Her First Step Home

[Morisawa Santai]

"Listen carefully, Santai."

His father's face burned in his mind as the twelve-year-old glared at the older man with utmost incompetence. "You've been through a lot." His father continued, his voice obviously faltering, trying to calm his son. "Hayate was killed when she was starting to mean a lot to you as a sister...and Ritsu...you must move on.

"I don't want to move on!" The boy spat. "You never cared about Hayate!" His eyes glowed a luminescent green, for it was the day after he was betrayed, and his kekkei-genkai had only started to occur. His emotions were a mess, and he couldn't concentrate on anything. His father sighed and attempted once again to calm his son.

"Concentration, Santai. This is how your siblings mastered the Shirugan. You let it control you, but you must control it. And remember, if someone breaks your concentration, you might die. There are many other great techniques out there and this is only one of them. The Shirugan is an inner demon, a force so strong you might lose your humanity."

And it was then that Santai ran. A few months later he held Ritsu's bloodstained body in his hands, feeling no remorse as he grabbed the kunai and slashed a deep gash across his hitai-ate, turning his back on the village, his father's advice no longer ringing in his ears. Only the tune of that very song.

The earthly wings unfurled from his back as the gust of resulting wind increased his speed, narrowly avoiding the attack head on as her first blow came. Taijutsu had been one of Santai's strongest points, hence his powerful physical build. However, his concentration had been one of his weakest, making him one of the slowest to master his kekkei-genkai. This was only half its power, but he was determined to abuse it to its fullest, for he had a feeling this would be his last. It would take his mind with it.

The wings spread and seperated into thin rope-like chains of leaves. He peformed several hand seals, forming the leaves into a swirl, before the leaves looped themselves into a noose which lunged at her. She would then have to turn to the side, and he had that covered as well. From the thick mud of the ground, several thorns surfaced, preparing to spring once she stumbled upon them.

The weapon he was holding broke apart and melted into his arms, before the thorns themselves emerged, causing his arms now to also be potential weapons. One accurately aimed punch could rip someone's face apart as the vines formed a shield that defended him from her oncoming attacks. But hers had grazed him, and as the powerful effect of the heat caused the gash in his side to bleed, he did not feel the pain.

You must not break your concentration, Santai. Or you could die.

"Father, I never listened to you."

[erika]

She rushed towards him and aimed a kick there and a punch there, but it seemed to be useless. And furthermore, he had those spikes and thorns all over the place and Erika didn't want to get injured by them. They looked deathly sharp.

Erika slid backwards, a cloud of dust forming behind her. She used the back of her arm and wiped away the blood from her lips, frowning. She was stupid to use taijutsu against him. Just looking at his lean built and she knew it already. He used taijutsu to train himself.
Maybe it's time for some ninjutsu. Since he had so many vines all over the place, maybe if she had more of herself, it would be easier to fight. And he might waste his energy by attacking the clones instead of the real her.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" she screamed, her fingers placed together to perform the jutsu. Immediately, clones of Erika stood all over the place. And she was sure that Santai wouldn't know which was the real one.

"ATTACK!" Erika ordered. She leaped up at once, and all the clones followed her. She was hidden in the middle of them, and once they landed on the ground, they surrounded Santai and his freaky nature stuff. Erika took this opportunity to break his concentration. If his strong points were taijutsu, and possible ninjutsu and genjutsu, then all she had to this was defocus him. Even in training, when a ninja is defocused, it's hard to fight back against your opponent, especially if the opponent was using a type of kekkei genkai.

"Santai." all the clones spoke at once, their voices merged as one as they echoed throughout the forest.

"Don't you remember what happened the previous night? Or the day before? How I took care of you when you fell unconscious right before me? And we spent that whole morning laughing about every single small thing. And you even gave me a rose. You use earth to fight and kill, and you use earth to romance me. Which is which, Santai? Don't you remember? Everything we had, was nothing?" she spoke, her voice full of false emotion. However, Erika herself was a fairly good actress.

All the clones stepped forward at the same time, and that was when they all disappeared, leaving the real Erika standing before him. She lifted up her hand and touched the side of his face, her eyes bearing a longing look in them.

[Morisawa Santai]

"No...no...NO!"

His voice was now an unearthly roar, like many different voices screaming as one, his eyes shut as all his memories spiralled back into his now inhuman mind. The feel of her hand on his face was the last straw as the vines around him spun out of control. Clenching his fists, he drew them tightly back together as his breaths grew heavier and more laboured. The memories didn't stop. They kept coming and as each one cut off his concentration, the thorns started to slink back into the trees.

