｢Chapter 3｣
Maker walked into the training field, with a fresh set of orange uniform, looking for Fighter. But her eyes missed the orange figure on the field. She did not see Fighter on field. 'She's not here. Why would she be then?' Maker walked towards Ameno, wanting to know where's Fighter's whereabouts.
"Ameno." Maker called out. Ameno turned around, and saw Maker behind her.
"Maker-Sensei? What are you doing here? It's unusual to see you here on training ground." Ameno asked.
"Do you know where Fighter is?"
"Fighter-sensei? She went back to her room, I guessed, since we all suggested that she should rest. I'm not sure whether did she went back to her room, or went elsewhere." Ameno replied doubtfully, since she knew that Fighter had a high tendency to go elsewhere other than her room when given time to rest.
"Thanks Ameno! And, don't be too bothered by the cut. It's not your fault." With that, Maker paced out of the training ground, leaving Ameno standing there stunned.
"AMENO! What are you doing there stoning? HELP OUT!" Yukini, another green guard, shouted.
"How did Maker-sensei know about the cut?" Ameno asked herself, running over to Yukini.
Maker stopped outside Fighter room, before knocking it gently. "Fighter? Are you in?" Getting no answer from inside, Maker placed her hands on the door knob, wanting to enter the room to see whether is Fighter inside or not. She tried to turn the knob, only to find the door locked. This indicated that Fighter was in her room.
Maker moved over to her room, which was situated on the left of Fighter's room. Healer's room was directly opposite Fighter's room across the corridor. She entered her room and towards another door inside the room and open it. That door was a connecting door between Fighter and her room. Both of them did not had the habit to lock that connecting door as Fighter had the habit of going over to Maker's room when she could not sleep.
Peeking into Fighter's room, Maker saw Fighter lying on her bed, eyes closed. Maker then walked into Fighter's room and saw the old orange uniform, unfolded, lying at the foot of the bed. Maker placed the folded new orange uniform at the bed rest, and took the other from the bed. Just as she was doing that, she heard slight whining from Fighter.
Moving nearer to Fighter, Maker saw the bitter smile on Fighter's face, with trails of tears at the corner of her eyes. Her heart felt numbed. She leaned forward to Fighter's ear and whispered into it. "The wedding is going to be the ending of this longing that's tortured the both of us. Until then, please be strong, Fighter."
Maker then left the room, and back to the infirmary where she finished off her duties as the part time physician and sending out of invitations.
By the time Fighter was up from her nap, it was already nightfall. Looking out from her window, there was nothing but shinning stars that lit up the night sky. Feeling recharged, Fighter got off her bed. Then her eye caught the new set uniform that was lying on the bed rest, She smiled. 'This is going to save me from great trouble when I go to the laundry room to get my new set of uniform tomorrow.' She picked up the top portion of the uniform and pulled it over her dress. She needs the sleeves to cover her bandage as she did not want others to know that she was injured. Just as she was walking out of the room, she thought, 'But who is the one who brought me the new uniform?'
Fighter arrived at the backyard where she could see millions of stars hanging in the sky. She sat there gracefully, for the fact that she was still wearing her night dress under, allowing the cold night wind to fall on her face. 'The night sky on Earth and on Kinmoku is so different. Even though that the view here was so much beautiful, why am I missing the one on Earth?'
Fighter jumped as the someone spoke, scaring her out of her system.
"You know what Fighter? Orange and white don't look good together."
Fighter turned around, only to see Maker walking towards her. "Why are you here?"
"Here to ask you whether are you going to have your dinner. I went to your room to see whether are you still sleep, but only to find it empty. So I guessed that you will be here. So are you having your dinner?" Maker replied, taking a seat beside Fighter.
Fighter shook her need and continued, "Nope, no appetite. Not right after I've just woke up. Anyway, thanks for that uniform." Fighter had figured out that it was Maker who brought the uniform to her, since her room door was locked and Maker or Healer were the only ones who knows about the another access to her room. Since it's Maker's room beside her, it would definitely her who brought the set to her.
