Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard
Pairing: Aichi x Kai (Kaichi/Kaiai)
Author Notes: Wanted to write a Kaichi story for Kai-kun's graduation. Been working on my other stories as well but wanted to post this while Legion Mate is still going on. Set during Legion Mate. Spoilers for 195. Oneshot.
I hope you guys enjoy it!
Kai-kun's Graduation
"Aichi."
Sendou Aichi let out a small noise as he looked at the paper in front of him on the table. He was dressed in his school uniform. In his right hand, he held a red mechanical pencil that had a Dragonic Overlord design on it. He had a focused expression on his face but every so often as he wrote on the paper, a confused look would come onto his face making him shake his head and erase what he had written.
"Aichi!"
Aichi jumped at the loud voice near his ear making his hand release the mechanical pencil sending it flying across the room. The blue haired boy looked to his left with wide eyes. Upon seeing his friends, he let out a small relieved breath. "Everyone. You scared me," He smiled at them.
"I've been calling your name for a few minutes now, Aichi," Ishida Naoki said.
The blue haired boy's eyes widened. "Eh? Is that so? Sorry, Naoki-kun. Is something wrong?"
"'Is something wrong?' Does there have to be something wrong in order for me to talk to you?"
"E-Eh? No, that isn't it. But what about class?" Aichi asked looking confused.
The red head sighed. "Aichi. Class ended not too long ago. Didn't you hear the bell?"
The blue haired boy blinked a few times. "Eh? Eh?!" He looked around their classroom seeing the classroom empty besides the three of them. "Ah, you are right. I'm sorry, everyone," He said getting up from his seat and grabbing his school bag.
"What are you doing spacing out during class for? As club president, you have to set the right example and pay attention during class; Sendou-kun," Komoi Shingo said raising a hand to push his glasses back onto his face.
Before Aichi could speak up, Naoki looked at Shingo. "Don't scold Aichi like that. Everyone has their off days. Besides, Aichi was busy with something," He said. The red head looked at Aichi. "Right?"
"U-Un. I was working on the farewell address for Kai-kun, Misaki-san and Miwa-kun's graduation ceremony," The blue haired boy said looking down.
His friends smiled sympathetically at him. They weren't like Aichi in that they were really close to or had known the soon to be high school graduates for long. Over the past year, they had been getting closer to the others especially Tokura Misaki as she was in the same club as them though.
"How is it going? I'm sure since it is Aichi writing it, it is awesome so far!" Naoki grinned enthusiastically. Before Aichi could speak, his hands grabbed the piece of paper on the blue haired boy's desk. "This is it, right? Let me have a look."
The blue haired boy's eyes widened. "W-Wait. D-Don't look at that," He said reaching for the paper.
"What are you saying? Just a small peek will be fine," The red head said holding the piece of paper high above him so that Aichi couldn't get it. A grin was on his face as the blue haired boy tried reaching for it again but failed.
"Naoki-kun is tall," The blue haired boy murmured after failing to try and get it once more. He stopped trying to reach it and looked down giving up.
"Let's see," Naoki said lowering the piece of paper so that he and Shingo could read it.
Aichi looked up at them. He watched as they read it then blinked. He waited for their reactions nervously.
Shingo looked up from the paper to look at the nervous looking blue haired boy. "Sendou-kun. What is this? You hardly have anything written down."
"Anything? You've got nothing!" Naoki said bluntly looking up from the paper.
"You juvenile. That is no way to talk to Sendou-kun," Shingo chastised looking at Naoki.
"What? It is true! He has words on here but they are all scratched out or partially erased."
"That is why I didn't want you guys to look at it," Aichi murmured looking down a pink flush on his cheeks. "I'm still in the middle of writing it out."
His murmur caught the attention of his friends who looked at him. They glanced at each other then looked at Aichi.
"Aichi. You do realize the graduation ceremony is in a week, right?" Naoki asked slowly.
The blue haired boy nodded a miserable look on his face. "I know. But I can't come up with anything. Every time I come up with something, it sounds too informal and undeserving of Kai-kun, Misaki-san and Miwa-kun's graduation ceremony."
"You don't need to put formal words on there to get your point across, Aichi," Naoki spoke up surprising everybody.
"Naoki-kun?" Aichi looked up at him surprised.
"I know it is supposed to be a formal event and all but they are your friends. They will love whatever you read out to them. Don't worry about it as much and just try to be yourself as you write."
The blue haired boy's eyes widened. "Be… myself?"
"Ah! Don't you think that is what they would want the most over a boring address that has none of your feelings in it?" Naoki grinned at him offering the piece of paper to the other.
The blue haired boy accepted the paper with both hands looking down at the words on it. "Be myself… My feelings…" A small smile went onto his face as he looked up at the red head. "You are right, Naoki-kun. Thank you."
"No problem. We are friends, right?"
A smile went onto the blue haired boy's face at those words. "Un!"
There was silence as the three friends just stood there smiling at each other for a few moments.
"I can't believe the delinquent actually gave good advice for once," Shingo said breaking the silence and good mood.
"What did you say? What do you mean 'for once'?" Naoki glared at Shingo.
The blue haired boy sweat dropped as his two friends started arguing. He let out a nervous laugh as their arguing started getting louder. "Come on, you two. Please don't fight," He said trying to placate them.
Shingo and Naoki either ignored or didn't hear Aichi as they kept arguing with each other.
The blue haired boy laughed nervously as he looked at his friends. "Eh?" He blinked closing his bag and looking at his empty desk. He looked under his desk blinking once more. "I can't find my pencil. I just had it with me today. That pencil was important. It was my favorite," The boy murmured.
