Chapter Text
I was always fascinated with rain, how it can appear and disappear without warning. One moment, it may be thunderous, and the next, clear, sunny skies. The light drizzle had captivated me to the point I hadn’t noticed two of my friends, Keisuke Baji and Chifuyu Matsuno, standing to the right of me, trying to get my attention. “Hello? Earth to y/n?” Baji said with a small chuckle, waving his hand directly in my face.
I blinked slowly as I became aware of my surroundings again. “What’s up, Baji?” I asked, slightly confused. Zoning out wasn’t something new for me, however, I find myself doing so more, while also usually reminiscing.
Chifuyu laughed while Baji rolled his eyes and replied, “Class is over, dork. C’mon let’s go, we’re hanging out with Mikey, Draken, and Emma.”
The rain had stopped, and the sun came out as the gray clouds dispersed, leaving a clear, blue sky behind. Checking the time on the clock in our classroom, I bit my lip and frowned. “Sorry guys, I’m gonna have to take a rain check. I already have plans with a friend.” Baji and Chifuyu looked at me shocked, as if they couldn’t fathom me having plans that don’t involve them. I gathered my belongings, put them into my bag, and stood up. Baji looked at me, curiosity brimming in his eyes. “Well okay, what are your plans? If you’re not doing something boring like studying, Chifuyu and I will join you.” He gave me a grin, flashing his fangs.
I shook my head, “Sorry, I’m hanging out with my childhood best friend. I don’t want him to feel weird if I show up with two guys he doesn’t know.” It was fleeting, but I could have sworn I saw Chifuyu’s eyes widen, as well as Baji slightly glare when I said “him”.
“You’re hanging out with a guy?” Chifuyu asked, his voice tinged with something I didn’t quite recognize. I nodded, “Yeah, but guys, please don’t worry. He’s a great guy, I promise. He won’t hurt me or anything. I just know he doesn’t like to meet people on short notices. Everything will be fine. I’ll call you when I get home! Have fun hanging out with everyone!” We walked out of school together, and I gave them both a hug before we went opposite directions.
I walked home in silence, the sun’s warmth enveloping me. When I arrived home, I was greeted by my older brother, Akira, and my older sister, Sumire. Our parents were still at work. I went to my room to change out of my uniform before meeting my friend. I put on a white, spaghetti strap dress, with buttons all down the middle, a gray, oversized jacket, and a pair of white sandals. Once I was dressed, I let my siblings know where I was going, and left.
After a short walk, I ended up at our meeting place, our favorite playground from when we were younger. I looked around, but couldn’t find him. I sat on one of the swings, waiting. I let my mind wander until I felt hands covering my eyes. “Boo,” the person said, “Guess who, y/n!” A giant smile appeared on my face. “Hm…” I pretended to be deep in thought. “Could it be one of the best friends I ever had the pleasure of meeting, Shuji Hanma?”
“Ding, ding, ding,” he laughed, “you’re correct. Since you guessed right, you get a reward! What would you like?” Hanma asked, removing his hands from my face and walking around the swing to stand in front of me.
Without any hesitation, I stood up wrapped my arms around him while simultaneously saying, “A hug.” Almost instantly, Hanma’s arms wrapped around me, tightly. A few tears escaped my eyes, “God, I missed you so much.” It had been two years since we had last seen each other in person.
“Missed ya too, pipsqueak♡.” He smiled. Neither of us had fully comprehended how much we missed each other until we met once again. The first thing I noticed that was different about him, besides how much taller he had gotten, were his hands. On his left hand was the kanji for sin, and on his right, the kanji for punishment.
I raised an eyebrow, looking pointedly at the tattoos, “Nice tattoos. Is there any meaning for them?” I asked. Hanma never struck me as the type to get tattoos, especially not on his hands.
“Honestly, I just thought it looked cool. Fuck it, right?” Hanma answered, with a cheeky grin.
Even though the only people around my age that I know that have tattoos are in gangs, I’m going to believe Hanma, and trust that whether he’s lying or telling the truth, he’s doing so for good reason. I’m not going to push the topic, so I changed the subject. “What have you been up to since we last saw each other? Go anywhere fun? Meet someone cute, or a new friend? Read a new book? Go on vacation?” I asked, genuinely curious about what he’s been up to, what adventures he may have gone on, places and things he may have experienced. He looked down at me, into my e/c eyes, which were filled to the brim with curiosity.
“Haven’t really done much. Got my tattoos. Made some new friends. I actually met a really cool guy a little bit ago. We’ve become pretty close. Besides you, I’d say he’s my best friend.”
My eyes widened a bit, shocked but happy that Hanma had made a close friend. It wasn’t often that Hanma made close friends with someone; not many can pique and maintain his interest. My lips curled up into a smile, “Are you for real? That’s awesome. I’m so happy for you! Can I meet the guy who’s replacing me as your bff?” I laugh.
He looked at me with a thoughtful gaze, “Maybe,” he shrugged. “I don’t think you’d like him. You two are very different people, who both have significant, yet extremely different roles in my life. Maybe I’ll introduce you one day.” He said with a smirk. “Besides,” he continued, “no one could ever replace you as my ‘bff’, as you put it.”
