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“It’s been fun…”
Noah woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, panting. It’s been a week now and yet, he still dreamed of that moment. That fateful time when he saw his dear friend dying in front of his eyes. She’d disappeared, a smile on her face, as always. She wore that ever so graceful smile she bore at all times. That smile that kept them going, him and their friends. She survived, sure, but he couldn’t forget any of it, couldn’t erase it from his memory, as much as he’d wanted. Right now, he felt exactly like when it happened: his heart breaking in his chest, his blood pumping in his veins, the tears streaming down his face. He had never felt anything like this before. It was like he was ready to tear down the world and nothing could stop him. All for one woman. There were still things he didn’t understand. Well, truth be told, he didn’t understand most things he felt lately. Like how his heart raced when they glanced at each other or how protective of her he became.
No one could have imagined the way things would turn out from the very start anyway. Mio and him were enemies, Mio being an Agnus soldier and he, a Kevesi. They were fated to kill each other and yet, they embarked on this unforgettable journey where they discovered many incredible things. Along the way, Noah realized that maybe Mio wasn’t just a friend or his off-seer partner. She was more than that. It was like… he couldn’t even think of living without her. Maybe he was just so used to seeing her every time he looked behind him. No… That wasn’t it. Monica had said something about romance when they went on their stroll throughout the City and he knew for sure that something had to do with it.
He got out of the mattress that he slept on and walked towards the cliff nearby. Countless stars illuminated the sky and while this picture used to calm him down, that was no longer the case. Not after the Eclipse. On the contrary, he wanted to close his eyes but he remembered what Taion once said : “Closing your eyes doesn’t make it disappear”* . So instead, he focused on the sea down below. Suddenly, some horrible thought came to his mind. What if he jumped from up here? He would… surely die, right? He had the possibility of ending it all right now if he wanted. All he had to do was make the choice. Mio hadn’t had that choice. Just the thought of it made him shiver in fear. What could she have possibly thought about all this time alone at the prison? Was she… terrified, like he was? Was she thinking about everything she still wanted to do yet could no longer achieve? Was she thinking about her dreams? Despite hating the war and not wanting to fight, Noah had never been afraid of death back in Colony 14. That feeling was still very new to him. Yet, the mere thought of having everything snatched away from him forever was… The swordfighter sighed deeply as he tried to soothe his shivering.
“Can’t sleep?”, a gentle voice echoed from behind him.
Noah had barely enough time to look at the silver-haired woman before she sat alongside him.
“Mio.”
He pronounced her name with such a gentle voice as if he was trying to realize the fact that she was indeed here after everything that transpired.
“I figured you’d be here.”
Mio drew her knees up her chest and buried her chin on it. Noah figured she had no intention of saying anything more as long as he wouldn’t talk.
“I’ve had much trouble sleeping lately”, he casually replied, trying to hide his nervousness. As a means to do that, he tried looking elsewhere to lighten up his mood. His eyes landed on Lanz, who was snoring loudly near the campfire. “Look at Lanz, that guy can sleep through anything.”
His friend let out a heartfelt laugh and Noah thought that it was the most beautiful sound in the world. Once she was done, she looked up to the sky and closed her eyes, her long hair dancing in the wind. He wanted to immortalize that moment, never forget the way she looked at that moment. She was too pretty for him to turn his gaze away. But who was he kidding? From the very start, she’s always been amazing. Mesmerizing.
“You’ve always been a light sleeper, I tend to forget”, Mio chirped, as she rested both her hands on her legs.
She hummed and Noah wondered if she was trying to cheer up them both or if it was genuine. You could never guess what she was thinking, she was always good at pretending she was okay, but there’s no way she could be okay.
“Are you… okay?”, the question felt dry on his lips. He already knew what her answer was going to be anyway. “Yes I am”, “Why wouldn’t I be?”, “You worry too much”... She would definitely say stuff like this.
She didn’t even bother looking at him when she replied, “I am”. The Agnus woman stared into the horizon, breathing the cold night air. When she realized Noah never answered back, she looked deeply into his eyes, and noticed only then how tired he looked. She scooched a little closer, without averting her eyes. “I truly am, honestly”, she comforted.
Obviously, it didn’t make him feel any better. Maybe that was the price to pay for pretending for so long.
“Hm”, was all he could say.
A long silence ensued then. Not the uncomfortable kind, on the contrary, more like the one you don’t want to break. The one you feel content to share with another person. Mio enjoyed times like these. While she loved her friends very much, they were very loud (exception made for Taion) and hence, she wasn’t used to quiet times, especially with Noah. Hmm… I just… like spending time with Noah. She remembered what she said back then. That if she could keep on living, she’d rather spend her days traveling with Noah. With he/ Noah. Come hell or high water, she knew that their meeting was fate and she wasn’t going to let go. Her gaze fell upon the moon once again. That big white ball floating high up in the sky, brightening it like a candle would light up a room.
“Look at the moon. It’s gorgeous tonight”, she asserted, her knees once again pinned to the chest.
She then heard a weird sound coming from Noah, like he was hurt all of a sudden. And she was right, he looked like he was going to cry, frowning.
“How can you smile? How can you… It… It’s that thing that…!”, he whimpered. Mio noticed he was clenching his fist, out of anger, pain or frustration, she didn’t know. What she did know was that she made him like this. Yet, she couldn’t help calling his name, as a means to soothe him.
“When I look at the sky, all I can think of is that moment when I thought I saw you walking those stairs! When you vanished… right in front of me.”
He unclenched his fists, as tears streamed down his cheeks. Mio didn’t hesitate one second before taking his right hand inside her hands. She needed to prove to him that she was here, that she’s always been here, even back at the prison, maybe he didn’t see her, but she’s been with him all this time. Through their mutual feelings, through the flute they exchanged, through that cold-hardened brick wall they put their backs on. Surprised by his friend’s move, he opened his eyes wide and looked at her.
“I’m here. That’s the important thing now. No need to think about the past”, she asserted, as she dried his tears.
He felt his heart calm down. She was right, she was here, with him. He couldn’t look away. Yet, the tears didn’t stop.
“You’ve always protected us but… Who’s gonna be there to protect you?”
Mio smiled even more.
“You will. You did, actually”, she admitted, her cheeks turning red. “I wouldn’t be clinging to life so desperately if I hadn’t met you, Noah. What I said back at the prison, those were my true feelings. You gave me a purpose in life. And I want to keep traveling all across the world with you. I’d go to the ends of the earth with you.”
Noah couldn’t keep it in and started crying even more. Mio let go of his hands and placed herself behind him, before encircling her arms around his neck. Burying her face in his collarbone, she closed her eyes and let him cry. After a few seconds, she felt him sliding his hand inside one of hers and clinging to it desperately.
“Thank you, Noah. Thank you for crying for me.”
She didn’t know much about life. But there was one thing she knew for sure: she belonged with her Noah.