Under The Moonlit Sky

They entered the train and sat down next to each other. Silence filled the atmosphere but it was soothing, relieving them from what had just happened and allowing them to move forward. The effects of the adrenaline had subsided, calming her body down. Exhausted both mentally and physically, Ayane couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. Knowing that she was right next to Akihiro gave her a feeling of security and warmth.

A few hours after the train began moving, she fell asleep on his shoulders. Akihiro watched her as she slept. She must have been having a very beautiful dream as she had a peaceful expression on her face. Akihiro looked out through the window as the train passed through lush paddy fields and rocky mountains. The sun began to rise, marking a new day and a fresh start. But to both of them, it was the end of a cruel decision.

Akihiro was just lost in thought the whole time during the train ride.

‘How long can we keep running? This is the CIA we are talking about...There is no other option huh…’

After a few hours, the train finally arrived at their destination. Akihiro looked at Ayane who was still sound asleep, like a baby safe in her mother’s lap. She looked pure and innocent, an angel indeed. But Akihiro knew, when she wakes up from that gentle dream, she would come back to reality and remember everything. That smile on her face, that gentle expression, it would all fade away, making way for sad and bitter expressions to take their place. He didn’t want that to happen. He didn’t want the sparkle in her eyes to fade away. She was still in deep sleep, even though it was afternoon and the blazing sun was high in the sky.

He didn’t want to wake her up. So he put her on his back and carried her out of the train. Even amidst her deep slumber, she still clung to him.

He carried her on his back as he made it all the way to Rumi’s beach villa. The posh black motorcycle was still in the garage, untouched since the last time they had come there. He unlocked the door and entered the house. It was still very clean, just the way they had left it the other day.

Akihiro walked up to the bed and placed Ayane under the blanket. She was still sleeping peacefully, as if she was dreaming about a fairytale. He loved the face she made when she was sleeping so he sat there and watched her sleeping in comfort for some time as he held her hand. She must have been really exhausted after all that had happened.

He smiled as he tucked her in and kissed her forehead. He slowly let go of her hand and got up, about to go out of the room when suddenly he heard her mumble, “Aki-kun, I’ll always love you, forever...” Her expression had changed from a gentle and happy one to a sad expression. Her lips stopped smiling. Akihiro was worried, but he had to go out. So he wrote a note and left it on the desk next to the bed and left the house.

There was nothing else to do, no other option that he could choose. Only one choice, only one fate, only one thing he could do. After completing what he had to do, he walked by the coast of the beach, watching as the waves continued to crash back and forth onto the sea, in a monotonous manner. Noticing that the sun would set in a few hours, he realised that Ayane would have woken up by now.

He returned back to the villa immediately as he didn’t want to keep her waiting for too long. When he opened the door, he saw her sitting on the couch. Her smile had vanished, the sparkle in her eyes had disappeared as her gaze was unfocused.

“Ayane…?” Akihiro muttered as he slowly walked up to her.

Hearing his voice, Ayane snapped out of it. She looked at him and smiled. “Welcome back, Aki-kun!”

“Ayane...why are you crying?”

“Huh? I am?” She felt her cheeks. They were wet as tears overflowed, drenching them completely. “Huh? What is this? Why am I crying?”

“Ayane…” Akihiro couldn’t bear to see her like this. It felt like something was pulling his heart apart. Something tugging onto it, so hard it could burst any moment. He sat next to her and spread open his arms, enveloping her in a warm embrace. He could feel her shoulders shake as she continued to silently cry, wetting his shoulders with her tears.

“I had a dream. A very long dream. Aki-kun...I hated that dream. I’m scared, Aki-kun!” she muttered.

Akihiro caressed her head and patted her back. “Don’t worry, I’m right here. What did you see in your dream?”

“A bittersweet dream. I hated that dream. I don’t want to see it again. Aki-kun...you were on fire. You were burning.” she continued to cry.

“It’s okay, Ayane. I’m right here. It’s all okay now. It was just a bad dream…” Akihiro said in a kind voice as he continued to gently pat her back.

“Aki-kun, promise me...Promise me that you will survive. We will survive this and continue to live together, till the end of our time.”

“Don’t worry. I will win for sure.” Akihiro said as he tightened his embrace, giving her a warm feeling of security.

“Promise me. Promise me that you will win!”

“I will win. Definitely. I promise.”

“I don’t want to lose you, Aki-kun…”

“I don’t want to lose you too…” Akihiro replied as he tried to assure her.

They laid in each other’s arms until the sun set. Time went by in slow motion, for the two of them were possibly spending the last hours of their life. But if that was the case, if Ayane were to die right now, she wouldn’t have any regrets. Being with Akihiro, till the end, was all that she wanted. They continued to bask in each other’s warmth when Akihiro remembered what he had to tell her.

Ayane had something to ask him too. Before Akihiro could tell her what he had to tell her, Ayane asked him the question that had popped up in her mind.

“Aki-kun, you left a note on the desk, saying that you had something important to take care of. What was it?” Ayane asked.

“Oh, I completely forgot. I got some ramen for you since you love them so much.” Akihiro said as he let go of her and walked to the dining table. “I had to get it as takeaway, that is fine, right?”

“Yes!” Ayane’s mood seemed to have gotten much better. Her eyes seemed to sparkle again and her smile had finally returned. He took the opportunity to now tell her what he had to tell her.

