Chapter 4: Shadows in the Light

Hikaru sat alone at the café table, the warmth of the golden sunlight outside in sharp contrast to the growing unease he felt inside. Ryuu had been gone for only a few minutes, but the weight of their earlier conversation lingered, heavy and unsettling.

He stared down at his sketchbook, flipping through the pages again, stopping at the drawing of Ryuu. The lines seemed to move, shifting slightly, like the image wasn’t quite finished, or perhaps wasn’t meant to be static. Hikaru had never experienced anything like this before. He reached out, his fingers hovering just above the sketch, afraid to touch it.

A gust of wind from the door being opened startled him, and he quickly closed the sketchbook as Ryuu stepped back inside. There was a tightness in Ryuu’s expression now, the easy smile from before slightly dimmed. He slid into the seat opposite Hikaru, but something had shifted in him.

“Sorry about that,” Ryuu said, his voice still light, though his eyes were distant. “Just some family stuff.”

Hikaru nodded, not wanting to pry. He was still trying to make sense of everything that had happened—the drawing, the Frame, the strange connection he felt to Ryuu. But the tension that had crept into the air made it harder to speak. Ryuu had been so open before, and now, a wall seemed to have gone up between them.

For a moment, they sat in silence. Hikaru fidgeted with the edge of his sketchbook, his mind racing with questions he didn’t know how to ask. What did Ryuu mean earlier, about fate? Did he feel the same strange pull that Hikaru did?

Ryuu suddenly leaned forward, his eyes sharp again. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, his voice low, almost conspiratorial. “That sketch of me… how did you draw it? You said you didn’t remember doing it.”

Hikaru’s heart skipped a beat. He had been hoping to avoid this conversation, but there was no avoiding it now. Ryuu was too perceptive.

“I don’t know,” Hikaru admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “I… I saw you in a Frame. Before we met.”

Ryuu blinked, clearly taken aback. “A Frame?”

Hikaru nodded, feeling the weight of his secret lift slightly as he began to explain. “I don’t know how it happened. I have these enchanted Frames that show moments from my past, but… one of them showed you. I don’t know why or how, but I saw you in it before I even knew who you were.”

Ryuu stared at him, his expression unreadable. Hikaru braced himself for laughter, or for Ryuu to dismiss his explanation as nonsense. But instead, Ryuu leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as if he were considering something deeply.

“You’re serious,” Ryuu said, his voice steady.

Hikaru nodded, feeling a rush of relief that Ryuu wasn’t mocking him. “I swear, I’m telling the truth. I don’t know what it means, but I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Ryuu was quiet for a long moment, his gaze drifting out the window as if he were lost in thought. When he spoke again, his voice was low, almost hesitant. “Hikaru… there’s something you should know.”

Hikaru’s pulse quickened. There was a seriousness in Ryuu’s tone that made his skin prickle with anticipation. Whatever Ryuu was about to say, it felt important—like the missing piece of a puzzle Hikaru hadn’t even realized he was trying to solve.

“I don’t exactly remember my life,” Ryuu said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Not all of it, at least. I have gaps—huge gaps. Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of something, and then… nothing. Like I wasn’t there for it. I’ll find myself in places I don’t remember going to, doing things I don’t remember starting.” He glanced at Hikaru, his golden-brown eyes full of an emotion Hikaru couldn’t quite name. “It’s been happening for a while now.”

Hikaru’s breath caught in his throat. This was bigger than he’d thought. “What do you mean? Like you black out?”

“Kind of,” Ryuu said, frowning. “But it’s not just that. Sometimes I feel like I’m watching someone else’s life. Like I’m living through memories that aren’t mine.”

Hikaru’s mind spun. The Frames, the sketch, Ryuu’s missing memories—were these things connected? He could feel the pieces beginning to fall into place, but the picture they were forming was still unclear.

“I thought maybe I was going crazy,” Ryuu continued, his voice quiet. “But then you showed me that sketch, and now I’m not so sure. Maybe there’s something more going on—something neither of us can explain.”

The room seemed to close in around them, the quiet café suddenly feeling too small for the enormity of what Ryuu was saying. Hikaru swallowed hard, trying to steady his thoughts. The idea that Ryuu’s life, his very memories, could be tangled up in some unseen force made his own experiences with the Frames seem even more unsettling.

Ryuu leaned forward, his gaze piercing. “Hikaru… I think we’re connected. I don’t know how or why, but I can feel it. Ever since I saw you this morning, it’s like… like I’ve known you all along.”

Hikaru’s chest tightened. That was exactly how he felt. The strange familiarity, the unspoken bond between them—it was too strong to be a coincidence. But what did it mean?

Before Hikaru could respond, the lights in the café flickered, casting long shadows across the walls. Hikaru glanced around, his pulse quickening. The warm, cozy atmosphere of the café now felt darker, like something was lurking just out of sight.

Ryuu tensed, his eyes narrowing as he glanced toward the window. “Did you feel that?”

Hikaru nodded, his skin tingling with unease. The air had shifted, as if something unseen had entered the room.

Without warning, the lights flickered again, and this time they went out entirely, plunging the café into semi-darkness. A murmur of confusion spread through the few other customers, but Hikaru barely heard them. His heart pounded in his chest as a strange sense of dread washed over him.

And then, he saw it.

Outside the window, standing in the street, was a figure. Tall and shadowy, its form was barely distinguishable in the fading light, but Hikaru could feel its presence—cold and menacing. The figure stood still, watching the café, watching them.

Hikaru’s breath caught in his throat, fear crawling up his spine. “Ryuu… do you see that?”

Ryuu’s eyes locked onto the figure, and his expression darkened. “Yeah,” he said, his voice low and tense. “I see it.”

For a moment, neither of them moved, frozen by the sight of the shadowy figure. But then, slowly, the figure turned and began to walk away, disappearing into the misty evening.

Ryuu stood abruptly, grabbing his jacket. “Come on,” he said, his voice tight with urgency. “We need to follow it.”

Hikaru’s heart raced. “What? Why?”

“Because,” Ryuu said, his eyes flashing with determination. “I think that thing has the answers we’re looking for.”

Without another word, Ryuu headed for the door, leaving Hikaru with no choice but to follow. As they stepped outside into the cool evening air, the world felt different—darker, heavier, as if they had crossed a threshold into something unknown.

The figure was already gone, vanished into the streets, but Ryuu moved with purpose, as if he knew exactly where to go. Hikaru trailed behind him, his heart pounding with both fear and anticipation.

Whatever was happening between them—whatever force was pulling them together—it was only just beginning.

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