Act 2 Chapter 1: The Princess and her Knights

Summer, the month Rio awaited the whole school year.

He lay flat on his back on the school rooftop, facing the sky already drowned in orange and begun to think of the sea. Living near the mountains had its gains but he would rather prefer the blue seas and wide-white sands. His brown hair drenched in salt water while he and Cecile swim together. That will be sweet.

"And here I thought there was a dead man."

Overshadowing him and his fantasies was a boy wearing the same uniform as him. His deep blue hair only made him crave for the sea more.

"Oh, hey there Knite." Rio said sitting. "Finished with work already?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." answered Knite. He stretched his arms for a while before sitting beside Rio.

He's been over working himself lately, busy with both the incoming exams and as one of the festival committee. But then again, he was the type that finds enjoyment in working, Rio noted. Being his best friend, he knows.

"Hey," Rio suddenly said. "Let's go swim in the sea."

"No."

"Eh...? Why?"

"In case your underused brain has forgotten, exams are coming up and there's also the festival. If you want to fail that badly, go by yourself."

"Well… " Rio said after a long yawn. "I don't mind failing though."

Yeah right.

Knite knew his best friend too much that he knew he was just bluffing. Although he was the very meaning of laziness when it comes to studying, he's really good at cramming. The day before the exams he studies and somehow comes through. And besides, he can't afford to fail now or he can't go to the same college that they enrolled for. The same college as Cecile…

A grin spread on Knite's face. He could use this.

"If you fail that means you can't go to the same college as Cecile and me. That means I can have her all for myself."

"What the-?" Rio exclaimed. He was clearly alarmed.

"And maybe after graduating, I'll propose to her. Of course you can be my best man. What do you think? Sounds like a plan, right?"

"I won't let you! I won't let you marry Cecile!"

Jackpot. Knite smirked again.

"Whose gonna marry me?"

"Huh?"

Rio stared at the auburn-haired girl that just came from the rooftop door. Her long hair was softly being blown by the wind. Her emerald eyes met his. He blushed.

Knite tapped her shoulder and casually said,

"I am, after we graduate from college."

"That would be great!" Cecile said, clapping her hands once. "Rio, you could be our best man!"

He had lost his will to live. Those were the thoughts that repeated at Rio's head as he looked blankly at Knite and Cecile. He never believed Knite would betray him. Why did he ever tell him that he liked Cecile?

"Rio…? Are you okay?"

Cecile waved her hand at Rio's face.

"Oh man this is great!"

Knite suddenly bursts into laughter. He couldn't help it. He could have sworn he saw Rio's soul leave him. This is one thing that counted as his hobby, teasing Rio. It was just a given.

"Kill me now please…" Rio mumbled.

"Sucks to be you right now!" Knite continued.

Cecile looked at her best friends, unsure of what to do. Why was Rio sad if she and Knite were going to get married? Then the answer just struck her.

"Rio… "This must be the reason, she thought. "Could it be that you… like…"

Like? Did she find out?

Rio swallowed hard.

"…like… Knite?"

"What…?"

Was that the conclusion Cecile was able to reach? Rio just couldn't believe she could be this incredibly dense.

"Cecile please…" Knite said after a while. "Don't pair me up with this freak. And next time, could you choose someone who's actually a girl, not someone that acts like one."

"Are you telling me that I act like a girl?!" Rio exclaimed.

"Do you have to ask?"

"KNITE! I'm gonna show you whose the real man here!"

Rio exclaimed before he went to a rampage. He chased Knite around the rooftop for a while before Knite decided to run towards the exit.

"Could you carry our bags Ceci? Thanks!" Knites exclaimed before running down.

Cecile just heaved a sigh and smiled. There was nothing she could do now. Both Rio and Knite were already racing down the school. She took the two bags left and begun to jog. They were probably running towards their HQ anyway.

Their haven: the old tree atop the hill behind the town where an abandoned house remained. Her friends from the orphanage often said that place was haunted by the elderly lady who lived at that old house. But for them, it was the only place where the trio felt at ease. There was no ghost. But there was always that odd sensation lingering near the tree. That was all.

Both Rio and Knite reached the top of the hill out of breathe. They both sat, drawing air as fast as they could.

Rio seemed to have forgotten his outburst and just gave Knite a light punch on his left shoulder.

"That wasss… my wi-n! Hah! I- reached HQ firssst!"

"Are you… huh… b-blind?" Knite said. "Anyone… could have seen that I… ahh… won! After all… you were following… me!"

"Nah. I actually don't remember."

Rio lay on his back again, looking at the tree and its green foliage. Beside him, a dead flower gave a faint scent. It had come from the tree again. He never once saw a flower bloom from it, yet he always sees flowers dying and falling from the tree.

Further to the sky, his eyes locked at the black hole. As always, it remained at the same spot and giving of an eerie aura. Even just by looking at it sometimes scares him. Even more that he's the only one that sees it.

