The After The Rain
Peace with the Situation

Sekala did not know whether leaving Kinara with Seruni was the right choice, as she did not have time to think as Sagara dragged her out just as Kinara caught up with her into the ward.

"Kin can't go home too late, Mom. I had to take him home before his parents were worried" said Sekala, as they stood side by side on the roof of the hospital building and Sagara said nothing a few minutes ago.

Since then, Sagara is cool to wade through his own world. Both of his hands were put in his pants pocket, while the gaze of his eyes fell on the streets around the deserted hospital. The night wind that was blowing quite fiercely had blown away the strands of her hair that had begun to lengthen, yet the man did not seem to mind at all.

"Rome," that's what Sagara said after a long period of time.

At once thinking it was an invitation for her to return home, so firmly she shook her head even though she knew Sagara who was still staring into the streets would not be able to catch her movements.

Feeling that his speech was not being disowned, Sagara finally turned to Sekala. He found the man throwing him a gaze that was hard to translate. Either because he did not know Sekala well, or precisely because the man beside him who had closed himself much closer than before.

"Don't be a coward" he said again. His gaze clashed with Sekala, running around in one dark place and they both had trouble finding a way out.

The silence that was created between the two other sisters of the mother had never lasted this long before, for one of them would instantly escape so as not to get dragged more and more into the terrible torrent.

But tonight, they seem to break away. Like tired of running away from complicated relationships that are created not of their own volition.

In the past, when Sagara was ten or eleven years old, he once whined to his father to make one younger brother. The goal is that he does not feel lonely, and there are friends to be invited to play expensive toys that his father bought because the father often does not go home when he wants to be accompanied by play.

Unfortunately, he forgot to ask his father to make the sister born from the same womb as him. So when his father granted the request, by presenting Sekala to their family a few years later, Sagara was just angry.

He vented his anger at Sekala, who at that time was just a snot boy who knew nothing. The boy who was five years younger, and it was easier for him to be pierced as he pleased.

Sagara did not dare to be angry at his father, because he knew his father had more power and could instead leave him and Mother.

So, for a few years during his father's life in the world, Sagara pretended to accept Sekala's presence whenever their father was watching, and began to come back to hate Sekala when their father was not at home.

And the peak of his anger came when his father died, leaving them with Sekala who increasingly looked similar to the old man. Making Sagara's efforts to deny and assume that Sekala is just a poor child that his father picked up from the streets immediately disappeared.

He hates Sekala, which is what Sagara believed for years. Keep trying to resist whenever an older brother's instinct to protect his sister appears when Sekala is in danger. Sagara deceived himself, turned into an evil figure to vent his anger on the dead father and could no longer be held accountable.

Sekala's absence around him for six full months managed to make Sagara feel slapped, until finally he realized that his life was too accustomed to the presence of the child. No matter how much he hated Sekala. No matter how angry he was at the child, nor did it matter how much abuse he had thrown, in the end, Sagara knows that he loves Sekala as much as he has hate.

"Gue still hates lo," Sagara re-opened his voice after being silent for quite a while.

After crashing in the dark place, Sagara drew a view when there was a beam of light that managed to pull it out. A bright light that comes from the memory of his past memories with Sekala. Where he once felt happy about the presence of Sekala, because at least he was no longer alone.

"The hatred will remain, perhaps even until I die." Sagara himself grimaced as he said that. Realizing how sad his guts are because he is unable to show his affection when in front of Sekala.

"But, my hatred, my anger, my heartache, it's all my business. You don't have to take responsibility for that." Sagara's gaze again anchored on Sekala, but this time, he did not let himself get carried away with the flow because there was more to tell the boy.

"Gue just wanted to say that your escape was enough to get here. Now, it's time to go home. To me, to Mom, or to the girl you brought here. You have to go home, don't spend the rest of your life being a bum."

At least, it took years until the sentence made it out of Sagara's mouth. Long enough time to just show concern for a child in whose body blood flows from the same father.

"Gue wants you to make peace with the situation, and start accepting yourself better. After all, running away from me and Mom won't change anything. Our destiny is written so, it is also useless to fight." Sagara dropped his gaze on the pair of shoes that Sekala was now wearing, then his smile rose faintly.

It was a shoe he bought as a gift for Sekala's 23rd birthday. And because at that time the prestige was still above everything, Sagara asked Mother to give the shoes to Sekala under the pretext that Mother had bought them.

"Mas Saga himself, is it possible to make peace with the situation?"

Sagara raised his gaze after Sekala finally made a sound. Then, instead of answering Sekala's question, Sagara turned his back, preparing to leave from there.

"If you have the intention to tie the girl you brought, better do it as soon as possible. Because I'm sure there's a lot of men out there who line up to get him." That was the last sentence Sagara said, before his legs actually swung and he left Sekala there alone. Letting his sister permeate word for word he conveyed, to then decide. Whether the child wants to stay in his escape, or try to go home.

"Mas made peace with the situation, brother. Long before you decided to go and withdraw from Mas and Mom." The whisper of Sagara, which can only be heard by the whirling wind that hits his body many times.

Seriate