“Ah! Shirika!” Yuri spotted her walking as he left the restaurant that Friday afternoon. She turned as he saw her with a bouquet of flowers. He smiled, “Where are you off to?” She gave a small smile, “I'm off to visit a friend. Are you done with work?” He nodded, “Yea, do you need a ride? I'm free for the rest of the day. And it is pretty cold out today.”
“Alright. Let's go.” he said as he drove off.
~
“Ryuu~! How'd you do?” Rini asked as they got their results from their finals. He sighed, “ I passed, but only with a B-. How about you?” She said, “A little better. I got a B. So we should celebrate! We've been working hard so a fun day out would be awesome.”
“Sure, that sounds fun, but I don't want to trouble Kei with driving us around. And Kota's with Satomi again today.” he said.
“So, let's just walk.” she said. “We got feet. Let's use them.”
“ugh... fine.” he sighed as they began walking through town.
“Let's grab some smoothies~! My treat.” she said as he nodded, “Thanks Rini--” He froze as they passed by the shop. Rini looked, “Oh... it looks like there's some sort of photo shoot going on...” She then noticed why Ryutaro had stopped talking. The girl from the party, Rena, was their working with the models. She lit up, “Oh~! Haha I see what caught your eyes Ryuu~! You should go over there and talk to her!”
“W-Wha-- No way! I'll totally freeze up! I don't know what to say to her--” he stopped as Rini began pushing him towards the photo shoot. “Rini! Stop!!”
“Stop being a coward and go talk to her!” she told him. “Just be natural!”
“I can't—oof!” he groaned as he bumped into something.
“Ow! Geez, can't you watch where you're going?!” someone groaned as he got up and turned to the person he had knocked down. He held out a hand to her and apologized, “Sorry about that--” He froze as he noticed who it was.
“Whatever.... I'm not injured or anything so it doesn't matter.” she sighed taking his hand and getting up. She dusted herself off as she noticed him, still frozen, “Um... are you okay?”
“I-I-I--” he stuttered as she then smirked, “Hmmm, have we met before?” He turned to look for Rini, to see that she had left him. He groaned, “Damn it, Rini!”
“What?” Rena questioned as he turned red, “Umm, uh, n-nothing... Um, sorry.”
“Heh, you already said that.” she giggled a bit. “I think you might have hit your head when you fell.”
“Uh... n-no. I'm fine.” he stated.
“You sure? You're really red.” she said. He nodded, “Y-yea, don't worry about it...” She nodded, “Okay... if you say so.” She picked up all her papers that had fallen as he quickly grabbed some, “Here. Let me help you out.”
“Oh, thanks....” she stated. As he picked up some papers, he spotted someone from afar. Rini was hiding on the side as she was motioning for him to talk. He mouthed back, 'I don't know what to say!'
“Umm...who are you talking to?” she gave him a weird look as he panicked, “Ah! N-no one! Don't worry about it.” She gave him a weird look and then lit up, “Wait! I knew I've seen you before! You were at the Thanksgiving Party at World Cuisines! Uh... ah! Your brother has Demeter's power right?”
“Yea...” he said. “And … you have...”
“Aphrodite's.” she told him. “So does your brother train his powers?”
“Oh, yea. He uses it all the time, he loves growing plants and trees. It helps out the environment.” he said admirably. “Do you?” He shrugged, “I guess... but mine is kind of natural. I just tell some guy to do something and they'll do it.”
“Oh, so its kind of hard to train it. Since you're always using your voice.” he stated as she nodded. He felt his phone vibrate as he read the text out loud, “Do you want to go out when you're done working?” He turned red as he saw Rena standing in front of him taking the papers from his hands. He thought silently to himself, “Crap! Rini, I'm so gonna kill you next time I see you!”
“Me? Um, I guess. I get off in 10 minutes, so if you don't mind waiting.” she said. He nodded, “T-That's fine.”
“Alright, wait here. I'll be back soon.” she beamed as she headed back to the photo shoot. He sighed, finally relieved, as he realized, “God... I can't believe I actually got a date with her...”
“All thanks to me~!” Rini smiled as she popped out.
“Rini!!!” Ryutaro yelled as he grabbed her and tickled her. “What is wrong with you?! I almost had a heart attack! Do you not know how hard it is for me to talk to girls I like?! I swear I felt like I wasn't breathing!!”
“Ah! Okay! Hahaha! Stop, tickling me!!” she pleaded in between laughs. He
did with a large groan as she told him, “Well, you managed to score a date with her, so I think you did well. Seriously, you are so shy sometimes.”
“Shut up...” he pouted. She giggled, “Well, I don't want to be a third wheel so I'll see you later. Kei's gonna pick me up at the library.”
“Alright, see ya.” he said as she got up and began heading away. But then he called, “Rini?” She stopped and looked at him as he smiled, “Thanks.”
“Anytime Ryutaro.” she returned it and began walking towards the library.
~
“Two more blocks and then make a right.” Shirika pointed him in the direction.
“So... where exactly are you going?”
“To visit a friend... I already told you.” she told him as he soon made a right. “You can stop here.” He did as she got out of the car, “Thanks for the ride--”
“Wait, that's it? I don't even get to meet your friend?” Yuri asked. She remained quiet as he sighed, “Shirika, what's wrong? You've been acting a little strange all day...” She sighed, “It's just.. today ok? Look, you can come with me. You'll understand what's up when we get there.” He parked the car as she lead him off.
