"So! The game we are playing this evening is..." Mion reached into the satchel Keiichi had grabbed, a noticeable sound of clinking glass coming from within, and pulled out a fresh deck of playing cards, to everyone's surprise. "...Poker! We'll be using a fresh deck, since in this game, it's about how well you can lie! And knowing what the cards are wouldn't fit Poker anyways." She sat down on the floor, joining the others in the clubs circle. "I'll explain the rules and then the fun can begin."

Rika listened half intently, her mind drawn more to Satoko. She glanced over to her, studying her expression and eyes. Whatever pain she showed earlier was gone, maybe seeing her brother and friends was the issue? No, if that was it, Satoko would've told her outright. Turning back to Mion, Rika decided to ask the burning question before the club president could finish. "You didn't mention the penalty game, what is it?"

Mion laughed, grabbing the satchel again. She pulled out a bottle of clear liquid along with an equally sized bottle of a dark, translucent liquid. "The penalty is two fold! If you lose your hand, you must take a shot of one of these!" A stack of 3 small glasses appeared from the satchel, Mion setting them down in front of her. "These are called [shot glasses], and you have to 'take a shot'. Either of this [whiskey] or [vodka]." She jubilantly held the two bottles up, letting the group admire them. "And before you protest, Rika-chan and Satoko-chan are almost old enough to drink, so it shouldn't be a problem with friends. Any objections?" Silence. "Very good. And part two of your penalty is, whoever wins the hand gets to choose someone and they MUST reveal a secret!"

With no objections, Mion dealt the cards and the game began. Rika looked at the hand she was dealt and chuckled. The loops she suffered pale in comparison to the cards she held, the irony not lost on her. She put 4 cards down and was dealt another 4, hoping for better luck, but was met with an equally bad hand. Her disgruntled expression was clear to everyone. "I think I'm out this round."

"Rikaaaaa-chan, you have to lie! You can't give up if your hand is bad!"

Another chuckle. The irony was even heavier now, unbeknownst to Mion. "Ah well, there's always the next hand, right? Now lemme take my penalty." Mion slid over one of the shot glasses, silently pointing to both Satoko and Rika. "Let's go with the clear stuff. That should be easier, right?" Rika narrowed her eyes as Mion let out an evil giggle, and poured the vodka into the shot glass. Rika raised the glass to the group, and gulped down the vodka in one swift motion. "Not bad, thought it-ack! Keugh!" A fiery sensation engulfed her throat, causing Rika to cough. "Wh-what the hell, Mion!? Was that rubbing alcohol!?"

"Nope. It's 150 proof [vodka]. I imported it from Russia a while back, just for this occasion." Mion lightly shook the bottle with a massive grin. "You better be glad I didn't somehow get some [moonshine] from America. Now THAT stuff will knock you on your ass, flat!"

As time passed and the hands dropped, Satoko was the first winner. "Mion-san, reveal your secret!"

"Ahaha, well, starting next year, I'll be taking over Angel Mort from my uncle! The new owner and manager of that location, and I already have plans to spread it across Japan!"

A small round of applause was given, though something was on Rika's mind. "What about your family. Weren't you supposed to be the new head?"

"Yeeeeaaahhhh, but after some talks, everyone agreed. It took a while, but...it's worth it."


Another hand dealt, more shots thrown back, with Rika coming out on top. A warmth washed over her body as a fuzziness started to blur her vision. Through the blobs in front of her, Rika pointed to Rena. "I choose you, Rena!"

"Um, I'm going to be a teacher next year. I haven't decided between teaching a high school English class, or teaching elementary students."

Rika was surprised. English? Teaching? Rena didn't seem to be the type. "What made you choose teaching?"

"Chie-sensei inspired me. I met up with her a while back and we got talking about her time here. And here I am, wanting to follow in her footsteps!"

Another small applause given.

The next few hands came and went too fast for Rika to remember as the alcohol started to take its toll. But every new secret surprised her; Keiichi wants to follow his father in becoming an artist, Shion will be taking over as the Sonozaki head once their grandmother passes, and while not a secret in the same sense, Satoshi embarrassingly admitted that in his 5 year coma, he remembered dreaming about Satoko and Shion often. And then the next winner, Keiichi, picked Rika, putting her on the spot. "With Rika-chan in a drunken state, she will reveal her greatest secret!"

"Bhwa...why meeeee?"

