Under Nagano

Part 2

<Author's note: I decided to come out with the pt. 2 today cause why not 🤷‍♀️I hope you're liking the story so far and I apologize if it sounds like there is some repetition in this chapter. Also, Nikko is a poet, not me so don't come at me lmao>

Amidst the shadows of his decaying reality, Nikko found solace in the realm of art. With trembling hands, he would grasp a paintbrush or a pencil, pouring his heart and soul onto the canvas or paper before him. His artwork became an outlet for his emotions, a desperate attempt to immortalize the love he had lost and the love he yearned for.

In each stroke of vibrant color or delicate line, Nikko captured the essence of Hoshi's beauty and Yami's gentle spirit. His creations were both haunting and poignant, a visual representation of his tangled emotions. With each finished piece, he would step back, his eyes tracing the contours and details, as if searching for answers within his own creations.

But even as Nikko poured his heartache into his art, the darkness that consumed him showed no signs of lifting. His poems, while achingly beautiful, were filled with melancholic verses and tear-stained pages. They spoke of longing, of aching for a touch that seemed perpetually out of reach. Each word was a bittersweet melody that echoed in his soul, yet lost in silence.

And so, the walls of Nikko's apartment became a gallery of his shattered dreams. Portraits of Hoshi and Yami covered the once dull wall, their luminescent gazes forever frozen in time. Their faces, a haunting reminder of what was and what could have been, whispered in Nikko's ear with every passing moment.

In this shrine to lost love, Nikko retreated further into his own isolation. He would sit amidst the sea of ink and paint, surrounded by forgotten brushes and crumbling canvases, searching for solace in the reflection of his own heartbreak. The fragility of his mind mirrored in the cracked and faded faces staring back at him from the walls.

But amidst the darkness, a glimmer of hope began to flicker. Through the haze of delusions and despair, Nikko started toying with the idea that perhaps this enchanting vision of Hoshi was more than just a figment of his imagination. What if, in this unpredictable world, love's tapestry could stretch beyond the boundaries of what he considered real?

The notion expanded within him, growing like a tiny seed battling against the odds. Hope, fragile yet resilient, pushed its way through the crevices of his fractured mind. Nikko found himself daring to venture beyond the confines of his waning sanity, seeking answers.

Every night since Yami passed, Nikko has had horrible nightmares. Especially ones about the freak accident. He would wake up frequently throughout the night drenched in sweat and tears in a panic, until he looked over at the wall that was covered in his paintings and drawings and poems of Hoshi. He would stare at and admire it until he calmed down and laid back in bed, partially awake until the morning. But, on this particular night, his usual routine was interrupted.

In the depths of Nikko's troubled sleep, a dream unfolded. The tendrils of his subconscious wove a tapestry, leading him to a vast, black abyss. As he stood alone, a void stretched out before him, swallowing the light and drowning his senses in an eerie silence.

A phantom breeze whispered through the emptiness, carrying with it a peculiar illumination. A gentle, warm glow emerged, flickering in the dark expanse. It danced and swirled, casting radiant shadows upon Nikko's trembling form.

Slowly from within the luminosity emerged a vision too perfect to be real. Hoshi materialized before him, his celestial beauty captivating his fragile heart. The light caressed his ethereal features, his eyes radiant with a comforting warmth. In his touch, he felt a thousand whispers of solace, as if gravity had ceased its hold on his troubled soul.

Before Nikko could find the words to speak, Hoshi tenderly cupped his face and gazed into his eyes. A promise hung in the air as he whispered, "Wait for me. I promise I'll be back." His voice, like the softest melody, resonated with a profound certainty.

Nikko's heart, both shattered and mended by Hoshi's presence, yearned for his return. But as quickly as he appeared, his luminescent form transformed into the warm glow once again, fading away into the consuming darkness. The abyss swallowed his essence, leaving Nikko standing alone, his heart torn between hope and uncertainty.

Awakening from this surreal encounter, Nikko found himself drenched in a cocktail of emotions - renewed hope, aching longing, and the weight of a promise that hung like a delicate thread. The dream etched deep within his wounded soul, imprinting the belief that there may be more to his reality than meets the eye.

With newfound determination, Nikko clung to the memory of Hoshi's gentle touch and his whispered words. He resolved to hold onto hope, waiting patiently for the day when their paths would intertwine once more. In the meantime, he would channel his emotions into his artwork, weaving a tapestry of love and resilience, keeping the promise alive within each word and brushstroke.

"What am I going to do in this life? How do I find Hoshi again? Why can't I figure out the words to express how much I miss them both?" Nikko mumbles to himself quietly while trying to write one of his many poems about Yami and Hoshi.

"In the depths of despair, a light did shine,

A boy so mysterious, so undeniably divine."

Clutching his head in frustration, surrounded by piles of paper in his dark and lonely room, only illuminated by one small desk light, Nikko reads and tries to write a poem over and over again.

"Ahh.. I don't know what to put next. I'm too tired for this."

"In shadows, my heart, you slipped away too soon,

Departed in the hush of a fleeting afternoon.

Echoes of your laughter linger in the quiet spaces,

Yet the ache of your absence remains, unshaken.

You appeared gentle like a distant light,

Guiding me through my darkest night.

But as swiftly as you arrived, you were gone,

Leaving behind a yearning that lingers on.

How do I articulate this profound void?

How do I voice the emptiness that is devoid?

Words falter, and the pain persists,

Yet a fragile hope persists, amid the mist."

As Nikko writes, he gets increasingly frustrated at his own words as his emotions become overwhelming. He breaks down, squeezing his pencil until it breaks as his tears fall on the paper, blurring some of the words.

"Why is it so hard to put my feelings into words? I miss Yami with all my being, and Hoshi... Hoshi, where are you? Should I still believe you'll come back to me somehow?"

He struggles to take deep breaths as he tries to calm down.

"No matter the answer, I will find my own solace in these written words...

Yami, my dearest friend and lover, I will immortalize your memory through my words. Every stroke of my pen will be a tribute to your vibrant spirit and the love we shared. And Hoshi, my savior, I will write to call you back to me.."

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