Kalon

April 7th, 2010 9:13 pm

Despite the fact that Tatara hadn't picked up his guitar in a little over a month, there was still a song in his heart as he fussed with the long-stem flowers he began to assemble in their vase. The arrangement was sitting in the centre of the table featuring red and black roses with golden accents like bows coated in way too much glitter for Izumo to be bothered with. That was why Tatara was the one working on setting them properly in their crystal flute, humming through the calm smile on his face as he trimmed the stalks. It was a slightly gothic arrangement, but it suited their hunter perfectly and put a bright smile on her face when she received it earlier that evening.

"Tat-chan, what is it you're up to over there?" With her arms stuffed in the flannel shirt that she was about to pull over her head, Neirah poked around the corner of her bedroom doorway with a speculative twist in her face. Wide eyes filled with panic when she watched him snip the end of the thorny branch with a pair of scissors, and he'd done it so casually. "Hey! Leave my flowers alone, you beast!"

Beast indeed, she thought as he turned his pure and loving smile her way. His sunny smile remained as he clicked the scissor blades together in the empty air like the act might have been menacing.

"Don't worry. I'm just putting them in water," he defended with an innocent chuckle. "I thought they might display better if they sat at different levels, though, so I'm trimming the ones around the outside." He leaned away from his work and tilted his head, fluffing the full blooms on the side of the vase before straightening their bow. "See? That looks great! I think I might have a knack for this."

With a dull groan, Neirah shuffled out from her cover and dropped her hand on the top of his head, causing him to wince with the pressure of her fingers digging into his scalp. "If my flowers all die because you assaulted them, it will mean serious maiming for you."

Tatara opened one eye and peeked up at her sheepishly. "It's fine!" He laughed when she snorted derisively to hide the optimism fighting to spread across her tight lips. "Besides, I would maim myself if I ruined your birthday bouquet. It took Kusanagi-san forever to find black roses here in town."

Dropping down behind where he sat cross-legged on the floor, Neirah draped her arms over his front and rested her chin on his shoulder. Her cheeks coloured with signs of her shame to consider the thorough doting she'd received from her band of brothers earlier that day, and she was still trying to scrub the tiny ruby lip-print of their princess from her cheek. She felt a little guilty for making them work extra hard to encourage her to be happy, but she appreciated the effort. "I didn't mean to threaten you," she kindly murmured. "They're just special to me, that's all. I know they're going to die eventually, but I just want to enjoy how beautiful they are for as long as I can."

When Tatara turned his enlightened gaze her way, her pigment deepened in intensity, but she didn't meet his invitation. "Wow, Neirah… I think that's the most positive thing I've ever heard you say."

She sheepishly slid away from him to escape his scrutiny, slapping her palms on her thighs as she climbed. "W-well… I learned from the best."

Tatara's brow creased with disdain as he watched her float around their cluttered abode. Despite her feigned hopefulness, he caught the secrets she was trying to hide. He supposed it wasn't strange that her mind had drifted to thoughts of the people responsible for her birth on such a day; a mother no longer in this world and a father soon to follow. "Is it your dad?"

After circling back towards him, Neirah's expression remained downtrodden as she slipped her fingers over the satiny petals of her gift. "Mari-san mentioned that his condition worsened the other day," she admitted vaguely. "I was hoping that maybe… the anticipation of seeing his daughter again after so long might inspire him to get better, but…"

Tatara climbed to his feet, approaching his friend to lay his arms over her shoulders and touch his lips to the back of her head. Even though he felt her body stiffen beneath his tender embrace, he didn't release her or dampen his smile. "You're not cursed." As soft as his whisper was, it held an air of command warning her not to challenge his positivity. "Anna-chan is right, you know. Lion-chan is brave. We'll get through this."

"I don't feel brave," she whispered sadly. "I would almost rather believe that it was all my fault… about my mother, and everything else. It would make it easier to forgive him for what came afterwards. He didn't have to get Himari-san involved. He could have taken responsibility for his daughter."

"Try to be more forgiving, Nei-chan," Tatara gently reminded her. "You have your mom's eyes, so it must have been hard for him to look into them after he lost her."

