If we're lucky, we're given the chance to live.
It's up to us how we decide to live this one opportunity.
After several winter days, the sun finally showed its bright face. A warm light landed on the cold ground, reaching down to hit the heavy layer of snow hiding all plants and greenness. A couple of birds flew back and forth in the blue sky, delighted by the sun's sudden appearance. Down below, a curious soul sat by an old trunk, watching the clouds come and go up above her. The gentle passing of the winds whispered to her, and she looked over to her side.
"Rei-chan?"
Her gaze was distant, and the small breath she let out changed to white. "Hmm?"
"Are you cold?" Minako reached over to her friend, setting her gloved hand on her shoulder.
Rei blinked upon feeling the contact. She took a moment to register her words. Finally, she shook her head and gave a small smile. "Nah. Are you cold?"
Minako scooted closer to the raven-haired woman and snuggled against her chest, wanting to feel her body heat and her presence near her. Instantly, Rei's hand found its way around the blonde's waist, and she held her tight with affection. "I'm fine," Minako whispered with a small grin. "Afterall, Rei-chan is keeping me warm, isn't she?"
The female snorted. Her dark eyes gazed fondly at the girl as she lowered her chin to let it rest on top of Minako's head. "Sure, Minako-chan. You better take advantage of this cold winter, got it?"
Minako giggled, but the smile on her face disappeared as she stared at the white ground. Another year has gone by, and life has withered away along with it. But that's just the cycle, isn't it? We're born into this planet, we live, and then we die, but another person is given the chance to go through the same process, and it repeats over and over. It's the unbreakable chain of life, right?
Minako knows this very well, and she knows she'll rot away one day; it's her fate, and there's nothing to discuss. One day, she'll never wake up. She'll die and enter a new place. But knowing that just motivates her to keep breathing, to keep talking, to keep singing - to keep living. With all her strength, Minako wants to continue living.
"Hey, are you listening?"
Her mature voice pulled the blonde away from her train of thoughts, and she nodded, quickly placing a smile on her flushed face. "Hmm, I was just thinking."
"You were thinking? Is the world going to end tomorrow?" Rei teased, a smirk gracing her red lips.
Minako rolled her eyes while letting out a small sigh. "Geez, you can be so mean, Rei-chan."
"I never said I was nice."
"You sure didn't."
Rei glanced down at the quiet girl and frowned. "What were you thinking about?"
"Hmm? Nothing much," Minako replied, shaking off her previous thoughts. "Hey, Rei-chan. Can you make some hot chocolate? I've been craving some for a few days now."
The dark-haired woman hummed. "Ehh. Why not?" She pulled away from the girl and stood up. "Come on. It's getting cold. Let's go back inside." She offered her hand, smiling arrogantly as she did. "I'll make some brownies too."
At the mention of her favorite drink, Minako's face lit up with joy. She accepted her hand and beamed. "Thank you, Rei-chan."
Because our days of life are limited, I want to leave something behind.
I want to leave proof of my existence in this world.
"Usagi-chan called me the other day."
"Eh? Really?"
"Hmm. She said she wanted to come visit us soon. She misses us."
"Ah, I miss her too."
"Even her appetite?"
"Especially her appetite."
Minako watched her best friend with a soft gaze. She sat at the table while Rei moved around the kitchen, gathering the ingredients to make the chocolate dessert she promised.
"Is she doing well?" Minako asked, excited to hear about the clumsy blonde.
Rei nodded as she grabbed two mugs from the cabinet. "She told me Haruka and Michiru are finally getting married."
Minako's eyes went wide. "Eh? How come I'm barely finding out about this?"
"Well, Usagi told me they just recently decided to make it official. They're thinking about coming over here for the wedding ceremony."
Her face brightened at the news. "That'd be nice! We haven't all been together in such a long time!"
Rei chuckled. "Everyone's been busy. Ami-chan is a doctor now, Mako-chan is running her own restaurant, Setsuna-san is working as a nurse at a school - everyone's grown up now, even that clumsy Usagi." She crouched down to get a bag of marshmallows from the lower cabinet. "I can't believe three years has passed. It feels just like yesterday we were eating at the arcade, playing games and joking around."
Minako nodded, her slim fingers grasping the hem of her orange knitted sweater. "It sure does. Time flies by really fast, doesn't it?" She looked down to find Artemis rubbing against her legs. "And yet, I still look as beautiful as ever."
Rei gave her an exasperated look. "Your ego is still as big, though."
"That's mean, Rei-chan!"
"It's my specialty!"
The blonde giggled. She reached down to pet her white cat. "And you, mister, haven't aged at all." Artemis stared at his owner with sparkling eyes. His small mouth made an 'O' shape as he meowed. "You probably miss Luna, don't you?" The cat meowed again. "Don't worry. She'll come visit us soon."
