That day… How could I ever forget?

It was dark and grey with clouds slowly creeping up on the sun, killing its light.

I remember asking myself… How could god do something so cruel and unforgiving?

7:00 am, Kousaka Residence

As I woke up, for some odd reason, I gave a curt yawn and turned towards my clock.

'7:00? Why the hell am I awake, it's Saturday!' I yelled in my head, agitated.

Relunctantly, I got out of my bed and went downstairs to the kitchen so I could fill the gap in my stomach. As I started to open the fridge, I noticed a piece of paper that stood out on the freezer door. I started to read it

"Kyousuke,

Your father and I had to take Manami-chan to see her grandparents down near Chiba University Hospital. Something urgent came up and she had no one else to ask for a ride. We'll be back by 5, until then, I left the rest of the udon soup from last night in the fridge for you. Your dad wasn't feeling too well, so there is still a lot of it left. It's pouring outside, if you're going to leave the house, please wear a jacket and take an umbrella.

We love you, don't catch a cold!

-Mom and Dad

I chuckled as I read the last lineto myself.

"Seventeen years old, and she still treats me like I was born yesterday." I said aloud so I could humor her without her knowing.

I opened the fridge and poured myself a bowl of the soup my mom left for me, ate it as I watched an episode of some anime, and went back upstairs so I could lie down once again in my oh so welcoming bed…

It had been a month since that one fateful night, when Kirino and I had a special connection. Since then, I've gotten to know quite a lot about the petite little woman. Of course, when you talk to someone EVERY day for the timespan of four weeks, that's pretty much inevitable. If I didn't know a great deal about her yet, considering how much we conversed, I'd be pretty pathetic. We talked and spent our time with each other whenever possible. At lunch we would eat out on the rooftop of the school, after school we would watch the sunset, blissfully unaware of the passing time that was slipping through our fingertips… That was until her parents would call her to see if she was alright, which in turn would lead me to walk her home… It was rather stationary. Hell, even on the weekends, she would stop by my place and we'd usually go to the park or down to Akihabara to see her mother and check out some good anime. Then, there was that one time when we went to the movies, of course… It still makes my blood boil just thinking about it…

(Flashback )

"How about this one, Kyousuke?" suggested Kirino from afar as she was scaling the theater walls, looking for a good flick to watch with me.

I walked back to where she was calling from to be met with a theatrical cover for a movie that boasted the title "5 Centimeters Per Second (A chain of short stories about their distance)" plastered on the wall. Judging by the cover, it seemed to be a simple romance film. It housed a whiteout background with what seemed like a cherry blossom tree in the foreground along with two individuals, a man and a woman who I presumed were a couple, standing in front of the tree facing each other. The man looked rather depressed, diverting his head slightly downward with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. The woman was looking straight at him, with her hand out in a cupped motion, holding a cherry blossom petal as if it were heavily symbolic of something within their hearts. I turned my head towards the cute goddess beside me.

"Are you sure you want to see this? It doesn't look like anything different, comparing it to the other romance flicks I've seen anyway…" I trailed off, causing Kirino to stir in place with her hands and blush.

"I-Isn't that sort of the point though, for it to be romantic?..." She said so quietly, I couldn't hear the last part.

"C'mon Kirino, I can't hear you when you sound like you're a thousand miles away." I joked with a smile, causing her to look down and blush even more.

It was an understatement, as it always was, to say this girl looked gorgeous today. Along with that pretty face of hers, she was accompanied by a white tank top with a yellow blouse to cover her showy areas and a cyan blue skirt with a pair of white sandals to cause a knockout on the final blow to my eyes. Alongside my ugly mug wearing a simple black t-shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers…We probably seemed like the most uncanny couple to ignorant passerby. The said woman brought me out of my ogling as she spoke.

"I-I… I said that the whole point of us watching a movie is s-so it can be romantic…"She uttered softly as she played with her hands nervously. Of course being the dense man that I am, I was absolutely oblivious to what she was implying, so I shrugged my shoulders and rotated towards her so I could say what was on my mind.

"Well, if you really want to see it, I'd be glad to watch it with you." I said with a half grin. Being pleased with my declaration, her face went from red to pink as she nodded her head and gave me a smile that I'd never seen her give anyone else.

'A specific smile reserved just for me…' I concluded in my head, the revelation causing my heart to beat incredibly fast.

After I was done relishing in my epiphany, I walked Kirino up to the ticket booth and spoke to the dealer.

"I'd like two for 5 Centimeters Per Second." I stated, pulling out my wallet in the process.

"Alright, that'll be 1,441 yen." He stated simply, preparing to print out two tickets.

As, I was pulling out the cash from my wallet, Kirino tugged on my shirt so I could be at her level and whispered in my ear.

