That Time I Got Reincarnated As The Son Of An Idol
Chapter 3: The Things Held Closest To My Heart
"And this is Mei-mei! She's really good at dancing!"
The girl pointed at the screen and watched eagerly.
"I see," said the Doctor, stoically.
"Aripyan and Kyunpyan are good at singing, but my fave is definitely Ai! She's my age but she looks so much more good-looking, and mature, and is great at singing and dancing! If reincarnation is a thing, I'd definitely want to look something like her!"
The girl pointed at another purple-haired girl on the TV screen, the same girl on all her accessories around the TV.
"'Reincarnation'? Don't be silly."
"Such a party pooper. You mustn't dream a lot then."
The girl looked back at the Doctor and gave a saddened face. Her woollen hat drooped down sadly.
"Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like if you were born as the child of a celebrity? If you had the right connections and looks from the very start..."
Huh?
"Nope."
"So you really don't have any dreams? You must be haunted by nightmares then... hehe..."
"Really?"
The girl chuckled while she looked out of the window out into the darkness, up to the stars that shone in the clear night sky.
"You're pretty cute yourself, Sarina. You don't need to be reborn. You can become an idol yourself once you get discharged from here. I'll be your fan."
Sarina?
"Really?! I love you sensei! Please marry me!"
...
"Are you the Doctor in charge of...?"
In charge of who?
The man disappeared into the darkness after encountering the doctor.
"H-hey!"
The Doctor searched for him.
...
"I n-need t-to..."
The Doctor lay against the cold, hard stone wall, his body slumped against the dirty ground in the pitch black of the area he was in. His lifeless hands drooped down by his side, his doctor's coat tattered in shreds and tears. Marks of blood were painted onto the wall behind the Doctor, as thick red puddle started to creep out from under him, staining the dirty coat. Lifeless eyes stared up into the darkness through shards of broken glass. And beside the Doctor, the light of a phone broke out of the darkness, with the wallpaper being the girl, Sarina.
"Hah!" I shot up instantly and started sweating coldly. My breathing was sharp and jagged. The world was messed up and turning, all sporadic and random. Each breath I took felt painful and I awaited the sensation of blood. I looked down all around me, looking for any clue of where I was, but I was in my room. No sign of blood anywhere, and my vision started to calm.
Was this real? Am I awake now?
I pinched myself and felt the pain, before tentatively touching my back for any signs of injury. Nothing. My hands were shaking furiously as I did so, and I looked around me again. Waves of disorientation flooded over me.
Nothing.
The pillows were all messed up. The blanket was creased intensely and was in some random shape. And beside me, a pair of pink eyes looked at me, confused. The face of the girl in the dream echoed in the front of my mind, but her features had already started to disappear from my memory.
"Onii-chan? Are you okay?"
Ruby gave me a concerned look.
"You've been tossing and turning quite a lot for the past few minutes. And I thought you were peaceful in your sleep!"
"S-sorry."
I looked away from her, my hands still partly shaking. Suddenly, the Doctor's dying body flashed in front of me, and I fell backwards, hitting my head against the wall.
"Ouch!"
Blood. My right eye stung and the vision disappeared.
"Onii-chan?"
"I-I, I'm fine. I just had a bad dream."
The sensation was too real. It wasn't the dream-like feeling. It was a feeling of reality.
"Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like if you were born as the child of a celebrity?"
The voice echoed in the back of my mind. It was the girl's voice: Sarina. It was exactly the same voice that I heard right before I died.
"That's a bit of a violent reaction. Are you sure you aren't overreacting?"
"It was a nightmare, okay?!"
"A creepily realistic one?"
Too realistic.
"Y-yeah..."
"It's just a dream, it's not real. Duh. I thought you'd have known that. Anyway, we moving. It's our first day of preschool today!"
And that's how I woke up on the day I started preschool. The lively atmosphere of children was unusual... compared to the relative quietness of my life as Ai's kid. Part of me wanted to fit in with the other children, but the other half of me argued back that a person of my actual age hanging out with kids... would be questionable. So, I decided to distance myself partly away from the rest of the kids, unlike Ruby who...
