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"It's been quite a long time since we've done something like this, Minato-san."
She uttered in what seemed to be a gleaming, golden ballroom, perhaps a place one would find the faint sounds of their shoes tapping against the polished floor. Rays of yellow and silver would shine so brightly under the moon's glimmering light, the black fabric of her suit reflecting the hues of the night as she held her dearest fiancée in her arms. The movements which the two were holding could be seen with absolute clarity, the pleasant music echoing in the empty halls.
"I could say the same for that, Mitake-san," the older giggled lightly. "We've never had the chance to be quite this merry on such a night."
As the two of them smiled at one another's features, the black and the brass of their clothes continued to sway in the moment's wind, moving ever so elegantly along with the cool breeze. The warmth they shared in their hearts seemed to flow as they continued to dance beneath the silver moonlit sky.
And so the song played on, accompanying the couple's waltz.
Yukina let herself fall into the dream-like state she found herself in, one which only her lover's presence was able to awaken. She enjoyed each and every passing second as the music goes on and on, her small fingers intertwined with the other's long, calloused ones. While they were floating in their blissful, rhythmic movements, laughing with the wind as their feet gracefully brushed themselves against the golden tiles, Ran let out a small chuckle of pure delight, a smile her partner had never seen in what felt like years.
"Hey, this place... It feels so nice, doesn't it?"
The older looked up at her beloved, the serene pleasure in her heart whelming her very soul at the sight of the other's ruby eyes.
"Mhm," she cooed, dancing along with her dearest. "Tell me, Mitake-san, do you like this place?"
"I... I do. I've always wanted to take you here back then, remember?"
The silver-haired girl didn't pay attention to the younger's words on that particular moment, closing her eyes briefly without any specific reason, it seems. But it wasn't long before she opened her amber eyes once again, the velvety fabric in which she was wearing gliding with the wind and the gentle moonlight.
She wanted to focus on this very moment, it seems. Mayhaps, this felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her, something she wasn't to dare let go of without trying to enjoy it fully. It was almost like she couldn't fathom that she would ever let go of this hour, this blissful trance she never desired to come out of.
"Of course," she spoke while continuing to laugh along with her. "How can I forget?"
Solemnity and content found a way to be reflected in the couple's eyes, the serene waltz flowing along with them. As their feet almost seemed to be weaving together, with their surroundings dimmed to nothing more than a deep shade of gold and silver. As the light of the moon peered down from above, cascading along with them in a similar manner, a soft, glowing smile found itself on Yukina's lips.
In that very moment, she seemed to forget everything besides her lover, her soulmate and true love in the world as she chatted alongside her dearest. This blindingly light moment was far too powerful to let go of for that very second. It was almost like a fleeting moment of happiness, something which could not be taken back in the same fashion as it came. Perhaps if a little later was to come upon them, this time would surely fade and turn into nothingness, never to be seen again.
So she moved along in sync, dancing with her beloved to the song she had never wanted to leave behind once.
But not long after, she found herself gazing fondly at those crimson-violet eyes before her, which soon gazed back at her, even more adoringly.
"Yukina."
The younger suddenly spoke, staring deeply into her senior's golden eyes. That magnificent shade of scarlet was what she had always desired to witness for so long, drowning the sounds of the music and their noises away into the ethereal night's air. It was a sight the silver-haired girl could not help but look at endearingly, lost in an astounded, amazed state of mind.
How finely mesmerizing and stunning she looked under the ballroom and the moon's very light.
How she wanted to hold her close, even if the music would surely play on.
"You need to wake up."
Huh?
Wake... up?
What is she trying to say?
"W-what? Mitake-san, I- what do you-"
As she tried to finish her words, the cruel hand of this pleasurable, euphoric moment to which she was bound began to squeeze her very soul, as if it muffled her speech and forbid her to even utter a single word. Her mouth was agape with shock and dismay, golden eyes filled with confusion and even an absentmindedly stare of sheer fear.
Is this really a dream?
That was the question that echoed in her mind, until a sight before her eyes was to show her exactly that.
A firework of petals and blooms formed at the end of her beloved's neck, issuing forth an explosion of colors into her face and eyes. Shades of red and violet poured out of the raven-haired's figure, leaving the songstress in a bewildered state of mind. The sharp, pungent scent of the roses and camellias pierced through her, a feeling she could not even put a name to. Perhaps a disgusted, yet a horribly awful sense of disbelief might have been more fitting.
"You're only dreaming."
That own voice of her mind felt like it twisted her soul, almost as if it were the one creating the pain in her. In her heart was a mixture of despair and madness, the show of the nightmare's ever-growing insanity overwhelming and creeping up to her fragile being, destroying her very existence on that cold, moonlit night.
"... Mitake-san?"
No matter how much she wanted to scream, cry or throw up with the immense agony, it was to no avail. The only thing that managed to escape her lips that second was a small whisper, a glint of disbelief in the songstress's golden eyes.
"Mitake-san? Mitake-san!"
