I froze in my place hearing that name after so long from someone else’s mouth. Suddenly everything went blank and I couldn’t hear or feel my surroundings. My eyes closed and out of nowhere I woke up in a completely different place. It was a flower bed….
"This place…" I muttered and started walking around the place. It was an all-too-familiar place for me. My eyes were scanning the distance for how long it stretched but it looked like there was no end to it.
"Hehehe…."
I turned around as I heard the sweet giggle out of nowhere. There was no one there. This voice felt known yet unknown to me. No, it couldn’t be. This cannot be happening. Why? Just why?
Why can’t you let anyone in my family just be peaceful for once?
"Come out Yuna, I know where you are hiding," I said looking in the distance, right then some flowers started moving and a head popped out of there.
The person standing before me had long luscious black hair dropping all the way down to their back and had bright red eyes peering at me with excitement with a hint of hunger. Their skin was pearl white and their face was small and cute. Their face looked as if it was of an upcoming world-famous idol. She started running at me looking overwhelmed with happiness. Her eyes were glistening in glee and she looked as if she had seen a long-lost loved one.
"NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" she screamed at the top of her lungs tackling me and wrapping her arms around my neck.
She hugged me tightly with inhuman strength and it was so strong that I think even cranes would have a difficulty in trying to stop her from hugging me. My bones started to crush due to the force around my neck and blood spat out of my mouth. The force was so much that it could crush stones and that was being used on me. If it continued, I was sure I would just die right away.
"H-h-hey let go of me!" I said pushing the girl away. I started coughing while bowing down and I could hear her getting worried. She rushed at me to help but I raised my hand indicating for her to stay where she was. "Just stay there for a minute."
"Mhm," she said a bit sad.
I took a minute to get back to my usual self and my wounds start to heal slowly. I see, my regeneration ability is getting better. Even though I’m not a vampire. Thank you, Ethan.
"Don’t mention it, kid," I heard his voice say.
I didn’t call you.
When I finally got better, I looked up at the girl staring at me with guilty eyes and a sad face. Even though I have never seen her ever in my life I could tell she was someone I knew. I could feel it and the face looked too familiar.
She did call me nii-chan…Could it be, no, she should be dead? Why would she be in all this?
"H-Hey," my voice cracked and I paused. "Ahem, I mean, what is your name?"
"Oh yea, it’s been too long. Of course, you forgot my name," she said with a sad smile on her face. And then looked at me with teary eyes. These tears were of happiness, not sadness. "It’s me Nii-chan, Yuna."
Yuna.
That name starts to echo in my mind and suddenly everything starts to fade. The scenery around us began to change and it turned into the night sky in the northern hemisphere. I looked up and could see the aurora borealis right above me. It looked majestic, to say the least. This was one of the things I did want to see in my life. Wait, why are we here?
I looked at the girl right before me and raised my eyebrow. Could it be? "Am I in a dream right now?" I asked.
That was the only thing I could think of. It was either teleportation or this but the place as if melted into another one so this feels like a better explanation. The girl nodded her head and then started to skip toward me. She had her arms open and I took a step back remembering what she just did to me. Seeing this, she stopped in her place looking sad, and had her head down.
"I’m….sorry about before…." she said in a sad tone. "I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just got so excited to see you after all these years that I couldn’t hold myself back."
"Look, I don’t know who you ar-"
"I told you I’m Y-"
"Let me finish," I said interrupting her in a strong voice. She shut her mouth and nod her head. "As I was saying, I don’t know who you are. You say that you are my long-dead sister who died about fourteen years ago. Coming out of nowhere and claiming that you are her won’t make me instantly believe you. Nor am I interested in thinking that it’s a possibility. My sister is dead and it will be like that."
"But I’m h-"
"Then where were you huh?" I said rudely with my eyes glaring at her. "Where were you for all these years? Fourteen years and now you show up? I saw your body fall down right before my body with a wound big enough to cover your entire forehead. I saw mom and dad rush you to the hospital and I also saw them come back home with your body and I also saw all of us bury you so that you can rest in peace. If you weren’t dead, then why didn’t you respond? Where was all this when we all were shouting your name? Where was all this when mom almost fainted realizing that her beloved daughter is dead?!"
I ended up screaming at the top of my lungs angry and she stepped back in fear. I looked at her and her eyes were full of tears and she started crying. Her hands were on her face and she started weeping.