"Don't you ever get sick of reading books? "
I was sitting peacefully under a tree reading Sun Tzu's "The Art of War," when Ruby came up to me. She had already started to make friends with some kids, and was acting in a realistically childish way. It's uncanny.
"No? Is that a problem?"
"I thought that onii-chan wanted to blend in with other children?"
"I'm taking this opportunity to do more than what I could do in my previous life."
"Such a model student answer," Ruby commented in a drawling tone. "Seriously, what is this?" She sat down next to me and started pointing all over the page. "'He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight'. You're acting like some creepy villain!"
"I'm insulted... Do I need to remind you about your obsession?! Was it really necessary earlier?"
-"Looking cute again today! Super cute!"
-"I think Mama's cute overall!"
"Of course! No one is as cute as Mama! After all, no one can look better than her! That's why I'm grateful that I at least look like her!"
She hasn't changed that childish attitude at all. Not one bit.
"At least you're acting the childish part. What were you doing before you were born? Are you sure you weren't an actor?"
Ruby looked away, and answered hesitantly, scratching her cheek.
"Umm... I didn't act, I told you so already! I just... did regular people stuff."
"That's kinda vague. You sure about that?"
"Well, what about you then?! Stop being so-"
I closed my book and took a deep breath.
"I was a high school student and about to graduate. There, happy? It's your turn now."
I let out my secret. If it's going to be revealed, it's going to be on my own terms and when I do it willingly. I willing to bet that Ruby was originally around the teenage years, so this was a risk I was willing to take. I haven't mentioned anything too specific about my life, but Sun Tzu probably wouldn't be the proudest of me right now...
"You were serious about that?!" came her astonished reply. She looked at me like I had just killed a man. Great, now I'm beginning to regret my decision. "Onii-chan, I thought that was some touchy ground between us?!"
"Yeah, so how old are you?" I asked, as I averted my gaze from her. "You can't be that much older or younger than me." This was pretty embarrassing.
Ruby started to twiddle a strand of her hair and stared off at the children playing, and an awkward silence came between us for a few seconds.
"I was a similar age to you, okay?!" she said defensively. Ruby then stood up, flicked her hair back and struck a declarative pose. Is she sure she wasn't an actor?
"Besides, you should know it's rude to ask a woman's age, onii-chan! The past is irrelevant - the present is all that matters! Quit dwelling on unnecessary stuff, will you!"
"I guess you're right."
Ruby then ran off with a newfound joy and started playing on the children's equipment, while I looked at a caterpillar on a bush near me. What a life: constantly eating to turn into a beautiful butterfly and flutter around with no direct goal but to survive.
Ah well, I'll do what I've got to do. I'll just... do what a pre-schooler does... with some caveats. Ruby's right - there's no point on dwelling on the past. I'll make this life my own.
...
Although, she's playing in a really, really accurately childish way right now. She's probably younger than me. You can practically see the lies oozing off of her as she spoke.
"Why are you reading a big book like that?"
"Uhh... I think it's interesting." I was approached by one of the kids who had taken an interest in me and my distanced actions. It had been a few days since our first day here, and Ruby was already getting along well with her classmates. However, I generally kept to myself still.
"Hmm..." The boy put his hand on his chin and started to tap something out on his leg with his other arm. If I remember... he can play an instrument. I think. "Okay. Talk with me. Do you like playing?"
"Y-yeah..."
But why was he so intent...? I looked at him in the eyes, and his brown eyes stared at me through dark hair.
"Come play with me then. It's boring sitting and reading all the time."
"But, I-, alright fine."
I mean, I wouldn't mind having someone of this age to talk too...
"Yosh! Hiroyanagi Tetsuya is now your friend, A-ku-a-mar, A-kuwa-mah-"
"Aqua," I corrected him. I put my book aside and stood up, following Tetsuya out into the playground. I had the impression for a while that this kid was actually kinda smart, but I can already feel Ruby's comments when we get home...
"Aqua. See, I can say it?"
