Eternal Melody

SUMIRE

"It was supposed to turn the woman the man loved into a monster. Her skin would decay due to the darkness, and it would eventually be hard to maintain her physical form. So, that the man would eventually leave the woman on his own accord. I don't think that witch realized how much Lucifer loved you." Yuhi trailed off. "If corrupting the appearance was the only issue, there would have been many other ways to fix the problem. But instead, the darkness took over the soul and drove them to madness."

"Can it be reversed?"

Yuhi frowned. "I can do it, at least I could before. When I was in the US, I slowly started to experiment with my old abilities. I'm not confident, but I can try, even if it is to push the darkness out temporarily until I can do so for sure."

Sumire shakes her head. "I'd rather we wait until you can."

Even if it will hurt the kind version of Lex, it's better than the darkness staying inside him.

"There is also another solution. I know when you think of darkness, your mind automatically assumes it is something bad. However, it isn't. You should be familiar with this saying. Without darkness there can be no light and the same goes vice versa."

"Are you trying to say there is light in Lex's darkness?"

Yuhi nodded. "If he can find it, and use it to his advantage. He will be able to control the darkness." He trails off. "Truthfully, I'm surprised that he hasn't found it yet. If he used to be the God of light, he should be able to sense it no matter how corrupt he became."

"Is it because he tampered with the curse?" Sumire asked.

"That's a possibility." Yuhi caresses her hair and shakes his head. "Enough with the complicated topics, what will you be doing today? I noticed you have a gap on your schedule for this morning."

"I was thinking of inspecting the forest behind the Holy Knights headquarters."

"I'll go with-" Yuhi's sentence fell short when his phone beeped. Yuhi takes it out of his pocket and cursed. "Damn it, I swear Takeyama is an even worse spartan than Hino."

Sumire giggled. "You know he means well."

"I get it, and he really is talented. Because of him, we were topping the US charts within the first month." Yuhi sighs and brushes his fingers on her lips. "I'm really reluctant to leave this meal behind."

"Mmm, I'm very tasty today."

Yuhi chuckled. "Maybe I can get a taste before I go."

'After having that conversation, I really don't want him to leave me. No after having that nightmare, I still feel really unsettled. I want nothing more for both of us to dive back into those sheets and forget about everything else.'

 "Sumire." Yuhi suddenly said softly. She felt an odd sensation in her chest hearing him call her name.

Feeling her heart sinking, she let her hands find their way to his chest. Her thumb traced one of the scars and she dared to look up, meeting his clear, grey eyes. It always amazed her how they remained so clear, no matter how dark the circles got underneath. 

His brow furrowed and his mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to say more. She'd grown too used to what had always come next, and after every short reunion, it'd never been any less difficult. 

Yuhi placed his hand over one of hers, he exhaled slowly and rested his forehead against hers. A content sigh escaped her lips. "Sumire," he said quietly. "I'm not going anywhere."

How many times has she heard those words, only for something bad to happen afterwards?

 __________________________

Twenty cigarettes a pack.

One pack a week.

Fifty-two packs a year.

Even though Yuhi has been back for three months now. She still finds herself waking up in the middle of the night to make sure she isn't dreaming. She still finds herself clinging to him whenever either of them have to go anywhere. 'I was the one who told him to go to the US, so he can stop relying on me too much. But, look what happened to me while I was gone.'

In the past year she had a lot of time to think about her feelings for Yuhi.

He kept her sane, which was ironic, considering there was a time where everyone told her how bad he was for her. How Yuhi being consumed by revenge affects any rational thoughts. 

He kept her focused, which was unbelievable, as he was –at the very least – hundreds of miles from her current case. He kept her grounded, which was surprising, because from the very first day he had been the one who unhinged her the furthest.

'I'm obsessed.' In her latest counceiling sessions with Toh, she has been able to speak about her relationship with Yuhi more. What started as a casual question from Toh, lead to her truly thinking about why she was so into Yuhi. Why she clung to him so much, soul bond or not. It seems she was obsessed with him from the very beginning. 

When Yuhi returned to the US, she went back to lighting those cigarettes just so she could have a piece of his scent on her. Even though they called each other nearly everyday, it wasn't the same. Actually the more they video chatted, the more she craved him. The more she wanted him.

After walking for a good hour, she spots a wooden sort of cottage; and claps her hands. It's been awhile since she last came here, even so she glanced around the surroundings. Nothing but trees and broken down springs. It's still as scary as always. Sumire shakes her head, it should be alright. 

After all, Nao is at the very bottom of the mountain trail. If she screams loudly he will be able to hear her. In the end perhaps she really is still afraid. But, she recalled the words she said to the director in the recent shooting. 

'Although when I first read the script, I did think why the hell is there such a scene. But now I think this Sumire is very cute. So I'm honestly happy that I got this role. Thank you very much, not to mention the TV audience will probably see me as the Sumire from the show. If that's how it is then maybe that scene will evoke some sympathy. But either way I really do want to act out that scene where I beat the criminal to a pulp.'

That's right she's already resolved herself. That's why no matter what happens, she will be ready.