A/N: Hi guys, it's Fi again! Firstly I want to thank RedSS, Thnh An Phm, Enilorac Eiram, Guest (Wow, really? Thank you! Glad you liked it XD) and Luanslayer92 for your supports. XD Finally we're at the final chapter of Hatsukoi. It was quite difficult to finish this chapter, honestly. I don't even remember how many times I deleted some parts and rewrite them again. Sigh. Anyways, I really hope you could enjoy this. A bit sad since it's the last, but on with the story! XD
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Hatsukoi
(First Love)
An Angel Beats! fanfiction by FiDhysta
Disclaimer: I do not own Angel Beats!
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Drama
Rated: T
Chara: Tachibana Kanade, Nakamura Yuri, Otonashi Yuzuru
Pairing: OtoKana, slight YuriNaoi
Warning: Very OOC! Please bear with me
Don't like it? Feel free to click 'back'
Happy reading
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Summary: Tachibana Kanade is known as the emotionless, cold Angel that notoriously never stays long in a relationship. But does she really deserve all the rumors? All that she needs is a friend. A friend that will unravel her deepest feelings.
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Final Chapter: My Only Regret
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School Grounds
No matter how busy and exciting the school festival was, the sun always set around the same time. It had been almost ten hours since the open house began, and the festival almost came to an end. The students were busy with their bustles here and there, closing their stands and cleaning up the props and decorations around the campus.
Flipping through her checklist papers, Yuri was making sure the preparations were going well. The closing ceremony was another attraction of the cultural festival, where a bonfire party would be held in the evening. During the party, everyone could freely choose a partner and join the folk dance around the bonfire.
"This is the last table from our stand. I'll return it to the class, Nakamura."
Yuri looked up from the papers to her fellow classmate. "Right. Thanks for your hard work!" she replied with a smile. She put a check mark on the last row of her list.
"Okay, check. With this, my job is aaaall done," she stretched her arms, then sighed tiredly. "What a day. Thank goodness I don't have to help preparing the bonfire as well. My body won't make it for sure," she looked around the field, other teams responsible for closing ceremony were working on the logs. Some people found it interesting to see other people work, so they just sat and watched. There were also couples chatting on the side of the field, seemingly waiting for the folk dance to start.
Everyone is enjoying the festival with their loved ones, Yuri concluded. She was glad people could enjoy today's festival. She felt proud of her school, of all participants, and of course—of the student council that could manage all of this smoothly.
With such achievement, Yuri couldn't help but thought about her friends. She wanted them to see what her school—her team—could provide. She wanted to tell them proudly that she, the rebellious Nakamura Yuri from Senjou Junior High, was a part of the person in charge of this event.
When seeing other people laughing with each other, she unconsciously pictured herself with her friends doing the same thing in her imagination.
"It would be nice if Ooyama-kun and the others came and enjoyed it all. Sekine-san wanted to go to this school, didn't she? She would definitely be even more envious of me after seeing this festival," she giggled.
From her peripheral vision, she caught sight of another couple holding hands while walking around the unlit bonfire, and unknowingly her lips formed a sad smile.
"I wonder if Kanade-chan has talked to Otonashi-kun? If so... Maybe they also do the same somewhere around the fields, huh..." for a second, the previous couple she saw appeared to change into a silver-haired girl and a redhead boy in her eyes. She chuckled dryly, shaking her head.
"Ah, no, no. Kanade-chan is in charge of preparing the closing ceremony as well. Being such a helper as he is, it's more likely that Otonashi-kun stubbornly insists on helping with her work. Yeah, that must be it."
When she was done with her monologue, silence filled her surroundings. She was in the middle of a busy environment, but strangely, she felt rather out of it. Blame it on the sudden melancholy, but she just couldn't pretend to be happy at the moment.
Suddenly, Yuri felt so... alone.
She missed her friends. She wanted to at least see the bonfire with her closest, loved ones.
Her heart stung with sadness, but before it could ascend to her eyes, she quickly shook her head. "Ergh, what am I thinking?! Of course I'm not alone! Kanade-chan and the others are here with me. That's more than enough!" she tried to convince herself.
Yes, but I can't butt in all the time anymore, now that she's with Otonashi-kun.
