Trust

Flashback - 01

My name is Kizaki. I am six years old and I live in this neighbourhood. My hobby is going fishing. I like it, because I get to spend time with my mother. The weather is nice where I live, and I will be allowed to go skating sometimes with my old skates. However, I don't like school. I get teased wherever I go because I'm quirkless. I'm incapable and weak. I'm fragile and small. I'm nothing like my great-grandmother. I wish she were alive today to tell me how to become a good hero. I aspire to be an amazing hero. Like her. But my classmates all look down on me because I'm weak. I don't like this hierarchy and I wan't to destroy it. But I also don't want...

I looked down at my feeble attempt at trying to write about myself. I cancelled all my words with my pencil and sighed deeply. 

"I really don't know what to write about." I mumbled to myself glumly. 

"Zaki-chan, you really can't think of anything?" Nari asked me, concerned.

"Nothing." I replied, closing my eyes.

"What about..." Nari was deep in thought. "Oh! Write about me! Your best friend!" Her eyes were shining like the stars.

"About you? Oh... That's a good idea!"

I had to write three paragraphs about myself for my pre-school assignment, but my brain was stuck and my hand wouldn't co-operate. So I ended up consulting Nari Oharo, my best friend, about these troubling matters. 

I placed my pencil down onto the blank page, but once again, it was stuck. 

I stared blankly at Nari with my dark sapphire eyes. "I can't." 

Nari sighed, hopping up from the park bench and patting my light blue hair. "Get some rest, Zaki-chan. Tomorrow's your birthday after all." With that, she skipped back home.

(Time Skip)

"Aaaahhh...... Mummy, I don't know what to do. I can't write even a paragraph about myself!" I whined to my mother. 

"It's ok." My mother said. My mother normally only said short sentences and would give two-word replies. But that was what I liked my mother for. Even though she didn't explicitly say anything to comfort you, the warmth she conveys through her words is like the sun greeting the early mornings.

"Will I get in? Do you think I will?" I asked, my fists clenched hopefully as I rested my head on her shoulder. 

"Yeah." My mother replied. This was also her saying: I have confidence in you, Kizaki. You can do it. 

My father had died even before I was born, so I never got to see him in real life. However, my mother was greatly affected by his death and lost the ability to speak for a while. Although she became better over the years, she never fully recovered. For someone like her to be so affected by my father's death, I knew my father was someone who she loved deeply.

"Dad...Was a great person, wasn't he?" I murmured softly to my mother. 

"Yeah." 

Then, she patted my head gently and pushed a wrapped present onto my lap.

"Happy birthday, Kizaki." She said.

My eyes widened. Had my mother just spoken three words at one go? My mother just smiled warmly as if she understood my shock. "Hope you like it." She said.

Four words? "Mummy," I asked hopefully,"are you recovering?" My mother nodded her head and suddenly it felt as if the rain outside had stopped abruptly. 

"Really?" I said as I tackled my mother into a warm embrace. She laughed and smiled at me playfully. And that moment, that bittersweet second, I finally saw her actually smile. Through all the heartbreaks and downhill moments she'd endured, now I saw happiness in her eyes. 

"Goodnight, Mummy." I said as she tucked me into bed and kissed my forehead. 

"Goodnight, Kizaki." She said as she closed the door of my room with a slight creak. 

And that was the last time I ever saw my mother.

--------------------------------

I woke up from the unforgiving glare of the morning sun. As I opened my eyes, I scanned my surroundings and caught sight of my alarm clock.

8a.m.?! "Wait! Mummy!" I mumbled to myself as I ran out of my bedroom with my pineapple hair and all. 

I looked around, panicked, until my eyes landed on a small slip of paper left on the dining table. I rushed forward and picked it up, reading it rapidly.

Dear, Kizaki,

                       Happy birthday, my baby girl! Sending all my love to a special girl who turns seven today! You are my pride and joy. After the fateful car accident that ended your father's life, you were that beam of light that I held on so desperately to. You kept me going, and all these years I felt that I could've been a better mother. I'm so sorry, Kizaki. I hope you can forgive me in the future. But I just want you to be happy and shine like a star, brighter than me. Bloom like the red flower amidst the plain white flowers. Grow like the healthiest tree in the forest. Never look back, and reach for the sky. I can never put all these words into speech, but I hope I can convey my love to you in this note. Happy birthday, Kizaki Shimura. I love you.

                                                                                                                                                                 Mum~

At the bottom of the note were some circles that were etched deeply into the paper. My mother's dried tears. I could feel my own tears streaming down my face. Now, two more circles of tear drops joined my mother's. Except they were fresh, slowly evaporating, but nonetheless etched deeply into that single note.

I clutched the trimmings of my sleeve as I stared down at the floor helplessly. I'd woken up too late to say goodbye to my mother. Every morning, at seven thirty sharp, I would always jump out of bed to hug my mother goodbye. But this morning, I was too late. 

(A/N): Did you guys notice that Kizaki's surname is Shimura? 

Thank you for reading!!