"Because Satoko hasn't touched the stuff and you're already three sheets to the wind."

Rika turned to Satoko, a bit hurt. She pouted and leaned in close. "Whyyyyy Satokoooooo?"

"Because someone will need to help your drunk ass back home, and we have the longest trek back." Satoko turned to face Rika, not with frustration, but with a smile. "You deserve this. Enjoy it, for me."

Rika stayed put, never looking away from Satoko's eyes. "My secret? Satoko-chan is going to be my wife!" Rika fell towards Satoko, letting her head fall into the latters lap. "Fuck the law, we're gonna get married!" She felt her eyelids become heavy, the warmth radiating from Satoko's thigh lulling her more into the darkness as she felt the world spin. Rika closed her eyes tight, the dizzyness abating. "If that's good enough, everything is spinning, so I'm gonna just close my eyes for a bit...yeah..." The others rambled on, Rika paying them little mind.

"Rika-chan, I said to tell us a secret, not something painfully obvious."

"Well, it's news to me at least, Keiichi-san. Satoko, when were you gonna tell me about this? And does *he* know?"

"It's fine, Nii-Nii. Uncle Teppei is perfectly fine with it, and I guess Rika and I knew for a long time what our feelings were, but we were too afraid to say anything to each other till today. So it's been building for a while, and that dam finally broke. Heh, ironic."

"Well, as I said before, Satoko-chan, I'll root for ya and smack down anyone that tries to stop ya."


A bright light. Clamoring up steps. The rustling of clothes and the soft sensation of a pillow was all Rika felt on her way back to the shack. The world was spinning, and Rika could barely watch Satoko get changed, only getting salvation from the immense dizziness after fully rolling onto her side and facing the wall. Satoko was soon in front of her, with yet another pained expression. "Satoookoooo, why do you look so sad? We had fun, didn't weeeeee?"

"Yeah. We did..."

Rika felt a hand slide around her back as Satoko scooted closer and rested her head against Rika's small chest. Something was off, Rika thought, making her sober up a little bit. "Are you thinking about what's been bothering you all day?" She caressed Satoko's head in her hands, letting her fingers flow over and over through the golden blonde strands. Unable to help herself, Rika pressed her lips against Satoko's head, giving it multiple kisses. "You ready to talk about it?"

Satoko shook her head. "No...you're drunk, and it's late. And I need to just, get my head and thoughts straightened out first."

Rika sighed, rubbing her face into the mass of gold in her hands. Her eyes felt heavy as their shared warmth enveloped her. With a final, tender kiss to Satoko, Rika let the rest her body desired overtake her as the darkness of sleep blanketed her.


Floating through the void of unconsciousness, Rika felt a sudden pull, causing her to fall. The abruptness of it snapped her awake as she bolted upright with a gasp. As her breathing began to slow and her heart stopped pounding against her chest, Rika let out a long, much needed sigh. "It was just a dream. It was just a-"

Rika froze. Her voice wasn't her own. It sounded like...a childs voice. A chill ran down her spine as she looked at her surroundings. A futon on the floor was all she was laying on, with a separate one next to her. Her breathing quickened alongside her heartbeat, as she turned her head towards a familiar spot. Dread gripped her soul and her blood ran cold as she walked to the calander she wished wasn't there. Rika simply stared at the date. June 12, 1983.

No, no, that can't be right. Something's wrong. Nononononono! Why now!? Why? WHY!?

"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUCKKKK!" Rika howled in anger and fear. She grabbed her head, trembling, trying to wrap her mind around how it happened. Where was Hanyuu? What killed her? She was sleeping next to Satoko and...she didn't want to finish that thought. "GOD DAMMIT!" Rearing her head back, Rika slammed it into the calendar dictating her worst fear. A light throbbing pulsed from her forehead as tears started streaming down her face. 'This can't be happening...where did I go wrong?'

"Rika! Are you okay?"

Rika turned to see Satoko, now a child again, looking at her worriedly. She said nothing as Satoko walked over and wiped the tears from her face, shaking her trembling body.

"You gotta wake up."

"Huh?" Rika stared at Satoko, puzzled. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Wake up, Rika!"

Satoko began shaking Rika violently, frightening her to the core. "Satoko, please stop, what's going on?"

"Rika, you gotta wake up, please!"

A violent flash of light blinded Rika, pain searing through her eyes, before a jolt forced them open. In front of her was a worried and crying Satoko, the matured one Rika had been sleeping next to. "Oh thank goodness you woke up. You scared me to death!"

