#riki on ice makes so much sense now

[seowa]

YUN 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 IM SO UNWELL SO SO UNWELL SO SICK SO NOT OKAY IM CRYING YELLING CLAWING AT THE CEMENT IM 😭😭😭😭😭 THIS SO GOOD 😭😭😭😭 THE EMOTIONS 😭😭😭😭😭 FORGIVE ME, THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG, LONG RAMBLING 😭😭😭😭

firstly, i love the way we went through their relationship in a short, sweet and angsty way yeah that was good and so much better than flashbacks honestly ,,,, flashbacks give me headache,,,, kinda loved how you incorporated the definition of love, for riki, as a triple and / or quad axels, and how every element of this fic revolved around fs and related terms. i mean yes the fic is about fs so this was expected but i've seen ppl drift off the plot structure unknowingly, i myself tend to do that, but you did a good job with this, amazing even. you have a good control over plot, i like that, the flow was really nice. didn't feel rushed / forced.

secondly, riki and yn have one heck of a group to call friends. even their coaches are ,,,, well, birds of a feather i guess :") and then we have riki and yn 🤡 honestly, this whole fic was about them being in denial and gaslighting themselves 😭😭 and um riki on ice reminds me of shoma this is so..... ur gna hate me for this...... 😐 AND RIKI ON ICE YES SHIT i liked the way you wrote the scenes about his jumps, yk? i think it was really clean considering it can be hard to explain movements especially the ones are don't make sense unless explained in a certain way. loving how straightforward this was, and i felt the awkwardness radiating through my screen omg how did you do this user amakumos drop the tips 😔🫶 THE TAKI AND MITSUHA PART WAS SO SMART NGL. i love ur name the way i cry every time i watch it yn i get u there rlly ,,,, it was so #stillnotovermyex of them to watch the movie they used to watch together :/ and then the kiss scene at the movies 😂😂😂😂😂 i will say the lanyard part had me ngl it was . attractive . yes . AND I HOPED FOR SOME DEVELOPMENT AFTER THAT BUT MFS GO BACK TO GASLIGHTING THEMSELVES THE NEXT MORNING . a lost cause

third, give hikari her medal she is the Real one the mvp the one who made this possible bc if it wasn't for her, we'd have to wait for yn to realise what she heard was a misunderstanding which i know wouldn't have happened bc she decided to ignore riki 😍 in hikari we believe, hikari rikiyn nation's leader. IM STILL NOT OVER HOW KEIJI AND TAKI MANAGED TO DRAG SEUNGMIN INTO THEIR PLAN ,,,, i mean he kind of agreed on his own but ,,,, not mr coach channeling his inner matchmakers gawd they should be running a marriage bureau ☝️☝️☝️ AND AND . love the sun and moon thing. i loved the metaphors here tbh they were all so good, also the way their relationship started, ended and restarted at ice ???? i might be overthinking but i love relationships that originate from a point that is important for both the people involved. outdoes all forms of intimacy, yk ???

HONOURABLE MENTION : BISCO ???? that mf dog looks like he will commit crimes and now he's pulling ,,,,, when dogs have better love life than me 😂😂😂😂 god is never on my side

ANYWAY THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD READ OH GOD i swear im going to binge all ur long fics once i get enough time bc i just sacrificed chem for this ,,,,,, no regrets tho this was worth every millisecond, your writing is to die for actually. it's so raw and so natural . very heart emoji tee bee aech 😁 ps yn and keiji remind me of riku ryu helpp i love riku miura his presence is so captivating actually both of them have a very strong presence no lies

twizzle into my heart — nishimura riki

synopsis. Falling in love when your sport is your top priority is hard, and nobody knows this better than you and Nishimura Riki. You two tried to make it work, but things didn't end up like you both wanted it to. But, when you and Riki cross paths again 4 years later at 4 Continents, old feelings resurface, and you find that Nishimura Riki comes twizzling straight into your heart once again.

genre. fluff, angst, exes to friends to lovers, slowburn, figure skating au

warnings. swearing, mentions of injury, riki is 21, reader is 21. both riki and reader compete for japan, set during the 2026/2027 figure skating season

wordcount. 25.4k (whoops)

author’s note. it's finally here :) timh! rikiyn will forever hold a very very special place in my heart and i !!! hope you love them as much as i do :,) here's a playlist i made if you'd like to listen to the songs i listened to while reading !! i hope you all enjoy reading and i love getting feedback and comments so pls lmk ur thoughts on this !! ^_^ i hope you love it

ONE. harder than a quad axel 

When it comes to love, Nishimura Riki is no stranger to getting hurt. 

Being a competitive athlete whilst trying to find love at the same time is surprisingly hard, he’s realised over his 21 years of existence. Figure skating is his career, it’s his life – but most of the people he’s ever been with never seem to understand the dedication he has for the sport. 

Riki thinks that skating is what makes him whole. If he didn’t have the ice, he’d feel like a part of him would be missing. 

On his list of priorities, skating comes on top of the podium. Love is left with 2nd place, a silver medal. Nobody he’s ever liked has ever come close to understanding how Riki can’t put love above figure skating. 

Nobody until he met you. 

He had met you at Junior Nationals 7 years ago, when you were sitting in the stands, watching the women’s free skate. He was sitting next to you, and you had decided to start a conversation with him. He learnt that you were a pairs skater, partnered with Takahashi Keiji, one of Riki’s old friends from primary school. 

You two had gotten lost in your conversation, completely forgetting about the performances in front of you. Talking to you was fun, and Riki found that he enjoyed your presence. A lot. 

It wasn’t long before you and Riki got closer. Every time that you both had spare time (which, to be fair, wasn’t often), you two would hang out together, going to various cafes and talking for hours and hours on end. You and Riki would also go to arcades, where you watched as he played with multiple claw machines, and he gave you one of the Hello Kitty plushies that he won. 

Everyone knew that you and Riki were bound to have developed feelings for each other. It was just a matter of time before you two realised, and when you two finally did, your friends both wasted no time on telling you both to just confess. 

Even though you had a feeling that Riki liked you back, you were always too scared to tell him about your feelings. But, when Taki blurted it out in front of the both of you accidentally during a training session, it led to you both confessing your feelings to each other – after all, it was all out in the open now. 

You both swear that Taki did it on purpose, but the boy still maintains his innocence. 

You two had both established early on in your relationship that your careers were important, and skating was of the utmost importance to the both of you. Riki was elated to have finally found someone who understood how he felt. You two know better than anyone that finding love is hard when figure skating is the most important thing in your life – and you have never felt luckier than to find someone like Nishimura Riki. 

Despite spending most of your time training, you and Riki managed to squeeze in dates whenever you both had a free spot in your packed timetable. From going to the arcade, walking around busy shopping malls or relaxing picnics in the park, every single moment you could share with Riki was special. 

But then came the transition into seniors. 

Competing in seniors added more pressure for the two of you. You two forced yourselves to train more, reducing the little time that you two had to spend together to practically almost none. Even phone calls and text messages between you two were rare – and when Riki had spare time, you were busy, and vice versa. It was clear to your friends that you both did not have any time for your relationship anymore, and the best decision was probably to end it before one of you got hurt. 

Riki was scared. Scared of losing the best thing that’s ever happened to him — he didn’t want to lose you. He wanted you in his life. 

But after weeks after weeks of him bailing on you for training, and weeks after weeks of you bailing on him for training, you two know that at this point, there was no relationship between you two. It was like you two had already broken up for months. You two just had to have a conversation to make the split official.

And that conversation happened when Riki was entering the rink for training, and when you and Keiji were leaving it. You had stopped him for a few minutes, and it was like Riki already knew what was coming.

“We both know that we’re too busy and focused on skating to be together.” you said, and Riki agreed. You two had tried your best to make it work — but your dedication to skating was just more… important. You both understood that.

“Yeah. I agree. So… I guess this is it, isn’t it?” Riki bites the inside of his cheek. He knows this is right, but he can’t help but feel upset about it. You were his girlfriend for 2 years — and the relationship was really going to end with a conversation that took less than five minutes.

“I guess so… um… I’m really sorry.” you say, and Riki nods, giving you a small smile. “I get it. You get it too. We have other priorities.” 

You smile, nodding at him. “We’ll still be friends, hmm?”

“Are you joking? Of course.” 

“I’ll see you around.” you stand there looking at each other for a few seconds until you pull Riki into a hug — one that he knows shouldn’t feel awkward, but somehow it does.

Maybe because he knows that it’s a goodbye hug.

“Thanks. For… everything.”

“You too.” Riki says, when you two separate. “Uh… I gotta go. Coach is waiting for me.” he says, and you nod. “Of course. Have a nice practice.” you say with a smile, before turning around to catch up with Keiji.

With a conversation that lasts no less than 5 minutes, Nishimura Riki’s first and only relationship ends.

Riki is off focus for the entire training session, and even weeks after that. His jump landings are shaky, he falls more often, and even his coach mentions to him that she doesn’t feel like he’s fully… there. 

He can’t stop thinking about how he could’ve lost his one and only chance at love. 

He knows he’s young, and it’s a little dramatic to say — but who would fall in love with him when they know that he cares more about his sport? 

It was different, because you were a skater, so you understood how he felt and agreed with him. But he knows not many people are willing to make sacrifices — and he understands.

Love is complicated.

It is even more complicated for someone like Riki.

Ever since he was young, Riki had always wanted to fall in love. His parents are still happily together, seemingly falling more in love as each day goes by. His older sister has seemed to find “the one” too, and his younger sister’s crush seems to be liking her back, from what he’s heard from her (and also from how he’s seen the boy look at his little sister when Riki goes to pick her up from school.)

But for Riki, who is the unlucky one in the family, falling in love is harder than landing a quadruple axel.

And Riki can’t even land that jump without falling yet. He’s a quarter off on rotation, so he’s getting there — but for love? Oh, Riki is way more than a quarter off. 

Riki likens his love life to be a triple axel he’s going for, but then he pops it. A popped jump is a very good way to describe Riki’s love life. Going for it, realising it’s something that can’t be done without hurting himself (but in the case of love, hurting the other person), then backing away. 

So, Riki decides that he’ll put love on hold for the meantime. But, it doesn’t stop him from getting a little bit jealous when he sees all his friends in happy relationships. 

He wants someone who understands his dedication to the sport and encourages him too. 

And that someone is you.

But, he’s very clearly lost his chance now. Your breakup was mutual — there was no animosity about it, but neither of you had taken up the offer of staying as friends.

Riki waited for you to text, and you never did. Little did Riki know that you were also waiting for him to text… and he didn’t either.

You two didn’t really talk much after that. And you didn’t end up seeing him much either, unless it was very briefly at competitions, since half a year after your breakup, you and Keiji had moved to Canada to train. But, Riki did see how you and Keiji had gotten better and better after the coaching change,  and he was proud of you two for gaining such amazing scores and delivering such wonderful programs. 

You could say the same about Riki too — you watched his skating online, and every single skate of his seemed to be better than the last. 

Slowly but surely, you two got over each other. It wasn’t easy for you, and it wasn’t for Riki either. But you two did what you knew best to try and forget.

To skate.

The thought of love just completely slips from Riki’s mind after a few months. His whole world is skating now, and he’s quite okay with that. Love is put on pause, for Riki. And he doesn’t know if he’ll press play any time soon.

It’s just that love never seems to come at the right time for Riki. Love seems to be far away, out of reach, and something that Riki can only dream of experiencing. 

Love has no time for Riki, and he does not have time for love either.

TWO. 4 continents, 4 years

“That’s a flutz. Do it again, Riki.” 

Nagai Hikari, Riki’s figure skating coach, stands on the other side of the boards, eyes scrutinising Riki’s every move. Her eyes are narrowed into slits as her eyes lock in on the blades on Riki’s boots.

He takes off into a lutz, arms outstretched above his head to do a rippon. Hikari nods in satisfaction when she sees that Riki uses the correct edge on takeoff. “Better.” she says.

Riki has worked with Hikari for years — and she is not a woman who gives out too many compliments. Short and simple is the way she does it, but Riki knows that she cares. 

Such as when Riki won his first senior competition. Riki had never seen her so happy. She actually had a bright smile on her face — one that Riki had never seen before.

Riki holds his hand up to tell Hikari that he’ll be taking a short break, and she nods. Riki skates up to the boards, where he sees Taki and Yuma sitting down on the bench, taking off their off-ice shoes.

“Riki with the rippons,” Taki says in his best impression of a commentator’s voice when he notices Riki. “They might as well just rename it to like… Nishimuras.”

“I would be on board with that.” Yuma pipes up. 

“Stop,” Riki says. 

“It’s your thing, okay?” Taki says, skating onto the rink. “That’s why they call you Riki with the rippons. You have your thing, I have mine.”

Riki skates alongside Taki, Yuma catching up with the both of them when he’s done lacing up his own skates. The three had gotten assigned the 3 spots Japan had for 4 Continents, with all three of them doing pretty well at Nationals. Riki had gotten assigned a spot at the World Championships next month as well, making the boy extra busy. 

The short program was tomorrow, and Riki felt that he was quite confident in his ability to do well. If he landed all his jumps cleanly, Riki thinks that he has quite a good shot at leading in the short. 

“Are you nervous?” Riki asks Yuma, whilst Taki skates away from the group to practise his jumps. From the corner of his eye, Riki sees Taki land a quad loop. Surprisingly, the loop is Taki’s favourite jump – Riki’s is the salchow, which Taki absolutely despises doing. 

“Kinda. First Four Continents… I’m bound to be a little nervous.” Yuma chuckles, and Riki nods, patting the boy on his back in reassurance. “You’ll do great, don’t worry.” 

“Riki, run through your short program again.” The sharp voice of Hikari catches Riki’s attention, and the tall boy nods. “Duty calls.” Riki says to Yuma, who nods. 

The music to Riki’s short program plays, and as if it’s instinct, his arms move exactly the way they’re supposed to, his feet carrying him across the rink — there’s not a single thought in Riki’s mind. It’s all muscle memory now, considering the amount of times he’s done the program.

He’s got a quadruple lutz lined up first, and he steps out of the jump. Hikari presses her lips together as Riki makes a mental note to make sure to land the lutz well. He’s always been able to land this one cleanly in the free skate — but in the short program, the quad toeloop has not been his friend at all.

He takes off into a quadruple salchow-triple toeloop combination jump, landing it cleanly. He hears a few cheers from the audience, and the sound of camera shutters going off from the photographers there. 

Hikari gives him a satisfactory nod from behind the boards. 

The rest of Riki’s runthrough of his program is executed well enough to meet Hikari’s high standards. Soon enough, they’re all told to leave the rink since practice time is over, and the ice dancers will have to use the rink.

Riki puts his skate guards on, sitting down on the bench next to Taki. “Oh, and before I forget to ask you, do you wanna go to lunch with the rest of us? The whole 4CC team is going, with the exception of Sakura and Fuma, ‘cause they’re practising.” 

Riki shrugs, taking off his skates to change into his regular sports shoes. “Sure. Where are we going?” 

“Kazuha found this nice restaurant nearby the arena,” Yuma chimes in. He puts his skates into his bag, standing up to wait for the two other boys to finish putting their skates away. “Let’s leave our bags in the locker room and go. I think Kazuha, Mina and Yuta are already there.” 

“I’m going to get changed.” Riki says, getting up from the bench and heading towards the changing room. He’s sweating after practice, and he’d much rather go out in fresh clothes than wear what he’s got on now. Taki and Yuma follow him not long after, and Riki changes into a black hoodie and a pair of jeans, spraying some cologne on as well. 

He brushes his bangs out of his eyes as he takes his wallet and phone out of his bag, shoving them into his pockets. “You ready?” he asks Yuma and Taki, who have also changed. The two boys nod, and they all head out of the changing room.

“Where’s the restaurant again?” Taki asks Yuma, who’s got the location entered into the GPS on his phone. “A five minute walk from here.” Taki replies, and he walks in the direction of where the GPS tells him to go, and the two boys follow him. 

Soon enough, the three boys arrive at the restaurant, telling the front of house staff Kazuha’s name, since she was the one who booked. The staff member takes them to their table, and Riki greets everyone before sitting down next to Taki.

But, when he turns his head, he sees Keiji sitting just one seat away from him, with the one next to Riki being empty. 

“Hey, who joined us?” 

Riki knows exactly who that voice belongs to, and he turns his head slowly to meet eyes with you.

Everyone at the table immediately goes silent as you and Riki stare at each other for a few seconds, neither of you moving. Riki lets out a shaky breath as he looks at you — he hasn’t really seen you at all since the breakup.

“Hey.” You’re the first to speak.

Riki gulps. “Hey.” 

You awkwardly slide into your seat next to Riki, and he sees Yuta wiggling his eyebrows at him, and Riki makes a mental note to send him a text message with many middle finger emojis later.

You haven’t seen Riki in a long time. He’s grown taller, way taller than you last saw him, and he’s now got dyed blonde streaks in his dark hair. It looks good on him — he looks good. As Riki talks to the others, you can’t help but stare at him. There’s a couple silver necklaces he’s wearing around his neck, and you’re sitting close enough to him to realise that he’s still wearing the cologne that you had recommended to him years ago. 

“So…” Kazuha starts. “How’s Bisco?” 

Riki’s eyes light up at the mention of his dog, and Hitomi notices that there’s a fond smile on your lips when you hear him talk about Bisco. After all, you did frequent Riki’s house when you two were together, and had formed a close bond with Bisco. 

Riki never told you (and doesn’t plan on telling you) but after your breakup, Bisco would often sit by the door, waiting to see if you’d show up. 

And you never did. 

“Good,” Riki says. “I’ll go back home to see him after the competition. I try to go back as much as I can since it’s only a 4 hour train ride from Nagoya to Okayama, but — training kinda steals most of the time I have.” 

“Oh, so you found out Bisco’s gender now?” you ask, absentmindedly — you don’t realise the words slip past your lips until Riki replies. “Uh, yeah. Konon told me, actually.” he chuckles awkwardly.

The tension between you and Riki is so thick that you could cut it with a knife. You didn’t think that seeing him would be this awkward, since you two had ended things amicably — but now that you’re seeing him for the first time after the breakup, you really don’t know what to say to him.

“Awks.” Taki whispers into Riki’s ear, and Riki rolls his eyes, nudging him on the arm. “Ow,” Taki says dramatically, clutching the spot where Riki had elbowed him. “That really hurt.” 

“Sure it did.” 

The lunch goes well for the most part, with Mina catching you and Riki sneaking glances at each other when one of you isn’t looking. There’s a sneaky grin on her lips as she watches the scene play out before her. You’re awkwardly taking a sip of your tea, whilst Riki is trying to do everything in his power to stop himself from trying to steal another glance at you. “They should talk.” Mina whispers into Kazuha’s ear.

“Keiji, practice is in an hour.” you tell your partner, and he checks the time. “Shit, right. Um, guys, we’ll have to leave soon for the official practice.” Keiji announces to the group, and Yuma nods.

“Let’s just all leave, then. We’re all done with eating.” Yuma says, and Riki nods. The boy stands up, looking at the time on his phone as you catch a glimpse of his lockscreen, and it’s of Bisco having Riki’s Worlds gold medal hung around his neck.

A smile spreads across your lips as you catch sight of the photo. “That’s cute.” 

Once again, the words slip out before you realise you say them. “Sorry. Caught sight of your lock screen.” you say, and Riki shrugs.

“It’s alright.” he says, and you two just stand there awkwardly, looking at each other — you both don’t even realise that everyone’s gone to the cashier to pay (even if they all did it purposely just to get you two to talk in private.) 

“So… how have you been?” you ask, attempting to start a conversation. “I’m good. Just training a lot… you know how I am,” Riki says, and you nod. “How about you? How’s Canada?” 

“Oh, it’s nice there. Really cold in the winter.” you say. “Colder than Japan?” he asks, and you nod. “Sometimes. Oh, and I forgot to say — congrats on gold at Worlds last year. You did really great.”

Riki smiles at you. It’s a smile that you didn’t know you missed until you saw it again. “Thanks. I saw you there, I think — just didn’t get a chance to say hi. I’ve seen you at many competitions, briefly, actually. Just… the opportunity never came up.” 

“Yeah. I saw you too. I was in the bleachers, actually. Umm… yeah, you did really great. You’ve come so far. Super proud of you.” you say, offering him a smile. “We haven’t talked in so long. How long has it been?” 

“4 years, I think.” Riki replies.

“Right. 4 years… 4 Continents.” you quip, and Riki tilts his head, looking at you with an amused smile.

“Good one.” 

You know it wasn’t really a good one. More of a lame joke, compared to the ones that you had told him before when you two were dating. 

“Thanks.” you say, shoving your hands into the pockets of your jacket. “We should probably… go. They’re all gone.” you say, and Riki nods. 

“Right. Yeah. Don't leave anything behind.” he says, not forgetting about your terrible habit of losing things often. He’ll never forget the day when you nearly forgot your skate bag in the bus that you two were riding on to get to the rink — thank god he was there to remind you to pick it up.

“Yeah. I won’t.” you say, checking the table once more. Riki remembering that about you makes you feel a little bit happy, somehow. To you, it shows that he didn’t really forget about you, despite not having seen or talked to you for 4 years.

You follow Riki as you two both make your way towards the cashier, Taki looking at Riki expectantly. “So… did you guys kiss?” 

“What the fuck?” Riki asks his friend. “You think I’m going to see my ex girlfriend after 4 years and after maybe a… 5 minute conversation, we’re going to kiss?” 

“You’re unpredictable. And you two also broke up in less than 5 minutes, so… yeah. Maybe.” 

“You’re insane, Taki.” 

“Are you guys going to go back to the hotel?” Sakura asks Riki, Yuma and Taki. The men’s single skating practices were officially done for the day — meaning Riki could just go back to his hotel room, flop onto the bed and sleep.

“Uh… yeah. Probably.” Yuma says. “Do you guys have any plans?” 

“I’m going to watch the pairs practice.” Kazuha pipes up. “You guys are more than welcome to tag along so we can watch (Name), Keiji, Mina and Yuta if you’d like.” 

“Might go take a shower before I come join you.” Taki says, and Yuma nods in agreement. “Yeah. And I’m sure Riki would love to tag along as well.” he says, and Riki knows that Yuma’s just enunciating the word ‘love’ to piss him off.

“Yeah, I’ll come.” he says. 

“Nice,” Keiji says. “See you later.”

The group splits up, with Riki, Taki and Yuma walking back to the hotel, and Hitomi, Kazuha, Mina, Yuta, Keiji and you heading to the arena. But before Riki gets far away enough, you call out his name.

“Hey, Riki?” 

The boy turns his head to look at you.

“It was nice seeing you again.” 

You leave before he can respond.

THREE. 3LzTh

Riki heads to the arena with his hair still damp.

Not the best idea in cold weather, but he makes do. He shoves his wallet into the pockets of his jeans, Taki trailing behind him.

“How was seeing (Name) again?” Taki asks, a smirk on his lips. “I know you’re trying to piss me off, and it won’t work. She’s just a teammate now.” Riki says, shrugging.

Huh. Riki doesn’t realise that you are just a teammate now until he says those words out loud. Over the years, he’s always thought of you as something more — you mean (or rather, meant) a lot to him. 

But he hasn’t talked to you in 4 years, and a lot can change in 4 years. You two might as well be strangers with a lot of history. “Ouch. Not even friends?” Taki asks.

“Things are a lot different compared to when we were 17,” Riki says. “Plus, I’ve only had one conversation with her since the breakup. Let’s take things slow, okay?” 

“Just saying, I think you two might end up falling in love again.” 

“You’re being ridiculous. Based on what? A 5 minute conversation?” 

“Based on how I feel like you’ve never really been over her. Let's face the facts here, Riki. You haven’t even tried to find someone else after your relationship with (Name). Not even a single thought about being in a relationship with anyone else has crossed your mind.” 

“Because I’m focusing on skating.” Riki replies.

“Or are you using that as a lame excuse because you know deep inside the only one who will ever be able to have your heart is (Name)?”

Riki blocks out what Taki says. He’s done with having the older boy meddle in his dating life, even if it is what got you and him together. Riki is over you. He is sure of it.

He enters the arena, sitting down next to Kazuha. “So…”

“Is this conversation going to be about (Name)?” he asks, and Kazuha shakes her head rapidly. “No, no, no.” she replies, but Riki knows that the girl is lying. 

“Then what is it about?” he asks, and Kazuha doesn’t say anything.

“Uh… I forgot. Slipped my mind!” she says quickly, before reverting her focus back onto the ice. Riki sees you and Keiji prepare to do a throw jump, and he doesn’t know why Riki feels this sudden sense of dread.

It’s the same kind of dread he felt every single time when he watched you and Keiji practice in the rink when you two were together, and whenever Riki felt that terrible emotion, you would fall.

And Riki is right. You’re barely a quarter of a rotation off, and you find yourself landing harshly on the ice. On instinct, Riki stands up abruptly from his seat, his eyes wide with worry. He doesn’t notice how Taki and Kazuha share a knowing smile.

“She’ll be okay, Riki.” Kazuha tells him. Riki looks at you on the ice, still not having gotten up. He squints to try and examine your expression to see if it is one of pain — and it is then when Riki realises he can’t read you like he used to anymore.

Things have changed too much for Riki’s liking.

But this is what happens when people break up. He accepted this fact so long ago, but why has it all changed suddenly when he sees you again?

You no longer make his heart skip a beat whenever he sees you. Surely, that is the telltale sign that he is over you by now. 

He sits back down with an inscrutable expression. Of course it is normal to care for you when he sees that you might be injured, is it not? But this feeling seems to be a little bit more than that — something that Riki cannot find an explanation for at this point in time. 

Perhaps he should just let that thought go and watch the practice. “Don’t be worried. (Name) is strong.” Taki says.

It’s exactly the same thing he told Riki 5 years ago when he saw you and Keiji practising a triple lutz throw. Riki remembers being so scared that Keiji would throw you across the ice so carelessly — but he knows that you trust Keiji. 

So in turn, he supposes that he should trust Keiji.

He watches as you and Keiji do a side by side triple loop, Riki holding his breath for the entirety of the time he sees you in the air. When you land the jump cleanly, he lets out a sigh of relief.

Riki realises that the last time he saw you skate in person was just before you two broke up. He didn’t watch your performances even when you two were at the same competitions, because he was too busy preparing for his own performances.

It’s funny, how he could’ve seen you so many times after the breakup — but there is some sort of force separating you from each other, and only bringing you two back together again now. 

Taki claims that your relationship with Riki was a right person, wrong time situation. And in some ways, Riki agrees. He does know that you are the right person for him, but he doesn’t think he is the right person for you.

He watches you practice silently, thoughts of his previous relationship with you running rampant in his mind. He is over you, he reminds himself. That heart-stopping feeling he always got whenever you smiled at him, the butterflies in his stomach, and the instantaneous smile that spread across his lips at the sight of you are now all gone. Riki is just reminiscing over the happy memories he had with you, there’s nothing wrong with that. 

And reminiscing over happy memories doesn’t sound like being in love at all, Riki thinks. Jokes on you, Taki. 

When the official practice is over, he heads to the vending machine, wanting to buy himself some coffee. When he gets there, he sees you, standing there as well, seemingly fishing through your wallet for coins.

“Hey,” he says, and you look up, a smile gracing your lips when you realise who it is. “Hey. You came.” you breathe out. 

“I did,” Riki says, rubbing the nape of his neck. “You guys did great. Did the fall hurt?” he asks, remembering the hard fall you had on the triple lutz throw. You shrug, chuckling. “Nothing I’m not used to.” 

“Mmm. Make sure to ice it when you get back to the hotel.” he says, pressing the buttons on the vending machine, then slotting in the coins. He takes the coffee out of the slot, handing it to you. 

He still remembers which one you like. 

“Take it.”

“Riki, it’s okay — I can just pay for my own.” you say, shaking your head. Your words only prompt the boy to hold the drink out closer to you, and you take it in your hands. “You sure?” 

“I wouldn’t give it to you if I wasn’t, (Name).” he says, running his fingers through his hair. He presses another button on the vending machine, paying for his own drink then taking it out of the slot. 

“I owe you one,” you say, and Riki shakes his head. “You don’t owe me anything. Just think of it as a gift.” 

“A coffee from a vending machine as a gift?” you ask, laughing. “I’ll treat you to coffee when we’re back in Japan.” 

Riki tilts his head, raising an eyebrow. “You and Keiji aren’t going back to Canada? Worlds is soon.” 

“Worlds is in Saitama this year. Figured it’d be easier, and Hikari’s letting us train at your rink for a bit until Worlds is over.” you say.

So Riki will have plenty of chances to see you again.

“Oh, that’s really nice. Let’s try and find a time where we can both make it.” 

The last sentence Riki says seems like a little bit of an insult — when he didn’t mean it in that way at all. He hopes he didn’t sound like he was blaming you for the breakup. It was a poor choice of words, given the situation that you two had been through.

“I didn’t mean it like that, by the way. I just meant in general, we should both be free for a… longer period of time when we go to the coffee shop.” Riki hurriedly tries to explain, and you shake your head, chuckling.

“Relax, I didn’t take it like that. Plus, we both know that the timing just wasn’t right.” you say, and Riki nods. “Yeah. We both know that.” he gulps.

“Right.”

The atmosphere suddenly feels very tense.

“I better uh… get going.” you say, awkwardly smiling at him. “Thank you for the coffee, Riki. Let’s talk more later?”

“Sure, of course. Um… you have my number.” 

“Yeah. Unless you’ve changed it, or something.” you say, and Riki shakes his head. “Just the same. Yours?” 

“Uh… same. It’s LINE, so… didn’t have to change much when I moved to Canada.” you say, and Riki nods. “Right, right. Um… I’ll see you.” he says, giving you a wave goodbye, before you two awkwardly part ways.

You turn your head to look back to see if he’s also looking back. He’s not, so you just turn back around.

As if you two are fated to just have the wrong timing, Riki looks back the exact moment you turn your head back around.

FOUR. zamboni 

Today is the day of the men’s short program.

Riki doesn’t feel his best today. Something just feels off — maybe it’s because he went out with damp hair in cold weather and he’s catching a cold, but he certainly hopes that’s not the case.

He chugs some water before he goes to line up, preparing for the 6 minute warmup, unaware that you and Keiji are seated in the bleachers as spectators. You’re dressed in a black puffer jacket that you’ve had since you were 15 – really, you’re still not quite sure how you’re still able to fit in it, but it’s comfortable and keeps you warm. Keiji looks over at you, noticing your eyes scanning the arena for any sight of Riki. 

“Are you looking for someone?” Keiji asks, and you cross your arms, frowning. “No,” you mumble, biting on the inside of your cheek. 

Of course, Keiji doesn’t believe you. He likes to think that he knows you better than most people, considering how you two have been paired together for nearly 10 years. 

“You can’t lie to me, (Name).” Keiji chuckles, and you avert your gaze from him. “You can be honest with me, you know? I mean… we live together, I throw you up into the air every single day and catch you while skating on frozen water — that at least shows that you trust me with your life, which in turn, means that you can trust me with whatever feelings you have toward your ex boyfriend, who also happens to be my friend from primary school.”

“I forgot you and Riki went to the same primary school,” you say, burying your face in your hands. “And I don’t have any… feelings towards him.” 

“So you’re saying when you see Riki, your mind goes blank? Not a single thought inside of that brain of yours?” 

“No, you idiot. But like… I don’t know what I’m feeling.”

Seeing Riki after 4 years has made some feelings that you had made yourself forget about long ago resurface, and now that they’re all out in the open, you don’t know what to do with them. It’s not like you’re still in love with Riki, but seeing him again makes you think of all the times when you were in love with him.

Moments like showing up late to practice due to staying a little too long at the arcade with more plushies in your arms than the amount that people throw onto the rink when you skate. Or moments like getting scolded by your coaches, who tell you that being late is not acceptable, and smiling at each other secretly, trying not to laugh while they tell you off. Moments like running to hug each other after getting your scores at the Kiss and Cry, both holding each other so tight you both feel like suffocating. 

Some part of you feels like you miss those moments.

But looking at the ice, you realise that you don’t think you can have those moments anymore. They are just memories now, memories that you hold near and dear to your heart.

Because even whilst Riki is in the arena, he’s never felt further away. 

Things with Riki are awkward. It’s not like he’s unwilling to become close with you again, and it’s not like you are either — but there’s just so much history between you two, things just can’t be smoothed over this easily, unlike the zambonis on the rink that smooth over the ice.

“Things are just complicated, Keiji,” you sigh, pursing your lips. “As much as I’d like things to be back to the way they were, we’ve both changed too much over the years.”

“Woah, woah, woah.” Keiji’s eyes widen in surprise, as you look at him confused. “Back to the way things were? Like… when you two were dating? Kissing? Showing so much PDA I nearly threw up on the rink?” 

“No!” you say quickly, and Keiji notices the defensiveness in your voice. “Just… when we were friends. When things weren’t awkward between Riki and I. I’ll figure everything out, okay? I just don’t know when.” 

“Huh.” Keiji furrows his eyebrows. “I think you’ll figure things out sooner than you think.” 

“Why’d you say that?” 

“No reason.” Keiji struggles to hide the smile on his lips.

“Please welcome the next group of skaters to the ice.” the commentator says, and when Riki skates out onto the ice, you immediately spot him.

But that’s not just because of your shared history together — Riki stands at 6’0, towering over all the other skaters. It’s pretty impossible to not spot him. Keiji carefully examines your expression as your eyes follow Riki’s figure as he skates across the ice.

Riki’s skating second in his group, and you watch as he takes off into a triple axel. The landing is a little shaky, and you notice him coughing slightly after he lands the jump. 

“Is Riki sick?” you ask Keiji, who shrugs. “Not sure. Why’d you ask?” 

“He’s coughing.” 

“Could have choked on air. I do that all the time.” 

Soon enough, the 6 minute warmup is over, and Riki leaves the rink. “Are you worried about him or something?” Keiji asks, and you bite the inside of your cheek.

The music for the first skater in the group starts. “If he’s sick, it’ll be hard for him to compete.” you mumble. 

The first skater lands a triple axel, the crowd clapping as you and Keiji join in as well. “Riki’s strong. He can take care of himself.” Keiji says.

“I know.” you say, and then you wince when the skater falls pretty hard on a quadruple flip. “Ouch.”

The skater’s program goes relatively well for the most part, except for the hard fall on the flip. You tap your foot rhythmically on the floor, nervously waiting for Riki to skate onto the rink.

That skater is placed 8th after the short program, it’s announced. Then, Riki skates onto the ice. 

There’s a strange twinge in your heart when you see Riki skate out onto the ice. His costume is gorgeous — the shirt is flowy, with sequin details on it. He brushes his bangs out of his eyes before skating to the centre of the rink, getting into his starting position.

“Try not to fall in love.” Keiji whispers in your ear.

You glare at him, elbowing him. “Shut up.”

The music starts, Riki skating across the rink elegantly. You just realised that you haven’t seen Riki skate in person in 4 years, since you never really got the chance to watch him skate even when you two were at the same competition.

The timing was never right. It never seems to be when it comes to you and Riki.

And at that thought, Riki takes off into the quadruple lutz, and he steps out of the jump. You see the disappointment in his face as he continues skating, and you frown.

“You’ve got this,” you mumble. Stepping out is better than a fall, at least — but you can tell something is stopping Riki from skating at his best. He doesn’t seem to be in the best condition today.

Then, he takes off into the triple axel. He lands it, and you clap loudly — Keiji looks at you, amused, but you’re too focused on Riki to care. 

Riki’s spins are always gorgeous. They always have been. It takes you back to the times when you two would practise on the same rink, you watching Riki spin from behind the boards, completely mesmerised.

The last jumping pass is a quadruple salchow-triple toeloop, and Riki barely hangs onto the toeloop. You’re glad that he didn’t fall, and all the jumps are done now — so now all he has to do is skate the rest of the elements well.

