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By: Archetype Eithe

"So this is where it ends huh?", I said to myself.

Laying on the icy floor of an alleyway in the middle of winter didn't add to my comfort. Nothing felt as uncomfortable as the single thought running through my mind.

'What was the point of running away for all that time?'

Compared to the thought, this discomfort might as well have been a tropical paradise where I could sip drinks out of a coconut. As I was mulling over the thought, the cold slowly crept over me. As I felt my consciousness fade away, I heard the soft sound of footsteps over snow.

"Another person who'll ignore another homeless bastard on the street. Hmm who knows, maybe they'll give me the courtesy of giving the traditional 'Get a job, loser' if I ask for help." ,I thought.

As it turns out, they made the first move.

"Um, are you okay?"

"...What?"

I wasn't sure if I said the word out loud or in my head, much less if I was sure if I meant it in a state of surprise, or as a reply. I lifted my head to see who would waste their breath with a man crazy enough to sleep outside when it was winter.

She was amazingly cute.

Her long brown hair was falling over her face and shoulders as she looked down to see me. Her big, startlingly bright, hazel eyes had the look of a worried mother taking care of her sick child.

"Guess that sick child would be me.", I thought.

"A sick child...?", she asked.

Apparently my mind and mouth were not working well together today. Couldn't blame them considering my current condition. But I had to say something or else she would think I was completely insane.

"I'm sorry I was just... talking to myself." I said

Why was I trying to explain myself to her? I had already given up, what did it matter what one girl thought of me when all the people I care about think so little of me now. The reason why I was here was because I didn't want to go on any longer, just to end it here and stop my torment.

"Oh, are you a dad?" She asked.
"No, why?"
"Well that was the only other thought I had to explain who the sick child was."

She smiled.

The smile spread warmth throughout my body. A warmth I hadn't felt in a long time. It made me want to keep going just a bit further. It made me want to see what else the world held in store for me. Just who is this girl? I looked at her again to get a better look at her. Long brown hair, bright hazel eyes and she was wearing a red hairband, a long coat, a red scarf, and black, heeled boots. She was, in a word, fashionable.

I realized she was staring at me while I checked her out.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare!", and I fell limp as the shouting left me feeling weak. I sounded weak.

"It's alright, I don't mind." She said.

I could hear that she actually didn't mind me ogling her and that she was still worried about me. In fact, I had never noticed how soft and pleasant her voice is. I guess I never noticed it at the time. Could I actually be interested in her? At this point in time? Impossible.

But what if?

I shook the thought away and thought of how to get the girl to start moving away from me.

"You should probably go home now. It's been nice talking to you." , I said.

"But what about you?"

As I was about to fall back into the pit of despair, those words caught me. For some reason I could not tell her that I planned to die here. That the point of me going on in this world was irrelevant. That I was a waste of a soul that had wanted to come on earth and live. I wanted to tell her that I wasn't a person to waste their time on. Someone she should just ignore and go on her own way. Someone who would fail her in her time of need.

...Then why am I crying?

Why, am I crying? Why, why, why?! I wasn't looking for help! I just wanted to die! To end it here and now! To stop all the nightmares I had since that horrible night! To stop all the pains I feel in my head and my heart. To end all thoughts and emotions of myself, the man named Naoto Reiji! To get away from the deformed faces of my family. To just get away from it all...!

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!

But then what should I do?

Keep running from the past and hopefully step into a better future?

A better future? Ha! The only future I had wanted was to help my family out by getting a good career and marrying a wife! Now that plan was ruined and my family wants nothing more to do with me now. I'm already dead to them.

"... Are you okay?"

I hadn't noticed how long I must have been in my own world. Deep in thought, my tears came out harder and I somehow noticed an indent in the snow where I pounded my fist. How childlike. To her I must seem like someone who had their entire world turned upside down. That wouldn't be far from the truth though.

I forced myself to stop sobbing and wiped my tears away. I willed whatever strength I had left to get myself standing. The time I spent on the icy floor completely numbed my legs and I stumbled a few times trying to get up. She caught me as I fell forward a bit. She was surprisingly strong, or I had lost a lot of weight. She smelled sweet, like freshly peeled fruit. A lonesome pang rang in my heart and I forced myself away from her.

