I follow Ashra to her apartment as soon as I am discharged from the hospital. Without even telling me the situation, Ashra drives me to her place and there Kinta and Honoka await us.
"Welcome back home Luna!" Honoka hands me a bouquet while giving me a tight hug. Chuckling, Kinta follows and gives me the tightest and the most affectionate hug. I exhale.
"I missed you so much" I murmur to them. Deep down, I am eager to ask why I have been brought here with all my other belongings. I keep my eagerness under control and join them for Ramen lunch.
"Luna, you need to be here for sometime, Ashra will be taking care of you. Just to be safe and more comfortable. Please be well". The moment the clock indicated 7 o'clock, Kinta grabs his jacket and says to me. Honoka also puts on her coat getting ready to leave Ashra's place. I tilt my head.
"Is everything okay?", out of confusion, I ask. They all hesitantly nod. "Hey, don't worry about anything. Just focus on your health and our little baby okay?" Grabbing my sunken cheeks, Kinta responds. "I'll come back tomorrow and the next day, and the next day and the next until we are finally settled together", he kisses my stomach and my forehead, then finally steps out Ashra's apartment with Honoka.
Ashra and I walk around her neighborhood enjoying the cozy weather. I can't recall the last time Ashra and I spent the whole night together peacefully. I feel very safe around her, a sense of security which is little different from Kinta's. We eventually fall asleep watching movies and reminiscing our good memories.
Winter gradually show up and snow also begin to fall. It is the Christmas season and the year is almost ending . When the Christmas holidays start, Kinta visits us with our friends to spend about a week. On the last day of the year, we take a road trip to a different city, Karuizawa and welcome a brand new year together. Ashra takes us around Karuizawa since she spent years here on her journey running from Dad. She shows us the house she once stayed in with some old people. Karuizawa is full of nature and tranquility, we all spend a relaxing time. In three days, our vacation will be over and I will be on my way back to Ashra's house. Three days only feels like half a day when spending it with my favorite people in the entire world.
Three days pass like a joke and here I am back laying on Ashra's couch rubbing my huge stomach. Kinta and my friends are back to school writing exams or concentrating on maintaining their grades that I might have messed up for them.
Kinta stops by Ashra's house in the afternoon after school and we decide to take a walk outside. We talk for hours and hours in a park and get back on our foot walking towards Ashra's house. All of a sudden, we are caught by some black men who seem very familiar to me. We are grabbed and attacked violently. It is an empty road with less people so we have nobody to ask for help from. We are all by ourselves.
"Look at them, cursed useless people" "What a day for us eh? I've been waiting for this moment"
Two men among the people attacking us say with a heavy accent. Dad comes forward out of nowhere and my heart tremble as though I'm getting a heart attack. Agitation runs through my body and I am paralyzed. I realize that it is not my father who is giving me this agitation and fright but rather my child because there is an unfamiliar pain running around my stomach. Dad takes out a knife, Kinta grabs my hand and brings me behind his whole body.
"This boy and your child... Luna they have to die and you knew this when you first met him didn't you? This won't be my fault" saying slowly, dad points the knife at us. The men around him spread little by little surrounding us. "Dad, please please stop this and let us go. Please!" "Shut up!" he shouts and gets closer to us.
"Hurt me, but please not Luna and the baby" Kinta begs Dad. "Shut up fool!" Dad shuts him up with a punch. Soon, all the men run onto Kinta and beat him up. He is beaten to the ground but Kinta does not react, just allowing them to beat him up. "Run Luna run!" Kinta shouts and the pain in my stomach gets intense. I wipe off my tears and begin running as fast as I can. My body is so heavy and my stomach keeps hurting so I can't move fast. I realized how senseless my plan was when Dad grabbed my neck from my backside. I will not be able to run faster than him. He still has the knife on him.
"You've disappointed me more than your sister" he whispers in my ears disgustingly. He turns my body and puts the knife on my stomach which I've been covering with my hands. He brings me closer arrogantly grabbing my shoulder. "Why Luna? Why !"
I push him away with my last strength the same moment Ashra stops her car in front of us. "Hurry up get in!" She yells and I quickly enter the car. Ashra drives with full speed leaving Dad behind us. I am running out of breath but manage to send her the message, "...Kinta, Ashra... Kinta .." I am trying to tell her Kinta is very near getting beaten up by Dad's people and may kill him.
"Luna, breathe in and out, in... and out.. okay?" I mimic Ashra who is driving, I breathe in and out accordingly. Ashra drives through the less crowded road and we finally find Kinta who is still getting beaten up. She instantly pulls over putting on a cap and sunglasses and gets off the car. She points a gun at the men.
"Back off!" she shouts while helping Kinta up. I sit in the car impatiently praying to God that nothing worse happens. Still facing the frozen men with her gun, Ashra opens the backdoor to help Kinta get in. She slowly moves with the gun tightly held in her hand back to the drivers seat and immediately drives off.
