Love Reborn.
"Aqua..." I felt my breaths getting shallower and shallower...
I turned towards the image of my daughter, blurred as she stood behind the door. I raised my hand, marking the glass with my blood.
"Ruby..." I felt regret at not being able to embrace both of my children right now.
Towards my family, I could finally break this cycle of lies, of this I could be fully certain of my heart's contents. I felt my vision blurring up, both from tears and from my loss of strength, I must say this.
"...Aishiteruyo/I love you... Of this, I am sure, there is no lie." With that, I felt darkness engulf everything and warmth completely left my body.
Ahhh...I wished that I could have watched my children grow up...
That was a wish that would remain unfulfilled...
I wanted to be with them.
I wanted to love them more.
I wanted to be a family with them!
I always had nothing but regrets in my life.
"Do you really wish for that?" A new voice cut in, out of nowhere.
I am dead, I know I am, am I being judged now in the afterlife?
"Do you wish for that?" The voice repeated itself, clearer than before.
For a long time, even though I don't possess a body, and am only a voice, I mustered with all of my strength.
"Yes! I want to be with them, to be with my Aqua and Ruby!"
There was no verbal response, only a momentary silence before everything started to become white before fading to black again.
I felt warmth in me again. It was a very good feeling, though I do not know what this meant. I could feel myself regaining my senses, though I did not open my eyes yet. I feel myself feeling alive...What is happening?
I hear voices...
I hear distinct yet familiar voices...
I hear voices, though familiar, I knew I recognised them.
"She looks just like HER!" A male voice came from my left side.
"What should we name her?" A female voice now came from my right side.
I slowly opened my eyes, and I could not make any intelligible sounds as I noticed I felt small. I looked at my stubby hands, I was reborn as a baby, wasn't I?
The first thing I saw were two young adults, the male with the beautiful sapphire like eyes and the female with the crimson eyes. Suddenly, I felt like crying out of happiness. I am back home...
Aqua and Ruby, you two look so grown up, I am so happy.
I am really happy that the two became so close, even after I had left them. I always knew that the two felt a bit distant, I was hoping the two were develop bonds with each other one day.
"Aiko. Her name is Aiko." The two spoke together, as though in sync.
They are naming me? Could it be? The two were my parents? I was happy for them, I truly am. I left them all alone in the world, I wished that I could have been for them until the end.
I started to cry. On one hand, I was crying out of happiness that the two found their love, even if it was with each other, another hand I was crying out of sadness, as I never was part of the journey in reaching that point.
"There, there." Ruby scooped me up, her maternal arms so gentle and kind, I wondered if that was how she felt when I held her for the first time. I don't want to lose this feeling,
I felt a strong hand pat my head, that pat, this sense of security, the one that I felt was robbed from me ever since I was born. I never felt like I had a fatherly figure in my life, so now is this what it feels like? This hand that feels like it would protect me from the dangers of the world out there?
Aqua gave me a smile, and I came to a realisation. I wished I could have seen that longer, the last moment I could remember about Aqua was his face of shock as I left this world. I truly am so lucky that I could see my beloved Aqua smile so brilliantly for once. I couldn't even remember when was the last time that Aqua smiled genuinely even in the small moments of where I cradled him in my arms.
My once children, held me, both one in each arm. Now, they were my beloved parents, though I felt I once lost the feeling of being in a family, I felt like I regained something precious I had lost.
I felt my eyes wander towards the surroundings and laid my eyes at the exit of the door and my eyes watered once more.
It was a photo, that photo that was taken as I stood behind lovingly behind Aqua and Ruby when they were close to my age. I felt like I wanted to leap out in joy.
They remembered me.
They treasured me.
My children loved me!
I felt my hands reach out and I could only hear myself making noises of which I couldn't even understand myself.
Aqua and Ruby hugged me and also followed where my hand was being pointed to, and they smiled as they brought me closer to the photo.
Aqua placed me in front of his lap as Ruby grabbed the photo and brought it closer so that I could see it clearer.
My son, now father explained, "Aiko, this is your grandmother Ai, you look so much like her. You both got the same purple hair and you have the same smile."
Ruby took over, "Did you know that when we were young, we were already her greatest fans." I knew which moment she was talking about and that memory brought a wide grin to my face.
The sight of my two babies waving their glowsticks, both as equally passionate as my eldest fans. I felt that this sight brought light and meaning to me being an idol. I...didn't have to smile as a lie anymore. It's because of you two, that I felt that I felt there was meaning to continue pushing forward.
"Sadly, she didn't stay with us for long." I felt the atmosphere get darkened, I know, I regretted this as much as you two did. I truly wished I could watch you grow up.
"But even so," my head moved up to see Aqua and Ruby again,
"She was the best idol and mother we could have asked for..."
Please don't say that. I wasn't worthy of that. I could only speak my heart in my dying moments, I wanted to say I loved you sooner. I always wanted to love you, and now I feel like I getting a favour that I was never owed.
"Did you know why we named you Aiko?" Aqua asked gently, of course I had no idea why, though it was similar to my name, maybe name me after myself?
Ruby leaned closer, "it's because you are the product of our love, and of our mother's. Aiko, the child of love."
I wanted to hug my children, now my parents so badly. There is no way I could forget this feeling. It became a full circle, I once showed them love and now, through their love, brought me back to them.
I could see my eyes in the reflection of the photo and the stars in my eyes started to fade as my eyes became clear as amethyst.
Aqua...
Ruby...
There was no doubt, no lie as I mustered up the strength and cried out in my new voice,
"...Aishiteru..."