wish upon a star.

   yo i’m shi and i finally made an actual multi. most characters are connected to the universe of my other muse ( @richkicl ) and there are more to come. STELLARIUM is full of kids dealing with the pain of loss and they all cope with it differently, some fall apart, others find new strength. some walk the path of light others choose to move in the dark. but in the end, they are all stars of their own universe. if you’re interested slap that heart / reblog button !!

      It was a noticeably nice out today. The warmth was quite pleasant, not too intense and not too weak — seemingly just right. Gentle breeze was keeping the heat from getting too intense, but also making for a pleasant addition in particular. The way the sun slowly started to settle down made everything around it look so warm with its rich oranges and yellows. It was such a satisfying sight. After an eventful day at her father’s dojo Jia Li concluded she deserved a moment to herself so she could relax Thus, she collected herself and left her rather humble looking house. She was standing all alone on a small bridge for a while now. She was admiring the view in front of her and cherishing the little peace and quiet atmosphere. Although her life was in no way hectic, sometimes she would forget to slow down in her work, and dedicate a moment purely to herself. However, she didn’t let it bother her as much, as she knew eventually she would find more opportunities like the one today. 

      The woman closed her eyes for a moment before breathing in some fresh air. She was quite content, or that is until someone approached her. She eyed the stranger carefully and that’s when she thought that he looked familiar. Wasn’t it one of the Ishida twins? She heard things about the infamous duo from others, but also from her own experience. If she had to be honest, she didn’t like them very much. They were quite annoying in her opinion, and acted like two spoiled brats. A rude crowd, and she could tell just by yesterday’s events — or even the “nickname” he has given her just now. She glared at him for a second, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. Even though she grew to dislike him, she had no reason to be particularly mean to him right now. Sure, he was being disrespectful by calling her this way, but then again he didn’t know her name. Thus, it was the second best thing he could say probably. Not to mention, being taught to be kind to others gave her another reason to be the better person here. 

      Her eyes locked with his. For a brief moment she thought his warm hazel tone didn’t match how cold he seemed to be to others. However, she disregarded this statement just as quickly. “I am not “china girl”, but Jia Li” she stated in a manner as polite as possible. Then she raised her eyebrow, astonished that he paid attention to what happened the other day. She looked back at the sunset before them. “I care about my instruments, but I can’t help wear and old age even if I want to and frankly, I am not ready to let them go just yet. They mean a lot to me.”

      Reiji eyed her up and down as she spoke. Her expression changed ever so slighty, she probably didn’t even notice it herself. Before he approached the female, her facial features were stoic and calm, she seemed at peace. And now that he exchanged a few words with her, her expression appeared more tense than before. It seemed that his words caused a change in her demeanor, even though she tried really hard to sound polite. He didn’t know her name, so he decided to go with ‘china girl’, did he think of it as inappropriate? His logical thinking said yes, the reckless thinking however, didn’t seem to care much. Would he apologize? No. Would he continue to call her by this new nickname, after learning about her actual name? Yes. The corner of his lips raised up at the same time as her eyebrow and he mustered her with an amused smirk. 

      That’s when he suddenly realized that he was smiling, which caught him off guard. Usually it took a lot for him to express his feelings, let alone even notice a specific emotion despite showing it clearly on the outside. Interesting. But then again, was he really surprised about this? His body decided to approach her without a second thought and now he was amused by her reaction. Plus, he noticed her at the music shop even though he rarely paid much attention to others. As long as it wasn’t his mother, he seemingly had little to no care for other people. And yet, he found himself standing in front of this lady. He couldn’t explain it himself and he honestly didn’t want to think much about it, since it would only confuse him more. All he knew for sure was that Jia Li caught his interest, at least for now. Who knows? Maybe she’d turn out to be dull and annoying like everyone else. Whatever. He could always leave the situation and ignore her, just like he did with the journalist. 

      Reiji sucessfully managed to skip an interview with another journalist. The lady seemed to be head over heels for him, so it was quite easy to shake her off with a lame excuse. He told her that he wasn’t feeling well and needed a few days to rest up until he could meet her and have a proper conversation. In truth however, he had already forgotten her name and wasn’t planning to reach out to her any time soon. He even went as far as to give her the number of his twin just to avoid talking with her. Feeling lucky like he won the lottery, he strolled through the streets of the city. The sun was going down already, casting long shadows of buildings and street signs and his own shadow in front of him. It was a beautiful scenery indeed. His surrounding was dipped in golden light and warmth. Moments like these helped him to forget about his role as singer and the expectations he often carried on his shoulders. Everything was washed away in an instant as soon as he felt the warm sunrays touch his back. 

