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There were many things that Nene was scared of. Maybe rejection, or maybe heights.
But the stage, with its rising bars and flailing curtains, it was the most frightening of them all.
She didn’t hate singing; she loved it, actually. She could sing her heart out on stage, but what she was most worried about— was the pitch-black ocean surrounding her feet. The ocean had always swallowed her whole, dipping her in those cliche yet hateful comments under her posts; they go from ankle up, all the way to the top of her head.
The shining cheering sticks glittered, like a sea full of stars, lasting until the line between the theatre seats and the ceiling— it always resembled the Milky Way.
This was what she dreamed about last night.
She was awakened by staff members pacing around the room, frantically looking for one specific make-up brush. Nene rubbed her eyes— that wasn’t a good decision. She got some eye shadow on the back of her hand.
Looking up at her own make-up artist, she retrieved her sigh. Shijima-san didn’t look very pleased, but she’d dealt with this too many times. “Yashiro-san, please stop falling asleep.”
As she redid Nene’s makeup, she dabbed some blush onto her cheeks. Nene leaned back against the soft cushion of her high-raised chair. Tonight, she hoped she could see the stars underneath her feet like the ones in her dream, like the ones in the night sky.
The room was packed with more than just Shijima-san and the lady hunting for the makeup brush, though. Just a few seats away from her, she could see a familiar figure— one that she hadn’t seen in perhaps seven years, one that she used to miss every ten seconds, one that she’d shared countless moments with just for them to vanish into thin air.
“Amane-kun?”
◇ ◇ ◇
Maybe Yashiro wasn’t awake enough. Maybe she fell asleep a little too quickly. Maybe she was too distracted— how should he put this? Amane… he’d been here since dawn.
But of course… this surprised expression of Yashiro finally noticing his existence piqued his interest— he hadn’t seen her in a while. It’d been some time since they ran around the school field in the summer, since they held their hands while crossing the road, making sure one another was okay. Every day, every hour, every minute. Amane wouldn’t spare a second. He’d cared for her, maybe a little too much.
It broke his heart to know how much fell apart when they’d been separated, it’d hurt too much when he knew all their moments evaporated into white clouds. It’d hurt too much, he had to forget it all.
But he didn’t know everything would come back crashing into his face seven years later.
Despite the endless straining in his heart and the chains that used to be pulled tight around his arms, vigorously forcing himself away from her, he replied, “Yashiro?”
“Amane-kun? It’s really you?” Yashiro pushed herself off her chair, approaching him as if he was too far away.
It almost brought tears to his eyes; it reminded him too much of their lost moments. He had to resist the urge to reach out his hand, and maybe this time he could hold her hand a little tighter.
If only she didn’t have to go .
◇ ◇ ◇
Nene hoped she wasn’t getting too emotional. If she cried now, wouldn’t that destroy the makeup again? Shijima-san would lose her mind.
“Yashiro…” Amane’s eyes looked like he was going to cry? Ah, the way his eyes glistened, it made her stomach churn, it made her heart ache and scream— in all the directions that she couldn’t. A warm touch on her hand sent her flying through the universe.
She held his hand tightly inside hers. She won’t lose him this time .
“It’s been a while, Yashiro.”
The windowsills of her eyes were flooding. “Yeah.” And after fifteen years, the lukewarm tears falling from her eyes were, at last, for him.
◇ ◇ ◇
The stage wasn’t too bad for someone like Amane.
“And now— for the collab stage! Please put your hands together to the two most iconic idols of the year; Amane Yugi and Yashiro Nene!”
Amane’s ears could sure use a break, though.
The ceilings and walls rumbled with applause; it felt like there was a storm coming from all directions, eager to show the two idols just how much they were loved. Amane could almost feel the nerves trembling under Yashiro’s skin as she clutched to his arm tight.
A hint of a smile emerged from the corner of his lips. This would be the first time they’d ever had a collab stage together, and it would be just him and her.
They were led onto the bright-lit stage, facing their fans, who spread out into the darkness— the applause never fading.
They could finally share a moment together again.
◇ ◇ ◇
Nene’s hand was shaking, from the way she hugged onto anything in her way to her microphone, she could still hear her heartbeat repeatedly knocking onto her skull. She performed before, so what was there to fear?
She noticed— that the sea surrounding the stage was dark. There was silence, and chimes tingled from the curtains.
And a spotlight appeared above their heads, as if they were welcomed into heaven. She tried to breathe in and close her eyes, and let her voice take control. She wanted to feel the pleasure of singing again; she wanted to feel the pleasure of standing next to Amane again.
She had yet to realise how precious this feeling was to the both of them.
There were quavers in the sky, parachuting from Amane’s lips, cascading gracefully at the bottom of the stage. Nene had never really paid attention to the way his cheeks soften at higher notes, to the way his eyelids open lightly at parts where it got emotional, to the way he’d looked at her when it was her turn to sing.
She didn’t know how much time she’d spent just staring at him, from the top of his head – the cute little hat, sitting – to his casual tuxedo, styled in a way she liked him best.
“I’ll always find my way to you, across the galaxies and everything beyond.”
And she’d come to a point where she’d finally known what it felt like to love someone again. She’d concluded that no, she’d never forgotten him; that no, they were never supposed to be separated; that yes, they were destined to find one another again.
“A million rounds around the Sun, and I can still find you, we’re tightly bound.”
Sparkles and screams bounced from the four walls, and as their stage was lifted up, they could finally see the galaxy laid at their feet.
“Yashiro,” Amane said into the microphone leant against his lips, but his eyes— they were immersed in the starry sky below. The audience stuffed their mouth shut to hear what Amane was going to say. Nene felt like she was floating in thin air. “You know—” his eyes seemed a thousand times more emotional than before, and he seemed to have adopted multiple supernovas within them— “you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
More screams. Luckily it was dark, probably nobody could see the crimson paint that she’d dipped her cheeks into. “Amane—”
“You’re like a moon in a river of stars, Yashiro.”
Steam was coming out of both of her ears— he could’ve at least said it to her privately?!
“Beautiful, mesmerising…” A pause. She could only hear her heartbeat. “And my everything.”
Was this a proposal? What the heck was he thinking? Rain was plummeting from her eyes. Sorry, Shijima-san .
Nene pressed her microphone against her chest, trying to stop the rumbling under her ribs. She felt like she should say something.
Amane squeezed her hand with all the love he had, and in that moment, he’d made sure that the whole hall could hear his voice. “Thank you for being my moon—”
“And thank you for giving me all the stars in the sky.”
— Night Sky || lyrics
What I’ve been looking for,
What I’ve been yearning for,
What I’ve been searching for until the end,
Is a moment we can share once again.
Wait, hold on, where are you going?
Can I follow along, just asking?
Among all these stars and galaxies,
I’d rather have you sitting beside me.
I’ll always find my way to you,
Across the galaxies and night skies.
Wait for me, I’ll get to you,
Despite when it’s sunset or sunrise.
A million rounds around the Sun, you’ll be found,
I never doubt it, we’re tightly bound,
I don’t care when it’s ending,
As long as I find you,
That’s my happy ending.
I’ll always find my way to you,
Across the galaxies and night skies.
Wait for me, I’ll get to you,
Despite when it’s sunset or sunrise.
And thank you,
For being my moon.
And thank you,
For giving me all the stars
In the night sky.
— ethereal_rainbow