Our Darkest Memories

~ Lost Memory

4 weeks before forgetting

"Blueberries. Blueberries and bananas."

A groan escaped Raiden's lips the moment I gave the answer. "Ah, yes! Blueberries. I would kill for blueberries right now. Or any fresh fruit for that matter."

I was standing opposite a rack full of dried fruits in a store that looked like it was abandoned not too long ago. Raiden's question on what I would consider my favorite food almost made me drool thinking about blueberries.

In the meantime, I was loading my pockets with any of the food that we came across. Finding an almost freshly abandoned store was a gift of life. It meant that there hadn't been too many people before us and that meant that there was still plenty of goods to steal from the well-filled shelves. It also meant that there was a bigger chance of finding luxurious items. I previously found a real leather jacket my size - something that you don't just get from every store you stop by - and was now proudly wearing it.

Blaze was still on the other side of the grand shop grabbing anything that could be useful in the future. Raiden and I had assigned ourselves as 'the food masters'. We were checking out all the expiration dates on cans of food while shoving them in our pockets.

The atmosphere between us was good. I had been thinking about Raiden more and more the past week, trying to figure out what I was feeling for him and what that would mean. I wasn't sure if I had come to an answer yet. But, Raiden was patient and didn't expect anything from me, which made me feel relaxed. We had picked up our daily teasing again and everything was going well.

"Hey Tarzan, how do you feel about tomato sauce?" I held up a can with a label saying that it contained tomato sauce with chunks. "It's not exactly fresh fruit, but tomatoes are technically a fruit. Some might even say that tomato sauce is a smoothie."

I threw the can at him and he caught it effortlessly, after which he studied the label. His nose wrinkled. "Sadly, it's expired. Besides, anyone who thinks that should go to prison."

"That's a bit harsh, even for you. It's true, though. It's a smoothie."

"No it's not!" he laughed.

Even though I agreed with him, I didn't admit it even if it was just to contradict him. Only doing this to get a reaction out of him, I shrugged my shoulders. "It is. What else would it be?"

He pointed his finger straight to the label. "It's a sauce. Sauce. It literally says so on the can."

"Okay, yes, but that's because tomatoes are misunderstood."

A desperate sigh escaped his lips but I could see that he had difficulty suppressing his laugh. "That's not even-"

He stopped halfway and his smile faded while he cocked his head sideways. Putting the can with tomato sauce down on the shelf, he walked towards the ending of the aisle and peeked behind it. His head quickly pulled back and he started to sneak back. However, he didn't stop when he passed me but instead grabbed my wrist and dragged me with him through two aisles.

"Raiden?" I questioned, making my voice the only audible sound in the whole store.

He pushed me against the rack we were positioned in front of and stood close in front of me, motioning me to be quiet. His index finger was placed against his lips while he glanced around, trying to catch a glimpse of Blaze.

"What is going on?" I whispered.

He finally looked down at me and pointed to the entrance that was behind the row of cash registers a few steps away from us. "Someone is here."