In her eyes, he saw happiness.
She was always blessed ever since her birth. She had loving parents, a high social status and was great at many things. She was kind, humble and lovable. She was Zaizen Touko.
In his eyes, she saw sadness.
An orphan who never felt his parents' love. At first, isolated at the orphanage until a man gave him the love he craved for. He swore he would walk to the ends of the Earth if it meant pleasing his 'father'. He was Kiyama Hiroto.
In her eyes, he saw loneliness.
She was often locked away in the name of 'protection'. People who did approach her only pointed out her good qualities and praised her for them. No one would tell her whether she had made a mistake. No one would discover the girl behind the status.
In his eyes, she saw companionship.
His 'father' helped him open up to the other children and they bonded. What once was not there became something that no one could ever break. They went through ups and downs together, always there for one another. Everyone supported the red-haired orphan.
"You look sad," she told him across the meadow.
"Well, you look lonely," he replied.
"How would you know?"
"Your eyes say so,"
"My eyes?"
"Your eyes are dim and pale, longing for someone to see the person you truly are. That's how I can tell,"
She stayed silent.
"What about you? How do you know that I'm sad?"
"Your eyes are dull, lacking the spirit of life. They yearn to burn for something. That's what your eyes are telling me,"
"I see,"
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I would like to ask the same thing," he replied.
"Is this a dream?"
"Seems so,"
"Have we met before?"
"That I do not know,"
"Will we ever meet?"
"Only time will tell,"
"Tell me your name,"
"My name is..."
His eyes shot open and he found his hand stretched upwards. He looked around and only his roommate, Midorikawa Ryuuji, was there.
"Ryuuji," Hiroto urged as he shook the green-haired male.
"What is it...?" he groaned.
"Do my eyes look sad?"
At the same time, in Tokyo, a certain pinkette aroused, feeling moisture against her head. She sat up and realized the moisture came from her eyes.
"Do I seem lonely?" Touko muttered to herself as she wiped her eyes.
Everything was fuzzy. What colour was his hair? His skin? The sound of his voice? All she remembered were the teal eyes that told her to expel this boy's sadness.
She imagined those eyes and felt her heart ache. She wanted to help him. She wanted to bring happiness into his life. But how could she do that if she did not remember how he looked?
Just when could she see those eyes again?
- w -
The dreams were random. Some nights, they would see each other while on others, they did not. Nonetheless, they would talk. Talk about their day, any problems they were facing... They were like the other's diary.
However, whenever they wanted to tell the other their name, they woke up. It was agonizing, not knowing the other's name.
"You look happier," Touko told him one night.
"Do I?" Hiroto raised an eyebrow.
"Your eyes are sparkling now," she grinned.
It amazed her. The eyes that were once pale and lifeless were now bright and twinkling. Its beautiful teal colour had been restored.
"Ah, that might be because I always look forward to meeting you," he smiled.
"You do?" she tilted her head.
"I do," he said, giving her a soft smile.
"I see... thank you..." she mumbled and tears fell. Why they fell she did not know.
"Do you still feel lonely?" he leaned in with a concerned face.
"I don't know... Could you tell me?" she forced a smile as she lifted her head.
Hiroto felt a sting. The loneliness in her eyes had worsened. Her blue eyes took on a grayish hue, threatening to get darker by the second.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
"Did something happen?" he asked, stroking her hair.
"A boy broke my heart," she sniffed.
"What did he do?"
"He fell for another girl."
"Want to talk about it?"
"No, let's just stay like this for a while," she trembled, barely on the brink of more tears.
"Shh... just let it all out," he hushed and she cried.
She cried and cried, to the point she started hiccuping. Her grip tightened as she cried, afraid to lose her closest confidante.
"What type of person am I?" Touko sobbed.
He stayed silent. Then he spoke.
"You're clingy,"
She loosened her grip in surprise and lifted her head, where her blue eyes met teal ones.
"You're loud, you're too expressive, you talk a lot and you always try to find the easy way out," he listed. "You're tomboyish and can be downright annoying."
"R-Really?" she grinned as she gripped his arms.
"Yup," he smiled. "And I love all of those things."
She flung her arms around him and laughed with tears in her eyes. Finally, someone had truly seen her.
"You're not alone, okay?" he pat her back.
"Okay!" she smiled and her dull, grey eyes shined an aqua blue.
The sad boy and the lonely girl were no more.
- w -
The dreams stopped. One month, six months, a year. They never learned each other's name, or remembered what the other looked like. Only the colour of their eyes and how they sparkled.
In her eyes, she saw emptiness.
The only one who had broken past her mask had disappeared from her grasp. Each day that passed, she felt the emptiness grow. He was the only one who made her complete.
