The sun blazed overhead but the girl clad in the heavy kimono was not left impeded by the heat.
Wiping off the streaks of white make-up that remained on her jaw, Akira continued to run outside the walls of the main castle. Akihiko was busy with archery training, and with her left with no one to play with, she thought she might take a short visit outside for a while. She concealed herself at the shadows of some tall and short trees that lined the pavements, and when she saw the bunch of people gathering ahead, she knew she was already in the market place.
Her eyes widened in delight at every food it can lay upon. Reaching out to an apple, she smoothed its plane with the tip of her finger. A smile crossed her lips while she thought how lucky she was with the schedule, with her (luckily) waking early with Akihiko gone. She missed her brother, all right, but taking the chance to get out of the castle for the first time thrilled her that when she found the opportunity to step out of its grounds, she immediately grabbed it.
A few paces away, however, came the sound of hooves clopping on the hard earth. She knew it was one of the castle's caravans. Alarmed, she returned the apple to its cradle, and she ran towards a direction she wasn't very sure of.
She passed by people, houses, and trees, and when she found a good shade (hey, is this a forest, she wondered), she wondered how long she had been running. Her knees buckled and she clumsily fell on the ground, and when the tips of her fingers and her cheeks met the green grass, and her nose picking the scent of earth, she couldn't help but chuckle. It was an exciting experience she might never experience in the castle, and for eight years since her existence she has only been taught of manner and etiquette. This thrill of going out without knowing where to go, or just the very nature of running—it made her feel alive.
It invigorated her more, though, when she heard the birds sing. She followed where the sound came from, and she came to a stop when the bird halted to make way for the next singer.
Hiding behind a tree, Akira peeked at the source of the voice and was astonished with the flare of red before her.
The hair of the singer—a boy—reminded her of the apple she touched a few minutes ago.
He continued to sing, and the invigoration raised to enlivenment, that she didn't notice that she was being drawn to him, and how silently she did and how he didn't know, she wasn't too sure. It came to a surprise when she realized she was already reaching a hand towards him, knees touching the ground, just beside him, an inch remaining between a strand of his hair and the tip of her finger, and then he turned towards her direction, a tune left hanging in the air.
He paused from singing and she stopped from moving, and it was only then when she knew in what position she was already in. The boy blinked several times while she was still immobilized, and she wondered if it was because of the color of his hair, his beautiful voice, or the intense hue of blue in his eyes.
The boy cringed for a bit, but relaxed in a short while. She continued to stare.
"Umm...?" The boy tried to find his voice. "Are you... okay?"
It was Akira's turn to blink several times, and she backed off, her shoulders sagging. Her golden eyes raked the trunk behind the boy, then to the bed of grass, then to her lap, her head basking in the idea of the red apple, of discovering something new, and wanting to know more.
It thrilled her, and a huge smile escaped from her lips.
"Wow!" She finally managed to express herself. "You sing very well!" Her hands were curled into fists and she placed them against her chest. "Tell me, tell me! What's the name of that song? You sing naturally that probably you will pass as a teacher? Or were you taught to sing at all? Because I can't sing no matter how much my mentor would teach me!" She beamed, the smile on her face not fading away. "Hey, what's your secret? Is it because you practice here alone in the woods? You really sing well that it moved me."
The boy was fazed and he was rendered speechless. Noticing this, Akira covered her lips with both of her hands, and she quickly bowed. "I-I'm sorry for my bad manners."
There was silence for a while, and the wind blew.
"N-No, it's okay..." the boy finally said.
Akira's face lighted up again, and there were spots of pink on her cheeks. "I'm really sorry for that! But hey, I'm not really good at singing, but I'd like to learn. How did you do it?"
"Um, you just... you know, sing?" His shoulders sagged, as if she inquired on how to breathe.
"Oh, oh! By the way..." she put her hands on her lap and bowed down. "I'm A—"
There was a clopping of hooves again from a distance, and Akira sharply turned towards its direction.
"Hime!" Someone called out. "Please, where are you?"
Stiffly, she looked back at the boy.
"Nice to meet you!" She suddenly took the boy's hands and shook it, and when she stood up, she flashed a smile at him. "You're a very good singer, and it would be nice to see you again!"
With that, she sped off towards the direction of the castle.
The boy tried to reach out for her but she was running too fast, that all he could do was to remain on his seat, the image of her bright smile burning in his head, the regret of not knowing her name creeping in him.
He placed a hand on his chest, and he knew that the pounding inside was not the lingering feeling caused by the clopping of hooves, but by the erratic beating of his own heart.