"What kind of pencil was it? Was it the one that you were using earlier?" Naoki's voice surprised Aichi making him look at him.
"Un. That is right."
"Didn't it fly across the room when you jumped at hearing my voice?" Naoki raised a hand to his chin grabbing it as he spoke.
"It did? Where is it?" Aichi asked surprised. He started walking around the classroom looking for it. A few moments later, he let out a small breath relieved. "I found it," He said walking over, kneeling down and picking it up. The blue haired boy stood up and walked over to his friends who had stayed where they were. "See?" A happy smile was on his face as he showed the mechanical pencil he held in one hand.
"I'm glad you found it, Aichi," Naoki said. "But this mechanical pencil… It has Dragonic Overlord on it. Is this Kai's mechanical pencil?"
"E-Eh? Kai-kun? Y-You are wrong. This mechanical pencil is mine. I bought it for myself," The blue haired boy said bringing the pencil to his chest and holding it protectively.
"I understand. Let's go to Card Capital, Aichi," Naoki grinned at him.
The blue haired boy let out a small breath relieved the other hadn't asked any more questions. He nodded a smile on his face. "Un."
ZZZ
"Aichi."
Aichi let out an incomprehensible murmur as he looked at the piece of paper in front of him. In his right hand, he held his Dragonic Overlord mechanical pencil. The blue haired boy was now at Card Capital determined to write more of the farewell address. Unfortunately, it wasn't going well.
"Aichi!"
The blue haired boy jumped at the loud voice. Thankfully, his pencil didn't fly away from him this time. His wide eyes looked towards his left. Upon seeing Naoki, he let out a small breath relieved. "Naoki-kun. You scared me," He smiled up at him.
The red head shook his head at him making the other look at him confused. "Aichi, I understand that you need to finish your farewell address but what about taking a break? You've been at it ever since we arrived. Who knows? Maybe a break is what you need to start writing," He grinned at him.
"But I have to get this done. I know I still have time but—"
"No buts! Come on. Have a fight with me," Naoki said grabbing Aichi by his free wrist and tugging at it.
"Wait Naoki-kun," The blue haired boy said trying to tug his wrist free. His right hand placed the pencil down on the paper. "Alright. We can go now," He smiled at his friend who had stopped tugging him to look at what he was doing.
"Alright! Let's have fun and not think about the graduation ceremony for now," Naoki grinned at him tugging him over to an available Standing Fight Table. He let go of the other's wrist and walked over so that he was standing opposite the blue haired boy.
"I couldn't agree more!" Miwa Taishi said walking into the shop looking exhausted. He looked over at the front counter expecting to see Misaki but was surprised to see Nitta Shin instead.
"Welcome, Miwa-kun," Shin smiled warmly at him.
"Where is Nee-chan?"
"Misaki is still at school helping with her graduation preparations. Weren't you at your school, Miwa-kun?" Shin said.
"Ah. That is right."
Aichi walked up to Miwa making the blond look over and grin at him. "Good afternoon, Miwa-kun. You came at a later time than usual. Is it because of the graduation preparations?"
"Ah. You would think that because we are graduating, they wouldn't have anything left for us to do and leave all the preparations to our kouhai but that isn't the case at all," The blond complained. The blue haired boy sweat dropped at the other's reaction then looked around the blond. Miwa noticed what Aichi was up to and smirked at him. "Kai isn't here. He hasn't been coming to school lately."
The blue haired boy flinched as he got caught and looked at Miwa. "E-Eh? But I never mentioned Kai-kun's name, Miwa-kun," He said surprised.
"You were about to ask about him though," Miwa smirked at him. The smirk turned smug as the blue haired boy's cheeks flushed pink. Bingo.
Aichi looked down embarrassed. Were his feelings for Kai that obvious?
The rest of the day passed quickly as the blue haired boy fought a few people then proceeded to continue to work on his address. He let out a hum as he wrote on the piece of paper. After reading what he wrote, he shook his head immediately crumpling the paper into a ball and throwing it into the recycle bin.
The blue haired boy sighed as he looked at his farewell address. It looked like he might have to work on it more at home. He stood up from his seat and said good bye to his friends as Card Capital started closing for the day.
ZZZ
Aichi took a deep breath then let it out slowly. This was it. It was the day of Miwa, Misaki and Kai's graduation. He had stayed up all night to finish his farewell address. It was hard to write but he had a lot of help thanks to Naoki's advice about being himself so he was able to finish on time. The blue haired boy stood outside Hitsue High, the place where Hitsue and Miyaji decided to have their joint graduation ceremony at. He was dressed in his school uniform looking as neat and proper as ever. This time though, his school uniform was buttoned up unlike normal where he just left it open and unbuttoned. He yawned.
All different kinds of people were walking around him and into the school in front of him. The graduation ceremony would take place in the gymnasium as it was the biggest place to hold everyone. Little kids, teenagers, fellow students, senpai, kouhai, students from other schools, fans, adults, parents and friends all from different walks of life here to celebrate and take part in this joyous occasion of the person (or people) they were acquainted with.
The blue haired boy closed his eyes and swallowed nervously. As his eyes looked at all the people, he started feeling nervous. Would he be alright? He shook his head a determined look coming onto his face. If he could face Kai Toshiki at his Moon Palace without running away, he could definitely do something as simple as a farewell address. After walking through the gates of the familiar high school that he had visited dozens of times in the past, he made his way to the gymnasium as well.
The gymnasium was just as big as Aichi remembered. With all the space it had, everyone was able to squeeze in and get a seat. The blue haired boy noticed that they put all of the graduates up front. Everybody else was either sitting behind them on the chairs provided or up top on the upper level. He stood off to the side as he looked around for an open spot.
