The first thing she felt as she awoke was the cool autumn breeze on her face, blowing in from the open window. The woman used to enjoy days like this...Cool autumn days during the month of September as the leaves fell and she took in all the pleasant sights and smells. Just taking it all in with a nice warm cup of hot cocoa and looking back on her younger years. All while cuddling by a fire with the most important people in her life. It was the type of thing to look forward to every year. Now, however, these months only reminded her that almost everyone from those younger years were long gone now, especially the person most important to her. It wouldn't be accurate to say she felt hate towards days like this. No...instead, she felt...melancholic, bittersweet, reminiscent...any combination of those words.

As she slowly sat up in her bed, she touched the side next to her and smiled sadly as she felt nothing there. "Good morning, sweetie." She whispered, her old voice gentle and soft. "It's another one of those days again...Days that we would always spend together." Her eyes glazed over as memories of years before took over. In her Seventy Seven years of life, she had gone through a lot, and of those years, all but three of them in the start and one by the tail end had her second half of them. Tears softly glistened in the corner of her eyes. "I...I miss you so much, dear." The tears began to slowly fall from her face as she silently cried as the memories overtook her. She had gone through so much...without him, she might've...Feeling the cracked skin of her neck, she sighed sadly as she felt the scarring from what she had tried to do so many years ago. He had made sure it didn't happen. He had saved her. He was her hero and everything he did after that kept reminding her why she felt that way.

Removing her hand from the bed, she wiped her old, wrinkled face as she gathered up a sad smile and looked at a picture taken when she was just eighteen. In it was a younger her, complete with the red little bow and the coral pink hair of her youth. The person next to her, a muscular man with large and gentle auburn eyes and smooth brown hair, held her closely to him, tightly as the two smiled and blushed furiously. On their right were two women, a tiny girl with pink hair in pigtails and an average sized girl with blonde hair. On their left were two other women, a tall girl with silk-like purple hair and a girl of average height that carried herself in a very respectable fashion, her emerald green eyes twinkling with happiness.

At the top of the picture read "Literature Club of Ai High School" and under it read "Forever friends : Kiyama Yuri, Tachi Monika, Kobayashi Natsuki, and Nishikawa Aimi, and the cute couple : Chinen Sayori and Nishikawa Akihiko. May our friendship last this lifetime and the next." A glance to the picture's side showed that everyone had signed it in their own writing. This picture brought back memories of her high school years, when everything seemed so much simpler, yet also so much harder. To her time in the literature club, first as Vice President, and then President the year following. It was never a big club, never one of the 'important ones' Just her, Monika, Yuri, Natsuki, and the Nishikawa siblings and then it went to her, Natsuki, and the Siblings in their third year after Yuri had graduated and Monika left after the weight of expectations became too much for her. When she and Akihiko graduated, only Natsuki and Aimi were left, though it was clear they were able to get new members themselves just shortly after the festival of that year in the newly declared 'Manga Club'.

She giggled softly at those memories. Everything was so wonderful back then...If she could live those years again and again, she would do it and not change a single thing. That's how perfect those memories were. Now, it was just her and Natsuki left of the original literature club. Life moves forward sadly, that's what she had learned. When was the last time she talked to Natsuki? Maybe she could call her today, just to catch up on some things.

Interrupting her own memories, she decided to get up, take a shower, and get dressed for the day. Carefully undressing out of her red nightgown and getting into the shower, she moved slowly as she cleaned every part of herself. For a brief moment, she considered using the Cinnamon-Strawberry scented shampoo she loved to use years before, when Akihiko was still alive, but in the end, she decided against it, instead using the classic shampoo she had used every day since her husband's passing and let out a sad breath as she closed her eyes and imagined Akihiko out in the kitchen, making themselves breakfast to eat and waiting for her to get out of the shower so he could show how much he loved her. Soft tears began to fall out of her eyes as the warm water continued to fall onto her while every loving thing he'd say to her, as every kiss, every dance, every hug, every moment flashed in just a mere couple of seconds in her brain.

