Starry Sky

~~~🌟~~~

"How much water," he thought.

The waterfalls of Takachiho were beautiful during the day, teeming with life and offering a marvelous landscape to visit. At night, however, they were empty and dark, leaving only a large stream of water falling from a great height. Takashi found it less beautiful like that, perhaps in tune with the pain he felt.

The waterfall was powerful, and yet, it was nothing compared to the stream that Nao had made him imagine. The now rushing water kept dragging rocks towards him with the force of a hurricane, and instead of going out and drying off, he felt like he was being carried away by the current.

"Now you've ruined it, Takashi," his eyes got covered by the fingers of his right hand, upon which he leaned, sitting in front of the waterfall.

"But it's over," he had said in the infirmary. "Nothing is over. It’s never over."

He hid his head between his legs, visibly distressed. "Really, it was all in vain. None of what you did mattered. You know how Jun feels. And yet, you hurt him anyway. You're the worst," he told himself.

When he looked up, there was already a tear on his face. The rest came more easily as he started to hyperventilate.

"I'm cold. I'm really scared," he thought.

He wished someone would understand him, and that someone could comfort him despite his terrible actions. And although he thought he didn't deserve it, it seemed like his prayers were answered.

The footsteps on the ground revealed to Takashi that someone was approaching, and he knew perfectly well who it was. That's why he didn't look at her and let her sit beside him, invading his sense of smell with a gentle lavender fragrance.

"So, you really wanted to come here again," Nao said.

Takashi didn't respond to Nao's words. He didn't have the strength to do so, it seemed.

"Do you remember when we came here for the first time?"

And despite that, Takashi yielded, as he couldn't ignore such a kind being.

"The other day?" he replied in a muted and anguished tone.

"Yes. You caught me when I was falling, remember? That was very chivalrous."

"Yes."

"Although you fell during training today," she said before laughing somewhat exaggeratedly.

Takashi, once again, didn't know what to say. Nao's smile faded as she saw Takashi not responding, keeping her gaze fixed on him.

"Taka," speaking to him in his nickname seemed to make him react instantly.

"Can you give me a hug, please?"

Pain. That's what Nao sensed in his tone before drawing him towards her shoulder without hesitation, caressing his far arm with the tips of her fingers.

"This is the second time we've hugged like this today. You're getting clingy, huh?"

"I'm a mess, aren't I?"

Nao looked ahead, still smiling, with all the care in the world for him.

"It's obvious that you're not."

"Look where I ended up!" Takashi sensed a flinch in Nao after his outburst. "I ruined my teammates' effort! I hurt Jun, knowing that it was my fault he ended up like that! All because I can't stand being so bad and not achieving anything!"

"Taka..."

"I'm sorry, just leave me.” Takashi tried to move a bit farther away from Nao, but her compassionate arm prevented him. “It's not your fault, I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you too. Just..."

Nao kept looking ahead despite his hyperventilation, searching for the right words to express herself.

"When we had our first kiss, and you hugged me..." Even in his toughest moments, Takashi felt a small happiness in his heart when he remembered that scene. "I had told you that you had no idea how much you had helped me. But the truth is, I don't think I know either.”

Takashi remained silent, remotely hoping that her words would embrace him.

"I noticed it today while playing with the team. Before I met you, I'm sure I wouldn't have even approached a group like that, or any group for that matter. In school or outside of it, it was always the same. I only saw that they could hurt me if I got close, even though I was only hurting myself by staying away from the world.”

Somehow, Nao convinced herself to remember all those sorrowful situations in order to make him feel better. She would probably have agreed to bear that pain just to see him smile, as her heart shattered at the sight of sadness on him.

“Taka, my great beautiful light... thank you."

Takashi still hyperventilated, but at a slower pace. She was making progress.

"I'm glad."

"But those fears haven't completely gone away."

Takashi opened his tearful eyes upon hearing that sentence. "What are you saying?" he thought. "You were completely radiant today."

"With every play, I could feel my mind telling me to stay away, that they would hurt me, and that it would be my fault if they did. And this morning, before I left home, I had to practice my breathing in case I couldn't calm down later, because I felt like those thoughts would just stay. I fought against them, but it wasn't easy.”

"You know it's a work in progress," Inari had told him. Takashi looked ahead as if realizing something.

"You see, don't you?” Nao continued her speech, so serene and mature that it seemed like it was being spoken by a girl older than fifteen. “Your fears haven't completely gone away, and that's okay. It's not so easy to dispel them in a day. But you mustn't give up. You mustn't..."

Nao became emotional herself as she spoke, seeing a reflection of her own self in Takashi and unable to repeat the word "give up."

"I don't want to give up."

Nao’s heart took a calm leap of joy after those words.

"I know. You're just hurt. You're too good for this to stop you."

"Do they really not hate me? Doesn't Jun hate me?" His heart beat slower, fighting with determination against his emotions.

Nao had seen how Jun and Hiroshi laughed with him when they went to the shrine, or how Yoshida, Sasaki, and the others enjoyed themselves with him at the festival. And also, when he scored that goal, everyone's joy was immense. That happiness was genuine.

"I really promise, they care about you so much. But they must have their own fears and worries, just like you."

They did. He had seen both of them cry, sometimes almost as much as they laughed.

"And what should I do?"

"First, feel better. And then, you should talk to them. I'm sure they'll understand you. Until then... I'll stay here with you."

The waterfall continued its course, but the sound didn't seem as thunderous as before in Takashi's ears, nor the weather as cold. His muscles felt how the tension that had enveloped them for so long slowly dissipated.