"Aichi-kun! There you are!"
The blue haired boy looked to his right seeing Mark walking up to him. He turned to face him. "Mark-sensei. Good morning," He smiled politely.
"Yes. Good morning. I was looking for you," Mark said stopping a few feet away from the other. Instead of his normal outfit, the teacher was wearing blue graduation robes that went down to his ankles. The teacher was also wearing black dress pants under his robes that could be seen as he walked and black dress shoes.
"Eh? Why?"
"You haven't received the program of the ceremony, right? Here," Mark said getting out a paper program from the stack he was holding and holding it out to the other with one hand. Aichi took the program with both hands looking down at it. "You'll see that after the top student of each school presents their speech, it will be your turn. Is your farewell address finished?"
The blue haired boy smiled and looked up at him. "Yes. It is finished. Thank you very much for allowing me to present a farewell address to everybody. Isn't it weird though? I'm not even graduating this year."
"What are you saying, Aichi-kun? You, a young man who has been a part of both schools and have friends in both schools deserve to have this opportunity. Good luck," Mark smiled at him flashing a thumb up at him. Instead of saying good luck in Japanese, he said it in English.
"Y-Yes. Thank you very much," Aichi replied in English. After talking to Mark for a few more minutes, the teacher left after telling him that he could do it. The blue haired boy gulped a nervous look on his face. Talking to Mark made him forget about his nerves but now that the other was gone, he could feel the nerves settling in once again. He raised a hand to his chest breathing in deeply then letting it out once more.
"Aichi."
The blue haired boy jumped at the voice. His eyes looked to his right seeing Kai Toshiki walking up to him. "Kai-kun!" His hand dropped back to his side as the brunet stopped a few feet away from him. The smaller boy turned to face the other.
"… What are you looking so nervous for? This isn't the scariest thing you have had to face, right?" Kai said his hands in his pants pockets. He was dressed in his school uniform and for once he was looking as prim and proper as Aichi.
The blue haired boy noticed with surprise the other's tie was where it was supposed to be unlike the other times where the brunet would have his tie loosened. "U-Un, I know. But I'm going to be speaking in front of this huge crowd of people. I can't help but to feel nervous. I'm not sure I'll be able to sit quietly until it is my turn. Maybe I'll just stand. Shouldn't Kai-kun be sitting in his seat right now?"
"Ah. I didn't feel like sitting with the others though."
"K-Kai-kun, you should go sit down. You don't want to get in trouble on your last day," Aichi said looking worried.
"… I don't care. I'll go sit down when it is about to start. What's wrong with being out of my seat and talking to you?"
The smaller boy's cheeks flushed pink. Did that mean the brunet left his seat on purpose just to talk to him? They were best friends but would Kai do that for him? Aichi knew Kai was really kind and he had changed a lot in the time that Aichi had disappeared so it was possible. It was stupid to think that it was done out of his feelings for him instead of just plain friendship. The brunet couldn't possibly return his feelings.
They stood in silence watching as more people started entering the gymnasium. Kai looked at Aichi noticing that the other was starting to fidget nervously. His hand reached out and touched the other's shoulder.
The blue haired boy's eyes widened at the touch looking at the other surprised. "Kai-kun?"
The brunet opened his mouth but before he could say anything, the teachers started calling for everyone especially the soon to be graduates to return to their seats. "… Tch," He said looking over at them with narrowed eyes. It looked like whatever he had to say would have to wait until later. His eyes went back to looking at Aichi his eyes widening a little as the other looked like he was about to panic. Impulsively stepping forward, his other hand brushed against one of Aichi's as he leaned forward so that he was right near the smaller boy's ear.
The smaller boy's eyes widened once more his cheeks pink as the brunet's hand brushed against his own. "K-Kai-kun?" He murmured looking embarrassed almost leaning back out of habit as Kai moved closer to him. Hopefully nobody was looking at them.
"Aichi. Imagine it," Kai muttered his eyes looking at the other's eyes. He watched as the other's eyes widened at the familiar words. "Imagine a time where you were brave and strong and let that image fill your mind. It doesn't have to be a happy image but it has to be powerful. Do you have one?"
The blue haired boy's eyes closed trying to remember a time where he felt like that. He nodded a few moments later. "Un, I have one. It is when I fought Kai-kun on the moon."
The brunet's eyes widened having not expected that memory to be the one the other picked. "… I see. Let it fill your mind. Ask yourself if the nerves and pressure you feel now are equal to, less or more than the time you fought me."
Both of them could barely hear everybody else talking and the teachers calling for everybody to return to their seats as they were too wrapped up in the other's presence. They had all of their attention on each other. Aichi opened his eyes a determined look on his face. His hand reached out and held Kai's free hand. "Un. Thank you, Kai-kun. I'll do my best."
The brunet felt warmth in his chest as the smaller boy held his hand. "Ah," He muttered a smile on his face. He cursed inwardly as he heard the teachers started calling his name. What now? "Aichi."
"What is it, Kai-kun?"
"… It is nothing. After this is over, meet me at the spot where we met for the first time. We need to talk," The brunet muttered finally letting go of the other's shoulder. He leaned away as he waited for the other's answer.
"The spot we… met? Un, I understand. I'll see you there, Kai-kun," The blue haired boy smiled at him. He felt disappointed the other wasn't touching his shoulder anymore but knew the other had to go.
"Make sure to come alone. One more thing," Kai said after glancing away to make sure none of the teachers had spotted him yet. "… We are seated alphabetical order by our family names. If you still feel nervous while giving your address, look for me."
