𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍. ʜᴀɴᴀꜱʜɪʀᴏ

0 9 : 平和

Peace

—

"When we woke up, we arrived here at this steam train," Kou says as he fiddles with his fingers — he looked both uneasy and fine at the same time, which made Nene feel pity. His blue eyes shone in recognition as he gives her a small smile. "I guess we really did die."

It must've hurt, she wanted to say. So many words are stuck in her mind, waiting to fall from her lips as she opens it, but nothing came out.

Nene knew how hard that must've been. To not eat when you're very hungry, to not drink when you're very thirsty, and to not stay at a comfortable place when you know you have to go. She knows. But somehow, something in her was stopping her from saying those comforting and sympathetic words.

And all that came out from her were tears, instead of words.

"W-Wha—?! Why are you crying?" Hanako asked, both flustered and a bit alarmed as tears started streaming down her cheeks, fast. He looked genuinely worried as he hesitantly puts a hand on her back. He honestly didn't know how to make a girl stop crying. "Are you okay?"

"I just felt sad because Kou and Teru had to feel something like that when they didn't even want to be in the war," she said between sniffles and hiccups. Nene knew she probably looked like a fool right now, especially to Teru, but somehow, that really didn't feel more important than this now. "I hope that they didn't really die because I think they deserve a good life after everything."

Kou and Teru looked at her and then glanced at each other, completely stunned. Hanako mouths them an apology as they only shook their heads. "As I expected, you really do have a soft heart, Miss Yashiro," Kou said, letting out a chuckle escape from his lips.

"You're too kind to think of us that way," Teru says as he gives her a lopsided smile. He fishes out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and hands it to her, to which, she timidly accepts. "We've killed other people too, you know. Maybe it was just a payback from everything we did."

"Even so," Nene swallows a lump in her throat as she continues to wipe her tears away. "I think everyone deserves a happy ending."

"I think so, too." Kou laughs, although his eyes were turning glassy too.

"Ugh, I really miss Tiara," the older blond heaves a sigh. "I wish we could've at least wrote one last letter to her, though."

"Yeah," he laughs as he glances at his brother. "But I'm sure our princess will understand."

Soon enough, Nene calmed down and apologized about her sudden outburst, completely ashamed after thinking her actions through. All of them felt much more comfortable after time. And Hanako knew that it was finally the time to ask them; and so, putting on a serious yet not really tense atmosphere around them, he asks, "What would you do if you actually lived through that?"

Teru glances at Kou for a second before looking back at the dark-haired boy; it was indeed, almost an absurd question, considering that they actually fell off from a cliff. But for some reason, it felt like hope actually sparked inside them as they repeated the question in their minds. Like, what if a miracle happened and they were still actually alive, only unconscious?

"Then we'll definitely return back home." He said. His voice sounded almost desperate that he couldn't help but look away. "We will repent for our sins and we will continue living, for the better good."

Hanako turns to Kou, "I do not wish to say this in a harsh way, but you should not really hope that even if you go back, your bodies will still be injured and incomplete."

"Hanako!" Nene hissed at him as she whips her head towards him, a scowl on her face. "You just told me to be careful with words, didn't you? Why aren't you applying that to yourself?"

"Being mindful of your words only works when you speak out your half-baked thoughts," he replies to her without even looking at her magenta eyes. "It's different when telling the truth without beating around the bush and just being plain frank."

Her toes inside her shoes curled as she pouted and turned away, knowing that he was right. Meanwhile, Kou gave him a half-hearted smile, "I know that pretty well. I'm not really hoping to go back and just magically see my arm again," he glances at his left arm as he says, his half-hearted smile, changing into a relieved one. "But instead, I'll be glad to have it. After all, it will be a proof that I have bravely outlived the darkest part of my life."

Nene stared at his blue eyes; she would be lying if she said that they didn't conveyed something in them as she continued to stare. They shone and reflected the never-ending beauty of the meadow before them — as well as his true feelings inside.

They glinted and showed various feelings; hope, relief, recognition and love. His gaze was the gentlest she has ever seen.

It felt like his eyes were telling her that even though he hates war and pain, even if it happens again and again, he will always go — without fail and doubt in him.

Because he loved peace.

And he lives for it.

It was his dream.

"When I first saw this scene outside the train, I felt a really deep sense of relief and happiness," he says as his gaze wanders off towards the open window. And then, he smiles as the fresh air hits his face gently. "The first thing that came into my mind was: this must be what it looks like after the war. New flowers will bloom, animals will run free and people will be happy again."

All will be kinder than before after the war.