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With nothing particular to do that day, You found himself casually scrolling through some curry recipes online. Everyone else seemed to have had a job and was out, leaving some peace and quiet for him to enjoy. He considered going to the kitchen and experimenting with some new ingredients but the idea of lounging in his room and spending some time alone was more appealing. With a soft sigh, You leant back in his chair, his eyes catching the slit of sunlight coming through the gap between his curtains, making him wince at the sudden assault of brightness. His attention turned to the window and the frown on his face was quickly washed away by the scenery he saw outside.
Reaching a hand out, You pulled apart his curtains to reveal the wide expanse of city around him. The sun was setting from afar, slowly sinking towards the gentle bumps and dips of the hilly horizon while casting an autumn glow to the buildings in sight. Together with the feeling of nostalgia, a few song lyrics instantly came to mind but before he had the opportunity to write them down, a voice softly called his name from the other side of the room.
“You?”
His attention was immediately directed away from the setting sun.
“Yeah?” You answered, pushing himself off his chair to approach the only place in his room where that voice could possible come from.
The mirror.
Sat on the other side of a surface that didn’t reflect was Yoru. A person You had known since childhood but had never been able to meet anywhere outside the range of the mirror. They had long stopped asking questions about how they were connected because what they treasured most was the time they could spend with each other.
“Sorry, were you busy?” Yoru asked, lowering his head a little in apology.
You waved it off as he took a seat opposite. “Nah, I wasn’t doing much.” He smiled to give further reassurance. “Did you need something?”
“Actually,” Yoru held up a sheet of paper which You only just realised was in his hand. “Do you remember this?”
The sun sets on a faraway mountain was the title of the music sheet.
A huff of a laugh left You. Maybe it was because of Yoru’s timing, or perhaps it was coincidence, but the way that song title was able to highlight the scenery You was enjoying only moments ago was perfect. He then realised the reason why he felt nostalgic.
“Ohh, that brings back memories.”
“Right?” Yoru smiled happily. “I can’t believe I found it.”
“Do you still remember the words?”
“Uhh,” his hesitation made You chuckle.
“C’mon, sing it and see how much you remember.”
“Ehh? It’s been years though!”
“If the person who listened to you sing this song and still remembers all the lyrics, then the person who sang the song should remember it too, right?” You smirked.
Yoru made a reluctant noise which only made the redhead laugh, hiding the fact that he found the other’s pout too adorable to stay quiet.
“Just,” Yoru gave You a strict glare. “Don’t laugh if I forget some words, okay?”
“Sure, sure,” You waved dismissively, confident that Yoru would be able to sing the song perfectly given the amount of effort he poured into learning it so many years ago.
Purple eyes fell shut as he heard one calming inhale which Yoru still did out of habit to compose himself.
“The sun sets on a faraway mountain,
The sky is studded with stars,
I’ve finished today’s work,
I’ll let my heart rest peacefully…”
When the words flowed out along with his singing voice, You was reminded of their elementary school days, and the day they met for the first time.
You didn’t remember what exactly he was doing that day, but whatever it was, it was interrupted by the quiet sounds of sobbing. As a child, he was more curious than afraid. And the desire to help was greater than anything else. Putting down the pen he had in hand, You got up from where he was sat at his desk and listened carefully to the sobs. He allowed his senses to guide him to the corner of his room where a dusty cloth covered some old boxes and furniture that were left by the previous tenants that occupied the house.
Thinking back, he wasn’t sure exactly why the fact that he was hearing a voice from an unused corner of his own bedroom didn’t appear strange to him.
And so, with a confident assumption that whoever it was crying was underneath the dusty cloth, You grabbed a handful of the material and pulled it away. He knew there would be several boxes underneath, but what he wasn’t expecting was a full body mirror which didn’t actually reflect anything.
Instead, it felt like he was looking into somewhere else.
Another person’s room.
Peering in, You felt like he was looking in through a window. The bedroom was small and cosy, tidier than You’s and a lot more modern looking. Following the sounds of quiet sniffles, purple eyes travelled to the bed in the corner of the room. Sat atop the comforter with his legs drawn in and face hidden behind his knees was a child with dark hair at around the same age as You.
Without thinking, the young redhead knocked on the hard surface which separated them. “Hey!” he called out, making the sobbing child startle violently. “Are you alright?”
Confused and frightened blue eyes found their way to worried and surprised purple eyes and they simply stared at each other for a while. Even though You was the one to call out, he didn’t expect his voice to reach the other. And while he was aware of his own shock, the dark haired boy looked like he was about to faint. He had gone much paler than moments ago and You didn’t know what to do.
Raising his hands up in a placating gesture, You asked again, a little more softly this time. “A-Are you alright?”
The other boy nodded rigidly.