"Eh?" Aichi blinked a few times looking confused. Before he could open his mouth and question the other, Kai let go of his hand and walked away. The blue haired boy watched as the teachers who were looking for the brunet scolded him as they escorted him to his seat. What did Kai mean by that? Did he think Aichi would feel not as nervous if he was looking at the brunet?
The principal of Hitsue walked up to the podium set up on the stage and started speaking into the mike. The principal bowed and introduced themselves then thanked everyone for coming. Everyone else was silent as they listened to the principal speak. After a few more opening remarks, they sat down in their seat on top of the stage.
The next speaker was the principal of Miyaji. They bowed and introduced themselves then thanked everyone for coming and thanked the principal of Hitsue for allowing the joint graduation to happen. They kept talking for a couple of minutes then sat down in their seat beside the other principal.
The blue haired boy looked down at the program he had received. All that was left was for the top students of each school to give a speech then it would be his turn. He swallowed nervously looking up at the stage. From far away, the podium looked like a giant. His blue eyes looked at the crowd of people. There were a lot of people and to think that all of their attention would be focused on him… Of course he would be nervous.
As the top student of Hitsue's graduating class started walking to the stage, the blue haired boy noticed something out of the corner of his eye. His head turned eyes widening once he spotted Naoki waving to him. The red head was sitting with Shingo beside him. Aichi noticed that once they got his attention, Shingo's eyes looked to the left and pointed to the seat on his left. Unlike most seats that were occupied, the seat Shingo was pointing to was open.
Aichi smiled relieved at his friends. He was thankful they managed to save a seat for him even though he had been unintentionally ignoring them ever since he arrived. He blinked a few times as Naoki mouthed something to him. Judging by the way the people around them kept turning to look at the red head to shush him; Naoki must be speaking in a loud whisper. What was he trying to say though?
Applause surprised the blue haired boy and he looked over to see the top student of Miyaji's graduating class walking off the stage. His eyes widened. They were already done? That was too fast. The blue haired boy could feel the nerves settling in once more. It is almost my turn. … No, it is my turn. I have to imagine it. Just like Kai-kun told me to. His eyes closed imagining that he was at his Moon Palace fighting Kai.
He could see the outer space background indicating that he was playing with Link Joker. He could see Blaster Joker and Perdition Imperial Dragon, Dragonic Overlord the Great. The blue haired boy could see his friends, the Quatre Knights minus Sera, Kourin watching his fight from his throne and the units on his field and on the brunet's field. His eyes opened a determined look on his face. He was ready. The boy folded the program and placed it into his pants pocket. His hand then reached into his inner jacket pocket to pull out his farewell address.
The teacher who was in charge of reading the script walked back up to the podium. "Next, we have an excellent student who wished to deliver his own farewell address to his friends and everybody graduating. Sendou Aichi-kun, please make your way to the stage."
Everybody except the blue haired boy started clapping as the teacher sat back down in their seat on top of the stage. The blue haired boy's eyes glanced over to his friends hearing a loud voice.
"You can do it, Aichi! We are here for you!" Naoki yelled to him from his seat. He was standing up as he yelled. Shingo didn't stand up nor yell like the red head but he did toss him an encouraging smile and a nod.
Aichi nodded smiling thankfully at them. As Naoki sat down, the blue haired boy started walking to the stage. As he walked, he could've sworn he heard whispers of people saying his name and mentioning Vanguard as well. His eyes looked over the graduating classes as he walked. His smile remained on his face as Misaki tossed him a smile and encouraging nod from where she sat. Miwa tossed him his two finger salute as well as a wink from where he sat.
Then as if in slow motion, blue eyes met green. Aichi gulped holding the eye contact with his idol. Kai gave him a nod and a smile from where he sat. The blue haired boy hastily broke eye contact his cheeks flushing pink. The brunet was smiling a lot lately and he wasn't used to it especially when it was directed to him. Not that he didn't like the other's smile. That wasn't it. Kai's smile made him really happy and made his chest feel warm. Plus there was another reason why he broke eye contact. He was approaching the stairs and he didn't want to trip up them. That would be embarrassing. After climbing the stairs and feeling his heart beat rapidly, the blue haired boy walked over to the podium. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Mark tossing him an encouraging smile.
Aichi stopped in front of the podium and placed his farewell address on it. Everybody remained silent their eyes on the blue haired boy waiting for him to speak. The blue haired boy took a deep breath then let it out. This was it.
Aichi bowed to everyone and as he straightened up, a smile was on his face. "Everyone. Good morning. My name is Sendou Aichi. It is my pleasure and honor to be speaking at such a joyous occasion such as this. First of all, I would like to thank the principal of Miyaji and Hitsue High Schools for allowing me to speak to you all. Thank you very much," He said turning around and bowing to them. After straightening up, he turned back to face the crowd of people.
"Please forgive me if I start to ramble. I wrote a lot for this special occasion and hopefully I won't bore anybody," The blue haired said pausing. Some people laughed as he said that making him relax a little.
"I may be speaking clearly right now but my heart is beating rapidly right now. I feel as nervous as during any time I have to Cardfight anybody. Look," Aichi said raising a hand to prove his point. His hand was trembling and it was visible to everyone in the gymnasium, even the people in the back. His hand dropped back to his side. "My friends may know me as the brave and strong leader who is strong in Card fights but that is not who I am right now. Right now, I am just a student from Miyaji giving my friends and the other graduates a farewell address. As I walked up to the stage, I was worried I would trip up the stairs." Some people laughed at that. "What did I just say? Did I say trip up the stairs? My friends know that I can be really clumsy so I'm thankful I didn't embarrass myself on the way up here." More people laughed at Aichi's words.
