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Gazing upon the vivid yellowish blooms was a young lady in white, her tired eyes staring into their viridescent leaves, as fresh as the shade of green that dyed her dear friend's eyes in her younger days.
Yes, that certain girl's emerald eyes that once shone so brightly, was now but a gaze unreachable by the young lady herself, blurred by the countless tears she had shed for so long. For the owner of those viridescent eyes have left her long ago, for what seemed to be the greater good.
And now, there a blonde lady sat, waiting for that certain someone to return.
Despite the letters tainted in that certain magnificent shade of red, telling a short tale of her family members' and her friends' bitter parting, one by one, she stared out into the horizon regardless. It was almost like she still wanted to remain there, cherishing the sunflowers before her as the last remaining fragment of her memories with everyone she knew.
Her father, her mother, her dear brother, and...
Shiho.
Her dearest childhood friend whom helped her sow seeds upon this once empty piece of land that restlessly awaited the summer's warmth. That day, a small hole was dug amidst the nearly dried grounds. Dropping those small pieces of what would make such wonderful flowers was a gray-haired girl who stood beneath the morning's light, sprinkling them onto the hole she managed to carve upon the Tenma household's little field.
Sighing, she smiled, the dappled form of the shadows of the tree next to her dying the ground beneath her feet with a tint of dark, shady green.
As green as her own brilliant eyes, in a shade of viridescent and what seemed like a faint tinge of yellow beneath the sunkissed land.
"Saki," she called, turning to face her. "Come downstairs, will you? I've planted the sunflower seeds, as you wished just yesterday."
That voice of hers...
It rang through Saki's mind, even until now.
Yesterday, they did, in fact, have a small talk of sorts regarding whatever they wanted to do as they grow up. Something to accompany them, perhaps. The blonde, somehow, came up with an idea.
"Should we maybe plant some sunflowers for us to watch grow?"
And Shiho did as she desired.
Even if years has passed, turning into decades as she grew up alone in this desolate, run-down house, she could still remember how it used to be around here. Shiho's antics weren't something easily forgettable for her. How she seemed so cold towards everyone she gazed upon, her heart's warmth only laid bare before Saki and Saki only. Constantly pushing everything else away, despite her inner selfishness of whatever she would do for her dear friend's sake.
She remembered it all. Just by catching a glimpse of the sunflowers they grew together in their backyard. For now, she was right in front of them. Sitting in the terrace was she, still staring into the seeds, the large petals, the stems, the leaves, even the roots of the plants.
It was like she had been lost in thought, drowning in a sea of memories as a single tear rolled down her eye, quickly wiped away by her sleeve.
"Shiho-chan..."
Continuing the show of remembrance that played out in her mind, another fragment of her recollection came in. This time, it was a memory of them covering the seeds up with soil. A watering can placed somewhere nearby served its purpose at hand, soon taken hold by the older one of the two who stepped into the field.
Perhaps the sunflowers' growth wouldn't take so long with such wonderful care from her and Shiho, she idly thought.
"It seems that the both of you are having fun planting them," a voice from behind chuckled.
Was that... Shizuku?
That familiar sound, one that stood out of the countless laughs and giggles she had ever heard in her life.
"Aha, they really seem like they do!" another one spoke, his loud voice drowning away the once silent atmosphere. "But do not rush, Saki! These seeds won't fully develop into flowers that quickly, even if the sun is shining and the weather is fine."
And that... That's Tsukasa.
"Now, now, Tsukasa-kun," Shizuku breathed out lightly, chortling right after. "Calm down. I think Shii-chan could already tell her what to do."
This hazy cloud of a fragment of her childhood memories, piling up inside her brain, right before her mind then grew soaked within the radiance of the current summer day. While she was, indeed, sitting on the terrace of this old house, riding a train of thoughts from her own mind as she traveled along her long gone past.
The past she has forgotten ever since she blended herself in this lonely life of hers.
Once again, the cogwheels in her mind started to turn, immersing herself in a time where the house was slowly being covered with a single layer of sunlight as the season transitioned to another one filled with heat, just like last time.
Why, yes, of course, years have went by. And yet, summer truly was the one and only season that felt different to them. Perhaps it was for the sunflowers that grew so bountifully within their garden. The nostalgic memories of them sprinkling the seeds upon their garden was but a joyful time past.
Now, a mere bit of a small sprout had begun growing right in the middle of their garden as if it belonged there. It was a sight to behold, to say the least.
