Tokumei rubbed the tears from his eyes, running down the path. Both his and Zero's sandals echoed down the night street. The boy ignored Zero's calls, continuing to run. Like just what I am... Tokumei reached the end of the hill, coughing slightly as he leant over, breaking off into a run before Zero could reach him. He panted, jogging down the steps to the marsh beach, his vision blurred by tears. At the sand, he dropped onto his knees, hiding his face with his hair as he stared down. Zero finally reached him, noticing how his shoulders trembled and water fell. He was crying. "Like just what I am..." Tokumei's voice broke slightly. The boy glanced up, staring at the mansion in the night, with wide eyes. "Ugly, stupid, moody, unpleasant..." Zero frowned, unsure what to do to help him. The entity gently set his hand on the boy's back, rubbing circles on it as he sobbed. Sharing his soul, Zero could feel his pain. Having his wish shattered, after everything, Zero understood just how that felt. "That's why...I hate myself. That's why everyone..."
It was a grey room, with a boy sobbing, about the age of one year old. One year old Tokumei sat on a chair in the corner of the room, watching his life. He hugged onto a doll with a blue dress and blonde hair. "We don't have long to live," A hoarse old man spoke, holding onto a cane," Typically, you're the ones who--" A straight-laced man stepped forward, scowling, next to a woman who bounced the wailing Tokumei up and down in her arms. "Still talking about that!?" He snapped," We already settled this matter!" "We're not blaming you. It's just that..." "I've already told you," A man groaned, a phone pressed to his ear," It's not about money!" "I feel bad for him, but--" "It's best for him if you two--" That's right. These were just some of the people that returned Tokumei to the foster home at only one year old. They all had their excuses. The foster home always slightly protested at the boy's return. Tokumei didn't understand what he was doing for them to want him to go away. The boy sat at the corner of the room, shoving his head down into the doll as he hugged her tight. Just block out the world and the pain... that's all...
Like the candle from the festival lit, Tokumei sat up, no longer crying; Zero sat beside him, concerned. The boy slowly rose to his feet, taking one last look at the marsh with the moon illuminating the water. "We should probably go home..." Tokumei sighed, Zero nodded, getting up. Both slowly shuffled away, until something caught their eye. A light out at sea. Sat, tied at shore, was a blue row boat, not in use. There was a candle on it, emitting a soft, hazy glow. "Should we-?" Zero muttered. Before he could finish, Tokumei ran swiftly through the grass. The entity smiled slightly, following after him.
Zero clumsily steered through the water. It was much harder than it initially looked, and he'd watched Toichi do it with ease. Tokumei sat opposite him, bobbing up and down and swaying with the boat. It took a lot of arm strength too. The oars were stubborn, and the water was strong. Zero glanced behind himself to get a proper direction of where he was heading. To the marsh house. As he looked, window by window, it lit up. Both him and Tokumei gawked. Zero went to push the oars, groaning. They were jammed. "It's stuck!" He glanced back. They were getting awfully close to the platform. At this point, they'd hit it and sink. The oars still didn't budge. A girl at the top garden of the house ran over, leaning on the wall. "Throw me the rope!" Zero glanced back," Rope?" Tokumei gasped, toppling over as he quickly thumbled for the rope at his side, tied to the boat end. The girl ran down the stairs, slamming the gates open, standing at the edge. "Quickly!" Tokumei groaned, thrusting the bundle of rope to the girl, who swiftly caught it, pulling them along to a post to tie it around. Zero reached out for the platform, gripping on as the boat grinded the side of the stone, trying to maintain it to not capsize. Both Zero and Tokumei sighed, almost collapsing in relief.
