"You are crazy." Seiya exclaimed.
"Maybe I really am, but I need rest and I won't upset Kakyu-hime." Yaten
explained.
"Do you think Los Angeles will be the best place for relaxing?"
"Yeah, different country, different people, different life. I don't feel
complete here. Life is passing by and I'm not living it. Maybe America will
help me find my way."
Seiya regarded his brother and realized that he was completely serious. "If
that's what you wish for."
Yaten nodded.
********************
"Look, there is the Japanese girl." "She is so slim and pale. Do you think she is suffering from bulimia?" "Yes, maybe she even takes drugs." "Don't all Japanese take drugs?" The two girls giggled.
Hotaru sat at a table in the eating hall- alone. She had heard that conversation and wasn't sure if she should start to cry or be happy about the fact that somebody had taken notice of her. She picked at her food with her fork and stared into eternity. If there was somebody to talk to her, to notice her, to smile at her. The teachers weren't concerned about her, she had good grades, was helpful, maybe a little melancholic, but that depended on her age they said. "Somebody please help me", she whispered.
********************
Seiya went up into Yaten's chamber. His suitcases were packed. Street-lighting filled the room with a sad blue. The moon was hidden behind clouds. The atmosphere matched Seiya's mood. He regarded the last remains of Yaten's utensils. A bottle stood on the desk, next to it lay a letter. And Seiya wouldn't be Seiya if he didn't feel a little curiosity welling up in him. He unfolded the letter and started to read. This was a message in a bottle and it was coming from a girl studying in the USA! So this was the real cause for Yaten's abrupt departure. Seiya grinned all over his face. He wouldn't have expected something so romantic coming from his brother. "What are you doing there?" A clear, high and particularly angry voice asked. "Uhhh..." Seiya turned in an instant and hit the letter behind his back. "I'm just checking if you are not forgetting something." Yaten's eyes narrowed. "What are you hiding there?" "Nothing", Seiya chirped. "How come I don't believe you!" Yaten barked and ran around his taller brother to get the letter. "So that's the real reason why you are going to America, right? A girl?" "It's not bout the girl", he shouted still anxious to get the letter from him. "Yeah, sure. Why would you go there then?" "Because I want to go." He jumped up to get the desired object from Seiyas' rised hands. "Give me the letter!" "What if I don't?" The white haired man started to snarl and with a sudden push he had his taller brother down. "Yaten, uh, are you mad?" "No, but you are childish!" However, finally he held the letter his hands, folded it carefully and put it into his bag. Seiya still sat on the floor and eyed his brother suspiciously. "Would you be going to America if you hadn't found that letter?" "No, I wouldn't." "So the girl is responsible for your departure. You can tell me, you know that." "It's not exactly about the girl but about her careful words. She is hurt, lonely and sad. She reminds me a lot of myself." "Consider you are not alone. You have me and Taiki, Kakyu-hime and the other soldiers." "Maybe that's not enough. Maybe I'm longing for somebody else. My heart isn't happy here, do you understand that, Seiya? I'm still looking for the reason why I'm alive. And the more I search for it, the more transient I do feel." "Yaten, I didn't know about these destructive emotions." "And nobody should know about them except you. Please promise me that." "You've got my word."
********************
"Look, there is the Japanese girl." "She is so slim and pale. Do you think she is suffering from bulimia?" "Yes, maybe she even takes drugs." "Don't all Japanese take drugs?" The two girls giggled.
Hotaru sat at a table in the eating hall- alone. She had heard that conversation and wasn't sure if she should start to cry or be happy about the fact that somebody had taken notice of her. She picked at her food with her fork and stared into eternity. If there was somebody to talk to her, to notice her, to smile at her. The teachers weren't concerned about her, she had good grades, was helpful, maybe a little melancholic, but that depended on her age they said. "Somebody please help me", she whispered.
********************
Seiya went up into Yaten's chamber. His suitcases were packed. Street-lighting filled the room with a sad blue. The moon was hidden behind clouds. The atmosphere matched Seiya's mood. He regarded the last remains of Yaten's utensils. A bottle stood on the desk, next to it lay a letter. And Seiya wouldn't be Seiya if he didn't feel a little curiosity welling up in him. He unfolded the letter and started to read. This was a message in a bottle and it was coming from a girl studying in the USA! So this was the real cause for Yaten's abrupt departure. Seiya grinned all over his face. He wouldn't have expected something so romantic coming from his brother. "What are you doing there?" A clear, high and particularly angry voice asked. "Uhhh..." Seiya turned in an instant and hit the letter behind his back. "I'm just checking if you are not forgetting something." Yaten's eyes narrowed. "What are you hiding there?" "Nothing", Seiya chirped. "How come I don't believe you!" Yaten barked and ran around his taller brother to get the letter. "So that's the real reason why you are going to America, right? A girl?" "It's not bout the girl", he shouted still anxious to get the letter from him. "Yeah, sure. Why would you go there then?" "Because I want to go." He jumped up to get the desired object from Seiyas' rised hands. "Give me the letter!" "What if I don't?" The white haired man started to snarl and with a sudden push he had his taller brother down. "Yaten, uh, are you mad?" "No, but you are childish!" However, finally he held the letter his hands, folded it carefully and put it into his bag. Seiya still sat on the floor and eyed his brother suspiciously. "Would you be going to America if you hadn't found that letter?" "No, I wouldn't." "So the girl is responsible for your departure. You can tell me, you know that." "It's not exactly about the girl but about her careful words. She is hurt, lonely and sad. She reminds me a lot of myself." "Consider you are not alone. You have me and Taiki, Kakyu-hime and the other soldiers." "Maybe that's not enough. Maybe I'm longing for somebody else. My heart isn't happy here, do you understand that, Seiya? I'm still looking for the reason why I'm alive. And the more I search for it, the more transient I do feel." "Yaten, I didn't know about these destructive emotions." "And nobody should know about them except you. Please promise me that." "You've got my word."