Both the sight of the small flower's growth and the sound of the buzzing insects nearby that would eventually bring warmth into Saki's mind. The girl loved them so much, and she always wanted to treasure them so dearly, always wanting to protect them so to see at least a small smile, maybe even a laugh from Shiho if not much more.
And that, was still but a fragment of how much she truly cherished them and her friend's simplistic joy.
That day, they walked home from their school together, the older leaving absolutely no thoughts in her own mind besides the yellowish blooms that would grow to be so fine and glorious someday. The sole thought of her and Shiho witnessing the growth of the blossoms along with their older siblings, their faces smiling as they diligently helped in planting them in the land.
"Fufu, I can't wait to see the sunflowers today!" she excitedly beamed, her soft voice awfully making its way into the other's ear. "I wonder if they've grown a few centimeters today?"
"Mmm," Shiho hummed. "Why are you so excited about seeing them anyway? You've been looking forward to it all week, but it didn't even get an inch taller."
"That's because I love them so much! Besides, you also look happy whenever you're there to see them with me."
"Ah... So that's how it is, huh..."
Underneath the sun's radiance, its rays piercing through their exhausted forms, Shiho faintly smiled, chortling as she did so. That familiar warmth from their childhood soon flooded their souls once again. That feeling of being dearly treasured by someone and of cherishing that certain someone so dearly as well.
A fond feeling of love, their essence never straying away from them, even while being far apart in so many ways.
Although, it didn't take long for them to finally reach home. Dropping her bag as she rushed to the garden, Saki crouched down, gesturing at the silver-haired girl to come near her for the time being.
"Shiho-chan, look! Look at this!"
"Hm?"
Pointing at the small sprouts of light green budding out of the earth's surface, a nearly unnoticeable warm gaze pierced itself through the younger's eyes. Her giggle then resounded in the air, surprising Shiho a little, for its noise was... a bit too sudden.
"They look... nice," she was too stunned to speak, at a loss for words. "They seem pretty beautiful, too."
Her answer was but a mere chuckle, patting the younger's back.
"Of course they do! We've taken good care of them, after all."
"I see... Maybe seeing them grow isn't such a boring thing after all."
While the sun peeked out once again, to shower both the two girls and the sunflowers' small buds of growth, Saki finally opened her mouth once again, speaking up.
"Hey, Shiho-chan?"
"Yeah?"
"You know, once they grow to be so big and pretty, I want you to come and see them with me, okay?"
Silence.
Before Shiho huffed and let out a laugh of her own.
"Of course I will, Saki. I'll surely wait for that day to come."
Another series of giggles from Saki as they didn't avert their gazes from the sprouts, before the gray-haired young lady murmured a few words once again.
"... For your sake."
The mere fleck of imagination of her dearest uttering those words before her once again, just like on that very day, was enough to rattle even her heart that once lacked the warmth of its own. As if she could see a younger, more childish version of herself and Shiho right in front of her eyes. Speaking. Laughing. Smiling.
She wanted those days to come back to her.
But alas, the cruel hand of fate shall never allow such to happen before its own eyes.
Another piece of her fragments of remembrance then came to show itself, flaring in her mind. A few months pass after that day where she walked home together with unsaid joy, along with her dear friend who listened to her ramble so endlessly regarding those flowers.
A week before such was to happen, her father left to serve the nation's military, bidding his farewell to his beloved wife and children. Waving his hand was he as he set foot outside, laughing gently as his loose strands of gray untangled themselves upon the wind. Making his way to the train station and boarding the train, Saki couldn't help but wonder when he would ever come back.
Little did anyone of that once harmonious family knew, just what exactly was in store for them when his departure did take place.
Those words of "Take care of your sister for me, alright?" uttered by their father to Tsukasa weeks ago was but a final goodbye.
His last departure.
The last chance for his precious children to witness his leave-taking manner as he absentmindedly chuckled, as if nothing bothered his mind, even the fear of leaving anything he beared that time. In reality, in his heart, his farewell was just a mere saying, not having any meaning whatsoever besides "I'll see you later one day."
And that...
That was not proven to be a right, factual, real meaning that could've been comprehended by any condition he could manage to get himself into.
Months after he uttered his goodbye, a mailman then came to alert Saki of his own presence. On that fateful day, she came home from school earlier, leaving Shiho behind somewhat.
"Tenma-san?"
The mailman saw her walk from the distance as she approached the house, seeing him stand before it.
"Ah, yes?"
"... I believe this is for you to deliver."
