notes a belated Christmas present. thanks for waiting as long as you did. thanks for putting up with me. I know I say this a lot, but I mean it. this is the longest oneshot I've ever written.

overture;

They called Seirin a storm. A wave of hope in the sports world. But if they were that grand, they wouldn't have made it this far. The thing is, that storms... they're transient. Whereas light rain can sprinkle on lightly for days that it's almost unnoticeable, storms sweep through the days, an overwhelming presence in one, great act. In the end, storms, with all of their grandeur, simply don't last.

But Seirin isn't a storm, and neither is Hyuuga.

.

.

.

In New York, there are men and women dressed in sad colours bustling by and making noise. Hyuuga yawns into his hand and lets his feet take him toward the hot dog stand on the other side of the street. That's where he's supposed to meet Izuki, but the idiot isn't even there yet, and if he stands there for too long, someone might ask him if he's lost. Then he'll have to explain that no, he's not lost, he's just waiting for his friend at a stupid hotdog stand. And he's almost positive that if he tries to pass that off as an explanation, no one would understand him anyway; his English is atrocious enough as it is.

Americans crowd around him and he frowns, uncomfortable. They all seem to be in some sort of rush. Like their world won't stop for food or something.

"No relish, please," a voice calls out in an accented English. It sounds like his own. Surprised, Hyuuga turns to look at the source. Her features seem familiar, and he feels like he's supposed to know her name, too. But nothing comes to mind.

She looks in his direction and stares back when she catches his gaze. She nods her head in return, blinking oddly at him, and he nods back.

He's about to say something, too, but when Izuki calls his name, he whips his head in the direction of his voice. And, remembering the odd girl at the hotdog stand, he looks back, but she's already gone, and Hyuuga—

Well, he has more important things to do, anyway.

.

Izuki and Mitobe have been studying in New York for a while after high school, so the two of them call him out to eat later that evening. It's a little bit nerve-wracking, and he wonders how much they've changed, if they've changed at all. But Izuki is as friendly as ever and still has dumb puns no one really cares for, and Mitobe's smile is still warm, still quiet, and Hyuuga is more than just relieved for it, when they tell him he hasn't changed much, either.

"Koganei's in New York, too," Izuki mentions, and Hyuuga almost spits his water out.

"Koganei?" he asks incredulously.

Mitobe's head bobs up and down as Izuki continues to talk. "He called me earlier today, actually. Said he was here for his cousin's wedding or something. I asked him if he wanted to meet up, but his flight back is scheduled for tomorrow morning. He said he'd try, but seeing how it's Koganei we're talking about..." Izuki smiles wryly.

"Darn. Guess he hasn't changed much, either."

Izuki punches him in the shoulder playfully. "So, how have you been doing? What are you doing in the states, anyway? I thought you didn't like travelling. Traumatic experiences when you were younger or something?"

"I like being grounded. I prefer being grounded. If I am not grounded then things are not safe."

"That's why I said," Izuki snorts. "Vacation? Or did you just feel like the idea of foreign chicks? I mean, that blonde hair you were sporting at the beginning of high school—"

"Stop that," Hyuuga protests, making a face. Mitobe smiles, amused. "Why, I can't go out on a whim and decide that I'm going to visit you guys?"

"Not that you can't, but that's just weird. For someone like you, I mean."

"I think you're weird too, Izuki."

"That's not what I wanted to get at," Izuki groans, "and stop that," he says to Mitobe, who freezes, chopsticks in the air, about to reach for Izuki's plate of tofu.

Hyuuga shrugs. "I thought... a vacation might be nice. I suppose."

Izuki looks at him carefully. Instead of pressing it out of him, he sighs and stretches. Then his eyes open wide. "Oh!" Izuki lights up, a mischievous sparkle in his eye. "I did happen to see someone else, though. Here."

Hyuuga looks at him, baffled. "The hell? What are the chances of meeting another person from high school here?"

"Guess! You'll never get it right."

Hyuuga raises an eyebrow. "Well, that gives me a ton of incentive to try."

Someone bustles into the restaurant, leaving the doors clanging loudly. Hyuuga turns; it's Koganei, hefting a backpack over his right shoulder. And he has a friend in tow. Hyuuga sits loose-limbed as he watches the two of them approach their table, but with Mitobe in the way, he can't quite make out the stranger's face.

Koganei brightens. "You guys! Yo, Hyuuga!" He pats him on the back as easily as he used to and smiles like he's just found his long lost twin. "It's been so loooong!"

"You made it," Izuki says, pleasantly surprised. "Hey."

"As annoying as ever," Hyuuga says, but there's a smile on his face. He peers at the stranger behind him. "Who's that?"

Koganei blinks. "Huh? Oh!" He whirls around and pushes the person forward. It's a girl, Hyuuga realizes. He didn't think it would be Koganei, of all people, to get a girlfriend first.

"Hey—wait, Koganei-kun!" She sounds flustered, and she shakes his grip off her arm, wincing.

"Aida Riko," Koganei says proudly, grinning. "You guys were in the same class back in high school! And her dad was coach of our basketball team! Don't you remember? That's why I brought her here!"

