Chapter Text
Prologue
“I have to go,” he sighs, his hand reaching out to stroke her cheek one last time.
“I know,” she replies back, already missing his touch, ignoring the tears which were now trickling down her face. “I- I love you. You, you know that.. right?”
He tries his best to smile and put on a brave face for her, he too now close to tears.
“Of course!” he says, with exaggerated confidence, before smirking and winking at her. “How could you not love such a awesome person like me?”
He turns away from her, his smile already gone, the tears which he had been holding back now flowing uncontrollably he forces himself to start walking away…
“Sen- Shis- SATSUKI!!!!”
His feet freeze at the sound of her voice, a voice so full of energy and promise, and turning he finds himself being pulled by two small yet surprisingly strong hands, and soon a pair of lips, stealing from him what he had wanted, for so long, to give to her. She lets go quickly however, having only been taken over by impulse and unnatural confidence, and looking up at him, he observes that she is blushing and yet smiling at him, no worry etched on her face, none of the pain which he had caused her to suffer so much in the past.
“You better be prepared, because when you come back, I’ll be an even better and more amazing Suzume. I’ll be a strong and independent young woman, just you wait!” she says with confidence, smiling up at his dumbfounded expression.
“Hey, have I surprised you?” she asks cheekily when he gives no answer.
“You always do,” he replies quietly, staring down at her with such intense loving in his eyes that she forgets to smile back. “And you were already a strong and independent young woman. That’s what made me fall in love with you.”
Smiling at the surprised look on her face, he pulls her towards him, wrapping his arms around her tightly and breathing in her scent one last time.
“I’ll wait for you Chun-Chun, for as long as it takes. For now I want you to live, have fun and have the best possible experiences of your life. I will always be there, waiting for you, at the end of it all….”
And with that he let her go, giving her one last brave smile, not caring if she saw his tears before turning and walking into the unknown, a future he hoped would work out for her. He would always love her, that much he knew for sure. Even if she forgot, even if he forgot, they would always love each other, no matter the distance or time…