HE WHO TRAVELLED THROUGH TIME

Azralea's POV

I spend my whole life thinking when will I feel complete, contented and happy.

Do you know that feeling? My family is complete and happy, I have friends, I'm surrounded by people, I'm a working student but still, its enjoyful. So why do I feel that something's missing?

As of now, I'm just waiting for March to come. So I can graduate ,take board exam, and be a licensed medical technician.

My life is an almost perfect gift. There's nothing I could wish for except for luxurious things.

Everyday, as I get older, things are getting more boring than usual. I should feel contented for what I have but something is really wrong.

Until this day, I'm walking on an isolated overpass in manila when I saw a man wearing an ancient clothes walking towards me.

He has a pale white skin and a natural red lips. His hair is slightly long and his eyes are chinky and fierce. He's handsome, to be honest. I'm already captivated by the elegance of his looks in one glance.

His clothes are kinda weird especially in our modern world. Cause he's wearing an ancient-like clothing from either China, Japan or Korea. I have no idea.

I only see that ancient-like clothes in kdrama hehe.

He stopped right in front of me while staring directly at my face and for no reason, I also stopped walking and curiously looked at him.

"Hmm, so this is my Empress. Not bad." He smirked, "A pleasant evening, my lady. This young man right in front of you is fortunate enough to be your love." He slightly bowed at me with a fierce and baddass look on his face.

My brow raised, "Pardon?"

"I, Mutsuhito the soon to be Emperor of Tokugawa, is taking you to be my bride. Be my Empress, darling." He said.

My brow raised again while looking at him, "Emperor?" I asked. "We're not in Korea, Japan, China or something, sir. We're in Philippines." I said and immediately walked away from him.

That was the first time that we met. That time I thought he's just some crazy shit wandering around here, so I ignored him. Who would've thought that he'd change my life?

The next day, when I stepped outside of my apartment, I saw the same guy there outside of my apartment's door. He's asleep and he's lying down the floor.

I got curious, so I walked towards him. I can't be misconceive, he's the same guy I saw last night on the overpass!

I woke him up and asked him what the hell is he doing there.

Again, he smirked and said, "Waiting for my Empress, of course."

This time I decided to talk to him about this. He's creeping me out, is he my stalker or something?

But no matter how I thought of any bad things about him, my guts are still saying that he's a good man.

Its my day off now, so I brought him to the restaurant near my apartment. And while eating, I'm asking everything I want to ask about him.

He told me he's Mutsuhito, and he's from Japan, that explains his strange clothes. And that's not hard to believe cause it's obvious in his face .

"Okay, since you're my bride, I think you have the rights to know everything about me." He said that made me raise a brow.

"I'm not your bride." I said coldly.

He smirked and bit his lips, teasing me, "So, as you can see, I'm Mutsuhito. And actually, umm… I travelled the time. Kinda hard to believe, right?" His baddass and fierce look fades, I can only see a serious man right now.

And as usual I raise my brow. "And what crazy thing is that?" I sarcastically asked

He looked at me again with a serious expression on his face. "I've been given a chance to be here to look for you, to look for my bride. And…" He sighed. "Whatever, I'm too lazy to explain why." and she continue eating using his chopsticks.

I stamp my utensils and looked at him unbelievably. "Are you fooling me!?" I asked annoyed.

"If you don't believe me, well the fact that you're the only one in this country who can understand me will be a proof."

"what?"

He lazily looked at me and said, "I'm a Japanese, remember? No one in this country can understand me except for a Japanese like me and for my destined bride. You're not a Japanese so how come that you understand me, right?" Ohh.. Well, that kinda make some sense.

Then, he showed me his wrist and I was shock when I saw something moving there.

251 HRS 43 MNS 13 SCS

Para siyang orasan na nakadikit sa balat ng pulsuhan niya. He sighed once again and took his hands back.

"That's my remaining time here in you're world. And when it ended, I'll definitely disappear here whether I like it or not. And I'll be back on the part of time where I came from." He said and continued eating.

Unbelievable!, but my guts are telling me that he's telling the truth.

I don't believe him or something, I will verify it first, of course.

I stayed quiet after he said that. And when we finished eating, I decided to take him to my friend's ukay-ukay. Well it's not okay if he will continue wearing an ancient clothes, its catching everyone's attention yah know.

I chose clothes that will definitely fit for him and of course, the kind of clothes who'll make him look good.

I gave him a simple white polo shirt and jeans. And then he gage it in the fitting room.

While he's fitting the clothes in the fitting room, I continued searching for his another clothes who'll fit for him.

"Lea!." I heard someone called me and when I looked at that person. Its my friend, Xaimin. The owner of this shop.

"Hmm?" I continued scanning the displayed clothes here while waiting for her response.

