"Wow." Ryo managed to breathe out. Shuu just stared at his large
hands, which were grasping his beer tightly. Touma looked quite nervous,
not knowing the best way to tell Shin's obviously aching heart his part of
the news. She sighed, as he leaned back in his seat and pushed his hands
deep into his pant pockets.
"So now I'm back home. And I haven't even been able to do so much as look at another woman then to think about dating again." Shin looked over at the window, gazing out at still night sky.
"And that's why your sister sounded so strange on the phone." Said Shuu, returning his gaze back to Shin. "All she said was, 'he's back in Shinjuku', and hung up." Shin nodded in response.
"But I don't understand something." blurted out Ryo. They all arched their necks awkwardly towards where he was sitting. "Why couldn't she have come with you back to your apartment?"
"We both knew there was no way of supporting each other with the kind of money I make working at the restaurant." Shin looked back over to the window, as if he was waiting for something to be there with him. Still grasping onto his lost hope. He closed his eyes for a brief second, and sighed again. "I can't even see my own niece."
"Dammnit Shin. I hate to see you like this!" Shuu began to frown, and took his heavy palm off his drink and clenched it into a fist. "Why is it that every girl you meet, you end up breaking up? And then getting all depressed over it?" He took a quick gulp from his beer, and slammed the bottom of the bottle back on the table. "What is it with you? It's like you've lost your faith." Both Touma and Ryo raised their eyebrows and gave Shuu a nervous look. Shin slowly shifted his emotional eyes at Shuu, keeping his head pointed to the window, as if he feared that if he moved his body the hope within would never return. "You're like a lost child ever since we stopped fighting." A child. Shin winced as that word pierced through his spirit. Suddenly the hope didn't matter as he quickly turned his body around to face his friend.
"You know why Shuu? It's been that way for me because everyone around me treats me like a child!" Touma swallowed and shifted in his chair, nervously checking his watch. "After the new yoroi appeared, I just felt different. I didn't feel complete." Shuu almost looked sorry for opening his mouth.
"But what makes this one so special to you? It's not like you haven't been in love before." Said Ryo, leaning over and trying his best to comfort him.
"Because." Shin slumped even further down into his chair. "In her eyes, I'm a man. She made me feel stronger, more confident. To her.. I feel as if I'm really worthy to carry the burden of being named a trooper." His powerful words sunk deeply into their hearts. Even Byakuen, who was lying down in the corner of the large dining room, raised his heavy and fluffy head to stare at Shin with deep thought. "Well." Said Shuu, smiling, and raising his beer in the air. "I'll drink to that. To the women in our lives that make us feel like." He took his hand and patted his deep chest. He breathed in deeply through his open mouth. "Men!" his deep voice echoed, and he finished with a deep gulp of his drink. Everyone smiled and laughed a bit. Shin sighed, and took his hands out his pockets, and rested them on the table. Touma still looked distressed. He quickly rubbed his slightly sweaty palms on his jeans and fixed his long blue bangs that hung over his eyes.
"Shin." He glanced over, slightly smiling. The warm environment in the house and being among his friends naturally healed his emotional wounds. For a little bit anyway. "What did you say her name was again?"
"Her name is Hiryuu. Hiryuu Kinomoto." Touma looked even more worried than before.
"Oh." He swallowed, raising his eyebrows. "I suppose I better-"
"Wait a minute!" Shin quickly interrupted him. They looked at him with great interest. "Where the heck is Seiji?" He looked around as if Seiji would be hiding behind the curtains or behind a chair. Then, with accurate timing, the doorbell rang loudly.
"That must be Seiji!" Shouted Nasuti from the kitchen. Ryo sighed and rolled his eyes as she ran over to the front door, not bothering to take off her apron. Everyone else laughed. They slowly got up, almost as slowly as Byakuen.
"Seiji has his new girlfriend with him, doesn't he?" asked Ryo casually.