"I know," she muttered bleakly. "And I can't imagine what that's like. I look so much like her that I'm afraid when he sees me in his weakened state, he might look right through me to where momma's waiting. It's taking all I have not to call off the whole thing."

With a victoriously knowing chuckle that rivalled the sinister, Tatara released her and weaved to one side. "Kusanagi-san thought you might say something like that."

In response, Neirah rolled her eyes. "Of course, he did. He likes to remind me of my shortcomings."

Tatara kept his smile cheerful as he locked his kind umber gaze with Neirah's, a long envelope flopped out between his fingers and encouraging her to receive its contents. "Here. Take it." He could tell that she didn't want to. He could see the cautious gleam in her eyes suffering intimidation from the delicate offering like she understood its meaning. "Come on," he whined spiritedly. "There's no going back now. Even if you burn it, it won't change what's been done. And trust me, you'll feel way worse if you do that this time."

Hesitant fingers reached for the envelope, and as soon as she felt the weight of the cardstock inside, her heart sank. "Tat-chan… this is…"

Tatara eagerly nodded as she began to open the packet to reveal the condemning gesture. "Kusanagi-san wanted me to wait and give that to you later once we were at home because he didn't want to risk upsetting you around the others. He figured it would have a pretty big impact."

Neirah held one set of fingers against her lips to stifle her gasp as the other clutched her return trip airline tickets to fly her to the heart of the Nagasaki Prefecture.

"See? Now you have to go." Tatara's tone softened with understanding as he watched indigo eyes gloss with a river of tears waiting to fall. "He was worried about you taking the train, and when I told him you were going to dip into your college savings in order to pay your way, well, he did this. He wanted to make sure you knew that we supported you no matter what. Maybe we can't go with you, and I know you don't like talking about it around the others, but we're still going to be there cheering you on in spirit. That's never going to change." Tatara flinched when Neirah suddenly fell to her knees like she was faint, and his demeanour flopped immediately to worry. "Nei-chan, are you okay?"

"I'm alright," she whispered in a choked tone. She hadn't been stricken with hysterics, but she was made dizzy by the well of emotion. "I'm just a little overwhelmed, is all. So much has happened lately…"

Taking a seat on his knees in front of her, Tatara laid his hands in his lap without intruding too much on her suffering. He softened his voice with a kind understanding in hopes that they could continue their conversation. "Kusanagi-san really wants to see you go to school, and he says that you should keep the money you've saved. But he knows this is important to you too. We all do."

Neirah continued to stare at the tickets in her hand even as her second raised to wipe the stray tears escaping one of her eyes. "The reason it means so much to me is things like this," she admitted weakly. "For Onii-san, and King-sama… They deserve better than to be burdened by my doubt."

Tatara's tone cracked worrisomely. "None of us see you as a burden-"

"It doesn't matter this time," she calmly interrupted. "Just over a year ago, King-sama helped me to realize how strong I could be. I owe it to him to use that strength now to fight this battle on my own."

Her statement seemed to amuse her contented roommate. "And you have the nerve to chastise Wolf-kun for standing out."

Neirah twisted her face into a bashful pout. "Wolf-kun is different. He isn't nearly as broken as I am."

"Do you know that?"

"I do."

"Liar." Even as he was being mauled by playful pats, Tatara's smile remained optimistically fixed. "Okay, okay. I know, you and Wolf-kun are close. But still- It's hard for everyone just to sit and wait quietly for the outcome. It made your birthday celebration this year kind of awkward, didn't it?"

She surrendered a fond smile before falling into his lap with an exhausted huff. "Only Yata made things awkward, but that doesn't seem much different than any other day."

"That's true, isn't it?" he sang.

"He's fine around me when he doesn't think about it too much, but I get the feeling that he does more of that then he lets on. Only, he does it after he's already said something brash." A faint groan emitted from deep within her chest as her grim expression examined the homey clutter of their apartment. "It's things like that I'll miss the most when I'm away," she whispered feebly. "Or Chitose's clinginess, or Rikio's laughter. I think I'll even miss Fushimi-san's bad attitude."

Because Neirah's gaze was diverted, Tatara let his smile fade. "Don't be silly," he nearly whispered. "You won't be gone for long."

