and when the rain stops
you will be here next to me, again and always

.

.

Again, the weather outside is solemn. The dark, cloudy skies form together, booming thunder and crying tears. The weather continues at this state for a week, particularly after Tamako's departure to marry Prince Mochimazzwi Mecha.

Mochizou emits a long sigh as he lies on his bed. He instinctively, casually shifts his stance towards the right, where a photo of Tamako and him sit on his dresser. Staring at the photo, the two bodies blur together and twist and warp around until they become memories—memories of Tamako, mostly. Memories of when they met, when they laughed, when they smiled, when they separated. The last memory, in particular, didn't hit him until now when she is gone.

Forever.

.

.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

In the corner of his eyes, Mochizou glanced to the right to find Ooji Gohei, his father and owner of the Ricecake Oh!Zee mochi shop, at his bedroom door. Mochizou reverted his gaze towards the ground before changing the subject. "I thought you disliked them."

The man chuckled jokingly, mockingly. He created an excuse for Mochizou's sudden statement. "I do not dislike them. We're just... a little competitive, that's all. And even if I did dislike them, I would still go and say farewell to someone who is leaving and wouldn't come back for a long time. So then, are you coming?"

The troubled teen flinched when his father spoke those words. His eyebrows furrowed, his stance continued at the ground. Mochizou's father sighed in defeat before turning and leaving Mochizou's room. As he hastily stepped down the stairs, he shouted a warning to his son. "You will greatly regret it if you didn't come!"

Mochizou softly scoffed at his remark. He already regretted countless of things.

.

.

From his window, he watched the last of Tamako's possessions get stuffed into the moving truck. The first person to catch Mochizou's attention was Tamako herself. Instead of her usual pigtails, her hair was neatly combed down, falling carelessly over her shoulders and framing her feminine face. Her contacts were replaced with her bright pink glasses, and her uniform was replaced with a long t-shirt, skirt, and tights. The umbrella in her hands shielded her from the rain that landed harshly around her.

Mochizou turned around, his back against the wall, before sliding down and taking a deep, steady breath. He tightly gripped the bag in his hand before standing up.

No matter what, this was the day he was going to tell her how he truly felt about her.

.

.

He exited his house and into the damp air emanating from the moody clouds above.

Everyone was there: Tamako, Tokiwa, Shiori, Kanna, Anko, Oto-san, Ojii-chan, Chio-chan, Dera-chan, the rest of the shopkeepers, including his parents, and Prince Mochimazzwi, who was going to take the person Mochizou held closest to his heart away. (1)

Tamako shifted her head before noticing Mochizou walking towards her. She gasped and fully turned around before smiling radiantly, glowing, and vigorously shook her arms in the air, grabbing his attention.

"Mochizou!" She shouted in glee, yet her smile immediately disappeared when she saw the large bag in his hands. "Mochizou..."

"Hai!" He suddenly blurted, bowing his head and avoiding eye contact, before shoving the large bag towards her. He slowly glanced up to see her face filled with bewilderment. Hastily, she took the bag, her hands brushing against his, and opened it, revealing the countless amounts of presents inside. As she opened her mouth to question him, he quietly, shakily, spoke up.

"T-They... are the birthday presents I never had the chance to give to you over the years," Mochizou explained, staring at his shoes as he gently kicked the pebbles and rocks and stones on the streets. "I thought, maybe, the right time to give them to you was now."

Shocked, her eyes glistened from his words before placing the bag on the ground and smiling. "Arigatou, Mochizou!"

"You know, Tamako... No matter where you go, or who you're with, as long as you're happy, I'm happy. I'll always lo—"

Before he had the chance to notice, a stray tear fell down his flushed cheeks. He closed his eyes in order to sustain the tears from falling anymore. Yet, it became harder when Tamako watched him with those eyes.

"M-Mochizou, are you—"

"I love you!"

.

.

Silence filled the street.

.

.

Everyone, including Tamako, stared at Mochizou with bewildered faces. Tamako stared at him for the longest, as she slowly blinked her wide, sky-blue eyes. She slightly tilted her head to the side; a stray hair fell in front of her face as her glasses shift. Suddenly, a bright smile flashed on her face.

"I love you, too, Mochizou!"

Mochizou's eyes and lips instantly shot open as a faint, crimson tint spread across his cheeks. His shocked, yet flustered expression had easily given away how surprised he was of her answer. "Y-You do?"

"Of course! You're my mochi buddy and best friend, Mochizou, and you'll always be! Don't forget that, ne?"

