour before the class, Sumire teared up slightly. Her baby was growing up so fast.
Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey
When it was time to leave, they walked out hand-in-hand, leaving their son happily singing along with the rest his classmates.
~ October 21, 2017 ~
I'll be there when the world stops turning
Len gently tugged Megumi through a door in the back of the Viennese church where the concert had just finished.
I'll be there when the storm is through
She smiled quietly as they silently walked through the wooded courtyard, admiring the vibrant leaves as they clung to the trees.
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you
He sat them down on a small stone bench, making sure to brush off the damp leaves before seating her, and looking deeply into her eyes, he opened a small box and asked her to be his.
I knew there was somebody, somewhere
Tears of joy sprang to her eyes as she took in the sight of the diamond ring. After five years, it had finally happened.
Like me alone in the dark
With a girlish laugh, she nodded, her tears of joy rendering her speechless.
Now I know my dream will live on
I've been waiting so long
Smiling tenderly, he gently slid the band onto her ring finger.
Nothing's gonna tear us apart
Tilting her head up, they shared a sweet kiss as the colored leaves spun lazily by them.
~ December 31, 2017 ~
Kazuki and Kahoko's eleven-month-old daughter Kasumi gurgled in delight, her golden eyes wide with elation, when her Uncle Haruki lifted her high in the air like a plane.
And life is a road and I wanna keep going
Soon after the little girl landed, Haruki handed her off to Shou so he could help his wife convince their four-year-old son to eat his oden.
Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing
As the little girl tottered between her Uncle Shou and his fiancée, Grandpa Hino avidly videotaped every movement and Grandpa Hihara took pictures.
Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey
From the couch, Kahoko kept an eye on the festivities while talking to Noriko and her brother-in-law about Noriko's upcoming delivery in a couple of weeks.
I'll be there when the world stops turning
When Kasumi fell and began crying, the Grandmas swooped in to fuss and coo over her, shooing the others toward the TV to continue watching the Red and White Singing Competition.
I'll be there when the storm is through
When the children's section came on, Kahoko took a now happily gurgling Kasumi and they began singing and doing the motions along with the characters on the show while Kazuki videotaped them.
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you
Once the children's songs were done, they all gathered together to take a family picture to document Kasumi's first New Year's Eve.
Life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river, I wanna keep going on
After having their end-of-the year soba, Kazuki stood at the door with his little girl curled up on his shoulder asleep, her head of green almost indistinguishable from his own, while Kahoko finished hugging her sister good-bye.
Starting out on a journey
With smiles and wishes for a happy new year, they headed home, hand-in-hand.
Life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing
As they tucked their daughter into her crib, they smiled down tiredly at their little angel.
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning
Pulling his wife into his arms, Kazuki whispered, "Happy New Year, Kaho-chan."
With you
Pushing herself up onto her toes, they shared a sweet kiss. "Happy New Year, Kazuki."
The End
Thank you for coming along on this journey with us. *bows*
9/9/2012 Edit:
Sorry for anyone who's reading this again and expected there to be more to the story! I just realized that I totally slacked on culture notes!
Oden is a simmered dish eaten in the winter that contains things like boiled eggs, root vegetables, and various kind of fish cake. The ingredients are simmered in a soy-sauce-flavored broth and eaten with rice. Like Haruki's son, I didn't care for it much when I was a kid although I like it now that I'm an adult. XD
In Japan, on New Year's Eve, there's a show called, "Kouhaku Uta Gassen," that airs right up until the new year. Kou is red; Haku is white; uta means song or singing; and gassen is like...battle. As you can infer from the title, it's a singing competition between two teams: red and white. Women are red and men are white. Different Japanese (and recently popular foreign) artists and groups (the side is determined by whether the group uses male or female vocals) perform for their respective sides and the audience (at the studio) and the judging panel vote on which side should win. Artists can only perform on the show if they are offered an invitation by the TV network, so it's a pretty big honor and very good publicity (pretty much everyone in Japan watches this thing on New Year's Eve). The groups and artists are a mix of contemporary artists and traditional (mostly enka). I always find it fun to sing along with the songs I know.
They also eat this thing called, "Toshi-koshi soba," right before/as the clock strikes midnight. Toshi is year; koshi (or kosu as you'll find it in a dictionary) is basically to come; and soba is a kind of super-delicious (at least to me) noodle made from buckwheat flour. We usually translate it as year-end soba, but I suppose a more literal translation would be year-come soba. XD Soba is a long, thin (but not as thin as somen, a rice noodle you eat in the summer) noodle, and you eat it at the end of the year to signify long life. Maybe people hope that if you eat long things, you'll live a long time? I'm not totally sure. XD But New Year's is a huge time to get together with family; it's pretty much one of the the biggest (if not the biggest) holiday in Japan.
And this ends tentsubasa's Japanese culture corner. (^_^)
9/10/2012 edit:
Sorry again! I forgot to mention that I took Kasumi and Shouta's names from the Kazuki x Kahoko story "Of Trumpets and Black Ants." It's really very cute!