Author's note: The songs used in this fanfiction do not belong to me. I don't own anything but the storyline and characters. Thank you.
"Ah…."
A girl stared up at sky above her.
It was a pink and orange colour – warm, gentle, calm….
"It's so beautiful." The girl's lips curled into a smile. "I guess….. this isn't such a bad end for me."
She could feel blackness creeping into her view, her eyelids becoming heavy. "I guess… this is… goodbye…"
And with those words, the world she had known so well for 16 years, disappeared in front of her eyes forever.
She woke to the sound of silence.
Huh? What's this….
Her eyelids opened just a fraction of an inch.
Above her, was just a surface of white. Shiny, polished, and perfect.
She slowly took in the strange, foreign objects around her, all of which seemed to be white or pale grey. The only exception was a small black screen, which was perched on a stand next to the bed…
Bed?
Only then did she realize that she was lying in a bed, covered in sheets of pale white.
What... is this?...
Plastered on top of her pale, bony hand, was an unfamiliar grey tube. She tried to tug it out, but it remained firmly planted inside her. With horror, she realized that the white tubes were planted along rest of her body – Her legs, her stomach, her neck, even her head. She couldn't move another inch.
Why….. am I trapped here?!
What is this place?!
Where am I?!
What happened to me?!
The frightened girl's brain was suddenly flooding with questions.
Her eyes darted toward the front of the room. There was a window, but there were curtains pulled across it on the other side. It was impossible for her to guess her surroundings…
Eh?
She caught sight of it. A reflection.
For a second, a teenage girl with a head of long messy hair and bright green eyes stared back at her.
Suddenly, the image blurred in front of her eyes.
When her vision cleared, the image of the young girl was gone – replaced with another person. A person with a lined, wrinkled face and a head of pale grey curls, stared back at her.
The only thing she recognized, were the eyes.
They were a vibrant, brownish green colour.
It can't be?!...
Is that?!...
The girl held up her hand and stared at it. It was withered and wrinkled, bony and fragile, as if it were going to snap.
No!... This can't be real?!... Right? Right?!...
"I'm coming in….."
"Huh?! Kubo-san?!"
"You're awake?! What happened to you?!"
"Kubo-san!"
3 years after
It was a bright, sunny day in the streets of Parajuku. Just like any ordinary Sunday afternoon, it was noisy and filled with the sound of chatter.
A mother walked by, holding onto both her daughers' hands. The older one had a long fringe, short hair, and looked down at her feet, without looking up even once. Her head was bent so low that it was impossible to even catch a glimpse of what her eyes looked like. The younger one seemed to be the opposite – She had long, straight dark hair, round sparkly eyes, and was smiling at her mother.
"Mom?"
"What is it, Mimi?"
"Look at that house!" The little girl pointed to her left, at a small house, painted white all over. "The curtains are closed again."
"Well, maybe the house is empty. Maybe nobody lives there," replied her mother. "No, I'm sure somebody lives there. I've seen a figure move around inside before. But how come nobody goes in and out of it? I wonder….." The little girl – Mimi – started thinking about it… "It really is a funny mystery! Right, nee-chan?" She looked over at her older sister.
There was no response.
"Mimi." Her mother shot her a warning look.
"O-Oh. Right. L-Let's keep going, then!" said Mimi brightly.
It wasn't only Mimi who wondered about the small white house. Other residents of the area had frequently wondered about the person living inside it. Why didn't anybody come out, or go in? Why wasn't the garden ever tended to? Why were the curtains always drawn, even on sunny afternoons?
"Must be a ghost," some people joked. The joke spread, and from that day on, there would always be a group of kids walking past the house after school, leaning into the yard to yell, "Yurei-san! Are you there? YUUREII-SAN!"
"Ha…. I guess you could call me that," mumbled a voice from the house. Of course, none of the kids could hear.
I guess 'Yurei' isn't that far off from what I am.
I'm invisible, only go out when I know nobody's watching, and almost nobody is aware of my presence.
And I'm half dead. Wandering the world without a purpose. Having lost everything and everyone.
The old woman walked around her house slowly. She stared at the cold, empty space – No flowers, no cushions, no stuffed animals or family photos. There wasn't even a single photograph saved from that day.
Not a single reminder, of who she used to be.
She used to be able to remember them all – Their names, faces, personalities, birthdays, everything.
But now, everything was faded.
As if to say, "Your time is nearly up. You might as well say your goodbyes now."
Shiori's POV
I guess you've got a lot of things to complain about. High school students these days are really different, huh? They rant about everything – Makeup procedures, school, boyfriends, crushes, nagging parents, etc. The list just goes on and on. But me? I only have one complaint.
Sometimes I wonder – If the treatment procedures had worked, could I have been one of them? Could I have been just an ordinary 21st century high school girl, walking to school, talking to friends? Maybe I wouldn't be alone. Maybe I wouldn't be slowly wasting the last years of my life away here. Maybe, I would have had decades ahead of me.
The only thing I feel that I can complain about, is this: I want more time. I know a lot of people say that, but I'm the only one, in my opinion, who has a proper excuse to say that.
I mean, how would you feel, if you woke up, and found that three quarters of your life was gone?
It's pretty unpleasant.
At first, I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to believe those 70 years had just slipped through my fingers, and were gone. Forever. I made up excuses. Maybe it was only me who saw myself that way? Maybe in other people's eyes, I was just another 16 year old girl.
