Alright, so trigger warning (blood, cursing, character death, etc) for this chapter of course.
And graphic pictures (I'm sorry).
Keep some tissues near you, just in case...
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AI_Bkomachi
𝖨'𝗆 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗈𝖽𝖺𝗒'𝗌 𝖽𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗋𝗍~~
Ai posted the message just as the doorbell rang. Ruby was still sleeping on the bed and Aqua was busy putting his shirt on.
"Ai Mama! There's someone at the door!" Luna yelled from the hall.
"Could that be the president and co.?" Ai wondered.
She rushed down the hall, calling, "Coming!"
As she opened the door and peeked out, Luna hid behind her and clung to her white dress.
A hooded man stood outside, holding a bouquet of white flowers.
"Congrats on your dome concert," he said. "How are your triplets?"
At that, Luna got a really bad feeling, as the man standing before them looked familiar.
Ai's eyes widened at the bouquet as memories began to reel in her eyes.
Of when the triplets were born.
Of their first birthday.
Of the Christmas feasts they had.
Of her and the triplets cuddled up on the couch asleep as Miyako pulled a blanket over them.
Times where they took baths together.
When she showed them the star sand that she had received as a gift.
Their preschool show that she'd got to watch in person.
Nights where they would stand on their balcony and she would point out the brightest star in the sky to them.
Vaguely, she could feel Luna tugging on her dress and yelling for her to get back, but she felt rooted to the spot.
The words didn't fully register until a snowy white blade was buried wholly in her stomach.
Blood starts to pool over the white flower petals that fell from the bouquet, staining them a dark crimson red.
On the other side of the hall, the door to the bedroom slowly opened and Aqua poked his head out as he thought he'd heard Luna scream. The second he laid eyes on the scene, his heart immediately dropped.
Ai had one hand on the wall and one hand over her stomach. Crimson red was steadily spreading outward on her white dress. Luna was shaking and clutching Ai's dress in shock as tears started to pool in her eyes. A man shrouded in black was standing in the open door, a knife in hand.
"Ai!" Aqua shouted and ran to her side as she slumped over in pain. But as Aqua got close, Ai immediately held an arm out to keep him back.
"Does that hurt?" the man shouted shakily and pointed the knife at them. "I was hurt worse! It was incredibly painful! You went and had kids even though you're an idol! You fan-betraying slut."
"Ai! Ai!" Aqua continued to yell as Ai slowly rose up.
How did he even know Ai had kids?! Luna thought, still clutching on to Ai. Unless...
"You treated us fans like we didn't exist!" the man continued his rant. "I bet you mocked us behind our backs! You damn liar! You lured us in with your constant 'I love you! I love you!' crap! It was all lies!"
Aqua and Luna held on to Ai, absolutely terrified, when Ai finally spoke up, "I've been irresponsible from the start... I'm not pure, and I'm dishonest and dirty."
Her starry eyes sparkled and wavered as she continued, "I don't have a good grasp of what it means to love someone... So, instead... I told pretty lies that would please everyone... always hoping that one day those lies would become the truth."
At those words the man started staggering backwards, as if he had been hit with a bowling ball.
"I tried my best, worked hard, and lied with everything I had," Ai said softly as her arms clutched her stomach. "To me, lies are love. And in my own way, I thought I was expressing love. I don't know if I was able to love you and the others... but I sang all those love songs while thinking that I wanted to."
Holding out her bloodstained hand, she continued, "Hoping that someday that would be the truth. Even now, I want to love you."
"Liar..." the man said, staring at her bloody hand. "You don't even remember me, do you? You just want me to let you go, ri-"
"You're Ryosuke-kun, aren't you?" Ai cut in. "You often came to the handshake events."
Seeing his expression change slightly, she put a finger to her head sheepishly and said, "Oh? Am I wrong? Sorry, I was never very good with names."
She gave a gentle but sad smile and said, "I was happy when I got that star sand from you as a present. I've still got it displayed in my living room."
"What the hell? I..." Ryosuke whispered shakily. "That's not what...!"
With a crazed yell, he staggered-ran out of the apartment and was gone.
Meanwhile, Aqua had called the emergency services and was yelling desperately, "Just get over here right now!"
Ai staggered past him and slammed her back onto the door of the bedroom, leaving a bloody streak behind as she slid to the ground.
"Ai Mama!" Luna yelled, reaching her side. "Don't force yourself, please!"
"Ai! I've called an ambulance!" Aqua told her.
Ai closed her eyes and said quietly, "Well, I let my guard down there. So door chains are for times like this, huh? They never taught us that back at the home."
"Don't try to speak!" Aqua said desperately.
The bleeding... It's her abdominal aorta? Shit! Aqua eyes wavered and lost its sparkle.
"Ai... Mama, please, the ambulance is on its way. You'll make it, you'll make it..." Luna muttered, burying her face into Ai's arm.
Ai pulled the two of them close and hugged them tenderly.
