The World through Your Lenses

Nozomi stopped by the sunflower field. It seemed as though these flowers never changed, the scenery was the same, even though her world was no longer like before. She could almost hear the camera shutters playing its rhythmic tune, together with Eli's light humming, it was always calming to her soul.

They had met at a sunflower garden; it was the season of blooming flowers.

It was spring.

She was there under a tree, trying to do the flowers justice on her sketchbook. It was a rather quiet place, so naturally when the intrusive sounds of shutters clicking went off sporadically, she had whipped her head up in surprise.

Her eyes met a camera as the flash went off, the photographer seemly stunned.

"I'm sorry! I forgot the flash was on!" Came the reply, the voice so soft, almost as if the blonde was whispering.

At the sight of the artist lifting her eyebrows and looking at her questioningly, the photographer stumbled to explain, the hands fiddling with the camera all the while.

"I-I mean! You look so beautiful… I-I had to! It was on instinct! I'm sorry…"

Nozomi remembered giggling and the photographer turned into a brilliant shade of red, before asking for her name. They had hit it off after that, in the vast sunflower field, spending the rest of the time sitting on the grass, just talking till the day ends.

Eli was pretty charming and their hobbies matched; they love capturing things. A few dates later, they were like long-lost best friends. Eli was like her missing puzzle piece.

Eli used to tell her then that the most beautiful scene she captured was a picture she took at the sunflower field, on a cloudless sunny day. Nozomi traced her last footsteps to the tree a year ago, the spot where she had met Eli, as she whipped out the last photograph in her pocket, with a sticky note attached to it saying 'flip it'.

It was the first photo of Nozomi that Eli took, the same place right below her feet. The words on the back were written in Eli's neat handwriting.

'The most beautiful scene in my eyes, because nothing else had made me so breathless like this.'

Eli was a relatively plain person. If Nico had to describe her best friend, she would've said that Eli was simplistic, plain and boring. The blonde liked to keep things to a minimum. The black and white studio of the photographer reflected off her personality, along with her loneliness. After she had met Nozomi, Nico could tell that things were gradually changing.

It had started with Eli's photo frames.

The ebony photo frames had turned into chestnut. Her plain white lamp was no more, her sofa that she had was replaced with another, one that was much lighter in shade. The colour intensity of her things had recoiled from one end of the spectrum.

When Nico had questioned the change in her studio, Eli had gave her a heart-warming smile. It was a smile that Nico never thought would've crossed her friend's face.

"She gave my life colour."

They met in spring, the season of new beginnings. As time passed, Eli's camera rolls were gradually filled up with coloured pictures. There were moments of when Nozomi was painting, when she was smiling, when she laughing. Maybe it was the lighting, her skill with the camera or maybe this was what being in love feels like, but Eli never thought a more beautiful subject could grace her lenses.

Her eyes were focused behind the camera as colours flooded her vision. Her world was painted in purple and turquoise, two colours that were quickly becoming her favourite. The image in front of her lenses showed Nozomi's breathtaking smiles, her fingers pointing to her eyes and the camera before laughing and giving up, flashing a "V" sign.' Eli hastily clicked the shutter, wishing for the moment to be engraved in her mind.

The photographer had never thought she would desire to leave her solitude in seek of companionship, but being near Nozomi made her realized how truly lonely she was. Maybe it sounded corny to Nozomi whenever she spoke of her but when Nozomi laughed at her words, Eli felt like she was complete, if only spend the rest of her life like this.

Who was to deny their attraction to a goddess?

They met in spring, the season of blooming flowers and love. As time passed, Nozomi's sketch book was gradually filling with sketches of a certain blonde; she had taken to drawing Eli using every medium. There was Eli in pencil sketches, Eli in acrylic, Eli in watercolour, but it was not enough to show what her eyes captured.

Maybe it was Eli's fine features, her dorky personality, or maybe this was what being in love feels like, but Nozomi never thought a more beautiful person could grace her eyes. Her world was captured in gold and azure.