In his eyes, he saw yearning.
The girl who had taught him how to be happy was gone. He yearned to be share that happiness with her. She was his other half.
A few years passed and nothing could fix the new holes in their hearts. Nothing at all.
"Why do you keep insisting on this teal-eyed guy anyway?" Rika sighed, munching on a cracker. "No wonder you don't have a boyfriend yet."
"He's not just anyone, Rika," Touko argued as she signed some documents. "He's special."
"There are a bunch of teal-eyed guys out there. Just take your pick," Rika grumbled, popping the final piece in her mouth.
"That's not how it works," Touko shook her head as she stopped writing. "We have a connection."
Rika thought for a while and smirked.
"Maybe that connection is love~" she smirked.
"Maybe it is," Touko shot back.
"Hiiih!" Rika squeaked, terrified by the sudden straightforwardness. "N-No need to be so serious—"
"Ojou-Sama," someone knocked on the door. "Your father is requesting you."
"Ah! I-I guess I'll be on my way now," Rika stuttered as she scooted to the door. "Toodles!"
Touko looked at her best friend in confusion and sighed. Of course she would not understand.
- w -
"A marriage?"
"That was what was written in Father's will," Kira Hitomiko said. "For you, Hiroto, to inherit the Kira Company and at least get married within the first year."
"Nee-San, I'm not even of legal age for marriage yet. Why bring it up now?" Hiroto queried.
"Your 18th birthday is coming up, isn't it? I thought I should tell you before someone else does," Hitomiko smiled sadly.
"What have you been hiding?" Hiroto said in a low murmur.
"You've been promised to the Prime Minister,"
"What... do you mean?" he narrowed his eyes.
"Once of legal age, Kira Hiroto and Zaizen Touko are to be wed," Hitomiko replied. "Father did it to apologize for kidnapping Prime Minister Zaizen."
Zaizen Touko. The name rang a bell. Despite being of high status, her soccer abilities were not to be frowned upon. He knew it once he saw. However, he never dared to approach her, fearing that she hated him from the Aliea Gakuen incident.
"And Father did this without my consent?" he frowned.
"The condition was that Zaizen Touko was to have found love before the age of 18. If not, you two will strengthen the bond between the company and government," she explained.
Neither of them were willing. It was obvious.
"You know I won't accept that," he growled.
"If it's regarding your 'dream' girl," she murmured.
Hiroto stiffened.
"You're running out of time to find her," Hitomiko glanced at him.
Hiroto looked away. He knew this was true. He knew but...
"I'm going to my room..." he murmured and walked off.
The brightness in his eyes dimmed.
- w -
They dreamt of each other, but it was a nightmare.
In her eyes, he saw darkness.
The blue in her eyes had disappeared completely, overwhelmed by the dark. She started to fade. He screamed for her but no sound came out. She disappeared before he could reach her.
In his eyes, she saw a void.
The more she looked, the more she felt like she was falling. He started to crack. She cried out for him but her voice was strangled. He shattered before she could save him.
Hiroto's eyes shot open and he found himself staring at a blue sky. Soft grass surrounded him, dotted by various small flowers. He recognized the place immediately: their meadow.
"Oi! Where are you?!" Hiroto yelled out as he stood up. He was panicky, worried that she had truly disappeared. He was shaky, sweating even.
"...here?" he heard faintly. His eyes widened and turned around. A huge smile grew on his face as he spotted the familiar figure in the distance.
He broke into a run as did she and she leaped into his arms, making them fall to the ground. Did it hurt? They didn't care. They had finally met again.
"Please, take me away," she cried into his shoulder.
"W-What happened?" he asked.
"I don't want just anyone to be promised to me!" she cried and lifted her head up to meet his eyes.
"Promised... to?" he murmured as he tried to recall the words.
"Please, let's meet up somewhere and let me prove to my father that I've found love," she whispered.
"You... love me?" he asked.
"Yes, I love you!" she blurted and then her face froze with fear. "Do you... not?"
Overwhelming joy filled his heart and he laughed.
"Of course I do," he chuckled and kissed her.
Their lips fit perfectly with the other and sparks spread throughout their body.
To Touko, his lips were soft and gentle, accepting all of her.
To Hiroto, her lips were comforting and sweet, making him forget all of his troubles.
They parted, stunned.
"Woah..." Touko exhaled.
"I'll take you anywhere you want to go," he promised. "Just say the word."
"Take me far away," she whispered. "Somewhere we could be together."
"You'll have to show me to your father first, won't you? I don't want to seem like a kidnapper," he reminded.
