𝐘𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖
It was dark and there were barely any lights emitting in the area.
"How am I supposed to pick some herbs?" Kazutora chuckled to himself.
It would be embarrassing to go back empty-handed, most likely he'll get judged by the woman.
"What if there's a bear?" he shivered at that thought. Shaking his thought that he might get eaten alive.
"Should I just buy medicine in the city for her?" hesitating with his decision. "What if I get caught?" he bit his lower lip.
"But what if she dies from high fever?" he worriedly said while picturing her in a coffin.
"Who says I'm gonna die?" a voice emerged from his back. He immediately turned to see who it is.
It was her standing with her evident puffy eyes. He was worried she might have heard his emitted words earlier yet her facial expressions didn't seem to be in a scared manner.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you rest up a bit?" he asked. "You should stay in the bed cause you have a fever."
"No, I'm not having any fever." she replied. "It's normal for our body to heat up after crying."
He remained silent and looks at her figure. She has thin clothes and no blanket with her. Her arms were crossed to prevent her from being cold.
"You're smart" he smiled and approached her.
"No... not really." her voice gave a hint of sadness. She looks at the cold ground and started to overthink herself.
Her mind was clouded that she didn't hear any shifting sounds which caught her off guard when Kazutora lends her the jacket he was wearing.
"Wear this or you'll really catch a cold this time"
She looks at him confused as to why would he lend a stranger a jacket.
"Wh-" she got interrupted by him.
"I don't want to hear any complaints" he shushed her and smiled.
"You like smiling a lot, do you?"
"I do. A habit of mine" he shifted his gaze towards the distant city lights. "What about you? Do you like smiling a lot?"
"Me? Oh, I rarely smile" she said and took a sit by the nearby bench.
"Why is that?" he genuinely asked.
"Personal reasons" he went beside her, standing like a guard.
"I see" he stayed quiet for a moment. "Aren't you gonna ask me?"
"For now, I won't." Y/N's eyes stared at the dark sky.
"Aren't you gonna tell your name?"
"Why would I?" her response was as cold as the winter snow. "It's not like I'm staying by your side" he chuckled at her.
"Yeah, you should probably head back home. I'm sure your family is worried about you"
"I'm not sure about that, they're worried that they'll lose their retirement plan" sarcastic tone blends in with her sincere words.
"So, are you still running away from them?" he was confused about her plan.
"Maybe, I might be dead in the morning, who knows?" she shrugged it off.
"You should change the way that you think " he looks at her.
"Why? There's a possibility that I might die" she looks at him too but with a competing stare.
"I don't think it's called possibility."
"How would you say so?" she raised a brow at him. "Explain"
"Isn't it obvious?" he imitates her.
"Stop imitating me" her brows were meeting and making a crease on her forehead.
He laughed at her funny expressions.
"Try smiling and laughing sometimes, it'll suit you in no time." he advised.
"I'm not that carefree like you. We are different" she avoids his eyes.
"I'm sure both of us are no different" he slightly smiled.
No one uttered a word after he said those words. It wasn't awkward, it was comfortable. She was sitting at the end of the bench while he was standing beside her.
To be honest, he was too shy to ask her if he can sit beside her. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable, that's what her older sister and Baji told him.
'I'll be sure to go to your funeral, Baji.'
He knows that Baji wouldn't like this idea of him, he couldn't help but escape. To see his one and only true friend.
'He stayed beside me even though I stabbed him'
He was so glad that Baji didn't die in his hands or else he wouldn't forgive himself.
'Wait for me, sis'
"What about you?" pausing her sentence. "Why did you escape?" she bores her eyes on his frozen figure.
"Huh? I don't quite understand yo-" cutting him off.
"Don't act like I haven't seen your face in the news" she stated. "I saw it on the news, the incident in 2005"
He was speechless while the girl was staring at her.
'Am I going to jail? I can't see Baji for the last time?'
Thousands of thoughts keep rambling inside his head. Who knows that this woman already contacted the police? She is smart and she knows what she's doing.
"Don't worry" his attention turned to her. "I didn't contact the police or else my family will also track me"
Somehow those feelings he felt diminished. He sighed in relief, his hand placed on his chest to express.
"You must have your own reasons" she calmly said. "State your reasons" she demanded.
"O-oh" stuttering at his words, not expecting her to be like this again. "I want to see my friend before he gets buried."
"I'm sorry to hear that." she expressed. "Is he perhaps the friend, you mentioned before, that saved you?"
"Yes" his face softened. "He was the only one who stayed by my side."
He started to reminisce about the happy moments he had with his friend.
"My one and only friend." he whispered which Y/N heard.
"He's a true friend" Y/N commented. "So why are you here?"
"Hiding from the cops" he chuckled as if it was some kind of joke.
Y/N hummed to his response, not knowing what to say.
'WHAT THE FUCK SHOULD I SAY?!' she screamed internally and looked away.
"But I know, I'll go see him at his funeral." he swore. "My older sister is definitely going to scold me" he rubbed his neck, thinking about Kazuha yelling at him.
"You have a sister?" she asked, shifting the topic.
"Adopted sister. I was supposed to be an only child but my mom decided to adopt her." he smiles.
"Was she kind?"
"Very kind. She has this disease that she can't walk well, many people keep sending her those kinds of insults but she keeps forgiving them."
"If I was her, I wouldn't let them slide" she joked.
"I keep telling her that she can be mad at them or yell at them so she could protect herself being a normal human being" he lets out a frustrated sigh.
"So did your sister and your friend meet?" she asked.
"They go along well, I wouldn't mind if they get married." the saddened thought of his sister crying in Baji's grave. "That was if he was still alive..." he added.
"Actually, my friend sent me some letters of him asking my sister out." he changed the topic.
"I'm happy for them" Y/N said while gazing at the city lights.
"They were supposed to be together yesterday." a faint sadness was heard in his voice. "As soon as I read the letter my sister sent me, I didn't hesitate on being an escapee just to see my friend."
"Don't worry, I'm sure he's happy at the place...he is right now." she expressed although she thought it was a weird thing to say.
He giggles at her response and said:
"You don't need to say anything, lending your ear would be enough" he tilted his head slightly on the side which made a bell noise.
Piquing up Y/N's attention, she looks at the earring he was wearing which she just found out. Kazutora noticed her staring at the earrings.
"Oh, this? It's cool, right?" he smiled while pointing to his earrings.
"Yeah, you look stupid wearing that" she stood up slowly.
"Again, you should change that attitude of yours." he gently said but Y/N ignored him and made way to the house they are staying in.
He shakes his head in disappointment and uttered:
"Honestly, she should change that kind of attitude."
©𝐬𝐲𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐮