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It was not a normal day for him, the gray of the sky was not even comparable to what he was feeling inside.
He was happy with his life, he had never doubted that again. Until a few months ago he just wanted to end it and screw that world that had abandoned him, he had had enough of being alone.
Then one day, as he was about to end it, a group of children rescued him from the clutches of his despair.
He hated them at first, they constantly reminded him of the family he could no longer have.
He was so blinded by hatred that he could not understand that in reality they were his salvation, those children had given him another chance to redeem himself.
They would never forgive him if he died like that.
The unexpected happened to Goldy Pond, someone had survived Lewis's carnage fifteen years ago: his close friend Lucas.
He was never so grateful for life, for once fate was on his side. He could consider himself the happiest person in the world: he had taken revenge on Lewis, he had found a friend believed dead, he had a family.
But today there was no reason to smile, it was the umpteenth anniversary of his loss.
About that damned day he lost them ... he lost her. He was isolated in his room, there was just him and a box of cookies. He hoped that the memory of his dead friends would never fade away, it was something he felt he had to do at least once a year. Someone had come to ruin his plans.
"Yuugo can I enter?"
A voice behind the door was asking him to enter.
He recognized her immediately, she was that obstinate and annoying child who had changed his world.
And he would never admit it, but he would be happy if in another life, he had the chance to be her father ... maybe with her by his side.
"What do you want antenna?"
Emma entered without her consent, he was very annoyed.
But a small smile flashed on his lips at the thought of sharing his pain with someone, cursing Lucas for going out exploring that very day.
Everyone deals with pain as best he can, he tried to repeat himself in his head to avoid punching it.
"I came to see how you are"
Emma had a sympathetic smile on her face.
"I thought I told everyone that I wanted to be alone"
"I know, but before leaving Lucas told me not to leave you alone. So I won't leave here. Know that"
"I don't need to talk to a hyperactive child"
"I'm not a child! And I'm not hyperactive ... at least not always!"
Emma puffed out her cheeks like a stubborn child.
On another occasion he would have laughed, but today there was nothing that would have relieved his pain.
They stood there looking at each other, it was a psychological competition.
She was standing with folded arms waiting for a slight nod from the man to sit with him, shortly after she gave in.
Patience was not one of his virtues.
"Thanks"
Emma sat right in front of him, while Yuugo munched a biscuit. "Why are you here?"
"Do you miss them?"
"It's not about antenna"
Yuugo was starting to get more annoyed than he should, he didn't like talking about his problems.
"I too have lost someone"
Emma had that wistful smile every time she talked about him. He could swear he saw a single tear run down the girl's cheek, it disgusted him to see her sad.
He would have protected that smile even at the cost of his life, it was the minimum to have been saved by her and the others.
"Listen Emma"
Yuugo put a hand on the shoulder of the youngest to reassure her, he didn't want her to feel guilty.
"I-I'm sorry, you're the one who's sick and I'm here to give you another worry ... I'm sorry"
"I understand what you know, I miss my friends so much"
"hough subconsciously, Emma had hit the spot.
What Yuugo wanted was not to be pitied.
He just wanted understanding, someone who would understand and share his pain with.
And he never expected it to be just a little girl who grew up too fast to help him more than he thought he deserved, he had to do something for her.
"What do you miss most of them?"
"I miss everything about them, not a day I don't think about them. You know sometimes I talk to them"
He decided to give the little girl a cookie to make her smile, which she gladly accepted.
"I also talk to him every now and then, it's not the same as having him here with me. But at times it almost seems to me that he is alive"
"Could you describe it to me?"
He had become curious, that child must have been very special.
"We grew up together, he was special. His name was Norman, he sacrificed himself for us. That's why I can't give up, until I can allow my family to live a normal life I won't stop. I think I would never forgive myself for having wasted his death"
She paused a moment after saying that word, the very thought of that evening made her want to scream, to cry, to hate herself. But Norman would never forgive her for that, he just wanted her to be happy and she would try to keep that promise.
Yuugo immediately understood Emma's state of mind and, sympathetically, left her space.
After taking a few seconds to digest, she spoke again.
"He had snow-white hair and blue eyes like the sea, sometimes I happened to stare at him and lose track of time. H-he ... he was really special"
Emma burst into a liberating cry, each time it was more difficult than the previous ones.
Frustration flooded him.
As bad as he was, seeing his antenna suffer made him angry. He wanted to smash the first thing he had in sight but a voice told him it was better not to.
It was a female voice, the one he had missed most of all. Fortunately Dina always brought him back on the right path, thanking her mentally before approaching the child.
He handed her a handkerchief to wipe away her tears and began her confession.
"I too had a special person, her name was Dina. She was really beautiful, I miss her so much. I understand perfectly what you feel, you wish you had a time machine to go back. You feel guilty for giving up, for abandoning her. But on balance you can not help but continue to live and honor his memory, this is the only thing that keeps the memory of the people we care about alive"
He had a wistful smile as he spoke that Emma had never seen.
"You're right, thanks!"
"It helped me talk to you antenna, now you can go back to the others I swear I'll be fine"
Yuugo forced a smile, he was happy to have helped her.
"It was a long time since I talked about Norman with someone, Ray tends to close up when the topic comes up. I'm glad you also told me about a person dear to you, I'm sure if she saw you now she would be proud of you"
The redhead walked away.
He was left alone, but it was not that loneliness seasoned with feelings of guilt, that had led him to attempt suicide.
He could understand her more than anyone, he had noticed how her green eyes sparkled when they mentioned her deceased friend.
He knew she was too young to understand that kind of feeling, but he was an adult now.
He knew full well that the memories they shared were those of two people who had lost their soul mates, and he wanted to curse the world for depriving his antenna of that happiness.
He continued to eat the cookies waiting for that day to end, a pleasant stillness accompanied his memories.
He hoped that the evening would come early, he was eagerly awaiting her.
Because every year on that particular day, in his dreams, he and Dina would meet ... and they would share their love as if it were the last time.