(SOMEONE LIKE YOU)
"MIKAELLA del Lionore, that's my real name as you can call me, Mika."
With her smile, her grace, everything about her and her name, in that time I know that I lose. Lost in the wings of the person I promise at that moment to care and will never let go.
"Nice to finally meet you, Mika."
As I reach my hand where she gave back holding mine, nodding in response we somehow reenact the time of meeting each other for the first time.
"My name's Rafael."
"Nice to meet you, Rafael."
Playing all day long in that place we call our 2nd sanctuary, we run across the vast field then around the tree. Now lying on the soft grass under the shade of the tree and looking at the vast blue sky, she reaches her hand up asking,
"Can you promise me one thing, Rafael?"
Hearing her voice and the tone that's knocking a mix of sadness and hope, I turn my eyes beside looking at her were in her eyes I read the longing and hesitation behind the wondering hope she wanted me to take.
Smiling I reach my hand up beside her as I nod replaying, "Hmmm! Anything."
"Promise me that you will never leave me alone, okay?"
Somehow breaking a crying tone with her words, I did not hesitate as I nodded, forming the promise of a pinky swears to her.
"I promise."
Maybe I should not have promised her that, as I should not have made her hopes up, for that promise without even realizing it then is the biggest fault I ever made. If I realize it earlier then, would time permit me to spend even a single second more for us?
"Let's go back."
Holding her hand as we venture out from almost dawn of the day, I notice her looking back as she turns her head side to side and around, somewhat picturing the place, where I then understand that she's trying to mark her way back familiarizing the path we took.
"Every tree in this forest is identical that's why they call this 'A Lost Forest', for if you are not familiar with this place you will surely lose your way."
"Then what should I do?"
Knowing best, I smile with a nod as we stop at a small clearing and in a corner left back to the orphanage, as I pile some rocks beside the tree from the biggest to smallest up.
"From now on these stones will be our secret code to track us back without getting lost into our secret sanctuary, so that no matter what happens and even if time pass as everything will change, we can still find our way back, back in this place."
I assure her as she smiles, taking the idea gladly as we did the same in the few turning corners and path as we finally arrive back at the orphanage. Smiling at each other as we ran inside holding hands, our friendship just got deeper with each passing day. Yet.
"Look!"
As the fuss took my attention with the crowd of the kids that's looking at the window to our 2nd-floor rooms. Making my way to the window, I peek looking down at a luxurious car park in front of the orphanage and our caretakers formally greeted a couple with a little girl on their side holding a brown teddy bear in her hand. Observing the scene, the family went inside as one of the kids' claims, that they might be prospective parents who wanted to adopt one of us.
Just as everyone giggles in excitement, I caught Mika's eyes all in the gloom as she moves away from the window. Knowing more and what's running inside her mind, I approach her as I drew a big smile gently tapping her head assuring her.
"Don't worry, I'm sure no one from the two of us will perk their interest."
Smiling in return as she nods, Miss Emelia knocks on the door as the rest of us fall in line wearing their biggest smile waiting for the good news. But.
Hesitating at first as the rest is quite an in anticipation, she looks at me with a hopeful smile that in return slowly faded my smile, and Mika worriedly stares back and forth.
"Rafael, will you come with me, please?"
Scared for the inevitable thing, I look back at Mika, which in her eyes is screaming the worry of losing someone once more.
"Yes, Miss Emilia."
Walking in Miss Emilia's direction as the rest knew what it is all about, Miss Emilia hold my hand as brings me to the head office. Glancing back, I saw her with all the sad faces and almost tearful eyes. As the door opens, the headmistress welcomes me with a wide smile, as the same couple with their young kid waiting, looking at me with hope in their eyes.
"Miss Margaret." I greeted the headmistress, slightly bowing as I heard her footsteps coming close before she kneels, coping with my height with her words.
"Rafael."
She whispers, caressing my face as excitement and sadness are marks in her eyes.
"Remember the time that I told you that, someone will come and bring you back to your real family?"
Knowing that fact, as they made it all clear to me seven years ago, it gave me hope to see my family and be with them again as I dream of that day for so long, until I met Mika. Nodding as I glance to the family sitting across to where I am standing, their hopeful expression and the woman's tearful eyes, are more than enough for me to understand everything.
"Rafael I would like to introduce to you your parents, your family the ones who's been searching for you all these years and who had finally found you."
Leading me to them as they cry rushing towards me hugging me tight, my heart is in the mix of happiness, and sadness knowing that in exchange for the dream I want is the sadness my heart will fall into.
