After all…

He promised.

Minako and Koromaru once again arrived at the playground near the shrine. Koromaru ran off ahead as he usually did to patrol the area around the shrine, but Minako just stood outside the shrine's gates, looking at the top of the jungle gym where she first saw him. It was strange how one person and one night could change how she saw something that she passed by every day. What was once just a simple resting place became the embodiment of the memory of that night.

As she took a seat on her usual swing, the rattle of the chains reminded her of his cheerful voice. He sounded so sincere. Was he really the type of person to make a promise and break it so easily? It had been about a month since she met him, and she still wondered about him. She even tried leaving a note on the jungle gym hoping he'd reply, but of course, that didn't work.

Minako looked up at the sky. The stars barely peeked out from behind the glow of the city lights, but the moon shone brightly. Just like that night.

Just then, Minako heard a single bark from the other side of the shrine. It was Koromaru of course, but Minako heard enough of Koromaru's barks to know that it wasn't an angry or warning bark- it was an excited one.

Then.

A laugh.

A familiar laugh.

Minako stood up from her swing, her heart pounding, as she heard Koromaru's pawsteps coming closer accompanied by the footsteps of a person. But before they could turn the corner and come into view, she heard another excited bark followed by a thump and a strained shout.

Confused yet hopeful, Minako rushed to the side of the shrine, and it was then that she finally saw Ryoji again. One whole month without a word, and here he was on the ground with Koromaru's front paws on his chest pinning him down. The dog's tail fanned back and forth rapidly, and he gave another excited bark.

Groaning, Ryoji slowly opened his eyes to see Minako looking down at him. The moon shining down on her made it look as if she were glowing. Ryoji flashed a pained smile under Koromaru's weight, focused on two paws on his chest.

"You look even lovelier than I remembered," he said.

There were so many things that Minako wanted to say to him. Where were you? Why did you disappear so suddenly? Did you find a different school to go to? Did your family have trouble adjusting to the city? All these questions and more, but the words that came out were nothing like them.

"You're late!" Minako said, and at the same time, Koromaru bounded up and then landed on Ryoji's stomach.

Ryoji's upper body lunged forward at the sudden pain, then slowly lay back down on the cement, wincing as Koromaru's tail still wagged in excitement.

Ryoji weakly lifted a hand to pet Koromaru's head and guide him off of him.

"I know, I'm really sorry," he said once he sat up. He looked up at her again, and that smile returned to his face as if he couldn't stop it if he tried. "But you really are beautiful, Minako."

Added to the stream of questions she had for him were responses to his sudden compliment, but all of these words trying to get out of her mouth at once left her standing there speechless.

He chuckled at bit seeing her reaction and his voice made the pink return to her cheeks again. For some reason, even the simplest things he did made her blush and when it happened again after all this time, she felt a little embarrassed about it. Luckily, Koromaru was there, and, still excited, he bounded up again on the now sitting Ryoji, but this time, his paws landed right in between his legs.

Ryoji's eyes widened suddenly as an incredibly pained yelp came from him. He leaned forward against Koromaru, making sure the dog's paws were firmly on the ground and not on any of his precious parts.

"I-I-I'm gonna need a minute here," he managed to squeak out as he groaned, placing his head gently on Koromaru's neck.

Minako's expression relaxed as she looked at him sitting on the ground, clutching onto Koromaru as if he were a liferaft in the middle of the ocean. She cocked her head to the side slightly before a smile crept onto her face. She wanted to be mad, but she couldn't find it in herself to be mad at him.

She walked over to him and bent down behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders as if to help him up, but instead of pushing, her hands stopped where they were. "You know…" she started out, almost cautiously. "I wanted to talk to you…a lot. I…missed you."

After realizing the words that came out of her mouth, her touch lightened as if she were about to stand up, but it was then that she felt his hands on hers, pulling her slowly towards him so that her hands went past his shoulders and that her body was touching his back.

Having released Koromaru, who went off to a different side of the shrine, Ryoji now held Minako's hands gingerly as if he were trying to protect something much more precious than what was attached to him.

"I've missed you too, Minako," he said quietly. His tone was different this time, something she's never heard from him before…but of course, she hasn't heard it from him before. She's only met him once. What was she thinking? Still…that tone. It had a tinge of sadness in it that echoed straight into her heart.

She relaxed her body, and almost as if out of habit, moved her arms ever so slightly together so that she was hugging him, much to her surprise. She had barely realized the position he pulled her in, but she didn't mind at all. The scent of his hair and the warmth of the scarf around his neck was a comfort that she had been searching for for a long time. She was starting to wonder who the boy was.

"I met you just one night before, so why is it that." That you can calm my heart so?

Minako's eyes shot open. Did she say that out loud?

She wanted to shoo the butterflies in her stomach away so she could get out of this haze but in her embrace around the boy, she couldn't bear to pull herself away.

Ryoji stroked her hand with his thumb, holding both her hands in his own.

"I wasn't expecting to meet anyone that night. Maybe it was fate that brought us together."

The haze didn't lift, but those cheesy words were enough to lighten it at least, and Minako's eyes relaxed, almost narrowing on him.

As if he could see the expression on her face behind him, Ryoji let out a soft chuckle before releasing her hands, sneaking it a light peck on the back of her left hand.

"I really did miss you though," he said, glancing over his shoulder at her with another one of his smiles.

He got up slowly, using the side of the shrine for support, before turning around and offering a hand to help Minako up to her feet as well. "I'm sorry it took me so long to come back here."

