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Ekko sat in the same spot where he had sat with Powder, in a timeline where everything was different—better, so much better—as if it were just a dream and none of it could have been real.But how could it not be real when he could still remember the feeling of kissing her?
Can we just pretend like it's the first time?
What would she have said if she knew that, for him, it truly was the first time?He had kissed the girl he’d loved since he was a little boy.His first and still only love.He looked at the empty space beside him and sighed, the memory still so vivid in his mind.
Her blue eyes.
Her smile.
The loving look in her eyes meant only for him.
Her warm hand on his face, just before she kissed him.
Her sweet lips.
He sighed again.Would his life really have been so different if, years ago, Vi had been the one to die instead? And will it be so much different for Vi now that Jinx has sacrificed herself for her?How cruel could fate be? Could only one truly be happy without the other? So many questions...He pulled a small note from his pocket, folded it, lit it on fire, and watched as the message floated and slowly disappeared with the flame that consumed it mid-flight.If only we’d had more time, he thought. He didn’t realize he had been watched for several minutes from the shadows by curious eyes with pink irises. She wasn’t even sure why she had come. It was risky, so incredibly risky. But she loved the thrill of the unknown and dangerous.She had sacrificed herself for her sister, but her sacrifice wasn’t death—it was that she would never be able to see her again or hold her. It had been the only solution.She was too clever not to seize the opportunity to disappear into the ventilation shaft and vanish from sight. Yet she could still feel the lingering sensation of what it was like to want to end it all.If he hadn’t stopped her—Ekko, who had appeared like a savior in the final seconds—she wouldn’t even be here now.She noticed him getting up and backed further into the darkness when the clatter of some random piece of junk lying in her path gave her away.“Damn it...” she whispered to herself.“Hey, is someone there?” Ekko immediately tensed, ready for anything. He instinctively adopted a defensive stance.No one responded. He took two steps forward.A faint whisper sounded, but he couldn’t quite make out the words. Just something that sounded like: bad idea.“Show yourself, coward!”“Coward?” A voice answered, freezing him in place. “Well, I’ve been called worse...”She stepped out of the shadows, wearing a dark coat that concealed her normally unmistakable blue hair and outfit. She pulled back her hood, revealing her bright pink eyes and crooked smile.Ekko exhaled in shock.“You’re...”“Yeah... alive. Surprise!” she declared theatrically. “But if you so much as whisper a word of this to anyone, I’ll strangle you with my bare hands!” Her expression left no doubt she wasn’t joking.The last thing she expected was for Ekko to take three quick steps toward her and pull her into a hug. She was so caught off guard that her mouth opened slightly, then closed again as if unsure why he’d done it. In the end, she shoved him away and stepped back.“Hey, are you out of your mind?”“Is it a crime to be glad you’re alive?”“I’m tempted to say yes, considering most of the city has wanted me dead or locked up for years. Including you.”“I wouldn’t put it like that...”“Doesn’t matter. Look... can we just pretend this didn’t happen and that you didn’t see me here? We’ll both go our separate ways.” She turned on her heel, ready to leave. “Take care, Boy Savior.”When he suddenly grabbed her hand, she spun back so sharply he was sure that, had she been holding a knife, she’d have used it without hesitation. If she wanted to fight, she absolutely would have. Instead, she gave him a tense, wary look.“Wait a second, okay?”“Wait for what? For someone else to show up and see me here? Not happening! Ugh, they were right—it was a mistake to come here! I’m an idiot, and now I’ll have to knock you out to make sure you forget you saw me! Or worse!”“I just want to talk, nothing more.”“Talk? I don’t want to talk. I hate talking. I prefer things straightforward and simple, like when you pull a grenade pin and it goes boom!” She raised a hand, miming an explosion, which brought an unexpectedly wide grin to her face.“Straightforward and simple? Fine!” He pulled her closer and kissed her.Jinx’s eyes widened in shock, staying open because the last thing she expected was a kiss. For a brief moment, though, she closed them and returned the kiss... before snapping them back open, shoving him away, and looking furious—utterly furious.“Have you completely lost your mind?”“Probably.”Jinx exhaled with a mix of frustration and amusement at the absurdity of the situation. “Don’t ever do that again, got it?”“Or what? Didn’t you say you liked things straightforward and simple, remember?”Jinx frowned, narrowing her eyes as if something unspoken lingered in her gaze.“Just a few minutes ago, I thought I’d never see you again.”“Don’t worry—give me a few minutes, and you really won’t! And this... whatever it was, we’ll both forget about it!”“I won’t...”“What the hell do you mean by that?”Ekko just shrugged, gave her a mysterious smile, turned, and returned to the spot overlooking the city. Jinx could leave, just as she’d said, but her curiosity got the better of her. She wrestled with herself and her imaginary demons for a moment before finally following him.“Spill it!” She sat down beside him.“It’s not the right time yet.”“What?”“If I tell you now and here, you won’t believe me anyway... but maybe I’ll tell you someday.”“Oh, great...” She rolled her eyes. “I love mysteries like this! Such a waste of time.”She moved to stand again when Ekko looked at her. Despite her defiance and aloofness, he could see something else in her expression, just below the surface. Something he couldn’t just ignore.“I know why you did what you did... and I know it must have been hard.”“Please, no pity. I love pity almost as much as I love your mysteries!”“I don’t pity you. It’s more... admirable.”“Ugh. Admirable?” she repeated, incredulously. Ekko nodded.“You gave Vi a new chance... a fresh start. And not just for her.”“Yeah, well... that was the plan...” she said, her tone less sarcastic, sounding almost sad as she pulled her knees to her chest.“You deserve a fresh start, too... somewhere far away from here...”“That’s part of the plan, too...” she mumbled, watching the city lights in the distance.“And... can I join you?”Jinx looked at him. “Are you kidding?”“Not at all.”“Why would you want to join someone like me?”“I have my reasons.”He jumped to his feet and looked down at her, holding out a hand. “What do you have to lose, huh?”Jinx stared at him, her expression a mixture of emotions, then looked at his offered hand. She took it and stood. The two locked eyes for a long moment."You know I’m a deranged, chaotic killer who terrified the entire city, right?"“I know...”“And you know I could kill you at any moment?”“You could try...”“Mmm...”She stared at him intensely for a long time.“All right!”It was only at that moment that she realized they were still holding hands and she let go of his. "But don't get used to this, I'm not really into this sugar-coated stuff!" She said seriously and started to leave.Ekko couldn’t help but smile as he watched her.Jinx glanced back at him, but for a moment, he thought he saw the girl in the white dress he had danced with, smiling at him lovingly.“We’ll see...” he murmured to himself.“You coming or what!?” She frowned.“Sure...” he said, catching up to her. “Where to?”“As far away from here as possible...”“That sounds like a plan...”