Sapphire String

Kai started visiting a little more frequently than he used to, and he always requested my coffee or tea. I found that slightly surprising, seeing as Scarlet was actually better in that field, as far as I was concerned. One day, he waited for me outside the café.

"Didn't go home yet?"

"I wanted to talk to you." The look in his eyes was hard, but there was no hatred in them. It looked kind of like he was fighting with himself.

"Sure."

Kai held out a hand and I took it. We walked together, ending up at a lake. The very same one he took me to at my request, a long time ago.

"Mayim, remember this place?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I looked down at my hand. There were no strings.

"Then, remember the night you told me you were my sister?"

My heart stopped in my throat, as I whipped my head around to look into his eyes. There was no hatred in them, only betrayal and sorrow.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied." I didn't give any excuses, nor did I try to justify my actions. There was no point. I was in the wrong. There was a pressure in my throat, and I realized I was trying not to cry.

"How did you get me to believe you?" He seemed curious.

And so, I told him. I told him that my family had hated that I was different, that they handed me over to a lab. I told him how I was used as a lab rat for a few years. I told him I was a murderer; that I had blown up the lab as I had escaped. And then I told him about the strings and my uncanny ability to calm down anyone with a few words. I told him that I had no place to go that night; that I was afraid so I manipulated his memories. At this point, I was crying. I wiped my cheeks. He didn't interrupt anywhere in the story, and I didn't look into his eyes as I spoke. I stared out into the water as we stood in silence.

"You just wanted a home, didn't you?"

I never thought of it that way. I nodded.

"You know, you could have just asked me for a place to stay that night. I probably would've helped you."

I laughed as I hiccupped. "Do you really think it would be smart to trust a random stranger in the middle of the night?"

He smiled as he looked at the water.

"But yeah, now that I know you, you probably would've." I wondered what to say right now. I didn't know if Kai wanted to cut all ties with me or not. "If you never want to see me again, I won't ever step in your line of sight," I said softly.

"What are you talking about? You're my sister, aren't you?"

I stared at him for a span of five seconds. There were still no strings around my hand. Had all the chaos finally messed with his mind?

"I'm gonna adopt you." He ruffled my hair as I stood speechless.

"I thought you'd hate me for what I did."

"I genuinely liked you, and I knew you liked us too."

"No one else remembers me."

"Then we can create new memories for them too."

At this, Kai's phone rang. He took it and rattled off our current location. I watched with slight interest. Who was calling at this time in the evening?

Kai asked me to wait for a while, and he also told me my room was still intact–apparently Shun had told them they'd regret it if they did anything to it, and asked them to let it stay as it was.

I heard the sound of footsteps of a lot of people, and Kai and I turned. Both Procella and Gravi ran towards us.

"Is today a happy day?" I asked.

"I asked them all to come."

Shun smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Oh, you're Mayim, right? The girl from the park?" Haru asked.

"You still remember that?"

Haru smiled as an answer. "Are you acquainted with Kai?"

"Well, we..." I considered telling him we worked together, however-

"She's my sister."

Exclamations of surprise ran through them, and I put my head in my hands. Shun laughed, and snapped his fingers.

The lights on the other side of the lake lit up and everyone stared at it dumbfounded for a second, before turning to me.

"Mayim?" Hajime asked, confusion and realization chasing each other on his face.

Oh dear, I think they remember too now. But how much?

"Hello, Hajime."

"You're not really his sister, so how...?" Arata trailed off. Ah, they remember everything. Perhaps they remember the moment I walked into their living room, the moment I had lied to them all, believing it to be a white lie. I wonder, no one had gotten hurt. No one but me.

Kai recounted the story I had told him. Hajime seemed to be struggling to believe it, but unfortunately was left with no choice, seeing as there was far too much evidence in place. Haru looked at me with sympathy. Rui and Arata didn't exactly have any expressions on their faces, and everyone else just alternated between sympathy and disbelief. Shun just looked like someone was telling him an interesting story.

"I'm sorry I lied to you all," I said, expecting someone to tell me how much they hated me and that they never wanted to see me again.

"You didn't hurt anyone, so I suppose it was a white lie?" Haru said.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and I smiled at the thought that Haru didn't need any magic to get people to listen to him. I wiped another tear from my cheek as Hajime ruffled my hair.

Shun leaned against the railing with a smile on his face, as Kai looked at him. "Shun, is this your doing?"

Shun shrugged and smiled at me. I gave him an awkward smile back. This is not someone I would want to make an enemy of.

"Let's go home," Hajime said, about to turn. He paused long enough to look at me. "You too, Mayim."

I smiled as we followed him, heading to a place I could call home.

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I had fun writing this too. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this last minute story. Your comments and votes gave me happiness, and I wish you a good day.