CLANNAD クラナド Ever After

by Samuel Sukarno

Following the events of CLANNAD: After Story, Ushio Okazaki is in her final year of high school. After a chance meeting with a boy; Kaito, Ushio meets several other students who she comes to know as friends. Thus she begins a journey, taking her through high school, to college and out into the greater world. A journey that shall change all their lives, for better or worse. (T - YA)

74. Aspirations & Occupations

Book II: Ushio After

~*74*~

- Aspirations & Occupations -

The dark-haired boy looked out upon the vast and ever-growing horizon. What he saw was a landscape of fields and clouds. He took a seat on the top of a small hill as he continued to gaze onwards, watching over the fields like a shepherd. A soft breeze lightly caressed his unkempt hair as he laid back into the grassy banking. He kept his eyes open, looking up to the bright sky above. He noticed a small orb of light floating ahead in the distance. The boy eyed it curiously as suddenly, the ground below began to break harshly. He quickly began to sink, falling deeper and deeper into the darkness that had formed beneath him. The boy's eyes fell below and all he could see was an empty void descending lower and lower. His eyes grew heavy as they closed. Just then, he heard a voice … one crying out to him. He opened his eyes. There he stood, at the under belly of a mass of tall buildings, ones that he could not see the peaks of. In front of him was a dark and narrow maze of alleyways and paths. The voice cried out again as the boy ran ahead, paying no heed to what lay behind or in front, he simply pressed on as he followed the echoing cries of the disembodied voice. Soon, he reached the end of a tight passage as he came out to a sorrowful sight. A large, thuggish figure with a mass of jet-black hair and piercing eyes stood above a smaller figure that lay on the cold floor. It was a young boy, a crop of red hair covered his head, his bright green eyes were fixed on his aggressor. The larger boy began to taunt the other as he pulled out a sharp object. The dark-haired boy looked on at the other two. The red-haired boy let out a sharp cry as the larger boy brought his weapon down, cackling. The dark-haired boy called out as he watched the horrific act that was taking place. Though, as he stood there, looking on and calling out, no words left his mouth. He tried to edge forward yet his legs would not move. A river of dark-red liquid crept closer and closer to him as once again he began to sink. He descended further and further as his cries remained quiet. He looked up and was just able to make out the face of the culprit looking down on him … a face that he could never forget.

---

Kaito shot up in his bed, awaking from his nightmare with a cold sweat. His heart was pounding, his chest was tight, and his limbs were shaking from shock. He pulled his bed sheet off from his body as he attempted to rise from his bed. Bringing his feet down to the ground, he suddenly lost his footing and fell to his knees. He breathed heavily as he tried to calm himself. It was to no avail; he clutched his chest as he breathed deeply. Kaito remained on his knees, accompanied only by the darkness of his room. After spending the past few minutes, breathing deep, and calming down, he managed to get back on his feet. His forehead and back were dampened by his sweat, his complexion was pale as his face held a rather gaunt look. Letting out a sigh, Kaito exited his bedroom and walked through to the living room of his apartment. He came to a stop as he glanced over to Takeshi's bedroom door. The two hadn't spoken for several days and the sullen atmosphere that had fallen over their apartment had turned even sourer. Kaito gave a stretch as he turned and made his way through to the kitchen. Moving over to the fridge, Kaito opened it as he stared at its contents. His eyes fell to the bottom shelf as they fixed on a pack of beers. He hesitated for a moment, I shouldn't, Kaito thought to himself. Giving a sigh, he closed the fridge and made his way over to the sink. Grabbing a glass off the drying rack, he filled it with cold water and downed it. Then, he washed his face, cleansing himself. Turning off the tap, he let the droplets run down his face as he leant on the counter, looking around the kitchen. His eyes fell on a newspaper that sat on the table opposite. Kaito walked over and picked it up. It was the previous days paper, Sunday 13th June. "So, today's the 14th," Kaito mumbled to himself. He thought for a moment, something irked him. He had something to do today, something important. Attempting to ignore his scattered thoughts, he looked down towards the newspaper again. A headline read: 'Mayor Defends Westernisation of Town'. Kaito gave a sigh, he wasn't particularly interested in the inner workings of the town. He scanned the page as he noted a few key points of the article; too large of a budget, new developments, restaurants, apartments, a community college … providing better facilities and job opportunities fo- Job Interview. The thought suddenly entered Kaito's head. His job interview for the supermarket was today. Sonoko, Yumi's manager, had called Kaito on the previous Friday. She had seemed rather aloof and slightly off putting – but a job was a job. Kaito wondered whether or not his feelings of nervousness about the interview had sprung on his nightmares once again. It had been a while since he had had one so severe, it was something he did not miss. He took a seat as he gave another heavy sigh. He sat there for a while, ruminating in the darkness about what the coming day would bring.

---

Ushio and Kouko sat at the table in the Yoshino household kitchen. It was the day of Ushio's interview and Kouko had invited her over for breakfast and preparations; an everyday combination, Ushio had joked. The two were drinking freshly squeezed juice and tucking into their breakfast which Kouko had prepared. Kouko was looking through Ushio's portfolio of work that she had suggested Ushio should submit. "I love this one," Kouko beamed as she showed a sketch to Ushio. It was a sketch of Hikarizaka from a high angle, showing the scope of the town.

"I did that one the first Christmas after I went to college," Ushio smiled as she took a sip of juice. Kouko nodded.

"You've really captured the feel of the town," she commented. She turned over to the next sketch as she once again beamed. "This is familiar," she laughed. Ushio looked over and saw a large sketch of Fuko Ibuki. Her green hair was vibrant, and her large and droopy golden eyes were presented as the main focus. "You have such an eye for detail," Kouko said. "Fuko's personality is so clearly depicted."

"Well, Fuko is an interesting subject," Ushio stated. "She has such an unusual mix of innocence and wisdom in her face." She let out a laugh. "She's a perfect model."

"She is," Kouko nodded as she let out a chuckle. Kouko went to turn to the next sketch as a sheet of paper fell out and on to the table. "Oh," she exclaimed as she reached for the sketch. Picking it up and turning it over, she was met with the delicate and beautifully soft complexion of Kumiko Nakahara. "Kumiko-Chan," she smiled, showing Ushio the picture.

"How did that get in there?" Ushio muttered as she took the sketch from Kouko. "I wasn't going to use any of the pictures of my friends."

"Why not?" Kouko asked, brushing her hair behind her ears. She leant over to examine the sketch once more. "It's beautifully done. Besides, you have one of Fuko."

"I know, but with my friends … Don't you think they're a bit too personal?" Ushio asked. Kouko shrugged.

"Only you would see it as such. Besides, you've expressed your feelings through this piece, more so than the others. I can tell what you think of your friend simply by looking at the flow of the brush strokes." Kouko nodded. "The delicate marking along with the use of water colours, they seem almost perfect for Kumiko."

"I thought so," Ushio nodded. "So, you think I should use it within my portfolio?" She asked.

"Any piece of work that shows more of your prowess as an artist is perfect to showcase your talent." Kouko replied. Ushio thought for a moment as she looked on at Kouko. The woman placed the sketch back in the portfolio as she continued to look through it. Ushio cleared her throat, announcing herself, as Kouko looked up. "Everything alright?" Kouko smiled.

"It's just … well, I don't want to come off as rude," Ushio admitted. Kouko shook her head as she smiled once again.

"Say what's on your mind," she said. Ushio nodded.

"Well, is the portfolio really that important? Won't the principle be more concerned about how I deal with functioning within a classroom and with students, as opposed to how I am as an artist?"

"You need to know your subject Ushio," Kouko stated. "Being able to control students and command the attention of a classroom is all well and good, but if you can't express your passion and knowledge of the subject to others, then your students will never engage with you."

"I see," Ushio uttered. Kouko shrugged.

"I just feel that you need to show the best of yourself. That first impression is important, no matter who is in your corner, during the interview you will only have yourself to rely on." Kouko remarked.

"My wife is correct Ushio." A voice said from behind them. They both spun around and were met with the serious face of Yusuke Yoshino. His dark hair sat neatly on his head as his misty blue eyes were fixed on Ushio. "You will remember this day as the day you put your all into your desire. You are about to embark on a journey of self-discovery and potential hardship. For you are not merely attending an interview for a menial job. You will be responsible for the next generation of youths, and you will bequiver on to them a gift, the gift of knowledge and creativity. The importance of which must not be understated." Yusuke folded his arms as he looked away. Kouko and Ushio looked on at the man. "I once pursued my passion. However, I faltered because my motivation was unclear. If you are able to share your passion with others and keep your motivation for doing so strong, then I have no doubt you will succeed. Then, you will look back on such memories with a fondness and certainty. I know I did in the end." The man concluded. Ushio and Kouko looked to each other as Ushio let out a sigh.

"Okay, now I'm nervous." She admitted.

"Now, now," Kouko laughed. "You know Yusuke has a flair for the dramatic."

"Perhaps I miss spoke?" The man wondered as his wife smiled.

"Perhaps."

"Then I apologise," he muttered as he gave Ushio a nod. Ushio smiled.

"That's fine," she chirped. "I know I'm making this a bigger deal than it needs to be."

"Nonsense," Kouko laughed. "You're about to embark into the working world Ushio, it's completely understandable that you feel the way you do."

"My wife is, once again, correct." Yusuke smirked as the two women laughed. Suddenly, a small voice called out from behind Yusuke.

"Fuko agrees!" The voice beamed. Yusuke turned around.

"What happened to your I's?" Yusuke questioned, raising an eyebrow. Fuko brought the palms of her hands up to her bright golden eyes, covering them.

"Why?! What's wrong with them?" Fuko cried. Kouko and Ushio laughed once more as Yusuke shook his head.

"Not your eyes," he smirked, pulling Fuko's hands away from her face. "Your I's, you know, when referring to yourself in the first person?"

"Fine, I agree." Fuko folded her arms as she gave a huff. "You know though, there's nothing wrong with being childish sometimes!" She exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips, and giving a pout. Her sister, Kouko, smiled.

"Of course not, but we both know you're more childish than mature."

"I'm still young at heart," Fuko jested. "Though, the body never stays young," she sighed dramatically.

"Maybe you should get a job?" Yusuke suggested. "They say that one who has a purpose will live longer than one who does not."

"I'm far too busy Yusuke, you know that."

"With what?"

"Having fun!" She laughed. "Actually, don't you remember my last job?"

"What? Making starfish sculptures on commission?" He chuckled. Fuko nodded. "And how many did you sell?" He wondered, looking down to his sister-in-law. Fuko brought her hand out as she focused on it, counting on her fingers. Ushio and Kouko shared an amused look.

"Hmmm," Fuko mumbled. "I'm not sure," she uttered. Yusuke hung his head. "Hey, my little sister bought one!" She said, gesturing to Ushio.

"I did," Ushio laughed. Fuko scrunched her nose at Yusuke.

"You see, I was a success," she stated. With that, Fuko turned and left the kitchen as Yusuke looked on, bewildered. He looked to Ushio and Kouko as he smiled and shrugged. He followed Fuko out of the kitchen.

"Well, that wasn't unusual," Kouko chuckled.

"An everyday occurrence," Ushio smiled. Kouko nodded.

"You have no idea," she replied. She closed Ushio's large folder as she looked over to the woman. "Right, shall we move on to practice questions?" She asked. Ushio nodded, determinedly. Kouko smiled at her friend as they moved on, continuing their preparations for Ushio's big day.

---

The repetitive beeping sound from Kazuki's heart monitor was the only sound that echoed through his hospital room. His mother, Sayaka was stood by his side, trimming his hair, and brushing it. Yumi and her father, Riku, sat off to the side on a set of small tables and chairs, playing a game of cards. "Any twos?" Riku asked. Yumi studied her hand of cards.

"Go fish," she replied, shaking her head. Riku nodded as he picked a card off the pile that sat on the table.

"What do you two think?" Sayaka asked, looking over to her daughter and husband. She had finished trimming Kazuki's hair.

"Look's great mom," Yumi smiled as Riku nodded. Sayaka looked pleased with herself as she packed away her scissors and brush.

"Right, would you two like a snack? I'll go and get a few sandwiches from the cafeteria."

"Okay mom," Yumi nodded as her father merely kept his gaze on his hand of cards. Sayaka nodded as she left the room, purse in hand. Yumi looked over to her brother, he was the same as always, laying there, day after day, no movement … trapped. She looked over to her father who sat opposite her. She caught his line of sight as his eyes once again fell to the cards in his hands. "Dad," she uttered. Riku looked up. "Are we going to tell her today?" Yumi asked. Riku placed his cards on the table as he looked past Yumi and on towards his son.

"I'm not sure if we should, not right now at least."

"Dad, you can't keep putting this off. It's going to catch up with you sooner or later."

"I'm not trying to put it off Yumi," Riku muttered. He looked to his daughter. "Your mother is just … she keeps holding on to hope for your brother. I can't take that away from her by dropping this bomb on her life." He sighed, bringing a hand to his head. Yumi thought on his words as Riku stood up and moved over to the window on one side of the room. He looked out, placing his hands in his pockets. He hung his head, the weight of his thoughts settled on him. Yumi stood up and joined her father by the window. She took his hand out of his pocket and held it in hers.

"We have to do this," she smiled. Riku looked to her as he nodded.

"I know," he replied. Yumi nodded.

"When she comes back, we'll all sit down and talk. Okay?" She said, smiling again. Riku, rather nervously, let out a small chuckle as he hugged his daughter. "What's so funny?" Yumi wondered. Riku came apart from her as he smiled.

"It's just, well, you're a lot more grown up than I am." He stated. Yumi shook her head.

"Not exactly hard," she jested as her father laughed once more.

