Chapter Text
I walked past a stranger today.
Purple and pink passed each other on the street. The pink traveling with their friend, while the purple had been traveling with a large group of friends. The pink had recognized the purple, but it had been a while since the two interacted.
But it was strange.
Mizuki couldn’t help themselves. While the purple-haired girl did not show any recognition towards the pink-haired, Mizuki did. It was like they weren’t in their own body anymore and they turned before even knowing what they were doing. Mizuki wanted to reach their hand out and grab the purple-haired girl before it was too late, before she disappeared once again. But all they could do was stare as the girl walked further and further away.
I knew her hair color.
She had the same hair, purple, tied up in a ponytail with that same yellow band. Mizuki wanted to see if it was really her. It couldn’t be right? They had to see; they had to reach out, turn the girl around and check if she still had those same dull purple eyes.
I knew her eye color.
Mizuki could never forget her purple eyes. How they were dull with no emotions, but Mizuki had grown to love those eyes as they regained their life. There would rarely be any shine to them, but those purple eyes would always shine when they were with her. They couldn’t remember the last time they saw her eyes, full of life. It felt so long ago.
I knew her friend group, what school she went to.
She never really did enjoy hanging out with people from her school. Mizuki knew because they told each other everything. She would always say that she felt as if she had to stay with those friends; they were smart, pretty, too similar to Mizuki’s purple. And Mizuki knew what school she went to. Sometimes they would go there, hoping to see her face one last time. But it was always false hope.
I knew where she lived .
Mizuki had tried their hardest to free her. They really did try their best. But Mafuyu Asahina could never truly be free from her mothers grasp. Mizuki had suggested she’d run away, hoping that she would. Mizuki would’ve told her that she could’ve stayed with them, but their words had gotten stuck in their throat. If only Mizuki had said it, would Mafuyu still be here? Would she be with Mizuki again? Would Mizuki ever see the one person she loved ever again?
“Mizuki?"
Ena, who had been walking with them, had stopped and turned back around. Mizuki snapped out of their daydream, remembering where they were. They had been walking with Ena, going to a cafe or a store? They couldn’t remember.
“Sorry,” Mizuki turned towards Ena again, walking back to her side. “It’s just that…” Mizuki looked over her shoulder again to glimpse at the disappearing girl. Now with a clearer vision, they could see that the girl didn’t have purple hair, instead it was black. That girl wasn’t Mafuyu Asahina.
“That girl looked a bit like Mafuyu.” Mizuki finally blurted out. They hadn’t meant to, but Ena would’ve gotten annoyed if they hadn’t finished their sentence. Mizuki looked back at Ena, only to see sadness and pity in her brown eyes. They weren’t purple. Mizuki missed the purple eyes.
“Oh, Mizuki…” Ena placed her hand on Mizuki’s arm and started steering her towards a bench. “Here… Let’s take a rest.”
They both sat down, and Mizuki knew they had said the wrong thing. It was quiet, too quiet with the both of them. Every other normal day, they’d both be bickering about something stupid. But there was no such thing as a normal day anymore. Everything had been so dull – like her eyes – ever since that day.
Every time Mizuki closed their eyes, it’s like they could see her again. If they thought about it really hard, Mafuyu would be right next to them. It was almost like they could feel her presence again.
But they couldn’t. Mafuyu Asahina had died weeks ago.