Their kiss lasted for a long while. It was the longest kiss they’ve ever shared. It was the most passionate but at the same time it was the saddest.
Still, Hinari didn’t want it to end but if this continue, she was afraid she might break down before him. So before she burst, Hinari pulled away. When their lips finally parted, before Zaki could open his eyes, she quickly got off him and she hastily walked away without saying a word, leaving Zaki lying alone on the sand.
Zaki was breathing heavily as he tilted his head and watched Hinari’s silhouette walking away from him. He didn’t rise. He just laid there staring at her back until she finally disappeared from his view.
He then slowly lay back down, with one arm resting across his forehead and looked at the beautifully painted sky showing off a whole lot of different colours. Yes, the sky was really unbelievably beautiful today and yet, it look so sad to him. Zaki listened to the waves roaring like noisy whispers. His heartbeat was loud in his ears as the heat she left on his lips started to fade. He wanted to rise and chase after her but he didn’t. He just lay there, as his eyes being covered with the back of his palm.
Not far from him, the two figures, who were hiding behind a coconut tree, slowly showed up. Davi was so worried. She saw how Hinari left and it looked as if she was in tears.
“Darling… what’s going on with them? What’s going on with Zaki? Why is he not chasing after her? I’m getting really worried now,” Davi said as she tugged Sei’s shirt. She wasn’t just worried, she could actually feel the sadness as she watch them and she couldn’t stand it.
“Look, he’s not moving at all,” she continued and Sei held her hand.
Sei wanted to tell his wife the whole story but he knew that this was Zaki’s decision, ultimately. He hoped that his friend, his brother, would choose the decision that would bring him happiness, like what he had found with his wife. In his mind, it was even more important for Zaki to stop wasting time and just make the most of his time with the people he loved but he knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
He sighed deeply as he looked at Davi’s worried expression and said, “Okay, go after your friend. I’ll go speak with Zaki.”
Upon hearing him, Davi nodded her reply and she immediately moved. Sei then gave his guards a signal and they followed Davi as she ran towards the direction where Hinari left.
When Davi was gone, Sei then took a deep breath before he walked towards the man lying all alone in the sand.
When he reached him, Zaki didn’t even move. So Sei sat beside him as he began to speak.
“Zaki, are you alright?” Sei asked as he gazed towards the colourful sky.
“I’m fine. I’m just tired,” Zaki replied but Sei could tell he wasn’t fine at all. Sei felt that Zaki had aged 10 years in the last few months, not in his looks, but in his strength and his energy levels. Zaki was getting weaker right before his eyes and it was hard for Sei to see this. Looking at him right now, he looked like he was barely holding on.
Back when they were younger, Sei remembered the day when Zaki first saw the ocean. That day, Zaki immediately jumped in the water, he swam and played with the waves alone for hours while Sei just sat on the sand watching him. He was laughing by himself as he kept shouting at Sei everytime he picks up a sea shell. He was so vibrant and full of life and Sei felt like there was nothing on earth that could stop him. Zaki was invincible in his eyes.
Reminiscing their past adventures, Sei could only remember Zaki as the type who easily became excited with things that were new to him. He was an energetic being who just wouldn’t stay still no matter what the situation and he was never the type to give up.
The day Sei took Zaki out of that place, the scientists already gave him all the information about Zaki; his skills, his abilities, the danger that he held, and his life expectancy. Sei knew everything and that was why Sei was doing everything he could to help him.
“Zaki, even though I promised that I would not force you into anything, seeing you like this, I—”
“Sei… I have already decided. I have been preparing for this since the beginning. I knew what was ahead of me even before I met her. This is why… I can’t… I… I have to set her free.”