"Wha...what happened?" Rika felt weary, slowly pulling herself up alongside Satoko. A familiar pulse of pain echoed in her head, causing her to wince. "Ah, what the hell?"

"You were having a nightmare, I think." Satoko said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You were tossing and turning, and wound up headbutting me. When that didn't wake you, I got scared and kept trying to shake you awake."

Rika stared at Satoko, intent on giving thanks, but an eruption of emotions caused her to break into sobs as she embraced her friend. She couldn't find any words to say, feeling Satoko's hands running up and down her back, only sobbing harder into Satoko's shoulder.

"It's okay, Rika. It's...okay, you were just having a bad dream, okay? It wasn't real."

Rika gripped Satoko tighter, feeling the pain of those words in her heart. "You don't understand." She halted her sobbing to merely hiccups, trying to say what was running through her mind. "I was back there again. In 1983." Silence. Rika expected Satoko to respond with words, but was met with an equal mount of sobbing. "It felt so real and I thought I was done with these nightmares!"

"...talk to me Rika."

Rika took a long, deep breath, calming her nerves and slowing her tears. The pain and fear she was about to recount weighed heavily on her mind. "You...you remember those letters you sent me, right?"

"...yeah."

"...for a while, I'd have that same exact nightmare. Waking up back in 1983." A sullen mood overcame Rika, her true voice coming out as she recollected. "I would live through days, weeks, even entire months in these nightmares, watching everyone die over and over again before waking up, only to repeat again the next night."

"...I'm sorry..."

"I can't even remember when it started, but those letters, they helped me from having them."

Rika felt Satoko tense up, gripping her friend tighter. "...h-how did they help?"

"I'd read them, every night before I went to sleep. Your words...they helped at keeping me grounded. I'd wind up dreaming about you a lot, and one day, the nightmares...just never came back. Even after I stopped reading them due to studies."

"You didn't get mad that I...stopped writing to you?"

"I was, at first, but since I never got around to writing you back, I can't blame you."

"What about the fancy friends I told you about?"

Rika shook her head and pulled back to stare Satoko in the eyes. Bloodshot and tear stained, she reverted back to her normal voice to ease the mood. "That didn't last as long as I expected. Turns out they don't want to know the whole you, only the side accepted as 'high society'. Even after being trapped here for over a century, a small part of me missed the simpleness of it all, I guess. Those girls didn't like that." Rika let out another sigh, her nerves finally settled. "I guess my emotions went haywire while I was sleeping and whatever defenses I had broke down."

"...I'm so sorry, Rika."

Rika simply gave Satoko a warm smile, bringing her forehead against her friends. "For what?" A twinge of pain nailed her heart as she stared into Satoko's eyes. Whatever suffering Satoko was feeling was palpable, and the pain inside herself only grew the longer she stared at her friend.

"For...for bringing you back into the loops."

"...it's okay, Satoko. I'd forgiven you long ago. It's-"

Rika gasped as she was pushed away, the waterworks starting up again for Satoko. "I-I did terrible things! Ripped you from your dream, caused so many deaths, and k-killed you more times than I can count! For what?! My own stupid, selfish desires!"

"Satoko...I forgive you, okay? It's in the past."

"That's not it, at all! I've been feeling this-this sense of guilt for the past two years! And no matter what I do, it won't go away!"

Another knife of pain to the heart. Rika crawled over to Satoko, who'd curled up with her arms around her knees. Rika whispered gently, embracing her friend again and rested her forehead on Satoko's head. "Let it all out, Satoko. You've been suffering in your own head all day, so please, let it all out."

"I don't deserve to live. Or you." Rika couldn't help but sharing in Satoko's sobs, overcome with the agony her friend was letting free. "I wanted to die, Rika. Any time I thought of you, my heart ached and I wanted to end it. I remember each of those loops clear as day, and the fear in your eyes...as you would die." Satoko brought her head up, meeting Rika's pain filled stare. "I was gonna shoot myself, and be reborn into a world where you didn't exist. It's what I deserve, but I guess..." A pained chuckle escaped her lips. "...I guess the courage to pull the trigger on others is easier than pulling it on yourself permanently. I can still feel my hands trembling, holding the barrel in my mouth. My mind screaming 'do it do it DO IT' over and over..."

Rika said nothing, only gripping Satoko tighter.

