Chapter 32: I Remember

"Hello! Who are you?" He remained unresponsive. "Oh? You don't talk much, do you? Well, that's okay! My name's Airi! It's nice to meet you! What're you doing out here in the forest?"

"…I'm observing the many species of bugs there are here," he finally said.

"Bugs?"

X-X-X-X

Airi shot up in her bed and grasped for someone that wasn't there. "Shino!...Oh…" She looked out of the window and noticed that the sun was setting. That's right, I closed my eyes a bit cuz I was tired…

Airas and Aurion looked at her. "Eh? Sis, you okay? You just shouted out 'Shino'."

"I-I did!" She blushed. "N-No I didn't!"

Aurion smirked. "Yeah you did! You looked like you wanted to hug someone and you yelled," he cleared his throat and made a girly voice, "Shino! Marry me!"

"I didn't say that!" She threw her pillow at him. "Airas, what did I say!"

"You yelled for Shino," Airas answered truthfully.

"Oh…" Aurion kept smirking. "Wipe that stupid smirk off your ugly face!"

He stopped. "Airi, that's so cold, even for you." He got up and left.

She stuck out her tongue. "That's what you get! Besides, I'm still mad at you for dragging Shino to the woman's bath!"

"Were you having a bad dream or what?' Airas asked.

"Dream?" She thought for a moment. "It…It was more like a memory…"

"A memory?" she repeated.

"Yeah, from a long time ago."

"Airi, didn't you meet Shino months ago? You couldn't have known him that long, could you?"

"I don't know." She headed over to the door.

"Wait, aren't you going to eat something? Aurion just made dinner!"

"I'm not hungry."

"Wh-Where are you going?"

"Out!" She left. "She doesn't need to know everything." Now where would I find Shino? She ran to the many places that she used to find Shino, but couldn't find him. "Where is he? This isn't like last time. It's as if he isn't even in the village! Shino, where are you? I…I need to tell you something…"

----

Shino stood in the knee high field alone as the breeze tickled his nose. "That night I went out with Airi didn't go as planned and then Aurion screwed me over. When can I tell her that I have feelings for her?" The setting sun colored the sky pink and orange. "I wonder where she is now…?" A butterfly landed on his sleeve. "Oh, hello." He studied the butterfly closely. "Hmm? A new breed? It's really pretty…I wonder if this guy's all alone." …Alone…I know what that's like… As if to answer his question, thousands of little butterflies escaped from the grass and into the air. "Oh, wow!" He watched them rise up and fly away. Something green caught his left eye. "What?" He quickly turned and found a beautiful girl walking through the cloud of butterflies with an amazed look on her face. "…Airi…"

Huh? Shino? Airi looked at him and smiled.

He ran over to her. "Airi, what're you doing here?"

"I came to find you!" She hugged him. "Shino." They held each other quietly for a moment. "…Shino…have we met before?"

"What do you mean?" He looked at her.

"Like before, when we were…smaller…"

"I don't think so…"

"…I think we did…" She began to think back. I have to remember…I want to know who that boy was…He was so much like Shino that it had to have been him…Shino! She let go of Shino and looked up at him. "I was right, it was you."

"Hmm?"

"I met you ten years ago…when we were seven…"

"Airi…"

"I…I remember that day so clearly now…" She smiled at him. "If you can't remember, then I'll remember for you." She took his hand and led him over to a tree. They sat down and stared off at the sky. "It's so pretty…I've never really had time to stop and look at the sky when the sun started to set. I was too worried about everything." They both leaned against the tree. The sun was setting, bathing the sea in a golden hue. The sky blazed with shades of scarlet and vermilion. Without knowing, they both let out a sigh. She looked over at him, her hair dancing in the breeze. "Okay Shino, let me tell you what I remember…Let me share with you…our memory…"

XXXX

"Airi!"

"Airi, where are you!"

"We said that you can't hide in the forest like this!"

"Airi!"

Airi giggled as she heard her siblings' voices trail back to their village. "Hee hee, they'll never find me! Even if they said that we can't hide in the forest, I said I wanted to play extreme hide-and-seek!" She could hear the harmonious sound of the morning song of the birds. "Wow, it's so wonderful this morning! I don't know why, but I feel like today's a very special day!" She looked back towards her village. "…They won't mind if I go take a walk…" She turned around and headed deeper into the forest. "So very pretty…" She found a nice clearing and decided to sit. "I don't want to leave this spot!" She closed her eyes for a bit, then opened them. "…No one else seems to know about this place…" She stopped scanning the area when she spotted a boy not to far from her. "A boy?" His face remained hidden behind his sunglasses. "How odd…" He seemed to be looking at her. "…I'm gonna go see him up close!" She walked closer to him. "Hello! Who are you?" He remained unresponsive. "Oh? You don't talk much, do you? Well, that's okay! My name's Airi! It's nice to meet you! What're you doing out here in the forest?"

"…I'm observing the many species of bugs there are here," he finally said.

"Bugs?" He nodded. "Why would you want to look at bugs?"

"…It's my…hobby…"

"Hobby? That's a uh…unique hobby. My hobby is charm making!" She rubbed her head. "But I'm terrible at it. My parents scold me for not doing the simplest of charms right." She shook her head. "This place is pretty huh?"

"What? Oh…yes…"

"It sure is. This is my first time here!"

"…I've been here many times…My village…isn't too far from here…"

"Oh! Mine isn't either! I was playing with my big brother and my big sister, so that's how I ended up here!" There was an awkward moment of silence. "So…um…do you wanna…play with me?"

He looked at her. "Play…with you?"

"Yeah, c'mon!" She jumped to her feet. "It'll be fun!"

"I don't know…"

Airi pulled him up. "Let's play! I might never see you again and I'd like to know that I have a friend in a different village!"

He looked at her curiously. "…Alright…"

XXXX

"…Remember now Shino?" Airi asked.

Shino's eyes widened. "…I…remember…I remember that day too…"

"That's wonderful Shino!" She got up and dusted off her skirt. "Hey Shino?"

"Yes?"

She looked back at him and smiled. "Would you like to…" she held out her hand, "…go play with me?"

He looked at her hand, then her. …Airi… "…Sure, I'd like to."

"Hee hee! Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him. "We've got the rest of the night! Let's make the most of it!" They both smiled and began to laugh.