"Kyousuke, let me pay for my half." She said, hoping I would say yes.

Of course, me being the man and all, I shook my head

"No way, Kirino. I've always payed and that's how it always will be. I thought you would've stopped asking by now." I whispered back, causing Kirino to glare at me as I straightened myself back up.

No matter how many times she would demand that she'd pay for our activities. I've never once let her…And she'd always get pissed at me. But, if I had to get the death eye from a good friend of mine just so I could pay for her expenses, then I'd gladly take it.

After I'd given the money to the man inside the ticket booth, he printed our rite of passage and I started walking to the entrance…That was, until I noticed my short friend wasn't following me. I looked back at her with a questioning look.

"Hmph" she grunted as she cocked her head to the side and folded her arms defiantly, not wanting to move a single step.

I couldn't help but crack a smile at the sight…

'Even when she's agitated, she looks unlike anyone else.' I thought sincerely

Acting on impulse, I walked back over to where she was standing and took her hand within my own, causing her to gasp lightly at my actions as I walked back with her towards the entrance.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" She exclaimed in a near breathless voice.

"I thought that much was obvious, I'm taking you inside since you refused to move." I said in a matter of fact tone as I turned my head over my shoulder to look at the stunning beauty with a smile. I then saw her gaze slowly fade away from one of surprise, to one of softness.

"Geez, you're so forceful…" She said mimicking my expression as she tightened her grip on my hand while we went through the doors of the theater.

Once Kirino and I were fully submerged into the huge crowd of people and the glorious smell of concessions, we decided to head towards the aforementioned in order to stock up on delicious treats to snack on during the movie. When we reached the counter-top, the cashier greeted us.

"Hey there, what can I get for you two?" Said the cashier in an excited tone. She seemed to be overly ecstatic, for whatever reason.

"Could you give us a minute?" I replied back to the lively woman running the concessions, which in turn caused her to nod politely with a knowing smile.

After getting the go ahead from the serving lady, I turned towards Kirino.

"You craving anything?" I asked while leaning down to meet the stunning beauty's eyes.

Kirino rested her index finger upon her lip and diverted her eyes upward, contemplating if she wanted anything in particular. After a short while, she returned her blue eyes towards mine, still keeping her finger upon her lip while closing one eye as she replied.

"I think I could go for some strawberry pokki!" Kirino decided with a wink that melted my heart. 'This girl could be seriously detrimental to my health one day'… I thought to myself, wanting to be able to strengthen my resolve.

Nodding at her decision with a smile, I returned to my usual posture so I could order what we wanted.

"I'd like one large popcorn, a pack of strawberry pokki, and two lemon-lime ramune sodas please." I ordered.

After hearing my full order, the cashier conveyed my order to the bus boys in the back of the concession stand. After finishing up the order, she decided to make small talk with me and Kirino while grabbing our ramune from a mini fridge by the counter.

"So, what movie are you guys seeing?" The lady asked happily, putting her elbows on the counter top and putting her chin on the palms of her hands to hold herself up.

"We are going to see 5 Centimeters Per Second." I said with a smile I caught from the contagiously happy cashier woman.

This caused the woman behind the counter to giggle in excitement, her smile growing bigger.

"You two will love that movie! It is absolutely a must watch for couples!" She exclaimed, her smile giving off a radiant shine.

"C-C-COUPLES?!" Kirino and I gasped out simultaneously, our voices barely controlled by our exasperation.

The devious woman's smile faded slightly, as she tilted her head to the side.

"Well yeah, you two ARE holding hands so I just assumed you were a couple?" The now confused cashier replied to our astonished outburst.

I froze in place… looking down to see my hand was still clasped around Kirino's, hers the same.

'That's right… I'm still holding hands with Kirino…' I thought, extremely nervous.

I hadn't even realized it. I had to guide her through the crowd somehow, so I guess my mind just decided to do it this way. I wasn't complaining, of course… Her hands were so soft and warm, compared to my rough and cold ones… it felt so surreal, as if that was where my hand belonged… It felt… Natural.

After fully realizing what we were indicating towards the people around us, we threw each other out of our grasps and slightly turned away from one another.

"WE AREN'T A COUPLE!" Kirino and I exclaimed for the second time that day, causing the people around us to turn towards the commotion.

When we realized that other people were staring , we tilted our heads downward in embarrassment, blushing from the awe shock stares passerby were giving us.

The cashier giggled again, reviving that smile of hers.

"Well, whether you are together or not, I definitely see the chemistry floating around you two. You look really cute together." She said politely and honestly

I looked back over at Kirino, her face contorted with red and nervousness. I was glad to see we felt the same way at least…

After what had seemed like an hour, our snacks were brought up to the front counter.

"That'll be 667 yen!" The cashier said in that excited tone of hers.

