Chapter 3

The tree of a starry night

Clouds covered the star filled sky, dimming the light from the moon, as Auro sat on the windowsill and Aamaile got comfortable on the grass she noticed his shirt was stained with a crimson red color. She jotted her head up just in time to see him making a faint expression of pain.

“Auro are you ok? It looks like you’re bleeding, What happened?”- Aamaile asked in a very concerned tone.

“Oh...it’s nothing, don’t worry about it”- He reassured with a dull smile on his face

“Mphm… then if it’s nothing, then I guess you won’t mind if I do this...”- Aamaile said as she poked his chest.

Auro flinched and groaned out of pain and threw himself back, almost falling off the window sill into his room. Luckily Aamaile caught him in time and was able to muffle his groan by covering his mouth with her hand. Once he was stable she pulled him off of the window sill and they ducked behind the wall.

“What’s with that, you could of got us caught”

“uhhh...It hurts...”

“Getting caught by your parents would have hurt more”

“Uhh... Aamaile, could you...take your hand off my mouth and let me go”

As she lifted her hand she noticed Auro blushing, she began to blush and quickly let go of him, as he sat up they both turned around not facing each other, Auro was embarrassed because she saw him blushing and Aamaile blushing because she couldn’t tell what Auro was thinking.

“So… what happened...wh...why are you hurt”

“Umm... well it was my dad...”

“What was it this time?”

“I got home and said nothing...then when he went into my room I back lashed at him… and well at the end of it… it got physical and he ended up cutting my chest ”

“What.. Did he really do that? ”

“Well if he didn’t why would I have this...”- He said as he lifted up his and turned his head around to hide the fact he began to blush

“Even the bandage is soaked in blood”- She noted as she looked back up at him and noticed him blushing again.

“If you were going to get all shy, you should have never shown it to me”- She argued as she turned around trying to hide the fact she also began to blush.

“Well you were the one who was curious!”

“Well I never asked you to show me the wound!”

“Hehehe you’re kinda cute when you’re flustered”

“Says the one tha..wait...did you...just say...”

“Never mind tha… ignore what I said”

“Auro, Ykno this kinda reminds me of when we first met”

“I guess you could say that”

“A little boy running around in a field of flowers liten by the moonlight, looking foolish but in reality he is really down to earth and sad most of the time that’

“A little girl sitting under a tree that was liten by the starry night sky, looking sad but in reality could be one of the sweetest people you could meet”

“I guess none of that has changed”- they said in conjunction

~*~

It was a cold night, Auro was outside in a nearby flower field playing around, stars filled the night sky. The full moon shone brightly and lit up the flower field. As Auro ran around in the flowers, He couldn't help but notice a lonely tree atop a small hill.

It was a long night, Aamaile was outside sitting beneath a tree after she just ran away from her horrible household. The full moon was shining brightly as it lit up a nearby flower field. The starry night sky made the tree’s shadow loom above her. As she hid behind the tree she couldn’t help but notice a kid around her age running in the flowers.

As Auro played in the flower field, he kept glancing at the tree as if something was pulling him towards him and yet he felt scared. He didn’t have a good reason for him to be afraid of the tree and yet he was. He then felt as if someone was watching him from afar, when he turned around he noticed the head of a girl his age peeking around the tree looking at him.

“Who, who could be over there, especially this late at night”- Auro wondered to himself

“Shoot, did he see me?”- Aamaile pondered

Auro finally decided to approach the tree as the starry night sky loomed over him and petals fell from the tree.

“Cherry blossoms really do remind me of snow”- Auro thought to himself

As the boy slowly approached, Aamaile got more and more scared, it felt like time slowed down. She couldn’t tell if something was going to happen, if he was going to hurt just like they did but then out of nowhere…

“Rawwwwwwr”

“Awwwwwww”

“Hehehehehehe, I really did scare you, didn’t I, hehe”

“Hey... wh… why are you laughing, I almost hit my head on the tree, I was really scared”

“Don’t worry I’m not going to hurt you, What’s your name?”

“My name is Aamaile, what’s yours?”

“That’s a cool name, I like it, oh and my name is Auro”- he said smiling and making a peace sign

“Thanks, and your name sounds cooler than mine”- she said while blushing

“Oh thanks, but I really don’t think my name sounds cool...”

“Want to sit down?”

“Oh yeah thanks”

“It looked like you were having so much fun playing in those flowers”

“Yeah I was, I rarely get to leave my house”

“Oh, well the same goes for me, I never get to leave my house”

“Well we aren’t really that different, I guess you can say”

“I guess so”

“So why were you hiding behind the tree?”

“...”

“It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it”

“Really?”- she looked him in the eyes

“Yeah, from now on you can rely on me”

“Wh..why would you do that for someone you just met”

“Because it’s hard being in trouble when you’re alone”

“Huh?”

“Well actually I don’t really have any friends,hehe, so usually I’m all alone”

“Why don’t you have any friends?”

“Well I really don’t know my self, hehehe”

“You’re kinda funny, you laugh about everything, Hehe...hehe...he”

“Your laugh is kinda cute”- His face began to turn a beet red

“Re..rea..really thanks”- she said as her face glew red

“What about you, do you have any friends?”

