Shadow

/ˈʃadəʊ/

noun

1. a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

2. used in reference to proximity, ominous oppressiveness, or sadness and gloom.

3. the unknown "dark sides" of our personalities

She knew she was born special.

However, that line was not said in arrogance. Not a tone of superiority could ever be sensed in that sentence. It was a fact, solid truth, that she was born special.

If her memory served her well, it was during her class's physical education class when it dawned upon her that she had this special ability. She remembered how the sun hung up high in the sky that day; she remembered how it was so hot the beads of perspiration rolled down from her forehead one after another; she remembered hearing the shrill cry of the yellow whistle and she remembered seeing them when the boys sped past her.

Shadows with sizes that did not quite reflect each runner's physical characteristics; shadows of so many shades, so many that she did not even know that it was possible for there to be that many shades of black or grey. She looked around; whipping her head from side to side frantically, feeling her long ponytails hit her exposed neck as she did so.

No one seemed to notice, or rather, no one looked like they could notice.

Present – April 2016

It was spring in Japan once again, and unfortunately, the start of a new school year. Many students groan and lament about having to wake up at ungodly hours in order to get ready for school once again, but that was not the case for her. April in Tokyo meant beautiful pink trees, picnicking with her family under the slight drizzle of pink petals during the weekends; April in Tokyo, to her, meant only one thing – cherry blossoms.

"And once again, here in Tokyo, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom! The weather today is absolutely perfect to have a picnic with your loved ones, so don't coop yourselves at home! Head on out to admire this year's…" the news reporter's voice was cut off midway as she clicked on the red button of the remote control and flung it onto the couch.

Grabbing her sling bag that was hanging off the corner of the chair, she threw open the doors of her shoe cabinet, grabbing any comfortable pair that was suitable for a day out and sat almost too quickly (and painfully) on the ground, wincing while she tied her shoelaces into a simple knot. Trudging behind her with steps that made her legs sound like they were each at least a ton heavy, was her best friend and room-mate. Her raven black hair had been combed neatly, but still, she failed to hide the few stray strands of bed hair here and there.

"Seriously, out of all days you could choose to wake up on time, you chose a Saturday?" the girl with a stoic face was clearly not happy that her beauty sleep was interrupted by the one and only, Mikan Sakura.

"Seriously Hotaru, how can you sleep in on a day like this? It's cherry blossom viewing season! I wouldn't miss this just to get a few more hours of sleep!" the brunette was already standing by the front door, all revved up to be the first one at the scene.

Hotaru gave the clock on the wall a side glance and stared into her friend's hazel brown eyes, as if she was telepathically transmitting the message, "it's only 6:30AM" to her overly excited friend, who was obviously too dense to get the message. She rolled her eyes, giving up any attempt to convince her friend to let her have another half an hour of sleep and removed her coat that was hanging from the same chair as Mikan's bag was.

As they took their first steps out of the door, a gust of spring wind hit their cheeks, knocking any sleepiness left in them out of their systems. Mikan welcomed it by taking in a huge breathe and then exhaling contentedly. The air was fresh early in the morning, even for a buzzing city hub like Tokyo.

"Isn't the weather great?" she asked and looked over her shoulders to make sure her friend had not disappeared back under the warm comforts of her quilt blanket. Her best friend only stared back at her with the same emotionless look in her eyes, turning her collars up against the wind. As surprising as it may sound, she was always the one to catch the flu first between the two of them. Maybe the flu bug was afraid of catching the hyperactive bug. Well, that actually made sense, she thought to herself.

A small river flowed downstream on their right, and they were separated from it only by a rusty iron railing which has obviously seen better days. As they walked by, the birds perched on it spread their wings and took off, their shadows gliding swiftly across the stone pavement. Her eyes followed the moving shadows as they remained in motion, till they 'crashed' into the trunk of a nearby tree, merging with the dark chocolate brown colour of the trunk.

Mikan's smile reduced to a mere grin, obvious enough for Hotaru to notice. She knew behind that grin, there was a history of pain and suffering that Mikan could never possibly dream of escaping from.

Via bus, their small, rented apartment was only a mere 10 minutes away from Ueno Park, one of the most famous public parks in Tokyo known for the many cherry blossom trees that grow there. As they approached the gates of the park, they let their eyes feast on the vast sea of pink that extended for acres and acres. Cherry blossom petals cascaded gently from every tree as they walked further into the park. There was no better way to usher in a new spring. The day was still young, and a veil of tranquility surrounded the park, as though shutting out the noises from the building traffic on the main road. The birds sang their songs and there were many elderly couples, taking their usual morning strolls, the leaves crushing beneath their slow but steady foot-steps.

Out of habit, her eyes wandered on the ground, observing the shadows of the elderly folk who walked by, that were often accompanied by the shadows of their walking sticks. Her spirits lifted as she watched shadow after shadow pass by. In old age, one didn't have much worries, she guessed.

Not far away, the first duck boat took off on the large pond, sending off ripples that glistened under the morning light. A young couple can be seen laughing joyously in it and one could probably hear the faint chuckles if they just tried a little harder.

"You look like a love sick idiot, stop smiling to yourself," Hotaru was being as tactless as ever. Mikan pursed her lips together and gave a small pout. "Hotaru, if you stopped being so mean, you would most probably have found a boyfriend y'know?" She waved her finger in front of Hotaru, as if trying to make a wise and valid point, but her friend did not care for love, and she knew.

"I'm only mean to you because you're an idiot,"

"Mean..."

The two friends sat themselves down on a wooden bench that was placed by the side of the pavement, looking up at the flowers while another gust of spring wind tousled their hair in all directions. The sunlight shone through areas where they were no flowers, and for a moment it looked as if there was a sea of stars embedded amongst the cherry blossom flowers. More people started to stream in minute after minute and both of them knew it was time to go, before all she could see was black.