Zaki was like a beautiful prince standing in the middle of thousands of roses. He looked so focused and serious but he was happy. His eyes were full of life as if he was enjoying what he was doing at the moment.
He looked like a perfectionist florist scrutinizing every flower he touched before picking it. He was examining each petal, looking for the slightest imperfection as if he was a scientist looking down a microscope.
Zaki actually decided to pick the flowers himself instead of just buying a bouquet. He didn't have enough time to prepare for this sudden confession so he thought that this was the best thing he could do for now. Honestly, he still found it hard to believe. He couldn't believe that his heart, which was breaking so badly and felt heavy as hell until this morning was now as light as a feather.
As Zaki gazed at the flower he was about to pick, he couldn't help but smile. He didn't know that doing something so simple like this would make his heart forget all the worries. He didn't know that just by picking a flower for someone special would make him feel that the world, which he thought was always cruel and never fair, was now starting to appear bright and lovely in his eyes. It was as if the uncertain gloomy world in his eyes was changing into something that seemed to be too good to be true.
The fresh and seemingly magical blooming flowers were like tiny spirits singing a sweet song for him, as if telling him the words, 'lift your face and see, open your heart and feel, fly and let love free your jaded soul'.
Zaki was starting to feel emotional. All these years, Zaki did enjoyed his life, the life Sei had given him wasn't bad at all. He knew he was so damn lucky to have met Sei and their mother. He was happy to have a new family and have little Shin. They were all the blessings that made him believe in humanity. They were all like oxygen giving him life. He thought that that was enough. But there was always that void in his heart. He always felt that there was something missing. He always felt incomplete.
For a long time now, Zaki already knew that Hinari was that missing piece of him but he refused to let her in and complete him. He was swallowed by his own fear and pain that he chained himself in his own cage. The funniest thing was that the missing piece was the one which chased him and made him surrender. She forced open the cage and sat inside it with him, coaxing him to step out of his self-built prison.
As Zaki thought about it, Hinari's giggling face began to appear before him. He could only imagine her as the lady general smiling victoriously as she pointed her loving sword at his heart, telling him to surrender and raise his white flag obediently and give her his life. These thoughts made Zaki smile again and at the same time, blush. Indeed, this world was strange. Fate was strange and love was strange. He finally realized that no matter what kind of reason it was, even if its death; never run away from love.
That moment, for some reason, Zaki suddenly felt like going back home right away. He felt like he was already missing her. Feeling this way, Zaki finally understood Sei's behavior and he could only bite his own lip.
"So this is how it felt, huh." He uttered as if he was talking to the flowers in his hand.