Aki was jolted awake by a searing pain, a burning sensation that spread across his skin.
The moment he moved, he realized he wasn't in his bed. The surface beneath him was hard and unyielding. Confused, he opened his eyes.
Vast, dark-blue sky, a canvas dotted with flickering, orange-red lights.
Fireflies, he thought, but their color was wrong—they were like fire.
He sat up, his confusion deepening. He was in the middle of a desert, the sand stretching endlessly around him. How did he get here?
This had to be a dream. Soon I'll wake up, he told himself, lying back down.
But the waiting was unbearable. The ground beneath him radiated an intense heat.
It was night time.
The fireflies, or whatever they were, were still moving steadily. One of them began to ascend, its fiery red glow fading to a clear blue before finally turning to white. It shot up into the sky and settled there, a new star in the night.
A few others followed, turning white and joining the celestial chorus.
Suddenly, one of the stars plummeted, crashing to the ground somewhere in the distance.
A wave of curiosity washed over Aki.
He got to his feet and began walking toward the fallen star. He had never seen one before, and he wondered what it would look like up close.
As he got closer, he started to hear a high-pitched screaming sound coming from the fireflies nearest to him. They were all making the same sound, a cacophony that grated on his nerves. He pushed them away, trying to clear a path.
Just as he was about to reach the star's crash site, he saw a figure. It was a small child, maybe five or six years old, but the image was blurred and indistinct. The fireflies swarmed around him, blocking his view, their screams growing louder. Aki forcefully pushed them away, but they only grew more aggressive, encircling him like a hive of angry bees. They weren't biting him, but their collective scream was deafening.
He tried to run, but his legs wouldn't move. The burning pain in his skin flared up again, hotter and more intense than before. The blurred figure of the child was so close now, but it offered no help, just stood there watching. The pain in Aki's head became unbearable, a crushing pressure that made him feel as though it would explode. He covered his ears and sank to his knees, a helpless prisoner of his own nightmare.
Aki's eyes were in crimson color from the nightmare, slowly faded back to their usual color. He shoved the sweat-soaked blanket from his body and planted his feet on the cold floor. The familiar weight of Ginger, was a small, purring anchor against his ankle.
"Morning, little menace," he mumbled, his voice hoarse. Ginger simply stretched, unfurling a paw to bat playfully at a loose thread on the rug.
Aki stood and headed to the bathroom, catching his reflection in the mirror. His face was pale, his hair a tangled mess, and sweat beaded on his brow. The image was a stranger, and he flinched. He splashed cold water on his face, a shock that did little to calm the frantic beating of his heart.
A violent sneeze ripped through the quiet of the apartment, followed by another.
"Bless you!" A familiar voice called from the kitchen. Noah, holding a mug that smelled of rich coffee. 'Looks like you brought home more than just bad dreams last night. When did you get sick?'
Aki took the steaming mug, his hands shaking slightly. 'I think last night. The nightmares are getting worse, and they're… different. I don't feel good about them.'
Noah leaned against the doorframe, his expression softening with concern. 'Still about the accident?'he asked with a low voice.
Aki hesitated, the steam from the coffee swirling around his face. 'No… no, not those. I don't feel guilty about that.'
The words were quick, almost dismissive, but a flicker of something unreadable passed through his eyes.
'Are you sure?' Noah pressed. His gaze was piercing, 'It's possible to... well, even if a part of you wished it had happened, another part could still feel the weight of it. A memory can be a heavy thing to carry.'
Aki paused, staring into the dark depths of his coffee. The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.
'I…' He took a shaky sip, 'It's not guilt, Noah. It's like I'm searching for something, a forgotten piece of a puzzle. It's like someone… something… wants me to remember.' His voice trailed off, a whisper against the morning air.
Noah's expression tightened with a fresh wave of worry. He didn't speak, but the question in his eyes was clear.
Remember what?
The night air at the station was a cold slap, and the rhythmic clatter of their footsteps on the platform was the only sound for miles.
Aki and Noah had just gotten off the last train, a familiar end to a long day of lectures and study sessions. The station was deserted, save for them and a lone, stumbling figure weaving precariously near the edge of the platform.
A drunken man, his laughter a jarring, manic sound, began to amble onto the railway tracks.
Noah, always kindly treats everyone.
'Hey! Get off there!' he yelled, but the man just giggled, collapsing into a foolish heap on the tracks. Noah tried to pull him up, his hands slipping on the man's jacket, but the man was dead weight.
Aki stood frozen, a fire of rage flaring in his chest. His vision narrowed, and the world seemed to bleed into shades of crimson. He felt the phantom pain of a memory he had tried so hard to bury.
