Butterflies carry the souls of the dead on their beautiful wings until they day that they can be reborn again.

Hanamura Kenji was born a quiet, talented boy who always stood up for others.

Umino Suzuki was born a loud boy, rash boy who was never outgoing.

And Katsura Shiori was the girl with the unique power that could bring them back together, even across lifetimes.

They were born in three different places – went to three different schools – but still came together one fateful night, in the rain. Shiori knew who they were, but  they couldn’t remember that life, until she touched them. Now they’re almost in what seems like a nightmare, trying to figure out the line between the past and their new lives, and trying to find a way to live the way they want to – finding happiness and forgiveness.

It itself is not a story, rather an idea of a timeline that spurns ideas, because it’s the one I always stick to when I write. AU!rebirth Maou.

Resulting fanfiction by others:

Rain Soaked Memories (Shiori based)

…

“It’s a weed.”

“It’s yellow!”

“…sooo?”

The impatientblack-haired youth attempted to turn and curl up against the wall, away from the idiot, and the little, annoying yellow thing said idiot was waving excitedly in his face so he could get back to his game and forget this short and stupid conversation ever happened.

Aiba pouted. “So? It’s your color!”

“But it’s still a weed.” Nino said pointedly, not looking up from his DS. This conversation had been stupid from the start, but now it sounded like it was going in circles.

“It’s pretty!”

“It’s annoying.”

“Kinda like you can be sometimes. But it’s bright, and persistant too.” Aiba laughed. “Here. Happy birthday.” He set the little flower next to his friend and fellow bandmate and scampered off – probably to hound someone else.

Nino looked down at the dandelion for a second and smirked. Aiba wasn’t completely dumb, but he had a strange way of showing it. Maybe he could keep it. After all, it wasn’t the best gift he ever got, but it wasn’t the worst either.

“Wait up Kenji-kun!” The thin, brown-haired girl struggled to keep up with her dear friend, who seemed able to trudge forward at a constant pace without much struggle, while it caused her a lot of difficulty. “Ooh! Look!” She pointed up towards the sky and smiled. “Butterflies!” She tried to get closer to them to see better. “My mom told me that my great grandmother always used to say that butterflies carry the souls of the dead on their wings until their next life.” Kenji looked at her blankly, and then gave the same blank stare to the butterflies. There were two of them, their wings a bright, beautiful purple color.

Kenji said, “I hate them.”

“Butterflies?” Shiori gasped. “You can’t mean that!”

“What about the souls that don’t want to live another life. Maybe it’s torture for them. If their life before had been so bad, to start again from scratch, without closure, without knowing where the people that were important to you in your previous life are… if would be painful, right?”

Shiori thought about it solumnly, and nodded her head slightly.

“But they carry them on their bright wings, flaunting thier beauty, as they take your soul away to some foreign place, leaving all your memories behind. But not things like your ‘sight’, Shiori. Isn’t it cruel?”

“Kenji-kun… I’m sorry, I never should have told you.”

He shook his head. “No… what makes me really mad is that he might be out there suffering somehow too, and even with what I know now, there’s nothing I can do. I don’t know his face, or his name, only that he suffered because of me once, and that it should have ended there. It would have been better if we were never reborn. Then it wouldn’t hurt this much again. At least I once had the peace of mind knowing we died together. Now I don’t know anything at all, except for glimpses of a past life you can remember.”

Shiori smiled. “But… maybe if this life brought us back together… it will soon reunite us with him, too.”

For a moment, he smiled. “Perhaps.”

Sorry if this is shocking all of a sudden… I’m impulsive and often change my mind. But from now on, I think this is what I really want to stick with.