Just as Rei turned around, ready to disappear like another shadow into the night, the sky seemed to resist. As if an invisible force refused to let him go like that, without revealing what still remained within him.
The dense, dark clouds began to slowly part, as if obeying a higher will. They parted with solemn grace, like heavy curtains in an ancient theater, parting to reveal a full moon hanging alone above, immense and majestic.
The moonlight wasn't ordinary. It was cold, yes, but it had a melancholy sweetness, as if it too had once wept. Its glow descended gently, bathing the rubble, the bridge, the still water of the river, and finally, him.
Rei stopped.
It was just a gesture. A pause. But in that pause, time seemed to stand still.
The wind, which had been sharp a moment before, became a whisper. The dry leaves stopped blowing. The world held its breath.
His back, which until then had been the exact reflection of stiffness, weight, and isolation, yielded with a soft sigh that only the night could hear. The muscles in his shoulders relaxed. The dark coat he was wearing stopped flapping violently and fell softly against his body, as if the night itself were embracing him.
Then, he turned his face.
Slow.
And it was at that moment that something changed.
His eyes, accustomed to looking with indifference, dropped their mask. There was no longer any shadow, no distance, no more of that icy indifference that used to freeze the air around him. Now, his pupils reflected the moonlight like a clean mirror... and what they revealed was something no one had ever seen in him.
It was calm.
It was tenderness.
A fragility so human, so silent, that it seemed impossible for it to live inside someone who, until a few seconds ago, seemed carved in stone.
And there he was, still, bathed in moonlight, looking up at her. Not with pity. Not with fear. But with a gaze that demanded no words or explanations, as if that instant were enough to understand that something deep—and perhaps irretrievable—had been awakened within him.
The girl, her shoulders still shaking, panting as if her soul was barely holding on, slowly looked up.
Her eyes, swollen and blurred with tears, took a second to focus. She blinked. She swallowed hard. And then she saw him.
It wasn't a vision. It wasn't a dream.
He was there.
And on his face... there was no rage, no fury, no judgment. Just a serene, warm expression, unimaginable for someone like him.
And it was at that exact, non-negotiable moment that something inside her broke.
But it wasn't pain.
It was something much deeper: it was relief.
A relief so brutal, so unexpected, it hurt in my chest. As if everything I'd endured until now—the fear, the abandonment, the silence, the screams that went unanswered—had been agonizing over.
A lump, invisible but fierce, that had been in her throat for hours—perhaps days, perhaps years—unraveled without asking permission.
Her whole body shook violently. Tears fell shamelessly, thick, desperate, unstoppable. A sob tore from her throat, trembling, uncontrollable, like the wail of someone who had been in the dark for too long.
Her legs buckled slightly. Her whole being was collapsing, not from weakness... but because, for the first time, she felt safe.
Her lips trembled, unable to form words. She barely breathed, as if her chest had forgotten how to breathe. Her hands, clumsy, sought refuge in her own body, clutching her heart, as if by doing so she could prevent something from breaking even further inside her.
Everything I had held back until that moment—the fear, the exhaustion, the scream that no one heard—was coming out in the form of silent tears, small gasps that trembled like a candle about to go out.
And then he spoke.
His voice was low, unhurried, as if he feared breaking the fragility of that moment.
"You're safe now," he said, and his voice wasn't just a voice. It was a refuge. "I'm sorry it took me so long... I did everything I could."
There was a brief, gentle pause. Like a held sigh.
—But it's over now... you can breathe. You're not alone anymore.
They weren't grand words.
They were human words.
Warm. Tired. True.
And as we heard it, it was as if the whole world held its breath. The wind ceased, the leaves stopped moving, and even the river seemed to fall silent, as if the entire universe didn't want to interrupt that moment.
Her eyes, clouded with tears, searched his in disbelief... as if she couldn't believe those words had really been meant for her.
Her lips trembled more, and from between them came barely a murmur:
—Are... are you talking to me?
Rei nodded very slowly. He looked at her as if she were something that should never be broken.
—Yes... To you. You don't have to understand it now. Just... breathe. Cry if you need to. I'm here.
The girl looked down. The crying returned, louder, but different.
It was no longer fear.
It was a relief.
She covered her mouth with her hands, stifling a sob that seemed to come from far away, from all the days she believed no one would see her, no one would hear her, no one would come.