I tried to wipe the red off my face as I pulled out my wallet. I layed the cash upon the counter and grabbed our treats.

"Thank you! Have a good time!" The cashier gave her parting words as we both bowed slightly and started walking into the viewing room.

.

(Flash-forward)

'I remember the entire film being incredibly upsetting, many of the scenes threatened to bring tears from my eyes, but I just couldn't bring myself to let them go… '

I reminisced on the emotional moments that I experienced with my amazing friend as I tossed and turned on my bed, trying to enjoy my weekend the way I usually do.

'However, Kirino on the other hand let her tears flow freely at every emotionally depressing scene, often putting her head into my chest and whispering many different things that sounded anxious and worried. And every time I would place my hand on her head, stroking her hair tenderly… I felt so happy when she would do that…'

Basking in the thoughts of my time with a certain strawberry-blonde lady, I was consumed by the scenery and feelings I had with Kirino once again…

(Flashback)

I walked out of the viewing room with a sobbing Kirino, guiding her out due to the tears obscuring her vision.

"Th-That was a great movie…" praised the wet-faced goddess beside me, the water in her eyes threatening to re-emerge.

As we were walking towards the exit of the theater, I placed my shoulder on the short beauty, causing her to jump a little. I in turn smiled at her.

"Yeah, I have to admit some of the moments in that feels trip of a movie got to me." I laughed softly, looking down at the now smiling angel.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who was affected…" She replied, with a slight shrug in her shoulders.

Resting my eyes upon the baby blue eyed beauty, I sighed happily

'Every little thing she does makes me feel so warm… ' I thought contently.

When Kirino and I finally reached the exit after a few minutes of crowd swimming, My brain decided to just then have a ground breaking revelation, causing me to freeze in place with a panic stricken look.

"Shit, I forgot my wallet!" I exclaimed, surprising my companion

Before she could even voice herself, I turned to her and blurted out words at the speed of light.

"I gotta run back in real quick stay right here!"

And there I went, looking like a bat out of hell, running back through a crowd of people… Just to get a materialistic holding for my money, known as a wallet.

When I got back to the now empty viewing room, I charged for the seat I was sitting in, locating the blackish-brown leather fold.

"Thank god…" I said to myself with an impalpable relief in my voice.

Having found my once missing wallet, I jogged back out of the theater, opening the front doors.

The sight I was met with caused a huge wave of unexplainable emotions to wash over me…

There she was, a great friend of mine, surrounded by a group of three guys about my age. All of them looked like delinquents, donning chains on their belt loops and wearing ripped jeans… Kirino had this blank face, trying to hide what she was feeling as not to seem vulnerable… I could easily tell she was uncomfortable and intimidated by the way she stroked her left arm with her right hand, as well as the way she diverted her eyes to look past the thugs rather than looking directly in their direction.

I couldn't possibly name everything I felt at that point in time, but I could definitely identify one single expression…

And it was anger.

These guys had no fucking business with her, not now, not ever… And yet, they felt that they had the audacity to gang up and harass a lone, small woman? Not on my watch…

I could feel my fists tightening, my fingernails threatening to draw blood, as I scrunched my face in anger. I knew that I couldn't go about this an irrational way before trying something logical, so I figured the best thing I could do was count to ten, grit my teeth and then walk up to my newly made enemies, calling out to Kirino… And that is just what I did.

"Hey, Kirino!" I waved as I traversed to the impending location of the aforementioned girl, causing the pricks to be struck dumb with awe.

The previously distressed knockout shot her head towards me, her eyes slowly widening with thankfulness and her growing smile showing relief.

"Kyousuke!" The lovely sound of her appropriately anxious voice rang out through the air as she pushed her way out of the rape circle and found her way back to my arm, wrapping her own arm around it.

I let out a surprised gasp, a blush appearing on my face.

"K-kirino, what are you doing?" I whispered harshly, aware of the vibe we were giving off.

"Playing boyfriend and girlfriend, they will be more likely to stop pursuing me if they know I'm with someone." Kirino whispered, a smile appearing shortly thereafter.

Now fully understanding the clever brain clinging to my arm, I returned her smile and started walking in the other direction of the thugs, hoping to all that was holy for an easy escape.

"Hey jackass!"

I sighed mentally.

'but of course, things can never be that peaceful…' I internally expressed my regret.

I let go of Kirino's arm, getting in front of her and mustering the biggest smile I could with my lack of patience, now facing the three assholes and their ugly mugs.

"Yes?" I dropped the one-liner with a fabricated happiness.

The guy that seemed to be leading the trio voiced his upset concern.

"We were talkin' to that bitch!" The bastard exclaimed.

