Does the moon really have its own eyes?
Time moved without stopping.
In years, he witnessed how the world revolved;
How his life changed;
And how he had seen himself grow.
He had left all those memories of her in that Ferris wheel. He knew from the start that those moments were already gone, shrugging them off and carried on living in the present.
That moment, seemed like time lost its meaning.
Days with her could be compared to an hour,
Passing like a blink, a breathe, and a step.
But it was the best part,
Leaving a sweet and bitter taste of sculpted memories and engraved bonds.
He knew he would relish each remembrance to teach him to live once more.
The present time for him is unable to go faster. He was actually worried about tomorrow—for something doesn't exist. Waiting almost took his time. So much time had slipped through the gaps of his fingers like a mirage dissolving in the brilliance of the sun.
Yet he wasn't aware of himself that his mind is a garden of the fragmented time.
It had been long, but he was still seeking her presence, always looking at the sky to fill his yearnings of her. She once told him that gazing at distant stars is a representation of the past—and there where his mind went.
But he was confident enough. They chose to say a farewell, because they knew they would meet again . . . Somewhere, somewhere in the long journey.
At first, his eyes were cast on the bamboo flooring of an izakaya restaurant. Only staring at it, without remembering what was lingering on his mind.
". . . shima! Earth to Tsukishima!"
He lifted his head and saw the bewildered look of the people in front of him. He seemed to suddenly remember he was with his former volleyball teammates in high school.
"What?" he sighed.
Then Koushi Sugawara snickered, "Tsukishima's in a reverie lately."
"Right! Literally in a reverie," Ryunosuke Tanaka laughed. He was seated beside the only woman in his life, Kiyoko Tanaka, and it was still hard for him to believe. "His expression is passably familiar, though!"
"There are two reasons why Tsukki's mind in the clouds," Tadashi Yamaguchi chuckled. "He's either thinking about someone who's far away or feeling perturbed if he's gonna pass his master's degree."
"Shut up, Yamaguchi," Kei Tsukishima snapped. But his words were accurate and he couldn't deny it.
Everyone laughed upon hearing it. He was still confused about why he was with them. He was dragged by Yamaguchi and Yachi, because a gathering like this—with the whole team—was unusual.
How many years it had been again since they gathered completely? After his high school graduation, he took a four-year Aircraft Engineering course and graduated from it. He had also undergone a two-year master's degree program (only waiting for the results), so between seven to eight years.
"Oi, Tsukki," Hinata approached him, "are you really going to be a pilot?"
"Yeah," he answered, "what about it?"
Hinata shuddered, almost setting his brain on fire. "That's more intense than volleyball . . !"
Kei only chuckled, took his glass of Kahlua and milk, and drank some of it.
"Not only that, Hinata!" Yamaguchi sounded bragging. "Tsukki is also going to pursue being an astronaut!"
"Astronaut?! Cooooool!" Hinata awed, eyes twinkling—an impression of how much earnest he was. Still the Hinata they knew. Simpleton, yet honest.
"Must be tough," Tobio Kageyama commented while munching some barbecue.
"To think Tsukishima is this dedicated, I think I'm going to cry . . !" Sugawara-san never changed as well. Still a mom of many children.
"Reach for the sky, Tsukishima!!" The energetic Yuu Nishinoya blurted in a loud manner. Kei didn't know what to react, after hearing him used a quote from an animated movie.
"Noya-san!" Tanaka-san exclaimed, laughing. "Tsukishima is not just reaching for the sky!"
"Oh, yeah, yeah," the once called Guardian Deity nodded his head, convinced. "He's reaching for Yukizome-san!"
Kei facepalmed, hiding his diffident appearance. "Please shut up."
Yet Tanaka continued to diss him. "It's an expression of devotion, adoration, and faithfulness! Tsukishima is the man!"
"Why do I feel like Tsukishima has broken a lot of poor hearts?" Ennoshita-san mused, humming small laughs.
"Loyalty to someone's not even here, huh?" Azumane Asahi hummed, "That's rare."
"Happiness comes in the end, as the saying goes," Kazuhito Narita chimed, smiling.
"I hope all," Hisashi Kinoshita chuckled after.
Kei didn't understand why the topic was solely about him. Might be because while most of them had settled down, he was still hell-bent in studying.
Then Daichi-san asked him, saying, "The tuition must expensive, huh, Tsukishima?"
"Yes," Kei reticent. His respect for the former captain was still found with the tone of his voice. "I somehow saved money while I was still playing in the V. League."
And he didn't mention it, but he was being supported by the law firm that the Ashfords owned. He never approached Glaciel-san or anyone, actually, but she showed her benevolence to him out of the blue. He couldn't be grateful enough; owed everything to her.
The time with the team went smoothly. Everyone wore a face of contentment. Their youths might be gone, and their appearances had aged, but the energy was still fresh as the summer.
A few moments after, he felt his phone buzzing inside the chest pocket of his coat.
A message from someone he was familiar with. He had been acquainted with the Yerina Nakano, since she was also being supported by the Glaciel Ashford throughout her college years.