The girl opened her lips. Barely a whisper escaped between her tears.
"You... you came..." she said, her voice cracking. "I thought... no one would... I thought I was going to die here... that no one would listen to me..."
Her voice cracked. The long-suppressed pain seeped into every syllable.
Rei looked down for a moment, as if those words were too much to bear with her eyes.
"I know," he murmured. "Hearing you scream... and not being able to get there sooner... it's killing me inside."
She shook her head, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, unashamed.
"But you came..." he whispered. "You came... just when I couldn't take it anymore..."
His legs took a step back, but he didn't run away. He just broke down little by little.
"Why?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Why would you do that... for me? You don't even know me..."
Rei looked at her then, with a different intensity. Without masks. Without cold.
"Because you were there... and you were screaming like no one else in the world could hear you." Her voice softened, sincere. "And I... I couldn't ignore it."
She covered her mouth with both hands. Her crying intensified, deep, unbridled, like a river finally breaking a dam.
—I didn't know that someone... someone who didn't know me... could care so much...
Rei took another step. This time closer.
"You don't need to understand," he said. "Just breathe... cry if you have to cry... It's over. Really... it's over."
Her words weren't perfect, nor sweet, nor carefully crafted. But they were real.
And that was more than she could bear.
"Thank you," she said, her voice barely audible between sobs. "Thank you for not leaving me there... for coming... for talking to me as if... as if I weren't invisible..."
Her legs began to give way. All the fear, exhaustion, pain, and relief were breaking her down.
But before falling... Rei already had her in his arms.
He held her carefully, with a firmness that didn't suffocate, that didn't squeeze. He held her as if it were the first time he'd ever touched something fragile... and he didn't want it to break.
The girl's body slumped gently in his arms.
Rei barely had to react. He was already there. He was already holding her.
Her breathing was short, shaky... but alive.
He watched her silently, his heart still pounding from everything that had just happened. Her cheeks were still damp from crying, her lips trembling slightly, even in her sleep.
But she didn't seem scared anymore.
He slept like someone who, after a long storm, had finally found a corner where he could close his eyes.
Rei swallowed, feeling something tighten around her throat.
"She fainted," he murmured in a low, almost guilty voice. "Poor girl..."
He looked up. The clouds, which had parted moments before to let the moon through, were beginning to close in again across the sky. A crack of thunder broke the calm, and the next moment, rain began to fall.
At first, it was just a few scattered drops. But within seconds, they were hitting the pavement with a steady rhythm.
"I can't leave her here."
He held her a little tighter against his chest, protecting her from the water as best he could with his black jacket.
"Calm down," he whispered, with a tenderness that didn't seem his own. "I'll get you to safety."
With firm but silent steps, he descended the concrete slope of the bridge. He looked for a place where the structure's roof would protect them. There, in a dry corner, free of trash or puddles, he knelt and gently laid her down.
He laid her down slowly, as if afraid of waking her.
His hands, usually strong and sure, now moved with unusual delicacy.
—Forgive me if I'm clumsy with this... — he murmured, more to himself than to her.
He knelt beside her, took out a handkerchief he had kept hidden, and began gently wiping her face.
He started with her cheeks, wiping away the dried tears with slow, circular motions. Then he moved to the edges of her lips, barely stained by the dirt. And when a wet strand of hair fell over her eyes, Rei brushed it away with his fingertips, sliding it away with almost reverent precision.
"It's over," he whispered, as if his words could reach her even in her sleep. "No one's going to hurt you anymore."
He then noticed a small wound on his arm. It was bleeding very little, but enough to worry him.
He pulled a small makeshift kit from his jacket. Bandages, a piece of gauze, and a small bottle of antiseptic.
Rei was one of those people who always carried something just in case. Although he never quite knew who it was for.
"This is going to hurt..." he murmured, although she couldn't hear him.
He soaked the gauze and, with all the patience in the world, began to clean the wound. He wasn't rough. He wasn't quick. It was as if every movement contained a promise: "You're not alone anymore. I'm here."
When he finished, he covered her with a small white bandage. Then he carefully placed her arm across her chest, crossing it with the other so it looked like she was hugging herself.
Rei watched her silently.
He was fast asleep. His brow was barely furrowed. As if he were still struggling to believe he was safe.
He spread his coat over her, covering her from shoulders to toes. He squatted there, staring at her... not knowing why he couldn't look away.