"Today isn't just about me though. It is about the graduates. Many of you are planning to go to a university. Some of you might be traveling abroad or getting a job straight out of high school," The blue haired boy continued his eyes glancing at green eyes as he said those last words. Did Kai decide on his future plans yet? Before graduation day, the blue haired boy hadn't been able to meet up with the other boy so he didn't know the other's plans. It wouldn't surprise him if Kai wanted to go on a journey fighting strong Card fighters. That sounded like something he would do.
"About several months ago, I disappeared," Aichi said. His words made his friends straighten up and pay attention to him even more (if that was possible). "There were a lot of rumors surrounding my disappearance but I'm not here to talk about that. I brought up my disappearance because I wanted to mention the reason why I decided to come back." Kai, Miwa, Naoki and Misaki's eyes widened knowing that the blue haired boy was talking about them. "I had planned on disappearing forever but I came back. Why did I come back? I came back thanks to my… mates."
The four friends' eyes widened then smiled. Kai and Naoki had heard the blue haired boy's opinion of that word at the Moon Palace and while that may have been Link Joker influencing him; they still remembered what he said about it. Misaki and Miwa who weren't at the palace when Aichi and Kai fought had heard about the situation later after Aichi was home from Kai and Naoki. It was nice to see a word that (although the word itself seemed silly and weird coming out of the brunet's mouth at first) meant a lot to them as they fought the Quatre Knights together struck a chord with Aichi. The blue haired boy was always someone who treasured his friends so it wasn't a surprise he was affected by it.
"My mates are important people to me. They are my closest friends and I'm here to congratulate them and wish them good luck on their next journey wherever it may be. I may be sad that I won't be able to see them as much anymore but I'm going to repeat something my best friend told me once," Aichi said taking a deep breath then letting it out. His eyes looked over to look at green eyes that widened a little upon the eye contact. "'Our paths will definitely cross. Keep moving forward. As long as you keep moving forward, our paths will cross.'" Kai's eyes widened remembering the time he had said those words to the other. "No matter what kind of future is in store for me or my friends, I believe we will be able to meet once more. I'm sure that will go for all of the graduates in this room." The brunet blinked and a second later, Aichi wasn't looking at him anymore.
"Finally, congratulations to all the people who are graduating. I wish you luck and hope your future is bright. You deserve it after you worked hard for this moment. I and my fellow second years will follow in your footsteps in a year. I hope whatever dream or career you decide to pursue comes true and that you work hard to achieve it. Once again, thank you very much for allowing me this opportunity to speak at an event such as this," The blue haired boy said bowing once more. After he straightened up, he anxiously waited for everyone's reaction to his farewell address.
Kai immediately got to his feet and started clapping smiling at the boy on stage. His friends immediately copied Kai, Naoki whistling with two fingers as he grinned. Aichi felt relieved his friends liked his farewell address. A smile went back onto his face at their reaction and after grabbing his address, started making his way to the stairs. He stopped walking his eyes wide as everybody else got to their feet and started clapping as well.
Everybody was clapping for him. The blue haired boy glanced down his cheeks flushing pink at the applause.
Aichi walked down the stairs and started making his way to his seat with his friends. As he walked, some students from Hitsue flashed smiles at him as they continued to clap. The blue haired boy recognized them as his senpai that attended Hitsue Middle the same time as him. He flashed them a shy smile as he continued to walk. Most, if not all of the Miyaji students smiled at him as he walked past them. As the blue haired boy started making his way through the row his friends were at, people clapped and patted his back telling him that it was a really good farewell address.
The clapping continued for a few more moments then slowly started dying down as Aichi reached his seat beside Shingo and sat down.
"You were amazing, Aichi! I knew you could do it. See? I told you everyone would love it," Naoki grinned at him as he leaned over and wrapped an arm around the smaller boy's shoulders.
The blue haired boy looked at his friend. "Thank you, Naoki-kun. It is thanks to your advice," He smiled at him.
"I didn't do much. You are the one who wrote that thing after all," Naoki said leaning back and removing his arm from the other's shoulders so that he could rub the back of his head embarrassed.
The ceremony continued and soon it was time for the graduates to receive their diplomas. Aichi politely clapped for each person that got their name called and received their diploma. After a while passed, his eyes widened as green eyes met his. It was for maybe a couple of seconds at most but the blue haired boy could tell his idol had been looking at him. As the brunet's name was called, Aichi and the rest of his friends clapped and cheered enthusiastically for him. They did the same for Miwa and for Misaki when their names were eventually called as well.
After the ceremony ended, the three friends exited the gymnasium together and walked over to the gate of Hitsue High deciding to wait until their friends came out. As they waited, a lot of people walked up to and past them praising Aichi for his address and wishing him luck in the future. The blue haired boy was flustered at all of the attention but put a brave face on and thanked everybody that approached him. Some people even asked the blue haired boy how he came up with it to which the boy mentioned it was thanks to Naoki's idea. The red head would rub the back of his head embarrassed and say that he didn't do much.
After all of Aichi's friends met up, they took a group picture. They decided to head to Card Capital to relax and have fun after the important ceremony. As they walked, they talked to each other having fun and finding out what the graduates' future plans were.
Aichi smiled as he listened to his friends having fun. He was walking behind all of his friends not talking to anyone. He noticed that they were approaching the spot where he and Kai met for the first time. The blue haired boy jumped at the hand on his wrist making him stop walking and turn around. His eyes widened seeing Kai. "Kai-kun?"
"… I wanted to talk to you, remember?" The brunet muttered his hand still holding the smaller boy's wrist. His other hand was in his pants pocket and his diploma was under his arm.
