Disclaimer: Not mine
Notes: Spoilers for the series and for Stages 23-24 of Mahou Sentai Magiranger
--
The restaurant was by no means disrespectable. The building was kept clean, the food was edible, and the local law enforcement had never had to pay a visit. This, however, did not necessarily mean that the patrons-- and there were more than enough to keep the owners in business-- came there to relax. Far from it.
The establishment's location undoubtedly had a hand in this: it was near the outskirts of the city and far away from any type of real civilization (which, on a planet as industrialized as Earth, was an admirable feat). It was the place people went when they didn't want to be worried over by their loved ones, when they wanted to think only of themselves, when they simply wished to wallow in their own misery.
And that, Domon mused as he took a gulp of his drink, was probably why he had become a regular.
There... there had been a part of him foolish enough to believe it. That he had known from the beginning that what he had with Honami couldn't last forever. That he should enjoy the moment while it lasted, and accept it when it was over.
That he could live the rest of his life without her.
At least I know she's safe, right? It had been the last thing he had asked of Tatsuya, and Domon knew that he would do just that. He would be there for her when he couldn't, keep her safe and make her smile... and later, once they realized they were never coming back after all, maybe they would...
The idea of Tatsuya and Honami together didn't make him angry... or even that sad. If anything, he would be relieved to know that they weren't waiting for them anymore.
Domon wasn't exactly sure if that train of thought was healthy. But he did know it wasn't any healthier than the idea of the man who had become his friend and the woman he had loved wasting their lives away over something no one could change anymore.
"Excuse me... are you Pro Fighter Domon-san? I'm a big fan of yours; could I get an autograph?"
Someone had recognized him here? Well, a fan was a fan. Managing a grin, he turned around. "Do you have a--"
Sion was grinning back at him.
There would have been a time when the idea of grabbing his best friend in his arms in public would have been too awkward for Domon to even attempt. Things had changed. "Sion!" He hugged him tighter, the pure joy in knowing that Sion was there washing over him. "How're you doing, I'm so glad to see you, when was the last time I saw you?" Domon knew he was probably talking too quickly to be understood, but he was too happy to care.
Laughing lightly, Sion pulled away and took a seat next to him. "I think it was when we dropped Yuuri off at her home, so it would have been a month."
As depressing as it was, a month sounded about right. It wasn't like Domon was trying to avoid him, but in between matches and meetings at the Time Bureau (why Sion out of all them had decided to keep working at that damned place was beyond him, but he had known Sion long enough to know that he had his reasons, even if he wasn't willing to share what they were), neither of them really had time for each other anymore. That was why seeing Sion right behind him without warning had been such a rush to his system... and, he realized as he took a look around, had earned him more than a few dirty stares from the customers who had come to brood in peace.
"Heh. They don't like it here if you talk too loud-- or at all. Why don't we find someplace a little more friendly?"
Sion nodded, slid off his seat, and made his way for the door. "I know just the place."
--
He had been following Sion blindly ever since they first left the restaurant, so he didn't notice that they were at the beach until the waves sloshed against his ankles. Sighing in frustration, he scurried away from the tide as quickly as he could in his now soaked shoes. Luckily, Sion seemed to have decided to stop for now, sitting on one of the larger rocks. Domon plopped down next to him, taking the opportunity to remove his shoes as he did so.
"I saw your last fight." Sion was smiling like he had when he'd surprised him, but Domon saw the hint of nervousness that had crept in. "The experts are saying that's the fastest time someone's KO-ed their opponent in the sport's history."
Domon smirked, punching the air. It was pretty impressive. "Of course. What else would you expect from the best?"
He felt Sion nudge his shoulder. "And the gossipers are still going on about how you haven't even gone on a date since your suspension was over. They're starting to wonder if you found someone during your year off."
"That's probably because I did."
The second Sion's face fell, Domon tried to think of something, anything else to talk about. It was bad enough that he couldn't get over it, he didn't need Sion feeling guilty as well. "So, uh, how're things at the Bureau?"
"Busy." Sion looked out to the sea. "We've been working more on our policing aspects-- weapons, escalation, things like that. And of course, we're still trying to earn back the public's trust."
The Pro Fighter felt a pang of sympathy for his friend. "You'd think the fact that one of the people they tried to mind wipe was just promoted to Commander would help a little."
Sion frowned, keeping his eyes on the ocean. "Not when you consider we're not done rooting out the corruption yet. I have some people I trust fully-- Kara, a few other officers-- but Ryuuta's influence was so complete, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to remove all of his supporters."
"Would it be easier if you had one more person you could trust fully there?"
For the first since they came to the beach, Sion looked at him. Really looked at him, not the nervous glances he'd received when they were talking about his match. "I'm not asking anything of you, Domon-san."
"Why not? There's nothing wrong with wanting help from a friend." Feeling at a loss, Domon ran a hand through his hair, suddenly wishing he had his old hat back so he would have something to throw. "Sion, I'll be honest with you. Returning to Pro Fighting hasn't been what I thought it'd be, and I really do want to help, but I don't know if--"
"I've also been doing some research on separate incidents of time travel." Sion wasn't smiling, but he wasn't looking away, either. "Turns out there was a lot done in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. For example, one individual was able to almost magically change the flow of time, causing numerous--"
Thoroughly confused now, Domon cut him off. "What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm saying is that soon we'll need people to go back and monitor the timeline because of these incidents. And that it would be easier if we had people who'd been there before to do the job."
He must've noticed that Domon's attention had turned to the waves because he could hear him start again. "But I'm not trying to force you or play on your emotions. It's your choice."
"I know. It's just... when you look out there, it's like you finally realize how big everything else is compared to yourself as a person. You start wondering if you can change anything."
"Domon-san..."
"But I'm done wondering. I'll see you at work tomorrow."
Sion bounced up, the grin on his face almost as bright as the future he was promising him. After a quick explanation of the forms he'd have to fill out to be re-accepted he said good-bye, explaining that he had one last meeting for the day, but he was already looking forward to helping him with the paperwork first thing in the morning.
And then he was gone, leaving Domon alone with the ocean.
--
Final Notes: I'm finally done. I'm sorry this took so long, but due to personal issues I'm afraid I haven't had much time to devote to this story (or any of my other stories, really). I do have a sequel to this planned out, but it would be slash (and if you even read the summary for any of my Time fics, you know which pairing), and the actual plot is still in the brain storming stages. So I guess it depends on if other people want to see it and if I feel like doing it. Anyways, thanks for reading, and feel free to ask if you have any questions.