Light Impulse

Resolution

"Here," Mikey said softly. He handed her a paper bag before sitting down next to her on the cement blocks by the water.

Yuuna gratefully took the warm paper bag from him and the sweet smell of freshly toasted taiyaki wafted into the air. After soothing her until she could no longer cry he had carefully asked her if it was alright if they talked for a bit and he ended up taking her for a ride to the seaside. Her eyes were still puffy from crying so much and she couldn't deny that part of her was still anxious if it was really alright to be with them like this. They sat together in the faint warmth of the October sun, eating their taiyaki in silence for a while when suddenly Mikey leaned sideways and let his head rest on her shoulder.

"I didn't even realise I missed you until a couple of days ago," he whispered.

Her heart clenched and she let her hands sink into her lap. The chilly autumn breeze cooled her eyes and cheeks while the remainder of her taiyaki warmed her hands. And she softly let her cheek rest against his head.

"I have missed you so much... A lifetime's worth in just a few days," he continued faintly.

She swallowed. The time she had really, actually, known him he hadn't been able to speak. Hearing his voice so close, feeling it reverberate in her chest... It felt so unreal. As if she would wake up any minute now, only to find out it had all been a dream... Too good to be true.

"'Always remember, my heart holds you when my arms cannot'," he said, sitting up again and looking at her meaningfully.

Tears burned in her eyes again as he repeated that precious sentence back to her. She had told him so very often back then. Hoping it would maybe make him feel a little less lonely in his muted world, as they braced themselves for an inevitable goodbye. There was no other way he could possibly know that line if he hadn't truly remembered their time together.

"How I longed to talk to you," he said, his eyes lingering on all the different parts of her face. "How I wished I could have held you," he said, choking up a little. "It hurts to remember it all," he said as he clasped his scarf. "All this time... Your heart has truly held me when your arms couldn't," he continued in a whisper.

Her lip trembled and a warm tear ran down her cheek again.

"Thank you for staying with me until the very end, Yuuna," he said sincerely, catching her tear with his finger. "I am so glad to have you back," he added with a smile.

She let out a trembling sigh and she looked out over the shimmering water. "Where do we even go from here?" She asked softly. She had explained everything. From her family history to the way she had been pulled through time and about her fateful encounter with Chifuyu after all those years.

Mikey sighed too and thought about his answer for a moment. "What do you want to do?" He asked carefully.

She shook her head slowly. "I have forbidden myself to even dream about a life with you for almost as long as I can remember. I still have a hard time shaking the feeling that none of this is right, that I shouldn't be with you," she said desperately.

He grabbed her arm and pulled up her sleeve resolutely, exposing the prayer coin on her wrist. "You were bound to us through time, Yuuna. Even the universe, or fate, or whoever calls the shots in the grand scheme of things, seems to believe that you belong with us," he said sincerely, watching her close as he spoke, determined to have the full weight of his words reach her. "I'm certain Shin would feel the same way," he added softly.

Yuuna looked at him with a tentative frown. "He doesn't remember the time leap, does he?" She asked.

Mikey shook his head. "But who knows what happens when he touches that," he said, glancing at the shimmering coin.