He read the message, saying:
Go here. Now.
There was a certain location stated in the message: Tsutsujigaoka Park. The place wasn't far from the pub restaurant he was in. True enough, they were acquaintances, but it perplexed him why she wanted him to go there.
But he complied. It must be important.
He then excused himself to the team. "I'm sorry, but I need to go."
"Oh, going home already, Tsukki?" Tadashi questioned him. The whole team also had the same expression as the freckled guy had.
"No, I'm going to meet someone. It sounded urgent, though," he replied.
His excuse seemed convincing to the group, so they let him go.
Once he exited the establishment, the sky was rendered in calming indigo dye, having the resemblance to a moonlit night sky.
He sighed, his warm breath was visible. Autumn had arrived once more. He scurried down the path towards the place he was told to go. Fallen leaves had littered the pathway. As he stepped on the dark and red leaves, it satisfied him to hear the crisp sounds. The street lights were alive, golden-colored illumination had guided his walkway.
He still found himself admiring the constellations—the eyes of the night.
He roamed the night sky in his mind, hopeful enough to find her between the moon and the stars. Because no matter how many times he tried not to, he always ended up reminiscing her.
There were a lot of questions inside his mind.
Why was he even doing this?
This—
Still feeling her fingers intertwined with his.
It must be trivial. But it was a direction for him.
For months and months, he had been observing her.
Lorraine Yukizome.
The life she owned.
The family she had.
The dreams she dreamed.
He saw how she laughed and smiled,
How she cried.
He saw her happiness, even sadness.
Everything.
Yet tonight, his gaze was piercing through the empty space—to something infinite, as though his mind wandering in the wilderness of the darkness.
Familiar night, familiar sky, familiar season.
In the midst of it was the glowing streetlamps, his memories were the sceneries, happened to be just like the time passing in front of him. The changes might have pained him, but he decided to bring those aches along with the race. It had always been a race for him, but no certainty of victory or defeat.
Walking, almost reaching the destination. There was a playground, but all of the people had shuddered and gone home. He checked his phone once again if he was going in the right place. And it seemed he was.
He walked further, taking the stairs built in the middle of the park. On the upward stepped-slope of the park was a fountain. It was a place with a pleasant space full of plants and trees, where people would both work and live. Yet there was absolute stillness, nothing to hear, just a barely soft whisper of leaves falling. The world had fallen asleep, leaving the urban landscape in a bleak state.
He began to speculate everything. Is this some kind of a prank? No one was even here, nor shadow moved in the monochromatic surroundings.
He waited, thinking that he might have just gotten here earlier than it should be.
And again.
He waited while watching the deconstructive design of the fountain. Then move his gaze down the pavers that had cleaved over the time, whilst inhaling the fresh, tranquil air with a hint of an earthly aroma—the fragrance of nostalgia.
In a brief lull of the solemn night, he heard an approaching of footsteps from behind.
He peered over his shoulder, to see who that person was.
That night, that radiating deep grey night, her form had stepped out of the shadow.
He felt the rush of happiness he never felt in ages.
His face was rendered in skepticism, though, hanging in the threshold of grief or joy, reality or imagination.
His mind was working hard in each second, struggling if she wasn't one of the pictures he kept inside his head.
He wanted to touch her or hear her voice just to prove if the person before his perspective was real.
But seemed like he didn't need to.
The way her eyes met his was constant, unmoving. Then she smiled. And he almost got drowned in her smile.
L . . .
She still had the resemblance of the rain, floating in the mid-air in a form of gentle waves, as if the gravity was plucking each droplet to create a compelling serenade.
The last time he saw her, her hair was short. Yet now, her almond-colored hair was practically long, flowing in captivating waves.
In her exuberant brown orbs, there was warmth and joy as it mirrored the glittering night.
Finally, he was convinced. She was here. She is here.
He opened his arms, and she didn't hesitate to run into him. The warmth of her being met his, giving him hope just like before. One of his hands had clasped her lower back, the other stroked her hair.
His embrace was stronger like no other, as if holding her couldn't measure the ounce of his longing for her. At that moment, feeling her existence made him more than alive. He wrapped his arms around her, like the darkness bracing the celestial wonders.
This was the familiar feeling he always wanted to touch: sense the way her body moved, even inhale the scent of her hair, and hear the sound of her beating heart.
She breathed slowly as she sank on his warmth, appreciative gesture. The chilly nighty somehow became warmer, making it a little less bleak.
The hug must be a simple indication of affection, or something even more meaningful gesture of fragile beginning of love.
He had waited for long. He's always been.
And within a seconds, he pulled away. With his hand on her cheek, he caressed her face dearly.
It was like a dream, something he never wanted to end.
It was tough but fulfilling. It had always been about faith, hoping that one day everything would make sense . . . and finally, just as the chapters reaching the final page, it had arrived at where they were meant to be.
Does the moon really have its own eyes?
Seems like it does.
No matter where she goes,
And how long will it takes,
He will always have his sight on her.
▬ fin