Disclaimer: I do not own Marmalade Boy.

A/N: Hello everyone, xiao-yu01 here! This is my second try to post a fic. When I was planning my second story, I thought of changing the setting of Marmalade Boy, making it into an ancient one. I thought of making something different . . . ~__^. My friend, li-yingfa1 helped me in making this plot (thanks to her!). So, I hope you'll be able to like this! Hope you'll enjoy! Don't forget to send a review, okay?! Thanks! ^__^

Summary: She was a simple girl who lived a simple life . . . with a mere wish. He was a rich man, who looked at life in a diverse way. A different time . . . A different place . . . As far as the sun setting, a love and vow shared by two different people.

Notes: the bold letters that you might encounter are the lines that the author narrates, while the other letters that are not bold is the character's point of view.

The Promise Of Sunset

By: xiao-yu01

Chapter 1: Before the Day Ends

"I'd fly for you . . ."

####Ten years before####

Here I am again, again in this same old place . . . Here in the white sand, watching the waves as it danced along the peaceful waters. I was looking far at the scenic horizon, seeing how lovely it was. This is where I use to go whenever I feel gloomy, for me to shelve my thoughts and just gaze at the serene atmosphere here. People were anxious because I choose to spend my free time in this place, instead of playing with my fellow children . I may appear rather odd to them. "Who cares, anyway?" I thought. I decided to sit, and then hugged my petite knees. Stillness filled the air at that moment. But suddenly . . .

"Hey, this place is pretty nice, don't you think?" a gentle voice said.

I lifted my head gradually. Then, there was him, standing beside me. Slowly, he turned his head. Then with that, he looked at me, and then he gave a smile . . . a sincere smile. His round, russet eyes imparted nothing, but my heart suddenly beat hastily at that moment. His dreamy eyes matched his golden hair. The wind was blowing smoothly that flipped it. He was a boy at my age. At that time, I smiled back at him.

"Do you usually go here?" he asked, sitting down next to me.

I just nodded at him. I didn't know what to do, for I thought I was the only one here. Then all of a sudden, a boy is now sitting near me.

"Its really calm. I like it here. I wonder why I didn't go in this place before." he continued, looking at the unruffled sea.

Miki just stared at the boy at that moment. She was feeling something she can barely explain. Silence reigned at the place; the waves could only be visibly heard.

"Do you live here in Corall village?" these words freed from Miki's lips, shattering the silence around them.

"Yes."

"Oh, I see. But you don't look familiar to me. Are you just new here?" Miki asked, still focusing her gaze at the boy.

Strangely, he didn't answer me. Instead, he stared again at the sea. I wonder if he ever did hear me. He was just smiling, as if it was his first time to go to a beach or gaze at the sea. Funny, but I just looked intently at him, it seems that I was captivated. Just then, he unexpectedly turned his head at my direction. I didn't know what to do, so, I bowed my head right away, pretending I was not even gazing at him.

"Can we be friends? I'm just new here. I don't have that much friends yet." the boy muttered.

"Oh, sure." I replied, still looking down at my feet.

"That's good!" the boy said as he glared at Miki. "May I know your name?"

"My name is Miki." she replied. "How about you?" she continued, facing the boy, leisurely. Then again, he turned soundless. Miki didn't bother to utter a word.

The boy was absentmindedly playing with the white sand, stroking his chubby, little fingers. Flock of birds suddenly streaked over them as it created some chirping sounds, shattering the silence for a moment. Then like a ripple in the water, the resonance of it faded and stillness prevailed again.

I kept looking at the direction where the flock of birds had gone. "I wish I am a bird." I said; my eyes fixed at the same direction.

"Why? The boy asked me, averting his attention from the sea.

"Because it can fly gracefully through the air.", I answered, my expressions still the same.

"I'd fly for you" the boy said, getting up as he spread his arms and walked in circles, muttering sounds that I assumed was supposed to sound like a bird. Then I ignored him, my eyes gazed at the alluring horizon.

"Then I could travel to places I want, feel free and I could dive in and out of the clouds," I said.

"Aren't you satisfied with the early morning mist?" the boy asked, sitting back beside me again. He tried to finger the fine, damp fog.

"I could hear the wind rushing past me as I fly." Miki went on dreamily.

"What's wrong with the breeze here?" the boy asked her, closing his eyes to fully appreciate the air running its fingers over his face.

"I'd be able to touch the stars!" Miki persisted.

"We could catch the falling stars!" the boy hooted out, throwing his hands in the air as if he expected one to descend that very moment.

"And I could meet a lot of people from different places. I'll be free." Miki continued, stubbornly.

"Yeah . . . Maybe its fun being a bird." the boy mumbled.

There was again silence around us, as if it will be there for eternity. Yet again, flock of birds flew over us. "I wish I am a bird." I muttered.

The boy stood up quickly as he grasped my hand. Then with that, I stood up as well.

"Follow me." he ordered.

He stretched his arms sideways and started to run around me and created some chirping sounds. I smiled at him as he continued doing it.

"Come on. Try to do it." he continued.

I extended my arms and felt the cool breeze as it cast coldness onto my face. Then with that, I followed him. We were acting like birds. It was some crazy idea of his. But it didn't bother me. We ran across the shore. We were indeed having fun. We felt like we know each other like forever. It was good being with him.

"May I know your name? I was asking you I while ago but you didn't answer me."

