Chapter Text
I ran and ran through the empty streets of the city. I wiped my tears with my arm, but I never stopped. I knew I was probably lost, but I preferred that over being at home.
My uncle came to the house, and I was afraid he would do something to me. Something always happened when he arrived. I heard him destroying everything in the kitchen. I managed to escape before he could find me, and I ran out of the house without looking back.
I found myself in an empty alley and decided to enter. I leaned against the wall and let myself fall to the ground. I hugged my legs and hid my face between my knees.
My hair was completely disheveled, I was cold and hungry. I had no money and was lost in a place that I wasn't even sure if it was the city where I lived or not. My tears continued to flow, and only a few sobs could be heard.
"Are you okay?" A voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I rubbed my eyes and looked ahead. There was a boy kneeling right in front of me. He had two braids that collected all his blond hair. He had violet eyes and didn't look much older than me.
I nodded in response to his question.
"Are you hungry?" He spoke again.
Before I could answer, my stomach growled.
"Come on, I was just about to go to the store." He offered his hand, and I took it to help me up.
My eyes were swollen and red, and yet he didn't ask anything further, just guided me to the store. I followed him.
We entered, and he walked ahead down the aisles, I suppose he already knew what he was going to buy. He grabbed an instant soup and hid it under his sweater, then continued walking as if nothing had happened.
"If you want something, just let me know."
We passed by the refrigerators, and I pointed to a box of strawberry milk. He took it in his hands and asked if I wanted it, I nodded. This time, he tucked the box into one of the sleeves of his sweater.
We headed towards the exit without going through the checkout, and he just took my hand, and we started running. It was my first time stealing. We ended up going to another store to prepare the instant soup.
The boy put the cup in a microwave and we waited for three minutes. I sat on a stool outside the store and waited for him. He soon came out of the store with his ready soup and sat next to me.
It was quite late, and just as he came out, the store closed, but a few lights were still on. The store signs shone, as well as the street lamps.
"Ran," said the boy, I suppose that was his name.
"Kaori," I replied.
Ran began eating his noodles, and I opened my box of strawberry milk and took a sip. It was very cold.
"Is that strawberry milk?" he asked, and I simply nodded. "Let me try a little."
I watched as he stopped eating his soup and took the box from my hands to take a sip. His eyes widened, he liked it.
"Let's switch." He handed me the cup of noodles he had been eating and took another sip of the milk.
I accepted. I took the soup in my hands and started eating the noodles.
"Did you run away?" Ran asked.
"Sort of. And you?"
"I fought with my brother, so I left home."
"My uncle came today, and something always happens when he's around. I don't like it."
"Are you going back?"
"In the morning, he'll probably be gone by then."
"I can stay with you until then. I'm sure my brother is still mad."
I continued eating the soup, I was very hungry. Ran had put the milk box aside. I got up to throw away the trash but realized there was still some milk left. Ran had left some for me.
I finished throwing everything away and returned to Ran, who looked at me and then got up to walk beside me. I didn't know where we were heading, but it seemed like he knew this place.
"Do you like rivers?" he asked, and I nodded. "There's a very beautiful one nearby."
We walked for a few minutes through the empty streets of the city. We were on a road, but Ran turned right to reach the river he had mentioned. We went down a small hill and sat at the edge of the river. There was an old abandoned bridge above us, crossing from side to side. It was quite large and very beautiful. Below the bridge, there was a wooden hammock that swayed over the water.
The wind hit us, making it feel even colder. I turned to Ran and saw him raising his gaze toward the stars, so I did the same. I clasped my hands together and started rubbing them together; it was very cold. Ran noticed this and didn't hesitate to ask if I was cold. I shook my head, but it was quite obvious that I was cold.
"Here." Ran took off his sweater and gave it to me.
"Aren't you cold?"
"No, don't worry."
Although I was freezing, he seemed to enjoy that cold breeze, so I didn't think twice and put on the sweater. It was quite large, even on Ran, but it was warm and very comfortable.
We stayed there talking and sitting until dawn. I was so tired that my eyes started to close without me realizing it, and I fell asleep, curled up on the grass. Ran stayed by my side, listening to the sound of the water flowing through the narrow river.
At least an hour passed when Ran finally decided to wake me up. The sun had already risen completely; it was past seven in the morning. The boy started shaking my shoulder lightly for me to open my eyes, and I did, covering them instantly; I had been dazzled by the amount of sunlight. Ran laughed at me.
We got up, and he waited for me to walk to my house, but I didn't know where we were or where my house was. Ran noticed this and preferred to think of something else.
"Do you want to go have breakfast? I know a place that sells delicious fruits." I nodded; maybe I was lost, but that didn't take away the fact that I was hungry.
We went out and crossed the road that ran over the river to return to the more crowded area, where all the stores and stalls were located. Ran seemed to know this area almost by heart. He walked, and I just followed.
Ran started looking around and squinted his eyes to see better. When he found what he was looking for, he took me by the wrist and led me to a small fruit stand.
The fruits looked fresh and delicious, and my mouth watered just looking at them. Ran grabbed three bananas, two apples, and a small bag with strawberries and cherries. Then, from his pants pocket, he pulled out a few coins and gave them to the vendor. The vendor thanked him and bid us farewell.
Ran handed me a banana and told me that I could also grab some strawberries and cherries from the bag. I accepted and grabbed a few strawberries and happily ate them.
I explained to him what the street where my house was like, and he quickly located himself. He told me we weren't far from where I lived. And just as he had said, the house wasn't really far; we arrived in less than twenty minutes.
My uncle's car wasn't in front of my house, so I assumed he had already left.
Ran said goodbye to me at the door of my house, and I approached him to give him a tender kiss on the cheek. I saw Ran's cheeks turn completely red, and it made me laugh to see him that way. I thanked him for everything he did for me and went inside my house.
I had insisted on accompanying him to his house, but he told me not to worry, that he knew how to get there on his own. I went up to my room and crawled into my blankets. I was so sleepy that I fell asleep almost instantly after getting into my bed.