Chapter 10

We found a park close to the apartment building, Sakuta was wandering around to give the two of us privacy so we could talk. He had offered to stay but I didn't want to make her feel as though we were ganging up on her. She seemed to be in a delicate state currently, I was hoping to avoid tipping the scales in a negative direction.

I could feel her eyes staring through me from across the table that we were sitting at, but found the courage to speak first. I felt that if she had the opening words here, it would not be a pretty sight.

"How did you find me here?" I had so many questions running through my mind, but I had to start somewhere. "I followed you last night, I saw you come in here so I knew if I waited eventually you'd come back out." She let out a small sneeze.

"Did you wait outside all night?" She was still wearing the same clothes I had seen her in the night before, with just a small bag which most likely contained her wallet, and whatever else girls carried with them on a daily basis. She nodded, then corrected herself.

"I found a 24/7 cafe, I couldn't go back home. Not after the news..." She trailed off, tears forming in her eyes again. "What is going on? Why is it that last night Sakura was dead and this morning I got a good morning text from her?"

I froze. So she was aware of what happened, but how? No one else had ever reacted to the day repeating itself, what had changed? "Did you sleep at all?" She let out a sad laugh. "Does it look like I did?"

Her bloodshot eyes looked at me, and then through me again. "Sakura died, but yet she's alive. But you don't seem surprised at all. I want answers, NOW." Her emotions came through at the end, her frustration and pain evident in her voice.

I sighed. Of all the people I expected to explain things to, she was the last one. "I don't quite understand how it all happened, but I've lived through today multiple times now. Each day, I've been the only one aware of it, until now."

She was silent, questions on her mind but waiting for my explanation to finish first. "I was told it has something to do with adolescence syndrome, otherwise this wouldn't be happening. The reason I went to the hospital yesterday was to try and save Sakura from..."

I cut off, unable to say it. Kyoko nodded, perhaps thankful to not be reminded. "I'm not sure how you managed to be stuck too, maybe because you never slept? Or maybe because of how powerful your emotions were after you found out."

She looked surprised at that. "What are you saying, you care that much about her that you got yourself stuck in today? And you say you guys are just friends, or before that nothing at all. What exactly is she to you?"

I thought back to the time I had spent with Sakura, the lows as well as the highs. "I'm not sure I can put it into words. We're not lovers, and we're not dating. But I don't think we have something so simple that we can be considered just friends."

"It's like, finding a light on a dark path that illuminates a world that you never knew was there before. Without her, I'd have no one I could consider a friend. But I can't imagine my life without her in it anymore, she helped me change from who I was to who I am now, even if she would try to say it was my choice all along and she had nothing to do with it."

I looked to Kyoko, and saw tears in her eyes threatening to fall down. "I... I really wanted a reason to hate you." She let out, almost sounding ashamed in herself. "I've known her for years, I've been by her side through countless struggles. I didn't want to see her get hurt by you, when she's already gone through so much."

"I was ready for the day where she would tell me about something bad that you did, but it never came. I hoped for it, desperately waiting for a reason to get you out of her life." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

I was stunned. Here was the one person, besides my encounter with Sakura's ex, who from the start had fought against Sakura and I hanging out together. Sakura had always said that she wanted Kyoko and I to get along, and I had resigned myself to one day being tolerated by Kyoko, if anything.

"You have nothing to apologize before, you were just looking out for her. I understand. But at this point, there's bigger things than our relationship with each other to worry about." She immediately turned red, but then under what I was saying. "You're right. I don't think I'm ready to let everything go just yet, but I'm willing to put everything aside for now."

It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. I held out my hand. "I know we have our differences, but please help me save her." She hesitated for a moment, before reaching out and taking my hand. "I hope you have a plan in mind then."

I called over Sakuta, and nodded. "We were actually on our way to put something in motion, before you stopped us outside the building. But with you, I think the plan might have an even better chance of succeeding."

Sakuta made his way over to the table, sitting next to me. "Hey I'm Sakuta, nice to meet you." He held out his hand, and Kyoko shook it. "I'm Kyoko, sorry for the sudden appearance this morning." She looked back to me. "So what's this plan of yours?"

I briefly caught her up on everything relevant, including some of the theories that Rio had. Then a thought came to mind. "So if you never slept last night, then there won't be a second you running around." Kyoko looked a bit confused, but nodded.

"No, I couldn't sleep. I drank a lot of coffee and energy drinks, that and the pain did the trick." She gave a small, sad smile. "So why did you pick him? I'm aware we have our differences, but I would do anything for Sakura."

"Well I didn't know how to get ahold of you, and I couldn't afford to go back to the hospital again to find you there. I was already too late before, I didn't want to be late again." She nodded in agreement. "I suppose that makes sense." She got up from the table, waiting for us to get the hint.

