保護者 ( hogo-sha)
— guardian, protector

— ○ —

10 | g u a r d i a n

"Hey, wake up."

A familiar voice called, but Haruka didn't open his eyes. He didn't want to interact with the world. An odd feeling engulfed his entire body. It made him want to disappear.

"Open your eyes, Haru." The voice said again.

Suddenly realization hit him. Akira was gone. Then who else was able to see him, knew his name and was able to poke him vigorously to make him open his eyes?

Haruka immediately sat up from lying down, his eyes wide open. The sight he saw; he wasn't sure if it was saddening or not, but he sure was shocked.

Akane was crouching down to his level.

She smiled warmly and said, "I never thought I'd see you again."

"A— Akane..." Haruka mumbled. He couldn't muster up anything else to say.

"Akane?" She asked, a bit surprised. She tilted her head and said, "Who's that?"

"Uh," Haruka said, looking away. "Well, I never got to hear your name so I kind of.. Came up with one.."

Akane started giggling to hear this. She sat down too, smiling. "I see, so you're not the real Haruka."

Haruka nodded. Rather than replying to that, he asked, "What's your name? I want to know."

"It's Hanabi."

"Hanabi..."

Akane, or Hanabi nodded. "Haruka, I want to know about you." She suddenly said in an excited tone. "Who exactly are you? Why are we here together?"

Haruka looked around. The place didn't seem anything unusual. They were sitting on a green field at night. There was a huge lake in front, and not a single human being seemed to be around. The sky was clear and full of stars.

"I'm your guardian angel, Hanabi." Haruka said.

"I have a guardian angel?" She giggled. "That's an honor. Thank you."

Haruka just nodded at her with a smile.

After a few silent moments, the angel suddenly spoke up. "Hanabi..." An odd satisfaction filled Haruka's stomach up when he realized that he was able to hear and say the red haired girl's name.

"Are you what Akira was talking about?" Hanabi asked.

"He talked about me?" Haruka was confused, since he didn't remember Akira mentioning him.

"Yes, he said Haruka was always watching over me." Hanabi smiled a bit. "Since you're technically Haruka.. he probably meant you?"

Haruka suddenly recalled it. He then nodded, and said, "Yes, I remember. He did."

"But how did he even know you existed?" The girl's green eyes were shining in the light the stars provided.

The blonde male chuckled. "We're both other worldly beings, remember?"

"Oh, right." She nodded.

After that, silence fell upon the two. They sat there, hand in hand, staring at the sky. It was so mesmerizing that all of their thoughts drifted away, capturing them only in the beauty of the stars and all the mysteries they held.

Haruka realized that him being alone together here with Hanabi only meant one thing—  they both are dead now.

A cool breeze brushed over them, and Haruka felt a sweet warmth fill him up. It was a feeling he never felt before.

"What is this?"  He thought to himself.

Just the fact that he was there with Hanabi satisfied him. He felt it all rush into his head; Hanabi's memories.

Hanabi, Haruka and Akira were friends since their childhood. Little Akira always had the brightest personality with an intense will to find happiness in everything. Whenever he smiled, the world lit up. But one thing always troubled his mind; his weak heart. However, his mood would light up if his friends paid him a surprise visit whenever he went to the hospital.

Haruka, the most matured one was the kindest soul. He would always look for opportunities to help others and solve their problems. Akira and Hanabi had gotten close because of the contagious warmth Haruka's personality had.

Hanabi was the gloomiest one. The fact that she was born with thalassemia always made her feel bad about herself. She would feel anxious about her death and that drove her away from happiness. That was until Haruka and Akira stepped into her world. Even if thalassemia was chasing her around, even if she knew that she wouldn't live a life long like a normal person, Hanabi believed that her life would be worth living if those two were with her. That belief brought rays of sunshine in her ever dark world.

However, the unbreakable friendship of the three was broken by the biggest seperator, death. Death had first snatched away Akira. The poor boy's weak heart had given out when he was only fourteen. Haruka and Hanabi's world's were broken without Akira. Especially Haruka's, since he knew that the boy died without ever telling his true feelings to Hanabi.

He never once got the chance to tell her he loved her.

Hanabi was broken too. But she slowly started to get up, started to mend herself by telling herself that at least Haruka was here. She would have to be strong for both her living friend and her dead one, so she recovered, albeit slow.

Within three years, Haruka and Hanabi were experienced and stronger, having lost a dear friend at the age of only seventeen.

Hanabi thought her life had gotten stable after all that time, but that's when death laughed at her face once again.

It stole Haruka away from her too.

No one was prepared for Haruka's death. A car crash was truly scary, and a friend facing that was even scarier. With this, all the stitches Hanabi had made on her previous wounds had burst open. Her dull, dark life had come back to welcome her with cold arms. Kuro, their middle school friend and Hanabi's love interest had tried to bring her out of that world, but she pushed everyone away.

She didn't want to rely on the world for happiness again. She only wanted her death to consume her, so that she could see her best friends once again.

And finally, that dream came true.

After a long time, Hanabi was in peace. Her friends, her life were ephemeral. But the love she held for everyone she knew, the friendship she had with Haruka and Akira were eternal. Nothing in the world could break those things, not even death could snatch them away from her.

After all, it ended up being death who brought her such happiness.

"Hanabi." Haruka, rather, the guardian angel spoke up.

"Yes?" The said girl turned to him, a smile on her chapped lips.

"I'm thankful that I got to be your guardian angel. I have always wanted to know about your emotions, your memories. I always wanted to know you." He smiled. With that, he was shocked too.

He felt happy.

"Am I even capable of this..?"  He thought to himself.

"Now I know everything. I'll never have to pray for anything ever again."

"I'm so happy for you." Hanabi's smile grew wider.

After a few moments of silence, Hanabi spoke up again. "It's time," She said, "For me to go."

The angel had almost forgotten that Hanabi would have to leave. Along with that, he also forgot that he would be turned to nothing when she does.

But to his own surprise, he wasn't scared.

"Yeah. I hope you see Haruka and Akira there." The angel nodded.

Hanabi nodded too. She didn't know what to say to express her feelings for the being that protected her, so she just went in for a hug.

It felt so warm. The blonde angel was pleasantly surprised that such a single gesture could bring such satisfaction to both the mind and the body.

Hugging each other, Hanabi's soul moved on for judgement to decide whether she'll go to heaven or hell. And the angel's existence was erased from the world, turning him into nothingness.

The ephemeral lives came to an end.