"I'm sorry. This is probably... it for me," Ai said, her voice almost a whisper in the wind. "Are the two of you alright? Neither of you are hurt, are you, Aqua, Luna?"
"No... we're both fine," Aqua muttered, gently shaking.
Ai sighed in relief and turned her sad eyes to the side. "I wonder if today's dome concert will be canceled... I feel so sorry for everyone," she whispered. "The movie schedule had been finalized, too. Apologize to the director for me."
From behind the bedroom door, a shadow moved over. Ruby had woken up. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, sensing something was wrong. "What's going on over there?"
"Stay back, Ruby," Luna told her.
"Tell me!" Ruby demanded, slamming her fist against the door.
"Ruby?" Ai called lightly, and Ruby raised her head. "Your dance at your preschool event... was wonderful. You know, I was thinking that maybe you'll become an idol one day, too. Mother and daughter performing together... Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
Holding her two kids closer, she continued, "Aqua, will you be an actor? And Luna... your singing and acting are both marvelous. If you decide to become either an idol or an actress, I'll fully support you. But I'm sure you'll be able to do both..."
Ai smiled at them, blood still running down her lips. Then she turned her head towards the framed photograph of them on the wall, with Ai hugging Aqua and Ruby and Luna clinging onto her neck. "I wonder... what kind of adults you'll grow up to be... Aw, I'd like to see you with your school backpacks... And on parents day, I want people to say, 'Isn't she a bit young to be Ruby's mother?'"
She stared at the photograph solemnly as she quietly said, "As the three of you grow up... I want to be there to see it."
Tears gathered in her eyes as she turned back to her kids in her arms. "Not that I was the best mom or anything... but I'm glad I gave birth to you," she said as Aqua and Luna clung on to her tighter. "And also... Ah, I gotta tell you this."
She pressed her hand to Ruby's.
"Ruby..."
She pulled Aqua towards her chest.
"Aqua..."
She smiled into Luna's bloodstained hair.
"Luna..."
"Aishiteru ♡"
Ai's head tilted up, as if she was in shock. But then, she smiled and said, "Ah, I was finally able to say it."
Her whole body trembled with relief as she said, "I'm sorry... it took me so long. I'm so relieved."
She dipped her head over and shook her head as she whispered, "Those words definitely weren't a lie."
Happy tears rolled off her face as she leaned against the door. Her hand moved off the door and gently hugged Luna, while her other hand reached over and tenderly held Aqua's cheek. Ai gazed at them lovingly one last time before the stars in her eyes blinked out and vanished into pitch black. A tear dropped down and rolled off Aqua's face as the hands holding him and Luna fell to the ground.
"Ai...?" Aqua whispered.
Luna buried her blood-soaked face into Ai's dress and hugged her tightly, as if she was afraid she would disappear at any moment.
On the other side of the door, tears rolled uncontrollably down Ruby's face as she slid to the ground, sobbing quietly.
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"Ai-san from the idol group B-Komachi has been murdered."
"Before dawn this morning, a report came in from her Tokyo condo that 'A man is stabbing a woman.'"
"When the police rushed over, they found a woman thought to be Ai-san who had been stabbed in her abdomen and had collapsed and was bleeding."
"She was pronounced dead at the hospital she was transported to."
"The man thought to be the culprit is an enthusiastic fan of Ai-san."
"Several hours after the incident he made a suicide attempt and was pronounced dead at a hospital."
"According to the Metropolitan Police, Ai-san had just recently moved, and they are looking into the possibility that the man had an accomplice as they proceed with the investigation."
"It has been announced that her planned dome concert has been canceled, and in front of the venue numerous fans have given themselves over to grief."
The sensational news that an idol had been murdered by her fan after which the culprit committed suicide broke before even an hour had passed.
The public's response was largely sympathetic.
However, just as I had feared, there were some who treated the deceased like a plaything and sought to attract attention to themselves.
With so many unfounded speculations and nasty anonymous writings, there were some that landed close to the truth.
Ruby, who had read a comment on the phone, said slowly, "What do you mean 'hardly surprising'? Well?! If an idol gets a romantic partner, it's hardly surprising if she's murdered?! Huh?! That's a bunch of crap!"
Aqua and Luna stood on the other side of the room, Aqua looking at the floor while Luna looked out the window at the overcast sky. Ruby continued, "You go and fall totally in love with idols! So isn't it selfish to say idols can't fall in love?! You're just taking out your anger about not having a girlfriend on women! You're disgusting! Die!"
Luna got up and walked over to Ruby as she said, "Why is the internet like this? Mom is dead, and now there's all this stuff that makes me wanna die..."
The phone she was holding dropped to her lap. "So if you're famous, people can say whatever they want about you? What's this 'the price of fame' crap? You say stuff like 'the customer is king'... but that line isn't meant to be used by you bastards!"
Luna placed a hand on her shoulder as she cried, "Don't use the words said by hurt people to satisfy themselves... as an excuse to hurt others."
