A/N: Hello AB section! I come to you on a Thursday because it is September 2nd and thus (if my OG Word document can be trusted) HC's sixth birthday. So let's celebrate with the second half of a beach episode. Thanks to everyone for the reviews!
ZainR: I have to agree with you on Ayame Endo sounding better (how fitting that her last name means "wisteria")! And tbh with Naoi being on the premises the night that ordeal went down, I felt it might be unrealistic for the authorities to be completely like "hmm, nothing to see here..." ^^; Anyway, I'm glad you liked the surprises I had in store. :D It's true, the spell is more of a convenience for them, helping speed things up. When it comes down to it, the Afterlife graduates' strings of fate have always been connected in fun little ways. Hence, here we have Chaa meeting Yuri & Naoi on the same beach where he raced past them eight years earlier... :') I hope you enjoy the second half of the Battlefront beach shenanigans!
Cha0T1cPeace: Honestly when you think about it, so much about Masuda screams "I'm Chaa's 'well-behaved' little brother" xD And very true about Fujimaki! He teases them so much he's just asking for future retribution. (Teasing him over his crush would be a lovely thing for Naoi and Yuri to do together ;D) As for Kimito, it's more than the tickets. He's likely grown even more suspicious and angry since the first time Ayame left, and was already angry before that when Naoi ran away and when his business started to die down. Bit of a ticking time bomb, that one. Rumple, though, I definitely hear ya. It's been a long weekend for Naoi so his Rumple worries are on the backburner for now, but they can't be ignored forever! Maybe he'll get an answer or two in Akuma...
chanakulp: Sorry - when I said in the A/N "don't expect updates anytime soon because I have so many WIPs" I really did mean it :(
HorriBlu: Oh my gosh, thank you for making my 150th review so epic! I am humbled, I am honored, I am inspired to hold on until the end. It's got to be many a fanfic writer's dream to write something worth binge-reading the way you did. Can I just say? I practically obliterated my toe on the sidewalk that Saturday, and minutes after I got home to soak it, I received your review and it cheered me right up. Beautiful timing. Doubly grateful.
Seiram: I do love that Chaa's appearance was such a surprise! I was a little worried that Kanade's prediction from the previous weekend and the bets in Ch 54 would give it away. As for Masuda, I'd planned to hint at it even more directly when I got further into TPS but alas... Oh well. You probably picked up on his Chaa-like energy same as Cha0T1cPeace :P And I'm glad you and Zain both liked the sunblock bit! Fujimaki's got his priorities in order. ;) More Battlefront beach fun ahead!
Hope you enjoy!
[Chapter 63]: An Ill-Timed Beach Episode (Part II)
He'd managed to calm down after a while. At least enough that he could sit down, thumb through the address book, and speak to his mother's extended family in a composed voice. He delivered the news and talked to them while watching the Battlefront have fun from a distance.
A sweating Ooyama managed to stop Mitsuo from tackling Hiroki's castle, but the boy forgave the attempted destruction and started knocking it down himself. Then Hiroki, Mio, and Mitsuo chased each other along the shore (under surveillance, of course).
Yuri eventually headed out into the ocean, only wading in up to her thighs, but it was enough to draw Yui away from the rest of the Shibuya crew as they continued to splash around in the waves. The two talked for a bit, and Yuri said something that made Yui break into giggles, which was apparently so disgraceful that Yuri didn't even think twice before slapping water at her with her bad hand. Yui yelped with more happy laughter and fired back, saying something in a teasing voice that earned her a squawk of indignation.
"What are you two talking about?" Matsushita's voice could be heard over the crashing waves.
"Nothing!" Yuri and Yui chirped. They waded into shallower waters together, still talking.
Ayato harrumphed, suspicious, before making another phone call. Girls…
He kind of tuned in and out of the beach happenings after that. Sometimes he would look up and the snapshot before him was entirely different from last he checked. One moment Ami and Masuda were crouched on the shore encouraging Mio as she investigated the tides (shrieking as they rolled up and lapped at her feet), while out in shin-deep water Yuri was being chatted up by Chaa about something apparently smile-worthy. The next moment, Ami was far out in the ocean, laughing and playing with Yui and Shiina while Masuda helped Chaa and Ishiko finish setting up the bonfire area.
