![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silverdoll14Title: LABYRINTH: LOOKING FOR CATHARSIS
Author: me
Beta by: lovely ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mugen_ai3 nee-chan~
mugen_ai3 nee-chan~Characters: OhMiya, Sakuraiba, Juntoshi, Aimiya (friendship), Sakumoto (friendship)
Rating: PG-13 (overall might be R?)
Genre: AU, Angst, Romance, Fluff, Slice of Life, Fantasy
Chapter - Word Count: Chapter 1 – 1, 456 words
Length: Multi-chaptered
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything except the story of course. Everything is just fictional. :D
Summary: “Have you ever thought of living in two different worlds? It feels like I’m walking in a path between reality and dreams, wandering in a maze where I’m lost. And suddenly, I see a light. It’s a glow I can’t explain but somehow, it warms me up. Between two worlds, battling inside of me, a light prevails, and somehow I’m not lost anymore.”
Author’s Notes: This supposed to be longer but I think cutting it like this is okay. I'm a tease to be honest so *stick-tongue-out*... I wonder if people still remember this story? When was the last time I even update any of my multi-chaptered fics? Aigoo~ So yeah... I won't say anymore except comments and criticisms are highly appreciated. Dozou~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 1: Worth
Sometimes, it was confusing how he’d stare at people. There were times he’d stare at them with full of emotions. It can be (mostly) anger, irritation, amusement, anything and you’d know what you should do next and that was to stay away from him.
There were only a few people who could withstand his piercing stare and those people were those you would never mess with.
Ninomiya Kazunari, a 13 year old boy who loves baseball and playing games, was a person you would never want to cross paths with.
“Huh?”
“I said you’ll attend that audition tomorrow.” His mother repeated one night in their dinner.
“But mom, I got baseball game tomorrow.”
“But it’s already scheduled that you’ll attend it. And No buts!”
“MOM~” Nino whined. When it comes to baseball, he can’t miss anything especially just to attend some audition he didn’t even apply for.
“Fine fine… I’ll give you 5000 yen. Just attend that audition and you can go and attend that baseball game as soon as it is finish.” His mother smirked and she knew she won seeing his son biting his lower lip. Okay, another thing Nino loved was money. A couple of minutes missing out a part of the game weren’t that bad when you’re earning right?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nino didn’t expect it, standing here now to participate in various acts along the entertainment world. He just had to do what they had said and everything was okay. Add up that he was also earning money. Not bad for a 14 year old kid. More money means more games to buy. Of course a little sacrifice for his love for baseball was made yet he found new love with acting and Nino knew he wanted more.
Nino was packing already as their instructor called it a day (or rather night?) when his friend, Aiba Masaki, said he’d go up first to grab something on another floor that he forgot. Nino rolled his eyes at the stupidity of his friend but it was actually his act of fondness to him.
“Just hurry up…” And Nino meant it since he wanted to go back in the comfort of his futon as he would the new game he got.
Left alone, Nino felt a little stiffed with all the practices they had. He started stretching a little bit until he noticed something different in his reflection in the right where the wall of mirrors stood. Nino tilted his head, rubbing his eyes afterward, not believing what he saw.
In the reflection was his self, standing but covered with bruises and wearing different kind of clothes, dirty and a bit torn. He looked back to his self, touching his self to check but there were no bumps of bruises that he could feel with his fingertips. Lastly, he was definitely wearing his sweatpants and white t-shirt. He looked back to the reflection and Nino found his reflection back to normal.
“What the-“
“Nino-chan, I got it! Let’s go.” Aiba called for him and Nino didn’t have a chance to ponder more about the earlier occurrence as his friend started dragging him out of the room.
“Maybe it’s all the tiredness growing on me that I’m hallucinating.” Nino decided to his self.
He and Aiba always go home together for they take the same route of train but then his stop was nearer that he’d be the first one to go down.
“Ja, I’ll see you tomorrow Aiba-chan.” Nino bid his goodbye, waving at his friend who waved back with his gleeful smile.
“Take care!”
Walking on his way home from the train station, Nino hummed to the tune of a song of his V6 sempai where he and Aiba were active as back-up dancers.
CRACK!
