Well, they are gone, and here must I remain

-S.T. Coleridge


Kaoru

She sat on the dock and watched as the darkness surrounded her. It was not yet twilight, but the storm clouds that had been hovering over the horizon had now reached where she sat. The light was now engulfed by the grey clouds that were looming above her.

The dock, a wooden structure made a path onto the water, a passage to the unknown. The surrounding water seemed to encompass her and reflect her mood. The grey matter hugged the dock and licked the shoreline giving a sense of comfort, yet the depth of the water and its power to destroy belied its caring nature.

Her long dark hair flowed over her shoulders and fell like a curtain upon her arms and back. The young restless face rested upon her hands supported by her knees, which were bent and drawn up against her chest. Storm grey eyes peered into the surrounding mass of water which reached out and embraced the other side of the lake. With her head in her hands she stared out into the open space that was her life. Empty and restless.

A breeze trickled past the girl as she pondered about the present situation.

Whatwas it that made people become cruel and change their character? The water before her seemed to stretch and engulf the dull coloured sky making everything seem lifeless and distant.

Why am I here? It's not as if I had done anything wrong. Kaoru glared in Tomoe's direction. The lake rippled in the girls' anger, the tiny waves lapping the shoreline, showing the emotion that the girl could not. She looked away from her anger and forced her head to a direction just over her shoulder and as she did she saw a younger version of herself dancing around in the dimly glowing sunlight…

"Last one in is a rotten egg!" A girl in a bright yellow swimsuit appears and runs towards the end of the dock. She turns and beckons to those behind her.

"Come on! I can't wait forever, you know!"

Two other girls appear and run towards Meguimi, their faces reflecting the brightness of her swimwear. Laughter washes over the girl as she watches the scene pan out before her.

"Kaoru! Come on…" A bossy voice calls out. All three girls now at the end of the dock; waiting for the younger girl in her pink swimwear. She smiles a hesitant smile as she makes her way forward, slowly at first but then breaks into a skip as she rushes toward them as laughter echoes over the water, a blue of summer. When she reaches them they all link hands and jump into the water together.

"See, now no one can be the rotten egg," Meguimi states in a matter-of-fact tone. Tomoe beside her grins and laughter washes over the girls.

"It's always going to be like this, no one first, no one last. Friends forever."

All four girls link hands and smile, their young faces open and trusting.

The image disappears as the girl silently stares into the space the four girls had occupied.

We were so young. How could we have known what life could bring?

The girl went back to her contemplations as she moved to a more comfortable position, her back against a post and her legs softly swinging over the edge of the dock, moving in sync with the lazy movement of the tide. Youth was such a funny thing. You couldn't waste it, otherwise you would have to spend time going backwards trying to find out who you are and what you wanted to become. Time was one of those circumstances that you have no control over. Through pain and sorrow, their friendships had shown their true form, just like the storm shows the lake's true form; a beautiful image if left undisturbed, but if moved can become a destructive force that can pull and break things apart

The lake seemed to widen as the girl looked out upon its watery surface. With each drop of water, with each wave that lapped upon the shore, someone, somewhere, felt the relaxed pull of calm.

Kaoru looked over at the others. How I wish I could hate them. Tomoe was frowning to herself whilst tapping softly on the wooden plank beneath her, Misao had her head in her hands as she stared at the mountains and Meguimi was sitting on the steps that led down to the water, watching it, entranced. Kaoru brought her legs up to her chest and as she pulled her hands inside her jacket she fiddled with the sleeves. She couldn't understand why Misao had abandoned her or why Meguimi had become so uncaring. She looked upon the shoreline where grey met yellow…

Or was it the other way around?

The meeting of the two different entities brought a memory to her mind. The different characteristics of her friends bore a comparison to the meeting of two ultimately different beings.