"We have nothing, Hisao…" Rin whispered to the air, looking out into the murky gray that tinted the small window glass.
"Shh…" Hisao wrapped his arms around Rin's chest, holding her close, letting her know he was there. "We don't have nothing. We have sight, we have veins, we have hope…" he said, comforting her.
"We are thankful for what we have, what we are. Isn't that enough?"
Rin looked out at the emptiness surrounding her, the broken bottles amongst the battered floor, the stains and smudges that covered every inch of the lonely house. No matter how alive they were, neither of them could truthfully say that they were happy.
This place was an embodiment of Hell itself.
"We can't go on like this, Hisao. How are we going to survive?"
Hisao dug his face into Rin's unkempt hair, which smelled of day-old rainwater and perspiration.
"We have each other, don't we?" he cooed softly, holding on to a tiny sliver of hope that was all that was left of him. Had it died out, he would cease to exist.
Rin lowered her eyelids, giving into the fear and desperation, and nodded her head. A few tears slid down her cheek, but no sobbing followed.
Tears were no longer an object to her. They were just another part of life, plain and simple. There were days when she would wake up crying, prior to sleeping in the same state the night before. They meant nothing anymore. Just water that tasted like blood and salt and further stained her tattered clothes and bedsheets.
They were meaningless, in every sense of the word.
After a few moments of silence, Hisao took Rin by the shoulder and led her to the bathroom. They stopped in front of the visibly damaged and time-worn mirror and Hisao turned the tap on.
As he waited for the water to run cold, he took a toothbrush from the cup on the sink and squeezed some toothpaste onto the bristles. He ran it under the water and opened Rin's mouth.
"Here. We need to keep our mouths moist," he said as he brushed her teeth. The foam from the toothpaste dribbled from her mouth, dripping from her chin onto her already damp shirt. He could hear Rin's soft gurgling as thick tears welled up in her eyes, as if the painful reality of life had finally hit her like a punch to the chest.
It was a pitiful and demoralizing feeling.
Hisao finally removed the toothbrush from Rin's mouth and she spat the residue into the sink. He filled a nearby cup with water and held it up to her lips. He let her drink from it, sloshing it around in her cheeks until she nodded and spat again. Then she moved away so Hisao could brush his own teeth.
It was a dark and quiet day; not that it really mattered. Any day was dark and quiet in this house, located so far away from immediate civilization. The few windows were small and tinged with dust and time-generated markings, letting little light into the dark, cramped area.
"Let's go outside," Hisao suggested. Rin was hesitant, but eventually gave in. She shoved a small satchel onto her shoulder and they left the house.
The daylight was blinding when they reached the top of the stairs, even though it was cloudy. They blinked it off and proceeded with their walk.
It was the kind of day that felt like a pretense of rain; the kind of dreary day that would make one wonder about the sheer emptiness of life as we know it.
The two walked about the sad and battered city, passing old, closed down shops and vacant houses, the ruins of construction sites and an abandoned theme park. They crossed paths with a greying old man holding a beggar's cup in his frail hands, asking for spare change. Having no money to give him, they offered up a few bread crusts, enough to make a light breakfast for an hour or so. He accepted their kind donation and nibbled greedily on the scraps. They walked past him, leaving the moment forever.
As they walked, a large building came into view. There was a worn, yellow flag in the front.
Yamaku.
Hisao looked away from the school, but Rin's gaze was unwavering. There was a mysterious glint in her eyes.
Hisao tried to herd her away, but she remained still, gazing yearningly at the rusted iron gates.
"The school…" she muttered, more to herself than anyone. She looked around her, then back again. Her lingering gaze wandered to the side of the building, where a patch of green idly sat. "I wonder…"
Hisao could hear the hushed tones of emotion in her voice. It was almost sad, but oddly… hopeful. Reluctantly, he freed her from his grasp and let her wander into the woods, following close behind.
They reached a clearing that consisted of many thin trees and one big tree. It was a large maple, its sturdy trunk rooted firmly in the ground. The bark was faded and weathered, but had clearly withstood the test of time. Rin staggered towards it, nearly falling into its branches.
Hisao jogged up to her, frantically nearing her in fear of her tripping, but she remained steady. She stopped at a thick part of the tree and looked up at it, emotions that had been idle for five years lurking deep within her dark, green wells.
"… Worry Tree," she said, stroking the trunk with her foot. Hisao looked at the tree, old feelings welling up inside of him as well and bubbling up to the surface in a short, breathy gasp. Memories overflowed his mind as he kneeled before the tree, sobbing uncontrollably.
Rin backed towards him and joined him in his grief, nudging her head up to his and crying in unison.
The Worry Tree.
The place where they really, truly met.
The place where their understanding of each other surpassed even God.
... This was where they fell in love.
Rin got back up and shuffled towards the tree once more, leaning her back against it and plunking herself onto the forest floor. Her fragile body made little to no sound as it came in contact with the grass and earth. She leaned her head back and looked up into the great canopy, letting the stream of tears fall back down the sides of her face. She sat there silently for a long time, her mouth making small shapes of vowels and consonants that were near impossible to make out. Hisao could hear faint tremors in her inaudible murmurs, reminding him clearly of those days he spent with her in Yamaku, those moments that led up to the sad state they were in now.
If the Worry Tree still meant to her what it used to back then, she must've had a lot to say.
They stayed there under the tree until the early evening darkness cast shadows over the forest. Hisao gently brought Rin back from her meditative coma and slowly pulled her closer and closer back to reality until she could go no further. She was prompted up from the ground and ushered onto Hisao's back.
He carried her back home, weighing next to nothing, and returned to their small, desolate house only to discover that she had fallen asleep.
In all the darkness and depression that filled their sad, draining life, he couldn't help but smile at this happy-making scene. Out of all the sorrow and sheer loneliness, he could still see light in their life that was more than enough to keep them going until it ran out. Even though they occasionally lost the desperate urge to survive or even try to keep going, they could take rest in these rewarding moments, these simple, meaningless moments that ultimately meant so much to them in the long run.
They would never truly be happy. They knew this. But in the end, all they needed was each other, true and simple. Nothing else mattered.
Rin stirred from her slumber and looked up at Hisao's familiar face. He smiled warmly at her, enough so that the gesture was returned.
"We're home," he said.