A few minutes later, she was out of the shower and dressed in her clothing, a nice pink sweater knitted by Yuri a couple of years ago and Jean pants. With her hair now dry, she turned her attention to making herself a nice cup of hot chocolate with extra sugar and marshmallows, how she liked it. Briefly, her thoughts turned to what Akihiko would say in this situation and she smiled. "'No, Cinnamon Bun. Don't make it yourself. I'm the man in this family, I have to take care of you, it's my job!'" She giggled softly as she responded to him.

"But Maple Tree, you don't have to do everything for me. I can take care of myself." She fired back with her nickname for him.

"'It doesn't matter. You just rest that cute little head of yours while I make you a breakfast in bed you'll absolutely enjoy."

"Are you saure, Akihiko? I mean, I don't want to be a bur-"

"'You'll never be a burden to me. Not once in my entire time knowing you has helping you has been a burden. I-'" The imaginary conversation was cut short as she heard loud knocking at the door. She almost jumped at the noise before calming down. She looked at the clock, which read '7:34' Blinking, she finished getting her cocoa ready, pouring it into her cup, before walking over to the door.

"Who could be knocking this early in the morning?" She asked herself as she approached the door. However, as she reached the door, she smiled upon realizing who it was. Two of the most important people she held ever since first becoming an adult. Perhaps the people who had been able to keep away the voices, the rainclouds, everything, away from her the moment they arrived in her life. With the widest and biggest smile possible. Once she reached the door, she grasped the handle and slowly opened it. "Hello." She beamed out brightly at the two people outside her house.

Standing right there was a woman standing at 5'2 (158.95 cm), a mere inch taller than her, with silky smooth brown hair in a ponytail and soft, warm, and gentle hazel eyes, wearing a nice green shirt that said "World's cutest author!" on it and black sweatpants. Right next to her was a young boy looking no older than thirteen with large blue eyes, an awkward smile, and black hair wearing a plain yellow shirt and khakis. Both of their eyes shone with happiness the moment Sayori opened the door for both of them.

"Mom!" "Hi, grandma!" They both said excitedly as they hugged her tightly. Sayori graciously took in the hug, accepting the love of her youngest child and grandchild. Rebecca Thompson was Sayori's daughter at thirty nine years of age and she had done quite well for herself, being an author of a moderately successful fantasy series while being married to a local politician. Whatever he was associated with politically, she didn't really care. As long as her baby girl was happy, she was happy. Then there was her grandson, Henry Thompson, who was what most young people would call a tsundere, though he was extremely affectionate when it came to his gran-gran, Sayori.

One might ask why Rebecca and Henry had an American name despite her parent's origin, but the simple answer is that both Sayori and Akihiko wanted all of their kids to integrate into society better and not be pointed out and mocked for having different first names for everyone. Sayori had always admired the west in one way or another, so when they moved there shortly after Natsuki and Aimi graduated, so the Literature Club could stay together, it was easier for her to integrate more than the others, though they eventually learned to.

"Rebecca! Henry!" She gave a big kiss on both of their heads, the two humming in appreciation before she broke the hug. "Please, come in. I have Hot Cocoa ready, if either of you would like some." Henry shook his head while Rebecca's eyes gave a brief glimmer that was quickly snuffed out. However, Sayori, while old, was still quick enough to catch it. 'Oh Rebecca.' She chastised internally, 'I know how much you love my cocoa, no need to hide it under a mask of professionalism.'

"No thanks, grandma. I'm going to see and play with Phillip for a bit, ok?" Phillip was a two year old Flemish Giant Rabbit that Sayori had recently gotten to keep her company. The rain clouds, while still somewhat existent, didn't bother her as much as they used to. Sure, without Akihiko around, it was tougher to go against them. However, she had lived a fulfilling, happy life. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, her depression could do to change that simple fact. Thus, if a pet gave her love and affection, much like how the beagle she and Akihiro had in their younger years, gave her affection, why on earth would she reject that? So, Phillip was her closest friend in the world right now, besides Natsuki and her family.