Neither of them wanted to dwell too deeply on the length of silence to extend between them after his remark. "I'll miss this the most." She closed her eyes, drawing her hand towards her face as she snuggled into his lap for comfort, delighting in the gentle comb of his fingers against her scalp. "Roommate snuggles are the best snuggles."

Her cute whinge encouraged his smile to return. "That's why you have to come back soon," he cheerily observed. "Without this, you would be too irritable to face society and who knows what kind of trouble you'd get into."

"I'd probably just burn everything in sight," she stated bluntly. "King-sama says that I can."

"I don't think that's a healthy attitude for you or King to have," he teased. "Now look, your birthday isn't over yet, so don't get too comfortable, okay?" Quickly checking the time, Tatara crawled out from beneath her and offered his hands for her to fill. "Come on, Lion-chan. There's somewhere we have to go."

After accepting his aid in drawing her upright, she cocked a brow at him skeptically. "Go? At this hour?" She watched incredulously as he crossed the room and grabbed their coats. "But we already ate at Kusanagi-san's."

"True," he sang. "But I had something else planned for after we were alone."

Neirah snorted and allowed him to feed her arms through the sleeves of her leather. "Tat-chan, if I didn't know you any better, I'd think you were picking up Chitose-kun's bad habits too. I don't need to text Onii-chan my safeword, do I?"

"Very funny," he pestered. "But no. I actually wanted to do this last year, but with you spending so much time with everyone else..."

Neirah seemed to startle at the sour memory of a time where they began to drift apart, and her heart began to sink. "O-oh that…" She straightened her collar and diverted her culpable expression. "I was trying to forget."

"Well, memories only last if you cherish them and protect them." He didn't seem distracted by the way Neirah startled to hear him speak so casually about her uncertainty. "You keep the ones alive that make you smile and forget the ones that make you sad." He raised his fond beam back at her with complete reassurance. "So, that tells me that you made precious memories with the others during that time even if we didn't see each other much."

Even though she fought it, she couldn't keep her wavy smile from forcing her lips into an awkwardly appreciative grin. She truly believed that her best friend was the most beautiful person in the entire world.

Interrupting her thoughts, Tatara laughed positively and raised his hand into the air with an enthusiastic cheer. "But now that I've got you all to myself, let's go!"

She allowed him to push her through their front door, groaning slightly to the suspicious twist in his manner. When he paused only momentarily after dismissing her to grab something from the table that was earlier concealed beneath their clothing, she wrinkled her nose and attempted to catch a glimpse. "Ah, Tat-chan? If you're the one who knows where we're going, shouldn't you lead?"

He seemed aloof as he locked the door, contemplating his own thoughts. "You think I should?"

Her tone flattened with feigned impatience. "I really don't see any other way to do this."

Once Tatara had finally stepped ahead of her, he guided them down too many flights of stairs, out of their home, down the street, and towards a large park lining the waterway to meander through Shizume City. The walkway was paved and acted as a scenic bike trail that stretched through the gardens and over the bridge crossing the channel. It was a popular flower viewing site during the beginning of April when the blossoms were at their fullest. When they drew nearer, she realized that was what he'd taken an interest in that night.

Even after the blossoms fell, Neirah carried their simulated scent all year round on her collar. She loved flowers, new flowers in particular. There was something magical about the dawn of a new day, a bright, optimistic beginning. The petals unfolded and soaked up the light of life knowing full well they would soon serve their purpose and fall to the wind, but that didn't stop them from shining while they drifted. Something about the sight always humbled her and filled her with courage. It simulated the way she felt when she was by Tatara's side. Truthfully, she couldn't think of any better way to spend her Wednesday evening.

At first, she was moderately concerned, because the last time she had visited that particular park near to their apartment complex, she was with Gin. It was difficult for her to determine whether she would be delighted or livid to be forced to face her friend after months of not speaking with him.

After their fallout in front of HOMRA at the end of January, they hadn't spoken a word, and she felt terrible. It became even worse after she had bumped into him at the mall across from the station, not once acknowledging his interference with their struggle. Tatara would obviously pick up on something so subtle, but as he walked towards the trees alongside her, he seemed distracted. The guilty smile was still painted on his face as radiantly as it ever was, but he didn't seem to instigate any further. Reflecting on a moment of consideration, she realized that he was fidgeting with an old-fashioned device between his hands.