At the name, memories click into place in Hyuuga's head. He pushes Izuki—who looks like he's trying to tap into his mental database—back, to get a little closer look at her face, and surely enough, it's the girl he saw at the hotdog stand that morning.

"Oh," he says, recognizing her. Remembers the girl watching their practice sessions before and after school. "I do remember you, I think. It's been a while. Long time no see." He nods at her again, like he did earlier.

"Same to you," she says, nodding back and smiling.

"You're... Koganei's girlfriend?" Hyuuga asks, surprised.

Koganei sputters. Aida stares at him. "No," she says almost immediately. "And ew," she adds, with feeling.

Izuki still has his arms crossed, eyes rolled upward, trying to remember. Aida stares at Izuki. "People say my face hasn't changed much, but maybe it did, to him? Or did I end up hitting this guy too many times over the head because of his dumb puns that I became a traumatic experience his mind's trying to block out? Izuki-kuuun." She frowns and knocks at his head.

"Oh!" Izuki says, recovering from his thinking state.

"That's the sound of a light bulb turning on," Hyuuga tells Mitobe, who nods resolutely.

"You're Aida-san, aren't you!" Izuki exclaims, face lighting up like one.

"It probably has nothing to do with you," Hyuuga says. "His brain capacity's always just been sort of lacking like that. It's quite normal."

"I saw you a few days ago, Aida-san. That's who I was talking to you about before," he says to Hyuuga, who blinks.

"... And you forgot her name?"

"Well, when you know a lot of people..." Izuki laughs sheepishly and nods apologetically to her.

Aida rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips. "So it can't be helped, huh," she says, as Izuki shouts a "hey!" in protest. They laugh, and even though something small but potent may be missing, it feels right for now.

.

Because Hyuuga doesn't have anything to do the next morning, he accepts Koganei's invitation ("My flight's next week, guys! ... Oh, did I not tell you?") for the five of them to hang out at his hotel room. Even Aida Riko. (He'd originally wanted to go to karaoke, but Hyuuga points out, "The way you sing songs doesn't count as singing, you idiot." "But—" "And your pants stay on. The entire time.")

Izuki is a natural chatterbox and Hyuuga appreciates it that he can craft conversations out of anything and isn't afraid to talk about nothing at all. And Hyuuga's glad for Mitobe, too, because Mitobe is the only other reasonable person in the room. And Koganei—well. Koganei has one arm slung over the armrest and another over Mitobe's shoulder, with eyes brimming with tears ("Guys, it's so good to see you again! So, so good!" "Koganei, you're not even drunk. And can you stop slobbering on my shirt?").

Quietly, Hyuuga slips out of the room in the middle of their game of cards and lets himself out on the balcony. The night is chilly and somber, and over a farther extremity, some of the city is enveloped in a great expanse of cloud—grey, but not ominous. The frost is late to retreat this year, and it looks like the sky's frozen over.

Aida Riko is hunched in the corner of the balcony next to Koganei's dying potted plant. She smiles at him when he comes over. "Your back looks pitiful, somehow." Hyuuga grunts, walking up to the railing and flattens his back against the safety fence. "Thinking about something, Hyuuga-kun?"

Hyuuga shrugs. "I saw you at a hotdog stand this morning," he says. "Do you always buy lunch there?"

"When I pass by on the way to class, sometimes," she replies. "I saw you, too. Not very hard to recognize, though hard to recognize without that blonde hair."

"Hey, I dyed it black again for basketball, okay."

"Yeah, my dad told me." She laughs. "Told me to come and watch you guys play, too, but I never did."

"You did, once. There was that one time you filled in for him, right?" He remembers. There was that one practice Hyuuga remembered as hell on Earth—Aida Riko had pushed them farther than they'd ever been pushed, exceeding their limits and running their skin dry. It had been one of the toughest practices Hyuuga had ever done. "You were good. You could tell all of our strengths and weaknesses and everything."

"Wasn't I," she says, smirking like she wants him to shove her face in pigeon poop. (One of the first things Hyuuga notes about New York is that pigeons are by no means on the verge of extinction around here.) "I see them in numbers, yeah. Your abilities. But I wasn't really meant for that sort of thing." She looks at him curiously. "We didn't really talk in the four years we were together, huh. Even though we were in the same class."

"Consider me a brand new acquaintance, then," Hyuuga says. "Like... we just shook hands. And introduced ourselves and crap."

Aida thinks about it and frowns. "That a bit dumb, though," she says. "Am I still allowed to remember the time you pantsed Koganei-kun in our first year because you got in a fight?"

Hyuuga blinks. She remembers details like this?

"Or that time you stole his DS just because?"

Hyuuga blinks. "No," he decides, "considering I haven't told him about that yet."

"I won't tattle on you," she promises.

"But we'll start on blank slates," Hyuuga insists. "It's easier like that."

"Is it?"

"Yes."

Aida hums. "You're kind of an idealist. And that's stupid." When she giggles at the way Hyuuga stares at her incredulously, her voice rings high and thin—like winter, echoing sharp and clear like the beginnings of ringing silver bells.

.

