Written for the second round of the Twelve Shots of Summer challenge, for the prompt The Legacy Lives On.
1.
They watch the sunlight fall, brilliant and dazzling, over the palm trees.
Thank you for taking us all here, she says, but Senpai, you really didn't have to.
We've got to live while we can, he announces grandly, leaning back in the flimsy red chair. See, aren't you glad we came?
She listens to the tide awhile and smiles, just long enough so that he can see.
2.
He can't stop thinking of all the would-have-beens, all the chances he's missed already. She deserves nothing but the best, and he isn't sure how to make it exactly perfect -
-and, as he gradually comes to a halt to make the fateful declaration, she kisses him instead. Ignoring his stupefied stare, she smiles, calmly pats him on the shoulder, and continues walking on their way to buy commoner's coffee.
Later that evening, he throws a grand party in celebration and refuses to tell anyone what it's for.
Not that they didn't already know after just one glance at him.
3.
If you left me, he says, I think my heart would shatter.
She opens her mouth, but he presses a finger to her lips. No, really, he says. I think it would break jagged in my chest and never be whole again. But I'd live, if I knew you were happy. As long as I knew you were safe, I think the pieces of my heart would manage to get by.
The painful thing is that he actually means it.
4.
I'll always be here for you, he promises, clasping her hands in his.
I'll be there for you, she says, as long as it's not nine-to-five on a workday.
5.
Even after they're married, she feels as everything is still the same. He attempts to cook, but she doesn't particularly mind. She does most of the practical things around the house - like killing spiders - and he whisks her away to upscale restaurants at impractical times.
The host club still embarks on wildly lavish vacations. She's still caught in the middle of whatever shenanigans they're planning. He still dramatically orders waiters to get the fancy tuna here right now.
Damn rich people, she says under her breath. Some things never change.
6.
I think, she says over her plate of fancy tuna, it's because we were so busy with looking forward.
He nods gently. We didn't stop to think of what would become of the Club after we graduated.
7.
So they return to the academy hand-in-hand, cherry trees stirring in the wind.
I should have known it ended with us, he says despondently. She shakes her head, hearing distant applause.
Multicolored signs lead them to the school gardens, proclaiming "So You Think You Can Be A Host: Auditions Open!"
I suppose, she says, rich people never stop having too much time on their hands.
Fin