I looked at the mirror in front of me in the darkness of the studio, with very few lights on. My face: tense. My body: nervous. My hands: shaking.
-"Why did you run away?" asked onii-chan to me earlier.
-"I'm not good at dancing. Or... I've never danced before."
-"Huh? Have you danced before? Like, ever...?"
-"..."
-"Wait... don't tell me, you were a NEET?!"
"No." I shook the conversation out of my head. "I can do this. I can do it."
-"Something like that... I've tried, but I was never any good at it. I don't feel like real exercise is my thing to be honest."
Stretching my arms out, I did the dance moves that we had practised in class.
-"That's why we practise, duh. To get better at things we do."
How would you feel if no matter how much you tried, you couldn't improve, onii-chan?
Hands out to balance.
It would make you feel worthless, right?
Hands down.
"Just got to-"
Skip.
Because no matter how much I tried...
Raise the foot up.
Turn.
Nothing changed.
Spi- Balance, Balance-!
"Ruby... you're moving like you're always ready to fall."
I needed it for those grey monochrome hospital rooms. Those rooms with the cold wooden floors. The rooms that were my prison.
Of course I'm always ready to fall. I mean, I always tripped. I needed to land correctly. It was necessary.
Tears began to well up in my eyes, as memories that I constantly yearned to disappear continued to nag at me.
"Look, if you keep on being scared, you'll only fail more. Be confident! Dance with pride! Don't hesitate!" Mama's cheerful, confident, and reassuring voice breached my ears, and I felt hopeful. Mama picked me up and placed me onto my feet, the memories fading away with her bright presence.
"It'll be okay! Believe in Mama. Mama will always be here for you."
I looked at Mama, and in that moment, desperately tied those words of encouragement close to my heart.
But I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of the room. It was getting late, I really should be asleep by now, but I stared at my own reflection in my mirror once more.
"I can do this," I said, speaking to myself, and took in a breath of air to invigorate myself, and went through the dance positions once more.
I'm not in the solemn hospital anymore. I'm not alone.
I brought my hands up and let them down. Then, my legs and feet moved. Be confident.
I have a body that will listen to me: I'll follow the light that gave me hope with pride.
-"You said it yourself: 'The past is irrelevant - the present is all that matters!'"
Mama's smiling face entered the forefront of my thoughts and shone with a bright light. The light from her performances is ingrained in my eyes. I've watched her performances so many hundreds upon thousands of times.
And then sensei, who was always there for me in my time at the hospital, and who promised to follow me. I wish I knew how he was doing, but he wouldn't recognise me in this body.
However, I'll hold both of them close to my heart as I dance and move freely without hesitation!
"Hey Director?"
Something had sprung up recently, so I decided to confirm something with a man I trusted a fair bit, with heaps of knowledge about the entertainment industry.
"Oh hey Precocious Child Baby. I haven't talked to you in a while. What's up?"
"So I was wondering: what's the big deal with this Tokyo Dome? I've heard Mama talk about it quite a bit recently, so I was wondering if you knew about it."
"Tokyo Dome? Has Ai hit it really big in the idol world?"
"Y-yeah. How'd you know?"
"Well, who else would it be?"
"I- I didn't think about that. You got me there."
"Haha, you never cease to surprise me. Signs of the times I guess. Anyway, about Tokyo Dome..."
"And as the cherry on the cake: we've got Tokyo Dome next week! Haha!"
A day or so after my call with the Director, I found myself uncomfortably sat next to me a clearly slightly drunk Strawberry Production President. Any time attempt I made to try and break free of his grasp somehow resulted in my failure, and so I gave up. I could see Ruby practically laughing at me as she sat on Ai's lap. And now, the Director had put his hand on my head and decided it was a great place for an arm rest.
"Prez is in a pretty good mood!"
"He's always dreamed of getting an idol to Tokyo Dome. I guess you could say that goes for all of the staff as well," replied Miyako-san, who thankfully, had stopped the President from drinking any more sake. However, that did not free me from his clutches.
"Is the Tokyo Dome really amazing like that? What's so special?"
"Tokyo Dome is just that more special than any other place. You have to..."
