Angel of Dreams

There was someone he loved before he went to war. They were fifteen back then. So full of life and promise. He lived a carefree life back then.

Toshiki didn’t have a direction in life. He only had two real friends he was close to. Naturally, they didn’t have much going for them either. Ah, the days of youth. Toshiki didn’t think much about his future.

That was until she came into the picture.

He can’t remember her name. However, there were other things he remembered about her. Her laughter was one of them. When he heard it, Toshiki wanted that sound in his life again. They met in the spring of freshman year.

Toshiki was alone at the time. His friends ended up at different schools. His father wouldn’t get off of his back. He needed to think about his future and blah, blah, blah. Ha! Since when does he care?

“Whatever,” Toshiki said to himself. He was just going to get by. She changed him. She made him want to do better. She made him want to change. They met on the first of classes. It was at the assembly, in fact.

That red ribbon held her long black ponytail. When Toshiki saw it, he felt the need to pull it. She was just up ahead of him. He could just get a little closer.

Closer… Closer… His fingertips were inches from her hair.

She whipped her head around.

“What are you doing?”

He froze. Her brown eyes kept him in place.

“Uh…” He couldn’t think of anything to say. She didn’t avert her gaze. Who was this girl? Before he knew it, the assembly was over. He thought that encounter would be the last.

He had no idea.

What did she see in him? Maybe he was a pet project to her. Toshiki looked lost. Of course, he never believed her.

“What are you talking about? I’m fine,” he insisted. She never believed him. Said that she could see the pain in his eyes.

“You’re crazy,” Toshiki said. He couldn’t see his own pain. She would help him do better. Toshiki gave up arguing with her. He decided to humor her.

Toshiki was the one to make the first move. That was how it was. He led in the romance and she followed. She was more than happy to. However, there was one instance where she took control.

“Are you going to kiss me?” she asked during the summer of 1988. Toshiki whipped his head around.

“What?” he asked. She had an angelic look in her eyes.

“Wait… now?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. She leaned in for a kiss. Toshiki looked around for a moment. There wasn’t anyone around. He always wanted to do this.

“Okay,” Toshiki said. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. It wasn’t firework-inducing. But it was warm. Good enough for a young first kiss. She pulled away with pink cheeks. Toshiki took a breath.

“How was that?” he asked. She glanced up at him.

“Can we do that again?” she asked. He gave her another kiss.

From there, their relationship took root.

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Toshiki hasn’t found her today. He doesn’t know where to look. He can’t even remember her name. Was she still alive? He didn’t know. Where would he even start?

But what if she was closer then he thought? He just needed to turn around and look.