Chasing Dreams (Dropped)

Chapter 68: The Blood Of A Dragon

All I ever wanted was to be like you.

"The moon looks very odd tonight..."  Suzume thought when she stared up at the oddly colored orb. It had a reddish tint, much different from the way it normally looked. Suzume continued to gaze at it, a bit puzzled on why she was so drawn to it.

"Today's the day..."

It didn't take long for Suzume to break her stare, allowing her attention to be diverted elsewhere. "Ryota?" Suzume took a short pause and followed the sound of his voice with her eyes, leading her to see a faint light in the distance.

"What is he doing here, the ceremony is supposed to be starting soon..."  Suzume raised her head slightly before scurrying towards the bedroom as quiet as a mouse.

Suzume peeked into the room only to see Ryota standing near the window staring up at the moon. Ryota wore a similar expression to her, seemingly drawn to the moonlight the same way she was.

"Today is the day..." Suzume's ears twitched when she heard Ryota mutter those words once again. Of course Suzume already knew the significance of this day, but hearing the shakiness of his voice made her feel a bit uneasy.

After some time Ryota lowered his head and looked to his side, still holding a face drenched in uncertainty. It was rare for Ryota to act like this, normally he was radiating with confidence but thinking about the ceremony had thrown his heart in spirals.

"Even though I am so close to it...why do I feel so fucking far..." Ryota looked over at his hand as his thoughts continued to swarm. He raised his hand flexing it and examining it almost to ensure it was truly there.

"Everything I've worked for..."

"Everything I've desired..."

"My dream, comes to an end today..."

Ryota then closed his eyes and smiled "Isn't that right Suzu?"

Suzume's eye's swelled when she noticed Ryota tilt his head in her direction. It didn't take long for her to reveal herself, pressing against the door and allowing it to slide open. Suzume wore a thin frown, not looking particularly happy nor entirely sad either making it difficult for Ryota to read her emotions.

"How long did you know I was there?" Suzume finally asked breaking the silence.

"Not that long, although you probably should work on masking your presence a some more." Ryota teased.

Suzume rubbed her arm not giving much of a reaction to Ryota's playful banter "Ryota..." Suzume choked on her words once their eyes met. Suzume looked away, before altering her tone sounding a bit more cautious than usual "Are you okay?"

Ryota raised a brow to her question, before tilting his head once more "What do you mean?"

"..." Suzume's eyes darted away nervously before being drawn back to Ryota's "It's just that..." Suzume's words began to trail "You um..." Suzume went quiet for a moment before gathering her thoughts "You don't seem all that thrilled...that's all."

Ryota gave her a half hearted smile before stepping forward placing his hand along his windowsill "..." Ryota didn't speak for a moment instead he watched the leaves blow throughout the dark sky. Like before his eyes seemed lost, staring off in the distance as if looking for something but unable to find it.

"I'm sorry..."

Suzume's face whitened "You're..." Before she could even finish Ryota continued.

"I didn't mean to worry you." Ryota's eyes softened once he leaned along the railing continuing to stare up at the moon gleaming over them. "I guess everything hasn't entirely registered for me yet..." Ryota lowered his head "Thinking about the Ceremony just has me feeling a little weird y'know?"