They don't pretend they don't see each other on the streets; they run into each other quite frequently. Hyuuga doesn't think anything of it at first, but goes along with how everything's played out. Maybe this is the friend he's been looking for all along who knows how to cure that cold, unsettling feeling in his chest. The one who would always turn up, somehow, whenever he's got nothing better to do. It doesn't matter that Aida's a girl. She's got a good head on her shoulders and whenever Hyuuga's getting too ahead of himself, she's the one who drags him down a notch and reminds him where he really is.

Maybe he's meant to believe in something, he thinks. Maybe it means something when two people happen to be at the same place at the same time.

Gradually, he stops calling Izuki and Mitobe and Koganei to tag along when he and Aida meet for dinners. They both have time on their hands, and it doesn't mind to either of them to spend it with each other. Get to know each other better, or something. Hyuuga discovers too late that Aida Riko, while fun and perky and responsible and diligent, is a being that will put potatoes in the oven and expect them to come out fried, and learns to fear for his life whenever she steps in the kitchen.

"I'm actually very, very glad that this kitchen doesn't belong to me," Hyuuga says, covering his eyes with one hand. "You would never be allowed to stand in it."

"Just make sure you've left the hotel before room service comes to check up on you." Aida frowns and looks in the pot. "I don't think it turned out that badly this time," she says defensively. She holds the ladle out for him. "Try it."

"I value my life."

"Please?"

"This is why we eat out."

"Eating out costs money, stupid."

"But you're the one who always makes me pay."

"And on good days, I don't!" She winks at him.

Hyuuga stares at her incredulously. "Never," he says seriously, "do that again. In front of anyone. Ever."

She raises the ladle, looking at him pointedly.

He sighs. "If I die, you'd better cry at my funeral. I'll haunt you."

Aida lowers her gaze and sets the ladle down. "Well, maybe not, then." In one quick motion, she takes the apron off and claps her hands together. "Where are we going out for dinner tonight, then?"

"Get rid of that, first." He pauses. "Does it ever occur to you that we act like a married couple?"

She stares at him and crosses her arms. "Well, now that you mention it." She shrugs. "I guess this just means I'm comfortable around you. It's a natural thing. I mean, it happens naturally."

"It feels like we've known each other forever," he admits.

Aida smiles wryly at him. "So much for that blank slate thing. Looks like we've just gone back to where we were before." She ducks her hands under the sink and hums, low under her breath.

He watches her, looking at her thoughtfully. Traces the curve of her shoulder with his gaze and notices the way her bangs curtain her face. "I wonder," he murmurs. Wonders for the first time what it would be like to kiss her.

.

"Riko," he says suddenly, glancing briefly in her direction.

"What," is her response. She's crouched in front of her washing machine, frowning.

"Riko."

"What."

"Riko."

"What do you want, Junpei?"

He looks over, startled. She's glaring right at him now. "If you've got nothing better to do, come help me with this thing." She kicks the washing machine. "Ungrateful little..."

Hyuuga wanders over. "You don't kick it," he says, nudging her shoulder. "It washes your clothes for you. How have you even lived without using one of these things?"

"This is a new one!" she says in defence. "I used another one before that and all I had to do was press a button. Now it wants me to set time and mode and I don't get it."

"You'd make a terrible wife," he snorts, pushing a few buttons. The washing machine begins to whir. "There."

Aida watches the clothes start to spin, mouth hanging open. "Looks like you'd make a really good one!" He whips his head around to give her a look. Then, "So, what did you want from me earlier?"

Riko. "Oh." He clears his throat, suddenly embarrassed. "Nothing. Nothing, really."

She frowns. "Oh?"

Riko.

"Yeah. It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

.

Sunday is bad for Hyuuga.

He calls up Riko and taps his foot impatiently against the carpeted floor of his hotel room.

"I'm coming over to your place," he says when she picks up.

"That's... not a very common pickup line people use," she says dryly. Before Hyuuga can bite back, she continues. "Well, fine. I'm not doing much today, anyway. Have you eaten yet?"

"I..." Hyuuga says, and realizes that he can't remember if he ever sat down to eat properly. "...don't think so?" Wait. "Are you cooking?"

"Lucky for you, I'm not," Riko says. Hyuuga can practically hear her eyes rolling. "I was going to order. Feel like ramen? Or do you want McDonalds? Junk food. You know, for the heart."

"Yeah, because I totally want my arteries clogged, thanks." His day is already beginning to look better. "Ramen. I'll pay you back for it."

"Mmkay. When are you leaving?"

"In about half an hour. That okay?"

"Then I'll leave to get it now. Tonkotsu?"

"Yeah," Hyuuga says, relaxing. The 'thank you' he is about to say is lost in the crackle of static on the other line.

.

"...and I go to Wendy's this afternoon and there's this really dinky-looking girl at the cashier. She's staring at me like I'm stupid when I ask her for fried potatoes. Fries. You know. And she just stares at me. And finally, when she's gone to get my food, she puts it in a bag and when I look in it, I see a burger and two fries. Two. I'd complain about their customer service to her boss, but my English has never been good. If I looked more attractive, I bet she'd actually try and take the time to listen to what I had to say." He squints at her. "You're a girl, right? You'd know what to do, right?"