Aichi noticed that the brunet had already unbuttoned his shirt and loosened his tie. He himself had unbuttoned his uniform resuming his normal look. "Now? What about everyone? They'll notice that we are gone any minute, Kai-kun," He frowned worriedly at the other.
The older boy tightened his grip on the other's wrist. "We can talk for a few minutes without the others noticing. We haven't been able to meet or talk as much lately."
The blue haired boy nodded. "That is true. Both of us have been busy. What has Kai-kun been up to?" He had missed the other boy. He was used to the brunet disappearing on him but that didn't mean he was alright with it.
Kai let go of the other's wrist and stepped backwards to give the smaller boy space. A disappointed expression briefly went onto the smaller boy's face. Luckily, the older boy didn't seem to notice it. If he did, he didn't say anything and his face remained the same. "I've been fighting. Right now, Mitsusada, Chris and the others are in Japan. There is nothing better than going up against strong fighters when I need to get my thoughts in order," The brunet said a smile on his face as he looked up at the sky.
Aichi smiled. "That is so like Kai-kun. You do it to think about which path you should take, right? … Have you decided?" The cherry blossoms above them started falling.
Kai looked at him. "… Ah," He said smiling at him.
They stood there for a few moments smiling at each other. "I see. Good luck, Kai-kun. I'm sure your dream will come true," The smaller boy said. It was hard to say those words especially when he didn't know the other's plans yet but he was determined to give his idol his support even if he'll miss him a lot should the other's plans involve leaving the city.
The brunet looked away from him his smile gone.
Noticing the other's mood, Aichi looked at him concerned. "Kai-kun? Is something wrong?" He was sad to see the other's smile disappeared and wondered if it was his fault.
"Aichi."
"Yes?" The blue haired boy said.
"I don't know if I can make my dream come true."
"Kai-kun can do it!" The blue haired boy said making the brunet look at him. "Kai-kun is amazing and a strong fighter. Your future is bright. In a year, I'll be following in your footsteps as well. I-If that helps any," He said his cheeks flushing pink.
Kai's eyes widened a little at the other's words. Green eyes softened as they looked at the other. "… Ah. It does since it is you saying it," He said a smile slowly coming back to his face.
The smaller boy looked away embarrassed his cheeks still pink. He still wasn't used to Kai being straightforward with him. It made him feel confused sometimes as the other boy would say something like that but Aichi couldn't tell if Kai was saying that because they were best friends or because he loved him. He had heard from his friends after he returned from his disappearance that the brunet had been saying stuff like that the whole time he was gone. That probably meant the older boy meant it in a friendly way. Was it bad or stupid to feel… special and loved at those words even if he knew the other probably meant it another way? "I'm glad. I'm glad you are smiling again," He murmured.
"Aichi?"
"No, it is nothing," Aichi said shaking his head and looking at the older boy with a smile on his face. "What is Kai-kun's dream? Please tell me."
"… You want to know?"
The smaller boy nodded.
Kai gestured for him to get closer. Confused, Aichi did as he was told and stepped closer. The brunet once again gestured for him to get closer. The blue haired boy started walking over to the other but didn't notice the rock in front of his foot and promptly tripped over it. The smaller boy let out a startled yelp as he started falling forward. His eyes closed bracing himself for pain. A few moments later, a wince escaped his mouth as he fell onto something. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. His eyes opened tentatively a squeak leaving his mouth once he saw the brunet under him. He hastily got up on his hands and knees looking down at the other. "K-Kai-kun?"
The brunet grunted in pain then looked up at Aichi. "Are you alright?"
"U-Un. I'm alright. Thank you. I'm sorry, Kai-kun. Are you alright?" The smaller boy asked concerned.
"… Ah. I'm alright. You should be more careful."
The blue haired boy nodded looking sheepish. It was a little ironic that he had been worrying about tripping up the stairs at the graduation ceremony only to trip over a rock after said event ended. "I'm glad you are alright. I'm sorry, Kai-kun," He said looking sad.
Kai raised a hand and touched the top of the other's head with it making the smaller boy look at him confused. "Stop apologizing. I'm alright. There is no need to worry about this anymore."
"U-Un."
Both of their eyes widened as they finally realized the compromising position they were in. Aichi had his hands on the ground beside the other's body as he hovered above him looking down at him. The blue haired boy quickly looked away a pink flush on his cheeks but strangely enough didn't move away. Because he was looking away, he never saw the other's eyes softening or the determined look that briefly went onto his face.
Kai moved his hand from on top of the other's head down so that it was now touching the smaller boy's cheek. The smaller boy's cheek was warm and soft to the touch. Aichi, who had felt the hand touching his cheek, continued to look away. "… Aichi. Look at me," The brunet muttered wanting to see those blue eyes focus on him once more. He took it as a good sign the smaller boy didn't move away from him or his touch.
"What is it, Kai-kun?" Aichi said still looking away.
The brunet's other hand raised up from where it was on the ground to grab the smaller boy's chin and forced the other to look at him. Aichi looked at him surprised. Instead of speaking, the older boy went with his desire and moved the hand that was on the other's cheek to the back of his head where it started gently pushing.
The blue haired boy let out a surprised noise as his head started lowering not of its own accord. "K-Kai-kun?"
"… Be quiet. … Please, Aichi."
Aichi's eyes widened at the other's soft words. It wasn't just the brunet's voice that was soft, his green eyes were looking at him gently yet there was an indecipherable emotion Aichi couldn't make out as well. His eyes noticed how close he was to the other's lips and closed his eyes his heart racing. It couldn't be… Were they going to kiss?
"Oh~ What is going on here?"
