Shattered

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It had started out as an ordinary day, it really had. Osamu couldn't have guessed the series of events that would take place later in the day, but even if he had, there would have been nothing he could do to stop it.

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"Yuma wait up!" I ran after him, trying to push through the crowds while keeping tabs on his head of fluffy white hair at the same time. It wasn't easy with Yuma being so short, but I managed. Somehow.

He stops in a small alleyway to wait for me, leaning against the wall with a teasing smile on his lips. "You need to slow down Yuma, if you expect me to follow you," I gasp and bend over, resting my hands on my knees. It's annoying how quickly I'm winded, but I've accepted it as a fact of life. Yuma however, is determined to land me constantly in this state of exhaustion it seems.

His face reverts the that stupid duck face (=3=), "Maybe you need to speed up, if you expect me to lead you Osamu," I glare at him, even though I hear the laughter in his voice. My face gets hot at his little teasing, but now I've played right into his hands. Yuma's face is back to normal and his piercing ruby eyes are full of triumph, like he just won an award.

The award you ask? My face as it gets flushed with further embarrassment. Yuma told me once, that I was extremely cute when I got flustered (which of course made me flustered) and has since made it his mission to make me blush. I hate it, but most of all I hate how effective it is. But I also love it. Because when I glare at Yuma I can drink in the sight of him without worrying that I'm being weird.

"You, are the absolute worst, Yuma," I push my glasses up my face, hoping to hide the blush the best I can.

He's laughing now, "I'm sorry Osamu, it's just you're so cute when you blush, I can't help myself!"

Alright enough of this. Maybe, just maybe, I want to see him blush too, has he ever thought of that? Standing up straight I walk over to his still laughing form. I take his hand in mine, and drag him out of the alleyway, back into the bustling street. "Yuma," I sigh. "Are you really trying to take me somewhere, or is this just a wild goose chase?" I could never make Yuma blush, not in a million years. Something that would make him blush would probably make me combust so like I said before, not happening. Which is a shame because in my head it's adorable.

"Osamu, you're going to be left behind again!" Yuma is suddenly back in the throng of the crowd, and like a salmon I have to fight the flow of bodies. How did he get ahead of me so fast?!

"Yuma! Hey Yuma wait!" I push and I search over the tops of people's heads, and just barely catch sight of him turning the corner. "Yuma!"

Finally I turn the corner and find the street surprisingly empty, Yuma standing there, eyes laughing and mischievous. "Yuuuuma, where are we going?" But he's off walking along again down the road laughing.

"C'mon Osamu, you can walk faster than that!" He turns another corner, and I race to catch up with him, almost bumping into a lady walking her dog.

This time the street is completely empty, it's one filled with old, rundown houses. Ahead of us I can barely make out the beach, and beyond that the ocean stretching off into the horizon. Yuma stands at the very end of the street, facing towards the endless sea.

I walk up to him, still trying to catch my breath. I'll never understand how he's so fast, despite having much shorter legs. You'd think that'd be a disadvantage, and you'd be wrong.

"Ah." Yuma's voice is one of slight surprise, but also... something I can't place in his voice. It's not relief, but something else, something similar.

I step closer, and the wind ruffles his fluffy white hair; I want to reach out and touch it. "Yuma? Is something wrong?"

He doesn't answer me, just keeps looking off into the distance, I can't see his face so I walk a bit closer and step to the side. His eyes look like they're searching the ocean for answers. "Time is weird, isn't it Osamu?"

Something must be wrong, for him to say that and not have his duck face present, to no have a joking tone. "What do you mean?" I don't walk any closer, I'm content with just watching him, and I can't do that while standing next to him, it'd be too embarrassing.

"Well, it goes so slow sometimes, but much faster in others. It's like a switch that flips, depending on who or what you're around." Why is Yuma being weirdly physiological? But I do get what he means, how it speeds up and slows to a crawl.

He glances at me, just for a moment, red eyes bright with emotion, though I don't have a chance to identify it before he looks away again. "Spending time with Osamu feels different, everything goes really fast, like a blur. But I can look back on our time together, and every moment is clear."

I can feel my face heating up, and the blush is hard to contain. "I haven't been here long, but at the same time that everything goes fast, it feels like I've been here forever. Time seems to be an illusion Osamu..."

Yuma shuts his eyes and breathes deep before opening them again. "But illusion or not... time is too fast."

"That makes sense, in a weird way I guess. But what's wrong Yuma, did something happen suddenly? You aren't usually like this." I shift a bit, I'm worried I suppose, not knowing what's on his mind.

"Everything has happened Osamu." I start at that, though there's no hardness in his voice, something more along the lines of sadness rather than anger.

Crack! The noise is small I'm sure. Nothing you'd normally hear, or find out of the ordinary. So why does it seem to echo down the street, and in my head, this shattering sound?

"Yu...ma? What's wrong..." Something's changed, shadows seem to grow longer around him, his hair darkening in their presence. No, not shadows...

"I wanted to spend the day staring at the ocean with you, Osamu. But time moves too fast." Yuma turns to look at me, his smile sad. "I didn't think it'd end so soon." Dark locks, black, cover his head, they aren't caused by shadows. His red eyes are filled with longing and resignation. That's what I heard in his voice earlier, when I first saw him at the end of this road. Yuma's hands aren't right, it's like the're trickling away, Trion dust carried by the wind past me.

"Yuma-" I think I'm crying, but my mind is in too much of a panic to tell if tears are dripping down my cheeks and off my chin.

"Sorry Osamu, looks like my time is up."

Shattered.

It's only a word.

A word used to describe something broken that can't be fixed.

Two things shattered that day.

One caused Yuma to disappear, and one fell to pieces because he's never coming back.

Hey so this was inspired by a comic by 230(Fumimaru) on twicomi.com! Please go check them out!

twicomi.com/manga/230_nanase/1052218955341807617

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