DISCLAIMER
The following work contains very mature themes and is about how people responded to the deadliest terrorist attack in history, the September 11th attacks on the United States.
I feel it vitally important to stress that this is not a work written out of some desire to be edgy, or shocking. For a while now I've legitimately wondered how Minami, somewhere in her preteens, would feel with the news of such a devastating event breaking on or around her birthday.
In this interpretation of events, I have decided to give her a personal connection to those events through her father, working at (the fictional representation of) one of the Japanese banking institutions that were in the process of merging into the Mizuho Financial Group. This is not in any way intended to belittle or displace the real people who lost their lives in the tragic events of 9/11. I want to be as respectful as possible while giving a perspective on how being close to such a horrendous tragedy can affect us.
Obviously I cannot attest to have had first-hand experience with the perspective of a young Japanese girl whose father was caught up in the events of the attack, not being Japanese. In fact, I was too young when they happened to remember a world before the lasting international consequences of the attack - the USA PATRIOT Act, the "war on terror", extensive security theatre before boarding a flight etc.
But I want to think about how that might have been for those involved, empathise with their plight, understand their fear and their grief, while telling a compelling story about a character I personally find interesting and relatable. If I write further stories, this one may provide a useful look into her past and show the reader a little piece of how she developed into the person she became in the future.
TL;DR
- This is not an "edgy" fic intended to elicit a negative response for the author's amusement.
- Trigger warnings for discussion and depiction of the September 11th attacks. Beyond the initial chapter, subjects like survivor's guilt and lasting trauma, in addition to extensive descriptions of death, and imagery within the context of a nightmare that some may find intensely distressing and uncomfortable.
By continuing to read past this point having seen this disclaimer, you indicate that you understand the above and will not attack the author for those things. Constructive criticism regarding both tonal and technical aspects of the work are of course allowed provided they do not constitute personal attacks.