1.

They woke up at the same time. There was no catalyst, no sudden event that shocked them into remembering what they were before. No traumatic event, no hit to the head. It was a quiet day in a loud neighbourhood and they were playing in the sand when mother called them in for a bath. They jumped to their feet with dirt smudged faces and looked at each other with matching grins before something inside shifted and-

".. Well thi-"

"-s is new."

They shared a desperate laugh.

2.

The line between them was always thin, even before their little revelation. It was like having one of those barely there see-through curtains that people used for aesthetics rather than function rippling in between them. They couldn't tell exactly what the other was doing behind the curtain because you know- there was a curtain between them. But they could always feel whenever the other took a tumble and gained a new scrape. They could taste a whisper of something sweet on their tongue when one sneaked in a midnight snack without telling the other. They could hear a distant hum in their peripheral when one of them played the same song too many times. Thoughts didn't quite make it across, so they couldn't read each other's minds despite what other people thought. But they could infer.

Mitsugi laid on the couch, eyes closed as he enjoyed the relief the air con gave in the summer heat.

(Want. Thirst. Please.)

Hisane passed him the glass of water that was on the table in front of her before returning to her book.

The line between them was thin yes, but it was there. It held purpose.

So when that line broke, for whatever random cosmic reason. It felt like a mental dam had burst and the past came rushing in. Obliterating the thin veil between them. There wasn't a curtain anymore, not even a scrap. Two sides of the same curtain (coin, soul) suddenly became one and it became so clear.

His thoughts were hers, and her thoughts were his.

His wants were hers and hers was his.

Yet, he was still he, and she was still she.

It hurt at times, because their soul was split (yet joined). Or was it because it joined that it hurt (split in the womb, divided in half-TOrN and finallyFINALLy they werecomple-)

So on that quiet day in that loud neighbourhood, as they stumbled into the bath trying to sort through this new mental space. With these new (old, very very old) memories floating in their head. They looked at each other and said 'mine'. Because if they knew anything in this new short life they were given, it was that they would have each other's backs (their own back) and never betray the other (because that would be betraying themselves). And if you couldn't trust your own twin (self – if you couldn't trust yourself) then who could you trust?

3.

Mitsugi and Hisane were the pride and joy of the Sato family. Hisane was older, she came into the world kicking and screaming and Nafumi and Akihito Sato were overjoyed to hear such a healthy child come into the world. Mitsugi came nearly twenty hours later, breaking into a new day as he was a tad more stubborn than Hisane. Something that the Sato parents constantly teased him for.

"Mitsugi didn't want to share the spotlight with Hisane," chuckled Akihito as he chatted with the cashier at the bakery "wanted his own day."

Hisane nodded emphatically, "he's such a drama queen."

A slap, followed by an indignant shriek.

4.

Hisane was trying really hard to study, like really really hard to study. But Takahiro kept on tapping his foot against his chair. And it was really loud and she just needed him to STOP IT SO SHE COULD FOCUS ON HER BLASTED MATH QUESTIONS. But she couldn't tell him to kindly desist because she was at home sick and Takahiro was at school with Mitsugi. And Mitsugi was being a little snot and humming anime songs in their head and decidedly NOT asking Takahiro to be quiet.

She simmered quietly as he hummed, before they decided to kick Takahiro's foot away from his chair because it was rather distracting. And their math homework was due tomorrow.

5.

"Hey Sato- san… did you and your sister want to join our study group? A couple of us are getting together to cram for the test." A classmate asked shyly.

Mitsugi yawned while erasing the blackboard, "Yea okay, sounds good."

Their classmate beamed before resuming their sweeping. A few moments later, Hisane rushed in looking for her textbook she had forgotten when their classmate came up to her.

"Ah Sato – san I wanted to know if you-"

"Sure sounds good, the test is gonna be killer… "She trailed off as she rummaged through her bag. "Aaaaaaha! There you are!" She held up their book triumphantly before leaving.

Their classmate paused, baffled for a moment before turning to Mitsugi who was struggling not to sneeze from chalk dust.

"Sato- san? Did you text her or something?"

"Yea, or something."