Riki has always delivered in terms of artistry and expression. Today is obviously no exception, despite him being a little off today.

When he finishes his program, the crowd cheers, and you and Keiji clap loudly. “Let’s go, Riki!” Keiji says, even though he knows that Riki can’t hear him. Riki bows to the audience, picking up a couple of stuffed toys that some audience members had thrown to him.

“He did good.” you say, and Keiji nods.

“I think that’ll put him in 1st for now. The step out and barely hanging on for the toe loop will cost him, but… there’s 4 more to go, so.” Keiji replies, and you press your lips together in a thin line as you wait for Riki’s score to be called out.

Seated in the Kiss and Cry, Riki sighs. He’s not happy with his performance today. He thinks he’s getting sick, and that definitely affected his performance. “You seem off today.” Hikari tells him.

“Think I’m catching a cold.” he replies, and his coach looks at him with concern. “Go back to the hotel immediately after. Take some Vitamin C supplements, then go get some sleep. I’ll get someone to take some medicine to your room.” 

“Thanks, Hikari.” Riki says, a grateful smile gracing his lips. The woman just nods, and Riki turns to grab one of the plushies that he had placed next to him on the bench.

Like Keiji predicted, Riki does go into the lead after that skate. But he knows it won’t last for long after the next 4 skates if they all skate clean. Riki knows that he’ll just have to make it up in the free program, but first, he’s got to focus on getting rid of this cold before it can properly hit him.

Riki leaves the Kiss and Cry, going to the locker room to get changed.

He’s unaware about Hikari messaging Keiji about getting some medicine for Riki, and as Keiji replies back, a small smirk makes its way onto his lips. When he sends the message back, Keiji turns to look at you. 

“Hikari wants you to help her do something.” 

FIVE. rushed entries

You find yourself with a shopping bag, being told to head up to Riki’s hotel room. He’s sick, Keiji tells you. 

Exactly like you thought.

You buy more than you think he needs. There’s 2 packs of lozenges, a few cans of the corn soup that you remember that he likes, some instant noodles, a few boxes of tissues and some cold medicine. You also put in a warm blanket that you had brought with you from Canada — you figure that he needs it more than you do.

You knock on the door, and you hear Riki’s footsteps approach. He swings open the door, and he looks tired. His nose is a little bit red, probably from blowing his nose.

“(Name)?” he asks, surprised that you’re here. His voice is a little croaky, and you frown.

“Hikari says you’re sick,”  you mumble. “I came by to give this to you.” 

“Oh,” Riki says. “Thank you.” 

“Um… you did well today.” you say. It’s still awkward between you and Riki, and you’re trying to fill the terrible silence with some sort of conversation. “Nice triple axel.” 

“Thanks,” he chuckles, but then he covers his mouth with his hand to cough. “Sorry. I think I’ve got a cold.”

“It’s okay. Um…” you don’t know whether you should stay or leave.

You and Riki stand there, looking at each other awkwardly. Riki thinks he should ask you to come in — but he’s sick, and your free skate is tomorrow. He can’t get you sick. 

But you’re also looking expectantly at him, as if you want to come in. Riki can’t read you anymore, so he figures that maybe he should just take a leap of faith and ask.

“Do you wanna… come in?” 

It takes you a few seconds to register what Riki had just asked you. “Oh! Um, yeah. Of course.” 

“You don’t have to. I’m sick, and you’ve got a performance tomorrow.” he says, shrugging. You shake your head. “No, no. I want to.”

Riki opens the door a little wider for you to enter, and you walk inside his hotel room. The boy closes the door, setting the bag that you had brought him on the table. He takes the boxes of tissues out, and then he takes out a can of the soup that you had brought him.

“You remembered.” he says, turning around with a small smile on his lips. 

“Yeah.” you breathe out, sitting down on the couch. “I remember we’d always go get that from the vending machine in winter. Warmed us up after practice.”

Riki nods. “Yeah. Thank you, by the way. This is really sweet of you.” 

“It’s no problem,” you say. You get up from the couch, helping him take out some of the stuff in the bag. You place the box of tissues on his bedside counter, and you place the blanket on the edge of the bed. “I brought this blanket if you need it. It’s kinda cold, so.” 

“Thanks,” Riki replies. He opens the can of soup, bringing it to his lips. The soup warms him up immediately, but also brings him back to the exact memory that you’d talked about a few minutes ago. You two would head to the vending machine, buying this small can of corn soup. It warms his heart that you still remember. “Still as good as it was before.” 

“I’m glad.” you reply, and Riki takes the cold medicine before he heads over to his bed, draping the blanket over himself. You sit on the couch awkwardly, just looking at Riki.

“You wanna watch a movie?” he asks.

“Sure.”

“Come here,” he pats the empty spot on the bed next to him. “Or you don’t have to. It’s just… the TV isn’t exactly visible from the couch.” 

“lt’s okay. I’ll come.” you say, and you walk towards Riki’s bed, climbing in next to him. You haven’t been this close with him since you two were together. It’s foreign yet familiar, and that confuses you. 

“What’d you wanna watch?” he asks. You turn your head to look at him, and you realise that he’s much closer to you than you actually thought he was.

“Um…” you say, flustered. “You pick.” 

“Your Name?” Riki suggests. “We always liked to watch that when we… um… yeah.” 

Your Name was yours and Riki’s movie. Every single time you two had a movie night, you two would watch Your Name, huddled up on Riki’s couch, and Bisco would watch it with you both too. You’d think that after watching a movie so many times you’d get tired of it, but Your Name never got old for you and Riki.

It brings back a lot of memories. “Yeah. Let’s do it.” 

Riki presses play. Gosh, he doesn’t know why he suggested Your Name. To be fair, it was the movie that you two always watched when you two were together — but bringing back old memories would make things awkward, and when Riki wants to become friends with you again, the worst thing to do is to bring back old memories.

But he can’t help it. You’re a familiar stranger to him now, and he doesn’t know what to do in situations like these. You’re so close, yet so far — Riki knows you, but he knows the you from 4 years ago. Who knows how much you’ve changed? Riki certainly doesn’t. 

“Hah, his name’s Taki.” you pipe up, thinking of your friend Taki.

“I’ve never thought about it like that.” Riki chuckles. “Hopefully Taki meets his Mitsuha. Gosh, maybe then he’ll be less interested in my love life since he’s got his own.” 

You laugh. Taki was the whole reason why you and Riki were able to confess your feelings to each other, so you do suppose that you should thank him.

You and Riki mostly watch the movie in silence. There’s occasional commentary from both of you, but you two are focused on the movie. It’s how it’s always been. You and Riki didn’t really like talking much when watching a movie — when you two were dating, he would just have his arms wrapped around you. He’d play with your hands, sometimes drawing little doodles on the inside of your palm with his finger.

The one part that has always gotten you and Riki emotional is when Taki writes ‘I love you’ instead of his own name. You remember both bawling your eyes out the first time you had watched the movie, finishing a whole box’s worth of tissues due to that one part.

“I’m going to cry,” you say. “We’ve watched this so many times, and I’ve never been able to control my emotions when it comes to this scene.”

“Don’t cry,” Riki says, looking at you. On instinct, he takes a hold of your hand to comfort you, and your eyes widen slightly. Fucking hell, Riki doesn’t know why he just did that. 

But you’re now looking at him with an unreadable expression. You’ve never been this close to Riki ever since your breakup — your faces are mere inches apart. If you just leaned in a little… you shake your head in an attempt to rid yourself of the thought, but it stays ingrained into your mind. He lets go of your hand, and you don’t know if it’s the music in the background, the memories that the movie reminds you of, or what — but you feel the urge to just pull Riki close and kiss him.

Maybe your feelings aren’t completely gone. 

Your eyes flicker to his lips, and Riki notices the look – it’s not very subtle at all. The boy doesn’t know what’s going to happen after this. Seeing you after 4 years has gone from awkward, to even more awkward, and now this. He doesn’t exactly know what this is, but he knows that something is going to change the entire trajectory of your relationship from here on out.

Riki is so beautiful. He’s always been beautiful. 

“You got rid of your moles.” you hum.

“Yeah. I did.” he gulps. 

“They were pretty.” you whisper.

You’re just saying whatever your mind’s thinking now. Nishimura Riki does tend to have that effect on you – blurting out whatever thought your mind has when it comes to him. 

Riki’s cheeks flush a bright pink as you continue to admire his features. Riki is sick, and his main priority is getting better before tomorrow — but with the way that you’re looking at him right now, that priority has flown straight out the window.

Riki glances at the lanyard around your neck. It’s the one with your athlete details on it, telling everyone that you’re competing at 4 Continents. He supposes that you didn’t take it off before going to buy all that stuff for him. Then his eyes glance to your lips, and you know that Riki’s not trying to make it subtle.

You nod at him.

So he pulls you in by your lanyard, connecting your lips with his. It’s a terrible idea, in hindsight — considering he’s sick, and you’ve got a competition tomorrow, but neither of you seem to care. You can taste the minty flavour of the lozenge in Riki’s mouth from his lips, and his hand moves to cup your cheek.

It’s only when you’re kissing him do you realise how much you’ve missed Riki. Riki kisses you with such longing, and it makes you think that he’s missed you too. When you two pull apart for air, all you can do is look at him with an expression that Riki once again can't read. He simply stares at you, not knowing what to say. He doesn’t know if there is anything to say. 

You don’t know if you want to say anything. You just want to kiss him again.

So you do.

You connect your lips with his once more, wrapping your arms around his neck. The movie is completely neglected now, the characters speaking just providing some background noise. 

Riki was right. Something has changed the trajectory of your relationship completely — and it was a kiss. He’s very well aware that you two aren’t dating, and you two only saw each other again after 4 years three days ago. He should pull away, because he doesn’t know what this all is supposed to mean, but as your lips are on his, he realises that he doesn’t think he really cares.

Funnily enough, Riki doesn’t even think that he’s sick anymore.

SIX. 3A (fall, ur)

You wake up next to Riki.

You guess that you were just too tired to have returned to your own room last night. Riki looks so peaceful next to you, sleeping with a blanket draped over his body.

As you try to get up, Riki stirs, peeking one eye open. You just remembered that Riki was a light sleeper. “Hey…” you say, and he blinks to adjust to the light. 

“Oh, morning.” 

“Do you feel better?” you ask him, and he nods. “Cold medicine was good. So was the soup. And… oh.” 

It seems like he just remembered the kiss. Or rather, kisses. It was a spur of the moment thing, and it’s not something that Riki regrets at all, but now it leaves a whole awkward conversation to be had with you about what it means for you and him now.

“So… about that. You know… kiss.” you awkwardly say. 

“Yeah.”

“It was a… spur of the moment thing. We got caught up in our feelings.” you say, and Riki nods. “Yeah. That’s exactly what happened. I couldn’t have said it better.” he chokes out.

He’s over you.

You’re over him.

You’ll blame Your Name for making you think of all those memories of you and Riki when you two were a couple. That’s what led you two to end up kissing. You know that Riki will blame the movie too. It’s not that you two have any feelings left for each other – it’s been four years! Four years is definitely enough for both of you to move on. 

“Did it mean anything?’ Riki asks. 

“No,” you gulp. “Nothing at all.” 

“Great. Glad we’re on the same page.” Riki grabs ahold of the water bottle placed on his bedside table. You nod at his words, eyes darting around to look at anywhere else but him. “Yeah.  Let’s just… forget about this, okay? We’ll just put this all behind, it never happened, and… we’ll just be friends. We’re friends, right?”

“Yeah. Of course, we’re friends.” Riki breathes out shakily, and you give him a small, awkward smile. You and Riki are friends. You guys can go back to the way things were – before the relationship, and before that… kiss last night, provided that you both don’t continue to think about past memories. 

“Let’s start over?” 

“Yeah.” Riki replies. “Let’s start over.” 

It’s fine. You’ll just forget about the kiss – it’s not going to be that hard to forget, right? You and Riki kissed when you two were together, it’s not like it’s any different. Except that it was 4 years after your breakup, and also a spur of the moment thing. You should stop thinking about it before it completely consumes your mind and knocks you off focus before your competition, so… you just lock that memory in a little box in your brain and throw away the key.

“Oh! My competition.” you say, suddenly being reminded. You have official practice in around an hour, leaving you with extremely limited time to get dressed. “You should go. Um… thank you for all the stuff, by the way.” Riki says, and you nod. 

“No problem! I’ll see you later?” you ask, heading towards the door. 

“Yeah!” Riki calls out after you, and you give him a quick wave before leaving the room. 

Another five minute conversation leaves your dynamic with Riki changed once more. It seems like five minutes is the perfect amount of time for you both to make drastic, huge changes in terms of your relationship. 

But Riki is so incredibly fucked. 

Because one, he doesn’t think he can just forget what happened last night so easily. His worst trait is that he dwells on things a little too much – and oh, boy, Riki is going to dwell on this a lot. He’s never going to tell you this because you seem to feel regret about the whole kiss, but some words that he said in that 5 minute conversation he had with you are words that he doesn’t think he really means. 

Yes, it was a spur of the moment thing. Yes, Riki got caught up in his feelings. But, that kiss did mean something to Riki. Taki was right. Riki’s not over you yet, and the fact that he realises this after only 3 days of seeing you again worries him a little. 

Because how long has he been suppressing these feelings for? Or how long has he been neglecting how he feels, too busy focused on skating to even pay attention to the fact that he’s missed you? These feelings arising once more so quickly and so suddenly makes Riki scared. 

Scared because Riki knows that you don’t feel the same way. You’re so quick to tell him that it meant nothing to you, so quick to leave, even if you did have a reason. So quick to tell him that you’d like to start over, and so quick to be able to get over him when his mind’s stuck on you. 

Riki’s falling. And it’s not one of those falls where he thinks he can get up really fast from, like an underrotated triple axel that leads him to falling right on his ass.

He hurriedly runs to unplug his phone from the charging port, pressing on the call button on his cousin Rei’s contact. She picks up, incredibly quickly – no surprise there, since Rei’s eyes are always glued to her phone whenever he sees her. 

“I’m so fucked, Rei.” 

“I saw the tweets. Why didn’t you tell me you and your ex started talking again?” she says, and Riki furrows his eyebrows at her words. “What? How’d you know?”

“You really think none of your fans would take photos of you two talking at the vending machine inside the arena?” Rei chuckles. Riki sighs – Rei’s right. Rei was the one Riki always went to when he needed to ask for relationship advice, instead of Taki, who’s answer was always these two words: just kiss. 

“So what problem do you have now? Did you guys kiss, and then one of you regretted it or something?”

Rei must be a psychic. 

Riki’s silence gives Rei the answer she’s looking for, and Riki just hears her slam her hand on the table. “No fucking way, you guys kissed? Who, when, what, where, why, how?” she yells into the phone, and Riki brings his phone away from his ear due to how loud the girl’s voice is. 

“Quiet down, will you?” he says, frowning. “Yes, we… kissed. And she said that it didn’t mean anything, and that it was just a spur of the moment thing where we got caught up in our feelings.” 

“Then what did you say back?”

“I agreed?”

“Did you mean it when you agreed?”

“No?”

“You fucking idiot!” Rei yells, and Riki notices that he hasn’t even put her on speaker, but his ears already hurt from how loud she is. “Why didn’t you tell her that it meant something to you?” 

“Because it’s weird! I see her for the first time in 4 years after our breakup, then I kiss her 3 days later and I’m supposed to tell her how I feel when I don’t even know what I feel?” 

“Yes!” Rei replies, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. “Riki, everyone in the world could tell that you were never really over her. You just used skating to distract yourself, but the way you two ended things was bound to leave some sort of lingering feelings. For fuck’s sake, your breakup took less than 5 minutes. I’m sure that there were words that you meant to say and words that she meant to say.” 

“So what do I do now?” Riki asks, anxiously biting his bottom lip. 

“You’re the one who knows her. What do you think you should do?”

Riki doesn’t know, but he doesn’t plan on involving another kiss anytime soon, despite how much he wants it to happen again. 

SEVEN. figure it out

Keiji surprises you at the door of your hotel room.

“Seems like you spent the night somewhere.” he says, a sly smile on his lips. “Maybe a 6’0 male singles skater who you have some history with?” 

“Shut up, Keiji.” you swipe your key card to unlock the door. “I just went to his room to pick up the jacket I left behind last night.” you lie, and Keiji raises an eyebrow.

You know he probably doesn’t believe you, but he also doesn’t pry further. 

“How is he?” Keiji asks, and you shrug. “Seems to be doing fine. Bought him some soup, he took some medicine, we watched a little bit of a movie, then I left.” You obviously leave out the part where you two had kissed, because god forbid if Keiji found out, he’d tell everyone.

Then, it would make everything between you and Riki awkward again. But after your little conversation with him this morning, you think that maybe you and Riki can get past that initial awkward stage.

You just have to get rid of the thought of that kiss from your mind.

“Did he cough much this morning when you saw him? Or sniffle?” 

“No, he seems to be alright.” you reply, taking a new change of training clothes from your suitcase and heading to the bathroom, locking the door. “What movie did you guys watch?” Keiji asks.

“Your Name,” you say, without giving much thought to it.

“Are you kidding me?” Keiji asks, in disbelief. “Your Name is literally yours and Riki’s movie. I can’t even watch it without thinking of you two. Are you sure nothing happened?” 

Keiji knows you a little too well. You suppose that’s what happens when you’re pairs partners for nearly 10 years but gosh, sometimes you wish that he didn’t know you this well so you could get away with lying to him sometimes. 

“I’m sure, Keiji,” you say, pulling your shirt over your head. You turn to look in the mirror, fixing your hair into a neat ponytail before unlocking the door and leaving the room. “Look, Riki and I are just friends now, okay? We talked last night and we’ll put everything behind us.” 

“Everything? How are you supposed to forget hundreds of makeout sessions? A shit ton of hugs? Date nights that involved you two watching the same movie over and over again?” 

Terrific. Keiji’s words bring you back to last night. And to be fair, he is somewhat correct — how are you supposed to forget? But you’ll find a way, right? It’s not like the thought of Riki has consumed your mind for the past 4 years when you two have been separated. 

You’ll see him more often now that you and Keiji will be training in Nagoya for a bit, so you figure that it’ll be best to just pretend nothing ever happened to ease the tension between you two.

“Riki and I were friends first before we dated. I can handle this, Keiji.” you say, and you grab your skate bag. “Come on, we should head to the rink.” 

When walking to the arena, flashbacks to last night keep replaying in your mind. You’re reminded of your face being inches away from Riki’s, him pulling the lanyard around your neck to connect your lips together, and the cool, minty flavour of the lozenge on his lips. 

You don’t realise that you’re unconsciously bringing your fingers up to your lips. The feeling of Riki’s lips on yours still linger, for some reason, and you don’t notice how Keiji’s looking at you strangely. 

“What’s up with you?” Keiji asks.

“Nothing.” you reply quickly. 

You enter the arena, and you head towards the vending machine to buy a coffee. “I’ll head down soon,” you tell Keiji, who nods. 

“(Name).” 

You look up, and you’re greeted with the sight of Riki. “Riki! Hey,” you reply, flashing him a smile. “Didn’t know that you were going to come watch our practice today.” 

“Oh, I’m not watching practice today, sorry. I’ve got a clash, since the men’s official practice is today and at another rink – I just stopped by to hand this to you.” he says, handing you your blanket. He’s folded it neatly, and you thank him gratefully before taking it into your hands.

“Thank you, Riki,” you say. “Um, you’re feeling better today, right?” 

“Yeah. You asked me that this morning,” he chuckles. “Cold medicine and lozenge really did its wonders.” 

You’ll never be able to think of lozenges the same way again. 

The word alone brings you back to the kiss from last night, and maybe you shouldn’t have proposed the idea of putting everything all behind when you can’t even forget about that one kiss. 

“Hello? (Name)?” 

Riki’s voice snaps you out of your daze. “Oh! Sorry. Just competition nerves have gotten me feeling a little out of it,” you lie, chuckling. 

“Hey, you’ll do great.” Riki says, placing a hand on your shoulder. You tense up slightly when Riki’s hand makes contact with your shoulder, and that’s enough for Riki to pull his hand away. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. Um, I’m just really nervous. Thank you, by the way.” you say, giving the boy a grateful smile.

“You’re welcome,” Riki says, returning the gesture by smiling at you too. “I’ll head off now, but have a great practice!” 

“You too, Riki.” you beam at him, and you watch as his figure disappears past the doors of the arena. 

Maybe now you realise it’s a little hard to forget about your shared history with Nishimura Riki. But both of you had agreed to put everything behind you two, so that’s exactly what you’ll do, no matter how hard it is to forget some certain events (to name one of them, that kiss from last night.) 

You want to have a relationship with Riki again. Not a romantic one — even though you don’t think you’d mind that if it did happen —  but you want to be friends with him again. You’ve missed having Riki around. 

And as you lace up your skates before heading onto the rink, you tell yourself to forget about the minty flavour on Riki’s lips for just a little while.

EIGHT. strawberry cakes and skates

You don’t spot Riki anywhere when you skate onto the ice for your free skate. 

Admittedly, you are a little disappointed – but that doesn’t stop you from focusing all your attention on making sure you and Keiji have a clean skate. You forget about minty lozenges, Your Name and Riki’s lips on yours. 

Forgetting about those events proves to be helpful, as you and Keiji end up on the podium. Second place isn’t bad at all, and you’re glad that you and Keiji get to add another medal to your collection. Mina and Yuta place first, and even though you and Keiji weren’t the ones to bring home gold, you’re glad that your teammates were able to. 

You rush to the locker room to change out of your costume after the victory ceremony, changing into a cropped cardigan that you had thrifted from somewhere and a pair of jeans. You redo your makeup as well, since the competition makeup is a little too dramatic and over the top after you’ve changed. 

When you leave the locker room, you see Keiji and Riki talking, with Riki holding a Hello Kitty plushie in his hands. You walk up to the two boys, slinging your bag over your shoulder. “Hey,” you say, and they both turn their attention to you. 

“Hey,” Riki says, and he holds out the plushie to you. “It’s for you. Sorry I couldn’t make it to watch your performance.” 

You smile at Riki as you gratefully accept it with both hands. “Thank you, Riki. And it’s no problem – I know you’re busy preparing for your own performance later today.” 

“Hey, where’s my plushie?” Keiji asks, looking at Riki. “(Name) steals all of yours anyways,” Riki points out. “Unless you don’t anymore…?”

Keiji crosses his arms, feigning anger. “She still does. But I would’ve guarded the one you gave me with my life, okay? Unless you’re only giving one to her because you–!” 

Riki claps a hand over Keiji’s mouth before he can finish his sentence. You watch the scene in front of you in amusement, chuckling as Keiji gives Riki a death glare. “Good job, Riki.” you say, giving him a thumbs up. 

“You two are ganging up on me again… just like old times.” Keiji says, and this time it’s yours and Riki’s turn to give Keiji a death glare. Keiji bringing up your past relationship with Riki is really not helping either of you in your quest to put everything all behind, and gosh, you love Keiji to death, but you wished that he would just shut up about all this to make things less awkward between you and Riki. 

“Anyways… do you wanna go grab lunch?” you ask, and Riki nods, his hands stuffed into the pocket of his hoodie. “I should probably go eat before my performance later,” Riki says. “Keiji, are you gonna come along?” 

Keiji struggles to hide the small smirk that makes its way onto his lips. He’s got a plan, and that plan is to get you and Riki to spend time alone as much as possible. So he pulls out his phone, pretending that Taki had just texted him. “Oh, Taki and I already planned on going to eat. You guys go alone.” 

“Oh, perfect – just invite Taki along.” you say, and Keiji shakes his head. “No, it’s all good! See you!” 

Your partner then runs off, as you and Riki watch in confusion. “Well… that was really strange.” you say, and Riki nods in agreement. “He told me he had absolutely no plans.” Riki replies. 

“Maybe Taki had just texted him.”

That’s a lie, and you both know it. It’s incredibly obvious that Keiji just wants you and Riki to spend time together, in hopes that you two will reconcile and start dating again. Little does he know that you both have decided to put everything behind – even though that has proven to be a little bit of a struggle, considering how you both can’t stop thinking of the kiss. 

But, you’re not too mad at Keiji running off and leaving you and Riki alone. It provides more opportunities for you and Riki to get used to having each other around again. Since you and Keiji will be training at the same rink as him before Worlds, you’ll see Riki often anyways, and the more you see Riki, the more chances you have to get that whole awkwardness stage over. 

You think it’s going pretty well. 

“Where’d you wanna go eat?” you ask him, and Riki shrugs. “You pick. If you didn’t ask, I was just going to go to a coffee shop, maybe eat something light and get a coffee.” 

“We can do that. I can treat you to coffee now, then.” you beam. 

“You really don’t have to.” Riki says. “Let me help you get that, by the way.” he says, taking your skate bag and slinging it over his own shoulder. “It looks heavy.”

God damn it, Nishimura Riki. You can’t do these heart fluttering gestures when I’m trying to get over you, you think. 

“Oh, thanks.” you manage to choke out, and Riki just nods. “Come on, let’s go.” he says, and you follow him, trying to calm the erratic beating of your heart. Riki knows exactly what to do to make your heart do flips, and he’s certainly making it hard for you to forget about everything. 

“Are you nervous for your free skate later?” you ask him, walking next to him side by side. Riki shrugs, pursing his lips. “I mean… yes? I’m trying not to think about it though… that’ll make me more nervous, and I don’t wanna mess up.” 

“Understandable. I’m sure you’ll do great, though. I saw pictures of your costume — it looks really nice.” 

“Are you stalking me?” Riki jokes, and you shake your head no, laughing. Riki’s comfortable enough to start cracking jokes with you again. You guess he’s handling the whole “putting it all behind us” situation better than you are.

Little do you know, you are very wrong.

The sound of your laughter makes warmth bloom across Riki’s chest. He tells himself to ignore that feeling.

You two walk to a nearby coffee shop, pushing open the door as you hear the bells hung to the handle jingle. The atmosphere is cozy and warm, and there don’t seem to be a lot of people in the cafe at the moment. 

“What do you wanna get?” you ask Riki, and his eyes scan the menu written on the blackboard hung to the wall. “Just an iced americano would be great. I’ll pay for my food.” he says, pulling his wallet out of his pocket.

“Nope,” you say, slapping his hand away gently. “My treat.” 

“(Name), you said you were only going to treat me to coffee. Plus, you bought me all that medicine and soup — come on, let me pay for my food.” 

“Just go sit down, Riki.” you say. “I’ll go pay.” 

Riki opens his mouth to protest, but you just shoo him away, and he sighs reluctantly. You turn to the boy at the counter with a bright smile. His name is Jake, according to the name tag clipped to his shirt.

“Hey, what can I get for you today?” 

“Two iced americanos, one slice of the strawberry cake over there and… the banana chocolate muffin.” you tell Jake, who types it into the register. “Cool. Cash or card?” 

“Cash,” you reply, handing Jake the money. “Thanks so much.” 

“No problem,” Jake says, handing you the change. “I’ll bring you guys your order soon.” 

You thank him once again before you head over to where Riki’s sitting. He’s typing on his phone, and he looks up when you sit down in the chair opposite to him.

“What’d you get for me?” 

“Strawberry cake. We’d always go get some after competitions, remember?” you smile softly, and Riki nods. “Of course I do. The shop near the rink had the best ones, remember? The lady there still knows who I am — she’s been asking about you.” 

“Mrs Kimura? Oh my gosh, how is she doing?” 

“Really good, actually.” Riki says. “She’s gotten her grandson to help out with the shop, and the cake’s still just as good. We should go there again when we’re back in Nagoya.”

“Definitely,” you beam. “Gosh, I miss Japan. I’m going to stop by Okayama to visit family first, though. That’s Keiji and I’s plan before going to Nagoya to prepare for Worlds.” 

“Oh, that’s what I’m doing as well,” Riki says. “Konon says Bisco misses me.” 

“Bisco, oh my gosh. I miss Bisco.”

Riki smiles. “Yeah, well… Bisco misses you too. You know, according to my sister, Bisco’s in love with the neighbour’s dog?”

You gasp. “No way. Fudge? That one? Or is it another dog?”

“No, no, it is Fudge!” Riki says, and your jaw drops. “Bisco would always bark at her, but we found out it was because he actually just liked her?”

Riki only found out about Bisco being in love because his sister was trying to tease him about how he “hasn’t pulled anyone since his breakup with you.” Sad, but laughable. And she isn’t wrong, either.

Jake walks up to your table with a tray in his hands, placing one iced americano each in front of the both of you. “Strawberry cake is for…?” 

You gesture to Riki, and Jake sets down the plate in front of him, placing down a fork next to the plate as well as a napkin. “Muffin must be for you, then. Enjoy.” Jake says, and you two thank him before the boy leaves. 

“Strawberries. I love strawberries.” Riki hums.

“Yeah, you microwave them too, like a lunatic.” 

“They taste better microwaved, (Name)! You told me you understood when I made you try it before.” Riki protests, as he watches you take a bite out of your muffin. 

“Well, that was because I was… you know.”

You were going to say that it was because you were in love with him. But saying that would make things awkward, and right now, you’re having a lot of fun talking to Riki. Plus, you haven’t thought about the kiss once. You’re taking this as a win.

“Is the cake good?” you ask Riki, changing the topic, and he nods, taking another bite. “Really good,” he says between mouthfuls. “I wanna buy another one after the competition.” 

“I want to try it. Maybe I’ll order one for myself.” you hum. 

“Just have some of mine.” Riki says, pushing his plate towards you. “Really?” you ask.

“It’s not like we haven’t shared food before.” 

Right. You try a bit of the cake, and Riki’s right — it is really good. It brings you back to when you and Riki would share the strawberry cake at Mrs Kimura’s shop. Of course, it doesn’t taste exactly the same, since the frosting at Mrs Kimura’s is a little lighter.

“That’s so good.” you say, and Riki nods with a twinkle in his eye. 

“Oh, you’ve got frosting there.” Riki says, noticing the smudge of frosting on the side of your lips. “Where?” you ask, and Riki leans in a little closer to wipe the frosting off with the pad of his thumb.

Unconsciously, as he does the motion — your eyes flicker to his lips once again. Riki notices, but he decides not to say anything.

Your face feels hot. Very, very hot. Riki’s does as well.

“Ahem. So…” Riki starts. “We should definitely get more of the cake again.” 

“Oh, one hundred percent. It’s really good.” you say, attempting to rid the awkwardness between you two. It’s working, you think.

The rest of your lunch goes pretty well. You two talk a lot, catching up on what the other has missed through those four years of no contact, and it reminds Riki of your first conversation ever, at Junior Nationals 7 years ago.

But Riki will keep quiet about how he thought of kissing the frosting off your lips.

You also won’t tell him that you were secretly hoping that he did that instead.

NINE. slipping up

Like you and Keiji, Riki places 2nd overall. 

Obviously, he would’ve liked to have taken home the gold, but he’ll just make sure to perform better at Worlds. And second place isn’t the worst. At least he got to go home with a medal, and had gotten some strawberry cake with you after the event was over. 

The time on the plane ride back to Nagoya flies faster than ever, with you and Riki chatting nonstop for the whole duration of the flight. Everyone else on the team watches you both with knowing smiles, giggling to themselves as they whisper to each other about what they think is going to happen between you two. 

“Something definitely happened when I sent (Name) to bring Riki medicine. Their dynamic shifted.” Keiji hums, his eyes fixated on you walking next to Riki.

“They got out of the awkward stage pretty fast, hmm?” Taki tilts his head. “They’re already acting like how they did before they started dating. Maybe it’ll take a bit of meddling to get them together.” 

“You do it.”

“Why do I always have to be the matchmaker?”

“You… did it last time? Because you said you couldn’t stand seeing them acting like a couple but not actually dating?” Keiji blinks, and Taki lets out an ‘ah’ when he’s reminded of his own words from years ago.

“Ah, right. I’m a genius.” 

“Quit flattering yourself,” Kazuha says, walking up to the two boys. “I think they’ll get together on their own this time.” she looks at you two with a smile on her lips.

Taki hopes that Kazuha’s right. Admittedly, he does like meddling in Riki’s love life — only because he wants to see him happy — but he kind of hopes that Riki can just gather up the courage and confess without Taki needing to “accidentally” slip up. 

“Wait, where are you going to stay in Nagoya?” Riki asks you, suddenly remembering that you had sold the apartment where you used to live in before you went to Canada. “Oh, I’m staying with Hinata and I believe Keiji’s going to stay with Fuma.” you reply, mentioning an old friend of yours.

“Ah, Hinata. I haven’t seen her in a really long time,” Riki hums. Hinata was your friend who Riki only happened to meet because you two were dating at the time, and he remembers asking her for ideas on what to get you as a gift for your 6 month anniversary. He eventually settled on a set of headphones that Hinata said that you had been eyeing for a couple of months.

You still use those headphones.

“I haven’t seen her in like… 6 months? But yeah, you haven’t seen Hinata in a while. I’m just going to drop off all this stuff at her place, then I’ll pack another bag and head back to Okayama.” you say, patting the giant luggage that you’re wheeling around.

“That’s my plan as well,” Riki says, checking the time on his phone. “There’s a train in 4 hours, I’ll probably go catch that one. Do you wanna go together?”

You beam at him. “Of course. I was hoping you’d ask — a 4 hour train ride can be so boring.” 

“You could sleep. You didn’t get any sleep on the plane, and you usually doze off the minute you sit down.” Riki points out, and you nod. “Well, I was busy talking to you. Plus, I’m not that tired.” 

“That’s good,” Riki says. “If you wanna sleep on the train, just let me know — I’ll wake you up when we get there.” 

Your heart beats a little faster than normal at his words. Mainly because when you and Riki were together, you’d often find yourselves going on the same trains back to Okayama — you would be sleeping, while Riki listened to music and drew in his sketchbook.

Riki’s sketchbook was filled with drawings of you, with some that he showed you, and some that he hid. Not because he thought they weren’t good, but because he was embarrassed at how often he’d draw you. There were just pages after pages of his doodles of you — he swears there’s one sketchbook that consists only of his drawings of you.

“Okay,” you hum. 

You and Riki part ways soon after that, with you taking the train to Hinata’s apartment. You struggle a bit with walking around with 2 suitcases, but you manage to make it work. You meet Hinata at the station, and she immediately rushes to help you with your bags — but not before she wraps you in a huge hug.

“(Name)!” she says, hugging you so tight you’re gasping for air. “I’ve missed you.” 

“I’ve missed you too,” you say, smiling at her. “Congrats on the medal, by the way.” she looks at the medal draped around your neck — you had forgotten to take it off after the pictures at the airport.

“Thanks, Hinata.”

“So… I see from the news that you’ve been reconnecting with a special someone?” she asks, wiggling your eyebrows at you. She’s no doubt referring to Riki, of course. “Sure, I suppose you could say that. We’re going to take the train back to Okayama later today.” 

“What? Riki’s stealing you from me again? Man, don’t tell me I only get to see you for a few hours today before you disappear for a week.” she pouts. 

“I’m sorry!” you reply. “I’ll be back super soon, and we can go hang out as much as you want. We have lots to catch up on anyways. Well, by as much as you want, it depends on when I’m not training, because I can’t skip — Seungmin is going to kill me, but yeah. As much as you want.” 

“That’s not very ‘as much as you want’, (Name).” Hinata jokes, and you sigh. “I know, I’m just so busy. Making plans is much easier during the off-season, which is soon, so don’t worry.” 

“I get it. So,” Hinata starts. “What happened between you and Riki?” 

You can tell her, right? Hinata’s been your closest friend since you were little — she won’t tell anyone. Most importantly, she won’t tell Keiji or Taki. So you think you’ve got the green light to tell her absolutely everything.