"I’m sorry," she started repeating again and again. "I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry."
Even though I told myself that the girl before wasn’t my sister. Seeing her break down made a hole in my heart. Even though my mind was telling me that this was Yuna. My heart had other plans. I started moving on my own. My feet walked towards the girl right before me. I raised my hands and placed them on her head. I pulled her close and gave her a big hug.
No, what am I doing? Stop, this is not Yuna. Yuna is dead.
SHE IS D-
"It’s okay," I whispered to her and she started to cry in my chest. She was shorter than me so I had her head completely wrapped in my arms. Her body was really cold, colder than Ai’s.
Why am I hugging her? Do I want to believe this is Yuna? Am I that weak that I’m letting these feelings dictate what I do?
No, I can’t let that happen. I should move away. I need to find Ai. Where is she?
"Are you feeling better?" I said and she nodded her head as her crying turned into sobs and she snuggled her head against my chest. I start rubbing her back and stroking her hair gently. "I’m sorry for screaming at you. I know it is not your fault. You probably didn’t even know what was going on back then. You were one year old after all."
"I’m sorry Nii-chan, I’m so sorry for everything. I wanted to find you but I was kept away by some people," she said while sobbing.
"Shuuush, it’s okay. We can talk about this later."
"I missed you Nii-chan."
"I know."
What am I doing? Why am I reassuring her? This is not what I wanted to do. Move away.
Move away.
Move away.
Move away.
MOVE AWAY!
No….I’m not moving away. I just hugged her tighter. What’s going on? Why is my body not listening to my mind?
Could this be….an ability?
Yu- her ability?
What do I do? How do I make myself do what my brain is saying? Why is it battling with my heart?
Don’t give in Kazuki.
Don’t you dare give in.
Just….don’t give in.
Move away.
STOP!
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"Aaah," I exhaled and pushed the girl away from me. My breathing became uneven and I looked at her face and it looked distorted. Slowly, the world started to distort, and the ground below me started to break.
Now I was just floating. In nothingness.
I looked around myself and there was nothing but pitch black. It looked…like my mindscape. Could this be?
"Well done kid," I saw Ethan appear right before me. "You could break through the illusion."
"Illusion?" I asked tilting my head until the realization hit me. "Father…"
"Look, I knew you are not tha dumb," he said and fly right in front of me. "Now, do you know why you are in your mindscape?"
"I….wait, am I sleeping?" I asked and he nodded his head. "Oh no, that means….Ai is alone there with Father! No, I need to wake up!"
I started looking for a way out. For a way to get out of my mindscape. Before I could do that was when I was waking up but it was never under my control. What do I do then? How do I wake up? Ai, I need to get to Ai.
"Hey, she is fine," he said placing a hand on my shoulder and calming me down. "I can look through your eyes even when you are asleep and she is just having a chat with that kid."
"Kid?" I said raising my eyes and he started laughing.
"What else do you expect me to call him? He is two hundred years younger than me, he is a kid to me," he said while laughing.
"So, this illusion. It was his doing?" I said to Ethan and he nodded. "Sigh, and here I thought it was Yu- that girl."
"Hmm? Why are you so reluctant to call her by her name? You know don’t you kid," Ethan said and poked my chest. "Deep down there, you know that the girl is your sister. Even though it was an illusion, you know that she is your sis-"
"Ethan, no," I said in a commanding voice and he stopped. The place was filled with complete silence and I could feel a chill go down my spine.
"You’re lucky that I need you kid," I said in a terrifying voice. It was so chilling that I had the urge to instantly kneel before him. "Because any other person who had talked to me in this tone had his head taken off this shoulder."
This was the true form of this man. I could see his eyes going bright red and his razor-sharp teeth. His body looked like it was getting bigger but it was just his aura. It was so intimidating that I cursed myself for slightly raising my voice before him.
"But oh well, I don’t really take it to my heart anymore," he said and started laughing. The aura instantly started going away and I was back to my usual self. "Ahh, looks like you are about to wake up. All the best kid."
"Wait, whaaaaaaaaaaaaa."
I started falling down to the ground and all of my insides feel being pushed up to my brain.
"I WILL NEVER GET USED TO IT."
And so, I woke up. My eye slowly opened but right then.
"KAZUKI-SAMA LOOK OUT."
"Huh?" I looked right before me and saw a big punch coming right to my face. It was only a few millimeters away.
I’m so dead.
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