Fading Slowly.

Disclaimer: I don't own rune factory, or the company that made it.

Raguna sat in the shadow of an old oak treem,
This was where he spent the best days of his life with the person he loved.
But today he was alone, he was waiting to clear his head.
Iris was off with Mist and Selphy.
Raguna felt a little lonely as he stared up at the empty, clear sky.
Iris and he had grown some distance.
Raguna couldn't have been happier for her to be making new friends and finally being happy,
But in a way he was sad about it as well.
In his heart Raguna knew soon enough he wouldn't be close to her anymore.
He wasn't the type to ever abandon someone, or walk away.
But soon he would fade into the background.
In a way Raguna felt jealous, there wasn't any way he could be around her as much anymore,
It hurt, but at least she was happy.
And to Raguna, that was all that mattered.
As long as she was happy, he was happy.
She had done a lot for him, and she was always a wonderful friend.
But what hurt was knowing they wouldn't be close like that anymore.
She was shy, quiet, and didn't really want to know a lot of people.
But now she was a lot different, Raguna couldn't help wondering if she even knew.
It didn't really matter to him, He was happy to see her blossoming.
Soon she would chase the dreams she had shared with him in secret,
But where would that take her? Raguna wondered.
Would she grow up to be a happy person living on her own,
Or would she settle down and start a family?
Raguna felt too protective over her, it was her life to live.
Not his, He didn't need to encourage what he thought would make her happy,
But what she wanted.
But how could he help but worry about her when she was his best friend?
She was like a sister to Raguna, and like anyone would want for family,
Raguna wanted the best for her life.
The hardest thing to do was let someone go.
Accepting that they don't need you anymore at one point,
That a time will come when they don't want you to go away,
They just don't rely on you.
Raguna knew she had never really needed him, it was just a way to be happy for a short time.
But somewhere in his heart he felt too self conscious.
"She was just busy, well she just had better things to do." Was what he would tell himself.
Lately a lot of the things he had wanted to do with her she just couldn't find the time.
Raguna knew when he became her friend it would come to this,
Something so easy, and so special could never last.
But even if their friendship did fade, the memories lasted forever.
And that was what changed Raguna's life.
She had given him a friend who only brought joy.
They had never had one bad memory.
Raguna never told her, But everu time Iris had to leave Raguna felt so empty.
He missed her before she ever even walked out the door.
That made Raguna smile as he started to fall asleep.
A sort of happy pain? Raguna would have described it as such.
The last thing he remembered thinking before he finally lost consciousness, Was wondering if she was alright.

Iris sat stirring the ice cubes in her drink as Mist and Selphy talked and laughed about something,
She had lost track of the conversation long ago,
She barely focused on the coconut taste she got from every few sips through her straw.
Things were so different now, she didn't want to be this way.
But she could never get close to the person she wanted to be with.
All she could think of was Raguna's last words to her the night before,
"Goodnight I guess, maybe I'll see you sometime next weekend. Love you" He said before he hung up.
He didn't seem to be bothered that she wasn't spending any time with him anymore.
Maybe this was what he wanted? she thought as she took another sip,
"He needs to make more friends than just me..." She thought.
Her two friends grew quiet and noticed she was lost in thought,
Mist decided to poke her and pretend she missed a joke.
Iris thought for a second before she replied.
She knew Raguna would be fine, she would call him later to see how he was doing.
After all, she was his best friend still right? he would tell her if something was wrong.
She was just over worrying she convinced herself as she joined in the jokes.

Raguna woke up as the sun started to go down,
"She always loved this time of day" he thought to himself.
He realized the first thing he thought of was Iris again,
Why couldn't he get her off his mind?
Maybe he needed to clear his mind, too many things were going on lately.
She wouldn't appreciate knowing everything he did everyday he thought of some memory with her.
He got up and yawned the dreamless sleep away.
He made sure he hadn't dropped anything and headed for his home.

Iris walked across the short log bridge, glancing at the stream below.
She was tired after a long day of being alone with her two new friends.
But she just wanted to be alone for a while.
She walked down the trail and looked up at the sunset through the trees.
Iris missed the days she had spent here with Raguna,
He felt so close right now, like she had just seen him.
She walked over to her favorite spot under an old oak tree.
A small paperback book, with the picture of a phoenix on the front lay beside the shadow.
She sat down and looked up at the clouds as she tried to make out shapes.
Soon enough she started to feel sleepy.

Life is impossible to figure out.
But when you find the reason your in it, you never want to let go.
Raguna laid in bed staring at his TV, nothing was on.
At least nothing he wanted to watch.

Iris sat reading the book,
She felt sleepy but she didn't let it bother her.
At this point she just wanted some time alone.
Maybe one day she would see she was missed, even when she was still there for someone.

Raguna walked back to the tree,
He had left his book.
When he looked up he noticed Iris lying under the tree asleep.
She was cluthing the book he had returned for.
It was late, she would catch a cold if she stayed here.
Raguna didn't want to wake her up to take her somewhere.
But he wouldn't leave her here.
Raguna took off his jacket and covered her with it.
If he couldn't move her, he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
He sat against the tree beside her and took her hand.
"Goodnight, Sweet Dreams" He said as he closed his eyes.
Whatever happened to her, would happen to him tonight too.

Anyone can fade away, in their hearts they never want to, But it's what choices we make that decide the path for us.
Trust has to be earned, Love has to be shown,
And even the closest hearts can Fade Slowly if they are left to fray.
Life is a painful mystery. Some people find their light, only to lose it again.
That light will always be there, waiting to be found.
No matter how many times it's lost.
Never forget, that no matter who you are, what you've done, your life is important to someone.
And you will never lose those that love you.
Don't ever feel like you don't have a reason, a purpose, and someone who will always be there.
They don't want you to fade away, and they still need you no matter what.
If you feel like someone is better off without you,
Or you feel like someone doesn't need you anymore.
Then you must love them so much you want their best future.
And that makes you very important in their life.
So there is no way they can live without you.
And you should know, you are their very reason for living.
Don't ever let them fade away.