Calming to the realization that he hadn't been foolish enough to set up such a complicated meeting, she tilted her head to the side and tried to get a better look at the gadget he was putting upside down batteries in. "Ah, Tat-chan? You have them in the wrong way. The minus sign goes up against the little spring."

"Hah! That explains a lot!" He laughed in spite of himself and corrected the alkaline sources until the artifact hummed to life. "There we go!"

Neirah couldn't help but snicker lightly at his theatrics. "What is that thing you're playing with over there, anyway? It looks like-"

"It's an old movie camera," he proclaimed. "I know how much you love this time of year when the sakura blossoms are in bloom, so it's perfect that your birthday falls right in the middle of it. I figured we'd sneak by after the traffic settled in the park to have our own hanami!"

Neirah's expression knotted as she attempted to decide whether it should be entertained or concerned. "This sounds oddly romantic."

Tatara turned to face her with a mortified look on his face. "Do I sense a trace of revulsion in your voice? I didn't think it embarrassed you that much to be seen with me- OW! Nei-chan, that hurt!"

From where Neirah had turned her nose up and closed her eyes, she folded her arms over her chest with a grim huff. "You say the most ridiculous things sometimes."

Tatara snickered and set up the viewer of his camera so that he could see the world through the dusty lens. "I don't see a rule stating that a guy can't take his best friend in the entire world on a completely platonic romantic walk through the park." Noticing the dust on the end of his lens distorting the beautiful nighttime view of the cherry trees, Tatara lowered his camera and casually polished the glass with the front of his shirt. "Ahh, dusty," he murmured calmly.

"There we go." With a satisfied smile, he whisked the recorder from side to side, watching the beautiful soft pink petals fall like snow around them in the bright moonlight. After swinging left, then right, and checking the moon's reflection on the ripples dotted with sakura blossoms beside their footpath, he redirected the camera towards his flustered friend. "And also, Nei-chan looks beautiful with sakura petals in her hair."

Neirah had been so stunted by his initial statement that she remained in shock when he redirected his camera her way. She had always considered Tatara one of the most influential people in her life, but she had never heard him say anything that indicated to her that he held her in the same regard. To listen to him admit it had caused a knot to bind her insides, and her gaze lingered on the camera, knowing that he was just on the other side. All she could see was his smile, up until he slipped to one side of the device and exposed the mischievous twinkle in his eye. "And look, she's even prettier when her cheeks are as pink as the trees."

As she slipped back into reality, Neirah's blush deepened, and she began to batt away the lens intently focussing on her. "Tat-chan, you'd better not actually be recording."

"Why else would I have brought a camera with us?"

"You're about ten seconds from maiming!"

"Ah, alright, Lion-chan! I'll stop. I promise."

With a low growl, Neirah watched the recording light click off before stealing the contraption entirely to examine it. "You and your twisted assortment of hobbies," she teased callously. "It's such a clunky unit. What on earth made you think that this was a good idea?"

He couldn't help but laugh delightedly and itch his nape. "You did, actually." She didn't seem pleased when she turned to glower at him, still in a tizzy, but he continued regardless. "Do you remember that night you were sick? Everyone came over, and we made you your favourite soup to help you feel better."

Despite the fondness of her recollection, there was still a bitter rumble in her voice to speak about the occurrence. "How could I forget? You boys completely ruined my expectations of miso soup, and I've never been able to make it that good again."

Tatara flashed a hint of sheepish guilt before dismissing her abrasion as teasing. "You were pretty tired that night, so you didn't remember much of it. That got me thinking. If I had some way to record everything, I'd be able to show it to you instead."

"But you're such a good storyteller," she interjected. "Just imagining all of you standing around a pot trying to make soup puts a pretty memorable image in my head."

"Ah, but it was so much more than that! Everyone worked really hard to make it the best it could be," he refuted passionately. "Kamamoto-kun was trying to taste test, but Yata-chan kept getting in his way, so he swatted him with the bamboo spoon. And oh! Dewa-kun tried to put siracha in it, so that started this whole ordeal."

"You still didn't tell me how Dewa-kun ended up with the couch," she pried. "I mean, up until my memory goes blank, Fushimi-san and I were sitting there."