A frown formed on her face. She knew she should be happy for her friends. Perhaps it was because of all the drama happened throughout this long day, perhaps it was the fatigue, she didn't care. Just, right now... she felt so left behind by everyone.
But it was inevitable. As soon as her friends got a partner, their time for her would be shortened.
"What the hell... Why am I suddenly thinking this way, after all those wise advices...? I'm pathetic... "
Her eyes began to water, and she was about to succumb to the loneliness when suddenly her phone rang. She jolted, then wiped her eyes and took out her smartphone. Kanade's name appeared on the screen, making her raise a brow before answering.
"Hello, Kanade-chan? What is it?"
The preparations were almost done, so Yuri was a bit confused as to why Kanade called at this hour. Moreover, it's the first time Kanade called her today. But then she shrugged, assuming maybe the president only wanted to check on the progress of her team.
"..."
One of her eyebrow raised higher when she received no response. "Hello, Ka—"
"Yuri... I was mistaken," the girl on the other end finally spoke. Her tone was plain as usual, but the way she spoke so slowly made Yuri somehow feel uneasy.
"Kanade-chan? What's wrong?"
"I can't take it anymore," the girl said impassively, "it's all too overwhelming for me..."
A chill ran down her spine. Her brain started to think negatively that something bad would happen, and she desperately hoped that she was only overthinking things.
"W-what do you mean? Wait—you're NOT trying to do something, are you? Where are you now?!" she almost yelled on the phone.
"...On the rooftop of our classroom building." Kanade answered still in the same monotonous voice. "I think this is goodbye, Yuri..."
Alarm spread across her body, and that was enough to bring Yuri over the edge. What else might a helpless girl do alone on a secluded rooftop at night, saying goodbye out of the blue?
Kanade's life was in grave danger.
"What the hell are you thinking?! Stay put! Don't do anything until I get there! I WON'T forgive you if you try to do anything funny, mark my words! I'm on my way!" she didn't care if she literally spat on her phone. She ended the call and hurriedly left the school grounds.
As she sprinted towards her classroom building, her mind went wild and began thinking what was driving Kanade to do such thing.
Is it because of that reunion with her parents? What if they eventually dragged her to join them? Or—were things not going well with Otonashi-kun? Hold it, she said she was mistaken. Don't tell me he's devastated by the rejection, so much that he turns to hate her instead?
Her heart drummed in her chest dreadfully, both because of the running and the horror of the image of losing her best friend.
I swear to God if that's the truth, I'll beat the shit out of him and make sure he'll regret he'd ever lived! Please, please, Kanade-chan—wait for me...
She squeezed her eyes the moment her tears threatened to fall. She climbed the stairs furiously, jumping over two steps at a time, silently cursing why such mammoth school didn't have any elevator.
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Study Block B, 3rd Floor—Rooftop
Yuri almost tripped the moment she reached the door leading out to the rooftop. She hastily opened it with a loud bang, not even bothering to check her sprained ankle.
"Kanade-chan!"
BANG! BANG!
The loud popping sounds literally made her jump. She yelped and covered her face with her arms in reflex, preparing for any attack. However what came next was something beyond her expectations.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Yuri snapped her eyes open at the choir, and was welcomed by her friends—all of her besties from junior high—grinning widely, each of them holding a confetti popper. In the front row was Kanade, safe and sound, holding a cake with some lit candles.
"Eh? Eh? Heh?" dumbfounded, she inspected her own body, now covered in colorful pieces and streamers of mylar. She then glanced around her friends, her brain still loading to process the situation.
"Today's your birthday, right, Yurippe?" Ooyama chirped, "we've predicted that you'd forget, just as usual," he chuckled.
That rang a bell in Yuri's head. She started to recall today's date and automatically slapped her forehead. "It is... I totally forgot..." she moaned, "so that's why I felt like something's off since this morning. Like I've forgotten something important."
"That's it! That's what you always say every year!" Hinata said laughing, followed by everyone's laughter. Beside him, Kanade even stifled a giggle.
Yuri, eyes still wide as a saucer, finally closed her dropping jaw. "Bu-but... Why are you guys here? Didn't you say you already had plans for today?"
