'With the song of moving to the future!' Kizuna Music by Poppin' Party.
'Towards the uncertain future, clenching tight only on premonition.' Daylight by Morfonica.
The lyrics burned in Lily's consciousness.
What would her future be? How could she hope to have a bright one if she didn't even have someone she could call a friend besides her brother?
Strolling the park slowly turned into a really bad idea. She hadn't considered she would be fighting against the creeping shadows of her own thoughts from the tranquil silence of the park.
The blonde man gently probed, switching from Japanese to English, "How's your day at school today?" His voice was tender as if trying to draw out a shy cat.
Lily's gaze fixated on the park trail illuminated by the faint glow of the lampposts. "School's okay," she replied in English, barely audible.
Sensing her unease, the man steered them
towards the first bench he saw. "Let's take a seat," he suggested.
Quiet rustle of leaves from the wind and distant sound of the city filled the air as they settled on the bench.
"Lily, is something bothering you?" The man asked, leaning closer. From the corner of her eyes, his hand hovered close to her head. A familiar gesture he always did when she was feeling down. She didn't react, which the man took as a signal to gently caress her head.
Lily wished the man would be at home, to be close to her, to be safe.
A question formed in her mind to which she blurted, "When are you going back to work?"
The man smiled wistfully. "I don't know. Maybe next month, maybe next week."
Lily's gaze fixated on her lap. After a few seconds, she confessed, "Aiden, I... don't want you to go away," Her voice wavered. It was barely above a whisper.
"I'll come back as soon as possible." The blonde man, no—her brother assured.
"It's not just that…I worry about you, nii-chan. That something might happen to you when you're on mission."
Sight blurred. Then, droplets of warm tears spilled onto her lap, leaving dark spots on her white dress. Aiden seemed surprised, mirroring her own. All she intended was to share her worries, not cry!
But it made sense.
Scenarios of her brother being captured and brutally executed during his operation sometimes played in her mind like a nightmare. She watched the news and read on the web on the things people who opposed GDI would do, like the radicalized remnant of Nod. They were the suppressed thoughts, bubbling up like carbonated drink shaken hard, about to explode.
She inhaled deeply to put the lid back on her emotions. Yet, it became worse as her breath hitched and the tear drops became trickles.
Her breath hitched.
"I'm.…I'm scared of losing you. I don't want you to go away. I don't to lose you too! I don't want to be alone…"
Comforting arms drew Lily into a warm side-embrace. She turned her body and buried her head into his chest, smelling the familiar vanilla cologne. Cocooned, her emotions proceed flow unchecked.
"It's okay. I'm here. I'm here." Aiden whispered repeatedly while gently stroking her head with his free hand. His voice was like a lullaby.
Gradually, Lily succeeded in reigning in her emotions to subdued sobbing.
The sound of clicking footsteps reached her ears. Lily ignored the noise, not wanting to leave the embrace, but she felt his brother's head turning towards it.
"Pardon my intrusion." The soft feminine voice sounded familiar, but its owner swiftly retreated from the scene, leaving only the echo of rapidly fading footsteps.
After a few moment, her brother gently guided her to break from the embrace. Holding both her shoulders, he offered a reassuring smile. "Let's head back, okay?"
Lily averted her gaze from meeting his. She nodded slowly. Aiden hands reached out to wipe away the unshed tears but Lily refused. Doing it herself.