Likewise, Fujimaki went from batting a beachball around in the water with the rest of the group, to uttering a low cry as Ooyama pushed him off the huge rock he'd been lounging on (Ayato assumed the push was for being obnoxious). Fujimaki surfaced, sputtering, with a look of surprise on his face, and Ooyama immediately started apologizing – only to get cut off by Fujimaki breaking into loud guffaws. He shook himself off like a dog before tackling Ooyama into the water with a resounding splash.
They were still roughhousing when Ayato finished another call. Masuda stopped dragging a sitting log over to the bonfire and peered out at the two, shaking his head with a knowing chuckle. Then he finished dragging the log and started setting up the portable speaker dock nearby. Ayato felt a little guilty being onshore with the Masudas and not helping out, so he decided he could afford to set aside the address book and take a break for now. With some effort, he started bringing his own sitting log towards the fire.
He was about halfway over when Masuda looked up from hitting shuffle on a playlist, quickly got to his feet, and made protesting noises at him.
"You shouldn't exert yourself," he said sternly. "Let me take that—"
"Masuda—" (Chaa glanced over at them instinctively) "It's fine. I can handle it."
"It's really not advised. You can ask your doctor friend about it." Masuda stayed firm, even more so after he caught him wincing. "Ayato. Please."
Ayato caved, more than a little thrown by that last part. "Fine," he said, and watched Masuda drag the log the rest of the way. "So, we're doing first names now?"
"If you'd like." He dropped the log and dusted the sand off his hands. "Odd time to start, I know, but there are six Masudas here."
"Good point." Now that Ayato thought about it, it did seem strange to be on a first-name basis with Chaa and not the Masuda he was friends with for years. He smirked faintly, turning to him. "Then, Eisuke, what can I help with?"
Eisuke permitted him to do less heavy-lifting things, such as helping with the food and starting the fire and keeping an eye on Mio and Mitsuo so that they didn't play too close to it (or try to eat things they weren't supposed to, like sand). Mio was a cute kid, that was for sure, but she was still the combination of her father's inquisitiveness and her mother's plucky persistence. Ayato was glad when Chaa convinced her that sand was not so much a delicacy as it was fun to play in.
Then Yuri came over and handed Mio a pretty shell she'd found. While Mio happily started digging with it, Yuri settled next to Ayato and offered him a small smile of acknowledgement. But then she seemed to notice something out of the corner of her eye. A look of reconsideration crossed her face, and she hesitated for just a second before she leaned in and kissed him quickly on the cheek.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey…" Ayato blinked back at her, willing himself not to blush in bewilderment or touch the spot on his cheek where her lips had been. Though he supposed if Eisuke caught him reacting like that, he could explain it away as a lingering daze from the events of last night. Yuri looked surprised at herself, then kind of relieved for some reason. He turned his head at the sound of footsteps on sand and saw Ami bounding toward them.
"Wow, that smells good!" Ami gushed, coming up behind Eisuke and throwing her arms around him. Her husband didn't flinch, only grinned; a vigilant soul, he was quite used to her attack hugs (however wet this one might be). She detached from him and began toweling off. "I could smell it all the way from the water. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next few minutes or so the rest of your friends come running."
Sure enough, when they looked back to the water, the Otonashis and Matsushita were finally splashing onto the shore. At the same time, Ami moved to the speaker dock and eagerly turned up the volume as a new song was starting.
Padding across the beach, Kanade slowed at first, tilting her head slightly as she picked up on the music emanating from the speakers. Then her eyes opened a little more, and she made a soft sound before striding past Otonashi to follow the melody. Mesmerized, she sank to the sand on her knees in front of the speaker dock and listened very closely.
Otonashi was all moonbeams and heart-eyes as he watched her. "Kanade's a big music-lover," he explained to Ami and Eisuke, who looked rather curious.
Ayato had heard this sound before. Energetic dubstep violin, usually purely instrumental, ranging from pop to rock to classical. But coming from Chaa's or Eisuke's phone…?
"Hey, isn't this Shiruba's music?" Yuri asked, just as surprised as he was.
"Yup," said Ishiko, clicking open a can of raspberry soda. "Ami and Eisuke got us into him. I still think it's really cool that he sends you two his songs before they're even released. I feel so VIP listening to them. Guy's got a gift, he could get pretty big."
Chaa grinned over at Kanade. "Someone ought to tell him he has a new fan."
Sure enough, Kanade had made herself comfortable by the speakers and was still listening to the song with a sort of seraphic fascination. Ayato had a feeling the rest of the Shibuya crew would be hearing her hum this one for the entire ride home (or until she fell asleep) and well into next week.
