Her body was floating weightlessly, and around her, images changed swiftly, shattering into an infinite number of rainbow fragments.

Scenes kept flickering before her eyes – familiar yet strangely elusive. She heard a cacophony of sounds and perceived dozens of scents simultaneously.

The swirling sensations made her slightly dizzy, but suddenly the chaos subsided, and there she stood on a hill, amidst a swaying field of feathergrass, gently caressed by a light breeze.

Enchanted by the silvery ripples, she didn't immediately notice the weightless fluttering petals of delicate shades of pink. Tilting her head up, she discovered herself standing beneath a fully blossomed cherry tree.

Another gust of wind swept a pink cloud of petals from the tree, twirling it around Arina, forcing her to shield her eyes. When the whirlwind settled, she opened her eyes again and suddenly saw Kakashi standing nearby. His mismatched eyes were filled with warmth, but at the same time also with indescribable sorrow. She wanted to ask him what was wrong – this place embodied tranquillity and serenity, where one couldn't possibly be sad. However, an unknown force compelled her to look in the opposite direction, and her gaze met that of a pair of brown eyes. Maxim.

She did not immediately realise what was odd about him: just like her and Kakashi, he was dressed in a kimono, rather than the more usual "earthly" outfit.

For a while, they stood like that, and then Arina saw Maxim extending his hand toward her, smiling encouragingly. Could this be the chance she had been chasing after? Would taking his hand lead her back home?

However, instead of the expected joy, Arina suddenly felt acute hopelessness. She took a step towards him, but then hesitated and glanced back at Kakashi. After a pause, she returned to her starting point. An expression of hurt flashed across Maxim's face briefly, but he did not lower his hand.

Arina kept looking to her left and right helplessly. There he was, the love of her life, reaching out his hand to her. And Kakashi continued gazing at her with the same mixture of affection and sadness. It was as if he realized his secondary role and had come to terms with it.

As time passed, the atmosphere in their surroundings was changing rapidly: the blue sky darkened with leaden clouds, the sunlight faded, and the refreshing breeze turned into a chilling one, mercilessly plucking more cherry blossom petals and scattering them violently across the sky.

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and two deep cracks appeared on either side of Arina, separating her from the two men, as if urging her to choose at last. Maxim remained in place, but Kakashi unexpectedly lunged forward, though still halted at the edge of the crack, as if unable to go beyond it, now staring at Arina with concern.

For now, Arina could still step over effortlessly to either side. However, she realised clearly that she couldn't make that choice. And this weight – the weight of having to make the decision – pressed on her, tore her apart, while the cracks continued to widen, increasingly separating her from both men.

The wind kept intensifying, and soon what was once a beautiful tree, stood, reaching into the heavy gloomy sky with bare branches.

Desperation engulfed Arina, and she let out a cry, clutching her head. The ground beneath her feet shuddered, and she fell to her knees. Almost instantly, darkness absorbed everything.

She then heard the anxious:

"Stay with me! Stay with me, girl!"

She had no doubt that the voice belonged to Kakashi. Against all odds – Kakashi.

☙ ❦ ❧

Arina opened her eyes and immediately squinted: a painfully bright light hit her eyes.

"Arina!" a man's voice, full of concern and relief at the same time, exhaled. "Can you hear me? My dear!"

"Pa... pa..." the girl managed to squeeze out in syllables, her voice hoarse and unfamiliar, as she turned her head towards the voice and blinked her eyes open again. The initially blurry outline became clearer, and finally, she could see her father's face.

"Arina... thank God, finally..." The man, lifting himself up, leaned towards her, overcome with emotion, placing his slightly trembling hands on her forearms. He paused, as if unsure of what to do next. Then he sank heavily back into the chair and cupped her cheek gently.

"Papa..." Arina could only repeat before bursting into tears.

"Sweetheart, does something hurt?" Her father got alarmed.

Arina shook her head.

"There, there, it's alright... Mom will be there any minute, and Romka, and Nika..." he nodded towards the phone. "Everything's fine, there, there..."

Arina nodded, clutching her father's hand convulsively, but just kept weeping.

Home. She was home again.

Did she just dream it all? Was she merely unconscious all this time?

Within minutes, a hurricane-like force burst into the room – her mother. She almost pushed aside the nurses who had also just entered the room and, disregarding their warnings, embraced her daughter, sobbing uncontrollably. Behind her, Arina's younger brother and sister lingered, unusually quiet and serious.

She was home... What a relief!

☙ ❦ ❧

"So what about... Maxim?..." Arina almost spat out his name.