"1) Book through specialised companies to even get hold of a slot. It's that amazing.
2) Next, your company has to be able to handle large audiences, so they look at all of that stuff as well with a really strict inspection.
3) Don't even get me started on how they screen you over there. Listen kid, I've only had a glimpse once time, but it's the real deal. Count Strawberry Productions lucky for this opportunity.
It's not a place that money can get you in - it's a place that derives those with true talent from those who only aspire to be great. Those who have true skill and those who do not. Understand? It's a big deal."
That's what the Director said to me. It's the king of stadiums essentially. It's the result of Ai's hard work and efforts, and on her birthday.
And then fortunately, a still partly drunk Saitou Ichigo-san loosened his grasp on me and uttered some words of advice.
"This is a really important period, be wary of scandals Ai! Especially like meeting up with their father!"
Father?
"Of course. Seriously Prez, I'm not about to ruin my life like that! Have some faith in me!"
And as Ai continued to smile, there was a feeling of dread that crept up my spine - and it continued to haunt me for the next week. I did not have faith in her.
Will you be able to continue flying as high?
"It's the Doctor...?"
My right eye stung as I heard the familiar voice.
"Fans tend to be very selfish. Don't you think so too, Sarina-chan?"
"Sarina, again?"
The Doctor spoke to no one in particular as he looked at the picture of the girl, Sarina, on his phone's screen, while standing on top of the hospital in the clear night. Suddenly behind him, the door creaked and disturbed the calm passage of the wind. Out of the darkness, into the dim light of the stars, walked a pregnant...
"Ai...? Is this a dream again?"
"Sensei?"
"Oh, Hoshino-san?"
"It must be a lucid dream."
Ai walked beside the Doctor and leaned on the railing, admiring the sky.
"You shouldn't be up here. The night breeze isn't good for your health."
She turned around and gave a cheeky smile before walking clumsily round the rooftop, spreading her arms out and embracing the wind. Her hair flickered delicately and in a mesmerising pattern, illuminated by the light of the stars.
"I'm wearing a couple of layers, so it's okay!"
"That won't do anything if you leave your jacket unzipped."
"Yeah yeah, got it. My babies need to experience the cool night breeze as well!"
"They must be... Me and Ruby?"
She once more looked up at the sky and put her hands clasped behind her back. Her eyes sparkled and gleamed a wonder of vibrant colours as she looked up, entranced and captivated.
"I decided to come to this place based on the President's recommendation, but it's beautiful. Even when the sun's not fully set, the stars are so bright! Nothing like Tokyo!"
...
"Did come all the way out here to the countryside so the public wouldn't notice?"
The Doctor let out a question that he had been holing up inside of his heart, which incited a confused reaction from Ai, who immediately looked straight back at the Doctor.
"I haven't talked about my job yet have I?"
"A few years ago... I had a patient. She was a fan of yours."
"Years?"
And it was at this moment, I got a chilling sensation that this dream world was not fake. It was too real.
"Aw shoot... I thought I'd be okay here since the doctors would be old men and I'd not be found out. Aw, I guess my aura is just that amazing. Well, you caught me!"
"Her self confidence..."
is adorable.
"Why is she not more like this way?"
But I asked that question without a goal. It gnawed in the back of my mind.
Ai put her hand on her chin and grinned mischievously, a slight blush spread on her cheeks.
"So, is this the end of your idol career?"
"Huh? Is it? Why would I? No way."
This had to be reality.
"But that means..."
"She'd have to hide us from the world."
Ai looked down and away from the Doctor, and had a solemn look on her face. She knew.
It became too real. Everything made too much sense for just a dream.
"I've never been part of a loving, or caring family. I've always wanted one."
And each revelation felt like a stab in the back.
"I have twins in my tummy, right?"
Ai looked back at the Doctor, eyes brimming with confidence that wiped away the few tears that had started to gather around her eyes.
"I'm sure that my family will be a very lively one once I have them!"
"You're going to give birth and continue being an idol? Wait, wait, so..."
The Doctor looked at her in horror, knowing exactly that what he spoke was Ai's intentions.
