Chapter 6 - "Where the Silence still Echoes"

The clearing  hadn't changed.
Even after all these years, the wind still danced through the tall grass like it remembered every footstep that had ever crossed it. The same gentle scent of wildflowers. The same distant hum of the sea. The only thing missing was the roar of planes overhead — a silence that made everything feel frozen in time.
Akaru stood at the edge of the hill, his hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the empty sky. He didn’t know why he came here. Maybe because this was the only place that still felt untouched by his mistakes.

“You still come here?” a soft voice asked behind him.
He turned.
Himari stood there — wind in her long red  hair, her pale legs shaky but determined beneath her. Her breathing was labored, tugging at her walking cane but her smile was stubborn.
“You… got out?” Akaru asked, blinking in disbelief.

She nodded. “I snuck out. The planes stopped flying over the Flower field a while ago. No one bothers with it anymore.” She looked around, taking in the view. “Except you, I guess.”
“How did you even get past the staff?”
“I may look fragile, but I’m annoyingly persuasive,” she smirked, walking slowly to stand beside him.

He let out a soft chuckle, watching her out of the corner of his eye. “This was my escape,” he said. “Back when Grandpa had me on a schedule tighter than my Baseball  drills. I'd come up here, lie down, and just listen to the engines above. Felt like I could lift off with them.”
She looked up at the now-quiet sky. “And now?”
“Now I come here and wonder if I’ll ever get off the ground again.”
A pause.

Then, gently, she took his hand.
“Maybe we don’t need to fly right away. Maybe walking together is enough for now.”
He squeezed her hand in return. Not tightly — just enough to let her know he was still here.
Still listening.
Still trying.