Rei narrowed her eyes at the pet. "I can't believe that cat got a lover before I did," she mumbled with a cute pout on her face.
Minako raised a questioning brow. "I thought Hino-sama was too good to have a lover," she said in a teasing voice.
"I'm too good for a man. I don't need them."
"Sure, sure."
The dark-eyed female frowned as she looked around. "Where did we put the napkins?"
"Oh, yeah." Minako stood up from her seat and started to walk to the counter. "They're right he-" she stopped as soon as the strength in her legs disappeared, and she collapsed to the floor.
Rei's eyes widened. "Minako-chan!" She rushed over to the fallen girl and examined her. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
The blonde is silently staring at the wooden ground, not responding to her question.
So, she asked once more, Minako-chan, are you okay?" When she received no answer, she took hold of her shoulders and shook her, breaking the quiet girl from the trance she was trapped in. "Minako-chan."
Minako finally moves and meets her eyes. "Ah, Rei-chan," she said, surprised to see her friend on the ground with her.
Rei's worried expression only became more and more obvious. "Are you okay, Minako-chan?"
She gave a small nod. "Mmm, I'm okay," she answered, "I'm okay," she repeats, wanting to convince herself more than anyone. "I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
Minako's cheerful smile returned. "Ah! I'm fine, Rei-chan. I was just being clumsy," she admitted sheepishly as she started to stand only to fall once again. "Huh. I guess I'm catching Usagi-chan's clumsiness," she joked with a weak voice.
Rei held her as she whispered her name, "Minako-chan…" She carefully helped her up, carrying most of her weight to ease things. "I'll take you to your bed. Get some rest, okay?"
Minako smiled. "Mmm." She had no choice but to obey the order from the fiery lady. She leaned on her, and they carefully made their way to her room. Rei placed the sick girl on the bed and ran to the corner to retrieve a blanket. Once she was resting against a nice, large pillow and covered with a warm, cozy blanket, Rei kneeled by her bed, her eyes watching the blonde.
"Are you feeling okay? You're not too agitated, are you?" she asked, reaching for her hand to check her pulse.
Minako giggled a bit. "I'm okay, Rei-chan. I told you it was just a clumsy moment."
She held her hand for a little longer. "It was just that?"
"Yup."
"Minako-chan, if you're not feeling well, you can always tell me," she said, "don't push yourself, idiot."
The younger woman smiled. "Of course. Now, go finish my brownies."
Her friend let out a sigh, her eyes sparkling. "Sure, Minako-chan."
"Thank you~"
I don't want this to end up as a sad song.
So, please for me, let's keep smiling together.
Outside, the sun's light disappeared, the skies darkened, but the snow continued to fall, encasing the world in a case of snow. Many winters have come and gone, and throughout those brutal times, she was always there for her. Rei was always taking care of her.
"Minako-chan." Rei entered the room with two mugs in her hands. "The brownies are almost ready."
Her smile widened. "Thank you, Rei-chan."
She walks over to the resting blonde and takes a seat by her feet before handing her an orange mug. "Make sure you don't burn your tongue."
Minako happily took the drink. One hand held the bottom of the cup while the other grasped the handle cautiously. She blew on it a few times before leaning and taking a sip. "Ah, it's delicious!"
Rei smiled cockily. "Of course it is. I made it, after all."
"But it's not as good as Mako-chan's, though."
"Ah, how dare you! You're lucky you get to taste my cooking," Rei defended herself, looking away to defend her pride. "My hot chocolate is the best!"
The person in the bed nodded. "Rei-chan's hot chocolate will always be my favorite!"
Stunned, Rei only shot her a weird look before cracking a small smile. "You sure are weird."
"Aren't I? People tell me that all the time, and I think it's kind of strange."
"Strange?"
"Yeah. I mean, we're all different. We all have a different meaning for the word 'normal,' right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So, that means we all have a different meaning for the word 'weird,' which means no one is really normal. All of us are weird."
Rei glanced at her, laughing at her words. "Like I said, you really are weird."
"That's so mean, Rei-chan!"
"You just said being 'weird' is a normal thing!"
"And there we go with the 'normal!'"
Rei chuckled. "Just drink your hot chocolate before it gets cold. I put some effort into making it, so the least you can do is drink-"
The mug slipped out of Minako's grasp and landed on the floor. Rei stared at the floor; small shards of the mug were sticking out dangerously, and the hot liquid was now staining the carpet by the bed. Her chest tightens as she raises her eyes to check on the blonde.
She's shaking. Her hands are trembling, and her eyes are filled with shock, fear, panic, and horror.
"Minako-chan…?"
