The air atop the apartment building was thin and cold, vibrating with an energy that made the hair on Kazuto’s arms stand up. Below them, Tokyo was a sprawling circuit board of lights, but tonight, the city looked dim. The moon was no longer a distant pearl; it was a silver titan, looming so large in the sky that the craters were visible to the naked eye. It cast shadows so sharp they looked like ink spills on the concrete.
"It’s beautiful," Kazuto said, though his voice lacked conviction. "And terrifying."
Asuna stood at the edge of the roof, her back to him. The wind whipped her hair around her like dark flames. "It is a summons," she whispered. "The Lunar Capital does not like its treasures wandering in the mud."
Kazuto dropped his bag. He had spent the whole walk home trying to find the right words, trying to bridge the gap between his life as a struggling student and the echoes of the crown he felt pressing onto his brow.
"I don't care about treasures or capitals," Kazuto stepped forward, his heart drumming a frantic rhythm. "I care about the girl who struggled for twenty minutes to figure out how a revolving door works. I care about the girl who cried because she thought the 'clapping' at the festival was the sky breaking."
Asuna turned around. Her skin was glowing—not the metaphorical glow of a girl in love, but a literal, soft luminescence that pulsed with the moon’s rhythm. "Kazuto, stop. You are falling in love with a ghost. A memory."
"No," he countered, closing the distance until he could see the silver reflections in her pupils. "I'm falling in love with you. I don't care if you're a princess or an alien or a dream. I know that when I’m with you, the world finally feels like it’s in color."
He reached out, taking her hands. They were freezing.
"Asuna... I love you."
The words hung in the air, heavy and undeniable. For a heartbeat, Asuna’s expression shattered. The royal mask fell away, leaving only a girl who was desperately, heartbreakingly lonely. She leaned into him, her head resting on his chest, her breath hitching.
"I have waited so long to hear those words again," she sobbed into his jacket. "Through the cold, through the silence... I held onto the memory of your voice."
Kazuto wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He felt a surge of protectiveness so fierce it felt like it could challenge the stars. "Then stay. We’ll figure it out. We’ll hide. I’ll take you somewhere the light can't find us."
Asuna pulled back just enough to look at him. She reached up, her thumb tracing the line of his jaw. "Look at my hands, Kazuto."
He looked down. His breath caught in his throat.
Where their hands met, Asuna’s fingers were becoming misty. She wasn't just glowing; she was becoming translucent. He could see the concrete of the rooftop through her palm. It was as if the reality of Earth was rejecting her, or the Moon was pulling her through a straw.
"The more I love you," she whispered, her voice cracking, "the more of 'Asuna' disappears. To stay here as a mortal is a sin against the celestial laws. My heart is human, but my body... my body is returning to the light."
"No," Kazuto gripped her tighter, his knuckles white as he tried to hold onto something that was becoming air. "I won't let go. Not again. I'm not burning letters this time, Asuna. I’m holding on!"
"Then hold me," she said, a desperate, beautiful fire in her eyes. "Hold me until there is nothing left to hold."
As they stood there, the moon reached its zenith, and the shadow of the rooftop grew so long it seemed to swallow the city. Kazuto held her with every ounce of his strength, terrified that if he blinked, he would be standing on that roof alone.
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