𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗲

by Luna Rose

Winner of  One Thousand Cranes in Flanders Field contest

It was well into the night and most would probably be preparing for bed or already sleeping. Erity wasn't one of those people and she refused to let sleep take her until she finished her task at hand. She didn't care if she would look like a ghost the next day as long as she finished what she was making.

Erity was on her 998 origami and she had several paper cuts littering all over her hand. She didn't let the stinging pain they brought stop her from focusing on the paper animal she was folding. If anything it motivated her to get it done even faster so that she wouldn't be in pain anymore, physical pain that was.

The emotional pain she felt wouldn't fade even if the cuts healed. It's why she was working so hard to make a thousand origami before she went to bed. Erity would do anything to see Azami again, even if that meant spending the entire day making paper animals. If the gods would listen to her cries and grant her wish then she would make a million origami.

"No!" She shouted in frustration as the last one she was working on ripped and she tossed it in the trash, joining the dozen other ones she had messed up.

Just this last one, she told herself as she grabbed a fresh sheet of paper and started over. She blinked the tears from her eyes so she could see the paper more clearly to focus. Her hands shook a bit from exhaustion as she worked without rest, making sure not to mess this one up.

And as she carefully finished it off, she set it down gently and let a small smile grace her lips. She looked over the other ones cover her desk and the floor around her desk with relief as she let her body relax into her chair.

This time she couldn't stop the tears that slowly slid down her face as her body seemed to grow tired. She thought of how Azami would be so proud of her for finally working so hard at something and how she would smile at Erity and tell her how much more she could do. Azami always had faith in Erity even when everyone else didn't.

"I just wanna see here again. Please, gods, I'm begging you. I wanna se-" Her body went limp in her chair as her body seemed to go limp in the chair.

~

It was the sound of Erity's phone alarm going off that woke her up with a fright. She jumped up in her seat and looked around in a daze before her mind cleared away the tiredness. She groaned as she stood up and was careful not to step on any origami as she made her way over to her bed. She picked up her phone and canceled her alarm, reading the time as seven in the morning.

With her phone now silent she could hear the sound of birds chirping from outside her balcony and went to go see them. She let her phone plop back on the bed as she took tired steps to the balcony, pushing the curtains aside. She stared in awe at all the birds sitting on the railing of her balcony and opened the window doors.

The open doors allowed for a strong gust of wind to blow in carrying with it flowers and what seemed to be origami animals. Erity stared in confusion as she picked one up and looked back out into the air to see now dozens of origami animals flying and floating in the sky. The blossoming flower petals seemed to dance in the wind with them.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

Erity froze as the voice she never thought she would hear again seemed to slip into the air and flow into her ears. She could feel the tears filling up in her eyes as her heart pounded in her chest. Erity slowly turned around and among the dozen origami that had flown inside stood the love of her life.

"Azami," Erity choked up as the tears came flowing down like a wave.

Azami walked over to Erity and reached her hand out to whip away some of the tears but they kept coming. Erity let out a gasp as she held Azami's hand against her cheek, relishing in the warmth coming from her. She thought she would never get to touch her again, speak to her again, or even look at her in person again.

"You're here," Erity whispered out as she stared at her lover.

"I'm always here, Erity. Always."

Erity body moved on its own as she embraced Azami in a hug, letting her face rest in her shoulder. She could smell the strawberry scent that traveled off Azami's hair and it made her hug her even tighter. She felt that if she let her go then Azami would disappear again and she couldn't handle that.

"Don't leave me," Erity begged her as she moved to look her in the eyes.

Azami tucked a strand of Erity's hair behind her ear, "I'll always be with you, love."

"I want you back the way you were before," Erity cried.

"I can't be and you can't keep waiting for me to be," Azami gripped Erity's chin.

"I can't just forget you and move on as if you aren't my world," Erity sobs made the words a little hard to understand but Azami knew exactly what she was saying.

"You can remember me but I can't be your world anymore. The living shouldn't have the dead as their world or they too will end up joining them." Azami let a tear slide down her cheek.

"If that's what it takes to be with you foreve-"

Azami cut her Erity off, "No. I don't want you to join me in death."

"Azami-"

"I want to see you live and be happy. I wanna see you do all the things I know you can do. I wanna see you spread your wings and fly like I know you can. You are so special and the world should see that, not just me. I want you to be free, love." Azami cupped her cheeks in her hands as her thumbs swiped away her tears.

"Promise me, Erity."

Erity sobbed and shaking her head, trying to move out of Azami's grip but Azami refused to let go as she stared at her broken lover with tears in her own eyes.

"Please, please promise me," Azami begged.

"O-Okay," Erity choked out.

"I need you to say it."

"I-I promise!" Erity cried out as she broke down.

Azami silenced her crying with her mouth as their lips met in a tender and sweet kiss. A kiss that sent electricity through Erity's body before she fainted.

~

Erity woke up in her bed and frantically looked around as she noticed her balcony doors open, letting in the morning wind, and all the origami she folded were gone.

She curled into a ball and cried.

She cried from the pain in her heart.

She cried from the cruelness of the gods for taking her lover.

And she cried from the promise she made Azami.