[The Sun and The Comet] by Yuuki Rafflesia & Samasora - Scarlet System

As the school bell rang, a thousand footsteps echoed throughout the building. Many approached the exit gate of Southern High School, a school located on the lakeside of Merriway. Letting out a frozen breath, a boy wearing a tracksuit with a white knitted scarf and messy cyan hair strolled to the school field while holding his duffle bag.

His azure gaze turned to a group of people wearing the same tracksuit, each swinging their legs back and forth as every thump sent some dirt into the air. Leading the group, there was a blondie with legs longer than anyone else in the group, a physique that is slender yet firm and shining orange pupils that met those cold gazes. As a breeze of winter wind caresses both their heads of hair, his leg touches the finish line before letting out a long sigh.

Collapsing into the red rubber of the track on his back, he clenched his teeth and let out a groan before getting up and bringing his knees to his chest with his left arms. He rubs his ankles, occasionally massaging it while letting out a deep breath until he jumps out of surprise when he feels a freezing object make contact with his right cheek.

Ionic Water

Looking down on him, the same azure gazes crouched on his eye level, faintly smiling at the sweat covered Haru. Grabbing the drink he just gave with his right hand, he gets up to give his gratitude for looking after him through his vocal cords, before chugging the whole bottle in one go.

He extends his glove-covered hand to help Haru get up and mentions his left ankles and to that he replies that it’s nothing to be worried about while jumping up and down. Rather than being relieved from that, he frowned behind his scarf but still he couldn’t hide the heavy weight on his heart and eyes. Then, he reached Haru's shoulder with his left hand followed by taunting words and a smug demeanor, Haru replied by reaching out his right hand to his shorter rival and bringing him closer to him and with a big smile. The two then moved to the track starting line.

…

One

Was the number of finger their friend was raising as the two were standing on the starting line

Slowly closing his azure eyes, he takes a deep breath while putting both of his hands to the white line and lowering his hips with his left leg in the front and right leg stretched all the way to the back. Haru’s doing the same position.

Two

The two raised their hips, their synapses pulse were heading to both of their right legs, same as their blood that rushed from their hearts as their heartbeats rose in speed.

And under that cyan hair, there’s only one signals that are being sent to his whole body-

Win.

He turned his head to the track and-

Three

They push their right legs to the ground, using their left legs as a pivot they swing their right legs to the front and from that strides, He takes the lead while Haru is one step behind him and on the second step he realizes that even though he got the first lead…

There is no way that he can win against Haru as he is right now.

…

Ikeya arrives home in his room and puts his duffle bag on the floor. He follows by throwing himself on his bed. Laying on his back, he turns his head to a photograph hung by the walls, standing together in front of a dozen cameras and flashes, picturing Haru along with the rest of the team, including himself, besides that blonde hair; a relic of the past where he was once called the Comet of Merriway.

Ikeya Kazuhiko's talent has now withered away.

The next day, as he says goodbye to the stars above, he finds himself strolling on the lakeside when the sun touches his faded eyes until he hears a faint noise of gears and chains rotating from behind.

A familiar blond head of hair comes up close to his face, his eyes dilated with concern regarding his losses yesterday. Ikeya felt an ache in his heart about him but he replies with a smile while pushing away his face with his right hand, muttering about him letting Haru win because of his injury last time. Thankfully, he buys it and offers Ikeya a ride to the school.

As the two were riding the bicycle, Ikeya couldn't help but to look at him with an empty gaze, occasionally woken up by the sound of cars passing beside them. He turned his gaze to the reflection of the bike, along with him and Haru, reminiscing the time they spent together before he had come to this final act.

They met under the rain while in their second year. Haru was soaked and late for school, as they glanced at each other's eyes while Ikeya was under an umbrella. He was a flash that rivaled his speed at the time. Intrigued, he decided to invite him to the track team as one he can call an equal; a rival under the cosmos he wandered for so long alone. But all of that comes to an end as he has far surpassed his expectations. He just can’t help but to be vexed for bringing him in; it was jealousy.

As a golden leaf falls on Ikeya’s head, he comes back to reality, taking it and looking at it for a while until the bicycle enters the school gate. He looks around the school yard and sees a bunch of stalls erected, some of them holding an exhibition from various school clubs and a lot of food stalls.

The School Festival is drawing near.

Getting off the bike, Ikeya told Haru he should pay a visit to the track stall but he obliged saying that he’s the ace of the club and that they should go together. Ikeya then flicked his forehead saying that they will, though he knew what would happen next. Walking amongst the crowd, Ikeya closely looks at his rival, guiding his bicycle, slowly leaving him behind as the crowd starts to recognize him and before he knows it…

Haru is lost in the crowd, leaving Ikeya all alone once again.

Walking away from the crowd, he glanced at his rival, muttering that soon they will face each other again for the last time.

