Eternal Melody

Some algorithms describe everything from the flow of the clouds to how birds walk. The world is full of interesting and new things to discover. And she is blessed with a life free from fear of starvation, freezing, or being robbed.

He would like to think that their relationship has changed for the better now. However, Sano wasn\'t deluded in thinking that Sumire loved him.

She cares for him and is willing to help him. But that is all. It\'s progress, but he is very impatient.

At the start, she fought for the sake of the others, yet as time went by, she began to extend her hand to him. It was foolish. It was foolish.

What does she know about him? What is she expecting? He remembered thinking such things.

But she never gave up on him.

\'San, San, Look, look, isn\'t it pretty? Because there are beautiful things like this, I don\'t believe the word is truly bad.\'

She\'s an idiot. Even now, he still thinks that. Yet that idiot, that slow girl - is already becoming someone who is even further away from his reach.

Back then, it seemed he couldn\'t get any closer to her. Now she\'s an idol. Does that mean he can\'t even touch, let alone talk to her now? For some reason, he disliked that idea.

He didn\'t come all this way for this. He didn\'t come out here to TOKYO just to live within the shadow of her memories and not try to get to know the person she is now.

Sano finds himself running to a certain park and stopping to sit in the gazebo seating area.

The shadow of the past, even though he came out here. Why is he desperately trying to return back to those times?

It\'s obvious that she\'s changed; they have both changed now. Something like that is silly, but somehow he can\'t help it. A flash of memories appears in his head. The one that stood out was that time when he ran away from home. She found him, rested his head on her lap, and patted his head.

At the time, he thought. \'That girl worries about others too much, and yet her hands feel nice. I feel at ease.\'

"San?"

He looked up at the source of the voice indeed to spot brown hair and amethyst jewel-like orbs looking directly at him.

"The...opinionated woman."

"What are you doing?" Sumire was looking around, perhaps hoping to find someone with him.

"Marathon, once around Tokyo."

Sumire looked at him in disbelief. "Eh, serious -----" She pauses. "What\'s wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Sano almost snapped.

He was irritated. The irritation of their current relationship bothered him. It wasn\'t supposed to be this hard. 

She was supposed to be by his side much sooner. Not like this, not this fragile and breakable thing they have now.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

His eyes went wide, seeing the tears that fell from her eyes.

"I don\'t like it. It\'s the way you used to look." Sumire brushes her hands on his face and pulls him closer until she embraces him. "What\'s wrong?"

"What about you? You look like a lost spirit." He receives a mere nod at that."A ghost is more like it."

\'I don\'t have to ask her what\'s wrong. She misses Terashima. Anybody can see that. But I have too much pride to ask her about it.\'

"Ghost?"

"Aren\'t you an idol girl now? Idol Miss Sumire." Sano said mockingly.

Sumire hits his head, causing his eyes to twitch, irritated. Her punches still hurt. Or rather, they\'ve gotten stronger. No doubt due to some training.

Why does she have to become so strong? Why does she need to fight when he can protect her?

"Why are you calling me Miss Sumire?"

"What? It was so hard for me to come up with that!"

"It\'s horrible. Please give me a break already."

"Don\'t you do it too? You keep giving people names like Peggy." Sano pointed out.

"That\'s not the same thing. Mine belongs in a higher class."

Once again, it\'s falling to the usual routine. It\'s always been this way between them, yet something has changed.

"You have an answer to everything, don\'t you? You\'re really an opinionated woman." Sano mumbled.

"So what if I am?" Sumire trails off, "But why are we fighting whilst hugging?"

"Like I\'d know."

He doesn\'t understand but knows it is comfortable to hug her. It\'s comfortable being in her arms.

"Like a pair of idiots."

They are both acting so very foolishly. But, from the very start, neither of them had a choice. Or maybe they did. Maybe he can delude himself into thinking that she actually chose this for herself. Chose to be with him.

His thoughts break off when he sees the girl\'s hand. Sano felt his heartbeat increase.

Blood there was fresh blood on her hands.

Sumire followed his gaze. "Ah."

Too clumsy.

Sano pulled away. After spotting the injuries, not only the girl\'s hand but on her cheek and forehead too. He made sure she was sitting down as he ran towards the faucet area, grabbed a spare towel from his bag, and soaked it.

He even managed to borrow a medical kit from the park staff.

He made his way back to the brunette hair girl to find her looking up at the sky with a sort of distant look on her face.

The minute he got closer, Sumire looked at him.

"What?" Sano said.

Sumire raised her injured hand towards him. "Isn\'t it a waste if we wipe the blood?"

"Do you want me to drink?" Sano wondered.

"Mm, since I can\'t see you tonight."

Now she tells him. Sano sighed deeply and put the med kit down. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"Can I drink from your neck too?"

Sumire nodded. "Mmm."

She is too quick to agree.

\'I know she doesn\'t hate me anymore. But, to let me go this far. How exactly does she see me?\'