"Uhmmm . . ." funny, but that was all he can utter. The waves reached the seashore, which somehow fascinated him. He turned his head to its direction, and then again, stared at it.

The boy remained silent and thought to himself, "Should I say my name to her? No . . . I should hide my true identity. She should not know that I'm Matsuura Yuu. (a/n: You'll be able to know why he should hide it in the upcoming chapters) . I just escaped from our guards. . . Good thing they didn't notice me."

"Uhmmm . . . My name is . . . Is . . . Is . . . Uhmmm . . . Kai!" the boy muttered. "Right, I'm Kai."

"Kai?" I asked, glaring closely at him. "That means sea, right?"

"Yes. How did you know what it means?

I didn't answer him . . . I just smiled. Then, he smiled back at me as well.

Days have passed; Miki and Kai became very good friends. They were always at the beach, spending every other day at that place. . . It was their own world.

We are indeed innocent 'cause we're still kids. We don't know what's in, in the outside world. . . We were carefree. The beach became our meeting place and everyday, we are together, watching the sea and waiting for the beautiful sunset.

"You know, Miki . . . I really like to draw." Kai said, holding a piece of paper and a pencil, which I assumed was overused. "I want to draw the beautiful things around the world, to design some statues, sculptures, design the dream house of mine . . ." he went on, pensively. He then glared at me and started to stroke some lines in the paper.

"Hey, what are you drawing?" I asked curiously at him, looking on his paper.

"Don't move." he ordered. "I'm trying to draw you."

After some few minutes of not moving, as what he said, he finally showed me his work. It was obvious that a child draw this one. However, at his young age, it is very surprising to see that an 8-year-old boy made this drawing. It was worth it.

"Yeah, I know what you are thinking, its ugly!" he exclaimed as he drove the paper away from my hands.

"No, no. It's really pretty! Believe me." I told him, trying to bring back his confidence. "Its good that you have a dream. It's nice that you yearn for something. And that will make you a better person."

"Thanks." Kai muttered back. "Oh, have someone told you of the exquisite sunset that only happens ten years after it last uncovered here? They say that you can ask for a wish while the sun descends at the horizon. It will be surely granted. And . . ." he continued. ". . . If two people are together as they watched it, they will never be separated from each other, no matter what happens, fate will never let them lose their way from each other."

"Really?! I'd be wanting to see that sunset." Miki thought as she stared at the scene where the sun goes down, as if expecting it to happen at that instant.

"This is the tenth year after that sunset has occurred. I suppose that it will take place tomorrow. I really want to witness it and be able to draw it." Kai said. "And Miki, I want you to be at my side as we watch it. Will it be okay for you?"

"And we will be together, fate will not let us lose our way, right?" Miki asked him as she grinned. "I'd be happy to be with you while gazing at it.

The two children promised each other that they would again meet at that place, for them to wait for the exquisite sunset, different from the others that you typically see, which only happens rarely. They promised . . . A promise abounded amidst this two innocent people . . . It was a child's promise.

The next day came very quickly as if it was just a while ago that Kai and I promised to meet at the beach. I ran towards our house to ask permission from my parents. But all of a sudden, I was welcomed by the manner I wasn't thinking would ever happen at all. Women and children were running away, crying as the mothers held their child close in their arms. Men were holding buckets of water as they tried to stop the fire that has ruined some of the houses . . . Their home. I ran hurriedly towards our house. But people pushed me away as they struggled to escape the danger that was taking place.

"Mother! Father!" I yelled amidst the huge crowd around me. But there was no response, mother and father was nowhere of sight. Then unexpectedly, something took hold of my hand. It was my aunt Ayame, my father's sister. She was crying. "Where's mother and father, auntie?" I asked. But she didn't speak, she just merely cried. Then my vision hastily blurred . . . The scene disappeared from my eyes.

The next thing I could only remember is that when I recovered my sanity, I realized that we were riding on a cart that was driven by a horse. I lifted by faint body and sat. There, I saw aunt Ayame grieving, not only her, but the others who were at the cart as well. Mother and father weren't with us. Sadness conquered the atmosphere. "I couldn't stand it!" I thought. I turned my head and saw the sun setting, it was a different sunset, and it was very stunning. I never had seen one so beautiful before.

"Kai is waiting for me!" I exclaimed as I stared at the sun as it descended. "He must be there right now . . . We promised that we'll be together as we welcome this sunset." I wanted to run and go to the scene where the sunset is . . . We should be together before the day ends . . . We promised. But it was too late. I can't be there now. All I can do is just gaze at it as the cart gradually pulled me away from the scene where the sun is. "I broke our promise." I whispered to myself. Tears started to tumble from my eyes. Then the setting slowly faded out of my sight. It became dusky and haze as it totally ceased. All I can see was darkness . . . Darkness . . .

A grown up lady suddenly got up from her bed. Her brown hair was snarled as droplets of sweat poured from her forehead. She stroked her slender fingers as she tried to smear the sweat. It was Miki.

I was breathing heavy when I awoke. I realized that everything was all just a dream . . . A mere illusion from my mind.

. . . A mere illusion that constantly brought back the memories of the past. The memories that still linger inside me, I didn't want to forget. Through the years those memories has been with me . . .

. . . Constantly

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So, what do you think? Please tell me, please send a review ^__^! I need to see your comments or suggestions. Please ^__^?! Thanks ~__^!