...don't...lose...concentration.

He opened his eyes, the green hint in them glowing brighter and brighter as he pushed his Shirugan to the limit of his mastery. Perspiration flowed down his forehead as the vines once more rose forth from the ground, and the thorns from the trees. He forced the remnants of the thorns from his body, encircling them into a giant claw of earth and leaves. The pressure was too strong now, he could no longer control it.

His father's face flashed once.

You...could die...

The claw was connected to his palms, and as he extended it, he drew the other plant matter on the ground towards it, the power radiating from him now almost unbearable for him to take. This would be his last battle, and he would end it as such. But the memories were too strong. The claw faltered for a moment, before his eyes immediately reflected hers like a mirror, the metallic glint evil and deceptive, but for a second, just one second, they flashed back to that familiar cocoa-stained hue.

And that was when he released his grip, the claw crashing down towards her as thorns sprung from the ground in a cage. His final attack as he poured all his power into it. And then the metallic green hue flickered from his eyes, the dust gathering in clouds around him as he fell onto his side, chakra now completely drained. As the last traces of evil faded away from his eyes, stains of chocolate started to flow into them again.

He saw Hayate now.

Remember who you are.

He coughed as the dust settled, his chest heaving with each painful breath he took. A steady trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth as scratches and burns laced his arms, the material just newly sewed a day ago lay tattered again at his side. It was over. He should have listened to his father. It had taken control of him now. And as he felt her approach he breathed in the heated air.

"I don't blame you. Go on, finish it."

And he closed his eyes.

I never listened to you, father.

[erika]

Erika stood still in front of him, ignoring all else as the earth that he had summoned returned back to where they came from. The noises coming from the vines as they retraced back their roots was deafening, but she stayed there. She watched the reflection in his eyes as Erika stared right through them. Inside, she noticed that the warm chocolate eyes of his were hidden beneath the green ones. It was then that she also realized, that her eyes weren't silvery grey. Her expressions softened, eyes nearly turning back to their normal shade of color.

They were silver.

She almost felt sorry for him, but then, the voices returned.

Erika,
Do what you must.
It is his last hour.

The swirls in her irises melded into blue, and back to silver. It was now a hybrid mixture of both. Then, it turned completely into blue once again. Shaking her head for losing sight of her goal, she frowned. This time, she would do what she was supposed to. Avenge sensei.

The glow around her grew stronger, as she watched him fall. It felt like a film in slow motion. The emotions inside her started to fight; the negatives and the positives. First, she felt pity, and then, hatred. Second, sadness, and back to hatred once again. The colors in her eyes swirled, battling with each other and giving her a severe migraine. Erika had never liked using her Tsukigan, for it caused her to have terrible side effects. But this, is an exception.

Erika approached him and kneeled down in between his legs. Withdrawing a three-bladed kunai from her holder around her waist, she smeared it with the same purple poison sensei used.

The colors in her eyes changed even faster this time. But that did not cease the technique.
Erika raised the kunai above his chest, directly where his heart was as she gripped the kunai very tightly.

It seemed like forever.

"Erika, do you still remember the story that daddy once told us?" Ai asked her younger sister. Erika looked around, and scratched the back of her head,"Which one? Is it the one about the prince and the princess? I like that one!" she squealed.

"Do you remember the ending?" she sat down besides her sister and watched as the sun gave began to set behind an array of white puffy clouds. "Yup! The prince and princess lived happily ever after!" Erika gave her a smile showing her two rows of small baby teeth.
"Yes, and that's how you should live your life. Find your prince and live happily ever after!"

As the flashback occured, Erika gripped the kunai even tighter. So tight, until her fingernails dug into her palms as drops of blood came trickling down her wrist and the poison dripping onto the surface of his shirt.

I said I didn't want to lose you.

Hot tears stripped down her blood-stained face, washing away the crimson liquid, leaving wet streaks behind. If you looked right into her eyes right now, you would notice.
The glow grew lighter and lighter, until leaving none that surrounded her.
Erika's eyes changed back to silver, as the tears kept flowing.

They just kept coming.

Erika dropped the kunai besides Santai's motionless body and leaned down against his chest, her hair brushing against the nape of his neck.

"I don't...want to lose...you."

