This was written for Momoharu ship week 2020 Day 5's Memory prompt. Thanks to hosts who organized the event!

Maki bit into her onigiri. The tangy taste of seaweed and sticky rice filled her mouth. Chewing, she gazed out across Hope's Peak courtyard. She and Kaito reclined on a bench on the edge of the plaza. Water gurgled from the two-tier fountain before them. Bushes bordered the circular, stone pathway around the fountain. A few ultimates talked quietly as they passed through the courtyard's sidewalks. Small, bushy trees lined the pathways.

Kaito took a sip of some coke before setting it on the bench. "Glad we got to eat lunch together again, Maki. It's nice to sometimes eat just the two of us." Maki nodded.

Before they had started going out, the two normally ate with their respective roommates. After they started dating, they ate lunch together at least twice a week. Kaito removed the lid on the takeout box. "Let's see. What do we have for lunch today…?" Frowning, he ran a chopstick down his plate of sushi rolls. "Same old food from the cafeteria as usual."

Maki raised a brow. "The food is actually good here. During assassin training, I'd eat gruel, if I ate anything at all. I'm surprised you're complaining."

Hand behind his back, Kaito laughed deep-heartedly. Maki smiled at her boyfriend. Kaito flashed a thumbs up. "You got me there. A hero shouldn't gripe so thanks for the reminder. And hey! You already vowed to take down your assassin cult after graduation. You'll only have good food to eat for the rest of your life."

Maki frowned. Rest of my life… what will that look like?

Kaito waved a hand. "And of course the food is good here. That's for sure. But I was just thinking that it doesn't have a homemade touch."

"What do you mean?"

"My grandmother used to leave notes in my bentos back in elementary school! See, I was a pretty rambunctious kid. Didn't want to be at school; just play outside and climb the jungle gym. So my grandmother started putting notes in my bentos. Short, little love notes. Nothing big. I still didn't want to go to school, but those notes made my day a little brighter!" He grinned. The wind blew through his hair. Maki's eyes lingered over his chiseled features.

Blushing, Maki looked away. "I see. That sounds nice."

"Yeah it was. Oh, I forgot to tell you. Shuichi has this big project to do with Kokichi so he can't make it to tonight's training. It's just us, so I was thinking we should up the ante and try out this new exercise I found…"

Maki gazed down at her lunch. At the hard, unfeeling cafeteria tray. The onigiri mechanically wrapped by lunch staff with sterile gloves. No warmth.

Love notes, huh? Maybe I could try.

Maki sat at her desk. Only the faint moonlight behind the curtains and her click illuminated the dorm room. The clock read 2:08 am. Only faint creaking and Himiko's snores filled the silence. The air was still.

Frowning, Maki tapped the pen's end to her lips. She wrote, "I'm happy we're going out." Scribbled it out. I can just tell him that. She wrote another. "I'm glad I can trust you." That's the same thing. Huffing, Maki ran a hand through her loose, wet hair. After training she had showered. Maybe just I care about you? No, too cringey. Scowling, Maki balled up the paper and tossed it over a shoulder. It landed on low a table behind her. Rolled onto the floor.

The spartan bedroom was only outfitted with a bed, dresser, and a TV set on a stand. A collection of kid coloring books and other supplies were tossed in a corner. Weights and other training equipment, borrowed from Kaito, were stuffed in cubby drawers.

Maki crossed her arms over the desk. Rested her chin over her arms. Should I ask Kaede? No, I want to do this myself. He's my boyfriend and I'm his girlfriend. It should be something special. Something about us. Like what he means to me…

A memory arose in Maki's mind at the thought. A month had passed since the cold night, but she could still remember Kaito's words.

Shivering, Maki stuffed her bare hands inside her parka. She hadn't changed out of her uniform after class and so only wore a skirt and knee highs in the winter cold. "Why did you drag me all the way out here in the middle of the night?"

Kaito didn't look up from looking through his telescope. He had come prepared, dressing in a purple scarf and puffer jacket. The two had met up in a campsite clearing in the forest north of campus; Kaito's favorite stargazing spot. "Isn't it obvious why, Maki? Because you can see Mars really well today. And Mars is special because it reminds me of you!"

Maki scowled. "You think I'm as big as a planet?"

"W-what? No! It's just that Mars is red and that reminds me of your red eyes! That's all I swear!"

Maki cracked a smile. "Relax. I'm joking."

Kaito blinked. Then he grinned. "Sorry, my bad! But I'm glad you can laugh like that. So make fun of me all you want, you hear?"

Maki shook her head. "You're such an idiot." But he's my idiot now.

"Here. It's ready. Have a look." Maki glimpsed the dusty, red planet through the telescope. Her boyfriend continued talking. "I heard NASA is trying to get a man on Mars by 2033. I want to be that man. But that would probably mean undergoing astronaut training in America."

