Finding Serenity

Who was he?

"So, who was he?" Kei asked in a soft tone.

"Who was who?" She looked at him confused.

"The one who broke your heart." He turned to look at her. He didn't miss the flash in her eyes.

"Oh..how did you—"

"I saw it in your eyes when I asked you this morning. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, I was just curious what would cause such sadness to cross those beautiful eyes of yours."

Rena sat there for a moment wondering if she should tell him. He reminded her so much of him, making it hard to not spoil her heart. Of course she didn't want to talk about him but at the same time, Kei gave her that same feeling he did. She felt like she could tell him anything, so she did.

"He... was my childhood friend. We met on the second anniversary of my mother's passing. We were only seven years old, but somehow, he could see how lost I was. I felt so alone, no, I was alone, drifting in a darkness that I didn't think I could escape. When my mom died, I was only five. I was left in the care of my grandmother, who didn't want anything to do with me. On the day of the funeral, when we were home alone, she told me I was the reason my mother died. She said she despised me and only took me in because of the government. At five, I didn't really understand her words, but they echoed in my mind more often than not. A year later, she started taking trips, leaving me at home, alone. I was left alone on the first anniversary of my mother's death. That's when I began to fall deeper into the darkness. My world had turned gray. I was on autopilot, drifting through the days, doing whatever I could to make sure I didn't disappoint my grandmother because even if she hated me, she still gave me a place to stay. I should be grateful, right?"

Rena didn't notice the tears that had started to fall. She had been staring at the ground in front of her, eyes unfocused. Suddenly, a white cloud invaded her vision. She blinked, clearing the blurry tears from her face, and focused on the white cloud in her line of sight. It wasn't a cloud but a handkerchief. It had the initials K.T. on it. She reached out and looked up at Kei. He had a small smile on his face. One might think it was strange, but Rena knew. One thing she had learned was how to read people. His smile was there to comfort her, just like he always did. She used the handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face.

"I'm so sorry. I'm rambling on. This isn't something you want to hear," she sniffled.

Kei's hand was suddenly on hers, giving it a squeeze. "Hey, it's okay. Everyone has a past. Some aren't as pretty as others. My childhood wasn't all sunshine and rainbows either. Don't feel like you're oversharing. I would like to ask, though, have you talked to anyone else about your past?"

"N-no. I've never really had friends, and those who got close, I didn't want them to look at me with pity," she said quietly.

"I'm not a therapist, but sometimes talking through things like this can ease the burden." He sighed as he released her hand to run it through his hair. "I say that, but I am just as guilty of keeping things to myself too. I guess I've been looking for a friend who would understand."

"You've been looking for a friend? Aren't you and Azul friends?" She chuckled lightly.

"Ha, that jackass. You really think he'd listen to someone trauma dumping? He has his own troubled past; I witnessed some of it. We aren't really friends, but we did grow up together. We're just working on the same case, so we've been forced to work together. Honestly, I think he hates my guts."

"A case?" She raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Uh, pretend you didn't hear that. We can talk about that later. You were telling me about the guy who broke your precious heart."