"Something wrong?" Knite asked after a while.

"Nothing. I was just looking at it." Answered Rio.

"I see. Must be convenient to see it."

Rio just chuckled. How convenient, he thought.

"Must be more convenient than yours Knite."

"In some ways, it is." This time, Knite smiled and sighed.

He was born with a gift a perception of smell greater than anybody. He could tell a person by his smell or even differentiate things and places.

Since he could remember, the hole that Rio keeps mentioning to him had been seeping out a foul smell. It was one of the inconveniences of the gift he had. On the other hand, he was able to keep out of trouble because of it. Just like the time when he and Rio snuck into the kendo club room and stole some wooden swords. He got them out before anybody could catch them.

"Maybe you were a dog in your past life. Cause' you know. You can smell like a dog. Or maybe a wolf."

"And what are you suppose to be? An all seeing eye?"

"What?!" Rio exclaimed. "That's just wrong! How can I be an eye if I'm this good-looking?"

"If you're so confident with your looks, why haven't you asked Ceci out yet?"

"Well… I'm trying… but I… she's our best friend! Don't you think it would be weird to ask her out…"

"All the more chance you have since she's our best friend idiot. And in case you haven't notice, our princess is a hundred percent dense. She won't know until you tell her."

Rio ruffled his hair and looked at sun setting at the horizon. His face pouted as he begun to mumble.

"I can't believe I'm being helped by someone who rejected every girl who ever confessed to him…"

"There's that and there's this. They're completely unrelated. And speaking of our princess, here she comes."

No sooner as Knite said that, Cecile came from below the path they took. Just like them, she was soaked in sweat and gasping really hard. She was carrying their bags too.

"Delivery complete!" Ceci exclaimed, grinning.

"Thanks." Rio said. "We owe you one."

His gaze followed her as she sat beside him.

"It's okay. Besides friends don't keep scores—but " Ceci said. "I don't mind having something super sweet and cold desert this weekend! I'd prefer 2!"

She raised her right hand in front of her and made a number two sign.

It was well to obvious what she wanted. Ceci was really addicted to any kind of flavored ice cream.

"Which is it? Before or after the 'but'?" asked Rio, mindlessly. He was already looking at the town.

"I'd rather choose the after. Rio, go with Ceci this Saturday." Knite said, crossing his arms.

"Can't. I'm broke."

Stupid Rio! Can't the two of them be more helpless?

"That was a joke!" Ceci said as she looked at Rio. "I already had my fills of sweets this week."

They grew silent for a while as they watched the sun set. They had been doing this since the time they met Cecile 8 years ago. She pointed this place out of the blue when they were wandering aimlessly at the foot of the hill.

"The view from above the hill is beautiful."

That was she said.

"Do you think we could be like this forever?" Ceci suddenly asked as the final gleam of light disappeared in the horizon.

"I doubt it," Knite answered. "I guess you could say that nothing lasts forever. But rather than counting the days we have left, it's more important to count the times we shared."

"That's right," Rio continued. "We might not stay together but we will always stay in each other's heart, right?"

Ceci clapped her hands once, like she usually does, and smiled at her best friends. That was a really silly question to ask. She turned, facing away from them and said in a forced cheerful voice,

"Can I tell you something sad?"

"Since summer begun I've been having reoccurring dreams. In those dreams, I was alone in a really dark place. I tried to call out for someone but no one could hear my voice.

"I tried looking for you two in that vast darkness but when I finally found you, you couldn't see me… you couldn't hear me… and… you couldn't remember me. You were happy without me. You had a life without me. Those were my thoughts in my dream. And somehow, it came to me that I wanted to destroy that happiness. And I did.

I guess you could say that deep inside I'm really selfish."

As she finished, a warm hand caught hers and held it tightly. His face was not looking at her but he was wearing a smile that somehow she knew was for her.

"Yeah, I guess the you in your dream is kinda off -" Rio said. "—For thinking that we'd forget about her. She's our best friend so there's no way we'd ever forget."

"That's right," Knite held Ceci's other free hand. "There's no way that we'd forget. A life where we didn't meet her would be dull."

"Then… if something happens to me like if I… disappear… would you-"

"Of course we'll find you!" Rio exclaimed before Ceci could finish. "We'll do everything we can to protect you too! Isn't that right Knite?"

"What he said." Knite answered.

"Thank you! Really… thanks Rio, Knite!"

"We'll be your knights, so you don't have to worry Princess."

Knite knelt to his knees and kissed Ceci's hand.

"Let's go home."

Knite then walked away as both Ceci and Rio looked at him dumbfounded. Ceci was flushed with pink while Rio was green with envy.

Why did he have to kiss Ceci?!

"Hurry up you two!" Knite exclaimed.

They followed Knite and walked home together as they always do, forgetting the sight of the night and the cries of the cicadas.