Sayori nodded and just like that, Henry disappeared into the room down the hallway from the kitchen, likely to not be seen again until lunch or it was time to go. He loved that rabbit with every fiber of his being, so Sayori wasn't shocked that he wouldn't be around long. Rebecca sighed, placing her left hand on her head and shaking it. "I swear, Henry…" She trailed off before looking apologetically at her mother and bowing to her. "I'm sorry, mom. When I told him that we were going to come visit you last week, I said he couldn't put all of his attention on that darn rabbit. It looks like it went in one ear and out the other." She sighed. "As always." Sayori couldn't help but remember something when her daughter finished speaking and had a tiny little chuckle, cupping her mouth as she did so. As Rebecca gave her a questioning glance, Sayori decided to explain.

"Don't be too hard on him, dear. After all, I remember being just like that when she was his age and even being incredibly mischievous as well." She winked as she teased her daughter, who flushed red in embarrassment, remembering how much trouble she gave her aunt, grandparents, Natsuki, Yuri, Monika, her siblings, and especially her parents when she was a child. Sayori couldn't help but laugh a little harder at her daughter's cuteness, causing her to scrunch up her cheeks and stamp her foot in exasperation.

"MOM! Stop laughing, you meanie!" She squeaked out. There it was, Sayori's line from when she was a child and young adult that Akihiko found so cute. Somehow, some way, all three of their kids had picked up on Sayori's habit and so had their grandchildren. Sayori couldn't help but continue to giggle harder as the image of a younger girl took her daughter's place, that line relaying again and again. Rebecca groaned quietly as her mother continued to have fun at her expense. After a few minutes, Sayori finally calmed down enough to speak.

"Sorry, I just had to, dear. The opportunity was too good." And with that, they turned to the kitchen, with Sayori making Rebecca a cup of Cocoa just the way she liked it. Then, she got the butter out and placed two slices of bread in the toaster. Before she activated the device, she looked at Rebecca. "Do you want some toast?" She asked and Rebecca shook her head.

"Me and Henry already had some Egg McMuffins on the way here. Not particularly filling, but it'll hold us over till lunch time." Sayori nodded and then activated the toaster. Minutes later, the toast was ready, with butter slathered on it and Sayori brought the toast and Cocoa over to the table on a tray, sitting down right next to Rebecca, who immediately went for her Cocoa and took a big swig. "MMMMMMMM!" She hummed in appreciation. "So good." Sayori smiled as her little girl continued to enjoy herself. Just because she was all grown up didn't mean she had the right to spoil her just as much as her grandchildren. "So, mom, how have you been holding up? After what happened last year, I was a bit worried about you, even though James told me not to worry, I really can't help it. I don't know why, but I feel like I have some sort of obligation to watch over you, if you understand what I'm saying." James was the oldest of Sayori and Akihiko's children, born when they were twenty six, making him fifty one. James was not as much of a worrywort as her sister, but he wasn't as oblivious as his father or brother, Johnny, he was perfectly in the middle.

Sayori nodded solemnly. "I understand where you're coming from, 'becky. But really, I'm fine." Her breath hitched a little as she finished that a slight tear glistened in the corner of her eye. "Trust me, sweetie...I-I've n-never been..bet-'' She swallowed. "Better." she finished, putting on the best fake smile she could for her daughter. It was getting harder and harder every day to go on without her husband, but who was she to ask for anymore help. She was already at the end of her life, why ask anyone for help when it would be pointless anyway? However, her daughter, stubborn just like her parents, continued to push, unsatisfied with the answer she got. Always the investigator, Sayori internally joked.

