It was so much fun and inspiration writing this story. I hope that you all had a good read and that this story has touched your hearts. Enjoy the last chapter of Under the Tree.

I had lost track of time, settled in my own slumber. I wasn’t supposed to be sleep, I was supposed to stay awake and watch over him. Wait until he woke up. But my mind got the best of me. Watching the calm on his face only soothed my worries until I drifted as well; the sound of the little leaves left on the tree, rustling in the wind. How long did it take for me to realize I’d fallen asleep? A minute? Five minutes? An hour?

The shuffling of his body woke me. I shifted my shoulder a bit which made me open my eyes. The sky was still dim, but the night had come and gone. It was a new morning. A new day. A new him.

I looked for the sun but realized it was still trying to rise, some of the stars still battling to disappear. His body shuffled some more and I looked down forgetting the stars and the sun. I, instead, watched his face. His nose scrunched up, his forehead wrinkled.

My Taemin.

I smirked, couldn’t help myself. But at the same time, I wondered what he dreamt about. Was it me? Was it her? Was it the him before all this started? What was it like to wake up every ten months and not remember what your life is or was; who is your family or who is your foe? I couldn’t imagine the battle he went through every time. Sometimes, I thought myself selfish. I wanted him all to myself, at the same time, I didn’t. I would argue in my mind how he could fight me every time it happened; how could I go through another new Taemin. But then I would look at him. I fell in love all over again. Every time.

His body moved, his arm stretching over and hitting my lap. The locket fell to the ground and I leaned over a bit so that I could pick it up without disturbing him. I looked around. There was no one outside and by the way the country folk just walked past me and Taemin without batting an eyelash or turning a head yesterday, made me wonder if lots of people sat under this tree. Or maybe they were content with life and didn’t care.

I wish I didn’t care.

But because of Taemin I had to always be alert. Always be aware.

There goes my selfishness again.

I loved the boy and there was no doubt in my mind that I would ever leave him, but anxiety welled up in my thoughts every ten months for fear he wouldn’t feel the same.

I played with the locket in my hands, then opened it up just as he had before he fell asleep. My thumb caressed the picture on the inside. Where had she gotten this? When had she had this locket made? If Rain was still alive, there were so many questions I wanted to ask her. But she was gone. And I had to make sure the same thing didn’t happen to Taemin.

I couldn’t lose him.

I closed the locket back up, pushing it down my jeans pants pocket and securing the picture in my hand as I told Taemin I would. The wind blew, the breeze hitting the bridge of my nose and the wisps of my hair. My nose scrunched itself up. The sudden wind has caused a sting. I felt Taemin shiver in my grasp which made me wonder if this was a bad idea. This morning was becoming a little colder than we’d anticipated.

I scooted closer and embraced his body, hoping my body heat would warm him up. His skin was soft, his arms skinny and fragile. His milky skin contrasted against the tan of mines and I smiled.

I started to hum.

An old tune from back before any of this crazy business happened and I, Taemin, and Rain were one happy family. It was a tune I’d long forgotten but stuck with me in times of worry. And perhaps it was the heat of my body or the subtleness in my voice, but when I started humming, Taemin stopped shivering.

I stopped humming.

My head tilted up towards the sky. I spotted the peak of sun inching its way through.

My fingers caressed Taemin’s shoulder.

I never wanted him to run away from me again.

I would tell him the truth from now on, but this time, I wouldn’t be alone with my burden. Key and Onew were willing to help, willing to aid Taemin in understanding his new life. And if Minho and Jonghyun were available, they said they were more than happy to help as well.

I smiled thinking of everything.

The connection we all had without knowing.

Taemin and Rain.

They had brought us together.

My fingers caressed his shoulders again.

“If I had to love all over again, it would be with you,” I whispered.

It was something I said every ten months. A memory he would never gain nor lose.

This was a memory and memento I kept for myself.

****

My body felt groggy, the shoulders and legs stiff. What was this feeling? Where was I?

My mind felt clear, my body warm.

I fluttered my eyes open, the environment around me nothing but a hazy glow. And then I realized why my body felt so stiff to begin with. Someone had their arms around me?

Who?

A stranger?

I panicked, but my body didn’t move.

My heart raced, my head not even fully clear.