“Also, I went out and talked to the fishermen at the beach. That was the important thing I mentioned in the note. The fishermen in this area are planning on leaving for the ocean tomorrow morning. We could go with them to the sea. I met a kind fisherman who agreed to take us both to an isolated island. We should be able to hide there for some time. Then maybe eventually, we could escape to a different country and probably lead a normal life.” Akihiro explained.

“A normal life…” Ayane came up to the dining table and began eating her ramen.

“Imagine Ayane, in another life, if we just had normal lives, do you think we could be husband and wife?” Akihiro said as he smiled.

“We can be husband and wife right now!”

“Ayane...we are still high school students. There is no need for us to rush.”

“But there’s no point! I don’t want to marry someone else. I can’t…”

“Ayane, look at the moon. Isn’t it beautiful?”

The moon was shining brightly in the night sky. The wind was cool and it was serene outside. It felt as if they were the only people in the whole world.

“Yea...it’s beautiful. You know, Aki-kun...Whenever I see the moon, I’m reminded of you. I’ve spent so much time with you, under the full moon. So many memories, it’s all connected with that celestial body in the sky.” Ayane said as she gazed at the night sky.

“Ayane, do you want to make one more memory under the moonlit night sky?” Akihiro asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Will you dance with me?” Akihiro said as he extended his arm, waiting for her to hold it.

“Pfft, I wouldn’t have expected you to do something like this. Do you even know how to dance?”

“No, but you can always teach me. Look, the terrace is huge, we can dance on the terrace.”

“Aki-kun...you’ve really changed so much. At first, I was scared to even talk to you, and now, you’re asking me to dance with you. But I love this about you. Let’s dance, Aki-kun!” she said as she held his hand and dragged him towards the terrace.

She brought him up the stairs, to the terrace. “I’ve never been here before...It’s so beautiful.” Ayane said as she was in awe, gazing at the beautiful night sky, studded with stars surrounding the radiant moon.

In that moment, Ayane seemed to be scintillating like the stars in the night sky. A beautiful woman, standing under the giant night dome, looking up at the moon and smiling; to him, she was indeed the most beautiful woman on earth.

He gently slid his hands into her palm and lifted it up, as he supported her back using his right hand. She looked into his eyes. The moon’s reflection gleamed in her eyes.

She smiled, “You want to slow dance?”

Akihiro took a step forward, leading her as they began to dance. The air was cool and the gusts of wind gently blew against their faces, lifting her hair up from time to time.

“One...two...one...two…” Akihiro muttered as he tried to sync his footsteps with hers.

Ayane began laughing “Aki-kun, this is so cute...Just close your eyes and listen to the footsteps. Your body will automatically begin to dance.”

Akihiro closed his eyes as he listened to her footsteps. He could hear her giggle from time to time, he knew that she was really enjoying this moment they shared. After all that happened, this was hope. They were running away together, to a new country, a new life, a new journey. And it was possible, yet they knew that it wasn’t guaranteed. The CIA could show up any minute and it would be all over.

They really danced as if this was their last dance.

“Aki-kun, you were the one who saved me that day when I was drowning right?” Ayane asked as they continued to slow dance.

Akihiro opened his eyes and looked at her. “How did yo-”

“Natsume told me later on. To be honest, I had a gut feeling that it was you. While drowning, I thought I saw someone who looked like you who grabbed my wrist and pulled me up. It was you, after all.” Ayane said as they came to a stop.

“Ayane…” Akihiro stopped dancing. They stood still, in the middle of the terrace, staring at each other, under the moonlit sky.

“Aki-kun! I told you to close your eyes right!” Ayane said in a playful manner. Akihiro had completely forgotten. He was too obsessed with the dazzle on Ayane’s face today.

Akihiro closed his eyes. He was expecting her to start dancing again but instead, he felt something press against his lips. Something soft, smooth and warm.

He suddenly opened his eyes. Ayane was standing in front of him, her cheeks were flushed red. She averted her eyes and looked to the side. Her cheeks slowly turned super red as she realised what she had just done.

Akihiro placed his fingers on his lips, gently feeling the texture of his rough lips. Something soft and gentle had touched him here.

“What! Is it that shocking?” Ayane asked.

“I didn’t expect that. I couldn’t feel it properly.” Akihiro muttered, his heart was beating rapidly as his cheeks turned red.

“That was my way of saying thank you for saving my life that day. But if you didn’t feel it properly, it can’t be helped. Close your eyes!” Ayane said.

Akihiro closed his eyes as he felt Ayane's presence come closer. He felt it press against his lips again. His lips slightly parted, gently caressing her lips as they retreated back.

Akihiro opened his eyes. His face was completely red, but there seemed to be a special glow in his eyes. Ayane and him had a special bond, connected forever, no matter what.

“Aki-kun...what was that?”

“What was what…?

“What you did just now.”

“I -”
“Do it one more time,” she said as she lifted her heels off the floor of the terrace. She didn’t plan on letting him prepare for it. She placed her arms around his neck and kissed him again, conveying all her emotions by just one gesture.

“Aki-kun! Your eyes aren’t closed!” she scolded him playfully. Akihiro closed his eyes as they continued to kiss. She gently placed her hand on his cheek and conveyed all her feelings.

This might be the last time they ever get to be together after all.

The moon was still shining radiantly in the sky, probably smiling as it watched the two lovers kiss under the night sky studded with glittering stars. The stars twinkled in the serene night sky, as they watched over the lovers' happiest moments of their lives.

In the back of their heads, both of them knew that it might all come to an end, it might all just disappear. 

They let themselves enjoy this moment, as they made another memory under the moonlit sky.