~
“Sorry... these models need soooo much time getting finished.” Rena sighed as she approached Ryutaro. He nodded, “It's fine...” She then asked, “So... where are we going?” He quickly tried to think of a great spot to hang out. He thought, “Um, how about we go to the mall. They got a lot of stuff to explore.”
“Sure.” she smiled. As they began walking, Rena asked, “So...umm, what made you want to go out with me?” He turned red as Rena smiled a bit, “Wow... you get nervous really easily.”
“U-uh... s-s-sorry...” he stuttered as she giggled, “Don't be. It's cute. Not to mention a nice change.” He wondered, “W-What do you mean?”
“Well, most guys who ask me out have always been flirtatious and straight forward.” she answered. “And since they're all straight forward, I often get pestered about going out with them. So.. don't be sorry.” he nodded as there was a small silence between them. As they entered the mall she said, “Let's check out that clothing shop.” He nodded, “Alright.” They entered and began browsing the outfits.
~
Loud music played as Chiharu walked around the house, mingling with some of other workers in her department. She then spotted someone as she beamed and yelled, trying to speak over the loud stereos, “Yuto! Hey, great party! There's so many people here!”
“I know!” he smiled back. “Best way to celebrate a successful month right?!”
“Definitely!!” she answered back. “I have seriously never seen a house this crowded before!” He nodded, “I know! And this is just the people at work. I invited the others too!” Chiharu understood that he meant the god's powers as well as everyone who knew about it.
“Really?! And none of them are here yet?!”
“Nope. I haven't seen any of them yet!” Then something clicked in her mind. She groaned, “Wait... that means--”
“Yuto! Finally! I've been looking all over the house for you!” they heard as he groaned, “Oh... you're here too...”
“Ryosuke! You made it!” Yuto smiled.
“Why would you invite this loser?” He sighed motioning to Chiharu.
“Yuto, I think you should get him out. The place will start wreaking of skunk.” she insulted back. He scoffed, “Please, most of these girls are only here because of me.” The tension between the two grew as Yuto sighed, “Come on you two. It's a party. Have some fun. Just forget your difference and get along.” Chiharu sighed as Ryosuke sighed, “Fine...” He moved past her to flirt with some girls as Yuto said, “Geez, seriously. What's the problem between you two?”
“Nothing... don't worry about it.” she answered as she left to hang out with some of her friends.
~
“Shirika...” Yuri said as they walked through the gate. “Are-- Is this really where your friend is? Do you realize where we are?” She didn't answer as she kept walking. “Shirika--”
“Here.” she said as she stopped. She sat in front of a grave in that large cemetery. Beautiful white carnations were surrounding the tombstone as Shirika replaced them with fresh carnations. Yuri then called, “Shirika...”
“... this is Sho, he was my boyfriend....” she said softly. Yuri could easily hear the sadness in her voice. “Today is his birthday... so I really wanted to visit him. Sho, this is Yuri. A friend of mine. He came to visit you with me.” She smiled a bit as she talked to the grave. Yuri just stood their quietly and after a few more minutes of her talking, Shirika stood up and said, “Thanks for coming with me today Yuri. It was really considerate of you.”
“Anytime.” he stated as they headed out. “So... Sho, right?” Shirika nodded as he asked, “What happened to him? If you don't mind me asking....” She was silent at first as they got back into his car and she sighed, “He died two years ago. W-We were out one day, a few weeks before our third anniversary together. But... we got into an argument that day... and sad to say, it was over something so stupid.” Yuri noticed her eyes getting watery as she cried, “We both stormed off, away from each other. He got into his car and drove off as I ran home. We hadn't spoke for days... and when I tried to call to apologize, he wouldn't pick up.”
“I thought... maybe it was a sign. He hated me... he didn't want anything to do with me. But later that night, he called back.” she explained. “But... it wasn't him. It was his mom. Telling me he was in the hospital....after he got into a car crash.” Tears began to fall as Yuri gave her a comforting hug, slightly rubbing her arm to calm her down. “I quickly rushed over, only to see his family frantically waiting outside the Emergency Room. I sat there with them, panicking. Everytime that door opened we jumped out, only to be disappointed that it wasn't news on Sho. We waited there for hours, when finally a doctor approached us.”
“... and the news...” Yuri took a breathe, seeing where this was going. She bursted, “He was gone. There was nothing they could do anymore. They tried everything they could, but it didn't help at all! My heart tore to pieces that day... The guilt was eating me up. We hadn't talked for days because of some stupid argument and sadly that was the last memory of him I had before his death.... I don't know what I'd rather remember. His angry, upset face.. or... his pale, lifeless one. Both... are stuck in my head, haunting me. I guess... I sort of deserve it. Karma is getting me back for that stupid argument...”
“Hey. It wasn't your fault alright....” Yuri told her. “So don't be blaming yourself. You had nothing to do with that crash.” She sighed as she stared at her hands, “Fate has the worst timing... if I had had these powers then... I cou- I could have... saved him.”
“....” Yuri sighed as he stared at her sad face. He started his car and said, “Alright, time to get rid of that sad face.”
“W-Where are we going?”
“To get your mind off Sho and to give you some fun.” he smiled. “This isn't the normal Shirika so I'm planning to bring her back out. No more sadness. Just fun.” He drove off as Shirika sat there curiously.
~
“Hey... Rena-” Ryutaro brought over some pretty tops for her as he froze when he saw her and some guys talking. Sadness grew within him as he began comparing himself to those guys. They were so much taller than him, more muscular, and good-looking whereas he was plain, small, and thin. He began degrading himself more as he heard his phone ring.
