HIM AGAIN [Author's note included too]

For more than a month, he didn't meet his parents....He stayed home

Days went by; dread filled his being.

He spent his days sitting in front of the mirror while his parents were at the hospital.

Food was not an issue, but the sudden emptiness was

At some point, he began talking to the reflection as if talking to himself.

He behaved like Aiko, deliberately.

Guilt  and loneliness filled him until he lost his being to Aiko

He tried to erase himself.

Funny how in a month, he lost it all .... He was Aiko, and Riku was no one

One afternoon, while Riku wandered the hallways, he heard the main entrance door click. He rushed to the door and saw his weary mother enter. 

"Welcome home!" He called out in an absurdly high-pitched voice that startled his mother.

She glanced at him. "R-Riku...?" His mother gasped, noticing his bizarre condition. Her hands trembled as she tried to reach out to him.

But Riku took a step back.  "Who, Riku...I-I am Aiko!" 

The mother collapsed on the floor, wailing in despair, while Riku gently embraced her.

Finally, he heard his own name....

 I woke up, his sense of self, which he lost

As his reflection

Even if his mind told him he was Aiko

His reflection, me – how could I change...?

His father tightened his arms around Riku's trembling body. "You are Riku, my beloved son, and I can't lose you too." 

.

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 In the mirror, Riku looked at himself as a cold breeze flared the curtains.  He slowly picked up his shirt and turned away from the mirror. He strode to the mirror, his legs covered behind the table. He fixed his gaze onto the reflection while he changed into his school pants.  This was now a habit.

*Knock knock*

“Come in!” He combed his hair.

The door creaked open, and her mother’s face emerged from the opening as she entered her room.

“Dear, the breakfast is ready… Come join us.”

Riku walked to the door; he glanced at the mirror. "See ya." 

And walked out.

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▌│█║▌║▌║ [AUTHOR'S NOTES] ║▌║▌║█│▌

Thank you for reading!
I hope the story resonated with you~

I wanted to share a little side note.... This story was meant to be 10 chapters, but I decided to shorten it.

I wanted to include how Riku turns into Aiko, but that was maybe a little too intense.  So I cut it off; maybe I might include it in a one-shot for this story...who knows

This story struck my mind when I wrote Star Awesome's chapter Vivian. Due to the limited word count, this story was eventually born.

Thanks again for reading....
Happy reading~♡