In The Middle of Nowhere (A TWICE/MiTzu AU)

14

[Tzuyu's P.O.V.]

The skies were filled with splashes of orange and yellow. Mina and I were just sitting on the porch of the back of the warehouse.

I gathered all my courage. It took me this far to finally open up to Mina about my story. With clenched fists, I let out a deep exhale. She looked at me waiting for me to speak.

"It's about time I tell you the story of a little girl whose happy life ended too soon. She was nine when she got her first reward for organizing her room. She was ten when she got her first dog," Mina chuckled at my introduction. I did not complain. I made things lighter first. "She was eleven when she went to the beach with her parents. Her mom gave her a beautiful advice about love and the world."

I paused for a bit while staring at the sunset, then continued, "I was twelve when I got Gucci, my dog. I felt very fortunate enough even at that age. But life never gets easier. The year after I got Gucci was the year of my greatest fear coming to life.

"My parents went out to check on something. I didn't really know the reason of them going out. They just asked me to guard the house and Gucci. A few hours later, my telephone rang and brought me news. And, yes, it was a bad news.

"The man on the phone informed me that the building my parents were in had an explosion. The building was on fire for an hour and a half. My parents were taken to a hospital. So, without further questions, I ran out of the house, and locked the door to go to the hospital. I had already prepared Gucci bowls of food and water so I wouldn't have to worry.

"I waited in the hospital day after day. And after all that waiting, the doctor went up to me and updated me the results," a tear escaped from my eye. Mina gave me a small smile and a comforting pat on the back.

I smiled back, wiped off my tear, and nodded, "My parents unfortunately died from the fire. And I was just a kid. I was thirteen when I last seen my parents alive and when I last seen my parents burnt.

"My parents were good. What you don't know is the true face of my relatives. They were not very supportive of me moving to Korea to reach my dreams as a performer. So, when they went to Korea from Taiwan, they just got the ashes of my mom and my dad. My uncle from my mother's side agreed to become my legal guardian, but he eventually left me a few days after and just promised me monthly delivered allowance which, by the way, were so low! I couldn't even pay half of the house rental."

I faced back at the setting sun as the skies get darker and darker, and I continued, "Five years. I tried to live by myself for five years. Everything was okay with Gucci by my side until... well... yeah, I was eighteen when I lost him. I left that stupid old empty house to try to start a new life."

I did not realize that Mina brought blankets. She covered me in one and fixed my hair. She grabbed the side of the blanket and scooted in, closer to me. I was signaled to go on with my story.

"Now, I'm here with you guys," I chuckled. "My past was super hard to look back on. But I told you this today because... it wasn't all bad."

It was cute when Mina gave a confusing look. I spoke further, "There was this girl who made my past life seemingly a bit more bearable. In the hospital, she would always bring me food and drinks. She always sat beside me while waiting for the doctor's updates. Even when I got sent home, I had also seen her across the street. Also, there were mysteriously dog treats or a plastic bag with dog food in it placed on the front porch so I'm assuming it was her doing.

"It seemed like that girl, who always wears this white dress, really cared for me. We didn't even know each other. One day, she just disappeared. I wanted to talk to her, or at least hug her. Heck, I could even say I had a slight crush on her, but I guess that's just infatuation since she was there when no one else was.

"I couldn't remember her face, but I'm sure she's still out there looking after me. I just wish I could meet her again to tell her I miss her. She never really left my mind nor my dreams even though I can't remember what she looked like."

I looked at Mina with intent eyes on me. I joked, "Don't get jealous, alright?"

The quiet girl lightly slapped my arm. We laughed until the sky was filled with stars.

All I'm hoping right now is that Mina did not get information overload from all my narrating. This moment is very important to me. I want to get to know them better, but that would not be fair if I do not open up as well.

Jihyo went out to call us for dinner.

-

I still cannot believe that I have finally opened up to someone in this house about my past. My heart was literally racing while I was telling my story and up until now, my heart could not stop its fast beating. A wave of relief washed right out of me. It is like I finally let go of my heaviest burden. And I am glad it was Mina that I shared it with.

Looking at her as she unties her hair to get ready to bed, I realized that I really am a lucky girl. Even though I have just been here for more than a month, Mina did not resend me. She accepted me as if I was already good in her impression.

"I want to give you my gift now," she reached out a note to me.

At first, I was definitely nervous. I did not know what to expect, well, because it is Mina — the ever-mysterious and quiet Mina!

She grabbed my hand and carefully dragged me to a big curtained wall that is opposite of where the mattress is. The wind blew cold when she drew the curtain and opened the large window behind. Grabbing the soft blanket, we stepped out of the window and onto a mini terrace.

"Woah, so this is the forbidden Mina territory," I awed.

Mina chuckled and shook her head 'no'.

"What do you mean? So, this is not the forbidden Mina territory?"

I grew curious. The smaller girl beside me began to walk to the furthest side of the terrace. To my surprise, I did not even notice there was a chest in the corner.

She was rummaging... something inside that dark brow chest. I kept the distance because maybe it is a surprise.

Then, Mina pulled out which is supposed to be my gift? Maybe.

☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆

[A/N:]

~Hi! What other fanfics of TWICE/TWICE ships can you recommend me?~

This chapter explained a lot about Tzuyu and her past.

I apologize if this is just a short chapter, but at least it's not a filler one.

Can you guys try to guess what Mina's gift will be? I'll give you a clue, it was mentioned on one of the previous chapters. If one can guess it right or at least close to the answer, I might upload the next chapter right away. ;)

Anyway, thank you guys for reading! You made it this far, so if you enjoyed, please leave a vote or comment.

Stay safe, everyone!

Love y'all. Keep smiling! x