"We have some songs from Hejjiguchi's brother's band on there too," Ishiko said casually. "Nezumi's music is more Chaa's speed. You know, screaming guitar solos, drumbeats that could cause cave-ins, existential crises galore, typical rock things."
Otonashi raised an eyebrow. "We may have a band recommendation for you…"
Before Chaa and Ishiko could process his comment, they were distracted by Hiroki nudging them and whispering something discreetly.
"You know what? Me too," said Ishiko. "Back in a bit."
Both parents took Hiroki by the hand and headed towards the restrooms and refreshments area. Yuri watched until they were far enough away, then turned to Ami and Eisuke. "Speaking of Hejj," she said pleasantly, "we ran into him earlier today. And his roommate."
She kept her tone as even as possible, since she was in the presence of Mio, but the couple still exchanged a nervous side-glance.
"When were you going to tell us about them?" she demanded.
Eisuke opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something snarky, but whatever it was, he pressed his lips together and wisely decided against it. On the other hand, Ami was calm but firm. "It was a lot at once, Yuri. I didn't think it was a good time."
"But are you guys actually okay with this?" Yuri pressed. "I mean, it's a recipe for disaster! It's too soon after Kurimu, she can't just divebomb into his life—"
"She saved his life," Eisuke reminded her. "She pulled him out of the darkness when we couldn't. For all our reservations, Ami and I can't fault her for that."
"Reservations, huh?" Yuri gave the two of them a speculative look. "You didn't welcome her with open arms? You two sure are on music-sharing terms with her best friends all of a sudden…"
"Well, time didn't freeze in Akuma last year, you know," Ami said matter-of-factly, wrapping her arms around Mio as she climbed into her lap. "A lot has changed for us. I mean, Nezumi hugged me at Kurimu's funeral. Like, he actually hugged me. Then the thing with Souma happened, so yeah, he and Daisuke have been coming around more often. But she and I aren't going shopping or having spa days together or anything." She sucked in her cheeks then, cutting her eyes to the side. "She's asked me to, but I… it feels like she's…"
"Like she's trying to replace Kurimu?" Yuri finished for her.
"Yep," Ami sighed. "And you."
Yuri growled a little hum of displeasure, but Ayato looked away, studying the deepening shades of orange and blue in the sky as he rested his chin in his hand. "No one wants to feel like a replacement, Ami."
He felt their eyes on him after that, Yuri's distinctive stare in particular, and resigned himself to having killed another conversation. (Good riddance, in his opinion. This one had no place at the Masudas' bonfire.)
"I guess not," Ami considered, while the astute Mio tried to change the subject by pointing out a bird.
This earned a smile from Yuri, but it faded as quickly as it came. "Maybe so. This whole thing still seems so reckless," she said, watching the bird fly away until it was a twinkle in the sky. "She's just not exactly who I'd recommend as a grief counselor, you know what I mean? She has a lot of resolve but she doesn't have the patience."
"It's been five months, though. Maybe this is different," Eisuke reasoned. "Yuri, he's running again. It could be that they're going at each other's speed."
"I hope so," Yuri said doubtfully. "It's a little scandalous, is all. I can't tell if they're completely mismatched or disastrously alike."
Nearby, Otonashi stifled a chuckle into his fist. Yuri, Ayato, and the Masudas looked over at him inquisitively, and he blushed through an embarrassed smile.
"It's nothing," he said, waving it away, but still shaking his head with an amused scoff. "Sorry."
That was the double-tap that killed the conversation. Its reverberations came in the form of the others emerging from the water less than a minute later, talking and toweling off before joining them by the fire. When Chaa, Ishiko, and Hiroki returned, the groups officially convened for dinner (Otonashi's grocery run from earlier today had ensured there was plenty for everyone). As the sun fell lower in the purpling sky, the Battlefront and the Masudas were soon laughing together over grilled food and good stories.
"So, ten years, huh?" Hinata said admiringly, looking between Chaa and Ishiko. "You two get married in high school again?"
"Again?" Chaa repeated, keeping his tone good-humored despite his confusion.
While Ayato and Yuri exchanged glances of mutual longing to facepalm, and Otonashi tried not to choke on his soda, Matsushita chimed in leisurely, "It's something he says sometimes. To couples that seem like they have a pretty strong bond. Like you can sense they might've loved each other before in a past life."