“I, err… I heard you crying from my room… So I, umm…” You didn’t think this through; explaining was a little more difficult now that the nonsensical situation caught up to him. “I followed your voice and… found you inside my mirror?”
The dark haired boy said nothing and continued to stare.
“I-I swear, I’m not creepy!” You defended, unable to find anything else to say. “I want to help you if you’re upset or something but uhh…” Looking away while ruffling his hair, he made a frustrated noise.
By the time he looked up at the mirror again, the other boy was stood in front of him. It took You by surprise and he had to take a step back. Silently, his companion raised a finger towards You as if pointing at him.
“W-What?”
But blue eyes were not looking at him. Instead, they were focused on his own finger, moving ever so slowly forward towards You. The redhead was frozen solid, unsure what the other boy wanted. Watching the approaching tip of his finger near the border between the two boys, they weren’t sure what they were expecting but when the other boy touched the surface, it looked as if he had poked the glass of a window. The pad of his finger was pressed against the transparent wall and there was no advancement. You copied the gesture and even though their finger tips were mere centimetres apart, they were unable to touch each other.
With a heavy sigh, You sank to the floor, feeling as if all the tension in his body had just left. Maybe it was the relief or the sense of security that the stranger couldn’t reach him that made his body relax and slump.
“Oh my god, I don’t even know why that was so scary.” You admitted, watching as his companion sat down opposite him.
He chuckled sweetly. “Now you know how I felt when you suddenly appeared on the other side of my mirror.”
“Look, I didn’t mean to scare you! I just wanted to see who it was and make sure if they were alright!” You huffed.
The other boy laughed again. “I’m Yoru, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you!” You smiled. “I’m You!”
Chatting with each other seemed natural between them. They felt comfortable with each other despite having only just met in such a surreal way. And as conversation went on, You found out the reason why Yoru was crying in the first place.
“You just have to sing a lot!” You suggested. “And like, practice singing loudly.”
“But I don’t have a strong voice…” Yoru deflated.
“Have some confidence, Yoru!” You scolded. “You can sing to me if you want. I don’t mind listening. Trust me, the more you sing, the better you get and the more faith you’ll have in the ability to perform!”
But despite the words of encouragement, Yoru came back a few days later in tears.
“I can’t do it, You…” Yoru sobbed. “The teacher even asked if I was singing properly and…” He sighed dejectedly. “I wish I could sing like you, You. You have a great voice, you’re confident and-”
“Yoru, stop!” You didn’t want to hear his self-deprecation. “You have a great voice too! Don’t talk so negatively about yourself. You’ve sang to me, like, what? Two times? And I know that you can sing really well.”
Yoru didn’t look very convinced, however. “But I can’t do it in front of other people.”
“Hmm…” You tilted his head from side to side in consideration. “I know! Why don’t you practice with me every day, and you’ll know the song so well that it doesn’t matter who your audience is, you’ll be able to sing with no problem.”
“Every day?” Yoru repeated, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. “Are you sure?”
“Yep!” You replied with a reassuring smile. “I’ll be here every day to listen to you sing.”
And that was how Yoru sang to You every day, and more often than not the redhead joined in with the singing too.
Although You wished he had been there when Yoru had performed, he was no less proud when Yoru came home and told him all about how amazed the teacher and his classmates were at his singing.
“The wind is cool tonight,
Come, let’s have a fun gathering,
A fun gathering.”
Upon reaching the end of the song, You applauded his friend with a knowing smile.
“See, I told you you’d remember the lyrics.” You commented smugly.
Yoru chuckled lightly. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
The redhead huffed an approving sound before they shared a comfortable silence.
“Thank you,” Yoru spoke up, earning You’s full attention at the sudden words of gratitude. “For calling out to me back then, and for helping me out.”
Purple eyes studied Yoru for a moment. “Idiot,” he sighed fondly. “I wouldn’t forgive myself if I hadn’t reached out to you that day.” He paused for a moment, rolling the words over his tongue once, before saying, “I’m glad I did.”
Yoru replied with a smile. “I’m glad you did too.”
“Oh yeah! Did I ever tell you that I had heard you sing before even meeting you?”
“What, really? You’ve never told me that!”
“Yeah,” Yoru laughed. “At first, I thought you were a ghost and I had to ask mum whether the house was haunted.”
“It… My singing wasn’t that bad… was it?” You asked, embarrassment flushing to his face.
“No, it wasn’t bad at all!” Yoru tried to reassure, although unable to hide the smile across his face. “I just didn’t know where it came from. I always thought it was our neighbours or something.” Yoru laughed again. “It was always nice listening to you.”
Purposefully avoiding eye contact, You hid his burning face behind a hand, wishing that Yoru was a little more self-conscious of the effects his words had on You.