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Arisu was pretty sure it was normal for people to feel different after coming back from the dead.
It made sense, he reasoned. He could absolutely understand why someone might appreciate life more after almost losing it. He himself had found himself far more motivated to do something with his life than he ever had been before.
That all seemed logical. It made sense to him.
What made far less sense was the other thing.
Because try as he might, he couldn't begin to understand why he had come back from the dead unable to get the Mona Lisa out of his head.
It had been a year since a meteor had exploded over Shibuya, killing countless people- Arisu among them. He was just one of the lucky few they had been able to bring back. He had woken in hospital a few days later and, almost from the moment he had opened his eyes, he had been unable to shake the painting from his thoughts.
It made no sense. He had heard of the Mona Lisa before, had probably seen a photograph of it, but he'd never spared it a second thought before the meteor. Art in general wasn't really his thing; he'd never even been to a gallery.
And yet for some reason, he couldn't shake the obsession. The Mona Lisa was important. He was sure of it.
He just wished he knew why.
He'd done everything he could think of. He'd spent hours staring at photographs of the painting and reading about its history, even visited galleries in Tokyo to see if any of the art there had a similar impact on him but none of it had. Nothing he did made a difference. The obsession was as strong as ever and no amount of research seemed to get him any closer to an explanation.
So he had come to a conclusion. There was only one thing left he could try.
Usagi, the girl he had met at the hospital and had become fast friends with, had thought he was crazy when he told her his plan but he had made up his mind. If he was going to get to the bottom of why this painting mattered so much to him, he was going to have to see it for himself.
Which is how he found himself in Paris, exactly one year after his heart had stopped. It had taken close to two-thirds of his meagre savings from his job in a small cafe and he understood barely five sentences of the language but he was there and, finally, he might get some answers.
He wasn't sure why exactly he had booked this trip for the anniversary of his temporary death. Truthfully, it hadn't even really been intentional. He's barely even realised what the date was when he had picked it. It had just felt right. It seemed important that he was here on this day.
Despite his exhaustion from the journey and the jetlag, he hadn't wasted time, heading out bright and early for the Louvre. It wasn't like he would have been able to sleep anyway, practically vibrating with anxious energy at the prospect of finally solving the mystery that had plagued him for the last year. The Mona Lisa wasn't the only unusual after effect from the brief period when his heart stopped. There were also the frequent, intense boughts of deja vu, not to mention the dreams- of an empty Tokyo, covered in vegetation and a sleek white cat he followed through it; of a burning building and a deck of cards; of the warmth of a body beside his that wasn't there when he opened his eyes. It was, however, by far the strangest and he couldn't wait to figure it out.
And so, when he finally fought his way to through the crowd to stand in front of the painting that had consumed his thoughts for so much of the last twelve months, he couldn't help the crushing sense of disappointment when he looked at it and felt absolutely nothing. Nothing but the familiar dull ache of something missing with no clue what it could be.
He had no idea how long he stood there for, staring at the portrait, willing something, anything, to click into place and make sense of things, ignoring the growing tightness in his chest.
"Saviez-vous qu'il existe une théorie selon laquelle il s'agirait en réalité de Léonard de Vinci lui-même, déguisé en femme?"
Arisu jumped, startled out of his reverie. He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed the man standing beside him, didn't have so much as the faintest idea how long he'd been there for- which was surprising because the man was… striking, to say the least. He was shorter than Arisu, standing casually with his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie, but something about his presence was almost imposing, radiating quiet confidence. There was something vaguely familiar about him but he couldn't place him, despite his distinctive features. Silvery blond hair bleached so light it was almost white fell almost to his shoulders, framing delicate features. Dark, cat-like eyes carefully accentuated with soft black eyeliner were fixed on him, clearly waiting for a response, and Arisu realised abruptly that he was staring for far too long when the normal thing to do would be reply.
Not that he could if he wanted to, given his complete and utter failure to understand a single word the stranger had said.
He cleared his throat, willing his brain to recall the scraps of French he had attempted to teach himself in the weeks leading up to this trip. "Je désolé. Je n'ai pas du français… bien."
He trailed off helplessly.
The man smirked before he spoke again, his voice smooth and rich.
"I said, did you know there is a theory that she is actually Leonardo Da Vinci himself, disguised as a woman?"
Arisu blinked, unsure if he was more taken aback by the seamless switch to Japanese or the question itself. "I- uh… No. I didn't"
"Apparantly, comparing her portrait with one of Da Vinci shows that there are remarkable similarities between their facial structures." The man shrugged, returning his gaze to the painting, dark eyes intent on the portrait before him. "It's just a theory, of course. There's no way to truly determine if there is any real merit to it. But interesting nonetheless, don't you think?"
"Yeah. I guess it is." He tilted his head, watching the man study the painting. "So what do you think? Do you believe it?"