Chaa's eyes glinted with appreciation; he shared a grin with Ishiko as he stroked his beard in thought.
"I like the sound of that, actually," he admitted. "See, Eisuke and I, our parents dragged us to Akuma when I was sixteen. And as you can imagine, I was pretty ticked off about it. Being uprooted again and all. I thought, I don't belong here, screw this, what am I doing here? But then Ishiko walked into my classroom, and the moment I saw her I had this feeling like… Oh. There you are."
"Think maybe it had to do with me being absent your first few days of school?" Ishiko quipped with a teasing smile.
"It was more than that! Like, I finally found you, wherever you are I'll be happy to call home. You felt it too and you know it." Chaa smirked over at the Battlefront with a helpless shrug. "She knows, she just likes to give me a hard time."
"Well, of course! It's her job," Yui said loftily.
"Yeah it is!" Ishiko cheered, and the women reached over the flames to high-five each other. Hinata and Chaa shared a look of terrified amusement.
"But to answer your question," Chaa continued, "yeah, Ishiko and I got married in secret the February before we graduated."
Hinata snorted. "Bet your parents loved that."
"Oh, they blew a gasket," Chaa said merrily. "'Chaa's little distraction,' that's what they used to call her. I mean, she was and is very distracting – just look at her! We still joke about how Eisuke stole my best friend at the time, 'cause Miyake – he would come by our house after school and I'd be gone sneaking out to meet up with Ishiko, so he'd end up hanging out with my brother, this solemn, sarcastic little twelve-year-old binge-watching Case Closed while he did his homework."
This got a significant laugh out of the group, especially Ami, Ishiko, and Yuri. Even Ayato managed a grin. Miyake was big, buff, and gruff like Chaa, with short lime green hair and headphones and chain-link necklaces. As his former roommate, Eisuke had told many embarrassing secrets about him in the past, but picturing the guy on the edge of his seat happily invested in a detective show marathon while twelve-year-old Eisuke watched stoically next to him… well, it was hard to keep a straight face even now.
"It was a good thing, though," said Ishiko, nonchalantly wiping watermelon juice from Hiroki's face. "Their parents were the strict, no-nonsense, militaristic types. Their way or the highway, you know? So Chaa and I had to leave our families behind if we wanted to marry each other. And that meant leaving Eisuke behind, to bear the brunt of them. They were going to move again for work the fall after we left, right in the middle of his school year. If Miyake hadn't convinced them that Eisuke staying and moving in with him instead was 'a step towards responsibility and adulthood,' he never would've gotten the chance to make friends with you guys."
"And then who knows when we would've met you…?" Yuri returned good-naturedly.
Chaa grinned. "Well, we certainly took our time meeting each other anyway, didn't we?" he said. "For years, Eisuke would tell me over the phone about you and I'd say to him, 'You stole Miyake, sounds like I should steal Yuri.'"
Of its own accord, Ayato's hand moved to rest over Yuri's, cutting her off in mid-laugh. Chaa noticed this and chuckled appreciatively.
"It's nothing like that, Naoi, don't sweat it," he assured him, and held up his own hand to show his ring finger. "Happily married ten years, remember?"
Ayato muttered something along the lines of "of course" or "it's fine," feeling a little embarrassed. Part of him knew Chaa meant nothing by it, but a lot had been taken from him last night, and, well…
He glanced at Yuri, who was staring back. He didn't pull his hand away and neither did she.
"But getting married that young's a pretty big deal," Fujimaki noted, munching on a bite of grilled chicken. "How'd you manage to keep something like that a secret? I'm surprised Yurippe didn't hear about it…"
"'Yurippe'?" Chaa echoed. They'd been talking for a while but this was the first time someone had referred to her by her nickname. Ami and Eisuke looked mildly fazed, but Chaa perked up at it immediately. "I like that. It suits you."
"From what Eisuke tells us, the reason she didn't hear about it is Yurippe herself," Ishiko answered for her husband. "You see, we sort of timed it while a lot of other drama was going on. Everyone else was too busy talking about a girl who'd recently lost her siblings, so our marriage pretty much flew under the radar and we were able to keep it a secret from our parents until graduation. Then the hot topic was that two girls in junior high had gotten into a huge fight, and that was right around the time we ran off together. Basically, we were long gone by the time anyone realized what happened, all because some firecracker eighth-grader broke her ex-BFF's nose." Ishiko held up her drink in a mock toast to Yuri. "So, thanks random eighth-grader!"
