True feelings

“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.” — Anne Frank

Hoshi squeezes her eyes and spits two words out of her mouth.

“Haru Chibana.”

The boy rolls his eyes and walks to the only person he felt comfortable be around, Kibo.

“Why did you bring these two with you?”

She gives him an assuring smile and pats his arm.

“They are my friends, so don’t worry! Give them a chance!”

He groans and goes behind the girl. Then he stretches one arm in front, ready to surrender and greet the guests with a handshake.

“What a shy one you got there, Aiko!” Meiko laughs.

“Weren’t you the same?” Hoshi jumps right into the discussion.

Her customary mischievous grin was beaming, as always.

Following some rest, the girls and the red boy start to inform Haru on everything. They explain how they met and about the special abilities.

He got captivated by their stories and his mind drifted into a state of complete blankness.

Can he trust them? Should he admit that his strange symptoms match those described?

The bright hearts from Hoshi's cones were distracting him, and he couldn't concentrate. Their color was becoming brighter and brighter until the point where all he could see was red.

Inside his ears, a loud ringing started to cause him dizziness. His heart rate was increasing as the pain got worse.

Everyone was staring with wide eyes at the unexpected view. No one knew how to react and their bodies felt so heavy that they couldn’t move a finger.

Haru tried his best not to manifest too much. He didn’t want to scare either to worry the guests, but sadly, his old habit had other plans for him.

In no time, his heart stopped for some seconds and he felt two different beats. One seemed to be of a boy and one of a girl’s. He opened his eyes while gritting his teeth and he saw that Hoshi’s and Meiko’s hearts were glowing red.

Suddenly he felt confusion and concern. But as he got deeper into their souls, he found sincerity and desire.

He used to think that everything is an illusion and he is going insane, but each time it was different. It was more realistic and understandable. He embraced these weird sensations and chose to go with the flow.

They were never wrong or inaccurate. They helped him many times to read, understand, and finally judge people.

Anyone would be amazed at how many good people harbor hatred. Not to mention the ones who act like someone they are not.

Those are the persons who chose to live a life full of lies. In the first place they lied to themselves and at some point, they started to believe. There is no more truth left, or if it is, then who bothers to remember it as long as it was nothing like we wanted?

Lust, what a sensual word, but be careful when you’re using it! The one who feels lustful is going to become a sinner. Everyone is on the hunt for whatever fulfills them. No matter what means they must adopt to get it or how much they must sacrifice, they will obtain what they want.

Satisfaction is a curse. It blinds even the hard-working beings and turns them into addicts for pleasure. This type of pleasure comes only from wanting to reach other’s goals and wanting more than is to give.

Now knowing all this, this habit of Haru could be quite useful throughout a lifetime.

“It hurts like hell for a while, but I recover quickly. But from a person that I regret meeting I will never recover, nor would I feel any better by replacing it.” This is the mindset he used to accept himself and he is right.

Having someone stab you from behind when you expect the least is a different kind of pain. It’s a wound that you can feel but never see. It’s damn frustrating, but we all feel for this kind of pain at least once. I’m sure after the first time it was enough, but how can you make sure it won’t be the last? You can’t.

In this world, no one can avoid human nature. Is the most unpredictable thing, it’s even above the weather.

“Haru…” A soft voice calls out for him.

Then a pair of slender arms wrap around his neck. The sweet scent of a feminine perfume brings him out of his trance.

“It’s alright now!” She says while ravishing his hair with one hand.

His pain disappears slowly and his body regains the necessary force to push the girl away.

“I hate it when you play with my hair!”

Again it was Kibo. It has already been two months since she entered his life and without noticing she got under his skin. He is so used to her by his side that he can’t recall how his days were before meeting this strange being.

She kept her promise. The girl helped him a lot and also accompanied him almost daily. He is lucky, but not as lucky as her.

She found in Haru a softer side of herself, but there was nothing wrong with this. This attracted her most to him. She had this constant urge of protecting him, which gave her motivation to keep on fighting his world.

“You are pretty when you cry.”

“You are though because you endure everything alone.”

“You are a unique piece of art, searching for his creator or rather who is searching for how it was created. I find that fascinating!”

These are a little part of Haru from Kibo’s view. Yes, he was softer than her, but this made him so much stronger. She respects not the power itself, but the stories that brought this strength that he has now.

“Dear Haru,

Before my 100 days with you are over, I want you to know the truth. I already made my promise to the one I came here for. After all this time spent here, I can say, without any doubt, that the person is worth more than my promise. Believe me, if I could, I would give all the stars and the moon to him. Each star means a wish and the moon should remind that person of me.

I asked you the first day we met if you believe in such a thing as soulmates. If you would have asked for my opinion then, I would have said no.

But guess what? People change, so do their opinions. I’m not who you think I am or at least who I presented myself as, but I learned something that I wish to share with you.

Soulmate sounds exaggerated, but the right person does exist for everyone. We chose who is suitable for us and the rest comes naturally. Since you're blinded by the sense of being constantly high and having butterflies in your stomach, the one you like appears to be ideal in your eyes.

I want you to find your special someone just like I found mine. Everything might be temporary and one-sided, but it’s worth it.

                                                                                                                                With love,

                                                                                                                                     Kibo Maboroshi”

She wrote him a brief note a few days ago, realizing that she only has about 40 days to spend with Haru. She plans on letting this behind in one of their last days together. She will confess her feelings or at least the truth about her identity and purposes.

In the end, she still wrote her actual name on the letter.

“It’s better if you know…” She thought to herself.