౨ৎ 𝑺𝑰𝑳𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑺𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑲𝑺 | 𝑴𝑰𝑾𝑨 𝑿 𝑴𝑬𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑼

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑰𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑬𝑵

౨ৎ

Fatih

Miva sat on a rock at the edge of the forest, surrounded by still trees and the soft rustling of the leaves in the wind. The darkness of the night had swallowed them, and the distant glow of Tokyo was only a vague glimmer of light on the horizon. But a storm was raging inside her. She felt trapped between two worlds: the one she had left behind, and the one she was now blindly run into – for him.

Mechamaru, badly injured and exhausted, lay next to her. He slept restlessly while Miwa stared at the sheet of paper she held between her fingers. The letter. The letter she had to write to her friends to explain why she abandoned them.

Her heart ached as she put on the pen. The words were hard, but she knew there was no other way.

"To everyone who is important to me..."

"I'm sorry I left without a word. It's the last thing I wanted to do, especially at a time when we all need to stick together. I know you're disappointed, maybe you even feel that I betrayed you."

"But I had to go. There are things I can't explain—things that have changed since I met him."

"I'm not the same person anymore. In him I have found someone who shows me that there is more than the fight, more than the obligations imposed on us as a sorcerer. Maybe I don't understand what exactly these feelings mean, but I know one thing: I had to make that decision."

"Please don't get me wrong. I love you all and will never forget you. But the path I've taken now is one I have to walk for myself. It hurts to leave you all behind, but... I'm not just doing this for me."

"I'll do it for him too."

"I know it sounds selfish, but I found someone who needs me, and in him I found something I haven't felt in a long time. I don't know where this path leads, but I won't walk it alone."

"I hope you understand me one day."

"Miwa"

Miwa put down the pen and closed her eyes for a moment to hold back the tears. It was the hardest thing she had ever done, and yet... it felt right. She carefully folded the letter and put it in an envelope. Tomorrow she would leave it somewhere where her friends could find it. But what came after – what she would do after that – was still a mystery.

She looked at Mechamaru, who was still in his restless sleep. Despite his pain, there was something in his face - something gentle that she had never noticed before. Her heart tightened when she looked at him.

It was at that moment that she really understood. What she felt was more than just pity or friendship. It was love. A love that had built up over all this time without her really noticing.

She leaned closer to him, unsure how she should deal with this knowledge. What if she was wrong?

Breathing deeply, she decided to tell him - now, before the courage left her again. She sat down cautiously next to him and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Mechamaru?" She whispered softly.

He opened his eyes, blinked slightly and looked over at her. "Miwa...?"

"I... I have to tell you something." Her voice trembled, and she felt her heart beat faster. "There's no easy way to say that, so... I'll just do it. I... I love you."

Mechamaru blinked several times, as if trying to make sure he had heard correctly. His breath faltered, and for a moment time seemed to stand still. Miwa could feel the tension in the air as his gaze rested on her - full of surprise, confusion, and then, gradually, a soft, barely noticeable glint in his eyes.

"What... did you say?" His voice was soft, almost uncertain, as if he could not grasp the weight of her words.

Miwa felt her courage threaten to wane. She should never have told him.

What if he didn't reciprocate?

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and spoke again, this time a little more determined, but also more vulnerable.

"I... love you, Mechamaru. I realized that earlier when I wrote the letter to our friends. I can no longer pretend that there are no feelings. I... I know it's all coming suddenly. But... I wanted to tell you."

Mechamaru stared at her for a moment, as if trying to find the right words. Then, however, his face twisted into a sad but grateful smile. His voice was brittle when he finally answered.

"Miwa... you... have no idea how long I waited to hear those words from you." His heart was beating faster as he spoke. "I've been dreaming for so long. But I always thought I had no chance. I thought I was... incomplete."

He looked away as if he was ashamed. "How could someone like me... deserve someone like you? You are so strong, so full of light. And I... was always just a broken machine."

Miwa shook her head, and without reconsidering it, she reached for his hand. "That's not true. You're not broken. You are more than what you think. You're special, Mechamaru, and I don't know why it took me so long to realize that. But I'm doing it now."

Her words hit him like a wave of emotions. He couldn't hold back the tears in his eyes, and although he felt weak and vulnerable, he allowed himself to enjoy those moments of closeness. They sat next to each other in silence for a while, their hands intertwined, while the reality around them slowly came back to the fore.

"What... do we do now?" Miwa finally asked and looked over at him. "We can't stay here forever. But... I don't know what the right way is. I feel like I'm betraying everyone. My friends, my teachers..."

Mechamaru nodded slowly, and he could feel the despair in her voice. They didn't have an easy choice. Everything in their lives had changed so quickly, and they were now faced with a future full of uncertainties.

"I... I don't want you to regret anything," he whispered. "If you want to... we can leave everything behind here. We can leave. Together. We could start a new life, somewhere where no one can find us. A life without all that... Chaos."

Miwa was speechless for a moment. The idea of leaving everything behind – their friends, the fights, the endless conflicts – and just escading with Mechamaru was tempting. But it was also frightening. Her heart raced as her thoughts went in all directions.

"I... don't know," she finally muttered, her voice barely more than a whisper. "It would be so easy to just leave. But can I really do that?"

The words hung between them in the air. Mechamaru knew she was in a dilemma, and he didn't want to push her. But deep down, he longed for them to walk this path together. He wanted her by his side, away from all the pain and darkness that had haunted them both for so long.

He couldn't help but turn to her, close his hand tightly around hers, and say in a low voice, "Miwa... I love you. And no matter what you decide – I will support you. But... I wouldn't want anything more than just go with you. To start a new life. Away from all this... Terror."

Miwa's heart fluttered, and the world seemed to revolve around her. The mixture of fear, guilt and hope was overwhelming. She wanted to believe him, she wanted to take that step. But reality – the responsibility she bore – gnawed at her. How could she abandon the people who were important to her? But on the other hand... how could she leave him?

౨ৎ