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 AnimeSuki Site Staff Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 27
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Last time on Da Capo II: Yume's Story...
Spoiler:
Otome wrapped her arms around him, and said that it was okay -- she'd take Yume's place and give him everything he wanted from her. She'd satisfy his every desire, so... and just then, the door opened. "Onee-san, what is it that you wanted to talk about? And why in Nii-san's room...?" Before Yoshiyuki could start explaining, Otome cut in, squeezing Yoshiyuki tightly: this is what she wanted to tell her.
And now, the conclusion.
(Sorry, couldn't resist  Be sure to read the first four parts first: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)
WARNING: This sort of goes without saying, but the conclusion of this story contains major spoilers for the whole of Da Capo II.
Spoiler for Yume's Plot Summary - Part 5 of 5: "At the end of a dream...":
 | Yume ran off, and before Yoshiyuki could go after her, Otome grabbed him -- "Don't! Don't go! I'm begging you, don't go after her!" Yoshiyuki said that he knew that Otome was obviously doing this because she cared a lot of both of them. It's always been like that -- she always went out of her way to care for both of them, and that's what he loved about her.
But this time, he can't do as she says -- he loves Yume, and no matter how long he waits to go after her, he couldn't give up on her. Even though what she's asking him to do may be the right thing, he still can't do it. Besides, Otome could never take Yume's place, just as Yume could never take Otome's place -- they're both the most important people in his life. Thinking of having to substitute either is too sad. He thanks her, and also apologizes, before he heads off. |
Yoshiyuki heads outside to find Yume waiting for him. But before he could explain what had just happened, she stopped him saying that she already knew; Otome's little demonstration was for her sake. Otome had spoken to Yume too, saying that she should give up on Yoshiyuki before she has any regrets.
Even though Yume's a bit cold in her pajama, they go for a walk under the beautiful night sky. She then asks him for some wagashi (the sweet that he and Junichi make by magic); that power was supposed to be a secret, so he was surprised that she knew about it. When she sees that he does indeed have that magical power, she comments that it's mysterious. Now that he thinks about it, he realizes that it sort of strange -- why does he have that power anyway? |  |
 | Yume then asks him if he sees dreams; obviously, as we all know, he does and then some. But then she explains that, in fact, she doesn't see any dreams -- not from the moment she was born until now. Yoshiyuki had a bit of trouble reconciling this, as he knew that he saw her dreams before. But she went on to explain -- what she sees aren't dreams, but the future. Whether it's the near future, or the distant future, she doesn't know, but it will all happen. She asks whether he believes her, but as he reflects on it, he realizes that everyone in that family has magical powers -- Junichi, Yuki, Otome... and so it's not surprising that she would too. Every morning, when she awakes from her sleep, she takes note of everything she saw in her dreams of the future. But it was pretty pointless, because there was nothing she could do to avoid it -- otherwise it wouldn't be the future, would it? (He recalls the scene early on when she warned him to look out on their way home from school, but it was too late.)
Yume says that she knows that Otome wants the absolute best for them, and she warned Yume that she would regret it if she stayed in love with Yoshiyuki. But, nevertheless, she... her words trail off, as Yoshiyuki thinks it all over. His conclusion was (essentially) that he doesn't know about the future, but he knows that he wants to stay together with Yume. Besides, what's he supposed to do about it? He can't just throw away his feelings for her. Maybe Otome's wrong, maybe the future Yume saw was just a dream after all, but, he figures, she should have a little faith in her boyfriend. After a response like that, all she could do was point out (lovingly) that he was such an idiot, and since it was cold, it was time to back inside, to his room...
Yume asked whether Yoshiyuki would regret it, to which he chided her for not having listened to anything he just said. But, likewise, he asked her whether she'd regret it; she said that she's a fool -- despite all the warnings, she wants to stay together with him too. So, from that night on, they could never go back to seeing each other as siblings... |
Later that night, Yume was feeling uneasy, and couldn't sleep. She was actually feeling worried; at the moment, she was so happy because Yoshiyuki was so near to her, but...... Yoshiyuki said that he didn't know her worries, or the future she had seen, but he'll always stay by her side. So she should just relax and have happy dreams of the future. Who knows -- maybe it's her worrying that causes a bad future through her dreams! Yoshiyuki noticed the happy look on her face as she fell asleep.
Morning had come, and it was time to wake the sleepy-head. As usual, he was sleeping like a log, so Yume once again threatened "something terrible". When he still didn't wake up, she commented it was his fault... before going for a kiss. Eventually, though, he had to go up for air -- that's one way of waking someone up!  She beckoned him to hurry up, since breakfast was ready. When he brought up what had happened last night, of course she was embarrassed, but they still exchanged a real "good morning" kiss.
