Water.
Falling, dripping water.
It was a clear sound, each individual droplet echoing lazily, set against the backdrop of a far-off rush… A cascade…
The way it bounced about, the noise crashing from surface to surface to reach her ears, Shizuka could tell she was in a tunnel of some sort. It was narrow; she could reach out to her sides and feel the roughness of old, crumbling concrete at her fingertips. Up above her she could feel nothing. Perhaps the ceiling was just out of reach… Perhaps it was hundreds of feet away… There was no way for her to tell.
How had she gotten here? Her last memories were of the hospital, lying back against the soft, clean pillows. She had been told that when she woke up, it would be time to remove the bandages. When she woke up, it would be time to see.
But now here she was, standing in some unknown tunnel. A little unsteady on her feet, but awake and aware. From the feel of things she was still dressed in her hospital gown. Did that mean that she was still there? Somehow it didn't seem likely. The slick sensation of metal on her bare soles, the rough texture of the concrete, the sound of water falling… She didn't know where she was, but Domino Central Hospital seemed the least likely answer. Her first thought had been to pull the bandages from her eyes, but she had stopped herself at the last moment, the edges of the gauze pressed between her thumb and forefinger. The doctor had told her that any bright lights or stress on the eye before it was fully healed would cause irreparable damage… He had said that she would be ready to remove the bandages when she woke up… But with everything changed like this… No. She couldn't take the chance. All that time, all that effort and the veritable fortune that her brother had spent to give her back her sight. She couldn't throw it away until she was completely sure.
"Hello?" She called out, wincing at the sound echoing down the tunnel, towards the rushing water. There was no response, nothing except her own voice bouncing back at her. Endless. Mocking.
She took her first step forwards, planting the bare sole of her foot down on the metal in front of her. The instant her skin made contact with the cold, wet surface of the floor, her mind suddenly became alive with a vivid image. A young man, a complete stranger, smiling warmly with his arms open wide in welcome. His skin was dark, his hair fair like bones bleached by the desert sun. Large violet eyes that spoke of a lifetime of pain and seclusion, yet with an unmistakeable hint of hope and childlike wonder. He smiled at her and a rich, calm voice drifted past the echoes of the water and into her ears.
"Welcome," he told her, a faint, unfamiliar accent apparent. "I know that you must be confused. Perhaps even scared. I promise you that you are safe. You need only keep walking if you wish to know more…"
"Who are you?" Shizuka asked out loud, wondering where this stranger's voice was coming from and why it didn't echo like her own. She was only barely aware of her own feet moving. She was walking forwards. Slowly, yes, but moving steadily onwards as the image in her mind changed to the same young man sitting at a metal desk, his boot-clad feet propped up on top of it.
"I'll tell you who I am," he answered, "But first, you need to tell me who you are."
She stopped. Who was she? What was her name? Stupid questions. She opened her mouth, but drew a blank, stammering as she fought to find the right answer among her memories. Why did it feel like she knew this until recently? She knew she had a name. She knew that she could remember it. It was just a case of-
"It's alright." He told her. "We can help you. I can help you. If you just keep moving, I can help you remember why you're here. What you're doing."
"But I know what I'm doing," she said, brow furrowed as she tried desperately to remember her own name. "I'm-" Her foot pressed down on the floor ahead of her, and she drew another blank. She had no idea what she was doing. What she had been doing until recently. She remembered a bed, a man's voice… Had she been sleeping? Was she sleeping now? She continued to move forwards, the rush of water getting closer.
Closer.
Until she could feel the spray against her face. A wall of cascading water inches in front of her. It was a roar that filled her ears, but she could still make out every last one of the strangers words as he comforted her. He told her she was going to be ok. He told her that he would help her to remember her purpose.
"All you need to do is take one last step forwards." He said, his voice becoming bolder, more commanding. The image of him showed him lifting a golden rod, a small winged sphere at its head. It was shimmering, as though in a heat haze, stopping her from getting a good look at it. "Just one more step." He told her.
She took a deep breath, and took the last step forwards, letting the cold water rush over her head, her shoulders, soaking her to the bone. She stepped out onto warm, heated flooring. She could hear people moving about her, and the sudden sensation of a towel being placed around her shoulders. The voice from the tunnel spoke to her, but now she could place it. He was right in front of her. Real and corporeal.
"And now I will help you to realise your purpose." He said, "I command you… I command you to…. See!"
The girl lifted one shaking hand to her face, gripping the bandages around her eyes tightly. With one swift tug, she pulled the gauze free, letting it unravel and tumble to the floor. The world in all with all its colour and patterns. Shapes and spaces. Light and shade. She saw it all.
She saw.