Melody of Bonds

Chapter 2

'With the song of moving to the future!' Kizuna Music by Poppin' Party.

'Towards the uncertain future, clenching tight only on premonition.' Daylight by Morfonica.

The lyrics burned in Lily's consciousness.

What would her future be? How could she even hope to have a future if she didn't even have someone she could call a friend besides her brother?

Strolling the park slowly turned into a really bad idea. She hadn't considered she would be fighting against the creeping shadows of her own thoughts.

The blonde man gently probed, switching from Japanese to English, "How's your day at school today?" His voice was tender as if trying to draw out a shy cat.

Lily's gaze fixated on the park trail illuminated by the faint glow of the lampposts. "School's okay," she replied back in English, barely audible.

Sensing her unease, the man steered her towards the first bench he saw.

"Let's take a seat," he suggested.

Quiet rustle of leaves from the wind and distant sound of the city filled when the man began, "Lily, is something bothering you?" The man asked.

Lily wished the man would be at home, to be close to her, to be safe. A question unconsciously formed in her mind to which she blurted, "When are you going back to work?"

The man smiled wistfully. "I don't know. Maybe next month, maybe next week."

Lily's gaze was fixated on her lap when she confessed. " I... don't want you to go away," Her voice wavered. It was barely above a whisper.

"I'll come back as soon as possible." The blonde man, no—her brother assured.

"It's not just that...I worry about you, nii-chan. That something might happen to you when you're on mission."

Sight blurred. Then, droplets of warm tears spilled onto her lap, leaving dark spots on her white dress. Her brother seemed surprised, mirroring her own. All she intended was to share her worries. She didn't mean to cry!

But it made sense.

Scenarios of her brother being captured before meeting a grisly fate during his operation sometimes played in her mind like a nightmare. She watched the news and read on the web on the things people who opposed GDI would do. They were the suppressed thoughts, bubbling up like carbonated drink shaken hard, about to explode.

She inhaled deeply to put the lid back on her emotions. Yet, tears still trickled xown. Her breath hitched, "I'm-I'm sorry for pushing you away. I'm just....I'm just scared of losing you. I don't want to lose you too!"

A pair of comforting arms drew her into a warm side-embrace. Lily turned her body and buried her head into his chest, smelling the familiar vanilla cologne. Cocooned in the familiar physical sensation, her emotions flow further unchecked.

Aiden stroked her head with his free hand.

Gradually, Lily managed herself to subdued sobbing.

The sound of clicking footsteps reached her ears. Lily ignored the noise, not wanting to leave the embraces, but she sensed his brother's head turning towards it.

"Pardon my intrusion." The soft feminine voice sounded familiar. But its owner swiftly retreated from the scene, leaving only the echo of rapidly fading footsteps.

A few moments later, her brother gently guided her to break from the embrace. Holding both her shoulders, he offered a reassuring smile. "Let's head back, okay?"

The consequences of her breakdown began to wash over her, preventing her from looking into her brother's eyes. A small, defeated nod was all she could manage. Aiden reached out with a gentle hand, his touch hovering near her cheek for a fleeting moment before retracting. Understanding dawned in his eyes as Lily, with a shaky hand, brushed away the tears threatening to spill by herself.