"Yep! It won't be public!"
She's prepared to do that?!
And so I watched the 'dream' play out.
Ai gave an ominous grin, completely aware of the magnitude of her revelation. But she showed no signs of hesitation, no signs of wishing she hadn't said something, and absolutely certain of her decision.
"Idols, sensei, are ideals. Creatures that shine with a magic called 'LIES'."
And then all the fractured pieces came hurtling towards each other.
Ai walked past the Doctor and spun around, with her features sparkling. Her face blushed a perfect pink. Her purple hair spun with her and drifted past, casting a broken shadow onto the floor of the roof, waving in the breeze. The proudest smile to ever exist appeared on her face and her eyes - they glowed. They glowed with the light of the stars in the sky, and with the beauty of a nebula.
"A lie... is an exceptional form of love!"
Then there was her signature cheeky grin, and she spread out her arms widely to proclaim her message in front of the brightest, prevalent star in the sky.
"I'm a top-notch idol! I'm sure I'm able to hide a kid or two, and I'll love them, and I'll hold them close to my heart! I'll spend my entire life with them! And I'll tell lie, after lie, after lie. Idols sing on stage like the happiest people with no problems! That's my job for you!"
There was a slight psychopathic look about her as she spoke her heart out, but it quickly faded as she looked up at the stars.
"But... I want my happiness to be something that is true."
The memories of my death.
She was almost begging, pleading, crying out towards the star for her wish to come true.
"No one really realises it, but we have emotions and a life too. Being happy as a mother, or being happy as an idol. One isn't enough for me. I want both! Hoshino Ai's a greedy girl, you know?"
The idol that I thought I knew as Ai is...
"So much more different than I thought."
The Doctor looked at her in quiet astonishment and then spoke.
"I made up my mind."
"Huh?"
My Doctor's thoughts and fan's opinions have finally reached equilibrium.
"Hoshino Ai, I, Doctor Amamiya Gorou, will make sure you safely give birth to two healthy kids."
"Amamiya... Gorou...?"
You're a hopeless idol, and as your fan, I'm your hopeless slave.
"Really? That's... that brings a joy to my heart! You know, I'm thinking of some cool names for them! Maybe something like 'Ruby' or 'Sapphire' or 'Jasper' or 'Aqua'!"
The Doctor chuckled at the last name.
"Aqua?"
"Yep! Aqua-!"
"...Aqua. Ruby, Aqua."
And just like that, I wearily opened my eyes to the tender sound of Ai's voice calling me, as the sun rose on another day. The day of Ai's 20th birthday and the day of Tokyo Dome. She gently pulled me and Ruby, and gave us both a long, caring hug.
"So I'll lie again today. And I'll lie with my heart, and wish that it will become the truth."
...
"Even if I end up paying for it sooner or later."
The digital clock in the corner of the room sounded. 6:00 AM. No sane child would be awake at this hour. And definitely not a teenager. I wearily pulled my jumper over my head, Ruby lounged sleepily on the bed, and Ai was typing something on her phone.
"Let's see..." She mumbled something and typed it into her phone.
AI_Bkomachi:
I'm so excited for today's concert at the dome~
Ding!
Dong!
The doorbell's chime rang throughout the condo. It was unnerving. It was like a knell in my ear.
"Oh, is it the President? Coming!"
Ai half-ran to the door, and out of the room, and I pushed Ruby around slightly to get her to get up properly.
"Mmm... sleep... just a bit more..."
"Come on Ruby."
"How're the twins?"
As I tried to fully wake Ruby up, my ears shuddered as I heard an unfamiliar voice, followed by an indescribable sound.
"H-hey, huh?!"
Aqua opened the door, and his eyes widened in horror. All thoughts were replaced by FEAR. The front door was open, and in its frame, stood a man, wearing a black hoodie, and holding a knife soaked in crimson blood. Beside him lay a bouquet of fresh flowers, a mixture of white and pink, but now were stained with red of blood.
