Until We Meet Again
Author's Note: Well, I just got caught up with the Inu x Boku manga, and it broke my heart. So, I had to let out some of my feelings by writing a story. I can't believe how cruel fate was to Ririchiyo and Soushi. Anyways, since I'm still depressed right now, this story is likely to be depressing as well. Bring some tissues if your emotional side is easily instigated.
Chapter 1: The Aftermath
A young female with long, purple hair and glazed-over violet eyes sat on her bed in a dark, empty room. The curtains were closed, and the sole source of illumination inside came from the cellular device which she held in her left hand. Her face was pale, and dark circles were present around each of her eyes, revealing that she had not been getting a proper amount of rest. Her stomach pleaded desperately for nourishment, but she utterly disregarded it. She was entirely focused on the screen of her phone, reading a text message over and over again. It was the last message that she had ever received from the man she loved before his tragic demise. The ironic part was, while he was still alive, he used to read her messages endlessly... and she found this behavior creepy back then. Yet here she was, unable to pull her eyes away from those words of passion that he sent to her.
She had already attempted to sleep for a while. However, as with most nights, she failed miserably. She tossed and turned in bed until she grew sick of it, finally giving up and pulling out her phone to read instead. Although it had already been a month since the incident, she still found it difficult to believe that she would never receive any more texts from him. In fact, she constantly kept her phone on, just in case... it was almost as though she were expecting something to be sent to her at any time. Why did this have to happen? Why was fate so cruel to us? She felt like crying as she continued to immerse herself in that virtual representation of the deceased young man's love. However, no tears would come. She hadn't shed a single tear since the day he passed away. For some reason, she was unable to let herself grieve. She knew that if she did so, it meant that she would be accepting his death, and she'd have to move on. She didn't want to move on. She didn't want to live without her lover... the white-haired kitsune atavist who once freed her heart and soul.
After reading over the message for nearly an hour, she closed her phone and turned her head to face the window. Even with the curtains shut, reddish light was finally starting to enter the room. Dawn had arrived at last, causing the young woman to release a deep sigh from her lungs. Shortly afterwards, she slipped off the bed and walked over to her dresser, pulling out her typical school uniform. Upon getting dressed, she departed from the room and entered a short hallway. A brief journey led her to an elevator, and she soon stepped inside it. The small, rectangular room descended three floors before it finally halted in its tracks. The doors slowly slid open, and the occupant stepped out into her destination... the lounge.
A woman with long, blond hair and glasses was sitting at one of the tables in the room, and she immediately grinned when she noticed the purple-haired female's presence. "Ah, Ririchiyo-chan! Ohayo! Come over here and sit on my lap so that I can make sure your panties fit properly!" She was using the same cheerful tone as she always did whenever she spotted a cute or pretty woman... or well, any woman really.
The young girl named Ririchiyo didn't respond. She didn't understand how that woman could be so upbeat after the disaster that had befallen them. She merely passed by that table silently, keeping her gaze fixed on her feet. The other woman stood up, sighing.
"Still glum, huh? Well, I already told you that I'll happily become your new Secret Service agent. My client has been..."
"...Nee-san, don't..." A young male with long brown hair shook his head as he sat across the table from the blond woman. He knew that Ririchiyo wasn't in the mood to hear it. She had already made it clear that she didn't want another SS agent.
"...gomenasai, Ririchiyo-chan." The blond woman, Nobara, pushed up her glasses as her expression suddenly turned quite serious. "Actually, there was something I wanted to talk with you all about. I've already discussed it with my client, but I thought I should inform you all as well. I'll be leaving Ayakashi Kan today. I'm going to start investigating everything I can about that inu boy. I can't forgive him for what he did to Miketsukami and Karuta-chan."
Ririchiyo suddenly stopped in her tracks, and her eyes widened slightly. She slowly turned her head to look at the lesbian, wearing an expression of shock. A young, blond man who was sitting at a nearby table cringed slightly when the name "Karuta" was mentioned.
"Tch!" He clenched both of his fists tightly, and his internal pain was evident in his expression. "We still... can't find any traces of her."
"Hmm, perhaps it's better that way." An older male with long, crimson hair was sitting across from the blond male. On top of his head, he was sporting a pair of black usagi ears, and a disturbingly large grin was present on his face. "If we found her, would you have what it takes to kill her?"
The blond male's sapphire eyes widened, and after a few moments, he lowered his head. His eyes gained a rather glossy appearance, giving the impression that he was on the verge of tears.
"He's right." Nobara nodded in agreement, crossing her arms over her chest. "Karuta-chan is not herself anymore. The enemy has her under his control, and we have no way of changing her back. If we encounter her again, we'll need to eliminate her... no matter how cute she used to be." Upon uttering those words, she slowly turned around to face the purple-haired teenager again. "I suppose it wouldn't have worked out for us after all, Ririchiyo-chan. I'm sorry for everything, and I wish you the best in the future." She suddenly stepped over to the younger woman and embraced her gently.