"Wouldn't it be better if I gave him a call then? Just because you saw him there before, you could end up getting there too early or too late and waste today as well." She did have a point. Sakuta and I got up, and followed Kyoko.

She had wandered over to a phone bank that was close by. "My phone died, otherwise we could have stayed at the table. But I remember his number, so it'll be fine." She put some money into the phone, and dialed his number.

"Hey, it's Kyoko. I need a favor from you, can you meet me?" "..." "Okay, I can head to you then. I'll see you in a little bit." She hung the phone back up and turned to us. "He has his brothers with him, so we'll have to go meet him. But luckily they aren't too far away from here."

She turned and started walking, and Sakuta and I fell in line behind her. Beside me, Sakuta nudged my arm. "So I take it you guys managed to smooth things over for now?" I nodded. "I'm still not sure how she managed to avoid the reset, but for now she's focused on saving Sakura. Everything else can wait until after."

He mused that over. "I'm sure Rio would be very interested in hearing about this development, I'll have to give her an update once we meet up with this gum guy you mentioned."

Kyoko had looked back, but Sakuta and I had stayed quiet while talking. "I hate to interrupt, but we're on the clock here. I won't accept any delays, you guys got it?" We both nodded, not wanting to get any further on her bad side.

We finished the rest of the walk in silence, partially out of respect for not angering Kyoko and partially out of how much this morning had thrown us off balance. When we arrived at the meeting spot, the two younger brothers were nowhere to be found.

"Hey Kyoko, want some gum?" He then did a quick double take. "Oh, I wasn't aware you guys had become friends, though I don't recognize the other guy. Do you guys want some gum too?"

Sakuta and Kyoko declined, but I accepted the offer. I didn't have a reason to turn him down anymore, and he was equally surprised but happy to finally give me a piece.

"So you said you needed a favor, what can I do to help?" Kyoko and I looked at each other, and she nodded for me to speak first. "I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I need your help. It's for Sakura." He raised his eyebrow, but smiled.

"Sure man, what can I do? I guess this means you're finally admitting to being friends with her then, I'm glad." I was a bit taken aback by his sudden acceptance, but Kyoko took over for me.

"This may sound crazy, but if nothing is done then something bad will happen to her. We need your help to stop that from happening." He mused it over, looking a little confused. "I don't really get it, but if you need my help then I don't how I can say no."

He called his brothers over. "Change of plans guys, we'll go get some water guns another day." He held up his hands in a fake surrender, as his brothers raised a fuss. Sakuta came over, noticing the possible issue. "If you want, I can take them to the store. I've been meaning to get something for my sister anyway, so it's a win win."

He thought things over, and nodded. "If you guys get into any trouble, just give me a call." The two younger brothers and Sakuta headed off to go find some water guns, and the three of us headed off to save Sakura.

"Say Kyoko, why don't you give her a call?" I had thought about mentioning that, but gum boy managed to get the jump on me. She pulled out her phone, showing him the dead phone. "Oh, well why not use mine then?" He pulled his out and handed it to her.

She hesitated for a moment, before taking the phone and dialing the number. "Wait." Before she could press the dial button, I had a sudden thought. "I think it's better if he talks to her. You might not be able to speak to her, because of our situation." He looked confused, but Kyoko nodded and handed him the phone.

"I don't really get any of this, but if I have to talk to her for you guys then I'll do it." He pressed the button and waited for her to pick up. "Hey Sakura, sorry to bother you. I'm here with Kyoko and your friend, do you have a minute?"

I found myself holding my breath, afraid I might jinx the moment if I made a noise. "..." "You're getting ready to go out?" My eyes opened wide, and I shook my hands to get his attention. "You have to get her to not go out, whatever it takes." He seemed confused, but relayed the message.

"..." "Sorry they can't come to the phone right now, but they said it's very important that you don't leave yet." "..." "Okay I'll let them know." He hung up the phone, and put it back into his pocket.

"She said she was getting ready to come meet you, are you sure you couldn't just wait to see her then?" I shook my head. "I wish I could explain everything, but it would take too long and would just be really confusing."

He shrugged. "It's a little confusing now, but I'm sure you too have your reasons for doing this. She said she can wait for a little bit, so you can head over to her house and see her there." He pulled out a piece of gum and stuck it in his mouth.

"Whatever is going on, I hope it works out for you guys." He began to walk away, giving us a small wave. Kyoko ran up to him before he got away, giving him a hug that surprised both of us. She came back, a little red in the face. "Say anything to Sakura and you're dead."

I held my hands up in a mock surrender. "We should get going, we don't know how long she'll wait." Kyoko led the way, and I was grateful things had worked out this way. I realized I had no idea if he would even have Sakura's phone number, but fortune seemed to finally be smiling on me.