"Ruby... come here," Luna said softly, holding out her hands. Ruby gladly accepted and cried into her shoulder, relishing the warmth of her embrace.
But to Luna, everything felt as cold as ice.
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Once three days had passed, the content surrounding Ai's death had run its course. And after the news turned to a slightly early snow paralyzing the transport network, the topic wasn't brought up again.
It was as if the snow... was covering up Ai's death.
As for us, it seems the president and his wife had transferred us to their family register, so we never became front-and-center news.
Because Luna had managed to keep Ruby back, she wasn't as heavily traumatized as Luna or me.
Considering that the culprit was already dead and me and Luna's young ages, the police's questioning of us was limited to simple matters, but the victim counseling went on for quite some time, especially for Luna.
Some days after Ai's death, Miyako asked the triplets, "Would you consider becoming my children for real?"
The three of them looked at her, their eyes completely void of light.
"Of course, Ai-san will always be your only mother, and you don't need to think of me as your mother..." Miyako said, small tears forming in her eyes. "But, I do think of you three as my own children. How about it?"
Ruby's eyes regained a small spark as tears welled up in her eyes. Then she went over and hugged her, followed shortly by Luna. Aqua just stayed where he was and stared at the floor.
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The day of Ai's funeral, the triplets stayed in the car to avoid any possible connections. Ruby looked out the window at the funeral procession, Luna sat quietly in the middle, and Aqua looked through his phone.
"Mama said... that maybe I would become an idol," Ruby said quietly. "Do you guys think I have what it takes to be one?"
"It's no use becoming one anyway, right?" Aqua said immediately. "If you want to make money, a different job would be quicker and easier, and the fans are always selfish, and you'll face a barrage of criticism if you get a boyfriend."
"Yeah, even so..." Ruby started, staring at the crowd for the funeral.
"Mama sparkled," Ruby and Luna said at the same time.
Ruby will probably bounce back...
In my several years living with her I came to understand she's pure of heart, for better or worse.
Meanwhile, Luna... might eventually recover, too, as she hasn't changed from her past life. But the emotional scar that she got by initially watching Ai get stabbed, will most likely never fade.
But I... have died once already anyway. If Ai's not here, then this world...
Aqua's head snapped up as the dots started to connect.
That stalker and the man who killed me and Luna are one in the same.
How did he pin down the hospital Ai had been admitted to?
Why'd he come to her new residence she'd only just move to?
The culprit was a student without special skills of any kind. I simply can't believe he'd be capable of such detective work.
Someone was feeding him information.
And it must have been someone quite close to Ai.
As far as I knew, it was only the president who knew about her hospital.
But would he do such a thing to the public face of his agency who he cherished so greatly?
One of her co-workers?
No, the B-Komachi girls weren't even that close, and I never saw anyone who seemed like a good friend of Ai, other than Luna in her previous life.
It's evident Ai didn't have any relatives who were around, and it appeared she didn't know their contact details either...
So that only leaves...
our father.
She stubbornly kept him a secret from the president, but considering how narrow Ai's social circle was, there's a high probability the guy is in the same industry.
Seeing that he and I are related by blood, I can infer his identity by DNA testing his hair.
The guy who put Ai through all of that is someone in the entertainment industry.
I can't die yet.
Not until I find him and kill him by my own hand!
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After the funeral, Aqua found the director in the smoking room. "Director," he said as he approached.
The director turned around, surprised. "Oh, Precocious..." he started. "Well, at a time like this, I'm at a loss for what to say."
"You don't need to bother with that," Aqua said, and the director turned and looked at him. "Instead, I'd like to ask a favor of you."
"What is it?"
"Would you consider raising me?" Aqua asked, his eyes dark.
The cigarette fell from the director's mouth.
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Several years prior...
"Is it recording now?" Ai asked. "Okay! I thought it would be nice to have this on video."
In the background, three huge stuffed animals of a bunny, a bear, and a cat sat on either sides of the couch. Fairy lights were strung on the wall, along with a balloon shaped like the number one, and four other balloons that were blue, purple, pink, and clear colored. Under the number one were the words "Aqua Luna & Ruby, Happy Birthday."
Ai walked to the side and brought out the sleeping triplets. Then she sat down on the couch with them in hand.
"Once you're grown up, it would be great if we're able to watch this together while enjoying some alcohol," Ai told them. "Though, I highly doubt I'll still be an idol at that age."
Then she smiled and said, "Oh, you three might be idols yourselves by that point, though! I mean, you're my kids so it could totally happen."
She looked down at them happily and kissed their heads. "In any case, please grow up healthy," she prayed. "As you mother, that is my sole wish."
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And there we have it. Childhood arc is over.
I'm terribly sorry. I would have loved for Ai to live, but sadly, I don't have much ideas for an AU where Ai is alive :')))
Also by the way, the abdominal aorta (where Ai was stabbed) is the largest blood vessel in the body, which would explain why she was bleeding so much.
There will also be a special chapter dropping later, so be prepared :DDD