"Don't let her do that! Get her away from them!"
“What the?!” he panicked as he looked around the shop for Rini. “Where are you?!”
“Ouch! Geez, what's your problem and why are you spying on me?!” he growled. She answered, “You know you need me here. Look, i'm really starting to doubt your taste in girls. This girl is such a flirt! You're her date and she's just leaving you to flirt with other guys?! Either you find another girl or you give her a stern talking to!”
“But---”
“The only but I wanna see is yours getting over there and manning up! Now go or I--” Rini was interrupted by Rena smiling happily, “Wow, Ryuu that's a really cute one!” She took the top from him as she then turned to Rini, “Oh, are you a friend of his?”
“I sure am.” she said seriously.
“Oh, I'm Rena.”
“Rini.” she answered.
“Ryuu and I are kinda on a date right now so do you mind?” she asked politely. Rini gave her a look, “No I don't... but I do mind if you're flirting with other guys right in front of my best friend!”
“Just because they were flirting with me doesn't mean I was with them!!” she replied back. “When I'm on a date I know he's the one guy I'll be with, alright?!” A large blush grew on Ryuu's face as Rini gave a small sigh. Rena then grasped Ryuu's arm as she told her, “And I do not appreciate you flirting with my date in front of me.”
“Relax.” she sighed. “I'm just his best friend trying to give him moral support. Look... Ryuu's really sensitive. So be nice to him okay?”
“Of course.” she answered.
“And he's pretty gullible too. So if I found out you're just messing around with him...” she said seriously. Rena answered, “I get it. You're his best friend, you don't want anyone taking advantage of him.”
“Rini. It's okay.” Ryuu stated. “Rena isn't like that.”
“She does have that power Ryuu.” she told him. He looked at Rena and smiled, “She wouldn't use that on me. I have that feeling.” A smile grew on her face as Rini sighed, “Well, alright. If you say so.... I'll leave you two alone then.” She headed out as Ryuu sighed, “Sorry about her...”
“It's fine. She's a good friend.” Rena responded. “So, anyways. Yuto invited me to his house party and my brother says its a blast. Shall we head over there after this?”
“Sounds like a plan.” he beamed as they finished and headed off.
~
“Damn... I can't believe that it got louder in hear!!!” Chiharu screamed amazed at Yuto over the music and even more people crowding his condo. “You sure know how to throw a party!!!” He beamed, “I try~!!” He looked around and asked, “Do you happen to know if Kaori came?!!!”
“Haha! You are so into that girl aren't you?!!!” she teased as they hung out by the drinks. He shrugged, “So what if I am?!”
“Hahaha, well I haven't seen her at all! Do you know if she's coming for sure?!!” she wondered as he shook his head. “Then how do you even know she's coming?!”
“I dunno! I was just... hoping-?” he was interrupted as someone accidentally bumped into Chiharu, spilling their drink all over her.
“Ah!” she screamed surprised as she glared, “Ryosuke! You did that on purpose!!” He glared, “You're the one who got in the way--” he froze as he stared at the now spilled punch on his shirt. Chiharu smirked as she held her now empty cup up, “Whoops, my bad.” He glared angrily, “You don't know who you're messing with.”
“A conceited jerk?” she answered as the soda cans next to her all exploded on her. “AHHH!” Ryosuke smirked in victory as everyone partying began watching them. “You JERK!!! I cannot believe you just--”
“THAT'S ENOUGH!” Yuto groaned annoyed. Somehow, he also got soaked in the process. “You two are getting completely out of hand! I don't care what happened in the past between you, but I am not going to let you ruin this party!” He grabbed hold of the two of them and pulled them into his room.
~
“Damn... what did we miss?” Yuto heard as he began cleaning up the spilled soda and the others got back to the party. Rena and Ryutaro approached as he sighed, “Your brother and Chiharu got into a fight. And you can see how badly it got out of hand...”
“Huh? It's just like him to show of his powers.” she sighed. “I'll go talk to---”
“I locked him and Chiharu in my room. So no talking to him.” he stated. “Those two have got to get over hating each other. It's getting way too troublesome. You guys just go ahead and enjoy the party.”
“Don't mind if we do.” Ryuu smiled as he pulled Rena over to the dance floor. As he continued to clean, he heard, “Need a hand?”
“Oh, Shirika. Yuri. Glad you two could make it.” Yuto smiled as they two helped pick up some of the soda cans. Yuri smiled, “Wow. I've never seen a party get this crazy. You must be one insane party planner.” He laughed, “Oh, yea. Definitely. Or Ryosuke is the insane one. Using his abilities like that.”
“This was all him?!” Shirika said amazed. “Wow. He must have been angry...”
“Sure seemed like it.” Yuto sighed. “I wonder what happened between those two anyways. Why the hell do they argue so much?” Yuri questioned, “Ever thought about asking them?”
“I've ask Chiharu but she just says he's a playboy and a jerk. Not much of an answer.” he answered back. “Anyways, thanks for the help guys.” He gather up the trash bags as they nodded, “No problem.”
“Oh, Shirika...you're friends with Kaori...” Yuto remembered.
“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I doubt she's coming.” she answered. “She's been pretty busy with work lately especially since she had a press conference today about the animation she's currently working on. That really cut into her working time.” He sighed disappointed as she thought, “Hey, if you like her so much, why don't you visit her at her place?”