"But I thought of you for some reason. Your smile. Your laugh. The warmth of your hand in mine, and...I wanted to see you one more time. I knew if I didn't, it would just hurt you."

"And you think killing yourself wouldn't have hurt even more?"

"No, but I-...I don't know how to deal with this guilt anymore, Rika! I hate it, and I hate myself for it!"

Rika stared down at her friend, mentally stabbing herself in her soul for what she was about to do. Raising her hand, Rika slapped Satoko across the face with a sharp SMACK, her expression warping into a mix of anger and sadness. "You live with it, and you forgive yourself." Leaning back away from Satoko, Rika wiped her eyes, and took Satoko's hands into her own. "You've forgiven your uncle for the pain and suffering he put you through, right? After him wanting to turn his life around?"

"But," Satoko stuttered, "but that only came about because of the loops effected him! It's not the same!"

"Did. You. Forgive. Him?" Satoko silently nodded before Rika continued. "No matter how it happened, Teppei wanted to turn his life around, and try and fix what he's done. You don't think he had to deal with the guilt of hurting you and Satoshi? It still weighs on his mind, since Satoshi hasn't quite accepted it, but you giving him a chance was more than enough for him to do better. He still has to live with those actions, and he does everything he can to not let those actions push him down again. Teppei proved that earlier today, you know?" Rika reached out, caressing and stroking the cheek she had slapped, making Satoko wince. "I don't want you to hurt yourself over all this, we both have been through enough suffering. Even if it takes you years to forgive yourself, I would rather see you here crying, than not have you at all." She pressed her head against her friends and let out a deep breath, nearly choking on her words. "I...I would rather relive 1983 again, deal with all of this again, than to be in a world without you."

They sat in silence for a moment before Satoko pulled Rika into her arms. "I'm so sorry Rika...I don't know what to do..."

"We can figure that out in the morning, okay?" Rika ran her fingers through Satoko's hair, gently caressing her head. "We're tired, and sleep will do us good, okay?"

"Alright..."

Pulling Satoko down onto the pillows, Rika slid down and nestled her head against Satoko's chest. She felt the beating heart underneath, and let out a yawn. "Can I...can I hold you like this?"

"I'd love that. Goodnight, Rika."

"Goodnight, Satoko."


A ray of moonlight and the sing-song of birds woke the sleeping Rika, who stayed still with eyes shut tight as consciousness came forward. The gentle heartbeat resounding in her head gave her the courage to open her eyes, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. She was still in the present, wrapped in the arms of Satoko. She gently slipped out of that warm embrace, saddened to leave it so early, but something in her needed to go to a familiar place. Rika put on some slippers and realized she was in her pajamas, when last she remembered before waking in the night, she was in a green floral dress. She blushed at the thought of Satoko helping her drunk self undress and redress, but pushed those thoughts out for later. With a determined breath, Rika slipped on a light jacket and quietly left the shack, then started towards the Furude Shrine.

Walking up the familiar path with the moonlight on her back, memories of the past, of the hundreds of deaths she suffered, of the small bits of happiness she gained in each loop, ran through her mind. Multiple lifetimes of memories that felt so far away, but still haunted her. Rika shook her head as she passed over the last few steps and entered the shrine grounds proper. It looked pristine, even with the years of natural damage. She let herself smile for a moment, before calling out a name she hadn't spoken or thought of in years. "Hanyuu, are you here?"

Silence, but before long, an apparition appeared before her. Donned in a red and white shrine maiden dress with pink sleeves, long, lavender, straight hair, and a set of small black horns, the apparition floated to the ground in front of Rika. "Hello, Rika. It's been some time, hasn't it?"

"Hanyuu, why were you spying on me yesterday?"

"Auuauu, straight to the point, huh?" The spirit, Hanyuu, covered her face with her hands to hide her blushed face. "I-I didn't mean to, I felt you were back in the village but you were with Satoko and I didn't want to disturb you. How did you know I was there?"

"I heard you. You may have been invisible, but I have ears." Frustrated, Rika crossed her arms and glared at the spirit. "I'm going to assume you left after things got intimate?"

"Yes. I came back here, though with you being so close again, I was able to uh, feel everything you felt..."

Rika's face flushed red. She forgot about her spiritual connection with Hanyuu, cursing at herself internally. "...everything?"

Hanyuu covered her face with her sleeves again, her face becoming redder than Rika's. "Y-yes...what you and Satoko share is special, so I'm glad my plan wor-eep!"

