Threads of Eternity

CHAPTER ONE

It was a sunny afternoon. The sun was lazily shining down on the two people who were standing in a meadow, far away from the prying eyes of people. One was sitting on a rock, looking at the crouching figure who was prodding at the ground intently.

"Ren san, why did you love her?"

The girl who was sitting on the rock asked. At a glance, her expression was a one of confusion. She kept picking on her fingernails, anxiously waiting for the  answer that she knew she's about to receive.

Ren, the girl who was crouching down, stopped for a moment from doing her most important task of the day. She looked at Mei, who was fiddling with her dress, and said,

 
"I don't know ."

Mei's face turned sour, she expected the answer, yet she was hopeful for another reply to fulfil her curiosity.

"Why is it the same answer all the time? " Mei asked with an annoyed face. For a reason that she couldn't fathom, it felt like a little stab to her heart, the answer Rei gave every time she asked the same question.

Ren smiled again. The love she had and all the memories they shared flashed in front of her eyes. Lifetimes of glory and success, and lofetimes of misery and destruction resurfaced in her memories. The present, past, and future bulrred together in her mind, making her head spin. The memories were bittersweet, but it was not the time to ponder about past mistakes that were out of Ren's control. Instead of trying to explain her scrambled thoughts ingrained in her brain throughout the lives, she said,

"Because I have stopped looking for a reason."

Mei's face still looked confused, but she had given up looking for an answer a while ago. It's become a habit at this point, almost.
"Yeah.. You just loved her. For no reason at all.. I know, I know... that's what you always say."

Ren laughed, noticing the way Mei's cute face was turning red with anger. It was obvious that she wasn't actually mad, but she was putting on a show, just like she always had.

"There's nothing to laugh about, you idiot." Mei said in a quiet voice, feeling a little embarrassed at her sudden outburst.

"Okay, cute pie. Hand me some dandelion seeds, will you?" Rei said as she stood up from the ground, groaning at the way her legs ached after crouching too long.

"How many of these are you gonna plant?" Mei stood up as well, reaching for the packet of Dandelion seeds they bought along the way and handed it over to the outstretched hand of her friend.

"1000" Rei said nonchalantly, just as one would talk about what they were having for dinner. The shorter girl's jaw was handing open at the outrageous statement, feeling robbed of the peaceful and calming afternoon she was promised with to hang out and relax with Rei as she's been busy studying for upcoming medical exams.

"What the heck? Hell no, I won't stand here until you plant 1000 seeds." She crossed her hands, looking grumpy now. The other girl couldn't help the feeling of adoration on her heart at her friend, who was now sulking, glaring at the seeds like they've personally offended her.

"Don't worry, I'm not planting everything today." She smiled innocently.

"I have to start somewhere. 100 is a good start for this project, don't you think?" Rei laughed as the other girl lunged at her with threatening fists.

A few minutes passed, and the echoes of their laughter resonated through the meadows, as the shorter girl was yelling and chasing the taller one. The sun was  slowly setting down behind them, bathing the surrounding with a golden haze. The girls chased each other around until they were out of breath, and the dandelion seeds rested on the rock, forgotten.

The two finally sat down on the rock, now sweaty with a blush sitting high on their cheeks from running around. As Mei looked at the taller girl who was now sipping water, she noticed the way her emerald eyes sprakled under the sunlight. The way Ren's brown hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall reminded Mei of a majestic tree on top of a mountain, sitting tall and proudly. Mei watched her as she finished the water container and tossed it to the ground.

After a while, Ren returned to her task at hand. The shorter girl's patience was running thin by the every second that passed. Seeing this in the corner of her eyes, Ren spoke in a placating tone,

"Let me do just one more, and after that, I promise to take you to our favourite treehouse. And if you wait for me, I'll tell you a story as well. "

Ren smiled to herself as she saw the way Mei's annoyed expression slowly turned to a one of satisfaction.

"Hmm,"

Mei answered the question like she was still annoyed. Ren could see through her facade but decided to entertain her anyway.

"Can you stop being mad at me now?" The taller girl asked with a pleading face that was not befitting her title as the future empress. "If you continue to ignore me, my cute little baby plants are going to be hurt, and they will die from the hurt."

"Your plants aren't my business now, is it? How long have I been waiting here for you to finish? The selection exam for nurses is going to be held this week, and I had to cry to my father for hours to get me a day off... If my hand slips here right now, I don't know what it's gonna hit. It could be your arm as well. "

Mei said, almost fuming with the amount of anger held inside her small body.

Ren rolled her eyes at her childish antics, fully knowing that Mei could and will hit her if she said the wrong words now. She couldn't help herself with how cute her tiny friend looked every time she teased her.

"Hey, I feel little hot right now, out of nowhere." Ren puts her hand on her forehead to emphasise. She watches as Mei's starts look concerned about her, wondering if it was another one of the terrible fevers. Mei was too worried to notice the way her eyes were dancing with mischief.

"The volcano next to me is steaming, I think it's about to explode. Can you see the smoke?" Ren said as she tried her best to hold down her laughter and failed miserably. In her defense, Mei did resemble a volcano at the moment, the color of her reddened cheeks almost matched the fiery red of her eyes and the halo of setting sun made her hair look like it was on fire.

"You little..." The shorter said threateningly as she wrapped her hands around Ren's neck, trying to choke the life out of the laughing girl.

"Yorukoooooo! Save me from this spawn of hell!!! She's trying to kill m-" Ren's cries for helps were cut short by the other girls who were now covering her mouth tightly. Mei looks around nervously to see whether Yoruko was nearby.

"Shut up, you idiot! I'll be dead if the eunuch heard that I was attempting to murder you because you called be a valcano." Mei said to the taller girl who was now struggling to speak over her hands. The girl was short but still had an insane grip.

"Swo whot?" Ren manages to speak over her covered mouth. Mei punches her arm with all her might, which is not very much.

"Ooouchh! Why did you hit me that hard?" Ren mumbles under her breath, acting as if she was hurt by that punch that felt like a mosquito bite.

"Are you sure thay you are the future empress of this country, crying like a baby at my punch." Mei scoffs at her friend who was now making a face hurt and betrayal.

"Why can't a ruler of an empire cry? Nobody else would dare to hit a member of the Royal family like me except for a volcano like you, " Ren says with a smile.

"Can't you just shut up and finish that quickly? I'm hungry." Mei said with a pouty face, making the taller girl's heart melt with cuteness.

"Okay then, I'm done. I've already asked Yamada San to prepare us a treat at the treehouse. It should be arranged by now." Ren said as she looked up from the ground.

"Thank goodness! You are finally done." Mei offered her hand for Ren for assistance. She hesitated for a split second but accepted the hand with a grateful smile. They ordered the maids to pick up the leftover seeds and clean up the space as the two walked to the treehouse. They painted a pretty picture together, walking close to each other, almost brushing hands, but neither dared to hold the other's hand.

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