---

The eerie and empty atmosphere of the Fujimoto-Sakumoto residence was ever prevalent as Kaito sat at the kitchen table, scrolling through his phone. Kaito hadn't seen Takeshi since the previous day, he didn't even know if he was home – if he was, he had kept himself quietly in his bedroom as the two weren't on speaking terms. Kaito wasn't bothered though, their last encounter had ended incredibly sour and Kaito was rather glad to not have bumped into the man today. Kaito's eyes slowly read over his phone screen. He was looking at mock interview questions, preparing for his own later that day. 'What would you say drives you?' one question read. Kaito didn't know, of course he didn't know. 'Where do you see yourself this time next year?' a few weeks ago Kaito would have surely replied with a sarcastic and pessimistic answer, dead in a ditch maybe? – though now he couldn't even think of anything to say, let alone something so sullen. He was having trouble understanding the point of such questions; were they genuine or not? "Uh, fuck this," Kaito mumbled as he dropped his phone onto the table in front. His head followed as he dropped, leaning against the hard wooden surface that his phone had just landed on. In truth, his mind was not focused in the slightest, his head kept running back to the vivid dream from last night. One figure kept coming to the forefront of his mind and it wasn't the usual red headed boy he was seeing; it was Gaku. Gaku… His large, dominant build, dark shaggy hair and his piercing green eyes were right there … There in the back of his head, stepping in when Kaito's mind went quiet. Kaito's head rose as his eyes drifted towards the fridge in the kitchen area opposite. He slowly got up and made his way over to it. Pulling the door open, he scanned through the various items inside as his eyes fell on the bottles of beer that sat in the bottom. I shouldn't he thought to himself, though his thoughts did not make the bottles any less inviting. He stood there for only a few seconds, though it felt much longer to him. He was debating in his head what to do, and he knew which side was winning. Giving a sigh, he bent down slightly and reached out towards them. However, as he was about to grab a bottle, his attention was caught by his phone which was aggressively vibrating on the table to his left. Begrudgingly, he closed the fridge and slumped over to the table. An ever so slight smile came over Kaito's face as he looked down at his phone which was continuing to vibrate. On it, he saw a very familiar name: Ushio Okazaki.

---

A small bird hopped up and down outside of Kazuki's hospital window, going about its business. Riku and Yumi had been watching it for a short while as they waited for Sayaka to return. "Frantic little fellow, isn't he?" Riku chuckled as Yumi nodded. The small bird continued to quickly hop across the edge of the windowsill outside as Yumi looked on at her father. Riku was intently watching the bird, once again giving a light chuckle. Yumi often admired her father's ability to enjoy the little things in life. It was something that had become somewhat lost on Yumi. No matter how much she would try to distract herself from her feelings of late, they would always find a way back to her. However, as Yumi's eyes drifted from her father and back to the small bird, she felt a comfortable and caring warmth. The door to Kazuki's room creaked open as the bird bolted, flying away. Riku and Yumi turned around as they were met with Sayaka who held a few packaged sandwiches in her hand.

"Enjoying the view?" Sayaka chuckled, looking over to the other two by the window.

"Something like that," Yumi nodded. She approached her mother as she took the sandwiches from her and placed them on the small table by the window.

"I got a few different ones," Sayaka said, placing her purse on Kazuki's bed side. "There wasn't a great selection, as per usual," she smiled. Riku and Yumi sat down at the table. "You like egg and cress, right Yumi?"

"Sure," Yumi nodded. Sayaka took a seat next to her husband as the three of them sat in silence, eating their food. Yumi looked over to her father. Riku looked pale and nervous; the moment of small happiness he had felt earlier was evidently as fleeting as the small bird had been. Yumi looked over to her mother. Sayaka looked tired and distracted. Yumi gave a short sigh as she gently kicked Riku's foot with her own. Riku looked over. Yumi gesture towards him, nodding her head. Riku closed his eyes as he gave a nod. Placing his food down, he turned his attention towards his wife.

"Sayaka," he muttered. Sayaka looked over, meeting Riku's gaze. "We have to talk about something … Something important." Riku stated. Sayaka looked over to Yumi who nodded.

"I see," Sayaka replied, placing her food down and bringing her hands together, resting them on the table. "What is it?"

"Well," Riku began, though his eyes fell to his hands, he was twiddling his thumbs aimlessly. "I- er, well I-"

"Dad," Yumi said, placing her hand over his. Riku looked to his daughter. "It's okay, just say it."

"Say what?" Sayaka asked. "Has something bad happened?" She threated.

"No," Riku started. "Well, yes and no."

"I don't understand." Sayaka said. Yumi squeezed her father's hand.

"Tell her." She said with a supportive smile. Riku gave a deep sigh as he nodded.

"Okay," he began. "Sayaka, things have … well, things have been difficult as of late." Sayaka's face turned to a slight frown. "I don't know how to put this lightly but … money is getting tight."

"In what sense?" Sayaka questioned. Riku looked down to the table in front. Yumi's eyes were fixed on her father. She could see in his eyes, a slight desperation and small touch of worry. "Riku?" Sayaka uttered. Yumi once again squeezed her father's hand. He reciprocated as he looked back up to his wife.

"Sayaka. Kazuki's care has been an increasingly on-going expense as you know. I- I haven't been honest though about how hard it has hit us." Sayaka stared back at her husband, unsure as to what to say. "The hospital bills have only gone up, that along with our own bills and mortgage, well, we're struggling. I'm honestly not sure how much longer we can keep this up."

"What do you mean?" Sayaka asked sharply. "Keep what up? Kazuki's care?"

"No. No, not at all. No matter what, I promise you that is the priority and always will be." Riku assured her. Sayaka looked over to her son, his still body was pale, his newly trimmed hair softly swayed in a slight breeze that came through one of the open windows. Yumi studied her parents as she sat to their side. She knew her father was right, Kazuki was a priority, though of course he wasn't the only priority. Sayaka and Riku had put so much of their time into seeing Kazuki through his turmoil, despite him not being conscious to see it. Yumi thought back on the things they had sacrificed. Time, happiness … money. At one point in time, they had also sacrificed their love for their own daughter. Though, things had since repaired themselves, Yumi couldn't help but bring it all to the forefront of her mind. She gave a sigh as she looked to her mother. Sayaka was clearly attempting to process the information. Riku was about to speak once more, yet Sayaka interjected.

"So do we have a plan?" She asked. Riku remained quiet. "There are options of course. We can apply for a loan; we can take a second mortgage we can-"

"Sayaka." Riku uttered. Sayaka went quiet as she looked to her husband. "I've tried to go about this every way I can think of. Honestly, I've spoken with consultants, solicitors all of it. There's nothing more to be done besides the one thing I didn't want." Sayaka held a worried look. "We- we have to sell the house. It's our only option." Riku finished, rubbing at his chin in an uncomfortable manner. Sayaka stood up and her brow narrowed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked with a shaky voice. Riku didn't respond. "All this time and you didn't say anything? How could you not tell me about this, we're supposed to be in this together Riku!" She yelled. Riku breathed heavily as Yumi got to her feet, locking eyes with her mother.

"Mom. Dad was trying to fix this. He didn't say anything until he had to because he knew it would only hurt you."

"This is bigger than that Yumi," Sayaka replied, taking a few deep breaths.

"I know," Yumi nodded. "But you have to understand how hard this has been on dad."

"It's okay Yumi," Riku sighed. The two women looked to him. "I know that I haven't gone about this in the right way Sayaka, but …"

"But what?" Sayaka uttered. Riku looked over to his son. He held his gaze for a moment as it returned to his wife.

"I didn't want to take you away from Kazuki." He admitted. "You've poured so much of your time into caring for him here, that I just couldn't bring this down on you. Not after everything that's happened. I thought that if I could fix this then I could spare you from more hurt." A tear came to Riku's eye as he stood up. "I'm so sorry," he sniffed. Sayaka's eyes found their way to the floor as tears began to fall.

"It's my fault, isn't it?" She sobbed. "I've done the same thing we did to you so long ago Yumi." Sayaka croaked. Yumi felt her heart sink as she remembered how lonely she had felt, how distant and cold her home and family had been. Though, looking on at her parents now, none of that mattered.

"Mom," Yumi sighed. "This isn't on you."

"No," Sayaka shook her head. "But all my attention has been here with Kazuki, as it always has. Now our home is on the line." She wept, bringing her hands to her face, covering her eyes. Riku made his way over as he placed his hands on Sayaka's shoulders. Sayaka continued to cry into the palms of her hands as Riku spoke.

"Sayaka, please look at me." He said in a gentle tone. Sayaka's hands slowly came down from her wet face as her misty eyes met those of her husband's. Riku brought his hand toward her face as he wiped the tears from her cheeks and brushed and strand of hair behind her ear.

"We're going to work this out." He vowed. "A house is just that Sayaka, what is important is that we still have each other. Our home can be anywhere as long as we're together." He smiled. Sayaka looked back into his eyes as she nodded. Then, she jolted forward, burying herself in Riku's chest. He brought his arms around her as he cradled her. "It's going to be okay," he said. "It's going to be okay." Yumi, who had been fighting back her tears, suddenly gave in as she too began to cry. Riku looked up to his daughter as he gave her a warm smile. He gestured for her to come over. She joined the two of them as they all shared an embrace. Over to the side of them, Kazuki lay still and motionless as the repetitive sound of his life support machine began to fill the room once more.

---

Kaito made his way down a road as he turned a corner. He saw the local park that sat opposite the Furukawa Bakery and the Okazaki's home. Earlier that day, Kaito had received a phone call from Ushio, inviting him over so that they could practice interviewing each other in preparation.

"How did you know I had an interview?" Kaito smiled as he kept the phone held to his ear.

"Yumi told me, she suggested we practice together since I have one too, I thought it was a good idea." Ushio replied, laughing slightly.

"Makes sense," Kaito muttered, "Where's yours for then?"

"I'll tell you about it when I see you," Ushio chirped. "Come over for around noon," she stated, and that was that.

Kaito's mind return to the present as his gaze moved from Ushio's home and over to a small road opposite from the park. He remembered what lay up there, Juni's old house, as well as Kaito's just a road or two further along. Kaito began to ruminate, his thoughts wandered back to the many times he had called for his friend, allowing the red headed boy some escapism from his overbearing home. Once again though, a dark figure came to Kaito's mind… Gaku. Kaito brought his hands up to his forehead as he gave it a rub. With the way he was beginning to feel, he could have easily turned around and walked right back home. In fact, he was considering it until he heard someone call out to him. "Oi! Over here!" Kaito shot around as he saw a man stood outside the local park. Kaito felt a grin coming on as he strolled over, coming face to face with the man who was also grinning. The man was rather tall, he had a white apron around his torso that sat on top of a flour splattered shirt and trousers; the apron had not done its job. The man's maroon hair swayed in the breeze. A cigarette lazily hung to the side of his mouth as his grin grew bigger. It was Akio Furukawa, local baseball legend.

"Alright?" Kaito chuckled.

"What's a bum like you doing in a nice place like this?" Akio jested as he put out his hand. Kaito studied the man for a moment as he reached out, shaking his hand. "You ain't saying much, you remember me, right?" Kaito played dumb. "Come on, the greatest baker in all of Hikarizaka?"

"Um…"

"Local baseball legend?" Akio muttered, still grasping to his old, albeit self-given title.

"Local what?" Kaito smirked. Akio's green eyes grew wider as he scoffed at the boy.

"Laser tag player … Lightsaber and parfait enthusiast?"

"Parfait?" Kaito laughed. Akio's face turned red.

"Forget that one!" He yelled. Kaito continued to laugh as Akio gave a huff. "The kids an idiot," he mumbled. Kaito shook his head as he chuckled.

"I remember you, how the hell could I forget?"

"Say. My. Name." Akio said in a gruff voice.

"Akio," Kaito sighed. Akio grinned.

"You're God damn right!" He smirked. Kaito rolled his eyes. "Ey, at least I make a good impression."

"Something like that." Kaito nodded. Akio looked the man up and down. He gave a large grin once again.

"Wanna shoot some hoops?" Akio asked, whipping a basketball around from behind his back as if from nowhere. Kaito narrowed his brow how did he do that? He thought. "Am I boring you kid?" Akio wondered.

"No. I can't though. I'm supposed to be over at Ushio's."

"I know that." Akio huffed. "Fine. Have fun." He sulked, turning around and making his way to the court in the park. Kaito watched as he felt a slight warmth come over him, giving a smile, he called out.

"I suppose I can play for five minutes." Akio turned around as he smirked.

"That's more like it." He laughed. Kaito shook his head as he followed Akio. They came to the basketball court as Akio began bouncing the ball up and down. "Half-court. First to five."

"You're aware each basket is two points, right?" Kaito muttered bluntly.

"Were you always this argumentative?" Akio spat. Kaito chuckled again. "Fine, first to ten ya wimp."

"Bring it on." Kaito huffed. With that, Akio tossed the ball to Kaito who began to bounce it. He shuffled his way over towards the tall basket that sat on one end of the court. Akio sprinted over, squirming around Kaito, trying to get the ball.

"Ease up!" Akio cried. Kaito gave a laugh as he shot past the man. He came to a stop and eyed up the hoop. Tossing the ball up, it met its target as it sunk through. Kaito span around, smirking. "Pfft, fine. First point to you."

"Don't you mean the first 'two' points?" Kaito quipped.

"Shut it." They reset as Kaito tossed the ball over towards Akio. Jolting forward, Akio caught the ball and slowly dribbled along as he moved over to the basket. Kaito looked on, rather amused at the slow-moving Akio. "You at least going to attempt to steal the ball?!" Akio bellowed as he edged forward. Kaito strolled towards the man as he came close. "You won't catch me kid. I'm grease-lighting."

"Grease who?" Kaito laughed as he slipped the ball away from Akio. Turning on the spot, he made another shot, which once again sunk through the hoop.

"… Lightning." Akio muttered.

"I see." Kaito sighed. Moving over to beneath the basket, Kaito picked up the ball and faced Akio. "Ready? I wouldn't want to launch it at you too quick." He chuckled.

"Just toss it!"

