We Will Meet Again

Then again, Yang admits that he likes it whenever she acts this way.

Whenever he talks to anyone about those two. Akito and his ex-wife.

Yang is painfully reminded of their first meeting; and how that casual act of kindness leads to changing their lives. Had he not called out to her then, for sure, things would have been different.

Akito, for one, would not have misunderstood anything, he wouldn't have made a mistake on the woman's feelings. Even now, whenever Yang thought about it, there is an incredible amount of pain in his chest. If he didn't say such words to prove Akito, then for sure, that ceremony would have ended with the two walking away hand in hand.

It wouldn't have ended up in such a tragedy.

"Since she loves me so much, I don't see any reason why not take her. 'Those were the words he intended to say and yet what came out then were,' Then it's all good isn't it? If I'm serious about making her happy?' At twenty-three years old, Yang understood why the him of ten years ago said such things. Jealousy, when you are nothing but a mere child, is indeed interesting.

As Yang walked down the halls, a series of conversations appeared in his head.

He wonders what the him of ten years ago would say when they see what kind of person he has become? Even though he has changed, Yang knows what the him off back then would have said. He can easily picture it in his head.

'You seem fun. I hate fun people. '

'Yeah, I know. '

'And I hate people in cliques.'

'Because it feels like they are inadvertently rejecting you.'

'And I hate break time.'

'Because it emphasizes how isolated you are from everyone else.'

'I hate my teachers too. They always make us do  group work. I know. It makes you feel out of place.'

'School events were the worse. When I think about it, there wasn't a single thing you didn't hate. And you used to think all the time, that if everybody else disappeared'

'Nobody else needs me, can't I just die?'

'No, I don't think you should do that. You might not have anyone right now,  but very  soon, you'll make a friend though he's very annoying. And then you'll meet a tall, nice guy and a very caring girl. This girl can be very persistent; she may look a bit  cold. But, once you befriend her, she will never leave your side. '

'That sounds annoying. But will they come? Even when I am like this?'

'I'm not sure why, but many people will befriend you even if you push them away. And there will be someone who will cry for you and smile for you. Be sad for you, mad for you, and even come for you. They'll come, I promise.  . '

Yeah, it would probably be something like that. Yang could picture what his present self at twenty-three would say to his thirteen-year-old self.

His thoughts broke off when he spotted a woman with short pink hair at the end of the corridor.

Yang's eyes widened when he saw her. Is that who he thinks so? The guardian named Cynthia, she was his mentor, and he was someone from the future. Even though he says that, he spent so many years here in the Meiji era. Those acc.u.mulated years would at least amount to three years in the future. He's already forgotten a lot of things about the present day. It feels like he has lived here his whole life. At some point, he almost got caught in the time paradox and fell in love with another woman. He lived a normal life. However, Cynthia brought it all back to him. She destroyed it by appearing before him and telling him the truth.

'It's time to wake up from your delusion, Yang.' He remembered the look on her face that day; she didn't scold him. Nor did she say anything other than that. In fact, it looked like she pitied him.

"Long time, no see Yang."

"..."

Cynthia walked over and extended her hand out to caress his cheeks. A deep sigh escaped her lips, "Geez, you look so fragile. Aren't you a big boss? You should have enough money to eat a lot."

"That money is dirty."

If anybody asked him directly about the money, he's earning. Yang would respond this way.

"Perhaps so."

"You look exhausted," Yang noted that her usually bright face seemed darker than usual. Dark circles formed under her eyes.

Cynthia laughed, "It isn't easy, you know, doing the work I do."

The work she does, as a guardian, huh?

"The surrounding air has changed a lot recently, hasn't it?"

"You think so? It's become noisier if you ask me." Yang muttered. He wasn't talking about Setsura. While that girl nags, she doesn't nag as much as those people do.

"That might be the case, but it's a lot softer than what it was a few months ago," Cynthia trails off, "Right now, I cannot sense any malice behind your actions or words. The air around you is so light and very bright. Not going near that woman may contribute to that. But even more than that, your bonds with everyone else has gotten a lot stronger. I can see why she chose you."

"Is that acceptance?"

"For now."

He supposed that answer is sufficient enough. It's better than her degrading and insulting him like she did so previously. Then again, even back then, Cynthia's mocking gaze was because she pitied him.

"Who were you in the past? I could not help but think that I see no connection at all between us."

"It's only natural for you to think that."

"And yet despite that. I found myself thinking about it deeply. Your actions and words, after thinking it through so very resembled someone I once knew. We were told not to give away our identities until the final fight. However, nobody said anything about guessing. You're the exiled goddess of darkness.."

No wonder when he first met Cynthia, he felt that there was something familiar about her. Who would thought it was something like this. A connection through another life? At first, Yang thought it was ridiculous. However, he thought the same when she offered him a solution to his problem.

'I will grant your wish.'

The doctors said it was impossible to cure Setsura's amnesia. They said there was no chance anymore; some even told him that it was for her own good. Yang immediately understood what all those people were thinking. To them, Akito was a better choice. He was the trouble maker. He was the one who caused an important member of society to get injured.

The pink-haired girl didn't answer right away, and Yang was starting to think that he was wrong when she suddenly spoke up.

Cynthia's response was faint, "That's right," she muttered. A brief and curt reply, but it was more than enough for him.

"I see. I get it now, why you're so defensive towards her. She saved you, after all."

"Setsura may have been the one who saved me from that fire. But you're the one who saved me from being tortured, for that I am very grateful."

"Your welcome, I suppose."

He doesn't know how to react for something his past self did. Five hundred years have already passed since then. But one thing is for sure since he guessed correctly it makes sense. After all, nobody accepted the exiled goddess at all. They all thought she was a bad omen, even after he helped her out from being tortured; many stayed clear from her. The one who called out to her then was ...Setsura.