A letter. To be specific, a letter in a shade of magnificent rose red. No, not blood. The entirety of its form cradled in her hand was... red. Crimson. Scarlet.
That letter...
Is this...?
Meanwhile, the silver-haired girl trotted in her direction, seeing a man with his sling bag leave the front of Saki's house. Regardless, she didn't mind that too much, for whatever came across her that day wasn't too important for her to oversee.
"Saki," she called and waved, letting her umbrella dampen itself beneath the rainy skies. "... Hey, is everything alright?"
Silence. Saki did not answer, nor did she react to her call.
"Saki, you'll catch a cold if you keep standing like th–"
Oh.
She's holding something.
A piece of paper. A letter. One dyed in red. As red as the rose she saw on a florist's shop earlier this morning. That... That can't be good, right?
Not long after, however, those shades of rosy pink glanced at her with a gaze clouded with emptiness, legs trembling as her frail back fell apart. Her black uniform was now darkened by the rainwater, just like the letter she held in hand. Face devoid of any visible emotion besides agony, shock and dismay, she could barely breathe properly as she used to a few seconds ago, shivering as she let out short, shallow breaths beneath the rain that had turned into a raging storm.
The echoing of thunders everywhere, ringing through her ears as they slowly faded into oblivion, its faint sound still lingering within her mind. Before the splashing noise of what sounded like her friend's umbrella hitting the ground resounded, she could already feel her eyes close, everything around her blurring into a distorted blob.
A hand then came to lift her weakened body, resting her form on the hard, cold surface of her terrace. Grasping her wet uniform so slightly were Shiho's calloused hands, the younger's heaved breaths now being the only audible thing to her ears as the cold gust of wind continued to lock her eyes from opening themselves to witness whatever happened before her that time.
Moments later, however, she found herself shielded away from the storm, in the warm embrace of another's arms beneath the echoing sounds of thunder that pierced their way into her mind, not too dissimilar to a dagger that stabbed itself and twisted its form in her heart. Leaning on someone's shoulder was Saki, still in a dazed state as she slowly felt her eyes flicker open.
"Oh," a voice called from beside her, perhaps that certain someone whom she leaned into. "You're awake."
"Shiho..."
Saki's uneven breaths still sounded so audible in the other's ears, a hand now coming to rest upon the blonde's head. Patting the loose strands of light yellow, the younger could only sigh, a sole attempt of her own to console the still shocked girl beside her.
"You can calm down now, Saki. Also, Tsukasa-san made you some tea earlier," she handed over a cup of warm tea, its steam wafting though the air. "Here. I'll help you."
Guiding the cup to Saki's mouth before putting it back on its saucer nearby, something sounded of a small, pathetic sob as she finished swallowing the scalding liquid. A weak noise emitting from the older's throat as she cried, cheek resting on the young lady's upper arm.
Whatever ran through her mind that day was still a fragment of remembrance so crucial to Saki's memories on this day where she already had no one to lean herself on. For that rainy afternoon, the only matter clouding her mind was her dear friend. Shiho. Her and her only.
She never wanted to lose her, ever.
Seeing that crimson letter telling her of her father's bitter end to his own tale, she never wanted to see that ever again. Never has she desired to wake up, or maybe come home from school just to see another mailman deliver a letter to the Hinomori household, dyed in scarlet with her friend's name written on it.
As much as she disliked the other's cold act sometimes, she would never, ever want to see her leave.
Unknowingly, that same hand which once had rested upon her head now lifted her chin, lightly stroking the delicate skin of her cheek as the owner's thumb wiped Saki's tears away, caressing her cheek so lovingly with a fond gaze in her eyes. As if warding off the sadness in her soul, the gray-haired girl simply chuckled, those acts of comfort not coming to a halt whatsoever.
"Now, now," she cooed softly, her gentle gaze lightening the weight in the other's heart. "I suppose if these hands of mine have a tomorrow they can protect, then..."
"Then?"
"Then rejoice, my dear Saki."
Wiping away her tears with her slightly clenched fists in a childlike manner, she looked up, sighing as she didn't stop staring into the younger's gaze.
"What for?"
"For I'll face it all, for the sake of your future."
That sentence did nothing to suppress the agony in her heart. That worrying feeling that sickened her to her head, the fear of losing someone as kind as her. Those tears she once wiped now made their appearance once again. Now, her arms were wrapped around Shiho's waist as she settles her head down, burying it in the pitch black fabric of her uniform's shade.
