Time for Love

chapter 3

Renji's eyes widened. He had second thoughts on it being real or not. The odd looking watch had caught his attention. He then regained his composure and then confronted the man. "If i take this, can you leave me alone?" Renji said while sticking his hand out. The man placed the watch in the palm of his hand. Renji gripped the watch. A sudden Drowsiness filled his mind and body. Renji wobbled around. It was if the watch had entered his mind. His mind drifted off to a white space before ending up somewhere else. He was now suddenly in a desert. He was confused as he looked at a group of people. Twelve people stood in front of him. "What the!" Renji said to himself. All the people were chanting the words: "Don't do it,". One boy had blonde hair and a white tunic. Another boy was in a simple t-shirt with a scar on his cheek with black and white hair. Another boy was taller and had long black hair that covered his eyes with the tips of his hair being white. Another man had an orange prison outfit with white hair. Beside him was another boy with black hair with a scar under his eye. He wore a yellow outfit. Two darker skinned boys with black afros that looked nearly the same with the exception with one of them in a jacket and another with a missing arm stood there. Another one with a black strap going across his black shirt with a necklace and hair that swayed to the side. "Their mindless chanting got louder. "Don't, it's all fake, it's not worth it, it's real, die, love, you will, it's all him, he started this, end him," were all lines that the people in front of him chanted and said. A crackling of a campfire snapped in Renji's mind. The campfire sat behind the guys in front. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Renji blurted out while losing control. Renji then blinked. A man in a cloak with a top hat sat in front of him now, replacing the group of people from before. The man wore a mask that covered half of his face. The man had long orange hair and looked out of place. The two stared at each other as if their fate was connected. "Now you have power," the man in the top hat said before vanishing into thin air. Renji came back to reality. "Are you okay?" the homeless man said. "Oh uh, thank you," Renji remarked. The boy continued to walk down the street. After a few moments, he placed the watch on his right wrist.

After some time had passed he had made it home. The weather changed to being heavily raining. The sky was darkened. Renji had been sitting in front of the window, watching the community and admiring the sky. "It's raining hard," he thought to himself. A beautiful young woman with lightly tanned skin and brown hair had passed by his house. The familiar girl with an umbrella had been walking. "Cierra?" Renji questioned as he stood up and ran towards the door. He swung it open and yelled to the girl across the street. The loud yelling caught Ciarra's attention. The girl's eyes glanced over at Renji who was waving and sitting at his entrance. "Hey it's raining, wanna come in!" renji yelled out. Cierra changed directions and walked towards the voice. Cierra walked across the street and was face to face with the boy. "Uh sure, I don't mind," she said as she walked in. her hands closed the umbrella before she analyzed her surroundings. "You have a big house for living alone," she remarks. "Thank you but by the way where were you going?" he asked with a light blush. The idea of having a girl in his house alone overwhelmed him. "I was simply going to the store," she replied looking at him. "Renji turned around and walked towards the kitchen. "If you're hungry, i can make you some food," he asks. Cierra was unsure if she could take his sudden kindness as creepy or him being overly happy. But she trusted him as she enjoyed the time they have already spent together. She understood him and soonly understood that they were in a house alone. "Thank you so much, I'd take anything," she said as she placed her umbrella next to the door. "I can cook some eggs or make you a sandwich," renji mutters as he takes out various ingredients. Cierra sat down in one of the chairs in front of the dining room table. "A sandwich is fine," she says in a low voice. Renji continued to smile as he put things together. "Somehow i got a girl in my house, HELL YEAH!" Renji thought in his head while making a face that a kid would have at a birthday party. "Go away virginity!" he remarks in his mind while presenting a ham sandwich to her. "Here you go". He placed the plate directly in front of her before sitting in the seat on the opposite side. "By the way, where did you get that watch, I don't remember it being on you before," she utters as she takes a huge bite of her food. "Some homeless looking guy gave me this when i was on my way home," he spoke nervously, thinking he sounded stupid. She continued to chew her food and process the information given. "Just for free like that, it's cool and expensive looking," she observed. "Oh yeah, I don't think you ever got to finish telling me about your family," Renji awkwardly says.

The vibe of the room changed. Cierra was unsure if she wanted to continue speaking but understood this was his home and that he had been helping her the entire time. "My family...," she whispers. "In my family, the father must choose who his daughter or son must marry. I was eventually assigned to one of his friend's sons, it's just like japan and other countries are, i have no idea why we do those traditions. I was supposed to marry him on my birthday but..," Cierra explains. Her mind slowly started to crumble. Her mind was not right as she had been lying to herself on what had happened. She knew that's not what happened but gave a reason that she could tell people. She knew she couldn't lie all the way to a friend. The idea of her parents being missing destroyed her mind. "Oh,I'm sorry," Renji said, feeling down about the stuff he heard. Her mind was fighting on whether to tell the truth or tell him what she was going to say. Though it was true that her family did those traditions, it was not the reason why she was not with them. Her mind was frozen. Her body was sitting still in front of renji. Tears ran down her eyes. "Sorry i can't do this!" she blurts out while placing her hands on the sides of her heads. Renji had been completely off guard and unsure why she was having a mental breakdown. Cierra stood up and attempted to run out the dining room. Renji stood up to calm her down. Renji reached his hand outward to grab hers. He narrowly missed her hand as he had been a milli second late to stop her. Cierra dashed down the hall and opened the door. She ran away down the street in the ran as fast as she could. Renji quickly chased after her. "Wait up!" he said as he attempted to follow her. "Only if I grabbed her arm in time," he desperately thought. Sweat poured off of him. With adrenaline kicking in, his speed boosted him up. He soon closed the gap and then wrapped his arms around her. His manly strength restricted her uncontrolled movements. They had made it to the end of the street before at a neighborhood intersection. The rain mixed with her tears. "Renji then turned around the mentally broken girl. Her eyes were fixated on Renji's. "Look whatever happened is okay," he said in a softer tone. Her mind was still going crazy. Her breathing was heavy and her body was acting like it was about to go into shock. With no way of calming down. Unconsciously he kissed her.

Her eyes went closed as she knew she was being kissed. He was surprised by his own actions. "Did I just... i just kissed.." he awkwardly thought as he regained his own composure as well. Her mind had calmed down from this comforting. "I don't care, I don't care what happened to me, I haven't been loved in so long, I haven't felt these emotions in so long, if I want anyone to do it, i want it to be you, i couldn't lie to a friend, i'll just start this right now to skip everything else. She pressed her lips against his once more. His grip on her tightened. She released and looked up at thim. "I'll be the one to say it, I love you!" she said with her cheeks flustered with pink. Her eyes were fully open. She was blushing with love and with a huge grin. Suddenly a loud bang echoed throughout the neighborhood. He was confused. He felt a warm liquid on his fingers where his hands once were on her back. Cierra slowly fell to the ground. Renji's smile from the kiss had slowly changed into disgust. His happiness was shattered. His love was crushed. The shock of seeing her emotionless body fall and the gunshot sound echoing a second before. He looked down at the body before him. The palm of his hands were covered in blood. Cierra was not moving. She was shot in the back. Laying there lifeless. He realized she was killed. Not making a sound, he stared downwards. She was dead. He had no response. He was surprised at what took place.