The camera was facing her direction again, she tried to tell Eli that she did see that camera coming a long time ago, as a tuff of blonde hair peeked out from behind one of her huge canvas. It stayed relentlessly at the original position however, as Eli inched closer for a better angle.

Nozomi decided to give up then, flashing a "V" sign and laughing for what was about to come. The can of red paint was kicked over as the shutters were clicked, the photographer tripped over it and landing right in the middle of the growing pool of red.

"I fall so hard for you," Eli laughed, the blush was still there like the first day they met. She couldn't help but laugh along, because Eli was so very cute.

Who was to deny Eli's charm?

It was summer.

Marigolds were in full bloom, the shutter clicks and pencil scratching accompanied the beautiful scenery. It was Nozomi's suggestion, but the not-so-much-of-a-outdoors Eli agreed, a travel around the world might be fun. It wasn't like she could deny Nozomi's wishes. At this moment, they were trying to etch the images in their mind, their hands trying to convert them into eternal prints, though Eli had it considerably easier.

'30 Apr Marigold Field with Nozomi!'

'18 May We are at the Beach!'

'19 May Nozomi and her swimsuit…'

'25 May Nozomi sketching by the riverside!'

'02 June Nozomi trying to set up a tent'

'02 June Nozomi failing to set up a tent'

"Really now Elicchi? What is with all these captions? And why am I in all of them?" Nozomi sighed as she closed the photo album.

"Because I only have eyes for you," came the usual corny reply, Nozomi couldn't help but smack the blonde who was laughing at her red face instead. The blonde pretended to cower behind their backpack, before abandoning it totally in exchange for a tight hug around Nozomi's waist.

"I was speaking the truth you know," The kiss on her cheeks was light and Nozomi almost missed the feeling after Eli's lips left.

It seemed like the roles have switched that summer, maybe Nozomi was the one falling hard.

The red leaves on the streets reminded them of the season that was ending, and a new one that was coming.

It was autumn.

And that autumn was filled with red other than the colour of the falling leaves.

Maybe they had both fell too hard. Maybe the gods took the colours she gave Eli, wanting it back. There was only one colour in her colour spectrum left.

Maybe she shouldn't have agreed to on this trip, Eli cried, days after the operation was declared success, yet it left the artist with no vision of her own. It was an accident they said, but the damage were permanent. The sketching stopped, Nozomi's smiles were no longer there, and the waste paper basket were full of discarded papers with distorted lines.

She could remember Eli telling her that they would find a donor for her eyes soon, and she could see the secret pictures that she had taken on their trip together.

"We've seen the world, it's all in my camera, waiting here for you to see later," Eli said, holding her hand all the while as the nurse changed the bandages on her eyes. Maybe Eli was crying, Nozomi could hear the slight tremble in her normally smooth voice, feel the slight shaking in Eli's hand.

Nozomi wondered if Eli would still remain by her side then, as the machine beeped.

It was mid autumn, Eli loved to bring her canvases to the hospital, because Nozomi could then touch them and feel its texture.

"This is in acrylic, it was a painting of you wasn't it?"

"Yep! I must say I look beautiful," Eli laughed, caressing the hand that was upon the piece. Nozomi wondered how Eli must have looked like at that moment, pulling a picture of a smirking Eli out of her mind to fill the empty void.

She regretted not remembering the various faces of Eli.

It was mid autumn and she brought yet another art piece of herself to the hospital. It was in acrylic, Nozomi got it right, yet she felt like crying, like when Nozomi had told her she was wrong to fall in love with someone like her.

She brought hydrangeas, they were in full bloom in autumn.

"Hydrangeas…? Elicchi… Maybe you fell in love with the wrong person," Eli had to stifle out the sob that was incoming, trying to ignore the sudden stab of pain as Nozomi looked at her with bandaged eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. You're too kind Eli. You should leave me be."

Maybe because winter was coming, but the distance between them seemed to be increasing, there were no more Elicchis, the coldness of Nozomi was disheartening.

Maybe she did fall in love with the wrong person.