Maki glanced up. Kaito, hands on his hips, was wistfully gazing up at the night sky. His breath clouded his face in cold air. "I don't want to leave all you and everyone else after graduation but… You'll have taking down that assassination cult of yours, right?"

Maki paused. Dipped her head in a nod. "To do it alone, I'll need a few years at least. You can train in the meantime." Turning away, Maki tucked a strand of black hair behind an ear. "But what do I do afterwards? I want to help out my orphanage, but do I run it myself? Do something else…?"

Kaito clamped a hand on Maki's shoulder. She jumped. Fought the instinct to grab his arm and hurl him across the clearing. "You're overthinking things, Maki! Just focus on right now. Here, want to hear a story?"

"Ah…"

"Good, glad you do! It's a bit long, just warning you."

I hadn't even answered and you're telling me a long story? Sighing, Maki crossed her arms and faced him. Oh, whatever.

"Well I'll just give you the highlights. As a kid, I'd go off on adventures all the time. I'd conquered the seas and became the Pirate King! Traversed the land far and wide, honing my ninja skills so I could become the Village Leader. Tried learning how to shoot a laser beam out my hands, but I couldn't do that… So I chose to conquer the air, or outer space, next instead!"

Lips parted, Maki stared. What does any of that have to do with anything?

Beaming, Kaito flashed a thumbs up. "So no matter what you decide to do, whether you choose sea, land, or air… I'm going to be your partner through it all, adventuring with you. We'll figure out the details when we get there."

"R-right. Thanks, Kaito…" Land, air? What is he talking about?

"Now let me teach you about Mars! When you're bragging to people about me being on Mars, it's important you know a lot of facts about Mars to further impress people."

"If you say so…"

Maki tapped her pen to her desk. She smiled at the memory. 'No matter what you decide to do, whether you choose sea, land, or air', huh? I see now. The moonlight softly illuminated her as she began writing.

Tray in hand, Kaito walked through the cafeteria. The students' raucous chatter bounced off the tan walls. The smell of potato soup lingered in the air. The astronaut's roommates, Shuichi, Kokichi, and Keebo, followed him. They often ate together at a circular table in the back. Floor to ceiling windows overlooked their table.

Kaito glanced over his shoulder. "You guys finished that project you were working on?"

"You mean the Case Study for Psychology? Yeah," answered Shuichi. "But someone hadn't finished reading the chapter yet."

Kokichi shrugged. "Ehhh, Shuichi told me all about it, and I wrote up the report. Divide and conquer."

"Yeah, a very half-baked report!"

Keebo raised his hands. "Now, now, don't fight. After all, you already finished, correct?" The robot couldn't eat, but he often joined in on eating meals in the cafeteria.

Shaking his head, Kaito approached their table. "Huh, what's that?" A bento wrapped in a space patterned cloth sat at Kaito's usual seat. Frowning, the astronaut set his tray down. Unwrapped it. The basic lunch was stocked with staple foods like rice, vegetables, and chicken for protein. Atop was a paper with Maki's handwriting.

"I'll be the pirate queen to your pirate king, or anything you want, if it means we'll be together."

Lips parted, Kaito stared. "Maki…" he mumbled. He turned to the boys. "Why is Maki referencing One Piece?"

Shuichi shrugged. "Maybe she wants to watch it with you. I don't know."

Kokichi sat down. He scoffed, "One Piece is laaaame. DBZ will forever be the best Shonen Jump series."

Keebo reclined next to the leader. "According to my database, Bleach is popular! So I read a complete summary of the series."

Shuichi scratched his head. "You should have just watched it instead…"

Chewing, Kokichi waved a fork, speaking with his mouth full. "Dude, Bleach was canceled. It's old news."

Kaito joined them in sitting. He set his tray aside and picked up chopsticks from Maki's bento. "Naruto ended too, but it's got a sequel series now. Have any of you read it? Is it any good?"

A few tables away, Maki was studying them in the corner of her eye. Talking and laughing, they discussed various manga series. Kaito picked up a chicken strip from her bento and took a bite. Chewed, swallowed. Then he leaned in and cried, "Oh yeah, that was my favorite arc! Keebo, you have to watch it, man. We'll start tonight."

Maki smiled.

"Maki? Something wrong?"

Maki turned back to her table. Her roommates Kaede, Maki, and Tsumugi looked to her. Maki shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. Why would there be? I'm here with all of you."

Kaede and Tsumugi exchanged glances. Shrugged.

Himiko reached towards Maki with her chopsticks. "Good, gimme your tuna fish."

"Hands off or you'll die."

"Nyeh…"

Kaede giggled. "Well anyway, as I was saying, we really need a girls' night out sometime. Maybe this Saturday or Sunday…"

Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed it! Gotta do all we can to support Momoharu ship. ^_^

I have decided to no longer post on FFnet. I will continue to post my fics on AO3 with my username, Animercom. If you want to know why, look at my profile.

Thank for reading!