Work Text:
On the abandoned atelier,covered in half-finished gowns, the mannequins standing like an empty vessel trapped in time, Mizuki is standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes and ears obscured by a rose-covered bandage,her delicate dress torn and stained in blood. She just stood there in silence, motionless. She had been in that atelier for as long as she could remember, blood escaping from where her eyes used to be before she decided to cover it all. The secret hidden beneath the bandage, she will take it to her grave. It feels as though she belongs to the room, yet at the same time, she knows that she no longer belongs there.A fixture forgotten along with the mannequins and shattered mirrors. Every breath she takes, it echoes with the memory of something lost that she can’t recall.
Mizuki tried to grasp for those distant memories, yet, it always slips away, or perhaps, it was Mizuki herself who refuses to remember. She traced her finger along the mannequin, sweeping off the dust. She doesn't need her eyes or ears to navigate through the atelier. Because once, this place was her sanctuary, snipping scissors, fabric brushing against skin, and the hum of creation, it was once a part of it all. Mizuki had been a tailor of great renown, designing garments filled with beauty and meaning. She poured every soul and emotion that she had into her creation, and it's all captured in her work, every stitch, every fold, and every snippet are all a small part of her,a reflection of the once famous seamstress.
But it was all in the past,and Mizuki chose to forget everything, her memories, her craft, and, most painfully, the person who gave her work its purpose. Now, she’s just a ghost of her past, trying to salvage everything but to no avail. It was all too late, everything is just a part of the past now, a past that Mizuki slowly decides to forget all together.Now, she move among the mannequins, feeling that something important lies beyond the veil she has wrapped around herself. For the atelier is now her cage, a labyrinth of faded dreams and shadowed mirrors. Each mirror reflects a fractured version of the old her.
She approached one of the mirrors, interacting with the memory sealed beneath it. As the memory pours in, She flinched away, shattering the mirror, even if She tried, She couldn't. Mizuki refuses to bear the past and remember it all.All She knows is an emptiness,hollow. as though a part of her soul was never there to begin with.Once again, Mizuki drops down,bloody tears seeping through the bandages. "I...I can't do this anymore.. I... I wish I could just disappear." The seamstress pleaded. "Everyone else disappeared out of my life so why...? Why am I still here?”
While, Somewhere,In a distant room, Someone is waiting in silence. Ena,who’s dressed in flowing white with touches of silver, lies on the cold floor, surrounded by a scattering of white rose petals. Her hand holds a thin red thread that extends into the unknown. The Red Thread of Fate’, was it? The red string that connects people who are destined to be together, doesn't matter how far they are separated, the thread may stretch or tangle, but it'll never break. But, even with the thread guiding her, Ena never found her way toward Mizuki. It’s as if Mizuki herself is refusing to be saved.And so, she gazes at the ceiling, waiting for someone to answer a question that only silence has responded to, and yet, she's still hoping that somewhere, her friend is still out there, waiting to be saved, even if the chances are slim, she still believes in her.
Ena had once been a part of Mizuki's life—a muse, a friend, or perhaps, even something more. When Ena first came to Mizuki, she was a girl with strength, hiding the sadness in her heart behind her harsh yet gentle words. Both of them used to talk and laugh together, Ena always came to visit her, she always loved to walk around the atelier, appreciating all the works that Mizuki made. Sometimes, even Ena stops by to watch Mizuki work on new dresses.She loves her work so much, to the point that She asked Mizuki to create a gown that would hold a secret meaning, one only the two of them would understand. In time, as they worked together, a bond formed, one as fragile and beautiful as the dresses Mizuki has crafted. Smiles and laughter filled the room as the both of them were working on the dress. Ena wasn’t really good at sewing, but Mizuki patiently taught her how to do it, string by string they sewed, both on their dresses, and their friendship.
But, tragedy struck. It all happened so fast, before they knew it,their bond was shattered. Mizuki’s memories of Ena have faded, consumed by pain She buried so deeply that it consumed her identity. While Ena,she still remembers everything and has been holding onto the red thread,waiting for Mizuki to return to her, even if Mizuki has run away and tried to forget everything. She tried to escape from reality, the memories of that day, it hurts. Everytime Mizuki remembers it, her heart always feels like it was struck by a thousand arrows, and that’s why She erased those memories.But still,Ena knows that if Mizuki can embrace her past once again, they may have a chance to rebuild what was broken. She’s fully determined to fix what has been lost, even if everything fails in the end, She would at least try to save her loved one.
As the two linger in their isolated worlds, the red thread begins to glow faintly, a pulse of life that echoes between them. Mizuki felt a soft tug, a sensation that pulled her out of her trance. her fingers brush the red thread, the faint pulse sparking the first flickers of recognition of familiarity. She were surprised, She didn’t expect that,after all this time and after everything that has happened, She’s still waiting for her. “...Why? Why are you still there.. Ena? I told you to stop trying to save me, we.. couldn’t be together.” The sorrow in her voice betrayed her words, it was almost as if She were begging to be saved. She felt her presence—a warmth and longing that seems familiar yet distant, like a song remembered from a dream.
Mizuki felt something in her heart, even though She don’t fully understand what She’re feeling, yet, Mizuki still follows the thread through the atelier, the steps full of hesitation, what if it's too late? Will Ena really forgive her after She just runs away like that? million questions flooding her mind,but there’s only one way to find out,and so her step grows firm. Fragments of her past begin to stir, the past is still haunting her,each step She takes is filled with images and whispers, she cannot fully grasp—a hand reaching out, laughter shared under the light of the atelier, a dress that held a promise.
