A/N: Hey guys this is it! The final chapter! I'll leave more info in the author's note below, but yeah, thanks for sticking around!
Mob was crying.
Reigen and Serizawa were behind me as I kneeled beside my brother, patting his back. He was ugly crying, snot covering his face. Around us, the city was destroyed, but we ignored that for the meantime. Shigeo had been rejected by Tsubomi, and was in tears. And what kind of sister would I be if I didn't comfort him?
"Bro, it's okay," I told Shigeo, gently. "You were too good for her anyway. One day, you'll meet someone worth your affections."
Shigeo nodded, putting his arms around my shoulders.
"I'm happy for you, Arashi," he said, smiling genuinely. "You're going to do great at that school."
Reigen sat down, patting Mob's shoulder. "Better luck next time, hey?"
Ritsu joined in, a smile on his face. Even Serizawa was smiling.
Perhaps it wasn't so bad after all.
"You're seriously going to another school?"
I shrugged at Onigawara's question.
"Like you would care," I said.
"I do care," he grumbled. He looked away, faintly blushing. "I mean-"
"Yeah, you don't need to say it," I replied. "I'll miss you too, man."
He folded his arms in a tsundere fashion. I grinned, walking down the school hallways. I saw some members of the Karate Club, who bowed at me.
"Best of luck at your music school, sensei!" they said, brightly.
"Thanks, guys," I said, grinning at them. "You guys keep the club going strong, okay?"
They nodded, before running off. Down the hall, I saw Josh coming towards me, Daizō on his heels. Josh's face lit up when he saw me.
"Arashi!" he yelled, almost barrelling down the halls. "Is it true?!"
"That time I farted in class?" I asked.
Josh gave me a 'seriously?' look.
"Wait, did you actually fart in class?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Damn right I did," I grinned.
Daizō rolled his eyes. "Are you actually going to that music school?"
I nodded, my smile vanishing. "Yeah, I am…"
Josh grabbed my arm. "But that means…"
"I have to quit the band, I know," I sighed. "But… there are plenty of good guitarists in this school. You'll find someone to replace me."
"Yeah, but you're the Fire Angel," Josh said, making a face. "There aren't any other Fire Angels in this school!"
"You guys don't need a Fire Angel to complete the band," I told him. "You just need a good guitarist."
Josh just stared at me blankly. I gave him a hug, and continued walking. Up ahead, I saw Mezato holding up her camera. She waved when she saw me.
"Arashi!" she chorused. "So, I heard you're leaving this school!"
"Everyone has," I said, giving her a blank stare.
"Good luck at that music school," Mezato said. "I heard it's the best one in the entire country!"
"Got that right," I said, grinning. What can I say? I was pretty lucky to go to that school.
"And, um…" Mezato scratched the back of her head, "Sorry if I annoyed you at all…"
"Water under the bridge," I said, shrugging. "It's all cool. I don't want to hold onto drama. Besides, I was kind of a jerk myself."
Mezato gave me another smile, before I continued my walk. I saw many other students, including the Telepathy Club. They waved at me, cheerfully. I was actually kind of happy to see them, so I waved back.
"Good luck!" Tome yelled. "Report if you see anything interesting there!"
"Other than music sheets?" I replied. "We'll see!"
I breathed in, reaching class. One of my last classes before I left the school. I was felt... bittersweet. I was going to miss this school, as much as it annoyed me.
My teacher smiled at me. "Only today and tomorrow left, huh, Kageyama-san?"
I nodded, taking a seat. "Indeed."
"Ready to go?"
I nodded at Sho as we waited at the train station. The train to Tokyo was arriving in ten minutes, and I was carrying my luggage over my shoulder. My twin brother was helping me, holding some of my bags.
"Nice day, huh?" I said, looking at the sky.
"Yep," Sho agreed. He noticed my expression. "Miss them already?"
"Don't bring them up," I sighed, clenching my fists. "I'll start sobbing."
Sho patted my shoulder.
"Mom said she wouldn't have been surprised if you said no," he said. "I told her how much you care about your friends… and your, uh, brothers."
Even now, recognising that Shigeo and Ritsu were my adoptive brothers was an awkward topic for Sho, but I couldn't blame him. If he'd had two adoptive sisters, I would've felt awkward too.
"Well, I need to get away from it all," I replied. "I love this city, don't get me wrong, but I've always wanted to go to Tokyo. And besides, this school is the best music school in the entire country! My career could go off from there!"
Sho nodded. "I bet it could."
Suddenly, I sensed a wave of psychic energy. I perked up, looking around.
"Did you feel that?" I asked Sho.
Sho stared at me blankly. "Feel what?"
"That energy," I said, folding my arms. "There's an esper around here."
"Is there?" Sho asked, tilting his head.
I gave him a look. "Do you know something I don't?"
Sho smiled mischievously.
Then, out of nowhere, confetti came flying over my head. A figure in dark clothing did some kind of black flip, landing in front of me.
"Ritsu?" I asked, surprised.
"Thought we wouldn't let you go without a send-off?" he asked, grinning.
I looked away, wiping confetti off my shirt. "Bro…"
"SURPRISE!" Josh shouted, jumping towards me. He hugged me around the middle, almost picking me up.
