𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕥 || 𝕂𝕪𝕠 𝕊𝕠𝕙𝕞𝕒

...Forever and Always

How many days in a row had she come to this park to sit there and just wait? Five, maybe six? Perhaps it had even been over a week.

They normally met up here every other Saturday. But he hadn't shown up on Saturday, so she came back again on Sunday. And when he didn't come on Sunday, she came back after school on Monday.

While she was sitting there, she came up with a long list of potential reasons why he wasn't there. Maybe he forgot, or maybe something more important came up. Maybe something happened to him, or maybe he decided that he didn't want to see her.

Whatever the reason, she still waited there until sunset. For however many days, she waited and waited.

Admittedly, she was surprised when he did show up on Thursday. She was sitting there by herself on the swing when he appeared. And when she saw him, she couldn't have lit up faster.

"You're here!" But he didn't smile back. And she didn't miss his silence. Her smile faltered. "I...Is something wrong..?"

She still couldn't see his eyes, but she knew they weren't meeting hers. "I'm...sorry that I didn't come when I was supposed to."

"That's okay!" Her beaming grin returned. "I'm just happy to see you again!"

Even though she couldn't see his face, for some reason she just knew. She knew that he still wasn't looking at her. And she knew that for some reason...he was sad.

"I'm really sorry." He gripped his bag straps tightly. "We can't...play together anymore."

Lately, the dreams seemed to happen more often. But unlike all the others, Hiyori didn't think she'd had this dream before. Something was different about it. It wasn't the fact that this one ended on such a sad note -- that wasn't what felt so strange. It was something else; something she just couldn't place. That's why she spent all day spacing out and thinking about it. Even while leaving work that evening, she still couldn't get the dream off her mind.

Stepping outside, Hiyori fought the urge to shiver. A cool breeze rustled the hair she'd only just let down. 'It's kinda chilly for mid-October. I guess summer really is over...'

She glanced up. Yuki was there waiting, just like usual. He smiled when he saw her, and she smiled back as she ran up to meet him.

"Hey, Yuki! Thanks for coming to get me!"

He smiled at her. "It's been a year, Hiyori. You know you don't have to thank me every time."

Hiyori grinned. "Well, I can't just break the streak, right?"

"You never change, do you?"

"I'm afraid not." She giggled.

As they began the walk home, Yuki seemed to hesitate about what he wanted to say next. "Actually, before we get home, there's something you should know."

"What is it?"

"Well...Rin is there."

Hiyori blinked. "Isuzu? That's a surprise -- is she paying a visit?"

"We're not really sure." He said. "The thing is, Miss Honda came home from the grocery store to find her there. And she...well, she didn't seem to be doing too well."

"W-What?!" She jumped. "What do you mean?! Last time I saw her, I thought she was doing better! I-Is she okay?! Is she sick?!"

Expecting as much from her, Yuki raised one hand with a reassuring smile. "Hiyori, it's okay. When I got home, she had transformed, so we had to keep her there until she changed back. She was still resting when I left, and Shigure called Hatori. He'll be coming over to check on her."