Favorite place, a place for two?

Kai's destination was the nearby park, more precisely the small wood next door. There he had one of his favorite places. A place that only a few knew and that rarely anyone passed by. He hadn't even shown Rei that hiding place.
A small lake with a waterfall was hidden behind the brush. Kai found the rushing of the water and the wind in the trees to be pleasant again and again.
He strolled slowly through the park. At this time there was never anything going on here, the people from his neighborhood didn't come here until noon after dinner at the earliest. As he went, he lit a cigarette and blew the blue smoke into the sky. Kai had learned to enjoy moments like this. On walks like this, things come to him to many that he would otherwise never pay attention to. The other day he sat on a park bang and watched a snail for at least 10 minutes. She hadn't really come very far and he felt really sorry for her afterwards.When he reached the grove, he first ran a little on a small forest path, but after about 200 meters he hit the bushes.
The whole thing passed silently. By now he knew every branch and root by heart. He was almost there.
What he then saw, however, knocked him down.
Shia sat on a large root! She leaned her back against the trunk and closed her eyes. She was sleeping!
Kai was enchanted. She was wearing a light blue summer dress and a matching sun hat. (Something like in the Raffaelo advertisement) She had taken off her shoes, they were lying next to her on the ground in the moss.
Her hair waved gently to the rhythm of the leaves. A ray of sunlight illuminated her whole form.
Her mouth was slightly open and Kai felt the urgent need to kiss her now. He stared at her for a while and then walked up to her.
He didn't take his eyes off her for a second, he sat down across from her.
Kai didn't know how long he'd been sitting like that, but it must have been at least an hour.A little bird sat on Shia's knee and began to sing its song. Woken up by the loud twittering, Shia slowly opened her eyes. Kai didn't see her at all.
"Well, hello. Who do we have there? You're a pretty little bird. Do you sing your song especially for me? Nobody has ever done that for me. How beautiful!" She gently held out a hand to the bird. But then of course it flew away. With a loud "Tschirp" he flew up to the next tree.
She laughed after him: “See you soon, my little one.” Then she looked after him.
"I didn't even know that you could laugh too. You should do that more often"
Shia spun around, startled. Then she saw Kai. She turned deathly pale.
“What are you doing here?” She was visibly shocked.
"That was my favorite secret place so far. But it looks like I'll have to share it from now on." Casually he flicked away his smoked cigarette.
Shia registered this rapid movement and then pulled herself together.Her face went cold and expressionless again.
"If that is the case, then I'll disappear again. I don't want to take your little refuge away from you," she quickly slipped into her shoes. Kai reacted quickly.
"Wait! If we have already met here, we are welcome to talk a little. What do you think?" He looked at her challengingly.
"No thanks! No need." Shia was tough, you could hear that. But Kai didn't give up.
"Why don't you talk to anyone? Why are you like this?"
"You don't need to know that."
"" Just now you were completely different, you laughed after the bird happily and carefree. I used to be like you too, believe me. But I've learned that this is the wrong way to go. Do you understand what i am trying to say?"
Shia hesitated. Kai had seen her in one of her weak moments and she didn't like that at all. She had to do something about it. Her eyes flashed and anger was in her voice.
"If you tell anyone about it, you will regret it bitterly.I'm serious. "Kai shrugged his shoulders.
"What then? Are you gazing through me? I set one condition. I will only keep your little secret if you come back here tomorrow. At the same time as today. And then I want you to talk to me. Kai showed a mean little one." Grin.
He could literally feel how Shia was struggling with herself inside.
“We'll see, I'll think about it.” Then she turned and ran through the thicket back to the park. Kai watched her go. Then he sat down on the same root that Shia had sat on. He thought about her, of course.
She had laughed so wildly. As if that were a matter of course for them. Kai didn't understand this girl. At first he thought she was like him, but now he thought differently about it. She must have been a happy girl before and only later such a cold and callous girl. She wasn't like him. Kai had grown up like this, he had only learned to be different later.With her it was apparently the other way around.
Something must have happened and Kai would love to know something.
Quietly he sounds like a fool. He shouldn't think too much about Shia. First, it drove him insane over time, and second, he had more important things to do. He lit one last cigarette and went home.
He urgently needed to train now.

-In another place, at the same time-

"It is time."
"I know, but is he ready yet?"
"It has to happen tonight! You are unsure ?!"
"Oh ghost, give me the strength to keep my resolve.
Spirit give me the clarity to see that I harm myself if I give up.
Spirit help me to resist temptation. "
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
"Thank you Firey, but don't hurt him, oh and please let Watery know."
"Already done."

Sequel follows...