"who's that guy inside the fitting room? Handsome huh?" Aforementioned by her

"A friend." I answered.

"A friend? Really? but you're the one who choose his clothes? Friends with benefits?"

"Pft."

"But do you really understand him?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I'm observing the both of you lately. You're talking using different language? Really? And you understand each other?"

This time, I shifted my gaze at xaimin. "What do you mean?"

"Cause… He's speaking some kind of weird language…? That's not familiar here in Philippines?so how come that you understand her? Do you study some different language?I'm pretty sure that it's not bisaya or either ilonggo?"

And Mutsuhito's words earlier crossed my mind again.

No one in this country can understand him, except for a Japanese like him and for his… destined bride.

Is he really telling the truth?

I was about to respond on Xaimin when one of the fitting room's door opened, and I'm correct. Its Mutsuhito.

My tongue twisted when I saw him walking outside the room. He's just wearing a simple clothes but he's already giving off a mysterious yet oppressive feeling, like the aura of an Emperor forcing peasants to bow before him.

Wtf am I saying.

"Does it look good?" He curiously asked while trying to scan his self.

He kinda tucked in the polo under the jeans, and the three upper button of his polo is open, showing up his chest.

He looks so hot on such a simple clothes.

"Y-yes." I answered on his question.

"omg!! Ackk why so handsome?! Wait wait!my little brother have a shoes here, maybe it will fit your shape" Xaimin said and hurriedly run further from us.

"What did she say?" Mutsuhito asked.

"She'll give you some shoes." I said.

"Ugh. Its really hard that you're the only one who understands me here, and you're the only one I understand here."

"And why is that?"

"Because you and I are connected by destiny. That's why we understand each other even if we're born from different countries"

I rolled my eyes, "silly." I commented but he just smirked at me.

The shoes that Clara's talking about is perfectly fit to Mutsuhito. She also gave Mutsuhito a free haircut who fits him well.

Clara gave us a discount from all of the clothes we ordered. And on our way home, I decided to take Mutsuhito on my apartment since he's nowhere to go.

I'm alone in my apartment because my family is living in the province. I just stray in Manila to study and earn some money.

Then suddenly, the numbers in Mutsuhito's wrist crossed my mind again.

251 HRS 43 MNS 13 SCS

It possibly means 251 hours, 43 minutes and 13 seconds. I immediately converted those hours into days and… Ten days.

Mutsuhito only had ten days left before he disappear in this world— if ever what he said was true.

In the next morning, I decided to call my boss and ask her that I'll absent for ten days. At first I was afraid that she'll say no because ten days is a big deal but she agreed. I feel relieved.

I'm planning to spend those days to know Mutsuhito more. I'll keep an eye on him because I want to know the truth.

Is he the missing piece in my life that I'm looking for?

Is he… the thing that I'm waiting for, for me to feel complete and whole?

I'll find out.

I'm now eating lunch together with Mutsuhito here at my apartment, we're both silent at this moment but I feel happy..

"What's your name again?" Mutsuhito asked me.

I chuckled, "You're claiming me as your bride but you doesn't know my name?" I sarcastically asked.

"I prefer calling you 'My Empress' cause it sounds romantic." He smirked at me again.

My face distorted after he said those words, "That sounds cringy to me." I commented. "Whatever. My name is azralea xylorille smith . My friends prefers to call me Lea for short." I said.

"What a pretty name." And a genuine smile showed from his face.

I felt my face heated so I looked down, trying to hide my face from him. Is this what they call blushing?

What the hell?

"So azralea, are you ready?" He asked so I curiously looked up on him again.

"Ready for what?" I asked.

"Ready to come with me. We'll go back to my era, we'll get married and we will both rule Tokugawa. Be my Empress, just like what you've been destined to be." He said but I just curiously looked at him, completely puzzled.

He held my hand and looked straightly at me. "Forget everything you have in this world and live with me. I promise to give you everything you'll ask, just come with me, my Empress. Be with me." Determination is written on his eyes.

I was surprised from all of the things he said. I shockingly took my hands from him and stood up— surprised.

"F-forget everything? Here?"

"Yes."

"You're not j-joking… aren't you?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"N-no, Mutsuhito… I can't. I c-can't leave everything I have here j-just for a guy I just… met." I said.

I clearly saw how Mutsuhito's expression changed so sudden. The ghost of sadness crossed in his eyes for a second but then, he smiled to me.

"I understand. I think that's the reason why I have a remaining time." He said and continued eating silently.

I also slowly sat down on my chair and looked at him, then I decided to quietly continue eating.

Three days have passed, and I spent those days bringing Mutsuhito to famous places I know here in manila.

I've realized that I'm feeling the feels I've never felt in my life, with Mutsuhito. It felt like he's the missing piece of me.

