65 Memories

[Word Count: 3696]

Nice.

----------

The air was filled with the joyful sounds of children playing, their laughter echoing through the open space. Amidst this lively scene, there sat a solitary figure—a young girl with cascading locks of vibrant purple hair, which playfully obscured her features like a soft veil.

Crouched down on the ground, she was completely engrossed in her own little world, her small hands moving with intent as she traced intricate patterns and whimsical scribbles on the earth beneath her.

Suddenly, the sound of someone running caught her attention, and she looked to her left. A boy with black hair was sprinting to catch a falling ball. Without hesitation, he threw himself forward to catch it but landed harshly on his shoulder. Despite the fall, he didn't groan or complain, simply dusting himself off before glancing at the purple-haired girl momentarily. Then, he turned around and effortlessly threw the ball back to the other kids.

Hoping the boy would ignore her, the girl returned her gaze to her scribbles. However, he called out to her, breaking her wistful silence.

"Ne," he said, trying to gain her attention.

Nervously, she turned back to look at him, finding his black eyes seemingly lifeless, yet holding a piercing gaze.

"Is it fun?" he asked simply, with little emotion in his voice.

"Is it fun?" she silently repeated, uncertain of what he meant.

He nodded, reiterating, "Is it fun?"

Confusion filled her six-pointed star eyes as she questioned herself, "Is what fun?"

"Is it fun?" the boy asked once more, his gaze unyielding. "Is it fun, being alone...?"

The girl's heart skipped a beat as she felt a pang of hurt from the boy's question. Of course, being alone wasn't fun, but she couldn't bring herself to reply. Instead, she turned her gaze back to her scribbles on the ground, hoping to avoid the painful memories that threatened to resurface. She didn't want to answer, unable to admit that she had chosen isolation to shield herself from the ridicule and insults about her unusual hair color and six-pointed eyes.

Her hand trembled as she tried to push past the unsettling emotions, but the boy persisted, determined to get an answer.

"Is it fun?" he repeated, his eyes seemingly drilling into the back of her head.

Clutching the stick she was drawing with, the girl couldn't help but wonder if he was mocking her or had been dared to question her like this. Regardless, she refused to face him, so she simply nodded her head.

"I see," the boy muttered before walking away.

The girl noticed his feet moving ahead of her in her peripheral vision. Curiosity got the better of her, and she lifted her gaze to watch him. Ignoring the other kids calling out to him, he settled at the base of a nearby tree, sitting cross-legged with his back resting against the trunk.

Something caught her attention—a glimmer of red on the ground. Squinting, she noticed a trail of red droplets leading directly to where the boy sat. Her heart quickened with concern as she crouched to get a closer look. It was blood.

Intrigued and worried, she followed the trail, which led to the boy's side. His black eyes stared into the distance, his face expressionless as he seemed lost in thought.

Following the trail of blood to its source, the girl spotted a jagged rock near where the boy had landed in his attempt to catch the ball. Her heart sank with understanding, realizing that his injury had been caused by the fall. Despite wanting to help, she hesitated, unsure of how to approach the situation.

Her gaze returned to the boy, who was now surrounded by some of the other kids, trying to coax him back into their game of catch. However, he remained distant, his eyes fixed on a point in the distance, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

As the minutes passed, the other kids gave up on their efforts to include him, returning to their game as if he was no longer part of their world. None of them seemed to notice the trail of blood that led to him, or perhaps they simply chose to ignore it.

The girl briefly considered approaching him to check on his well-being, but doubts held her back. She worried that he might reject her concern or that her attempts to help might only cause him discomfort. Instead, she retreated to her scribbles, finding comfort in her solitary world.

In the days that followed, the routine seemed unchanging. The girl continued to immerse herself in her drawings on the ground, while the boy distanced himself from the other kids, seeking solace under the shade of a tree. Their paths ran parallel, two figures seemingly destined to traverse separate orbits within the same playground.

As time passed, the girl found herself glancing at the boy more frequently, concern growing in her heart for his well-being. Yet, the fear of intruding upon his solitude and the uncertainty of what to say held her back. The connection between them remained unspoken, but their shared experiences of isolation seemed to create an unspoken bond.

.

As time went on, the boy's appearance became increasingly disheveled, and his distant eyes seemed to reflect a hidden turmoil. The other kids paid him no mind, engrossed in their own games and conversations. Meanwhile, the purple-haired girl's concern for him grew more apparent each day.

Unbeknownst to her, she had been gradually inching closer to the boy during recess, until her scribbles were within earshot of him. One day, his distant gaze shifted, and he looked directly at her.