She murmured quietly through sobs as Erika grabbed his shirt and cried into it.
And she stayed there.

And she cried.

[Morisawa Santai]

Santai's eyes opened slightly to see that she held the kunai above his heart. There was no trace of green left, only chocolate, the same as it had been the night before. He gave a cough as his chest heaved again, more blood trickling down his chin and splashing onto the floor of the hut, overlapping the original rust red stains. It had a bittersweet tang to it, just like the events of his life. Perhaps it was wise to let it all end now.

"You...heard the fairytale? How...the prince woke the prin..cess..."

The toll of his Shirugan overuse was great. Not only did it cause him overexhaustion, but it also damaged his internal organs where some thorns were still lodged firmly inside. His eyelids grew heavy, and the last swirls of cocoa overtook the green. And he laughed, a genuine one that he had never given off in his entire life. Maybe now then could he appreciate the life he always had but had wasted.

"Maybe now...it's...the opposite..."

He whispered hoarsely, a hand coming up to touch the side of her face, wiping the tears from her eyes as the kunai clattered to the ground, now harmless. Someone spoke to him inside his head, someone calling. And he closed his eyes again, drifting into an endless sleep. She could choose to save him, but he'd rather not. Not if she would be hurt again. It was best that it should end now.

"Do it...go on...I don't...blame you..."

I don't blame you.

"Santai? Wake up, Santai."

His eyelids fluttered as he woke in a white void. There were no surroundings whatsoever, and as he looked down, he found that even the area beneath his feet was white. Nothing, there was nothing here. A hazy figure stood in the distance, long dark hair blowing in the breeze. She turned, and his eyes widened as he realized it was Hayate.

"Santai...you came at last. My, you've grown up quick. I told you that you'd forget about your poor old elder sister."

Hayate said. Her voice echoed in the void, as if she was some kind of angel. He noticed she was wearing the same outfit she did when she died, a tattered, bloodstained robe that was torn at her knees. But her eyes remained those that he knew so well. "Am...I dead?" He asked. It was such a stupid question. Of course he was dead. Why else would he be having such hallucinations? He looked at his hands. They were unscarred. He looked at his clothes, the sleeves were smooth and new, there wasn't a tear at all.

"It's not your time, Santai. You shouldn't leave her behind. Tsk, tsk, tsk. After all, you did kill her sensei, at least be there for her. You wouldn't want her to lose another, do you? Goodbye, Santai."

And then, Hayate vanished, leaving him standing in the midst of the white light, finding it unusually still, yet melancholic in a way. He wanted to shed one tear, but he couldn't. There was something about this place. He felt his heart calm for a moment, but there were things he had left behind, something.

And he felt his soul being returned to the world.

Lying there, motionless, still amongst the carnage. Bloody, scratched, and dying. One shimmering silver tear rolled down his face. And the hand he held to hers dropped by his side. Yet now, his soul was returning.

By her touch.

[erika]

Don't speak...It will only...hurt you..more." she choked as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Erika couldn't believe she was a second away from killing Santai. Even if they had only been together for a few days, the chemistry between them was just there and Erika felt safe with him being around. She wanted him to be by her side, forever. She wanted to be safe, to be held in his arms and feel the warmth of his embrace once again.

Erika lifted her head up and looked into his eyes. They were filled with countless emotions that she couldn't see. Even a Shinzuki herself and she couldn't see them. Regret, melancholy, lost, hopeful & love.

"I am not going to hurt you again, Santai. Just seeing you in this state..." Erika broke down into tears her fingers clutching the leaves on the ground as her nails dug into the mud as she cried her heart out. "I would never blame you for what you've done to sensei. Her soul...will rest in peace...someday." she choked.

I cried, hard.

Using my own bare hands, I dug at the cold, wet ground. Even the skies were mourning for me as rainwater splashed down onto the earth. It was a sorrowful day. All I remembered, was tears, tears, and more tears. I couldn't tell which were mine, and which was from the rain. All that mattered was that these tears would manage to get to sensei, as my last parting gift for her and a promise for my vengeance.

As I carried sensei's light, fragile body out of her home, I set her down into the pit that I created with my own hands. Those hands that she used to hold. I watched, and watched.

Kneeling down besides the pit, I cried even harder.
And then, I screamed.

"I've already lost sensei. I've lost everyone I had. I can't lose you. At least, not now..." she whispered quietly, her head bent low, ashamed to meet his gaze.

