It was a strange day. A nice day.
The sky above him was grey, filled with grey clouds that still looked too bright to promise rain and the air was cool, but not cold, just slightly beyond the point where it could be called warm. Just perfect. Eiji closed his eyes, only for a moment and thought, briefly, that it would be nice, if it could always be like that.
Always. He lifted his head and looked up to the sky and knew that it would always be there. Someday he would be gone and the sky would still be there, high above the trees and hills and the highest mountains and perhaps, in a very long time, all humans would have vanished from earth, all live would have ended and this planet would be nothing but a lifeless stone falling through the universe and the sky would sill be there, looking down at this world, eternal and untouched by its tragedy. Maybe the sky above them was the only thing that truly lasted forever.
The only thing made for eternity.
The Time had stopped for now, for this one moment, and when it would continue to move maybe the sun would shine again and the wind would blow but right now it was standing still, unimpressed by the flowing of the river or the birds that were right now crossing the sky above the meadow he was standing on.
Eiji looked down again when he heard the flutter of their wings but he could still see their refection in the dark water of the river before him, for a very short time. Yet, he refused to look up, even when he felt someone moving beside him.
„Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice asked and he continued to stare at the river.
„What? The birds leaving?"
„Yes. They only go to a warmer place to spend the winter. Have a look, you won't see them for a while."
„Yeah, but they'll eventually come back." Eiji replied, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He looked up and was only slightly surprised to see a pale hand covering his own, resting on the trunk of a tree. Kayin gave him a small smile before he turned he head to look into the distance.
„That's right, but what would that mean to you if you wouldn't look at them?" he asked and his voice sounded slightly amused though Eiji couldn't really hear it. The dark circles under his eyes had disappeared, he noticed as he looked at him. Still, he looked just like he always did and the high grass of the meadow was unaffected by the touch of his feet.
Suddenly, his heart started to ace and he had to close his eyes because he couldn't stand the sight of his surroundings anymore or perhaps just to keep the tears from falling. He heard himself mumble something but he wasn't sure if he had really said it. When he opened his eyes again Kayin was looking at him, a calm expression on his face and sadness in his eyes and the wind played with his hair though there was no wind at all.
"I'm sorry.", he said simply.
"No reason to be." Eiji answered but it was a lie and they both knew it.
He looked over to the horizon again and saw it lighten up a bit. There was still time left in this brief moment without time, but not much. Soon the sun would break through the clouds and the moment would pass when the time started moving again and the words slipped through his fingertips. He tried, desperately, to get a hold on his own thoughts, to speak the words before the were lost to eternity but they kept slipping away from him and in the end there was nothing left to be said.
Silence fell again, but maybe it that been silent all the time.
The gab in the clouds was growing and the light of the sun started to make it's way down to earth when Kayin closed his eyes and, like he had all time left in this world, slowly leaned forward to softly brush his lips over Eiji's and the touch was so soft that Eiji could almost feel it. He also closed his eyes and when he opened them again Kayin was gone and there was no sign of footsteps in the grass.
A soft breeze rustled in the trees. And played with his hair.
-end-
September 04, 2002