"Are you, mom? You and dad were together for...I don't know how long and I know you suffer from Depression." She looked at her pleadingly. "I don't know if you know this, maybe not, but, I have it too…" What? Her little princess had what she had gone through for so long and she had never noticed it? Here she was, sad about her life when her little princess had gone through the same stuff she did, maybe it was even worse now, since she was big and everything, a well known name. God only knows what kind of things the more famous people who're depressed go through. Her suffering could only be 1/50ths as bad as everyone else's. "I...I know what you felt your entire life, mom, because I felt it too. I used to never understand why you were crying in dad's arms so much, begging him to never leave you and that he'd promised he'd always stay by your side. Soon, I began to feel sad but I didn't know why...Even when I was sad myself, I...I never understood why. Why me? Why now? Those were questions I always askedI felt like I was worthless, like nothing I mattered, like no matter what I was doing, it was never enough. I didn't know why I felt like such a burden." Tears started to form in Rebecca's eyes but she took a deep breath and continued.

"T-then, one night, when I was nine ...daddy found me crying in my room while hugging Mr. Cow. He said that he could hear me crying from the other room and asked what was wrong. My brain told me to not tell him, that I would just be a burden on him if he found out. You weren't there because you and your friends and Aunt Aimi was having a girl's night out, so I couldn't go to you...I tried to tell him nothing was wrong, that Mr. Cow was just helping me with a bad feeling, but he kept asking and begging that I tell him the truth and I-I-I broke, I broke like a fucking dam and told him everything. T-told him about how worthless I felt everyday, told him how I didn't think I mattered, that I wasn't important, that I was a selfish, selfish idiot and that he shouldn't waste his time on me... I thought for sure that he would say that I was right, that I was nothing but a waste of space in the family, that I s-should just disappear. But that's not what he d-did at a-all." They were both openly crying at this point, but neither cared. Rebecca needed to tell her mother this story and Sayori needed to hear it.

"I-instead, he grabbed me and held me close, wrapping his arms around me tightly and said that my brain was wrong, that I-I was b-beautiful, that I wasn't a burden, that I was loved, that I-I w-was h-h-his l-l-l-l-litt-...little p-princess and that he loved me, my brothers, and you more than anything in the world. And all I could do was just hold tight, squeeze my body into his, and cry into his shoulder as he held me and comforted me. I just remember crying out loud 'Please don't leave us, Papa! Don't leave me!' and he simply said back 'Never. Never.' again and again as I cried into him while he rubbed my back and let me let everything out. That...That's when it clicked. Why you were crying so much into him, why you were begging him to never leave and how he had to reaffirm that he would never do such a thing. You were going through this feeling for so long, even before you and papa got together, something which I never thought possible and then Aunt Aimi told me about when you tried...it...to get these thunderstorms to go away as a warning and I-I was horrified. Mama, my mommy, who was wonderful, sweet, kind, beautiful, fun, energetic, happy, did that? I almost never knew my mama? I-I never wanted it to get that bad, never, I wanted to get better, not just to put daddy at ease or help myself, but to make it easier on you, mom. I knew if you found out, you would just blame yourself, because that's what I did when I found out that Henry has it, though it doesn't seem as bad as ours...thank god...He brought me to Therapy every day, stayed with me until I was sure I could go by myself and he covered on me, making some bullshit excuse that I was hanging out with a bunch of friends just so you wouldn't worry about me."

