Must Have Been A Dream

By SMYGO4EVA

Breathe, a trace of your lips
I'm tastin' the air, tryin' to find you
Lost, a moment so rare
Not to despair, I will find you

Piercing amethyst eyes scanned the desolate playground before her. It was the place where she and the auburn-haired girl, Shizuka, had met 8 years before. They were small children then, but the memory was crystal clear enough to remember. She remembered that the red-haired girl was playing alone in the sandbox and that she had come over to her, asking her if she would play with the fellow child. Luckily, she obliged. Ever since that day, they were inseparable. However, by the time both girls had reached high school, they begun to drift further and further apart, God knows why. And now, they've only had the fragments and pieces of their childhood to hold dear.

Hotaru exhaled slowly, musing whether she should even be here, the place of the beginning and the death of a cherished friendship, or not. She then grit her teeth, clenching her fists as the memory flashed in her mind, overlooking the swing set. It was just there, standing idle and frozen in time. In the midst of autumn, winds would occur once in a while, yet no harsh ones were to be accepted.

I fall, lighter than rain
Down with my tears, heaven sent you
Fall, into the night
Into my arms, I desire you

She walked toward one swing and sat on the plastic seat, grasping onto the chains held by the looming rail above her. She looked at the ground as the sun began to set behind her, casting a cruel shadow over her somber form. Hotaru's eyes darted from the trees to her feet every few seconds before to plant themselves to the earth. She was used to being alone, but being with other people made her feel wanted and safe, especially with Shizuka. Shizuka was nice, sweet, kind, cute and she too suffered from loneliness; quite the comparison, but the only thing drifting them apart was the loneliness.

Hotaru sighed, and began to hum a familiar tune that she and her friend used to sing together. It was a somber tune, but suiting for what bestowed upon them. She was a naïve fool, thinking that childish apparitions such as eternal friendship would exist. Friends drift apart, and that was the tragic truth.

And my mind just won't let go
I feel I'm slowly driftin'
You have summoned me
With your wings, they stop me falling

"Hotaru-chan?"

The said Hotaru snapped out of her self-deprecating thoughts upon noticing a familiar voice reaching her ears. Right before her was an auburn-haired girl whom wore a white jacket and her school clothing underneath. Her hazel eyes held a look of question and hope mixed together.

"Shizuka-chan?"

And it must have been a dream
Oh it must have been an angel
And it must have been a dream
(dream, a dream, a dream, a dream...)
Oh it must have been an angel

There was no doubt about it --- she had come back to the first birth of their friendship too. The companionship in their minds was the most longed for, the most coveted for, in their own way. There they were, just refusing to think that all of this was a reverie.

"Hotaru-chan…what are you doing here? It-It's almost nightfall." Shizuka shivered, rubbing her arms when a strong wind tentatively wavered past both girls.

The purple-eyed girl took a deep breath and never once looked away from her. "I just like being here, in the birth of night, I mean. I haven't been to this place for a while…. it's where we first met."

And it must have been a...
And it must have been a...

Shizuka nodded in agreement. "Can I…sit next to you?"

Hotaru was hesitant, revealing a bout of uncertainty at first, but nodded. "Sure. It'll be my pleasure, Shizuka-chan."

Then the auburn-haired girl walked over to the swing opposite the purple-eyed girl and sat on the swing, placing her hands on her lap. Loneliness be damned.

Breathe, a trace of your lips
I'm tastin' the air, tryin' to find you
Lost, a moment so rare
Not to despair, I will find you

"I was wondering when you would show up," Hotaru spoke finally after a period of awkward silence mixed with the whistles of the wind and the creaking of the swings.

"What do you mean? Were you expecting me?" Shizuka timidly asked as she smoothed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, grasping onto the chains.

"No." Hotaru calmly stated before she raised her head to gaze at the opalescent sky. "This was where we met and one of us had to show up, either of curiosity or nostalgia. I didn't….I mean….this playground meant something to you…and to me." At the last plate of words, she looked back at Shizuka, smiling slightly.

I fall, lighter than rain
Down with my tears, heaven sent you
Fall, into the night
Into my arms, I desire you

The girl opposite her blinked once, and smiled as well, fully understanding what she had said. " Oh. I see. I've…. just been…rather busy. Onii-chan had just begun to play this game called…um…. Duel Monsters, that's it! And he had wanted to teach me some of the techniques he uses."

"No way."

"Yep." Shizuka then carelessly kicked some woodchips from underneath her feet. Hotaru bit her lip, searching for anything to say to the other female whom was clearly present at the moment.

