Chapter 3: When Shadows Touch Light (Haru)

  I listened to Rei’s steady, fragile breathing.

  My heartbeat matched the rhythm of his breaths, as if tethered to them.

  “My story is true,” he whispered, voice hollow, “but not complete. No matter how hard you try, you will never understand.”

  I sighed. He was the one who would never understand.

  I carried more secrets than he could ever imagine.

  My heart bled rivers of grief, flowing with memories of everything I had lost. Whatever twisted tale he had for me could never compare to my own. To what I had suffered. To what had been taken from me.

  My hands trembled at the reminder, fingers curling tightly into fists.

  “Do you really want to know?” Rei asked, his voice softer than a breath of wind.

  “Yes, Rei,” I muttered, light but firm. “I want the truth.”

  “…Even if you get hurt in the end?”

  I met his gaze, dark eyes that were full of a pain I knew all too well.

  “I’m not afraid.”

  “I know.” Rei exhaled, his shoulders sagging.

  His voice was barely a whisper. “I’ll tell you. Just…stay by my side. Until the end.”

  Something warm flickered in my chest, unfamiliar yet not unwelcome. I nodded, strands of hair falling in my eyes.

  Hesitantly, Rei reached out, his fingers trembling. He brushed my hair away, his touch lingering over my skin.

  “I - I did leave Aika.”

  His expression tightened, raw emotion bleeding into every line of his face—sorrow, regret, grief.

  My heart clenched painfully.

  “Something bad happened, didn’t it?” I asked gently.

  “There was an accident. People got hurt…”

  “….People? Aika?”

  “You don’t get it, do you?” Rei clenched his hands into fists, voice trembling. “I got hurt. I left her—“

  The air stilled. Time slowed, like the universe was holding its breath.

  A chill breeze ghosted through the room, though no window was open.

  My hand slipped from my p—falling onto another. Soft. Familiar.

  I sucked in a breath. Then, the hand vanished.

  “—when I died.” Rei finished.

  …

  Death follows me wherever I roam,

  From my youth to where I’ve grown,

  From the boy I once loved to the one I’ve now known,

  Yet in its shadow, I feel not alone.

  …

  The air felt thick, heavy with unspoken words. Silence pressed down on us as the meaning of Rei’s words sunk deep into my skin.

  “Y - You died?” I asked, voice a trembling whisper.

  Rei looked away, clutching his chest, his fingers pressing against his heart as if he didn’t believe it was still there.

  “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.” He muttered, the weight of his confession hanging between us.

  My heart stuttered, the world blurring around me as memories surged, jagged and sharp.

  A cold yet comforting embrace.

  A ugh, familiar yet distant.

  Cold fingers on my warm hands.

  “I…I believe you.” I stammered, the words tasting strange but ringing true.

  Rei’s gaze snapped to meet mine, his eyes full of a fragile hope.

  “Do you really?” He asked, voice barely audible.

  “Everything you’ve said…the story Aika told me…it’s all so familiar.” I muttered, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

  The world seemed to tilt, spinning around me. My head ached and I couldn’t seem to breathe. Voices—agitated and pleading—rang around me.

  “Haru?” Someone, distant yet so close, called.“What’s wrong?”

  I felt myself slip, a wave of memories crashing over me, pulling me into darkness.

  …

  I know your pain, yet not my own,

  Trapped in a past I’ve never known.

  Shadows call, I drift away,

  In endless night, I’ll always stay.

  …

  My eyes blinked open slowly, adjusting to the pale light filling the room.

  Where…was l?

  I sat up, taking in the quiet room. The faint scent of ink and books lingered in the air.

  Rei’s room.

  “Why am I still here?” I muttered, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

  Footsteps thudded down the hall.

  “I’ll check up on them first!” A voice called—familiar and anxious.

  The door creaked open and Rei’s head peeked in.

  His hair was a mess, his shirt was inside-out like he’d thrown it on in a hurry. He looked half asleep, half panicked.

  I couldn’t help it—I ughed.

  “What?” He asked, face flushing with embarrassment.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, breathlessly between soft ughs. “You just look…kind of funny.”

  He gave a tired, resigned sigh.

  “I’m gd you’re okay,” he muttered, looking anywhere but me.

  The smile faded from my lips.

  “What happened to me st night, Rei?”

  He paused, the air around us stilling with tension.

  “You tell me.” His voice trembled. “You passed out. Just like Aika did.”

  Aika.

  I took a shaky breath to steady myself.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, softly. “Did I…worry you?”

  Rei exhaled, his shoulders rexing, just barely.

  “Breakfast is ready downstairs,” he said, unfamiliar softness tinging his voice. “You can eat when you’re ready.”

  He turned to go, hand on the doorknob—then paused.

  “I - I didn’t answer your question from before.” He didn’t look back. “No…I wouldn’t like that either.”

  And with that, he left.

  I smiled to myself, soft ughter escaping from my lips.

  My body felt heavy—aching from the weight of everything that had happened—but, somehow, my heart was lighter.

  Whole.

  When I stood, my legs wobbled beneath me, and the world spun around me.