"Shiho..." the girl blabbered out, crying in the other's embrace. "Don't... Don't leave! I-I can't live... in a future without you, Shiho-chan!"
Anger, sadness, mashed up into a distorted form. Despair, agony even, spilled upon it so to coat her words with dismay. Dying her heart in sorrow was the sole image of Shiho boarding a train right in front of her eyes, bidding goodbye as she waved her hand to her for the last time. Her last smile, her warm gaze presented bare to her and her only.
All of that was but a terrible predicament to behold, perhaps years later if such will ever happen.
Tightening her grip on the uniform's fabric, she then continued to weep, crying and sobbing even until the ticking of the clock would alert her of the coming nightfall. Even if hours would pass, she wouldn't want to move even an inch away that day.
For there were many, many words she was yet to release.
"So, please... Stay with me... until the very end."
Her weakened voice was the only thing that remained the same until now, until she grew up to be this lonely young lady who no longer has anyone to comfort her if she was to cry. Now that she's remembered that part of her tale, it's time for her to try to recollect the moment after that one. A few days later, maybe even a week after such a predicament was to unfold.
"Mom, I'm home!"
Such were the words of an unknowingly girl, whom had no idea what was to happen that afternoon, right after she had returned from school with Tsukasa. While she would usually see her mother help her take care of the sunflowers, maybe even make some dinner for them or perhaps call her or her brother to help, this time was different.
Even if the mere warmth of the scent of boiling soup in a pot wafted and brought her to her senses after a tiring walk home, something within the atmosphere didn't feel right. It really was different from each and every expectation she had in mind when she set foot in her house that day.
"Why, welcome home, Tsukasa, Saki. I've prepared s–"
A startling noise rattled even the sturdiest parts of the house, followed by a guttural sound of another's coughing as she heard something, maybe even someone, fall down, somewhere in the kitchen.
"M-Mom?"
However, her mother didn't respond. Instead, the coughing grew louder, now accompanied by painful wheezes that left the lady's body. Forcefully making her way out of the kitchen, she appeared before Saki's gaze, a hand covering her bleeding mouth. Crimson stains tainting her fingers, dripping to meet the cold, hard surface of the floor.
"Mom? Mom!"
One last cough before she fell on her knees, relying on her children so to help her rest herself on her bed. Breaths raggedy as her eyes blurred themselves with a teary sight, her body shaking slowly. It was clear that their mother was unable to take another coughing fit.
Fortunately, somewhere inside the house was a bottle of medicine. One that could cure whatever disease she had, perhaps even what was going on with her throat. All they need to do now was to let her rest and slumber, take care of her and feed her enough to sustain her appetite.
But such was not how things went.
How Saki remembered it all, was that her mother's illness grew worse and worse, overwhelming both her and Tsukasa at that time. Even if they tried their best to take care of her with Shizuku and Shiho's help, there was no use. Countless prescription bottles for that illness she harbored lay atop the floor of the house, being there were the woman's children and her slumbering self in a barely conscious state.
Her mother could barely breathe.
Saki didn't know what to do, and so did Shiho herself.
No one knew how they were supposed to act.
That was the only thing she vividly remembered of the day her mother soon joined her father in their eternal rest. That and the sound of weeping within the room, the four of them murmuring their condolences at one another before their mother's unmoving body.
After taking medications for months, she, regardless of their efforts, passed away.
Seeing such a sight unfold before everyone's very eyes, Tsukasa remained silent, an empty, vague look in his once starry eyes. That young boy has been holding hundreds, thousands, no, millions of unshed tears behind his smile.
And that day was truly the day he could finally let it all out.
Upon seeing him bury his face between his mother's clothing folds, Shizuku reached out to his shaking form, lightly patting his back as few drops of tears soon fell upon her face as well, a sign that she did, in fact, feel sympathetic over the loss of the boy's mother.
Meanwhile, the young girls sat behind the two, beside the futon. Saki sniffled, grasping Shiho's hand tightly. First was her father, and now... her mother?
Isn't this terrible world too cruel on them? Perhaps those were but the wrongdoings of the hand of fate?
"Shiho-chan," she gulped. "I... can't take it anymore. Please, don't go..."
The girl's voice shook so greatly, as if her heart was put solely into her words and sayings that moment. Only the ticking sound of the clock followed along her silent cries as she embraced the gray-haired young lady, eyes wet with the tears she were yet to set free from their confines.
