Phone-Sized Love Stories // G.G. One Shots & Stories

Rei - Fragments of our memories

Nothing lasts forever

Requested by Key

"Don't stand on the swing, you'll fall," Kyo told Rei.

"Don't worry," Rei said back, even raising her hands from the chains, "See? It's totally fine."

Kyo nervously ran to her, shuffling around and thinking of a way to stop her, while she was laughing and his useless attempts. "You'll get hurt!" he screamed.

Rei just jumped off the swing, landing cleanly on the grass like a gymnast. Kyo's heart froze for a second then he fell in relief. "You need to stop doing this."

"Oh come on, you're no fun," Rei chanted while running away from her friend. Kyo got to his feet and started chasing her, making patterns in the grass. She was a little older than he was, a little shorter, and was dressed in plain neat clothes, a navy blue skirt, and a bright sky blue shirt. Kyo, in his greyish shirt, absorbed her color as much as he could.

Rei and Kyo were neighbors. When Kyo's mum went to Rei's household for a cup of tea with her mum, she brought him along as well and they befriended each other.

Kyo was different from her female friends, as she could talk more freely and act as she wanted—he would not judge or get tired of her. Her friends loved to act like celebrities, going around with their little bags and carrying their pink makeup kits around, but Rei liked to run around and chat about cartoons and games.

It was on her 14th birthday that she discovered dancing and it all changed. Her interests shifted to kpop, idols, and music. Kyo was a little disoriented at first but did his best to understand them. It was in his best interest to find a common ground for their conversations. From their little chats by the park, it became more of a chase, but it was still fine.

Rei was popular in school. "Become so good they can't ignore you," her mom told her and so she did.

She was always surrounded and many boys had the braveness to try their luck even if a "no" was always the given answer. Kyo could only smile from behind the last row, happy about the change in her popularity.

Then school ended and she disappeared.

The holidays passed quietly and he got into high school. Strangely they went to the same place and the two could see each other every day but could only exchange a couple of words. Now she had friends of her own.

Rei wondered what she did. Kyo wondered what he did.

She was a lonely person on her own. There were times when she would dip her head back in her memories and she'd only find him smiling. She wondered many times if it was going to last, that feeling of emptiness, that feeling of being lost—missing him. One time, her mom told her, "A person who values you, wouldn't ever put themselves in a position to lose you." Rei often asked herself, who was losing who.

-

"When was the last time I came to your house - just to play?" Rei rests her head on her palm, beside the window of the bedroom, a blue room for cats to look into. "I went to your home two days ago, your mom was there and let me in because she knows me—or thought I was looking for you—but you weren't home." Rei stops for a moment, to let him sigh and let her look at her nails. "I asked her where you went, and you know what she said?" She grins. "She said you were out with a girl. Really." Rei sighs and rolls herself on the bed to look away. "You told me you missed me last week, it was only last week, you said that, but here you are."

Outside, the cats' rustling sounds like a disappointed humming, it goes right into the room. Kyo lays his head against the wall, raises his chin to the ceiling, and lowers his eyes to the floor. It's your fault as well, he thinks, you're always with your friends. He should've known she was going to bring this up. When they got into the house, Rei was already quiet and didn't even greet 'Mr. Iguchi'—how she called his dog, it was the name of a comedian they watched from time to time.