Fate/Moonlight

Chapter 2: Reminiscence

After his chat with Kazuki, Shun Akemi was heading to the hospital of Misaki. A dear one of his was recovered there. He entered and asked to the secretary:

"Good evening, sir. I'm here for a visit."

"Of course, Akemi-san." the secretary understood immediately who the young man wanted to see. "You can find her in Room 54."

"Thank you very much." he said as he headed off. While he was on his way to the hospital room, his mind was filled with memories of blissful past days…

6 months earlier…

Kazuki was sitting under a tree in the park, gazing at the horizon, lost in his thoughts. A young woman with long light brown hair and green eyes approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Still over the clouds, are we, Aokage-kun?"

The boy was caught by surprise, but he eased up quickly as he saw her familiar face.

"Oh, Torikawa-san. Please don't startle me like that again..." he asked her.

"You should be thankful it isn't Chouko-chan instead of me..." The woman answered "You know how much she loves playing pranks on people…"

"Yeah, seriously..." Kazuki couldn't help but agree.

"Oh, there you are, Akane!" Shun said as he came in their direction. He had just arrived in the park. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's fine, Shun." Akane smiled sweetly. "I didn't have to wait for too long. Besides..." she pointed her finger towards Kazuki "I always find this guy here when you are late..."

"Uhm..." Kazuki uttered, not knowing if he should be offended or not.

"How much company did he provide, I wonder..." the young black-haired man joked, making his gray-haired friend frown. "Y-You're not serious, are you, Shun?" Kazuki retorted.

"Of course he isn't, Aokage-kun!" Akane said, giggling. Kazuki sighed of relief.

"So, how are you?" Akane asked the gray-haired boy.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you. There's really not much to say." Kazuki answered "How are things going for you guys?"

It was Shun who answered his friend's question. "Well, we're having a heavy load of work lately..."

"We are policemen, after all..." Akane added.

"It is a great deal of hard work..." Kazuki mused "Aren't you scared?" At that question Shun went to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, we are." he said "Everyone in his right mind would be. We just push it aside." Kazuki listened carefully.

"You could say that this job teaches us how to live, in some ways..." Akane added. One of the many things that she had in common with Shun, her boyfriend, was the wish to do the right thing and the willingness to learn, which Kazuki shared as well.

"Yeah..." the gray-haired boy agreed "This job really means a lot for you, Torikawa-san..."

"I'm just trying to protect others' smiles. Don't you wish the same, Aokage-kun?"

"Of course, but there are ways..." Kazuki looked slightly unconvinced. He didn't exactly see himself as a policeman.

"Don't worry." Akane giggled "I'm not trying to talk you into the police."

"Kazuki..." Shun added, patting his friend's shoulder again "Like you said, there are ways. We just have to find what do we want to do with our lives." Hearing those words, a question popped in the boy's head.

"And what if someone doesn't have the right to find it?"

"Everyone has a choice." Shun said. "Even if sometimes we don't see it."

The gray-haired boy slowly took in the black-haired young man's words, then he said: "I see… Now I have something else to think about."

"Like you do anything else..." Shun teased, with a faint smile, making his friend scowl slightly.

"Shun! I think you can stop now..." Akane told her, a frown appearing on her own face. But then Kazuki's expression softened and he put his own hand on the policeman's shoulder.

"Thanks, Shun."

"That's what I do." Shun answered, before going off to his date with his girlfriend. "Let's go, Akane."

After waving his friends goodbye, Kazuki walked away. While he was walking, he rose his head to the sky, thoughtfully, entering his trance once again...

As he remembered, his face had an expression of nostalgia and melancholy on it. When he arrived at the hospital room, he found a girl lying on a bed. He put up a smile and greeted her.

"Hello, Chouko. How are you feeling today?"

"Onii-chan!" she shouted happily, opening her arms. Shun came closer and hugged her.

"I'm so happy that you're here!" she said "I'm feeling a little better everyday!"

"I'm glad..." Shun murmured softly as he embraced her warmly. She then pulled off and asked the black haired young man:

"How did your day go?"

"Fine, thanks!" he answered.

"Did you meet someone today?"

"Actually yes. I met Kazuki at the park today."

"Kazuki-kun!" she exclaimed, puffing her cheeks "Why didn't you take me with you? I could have played a prank on him..." Shun smiled faintly at the statement. She had been sick for two months, but she still looked hyperactive as if she had nothing at all.

