Little Do You Know

Daybreak

It's not often that Kaoru takes the train. The locomotives remind him too much of smoke and suffocation; trite as they may seem with their benign colours. When he does, however, he always finds his carriage home to the same foreign stranger, the one whose scowls could have killed a man. It intrigues him; a little colour to add to the monotony of everyday life.
They had spoken simply at first; clearly, the stranger was not fond of conversation. The mention of reality seemed to frighten him, and longer discussions seemed to terrify him out of his wits. When he left every morning, he did so without uttering a word. Human interaction may have been worthless to him.
Soon, they exchange contact information; the stranger eased out of his shell. They become friends, or at least acquaintances, and share names. Their conversations consist of nothing but small talk, an overwhelming placid relationship, mutual perhaps. There are certain topics that he learnt to shy away from; family, politics and personal details. He finds nothing unusual within this, no- there is nothing he finds unusual. Life was very much like a dream then. Everyday carried with it a new surprise of sorts even if its backbone was old and tethered, wilted grey or tinted with the hues of animosity.
Over time, they grow closer. Christopher discloses the fact that he attends college; an exchange student, unsurprisingly. Kaoru finds him unnaturally condescending, a mild shock at that. When asked for the school he attends, however, the conversation falters and veers off track for quite some time.

That is, until Kaoru turns up at his university, binder in hand and a cheery grin atop his face.
They begin their journey then, two undergraduates studying the same course. One could not have observed a pair so evidently different; the blonde man, softly spoken, and his darker counterpart, the bodily personification of optimism.
It takes Kaoru three years to get close to him; two to gain his trust. Why he took so long he does not know - perhaps it is the result of his enigmatic tendencies, or better yet the fault of his own actions.

"Christopher," he find himself saying one day.

"Yes?"

It's an unusual day to be outdoors, but here they are nonetheless, a far cry from the darkened outskirts of the city. They've taken a liking to the path of cobble winding its way out of town, crossing the halfway bridge and settling where the sun beat brightest, hidden behind a canopy of golden leaves.
Today was unlike no other; the usual work shifts and the usual hours of morning lectures sullying their spirits to sleep. They had spoken little, as they always did, apart from the usual discussion they shared within the institution.

"Why have you chosen this path?"

The question was adept; whether Christopher took it quite literally was another concern. He appeared deep in thought, a broad smile surfacing as he weighed his options. In the spur of the moment, he may have considered replying, yet his silence had dragged on far too long.

"I have a dream, Kaoru."

The answer was spoken with little intonation. He appeared as if introducing a simple concept to the mind of a child, nevermind the man who he'd been living with for half a year.

"The dream is an undesirable one; you should not concern yourself with making it come true."

"Why not?"

"You care too much for me. That is worrying enough as it is."

Silence follows the remark, and, try as he might, Kaoru cannot deny the honesty of his words. Why else would he accompany him and bear the blunt of his shenanigans? They do not converse as often, that is true, but what little puerile hope he had left had already dulled, and the consequences are not inviting.
The pair walk in silence back home, neither one speaking a word. Perhaps they find it too painful to reinstate the events; it would be much more convenient to pretend that the following never took place.

Their brief words of farewell are not heard as they leave, lost to the heavy rain that thankfully serves as an excuse for parting. Whilst one man has departed, however, the other has not moved an inch, still talking to nonexistent oblivion.

"Don't leave," Kaoru murmurs, the words ghosting the air before losing themselves in the downpour.