ShuYuka Week 2021

Day 1 - Firsts/Milestones

Minato remembered the night very, very clearly. It was a lukewarm, somewhat gloomy November night. He wasn't the most social of people, most of his friends he just happened to make by coincidence, with some exceptions. So when the rush hour traffic of people going to and from work or school finally subsided, he took that opportunity to slink back to the dorm unnoticed. The only person around was Yukari Takeba - a classmate he had begun growing close to. They talked for awhile, and when the others got back, they moved to her bedroom... and then it happened.

"I-I'm only gonna say this once, okay? ... Minato-kun... I love you."

Those words would be stuck in Minato's every waking - and sleeping - moment for the next few weeks. Did she really mean that? Sure, other girls had confessed to him before, yeah, but he'd never felt so conflicted about it before Yukari said those words to him. Did she mean that? He didn't know. There was no real way he could.

What he did know is that whenever she was nearby, his heart would go aflutter, his cheeks would flush red, his focus would wane a bit, and he didn't understand a thing about it. He had some issues declining the advances of others, because his sensitive heart despised the feeling of hurting the people he called friends. In the end, however, he simply was not interested, and would say no. But with Yukari? Something about her clicked with him. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't say no to her. And he didn't, either, since they both promised that they'd go on a date with one another soon.

And so, here he was - Minato Arisato, lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling in total silence. He didn't sleep a wink the night before, he was too busy thinking. Today was the big day, the day they'd finally go out for a genuine date. Not a friendly hangout, not a trip with friends, not on any sort of S.E.E.S.-related business. A one-on-one, entirely romantic date. He barely could wrap his head around it. How could such a beautiful girl love a dork like him? He'd have pondered that longer if his orange-haired roommate wasn't violently shaking him all of a sudden.

"Yo, Minato! We have class in, like, an hour! We gotta catch the train, dude!"

"Jeez... is it that time already? I haven't even fallen asleep yet."

"Well, too little, too late! C'moooon, we gotta go!"

Minato groaned. "I don't wanna, Kotone."

Kotone huffed at him. It's his fault he didn't sleep, why should she be late because her big brother is all lovesick and whatever? "Jesus Christ, dude, quit thinking about Yukari-san for three seconds and get up!"

To Minato's surprise, his younger twin managed to lift him up out of bed and heft him out the door. Reluctantly, he got back up and continued preparing for the daily cycle. School, friends, Dark Hour, repeat. School, friends, Dark Hour, repeat. School, friends, Dark Hour, repeat. Over, and over, and over. It was a tad monotonous, but he spent most of it with his classmates, at least. Kotone, Junpei... Yukari. Damn, Kotone's yelling almost made him forget he had a date today.

When the trains finally stopped and Minato had a chance to arrive at class, he just barely made it on time - and ended up immediately taking a nap throughout the lecture. The whole day felt like that, a giant blur of naps and spacey, vague memories of lessons he couldn't care less about. What really mattered to him was what came after, and what came after arrived soon than he anticipated. As the final bell rang, he was awoken by a girl in a uniform covered by a pink sweater and a bow. The girl looked down at him, her smile positively radiant from the perspective of the tired young man she woke.

"Rise and shine, Minato. School's out."

Minato yawned and stretched a bit, sitting up to look at the young woman with a gentle smile. "Hey, Yukari... sorry I dozed off, I didn't sleep so well last night. I remembered the date, so no worries."

"I wasn't worried. Kotone told me you spent all night stressing about it, so I figured you had to have remembered."

Minato's cheeks flushed slightly, a sheepish grin plastered on his face as he scratches his head. "Jeez, she told you that?"

"Well, she's a bit of a gossip. You grew up with her, you should probably expect it by now."

"... I guess so."

With a shrug, Minato stood up and gently took her hand. He was tired, yes, but for some reason he felt he could keep going as long as she was there.

"So," Yukari began, "what do you wanna do for our first date?"

"Y'know, I was hoping we could watch a movie or something. I don't care what kind or anything, I just think it'd be fun."

"Yeah, I think so too. Let's get going before all the good movies start!"

Yukari would begin to pick up speed, with Minato trying to keep up behind her. They arrived at the theater in around twenty minutes, and all seemed to go smoothly - they got some snacks, sat down in the theater, and watched the campy 80's slasher flick they ended up buying tickets for. Minato just relaxed. Maybe this wasn't so bad, after all.

And then it happened.

About halfway through the movie, Yukari leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Minato didn't remember much of the movie after that. He was too busy focusing on his attempt to get his shattered and flustered consciousness back together to pay attention - what was it with Yukari that left him like this? What did she do to him to make him feel so... warm inside? He couldn't comprehend it, the rush of emotions he felt every time she was around him.

Eventually, the movie came to an end - a happy ending for the people that survived the killer's onslaught, where they could live out the remainder of their lives - for better or for worse. Minato stretched and stood up, offering his hand to Yukari. She smiled and took it, standing up with him as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, exiting the theater quietly.

"That was a pretty good movie." Yukari said, being the first one to talk. "For an old one, anyway."

"Yeah. I'm surprised they had tickets for a movie as old as that one. It was decently enjoyable, though."

And yet again, they fell silent. Minato was lost in thought as they exited the mall. He was still working out his confused mental state, leaving him abnormally quiet, even for a reserved type like himself. Yukari, of course, took notice of that, hut was quickly distracted by the setting sun on the horizon that backdropped the two with it's pink-ish sky. She smiled, just a tiny bit.

"Hey, Minato, look at that. The sun's setting."

Yukari's words made Minato snap out of his stupor. He looked at the horizon, taking in the beautiful sight. He and S.E.E.S. fought hard to make sure everyone could see such a view, so he liked to enjoy it from time to time. Of course, this feeling wouldn't last long, as soon enough he felt something warm against him, and looked back over to Yukari, who now had her arms gently wrapped around his shoulders.

"... I know I said I'd only say it once, but it's been a few days, so... I love you, Minato. Really, I do. I know sometimes I can be a little unpleasant, but you're the only person who I feel really gets me. So... thanks. Thanks for everything. I'm really happy we can be like this."

Minato was completely unsure how to respond. His worries about whether or not she was telling the truth were eradicated in an instant, which left only one question left: what was this feeling? It took a second to sink in, but when it did, the answer came to him swiftly as the blush on his face grows once more. But for once, he feels calm. It feels... nice. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her torso.

"... There's no need to apologize, Yukari. After everything you've been through, I get it. I don't care if you think you're unpleasant, because I think you're incredible. If anything, I should be sorry."

"For what? You're a wonderful guy."

"I'm sorry I wasn't honest sooner."

He took a deep breath. This was it - the truth. All he had to do was admit it...

"... I love you too, Yukari. I love you so much..."

And with those final words, Minato's worries melted away. As the beautiful sunset lit their figures, the two drew closer, and at long last, their lips would gently meet, the longing of their souls finally attaining the warm union they desired.