Street Lamps Under the Evening Sky
"Tired?" Neku said, watching Shiki drowsily open her water-filled eyes.
She nodded, trying to fight off the yawns rising up her throat. "I'm so happy to see you guys again, but this weather is seriously sapping my strength." Taking a quick glance at her hand, she breathed a sigh of relief. " I'm gonna head home and get some sleep." Sweeping her eyes across her friends, she saw Rhyme's warm smile lighting up her entire face, Beat's muscular arms crossed underneath his relaxed grin, and Neku's typically serious features softened by a rare smile. Extending their arms, the group of friends hugged each other goodbye, throwing "See ya tomorrow!" over their shoulders as they walked off into the bustling city.
Walking across the stone-embedded path, she breathed in the cool evening air that breezed across the sky.
"Shiki!" Neku called out, his footsteps following his voice.
She slowly turned around, trying to hide the blush that bloomed from her rapidly beating heart.
"Can I walk you home? Figure it's the least I can do after all this."
"Sure" she said, smiling as she tried to imitate Neku's calm and collected expression.
As they walked under the darkening sky, cold metal streetlights warmed the city's metal frames with golden light.
Neku had his hands in his pockets, leaning back slightly as he walked. His pale orange hair drifted freely in the wind, no longer anchored by the headphones that once surrounded him.
A chocolate-eyed brunette watched her from the store windows, following her with every footstep. A warm smile came across the girl's face, no longer anchored by the frown that once conquered the mirror.
Neku caught her smiling at her own reflection, a gentle breeze tossing her chocolate-brown hair in graceful waves.
The brunette girl chuckled softly as she walked beside Neku's reflection.
The duo walking across the glass store windows swept out of her vision as she turned to face Neku.
The delicate smile that met his eyes faded into worry.
His hands jumped out of his pockets. "What's wrong, Shiki?"
She looked off into the sea of neon and golden light. "I took this street everyday to meet Beat and Rhyme at Hachiko, waiting for you."
"I was scared of losing you for good, we all were." she admitted, glancing at his hand. Fearing that glowing red would appear once again.
He held his hand to the light for her to see. "I fought with all I had to make it back. I can't take away the pain and worry that I caused you and everyone else...but we're all here. We made it."
She closed her eyes against the melting sunlight. "I'm glad you made it back to us, Neku."
I don't know what I would have done if…
Seeing the conflicting emotions flash across her face, his heart twinged.
"...Even though we've gone through a lot...I'm glad I met you when I did." He struggled to get the words out, looking straight ahead to hide the faint blush he felt spreading across his face.
She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad I met you too." A cool smile crossed Neku's face as they walked on.
Heading towards her apartment, their paces slowed. The pavement turned into long blades of grass that carried delicate blossoms across its tree-shaded surface.
"I'll see you around, Shiki."
"Neku, wait." She struggled to keep her face from becoming a tomato. "I just wanted to say thank you...for everything." Looking up, she saw Neku's mysterious gray eyes melting into warm silver.
A pair of headphones met her hands. "Shiki...I want you to have these."
"Your headphones? Neku...I can't…" she held them out towards him. "You may not need these to block out the world anymore, but that doesn't mean you should give them up. These headphones represent so much…"
A flash of remembrance crossed Neku's unreadable face. "I don't need these anymore, now that I've found what really matters to me."
Blinking through tears, Shiki placed the heavy, worn-out headphones around her neck before pulling Neku into a soft embrace. Neku wrapped his arms around Shiki, three words sitting on the edge of his heart.
As she leaned against his shoulder, she could hear his heartbeat pounding, moving to the rhythm of hers.
Note: I hope you guys enjoyed it! This is the first fanfic I've ever written and I hope it was good! Please let me know what you guys think and feel free to drop some constructive criticism because I really do want to get better at writing. Thank you for reading!