"Well, this is that plan," Ooyama grinned, opening his arms wide, "this was all Tachibana-san's plan, actually. About a month ago she called me, asking if I could call the others to meet up for the cultural festival. Then we realized the D-day is also Yurippe's birthday, so we decided to make it a little surprise. Tachibana-san has been silently contacting us all this time," he gestured towards the younger girl beside him.
"But we're worried that we'd be found out, you know. You sounded too monotonous as someone who's about to commit suicide, Kanade-chan," Hinata commented, rolling his eyes at the girl.
"I've told you I'm not good with acting..." Kanade replied flatly.
"Now, now. There's nobody else could lure Yurippe here, right? Moreover, didn't it work pretty well? Look," Ooyama nodded towards Yuri who was still in her thunderstruck state.
She blinked once. "So... it's all just a joke?"
"Of course! Isn't it obvious?" Hinata giggled amusedly.
Tears began to well up in her eyes once more. "So Kanade-chan isn't really trying to jump from the roof? So you're feeling just fine?"
Kanade nodded. "Never better," she smiled.
At last the dam broke and Yuri cried loudly. She lunged forward and hugged Kanade tightly, startling the girl. She stroked Yuri's back with one of her hands, the other holding up the cake into Hinata's care so it wouldn't be crushed.
"Why you... you stupid, inhumane people! Didn't you know you almost gave me a heart attack back there?! Huaaaa!" she wailed, squeezing the poor girl's body with her monstrous strength.
"Hehe, sorry, Yurippe. We didn't know you'd fall for that. After all, this kid's acting almost made me cringe, and we thought you were a lil' sharper, you know," Sekine snickered.
"How shallow-minded," Shiina deadpanned, while Kanade gave a small pout at their comments.
"Heh, you're just a bunch of idiots. It wasn't that surprising for me, since I knew it would work. Because when it comes to Tachibana-san, Nakamura-san certainly won't be able to think clearly, that's all," came Naoi's cocky voice that irked Yuri in an instant.
Releasing Kanade from her arms, she pointed an accusing finger at the vice-president whose presence she had just noticed. "Shut up, Naoi-kun! Why are you here in the first place?"
"What did I tell you about pointing at people?" Naoi straightened his cap nonchalantly. "I heard Tachibana-san was preparing a surprise party for someone. I didn't think it would hurt if I join as well."
"Now, now, let's get the party started, shall we? Before the cake gets melted candle as a free extra topping," Iwasawa walked to the front, an acoustic guitar in her arms.
"Bounce, baby, bounce~!" TK twirled in her tow.
As Iwasawa started playing the guitar, everyone clapped along, happily singing 'Happy Birthday' for the birthday girl. Yuri felt her heart soar with emotion. She giggled shyly, wiping the tears of joy with her thumb as she thanked her friends.
Candles were blown out, wishes were made, her once empty heart rejoiced together with her dear friends. After their applause subsided, a pink-haired petite girl approached her.
"Happy birthday, senpai! Here's your present, from Hinacchi-senpai and me," she chirped, and Yuri raised her brows. She accepted the present then observed the new girl—long pink hair with two little pigtails, stylish clothes with a snazzy pair of boots, childish grin, and big, doll-like innocent eyes. Her first impression on the girl was 'cute'.
"Thanks. You are..." she trailed off, then Hinata came to the girl's side and introduced her.
"Ah, this is my girlfriend, Yui. She insisted to come along, so I said at least she had to bring a present," he patted her shoulder and the girl glared at him.
"'At least'? That's only your excuse to make me pick one since you're suck at it!" she spat, before turning to Yuri with the sweetest smile. "Anyways, nice to meet you, senpai. I'm Yui, but you can also call me Yui-nyan!" she curled her fists on either side of her head, winking as she gave the impression of a cat.
Her cute act didn't stay long though. Hinata immediately wrapped his arms around her neck tightly, choking her in a sleeper hold. "That's not the way to introduce yourself to your senpai! Don't embarrass me after I kindly brought you along and pretended that I didn't know anything this entire day!"
She screamed begging for mercy, but when he released her, she retaliated by locking him in a camel clutch instead. "'Kindly'? I didn't even beg to you! I wanted to see Iwasawa-san's live at first when she told me she had a surprise party for her friend and that's why I decided to come along! YOU should be the one thanking me for getting the present, no? Where's your thank you?"