The apartment complex Hinata lives in is pretty close to the train station, so you two get there in no time. As Hinata unlocks the door, you figure that you should tell her now — you didn’t want to tell her now, because you were worried that she might get so shocked to the point where she shouted in the streets.

“So, umm… we had lunch together.” you start, and Hinata nods. “Then, he bought me coffee, so I said I’d treat him. But after that, he got sick, so Keiji told me to grab some medicine for him and bring it up to his hotel room — which I did, and then… we, uh…” 

“You guys what?” 

“Kissed.” you murmur, but Hinata can still hear it.

“You guys kissed?” she practically shrieks, and oh, you’re so grateful you decided to tell her when you two came into the apartment. She looks at you with wide eyes, as you sit on the couch, tapping your foot on the ground awkwardly.

“How did you go from buying him medicine then to kissing?” 

“It just happened! It was a spur of the moment thing — but, we had a conversation, and we’ve decided to put everything behind us.” you say, and Hinata looks at you with a raised eyebrow. 

“And how is that working out?” 

“Great! We’re good friends now. Seriously, there’s no awkwardness between us, and I’m over the relationship. Riki and I are just friends now.” 

Hinata nearly bursts into laughter at your words. She just finds it so unbelievable that you and Riki can “put it all behind you two” because from what she knows about you, you’re probably overthinking every single little action from Riki.

“What? Is it so hard to believe?” 

“Yes!” Hinata says, and you frown. “I’m sorry, (Name) — but is it bad to say that I see you two getting back together?” 

No, not at all, you think. You think you’d love that, actually. But you would never admit it out loud, so you lie to her. “Yes.”

Hinata doesn’t believe you. Gosh, maybe you are a terrible liar. Either that, or Keiji and Hinata know you too well. 

You unpack some of the items in your suitcases, placing them in drawers in Hinata’s spare room that she had so kindly allowed you to stay in for the time being. You leave only the essentials in your suitcase that you’re taking with you to Okayama, and you place your skate bag on the floor. You won’t need them for the time you’re there anyways. 

You wheel the suitcase you’ll be bringing with you to Okayama out into the living room, where Hinata’s watching television. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving this soon,” she says, looking over at you. 

“No, not yet. The train’s in 2 hours, so I’ll probably go in an hour and a half so I can meet up with Riki.” 

“Ooh, Riki.” Hinata says, wiggling her eyebrows at you as you groan. “I regret telling you everything. Oh, and whatever you do, do not tell Keiji or Taki. Those little shits will hold it against me until I tell Riki about any possible feelings I may have for him.”

“I won’t tell them. But what do you mean about any possible feelings you might have for Riki? Are you saying you feel something for him again?” she asks, as you brush your hair out of your eyes.

“No? Yes? Ugh, I don’t know. I’ll figure it out, okay? Everything’s happening all too fast, and I… need time to figure out how I feel.” 

“Well,” Hinata starts. “Take your time. Nobody said you had to rush into things. Eh, wait — you two kinda did, with that spur of the moment kiss — but hey! Whatever works for you two. Riki and (Name)… just friends!” 

Yes. Whatever works for you two. Right now, you and Riki staying as just friends is working out pretty great, so you think that you two will stick to it. 

“Just friends. You know it.” you chuckle.

Just friends, huh? 

Those two words leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

TEN. side by side (jump)

You meet Riki at the entrance of the train station with a bright smile on your lips.

He seems just as happy to see you as well, despite only seeing you a few hours ago at the airport after your flight. “Good to see you again,” he says. “Even though I saw you a little while ago.” 

“Good to see you too, Riki.” you reply, and you two walk into the train station together. Just like old times. 

Riki waits for you to be able to tap your card on the reader — the train station is quite busy today, even busier than usual. You pass through the gate, dragging your suitcase behind you. “Should we grab some food or snacks? I ate a little bit at Hinata’s, but it’s a 4 hour train ride. We might get hungry.” 

“Sure.” Riki replies. He points out a FamilyMart located inside the station, and you two walk there side by side. “Are you going to get onigiri?” you ask him, and he nods. 

“You’re so predictable, Riki.” 

“You just know me well.” 

Silence. But it’s a comfortable silence. You and Riki have gotten past that awkward stage faster than you two had anticipated. Just friends, now. 

Even if you two wish that you could be more. Like old times. When everything between you and Riki seemed right.

When he’d softly nudge your hands with his head when you stopped playing with his hair for a bit. When he’d hug you randomly in the middle of the ice rink, the both of you hearing Keiji’s frustrated sighs in the background. When he’d kiss you underneath the cherry blossom trees every spring.

With Riki, everything always seems right.

Even the days leading up to the breakup, you enjoyed his presence in your life, even if he could barely spend time with you, and vice versa. 

You two were 17. The stress of transitioning into seniors got to you both, and it wasn’t like you two didn’t hold any more love for each other — it was just skating that had taken the little time you had away from each other. 

But you two are older now. 21 years of age, no longer new to seniors, with a collection of medals stored in boxes in your rooms. So maybe, you two could make things work.

Riki lets you walk into the FamilyMart first, following you to the section that has ready made meals. Riki takes one of the salmon onigiris, while you take a ham and cheese sandwich. You check the expiry date as you follow Riki to the drinks section, the boy picking out 2 bottles of coffee. 

“One for you, one for me.” he says, holding one of the bottles out for you. He knows which one you like. He always did, and it doesn’t seem to have changed throughout the years.

“Thanks,” you say, grinning at him. 

You both head to the cashier to pay, the kind lady giving you a smile as you hand her the money. She bids you both goodbye before you two leave the store with 1 white plastic bag, storing the food and drinks that you two had both bought.

“The train is arriving soon. We should head to the platform,” Riki says, checking his phone. “That’s perfect. We got everything we needed in time!” you say, and he nods. 

“Doing anything special for your return?” Riki asks as you both step into the escalator, and you shrug. “I’m not sure. Mom will probably surprise me, if there’s anything planned.” 

“That would be cute,” Riki says. “l don’t think my parents have anything planned. Bisco’s probably just going to look at me then turn away.” 

You let out a loud laugh at Riki’s words. “Wow, Bisco’s cruel.” 

The train arrives not long after, and Riki helps you put your suitcase in the overhead luggage rack. Riki shuffles into the window seat first — he knows you don’t like sitting there, but you’ve still yet to explain to him why that is the case.

You sit down next to him, taking out the headphones that Riki had gotten you for your 6 month anniversary. “You still use them?” Riki asks, glancing at the headphones.

“Of course. They’re good headphones.” 

He turns towards the window, a soft smile on his lips.

You tell Riki you’re going to sleep, and he nods. The boy pulls out his sketchbook and a pencil, flicking through its contents. There’s some drawings of the food he’s eaten. There’s one of Taki pulling a goofy face, and there’s one that he drew of his old broken skates.

A stark contrast to the sketchbook he owned when you two were together. Where all the drawings were ones of you.

He turns to look at you, who’s sleeping peacefully. 

You’re so pretty. You make Riki’s heart skip a beat. He takes off the coat he’s wearing, draping it over your body. The aircon in the train is cold — he doesn’t want you to shiver in your sleep. 

Unconsciously, a small smile spreads across his lips as he looks at you. If anyone was watching the scene, they would all say that Riki was looking at you with the softest look in his eyes, with nothing but adoration and love for you.

His feelings have never left. Riki has grown to accept that — but he doesn’t know if you feel the same. He’ll keep it quiet for now, or as long as it takes. Riki can’t lose you again.

He would rather be just friends than not having you in his life at all.

Life is more vibrant with you in it. To Riki, you are the sun. You always have been. You light up every room you enter. Your smile is infectious — just the sight of it makes the corners of Riki’s lips quirk up. You brighten up his day every time he sees you, without fail. 

He gently brushes your hair out of your eyes. 

Something about that simple action is filled with so much love. Riki supposes he can’t tell you about how he feels at the moment, in fear of making things awkward again, so he will settle for this.

He’ll tell you that he loves you quietly. So quietly that you might not even notice. 

Riki helps you fix the ponytail in your hair the best he can without waking you up, and he hums as he ties the elastic band around your hair. 

He then returns to his sketchbook, drawing things like the medal that he had just earned, the view from outside the window, and the onigiri that he had bought with you at FamilyMart. 

And one sketch of you that he hides in the back of his book.

You’re asleep for the majority of the train ride. Riki taps you on the shoulder when you two have arrived at Okayama, and you crack one eye open at him when you’re awake. Riki smiles — something about your expression when you wake up is just so endearing to him. 

“We’re here?” 

“Yeah.” Riki says, taking his coat that’s been draped on top of your body. “You looked cold, so.”

“Thanks.” you say, smiling gratefully at him.

You grab your bag, getting up from your seat so Riki can leave as well. He helps you get your suitcase as well, and you two leave the train together, and he waits for you to tap your card on the reader once again.

“Are your parents picking you up?” you ask him, and he nods. “They should be here.” he says, looking around the train station.

“That’s nice.” you say. “I think my mom’s coming too.”

“Tell her I said hi,” Riki tells you, and you nod. “Of course I will. I think she still has lunch with your mom once a week, or something.” you chuckle.

“Ah, right. Mom has mentioned that a couple of times.” Riki laughs. He then seems to spot his family, and a bright smile spreads across his lips. “They’re here. I gotta go… I’ll see you soon?” 

“Of course.” 

You don’t seem to notice how Riki fixed your hair a little bit for you while you were sleeping on the train. He smiles at you before bidding you goodbye.

You turn to watch him run to his family, a small smile on your lips at the sight. Riki doesn’t leave the station before turning back to look at you. 

And with that, the moon waves goodbye to his sun.

ELEVEN. rinkside

Like Riki had anticipated, Bisco simply looks at him before turning away when Riki walks in through the door.

“Well.” Konon says, as Riki looks at his dog with a pout on his lips. “Bisco doesn’t even care about me!” Riki says, placing his bag on the couch.

“He’s side-eyeing you.” 

“He’s always side-eyeing everyone.” 

Konon nods, agreeing with her younger brother’s words. Bisco does have what one might call a permanent judgemental stare. 

Riki flops down onto the couch, Konon sitting down next to him as Bisco wanders off to… wherever he’s going. Probably to stare out the window to get a glimpse of the neighbour’s dog.

“So… you and (Name) came back together?” Konon asks, and Riki nods, grabbing the remote control for the television from the coffee table.

“We were at 4 Continents together. Plus, she’s staying in Nagoya for a bit to train before Worlds — it’s easier than going back to Canada. Their coach Seungmin’s staying with a friend, and Keiji’s staying with his friend too.” Riki explains, clicking onto Netflix.

“I see,” she hums. “I didn’t know you guys started talking again.”

“It’s recent.” 

“What’s recent?” Riki’s mom asks, exiting the kitchen. She looks at her son with a curious look on her face, even though Riki’s pretty sure his mom heard small pieces of his conversation with Konon, and there’s no doubt in his mind that she saw Riki with you at the train station.

“Riki and (Name) are talking again.”

“Don’t say it like that!” Riki says, lightly elbowing his sister. Pink tints his cheeks, and Konon immediately notices.

“What do you mean to not say it like that? You two are talking, am I wrong?” she laughs, and Riki groans.

“The way you worded it is…” Riki trails off, embarrassed. “Whatever. Doesn’t matter.”

“That’s nice. I liked (Name),” Riki’s mom says, a knowing smile on her lips. No matter how badly Riki’s trying to hide it, she knows about her son’s lingering feelings for you, and so does everyone else. 

At the sound of your name, Bisco barks.

He really does play favourites, Riki thinks. 

“I know you did, Mom,” Riki chuckles. “She told me to tell you that she said hi.” 

“That’s kind of her. Tell her I said hi too.” 

“So, what’d you guys do?” Konon asks, and Riki shrugs. “We didn’t have much time to… you know… hang out between the events. We had lunch first, with everyone on the team. That’s how I saw her after 4 years of no contact.” 

“Oh, and then I went to watch her practice with Taki and everyone else. She did really well. Then, I kinda got a little sick, so she brought me tissues, cold medicine, soup — the ones that she knows I like — and lozenges.” Riki purposely leaves out the part where you two kissed. His family doesn’t need to know about that. In fact, he thinks that his sister would rather not know, even if he was willing to share. Konon would probably pretend to throw up, and his mom would definitely tease him about it for the rest of his life. His dad would laugh for hours, and Bisco would just stare at him with that judgemental look of his.

Riki continues rambling about spending time with you at 4 Continents while his mother and sister share a knowing look. “Oh, then we went to grab something to eat, and I got this strawberry cake, like old times, when we used to go to Mrs Kimura’s shop after practice. We have plans to do that again when we return to Nagoya. We had a lot to catch up on, so… yeah. Seeing her again was really fun.” 

Konon chuckles. “Sounds like you had a really nice time at 4 Continents with (Name). You even forgot to tell us about that medal of yours.” 

Konon has always liked you and Riki together. You both were incredibly similar, both loud and mischievous. You and Riki could talk about anything and everything for hours and hours and not get bored, and Konon would simply just watch in awe — she didn’t understand how two people could talk this much and not even feel tired. In fact, before you two started dating, Riki had complained multiple times when he had to leave the rink, because he wanted to talk to you more than he already had.

Konon remembers how Riki would call you his sun. And how you’d call him your moon. 

She also remembers when you and Riki would have movie nights in this exact house, on this exact couch. She’d walk into the living room to get a late night snack, and see Riki’s arms wrapped around you, your bodies covered by a warm blanket. 

You made Riki happy.

As a good sibling, that is all she wants for Riki in his life. Happiness. 

Konon can see how happy Riki is when he skates a completely clean program. She can see how happy Riki is when he gains a new personal best score. She can see how happy Riki is when he earns a medal.

But the happiest she’s ever seen Riki is when he’s with you.

So with the way Riki’s talking about the short amounts of time he was able to spend with you at that competition makes Konon feel like yours and Riki’s story isn’t over yet. The glimmer in his eye returning, the way he’s smiling the entire time when he’s talking about the moments he shared with you,  and the excitement in his voice as he details every moment tells her that her brother is still incredibly in love with you.

She hopes that he realises it. Or has already realised it. 

But she knows Riki is too cautious, too worried that he’ll make a mistake when it comes to you. She doesn’t want him to just stand on the rinkside, constantly overthinking every move he makes when it’s related to you. So she figures that someone will have to give him a little push.

Before 4 Continents, Konon has heard her brother’s constant complaints about how he’s the only one in the family who hasn’t found love yet. But it’s clearer to her now than ever that Riki has always been the first one to find his person. 

Words like how the universe might just simply not want him to fall in love, words like how maybe he’s not made for the thing called love. 

But, the universe decides that it is the right thing to do to bring you and Riki back together. It has been too cruel to you both over the past couple of years — pushing the idea of knowing that you might’ve just lost your chance with the one and being left to wonder if you’ll find someone that can make you feel love the same way that person did. 

But, the universe now decides to bring the sun and the moon back together.

One of them just has to take the first step.

TWELVE. on ice / off ice matchmakers 

Riki doesn’t see you at all during his time in Okayama.

You two both don’t take the same train back as well, since Riki left for Nagoya a little earlier than you’re planning to. He texted you, asking if you were going to be on the train that day, and you replied with a ‘no’ and a sad face emoji. 

You told him that you’d be staying a bit longer to spend more time with family, considering you hadn’t seen them in months. He tells you to have fun, and that he’ll see you back in Nagoya. You reply with a thumbs up and a heart emoji.

He can’t believe that his face heats up because of a stupid heart emoji. Riki thinks that he’s even more in love now than he was then, and maybe it’s because of a mix of those old, lingering feelings with the addition of the new ones that he’s developed over 4 Continents — the point is, Riki is crazily in love with you.

Riki returns to the rink with the thought of you on his mind. He sees Keiji there as well, alongside his coach Seungmin. Hikari doesn’t seem to be here yet, and neither does Taki.

“Hey, Riki!” Keiji says, skating up to the boards. “How was Okayama?” 

“It was good. Spent some time with my family, chilled at home, witnessed my dog try to court the neighbour’s dog, you know, normal stuff.” 

“Your dog is trying to court another dog? Also, what’s with the sudden use of formal language?” Keiji asks, laughing loudly at the fact that Bisco is trying to romance another dog.

“I didn’t know how else to word it? Is saying that my dog is trying to date another dog a better way of putting it?” 

“I can’t believe Bisco’s pulling before me,” Keiji says, sighing. “Oh, and I almost forgot to ask. Did you spend any time with (Name)?” 

Keiji wiggles his eyebrows at him, and Riki just looks at him, unamused. “No. I didn’t.” he replies, and Keiji gasps dramatically. “No way. Riki, what?” 

“(Name) was spending time with her family. I’m seeing her here anyways — I don’t want to take away time that she could’ve spent with them while she’s there.” he explains, sitting down on the bench to put on his skates.

“Okay, that makes sense, I guess.” 

“You seem very hellbent on trying to get me and (Name) back together.” Riki hums as he finishes lacing up his skates. “Look, she’s great. And I… hmm. The thing is, if she doesn’t feel the same way anymore, then it’s not going to happen.” 

“Are you indirectly saying that you’re still in love with her?” 

Riki doesn’t say anything as he takes off his skate guards and skates out onto the ice. 

“Riki! Riki!” Keiji calls out after him, trying to catch up to him. “It’s a yes or no question, it’s just one word, come on, man!” 

“You’ll figure that out.” 

“That’s a yes?” 

Riki doesn’t say anything once more, and Keiji takes his silence as an answer. 

Oh, Keiji is so incredibly excited. Knowing that Riki still likes you and also knowing that your feelings for Riki have never left (despite you denying it constantly) has opened up so many new doors for him to come up with a scheme to get you and Riki back together. 

Keiji usually wouldn’t meddle in his friends’ relationships – that’s more of Taki’s thing, but like Konon, he knows that without a little push, you two would never do anything about it. Keiji would hate to see you both just deciding to let your feelings for each other slowly melt away when he knows that you two are practically perfect for each other. 

Keiji’s coach, Seungmin, looks at him with a curious expression, wondering why his student looks so excited suddenly. 

Seungmin had started coaching you and Keiji when you both moved to Canada. He and his pairs partner Yeji had recently retired, with Yeji wanting to pursue a different path away from the ice, and Seungmin wanting to transition to coaching.

“What are you so excited about?” Seungmin asks when Keiji skates back to the boards. “You know how Riki and (Name) used to date, right?” 

Seungmin nods. Keiji has been talking about it constantly after 4 Continents, and since he wasn’t coaching you and Keiji yet at the time when you and Riki were together, he is quite intrigued about why the whole team wants you both back together.

“Riki still likes her. Maybe even loves her? Not sure. But I swear (Name)‘s been secretly hung up on her relationship ever since they broke up — she’s just made herself so busy to the point where she could forget about it. Plus, they didn’t break up because they didn’t love each other anymore, they did it because skating got in the way!” 

“And you think skating won’t get in the way for them now?” 

“No? They’ve both matured. They can find that healthy work-life balance.” Keiji says, and Seungmin tilts his head. “You do know that Riki lives here, in Nagoya, and we train in Montreal, all the way over in Canada.” 

“Long-distance!” 

“What are you guys talking about?” Taki asks, walking up to them, and a wide grin immediately spreads across Keiji’s lips. 

Taki is quite literally known as the matchmaker in the group. It’s incredible how he can pick up on people’s feelings for one another even with just one interaction with the smallest hint of interest. Riki jokingly says that it’s because he has nothing to do better with his life, but Keiji thinks that it’s a gift from whoever’s above. 

“Your friend and his ex.” Seungmin tells him.

“What about Riki and (Name)?” he asks, a mischievous smile on his lips. He looks at Riki, practising his twizzles on the rink. “Is he finally not in denial about liking (Name)?” 

Keiji adds mind reader to Taki’s list of gifts.

“Yes. You must know him very well.” Seungmin says, and Taki nods. “I’ve witnessed every single part of their relationship. The beginning, the end, and now, finally, the return.” he says, feeling very proud.

“We should try and get them back together.” 

“But Kazuha said that they’ll probably get back together on their own. I feel like my magical matchmaking services aren’t needed in this case,” Taki says, sitting down on the bench. “What a rare thing to say, I know. I think we just have to get (Name) out of her denial phase, and they’ll both just tell each other. They love each other too much to keep that a secret.” 

Taki not meddling in a relationship for once? Keiji is surprised.

“You’re right.” Seungmin says. “Just sit back and watch for a bit, maybe. Then we can see how to go from there, right?” 

“We? Coach, do you wanna be part of the plan?” Keiji asks, shocked at his coach’s response. He didn’t expect Seungmin to even agree with him meddling in your love life, much less wanting to get involved with getting you and Riki back together.

“(Name) deserves to be happy,” Seungmin shrugs. “You guys seem to think that he makes her very happy. Plus, I used to be quite the matchmaker a long time ago, back when I was in college.”

“That was like 5 years ago. Why are you talking like you’re 45?” 

Seungmin rolls his eyes. “Shush, Keiji. When (Name) gets back, they’ll probably spend more time together. When we’re not training for Worlds, at least.” 

“You’re right.” 

“Hey Riki?” Taki calls out. “Yeah?” Riki replies, skating closer towards the three near the boards. “Are you planning to see (Name) anytime soon? Like after she comes back?” 

“Yeah, why? She’s going to be training here anyways. She wants to go get strawberry cake at Mrs Kimura’s after practices.” Riki replies, brushing his hair out of his eyes. 

Riki smiles at the thought of seeing you again. The three matchmakers standing near the boards, however, are smiling for a different reason.

THIRTEEN. skate guards

You arrive in Nagoya 2 days later. 

Riki’s eyes light up when he sees you enter the rink, and it does not go unnoticed by Taki and Hikari. Taki silently giggles to himself, and Hikari just looks at you, before looking at Riki again.

Hikari has never said anything about your relationship with Riki, not even when you two were dating. The woman is also impossible to read, so Riki never knew if she approved of his relationship with you. She’d only scold him for being late, and saying that dates weren’t excuses to skip out on practice.

But he knew that Hikari didn’t dislike you. 

“Hey!” you say, skating up to Riki. “Hey, how was your trip back?” he asks, giving you a side hug. Taki and Keiji give each other one of those looks, whispering amongst themselves, as Seungmin just watches your interaction from afar.

“It was nice! I actually bumped into your sister yesterday,” you chuckle, and Riki widens his eyes. Oh gosh, he really hopes Konon didn’t tell you about how he was basically rambling on and on about spending time with you at 4 Continents. “Don’t worry! She didn’t say anything bad. She just said congrats on the medal, and that the next time we’re both back our families should go and grab dinner together.” you say, noticing Riki’s alarmed expression.

Riki lets out a sigh of relief, and you look at him with an amused expression. “What, you thought she’d say something else?” 

“No, no. I was worried she’d say something strange.” 

“Like what?” 

“Nothing.” 

Riki says the word with such quickness that it makes you a little suspicious, but you brush it off. “So… how was your trip? I didn’t get to spend time with you then, so I figured you must be busy with family.” 

“It was good. Bisco has been trying to romance Fudge. I’m unsure if it’s working,” Riki chews on his bottom lip as you laugh. “And I thought you were busy with family, so…” 

“It’s okay. At least we get to see each other now,” you say, beaming.

His heart just does a strange flip, and his cheeks feel hot, face tinting pink all the way up to the tip of his ears. He blames the cold instead of your words. 

“Yeah. We can go get strawberry cake after this?” he asks you, and you nod. “Of course. I’ll go get practicing now, since Keiji just seems to be… staring at us. Then we can maybe go get strawberry cake around… 3?” 

“Of course. It’s a date.” 

Riki then skates off, leaving you with your face feeling hot this time. It’s a date? You know he means that he agrees to the time that you’ve set for going to Mrs Kimura’s shop to get cake, but you know that it can also mean something very different.

You wish that he meant it in a different way. 

You have been in denial about your feelings for Riki for a while now. The signs are all there — from thinking nonstop about the kiss, to his words and his actions making your heart flutter like it used to. 

Oh, you realise. You still love Riki.

You don’t want to leave everything in the past. You want to continue where you two had left off 4 years ago. You want to hold Riki like you used to, hug him like you used to, kiss him like you used to.

You want things to go back to the way they were before.

You stand there in the middle of the rink, eyes following Riki’s figure as he skates across the rink, doing a gorgeous layback Ina Bauer as your heart thumps faster and faster. 

Maybe things could all work out now. Just maybe.

You gulp, hand touching to feel your cheeks — they’re warm, and you tell yourself to snap out of it. You should hurry up with skating so you can go and spend more time with Riki.

You skate up to the boards, and Seungmin looks at you with a small smile on his lips. “So… Riki, huh?”

“Coach, come on. I wanna focus.” 

“I was just asking! And yes, let’s focus.” he says, and you nod. “Keiji, get over here! Stop whispering to Taki.” 

Keiji sighs, telling Taki that he’ll talk to him later. He skates up to you both, hands on his hips. “What are we doing today?” 

“Everything, Keiji. It’s Worlds in less than a month, and we want that medal.” you tell him, and Keiji nods. “Come on, let’s go.” 

You and Keiji skate away from the boards, and as you fiddle with the hair tie on your wrist, Keiji asks you about what you and Riki were talking about. 

You immediately shake your head, saying that it’s nothing important with a soft smile on your lips. “Let’s focus now.” you say. You want to keep your conversations with Riki a little more private now, considering how you know that Keiji is prone to telling everything related about you and Riki to Taki. 

During the practice, you don’t miss Riki’s occasional glances at you. When you catch him looking, he simply gives you a thumbs up, telling you that you’re doing great. 

You thank him quietly, as Keiji struggles to hide the cheeky grin on his lips.

You also don’t miss Hikari telling Riki to focus on his own practice instead of yours as you and Keiji twizzle across the ice. There’s a soft smile on your lips at her words, for some reason. 

Practice goes smoothly for Riki, for the most part. He does fall a couple times on a few quads, but during the final runthrough of his program for the day, he lands them all cleanly. Hikari gives him a nod in satisfaction, telling him that he did well. Riki thanks her, and she gives him a close-lipped smile.

He exits the rink, putting his skate guards back on. He spots your purple ones placed on the bench. You still use the same ones as 4 years ago. 

“Um, Seungmin? Could you tell (Name) I’ll be waiting for her? I’m just going to get changed.” he tells your coach, who nods. “Of course. Have fun.” 

Have fun getting changed?

It doesn’t register in Riki’s mind until he’s in the dressing room a few minutes later that Seungmin means that Riki should have fun spending time with you.

Riki exits the changing room after spraying some cologne on, changed into a hoodie and a pair of jeans. You’re the one putting on your skate guards now, and you tell him that you won’t be long.

He nods, waiting patiently next to the vending machine as he sees you disappear into the women’s changing room. You appear a few minutes later in a fresh change of clothes, smiling at him.

The sight of you makes his heart skip a beat.

“So… should we go?” 

“Of course. Let’s go.” he says. He bids goodbye to Seungmin, Hikari, and Keiji — Taki is nowhere to be seen, for some reason. 

You and Riki leave the rink together, leaving your bags at the rink since you two would come back later anyways. The walk to Mrs Kimura’s shop doesn’t take too long, since it’s just across the street. You haven’t seen the kind lady in years.

Riki pushes open the door, letting you enter first.

“Welcome!” the voice of Mrs Kimura makes you smile, and as you approach the counter, the old lady seems to recognise you. “Oh my. Is that (Name)?” 

“Long time no see, Mrs Kimura!” you say, smiling brightly at her. Mrs Kimura walks around the counter, approaching you to give you a warm hug. “I haven’t seen you in ages! Oh, and Riki’s here as well! I didn’t know that you two got back together. That’s so sweet.” 

“Oh, we’re not together, Mrs Kimura.” you say, chuckling awkwardly. Riki nods, and Mrs Kimura lets out a small ‘oh’.

“Well, sorry for misunderstanding.” she laughs, and you shrug. “It’s quite alright. You did see us come here often when we were together.” 

“Yes, I did. You two were adorable together.” she beams. “So, the usual for you both? Strawberry cake?” 

“Of course. That’s very kind of you for still remembering.” you say. “Riki still comes here often, after practice. Just you know, without you around.” Mrs Kimura says, looking at Riki, who’s gone to sit at the table closest to the window. That table was where you two would always sit whenever you came here.

“Oh, I see.” you say. 

“He seems to have missed you quite a bit, over the years. I would ask about you, and he’d just tell me he didn’t know with this sort of… sad look on his face.”

You didn’t know Riki felt that way.

“But I’m glad you and Riki are talking again.” she says, as she cuts two slices of the strawberry cake. She places them on small plates, pushing them towards you. “Free of charge today.” 

“Oh, Mrs Kimura, no. I’ll pay.” you say, and the lady shakes her head. “No, no, no. Just seeing you again after a long time is enough. I have missed seeing you almost every day, you know.” she replies.

“I’ve missed seeing you every day as well. And thank you so much, Mrs Kimura.” you say.

“He’s looking at you.” she whispers to you.

“Hmm?”

“I think he really likes you.” 

You smile, looking back at Riki. “I think I really like him too.” 

FOURTEEN. when the ice melts 

As the World Championships inches closer, you and Riki find yourselves training more intensely each day.

The only time that you two can spend together without being stressed about preparations for Worlds is at Mrs Kimura’s shop, ordering 2 slices of strawberry cake like usual. You and Riki talk about everything but skating, such as Riki giving you updates on how Bisco’s mission on trying to romance Fudge is going. 

According to his mother, it seems to be going well. 

“Bisco is going to get a girlfriend before you do.” Taki says, taking a sip out of his water bottle. 

Riki glares at your pairs partner. “Actually, I have exes.” 

“Correction, you have one ex. Who just so happens to be standing next to you.” Taki gestures to you, who’s awkwardly standing there. You opt to give a thumbs up with an uncomfortable smile, making Taki burst out in laughter. “Yes… us… exes!” you say, and Riki copies your action, awkwardly giving Taki a thumbs up as well. 

Taki laughs even louder. 

“You guys are funny,” Seungmin says, placing his bags down. “Where’s Keiji?” 

“Not here yet,” you say. “I’ll just practice some solo jumps?” 

Seungmin nods, telling you that it’s a good idea. You tell Taki and Keiji you’ll get practicing before skating off, leaving the two boys and Hikari standing near the boards. “So… are you going to tell her?” Taki asks Riki, and the younger boy looks at him, feigning confusion. 

“Tell her what?” 

“That you like her.” Taki says, as the two boys watch you skate around the rink, before taking off into a triple loop. “What do you mean?” Riki asks. 

“Don’t play dumb with me, Riki. I’ve been stuck with you since we were both 3 years old.” Taki nudges the younger boy, who doesn’t say anything. “I’m really not going to meddle with your love life this time. I swear. I know you and (Name) will get together on your own, so… I’m stepping away.”

“You’re acting as if being a matchmaker is your job, Taki.” Riki chuckles, and Taki shrugs. “It’s my part time job. I’m a full time figure skater, mind reader, and a part-time matchmaker.” 

“Mind reader?” Riki questions.

“Yeah. I’m reading your mind right now, and your mind is telling me that you like (Name), but you’re too scared to tell her because you don’t want to screw things up all over again.” 

Riki flips Taki off, who gasps, feigning offence. Riki despises how Taki knows him so well. Or maybe that Riki just isn’t doing the best job at hiding it. 

“I don’t… what?” 

“Riki, it’s just me. You can be honest with me.” 

“You’re probably going to tell (Name) like you did all those years ago. Look, Taki — I don’t think it’s a good idea this time.” Riki sighs.

“Explain what you mean, Riki.” 

“I… don’t think I should tell her how I feel,” Riki confesses. “Not only is it too early, but also, there’s a multitude of other factors that just tells me that if I confess, things might not turn out the way we want them to again. She lives all the way in Canada, I live here — our lives revolve around skating all day, and with the 13 hour time difference too, I don’t think a romantic relationship can survive all that, even if she likes me back. Plus, we’ve just started being friends again. Look… I would rather have her as a friend, than lose her completely.” 

“Riki, but you really like her.” 

“I know.” Riki sighs. “I always will.”

“But relationships are complicated. Love is complicated, even more so for people like us who dedicate our lives to our sport. I just don’t want to lose (Name) once again. Because at 4 Continents, I finally realised how empty life seemed without her in it. Those 4 years separated her were, no offence to you, and everyone else around, but less… vibrant, in a way. And now that we’re back in each other's lives… I don’t want to go back to how uninteresting and boring life was before.” he muses. Taki listens to him intently, his lips slightly downturned into a frown.

“Plus,” Riki chuckles. “I don’t even know if she likes me back.”

“Of course she does, Riki. What are you even saying? She looks at you as if you’re her entire world.” Taki says, and Riki smiles slightly. “That is a nice thing to say. I would like to get back together with her, if she did like me back.” 

“But if not, I would rather things between (Name) and I to stay like this instead of… you know.” 

Riki doesn’t know that you hear him say those exact words as you skate by the two boys. You didn’t hear the parts they said before, but you sure did hear what Riki said about wanting things to stay the same.

“What do you mean by you know?” Taki asks.

“Seriously, man? I would rather things stay like this rather than having no relationship at all. I thought it was clear, considering everything else I had said earlier.” 

But to you, it is not clear at all. Without context of Taki and Riki’s previous conversation, you’re left thinking that you were wrong.

Riki really doesn’t like you back. 

You feel your heart shatter a little at his words. You held up the tiniest bit of hope, and all this came crashing down with just one sentence from the boy’s lips.

But really, what did you expect? He told you that he agreed that it was a spur of the moment kiss at the hotel. He agreed to leave it all behind, and it seems like he held up on his part of the deal.

However, you didn’t. 

Nishimura Riki twizzles right into your heart once again and ends up breaking it. 

You should’ve expected this to happen. Falling for your ex boyfriend after only a couple of weeks of talking again? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. You were just stupid and foolish enough to think that maybe you and Riki could be a thing again, and look where it got you.

You try to rid your mind of the thought. It doesn’t hurt this bad. The breakup didn’t hurt like this. I should be fine.

To forget about the words that Riki had said, you decide to just focus on practicing your solo jumps. Keiji still hasn’t gotten here, and for once, you actually want to confide in him. 

You then take off into a triple flip.

His words must’ve messed with your mind a little. You’re not as focused as you usually are, which is to be expected — so your body makes an impact with the cold, hard, ice.

Every fall hurts a little bit.

This one hurts a little more than usual.

When Riki sees you fall, he immediately skates over to you. “(Name), you okay?” he asks, worry laced in his tone. Somehow, him skating over to help you back up makes your heart twinge a little. 

“Yeah. I’m okay.” you murmur, and Riki holds out his hand for you to take so he can pull you back up. You take his hand, and butterflies erupt in your stomach — even if you tell them to stop.

Riki doesn’t like you back, you tell yourself. He’s just really nice. He’s always been really nice. That’s why you fell for him in the first place. 

“Careful,” he says, as you give him a smile that doesn’t really quite reach your eyes. Riki’s able to read you like he used to now, and he can tell that you’re not quite happy with something. “Yeah. I will. Thanks.” you say, before skating off, leaving Riki confused.

You were okay before. Did he do something wrong? Were you upset because you fell on the flip? 

He skates back to Taki with a confused expression on his face. “(Name) seems upset.” he frowns, biting on the inside of his cheek. “Maybe it’s because she fell on the flip.” 

“Maybe…” Riki trails off. But he knows you well enough to know it’s not that. Sure, you’d be a little disappointed, but you wouldn’t usually let it show on your face. 

“Boys. Let’s get practicing.” Hikari says, and the two nod. Keiji just so happens to arrive, and you sigh in relief. “You’re here!” Riki hears you say as he pulls his black gloves onto his hands.

As Riki practices, he tries to not think about your upset expression. But, Riki is an overthinker — he just can’t help it. He hopes that maybe he’ll be able to lift your mood a little bit later, but the thought of you being upset distracts him a little, and Hikari notices.

