Hearing about the story with regards to the Swords of Ascension had only brought more headache to Kourin, if she were to be honest. Then again, it was always like that whenever she would come to learn more about aspects and stories of her family that she never knew all this time. Seriously, there was only one person at the moment that she wanted to blame for that.
Walang iba kundi si Hitoshi. Oo nga't may mga itinago rin sa kanya ang mga magulang niya. Pero para sa kanya, si Hitoshi ang mas maraming hindi sinasabi sa kanya sa loob ng mahabang panahon. Even with that, there was no way at this point that she'd be able to realize the truth from him. Her brother was already murdered because of the secrets that he had hidden from a lot of people. Ito lang ang may hawak ng sagot sa mga tanong na meron siya sa mga sandaling iyon. At dinala na ng kapatid ang mga iyon sa libingan.
One other issue that gave Kourin a headache was the person she saw at the park. Hindi pa rin siya makapaniwala na magkukrus ng ganoon ang landas nila ni Seiichi. Gusto niyang isiping nag-hallucinate lang siya nang magkatinginan sila nito. But those stares they got to exchange in that short moment had only given her a reason that it was real. And unfortunately, that reality had only given her a reason to create a decision enough to hurt her so much at the moment.
Hating-gabi na. Pero kahit okay lang at wala naman siyang pasok kinabukasan, gusto pa rin ni Kourin na matulog para kalimutan ang sakit na idinulot ng naging desisyon niya. She chose to turn her back on him and freeze her heart in order not to feel the hurt that she knew would cripple her.
Hanggang kailan ba siya pahihirapan ng mga gagawin niyang desisyon para lang hindi madamay sa gulo ng buhay niya ang taong hanggang sa mga sandaling iyon ay mahalaga pa rin sa kanya. Iyon ay kahit nagdesisyon na siyang talikuran ito nang mga sandaling nakita na niya ito makalipas ang ilang taon.
"Iniisip mo pa rin ba ang pinag-usapan natin kanina, mahal na prinsesa?"
Hindi na lumingon pa si Kourin para alamin kung sino ang nagsalitang iyon. Huminga na lang siya ng malalim at tumingin sa madilim na langit. "Not just that. I'm also thinking about him."
"You saw him already, huh?" It was a statement on Shuji's part.
Tumango siya. "But I just ran away. I became a coward and I didn't face him in the eyes for real. I even said things that I know I won't be able to take back."
"You said so yourself. You did that to protect him."
"But it still hurts, you know. I care for him so much and yet I ended up hurting him like that." After that came a heavy and ragged sigh. "And yet I know I won't forgive myself if I end up involving him in our mess. It's enough that his connection to my brother is already putting his life at risk. For him to know that I'm still alive -- that Kourin Shinomiya is still alive -- is going to cause more trouble to him."
"My lady... You do know that he would stop at nothing until he discovers what really happened that night. Kahit ano'ng pigil ko sa kanya, desidido pa rin siya na bumalik dito at alamin ang totoo -- hindi lang tungkol sa pag-atake kundi pati na rin sa totoo na may kinalaman sa pagkatao niya."
Nakuha ng huling sinabi nito ang atensiyon ni Kourin. "Totoo sa pagkatao niya? Ano'ng ibig mong sabihin?"
"He didn't really specify it to me. Pero nabanggit niya sa akin ang tungkol sa aksidenteng naging dahilan kung bakit nawala ang ilang bahagi ng alaala niya. I think those lost memories hold the key to answer that, including the real reason why his parents died."
'Di nagtagal ay naalala niya ang isang naging pag-uusap nila ni Hitoshi noon. "Onii-sama did say that Seiichi's grandfather firmly believed that his son and his daughter-in-law were murdered. Could it be that he was trying to find out the truth about his parents' death?"
"That and a few others that he never mentioned to me the last time I saw him." Not long after, Shuji sighed. "Lady Kourin, do you want me to keep watching over him?"
"But I thought that you have other duties to fulfill. Bakit mo naisipang itanong iyan?"
"Just to give you a piece of mind when it comes to him. As Lord Hitoshi once said, Seiichi can be really stubborn."
Hindi napigilang mapangiti ni Kourin sa sinabing iyon ni Shuji. Pero ilang sandali lang ang itinagal niyon.
"You really care for him, and yet how come both of you are facing this kind of obstacle in finally meeting once again?"
Kourin just shook his head and sighed. "I guess that's how much I'm willing to go through for his safety, even though I know I won't be able to be with him again." Hinarap niya si Shuji pagkatapos niyon. "This is probably our fate."
Pero sa pagtataka niya, umiling si Shuji at malungkot na ngumiti.
"That's not what I believe," he said.
"What do you mean?"
Shuji smiled at her affectionately, which kind of surprised her, if she was going to be honest. "A lot of people believed that you and Seiichi were meant to be together. Only that your lives and the paths you've chosen right now doesn't allow the roads each of you are walking to cross at the moment. And you know what they say. When two people are meant to be together, and you truly believed in it, no force would ever take you apart from each other. Destiny will work its way to make it happen -- for your paths to cross again -- and there's nothing you can do about it."
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