"Aaarghithurtsithurtsithurts—why you little—!"
Yuri shuddered, suddenly feeling that she had to reconsider her opinion about the 'cute' girl. The others sweatdropped at the weird couple, whispers began to spread around the gang.
"So Hinata-kun isn't only a lolicon, he's also a sadist."
"He enjoys being tortured too, doesn't it make him a masochist as well?"
"An S-M couple, I see. Their night activities must be pretty rough."
"What!? Isn't she, like, 14...?"
"Crazy baby kill me softly."
"How shallow-minded."
Iwasawa clapped her hands to gain their attention. "Don't mind them, that's their way of being lovey-dovey. Yui is a big fan of pro-wrestling, after all. Why don't we cut the cake now?"
Everyone shivered at the wrestling couple, but decided to just ignore them and started to gather around the table nonetheless. Yuri cut the cake into smaller pieces, and Kanade volunteered to give them to the group.
"I kiss you!" TK sang as he came forward to receive the cake from Kanade.
She shuddered, swiftly hiding behind Yuri's back while staring at him in horror. Yuri laughed at her reaction.
"Don't mind him, that's his way of saying 'thank you'. He's not a bad guy, though he's just a little... eccentric," she explained.
The group laughed and continued to enjoy the cake. Once the cake was all gone, they took turns to give presents to Yuri. She couldn't be happier now, that evening she had been smiling non-stop to the point her cheeks ached.
Soon there was only one person left who had yet to give their present.
"Delicious cake, eh, Naoi-kun? Aren't you going to give me something too?" Yuri teased, smirking at Naoi who was putting down his empty paper plate. He replied with a smirk on his own.
"My, my, I didn't know you'd be that enthusiastic, looking forward to my present of all people."
Yuri blushed. "W-what? Don't flatter yourself! I said that because I knew you wouldn't prepare something as nice as that!" she yelled at him.
To her surprise, Naoi slid his hand inside his blazer and took something out from his inner pocket.
"Too bad... So this isn't needed, huh?" he twiddled with the small rectangular package, his voice held a mocking tone.
Yuri's arrogant act dropped and turned into a dumbstruck expression by the unexpected outcome. "Eh...? You... really prepared one?"
He rolled his eyes haughtily. "Hmph. Not that I wanted to, but since Pres said that I'd be better not coming empty-handed, then—"
"Naoi-kun kept asking for my advice, so I helped him choose the gift," Kanade cut in, which caught Naoi off guard and made him lose his cool.
"P-Pres! Didn't we agree to keep that a secret?!" he protested in panic, his cheeks reddened, forgetting his usual la-di-da accent.
"Eh? Did we...?" Kanade asked back innocently.
Naoi grumbled something incoherent under his breath, hiding his face with his cap while Yuri watched the scene, flabbergasted. Finally, he held out the package to her half-heartedly, refusing to meet her eyes.
"Here," he said curtly. Yuri stared at the present for a moment before taking it from his hand.
"What's inside?" she asked suspiciously, shaking the package.
"A sugar-coated cockroach. Don't scream if it jumps onto your face as soon you open it," he answered nonchalantly.
Now Yuri was rather worried. She gulped then began to tear the wrapping cautiously. With both eyes closed, she opened the lid slowly, preparing for something to come out—but nothing happened.
Hold it. If he asked Kanade-chan for some advice, there's no way she'd suggest to put something gross... She braved herself to open her eyes and looked what's inside.
A new ribbon headband.
She stared in disbelief at the red ribbon. Never once in her craziest mind did she imagine Naoi would really give her a proper present—a cute accessory, even. Meanwhile, Naoi blushed at her amazed face.
"If you don't like it, I'll just give it to one of my fans out there," he said sharply. He tried to snatch the present from her hands, but she was faster to hold it closer to her chest.
"...e it..." she whispered under her breath. He raised a brow at her.
"Huh?"
"I like it..." Yuri mumbled a little louder. "Thanks..." she uttered unwillingly through pouting lips, averting her pink-tinted face.
