Chapter Text
It all happened in a single blink. The sound of fire surrounding the bridge, followed by the sudden sight of those who had raised the girl and her brother covered in crimson red. Her mother was saying something to her, but the girl's ears were ringing. The sound was too loud to block out... She never did get to hear those final words before the fire swallowed up the remains of both her and her husband. It was one of the things she often regretted - but it wasn't as though she could have prevented it. Of course, rationale is rarely listened to in situations like that. It's easy to let yourself forget the truth of the matter when you're consistently stuck so deep inside your own mind.
♫ I believe so strongly ♫
♫ That tomorrow never falls away ♫
♫ 月光した ♫
The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. There were even a cat or two that ventured out to the edge of the island to enjoy gazing at the water on days like this. They found it to be quite a peaceful break from the usual heavy atmosphere they faced in the back alley of Port Island Station. However, this peace was disrupted by the sudden sound of a train coming in from the mainland, passing them without care for the animals' relaxation.
The rustling of the train's wheels against the tracks as the cart turned did disturb one girl, who was in fact quite overwhelmed by not only the noises, but also the surrounding visuals. Growing up in an orphanage, she lived quite a sheltered life and was never able to experience the wonders of what one would call "modern" technology. The closest thing she'd ever had to that was her Walkman, which was currently playing music to a pair of clip-ons that she had gotten herself as a birthday present (much to the chagrin of the others on the train, as the sound happened to leak through quite clearly).
The others on board would assume she was homeless -- given that she wore an orange shirt that looked as though it hadn't been washed in a multitude of years. At the same time however, the bottom half of her outfit was practically spotless, bearing a white skirt that shared a ribbon of the same colour at the top to adjust the tightness. It was almost as if both parts of the outfit belonged to different people.
Raising her hand slightly to grab the Walkman that was clipped onto her skirt, she stared at the screen for a moment before clicking the "Skip" button. It didn't quite give her the song she wanted, so she clicked "Skip" once more. After rinsing and repeating a couple of times, she decided to reboot the Walkman entirely, entering the start screen that greeted her, exclaiming, "Hello, Kotone!", with a little jingle to accompany it. She always liked the jingle. It gave her a small sense of comfort, though she could never figure out why. Perhaps it was because it was a guarantee that it would always be there, waiting for the next time she rebooted the Walkman so that it could play itself once more. This was probably not the case, and even she knew it. It wasn't as if the tech of this age could have a conscience... though it would be very intriguing if it could, she figured.
With the train twisting and turning, Kotone had a little trouble keeping herself from falling. Holding onto the straphanger, her body swayed alongside the rest of them with improper balance. To her, each turn was a gamble on whether she'd have the strength to remain upright. It would be so embarrassing to fall in front of all those people! At least, in her opinion.
Her mind started to wander, thinking about the destination that she was headed for. Tatsumi Port Island... where he had decided to stay, according to the details she'd been able to find online. She had no clue if he would even still be at the island, but she figured that it was worth checking. Especially after he kept dodging her two monthly letters (one sent at the start of the month, and another at the end).
The last time she could remember speaking to him was at the orphanage, where he only stayed for a short while before deciding to leave for some other place. One far away from her - which she found to be a little strange, though it was probably not for any particular reason, she figured. It wasn't as if he was avoiding her, right?
...The very thought of it scared her. Every day she thought about the possibility, it got harder for her to keep up a smile. And that was precisely why she was visiting Port Island on this bright, summer's day...
...To see her brother once again.