"This isn't very fun," the boy stated, catching the girl off-guard.

Her eyes settled on him, and a realization dawned upon her. She connected the dots and understood that the reason he had distanced himself from the other kids was because of what she had told him weeks ago. A mix of regret and pity washed over her, realizing how quickly he had taken her words to heart.

Before she could apologize or offer any words of comfort, the boy continued, "But I like it."

His eyes turned back to their distant gaze, leaving the girl perplexed.

"You like it?" she muttered.

"I like it," he affirmed before returning his gaze to its distant point ahead.

The girl struggled to comprehend. How could he find solitude enjoyable? For her, being alone offered respite from the ridicule she endured due to her appearance. Even at home, she faced judgment from her own mother, who deemed her a freak because of her eyes. She didn't choose her appearance, but the boy, didn't he have friends? Why would he willingly choose isolation over companionship?

Returning to her scribbles, the girl pondered whether they were more alike than she initially thought. The following days passed in silence, the girl finding herself sitting beside the boy during their recess breaks. They never spoke, always basking in their comfortable silence.

Though she yearned to ask him why he liked being alone, she refrained, fearing that probing into his reasons might push him further away. She wanted to understand his perspective, but she couldn't find the right words to broach such a personal topic.

For now, the first step forward was getting to know each other. They hadn't even exchanged names yet. Gathering her courage, Ai prepared herself mentally before lightly nudging the boy with her elbow. He glanced over with a somewhat bored expression, but still gave her his attention.

"Ai," she said nervously, "My name is Ai."

"Ai..." the boy repeated, and Ai anxiously nodded in response.

"Ai Hoshino," she continued, introducing herself and extending her hand for a handshake.

The boy looked at her hand without saying anything, his blank expression making Ai anxious that she might have done something wrong. Before she could retreat into her thoughts, she felt his grasp on her hand.

"Leo," he finally said. "Leo Liebert."

His name echoed in Ai's head. She was never good with names and faces, but she was determined to remember his name, to etch it into her memory. Leo—her first friend, or at least she hoped so.

As the memories washed over her, the more grown-up Ai leaned her back against the tree where she and Leo had sat years ago. Today marked the day they had become properly acquainted, the beginning of their friendship. They no longer merely sat in comfortable silence; they had started spending more time together, both in and out of school.

She recalled one of their moments together when Leo held up a clay mold he had "borrowed" from the classroom.

"I believe people are made out of clay," Leo said, examining the mold. "Some are made from the good stuff, like you. While others are made out of the leftovers, like me."

Puzzled, Ai tilted her head and asked, "How am I made out of the good stuff?"

"Because you're pretty," Leo replied bluntly, causing her cheeks to flush with a blush.

"T-That's not true!" Ai stammered, feeling flustered by his unexpected compliment.

"It's true, I'm sure if you wanted to, you could be a big shot movie star or something," Leo said with his usual stoic expression before returning his attention to the clay in his hands. "I don't know where you got the idea otherwise."

Relieved by Leo's straightforwardness, Ai felt a newfound intrigue in their conversation. His honesty was refreshing, even if it made her feel a bit self-conscious. Summoning her courage, she tried to look him in the eye.

"Do you think so...?" she shyly asked.

"I'm sure you could try," Leo replied without looking up from the clay in his hands.

Emboldened by his response, Ai couldn't help but inquire further, "Then... What about you? What will you do?"

Leo split the clay in two, handing one half to Ai. His answer was contemplative, "I don't know. I never really thought about it. Part of me wants to believe that I deserve to live for my own dreams, but these days, I'm fine with anything really. As long as it's fun."

As Ai took the clay from his hands, she noticed Leo's sleeve had shifted slightly, revealing what appeared to be burn marks on his skin. He seemed unfazed by it, making no attempt to cover it up. Her gaze lingered on his exposed forearm as she accepted the clay from him.

Knowing Leo's difficult home life was one of the things they had in common. While he still lived with his parents, Ai's had left her at the first opportunity she got after getting arrested. Leo bore marks and scars from his past abuse, but even so, he never cried, never showed signs of sadness. The only expression Ai had ever seen from him was his monotone poker face.

Ai didn't have anyone in particular waiting for her at the orphanage, and Leo had his father at home, whom she had seen occasionally. The thought lingered in her mind, planting a seed of a daring idea.

"Ne, Leo, do you like it here?" she asked, squeezing the clay in her hands into a ball.

