It was crazy for Hammie to feel something as strange as heart beating fast because of someone once again. She thought she was over it. As it turned out, that wasn't the case at all.
Just as the case that she encountered at the moment upon putting her wish paper on the sacred tree in the central town. It was summer and she had only arrived in her hometown a few weeks ago. So she was aware of the summer tradition of that town -- and it was one that she loved. Before she lost a lot of things in her life.
Hammie left that town a long time ago, but only chose to return there when a dream that she knew wasn't an ordinary one had plagued her for quite some time. She hadn't come back here for more than a year already, but now it seemed like this dream would not go away. Not without her doing something about it.
That's why she had decided to ask her mother if she could stay behind while the others went to their respective destinations. Her mother was quite happy, to be honest. And so was her father who had also arrived from his out of town business trip.
But Hammie's parents both knew there was another person who would be happy to see her again after all this time. She knew who it was, of course. However, she wasn't sure how to face that person again. She did leave without telling anyone other than her parents.
"Will you really be happy to see me again?" she murmured and sighed as she looked up to the sky.
It was a clear summer day and it was supposed to be enough to calm Hammie down. But that wasn't the case now that she was standing in front of the sacred tree and had just finished hanging her wish paper. She didn't think it was possible anymore.
The dream that kept tormenting Hammie lately would have no effect if everything else stayed the same. She wasn't going to let that happen to her again. Not after everything that happened during those years since she left town.
The sun shone above her, making the grass beneath her feet almost appear gold in color. She didn't feel like looking around the sacred place, where so many people believed they would receive good fortune or find happiness when they came here.
No, what Hammie wanted at the moment was for the pain inside her to subside. At least for a little bit. Even though she knew that this wouldn't be easy.
Now she felt restless, nervous, excited and a little scared. But not even those were enough to explain what could happen next during her time in her hometown.
Hammie's vision became blurry as tears began falling from her eyes. She didn't mean to feel emotion, but it was just too much. Memories of those times she had with 'him' came rushing back into her head and she silently broke down in front of the sacred tree.
After crying for a couple of minutes and drying her face, Hammie tried her best to calm herself down and look around the village square. There was only one person she needed to make things right. One person she couldn't forget, no matter how hard she tried.
And as she realized at the moment, he was probably the reason for those dreams to plague her for a while. It was either to warn her or to urge her to take a step forward. She wasn't sure which one it was yet.
But she didn't care. The dream itself didn't affect her anymore and the dream that she had in mind was worth anything. She just hoped that he wasn't angry, especially if he saw her again. And she prayed that nothing bad happened to him before she got to him.
"I'm here now... Naga..." she murmured in a resigned tone as she continued looking at the sacred tree. Then again, it wasn't as if he could actually hear her.
Naga doesn't even know that she already arrived in town. Hammie was aware of that. Was he still even living in town after all this time since she left town? She wasn't sure. She didn't know anything about him except that he was a very important person to her. And for reasons she didn't dare to question.
All she wanted right then was to know that he was alive and well. If only he could be with her again. No one knew better than her what it meant to lose someone dearly. All those years of being away from home and experiencing a lot made her realize all that. But that didn't make her any less worried about him.
If he could, would she still be able to tell him about her dreams? Or would she be afraid to do so? Would he get mad at her for having nightmares about him? She didn't even want to consider that possibility. Because deep down, she knew that he would forgive her. He always did.
She took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. She had to stop thinking about him. She had to focus on the present. On the future. On the fact that she was finally going to meet him again, if fate would allow it.
"I'm here now, Naga." After whispering that, she touched the sacred tree's trunk and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry..."
If only Hammie could say those words to him, though...
"I know. I've always been waiting, you know."
Hammie froze as she heard that familiar voice possibly a few steps behind her. But she didn't dare turn around for the fear that what she might see would betray her. In fact, her heart beat faster as she started thinking of all kinds of ways she'd try to escape him.
But she didn't need to run away forever. Not when she found the one she truly wanted back in the world again.
She slowly turned around and saw him walking towards her with a soft smile on his lips. The same smile she last saw before she left the town unexpectedly years ago.
"I never left here... because I know you'd come back here somehow," Naga continued and stood a couple of meters away from her. That smile remained unchanged despite the fact that they hadn't seen each other for several years. "Even if you weren't supposed to."
Hammie closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She didn't know what to say in response to his words, to be honest. She wasn't even sure what to think of them. But one thing that she was certain was that she wanted to hug him for real. Now.
So she did. For a moment, she just held onto the fabric of his shirt tightly with her arms. When she pulled away after feeling satisfied with the contact, she looked up to Naga and her tears blurred her vision once more.
"You're right." It sounded more like a statement than a whisper. "I did come back here."
Naga laughed. "Good."
She smiled softly. "I missed you," she whispered, blinking furiously to remove the remaining tears from her eyes. It wasn't a lie. She did miss him, more than she cared to admit even to herself. But that didn't change the fact that she didn't expect him to appear in her hometown, so close after her own departure.
He gave her a reassuring smile. "Me too."
Then their eyes met and they exchanged looks full of longing. They both understood, at least partially, what the other meant by saying those words. It was true. Even before meeting each other in this place, they had been aware that they both loved each other, more than anything. They just couldn't say it out loud at the time.
Maybe that was why it hurt her so much when she left. She knew her feelings too well, even back then. And that feeling, in a form of visions that never stopped bugging her, had led her back here.
Hammie suddenly moved closer to him and embraced him gently. "I'm sorry for leaving like without saying anything to you."
Naga returned the embrace and shook his head. "It's alright. I understand what you did. I can't blame you."
For some reason, that statement made Hammie feel a bit lighter than before. A small smile appeared on her lips while she rested her head against his chest.
"You'll stay this time, right?" Naga asked as he placed a gentle hand on her back and a kiss on the top of her head. "I don't want to lose you once again."
Hammie didn't answer directly. Instead, she just nodded slightly and replied, "Yes... We'll stay together."
She then raised her face upwards and gazed straight into his eyes. And for a long minute she stared deeply into them. She missed looking at those eyes. Maybe she wouldn't ever get tired of doing that.
When Naga noticed her expression, his face immediately softened. His brown hair was ruffled slightly by the wind, showing strands of his silver hair that fell over his forehead.
The breeze brushed past them as they hugged each other tighter. Neither of them seemed capable of releasing the other from the hug, but neither wanted to pull away.
Hammie didn't mind, though. "Don't let go... Okay?" she pleaded quietly, hoping that he would hear it.
Naga squeezed his hold even more, not taking his gaze off hers as he muttered in an equally quiet manner, "Okay."
She buried her head deeper within his chest and closed her eyes, trying to enjoy this moment for longer than it was deserved.
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