Kind Crimson Eyes

Like a dream

Kaworu's voice echoes in my mind, breaking though and bringing me back to reality.
I'm standing in front of the man with the cello, who's no longer playing, but is now staring at me with a confused and slightly worried expression.
Kaworu pushes his way through the small crowd of people that had gotten in between us, and grabs my hand, pulling me away.

"I recognized the song they were playing and got distracted. Sorry." I apologize, feeling stupid.
I feel Kaworu squeeze my hand.
"No need to apologize." He says. "We're just about there."

Kaworu leads me down a side street and around the corner of a large building.
Before us is a stone pathway leading into what looks like a small forest in the middle of the city. We start down the path and into the cover of the trees.
The path seems secluded from the rest of the world. There's not a single other person on the path in either direction, which in Tokyo-3 is practically unheard of.

Kaworu hasn't let go of my hand, but is no longer pulling me. He walks pace beside me and looks up at the canopy of leaves above us.
I follow his gaze and my mouth opens in awe. The newly budding leaves and flowers that billow in the breeze are mesmerizing.
I attempt to steal a glance at Kaworu but immediately feel my face flush red.

How long has he been staring at me?

Kaworu suddenly stops.
"Here it is." He states happily.
I follow his gaze to the right side of the trail, but only see a bunch of tall, prickly looking bushes.
"....What is it?" I ask.

Kaworu pushes a section of the bushes aside and steps through them, pulling me along.
When the bushes return to shape behind me, I finally notice it. In front of us is a small pond that looks to have formed in the middle of a slow moving stream. Cattails line the opposite edge, while lily pads and their blooming flowers float delicately on the sparkling surface.

Kaworu lets go of my hand and walks towards it, sitting down at the edge where there's a clearing of vegetation. The sun reflects off of the crystal clear water and onto Kaworu's face, his eyes the brightest I've ever seen them.
"I found this place when I was wandering one night." He says as he pats the grass beside him.

I sit down next to him and lean forward, peering into the pond.
To my surprise, I catch a glimpse of a few tiny, shimmery fish that zip around in circles and swim under the lily pads.
"Wow. I didn't even know we had stuff like this in the middle of the city." I smile.

"I didn't either until I stumbled across it. Now I always come here when I need to think about things. I guess it's like the roof for you, yeah?"
The white haired boy falls onto his back with his hands behind his head and closes his eyes.
"It's incredible, isn't it?"

We sit in silence for a while, taking everything in.
Be it the rustling of the leaves, the trickling of the water, or the sporadic croaking of frogs, I feel very at ease. Something about this place completely takes my anxiety away.
Though, it's probably because it reminds me of home. A small section of green familiarity in the middle of concrete chaos.

Kaworu is the first to break the silence.
"Can I ask you something?" He asks quietly, looking up at the trees.

"Hmm?"

Kaworu's quiet for a moment, trying to find the right words.

"Are you hurt?"