( Date : September 18th 2023 )
( Location : Quadra Island )
Toku carefully carried Nyoko's bags to the room she had chosen, after dropping off his own things. The room he selected was the one on the opposite side of the hall, he had seen that Kurai's door was opposite to Yuki's and assumed it was an organizing order to have guardians across from their witch.
Or in his case, his human.
"Thank you Toku," Nyoko said happily as she watched him place her things down neatly. She then sat down on the floor and began to open the small bags. They didn't have much, just a backpack and a suitcase their goddess gave them to hold their things.
As Nyoko opened her bags and glanced around the room she found herself wishing that she could've had all her old stuff in her childhood bedroom.
But knowing her father, he must have thrown it all in the trash. She looked around the room to see only a twin-sized bed and a desk.
It looks like she'd have to ask if the gods can pay her and the others for their labor because there's no way she could stay in such an empty room with not even a dresser to hold her clothes.
As Nyoko organized her things, her head perked up when she heard a faint knock at the door. She immediately stood up and ran out of her bedroom. "Yuki! The others are here!" She called out loudly as she ran down the stairs.
"Did you hear them?" Yuki asked curiously, she didn't hear the knocking but after getting closer to the front door she could feel the energy of three people waiting outside.
"Your hearing gets a lot better when you have to spend 4 years learning from animals," Nyoko said proudly, and it was in fact true. The Goddess of Life had Nyoko go days without being able to use magic, and had her rely on just sound to understand what the animals wished to say.
Yuki was a little confused by her words, but she chose to brush it aside at the moment. When Nyoko opened the front door they both saw Keiko, Hiro, and Ryuji on the other side. Keiko looked a lot different, she was a few centimeters taller, her hair was cut short in a bob fashion and she had a good amount of muscle on her.
Nyoko froze for a second as she took in the sight of Keiko, it was almost as if she forgot Hiro was there. But Yuki on the other hand was the opposite, she always attempted to prepare herself to apologize to Hiro. But now that he was standing in front of her, she felt a pit in her stomach.
Both Hiro and Keiko's eyes were glued on Nyoko the second she opened the door, large grins quickly spreading on their faces.
"Keiko... You look amazing," Nyoko said softly under her breath. Even if it's been four long years, she didn't expect Keiko to have changed so much.
Before Keiko could respond, Hiro quickly took a step closer to Nyoko and pulled her in for a hug. The sight of Nyoko was truly like a breath of fresh air to him, though he missed the others immensely, he couldn't help but miss his girlfriend the most.
Now that they were finally reunited Hiro couldn't ask for anything more, a part of him wished to kiss her, to finally share their first kiss in what he felt like was a perfect moment. But he knew it would be rude to do it in front of his friends, and he wanted her to be both ready and willing to share her first kiss with him.
He couldn't help but embrace her, and hug her tightly as if she were his lifeline. The years without her were long, each day he yearned to see her again. To hear her laughter or the sweet melodies that poured from her lips when she sang every song that came to her mind.
Nyoko smiled softly as she hugged him back, allowing him to lay his head on her shoulder. Everything was silent as the other three watched them. The silence wasn't a comforting one however, it felt awkward for both Yuki and Keiko, Ryuji on the other hand seemed happy for Hiro.
Hiro was akin to a son to Ryuji, so being able to see him happy and in love was a moment of pride for Ryuji.
"Nyoko, I believe I need assistance," Toku called out, causing Nyoko to gently pull away from the hug.
"Sorry Hiro, I'll be right back," Her words were quick and soft as she quickly followed Toku's voice. Hiro nodded and entered the house with Keiko and Ryuji as he watched Nyoko run up the steps.
Yuki took a deep breath. "Hiro," she said with all the strength she could muster to gain his attention.
"It's ok. I would've done the same," Hiro said quickly to shut her down. He knew she was going to apologize, and he didn't want to hear it. He just wanted her to believe his forgiveness and let it go.
Of course, it still affected him. To be killed by someone he believed would never harm him, it was hard to know Yuki wouldn't hesitate for such a thing, even if they went through so much together growing up.
He'll probably never get over it, like a scar that cannot be healed. The look in Yuki's eyes when she took his life as he begged for her to stop and listen to him. It's impossible to forget.
But even so, he didn't want to deal with it all. Hearing her apologize would just make him feel sick because in his mind she didn't care about his life. She only cares that she killed the wrong friend.
Yuki felt a pain in her chest as he shut her down, to her she needed to say she was sorry. To let him know she did care, and that she regrets taking action without proper knowledge of the situation. To admit that she should have trusted him. Even if it all made sense at the time, nothing makes sense looking back at it.
"No, Hiro. Just please let me-"
"I said it's fine." Hiro's tone was strict as he repeated his words. His every thought was plagued with the words "Shut up".
Keiko and Ryuji exchanged glances as Yuki took a small breath and nodded. It wasn't worth starting an argument over, but she wouldn't give up.
"So uh... Can you show us around the place?" Keiko asked awkwardly in hopes of changing the topic and rid of the tension in the air.
She'll make it up to him somehow because even if she spent four years earning the gods' favor to bring her friends back to life, it still wasn't enough for the sin she committed.
One day, in some way, she'll atone for it.
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