…

Once, he was a school idol; he excelled at both education and sports, the Comet of Merriway, the Southern High School’s pride; Ikeya Kazuhiko. Among the crowd of students checking out their score on the exam, he would always come out on the top. But even so he would not once lower his head any time they came to praise him. Being faster than everyone else on the field, he would use those legs to help the teacher by delivering his friend's assignment. Though, the friend that he thought was by his side all the time was…

Only befriending him for his own advantage.

He realized all of that, but not once in his school year was he ever against it. Not because he’s too weak or scared but he feels that he should be taking care of them, no matter how pathetic they are. He couldn’t imagine what it feels like to be alone as he is known to have trouble communicating, so it was his last resort to fill his loneliness. But in the end, every human has their limit and he is yet to reach that limitation.

Strolling the same route to the school field covered in sweat, he holds two full water bottles with both of his hands. He was the only one at the opening ceremony of the track and field club, where he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest halfway there, forcing him to sit on the pavement, catching his breath and holding his chest for dear life until a familiar voice placed a hand on his right shoulder.

Tachibana Haru 

It was the blondie he met in the rain and without hesitation, he picks up both of the bottles and starts walking on his own to the field. He sees his lips as he mutters a word that he would have never heard during his high school, a proposal of a helping hand from the last person he expected it to come from, that is his proposed “Rival” that he wanted to go against.

And that feeling eases the pain of his chest

Placing his left foot in front of him, he lunges forward after swinging his right leg and in a flash he snatched one of the bottles before he muttered another proposal to him; a race to reach the field and with a smile and a nod. He intrigues and taunts Ikeya as a foolish comet that wanders too close from the sun. Ikeya replies by putting his left foot in front of his body. Haru glances at him and replies with the same motion.

One

Two

Three.

They took off after their right feet flew in front of them, bringing their bodies forward in the process. The wind howled on both of their ears as their flashes of steps sent dirt flying across the pavement with each and every step. Every movement they made sent thumping noises in the distance, attracting nearby bystanders to then cheers for both of them.

As their heartbeats reach their peak, both of them start to take a breather as they are closing in on the red rubber of the field. It was still a neck to neck race and when they jumped across a trench they both glanced at each other and let out a laugh as they realized…

They had never once met an equal in their lives until now.

Landing on his left foot, Ikeya takes the initiative to extend his stride, taking the lead as Haru almost loses his footing after the impact. The race was soon to conclude that Ikeya was the victor but his pupil dilates as he sees Haru with an open arm jump at him sending both of them to roll over the field.

He is no longer running alone.

Yet, there’s one thing about him that he couldn’t tell him yet…until the time has come.

On the same field, of the same position as their finish line a year ago, they stood against each other as the last runner of the school’s relay race. Noticing his rival is gazing at the sky with an empty stare, Haru calls his name in which he replies with a soft smile before he mutters a simple thanks to Haru and before he can even respond. The baton is already on his hand and Ikeya can’t be seen beside him any more.

In a flash, he follows the line after noticing a cyan outline on the corner of his eyes by a stride of his right legs and notices a shimmer come trickling down from his dear rival.

His golden pupil contracts

Blood came rushing into his legs and he extended his stride while shouting his rival’s name again and again; there was nothing but fear, worry and confusion in his head, but he had never once smiled like that.

Slowly but surely, he’s closing his distance to Ikeya who is soaked in his own sweat and from that distance, he hears Ikeya frantically breathing through his lungs, yet he can see that he’s losing his speed as his heart beats faster and faster. 

And then, they once again met neck to neck gazing into each other's eyes

Ikeya's gaze softened, there were no words exchanged but the noise of their step deafened the cheers from their friends. Haru slowed his pace and shouted his rival's name once again.

Only one word came out of his mouth; it was a goodbye.

Followed by a word of gratitude, his eyes became teary and he placed his palm on top of his own chest.

A heart defect.

A condition in which the patient’s heart were defected from birth, greatly increasing the chance of getting caught in a cardiac arrest, it was the shadow that looms over him ever since he was born into this world. It was inherited from both of his parents who couldn’t make it, leaving him all by himself at the age of 10.

Before his father joined his mother who died from giving birth to him, there was a word he muttered before leaving his son in the darkness, a word that became the light that guides him to his life while he hasn’t yet been diagnosed with one.

That is to run and spread joy around the cosmos, until the time someone who can continue your legacy comes to you.

A gentle shimmer came overflowing from Haru, he couldn’t accept the fact that Ikeya would fade away from his life, until he heard Ikeya mutter his last word.

Haru is like the sun, while Ikeya is a comet. He may have wandered the cosmos all alone from the dawn of time, but once he has taken an interest in the Sun…

He would spin around his newfound family, each revolution bringing him closer to the Sun until one day, he couldn’t keep up the pace and…

The Comet would fall into the Sun.