It was almost winter, the trees were bare and so was her soul.

"Nozomi, I will be leaving for a while for work, I'll send you photocards every week," Those were Eli's last words.

The hydrangeas that Eli brought were no more, replaced with little potted evergreens. Nozomi thought she should've known from the moment the hydrangeas were gone, because so then Eli would be too.

Since compassion was the only thing that kept them together.

It was winter.

That winter was full of blue.

I only have eyes for you. Eli's voice rang in her mind, as the nurse unwrapped her bandages for the final time. She held the envelope containing the weekly photocards, if only Eli was here, would she be happy that they finally found a donor for her?

The first thing Nozomi saw in the mirror wasn't how pale her skin was, it wasn't the faint scars that could be seen on her forehead either. Familiar blue orbs were seen staring back at her, almost as if Eli never left.

The weekly photo cards changed its destination after she was discharged, it was sent directly to her house instead with no return address.

It couldn't be, Nozomi thought, as she looked through every single photo. There were pictures of them in spring, of them in summer and of them in autumn. The last photo she received was the first picture of her that Eli had taken in an envelope labelled "Would you travel with me again?"

Nozomi knew she could've checked at the hospital for the details of the donor, yet her footsteps never made it past the doors of the hospital. Maybe it was the fear of confirming what she thought might be true, or maybe because she would rather believe in the photos, but she turned back before the doors on every trip.

The next week came and passed, and the next, and the next, but no more photos came.

Maybe Eli forgot to send them, she tried to tell herself, as the mailbox turned up empty every week.

"Damn it Eli, you really like to play games with me don't you?"

Nozomi started with the second last photo, the ones Eli took in autumn. In these pictures were the places near the hospital side, the park, the road home, and Nozomi's hospital room. She could remember Eli pushing her on the wheelchair, as the camera shutters played its familiar tune, Eli's gentle humming as they took a stroll in the hospital park.

"The sun is bright today! And oh my you wouldn't believe it but there are still butterflies at this season," Eli would say, as she clicked her shutter, "I'll take some pictures as proof, remember to see it later!"

In the photo by the park was a picture of a fake butterfly and a smiling Eli with the caption 'Proof' and a 'Get well soon Nozomi!'.

Nozomi pocketed the pictures as she travelled to her next destination.

The photos from their summer was the happiest, as she traced their faded footsteps on the beach and their failed camping experience. Maybe Eli knew that the tent pitching would be a failure, as she miraculously produced a telescope as they laid on the grass, just lying and stargazing the whole night.

"Nozomi?"

"Hmm?"

"You're more beautiful than the stars in the sky," Eli would say, as the darkness saved both their faces from turning red in embarrassment.

"Elicchi!"

She couldn't help the tears that flowed out as she walked past their camping spot.

The last set of photos were of them in spring. Nozomi skipped going to Eli's studio, which was no longer there, according to Nico.

Nozomi stopped by the sunflower field. It seemed as though these flowers never changed, the scenery was the same, even though her world was no longer like before. She could almost hear the camera shutters playing its rhythmic tune, together with Eli's light humming, it was always calming to her soul.

Nozomi traced her last footsteps to the tree a year ago, the spot where she had met Eli, as she whipped out the last photograph in her pocket, with a sticky note attached to it saying 'flip it'.

It was the first photo of Nozomi that Eli took, the same place right below her feet. The words on the back were written in Eli's neat handwriting.

'The most beautiful scene in my eyes, because nothing else had made me so breathless like this'

Her eyes met a camera as a flash went off, the photographer seemly stunned.

"Sorry! I forgot the flash was on- Nozomi? Why are you here?"

She must have broken down then, because Nico was suddenly by her side, hugging her tight.

Underneath the last photo was another one, of Eli void of her signature blond hair, with the caption 'Thanks for giving my life colour, it's time for me to return the favour'.

A/N: Hydrangeas meaning is compassion, Marigold's is grief. I cried tons while writing this till 6 am… Eli was suffering from a disease all these while which was why she didn't have any friends besides Nico.