"See?!" Tatara had wholly dismissed her enquiry for justifying his ambition. "If I had of had this back then, I could have let you watch it for yourself once you were feeling better!"

Neirah's expression dropped as she checked his face for sincerity. "But why couldn't you just use your phone?"

Turning his nose away from her interrogation, he puffed out a disappointed sigh. "It's just not the same. I can't really see anything so modern as a hobby."

"Even though they're practically the same thing?"

"Exactly!" he established. "It's like when we play cards. You could play it on your phone, but it loses so much of its charm when your fingers aren't sticking to the ones Kamamoto played after he spilled soda on them."

Neirah released a soft and agreeable coo as she considered his facts. "And, I suppose, it would probably hurt if Chitose-kun threw a phone at you when he lost instead of his losing hand."

"See! Now you're getting it!" Tatara humbled and drew the camera closer, carefully resting his hand on it as his smile faded. He took a step towards the edge of their path, thoroughly dusting the pearl petals from where the breeze had delivered the buds to the surface of his new tool. He didn't want to admit that a small piece of his heart was worried that there was a chance Neirah might really be leaving them for good when she ventured to Nagasaki. He supposed a part of him had worried about that from the start, and what he really wanted was to remember how beautiful her smile was.

"And half of what makes the memories special is how they're made, right?" He tried to force his smile to return in force so that he didn't dampen Neirah's spirits. "And they're even better when everyone is involved. You can't be involved when you're attached to your PDA all the time."

With a soft sigh, Neirah quietly turned away and watched the lovely view surround them like they'd been transported to a mystical world high above her troubles. Tatara had always had that effect on her. It was true. Not a single one of her cherished memories had anything to do with a phone, but that might have been because she rarely carried the device to begin with.

"I'm a little worried about Anna-chan, though."

Hmn? Suddenly, Neirah turned to face him as he seated himself on a lonely bench looking deep in thought, and her voice was faint as she encouraged him to continue. "A-Anna? Why?"

Even as his smile remained, his brow creased with concern. "Because she can't see any colour other than red. Watching colourless videos like these might give her a headache." He tipped his gaze towards the dark water trickling past, offering them a peaceful soundtrack in the quiet park. "That must mean… that her memories are different than ours too. They're red memories. That's why I try to make her meals and desserts that turn out red, so she can remember how everything tastes. I mean, could anyone really find a grey supper appetizing?"

"I know it might seem insignificant, but sometimes little things like that can make all the difference. That's why I try really hard, and Anna-chan seems to appreciate it." Tatara's smile was mild as he stared into the gentle ripples, his thoughts rampant as he laid his camera in his lap. "She always talks about our red, HOMRA's red. It makes me wonder what she sees when she looks at us. Would it be the same as what this video recorder captures? Or are those red memories something that only she can see?" He lowered his gaze, dusting the recorder's surface with a steady palm. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't encouraging either. Then, finally, Neirah broke it in a way he'd never thought possible.

"I don't think it has anything to do with what she sees." Neirah's interruption was tender as she shifted across the walkway and seated herself next to her friend. "I mean, maybe we do look different through her eyes, but we're also the same, and I think that's what she's talking about when she calls it our red. It's all the things that we share, including the smiles." With a small grin, she upturned her palm at her front, observing it as it came to life with the calm dance of the fire to rise from her skin. Two years ago, she would have never dreamed that such a phenomenon was possible, but now, she couldn't imagine her life without it.

"Our red, HOMRA's red, is something you can't see. It's something that we feel with our hearts. It's what connects every last one of us to our king, and him to us." She curled her fingers into her palm until the fire had smothered before bending her wrist and raising it between her breasts. Resting it tightly against her HOMRA insignia, she continued. "Red is just a filter," she whispered. "It's the smile we keep in our hearts. It doesn't matter what colour the memories are, because the light of that fire will always keep us warm."

"At least, that's how I feel." With a bashful hum, she smiled weakly and turned back to face her comrade. "That's what Kusanagi-san means when he tells us that our marks aren't just on our skin. It's taken me a while to figure it out, but now I understand." Reminiscing on the day she and Anna had danced with a stranger, her heart ached to recall a similar sentiment. "I thought Anna-chan looked so discouraged the day she looked at my mark like she wanted one of her own, but it might be that she saw it the way it was supposed to be all along." Her expression dimmed with disdain. "Thinking back on it now, I probably sounded so superficial to her..."

