Work Text:
“Oh hi!”
The view from the mountain top was spectacular. The achievements of civilisation scattered as far as the eye could see. Homes, temples, stores, and roads, the path that intertwines every persons lives together. Her voice cascades over the lands below but falls on deaf ears. She lets out a deep sigh, allowing herself a brief respite from the thoughts and emotions that course through her body. Golden eyes wide and full of tears, she falls into a coughing fit that shakes her body.
“Eugh.”
Rasping in breaths, she kneels on the grass, her maroon skirt flapping in the wind. The girl digs up some dirt with her hands and blows it over the edge of the mountain, watching it float down and down, until it was no longer visible. Sighing again, she stands up and turns to her backpack. Bending down, she pulls out a large spiral of paper.
The tip of the brush scratches and leaves black lines on the white sheet with every stroke of her pale hand. As she writes, memories fade in and out of her head like fireflies at night buzzing around a swamp. She sees faces of familiar people, her friends, she thinks. The girl with the pink hair and rapping skills, the orange phoenix, the purple tentacle girl, the yellow haired detective, and the shark girl that loves the colour blue, they were members of a group, but she can’t quite remember. More faces. A demon-angel with pink and blue eyes, a blue haired girl who loved time, a green haired girl with antlers, a red-, white-, and black-haired rat, a yellow eyed goth girl, a purple eyed, grey haired little girl, a red eyed, black and blue haired diva, and a pair of pink and blue dog-eared girls. Lastly were the faces of a red-haired knight, a pink eyed gremlin, a green automaton, and a pink haired cat. Their names have already faded from her memory, but she knows that they had so much fun together because she only remembers their faces with smiles on them.
Black imprinted letters on the tapestry now read:
Nanashi Mumei,
I have already begun to forget the people of this era. It is not painful, but that does not make it any easier. I know deep down in my heart I will never truly forget my time with them, nor will they forget me. Our time together has shaped us all into people that we never knew we could be. All of us would not be who we were today without each other. This may sound like a myth, but I promise you, sometime, somewhere, justice will continue to be served by the council until the advent of the end of time.
Tears flowed, and sobbing racked her body with heaving breaths. The two feathers atop her head swayed in the breeze and jiggled softly with each sob. Of all the eras past, this is the most she has ever remembered as she has left. Attempting to steady herself, she breathes deeply in a rhythm. She rolls up the tapestry and packs it back into bag, giving it a light tap for the last time.
“I guess this is the end.” Mumei whispers.
“Civilisation has been guarded for long enough; my end is nigh.”
The sun starts to set. Casting a pink-Ish hue over the horizon, and painting the city of man in a gorgeous glow of light. It’s almost time for her to leave. To move onto wherever she will go and do next, something that she has yet to know herself. She is always travelling, spreading joy and entertainment to all those that will welcome her. But this time might be different, she ponders. Where will she go? What will she do? Who will she become? These answers may never be solved, as she will soon forget what lies ahead of her as she moves on yet again. She will always be Nanashi Mumei, but at the same time, she will no longer be Nanasi Mumei. At the very least, not the version of Mumei that she knows, that her friends know, and her fans and admirers know. The hardest part for her is not that she is worried about herself, but for her Hoomans. She will live on and continue to be forever, but these little owl friends she has made will only live for a short time compared to her, and without her to provide a cozy, comforting place where they can be themselves, and relax, what are they to do? They will worry, they may be sad, they may look back and remember her fondly at the end of their lives. It doesn't sit right with her, but it just has to be. She can go on no longer.
The sun has now set, and she releases her final pent-up sigh. Time to walk civilisation one last time. She climbs down the mountain slowly, wistfully thinking about her future. The forest is quiet and peaceful as she bounces along, a bittersweet joy running through her. Deer, rabbits, and foxes come up to her, and she stops to pet them, grabbing food from her satchel and feeding the animals. They hop, and run alongside her, one at a time joining in so that as she reaches the end of the tree line, the entire forest is running in her wake. She looks back, the most genuine smile anyone has ever had on her face. She grins and waves enthusiastically. Surprisingly, the animals of the forest wave back, forcing a cute, warm giggle out of her. In a chorus, they use their voices to sing her a goodbye melody as she steps out from the brush and into the land of humanity.
The streets are empty. The air is brisk and silent. Not even a single person could be seen as she strolls through the city that she has lived in for the past three and a half years. Mumei switches between walking, running, and skipping. She sings a song she wrote about herself a couple of years ago as tonight reminds her of her past, of being nameless, obscure.
All I remember is that I forgot
Leaving a void within, but now I’ve met you
I don’t know your name or what you look like
Yet you feel so familiar
Making up for what we’re missing
We laugh and we smile
Within this world, you are somewhere
For now, we’ll keep going on without a name
Even if all of this turns out to be a mirage
I’ll still feel your presence out there
I don’t know your name or what you look like
Say “goodbye” and it will all be over
Without you, this void will only grow
No matter what, I’ll find you soon
Within this word, where are you?