He looked down and something shiny was under his left foot and how the light reflected on it, he knew it was a mirror. He bit down on his lower lip, not liking the sound of it. A broken mirror was bad luck and he didn’t want that creeping from his behind. He crouched down, picking up the small mirror. What surprised him was there was no crack on it when he clearly heard a sound earlier.
“Things keep on getting weirder by the second.” Nino shivered, feeling the night chill coating his skin. Nino sighed. He knew it wasn’t good to take something that you knew wasn’t yours but Nino felt he couldn’t leave the mirror alone in the street and so he held into it as he continued walking back home.
That night, Nino didn’t felt staying up late to have a date with his beloved game console as he originally planned but rather, wrapped his self in the warmth of his futon, Nino closed his eyes and dreamland took him into the depths of his mind.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A boy scowled under the sun as the sunlight hit directly his face. He really didn’t like this time of day when the sun was in its hottest but he had too. He looked at his friend who was petting a dog nearby, tall and lanky, cheerful and hyper. His friend was really different from him but he was thankful that he stayed by him throughout all the years.
“Aiba-chan, aren’t we going home yet?” he called, getting impatient. He wanted to go home and write things or read some stuffs. His friend, who he called Aiba, looked at to him with pouting lips.
“Can’t I keep him, Nino-chan?” the other said with his doe-like eyes glimmering with favor. He clicked his tongue. Even though the guy was a bit older than him, he acts younger than he literally he was. Nino rolled his eyes.
“No… he might become our dinner if that happens.”
“Eh! I don’t want to eat him! I won’t let them eat him either!!!” Aiba exclaimed defensively, hugging the dog.
“Five more minutes and we’re going okay?” Nino tried to calm his friend down and it was more enough to get his friend back to his cheery mood. Nino looked at the streets, observing the people around him.
“So many things had change huh in so little time?” Nino pondered thoughtfully. He watched at how the mother interacted with her daughter, trying to tame her down with a giant lollipop. He looked at the bikers, riding in the speed of light with the newest model out in the market. But even so, the blooming Sakura tree never changed and it was so beautiful no matter how many years had passed.
“You know, talking like that in that age will make you a freak Nino-chan?” Aiba said beside him.
“Like I care, they don’t know anything.” Nino hissed.
“I know… but sometimes, even it’s like this, I’m happy I’m given an opportunity like this.” Aiba said, smiling.
“Like what, living and dying over and over?” Nino mocked. But he couldn’t hide the tone of the hurt that he knew Aiba wouldn’t miss.
“Well, technically we don’t die, Nino-chan. We just hibernate and change our features for a couple of years or something like that. And yes, I don’t mind living over and over. Every life we will have will add new memories. The things we aren’t able to do last time, we can do this life. Don’t you think it’s exciting?” Aiba chirped.
“And what about if we get bored with our life already? What if we have done everything?” Nino pondered softly but it didn’t escape Aiba’s sharp hearing.
“Then find something worth living for… or even someone you can spend it with… No one is an island right?” Aiba blinked thoughtfully at Nino.
“You know, I never thought you can be so poetic?” Nino smirked and then walked away saying, “Let’s go back…”
“Oi! I was serious you know!” Aiba shouted, pouting his way to follow Nino. Nino just smirked, though truthfully, Aiba’s words reached him in ways Nino couldn’t explain.
As the two walked in the darker parts of the town, Nino couldn’t help but envy his friend for being optimistic. But he asked his self, was there really reason to be happy to have this kind life?
As long as Nino could remember, throughout the year… or even centuries he had live, he could never find anything worth to look forward for another lifetime. Looking at the sky, he wished his heart was free of coldness, free like the birds flying without boundaries in the vast sky. Before he knew it, a tear already trailed his cheeks secretly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nino woke up shocked evident in his eyes. He looked up at the morning sky through his window with a distant feeling he couldn’t point a finger on. He touched cheeks feeling it damp with a single tear. He knew the dream he had something to do with it but he vaguely remember parts of it.
“Worth… living for…?” Nino mumbled.
Author's Notes: This chapter happened before the prologue... but after the Catharsis installment... I know this might be confusing since I modified this story from Catharsis and Labyrinth... XDDD So if you are confuse, feel free to ask me. That's all...
