Helium

008

"YUTA! HEY, YUTA!" Tanji slightly shook the boy to wake up as he was slowly waking up.
"Oh, he's awake." Panda mumbled as Yuta sat up and looked at his classmates.
"Everyone. . .your injuries!" Yuta slightly panicked on seeing Panda's injuries.
"It's alright. We're all doing better than you right now." Maki told him.
"Unlike the other three, my injuries can be healed later." Panda explained to the boy.

"Thank you...for saving us, Yuta." Tanji thanked the boy, putting her hand on his. Yuta smiled at her, but he heard his name being called by Rika who just stood there.
"Sorry, Rika-Chan. I've kept you waiting." Tanji took her hand off of Yuta's as he stood up and started walking towards Rika.
"Where are you going, Yuta?" Tanji asked, confused in a bit of panic rising in her.

"Well, uh...in exchange of her power, um, I promised to go with Rika-Chan." Yuta slightly turned around, mumbling a bit to what his classmates would react to this.
"What?!?" Tanji shot up, ignoring the pain in her lower area.
"Don't you know that means dying?! What were you thinking you idiot?!?" Tanji scolded the boy who just sweat dropped.

Rika had turned into back into a human, with her Curse form disappearing. Then the students heard clapping and their teacher smiling a them.
"Congratulations. You managed to break the Curse." Gojo said, but the students didn't recognize him at all.
"Who are you?" They asked with Gojo in a deadpanned reaction.
"You're good looking teacher, Gojo Satoru." Gojo monotonously said.

"I thought the theory of Yuta came up with sounded interesting, so I requested an investigation into your family. The investigation of Rika ended a long time ago, but Yuta's was full of holes of the best. So then it came into the light. You're a decadent of Sugawara Michizane! That's makes up super distance relatives!" Gojo started dancing around in excitement as Yuta smiled.

"You were right, Yuta. Rika didn't place a curse on you. You placed a curse on Rika." Yuta looked at Rika shocked.
"Now the one who placed the curse has canceled the bond. So long as the one who has cursed doesn't seek any penalty, it's fully broken now." Gojo explained and Yuta fell on his knees, crying.
"It was all my fault, wasn't it? I turned you into that form, I hurt all those people, and I nearly caused everyone to die when Geto came after me!" Yuta cried.

"It's all..." Yuta clutched onto his hair, when Rika came up to him and hugged him.
"Yuta, thank you...for giving me more time, and letting me stay by your side." Rika raised up her head as did Yuta.
"These past 6 years, I've been happier than ever was while I was alive." Rika parted from Yuta and walked over to Tanji. Rika took Tanji to Yuta and placed their hands together.

"You'll always have a place in my heart, Yuta...but it's time for you to move on." Rika started glowing and she looked over to Tanji who had slight tears in her eyes.
"Take care of him for me, Tanji-San! Give him the life that he deserves!" Rika shared a bright smile with the girl who just smiled in response and intertwined her hand with Yuta's.
"Thank you, Rika. I'll do the best I can!" Rika disappeared in bright bubbles as Yuta and Tanji stood up, mesmerizing the scene before them.

~Time Skip: Winter~

Winter came and every winter break, Tanji goes to her grandfather's to visit him and train with him. The girl packed her things as she wore (the image above) with a small silk scarf and left the school. However, for Yuta, was looking for Tanji. He understood what Rika meant and he finally understood his feelings for the Ronin girl.
"Yuta? Who are you looking for?" Gojo asked his distant relative.

"Do you know where's Tanji-San? I can't find her anywhere." Yuta asked his teacher who put his hand on his chin.
"Yeah...I remember her telling me that she goes to her grandpa's to train every summer and winter. That was part of the agreement that her crazy old man told me." Gojo shivered on the last part.
"Oh..." Yuta looked down in disappointment and Gojo noticed it.

"But she's still on campus if you wanna catch up to her." Gojo told the boy as he snapped his head up.
"Thank you, Gojo-San!" Yuta dashed off to the old outside, running to Tanji.
"Ah! Young love!" Gojo clasped his hands together.
"EVERYONE! YUTA IS GONNA CONFESS HIS LOVE TO TANJI!!!"

~Tanji's POV~

I heard every crunch of snow that I stepped on as I took every step. I didn't mind the cold nor the snow, I quite enjoyed it. But, I knew that by this time, Yuta was going overseas with Miguel. Sure, I was gonna miss him but I wanted to tell him how I felt. It was complicated for me because I never felt this overexcited feeling in me and I liked the feeling. Yuta made me feel I actually had a meaning in this role in my life.

But I want to spend the rest of my life with someone like him. Unknowingly, I heard someone call my name. At first I thought it was my mind playing games with me, but I heard my name being called the second time. I turned around and I felt my body being in a hug and being twirled around.
"Yuta?" I asked, parting myself from the boy who was slightly panting.

"I thought you were overseas already." I told him, being confused.
"I'm actually staying a couple more weeks." He sweat dropped. I quirked my eyebrow in confusion more and he let out a sigh.
"Tanji-San. . .the reason I came back. . .was because. . .was um. . ." Yuta's cheeks brighten with redness as he stuttered.
"Just spit it out." I sighed. Instead, Yuta grabbed my hands and placed them over his heart.

"Tanji-San. . .I love you." My eyes widen at his words as I felt my whole body turned hot, not feeling the cold anymore.
"When Rika-Chan told me to move on, she meant she wanted me to move onto you." His words shocked me even more. I took my hands back to my side and thought for a second.
"I know your love with Rika-Chan is forever, Yuta. But I don't want to take that away from you." I told him.

Instead, he just smiled and took my hands once more into his.
"Take every word and every action that I have ever done or said. . .then know for certain." Yuta put my arms around his neck as he wrapped his around my waist and brought me closer than I ever was.
"That when I meant, I really love you." Yuta started into my eyes with so much love than I have ever seen in anyones before. I felt tears already running down my face.

"Just kiss me already, you bozo." I told him and he waited no time to gently place his soft lips on mine. The kiss was pleasant and timid. My heart was beating faster than I could ever imagine, to the point I couldn't breath. But Yuta was right here in my embrace to provide all of that to me. I felt his body shake out of nervousness, but I pulled him more deeper into the kiss as I felt him relax. Then we heard a flash of a camera and we quickly parted our kiss.

~Author's POV~

"How cute!" Panda squealed as he put his phone away. There stood Panda, Maki, Toge, and Gojo.
"Come on, Yuta. Let's ignore these morons." Tanji quickly took Yuta's hand as he saw his classmates and teacher waving goodbye to them.
"You know, Tanji." The girl looked over at her lover who had a smile on his face.
"If learning to love would cost my life, I'd spent it all with you. And only you." Yuta told the girl which made her smile.
"I'll always be in your arms, Yuta. I will never go anywhere without you in my heart."

(04/11/2023)