Minna No Kimochi (Every Heart)

Clear, saphire skies, dappled with soft, rippling lavender clouds swirled above her as she danced. Her long, pale arms stretched fluidly in front of her before pulling back, sharply, yet gracefully. She spread her arms abover her, palms facing inward. Her lengthy black hair whipped around her face and shoulders as she spun. She kept her wide blue eyes open, intrigued by the colorless light, which gave the world around her an oddly surreal appearance.11

She was dancing in a meadow, a flat expanse of bottle green grass, and with her every step, wild flowers of delicate purple and yellow spang frowm the earth she had touched. She stared down at herself, at the long, elegant violet and black dress that covered her small frame. She continued to dance, watching the fabric fan out around her. The soft music that filled her ears was a gentle tune, one that, to her, sounded loving- almost heartfelt, though she couldn't quite tell, because the quiet lyrics were being sung in a different language- japanese, maybe...22

A cool, soothing breeze brushed across her heated skin. How long had she been dancing? She sighed as her body bent back, the tips of her outstretched fingers brushing the ground; small purple buds bursting from the soil. Her body, she noticed indifferently, was becoming pleasantly numb, the aches and pains she hadn't been able to explain slowly fading- vanishing, like they had never been there at all...33

She performed a flawless pirouette, silently congratulating herself. When she stopped spinning, she found herself facing a boy. He was tall, at least three inches taller than her, he had shaggy black hair, covering the eyes she knew were blue. He was wearing his best black suite, the one her mom would only let him wear on very special occasions.44

"Noah?" she asked, smiling as her older brother took her hands and began slowly waltzing with her. The flowers around them were now coming up a dazzling forget-me-not blue. Noah flashed her an apologetic smile. "Am I interrupting you?" he asked.55

"Of course not," she said, laughing quietly and dragging out each of her steps, trying to move more to the beat of the now loudening music. "But since when have you been able to dance?"66

He laughed, a sad, humorless laugh. That wasn't the loud, obnoxious laugh she had grown to love. "You know I can't," he said, "I've never been able to dance." He paused, flicking the hair from his eyes. She noticed immediately something was wrong; his eyes weren't as bright as they should have been, they were a dull, empty grey, and were red and swollen. "Mom's crying, you know," he said quietly, the small smile he had been wearing vanishing. "Because you won't come home."77

"But," she frowned, "I like it here..." she nearly whispered. 8

"Dad is, too, though he's trying not to let anyone see him," he continued, as though he hadn't heard her. "Don't you love us enough to come home?"9

"Of course I love you!" she said indignantly. "But it doesn't hurt here..."10

"So you're alright with making Mom and Dad cry?" he demanded, his voice sharper than usual.11

"No!"12

"Then," his voice was soft again, "then come home..."13

Then, as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone. She frowned as the once exulant music slowly quieted, and the beautiful scene began to dull and fade. Did she really want to leave?
And, suddenly, everything went black. She groaned- every inch of her body ached, screaming at her.14

"She's up!" a voice shouted- it was Noah, but he didn't sound sorry and dejected, like he had in the meadow; he sounded choked, and reluctantly hopeful, like he had been expecting the worst. She groaned again and peeled her eyes open.
The blurred light stung her eyes, but she couldn't force hger arm up to shield them. As her vision cleared she found herself staring around the white walls and ceiling of a hospital room. Her mom was leaning over one side of the bed, tears still glistening in her eyes, her father standing behind her. "Abigail!" her mother choked, throwing her arms around Abigail's shoulders. Abigail winced, but smiled none the less. 15

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty."16

She turned her head and saw Noah leaning against the wall on the other side of the bed, though he was wearing a baggy grey sweatshirt and dirty blue jeans instead of his suite. Abigail laughed, despite the pain in her stomach. "Thanks, Noah," she muttered, closing her eyes and sighing happily.