And in front of the man, a trail of blood, which made its way inside of the condo. A large splatter right in front of the man, and then at the other end of the river of blood, was a waterfall. A waterfall that slowly dripped blood, drop after drop. Drops of blood that stained the clearness of the floor. Ai's blood. She was bending over, shaking, desperately holding onto her bleeding abdomen.
"Aqua-"
Ai looked back and made eye contact with Aqua, before coughing violently and falling down, but managed to stop herself from collapsing completely onto the stained floor. The floor with a strain that grew each passing second.
"AI!"
Aqua ran over, but a single arm stopped him from going further. A single arm, coated in blood. Aqua's eyes widened as the bleeding continued, and the star in his eyes burned furiously.
"Does it hurt?"
The man's words were covered in malice, and dripping with sarcasm. He pointed his knife at Ai, and then to Aqua.
"GUESS WHAT?! I WAS HURT WORSE! I SUFFERED MORE! IT WAS MORE PAINFUL FOR ME!"
"You've got-"
"Aqua! Mama-"
Ai hushed Aqua with her energy, before coughing once more.
"You traitor! YOU WENT AND HAD KIDS!" He straightened his knife at Aqua, who stared it down it, petrified. "Even though you were an idol!" The man was saying each word louder and louder, with more emphasis on his emotions every time.
"KIDS, for goodness' sake! You're an idol! You betrayed ALL of us fans! YOU SLUT!" The man roared fiercely, and did not hold back his thoughts. But Ai said nothing, and forced herself to stand up, while still holding her abdomen which had not stopped bleeding. And yet, her blood-soaked arm still held Aqua back.
"Ai! AI! Don't stand up!"
"With who? For WHAT? For these KIDS?"
Spit flung out of the man's mouth as he spoke each word and each question. And then the man looked directly at the helpless Aqua, who's eyes widened, and who's star glowed a supernatural blue.
"Where's his father, huh? Do you even know who it is? Are you that much of a slut?!"
"You- Fath- huh?" Aqua looked at the man in stunned recognition and at complete shock at the man's words. Multiple thoughts flashed into his mind.
"This KID? Where's the other one?"
The commotion the man was making was getting out of hand. He was starting to creep closer and closer, waving the knife like a lunatic.
"You betrayed ALL OF US! Do we not EXIST to you?! I BET YOU MOCKED US BEHIND OUR BACKS!"
Of course. Ai looked solemnly down and let the man berate her, while she still bled. That's how the world sees it. Am I not human as well?
"YOU DAMNED LIAR!"
Can I not seek happiness too?
"'Ai shiteimasu' this, 'I love you' that! You lured us in with all of that absolute CRAP!"
But that's my job, -ne? To sell dreams?
"LIES! ALL LIES FROM THE START!"
But I never went that far...
Aqua stayed close to Ai, still being shocked with fear.
"I... have always been irresponsible," said Ai, slowly, and with a weakening voice, as she used all of her energy. Yet still, she kept Aqua back. "I'm dishonest and dirty and completely and utterly hopeless as a human. I don't even know what 'love' is..."
"Ai..."
Aqua looked up at Ai, while the man looked at the standing Ai, in shock. The thoughts and sensations going through Aqua's head overloaded his mind. It was all in a matter of minutes that his entire view on Ai was destroyed. Nothing made sense to him, but all his confused feelings were calmed down by a single caressing of Ai's hand on his cheek. Despite the smell of blood, and despite the feeling of her blood on his skin.
"Dakara..., instead... I told pretty lies... pretty lies to please everyone."
The stars in her eyes glowed soberly. The pink colour started to recede, while all the other colours and patterns started to cry out for help, sparkling for a brief moment before returning to normal.
"... Mama...?"
Ai ignored the fearful voice from behind her and continued to look down at her blood on the floor.
"And I hoped, with all of my heart's worth... that they would become real."
The man dropped the knife onto the cold floor, and his blood-stained hands started to faintly quiver. Meanwhile, there was a whimper.
"I... did all I could. I persevered, and I trained hard, all to lie... with everything I had." Ai spoke each word while slowly raising her head and giving a painful look at the man, and each word was a scorpion to everyone that heard them. And the stars in her eyes burned brighter, and they were crying out with a loud voice.