The girl's scurries of shouts rang through the ballroom's walls even as the music went on, making even the most deaf of things turn their heads in its direction, if there were any ones out there listening to her blabbering. But of course, she was all alone now, the blossoming, flowery corpse of her dearest rival now gripped tightly by her own hands, fingers turning pale with every passing tick of the clock. The wonderful, fair and promising Ran, was gone from her grasp.
How her breath grew uneven and raggedy, rushing out in small gasps at that terrible situation, was nothing but a mere fleck of dismay compared to the river of tears and torrents of panic pouring out of her yellowish eyes. Ah, how she longed to see that girl's face once again, only for her to get reduced to an arrangement of red and violet. The firework of floral blossoms continued to teasingly remain at the sight of her desperation for the other to return, to give her the slightest bit of companionship, although it was but a horrible appearance in her mind.
"You have to wake up, now," Yukina remembered, repeatedly saying it over and over faintly. But how could she do such a thing, when her and Ran's precious and irreplaceable time had been severed so cruelly and so unexpectedly? That night was now ripped away, thrown into the depths of her memories' very existence she wouldn't even care to remember. "Wake up, please. It's for your own good."
Once more, her thoughts left her in an ocean of emotions and feelings as she gazed upon the blooms of roses and alike, their petals scattered across the once glimmering surface of the ballroom. The faux blossoms and flowers mocked her with their very colors and such, giving her no hope to an ending where Ran could remain with her for that pleasant night.
And now, there was nothing left for her to do besides to witness the blooms wilt as she weeped.
Those once lively and vibrant colors of the flowers were now replaced with a dull shade of brown, the cold gust of the night's breeze blowing it away into the nothingness of that horrid dream. And as she held the corpse in her hands, the waltz that she and her should have danced in did not cease, the music's eerie tune now resembling her and Ran's lives' vanishing melodies. It was only a matter of time before the music would fade into the ethereal silence, and soon thereafter, the last notes would leave the skies.
Tears then ran down her cheeks in a silent manner as she embraced the lifeless, broken body of her dear lover, the noise from the clock now being the only sounds accompanying her sobs and cries. Desperately rubbing against her eyelids, she wondered.
Why is she even crying? This is a dream, Yukina. A dream. A façade. A hallucination that is in no way close to reality.
And with that said, why wouldn't she stop crying? Yukina is a woman who is in no way a weak-hearted girl, although she was greatly hurt and hurt deeply that night. But of course, that moment was beyond compare, an awful experience she would never wish to happen.
Regardless, she shouted her dearest's name, as if it was but a lost prayer, a forgone attempt at her beloved's return. And even if her yells and screams would be engulfed in that hour's darkness and silence, she would still continue to do so.
That was, before she found herself on a mattress in her room, perhaps what one would consider a bed, a place to sleep on for each and every night. Hands and hair drenched in cold sweat, she slowly fixed her disheveled blouse, tears still falling from her very eyes.
A few seconds later, something sounded of a door's small creak, revealing her dear Ran who seemed healthy and well, unlike... that dream.
"Minato-san," The younger cooed softly with her hushed tone, calming the songstress with the mere sound of her voice. Embracing the older in her grasp, she ran her fingers through the silken strands of silver, comforting her with each and every stroke. "Is there something wrong?"
"N-No, no! I'm fine." Yukina replied with watery, blurred eyes, an evident lie of her telling. "Nothing's wrong..."
Sighing, Ran pulled away slightly, cupping her dear rival's cheeks as she spoke, "Tell me. Are you alright? Did something upset you?"
Silence.
Before she finally uttered her words once again.
"Was it a dream?" She asked, fingers still toying with the grayish locks. A nod came from the songstress, burying her tear-stained face into the raven-haired girl's bosom. "What was it about? You can tell me. I'll help you sort it all out."
That... was not what Yukina expected to hear. She thought she would be surprised to see her cry like this. And even if she did, she never thought she'd end up in her embrace like this, comforted by the vocalist's own soothing demeanor.
"We... danced, and... you told me to wake up, and-" She paused, trying to pull back, forgetting that this would only worsen her cries. The movement of her dearest's hand, however, encouraged her to do otherwise. "And then you... you..." Her eyes began to water up once more, a despaired feeling spread throughout her body before Ran lightly kissed her strands.
"Alright, I think that's enough," Ran said with a soft smile. "Let it all out, Minato-san. I'm here, don't worry."
With that, Ran gently laid down next to her, their embrace not loosening whatsoever. In that moment, Yukina snuggled into the crook of her beloved's neck, a content, loving expression on her face, happy that she was to have such a wonderful companion as herself. She then moved to bury her face into Ran's slender shoulder, her fingers gently playing with the other's strands of black and crimson.
"Hey, Mitake-san, can we..." She trailed off, her voice weak, yet filled with desire to speak.
"What is it?"
"Can we stay like this for a while?" Covering her face with the fabric of the other's sleepwear, her flushed face slowly pressed her against the warm chest, a chill running down her back.
And it wasn't long before she let out a small laugh, her smile following soon after.
"Of course. Take as much time as you need, Yukina."