      The male inhaled deeply as he continued to walk down the street, his steps were accompanied by humming. He soon reached a small bridge and for a moment he stopped in his tracks. He didn’t move and simply listened to the sound of the water moving underneath him. That’s when a gust of wind stroke one of his cheeks, followed by the scent of white jasmine. Since it was a new smell, he shifted his gaze and his eyes landed upon a familiar looking female. If he remembered correctly, he saw her face yesterday when he visited his family’s music shop to check up on it’s employees. Weird. Reiji usually couldn’t remember other people well, since he never cared enough to pay much attention to them. So how come he didn’t forget this woman? He could shake the thoughts off and ignore her. But for some reason, his feet decided to walk over to her. He stopped and stood in front of her with his hands placed inside the pockets of his pants. 

      At first Yuji didn’t seem to pay attention to Chiaki’s state, since he was already used to her nervousness. Since the very first time they met back then, she was like this. If confronted in any way, be it brief or not so much, she would get all flustered. The redness on her face was normal, he assumed. The slight shaking he would see sometimes also seemed just like a Chiaki thing to him. Maybe the coughs weren’t something so typical, but he wasn’t worried by them. It just seemed like any other interaction with her, thus he simply looked somewhere else as if to not disturb her any longer. Perhaps this would calm her nerves a little, knowing she didn’t have to look him in the eye? He wasn’t sure really, but he could try, while keeping his calm demeanor. That is, until he felt her holding onto his arm. 

      His first reaction was to tug it away from her, as he didn’t feel comfortable with sudden display of physical touch. However, when he realized what was happening, he simply froze up. He stared at her with widened eyes, completely surprised that she was in such miserable state. It seemed like this wasn’t just her typical nervous and shy behavior he was used to. Was this… an actual panic attack of some sort? Or was she feeling weak all of a sudden? Was she dehydrated? He couldn’t tell, and quite frankly he started feeling nervous himself. He had no idea what he was supposed to do in this situation. Would it be terrible of him to run away? Obviously. Would she be okay if he walked away to get someone else that was “qualified” for such instance? Probably not. She couldn’t even walk properly anymore, as she wobbled. He was already cursing in his mind. No one prepared him for this. Nothing could prepare him for this. Shit. Was he overreacting? Maybe he was, and he didn’t realize. What if he wasn’t? 

      At last he was pulled out of his train of thoughts when Chiaki started talking again. Earth finally reached Yuji, let’s rejoice! However, probably not for long considering the sudden pressure on his arm. “I…uh…” he stuttered, before coughing it off and trying again, this time with much calmer look. “Hey, Chiaki don’t worry about it. I know you are trying hard, I was just wondering that’s all…” he trailed off. Would she be okay if he patted her head, or even her back with the other hand? Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try. Thus, a head pat she got. “How about we don’t talk about this anymore, okay? Can you walk? We can walk to some bench or something… and — and let’s get you something to drink, okay?” he paused for a moment, patting her back for a little before continuing. “If you can’t walk you can get on my back or something.” was it too weird to suggest? He wasn’t sure anymore. His brain felt like a delicious pudding, ready to spill out of his skull. He just wanted to get this situation in control, since he couldn’t run away. And that didn’t seem to be working out too well. 

      She was brought back to reality upon feeling his hand on her head. The girl blinked in a way as if she just woke up from a dream. When she realized what she was doing she felt her cheeks heating up. The moment she finally let go of his arm, her ears had turned red completely and she lowered her gaze shyly. What’s gotten into her? Touching someone out of the blue like this, especially someone from the opposite gender, it wasn’t like her at all. Hopefully she didn’t make Yuji feel uncomfortable again. Fidgeting with her fingers in a nervous manner, she noticed that her whole body was full of warmth. Her heart continued to race, though, she wasn’t sure if it was because of the panic she felt earlier or if it was because of Yuji patting her back. Gulping at his words, she tried to meet his eyes but only managed to do so for a split second. “I’m.. I’m fine.. now, sorry I didn’t mean to.. worry you.” She spoke rather carefully, her brain still dazed from the events that had just unfolded moments ago. 

      “I don’t want to be a burden... or cause you more discomfort. I.. I also shouldn’t have grabbed you like this.. I’m sorry..” The girl apologized yet again for something that was out of her control. But in her mind, the best way to avoid conflict was to apologize, even if it was no one’s fault. That way things wouldn’t escalate and no one had to feel hurt or get angry. Chiaki tried to find something to distract herself and allowed her eyes to scan the area. That’s the second time she accidentally bumped into Yuji... and also the second time she caused a scene. She wanted to create pleasant memories with him, she wanted to grow as a person and become a better friend. And to do that, she had to swallow her worries and doubts. Feeling determined now, she clenched her hands into small fists. Her gaze finally came to a stop upon spotting a nearby arcade inside the mall. 

