Lost and Found at the Twilight

"The Commander is so mean; leaving me alone like this...what kind of person would leave his old friend behind like that?" Junyou fumed and stomped on the rocky ground—suddenly, the festival and all its lights didn't seem so enticing anymore when dark thoughts began to form and blossom within her mind.

"Could it be...he doesn't want to be with me anymore...even after we've been reunited? He said there was someone he would like me to meet. That's...that's just an excuse, isn't it?" She mumbled to herself as her feet and heart became heavy-laden with doubts, and her pace wound down to almost a crawl.

But that can't be right, no. Maybe he's just planning a special surprise for me, his dearest, oldest friend.

That thought had her grinning. That must be indeed the case, Junyou was sure of it—and that was enough to brighten her spirits. She ended up skipping to the place she was told to go to. But the person she was hoping to see wasn't there, in one corner of the festival ground—she only saw a lone man sitting on the bench. The lights were shining on him against the twilight, but she still could not see his face well, his hat obscuring her view. Even then, she knew that person wasn't her friend.

Her gaze roamed the surroundings; the longer she did, the deeper her heart sank. Her friend wasn't there at all, and soon the realization hit her. She had been gravely mistaken—or, worse still, betrayed.

"No...This cannot be..." She choked on tears. She told herself that there was no way he would do that—only to remember the times she had been gently rebuffed and how she could always rationalize them. Now she found it impossible, which was more distressing than the cramping ache of her chest.

"No…no!"

Junyou cowered as her chaotic mind attempted one feeble denial after another. If that person nearby noticed or even scorned her for the shameful display, she wouldn't care. Perhaps she would even say she deserved it.

But the ridicule she was expecting never came.

"Jun-chan…"

Hearing someone calling her name, in a way Junyou had never heard in so many years and had nearly forgotten, nearly had her heart missing a beat. There were no doubts in the words as if the person was certain who she was—and that was all he spoke before everything went silent as if he was waiting. Only their collective breaths remained, the passing minutes feeling like hours. The hot summer air became even more stifling in such circumstances.

"Jun-chan…"

He called her again, but this time it had a vastly different air to it—wistful and pained, and she felt an odd pang, forcing her to look up at the speaker as she sought to discern the cause.

The man had removed his hat, presenting an unencumbered view of his features—not young, but not old; not world-weary, but not innocent. His face was ashen, yet there was a strikingly familiar shine within the eyes, and it wasn't from the lanterns hanging overhead, whose lights outshone the moon. He was smiling—which, while certainly spurred by joy, was tempered with melancholy.

"Jun-chan, can't you recognize me, even a little?"

"I…I…I…this cannot be. This is a lie, isn't it? Am I…am I…but my friend is…my friend is…" Junyou took a step back as emotions wracked her mind like a turbulent storm—then another, and another, until she simply turned away and ran, barely able to keep herself from wailing.

"Jun-chan!"

Even though she was struggling to contain her tears, Junyou knew the man must be giving chase. She could still hear him calling out to her, though the more he did it, the more strenuous it sounded.

"Jun-chan…wait! Wait for me!"

Hearing the desperate request, Junyou's stride began to waver, allowing the man to catch up and take her hand, stopping her in her tracks. She spun around just in time to catch the man, as he tumbled forward and fell into her arms helplessly.

Heavy breaths came and went one after another without pause, while sweat beads formed across the now ruddy face—but his smile had not disappeared. Not even when Junyou let go once she was sure he could stand on his feet.

"Things have changed, huh? Now I'm the one who has to go after you instead of the other way around. But I'm glad I managed to catch up…now," the man laughed and coughed from the strain. Junyou saw that he, almost immediately, smiled as if to assuage a concern—then, just as promptly, he became solemn.

"Jun-chan, don't you remember…? Can't you…?"

"Is…this a cruel joke…? Did the Commander…ask you to do this? How could he…? Asking someone to pretend like that…?"

It hurt her to even entertain those accusations. Seeing that disappointed look he had inexplicably hurt even more, and Junyou shut her eyes to will the memory away, welcoming the silence—until she heard the choked whimper.

"The only thing your Commander asked me to do is to come here. I can understand why my friend did that. He's a good man and will not hurt you on purpose. And neither will I. But he cares for you, as do I. That's why we agreed to this," the man spoke and paused. More labored breathing. Then he continued. "But…I'm really sorry if I caused you pain. I…I'll take my leave. But…before that, can I ask you to open your eyes?"

Junyou did, against her better judgment. The man was forcing a smile as their eyes met.

"I have things I wanted to say. So many things. At the very least, I'd like to tell them. You…can forget them when I'm done. You see, Jun-chan, at that time, I truly believed neither of us would see each other again, as I thought I was dying as well. But…regardless of that, you promised to come back, even though you were only trying to make me feel better at that time, weren't you? But now…you have fulfilled that promise. I…I don't know what happened back then. It pains me to think how suffering you must've been. I knew the dangers.

And I, miraculously, became well enough…and I waited. Twenty years later, I've changed a lot; I put on some weight, continued going to school, and before I knew it, I was an adult. And all these times, I'd still reminisce fondly of you and our time together, especially during that festival, not unlike this one. I could still remember getting there, with me riding on the back of the bike because you insisted so; how angry you were for failing to get the goldfish, missing all your ring toss, and finding out the candy apples were sold out, and then, just before the fireworks, you shared your worries over your position, while I opened up about my own loneliness. Then I said I admired your burning spirit and told you you'll be alright because of that…and you promised you'll stick with me so I won't be alone ever again.

I was overjoyed by that; it felt like I had found a treasure of a lifetime. All thanks to you. I've always wanted to thank you…I should've done it long ago, but I'm glad I still have the chance. I cannot thank you enough."

Junyou watched and swallowed a lump as the man paused to finally catch his breath and probably gather himself.

"I…I'm rambling, am I not? Sorry about that. I…ah…will take my leave. Do-don't be too hard on the Commander, alright…?" He nodded hesitantly while his smile swayed between faltering and encouraging. He rubbed his thumb on both corners of his eyes as he prepared to leave.

"Ah..ahhh…Why…am I…so sad? Wait…I…I know…now I know…I…"

Before neither knew it, Junyou had moved closer to him and buried her face on his chest as her tears spilled like a cloudburst, leaving his shirt soaked.

"Haah…uhhh…I'm…I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"

As she continued to cling, Junyou felt a pair of arms wrapping around her—she had never been embraced before, nor embraced, but the warming sensation was familiar and clear. It was as if she had done it before, and she soon realized that she wouldn't feel it were she held someone else; soon, all her cage-like doubts crumbled into dust, freeing her. No more nebulous emotions—everything had taken shape.

Her dreaming and his wait were over. Now she could genuinely smile again—and as they separated, she did; she made sure he noticed even though their cheeks were brimming with tears.

"Nothing to be sorry for…but…can we go to the festival together? After all, we did make that promise, didn't we?" he requested, showing a glimpse of the youth Junyou once knew.

"Ah…but…wouldn't it be strange for a man your age to be seen with someone…looking as young as me?" Junyou inquired, as she remembered she had not aged a day since her return, which was just as miraculous and inexplicable as his recovery.

"Right now, I don't care," he laughed.

"Ah… that's reassuring because I don't either," Junyou chuckled. "Shall we? I don't want to miss out on candy apple."

"Sure. Um…this time, I'm not going to leave you behind like before, I promise."

"Even though life is short?"

"Because life is short."

Junyou didn't answer with words at first—she took his hand in hers instead.

"I'm not leaving you either."