"Oh look that smile of yours is back"

  Happiness was all over her face, so was his. Wearing a confused smile, Hino's eyes peered opened, annoyed at the morning light sneaking in between the curtains. "I made eggs." Mariko informed him. "Join me at the balcony".....

  Scruffy hair and the dry smell of saliva in the back of his throat, made him seem unappealing. Mariko doesn't seemed bothered by his lack of morning hygiene. "It isn't hot outside. The weather is cooling!" she called to him, the glass door leading to the balcony, now wide opened. The wind messing around with the curtain, greeting Hino as he steps out.

  A small table was set with two chair on either side and a great view of the morning. On the middle of the table, a miniature glass vase with clear water in it, for a purple flower to sit in. "Eggs are getting expensive right now" she sighs. "So eat up!" she corrected herself. "Its been awhile since I had eggs" Hino thought before gorging down on it.

  Breaking apart his meal into bits and eating it one at a time, having the occasional glance towards Mariko. "This tasted so good" he admits to himself, observing closely towards her-holding a slice of toast towards her lips as she bites down. "So soft" he whispered to himself, restraining his voice from travelling further away from his own lips.

  There's so many things he could say right then and there. What was the right one to say at this moment, everything felt so perfect. Was a one in a million? The sky has just started to brighten itself up, the wind was calm and near. Its still early, the feeling of privacy feel stronger then ever. There's so much Mariko did for him, finding and taking him back to her home not once but three times. It has to mean something in his head, it has to be.....

  A thump has set itself deep inside his chest, calling loudly to break free. Without realizing everything had been finished on his plate, with only a few crumbs to remember their existents. "Help me" he cried out inside. There's this deep cold growing inside of him, going against the warmness of his blood-leaving him in sweat. Nothing feels right to say, neither his own thoughts feel like his own.

  A bird once perched on one of the buildings not too far out in the distances, took flight.

  "I love you"

  The words came pouring out like vomit after an upset stomach. Sweat covering his face, Hino with only his eyes looking forward, anticipating her reaction.

  "No."

  Who knew a simple word could strike so deep. Immediately his head gone blank, nothing could pass through his head, its like his head had already reached up into the clouds, with no intent of coming down. "It's just I'm two years older then you" Mariko said, "I hope you could understand". "There's a lot of things out there that you don't know about. I can't risk letting you experience all that so fast". I understand. Atleast that what he hoped to say at that moment, instead his head hurts, hand shaking and one of his eye momentarily twitched. Nothing was going on in his head. Unable to speak a word, Hino nods, standing up from his seat and inviting himself out. Not before giving a faint smile and a wave goodbye to her.

  ......

  Stopping at a cafe this early in the morning with a blank expression still on his face. "One black coffee" Hino orders from the waiting before continuing to loathe in silence. Staring out the window, watching at all the people getting out of their home to begin their day. Some kids in school uniforms walking pass the cafe towards class, a office worker rushing early and even other shops besides the cafe starting to open up. "Chairman Phillips latest announcement would seen heard by all in a week" the radio at the cafe's counter announces as Hino's coffee is served.

  Bleugh!!! He coughs out all of its contents, weirding out the waitress serving him. The bitterness tasted awful. How could anyone drink this? he asked himself before paying the bill and leaving that place. Promising himself to not come back again.

  Down the streets he ran. Crossing over the bridge above a drain, pass the recycling center and eventually towards home.

  Behind closed door with no Remi in sight. He laid right there, back turned against the door. A beam of light had invited themselves into his home through the still opened window. There's still no sign of Remi or even a trace she could have left behind. Too bad, Hino doesn't plan on looking at her also. He nearly planned to kill her in sleep. Why was that again?

  His thoughts couldn't place a reason on it.

  Silently sitting there. Time must have passed but who knows how long that has been going before a knock from outside caught his attention. At this moment? he questioned. It couldn't be the neighbors, he didn't owe them a dime or any. "Woi!! Woi!!! Its Princi!!!" she yelled before kicking against the door.

  "Fuck you!!!" Hino yells from the other side, later deciding to look at her in the face. "What do you want?" Hino asked, voiced groggy and his head lowered. Dropping down stack of books and papers on the floor with the name of his school etch on the cover of one of them. "Connor told me to drop off your school work" she said. "And to hand you this" she added dragging out a large black case, comparable to a standard guitar case from out the corner.

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  "What that for?" he asked.

  "I don't know" Princi admits "but the old guy said who couldn't risk precious time for you to call out a rusty tool". "Andi?" Hino wonders. Placing her hand on his shoulder, trying to assure him that she tried to vouch for him. "Hey I tried to defend you but comparing between the two of us. I'm more efficient at calling a spear then you" she smile, nudging at his shoulder before skipping around the hallway.

  In a somber mood, Hino staring at the black case in sharp focus. Am I not strong enough? he wondered to himself, as he gotten weaker? So much to worry and think about, not enough time to be himself.

  "Hey why don't we get all this inside" Princi proposed wrapping an arm around Hino, "Then we hit the road, I brought my spear!!". Silently he agrees.

