Hearing the words that come from Vanny both Takaya and Sanna are already aware that the conversations will narrow to the point where they must accept every possibility.
"But there is no evidence for us to quickly conclude that Asahi is gone. That's why both of you need to make sure of that." Vanny said.
Vanny looked at Sanna.
"Sanna, you were the closest one when it happened, you saw something else off from her?"
"I'm not quite remember what is going on because I'm in pain… all I remember is that she suddenly attacked Kanna."
Vanny is not giving any reaction at Sanna 's explanation.
Takaya standing up goes towards the door,
"We just need to prove it wrong that Asahi is actually gone right?"
Vanny face become sad on hearing that,
"Yes. But the problem is if it's true… Then we all need to prepare for 'her' homecoming." Vanny said.
Sanna seemed confused by Vanny's words.
"I… (Takaya clenched his hand) never mind. Let's just hope this is not true."
He exits the room. Leaving only Vanny and Sanna.
"Sanna…Can I ask you a favor?"
She looked at Vanny sad eyes,
"I will do anything in my power to help you…"
Vanny slightly smiled,
"Please take care of my little brother…"
Sanna is surprised to hear Vanny asked for such a task for her, though she smiled that someone like Vanny entrusted her little brother to her.
"You know, Taka is the first person that helped me to overcome my fears. I'm not a person who you think I was if not because of him… I always wonder why he is so kind to others, especially me. He knows everything about me, but I don't know anything about him…"
"But now I realized that I'm not the only person who had a crazy problem. Taka also has his own problems that still need to be solved. He always comes to save me. And he brings me the 'light'."
"So without you asking me, I will never let my light go off…"
On hearing that, Vanny is surprised even more that her little brother really affected everyone near him.
She smiled,
"Wow… That's a very long explanation…. Are you two dating or something?" Vanny asked Sanna jokingly,
"D…d… date?!! NO! I… I.. Ummm-"
Vanny laughed for the first time after many hours with intensive situations, releasing her concerns and worries,
"Sanna, You better get rest now… you're tired aren't you?"
"Umm.. Yeah, Thank you for everything commander."
Sanna stands up and goes to towards the door, right before she opens the door,
"By the way, you got my permission though. Better hurry up and steal his heart!"
"Commander!!!"
Vanny once again laughed so hard when she saw Sanna's face become blushed.
-
"X.A.G HQ - Outside"
Sanna exits the HQ and she looks at Takaya in the parking lot waving his hand to the car that just left. They saw each other's eyes, she walked to him.
"I thought you were talking with Vanny."
"No, she needs to rest so I go instead. What are you doing here?"
"I have a talk with Bella, and assure her to get home and let me and the doctors take care of Asahi. And she left."
"Are you not going home?"
"Nah, I'm staying here… I need to talk with X.A.G about the current situation."
Seeing Takaya try to handle all of himself is making Sanna sad. Even though she knows Takaya will never take everything lightly about the situation.
"You better go home Sanna, tomorrow you and I will be in the academy to monitor Fukushima and Ai."
"Taka Would you take me to the cafeteria?"
"X.A.G HQ - Cafeteria"
Both of them were sitting at the corner of the cafeteria, sipping coffee and relaxing although it was 1 AM in the morning.
It's rare to see Takaya actually relaxing himself but his face couldn't hide his concern.
"Hey… Taka, sit next to me…"
He seems weirded out by Sanna asking him to sit beside her. But he move to her side eventually,
"You know, back then I usually had coffee at this hour together with my sister… We discussed our restaurant's progress, laughed together, and cried together. But after she left me I was alone afterwards."
"I'm sorry to hear that-"
"Hehe, that's okay. I just want to talk about it with you."
Takaya looked at Sanna expressions that calms and seemed very relaxed.
"I'm a coward…. And never ever talk to anyone else beside Vanny and Rin. I'm not good at talking to other people."
"But everything changed when Vanny left, And having a big fight over it, I found myself in a situation where I must stay strong. Especially for Rin…"
Sanna smiled hearing Takaya actually tells something about him.
"We're having the same experience aren't we? Hahaha…"
"Yeah… "
Sanna holds her cup of coffee and warms her hand.
"We thought ourselves to be strong for our loved ones… and we will do anything to protect them. It's not a coincidence though… I believe that is our fate."
Takaya seemed down after hearing the word fate.
"Say, if you have a chance to change fate, what will you do?" Takaya asked.
"I never think of changing my fate."
"Why?"
Sanna looked at Takaya's eyes,
"Because if I spend all my life time just to change a fate, I will never be the same person as I am anymore… Fate is not a thing to be changed, but a thing that we should accept."
A word that Takaya ever heard for the first time in his entire life.
"Is that what drove you to do 'all' of this, Taka?" Sanna asks him with a sad face,
He notice Sanna change of expression,
"Sanna, why are you so sad?"
Sanna lean on the wall beside her,
"I don't know… I… I was scared…."
"Why?"
