The Abandoned [Nao]

Solemn Park: A place where any person or creature alike could come and enjoy the serene, peaceful environment. This was a place where one could make wishes, spend time with their loved ones, take in the scenery for what it was, create masterpieces, enjoy the day, live their life. . . It was an area untouched by the darkness or corruption of the land, left in a strange stasis of happiness and solitude. The green that spread across the entirety of the park was not only fresh in the grass, but the trees that scattered across the land. It was a place that seemed to be the ideal escape for those needing such comfort.

Including the dearly departed.

The setting sun created a blanket of a soft orange across the sky, the clouds rolling by to create shadows that provided a cool breeze. Despite it lasting for only a moment, it was a welcome change to the soft breeze that brushed through the park on a day such as this. Such a sight of twilight was even a distraction to the one being stuck to the ground firmly, holding items in her arms with a grip that clarified its importance. It was the first day here for her in the land of Fiore, and one of the first duties she had to complete was the delivery of the items in her grasp to the one she was asked to look after.

How such a person would handle the news was beyond The Guardian's knowledge.

Taking a moment to look down upon the items in Sora's arms was a red, baggy hat that a certain girl used to wear a good portion of her life. Then there was the small, purple bag she used to carry an infinite amount of things. Although, she only carried small things like medical supplies or mementos from those she had met. And then there was her yukata, the one thing the girl wore even in her final days before passing away. It was something that was precious and monumental to the girl's growth as a person. Each and every item held such great importance to her, and now Sora found herself lost and stuck.

Sora felt like she was just. . . letting it all go to a person that she hoped would be there for the one she looked after, but rarely ever was. The deity could barely look upon such items without experiencing a sense of unbearable sadness constantly hanging over her, gaze softening as she gave them all a gentle squeeze. It would be obvious to any passing stranger that the woman was in near tears, yet she dared not to let any of them fall. She needed to find the person that Shu asked her to look after - the person she promised she would look after.

She needed to find the person that stirred some mixed feelings within the angel.

There were barely any thoughts to be read in Solemn Park of that time of the day. All seemed to be eerily quiet, silent, yet it gave of a sense of a calm and welcome air of peace. It was intriguing to Sora to experience such a welcoming change of warmth until the voice of a man entered the realm that was her mind. His thought process echoed faintly throughout her mind, causing the slightest tilt of her head to take place while her pink tinted lips parted in curiosity. The man's thoughts seemed to focus on what seemed to be the names of people, and specific details about them. Albeit she wouldn't have wished to pry, she couldn't really control this ability she adapted for years on end. It was both a blessing yet a curse to know so much about the human race, and what thoughts always permeated the realms that were their hearts and minds.

Although, it was the little joke he thought of that seemed to make her smile in the slightest out of a pure sense of amusement. Albeit it was a bit cheesy it was something that certainly lightened her mood, even if for only a small moment of the dimming afternoon that was slowly transforming into the evening. It was then that the echoes of his thoughts seemed to fade into the mute darkness where the end of thoughts went to, leaving Sora to return to the slight frown that was on her face. Little had she known that the very thoughts of the person she was listening to was making their way towards her, leaving the angel particularly startled within but keeping a calmed exterior on the outside.

Little had she known that the very person that had came up to her was the one she was looking for.

The one she vowed to look after.

The Guardian could have sworn for a small moment she heard Shu's voice, encouraging her to trust in the mage's words of kindness before telling him the cold and painful truth of his friend's end. Sora merely kept her head down, refusing to make eye contact with the man that was known as Nao - a heavy weight keeping her nearly glued to the spot. There were no thoughts echoing throughout his mind as he spoke to her, allotting her time to run through what to say in the deepest reaches of her heart before the angel spoke up with the utmost sincerity and seriousness that she could muster.

Step One. . . Confront him.

"Ah, I see. . . Thank you very much for your kind and informative words, sir. But I am afraid I cannot leave just yet, for I actually have news to deliver to someone - someone very important whom I need to speak with." It is within this moment that Sora's pair of green eyes shifted upwards to finally make eye contact with Nao's own, unfolding her arms as she readjusted the grip of all the items she had been so carefully hiding within her arms before holding them out to Nao.

Step Two. . . The hardest part.