“... then she'll think I'm a stalker...” he pouted. Shirika laughed, “Okay, well... she usually hangs out at the mall with Kei on the weekends. You can probably catch her then tomorrow.”
“... is Kei only a best friend to her?” he thought.
“Heh heh, jealous much?” she smiled as he pouted. “They two are practically siblings. Don't worry. They're only best friends.” She headed off into the party with Yuri as Yuto sighed, taking the garbage out.
~
“So feeling better?” Yuri asked Shirika as they stood outside on Yuto's balcony. Shirika nodded, “Definitely... this party is really putting me in a better mood! It's so fun!” The two stood there standing before the big, bright moon as he asked, “So... do you ever think... moving on might help you?”
“... from Sho?” she questioned. He nodded, “yea. I mean... it's been two years. Don't you think, moving on is the best option...”
“.... I dunno...” she sighed.
“I just... I thought, it might be best for you...” he said sadly. “I don't like seeing you... so sad like this...” She looked at his worried face as she gave him a peck on the cheek. Heat rose to Yuri's face as she smiled a bit, “Heh. Look, I know I should move on... but its a lot harder than that... I'm sure with time... i'll be ready to find someone else... but until that time comes. I should just try to live my life, single.” She then said, “I'll be back... just gonna get some water...” He nodded as she left. He leaned over the railing of the balcony as he sighed, “That someone might not be waiting too far away... hopefully you notice soon...”
~
“... when did this all start...” Chiharu tried to break the silence. “When and why did we start being mean to each other...” Ryosuke shrugged, “I dunno... when you got annoying--”
“Seriously Ryosuke.” she groaned as she sat on the bed next to him. “We were such good friend when we were little. But we've been fighting for so long, I don't even remember why this whole hating each other thing started...” He thought, “What do you think...is why we always are fighting? What event could have happened to make us hate each other?”
“All I can really remember was when you were hanging out with a bunch of girls, ignoring me...” she thought. “Thats when you started getting annoying... and big-headed. It always pissed me off.”
“Don't be putting this all on me...” he stated. “You also got annoying...”
“I'm not the one who started hanging out with pretty girls instead of my friend.” she said. “I don't know what I did. Why you stopped wanting to be my friend--”
“I didn't want to stop.” he interrupted. “You're the one who was always flirting with your guy friends in front of me.” Then a thought occurred to her, “Ryosuke... could it be that you were jealous?”
“What?” he gave a questioning look. She smirked, “That's why you started flirting with girls and growing a big ego!” He scoffed, “What?! Why would I get jealous over you?!” She giggled, “Don't deny it.... it's obvious!”
“... fine. I was jealous.” he sighed in defeat. “I got jealous so I thought I'd make you jealous, but it never seemed like you were so its been going on for years now. I guess, you just didn't like me... like how I like you.”
“Like?” she wondered as he gave her a look. “You said 'like', not 'liked'. So does that mean... you still like me? Even after all these years?” He nodded, “Of course. Why would I stop?” She shrugged, “I dunno... we've both been really mean to each other the last few years.”
“... yea, but it seemed like the only way I could get your attention.” he replied. “But you never seemed interested in me...” She sighed, “Ryosuke... You know.. I've always been worried about falling in love... it's something mysterious... something unexplainable... So I don't know what to expect. I wasn't ready to be in love.”
“And now?” he asked.
“Now I realize... I've always been in love with you. I just didn't want to admit it. Especially to myself.” she explained. “I was scared to fall in love so I just thought of you as my best friend... But when one of my friends said she had a crush on you back then... That might have been when this whole rivalry began. I was... Jealous too that they liked you and the way they looked at you but I kept telling myself that you were only a friend...”
“But it was much more than that...So I hung out with other guys... In hopes that that feeling I had for you would go away.” she sighed as he did, “But it didn't... And we got distant and I started being mean to you and now were both soaked with soda and punch.”
“Yea...” Chiharu smiled a bit. They sat in silence again as he then asked, “... Did those feelings ever go away?” She giggled, “Does this answer your question?” She pecked his cheek as a slight blush ran across his face. She smiled at his adorable face as smirked, “Not afraid of love anymore?”
“As long as it's you I love, I know I'll be able to face that fear.”
“Hey would you look at that... I'm not the only one with good pick up lines.” he smiled as she laughed. He hugged her, “God you have no idea how much I miss this...”
“I feel the same way.” she sighed. “What a waste... All those years of arguing.”
“Well at least that's finally changing. We're together now and that's all that matters...” he said leaning towards her. Seeing what was coming she smiled and closed her eyes, ready for it. But just as their lips were about to meet, the door slowly opened, “Alright you two.. Are you calm-- WHOA!!” The two quickly moved away as Yuto panicked, “What the hell?! I told you guys to make up with each other not make out! God...” The two were blushing like crazy as he sighed, “You know what? Go ahead... I'll leave you two alone.” He walked away saying to himself, “First they're at each others throats and now they're making out? What the he'll happened these last twenty minutes...”
“Well... how about we get back to that party?” Chiharu smiled. He nodded as grasped her hand, “Let's. Oh... but one thing first...” She gave him a questioning look as he asked, “Would you be my girlfriend?” She blushed a bit, but smiled, “I'd love to.” He beamed as they two headed out, hand in hand ready to join the others at the party.
“If it isn't too much trouble...” she said as he shook his head, “It's no trouble at all. Come on.” They got into his car as he asked, “Where are we heading?” She answered, “I'll point you in the directions.”