Zero's eyes trailed up, watching as the girl walked past, her feet creating wet marks on the stone. Her pale blue nightie. Zero looked up at her, from her slender feet and legs; to her pretty and gentle face. She practically glowed in the moonlight. Her wavy, blonde locks and silken nightie billowing gently in the sea breeze. It was the girl from his dream. "Are you two okay?" She hummed, tilting her head with a smile. Both nodded, the two crawling out onto the platform, standing up. "Oh, um..." Tokumei gasped," Are you a real person?" The girl placed her index finger over her lips, hushing him softly. She glanced back at the house. "Don't let anyone here us." Neither Zero or Tokumei could explain it, but it was like she resonated with their soul. Deep down. Something flickered. "You look like the girl in my dreams," Zero practically whispered. "Dreams?" The girl hummed, before smiling," Hmm." She turned away, running up the steps to the marsh house; the two following her.
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As Zero ran, his foot caught the uneven stone step, tripping over. He nearly fell, until the girl swiftly caught his hand with her own. He pulled him up, smiling. Those blue eyes, they made the entity feel at peace in an indescribable way. "Thanks..." Zero mumbled, his hand still locked tightly with her own. She squeezed his hand," It's not a dream." The girl grabbed Tokumei's hand too, dragging them both to the wall to sit. "What are your names?" The girl asked. "I'm Zero." "I'm Tokumei..." "Those are nice names, I hope we can be friends." Tokumei stared at the floor, nodding, embarrassed. He turned quickly back to the girl, almost surprised. "Have you seen me before?" She was not startled by his question. In fact, she met it with a gentle and warm smile, tender like a mother's. "Yes. Often." "We just got here," Zero stated," How long have you been here?" "I've been here for ages..." The girl was cut off, turning to face the house, the noise of the patio opening. It was the old lady, standing next to an extremely lavish woman who laughed, talking to a man. The girl swiftly leapt down, dragging Zero and Tokumei to hide behind a bush. As she crouched, she pulled them closer to her, each of them trying their best to not breath.
The woman opened the patio with a dreamy laugh. Her hair was blonde, tied into a bun. Her dress was like the midnight sky, wearing a star-like veil over her shoulders to keep out the cold. "Look at this," She hummed," The marsh at night. How beautiful." She turned to the man, much younger than she was," Say, let's go down for a closer look!" "Madam," The old lady croaked, scowling. "I know. By the way, where's that child?" "Was she not in her room?" The male closed the patio behind them, both walking back into the warm mansion. As they left, all three of them slowly stood up, the girl watching the adults with a frown. "Were they talking about you?" Tokumei asked. The girl nodded," Yes. At this hour, I'm usually in bed." They ran down the stairs, back to the boat and the platform, their bare feet pattering on the cold stone. "Come on," The girl hummed, closing the gates," Get in, I'll row you back." "So it was your boat?" Zero frowned, both him and Tokumei getting in, sitting next to each other. "Yes, I left it for you on purpose!" They watched as the girl ran back into the shallow step of the water, to untie the rope. She giggled, looking back at Zero," But I thought you'd be able to row a little better." Zero smiled," Honestly, so did I."
They rowed back, with the girl rowing it was a much more gentle journey and relaxing too. The boat was cramped, so Tokumei and Zero didn't share much space between them. Neither of them seemed to be able to stop staring at the girl, something about her was just so conflicting. The girl smiled, looking up at them. "You two are my precious secrets. I haven't told anyone about you, and I won't. If someone finds out, they'll only spoil it." Zero stared at her, trying to construct her words. The way she said things as well. Everything about this girl. He just couldn't describe it. It made him almost feel nostalgic, and he was sure Tokumei felt just the same. Her rowing stalled, as she stared at the boat floor in thought. She looked back up at them, her cerulean eyes piercing, her expression serious. "Please, promise me..." The girl held out her arms, her hands open. "That we'll remain a secret. Forever." Zero and Tokumei shared the same perfectly synced expression. They stared at her open hands, a little taken aback by this immediate friendship; before a smile tugged on their features. Zero nodded, intertwining his hand with her left. "It'll be our secret. Forever," Tokumei smiled, interlocking his with her right. As Zero touched her hand, it was like a surge of warmth spread through his entire body. The girl smiled, a smile almost close to tears of joy. Somehow, they all felt at peace.
