Shinya

Nothing

"I don't believe it, we've been out here all day and there's nothing here, NO one here." I said slumping against a tree.

"There've been birds," Saiga said winded from beside me, "I am definitely not as young as I used to be."

"Those birds were too skinny to provide us with any meat, they would've frozen to death if we didn't take them out of their misery." I said wiping my exposed face before covering it with a scarf after.

"You're angry when you're hungry," He said, "now lets go before it gets dark."

"Lets, is like to eat something as well. Maybe they have rice and some water." I said beginning to run back to the building peeping out of the mountain.

"They must've made the medical facility inside the mountain, meaning Shinya's in there somewhere." I thought to myself, keeping my eyes straight forward.

"Strict diet, Akane?" Saiga said next to me.

"No, the only thing sacred to the culture we came from, well, what it was before sibyl disrupted it." I said continuing running.

"As you say." He said. We reached the building within. A half hour of a steady jog through the light snow with snow shoes on.

""Home sweet home." Saiga said from beside me, I rolled my eyes.

"This is not home, Saiga, we may be far away from Sybil but we're not safe." I said leaning against the door falling in onto my side.

"We are safe once we trust these people," He said helping me up, "after all, they are taking care of the man you're in love with." I huffed an agreeing sigh.

"What about you?" I asked as he help me up. Saiga looked at me funny.

"What about me?" He asked taking his jacket off and assisting with mine.

"Have you ever been in love?" I unbuckled the snow pants and watched his frozen body stare at the wall.

"Once." He said turning around to face me.

"What happened?" I asked leaning against the stairwell.

"He died." He was quiet. I saw pain flash, magnified by his glasses, through both eyes.

"How?" I couldn't stop myself from asking him that.

"Suicide, Akane. I watched him as he fell from the ceiling of the radio tower smashing into the hard glass floor, shattering the top portion. I could've saved him but my damn legs didn't move." He slid down the wall nestling his head in his hand. Silence passed before I said something.

"I'll go make your coffee." I said stepping on the bottom step.

"I will never fall in love again, not after Mushiko, I couldn't and I haven't though about loving anyone else but him." He said watching my back as I stood there facing the other way.

"Come relax, Mr Saiga, ill have your dinner ready within the hour." I bowed respectfully to him and continued.

"I could never love anyone more than Shinya, but what's different is that he's still alive... Maybe." I thought.