As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

"I'll go out. Stay at home, okay? It's raining."

Kazuya hurriedly put on a jacket, grab the keys and walked to the entryway.

"Be careful, Uncle," Izumi shouted from behind. He didn't even ask why did his uncle appear to be in a rush.

As Kazuya's figure disappeared from the door, a certain dumpling walked to her elder brother. Tilting up her small head, Chiharu asked, "Where's Uncle going?"

Izumi looked down at his sister. He let out a helpless shrug, "Uncle might be going on a date with Teacher Kato."

Although it didn't seem like a date considering how anxious their uncle looked, Izumi didn't want to further elaborate on it to his little sister. Chiharu would just be asking weird questions. 

To be honest, Izumi suspected that something happened between them because, since last night, he noticed that his uncle didn't look as calm and cheerful as usual.

Did they have a fight?

"What? Chiharu wanna see Teacher Kato too!" As Chiharu felt her uncle was being sneaky, she pouted.

Izumi sighed.

This little sister of his really had a memory span of a goldfish. Chiharu had forgotten what he had told her the other day, about not disturbing their uncle if they wanted to have an aunt soon.

"Okay, okay. Don't bother with Uncle. Let's go. Big Brother will play house with you," Izumi grasped Chiharu's tiny shoulders, pushing her to the living room.

"Play house together? Yay! Let's go! Let's go!"

In an instant, the dumpling dropped the initial subject. She happily dragged her elder brother with her. The dissatisfaction that she felt toward her uncle disappeared in an instant.

While the siblings were leisurely spending their weekend, Kazuya was fretting as he drove the car. He couldn't deny that he was shocked when Himari suddenly called him, saying she wanted to see the painting he did the other day.

Her voice still sounded listless like last night.

Did she still feel bad over what happened to her colleague? 

Why did the incident affect her?

Those questions kept swirling in his mind last night, making Kazuya unable to sleep well. He thought that she might be the same, couldn't have a decent sleep.

Kazuya couldn't stay still until he saw her with his own eyes.

Under the curtain of rain, the dark gray car sped to the hospital. In less than fifteen minutes, Kazuya arrived there. He drove slower as the car moved on the road under the giant eaves of the hospital lobby.

"...!"

There she was.

Standing next to the door.

Himari lowered her head, appeared like she was lost in her thoughts.

What was she thinking about?

Kazuya had just wanted to get his phone, calling for her when Himari lifted up her eyes and saw him.

In the next second, she ran down the stairs, rushing to the car before she opened the car door. Panting slightly, she looked at him.

"...Kazuya."

Kazuya forced a smile. He really wanted to hug her but their situation right now wasn't suitable. There were other cars waiting behind.

He said in a low voice, "Wear your seatbelt. Let's go to my place, en?"

"En," She nodded timidly.

Neither Kazuya nor Himari spoke throughout their journey to the residential complex. Even so, he saw that she was being fidgety right now. Her hands kept clasping and unclasping on her knees.

Seeing that Himari won't stop doing it, Kazuya let go of one of his hands from the steering wheel then gently grasped her small hands.

Startled, Himari looked at him.

Kazuya glanced at her for a moment, smiling, "Let me hold your hands."

Himari just nodded without saying anything. 

Kazuya smiled as he felt she relaxed under his touch.

Her hands were cold, probably because she stood outside the hospital lobby when the rain kept on pouring down from the sky.

Kazuya swallowed down the words he wanted to say. He just silently held her hands as the car sped to the complex.

It was still raining when they arrived. Kazuya quietly thought that he didn't know if this rainy weather would be a good or a bad one.

"Your body is cold," remarked Kazuya right after they entered his condominium unit. He looked at Himari's pale face, "You don't look good too. You didn't sleep properly last night, weren't you?"

"...no," Shaking her head, Himari answered him in a low voice.

This place was just the same as the last time she came.

Himari followed Kazuya from behind as he beckoned her to go to the living room. Her eyes wandered to the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking at the neverending rain. 