Maker just smiled a little before turning serious again. "Fighter, you know what, you should know that you shouldn't be out here tonight. Not with that cut of yours. You are going to get cold really easily with that night wind just blowing onto you."
Fighter wished that Maker had maintained that smile for a longer while, for that was one of the very few times that she had saw Maker smile. And that the smile was genuine. "You know what Maker, you should smile more. You look beautiful when you are smiling." Fighter commented.
"Don't change the topic, Fighter. I'm talking about you for the fact that you shouldn't be out here when you're injured."
"And that's why I wore the uniform top!" Fighter giggled and continued, "The sleeves have very well protected the wound from the wind, didn't it."
"If that was what you thought, be it." Maker stopped a while, before continuing, "But at least change the bottom as well. You look hideous with the orange top and white DRESS."
Fighter punched Maker lightly at her left arm when Maker made that statement.
"What's that for?" Maker retorted before breaking into laughter.
"That is for making fun of me and how I dressed." Fighter replied and joined the laughter with Maker.
The laughter stopped and silence came upon them. The two of them glanced across the horizon in front of them, enjoying each other's accompany and, of course, the stars above.
"Ne, Fighter" Maker started out, breaking the comfortable silence between them.
"Hmmm?"
"Do you wish to see the Moon Princess once again?"
"What do you mean?" Fighter asked back.
"Well, all along, she's the distractions that caused you to have these injuries, aren't her? I mean you can't hide from me the fact that you are missing her, since the reason for you coming over to my
room to talk every night is because for her too right? You are afraid of seeing her in your dreams, aren't you?" Maker explained gently and softly, refusing to look at Fighter.
Nor Fighter was willing to look at Maker as Maker spoke in the first place. She remained quiet, uncertain about what she was to say to Maker. 'So, she knows why I was unable to sleep majority of the nights. Why didn't she say anything?'
"So Fighter, will you want to meet her once more?" Maker stopped and thought for a while, before continuing, "Or rather, what will you do if you were to meet her once more?"
Fighter stayed quiet for some time, before started speaking softly. "Is she coming?"
Maker nodded her head. "Ouhi had ordered for them to be invited. But it's not confirmed that they are definitely coming."
"I see. . . "
Once again, silence fell back between them. Maker was waiting for Fighter to speak out, hoping that Fighter would just relief the sufferings she's enduring inside. The torment, the lost of focus, the sleepless night.
"Part of me, wants to see her again. Another part would rather not. But if she's coming, I will treat this as a final meeting, because I know that she's happy right now, together with her predestined destiny. She's at her peak. That's what she longs for, I'm pretty sure. Her prince is her most beloved one, which I guess no one in this universe can ever replaced." Fighter mazed through her words. "No matter what happens, somewhere in future, if there is this day where I'm going to find a love, Odango will still stand a place in my heart. How big will she stands in my heart on that moment, I'm not sure as well. I'll leave it till then to decide. It's impossible to forget the longing, the affection I had for her." Fighter continued in her mind, 'And I wondered, why do I always all for ones that I should never had.'
"Fighter . . . " Maker called out gently, but received a firm eye contact from Fighter, asking her not to interrupt her.
"Using these three years, I've finally figured out what it meant to like someone. Loving someone doesn't mean that you must have possession of them. Loving someone doesn't mean that they must be by your side. Loving someone doesn't mean that you have to see them every day. Loving someone doesn't mean we have to be together. If there's another person who she likes. If there's another person who can make her to enjoy the happiness. If there's another person who is able to make her smile more genuinely than I do. I will let her go. But, when she's sad, I will want to be the one to catch her tears, to support her, to protect her, and to be just with her. For that that's the only things I can do for her. I may not be able to create her joy, but I will want to share her tears. That's all."Fighter continued with tears building up at the bottom of her eyelids.' If only that would happen in the first place. Her prince is never going to abandon her. He loves her the way I love her.'
"Fighter. . . " Not knowing how she could reduce the pain Fighter was encountering, Maker pulled Fighter towards her body, allowing Fighter to rest her chin on her shoulder. The impact of moving Fighter towards her had allowed those stubborn tears to fall down Fighter's cheek and onto Maker's uniform.