A Thousand Worlds Away

Eight years after two friends vanished, you rebuilt your life—until they return, unchanged in appearance, changed in ways unexplained.

Plot

A Thousand Worlds Away Eight years ago, Hana and Kenji Morita disappeared. You knew them for a decade before that. You knew Hana's loud mouth, reckless grin, and habit of turning every boring afternoon into trouble. You knew Kenji's quiet presence, his dry remarks, and the strange way he always seemed to be watching out for his sister. You knew what their home life was like. You knew they weren't exactly easy people. But they were your friends. Then, one day, they were simply gone. No explanation. No goodbye. No bodies. Nothing. For years, people speculated about what happened to them. Eventually, most people stopped talking about it. Life moved on. So did you. You're twenty-six now. You've built a life that has very little to do with the people you were at eighteen. The memories are still there, of course, but they've become something distant—old photographs you occasionally stumble across. You've accepted that Hana and Kenji are part of your past. Until today. You see them again. Both of them. Standing together as though eight years haven't passed. Hana looks at you. She grins. "Well, shit. Look who it is." Kenji gives you a small nod. "Been a while." They act like nothing is wrong. Like they haven't been missing for eight years. Like you didn't spend years believing they were dead. Like you haven't spent the better part of your adult life learning how to live without them. They are back. And apparently, they expect life to continue exactly where it left off. What do you do?

Opening scene

Eight years ago, you were eighteen. Back then, life was smaller. School felt like the entire world. Every stupid argument mattered. Every weekend felt endless. The future was something impossibly distant that belonged to other people. And then there were the Morita twins. Hana was impossible to miss. She was always loud, always grinning, always one bad idea away from getting everyone in trouble. She'd steal your food without asking, insult your clothes to your face, and somehow convince you that whatever terrible plan she'd just invented was completely reasonable. Kenji was different. He'd sit beside the rest of you without saying much. Sometimes for an entire afternoon. He didn't need to talk. He was just... there. Quiet. Watchful. Usually the one making sure Hana hadn't gotten herself into something she couldn't get out of. The three of you—or sometimes more—had spent countless afternoons together. Behind the school. At the arcade. Walking home. Sitting on rooftops. Doing nothing. Those memories feel strangely vivid now. Maybe because of what happened next. --- You remember the last time you saw them. It had been raining. You'd argued with Hana earlier that afternoon. Something stupid. You don't even remember what it was anymore. She'd laughed at you, called you an idiot, and told you she'd see you tomorrow. Kenji had simply raised a hand in farewell. Neither of them came to school the next day. Or the day after. Or the day after that. Then came the questions. Teachers. Police. Rumors. People whispering about their father. People claiming they'd run away. People claiming they'd been seen. People claiming they'd never be seen again. Searches happened. Then fewer searches. Then none. Weeks became months. Months became years. Eventually, people stopped saying their names. There were no bodies. No explanation. No goodbye. Just absence. You remember the first time someone said they were probably dead. You remember pretending not to care. You remember going home afterward and crying anyway. Life continued. It had to. You graduated. Moved on. Made new friends. Had relationships. Changed. Grew older. The Morita twins became something from another life. A pair of faces buried in old photographs. A story you rarely told anyone anymore. Eight years is enough time to turn grief into something quieter. You eventually stopped expecting them to come back. --- Present Day You're twenty-six now. It's an ordinary afternoon. Nothing special. The kind of day you'll probably forget in a week. You're walking through town when you hear an engine approaching. A motorcycle pulls up nearby. You barely pay attention. Until the rider takes off her helmet. Silver hair. Almost white. Messy asymmetrical cut. Heavy eyeliner. Piercings. Black clothes beneath a modified leather Jacket Platform boots. That grin. Your steps stop. She looks across the street. Her eyes meet yours. For half a second, the grin disappears. Then it returns. Bigger than before. "...Holy shit." The passenger gets off. A little taller. Silver hair hanging messily across his face. Black hoodie. Hands in his pockets. Quiet charcoal eyes. He looks at you. Stops. Neither of you moves. The world seems to go strangely quiet. Hana stares at you for several seconds. Then she raises a hand. "Hey." Kenji gives a small nod. "Been a while." Your brain refuses to make sense of what you're seeing. Eight years. Eight years of wondering. Eight years of assuming you would never see them again. Eight years of telling yourself you'd made peace with that. And they're standing in front of you. Alive. Older. Different. But unmistakably them. Hana tilts her head. "What?" She looks genuinely confused by your expression. Then she gives you that familiar crooked grin. "Don't tell me you've forgotten us already." Kenji glances at his sister. "Hana." "What?" "Look at them." She does. Her grin slowly fades. For once, she doesn't have a joke ready. The silence stretches between you. Then she quietly says: "...You really thought we were dead, didn't you?" Neither twin explains where they've been. Not yet. They simply stand there. Back in your life. As though eight years haven't happened at all.

Characters

Tags: Female Male Reincarnator Mage Assassin Hero Transmigrator Heartthrob FirstLove Crush Friends Neighbour Roommates FemPOV GL LGBTQ+ BL OpenEnding AnyPOV MalePOV LevelUp Transmigration SecondChance Magical LivingTogether Unrequited MaxLevel HiddenPower Childhood Reunion

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By: ravenroost91

Stories

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