Riko stares at him and finally shrugs. "If you say so."

"Don't make me hit you."

Riko does a half-shrug and smiles smugly. "You're no threat to me."

"Women," Hyuuga mutters, and Riko whacks him. "And then I get a call from overseas." She looks up at him, curious. "Japan. An acquaintance, if you could call her that. I'd tell her to fuck off but I figure that's kind of mean." He pauses to take a drink from the mug Riko hands him.

"Harsh," Riko comments.

He ignores her. "She's too clingy. I end up wondering why we even went out for dinner in the first place."

"Dinner?"

"I don't know what she's assuming. Apparently when I go to dinner with someone, I'm responsible for them for the rest of my life."

"That's stupid," Riko says, but she's giggling, pulling her knees closer to her. "It's a pity. I totally got my hopes up, you know." She rolls her eyes.

"You think you're funny," Hyuuga says.

"I was joking."

Hyuuga leans in. Riko doesn't shift away, but she bites her lip when Hyuuga cups her face. His movements are unsteady and jerky and their faces are close enough for the tips of their noses to touch.

"You're drunk," she murmurs. "I didn't give you alcohol and we're underage but you're drunk. Somehow. Definitely."

"I'm not," Hyuuga says, and clenches his teeth. What the hell is he doing? Seriously.

She doesn't try to move. Doesn't try to help him. "You were like this in high school too. Brash and impulsive," Riko says. "Hyuuga Junpei." She doesn't sound like she's asserting this fact to dissuade him from making a mistake. There's a distinction between mistake and accident, and it's an accident Riko doesn't want to be.

"But you don't know that, remember?" Hyuuga says, right before their mouths meet.

.

It's his last night in New York. Along with Koganei, Izuki, and Mitobe, the five of them have dinner together. Riko suggests that they all come over to her place for dinner and offers to cook for them all before Hyuuga shoves her aside and tells them that eating at the restaurant on the first floor of his hotel would be a better idea.

"You won't remember me if it's just like any other meal," Riko points out, frowning.

"No," Hyuuga says.

"I want to eat Aida-san's cooking," Koganei says, frowning. Mitobe nods in agreement, but Hyuuga quickly talks them both out of it.

"You're both stupid. Stop being stupid, or that's how I'll remember you two," Riko says, frowning but not feeling offended. "Are we going gourmet?"

They have bite-sized steaks and delicately-buttered vegetables under the weak, dim light of the hotel restaurant's fancy chandelier. Hyuuga thinks it's ridiculous, considering there are over twenty small light bulbs hanging off of the thing.

Riko picks a little bit sulkily at her food, but keeps the conversation going whenever it's directed at her. Izuki, despite himself, seems to sense something a little odd in the atmosphere and throws her questioning glances.

After they finish with dinner, they decide to part there, since Hyuuga's got an early flight the next day. Outside the revolving doors of the hotel, Izuki offers the first taxi he flags to Riko.

"You go ahead," she says, smiling. "Thanks, though, Izuki-kun. I'll see you around."

Hyuuga grabs her arm. "You're not walking," he orders, and she laughs sheepishly.

And maybe it's the way Izuki sees their exchange happen, or maybe it's that Riko and Hyuuga are standing closer than people who are planning to go their separate ways would, but there is that big of hesitation Izuki overcomes before reaching for the door of the taxi and sliding in.

"See you, Hyuuga," he says, giving a small wave. "Take care of yourself, all right?"

"Gotcha," Hyuuga says right back, smiling fondly. He's going to miss him, for what he's worth.

They bid their farewells.

.

"A year, maybe," Hyuuga says. "If we see each other in a year."

"Two," Riko says, after a pause.

Hyuuga sits up and raises an eyebrow at her.

"Plane tickets cost money," Riko tells him.

Hyuuga doesn't say anything. Riko rolls over on his bed and stares at him. "What?" he asks.

"You still haven't said anything," she says. "About your reasons for coming here. I know it wasn't just to see Izuki-kun and Mitobe-kun. And it certainly wasn't to see me. I mean, you didn't even know I was here. You probably didn't even remember me until you saw me."

"So?"

"Sooo," and she drags the word out, resting her head on her hand, "it's fine if you want to keep it secret. I won't pry. But coming back just to keep... to keep doing this. I don't know if it's worth it, for you."

"It is," Hyuuga says, not missing a single beat. He looks into her eyes and does not falter. "It is."

Riko punches his shoulder. "It'd better be," she says quietly, "or I'll beat you up. I trust you."

Hyuuga accepts this compliment quietly and follows Riko's gaze out the window. There are gaps between the constellations, places where stars fall from grace without the time to even say goodbye.

"A year, then," he whispers. Riko rolls back over and turns her head to grin at him. He smiles back at her and lets her press her arm against his. If only things were perfectly, romantically cliché.

But they are more realistic than that.

"A year. Definitely," Hyuuga says, without half that confidence in his heart.

.

.

Izuki and Mitobe's bowls are already half finished, and Hyuuga's ramen still hasn't been served. There's already a vein throbbing in his head, and Koganei's eyes flit back and forth at the people bustling in and out of the restaurant. He's already finished his bowl, and is waiting for his next. Hyuuga's attention flickers from the chopping board in front of him to the people busy at the stove.