After a few more seconds, her eyes enlarged slightly when a distant piece of a recent hobby hit her. "I collect lamps."

Shizuka was completely surprised and a tad confused at that outburst. "You --- collect lamps?"

D'oh! Hotaru though. You idiot! That had to be the ridiculous thing she has ever heard, Hotaru!

"That's great."

Hotaru's heart almost burst in shock. "What? You – think it's great to do that sort of thing?" She was so confused; she had never told anyone else that she did such a hobby so she might as well be surprised by such a positive review.

Shizuka smiled adorably and nodded. "Yes. I think it's great you have something to do in your free time. It keeps you distracted from the real world."

Hotaru blinked. "Y-yes it is." She internally let a sigh of relief escape her; that was a close call. Now it was time to get serious. Since they were both in the playground where they had met, now was the perfect time to tell her something. To reveal what she wanted to say for a long time.

And my mind just won't let go
I feel I'm slowly driftin'
You have summoned me
With your wings, they stop me falling

"Thanks for that. I…. I've missed you, Shizuka-chan. I really have. I sometimes wonder if the sudden events in our lives may have separated us, drifting us further and further apart. You had that nasty divorce between your parents and I had my mother pass away. I know…that we've had different paths in our lives, but I've always wanted to see you again. We g-go to the same school, but we have different classes and different schedules, and we don't see each other in the hallways as much. It as if, being as quiet as we are, as if we don't really exist. W-What I'm trying to say is that—I care about you…. I really do…and I just want to be friends again. Right here. Right now."

Shizuka was at a loss for words; she was speechless. She had felt the same way: the drifting, the lack of communication, how certain circumstance had distorted what they thought of other people, and the solitude that was present in both of their lives. She too wanted to be friends again, so they would talk to each other a whole lot more, to share their feelings and work out their problems together.

And it must have been a dream
Oh it must have been an angel
And it must have been a dream
(dream, a dream, a dream, a dream...)
Oh it must have been an angel

"I….I don't know what to say, Hotaru-chan….except that…I've…I've been thinking the same thing. All this time, I've wondered when and where we would meet once again. I never thought it would be the same place where we first met; it never occurred to me." She shivered and wrapped her coat close around her, as if the coldness of the night air had sunk into her skin.

She looked up from the ground and stood up carefully, as if contemplating on what to say or what to do in the process. Shizuka then turned on her heel and faced Hotaru, whom was interested in what she was going to say. Hotaru leaned forward expectantly and slightly, holding onto the chains for dear life as if her own life depended on the girl's answer.

"I guess what I'm trying to say, Hotaru-chan, is that….I want to be friends again too."

As you touch me in the night
I feel I'm slowly drifting
You have stolen me
Left me in the nights that drift inside

Hotaru's heart fluttered with relief and happiness at the answer. She smiled at the utterance of Shizuka's words, lifting her head to reveal her happy face. She then stood up from her stationary swing, walking up to the auburn-haired girl and with the smile still lit on her face.

"I know it's been a while…since we last saw each other…. we've been busy with other ideas and circumstances…. but…let's start over. Whenever you need someone to talk to, I'm right here for you. Whenever you need a shoulder to cry on, you can come to me. Shizuka-chan…. daisuki da…"

A smile as delicate as a flower but radiant in the setting of the sun made its way on Shizuka's face. Her honey eyes were wavering and fluorescent with tears of joy. "Hoatru-chan…"

"So what do you say, Shizuka-chan?" Hotaru then outstretched her arms, making way for the girl to her embrace, and still smiling. "Friends forever?"

Shizuka's smile grew and she walked swiftly to Hotaru, the tears spilling onto her cheeks and nearly sobbing. "Friends forever!"

And then they embraced one another in a long hug, fasces buried in the crooks of the other's neck. Breathing in the scent of their hair, feeling bliss within each other's arms, Hotaru and Shizuka never wanted this moment to end. It felt so perfect, so wonderful that it must have been a dream, one that no individual would ever want to wake up from.

And it must have been a dream
(and it must have been a dream, a dream, a dream)
Oh it must have been an angel
And it must have been a dream, a dream, a dream
(dream, a dream, a dream, a dream...)
Oh it must have been an angel...
(Angel, angel, angel...)

Owari

A/N: The song is "Must Have Been A Dream" by Draxx & Scott Mac. The song is wonderful, and this was my first shoujo-ai fic. Shizuka and Hotaru/Serenity and Hotaru is one of my favorite SM/YGO cross over pairings and I really enjoyed writing this fic. Read and review!