𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐕𝐄 | banri settsu

Early Morning Eve

Minori woke up in the dark morning of Christmas Eve. She didn't know how exactly. One minute she was asleep, the next minute she found herself staring blankly at the ceiling hanging above her head, well and wide awake. She just couldn't sleep anymore.

The curtains blocked a good amount of the December moon's light, keeping the room dimly lit. It was eerily silent, her digital clock was yet to make a sound to signal her for the start of the day. 3:34 AM, Dec 24, Wed, it read.

She sat up, leaning on the headboard of her bed as her eyes scanned the room. Her room looked completely lifeless, a complete mess. Notes, papers, and music sheets were scattered on her desk. Books and video games she had yet to organize lay on the floor next to her empty guitar stand. Her guitar sat on her chair, taking her place on it.

The solitary silence that followed was too uncomfortable for her to bear, it made her feel empty, lonely.

She HAD to hear something. Anything.

She pressed her lips together and slid to the side of the bed, hesitantly pressing her bare feet on the cold, barren floor. A shiver ran up her spine upon contact with it, causing her to hastily wear her fuzzy, white slippers to escape it.

Her eyes hovered over a specific box that sat on her bedside table, a broken music box that had a tiny drawer, overflowing with memories. She took the box, then slipped her arms in the sleeves of her jacket and walked out of the room.

Upon stepping into the hallway, she quietly closed her door to avoid waking her housemates. She stared at Sakyo's door across from hers, then at Taichi and Omi's as she passed it, and at Banri's and Juza's.

For some reason, she found herself stopping in front of that specific door, with one of the boys in it in her mind.

Was he awake?

Her hand hovered over the door for a moment, debating whether she should knock or not. She then bit her lip and stepped away from it. It was probably better not to wake them up and bother them.

With a quiet sigh, she turned around and sauntered towards the courtyard, bathed in the moonlight. She looked up and noticed several glittering stars scattered across the inky abyss. Amidst the stars was the crescent moon, smiling down at her.

Alarmingly enough, she heard its spine-chilling laugh.

The breeze caressed her skin, causing her to shiver. This night wasn't any different than the previous ones she had.

It's funny how the day she used to be so excited about lost its luster. As a child, even after all the things she had gone through, following the events that had led her to where she was now, Christmas no longer held its spark.

Even as December approached, the days didn't seem to get any more special. Weekends and weekdays passed as they would until the day Christmas arrived. After that, it was just another day, and the cycle repeats. Until she gets old.

She missed the days when she would get so jumpy over the holidays. She missed how special those days were to her even if they only lasted twenty-four hours, she missed how she enjoyed every minute --every second-- of it to heart's content.

She bathed in the sea of her memories. From the holidays she had with her parents, to her first Christmas with Izumi and her newfound family. The guitar she received from Izumi still sat on her chair back in the room, as clean as it was the first day she got it. Tiny scratches were evident, but they didn't stick out, much to Minori's relief.

She spent several holidays in different places, some were good, some weren't as good.

Some...were memories she'd rather just forget. They were no longer important.