And that's when he remembered.
"My backpack..." she whispered, her eyes widening slightly. "I left it up there."
"Damn... I dropped her when I started running."
He stood up quickly, shaking the water from his shoulders. The rain was falling harder now. He could hear the pounding on the concrete like a distant drum.
He turned one last time towards her.
He saw her wrapped in her coat, asleep, protected.
Fragile. Innocent.
And for a moment, he wished he could stay there, watching her sleep, making sure nothing and no one touched her.
But I had to go back.
"Don't move, okay?" she whispered with a small smile that no one would see. "It'll just take a second."
And he ran away, in the rain, with the water hitting his steps, with his chest tight and a single idea in his head:
"I have to go back."
Upon reaching the top of the bridge, Rei found her backpack right where she'd dropped it moments before. The rain had soaked it, but it was still usable. She quickly grabbed it, slinging it over her shoulder as she breathed heavily.
It was then that something strange happened.
A soft voice, almost a whisper, drifted into her mind with the delicacy of a night breeze.
- Thank you...
Rei froze.
Her eyes opened slowly, as if time had stopped around her. She looked around, turning on her heel. No one was there. Only the murmur of the rain falling steadily, the wind rustling the leaves... and her heart beating fast.
-...What was that?
The voice had been sweet. Feminine. Full of warmth and gratitude. But also... strangely familiar, as if it came not from outside, but from within something he himself had forgotten.
Rei frowned, then shook her head.
"It doesn't matter now," he murmured, readjusting the strap on his backpack. "I can't leave her alone."
The cold scythed at her arms. She looked back at the ground: damp branches, fallen leaves, small pieces of wood piled up by the wind.
"If I'm going to stay there," he said to himself, "I'd better at least keep her warm."
He carefully gathered what he found: dry branches under a sheltered tree, some thick leaves, bark. He placed everything in a makeshift bag with his wet coat and started back.
The rain fell silently, as if respecting the moment.
Arriving back under the bridge, Rei saw her there, still asleep, wrapped in her coat like a small flower closed against the world. The rain fell softly outside, as if respecting the silence that surrounded them. She hadn't moved. She was still breathing calmly, her lips parted and her hands close to her chest, as if embracing an invisible memory. Her expression, once tense and wounded, was now serene... vulnerable... beautiful in its fragility.
Rei sighed with relief.
"Good... you're still resting," he murmured softly, as if afraid of waking her with the sound alone.
He knelt calmly a few feet away from her, the faint sound of the rain still echoing in the distance. His movements were slow, almost ceremonial, as if he feared breaking the magic that enveloped that corner of the world. In front of him, the girl slept soundly, wrapped in her coat, so still and fragile that for a moment, Rei doubted she was truly real.
He began to arrange the branches with great care, one by one, with patient hands.
It wasn't just a campfire he was building.
It was something more. A small shelter. A warm sanctuary in the midst of darkness.
"I'm no good at this," he whispered, smiling to himself. "But I'll do my best.
Just for you."
He took out his lighter. He held it in his hands for a few seconds, looking at it silently.
Then, with a couple of clicks and some patience, a small flame sprang to life among the dry leaves and bark. It flickered at first, then steadied, as if it too wanted to stay.
The flame danced timidly, like a small living creature, illuminating the corner with a soft orange glow, warm as a whisper. The flickering light slid across the concrete walls, casting shadows that seemed to delicately envelop them, as if the night had softened just for the two of them.
The warmth began to spread slowly, like a caress through the freezing air. Steam rose from Rei's soaked clothes, disappearing in light spirals that rose until they were lost in the darkness of the bridge's ceiling. The smoke rose straight up, unhurriedly, as if it too respected the silence.
Rei sat by the fire, knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around them. Still wet. Still cold.
But... don't worry.
For the first time in a long time.
She slept motionless, wrapped in her coat as if the entire world had stopped just to let her rest. The fire, still alive and serene, painted golden hues on her cheeks, caressing her skin with a warm light, as if even the flames dared to touch her gently.
Her eyelashes cast soft shadows across her face, and the gentle rise and fall of her chest marked the slow rhythm of a breath she finally didn't fear.
Her lips, half-open, seemed about to whisper a sleeping secret.
The frown that had once been marked by fear was now smooth and calm... as if someone were silently holding her in her dreams.
