You Were The Path I Chose | A Goro Akechi Romance

#For a Ride

... In which I, on the first day of Shujin's school festival, decide to leave early and find myself face to face with Goro Akechi, doing the same. I haven't seen him in months but suddenly he's here again, offering a convenient means to get home. Is this finally the reunion I've been waiting for?

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I linger for a moment longer, watching my friends return to the stalls. Although the first day of the festival is almost over, many visitors are still enjoying themselves, including my friends. Yusuke is gesturing now; he seems to want to head off on his own.

"They're being careless," says Morgana from the depths of my bag. "We should all go home and rest up . . . well, at least you're listening to me."

I nod as I begin strolling toward the school gate. I don't feel like spending more time at the festival, as my friends have decided to. It's been a long day, so I've excused myself to head home. I'm tired and honestly quite anxious about what will happen tomorrow . . . with Akechi.

When my friends first suggested we invite him to the festival, I was elated at the prospect of seeing him again. Because he certainly kept his word—ever since our trip to Inokashira Park in September, I haven't seen or even spoken to him once.

So much has happened that occupied me otherwise—first and foremost the incident with Okumura and our public fall from grace—and although it kept me distracted, I could never bring myself to forget him or give up hope that we'll meet again.

Although I feel a little torn about my friends' plan to essentially use Akechi for information, I can't deny that, besides my personal feelings, there isn't much reason to be against the idea. So, I haven't protested. Besides, it is a chance to see him again. I'm not passing that up. Earlier today hardly counts.

I flinch, recalling what happened at the table with the takoyaki. I didn't expect Akechi to show up today already, and it was not even remotely the kind of reunion I had pictured; I didn't even get to speak to him. Against my will, I'm still picturing his tense face and feeling the barely controllable urge to run after him when he left—even if only to have a proper conversation for the first time in almost two months.

I'll talk to him tomorrow, I promise myself. Although . . . I sigh and clutch my bag tighter. Something tells me that things won't go quite as planned tomorrow, considering this is . . . Akechi we're talking about. Whatever he does, I know him well enough to have no doubt it will end up surprising us all. It's . . . what he does.

I'm in the process of asking myself whether that's a good or bad thing and whether I should maybe rethink my initial impulse of calling it good when something wet hits my forehead. I startle just as another drop follows, then instinctively raise my hand to shield my face from the sudden rain.

"Oh," says Morgana. "Just what we needed. Did you bring an umbrella?"

I shake my head, trying to shove aside the memories the rain evokes. Ever since that trip to the park, I seem to have developed an odd association between Akechi and rain that has plagued me since that day.

Instead of Akechi, I force myself to mourn the absence of my umbrella that I left behind, confident that I could borrow someone else's if push came to shove. At least the rain remains light. Briefly, I wonder why it isn't evoking that familiar temptation of wanting to skip through the puddles as I slip out the gate. Honestly, I don't feel like relishing it right now. I feel like running to the subway station or maybe finding a quiet cafe or something to wait and see if it will pass. Maybe I can read that book I borrowed from the library yesterday . . .