"I like the smell of the sea the wind carries here," Leo replied, breaking his clay into smaller pieces.

"Do you... Do you want to run away...?" Ai asked, unable to meet Leo's gaze as she looked at the ball of clay in her hands, her heart pounding with nerves.

Leo's eyes widened as if struck by an unexpected revelation. "Run away...?" he repeated, his voice filled with curiosity and a touch of intrigue.

"Mhmm," Ai hummed, affirming her question.

At that moment, they both seemed to contemplate the idea. The orphanage had never truly felt like home, and for Leo, his home held shadows of pain and aching memories. It was a place where they didn't truly belong.

As the notion settled between them, Ai found herself yearning for a world beyond the walls of the orphanage, a place where they could be free from the constraints of their pasts and carve out a future of their own making. A world where they could explore the vastness of the unknown and embrace life's possibilities.

Leo's words were caught in his throat. "I... I don't know..." he stammered, feeling his heart pound in his chest. The idea of running away had never crossed his mind before. Where would he go? Where would they go? There seemed to be no place for them, yet the weight of uncertainty burdened his thoughts.

Shaking his head, Leo muttered, "I don't think we should." He reformed the clay ball he had previously split into smaller pieces. As he glanced at Ai, he noticed her shoulders slumping with disappointment, setting the clay down on the ground.

"You're probably right..." Ai murmured, gazing into the distance as the sun began to set. She felt a tinge of foolishness for suggesting the idea, weakly letting out a laugh. "I'll see you later, Leo."

Her footsteps slowly carried her away, and Leo's eyes remained wide, watching her fade into the distance without looking back. The weight on his chest intensified, and his breaths grew labored as he shook his head. "We can't run away, Ai," he whispered to himself, grappling with his emotions. "Not together."

A sense of resignation settled upon him, knowing that their paths would soon diverge. This wouldn't be a simple "see you later"; it would be a painful "goodbye." Unlike Ai, he didn't possess the belief that he could become someone special, someone worth remembering. He felt like a mere clay man made out of leftovers, destined to be forgotten.

Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, Leo composed himself as he took out a crumbled paper from his pocket and wrote some things down before he started walking in a random direction. The future was uncertain, but he knew he couldn't hold Ai back from her potential, even if it meant parting ways with the only person who he considered to be his friend.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The next day, Ai returned to their usual hangout spot just outside the school, hoping to see Leo. However, as the minutes turned into hours, there was still no sign of him. The sun had long passed its zenith, and her worry began to grow.

The following days followed the same pattern—Ai waiting anxiously for Leo, but he remained elusive. Concern etched across her face, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him.

While wandering around their familiar hangout spot, Ai noticed the clay ball they had been playing with on their last encounter. Time had taken its toll, hardening the clay, and cracks marred its surface as she held it in her hands. Instinctively, she broke the ball in two, and a crumpled piece of paper fell from the center, like a hidden treasure.

Picking up the paper and carefully smoothing it out, Ai instantly recognized Leo's handwriting. With a racing heart, she read the first sentence, and her world seemed to momentarily stop.

"I'm sorry."

Her breath caught in her throat. The words were simple yet laden with unspoken emotions. A sense of sadness and uncertainty washed over her, as she wondered why Leo had disappeared without a word.

With her heart heavy, Ai continued to read the letter, absorbing the raw honesty and vulnerability in every line. Leo expressed his gratitude for their time together and his fond memories of their moments under the tree. He explained that he felt he had to leave, to find his own path in the world, one that he feared she couldn't walk with him.

Ai's eyes welled up with tears, her fingers gripping the letter tightly. She understood the pain and struggle in his decision, but it didn't make the ache in her heart any easier to bear. She had hoped they could face the future together, yet Leo had chosen to embark on a solitary journey, one where he felt he had no right to ask her to follow.

Clutching the piece of paper, Ai's heart pounded in her chest as she suddenly broke into a sprint, racing towards Leo's house. Tears streamed down her face, and the wind seemed to push against her, as if trying to impede her progress.

In the distance, she spotted smoke billowing from the trees, and her anxiety intensified. She ran faster, her breaths becoming rapid as she approached Leo's home. The flashing lights of emergency vehicles came into view, and her heart sank.

As Ai drew nearer, the once-familiar house had been reduced to ashes, consumed by the fire. Panic and sorrow overwhelmed her, but she couldn't stop herself from seeking answers. A fireman noticed her rushing toward the remains and stepped in to intercept her.

"Woah there, what do you think you're doing?" the fireman asked, concern evident in his voice as he saw the tears streaming down Ai's face.