"For me at least... a lie is the most exquisite form of love."
The man started to back away more, and he tried to regain his composure. But his body betrayed him, and his eyes started to dart around in a random manner while his hands' shaking became more prominent.
"I don't know what I was thinking when I sang about 'love'. But... no matter what I was thinking... I want to love you."
Ai removed her crimson, blood-covered hand from Aqua's cheek and held it out towards the man, still clutching her bleeding abdomen.
"Usotsuki..." muttered the man under his breath, and he backed away even further from Ai. "Liar! You don't even know who I am... It's all excuses-"
"Ryousuke-kun, right?" asked Ai hesitantly, which garnered an instant reaction from the man, who looked at her in bewilderment. "You came a lot to my handshake- oh, am I wrong? Sorry, I'm really bad at names." Ai freed her other arm from holding onto her abdomen, and used it to scratch her purple hair, while still smiling. Despite the pain. "Haha, I even get my kids' names confused sometimes..."
And she still managed to get a small laugh from out of the pain.
"I really liked your star sand vial that you gave me. It's still displayed in the living room today."
The man, Ryousuke, stood there in disbelief. The words that had just been spoken to him echoed in his mind. His entire mindset was shattered. His views of Ai as a liar were now on unstable ground. He reeled forward and gripped his head violently, unable to comprehend what Ai had said. His hood came off and revealed his features, and the star in Aqua's eye burned once more. Ryousuke looked up straight at Ai, determined to find any sign that Ai was lying.
None.
Just Ai, holding out her blood-covered hand. And two pairs of eyes staring at both of them.
"What- I- Hey-" Ryousuke was lost for words. His speech was distorted and was struggling to string together anything comprehensible. "That- That wasn't what I was t-! NO!" Confused tears streamed out of Ryousuke's eyes as he ran out of the blood-stained condo, and fled away from his crime, all while screaming maniacally.
"MAMA!"
"You guys-"
"JUST- JUST HURRY UP AND GET HERE!" I was practically screaming towards the operator on the other side of the phone. After the shock had finally escaped and I was able to move, my mind was still buzzing rapidly. I looked at Ai, who was starting to close her eyes-!
This couldn't end like this. Life is too short for it to be cut thin just like that.
"MAMA!"
Ai's legs weakened and she collapsed onto the floor, into her own blood, while Ruby went up to her with tears in her eyes and gave her a tight embrace.
"I've called the ambulance!"
"Well, I let my guard down there... hah... So door chains are for times like these? Ah, they never taught us that back at the orphanage..."
Ai was looking down at the floor, with her eyes closed. She used one arm to hug Ruby, and used the other to keep herself steady. She held Ruby tight to her body and rubbed her head with her blood-covered hands.
"The bleeding!"
I'm definitely no expert, but the man, Ryousuke, probably stabbed there to kill her. This is bad. Her abdomen... her... her... abdominal aorta? Yeah, whatever that is! Come on-! There's got to be something I can do!
"IT WAS MORE PAINFUL FOR ME!" Yeah right, you absolutely SELFISH PRICK. I couldn't get over what the man had said. Absolutely no way I would ever forget his actions. I paced around the room for a few seconds looking for something to do before Ai's weakened voice reached out to me across the icy atmosphere. My right eye started to sting once more, and I tentatively looked back at Ai, who was still talking despite the blood still leaking out of her body. I begged from the bottom of my heart to not let her die.
"Aqua?"
"...Mama?"
"You're not hurt, are you?"
"I-I'm not..."
"That's good. Aqua, come to Mama."
I walked hesitantly over to Ai, with tears starting to form in my eyes. I fell onto my knees and Ai then pulled me close to her, as she hugged both me and Ruby once more like she did when we woke up less than an hour ago. The same caring hug, but in a pool of warm blood. On a cold, wet floor, and in front of the open door with a chilling wind that passed through the bones.
Has a third of the blood gone through yet?
"I'm sorry you two... I probably won't make it... For once, I hope I'm lying..."