The red thread leads Mizuki to a cracked mirror at the room’s farthest edge, She tried to interact with the mirror, looking inside it, but it wasn’t Mizuki’s reflections, in fact, it isn’t a reflection at all, what lies beyond the mirror was the reflection of her partner, Ena, She’s still lying down on the cold floor, among the rose petals,still tugging the red thread. Her expression is one of quiet, patient sorrow. But one thing is obvious just from seeing her eyes, just like Mizuki, Ena feels lost without her. Even though Mizuki was blinded by her own bandage, She can feel it from the mirror,the despair that’s slowly devouring Ena,how She wished to just hold her close like nothing ever happened. Mizuki touches the glass, and in that moment, a wave of memories floods her mind, her countless memories together on this very same Atelier, the laugh, the joy, the laughter, even the pains that they share together, it all struck at the same time, causing her to lose her balance and get on her knees. “E…Ena..”,She recalls Ena’s face, the feel of her hand, the nights spent together creating something beautiful in silence and understanding. She remembers the pain, the choice to forget, and the terrible emptiness that followed. It was unbearable, tears once again seeping through the bandage.
Mizuki’s hands tremble as She begins to remove the bandage from her eyes,She don’t need it anymore, She don’t want to hide anymore, light flooding in as the bandage got torn away, She had enough of running away, Mizuki realizes that running away will never fix everything, it’ll just hurt everyone around her, it’ll just hurt Ena. The atelier, once cold and shadowed, warms with the glow of the setting sun filtering through the windows. And so, after a very long time,Mizuki finally opens her eyes, wiping the blood and tears around her eyes, and She realized that the atelier that was once cold and shadowed, now warms with the glow of the setting sun filtering through the windows, it was almost blinding to her. Dusts dance in the golden light, and Mizuki watches as the mannequins transform—not as empty forms, but as vessels of her past, each dress holding a fragment of who She once were, She get closer to the mannequins, observing them more closely and She realized that, all the dress on the mannequins were all the works She made with Ena.
Mizuki follows the red thread, traversing to the now dim-lighted atelier, and it finally leads her to a small doorway at the edge of the room, She step through to find Ena lying on the floor with her eyes closed, Mizuki face softened by the view in the front of her, She can't help but smiled gently,despite the sadness in her eyes. Mizuki kneels beside her, the emotion that's been filling her heart and mind, is slowly overwhelming her, it’s aching with the memory of their shared past, but at the same time, She were relieved that She still remember about the past, as much as it hurts to remember her past and the whole incident, Mizuki refuse to forget about her other half. Without a word, She takes Ena’s hand, feeling the red thread tighten around her fingers as if binding them together once more. She really misses how warm and soft Ena's hand was. She holds her hand close, tears start to fall but She don’t really care about it, the mixed feeling in her heart, it was painful, yet She can feel joy at the same time.
Ena’s eyes flutter open, and she looks up at Mizuki with quiet relief and shock at the same time, smiles slowly forming on her eyes, “Welcome back, Mizuki.” she said, trying to hold on her tears that's slowly forming on her eyes. She really misses that pastel pink on Mizuki’s eyes. “It took so long, but I'm glad you’re finally back.”
“I’m so sorry,” Mizuki replies, her voice barely audible. “I tried to forget, but… I was lost without you.” her voice breaks into tears and uncontrollable sobs. “I..have lost too much, I can’t lose you too…. I’...I’m scared I will lose you too, Ena..”
Ena’s fingers tighten around Mizuki’s. “You have no reason to be scared, Mizuki, you know that I was always here, waiting for you to come back.” She’s trying to act tough, but the tears are betraying her, she can’t hold it for much longer. Ena wraps her other hand on Mizuki’s back, pulling them closer. “Can we stay like this, just for a while?”
—
Time has passed, they stayed there longer than they should’ve, the sun has gone down.Together, they rise, hand in hand, bound by the thread they both hold.
The atelier,who once was only filled with sorrow and emptiness, feels like it’s finally regaining its life again, the mannequins and mirrors bearing witness to their long awaited, yet, bittersweet reunion. Mizuki has her hand wrapped around Ena’s shoulder for support. “Ena..thank you.. For everything.” Ena turns to face Mizuki and just nods lightly with a gentle smile.
As they walk through the atelier, the gowns start to shimmer, reflecting the love and connection that was never truly lost in the first place, it was only hidden. Every step they took, Mizuki wavered a bit, they were not ready to face the truth again, but Ena is there to assure everything will be fine, and they will face it together.
They begin to speak about what’s on their minds, sharing memories of the past, stories of the present, and hopes for the future, the future that they will create together. Ena’s presence fills the silence that once haunted Mizuki, and they find themself laughing, feeling joy they thought they had lost forever, it feels.. Like something has been lifted out of their chest, a glimpse of freedom.Together, they decide to rebuild the atelier, to create new pieces that tell their story and bind their souls. To be at peace with their past, and for Mizuki to finally accept herself as a whole, It’s not easy, it never was. But Mizuki had enough of running away, she doesn’t want to lose this feeling of warmth ever again. The red thread between them becomes a symbol of renewal, a promise to face life’s pains and joys together, no longer hidden in shadow.
In the twilight of that quiet room, they embraced each other, vowing to let go of the pain that once drove them apart. The atelier, their shared sanctuary, becomes a place of light and warmth, where the threads of memory and love are woven into something that will never be forgotten again.