Minako accepted his hand and pulled herself up. "What happened? Is everything okay with you and your family?"

Ryoji was about to say something as he tried to take a step towards the playground, but suddenly, the sharp pain between his legs returned. "Aahh…!"

"Are you alright?" Minako asked hurriedly as she held onto his hand for support.

Ryoji let out a small laugh. "Haha…I guess I still need a few more minutes. Can you help me to the bench over there?"

Minako nodded and, flashing another smile, Ryoji placed his arm around her shoulders and together, they walked over to the bench near the shrine.

After carefully setting Ryoji down on the bench, she took a seat beside him. They were closer this time on the bench rather than the swings, but Minako didn't notice. She had more important things on her mind.

"Hey…" Minako started. "Are you really okay?"

Ryoji shifted in his seat awkwardly, wincing slightly. "Yeah, I'll be okay after a while. Man, that dog's really strong."

Minako smirked. Koromaru was strong alright. He took down a Shadow in one hit the last time they went into Tartarus. "No, that's not what I meant."

Minako looked down at her hands. "You didn't come back for so long. I was starting to get really worried."

Ryoji looked at her with a gentle expression. "I'm sorry," he apologized again carefully, "I really am. I wanted to come here sooner, but… It's not that easy for me."

"What do you mean?" She asked, her eyes glancing to him, then slowly wandered the scene before them.

"I'm…not exactly sure how to explain it." Ryoji's eyebrows furrowed as he paused to think. "One day, I found a way to get here, but after that, I've tried and tried, and it's like…this place is blocked off from me. I wanted to come back the day after I met you, but for some reason, it was as if I…couldn't?" Ryoji trailed off.

After a moment of silence, Minako spoke up. "I don't…understand. What do you mean?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure myself. It's like…I'm trying to wake up, but I can't. Like I'm stuck in a dream that I'm trying to escape from."

Minako looked at him to study his face for any hint of a joke, but the confusion on his face was real. But there was more than confusion on his face. He looked almost…scared.

"Are you sure you're okay, Ryoji?"

He was quiet for a while, before he turned to her and asked, "Hey…" He paused again, hesitating. "This…This isn't a dream, right?"

Are you a dream? Minako wondered that herself. This cute, amazing boy that she felt right at home with and got along with so well walking into her life one night and disappearing for a whole month before mysteriously re-appearing again had all the signs of being a figment of her imagination. Maybe the boy of her dreams really did pop out of a dream.

Or.

Maybe she lost her mind sometime between the first full moon Shadow and the last. Not to mention the death of a close friend and all the drama that led up to it.

Minako closed her eyes and sighed. Maybe the stress that had built up over the months that she's been with SEES was starting to get to her, but even as she sat there on the bench with her eyes closed, she could feel Ryoji's presence beside her, and somehow, she felt the anxiety that had started to grip her heart fade away. If he wasn't real, it didn't change the fact that he had a calming effect on her. It didn't change the fact that she wanted to see him again. And it didn't change the fact that she was quickly starting to lose herself in him.

She found herself leaning her head on Ryoji's shoulder, as if subconsciously seeking more of that comfort he brought to her.

"I don't think this is a dream." She murmured as Ryoji gently caressed her cheek before taking her hand in his. "This feels too real to be a dream."

She closed her eyes to feel the warmth of Ryoji's hand sheltering it from the cold night air.

"But even if this was a dream…" she continued. "Would it be so bad?"

Ryoji smiled gently. "Not at all."

They spoke quietly together for hours upon hours that night once again.

Minako continued with her questions, but the more Ryoji tried to answer them, the more Minako wondered if he did pop out of a dream. And the more time went on, the sleepier she got, and the more it didn't matter to her. The only thing that mattered was that he was there with her now.

She tried her best to stay awake, but as the morning sun began to light the sky, it was getting more and more difficult. The stress from school and the drama in the Dark Hour had taken toll on her mentally, and fighting Shadows almost every day had taken a toll on her physically. Staying up for anything, no matter how important was impossible for her. And his calming presence made it all the more difficult not to be lulled into feeling so safe and comforted.

"Will I meet you again?" Minako muttered, almost half asleep.

"Of course. I promise." Ryoji cooed quietly, eyes closed and drowsy himself.

Another promise.

"You promise-promise?"

"I promise-promise," he said as he smiled. "I don't want to leave you, but…" his voice quieted down to just above a whisper. "…It feels like I'm not allowed to be here."

Minako barely caught the end of his sentence. She had reached her limit and drifted off to sleep with her head on his shoulder. She didn't remember what he said, but in a dream, she felt something soft touch her forehead. Was it a kiss?

When she awoke, the warmth of the sun's light shining down on her felt nice in contrast to the chill of the night before, but as her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized that she was lying on the bench, alone.

Her heart sunk, but as she slowly sat up, she felt something foreign on her.

She looked down at herself and saw a scarf.

His scarf.

The scarf that he had been wearing.

As she reached to her neck to touch it, her vision started becoming blurry from the tears that formed in her eyes.

He wasn't a dream.

He was real.

She felt like crying, but she didn't know if it was from happiness or sadness. Happiness that he was real or sadness that he was once again nowhere to be seen.

His scarf was warm and still had his scent on it, and that in itself calmed her heart.

She wiped away her tears with the back of her hands, then got up and looked around. Koromaru was curled up asleep beside the bench, but other than him and herself, the shrine and the playground were completely empty once again.

She sat back down, holding the scarf with both hands and hiding the lower half of her face in it.

He promised.

He'll be back again.

He had to be.