"Thank you for not letting me fall.", I said.
"Not a problem."

As I turned to leave she grabbed my hand. I froze in place, and turned to look at her. Her head was down so I couldn't tell what she was thinking. Something hit my chest hard, and I heard myself go "oof". As I stumbled backward, I saw long brown hair flash in my vision. That was when I realized that she hugged me.

"What are you doing?" ,I shouted in a ragged voice.
"I know what it feels like!" , she practically screamed back.
"I know what it feels like." This time quieter.

The words rang in my ears, a loud empty thud sounding in my ears.

"What...?"

"The pain of having something taken away from you! I know that feeling! I know that you want to give up soon after it happens. I know that you have the feeling of helplessness!"

She was almost to the point of tears.

"You just want to give up, and not care about what happens to you or others on your way. You waste away doing nothing! Instead of trying to make it better, you tell yourself that you give up! That's something that I did! I gave up and almost ended my life about a year ago! But I made it through that phase, and I want to help you out of yours!"

"You don't know me, how can you claim that you can help me?"

The first few teardrops were falling from her face.

"You reminded me of myself at that time, and how horrible I felt. When I saw you I first thought that you were dead. Haha, isn't that funny? But when you raised your head and I saw your face, I could see you were going through the same thing as I had."

She was crying now. Tears flowed off of her face. I didn't know what to do at this point. I just hugged her. Held her tightly and didn't want to let go.

"I know the feeling. The horrible emptiness when you think that nothing is left for you. But you're wrong. If you keep going, you'll get out of the rut! I'll help you! That is if you want me t--."

The rest of her sentence was cut off as my lips met hers. I don't know why I did it, but I felt as if I was being carried by the moment. Those words were what I had wanted to hear for a long time.

They were my salvation, and this girl was my savior.

The kiss broke down the last walls of doubt, and I opened myself to her. In other words, she hadn't pushed me off yet so I took this as a good sign. As I pulled off to draw in some breath, she took the time to do the same. The kiss was rejuvenating and I felt like I was on top of the world and not soaked in water from the melted ice. I couldn't look directly at her, but I gave her another hug. I could feel myself blushing, and I could feel that her cheeks were on fire too. But she embraced me back and it only added to the amazing emotions I had going for me.

"Thank you for your words. I-I'm, uhh, sorry about the... unexpected kiss."

"Y-your welcome, and thank you for the k-kiss. It was nice"

Then it struck me that I didn't even know her name. Then I noticed that I never told her my name! I just kissed her and I was still a total stranger to her! She was still a total stranger to me! Is this something like the love-at-first-sight-type deal?

"I'm so sorry, but I just realized I never told you my name! I'm Naoto Reiji."
~I'm a little late for pleasantries...~ , I thought.

"My name is Akane Kyouko. I'm very pleased to meet you Naoto Reiji!"

Her vibrant smile made my heart feel like it was going to burst.

"Very nice to meet you Akane Kyouko!", I laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"I realized that I kissed you without either of us knowing each others names!" I laughed again.

She joined in my laughter. Apparently she had yet to realize this fact for herself. But it only made the situation seem better.

"Love at first sight indeed!", I said.

"Indeed.", she agreed.

We exchanged our phone numbers and addresses. Well her address as I did not have a home anymore. But that was all going to change! I was going to work hard. Get a job, then a career, get a big home, and start a family with Kyouko. It felt great to have a goal to work for again!

"Things are finally starting to look up! It all thanks to you, you know!"

Kyouko blushed, "You would've gotten yourself back up anyhow, but I'm really glad you hadn't yet, or else I wouldn't have met you."

"I'm really glad too! You sped up the process, now I have a goal to work for! I'm gonna get started tomorrow morning, or the afternoon judging by the time right now. 4:24am? Jeez..."

Kyouko laughed, "Well we can't have you sleeping outside now can we? Come on, I'll make some tea when we get home, and I'll help you out the moment I wake up!"

"Well I am still sort of wet..."

Kyouko laughed harder, "Washer and drier. Problem solved!"

It continued like this down the street, and lasted until we both fell asleep in each others arms.

-The End