When she turned back to face her friend, her smile had faded entirely, and there was desperation in deep azure eyes that begged his reassurance. "That's why I decided to go to Nagasaki and visit my father. I need to learn for myself whether or not I really bring everyone around me nothing but pain. I need to know if I'm capable of being the type of person I want to be."

"I've lived with you for two years now," Tatara defended quietly. "Wouldn't I have noticed if you hurt me?"

With a gentle sigh, Neirah diverted her gaze and balled her fists in her lap. "Don't I, though?" she whispered despondently. "You mentioned the first time you wanted to bring me here, and where our relationship was at that time. Around then, Anna-chan told me that it made you sad."

"Well, but that was-"

"My pain is your pain, your tears are my tears," she reminded him. "Maybe it isn't as critical as life or death, but I know that it affects you all when I'm like this. And…" She lowered her voice to a dull whisper. "It affects Okazaki-san too."

Concern flashed in Tatara's eyes to take her words into consideration. "Have you two talked since that day in front of Kusanagi-san's bar?"

She slowly shook her head.

"I see…" he murmured sadly. "But it can't be easy on him either, can it? He's been a part of your life for so long. Much longer than any of us." When Neirah didn't take his baited conversation, he sighed and turned away. When he did, he caught notice of the lights marking the pass of the Silver King in the night sky. It moved slowly to his comprehension and as a tiny spec of lighted hope in the air that night. If somebody wasn't looking closely enough, they might mistake it for a satellite. "I wonder… if he makes wishes on the Silver King's airship too."

Hmn? Neirah tilted her curiosity his way.

Tatara pulled out his PDA and flipped over the screen. "I've noticed this app around town every now and then. I was curious, so I decided to download it and see for myself." He tilted towards her and let her take a peek at the screen flashing an image of a burning candle. "It's a 'Candle' app." After initiating the app on his own phone, he held it out towards the dark sky with a mocking grin. "They say that if you're going through a hard time, you should hold this app up to the sky. Then, the Silver King's airship will come down and pick you up."

Neirah seemed bemused by his explanation. "Tat-chan? Are you telling stories again?"

Tatara laughed brightly and sat back in his seat, retracting his beacon. "Of course not!" he brayed. "They really believe that something will happen."

"Okaaay," she instigated. "And what happens if the First King does pick them up."

Tatara's chuckle grew sardonic. "It might be nice to know these things, hm?"

"Very creepy," she derided. She popped her hand against his brow to check for a fever, causing him to retreat and shake his bangs back into place. "Maybe you're coming down with a fever."

"I'm telling you, it's the truth!"

Neirah's expression softened as she turned her bright eyes back into the sky with a hearty sigh. "Well, maybe he does…" she whispered. "Maybe the First King himself will knock on our door and make me apologize to him one day." Her gaze narrowed on the sight of the ship, her body tightening with a sense of unrest similar to the one she felt the last time she and Tatara had caught it passing overhead.

"But it's strange, don't you think? That the Silver King sees tiny flames and automatically thinks that they need help. I mean, it's almost insulting." Her gaze tapered on the sight like she resented the man who looked down on them like she looked down on the mortals from her past. "Maybe they just want to burn. And I don't think… that there's anything wrong with that." She couldn't help but resent the mysterious man in the sky, and maybe that was because a part of her doubted that he existed. "Do they actually need help? Or do they just need someone to burn with?"

Tatara began to fidget with the camera in his lap, carefully overseeing Neirah's sudden shift in manner. It was something he was seeing more of in recent days approaching the fated meeting between her and her father. There was a hopeful light inside her that wanted to flourish, but there always seemed to be a shadow hot on her heels and chasing her back into the cold dark that she loathed. It was his hope for her that she would face her fears in Nagasaki and finally discard her feelings of shame towards her past, letting the sun shine on her withered purpose.

Luckily, she had managed to overcome a lot of obstacles during their time together, and he would go so far as to argue that she was an entirely different person than what he had met in the alley two years before. Regardless of how different or similar, she was still his cherished friend, and no matter what she decided, he wanted the best for her.