"New girlfriend?" said Shin with curiosity. He smiled widely, wondering which type of longhaired bimbo he had latched onto his arm this time. Touma coughed.
"Yeah he does."
"I forgot her name!" Said Shuu, not forgetting to bring along his drink. He laughed. "Must be the beer!"
As they made their way through the hallway, they could hear Nasty's giggles and Seiji's laughter. Ryo reached them first. Words glided through the air, as though Shin moved in slow motion. The sounds of their voices so familiar. Finally, after Shuu, he reached his destination. Seiji smiled at Shin, and broke his tight hug with Nasty, and resting his hand on his new partner in life. Ryo looked over at Shin was well, and Shuu stood there, watching. Time felt as if it had come to a sudden halt, as Shin stopped in his tracks, and his blue eyes met her familiar brown ones. The same brown eyes he had stared lovingly into, hovering over her naked body the night he learned that the soul of a trooper had no boundaries in this crazy universe. Seiji's new love stood still as well, as her pink lips curled out of her warm smile. Her hand gently gripped even tighter into Seiji's arm. "Hiryuu." Shin breathed out through his partially opened lips. Touma's eyes were wide, and he looked as pale as a ghost. Everyone grew quiet, too quiet. Everyone stopped smiling too. Seiji looked over at Hiryuu, and then back at Shin, and then back at Hiryuu. He looked so dominate and fierce as he towered over her in his black trench coat, his blonde hair curled perfectly over his right eye. Seiji tried to smile again.
"You two. Know each other?" Neither Shin nor Hiryuu moved an inch. Touma hesitantly rested his hand on Shin's stiff shoulder.
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier. I." He stopped himself from talking, and just shook his head in hatred of himself. Shin's felt as if his heart was stuck in his neck, so much so he thought everyone could see it beating under his skin. The awkward silence was killing them all. In that instant Shin knew he loved her more than anything he has ever seen, felt, touched, or tasted in his entire lifetime. And knowing Seiji. His love could be the death of himself. Closing his eyes, he thought of a prayer to the great matchmaker in the sky, asking the great god why. Why? Out of all the heavenly creatures born onto this earth, why was she the one?
"So now I'm back home. And I haven't even been able to do so much as look at another woman then to think about dating again." Shin looked over at the window, gazing out at still night sky.
"And that's why your sister sounded so strange on the phone." Said Shuu, returning his gaze back to Shin. "All she said was, 'he's back in Shinjuku', and hung up." Shin nodded in response.
"But I don't understand something." blurted out Ryo. They all arched their necks awkwardly towards where he was sitting. "Why couldn't she have come with you back to your apartment?"
"We both knew there was no way of supporting each other with the kind of money I make working at the restaurant." Shin looked back over to the window, as if he was waiting for something to be there with him. Still grasping onto his lost hope. He closed his eyes for a brief second, and sighed again. "I can't even see my own niece."
"Dammnit Shin. I hate to see you like this!" Shuu began to frown, and took his heavy palm off his drink and clenched it into a fist. "Why is it that every girl you meet, you end up breaking up? And then getting all depressed over it?" He took a quick gulp from his beer, and slammed the bottom of the bottle back on the table. "What is it with you? It's like you've lost your faith." Both Touma and Ryo raised their eyebrows and gave Shuu a nervous look. Shin slowly shifted his emotional eyes at Shuu, keeping his head pointed to the window, as if he feared that if he moved his body the hope within would never return. "You're like a lost child ever since we stopped fighting." A child. Shin winced as that word pierced through his spirit. Suddenly the hope didn't matter as he quickly turned his body around to face his friend.
"You know why Shuu? It's been that way for me because everyone around me treats me like a child!" Touma swallowed and shifted in his chair, nervously checking his watch. "After the new yoroi appeared, I just felt different. I didn't feel complete." Shuu almost looked sorry for opening his mouth.
"But what makes this one so special to you? It's not like you haven't been in love before." Said Ryo, leaning over and trying his best to comfort him.