She jumped at the voice but quickly recovered and offered a smile. "I'm sorry, Rei-chan. I guess I'm being a huge klutz today." She folded her hands in her lap and placed them under her white blanket. "I'm sorry for the mess. You made it for me, and now…"
Rei bit her lower lip and shook her head. "It's all right. Don't worry about it." She stood up and placed her own mug by the nightstand. "I'll go check on the brownies and come back to clean this, 'kay?"
Minako nodded, her bubbly personality gone. "I'm sorry," she apologized again with a formal bow of her head.
Rei forced a smile on her face. "It's fine." She walked over to the door but stopped to look back at her friend. "It's fine, don't worry about it." She stepped out into the hallway and shut the door quietly before leaning against it. "It's not fine," she whispered to herself. Her usual firm eyes were now wavering. Her chest was hurting, and her strong, independent composure fell apart right there, but she didn't care. Tears fell down her cheeks, one by one, as she came face to face with reality.
Despite how much she wanted to deny it, time was running out, and there was nothing she could do to change that.
With you next to me, I want to sing a gentle and happy song.
With you next to me, I want to smile and laugh and cry and do everything.
"Rei-chan! Rei-chan!"
Minako ran up the many stairs that led to the Hikawa Shrine. Her face was filled with excitement as she clung to her school bag. "Rei-chan!"
"Minako-chan?" The young miko paused her daily chores to greet her crazy friend. "What are you doing? And haven't I told you not to yell?"
Minako climbed the last of the steps before panting. "Rei-chan! I...have...it."
"Have what?"
Her head shot up. "The song!"
"Song?"
"Yup! It's the song for your school event. I wrote it for you, Rei-chan."
Rei blinked. "For me?"
"Yeah! When Rei-chan goes up on stage, I want you to be the best singer out of your class!" she exclaimed," after all, you have to reach my level if you want to sing with me!"
Rei's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Hey, I'm pretty sure I'm already better than you."
Minako stuck her tongue out. "I don't think so~ You still have to practice, Rei-chan! I'll help you if you want!"
"No, thanks. I don't need it."
"Aww, come on. Don't be such a stubborn, old lady."
"Quit it, Minako-chan."
"Aww, you're so cute, Rei-chan!"
"Cute?"
"Yup! Promise me you'll always stay like this!"
"Huh?"
"Promise me you'll always be with me forever!"
"Geez, Minako-chan. A lifetime with you is not something to joke about. I can't imagine the pain."
"Hey! That's mean!"
"Sorry."
Please, let's not make this a sad song.
Let's sing a happy melody forever.
She was dying.
Minako was dying, and Rei couldn't do anything to change that.
Her death was inevitable. The doctors told her that. Her weak heart and fragile health reduced the amount of days left for her.
Rei was always there for her, though. For many seasons, she went with Minako to her check-ups, bought her medicine, cooked for her, played the piano for her - she was there for her. She promised herself she would make Minako happy every day for the rest of her life, but it was getting harder and harder with each passing day.
Minako longed for impossible things. She wanted to play out in the snow, she wanted to ride a roller coaster, she wanted to travel the world - she wanted to do things that would only hurt her, and it pained Rei. It pained her to see Minako wishing for something that would only damage her health.
And now, she's losing her.
Slowly, Minako's losing everything.
One day, she collapsed. (She's having trouble standing on her own.)
The next day, she drops everything she holds. (She doesn't have the strength to hold me anymore.)
And then…
One day...
She can't see. (She can't see me.)
She can't hear. (She can't hear me.)
Things are slowly disappearing...
...but the image of your smiling face still remains in my mind.
Rei kneeled by the bed. Her hands grasped the bed sheets as she watched the ill blonde.
"Hey," Minako called softly. Her blue eyes were now dull, looking around aimlessly. "I can't really see or hear anything," she said, "I don't know if you're here or not-"
It's dark and empty.
I feel fear, pain, and loneliness.
Immediately, Rei grabbed her hand and held it tight, never wanting to let go. "I'm here," she reassured her.
(You can tell me if you're hurting, or if you're lonely!)
Upon feeling the warmth of her beloved partner, Minako smiled. "Thank you, Rei-chan."
(I'll meet you wherever you want…
...just name the place and I'll be there.)
Minako squeezed back, savoring the feel of Rei's hand. "Hey, Rei-chan. Trees get to live a long life, don't they? They live for many years, but eventually, their time comes to an end as well…but I don't think it's sad. If they live a happy life, they must be thankful…I'm thankful."
(Don't go anywhere, Minako-chan.
Stay here with me.)
"I got to live a blessed life. My mother and father were very kind to me, and I made so many friends." She laughed a bit. "I got to be an idiot with my friends. I got to laugh, smile, cry because of them, and I'm very grateful for that."
