"Here lies Aisha" Sala mumbled to herself , reading what she could see of the tombstone from the hill she sat on a good deal away from the funeral. There were a lot of people. Aisha was very famous and well loved so of course she'd have a lot of people mourning her. Johnny was close by , stoic as ever, he looked tired as if he hadn't slept much. Sala sighed and said back onto the green grass. This area wasn't stilwater. It was far away, a nice place , somewhere calm. The drive had taken a long time but it was worth it. The black dress she wore was picked out by Shaundi. It was nice. Long , flowy , comfortable. Shaundi was in the crowd with everyone else , watching , paying respects . Sala couldn't be down there , not that she wasn't invited - hell ,she planned the whole thing for Johnny , she just … couldn't. The emotions were too much to handle , too much to bring up.
She sat down , legs tucked under one another as she watched the ceremony go on. She saw Johnny leave the area , to do god knows what and ended up just paying attention to the others. Singers , musicians, artists alike all came to say what amazing of an artist Aisha was and how dearly she'd be missed .Her family was there , her sister spoke while the rest cried. Though the were celebrating the life of Aisha , boss' mind could only focus on the gruesome scene she'd observed that day. THe blood , aisha's scream , johnny's rage. It was as if someone was strobing snapshots of that day through her mind. The sword , jyunichi's face , aisha's face. Boss laid back into the grass , feeling the warm sun touch her and she ended up falling asleep.
Screaming , she woke up ten minutes later. It was a dream ,it was all a dream. Touching her throat , boss tried focusing her breathing without realizing that Johnny had sat next to her. The ceremony was still going on, with a line practically wrapping the earth to give remembrance to Aisha. Johnny spoke up , startling boss.
"So " He spoke , hand slightly tussling through his black and fading white highlights.
"This is where it ends , huh? A final goodbye to Aisha. Everyone's come to see her." Boss nodded , Sala knew this , it was the end. They had to move on , believe it or not. It would be hard - really hard - because forgetting love was hard enough but having that love get ripped away so quickly and having to forget was going to be harder.
"This is it. Johnny , I'm not the most poetic. I'm just putting it right out there but A friend of mine from out in vegas , a woman named Vera once told me that saying goodbye was the easiest yet the saddest , and that letting go was the hardest , but to never ever let them leave your heart." Sala spoke , looking him directly in the eyes. She laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled half-heartedly. Johnny smiled back just as broken and sighed ,shaking his head rather slowly.
"I feel like I can talk to you forever out here… and I want to get some things off my chest. Some things , I'm too scared to mention because it's too early after her death. Though , like you said , like I said ,It's time to move on and I feel like eesh would've wanted me to. " He laid back , staring up at the sky. It was growing darker , as yellow began seeping into the blue , creating the beginning of a sunset that would be the setting for something new.
"Just talk to me. I know , it's hard for you , so just- blurt everything out at once. Don't stop. You've deserved something like this. I won't say a word." Sala spoke , laying back down next to him , watching the yellow add more to itself , growing ever so slowly with the minutes ticking on. THe noise of the celebration continued too , there'd be music, and a party. A funeral shouldn't be a remembrance of death , but a celebration of life , and the party would be celebrating Aisha's life through her music. Though , for now , it was somber , saying goodbyes to the singer who's head and body laid in a coffin . Johnny exhaled , he was ready for this, he needed this .Then tomorrow , it'd be back to killing , back to work , and back to normal.
"I'm having feelings. For you , and i'm scared to. I loved Aisha , I love Aisha. I'm worried she wouldn't want me to move on so fast , but I know she'd approve of it being you. I don't know though , if you even like me. I don't know if I even want to be in a relationship anytime soon!I just want to go back to killing things , and think about this later but It's just in my head. I -" He stopped when he noticed Sala wrapping her arms around him in a hug.
" I know you're not one to hug ,but I'm glad you can open up to me.I'm always willing to listen . You don't have to make a decision now, or anytime if you want - but know this , I've already fallen for you and aisha before. So don't sweat it on wondering if I even like you. I do, and I'm willing to wait forever until you're ready to move on , and I'm willing to move on if you aren't ever going to be ready. I think they're about done. They'll want you to be at the celebration Johnny, you're going to be okay. Let's go." Standing up now , sala helf her hand out to Johnny , helpnig him up. She slid down the hill as she walked , following the last of the group , meeting up with Shaundi , Pierce and Aisha's sister. They took the Saint's car and left for the bar. Privately reserved for the event.
Drinknig was about the most fun Sala had , seated otu on the bar's putside balcony. There were people dacing inside , and the notes and verses of Aisha's music could be heard even outisde .She'd leant up against the railing for the balcony ,overlooking the water of the city they'd be staying in for the night. The wind was cool and blowing slightly on the wispy strands that broke free from Sala's dreads. Maybe soon she'd change up her look? Something less holding her back. Maybe. … Maybe. The water looked calm , and the reflection of the moon set the mood for the evening. Everything would be back to normal soon .
"Normal ,huh? What good is normal when everyone dies?"