"One day, I found James and Johnny talking to dad and they both thanked him for taking care of me, because they knew about it, they heard me crying and said they didn't know what to do, what could they do? Their baby sister was crying their eyes out about something they knew nothing about. Daddy simply smiled and 'I know how you both are feeling. When I was much younger, when I first started going out with your mother, I had no idea what to day was an awful, horrible experience as I say the woman I grew up with just break down sobbing into my chest, saying she hated herself, apologizing for being a burden on me and despite all my best efforts, nothing seemed to work. I felt so helpless, like nothing I did could change anything. When your mom almost died, a switch flipped immediately in my head and I know that no matter what, no matter how, I would always be there for her. At the end of the day though, I never forced anything on her. It was her decision for if she wanted to get better or not, not mine. I'm glad you got me involved, you two...To know my baby girl was going through something like her mother did for so long while I was so unaware...God, I feel like an ass. And then he broke down. Papa, this large, giant man, who was stronger than the strongest man alive and was my hero, who protected me no matter what, was breaking down because he thought he failed me. I immediately ran in there and as James and Johnny watched, hugged him, told him to not think of himself like that, ordered him to. Because Papa never cries, papa is strong, because papa is my role model and could never do anything wrong, because papa is papa."

"Y-years later, when Henry was seven...This same exact thing happened. He was hugging Mr. Cow, Papa found him, and Henry told him everything. And when he told me that's what he did for you, I just broke down, because Papa went through this three times, three times, and was never impatient, never rude, never mean, always understanding, and caring, and loving. Dad helped me and Henry though so much. We got better because of his help and I know you did too, because he was always, always there for us, to make sure every bad thought went away and only good thoughts stayed. We thought he would be around forever...We thought...We thought…" She couldn't hold it in anymore and just shattered, crying on the table before looking at Sayori through tear stricken eyes. "When dad died, Me and Henry were the hardest hit, o-or so I thought. This man, this monument to both of us that showed us that our mind was telling us nonsense, that helped us learn to love ourselves, was gone. I never expected it to be so soon. That night, after the funeral, me and Henry locked ourselves in our bedroom and just spent the entire night crying into one another, the day after that crying, we just kept crying, and crying, and crying until it felt like there were no more tears left to shed. One day...I-I did something I'm not too proud of...something I regret so much even now, but I just wanted the pain to go away!" Sayori noticed her grasping at her arm and immediately got what she was talking about."But then I noticed something as I was doing...Henry...Henry just saw me doing it...He was so scared...H-he didn't know what to do a-and I froze. I swore to myself I would never do something again. Thankfully, I haven't felt an urge to ever since." She let out a small breath before continuing. "Poor Lucas didn't know what to do. He still thinks he was a terrible husband for not knowing how to handle this, but how could he possibly replace the only man who ever outshined and will always outshined him to me? How could he tell me everything would be alright even when he was gone? He couldn't and I tell him that every fucking day because he needs to realize that it wasn't his damn fault because it wasn't."

"Soon, we got back to our normal routine. Writing, eating, sleeping, hanging out with friends...but then I got a call from Natsuki a few days ago, that you weren't answering her texts o-or her calls, or anything, mom...Do you know how scared I was?! I-I thought you actually killed yourself and I never realized it! I realized that everything I was feeling after dad died, it was millions upon millions of times worse for you! I thought I was a bad child for not checking on you and so did Johnny and James. They really wanted to come, but their jobs wouldn't give them leave. On the way here, I was so worried that I'd find you hanging from the ceiling and Henry would see! I didn't want him to see something like that! I was so relieved when I saw you walk to the door and open it." Rebecca then grabbed her mother's shoulders and forced her to look her in the eyes. "Mom, don't you fucking lie to me! I know you aren't doing fine, I know because he isn't here to help you anymore and neither is anyone else except Natsuki. You two are the only ones left. So please, PLEASE, tell me the truth : Are you doing okay?!" A sniff from Sayori. Then two...three...the dam burst and all Sayori could do was weep into the chest of her daughter. The roles reversed, where a mother usually comforted her daughter, the daughter was comforting her mother. But neither cared at that moment. They needed to release and cry together. To let everything out.

"E-Everything hasn't been fine! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for putting on a front! I'm sorry for pretending! I'm sorry for everything sweetheart!" Sayori sobbed, her tears staining Rebecca's shirt. Soon, the shirt became damp with the tears of a broken old woman, but Rebecca didn't care. Her mother deserved this, needed this. She had suffered alone for too long, she needed a new shoulder to cry on. "I-it's b-been s-so h-h-hard going on without him!" Sayori let out.

