"(Y/N)-chan we have to keep running!"
"Tarou I-I can't.." You whimper.
Your feet were bruised and beaten. He wasn't any better. You were exhausted and hungry.
"Just leave me behind." You sobbed.
Growing up here was tough. You truly thought that as you got older you would be stronger. Both of you had promised to join the squad barracks as soul reapers. The hope was to lead a life that was more useful.
Tarou kneeled, giving you a gentle smile. You could hear the screams of the hollow in the distance, and you flinched. He took your hands.
"I'm not going to leave you, because becoming reapers wasn't the only promise I made." He lifted you into his arms as he guided you to a covered area, and when he tucked you in the bark of a broken off tree, you were confused.
"T-Tarou..?"
He just grinned.
"I'm going to become a strong reaper, a captain. Then the both of us are going to get married and live happily ever after." You blushed at the statement, and he leaned forward, leaving a kiss on the top of your head. When he pulled away, your tears came streaming down.
"I'll definitely make you fall for me and make you my bride. "
He stood, and you reached out, but he was already running off in the direction of the hollow.
"Ta..rou..TARAOU!!!!"
Your eyes fix on the stone before you, the scribble of words written on it.
Tarou (L/N).
He'd died so young.
"I'm sorry we never got that happy ending. I wish I could have given you more than just my last name. You deserved so much more."
You'd managed to crawl out of the forest. When the reapers finally showed up, it was too late. All you could see was the blood that covered his body. It hurt. More than you wanted to accept.
That was probably the moment that you decided that fighting for others was a waste of time. He'd given up his life for you. Deprived himself of a future over a dream he never had a chance to achieve. Coming here used to bring you nothing but pain.
But everything was different now.
You are different now.
"I met someone, Tarou. You would like him. He's a bit of a loose canon. Kind of like you were when we were kids. He's really bad at focusing on anything that isn't related to fighting. But he has someone that he cares about more than his own life. Someone he lives to protect. Kind of like how you always did for me. I guess hearing me gush over another guy would make you a little jealous huh." You laugh, rubbing your neck.
"I'm sorry, I guess I'm still a bit oblivious."
The wind tossed your robes.
"(Y/N)-san?"
The voice in the background catches you by surprise.
"Hanataro?"
He's holding a bouquet of flowers and his eyes moved to the grave stone.
"You knew Tarou-san?"
You're shocked that he does.
"W-We grew up together." You explain.
"I had no idea. Tarou-kun protected me a lot when we were in Rukongai. I always thought it was because we looked so similar. "
The resemblance was prominent. It's possible they could have been brothers and just never knew. You were all orphans after all.
It sort of makes sense now.
Hanataro places the flowers down.
"I really looked up to him. A part of me always wanted to be like him." You look over at Hanataro.
"You are just like him.He wasn't very strong either. "
Your words catch his attention.
"Despite his limits, he used every breath in his body to protect me. Down to the very end. I guess that's why somewhere along the way I stopped caring. "
Hantaro listens attentively.
"I used to be hopeful and full of belief in the cause, but when I lost him I lost that. Reapers that I knew in those times weren't all good. There were some really cruel ones that took advantage of their power. They didn't protect us like they said they would. At some point I..I became just like them." You pressed a hand to your face.
"He would probably hate who I turned out to be."
You were disappointed in yourself.
"I don't believe that. I think he would be proud that you figured out how to protect again. "
Hanataro's words make you look up.
"You lost someone special, it's natural that you would feel hurt and lose hope. But despite what you believe in, both times you thought I was in danger you threw yourself in front of it to save me. You're a hero. "
His smile is warm, and you can't help but return it. You grab him by the shoulder ruffling his hair.
"You really are just like him, you softie."
"(Y/N)-chan stop it, you're messing up my hair!!"
It was nice hearing those words.
~
After the visit, you walk back with Hanataro feeling refreshed. You only slow down when the familiar head of green hair pops out.
"There you are Hanataro! I was worried." She runs in giving him a hug."
"I'm fine Fuka-chan."
Somehow the moment reminds you of the way you always clung to Tarou.
When her eyes turn to you, she's glaring at you.
"D-Do you have a crush on Hana-kun!! I'm not going to give him up to anyone!!"
Hanataro panics, cheeks flushed.
"F-Fuka-chan w-what are you saying!!"
"I don't have a crush on him." You state.
"Then why are you always around him! You must have feelings for him."
Your eyes drift over his form, and the words he spoke that day to protect his friend seem to run through your head.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
It was admirable.
"He reminds me of someone that I used to know. Someone I cared about. Family."
The sadness reflected shocks her. Fuka takes a step forward, no longer on the defensive. She bows
"P-Please continue to protect him!"
You aren't fully sure, but it feels like she realizes it. When she straightens there's a sense of understanding in her eyes. Like she knows what you've been through. It's weird and comforting in a sense.
"I'll do my best."