Right now I’m here, I am nameless
A world of darkness surrounds me
As I fall headlong
Because I am nameless, this world
Will forget me, and I’ll disappear
But if I am what you are looking for
Through the void of my heart
A wind will blow from me to you
And a bird will come meet you
Within this world, you are somewhere
Now, I’ll keep going as “Mumei”
The melody is solemn, self-aware in its ambiguity. It’s a song that etches out everything that she once felt before meeting the people of this era. The song speaks on loneliness; it perfectly parallels the moment she is in now. An owl exploring a civilisation that holds nobody left but her. Although she knows this isn’t true, they are all still here, just inside, away from her. She coughs again. The slow creeping of an uncomfortable itch in the back of her throat causing her to try clearing it, but dissolves into a loud fit of coughing amongst the eerily quiet city. People would hear her, some wouldn’t. What would they think? That she’s just another drug addict struggling back to her place under a bridge? It is likely. The large majority of people have never been nice to her. They treat her as an outsider, as a regular person. But… Not them. Not the people whose faces she remembers. They welcomed her with open arms and made her feel cared about for the first time in her long life. She has been here since the advent of civilisation, brought by something, or someone to watch over and guard them.
Two feathers swaying, the girl leaves the city behind and continues on to the next part of civilisation. Walking through dimly lit suburban streets, houses set back with lovely lawns and gardens that stretch back behind the buildings that house flowers of any colour imaginable, she ends up at the ocean. A salty breeze wavers around her, creating an ethereal view of her as her long brunette hair floats back and reveals her stunning angular face. Her cloak rustles and whips around behind her as she takes deep breaths of the air that carries a vague scent of algae, fish, and wet rock. Clambering down the hill, she nestles her feet in the sand, feeling every grain slip between her toes and glide around her feet as they scurry out of her way.
A voice rises from behind her, making her jump.
“A- “
A brief pause.
“Are you running away without saying goodbye?”
Mumei turns around and is met with a small girl with white hair and blue highlights of elementary school age. She has a blue shark hoodie on with a mouth on the front. Her sparkling crystal blue eyes are teary. With both hands bawled into tight fists, the girl wipes at her eyes furiously.
“Oh! You scared me. I wasn’t expecting to see anyone tonight. You seem familiar. I recognise your face.”
The smaller girl gives a little giggle.
“Couldn’t fool me, you cunning owl. So, it seems the tapestry of time is wearing thin. Your memory is already fading. I will give you one answer. My name is Gawr Gura.”
Mumei sighs but smiles.
“It really is good to see you. I’m so sorry I- “
WHUMP!
“OW!”
A mischievous laugh splits the silent nights air and then warm, thin arms wrap themselves firmly around Mumei’s waist.
“I know hitting you wasn’t very nice but there’s nothing to be sorry about. You’ve done as much as you could, had as much as you could take, and now it’s time for you to rest. I think you forget that I’m doing the same in a couple of days. I’m going back to Atlantis, back home.”
Gura scrunches her fists in Mumei’s shirt as droplets spill down the front.
“I know it’s selfish, but I wish you didn’t have to leave. I wish I didn’t have too either. It’s not fair.”
Hands pat and run through the little girl’s hair comfortingly.
“It’s not like we will never see each other again. We’ve lived for thousands of years, and we finally met. We will live thousands more, and cross paths again. At least that’s what I believe.”
Gura looks up, tears streaming down her young face.
“I guess it’s true. You used to say, “When I'm gone.” Well, uh, now. You're gone. These aren't tears. That's memories shining like diamonds.”
They pull each other closer as they laugh at the memory. Gura looks her dead in the eye.
“We will always be family. I hope you visit, or I will track you down and find you. I will, nobody could stop me. I really will miss you Mumei, or whatever your true name is. Don’t forget me and keep in touch, okay!”
And with that, the shark girl went back to up the hill and into town.
The silence was mourning. The land was discontent with her leaving. She stood at the precipice of mankind, saw how they prospered, saw how they lost their way. Now, this nameless girl stands looking over a vast ocean. The wind withers away to nothing, becoming just like her. It symbolizes the journey that she is making. Melancholy fills her heart as she watches the waves lap aimlessly onto the shore. Small fish are thrown around with every surge of water. Baby turtles desperately attempt to get further into the water but are dragged back. She helps them. Picking the tiny wriggling turtles up, she wades into the freezing water, sending shivers up her spine and causing her to shiver violently. The girl places them on the sand beneath the waves safely. They scurry off to safety. This elicits an innocent smile, one so pure, full of hope and love for everything. She watches the murky figures scuttle around until they are out of sight. She thinks about the girl she just saw. Her name… Gawr Gura. It is familiar.
“Is she not a person of myth? Isn’t she not real?” She whispers.
Mumei looks down. The tear stains are on her shirt, the white material is messy and untucked at the back. She has to have been real, she thinks. Her brown hair glitters in the moonlight as she turns away from the water. For a second, a vision fills her head of all the girls she had seen earlier. She was there too. They were all sitting around and laughing with drinks in their hands, the looks on their faces showed no signs of ever having to worry. There was nothing but pure happiness in each of their eyes as they conversed. Her heart ached as if something was pulling at its strings. No, it must be all in my head. If not, then how could I not even remember their names?
