Rin was sprawled out on the grass. Haruka sat on a small portable chair with his paints. The two of them had found this clearing in their town when they were children. So far, they'd kept it a secret place for the two of them.

Considering the millions and millions of people in Japan, you would think that the collection of islands would have no empty spaces. You would think there would be nowhere that was left to be discovered.

You would think.

And yet, people huddle together. They build cities. And most of the millions stay together, all on top of each other, in these compact cities.

This left the Japanese countryside rather untouched.

Sure, they knew, before them, this was probably someone else's, and in the future, after they were long gone, this would again be someone else's.

But, right now, it was theirs.

Rin's eyes were on the clouds. They were moving quickly, racing overheard. Some days, like this one, clouds burst past him. They moved as though they seemed to think they were late.

Other times, they stood still, sitting above him, casting shadows on top of him.

On either side of him were mountains. Occasionally, he'd look to one side or the other to admire them.

Right now though, he watched the clouds.

He took in a deep breath.

Here, the air was clean. It tasted different than it did in the city, different even than it did in their small town. It was crisper somehow.

In the distance, if he listened closely, he could hear the sound of a small river. He and Haruka frequently fished there. They had a trip planned for next week.

For someone who was always in a rush, someone who always had places to go, Rin felt strangely lethargic here. Here, he could feel at peace. Time stopped. All his other concerns faded away.

He let out his long breath.

Really, this place gave him the utmost sense of awe. Haruka knew Rin loved it here, and Rin had indicated this several times to Haruka. Yet, Rin still asked, "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in the whole world?"

Haruka, who had been engulfed in his art, was suddenly pulled into conversation. Haruka looked down at Rin. His eyes narrowed on Rin and he dropped his paintbrush into the water.

Haruka never needed many words to make his point. He always managed to say the most powerful things using the least words possible.

One word.

One word was all it took.

"You."