I decided I’ll agree with his decision for the time being. We spent the rest of our time together just reminiscing, laughing and getting embarrassed from past memories. I did also ask if there was anyone he had a crush on currently or in the past, simply to be nosy, and his response was, “It’s a secret♡!”
When the sun had finally started to set, we decided to call it a night. He insisted on walking me home to “make sure I was safe”, even though I told him if he walked me home, there was a chance he would potentially run into Chifuyu, and Baji if they were still together. He just shrugged my warnings off and entwined our fingers together. Holding hands wasn’t something weird or unfamiliar for us. I was slightly worried about the possibility of running into Chifuyu, and potentially Baji though, as they are both extremely overprotective of me.
Thankfully, my worries did not come to fruition, as Chifuyu wasn’t home. I hugged Hanma and asked him to call me when he got home. I went to my room, got a pair of comfy shorts and a tank top, and went to the bathroom to shower, brush my teeth, and wash my face. When I was done, I got dressed, went to my room, shut my door and laid in bed. I grabbed my phone and called Chifuyu.
On the second ring, he answered, “Hey y/n, what’s up?”
“Hey Chifuyu! Are you with Baji right now?”
“Yeah, I’m with Baji-kun, why?”
“Okay good. I was just calling to let you both know that I’m home safe and that I had a great time with my friend! Stay safe and have a good night! I expect a call from both of you when you’re home! Also tell everyone else if you’re still with them that I’ll see them tomorrow!”
I heard Baji and Chifuyu respond at the same time, “Of course.” Listening to the phone, I heard Chifuyu repeat what I asked him to say.
“Have a good night, y/n!” They said at the same time, with the sound of muffled voices in the back.
“You too, guys!” I ended the call and went downstairs to spend some time with my siblings.
Sumire was nowhere to be found, but Akira of course was in the kitchen getting food. I joined him in the kitchen where he was eating grapes and stole the bowl from him, feeling mischievous. “Whatchya doing?” I asked, innocently as if I hadn’t just stolen his grapes.
He gave me a playful glare, “Well I was enjoying some grapes until someone decided to take them from me.”
I popped a grape into my mouth, still feigning innocence, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, dear brother.” I grinned. “Anywho, I was just wondering if you know where Sumire is, I wanted to talk with her.”
Nonchalantly, Akira stole the bowl back and sighed, “She went on a walk, she isn’t having a good day today.”
Frowning, I looked down, “Is it about Haru?”
“Yeah,” Akira started. “I think today was the day they were going to see Haru’s favorite artist live finally. Sumire had gotten the tickets way in advance, I don’t think Haru even knew about it.”
Tears started welling up in my eyes at the thought of my other older sister, Haru. Sumire and Haru are twins, but Haru passed away this past spring in a car accident. She had been on her way home from hanging out with her friends when it happened. A driver swerved into her lane at a high speed, hitting her head on. The only slight comfort we got out of her death was the fact that it was instantaneous, so she didn’t feel any pain before entering eternal sleep. My siblings and I are all very close, and have been our whole lives, but Sumire and Haru had a connection so deep and pure, that I can only hope to experience a fraction of that.
Seemingly with a mind of their own, my feet began moving. I went to my room, put on sneakers and a hoodie and went back down. “Hey, Akira, I’m going to go see if I can find Sumire, if only to make sure she’s okay. I’ll be back soon, hopefully. I’ll call if anything happens. Love you!”
I was out of the door so quick that I had almost missed Akira’s response of, “Okay, stay safe. Love you, keep me updated!”
At this point, the moon and stars were already out. The sky looked dazzling, as if dressed and accessorized by the brightest, sparkling diamonds. The stars adorned the navy blue sky. I stood still for a moment, admiring the beauty of the universe, but also trying to think of where Sumire would go, other than the concert. While lost in thought, I hadn’t heard my neighbor’s door open.
“y/n? Is that you? Are you spaced out again?” A familiar voice said. A voice that belonged to none other than Keisuke Baji.
I snapped out of my thoughts and turned around, slightly spooked. “Baji? What are you doing here?”
He let out a sort of huffing kind of laugh, “Well, I wanted to hang out with Chifuyu a bit more. What are you doing out at this time?”
I sighed, feeling overwhelmed at trying to figure out where Sumire could have gone. “I came out to see if I could find Sumire. Akira told me she went for a walk, but that today is also the day she and Haru would have seen Haru’s favorite artist live.”
Baji’s eyes widened at the mention of Sumire and Haru. “So where do you think she went? Could she have gone to Haru’s grave?”
I shook my head, “No, she wouldn’t go to visit Haru alone.”
He squinted his eyes, deep in thought. A few moments later, almost comically, he proudly announced, “I got it! What about the shrine?” He suggested, with his pointer finger in the air as if he just had the best idea since sliced bread.
I contemplated, “Maybe, I’ll go check, especially considering it isn’t far.”
Giving me his best smile he replied, “Great! I’ll come with you!”
