The MagiArtist Collection

On The Road (Female!Gou Shijima x Reader)

It had been a day since the supposed time that Hikari disappeared forever. Getting to Futo on foot was probably the worst idea you could ever hope to have come up with. Within one hour, you have gotten yourself lost in the metropolitan transit system. You now missed the country life of Tomioka. You were now on the streets of a nearby city. Your best chance is to find a hotel and then ask for a taxi service.

Though, on your way there, you bumped into a white and blue bike.

"Hey! Watch it!" Its rider, a girl with short hair partially tied in a ponytail wearing a white jacket with red stripes and a blue shirt, said.

"S-sorry..." You said. You then recognized her. During your 99 days with Hikari, you read up on some nature and wildlife articles as a means of trying to cope with her death. The pictures of the wildlife took your breath away, and you would often check on who took the pictures. The girl you saw matched the photo of the photographer you saw the most work of: Shijima Gou.

And so, you instantly fanboyed.

"I-is that you Miss Shijima!? Oh my God! You're so awesome! I especially enjoyed the picture where that fish was going up a waterfall! It was cool!" You began to lose your breath as Gou simply sighed.

"Yep. It's me." She took a few pictures on the city landscape.

"So... What's your next project?" You asked.

"Urban life. Some cities are pretty cool to take photos of. Toriizaka, Zawame, Futo..." As she said Futo, you jumped at the chance.

"I lived in Futo! Well... I don't anymore... but I'm moving back! Assuming monsters didn't blow the place up, you want me to show you around?" You asked.

"Hm... I don't tend to bring people along..." She looked over at the city landscape. "That said, it'd be nice to have a companion for the next little while. Why not? Hop on." She said. You looked at the bike for a moment. You've never been on a bike before. Not even back in Tomioka, where Hikari had her own bike. You never once rode with her.

"Something wrong?" Gou asked you. You just noticed your face droop a bit. You snapped out of it and feigned a smile.

"No. I'm fine." You got onto the bike and looked around. "Uh... Seatbelts?"

"There's none of that on a bike. You better hold on." Gou said as she started up the bike.

-_-_-_-

For dear life, you held onto her. At first, your grip was super tight, to the point where Gou would have to stop to have you let go and give her time to breathe. Eventually, you stopped holding so tightly. You still had a snug grip on Gou by the end of the day, but at least it was comfortable enough for Gou to keep riding uninterrupted.

Futo was gonna be another twelve hours and by that time, the sun was already down. Rather than stop at a hotel, Gou simply stopped by the side of the road and parked his motorcycle. She started up a small campfire and you and her had to sleep there for the night.

But... you couldn't sleep. Your mind was still on Hikari. You tried to lose your thoughts into the flames, but they weren't enough. You still thought of her. You even let out a small whimper. That's when you felt someone's hand on your back.

"I knew it." It was Gou. You tossed over to see her sitting. She patted onto her lap and you moved your head to rest on it. "So... What's buggin' ya?" Gou asked. You stared up into the sky. While you can see the stars, those weren't the beauties your eyes stayed at. Gou's eyes were a shimmering blue, a nice, cooling hue that gave you a sense of calm that you never had before.

You decided to open yourself to Gou.

"It's... I had this friend. She was... she was the nicest person you could ever meet and... and... I loved..." You didn't need to say anymore. Gou simply stroked your hair.

"I know that feeling. I..." Gou shook her head. "No. I don't. I... only realized I was in love until it was too late." She sighed and looked to you. "You wouldn't mind a little bedtime story, right?" She asked. You shook your head.

"There was this guy... He's... He was cold. Stand offish. My sis thought he was cool though... I didn't though. It's... complicated, but I just couldn't trust him. Even when he was out risking his ass to save me, I still resented him." Gou chuckled a bit. "I even yelled at him a bit when he said he liked my sister. Back then, I was sure that it was because I still didn't like him. But..." You looked up at her the entire time. Throughout her story, you could see her trying to smile so hard, though tears were beginning to form. "It wasn't until... he sacrificed himself for me... that I knew what it really was... I... I loved him... No... I could have loved him... Instead, I... I pushed him away." You could feel her body tremble. You weakly raised your hand to touch her face. She closed her eyes and let out a few tears.

"Sorry... I... I didn't mean to be such a baby..." Gou held your hand.

"No... I'm sorry..." You said. "I told her that I loved her. I... I didn't go through the same circumstances you did."

"Promise me something." Gou said.

"Yeah?"

"Promise me you'll live your life to the fullest. To make the most of everyday. I'm sure they would have wanted us to do that." Gou said. You smiled.

"I will." You said.

-_-_-_-

You told Gou more about your time with Hikari and, during it, you felt a huge amount of pressure being lifted off your back. You felt... peaceful.

You and Gou had a nice rest by the campfire, though by morning, you two got on and rode off to Futo. Twelve hours later, you arrived just as the sun set. As you stopped by, you got off the bike.

"I... I had a great time with you, Gou." You said.

"Thanks. I'll be in the area in case you wanna chat. At least for about a week." She said.

"Okay. Oh! Let me know when you're leaving. I wanna say goodbye." You said. Gou smiled.

"Don't worry. I will." Gou said as you bumped fists with her. You left and headed towards your place... assuming it's still vacant from when you moved all those years ago. As you did, you saw a cop pull Gou over. At first, you felt worried, especially since you recognized the red leather jacket and matching red pants. However, as you looked, you could see the two were simply chatting like old friends. You smiled and headed off. Perhaps one day you'll move on from Hikari's death.

You thought that stepping back into the city that you left would be the first step... but really, it was sharing your story with someone you trusted that was the first step. You could feel a nice breeze pass by Futo. You know that, somehow, everything will work out.