"Think fast!" Kaito shouted, launching the ball to Akio. Akio just about caught it; he also had to catch his breath. Akio once again nudged forward with the ball as Kaito gave a sigh. The young man quickly made his way over and once again, slipped the ball away from Akio and, once again, sunk it in the hoop. "I thought I'd be a lot rustier than this," Kaito smiled. He was truthfully rather pleased with himself. It had been a very long time since he had played – only casually at that. Though, he had to keep reminding himself of who he was playing against. He picked up the ball again and faced Akio. "You sure you want to continue?" Kaito asked, rather genuinely. Akio was stood opposite, panting.

"Ju- Just toss it!" Akio roared. Kaito did as he was told. Akio caught the ball and stepped forward. Kaito didn't hesitate, he quickly made his way over. Akio put up more of a fight this time. Kaito reached in to take the ball, but Akio swatted away at Kaito, slapping at the young man's hands.

"You do realise it's a non-contact sport, right?" Kaito said.

"Says you!" Akio roared. Just then, Kaito was caught off guard. Akio spun around the young man as Kaito lost his balance, falling on his bottom.

"What the hell?" Kaito uttered as Akio gracefully strode towards the basket and threw a perfect shot, touching only air as the ball flew through the hoop, bouncing off the floor and landing right in Akio's hands. Akio locked eyes with Kaito as he grinned.

"Second wind baby!"

"Y- you didn't even have a first!" Kaito retorted, climbing to his feet. Akio smirked as he threw the ball to Kaito.

"Come at me!" With that, the two continued to war with each other. Akio had suddenly become rather spry for his age as he continued to school Kaito, slipping in and out of his grasp, sinking two more baskets. Kaito made another shot which rebounded off the backboard. Akio hustled over as he went for the ball. Seeing this, Katio sprinted on, fortunately he was quicker than Akio and got the ball. As Akio made his way over, Kaito made another shot as he launched the ball which flew through the hoop and landed below.

"I was beginning to worry for a minute…" Kaito sighed. Akio scoffed at his words.

"I let you have that one."

"Please." Kaito huffed. Akio went quiet for a moment. Kaito looked on in anticipation, clearly having no idea what Akio was about to come out with.

"Alright kid, you wanna settle this like men?"

"I'm not going to fight you."

"I mean like real men!" Akio snapped. "We're both on four baskets – eight points each. So next shot has to be a three pointer. Behind the three-point line." Akio stated, pointing to the furthest line behind them, near the halfway line.

"Now you know the rules…" Kaito mumbled. Akio wiggled a finger in one ear as he pulled it out dramatically.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Let's do it." Kaito grabbed the ball from the ground as he passed it over to Akio. They moved further back, crossing the line that indicated where three points would be earned. Akio made a move past Kaito, however, Kaito shot the ball from Akio's hands. It bounced away a few feet as the two men locked eyes.

"Not this time." Akio muttered darkly. He dashed forward, Kaito followed. The ball had nearly bounced out of the court, yet Akio jumped past it, knocking it back in. Kaito had the ball right in front of him, yet Akio had sprinted on. Kaito grabbed the ball yet, as he turned around, the man behind him lost his footing. Akio flew forward, tumbling right into Kaito as they both fell to the ground.

"Hey!" Kaito yelled as he rubbed his back. Akio lay next to him, spaced out and face down. "It's no contact remember!" Though, Akio did not reply. Kaito went quiet, he could hear Akio's sobs coming from next to him. "Are you hurt?" Akio slowly turned over.

"I think I broke a hip." He uttered.

"Wouldn't be the first," Kaito retorted. Akio shot up from the ground in a flash; he was obviously fine.

"Now listen here ya wimp!" Akio roared. "My hips are made of pure steel!"

"Then why say you broke it?!"

"It's a figure of speech!"

"Is it?" Kaito replied, bewildered. Akio's face had grown red from embarrassment, he was about to lay into Kaito with every comeback his mind could invent. However, as the two forces were about to collide for another round, a soft and sweet voice spoke up.

"I think that's enough you two," it laughed. The two of them look over to their left. There, sat on one of the wooden benches over from the banking that ran down to the court, was Sanae Furukawa. Next to her, sat there with a wide grin was Ushio Okazaki.

"Sanae!" Akio roared.

"Ushio?" Kaito uttered.

"Yes?" The two replied in unison.

"H- he cheated!" Akio cried. Kaito's mouth fell as he got up from the floor.

"You tackled me!"

"Nah, but I should've." Akio muttered. The two of them looked back over to the two women who had made their way to the top of the banking. "How much did you see?" Akio sighed.

"Enough." Sanae smiled. Akio gave another sigh, however longer and louder than the last. "Are you coming back to work dear?" Akio hung his shoulders as Kaito sniggered behind his back.

"Very well, anything for you Sanae." Akio nodded. Sanae gave a nod.

"It's nice to see you Sakumoto," Sanae smiled.

"It's nice to see you too." Kaito replied. Sanae gave a very bright and warming smile as she tilted her head ever so slightly.

"Please do visit the bakery soon," she said, "I've got some new recipes to try," She beamed. Akio shot a worried look over to his granddaughter, one that Ushio returned.

"Um- Yeah, I will." Kaito mumbled.

"You'll try my new recipes?" She asked, bringing her hands together and towards her chest, as if comforting her heart. Kaito looked to Ushio, she looked away; not knowing what to say. Kaito looked to Akio who held a grim look on his face. Then, he looked back to Sanae.

"Sure," he smiled.

"How wonderful!" Sanae cheered. She looked over to her husband. "You see Akio-San. I told you people would be eager to try them!" She giggled. Turning back to Kaito, Sanae bowed her head as she bid farewell and made her way back over to the bakery. Akio turned to Kaito as he scrunched his nose.

"This ain't over." He huffed. "Have him Ushio." He groaned as he too walked away, rubbing his hip. Ushio slid down the banking as she caught her balance and came by Kaito.

"Did you two have fun?" She beamed. Kaito looked at her as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Depends how you'd define fun," he laughed. Ushio nodded as she laughed as well. They went quiet as they shared a smile.

"So … are you ready to practice?" She asked, holding a determined gaze. Kaito looked over to the Furukawa Bakery, a smile came over his face as he looked back to Ushio.

"Ready," he nodded. Ushio ushered for him to follow and the two walked side by side towards Ushio's home. Kaito took another look behind at the park. He could've sworn he had just seen Akio sneak back out, pick up the ball and make a slam dunk … but of course he was just imagining it.

---

The midday sun shone bright as its yellow hue reflected off the water below, shimmering with a bright glow. Takeshi sat opposite the water, on a grassy banking that overlooked the opposing district on the other side. Takeshi allowed himself a short while to take in the view, mulling things over in his head. The sound of a car making its way down the road behind him pulled him out of his thoughts as he was brought back to reality. Takeshi brought his hand up to his brow as he wiped across it, dabbing at a few beads of sweat. He was wearing a pair of joggers, a simple green t-shirt and dark trainers. Aside him was a rucksack, containing his work uniform and various equipment. Bringing out his phone he checked the time, it had just gone noon – he was schedule for work in a few hours. The only reason he was out so early was to avoid his roommate; Kaito. Takeshi had found the growing atmosphere in his home rather uncomfortable, something that Kaito shared. However, Takeshi was of course not innocent in this scenario, then again, neither was Kaito. He was truthfully rather angry at himself for how things had gone during their last conversation. He had lashed out, something which had seemed to be reoccurring with him recently. Yet, despite his efforts to put Kaito and his home life to back of his mind, there was always a small part of him that would prod at him, hoping and possibly yearning to reinvigorate some form of comradery and friendship between the two. Although, Takeshi could not do it. In his eyes, too much had happened, too much had been said and the years of wasting his time trying to help his friend had finally caught up with him. As he mindlessly scrolled on his phone, he found his way into the gallery, swiping across a lot of photos, some old and some new. Then, he came to one that hit him like a tonne of bricks. It was an older photo; one he had made sure to hang on to. It was of himself, Kaito and their friend, Junichiro. The three were stood within the school courtyard, dressed in long gowns and caps, their graduation diplomas in hand. Takeshi felt a smile emerge as he zoomed in slightly, focusing on Junichiro. "I wish you was here man," Takeshi muttered to himself. "Things would be so much easier." He let out a sigh as he zoomed out, bringing his attention to the full photo. His younger face stared back at him; an incredibly wide grin was spread across his face. He stood between the other two, arms plastered around their shoulders. He looked very happy. Though, it was most likely disbelief and smugness over finishing school. He chuckled to himself, yet it was short lived. Focusing on the smile again, he had a sudden flash of memories from his past. A violet haired girl handing him a bento. A gentle and beautiful girl laughing away next to a red-headed boy. A kind and empathetic girl, giving him advice and asking for his own regarding a dark-haired boy she liked. A trip to a grassy plain where a picnic was held. A small play put on for friends and family. A game of laser tag between two opposing forces. A camping trip that ended with a chase through the woods. A soft kiss on his cheek from someone he cared for. A simple game of basketball with his two closest friends as well as many school breaks spent with five important people … Ushio, Kumiko, Juni, Yumi and Kaito. Kaito … one who had been so distant for so long. So resentful and dismissive. A ticking bomb that had been brought on Takeshi when his friends had returned from college, a new start that had been tainted by this person. This person … Kaito. The person who had meant harm to Takeshi in his darkest moment. "Prick." Takeshi huffed, once again to himself. Though, his stomach gave a churn at the word … Guilt? Regret? … Loneliness? … Ignoring it, he shook his head as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. He got up to his feet and grabbed the rucksack off the banking, throwing it over his shoulders and onto his back. Todays the day he thought to himself, remembering the decision he had made to accept the position that had been offered to him by his boss. A new job, a new place, a new opportunity. Today was the day he would find out if he was successful in his application. If he was, it would mean the end of his life in Hikarizaka. It was something he had only told one person about, Ushio. Takeshi had yet to inform anyone else, even his family. He had decided that he only would if things were going to move ahead. He did not need the extra concern or stress. He merely wanted to stew alone. Though, as Takeshi was himself aware, being alone in one's problems and endeavours was rarely a healthy thing to be. He had seen such a thing first hand of course. Yet, despite this, he had chosen to bear it alone. Taking one last gaze out to the view in front, he gave another sigh as he turned and walked away with the intent of finding something to occupy himself with as he waited to go to work, waiting for the answer he sought.

---

"Are your parents both working?" Kaito wondered as he and Ushio stood in the Okazaki's kitchen. The time had gone past noon, and the two had met to help each other prepare for their upcoming job interviews.

"Yeah," Ushio replied. "Mom was manning the bakery whilst Aki was going about his antics," she laughed. Kaito smirked.

"Some antics," he scoffed. Ushio shook her head as she smiled.

"Would you like a drink or something?" Ushio asked, opening the fridge. She bent over, peering in at the contents. Kaito looked on as he spoke up.

"Um, sure." He muttered. His eyes drifted away from Ushio as he looked around. The last time he had been in the Okazaki's home was when his head had been in an entirely different space. However, this time it was different. He felt far more at home, far more welcomed. He heard a muffled voice as he snapped out of his daze.

"Kaito?" Echoed Ushio's voice as she still looked in the fridge.

"Yeah?"

"I said, we have orange juice, milk, filtered water, iced tea … I think there's a few beers but it's a bit early," she chuckled.

"Right, probably not the best thing to have before my interview," Kaito laughed. "Besides, I'm trying to hold off from the stuff for a bit." He admitted. Ushio's head popped up, looking over the fridge door.

"Sorry," she said. "I was trying to make a joke but that was a bit insensitive." She uttered. Kaito smiled.

"No worries," he stated. "I'll just take a juice."

"Juice it is," Ushio chirped. She brought out a large carton and closed the fridge. Moving over to the sink, she grabbed two glasses and rinsed them out. Then, she poured out the juice into each one, passing one to Kaito.

"Thanks," he nodded. Ushio nodded in reply as she opened the fridge once more, placing the carton back in. Closing it, she spun around and gave a smile.

"Cheers," she giggled, placing out her glass. Humouring her, he tapped his own glass against hers. They both took a swig each as they brought their glasses down, staring at each other.

"So …" Kaito mumbled.

"So …" Ushio copied, sporting a slight smirk. She was happy to have a friend visit her home again. Ushio had truthfully missed having Kaito around. Regardless of the time that had passed, there was still a relative sense of warmth and familiarity to be found in him, and despite the events that had recently occurred she was happy to see him stood in front of her, present and accounted for. They shared a smile as Kaito spoke.

"So, what's the interview for then?" He asked. Ushio's eyes lit up as she beamed.

"Well, Kouko-Sensei managed to get me an interview for the position of her teaching assistant." She said, still beaming.

"Oh, wow …" Kaito gasped, genuinely impressed. "That's awesome Ushio!" He grinned as the woman brushed him off in an exaggerated manner. "Honestly Ushio," Kaito added, ignoring her attempt to downplay the news. "You're going to be teaching Art, I know that's something you've always been interested in." He smiled.

"Of course," Ushio nodded. "I think I kind of narrowed down the direction I wanted to take it in during college," she said as Katio nodded. "I mean, I'd still like to get my artwork out there, potentially consult one day, do commissions or something along those lines."

"Sure," Kaito acknowledged, taking in her words.

"But for now, I do really like the idea of passing on knowledge to those who are interested in the subject. I'd be happy to see some younger artists on their way," she chuckled.

"You're still young though," Katio smirked, as Ushio rolled her eyes. "You've got a lot to put out into the world."

"I suppose … Still though, getting into education is a stable career in itself. So, for now it's the best of both worlds." She shrugged. Kaito looked on. Despite the help Ushio had received in leading her on her way, he was still very impressed with what she was aiming for. To him, something as rudimentary as the job he was interviewing for, was nothing in comparison. In fact, he felt a little embarrassed. "So, what about you?" She continued. "Are you excited for you interview at the supermarket?"

"I guess," Kaito shrugged. Of course, she'd ask that … Kaito thought to himself.

"You guess?"

"Yeah, I mean … It's nothing fancy or anywhere near something ambitious but … Its gotta be better than picking up litter and, well other stuff." Kaito muttered, going slightly red. Ushio shrugged her shoulders.