"M-My friend lives here!" Ai practically yelled, trying to push past the fireman to get closer to the devastation.

The other emergency responders exchanged glances, realizing they had found only one body in the rubble. Two firemen went back into the remains, redoubling their efforts to locate Ai's friend. Despite their brave efforts, Ai couldn't bear to stand idly by.

A police officer arrived, spotting Ai's distress, and gently guided her away from the dangerous area, leading her to the safety of the backseat of their squad car. Still, her eyes remained fixated on the scene before her, her heart aching for any sign of her dear friend.

Hours passed, each moment filled with worry and uncertainty as there was still no sign of Ai's friend. The police officers attempted to gather information from her, asking about her parents and guardians, but Ai remained unresponsive. Her attention was fixated solely on the haunting scene before her—the ashes of the once-familiar home where she had hoped to find Leo.

Realizing that they needed to take appropriate action for Ai's safety and well-being, the police managed to establish contact with the orphanage where she resided. It was decided that it would be best to return her to the care of her guardians. With a heavy heart, the police officers began driving her back to the orphanage.

As the car pulled away from the charred remnants of the house, Ai's eyes remained transfixed on the scene, her heartache evident in her expression. Her mind was flooded with unanswered questions and the ache of not knowing Leo's fate. The journey back to the orphanage was a silent one, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on everyone in the car.

.

As time passed, Ai couldn't forget the remains of the burnt-down home. She had been scouted with the promise of becoming a top idol by her manager and now guardian, Ichigo. Amid her rise to prominence in the entertainment world, she continued to hold on to the hope of reuniting with Leo one day.

Life took her to a new school, and while she moved forward, the hope of seeing Leo again started to dwindle. However, fate had other plans. As she stepped into her new school, her eyes met the one she had yearned to see—the familiar face of Leo.

The joy of seeing him again was overwhelming, but it also tore at her heart. He didn't recognize her, and when she finally got a chance to talk to him, he merely asked for a coin she had been playing with, not even addressing her by name, treating her like a complete stranger.

Ai forced a smile, masking the hurt feelings that threatened to consume her. She handed him the double-sided coin she had been using, cherishing the connection, however faint, that it represented. The more she observed him, the more she saw the similarities between them. Ichigo had once told her she could become an idol by embracing lies that would eventually become reality. But the Leo she knew was never a liar; he was brutally honest and genuine. Witnessing him resort to deception warmed her heart while simultaneously saddening it.

Nevertheless, this encounter only fueled her determination to follow her dreams of becoming an idol. If she could succeed, perhaps one day Leo would see the truth of who she was, and they could reconnect as the friends they once were.

The pain of being treated like a stranger was almost unbearable for Ai. It felt like a knife piercing her chest when Leo asked her name, not recognizing the connection they once shared. Despite the hurt, that very same day, she caught a fleeting glimpse of the old Leo—the one she longed to see again.

"Is it fun?" he had asked, and those familiar words momentarily stirred her heart. All the ups and downs, the twists of fate, had led her to this moment. Now, she was engaged to Leo, and they had a beautiful pair of twins together.

As she snuggled into the warmth of Leo's neck, Ai couldn't help but contemplate the changes in him. The Leo she once knew seemed like a distant memory, and only fragments of the past remained. But there was something in this new Leo that captured her heart—the way he cared for her, the love and support he offered.

"I'm sure the Leo I knew is long gone," she mused silently, her fingers gently tracing patterns on his chest. "Only small remnants remain, like echoes of a time we shared."

However, she had learned that life was full of unexpected twists, and sometimes the most beautiful moments emerged from the most unexpected places. This Leo, with all his changes, was here with her, and that meant something more profound than she could express in words.

"If this Leo is willing to stay with me, to be by my side," she thought, a soft smile playing on her lips, "then I'll cherish this new connection, every moment, every second we have together."

In the embrace of his love, Ai found peace, knowing that even though the past might be a distant memory, their present and future held a unique and beautiful story of their own. They had come a long way from being strangers, and now they were building a life together.

"I'll never let go," Ai whispered to herself as she drifted into a peaceful slumber.

As the moonlight gently bathed the room, Ai snuggled closer to Leo, seeking the warmth of his presence. His steady breaths and the rhythm of his heartbeat were like a lullaby, soothing her soul. In this intimate moment, she knew that their connection was not just a fleeting dream but a reality worth cherishing.

"I'll never let go," she repeated in a soft murmur.

And with these words echoing in her heart, Ai surrendered to the serenity of sleep.