“Alright. Let's go.” he said as he drove off.
~
“Ryuu~! How'd you do?” Rini asked as they got their results from their finals. He sighed, “ I passed, but only with a B-. How about you?” She said, “A little better. I got a B. So we should celebrate! We've been working hard so a fun day out would be awesome.”
“Sure, that sounds fun, but I don't want to trouble Kei with driving us around. And Kota's with Satomi again today.” he said.
“So, let's just walk.” she said. “We got feet. Let's use them.”
“ugh... fine.” he sighed as they began walking through town.
“Let's grab some smoothies~! My treat.” she said as he nodded, “Thanks Rini--” He froze as they passed by the shop. Rini looked, “Oh... it looks like there's some sort of photo shoot going on...” She then noticed why Ryutaro had stopped talking. The girl from the party, Rena, was their working with the models. She lit up, “Oh~! Haha I see what caught your eyes Ryuu~! You should go over there and talk to her!”
“W-Wha-- No way! I'll totally freeze up! I don't know what to say to her--” he stopped as Rini began pushing him towards the photo shoot. “Rini! Stop!!”
“Stop being a coward and go talk to her!” she told him. “Just be natural!”
“I can't—oof!” he groaned as he bumped into something.
“Ow! Geez, can't you watch where you're going?!” someone groaned as he got up and turned to the person he had knocked down. He held out a hand to her and apologized, “Sorry about that--” He froze as he noticed who it was.
“Whatever.... I'm not injured or anything so it doesn't matter.” she sighed taking his hand and getting up. She dusted herself off as she noticed him, still frozen, “Um... are you okay?”
“I-I-I--” he stuttered as she then smirked, “Hmmm, have we met before?” He turned to look for Rini, to see that she had left him. He groaned, “Damn it, Rini!”
“What?” Rena questioned as he turned red, “Umm, uh, n-nothing... Um, sorry.”
“Heh, you already said that.” she giggled a bit. “I think you might have hit your head when you fell.”
“Uh... n-no. I'm fine.” he stated.
“You sure? You're really red.” she said. He nodded, “Y-yea, don't worry about it...” She nodded, “Okay... if you say so.” She picked up all her papers that had fallen as he quickly grabbed some, “Here. Let me help you out.”
“Oh, thanks....” she stated. As he picked up some papers, he spotted someone from afar. Rini was hiding on the side as she was motioning for him to talk. He mouthed back, 'I don't know what to say!'
“Umm...who are you talking to?” she gave him a weird look as he panicked, “Ah! N-no one! Don't worry about it.” She gave him a weird look and then lit up, “Wait! I knew I've seen you before! You were at the Thanksgiving Party at World Cuisines! Uh... ah! Your brother has Demeter's power right?”
“Yea...” he said. “And … you have...”
“Aphrodite's.” she told him. “So does your brother train his powers?”
“Oh, yea. He uses it all the time, he loves growing plants and trees. It helps out the environment.” he said admirably. “Do you?” He shrugged, “I guess... but mine is kind of natural. I just tell some guy to do something and they'll do it.”
“Oh, so its kind of hard to train it. Since you're always using your voice.” he stated as she nodded. He felt his phone vibrate as he read the text out loud, “Do you want to go out when you're done working?” He turned red as he saw Rena standing in front of him taking the papers from his hands. He thought silently to himself, “Crap! Rini, I'm so gonna kill you next time I see you!”
“Me? Um, I guess. I get off in 10 minutes, so if you don't mind waiting.” she said. He nodded, “T-That's fine.”
“Alright, wait here. I'll be back soon.” she beamed as she headed back to the photo shoot. He sighed, finally relieved, as he realized, “God... I can't believe I actually got a date with her...”
“All thanks to me~!” Rini smiled as she popped out.
“Rini!!!” Ryutaro yelled as he grabbed her and tickled her. “What is wrong with you?! I almost had a heart attack! Do you not know how hard it is for me to talk to girls I like?! I swear I felt like I wasn't breathing!!”
“Ah! Okay! Hahaha! Stop, tickling me!!” she pleaded in between laughs. He
did with a large groan as she told him, “Well, you managed to score a date with her, so I think you did well. Seriously, you are so shy sometimes.”
“Shut up...” he pouted. She giggled, “Well, I don't want to be a third wheel so I'll see you later. Kei's gonna pick me up at the library.”
“Alright, see ya.” he said as she got up and began heading away. But then he called, “Rini?” She stopped and looked at him as he smiled, “Thanks.”
“Anytime Ryutaro.” she returned it and began walking towards the library.
~
“Two more blocks and then make a right.” Shirika pointed him in the direction.
“So... where exactly are you going?”
“To visit a friend... I already told you.” she told him as he soon made a right. “You can stop here.” He did as she got out of the car, “Thanks for the ride--”
“Wait, that's it? I don't even get to meet your friend?” Yuri asked. She remained quiet as he sighed, “Shirika, what's wrong? You've been acting a little strange all day...” She sighed, “It's just.. today ok? Look, you can come with me. You'll understand what's up when we get there.” He parked the car as she lead him off.
~
“Sorry... these models need soooo much time getting finished.” Rena sighed as she approached Ryutaro. He nodded, “It's fine...” She then asked, “So... where are we going?” He quickly tried to think of a great spot to hang out. He thought, “Um, how about we go to the mall. They got a lot of stuff to explore.”
