Connecting Paths: Kimi No Nawa Epilogue (unedited)

Chapter 10: Love Awakening

The silence came in as the little girl answered. Hideki started to think of an another topic for them to talk about. For Hideki really hates silence whenever he talks with his best friend. And eventually,  he remembered an important question he must have ask the time they first met.

"Kimi no namae wa?"

The little fluttered girl's eyes widened. She don't want to say her name for maybe her best friend will make fun of it— for it sounded ridiculous for the little girl. She don't want to start an argument with her best friend because of her 'ridiculous' name.

"Watashi no... namae wa..." Answered the little brunette as she lowered her head. She don't want to witness Hideki's laughing expression after she says it.

Hideki stared at her. He felt sorry because of the sudden question he ask to her. So, he immediately look around to find another topic. "Look at the butterfl—"

"Will you laugh if I say my name?"

Hideki stopped and look straight at the girl beside him. "Yes, I promise. I won't. How could I laugh over my best friend's name?"

The girl stared up at her friend. She saw his sincere face and this must be the first time she saw Hideki like this. For he looked much sincere than the days they fight and argue, of course, he tried to apologize but it sounds like it isn't sincere. Then the cute, fluttered girl started to turn red.

"Watashi no namae wa, Tatsuha."

Hideki smiled and bowed a little. Sur-prisingly he laughed a little.

The nervoused Tatsuha immediately looked up and saw Hideki's giggling face.

"I knew it." Added Tatsuha. She felt her hot tears run down her face. She wants to run away from her friend because of too much embarrassment. But Hideki knew it so he held Tatsuha's hand tightly.

"I knew it, Hideki! You're just going to laugh at my name! Yes, it sounds weird and ridiculous! Please just let me go!" Pleaded Tatsuha, staying her look away from Hideki.

Hideki didn't make any reaction. Instead of listening to his friend, he grabbed Tatsuha and hugged her tightly, making the little girl shocked and cry alot more.

"Hideki, what are you do—?"

"Shhhhh... Shut it Tatsuha. I want to say that I wasn't laughing at your name. I actually love it. I was laughing because it doesn't sound ridiculous, it's just unique. I was laughing because it took you so long to say it."

Tatsuha heard it all. She lowered her head and lay it down against Hideki's chest. She can smell Hideki's scent which made Tatsuha calm down and feel comfortable on Hideki's arms.

Hideki finally let go of the hug after 11 seconds or 13. He still hold his both hands on Tatsuha's shoulders.

"Tatsuha." Called Hideki as he smile slowly at the crying girl in front of him.

"Yes?" Answered Tatsuha as she wipe the tears off her face.

"Let's stay together, okay? Let's promise that we don't leave each other. And let's promise that we'll share each other's feeling as long as we live." Smiled Hideki as a tear roll down from his right eye.

Tatsuha saw the tear from Hideki's face. She suddenly remembered about what her mother Mitsuha told her.

"If a tear falls down first on the left eye, you feel frustration, and if it falls first on right eye, you feel great happiness."

"Hideki? Are you happy?" Asked Tatsuha.

Hideki nodded immediately and smiled after answering.

"Yes, I promise, let's do a pinky-swear?"

Hideki nodded again and raise his little finger as Tatsuha do the same. They did a pinky-swear and as promised, the two grew up together.

And as time pass by for the two protagonists and reached highschool, many friends of the Tachibana family and Sayacchi's family started to say that the two looked exactly like their parents; for Tatsuha, much looked like Mitsuha when she was still on high school and Hideki is more like Teshigawara than Sayacchi.

And like expected, something weird just started to happen to the two best buddies.

Sometimes they had shared the same thoughts, feelings and actions. And as this time, they started to feel something different than any other feelings they had experienced.

"What is this feeling?" Asked the high school girl, Tatsuha as she hold her chest to feel her heart as it beats fast.

"This isn't infatuation, right?" Thought Hideki as his eyes widens. Coincidentally, he's holding his chest too.

The both new protagonists felt hot tears rolled down their cheeks and suddenly, one thought came right in their minds.

.

"Then this is love?"

The two can't stop thinking for what they've been looking and searching for. They just got out of their schools and as Hideki stopped by the park, Tatsuha had unexpectedly saw him and ran towards hin but suddenly stopped exactly under the tree of cherry blossoms. So, it makes them looked like they were in a movie.

Hideki stopped and thought. "I knew it."

Tatsuha smiled a little and walked slowly towards him as they knew spring is about to start.

And, again, one thought came in their minds.

"Another love story is about to start..."

-----------------------------------------------------------

The End.

-----------------------------------------------------------