"I apologize, your Majesty!" he said "Which prank were you thinking about?"

"Hmmm..." The girl thought about it, and then answered: "I don't know. There are so many pranks I could play on him, it's hard to pick one..."

"Well, unless you have him in front of you, that is." Shun replied.

"Anyway!" She decided to tell something of her own, with a beaming smile on her face "I'm glad to see that the tarot card I picked today got it right! As always!"

"Chouko!" Shun scowled. "Stop talking about those tarot cards, already!"

"But I can do very little in here..." She replied, her head hung. The policeman felt sorry. She did have to stay in the hospital bed for most of the time, after all, and had to keep herself occupied, somehow… After a moment of silence, Shun spoke up.

"So, I was thinking I could take you for a walk to the park tomorrow after work."

"Really? Yaaaay!" She immediately lightened up as she heard the young man's idea. The faint smile appeared again on Shun's face. Abruptly, Chouko's expression became serious as she told him "Hey! Don't even think of ditching it! It's a deal!"

"I won't, I promise." the young man replied. He then decided to go back home.

"See you tomorrow, Chouko." he told her.

"Bye-bye!" the girl said, waving at him from her bed. Shun thanked the secretary for letting him in and asked if it was possible to take the patient Chouko Torikawa out the following day. The secretary asked the question to the doctors in charge of taking care of her, and they did not object. Shun thanked the secretary again for his kindness and made his way out of the hospital.

After Shun got out of the room, Chouko moved her gaze at the window, seeing the beautiful night sky from it. She then clasped her hands together in prayer and closed her eyes. "Onee-chan..." she prayed.

On his way home, the policeman rose his head to the starry sky above him, with a shining moon, as he found himself reminiscing past times again. "Akane..."

6 months earlier

It was night. A beautiful starry sky could be seen from the window of Shun's room. The moonlight was the only illumination there. He and Akane were lying on his bed, naked. They had just made love. They were both gazing at the ceiling, with contented smiles on their faces.

"Hey, Shun." Akane spoke up, turning to her boyfriend "I'm so happy..." She put a hand on the chest of the young man lying by her side.

"I am too, Akane..." He softly answered, putting his hand on hers and gazing at her lovingly "More than I have ever been in my life..."

"For how long will it be?" she asked, a flash of anxiety could be seen in her eyes "For how long will we be able to be together like this?"

"What are you talking about?" Shun was getting worried as well.

"Do you recall the talk we had with Aokage-kun at the park?"

"Yeah..." The young man's expression became thoughtful.

"I did say that our job teaches us how to live, but it is because we risk our lives. We can't ignore that we might lose them at any moment..." Shun stayed silent, but his anxiety could be easily conveyed by his expression.

"Akane..." He held his girlfriend's hands "If I said that I'm not scared, I'd be lying. I meant every word of what I said to Kazuki..." He looked deep in her green eyes. Strengthening his hold of his lover's hands, he then added:

"The only thing I can say is… Let's be together to the fullest."

His attempt to chase away the menacing thoughts seemed to work, as broad smiles returned to both the lovers' faces.

"By the way..." Akane stood up on her knees on top of her lover, her nude body looked even more beautiful and captivating under the moonlight. "Why are you always teasing him when I see you two?"

"Huh?" Shun sat up and got closer to her.

"You offend him, you know? True, you're not like Chouko-chan, but still..." She kept going. "You should be more considerate of others' feelings."

"Sigh..." The black-haired young man scratched the back of his head in response. It wasn't the first time he heard her saying that. Usually, he just shrugged off his girlfriend's statement, but then he felt obligated to answer her.

"I'm not as good as you are in empathy… You don't only protect people, but try to protect their smiles as well… You're really amazing, Akane..." he said thoughtfully, making the brown-haired woman blush. Suddenly, his gaze turned to Akane as he said "Would you mind teaching me a thing or two about it?"

"It'll be my pleasure!" she replied. The statement made them both giggle. Then, they gazed in each other's eyes intensely, slowly closing the gap between their faces, and their lips met in a sweet and passionate kiss, brushing, and finally locking together. The lovers clutched one another. Shun's hands were on Akane's back, gently caressing it like it was prized porcelain, while one of her hands was on his back, and the other one was on his cheek. Their tongues led a dance, slowly, but fierily…

They didn't know what lied ahead of them, and they didn't care...