Nanaka came by Yoshiyuki's class at the end of the school day, and invited him to go out with her and the other girls. Akane agreed unless, of course, he had plans with his girlfriend... which he said he didn't. But, speaking of the devil, Yume showed up in class, and the other girls invited her to come along since they have lots to talk about. Of course, Akane and Anzu are hoping for something really juicy, which Yoshiyuki awkwardly indicates isn't there... As they're all ordering at the cafe, Yume's having a hard time picking between two deserts, so Yoshiyuki says they can share both. This display of affection has the other girls slightly flustered, and Nanaka decides to grab Yoshiyuki's hands (to see what he's thinking)... which has her much more flustered.
As they arrived home that night, Yume was all tired out. She remarked that Yoshiyuki had quite a number of female friends, and said that he must have been happy to hold Nanaka's hands... but as he started his embarrassed denial, she started laughing and said it was just a joke. After all, she says, she knows that Yoshiyuki loves her. That said, she comments that, even though she trusts him, she still feels a bit uneasy when he's with other girls. |  |
 | Otome was busily preparing dinner in Yoshiyuki's kitchen when the went inside. She was a bit concerned that the may have already eaten, but he said both he and Yume were still hungry, and offered to help her out. As they prepared dinner together, he brought up what had happened last night, but Otome asked if he could just forget about that, which he agreed to do. She then asked him what he would do if, hypothetically, he were forced apart from Yume; if it were something that couldn't be avoided. He says that he doesn't know what he'd do, and there's no sense worrying about it right now. But if he were ever in that situation, he'd do everything he could to prevent it. |
Yume came to visit Yoshiyuki in his room that evening and he was met with embarrassed, shifty eyes when he asked her what was up. Of course, he knew what that meant, so he invited her over. She awkwardly commented that they had a day off tomorrow... so Yoshiyuki (putting two-and-two together) asked her what she'd like to do on their date. But, surprisingly, that wasn't what she was getting at. Since they don't have to go anywhere tomorrow, they can sleep in, so she wonders if... they could sleep together again... (dot dot dot)
The next morning, Yoshiyuki finds Yume still sleeping peacefully next to him. As he ponders whose dream it was he saw the previous night, Yume opens her eyes, calls to Yoshiyuki in a daze, and kisses him. Noticing she's still in her dream-like trance, he calls out to her, which finally wakes her up for real. Apparently she wasn't still dreaming! ^^; But rather than get up and going, he lays her back down. She comments that their date will be nice, but for now she just want to stay like this for a while longer...
(And, as a total aside, Yume was doing the cutest little playful thing while they were resting - nipping at his ears, his nose... "I thought I'd eat you". So cute! ) |  |
 | Yoshiyuki runs into Otome at school two days later, and notices she seems a bit lifeless. When he asks her what's wrong, it doesn't seem to be anything unusual -- she's just a bit tired. Mayuki then shows up, having finally found Otome, and starts getting on Otome's case for exerting her brother-complex again. But she says that's not it, and besides... which prompts Mayuki to remember Yoshiyuki's "situation". That's, of course, followed by a bunch of teasing from Mayuki -- and apologies from Otome, who apparently wasn't supposed to tell anyone... |
A few days later, as Otome, Yume, and Yoshiyuki are walking to school in the morning, he notices that Otome still seems lifeless. Otome still denies there's anything wrong, saying she just has something on her mind. She says it's just some Student Council stuff that she can't find a way to resolve. Yoshiyuki asks if there's anything he can do to help her out; she thanks him, but declines.
| At lunch, Otome takes the unusual step of joining Yoshiyuki and Yume for lunch. At first they're not too sure what's going on, but of course it's okay. Apparently, Otome got up early to prepare lunch for everyone, hoping they could eat together; it's really the first time they did that. After a relaxing lunch, Yoshiyuki comments that they should do this more often, and Yume offers to cook lunch next time. Yoshiyuki's slightly taken aback by this for... historical reasons? And when they go to ask Otome's opinion, they find her... on the verge of tears. She struggles to get out an agreement... "that's... right... we can all eat... together..." She apologizes, and runs off. Yoshiyuki's left wondering if it was something they said, but Yume doesn't think so... |  |
 | That night, Yoshiyuki's trying out Yume's latest meal, which, when she asks him to rank it, he gives a 75/100. Still quite an improvement, but Yume realizes that it'll take more work to catch up to Otome, who's practiced cooking since childhood. They decide to watch some TV together, and as they flip through the channels they hear a shocking news bulletin: the sakura trees on Hatsunejima are dying! Yume wonders what happened all of a sudden, and comments that it'll be sort of lonely without them, since they've been there since their childhood. As Yoshiyuki goes to get up, though, he all of a sudden collapses. Yume rushes to his side, and wonders if he's okay. It seems he's okay, but just felt weak all of a sudden... |
Yume asks Yoshiyuki the next morning if he's feeling up to going to school -- he shouldn't push himself if he isn't feeling well, she says. He decides that he's up for it though. As they walk to school, they see the streets lined with bare sakura trees. They really did whither... Yume comments that it feels colder without them. Yoshiyuki wonders where Otome went, but Yume says that she must have already headed off to school early. She didn't see her the previous night either, since Yume got home late.