Of course she would. She notices everything. 

And when Riki lands a quadruple salchow shakily, Hikari decides to call him over.

“Is something distracting you? What’s on your mind today?” she asks him.

Riki looks at his coach, a little shocked. She never usually asks him about personal stuff. “No, it’s just… forget it. I’m sorry.” Riki says, and Hikari shakes her head. “Don’t lie to me, Riki. Worlds is in a few weeks, and I don’t want anything stressing you out because it’ll hinder your performance. Just tell me.” 

Riki turns his head to look at you and Keiji, and Hikari understands immediately.

“Are you still in love with your ex girlfriend?” 

“Coach, I…” 

“It’s very obvious, Riki. Why is that bothering you then?” she asks. Riki sighs, rubbing the nape of his neck. “Because she seems upset. And I can’t help but wonder if I did something that made her feel that way.” 

“Did you say anything?” 

“I don’t think so. I wouldn’t want to say anything that would hurt her feelings, considering that I do like her.”

“Then you’re fine. Focus on skating. I can help you handle this.” Hikari says, and Riki looks at his coach, shocked. “What?” she asks.

“You’ve never talked to me about anything regarding my personal life. I’m just not used to this at all.” he confesses, and Hikari shrugs. “I’ve been your coach for the majority of your life. I pick up things that you don’t notice until later. Such as how when I knew immediately that you and (Name) would be together after you two started talking at Junior Nationals that year.” 

“Oh,” Riki says. “I just… I don’t know. I like her a lot, but skating seems to get in the way.” 

“You both need to find that work-life balance. As a coach, I should be telling you that skating is the most important. But, your relationships with others are just as important, and if you love her as much as you do, you should keep your relationship with her as a priority as well.” 

“Okay.” Riki breathes out. 

“Now get back to practice. I’ll talk to (Name) later.” 

FIFTEEN. compulsory figures 

Nagai Hikari has always intimidated you.

Riki’s coach stands at 5’1, but she is incredibly scary for some reason. The lady has a straight face almost 90% of the time, and you remember the times where she’d scold you and Riki for being late to practice with pure anger on her face. Of course, you understood why she was so angry, but that didn’t take away how frightening she was to you.

So when she asks you to talk after your practice is over, you’re a little bit scared.

Riki is somehow nowhere to be seen. He left the rink a little while ago, disappearing into the changing rooms — and you don’t think you’ve seen him leave, but you also don’t know where he is.

You know Riki isn’t that cruel to go to Mrs Kimura’s shop without you, so maybe he’s still in the changing rooms, or he’s gone off to somewhere else when you were too busy practising to notice.

“Um, what’s this about, Ms Nagai?” you ask her, as she pats the seat next to her, motioning for you to sit down. “Riki tells me you’re upset.” 

You don’t know why his coach is telling you this, but you stay and listen.

“Um… I suppose so. Why’d he tell you?” 

“He was distracted during practice today,” Hikari hums. “I figured it might be because he’s thinking about you.” 

Your face heats up a little after hearing Hikari’s words. “And… why would he be thinking about me?” 

“Because he loves you.”

Hikari gets straight to the point.

“That can’t be right,” you chuckle awkwardly. “I just overheard him saying to Taki that he likes how things are between me and him, and… he’d rather it stay like that then… you know.” 

“Did he say what the ‘you know’ was?” the lady asks you.

“No?” 

“The ‘you know’ is not even being in contact with you at all. Riki is scared of losing you completely if he tells you how he feels.” Hikari tells you. “You should go tell him how you feel, because after hearing what Taki and Riki were talking about, I don’t believe he will be the one to make the first move.” 

“But how do you know that I still like Riki?” 

The lady looks at you as if the answer is obvious, because Hikari really can’t believe you had just asked her that — you and Riki have never been able to hide any sort of feelings that you had for each other. “You look at him the same way you did when you two were younger. Like he is everything to you. He looks at you the same way. Don’t lose him again. And don’t hurt him.” 

“He looks at me like that?” you ask her, and she nods.

“All the time. You just must have not noticed,” she says. You sigh, and Hikari frowns. “Why are you sighing? I just told you the words that you wanted to hear.” 

“No, I know, Mrs Nagai — it’s just hit me right now that even if Riki and I continue our relationship from 4 years ago, things will be even more complicated and hard. The time difference, the flights, everything will be harder than before, and we couldn’t even survive that.” 

“You two will make things work. You both love each other too much to not even give your relationship a second chance.” 

The lady gets up out of her seat before walking away, leaving you to register everything she’s told you in your short conversation with her. So you had just misunderstood. Nagai Hikari knows Riki very well, arguably better than some of Riki’s friends, considering how she’s literally watched him grow up.

She has watched you grow up too, with you and Keiji training at this exact rink just with a different coach. She had been there when your relationship with Riki had sprouted, blossomed, then wilted. 

Hikari’s silent observations prove to be useful to you. Riki loves you, she had said. Your heart fills with joy at the sound of that.

But now you know that you’re the one who needs to make the first move, and nervousness courses through your veins. The last and first time you’ve ever confessed to someone is after Taki had left it all out in the open. You two just whispered a meek ‘I like you a lot’, and then Riki asked you if you’d like to be his girlfriend.

You had said yes.

You don’t think the confession should go like that this time around. Your first confession lasted no longer than 5 minutes. Your first breakup lasted no longer than 5 minutes.

Love is special. It should be treated as such.

6 years ago, as a teenager and after Taki exposed your feelings for each other, you should have told Riki how crazily, stupidly in love he made you feel. You should’ve told him that every second, every moment you shared with him sparked this feeling of joy that you couldn’t possibly ever describe in any shape of form. You should’ve told him that there is nobody else in the world that you could ever imagine feeling this way for. 

And 4 years ago, after you both came to the realisation that rings weren’t working out, you should’ve told Riki that you wanted to try and fix things. You should’ve told him that even though everything was going south, those short moments with him that you managed to squeeze into your busy schedule was the only time you felt like you were at peace.

You should’ve told him that despite everything, you still loved him.

So this time around, you’ll tell Riki all the words you never got to say during your first confession, and during your breakup. 

The words “I like you a lot” are not remotely enough to describe your feelings for Riki. You could write entire paragraphs about your feelings, and 5 words, 12 letters is nowhere near the length of a paragraph.

You get up from your seat, looking around to try and find Taki. When you do, you immediately run up to him, startling him a little bit. “Do you know where Riki is?” you ask him, and a sly smile spreads across his lips.

“You look like you’re in a hurry.” 

“I’m not.” 

“Okay. Well, he’s gone to see Rei. He says that she’s not feeling well.” 

“Ah,” you say, pulling out your phone. Sure enough, there are a couple messages from Riki. 

Rei’s throwing up, I think she ate something bad. Had to leave early to drive her to the doctor’s. I won’t be able to get strawberry cake with you at Mrs Kimura’s today, but I bought you a slice and dropped it off at Hinata’s apartment on my way to Rei’s. Hoping it lifts your mood a bit. See you tomorrow!

Knowing that Riki had even gone out of his way to buy you a slice of the strawberry cake and drop it off at Hinata’s apartment himself when he couldn’t go to the shop with you today makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

You can’t believe you’ve found someone like Nishimura Riki.

“What are you smiling at?” Taki asks you, even though he already knows the answer. Don’t worry about it, and thank you for the cake! Hope Rei feels better soon, you write, before tapping send.

“You know the answer without asking, Taki.” you say, before grabbing your bags and leaving the arena.

You return to Hinata’s with a bright smile, strawberry cake waiting for you and your feelings for Riki stronger than ever.

SIXTEEN. in every universe, 1Lo<. 

Riki heads to the rink much earlier than he usually does on a Wednesday morning. 

He’s hoping to get in more practice time today, since his practice was abruptly cut by Rei getting food poisoning, leading to Riki needing to drive his cousin to the hospital. 

The streets of Nagoya are awfully quiet this early in the morning, and as Riki walks by empty streets with his headphones on, he quietly admires the city that he calls his home away from home.

The boy pushes past the doors of the arena, the cold air from the rink brushing against his face. It’s not possible for someone to be here this early in the morning — hell, he knows that even Hikari isn’t awake right now. 

The boy quietly places down his bags, pulling his skates out. He puts his skates on, placing his regular sneakers into a shoe bag that he stuffs into his skate bag. Riki finishes lacing up his skates, and he walks over to his locker, shoving his bags in there. 

Riki removes his skate guards before skating out onto the ice. 

The ice has never felt so comforting to Riki, especially during preparations for Worlds. Perhaps he should start practising much earlier than he usually does.

But then he hears the doors of the arena open, and he curiously looks towards the entrance to see who would possibly come here this early, other than him.

It’s you.

He doesn’t know why something so simple, such as you walking through the doors makes his breath hitch. Butterflies flutter in his stomach, and despite how cold the rink is, Riki has never felt so warm. 

You seem to spot him, and you hurriedly lace up your skates before skating onto the ice — seemingly not even bothering to put your skate bag away into your own locker.

“Morning,” you breathe out.

Riki doesn’t know how nervous you are.

“Morning.” Riki smiles at you, and just at the sight of his smile, you swear you fall in love with him all over again. 

“How’s Rei?” you skate beside him, and Riki shrugs at your words. “She’s doing okay, I think. Her friend Gaeul’s taking care of her, since she knows I’m busy preparing for Worlds. I should go and see her sometime soon though, just to check up.”

Riki seems to suddenly remember something. “Oh, did you get the cake?”

“Yes, I did!” you say with a wide grin and a bright twinkle in your eye. Warmth blooms across Riki’s chest at the sight of your joyful smile. He’s glad he’s the one who was able to make you smile like that. “I’m glad Hinata didn’t eat the cake.” 

“Me too.” 

Then there’s just silence between you and Riki. It’s not a comfortable silence, but it’s not awkward, either. It’s just you, trying to get yourself to muster up the courage to tell him what you’ve wanted to say to him, and Riki, sensing that you’re about to tell him something, but nothing seems to slip past your lips.

Riki decides that he doesn’t quite like the silence. “Are you okay from yesterday?” 

“Hmm?” 

“You seemed upset. I got worried.” he confesses, looking down at his skates. A tiny smile appears on your lips.

“I’m okay. It was just me overthinking.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Is this the right time? you ask yourself. You don’t know what exactly to say. All you know is your feelings towards Riki are so strong that you just can’t keep it a secret anymore. You don’t have a clearly thought out paragraph to tell him how you feel, you don’t have anything rehearsed — all you have are your feelings.

“I love you,” you blurt out.

You just hope that your feelings are enough.

Riki stops in his tracks. 

“I have never stopped loving you, and it’s killing me that I only realised a couple weeks ago. Less than 5 minutes seems like all the time we need to make major decisions regarding our relationship — but I don’t want 5 minutes. 5 minutes is too little for me to tell you how much I like you. It’s too little for me to tell you that even when we were 14 years old, with our eyes set on nothing but flashy titles and gold medals, I knew that you would be the only one that I could ever find myself having these types of feelings for. It’s too little for me to tell you that during those 5 minutes of our breakup, I should’ve gathered the courage to tell you to stay.” 

You take a step closer to him. “And I know that with my confession, I’ve opened up hundreds, even thousands of doors of problems that could happen in our relationship. Staying as just friends would and could have avoided all that — but I don’t want to be just friends. Hikari is right. I love you too much to not even try and give our relationship a second chance, and I… I don’t know. I suppose that I should tell you that I wish that I didn’t propose the idea to leave our relationship all behind when you kissed me at 4 Continents. I wish that I didn’t tell you that it was all just a spur of the moment thing — I wanted it to happen. And after it did happen, I wanted it to happen over, and over, and over again.”

“I don’t know. Perfection is everything that we have strived for,” you mumble. “Every day, we are told to execute certain things to perfection. And I know that we’ll never be as perfect as we are on the ice. But I don’t need perfection when I have you.” 

You pour your entire heart out. You’ve said every single possible thing that comes to mind, and your mind is now just blank. You don’t know what Riki’s going to say, what he’s going to do — all you know is that you could feel nothing but overwhelming joy in the next second, or overwhelming, crushing, heartbreak.

You can’t read Riki’s expression. He seems like he’s still trying to register all the words you had just said.

But then he tugs on the sleeve of your jacket. You look at him, confused — until you see the widest smile you’ve ever seen on Riki’s face.

“I love you too.” he beams, and you feel that overwhelming feeling of joy. You wrap your arms around him, burying your face in his chest to hide the stupid, lovestruck grin on your lips. 

You look at him, and Mrs Kimura is right. He does look at you as if you’ve got stars in your eyes. “I was scared to tell you how I felt. Because I was worried that you wouldn’t feel the same way — and I couldn’t lose you all over again,” he mumbles.

“You’ll never lose me.” 

Riki’s lips quirk up into a smile. “I didn’t want to forget about our shared history after the kiss. I guess that I’m just always too fearful to tell you how crazily in love I am with you.”

“I guess that makes us crazily in love with each other.” you whisper to him.

He nods, a breathy laugh escaping past his lips. Riki then leans in to connect your lips with his, and everything feels right. Everything has always felt right with you. The flavour of the minty lozenge from the kiss at 4 Continents is instead replaced with your strawberry flavoured chapstick, and Riki brings his hand up to slowly cup your cheek.

Your first confession was at this rink. Your breakup was at this rink. And now your second first confession and second first kiss is also at this rink. 

This time, everything is exactly the way you had imagined it. Nobody is there to interfere. No words have been left unsaid. This time, it is just you and Riki, and you know that perfect is not an ideal word to describe things, given how much pressure the word alone in a different context holds — but everything is perfect.

Riki doesn’t know if soulmates exist or not. But if he did have one, he knew it would be you. You both are like two missing puzzle pieces that match perfectly together — as if he was made for you, and you were made for him.

When you both pull away, Riki rests his forehead against yours. “I watched a movie a few days ago,” he whispers.

“What was it about?” 

“The multiverse,” he replies, lacing his hands with yours. “Hundreds and hundreds of different universes. And I thought to myself: in each and every universe, I would still want to find my way back to you.” 

Your heart swells to the point where you think it’s about to burst at the seams. “And I would always want to find my way back to you, too.” 

Nishimura Riki is yours, as much as you are his. He has never left your heart the second he twizzled his way into it, and you truly are surprised how it took you this long to accept it when everybody else (but Riki, too) had known that you two would eventually find your way back to each other.

Wherever you are in the world, I will search for you. 

And as Riki presses another kiss to your lips, he knows that love is no longer some sort of mystery he cannot figure out anymore. 

Riki realises that love isn’t as complicated as he thought. Love, to Riki, is you. It is the most simplest of definitions, and Riki knows the meaning will never change for him.

Riki may be still a quarter of a rotation off on that quadruple axel, but for love? Riki isn’t a quarter off at all anymore. 

He puts love on pause, because he will only ever press play when he finds his way back to you. Love is no longer far away, out of reach, and only something Riki can dream of experiencing anymore. He is with you, your hand in his — and everything is right. 

You twizzle your way right into Nishimura Riki’s heart all over again, and he knows you’ll stay there for a very, very long time.

[onlygarden]

[spring is beautiful, and it must end] - nishimura riki

genre: angst (im sorry)

description: a month after your breakup with ni-ki, he returns with the desire to revive your love.

a/n: i think this might be my favorite fic i’ve written so far. even the draft made me want to cry hehehhe

the soft, hesitant sound of a knock echoes through your house, gently luring you towards your front door. you comply with the request, twisting your door knob, and pulling the front door open in no hurry at all.

a slight breeze caresses your body, the tranquility of the warm wind nearly soothing you enough to distract you from the crisp chill that nipped your senses. ni-ki stood in front of you, the frigid air which surrounded him tangling with the comforting heat of the summer.

it had been a month since you’d seen him. one month since you’d decided you could no longer grow harmoniously with him.

the summer air drifts along ni-ki’s features, his hair dancing gracefully against his skin. you imagine it must tickle a bit.

he inhales sharply as his eyes float along your features, immersing himself in every crevice of every characteristic that made you. it felt like an eternity since he last laid his eyes on you.

“hey,” ni-ki says, his deep voice littered with gloom, “i’ve really missed you.”

the sound of ni-ki’s voice still sounded so familiar to you, and it would be dishonest for you to say that you didn’t miss him, too.

you sigh, tears already igniting beneath your eyes. your composure would give out quickly, it seemed. it hadn’t been very long since the love between the two of you had withered to an unsightly brown, after all.

“ni-ki,” you start, the hope for more words to leave your mouth dying as soon as ni-ki’s name tumbled across your lips. ‘i miss you, too’ and ‘i love you’ failing to reach his ears.

“noona, i just want you to know that i’m sorry. with every part of myself, i regret how i treated you,” he tells you. his eyes filled themselves with yours, swelling painfully with the desperation planted behind them.

you don’t recall ever seeing ni-ki wear such dejection. his posture was notably feeble, his usual confidence absent from his body.

he stares into the eyes he learned so well, gathering the conflicted sadness his words placed within them.

“i know we haven’t spent very much time apart, and i know how selfish i was, but i want to make things right,” ni-ki places both of his large hands around one of yours. you trembled underneath his touch, much like a flower.

“i couldn’t get used to my life without you. it made me realize, that, everything i need is you.” ni-ki squeezes your hand with just enough intensity to convey his ferocious yearning. his voice began to quiver, and his eyes ached from the tears which sat anxiously above his eyelids, begging not to fall.

“i want to show you how much i’ve grown, i want to keep growing with you,” he confessed, his hands which clung to yours beginning to tremble, too.

as beautiful as ni-ki’s apology was, you knew that your time with him was like spring; it bloomed enough to warm the two of you, and graciously surrounded you both with an array of such breathtaking scenery. but you realize now, that it only started so beautifully because it would eventually end. the cold and icy shift of ni-ki’s behavior created an environment that was unfit for the lovely flowers you two once nourished. his selfishness and immaturity steadily enveloped the precious flowers you shared, draining them of their colorful beauty until they wilted pathetically. the hail of ice was so damaging, that, no amount of nurturing could ever make them bloom as beautifully as they once did.

you and ni-ki were only beautiful within spring.

you didn’t fight it, knowing it would be in vain, and you allowed the tears to spill past your unconvincing cloak of composure.

“ni-ki, i know you’re sorry, and i do believe you,” you cry, and ni-ki’s eyes don’t leave you once.

“but,” your eyes leave ni-ki’s for a moment as you muster the courage to utter your next sentence. ni-ki is certain he already knows the words that will leave your mouth.

“we need to let this go,” you tell him.

ni-ki’s hands loosen brutally around yours. every movement from ni-ki causes a pang in your chest as you witness the manner in which your words hit him.

your pain was unimaginable, too.

you rush forward and hug ni-ki, feeling as his arms fervently latch onto your form, his grip pleading with you to let him stay forever.

“i love you,” he tells you. you love him too, and that’s what you tell him.

“i’ll still think about you, even tomorrow,” ni-ki continued to cry, realizing that once he let go of you, everything would become real. he needed to soak up as much of you as he could.

for you and ni-ki, love only existed temporarily.

[dearmura]

strawberry seeds

☆ cw. fem-bodied reader, periods, reader is RLY sensitive, non-sexual baths (normalize this pls), not proofread

☆ pairings. bf! riki × f! reader

☆ genre. fluff, established relationship

☆ a.n. totally not making them have Mexican cuz I'm craving it...

with a sharp pain enveloping your lower abdomen, you painfully clutch onto the ice cold handle of the fridge, hissing at the feeling. you let out a deep breath to stop yourself from tearing up, utterly exhausted at the cramps you were experiencing. strangely enough, you always seemed to crave the sweet yet acidic taste of strawberries during that time of the month, explaining your out of the blue search for them now. barely gathering enough strength to pull the door open, you let out a sigh, eyes scanning the food items for a container of strawberries

as if the mood swings didn't add to your already sour mood, you feel yourself tear up subconsciously at the realization you'd run out of the sweet berries. you acknowledge the fact that you were most definitely being overdramatic but your oversensitivity prevented you from having a clear mind, allowing streaks of tears to roll down your cheeks

hearing your breath hitch and quiet sobs from the other room, riki's blood runs cold. immediately running in search of you, his eyes soften when they meet your bloodshot ones. sitting on the floor defeated, you look up at the boy with a pout, sniffing pitifully as he caresses your cheek

"what's wrong, angel?" he speaks softly as to not frighten you, bending down so he was just above your eye level, watching as you lean into his gentle touch

"w-we ran out of strawberries" you say between sniffs, looking up at the boy like a miserable child, only making him coo. seeing tears threatening to spill from your watery eyes, he cups your cheeks before pulling you into his warm embrace

"shhh shhh angel, angel, I've got you, beautiful" he whispers sweetly, catching onto your situation by your craving alone, knowing you all too well. your breathing slowly calms down, your once tense muscles relaxing at his soft touch

"that's a good girl~" he coos, sensing you were less tense. helping you up, he snakes a hand around your waist, supporting your weight as he led you to your room. sitting you against the headboard of your bed, he lays a blanket over you before disappearing for a moment, much to your dismay, coming back a few minutes later with a heat pack and his phone

pulling you onto his lap, he holds the heat pack against your abdomen, kissing down your neck softly to distract you from the pain

"how about I order us some strawberries from the market app? wouldn't want to leave my angel's side now would I?" his voice huskily whispers into your ear, making a shiver run down your spine. you let your eyes flutter shut as you relish in the sweet attention he was giving you, the heat of the pack he gave you helping with the waves of cramps

for a while you lay like that

in his arms as he whispers sweet nothing into your ear

on a particularly painful wave of cramps, you wince a little, muscles tensing once more. instantly noticing your distress, he slips you off his lap, laying you down as he rests his head on your stomach, placing sweet kisses on your abdomen. you giggle at the ticklish sensation, completely forgetting about the pain which only seems to die down at his ministrations

he smiles warmly hearing your sweet laugh, feeling a strong sense of pride that he was the reason behind it. he lays his head on your stomach, lulled slowly by the sound of your heartbeat when suddenly a growl snaps him out of his drowsiness

he looks up with a smile, ready to tease you but refraining when remembering your sensitive state. seeing you tense for the nth time at the noise, he cups your cheek, placing a gentle kiss on your lips

"is my angel hungry?" he coos sweetly, caressing your cheek softly

"what do you say about ordering some mexican and having strawberries after? how does that sound princess?" he whispers, not forgetting to kiss just below your jaw at his last word. you nod with a smile, subconsciously leaning into his touch

about to get up, your heart drops as you feel yourself flow as you stand. looking down from where you sat, tears well in your eyes at the red stain left behind

"I-I'm so sorry, ki" you almost sob, pointing pitifully at the once white sheets now painted red. looking down at your shorts didn't help either, also stained red as you leaked right through

he only smiles, unaffected at what seemed like the end of the world to you. he almost laughs at how adorably dramatic you were being, cupping your cheek sweetly

"it's okay my love. it's natural" he reassures you, gingerly pulling the sheets from their place, bunching it together before holding it in his arms nonchalantly

"see? it's nothing, beautiful" he takes your hand, guiding you down the hall, throwing the sheets in the wash before leading you to the bathroom

hands hooking the waistband of your shorts, he looks up at you expectanly, waiting for your consent

"may I?" he asks softly. at your word, he slips off your clothes before running warm water into the bath. he flashes you a warm smile as he pours a little bit of bubble solution in the water, only making you roll your eyes playfully at his antics. though, you couldn't deny that his actions never failed to put a smile on your face

massaging some shampoo into your scalp, he sang softly as your eyes struggled to stay open

"you're my angel, angel baby, angel~" he watches you with heart eyes as he sings, making you blush uncontrollably. washing away the shampoo, his hands leave your scalp momentarily as he grabs a pair of his undergarments and a pad for you, wrapping a towel around your figure before helping slip them on

"arms up" he states softly before slipping one of his clean shirts over your head. you smile softly as you distinctly smell his sweet scent against your skin. stepping back at your figure, totally engulfed by the mere size of his clothing on you, he chuckles at how adorable you looked, pulling you into a warm hug

"so beautiful" he whispers softly, kissing your damp hair as he pulls your head to his chest, not caring that his shirt was probably all wet by now

"i love you angel...and your strawberry obsession" he giggles, looking into your eyes with pure adoration

how you hated to ruin the moment but you knew he practically asked for it

"I may have an obsession but at least I don't microwave them" you tease, only bringing a look of utter shock to his face. you only giggle mischievously

"oh you're gonna get it, pretty girl" you see his tongue poking from the inside of his cheek, feigning annoyance as he nearly pounces on you, chasing your figure down the hall as you just miss his outreached grasp

"you'll never catch me nishimura~" you add fuel to the fire, teasing him further

"nishimura? why are you calling me by my government name?" he shouts with both shock and amusement. catching up to you instantly, he envelops you in his arms, holding your waist as his lips come up to your ear, breath tickling the skin below

"if you want my last name that bad, you could've just said so angel" he whispers into your ear, about to kiss down your neck when the doorbell rings, signaling the arrival of the grocery order, making you perk up

"saved by the strawberry!" you state matter-of-factly, only making him roll his eyes at the loss of contact

you were lucky he loved you

fin

a.n. had multiple asks regarding a period fic so I just combined them here. thank you for reading my loves ~

[jjunie-0]

True love…

Summary: Heeseung has been your crush longer than you could remember, But of course you didn’t have him easily. He was head over heels for your best friend, Ivy, When would he waken from his daze and realize YOU were his true love?

Heeseung’s Pov

“Or just a dumbass called Lee Heeseung” Jay mumbled, earning a glare from the older.

Sunghoon spoke, “Okay, but be honest, has Ivy looked in your direction ever?”

“Yea!, remember the high school graduation party?, me and her danced and everything!” Heeseung said in an excited voice. “If you don’t like Y/n let me go chase the love of my life!” Jake blurted, heeseung stared at him.…there was a feeling inside of him.……could it be jealousy? No, of course not! That man was head over heels for Ivy, he couldn’t feel jealous about his friend trying to date his crush’s friend! Heeseung was spiraling with thoughts, yet he finally spoke “Do it, get that annoying brat to stop coming towards me.” Jake was surprised at his answer, “if you say so, the woman isn’t really that bad! She’s sweet, kind, cute, fun, awesome in general!”, heeseung groaned at his reply, “she’s neither of those, she’s a dumb little bitch who won’t leave me alone!” Jay coughed, “You do know those 3 boys she’s always with right?, they’d practically kill you if they heard you just now.”, The older rolled his eyes, “May I remind you, those 3 boys are 03-05 liners. Along with the brat herself! They ain’t gonna do shit.” Sunghoon, Jake, and Jay shared a glance with each other.

Jake was determined to help Y/N fall out of love with heeseung, It broke him seeing her tears fall because of his best friend.

Y/N POV

She had just had the best night of her life with her best friends…No! She considered them her brothers. The night was filled with laughter, cuddles, crying (Watching twilight), ice cream which they fought over which flavor, gaming, and chaos! She’s never smiled this much in her life.

“Let’s play monopoly!” Jungwon suggested and sooner than he expected all four of them were gathered around a monopoly board.

“HE’S IN JAIL IM NOT GIVING MY MONEY TO A CRIMINAL!” “JUST GIVE HIM THE GOD DAMN MONEY!!!” “THATS NOT HOW YOU PLAÆÆÆY!!!!!” “Why are they fighting?” “SHUT UP YOU STOLE MY LAST RAILROAD!” “ARGGG!” Was a good way to put how the game went, let’s just say Monopoly ruins friendships. Later that night, all of them, Riki, Jungwon, Sunoo, and Y/N were cuddled up watching ‘The Lorax’ since Y/N was crying half way thru twilight. Riki smiled softly watching the other three sleep, thinking ‘I’d give the world just to see them happy……’

Read part one and till make more sense lmao, I’m feeling abit insecure about the writing 😅

Taglist: @leaderwon

[uvuii]

sweet moments @uvuii works

꒰ genre. ꒱ ۪ ot7 + femreader ⌇ ⌗written : fluff -> no warnings.

lee heeseung

waits for you to get off of work. He’ll have a box of desserts in hand as he’s checking his watch every 6 seconds, waiting for you. Big hugs when you see him! He’s missed you so much. Somedays he’d walk to your workplace, so you guys can a have a cute little romantic stroll back home!

park jeongseong

holds small trinkets in his bag for you. Hungry? He has your favorites snacks on hand. Hot? He bought a small fan for you and makes sure its always 100% charged. Chapped lips? Has the exact brand of chapstick you use in his pockets. He wants you to always be comfortable with him, so he makes sure he has everything you need + when you need it!

sim jaeyun

loves to take photos of you. Has a whole album on his phone just to hold every single shot he has of you. Your too cute, he can’t help taking like 80 every moment! When he’s on tour and missing you, he’ll scroll through all of the pictures!

park sunghoon

dies inside when he spots you at their concerts. His heart nearly explodes from happiness when he sees you sitting next to his family. He wish he could jump of that stage and kiss you silly, but he has to perform. Speed walks backstage after the concert, because he knows you’ll be waiting for him. Biggest smile on his face because he’s finally able to shower you with hugs and kisses!

yang jungwon

always suggests silly date ideas. You two would be lying in bed, him being completely exhausted from dance practice that day, but so suddenly goes ‘We should try ice skating together!’ ‘Wonie…right now?’This man is so excited to try cute stuff with you. He loves you so much and wants to see you have fun on your dates!

kim sunoo

finds random excuses to hold your hand. ‘There’s so many people here…’ as he moves closer and locks his hand with yours. It makes you giggle with how silly his tactics are. But to him, it doesn’t matter if his excuses make any sense at all, as long as the result will include his hand in yours.

nishimura riki

he finds it so funny to try silly pickup lines on you. He’ll say some really terrible ones, but you’ll find yourself giggling and twirling your hair over a few of them. And this boy can definitely tell. ‘Oh my god Y/n are you blushing?! …no way you enjoyed that…. you’re so weird ewww…’ (He definitely saves it to his notes so he can use it on you again. )

[coochiequeens]

Long article but worth the read.

Some things make less sense the more you study them: the SNP’s finances, Joe Biden’s sentences… and being nonbinary.

Nonbinary is an umbrella term used to describe those people who believe they are outside the gender binary. They believe that they are neither male nor female.

When you ask nonbinaries what they mean by this, the response usually boils down to men saying they feel kinda feminine sometimes, and women saying they kinda don’t. It’s not exactly The Communist Manifesto. When you point out that some men and women have felt this way since time immemorial, without feeling the need to turn it into a political cause, nonbinary males become aggressive and nonbinary females become sulky. All of which suggests that this nonbinary LARP may require some more thought.

If, like me, you prefer to identify as non-lunatic, you might be tempted to dismiss the nonbinary phenomenon as a passing fad, like the Tamagotchi ‘egg’ toys popular among children a couple of decades ago. But there’s a difference between the idea of nonbinary and fads like Tamagotchis, especially among the young. Schools banned Tamagotchis in the 1990s because they were a distraction. This time, our public institutions, from multinational corporations to medical bodies, are actively promoting the idea that you can be neither male nor female.

Advocates themselves seem unclear as to what ‘nonbinary’ means. Some seem unsure where to draw the line between being nonbinary and being trans. The huge American LGBTQ+ charity, the Trevor Project, insists that ‘It’s important to note that not all nonbinary folks identify as trans’. But the UK’s LGBT Foundation argues that nonbinary fits under the so-called trans umbrella. This isn’t much help, however, since the trans umbrella has by now grown so huge it could be used to protect the polar ice caps.

Throughout much of the 20th century, the prefix ‘trans’ tended to be used in relation to transvestites or transsexuals. It implied a transition from one gender or sex to the other. But this started to change in the 1990s. Disappointed by the physical results of transitioning – think big-jawed, deep-voiced ‘transwomen’ and miniature, small-boned ‘transmen’ – the trans lobby started to look for a new vocabulary that might capture what it is to be neither male nor female.

Activist Riki Wilchins played a key role in the development of nonbinary. He originally came to prominence in 1991, when he co-founded Camp Trans, an annual protest against the exclusion of transwomen from the women-only Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. In the mid-1990s, he sowed the seeds for the idea of being nonbinary by coining a new term to describe himself – namely, ‘genderqueer’.

It was a fortuitous moment for Wilchins. From the late 1990s onwards, with queer theory flourishing in universities in the UK and the US, a slew of new identities and neologisms were being turned out, from agender and bigender to demigender and genderfluid. Nonbinary started to be used by activists and academics to encompass these new identities in the 2000s. Indeed, in 2002, Wilchins co-authored the tellingly titled Genderqueer: Voices From Beyond the Sexual Binary.

It wasn’t really until the latter half of the 2010s that nonbinary moved from the spheres of academia and activism and into mainstream culture – largely because an army of idiot celebrities embraced it.

Singer Sam Smith was one such bandwagon-jumper. In 2019, he declared himself to be ‘nonbinary’ and embraced ‘they / them’ pronouns. Smith was once an attractive young gay man. In his new nonbinary guise, he has come to resemble someone forced to twerk in fishnets as a prank.

See rest of article

[jayflrt]

im the description anon!! like a guide yes (you don't have to if you don't want to #2)

oh okay gotcha!!! <3 no dw i was down to, i just wanted to make sure that's what you wanted :') okok so i will put them under the cut LOL

heeseung - on the quiet and shy side at first, but he's also Not Shy if that makes sense?? no that was not supposed to be an itzy reference but his confidence really comes out on stage and he's definitely gotten a lot more comfortable in front of the camera. the rest of enha coined him as the funniest member and he's sort of like the "fake maknae" of the group bc he messes around a lot, but i think he's also very sincere and considerate when he takes care of the others. he's also extremely hard working and if you watch iland you can see how his insecurities played into that D;

jay - LOL omg i gush over this man so much. he's very honest and vulnerable at times, which i think leads to his "embarrassing" moments that he never intends to create LMFAO but jay is actually like. so sweet 🥹 he really cares for them so much (when they visit home for the holidays, he brings riki along because his family's in japan sob) and he has so much passion and charisma that it reeally shines through. i think he tries to put up a cool image, which he is!! he is cool. 😡 but he's also rlly cute HAHAH he's just such a sweet guy i feel like he doesn't give himself enough credit for being so doting!!

jake - omg icon of growth :') jake had the shortest period of training out of all the members i believe, so he joined iland with 9 months of training! can be pretty soft-spoken at times and shy but he has a personality that makes it rlly easy to get along with him and talk to him, considering he was such a hot commodity with the ilanders LOL and during the show he got very close with sunghoon, who used to be very very shy <3 i think he has a rlly chill personality and that's what makes him get along with people so well

sunghoon - okay a lot of people see sunghoon as awkward and reserved and i think he can be like that sometimes, but i also think he's like. in my opinion. the funniest member in the group LOL his humor is very unexpected but he unintentionally is just rlly funny sometimes :') i think he grew a lot with enha bc he was super shy in iland (jay became friends with him as trainees bc hoon was v shy) and i think bc of ice skating he wasn't able to experience a lot of things that "normal" teenagers get to. also i think a lot of ppl saw him as a pretty face at first but i rlly admire that his talent really shone during iland, and he improved even more afterward. he was a super hard worker to begin with but i think iland helped push him to be more ambitious

sunoo - was so sad bc he seemed so insecure about his talent after iland :(( he is SOOO good tho, like his vocals and dance improved so much and he's just able to pull off any concept :') the members sometimes treat him like the maknae because he's just so cute and charming HAHAH but i think he's also secretly a mastermind strategist >:) i think someone once said he's the glue of enha or something, and i whole-heartedly believe that bc he brings so much energy to the group

jungwon - jungwon was always capable since iland but i was so shocked when they gave him leader bc he's so young! but he's so diligent and hardworking that i can't imagine him Not being the leader now :') initially i think he was pretty frazzled trying to balance such a heavy role while trying to let every member have their time to shine, but now he's seemed to have gotten the hang of it and is a lot more comfortable now <3 his sarcasm and remarks literally never cease to make me gasp LMFAOO he can be FOUL

riki - the initial vibe that i got from riki was that he is SOOO ambitious. like when he walked into iland, he knew exactly what he wanted and he worked his ass off for it. i thought that was such an incredible quality for someone as young as him to have :o again, he is so young, so i think it's so funny and cute that he wants to be a grown up. but i think he means it more in the way that he wants to take care of the members and provide more support. he's spoiled too much by the members to do that tho 😭 ofc he still has a playful side and teases the members a lot. he's also a huge perfectionist and it shows in their performances because his dancing his incredible :o

[piercethelenn]

💫The Occult Club.

