Princess Of The Crimson Red Flame

“Ah, looks like Natsume and Rumi aren’t coming,” Akihiro said. “They’re like two hours late now. Maybe something happened while they were on the way here?”

“No no, it’s Natsume we are talking about. He probably did it on purpose. That guy...next time I find him, I’ll beat him up.”

“Why would he do it on purpose though?”, Akihiro asked.

Ayane cheeks were now tinted red. “I...H-how would I know that? You dum-”

Suddenly Ayane’s phone buzzed. She had just received a new message.

“Oh sorry, just a second.” Ayane said as she opened the message. It was a text from Natsume.

-GreatLovePhilosopher419: I didn’t come because I wanted both of you to spend some time together. GOD BUCK!!!!

“God Buck? God Buck what?”, Ayane mumbled.

“God Buck what?” Akihiro repeated as he leaned over and was peeping into her phone.

“Oi oi, stop looking!” Ayane exclaimed as she pulled her phone away.

“Oh sorry sor-” Akihiro was again interrupted by the buzzing of Ayane’s phone.

“Ah sorry, one second.” she apologised as she opened her phone again. It was another text from Natsume.

-GreatLovePhilosopher419: *Good luck!!!

“Oh god, it was a typo huh...” Ayane said as she closed the phone and kept it in her bag.

“You just read the message. Aren’t you going to reply? Is it not important?” Akihiro asked.

“Ahh don’t worry. It’s just Natsume. I don’t want to reply to that creep.” Ayane said. As soon as she said that, her phone began buzzing. She was receiving multiple messages every second now.

-GreatLovePhilosopher419: Oi! You are gonna seenzone me?

-GreatLovePhilosopher419: Don’t you dare ignore my texts!

-GreatLovePhilosopher419: Damn...I got ignored.

-GreatLovePhilosopher419: And, I’m not a creep. I’m the Great Love Philosopher!!

“Agh this idiot...” Ayane muttered as she switched off her phone.

“How did he know you called him a creep?” Akihiro asked. He was looking at Ayane’s chats again as he leaned in closer towards her.

“You d-dummy!” she said as she pulled her phone away again. “Oh wait actually, how did he know?”

They looked around but couldn’t find Natsume. Akihiro was staring at the entrance of the aquarium. Someone suspicious seemed to be at the entrance, peeping at them. He was about to chase after him when suddenly he looked around. He couldn’t find Ayane.

A weird feeling crept up within his body. His muscles began to tense up as his fingers fidgeted. He looked around, trying to search for her.

‘Why do I feel so bothered?’

It felt as if he lost something precious and needed to retrieve it at all costs. He was indeed panicking.

‘Where is she?’

“Aki-kun, what’s wrong?”

He heard a familiar voice. It was Ayane.

He turned around. She was just standing there, looking at him with a confused face.

“Ah sorry, for a moment I thought I lost you.”

“Oh no, I was checking that fish tank there. Sorry...”

“Oh, no worries.”

“We’ve seen all the fishes in the aquarium, so do you wanna go somewhere else? I know a very beautiful place around here.” Ayane said.

Akihiro nodded.

She grabbed his hand and walked with him outside the aquarium. It was already evening. The sun would sink into the horizon any time soon.

They walked past small lanes and wide streets, while being connected together by their hands. Akihiro loved this feeling. He could feel the warmth from her hand, as they continued walking.

As they walked through a small lane, a car was coming from behind. It blared its horns as it approached the couple. Within a flash, Akihiro had pulled Ayane towards him, embracing her with both his arms.

‘Huh? Why did I do that?’

The car sped away along the small lane without slowing down.

“Aki-kun…”

Akihiro didn’t realise that he was hugging Ayane. He had reflexively pulled her towards him, protecting her from the speeding car.

“Oh sorry!”His grip around her relaxed as he let go of her.

“A little more time...” Ayane muttered as she grabbed onto him tightly.

He could feel her heartbeat. Warm, and calming, something he was not used to. The sound that her heart made didn’t feel natural to him. He had never felt so calm and relaxed, just by feeling someone’s heartbeat.

“Aki-kun, you are warm...” she said as she snuggled her face into his chest.

His head hurt again. This time, it was much more intense than usual. He let go of her and clenched his head.

“Aki-kun! Are you fine?” Ayane asked as she looked at him struggling to handle the pain.

“I’m fine. This happens quite frequently. It will go away in a few minutes.”, Akihiro groaned as he continued clenching his head.

Ayane nodded and held his hand to show her support. “I’m here…”

His pain slowly subsided in a few minutes.