"That she's Da Vinci?" He considered for a moment. "I don't know. On the one hand, the evidence is far from conclusive. But on the other… I suppose it makes a kind of sense to me." A small smile flickered on his lips. "After all, doesn't everyone want to be seen for who they truly are? Perhaps this was his way of doing that."
Something tugged at the edge of Arisu's brain, an odd pull of familiarity. He blinked, shoving it to one side and returning his attention to the man in front of him.
"Yeah. I get that."
The smile widened, just a touch. "I had a feeling you might."
Arisu frowned, uncertain. "You did? Why?"
"You've been stood here for a while. I assume there was something drawing you to her."
"Yeah. I suppose you could say that." He hesitated, unsure how much to share, before continuing. "I died. A year ago, actually."
The man's eyebrows shot up, unmistakeable surprise flickering across his features before he quickly schooled his expression back to neutrality. "Really?"
Arisu nodded. "Yeah."
"So this was what? A lifelong dream fulfilled after a near-death experience?"
"No. I actually…" He broke off, offering the man a rueful smile. "It sounds crazy. You're going to think I'm mad. My friend definitely does."
The man shrugged. "Most everyone's mad here. Try me."
"Okay. So, I died. And when I woke up I felt kind of… different. And I kept thinking about the Mona Lisa. Which is weird because, honestly, I can't say I ever really cared about it before. Like, I'd heard of the Mona Lisa, obviously, but I'd never thought about it, not really. But now, all of a sudden, I just couldn't get it out of my head and I couldn't figure out why." He shrugged. "I guess I thought coming here to actually see it might- I don't know- explain it, or something."
"And did it?"
He sighed, glancing back at the painting as if answers might have somehow appeared there in the last five minutes. "Nope. Still not a clue."
The man hummed thoughtfully. "I'll admit, it is unusual. Then again, traumatic circumstances can provoke unusual responses- a change of perspective, a renewed sense of purpose, a shift in values. Although a sudden, newfound obsession with a specific piece of art is… certainly out of the ordinary."
Arisu raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You sound like you know what you're talking about."
"I usually do."
He shook his head. "No, for real, like… Are you a psychologist or something?"
The man snorted, lips curling in amusement. "No. It's more of a personal interest."
"Oh?"
"I died too."
Arisu blinked, not expecting that in the slightest. "What?"
The man nodded, something glinting in his cat-like eyes. "Yes. Exactly a year ago. Quite the coincidence, don't you think?"
Arisu offered him a small smile. "Don't tell me you also woke up weirdly obsessed with the Mona Lisa and that's why you're here too?"
The man chuckled, the sound surprisingly warm. Arisu felt his smile widen automatically in response, something in the pit of his stomach doing an odd little flip. The man looked different like that- softer, unguarded. It suited him.
"No. My interest in the Mona Lisa started long before that."
"And there was me hoping I wasn't the only crazy one."
The man hesitated. "I did feel… different, though. Afterwards."
"In what way? If it's not too personal, of course. Obviously you don't have to-"
The man waved a dismissive hand. "It's fine. Truthfully, I'm not sure how to put it into words. I just knew that I couldn't carry on with my life the way I had been living it up to that point. But more than that. For the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe that change was possible for me."
"And was it?"
"I'm still working on it." If he hadn't been looking closely, Arisu would have missed the smile that flickered across the man's lips, small but almost proud. "But I'd like to think so."
"I think so too."
The man blinked. "What?"
"I, uh-" Arisu frowned, unsure where exactly the words that had just slipped from his mouth had come from. "Sorry. I don't know why I said… It's probably jetlag or… something. Sorry."
The man regarded him for a moment longer, eyes narrowed slightly, before he relaxed with a shrug. "Yes. Jetlag. That makes sense."
They lapsed into silence. The man had turned his attention back to the painting but Arisu found his own gaze drifting back to his face. There really was something familiar about him, that same sense of nagging deja vu he had experienced when he first met Usagi and on countless other occasions over the past year. Not that that necessarily meant anything- that feeling had been brought on by everything from a face he passed in the hospital to a deck of playing cards to a sign advertising the botanical gardens. It was pure coincidence, a weird psychological quirk caused by his heart stopping. Regardless, as he ran back over what the man had said, a thought occurred to him.
He cleared his throat, drawing the man's attention back to him.
"Okay. So, this is probably a long shot but… you weren't at Shibuya, were you?"
The man tilted his head. "I'm assuming you're referring to what happened a year ago and not just asking generally?"
Arisu nodded. "Sorry, I know it's a bit… out there but you said you died exactly a year ago and so did I. Plus you look… familiar so I thought… Maybe you were there too."
"'Too'," the man repeated slowly. "Implying that that is also where you died?"
"Yeah. So were you?"
"I was."
