Hakaze found the doll almost immediately after the transfer, and Mahiro yelled that she might not have enough time. She judged that it had only been about a year and a few months from our time, and Mahiro's stress was becoming even more prominent.
"There's no need to worry." She assured, "I've located the offering that Samon left. It won't take me a month to reach Japan."
After she and Samon discussed a few other matters and she cut off communication for the time being, I let go of Mahiro's and Yoshino's hands and we got to work on reassembling Hakaze's skeleton and preparing things for her return. As we worked in silence, Samon spoke up,
"Mahiro, Ayame, and Takigawa Yoshino. It's a little late to say this, but I'm sure you three are aware of the worst-case scenario with the princess' trip to the past."
"Yeah, the possibility that Hakaze will kill Aika with her own hands."
"Huh?!" Megumu suddenly gasped, looking around in confusion, "How could it come to that?"
Poor boy, so innocent and naive.
"Maybe you got dumped because you don't understand women." Mahiro retorted, and I bit my cheek to keep from laughing.
"If the princess becomes the murderer, what will you do?" Samon asked.
"That's obvious." Mahiro replied, picking up one of her bones, "I'll kill Hakaze myself, just like I promised."
"What about you, Takigawa Yoshino?"
You know, Samon, you can call him by just one name.
"Whatever happens, I won't blame Hakaze-san, and I won't let Mahiro kill her either. I've had enough of killing people or people getting killed. Besides, it's hard to imagine that Hakaze-san would kill Aika."
"Is it?" I asked, glaring down at her skeleton, "Nothings really hard to imagine anymore. I saw not only Aika's body covered in blood, but yours and Mahiro's too. If that's all Hakaze's fault, then I don't really care what happens to her."
"There's one more thing." Evangeline interrupted, "What happens if Hakaze witnesses Yoshino killing Fuwa Aika?"
"That's impossible!" Megumu claimed.
"Even if Yoshino does not think himself to be the mage of Exodus, he could have a split personality, and it may be that the other self's memory is suppressed."
"In that case, all that changes is that I'd be killing Yoshino." Mahiro replied simply.
"If that is the case..." I trailed off, glancing at Yoshino, who sat with a hard gaze, "That would probably be the only case where I absolutely lose my cool."
-
Right now, we had a lot of time on our hands waiting for Hakaze's return. But I laid in my room for all of ten minutes thinking about what would happen when she returned, and that alone made my head spin and my heart race and my eyes water. So I rose from my bed and grabbed my jacket, forcing Mahiro and Yoshino out.
The next few weeks at most, might be the last few weeks we really have to just spend time together as friends, before things might get even more messed up then they already are.
I took the initiative and made sure we all got out more, and Yoshino even offered to go on a run with me one morning, but he didn't last long. I had to cut it short, even though we were almost finished, and I had to help him to the couch.
"How do you do that, everyday?"
"Well I don't do it every day anymore." I shrugged, handing him some water, "Come on, we should stretch."
"Stretch?" He whined, and I laughed as Mahiro entered the room.
"Yoshino, man up." He called, annoying the brunet,
"You try to run with her next time then!"
"Fine, I will."
I rose a brow and sighed and their antics, but in all honesty, I was happy.
We went down to watch Juunichiro's and Megumu's training sessions, and some times I joined in. Juunichiro taught me some pretty basic things, but every time I got buddy buddy with Megumu, Mahiro stood up and interfered somehow.
Like right now, when he shoved his hand into the guys face and grimaced at him, "You might look cool right now, but your personality is still the same as a shriveled piece of lettuce. You can't flirt for the life of you, can you?"
"Mahiro-kun, that was mean..." I insisted, but I was smiling and everyone knew I thought what Mahiro said was funny. Poor Megumu just whined and yelled insults and such, but it didn't affect Mahiro in the slightest.
"Come on Mahiro, let's go at it!" I cheered, and he turned to me with a daring look, as if telling me I really shouldn't be saying such things.
"Are you crazy?"
"No! I think it'll be fun." I shrugged and he sighed heavily, pulling out his hair clip and moving his bangs back, I grinned and put up my fists.
"Alright you two!" Juunichiro began, "Be respectful!"
Mahiro wouldn't throw the first punch for the life of him, so I hesitated for a moment before moving first, even though I knew that could be my demise.
He grabbed my arm just as I thought he would, but I managed to hook my leg around his and pull him down with me, turning so he was below.
I sat up and straddled him, grinning, "How was that?!"
"Not bad, I guess." He grumbled, obviously a little upset I was better than he thought, "But I was going easy on you."
My face fell and I grabbed his collar as he smirked, "You jerk!"
Later that day, I claimed I need some new clothes, and I also wanted to just go shopping for fun, so I dragged the boys out with me and Samon came to supervise.
He also came because he insisted that if I needed something I couldn't afford, he would buy it for me. But I think it was just his fatherly attitude coming out, something that I figured out he had ever since we moved into the apartment together.
At first, he was super overbearing and I felt suffocated, mostly from fear he'd turn out to be like my mother, but now that I knew how gentle he actually was, I leaned on him a bit more.
"Samon-san, what do you think of this?"
"Eh." Mahiro replied, looking up from his own shopping, "You could do better."
"I think anything would look lovely on you, Ayame-chan." Samon said, to which I smiled. But Mahiro wasn't having it and shoved a different outfit in my face,
"This! try it on."
"Alright, alright." I sighed, taking the clothes and moving towards the change rooms with them, "Diva." I whispered.
After trying on multiple different outfits and modeling for a very judgmental Mahiro, he finally ended up happy with some of the most expensive things in the store. We headed to the cafeteria after Yoshino and Mahiro purchased some of their own things too, Mahiro and myself arguing on what we should eat.
"Sushi." I began.
"Ramen."
"How about Chinese?"
"No. I could go for burgers though."
"Eh~ I don't want burgers right now. I want chicken if we're gonna eat meat!"
"Chicken? Lame."
"What?!"
"You guys..." Yoshino sighed, watching us point to different food places, trying to find something we could both agree on.
This wasn't unusual at all, Mahiro and myself used to argue in a similar way that Aika and him would, except they always acted more aggressive like real siblings, and Mahiro and I were pretty much completely calm.
Right now, even if we were arguing or debating instead of laughing about something stupid, these memories would still be good ones, and I would cherish them forever.
Because I know, as sad as it is that Aika isn't here with us, this is what she would have wanted us to do. To let go and just be who we are together.
YOU ARE READING
Alone Together - Zetsuen No Tempest FanFiction - 1215
Fanfiction"Aika told me to tell you that I loved you, and then she died. Don't you think that a person's last words really mean something?" "No." "Oh shut up, you hard ass. I can't believe I actually do love you." - This is the road to ruin, and we're startin...