A strand of her hair, barely loose, moved in the light breeze, dancing in front of her face. The coat draped over her shoulders like a makeshift shelter, and everything about her, absolutely everything, seemed at peace.
It was like looking at a moment stolen from the world.
Like seeing the purity of rest after pain. And Rei, still, from the edge of the fire, couldn't tear his gaze away.
"I never thought something so simple could be so... beautiful."
She thought, not daring to say it.
And in that moment, he wasn't a protector, nor a warrior, nor a solitary shadow.
He was just a boy. Watching a stranger sleep with the tenderness of someone who knows something fragile has been entrusted to him, even though no one asked him to.
And Rei smiled softly, one of those smiles that no one else sees, only the fire... and maybe the soul.
A faint, broken smile, as if he'd forgotten how to do it.
But it was real. And for the first time, it didn't hurt to smile.
"I don't know who you are," he whispered softly, looking at her with half-open eyes, filled with something new, soft. "But... I'm glad I got here in time."
The girl was fast asleep, unaware...
but he spoke as if she could hear him from her dreams.
"If I hadn't come... if I had ignored you..." He paused, his lips tightening slightly. "I wouldn't have been able to bear it."
"Rest..." he thought, as if he could protect her even with his thoughts.
"Keep dreaming... I'll be here. Even if I don't know why."
He rested his chin on his arms, hugging his knees.
The fire crackled softly in front of him, and the light danced on his face, reflecting a strange mixture: tiredness, tenderness... and peace.
For a moment, everything that tormented him disappeared.
He didn't think about his past.
Nor about the scars he carried inside. Nor about the days when he wished he felt nothing anymore.
He was just there.
Present. Complete. Caring for someone he didn't know... and who, unknowingly, had saved him a little.
"That's weird," she whispered with a small, almost silent laugh. "I don't know your name... I don't know anything about you.
But here I am."
His gaze returned to her.
The way her hair fell over her forehead.
The way her hands were bunched close to her chest, as if still protecting herself even in sleep.
The coat draped over her shoulders. The fire reflected in her cheeks.
She was beautiful.
But not in a superficial way. She was beautiful because she was alive. Because she had endured. Because she kept dreaming.
Rei closed her eyes for a moment.
She let the warmth of the fire caress her damp skin, the murmur of the rain gently hitting the outside world mix with the faint sound of the sleeping girl's breathing.
For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I had to run. Or hide.
There, under the bridge...
everything was fine.
And in the depths of his mind, like a whisper that came not from outside, but from some forgotten place inside him, a quiet voice spoke to him:
"Maybe... tonight isn't just about protecting her.
Maybe... it was also about saving me."
His eyes slowly opened.
The fire was still alive, flickering gently among the damp branches and warm shadows.
He just stared at the fire.
And then at her.
So still. So at peace.
So unaware that someone was watching over her from the edge of the world.
And in that simple action, without words, without grand gestures, there was something deeply human.
She didn't ask him.
She didn't even know.
But Rei looked after her.
From the silence.
From the edge of the fire. From his most hidden thoughts. As if, without knowing how, he had become the guardian of his dreams.
He stood still, watching over the little world they had unwittingly built:
a campfire, a coat, two broken souls, and one night that was too long. But inside that hidden corner, where the rain continued to pound the world outside...everything was right.
The flame trembled gently, as if breathing with them.
The girl slept, oblivious to everything, wrapped in warmth. And Rei, wet, tired, and with a lighter heart than he remembered...closed his eyes for a moment.
He didn't need answers.
He didn't need to understand what this meant. He just wanted to stay a little longer. Like this. Without noise. Without fear.
And just before sleep began to cloud his vision, he murmured almost voicelessly:
—When you wake up...
I'll still be here.
And then, in the quietest echo of the night, with the fire pulsing in the shadows and the rain singing outside,
everything fell silent.
A warm silence.
Beautiful. Unreal.
A silence that seemed to promise something.
And although no one could know it yet...
that night something had changed forever.
— End of Chapter —
📖 Author's Comment ✒️
Falling isn't always losing...
sometimes it's the only way to see the stars from below.
Thank you for joining me once again.
See you in the next chapter...
— 夢と雨と言葉の仙人
— Yume to ame to kotoba no sennin
— The Hermit of Dreams, Rain, and Words
— The Great Master Makoto-sama