"Mama... don't say that!" Ruby was crying and had buried her face by Ai's body.
As my eye stung, I questioned these thoughts that came randomly into my mind. I glanced around desperately.
"Today's Dome... Ah, I'm causing so much trouble for everyone... Even the movie schedule... Apologise for me please..." Ai looked off into the distance, and I looked in her eyes for any sign of life - any sparkles or lights in her eyes. I clutched her clothes even tighter, not caring about the stench or the feeling of her blood, every time the star at the core of her eye flickered. I don't want her to leave me.
"Ruby, your dance at the festival was beautiful... I was thinking that you would become an idol too, you know? Me and you, performing together as Mother and Daughter... Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
Ai looked at me and rubbed my head while smiling. No, there must be something-!
"And Aqua, will you be an actor? I want to see what kind of people you grow up to be..."
At this point, she put her face near my head and I could feel her ragged, but calm breath. I felt small drops land on my hair. Ai's stained purple hair gently laid itself across my body, leaving its mark in blood. Then, she looked up at a hanging painting of us three on the wall. I raced through thoughts one after the other. Surely the supernatural force that brought me here could be able to do something?
"Aw, I'd like to see you with your school bags and I want to be there on Parent's Day and hear people say 'Isn't she too young to be their mother?'"
Memories of the past and thoughts of the future came to my mind. All of the peaceful and lively times we shared together. All aspirations that I held. And I felt my right eye sting once more. I looked at Ai, and it felt like I could see the colour draining away from her: disappearing into the air.
Haemorrhagic shock...
"I want to be by your sides and help you grow up. Not that I was the best parent... but I'm so glad I gave birth to you two..."
She looked out of the door towards the soft breeze that entered the Condo, along with the sounds of Tokyo waking up. In the distance, I could hear sirens blaring and only wished for them to come faster. If Ai could only hold onto life for a bit longer...
"Mama..."
"Ah, I almost forgot to say it while I have the time."
Ai held both me and Ruby closer together, and spoke into our ears.
"Ruby, Aqua... ai shiteru..."
And I held onto her even tighter as the drops on my head became more and more present.
"D-don't l-leave me..."
The more blood lost...
"I-I was, finally able, to s-say it..."
Ai's shattered voice penetrated my ears along with her fading breath, and I hesitated to look at Ruby as I stared more and more and the leaking blood.
"Hah- I-I'm so glad..."
It was as if time had slowed down, making each passing second more and more torturous. Each heart beat, each breath I heard.
The lower the chance of survival.
"That definitely... was not a lie."
And as the sound of the sirens came closer and closer, I felt more and more dread. Her grip on my body weakened and I felt her breathing slow down more. I loosened myself slowly from her grip and saw a ghastly face looking down at me. Blood was everywhere and the stench was becoming worse. Ruby was still hiding her face, and one of Ai's hands was still covering her face. And Ai's face - the star in her eye was fading away, and her features started to become more worn.
I ignored the growing pain in my right eye, the one with the star, as I looked at Ai. And I looked at the central star, which was shining so brightly only minutes ago. An echo, a shell of its former self. The radiant colours that filled the eye - gone. All of it - gone. Leaving the central star in solace in the darkness of the eye. The central star which had a light that was diminishing into darkness. I was powerless to do anything to stop it, but plead in my mind, and slowly reach out to Ai's cheek with my own hands. Reach out and touch her smooth face. And wish to bring life to her eyes, that the star's light would not disappear completely away.
"Mama..."
"Earlier today, a report came in from a Tokyo Condo that the idol Ai-san has been stabbed. Police rushed to the scene, and found a woman believed to be Ai, who had been stabbed in the abdomen, who had collapsed on the floor and was bleeding profusely. She was rushed to a hospital and...
is currently in a critical condition. Doctors say it is only by chance that she has survived for this long."
I DON'T OWN OSHI NO KO.
Uh, oops... I gotta watch my timings. Hopefully now that exams for me are clearing up I'll be able to write faster :)
Also, manga's going crazy right now.
[Published: June 21, 2023]
