Doki Doki Literature Club - The Taste of Sunshine

New Beginnings

"You know, I really hate this weather" Sayori said as she placed her hands on her lower back, arcing it slightly until she felt a mild pop. Despite being the middle of October, the deceptive weather would have you believing that it was the middle of August. The Sun was beating down with all of the ferocity and might of Apollo, as Yuri would have put it. As usual, the weather report that had been on the news was just as inaccurate and unreliable as the rest of their reporting. Coming to a cemetery was never something anyone looked forward to, and the unseasonable warmth wasn't making it any easier. She wondered why she came anymore. Was she still stuck in a step of the grieving process? Was in a sense of obligation? No...in the past that may have been true, but today...today felt different. Sayori could taste in on the air.

"This weather is something else" Genji said as he unzipped his navy blue hoodie and took it off, opting to carry it rather that deal with the uncomfortable warmth that it was providing. He ran a hand back through his long sandy brown hair, his deep green eyes squinting in the sun as he looked over at Sayori. She had already done as he did, opting to take off her black hoodie with the word "*PINK*" adorn on the back in a bold white. Her dark green t-shirt was sticky with sweat and clunk to her small frame, not unlike her jean shorts. Sayori ran her hand through her soft coral hair, wiping rogue strands out of her eyes. As she did Genji saw the tattoo that Sayori had gotten on the underside of her forearm, "*This too shall pass",* decorated with butterflies on each side. It was a testament to where she had been, what she had overcome, and where she was going. There were no words that could describe how proud he was of her.

"That's one way to put it" she replied as they stopped to rest for a moment in the shade of a large maple tree. Despite it being Autumn, many of the trees had not yet dropped their leaves. Sayori and Genji could both clearly remember back during their childhoods by the time October rolled around the temperature stayed cool and the trees had dropped nearly all of their leaves by the end of the month. Yet here they stood, defiant, holding only their lovely foliage hostage from the ground. This was in large part due to the slow change in weather patterns and in truth, Autumn had become a season in name only, with Winter not far behind.  "Hey, by the way...thanks for coming with me today..."

Genji looked at her slightly confused, offering a gentle smile as he took her hand.

"Of course I'm here with you, I can't imagine how hard this is for you and I just...I'm always here for you Sayori, no matter what. It's me and you to the very end, forever and always, I promise" he said and gently squeezed her hand.

"I...I'm...you know, I'm not stupid. I know I don't deserve you...not after what I did. Sometimes I wish that you would have just been with..." she said, but he stopped her.

"Stop that, we agreed no negative talk, remember? I'm with you because I want to be. I'm not here because I feel like I have to be, or out of pity.  I'm here because you mean everything to me and I want to do all I can to help make you happy" Genji replied.

Sayori looked at him and smiled, tears welling up in her eyes that she quickly wiped away. To say that she was in a state of constant anxiety would be an understatement. This was something that Genji was more than willing to accept facing together with her, if it meant he could be with the woman who meant everything in the world to him. But they were both young, still idealistic and naïve, and still learning the ways of the world and more importantly learning the intricate details of each another. Genji had always been a relatively strait forward young man, easy to understand with a past that was unfortunately very common. Raised by his mother after his father left when he was only five years old, he came to have a love for two things in life. The first of these was music, and for nearly a decade he had played guitar, practicing the songs of his favorite bands until he could play them perfectly, and even going as far as beginning to write his own music. The second was his love of pro wrestling, and this was something that he and his mom shared as she had an incredible love for it as well.  Genji had the amazing fortune of having a mother who put herself fully into raising him, sharing his passions with him and supporting him in everything that he did. She even went as far as taking him to countless live wrestling events, and even traveling to major cities to see pay-per-view events when they were in close proximity. He cherished these memories above everything else and for a time even wanted to train to become a wrestler. This dream came to a screeching halt though after performing in a back yard wrestling event with some of his friends. During a match that he was in, he had been hit across the back with a trash can that was wrapped in barbed wire. The blow should not have been as catastrophic as it was, he and his friend had practiced it numerous times before the show but the spot went wrong, and he was left with severe open wounds on his back. Genji's mom, who was also a nurse (and luckily in attendance at the show), was the one to do the dozens of stitches that were needed to seal him back up in addition to taking him to the hospital afterward to be checked out. After that, and a serious screaming at from his mom, Genji decided that music may be a far safer career path to explore.