Can You Promise Me?

Akari looked at him, their eyes met, and something in her cracked open - not fear this time, but a small fragile hope.

"Think about it..." Jun said quietly, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze before standing up. "I'll give you some time alone. I'll go wash up."

-

Akari lay on Jun's bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. Think about it... What's there to think about? I can't just throw away Hikari's dream like that. It wouldn't be fair... 

Akari's mind ran wild, her thoughts filled with a dilemma she couldn't solve. She didn't want to ruin her sister's precious dream, but she wasn't sure if this was the right way to protect it. She would've made her dream come true, I'm sure of it... She would've been the perfect idol... The public would've loved her... She would've shone much brighter than I ever could...

Akari curled up in the bed, her knees drew closer as she stared at her hand - the same hand Jun had held so gently, firmly, as if he could protect her from the world when it was threatening to break apart. His warmth lingered faintly on her skin. Jun... Hikari... What do I do?

-

"Haruka?" A sweet small familiar voice called out. "Or is it Akari now?"

Akari looked up and froze.

Hikari stood there beside the bed - her bright, carefree, full of hope and life smile just like Akari remembered it.

For a heartbeat, Akari forgot to breathe. "Hikari...?"

Her sister's eyes sparkled - the same way they always did before she burst into laughter. Innocent. Gentle. Safe.

Akari blinked, disbelief flooded her as her chest tightened painfully. 

She knew.

Deep down she knew it wasn't real. The room was too quiet, her body too aged by time, the world too cruel for miracles. But how desperately she wanted to believe it was real. Even if it was just for a moment. She wanted it to be real. 

"Hikari...? Why are you here...?" Her voice cracked in the silence.

Hikari smiled, that same smile that could rival the sun itself. "Because... I think you misunderstand something."

"Misunderstand something?"

Hikari's small head nodded. "Haruka... I don't need you to live out my dreams for me. I rather you live your life how you want to."

The words hit Akari with a weight of truth she had spent so long running from. The dream she had tried to protect, the dream she built her entire identity around, the dream she thought she was living - it wasn't something Hikari had ever asked for. It was something she clung to in her grief. Out of fear. Out of guilt. Out of love.

"But I wanted to give you a chance..." Akari whispered, her voice breaking as tears blurred her sight. "After all... It was my fault you-"

"It wasn't." Hikari's voice did not waver. "It was never your fault."

"But I-"

Hikari sighed and shook her head softly. "Oh Haruka, you can be oddly stubborn." She got closer to wipe her older sister's tears. "You've punished yourself for too long... It's time to let go of what isn't yours to carry."

Akari's breath shook, the tears falling harder even after Hikari had wiped them. "I can't."

"You can." Hikari's voice was soft like a lullaby. "You can stop hurting now."

Hikari reached out, looping hers and Akari's pinkies together as if they were kids all over again. "Live your own life, Haruka. That's what I want." Her voice was quiet and bright like a fading light. "Can you promise me that?"

Akari looked between Hikari's shining eyes and the small pinky wrapped around her own - the warmth radiating from the tiny hand spread throughout her entire body, melting something that was long frozen inside of her. 

Akari's vision blurred as tears continue to slide down her cheeks. "I promise..." She hesitantly whispered as she nodded slightly, her voice trembling with all the guilt and grief she carried.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her other hand, trying to steady her breathing before looking up again.

But the warmth was gone. 

The small hand no longer held hers.

The space beside the bed empty.

Hikari was gone.

Akari's breath caught in her throat as the cruel, heavy reality set back into her chest. The quiet room felt colder now, the air too still, the world too dark.

"I wish you were really here, Hikari..."

-

Akari gasped awake, trying to control her breathing as tears rolled down her face uncontrollably.

It was a dream.

Just a dream.

She didn't even realize she fell asleep.

She gripped at her chest, her heart yearning for the warmth she had felt. She tried to wipe away the tears and quiet her breathing before-

The door swung open.

"Akari?"

Jun's voice was sharp with worry, near to panic. He stepped inside, eyes scanning the room for a threat until they landed on her crying figure.

His expression softened instantly. "What's wrong...?"

Akari tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. The remnants of the dream painfully lingering.

Jun crossed the room in a heartbeat, dropping to one knee beside the bed. He didn't touch her, just hovered close enough so that she could feel his warmth. "Akari... Look at me." He whispered gently.

She lifted her eyes, still red and glassy with tears. 

"Did something happen?" Jun asked softly.

Akari swallowed hard, her voice trembled as she forced it out. "I didn't know I fell asleep... It felt so real... I knew it wasn't but still..."

Jun's expression deepened with worry. He reached out to her, slowly, giving her enough time to pull away, but she didn't. He gently wiped away her tears before resting his hand lightly over her hand.

His touch was warm. Grounding. Real.

"I'm here." He said in a way soft enough to be comforting but firm enough to be convincing. A tone that left no room for doubt.

Akari let out a shaky exhale, her breathing returning to normal as she steadied herself in Jun's warmth - the one thing that didn't seem like a fading dream.

Jun stayed there beside her, patient and calm, giving her the space and comfort she needed to feel better.

After some time, Akari's voice finally broke the silence. Fragile but filled with resolution. "I think I'm ready..."