"Ack!" I jumped back, before slowly returning the hug. Daizō, standing behind him, gave me a nod.
"Come here, you," I said, dragging him into the hug.
"I can't believe I agreed to this…" a familiar voice droned. It belonged to Onigawara, who was leaning against the train station wall.
I walked over to him.
"No hugs," he growled.
"Fist-bump, then," I said.
We traded a fist-bump. He blinked like he was about to start crying, before turning away with a scowl.
"Get out of here," he told me.
I stuck my tongue out at him. I turned away, to my surprise, seeing Reigen and Serizawa. Himiko was behind Reigen, shuffling anxiously.
"So you're leaving?" Reigen asked.
"Don't act surprised, you already knew," I deadpanned.
Reigen just gave me a cheesy grin.
"Oh, by the way, here's the yen I owe you from all that time ago," he said, handing me a few hundred yen coins. "Don't get yourself into trouble, okay, Sutōmī*?"
I sighed. I had to face it: he would never get my name right. Instead, I turned my gaze to Serizawa, who was friendly as ever. I could always count on him for some smiles.
"Good luck, Miss Kageyama!" he said, grinning at me. "And bright wishes for the future!"
"Thanks," I said, returning his grin. "And to you as well."
"Don't forget about me!" Tome shouted, appearing out of nowhere, making a wacky pose. "I work alongside Master Reigen as well!"
"Seriously?" I asked, staring at her. "Good for you."
"And to you too," Tome said, giving me a grin.
My smile faltered when I saw Himiko.
"So," I said, glowering at her.
She smiled sweetly at me. "Yes, dear friend?"
"One day, I'll come back for you," I told her. "Until then, sit there and look pretty."
Himiko just continued to smile at me. I walked away, and faced my parents. The ones that had loved and cared for me since... well, almost forever.
"Good luck, dear," Mom said, hugging me. "I'm so proud of you."
"Knock 'em dead, darling," Dad told me, giving me a wink.
I grinned at them. "Thank you. You were the best parents I could've asked for."
I noticed Teruki, who had his arms crossed.
"I'll miss you, weirdo," he told me.
"Same to you, bigger weirdo," I retorted, flicking his nose.
"Come back when you can control those flames," he said, making a weird face.
I rolled my eyes, folding my arms. "Come back when you get a better hairstyle."
I walked over to Ritsu, who grinned at me.
"Wish we could've made up earlier," I told him, laughing sadly.
"Me too," Ritsu said, scratching his head. "But there's no time like the present."
We gave each other a firm hug. It was hard to let go.
"I miss you already," I said, my throat choked up.
"Me too," Ritsu smiled. "Text me every day."
"Of course I will," I said, grinning at him. "You keep an eye on the school, Mr. President."
Then, of course, last but not least, was Shigeo.
I reached out towards him. "Big bro…"
Shigeo enveloped me in a hug. "You're going to do great, Arashi. I know you will."
I continued to hug him, even as the train pulled into the station. It was even harder to let go of him.
"You well as well, Shigeo," I said, tears slipping down my cheeks. "I love you."
"I love you too," Shigeo said, his own eyes watering.
I forced myself to pull away, and grabbed my luggage. Sho stood alongside me.
"I bet you'll be texting them all the time," he sighed.
"You know it," I grinned.
We got on the train, dragging my luggage behind me. I waved to my friends and family. Some were crying. Some were grinning. Some were watching me with mixed expressions.
I choked up. How long would it be before I saw them again?
I began to sob.
"BYE!" I shouted, feeling tears slip down my cheeks. "I'LL MISS YOU ALL!"
"BYE, RITSU!" Sho yelled. "AND RITSU'S BROTHER!"
"STAY STRONG, SHIGEO!" I yelled. "I KNOW YOU CAN! AND ONIGAWARA, STOP BEING AN IDIOT!"
I ignored Onigawara making a fist at me. Teruki grinned, pretending he wasn't crying. Josh was still crying, and Daizō was holding his hand. Reigen was standing with his arms crossed, and Serizawa and Tome were waving. Both of my parents were smiling with pride.
"Ready to face the world?" Sho asked, as the train started to move.
"Damn right," I agreed, sitting down. I continued waving at my friends and family as the train pulled out of the station. The pain was settling in already.
My fists trembled.
"Hey, don't worry," Sho told me. "You'll see them again."
He was right. I would. But for now, it was time to focus on the future. After all, I was strong enough to handle myself, and I knew Shigeo was as well.
I leaned against the window, breathing in.
I got my happy ending after all.
*This word translates to 'stormy' in Japanese. Arashi's name means storm, so it's a play on that.
Well that's it, that's the finale! That's all folks! Thank you so much for reading this story, whether you were reading from the start, or joined in later. It's been a long journey, but I'm glad it's over. XD Will this story have a sequel? Nah. I've got other things to work on. However, I might write an epilogue, where Arashi reunites with everyone a few years later. Would you guys like to see that? Let me know, and I'll consider it. Will I be writing anymore MP100 fanfics? Honestly.. probably not. Same argument as before. But yeah, I hope you enjoyed reading this story, and thanks for sticking along for the whole ride!
