"I don't want him to be alone anymore."

Kai was surprised to see Miwa’s white cheeks grow such a bright shade of red. Perhaps he shouldn’t have gone as far as to say his first name, but he wanted to get his point across and it appeared as if he had succeeded in some sort of shape or form. He lifted up his cup with two hands, feeling the warmth of his tea radiating onto the surface of the cup. He took a small sip and placed it back onto the wooden table, keeping his teal eyes on Miwa like a cat. 

A smile immediately graced the blond’s lips as usual, albeit more shy then before. But that’s how Miwa always responded. It would be hard for most people to tell since he did have a habit of hiding his feelings behind a smile, but Kai could relate in some way. He pushed others away with a cold nature but the other simply covered it with warmth. The brunet could always tell when he would. After all, him and Miwa had known each other for so long he could read the other just as well as the blond could read him.

'Something is bothering him…'

Kai couldn’t help but think that was the case, his movements and words were so hesitant and carefully executed. He was so uncomfortable that he didn’t even notice the cream the clang to the corner of his mouth. And then he heard it. The topic of Aichi. He should have expected it to arise soon, but he knew that was the problem. He had been too absorbed in the bluentte and his safety, he had neglected the other. He felt guilt strike his chest but he pushed the dreadful feeling aside for now. ”Miwa” He managed to sound, his expression softened slightly, but the words soon began to pour out without him having to try.

"Aichi is important to me. He’s my friend without a doubt and I care about him but you…you’ve been here for as long as I can remember. You’ve always been here, and as much as I’ve seen you and gotten to know you…there is nobody else I’d rather call my best friend. Maybe…even more then that. No. Not maybe. Miwa you mean more to me then just a best friend. I know…I’m awkward..I have a hard time expressing these sorts of things and I’ve left you alone so many times. You deserve far better then me after everything I’ve done to you but…” 

Kai felt his nerves rise, his cheeks tinting a light shade of pink, but he didn’t look away from the other. He had waited so long to say this, years. And he regretted every moment he failed to say it since he had been too afraid of loosing someone so important to him, but he couldn’t run away anymore. Not again. He built his courage and finally the four words passed his lips.

The other calling out his name instantly scattered the blond's thoughts, though, and slate-colored eyes met with Kai's teal hues once more. The words that followed were expected at first, until it abruptly took a sharp turn toward Miwa rather than Aichi. The more Kai spoke about his feelings, the more Miwa's heart raced. The tears that were held back finally reached up to the brim, crawling over, soon sliding down his blushing cheeks.

He felt like an idiot for ever thinking, even for a second, that Kai didn't notice him. He was always one to believe that he was very appreciated either way, but did he ever stop to think if that was actually true? Of course not. He was afraid of the answer. The reality. Because all signs seemed to have pointed at Aichi instead. He was content with that as long as it made Kai smile, despite feeling a little left behind, but now he was facing the truth, and much to his surprise...

'More than a best friend..? What could that possibly mean--'

Then those four words fluttered from Kai's lips so naturally, and yet, each syllable had its own gravity and Miwa felt the magnitude of it in his very bones. Something he thought was impossible suddenly was within reach, being served to him on a silver platter. It had Miwa silent, frozen, staring at Kai while his face overloaded with yet another rush of heat.

"Me? But I thought..." He paused and took a brief sip of his hot chocolate, cream still stuck to his lip. "H-how can you say something like that so smoothly? You're even braver than I thought." Miwa's breath shook. "...You beat me to the chase. I wanted to say that first. I always thought I would, but it looks like you're still one step ahead of me, huh?"

Nothing hurt anymore. There was no uncertainty, just the sureness Miwa felt in his heart - what he had felt for years. It was just the two of them, the rest of the world faded away as he built up his own courage to confess.

It comforted Kai to see the other’s smile again, feeling his cold heart thaw a little as he looked at him. Miwa was always like a ray of sunshine in his world, the only warmth that ever seemed to touch him with such a sensation of pure and genuine love. He gazed at him as he sipped his drink. He was cute, holding the mug in such a way, however, he suddenly heard an apology.

Kai’s teal eyes widened a little in surprise. He didn’t understand what Miwa meant and almost gave him a slight tilt of the head. “No, it’s okay…” he reassured. “Don’t say stuff like that, Miwa…you were always there for me. It was my fault for never acknowledging you. I left you alone… If anything I should apologize to you but instead I just tripped up over and over again and made things a mess.”

He looked at Miwa his glance touched with a small amount of regret, however it was filled with something else, something more powerful and caring then the regret. Something that the normally chilling Kai was letting off that made him feel softer and more warm. 

'I left you alone'... Those words suddenly being spoken from Kai's mouth stirred up another skip of the heart and Miwa had tears come rushing to the surface his eyes, but not quite overflowing yet. Why did that make him feel so emotional? Perhaps he avoided thinking about such a concept all this time, and now that it was being said...