Ririchiyo blinked, and her shocked expression was still present as she stared up into the blond female's emerald eyes. She didn't move a muscle, and the loving gesture went unreciprocated, as usual. After a few moments, the snow woman reluctantly released Ririchiyo and began walking toward the front doors.
"Well, good luck, everyone! I hope we cross paths again one day..." Finally, she departed from the building for the last time. She would not be returning until her next life.
Ririchiyo stood there in silence for a few minutes, unsure of how to react to these circumstances. The male with brown hair sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"Mataku. Now I need a new Secret Service agent, too. Guess we're in the same boat, Ririchiyo."
Again, the purple-haired female did not respond. She just remained completely motionless. After the duration of thirty seconds, she started walking again, leaving the building as well.
"Eh? She ignored me again..." The young man tilted his head slightly to the left, speaking in the same relaxed tone as always.
Ririchiyo made her way to school, as she did every morning. Her grades were suffering recently since she seldom paid attention in class anymore. Thus, she was bullied even more than before. However, she completely ignored the horrid comments that were thrown at her. Her mind always seemed to be a million miles away. She didn't care what they said about her anyways. They didn't know her. They didn't know anything about her... not like he once did.
When classes finally ended for the day, she began walking home again. She didn't have anyone to pick her up, but she didn't mind walking. In fact, she preferred it that way. She wanted to be alone again... just as she did when she first arrived at Ayakashi Kan. As she exited the school grounds, she suddenly stopped in her tracks when she heard a familiar voice echoing from behind her.
"Oi, matte!" The blond male from Ayakashi Kan rushed up to her, stopping once he was right beside her. The two of them used to eat lunch together all the time when Karuta was still around... she had brought the two of them together as friends. However, since the incident, neither of them spent time together anymore.
"Watanuki-kun... is something the matter?" Ririchiyo seemed genuinely surprised that he was speaking to her.
"Well... it's just that... s-since you're going home the same way as me, we m-might as well go together!" That was Banri's way of saying that he wanted to walk home with her.
"...do as you please." Ririchiyo's tone didn't sound arrogant when she spoke anymore. On the rare occasion when she actually did speak, her voice sounded low and depressed. For a while, she had been improving when speaking to others, but all her hard work had completely gone down the tubes since a certain man's death.
Banri nodded and started to walk alongside Ririchiyo as they began their journey back to the Ayakashi mansion. They remained silent for the first half of the trek, but the raccoon atavist finally decided to speak up.
"Hey, I know it's hard... to lose someone you really care about." He began, using a serious tone. "I don't think that damned fox would've wanted you to give up on everything you worked for because of what happened. He wouldn't want you to throw away your friends and make yourself lonely again."
After those words were spoken, the purple-haired female appeared to be lost deeply in thought. She pondered over his advice for a while before finally responding.
"I don't know what he would have wanted... but it's not going to be easy for me to open up again. Not if I end up losing all the people that I care about in the end..."
"Loss is a part of life..." Banri rubbed the back of his neck, and he wore a slightly uneasy expression on his face. He wasn't accustomed to discussing such deep matters. "...it hurts, too... but even though it's hard, you've gotta learn to cope with it and move on. Nothing good will happen if you don't. You'll never live up to your full potential, and you'll never find happiness again."
As the two students finally arrived at the large Ayakashi building, Ririchiyo began to think over the young male's words again. She knew that he was right, but his advice was much easier said than done. She wasn't in the mood to talk with anyone, but she knew that if she didn't try opening up to people more... she'd lose herself.
"I don't want to find happiness again... he was the only one who could give me true happiness."
Banri began to move toward the elevator after they entered the lounge, still walking alongside his purple-haired classmate.
"It might be a while before you can find happiness again, so maybe you should take this one step at a time like me. I started by finding a new purpose."
"...a new purpose?"
"Yeah. If you find a new reason for living, it'll help a lot. Mine is the same as that snow woman's. I want to do whatever I can to find Karuta and stop that inu kid from hurting any more people." Again, the raccoon atavist clenched both of his fists. "I don't want anyone else to lose someone like we did. I'll be leaving soon, too... so take care of yourself."
Ririchiyo found herself lost in thought for a third time. Although he claimed to be a delinquent, Banri had given her some pretty deep advice. As she stepped into the elevator with the blond male, she took a deep breath. Then, she finally spoke once more, using a resolved tone. "I'll come with you."
"Huh?" Banri's expression shifted into one of surprise as he turned his gaze toward the young female.
"I said that I'll accompany you. I want to stop that boy as much as anyone... and I want to find out why he killed Miketsukami-kun. " Her violet eyes were filled with a new determination thanks to the encouragement of her classmate. This will most likely be my last mission...