Golden Era (Book 2)

27. Little Haven

Fuji knew he was right.

Sitting across him, Ayuna grew very still. She had blanched cheeks and eyes of terror—the deer-in-headlight look that spelled out the truth.

He waited patiently. He didn't want to scare her off, but he also didn't want secrets anymore.

After some time, she asked in a strained voice, "What makes you think so?"

Where to begin? Maybe it was seeing her bathed in blazing sunlight, maybe it was being next to her in the Hanamachi house on that last night, or maybe it started since he met her in the twilight... Each time, she had appeared ethereal, otherworldly.

"Everything about you, really," he confessed. "My suspicions grew stronger after you told me about that nightmare. After your disappearance and reappearance, I can't think of any other explanations. Even though Eiji already told me your story..." He trailed off with a slight frown, "Something just doesn't add up."

"It doesn't. You picked it up." Laying both hands on the table, Ayuna admitted, "The truth is, I didn't tell Eiji the full story."

"But you'll tell me?"

She nodded. "I'll tell you."

While they cleared the table and tidied up the dishes, Ayuna retold the mystery to Fuji in its entirety: she described the ambush, the injury leading to her coma, the jump in time that transported her to Seigaku without prior memories, and being transported back to the present. 

"So that 'bad dream' of yours is actually a replay of what happened before your coma."

"That's right."

Fuji mulled over this. They were now standing on the balcony, watching the sun sink below the treetops. The light around them dimmed incrementally and a crescent moon was on the rise. Occasionally the moon would be concealed by tufts of cloud, reappearing minutes later only to have climbed higher.

"You also thought I wasn't real?" asked Fuji.

Ayuna nodded. She fished out the necklace and toyed with the diamond ring. "That's why the engagement happened. I was ready to give up and surrender to this version of reality."

"But that can't be the only reason why you agreed to marry Yozei Sachi," he said, facing her. "He must be important to you."

Keeping her gaze on the moon, Ayuna's eyes were wistful, "You're right about that. We have history. Sachi came into my life when everything was in turmoil. He took my hand and taught me everything I needed to know. Unlike most others who saw me as an outsider, he cared for me unconditionally."

Here, Ayuna's voice broke off momentarily. "I was grateful and touched by everything he did. I also looked up to him like everyone else. Sachi was someone who channeled power and an innate quality that made others want to follow. When he told me he loved me, I thought it was only natural to love him back."

Fuji listened intently. He forced himself to hear her story even though it pained him violently to do so. 

"But that was before I met you at Seigaku," she turned to him with a small smile. "Putting the two together is like night and day. It's obvious now I misconstrued admiration for love. Love is a pull that I can't resist. I can try and pretend like I can consider being with someone else, and I've tried to do just that after Sachi proposed..."

Releasing the diamond ring, Ayuna shook her head, "I can't. It was the greatest mistake and I have to break the engagement. No matter what, I know I'll always end up thinking of you."

Encircling her waist with his arms, Fuji held Ayuna close without saying a word. He knew nothing he said would match up to this moment. He felt her leaning into him, her cheeks soft and warm against his.

Velvet darkness descended. One by one, halogen lamps lit up the empty streets like stars on earth coming to life. The moon shone down at them, appearing bigger and brighter than ever before. In the faint lamplight, they were enclosed in their own little haven. Fuji desperately wished time would stop right here.

Resting his chin on her shoulders, he said, "You know, you still haven't answered my question."

"Which one?"

"The question about who you really are and where you come from."

Ayuna stayed silent. She had deliberately hidden her family history from him. That was the ultimate taboo she couldn't break.

"I'm sorry Fuji," she whispered. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because it'll put you in danger. I can't let that happen."

When he didn't respond, she placed two hands over his to disengage herself. "And I'll understand if you can't live with that uncertainty or everything I've just told you. It's not fair to expect anyone to get involved when there are so many conditions and unknowns."

Instead of letting her go, Fuji only locked his arms tighter around her. "You think I'm scared."

"Fuji..."

"Because you'd be right—I'm terrified." Hearing the unfiltered story was like being confronted with a mist-covered cliff. He knew he was about to jump, yet he had no gauge of where the bottom might be. The fall could be a long one, or it could be one that killed him in an instant.

"Though there's something bigger than fear now," he went on to say. "I want to be with you no matter how short-lived it may be. It's all that matters."

"Even if none of this turns out to be real?" she asked in a near whisper.

Looking down, Ayuna saw shadows dance over their enfolded hands. From the distance came the sound of a bike zipping by, the purr of a car engine revving down, and the creak of the swing shuddering in the breeze. How much of this was real? Since her awakening, she struggled with differentiating illusions from reality. The longer her experience remained a mystery, the more fragile reality seemed. Every day, she woke up afraid that the world and people around her would disappear again. 

Bracing her shoulders, Fuji slowly spun her around. "Do you trust me?"

"I do."

Tucking her hair behind her ears, Fuji cupped Ayuna's face in his hands and kissed her. He saw her eyelids tremble once before fluttering close, her shoulders drooping when their lips touched. Years of opaque darkness dispersed—they rose in the air like black plumes of smoke, vanishing in an instant. All around them was distilled silence; even the night was holding its breath against the future.

Cradling her in his arms, Fuji said, "Believe me, this is real."

***

It was close to midnight when the driver delivered her home. When Ayuna tiptoed into the foyer, she found the estate entirely submerged in darkness. She exhaled deeply, relieved to learn that everyone was asleep. Cautiously, she moved towards the staircase, ready to a night of peaceful sleep.

Right as she reached the bottom step, Ayuna felt a hand on her elbow.

"It's me," Ayuri said before she let out a startled cry.

Ayuna gaped at her sister, her heart pounding. "Don't spring up on me like this!"

Ayuri's said nothing. She gestured down the hall, "Follow me. Sachi's asleep and I don't want to wake him up."

They headed into the library den without a sound. The room was dark, with the moon being the only source of lighting. Inside, she was surprised to find Noa sitting stiffly in an armchair. 

Sensing heaviness in the room, Ayuna asked, "What's the matter?"

"Why don't you tell us?"

Walking around the desk, Ayuri opened a drawer and pulled out a manila envelope. Flicking open the top flap, she removed a stack of photos and slapped them down.

Taking a step closer, Ayuna discovered with horror that they were shots of her and Fuji on the side trail.