Putting my hands up in protest, I said, “No, Baji, it’s okay. Go home and study or do your homework or rest or something. I can go by myself, it’ll be fine.”
“No can do, y/n. I trust you with every fibre of my being, other people however, not so much.”
I rolled my eyes, “Baji, come on. I can protect myself. I know I’m not as good at fighting as you or any of the guys, but I should be able to defend myself, no problem. I don’t want to burden you.”
Baji looked at me, his eyes filled with an emotion or feeling I couldn’t place. “y/n, shut the hell up. You’re never a burden. And I know you can take care of yourself, but I would feel better if I was with you. So please, can I come with you to look for your sister?”
With all of the back and forth, I finally gave in. At this point all I wanted was to find Sumire and make sure she got home safe. I slowly nodded, “Fine, you can come. But, the moment we find her, you can go home. Sumire and I will be fine walking back home.”
Baji put his arm around my shoulder and we began walking to the shrine, keeping an eye on our surroundings in case Sumire was on her way back home, or walking elsewhere.
“Ya know,” Baji started, “I could get used to this.”
“Used to what?” I asked, curious.
“Having my arm around you like this.” He replied with a smile so stunning, it actually gave me butterflies.
My cheeks felt hot. I couldn’t tell if I was blushing or not, nor could I tell, if I was blushing, if it was visible. I covered my face in embarrassment and just said, “Oh, really?”
“Yes, really.” Baji replied. He let out a small sigh and whispered something that sounded like, “Man, you really are oblivious sometimes.”
The rest of the walk to the shrine was filled with comfortable silence. All we could hear were the trees and their branches, moving a little bit from the wind. When we finally got to the shrine I saw Sumire. She was kneeling, seemingly crying into her hands. I rushed over to her, leaving Baji by the entrance.
“Sumire!” I cried, wrapping my arms around her. “Are you okay, physically? I was so worried about you.” I asked if she was physically okay because obviously, she is not okay right now emotionally.
She sniffled, her face wet with tears, and strands of hair sticking to her face. “y/n? What are you doing here?” Sumire stood up to properly hug me.
I hugged her tighter, “I was looking for you! Akira told me you went for a walk, but also what today is. I wanted to find you and make sure you were okay and that you got home safe!”
She laughed, a joyous sound none of us have heard much since we lost Haru. “You idiot. I’m your older sister. I should be going out on walks looking for you, not the other way around. Also, is that Keisuke I see back there?”
I chuckled, “But you’re too precious to me. I could never leave you alone knowing what you’re going through. And yes, that is Baji. He insisted on walking with me to find you.” I rolled my eyes.
From behind me I heard, “Hey are you guys trash talking me?” With that, both Sumire and I burst out into laughter.
I flipped my hair, feigning being sassy, “Maybe we are, Baji. What are you gonna do about it?”
He smirked, which is never a good thing. He must have something up his sleeve. “Well since you’re both being so mean, talking trash about me, I have to walk you both home now. It’s the only way I’ll forgive you for talking smack.”
My jaw dropped and I stared in his direction, dumbfounded. “Are you serious?”
“Very, y/n.”
I just sighed and went with it. I made sure Sumire was okay and that she was ready to go. We left the shrine together, with me sandwiched between Baji and Sumire, both holding one of my hands each. The walk home was much quicker, as we didn’t have to be more aware of our surroundings in case we missed Sumire, since we found her. When we got back Sumire went inside first, after thanking Baji for walking with me to find her, and for walking both of us back, as well as giving me a weird look and winking.
I stood on my tippy toes and hugged Baji, “Even though you really didn’t need to, thank you so much for walking me with. I genuinely appreciate it, you made me feel safe.” I smiled.
Baji wrapped his arms around me, tight, “Always, y/n. You know I’ll always be here for you. Whether to protect you, keep you company, need a laugh, et cetera. I can’t imagine my life without you and I never want to.” He spoke, honestly, and from his heart.
“Right back at ya, Baji. I can’t imagine my life without you, nor do I ever intend to. But enough with us being sappy. It’s really late, you should be getting home. Remember you don’t want to make your mom cry or worry.”
He let out a chuckle, “You are absolutely right, there. I’ll head home now. I’ll see you and Chifuyu tomorrow bright and early so we can walk to school. Goodnight, y/n.”
“Goodnight, Baji. Let me know when you get home!”
Baji patted my head, “Of course, idiot. I was going to even if you didn’t ask me to.” With that, I waved him off and went inside.
Sumire was sitting on my bed, waiting for me to come in. We spent about two hours just talking about everything. Life, school, boys, Haru, what’s been going on with Toman, as well as her friends. She did make a comment pertaining to boys and me, but I just shrugged her off. I did tell her about finally meeting Hanma again after all these years, which made her ears perk up, especially when I told her that he said “It’s a secret♡”, when I asked if he had a crush. We talked until we were both ready for bed. I know I’m young, and I’m the youngest of my siblings, but tonight was the night that I decided, no matter what, I will keep them safe, happy, and protected. My friend’s and family’s happiness matters most to me and I’ll do everything in my power to keep them all safe and happy.
However, if I don’t break, I won’t know how to put myself back together.