“Sure.” she smiled. As they began walking, Rena asked, “So...umm, what made you want to go out with me?” He turned red as Rena smiled a bit, “Wow... you get nervous really easily.”
“U-uh... s-s-sorry...” he stuttered as she giggled, “Don't be. It's cute. Not to mention a nice change.” He wondered, “W-What do you mean?”
“Well, most guys who ask me out have always been flirtatious and straight forward.” she answered. “And since they're all straight forward, I often get pestered about going out with them. So.. don't be sorry.” he nodded as there was a small silence between them. As they entered the mall she said, “Let's check out that clothing shop.” He nodded, “Alright.” They entered and began browsing the outfits.
~
Loud music played as Chiharu walked around the house, mingling with some of other workers in her department. She then spotted someone as she beamed and yelled, trying to speak over the loud stereos, “Yuto! Hey, great party! There's so many people here!”
“I know!” he smiled back. “Best way to celebrate a successful month right?!”
“Definitely!!” she answered back. “I have seriously never seen a house this crowded before!” He nodded, “I know! And this is just the people at work. I invited the others too!” Chiharu understood that he meant the god's powers as well as everyone who knew about it.
“Really?! And none of them are here yet?!”
“Nope. I haven't seen any of them yet!” Then something clicked in her mind. She groaned, “Wait... that means--”
“Yuto! Finally! I've been looking all over the house for you!” they heard as he groaned, “Oh... you're here too...”
“Ryosuke! You made it!” Yuto smiled.
“Why would you invite this loser?” He sighed motioning to Chiharu.
“Yuto, I think you should get him out. The place will start wreaking of skunk.” she insulted back. He scoffed, “Please, most of these girls are only here because of me.” The tension between the two grew as Yuto sighed, “Come on you two. It's a party. Have some fun. Just forget your difference and get along.” Chiharu sighed as Ryosuke sighed, “Fine...” He moved past her to flirt with some girls as Yuto said, “Geez, seriously. What's the problem between you two?”
“Nothing... don't worry about it.” she answered as she left to hang out with some of her friends.
~
“Shirika...” Yuri said as they walked through the gate. “Are-- Is this really where your friend is? Do you realize where we are?” She didn't answer as she kept walking. “Shirika--”
“Here.” she said as she stopped. She sat in front of a grave in that large cemetery. Beautiful white carnations were surrounding the tombstone as Shirika replaced them with fresh carnations. Yuri then called, “Shirika...”
“... this is Sho, he was my boyfriend....” she said softly. Yuri could easily hear the sadness in her voice. “Today is his birthday... so I really wanted to visit him. Sho, this is Yuri. A friend of mine. He came to visit you with me.” She smiled a bit as she talked to the grave. Yuri just stood their quietly and after a few more minutes of her talking, Shirika stood up and said, “Thanks for coming with me today Yuri. It was really considerate of you.”
“Anytime.” he stated as they headed out. “So... Sho, right?” Shirika nodded as he asked, “What happened to him? If you don't mind me asking....” She was silent at first as they got back into his car and she sighed, “He died two years ago. W-We were out one day, a few weeks before our third anniversary together. But... we got into an argument that day... and sad to say, it was over something so stupid.” Yuri noticed her eyes getting watery as she cried, “We both stormed off, away from each other. He got into his car and drove off as I ran home. We hadn't spoke for days... and when I tried to call to apologize, he wouldn't pick up.”
“I thought... maybe it was a sign. He hated me... he didn't want anything to do with me. But later that night, he called back.” she explained. “But... it wasn't him. It was his mom. Telling me he was in the hospital....after he got into a car crash.” Tears began to fall as Yuri gave her a comforting hug, slightly rubbing her arm to calm her down. “I quickly rushed over, only to see his family frantically waiting outside the Emergency Room. I sat there with them, panicking. Everytime that door opened we jumped out, only to be disappointed that it wasn't news on Sho. We waited there for hours, when finally a doctor approached us.”
“... and the news...” Yuri took a breathe, seeing where this was going. She bursted, “He was gone. There was nothing they could do anymore. They tried everything they could, but it didn't help at all! My heart tore to pieces that day... The guilt was eating me up. We hadn't talked for days because of some stupid argument and sadly that was the last memory of him I had before his death.... I don't know what I'd rather remember. His angry, upset face.. or... his pale, lifeless one. Both... are stuck in my head, haunting me. I guess... I sort of deserve it. Karma is getting me back for that stupid argument...”
“Hey. It wasn't your fault alright....” Yuri told her. “So don't be blaming yourself. You had nothing to do with that crash.” She sighed as she stared at her hands, “Fate has the worst timing... if I had had these powers then... I cou- I could have... saved him.”
“....” Yuri sighed as he stared at her sad face. He started his car and said, “Alright, time to get rid of that sad face.”
“W-Where are we going?”
“To get your mind off Sho and to give you some fun.” he smiled. “This isn't the normal Shirika so I'm planning to bring her back out. No more sadness. Just fun.” He drove off as Shirika sat there curiously.
~
“Hey... Rena-” Ryutaro brought over some pretty tops for her as he froze when he saw her and some guys talking. Sadness grew within him as he began comparing himself to those guys. They were so much taller than him, more muscular, and good-looking whereas he was plain, small, and thin. He began degrading himself more as he heard his phone ring.
"Don't let her do that! Get her away from them!"
“What the?!” he panicked as he looked around the shop for Rini. “Where are you?!”