"It helped you on your way when you needed it Kaito," she said as Kaito's eyes met her. "Even if this next step doesn't seem like a big one, it's still a step forward, right?" She beamed, tilting her head slightly. Kaito had to fight a grin.

"Right," he nodded as Ushio returned it. There Ushio went, as she always had, doing the impossible in making Kaito feel better about himself, making him see more in himself then he ever did on his own. He had very much missed her caring and supportive nature. They stood there in a quiet moment, enjoying each other's company. Kaito took another sip of his drink as Ushio cleared her throat.

"So …" she chuckled, echoing their previous words.

"So …" Kaito laughed. Ushio gestured with her head for him to follow.

"Come on, lets get on with it." She said, grabbing her drink and exiting through the kitchen.

"With what?" Kaito asked, following her, drink in hand.

"Practising for our interviews?" She laughed. Kaito rolled his eyes. In the moment, he had forgotten all about his interview, yet the reality of his task later that day suddenly sunk down on him as he grew slightly nervous. Still, holding firm, he followed Ushio through the house and up the stairs, ready to begin. The two came to the top landing of the house as Ushio opened a door. They entered as Kaito eyes darted around the room. A large window was half open at the end of the room, letting a gentle breeze in, falling over the two of them. There was a wardrobe on the opposite side of the room, with a bookcase next to it. It housed three Dango plushies that Nagisa had handed down to Ushio a long time ago. Posters of various artwork that were done by famous artists, were neatly pinned up across the room, covering the walls. Under the large window sat a desk, covered piled with papers and cups full of pens, pencils and various sized paint brushes. The desk held a few drawers, no doubt filled with art equipment and other utensils. A small work lamp was sat on top of the desk and Ushio's spinning desk chair was snuggly tucked under the desk. On the left side of the room, a space lay open for Ushio's futon to be placed down. Above that sat a few rows of fishing wire, with several of Ushio's own pieces of art pegged across it. They were sketches and paintings of various landscapes, animals, and people. Kaito was a bit taken a back by the room.

"Ushio …" he started.

"Yes?"

"This is a different house, right?" Kaito jested. Ushio held a look of confusion.

"Of course, it is," she laughed. "You know that you've been here before."

"Right," Kaito sighed, looking around again. "It's just, this looks almost identical to your last bedroom."

"Oh!" Ushio chuckled. "Well, mom and dad obviously moved house when I was away at college. I think mom wanted to me to feel as if I were still 'at home' when I came back, yanno?" She chuckled, making quotations in the air with her fingers. Kaito shook his head as he smiled.

"That's very Nagisa." He spoke.

"It definitely is," Ushio giggled. "I know it's just her way to be a bit silly like that, but I didn't have the heart to say something like that to her. Family and home have always been important to her, I suppose I feel the same way, so to be honest, it was nice to come home to my old room in a new house," she laughed. Kaito smiled once more as he looked on at Ushio. The woman gestured towards the glass in his hand as he handed it to her. Moving over to her desk, Ushio placed Kaito's drink down along with her own. As Ushio turned around, her eyes found their way to Kaito's as he broke contact, looking over to the pegged-up pieces of art.

"I half expected to see all those pictures of Kumiko still up," Kaito joked. Looking to Ushio, he noticed that a slight frown had come over face. "You er- you been in touch with her recently?" He asked. Bringing up Kumiko had evidently shifted the mood. Kaito had often thought of his old friend, though he wasn't sure if he could refer to her as such anymore. He had not seen or even contacted Kumiko since Juni had died over three years ago. To him, the beautiful and kind girl seemed more like a stranger to him now.

"Not for a while," Ushio replied, having taken a minute to wrack her brain. "It may have been just after Christmas when we last spoke." She stated, rather sullen. Kaito nodded, as Ushio gave a complacent smile. "Last I heard she was on a placement job during her final year, she's most likely going to move on to a further degree at some point." She shrugged.

"Well, we always knew she'd go far." Kaito replied.

"Of course," Ushio nodded. "Moving away did her the world of good after what happened. She's made a lot of new friends and she has a boyfriend now. I think she said his name was Ruben, I'm pretty sure he's an English student." She finished.

"Boyfriend," Kaito nodded as he looked down, tugging at his sleeve. An image of a young, red-headed boy entered his mind for a split second, yet it was gone as quickly as it had come and what replaced it was the grimacing face of someone Kaito would never forget. A shaggy and rough boy with jet black hair and piercing eyes … Giving a sigh, Kaito looked back up to Ushio. "Well … good for her, she deserves to be happy."

"She does," Ushio agreed. They went quiet once more as Ushio moved over to the wardrobe. Kaito shuffled awkwardly on the spot, slightly off put from the image that had just ran through his mind. However, he gained some distraction as Ushio rummaged through her wardrobe and pulled out her futon. "I'll put this out, then we both have somewhere to sit," she stated, moving the topic along from Kumi-Chan. Kaito nodded as he looked around the room once more as Ushio whipped the futon out, laying it down. Kaito's frantic gaze kept shifting around the room. It was strange to him, he was feeling a wave of nostalgia, remembering the many hours he would spend with Ushio in her home, laying out on her futon and talking. Though of course, this house was different, this room was different … Ushio and Kaito were also different. As Kaito's mind became lost in his thoughts, his eyes found their way over to Ushio's desk once more. However, he noticed something. A framed picture sat on the desk, a very familiar picture. The man's eyes widened.

"I remember this," he smiled as wandered over and picked up the photo frame. It was a picture of himself and his five friends. The six of them all stood in front of the camera. Kaito and Ushio stood in the middle as Juni and Kumiko stood to the right of Kaito. They were holding hands. Yumi was on the left of Ushio, an arm wrapped around her friend. Takeshi was knelt at the front, pulling an over-the-top pose in a bright white suit. Kaito was in the middle, smiling widely. "This was from the dance at the end of school," Kaito stated, looking over the faces of his friends. They all looked very smart in their outfits, aside from Takeshi's blindingly white suit of course. "Kenji took this." Kaito added.

"Oh yeah," Ushio chirped. "The photographer!"

"That's right," Kaito laughed. "We played Dungeons and Dragons with him and his friends."

"I thought it was called Towers and Trolls?" Ushio questioned as the tip of her thumb met her chin. Kaito shook his head.

"Nah, Dungeons and Dragons. Definitely."

"I'll take your word for it," Ushio smiled, though her smile faded as she looked to Kaito's face. He was staring intently at the photo. His eyes had met those of his friends, Junichiro. As Ushio looked from Kaito to the photograph, she noticed that the man appeared as if he was lost. She knew that somewhere, deep inside his mind, Kaito was grappling with something … almost fighting. "Kaito?" She asked. Kaito frowned as he slowly looked over.

"Yeah?"

"Is everything okay?" Ushio asked in her gentle voice. Kaito shrugged.

"That's a question I get asked a lot." He stated rather bluntly. He turned around as he pulled out Ushio's desk chair from its spot, taking a seat in it. Ushio leant against her desk as Kaito tilted back, taking in the room … though he found his gaze constantly darting over to Ushio who was still staring at him, determined to get an answer. Kaito let out a sigh. "I'm fine." He spoke. Ushio shook her head.

"Don't do that." Ushio muttered. Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"Do what?"

"You know," Ushio huffed, stepping away from the desk and taking a seat on her futon. "You always try and move the topic along, away from yourself." Ushio sighed. Kaito looked away from her, trying to hide his expression which was one of vulnerability. "I thought you were trying to be more open with us?" She stated dryly, attempting to remind the man of what he had said upon his return. "None of us can help you if you don't talk to us." She affirmed. Kaito let out a tired sigh as he nodded.

"I know," he mumbled. "It's just difficult sometimes." He added, returning his line of sight to the woman opposite.

"I don't want to push you," Ushio admitted. "It's just … you seem like you're doing so much better. Like you're starting to get back to your old self."

"I'm not eighteen anymore Ushio." Kaito shrugged as she shook his head. Ushio rolled her eyes.

"I'm aware. I meant more in how you are … with people … with me." She sighed. Kaito studied her for a moment as Ushio tugged on the side of her futon. "You just seem more comfortable around me again and it was nice to see you letting loose and having fun with Aki." She laughed. Kaito smiled. "I haven't seen you like that for a while Kaito. I hope it can stay that way." She smiled. Kaito nodded at her.

"I'm sure it will," he replied. Ushio smiled once more.

"Then just know Kaito, I'm really happy we're friends again and that we can be relaxed with each other. You've said it to me before; we have history and I'm glad that we can be mature about that now." She went quiet for a moment as Kaito looked on. Ushio smiled once more. "You can tell me anything Kaito, I promise you, I will listen." She concluded. The two were locked in each other's eyes as Kaito gave a slow nod. Letting out one of his many deep sighs, he spoke.

"Its weird you know," he began as Ushio sat up straight, readying herself. "For the longest time, whenever I would be doing something that should've made me happy … or when I should've been relaxed or calm or … anything really. Well, I would always be thinking of Juni. Every single time." He shook his head as he feigned a smile. "I don't want to run my mouth … you've heard this all before."

"Please Kaito," Ushio uttered. Kaito felt that familiar warmth run through him. An encouraging and supportive warmth. One of friendship and comfort. Kaito nodded.

"I think, that somewhere in me, he was there. Constantly reminding me of what happened. Not letting me move on, you know?" … Did she know though? Kaito had often thought about Ushio in their time apart. Wondering if she ever thought of him, wondering if she and by extension, the rest of his friends had ever felt the way he did about Juni's death. Though, recently, he didn't have to wonder, he knew that they had all suffered and that they're concern for him was very real. Juggling the thoughts in his head, he gave a deep breath as he let it go. He knew that he was safe to continue. "To be honest with you Ushio, I think somewhere down the line, I ended up confused as to whether I felt guilty or resentful with Juni. I couldn't help him … he wouldn't leave me alone. I think that most likely just pushed me further into … whatever it is that I've been feeling for so long." Kaito brought his palms to his face as he buried into them. Ushio began to grow concerned, afraid that Kaito may just give in to what he was feeling and walk straight out of her door. He didn't. Kaito brought his palms away from his face as he let out a few tired breaths. His eyes found their way to the floor. "It's different now though."

"How so?"

"All I see when I think of Juni now … is him." Kaito stated darkly as a slight shiver crept down his spine.

"Him?" Ushio questioned. She had an idea who Kaito was referring to, though she wasn't certain.

"Gaku." Kaito sighed, confirming Ushio's thoughts. The two went very quiet following the dropping of Gaku's name. Ushio had rarely thought about the boy. The boy who was now a man, locked away and out of sight. The thought of the dark, hulking man seemed to drown out any other thought in her head, like a black hole that sucked the life out of everything around it. She could picture him now, clear as day. Involuntary images began to pop into her mind. A dark-haired gruff boy, standing over the helpless and defenceless Juni. She felt sick. "Ushio?" Kaito said, providing a gentle tone. "You alright?" Ushio closed her eyes as she breathed. Opening them, she gave a nod.

"Yes." She said in a quiet voice, bringing her arms across her chest, as if supporting herself. Kaito nodded.

"I know, it's horrible to think about him. I suppose you can understand then where my heads at with this?" He asked. Ushio looked into his eyes as she nodded. "I'm scared of slipping again because of this."

"You won't." Ushio stated quickly. Kaito gave a weak smile.

"I can't know that for sure," admitted Kaito. "I've been thinking though. With Juni, I pushed aside everything I had at my disposal that could help me. I leant on other things to get me by, other things that just became bigger problems … and with that I just got worse and worse." Kaito said, tapping his fingers on the arm of Ushio's desk chair. Ushio watched him intently. "I think I know what I have to do with this." Kaito went quiet. What followed was a moment of deep thought. Then, Kaito presented himself in a serious manner, looking to Ushio with determination and focus. "Ushio. I think I have to face him." He stated as Ushio's face went a shade whiter. Kaito remained focused on her, awaiting a response, perhaps needing her to agree with him.

"W- Why?" Ushio managed to mutter.

"Well, I remember when the three of you went to visit him."

"And I remember how bad of an experience that was," Ushio bit back in a cross manner. Kaito was taken aback slightly by the turn in Ushio's demeanour. However, he strived to remain composed.

"I remember what you three told me about it," Kaito sighed. "It was poorly handled, I mean, they should've never let you guys in alone with him when you were so young."

"It was poorly handled," Ushio confirmed, keeping a coarse tone. Kaito felt a sadness come over him as he realised how upset he had made his friend.

"I am sorry Ushio." He began earnestly. "I'm sorry I didn't go with you. I know you needed me, and I should've been there. I just couldn't bring myself to see him at the time." Explained Kaito. Ushio closed her eyes as she let out a sigh.

"That's in the past now Kaito," she replied. Kaito nodded. "Just like Ga-" she stopped herself. "Just like him. So, I have no idea why you'd want to bring all that hurt on yourself again Kaito. I don't think you need that right now."

"I just think that since I wasn't there with you all, that I've left things unresolved when it comes to him. You three got some form of closure, I didn't." Kaito replied. Ushio shook her head.

"But why? Why do you have to confront him?" She asked in a weak voice. Kaito ran the palm of his hand down his face as he breathed heavily.

"I still don't know exactly what happened that night. I was out cold." The man gave a slight sniff as he cleared his throat. "I've been running from things for a long time Ushio. If I have the chance to maybe help put some things to rest then I think it's the right thing to do, no matter how hard it may be." Kaito said as he finished making his case. He looked on at Ushio. She was visibly upset.

"I just don't think it will help you Kaito," she said, breathing deeply as she tried to calm herself down. Kaito shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he apologised. "I shouldn't be burdening you with this shit right now." He added, rather annoyed at himself.

"That's okay," Ushio said. "This is importa-"

"Let's just move on, okay?" Kaito interrupted. "We need to get some preparation in. Besides, I was struggling with these mock questions earlier today … the usual crap. 'What drives you?' 'Where do you see yourself next year?' You know … I have no bloody clue," he laughed. Ushio held her gaze on him. She knew he was right, they needed to be on with the task that they had met up to do. Yet, she felt that it was wrong to drop the delicate conversation at hand. Despite this, she knew Kaito, and she knew enough not to push him, especially with what he had been through. Giving a disheartened look to the man, she nodded. Though, the topic that had been discussed had left a solemn and uncomfortable atmosphere over the two of them. However, they needed to press on, and so, Kaito and Ushio spent the next hour or so together … Preparing themselves to take on the next step of their lives within the working world.