Naoi's blush deepened until it reached his ears. He was about to open his mouth to make a retort when a powerful shove suddenly tackled him to the floor, followed by an angry yell.
"Not so fast, Yurippe! Don't fall for this twerp so easily! What about me?! Isn't my present good enough for you?!" Noda interrupted, whining to Yuri while pushing Naoi's head down.
"Argh! What are you doing, you jerk? I'm the vice-president, have some manner!" Naoi slapped away Noda's hand and put his cap back on.
"Like I care, I'm not a student here! You have to kill me first before flirting with Yurippe, you scum!"
"What?! How can you call that flirting, you son of—"
Yuri blinked, gaping at the two fighting guys as if they were some kind of aliens. She startled and closed her hanging jaw only when Hinata poked her shoulder.
"Well, well, look at this. Didn't you become quite popular here, Yurippe?" he teased, causing the said girl's face to glow red.
"W-what do you mean by popular?"
Hinata snorted. "Time to make a choice, don't you think? It'll turn into a bloodbath if you keep ignoring their honest, desperate feelings," he finished with a wink.
Yuri got flustered, her blush darkened even more. She violently grabbed Hinata's shirt, slapping both of his cheeks back and forth. "D-d-don't say such irrational things, moron!"
Meanwhile, Kanade giggled watching Yuri's antics. "Yuri's quite funny, isn't she?"
"Yeah, that's our Yurippe for you. That means she's happy and healthy alright," Ooyama replied, chuckling.
Kanade nodded at him then back to watch her friend's outrageous tantrum. A soft smile curled on her lips. "Good for you, Yuri..."
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A night at school was usually scary, but not today when the school was still quite lively even hours after sunset. The closing ceremony had already started, with the bonfire as the main attraction in the school grounds.
The student council president was leaning on the rooftop railing, silently watching the crowd from above. She enjoyed as summer breeze blew across her face, her long hair swayed gently.
"Kanade-chan~" a pat on her shoulder broke her trance, and she turned to see Yuri, grinning from ear to ear.
"Thank you so much for today. I didn't expect you'd go as far as contacting my friends and planning this reunion for me," she said, running her fingers through her shoulder-length hair when a rather strong wind blew. "I've always wanted to introduce you to my friends, you know. But seems like you've beaten me to it."
Kanade shook her head. "It's nothing. What Yuri has done for me is much more than that," she replied with a small smile.
"There's something in my mind though..." Yuri mumbled, and Kanade tipped her head to the side in question. Yuri put her hand to Kanade's ear as she whispered.
"I wonder why Otonashi-kun didn't take part in the party?"
The shorter girl blushed at the mention of his name, and Yuri tried her best to stifle her laugh.
"He's already busy with the band... I shouldn't bother him more," she answered at last, although poorly. Yuri smirked.
"C'mon, you should've thought of a better excuse. His live concert was only for this afternoon, even Hinata-kun is here. Did you forget they're in the same band?" she persisted.
Kanade stayed silent, only resuming to gaze down at the grounds. Yuri heaved a sigh, her teasing expression turned into concern.
"What makes you still avoiding him? We're cool, right? You're not holding back for me, are you?" she asked, worry in her voice.
Kanade shook her head, and Yuri inwardly sighed in relief.
"No, it's just... me. I don't know how I should confront him after everything I've done to him... I'm just not sure what to do," she confessed.
"You're worried that after you let him down, now he won't be the same anymore?" Yuri guessed, and Kanade once again gave no response.
She observed the silent girl for some moments, before stretching her arms over her head. "Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't it?" she smiled, throwing an optimistic glance at the troubled girl. When she gained Kanade's attention, she then nodded towards the fields below. "Go talk to him."
Contrasted with her doubtless look, Kanade looked away hesitantly. "But—he probably—"
"Kanade-chan," she interrupted firmly, "have some confidence." Kanade opened her mouth to refute, but Yuri held up her hand to stop her. "You've succeeded in making peace with your past, haven't you? Just do it one more time and be honest with him. The quickest way to acquire self-confidence is to do exactly what you're afraid to do, after all."
Kanade gripped the railing tighter, trying to take Yuri's words into consideration. She turned to look at her friend, asking for certainty. Yuri took the message and granted her a sisterly smile.