“Here you dolt!” she groaned as she hit his head as she hung up her phone.
“Ouch! Geez, what's your problem and why are you spying on me?!” he growled. She answered, “You know you need me here. Look, i'm really starting to doubt your taste in girls. This girl is such a flirt! You're her date and she's just leaving you to flirt with other guys?! Either you find another girl or you give her a stern talking to!”
“But---”
“The only but I wanna see is yours getting over there and manning up! Now go or I--” Rini was interrupted by Rena smiling happily, “Wow, Ryuu that's a really cute one!” She took the top from him as she then turned to Rini, “Oh, are you a friend of his?”
“I sure am.” she said seriously.
“Oh, I'm Rena.”
“Rini.” she answered.
“Ryuu and I are kinda on a date right now so do you mind?” she asked politely. Rini gave her a look, “No I don't... but I do mind if you're flirting with other guys right in front of my best friend!”
“Just because they were flirting with me doesn't mean I was with them!!” she replied back. “When I'm on a date I know he's the one guy I'll be with, alright?!” A large blush grew on Ryuu's face as Rini gave a small sigh. Rena then grasped Ryuu's arm as she told her, “And I do not appreciate you flirting with my date in front of me.”
“Relax.” she sighed. “I'm just his best friend trying to give him moral support. Look... Ryuu's really sensitive. So be nice to him okay?”
“Of course.” she answered.
“And he's pretty gullible too. So if I found out you're just messing around with him...” she said seriously. Rena answered, “I get it. You're his best friend, you don't want anyone taking advantage of him.”
“Rini. It's okay.” Ryuu stated. “Rena isn't like that.”
“She does have that power Ryuu.” she told him. He looked at Rena and smiled, “She wouldn't use that on me. I have that feeling.” A smile grew on her face as Rini sighed, “Well, alright. If you say so.... I'll leave you two alone then.” She headed out as Ryuu sighed, “Sorry about her...”
“It's fine. She's a good friend.” Rena responded. “So, anyways. Yuto invited me to his house party and my brother says its a blast. Shall we head over there after this?”
“Sounds like a plan.” he beamed as they finished and headed off.
~
“Damn... I can't believe that it got louder in hear!!!” Chiharu screamed amazed at Yuto over the music and even more people crowding his condo. “You sure know how to throw a party!!!” He beamed, “I try~!!” He looked around and asked, “Do you happen to know if Kaori came?!!!”
“Haha! You are so into that girl aren't you?!!!” she teased as they hung out by the drinks. He shrugged, “So what if I am?!”
“Hahaha, well I haven't seen her at all! Do you know if she's coming for sure?!!” she wondered as he shook his head. “Then how do you even know she's coming?!”
“I dunno! I was just... hoping-?” he was interrupted as someone accidentally bumped into Chiharu, spilling their drink all over her.
“Ah!” she screamed surprised as she glared, “Ryosuke! You did that on purpose!!” He glared, “You're the one who got in the way--” he froze as he stared at the now spilled punch on his shirt. Chiharu smirked as she held her now empty cup up, “Whoops, my bad.” He glared angrily, “You don't know who you're messing with.”
“A conceited jerk?” she answered as the soda cans next to her all exploded on her. “AHHH!” Ryosuke smirked in victory as everyone partying began watching them. “You JERK!!! I cannot believe you just--”
“THAT'S ENOUGH!” Yuto groaned annoyed. Somehow, he also got soaked in the process. “You two are getting completely out of hand! I don't care what happened in the past between you, but I am not going to let you ruin this party!” He grabbed hold of the two of them and pulled them into his room.
“You two are going to make up with each other tonight or you are not leaving this room, got it?!” He slammed the door shut leaving the two soaked children there. The two just sat in silence, ignoring each other.
~
“Damn... what did we miss?” Yuto heard as he began cleaning up the spilled soda and the others got back to the party. Rena and Ryutaro approached as he sighed, “Your brother and Chiharu got into a fight. And you can see how badly it got out of hand...”
“Huh? It's just like him to show of his powers.” she sighed. “I'll go talk to---”
“I locked him and Chiharu in my room. So no talking to him.” he stated. “Those two have got to get over hating each other. It's getting way too troublesome. You guys just go ahead and enjoy the party.”
“Don't mind if we do.” Ryuu smiled as he pulled Rena over to the dance floor. As he continued to clean, he heard, “Need a hand?”
“Oh, Shirika. Yuri. Glad you two could make it.” Yuto smiled as they two helped pick up some of the soda cans. Yuri smiled, “Wow. I've never seen a party get this crazy. You must be one insane party planner.” He laughed, “Oh, yea. Definitely. Or Ryosuke is the insane one. Using his abilities like that.”
“This was all him?!” Shirika said amazed. “Wow. He must have been angry...”
“Sure seemed like it.” Yuto sighed. “I wonder what happened between those two anyways. Why the hell do they argue so much?” Yuri questioned, “Ever thought about asking them?”
“I've ask Chiharu but she just says he's a playboy and a jerk. Not much of an answer.” he answered back. “Anyways, thanks for the help guys.” He gather up the trash bags as they nodded, “No problem.”
“Oh, Shirika...you're friends with Kaori...” Yuto remembered.
“I sure am.” she beamed as he asked, “Do you know if she's coming tonight?” She giggled a bit, “Excite to see her?” He sighed, “Yea...”