---

Footsteps echoed down a hallway as Takeshi had just arrived at work. He was in a bit of a hurry as he had lost track of time earlier in the day. However, he was only late by about ten minutes. He turned a corner as the view of the staff changing room appeared in his sights. He allowed his bag to drop off his shoulder as he caught it in his hand. Coming to the door, he placed his hand out to open it when an agitated voice behind him made him stop. "Fujimoto, what time do you call this?" Takeshi spun around and was met with the face of his supervisor, Hina Tanaka. The woman had her hands placed firmly against her waist as her face held a scowl. Takeshi reached into his pocket as he slipped out his phone, checking the time.

"Twelve minutes past two," Takeshi retorted, a little annoyed. Hina's heavy brown eyes flared.

"What have I told you about that sass?" She barked. "You're expected here on time, I expect you here before that. You failed on both ends and as your supervisor," she paused, pointing to herself proudly, "it all falls back on me." She shook her head. "Do you want me to get into trouble?" Takeshi held a blank expression and remained quiet. "Well?"

"Look, I'm sorry I was late. I've got a few things going on right now and standing here and yelling at me isn't going to help the situation since you're just delaying me further." Takeshi replied in a calm manner. Hina's eyes widened as he she furrowed her brow.

"I'd be within my rights to send you home with that attitude but you're lucky that Yuuma called in sick today."

"He alright?"

"Irrelevant," Hina scoffed. "Point is, I'm stuck with you, Ito and Niko tonight since I'll be filling in for him."

"So instead of helping the others you're stood here having a go at me?" Takeshi muttered. Hina's scowl returned once more.

"Right. Get in there and get changed. I don't want another snarky word out of you for the rest of the night, clear?"

"Crystal," nodded Takeshi. Hina shot him a dark look as she turned around and made her way down the hallway and towards the kitchen. "Idiot," Takeshi said to himself. Then, her entered the changing room, ready to start work. After changing into his uniform and locking his belonging in his storage locker, Takeshi made his way into the restaurant's kitchen. As he pushed through the door, he saw Ito and Niko, rushing about and trying to keep on top of things. "Sorry I'm late," Takeshi called as he made his way past the two and towards his station, greeting them both.

"All good," Ito yelled as he went to work dicing a few onions.

"Good thing you showed up," Niko added as she stood off to the side at her counter, folding a few parcels of pasta. "We're swept off our feet," she sighed. Takeshi looked around; his supervisor was no where to been seen.

"I thought Hina was covering Yuuma?" He asked. Ito let out a bellowing laugh.

"Yeah right, she's out there right now chatting away to some customers bro," the man huffed, slicing through another onion as his eye watered slightly.

"She's been picking and choosing what work she's doing." Niko hissed as she filled another parcel of pasta with some meat.

"Typical." Takeshi sighed. "She's just been having a go at me for being late, I get it, but she needs to ease up."

"We need to say something to our manager," Niko replied. "You know, the way something like this would usually work?"

"Nah, we've mentioned it before. Kido ain't going to do anything about it," Ito said, scrapping the freshly chopped onions into a pan as they began to sizzle. "Never does."

"He's got a lot on at the minute," Takeshi stated as Ito eyed him up.

"Like what?" He asked. Takeshi caught himself before he spoke. He had given his word to Mr Kido that he would not reveal anything about his potential promotion, as to not cause any issues with the other staff, at least until all had been confirmed. Takeshi shrugged.

"I dunno man," he said finally. "Suppose I'm just making excuses."

"Well," Ito mumbled. "The bitch needs to be sacked."

"Ito," Niko spoke up. "Keep it down, she could come back in at any moment."

"Good," the man spat. "Let her hear."

"We just have to ignore her," Takeshi said. "Just focus on the work for tonight."

"Yeah, let's do that." Ito sniggered as he walked over to a long line of clips that held customers orders. Taking multiple of them off, he carried the stack over to Takeshi as the blonde-haired man looked at him. "This is our workload," Ito muttered as he slammed the stack of tickets on Takeshi's counter. Takeshi let out a sigh. "Orders up," Ito said with a smirk. Takeshi nodded as he began to tackle the current orders of the day.

---

It was nearing 3:00pm as Kaito placed a foot forward, one after another, marching his way down the street and towards the local supermarket with a swift speed. His interview was in ten minutes, and he aimed not to be late for he was making good time. Kaito wore his usual heavy boots are dark trousers. Though, instead of the tattered and old jacket he would usually sport, he had a white, short sleeve shirt on with a navy tie. Yumi had told him that he did not need to over dress, yet she had recommended that he should put in some effort. So, Kaito went for a 'smart casual' approach. His hair and beard also fell in suit, being neatly styled and combed. He looked the part. After a few minutes, Kaito saw it. At the end of the street, past a few shops and the small café he had previously visited with Rin, stood the local supermarket. It was one of a chain that ran through Japan; Inyageya. After making his way over, he moved through the car park and came to the automatic double doors. Bringing his wrist up, he checked his father's watch. 3:06pm. Just in time, Kaito thought, surprising himself with his newly acquired punctuality. Despite this, Kaito felt his stomach churn as nerves began to kick in. Taking a deep breath, he stood tall and made his way over the doors and entered. The inside was very spacious, with an open stretch that went to meet the various isle that stocked their goods. Over to Kaito's left, he saw an information desk. He made his way over as he saw a member of staff sat behind it. A short and plump woman with a round frame sat there. She had a crop of white hair and a pair of stylish, multi-coloured spectacles that sat on the edge of her nose. Kaito would've placed her at around sixty. She was writing down a few notes on a diary that sat on the desk. The woman's ears pricked up as she heard footsteps echoing in front. Looking up, she came face to face with Kaito. The woman gave a warm smile as she spoke. "Afternoon, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Um," Kaito mouthed, those his throat had become slightly dry. The nerves were beginning to rear in his stomach again. He took a deep breath once more as he cleared his throat. "I- I'm here for an interview at ten past three." He spoke. The woman looked down to her diary as she flicked through it.

"Oh yes," she nodded, examining a scribble in the book. "Kouta?" She wondered, narrowing her brow as she studied the book.

"Kaito," Kaito said, correcting her. The woman rolled her eyes.

"Right, sorry." She apologised. "I'm not the only one who uses this." She tutted. "One or two staff do have some atrocious handwriting." Kaito shook his head as he let out a slight chuckle.

"That's fine," he smiled. The woman nodded. She reached over to her right-hand side as she picked up the receiver of an old, corded phone.

"I'll just let my manager know you've arrived." She said, dialling a few numbers. Kaito watched as he heard the call being answered. "Sonoko?" … "Yes, your interviewee has arrived." … "Kaito?" … "Right now, ten past three." … "Right okay, I'll let him know." She hung up the receiver as she tutted once more. Looking over to Kaito, she picked her glasses of her nose and perched them on top of her head. "I'm afraid you'll just have to wait on her a few minutes." The woman shook her head "She wasn't expecting you despite the fact we've got it wrote down, right here." She muttered, tapping the diary. "Almost as if there's no point in having a diary to write in," she huffed. "Of course. That's not what a diary is for." She added sarcastically. The woman continued to mumble to herself as Kaito looked on, he was slightly confused. Thinking back, he remembered that Yumi had told him that her manager could be quite temperamental, not to mention a bit unprofessional. The woman finished venting to herself as she spoke to Kaito once more. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how long she'll be. Feel free to have a look around though," she smiled as she returned to the diary, jotting down a few more notes.

"Thank you," Kaito mumbled as he moved over to the side of the desk. Placing his hands in his pockets, he surveyed the area. A few customers were going about their day, filling carts and baskets with different items and groceries. Several staff members were among them, all sporting the same red uniform with dark trousers and shoes. Kaito looked down, he was already halfway there with his own trousers and heavy boots. Just the shirt then, he thought to himself, examining the red shirts that each of the staff wore. He craned his neck slightly as he looked over to the far side of the store. There were several check outs that were manned by a couple of staff. He could just make out the one on the far end. He could see a young woman in uniform serving a queue of customers. She had a bob of violet hair which swayed from side to side as she scanned items through; Yumi - though she couldn't see Kaito from her view. Kaito's eyes moved away and down to the floor. Can't let her down. He thought to himself. Not now. He twiddled his thumbs for a bit, unsure as to what to do with himself. A short while passed and Kaito was beginning to grow slightly uncomfortable. He had noticed one or two staff members looking at him as they walked past. It must have been obvious that he was there to interview, yet he wasn't looking for the attention. Restlessly, Kaito checked his watch again; 3:19pm. He looked around again as he noticed the plump woman from before waddling over to him.

"Would you like a drink whilst you wait?" She asked, coming to a stop. Kaito quickly shook his head.

"I'm fine thanks," he replied, eyes still shifting around the room. The woman nodded as she moved past Kaito and made her way over to a wall of shelves. She began to fiddle with a few items, bringing them to the front and ordering them neatly. Kaito remained there for a while longer, growing increasingly more uncomfortable. He kept imagining that he sat down in front of the store manager. She would ask his question after question. The dreaded 'What would say drives you?' along with 'Where do you see yourself in a year?' … both of which he and Ushio had covered in during their meet up. He knew what he would say, though what he had rehearsed would not come to him, for his mind began to poke at him. A hulking boy with messy dark hair and piercing eyes … the familiar image he was growing more distain for each time it visited. Kaito attempted to retreat as he went over the questions again in his head, though his nerves from before made their unwanted return. Attempting to keep them at bay, he though back to the guidance Ushio had given him.

"If you start to feel nervous or forget what to say, just take it slow and pretend like were just sat here, practicing. It will come back to you." She had said. "If you can't remember, just wing it of course," she jested, much to Kaito's dismay. "You'll remember Kaito … What is it that drives you? Remember what you said?"

"Improvement … Progression … Success?" Kaito groaned. Ushio laughed.

"Self-improvement, right?" Ushio asked. "That's personal to you right now and it goes a mile in any job." She chirped. Kaito nodded as he felt his stomach take a turn.

Kaito kept going over in his head what he and Ushio had discussed and rehearsed. He hoped that his nerves would not take over and that he could just fire off what he had learnt and leave as soon as possible. Providing it all went smoothly of course, and that the questions were in a similar vein to the mock ones. Kaito's head grew heavy as his thoughts churned over and over. The interview, the the words from Ushio, the unwanted attention, the questions … Thankfully, he was brought out of the cycle as he heard the plump woman call out. "Riichi!" She called as she came up next to Kaito. A short distance from them, an older man with a buzz of short hair and a pair of small spectacles, was stood next to a much younger man with a crop of light brown hair and blue eyes. They both had name tags pinned to their shirts. The older man's read: Riichi Shirai – Assistant Manager, whilst the younger man's read: Haru – Store Assistant. Riichi looked over to the plump woman.

"Everything alright, Chie?" The man asked, waving. The plump woman, Chie, shrugged.

"Any chance you can get Sonoko out here?" She said with a shade of sass. "The poor lad has been waiting nearly twenty minutes." Kaito looked to his watch once more; 3:26pm. Riichi turned to Haru as he motioned over to the isle behind them and quickly set him about a task. Leaving Haru, Riichi came over to Chie and Kaito.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Riichi," the man announced, putting a handout to Kaito. Kaito grasped the man's hand as he shook it.

"I- I'm Kaito," he replied.

"Ah, Yumi's friend, right?"

"That's right" Kaito nodded. Chie placed her hands on her hips as she sighed.

"Riichi," she tutted once more. "She needs to get out here. Keeping the lad waiting is hardly a good look."

"I know, I know." Riichi huffed, raising his palms. Bringing his hands back down to his side, he looked to Kaito. "I'll take you through to the staff room and I'll see how long she's going to be." Kaito nodded as Riichi began to walk away. However, Chie spoke up again.

"This is why you should be doing these duties." She muttered. "I've told you before Sonoko can't handle thi-"

"Chie. Not now please." Riichi interrupted, taking a stern tone. Chie let out a sigh as she nodded. With that, she wished Kaito good luck and made her way back over to the information desk. Riichi composed himself as he let out a short laugh.

"Sorry about this," he said. Kaito said nothing as Riichi turned once more and walked ahead, leading Kaito off the shop floor. After passing through the back warehouse of the store and up a set of stairs, the two of them came to a corridor that ran down to the left. "I'll get you settled in the staffroom first." Riichi stated as Kaito followed him over to a door. Riichi opened it as Kaito looked in. The room held a few tables and sofas along with several lockers. A small counter complete with a sink, cupboards and a microwave sat on one side. Opposite was another row of cupboards with a large printer at the end. "Take a seat," Riichi said as Kaito did as he was told, taking a seat at one of the small tables. Riichi gestured to another hallway that ran around a right corner outside the staffroom door. "The main office is down there; I won't be a moment." The man smiled as he closed the door behind him. Kaito's nerves has began to subside as he grew more annoyed. He checked his watch again; 3:32pm. He was starting to resent having spent time preparing for his interview, when it was evident that the Interviewer wasn't prepared themselves. Kaito muttered darkly to himself as he hung his head. Just then, the staff room door opened and in walked Yumi Koharu, her face was slightly red and sweaty. Kaito looked up as they locked eyes.

"I take it you've been waiting a while?" Yumi asked. Stopping next to Kaito. Kaito nodded.

"I should've had it over twenty minutes ago," he muttered. Yumi let out a sigh as she shrugged.

"Sonoko is a bit all over the place to be honest, but don't worry, you'll get seen."

"Right." Kaito said bluntly. Yumi pulled a chair out next to him as she sat down. "You on a break?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah, just a quick one. My colleague, Haru, said he'd seen Riichi bring someone upstairs, I assumed it was you, so I thought I'd check in." Said Yumi. "Nice tie by the way," she added.