"Nao, my name is Sora. I am. . . someone who has known Shu Furukawa for a very long time - ever since she was a baby. And I have come today to deliver the news to you that she is no longer a part of this world. She has. . . passed away from the illness she donned from birth, and wanted me to bestow the items she treasured upon you."

Sora would just merely stand there and cast her gaze downward, awaiting Nao's reaction as The Guardian held out the items of the one she looked after for so long - now in the realm of the heavens above. The deity did not hypothesize of what his reaction would be, or what sort of questions he would have. The angel would answer all of them in due time and take care of him whenever possible, for it was her duty. But for now. . .

All she could do was wait in the painful moment that was silence.

It was utterly painful to listen to Nao's voice let alone his thoughts. The intensity of each and every word drummed with ferocity against Sora's subconscious, the tension and unbearable sadness causing the deity to tremble in the slightest before tensing up her entire body to negate it. The angel wanted to hide the pain she was suffering - to stay strong as she knew the very person's items she held would thrive to do the same thing. Just remembering and realizing that there was no known way for such an illness that was known about so little to be cured. . . It ate away at Sora for all the years she had watched the now departed woman grow.

There were many things that Sora noticed about the child as she grew, growing fond of the Furukawa as she lived out her days with its challenges. From the red hat that the maiden received as a gift to the stage in her life where she donned a red yukata. . . The young woman lived out her days even if her memory failed her, and didn't remember the origin - the fate - that would eat away at her until there was nothing left to breathe life into. There were times where Sora would have stepped in unknowingly, causing both trouble for and helping Shu when she felt she needed it. There were days where Sora wouldn't return to the realm of the skies above, instead merely watching over Shu for days on end without utterly a single syllable.

And now here The Guardian was, feeling so small in the cold and hard truth that something so precious to others was gone.

Something so precious to her was gone.

All Sora could do now was straighten herself up, standing properly with her head tilted downwards to the cold ground. It was obvious that there was great pain reflecting in her green orbs, dull of any bright and vibrant life. All the deity did in the passing moment's was listen intently, quietly to the man's thoughts and stages of grief. The Guardian knew this was no easy task to approach, but one can never be prepared for the amount of pain to arrive in doing so for any side.

As Nao spoke softly, weakly, the angel merely listened before she softly spoke. The grip that the blonde had on the items belonging to Shu softened, lifting her head up to look intently to Nao with a faint sense of determination. The man might not like the answer she was about to give, the truth that he was about to hear, but it was something that Shu asked of her. It was only a matter of time now that she get such a truth out of the way, and face Nao's reaction.

It all depended on what she said and how she said it.

People, creatures, entities. . . Every form of life was known to be reckless when in a broken, vulnerable state.

"Nao. . . You must take her things, yes. For I can't keep them and she didn't wish to give these to anyone else. She trusted you to not only keep these items safe, but to care for them. Possibly even pass them down to others that you feel may need them in whatever future that may await you. I understand your grief and your heartache. . . I truly can't comprehend as to why all of this happened myself, but it may be a reason we don't understand or don't wish to see." Taking in a shaky breath, Sora continued. "As much as you believe that Shu should be the one standing here. . . She wouldn't bear to be able to comprehend you suffering from such a fate. She wants you to keep moving onward in your life just as she did with what little time she had left - even if she didn't know it." If Nao was paying careful attention, some of the words Sora used to convey her message was in a present tense instead of the 'what if's'.

It was in this moment that Sora could feel her nerves tensing up, a wave of tension surging through the very depths of her being as she carefully pressed on. Yet the neutral expression on the woman's face did not falter, for she would face whatever questions or reaction Nao revealed. "Shu had the choice of either crawling her way across the land to see you, in turn causing you an insufferable amount of pain, or to isolate herself from the world so that no one but her would feel such pain. . . And she chose to be alone. You can't blame yourself for not being there." Now, it was the moment of truth. "Because I was watching after her when she was passing away in this very park. . . and I didn't so much as act in desperation. I just accepted that she was dying because I knew that's what would have happened from the start. And there was no way any of us could have done anything. And it was after she passed away that I guided her to the place she had up above, and in turn she asked me. . . to look after you."

Sora ignored the shaky cradle that was her own voice as the tears that were bordering her eyes fell in two gentle streams, yet the angel didn't dare break the neutral expression on her face.

She just waited and listened.