"Kinta! Kinta" I cry out his name while staring at all the bruises and wounds they have given him.He stares back at me rubbing my cheek and says "I'm alright.." They have brutally beaten him up that he has bruises and cuts all over his face. Ashra drives towards the nearest hospital for Kinta to get treated. Again, he is admitted at the hospital. We stay by his bed all day until his parents show up at the hospital. Ashra drags me out of the hospital complaining about how awkward it would seem if the parents saw me there.
On our way back home, I only weep and weep going through my thoughts over and over. With her left hand on the steer and her right hand on my shoulder, Ashra consoles me. "Come on Luna stop crying. Kinta's going to be alright! He'll be perfect by tomorrow"
"No Ashra, I keep putting him in danger. Oh my gosh this is all my fault. Everything is my fault. If only he stayed with Elsa or some other girl and never met me, Kinta wouldn't be in the hospital by now. He wouldn't be a father and he would be happier" I cry out.
"Hey hey! Never say that! This is never your fault. Kinta decided on his own to protect and love you. I told him to back off many times and he wouldn't, he didn't. This was his own choice! So stop blaming yourself for this Luna" Ashra pulls over at her apartment's parking lot. I wipe off my tears and get off the car. She does same and pulls me closer to her chest.
"Luna, you don't need to blame yourself. You are never wrong and you deserve to be happy with the guy you love okay?" I cry on her chest as I hear those words echo in my heart. Ashra remains quiet and only rubs my back softly. We walk into the room and probably due to excess tiredness, I fall asleep within a minute.
In the morning, Ashra offers to drive me to the old apartment. The memorable place for me and Kinta. Nostalgically breathing in the air of the room, I pack Kinta's stuff. Kinta's fragrance is stuck everywhere. I continue to gently breath in and out, remembering and puzzling our memories pieces by pieces in my head. Ashra is waiting for me in the car outside. I walk across the bathroom where Kinta carried me out of the tub when I was drowning. I set my eyes on the couch where Kinta treated my wounds on my back for the first time. The bedroom was inviting me in. I slowly step into the bedroom and look around. This place is where we fell asleep together and made love. My eyes shut struggling to keep the tears from falling. My life has completely changed right after he came in. I am finally realizing that I have taken a path in life which is irreversible. I can not go back to the life I had before all of these happened even if I wanted to, anymore. I, for the first time made decisions on my own for myself. I still do not know whether I should be happy or embarrassed.
I abruptly come back to reality remembering that my Kinta is still lying in the hospital because of my mess. I fold Kinta's clothes into a traveling bag turning to take his body lotion. Out of nowhere, Kinta's father appears in front of me. I gasp grabbing my tummy. Out of respect, I bow a little.
"So you were hiding here all this time?" he murmurs. Not saying a word, I stand steadily without moving an inch.
"Luna, let's talk. I have finally found you" he walks over to me with an unpleasant look.
"Kinta is our only son. His mother had about three miscarriages before she had him. Growing up, he never stopped being stubborn. You know Luna, our family is very different from yours. We very much spoiled the heck out of that child", looking around the room, Kinta's father continues speaking. I am still standing on my feet with my own strength.
"At least that's what I thought Luna. I thought that my son was a self centered kid. He was never open to us so we couldn't even figure out his favorite sport or cars or even food. He was drifting away. Kinta didn't want to be a part of the family... then you, you came into his life. I don't know how it happened or where it happened. We tried sending Elsa, money, more opportunities but nothing changed his mind about you. I think... Kinta is really in love with you. Luna, I am so sorry for everything that has happened to you. I am sorry that I was not there to support you and Kinta". I can not swallow the fact that the father of the love of my life is standing in front of me with apologies. I am speechless and satisfied this precise moment.
"I... uh.. no. I am sorry for putting your son in so much danger. I should've thought throughly" I try my best to put the right words together so I do not sound uneducated.
"I am also sorry that he is leaving"
"Leaving ?" I ask confusedly.
"Kinta is leaving Japan today. His mom took care of everything. I'm sure he was going to say goodbye to you but he was rushing so I had to come and inform you. My wife and I are going to be assisting you with the welfare of your child. We can even provide financials for your new house and even college if you are interes.."
"Luna!" just when I am about to yell at this old man, Ashra runs in the room saving me from myself. "Luna, are you alright ?" Ashra glares at Kinta's father just the way I would if I could. "Ryota just called, we need to go" Ashra comes over pulling my arm gently.
"It's to late even if you try to reach him" Kinta's father murmurs grinning.
"You won't come between our life, sir. I won't give you or your wife that chance. We have each other's backs and that's all that matters" I give him a sharp glare and walk away with Ashra.