"Plan?" Rika cocked her head to the side, glaring a hole through what opaqueness the spirit had, her embarrassment replaced with anger. "Hanyuu, what kind of scheme did you pull?"

"It-it was just a small thing but...it was necessary. Please, believe me, I meant no ill will, but if I didn't do something, Satoko would have...died."

Her heart skipped a beat. Satoko would have died? Was this about the things Satoko said? "Hanyuu." Rika's eyes softened, bringing her focus onto the dark violet eyes of the spirit. "If you're completely honest with me, I won't punish you. Satoko and I had a...lengthy talk in the middle of the night, and something has been bothering me about what she said."

"Only if you promise." Rika nodded as Hanyuu brought herself a mere few inches away. "Very well...it was late summer, last year. I've been watching over Satoko, just in case something happened. It was fine for a while, seeing her reunite with Satoshi was heartwarming for me. But over time, Satoko started to falter. And last summer was her breaking point I guess." Hanyuu lowered her head. "She was going to kill herself, Rika. I couldn't understand why, but I knew if she died, it would break you." She raised her head back up, staring Rika in the eyes. "So, as the guardian deity of this village, of its people and as y-...mmm, I intervened."

"...I won't say I'm not grateful, but you meddled in human affairs again."

"It was to save someone you love."

"And you couldn't somehow do that in any of the other loops? At all?"

"We didn't know what to do or who to trust, Rika."

Rika peered deep into Hanyuu's eyes. It was strange; anger should have filled her, but all she felt was relief. Hanyuu had only ever changed things 2 other times, and each time it changed things for the better, in the end. Maybe this time will be like that as well? Rika dropped her arms to her sides, and gave the spirit a smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I shouldn't be angry with you, you saved someone special to me." Rika chuckled as the stoic Hanyuu seemed to relax. "And I want to thank you."

"In a way, I couldn't have done it without you." Rika cocked her head again, with curiosity instead of anger. "I didn't know what to do, and I feared how you would react, and it hit me; have her remember *you*."

"Memories? But Satoko told me she would feel...terrible whenever she thought of me."

"Memories are different than thoughts, Rika. I remember nearly everything we've gone through, and I know many things that you simply can't. So, I found every single happy memory I had of you two, even ones she never experienced, and just shoved them into her mind. I didn't know if it would work, but it was all I could think of...but it did."

Rika wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes. A faint warmth filled her chest, knowing her smile saved her best friend. "I guess I can't get upset with you, can I?" She reached out and 'patted' Hanyuu on the head, despite being unable to touch her. "Thank you, Hanyuu. I'll get some of those cream puffs you like so much, okay?"

"Only if that's what you desire, Rika. I simply did what I needed to, to keep my daughter happy."

A feeling of pride swelled within in her, nearly causing Rika to break into tears again. She opened her mouth to talk, but was interrupted by Hanyuu fading away and a voice from nearby.

"There you are Rika! You had me worried!" A distraught Satoko trotted over to Rika, breathing heavily, and placed a hand on Rika's shoulder. "Damn, I knew I wasn't in the best shape, but a little jog from the house shouldn't wind me this much!"

"I'm sorry, Satoko. I didn't want to wake you, but I wanted to...get some fresh air this morning." Rika stayed silent for a moment, feeling for Hanyuu's presence, but felt nothing. They were alone. "Are you...feeling any better?"

The ragged Satoko let out one more deep breath, before letting go of Rika and standing straight. "...I think I am. Not sure how I'll feel after you leave though."

This made Rika wince. She hadn't said anything to Satoko about how long she'd be staying, and it seemed Satoko believed Rika would be leaving very soon. "Come here, I want us to see something." Rika grabbed Satoko's hand and began to walk her up a nearby hill, leading to an overlook that peered over the entirety of Hinamizawa.

"Rika, this place..." Satoko pulled her hand away, and walked to the railing lining the cliffs edge. "What did you want to see here?"

Rika followed suit, and leaned against the railing. She jiggled the railing back and forth, testing the sturdiness, and found it acceptable. "I wanted to watch the sunrise with you. We're both already awake, and the sun should be up soon." She turned her head to Satoko, curious. "Did you want to go back to sleep or something?"