"That man didn't help my mother." The words were a burning brand on his soul, and he watched, his jaw clenched, as Noah finally gave up and ran to find the stationmaster.
The ground began to tremble. A low, distant rumble grew louder, a mechanical beast charging down the tracks. The man, finally realizing his peril, tried to scramble away, but his foot was wedged between the rails. Just like Aki's mother had been.
Aki watched, motionless, as the man screamed, his face contorted in terror. The train's headlight, a blinding white eye, grew larger and larger.
Aki didn't move. He didn't blink. He just watched the final, inevitable collision.
The train rushed past with a blur of steel and noise, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Noah came sprinting back with a face masked with shock. He saw the mangled remains on the tracks, then looked at Aki. And that's when he saw it.
Aki, his eyes now back to their normal, empty brown.
He performed a ritsurei, a deep, formal bow, to the wreckage. It was a gesture of respect, or perhaps, something far more chilling. As he straightened up, he began to walk away, his steps measured and deliberate.
For a moment, his head turned, and he looked across to the opposite platform. A figure stood there, shrouded in shadow. But Aki didn't stop. He just kept walking, leaving Noah to stare, utterly speechless, at the cold finality of what he had just witnessed. After a few days, Noah learned the reason why Aki did that.
A tall person on a bike, head tucked low in a hoodie, zipped past Noah and Aki on the sidewalk. The bike nearly clipped Noah, but Aki's quick reflexes saved him, pulling him back against the wall of a building.
"Sorry!" the cyclist called out without stopping, already disappearing down the street.
'No manners!' Noah grumbled, clearly annoyed.
'Maybe you should stop standing in the middle of the road when you talk,' Aki said, pointing out Noah's mistake.
Noah's frustration flared. 'What? You're taking his side now? A random stranger you don't even know?'
'Shut up,'Aki snapped, fed up with Noah's childish behavior.
Suddenly, Noah's demeanor changed. "Nobody loves me, Ginger. I miss you." He pulled out his phone, his wallpaper a picture of a cat—Aki's cat—with a pathetic white flower tucked behind its ear.
Aki was so shocked he couldn't hide it. 'For God's sake! He's a boy! Why did you make my cat pose like that?'
'Oh! You're here!' Noah said, as if just noticing Aki. 'You should go get counseling. I've got so much work to do. Bye-bye!' And with that, Noah turned and ran off, leaving Aki standing dumbfounded in front of his father's office building, the SA Tower.
Aki looked up at the towering glass and steel. He remembered coming here as a child with his mother, back when the building was smaller, but felt like their whole world. His father, Aito, was ambitious, but his family always came first. Everything changed after his mother, Sakura, died. His father poured all his energy into work, perhaps trying to forget his grief. Aki had always tried to understand his father's sorrow and struggles, but he knew he never truly could.
The receptionist spotted Aki and rushed over. Aki didn't come to the office often, so he was quickly surrounded by curious employees. Their friendly greetings and questions made him uncomfortable, and he could feel his face turning red.
A man in his late 50s approached, a warm smile on his face. It was Ishida Daichi, Aito's personal secretary—and Noah's father.
'What are you all doing?' Ishida asked the staff, his tone gentle but firm.
Aki felt a wave of relief. 'Ishida-san!'
'Don't crowd him like that. Can't you see he's uncomfortable?' Ishida said, creating space around Aki.
'It's alright, it's not like that,' Aki tried to protest, but his discomfort was obvious.
Ishida chuckled. 'Your ears are bright red, and you say it's fine?'
Aki cut to the chase. 'Where's dad?'
Ishida explained that Aito was in a meeting. Assuming Aki had something urgent to discuss, Ishida offered to call him.
'No, no, no!' Aki insisted. 'He'll postpone his meeting. I'll wait.' He knew his father would drop everything to see him, and he didn't want to cause a disruption.
Ishida understood Aki's concern and smiled. 'Okay, then let's go.'
As they reached the elevator, Ishida remembered a work-related task and told Aki to go on ahead. Aki nodded, then stepped into the elevator alone, the doors closing behind him.
The tall, black-hooded figure appeared beside him, a silent shadow that made 5'11" Aki feel small. Aki's thoughts flashed to Joshua as he has a similar height, before they entered the elevator. The hooded man moved to the back, a watchful presence behind him.
Just as the doors began to close, Aki saw a woman rushing toward the lift. He instinctively held the door open, but the small act of kindness was swallowed by a sudden flood of people. The crowd pushed in, squeezing Aki into a tight corner with the hooded man. Aki struggled to stay on his feet, feeling a helpless wave of claustrophobia.
"You can lean on me," a deep voice rumbled.
