Hiro slowly opens his eyes to the pale moonlight shining on the bare room. He slowly sits up and rubs his eyes. He looks to his right to see Claire sleeping peacefully next to him, her shallow breaths hitting his side. Her hair is sprawled all over the pillow and her face. Hiro sees her beautiful face lit up by the soft moonlight. His heart quickened, the warmth of old feelings fighting against the cold detachment he'd wrapped himself in for so long. He wanted to reach out to her, but the weight of everything unsaid between them held him back.
"Will you, Claire Orincha, marry me?" Hiro asks, a giant smile on his face as he is on one knee. They are surrounded by the other Originals. They are in some sort of living room. Claire and Hiro are in the middle of two couches. On the left couch sits Yeon and Yumida, and on the right sits Taka by himself.
"Y–" Claire's voice trembled as a single tear traced down her cheek, her breath catching before she cried out, "Yes!" The word was barely free from her lips before Hiro was on his feet, wrapping her in a warm, desperate embrace. They clung to each other, as if tethered by every unspoken word, every lost moment between them. Slowly, Hiro pulled back, his own tears welling up, glistening against the deep, endless black of his eyes. Without breaking their gaze, he reached for her left hand, his touch gentle yet deliberate, and lifted the ring—a delicate band shimmering like a quiet promise. He slid it slowly onto her ring finger, where it caught the light and seemed to glow, a symbol of all that was, and all that might still be. Cheers and applause erupted around them as Hiro leaned in, capturing Claire's soft lips in a tender kiss. The thunderous sounds of clapping and joyous shouts faded away, dissolving into silence the moment their lips met. In that quiet, Hiro heard only the rhythmic beat of his own heart, pounding in his chest as if to echo the intensity of the moment—an intimate harmony shared between them, separate from the world.
"Welcome to the family, Hirito." Yumida says as he slaps Hiro on the back with a smile that branches from ear to ear.
"Thanks." Hiro smiles as he holds Claire in his right arm. She is staring at the ring. The diamond ring sparkled with a quiet fire, capturing hints of starlight within its crystal-clear depths. Set upon a slender platinum band, the gem glistened with every movement, scattering shards of color like whispered promises. Tiny diamonds nestled around the central stone, glowing like distant constellations, while delicate etchings traced along the band, adding to its timeless elegance. It was a ring alive with beauty, a symbol as enduring as love itself. Hiro blinks, the memory dissolving as quickly as it had surfaced. He was back in the present, the soft glow of the moon highlighting Claire's peaceful face beside him.
"Hirito?" Claire's soft still asleep voice fills the empty room. Hiro, fully dressed now looks back at her, stopping in the doorway. He lingered in the doorway, her soft voice pulling at something deep inside him. But he couldn't stay. Not now. Not with everything left unsaid between them.
"Yeah?" He responds. He doesn't correct her using his old name.
"Going to work?" She asks, sitting up. The blanket draping just right over her slender, bare form, hinting at her silhouette with effortless allure.
"Yeah. The kids are counting on me." He stares at her, mind going blank and his breath becoming more shallow.
Claire shifted in the bed, her eyes now fully open and focused on Hiro. She hesitated for a moment, her voice soft, almost pleading. "We should talk about everything," she said, her eyes searching his for reassurance.
"We can later. Rest for now. It's obvious you're exhausted. We'll talk once I get back." Hiro says as he begins walking out of the door. He takes a deep breath and runs his hand through his hair. All the happy memories they have are flooding back, but he represses them.
*Ding* *Ding* The bell rings and the children in the classroom begin funneling out of the room.
"Don't forget! All of you with gifts need to be ready for the exam tomorrow! It's required to be registered by the Citadel! Have a good day!" Hiro yells from his desk. Once all the kids are out of the room he stands and begins cleaning up the papers and other such things that litter the floor. His mind still thinking about the incident with Claire the day before. 'Why didn't she know Yeon was alive?' 'Is Yeon trying to hide that he is alive to find Yumida?' 'Is Yumida even missing? Are they planning something together?' 'Something feels very off about all this.' The questions buzzed in his mind, each one more unsettling than the last. His chest tightened with a growing sense of dread—What if Yeon was hiding something far worse than they imagined?' He can't wrap his head around any of this. Yeon was supposed to be one of if not the most powerful Original as he is the First Original. None of this makes sense. The One is dead. The only threat to this world is dead... Hiro stands up straight with a handful of trash and looks out the window next to Eugene's desk. The trees flow so effortlessly in the wind, peace washes over Hiro. The peace he'd briefly felt watching the trees was quickly overshadowed by the gnawing uncertainty waiting for him at home. Hiro hurried out of the classroom, his breath coming faster as his mind raced with unanswered questions. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if the weight of the unknown was pressing down on him, pulling him deeper into something he couldn't escape.
YOU ARE READING
The Originals
Fantasy||IN PROGRESS|| In a world reborn from the ashes of war, Hiro Wu, a once-powerful Original, now lives a life of quiet desperation as a teacher, haunted by nightmares of his past and a lost love, Claire. After decades of peace, shadows from the past...