"They discharged him after a day. Minor injuries and mild hypothermia..." Her mother livened up a little: Arina had been avoiding any mentions of Maxim and the accident until now.

"I see," the girl muttered.

"He was here, those flowers are from him," the woman mentioned tentatively. "And he keeps calling. Are you sure you don't want to see him?"

"Need to get rid of that broom..." Arina grumbled. "And tell him to stay away."

"Don't be so hard on him, in extreme situations, people's reactions can be unpredictable, and self-preservation instinct sometimes takes over..." Her mother gently stroked Arina's head.

"What are you talking about?" Arina looked at her in confusion.

"Well... the fact that he managed to get out, while you didn't..."

Arina let out a muffled laugh. For some reason, she wasn't surprised by this turn of events.

"I wonder if you'd think the same way if I hadn't survived... but... if only it were just that... Did he not tell you why we ended up in such a situation in the first place?"

"He'd lost control of the car..."

"That's what it's called now?!" Arina ran her hands through her hair. "Great... what an ars..."

"Now there, Risha..." her mother scolded.

"It was all because of him!" Arina exclaimed.

"You mean...?"

"Yes, Mom, that's exactly what I mean! He deliberately drove into the oncoming traffic! And it was me who redirected the car from the bridge, otherwise we wouldn't even have left a wet spot behind!"

Arina suddenly felt slightly unwell from the disturbance and leaned back on the pillow, breathing heavily.

"Calm down, dear, you mustn't worry..." her mother pleaded. From the deep furrow between her brows, Arina understood that it was Maxim now who should be worrying.

"It's fine, Mommy..." she sighed. "From now on, I'll know not to deal with such psychos... What an idiot I was... Anyway, let's not talk about it for now... just the thought of him makes me sick..."

☙ ❦ ❧

"Risha... you awake?" Arina's mother peeped into the room. Arina opened her eyes slightly but didn't turn around. "There's someone here to see you..."

"I said I don't want to see him. Not now, not ever..." the girl grumbled, guessing by her mother's voice who exactly this could be.

She immediately closed her eyes again and shivered: ever since she regained consciousness, she couldn't shake off the lingering feeling of tightness in her chest. A sense of loss and emptiness...

On the one hand, of course, she was glad that it was all over, that she had woken up, and it was all just a dream. However, memories of that strange world still haunted her... Even the nights spent in completely ordinary dreams couldn't reset those impressions, as if it wasn't just a dream after all.

If anything, the more time passed, the more regret she felt about how it all ended. And also, from realizing that she would never see Kakashi again. Whom she had rejected because of Maxim – who was not worth it... And even though it didn't matter anymore, that fact only intensified her resentment and inexplicable anxiety.

"It's not who you think it is," her mother said with a smile, making Arina open her eyes again and raise herself on the elbow a little. "Come in, come in..."

She moved aside and the visitor entered the room, while Arina was struggling a bit to turn around, but the next moment she froze, meeting the gaze of a pair of grey eyes, framed with coal-black eyelashes, sharply contrasting against the light, as if sun-faded, hair.

Overcoming her confusion, she made an effort and finally sat up.

"Arina, this is Kirill," her mother introduced the young man. "He's the one who got you out and provided first aid before the ambulance arrived... If it wasn't for him," The woman choked up and fell silent, pressing her hand to her mouth.

"I apologize for disturbing you..." the young man said in a pleasant soft voice, and Arina flinched. "I'm very glad that you've finally woken up, Arina."

The girl kept staring at her saviour intently. The height, the build, the eyes, the mimic, the voice, and even the hair – though not exactly silver but just unusually light... The long bangs almost consealed his left eye, and yet... Arina exhaled and held her breath again – over this eye, there was... 'No, that's impossible...'

He was wearing a medical mask, as required by the rules, a black one – which enhanced the impression.

"Kirill was eager to make sure personally that you're okay," her mother explained, surprised by her daughter's strange reaction. "It's a miracle that he happened to be on that bridge at that very moment... Otherwise, oh... How lucky we were..." At the thought, she barely held back a new sob.

"Please, don't exaggerate my role, Helen, there is also the medical crew that fought for Arina's life..." The young man ran his hand through his hair at the back of his head sheepishly and squinted his eyes in a smile. This gesture made Arina completely dumbfounded.

"Yes, but if it weren't for you, there would be no one to fight for at all!" Arina's mother turned to the girl. "Risha, what's gotten into you?" she asked reproachfully. "You're looking at the boy like he's a ghost... You could at least say 'thank you'. He risked his own life for you, you know!"