"And now...Look what I've done."

At the very same time, the clouds above them rolled in as thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. Not for long, the rain came pouring down upon them. Just like that day.
It felt the same. It was like a re-enacment scene of sensei's funeral.

Erika stayed there for seconds, maybe minutes, maybe hours, or maybe days.
But all she wanted to feel, was his embrace once again.

She bent down and kissed him gently on the lips, her eyes closed as she savoured the moment.

You are my everything.

[Morisawa Santai]

Rain.

The droplets cascaded from the heavens like silver teardrops, falling and splashing onto the desecrated hunting ground where now they both were. He was beaten, and she had her regrets. As he felt his spirit somewhere within the void, calling out to Hayate as she was pulled away, he did not feel the sadness he had once felt when she had been taken away from him. Her kind eyes told him that he wouldn't be here for long, he would return soon.

Remember who you are.

His sister's words reverbrated like a chant in his mind as he banished the last of his bloodthirsty tendencies to the bottom of his soul. Then the first drop of rain fell and splashed on one bloodstained cheek, brown eyes abruptly snapping open as the rest of the liquid droplets pattered incessantly on the remnants of the hut. Nearby, drops of rain clung onto the leaves like tiny diamonds.

The entire area was a hazy blur as his vision focused on Erika's face directly above his. Somehow, the whole scene with the white void seemed to have returned some chakra to his body. He could see Hayate smiling at him now from within the trees. Sitting up, new pains racked his body as he leant back against the last wooden wall that was left standing, but even that wasn't very sturdy.

"What...why didn't you kill me?"

He asked, sounding almost disappointed. A sharp pain cut through him and he realized it was the bleeding wound in the side of his abdomen. "You know, your powers...outdo mine." He muttered again, trying to make it sound like a joke. The rain clouds above shrunk significantly, a nice cool breeze swirling in from the clearing.

"Now...if I could just use some of that medic-nin skills of yours..."

He blinked as raindrops clung to his lashes, and they splattered onto his robe.

"...or do you still want to kill me?"

He remembered that he had murdered Jun Okinoshi, and that the elderly medic-nin had nothing to do with it whatsoever. He was just greedy. His father had been right, but when did he ever listen? No, he had just been a spoilt, stubborn child restrained by anger and never truly seeing the beauty of life itself. But somehow now he could, despite the fact that he was severely injured and overexhausted.

He turned, ashamed of looking at Erika directly.

"I'm...really sorry for killing your sensei. I...deserve to be punished. I don't know what came into me. Maybe I was just...greedy. But I couldn't remember until now. I'm really sorry, please, forgive me. I don't deserve to be living like this."

Self-pity. He was wallowing in self-pity. But somehow it felt good to insult himself, to see his own bad points and never looking at the good ones. But what good ones did he have? Wiping the fresh blood from his face, he tried to stand, but his legs buckled beneath him as he fell into a kneeling position, one leg stretched out in front of him. He cursed himself.

I don't deserve this life.

[erika]

As the rain poured, so did her tears. Her dark hair, now drenched as it felt heavy against her body. As heavy as how her heart felt. It never stopped raining. Not once, did a single drop cease to fall from the clouds and land on the earth. Not once, did she stop crying.

All that hurt. All that sorrow.
Build up over the years.
Erika had never cried ever since sensei died.
She had been strong to withstand emotional blows.
But just hearing, feeling, and touching the rain, it brought back blur flashes of that one fateful day.

As the blood mixed with the rain streaming down from the heavens, it washed away the crimson liquid and into a small puddle of a watery mixture, with the three-bladed kunai resting atop it, looking very abandoned.

He can't die. Not now.

Erika wiped away the tears from her eyes as the rain kept dripping down from her hair to her face, causing her eyelashes to look shiny with small drops of crystal clear water on them.
"Santai.."

As if she had spoken words of magic, his eyes opened. Erika's heart burst into flames of joy. Somehow, someway, Santai was still alive. For that few moments just lying on the ground without a single trace of heartbeat, Erika could have pronounced him dead if his chocolate brown eyes haven't opened once again.

"Why didn't you kill me?" he asked.

Erika looked directly into his face, although it was difficult with water getting into her eyes.

"It's because I love you."

With those words, she kept silent, not sure that she just said what she thought she said.

"Do you love me too?" a simple question of a few chosen words.