"Yes," she bit her lip. "Could you meet me in front of the Parliament Building in Tokyo?"
"Why there of all places?" he asked.
"Oh, I never told you, did I?" she hid a sad smile. "I'm the Prime Minister's daughter."
- w -
Hiroto woke up with a jolt. Rays of sunlight peeped through the curtain blindfolds, telling him it was morning. He tried to remember everything that happened. From the nightmare to the meeting to the kiss. Oh, the kiss. It was the best thing that had happened to him in forever. Her silky pink hair and her beautiful tanned skin...
"I'm the Prime Minister's daughter,"
Her voice rang in his mind and he put two and two together. He had seen Touko during the Aliea Gakuen incident and the FFI. He had even been on the same team as her to save Rika. For the first time, he remembered every detail of his dream girl and it matched perfectly with Touko.
The blue eyes, of course! How had he been so stupid not to realize sooner?
He jumped out of bed and ran out of his room.
"Nee-San!" he cried out.
Hitomiko, who was in the living area with the other Sun Garden orphan, turned around in reaction to the call.
"Hiroto? What's the matter?" she asked. His reply surprised her.
"I'll fulfill the promise."
- w -
Touko absolutely refused to budge from her spot. She was not going to meet Hiroto. She did not have anything against him, she just did not want the possibility of her getting married coming true.
"Ojou-Sama, please be reasonable," a maid tried to persuade. "You're only meeting him. Not discussing wedding plans."
"Why didn't Papa turn down the apology then? I'm sure Hiro– I mean, Kiyama-San would not like this as well," she tried to keep her composure.
"It was Kiyama-Sama's request," the maid replied softly.
She grit her teeth.
"I'll be there," she mumbled and the maid's face lit up.
"O-Of course! I'll tell your father," the maid smiled and went out of the room.
When she was sure there was no one outside, she smirked to herself.
"As if," she said and took out a spring-like rope from her bed's underside. If she was going to meet anyone, she would only allow it to be the boy in her dreams.
She looked outside her window, making sure the coast was clear, and threw down the rope.
"I won't be able to escape without traces," she muttered to herself. "But this is better than nothing."
She climbed down the rope and and landed safely. She pulled it far back and released it so it would fly back into her room. Sneakily, she hid behind bush by bush until she reached the front entrance. No one walked used the front gate unless there was a huge event going on and guests used the back gate. All she had to do was wait.
She waited and waited. He knew where the Parliament Building was, right? Even if he did not, he could just google it. She would definitely meet him. She even gave away her status, something she never did unless it was absolutely necessary.
Touko prayed. She prayed that the boy with teal eyes would appear in front of her. She prayed that he would recognize her and she would recognize him.
A car pulled up, startling Touko. She hid further in the bush, wondering who would get off here. The door opened and a figure walked out.
"Thank you," said a familiar voice. "Yes, I'll be fine here."
Touko shifted her eyes but she could not see the person clearly. The voice was also right at the tip of her tongue...
The door shut and the car drove off, leaving the newcomer alone. He turned and Touko recognized him instantly.
"Touko, where are you? You wanted to meet here right?" Hiroto called out.
Touko was flustered. What did he mean? What did he mean about a meeting place? That's when she made contact with his eyes.
It drew her towards him, like metal to a magnet. The shiny, sparkling teal eyes reached out for her, calling her to reveal herself.
"H-Hiroto?" she murmured as she got out of the bush.
"Touko!" he smiled and ran towards the gate. "Do you recognize me?"
"Of course I do, Hiroto! But what're you doing here? The guests—"
"No! I mean from your dreams! We shared the same dreams, didn't we?"
Tears streamed down her face as she realized. No wonder his eyes had such a pull on her; she had unconsciously recognized them.
"It was you all along?" she whispered as she held his cheek.
"Yes," he smiled as he held her hand, tears forming in his own eyes. "I waited for so long."
"Me too," she cried. "Me too."
In his eyes, she saw happiness.
Through the veil, she could clearly see the teal eyes shining with happiness. The sad, lifeless eyes that only she had seen were gone.
- w -
In her eyes, he saw love.
Through the veil, he saw blue eyes flaring with life, sparkling brighter than the jewels she adorned. The eyes that were once lonely and dull were no more.
"Do you, Kira Hiroto, promise to take Zaizen Touko to be your wife, in richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and to love and cherish, till death do you part?"
"I do."
"Do you, Zaizen Touko, take Kira Hiroto to be your husband, in richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and to love and cherish, till death do you part?"
"I do."
"I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,"
Cheers sounded throughout the chapel as they kissed but they did not hear a thing. They parted and shared a loving gaze.
For in each other's eyes, they found each other.