The lie won't become the truth

She spent some time on the absorption of milk as food. For Ai it was a difficult thing to do, she had a lot of questions in her head: «Why did she call me Ai? Why does she seem so familiar? Who is my dad? Where is Aqua and Ruby? How old are they now? What is the year now?» Nevertheless, this was not the only reason. When your age is actually 20, and a girl who looks like your peer gives you a bosom, it feels very awkward. But she will not have another feeding source for next year. She understood this, since she was a mother herself. It does not seem that the red-haired girl even allowed the idea that her baby was fed with some kind of mixture there. At the same time the «mother» glowed with happiness. She felt light tickling sensations besides sucking milk from her chest, but she smiled not only because of this. Another reason for her sweet smile was that she managed to better see her girl. Tender, soft white skin, puffy cheeks, arms, legs… The iris was given to the light shade of purple, which surprised her a lot as she expected to see red or blue color. However, she wasn’t upset, but on the contrary, she was inspired by one idea. The only thing that has not yet been known about the appearance of this baby is the color of the hair, it hasn’t grown yet. «Mum» did not lose hope: sooner or later she would see it anyway, and until then she would wait patiently. Having accepted the pose of a half-head, half-hacking on the bed and settling comfortably, the girl continued feeding.

***

December 26, 2025, 14:23. Yesterday, the child was vaccinated for hepatitis B, and today — from tuberculosis. A blood type and Rh factor were already determined — the first negative. A blood sample was taken for screening. It was a painful procedure, so the baby had to be reassured. In these four walls, it was boring, very boring, especially the mother was bored. She had a telephone with the Internet and wireless headphones in her hand… A very good set for entertainment actually. Watch the films and TV shows as much as you wish, but it was already boring for her for a long time, exactly the same as games by the type of «three in a row.» Ai was only in two states: either sleeping or eating. She sleeps, then wakes up, then she wakes up for a while, then stretches to her chest, falls asleep with a bosom in her mouth, then sleeps, eats a little, and in the end hesitates from her chest and sleeps, sleeps for a very long time… Sometimes she goes to the toilet. But changing the diapers is not fun, thank god the feces are not stinking yet. The keyword is «yet». However, despite all this, the girl was able to find joy in her daughter. The way she sleeps, how she eats, how she reaches out with her little cute hands… The presence of this tiny happiness brought colors and joy to life, causing a desire to give her all love in the world. Based on all this, the «mother» decided to pay all her attention to the baby, admiring her as a miracle. Now there was one of those rare moments when Ai was in a state of wakefulness. «Mum», seeing the awakening of a small miracle from sleep, first took her in her arms. She decided to take advantage of this moment, gradually gaining connection with reality and already seeing well enough to look around. That's just focusing on the object and focusing on it is still difficult. This is due to the fact that the newborn is still not well developed by the oculomotor muscles. The ward of the hospital was bright and cozy, with white walls, creating a feeling of purity and tranquility. The light smell of disinfectants was mixed with subtle notes of children's pouring, recalling the novelty of life that had just been born. Soft daylight flowed through large windows, curtained by translucent curtains, which barely swayed from a light breeze. Outside the window was the end of December, and the 26th day turned out to be a typical winter day for Tokyo. A lot of snow covered the streets, and communal services workers earnestly tried to clear it to make roads and sidewalks passable. The weather was cloudy, but the rays of the sun made their way through dense clouds, creating multiple light. Because of this, there were no clear shadows on Earth, and the light softly enveloped the whole city, giving it a special atmosphere of winter peace. The ward had everything necessary, mostly functional: white metal beds with soft mattresses and high headrests, covered with fresh pastel sheets. Near the beds stood bedside tables, on which various little things were located — water bottles, children's toys, and medical supplies. On one of the nightstands stood an empty vase, waiting for someone to bring flowers, adding the space to the feeling of expectation and hope. Photos of happy mothers with newborn children hung on the walls, capturing the first moments of their life together, giving the room a feeling of durability, warmth, comfort. Along with these photos, tips and instructions for caring for a child hung: how to keep, how to change diapers, how to feed and much more. Above the beds were adjustable lamps that could be configured for soft and muffled lighting, creating a comfortable atmosphere for relaxation and sleep. The floor was covered with a light linoleum, which was easily cleaned and gave the room an additional feeling of sterility. In the corner of the room there was a small table with two chairs, designed for visitors or medical personnel, where you could sit, discuss plans or just relax. Everything looked painfully familiar, because Ai had already been in a similar place. This evoked memories… but something distracted Ai. This was a feeling of light touch of soft lips to the forehead. Being almost dumbfounded, she looked towards the red-haired girl, who serenely looked into her eyes with a gentle smile. For a moment, the baby