"It'll come soon," Izuki promises, chuckling, and Hyuuga glares at him through his glasses. "Calm down. Tonkotsu doesn't take that long. A lot of other people are ordering too, you know. Patience, Hyuuga!"

"Ngh," Hyuuga grumbles. "You're back for five days and you're already chiding me. I hope jet lag keeps you suffering."

Koganei raises his hand, "Hey, mister, could you—" he begins, before a voice places another order—this time in Japanese, light and smooth and fluid.

"A bowl of tonkotsu, please!"

When a "Coming right up!" echoes, Riko seats herself on the other vacant side, across from them.

Hyuuga's eyes widen. Just as he's about to call out to her and demand why she's playing hooky, Koganei beats him to it.

"Aida, you—hey!"

Riko looks their way and waves. Her eyes are wide, pleasantly surprised. "Woah," she says, laughing. "It's been a while!"

"We didn't know you were going to be here this early," Izuki says. "Get over here. Don't sit by yourself, you'll look lonely."

"There's no space," she complains, but goes to where Mitobe is already pulling a chair out. "Thank you, Mitobe-kun."

Hyuuga's brain snaps back into place. "Wait," he says. "We thought what?"

"Aida-san was supposed to graduate this June, remember?" Izuki says. Hyuuga doesn't, because he's never been told any of this by Riko. He stares in her direction, but Riko's got her back turned, facing the couple sitting at the table next to them. "I guess she got out of there earlier than planned. We got out earlier only because of the difference in courses."

Riko winks. "I pulled some strings," she explains. "There was something important in Japan I had to hurry back for." She keeps her voice light, like it isn't a big deal. But when she finally meets his eyes, the truth comes out.

.

"My dad's waiting for me at home," Riko tells him. "I told him I'd be coming by, and I'll probably spend the night there tonight."

"You didn't even tell me anything," he accuses, pointing a finger at her. "Nothing. I didn't hear from you, I didn't get a single call—"

"Hey, I flew through school to come back," Riko defends, crossing her arms. "Freak. I flew through school to keep this!"

Hyuuga sighs. "Do I even want to know how you managed?"

"I've been planning it since you left, so."

Hyuuga grabs her wrist, suddenly. "Just so you know," he says, and brings his arm up to cover his face. It's embarrassing. "I didn't forget. It was impossible to go back to the states after I'd just returned. I worked hard. And I'd already cleared a trip, to go to New York about a month from now. I was going to see you. No matter what."

Riko looks genuinely taken aback. "That—" she begins, and then looks away. Her voice comes out soft with sincerity. "That.. makes me happy."

He tucks her close, and doesn't say anything. Warmth muffles his voice, and Riko leans into his embrace.

.

It's in the middle of the night when he gasps, anxiety searing through his body. It becomes impossible to sleep, and he ends up filing papers under the light of his kitchen table. He picks his phone up and dials.

"Late," she says when she picks up. "It's late. What are you doing awake?"

"You don't sound like you've been sleeping, either," he points out.

"Jet lag," she says. "What's your excuse?"

"I... don't know," he admits. "I couldn't sleep."

A soft sigh. "I'm listening."

He doesn't quite know what to say, here. The gap between them is filled with silence, but the distance between them doesn't widen.

"Riko," he says.

"Hm?"

"Go to sleep, stupid."

He can hear her grumble from the other line. Finally, she yawns. "Fine. I will. You're okay now, though?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"You're lucky I was actually suffering from jet lag. I'm not exactly the most pleasant person to be talking to after I've woken up."

"Thanks anyway. Now seriously, go to sleep."

"Mkay." There's a pause. "Night."

The next morning, Hyuuga wakes up to cloudy skies and morning chill. Even so, his anxiety is gone and he looks out the window, wondering how it is that the day looks like it glows, just a little.

.

"I missed Japan," Riko says, nostalgia clogged in her voice as she and Hyuuga stroll down the streets. Koganei had called them both earlier that morning, asking if they wanted to go bowling, and, after hearing that they were hitting the mall, asks to tag along.

"America doesn't really change who you are, you know?" she continues to say. "It just gives you a wider perspective on things. Plus my English has gotten better since." Riko tugs at her scarf.

"What are you even doing with that still on," Hyuuga says, raising an eyebrow and eyeing her scarf. "It's spring. It's supposed to be warmer than winter. And part of the reason we're out today is because the season is changing."

"It's cold in America," Riko says defensively. "And it also means a discount in clothes from the last season."

"Scrooge," Hyuuga snorts. Riko beams and whacks him playfully.

Koganei frowns, confused. "I thought girls liked new clothes and shopping and stuff."

"Clearly, she's not a girl," Hyuuga says, and Riko hits him again, harder this time.

They drop by the convenience store so Koganei can stock back up on toilet paper again ("How many squares do you even use, Koganei?" "...like, three!" "...does that even clean anything?" "...okay so maybe like, ten. Don't judge me!"). He also decides he's going to get a snack and Riko whacks him over the head, too, because idiot, don't you think about anything else but food and girls? Once they've entered, both Koganei and Riko are completely wrapped up in debating ice cream flavours; which is better, green tea or chocolate, and none of it really even matters because they can both just get their own cone. Junpei peers at them from where the refrigerated drinks are and decides that despite that they're both being annoying and loud, their antics are kind of endearing.

