Night at the Seaside

An hour passed since they came into the night market. They almost roam the entire place and didn't leave a single stall. Until now, Raven can't believe on her enormous appetite. It's beyond a normal person, though she might get indigestion later. After all the commotion to make her attention go away from the food, at last, he made her come along with him to the seaside. In contrast to the dazzling night market, the seaside has no single lights around. Without the moon and stars they can't enjoy walking around, but the big full moon as if about to kiss the sea surface and the stars that seem like a falling diamond shining on the sea give a beautiful vibrant to it.

A beautiful scenery amidst the deafening silence. Besides the lingering noise from the nearby night market, all they can hear is the splashing of waves on the surface. The chilling breeze of wind made them hug themselves out of consciousness too. Raven glance to her direction, but she's just staring at the sea as if about to cry. Her hair's dancing along the wind, same as the skirt she's wearing. The blank stare turns to deep sadness as her tears fall down.

He got startled seeing it and was about to say a word, but Kinrue take off her shoes and walk towards the sea without breaking her gaze to it. Even though he wants to stop her, his body doesn't have a courage to do so. In the end, he watch her take a step, letting her foot got wet from the waves coming on the shore. She's like a lost child searching for the footprint she couldn't find.

"T-The sea... It's really beautiful, isn't it?" She said out of nowhere before circling around—playing with cold seawater. "It's a never ending sea, the sea that defines freedom."

Raven eyes widened when he saw her run farther than where she was now. The water level is gone below her knee. He suddenly remembers that she can't swim, so without hesitation, he runs in her direction. But when he's about to reach the sea water, he can't help to take a step back—clenching both his fists.

"Hey, empty head. Don't you dare take another step. The sea is too dangerous for you. Do you hear me?" He shouted. It made Kinrue stop without turning back.

Another set of waves came splashing in her direction. It made her push back, but a brief smile escape her mouth before looking straight to the moon.

"Hey sh*thead, it looks like we have the same fear."

"What do you mean?"

"On this wide open sea that has no end, the sea that defines the word freedom. The beautiful sea was as clear as the blue sky in the morning and as dark, but dazzling in the evening. The place we're both scared of, the same place we both lost, someone special to us." Raven looks at her back. "You have a friend that got drowned in the deep water and I have my father vanished like a flash of light as the waves hit the shore."

"Come back here, let's talk over here Kinrue."

"You're always calling me by my name when you're serious. Don't worry, this is how far I can go. The silhouette of the man I've been following vanished here, no trace or idea where to take a step anymore." She said, chuckling. "I thought I'll be fine because I distracted myself by eating a lot of delicious food, but it takes one glance to focus back on the reality."

She heaves a sigh before turning to him with a forced smile on the lips, tears keeps falling on her eyes as her hair dancing along the wind. With her left hand, she take off the eyeglass, and it made Raven flinch. Her tears seem like a clear gem stone, glimmers in the darkness. And the moon seems like staying above her head while the millions of stars shining around.

"You know, sh*thead, I'm the most terrible person you'll ever met. The image of my father, his name or whereabouts, I don't know a single thing about him. As the time passed, he's vanishing inside my mind like how the waves erase the footprints in the shore."

"Come here,"

"The worst thing people will do is to erase someone's existence like they're never worth to remember."

"Kinrue,"

"If ever he vanished in my memory, I might as well vanished together with him."

"Hey, if I know you'll be like this, then I shouldn't have brought you here."

She wipes her tears away and walks back with heavy steps. As soon as she's within the reach of Raven's hand, he didn't waste a time and pull her beside him.

"Are you crazy running off to the sea with that kind of mindset? Do you wish to die?"

"I won't die."

"I won't die, your ass! Try to look at yourself in the mirror. You'll never see a trace of a person who wants to live. It's a dull-looking face waiting for her death to come. You're f*cking crazy, empty head. Let's go home."

"Can we stay here a little longer? It's such a waste to go home. It's not even half an hour."

"You..." They stare at each other for a few seconds, but Raven surrenders—heaving a deep sigh. "Fine. But you're not allowed to run off to the sea again."

They both end up sitting on the sand with a half meter distance from each other. Another chilling breeze of wind came along the sea waves, but his gaze can't keep looking at the woman beside him. She has these lifeless eyes, staring at nowhere as if mulling over something. Instead of breaking the silence, he keeps his mouth shut and looks away. Like the day she comes voluntarily in his house, she's trying hard to keep everything alone without reaching out to anyone.

She's like a woman inside the lofty tower, sitting alone inside the confined room with only a single window, watching everything that happens outside with longing and envy. His thought made him shrug his head.

"What do you think about the family sitting on the top of this caste?" He flinches because of her sudden question.

"Do you mean the Himura Family? Why asking a ridiculous question?"

"It just pop out in my mind. Many people feel intimidated by their presence. What's good about them?"

"Well, they're the definition of perfection. They have almost everything that human needed in life. You can't help but feel intimidated by a single presence of their family member and besides, they're sitting on the throne for a long time now." He said, looking straight at the sea. "I once saw them when I was ten years old. It's a gathering of all elite families in a rank that only happens every ten years. They're more like a royal family. I was stunned."

"Stunned? Royal family? Perfection? Isn't it ridiculous? Why do they need to rank people in this society? I hate all the elite."

"Are you serious? I'm one of those elite, too."

They both look at each other with disbelief and annoyance, but Kinrue burst out laughing in a few seconds. He thought she'll stop, but end up laughing out loud, holding her stomach while stomping her feet.

"What's funny?"

"Y-you. D-Did you forget how much I hate your very existence? I-I can't believe it."

"Argh! Thank you for reminding me, how terrible and annoying empty head you are." He rolled his eyes. "Why am I even worrying about you? Waste of time."

Kinrue heard the words he said and composed herself. "You're right, you shouldn't worry about me. In fact, you shouldn't attach yourself to me more than you're doing now."

"Huh?!"

"I'm saying this for your own sake. Besides, I like you as a person." She turns to him, giving a genuine smile.

"What the hell are you blurting out? Are you cold? Did the sea take your brain away?"

Kinrue chuckles before standing up. "I told you, I like you as a person and not as a man. It means your personality that I like, your rude but kind, hates me but can't bare to see me hurting, you have many complains but still do whatever I like and even if you just know me by accident, you still took care of me. All the hateful words you blurted out differ from the action you show. You're like a moon to me." She points out the moon and turns in his direction with a wide, pure smile.

After saying those words, the wind blows hard, it made her hair dance along with it. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as the fireworks suddenly lights up, making the dull, silent night lively and magical like in a fantasy. Raven's eyes widened in surprise as he stared in her direction. In that moment, he feels like he just saw a different woman in front, her innocent smile, shining black wavy hair that seems like a sea wave, glimmering eyes and swift movement as she turns to look at the sky. It feels like for a second, everything slows down, as if time stops. He can only hear the fireworks, the sea waves and his heartbeat.

"You're like a moon. You only show up at night to guide me home."

"It's because you're terrible at direction."

"I can't help it. This place is like as big as a royal palace."

"You're saying the same thing for three straight days, empty head."

"What did you say, sh*tty brat?!"

Raven flinches and holds his head when a sudden unfamiliar memory comes to his mind. He's sure he's the man, but the other person isn't clear. It's blurred, and he has no memory of such an incident happened.

"Sh*thead, are you even listening to me? What's wrong with you? Look at those colorful fireworks. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Argh! It's getting late. Let's go home."

"Don't ruin my mood, it brightens up a little so..."

"Let's go home."

"You're a killjoy. I hate you."

"Don't worry, I feel the same way, too."