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This dream is not like the others.
Though the moon hangs heavy and large over a blanket of comforting starlight, the tree is dying. The dreamer finishes her ascent as she always does, but the wind is stripping the tree of its leaves. Red blossoms fall from withered branches, and the butterfly taking shelter in its bough weakly flutters its wings.
Steadying herself, the dreamer stands tall atop the rocky promontory over the sea of clouds, offering her hand up. The butterfly weakly alights into the air, coming to land on the dreamer's fingertips. She carefully turns, holding the blue-winged butterfly to face the moon as she has time and time again.
"Do not be afraid," the dreamer whispers to the butterfly, "everything dies. But only in living does death matter." The butterfly slowly beats its wings two more times, then goes still in the dreamer's hand. "And you lived... and you mattered."
Closing her fingers around the butterfly, the dreamer breathes on her knuckles, then opens her palm to find a new butterfly steadily flapping its wings.
"Now it's my turn."
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The dreamer awakens, wiping tears from her eyes with trembling fingers. In the dark of night she can feel the weight of someone sitting on the side of her bed, make out the silhouette of the older woman with long, dark hair sitting beside her, hand on her shoulder.
"Seishi," the dreamer whispers, and the dark-haired woman smiles, brushing a lock of equally black hair away from the dreamer's brow.
"Did the Wandering Star talk to you?" Seishi asks the dreamer, leaning over her on the bed. The dreamer nods, moonlight catching the tracks tears painted on her cheeks. "Not all omens are good ones. Do you want to talk about it?"
Quietly, the dreamer sits up and wraps her arms around Seishi's waist, resting her head on the older woman's shoulder. Seishi hesitates for a moment, then reciprocates the hug. "Little fox, you are too good for this world." Seishi murmurs into the dreamer's hair.
"Little foxes are called kits." The dreamer corrects, wrinkling her nose. Seishi offers a soft ah against the dreamer's hair and smiles.
"I like little fox better." Seishi opines as she leans out of the hug, resting her hands on the dreamer's shoulders. She look at the dreamer's eyes, mirrors of ones that she once wore, one green and one blinded white with a scar down the middle like a slit pupil. "What did you dream?" She needs to know.
"I saw the tree," the dreamer whispers. "But it was dying. I saw the Wandering Star, too, and she was dying." Her brows furrow. "Died." She corrects. "But when I opened my palm, it came back to life."
Seishi looks away, nodding absently. The dream has a different meaning to her than it does the dreamer. Though they move in similar circles.
"Why do you look sad?" The dreamer asks, putting a hand to Seishi's chin to turn her face back toward her. Seishi smiles wearily, running her fingers through the dreamer's hair before placing a kiss on her brow.
"Because we will need to say goodbye soon." Seishi whispers against the dreamer's forehead. "And I do not like goodbyes."
The dreamer gently bumps her nose against Seishi's chin. "We've said goodbye before," she reminds. "But we always find each other again." The dreamer taps two fingers at the middle of her chest. "Because you live in here." Then to Seishi's. "And I live in here."
Warm tears roll down Seishi's cheeks and fall into the dreamer's hair, catching the moonlight like stars against the black.
"You are a magnificent child," Seishi murmurs into the dreamer's hair. "Do not let the world take that from you?"
The dreamer, smiling, replies: "I will rob the hearts of the world blind with a wink and a smile." Which causes Seishi to burst out laughing and pull the dreamer into a tight embrace.
"I love you."
The dreamer squeezes back tightly.
"I love you too."
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