Kai, who was about to close his eyes and lean up to kiss the other's lips that were close to his own, cursed silently at the familiar voice. He cursed in his mind once more as the smaller boy's eyes opened at the voice and immediately got to his feet springing away from him.
"M-Miwa-kun? H-How much did—"The blue haired boy couldn't finish talking as he was too embarrassed. Blue eyes were looking down at the ground his cheeks red. He noticed out of the corner of his eyes that the brunet (who was still on the ground) looked to be irritated. Was the other mad that they got interrupted? That was impossible… right? But they had been about to kiss before Miwa showed up. He didn't understand.
"I didn't see much. Everyone was wondering where you two were so I unhappily volunteered ("'Unhappily'? Yeah, right," Kai muttered getting up) to look for you two. Was I interrupting anything, you lovebirds?" Miwa teased them with a grin on his face.
"Sorry to worry you. L-Lovebirds? N-No way. Kai-kun and I aren't like that at all, Miwa-kun. You are mistaken," The blue haired boy looked up from the ground and started waving his hands back and forth rapidly.
"Well, since I'm obviously a bother here; I'll leave so that you guys can kiss. Hurry up or everyone else might come get you for taking too long," Miwa said.
"… Miwa," Kai growled his glare dangerous.
"See you at Card Capital!" Miwa waved at them then ran off without looking behind him.
"… Tch," The brunet muttered watching as the blond got away from him. Stupid Miwa. Green eyes looked over to the other beside him. It was true that he had wanted to kiss the other before. He had been getting thoughts… desires like that a lot recently. Was it because he hadn't seen Aichi in a while? That probably wasn't it. He had been getting those types of thoughts during the time Aichi had disappeared as well.
"K-Kai-kun. We should probably go so that the others don't worry about us," Aichi suggested timidly after a few moments of silence. He started walking forward not waiting for the other's response. A surprised noise left his mouth as his wrist was grabbed from behind once more. He turned around looking at the brunet surprised. "Kai-kun?"
"… We aren't done yet. Forget about Miwa and the others," The brunet said looking at him.
"Eh? But Kai-kun—"The blue haired boy got cut off as the other leaned in and kissed his lips. He let out a muffled surprised noise having not expected the sudden kiss. His eyes were wide as the older boy continued to kiss him not responding for a few moments as he was shocked. Feeling the other's arms wrapping around him and looking at the other to see his eyes were closed, Aichi closed his eyes; wrapped his arms around the other and started kissing back.
There was no doubt that Kai felt nervous as he initiated the kiss because he didn't want to scare the other away. The first few moments of the kiss he could feel his heart racing and he could feel the familiar feeling of wanting to walk away when the smaller boy didn't respond back. His arms wrapped around the other hoping it was okay with the other then closed his eyes. The brunet told himself that if the smaller boy didn't respond to the kiss in a few seconds then he— His eyes snapped open as the other boy started kissing him back. Aichi was kissing him back! His eyes closed once more his tongue shooting out to touch the other's lower lip.
The smaller boy let out another muffled surprised noise but timidly opened his mouth after a few moments. The other boy's tongue slipped in his mouth and touched the middle of his tongue making him moan. Kai moved his tongue around then encouraged Aichi to move his own. Aichi hesitantly moved his tongue to touch the other's making the other boy touch him back.
Aichi broke away from the kiss a few seconds later out of breath. His eyes opened as he tried to get his breath back. Kai's eyes opened looking down at him with a smile on his face. The blue haired boy opened his mouth to say something but he forgot whatever it was as the other boy leaned in and kissed his neck. "K-Kai-kun…" He managed to gasp out his face red.
The brunet released one of his arms and raised it so that he could pull the other's shirt collar down. Aichi opened his mouth to speak once more but only a surprised gasp came out as the other kissed his neck once more. The smaller boy's head tilted to one side unconsciously exposing more of his neck. Kai continued to kiss the other's neck pleased with Aichi's movement.
Aichi moaned as the other kept on kissing his neck. He let it continue for a few moments then released one of his arms and raised it so that he could pull the other away. Kai went with the other willingly but then leaned in once more to kiss his lips again. This time the kiss was shorter as the brunet broke the kiss not too long after and started kissing the other's face. The blue haired boy was disappointed at the short kiss and it probably showed on his face as the other smirked at him.
After kissing the other's cheek, Kai leaned away slightly so that he could move back to the other's lips. His eyes closed and as they were concentrating on each other, they didn't hear the footsteps that came closer to where they were.
"Seriously guys, I come back to check on you and you are worse off than when I came before," A familiar voice teased them.
Aichi's eyes widened and immediately turned around. Kai frowned but let go of the other not wanting to get teased by the owner of that voice. "M-Miwa-kun? I-I— Y-You have the— I think— Um—"The blue haired boy couldn't speak properly due to the shock and promptly closed his mouth a few moments later.
Instead of talking to the flustered smaller boy, the blond looked at Kai. "You know, Kai~" He grinned at him enjoying the other's surprised look. "You should really choose a better place to kiss your little boyfriend especially if you are feeling… hungry for him."
The brunet gave him a confused look. Miwa gave Aichi's shirt collar a pointed look. The blond snickered as the two boys' eyes widened then looked away embarrassed.
Kai cursed inwardly. Why did Miwa have to be the one who found them like this? As much as he wanted to deny the other's words, he would be lying if he said he didn't want the smaller boy in the way the blond insinuated especially after he had kissed the other on the neck. The brunet had to stop himself from placing marks on the other's neck and resist the temptation to start taking the other's clothes off. "… That is none of your business. What happened to 'See you at Card Capital!'?" A glare was on his face as he looked at his blond best friend.
