[Chapter 1] - Her past, Her present.
[Dream]
A little girl, standing at her bedroom door, watching her father carrying other little girl as he walked towards the door, while her mother dragging the luggage behind her.
"Don't look back. From today on, she's not our daughter, she is." The little girl heard her father whispering to her mother.
'Where are you all going? Papa, Mama?' The little girl thought in her mind.
She looked at the door, watching her parents putting on their shoes, opened the main door and walked out of the house.
'Don't go . . . Don't leave me alone . . .' The little girl thought in her mind. "Pa . . .pa . . .Ma . . . ma. . ." She stiffened up, forcing herself to speak out softly, calling after her parents. But it was too late. They are gone . . .
No. . . Don't go. . . Don't leave me alone.
[End of dream]
Taiki sprung up from her sleeping position on her single bed in her studio apartment, with sweat dripping down from her temples, heaving in deep breaths to calm down her fast beating heart. She turned her attention to the digital clock on her bedside table and saw the time shown as '3.16 AM'. '3.16AM .' Taiki thought as she let out a heavy sign and hugged her knees close to her chest. 'I have never been able to sleep past 3.16 AM . . . since that day.'
[Flashback]
Little Taiki tilted her head slightly as she watched her parents at door, with her father carrying a young girl of her age in his arm, preparing to go out. 'Where is Papa Mama going so early in the morning?' Taiki turned to the antique clock situated in the middle of the living room. '3.16 AM'. And when she turned back her attention back to the main door, she realised, they were no longer there. The door was closed. " Pa . . .pa . . .Ma . . . ma. . ." She forced her voice out of mouth.
She ran towards the door, opened it, and ran out to the streets, chasing after the retreating car that was getting out of her sight. 'Mama, Papa. . . Don't go. . . don't leave me alone.' Little Taiki thought as her tears began to make their place down her face. Despite having lost sight of the familiar car, Taiki continued running and running, until she was out of breath. She looked at her surroundings, only to realise that they were architectures, buildings, parks that she did not recognised.
'Where am I?'
'Mama, Papa, I'm all alone. I'm so afraid. Tell me, will you all come back for me? Say you will, please.'
"O-Chibi-chan, what are you doing alone here so early in the morning." A foreign male voice spoke out startling the young Taiki, interrupting her uncertainties of her surroundings. She turned her attention to the source of the voice, and saw two male policeman, walking towards the bench that she was sitting on. "Chibi, where's your parents? You should not be out alone in the city so early in the morning. Do you know that the safety in the city is really bad." Taiki could tell that the one who spoke to her at that moment was the different guy that had startled her earlier on.
Taiki shrugged her shoulders at the question asked to her, before looking away to the other direction.
"You do not where are your parents?" The policeman continued asking. Taiki shrugged her shoulder at the question once again. "What's your name?" The policeman asked. But Taiki remained silent. "Where do you stay?" Still, Taiki remained silent. "Oi Chibi, do you know how to talk?" The policeman retorted, getting irritated by the silent treatment she got from Taiki. That caused Taiki to turn over and stare at the policeman who had directed the question to her. "Haven't your parents taught you manners? You are suppose to answer when someone senior to you asked you questions." The policeman continued.
Taiki just stared at the policeman, still not making any response to his question.
"Senpai, what should we do? She's not answering any of our questions. How are we suppose to bring her home?"
"There's nothing much we can do, let's bring her back to the station for the moment, before making any more decisions.
[End of flashback]
Taiki got up from her bed and into her bathroom, where she began to wash up to start her day. 'Today is the last day of work. After today, I will still need to find a new job and I wonder, how long will the coming one last?' Staring at the mirror in front of her, Taiki remembered something else and sighed deeply. 'Oh yeah! I have to meet my new psychologist today. How bad can it get?'
*Bong Bong Bong*
Yaten snuggled in her bed as she heard her door being pounded by someone outside. 'Come on, I'm trying to get some sleep over here! Which stupid idiot is that who had decided to visit me so EARLY in the morning?' Yaten thought as she continued lying on her bed, with her eyes closed. 'I will just pretend that I did not hear anything. Yaten, go back to sleep, go back to sleep' Yaten self hypothesised.
*Bong Bong Bong*
The knocking on the door persisted. Yaten growled as she pulled the sheets over the head, hoping that it would mute the sound of the knocking of the door. 'I need sleep, my dear visitor. Tomorrow will be my first day at the new workplace. I need to be alert for the day. Please let me sleep.'
*Bong Bong Bong*
"That's it!" Yaten shouted angrily as she flipped over her sheets, rolling off her bed furiously, and marched towards the door. "Whoever that is behind the door right now, I will make sure that you will not survive to see the next sun rise." Yaten rumbled out with irritation obvious in her sentence to the visitor on the other side of the door. When she pulled open the door, she was welcomed by someone that she had least expected.
"Good - Good morning, Ten-chan." Seiya greeted awkwardly, waving her hands slightly at the enraged friend of hers.
"Seiya?" Yaten called out, leaving the door open for Seiya to enter her house as she stomped towards the couch, throwing herself lazily on it. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Kyoto, preparing to take over your family business? Why are you here at Tokyo? What's up with the luggage you have with you? And most importantly, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, VISITING AND KNOCKING MY DOOR 316AM IN THE MORNING?" Yaten bombarded the questions, with increasing emphasis as the number of questions increased.
Seiya froze in her steps while trying to move in her luggage when Yaten screamed out her last question. "I'm thinking of visiting my best friend, Ten-chan, whom I have not met since we graduated from college . That's why I am here . . ." Seiya replied sheepishly, deep down knowing that Yaten was not going to believe what she had just said.
"Oh please! How many times have I told you, not to call me Ten-chan. Goodness sake, we are now 22, not 10 year old. And, seriously, do you think that I'm going to believe in your explanation?" Yaten retorted, still irritated by the fact that her best friend from young had decided to visit at such an unearthly hour.
"No. Yat-chan!" Seiya answered playfully, knowing that Yaten will be real infuriated with her by calling her 'Yat-chan'.
Yaten growled in response, just as what Seiya had expected. "So, tell me, why are you here?" Yaten asked again, yawning to get extra oxygen for her brain to listen to Seiya's story.
Seiya tugged her luggage towards the couch Yaten was sitting and sat down beside Yaten. "I ran away from home. For this." Seiya started as she took out a pamphlet out of her jean's pocket. "I want to live this dream of mine. I do not want to be manipulated by my family anymore. From young till now, everything that I do, every decision of life, are made by them. I'm tired. This is what I really really want to do. To be a singer."
"Are you crazy? Are you having fever?" Yaten asked as she run her hand over Seiya's forehand. Seiya brushed her Yaten's hand off. "No matter where you go, your parents always have their ways to track you down. And, remember, the media recognised who are you. How are you going to hide from them? I bet by later in the afternoon, there will be people running all over Tokyo, preparing to drag you back to Kyoto." Yaten finished off.
"That's why I am here for. . ." Seiya look mischievously at Yaten. "That's what friends are for. That's why I am here, Yat-chan. Only you can help me out of this." Seiya finished.
"Great." Yaten mumbled under her breath. "I need to sleep. Make sure you wake me up before 7." With that, Yaten stomped back to her room, leaving Seiya alone in the living room.