"What if I fail again? Will I be able to help the team tomorrow?"

Nao placed the hand on the arm that was wrapped around Takashi just above his, intertwining their fingers and sending him a subtle sense of security.

"You asked me that yesterday. I know you can, and one mistake doesn't change what I think."

"And if I can't?"

For the first time in the conversation, Nao paused for a few seconds, unsure of what to say. Or rather, as if she didn't want to say something, something she wanted to keep to herself for now.

"Then take this tournament as learning and come back stronger next year. The important thing is that your friends will be there to support you. And even if you never manage to win it, you will have enjoyed it, and more opportunities will arise. As long as you don't stop trying, everything will be fine."

"Human are wonderful beings, but not perfect. They often have problems, but there's something essential about them... that they always solve them," Inari told him.

The girl's senses detected that Takashi still had some fear, although he was now more relaxed as the shivers slowed down. Little by little, she herself started to feel relieved. The serene ambience helped a lot.

"What a beautiful starry sky. Just like you, Takashi."

Both of their cheeks blazed at the affectionate comment, and Takashi offered a small smile, his tears subsiding more and more.

“Do you know Haruki used to be afraid of the night when he was little?”

Takashi chuckled, amazed. "Don’t tell me." He couldn't imagine that the boy he had met had been afraid of the night.

"Yes, yes. And in contrast, he really liked the day. He would always play outside a lot when there was light, before coming home by the sunset. There was something about him feeling that one sky was warm and pleasant, full of life and happiness, and the other was cold and inhospitable, filled with uncertainty and dangers."

"Oh? Like... here." Takashi remembered how beautiful the waterfalls in front of him had seemed the first time he saw them, and how he had sensed a gloomy aura moments ago.

"However, one day he realized that even though one might appear darker than the other, the sky was always the same. It was there, immense, with no intention of hurting him."

"I see...” Takashi was lit up by Nao’s reveal. “Does he go out at night now?"

"Yes. Haruki must be at the festival with his classmates right now. I told him to enjoy the night, but I didn't expect him to find a beautiful meaning in the night."

"What is it?"

Nao's smile widened, although Takashi couldn't see it yet. He also didn't perceive how Nao was feeling this time, but somehow he noticed it in the way she spoke.

"Once, while we were having dinner, he told us that the previous night he had gotten lost on the other side of the city after seeing a friend. He was scared, but he looked up at the sky and said that the stars reminded him of the people who accompanied him when he was afraid. Like they guided him through uncertainty. That's why... when you told me that I was your great and beautiful light..."

Takashi felt Nao's embrace tightening, moved by the memory. His instinct and desire made him sit up and wrap an arm around her neck, completing the embrace. They were at the same height, and Takashi thanked all the possible deitys for feeling the contact of his cheek against Nao's, radiating warmth due to her blushing.

"I'm glad I called you that, then."

"Fears are just sensations, Takashi, they don't truly exist." One could sense sorrow in Nao's voice. " What does exist is the happiness and joy you experience with your friends, and there's no way anyone can take that away from you.”

Nao was actually very surprised of her motivational skills. Some words even surprised her.

“And they won't take away your hope either. 'Imagine having so much hope that you can't contain it in your heart, that it splashes onto the place where you are and fills everyone with joy.' Remember? You told me that yourself when I needed it the most."

Takashi nodded slightly, strong enough for Nao to feel his touch as he caressed her face.

"Would you be scared, then, to lose your sky?"

Takashi teased her as comfort came back to him, but his smile faded when he was suddenly and unexpectedly pulled tightly against Nao with great force.

"Don't say that. And it won't happen."

"Huh? But..."

They pulled away from each other, and for the first time, Takashi was able to look into Nao's eyes. They were teary, filled with emotion for a Takashi who could now smile. In the moonlight, Nao was even more beautiful.

"Because I'll be by your side, no matter what."

Nao's eyes sparkled, but they conveyed a sense of security and comfort. So much so that Takashi couldn't help but give her a tender kiss, slightly surprising Nao. Takashi was starting to get used to showing physical affection, and he wondered if he would miss having her close when he returned to Tsuno, with a tinge of nostalgia completely overshadowed by his relief.

"How sweet," she said before leaning in and slowly kissing his forehead. Takashi realized that Nao had become a blushing tomato with a sweet smile, only when she moved away again.

"Now that was very sweet, you are going to make me like you a lot," Takashi chuckled. To his surprise, Nao snuggled even closer to him.

"That's the idea, silly" After a mischievous smile, Nao planted three or four more kisses on his forehead. It wasn't just Takashi who felt like he was in paradise at that moment; she loved that too.

"Then..."

Takashi ducked underneath, as if dodging an opposing defender, and attacked the side of Nao's neck with a kiss, tickling her and pushing her back.

"Ouch! That's not fair!"

"You lost!"

Nao tried to counterattack, but Takashi didn't yield and responded with a series of kisses on her face. In the moonlight, they intertwined in a dance of tender laughter and caresses, sharing a magical moment together. Amidst the innocent kisses and hugs, the fears disappeared from Takashi's heart as if the waterfall had washed them away.

And they disappeared from Nao's heart too.

After a minute of excitement, they returned to their original embrace, their hearts beating a mile a minute. Takashi happened to think about what had happened that afternoon but felt no pain. His heart was lighter yet stirred by the affectionate Nao, and in his mind, there was only a feeling of determination to fix the situation.

"Thank you," he whispered, gazing at the waterfall and answered by gentle strokes on his hair, conveying more than words could express.