And so, she walks on. Through nature, through streets, and through places that emit intimate feelings that she cannot put her finger on. Time passes and the sun starts to rise, casting a golden glow over the world, like her eyes. A foreign sense of nostalgia washes over her as she glances upon a phoenix statue. A teasing feeling ebbs at her brain but she shakes her head and keeps walking. She sees a rat running over a road and that too initiates a pricking in her head, but it leads to nothing but a headache. There must be a reason why so many things give me this perception of being so close to remembering something, but what is it? Time goes on. Seasons change and she charges forth onwards to visit every place that civilisation has touched to see the fruits of her Labours, how her duties have been fulfilled. Peace instils every inch of the world she walks. Nobody is to be seen, even when Mumei walks the places of immense population, no one is there.
How much time has passed since she began, she does not know. Her breathing echoes across the empty expanse in front of her. Where she is going, she does not know. Mumei feels like she is being pulled towards something that she cannot see. Something that controls the direction she walks, even if she thinks she is in control, she is not truly. Maybe it’s destiny, fate, or her subconscious desire for a particular place. Acceptance came to her a while ago. She has not cried in days. Visions and memories no longer inflict her mind. All of her personality, feelings, and experiences have left her body. Not much is left.
The land ends. In front of her is a rock path floating in mid-air stretching as far as the eye could see. A ginormous wall of water fell into nothing, running deep, surrounding the world in a cascade of protection. The end of the world. Nervously she lightly places one foot on a rock. It jiggles but stays afloat. Composing herself, she brings up her other foot and plants in on the rock with the other. More jiggling. For a second she thinks it will fall or rock her off, but it stays steady. Carefully she jumps to the next, then the next. After a few she starts to skip over the rocks with a confident precision. It must be another hundred, she thinks after a couple of minutes. She has started to get close to the end. At first, she thinks it’s her imagination, but soon little fluffy owls started raining all around her, chirping excitedly. She catches one and it snuggles up in her chest as she holds it. Hoomans. They’re my Hoomans. She kisses the one in her arms on the forehead and its eyes light up and it starts to dance and to sing a song. It is then joined by all the rest of the Hoomans. She recognises the song. It’s hers. It’s Mumei.
Wasurete shimatta
Koto dake o oboete iru
Pokari to aita ana no saki de
Kimi to deatta
Namae mo kao mo wakaranai kimi
Nandaka natsukashii youna ki ga shita
Tagai ni ana umete iku you ni
Fuzakeatte waraiatte
Seka-a-a-a-a-a-ai no
Doko ka ni iru kimi no tame
Ima-a-a-a-a-a ikiteiru yo
Bokura mumei no mama
(Mumei no mama)
Tatoeba kore ga
Utsushidasareta maboroshi de mo
Tashika ni kanjiru ima kimi ga
Soko ni iru koto
Namae mo kao mo wakaranai kimi
Sayonara shite shimaeba owari da
Kimi ga inakya ana wa ookikunaru
Kamawanai sa sugu mitsukaru
Seka-a-a-a-a-a-ai no
Doko ka ni iru kimi wa doko
Ima-a-a-a-a-a koko ni iru yo
Atashi "mumei"
Atari wa ichimen makkurana sekai
Massakasama ni ochiteiku
Mumei dakara kono sekai ni wa
Wasurerare kiechau no
Soredemo kimi ga motomeru no nara
Kono mune ni aita ana ni ima
Kimi kara atashi e kaze wa toorinuke
Ichiwa no tori ga ima kimi no moto е to iku
Seka-a-a-a-a-a-ai no
Doko ka ni iru kimi no tame
Ima-a-a-a-a-a ikite iku yo
Atashi "mumеi" no mama
Tears threaten to spill, and they do, like a broken dam. She reaches the very end of the world as the song finishes. In front of her sits a swirling black circle. It all most looks like liquid but has a solidity that allows it to remain intact. Fear tries to bubble up inside of her and take her over. She closes her golden eyes and breaths deeply, fighting back a cough that threatens to kill any bravery she still has left. Coldness emanates from the churning mass. There is no need to be afraid. Whatever lies beyond I’m sure will be what I’m destined for. One last look at all of the Hoomans that are now flying around her. She smiles genuinely, forever grateful for their support and love.
“Don’t worry guys. How can I ever repay you? I hope you all keep moomin, I know I will.”
She chokes on the tears streaming down her face.
“You have truly changed my life for the better. Wherever I go, no matter what I face, I will remember you! I will always carry the kindness and support you showed me in my heart. I was able to do more than I ever imagined because of you. I will never forget this feeling! I hope that my presence was a good one. Any moment of joy I might have brought someone makes me even happier to be alive! Thank you for being here with me. Thank you for giving me a warm space to be silly and have fun. Thank you for letting me be Nanashi Mumei.”
Although she’s crying, her smile never falters. She waves. With a heart wrenching goodbye over, she steps out of the mortal plane of the world and its existence.