Saki never wanted to be alone. Despite all those times of seeing the other push herself away from her side, she was never, ever tired of her company. Not even when she promised to witness the day their sunflowers grow before their eyes. She wants to be with her until the moment her story ends. But of course, fate won't even grant that simple, yet selfish desire of hers.
"... Saki."
Eyes widening in surprise, she then turned to her dearest, surprised of what she uttered. The first time she called Saki with such a serious tone.
"Yes?"
"No matter what happens," she whispered, inching herself closer so to observe the other's features. "I'll always care for you. You know that, right?"
A broken sob before her, now resounding so clearly in the younger's ears as she watched her friend cry upon her shoulder once again, tears staining the white fabric of her button-up top. That same feeling of hopelessness tainted her heart, the desperation for someone to stay by her side until the day she dies. Deep down, she knew that her brother would eventually part ways with her as well.
Such was what led her to believe that Shiho, maybe even Shizuku, will be the only one left to comfort her during the darkest of days and the gloomiest of nights.
Little did she know, Shiho was also one to harbor the very same fate.
It has been such a long time since anyone has heard of her parents' being. For now, only Shizuku was there to take care of her at home, not too dissimilar with this current situation of Tsukasa and Saki.
Well, that doesn't matter now.
The only thing that matters is Saki's comfort for the time being.
Now, as the gears in her mind turned so to play out another fragment of her memories, what she 'witnessed' was no longer the day she lost her father, her mother, nor Tsukasa. The blonde boy, along with Shiho's sister, had said goodbye to both her and her childhood friend a few months before this time took place, leaving her alone with Shiho and no one else.
That day, however, still harbored the ominous aura within, not too dissimilar to the other ones she have immersed herself into a few moments ago.
The feeling of dread.
As if another terrible predicament awaited either of them on that fateful moment.
What she first remembered was the sight of a certain gray-haired friend of hers, standing so tall upon the sunflowers before her eyes. The same white fabric adorned her now taller form, the pureness of it shining so brightly beneath the sunkissed skies. The lady's hair, that seemed to thicken and grow a little longer than how she last saw her with her short strands in her childhood, flowed messily all around, framing the edges of her face. How it reached down to her shoulders, loosely tied in a low ponytail, with one side dyed by a brighter shade of light, a single strand softly touching her cheek as she smiled so gently upon the golden blooms.
Gazing into them with fond memories engraved in mind was Shiho, kindly laying her lips upon a large leaf that sprouted from one of the frail blossoms.
And how fine she looked beneath the morning's dawn was truly a sight to behold before Saki's gaze.
As if such a vision could never be forgotten.
Even if Saki could only see her from afar, until this very day, she could still capture the beauty she witnessed that day so vividly in her mind. An image of Shiho laughing to herself so faintly beneath the wind, fluttering a light kiss upon the flowers.
What she didn't really pay attention to, however, was something more crucial to that memory than her own fascinating appearance in Saki's eyes.
"Dear Mr. Sunflower," she uttered out, smiling ever so slightly. "Apologies for not being able to fulfill my promise to Saki."
A brief silence, filled by the chirping of the birds and the buzzing of the cicadas.
"But... please, watch over her for me, alright?"
Now, what was laid bare in front of her was the sound of a steam whistle's call, alerting everyone in the station of a train's arrival. One that she was expecting to see along with Shiho, by the sounds of it. The time of their inevitable parting draws near, the younger's greenish-brown uniform moving about in the wind as the train settled to a slow standstill before them.
And that, was when her heart skipped a beat as she watched her dear friend set foot on the train without hesitation in her little heart.
Why did she look so sure about whatever the hell she's doing?
"Well, I guess this is farewell, Saki," she chuckled, adjusting her hat. "Oh, and give my regards to–"
A frail hand then gripped at her sleeve with all its might. A pleading look before her viridescent eyes.
"... Don't go."
A surprised look carved itself upon her face, a faint smile following right after her trembling voice faded away in the wind. The girl's chortle then wafted around her ears, as if trying to quell the other's tears despite the bitter feeling infesting itself on both of their hearts. A sole attempt so to comfort Saki on their last moment together, to say the least. Even if Shiho wished to meet Saki again one day, deep down, in the depths of her heart, she knew, that such a selfish desire will never come true by the gods' will.
"Saki," she said once more. "Don't hold onto me like this. I... I have to leave soon."
No response.
Seeing such an expression, all she could do is give a forced smile, gently stroking Saki's hand as she did so. Hastily wiping her own tears away, Shiho then took a deep breath, shepherding the girl's hand towards the air as she slowly walked into the train's cabin.