"Because." Shin slumped even further down into his chair. "In her eyes, I'm a man. She made me feel stronger, more confident. To her.. I feel as if I'm really worthy to carry the burden of being named a trooper." His powerful words sunk deeply into their hearts. Even Byakuen, who was lying down in the corner of the large dining room, raised his heavy and fluffy head to stare at Shin with deep thought. "Well." Said Shuu, smiling, and raising his beer in the air. "I'll drink to that. To the women in our lives that make us feel like." He took his hand and patted his deep chest. He breathed in deeply through his open mouth. "Men!" his deep voice echoed, and he finished with a deep gulp of his drink. Everyone smiled and laughed a bit. Shin sighed, and took his hands out his pockets, and rested them on the table. Touma still looked distressed. He quickly rubbed his slightly sweaty palms on his jeans and fixed his long blue bangs that hung over his eyes.
"Shin." He glanced over, slightly smiling. The warm environment in the house and being among his friends naturally healed his emotional wounds. For a little bit anyway. "What did you say her name was again?"
"Her name is Hiryuu. Hiryuu Kinomoto." Touma looked even more worried than before.
"Oh." He swallowed, raising his eyebrows. "I suppose I better-"
"Wait a minute!" Shin quickly interrupted him. They looked at him with great interest. "Where the heck is Seiji?" He looked around as if Seiji would be hiding behind the curtains or behind a chair. Then, with accurate timing, the doorbell rang loudly.
"That must be Seiji!" Shouted Nasuti from the kitchen. Ryo sighed and rolled his eyes as she ran over to the front door, not bothering to take off her apron. Everyone else laughed. They slowly got up, almost as slowly as Byakuen.
"Seiji has his new girlfriend with him, doesn't he?" asked Ryo casually.
"New girlfriend?" said Shin with curiosity. He smiled widely, wondering which type of longhaired bimbo he had latched onto his arm this time. Touma coughed.
"Yeah he does."
"I forgot her name!" Said Shuu, not forgetting to bring along his drink. He laughed. "Must be the beer!"
As they made their way through the hallway, they could hear Nasty's giggles and Seiji's laughter. Ryo reached them first. Words glided through the air, as though Shin moved in slow motion. The sounds of their voices so familiar. Finally, after Shuu, he reached his destination. Seiji smiled at Shin, and broke his tight hug with Nasty, and resting his hand on his new partner in life. Ryo looked over at Shin was well, and Shuu stood there, watching. Time felt as if it had come to a sudden halt, as Shin stopped in his tracks, and his blue eyes met her familiar brown ones. The same brown eyes he had stared lovingly into, hovering over her naked body the night he learned that the soul of a trooper had no boundaries in this crazy universe. Seiji's new love stood still as well, as her pink lips curled out of her warm smile. Her hand gently gripped even tighter into Seiji's arm. "Hiryuu." Shin breathed out through his partially opened lips. Touma's eyes were wide, and he looked as pale as a ghost. Everyone grew quiet, too quiet. Everyone stopped smiling too. Seiji looked over at Hiryuu, and then back at Shin, and then back at Hiryuu. He looked so dominate and fierce as he towered over her in his black trench coat, his blonde hair curled perfectly over his right eye. Seiji tried to smile again.
"You two. Know each other?" Neither Shin nor Hiryuu moved an inch. Touma hesitantly rested his hand on Shin's stiff shoulder.
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier. I." He stopped himself from talking, and just shook his head in hatred of himself. Shin's felt as if his heart was stuck in his neck, so much so he thought everyone could see it beating under his skin. The awkward silence was killing them all. In that instant Shin knew he loved her more than anything he has ever seen, felt, touched, or tasted in his entire lifetime. And knowing Seiji. His love could be the death of himself. Closing his eyes, he thought of a prayer to the great matchmaker in the sky, asking the great god why. Why? Out of all the heavenly creatures born onto this earth, why was she the one?