Hikaru felt a smile tugging on her lips when she saw the name on her phone's caller ID when the lunch bell rang. She answered the call as she exited the classroom and headed for her favorite spot on the roof. " You're right on time, Saruhiko. "
She heard the familiar, much loved clicking of her caller's tongue. " You gave me your schedule, remember? " the bored voice reminded her.
The silver haired girl laughed lightly, and sat down with her packed lunch box on her lap. " Have you eaten? " she asked in the same soft voice that comforted her caller without her realizing it. It had become a habit between them to talk while they were eating their meals during whenever Saruhiko Fushimi was busy at work, and they couldn't see each other; on his days off, Hikaru often skipped classes to spend time with him.
" About to… "
They had been children when they first met, and although they didn't really get the chance to be together until just before Saruhiko Fushimi had dropped out of high school to join Scepter 4, they cherished the moments that they spent together, although the young man could never put his feelings for the silver haired she-wolf into words.
He could never tell her because he was afraid that she didn't feel the same, and revealing his feelings to her would drive her away.
If only he knew…
If only he knew that she loved him too…
She was from a village in the mountains where time seemed to stand still while he was from a city where chaos was everywhere.
Her village was full of people who were wolves like her, and their chosen mates who were either wolves like them, Strains, or simply people who had chosen to be with them.
The first time she met him, she was seven, he was eight, and on a school trip with his classmates. He had taken the trip in order to get away from the hellhole that was the house he resided in, and although he had gotten sick on the ride, he wouldn't have traded it for the world.
Because it was the trip where he met the first person who was ever really kind to him, whose smile was like the moon shining on the darkest of nights.
When he entered the school with some of the other students, he immediately saw the difference in atmospheres between those who studied in rural places like the mountains and small villages from those who were in the city.
He was the last in line, and was bending down to tie his loose shoelace when a vision with white hair barely managed to avoid colliding with him from behind, dropping her books in the process.
For a moment, the bespectacled, raven haired boy stared in annoyance at the silver haired girl whose books were scattered before gathering them up and wordlessly handing them to her. He then turned his attention back to his still loose shoelace, and tied it.
She was still there when he was done, and rose to his feet. Her head was just past his shoulder, and as he looked down at her, he realized that her almond shaped eyes were a deep violet, like fields of lavender during sunrise, her silver hair flowing just past her waist. She looked up at the boy whose eyes were the deepest blue she had ever seen, not the least bit intimidated by the absence of a smile and prominent scowl on his beautiful face.
She had introduced herself, and after a moment of hesitation, he mumbled out his name, as if he wasn't used to talking.
They walked together without saying a word, and the entire time he was there, their eyes often met and held, although they didn't realize the significance of what it meant until almost ten years later.
The bus that was set to take Saruhiko Fushimi back to the city with his classmates wasn't working when it was time to leave, and Hikaru, already acquainted with him, offered to let him spend the night at her house while his other classmates and teachers opted to stay at the various houses in the village until their vehicle was repaired the next day.
Before he could even refuse as he'd originally intended, she took him by the hand, and led him to her home, never really talking unless she annoy him. He followed her, his eyes on the way her long hair swished like a curtain of silver behind her as she walked. When they reached her house, her parents welcomed him, seeming to sense his awkwardness at having to impose on them.
The night he spent there was a moment of peace for him, and he wished that the next day would never come so he wouldn't have to leave.
He wanted to stay with her forever.
It was with a heavy heart that he boarded the bus that was going to take him and the other students back to the city…
It would take him away from her…
She'd comforted him as they made their way to the bus, telling him that he could come back anytime he wanted, and that she would come to see him when it was her turn to take a trip to the city.
She promised that they would meet again…
" It's a promise! " Hikaru held her pinky out to him, putting up a brave face despite the heaviness in her chest at the knowledge that he was leaving.
Saruhiko blinked at the silver haired girl, still unable to believe that she would make such a promise to someone like him. " Really? "
She nodded.
They entwined their fingers in a pinky promise, and she untied the pink ribbon that held her hair in a braid, before tying it around his wrist. She then kissed him gently on the cheek, surprising him with her boldness, although a pink hue was starting to spread over her face. In return, he took the school necktie that he wore around his neck, and draped it over her head like a necklace, before kissing her on the cheek as well.
She was waving to him as the bus started, and he kept his eyes on her until she disappeared with the distance between the bus and the village.
He didn't know that she watched him until he was no longer in sight as well…
She kept her promise, and came back to him barely three months later when it was her class's turn for a visit to the city.
Although the school that she was due to visit wasn't his, she separated herself from her classmates and began asking where his school was. Luckily for her, his school was barely a block away from the one she was visiting, and she was able to locate him from there by his scent.
He'd seen her peering through the bars of the school gate, and excused himself to go to the toilet before sneaking out to meet her.
Words could not describe the joy both of them felt at being reunited, even if it was only for a brief moment, and although their absences from their respective classes caused something of a panic, the fuss - and later their respective scoldings once they were found - had been worth the trouble.
They wrote to each other in the following years, in the spaces between the times that they could see each other, her letters – and the moments that they had together - more precious to him than words could say.
Her village was a place where time seemed to stop, and peace reigned.
However, that peace wouldn't last forever.
Because like the dark clouds that heralded the coming of a storm, three years later, the enemy descended in the dead of night when everyone was defenseless.
The Gold Clan had learned of the village, and its residents. They decided to take several of those who resided there back to their facility for experimentation, setting fire to the village, and capturing anyone that they could get their hands on.
Hikaru and her parents were among the few who were able to escape the raid, and fled deep into the mountains with the little possessions and money that they had. While they hid, they passed through several villages lower on the mountain, taking shelter where they could until they reached the city and rented an apartment where they wouldn't be noticed. She sent Saruhiko a letter telling him what had happened to her village, and imploring him not to come and find her in the city because he would be put in danger as well.
She would find him.
They found refuge in the Strain community, and after taking some time to adapt to her surroundings, Hikaru kept her promise to find Saruhiko once again.
He thought that he was dreaming when he saw her studying in the girl's school that was opposite his.
They spent their free time together, and even after he dropped out of school to move in with Misaki Yata, his time with Hikaru was more precious to him than the rarest treasures on earth.
She was with him during his fall out with Misaki, and continued to be there even after he joined Scepter 4…