mementosola | a thousand cherry blossoms dissolve into the night

I know, but...[She reaches up, gently pulling the mask away from his face. She's more tired than anything else,the sort of tired that resonates in your bones and makes everything feel like swimming in jell-o.]

...You can't protect me if you're gone. Kaoru and Emi didn't realize that. I...couldn't stand it if you left too.

[Well, that just cancelled his transformation, so now he's back to normal and she can see how much he's blushing in response to everything that she's said.]

What? I'm not going to abandon you. Not now, after two years, and not ever. I promise, okay? So don't say anything like that again.

[He reaches over with the arm he has around her already, to tuck a lock of that long, white hair behind her ear.]

...If anything, I figured university or family business would take you far from here, maybe some city that doesn't have attacks like this. You shouldn't have to do this for the rest of your life.

...You're really dumb. I can't ignore it. And I can't let the three of you keep doing this until you break under the sources of your power. I know I'm not as powerful, Retsu, but that doesn't mean I can just stand idly by...

[She leans a little into his hand, and sighs.] ...I couldn't bear the thought of leaving too.

...I've always been dumb. Getting an 87 on a History exam didn't fix that, so I guess that nothing is going to.

[He gently strokes her cheek, when she leans into him.]

If you're not going to let me just protect you, then... can you just stay with me?

[Given that she knows how little he has left in the world, even over two years out from that fateful day, that's a powerful question for him to ask her.]

Funny...I thought I already was.

[It's as simple as that. The idea of leaving this town where he'd stayed, specifically, was enough to keep her from dispersing with the others. She breathes out, letting her transformation fade with a gust of cherry blossoms and the warmth of the sun, a the time-stop fades out.

...The forest appears to have stayed, however. Oops.]

...Although I suppose there's something I've never said properly, not to anyone.

Oh yeah? What's that?

[He can fight down his nervousness enough for once to keep calm for this moment. She was somehow harder to face when she wasn't transformed for him, maybe owing to how mundane life was for them both when he wasn't being a hero.

It didn't hurt that was already holding her. It's a little late to get really nervous when you've got someone leaning against you.]

I...

[It's scary, and it probably doesn't help he can pick up her own nervousness, even if by now she should definitely have the power to keep him from reading her. She's never stopped him before, she isn't now, even if she's settled for looking around his adam's apple.]

I don't really know when it happened. But it's been a long time since you stole my heart, Retsu. I couldn't possibly leave now, even if I'd wanted to.

I couldn't tell you when it happened. My thoughts and yours were just similar one day. But I couldn't say that - I didn't want to ruin what we had, and given how dangerous it was back then... I'm just sorry it took this long.

[Even if she's primarily staring at his adam's apple, she probably can see enough of his face to notice that he's grinning at the end, before he hugs her into his chest.]

[She likes hugs! She's good at hugs, which is why she's sneaking her arms around his waist.

YOU WILL BE HUGGED WITH THE GLORY OF THE SUN!]

Just don't keep me waiting any longer.

[He'll finally reach up with that arm he'd left dangling at his side to gently stroke her hair. He must have hurt it in the fight, given how slow it moves.]

I promise I won't.

Good. Now let me see your arm you've been pretending you didn't hurt and I might spare you the lecture.

[Looking down at her, as best as he can given their positions, for a moment while he weighs his options.]

It's not just the arm. They got me pretty good a couple of places. And I'm not taking my shirt off for you in the middle of what's about the be an EMT convention. I'm not getting the Fujiwara heir arrested on her twentieth birthday.

So you'll take it off somewhere else, is what you're saying?

[But she sighs, and settles her hands against his chest, where they start to radiate warmth and a little bit of healing. At least enough to make moving easier.]

That's the best I can do without getting something to eat.

Sure. Somewhere with less prying eyes.

[She can literally feel the warmth radiate through him. Something about being the avatar of vengeance seemed to cause his body temperature to plummet while transformed, even if he himself didn't show any averse effects afterwords.

Now he's just left to wonder if she realizes how this all looks, especially given that they just confessed feelings for each other moments ago.]

[Well, she's leaning up to...kiss his cheek. Apparently she doesn't feel like having a first kiss on top of a building that's about to be crowded.]

Then we should go soon. The EMTs will want to try and keep us.

[All told, that's probably wise. When he stands, he does keep his arm around her, though, at least for the moment.]

Right. I didn't park too far from here. Are you okay to walk, or would you rather be carried?

[He will carry you with a bad arm. Don't think for a second he won't.]

I can walk just fine, don't make that arm of yours worse.

You'll find the elevator down over there.

[When did she get the elevator key--right, it's Hisoka.]

It's amazing how you can draw all of this.

[He takes the key to the elevator. It at least has the power to call to their floor and open and close the door?]

He're hoping it works. After you.

I didn't draw it.

I was here last week because Father wanted meet another idiot who couldn't tell I was insulting him for an hour and a half and the asked the building manager for a copy.

[Sometimes, one has to wonder if Hisoka's actual superpower is just being Hisoka. But into the elevator she goes.]

Oh, good. I was worried it was going to vanish halfway through like that lily-pad.

[He's never letting her live that down. Taking it down to the parking garage. Why so low? It'll be easier to sneak out than the front door.]

That was one time!

[Retsu, you're a jerk sometimes. But once they hit the right garage floor, she's heading out of the elevator...and waiting. He knows where he's parked.]

I had a cold for like three days afterwords!

[Pocketing the key after he turns the elevator off, and then leading her out of the building. Because seriously, if the building might implode during the fight, no reason to risk things you like, like your car.]

I tried to dry you off the best I could, it's not my fault you bolted without your shirt when Father got home!

[She follows him out, then, like some kind of extremely elegant duckling.]

Because I really wanted to explain to your father why his daughter was rubbing down a half-naked guy he'd never seen before with a towel. I'd have caught a case of dying if that'd happened.

[Same old car, still kept fancied up as best as he can. He'll unlock the doors with a click of a button and climb in, waiting for her.]

He wouldn't have killed you, I'm not sure why everyone thinks he's so scary...we hardly have any ninjas on the payroll anymore.

[Sometimes, Hisoka just really is that oblivious. She gets into the car and buckles up in basically one single motion, which makes one wonder if they teach this in rich heiress school.]

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