Chapter 18: Circle of Friends

AN: Last fluff chapter! Ngl, half of this story kinda seems like fluff but it has been slowly building up, I swear! Next chapter is the second to last chapter. If you have noticed, I don't bombard you with song lyrics on chapters that already have a song embedded within it. So enjoy!

December 25th, 2011

The HOMRA boys had moved the tables and chairs out of the way to show off their skateboarding tricks.

Misaki had his arms crossed as he watched Tatara attempt a kickflip.

Tatara balanced on the skateboard, then jumped upwards. The board followed his momentum for a bit, but didn't have enough power behind it.

It fell clumsily to the side as Tatara landed on the ground.

Chuckles and laughs filled the room.

"Wow, you really suck at this Tatara. You did it all wrong." Misaki had his arms out, demonstrating the correct technique. One hand mimicked the skateboarder and the other mimicked the board. "The first thing you have to do is go BAM! And after that you flip it." His hands waved in the air with enthusiasm.

"Uhhhh, that probably makes sense to you but I have no idea what you just said." Tatara's goofy smile conveyed his confusion.

"Gimme that board."

Misaki kicked the board up with his foot, then landed on it. He demonstrated to a crowd of "oohs" and "aahs" how to pull off a kickflip.

"What are you idiots doing! Stop that right now. Go ride that skateboard outside " Izumo called out from behind the bar. He held a champagne flute in his hands as he wiped the dust off of it. He was irritated that the boys were doing potentially dangerous stunts… that would scratch his bar.

Misaki pulled his beanie down sheepishly. Knowing they'd get away with it as long as they didn't damage the bar, Misaki gave a few pointers to Tatara, "Here, lemme show you how to do it. Just stomp on this end real hard."

The boys bantered back and forth with each other as the more "mature" members of HOMRA lounged comfortably by the bar, observing the fun.

By mature, I mean Izumo, Mikoto, Anna, and I. Anna was sipping a red fruity drink with a straw as I had another book out.

Mikoto was impressed. He stared at Tatara, who easily fit in with the rowdy HOMRA boys, "I gotta tell ya... that guy's a strange dude."

"You sure got that right." Izumo agreed.

"He really is, isn't he." I mumbled.

"Geez, the kid can't fight but he seems perfectly comfortable hanging around with a bunch of guys who do nothing but fight. You know what he reminds me of? A wild animal trainer." Izumo leaned forward as he described HOMRA's third in command. He may not be physically as strong as Izumo or Mikoto, or any of the boys really, but everyone respected him as one of the leaders of HOMRA.

The red fruity drink bubbled up as we all heard Anna blow air out of her straw.

Mikoto, Izumo, and I stared at Anna.

"Wait a minute, I heard something. Did you just laugh?" Mikoto asked Anna.

Stoically, she shook her head from side to side.

Mikoto and Izumo gave Anna one last glance before focusing their attention on the argument between Tatara and Misaki.

Underneath the table, Anna and I fistbumped.

"You suck at this." Misaki teased the brown haired boy again.

Not having any of it, Tatara defended himself, "So what? You're not good at everything! You're crap at playing Sevens."

"What! You've got a lot of nerve putting me down like that, especially coming from a guy who's into old dude hobbies like bonsai."

Here we go again.

"The truth is I enjoy trying lots of different things. Oh! That reminds me. At a yard sale the other day, I bought an old-style movie camera."

"What do you need that for? Just take videos with your phone."

"I… thought about that. But it's not the same." Tatara mimicked holding the video recorder up to his eye, "Hana and I have been all over town, shooting a lot of clips. I'll show them to you sometime."

Anna approached Tatara and asked, "What about your song? You know. The one you've been practicing."

"Finally, a true fan of my work. Did you hear that? The young lady whose heart has been captivated by one of my hobbies!"

"Tone it down a little, would ya?"

Tatara grabbed his acoustic guitar from the corner of the bar as everyone made themselves comfortable around him.

The hazel-eyed man caught all of our attention as he cleared his throat into his hand, "This song is called the Circle of Friends. I wrote it thinking about all of you guys."

He strummed his guitar and began:

"The crossroad where a thousand lives
Come and go everyday,
That's when I first met you all.
I didn't know, but it was then that they'd say,
A flower bloomed that day."

Anna had a hold of the video recorder and swung it around to record the audience. She zoomed in and focused on the pink-haired lady whose cheeks were dusted with pink as she gazed upon the singer.

"It hasn't been quite the same,
We can overcome any obstacles,
As long as we advance together.
The courage amplified by our friendship
Will protect us.

This is my circle of friends.
The vow we made to that bright red sunset
Disappears into the sepia colored moon.
The burning bond we forged ages ago;
May it last forever."

That beautiful sunset during Anna's birthday. As the sun gently dipped in the background and the moon's brightness was reflected into the sepia colored tones of the dying light. The core members of HOMRA let Tatara's words sink in, reminding them of what HOMRA has given them: a home and a family.

"You can't say that things will work out,
But I promise that,
I'll make it worth the while.
So please stay, I'll always have your back.
No matter what, I will protect that smile."

Although this promise could be applied to anyone and everyone in HOMRA, Hana knew (and so did Anna and Izumo). This stanza was meant specifically for one person. That person gazed down at the ruby bracelet and brushed her thumb across it fondly.

"Those good old days when we fooled around
And laughed together.
Ever since, the sky is no longer grey,
I hope you know,
I'm happy that a flower bloomed that day."

As Tatara's voice slowly trailed off, claps, cheers, and whistles echoed around the room.

Drinks went around as everyone made merry and had fun.

It was 30 minutes after the song when Tatara swings around, almost falling off his barstool in the process. Tipsy Tatara is a clumsy Tatara, but the next few words out of his mouth were a sincere promise.

"Yosh! Let's make a vow. A vow that is as everlasting as the sun. Even if the sun disappears, our friendship will always be there. It might not shine radiantly when it's dark out, but we know it will always rise the next morning. Our bonds were forged in fire and we are bound to each other til the end of the line."

"No blood, no bone, no ash!" Everyone chanted and raised their drinks up to the sky.

S/O to Shouten Kochou, Dynaisuoh, Gissung, cristinanp2401, and Lieut Frost for the fav/follow!

Please leave a review!