P0: Rewind

:iconPersona-zer0:

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When she thought of her past, all she could remember was how often she ignored her own feelings.

About how her shoulders felt so heavy, as if she was carrying weights on them.

She felt so tired, but in the end, she had to keep going. 

After all, it didn't matter how she felt, as long as she made her family happy, that was what was important.

She remembers one of the key times when her role was so stressed. That her title as heir to the company was so important. About how none of the others seemed to see who she was past that.
It was during one of her parents business parties, one they had held in hopes of creating new contracts. It was one of the few that were not as formal, but Tsuru still had to attend. After all, all the other politicians and CEOs were eager to speak with her. In their eyes, she was told to be intelligent, honorable, and worthy to be a trading partner with them and their own heirs in the future. Tsuru followed the description exactly, though the smile she gave them never seemed to reach her eyes completely. Most of the people didn't notice, or just didn't comment. They simply continued discussing their business matters to her in hopes they could test where she was in her business sense. To see if she really would be a good fit for the CEO position her parents had prepared her for. When she did answer, they always seemed at the least satisfied, offering suggestions where they felt their input was needed. 

She would simply just nod and politely thank them, even if she didn't completely agree. Some of them had nasty tempers when challenged and it wouldn't look good to have them get riled up at her during such a formal event. Tsuru wouldn't give her parents that sort of problem to deal with.

Soon, her parents would leave her to speak to an acquaintance, a distant pat on the shoulder and nod before they moved through the crowd. Even if she lost sight of them, the weight around her never decreased, like they still hung over her. Everywhere she moved to, she still felt their shadow hanging over her, controlling her every word and action, in hopes that her actions might not cause them grief.

Eventually, she was standing near the tables by the door, sipping some punch from her glass. Hearing some laughter, her eyes glanced over to see a group her age making jokes and causing a small ruckus. The children of the other guests just like her, though they were ones who were carefree, uncaring of what they might do. The group seemed to be discussing something, when some noticed her looking over, causing her to look away, taking her phone out to check the time. It was rude to stare, why did she do that? Unconsciously biting her lip in anxious worry, she didn't notice them murmur and send someone over to her. 

"Yo, Ru-chan, you alright?" a sing song voice called, breaking her out of her trance. Knowing it from anywhere, her head snapped up to look at the face of her childhood acquaintance, Shigere. His father was her father's close colleague and business partner. Their companies had been trading with each other for years. even before Tsuru and Shigere had been born. The pair were playmates, and he still insisted on bugging her whenever he pleased. He wasn't a terrible person to be around, just carefree and lazy and annoyed Tsuru to no end. 

"Y-yes, Hanazuki, I'm doing fine. Sorry for the staring." Tsuru answered back, hiding her unease. He pouted at the use of his last name, but didn't whine like he usually did. Instead, he looked ready to ask her something. His group of friends even seeming to be watching closely. 

"That's good. Well, we noticed you were glancing over, and wanted to offer you to join us? We're a little tired of the party for the time being, and were thinking of going for a walk. Not far, of course! Just along the block to get away from all the stares and stuffy old people." Shigere offered hesitantly, not adding how most of them had tried to stop him from asking. They knew she was someone with no courage to leave, not willing to disobey. They thought it was a waste of time since most didn't even know what she was outside of the obedient daughter. Still, she couldn't help but think on it. She should decline, say she has to stay, what if her parents look for her? They'd be angry with her for leaving so suddenly. 

Tsuru opened her mouth to decline, but she stopped when she remembered something. A voice, reminding her of something, "Don't get stuck in the loop. Don't make the same mistakes you once did; you're better than that. If you don't trust me, trust yourself, okay?" Tsuru remembered now, the driver with the pigeon mask, at the bus stop! Looking down, she saw herself standing in a dark shadow, still feeling that heavy weight on her. It went to the door, fading as it reached it. She needed to move forward, to become her own person, to stop the restrictions! 

"I'd...I'd love to, Hanazuki. Let's go, shall we?" She breathed out, moving toward this vision of him. He blinked and nodded, a grin before grabbing her wrist and pulling her along. Tsuru saw the shock of his friends, and just moved with him, the weight still on her shoulders but lessening. Tsuru didn't look back, not once, to see if her parents were looking. She couldn't do that, not after this choice. The phone that was once rested in her hand slipped away, falling and shattering on the floor.  

With a push, she opened the doors wide and stepped through, blinded by the light that poured through. Protecting her eyes until it dimmed, she looked to see that the group and Shigere were gone, with the door now behind her. Feeling something surprisingly warm tap her shoulder, the weight was lifted. With shocked eyes, Tsuru gasped at the sight of the kimono clad being floating before her.  Draped in such robes a slouch, all Tsuru could see was the smile that graced her face. 

"The weight is relieved, I'm sure you are as well?"

Tsuru had never seen her before, but her name slipped out like it was something she knew for so long. 

"You're...you're Sarcina, right? You're me?"

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I finally finished this thank g oodness--
Prays I add this all up right--
Fullbody colored (2x500)+ lit/ 1095 words (~164) x Event submission (1.5) + Event bonus (300)= 2046 yen?? 

Also prepare for Shigere/Hanazuki to come back bc that boy is her self proclaimed bffl and will come to annoy her when he can-