As they get close to school, they run into Mayuki, who wishes Yume "good morning". Yoshiyuki also wishes her a good morning... but she goes on talk about the sakura trees being bare. Huh? Yoshiyuki wonders what's going on, and Yume goes into asking about it, but Mayuki says she has to go, and heads off. Yume asks Yoshiyuki if he did something to upset Mayuki, but he doesn't think so. She didn't even acknowledge that he was there... |  |
That night, Yoshiyuki's in his bed, contemplating. Something very strange is going on. First the sakura trees go bare, and now some people aren't even noticing him. Is there a connection? Just then, he looks out his window and notices Otome there. She apologizes to him, and he decides to go see her.
 | By the sakura tree, Otome asks Yoshiyuki how he's feeling. She says that he must have noticed things changing since yesterday, because, after all, she's the one who caused it. Otome figures it's time that she explained the past. She asks Yoshiyuki if he knows why the sakura trees never whithered. The reason (as all D.C. fans know) is because they're enfused with the magical power to grant wishes; to collect the power of everyone's wishes, and grant miracles.
But there was one flaw in this perfect-seeming system: it granted wishes whether no matter how perverse or dangerous. So, Otome killed the tree; that was her duty. As a mage, she had to protect all of Hatsunejima. But Yoshiyuki's own existance was an example of the tree's wish-granting power. Even now, his existance and everyone's memories of it were slowly disappearing. If no one anywhere knows you ever existed, then what was your existance in the first place? That's why she had told him to forget about Yume; that he'd regret it. On the verge of tears, Otome apologizes that she wasn't able to protect him. But Yoshiyuki realizes that he doesn't regret his existance, and he apologizes to Otome for making her go through something so painful, which moves her to tears. |
Yume attempts to wake up the sleepy-head again the next morning but, as usual, doesn't seem to be having any luck. She warns him that something terrible will happen if he doesn't wake up, and warns him again... but still no dice. So, she proceeds to climb under the covers and... do something we can't discuss on a PG-13 forum! When he wakes up and asks her what the heck she's doing, she replies that it's "something terrible".
At the end of the day at school, the class president comes by the classroom, and notices it's still open. When Yoshiyuki goes to say something, she doesn't even notice he's there at all. It's just as Otome said -- little by little, everyone was forgetting that he had ever existed.
Out in market square, the next day, Yume and Yoshiyuki are out on a date. As they try to decide where they might be able to go, Yume comments that anywhere's fine as long as she can spend time with him. |  |
 | That night, Yoshiyuki sees another dream -- it's Yume's dream. She's standing by the gate, waiting as usual, when she asks herself what she's doing. No matter how long she waits, Nii-san isn't around anymore. Even though she knows that, she still waits by the gate. "I'm lonely, Nii-san... I don't want to be alone..."
When he wakes up the next morning, Yoshiyuki realizes that the dream he just saw isn't just a dream, it's the future. He flashes back through all that's happened... Otome's words by the tree, everyone at school gradually forgetting him, Yume asking him if he won't regret it, and his promise to stay by her side forever...
That night, Yume comes to see him. She notices that he seems tired, and asks him what's wrong and gives him a kiss. But Yoshiyuki starts apologizing -- he knows that he won't be able to stay with her forever after all. Yume cheers him up, and tells him to smile; when he's with his girlfriend he should smile, be happy, and enjoy every day. Since she wants to enjoy the happy days, and not have any regrets, she wants to stay by his side. So she asks him to keep smiling and acting normally, because that will make her happy. And she asks to sleep by his side one more time. |
A normal morning, a normal morning routine, a normal "good morning" kiss. But on the way to school, as Yoshiyuki greets Koko and Nanaka, who they run into along the way... nothing. They carry on their conversation about their band, even commenting about their lack of a guitar player. Yume tries to play it off, saying they must have been too absorbed in their conversation to notice. As they head closer to school, they run into Akane and Anzu and as he steps into the conversation... they carry on; Akane even wonders if Koko might have a crush on someone...