"You owe him your honesty, so just let him know what you really want to tell him. And like I said before... follow what's inside your heart. Got it?"
Yuri's emerald eyes were full of confidence that was transmitted to Kanade. She felt a surge of confidence began to spark within herself. Closing her eyes for a moment, now her heart felt lighter that the doubts had started to decrease.
She nodded.
Yuri grinned approvingly. "See you," she pushed Kanade's back, encouraging the girl to waste no time. Kanade paused and turned her head halfway to give her one last grateful smile before making a beeline towards the door.
"Huh? Where is Tachibana-san going?"
Yuri paid no heed to Ooyama's curious question. As she watched Kanade's retreating figure, her broad grin softened into a smile, a slight melancholy in her gaze. She then closed her eyes, feeling content.
Goodbye, my first love...
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School Grounds
This was the most eagerly awaited part of the closing ceremony, the folk dance. Yuzuru watched as students walked in pairs, dancing around the bonfire. Other students were also seen flocking into the grounds to join the dance.
However, he wasn't one of them. He had changed back into his uniform, retracting into a more secluded part at the corner of the field. He leaned against a pillar of the building behind him and enjoyed the scene by himself. He did try to watch the ceremony with other audience in the field beforehand, but not for a long time as he ended up becoming the soft target for his admirers. He thought it was safer if he drew himself back from the crowd.
It wasn't like he was being arrogant towards the girls—he just really needed some time alone for the time being. Some girls even dared to ask him to dance together, but he politely turned them down, saying that he couldn't dance.
He knew that wasn't the real reason though. Even if he did can dance, he still wouldn't dance with some random girls. Not that he really interested in joining the folk dance himself, but if he had to, there was only one girl he wanted to dance with.
Sighing, he put his hands into his pockets as he slouched against the wall. After everything that happened throughout the day, he felt that his chance to get closer to the girl had turned to slim. Not to mention he hadn't met her ever since she left him this afternoon, after that seemingly potential rejection.
His mind was in a muddle. This whole evening he had been trying to just accept the situation and appreciate her decision, yet he was unable to bring himself to get over it just like that. Being rejected for the first time was painful enough, let alone when it came to the second time... He didn't think he would be able to regain his self-confidence easily.
He was absently kicking the pebbles around his feet when he heard short footsteps closing in. Curious, he looked sideways and surprised to see the very girl in his mind right there. Upon him noticing her presence, she stopped at a respectful distance and lifted her gaze to meet his.
"Yuzuru..." she called, and his heart fluttered just by that simple address. "Your friends mentioned that you're not interested in folk dance, so I figured you'd be here."
He straightened his body from the pillar and turned to face her. "You were looking for me?"
Kanade nodded. "I left you hanging back there... I think I owe you an explanation," she replied. But instead of resuming, Kanade broke the eye contact and averted her eyes to the ground, her expression unreadable. In Yuzuru's eyes, she looked uncomfortable and he figured that it was probably because of the sudden kiss he stole from her earlier. He suddenly felt a heavy feeling of guilt in his gut.
"I'm sorry!"
"I'm sorry."
They said in unison then simultaneously looked at each other, exchanging shocked countenances—at least for Yuzuru, since Kanade didn't really showing it.
He realized they were saying the same thing and his brain began to grasp the meaning behind Kanade's apology. He felt his energy drained from his body as he concluded that the rejection was finalized.
"Haha... I understand. I'm the one who should apologize for kissing you... even though you didn't want to," he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry for being rather... coercive." His knees weakened, causing his body to quiver that he almost leaned on the pillar again.
Kanade looked at him confusedly. Studying his odd behavior, she then caught on what he meant and her eyes widened slightly. "It's not that!" she quickly corrected.
He threw a surprised look at her, not used to her speaking in an almost frustrated tone. But the silver-haired girl already lowered her head with bangs obscuring her eyes from him, her hands hung by her side.
"You're wrong..." she uttered, gripping the hem of her skirt. "I'm sorry... because I wasn't being honest with you all this time. I always shrugged away my own feelings and ended up hurting you," she braved herself and looked into his eyes. "But I want you to know, that honestly... I'm really happy with you by my side."
