It was a grey and rainy day, when Miyu lay half dead in the streets of Milan. She was hit by a car and most of her body was ripped to pieces. She had lost too much blood already and didn't really know what was real and imagination anymore.
The alleyway was dark and dirty, no one was in sight. The air smelled of trash and gas from the surrounding trash piles and streets.
The rain cleared down some of the bad air but not everything. It stung her nose but she didn't really care, it was a minor problem compared to the pain from all of her wounds.
She was about to give up hope as she stared into the grey sky above, making peace with the thought of dying, when she heard footsteps.
She slowly turned her head to the side and saw the small slender figure of a girl with an umbrella. The girl looked down on her with a worried expression. She crouched down and examined Miyus wounds, then turned to her and addressed her for the first time.
"Those are some pretty grave wounds. At this rate you will die. Do you want to live? Ah sorry what a stupid question of me, of course you want to live. Everyone wants to live when they face death...Sorry, let me ask differently. Do you want me to save you?" the girl spoke monotonously.
Miyu thought she was an odd one but she offered her help, so she wouldn't complain and accepted instead. The glimmer of hope that left her just a moment ago sparked and shone brightly inside her now. She would live, if this girl somehow managed to save her.
Without wasting a second she slowly raised her right arm to grab the girl by the sleeve of her dress. The girl understood immediately and smiled.
"Got it. Now rest easy, you need all your energy for later"
Miyu did as she was told and the dirty dark and grey world around her vanished into nothingness as she lost her consciousness.
~~~~~
Miyu opened her eyes and stared into the bonfire in front of her. She was keeping watch over the party, as the other two rested some before they would continue their journey.
They had returned back to the camp awhile ago and noticed it was already dark outside, when they wanted to go to the portal. However a raging blizzard was blocking the way, so the three decided to rest for the night. They spend an entire day underground and the dry hot air, which burned in their lungs was now replaced by the fresh cold air of the snowy mountain.
The party preferred the cold air to the warm one, especially in front of a bonfire.
They set up camp again, ate and chatted before going to rest. It was highly unlikely that a monster or person would show up and attack them, however Miyu insisted on staying guard just in case.
She looked over to Reverie, who seemed at peace while she slept soundly.
She was happy to see her friend being able to sleep these days. She remembered all the nights the girl couldn't sleep and cried or worked her emotions away.
Of course Miyu could see that the current life Reverie led wasn't pleasant for her either from all the scars on her body and her empty tired eyes but it wasn't nearly as bad as her previous life. The current her wasn't as broken as the last one and it gave her some sense of relief.
She gave a small sigh and unpacked a bonbon. Stuffing the candy in her mouth ,she savored the flavor of a sour apple for a moment. She loved sour candy the most, though she remembered a time when she didn't like candy at all. It was due to her friend that she grew to like them. When you were faced with mountains of cake, candy, tea and all sorts of sweets on the daily ,one day you grow to like them she thought and smiled , as she remembered all the times Ren would make her taste test things.
She broke out of her reminiscence when she heard a sound coming from the tunnel of the cave. She sat up alarmed and waited. A moment and another but nothing came. She was about to stand up and check, as a small squirrel popped out of the shadows.
It had a white and blue coat and looked a little weird for a squirrel color wise, but it didn't seem harmful at all. Miyu lowered her guard and lured the squirrel over with some nuts from the provisions bag.
The animal ran over without any sign of reluctance and took a nut from Miyus hand and chewed on it with it's big front teeth.
Miyu watched silently and thought about where this little guy came from, but stopped when Michael woke up.
The boy rubbed his eyes sleepily and gazed at the small animal. It took him a few moments to realize what was going on and the moment he did his energy went up rapidly. He energetically sat up and approached the two. He wanted to pet the squirrel but the animal was faster in dodging ,than he was at reaching out.
The animal climbed Miyus arm and rested on her shoulder, just to turn around and wiggle with it's tail at Michael in a provocative manner. The boy pouted and crossed his arms in response.
"No fair!" he said and Miyu chuckled. She thought the boy was quite adoreable and different than the others of his age.
Miyu gave the animal on her shoulder another nut and looked back at Michael again.
"May I ask you something?"
The boy looked up in surprise at the sudden serious question. He already got used to the fact, that Miyus voice was monotone and serious most of the time but he wasn't used to talking to her yet, especially alone.
He nodded and gulped, scared of what was to come now.
"What do you think about Al- I mean Reverie?"
Michael's eyes widened. He did not expect such a question and needed a moment to sort his thoughts, then replied happily.
"I like her! Big sis is reaaaaaaally cool! She's pretty, smart and nice! Also I think big bro Gilbert likes her!"
Now it was Miyus eyes that widened in surprise at the reply. She did kind of expect the first part but the last sentence came out of the blue for her.
"Who is Gilbert?" she asked.
"Oh he's the pretty big bro we got separated with before coming here. I'm sure we will search for him now" he replied.
Miyu rested her chin on the back of her head as she drifted off into thoughts.
A pretty man, that likes Ren? Miyu had to make sure this guy wasn't who she thought it was. She wouldn't let 'him' hurt her ever again.
Having made up her mind, she looked at the still sleeping Reverie. She probably didn't get much sleep from the way she was knocked out cold, Miyu presumed and leaned back against the cold stone wall.
Michael fixed his gaze back to the squirrel ,still eager and determined to pet it, no matter what.
The latter just kept chewing on it's nuts, not caring about Michael at all.
The night slowly made way for the morning and the blizzard lifted by the time the sun was high up in the sky.
Ren awoke from her dreamless slumber. She didn't sleep so well in a long time and especially dreamless nights were rare for her.
She got up and looked around. Her friends weren't at the camp, she wondered where they could have gone. Before she even got the chance to get up and search for them, she heard the cheery voice of the boy yelling out for her.
"Big sis! The storm is over we can go now!" he exclaimed happily.
That certainly was good news. A blizzard often lasted for days once it started so she was happy it wasn't the case this time.
Without wasting time she packed up everything. The cool air stung a bit in her throat, once the fire was extinguished. Miyu and Michael helped and in less than ten minutes they were ready to set off.
The three left the cave and climbed down the mountain. The air was freezing and breathing was painful. Just as expected from a place, that just had a blizzard raging in, Reverie thought.
Michael was freezing and shivering again, even with two blankets covering and Miyu carrying him. It was faster this way. They couldn't know when the next storm was coming, so they had to be quick.
Running down the mountain and through the field of snow, which lay thick and high, the three made their way to the portal. It was exhausting to walk through the thick snow ,let alone run but they managed somehow. At the portal Reverie desperately gasped for air, while clutching her chest with her hand. Her nails dug into the fabric of her clothes and she coughed several times. She had a hard time breathing and was close to collapsing, when Miyu dropped the boy and picked her up instead.
The girl didn't complain and just let it happen, as she continued to cough away.
Michael was worried about her and placed one of the blankets over her shoulders. He thought he could show some concern this way. He knew he couldn't do anything in this situation. He remembered his mother suffered from Asthma and he found her several times in a similar state, leaving him completely helpless every time. He had watched his mother in pain and now he watched his friend in the same pain. He felt bad for not being able to help and dropped his head.
Reverie reached out one of her hands and ruffled through the boys hair.
"Thank you Mik! I appreciate it" she said and the boy looked up with teary eyes. The girl gave a weak smile before falling into a slumber from exhaustion.
Miyu and Michael stepped through the portal after they confirmed ,that her breathing was steady again. The two didn't know what would happen once they crossed the portal, but it was better than staying here they thought.
The moment they set foot into the portal, bright light enveloped them.
-to be continued-