╭──── FIVE ; out your window
THE MOMENT MIZUKI OPENED HER eyes, it was already dark and she was already laid on her bed. She tried to recall the events of earlier, but the feeling of her eyes being heavy reminded her of what happened.
Rosella, the mother she loved so much, was dead. She died, and she jus received the news that day. She couldn't breathe earlier and then passed out, the private doctor probably checked up on her while she was unconscious, that's why she was already on her bed.
It happened way too many times— her passing out and waking up on her bed— that she did not even feel surprised anymore. Having a weak body was something she had gotten used to since she was young.
Mizuki peeled the blanket off of her body, stretching as she reminded herself of her grandmother's letter earlier. It made her want to be more fluent in her mother's language, now that she had a connection to her mother's family in the Philippines.
"Speaking of family, I wonder if Akihiro-san is still here?" Mizuki asked herself, about to step out of her bed and check outside her room until she heard something hitting her bedroom window.
Widening her eyes, she cautiously went towards the window and took a pillow from her bed on the way. Her fingers were shaking from fear, did somebody get inside their residence?! Where were the butlers?
Mizuki hurriedly opened the door, and she was surprised when a rock almost hit her if she had not been able to dodge it. The girl then furrowed her brows and looked down, seeing that her bedroom was on the second floor of her home.
"You finally appeared," she heard a familiar voice say, making the girl widen her eyes.
There, looking up to her from the ground, was Baji Keisuke. He had a tired expression across his face, but his smile felt like home to Mizuki. It was the most comforting feeling she felt that day— seeing him smile up at her.
"I'm sorry, why didn't you just knock on the door, Keisuke? The maids and butlers know you. They could have let you stay on the living room or let you come in my room and visit me," Mizuki asked, her voice loud so that Baji could hear her from below.
However, he placed his index finger against his lips as if telling her to lower down her voice. But why? It wasn't like he was an unwanted guest. Everyone inside the mansion knew they were best friends, and that Baji Keisuke visited her regularly.
"Hey, tone down your voice. I snuck in. They wouldn't let me in earlier," Baji whispered, and then he started climbing up the tree that was near the window.
Although near the window, the tree he was climbing wasn't close enough to actually be a helping hand for sneaking inside the girl's room. Although he would have wanted to just jump forwards and sneak in, Baji respected the girl's privacy— it was her room after all. Her room was different from the living room, or any room inside the mansion.
Mizuki just watched him climb up, but with a worried expression across her face. It wasn't like she didn't trust he could climb, she was just worried he might slip in case there was a weak branch he managed to step on. The young male only smirked, seeing her look so worried. He had the urge to feign his fall and laugh at her afterwards, but he refrained from doing so because he realized that it might actually affect her breathing problems.
When he finally settled down on a thick branch, he faced the window and gave the girl a smile.
"I guess I'm an unwanted guest starting today," Baji started, "Did you get in trouble that they punished you and didn't allow you to meet with me? Did something happen?"
With his questions, Mizuki's worried smile faded away into a frown. Once again, she was reminded of what the situation was. Her eyes felt like they were stinging, but this time she held back her tears. She cried enough that day, she didn't want to mope around for too long. After all, Rosella told her to be strong even in times of feeling down.
At first, Rosella's words confused her. What did she mean by staying strong? Did it mean she had to fake a smile? She thought that Rosella, for the first time during their conversations, was wrong. Mizuki thought that 'staying strong' was even tougher, putting up a smile that was fake as hell, and it would punch you right back in the end.
After recalling Rosella's death, the girl realized what her mum truly meant. Being strong meant that you didn't have to fake a smile, it meant something else. To be strong was to cry, then wipe them right after and let the situation be a motivation to become stronger or be a lesson learned.
"Hey, you look constipated. What's that look for?" Baji's question woke Mizuki up from her thoughts, thus making her focus back on him and their conversation.
"I learned today that my mum died," Mizuki started, gripping on the window sill. "Maybe they wouldn't let you in earlier because my supposed father came to deliver the message to me, and let me know we could live together from now on."
Baji's brows furrowed in both concern and confusion. He thought, it must have been hard for Mizuki to accept, seeing how red and puffy her eyes seemed to be. Knowing the girl, however, he knew that she would be strong enough to overcome the sadness that came with the passing of a loved one.
"Sorry for your loss," he said, looking down. He wanted to give the girl a hug, but the distance between them kept them far away from each other.
"Mama was a good woman," she muttered, but it was loud enough for the both of them to hear.
"She sure is. You've told me stories about her, and how she taught you that one language so you could keep contact with each other. You'll grow into someone like her, too, Mizuki. I know it," Baji said, a gentle smile now on his face.
Now, the first division members of Toman would be told they're hallucinating if they said their captain smiled ever so gently, but for Mizuki, Baji Keisuke felt like he could be as calm and soft as he could. With her presence, he felt comfort and home. How could he not be so attached to the girl, if she was so brilliant and amazing in his eyes?
"You think so?" The brunette asked, a small smile plastering itself on her lips.
"I know so."
"Hey, who's there on the tree? Show yourself!"
Widening their eyes, both Baji and Mizuki were alarmed at the sound of a butler yelling. Soon, the light of a flashlight came into view which made the two teens panic even more.
"Kei, go!" Mizuki whisper-yelled, so Baji blinked rapidly and nodded his head in approval.
"I'll come sneak in again tomorrow. Wait for me, okay? While we're at it, teach me Filipino again,"
And after those words left his mouth, Baji Keisuke disappeared into the night but never in the thoughts of the young lady of the Fujisaki clan. Her thoughts of him, they were never ending even as she fell into a deep slumber.
I'll be right outside your window again tomorrow, Mizuki, Baji thought as he jumped off of the tall walls and landed quite wobbly on the street. Wait for me.
╭──── paalam.
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╭──── paalam 【 baji keisuke 】 DISCONTINUED
Fanfiction"paalam. it means farewell." fujisaki mizuki had been weak for as long as she could remember. she lived in a huge house, had a lot of money, but she could never bring herself to be happy knowing that after she was born- her parents left her and neve...