His eyes dilated in amazement. That simple confession erased all the depression from his heart, and he mentally wondered if he was dreaming right now.
While he was debating in his mind whether he had to pinch his own cheek, Kanade was trying to overcome the slight reluctance that started to reappear. She knew she wasn't even finished. She still had so much to tell him.
Kanade took a deep breath, recalling Yuri's words again to muster up her courage.
"I know that I'm tainted, I'm even aware that maybe I'm being too selfish to say this but—" her voice trembled, her vision began to blur with unshed tears as she said the next words, "—if there's someone who could cure my wound, I wouldn't want it to be anyone else but you."
There, she said it. She looked down at her feet, too anxious to keep staring at his eyes. Her heart raced out of fear from waiting for his response.
The music from the folk dance was still filling the school grounds, but for Yuzuru, Kanade's words were the only thing that echoed in his ears. He had to replay it in his brain repeatedly to convince himself that he heard them right. When he was certain, he was too overwhelmed with joy that he didn't wait to pull the girl into his arms, catching her off guard.
"That's fine. In fact, please be more selfish from now on... I won't mind at all. I love you so much, Kanade," he said heartily, running his fingers through her long tresses. He closed his eyes and buried his smiling face in her sweet-scented hair, deeply feeling so much contentment after finally being able to convey his feelings.
Relief spread through her veins. Now that all of the doubts were already gone, her heart soared with warmth at his confession. "Thank you..." she whispered, slowly closing her eyes. "You don't know how much I've wanted to say that."
He pulled away slightly so he could look at her, but she only looked down at her hands on his chest. "What do you mean?"
"I have a regret in life," she replied, "three years ago, I fell in love with a boy," she started. Yuzuru stiffened, feeling uncomfortable straightaway. He wasn't ready to listen to her story about another guy.
Feeling Yuzuru's muscles tensed, Kanade stroked his chest softly. "It was my first time to feel that way. Subsequently, it turned out he also had the same feelings. I was the happiest girl in the world when he told me he loved me," she continued.
"But I did a mistake. Because of my broken home background, I had a distrust regarding relationships. So I ended up rejecting him, despite having mutual feelings," she paused to let out a sigh. "The pain started to strike after I saw his dejected face. The guilt was so heavy in my heart that left me not being able to reject anyone after that."
She felt his heartbeat quickened, apparently coming to a realization about this boy's identity. "I deeply wished that I could tell him what I couldn't say that time. So, I'll say it now..." she raised her face, staring straight into his burgundy eyes.
"Thank you for loving me, Yuzuru. And I love you, too," she smiled gracefully, "be it the senpai whose name I didn't know, or the Yuzuru in front of me right now... No matter how many times our destiny separates us, I will end up falling in love with you again."
Yuzuru gazed down into those honest golden orbs and found himself lost in them. He felt the bliss brimming within him, causing his chest to feel so light that he thought he could fly to cloud nine. He gave her his most sincere smile as he whispered lovingly, "thank you, Kanade."
He knew just a single thank you wouldn't be enough to express how grateful he was. So he caressed her hair, down to her cheek in order not to shock her. He lightly brushed her lips with his thumb, before slowly replacing it with his own lips.
Unlike the first time, this time Kanade was more mentally prepared, although she was still nervous as hell to the point her palms began sweating. However, fright was far from her mind right now, and she could truly pour her feelings as she kissed him back. She placed her sweaty palms on his broad chest and gripped onto the fabric of his shirt, feeling his rapid heartbeat that resonated with her own.
They pulled away after some moments that felt like eternity. There was a bright bonfire in the field, there was faint music in the background, but they only needed each other to make this festival perfect for them. He pulled her head to his chest, both smiling in content as he ran his fingers along her silky long hair.
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"Aaah! Isn't that the vocalist who performed with you at the gym earlier, Hinacchi-senpai? I just realized!"
"Ssssh, Yui! You're too loud!" Hinata put his hands tightly around his girlfriend's mouth and nose, muffling—or rather, smothering her. The girl whined and struggled to break away from his grip.
"M-mmm-FUAH! Are you trying to kill me?!" she shoved his face roughly, and Hinata countered with pushing her head as well. Soon they were wrestling by trying to lock on each other's head.
