Remembrance

Ch. 2

He led her to the couch and pressed gently on her shoulders to get her to sit. He flicked on the light by the stove, then began rummaging through the fridge. Suou sniffled and glanced down at her hands. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress.

"I don't have much other than instant noodles" Hei said, pulling two cups of ramen from the cupboard. Suou walked over to him, watching as he ripped open the packaging then put a kettle on the stovetop.

"Hei.." she spoke, looking around at the mess of dishes, the solemnity that was the filth of his apartment. He said nothing but leaned against the counter, staring out the window while waiting for the kettle to whistle. Suou sighed as she looked at him, the man she loved though she did not know why she loved him. She began washing the dishes that were piled like paperwork in the sink.

"I told mom I was going to Tanya's house for the night" Suou told Hei as they sat on the couch eating Ramen. Suou was still on her first cup of noodles, but Hei had been tearing through the bulk supply he'd bought, having eaten four by that time.

"You lied to her."

"I know... I feel bad about it."

"Then why'd you do it?" Hei seemed to inhale his noodles as he spoke, making his voice sloppy. Suou sat with her knees to her chest, pinching the noodles with her chopsticks, then letting them slither back into the cup.

"I don't know..." Suou mumbled, thinking of her parents and how kind they were to her. They wouldn't understand this though, even though she loved them dearly. She didn't even understand this.

"Hei, where are you from?" Suou asked suddenly, finally taking a bite of noodles into her mouth.

"Far away" he said, wiping his lips with the sleeve of his coat. He stood up, disposing of the empty Ramen container then he placed his chopsticks on the counter. He sat down beside Suou, gazing at her small, pale face. He quickly turned away, afraid of getting caught in the web of his affections for her.

"What do you mean far away? Like another country?" Suou prompted.

"No."

"Then where?!"

Hei sighed, feeling trapped by the situation. He knew he needed to tell her he was going to leave, that he could not see her ever again, yet he could not bring himself to say the words.

This had began when they "met" a few months ago. Suou was walking home, alone after saying goodbye to her friends. A man had approached her and suddenly grabbed her, causing her to drop her books and squeal. He covered her mouth, muttering something Hei didn't hear from where he stood. Hei had been following Suou since his arrival in the new world. He justified this as "protecting her." When he saw the man trying to have his way with her, Hei was infuriated. He had vowed to himself that he wouldn't intervene unless absolutely necessary, and he probably should have held off a bit longer to see if anyone else heard the struggle. He couldn't help it. He ran over and decked the man in the face as hard as he could. The man was big, greasy looking with a full unkept beard. Hei pummeled the man, beating him bloody and then threatening through his teeh that if the man were ever to bother Suou again, he wouldn't get away with just a bloody nose. The man quickly ran, like a pig from the butcher. Suou stood shocked, her hair ruffled, her books still lying in the street. Hei picked up the books and handed them back to her. She stared at him, then as he turned to leave, Hei felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Do I know you?" Suou whispered, her eyes watering and her cheeks flushed.

Hei merely looked back at her, concerned because she seemed unsteady. "No," he finally answered, "You should get home." He pulled from her grip and began to tread back down the dark street from whence he'd came. Suou stood with her lips trembling, feeling something so poignant that she knew she could not let it go. He'd saved her, but there was more than that.

"Wait" she called, starting to run towards him. He showed no sign of turning back, she didn't even know if he'd heard her.

"Wait!" she yelled, desperate to see his face again, "HEI!" she screamed. She froze. Where did she get that name? He turned around to see her sitting in the street, her hands covering her face. If she knew his name, perhaps the memories were still there, perhaps... But no, he couldn't be with her, he never wanted to be so selfish. He approached her then knelt down before her. He pulled her hands from her face. She jumped, startled by his presence.

"Suou." he said, looking at her tear stained cheeks.