froze up, but she did not have time to recover, as she heard the words: — «I love you», — Kana said calmly, still gently looking at her daughter. Those very important words. The little hands reached out to the face of the mother, and the quiet and short «Aa-ah! Ahhh!», as if she tried to say «more». Ai did not understand why she was doing this. All this was very strange: she was kissed on her forehead, was said such special, important words, and… she liked it. The young woman smiled even wider, showing beautiful teeth, touching the reaction of her baby. — «Did you like it?» — The red-haired girl asked with a light laugh, rubbing her nose on the nose. — «I. Love. You!» These words were bitter-sweet for Ai. «Sweet and immaculate» is a typical answer to the fans to the question of what they love Ai for. She was not like that… she was an ordinary girl who could be offended, angry, sad, cry, regret, afraid, be weak, look for her happiness, wish for something and dream of something. The object of love of fans was a lie. However, the words said were also not true. «Mum» does not know there was a soul of an adult woman living inside her child. «Mum» loves a child, not Ai. She will not be able to tell about herself, tell who she is because she will not be accepted. She will have to lie again… There was a knock on the door of the ward, and after two seconds the door opened. A nurse appeared in the doorway; her badge on her neck with a name and position issued her profession. Brunette with straight hair and dark brown eyes. The white robe was impeccably ironed. White trousers of straight cut and light beige shoes with a flat sole complemented its neat image. Usually she is accompanied by a notebook and a pen, ready for work, but this time her hands were empty. — «Hello, Hoshino-Sama», — the child’s eyes were rounded from the mentioned surname. — «A visitor comes to you. Should I let him in?» — «Oh… Yes, of course!» — the red-haired girl answered calmly, as the visitor warned her about the visit on the phone in the early morning. The nurse bowed slightly and hastened to leave the ward, closing the door behind her. The girl and the child were not forced to finish the visitor. Outside the door, approaching steps and some rustling began to be heard-either paper or cardboard. Then the steps stopped, and the door handle began to turn slowly. Behind the opening door stood a tall young man of model appearance with neat facial features. The blue eyes of a heavenly shade stood out against the background of golden hair of medium length and pale skin. His cheeks were decorated with a blush reminiscent of the cold outside the window. It was wearing a gray cashmere sweater, over which a white shirt collar peeked out. Dark dense fabric trousers conveniently faded his legs, and warm woolen socks peeked out from under the leather boots. A cozy woolen scarf hung on his neck, and in one hand he held a couple of leather gloves, which he took off at the entrance. On the other hand, he carefully held a bouquet of cream peonies and pink alstroemerias, creating a contrast of delicate flowers with winter calm outside the window. — «I missed you», — Kana said joyfully with a smile, looking at the blonde, hastily going to her with a bouquet. — «Me too», — he answered calmly, going to the bed, where his mother and the child were lying, but then he began to examine the room. — «Is there a vase here?» — «Of course, there, on the nightstand», — Kana pointed out. The man, with a slight smile on his lips, headed for the nightstand located by the window. He bypassed the bed, looking around the atmosphere of the chamber. Approaching a vase, he carefully picked it up, carefully putting a bouquet of flowers. — «I wanted to show you something», — the red-haired woman smile turned around a grin, and her tone became more mischievous. The child all this time was in the arms of her mother, facing her chest. — «Mmm?» — He held out in response, putting a bouquet in a vase. — «I am all ears», — he said, looking at the woman and catching her mood. — «What color will you get if you mix red and blue?» — «Violet. So?» — Raising an eyebrow, the blue eyed boy asked. The corners of the Kana's lips rose even higher, from which barely noticeable wrinkles appeared under the eyes, creating a very cute image. Without letting go of his arms, she turned her daughter facing her husband… And their eyes met. A dumb shock appeared on Aqua's face, and his eyes dug into small warm-purple eyes, looking at him with the same expression. Something in these eyes was painfully familiar, and it was not only in the color of the iris, but also in the gaze itself. The hair stood on end, the skin was covered with goosebumps, the body pierced a trembling… indescribably. — «This cannot be…» — he muttered under his breath, unable to believe in what he saw. — «I thought the same way», — said Arima with an enthusiastic tone, but then she paused to recover. — «Of course, I understand that most likely this is due to the fact that she went to your mother with appearance, but… I like my idea of explanation more.» With each word said, the baby, being in confusion, was indignant more and more. The longer she thought, the more the words looked like some kind of rumble. «This is Aqua» is the only thing that was in Ai's head. A chill ran through the body, from which all the air around seemed to burn the skin. Of course, she was glad of this meeting… But she represented her wrong. She missed everything, absolutely everything. Now Aqua and Ruby are not children and will never be them. School, first love, support in the dark time, the first successes in work… Ai was always not there. But what was no less important is that now her children are older than her, which means that they will die before her. This thought scared her to the point of numbness.