“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I doubt she's coming.” she answered. “She's been pretty busy with work lately especially since she had a press conference today about the animation she's currently working on. That really cut into her working time.” He sighed disappointed as she thought, “Hey, if you like her so much, why don't you visit her at her place?”
“... then she'll think I'm a stalker...” he pouted. Shirika laughed, “Okay, well... she usually hangs out at the mall with Kei on the weekends. You can probably catch her then tomorrow.”
“... is Kei only a best friend to her?” he thought.
“Heh heh, jealous much?” she smiled as he pouted. “They two are practically siblings. Don't worry. They're only best friends.” She headed off into the party with Yuri as Yuto sighed, taking the garbage out.
~
“So feeling better?” Yuri asked Shirika as they stood outside on Yuto's balcony. Shirika nodded, “Definitely... this party is really putting me in a better mood! It's so fun!” The two stood there standing before the big, bright moon as he asked, “So... do you ever think... moving on might help you?”
“... from Sho?” she questioned. He nodded, “yea. I mean... it's been two years. Don't you think, moving on is the best option...”
“.... I dunno...” she sighed.
“I just... I thought, it might be best for you...” he said sadly. “I don't like seeing you... so sad like this...” She looked at his worried face as she gave him a peck on the cheek. Heat rose to Yuri's face as she smiled a bit, “Heh. Look, I know I should move on... but its a lot harder than that... I'm sure with time... i'll be ready to find someone else... but until that time comes. I should just try to live my life, single.” She then said, “I'll be back... just gonna get some water...” He nodded as she left. He leaned over the railing of the balcony as he sighed, “That someone might not be waiting too far away... hopefully you notice soon...”
~
“... when did this all start...” Chiharu tried to break the silence. “When and why did we start being mean to each other...” Ryosuke shrugged, “I dunno... when you got annoying--”
“Seriously Ryosuke.” she groaned as she sat on the bed next to him. “We were such good friend when we were little. But we've been fighting for so long, I don't even remember why this whole hating each other thing started...” He thought, “What do you think...is why we always are fighting? What event could have happened to make us hate each other?”
“All I can really remember was when you were hanging out with a bunch of girls, ignoring me...” she thought. “Thats when you started getting annoying... and big-headed. It always pissed me off.”
“Don't be putting this all on me...” he stated. “You also got annoying...”
“I'm not the one who started hanging out with pretty girls instead of my friend.” she said. “I don't know what I did. Why you stopped wanting to be my friend--”
“I didn't want to stop.” he interrupted. “You're the one who was always flirting with your guy friends in front of me.” Then a thought occurred to her, “Ryosuke... could it be that you were jealous?”
“What?” he gave a questioning look. She smirked, “That's why you started flirting with girls and growing a big ego!” He scoffed, “What?! Why would I get jealous over you?!” She giggled, “Don't deny it.... it's obvious!”
“... fine. I was jealous.” he sighed in defeat. “I got jealous so I thought I'd make you jealous, but it never seemed like you were so its been going on for years now. I guess, you just didn't like me... like how I like you.”
“Like?” she wondered as he gave her a look. “You said 'like', not 'liked'. So does that mean... you still like me? Even after all these years?” He nodded, “Of course. Why would I stop?” She shrugged, “I dunno... we've both been really mean to each other the last few years.”
“... yea, but it seemed like the only way I could get your attention.” he replied. “But you never seemed interested in me...” She sighed, “Ryosuke... You know.. I've always been worried about falling in love... it's something mysterious... something unexplainable... So I don't know what to expect. I wasn't ready to be in love.”
“And now?” he asked.
“Now I realize... I've always been in love with you. I just didn't want to admit it. Especially to myself.” she explained. “I was scared to fall in love so I just thought of you as my best friend... But when one of my friends said she had a crush on you back then... That might have been when this whole rivalry began. I was... Jealous too that they liked you and the way they looked at you but I kept telling myself that you were only a friend...”
“But it was much more than that...So I hung out with other guys... In hopes that that feeling I had for you would go away.” she sighed as he did, “But it didn't... And we got distant and I started being mean to you and now were both soaked with soda and punch.”
“Yea...” Chiharu smiled a bit. They sat in silence again as he then asked, “... Did those feelings ever go away?” She giggled, “Does this answer your question?” She pecked his cheek as a slight blush ran across his face. She smiled at his adorable face as smirked, “Not afraid of love anymore?”
“As long as it's you I love, I know I'll be able to face that fear.”
“Hey would you look at that... I'm not the only one with good pick up lines.” he smiled as she laughed. He hugged her, “God you have no idea how much I miss this...”
“I feel the same way.” she sighed. “What a waste... All those years of arguing.”
“Well at least that's finally changing. We're together now and that's all that matters...” he said leaning towards her. Seeing what was coming she smiled and closed her eyes, ready for it. But just as their lips were about to meet, the door slowly opened, “Alright you two.. Are you calm-- WHOA!!” The two quickly moved away as Yuto panicked, “What the hell?! I told you guys to make up with each other not make out! God...” The two were blushing like crazy as he sighed, “You know what? Go ahead... I'll leave you two alone.” He walked away saying to himself, “First they're at each others throats and now they're making out? What the he'll happened these last twenty minutes...”
“Well... how about we get back to that party?” Chiharu smiled. He nodded as grasped her hand, “Let's. Oh... but one thing first...” She gave him a questioning look as he asked, “Would you be my girlfriend?” She blushed a bit, but smiled, “I'd love to.” He beamed as they two headed out, hand in hand ready to join the others at the party.
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