The sun was sinking into the sea,
painting the sky in soft shades of orange and violet.
Aiyumi sat on the stone wall near the shore —
knees pulled close, chin resting on them,
watching the waves crash and pull back again.
Each wave felt like her thoughts —
coming close, breaking, then fading into silence.
She closed her eyes.
And in the sound of the water, she heard voices from the past.
"Don't cry, Aiyu."
"I'm here. I'll never leave you."
A small boy's voice —
gentle, familiar.
Ren.
The memory flashed —
a younger Aiyumi, curled up under a tree,
crying after her parents scolded her.
Ren had found her there —
his tiny hand offering her a candy,
his other hand brushing away her tears.
"No matter what, I'll stay, okay?"
"Even if the world forgets you, I won't."
The memory blurred with her tears.
Now, years later, that same boy was walking away from her.
And she couldn't understand why.
Her chest tightened.
She covered her face, whispering through the sobs she'd been holding for too long.
"You said you'll never leave…
Then why does it feel like you already did?"
The waves kept touching her feet,
as if trying to comfort her,
as if they remembered too.
💭 The sea had always been her silent witness —
to her pain, to her love,
to the promises that once meant forever.