I see you!

Akio froze.
"Akio!" I repeated, hoping my words would reach her.
Akio turned round and met my gaze. Her hands and whole body were trembling. Just then, Akio's eyes began to quiver.
"Have you finally realized?"
I was still unsure about walking down this thorny road of love everyone talked about. But I didn't care, seeing Akio act the way she had been finally opened my eyes to the truth in front of me.
I inhaled a confident breath.
"Yes, I ha-"
"Are you sure? Are you sure you won't leave me again?"
Akio's voice was filled with uncertainty, still clearly attached to the embers of what once was.
"I'm back, Akio, after all these years- I've returned."
"How am I supposed to know you're telling the truth? - After all that's happened?"
I couldn't answer. Was this really the right way to go about it? What was I doing? After all that's happened...why was I this confident?
My eyes began to feel heavy- and my head lowered in guilt.

"Akio, I'm so sorry."
My heart still couldn't accept the pain I had put her through.
The strong girl I once knew let her mask down for the first time.

The tears began to flow.
"I'm so sorry for leaving you that day."
"I'm so sorry for breaking your world apart."
"Truth is, after my accident, I didn't have anyone to turn to. This feeling of losing the other half of my world... weighed me down. I couldn't figure out why - why my heart hurt so much."
"Tatsu-kun? Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not. All those years chasing an answer I couldn't reach, it was painful, y'know?"
"It was isolating."
I continued,
"How would you feel chasing a dream - a dream you didn't know why you were chasing?
Do you know how much it hurts to forget?"
The many layers of my mask I had been building up all these years - finally began to crack.
Finally, I stopped running from the truth that was in front of me this whole time... and after so long, someone understood this loneliness I had been feeling for all these years. These years of loneliness we both felt... brought us closer to the helpless dream we were both after.
This thorny road we chose to embark on finally led us to the truth we had been seeking for so long.
What did our future hold?
"Akio, after all this time, I finally understand what you were trying to tell me. I understand how much you were hurting."
"It must have been so hard on you, huh?"
Akio said nothing.
"Tatsu-kun, it must have been so hard for you, living the way you did. After your accident, the pain was too much for me to bear... the mask I used to drop when I was around you...stayed on all the time. I became louder and more vocal - all to try to hide how quiet my world without you in it truly was."
Akio began to walk towards me.
Was this the same as last time?
I braced for impact.

She hugged me.
My body tensed up.
My heart was so close to Akio's that I could practically feel it beating.
Was this the love I was seeking?
A familiar scent wrapped around me, steadying my racing thoughts.
"How am I meant to trust you, Tatsumi?"
Akio's voice started to crack.
"How am I meant to know you won't leave me again?"
I couldn't promise that I wouldn't leave,
but what I could promise was that I wanted to walk that thorny road again - not by myself... but with her.
"Akio, I can't promise anything, but what I can say is this-
I don't want to wander this quiet earth alone anymore.
I want it to be loud again.
I want you in my world - no more pushing you out. That's what I need."
Akio stood there, silent.
She grabbed my shirt.
"That's what I've been waiting for, Idiot."
Akio began to choke up.
"All these years, I endured all that pain and suffering just to hear you say such beautiful words, Tatsumi."
"Tatsumi, what does love mean for you?"
"When you say you need me, is that what love means to you?"
My voice began to regain hope.
"It means I'm finally able to choose a future - one where I don't push you away."
" a future where you're in my life. A future where I stay."
Akio froze.
"After all this time spent alone in that gray world, I think a bit of colour has been restored to it."
"The question now is, Tatsumi, where do we go from here?"
I was still unsure. I still didn't know where this road would lead, but even then, I was certain it'd be different this time. After all, we weren't alone anymore. The road we walked down, one filled with regrets and sorrow, united us once more.
I grabbed Akio's hand.
"From now on, let's turn this thorny road we chose to walk down into our own story."
Akio said nothing.
We just stood there.
"Its beutiful, isn't it, Tatsumi?"
"The road that once broke us apart has collided our worlds once more - I used to be afraid of walking that dangerous road... if it's with you, I think we could build something precious."
For the first time, our roads became one. It felt as if we finally understood each other's wavelength after all those years apart from each other.
What was next for our story? No one knew. What we did know was that the roads of our shared future had finally intertwined; two worlds once separated had been merged.
Akio met my gaze.
"Love is a beautiful thing, isn't that right, Tatsumi?"
I said nothing.
"Trauma that once broke us apart... has now brought us closer, all because of this thing called love."
I took Akio's hand.
We just started to walk down this road we had built for ourselves. The road ahead was treacherous, but we weren't walking it alone anymore..