"Because I already lost someone that was so close to me just for changing a fate, even seeing other people have to lose the same thing as I did for the exact reason…"
"And I become so scared that I will lose…. You…." Sanna reaching Takaya's arm on the table and look sideway and blushed
"Sanna…"
He felt the cold hand of Sanna, shaken. When he looks into her eyes he sees tears. In his mind, why did she even cry for someone like him? Someone that she just met not long ago, and someone that drove her along for his own reason for some point.
"Taka… I know all of this is hard for you… I get it… I even couldn't believe it.. But if there is something.. No… Please, just don't burden all of that alone… I.. share some of it with me, ask me to do whatever you like-"
"I can't… I already taken you deeply enough to my mess-"
"But you can't just do this alone! I… I don't want to lose anyone. I don't want to lose someone that… gives me the reason… to live… once again…"
Saying things that she does not usually say in all honesty. Takaya becomes shaken after hearing Sanna, someone that he never thought would speak such words to him with cries.
He then recalls what Asahi just said before, the exact situation that he wouldn't imagine without giving him to think about that,
"Taka… (She leaned her head to his shoulder) it's okay to be afraid.. I am also afraid.. but to overcome it.. we need someone else… You helped me overcome my fears… You helped me to find a reason to live… Then let me help you.. with anything in my power…"
Takaya reaches Sanna's hand and holds it firmly,
"Sanna… Can I ask one thing?"
"Hmmm?"
He tighten his hand,
"Do you believe in the power of love?"
Sanna reacts on hearing that by tighten her hand more stronger than Takaya,
"I do… Why did you ask?"
All of sudden he kissed Sanna's head, Sanna widened her eyes surprised when she realized a firm and soft thing touched her head.
"I do believe in the power of love… and just now, I believe that power runs across all living beings, and it also runs on us…"
She smiled hearing that, and she lean her entire weight to him as a reaction,
"So will you share some of you burden to me?"
Takaya leans his head to Sanna's head, making a perfect picture of two person romantically connected.
"No…"
Sanna become sad once again, knowing she failed to convince Takaya,
"Why?"
"Because, Instead sharing it, how about we solve it together?"
Sanna once again surprised by the sudden word,
"Yeah… That will be nice…."
Takaya close his eyes while keeping her hand tightly,
"Taka… I'm scared… seeing my sister, and Asahi… But I'm also happy… When everything is going hard, you are also there to protect me and encourage me.."
Takaya smiled, he swipes his thumb on Sanna's hand, affected by her word.
"I'm also scared something happened to you… I quickly realized that gun shot is not a good sign, I rushed to you and I'm glad that I can still reach you… and I also happy, For the first time I felt so much comfortable beside someone, and I can believe that is you.. and I'm very glad to have you by my side…"
A heavy talk turns into a heart warming event. For the first time Takaya can close his eyes, rest his mind and open his heart. And for the first time for Sanna to find someone to lean on, and open her sadness after suddenly encountering her sister.
-
7 hours later they were still in the state they were. They slept for 7 hours, staying together like that in the cafeteria.
3 people walked toward them, one of them holding her phone trying to take a photo. The sound of the photo has been taken a few times.
"Finally he has someone to lean on… I'm gonna send it to Rin and see her reaction"
"Send it to me, I want to add it to my collection."
"Geez, even the commander has her own collection of her entire siblings."
"Aka-boy really sleeps, I thought he was an all-nighter…"
"He is! But, let him be… It's been so long he looks like enjoying his sleep like that…"
"Yeah… My brother was a light sleeper… I'm glad he was able to sleep in this situation."
Vanny, Lania and Liza admire the two that are still sleeping. But Suddenly Lania's received a message from Rin,
"Ahh.. Rin, she said, 'Wake them up! The mission is only half an hour until it begins! Also, Good job! Way to go my big bro!!!:D' she said.."
Vanny goes to Takaya to wake him,
"Takaya… Takaya… (Pinches his cheek)"
"Huhh, morning already? What time is it?" He wakes up
"It's 7 o'clock already, Rin said a mission starts in half an hour, so I wake you up."
"Oh yeah… monitoring… it suppose to be Sanna and Asahi's turn…."
"Mmm, Taka… is it morning already?"
Sanna wakes up hearing Takaya voice,
"Ah… Good morning, Sanna…"
"Commander…" She opened her eyes and looked right at Takaya's eyes and his expression, he smiled warmly.
"Good morning, Taka…"
"Good morning, Sanna…"
She looked at her hand that still grabs his hand, and looked at Lania and Liza still standing in front of them.
Soon she realizes she's being watched and she tries to let go of Takaya's hand but Takaya keeps holding it.
"Let's go, we need to go to the academy to monitor the mission…"
"Umm Taka, could you let go of my hand?? They're watching…"
"No, I don't wanna lose you." He smiled and stood, giving last greetings to the others, "Thanks Vanny, we're leaving!!"
"Hmm… Take care! Give me a call, okay??"
"Yeah! Come on, Sanna.."
Sanna bows her head and quickly walks along Takaya's side, still hanging hand.
"Take care of your new girl!!" Lania screamed loudly that makes Sanna blushed,
"I will!" Takaya's said without hesitation