All I Need Is My Sister

I : Bad Dream

The girl's vision was obscured with tears, her face contorted with anger. All she could see in front of her, from the iron bars to the dark hallway beyond, was tinted red.

This wasn't her fault. It was because of Aoi. Aoi, and her beautiful, fake smile. Aoi and her lovely, fake, personality. Aoi and her pure, fake, intentions. She lured in all the men in Nene's life. She gained the approval of all of the women in Nene's life. The tables were turned against her from the beginning, all because of that oh-so-perfect lavender-haired ball of sunshine Aoi Akane.

Nene sobbed in rage, clutching the iron bars as she curled up against them. If she could do it all again, if the time turned back to before any of this happened, life would be different. She would run away from the Akane marquisate. She would go back to living as an orphaned commoner, where at least nothing would have been taken away from her because nothing was offered to her.

If Nene could do it all again, she would do it without Aoi lingering by her side.

As she ran through these thoughts in her head, she heard the grating sound of the metal latch against the heavy cellar door.

~~~

Nene groaned at the sudden warmth surrounding her body as she came back to her senses. Why was it so warm? Why did it feel as if she was being smothered by blankets? It was almost as if she was back in the Marquisate, sleeping in the soft sheets of her bed which she had never quite gotten used to...

"My Lady, the history tutor is waiting for you." Nene heard the familiar, firm voice of her maid from afar, but for some reason she was too comfortable to get up. The pillow-like sheets, the warm rays of the sunlight and the strangely indifferent tone of the voice directed to her simply amplified her grogginess. It was strange - Nene usually didn't have any difficulty waking up from her cell...

Hold on. She sat up and opened her eyes, then immediately squinted at the bright light of the room before her. However, as little time as she had to take in the view, Nene could tell... This was her bedroom!

"Would you like to get dressed on your own, My Lady?" the maid, asked her, but Nene was barely paying attention.

"O-Okay," Nene dismissed her, but then stopped her from leaving before asking, "Um... What's the date?"

Without missing a beat, Anna replied, "It is the second day of the second month in the year 1135, My Lady."

"Right... 1135, you said?"

"Yes, My Lady."

"Thank you... You can go now."

Anna closed the door to her bedroom, and as soon as Nene heard the soft 'click!' she rushed over to the vanity and checked her appearance.

Her hair was disheveled, but without a single trace of dirt or grime. Her eyes were red, but rather from sleepiness than tears. And most importantly... she looked younger. Smoother, chubbier cheeks, eyes that still carried the light of innocence... Nene always thought that she never aged, but now that she was back in time, she could really tell the difference...

No, wait, she was going off on a tangent. Nene slapped her cheeks with the palms of her hands. She went back in time?!

1135. That was three years ago - Nene was currently 16 years old. Where she had just been was in 1139 and a jail cell at 19 years old, waiting for the date of her execution - that was supposed to be the next day. However, it seems to have been pushed back three years.

Nene let out a laugh of disbelief. When she heard her immature voice, again indicating that she was, in fact, back in time, she laughed even harder. She pinched her cheek as she slid to the floor - it hurt. This wasn't a dream, was it? Maybe this was the afterlife? She hadn't been executed yet, though.