ImmediatelyWriting's One Shots

#39. Erased - Satoru/Kayo) Our Christmas Tree

Summary: After being released from the hospital, Satoru feels like he should catch up with the girl he saved 15 years ago. They decide to go to one of the winter festivals together.

Fandom: Erased
Ship: Satoru/Kayo
Genre: Fluff

part of Shipbruary 2021!

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Fifteen years.

That's how long Satoru had to wait for this moment. Or, actually, much longer when you think about it. He's been waiting to go out for a stroll past the festival booths for such a long time.

But Kayo, she also waited such a long time. Maybe she waited less long, but it must've felt so much longer to her; while Satoru slept deeply, she was waiting, settling down, without being able to know if she would ever thank the guy that saved her life.

That's what she told Satoru at least, right before she asked him to go to a festival with her.

Obviously Satoru said "yes", no hesitating needed; he needed to catch up with Kayo, see how living instead of dying at the age of ten made her grown-up life turn out. It's a shame he missed it all.

As soon as Satoru got the whole walking thing under control, he and Kayo settled on a date to go to a winter festival. That day is today, and Satoru can't say he isn't nervous in any way; he's very nervous.

He's just wearing simple clothes, but when he comes at the festival and sees that many people are wearing traditional Japanese clothing, he feels a little excluded and weird with his brown coat, jeans and one crutch to lean on.

Fortunately he feels a little less uncomfortable when Kayo, too, just shows up in a winter coat and jeans instead of a fancy yukata; it's 2003 after all, you can wear casual clothes to a festival.

"You look gorgeous," Satoru says, gesturing at the one butterfly-pin that's holding back Kayo's hair on one side. It's the only thing on her that makes her look festive, but Satoru's not one to talk.

Kayo chuckles. "Thanks, I guess?" She glances up and adds, "You don't look half bad yourself."

Satoru smiles, he doesn't remember Kayo being someone who compliments people easily; apparently being able to settle down with someone did her good.

They start walking and time seems to fly. Even though they arrived when the sun had just barely started going under, the sky is pitch black within just a couple of minutes.

Even though Kayo really seems to enjoy looking at the things' they're selling at the stands, Satoru feels like something's missing. The paw of the evening, that's usually present when going to a festival, is nowhere to be found. Which is a shame, since Kayo and Satoru didn't do anything with just the two of them for such a long time; it should be a great evening, not just mildly fun.

"Would you like to eat something?" Satoru asks when he sees a Dango stand in the near distance.

Kayo turns to him and shrugs. "Why not?" She walks out in front of Satoru, to exactly the little food stand that Satoru was hoping they'd go to.

When they're standing there waiting for their Dango, Satoru immediately finds it most important say, "It'll be on my treat" that way Kayo won't end up paying for something Satoru suggested. And besides that, Satoru's mom gave him some money he can spend tonight; not that Satoru doesn't earn enough money to pay tonight's costs himself, but he knows his mother has missed fifteen years of her son's life and therefore really enjoys spoiling the crap out of her twenty-six-year-old son. And Satoru doesn't really mind, as long as she'll accept the money when he pays her back.

"You sure?" Kayo asks Satoru, carefully taking her plastic tray off the wooden surface.

Satoru nods and hands the stand-owner enough money to pay for both their snacks.

After buying them they take a long walk past every single booth. Scooping fish, shooting to win a teddy bear, eating a little more and doing darts just for fun. And while they walk Kayo tells Satoru all about the life she's living now; how she's so grateful that he saved her that day.

The memories are still blurry, but Satoru knows exactly what he did to safe her and Hiromi, and probably many others too. Who knows how many victims there'd be if Satoru hadn't risked his life.

But they don't talk about that too much, more about the fun things like the fact that she has a job and a house and a family, and of course that now that Satoru's well again, how the friend group's back together again. They talk about the things they should do now that they're all here, like going to a theatre, taking long hikes and going out for dinner at least once a week.

And time flies; Satoru's never had so much fun in his life, or so it seems.

Before he knows it they strolled far away from the festival, because they decided to take a walk instead of spending even more money at the festival. It's snowing and the sky is clear, which makes it a wonderful day to go out and climb a little mountain; Satoru can't even wait for the view.

"This place seems familiar," Satoru says after a while, when they're already far away from the festival. They're surrounded by trees, and even though it's mainly dark woods and snow surrounding them, Satoru feels like he's been here before a long time ago.

"Yeah," Kayo mumbles, looking down at the snow. She seems sad somehow, but there's a soft smile on her face when she says, "I want to take you somewhere beautiful. Do you mind?"

Satoru shakes his head, and then suddenly Kayo's gloved hand takes his. She starts walking, only a little quicker than him, but at a pace that he can keep up with her.

"W-Where are taking me?" Satoru asks, getting slightly out of breath because of all the walking.

Kayo suddenly stops in her track and gestures at the tree right in front of them. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Satoru looks at the tree. It's covered with a small dusting of fresh snow, and with the starlit sky in the background it looks like it's shimmering and shining all over.

"A Christmas tree," he whispers, smiling at the gorgeous sight.

Kayo chuckles, replying, "It's February, Satoru." And when Satoru glances at Kayo he sees that her eyes are filled up with tears. They start streaming when she asks, "Don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember," Satoru tells her right away. "If there's one thing I won't forget, it's this tree."

Kayo smiles at him and wraps her hand around his tighter. She tells him back then they promised to see it in the summer, but another summer with Satoru never came.

Satoru's throat feels tight; he knows how much pain Kayo's been through because of him.

"I went to see it each year. Every February," Kayo tells Satoru. "Through snow and storms, I'd always walk to this tree and hope for you to come back to us. And it happened." She turns to him and smiles through her tears. He smiles back at her, also with tears running over his cheeks.

"I've never came here during the summer, though," she explains, walking up to the tree and lying her hand on the old bark. "Because we promised we'd return here in the summer, together."

Satoru nods, she's right. So he walks up to the tree too and lays his hand on top of Kayo's whispering, "Lets come back to see it in the summer." He pauses wrapping his hand around Kayo and turning to her so he can look her in the eyes. "Our Christmas tree."

He can see them filling up with tears, but they're clearly happy ones just like his.

She smiles carefully before closing her eyes briefly. "Make sure to be here in the summer, okay?" One last tears rolls down her face as she smiles. "Or you really are stupid after all."

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Authorsnote:

Hey There!

This was officially the last fanfiction for this collection of these romantic one-shots written AND posted in February 2021. It was an eventful month, and I was so proud to end it with a fanfiction for Erased, one of my all-time favorite anime!

~ Noa