"Rin!"
His approaching voice echoes merrily under the brilliance of a bright blue sky.
"What's happening?"
Her dark-haired friend halts before her.
"Well I was wondering if-" he begins.
But his sentence is cut short by the sound of another voice.
"Rin! Rin! Over here!" says a girl.
"Okay, give me a second!"
Her attention returns to the boy, who is now scowling in displeasure.
"What was it that you wanted to say?"
"N-Nothing," he mutters.
"What was that?"
Her eyes dart to the black-haired girl, who is watching their conversation with mild interest.
"It's okay, I'll tell you later," he replies roughly.
There is a strong hint of disappointment that saturates his tone.
He is reluctant to pursue the conversation, so she drops the subject and takes his hand.
"Let's go, okay?" she says kindly.
Then her vision distorts and she is in a luscious park with hundreds of floating balloons.
In the midst of a table that is bulging beneath platefuls of sweets and boxes of presents, an enormous banner with 'Happy Birthday' hangs merrily against the blue background. A group of children surrounds her.
Then the blur sinks in and she is sitting on the park bench under an approaching sunset. A large multi-coloured wrapped box is sitting on her lap and she is surrounded by the same crowd of people.
"Thank you so much," Rin says jovially.
"I'm so glad you like it!" the dark-haired girl says.
"Two more presents!" shouts a boy from somewhere out the back.
"Here this is from me-" a silver-haired boy says.
But he is pushed to the side by Rin's dark-haired friend.
"I'm going first," he interrupts irritably.
Then he tentatively hands her a small package wrapped in purple coloured paper.
"Oh this looks…nice, thank you so much," she says.
In her hand is a very interesting bracelet comprised of incongruous colours, namely purple, orange and a funny shade of blue and brown. The beads are mismatched in size and appears to be 'artistically' handmade.
"D-Do you think so? I-I made it for you," he stutters nervously.
His uncertain gaze flicks back and forth between her and the sniggers from the other children.
"Yes of course," she answers honestly.
"Are you sure-"
"I love it, believe me, okay?" she interrupts kindly.
"T-Thanks, I'm glad you like it."
"Last one!" cries a red-haired girl who is eyeing the silver-haired boy with increasing admiration.
"Well, if I'd known he got you a bracelet, I would have picked something else," the silver-haired boy says.
He hands her a small pouch with a drawstring. Inside is a beautiful plain silver coloured bracelet.
"That's so pretty!" The dark-haired girl says enviously.
"It looks beautiful!" another adds.
The compliments fire at her in all different directions.
"Thank you so much! I love it," she says brightly.
"It's just as good as any other present really," he answers indifferently.
"Rin, this bracelet is from that famous jewellery shop, it's really pricey you know?" a blonde-haired girl whispers.
"Rin, you're so lucky to have a Chunnin on your team! It's the only way they can afford to buy all this stuff!" another girl squeals.
"It doesn't matter how much someone spends on me, it's the thought that really counts," Rin says.
Then, a commotion transpires from somewhere beside her.
"Hmph! It's nothing special!" the dark-haired boy says.
He is scowling at the silver-haired boy, who is zoning out from his surroundings.
"Hey you're one to talk!" one girl says angrily.
"Yeah, at least get her a proper present," another chides.
Without another word, the dark-haired boy falls silent. He turns his watch to Rin, who is eyeing him with passive frustration. And despite her composure, he seems to have read her mind.
"I'm sorry, Rin," he mumbles shamefully.
He gives her a look of subdued devastation before turning on his heel and stalking off.
And her vision refocuses to the warmth of her bedroom. Anxiety plagues her thoughts as she searches for the misplaced bracelet her dark-haired friend gifted her.
The world spins again in a hazy whir and she is sitting beside her dark-haired friend at the same park. The silver-haired boy is standing several metres away and listening to a familiar blonde man speak without words.
But the dark-haired boy appears fazed. His searching gaze is highly transfixed on the silver bracelet around Rin's left wrist.
At the same moment, the guilt infiltrates. She is feeling ashamed for wearing it in front of him.
What was she even thinking?
Now they are walking towards the village exit and the dark-haired boy deliberately falls behind so that he can walk beside her.
"Rin, h-how are you doing?" he asks timidly.
"I'm fine, what about you?"
The boy does not reply. Instead, he watches her with a glaze expression, and darts his eyes back and forth between her face and the bracelet on her wrist.
When he speaks, she does not hear him.
Her world is spinning again and this time it does not stop. On and on it turns, a blur of colours, a flash of light. Then the sensation of violent movement.
The ground beneath cracks and crumbles. With minimal reaction time, she falls, falling, falling, faster and faster. And as she descends into the depths of nothingness, her screams are swallowed by a vortex of blackness