"Th-thank you," the girl muttered hurriedly in a weak voice. "Truly, I... thank you..."

Kirill squinted his eyes again in an embarrassed smile, and it was only at that moment that Arina noticed the bouquet in his hand. Following her gaze, Kirill raised it higher and explained:

"This is for you. I hope you like peonies?"

Arina could only nod. She liked peonies indeed. Moreover, they were her favourite flowers. But where did he get them in April?

"It really wasn't necessary," Arina's mother smiled broadly again. "Oh, right, I wanted to ask the nurses if they had any more vases or containers... I'll be right back, and you two can chat in the meantime."

Arina desperately looked at her mother, silently pleading for her not to leave. But the woman, taking the bouquet from Kirill's hands and putting on her medical mask, fluttered out of the ward, leaving them alone.

They remained silent for a while, and then Arina finally mustered the courage to speak.

"I don't know how to thank you... for what you did for me..."

"It's enough for me that you're fine and that we're talking now," Kirill replied. "Damn, this mask is unbearable... When is this going to end? Would you mind if I take it off?"

Arina shook her head and turned away. Then she cautiously glanced at him again – Kirill was just tucking the mask into his pocket.

'Shit,' she managed to think weakly.

"That's better," Kirill smiled.

Arina swallowed hard. Kakashi had a mole there too... So it wasn't her imagination... What was going on? How was this possible? Who the hell was he?

Kirill looked into her eyes again, and she quickly averted her gaze. Too quickly. Too nervously. She didn't know what to do with herself... On the one hand, she desperately wanted to just stare at him, but on the other, she felt genuinely dizzy when she did look at him.

"Arina, is something wrong?" Kirill asked perceptively.

"I... I just..." She wanted to confess, but then thought about how it would sound. "It's silly..." She almost bit her tongue – her spoken words echoed in her mind. "Shit..." She hid her face in her hands, completely flustered.

"Hmm?" Kirill raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry... I'm not feeling too well..." Arina moaned through her fingers.

Kirill frowned with concern, and Arina turned away, trying to regain control over her emotions.

At that moment, Arina's mother returned to the room, carrying the bouquet in a makeshift jar. She didn't notice the lingering tension.

"Guess what, it seems like we've 'requisitioned' all the vases in the department," she chuckled, placing the bouquet on the nightstand and moving one of those already standing there to the windowsill, where several more bouquets were placed. She then looked at Kirill. "Why are you still standing there? Come on, Risha, it's impolite to keep your saviour standing!"

Arina straightened up and forced a smile.

But before she could reply, Kirill, who mirrored her smile, said:

"I was actually about to leave..."

"What, already?" Arina's mother fluttered her eyelashes.

"Arina doesn't seem well at the moment – probably not the best time for visitors. I think we ought to call a nurse. Shall we go? I'll accompany you, and I also wanted to speak about further rehabilitation. Goodbye, Arina, rest up. If you don't mind, I'll visit you again sometime. Come on, Helen," With these words, Kirill smiled and winked at Arina, who happened to glance at him at that moment, causing her to involuntarily flinch again. He then took the slightly bewildered woman with him, and soon Arina was alone in the room.

No longer holding back, she grabbed her head and let out a loud sigh.

"Well, hello, madness, my old friend," she said, shaken. "Now all that's left is for him to show up through the window next time..."

☙ ❦ ❧

"Why was he here, Mom?"

"Why, what's the matter? Well, he just popped by... And he's got some connections in this hospital, thanks to him you've got such a posh ward – and he promised to arrange the best conditions for your further rehabilitation too."

"That's exactly it..." Arina felt flustered. "So he saved me... What's the meaning of all this?"

"Maybe he liked you," her mother winked.

"Yeah, right. I can just picture how attractive I looked – back then," Arina made a face that was supposed to depict a floater, "and even now. Irresistible, sure..." She scoffed.

"Well, I don't know... Anyway, he practically handed you over to us, he kept in touch all this time, and then he asked for permission to visit you when you're feeling better."

"I still don't get it..."

"Neither do I, to be honest... There was something... peculiar about him..."

"'Peculiar'?" Arina's heart skipped a beat.

"Yes... It was as if he was concerned about someone he knew – and not just casually, but quite close. But you two aren't acquainted, are you?"

Arina shook her head.

"Say... Did you mention the peonies to him?"

"Huh? Well, he did ask..." her mother dragged thoughtfully, and Arina breathed a sigh of relief. "... but I completely forgot about the peonies, to be honest, ha-ha."

At this point Arina groaned out loud, pressing her fists against her face.