Engulfed entirely in darkness, she reached out her hand as her body continued sinking and sinking…
…
She opened her eyes as a butterfly landed on her nose. A bright, flowering meadow had swallowed her body. The sun bared down from the blue sky, but somehow, it didn't feel hot.
It took her a moment to get her bearings, then she hopped to her feet and waded free from the swaying grasses.
A distance away, there was a familiar young boy with dark hair and red under colour, a white shirt, and black shorts sitting on a boulder in a clearing. His vibrant purple eyes were glued to a book in his hands, brows lightly knitted.
Smiling to herself, she carefully approached him. When she got close enough, his gaze whipped towards her. She gave an awkward little wave. “Hi…”
“Who are you?”
She smiled. “I'm someone you'll meet far into the future.”
“Okay. What are you doing here then?”
“I don't know. I just woke up here. Maybe I was meant to see you.”
He seemed annoyed.
“Do you mind if I sit here?”
Surprisingly, he wasn't too hostile about it. “Whatever.”
She carefully snagged the empty space on the other side of a small stack of books beside him. He watched her hesitantly before turning his attention back to his book.
A beat, then Ruby inspected what exactly he had in his sizable literature stack. Most of them seemed to be economical in nature, if not general nonfiction.
Her eyes meandered to the book in his hand. The cover was filled with colour, and the title was much more whimsical in nature. “...Is that a fantasy book?”
He pulled it away. “Shut up!”
“I'm not judging. I think that's nice.”
“Mind your own business.”
“...Sorry.”
He hufffed. “...Someone I'll meet in the future, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you bothering me now, then?”
“Because I wanted to see you.”
His eyes glanced to the horizon, at a gaggle of angels and demons playing with what seemed like a child version of Satanick. “Go play with them.”
“I don't want to play with them. I want to sit with you.”
Gaze unwavering, he followed their movements closely.
“...Do you want to join them?”
His face contorted in disgust, frustration, and spite. “No.”
She decided to press a bit. “Why not?”
“I have important things to do.”
“Surely it can wait for a little while?”
“I'm not like my useless brother.”
Her eyes traced their surroundings. It wasn't Kumo-no-Kuni for sure, so she wasn't entirely sure where they were. “...Did you make this place?”
“What of it?”
“It's beautiful. You must really love it.”
He lowered the book again. “What makes you say that?”
“The trees, the grasses, the pathways, even the little flowers…you meticulously crafted everything to your liking, didn't you?”
“...Yeah, I did.”
“You have good taste.”
He eyed her warily. “...Who are you?”
“My name is Ruby. In the future, I'm…something like your girlfriend.”
“‘Girlfriend’?”
She nodded.
“Why am I with a human?”
“I don't know,” she chuckled. “But you brought me to your world so we could be together.”
He seemed to ponder the thought, staring into her eyes with both curiosity and skepticism. “So I get you in the future.”
“...I guess, you can put it that way.”
“Hmph.” His head fell back to his book, then rose again. “Does future me know you're here?”
“I'm not sure. I ended up here on accident.”
“So you don't know how to go back?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. Maybe I'll accidentally find my way back.”
“Do you think I'm gonna help with that?”
“Maybe being with you will.”
He watched her again. “What's it like? The future.” His eyes stole glances at the crowd still playing in the distance, laughing merrily amongst themselves.
“...Do you want me to be honest?”
“Of course I do.”
Deep breath. “Things will be a lot more difficult in the future. You'll be lonely and everyone will be on edge. But, that doesn't stop any of you from trying to find your own happiness.” She paused. “Even I found happiness with adult you.”
His eyes widened, filled with wonder. Something dark lurked in them, but curiosity remained at the forefront. “...Is adult me happy with you around?”
She thought on it, then gave a small shrug. “Well, he hasn't gotten rid of me yet. I bet he's looking for me right now too.”
His small hand seized her arm. “Then I want you now.”
Surprise twirled with confusion, causing her to subconsciously pull away. “...I don't think I can change the past.”
Carefully setting all his books on the other side of him, he scooted closer and gripped her arm tightly. “I don't want to wait. I want you now.”
Calmly, she used her free arm and pulled him into a soft hug. “I'm sorry. But you're guaranteed to meet me in the future.”
He wrapped his arms around her with surprising speed and squeezed her close. “I don't want to wait.”
“...Are you fond of me now?”
He didn't answer.
“What is it you like about me?”
Backing away, he peered at her face. ‘You're pretty. And you don't seem like an idiot.”
She chuckled. “Well, thank you.” A pause, and she decided to throw him a bone. “You're…pretty handsome in the future too.”
“I know I will be.”
A smirk crept on her lips from his assuredness.
“What?”
“Nothing. You really are the little version of him, huh?”
“Well yeah.”
She hugged him again. “It's nice to see you so bright-eyed and full of wonder.”
“...You're weird too.”
She cackled as he pushed her away.
“But I guess I can deal with it.”
“...Don't ever lose yourself, okay?”
“...What?”
Suddenly, her hand sunk into the boulder. A black vortex opened, pulling her through the environment.
The boy didn't budge as she began to disappear.
In a panic, she departed her last words to him. “No matter how painful the future may get, please don't lose sight of who you are.”
She said this, knowing in the back of her mind that her words would have no impact on everything that was to come.
Her hands delicately laid on his. “You know your own worth, so don't let anyone make you feel otherwise. You don't have to trample over anyone to prove anything.”
He simply watched in amazement.
“Even if we don't start on the right foot, we'll make it work. I'll see you in the future.”
And with that, she disappeared into the portal, sinking into darkness once more.