"No, it's...it brings back awful feelings." Satoko went silent, and Rika stayed silent with her for a few moments. But as Rika went to speak, Satoko started before her. "We had come here and I told you my worries about St. Lucia, you know? Well, I guess it was but wasn't you at the same time. And even after telling you my honest feelings, you insisted I go with you, and you even promised me. You promised you wouldn't leave me all by myself. That you'd help me whenever I needed it..."

"And I didn't keep that promise, did I?" A lump formed in Rika's throat as she held back tears. She turned to Satoko, who was letting hers flow. "I didn't think of your feelings, at all, and hurt you." Rika reached over and took Satoko's trembling hand in her own. "I know I can't change what has happened, but I want to fix it, if I can."

"But you'll be leaving soon, won't you?"

"What made you think that?" Rika pulled Satoko closer, grabbing her other hand, and held them close together. "I'm staying here till March, dummy! After everything I dealt with at school, I need a break, and coming home after so long will do be come good." She stroked the rough, scarred fingers that she held, tracing the scars over and over. "There's so, SO much I want to talk to you about, and by uh, last nights talk, you have a lot you need to talk to me about..."

Satoko stared down at the hands caressing her own and said nothing.

"We've been best friends for many, many years. I know we've hurt each other. And there's a lot of things that need to be said between us. Even if you feel like you don't deserve it, I want us to find a way to work things out." Rika stepped close, laying her head against Satoko's shoulder. "Even if we disagree or fight, or anything that comes our way, I want us to work together to find a way through it. And I..." She stopped herself, realizing what words were about to be said, and pulled back, still holding Satoko's hands in hers. She looked into the eyes of her best friend, silently praying she's saying the right things. "Satoko?"

Satoko brought her head back up, and returned Rika's gaze. "Will you promise me? And keep to it?"

"I promise you, Satoko, that we'll work through everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen. And if I break that promise..." Rika inhaled deeply, letting out a long breath before choosing her words. "Get angry with me. Tell me I broke this promise. Slap some sense into me if you have to." She raised a hand, placing it against Satoko's cheek, with Satoko holding her hand in place. "No more do overs, no more loops. We make the best of THIS life, come what may, okay?"

Satoko nodded, nuzzling against the hand holding her cheek. "Okay...I hope you know I'm gonna be stubborn a lot of the time, so if you're ready for that, I think we can work things out."

"There's one more...thing I want to say, Satoko." Rika felt nervous as a sense of nausea overtook her. She brought her hand, still clasped with Satoko's, back down beside her other. The red-orange glow of the sun peeked itself over the nearby mountaintops, basking the early morning sky in an array of colors. "That kiss yesterday, it...it meant more than you might think." Rika watched as Satoko turned beet red, with herself following as well.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Rika took in another deep breath, and closed her eyes. Hanyuu gave her this chance, and she knew she couldn't let it go. "Thank you, Hanyuu." Opening her eyes, Rika steeled herself, and let her words flow. "I love you, Satoko. I've loved you and been in love with you for years, decades even. Through all the loops before...before we made mistakes that hurt each other...you were my anchor. The one thing that kept me grounded, through the countless fragments I had to go through. I knew I cared about you, but yesterday, it made me realize just how much." Rika fell silent, wanting and waiting for a response. Satoko just stared back with a nervous expression. "If you don't know what to say, I can-"

"No, no, just-" Rika could tell Satoko was struggling, her lips quivering from trying to speak those words Rika wanted to hear. "I...I've loved you for years too. I wanted to tell you before you left for Lucia, but a part of me couldn't say it. I love you, Rika, and I just wish-"

"You don't need to say anymore than that, Satoko." Rika lightly squeezed the hands she held, giving the woman before her a bright smile. "Let's just enjoy this, okay? It's like an immense weight left my shoulders."

Satoko let out her held breath, returning Rika's smile. "Yeah, I feel that way too...and thank you, Rika."

"For what?"

"I'm not gonna say. Not yet. But still, thank you."

Rika continued to gaze into the rose orbs in front of her. Her old dream of Satoko joining her at St. Lucia wasn't fulfilled, but it led her to this point. She internally chuckled; maybe you don't need to fulfill all of your dreams to be happy? she thought. The sun continued to rise over the horizon, basking her and Satoko in its warm, golden glow. Satoko looked even more beautiful in the light, Rika thought. This moment, it was worth it. She gave another gentle squeeze, softening her gaze, and said the words she had so much trouble saying, but now, it felt natural. It was meant to be.

"I love you, Satoko Hojo."

"I love you too, Rika Furude."