Still, there were some days where he saw the skittish beast in her eyes huddling next to Mikoto's flame for warmth in a cold world. She was afraid to laugh too loud, to love too passionately, and to lose everything that she had found in the place she called home. He spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to prove to her that everything she knew and loved would always be there for her when she needed it the most, but it seemed like nothing he did would solidify that truth. The only way she would believe that he would always be there to protect her smile was if he stayed by her side forever. So that was what he planned to do.

Eventually, and rather suddenly, Tatara straightened with an eager grin. "Let's stop talking about such boring things like flying kings and Okazaki-kun," he proclaimed. "It's your birthday today, Nei-chan! Let's do something special!"

Neirah cocked a brow but didn't immediately liven as her sardonic smirk crept back onto her unwilling face. "What could be any more special than spending this beautiful evening out with my best friend in the entire world?" When Tatara's face flushed bashfully over his smile, she couldn't help but blush in unison. It turned out, not just his positivity was contagious.

After considering his humility, she was encouraged to flash him a kind smile filled with fondness. "I want to be like you." Her gentle proclamation chased a curious hum of response from her roommate. "I want to smile through the hard times, and invite new people into my life without the fear that I'll lose them." She lowered her eyes towards the walkway beneath their feet, where they left footprints in the cherry petals like they were snow. "But I'm afraid that would make me even more vulnerable than I already am… and… wouldn't that also make me weak?" She heaved a sad sigh. "I can't protect King-sama if I'm weak. So I need to know… if I can be strong too."

Tatara didn't shy away from her direct jolt of attention when he chuckled lightly to deride her. "Then do you really want to be like me?" he teased. "I'm a pretty bad example because I'm not very strong, but I still do what I can." After giving his new toy an affectionate rub, he raised his fond gaze back to Neirah's with a broadening smile. "But you're different, Nei-chan. You've always been strong, and smart too. So, I don't think it will matter either way."

Her smile was feeble as she struggled desperately to comprehend his logic. "You say those things so casually."

"Well, it's true," he sang. "Remember when I said your vibe was like King's? That's how I know you'll be great because King is great too. You're both hunters, remember? So, you won't stop until things are right. That's why all we can do is support you no matter what, and that's just what I'm going to do!"

Once Tatara was sure that he wasn't going to ruin her birthday by encouraging the tears he saw lingering to fall, he locked his sights on her glossy gaze and persisted. "And I think you've forgotten how much you've already opened up since we found you. Now you smile and laugh with us all the time. Sure, you're cautious around people outside of HOMRA, but that's just because you're still sorting things out."

Surrendering to his devotion, Neirah sighed and lowered her head with an embarrassed blush. "Tat-chan will always be my prince," she reasoned soundly. "No one can even tell me otherwise."

Tatara straightened with a triumphant snicker. "So come, fair valkyrie!" After lowering his voice from the regal tone to announce his eagerness a moment prior, he raised his camera in front of his meek expression, careful not to click on the recording light until she was entirely agreeable. "Let's make our very first red memory."

Neirah's expression was wry as it flattened with mistrust. "Tat-chan… I'm not really in the mood to be on camera."

"No, just think about it! This will be the first video we make together!" he rushed out enthusiastically. "We'll hide it somewhere special in our apartment and try to forget about it. We'll give it a few years and then dig it out to watch it again with all our friends!"

"I really don't think-"

"Annnd, we're rolling!" he announced. His narrowly stifled giggle was the first thing their viewers would hear as he began to speak under his breath. "Heh… I've always wanted to say that."

Neirah groaned and looked back into the camera lens like it was judging her every move. Her lips tightened as her fleeting gaze tried to escape the pressure of his attention, and she shivered. "It's watching me…"

"Don't think of it that way," Tatara teased. "Think of it as looking into the future at all of our friends back at HOMRA, say ten or so years from now."

"Ten years from now," she muttered softly to herself. The consideration couldn't help but make her surrender a hesitant smile. "Alright then… Ah, hello everyone." She gave an awkward wave that caused Tatara to giggle, encouraging her to provide him with a firm swat in retribution.

"Ow!"

With a deep and settling breath, Neirah bravely faced the future and continued. "So, if we're watching this, I suppose ten years have passed."

Back then, we were so sure that we would always be together…