Kyoko took us through some back alleys, and I had a flashback to the first attempt I had made. Thankfully, this time things actually went in our favor, and before long we found ourself at the intersection close to her house. "Have you thought what you are going to say to her?" I asked as we got closer to the house.

"I'm not going to the house, I don't think I can handle seeing her." Kyokos response surprised me, and threw a wrench in my plans. "I don't think it'll work if it's me, I've tried before but ." "Do you care about her?"

That shut me up. I looked to see Kyoko staring directly at me, something in her changed from before. "Of course I do, I wouldn't be doing any of this if I didn't." She gave a small smile.

"Then what does it matter? If you really care about her, you'll do whatever it takes. I'm not saying I give my blessing, but if Sakura wants you in her life, I just have to accept it no matter how I might feel about it."

She gave me a small push towards the front door. "What are you standing around, she's waiting for you." I started to apologize, but then remembered what Sakuta had told me. "Thank you. I know we never had the best start, but I hope after this is all over, we could be friends one day."

She held up a hand. "One thing at a time, okay? Deal with this, and maybe I'll think better about you." Her words didn't cut as deep, thanks to the smile on her face. It felt like things were slowly falling into place.

The short walk to the front door felt like the longest walk in my life. Would this really work? What if Rio was right, and I really couldn't reach her? Before I spent too long debating with myself, I had reached the door. I hesitated, before reaching out and knocking on the door.

It opened, but it wasn't Sakura who had answered. "Hello, how can I help you?" The woman standing before me had some of Sakura's features, but looked a little old to be a sibling. I recalled some of the photos I had seen the last time I was over, and realized this must be her mother.

"I'm a friend of Sakura's, I was hoping to see her. Is she still here?" I waited, hoping and praying that I wasn't too late. But her mother smiled. "She's still here, she's currently getting ready to go out. Would you like to come inside?"

I nodded, unable to say anything as I was afraid I would lose it, being so close to finally saving her. I followed her into the house, and stepped into the dining room. "Would you like some tea while you wait?" Sakura's mom asked as she pointed me to a seat at the table.

"No thank you, but thank you for the offer." She smiled, and sat across from me. "I don't think we've met before, I'm her mother." I introduced myself, and she smiled. "I can see why you too are friends, I take it that it was only recently that the two of you became close. Am I correct?"

I nodded, shocked that she had figured out the timeline of our relationship so quickly. "She's always been an upbeat girl, but the past few months I had noticed that she was a lot happier than usual. Thank you for being a good friend to her." She looked happy as she spoke, though I could tell that she seemed sad at the same time.

"She's been a great friend, I couldn't ask for anyone better." I hesitated, but continued on. "Ma'am, this may be out of place for me to say, but I know about what Sakura is dealing with. I've known for a while, but I'm the only one at school that knows the truth."

She looked stunned. "So you know about why she was really at the hospital then?" I nodded. Tears began to fall down her face. "Thank you for being there for her, you may not realize it but you've truly done so much for her. Thank you for making her life a little brighter."

She got up from the table, and I could hear her in the kitchen crying. I felt a little uncomfortable, I didn't want to make her mom cry. But before long she returned. "I'm sorry for that, I truly am happy she has someone like you in her life."

I shook my head. "I should be the happy one, without her I would be a very different person." She smiled at that, but no more tears fell. "She has a way with people, I'm so very proud of her." She stood up from the table once again, this time heading towards the staircase. "I'll let her know she has someone here to see her."

I looked around the room as I waited, noticing all the photos scattered around. The last visit I had spent most of my time in her room, so I never had a chance to see how the rest of the house looked. I noticed that she had a brother from the pictures, though she had never talked about him before.

Before long, I could hear the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. I looked over, expecting to see Sakura's mom coming back down. Instead, I saw the same surprise mirrored in Sakuras face that I imagined was on mine. "I don't think our date was supposed to start here." She said with a growing smile.

The Author's Desk

As a sorcerer once said, "We're in the endgame now." Will this next chapter be the finale? Probably not, there's a few things to wrap up first. I can say for sure that next chapter will finally have these two talk, whether that goes well, you'll just have to find out.

I'm sure some people may read this chapter and go "Isn't it kinda weird to have his two younger brothers go off with someone he doesn't know?" Yeah, but in a story involving a character that's repeating the same day again and again, that's not really the strangest thing happening.

I thought of having gum boy come with Kyoko and our protagonist, but ultimately it just didn't feel right. Perhaps if Kyoko had not shown back up, that's the route this story would have gone. But instead, he can still go enjoy a fun day with his brothers as Kyoko and our protag get to see Sakura again. And rest assured, Kyoko will get some time with her as well.

Next chapter will definitely be an emotional one. All the pain and suffering our hero has endured, will it finally be worth it? Will he overcome his circumstances, the theory Rio had presented that he couldn't reach her? Stay tuned, and find out next time.

As always, thanks for reading, and see you in the next chapter.