Just like what I've thought.

In straight five days, all we did is to have fun. We tried many new things, we travelled almost the whole manila in just five days.

For now, I don't care who he really is or where he came from. He completes me, he made me feel contented and happy.

This is the exact same thing that I'm looking ever since. Now, together with him, my friends and family, I feel like my life is really a perfect life that everyone might wish for.

I'm really blessed and lucky, aren't I?

But everything is temporary, nothing lasts forever. Time passes so fast that I didn't even noticed that its already the 10th day.

The worst day.

Mutsuhito… Who would have thought that he'll give color to my colorless twenty-four years of existence in this world, in just ten days?

In just ten fucking days.

The ten days I spent with him wiped away the incompleteness and loneliness I've felt for twenty-four years.

What a miracle.

And now, I'm walking on a crowded promenade beside the Manila Bay together with Mutsuhito. We're both silent, not until he broke that suffocating and deafening silence.

"Have you decided, my Empress?" He asked and looked at me.

I stopped walking, so he stopped too. Tears are saying hi in my eyes but I'm trying to hold it in.

Why?

Why can't I just have all of them at the same time? Let's say I'm selfish but ten days of feeling complete and contented is not enough.

Ten days with him is not enough. Never been enough.

"D-do I really have to decide?" I'm trying my best to hold up my tears and to look tough.

"I don't want you to decide such difficult things, my Empress. But right now, everything is up to you." He smiled sadly at me.

"Mutsuhito…" My tears started to fall uncontrollably.

"Did you know why I travelled the time just to look for my bride? First, that's my destiny. I'm a cursed child and there's only one girl who's suitable for me. Second, I'm longing for love. Love is so hard to find on that part of time where I live. I thought that maybe, just maybe, I'll feel what love is when I find my bride."

He cupped my face and forced me to face him, "And you made me feel that more than I expected. That alone is enough." He smiled again to me.

"Mutsuhito… I c-can't… I don't k-know what to choose— I don't want to choose!" I cried like a baby.

He hugged me so I burried my face in his chest, "The moment that you'll reject the offer and say no, the connection between the two of us will be cut off."

I am surprised of what he said. "What?! No! Why? I don't want to!"

No way! There's no way…

"My Empress," he let go of me, "Choose them. I know you can't just forget them just to be with me. So choose them, for me, my Empress." He started walking a little bit away from me.

"M-mutsuhito…" I said and then look at him.

He showed me his wrist, three minutes left.

No… Please. I don't want us two to end like this...

"Azralea Xylorille, my Empress. I, Mutsuhito the soon to be Emperor of Tokugawa, is taking you to be my bride. W-would you…" I saw a droplet of tear in his eyes, he gulped before he continued. "Would y-you take my… o-offer?" His voice cracked.

I can't hold it anymore. I mourn , not minding the crowd that surrounds me.

Why…?

Even if I don't want to, his face is telling me to do it.

I gasped and trembled, "N-no... I-I'm… I'm sorry." After that, I saw his genuine and pure smile again.

"Aishiteru, Azralea." he said and then he was eaten by the crowd

(Trans: I love you, Azralea.)

When the crownd was gone. Mutsuhito is not there too.

I didn't even had the chance to tell him that I love him too.

Time passes by, until I heard something about the emperor named Mutsuhito in Japan. He's from the past, from 18's, he became an Emperor and he created his own dynasty. The era of the modern Japan.

The Meiji Dynasty.

No wonder that its him, the man who travelled through time. My Emperor.

~*~

I'm in front of a strange building. Sakura petals are falling everywhere, the place seems to be so magical. Its night and only the bright light coming from the building gives a light on my surroundings.

Inside the strange shining building, I saw a shadow coming towards me. I want to run or walk away but I'm glued here. I don't know what to do.

When my vision is adjusting on the light of its surrounding, I'm finally realizing who owns the figure.

I cried, again.

When he's already in front of me, I saw his genuine smile again.

He's wearing an ancient clothes again, he looks so hot and cool at the same time.

"Watashi wa itsumo anata o aishiteimasu." He tenderly said.

(Trans: I always love you.)

I was just about to respond when a strong force pulled me away from him, sakura petals are dancing violently with the wind.

I tried to reach him out but I'm already so far from him, I can just see his silhouette now.

Darkness surrounds me and— I opened my eyes.

My apartment's white ceiling was the first thing I saw.

A dream...

So its a dream.

I felt a warm liquid streaming down in my cheeks that's why I touched it.

Tears.

I slowly sat up from lying down my bed. I stayed on that position for a while and hugged myself. I cried.

Damn this.

Its already 11 years but you're still on my dreams, hunting me everytime I sleep.

Nothing have changed. I'm still in love with an idiot and baddass-looking man who travelled the time just to look for a bride.