By the time they're done arguing, Hyuuga is already holding his plastic bag and waiting by the door. Riko peers in his bag. "Strawberry milk. Is that all you're getting?"

Hyuuga nods. "I was thinking of making a stop to the hospital, after we're done. Is that okay?"

Riko looks at him, alarmed. "It's fine, but... are you okay?"

Hyuuga waves her off as Koganei appears from behind Riko's shoulder, a popsicle in his mouth. "I think maybe I bought too much," he says, frowning into his own plastic bag.

"Just eat it all and tolerate your bad stomachache, like you always do," Hyuuga tells him, clapping him on the back.

He grips his plastic bag tighter.

.

It smells like grief and sterilized metal. Hyuuga opens the door to another hallway they walk down. Koganei bounces along like it's natural, to be lively in a place where they keep sick people. Damaged people. People.

Riko grabs Hyuuga's sleeve. "What are we doing here," she says, eyes wide and panicky. "Are you okay, I just, I don't know—"

"It's fine," Hyuuga tells her, grabbing her hand. "It really is." It's the first time he sees her so distraught, so lost. "I have a friend who's currently in the hospital. We're just here to visit him."

"Oh." Riko finds her breath. "Okay."

Hyuuga squeezes her hand reassuringly and stops in front of a door to a room he's been in many times before.

It's Koganei who pushes the door open and steps in first. Hyuuga nudges Riko in and the door closes behind the three of them. Riko flinches.

Hyuuga takes a breath. "It's been a while."

Haloed in a spill of light from the window, a figure sits in front of a bowl of chicken soup and buttered toast. A tall glass of orange juice stands at his elbow, and another large mug of tea waits by his hand.

He looks up, spoon in mouth. "Oh," Kiyoshi says, setting the spoon down and smiling. "Hey."

Hyuuga motions to introduce Riko, but stops when he realizes that she's pale. She brings a hand to her lips, eyes wide and unbelieving. "Teppei?"

Kiyoshi blinks, taking in her appearance. "Riko?"

Hyuuga stands, speechless. Koganei is the only one who moves, humming merrily as he sets his things down. He holds two ice cream bars out in Hyuuga's direction and looks at him expectantly.

"So... chocolate or green tea?"

.

"He's a friend," Riko tells him finally, on their way home. She smiles at him. "My friend, too, in high school. He talked about the team, often. And about you. Came over to eat a lot, too. My dad would bring him over after practice. They got along well." Her steps slow. "I didn't know he was in the hospital."

"Kiyoshi..." For a moment, Hyuuga doesn't know what to say. He glances at Riko and sighs. "He's had that injury since high school, you know. He's reckless. His love for basketball..." He shrugs. "I guess... it came with a price. The doctors say he won't be playing anymore."

Riko whips around, looks into his eyes desperately. "But he loves basketball! He loves it so much he could die for it! And now he's shut in that hospital room, and he's not even able to do anything! I didn't... I didn't..." Her voice catches, and she covers her mouth. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

Hyuuga slings an arm around her shoulder and brings her close. "He'll be okay," he says fiercely, wishing desperately that he can keep that promise. "We were going to play basketball again. We promised. He promised us. And he hates letting people down. You know that."

Riko hiccoughs strangely and huddles close. "I didn't know," she whispers again. "What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to react?" She looks up at him suddenly, realization all over her features. "Is that why you went to New York?"

Hyuuga doesn't say anything.

Riko pulls on his jacket. "Izuki-kun told me you'd been speaking with some of his professors. It seemed strange to me at first, because I knew you didn't become a medical student and you were never interested in..." She stops. "Tell me. That's why, right? That's—"

"I wasn't going to let those skills rot into uselessness," he says, cutting her off. "I'm going to help him keep his promise. Damn bastard, he'd better be grateful."

Riko reaches for his hand and squeezes it. "I'm sure he will," she says. Her eyes glisten with trust. Determination.

He squeezes it back, hard.

.

They've decided to meet at the hospital, but Hyuuga doesn't expect the soft murmuring from inside the room. The door is open, and Hyuuga peers in, curious. He sees Riko first, standing at the foot of Kiyoshi's bed wearing a pink blouse and a pair of jeans. There's a chuckle that comes from Kiyoshi's mouth, as Hyuuga hears him say, "Really, it's okay. I'm well fed enough here, so there's no need for you to go out of your trouble and bring food over. I'm serious."

"I could always make something for you, you know. I could bring it over or something," Riko is saying, before she spots Hyuuga. She waves him closer and Hyuuga steps in. "You're late," she says, and Hyuuga rolls his eyes.

"Don't let her cook for you, Kiyoshi." Hyuuga sighs and puts his bag down. "She'll poison you. And you'll die."

"I've improved," Riko insists as Kiyoshi laughs.

"Hey, Hyuuga. I didn't know you two were this familiar with each other."