~~~❤️~~~

"Are you sure you don't want me to enter with you?"

They arrived at the inn's entrance. The place Takashi had been reluctant to return to, filled with fear.

"No. It's something I have to make up on my own."

"Alright then, you have my number.” Nao was audacious enough to ask him for it before. “Let me know how it goes through a message. Take care, Takashi."

Nao turned towards the street, smiling because she could help someone she cared about so much.

"Oh, Nao?"

However, Takashi still wanted to know something.

"Yes?"

Takashi lowered his head before asking her, then locked eyes with her.

"How did Haruki stop being afraid of the sky that night? What did he do to realize?"

Nao didn't expect Takashi to ask about that again, but she put on her best smile as she responded.

"He gathered his strength to look firmly at the sky, determined, and smiled when he realized everything was alright."

That was all Takashi needed to hear. After processing the answer and with a confident and determined smile, he sent Nao a look of "Thank you" and stepped inside the building.

He passed through the main door and entered the inn's lobby. The first thing he noticed was that it was crowded with people, and the second thing was that it was warm inside. But he only focused on the first.

"Huh?"

The nineteen people scattered among armchairs and cushions looked at him, with most of them standing up. Dressed casually, but mostly wearing the burgundy and yellow jackets. His teammates. All of them.

"Guys..."