Goodnight Blue World

-Don't you dare stray.-

After you look into your mother's eyes for what seems to be forever, you repeat the most overused words in the world: "I'm fine." She can see that your mask is broken, that it's contorted and cracking to the point a soft c.a.r.e.s.s could shatter it. She holds back from what she originally wanted to say and nods, giving a weak smile.

Then silence. Nothing but the agonizing silence seems to tease you more than ever. Times like these is when you just wanted to leave and go outside, but fear for coming home to your mother dead seemed to glue your feet to this accursed home.

Riiiiiiing!

The both of you look to the door closed currently, and soon there's another riiiiing as loud as your speakers. Quickly, you mute your laptop for a moment. Slowly, you get up and begin to walk to the door, slower. And slower. And slower. When you get there, you're on edge. Your hand hovers above the hinge as you look at your mother, preparing to hide yet again in your closet. When she's finally in, you turn the knob and take a peek out.

The man that had been raiding your house looking for your mother was finally gone, or at least out of your sight and probably upstairs bugging your neighbors. He left a huge mess for you two to clean up though: the sake bottles shattered in the kitchen, the glass reflecting on the broken cupboards. On the floor, there's a few droplets of blood trailing into the bathroom - and in the compacted bathroom is a small pool that engulfed the happy-go-lucky mat on the floor and was beginning to stain the floor. You guess your mother tried to stop bleeding the best she could before running and hiding in your room, but only had made it worse.

You tell your mother to stay in your room and throw the key to her. She nods and does as she's told, and you close the door. There's one last riiiiing shouting from the end of the hallway, and you begin painfully trudging towards the door. It seems like centuries before you finally touch the copper doorknob of your front door and turn it open, pulling the knob towards you to reveal the person behind the door.

Quickly, your anger begins to dissolve into nothing as your lip's corners coil upwards. The person before you is someone you know very well, from his frizzled short black hair to his emerald color eyes, wearing a suit with a pin you've made for him when you were a child shouting, "Go Daddy, Go!"

He looks at the floor behind you and sighs, giving you an embrace you needed from him.

"Is your mother alright?"

You shake your head.

"She's f.u.c.k.e.d up pretty bad. Was a stupid American this time, tourist I think. Knows nothing about Japanese."

He sighs and pets your head.

"...Well, Uragiri. Let me look around and see if this.... American, is still here. Okay?"

You nod your head and finally embrace him in return tightly, almost tearing.

"I... Need to go to school."

Please don't get hurt, father.

His reaction to this is as typical: with a nod, his hands pulling away from you, then going inside to check up on the house.

"You go on and get dressed, and here."

He takes your hand and places a few silver-plated coins in. They're the new currency Japan created ever since the inflation - and since they couldn't do much else about it, created "Kami Gin," or "God Silver." Currently, it had been a pretty stable and hadn't inflated ever since 3022.

"Go get something nice for yourself - you haven't been eating properly."

With that, he closes your hand and opens the door to your room. As you close the front door and lock it, you can hear crying from your mother and murmurs from your father. It seems the only times they truly showed love was when your mother was in weakened positions.

You yawn. It feels as if it's been so long, but according to the clock it is only 7:30. School begins in an hour - so you have enough time to go get dressed. With your parents in your room, however, you turn to the bathroom to begin your morning routine.

The bathroom is ruined because of the blood - great. You'll have to clean it up later on, but for now you simply avoid it to use the sink, looking down all the time to make sure not to get blood on anything else you have.

In the circular mirror, it begins to speak in a mechanical, yet calming voice.

"Up here, Uragiri. I can't fix you up if you won't look."

With a gasp, your eyes widen as you look up. You forget everyday about the AI. Upon looking in the mirror, a blue circle emerges and highlights your whole face.

"How would you like to look today," it asks as a holographic menu comes up on the side, in your favorite colors this time as well: yellow and brown. The options today show: "preppy school boy, formal harajuku fashion, pop star rockstar."

"The usual, none of that," you reply.