Sunsets & Hauntings

Dreams and sunstes

'Sunsets are beautiful'.

'Not as beautiful as you'.

The words made their way out of Ichiro's mouth without him realising. Why had he said that? Yamato and Ichiro held onto the railing, overlooking the greenery of the countryside, silence filling the space between them. Ichiro looked at his childhood friend. Yamato had always been good looking. He had moved from the heart of the city to the outskirts, for his health. The air was cleaner around the countryside. Yamato caused quite a commotion among the girls in their class, for a mid-term transferrer from the big city was, of course, not common. When Yamato introduced himself to the class after writing his name on the whiteboard, Ichiro couldn't help falling into his russet brown eyes, and for a split second, their eyes met. but who would have guessed that they would end up being the best of friends?

 Ichiro couldn't help but feel lucky. He had never had a friend like Yamato. He was exactly what Ichiro needed in his life; someone who would go eat ice-cream with him, someone who he could talk about things freely, without being judged or misuderstood, someone he could have a good time with. But, years after their first encounter, Ichiro felt something else towards his friends, and hated himself for it. He remembered ,with full clarity,  the night he had realized this; he was sitting on his desk, reading one of the new books he had gotten for his birthday. The thought of Yamato's smile had gently drifted in his mind, like a leaf falling far from the tree in autumn. 

But now, having him so close, in such a stereotypically romantic place felt somewhat unreal. All the memories of the times they spent together were rushing around Ichiro's mind. Yamato met his gaze, his face puzzled and his look reflecting pure bewilderment.  

' I'm very sorry, I shouldn't have said that', said Ichiro looking away, his face pink with embarrassment.

'No, it's okay, I guess', said Yamako, running a hand across his head, messing up his already dark, messy hair. 'I'm just not used to... well, you complementing me, you know?', he added.

Ichiro nodded.  Should he say something else? "Hey let me take you out for dinner"? "Let's take a walk"? Anything to get him out of the awkward situation. But, goodness, was he surprised when Yamato spoke.

'You're also beautiful, my friend', he said, through a slight chuckle. He put his hand on Ichiro's and gave it a slight squeeze. Ichiro's heart was beating against his chest. This couldn't be real, could it?

And then, all of a sudden, their faces had started to get closer. The sun had gone down, giving way to the moon. Cars suddenly rushed by their side, filling the silence with loud noise and their highlights filling the darkness with light. But all that was nothing but a low buzz in Ichiro's ears, as their noses were nearly touching. 

The loud honk of a car separated them, the light of the truck making Yamato's figure a mere silhouette.

A loud crash made Ichiro's mind go blank. 

And he awoke, gasping and panting.