Aesthete | Luxiem

🦊 ┃The Last Game Of Tag (🥀)

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The Last Game Of Tag
-angst-

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Characters
Mysta Rias as a kid
Kaina, who is the same age as him

Status
Edited | Published

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Mysta and Kaina met when they were only eight years old. They were two kids from neighboring homes in a small village. Every day after school, they would run through the open fields, playing endless games of tag.

Mysta always made sure Kaina won, just so he could see her laugh. Her laughter wasn’t like anyone else’s一it was soft, genuine, and whenever he heard it, he felt a strange flutter in his chest he couldn’t quite understand. All he knew was that it felt warm一like sunlight breaking through clouds.

One evening, just as Mysta was falling asleep, he heard raised voices coming from Kaina’s house. He couldn’t quite make out what her parents were saying, but the tension in their voices unsettled him.

The next morning, he went to her door, feeling the need to check on her, to make sure that she's alright.

“Hey, Kaina! Wanna play tag?” he asked, trying to sound cheerful, his heart pounding as he waited for her reply.

Kaina gave a small nod, her face shadowed with something he’d never seen before, but she still said yes. And so, they both ran outside, back to their favorite field.

Mysta chased her, the grass brushing against their legs as they ran, and when she turned to smile at him, he knew something was different. The smile didn’t reach her eyes, and it felt like a mask she was holding up just for him. He decided to pretend he didn’t notice and tried to lighten the mood, giving her his usual silly grin.

“You know,” he teased, “one day I’ll stop letting you win.”

This brought a tiny, real laugh from her, but it faded too quickly.

Eventually, Kaina stopped running. She turned to him with a hesitant look and whispered, “Mysta... I have to tell you something.”

She paused, and he watched her, waiting, his heart picking up speed. “My parents... they decided that we’re moving. We’re leaving the village and going to the city.”

Her words hit him like a gust of cold wind. “Moving?” he echoed, his voice barely above a whisper. He wanted to ask, Why? or When? but instead, he forced a smile.

“That’s... that’s amazing, Kaina!” he said, summoning every bit of cheer he had. “You’ll get to see so many new things! There’ll be lights, and big buildings, and who knows, maybe you’ll even find new friends to play tag with!” He rambled on, trying to fill the space between them with happiness so thick that neither of them could feel the sadness creeping in.

But then, he heard a soft sniffle. He looked at Kaina, and saw tears spilling down her cheeks, each drop glistening in the afternoon sun. She tried to wipe them away, embarrassed, but he reached out, taking her hand gently in his.

“Hey,” he said softly, “it’s okay to be sad, Kaina.”

He thought hard, trying to think of something, anything, that would make her feel better. Then, an idea struck him. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out his lucky charm: a small, smooth stone he had found by the river one day, with a pattern that looked a bit like a heart.

“Here,” he said, pressing it into her hand. “Whenever you feel lonely or sad, just hold this, and think of this face!” He made the silliest face he could muster, crossing his eyes and puffing his cheeks, causing her to let out a laugh that, to him, sounded like sunshine.

She looked at the stone, then at him, and in her tear-streaked face, there was a smile more genuine than he had ever seen.

“Thank you, Mysta,” she whispered.

He shrugged, feeling his heart squeeze. “You don’t have to thank me,” he replied softly.

Then, she looked at him, her eyes filled with warmth and gratitude, and she said, “Thank you... for always letting me win, and for always making me laugh, and for being... you.”

They stood there, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows around them. Mysta wanted to say something, to tell her about the feelings he didn’t fully understand himself一the warmth that made him wish he could stay in this moment forever. But he held back, knowing that her happiness was what mattered most to him, even if it meant watching her go.

So instead, he smiled, his heart full yet aching. “You’re going to have the best time in the city, Kaina,” he said, his voice soft with a bittersweet warmth, "I can sense it."

They hugged, and in that simple, quiet embrace, they said all the words they couldn’t find. As they finally pulled apart, Mysta watched her walk back to her house, the stone clutched tightly in her hand.

Years later, Mysta would look back on that day and remember the way the world felt brighter and sadder all at once. He would remember Kaina’s laughter and the way her eyes shone when she looked at him, and he would smile, knowing he had given her a piece of his heart that she would carry with her, no matter where life took them.

And he would remember that sometimes, loving someone meant letting them go, with nothing but a simple stone and a memory of a laugh to hold onto.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Last update before my hiatus!

Also, I just realized that majority of the one-shots I've been writing is angst. I'm alright, I promise! It's just so easy to let go of the pain when I write it down.

Anyways, I'll see you, soon, after Midterms! <3

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