"Also, I don't believe in vengeance. Although sensei might have died under your hands, it was probably for goodwill. The gods decide our fates, not us. One day, sensei will rest in peace. She will live spiritually in my heart, which is much more important than her physical being. I miss her, but it's all over now. I need to move on."

"We need to move on."

Erika's eyes widened in horror as Santai tried to stand.
"Santai, don't! You're seriously wounded!" Erika stopped him, but he had already fallen back onto the cold, wet ground on his knees.

"Santai..."

She helped him up as they walked through the rain and reached another clearing up ahead.
Soon, the clouds above them dissipated, and all that was left, was the moist atmosphere of the forest and the scent of dew that surrounded them. Erika wasn't able to start a fire, as all the wood found were wet. She made him sit by an old log to rest, as she figured out how to get things going again.

Trying her best to help Santai get warm so as to not catch a cold, she reached out, and wrapped her arms around him, sitting very close. Since there was no fire, all she could do was use some of her body heat. There was nothing else she could do.

In the meantime, she used her right hand to heal his wounds. Concentrating on the chakra in her body, she conjured the best that she could with her remaining energy. A blue glow emanated from her palm as she guided her hand over his wounds, concentrating on each depending on how deep it was.

My beginning, and my end.

[Morisawa Santai]

It's because I love you.

Do you love me too?

The rain hammered down on a broken plank of wood as water seeped across the shattered floorboards of the hut, washing away the blood that flowed from his wounds. Raindrops clung to his eyelashes as he blinked, the droplets of water slipping down his cheeks like fresh tears. The heavy rain had slowed to a slow drizzle of water, the harsh force of liquid hitting the trees descending into a gentle, rhythmic hush. It was a simple question, a matter of yes or no. Yet he swallowed, the blood tasting bitter in his mouth, unable to answer.

"Do you know what love is, Santai?"

"No, onee-san. Could you tell me?"

"That fluttery feeling, like you've got butterflies in your stomach when you see someone you like."

"You're so cliched, onee-san!"

Santai mentally checked his inner emotions. Fluttering? Kind of. Someone he...liked? This was a young medic he had met up on a cliff just a few days ago. His memories weren't even right then. She had saved him once, nearly killed him, and then saved him again. Why couldn't she decide? Fickle minded, driving him to this state, wounded and bleeding, and then saying that she loved him? Shedding her tears for him? He blinked again, more earth-bound drops of rain splashing onto his face. He felt slightly giddy.

I love you, onee-san!

That was long ago. He had only experienced sibling love. Something close, a bond of family. Nothing romantic, just a tightknit household that cared for one another. But why did he feel a different kind of fluttering? Something new that he had never once experienced. He knew this was love, but not the type he had experienced with his older sister. This was love between a young man, a young woman who had never met each other. A bond of soul and spirit. A...da.mn, he sounded so cliche. But before he knew it...

"I-I...love you too, Shin...zuki Erika.

He groaned, not believing the fact that he had just uttered the world's most cheesy sentence. But he kept it to himself, saying that since he had felt the truth, he must well have let it out earlier, since she was the one who opened up to him first. As he felt her hands help him to his feet, leaving the site of this fateful battle, one that opened up both their pasts and encouraged forgiveness, he basked in the light of this new discovery.

The nearby clearing was damp and moist, the rain having already stopped. She allowed him to rest near a rotting log while she examined the wood. However, it didn't take a few glances to tell them both that the wood was unusable. The moss had gathered a thick layer of water, and the soil beneath their feet was mushy and soft, leaving large blotches on their shoes and staining their feet. He shivered as a cold breeze passed.

Then came her arms, wrapping around him protectively to fend off the cold, lacing around him tightly as that familiar glow healed his wounds, and he felt each graze and cut close up neatly, leaving only a dried stain where the blood had leaked onto his skin. He wondered why she was doing this for him. He hadn't done anything for her. And those feelings of guilt overwhelmed him, the self-pity he had for himself took its toll. She was healing him, and what had he done? Killed her sensei. He buried his face into the crook of her neck and shoulder, whispering against the cloth of her sleeve.

I'm so sorry.

Indeed he was, but she had forgiven.

Thank you.

[erika]

If only someone could love me again.
If only someone could care for me again.
If only.

Although Erika had just told Santai that she loved him, she wasn't sure if he did.

It's alright if you don't.