I felt something in me snap. My body was getting humid and shaky while my face was trying to express the immense, dark, and pissed off emotions I was holding in. But, I gritted my teeth, feeling like they were going to crack, and held in my displeasure. I layed the boyfriend act on thick.

"You mean this lovely woman behind me? I'm sorry guys, I know you wanted to see some action, but this flawless angel is mine and mine alone and I'm afraid I can't let you have her."

I pulled Kirino into an embrace, looking down at her to see her face was now of a tomato's hue.

"I love this woman with everything that I am and ever will be. She is the one thing in my life that brings me joy, therefore, I cannot give her up… I hope you guys understand." I finished my declaration of affection, feeling Kirino bury her face into my chest and sigh happily, her arms wrapping around my abdomen tightly.

As unlikely as it seemed, two of the guys in the pack seemed to sympathize with Kirino and I, walking up behind their leader.

"Boss, I think we made a huge mistake here…" One of the henchmen trailed off.

"These two really have a thing and we shouldn't be the ones to ruin that." Finished the other henchmen, putting his hand on the headman's shoulder.

Suddenly, the leader threw his arm back, hitting the guy who had tried to get through to his douche captain.

"SHUT THE HELL UP! I'VE HAD MY EYE ON THIS SLUT FOR A LONG TIME! I DON'T CARE IF SHE HAS SOME DICK TO PLAY HANKY-PANKY WITH, I'M GOING TO FUCK HER!" The now hugely disgusting shell of a man exclaimed.

I finally let all pf the hate, anger, and disgust flow through me. This guy was trash, the worst kind of scum… and there was no reason to play nicely anymore.

A shadow covering my gaze of indignation, I let go of Kirino, putting her behind me once again and I looked up at the fucker with a hopefully terrifying look of vexation.

"No one talks about my girl that way…Unless they want to walk away with a face full of concrete." I vented, finally able to show my high level of loathing.

"Yeah? Is Mr. White Knight gonna do something? You know you-" The taunting had been cut short.

My fist was rammed into his stomach, causing him to fall to the ground, gasping for air.

"I told you… No one… ever speaks of the woman I love like that." I spoke, keeping the shout out of my voice.

I then picked him up off of the ground by the collar, attempting not to choke the life out of the putrid filth in front of my eyes.

"UNLESS YOU WANT TO TAKE ME UP ON MY OFFER OF SHOVELING CONCRETE DOWN YOUR THROAT, YOU BETTER FUCKING APOLOGIZE TO HER!" I screamed, livid written all over my face.

Grinning stupidly, the trash kept up his poker face hesitantly.

"Oh r-really? Well, I don't know if-" I cut him off again buy socking him in the face and throwing him on the ground, stomping on his back with one leg and putting the other on his head, ready to split his jaw open.

"DO IT!" I screamed again, the anger seeping out of me like sweat.

The fear in his eyes now apparent, he started breathing heavily.

"OK, OK!" He exclaimed, turning over to a shocked Kirino with reluctance.

"I'm sorry." The litter said as clear as day.

After hearing the half assed apology and accepting it, I stepped off of him and lifted him up by the collar once again, pushing him towards his equally terrified friends.

I looked down, the adrenaline slowly leaving my blood stream.

"Now walk away before I make you truly regret what you've said to her…" I trailed off

The group didn't think twice and turned their backs on me, walking away hurriedly. After I didn't see them, I turned around and walked to Kirino, her eyes widened with surprise. I wrapped my arms around her, dry heaving from the sheer anger and energy leaving my body. I heard her gasp as I did so.

"I'm so sorry I did that… I couldn't take hearing them talk to you like that and I-" I wasn't able to finish my sentence due to Kirino putting her arms around me once again, allowing me to resuscitate my breathing.

"It's okay… I think you went a little too far, but we can talk about that later…"

Kirino nuzzled herself into my chest once more.

"I'm just glad you care about me…" The goddess said, her soft nurturing voice lulling me into a relaxed state…

I looked down at the golden locks, smiling sadly.

"Kirino"…

(End of Flashback)

I opened my eyes, hearing knocking downstairs.

'I must've fallen asleep while thinking about what happened…' I mused, looking over at my clock.

The black digital clock on my night stand displayed the red numbers of 6:30 pm.

'I slept for a while...' I mentally wondered, but was interrupted with another set of knocking sounds protruding from the outside of my room.

Having enough of lying down in my bed, I got up and investigated, hearing the sound of rain crashing down on the roof as I descended the stairwell leading to the front door.

Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I opened the door…

I can't even begin to remember how much dread and anxiousness I felt when I bared witness to the sight of two police officers at my door step…

There we go! Finally done, I just wanted to apologize real quick for not updating "Emptiness" in awhile and I hope that you all enjoyed this cliffhanger of a chapter! Please review, follow, favorite, or even message me with questions you have about the story! Thank You!