(Don't leave me, Minako-chan!)
"I'm really happy I was able to meet everyone, especially you, Rei-chan." She brought Rei's hand to her cheek. "Rei-chan is a very important person, and even though we bickered a lot, you've taken care of me, and I'm really happy I have you by my side."
(Don't say it like it's the end.
Didn't you say we would be together forever?)
"Hey, Rei-chan. Can you fulfill one request of mine?" She smiled as she spoke, "I want to go outside. I want to feel the snow on my face. I want to feel the wind."
Rei looked up, her violet eyes brimmed with unshed tears. It was her request, wasn't it? There's no way she can deny her this wish. "Let's go, Minako-chan." She gripped the blonde's hand gently as a way of saying 'yes.'
Minako beamed, understanding the message. "Thank you, Rei-chan."
Keep singing a happy song please.
No matter what, I'm here by your side, always.
Outside, Minako twirled around, enjoying the scent of winter time. "Ahh, I never would have thought I would come to like snow so much."
Rei followed behind her, watching the vivid expression on her face. "Just be careful," she said, but it never reached the girl's ears.
"Snow~ I want to make a snowman!" Minako began to run off, startling the raven-haired woman.
"Hey, wait up! You shouldn't be moving too much-"
"Rei-chan!" Minako called her name loudly, causing said woman to look at her. With a grateful smile, she spoke her last words, "Thank you…"
Rei's eyes widened when she saw the girl fall. "Minako!" She ran over to her and stopped. Her eyes stared at the girl; her legs were shaking with horror, and she fell, lunging forward to grab the blonde. "Minako! Minako! Please, oh god - please, wake up!" She shook the still figure harder when there was no response. "Damnit, open your eyes!" She wrapped her arms around her, tears spilling out of her eyes. "Please, wake up!"
(You're fading away with the melting snow…
...and all I can do is hold you.)
"Minako! Wake up! Wake up! Yell at me, tease me, pull a prank on me - anything! Please, just open your eyes!" Rei was screaming and screaming, but it was of no use. No one heard her pleas. "You idiot! Wake up!"
(Let me hear your voice one more time please.)
"Minako!" She hugged the girl tighter as the snow fell around them. "P-Please…!"
(Don't leave me alone.)
We're not alone; we have each other.
Despite not being able to hear anything, I felt the words 'I love you' every time you held my hand.
"Minako! I will never forgive you if you give up…!" Rei continued to cling onto the lifeless body. "There's still so many things I have to do…"
(I never got to be nice with you.
I never got to apologize for being a jerk.
I never got to tell you…)
"I love you…" she whispered, her heart broken as she realized how late she was. "I love you, Minako. I love you with all my heart! So, please! Open your eyes!" Her sobs got louder and louder, and her breathing became weak. "I love you… I never got to tell you…"
(No matter how many times I call you…
No matter how loud I scream…
I will never receive a response.)
I don't want this to end up as a sad song.
So, please for me, let's keep smiling together.
(I no longer have a reason to be here; please take me away so that I can meet her in our next lifetime)
Rei's empty eyes gazed at the angel covered in snow. Tears still kept rolling down her cheeks, but they all landed on the ground, melting away with the snow.
(If the world wishes to be covered in white…)
She held onto Minako's hand as she laid on the ground next to her, watching as the snow fell down on them.
(Then let everything…)
Rei closed her eyes and allowed the coldness to consume her.
(Let everything turn to white.)
I dedicate this song - my proof of life - to you.
I guess it ended up being a sad song after all.
But at the very end, I want to say…
Thank you.
It was nearly spring time. Birds left the comfort of their nests to flutter their colored wings throughout the vast sky. Trees were recovering and producing new leaves to adorn the naked branches. All kinds of flowers began to sprout, joining together to make a colorful field of petals and buds surrounded by the melting snow. In between all of that, a young lady sat by a trunk, looking up at the sky with a calm smile.
"I can still hear your loud voice, Minako-chan," she said, glancing at the new tree that she planted.
(We smiled so many times…
Laughed a lot…
And fought once in awhile…
But after all this time, I still miss you. I want to hear your voice.
You gave me so much, and I hope I gave you something as well.
I think about all the wonderful things you did and all the things you sung about because I don't want this to end up as a sad song.
...it's not a sad song.
It's a song about life, right?
So, I hope you're doing well.
All the memories I have of us will always be with me, forever.)
Rei looked out into the snow and nodded. "Always. You'll always be in my heart, Minako-chan."n
Forever and ever…
I'll continue loving you.
This is based on three sad songs: proof of life, soundless voice, and endless wedge.
I'm not used to writing for these characters, so I apologize in advance.
I own nothing.
(Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a wonderful time today!)
~alice