"Somebody help me," I cried out as two boys cornered me after kindergarten.
"Stop crying and give us your toy Madoka!" one of the boys shouted at me angrily.
I was cornered by them in a dead end street. No one was there to help me.
I cried and cried, hoping someone will help me. I held my teddy bear my grandma gave me.
"I won't... S-s-somebody... help me!" I cried out very loud but no one came. My eyes widened, tears coming out.
"Madoka, if you don't listen to me I'm going to punch you!!" One of the boys warned me, getting ready to punch me at any moment.
"..." I looked at the boy who warned me, not caring about his warning.
"Okay then!!" He threw a punch at me, everything went slow like time itself slowed down.
I slowly closed my eyes as I cried.
"Ahh..."
Suddenly I heard the boy who was about to punch me scream.
"Leave her alone!!" A sharp confident voice came in front of me.
As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw a boy I've never met before.
He stood in front of me like a hero.
"Who the hell are you!" One of the bullies shouted at the boy.
"Stay out of this or we'll beat you up." The other one followed.
"Two against one? That's not fair." The boy in front of me said coldly.
He didn't turn his gaze from those bullies.
During that time I felt something I never felt before. It felt like something warm wrapped around me.
Who is this?
Tears were still streaming down my face.
"You Little Brat!!" One of the bullies was about to punch him but then.
"What's going on there?" An elderly woman shouted as she came to us.
"You guys are lucky this time but not next!" The bullies ran away when they heard the voice.
The boy slowly turned toward me. His eyes were calm.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm Hamasaki Tamotsu. Don't worry. You are safe now"
When he talked to me, his voice was gentle and soft. He smiled at me and slowly approached me. He was completely different from the one who stood against those bullies.
When he bent down next to me, I started clinging to Tamotsu like a baby. I was crying not because I was scared but because this is the first time I ever felt safe.
"Thank You!!" I kept thanking him through my tears.
He patted my head as I cried, comforting me, and walked me home.
Then the next day, "Madoka, your friend came to see you!" my mother called out to me.
"Friend?" I didn't have any friends and I was always alone.
I went to see who it was then.
"Tamotsu-kun?" it was the boy who saved me yesterday.
"Hey, how are you doing?" he asked with a smile.
Ever since that day, he always came to my house to play with me. And even had a secret base behind the kindergarten.
We usually kept treasure items, like toys our families gave us, in our secret base and collected flowers we liked.
He was always smiling and full of energy. I admire him and want to be happy like him.
We played and had fun a lot. Before I met him, all the boys around me bullied me and made fun of me. I was scared, terrified. If Tamotsu didn't save me that day, what would happen to me?
Would I ever be able to be friends with boys? Would I ever be able to make friends?
I kept asking myself that every day.
One day I went to the same place we met every day. But Tamotsu wasn't there.
"Maybe he will be late," I muttered as I sat down. He always waited for me but this time,
I guess I will be the one waiting.
Minutes passed, hours passed. Tamotsu never showed up.
"Why is he so late?" I muttered angrily as I hugged myself.
I waited from the morning to evening. He never showed up.
I slowly stood up and went back home. I wasn't feeling happy at all.
"Did he betray me?" I asked myself as tears slowly fell across my cheek.
"Oh I forgot to tell you, Tamotsu moved out to a different city." My mother said as soon as I got back home.
"Why?" I asked, shocked to hear that.
"Did he move because he hated me??"
I was scared that he would hate me like other boys. I don't want to lose him.
"Oh dear, it's not like that." My mother comforted me as she slowly sat down and hugged me gently.
"He didn't hate you at all, he came today but you weren't at home. He said that he wanted to say goodbye to you but I guess that's how it is now."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes, and he said he promised he would meet you again someday in the future."
"Future?" I slowly looked up into my mom's eyes.
She smiled happily.
"Don't worry my dear Madoka. You will meet him again."
As soon as she finished her words, I remembered Tamotsu smiling gently at me.
"Tamotsu-kun"
10 years later...