“No”

“Huh? How”

“No one is nice to me because they think i’m a freak”

“How can such a cute girl be a freak”

“Cu..cute?”- Her face looked like a tomato

“Yeah and Don’t worry from today on we’re friends”

“You’ll really be my friend”

“Yeah I don’t know why someone would skip on having such a cute friend”

“Th..thanks”

“Anyways it’s getting really late, I should really get going home”

“...”

“Anyw...”

She lunged at him and grabbed his leg…

“Please...Please don’t leave me”

“Huh but we need to go home”

“Please don’t leave, I don’t want to go home”

“But won’t your paren...”

He looked down just to see her eyes overflow with tears, she was crying…

“Ok I’ll stay until you want to go home, then”

“Really?”

“Yeah, that’s what friends are for”- He said with a glowing smile on his face

“Thanks”

“But if I stay I want to know why you don't want to go home”

“Umm...Well...”

“Don’t worry take your time, I’ll be here all night if I have too”

“Well my parent’s think I’m a freak”

“What them to?, You don’t seem like freak to me”

“Well...The other day, my dad beat me up”

“Huh...why”

“I don’t, really know myself”

“Well that day we went to the doctors office and my dad dragged me out of the clinic”

“That sounds horrible”

“I don’t really know what happened that day”

“Ok, don’t worry”

“I just know that there’s other people in my head”

“Huh?”

“I guess that’s why my parents hate me”

“But that makes you kind of cool”

“Really?”

“Yeah, hehehe”

That night they stayed under the cherry blossom tree until sunrise. The whole night they talked about each other. Auro managed for Aamaile to slowly talk about her and her problems but he also managed to make her laugh and have a good time. Eventually they fell asleep under the tree, until they got woken up by...

“Auro...Auro...Auro”

“Huh where am I?”

“Thank goodness you’re alive and well”

“Mom, what are you doing here”

“We came looking for you since when I went to wake you up, you were nowhere to be found”

“Wait, where is Aamaile”

“The freakish girl, oh she’s over there with her parents”

“Wait, I want to go see he...”

“Listen here boy, you are to stay far away from he...”

“And what if I don’t?”

“Auro please...”

“Listen to me, If I ever see you around her or even if you speak to her, you will learn what hell on earth really is, understood”

“No!!”

“Auro please just listen to your dad”

“Look her...”

“Honey please he’s just a little kid, he wouldn’t understand”

“Well then...Come on we’re going home”

From that day on life became harder on auro, he barely got to see Aamaile, his life went to misery. For Aamaile it only got worse, but even then she already knew what hell felt like. But at least they had a glimpse of hope, eachother.

~*~

“Wasn’t it December when we first met?”

“No it was April”

“Then why do I always remember snow”

“It was cherry blossom season”

“It was, wasn't it”

“That’s something that hasn’t changed”

“What do you mean?”

“Your horrible memory, hehehe”

“Hehehe, I guess you could say that, in your case your laugh is still cute as always”

“Mmmmmm are you sure”- she said as her face glew bright red

“Hehehe, I wish Everything was the same as back then”

“Well everything wasn’t that good”

“But at least we had some hope”

“I guess so, huh ”

“I never really forget what happened that day”

“Well neither did I”

“Since that day I knew that...”

Out of nowhere the room to Auros room opened and heavy footsteps could be heard

“Auro are you asleep...”

“Shit if we stay here he’s sure to find us...”

“Come on Aamaile let’s go”

“Yeah, who knows what he’ll do”

“God dammit auro, are you awake or...”

“Shit”

“Where the fuck are you!!!”

“Auro Hurry”

“Yeah I know, I know”

“Huh his window is open...”

“Shit...”

“He’s not here either”

The sound of the window closing as well as his bedroom door was enough for them to relax…

“That was close anyways we shoul...”- He said as he turned to look at her

“No, I don’t want you to leave...”

“Hehehe...”

“Why are you laughing...”

“Because this reminds me so much of the first day we met”

“Then why are you laughing… I don’t want to go hom...”

“Well then let's go somewhere else”

“Huh?, where?”

“Just wait, you’ll see when we get there”

“Ok then”- she said as she wiped tears off her face

They began to walk towards a nearby forest. The cold spring breeze surrounded them. Aamiles' long hair flowed in the air while auros' medium sized hair covered his eyes, leafs and branches moved with the wind and a small rustling could be heard. Something damp could be smelt, spring rain. The starry night sky lit up the forest and the path they were following.

“Ahh the wind feels nice doesn’t it”

“Yeah it really does”

“Auro your hair is quite a bit longer than the last time I saw you”

“Yeah well, I let it grow out”

“It actually looks good on you ”

“Th...thanks”

Both of their faces glew a bright red

A bit later...

“Auro are we close yet”

“Almost, it’s just a bit deeper in the forest”

“For some reason I feel like I’ve been here before”

“Don’t worry about that”

“Hey Auro, weird question...”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“What do you think your life would be like if you never met me?”

“...”

Auro went silent, He really didn’t know, he used to think about it often and yet he never had an answer. It isn’t that he couldn’t find an answer but more like he didn’t want to answer it. He couldn’t imagine his world without her…

“Sorry if I put you on the spot there”

“Oh don’t worry it's fine...”

“Auro look at all those flowers”

“We’re here..”

“This is...”