Epilogue
Things didn't seem to change much. Alex and Syusuke getting together wasn't something that disturbed or affected how things happened. It was just the same as when they were best friends. But for them it was different. Alex found that trusting someone as much as she trusted Syusuke was something she'd been missing all this time. She wasn't sure if it made her any different, but she felt a lot better since they got together. Syusuke found that having someone share his thoughts and feelings made everything that much simpler to handle, or at least helped with the weight of things.
It wasn't a happily ever after, there were moments when they thought it might be over, when they worried so much it was virtually a shared feeling. They shared sadness, pain, grief, but also happiness and joy. It was just as any relationship should be.
She remembered their first argument. After meeting the Rokkaku players, and after the match where Alex realized how well Fuji and Eiji played together, Alex also realized that Fuji once lived near the coast, and that he grew up knowing Saeki. Their first fight was that Alex felt she didn't really know his past, while she had basically related her entire life to him before. Syusuke's argument had been that he didn't think it was important, but soon he realized that it was, so he let her in on everything.
She held his hand when they watched Rikkaidai's Kirihara injure Tachibana.
She accompanied the team on their week long training, and helped out Ryusaki sensei. She enjoyed watching the guys go through the Tennis Biathlon. Cheered for him when he faced Oshitari in a battle of the Higuma Otoshi's. Worried to death when he played against Kirihara. Momo stood next to her, and more than once, had to make sure she wouldn't either go help him, or go murder Kirihara. She realized in that game how much he cared, and how he felt when the people he cared about where in any harm. She stood next to him, holding his hand, watching in awe, as Ryoma beat Sanada.
She missed him when he went to visit Tezuka, and he called every day he was away.
He spent a day suffering her laughing at him as she followed him on his "date" with Kurumi. He was so happy when she decided to help out during the Junior Invitational camp. Felt her support when he played against Arnold Ignashov of the American team, in a battle of millimeters. He worried to degrees he didn't know possible while they were stuck in that ship. Played against her in Volleyball when they tried hiding the surprise party from Ryusaki sensei.
When he played against Tezuka, she was there standing, rooting for him, pushing him on, giving him part of the courage he needed to face off against his greatest opponent, and his greatest friend. When he lost, and cried, she was there to comfort him. Held his hand when Ryoma said goodbye.
He saw her amazed face at the 4th counter.
When he played against Shiraishi, she was there with Ryoma, and told him to play seriously. He saw her face again in awe at Hecantocheires no Monban. When he lost, and sat down, he felt her arms around him, his back against her chest, and realized she was crying as well.
When he played against Niou, and he defeated the lesser version of his previous opponents, he discovered that she was there smiling through the game, believing in his victory. They were both inspired by Ryoma's win against Yukimura.
They held hands when they graduated High School, celebrated with their families together.
Relationships are hard work. They require that you give up a part of yourself, hand it to the one person who can probably break it. Alex and Syusuke discovered the one person who would treasure it.