"All I'm trying to do is to keep you silent! Shut your mouth!"
"Both of you, shut up or we'll be caught!" Yuri scolded in a hushed tone, pulling them to hide better behind the bush. "Geez, you guys should get a room, really."
"Umm... If someone should get a room, aren't those two more suitable than anyone here?" red-faced Ooyama embarrassedly pointed at the ginger-head boy and the silver-haired girl who were holding each other a few feet away from their hiding place.
"That's right, I think they're a bit too forward. My face is getting hot just by looking at them."
"Really? Ah, you're just faint-hearted. I think they're pretty cute!"
"Whisper of the tree, night of lovin' spree! Woo-hoo!"
"I must remind Tachibana-san that it's against school regulations, even if her partner is Otonashi-san! It's my job as vice-president!"
"I can't stand it anymore. She's still my first love after all, this is too much..." Ooyama turned away dramatically and cried into his hands.
Yuri sweatdropped, watching her noisy friends complaining with blushing faces.
"Erm... Wasn't this your idea to sneak in here to begin with? You excitedly said that you wanted to see Kanade-chan's new boyfriend. Why all those complaints now?" she asked to the weeping Ooyama.
"I thought I'd see them dance together, at least. I didn't expect that I was going to take critical mental damage! Boo-hoo~~"
"Yeah, yeah... Whatever," Yuri rolled her eyes lazily.
Ignoring her friends' random ravings, she turned her attention back towards the new couple, smiling softly as she watched the boy whispering something to the girl's ear, before placing his lips on hers once again.
Good for you, Otonashi-kun, Kanade-chan... This time, make sure you'll be happy, okay...? I won't forgive you if you don't!
Wash of emotions seeped into her heart, making her eyes grow moist. She looked up before her tears could fall, gazing towards the stars in the clear summer night sky. The sea of stars couldn't look more beautiful that day.
She smiled with a peace of mind.
Yuri was too absorbed by the beautiful scenery, oblivious that a single person found neither the new couple nor the night sky quite interesting to stare at. That pair of unblinking, transfixed amber orbs was locked on her instead.
Certainly, she didn't notice that her genuine smile had become another breath-taking scene for a certain dark-green-haired vice president, who was unable to stop thinking that she was the most alluring thing he'd ever seen.
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One day, someone will look at you the same way you look at the stars—Unknown
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The End
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OMAKE
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Meanwhile...
"Kanade... Do you hear something from the bush right there?"
The petite girl nodded in his arms. "Hm. They're a little too noisy to be called hiding," she replied nonchalantly.
Yuzuru squinted his eyes at the peculiar bush. "It sounds like Hinata's voice, but I don't recognize the others... Wait. Isn't that Naoi's voice as well? Just what the hell are they thinking they're doing right there?"
"They are Yuri and Hinata-kun's friends from middle school. They came especially for Yuri today."
He broke away from the embrace, looking down at her face. "You know them?" he asked, surprised.
Kanade nodded again. "I was the one inviting them through Ooyama-kun. I asked him to contact the others," she explained flatly. "Do you want me to introduce you now?"
Yuzuru thought about it for a moment, then smirked lightly. "I'd love to. But before that..." he leaned in and said huskily in her right ear, "...since they have intruded our privacy, why don't we reward them with a little more show that they so look forward to...?"
She cocked her head in question, but he just stared down at her wordlessly. His smirk turned into a soft smile as he stroked her cheek, inching forward slowly. She realized his intentions and her cheeks blushed slightly, her eyes closing in return.
When his lips brushed hers in another tender kiss, her heart thumped so hard that it almost made her chest ache. However, she didn't mind having this kind of ache at all. Because as she splayed her fingers across Yuzuru's chest, she knew it.
She knew that their hearts beat in the same rhythm.
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—END—
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A/N: Whew, finally it's done! Big, BIG thanks to all of you who have been following this fic till the end, despite my imperfect English. I apologize for that, since English is not my mother tongue. For all of your reviews, favourites, follows, and silent readers, I couldn't thank you enough. XD Tell me what you think! (If I can think of a new idea, maybe, just MAYBE, I'll make a sequel to this. Probably an M-rated one? I don't know. Haha. XD) Jaa ne! XD