As the gray skyscrapers were swamped by rain from the dark clouds, the atmosphere outside gave off a gloomy vibe.

"Did you wait for me outside from the moment you called me?" Kazuya gently cupped her face, feeling the residual cold from her skin.

Himari moved her eyes from the dark sky to the man standing in front of her. She smiled in a weak attempt to show that she was fine, "The hospital feels stuffy."

Kazuya gave her a slight nod. 

In his eyes, her condition right now was just the same as yesterday.

Kazuya let go of Himari, pulled her to sit on the couch then he went to the kitchen to get her a cup of warm water. Himari obediently drank all of it as he sat on the coffee table opposite her, watching her every movement.

"Wanna see the painting?" 

Himari nodded.

Once again, Kazuya held her hand, linking their fingers together. Himari was still so quiet as she followed him to the room where he kept the painting. 

Because she was just a step behind him, Himari let her eyes fell on the back of his head.

From the time she entered the car until now, Kazuya only showed her the same gentleness he had whenever they were together, even though it was apparent to both of them that her state was just like yesterday.

Inside the room, both of them stood in front of the painting.

The liveliness of the painting was a stark contrast to the air around the two of them.

Kazuya let Himari looked at the painting as much as she wanted. He just stood still beside her.

While her eyes were appreciating the painting, his gaze fell on her from the top of her head, down to her face before it settled on her back.

For some reason, maybe because of how Himari was right now, Kazuya found that she looked weaker and more delicate.

If he wasn't being careful, she might fall apart.

"Kazuya, don't you find it weird why I acted like that yesterday? And, also today?"

Perplexed by her voice suddenly broke the silence between them, Kazuya only reacted after a second, "...yes. Sorry but, I really am thinking that... you're terribly affected even though it's your colleague who experienced it."

Himari was still looking at the painting. Her response came late as she slowly lifted up her eyes to him.

Her eyes were red as if she was badly holding back her tears. The trembling of her body didn't escape Kazuya's notice.

"Himari..."

Don't talk about it if you don't want it.

He wanted to say it but, for the first time, his selfishness hindered him from saying those words.

Kazuya lifted up a hand, wanting to touch her but, his hand paused midair. 

As if her overwhelming feeling seeped into him, Kazuya felt his own eyes turned hotter. 

With her eyes gleaming with unshed tears, Himari spoke. Her voice began to hoarsened as she choked with her sobs, "Seeing her lost her child... it reminded me of what I've gone through before."

Startled, Kazuya almost forgot to ask, "Do you mean..."

Himari smiled with difficulty. Tears started streaming down her face, glistening under the bright light of the room.

"I was supposed to be a mother if not... for losing my child."

Looking at Yuina who was grieving the loss of her child, Himari was pulled back to the darkest day of her life. Even until now, she kept mourning the loss of her child, the child that wasn't known by anyone who was closed to her.

Himari lowered her head, she suddenly didn't want to see Kazuya's expression. Both of her hands were tightly gripping her skirt.

"Three years ago, I miscarried. It's... it's his child but... I wanted the child because it's my blood... not because of him... I just... That child, I lost him... I lost him even before I could hold him... I'm not..."

It was hard for Himari to unleash all the things she kept hidden in her heart yet, the very moment she let them out, all of them kept pouring out like the rain outside the room.

"Really... it's not because I wanted to get back to him... the child was my blood, my blood... like my mother with me... I'm not... Ah!"

"Himari!"

Kazuya lunged forward the moment Himari almost fall down. Her legs weakened due to the heavy flood of her emotions.

Kazuya swiftly caught her, not at all thinking about how his knees hit the floor hard in the process.

"Himari, hush... Don't say it anymore. If it's hard... don't say it..."

Kazuya was anxious as he held her close to him. His own hands were shaking even though the shivering of her petite frame was beyond his. 

As the strand of her long hair fell through his fingertips, his heart was shrouded by fear, as if her very existence was slowly fading from him.