Dawn's Sorrow

(I don't love you, but for the sake of this wager, we have to be together.)

The city tower was steeped in the warm glow of the setting sun. A young man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out over the world. Falling blossoms and maple leaves together paid tribute to a beautiful moment. The passing years carried the sound of an ancient bell into his ears. It seemed that only the boy standing atop the city tower understood Kyoto's sorrow.

That chapter of the past had long since faded, yet the wound in his heart still throbbed faintly. The young woman's final love had not yet been defined. He only wanted to hear it once more, to find out whether he had made the wrong choice.