The grass felt strangely uncomfortable around her feet. She wasn't used to it. Nothing was uncomfortable in this world. It was hers. It was designed for her luxury.

A pang of sadness went up through her body. Oh god. Admitting it to herself made it a thousand time worse. It's not real, not real, not real… Unfamiliar tears pooled in her eyes as she cried silently again. Her father's message glowed brightly, none but another of the other glowing stars and cosmos that filled the night sky.

She looked up and let the tears fall anyway, and for what felt like the first time, she smiled. She was comforted by the bright glow of the sky.

Rin woke up in her normal sheets, but this time, it took longer than usual for her to leave her bed. When she finally did, and went towards the bathroom did she realize how empty the room was. No, the walls, the decorations, they were fine. The teddy bear that her father had given her for her seventh birthday was fine, homely.

But there were no people. Where was her father, who would come and wake her up? Where was the sound of people passing by and laughing through the open window? There was none. Her eyes flashed in determination as she looked outside, and as if the program, no, world, responded to her will, her home town filled every space and corner of the landscape.

She rushed outside of her room fast, and raced through the columns and streets of the town, whipping her head to catch the familiar sights of her home town.

The old ramen shop that she and her father would go to was a few blocks away. The old lady that was nice to her and gave her candy every time she came over when her father had important meetings lived over there.

She stopped. She went towards the old lady's house, a pale, white, frail thing, and looked through the window.

No one.

She looked around her. No one.

There was no one. Everything was there, set in pace, there for her, but there was no one there.

The scene around her vanished as she collapsed to the ground and bright green grass rose and filled the spaces between her toes. Rin was dumbfounded. She was ok with it before. With so many vast possibilities and things she could do, she was never bored. Rin never felt lonely. So, what could she be feeling right now?

At once she felt small against the big blue vast expanse of sky and the green grass, aware of her position in this world. She felt lonely.

She was the only one in this world.

Dazed, Rin played the memories of her old world, and again, the streets shifted out of nothing. This time, people took places around her, and talked and chattered away, swinging their hands and laughing.

"Papa?" Rin turned her head and looked towards her younger self, who was grinning wildly at her father.

"Yes?"

"I want ice cream."

Her father smiled, his dimples showing, and patted her head. "Sure."

Older Rin patted her own head. She missed the feeling.

She followed them to the ice cream one and stared as her father took some coins from pocket and handed it to the man holding two small bowls. Her father thanked the man and walked away. Younger Rin had already started eating and ran in front of her father, passing right through her.

She spent the rest of the afternoon re-watching her memories over and over again.

"Papa! Are we going to see the fireworks?"

Her father smiled. "Do you want to?"

"Yes." She ordered.

"Shigeru!" Both Rins turned to see a tall brown-haired man near her father and hold out his hand.

"Ah. Riku." Her father shook the tall man's hand.

The man grinned brightly, not at all like her father's smile, which was serene and calm. "I've been wanting to talk to you about the plans- " he stopped halfway as he spotted Younger Rin standing next to her father. "Oh, I see this is Rin, your daughter."

"Yes. I see this is your son." Both Rins turned towards Riku's legs, where a boy was hiding, and only a tuft of light brown hair was able to be seen.

"Haru. Come on." The young boy, who seemed to be around Rin's age, shyly stepped from behind his father's legs. Riku turned towards younger Rin. "This is Haru. Say hi, Haru."

"H-hi." Haru said.

Younger Rin smiled. "Hi!"

Riku patted her head, in the same gesture that her father used. "You both can be friends now." He turned towards Haru. "Haru. Why don't you and Rin go and play for a little while? Me and Shigeru-san have to talk about something."

Younger Rin looked towards her father, who nodded at her in agreement.

"Ok Papa. But we'll see the fireworks after this, right?"

Her father patted her head and smiled. "Of course."

Younger Rin turned towards Haru. "Haru. Come on, let's go."

Haru nodded shyly and followed her.

Older Rin watched peculiarly at Haru and her younger self walk towards the playground.

She didn't recall having that many friends as a child. So where did Haru come from?

Her reddish-brown eyes looked at them pass to the playground and introduce themselves.

"I'm Rin." Her younger self stated, smiling brightly. "But you probably already know that."

"I'm Haru." The boy said shyly.

Younger Rin nodded. "Good. From now on, we'll be friends, ok?"

Haru just nodded.

The memory vanished, and older Rin was left standing, shocked at the new revelation.

She had had a friend.

Why could she not remember this before? Granted, she was only seven when she had left her old world, but still...

She rushed through all her memories from that point forward.

One of the more younger memories popped up.

Haru and younger Rin were hiding behind the stairs. Riku, Haru's father, smiled brightly. "Haru and Rin seem to get along well." He looked toward Shigeru. "Even though Haru is a little shy, he didn't use to be like this before. Ever since his mother left... Well..." He sighed.

Her father nodded. "Haru should come over more."

Younger Rin smiled. "You hear that Haru?" Haru nodded.

The memory, now over, dissolved back into the ground, and an even younger memory took its place.

Riku. "There are still a few glitches. The cartridge should be able to support the person for an infinite amount of time."

Shigeru nodded. "Right. The program itself is done though."

Riku nodded and placed Haru on his shoulders. "Papa! I want ice cream."

Younger Rin demanded to picked up too. "I want ice cream too!"

Both fathers nodded their heads.

The memory finished and a new ones took its place. And in almost every memory there was always a trace of a brown haired boy in one corner or the other.

Rin stared on, dazed. Why hadn't she seen this before when she had touched the swing? Had only the main memories played, and the other ones had been left behind for her to delve through on her own?

Why?


Well, this is it for the first chapter. Sorry if it's super short! The main plot line hasn't been reached yet, so the next chapter will be about all of that.

I only plan to make about two to three chapters, so stick with me!

Please review and tell me how it is! I would love to get tips and thoughts about how to improve my story!