Suddenly, Mochizou's hope shifted into disappointment. His mouth had slowly shut before reverting his eyes towards the ground, hiding the sheer blunder of his heart. He was on the verge of crying once more; the tears begin to gather at the rim of his eyes. He cleared his throat, the burning sensation was slowly growing heavier and heavier, "U-Un, you're right. You'll always be... my mochi buddy and best friend."

He felt stupid, selfish, to think that she wouldn't leave if he confessed his affection towards her, or she wouldn't leave because, maybe, she liked him back. She was marrying a prince, for goddamn sake! Someone who didn't know her like he knew her, someone who didn't love her like he loved her. Someone who was, obviously, more of her league than he would ever be.

The further the thought went towards the back of his head, the more tears began to leave his eyes. He quickly shut them, trying his best to stop the tears. His body began to tremble, his nose began to run; the urge to stop crying became harder.

Suddenly, his eyes shot open when he felt soft, warm hands wipe the tears from his face. His eyes widened as he glanced at Tamako. She looked worried, concerned. For him.

"It's okay, Mochizou. I'll be back soon, I promise!" She smiled, yet the ends of her mouth began to slightly tremble. A soft sniffle erupted from her nose. "It's alright, really. Please, don't c-cry."

Then, a tear fell from her face.

"P-Please... Don't cry..." Tamako whispered under her breath. Mochizou's eyes widened as he watched her crumble. Terse hiccups left her mouth, her face became flushed as more salty droplets fell. "Don't cry... for me..."

Mochizou was shocked. This was the first time he saw Tamako cry since the death of her mother. He soon realized that she was crying because of him. Again, his eyes water from the thought before he broke down and cried.

And the two shared each other's tears as the rain poured around them.

.

.

Hastily, he hears the faint thumping sound of the rain stop as a ray of sunshine hits the window and enters into the room. A sudden knock on the door is heard, breaking Mochizou from his train of thought. He glances at the door, releasing a long, audible sigh.

"Hai!" He loudly shouts, giving the person permission to enter. The door slowly opens, revealing his mother who wields a soft, relaxing smile on her face. Mochizou raises an eyebrow, for his mother rarely smiles this way. Before he is able to speak, she interrupts him with surprising news—

"Someone is here to see you."

.

.

Mochizou looks out the window.

And there, in the middle of the road—

was her.

.

.

Quickly, he ran out of his room, down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out of the house, into the sunlight, right next to Tamako. The exhaustion from his legs, the tightness of his chest, and the struggle to breathe all swarmed at him once, resulting for the teen to place his hands on his knees and pant loudly.

He shifts his head towards her to find her in an over-sized knit sweater, patterned leggings, and boots. Her hair is styled in pigtails, accompanied by her white hair ornaments, and her glasses are absent from her face. This sight brings Mochizou to ease, for his friend looked the same as usual.

"I... I didn't marry him—"

This is the first thing to escape her lips, yet it didn't matter to him. He didn't care if she did or didn't get married the prince. She was there, next to him, where she belongs, where she is meant to be.

Forever.

This overwhelms him as he grabs her into a hug and hides his tears and sniffles in her hair. He takes in the scent of vanilla and berries and spice, the scent he missed the most. And he realizes, he missed her the most.

"I missed you," he manages to say between his tears, sobs, and hiccups. "I-I missed you so much, Tamako..."

To Tamako, the hug feels welcoming, appealing. She is suddenly filled with want for more as she pressed her body into his, making them fit together like a puzzle piece. She blinks vividly before glancing at the bright-haired teen with wide, solemn-like eyes and tear-stained cheeks. His gaze is identical to hers. Tamako's eyes glisten before a stray tear escapes the rim and rolls down her rosy cheeks. The corners of her thin, pale lips curve into a sad variation of a smile.

"I missed you the most, Mochizou."

.

.

In time, everybody falls in love with somebody.

Just as I found you.

.

.

the end.

—e/n: (1) oto-san (father) - mamedai kitashirakawa; ojii-chan (grandfather) - fuku kitashirakawa

hopefully, tamako will make the right decision and not marry the prince. but if she does, this is how i hope the anime turns out at the end. so, please don't marry the prince, tamako-chan! marry mochizou-kun instead~! (he loves you more) D:

ah, my feels towards this shipping, as well as midori/tamako and mochizou/midori. i swear tamako market is my new obsession. i can't get enough of this anime, it's so fresh and interesting. (^_^) so yeah, please tell me what you think. i may stick to writing for this fandom (it needs more stories!) :3

-audrey