"I know, mom, I know." The brown haired girl simply stroked her mother's back in a calming manner. "Just let it out." Even though she was crying herself, Rebecca knew her mother needed more help than her. For several minutes, they sat there, with Sayori crying into her daughter and her daughter just calmly soothing her. A daughter caring for her mother, one of the purest and simplest things one child can do for their parent but one that also lets the roles be reversed. When the two finally separated, they didn't know how long it had been, but neither truly cared.

Rebecca was happy to be there for her mother and Sayori was happy to finally have something to talk about what she had been going through. The visit didn't really last much longer after this, with Henry briefly popping out to have lunch with his mother and grandmother before disappearing to play with Phillip until the two left. Meanwhile, Rebecca and Sayori continued to have a brief discussion until Rebecca finally stated that she needed to leave in order to catch the flight back home, which Sayori completely understood, and so the two split, with Rebecca certain that her mother was happy and that she knew she was loved while Sayori was left fulfilled, glad to see her daughter once more.

The rest of the day went by as it normally did, with Sayori tending to her gardens and catching up on the news, giving Philip some much needed attention, and having a brief but comforting chat with Natsuki, who expressed an interest in getting together and having a chat despite the two living on opposite parts of the country. All in all, a pretty peaceful, normal day for Sayori after the drama that occurred throughout the morning. However, what Sayori noticed as the day dragged on, was how tired she was. No matter what she did, she felt incredibly woosy and drowsy during any activity, from reading the news and chatting with Natsuki to gardening and giving Philip some attention. She guessed, if anything, maybe the morning had taken more out of her than she had initially realized.

As she began to ready herself for bed that night, she saw that Johnny had left her a message, saying to expect him visiting for a few minutes tomorrow while James apologized for not being able to visit until next month at the earliest. Sayori didn't mind, and replied that she couldn't wait to see her precious sons once again after her beloved daughter appeared for a visit. Then, with that, she went to bed. Initially, sleep refused to come, but then, eventually, she slowly fell into a slumber, as she slowed her breathing and found a comfortable position. As she drifted into the world of dreams, Sayori slowly began to make out a figure. They were sitting right next to her and, while blurry, seemed to be calling out for her, even if she didn't hear them properly.

Then, the vision cleared and she found herself sitting in a large, wide-open field with many roses surrounding her and the sun beating down heavily on the two of them. Slightly shaking, she turned and saw the figure who was sitting next to her. They were a male, in their late 20s to early 30s, with a large well muscled build, hazel eyes, short but wild brown hair, and had on a plain black shirt while also giving her the gentlest smile she had ever seen. One look at herself made her realize that she was the same age as well. "Hey, sweetie…" The figure began and that was when Sayori's tears began to silently stream from her eyes as she realized what was going on, what had happened.

"I guess I finally achieved what I always wanted, that Sayori Ever After." Then they grabbed her hand and gave her a small kiss before continuing. "I'm glad to see you again, I really, really missed you."

And scene!

So there we go, the opening for Sayori Ever After is finished. What do you all think of it?

This story will be an anthology filled with requests (meaning you can request an event and it'll be written about), however, I also have some ideas that I will write about on a date sooner rather than later. You can also request a story arc, where there will be more than a few chapters of the story just for the arc alone. I already have one arc planned and I'll take between four to six more.

Just leave a comment/review and I'll get on it as soon as possible. Till next time everyone, Seeya!

Also, I have several ideas for Doki Doki Mods that I can write the stories for, so if you're interested in seeing my ideas and helping me (I'll just need people who can draw good art and can code properly, maybe a music producer or two), hit me up on my Discord (ShookethFuko#2178) to see if you might be interested in the idea.