Your Song

Chapter Sixty Nine | Date

The eight of you were piled into the van, some of you leaning on each other's shoulders from how tired you were, some doing a quiet activity like reading.

You had called shot gun this time, so you were seated next to Yu, watching the road in front of you.

You looked in the back and stifled a giggle.

Miya and Eiji were leaned on each other, Shindo had Kaya on one shoulder and Hina on the other, reading a book in between them, and Nora was watching something on her phone. You thought you heard Part of Your World, so she might have been watching The Little Mermaid.

"Not tired?" Yu asked.

"Nah..." You leaned back in the seat. "I've never been so far from an adult before. It's kind of exhilarating."

"Hey, I'm eighteen!"

"You still act pretty young, Yu. Shindo acts older than you."

He chuckled. "Can't argue with that." He made a left turn and glanced at you. "I heard you're going back to Canada?"

Your smile faded and you looked into your lap. "Um... yeah. My mom already bought tickets for it and Kotaro arranged a living space." You sighed. "I don't know when I'll come back..."

Yu smiled and put a hand on your shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll go on a group call everyday, even if it's the middle of the night. Right Shindo?"

"Hm? Yes, yes."

"He has no idea what I just said."

You and Yu shared a laugh before going quiet again.

It's been two years since you moved to Japan. Since then, you had made connections that you didn't have back in Canada. Made the best friends that anyone could ask for.

Saying bye to people wasn't uncommon to you. You jumped from school to school until you just decided to be homeschooled.

You pushed them away just because it felt so unfamiliar. But they stayed. They all did.

And, yet again, you were leaving.

You looked down. "I'm sorry for not being... adequate as a friend."

Yu was silent in response for a while, then he chuckled, the classic Yu-chuckle that he does when people say stupid things. "Not everyone can be a good friend, Y/N. Personally, I think good friendships are the one that are unbreakable, not easy. We've all been crappy friends before. Like when I would have a new girlfriend that would be tagging along with Shindo and I every other day. It annoyed the heck out of him."

"It did." Shindo added from the back seat.

"See? But he never left. Not truly, anyway. He just waited for me to get better. Helped me get better." Yu smiled. "Friendships, true ones, are like family. Unbreakable, no matter what. Always there for each other, no matter what."

He took his eyes off the road for a minute to look at you. Yu didn't realize, but when he's truly smiling, not smirking or trying to look good for a camera, he glowed. Just like Hina when she let her mask fall.

"We've all had our problems, Y/N. Don't think you weren't a good friend just because you did too. After all, technically," He looked at the sleeping passengers through the rear view mirror, "it was your song that brought us together."

You nodded and turned to look out the window. "Yu."

"Yeah?"

"You guys are my freedom. Just remember that because it will never change."

He nodded. "Of course."

•••

You got out of the car and Eiji helped you with your bags. "Thanks." You took the bags from him and bowed your head before walking towards your house.