ㅤ

Chapter 14: Eihwaz.

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of deceased people, poisoning and illness. || Word count: 1,75k.

ㅤ

一Why did you choose this park? It’s so far from your house一 Y/N sat beside Riki at one of the benches, handing him ice cream that she brought from a near convenience store as promised. Before arriving, the girl was worried about looking like she could not sleep for the past week, but after seeing the similar state of her friend she guessed they had a lot to talk about. 一It’s the closest to the hospital一 Riki thanked her for the food and unwrapped the chocolate-flavored treat.

          Y/N nodded in understanding and gazed at the setting sun before them, suddenly losing appetite. The night before, her friend had updated her on his mother’s situation, but the thing is, the alleged “Riki’s best friend” had no idea that the woman was at the hospital in the first place. And the moment she finds out, everything is suddenly solved, thanks to Jungwon and his grandma.

           She felt horrible, all this time his friend was suffering in silence and carrying all the burden himself, and she never noticed that something was wrong. Riki had promised that he would never try to fake being happy in front of her ever again, but could she really trust him? Still, Y/N was also hiding something important from him, so she thought it was just fair. Now that the alchemist had confessed, it was time for her to do the same, right?

          一Riki… I actually have something to tell you一 Y/N finally started unwrapping her own ice cream in means of gaining more time 一As you might have guessed, there is a reason why I told Jungwon I didn’t need the club’s help anymore一. The boy had expected the conversation to turn out like this, since he knew that Y/N was not good at keeping things to herself for too long. 一The voices I hear in my dreams… Are not evil spirits, I think they are the souls of deceased people一.

          At first, her intention was to tell him the whole story, from the first time she accidentally touched Jungwon’s hand, but she opted to hold back; She had no intention to talk about the tarotist’s private life behind his back. 一I know it doesn’t make sense, and that this might be too much information for you, but I think I’m a medium, like those in the stories, you know?一 Y/N stared intently at her friend as to seem confident in the things she was saying, but his eyes were still admiring the sunset before them. 一I believe you一 Even if his response was brief, it made the girl finally feel at ease, releasing a breath she did not realize was being held back.

          Y/N suddenly remembered all the times when Riki, Heeseung and Jay had made fun of her for believing in things she saw on fantasy novels or movies; out of all the possible scenarios she was expecting, such as getting laughed or mocked at by the alchemist, him believing in her first try was at the bottom of the list. The strawberry ice cream she was eating finally started to taste sweet.

(...)

          After talking about all the trivial things they had missed in each other’s lives for the past week, it was finally time to go. The pair was walking down the street under the night sky, but contrary to the tranquil scenery, Y/N’s mind was racing with thoughts about her friend. She remembered the words spoken by one of his deceased relatives, the phrases “lost his way” and “he’s just a kid” echoed loudly even if all she could hear was her steps matched with his.

          一Riki一 She finally broke the silence 一Is there really nothing else you want to tell me?一. He contemplated long enough to make Y/N conclude there was indeed something else going on. 一Listen一 She stopped on her tracks, making him do the same 一I know it’s not easy, but I’m literally your best friend! So let’s stop having all these secrets between us, okay? I don’t want us to grow apart because of this一.

          一I’m sorry一 She could not make out his expression in the darkness, but the wavering tone in his voice was enough to tell her something was wrong. 一We’ve been keeping this from you for so long, it’s unfair, I’m so sorry一. Now she was the one getting worried 一What are you talking about?一 In an attempt to sound calm, Y/N’s voice ended up mirroring his friend’s.

          一Heeseung, Jay… and me, we are not who you think一 He took a step back from his friend when she tried to grab his wrist 一All of us are into occult, Heeseung and Jay have been into magic since they were even younger than me一.

          Y/N shook her head 一And what’s so wrong about it? I totally get that you guys didn't feel comfortable telling me…一 She tried to sound calm, even if her head was burning from headache, but Riki interrupted her. 一It’s not only that… Heeseung and Jay used to hurt people who messed with them using dangerous spells… and sometimes they asked me to craft poisons and elixirs for them to take revenge on those people一.

          Without neither of them realizing, tears started to stream down their faces. There was a knot forming in Y/N’s throat that prevented her from speaking. 一I did so many horrible things just because they asked me to一 Riki continued 一I was an idiot for not realizing how much harm they were doing and never tried to stop them, even after they told me to poison Jungwon’s drink… And then I lied to you again about joining the club for tarot instead of confessing. I could’ve stopped you from hanging out with such dangerous people, but I did nothing… I’m so sorry, Y/N一

          The girl tried again to get close, this time he resisted the urge to back up and accepted the hug she was offering him. 一Please stop apologizing一 The words “he’s just a kid” had never made more sense before 一Of course there is no excuse for the things you did, but look at you now一 She gently tapped his back 一You should be proud of yourself for not turning like them and doing the right thing in the end. The fact that you confessed, apologized and helped Jungwon and his friends shows how mature you are一.

          一I don’t get it一 Riki let go off her friend and dried his tears using the back of his hands 一Why is everyone being so nice to me after all I did, it doesn't make sense一 They resumed the walk home, it was too late at night to be outside talking 一You are supposed to be mad at me, I was ready to get kicked on the knees or something一 The silly comment made her smile. The last hours had surely been one confusing, emotional rollercoaster.

          一How could I be angry at you? Regardless of your mistakes, you’re still my best friend, remember?一 She playfully elbowed him 一You’ve done so many good things out of regret already, I believe everyone can learn and grow from their mistakes. Also, I feel bad after knowing about the things you went through all by yourself一.

          一Thank you一 After that, none of them said a word until the both had arrived at their respective homes. Riki and Y/N had a lot of information to digest, but the silence between them had always been a comfortable one, as they felt at ease in each other's company. How could any of them think that their friendship could be dissolved so easily?

(...)

          It was kind of a habit now, that everytime someone mentioned his mother, Jungwon would lock himself in his bedroom and rummage through a special box filled with her things. A few hours prior, his grandma had told him that Riki’s mother was the friend she mentioned the other day, the one his mother tried to help using runes.

          A particular sentence from the old woman got stuck in his head, “My daughter left this world believing that she was the reason her best friend passed away”. Thinking about it made his heart sink impossibly lower.

          However, taking part in Ms. Nishimura's recovery made him feel even more complicated. He tried, he really did, but Jungwon could not help but feel a bit of jealousy, because between the both friends, it was his mother who could not stay in the end. He felt horrible immediately, how could he even wish that for Riki and his mother? It was totally childish on his part, knowing that he could not change anything. 

          But how did his thoughts even turn into guilt? Jungwon had to pretend his whole life to be okay with the fact that his mother was gone, and now that he genuinely was feeling sad about it he blamed himself for being selfish? Nothing made sense anymore.

          He took a random object from the box in means of distracting himself from the turbulent state of his mind; it was a necklace, adorned with the Eihwaz rune (ᛇ). He frantically searched in the desk for his mother’s notes and found a page dedicated to this symbol, which was none other than her birth rune. He sat back on the bed and read a personal note left at the bottom of the page.

          “Eihwaz is probably the most complicated rune to understand, but I believe it’s power is able to connect it all, like how the trunk of a tree can unify its roots and the highest leaves, or the power of the human spine to make us a whole being. In a deeper sense, the lower part of this rune can even reach the underworld, its power makes everything that is one, find a way to feel close”.

          It was amazing, Jungwon thought, how every time he found a new trace of his mother in this world, it would make him feel at peace. He stared at the opposite wall, looking at nothing in particular and feeling as his agitated heart and mind slowly calmed down. If she really believed that, even after being separated, there could be a way to feel as if his mother was sitting right beside him in the bed, looking at the wall with him, then Jungwon had no other option than to trust her.

          It felt ironic, though, to think that many people cared about him and would listen to his concerns at any given time, but the only person that could actually pacify him was not physically there.

ㅤ

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Taglist: @boowoowho @sxndmemes @cloudcutter (Send an ask to be added!)

[heejojo]

hating park

summary: y/n has hated Jay for a long time but what happens when they now share a practice space?

pairing: Jay x gn reader (with a Sunoo, Niki, Jungwon, Jake and Heeseung appearance)

genre: crack, angst, fluff

word count: 1.4k

a/n: I hope you enjoy this, I'm currently working hard to improve my writing. requests are accepted and highly welcome. have a nice day!

If there was something you hated more than peanuts, it was Park Jongseong and you hated peanuts a lot. It was the way he talked, the way he did everything and the way he was better at you in everything you both did without putting in much effort. Of course, you can’t blame him or the heavens for giving him such a photographic memory nor can you blame the heavens for giving you such a slow brain.

Although his cocky personality infuriated you to no end, you respected him as an academic rival and maybe in another life, where you’re not so hard-headed and he isn’t so arrogant, you could be friends but since you’re not, might as well live with it now.

“So for the debate, we’ll split those who volunteered into two teams. For Team A, we have Y/N, Niki and Sunoo. In Team B, we have Jay, Jake and Jungwon” your English teacher said. You groaned inwardly, you were up against Jay again but thankfully, this time you had people you knew in your team. Giving Sunoo and Niki a funny face making them burst into laughter and the class give you weird looks, you focus on your work. Suddenly, you feel a paper plane thrown to your back. When the class ends, you join Riki and Sunoo to discuss the debate. It was going to be an impromptu debate from what your teacher had said and they weren’t going to give you the topic until five minutes before the program started to see how well you could all do under pressure. It made no sense but you had no place to complain about it. While studying with them, you guys began arguing about random things. “No Sunoo, mint chocolate isn’t that good and I'll carry this for life,” you said backing Niki up. When there were world wonders like chocolate and Oreos would you want to take mint chocolate? “It tastes like toothpaste and chocolate bro” Niki deadpanned. You burst out laughing while Sunoo started fuming. “I don’t blame you, only pretty people like it” Sunoo retorted. Niki and I glanced at each other and continued laughing. Out of nowhere, three people came and sat down with you guys. Jay, Jake and Jungwon. “Do you mind if we practice together, neither of us knows the question so it would be fun?” Jay asked. “No, absolutely not,” you said. You did not want to stay in the same area as him for too long. “Y/N it’ll be okay, it’s just for the project so it’s fine” Niki comforted. “Fine” you grumbled and Jay chuckled to which you sent him a glare and moved to the other side of the room. Cocky idiot.

You would never admit it but you did enjoy your time with the other boys even if they were like children. Jungwon was very serious but knew how to have a good laugh. Jake laughed at literally anything to which Sunoo followed. Niki enjoyed teasing Jay which you were secretly delighted about. Your relationship with Jay improved a bit and you were able to let down your walls. Jay had such an amazing work ethic which you respected a lot and he was able to tune out his swollen head attitude which you were thankful for. You learnt a lot from him and you realised he put in a lot more effort into his schoolwork than you had thought he did.

As the day for the debate neared, you all were put on edge and anyone who looked at you could see it so when you got a call from your friend Heeseung telling you to come to see him in an empty classroom you were pretty surprised. “Hello, Y/N I know you’re really busy in preparation for the debate and stuff but please can you meet me at the empty music classroom? I have something to give you” he asked. “Sure, no problem. I’ll be there in five minutes” you responded and hung up. When you enter the classroom and meet Heeseung, he quickly puts something into your hands. “Open it,” he says, pointing to the piece of paper in your hands. You look at him sceptically, “What is this?” you ask. He refuses to tell you and continues to urge you to take a look at it. “I’m not opening it until you tell me what it is,” you say. “It’s the debate topic, I took it from the office” he quickly spits out. You hand the paper back to him immediately. “Why did you take this!?” you whisper-yelled.

“I did that because I knew how much you wanted to win, I saw the look in your eyes. The envy and the sadness anytime your parents compared you to Jay. You worked really hard and you deserve to win at least once” he said. “Even though, you shouldn’t have done that. Do you know what will happen if you get caught? Throw that far away and don’t give it to anyone. I acknowledge your looking out for me but if I lose this debate I’ll know I tried my best but lost it fair and square but if I win after taking this, it’s cheating. I have less than a year to go before I graduate so I can still take my parents comparison but your reputation will be shattered if people find out what you did. It’s better to do the right thing using the right means” you told him. “I can take care of myself, thank you for caring about me but I would never want to win like this” you continue. “I hope you get rid of that,” you say as you pack up your things to go back to the class. “Are you really sure about this?” he asks you one final time. “I don’t need it, Jay puts in a lot of hard work as well and it will be breaking my work ethic if I take this,” you respond. “Do you fancy him, is that why you don’t want to take this” he queried. You pause for a while before saying, “Even if I do, it doesn’t relate to this” you say and leave the classroom. Once you leave, you go to the bathroom and stay there for a while thinking about what had happened and how it felt so unreal. You already felt a headache arising and rested for a little while.

Taking a deep breath, you leave the bathroom and go meet the debate members. You couldn’t focus during practice and Sunoo noticed and asked, “Hey, are you okay? You’re looking a little pale”. You forced a smile and nodded, telling him you were just nervous about the debate. You could feel Jay’s eyes drilling holes into your back and when you turned to face him, he stared at you for a while before continuing his work.

The day of the debate came and although you were nervous, you did your best as so did the other people on your team. Jay’s team spoke with so much passion, you were almost convinced. After the judges had finished compiling the results, your team had won by a point and Sunoo and Niki wouldnt stop talking about it. “It’s because of my top tier arguing skills that we won” Sunoo gloated. “All those skills and you still can’t make us like mint choco,” Niki said. “All those looks and your crush still can’t like you back” Sunoo shot back which made Niki shut up. You shook hands with the people on Jay’s team, congratulating them and left the arena to be alone.

As you stayed in the debate room alone with your thoughts, Jay walked in with an ice cream in hand and offered one to you which you gladly took and stayed in comfortable silence with each other. “I saw you and Heeseung,” Jay said out of the blue. You stopped eating and your heart started racing. “He glanced at you and continued, “I know you didn’t open it and I heard all those things you had said. I’m sorry if I made you feel inferior in any way”. You didn’t know what made you laugh but you did and he looked surprised. You composed yourself and said, “Sorry, I have a habit of laughing during serious situations. So don’t have to feel bad for getting top place especially when you put in that much effort.” you said and continued eating ice cream. “You’re a good person when I started knowing you and realized I judged you too harshly and was blinded with envy,” you said. You both feel back into silence knowing that neither of you had any ill blood towards one another.

“What’s so bad about liking me?” Jay asked trying to lift the mood. “Shut it, Jongseong,” you tell him.

[20rubixcubes]

enhypen as baristas

maknae line x gn!reader (comedy, fluff, mild angst)

~1.2k words ea (headcanons)

warnings: cursing

a/n: i just wrote this for funsies, please be mindful that there is heavy swearing in these headcanons (particularly in ni-ki’s part), so if that isn’t your taste, perhaps skip this one! other than that, the rest of this is pretty chill, so i hope you enjoy my shitposting. oh, and lmk if you like this enough to want part two with the hyung line 👀 just maybe i’ll do it

sunoo

was only recently employed as an afternoon shift employee and was both shocked and distressed after discovering the cafe didnt have an instagram

“what do you MEAN you dont have instagram??? how do we post selfies???” “sunoo we sell coffee” “NO ONE WANTS COFFEE JUNGWON THEY WANT CUTE BARISTAS”

starts an instagram for the cafe and takes aesthetic pictures of his latte art

his selfies get way more likes though

speaking of his latte art, he masters the skill like a week in and everyone else is incredibly jealous

their jealousy wears off when jungwon tells him that he has to start training the new apprentices

pretends he forgot how to do it for like a week but it hurts his pride so he begrudgingly agrees to train the apprentices instead

in his free time he can be found snapping pictures around the shop, eventually expanding to taking pictures of the others too

“sunghoon stop moving you look cute and i need to take a photo” “sunoo im holding hot milk” “does it look like i care beauty is pain sweetie”

other than that, he sometimes sits in the booths to snack on muffins and do his homework since he only comes in to the shop for about an hour during his school lunch break and on the weekends

you meet sunoo after applying for an apprenticeship, wanting to get a job before you finish high school and start college

seen as though jungwon looks like the boss, you approach him, nervous for your first shift

“i’m here for the apprenticeship program?” “oh yeah! one second!”

he trots off to the back room, leaving you standing awkwardly in the middle of the cafe

“SUNOO GET OFF JAY YOU HAVE AN APPRENTICE TO TRAIN” “*gasp* YOU MADE ME SMUDGE HIS LIPSTICK I'M QUITTING” “NO YOURE NOT GET OUT THERE RIGHT NOW”

the yelling pauses before who you presume is sunoo stomps through the back room door, a scowl on his face

he spots you, groaning loudly “are you the apprentice?”

“yes” you say meekly, guilty for seeming to ruin his shift

he gestures you to follow him behind the counter, pulling an apron out from under the sink and shoving it to your chest

its clear that hes pissed, yanking his tools out from the cupboards as you tie your apron behind your back quietly

“have you made coffee before?” “only instant coffee” “oh fantastic”

he seems to be getting more irritated by the minute before he takes a deep breath and starts directing you around the machines

“to do the art, you angle the mug like this and draw with the milk, but it wont show until it reaches the top so dont go crazy”

as if its nothing, he demonstrates by drawing a perfect swan in the milk, setting the latte down and dusting his hands off

“wow… thats amazing” “i know right? no one here appreciates me enough” “they should! this is the best i’ve ever seen”

he grins at your compliment, nodding with satisfaction and sending a wave of relief over you as you notice he looks less angry with you now

“um… im sorry if i interrupted whatever you were doing before” “oh, that? i was just doing jay’s makeup” “you like makeup? me too! i’ve never seen a boy interested in it though, thats really cool” you smile genuinely at him as he blinks in surprise

“really? you think its cool?” “definitely!”

you watch the gears turn in his head before he smiles widely, seeming to have come to some kind of revelation as he nods

“i like you.”

your cheeks heat up immediately, but before you can say anything in return, he starts calling out for jungwon, leaning over the counter

“JUNGWOOON, CAN WE HAVE THIS ONE?”

“well thats up to them” he looks up from the table hes wiping down, adjusting his apron as he walks over to the counter

“so youre all finished with the course? i hope sunoo wasnt too much for you”

“i wasnt! anyways, youre employed, okay?” “sunoo stop theyre just an apprentice”

he groans loudly, irritated once more as he whips his head to you

“you have to work here, ok? i said so, so come back and apply or i’ll be mad!”

you laugh at his antics and smile “i’ll see what i can do”

after jungwon pries sunoo off of your arm, you return your apron and leave the shop with a wave

“YOU BETTER COME BACK!” is the last thing you hear as you step out onto the street, the bell ringing to signal your exit

a week later, you return to the shop, slightly anxious that your new friend(?) might have forgotten about you

but this is quickly washed away when you hear a high pitched squeal from the counter

“JUNGWON! HURRY THE FUCK UP AND GET THE FORMS THEYRE HERE”

you laugh as you approach the counter, a teasing tone on your voice

“are you supposed to be talking to your boss like that?” “whats he gonna do? fire me? im the only one who can make coffee in this place” “true”

soon enough, jungwon comes out of his hiding place, his hands clasped together

“im really sorry to ask this but please, you have to work here, sunoo hasnt shut up about you all week and i dont know if i can stand him anymore, i’ll even pay you extra please dear god”

you give sunoo a look, only receiving an innocent smile and puppy eyes back

“sure, i’ll take the job!”

jungwon sighs in relief as sunoo begins jumping up and down, yelling something about having his own little baby to take care around the shop as you groan, covering your blushing face

once you have your hours established (sunoo made you take the same as all of his, but you did the nights instead of the afternoons on the weekends, to his displeasure), you get straight to working

… well, sort of

it was hard to get work done with sunoo pestering you around the clock

“you think im cute right?” “yes sunoo” “even though i have bags under my eyes? “yes sunoo” “you promise?” “yes sunoo” “good”

admittedly he is slightly of help when it comes to the more fiddly parts of making coffee, but every other second of the day he seems to be flirting nonstop

“can i kiss you?” “no” “why not” “sunoo we’ve been over this” “BEING AT WORK ISNT A VALID EXCUSE”

worn down after his incessant yelling all day, you find yourself snapping faster than usual

“we’re not even dating, sunoo! why would i kiss you!? just stop playing with my feelings already!”

for the first time since you’ve known him, sunoo goes quiet

“why not?”

“what are you talking about now sunoo?” “why arent we dating”

now its your turn to go quiet

“do you not like me?” “what? no, sunoo-” before you can reason with him, you watch him quickly rush away from you around the counter, slamming the break room door behind him with tears in his eyes

cursing to yourself, you ensure there are no customers to serve before quickly darting after him

after looking around a bit, you hear sniffling from the supply closet and knock on the door quietly

“sunoo?” “leave me alone!”

you sigh, taking a step back and turning on your heel to face the opposite direction, running a hand through your hair as you think

you spot a dog bed at your feet, suddenly remembering that jake usually keeps his dog supplies covered in dog hair in the closet

“sunoo arent you allergic to dogs?”

“... *sniffle* y-yeah”

after you persuade him to come out by mentioning that his face is going to get all puffy, he steps out, eyes glued to the floor as he looks away from you in shame

placing a hand on his shoulder, you speak to him softly

“sunoo, look at me”

he does, hesitantly, his eyes red and watery and, as you said, puffy and inflamed

despite this, you smile

“i do like you back”

his eyes start watering again, your heart skipping a beat in fear that you had said something wrong

“e-even if my face is all puffy and gross?” his voice wobbles, the tears filling his eyes giving him a sense of vulnerability as you sigh

“yes, even if your face is all puffy and gross”

he smiles at that, shutting his eyes cutely as you press a kiss to his cheek

“and theres your kiss”

he whines “i was supposed to do that!”

“you can do it after we finish work, okay?” “WORK STILL ISNT A VALID EXCUSE…. but maybe today just because i need to ice my face” “yeah you really should, can you even see?” “no not at all” “great”

jungwon

the previous manager left suddenly and jungwon was given a semi-forced promotion as he was the only employee with at least half of a brain cell

poor boy is stressed 24/7

doesnt get paid enough for this

“hey jungwon we ran out out of coffee bea-” “I ORDERED NEW ONES FOUR HOURS AGO NOW SHUT UP IM TRYING TO MAKE SURE THE BOSS DOESNT FIND JAKE’S DOG SHELTER IN THE SUPPLY CLOSET”

goes through hell every day just to make sure the others dont burn the cafe down

is supposed to be on the morning shift but he stays until the afternoon

in his rare moments of downtime, he likes to go around and water the hanging plants around the shop

is that one vine where the mom listens to nicki minaj for the first time and screams “no” over and over whenever ni-ki gets control of the cafe music

“RIKI NISHIMURA WHAT IS THAT ON THE SPEAKERS” “ITS OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR ARIANA GRANDE” “TURN IT OFF THIS IS NOT PG13” “SHUT THE FUCK UP GRANDPA”

is only 16 but acts like a 32-year-old father going through a midlife crisis

lifts boxes of supplies all day yet his joints are famously brittle

“hey jungwon did you hear glass shattering too?” “sorry jay that was my back” “you need to invest in physical therapy” “maybe if i wasnt paying for property damage every other week 😊”

you meet jungwon when you drop into the cafe for a croissant and a coffee before your class starts

usually you come at night maybe an hour before closing so you had never seen him before, but here you were watching this cute but clearly stressed boy scramble around the shop carrying boxes of supplies to the back

trying not to be creepy, you sigh, turning back to your phone after watching him for a solid five minutes straight

as you do, you hear a crash coming from what you assume is the supply closet followed by a disgruntled groan

pausing, looking around at the other customers typing away at their laptops and waiting for another staff member to go check on the boy, you stand up as you discern that he must be the only one working and hesitantly go to see if he’s okay

“hello? are you okay?” you peer through the door, your eyes widening at the sight of him rubbing his head with a wince on his features, supplies strewn around him at his feet and a box knocked over beside him

“ah… um, yes, i’m okay, sorry if i disturbed you with that noise…” he smiles bashfully, pulling himself back onto his feet

“do you need help with all of that stuff?”

he opens his mouth to protest, not wanting to have to ask for help from a customer, but after seeing the amount of crap off of the shelves, he realises that there is no way in hell he’s going to be able to clean all of it up alone before his shift ends

“um… is that okay?” his cheeks flush with embarrassment as you smile

“sure!”

over the next couple of hours you two establish a little system of bagging the spilt supplies and passes them to eachother to put in boxes, chatting never ceasing as you discover that you actually have a lot of things in common

“since you work here, what’s your favourite kind of coffee?” “i like lattes… i cant stand bitter things” “me too! my friend drinks espressos though” “ditch them”

you also find out that he started being homeschooled after becoming the manager as he doesnt have time to attend normal school

the both of you find yourselves laughing nonstop, having fun in eachother’s company

so much so that you end up late for school

“oh shit! i completely missed my first class”

guilty for making you late, he offers to take you

“i can take you?” “you drive?” “well….. not exactly”

once sunoo and ni-ki arrive to care for the shop, he takes you out to the car park, pulling a spare helmet out of his backpack and securing it on your head before giving your head a pat as he gets onto his scooter

“you look cute” “i look like a bug” “a cute bug”

once you get to school, face red after having to hold onto him the entire time, you hop off and pass him the helmet with a shy smile

“thanks for driving me” you mutter, brushing off imaginary dirt from your shirt as you do your best to avoid eye contact, your face still flushed and heart racing

is it possible to develop a crush on someone this quickly???

jungwon is so cute that he makes it possible, you surmise

“of course” he mirrors your nervous smile, a blush finding its way to his own cheeks

as you bow and spin on your heel to start walking inside, he stops you

“wait!”

“what is it?” you turn to him, your heart still thundering against your ribcage at the fond expression he has plastered on his features

“actually… can i pick you up? after school?”

when you pause, your face growing hotter and hotter, he begins to sputter

“i-i’m really sorry, its fine if not! that was way too forward, i just really like you and- oh god that was even more forward- um-” “okay” “yeah i’m sorry that was a stupid questio- wait, what?”

before he can say anything else, your smile widens

“i’ll see you later, okay? don’t be late!” you wave, skipping into the building with a fluffy feeling in your chest

with an awkward wave, jungwon watches you leave, his mouth wide open in shock before a grin replaces his expression

getting back into his seat, the lovestruck smile never leaving his face as he drives off, he begins to count down the minutes until he gets to see you again

ni-ki

works the afternoon shift

technically an apprentice but he gets paid and has been there forever so basically an employee at this point

or he would be if he ever actually made coffee

he sits with the work phone all morning and chooses the music

perpetually dancing to 7 rings by ariana grande (look up his cover. youre welcome in advance)

jungwon and jay scream at him to at least do the mopping to which he complies, but not without performing a whole ass concert with it

once they saw him twirl and dip the mop

eventually they just told him to go back to curating the music because he was scaring customers away and they were losing business

he was horrible at cleaning anyway

“hey jungwon i think i got window cleaner in your plant” “im firing you” “i dont even go here” “STOP QUOTING MEAN GIRLS AND FIX THE DAMAGE YOUVE CAUSED”

you meet ni-ki while youre drinking your coffee at a booth and he plays your favourite obscure indie song so you have to compliment his taste and get to talking

he plays your favourite songs whenever youre in the shop and audibly hisses at anyone who tries to change it

makes choreography to said songs at home and tries to impress you by casually belting it out by your booth

when you compliment his dancing and ask how long hes been practicing that choreography hes all like “oh hahaha it was just casual freestyle super easy peasy”

(hes been practicing for two weeks)

thought he was being super obvious by doing these things but apparently nOT because you have not caught the hint at all and hes getting impatient

asks for advice from the others begrudgingly

“give them flowers” “jay thats so boring” “do you want to use one of my dogs? everyone loves dogs” “wtf jake since when have you had more than one dog” “make them latte art with a heart on it” “sunoo ive literally never made a coffee in my life” “why dont you just ask them out like a normal perso-” “shut the fuck up grandpa thats so weird no one does that”

eventually he settles on sunoo’s idea of making you latte art and he embarks on his journey to make his first coffee

rather than focusing on the actual taste, sunoo tells him to just do whatever so that he can show him how to do the art

“why is it green ni-ki” “you said to do whatever” “and your first idea was to make poison? idk if this is the best idea if youre trying to ask this person out” “shut up and pass me the milk”

burns his hands on the steaming milk jug at least fifteen times and ends up with so many bandaids on his fingers

despite how stiff the bandages are on his hands, he eventually manages to make a sort-of legible heart

“it looks like africa” “have you ever had steamed milk poured on your eyes sunoo?”

poor ni-ki waits for you all day, his heart leaping every time the bell on the door rings only to roll his eyes when it isnt you

he even stays past his shift so youd better let him take you on a date or hes quitting

when you finally arrive he trips over the bucket at his feet he was using to clean and spills dirty water all over his pants

“omg ni-ki are you okay what happened” *five octaves higher* “NOTHING I'M COMPLETELY FINE WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT”

by the time he’s finished cleaning himself up (and by that i mean fixing his hair in the mirror for twenty minutes) he takes a deep breath and walks over to you, somewhat cold latte in hand

“um,” he clears his throat, his face growing red as he slides the mug towards you “i made this for you”

“aw thanks ni-ki! why is it green” “........its matcha?”

youre slightly suspicious but you look back to the mug and slowly realise that the “drawing” slightly resembles a heart, smiling a little bit to yourself

when you look back to him, youre a little confused as to why hes just standing there

“is something wrong?” you press the mug to your lips, taking a sip

“o-uh uh actually, i wanted to ask if… if you would uh maybe sort of go on a date with me”

you can only smile

“yes, but…”

his heart starts beating faster, watching you anxiously

you stand up, taking the notepad and pen from his apron pocket and scribbling your phone number

“only if you promise to learn how to make actual coffee” you wink, handing him the notepad and sauntering out of the shop

hes stood there dumbstruck, stars in his eyes at the slip of paper in his hand

but then he realises: he has a new mission

rushing to the back room, he slams the door open

“grandpa, i need you to teach me how to make coffee right now” “literally why do i pay you”

with your promise in mind, the others see him work more diligently at the counter than they ever have before

“wow youre actually working today?” “shut up i need to figure out how to do this butterfly before i pry my eyes out with a fork” “haha funny joke ni-” “did i stutter”

at the end of the week, he forces heeseung (the cafe’s best coffee maker) and sunoo (the cafe’s best latte artist) to judge his latte

“this is… surprisingly good” heeseung peers into the mug, smiling at the swan ni-ki created with the latte foam as sunoo grumbles “dont tell me im gonna have to start competing with this kid, it probably tastes gross” “it tastes amazing too” “im quitting”

with his coworkers’ notes in mind, he finally works up the nerve to send you a quick message telling you to come into the shop

when you arrive the next day, ni-ki greets you and immediately gets to work, making sure to stand as close as humanly possible to your booth so he can show off his newly acquired coffee making skills

with you only inches away, he does make a mistake and spill milk on his shirt after looking at you and not his hands for a second too long, but you decide to give him the benefit of the doubt when he sets the mug in front of you

“wow! this heart is perfect!”

you smile, looking up to him “did you seriously learn how to do latte art just so you could take me on a date?” “… y-yeah, and?”

you can only chuckle as you press the mug to your lips, readying yourself to drink liquid dirt…

“this is… really good!” you grin, taking another sip and putting the mug down on its saucer

“i think you’ve definitely earned yourself a date… or two”

at this news, ni-ki’s face lights up, shoving the urge to scream down his throat before nodding stiffly to try and contain his excitement with a strained “cool” escaping his lips

“are you okay ni-ki?” “yes just give me one second”

he quickly scrambles to the break room, a moment of silence wafting through the store before a shrill scream fills the air

eyes wide, you turn to jay, who had been manning the till, after hearing him burst into laughter

“what is he doing?”

“we told him the freezer was sound proof”

[authorialarcanist]

Gracidea Blossom Chapter 3: Measuring Up Against Meditite

(Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, & Platinum x Little Busters!)

Mirror Links: AO3, Pokécommunity, Spacebattles

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Previous - Next

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A world of total darkness. No touch. No sound.

The only thing reminding him he exists is the pressure, like a vise clamping down on his head.

Even his thoughts stall as he falls through this endless void. He doesn’t dream.

He never dreams.

…

Time passes, and eventually the throbbing in his head begins to fade. The ability to think returns to him. He becomes aware of his senses again.

Touch, first. He can feel of his hands pressing into smooth sheets.

Then hearing. After that void, even the soft sound of breathing feels like a salvation.

His head still feels heavy, but he can move his fingers now. He’s regaining control of his body.

Riki opens his eyes.

He’s in the guest room of the Natsume residence. Rin is asleep in a nearby chair, her body curled in on itself as she slumbers. A glance at the clock tells Riki that it’s 9 in the evening, but after his narcoleptic spell, he doesn’t feel tired enough to sleep properly.

Quietly, so as to not disturb his friend, Riki slips out of bed and pads to the hall. When he reaches the living room, he finds Kyousuke sitting there.

“Ah, Riki. So you’re up.” Kyousuke turns in his seat. “Masato and Kengo have gone home for the day, but I have a list of what preparations are left. There were a couple of things we needed you for.”

“Oh. Um…” Riki doesn’t meet his eyes. “Are you… really sure that me going with you is going to be okay? I mean, I didn’t speak up before, but…”

“…But what if you fall asleep on the road?” Kyousuke finishes for him. “Don’t worry, Riki, I knew about this when I made the offer. When that happens, we can just make camp and wait for you. We don’t have so little time that we can’t afford to cut a day’s travel early here and there.”

“Oh. Well, if you’re sure… I do still want to stay with all of you,” Riki says.

For a moment, Riki thinks he sees a shadow pass over Kyousuke’s face. It’s gone so quickly, though, that he decides he must have imagined it.

“Right. Just think of it as another one of our adventures, and I’m sure you’ll have fun.” Kyousuke gets up from his seat, and shows Riki a list with most of the items crossed off. “If you don’t want to go back to sleep just yet, we can try and take care of the last preparations right now.”

Riki nods. “Yeah, I don’t feel tired. Oh, but you should probably get Rin to bed before we leave. That chair doesn’t look too comfortable.”

And so the night goes on…

——

The next morning, the friends gather by a fountain at the west end of town. Here, the bricks of Hearthome slowly give way to grass and pine trees, and a stone path leads the rest of the way out of the city. Most people leaving the city use one of two gate buildings: A small one to the east leads towards Solaceon Town, while the west end has a larger building with exits to the south and west.

The western gate is a three-story building, with a rest area on the second floor. Along with being a place for exhausted trainers to rest their legs, the second level also has souvenir shops and a food court. The top floor is a small hotel with fairly cheap rooms, for travelers who come in at night and don’t want to search for a place in the city.

The ground floor is somewhat more utilitarian, with a few stalls selling travel supplies. Stretches of empty wall are covered with large maps, some showing the travel routes of the Sinnoh region while others detail the layouts of Hearthome, Route 208, and Route 212. The maps are broken up by wall-mounted TV screens, turned to weather and news channels. Travel advisories scroll across the bottoms of the screens. ‘If traveling south, be sure to bring waterproof gear!’ ‘Never attempt to climb Mt. Coronet without a buddy!’

Riki and his friends pass by these sights, stopping to check the weather - apparently, there’s a northeasterly wind blowing in fog from Route 210 - and make sure their backpacks are secure.