      Although it seemed like the other was getting over the anxiousness, it was clear that something caused her to revert back to her usual behavior. Hm, weird. He could’ve sworn that he didn’t do anything outrageous this time. Unless, him laughing at her terrible excuse was what caused her distress. Now that he thought about it, it was quite probable. It wasn’t the nicest thing coming from him, but he couldn’t help it. It was so lame… how could he not laugh? Such a pathetic attempt only deserved to be laughed at. It was both hilarious, but also somewhat cute coming from the girl. So naïve, and so adorable for thinking someone would buy this excuse, especially someone like Yuji. However, he couldn’t be sure that this is what gotten her so upset. Perhaps she was upset about one of his remarks? Ah, girls were so confusing to him.

      Then she surprised him once more, when she began speaking but never finished what she intended on saying. How peculiar, didn’t she do this before? Why would she keep forcing herself to not speak up when she wanted? How troublesome, he thought before stretching his arms a little. He decided to ignore the matter for now, as he planned on bringing it up later. Instead he paid attention to the fact that Chiaki gave him an okay in regards to hanging out with her. Sweet. “Oh love? You are flattering me, Chiaki-chan” he said smiling from ear to ear. “I am happy to hear that though! I’d enjoy hanging out with Chiaki-chan too. After all it’s merrier when you shop with others, right?” he paused for a second, to think of the mother’s present matter. That was a difficult one, considering he was never close with his own mother. He was quite unexperienced to say the least. He had no idea what a mother would like for her birthday. Anything he ever made or gave his mother was left unnoticed, so he wasn’t sure what present would work best. What a bother. 

      “You are right, if your mother truly loves you she’ll appreciate anything you give her. It’s the thought that counts after all…” he spoke simply and trailed off once again. Would a bouquet of flowers be enough? Maybe a new dress? Necklace? What did girls like anyway? “Say, what about a bracelet with her initials? Or initials of you and your siblings?” he said simply out of the blue. “I think that could be quite cute, don’t you think Chiaki-chan?” he smiled brightly at her, lowkey hoping that she’d appreciate his idea, perhaps even praise him for it. He wasn’t sure why he expected so much, but perhaps it was his constant need for approval that was speaking. “Say… I been meaning to ask you, did I do something wrong?” his tone of voice seemed to be softer, quieter even. “I am just asking because I noticed you haven’t responded to any of my texts, and I thought that maybe Chiaki-chan is upset with me. If that’s the case you can tell me! I won’t be mad”

      She thought about his suggestions for a moment. A bracelet didn’t sound too bad, her mother seemed to like jewlery. One time, Kou bought her a silver ring with a small butterfly on it, and ever since then, she’s been wearing it like a good luck charm. So, surely, if it’s a bracelet that would remind her of all three of her kids, it would put a smile to her face. While pondering about the many possibilities, Chiaki seemed to calm down again. Her tense muscles loosened up for what felt like a mere minute before Yuji continued to talk. ‘Say… I been meaning to ask you, did I do something wrong?’ Her eyes widened in shock and surprise and at once she froze up again. A small gasp escaped her, anxiety stole her breath and made it harder to inhale air. She felt a tingling sensation on the tip of her fingers, which soon covered her hands fully. Remaining silent, she appeared to be anywhere but here, as if her mind teleported her to some other place where she felt comfortable and at ease. A place far away from the fear and guilt in her heart. 

      Her face heated up while her hands remained cold, this combination of temperatures helped her to return to reality. As if she tried to distract herself from the feelings, she turned away and started clearing her throat with a few coughs. Her throat was dry and she suddenly felt dizzy but since she didn’t want to worry Yuji, she tried to ignore whatever her body was trying to tell her. “Ah.. I.. n-no.. I.. actually.. I..” She couldn’t grasp her thoughts properly and only managed to stammer out a broken sentence. Hearing herself talk in such a manner only increased the pounding of her already panicking heart. Chiaki was not prepared to be confronted like this. The past days, she tried really hard to solve this problem on her own. She wanted to text back before meeting him in person to avoid awkward situations. That, and she didn’t want Yuji to suddenly hate her or to misunderstand her, but things turned out the way she never wanted them to be. She was confronted with a situation she didn’t want to be in, stuck in a conversation with the person she had ignored for so long. If anyone should be upset, it should be Yuji.