But soon enough, I knew I couldn't pretend anymore. By the way people looked at me – At my wrinkled face, grey hair, and crooked back – I knew that this horrible fate was real. This was reality. A horrible, devastating one.
How many chances did I miss? I won't ever be able to experience what it was like, to walk into a workplace for the first time, to grab a coffee with my colleagues. I won't be able to find love, because who would want an old hag like me? I won't be able to dress up like a 16 year old girl. I won't be able to skip around the flower fields with my friends, happily awaiting my future. Because I don't have a future.
There were many people who loved me, but they're probably gone now. It's the 21st century now, isn't it? Everybody's either dead, or have already forgotten me. It's not like anybody will recognize me anyways.
I didn't even get to say a single goodbye.
With a shaky, shuddery sigh, I slowly inch myself onto the sofa and switch on the TV. I want to forget everything. I want to pretend that nothing ever happened.
"Huh? What's this? Pripara….. TV?"
"Now, for our next audition, we welcome Ayaka-san onto the stage!"
A smiling girl, wearing a floaty colorful dress, walked onto the stage. Her hair was silvery grey at the top, with colorful wavy ends. Most of the hair was short, but there were two long ends which hung down. Her perfectly shaped, sharp eyes seemed to glitter as she held up her microphone.
"Hello." The greeting was said softly, as if she were whispering.
The crowd started muttering uneasily. What sort of introduction is that?
Surely she can't be an idol?
"I have only one thing to say to everybody before I start the show."
The crowd fell silent.
"I… love Pripara."
Pripara? What's that? Shiori's eyes widened as the camera zoomed in on Ayaka's face.
"-It's beautiful.
Here, we can… all be whoever we can. No matter who you are, you will be accepted and welcome here." Ayaka took a breath.
"-That is why today, for my first performance, I'll show you a colorful show, representing each and every one of our hearts here at Pripara." Just for a second, Shiori thought that she sensed a different feeling behind Ayaka's words. A tinge of sadness…
"Shimizu Ayaka. Entry number 213. I'll be singing 'Startear.'"
"I want to be stronger; just a little stronger
With that, I made a wish,
In hopes of overcoming this sadness…"
The sound of Ayaka's melodic vocals echoed around the room as the light switched on.
The music started playing, and she started dancing.
The crowd stared at her.
She seemed to be almost floating across the stage. Beautiful. Colorful. Shimmery.
"For too many times have I turned back, looking at my past that could never be changed….."
"Huh?... This is…." Shiori's eyes began to light up.
"I'll conceal these scars for the rest of my life, for I will not show them to anyone." Sparkles of light sprung out of Ayaka's dress, and circled around her.
"Thus, I made a wish
To become stronger; stronger than before,
So as to overcome this darkness by myself…"
All of a sudden, Ayaka was bathed in silver glitter.
"But even so, my heart began to sink; along with my weak existence
Into these depths, where certainly nobody could find me."
Ayaka's eyes were closed, as she sang out the next verse.
Being unable to call out to anyone, nor express my feelings in words,
All I could do was wait for that silver lining."
"T-These lyrics…." Mumbled Shiori. 'They're….."
Gracefully, Ayaka stepped forward and began walking down the stage, towards a circular platform. She spread her arms out to the side, just like a runway model.
"Making Drama! Switch On!"
The rectangular panels around her lit up, and she was illumated in light.
She was suddenly walking in a colourful world of flowers, all of which were in soft pastel shades. As soon as Ayaka stepped over them, they began to shimmer. Ayaka smiled, and picked a flower, scattering glittery dust towards the audience.
"Transparent rainbow paradise!"
"Cyalume Change!"
W-What is this?... This is… really weird. These movements… they're not supposed to be real, right? In real life, you can't exactly make sparkles shoot out of your arms. You can't exactly swoop and float around. This… shouldn't be real! It can't!
Ayaka held a smartphone like thing in her left hand, and raised it up. The stage was now dark, but colorful lights appeared everywhere. They appeared to be in the shape of stars, and suddenly, Shiori noticed something.
A trail of sparkles had appeared at Ayaka's feet, and were quickly spreading upwards. The next thing she knew, Ayaka's star themed dress had changed into a colorful glowing gown, which swirled with rainbow lights.
"With that, I prayed that my wish,
Could reach that tableau, far away into a distant land
For these feelings in my heart, are genuine and sincere…." Ayaka's voice rang out even louder now, totally dominating the volume of the instrumental. But somehow, it was perfect.
"Thus forth, I submerged my emotions, knowing that one day,
Those feelings will eventually change my fate
And hence, I'll be here, awaiting the brilliant future that tomorrow holds." Ayaka's eyes were closed as she held her final pose on the stage.
The crowd roared.
"This was totally unexpected!"
"Is this really her debut performance?!"
"Amazing!"
"Bravo, Ayaka!"
With a shaking hand, Shiori pressed the off button on her TV remote.
It looks so unreal. Almost like… a fantasy world. Something straight out of a book. But somehow I know… Shimizu's performance… was real. Those feelings…. Were real.
Pri….para. Just… what is this place?
Shiori suddenly remembered.
Those sparkles… that aura… it felt like… a different world altogether.
"A-A different world? What am I thinking-"
I don't know why, but I need to go. Now.
And maybe, I'll be able to find myself.
For the first time in 73 years, Shiori's eyes lit up.
Just as she was struggling out of her seat, a glittery purple card came drifting down into the room.
As it fell, it gently touched her eyelids before landing at her feet.
On it was written…