LAVENDER # THE FIRST NIGHT

━━ WHEN COLOUR TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER THOUGHT AND REASON.

Ushijima blinks.

The first thing he notices is that he's no longer wearing his pyjamas. Instead, a loose, thin white shirt with a low v-neck cut ripples gently in the breeze, a pair of black trousers hugs his thighs and calves, and a pair of black joggers on his feet. His gaze shifts upwards to survey is surroundings, and is taken aback in surprise.

Masses of wavering purple in the breeze stretches out before him as he stands between rows of tall lavender. Fluffy bees buzz around, and he flinches as one gets too close. It settles in his hair before disappearing. Vanishing. His olive hues roam the place, confusion settling on his sharp features.

He's never been here before, yet the surroundings are so vivid, a perfect recollection save for the little bees and butterflies that appear out of thin air and disappear, leaving behind strange sensations on his skin, and the scent of sweet nectar mixing in with the coming lavender. If he cranes his neck, he can see the expanse of a cherry coloured sky, mixed with blues and yellows dotted with clouds, strangely pastel purple. It's like heaven is reflecting the fields of lavender below.

Adoration.

The tall boy blinks in confusion as the feeling washes over him. He knows this is a dream, and he assures himself again that he has never been here before, yet that bittersweet nostalgia that overpowers any other senses speaks differently. He spins 360, wind tousling his hair almost fondly, and doesn't note any man-made features or landmarks. With no sense of direction, he lets his feet take him forwards. Despite feeling lost, there is not a single hint of worry or anxiousness, simply curiosity bubbling in his chest.

He stops when he finally sees something other than the lavender, bees and butterflies. Ahead of him, a girl wearing a cream coloured silk slip dress crouches in front of a cluster of lavender, her black hair falling over her shoulders.

"Hi," he greets abruptly. Startled, she turns around, her silky locks rippling almost like water in moonlight, and Ushijima's breath catches when he sees the sunset and lavender reflected in her dark hues. The stranger flashes a blinding smile, eyes crinkling a little in the corners as she stands up and dusts her dress, clutching a bundle of lavender. He stands still as she approaches him, and a faint scent of nectar and peaches follows her.

"Hi- wow!" she gasps, "you're really tall!"

Ushijima nods sternly. "Yes, I am. I am a volleyball player."

She chuckles lightheartedly. "Does this volleyball player have a name?" She teases, but her attempt at flirting goes over his head.

"Ushijima Wakatoshi," he looks down at the smaller girl, his gaze as intense and unwavering as ever. "Who are you? What is this place?"

She doesn't answer the questions at first. "You're dreaming, Ushijima-san," comes her reply, before she giggles in a euphoric and exhilarating way that can only come from delight. She spreads her arms, throwing the lavender dramatically and spinning on the spot. The silk dress ripples in the light. "Follow me," she calls and skips a few steps ahead; Ushijima, after a moment of hesitation, follows. An orange butterfly flaps around her head, blending in with the orange of the sunset before appearing starkly against the blues, until it disappears once more and never returns.

He casts a glance over his shoulder, and realises that there is only one set of footprints- his. Focusing his attention back on the strange girl, he concludes that it doesn't make sense because this is a dream after all, which also explains the appearance and vanishment of the butterflies and bees. He brushes it off, watching in fascination as her feet seems to touch the ground but never lands. Like someone who walks on air is faking walking on land.

"I'm Takara, and this is my happy place," she announces. No last name? He thinks, but brushes it off.

"Why am I here?" Ushijima cuts straight to the point, and a pout appears on her lips. She clasps her hands childishly behind her back and rocks on her feet a little, pondering on his question and deciding to, infuriatingly, answer with another question.

"Can you help me?"

When their gazes lock, a sensation washes over him that he cannot describe. It's almost like that feeling of watching the first petal of the last blooming flower of the season flutter to the ground. A mixture of curiosity, wonder, and bitterness at the inevitable winter looming ahead.

He jolts. Ushijima is not a poetic person, yet he has formulated such thoughts. He reaches the conclusion that these feelings and reasonings are not his- they must be of the strange girl's, who actually belongs in these surroundings while he intrudes like a parasite.

"You're not," she says, and lavender glitters in those eyes, "You're not intruding, I mean." Before he can ask how she knows what he is thinking, she repeats her question with a small tilt of her head. "Will you help me, Ushijima-san?" That smell of nectar and peaches mingling with the aromatic lavender forces the curiosity to explode in his chest.

"Okay."

Takara flashes a grin. "Thank you, Ushijima-san." She looks up at the sky, which strangely, hasn't changed at all, but she seems to register something that he can't see. "I'll see you again tomorrow night."

"What?"

He sees her lips part in response, but a pit opens below him and he freefalls into darkness. Above, the purple scenery merges with the sky and the girl simply turns away, her soft voice and her scent lost in the pitch black emptiness around him. A panicked grunt rips from his throat, his fingers reaching up to grab something, anything!-

-Ushijima's eyes flutter open to the sound of his 5:30am alarm.