"I'll see you again soon, hopefully," she cooed, laughing with a soft gaze of her own. "But... I beg of you, Saki, please, don't cry."
For the last time, the taller's hand snuck itself upon the other's cheek, wiping away the small drops of tears that tainted her face with all its purity.
"At least, in the very end, send me off with those flowers of smiles, alright?"
Her last words uttered to her, bringing yet another tearful gaze upon the blonde's face. A soft sniffle was then heard in the soldier's ears, before the train then rolled out from the station's main hall, leaving Saki behind in the lonely building.
Even if countless people passed around her, walking left and right, chattering beside her and behind her back, eating and drinking such tasteful dishes and snacks with their appetizing smell, none of it mattered to her. Never has she felt so empty before. The hole in her heart that has been carved from those old days, now growing bigger and bigger with every teardrop that fell onto the ground with each sob.
Those joyful days with Shiho finally came to an end.
Her friend, her dearest, her beloved, finally came to leave this town. Perhaps it wouldn't even take long for her to depart from this world as well, joining both her and Saki's family in the end.
She knows that. She really does.
But if that's so, what is there left to do other than lament the inevitable? What else could she do than to cry about it all? To weep over those who have gone, the gaping hole in her chest making her feel as though there is no one to accompany her until the day her story really ends, other than the memories left from her dear ones.
If she knows that, then... why did her chest hurt so much?
As if an endless stream of hopelessness is filling it up, consuming everything that she holds dear. Her parents, her brother, and lastly, Shiho.
Her dear friend. Maybe even something more.
Someone she had feelings for, this entire time. All these years, she grew up only to believe the bond between them both was but a warm relationship between what would seem to be friends. Nothing like one that involved of selfish feelings and the desire to stay by one another's side, right?
Well, it seems that she had lied to herself all along.
At that point, she realized that feeling really was, indeed, love. Yes, that kind of love. One that truly was a waltz of emotions. Warmth, desire, selfishness, and not to be omitted, desperation. How did she just find out about such a feeling, right after her beloved left her in this train station of sorts?
And to make things worse, Shiho... was the first and only person who made her feel this way. Her one and only. How ignorant could she be so to notice this just now?
Regardless, her heart ached even more, knowing that the person she longed for in her heart might've not thought of her in that way. How foolish. As if this was but a late confession of love, unknown if it's accepted by the one she confessed to or declined by that same certain one. A pathetic, weak girl, afraid to face her own emotions yet to get lost in another.
Her last smile, however, was enough to warm her heart. And those words from earlier...
"Apologies for not being able to fulfill my promise to Saki. But... please, watch over her for me, alright?"
There was another sentence she couldn't catch last time, a fragment of her sayings that she didn't manage to hear.
"After all, it would be nice if someone I really love could still be happy, thanks to you... even if I am not with them anymore, don't you think?"
A soft sob finally emitted from her as she buried her face in her hands, watery eyes soaking even the driest skin of her palm. Deep in her heart, she shouted, "Don't die, don't leave me behind! Please, just stay right here!"
But what's the use?
She wouldn't even be able to give her a gift of parting regrets. Those sunflowers are now only for her to enjoy. Only for her to look at. Only for her to watch grow. Only for the everlasting rain to hit, along with her frail figure beneath the clouds' shade.
And so, as the neverending rain pours over them both, she continues to wait, even until now. Even if no one was there to accompany her for the rest of her life besides her memories with Shiho and everyone else in her life, she'll wait. Even if a letter in a magnificent rose red color reached her doorstep, she'll do nothing else but to wait.
To wait for the day they can see each other again.
To wait for the day they can laugh and smile again.
And lastly, to await a day where her feelings are finally laid bare, a truthful confession before Shiho herself.
Will that day ever come, though?
For now, she can only wish, endlessly gazing at the stars she and her dear friend used to watch with such intent back in their younger days.
As if praying for the gods to hear her wish, from deep inside her heart.
Now that she has been alerted by the summer's breeze out of her hazy trance of memories on this very present day, the sunflowers bloom, and she gently embraces them in her arms, letting her face rest upon one of their leaves, not in a too dissimilar manner compared to how Shiho did so back then.
"Let us be reborn with the same memories we once had. The same feelings that ever belonged to, Shiho-chan."
And so, beneath the fallen soldier's gaze from above, she smiled, a familiar warmth enveloping her heart once again.