  I sucked in a breath and tried to find my bance.

  Pain was no stranger to me. As a child, my body had been weak—fragile. I couldn’t py, run, or even stay under the sun for long before getting burned.

  “I thought I was better,” I whispered, pain etching my features.

  Forcing myself to walk, I stepped out into the hallway.

  Rei was there.

  Oh, he looks handsome in our school uniform.

  My heart skipped a beat, and I averted my gaze.

  “Haru? What’s wrong?” He asked when I stumbled.

  I shook my head, not daring to speak.

  His eyebrows met in the middle, worry creasing his forehead.

  Then, he grabbed my arms to steady me.

  Hesitation.

  Awkwardness.

  They were all there.

  But there was also…

  Unconditional care and kindness.

  I let the warmth from his hands seep through my skin and into my soul.

  It was strange. He held me so gently—so kindly. Like I was someone who mattered.

  “Are you okay?” He whispered, worry softening his voice.

  I nodded, flushed. “D - Don’t let go yet.”

  For a moment, Rei was flustered. His eyes averted my gaze, but he nodded. Something like a smile ghosted his lips.

  He helped me down the stairs and into the kitchen. His house was one of those homes—small but cozy, every corner filled with memories of love.

  It was the kind of home I never had.

  A familiar weight settled in my heart—the weight of loneliness and regret.

  “Sit here and eat.” Rei mumbled, still avoiding my gaze. “You can use the bathroom after to fix yourself up.”

  I sat down, pain still stabbing my head.

  The table was stacked with fruits and warm dishes that made my mouth water. It was simple and small, but you could practically feel the love emanating from it.

  I heard a soft chuckle and reluctantly pulled my gaze away from the food in front of me.

  And…I saw something sweeter than any fruit in the world.

  Rei was ughing—soft, reluctant, but real.

  He coughed and pretended to fix his uniform.

  I found myself flushing and turned back to the food.

  I stared hesitantly at the empty pte before me.

  “You should hurry. We don’t want to be te.” He whispered.

  I shook myself and nodded, a flower of gratitude blooming in my chest.

  “Thank you for—for the food, I mean.”

  Rei turned away, a small smile on his face.

  …

  Pain and hatred—I’ve known them all,

  Love and kindness, I can’t recall.

  Yet in your arms, a warmth I knew,

  Something blossoms, quiet and true.

  …

  I twisted the strands of my hair—waiting impatiently for Rei’s service to pick us up.

  He was on his phone beside me, texting a friend of his.

  I smiled softly, his ugh echoing in my mind. Underneath that cold exterior was a rare kind of kindness and warmth—it was hard to believe he was dead.

  I frowned, unable to grasp the idea.

  He died.

  But, was he still dead?

  Rei looked up from his phone, sighing when he saw me staring.

  “What are you thinking about?” He asked, sliding his phone into his pocket.

  “Nothing,” I lied.

  He looked at me suspiciously. “Tell me.”

  I squirmed under his scrutinizing gaze. “Don’t get mad…”

  He leaned a little closer, watching me expectantly.

  What if it was rude to ask? Was this considered disrespecting the dead?

  I took a deep breath and steeled myself.

  I didn’t want to crack whatever fragile strand held Rei together. But, this wasn’t the time for caution. I had to know.

  “A - Are you still dead?”

  The world around us seemed to still, as if waiting for Rei’s answer.

  “I was,” he said, eyes misting—reliving a past he alone carried. “When I died, I made a wish on the Fairy Tree.”

  Rei let out a deep sigh, catching a leaf dancing through the air. “I forgot what I wished for but I was desperate. I just wanted Aika to stop crying. Because of my wish, I was reincarnated—or something like that.”

  “You’re not sure?”

  He looked thoughtfully up at the sky, nodding slowly.

  I didn’t want to push him further. But, I had to ask.

  “How does this all connect to Aika’s colpse?”

  Rei looked back at me, then at his fingers. I followed his gaze to the small autumn leaf resting between his fingers.

  “It’s hard to expin,” he said. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

  I barely registered what he said, my eyes glued to the leaf.

  Something clicked in me, a cold chill running down my spine.

  Cold wind curled up to my ear. Not a voice, not a whisper but something haunted.

  “Haru…”

  “The Fairy Tree,” I muttered as if in a trance. “She plucked a leaf and she was cursed.”

  “How did—who told you that?” Rei looked at me shocked.

  “Aika did, the morning before she passed out.”

  Rei took a shaky breath, hands running through his hair. “It’s possible, but…”

  I felt my stomach twist with unease.

  “But what?” I asked when he trailed off.

  He knew something, but it didn’t seem like he was going to tell me.

  Just as Rei’s walls were breaking, a car rolled up in front of us.

  He wordlessly stepped in, gesturing for me to follow.

  The tension between us thickening like the fog shrouding Rei’s heart.

  …

  The Fairy Tree has stolen what we’ve known,

  But there’s a secret in the silence you’ve sown.

  Your heart, veiled in a fog so deep,

  I’ll chase away the shadows, let the light seep.