"I'm okay," Aki replied, but his footing gave way. He stumbled, his back hitting the stranger's solid frame. A flush of heat crept up his neck and into his ears. He mumbled an apology, mortified by his own clumsiness.
"I told you it's okay," the man said, a hint of a smile in his voice. He reached up, pulling back his hood.
The man beneath the hood was Reiji.
Reiji's gaze was intense, analytical, and it made Aki profoundly uncomfortable. He touched the back of his neck, a nervous habit.
The simple gesture caused a faint, familiar scent to waft from Aki's skin and into Reiji's senses. Reiji's eyes widened, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. He leaned in to breathe in a warm whisper against Aki's nape. Aki's body went rigid.
The elevator doors opened with a soft chime, and the crowd poured out, leaving them alone.
Aki moved quickly, creating a chasm of space between them. 'I'm so sorry, the crowd…' His words trailed off as he finally looked at Reiji's face, really looking at it. Reiji smiled, a gentle, familiar curve of his lips, and Aki's blood ran cold.
The face of that boy, Mei. Not the boy he knew from his school but an adult man.
A wave of dizziness washed over Aki, 'Why is this happening to me? Did Mei really come back? No, that's impossible. This isn't him.'
He stumbled from the lift as the doors slid shut, his eyes fixed on Reiji.
Reiji saw the panic in Aki's eyes. He reopened the doors just as they closed, watching as Aki hurried toward the stairs, heading for the roof. Aki scrambled to the top, gasping for air, his lungs burning. He dropped to his knees, struggling to pull in a full breath.
For a moment, Reiji simply watched, an unnerving stillness to his posture. Then, with a sigh of irritation, he knelt behind Aki, his hands gently covering Aki's eyes. Aki stiffened, startled by the sudden touch.
"Breathe through your nose, out through your mouth," Reiji's voice was calm and steady. Aki tried to pull away, but Reiji's hands held him firmly. "Stop struggling and just focus on your breathing."
Aki stopped fighting. He listened, his mind focusing on Reiji's words and the strange comfort of his touch. Slowly, his breathing returned to a normal rhythm. He felt a wave of calm wash over him, broken only by a faint, familiar scent that touched Reiji's awareness again—a scent that only deepened Reiji's confusion.
When Aki felt steady enough, he asked Reiji to let go. He moved away, sitting a few feet from Aki, and looked him in the eye.
'Thank you,'Aki said, his voice quiet.
'You should avoid crowds if you have enochlophobia,'
Reiji said, the corners of his lips turning up slightly.
'I don't have that phobia. I was just…' Aki trailed off, his gaze fixed on Reiji's face.
The strong eyebrows, the gentle eyes, the kind smile.
Mei... the thought echoed in his mind.
"Just?" Reiji prompted, his brow furrowing with concern.
Aki couldn't answer. He simply looked away, his mind swirling with a dizzying mix of emotions. His kindness... it's just like his friend Mei. He shook his head, a wry smile touching his lips. It was unbelievable, this feeling of familiarity with a complete stranger.
Reiji watched him for a beat, then stood and offered his hand. Aki took it, allowing Reiji to pull him to his feet. Reiji brushed a bit of dust from Aki's clothes, a simple, caring gesture.
'Thanks… again,' Aki said.
MIt's alright… again.' Reiji replied, and they both shared a genuine, easy smile.
'Well, have a nice day,' Aki hinted farewell in his tone.
'Reiji,' the man said, offering his name. 'You can call me Reiji.'
Aki smiled. 'It was nice to know you, Reiji-san.'
'Same here. See ya,' Reiji said before turning and walking back down the stairs, leaving Aki alone with his thoughts and a strange new sense of hope.
Aki hadn't left the roof yet. He closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh air, feeling the gentle breeze on his face. The sound of footsteps made him open his eyes. It was Reiji, returning. Aki's brow furrowed in confusion.
'Um... may I have your contact info?' Reiji's question was so unexpected it took Aki a moment to process.
'What?'Aki asked, a mix of surprise and bewilderment in his voice.
He had just met this man, yet here he was asking for his number. But then, it dawned on him. Reiji had helped him, and he hadn't even offered a simple thanks beyond words.
'I'm sorry, I should have…' Aki said, fumbling in his pocket for his business card. He handed it to Reiji, feeling a little flustered.
Reiji took the card with a warm smile and in return, handed Aki his own. Aki accepted it, their fingers brushing for a moment.
They said their goodbyes again, and as Reiji descended the stairs, he had a subtle smile on his face.
Aki, still on the roof, slipped the card into his pocket, his mind replaying the strange encounter, trying to make sense of it all