  Yume decides that, since the weather's nice, why don't they skip school and go on a date! A fun, everyday date! Even though they stick out like sore thumbs with their school uniforms on a school day, Yume wants to make the best of it. They stop by a shrine, and Yume makes a secret wish. They go to the park and grab some food. They stop to check out the sunset, and Yume wonders if Otome will get mad at them for skipping school.
Yoshiyuki finally realizes that he knows this moment -- this dream... he's seen it before. It was Yume's dream -- Yume's dream of the future. A normal date, going to grab some crepes, trying to pick their favourite flavours, staring at the sunset, wondering if Otome would be mad... all of it...
And then Yume asks him to go to one last place... |  |
 | On the school rooftop, back to the sunset, Yume comments on how fun their date was. It was like a dream; a dream she's had since childhood of becoming Yoshiyuki's girlfriend. But it was a dream she had given up on long ago; it was natural when she realized that she could never stay by Yoshiyuki's side.
Even though she always loved him, she thought she would let him go. But, Yoshiyuki wouldn't let her. Even though she had been trying so hard, and lying to herself... She knew that happiness would only bring regret, and that every happy memory would bring pain... and it hurt, a lot. She endured it all this time... but she can't endure it any longer.
Yume thanked Yoshiyuki for their time spent together; it was fun, and she was so happy. They're all precious memories. But now it's over; like all dreams, this too is fading. "So... this is goodbye, Nii-san." As he begins to fade away, Yoshiyuki declares his love one last time, and that he wants to stay with her forever. With tears steaming down her face, she screams out... |
「兄さんっ！ いやぁぁぁぁぁぁっ！」
"Nii-san!! Iyaaaaaa!!"
Yume was awoken that morning by Otome -- it was the start of a new school year, and it was time to get going! Her wishes for "just 5 more minutes..." were not being accommodated. ^^; At school, Minatsu announced that they'd once again be in the same class...
At the school gate, Yume's waiting for Yoshiyuki as usual. As he arrives, they make small talk about their uniforms, and he asks where she wants go. How about getting some crepes at the park, she wonders, and Yoshiyuki concurs...
Flashback to the classroom at sunset, where Yume's wondering where she is. Alas, it was only a dream, and, of course, could never happen. The tears start to flow as she remembers the past... "I'm such an idiot..."
And then, all of a sudden, she remembers that, in fact, that was a dream. And she doesn't see dreams, the only thing she sees is...
She dashes through the school, heading straight for the door. The red of the sunset that brought only painful memories now seemed a much gentler shade. There was so much say, but only one thing to start with...
「―――おかえりなさい、兄さん！」
"Welcome home, Nii-san!"
Spoiler for rf's closing thoughts:
Well, that's it! What was your impression?
Did you notice how the little scenes that happened earlier came back later in the story? For example, Yume's "something terrible", or buying crepes at the park... waiting by the school gate, the notebook, Yume's cooking, all the dream scenes... And, of course, the final scene ties back perfectly to Yume's birthday scene (finally giving the complete explanation to the "challenge" I mentioned from Part 3), bringing the whole story full circle. Hopefully, if you read that part of the story again, Yume's actions, and her reasons for them, will make a lot more sense to you now. At least, I know they did for me.
One could say that Yume's story follows the absolutely classic "crying game" pattern to a T, but it's classic for a reason. Along with the excellent use of image songs in the closing sections (something I unfortunately just can't convey in the summary), I found the story to be quite moving and just all-around well done.
Above all, I have to say that I actually came to admire Yume -- she bore such a heavy burden with her knowledge of the future, and how her love for Yoshiyuki was doomed from the start, but she still chose to spend every last moment with the one she loved. It may be true, as she said, that you can't know happiness without knowing regret, and perhaps ignorance is bliss, but "it is better to have loved and lost" also comes to mind.
All in all, it's this courage and determination in the face of adversity that really sets Yume apart, and even above, Nemu in my opinion. At first glance, you might think that perhaps she inherited too many of her grandmother's "black" traits (though I maintain: she isn't the one you should really be worried about ), but when you begin to understand the burden she bares, and the way she decides to handle it in this story, it's really, really hard to hold it against her. Couple that with her shyness, her prim-and-proper exterior (that masks her lazy side shown only at home), her extremely transparent roundabout way of coincidentally being somewhere, or absolutely not asking for something... I think she's a very worthy "moe~" character in her own right.
Anyway, enough of what I think... what about you? I'm looking forward to reading everyone's thoughts and impressions of Yume's story. Thanks for reading, and I hope that if anyone spots any errors, they'll let me know.
~rf
2007-01-22 to 2007-10-15
(Holy frickin' crap - it took me almost 9 months to finish! )
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