My Childhood Crush || (Madara x OC) [COMPLETE]

Chapter 31

Ara's POV

The party is about to end. Madara and his friends separated ways, leaving the two of us alone in the middle of the streets. We took this opportunity to go to Madara's training grounds, it is best to take fresh air with the forest surrounding us while everything slowly comes to an end.

I sat there in the fallen log, whilst Madara stood up in the tree branch. We watch the beautiful dark sky, coated with bright and shining stars, winking at us as if it knows our secrets. This is how I wanted things to finish after a whole stressful day. The night ended peacefully, star-gazing and listening to the whispers of the woods.

It puts our mind at peace, it calms and relaxes our body as we watch the dark sky. Madara, who felt the calming atmosphere, had also taken this chance to put his body at peace before going to the chaotic war once again by the next day; he wanted some peace before destruction, apparently.

Madara jumped beside me and took a seat in the log, "Ara, you brought your flute?"

I nodded, smiling at him. "Always..."

"Then play a song. One that fits this moment, the peace of the night." He said, his eyes shimmered from the bright moon. I placed the bouquet of flowers next to me while I took the flute in my pocket.

I breathed in and out, then properly adjusted myself to play the flute. After thinking of a particular tune, I blew, and a song came out of the wooden piece. I pressed a hole, and it changed tune. I closed my eyes, putting all my emotions into it, and thought of my deceased father.

The song was successful, Madara even swayed back and forth slightly. I did the same, following the beautiful rhythm that echoed throughout the forest. We were like fallen leaves, swaying slowly and gently. I listened to the rustles of the bushes and felt the night breeze tickling my skin. All the while, flowing the song like a river.

As the moment passed, I looked at Madara who was staring at the sky. This time, he was frowning, his eyes showed sadness. This made me worry, I leaned closer and tapped his shoulder. "Madara?"

He cleared his throat, snapping himself back to reality. "Oh, sorry..."

"Is something wrong?" I questioned, wanting to hear his disturbed thoughts.

He shook his head, "Nothing's wrong." I can hear the sadness in his voice. But I leaned closer, still persistent. Madara ended up sharing his thoughts, "It's just that... I thought of my younger brothers who had fallen in the war. Just a thought of them makes me think of the raw realization, a harsh reality. They aren't able to see or experience this festival. They passed away even before they experienced this kind of fun. It is cruel. I wished that I was stronger back then... If only I–"

I clasped his shoulder tightly, "We all have regrets. There are painful memories that keep reminding us of the negativity we felt. And saying the word, if, will only weigh more guilt and the burden in our hearts. It affects our life greatly... But you know what, Madara? I won't allow myself to think otherwise. I can not allow myself to be pushed into the darkness, or start thinking a lot of regrettable things in life. Because those are the past. We had made mistakes and they cannot be undone. We had experienced memories and they cannot be taken away. It's true that we sometimes can't forget or stop recalling the memories, but instead of regretting, let's start improving."

He looked at me, his lashes wet and his eyes started to grow a bit red from the yet-to-fall tears. I gave him a sad smile and continued, "My father died without him knowing that I'm greatly contributing to the town. He will never know that I've been helping my town tirelessly, and he will never know that I'm no longer that girl he had known a long time ago. But you know, father would have never wanted to know that I'm thinking negative thoughts. And I think it's better that he hasn't seen me crying either, even though it sounds cruel. He would have scolded me if he saw me frowning, that's the last thing he wanted me to do. So I am glad that he hasn't seen those certain conditions in which I shed my tears."