When they reach the split between the way south and the way west, Riki speaks up. “So, um…” He scratches his head. “…Where are we going?”

Kyousuke stumbles, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. “D…didn’t I tell you?” He looks at Rin, who shrugs. “…Right… Well. Ahem. Our current destination is Jubilife City, to the west. Jubilife TV requested that the Champion appear for a talk show, and I already had plans to visit Lake Verity, so it’s on the way.”

“A talk show? Really?” Kengo gives Kyousuke a flat look.

“Hey, anything that pays! I won’t be able to coast on being Champion forever, I need to build a varied resumé!”

“…Right…”

The Little Busters pass through automatic doors into Route 208. Just west of Hearthome City is a small hilly area, with well-maintained grass and berry patches scattered through it. The area gets wilder the further you go from the city, but young aspiring Trainers can usually practice here without too much to worry about as long as they turn back rather than climbing when they hit the rocky base of Mt. Coronet. Normally the mountain is visible from the gatehouse, but today the route is already partially hidden by a light mist. The world feels smaller under the grey sky and close horizon, like it’s been cut into manageable pieces.

A shout stops the group. “Well, if it isn’t our young Champion and friends!” An old man with white hair waves them over to where he’s tending a patch of berry plants. There’s a wicker basket at his feet. “And where would you be off to this fine morning?”

“We’re heading to Jubilife,” Kyousuke replies.

“Ah, these two finally starting out to see the world?” The old man looks Riki and Rin over. “That’s good. Everybody should travel with Pokémon sooner or later. There’s nothing like a journey for figuring out what you really want to do with your life, even if that doesn’t turn out to be battling.”

“Ah… right.” Riki looks away, unsure how to tell him that he’s just following after Kyousuke.

“Kyousuke gave you starters, I presume?” The man glances at Riki and Rin’s waists, where each now wears a belt with two Pokéballs.

“That’s right,” says Kyousuke. “Show him.”

Lennon and Terra are sent out, and the two Pokémon nose at the berry plants before wandering back to their trainers’ legs. The old man looks on in approval.

“They look like a good choice. I can tell they like you already!” He leans down to offer Terra a berry, and after a moment of hesitation the Turtwig extends its neck to take the fruit from the old man’s hand. “Now, then. You remember what I taught you, right, Riki?” At Riki’s nod, the man turns and procures something from his basket. “Well, if you’re setting off, I think you deserve a present. Here!” He hands Riki a pair of firm, speckled blue berries. “Those are Yacha berries. If you give one to your Turtwig, it should help her resist an Ice type attack. And for the young lady, Passho berries. I can’t say I recognize that cat’s species on first glance, but it looks like a Fire type, so a berry that helps protect against Water types can’t hurt!” He hands Rin a soft blue berry, dotted with air bubbles. After another moment of looking through his basket, he also gives them a paper bag of mulch. “That’s two berries each - one for your Pokémon, and try and plant the other one, okay? It never hurts to give nature a hand!”

“Thank you.” Riki stashes the berries and mulch in his bag, and bows slightly in gratitude. “I promise, I’ll find someplace nice to plant this.”

“Good, good! Well, I shouldn’t keep you for too long, but when you’re in the area, remember that the Berry Master’s door is always open!” The old man waves them off, and the group moves on, their Pokémon following behind. Occasionally a wild Pokémon seems like it might investigate them, but Kyousuke, Masato, or Kengo always calls out one of their own Pokémon to scare it away.

The terrain grows rougher as they head west, until they reach a rocky cliff with stairs carved into it. This is the base of Mt. Coronet, with rocky plateaus of various elevations stretching out for a short ways around the foot of the mountain before the ascent proper begins. A river has carved its way through this area of the foothills, running below the elevated paths and necessitating a series of wooden bridges between raised plateaus. As the morning stretches on, the mist grows heavier, wreathing the badlands in gray and obscuring Mt. Coronet above them. The group continues to walk towards the mountain, weaving between rocky outcroppings and crossing bridges, until they reach a wide plateau rising from an island right in the middle of the rapids. A short ways to the north, they can see a waterfall where the river drops from a higher elevation.

Kyousuke suddenly throws an arm out in front of Riki. “Wait. Look over there.”

Riki follows his gaze to a spire of rock in the middle of the plateau, and after a moment he registers a Pokémon levitating just above the tip of the spire. It’s vaguely human-shaped, with a short blue body and a white head shaped like the bulb of an onion aside from two large swirly ears. It also has a white segment connecting its torso with its legs. It’s hovering cross-legged with its arms out to either side. This is a Meditite, a somewhat common mountain Pokémon in the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions.

Riki glances at Kyousuke. “Are you going to scare it away?”

Kyousuke shakes his head. “No. It’s on its own, and this is a reasonably open area. Rin! Capture this Meditite!”

“What? Do it yourself!” Rin bristles.

“No. You need experience fighting wild Pokémon, and this is a safe opportunity to practice.”

“What about Riki, why aren’t you making him do it?”

“I will, but you’ve been in a trainer battle already. It’s on you to show him how it’s done.” Brooking no argument, Kyousuke gives his sister a light shove forward, pushing her towards the Pokémon. Its eyes snap open, and a moment later Lennon is standing in front of Rin, hissing at the Meditite. “Now, Mission Start!”

The Meditite leaps from its perch at the apparent challenge. Its eyes flash, and Lennon rolls on the ground, smacking into rocks as the mental attack disorients it.

“Lennon, use Ember!” Rin’s Pokémon shakes off the attack and spits weak flames at its opponent. Although the Meditite dodges around most of them, a few make contact and burn its legs. It redoubles its own attack in response, pelting Lennon with what Riki recognizes as Confusion attacks.

“Kyousuke, are you sure about making her do this?” Riki glances at Kyousuke, worried.

“It’ll be fine, Riki.” Kyousuke doesn’t take his eyes off of the battle. “The two of you need to learn how to handle things yourselves. Rin!” He suddenly shouts, and Riki’s head snaps back to the battle in time to see the Meditite stagger back as Lennon scratches it. “It looks weakened, this is the time to throw a Pokéball!”

With a wordless acknowledgment, Rin snatches an empty Pokéball from her bag and winds up to throw it. Riki marvels for a moment at her total concentration as she steps forward, brings her arm around for the throw, and…

…the ball slips from her fingers, soaring in a perpendicular angle from the battle until it slams into an outcropping and falls into the rapids below. The Meditite takes advantage of the opening as Rin scrambles for another Pokéball, and torments Lennon with a barrage of attacks.

“Okay, that’s enough. Scyther, use False Swipe!” Kengo’s voice rings out as a new Pokéball soars into the midst of battle, opening to release a large, bipedal mantis. The newcomer has a green head, thorax, abdomen, and pair of legs connected by smaller cream body segments. It has a pair of insect wings on its back, and a pair of scythes on the ends of its arms. Lennon finally collapses as the Scyther steps up in its place and harasses the Meditite with a series of light slashes, holding back from hurting it too badly. “Rin, you have no control at all. Watch my form, and maybe you’ll learn something.” With a series of deliberate, practiced movements, Kengo pulls a Pokéball from his own bag and tosses it overhand at the Meditite’s center mass. Still disoriented from the Scyther’s attacks, the Meditite doesn’t have a chance to dodge, and it gets sucked into the ball in a flash of red light. The ball shakes once, twice, three times, and then emits a click and lays still.

Kengo walks forward to pick up the Meditite’s Pokéball before turning back to the others. “Kyousuke, this is just a thought, but just maybe, it might work better if we teach them before you throw them into the deep end?”

Kyousuke sighs. “Fine. It’s nearly noon anyways, and this looks like a good place to stop and get some training in before we eat.” He looks at Rin, who is spraying Lennon with a potion bottle. “Rin, once you’re done with that, come with me. We’re going to work on your throwing technique. Masato, Kengo, can you two help Riki start training?”

Masato and Kengo look at each other.

After a moment, identical grins appear on their faces.

——

“I get that Kyousuke… asked you to help me train,” Riki pants, “But I don’t think… this is what he meant…”

With a gasp of effort, Riki pulls himself to the top of a large slab being held up by Masato’s Machamp. He reaches down to grab Terra by the shell and hoist it up after him before staggering back to his feet and jogging along the slab. Once he reaches the end of the path, he jumps down to a lower boulder, pauses to let Terra try and hop to his head - catching the Turtwig when it falls short halfway to him - and hopscotches across a series of rocks.

“A truly great trainer must train their body as well as their Pokémon,” Kengo says, pausing each time he makes a practice swing with his bamboo sword. His newly-caught Meditite is hovering beside him, watching his swings.

“Besides! Training alongside your Pokémon brings you closer together!” Masato lifts a boulder - smaller than Biceps’ slab, but still large for a human to be holding - as he speaks, muscles bulging.

Riki finally sways and topples over, Terra collapsing beside him.

Masato surveys the two, lying in almost identical positions. “See? You look closer already!”

“No… more…”

“Endurance is important, Riki. Even aside from keeping up with fast Pokémon, you have to travel on foot a lot.” Kengo hardly misses a beat as he continues his own training. “Still, if we want you to be able to walk any further today, that’s probably enough physical training.”

Riki lets out a sigh of relief.

“It’s time to work on strategy, instead. Let Terra rest, and send out your Bonsly.”

Riki pushes himself to his feet and switches Pokémon. “Now what?”

“Meditite, let’s battle.” Meditite snaps to attention. “Riki. Try to battle my Pokémon. And be careful; I’ve taught it some moves already.”

“Sly, use Flail!” Riki shouts, and the Bonsly waddles forward to try and get in range of Kengo’s Pokémon.

“Rock Smash!” Despite Kengo giving his command second, the Meditite easily outpaces Sly’s approach, hitting it with a measured strike designed to crack defenses. It knocks the Bonsly away, and leaps back before it can retaliate. Sly tries to chase the Meditite, but no matter what it does it can’t get a hit in. The Meditite runs in for another Rock Smash, and Kengo shouts “Stop! Match call! Riki, do you understand what went wrong?”

“Um…” Riki ponders for a moment. “…You had more experience than I did?”

“Not exactly.” Kengo shakes his head. “The trainer’s experience is important, but aside from my teaching Meditite a physical attack, this was a battle against a freshly-caught Pokémon. Riki, what are your Pokémon good at?”

“Well, they’re both good at taking hits, right?”

“That’s right. They’re both strong defenders, and solid attackers as well. However, as this battle showed, that doesn’t mean anything if you can’t land a hit. As your Pokémon’s trainer, it’s your job to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and to come up with a plan to work around those weaknesses when they arise.” Kengo pats a nearby outcropping. “That can mean finding ways to turn your opponent’s strengths against them, ways to turn your weaknesses into strengths, or ways to use the battlefield to your advantage.”

“I see…” Riki considers the match. “…So… what should I have done in that battle?”

“Oh, you were doomed from the start.” Masato puts down the rock he was lifting to rejoin the conversation.

Kengo glances away. “…Well… Okay, yes, your Bonsly’s skillset will need to grow before you can really plan around him. But the demonstration stands!”

“In the end, some things just can’t stand against overwhelming force!”

“Oh? Shall we show Riki whether that’s really true, then?” Kengo pulls his Scyther’s Pokéball from his belt and spins it on one finger. “Two Pokémon each, first elimination?”

“Bring it on! Riki, just watch and learn!” Masato grabs Beenikku’s ball, and another battle begins.

[hotcocosharing]

Glory Days Part 19 (IM RP AU- Shun & Midi)

Part 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18

❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ❥

Midori’s POV Yuki’s doing? Wha? Late? Goodnight? Having gotten myself a little excited over such a text - the one I receive which I read the next morning after falling asleep on the couch sours my mood and I’m not sure if I should take it with a grain of salt or accept it as being a full out rejection. Biting my bottom lip; I sigh and fall back against the couch, confused at what’s happened and call out the person’s name I usually run to for help at the first sign of a dilemma only to realise that she’s no longer living here. Great - just fucking great! Eyes filling with tears yet trying my hardest not to let them fall, I can feel my breath quivering as I hit speed dial number 1. The hello I hear once the call connects is a little off putting - I had expected Eri to be the more mature one and make contact with me first but it dawns on me that life doesn’t always have to work in such a way to suit the expectations of the underdog. What I manage to muster up and stammer out sounds like the words of an upset 4 year old. “….. Koko, he doesn’t like me.” Without giving her anytime to even respond - even though we’ve been apart for less than 24 hours, I tell her in between sobs that I need her here. “..please! I feel like those nice waffles you make and caramel icecream and I need a hug or something and I know you’re probably busy but I don’t know who else to call.” Getting carried away, it’s a knock at the door which startles me and I apologize profusely; telling Eriko that I have to go quickly but I’ll call her back. Answering; wiping my eyes dry as the door opens, I’m sure of why the person standing in front of me is even here. “Toshi..”, I sigh; this repetative circle of drama seemingly to continue a little longer, “If you’re here for Eri she’s moved out - and no, I’m not sure where she is.” Toshiaki’s POV The information Midori barks in my direction is a little overwhelming and I’m not sure I can process it all, yet I try my best to hold the door open as it’s almost shut on me. Visually, I can see that Midori’s upset and that she’s not willing to put up any kind of fight and decide to use this to my advantage. “You can’t tell me you know nothing.” Midori rolls her eyes heavily and sighs - pursing her lips before staring straight at me. Her eyes are dark; that same tune of maliciousness painted through them which I saw yesterday, making me feel a little bleak. “Toshiaki; I know nothing. Seriously - stop chasing after someone who isn’t making you a priority like some lovesick puppy dog.” Lovesick puppy? Me? No. Impossible. Maybe. “C'mon - you’ve got to be able to tell me something.” My plead comes out a little more pathetic sounding than I want it to; but to be honest, I am a little desperate. Even if not romantically involved, I want to have Eriko in my life somehow. “Honestly.. I…”, the shorter girl pauses and steps aside after a few moments of silent thinking, “Look. You’re a nice guy. Come inside and take a seat and I’ll make some calls and find you the runaway princess that you’re after.” In no obligation to refuse the offer of help; I walk in. Shinichi’s POV [ IMPLIED SMUT ] While she’s on the phone; Eri is more than easy enough to tickle and make squirm; helping me to peel off the clothing she’s wearing one layer at a time, disregarding them with a toss over my shoulder across the room. I can barely hear what the conversation is about or who it’s with; yet a trail of feather light kisses followed every now and again by nips and soft bites across her stomach and over the curves of her chest mute her to silence which urges me on with the intent of making her groan, moan and even scream. Her fingers snaking into my hair; I don’t bother to ask for permission as I push her a little further on the dining table, crawling up, allowing Eri to pull me onto her. It’s a little tight for space but I’m able to get my shirt off; kissing and sucking on Eri’s neck which forces her back to arch and allows me to slip my hands underneath her and unhook her bra; smirking as she pulls the straps off her arms. “..fuck you’re beautiful.”

The mumble comes out a little more enthusiastic than expected; and I pull Eri into me; arms wrapping around her frame not wanting to let go; one holding her waist, one under her ass as I drop us both down onto the bed after walking to it. “You comfortable? Once we’re done you won’t be able to stand straight.”

Eriko’s POV

I have not expected company to join me the first time I use my new bed and I certainly don’t foresee myself in such position this early with a gentleman like Shinichi who has made a move on me though I partially initiate it as I did with Rikiya however, he gave me space when I said it wasn’t the best time.

Before I could manage some kind of response to Midi, the call has been cut off and I throw my phone somewhere out of reach- out of sight out of mind. I hear her and am well aware that she needs me but my arcing body says otherwise.

“You comfortable? Once we’re done you won’t be able to stand straight.”

Straight? I can barely think straight, I know since the sensation of Shinichi’s raw manhood is pressing against my thighs, pushing my boundaries and the ONLY ONE rule I have set for myself. No condom no sex yet here I’m, squirming beneath a man who I somehow is making an exception for reasons unknown.

Perhaps some rough sex with this other hot stranger who’s subtle on the outside but possibly wild on the inside is what I need to get over someone who seems to want me yet I’ll never be good enough for.

His hand grabbing the base of his member with a few rapid strokes then aims at my heated core, I would be groaning or screaming at the satisfaction of being stretched and filled. I would be if the sound of door bell hasn’t interrupted- one that we easily ignore but then comes my phone ringing wherever I have tossed my phone to, follow by impatient knocking on my door with a voice that send chills to my spine every single time.

“Eriko, wake up and open the door.”

I practically jump and cover Shinichi’s mouth before he could make the slightest reaction. “Get dress now.” My tone dead serious while I rush around the flat and fish for my clothes, FUCK is the only word that comes to mind but no noise can be made till I am decent enough to unlock the door and face a fate I’m not ready for!

Anyone would pick up the sense of urgency and Shinichi is fully dressed in no time- possibly another sign of how experienced he could be, maybe he really is a secret play boy but that’s least of my worry right now.

Cracking the door open unwillingly, and as soon as he steps in, the man who for once is pleased with my prompt arrangements has his brows frown so fast wiping away any trace of his attempted smile even being spread across his darken face.

“Is this your other boyfriend? Seriously, Eriko just how much attention do you need? Is he one of the boys Midori mentioned?”

Not only being caught off guard twice in a week is modifying but with another guy watching me beheaded by my father only makes me feel weak and smaller than I did moments ago under Shinichi’s spell.

“Yes, he helped me find this place yesterday so I just wanted to thank him with breakfast.”

“What? Which requires him unbuckling his belt?”

Pulsing my lips, I let out a long sigh, partly annoyed but partly relieved.

“You are more than a disappointment, Eri and my patience is running thin. Don’t push it, once I send you overseas you won’t be back to Japan again.”

I could only nod- that’s nearly all I ever do while living under my family’s roof. Nod, yes and obey, needless to think or process or analyst any situation or information that’s thrown at my face.

“I drop by to see your new place, expecting you to be alone and to give you this.” My father moves to the table which I lied momentarily with Shinichi’s hand all over me, and drop a dark elegant envelope. “Bring the boyfriend,” He says, shooting Shinichi a downcast look before focusing back on me, “I highly doubt I’d like the other friend of yours.”

The dead silence is dreadful and I’m seriously in no mood to even lift a single muscle, inhaling deeply and massaging my temple in attempt to loosen my headache, I politely ask a new friend to excuse himself.

With my cell back in hand, I skim read a very confusing text from Maki which reads, “I miss you and have been thinking about you!”  Some people just never get a hint or is he the type who can’t take no for an answer. Quickly pressing speed dial, I nearly scream at the other end. “Midz, where are you? I think we need two boxes of ice creams!”

Rikiya’s POV

The sound of key turning wakes me up to find myself lying on the couch as Shinichi entering the door. “Long night?” I yawn nonchalantly.

He opens the fridge and takes a heavy sip of beer, “Long story.” It’s only ten in the morning and Shinichi only drinks after five. “I asked her to the ball.”

Knowing damn well that’s to get under my skin, I shrug and get on my feet as he continues. “But she said she wants to play fair.”

That’s my girl! I internally cheer but what Shinichi says next only cut my joy of victory short. “So I saw her naked too.” I ignore his smirk as my heart sink, trying to prepare myself for the roller coaster ride of emotions. “And the answer is no, we were going to but then her dad showed up!”

Joining Shinichi in the kitchen, I listen to his awkward moment of “meeting the parent” while quietly thanking the elderly man for his surprise visit.

“Her dad also implied that he wouldn’t like you very much either and he mentioned she has a boyfriend, looks like there’s so much we don’t know about our troubled princess.”

My fingers tapping on the counter, chewing my dried lips and nodding to his long story. “So you’ve given up?”

Taking another sip and lighting a cigarette, Shinichi lets out a low chuckle. “Nice try, Riki. No, I’m good with troubles.”

Damnit!

Yukihisa’s POV

With Shunichiro nowhere to be seen, I gather my role as cupid must have worked some magic. Having the morning clear, a list of unfinished business comes to mind but only one really deserves my attention and reading a text I didn’t write being sent to a number I don’t recognize, immediately knowing it’s Shun’s doing and who the number belongs to. I rush out the door and head to the girl dorm.

It doesn’t take long to be answered and seeing the exact person I come to see is already one step closer to mission complete, “Great, you are here. Look, Eriko, the text last night… I… couldn’t get you out of my head and it’s driving me crazy.”

Her brows frown in confusion but instead of letting it get to me, I have to get it off my chest. “I need to have sex with you so we could both move on. If Toshi is your concern, don’t worry I won’t tell anyone, it will be our little secret.”

The small scoff from Eri’s makes me nervous and I have had my fair time in the game, I should not be feeling like a junior asking for a girl’s attention. Stepping aside, she opens the door wider with Midori on the couch and dropping her mouth in an O shape, Toshiaki freezes by the door frame with his poker face and balled fists.

Shit!

[sadisticsmiles]

Beyond a Thief’s Power Episode 14

The Alliance of Thirteen

             It was the afternoon a few days later inside Le Renard Noir. It was an inauspicious day for the guys due to the heat coming into the city. The air conditioner was on full blast, but like every blazing wave arriving before summer, there was not enough cool air for their exhaustion and heavy pants to go away. The sweat dripping from their bodies was what regulated their bodies from the thermal flow.

           Hiro slumped down in his seat in front of the bar counter with his arms stretched out on it while his eyes were closed. "Ugh..." He felt like he was going to pass out soon. "It's... so hot... We're practically dying from the heat...!"

           Riki looked at the youngest member of the team. He was sitting on a seat around the side of the wooden counter and attempted not to complain about the hot atmosphere. "If we're gonna die from the heat anyway, I'd rather fall onto Mitsuki's boobs since they can wrap me into a marshmallow heaven. You guys can dive into the ocean if you can't take the heat wave."

           Kenshi closed his eyes and sweat-dropped. "...I'd prefer shaved ice in a bowl, which Boss is making for us but... If that's what you want to have instead, Riki, I won't say anything about it. I'm just hungry right now, so I'm still waiting like everyone else. Water's nice and all, but let's have some without a salty taste, okay?"

           "Gross," Takuto cracked a comment at the leader of the Black Foxes. "I can't believe you would talk about your wife's chest at a time like this, Riki. She's not a pillow for your convenience during hot weather. And seriously, marshmallows?" His expression and tone of voice became monotone. "How cliché can you be? You're making fun of Mitsuki that way, so don't say anything further about them, will you? You know, you can be pretty insensitive, seeing as it's been part of your personality even before you met her." A smirk appeared on his face. "You should've stopped nine years ago, yet you’re still going on with the perverted remarks? Man, you're not as mature as a lot of people think. All the other women who glance at you would be disappointed if they heard you, not counting magicians of course." His indifferent facial appearance came back in an instant.

           Riki reconsidered what the programmer told him about his wife, and pondered about everything else before he spoke. "You've got a point there. When I think about it, everything about her is more like mochi to the touch." He shook his head. "No, wait. Her skin's a lot softer than that, and she feels nice, too." A confident smile formed on his visage. "I don't know if I should say this or not, but every part of her relaxes me. Hugging her is great, but I also like having her on me when we're together, especially when we're on the bed."

           At that moment, all eyes (Takuto, Kenshi's, Hiro, and Sayuri's) turned towards Mitsuki, who was indeed standing behind her husband with a sweet smile and her large eyes were opened. She was holding onto a few grocery bags in her left hand, and another set in her right one. Kenshi's eyes widened; Hiro's perked up as he kept laying his head down on his folded arms; Sayuri had her reserved and calm expression from before. As for Takuto, he was just... Well, a lot like Sayuri.

           "Uh, Riki?" Takuto asked, averting his gaze towards the former government official.

           Riki did not lose his smile. "Yeah?"

           Instead of telling him that Mitsuki was behind him, the hacker simply answered with a, "You shouldn't have said that." He glanced at the dark purple-haired magician.

Besides, he thought, she's right behind you.

           Riki blinked once and turned his head around to his left, finally seeing his cute yet beautiful wife. He smiled awkwardly. "...Hi there, Mitsuki."

           "...Riki, we need to have a chat about this at home." Mitsuki had closed her eyes when she told her husband that. But her smile was still etched onto her face like a tattoo on a person's body. "Thanks to what you said about me, I'll let you know the details about tonight's mission later before we go on it."

           Riki's eyes widened; he was flabbergasted at the last sentence. "What? A mission? Can't we talk about it now?"

           "No." There was Mitsuki's faint smile again before she turned around to leave.

           Riki got up from his seat and followed after her. "Wait! Mitsuki!"

           After they exited the restaurant, Takuji walked in. Smiling in a friendly manner, he added, "Well, they seem to be having a good time from what I heard down the street. Love sure is surprising when it comes to a human man and female magician, unlike how Asuka and I are both magicians. It must be the most splendid thing ever to hear a guy say debauched things every day."

           Kenshi tilted his head to his left. "Does that make male magicians like yourself pure or somethin'? It sounds like you guys don’t really… you know,” his face was flushed in embarrassment, “take part in stuff like that.” Then the firefighter gulped, letting his eyes move to his right without a head motion. “…”

           The mint-haired young man continued to smile and closed his periwinkle eyes. “You can say we’re more decent than you would believe. Then again, it’s not like we don’t have any knowledge about the things that are done in private. You don’t have to get so nervous about erotic topics, though. Besides,” he raised his right forearm up, “from what my employees have said—and most of them are otakus—adult visual novels for ages eighteen and up are all the hype now, especially… Hehe.” His laugh was unanticipated for Kenshi and Hiro, as the latter raised his head up and the both of them were puzzled. “Gal games."1

           Hiro's eyes widened. "You mean the type of visual novels targeted towards males? The ones that have mainly female characters in them with a few—even a very limited amount of male characters to add to them, right?" He quickly understood what the editorial department CEO meant. "There are some anime adaptions based on them, which have gotten pretty popular during our current century. From the beginning—one of my favorite series, Da Capo2, one of the most lighthearted series with some drama in it, which makes it a must play/watch. I really ship Junichi and Nemu, despite the relationship they have. Teehee." Hiro giggled. "Sorry, Sakura!" He stuck his tongue out slightly in a teasing manner, giving a wink from his left eye. There's also To Heart, Kanon, Air, along with some others." He stopped for a second before continuing. "Oh. But I wish Ina☆Koi3 had an anime adaption so I could listen to the music and compare the soundtrack to the visual novel! The artist makes the characters so cute, and I just adore the opening so much! I even have the Ina☆Koi fandisk, and I can't wait for the next gal game to come out! Go, Swirlpool!4 And we can't forget about Nursery Rhyme and Itsuka, Todoku, Ano Sora ni. by Lump of Sugar,5 either!" Hiro's face lit up with an air of rising euphoria. The subject of galge added fuel to his elated fire and gave Takuto, Kenshi, and Sayuri something to say about what he told them.

           "So," Takuto paused, "you'’re a closet fan of gal games. What else do we not know about you, Hiro? By the looks of it, you seem to play a heck lot of them. Is this how you expanded your knowledge of females, and..." He blushed, quivering in his own thermal energy. "...what happens between a man and a woman? Just so you know, I'm not c-curious about that!!" His expression was now furious as he kept his flustered facial expression. "You hear me?!"

           A cat smile appeared on the college student's visage. "Well, I do love the H-scenes if they're steamy enough. The seiyuus also have to appeal to my sense of hearing as well, you know. Before ever continuing an eroge of any kind, the characters' voices are important. For example, if any of the girls have voices that are too high, too low, too quiet, too annoying, etc., they just throw the entire game off." He seemed as though he were scolding someone with his VN lecture. "I mean, what's the point of selling a galge if the characters have inadequate voices? It's a waste of hiring those seiyuus if their pitches aren't perfect! No matter how great a company's reputation is for their works, they shouldn't hire just ANYONE; there needs to be a sense of moderation when it comes to picking the correct person to voice a girl or guy in a visual novel! Second, the plot should be consistent to the description given by the staff. When things get peculiar in a gal game, players don't have much of an interest in it, even if they do play through to the end. Art is essential, too. The character designs and backgrounds are the best when drawn to fit a fictional setting. They also establish the mood and atmosphere of the game, and—" Hiro smirked. "—I'm very picky when it comes to my hobby, so if I get a VN that doesn't match my criteria, I stop playing and I'll throw it away afterward. If I feel like it, I'll just sue some companies for making a rip-off in the first place. Or I'll wait until something happens. In truth, I go to this website where I can request something, and if I get a reply accepting my request, it gets done in a short amount of time. I don't believe miracles can easily exist, but to me, that website gave me some I'll never forget."

           Takuto's eyes narrowed in a nonchalant way. "Thanks for ranting, you 2-D women loving maniac. You're even worse than a co-worker of mine when it comes to visual novels. Anyway, how is it that you have them at your place? You never seemed to have a geeky vibe during all these years."

           "Kenny bought them for me," Hiro replied without another thought.

           "Huh?" Takuto was confused while still having an uninterested expression on his face.

           Sayuri blinked four times with her archetypal quiet state on her face. "Kenshi bought inappropriate games for you? When was this?"

           "During my senior year of junior high," Hiro casually answered. "I was fourteen back then. Speaking of which you and Rina were also the same age as me, weren't you, Sayuri?"

           The orange-haired magician nodded. "Affirmative. But…I can’t imagine you as the type of person who would play adult-oriented games, Hiro. It doesn’t suit your image. In addition, you were at a very young age when you started, so…” She gaze downward, then looked up. “…this means you’re a rule breaker. In other words, some sort of rebel. I do not comprehend since I never knew about this side of you before now. Perhaps I do not know your true self, after all.”

           “Um…” Hiro was having difficulty coming up with his next words. It felt like he was beginning to have some trouble after he had realized his own feelings towards the young woman. At the same time his heart palpitated, and he knew he was blushing. “I-I guess you have a point there, Sayuri. Maybe I shouldn’t have put Kenny through an ordeal like that, but you know, I was trying to l-learn more about different parts of Japan’s subculture because it’s my home country.”

           On no…! he shouted in his thoughts. I can’t speak normally to Sayuri! What do I do?! Ah, it’s getting hot in here! My body can’t take this any longer. Someone help me…!

           At that moment, he could feel himself becoming dizzy—dizzier with each second passing by. His body swayed back and forth, and from side to side, until he flopped down gradually onto the counter he had laid on earlier. His eyes were closed and he was slowly breathing.

           “Hiro!” Sayuri, Kenshi, and Takuto shouted in concern; Takuji, on the other hand, was a little surprised at what had occurred.

           Kenshi placed his right hand on Hiro’s back. His expression was serious and focused. “He’s still alive… He probably got overheated from the heat pouring in from the outside. We should let him rest upstairs in his room.”

           Takuto shot a cool and relaxed glance at the firefighter. ”It’s also hot in the bedrooms. We let the windows open to give some light in them, remember? If we take him to his bed, he’ll feel the blaze scorching his posterior body region. What good will that do, Kenny? We need to cool him down and hydrate him.”

           Sayuri was frantic. She was uncertain as to what she could to do help Hiro regain his senses, but came closer to the youth’s right. She placed her left hand on Hiro’s face, and her right hand on top of his head. She also had a worried and sad look on her visage. “Hiro…” Regardless of the time and place, she allowed her wings to shoot out, compelling Takuto and Kenshi to move back from their seats as a result. Then, Sayuri’s radiant wings began to flap, sending moderately cool winds inside Le Renard Noir.

           The spiky-haired brunet’s eyes slightly widened as astonishment displayed on him.

           Sayuri… he thought. She truly and honestly cares about Hiro. Is it because they knew each other before everyone in the Black Foxes met her? Or, Kenshi sensed an undesirable sensation brimming in his chest, specifically where his heart was, is it something… more? Did their friendship grow while I wasn’t aware of anything that may have happened between them lately? What if… they’ve fallen in love with each another? What am I supposed to do about the likelihood of the two of them developing feelings for the other? Do I… let them know about my own feelings, or do I leave the option of never letting Sayuri know how I feel about her?

           Takuto lowered his eyes at Kenshi and whispered. “Oi, Kenny. You’re letting it show on your face. What if Hiro had seen you? Still, he is unconscious for the time being, but you should hide your feelings a little. You never know what can happen when facts and knowledge are spread around. That’s why you might as well keep yourself composed until this is all over.”

           Kenshi’s flustered expression was transparent enough for anyone to read him as he whispered back. “I-I know, Takuto! G-Geez. What’s with you these days? You’ve been bringing up strange things whenever we talk.”

           An amused look was on Takuji’s face.

           I wonder if I should do anything while I’m here, he thought. I haven’t interfered on my own accord, but it looks like another interesting banter is going on. Sayuri’s paying Hiro Sarashina her undivided attention, while Kenshi Inagaki is anxious about being near them. Hmm. Takuto appears to be the type to observe and take notice on what’s going on. As expected from Rina’s former boyfriend. He’s become a renowned figure for some time now. Not that I’m ready to tell that to him, though. It’d be better if he found out later. The question is: Will the magicians outside of Neon such as myself be able to be of help to this world, which is full of humans—whether they’re corrupt at heart or sincere enough to gain a magician’s trust—and survive through to the end of the approaching fates we’ll have to confront? Hahaha, this is getting corny for someone like me when the results aren’t even given out by none other than…

           The mint-haired magician took out something from his magic pocket, pulling out something from his home in Neon. What was revealed in his hand was a clear drink with what seemed to be small, shredded coconut shavings (?) with something else that looked like mini assorted multi-colored jelly fillings in it. The liquid and tiny solids that were like floating tapioca balls lying internally in the Collins glass as were both vivid and breathtaking to the human eye. Maybe not only to humans. Either way, it was spectacular as it existed only in Neon, the world of magicians. With that said, Takuji walked forward and teleported to where he was behind the counter, setting the beverage in front of the unconscious art student.

           “Come on, wake up now,” he smiled. “You should be fine after getting that fresh breeze. Plus, I’ll be getting some pizza done soon, so take a gulp out of my wife’s blend, Hiro. Sayuri has to leave soon, anyway, so hurry and wake up already.”

           “Mm…” Hiro stirred a bit but slowly opened his eyes as if he had just been shook by Atsumu in the morning for breakfast. He blinked once and looked at the winged magician’s visage. “Sayuri?” He sure did look sleepy. “Did you fan me?”

           Sayuri nodded with her concerned expression still on her face. “You should drink what Takuji brought for now. I have to do make some runs in the Human World until tonight. Takuji will relay the detail of tonight's mission later on."

           Hiro nodded as a reply. "Be careful, okay? Even though you're not a thief and you're occupied with your own goals and objectives, I still think of you as a part of the Black Foxes. Everyone does. No only you, but Takuji and every other magician who are good at heart. When I think about it, we wouldn't be where we are without you guys."

           Kenshi chuckled. "That's true. Saionji may have been the first one we encountered thanks to Riki for falling for her at first sight, but she didn't become a member until years later after Rina's arrival. I guess you guys have plenty of tasks to finish while you're here on Earth, huh? Must be taking a long time since we have far more people than Neon, albeit how large your world is compared to ours. There’re too many sinister people out there to get rid of, but what you guys decide to do with them is up to you, and we'll support your decision, even if it's the worst-case scenario."

           Takuto frowned. "Maybe what we need is for more magicians to act as undercover police agents, seeing as the authorities don't do a lot. While we can't precisely will a rapid change to happen and lower our diverse populations by a number of death penalties on criminals, we'll just have to wait for an era where very few people plot against the good."

           Atsumu and Rina came out of the kitchen shortly after, with the wavy-haired brunet carrying a tray that had glass bowls of shaved ice with different flavors in them; Rina had a few glasses full of drinks on a separate tray. They may have been late, but better that than not showing up.

           "Well we certainly heard a lot, didn't we?" Atsumu grinned broadly. "Yet, the development of events was really intriguing. I felt bad for Riki, but Hiro's rant on visual novels was great, too." He set the bowls on the counter in front of the guys, giving Hiro some 'special treatment' for passing out moments ago. Sayuri glanced at this kind gesture and vanished when Hiro stared at the shaved ice that finally arrived.