But my eyes were beginning to become just that.

I fluttered a couple more times, adjusting my shoulders in the person’s grasp as much as I could, but just as I did, my eyes were well adjusted and I could see him holding me. This handsome creature with sun kissed glowing skin. His jaw was sharp and set for the sky, his head tilted back. The tresses of his hair flew around him as the wind blew, some shadowing over his eyes. His lashes cast light shadows.  That face…it was so familiar to me.

I found myself smirking.

As if he detected it, he immediately looked down, scaring me at the sudden enlightenment of his features. He smiled at me, teeth gleaming in my eyesight and all. He reminded me of the black silhouetted man that visited me in my dreams, though I knew that was impossible. Unlike the silhouette, he had tangible, kissable lips, with dark brown eyes to match. His hair was actually colored, the sandy brown glowing with the rising sun.

But he was still a stranger none the less.

A stranger that I had a hard time calling just that.

The smile washed from his face when he realized I was staring.

“You didn’t have any bad dreams? Did you?” His voice was like melting chocolate.

A bad dream? Why would I have a bad dream?

I shook my head.

He smiled again.

“That’s quite new.” The statement was more to himself than to me. His hand reached for my cheek but I inched away, an automatic reaction.

“Sorry.” He quickly apologized. I felt awful just by the sound of his voice. “I keep forgetting.”

About what? I wanted to ask. But I didn’t.

“I’m Kai.” He whispered, his hand never leaving my shoulder.

“I’m- I’m-“ I couldn’t think of my name.

“Taemin.” He answered.

Taemin. That sounded right. But how would he know? Does he know me?

He undid his grasp and pushed himself off the ground, followed by a gesturing hand towards me. I shook my head and pushed myself up.

“I’m alright,” I answered, the phrase making me relive a moment of deja-vu.

Where had I said that before?

“W-Why can’t I?” My voice trailed off.

“Remember anything?” He asked.

I nodded.

I saw him push a photo in his pocket and as I moved, I realized I had a ring around my neck. The necklace dangling from my collar. A ring…

“Will you marry me?” The voice echoed.

This man’s. Kai’s voice.

I furrowed my brows. Exactly what was our relationship? We’re we married? We’re we engaged?

“We have a lot of catching up to do.” He smirked and started walking.

Like a bad habit, I followed. Then I stopped.

Why couldn’t I remember anything?

What was going on?

My mind was beginning to feel frustrated, confused, hurt-

“Don’t be sad okay?” His voice surprised me. I didn’t even realize that he’d turned around and stood in front of me. I was sure he had told me that before. Where or when, or why, I wasn’t sure.

He took a free hand and was about to ruffle it through my hair, I could tell. But he stopped himself, perhaps remembering my inch away from him a moment ago.

“Don’t be sad okay?” He repeated.

I looked into his glistening walnut eyes as he spoke. I nodded.

He stretched out his hand to me. I was cautious to take it, but at the same time, it felt right, so I slid my hand down part of his arm, getting touches of his soft yet hard skin. My hand inched into his palm…

And just like that, my heart stopped racing.

Our fingers intertwined.

“Your name is Kai?” I asked.

He nodded.

“And I’m Taemin?”

He nodded again as we strolled down the sidewalk.

“And I have a sister.”

He stopped abruptly. He turned to me.

“You remember her?” He asked. I’m not even sure why I blurted that out, but apparently, I’d been right.

I shook my head.

“It just popped up in my head,” I mumbled.

There was a glint of sadness before he smiled.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, I just blurted out the first thing I that popped into my head. I can’t remem-“

“Shhh.” He soothed, starting our walk again. “We got plenty of time to remember.”

“Just don’t leave me alone, okay?” Another blurt-out moment, but the fear of being alone had surprisingly set into my bones. Before I realized it, I was no longer just holding hands with him, I was clutching his arm.

He rubbed my bare arm with his free hand, cuddling me as if I were a child.

“I’d never dream of it.”

I nodded and loosened up my grasp.

“So my name is Taemin,” I stated. “And your name is Kai.”

“And you had a sister.” He finished. “Her name was Rain, but you called her Rani…”

He talked, and I listened. There was such a familiarity to his voice.

I was alright.