If I deny everything back then, if I did not accept that fate, that chance and the very reason behind all of it, will destiny permit as will fate agree for me for her and us to finally win over the deal that took our in-twine past into one, yet away?
"Mika!"
Calling out her name as she hides in the storage room, knowing that she's crying, my tears fall as I'm begging for her to come out.
"Go away, I do not want to see you!"
Crying as anger is beaming behind the door where she leans across mine. I know that by now, she is thinking that I betray her and that I broke our promise to stay on each other's side. Knocking the door as I beg of her to see me for the last time, I left the half star necklace hanging on the door's knob with my promise.
"Take this as a sign of our promise and the very thing that will lead us back to each other. The half of the star that will temporarily be away, but soon will become one again, by that time, your half star necklace of 'Spica' and my 'Rigel' will see each other again. Until that time comes, promise me you would not ever forget about me. Will you swear?"
Haven't heard a single word for her as silence took place for the both of us, I whisper another promise.
"I promise, I will come back for you, on my 13th birthday, the same day of your 12th birthday, the day that the Sakura tree will bloom let us meet there, and by that time, our star pieces will become one."
Crying my goodbye, I slowly back down, walking away, but not forever.
I will forever treasure the only person that I will keep deep inside my heart, the only girl that I will only say the words, 'I love you.' At the end of the day, I always found myself falling deeply to the heart that destiny, fate, chances, and the deal keeps playing by.
MAY 2008
THE SADDEST DAY OF MY LIFE FOR THIS IS THE DAY THAT RAFAEL SAID GOODBYE.
Looking back as our fate once again is being torn into two, from her struggling steps to run, but did everything that she can, to the image of the one who was left back then, the tears that she cry as she chases after the car to where I was, to the cruel destiny that always kept us apart, all that I can do then as a final mortal, a boy that I was born into, all of it ended for me in a crying pain of reaching out from our small hands the gap that was too wide to grasp.
'Miyu, don't worry I'll be back, I promise!'
Stumbling down as her shadow vanishes in the far distance, the pain that they could not understand and will never be, the puppy love and friendship that they bind with that innocent emotion to any little kids like us then was more than what they ever thought is. Innocent we may be, but the deal, and if they all just knew the truth that lies from our cries, will they have the courage to keep us apart?
"YOUNG MASTER, what would you do now?"
As everything sinks in aided by the gentle breeze that blew its warmest breath, I open my eyes and look back, bearing a smile as the elder asks for me to replay.
"It's finally time I need to bring back everything to where it should be, as it is time to take her back."
MIKA
"Hiro Altamira." As a slight fear creeps inside me, as the thoughts that a chance that he knew who I am and everything was all a trap in accordance to my father's wishes to whom the company is under his in the dark city. The thought that he definitely knew anything by then and is all along in the move to catch me red-handed, it the cruel fate that I stumble upon.
Stepping foot outside the hospital, hoping for the slightest chance and possibility that he might be near. The theory that formulated in my head just now, the chances that his mind works to be, and the reason for his actions will lead me to him. Taking the timing at hand, I fake a supposed accident as I took a risk standing in front of an ambulance. Screaming as some witnesses did so, I caught everyone's attention. As I close my eyes waiting for destiny to kick a proof to my hypothesis a hand grabs me in my arms and into my waist, pulling back into a tight embrace too,
"Already figured everything,"
With a mix of a cunning smile, a genuine one, but a dangerously captivating face, it proved me right. Lock in his arms as he slowly closes the gap between us, he whispers in a sweet and seductive voice the words,
'Is everything that you hope for turns into the same perfect one as you finally found him,'
"Hiro." Whispering as his smile turns into a precious, genuine one, he places his lips in my ear, making my heartbeat like a bullet train and stupidly fast, he smirks whispering,
'The one that I've been looking for, the one that I kept dreaming of, but I could not recognize if she's that same girl, then, should I restrain myself again?'
"I caught you then again, Miss del Lionore, or would you prefer I call you by the name, Miyu."
Stupidly caught in the moment as his smile completely turns my entire world around. The firm truth that a while ago is kicking the agony that he is my enemy turns into a worst of luck as my heart is struck, falling greater than his dangerous identity behind his facade. With his smile that put me down on the ground helplessly, being trapped in a glass cage of his eyes is a thing I did not expect to be.
'The thing that you are been looking for all these years is not in that place, but the one behind that place, if you really want to know everything, start with it, and maybe one of these days, you will eventually meet her,'
MIKA