Special Feature: Choices of the Heart 3
Chapter 15: A Windblown Kiss
This chapter demonstrates clearly how much Kaito depends on Lucia for emotional support... and how much strength he draws from her love. Kaito deals with the shock of finding a letter from his deceased parents by grabbing onto Lucia, almost desperately, almost as if he is afraid that she is going to slip away from him. And then he kisses her, of course.
Before that, however, Lucia has her own little moment of Freudian slippage. While trying to comfort Kaito, she tells him, "No matter what was in the past, it won't change that you're a precious person to me!" Her blush and sudden embarrassed silence a moment later shows that she probably didn't mean to put her heart out on her sleeve like that... But she did, anyway. And because of what Lucia said, Kaito is able to smile again.
Chapter 16: The Ring
This chapter is all about Lucia and Kaito, and almost nothing else. Kaito finally expresses his feelings for Lucia, not with words, but by giving her a ring. And yet, despite the fact that Kaito and Lucia now feel closer together than ever before, there is something creating a distance between them: Kaito's fear. Kaito fears the secrets hidden in his past, and fears the mysterious light that glows on his forehead. Lucia seems to accept and even welcome that light - after all, Kaito's light protected her when she was in danger. But still, Kaito worries. The chapter ends with Lucia holding Kaito in her arms, wondering why he feels as if he is so far away from her.
Chapter 17: A Parting
Kaito breaks the news to Lucia: he is moving to Hawaii for an indefinite period of time. When Lucia begins to weep, Kaito holds her in his arms, looks her in the eye, and says those three magic words: "I love you, Lucia."
A passionate kiss follows. (Image above.)
The kiss ends, and both Lucia and Kaito are able to smile and each other and say "See you later," as if this parting is no different from any other casual daily farewell. However, once Kaito leaves, Lucia begins to weep again. In chapter 11, when Lucia almost revealed her identity to Kaito, Lucia told herself that her feelings were getting out of control. And now, she's finally given up resisting. "When we meet again, I will tell you that I was the mermaid from that time... No matter what, even if I turn into foam..."
Chapter 18: The One Left Behind
When Gakuto needs to get under Kaito's skin, he knows exactly what to do: send Kaito on a guilt trip about leaving Lucia behind... and giving up on his mermaid, as well. Kaito says that he moved to Hawaii for the sake of his surfing, because surfing is the only thing that can make him feel like himself. And Kaito, besieged by doubts about his own identity and his own humanity, needs to "find himself" more now than he ever did before. But is Kaito's personal quest really, truly worth abandoning the girl that he loves? Even Kaito secretly doubts that. And unfortunately, Gakuto's ploy appears to work...
Chapters 19-20: A Secret No Longer
Kaito knows.
He knows from the moment that he opens his eyes within Gakuto's palace. He might even have known earlier. He can hear Lucia's thoughts and touch Lucia's heart in a way that he never could before. The exact moment when Kaito "figures it out" is unclear, although my guess is that it happens sometime during the almost telepathic contact that Lucia and Kaito share in chapter 19. But ultimately, the end result is the same. Chapter 20 ends when Kaito approaches Lucia, in her mermaid form, and calls her name. They embrace. Lucia weeps. And Kaito is finally able to say, "I've found you."
But Lucia and Kaito are still not destined to live happily ever after. There are more trials and tribulations waiting, just around the corner. Although Lucia and Kaito's story continues in the second story arc of the manga, I think that I'll leave this feature finished for now. This is the story of how Lucia and Kaito fell in love, and that's all that this feature intended to tell in the first place.