Post by Hazuki Tsukimiya on Jan 28, 2016 14:00:05 GMT -5
She was staring at the ribbon around the blonde girl’s waist. The color was more vivid here, more intense, but there was no mistaking that shade. It soothed the Shinigami, reminded her that no matter how bad things got, no matter how grim things seemed, she could always rely on the sword in her hand. Confidence in its purest form.
Something the girl said registered vaguely at the back of her mind, and Hazuki looked up, roused from her reverie.
‘I’m sorry, what?’
A faint smile tugged at the corners of the girl’s lips. She understood, better than anyone. ‘I said,’ she began with a lazy flick of her hair, dislodging some of the cherry blossom petals that had fallen on it, ‘that I was starting to worry about you, Hazuki. Two years is a very long time.’
Hazuki met her gaze, losing herself in the pools of liquid gold. Everything about this girl was ethereally captivating, and she found she couldn’t bring herself to look away.
‘Two years?’ she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. It rung a bell. What was it? Her mother’s suicide? What did that have to do with anything?
The girl raised an eyebrow. Her ribbon fluttered in the—no, that wasn’t a breeze. Hazuki frowned again, finally tearing her eyes from the girl. She didn’t recognize this place, and yet it seemed so familiar.
‘Where am I?’ Why hadn’t it occurred to her to ask before now?
‘Asleep in your quarters. I hope.’
For a moment, Hazuki was unsure what the girl meant, and then the memory slammed into her like one of Kasumi’s practice blades. Aizawa. The captains’ meeting. She looked down, and saw her uniform was in tatters, but a cursory check indicated she was unharmed. She looked up again. ‘Am I dreaming?’
The girl shrugged. ‘What do you think?’
REM: Happenstance
The blonde waved her hands vaguely at their surroundings. ‘Does any of this seem normal to you?’
Hazuki turned slowly, taking it in once more as if for the first time. Everything was lightly tinted blue, and in the distance there was... Nothing. It simply stretched on in all directions, featureless save for the gigantic blue and white rock formations that rose from the ground into the darkness above. From that same darkness, falling like snow, came a steady, unending stream of cherry blossom petals. There was a thin covering of them on the ground, and Hazuki swiped some of them aside, revealing a smooth, almost mirrorlike surface.
She hesitated. Those weren’t rocks. ‘Are those— Are those icebergs?’ she asked.
The blonde smiled. ‘You bet,’ she replied, crossing her little arms. Her eyes never left the Shinigami.
Realization started to set in. Hazuki was underwater. More than that, she was upside down. She waved her hand in front of her. It didn’t feel as if she was underwater, but there was no doubt. Her eye caught on the girl’s ribbon again. It was clearly caught in a light current.
‘How—’
‘It’s a dream, Hazuki. No point in trying to make sense of it.’
Hazuki stopped short and looked up to meet the blonde’s eyes once more. ‘If I’m dreaming, then who are you?’
‘Ah,’ came the reply. ‘Now you’re starting to ask the good questions.’
Something the girl said registered vaguely at the back of her mind, and Hazuki looked up, roused from her reverie.
‘I’m sorry, what?’
A faint smile tugged at the corners of the girl’s lips. She understood, better than anyone. ‘I said,’ she began with a lazy flick of her hair, dislodging some of the cherry blossom petals that had fallen on it, ‘that I was starting to worry about you, Hazuki. Two years is a very long time.’
Hazuki met her gaze, losing herself in the pools of liquid gold. Everything about this girl was ethereally captivating, and she found she couldn’t bring herself to look away.
‘Two years?’ she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. It rung a bell. What was it? Her mother’s suicide? What did that have to do with anything?
The girl raised an eyebrow. Her ribbon fluttered in the—no, that wasn’t a breeze. Hazuki frowned again, finally tearing her eyes from the girl. She didn’t recognize this place, and yet it seemed so familiar.
‘Where am I?’ Why hadn’t it occurred to her to ask before now?
‘Asleep in your quarters. I hope.’
For a moment, Hazuki was unsure what the girl meant, and then the memory slammed into her like one of Kasumi’s practice blades. Aizawa. The captains’ meeting. She looked down, and saw her uniform was in tatters, but a cursory check indicated she was unharmed. She looked up again. ‘Am I dreaming?’
The girl shrugged. ‘What do you think?’
REM: Happenstance
The blonde waved her hands vaguely at their surroundings. ‘Does any of this seem normal to you?’
Hazuki turned slowly, taking it in once more as if for the first time. Everything was lightly tinted blue, and in the distance there was... Nothing. It simply stretched on in all directions, featureless save for the gigantic blue and white rock formations that rose from the ground into the darkness above. From that same darkness, falling like snow, came a steady, unending stream of cherry blossom petals. There was a thin covering of them on the ground, and Hazuki swiped some of them aside, revealing a smooth, almost mirrorlike surface.
She hesitated. Those weren’t rocks. ‘Are those— Are those icebergs?’ she asked.
The blonde smiled. ‘You bet,’ she replied, crossing her little arms. Her eyes never left the Shinigami.
Realization started to set in. Hazuki was underwater. More than that, she was upside down. She waved her hand in front of her. It didn’t feel as if she was underwater, but there was no doubt. Her eye caught on the girl’s ribbon again. It was clearly caught in a light current.
‘How—’
‘It’s a dream, Hazuki. No point in trying to make sense of it.’
Hazuki stopped short and looked up to meet the blonde’s eyes once more. ‘If I’m dreaming, then who are you?’
‘Ah,’ came the reply. ‘Now you’re starting to ask the good questions.’