"Kai," Miwa spoke his name tenderly, lifting his head up and somehow maintaining a little sweet smile. "Don't be so hard on yourself. It's not like that."

"You don't have to--" He then noticed just how Kai was staring at him. It wasn't the usual stare or one that held uncertainty or confusion. It was warm, solid, and genuine. Serious, but passionate. The depth in those eyes spoke wonders without him saying a word, but it still kept the blond frozen like prey, watery eyes a little wide with anticipation.

A rush of heat then sprouted upon his face after hearing his first name spoken from the voice he loved, darkening his blush within seconds. Such a deep, calm, handsome tone Kai had said it in... Even Miwa's ears were red and he suddenly had to look back down into his cup, its arising steam not even comparable to the heat on his face. 

He resorted to taking a few gulps of his drink, some of the whipped cream clinging to the corner of his mouth without him knowing. The random chugging gave him just the right amount of time needed to recollect himself. Once he set the mug back down, he was able to look up at Kai again with a shy smile.

"Geez, what's with that, Kai? Getting so soft on me all of the sudden..." Miwa lowered his head bashfully just recalling Kai's voice saying his name. "But, you know... I'm actually glad you said that, because... I want to stay with you. You're... extremely precious to me, too."

'You actually mean the entire world to me.'

Miwa felt himself withdrawing a little bit more without meaning to, because a thought just struck him. What exactly was he to Kai? Kai was his best friend as of right now, but Kai's best friend was...

Aichi’s eyes lit up at seeing the blond. It was always nice seeing one of his friends. After what they had just been through with Link Joker, it would be nice to hang out with his friends without anything going wrong. Maybe they could do something together. Hopefully the other wasn’t busy at the moment. “Miwa-kun!” He called out. “What are you up to?” He was surprised Kai wasn’t with the blond.

"Yo, Aichi~!" he greeted with a smile.

It was nice to see him again, especially now that things have settled down after the Link Joker event. It was actually kind of quiet around here without everyone being reversed and causing an apocalypse.

Miwa’s flushed face was so soft and cute, Kai couldn’t help but smile for a brief moment before looking back at Miwa and allowing his smile to fade away quickly. Instead he now sported a more curious look, one similar to a kitten as he listened to the blonde speak, his questions sort of catching him off guard. 

"That’s…" He trailed off as the bad memories began to flood his mind again. That was one of the darkest points in his life. A time that truly changed his life forever, his parent’s death. His throat felt like it swelled up, he was unable to speak a little surprised Miwa reminded him of such a subject. Some would think he was over it by now, but the reminder of it always brought a sense of negativity to his mind. He feared it was evident on his face, sometimes he had trouble hiding his discomfort and especially from Miwa who always looked through him as if he was as clear as glass.

He felt his heart heavy and he glanced away from the blonde. “I…you remember why I moved, right…?” His voice was softer then usual, fading, still having difficulties speaking from his swelling throat. “I moved away because of their death…and afterwards I just-” before he could finish the waitress’s chipper voice rang through the air.

"I'm sorry," Miwa said as soon as he could. "I remember... I was just--" Their conversation was interrupted by the nice waitress, who brought them their desired drinks. Miwa sighed a bit after she left, feeling a little uneasy with what he had accidentally sparked up. But then Kai reached over and dumped the extra marshmallows into Miwa's cup before he even had a chance to sip it. A few droplets scattered onto the table and a soft smile curved the blond's lips at the silly sight. He knew right away that Kai was saying everything was okay.

"I'm sorry for asking such a stupid question," he apologized again, stirring his hot chocolate and letting the steam tickle his nose. "Of course you clamped up after something like that..."

This confliction lost its comfortable aura the second Miwa confirmed his loss of memory. There was no way Kai could continue with that playful, ‘best-buddies’ facade; it was too hard, too painful. He felt such a deep sadness that Miwa still did not regain his memories, but he needed to press on instead of crack at the surface. “You sure? He was always there. I gave him Blaster Blade when we were small. Remember?”

Even though he managed to keep a somewhat light tone, Miwa realized just how serious Kai was being. This 'Aichi' was very important to him. The depth in those teal eyes had Miwa feeling even more frustrated with himself that he couldn't remember such a person - someone who was their friend. 

"You gave him Blaster Blade?" Recalling that unit jogged his memory for a moment. Yes, he remembered Kai giving that card away to someone - another boy. But his image was blurry and dark... Who was that boy?

"Sendou Aichi..." Miwa repeated the name out loud to see if that would help more. The still-frame in his mind became a little clearer the more Kai described him, but sadly, it wasn't clear enough just yet. Trying to get it in focus was starting to make his head hurt. "Aichi..."

But then he whispered a word that crawled its way out of his subconscious, a word that he only half-realized was being said...