Will Always (NorthNight) ON HOLD

Chapter 1

North's field of vision was  blur. However, his other senses might be somewhat working because even if he stood there without any glasses to filter out his vision, he could still tell the cool breeze brushing up his arms in gentle touch.

This is a dream North tightly shut his eyes. His fists clenched as hard as he could to the point he could feel his cleanly trimmed nails digging onto his flesh tearing apart the security of his skin. The liquid that comes out of the injury felt warm as it seeped out. No pain. This is a dream

North wants to wake up. So he tried to force himself to his consciousness. Why wasn't he waking up? Why is he still here again and again?

Wake up before it starts! North tells himself again and again. This is a dream, but it hasn't started yet. This is the tranquil before the storm, all too familiar with North but despite all the experiences, his heart can never be prepared.

Ah! Suddenly, North felt his fists loosening. All his strength was diminishing. His eyes, although he didn't want to, slowly opened and the knots of his brows came undone. All because of the warm grip that was holding his wrists.

His bleeding hands were brought up to his chest and turned around. North stared onto those huge eyes that glistened like a pair of marbles, yet the way it softened made it look all melted. Those lips that seemed to be dry from the wind moved simultaneously.

North frowned. The person in front of him seemed to be talking about something or should he say... shouting.... Yet he couldn't make out what it is. He felt the warm breath hit his skin so he knew that the person was speaking. So why wasn't he hearing a thing?

He stood there dazed as his eyes stared at the person frantically bandaging his wound with a piece of cloth that seemed to be torn out of a shirt. The person in front of him still frantically shouted. Yet to North, he didn't feel no pain, nor did he hear anything

North could only watch as the person tied a knot on the bandage and secured it tightly around his palms. A pair of dark shaded eyes looked up to him again and those lips formed opened to say something. This time, North decided to focus on the lips instead.

With his eyes stressed and his mind completely focused, he still couldn't make out most of it. The boy spoke so fast that all he understood was a word said in the end. A word that was not of thai origin but could easily be understood. An English word that seemed too common so it wasn't unfamiliar. Heart.

The person let go of his hands. Then his own hands raised to form a series of signs. Something that North had only seen in a documentary. The Sign language

Although he had only watched a single documentary about it, North had never really paid attention to the details. Was his brain so amazing or was it because this was a dream, but despite claiming not to be well versed, his eyes could read each of those movements naturally

"Why did you hurt yourself? What were you thinking?" The boy signed frantically. His mouth scrunched up and brows furrowed. "Tell me! Does it hurt? Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Now North felt a bit guilty. He was simply trying to wake himself up because he was anticipating a terrible dream. Was he to know that it would be the person in front of him tearing up in worry, he wouldn't have done it.

North's bandaged arms suddenly felt an urge to move. His hands went up to cup the wet cheeks that had streams of tears down the dry skin. His thumbs softly caressed the apple shaded fruits that were sunken because he was too thin. It made North frown in worry.

"Night....Why did you become so thin?" Suddenly, out of no where, North found his voice and with a big pop, his ears seemed to have opened. Even a silent gush of wind that hit his ears seemed too loud without adjusting to the sudden retrieval of his hearing. North tightly closed his eyes to suppress the impact

When his eyes opened again, it was met with huge eyes staring at him with astonishment. North was surprised himself. As if those huge round eyes weren't big enough, it had stretched bigger now. North curiously raised his eyes brows and kindly smiled at the person in front of him

Night seemed to be thinking something before he took big gulps. He licked his lips that were dry and white, coloring them back into a light tint of pink. His next words were not clearly audible to North's ears. Yet those words made his world completely spin

"Heart.....Who is Night? I'm Li Ming."

North was taken aback. Who is Heart? Who is Li Ming?

"What are you talking about? You are Night. Who is Li Ming?"

The person who claimed to be Li Ming didn't answer him. North grabbed both of his arms and gently shook him. The boy didn't speak, his eyes sadly shed swollen tears as his lips trembled every time he looked up at him.

This is a dream! This is a dream! Why does it feel so real? Damn it! North didn't know why he was getting so worked up! Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it were those glistening tears that looked sinfully pretty on him. Or maybe it was this burning feeling that was rising from within him.

The boy who had an awful resemblance to Night smiled softly at him. His eyes searched everywhere in his face and the sadness in every movement his pupils made was unbearable for North to see.

"You...." He softly mumbled as he slowly caressed North's face, from his cheeks, his lips, his eyelids to his nose tip, the long fingers gently traced every details "......so you are not Heart?"

North let go of the trembling figure that was relentlessly sobbing. His heart screamed so much to go and embrace him. Yet his body did not move a bit.

Those fingertips slowly left his face and retreated. The soft smile plastered on his face was still gently pressed onto his lips.

"You are not Heart. I am not Night. This....This is not right, this cannot be." He softly whispered but North's hearing was now awfully clear. "North is for Night, Heart is for Li Ming. You should not be here, North. This place is for Heart who belongs to Li Ming. You do not belong here. Go back! Go back to where you should be! To whom you belong!"

"No! Wait!" North ran after the figure that was slowly disappearing. Like an image on water, Li Ming started dissolving in the softness of the meadows painted pink by an unusually warm sunlight. His faint smile still lingered giving unprecedented warmth to North.

North's knees suddenly became weak. He collapsed on the soft grass and his skin hit onto the warmth of the breeze.

After all this is just a dream. 

Yet it still hurt so much. It was as if he was loosing something. North knew what it was but he didn't quite figure it out. He just knew that the immense sadness that welled up in his heart has now drowned him in physical tears.

This is so hard, Night.

"Everything will be all right!" Night had always told him. It was one of those dark nights where not even a star shone upon the sky. Only dark clouds that raged thunders and lights terrorized the darkness. In that darkness North would be subjected to the most terrifying nightmares that would recur even after a smooth coaxing.

In such a night, North simply embraced Night to sleep, his hands gently patting onto his skin. This gave him an effect of calmness no other therapy could give. Night was his serenity. The tranquil to his calamity.

The cool breeze had started to subdue. The world had come to a still. North closed his eyes. He was now waiting. Waiting for all this to end and finally waking up from this dream. Like he always did

"Phi North, you will always have me" It rung on his ears. North will always have Night with him. He had promised him. And when he is assured of such, it always gives him a good Night's sleep