Hyuuga shrugs and half-smiles. "We sort of... met again in New York. I didn't know she was studying there, and Izuki and the others were there, too. But you heard about that already from me, right?"

"Right, you were in New York, Riko." Kiyoshi turns to her. "Your dad said something about it a while ago, but I didn't really process it. How's your English?"

"I managed," she laughs. "Somehow. My English has never been that terrible, Teppei."

Hyuuga looks at her questioningly. "Teppei?" he echoes.

Kiyoshi laughs. "She's called me that all her life."

"Yeah, because! Doesn't 'Kiyoshi Teppei' sound kind of stuffy to you? Too formal."

It does. With the way Kiyoshi's hair flops in front of his eyes and his eyebrows are thick like fuzzy caterpillars, Kiyoshi doesn't look intimidating at all, in contrast to how his full name sounds. From the very first moment Hyuuga met Kiyoshi, he's taken a liking to him. Kiyoshi is kind and odd and Hyuuga likes that about him.

Riko seems looser around Kiyoshi, too. She's leaning against the railing by the bed with her arms crossed against her chest, smiling fondly at Kiyoshi, who is in the middle of telling a story from his childhood. Riko's laughter rings by his side like a cool room in summer.

She is less on guard with Kiyoshi. She doesn't try as hard with her wit, and, as Riko whacks him lightly, listening to the story that Kiyoshi's telling about fishing when he was younger, describing the swishing of the rod in great detail—Hyuuga almost feels as though Kiyoshi's caught something on his hook that isn't fish.

.

"What campfire," Hyuuga says, brow creasing. "Aren't you bedridden? Stay off that leg."

"There's a campfire site near the riverbank a few streets down," Kiyoshi explains. "And it's not like I can't walk," He gestures to the left. There's a crutch in the corner of the room, and it's not like Hyuuga has never seen him walk with it, but he purses his lips.

"Besides, it's good for rehab." Kiyoshi grins. "It'll be fun!"

Riko shrugs. "Why not? We could call Izuki-kun and the others here too." She eyes Kiyoshi. "For an injured person, you're not acting very injured, anyway. Waste that energy with us."

Kiyoshi lights up. "Let's do it!"

He's always been an extremely mannered person, Hyuuga thinks. Maybe they're exploiting that a little.

Izuki, Mitobe, and Koganei arrive with plastic bags and more food, just in time to start the fire, while the other three have gathered wood splints and set a circle of stones. Koganei yips restlessly about starting the fire, boy-scout style, and the rest of them watch him try to keep the spark alive.

"That's useless," Izuki says. "No matter how you think about it. And even if it does work and it flares up, what are you going to do, standing over it like that? It'll catch on your clothing and you'll freak out and you might make things even worse."

"Does anyone have any paper?" Kiyoshi asks, frowning. "Or newspapers? Anyone pick up newspapers? If we pad it under the wood, the fire would burn for longer."

Mitobe points at Izuki, who looks at them oddly.

"I'm kind of touched," he says. "This is the first time any of you have wanted any of the papers I buy in the convenience stores. Now I know I'm not wasting money."

Hyuuga snorts. "We want to burn them. You understand that, right?"

"You guys are idiots," Riko laughs.

Kiyoshi chuckles to himself, looking at them. When he laughs, his shoulders shake in rhythm and his features opens up. It has its charm, oddly enough. Hyuuga lifts his elbow and rests it on Kiyoshi's shoulders. "Sorry about that," he says. "It always ends up like this, somehow, remember? In high school, too."

"It just always ended up like this," Kiyoshi repeats, watching them bicker. His gaze softens. "I miss it."

Hyuuga punches his shoulder, making him stumble. "It's not like we're gone, you know," he says, rolling his eyes. "And it's not like you're gone. It's the same."

"Not really." Kiyoshi sighs, suddenly sounding weary. "I wish I could still play."

Hyuuga's expression tightens. Kiyoshi's eyes close.

"You will," Hyuuga says fiercely. "You made a promise and you're going to keep it. Didn't you tell me once, that you don't break promises? Don't do this to me now, Kiyoshi. You promised us. All of us."

Kiyoshi smiles grimly. "I don't know anymore, Hyuuga. My leg... it's pretty messed up. There's a surgery I can do that's been brought up, but..."

"But what? What's holding you back?"

He shrugs. "Even so, things... might not go back to the way they used to be. It's a risk I don't know if I want to take. You understand that, right?" Kiyoshi gives him a sad smile. "You always understood me best."

Hyuuga holds his gaze firmly. Clenches his fists. No, he doesn't. He doesn't understand. He's never understood Kiyoshi. Never understood the way he thought about things, the way he laughed things off like they were nothing.

Kiyoshi claps him on the back and walks off to join the rest. Hyuuga watches them, as Koganei chases Mitobe for his piece of fish, and Riko peers into the bag Izuki brought, letting out a surprised squeak.

"You bought beer?" she yelps.

Izuki shrugs. "Aren't we all of age?"

"Yeah, but—"

Koganei settles on the log next to Izuki and slumps over, giggling uncontrollably. Riko points at him. "I don't want to be responsible for him."

"You're done with that," Mitobe decides when Koganei holds out his plastic cup for more. He confiscates it as Koganei sulks at him, swaying to the right. "You're drunk."

