The next day the two friends were back in perfect health. Their colds that they both had the day before vanished just as quickly as they came. Not even a hint of their cold remained. Well, except for the pile of used tissues lying near the tissue box in Hikari's room.
To celebrate, the two decided to go out and have some fun. Though, at this point in time they had no idea what to do. So, as it was decided by none other than Jun, they would go out to Kouki's house and view the sunset. They'd meet at the usual spot.
"Hikari! You're late!" scolded Jun, who was pacing back and forth at the border of their town—Twinleaf.
"Actually, I'm right on time. You're the one who's early," she pointed out, showing him the time on her poketec.
He flashed a look of embarrassment. "You still made me wait," Jun grumbled.
"I'm soo sorry, Jun. How can I ever make it up to you?"
Jun's cheeks flushed red. He quickly turned his head and crossed his arms without saying another word before the girl could see.
Hikari laughed at her friend's response, figuring he was too shy to say anything back. "Let's go." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "How about it?" She tilted her head and gave him a shy upward glance, a large smile on her face.
The boy moaned at his friend's face, finding it too cute for his own good, but not letting his eyes leave her light blue eyes. He took a breath. He couldn't screw this up. "What's with that?" He squeezed her hand back despite the thought in the back of his mind telling him it was a bad idea.
She laughed as if looking for an excuse not to explain herself. She replied with a smile, however, she diverted her eyes from the boy and her voice become soft. "Do I have to explain everything I do to you? We're best friends. Holding hands doesn't really mean anything, right?"
Jun opened his mouth to reply but no words came out. He wanted it to mean something, but the matter was it couldn't mean anything. They were friends who grew up together. There was a wall, a line that just couldn't be crossed without consequences, or it was what he believed. He believed it enough not to try it out.
He loved her.
She was someone he couldn't love without consequences.
There were times when he couldn't help but to love her, let it all out and tell her only by little hints. Those were not times he regretted, but he wanted to save, forever burned into his memory.
A sigh rolled off his lips. "If we don't hurry, we won't make it in time to see the sunset." He pointed to the sky. It was getting late, minute by minute the sky was darkening. Sunset was only a little ways away.
"Let's go."
.
"Could you call first? It's not that I mind you coming over, it's just I'd like to to prepare," explained Kouki as he walked up to his room to view the quickly approaching sunset with his friends.
Hikari placed her hand on his shoulder, stopping him in mid-step to turn to face her. "Sorry, Kouki. I'll make sure we call next time."
He raised his eyebrow, getting the hint. She would call, but Jun was a completely different story all together. Kouki turned his head, his body still slightly slanted. "I-It's fine. You don't have to manage him all the time, you know?"
Jun's eyes widened at the sight of his friend's slightly flushed cheeks. Something in him was ringing with realization. Did his best friend like Hikari? "Kouki!" he shouted, cutting in front of Hikari. "We need to talk. Now!" He grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and dashed upstairs, rounding a corner to a bathroom.
She blinked. "Did he get indigestion?"
In the bathroom, however, Jun had Kouki pinned down on the toilet, his hands pressed firmly on the tank, his nose only a centimeter away from his friend's own nose.
A drop of water from the shower hit the floor and echoed throughout the entire bathroom.
"What was that?" he demanded in a whispering voice, fearing Hikari might be able to hear him.
Kouki looked confused at the boy. "What are you talking about? What was what?" he said back in an equally stern and faint voice to Jun's. If there was something he wouldn't tolerate it was Jun's stupidity.
"You know what I mean!"
"No, no I don't know what you mean."
"You like Hikari, don't you?"
The black-haired youth's eyes creased together in a confused look. His mouth began to crease. Then he opened his mouth and laughed the loudest laughed he had ever laughed before. Jun, in response, quickly covered his mouth with a frightened look, moving his head back and forth to make sure Hikari didn't come barging in.
"What are you talking about?" asked Kouki, his voice muffled by Jun's hand over his mouth. "Me like Hikari? Are you out of your mind?" He laughed again. "You're the only one who likes her." He poked his chest and said after looking at Jun's face, "Friends can tell these things."
The blond gritted his teeth in frustration. "Tell the truth, dammit! You like Hikari!" Jun gripped Kouki's shirt and lifted him off the toilet seat. "Now, I'll ask again: you like her?" he growled.
Kouki quickly nodded his head, not ever seeing the boy this mad since Hikari had almost gotten herself killed when they were little. "I...I like her. Yes, I like her. I like her. I like her. Alright, Jun, I like her?" he yelled in a hushed tone so as the girl could not hear them.
The frustration and anger in the boy's face softened into a light tone, his smile from ear to ear. He let go of the black-haired youth's shirt and placed his balled up fists on his sides, his nose sticking high up into the air in a very stuck up manner. "She's something, isn't she?" he gloated.
"What?" Kouki asked, completely confused.
"I don't care if you like her or not. She's just a friend. You're just a friend," he corrected.
The boy sighed. "I'm guessing this is your special privilege," he said, intending for it to be a statement, but said nothing to see what the boy would answer.
"Yep! I have a lot of those." He smiled.
Kouki smiled back.
Pounding came from the door. "Let's go, boys! The sunset will be over before you even get done talking at this pace!" yelled Hikari.
Both boys laughed as they walked over to the door. Hikari hit both of them for being so late and handed each a bowl of popcorn she made in the microwave downstairs for everyone while they were talking.
The sunset that night was a flurry of bright colors clashing and blending into one another.
As always, Kouki's house the the best place to view the sunset. The three would crawl out of the window and sit on the roof and sit side by side—Hikari, Jun, Kouki—and watch the sunset until dark. However, unlike most nights, this time the three seemed closer, particularly Jun and Hikari, to which Jun's hand was placed over the girl's—the most he could do before crossing the line he didn't want to cross. His love would go unsaid with the exceptions to the little hints he often gave.