Yuri blinked at her. "You're welcome, I guess," she said in surprise.
Aside to Ami, Ishiko whispered, "Oh, no offense to your new girly-friend." Her sister-in-law quickly made a wide-eyed dismissive gesture at her.
Luckily, Yuri was more distracted by a buzz from her phone. With a small sound of surprise, she swooped it up and looked at the screen. Then she deflated a bit, typed a speedy response, and put it back down.
"Expecting someone else?" Otonashi asked. "You looked disappointed just now."
Yuri smiled wryly. "It's nothing. I've just been having a hard time getting in touch with my parents this weekend, but that's nothing new."
"Under the circumstances…?" Yui looked baffled at the concept of inattentive parents. "Not even a text?"
"They keep themselves busy," Yuri said with a half-hearted shrug. "It's their coping mechanism so they don't have time to think about bad memories. Mom finds something to work on and Dad just kind of follows her lead and detaches."
Upon hearing this, Chaa gave an unimpressed scoff.
"Well, if they're going to be like that, maybe Ishiko and I can adopt you," he suggested, throwing an arm around his wife and smirking confidently over his obviously superior parenting skills. His gaze transitioned to an expression of mock sternness as it shifted to the side. "Naoi! Is it too late to ask you of your intentions with our Yurippe?"
Ayato startled briefly, as he had been thinking about something important. "Ah — only if it's too late to ask for your blessing?" he managed.
Not a terrible recovery, it made Chaa guffaw in appreciation, but Ayato had to get away. He excused himself from the bonfire, laying a lingering hand on Yuri's shoulder for good measure, and retreated to his spot by the forested area with his phone tight in his grip. Enough of this, there was something he had to do.
He punched in a familiar number and waited through the rings. When he reached the voicemail, he hung up and called again. After three more failed attempts, he sent five rapid-fire texts before dialing another number. Four rings into the third try on this number, a male voice picked up.
"Ayato!" Kaishou Nakamura exclaimed, bewilderment drowning out most of his frustration. "What's the meaning of this?!"
"Yuri knows you better than to badger you," he responded, "so I'm doing it for her."
"Yes, we saw the missed calls from her earlier today. We only just reached a lull in the workflow this weekend but we have one more deadline to meet, I'm afraid this isn't a good time right now—"
"Fine, then I'll make it quick," Ayato said dryly. "Do you think you'll be able to make it to my mother's funeral on Wednesday?"
"…" Silence fell. Followed by the sound of Kaishou muffling the mouthpiece and saying something insistently to Yuri's mother. A moment later he heard her voice on the other end.
"Alright, Ayato, we put you on speaker," Ehana said, her voice serious but softer than usual. "We'll let work know we had an urgent matter to deal with, so please – tell us everything."
It was getting even darker by the time he returned to the bonfire. He had told the Nakamuras a fair amount about what had transpired in the last twenty-four hours, but made them promise to call Yuri back tonight or first thing tomorrow regardless. When he rejoined the group, he had hoped to slink in subtly, but the conversation died down and became a small chorus of greetings.
"Last call of the night?" Eisuke asked, eyeing the phone in his hand.
"Last one," Ayato confirmed, bending to drop it into his bag. On his other side, Yuri snagged his arm and pulled him down onto the log beside her.
"Hey, psst – Naoi, look," Hinata said in a soft but urgent whisper. Unable to move, he gestured with his eyes to his left shoulder, which was currently occupied by a certain sleepy someone. "Guys – look-look-look, I've been chosen."
Kanade made more drowsy sounds and nestled against his arm, breathing slow and steady.
"Aww!" Yui cooed in adoration. "Looks like someone's wiped out."
"It has been a long day," said Otonashi, swallowing his last bite of roasted marshmallow. "And it's getting late. We might want to start heading home."
"But she just got comfortable!" Hinata feigned mild indignation, then flashed him a smug grin. "If you're so jealous, maybe you shouldn't have been leaning forward when she needed a pillow."
Otonashi rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "Alright, Casanova, but let's get this harem of yours on the road." He set his roasting stick against the sitting log and reached behind for his and Kanade's bags.
"It's my harem," Yui argued, but obediently started getting her stuff together. (Shiina made a skeptical sound and smirked to herself, knowing the real truth.)
