According To The Muses {UTAPRI}

19: His Eternity Love

I buried my face in my hands. For several seconds I was silent after the majority of the others left for their cabins. Finally, the campfire blazed out, and it was time for the rest of us to move.

"So, are you going to go?" Masato asked me. Without a word, I only nodded. He seemed to sigh in relief after hearing that.

Otoya touched my arm, "Do you want me to go with you?"

I wiped my eyes, "No. I'm going to go alone. I owe him that much."

Tomo handed me her cell phone. "Since you don't have yours, take this with you. Just call Haruka if you need us to come and find you."

Masato rubbed my back a couple of times to make me feel better. "It's really dark out, so be careful okay?"

"Thank you. Everyone." The three of them nodded to me as I left them at the campsite. I turned on Tomo's cell flashlight and started into the forest area alone.

_____________

"Tokiya? Tokiya!"

In the darkness of night, I call out for the dark-haired bluenette.

"I know he couldn't have gone that far, right? Maybe he's hiding from me...if he was, I wouldn't blame him..."

After what happened between us, I wouldn't want to see me either. But, the whole reason I'm out there looking for him in the first place, was because I was encouraged that wasn't the case. I gathered what was left of my own courage and continued to call out for him.

"Tokiya! Are you out there?!" I started to get scared. The night sounds of the forest were starting to get to me. "Can you hear me!?" Did he go back to his cabin? I try my best to follow the dirt path. A small dark shadow jumped out at me from the bush nearby and I panicked. "AAAH!" It was only a frog, jumping across the way, but the shock was enough to make me fall to my knees. I held my shoulders tight. The scariness of the forest was not what bothered me the most at that moment. All I couldn't help but think about was all the times I had pushed Tokiya away from me. Now that I was trying to find him, he was nowhere to be found. "He was always there with me, through everything...and I always managed to shoo him away." The tears fell again. I didn't deserve to find him. "Tokiya! If you can hear me, please. Answer me!" I cried out, "I really want to hear your voice." It was selfish of me to think. But that's how I really felt.

"Aaa~amazing grace, how sweet the song

That saved aaa wretch like me~"

From the literal darkness, a light appeared beside me. To my right, moonlight shone down through an opening in the brush.

"I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see."

The familiarity of the song had a calming effect on me. The gentleness of the singing voice touched me instantly.

"'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed."

Picking myself up, I guided myself through the leaves until I reached the outside of the forest. I began to sing-along to the last verse.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the song

That saved a wretch like me

I once was looooost, but now I'm found