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𝟺 𝙳𝙰𝚈𝚂 𝙱𝙴𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙴
───── ◦'𖥸'◦ ─────
orange skies with tinted, wispy clouds hung over kohana and keiji as they sat on the pier, letting their calves down float in the glistening water. the small girl was tired; more so today than previously. this was also visible to keiji. her skin was evidently a shade of grey, abnormal as it may sound. since the last time they saw each other two days ago, her eyes had grown somewhat heavier.
for once, she looked fully flat. she was so derived from energy that even keiji looked brighter than her.
he was hopeful. hopeful that these last four days of her unfortunate cut short life would be memorable, a send off that would be enjoyed by the both of them. it was inevitable, and the least he could do was, on the upcoming 'last day', was show his gratitude for her, even if he could only do that a small amount.
zeus had demoted kohana; from a goddess to a mere mortal, a civilian. without her former power, it was clear that the two's symphony was coming to an end.
she looked down at the shimmering water. ripples of the liquid surrounded her thin calves and she felt her toes and the soles of her feet pruning up. childishly, she took herself out of the water and walked away, taking keiji by surprise, only for her to run back and jump into the water. she may have had clothes on but she didn't care...
she felt free.
sighing, keiji watched her as she laughed at the small thrill she'd felt. he no longer saw her as a goddess, he saw her for what she was; a teenage girl who loves desserts, who loves nothing more than to see people happy. however, aphrodite's curse still loomed over the two of them - but at this moment, neither of them cared. they were more than happy to take it as it were given to them.
following suit, he slowly lowered himself into the water and began to enjoy himself, too. it was cold, yet the warmth he felt from seeing her joy allowed him to quickly adapt to the sudden drop in temperature. he understood the feeling of freedom that the girl before him was showing. a feeling of ecstasy, on par with hers, coursed through him. for the first time in a long time, he let himself act his age, with no other concerns.
*
after a while they sat out of the water again, on the edge of the pier. the sun had almost set over the horizon, the twilight sky nearing.
she gently rested her now weary head onto keiji's shoulder. she didn't realise how much exhaustion she'd put her body under due to the swimming. she didn't regret it, though.
she felt at home. for as long as she was with him, he was her home. he felt comforted, too. just like people would have a safe place, she was his safe person.
he tilts his head down to look at the drowsy girl resting on him. she looked calm, what he failed to notice, however, was the glossy sheen of tears that coated her eyes, threatening to escape. she didn't know if it was anguish or a sense of relief.
meaningfully, he softly said, loud enough that she was able to hear,
"i love you."
tears fell. all at once, her world came crashing down upon her. those words... were all she needed to hear.
4 DĀŶŚ BËFØRĖ
her head became extremely heavy, and she could no longer lift it off keiji's shoulder. her eyes closed, and they were too tired to open again. a couple more tears ran down her face, and they stopped when she heard keiji hum a small tune above her.
kohana barely whispered,
"thank you so much. for everything."
she curled up the corners of her mouth to form a slight smile, as she listened to the lulling melody keiji crooned.
her hearing began to fade. she knew he was humming at the same volume, yet it was still waning in her ears.
she was dying.
her body was elevating. she felt at peace. her journey had come to an end.
no.
she had so many things she wanted to tell him. she wanted to watch him play volleyball one more time. she wanted to change her fate. she wanted to be with him.
but when she opened her eyes, all she saw was white.