           After the winged magician was out of sight, Rina smiled gently and placed Kenshi and Takuto's drinks in front of them. Atsumu took the tray the Magician of Power carried and went back into the cooking area to put them away, before coming back. Takuji had already gone inside to start on the pizza for the group, happily placing the small, circular, and flattened dough in the oven. Then, he adjusted the settings on the machine.

           Takuto glanced at his ex-girlfriend and asked, "Were you even in the kitchen while we were talking about all this stuff? I mean, before the complaints on the weather today?"

           As Rina kept standing behind the counter, the smile on her face did not go away. "No. I was resting at home. I thought I'd stay there until I was well enough to come back here."

           The hacker of the Black Foxes scooted over to his right and patted the seat he previously sat on. "Take a seat."

           Rina's entire expression became softer and she instantly teleported behind the stool Takuto's hand was on. In response, the latter took his hand off, placing it on the counter next to his bowl of light green shaved ice. The blonde magician took her seat and a fuzzy and warm sensation sprung from her chest.

           Hiro took a bite of his grape-flavored shaved ice. The air between the past couple had spread to where he and Kenshi were. His eyes were closed by the time his spoon was in his mouth. "It's so cozy~. I wanna go to sleep but I need to eat this to get my stamina back. What should I do?"

           Kenshi sweat-dropped. "Keep eating your ice, Hiro. And don't forget about your drink. You already passed out once today, so rehydrate your body. We wouldn't want you to miss out on the mission."

           "Hai~!" The twenty-one-year-old youth obeyed and continued to eat at a moderate pace to avoid a so-called 'brain freeze' from happening. He also took a sip from the beverage Takuji took out for him, and his eyes widened in amazement. "Wow! This tastes really good! I suddenly feel refreshed and better than I usually do. It's like everything's so clear and bright, and I'm so positive. I... I'm feeling a lot of awesome emotions at once, it's surreal!"

           Kenshi's eye widened. "Woah, what's in that drink? Hiro's getting so energized! Are there... more gemstones? Wait." He paused. "How did I come to that conclusion?"

           "Because there are," Takuto and Rina said together.

           "Heh?" The firefighter was baffled.

           "That's correct~!" Takuji exclaimed mildly as he walked out from the kitchen, holding the small six-inch pizza that was divided into six pieces for everyone in Le Renard Noir. "Since la boisson was prepared in Neon, it's only natural to have gemstones in something like this, especially to rejuvenate oneself. To be honest, no magician has ever allowed a human to drink or eat something from Neon before. You're kinda lucky to have passed out when you did, otherwise I wouldn't have pulled this from my house." He explained further. "The benefit of our food and beverages is that you gain more than you would believe. Should your body be exposed to magic, so too will parts or even all of you begin to alter into a finer being. Anyway, let's eat." He took a slice of pizza from the top right corner and bit into the slice he was holding.

           Atsumu strolled into the dining area and took a glance over the mint-haired magician's shoulder. "Wow, the pizza smells better than the ones I bake, and it has a better air to it. I wonder what ingredients you used to prepare it. I think I'm about to drool from looking at it. You were making it so fast I could barely see a thing! Plus, there's the fact you were so blurry, I was getting dizzy from watching you do every single thing! Slow down, will you?" His shoulders slumped once he finished what he was saying.

           Takuji closed his eyes. "Not like I can help it, though. I am a magician after all. What I do depends on my being. My mood also comes into play, and how I'm feeling will influence the things I do. So, there's that."

           Takuto narrowed his eyes in stoic-like annoyance. "Give him a break yourself, Beardface. You were being too attentive on what he was doing to quicken what you had decided to do, and man were you gross just now. Magicians aren't like us most of the time. They're meant to be the perfect beings in their own way, but it doesn't mean perfection is key."

           Rina blinked. Is this really how Takuji is in the Human World? His demeanor is so different than what I anticipated.

           "At least there are different ways to consider the concept," the Magician of Power added to the conversation. "Still, we're supposedly known for being 'perfect' in others' eyes. We hear different comments about us, but what's been said shouldn't get in the way of what we do."

           "I'm starving, but that's pretty coolio," Hiro beamed. "Haha!" He took his slice of pizza from the bottom left side he was facing. "Perfect or not, you guys seem like it anyhow. That's what great about you all, and I'm glad you're here." Placing his pizza slice into his mouth, he was fully enjoying the taste with a blissful expression on his visage.

           Kenshi smiled lightheartedly. "Can't say I don't agree, but I like how even magicians have flaws to them. It makes me feel closer to you guys because we have some stuff in common, whether it's just a tiny portion or not. Who's to say we can't get along?" He took his slice and the first bite lifted his spirits up. "Wow! This tastes incredible, dude! Oh, man. I wish you would use ingredients from Neon every day to make food like this! Boss's cooking pales in comparison to yours, Takuji! Mm!" In a matter of seconds, the firefighter gobbled down the slice of pizza. "Think you can make some more? Having one slice and shaved ice with a cool drink to accompany a meal is definitely not enough to fill anyone's stomach—magician or human. I'm grateful enough to eat what you make. So, uh, thanks."

           "Hey!" Atsumu immediately flipped his head towards Kenshi; he was offended by the spiky-haired brunet's comments. "My cooking's not that bad! I try very hard to please everyone with the food I make!"

           "Well if you need some more food to fill your stomach, alright," Takuji opened his eyes and smiled casually. "We still have some time before nighttime comes for the mission to be initiated. I'll get some more for you guys and add some other food to the menu."

           "Awe—" Just as Kenshi was jubilantly answering, Hiro cut him off.

           "Yay!" The college student was glad as well to be able to get more food. "An all-you-can-eat buffet! Magic style!"

           "Looks like Hiro's happy," Takuto noted. "He's having so much fun eating, he won't care about becoming a glutton."

           Rina kept smiling faintly. "As long as he's content, he'll be going on the mission with us."

           "H-Hey..." Kenshi trailed off. He was a bit disappointed no one was paying attention to him.

           Atsumu sighed unhappily. "Now you know how I feel. Serves you right..."

           The two brunets were obviously in the same boat, but the restaurant owner was the one who had a more melancholy atmosphere to him. Of course, who would not be when their cooking gets insulted by someone they trust as a comrade? Either way, they were both hurt by their small group of friends gathered inside the place. In addition, it was going to be a while before they got over their depression and somewhat childish anguish.

  XXX

             It was already dark out during the early hours of the night. Inside Le Renard Noir, everyone was gathered for details on the mission; rather, it was a bit of a review.

           "Here's the plan for this mission," Takuji began. "Since we'll be going to this museum that was once a huge mansion for some wealthy aristocrats, Sayuri, Rina, Mitsuki-san, and I will knock all the 14K members guarding the exterior. That will give you guys a chance to go in, but there will also be some inside, so make use of your best combat abilities. Once you all (the Black Foxes) go in, Sayuri and I will round up all the members from outside and bring them to the police station, which has been upgraded to fit in more law breakers. They will face punishment, as did all the other criminals who have been caught, especially since the magicians from Neon came to the Human World. We do have a few friends who are now manning the prisons, so they'll place whatever judgment they choose on those fiends."

           Hiro raised his right hand. "Um..."

           Takuji kept smiling. "Yes?"

           "I think Kenny wants to say something," Hiro smirked, passing the speaking authority to the sniper.

           Kenshi had a solemn and conflicted expression on his face. "Well... Something came to mind just now about what you said. I was wondering..." He glanced at the mint-haired young man. "...are you... By 'placing punishment' on these people you've caught, does that mean that you'll... kill them for what they've done?"

           "You said it yourself that you would support whatever decisions are made. Thus, they're for the guys in charge of the stations aka prisons to decide," Takuji replied coldly. His expression matched his tone of voice. "You wouldn't care about what happens to those criminals, would you? When you think about your main objective, the reason for the Black Foxes' existence isn't to pity the villains who steal from or harass and harm others, but to bring a sense of peace and justice back to the ones who have been wronged. However, you guys mainly concentrate on artworks and other valuable things. If we don't concentrate on the mission tonight, we'll miss our chance of finding Nao-san."

           Kenshi nodded with a lowered head. "Yeah..." He looked up once more. "But... How are we supposed to do that? We don't know where she lives, so it'd be impossible to meet with her."

           Takuji grinned smugly. "It's actually simpler than you'd expect. This morning, Sayuri and I met with our advisor in the Human World about how we can get to her."

           "What?" Hiro's eyes were ready to pop out.

           Kenshi blinked. "Heh?"

           Takuto replied. "Well, it's not so surprising after what we've all been going through recently. Nao's a powerful magician and she's most likely to have concealed the location of her man's house with her magic. Rina's book was also unable to detect anything, so I'm pretty certain that thanks to the Human World's blockage against most of the magicians' powers, it might also be blocking other magicians' abilities to find one another—maybe even their books' knowledge."

           "However, there's a chance of locating any magician if there's a strong connection between two or more magicians," Rina announced. "It doesn't always work, so perhaps Nao-san set up a barrier after regaining her memories. Anyway, we should listen to Takuji's information since it'll prove to be a big help to us."

           Takuji's smug grin was still plastered on his visage. "As I was saying, we were told that a thief will appear inside the museum. Apparently, he has an interest in the Black Foxes, so he'll break in to catch your attention in tomorrow's news, but we'll have to prevent this from taking place. After all, we're trying to meet him tonight since he knows where Nao-san is. Thus, he'll be the key to finding her. We'll need to send two people to encounter him, so how about sending Hiro and Takuto?"

           Hiro's eyes widened again. "Huh? Me and Takkun?"

           "That's right," Takuji laughed menacingly. "He's going to break into a window from the top upper middle room on your left. Each of the left and right sides of the three stories have three rooms, so there's six for every layer of the house. Therefore, the total number of rooms equals eighteen. In order to successfully get to him in time, everyone else has to barge into the mansion and fight the 14K members before you two go inside. Sayuri and I will go in after we come back from delivering the ones that are knocked out. It shouldn't be so difficult with Rina and Mitsuki-san around. Besides, Swillving will be back in action with her dynamic powers and sharp blade. Make sure to speak with the guy, as well. We need to convince him to take us to Nao-san."

           Takuto said, "I'm not much of a speaker when it comes to a lot of people, but I'll see what I can do. Hiro's gonna have to back me up, anyway."

           "Ugh," Hiro frowned. "Takkun, you're so hopeless. What's the use of having Rina's book fused with your laptop if you're not going to do your part in this?"

           "It's not like it was for nothing," the hacker answered in his stoic voice. "I'll tell him some stuff, but don't forget that we're both going to speak to him."

           Sayuri, who had been staring at the sequence of events in the bar, said, "Let's go. We can't stay here forever."

           Atsumu nodded. "That's right. Justice needs to be done to those triad members. We can't let them get away with what they've done, whatever they may have been involved in. I'll be waiting here like always for you all to return safely so we can enjoy dinner together, no matter how late it is."

           Everyone else nodded and a white light signaled their teleportation and departure to the museum without allowing them to be caught by the 14K members.

  XXX

             With the four magicians' combined powers, the bountiful amount of men associated with the 14K triad were quickly put to sleep, and their bodies collapsed onto the ground.

           Riki gave a nod and stated, "It's show time!"

           The six members of the Black Foxes dashed in; Takuto and Hiro followed as the strategy had called for. With two bright lights—a vivid tangerine one representing Sayuri's powers and a medium sea green for Takuji, the two magicians of fate teleported themselves and the 14K members that were lying outside to the police station.

           Meanwhile inside the museum, the triad members were rapidly being beaten by Riki and Kenshi's martial art skills, while Mitsuki had summoned her weapon's spirit Swillving, a lovely and beautiful lady with long, sea green hair reaching to her feet and imperial red eyes. The weapon in the dark purple-haired magician's hands was a naginata and with each swing, there was a swift attack that hit a bundle of mafia members; Swillving used quick movements and was hard to perceive, hunting down the males in black suits before returning to her master's side. Rina had gone up ahead, leading the hacker and the youngest member of the Black Foxes upstairs after the other three. Once they were on the second floor, she joined the fighting and hit some of the 14K guys with generations of earth and crystals, sending forth many brown stones along with those crystals with an aesthetic nothing the planet could compare to.

           Mitsuki had already gone to the top and third floor, which was being handled by Takuji and Sayuri. The latter pair fought with a combination of thin glowing needle-like structures (Sayuri), and dark metal bits and pieces (Takuji). It took a mere matter of seconds for them to defeat the last group of 14K members. Shortly afterward, a resonating bright, white light surrounded the mansion and the mafia men, and the magicians of fate disappeared to imprison the new batch. Everyone else met on the uppermost floor, allowing Takuto and Hiro burst into the middle left room while the other four waited for their OK.

           Hiro shut the door behind him and the team's hacker to witness the male thief's arrival, which was in...

           3...2...1...

           The glass shattered as a man with purple hair wearing a black suit intruded into the luxurious room. Unlike what they had expected, Hiro and Takuto saw another figure with the male. The second person was in the purple-haired man's arms, and had long, silver hair. From the looks of it, there had to be a girl in the guy's arms.

           So he wasn't alone, Takuto remarked in his mind. He had his laptop in his left hand which was bent over to his side.

           But why is there a girl with him? Hiro questioned in his thoughts as he glanced at Takuto, who met his gaze.

           The light blond shrugged and they both looked back at the two in their far front.

           The purple-haired man had wavy hair and when he raised his head, he opened his eyes, revealing French beige eyes. When his gaze met the two Black Fox members', he was surprised. "..."

           "Hyosuke, what's wrong?" The girl in his arms lifted her head to look at his face, soon following the direction of his gaze to her right. Unlike Hyosuke, she was not surprised to see Takuto and Hiro standing the room they were in. She had ruby red eyes and wore a dark midnight blue long sleeve blazer that was unbuttoned with a white button-down shirt underneath, a palatinate purple tie around her collar and a matching midnight blue miniskirt resembling a school uniform which was completed with black near-knee-length socks and a pair of brown loafers. She blinked and asked, "Are you... the Black Foxes...?"

 XXX

             With everyone including Sayuri and Takuji gathered within the room, they began to converse with Hyosuke and the silver-haired girl.

           "So you see," Hiro said before laughing. "Haha. How should we explain this? We were expecting only one person to come to this museum. It turns out there are two."

           Takuto seemed no different than he usually was with his aloofness. "We needed to meet you, anyway. There's a reason for this encounter tonight, but it looks like we should be asking both of you."

           Takuji closed his eyes and sweat-dropped. "Akio-sama sure did leave an important detail out, didn't he? To think Miyuki was also going to be here. What an interesting turn of events." He sighed, opening his eyes to gaze at the pair who came in from the window. "I must say, it is nice to see you again after three years or so."

           Miyuki, the silver-haired girl, placed her left hand on her hip. "Likewise, it's good to meet you again, Takuji." She looked at the others. "Although, it seems like I've seen a few more familiar faces. It looks like you've met up with a third of our group from high school. Including you and myself, it now makes two-thirds, instead of one." She lowered her eyes towards everyone on her right before glancing back at the mint-haired magician. "Moving on, what exactly did you guys come here for? It seems that it's something important, since you (Takuji) and Sayuri went to meet a member of the Juujouchi family to prevent us from making our way out of here. Well, you did save us some trouble in waiting for your (the Black Foxes) appearance, so thanks."

           "..." Sayuri was staring down at the floor. She looked as if there was something on her mind, and it was as though she were lost in thought.

           While Hiro did not see the orange-haired girl's expression, Kenshi did.

           Sayuri... he thought. It looks like she's having a hard time bringing Nao up, but I'm positive she wants to see her again. They did live together after all, but does Miyuki also have a connection to her? I'll have to do something, so here goes nothing.

           Without any hesitation, Kenshi stepped forward, displaying a stern expression on his visage. "Our plan's already changed, but look. The reason we came to confront you guys is because we believe that you can take us to Nao Aozora. We actually have some things to talk about, but we're likely to need to enlist her help on a battle we'll have to go through in the near future. Think you guys can do us a favor and let us meet her?"

           Takuto was not pleased, and had a wrathful look on his face. Plus, his eyebrows were drawn together. "Hey, Kenny! I was gonna do the talking before you said anything! And you left some parts out, you know!" He turned towards Hyosuke and Miyuki, and his expression quickly became indifferent. "Sorry, but Nao might be the key to defeating a certain woman. If so, the magicians residing in the Human World won't have to die from that woman's powers. I have a theory that Nao has a strategy to defeat her, so we HAVE to meet her and find out if she does have one. She may be a ray of hope for us, and for your..." He shifted his gaze from Hyosuke to Miyuki who was on the former's left.

           "Girlfriend," Hyosuke told the group. "Miyuki's my girlfriend. So uh, I have something to ask too." He stared intently at Takuto. "Do you also know about my brother?"

           "...Yeah." Takuto's reply came about a few seconds later after he had paused. "And we know about his relationship with Nao. There's a possibility he's being protected by her, and perhaps, she's using her magic to protect you two."

           Miyuki's eyes widened. "...Nao-san..." She lowered her eyes once more.

           Hyosuke smiled sadly. "Well my brother does hold the strongest love for Nao-san, even if he hasn't conveyed everything he feels towards her, and I've also sensed that Nao-san has been trying to do more than enough for everyone in the house, which includes our parents. Maybe there's more on her mind than my brother knows, so we'll take you guys to our home. Both of them are there right now, after all. It's a token of my thanks for letting me see you guys. From the looks of it, six of you are probably members of the Black Foxes." He turned around. "Stay behind us. We'll lead you there."

           "Sayuri," Miyuki called out to the orange-haired magician. "I'll explain things to you later." She turned around and stayed by her boyfriend's side.

           Sayuri was staring at Miyuki's back before averting her gaze down again. "..."

           Hiro glanced at her, but did not say anything. Surely, there were some things he and the others did not know. After observing the college student's concern for Sayuri, Takuto placed his right hand on and patted Hiro's back. Everyone faced the direction of the couple they had just met, and all five magicians emitted different vivid, glowing lights before the entire bunch teleported to the Kujo residence.

           After they got there, Hyosuke opened the door with a key and allowed Miyuki to go before him and the rest. Then, he shut the door behind them and looked at the others with a serious and intense gaze. The Black Foxes and magicians of fate knew immediately that they had to wait for the purple-haired man's signal before going into the living area.

           Hyosuke stepped into the living room which included the kitchen and dining furnishings. Miyuki, on the other hand, stayed behind with the other eight persons.

           With a broad grin on his pretty visage, Hyosuke announced, "Bro! Nao-san! I'm home! There are also some guests here to see you two! Especially Nao-san!"

           "Hyosuke?" His brother's eyes were slightly raised at seeing his younger brother after he came out from the kitchen. Then, he lowered his eyes, allowing them to return to his normal gaze. "Why are you alone? Where's Miyuki?"

           Hyosuke closed his mouth. "Um..."

           Nao relaxed her shoulders and breathed out. Then, she steadily opened her aquamarine eyes and turned her head to her right toward the Kujo brothers. "Ara. Hyosuke, you said you brought guests, didn't you? Miyuki’s with them, I suppose."

           "Y-Yeah," Hyosuke answered, sweat-dropping. "But uh... We brought eight of them with us." He glanced at the man with smokey topaz hair. "So, Taiga, try not to get too shocked, okay?"

           Unfortunately, the underground doctor was already astonished at hearing the amount of people who were in their home. "Eight?! Hyo, what's going on? Why did you two bring so many people into our house? If Mom and Dad were here right now, they'd be surprised, too." He then shouted, a chiding expression on his face. "What are you thinking bringing them in here?! We can't have them stay here at night!!"

           "C-Calm down, Taiga..." Hyosuke pleaded with a worried look. "They just want to talk with you two, alright? It's pretty important, too. There are other magicians along with the Black Foxes."

           "The Black Foxes?" Taiga frowned. "Don't tell me you actually met with them."

           Hyosuke laughed awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. We just happened to be in the same place tonight."

           Nao glanced at the dark hallway to her right where Hyosuke had entered from. "Miyuki, you all can come out now. It'll be fine. I'd like to speak with your guests as well, so feel free to come in and sit yourselves down."

           Miyuki, the Black Foxes, and the magicians of fate walked into the room. Nao was slightly surprised to see the magicians who had arrived with Hyosuke and Miyuki, but smiled shortly after. "It looks like we have some familiar faces," she noted in a kind voice. "Welcome."

           Though the members of the Black Foxes were seated, Sayuri and Takuji stood. Sayuri still seemed distant and somewhat depressed, causing the mint-haired magician to place his left hand on her back. However, there was still no sound response from her as she stared at the floor.

           Nao instantly saw her expression but glanced at the others. "What would you all come to talk about?"

           Riki frowned. "It's quite complicated, but I think you already know the situation the magicians here are in, Aozora. We need your help, and Takuto believes that you have a plan to defeat the woman who's trying to kill off the magicians on Earth. Sayuri's willing to put an end to her deeds, and it was thanks to her that we found out about what was really happening to the magicians on the planet. We also know that you were the one healing them not too long ago. Without your powers, I don't think any of the magicians can survive this fight against that woman. I'm sure you need help bringing her down, so will you please aid us in doing so? I know it may be selfish of us to ask for your cooperation, Aozora." He bowed in his seat across from Nao.

           Nao was slightly stunned by Riki's action, and so were Taiga, Hyosuke, Miyuki, and everyone else in the Kujo home.

           Then, the white-haired magician asked, "Do you all have any other reason to defeat her? I know who she is, but to think you would bow to me, Riki-san... It's so surprising, I don't know what else to tell you right now."

           Riki nodded. "I see. Then—"

           "There is another reason!" Sayuri exclaimed with a firm voice and determined facial expression.

           Everyone turned towards the orange-haired magician.

           "Sayuri?" Miyuki was puzzled when she heard her friend shout.

           Sayuri's eyes narrowed. "Ains... Three years ago, Ains was stolen. By none other than that woman."

           "...!" Rina's eyes widened.

           Everyone else's did as well, except for Taiga, Nao, Hyosuke, Miyuki, Takuji, and Mitsuki's when they heard what Sayuri told them.

           "No way..." Kenshi breathed.

           "Rina's weapon was stolen...?" Riki inquired.

           "But how?" Hiro asked. "Ains is such a powerful weapon that there shouldn't be any way of taking it away. Plus, Rina is..."

           Takuto's shock soon turned back to a nonchalant form and since he already had his laptop opened sitting on his lap, he looked back at the screen. Then, he searched for Rina's profile. "Though Ains shouldn't have been taken away from Rina, it seems like a lot went on."

           Rina swiftly turned her head toward her ex. "Takuto, why are you looking at my profile?!" By the sound of her voice, her great shock, and astonishment, it was as if she did not want him and most of the others to find something out.

           "What?" The hacker glanced at the blonde magician. "You're making a big deal out of it already. Am I not allowed to look through the information you gave me? We are partners, after all. Also, didn't you want to help me because of that?"

           Rina frowned. "I did but... Can't you wait a little before reading the rest?"

           Takuto's eyes lowered. "You don't seem like yourself. If you're not going to let me read on about you, what good will that do? Ains was taken from you, wasn't he? Don't you want him back since he's the entity residing in your sword?"

           "Listen to what I have to say," Sayuri commanded. "Not just me, but Rina as well. It's something that also links to what's happening to the magicians on Earth." She gazed at her best friend with staid eyes, but there was something in them as she pleaded, “I can’t do this without you, Rina… Takuji can’t, either.” At that point, her voice was breaking.

           The human men, Miyuki, and Rina were surprised to hear the vulnerability in the orange-haired magician’s voice.

Rina nodded in response. “Un.”

           Although Takuto wasn't displaying how puzzled he was, he decided to do what the female Magician of Fate said. So did the others.

           "It was an incident that took place at Rina's trial," Sayuri explained as her eyes narrowed. "Truthfully, it was bad timing that he was stolen. In fact, there's no doubt that woman waited for this all to happen."

  ~December 19, 2003~

             It was a winter day in Neon. Snow fell from the sky outside but the sky itself was clouded with a somewhat dark—yet mild, gray scene overshadowing the capital city. As it appeared, it was not a brilliant day for someone. It just so happened to be an unfortunate day for Rina. Rina Tokuhara.

 —The trial room somewhere in the palace—

             There was a circle in which several family members of the Eight Great Families were gathered around to survey the trial; some were missing. Those included Manjuki Saionji, the current head of the Saionji family; Nao Aozora’s parents, her cousin, and even a few members of the Juujouchi family were among the ones present. Despite not being a member of one of the Great Families, Sayuri was also with the crowd, concerned for Rina.

           The first queen and former princess of Neon was the “judge” of the trial, or at least the one in charge of it. She had long, French violet hair reaching the bottom of her feet and shoes, and topaz yellow eyes. She was also very beautiful and even had a magnificent outfit to contribute to her beauty and the judgment process. Her husband stood next to her left, and he was very handsome with his ultramarine hair and true blue eyes.

           "We are here today to commence the trial of Rina Tokuhara," the queen, whose name was Haonowa Suzushiro began. "Due to her engagement in a relationship with a human man during her stay in the Human World while under the age of eighteen, we have called her down here. Please note that she has not yet graduated from high school, and the man she has fallen in love with is currently twenty-one years of age as of this year, which adds the detail of an age gap of over three years. We have a rule that only permits the maximum age difference of one year, two months between a man and woman, the former of which is permitted to be the older one in the romantic relationship. It goes without saying that we do not allow any humans to be romantically involved with magicians, as well. As these rules have been broken by one of our own, it is unforgivable to let this go on. Yet, I must question the one at fault." She stared at Rina with a look without any warmth and compassion. "Do you, Rina, take responsibility and admit the truth?"

           Rina gazed into Queen Haonowa's eyes with a resolute look and said, "Yes. It's true that I have committed myself to being with Takuto. Thus, I chose to be with him, despite breaking the laws of this world full of magicians. I also know that we aren't close in terms of age, but I still wish to be with and see him. He has already severed the relationship between us, but I won't stop loving him because he is precious to me. Takuto is my most important treasure, whether we're apart from one another or not. I do not regret falling in love with him, even at the expense of my own life. Therefore, I do not mind if I am to be executed here in Gemstone Palace."

           Sayuri's eyes widened with a mix of several emotions for her best friend. "Rina..."

           It was too sad to have to watch the Magician of Power she had a close bond with to receive the most severe punishment right in front of her eyes. Not only hers, but also Rina’s family's and the other Great Family members that were in place of “witnesses” and a jury.

           "So I see," Haonowa responded. "Very well, then. I shall inflict the execution penalty on you right here and now for breaking Neon's sacred laws. Tragic as your demise may be, you were a well-known and respected magician, as well as a member of the Tokuhara family. Why did it have to be you, I wonder? If this had not happened, you wouldn't have to be killed by my hand. However, I cannot allow any sentiment to get in the way of justice." She raised her right hand and was about to direct her attack on the blonde magician when suddenly...

           The sound of the double doors in the back of the room was heard. Someone had burst in; it was Kousuke Suzushiro. He had recently married his high school girlfriend months ago, and was now the current and third king of Neon. He had pure white hair, the clearest silver eyes, and wore a long, white button-down shirt and a pair of black pants with black dress socks and dress shoes. What's more was that he was also Haonowa's grandson.

           Everyone was either slightly surprised or composed and reserved. Queen Haonowa and her husband, however, did not have an alteration in their expressions.

           "Please reconsider this, Haonowa-san!" Kousuke pleaded as he walked forward ahead of where Rina stood. "If you kill Rina, you'll take her away from her parents. They'll no longer have their daughter, and will experience the same anguish as you and Minato-san did after Mother and Father died from the curse. You shouldn’t do something cruel as to take away another set of parent’s child, Haonowa-san. They shouldn't have to suffer like this!"

           Haonowa did not waver from hearing Kousuke's words. "Kousuke. This is what the law requires me to. Do you not understand that we as the people of this kingdom and world, are not supposed to break the laws for order must be maintained at all costs? Are you willing to disobey what has already been set for us? As the king of Neon, will you risk everything to save a guilty person from their own punishment?"

           "Haonowa-san, I cannot back down from what is right," Kousuke answered. "What you are doing will only accumulate something worse than what you and Minato-san've already gone through. You won't be able to forgive yourself if you do this. As Neon's current king, I want to spare you of becoming miserable over what you are about to do. Didn't you love Mother because she was the daughter you had given birth to years ago when things became peaceful for our world? Do you not think killing Rina would be similar to how Mother was taken away from this world? She's also a married couple's daughter. If she dies, you won't be able to face Shizune and Hajime’s family anymore. The bonds of our family and the Tokuhara's and Hachisachi’s will be forever broken. Do you truly want any of that to happen?"

           "..." Haonowa narrowed her eyes. She gave no reply to her grandson's question.

           Rina was not sure what she could do, but she was at least touched by hearing the white-haired king of the magicians stand up for her and her family. "Kousuke..."

           In turn, Kousuke turned around from his left side and smiled. "Don't worry, Rina. I'll make sure to save you, so you can get back together with the guy you're in love with. Trust me—" Suddenly, an excruciating pain took over his heart—his eyes widened for a few seconds and he collapsed onto the floor.

           Everyone's eyes also widened and they rushed to Kousuke's side. Rina hurried over, leaving her sword as to not cause any misleading scenarios. Haonowa and her husband, Minato, also ran towards their grandson's side. It was quite a frantic situation and as Kousuke was taken to his bedroom, a portal opened in the courtroom. With that, someone—a woman with long, black hair and red eyes came and went after Rina's sword: Ains. Her presence caught Sayuri's attention and she flew quickly towards the woman, but to no avail as she had been struck by the sword belonging to her best friend. The orange-haired magician barely managed to survive from an overwhelming attack filled with malice; as soon as Sayuri had been hit with Ains, the woman disappeared and closed her portal. Takuji had rushed to his partner's side shortly after noticing she had been ambushed.

           He rapidly teleported in a dash from where Kousuke was taken to recover to Sayuri. "Sayuri!" He held her body in his arms, narrowing his eyes. "Sayuri, stay with us! Asuka will heal you, so wait a bit, okay? I'm sorry we weren't paying attention, but I won't let you die!"

           Takuji's girlfriend [at the time], Asuka Suzushiro, knelt down by Sayuri's injured body and started to heal the wounds filled with blood. Her healing abilities gave off a bright purple glow. Sayuri fainted from the pain that was fading away and was soon taken out of the palace to the Aozora home to rest in her bedroom until she regained consciousness.

           For the most part, Rina was acquitted, and soon went back to her normal life. As a result of what had occurred, she had let go of returning to the Human World until years later. Sayuri had also went back to attending high school with her, Takuji, Miyuki, and their other schoolmates. Eventually, they all graduated and moved on with their lives. Thanks to Kousuke's intervention, Minato and Haonowa had altered the laws Rina broke after the trial. They now had given permission for some female magicians to fall in love with human males, and an age difference of seven years or less with some exceptions and abilities that had to be sacrificed, but the requirements for both partners to reach the age of eighteen and graduate from high school still remained.

             "As Takuto said, a lot of things had taken place after Ains was stolen by that woman," Rina added. "It may have been a careless mistake for me to leave my sword alone, but no one could afford to cause a conflict with the first rulers of the royal family in order to save my life from being executed. Kousuke interfered with the trial to do so, and because of him, we're all grateful.”

Sayuri continued. “I've been honing my powers, and Takuji's been doing the same, so we trained together. Consequently, my personality has changed from what it used to be like in order to become stronger for Rina's sake. At any rate, we still haven't been able to get Ains back from that woman."

           Takuji glanced at Sayuri and smiled. "You wouldn't believe how energetic and clumsy she used to be. Now, she's pretty similar to Takuto, aside from his short temper. Hehe." He laughed.

           "Is that true, Sayuri?" Hiro asked. Sayuri nodded as a response before glaring at her former training partner. "Oh, wow... So you really were cheerful back then! Just like the persona you had at the café."

           Sayuri frowned sternly. "When I was working there, it wasn't even close to how I used to be. After being hit by Ains and recovering from the attack, I gradually became how I am today. What has been lost cannot be restored so easily. That's what I've learned after getting injured to the point I couldn't move my body. After trying to get Ains back repeatedly, I got wounded again the night the owner of the café was in trouble, but it wasn't as aching as it was over three years ago."

           Hiro inquired further. "To do that, you'll also need more power, right? So we'll need Nao to do get to the goal."

           Takuto looked down at the floor. “That explains Rina’s powers weakening even though you were able to find a temporary solution to restore them before.”

           Sayuri nodded. "Even if Nao-san doesn't wish to cooperate with us, I'll sacrifice myself for Rina's sake. Ains should not be misused, but he's suffering because of that woman, and she is letting her partner wield him at the moment. Takuji and I can't do this alone, though. Since you said you'd come with me to this battlefield, I can't give up on this."

           "Sayuri..." Kenshi sniffed. He had tears in his eyes. "You're such a good friend...!"

           "You don't have to cry, Kenny," Takuto pointed out.

           "I-I'm not crying..." Kenshi retorted; then, he took a tissue from the box on the table and blew his nose. "I'm just getting sentimental, that's all."

           Takuto frowned nonchalantly. "Same thing in your case."

           Mitsuki looked down at her lap. "It wasn't until sometime after the trial ended that I received a call from Manjuki about what had happened. Because of that, I kept it a secret from you all, except for Riki." She looked at the hacker of the Black Foxes. "Takuto, I'm sorry for not telling you most of all about it. Though I knew you and Rina were suffering from the past, I couldn't bring myself to say anything."

           "I should apologize, too," Riki said. "I've watched over you for a long time, but it was hard to confront you about it. As time passed by, it grew more difficult to bring up. Sorry, Takuto."

           Takuto glanced at the eldest couple in the house. "It's not your fault. I was too rash about everything that happened between Rina and I. So, you guys don't need to apologize to me."

           Rina smiled softly as she gazed at her former lover. She glanced at Nao and said, "Nao-san. We can't let her (the woman) have her way here, or anywhere else. If our lives end, this world will no longer be protected by anyone. The people we care about won't be able to defend themselves against a being as strong as her, and we won't be around to help them. This must be dealt with no matter what, and we need you to save the universe we live in. Can you not give us an answer as to whether or not you'll lend us a hand?"

           Nao looked at Rina before shifting her gaze downward. "...Of course I know, but the amount of power to defeat her may push us past our limits. And yet, when I reflect back on how I came to be here, it reminds me that even I have a score to settle with her. As we're already being forced to face her sooner than I had anticipated, my answer..." She smiled contently. "...is yes." Then, she looked at everyone. "I give you all my hand in defeating this woman."

           "Nao..." Taiga, who had observed and heard the whole conversation, knew he could not stop his girlfriend from her decision. He walked over to her, and placed his left hand on the idol's corresponding shoulder.

           Nao looked up to meet the underground doctor's gaze. "Taiga..."

           He stared at the aquamarine eyes his lover had before shifting his eyes towards the Black Foxes. As he gazed into Riki's eyes, he told everyone in the living room, "I'll help as well."

           Riki's eyes widened. "Taiga..."

           "I'd rather not lose Nao to this fight," Taiga spoke in a composed manner. "Nor do I want to lose Hyosuke and Miyuki. They're my family, and the only ones I have left besides my parents. If they're going to cooperate with you guys, I'm going with them. Even so, I can't let go of them. You should already understand that feeling as the leader of the Black Foxes. Do what you can to protect your loved ones."

           Hyosuke's face lit up. "Bro..." He held Miyuki's right hand in his left.

           The silver-haired magician [who was taller than Mitsuki] gripped her boyfriend's hand. "So we have an alliance with everyone here."

           "Actually," Riki said, "we have another member of the Black Foxes waiting for us to get home. He's more or less the boss of the group, but he doesn't participate in and fight during our missions as much as he used to."