"Says who?" Koganei says defiantly, looking at him through half-lidded eyes.

"I bet you don't even know your forehead apart from your ass anymore," Izuki sighs, helping him sit upright. "Come on." He looks at Riko sheepishly. "Yeaaah, maybe that was a bad idea."

Koganei giggles, sliding off the log. "You said ass."

"Who gave him the drinks," Riko demands.

"Izuki brought the drinks," Kiyoshi pipes in helpfully.

"Izuki-kun."

"Wha—so you're all just going to blame it on me? I didn't do anything!"

Kiyoshi laughs, hard, until he stumbles back. Hyuuga reaches out, but it's Riko who catches him, hand on his shoulder. Kiyoshi glances back at her and chuckles. "My hero," he jokes, steadying himself and taking a seat on the log behind him. Riko joins him.

"Shut up," she laughs. Riko reaches for the last fish and impales it on a stick. "Here. You didn't eat much."

"I can't take a lot of meat in one sitting," he counters, making a face and patting his stomach.

Riko shoves it in his face. "Liar," she says, and Kiyoshi runs a sheepish hand through his hair before taking the stick from her and biting into it, enraptured.

The two of them are sweet, sitting next to each other. Hyuuga bites down on his own fish, watching it all. Every thread of meat burns on his tongue like acid. There isn't a single lifeline that can be thrown to him that isn't a braid of false hope.

.

A car is also an entrapment, Hyuuga thinks. He drives with Riko and Kiyoshi in the back seats, glancing every once in a while in the rearview mirror and realizes he doesn't feel as comfortable when it's Kiyoshi back there with Riko as he does when it's Koganei because Koganei and Riko are like middle school classmates, or siblings whose very purpose is to bicker and antagonize each other despite the fondness of it all.

But the light in Riko's eyes doesn't change when she looks at Koganei or Izuki or Mitobe, the way it sometimes does when she looks at Hyuuga, and now, as she's looking at Kiyoshi who's telling her about how he's learning to buy his own clothes now, through mail order. When Hyuuga pulls in front of the bus stop, where Kiyoshi's parents are waiting, too, Riko is slow to say goodbye.

And Hyuuga—well, he can't bring himself to cut their farewells short because he has no control over anyone's life but his own. When Kiyoshi smiles and waves Hyuuga goodbye, Hyuuga can't summon an ounce of bitterness towards him. Kiyoshi is his best friend, his closest confidante. It isn't his fault. Not at all.

.

It feels like a countdown.

Hyuuga gets it, finally. Their days press faster, like sand through an hourglass, and it feels like the top of it is running thin. Hyuuga doesn't want to think about it because he knows that if he does, he'll be able to see the end. But it doesn't work like that.

He knows Riko is seeing Kiyoshi. They're hanging out like old friends do, the way they used to, but soon, Hyuuga knows that they'll all realize that hearts are like drummers behind bars seeking liberation single-mindedly. Riko doesn't talk about Kiyoshi when she is with Hyuuga, but the echo of her laughter is different now, and he can't hate Kiyoshi for it, either. It's impossible, Hyuuga thinks, for anyone to hate Kiyoshi. It's easier for Hyuuga to hate that there's never anything to hate about Kiyoshi than to find something to hate about him.

But it doesn't have anything to do with Riko. It's probably Hyuuga. He's never listening too carefully anymore, because if he did, he'd hear the silver bells start to die.

.

Midnight doesn't have to chime for him to know that she's already gone.

.

.

.

When Hyuuga opens his eyes, the lights are dim and Kiyoshi is by his side, shaking him awake gently, telling him that everyone's waiting for him to start practice. Hyuuga looks across the room and sees the row of lockers in the school change room, sees Kiyoshi's gentle expression on his face. Riko didn't wake him on her way to the gym. In any world, some things never change.

Kiyoshi asks him if he's okay. Hyuuga yawns and forces himself awake, mumbling unintelligibly under his breath.

"Yeah," he finally says, clearing his throat. "I just... napped. For a bit. I'm good." He peers at Kiyoshi. "How's your leg?"

"It's doing good," Kiyoshi says back, and nudges him with his foot. "You are one of the only people I know who could nap in here. Kagami's another." He chuckles a little bit. "Had a nice dream?"

Hyuuga's quiet for a little bit. "I dreamt about us. Me, you, Riko. Koganei, Izuki, Mitobe. Us. Seirin."

Kiyoshi looks at him with those same steady, kind eyes. "And how was that?"

A laugh chokes its way out of Hyuuga's throat, catching him off-guard. There's no bitterness, still. He's glad. "It was a good dream," Hyuuga assures him. It was the way how all things are supposed to be. The way it ended. "Somehow, my dreams are blatantly honest, you know. Those kinds of dreams."

"Yeah," Kiyoshi says. "I know."

Hyuuga smiles at Kiyoshi. Once more, with feeling. "I'm glad," he says. He reaches out; Kiyoshi grabs his arm and pulls him up, just like he always does. Just like he always would. Hyuuga slings an arm around Kiyoshi's shoulders and squeezes him close.

Owari

2013.01.05