RAiLROAD TRAiNS : WiNDOW PANES
birthday ficlet by mitsukaii.

kurumi : courtney
have a good one!

her & & & him

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“There is only one kind of love, but there are a thousand imitations.”
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HER : 10 YRS AGO.
A small hand came in contact with, what it seemed to her at the time, a vertical lake of see-through diamonds. That was what her princessy, childish mind morphed it to be --- when in reality it was the plain glass window of a railroad train. It chose only to reflect her blue eyes, swimming with anxiety and a dash of sadness, she had had a good summer vacation away from home and was apparently filled head to toe with disappointment at this departure.

‘Mama, will we come back here again?’

‘Did you have a good time at Destiny Islands, baby?’

‘Yes, Mama. But you have to answer my question!’

‘… …’

‘I want to come back here again. How about tomorrow?’

‘… …’

‘Next weekend? Or next summer? Oh oh, pretty please!’

‘… …’

‘Mama? Mama, dun fall asleep. Listen, I made a friend. He was really, really nice. And really, really cute. He even let me play with his hair. The boys back home never let me do that. He had eyes like me. Blue, just darker. They were just like those pretty swirly-pools that showed up on the ocean sometimes, you know? Mama! Wake up! I want to tell you more about Sora ---’

‘… zzz …’

The little redhead gave up. She turned to the see-through diamonds and expelled a tiny sigh. The smallest amount of fogginess appeared on the make-believe jewels. It disappeared as soon as it came. Her pouting mouth curved into a smile --- revealing baby teeth yet to fall out. She stood up on her train seat to get a fresher, higher place on the window --- and repeated her previous action, puffing out a heavier heated breath this time. A large mist-like blob took residence upon the crystalline gems and stayed for a much longer while.

A tiny index finger reached forward --- drawing out a heart the size of her palm. She was not finished. Tilting her head and hurrying before the fog ran out, the young girl fingered out several letters inside the heart before watching it fade away in satisfaction. She dropped herself back down on her seat and cuddled next to her dozing mother --- unknown to the fact that she’d never visit Destiny Islands ever again.

She only dreamed of the invisible inscription inside the invisible heart on her vertical lake of see-through diamonds.

kaiora

HIM : 10 YRS LATER.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this. You know how much it costs to go to Radiant Garden? How about if you don’t find her, hmm? How can you actually remember her after a decade? You two were --- what, six or seven years old?”

“Six and a half, Tidus. She was older than me by twenty-six hours.”

“… …” Blink, blink. “She won’t remember you after all these years.”

“Well, I remember her. So much. Everything. We promised to see each other again and I have to keep that promise.”

“… I have never met a guy as persistent and strange as you, Sora. Well, go get her, tiger…”

He opted to take that as a compliment and ignored the ‘tiger’ bit. “Thanks.”

The brown-haired male boarded the train, choosing a random cushioned seat next to a window after getting his ticket checked. It was cold, and the periwinkle sky outside had already lapsed into a deep amethyst color. An icy temperature filled up the train’s interior before the doors slid closed, leaving him the only passenger inside.

Shifting his weight on his seat, he turned his head to the window --- smiling faintly at his blue eyes filled with who-knows-what. He remembered what she would always say about windows. They were worth as much as diamonds, gems, jewels. Precious stones clustered together that you could look through and make wishes upon better than stars. Windows were magic, she’d say. Windows just helped you look outside, he’d reply in contrast. No, windows were magic and helped you realize things, she’d retort back.

He still wasn’t sure if he believed her --- until he sneezed and left an essence of vapor on the window.

An invisible smudged heart was suddenly made visible right in front of his face.

kaiora

He decided she was right after all.

… …

fin.

xxo