           Takuji smiled casually. "That makes thirteen of us in this alliance. Though, who would have thought everyone would gather like this? It really is the work of fate."

           "You say that a lot, Takuji," Miyuki uttered.

           The mint-haired magician glanced at Miyuki and kept on smiling. "Well, it's true. If Akio-sama hadn't pointed us in your direction, we wouldn't have reunited and met up like this."

           "Anyway, it's about time we head back," Riki stood up from his seat. "We shouldn't keep Boss waiting too much." He looked at Taiga and Nao to finish what he had to say to them. "Thanks. It really meant a lot to us. I'm glad you agreed to join us in this battle, Taiga, Aozora."

           Nao smiled back. "You should address me by my name, Riki-san. I feel insulted that you would call me by my surname."

           "Maybe another time," Riki replied. "I'm still not used to calling you by your given name. But rest assured, I don't actually hate you or anything. Really."

           "Wait." She held her right hand up and stared into the black-haired man’s eyes. "You and Mitsuki-san should at least know this before your departure." She glanced at Mitsuki. "Manjuki needs you two more than you both believe. She’s your family, after all."

           The dark purple-haired magician gazed attentively at Nao. “..”

           The Black Foxes and magicians of fate then left the Kujo residence and the sound of the door closing was soon heard. Hyosuke went to lock it.

           Nao looked up affectionately at Taiga, holding his left hand in hers, and putting her visage close to it. "Everything will be okay, Taiga. I'll protect you and everyone else."

           Taiga smiled back fondly at his girlfriend. "Yeah. I love you, Nao." As he leaned down to kiss her from where he was standing, they were soon interrupted by none other than Hyosuke, who had returned.

           "Whoa, don't start kissing here!" the purple-haired man shouted. "You're embarrassing me, Bro! And we haven't had dinner yet, so wait 'til after we're finished eating before you get to it!"

           Nao smiled at Hyosuke's reaction. "Ara, Hyosuke, you're back."

           "Nao-san, don't ignore me!" Hyosuke pouted.

           As Nao giggled, Taiga smiled and laughed.

           "Seriously, what's with you two?" Hyosuke asked. "You guys are so mean."

           Miyuki came out from the kitchen and tilted her head to her right. "? Hyosuke, come help me set the table."

           "Alright," was the purple-haired man's reply as he strolled toward his silver-haired girlfriend.

  XXX

 1)        Gal games are also known as bishoujo games/galge, whereas LLFTX is a counterpart; an otome game, or the portmanteau: otoge.

2)        Da Capo is a visual novel by Circus set on the fictional island of Hatsunejima and centers around the never wilting cherry blossom tree.

3)        Ina☆Koi is a gal game by Whirlpool, and is the company's first project.

4)        Swirlpool is my shout out to Whirlpool. They have a beautiful art style for the characters and backgrounds.

5)        Lump of Sugar is another visual novel company focusing on producing gal games. They also produced Tayutama -Kiss on my Deity-, another one of their visual novels that has gotten an anime adaption in 2009. However, as this fanfic is set before that year, I did not include Tayutama. However, keep in mind that some of my shout outs do not match up with the fanfic’s timeline.

[sadisticsmiles]

Beyond a Thief’s Power Episode 12

Bundles of Stress

  Inside of what appeared to be a Japanese-style home, Sayuri was standing in front of a scroll that read: "Under the blue sky, the power to heal is near but far. Yet, it is obtained through many sources."

           "It's not as easy as anyone thinks," the orange-haired magician noted. There seemed to be something on her mind, but she did not let on much about it. She stared at the scroll for a few more seconds. "...I better go now. It's about time I meet up with them."

           She turned around, bringing herself to the other world that awaited her, disappearing from Neon. She soon appeared inside Le Renard Noir with a sitting position and landed on one of the chairs near the bar counter. Her wings had also showed themselves again with a gentle movement, and vanished afterward. The guys and Rina had been busy setting the table up with reheated plates and dishes of food, and took notice of Sayuri's elegant arrival within a short amount of time.

           "Uwa!" Kenshi's shouted in a surprised tone of voice. "Sayuri?!"

           "Looks like you made it after all," Riki smiled in a pleasant manner. Something was a bit different about his usual sense of hospitality, though.

           Takuto glanced at the firefighter. "Why are you so surprised? She told us she was going to be here, didn't she? There's really no need for you to get riled up at a time like this, Kenny."

           "I-I know!" Kenshi stuttered. "I was just... a little out of it, okay?" His cheeks were clouded with pink blushes that made him look somewhat cute in a boyish way. "Not like I meant anything that would be a big deal, but it just happened."

           Rina smiled when she saw her best friend. "Did you get your wound all healed up at home?"

           Sayuri nodded. "It's not like I could get a scar from leaving it untreated, but it felt nice to be back in Neon. I suppose you went back home?"

           "Well, I kind of had to," Rina smiled. She felt somewhat awkward when she brought her words up. "Mom was giving me stuff to bring to Le Renard Noir since I'm staying here. I moved out of my old apartment in this world and gave it away for free. It's always nice to be in our world again for a change, but I’m not sure about Riki over there." She turned her head to her left, looking at the government official who was sitting at the table the majority of the group was going to have their dinner at. "He's been like that for a while, so sulking's his specialty sometimes. On the other hand, he’s probably controlling his urge to drink while Mitsuki-san’s not right by him. They're always joined together by the hip, so there’s a disheartening atmosphere he emits when they're apart occasionally."

           Sayuri blinked. "Like Takuji and Asuka? They're so in love that it makes the human girl living with them in Roppongi annoyed by watching their interactions with each other. What was her name? Kirie Kuroki? It's rare to see humans with vibrant eye and hair colors. But there's a dot in the center of both her eyes."

           "Yeah," Takuto breathed. He was still as indifferent as ever. "That's called a pupil. Some people have a more prominent one in both of their eyes in this world, but magicians don't have them, do they?"

           "That's because we're beautiful people," Sayuri replied as she turned her head toward Takuto. "Our eyes are fine the way they are."

           The programmer smirked. "So I take it the girl you mentioned isn't good enough to compare to you guys because she can't land on your standards?"

           "In a way, yes," the orange-haired girl agreed. "But I don't mean that she isn't attractive enough for human men in the looks department by her appearance. I get bothered by her pupils, or so you call them."

           "I believe we'll be able to get along." Takuto continued to grin before giving a lighthearted smile. "Why don't you sit down with us? We could all eat together."

           Hiro's eyes widened with an astonished look. "What's this? Takkun's actually being friendly to someone?"

           "And not just anyone," Kenshi added. "He's being nice to Sayuri who's a girl. This is such a rare moment, I should have had my phone out to take a photo of his smile."

           Sayuri tilted her head to her right side. "Is that a bad thing? We were only conversing with one another like anyone would. Don't take it the wrong way. I know your people tend to jump to conclusions, specifically with interactions between opposite sexes, but there's no need to bring up anything unnecessary." She looked up at Takuto and said, "Sorry, but I'll just sit by myself. I don't want to intrude on your dinner." She reached into the atmosphere with her left hand, which appeared to have vanished into thin air. It was definitely in an invisible pocket Takuto had taken note of before. Soon, Sayuri's hand came back out from her pocket and she was holding onto a glass cup with a cover on it; a white straw was right next to it as she held both objects near her. "Itadakimasu." She inserted the straw into the opening of the lid and took a drink of her beverage. Inside, there were clear but small spheres, and the beverage was indubitably a magnificent sight to Hiro and the other guys. Riki did not look like he was going to quit sulking, on the other hand.

           "Wow, that's so cool," Hiro complimented the drink with sparkling eyes. "The drink and balls are clearer than lychee..."

           Kenshi gaped at the glass. "Like a snow globe."

           "More like a glittery diamond," Takuto commented.

           While Rina smiled at the three of them, Sayuri blinked twice with her mouth on the straw. She stopped sucking up the transparent liquid shortly afterward. Pulling her lips away, she answered them. "They are diamonds."

           "Huh?" Hiro was perplexed along with Takuto and Kenshi.

           "Like I said," Sayuri continued, "The balls and the juice are diamonds. The balls themselves have solid coating like ice, but are more like a crystal. They're also very edible and delicious. I guess you can say when I'm drinking this it’s similar to when you restore your vital energy with water, since most of your bodies are made of it."

           Hiro smiled, getting the gist of it. "So it's basically how a magician's body, blood and heart are made out of gemstones? I see. You're drinking that juice to refill your stamina and whatnot while you're here." He laughed, closing his eyes at the same time before reopening them. "I'm such a dummy; how could I not realize this sooner? Of course there were gemstones in there!"

           Takuto sighed, looking down. "I feel like we all are for not remembering magician logic. Even the pocket is there for all of them!"

           "Man, do I feel stupid," Kenshi belittled himself. "I haven't thought about any magician facts in a while when I could have."

           "Don't feel too bad about it, Kenshi. It's not like you're going to die or anything," Rina assured with soothing encouragement. "You can do better when it comes to gaming, anyway."

           Kenshi sweat-dropped. Then, he closed his eyes. "In real life, you mean. I had a hard time trying to escape from that anatomical model in one of the classrooms." He opened his eyes and sighed stressfully. "Do you know how many times I died trying during my current replay of the game?"

           "Forty-two times?" Takuto guessed. "I'm not surprised."

           Kenshi's eyes were ready to pop out from the sockets holding them in place. "How did you know? I didn't even say anything yet!"

           "It's the meaning of life, Kenny," Takuto retorted. "If you want to live after dying in the game, you gotta aim for that number. That's why that game's a troll in the first place."

           Again, Sayuri cocked her head to her right. "What game is this?"

           "Oh, it's Mutilation Party1," Hiro answered. "It's one of Kenny's favorite horror RPG games for the PC, but got a remake for the GSP2 which has been renamed to Repeated Tale of Dread3. It's where a group of high school students and their homeroom teacher assistant are suddenly transported to another dimension that takes the form of an elementary school that used to be where their high school currently stands. It's full of gore and is also pretty gruesome. Anyway, let's eat together, Sayuri. You look so isolated by yourself." He grabbed Sayuri's free hand, escorting her to the table.

           "Wait, Hiro—" Before she could completely object to the notion of sitting and dining with the Black Foxes, she was quickly taken to the table and was seated between Rina (on her right) and Hiro (on her left), placing her drink on the table in front of the orange-haired college student.

           Atsumu dropped by with a delighted smile on his face. "The more the merrier, right? It's nice to have more company at the bar if I do say so myself. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sayuri. I'm Atsumu Kashiwabara. I'm like the guys' caretaker since I've looked after them when they were kids. I don't participate in the missions as much as I used to, but feel free to help them in their times of need. I'm counting on ya!" He beamed with glee like he was already high on laughing gas. It was even funny; although, no one really had an urge to spring out giggles.

           Sayuri, Takuto, and Riki were the ones who could not find any humor from seeing the wavy-haired brunet's happy visage, and Sayuri froze in place. "..." Her expression was as stiff as a piece of cardboard when held in place. Within a matter of seconds, a blast of heat came to and from her face, giving it a bright red color, and her eyes began to spin counterclockwise. "Th-There's another human male here?!" Shortly afterward, she fainted, plopping on to Rina's left arm.

           With the others (except for Rina and Takuto) stunned to see Sayuri collapse, Takuto said, "Hey, look. She died because of Beardy. That's new."

           Peering into Sayuri's face from their seats, Kenshi and Hiro articulated simultaneously, "So cute..."

           "Ahhh~!" Hiro squealed with ecstasy. "Can I wait until she wakes up so we can eat together? She's just too adorable to leave alone! I'm practically dying here!" He was putting in his best effort not to move around too much in his seat.

           Riki stopped eating and placed his chopsticks down on his celadon green bowl. His eyes had been closed after the orange-haired magician had her own black out. He then opened them with a strict stare directed towards the youngest group member. "Hiro, quit looking at Sayuri's face and get back to eating. Your food will get colder each second you delay the process. Don't be childish at a time like this. You're an adult, which means you have to act like one. Therefore, do what you're told before going off to play." That was all the leader of the Black Foxes said before picking up his chopsticks once more, and going back to finish his meal. It didn't take long for him to complete the task of consuming his food and downing a glass of water. "Thanks for the meal." He stood up and picked up his dishes, setting them down in the kitchen sink. Next, he washed them quietly, dried them off with a towel, and put them back on the rack in which they belonged. Once that was over, he walked upstairs and went to the room he was staying in, sliding the door behind him.

           Hiro pouted. "Riki's such a meanie. He's so unlike his typical self without Mitsuki around to keep him on a leash. Bummer."

           Kenshi smiled gently. "Look on the bright side. It's not like he doesn't care about any of us. He's just really attached to Saionji. That's all it is."

           "It goes to show that Riki's a kid himself," Atsumu proclaimed. "On the contrary, love is a powerful thing, even when you've been with the person you love for a long time. Nine years have already passed by, and before you know it, they'll be together for a whole decade. Each moment you spend with your lover is precious, and Riki's sending signals to everyone about how much he loves Mitsuki. Let him be. He had to let go of her hand so she can cook and help out with LRN. She'll be back in no time at all."

           Hiro had puppy dog eyes as he looked at Atsumu. "I hope so. Mitsuki's presence tends to balance things out for all of us." His expression reverted back to normal in an instant. "See, women are so powerful. While Riki can lift a cupboard, Mitsuki has the ability to pick it up and throw it at a target. It makes me wish I could give him a piece of my mind with that."

           Rina smiled as she glanced at the youth. "You don’t need to be stronger than Riki in terms of physical ability, Hiro. He hasn't done anything to deserve a fist fight, and he's not someone who would want you to waste the time you have to fill your stomach when it's empty, so it probably can't be helped that he had a harsh tone towards you. I'm sure Sayuri would've said something similar to Riki's words."

           "Speaking of which," Atsumu brought up, "we should probably get her to bed. I'll save her drink in the fridge."

           Kenshi grinned. "She'll like it better if it's cool, right?"

           Takuto stared at said beverage. "Man, those diamonds are tough. They're not melting."4

           "I'll go take Sayuri up to the room I stay in during the daytime whenever I’m here," Rina told the guys. She looked at the resting magician. "She's likely to be out for an hour or two, but she'll be fine. Boss only startled her a bit since she it's possible she didn't expect him to be part of our team." The blonde magician stood up from her seat, holding onto her best friend's body, carrying her like a princess or bride and taking her upstairs.

           Takuto looked down. "That's not fair, and the drink's still on the table."

           "Maybe you'll get another chance later," Hiro said. "It just wasn't the right time with Sayuri being knocked out."

           "Whatever," Takuto mumbled, "It's not like I have any feelings for Rina anymore."

           Kenshi laughed with a broad grin. "Hahaha! As if. You're totally heads over heels for her." He looked at the hacker of their band of thieves in the eyes and continued to smile with a lighter touch. "It's not like you two forgot about that kiss you shared a few days ago. You should be more honest about it since you're the one who planted your true feelings on her lips."

           "Now you're just teasing me," Takuto grimaced.

           "Hey, you deserved it," the firefighter threw back.

           The hacker had to give in to that comment. Witnessing the other three go on with their lovely banter, Atsumu smiled silently, enjoying the time they spent together, but also noticed Takuto's soft smile and felt at peace.

           So Takkun can smile after all when it comes to being cornered about his true feelings for Rina, he thought. Perhaps, they can both overcome the obstacles ahead of them and find comfort in one another the more their love shows. I would like them to resume from where they left off years ago, and become connected with the touch of their hands once again.

 XXX

             Later that night, Sayuri woke up in one of the spare rooms and saw Rina's visage in front of her, as if the latter were in deep thought. Without another moment passing by, the blonde smiled contently while she was still sitting on her lower legs.

           "Looks like you're faring finely now," she told her best friend. "You've been out of it for some time. How about I bring your drink up for you?"

           "What about you?" the orange-haired magician asked. “You didn’t go home after I fainted. I would’ve been fine if someone like Hiro or Takuto looked after me. I don’t need Mitsuki-san or Riki to, and I don’t trust the brunets in your group.”

           Rina nodded. "We’re best friends, Sayuri. You’ve done more for me than I’ve ever done for you."

           Sayuri sat up. "…Your circumstances and life are significant to my presence in this world, but I won’t abandon the things I’ve come to do for all the other magicians." At that time, she moved out of the bed away from where Rina was. She then faced the bed and smoothed out the sheets and pillow before she slid the door to step out in to the hallway. Hiro was about to slide it himself, and was caught by surprise when he saw the orange-haired magician; he was holding Sayuri's beverage in his right hand. Sayuri felt a sensation of gratitude flowing into her body as she stared at the young man who was under her age. "Hiro."

           Hiro's smile did not waver as he gazed back into the Magician of Fate's eyes. "Yeah. I wanted to see how you were doing, so I’m glad you’re awake and feeling better. Boss said he’s sorry for giving you a scare at the table."

           Rina glanced at the orange-haired pairing over her right shoulder and smiled gently, but faintly. Afterward, she faced the bed once again, and took her yellow and light brown cell phone out from her invisible pocket; the yellow portion was a strip in the middle while the light brown framed most of the area apart around the former color. The device gave a silent flip open for Rina to message someone in particular: Takuto’s name appeared on the screen.

             To: Takuto Hirukawa

           Subject: Leaving the Human World

           Takuto, I’m going home for the rest of the night. I’ll message you again soon.

             Rina stood up and teleported back to Neon, leaving Hiro and Sayuri to continue conversing.

           Meanwhile, Kenshi and Takuto were in a separate bedroom. The spiky-haired brunet looked and smiled at his roommate, who had his fossil gray5 cell phone out. "Whatcha staring at on your phone, Takuto?"

           Takuto did not return his friend's gaze, only stared at the phone. "Rina just messaged me."

           Kenshi smiled, pleased with the response. "Wow. I haven’t heard you say that in a while. In fact, none of us have."

           Takuto's eyes lowered with a hint of depression and sadness. "Even so, it's not like she's shown that she loves me. It’s only a message about her going home."

           “Haha, what are you getting so disappointed for?” the spiky-haired brunet laughed. “You know what they say: Women are supposed to be mysterious. Us guys can’t figure out what’s on their minds!”

Kenshi frowned, entering his mind with thoughts that could not be spoken. Now that I think about it, I wonder how Sayuri feels. Is she interested in any guys right now? He was already blushing, but shook his head quickly. Maybe she’s still asleep. What should I do when I see her tomorrow? I don't think I'll be able to speak to her properly!

           "Oh, and Hiro's girlfriend is doing well, if you're wondering," Takuto glanced at the flustered man. It seemed as if the twenty-four-year-old was back to his aloof self.

           Kenshi was surprised. "Hiro has a girlfriend? Since when?"

           "Kenny, you're so dense," the computer genius commented. "It should be as plain as day to you."

           "Huh?" Kenshi didn't understand what Takuto meant, but it wasn't nothing. There had to be something behind the light blond's statement. However, he couldn't figure the answer out.

  XXX

             Rina was back home in Neon. Her mother, Mami Tokuhara, saw her appear in her (Rina's) bedroom. Said parent was also holding onto a light green laundry basket filled with her daughter's clothes, and had the same long blonde hair tied into a single low ponytail, but the hair length was longer and went past to her knees; she also had eyes the color of persimmons and a youthful appearance for her age since she was immortal [as all magicians were].

           "Ara? You're home early," she said, puzzled at her daughter's return. "I thought you were going to stay at Le Renard Noir for a while."

           Rina looked at her mom, turning her head to her left. "It’s a bit complicated, but I’ll be going back and forth soon."

           "Well, are you hungry?" Mami inquired with the same expression. "Spending time in the Human World drains us of our powers and capacities to stay there for long, after all."

           "I'm fine for now, Mom," Rina replied. “I’ll have dinner once I’m through with what I need to do.”

           Mami placed the laundry basket on Rina's bed. She was staring at her daughter's clothes and began to fold each and every article from shirts to pants, skirts, dresses, and underwear. "How is Takuto doing these days?"

           Rina's shoulders dropped slowly and she looked at the floor with a dispirited expression on her face. "I don't know anymore... It's hard for me to be around him since I went back to the Human World. He's not the same person he used to be, but..." An array of emotions shimmered in her eyes. "He really takes me by surprise."

           I had no intention of seeing him again, but when it comes down to it, I really do love Takuto, she admitted to herself. More than anything and everyone else, he's the most important person in my life. I wonder if I'll be able to tell him how I feel about him again. It's been a few years since I said those special words. What makes me sad is that he keeps letting the things other people say to him get to him and denies them. I wish he would at least say how he feels around everyone else like how he used to.

           She thought back to a short memory from a few years ago, to which the days were still warm and loving through the year.

  ~June 16, 2003~

             It was a summer day back then. It had been two months and two days since Takuto and Rina started their romantic relationship with one another. Everyone was gathered inside Le Renard Noir, and they were helping out with the customers due to the amount of heat outside. The air conditioner was on full blast, but the blazing torridness didn't consummately dissipate from their skin.

           Rina walked over to a table and was wearing the restaurant's uniform, while carrying a tray with a glass of iced tea on it and a bowl of katsudon. Once she arrived at the destined table, she set the drink and food down in front of the elderly man sitting there.

           "Here you go," she smiled brightly; her smile flattered her pale skin that seemed to shine beautifully. "I hope you enjoy your meal."

           The older man reciprocated the blonde's smiled and closed his eyes with satisfaction. "Thank you for always giving everyone your kind service, Rina-chan. If you weren't taken, I would have asked you to be my granddaughter-in-law."

           Rina gave an eye smile. "What are you talking about? Your grandson already has a girlfriend. I couldn't possibly do something that defies my code of conduct. Otherwise, I would be a disgrace to my family. You should know by now that having feelings for a man who has a lover and going behind said lover's back with the same male is a felony for female magicians, and vice versa for male ones."

           An arm wrapped around Rina's waist. It was Takuto who had a confident smirk and unlike his present self, he wasn't showing any snippy behavior with it. "Rina's heart belongs to me. She can't date anyone else, so she can only be friends with other guys. I won't let someone steal her away because her type is right here."

           The old man opened his eyes, looking at both of them with light brown ones. Then, he chortled. "Hahaha! Is that so?" The laughter soon transformed into a concerned expression. "But Takuto-kun, Rina-chan's not suited for you, as well. Not only is she twelve days older than Hiro-kun, she’s a magician. It would be a bad occurrence if her parents found out about your relationship since she's still a minor, and at the age of seventeen! You're already in college, and she's still in high school. She hasn't turned eighteen yet, so she has to graduate from high school first, doesn't she? Aren't you two breaking the laws in her world? I'm worried something may happen to her if word gets out about it to the other magicians."

           "Don't worry!" Hiro beamed as he went to the table. "Takkun will protect Rina at all costs! You can believe in him, so everything'll be A-okay!"

           Riki smiled mildly. "Like our little mascot said, things will be fine for the both of them. As long as we can convince Rina's parents to approve of them dating, nothing will go wrong."

           Hiro frowned, discouraged by the government official's first sentence. He turned his head to his right. "Hey! I'm the one who introduced Takkun to Rina, so why do I have to be the mascot?"

           "Hehe. Isn't that what you are?" Takuto snickered evilly. "You're the one who looks like a little kid, and you're the youngest. Doesn't that title belong to you, anyway?"

           The orange-haired high school student puffed his cheeks out. "Takkun, you're so mean! I can't believe I was on your side."

           "Well, you are cute in everyone's eyes, Hiro," Kenshi stated. "It can't be helped that you're put on the spot."

           It wasn't getting any better for the youth. "Kenny, not you too!"

           Mitsuki came over and patted Hiro's head with her left hand. "Heehee! You're so adorable, Hiro. I don't think anyone could resist fawning over you." Her hair was longer, reaching to the middle of her lower legs.

           Atsumu also joined in on the agreement with a nod, and his left hand was curled in. "You could work here forever after going off and finishing your college years. I'd love to have a full house every day after you attract more customers here. You can even bring a girlfriend if you'd like."

           "That's not what I care about right now!" Hiro cried out in comical exasperation. "I don't want to be seen as a cute candidate for a mascot! I'd rather be known as an awesome and handsome young man!"

           Everyone in Le Renard Noir burst out laughing when they heard that. The members of the Black Foxes and even the customers were amused by Hiro's desire to further mature his appearance. After catching their breaths, Rina and Takuto glanced at each other and smiled tenderly. Then they laughed again. Hiro felt embarrassed and awkward to be in the Le Noir Renard—so much that he ran out in tears. Atsumu and Kenshi sprinted after him, with Atsumu exclaiming, "Hiro, come back!," and Kenshi shouting, "Yeah! We didn't mean it!"            Simultaneously, they said shortly afterward, "We're sorry!"

           "Stay away from me!" Hiro was so fast he was out of sight in less than a minute.

           The two brunets could not find him and had to give up on their chase. They felt bad for the humiliation the orange-haired member went through, and returned to the bar, waiting for him along with the others.

 XXX

             Back in the present, Rina closed her eyes and gave out a sigh.

           "I really miss those times," she began.

           Mami looked at her and tilted her head. "What's wrong? Do you want to go on a date with Takuto like you used to?"

           Rina lifted her head and gazed back at her mother. "Yes, but I wasn't thinking of that."

           "And?" The woman folding her daughter's laundry blinked once. "When are you two getting back together? It's been three years since your father and I received permission from Haonowa-sama to remit your punishment. Kousuke-sama was also there to plead for you to be excused. You know how compassionate he is. He couldn't have forsaken a fellow magician who loves Neon. Asking his grandmother6 to reconsider it was something he could do for you since he also knows the feeling of loving someone."

           Rina nodded. "I know. It's not like I've forgotten but to ask a question like that, don't you think you should give me more time to reply to you? It's not like I don't want to get back together with Takuto; it's not as simple as you think, Mom."

           Mami frowned. "Since when did you become so hesitant about your feelings? It's like you've changed all of a sudden."

           In an instant, the kiss Takuto placed on her lips came to her mind, and Rina blushed. "D-Don't remind me of the reason!" Rina's eyes widened further when she saw what her mom was holding. "And this a bad time to be folding that!"

           Mami's hands were softly gripping a single piece of light pink panties which were also lacy. She glanced at Rina with an unmoving expression. "It's only your underwear. I don't understand why I can't handle your laundry at a time like this. Besides, Katsurou isn't in here at the moment, so there's no need to get flustered about it. You must be thinking too much about Takuto that you've become stranger than before." She went back to folding the clothing that were still undone.

           Rina was still flushed as she averted her eyes to her left without a movement from her head. "...I’m going back to the Human World now."

           True to her words to her mother, Rina teleported back to the other side. She appeared downstairs in Le Renard Noir where it was dark. At a table, she sat down on a chair and took her flip phone out to type another message.

             To: Takuto Hirukawa

           Subject: Come Downstairs

           Takuto, I came back. I’ll be waiting at one of the tables.

             Takuto immediately saw his ex’s text, closed his phone, and glanced at Kenshi. “I’ll be back.”

           The spiky-haired brunet blinked twice. “Where are you going?”

           “I can’t say,” was all that came out of Takuto’s mouth before he stepped out and closed the sliding door. He was not in a rush, but he was calm and walked down the stairs to the first floor of the building. Once he was all the way down, he saw Rina’s back on his right and travelled to the other side of the table she was at, so they would be across from one another. Before he took a seat, he glanced at the table and saw a bronze, thick book and Rina’s full name on the cover. He stared at it for a few seconds, glanced back at Rina, who was already gazing at him, and finally sat down. “What’s this?”

           “My book,” the blonde magician replied.

           What’s with the short answer? Takuto thought.

           Rina breathed slowly. “Takuto, our meeting here is for the sake of our roles as members of the Black Foxes. If we’re going to work on progressing forward,” she placed her left hand on the book, “you and I must prove our partnership to each other.”

           “With your book,” the light blond flatly commented. “We’re already partners. Does it really take more than the words we’ve shared to each other after you came back?”

           Rina added, “It’s because we’re partners that I want to do something to help out more.” A soft but small smile appeared on her face. “Since I came back to this world, I’ve done nothing to protect you and everyone else. I—“

           “That’s not true,” Takuto cut his ex’s words off. “You’ve always been the one to protect all of us. In the past, it was always you who kept us from getting in trouble.”

           Trouble with the missions and Neon, the light blond thought.

           “We could’ve died several times before,” he continued, “but with you back with us, we were saved from death again during our missions. Yet, you’ve become weaker than when you left years ago. I don’t know what happened during our time apart, but I…” His gaze was more intense; there was something that had to be conveyed. Yet, he could not for the sake of lifting Rina’s burden of the love he held for her.

           The magician gazed back in wonder. “…Takuto?”

           The light blond looked down in response. “It’s nothing.”

           Rina’s eyes continued to be fixated on her partner. But then… She gradually reached her left hand and arm towards the programmer, and held onto the back of his right one. Takuto looked back up at his ex-girlfriend in a somewhat astonished manner.

           As they gazed again into each other’s eyes, Rina began to blush a bit. “Uh, I…” Once more, the memory of their last kiss flowed into her mind and her eyelids slightly raised. Yet, she reminded herself of her objective as a member of the Black Foxes, specifically of her role as Takuto’s partner. She glanced own at her book, pulled her left hand away, and placed it on the item before returning to look at the man in front of her with her flustered state. “A-Anyhow, I took my Book of Neon out to combine it with your laptop, Takuto. This book is what every magician has since their birth along with their cell phones, but these two items start a process of manifestation once the magician is conceived. As with many books, the purpose of the Book of Neon is to store information; however, the events are summarized. The cell phones contain memories along with information, but my book is the best option for aiding us. After all, communication other than telepathy is much appreciated7.”

           “I see,” Takuto answered.

           I was sort of hoping for something else to happen between us, he thought.

           “Guess I have no other choice,” the light blond agreed to the procedure. “Let’s begin.”

           Rina smiled; her blush had gone away by then. “Okay.”

           As though their connection to one another had some unthinkable effect, the programmer’s laptop had teleported from the room he and Kenshi were lodging in, and appeared next to Takuto’s right hand and Rina’s Book of Neon. Takuto’s eyes widened while Rina smiled again. Simultaneously, the book and laptop resonated together emanating the sound of a heartbeat, and a yellow light glowed and encased from within and around them. Rina moved her hand away and they slid into the other—or rather, it seemed the motion was the laptop absorbing the entire book. Then, the former ceased in the center and the yellow light dissipated.

           “Now,” the blonde magician spoke, “it’ll be easier for you to access the database.”

           Takuto had been staring at the whole fusion process and felt amazement from it. His laptop gained a new source of knowledge waiting inside of it for him. The euphoria whelping up in his boy was because of Rina, the young woman he had an inseparable bond with. He turned his head toward her. “Thanks, Rina.” It was a rare sight, but he smiled with a fond facial expression that showed his serene eyes. He extended his right hand out and placed it on the Magician of Power’s head. “I owe my life to you.”

           Rina felt the attraction they shared and her shoulders relaxed to go with her softening smile. “Of course.”

           I’ve finally done something worthwhile for Takuto, she thought.

  XXX

             Sayuri and Hiro were still seated next to one another on the bed inside the room the former had rested in when she finished her drink. The two of them stood up, and Hiro smiled.

           "Well, I'll be heading to my room now," he said. He put his right hand up and showed his hand in a motionless wave. "Goodnight, Sayuri. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

           Sayuri nodded and Hiro went to his destination, sliding the door open and shutting it behind him. The Magician of Fate squeezed her left hand and the bottle shattered into several tiny pieces of glass, landing in a trash bin in Neon.

           Soon, Hiro was lying on the spacious bed in the room he was lodging in. He was on his right side next to the wall and giggled with a comfortable expression; the lights were turned off and the room was dimly lit by the moonlight from the slight crevices of the closed-curtain window.

           "Ah, it feels so nice and cool," he commented while hugging the pillow his head was on with outstretched arms. "I'd like it to be this cold every time I stayed over here! Mm~." Just as he said that, he heard and felt something going into his sheets like the sound of a bird flapping their wings mixed with the lifting of the very same bedsheets. He opened his eyes gradually and saw Sayuri laying next to him; she was on her left side and her eyes were shut peacefully to fit the expression on her face. Astonished by her appearance, Hiro lifted his head and arms from his pillow a bit, and his eyes widened as he whispered, "Sayuri?! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping in the other room that's between where Kenny and Takuto are staying in and my room?"

           Sayuri opened her eyes. "I wanted to stay with you tonight, Hiro. Out of everyone else, I feel at ease with you the most. Am I not allowed to be with you?" Her voice was soft when she confessed those words.

           It was innocently charming and adorable how Sayuri wanted to be with him, and Hiro could not agree any less.

           The younger man blushed. "W-Well... It's not like you can't sleep here, but if the others find out, they'll... misunderstand the situation."

           "If that happens, I'll tell them it was because I was lonely," Sayuri replied.

           Hiro put his head on his pillow and gazed at the magician by his side. "Really?"

           "Un," Sayuri confirmed. "After all, I actually felt that way." She closed her eyes haggardly. "Goodnight, Hiro." Immediately, she drifted off to sleep, silently breathing.

           Hiro felt his heart pounding as he looked at her visage. She was truly a beauty to behold.

           Kenny's right, he thought. Sayuri really is a beautiful girl. Up close like this, I would had never known the real exquisiteness that she emits if she hadn't exposed her true appearance the night we went to get the cymophane. Rather than her look from when she worked at the café, the sides of her I never saw before until now don't feel as false as back then, and it warms my heart to see her the way she is, instead of the front she's had to put on in order to play the role of a girl who's unlike her character. I believe I finally understand that about her... A smile formed on his drowsy face. And there's something I just realized about myself along with that. How could I have not figured it out before? Kenny, you're a genius during the worst times, you know that? I should've said it sooner—that I...

           His sleepiness soon caught up to him, cutting him off from finishing his thoughts.

  XXX

             The hours flew by and it was 7:45 a.m. that morning. Atsumu strolled down the hallway after washing his face, brushing his teeth, and arranging everything else in place for his facial appearance. He felt refreshed and was in a jolly mood as he went to wake everyone up, starting with Hiro. It didn't take a long walk before he was in front of the sliding doors to the college student's room. He knocked with the back of his left hand.

           "Hiro~, are you awake?" he chimed. "It's almost time for me to prepare breakfast. Would you like to help me with getting everything ready?"

           There was no answer, indicating that the youth was probably still asleep in his bed.

           "Guess it can't be helped," the wavy-haired brunet smiled. Without another moment's haste, he slid the door open, and was shocked by what he saw.

           Hiro was still in bed, of course. But he wasn't alone. Sayuri was lying next to him, and they were sleeping tranquilly next to one another. This unfortunately caused a misleading thought to manifest in Atsumu's mind.

           "Hiro..." The thirty-five-year-old felt crushed on the inside.

           Shinobu, he called to his late wife, our little boy's... become a delinquent. He's finally snuck a girl into bed with him. What do I do to fix this? Act and pretend it's nothing? Yeah, I think I'll do that. I'll just... make breakfast in the kitchen as always.

           He turned around and walked away from Hiro's temporary room. Then, he slid the door shut as to not disturb the "lovebirds." The only thing he was blind to was the obvious fact that fabrics of clothing could be seen on Hiro and Sayuri’s bodies the time he saw them lying together.

  XXX

 1) A shout out to Corpse Party. With the remake Kenshi mentions, I'm just making the name for it up even though I know the remake is the PSP version of the game.

2) An obvious rename I did for the PSP; it was inspired by the slight name change seen in some of the anime, manga, video games, and visual novels I've watched, read and played/seen.

3) The remake for Mutilation Party is a shout out to Corpse Party Blood Covered: …Repeated Fear.

4) Takuto’s observation is straightforward and adds another fact to my magician logic in the story, as the clear balls do not melt like ice cubes.

5) I chose this particular color to match with Takuto’s pessimism.

6) Magicians refer to their grandmothers with the word sobo (祖母).

7) Rina means that she enjoys the convenience of having a cell phone.