The moonlight poured into Airi’s room, casting long silver shadows across the walls. She lay awake on her bed, the sheets tangled around her legs, her heart refusing to settle into sleep. On her desk, the sketchbook she had abandoned earlier was still open, the half-finished drawing staring back at her.

A pair of eyes, sharp yet gentle, drawn with trembling strokes of her pencil. She had never seen him before—at least not in this lifetime. And yet, every night for the past month, those same eyes had followed her into her dreams, pulling her deeper into memories that didn’t feel like her own.

Airi sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.

“Why do I feel like I know him?” she whispered to the quiet room.

Her chest ached with a strange longing she couldn’t understand. It wasn’t just curiosity. It was deeper—like her very soul recognized someone her mind had forgotten.

She reached for her sketchbook and traced the lines of the boy’s face. The slight curve of his lips, the intensity in his eyes… every detail felt carved into her heart.

That night, sleep came in waves, heavy and restless. And with it, came the dream again.

She was standing in a garden bathed in moonlight, cherry blossoms fluttering down like pink snowflakes. The air was soft, filled with the scent of spring. She wore clothes she didn’t recognize—an elegant silk robe, delicate embroidery running along the edges.

And then she heard it.

“Airi!”

She turned, her heart skipping. A boy ran toward her. His hair was dark, his clothes marked him as someone noble, but it was his eyes that rooted her in place. Those same eyes from her sketchbook.

“Don’t leave me!” he cried out, desperation cracking his voice.

Her lips parted, her chest heavy with something unspeakable. She wanted to reach out, to answer him, but her throat closed. The blossoms around them swirled faster, a storm of petals. And before she could move, the world shattered into shards of light.

Airi woke with a gasp, her breath ragged, her hands trembling against her sheets. Her heart was racing as though she had been running. She pressed her palm against her chest, the warmth from that dream boy’s gaze still lingering.

“Who are you?” she whispered into the dark.

Morning arrived in a haze. The streets were filled with chatter, the usual buzz of students heading to school, but Airi felt detached, her mind still stuck in the dream. She clutched her sketchbook tightly as if holding onto it would keep that world from slipping away.

By the time she entered the school building, her thoughts were a blur. She barely registered the excited whispers around her.

“Have you seen him?”

“Yeah, the new transfer student. He’s so handsome!”

“I heard he’s from another city.”

Airi didn’t care—until she saw him.

He stood near the lockers, sunlight streaming in from the window behind him, giving him an almost ethereal glow. He looked calm and confident, yet there was a heaviness in his posture, like he carried invisible burdens.

Her heart stopped.

It was him.

The boy from her dream.

Airi froze mid-step. Her breath hitched as his eyes lifted and met hers. For a moment, the entire hallway seemed to fade away. The chatter, the footsteps, the noise—it all dissolved into silence.

His gaze pierced through her, and she felt the same jolt she had felt in the dream. Recognition. Longing. Pain.

She clutched her sketchbook tighter against her chest, her fingers trembling.

Then, as if breaking the silence that bound them, he smiled faintly. Not the casual smile of a stranger, but the kind that carried unspoken familiarity.

“Hi,” he said softly, his voice warm, almost careful. “Do I… know you from somewhere?”

The words hit her like lightning.

Airi’s breath caught. Her mind screamed that this was impossible, that they were strangers, that she had never seen him before in her life. And yet… her heart whispered otherwise.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, her grip on her sketchbook faltered. The book slipped from her hands and fell to the floor with a soft thud.

Her stomach twisted as it opened on the page—the drawing. His face etched in pencil, staring up at both of them.

He bent down slowly, his eyes falling on the sketch. For a second, his composed expression faltered. His eyes widened, a flicker of shock passing through them before he masked it again.

When he straightened, sketchbook in hand, his gaze locked onto hers. This time, there was no mistaking it.

Recognition.

“...This can’t be real,” Airi thought, her entire body trembling as he handed the sketchbook back to her. Their fingers brushed, just barely, but the touch sent a rush of heat through her arm and straight into her heart.

The hallway noises returned, muffled and distant, as if she were underwater. The only thing that felt real was the warmth of his hand and the storm in his eyes.

She wanted to ask him—Who are you? Why do I feel like I’ve known you forever? Why does my heart hurt when I look at you?

But the words refused to leave her lips.

All she could do was stare, her chest rising and falling rapidly, as if her soul had finally found something it had been searching for across lifetimes.

In his eyes, she saw the same question. The same pain. The same longing.

This was no coincidence.

Their story was beginning again.

Airi couldn’t shake the moment from her mind. The way Ren’s eyes widened when he saw her sketch… the way his fingers brushed hers. It was as if the whole world had vanished, leaving only the two of them suspended in silence.

But silence didn’t give answers. Silence only fed her confusion.

