A plot bunny that just hit me, and since my computer is working now, this is to celebrate that fact. It's not up to snuff yet, so my Naruto fandom fans will have to wait a bit longer as I try to reinstall the programs that made my computer happy. Here's my first attempt at an anime fandom that isn't Naruto. It's my first attempt at a vignette format, so tell me what you think.

Edit: I've changed my OC's age. She is now in her twenties, not thirties like before because I just realized how warped the stream of time would be. Heh heh.

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Prologue

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Rain beat steadily around her as she stood on her doorstep, keys in hand as she prepared to open the door. Grazing her fingers over the metal, she could feel every groove the locksmith made through her glove, causing a small smile to grace her ruby lips before shoving the key into its lock, turning it, and opening the door.

The first thing that crossed her mind was how dark it was, save for the thin streams of muted light coming from the world behind her. Briefly, she flicked on the light to ensure she wouldn't trip over herself as she removed her shoes before crossing into the living room and opening the blinds with a contented sigh.

She turned on the television on the wall and fell onto a couch, her cream-colored clothing contrasting sharply with the red and gold threads that made her furniture.

The woman flicked her gaze up to look at the television before scowling at the image. A woman in her late twenties with lightly curled raven hair that framed her face, dark brown eyes, and ruby lips from her lipstick. Her clothing suggested grandeur and a lavish lifestyle. She wrinkled her nose and changed the channel to see the next channel and the ones that followed showing the same woman. Knitting her brows, she shut off the television with a scoff. As if she didn't already know what she looked like.

Propping her elbow on the carved wooden armrest of her chair, she turned her wrist to show her watch.

'They should be arriving soon,' she thought to herself when the doorbell rang as if on cue. 'Right on time,' she told herself as she tugged the collar of her faux-fur jacket closer. This year's fall was unusually cold; the rain didn't help either.

Crossing across the plush ornate carpet, she headed towards the hallway and unlocked the door. There, on her porch was a man, no older than 29 with short, layered black hair and glasses, a messenger bag in his hand. Behind him was a man roughly her own age with a T-shirt, goatee and mustache, and long black hair kept in a ponytail stuffed under a baseball cap, a video camera in his hand.

"Konnichiwa, Nagasaki-san," the man in glasses greeted, the camera man giving a polite nod.

"Konnichiwa," she replied. "Come in; make yourselves comfortable while I put on some tea." The two men nodded and went to her living room as she went into the kitchen. When she came back, she saw the man in the baseball cap setting up lights as his companion sat politely on the couch beside the chair facing the window.

"Those lights will be unnecessary," she said and the camera man looked up, startled, before nodding and moving them away as she sat the tea on the coffee table and opened the curtains more.

"Sorry," she said as she opened her coat, revealing the red turtleneck and black pants she wore beneath her coat. She handed the man with the glasses a cup. "I thought we agreed no cameras."

The man looked up startled. "Oh, it's to make sure that I don't miss anything. We just need it to fill in anything I might have missed in the interview. We will burn the video later," he reassured, and she nodded before reclining back in her chair.

"Very well…um…"

"O-oh! My name is Doi Akihiro, and the man over there is Bando Daisuke," he said with a bow of his head. She smiled politely. "And I'm"—

"Oh! We know all about you, Nagasaki-san."

She chuckled amusedly. "I imagine you do, but please, call me Atsuko." The man looked at her unsure before finally giving in. Once she had gotten her way, she sipped her tea and a silence stretched between them. The man fidgeted awkwardly.

"I…I'm deeply sorry for your loss, Atsuko-san. To lose your husband…"

"Oh, it's fine," she said dismissively. Akihiro looked at her in shock. "But…didn't you love your husband?"

"Of course, but people die all the time. It's the truth of the world. There's nothing that can be changed about that. He told me that himself," she said with another sip of her tea.

Akihiro brightened up a bit, despite his interviewee being a bit eccentric. "Oh, you mean your late husband?"

Atsuko chuckled and stared out the window, drinking in the scenery as a wistful smile crossed her lips.

"No. My first love..."