In a blur of goodbyes and "thank you"s and other niceties, the Battlefront eventually dwindled from the beach. Ayato had helped bring light loads to their cars and Yuri had walked Mitsuo so they could continue the goodbyes, which mainly consisted of "see you at the wake" and "are you going to be alright until then," and Fujimaki's delightfully ill-timed "So are we going to just pass on the bet for now, or what?" (Ayato had wryly suggested they wait to do it at the funeral; at least Fujimaki had the sense to groan and note observantly, "That timing's even worse!")
"Yeah, it was nice meeting Masuda," Otonashi had said as he finished loading the car, and he laughed. "Even if he did start asking security questions."
"Security questions?" Ayato repeated.
"Well, just one. He wanted to know what Kanade's mom's maiden name was," Otonashi said, opening the car door for her.
Kanade rubbed her eyes and crawled into the passenger seat. "Tsukimori…" she yawned.
Ayato had snorted despite his vague confusion. "That's Detective Masuda for you," he said, offering a small shrug. "Always digging deep."
And then they were gone, and the next thing he knew, it was just him and Yuri sitting by the fire with the Masudas. The Battlefront stimuli was gone again, leaving only the crackling of the flames and the crash of waves on the beach and Chaa roaring with laughter over a subtle joke Eisuke had made during a back-and-forth with Yuri.
Ayato looked, listened, laughed here and there. Or he tried. Yuri must've sensed that. At one point, she leaned closer and touched his hand to get his attention. "You okay?" she asked, a glow of firelight catching in her eyes as she studied his own.
"Yeah," he said, averting his gaze to their hosts. "Fine."
She said something about letting her know when he wanted to go and he nodded, but his attention drifted thereafter to the Masudas. Ishiko got up and chased Hiroki to the edge of the water, teasing him while he shrieked with laughter and Chaa cheered (or jeered) them on. Mother and son kicked water at each other for a while but ended up plopping down together and letting the tide roll up to them, Ishiko enthusiastically helping Hiroki dig little trenches at his sides when the water rolled away.
When Ayato turned back to the fire, Eisuke was tempting Mio with a bite of an ice pop as an incentive for her to release Ami's hair from her firm and curious grip. Later, after Uncle Chaa's encouragement, Eisuke had her dancing to another song from the speaker dock, the girl giggling while Ami and Yuri laughed and cheered for her.
"We'll never get her to fall asleep after this," Ami said knowingly aside to Yuri.
But sleep she did. After a few minutes Mio was out like a light. Eisuke cast a sly glance at Ami. "It's super effective."
"Nerd," Ami joked, and kissed him over their slumbering toddler.
While they softly discussed getting her home, Mio dozed and dreamed, looking perfectly peaceful and secure in her father's arms. Barely stirring when her mother fondly brushed her fluff of pink hair from her eyes. Chaa got up to wrangle his family from the water, and Ayato looked back at the sound of startled laughter to see Chaa swooping in and lifting Hiroki off the ground. Chaa and Ishiko proceeded to squish Hiroki between them in a double-cheek kiss, earning a smiling squeal of protest from their son.
Ayato shifted his focus back to the bonfire. Everyone's voices began to sound far away. Even Yuri's, though she was right here beside him. Echoing, distorted, muffled by the growing roar of the waves and the popping and crackling flames.
The first time he and Yuri had come here together, he had been angry with his mother. Angry for something his father had done. And now…
Now look at them. Look at his family.
Shattered like a birthday mug, a broken heart… He felt Yuri's shoulder press up against his own.
An illusion.
Entwining their fingers, he glanced at them briefly. Wondered if anything could bring it back, could make it real again. Before casting his eyes to the fire once more.
Among the smoldering embers, the branches burned like a pyre of red bones.
A/N: Okay, this may be the last of the monthly updates for a while. At 6,725 words and still two more things I'm trying to include, Chapter 65 and I are having a time, and also I have to decide if I want to keep wrangling my way through the rest of HC's Akuma arc or venture back into TPS's ski resort arc for a bit. (Both things really ought to be outlined a bit more thoroughly, which is hard when you basically only have one full day a week to write if you're lucky ^^) But I'm determined, and I can't believe I've come this far. Happy six years, HC ;_;
Until next time!
Preview:
"A fine start to a Monday."
"Don't tempt fate."
"You should probably take that."
"All she ever wanted was for you to feel safe."
"My father was the one who died of a terminal illness."
"I'd hoped that he would feel comforted."
"What do I have left of her?"
[Chapter 64]: Bittersweet Bakery.