  ......

  Whistling loudly. Resting a short spear against her back. Princi traipses through alleyways with Hino struggling to avoid the many small corpses of monsters-littered all over the place-most of the corpses pierced with a gaping hole. "Hey Princi? How old are you?" Hino asked.

  Stopping towards a dead end. "About 15. Same age as you" she answered ,taking a stretch then spinning her spear around her shoulder. "Why? Interested?" she responded with a perky smile, having a hand pressed against her chest. Staring at said chest, before quickly shifting his eyes away, giving a short answer. "Gross".

  "You don't know quality when you see one" Princi responded, offended at the comment. "Your speaking like a kid" Hino retorts before falling silent once more.

  "Sounding like a kid!!" she repeated. "I have you that I'm what you call hot stuff!!!" she retorted again, not getting Hino's reaction or attention-yet still soaring high in the sky. "Still childish, I think way older then you" Hino responded, choosing to keep it within himself.

  Amidst her constant rambling of her beauty and achievements she receive at her school, a scent caught her attention, putting her on high alert as she charges off. "Kill! Kill! Kill!!".

  "There you go running again" his voice lowered as he follows behind. "Fucking bitch stop going so fast" he tries to get the words out towards her as he tries to catch up towards her, slowly loosing her in the crowd. "Where the fuck did you go!!!".

  "princi?"

  "Princi?"

  "Princi!!!"

  "Where did you go?"

  Walking aimlessly without any signs of her to be found. Where are you? Without a clue on where he should go, where should he face to continue his search. What if she had already gone after another fight? Being on the grassy field outside of town, a forest surrounds the perimeter of field. Behind his back, the town, standing tall in their dilapidated glory. Infront of him was just the edge of that forest, the rustling sounds of grassy brushing against one another by the wind. The continuous sound of an unseen stream, feeling his ears with this serene feeling-yet that forest up ahead, shakes him.

  Right there. A young girl stood there, within the grasp of the forest, with messy dark hair and eyes that never know the difference between right and wrong. Taking notice of his presence, she ran deep into the maw of darkness-leaving him standing there, stuck between staying or going for the chase.

  "Excuse me"

  "Excuse me" a man called out to him. "Is this seat taken?" He asked.

  Stunted from initial confusion for a moment, eyes disturbed by the light blinding on to him. Noticing the darkness surrounding him and the soft comfort of sitting on a chair. "Yeah sure" he nervously respond, unsure how he was here. Staring at the big screen, currently on a scene of a man sitting in his room. Wearing a brown suit, his hands crossed over his face, hiding his mouth as the man on the screen cries. "What is this film?" "Where am I?"

  "Ermm excuse me, what am I watching?" Hino asked towards the guy seated next to him with a single empty seat between them. "Perks of being a wallflower?" the guy answered "First time watching I assumed?". "Can't you recall what you were watching?" he asked, "No not really, don't feel good in my head" Hino respond.

  "Mine if I catch you up?" the guy asked. Seeing nothing that would go wrong and with the lack of other audience member in the theater, he agrees.

  "The name's Mill" he introduced himself. "Mine's Hino" he responded, even thought he didn't caught the name.

  "Well the main character is someone you may is troubled. Personally I find him realistic in a sense. The regular struggles, misunderstanding, love, rejection, pain-its all realistic. So the film is about a boy that struggles alot and the ending, is well, its life " Mill explained as Hino listens. "I guess I could see myself in the main character" Hino acknowledge. "Its feels real" .

  "I think I could understand the feeling of rejection" Hino said. "Yeah its a driving plot of the film. Love" Mill answered "But we shouldn't hate the opposite for rejecting us. You see Sam is a real person, not just a love interest in the film. We should treat who we love as an individual".

  "You really love this fil don't you?" Hino chuckled silently, still staring deeply at every movement on film. "Yeah this film really does change a person" Mill jokes, "Have you ever been rejected?".

  "Rejected" that word cuts deep in him. Gulping down the shame, he laughs it off-denying the fact. "No I'm busy" he said. "That's okay. There's alot going on these days. Sometimes a film could give you this moment of temporary peace". Mill uttered. "Yeah it does feels peaceful here".

  Silently they sat there, watching till the movie ends.

  "Thanks" Mill shakes Hino hand, finally the two being able to have a clearer look at each other. Hino with his dark hair and being only a high schooler and Mill, looking in his early twenties with long strands of hair sitting over his eyes, needing him to adjust his fringe occasionally. "I'll see you around then Hino".

  "Hey wait sorry, I couldn't recall your name again." Hino calls out towards him as he's leaving the theater. "Morrigan" he smiled, walking off. "I don't recall you name sounding like that" Hino muttered to himself, now unable to seem him.

  With no more distraction, not just the empty feeling of shame. He stood there, recalling what that guy said about Sam from the film. Seeing Mariko in his eyes, what was he supposed to do? How what he needed to feel then?

  "I want to be older" he confessed before walking home.