The blond was about to say that was the lamest impression of him that he had ever heard but looking at the other's glare made him change his mind. "You guys can't just skip out on us. Well, I guess I should talk to Kai mainly. If Kai said so, Aichi would go with him to his place so that they can get closer and not think about the others anymore," He said stressing the closer part hoping it would put some… less than innocent thoughts (if there weren't that many in the first place) in the other two's minds. A laugh escaped his mouth as Aichi covered his face and Kai glared dangerously at him. Oh, this was fun.
The brunet smirked suddenly surprising the blond. That smirk… wasn't a good sign. "… You only have yourself to blame since you suggested it," Kai said grabbing the smaller boy's hand. Aichi lowered his free hand and looked up at the other surprised. "Let's go, Aichi," He muttered starting to walk away. The blue haired boy stumbled a little but regained his balance and started walking with the brunet.
"Oi Kai! That wasn't a suggestion!" Miwa yelled at him an angry look on his face.
The brunet ignored him and continued to walk away. The blue haired boy turned his head so that he could look at the blond. "I'm sorry, Miwa-kun. Could you please tell the others that I'll go to Card Capital tomorrow and hang out with them then?"
"You too, Aichi? I knew I shouldn't have said anything. Fine! Be that way! I'll tell everyone why you skipped out on us and that you'll come to the shop tomorrow," Miwa yelled at them then turned around to go back to the card shop.
The blue haired boy looked behind him as they walked watching as the blond started walking in the opposite direction of them. His head turned to look at the brunet beside him. "Kai-kun, is that alright?" At the other's grunt, he continued worriedly, "Miwa-kun was angry."
"… It is alright. Don't worry. He is mainly angry at me anyway," The brunet said.
Aichi sweat dropped. Kai didn't sound like he was too worried about his blond best friend. Maybe it was because they had been friends for a long time. He let out a surprised noise as the other stopped walking. "Kai-kun?" His feet stopped.
"… Aichi. I didn't get to do it because Miwa interrupted and I… lost control a little but I'll say it before anything else happens between us," The other boy said looking away and letting go of the other's hand. Lost control a little was a bit of an understatement but neither of them cared to point that out. "I'm sure you've heard about all the offers from pro teams and universities that I've gotten, right?"
"Eh? U-Un. I've heard about it. Did you make your decision?"
"Ah. I didn't get a chance to ask you before graduation which is why I needed to speak to you right away after it ended. Aichi, I'm… going on a journey," Kai said looking at him.
The smaller boy's eyes widened. "A… journey? But what about university or your other offers, Kai-kun?" He could feel his heart drop. The other boy was leaving him? What would happen to their relationship?
"… University isn't for me. Maybe one day but not right now. I told you that I've been fighting, right? This is the decision I came up with," The older boy said a serious look on his face.
"I-I see. What is your journey about? Why did you—"The smaller boy couldn't finish talking feeling like he was about to start crying. Why did you kiss me if you knew you were leaving?
As if the other could sense that the smaller boy was about to start crying, the other wrapped his arms around him. Aichi closed his eyes and buried his face in the other's chest. His arms wrapped around the other taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "I'm going on a Vanguard journey. I'll travel around and fight strong fighters for a year," Kai muttered near his ear.
The blue haired boy should have known the other's dream involved Vanguard. His eyes opened turning his head so that the other could hear him. "When… are you leaving?"
"… In a few days. I've still got some preparations and last minute business I need to take care of."
"I-I see. I'll miss—"
"One year," Kai interrupted.
"Eh?" Aichi blinked looking confused.
"My journey will only be for a year then I'll come back. I'll make sure to return in time for your graduation… then take you with me."
Blue eyes widened at those words. "Kai-kun wants to take me with him?"
"… If you are alright—"Kai didn't get to finish as the other boy pulled away slightly then got on his tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. Green eyes widened a little then closed enjoying the other's soft kiss. Aichi's eyes closed as he continued to kiss him. The smaller boy broke the kiss several moments later. The older boy's eyes opened to look at the other. "Aichi?"
"Of course I'm alright with it. I-I… If my disappearance taught me anything besides you being amazing, it is that I… can't be apart from you. I should be the one asking you. Please take me with you after I graduate, Kai-kun."
A smile went onto the other boy's face at the other's agreement. "Ah. Of course I will."
Tears started forming in the smaller boy's eyes. "I'll miss you, Kai-kun. I-I know I broke my promise about always being with you by disappearing but after I graduate, I'll definitely fulfill that promise."
"… Ah. I know you will, Aichi. I'll always be with you as well," The brunet muttered. A smile went onto the smaller boy's face and let his head rest on the other's chest once more.
The smaller boy closed his eyes as his tears started falling. "I'm sorry, Kai-kun. I know I shouldn't cry since I know you'll come back for me but… I'll miss you," He said his voice full of his tears.
"Shh. It is alright. Don't apologize," Kai muttered feeling bad that the smaller boy was crying because of him. I'll miss you as well, Aichi. It was hard coming to this decision but I'm going through with it no matter what and you know that.
"Good luck, Kai-kun. I know you can do it. Kai-kun is a strong fighter after all. I'll be rooting you on from here."
"… Ah," The brunet muttered. Your support means a lot, Aichi. I am grateful.
Aichi sniffed as he continued to cry. "Kai-kun. Congratulations on your graduation."
The brunet's arms tightened around him. "Ah."
The blue haired boy's arms tightened around the other boy and buried his face into the other's chest. Good luck, Kai-kun. I'll miss you a lot. I'll be waiting for you.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Author Notes: Hope you guys enjoyed this story. If you have time, please review. I would love to know what you thought of my story.
See you next time!