“Do I know you?” His voice replayed over and over in her head, so familiar that it frightened her.

That night, she sat by her window, clutching the sketchbook. The city lights flickered below, but her eyes stayed fixed on the moon. Her heart whispered a truth her mind refused to accept—this wasn’t the first time they had met.

And then… the dream returned.

The garden, the blossoms, the boy. His eyes filled with desperation. She felt her own tears burning as he reached for her hand.

“I’ll find you… no matter how many lifetimes it takes,” he said. His lips moved with such certainty, his voice like an oath sealed across centuries.

Airi gasped and woke up, her whole body trembling. Those words echoed inside her like a forgotten promise.

---

The next day at school, she avoided Ren. She thought if she kept her distance, the strange pull between them would fade. But fate wasn’t so kind.

It happened after class. She was walking home when the sound of screeching tires ripped through the street.

A car swerved too close—too fast. Airi froze, her body refusing to move.

And then, strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her to safety just as the car rushed past. The world spun, her heartbeat thundered, and when she opened her eyes—Ren was holding her tightly against his chest.

“Are you insane?!” His voice was sharp, but his eyes… his eyes trembled with fear. “Why didn’t you move?”

“I… I couldn’t,” Airi whispered, her voice shaking.

Ren’s grip didn’t loosen. His hand pressed protectively against the back of her head, and for a moment, she swore she heard his heartbeat pounding as fast as hers.

And then it happened—just for an instant.

When their eyes met, the world blurred. She saw flashes—images that weren’t hers. A sword. Blood on cherry blossoms. A girl crying. A boy falling.

Airi gasped, breaking the connection, her hands trembling.

“What… was that?” she whispered.

Ren stared at her, equally shaken. His lips parted as though he wanted to say something… but he stayed silent.

For the first time since meeting him, his calm mask cracked, revealing something raw. Something hidden. Something dangerous.

---

That night, Airi couldn’t sleep. The flashes replayed in her mind, as vivid as her dreams. But now… it wasn’t only her.

Ren had seen it too.

Which meant… she wasn’t imagining things.

---

Cliffhanger ending:

The next day, as Airi approached her locker, she froze. A folded note had been slipped between her books. The paper smelled faintly of cherry blossoms.

Her hands shook as she opened it. The handwriting was sharp, almost hurried.

“Stay away from him… or history will repeat itself.”

Airi’s blood ran cold.

The note burned in Airi’s hands.

Stay away from him… or history will repeat itself.

Her heart pounded as she reread the words again and again. Who could have left it? And what did it mean by “history”?

Her mind spun with questions, but one truth pressed against her chest—whoever wrote it knew about her and Ren. About the strange bond they shared.

She kept the note hidden, folding it tightly in her pocket as Ren’s voice suddenly called from behind.

“You look pale…" Are you okay?”

Airi turned, startled. Ren was watching her with those unreadable eyes, his expression calm yet searching.

She forced a smile. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. I'm just tired.”

But he didn’t believe her. She could see it in his gaze, in the way his jaw tightened slightly. He didn’t press her, though. Instead, he walked beside her in silence.

It should have felt awkward. But it didn’t. It felt… safe. Too safe.

And that was the problem.

That night, the dreams came again.

This time, it wasn’t blossoms. It was fire. Screams.

Airi’s past self cried out as soldiers dragged her away. Ren’s past self fought desperately, his sword flashing under the moonlight. Blood sprayed across white petals.

She reached for him—

“Ren!”

His hand stretched toward her, but just before their fingers touched, a blade pierced his back. His eyes widened, pain and sorrow flooding them, and he fell to his knees.

“No!” Airi screamed, jolting awake, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Her chest heaved, every breath like broken glass. She had seen it. His death.

And it felt too real to be just a dream.

The next day, she couldn’t face him. Every time she saw Ren in the hallway, her throat closed, her body trembling with the memory of his blood.

But fate didn’t let her run.

After school, rain poured heavily, drenching the streets. Airi hurried with her umbrella, but someone grabbed her wrist, pulling her under the shelter of a tree.

It was Ren. His hair was soaked, droplets sliding down his jaw, but his eyes burned with intensity.

“Why are you avoiding me?” he demanded softly, his voice low, almost pained.

Airi’s lips trembled. “I… I don’t know.”

He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “Don’t lie. I can feel it, too. Every time I look at you—it’s like I’ve already lost you once before.”

Her breath caught. His words mirrored the ache in her own soul.

And then, suddenly—he froze. His eyes widened as if something broke inside him.

Images flashed in his mind—blood, swords, her crying face. He staggered back, clutching his head.

“Airi…” His voice cracked. “Why do I… remember you?”

Lightning split the sky, illuminating his trembling figure. His eyes—once calm and unreadable—now glowed with recognition and fear.

And for the first time…Ren remembered

...----------------...

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