He stepped closer, close enough that Arisu could see the flecks of lighter brown in his dark irises as they roamed across his features with obvious curiosity. His breath caught in his throat, heart hammering for reasons he couldn't entirely put into words.
"You know," the man murmured. "I don't believe in coincidences." His eyes flicked to Arisu's. "And yet here you are. One of a handful of survivors of the same disaster, in the same place at the same time, halfway around the world for reasons you can't explain."
Arisu forced himself to swallow, his throat oddly dry. "It's definitely… interesting."
"It's infuriating."
"I suppose it makes a kind of sense," he said, trying to keep his voice even despite the wild rhythm his heart was beating in his chest. "We both died. Makes sense that we might not want to be where it happened on the anniversary."
The man hummed, not sounding all that convinced. "Perhaps."
Arisu laughed, more from nerves than from actual amusement. "What else could it be?"
For a moment, the man didn't move, eyes locked on his, searching. Arisu forced himself to breathe, his chest tight.
After what felt like an age, the man stepped back. "I suppose you're right. What else could it be?" He looked back to the painting, releasing Arisu from his gaze."So, you've seen the Mona Lisa. Now what?"
Arisu hesitated. "Honestly… I didn't really think that far ahead. Most of my money went on flights. I have a hotel room booked for tonight but other than that…"
The man raised his eyebrows. "You flew halfway across the world with no money to a country where you don't speak the language, just to see a painting because it 'felt important' for reasons you can't explain and didn't even stop to think about any of your trip beyond that hour or so?"
Put like that, Arisu had to admit it didn't sound great.
The man sighed. "Come with me."
He turned away, heading for the exit. Arisu blinked before jogging to catch up.
"Why? Where are we going?"
"There's a cafe about ten minutes from here. They have good coffee and the best pastries in the city. It would be a shame if you left without trying it. After that, we'll need to find you something appropriate to wear before we go for dinner." His gaze flicked up and down Arisu's t-shirt and jeans. "This will hardly suffice for the place I have in mind."
Arisu ground to a halt, a flush spreading across his cheeks. "Sorry. I uh… I don't think I'll be able to afford… Well, any of that."
The man looked back at him and rolled his eyes. "Obviously not. I will be paying."
"You-?" Arisu broke off, not sure he had understood him correctly. "You want to…?"
"Of course, if you would prefer to spend the rest of your visit sat in what I imagine would be, at best, a second-rate hotel room, you are obviously free to do so." He shrugged. "It's up to you."
"But- why?"
"You interest me. And you're not unpleasant to talk to. Believe me when I say that doesn't happen particularly often." He tilted his head to the side. "So? Are you coming?"
"I don't even know your name."
"You know how, when and where I died. I would say names are rather trivial details compared to that."
A smile tugged at his lips despite himself. "I mean… if we're going to spend the day together, I'd still quite like to know it."
The man smirked, raising an eyebrow. "You're rather forward, aren't you? You'll be asking for my number next."
Arisu's eyes widened, his cheeks growing distinctly warmer. "What? No! I just meant- I need to be able to call you something so-"
The man snorted, eyes shining with mirth. "Relax." He shook his head. "Has anyone ever told you that you're easy to mess with?"
"Yes," Arisu replied automatically- although, now that he thought about it, he couldn't quite remember who.
The man huffed in obvious amusement. "That makes a lot of sense." He paused. "It's Chishiya, if you must know."
Arisu grinned. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Chishiya. I'm Arisu."
"Arisu." Chishiya said his name slowly, like he was testing out the feel of it on his tongue. A shiver ran down Arisu's spine at the sound. "Well, then, Arisu. Ready to go?"
"Yeah."
He cast one last look over his shoulder at the Mona Lisa, now partially blocked from his view by a group of tourists talking excitedly in American accents. He was more than a little surprised not to feel a fresh pang of disappointment over the unsolved mystery. His brow creased into a frown as he stared across the room at the painting.
"Arisu?"
He blinked, turning back to where Chishiya was waiting, his own brow furrowed in concern.
"Everything alright?"
"Yeah. It's just… strange."
"Stranger than an inexplicable obsession with a painting after coming back from the dead?"
Despite himself, Arisu laughed. "Maybe not that strange. It's just… I thought I'd feel more disappointed. That I didn't find… whatever it was I thought I'd find here."
Chishiya shrugged. "Maybe you did. Maybe you just didn't realise it yet."
"Huh." Arisu considered the idea. "Maybe you're right."
He smirked. "Like I said- I usually am."
Arisu laughed. "Go on then. Lead the way."
They walked to the exit in comfortable silence, stepping out into the sun. As they did so, Arisu snuck a glance across at Chishiya's face, where the smirk had softened into a small smile.
Maybe he had found what he was looking for or maybe he hadn't.
But, he thought as a smile of his own spread on his lips, maybe he didn't really mind either way.
Because maybe there was a chance he had found something even better.