KIARA'S POV 

The white balloon slipped from her hand and flew free into the azure stretch. One balloon, removed from its little family, all alone in the heart of blue, but somehow not lonely, somehow the white seamlessly blending, now dissipating, now gone. How long will it take for my white to become blue? Do I even want that?

As the little, ridiculously adorable girl burst into pitiful tears, my Ruhan gazed at her with all the intent that a six-year-old could muster. I felt that familiar twinge in my heart. Those unpleasant memories of that man; more than anything she resented him for taking away the one thing most precious to her: faith. How callously he had taunted her when she had realised just how fragile and delicate her space really was. How could it crumble just like that? Why didn't she wait? Why did she run? Was it really that  weak? At least I could save him.

“Ruhan..baby..” I called, relishing the sound of his name. He was my own. He believed in me. I didn’t realise when was it exactly that I shifted my forever to the little fingers which curled up around my thumb the first time I held him and never let go. I won't let go.

The girl Kikyo (Was that her name?) was still crying and Ruhan was awkwardly patting her head. I smiled, despite myself. Next thing I know, Ruhan was air-boxing all around an open-mouthed, wide-eyed Kikyo. Well, that got her to stop crying, I’ll give him that.

“Ruhan, baby, what are you doing?” I asked, as I knelt beside him.

“Mumma...I am hitting bad sky for taking away Kiku’s balloon.” He said to me, solemnly. I looked at his Kiku who was smiling shyly at me. I smiled at her and turned to Ruhan.

I nodded gravely. “Is the air sorry now?”

“Should be...I hit very hard, like Power Rangers!” He grinned from ear to ear.

“Mumma mumma…” He tugged at the sleeve of my smocked-waist dress of periwinkle blue and He beckoned me close to his mouth. As I bent down, he whispered “Can I buy her a balloon?”

A laugh bubbled out of me. “You wanted ice-cream too. Choose one.” I knew that was going to rattle him up. He loved ice-cream more than anything in the whole wide world.

His face cast over as his little face, with shaggy black hair (I have to get him a hair-cut!), crunched up in deep thought.

“Both?” He ventured tentatively.

I shook my head. He frowned. “But...but its ice-cream, you promised…”

“Okay, then let’s go have ice-cream.”

“But..but it’s…” His voice lowered. “...it’s Kiku…”

I wanted to a little bit more. “One, Ruhan, that’s the deal.”

He pulled out his tongue at me and ran away, crying “Mean mumma...mean mummaa”

I smiled apologetically at Kikyo, who was fiddling with her pretty frock, blushing profusely and ran after him. “Baby...Ruhan...stop, come back…”

 JIYONG'S POV 

I did not k