“I’m sorry about that.” Akihiro apologised as he let go of his head.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. You did nothing wrong. I’m always there for you. Now come let’s go to the place I was talking about. It’s right by the corner.” Ayane said as she grabbed his arm and guided him to the place she was talking about.

It was a lake. The sun had already set, and the fireflies filled the atmosphere, lighting the whole lake up. Ayane walked up to the grass and spread her arms out, trying to catch the fireflies.

Innocent and pure, like an angel, Ayane twirled around playfully as she danced amongst the fireflies. It was a beautiful scene to witness. The fireflies flew around, lighting the stage for her as she danced happily. She was indeed the star of the scene, the one that sparkled the most.

“Isn’t this lovely? Look at all these fireflies!” Ayane giggled.

Akihiro wasn’t looking at the fireflies, he wasn’t looking at the grass either. Neither the moon in the sky nor the flowers on the bushes. His gaze was solely fixed on the Princess of the Crimson Red Flame, dancing amidst the fireflies under the starry night sky.

‘What is this feeling?’

To him, the dazzle in her eyes, the eloquence in the way her body moved, it all gleamed, lighting up the whole park around the lake.

“What are you doing there? Come over here!”, Ayane said excitedly. She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the grass. She held both of his hands and began twirling with him.

“Haha, you aren’t very good at dancing, are you?” Ayane asked as she let go of his hand. “Sorry, I got too excited. I love this place. These fireflies always come out once the sun sets. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yea.”

She laid down on the ground, looking at the starry sky. Akihiro rested his back against the grassy floor as he laid down next to her, watching the fireflies illuminate the night sky along with the stars. The cool breeze added to the beauty, making the night even more peaceful.

They held hands as they watched the clouds move and the stars shine.

“I love dancing,” Ayane said.

“I don’t have much experience with dancing,” Akihiro replied.

“Haha, it’s a natural thing. When the right time comes, even you would be dancing on your own.”

“Is that so?”

“Yea...Dance is a natural form of art. When you want to express your emotions and if words fail to convey the feelings, then dancing will help you express them.” she said as she lifted her hand into the sky, trying to grab the moon with her hands.

“I felt that. When you were dancing, it felt as if I was being transported to a whole new world. I was in awe.”

Ayane blushed. “Aki-kun, you’ve changed so much. The first time I tried talking to you, I was so scared that you would ignore me and walk away. And now look at you, sweet-talking like a caring man. I like this part of you though.”

“I’ve noticed it too. Ever since I met you, I’ve been acting odd. I could sense an incentive to perform unreasonable and pointless tasks.” Akihiro said.

“Like?”

“Like giving you the scarlet red pendant that day on the summer festival. My face wouldn’t listen to me and would just smile when I saw you wear the pendant. For some reason, seeing you happy makes me want to protect that smile.”

“You were happy too. I could see it in your eyes. You were smiling from the bottom of your heart. Aki-kun, that emotion is called ‘joy’. That emotion is what I feel when I lie down next to you or hold hands like this, or when I look at your eyes. Before, your eyes seemed cold, but now they look so lively. I really love your eyes.” Ayane said.

‘Is this happiness?’

“Ayane, I feel really happy right now. Today was really fun.” Akihiro said as he turned his head and looked at her.

“Me too Aki-kun. I had so much fun too.” Ayane said as she looked back at him. They were just staring into each other’s eyes. Just like that day, when Akihiro was sick, none of them felt embarrassed at all. They just continued to look at each other as everything around them seemed to have come to a standstill.

“Ayane, you look beautiful today.” Akihiro muttered.

Ayane couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “I didn’t hear you properly, tell me again.”

“You look really beautiful today.”

Ayane’s cheeks turned red. She sat up and grabbed a small red gift bag, decorated with ribbons. “Only today?”

“Especially today.” Akihiro said as he got up too.

Ayane dug her face in her hands and looked away, covering her smiling red face.

“What’s that?” Akihiro asked as he pointed to the bag.

“Oh, these are some cookies that I baked for you today morning. I completely forgot to give them to you.”

“They’re for me?”

“Yea, have some right now and tell me how they are.” Ayane said as she passed the bag of cookies over to Akihiro.

“Also Aki-kun, I wanted to te-” Ayane was interrupted by Akihiro covering her mouth.

“Sshhh-” Akihiro signalled. He could feel someone else’s presence in the area. They weren’t alone. “There’s someone here.”

The silence in the air was disturbed by the rustling in the bushes.