Dreams - ShinAya
He dreams of her each night.
Her wonderful, delicate smile, and her pretty hair. Each dream was a different memory of her. He was lucid, he knew that it was just a dream, but he tries to enjoy himself each time. In his dreams, he lies to himself that she's still alive, still breathing, still… there. It works. It works so well. Too well, really.
Come on, Shintaro, hurry up!
Whenever he wakes up, he lies on his bed for a bit, staring at the ceiling, recalling the dream, mesmerized. Until Ene interrupts his thoughts. That's when he really wakes up. He does his routine, and seats himself infront of his computer. Sometimes, he pretends to read the various messages on the online threads. His eyes just scan the mindless words, though. In his head, he thinks about her once again. He just can't stop. He misses her so much.
When the sun sets, and the moon hangs gently in the twinkling night sky, he anticipates the dreams. He wonders what memory the dream will be about, and eventually, he falls asleep. He doesn't want to think about the end.
Shintaro, move forward, please.
Don't fight with Takane, Shintaro! Its just an accident! Is she really that annoying?
I don't want you to be left behind…
Shintaro.
He wakes up. The day repeats itself, only with a few minor differences. He crawls into bed again, and dreams. Its much more vivid than he remembers. He's in a classroom. "Shintaro.. Please. Move on." He freezes. "Please. I don't want to see you suffer anymore. I'm sorry." Her voice is shaky. He remains silent. "Please, I want you to be happy, don't lie to yourself anymore." She continues to say, her voice wavering. He wants to see her, but he can't move. He can barely breathe. "…Shintaro," She says once again, her voice stronger. Shintaro doesn't need to move. He faces her, looking into her kind, gentle eyes. "Stop living in the past." He opens his mouth, but no words come out. Ayano smiles at him, her hands behind her back. "Shh." She waves at him, and the dream slowly fades away.
I love you Shintaro
No. He doesn't want to let go.
He doesn't want to say goodbye.
He doesn't want to wake up.
But he does. He opens his eyes, slowly. His heart seems to stop for a moment as he stares at the other side of his bed. His hands slowly reach out, but they inch back just as they almost touch it. He's afraid. He's afraid that it would disappear. Tears well up in his eyes, but he didn't care. He touches it, and carefully, he covers it with his hand, not wanting to crumple the fragile and small object.
He raises his hand, expecting it to disappear, but its still there, sitting on his bed.
A tear drips down from his face, and he picks the item up. He smiles, and gently holds the red origami.
...
She had always loved making paper cranes, and Shintaro knows that he loves them. Even if he didn't show it.