"Thanks."

"So, how'd it go with Ushio this morning?" Yumi asked, leaning back in her chair. Kaito shrugged.

"It was fine. We got off track a bit, but we did some preparation." Admitted Kaito. Yumi frowned.

"Why, was something wrong?" She asked. Kaito shook his head.

"No, we just got talking about something else and I guess I worried her a bit." Kaito wasn't looking at Yumi when he said this. Though, he could feel her deep blue eyes burning a hole in his head. Bringing his head up, he looked at her. "What?"

"Are you going to spill?" She smirked. Kaito let out a sigh. "Come on. Tell me."

"I've been thinking lately, just about what I can do to put some stuff to rest. I mentioned to her that I was considering going to visit Gaku in prison. It was just a bit of a mistake to bring it up really." He said. Yumi nodded at the man.

"A bit out of the blue, isn't it?" Yumi wondered. Kaito shook his head.

"I've been rattling with it since I got home. I just think it's come to the forefront now." Kaito said, trying to remain honest with his friend. "I just think it might help me get a bit of closure on things." He finished, going quiet. Yumi studied him for a moment. She nodded again.

"I honestly do see where you're coming from." Yumi confessed. "And, if that's something that you think you need to do, then I think you should trust yourself. Just be careful Kaito. You might not get something good out of it." She sighed. "I was never sure if the three of us did."

"Yeah … yeah, I get it," Kaito nodded. Yumi shrugged.

"Regardless. You need to put that out of your mind for now and focus on what's happening."

"I'm trying," Kaito replied, offering a weak smile.

"I know you are," Yumi smiled. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Yumi gave Kaito a thumbs up. The staffroom door opened again as Riichi entered. The man looked slightly flustered, as if he'd just come out of a heated encounter. Yumi waved at the man as he nodded.

"Yumi," he smiled. "Right Kaito, if you'd like to follow me, please." Kaito got up as Yumi did the same.

"Good luck," she smiled, Kaito returned it as he followed Riichi out of the staffroom and down the hallway. They came to a door at the end of it. A small sign read: Store Manager. Riichi gave a short knock as he opened the door. They stepped inside; two large desks that sat back-to-back took over the majority of the room. There were several shelves and bookcases littered with folders and boxes. A plump woman with dark dyed hair sat at the far end desk. Her eyes had not left the laptop that was open in front of her.

"Sonoko, this is Kaito." Riichi stated. Sonoko gave a quick nod as she looked up, though her eyes dropped back to the laptop as quick as they had shot up. Riichi turned to Kaito as he gave a slight bow. Then, the man took his leave, closing the door behind him.

"Take a seat, Kaito." Sonoko muttered as she still scanned the laptop. "It is Kaito, right?"

"It is," nodded as he did as he was told. He watched Sonoko for a moment. She looked like she was desperately trying to memorise something on the screen of her laptop. Sonoko still hadn't taken her eyes away as Kaito checked his watch once more … 3:41pm. Kaito had been waiting over half an hour now. He was admittedly agitated, yet he remained composed, hoping to come across as patient and polite. Though, the fact that he was yet to receive an apology for being kept waiting irked him. Still, he didn't exactly expect one. Finally, Sonoko looked up to Kaito as she forced a smile.

"Well, my name is Sonoko Kutsuki, the store manager. I'll just take a minute to run you through how this works, okay?" She said. Kaito nodded in reply. Sonoko then went into, in Kaito's mind at least, a very muddled and inconsistent explanation of what the general duties and protocol of the store team would be. She mentioned working on the checkouts, clearing, and stacking shelves, cleaning isles, managing customers etc. Truthfully Kaito was trying to keep up with her, yet Sonoko kept interjecting with extra information that would throw him off. After a few more minutes of rambling, Sonoko finally came to a stop. "I think that's everything to do with your duties and such." She stated. Kaito forced a smile, in all honesty he found Sonoko to be rather off putting and crass. She came across as being in over her head and little ditzy in Kaito's eyes. Still, he kept up his smile. "Right then," Sonoko mumbled her eyes drifted over to her laptop once more. "I want to know a bit about you, so I'm going to just go over some basic questions with you, alright?" Kaito felt his stomach being to churn again as he managed a nod. Sonoko quickly typed something out on her laptop as she hit the enter key. Kaito could see her once again scanning the screen. Sonoko looked to Kaito and then quickly back to the screen. She focused for a moment, appearing as if she was trying to memorise something again. Then, she looked back to Kaito. "Right, just a few questions, nothing to worry about." She chuckled.

"Okay," Kaito uttered. Sonoko looked to the screen once more and then back to Kaito again.

"So, Kaito … one thing we like to know about our staff is where their ambition comes from, why they want to work within our store." Once more, Kaito felt his stomach react to the nerves. He tried to stay focused. "Having said that, I'd like to ask you …" Sonoko said, trailing off as she re-read something on her laptop. Her eyes returned to Kaito again. "To ask you, what would you say it is that drives you?" Sonoko questioned, eyes darting between the man and the laptop screen. Kaito felt a slight smirk forming across his face, one that he had to fight. For once, he had come prepared for something. For once, he knew exactly what to say. For once, he was going to be perfectly fine.

---

It was nearing 4:00pm as Takeshi, Niko and Ito were still hard at work. They had managed to get through their build up of orders that had fallen on them, largely due to their supervisor's flaky attitude as she had spent her time taking to customers in between her short stints in the kitchen. Takeshi and the others, after sending out the last order that had come in, had taken advantage of the quiet period in order to clean a few of their sections. Takeshi had filled a small cart with utensils as he wheeled it through a door at the side of the kitchen. Inside were two pot washers, one a thin man with dark hair, the other was a small statured woman, a fair bit older than Takeshi. "Got another load for you guys," Takeshi smiled as he came to a stop with the small cart. The thin man turned around as he nodded.

"Nice one," the man said. "We've got your load from earlier," he added, gesturing to another cart opposite them that was full of recently washed utensils.

"Thanks, Suijin," Takeshi smirked. "I guess being named after a water god helps you get through 'em," he laughed. The man turned his nose up at Takeshi.

"Lay off, blondie." He laughed as Takeshi nodded. Moving over to the clean cart, he took it in his hands.

"Don't work too hard guys," Takeshi grinned. The thin man was about to respond as the older woman let out a dry laugh.

"Like you'd know about that," she teased.

"Touché," Takeshi smiled as he wheeled the cart out of the washroom and into the kitchen. Making his way back over to his counter, he began to unload the cart, restocking his tools. The kitchen door creaked open as their supervisor, Hina, walked through.

"Two fish soups for table 6," she muttered.

"On it," Niko announced. Hina shook her head.

"I can do it," Hina replied. Niko rolled her eyes. Ito moved past Takeshi as he spoke.

"Of course, she'd do the easy one." The man said in a hushed tone. Takeshi shrugged at the man as he continued to fill his section. The back entrance of the kitchen opened as a smartly dressed, older man made his way through. It was Mr. Kido, the restaurant manager.

"Everyone hard at work?" He smiled, approaching the four of them.

"Yes, we've been pushing ourselves tonight," Hina responded, proudly. Out of the corner of his eye, Takeshi could make out Ito muttering darkly to himself.

"Good," Mr. Kido nodded.

"I'm just taking out the latest order," Hina stated as she held up the two bowls of soup she had poured out. Mr Kido gave a polite smile as he looked over Takeshi.

"May I borrow you for a minute son?" The man asked. "It seems to have quietened down for the time being," he added, referring to the bustle of the restaurant. Takeshi was just about to reply as Hina interjected.

"Why, what for?" She asked. Mr. Kido narrowed his gaze as he looked to the woman.

"Because I asked," he stated simply. Hina went a shade darker as she nodded, spun around, and left the room with he two soups in hand. Niko and Ito looked over to their manager as the man smiled at the three. "You two don't mind right? We won't be long."

"Um, of course not," Niko smiled as Ito held a grin. Mr. Kido nodded once more as he gestured for Takeshi to follow, he did. As the two left the room, Niko and Ito looked on curiously, wondering what Takeshi may be in for. After making their way towards Mr. Kido's office, the two entered as Mr. Kido told Takeshi to take a seat, he did. Mr. Kido took a seat opposite, behind his large desk. A smile came over his face.

"Well, I've got some good news," he said as Takeshi shuffled in his seat, readying himself. Out in the hallway, the light pitter patter of footsteps trailed through the hall. Hina had left the kitchen to Niko and Ito, evidently deciding that following Mr. Kido and Takeshi would be of more importance. She came outside the door of Mr. Kido's office. She could hear muffled voices coming from the other side. Placing an ear to the door, she listened.

"I can't believe they accepted me," Takeshi exclaimed.

"I can," Mr. Kido chuckled. "I told you that I thought you had what it takes, managing your own kitchen is the logical next step Takeshi. I'm glad Mr. Matsuura and his team saw that too."

"I just thought there would be a lot of competition," admitted Takeshi. Mr. Kido nodded.

"There was."

"Right," Takeshi smiled. Mr. Kido cleared his throat.

"I'll go into more detail over this next week, but I want to be forthright with you." The man became serious as he sat up straight. "This is a big undertaking, and I want you to be absolutely sure you want to do it."

"I do," Takeshi nodded.

"It's just, the catch is that the location of the restaurant you'll be a part of is potentially an issue. Though, if you're set on it, I don't think it will matter."

"Where is it?"

"Tokyo, dead centre." The man said. Takeshi tapped his fingers on the desk in front as he exhaled slightly.

"That's quite far out." Muttered Takeshi.

"It is." Mr. Kido agreed. "Which is why I'll ask again. Are you absolutely sure you want to go? I know you have family close by here. I understand it would be a big change." Takeshi thought for a moment, he had already made up his mind, though he could not disregard the thoughts that were working his way into his mind. He thought of his family. Chiaki, Takato and Marcus … He thought of his colleagues. Yuuma, Ito and Niko … He thought of the others. Ushio … Yumi … Kaito. Then, he had one last thought. A strand of words brought together into a sentence. A sentence that resonated with him. He thought back to the day he had met up with Ushio, the day after his night out at Hoshi's bar, the night full of distractions and the words Ushio had spoken that had cleared it all up for him.

Don't let anything stop you from pursuing what you feel you should pursue.

With that, he looked his manager dead in the eye.

"I want to do this," Takeshi nodded. Mr. Kido smiled once more.

"Wonderful. Lastly, things will be moving quite fast." Mr. Kido informed him.

"How fast?"

"They expect you to be there to start your training on the 28th of June. So, in two weeks. Of course, the accommodation and expenses will be taken care of." Takeshi went quiet for a moment. He traced the floor with his eyes. He then looked up, focused.

"I'll have everything in order by the 28th." He replied.

"Very well," Mr. Kido beamed. "I'll send the confirmation along and they'll be in touch." Back outside the office, Hina still kept her ear pressed on the door. She heard muffled sounds of agreement and well wishes. Then, she heard footsteps from the other side. Slipping away from the door, she began to walk down the hallway. As the office door opened and out stepped Takeshi, he managed to quickly catch a look at the stocky, short build of Hina slipping away and around the corner. He held his sights on the spot as his mind wandered. Though, it didn't have to wander too far. Takeshi knew exactly what the woman had been doing.

---

Hikarizaka Private stood on top of a tall hill, surrounded by cherry blossoms that trailed down the side of the winding path that lead to the school. Someone was making their way towards the school, briskly walking along with nerves and excitement running through their body. It was Ushio Okazaki, making her along the cherry blossom path as she awaited her interview. She wore flat souled shoes with smart trousers and a white blouse. Her long hair was tied up neatly in a bun. Her art portfolio was attached by a strap than lay over her shoulder. A brisk wave of nostalgia ran through her as she came to the top of hill by the school gates. As she looked in on the courtyard. She could picture herself and her five friends, years ago, when they would sit outside for lunch. She smiled as she continued on. She arrived at the entrance to the school. It was now after hours, and the students had all finished for the day. However, several cars were still parked outside, belonging to custodians, assistant, teachers and of course, the person who she was there to see, the principle. Entering the school, she made her way down the entrance hall as she came to a small reception at the end. A woman was sat behind a booth, going over files and papers. Ushio chirped her sweet voice as she spoke. "Excuse me, I'm here for an interview." The woman at reception looked up as she smiled.

"Okay, if I could just get you to sign in, please." She replied, taking out a clipboard with a sheet on it. Ushio signed her name and the time as she handed the clipboard back. "My colleague was around here a minute ago, she was going to take yo-"

"Ushio!" A voice called. A pretty woman with a bob of brown hair was walking over. She wore a dark shirt with a smart shirt. It was Kouko Yoshino.

"Kouko," Ushio smiled with relief. They embraced as Kouko looked to the receptionist.

"I'll take her from here," she said as the receptionist smiled and nodded. Kouko led Ushio away toward a large set of stairs. They came to a stop at the bottom as Kouko spoke. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm just a little nervous," Ushio admitted, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"Nothing wrong with nerves," Kouko smiled. "It shows you care."

"I'm ready though," Ushio said affirmatively. Kouko beamed as she nodded.

"I know you are," she replied. "Remember what I said, show your passion for your subject. Listen to everything Mrs. Ikeda says, be polite and constructive with your answers and above all be honest about your goals and accomplishments. Put your best foot forward," she stated with a thumbs up. Ushio nodded, fighting nerves. "Right, are you all set?"

"I'm ready," Ushio nodded, echoing her previous words.

"Then follow me," Kouko said as they began to climb the stairs, higher and higher until they reached their destination.

---

Takeshi leant against a wall around the corner of his manager's office. He had been debating what to do in regards to Hina's apparent eavesdropping. He considered confronting her, he considered going back to his manager, he considered just leaving the matter. Giving a deep sigh in response to the unwanted grief, he marched down the hallway and into the kitchen. As he entered, he saw Hina, Ito and Niko huddled around a counter. He just managed to catch the end of their conversation as he thought he had heard Hina tell the others not to trust him. Hina spun around as Takeshi let the door close behind him. Ito and Niko looked over with extremely confused looks on their faces. Takeshi stared back as his face became one of agitation. "What?" He asked shortly.

