SAFE

I

"Micchan?"

She looked up from her crouched position, and the boy could see her wet knees―they were probably like that from her crying too much. Her back faced against the window so that the moonlight did not fall on her, and although he couldn't see it, he knew that her bottom lip quivered; it was far too cold, and he knew―Micchan was always like that when she cried.

"T-Takkun..." Much far from being able to get mad, she was only able to stutter, and in embarrassment did she bury her head in her knees once again―of course he would laugh.

But no words were said; the blond came, crouched beside her, and took her into his arms. Her short hair stuck to her face; she was covered in her own sweat and tears.

He took the handkerchief that sat in his breast pocket, and using this, he dried her clammy face.

"Takkun..."

"Why were you crying again?"

His voice calmed her a bit. It has never occurred to her, but she liked his voice.

She liked it a lot.

"'Kaa-san was supposed to c-come back with Suzu-chan today, but she didn't. All I have is this―this thing she gave me", cried the girl softly, clutching something that hung on a black string that looped around her neck.

"What thing?"

"I don't know. It has numbers―they keep on going up and down, see."

The blond boy looked at the small object in the girl's palm, with which she brought closer for him to observe. It was plain and it didn't have any buttons or the like; it was nothing that he had expected, although he swore, Gerry once had something like that. A small screen was the only thing to be seen―what did she say again?

Numbers, right?

"Are you sure this thing isn't broken?"

"I don't know. Maybe it is, 'cause the numbers change sometimes, and sometimes, they don't."

"Hmm?" He paused for a while, before looking back at her. Her tears had dried, and he could see Micchan's eyes once again. "Well, the number's just zero. What does that mean?" He asked, hoping that it would distract her more.

"Pfft", the girl snorted, "I told you I didn't know what it was, so how am I supposed to know?"

He smiled―Micchan finally stopped crying.

A long silence was born after that, before he decided to speak up. "Micchan."

"Hmm?" She looked at him with those curious eyes―those curious, golden eyes as she held 'the thing' her mother gave her ever so tightly.

"Promise me something."

"What?"

"Don't ever forget me."

"That's it?"

"You might. You'll leave for Japan tomorrow, right?"

Her lower lip quivered, "That doesn't change anything."

His eyes bore into hers, that all she could do was drown in those perfect green pools, and once again did she feel her eyes getting heavier; a tsunami was about to flow out.

"Do you even know my real name?"

"You're Takkun―I know that already."

She realised that he would be the only person she would miss the most.