"I've known you all this time," he said.

Puzzled at what he truly meant, she asked, "Who exactly are you?"

"You...You don't remember?"

There was an unexplainable sadness in his eyes. "Who could he blame anyways," he thought. She was too young. She was just a child to even remember. She might have forgotten the first time they met. That day. That fateful day when the first person to have shown him kindness was a human girl he met in that forest.

And the memories came back in his mind. Little by little, he pieced the puzzles of his thoughts to reminisce that moment.

Blue skies. Trees all around. The wind blowing. Ah yes, that wind. He almost thought the wind brought him a gift. And he was glad that it did. How can he forget? The day when death almost came for him. The day when he was saved.

He was wounded. A soldier almost at the brink of death. Bleeding. Pain. Exhaustion.

He remembered that morning when he woke up and looked at the skies. It was clear blue almost as if whispering in peace, "The fight is over last night. You can rest now." But the skies are too inviting. He thought they're too beautiful. He looked around him. "Forest," the first word that came to mind as he saw the green, lush trees and grasses that seems to hide him from sight.

And he thought this is such a beautiful day to die. "Ah, that's too bad. To die in defeat is such a shame," he recollected saying. But he would have never thought that the one to stop death from taking him was a young, beautiful, long haired human girl who wore that beautiful kimono.

He heard footsteps approaching. At first, he thought it was the enemy. So his hand was ready. They rested on his sword's scabbard ready to draw and attack. He thought that even in his dying moment, he shan't give up so easily, without putting up a fight.

But then, he saw a gasp of surprise. A girl. Frightened, she shouted, "Don't hurt me, please."

He lowered his guard. A human. A girl. Not a danger. Just a child. "What could a child do to harm me?," he thought. And knowing he's somehow safe, he fell unconscious.

He remembered that day. He thought he just died. Because it was so peaceful. And he felt someone's warmth embracing him. He felt peace. For the first time, he felt an undeniable peace. A peace he so longed for. A peace, deep down in his heart, he desired. Ironically, despite fighting for it, he still shed his hands with blood and waged war. "How ironic," he thought to desire peace while planting a dagger in someone's heart.

But when he opened his eyes, there she was beside him, the little girl tending to his wounds. And when she noticed he has awoken, she took her hands off immediately and ran to hide. She was frightened he would hurt her.

He saw that somehow she was afraid of him yet she still took the time to put herbs on his injuries. They are all wrapped in cloth and beside him were a loaf of bread, fruits and a jar of water. Did she bring this to him? A human showing him compassion. That was rare in all occasions. Most humans would run at the sight of him, at the sight of his unusually silver hair and deep blue eyes that marked him a monster, and hide in their homes in fear that he would take their lives away.

"But this girl is different," he said to himself. This girl could've just left him alone to die since he was an enemy. But she didn't.

He knew her heart was pure and he called unto her, "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."

From a tree where she hid herself, a part of her head emerged. Her eyes peeked and then slowly, her hands, her feet and then all of her showed itself under the light. She has such long beautiful black hair and he could never forget that red kimono she wore that day. Slowly, she took a step towards him.

"I'm sorry to have frightened you. You don't have to fear. I promise I won't do you any harm. What's your name?"

It took her hours to give a reply. Maybe because she doesn't trust him yet. But then, slowly she opened her lips.

"Hana"

After she said that, the wind resonated and he wrote her name in his mind, implanting it deep so it won't fade from his thoughts. He is a soldier, he thought to himself and as a soldier, he vowed that day not to forget her name and to soon return her the favor.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"I'm twelve," she answered in a soft whisper. If she's talking to another human right now, they would not have been able to hear her. But his ears are sharp and he listened closely to the faint sound that came from her and heard her. And even up to this day, he would always listen.

When it was her turn to ask him, he gave an answer and up to this day, whenever she does, he would never leave her questions unacknowledged.

"Does it hurt?", she asked. "Your wounds?"

"Not anymore," he replied. "Thanks to you."

She stared at him with her black and shiny eyes that harbored so much kindness in them, almost as if worrying and at the same time glad that he told her he's quite fine already.

"Then I'll come back tomorrow."

And then she ran away.

The next day, she came back again and the day after that, providing him with food, giving him water and replacing the herbs in his wounds. Every day for almost a week, she never failed to come. Each day, she never tired. And that was how she saved him.

But he knew that it was more than. It was her kindness. It was that unusual gesture from the enemy that truly saved him. Her kind heart and her sympathy touched him deeply and from then on, he remembered that long haired girl wearing a beautiful red kimono as the savior he never expected to come for his sake.

That was such a distant memory. One that would make him smile whenever he remembered it. She knew who that girl is now. She has already grown. She's like her name. She blossomed like a flower and grew back to life in the spring after a long winter. And on that oak tree where he carried her to, the girl that day who saved him is now the young woman before him.

"Hana, don't you really remember?"

His eyes were almost tearing up when he asked her that. Such melancholic eyes that tried to say something, "Please remember. Even if it's just a fragment of that memory, please remember, Hana." But he couldn't say it to her. Not in words. His lips won't bulge. His eyes can only look at her and wait for an answer.

A tear. A little tear. Just a small drop fell.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But I can't remember anything. Why do I always forget?"

He can see it. Suddenly, she cried bitterly. A small drop followed by flowing waters of tears. Then sadness. Then those breaths that are almost trying to catch the wind. Those sound of crying that tried to gasp for air.

In those moments, she hated herself for not remembering anything. His eyes were trying to say something but she couldn't decipher them. All these years, he must have been with her. Always watching from afar and trying to protect her from harm. But why can't she remember who he is? She hated that. She hated herself for forgetting. He must have been someone important to her and she must have been someone important to him.

But she couldn't remember. Her mind is white and blank. And her memories are gone. And in between those tears, she stopped. Suddenly, the thoughts raging in her mind ceased. They quieted down. They left her head.

She felt it. That was a surprise. It was so sudden. Out of nowhere, his hand reached out to her. It was so warm. His touch and his embrace. His presence. His smell. His body embracing hers. It was so warm and so kind. A gesture she thought she doesn't deserve. But he was there. She can feel it. She can hear his heartbeat and his breath against her cheeks. It was so comforting, as if telling her that she's safe and she doesn't have to worry anymore. She can take her time to remember but for now she can rest in his arms. It was so warm, so peaceful and so reassuring. That presence of him that stays with her.

"It's alright. You don't have to push yourself. You may not remember yet but I know you did not truly forget. It will take time. But your memories will return to you. I promise."

He shall wait. That's what he told himself. No matter how long it takes. As long as she will soon remember, he will wait for those memories of hers to come back. And until then…

"I shall hold you close to me, my little flower."

Under that oak tree, he held her as she slowly drifted to sleep after a long haul of crying.

Blue skies. Trees all around. The wind blowing. Ah yes, that wind again. Under that oak tree, the wind reminded him of the gift it bought him in the past and he pulled the woman he loved, closer in his arms.