"What?" Hina responded. "Something to say?" She smirked. Takeshi let out a huff as he went and manned his station, ignoring the others. Niko and Ito looked to each other, the tension was heavy. "Back to your stations," Hina ordered as the two slumped back to their posts. Hina went to approach Takeshi, ready to talk down to him once more. Takeshi prepared himself, ready for the inevitable argument. Just then, a voice called from outside the kitchen door that led to the restaurant.

"Hina," the voice said. It was a young woman, only in her late teens, she wore a waitress uniform.

"What is it?" Hina snapped, turning away from Takeshi.

"Um, a customer at table 6 is complaining about her food. She said you've given her the wrong soup?" Ito and Niko looked at each other once more, both hiding a smirk.

"That's not possible," Hina replied. The waitress shrugged; she was clearly uncomfortable.

"That's what she said."

"Why did she not say sooner?" Hina hissed. Takeshi was growing more agitated as the grating sound of the woman's heated manner began to irk him. "Well?"

"I came to tell you before, but you weren't here."

"Then tell one of these lot," Hina muttered.

"Right, sorry." The waitress apologised as her face grew red. "I wasn't sure who to report to."

"Well, you should know." Hina replied. Ito shook his head.

"Give her a break," he said as Hina scowled at him. "She's only been here a week."

"Stay out of this." Hina said, folding her arms. "Get back to work, I'm going to sort this, and I promise you, if I come back in here and you're still doing nothing then you'll know about it." Hina hissed as she stormed ahead, following the waitress out of the kitchen.

"Bitch," Ito muttered, reaffirming his favourite way to refer to his supervisor. Takeshi stood off from the other two, tidying his counter. Niko was watching, she looked rather upset. Ito looked from Niko and over to Takeshi. The man let out a cough, announcing himself. Takeshi remained focused on his station. "Is it true?" He asked. Takeshi let out a sigh.

"Is what true?"

"Hina told us you have a new job," Niko replied. Takeshi sighed once more as he turned around.

"What exactly did she say?" Niko was about to speak yet Ito cut her off.

"Only that you've managed to swing yourself a big promotion, must be nice."

"Yeah, what else?" Takeshi rasped. Ito was about to retort, however this time Niko cut him off.

"Takeshi. She told us that you've been bigging yourself up to Mr. Kido, that you've been bad mouthing us." She sighed. Takeshi grew cross.

"Tell me you guys don't buy that." He huffed. "You know better than that."

"We don't buy it." Niko assured him.

"Speak for yourself." Ito mumbled.

"Ito!" Niko scolded. The man looked to the floor. "You know Takeshi wouldn't do that. We're friends, right?" Ito looked to Takeshi who still held a stern look. Ito nodded.

"Sorry man," he sighed. "You know how it is, she riles me up."

"You're not the only one," Takeshi said, giving a deep sigh. "She say much else?"

"She told us you've been taking credit for our work, that you were jealous of her-"

"As if!" Takeshi barked. Niko held her hand up, trying to calm him down.

"Takeshi. I'm just telling you. Like I said, we don't believe her." Takeshi wiped his brow as he nodded. "Aside from that, she told us not to trust you."

"Yeah, I managed to catch that part." Takeshi brought his palms to his face as he let out a long groan. "What the fuck does she want from me?" He mumbled, bringing his hands down. "I don't understand her problem."

"She's jealous." Ito shrugged. "The bitch just doesn't have the guts to-" The man was cut off by the sound of the kitchen door opening. Hina walked through, a bowl of soup in her hand. Her eyes lit up as she saw the other three stood together. She slammed the bowl down onto a counter as she stomped towards them.

"Right. That's it. I'm putting all three of you through for disciplinaries!" She roared. Niko shot up.

"You can't do that!" She yelled.

"I'm the supervisor!" Hina shouted, red faced. "You can't disrespect me like this!"

"You can't just throw out disciplinaries like that when you've been slacking off more than us," Ito stated broadly, puffing out his chest. "This is a load of shit." Hina came up to the man, she only reached his chest, yet her presence was enough to make Ito step back.

"You speak to me like that one more time and you're out." Hina said coldly. Ito went quiet, weighing up his options. Concluding that he would not win this argument, he recoiled and made his way over to his station. "The two of you better do the same." She smirked as Niko left Takeshi's side. Though, she stopped in her tracks as she heard the next few words leave Takeshi's mouth.

"You're fucking pathetic Hina, you know that?" The man laughed. Ito and Niko looked over, mouths wide open. Hina once again became very angry.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard. What makes you think you have any kind of right to treat us like this? What the hell is wrong with you?" Takeshi said in a calm tone, as if asking an ordinary question. Hina was stumped, she didn't know what to say. "You're a snake. Going behind our backs and trying to turn us against each other. You actually thought that Ito and Niko wouldn't say anything? Or believe your ridiculous and childish lies?"

"You- you can't speak to me like tha-"

"Drop it. That's all you can say, isn't it?" Takeshi smirked. "How you ever became the supervisor here I'll never know, but you can't honestly stand there and act like you deserve it. I know you try and convince yourself you do, but you're just lying to yourself. You're weak and incompetent and you know it. That's why you try and put us down to make yourself seem better than you are. You're jealous because you know you got by on luck, not talent or skill." Takeshi shook his head, unable to put up with the woman any longer. "You're not worth our time. So, jog on and leave us to manage the kitchen on our own, like always." He finished, turning away, unable to keep the woman in his sight. Takeshi continued with his work as Ito and Niko looked to Hina. The woman's eyes were misty, yet her brow quivered. A bead of sweat emerged from her forehead as it trickled down her face. Her cheeks were blushing from embarrassment. Letting out a huff, she rushed towards Takeshi and grabbed his by the arm She spun him around as Takeshi was still, disinterested. The woman grabbed him by the collar with her left hand, dragging head down slight as she held up right hand, finger pointed aggressively in Takeshi's face.

"Get off him!" Ito yelled, staying back, not sure if he should engage the woman. He turned to Niko, though the woman had disappeared. His attention was brought back to Hina as the woman blew up.

"What would you know of any of it!" She roared in Takeshi's face. "You piece of shit! I've been here for ten years! I know more than you ever could, I have more skill than you! You think that just because Kido took a shine to you that you're better than me?!" She yelled. Takeshi said nothing, he merely allowed the woman to keep ranting, yelling in his face as spit flew out over him. "You're absolutely worthless Fujimoto! A bum, already past his prime! They'll see it when they hand you a kitchen to run, they'll see exactly what kind of employee you are, lazy, arrogant, and disrespectful!" She screamed. "It should have been me! For Kido to go behind my back and request you is insulting! It's wrong!" The woman was shaking with adrenalin. However, Takeshi still remained calm. Ito looked over to the back door of the kitchen, he hadn't noticed the two figures that were stood there. Takeshi muttered something as Hina's ears perked up. "What was that? Say it!"

"You're pathetic." Takeshi sighed. With that, Hina lost it. She swung her open palm out at Takeshi, it connected with his face as the sound echoed through the kitchen. He was sent back slightly as Hina still held his collar in her grasp.

"HINA!" A voice shouted from behind her. She went white as her grasp left Takeshi. She slowly turned around as, in the back doorway, she saw an extremely angry Mr. Kido with Niko stood by his side, she was shaking slightly. "MY OFFICE NOW!" Mr. Kido roared.

"Bu- but Mr. Kido … I-"

"Now." Mr. Kido said firmly. Hina began to sob as she moved away from Takeshi and slumped past Mr. Kido and Niko. Mr. Kido came over to Takeshi as he looked him in the eyes. "Are you alright?" He asked. Takeshi nodded.

"How much did you see?" Takeshi asked, rubbing his cheek.

"What I needed to. Niko came and grabbed me, told me what was happening."

"Right," nodded Takeshi.

"Is Niko telling the truth?" He asked. "Has Hina been like this with you a while?" Takeshi looked over to Niko. He was glad that she had acted quickly because he did not know what he may have done. Despite his rather calm exterior, he was truthfully shaken up inside. Looking to his manager, he let out a sigh.

"Yes, though in all honesty I may have escalated things." Mr. Kido looked to Niko and Ito.

"Are you two willing to be witnesses to this?"

"Damn right," Ito nodded. "We saw it all sir, she got up in his face, had her hands on him. Takeshi spoke against her sure, but it wasn't his fault."

"Niko?" Mr. Kido uttered. Niko nodded.

"It's like Ito says, she came down on Takeshi. I know he's playing devil's advocate, but he didn't escalate it, she did. She has all this time." M. Kido mulled over their words as he gave a nod.

"Very well. There are several avenues that can be taken in these situations. I'm going to have to get Hina's side of this, though from what I've seen today I don't think it will be of much use. I may have to take statements from the three of you, depending on how things go with her. "

"We understand," Niko nodded. Mr. Kido looked over to Takeshi.

"Can you finish your shift?"

"Of course," Takeshi nodded.

"Good. However, after tonight I'm going to ask you to take a few days leave, maybe a week."

"But I've only got two weeks left," Takeshi replied.

"I know. I need you to have a clear head going forward though. I'm going to have to deal with this, perhaps internally but most likely HR will be involved. If it goes to that end, then I will have to smooth things over in order for this to not affect your promotion. I'll be in touch soon about how we're going to move ahead. Also, I will say this now because I personally feel responsible. I apologise for not intervening sooner, I've known for a while that Hina has been causing some trouble and making staff feel uncomfortable. I tried to talk to her about it and she told me she would keep it in check. Though, I was too short sighted to see how bad things were. Something like this was just waiting to happen, so I am sorry to all of you. I should have been more aware." Mr. Kido let out a sigh. "I wouldn't expect Hina to be in work anytime soon. I'll be putting her on leave as well. Until this is sorted."

"Okay," Takeshi nodded. Mr. Kido nodded back.

"Don't worry son, just get yourself sorted out and ready for the move. I'll deal with it." Mr. Kido turned away and exited the kitchen. The three of them stood there for a quiet moment. Niko moved over to Takeshi as she examined his face.

"You okay?" She asked, looking over the handprint that had been left on the man's cheek.

"Fine," Takeshi nodded. Niko smiled as Ito shot up.

"Took it like a champ bro," he laughed. "I've never seen anything that wild!"

"Yeah …" Takeshi sighed. Looking to the two others, Takeshi shrugged. "Sorry I didn't fill you guys in about all of this, things have been all over the place recently, I've been … distracted." He said, looking to Niko as he remembered her words from their night at Hoshi's. Though, the distractions had been piling up since then. Niko nodded at the man.

"Don't worry about it," she replied.

"So, Takeshi, where you moving to then?"

"Tokyo," Takeshi smiled.

"Not bad," Ito chuckled.

"Takeshi," Niko started as the man looked to her. "Don't take to heart anything that Hina said, okay? You deserve this job, honestly. We both think you've got what it takes to do well."

"Damn straight," Ito added.

"Thanks guys," Takeshi smiled. Ito let out a laugh.

"I'm assuming Yuuma would say the same, if it weren't for his poor little cold."

"He's got the flu," Niko laughed. "Much more than a cold."

"Yeah, whatever, he's milking it for sure."

"Leave him alone," Niko chuckled.

"Alright, I wouldn't want to make fun of your lover," Ito sneered. Niko shook her head.

"Grow up Ito," she muttered. "Besides, I think it's more likely that you and Yuuma are … well, I don't have to tell you, do I?" Ito rolled his eyes.

"Leave it out ya muppet," he smirked.

"Okay, okay." Takeshi grinned. "Let's get back on track. We're lucky no orders have come in during all of that." Just then, the door to the kitchen opened once more as the young waitress from earlier entered.

"Um is Hina here? I've got an order for table 20."

"Nah she ain't here," Ito replied. "We're managing this tonight." He said smugly. The waitress nodded as she left the order ticket with Ito. The man turned around as held up the ticket. "Back on track, ey Takeshi?" He laughed. Takeshi nodded as he rubbed his cheek again. The three returned to their stations, ready to continue the rest of their shift with the memory of the day's confrontation dwelling in all of their minds.

---

Mrs. Ikeda, the school principal, was a slim, tall, and professional looking woman with a short and neat cut of dark hair. She sat in her large office, opposite Ushio as she scanned over the young woman's portfolio. Her bright yellow eyes drifted up and down, side to side as she took in the details of Ushio's work. "Mmm … mmhmm," Ikeda hummed as she nodded, turning another page. Ushio had been in her interview for nearly fifteen minutes. Her nerves had come and go as Ushio had answered a lot of formal questions as well as being briefed on safety protocols and other standard procedures. Throughout this, Ushio had attempted to give off a professional exterior, though she wasn't sure how successful she had been. Ushio had never met Mrs. Ikeda before as she was quite recent to the school, having only served as the head for the past year. Ushio was quite glad in a way. She knew the history between a few of her friends and the last principal of the school. She was slightly worried that her association with the likes of Takeshi and Kaito may have affected her chances, especially if the previous woman had seen her sketches of the two. However, she knew this was a silly worry to hold, a childish one perhaps. Still, when Kouko had informed her that Mrs. Ikeda was relatively new, she was somewhat relieved. Ikeda looked up to Ushio as she smiled. "I have to say these landscapes are wonderful Ushio. Kouko wasn't wrong when she told me you were talented."

"Thank you, Mrs. Ikeda," Ushio smiled. "Everything in that portfolio is from the last four years or so, hopefully you can see how I've developed my skills in that time."

"Yes, yes of course." Ikeda replied, turning another page. "Oh wow," she exclaimed, looking over the picture in front. Ushio craned her neck slightly as she saw the picture. It was the water-coloured painting she had done of Kumiko. It perfectly captured Kumiko, not just her delicately beautiful features, but her caring and kind attitude. Ushio felt herself once again missing her old friend, yet she tried to put it out of her mind, focusing on her current situation. Ikeda had been studying the picture for a moment as she spoke.

