Kanade, looking me up and down,
as if she had seen me somewhere else, finally says, "Who-?"
but she doesn't finish when she looks in my eyes. She stares at me in shock, fear, and sorrow.
Then she breaks my grip, shaking her head.
And she runs.
So I follow, pushing past people who are shouting at me now, but I'm not listening.
She's still running, as if she remembers the time that I saved her from those copies.
Like she remembers Hand Sonic. Like she remembers how she killed me the first time we met.
Like she remembers the graduating ceremony.
Like she remembers that she never said "I love you" back.
I'm still chasing her, one arm reached out towards her, my feet pounding on the sidewalk,
my lungs bursting. I'm trying to catch her arm again, but everything becomes blurry with tears.
I'm crying.
Crying like the time that she disappeared from my arms.
Crying with clenched teeth, tears streaming down my face and into the wind.
But she can't run forever. I can see her a few yards ahead of me, stopping to catch a breath,
thinking that I didn't follow.
But this time, I don't grab her arm. I pull her to me, turning her around so that I can see her face again. She isn't startled or confused or scared this time.
She's crying too.
I bring her in, just as I did just before she vanished.
And right now, I'm almost afraid that the same thing will happen again.