More tears came streaming down as she remembered how her parents had treated her. She was never loved, and the only one that did had died by the hands of Santai. And now, Santai would die by the hands of her, Shinzuki Erika, herself. The one woman that loved him.

How contradictory.
Are you sure you love him?


"Santai, tell me. What is love?" she questioned quietly through the rain, as she resumed healing his wounds, moving her hand over to his chest area. Erika removed his cloak gently as to not aggravate his condition, and pressed her palm over his wound. She hugged him tighter, as it would certainly be cold without his cloak. She felt his warmth overcome her, giving her a sense of belonging.

Yes, I do.

"This is all my fault. I'm sorry this happened. Maybe it's because I've never felt loved in my life. And you, Santai, killed the only one that had cared for me. I'm sorry. This should never have happened. I'm dreadfully sorry." her hair covered her face, as she pulled it back, her eyes sparkled with the raindrops that landed on the tips of her eyelashes.

"I love you, daddy and mommy!" I said to my parents, running to them and giving them a hug. It was parents' day, and Ai told me to greet daddy and mommy. Instead, they pushed me aside, and gave me a look. I didn't understand why, but I felt hurt. My cheeks felt warm as the tears kept coming. I hid in a corner of the house, alone, sobbing and weeping the whole day. Why? Why won't my parents love me like they love Ai and Mayeko?
This is so unfair.

Shhh, Erika. It's just me.

A voice broke into her thoughts. A whisper. Was it Santai? She felt it as he nestled against her neck gently. She forgot all about the unknown voice, and concentrated on healing Santai once again. He was so warm and gentle, the way he lay against her like this. Erika stopped her healing for a moment, and caressed his hair quietly, watching as his dark hair rippled in the wind like swaying grass.

Shhh, Erika, it's just me.

[Morisawa Santai]

Just...one...more...

The kunai swifted through the air, slicing through the stagnant breeze and thudding into the grass dummy that lay sprawled against a nearby tree. In the blink of an eye, a few traps sprung into motion, and Santai leapt from the ground into the air, hitting the ground and rolling to the left just as a dozen kunai lodged into the ground. One of them skimmed his arm as he grimaced and ran on.

"Not good enough! You're worthless, just like your father said you'd be..."

Worthless...worthless...

Santai's eyes snapped open as the soothing crackling of the fire woke him. The rain had ceased long ago, the last thing he remembered was sinking into Erika's calming grasp, and now there was a fire. Sparks leapt off the fresh dry wood, and he sat up to notice the tattered robe beneath him was his own. It was yet another autumn night, and it was cold. The breeze whirled around the camp as his wounds stung. One of them had started to open, not properly healed.

Ripping off a bit of his torn sleeve with his teeth, Santai muttered a quick apology to the tailor Rikyu as he bound it around his arm, pulling the edge of the cloth into a tight knot to stop the bleeding as the white material of the undersleeve piece was promptly soaked with red. He tied another layer around it, and the blood started to clot. Picking up his bag which was left in the grass, he prayed that the rations were not wet as he rummaged through the bag's contents, withdrawing a package of bread which was slightly moist, but still edible.

He hungrily ate, trying to ignore the thoughts of the past pounding away in his head.

And as he finished his makeshift supper, he left some behind for Erika, whom he was sure was already asleep, before warming a few cups of water and covering one cup with a leaf, setting it beside the fire. The remnants of the rain slid slowly down a large leaf above him, before it fell and splashed on his cheek, seeming like that single tear he cried when Erika could not kill him. But why had she chosen this instead?

They would leave the crescent-shaped island soon, moving on to other lands, where he knew the hunter-nins were many. Yet the want of seeing his family alive and well constantly bothered him. His parents had not shown him much love, but yet he was grateful to them for putting him through those early years of strenuous training. He was stronger now, and this was how he survived. It was then he realized the only one who truly thought he was worthless was himself. And Erika had helped him, and she had shown him, what love was. He didn't understand her question, but now he did.

Santai, tell me. What is love?

She had asked in the rain.

So now, even if she wasn't truly sleeping, he lay back down next to her on the damp ground, spread the robe like a blanket over their forms, laced his arms over her physique. And he put his lips to her ear, windswept hair brushing his face, and closed his eyes. As cheesy and cliched as it might sound, yes, he knew the truth now. And so he whispered it to her like a childhood lullaby.

Love is you.

[Morisawa Santai]

OOC: -pokes Erika- You've been dead for an uncountable number of weeks!