"Was this girl a former student by any chance?" She asked. Ushio nodded. "Yes, I recognise her. She was a valedictorian, correct?"

"How did you know?" Ushio wondered.

"I've spent some time looking over a lot of old files after the handover from the previous principal." She smiled. "I remember coming across …"

"Kumiko."

"Right, I remember coming across Kumiko's file. Very impressive to say the least. A near perfect GPA and a scholarship to London. It's not every day you see that," she chuckled. Ushio gave a polite smile as Ikeda shook her head. "Forgive me, we're going off track."

"That's fine," Ushio nodded, though she was eager to proceed. The woman carefully closed the portfolio and placed it delicately on the desk.

"I think I've seen enough for now," she said. "Are you happy for us to move on?"

"Of course," Ushio said in her sweet tone. Ikeda brought her hands together and placed them on her lap.

"So, we've gone through all the protocol, formalities, prior experience … or the boring part as I put it," she joked. Ushio gave a slight smile. "From the artwork you've put together I can see you're a hard worker and willing to put the effort into your craft. For now, though, I'd like to have more of informal talk with you, just to get to know you a little better and see if you'd be a good fit for the role." Ushio felt her nerves creep back up, though she wasn't sure why. The woman in front of her seemed perfectly nice and accommodating, perhaps it had been the mention of Kumiko and her achievements that had set Ushio off. She had often compared herself to her friend and she hoped in this instant she would not come off short. Afterall, Kumiko was out across the sea, living her life full of independence and excitement … and Ushio was here, following her own path, trying to get a foot in the door. Ushio's attention was brought back to Mrs. Ikeda as the woman spoke. "So, first of all, I'd like to know why you're interested in taking up the role of an assistant teacher. I understand you're close with Kouko, but I can't just hire you on that alone." She laughed. "What would you say compels you to strive for the position?"

"Um- well, I've always had a lot of family and friends around me. We've often done events and projects together in large groups, which is something I enjoy." She thought for a moment as Ikeda looked on. "I'm passionate about people," Ushio admitted. "I always aim to see the best in people, but when I don't, I will always try and do what I can to help and support, I suppose I would like to carry that forward to those younger than myself." Ushio smiled as she nodded. "Yes, I think that if I can have a hand in preparing young people to go forward in their lives and pursue their dreams, whether that is through support, community or mentoring, then I feel that is where I can put my strengths into practice."

"That's a very good reason." Ikeda nodded. "In my peers, and that is what I see all my employees and colleagues here as, I like to see genuine care for the students and a strive to truly guide them. We're all in this together after all, unity among our community is very important, would you agree?"

"Absolutely," Ushio replied.

"Very good." Ikeda thought for a moment. "I know the answer to this may be obvious, but I'm interested … why art?"

"Why art?" Ushio wondered. Ikeda chuckled.

"I guess not so obvious," she jested. "What I mean is, from what I've been told and from what you've shown me," she said, tapping on Ushio's portfolio, "I can see a clear passion in you. I want to know what sparked that, what made you decide to pursue art?" Ikeda asked, sitting up straighter, awaiting the answer. Ushio thought on her words.

"Ever since I was small, I've always been surrounded by creative people. My grandfather was an actor in his day, my mother also dabbled. A few of my friends have always been involved in drama and music. In addition, my grandmother was a kindergarten teacher, and she now minds children on the occasion. I used to assist her and help the children with creatively driven projects."

"So, you already have experience as a teaching assistant?" Ikeda smiled. "You kept that quiet," the woman joked. Ushio nodded as she let out a laugh.

"Only on occasion," Ushio admitted as Ikeda waved away Ushio's modesty.

"It's still relevant," Ikeda replied. "Anyway, please continue."

"Well, creativity is something I've always been exposed to and encourage to pursue. Doing art, whether it be sketching, painting, sculpting … well, it's always felt like the right fit for me."

"To know what you enjoy and what you want to do in life is often a difficult thing to discover. I know from personal experience that it can take a long time to figure these things out. It's great that you've found something you love to do," the woman beamed. "That leads me to my next question and forgive me for the cliché," Ikeda smiled. "I want to know where you see yourself in five years time, or rather where you would like to be." Ushio thought hard. She wasn't entirely sure. She of course, would love to be at Kouko's side, helping teach art. Although, she had often thought of other avenues. Letting out a sigh, she decided to be honest with Mrs. Ikeda.

"In five years … I'm honestly not sure. If I'm successful here, then I could one day hope to see myself teaching students."

"Of course, you're elective in college was education. That makes sense."

"Although, pursuing art presents many avenues. Which is why I decided to go for this position. The idea of combining my two passions, art, and people, makes me happy. I think in five years I want to be just that, happy with whatever I am doing. If I decide to go into a career within teaching, then I would want to go back to college to complete my degree in education. If not, then hopefully I can be working on commission of some kind, putting my work out there."

"Well, I don't know if you're aware, but the mayor has a lot of plans in store for our town. One of which is implementing a community college. If for example you were to join us and wanted to further your education in order to pursue teaching, then I have no doubt we would be able to accommodate that." Ikeda gave a shrug. "I know a lot of people in this town aren't for such big changes, yet as someone who has come from the outside, I can and have seen how good changes like that can be."

"You know, my dad and I were having this exact conversation the other day," Ushio chirped.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I said the same thing. Surely progressive changes are going to be a good thing. It presents so many more opportunities for all kinds of people. Like you say, unity within community is important, and I believe everyone deserves an opportunity."

"Well, I'm glad to see we're on the same page." Ikeda smiled, as did Ushio. Ushio could no longer feel her nerves in her. In fact, she felt very comfortable in front of Mrs. Ikeda. The woman's professionalism and openness had definitely begun to rub off on Ushio. In all honesty, Ushio could definitely see herself working under Ikeda. "There's one last thing I'd like to ask," Ikeda said. "You spent three years attending this school. I'd like to know what you thought of this place and what your time here was like."

"Well, I- erm … I-"

"Take your time Ushio, be honest." Ikeda smiled once more. Ushio took a minute to think back on her years at school. How could she summarise three years in only one answer? She thought back to her lessons, her teachers, school clubs and events. She thought about her friends and how all their lives had changed upon meeting each other … for better or worse. She remembered a conversation between Kaito and herself, a conversation started by one simple question: Do you like this school?

"Overall, I've really enjoyed my time here," Ushio began. "My third year was the most eventful and impactful. I think in that final year I really understood how important not only education was, but friendships and companionship also. Not just with my group of friends but with teachers and those that would try to help and support us. This school allowed me to find people that were like minded and that I could find common ground with. It was one of the happiest times of my life and I do miss those days. Having said that, you asked me to be honest and so I will."

"Go on," Ikeda encouraged. Ushio nodded.

"Despite how dear I hold this school in my heart, I do believe there are things that can change for the better. There were issues with bullying, higher archery among students and enthusiasm towards certain clubs and subjects. I believe this school should be a place to be open and honest with ourselves whilst we are here, and I know that it should be a safe environment for students and teachers to express themselves and share their time here with each other. I think it's a special place and I feel that I want to be a part of what makes this school as good as it is and as good as it can be."

"That's exactly what I want for this school," Ikeda agreed. "We need everyone to have the attitude that you have Ushio, it's why I took this position in the first place. This school has so much potential, and I am aiming to not only achieve it but surpass it." Ushio held a beaming smile as she listened to Ikeda's words. Ushio felt a sense of admiration for the woman, she was someone Ushio could look up to, someone she could aspire to be like if she would so choose. Mrs. Ikeda let out a satisfied sigh as she smiled. "Well, I think that brings us to the end of our interview Ushio."

"Right," Ushio nodded. Ikeda got up from her chair as Ushio did the same.

"Kouko should still be waiting outside for you, I'll come and say goodbye." The two of them made their way to the door as Ikeda gestured to the desk behind them. "Don't forget your works of art," the woman smiled. Ushio looked to the table as she shook her head.

"Oh, thanks for reminding me," she laughed, a little embarrassed. She moved over to the table as she picked up her portfolio and brought the strap over her shoulder, letting it hang by her side.

"Before we head out," Ikeda began. "I just want to say it's been an absolute pleasure meeting you, Ushio."

"Thank you," Ushio replied, giving a small bow of her head in respect, one that Ikeda returned.

"You're very welcome." Ikeda said. They made their way over the exit as Ikeda opened the door for Ushio. Coming out into the hall, they saw Kouko just sat off to the side, her head in a book. "All finished, Kouko." Ikeda announced. Kouko's head popped up from behind her book as she smiled. Placing her book in her handbag, she stood up and joined the other two.

"Well, how did it go?" Kouko asked. Ushio looked to Kouko and then to Ikeda.

"As well as it could have," Ikeda smiled. Kouko nodded as she gave a proud smile to Ushio. Ushio looked back over to Ikeda, wanting to speak.

"If I could just ask," she began as Ikeda looked over. "I don't want to push but when can I expect to hear from you?"

"In regard to?"

"You're decision?" Ushio said, as if it was obvious. Ikeda let out a slight laugh as she spoke.

"Oh, there's no need for that," she said. Ushio looked confused as Ikeda continued. "Ushio, I think you'll fit in here extremely well. I'd be more than happy to have you as part of my team, especially with Kouko acting as your mentor and partner." Ushio felt tears coming on, ones of joy. Yet, she fought them back.

"R-really?" Ushio uttered with a sniff.

"Absolutely," Ikeda affirmed. "I think you have a lot to bring to this school, if you're sure you want the position. Right Kouko?"

"Right," echoed Kouko who looked on at Ushio proudly.

"I- I don't know what to say," Ushio said with a slight croak of her voice.

"Say yes Ushio," Kouko laughed. Ushio gave a light chuckled.

"Yes. Of course, yes."

"Wonderful," Ikeda beamed. "I'll get sorted through the nit and grit of it all this next week, but I'm keen for you to start, most likely in two weeks or so once all is confirmed. That will let you get a good feel for the job and allow you to have a 'trial' under Kouko. Then it's the summer holidays and you can truly get started come second term. Is that agreeable?"

"It is," Ushio nodded.

"Oh, Ushio. I'm so proud of you!" Kouko beamed, embracing the young woman. As she let Ushio go, Ikeda spoke once more.

"Right Kouko, shall we give Ushio a tour of the teacher's lounge? We can have a cup of tea and a nice old chat."

"What do you say Ushio?" Asked Kouko. "Ready to see a whole new side of the school?" She jested. Ushio fought a grin as she gave an eager nod.

"I'm ready." She smiled. With that, the three of them made their way down the school hallway and towards the teacher's lounge. Ushio had done it. She was ready to take her first steps into a much larger world.

---

The cool light of the moon crept through the blinds that covered the window of Kaito's bedroom. The man was laid back on his bed, illuminated by the lamp light that came from his bedside. He had been reading a book that was lent to him by Rin, 'The Positive Eye: Looking in from a new perspective'. He had tried his best to take in what the contents of the book was trying to tell him. Though, the distractions that had begun to plague his mind recently would not allow anything to stick. Letting out an exhausted sigh, he closed the book and placed it onto his bedside. Laying back once more, he closed his eyes. He thought back to the events of the day. Although he had yet to hear back about the result of his interview, he was admittedly quite proud himself for potentially securing a new job, one that did not involve cleaning streets. A slight smile came over his face. Just then, a half-hearted knock came over Kaito's bedroom door as the smiled faded. Kaito sat up as he brought his leg over to the side of his bed. He looked on at his bedroom door, unsure as to if he should answer, for he knew who was on the other side. "Kaito?" A voiced asked. Kaito did not reply. "Look man, I just have something I need to tell you." The voice said. "Its … Its important." Kaito shook his head as he got up from his bed. Slumping over to his door, he unlocked it and opened it a few inches. Takeshi was stood on the other side, looking back at him.

"Everything alright?" Kaito asked dryly. Takeshi was quiet as his eyes moved away from Kaito, not able to keep eye contact. However, he was able manage a shrug.

"I've had a rough day." Takeshi replied, bringing his hand up to his cheek where his supervisor had struck him. Kaito noticed this, though he didn't bring attention to it. Takeshi's eyes drifted back to the man in front as he swallowed what was left of his pride. "Look man, I'm not here to talk about any of the shit that's gone on. I just need to tell you something." Admitted Takeshi. Kaito shrugged his shoulders.

"Go ahead," he muttered.

"Right." Takeshi began. "Last week, I applied for a new position at work. It's a much higher position, as it turns out I was successful." He said, looking on at Kaito who appeared disinterested in his words. Of course, he would be though. In Takeshi's eyes, Kaito had always been jealous of the man's progression within his career. This was no different. "Anyway. It's in the centre of Tokyo. So …"

"So, you're moving out?" Kaito asked, already knowing the answer. Takeshi nodded, once again breaking eye contact. "Okay." Kaito nodded. "Well, congratulations." He added, unsure as to whether he meant it or not. Takeshi met his eyes again as they stood there for a moment, silent. Letting out a sigh, Takeshi spoke.

"You needed to know."

"Okay," Kaito nodded. Takeshi tapped his fingers on the wooden frame of Kaito's door. Kaito stared back, he thought for a moment that Takeshi may have more to say. Although, Takeshi remained quiet. The fair-haired man merely nodded again as he gave one final tap on the door and turned around, making his way over to his own room and coming to a stop as he held the doorknob in his grasp. Kaito watched him as Takeshi hung his head. From seemingly nowhere, Kaito felt a sudden urge to speak out, perhaps wanting to apologise or to ask for Takeshi to stay. But no. He couldn't. Those urges had come to a stop as Kaito's mind ran through memories of the two at odds, trading blows and hurling insults. Takeshi brought his head back up as he turned the doorknob and entered the room, locking the door behind him. Kaito leant his head back against the open door. He stood there for a while, thinking over the life changing news that Takeshi had just dropped on him. However, the news was all but dismissed by the intrusive image that haunted Kaito lately. The image of a hulking and vile boy. The image of one who had claimed the life of Kaito's dear friend Juni. That image … that boy. Gaku.

~*74*~