To Stand on His Own

“Huh? Go out…?”

…Unless it was with Aichi. 

“Sure. It’s been a while since we took a walk around the city together.” He paused, slowly thinking the implications over. “Wait… This…this isn’t a date, is it?!”

“Wait… Really?!”

It hadn’t seemed like a problem until Aichi had pointed it out. It was true that it would be a little awkward to be sitting in the lap of someone smaller than you…

He didn’t want Aichi to be disappointed either.

“Um… Then I’ll…make sure not to grow that big?”

Some way or another…

But that top shelf he had struggled to get at before was getting easier to reach. And he found that he was looking more at eye level with his peers now, rather than up at them.

He laughed softly.

“You just got back, Aichi-san. I can’t make you do all the work right away. I learned how to cook a whole bunch of stuff too.”

He naturally curled against Aichi, snuggling tight and reveling in that warmth. So long… It had been so long since he had received such treatment from Aichi, and he couldn’t get enough of it. 

This feeling… This warm, happy, comfort… He had taken it for granted, hadn’t he?

“I’m only warm because of you… Your hands are really warm too, Aichi-san.”

The skin of Aichi’s fingers was still so soft, in spite of whatever he had been through… Tasuku was grateful.

“Not…really?”

His body language spoke of quite a convincing case to the contrary, Tasuku nuzzling his cheek against Aichi’s affectionately. He did kind of want attention tonight, but he didn’t want to outright admit it. That would be childish, wouldn’t it?

No matter how much he resisted it, the tears, once started, wouldn’t stop.

“Hn… Aichi-san… Aichi-san…:”

He’d missed this so much. All of those long days of endless worry; all of those long, cold nights alone; they were finally over. And they’d never come back. 

Not if Tasuku could help it.

“…I know…”

And no matter what Aichi’s reasons were; regardless of the fact that the reason Aichi had disappeared was to look for that person, Tasuku could never be angry. He could never harbour any sort of negativity towards Aichi. It was impossible. 

Especially now.

“I…I care about you too… I’m so glad you’re safe…”

Aichi didn’t remember, and there was a chance that he never would. But Tasuku was quickly realizing that he didn’t care. He didn’t care—so long as they could be together.

“I’m home.. Tacchan.”

“…I missed you…”

A part of him felt like this Aichi was different. Changed. And that part of him diluted the happiness.

Aichi-san really doesn’t remember…

No, what am I talking about? Aichi-san is Aichi-san, no matter what. I have to stop being so selfish…

But regardless, as Aichi settled down, Tasuku stood back and watched. Finally, he wasn’t alone in Marigold anymore—yet even though they had lived in this apartment together for a better part of the last year, it was almost as if Aichi were a stranger. It’d felt like years…

“I kept it as clean as I could,” he said, somewhat awkwardly. “I cleaned your futon yesterday too, so it’s ready for you whenever you want to sleep—”

“Tacchan… come here..”

Looking up, Tasuku saw those welcoming open arms, and he could hold himself back no longer. Answering to that beckon, Tasuku shuffled closer, pressing his face into Aichi’s shoulder.

This warmth, this scent… He had missed it so much. Squeezing his eyes shut, he attempted to swallow the lump in his throat, to wish away the ache in his heart that he had buried so deeply that he thought it would never resurface again, but it had. All to no avail.

“…How about Shindou-kun? Shindou Chrono? And Kai-san, and Suzugamori-san? Any of them…?”

He paused, worriedly observing Aichi’s face before realizing that he was probably being rather forceful. God knows what had happened to Aichi before he had come back into the city, and if Tasuku was interfering with what should’ve been much-needed rest, then he couldn’t push Aichi any further.

He shook his head, trying to smile. It hurt, but… All that mattered now was that Aichi was back. That Aichi was safe.

“... I don’t.. recall that name..” Should he have though? Apart of him felt like it was ringing bells, but, again, like everything else, it was muddled and without promise. He felt so strange... what happened to him? He couldn’t even begin to imagine anything leading up to something so bizarre.. “Oh..?! Kai-kun.. and Ren-san were cardfighters I knew back home. Did.. they ever come here to Toshi and meet you?” Nothing that Aichi was answering Tasuku with seemed to be doing the younger any good; if anything he was growing increasingly upset, despite that polite, cookie-cutter smile. Aichi may not have recalled a lot of things, but he certainly could read Tasuku easily enough with what he had.  “M-Mm.. Maybe after some rest it’ll come back to me. Let’s go back together, Tacchan.” --After all, his feelings were never changing and irremovable.  ---- The walk back, hand-in-hand, had been a little tense, but now that they were back at the apartment, Aichi felt a wash of familiarity and calm settle over him. The scent and warmth.. it was just as it had always been, safe and sound with everything as it was supposed to be. However, as Aichi could note, it really felt like a homecoming than a return after a daily outing. Just... how long had it really been since he’d stepped foot again  within this tiny, humble abode..? Sigh... Removing his shoes and jacket, Aichi made is way over to his favorite kotatsu, relaxing his surprisingly sore legs as he gave them a stretch. With a silent yawn and rub of the eyes, he looked around nostalgically, the dimly lit living space a bit more quiet than he remembered... Ah.

Then Aichi’s last memory was from months ago…? No… That wasn’t the question he wanted to ask.

“…Do you remember anything else?”

Aichi just seemed so disoriented and confused that, that, Tasuku had this horrible, sinking feeling that the time of his absence wasn’t the only thing that he had forgotten.

“Like that time you helped me dress up for Halloween? Or that time when I was feeling really down about my failure against Aragami and you comforted me? Or when we had our first Buddyfight together…?”

“Like that time you helped me dress up for Halloween? Or that time when I was feeling really down about my failure against Aragami and you comforted me? Or when we had our first Buddyfight together…?”

Stiffening  as Tasuku brought up each heartfelt moment with etched concern in his young features, Aichi scrambled in attempt to recall anything he mentioned. 

“Eh…?”

But relief was slowly replaced by bewilderment at Aichi’s claims, which took a while to sink in. Hospital…? Tasuku hadn’t been in the hospital recently, not for a few months; and he had been discharged before Aichi went missing. His embrace loosened as he pulled away, though he kept Aichi at arm’s length.

“That was months ago, Aichi-san… I was discharged shortly before you disappeared, remember…?”

But a part of him would always resist the change—or rather, the reversion to his old life, before Aichi, before Kamui, before Gao, before all of the friends and family he had made here. Toshi City had grown so quiet that Tasuku wondered whether it was all a dream.

“…”

Lasting peace… It was a good thing. But peace felt so dull and meaningless when there was no one to enjoy it with.

But that’s how it was. Or at least, that’s how it would’ve been, had Tasuku not thought to take the long way back to Marigold, had Tasuku not looked up and across the street towards an intersection he would not cross…

…to see the one person he had been yearning for for these past few months.

His school bag slipped out of his fingers and onto the concrete with an emphatic thump. Tasuku paid it no mind. He blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes too, just to make sure that the figure across the street wasn’t some sort of apparition or image. 

“…Aichi-san…?”

He wasn’t. This was as real as real could be.

“Aichi-sa…Aichi-san! Aichi-san!!”

His bag forgotten, he dashed across the quiet street, closer and closer to Aichi. He was almost there. He was about to touch him. He—

—He threw his arms around the unresisting body, nearly bowling him over and holding on tightly.

“You’re alright… You’re still alive…!”

"…"

Though the bunny was the very picture of cuteness, its big, black eyes staring up at him as it slowly emptied out the bottle of its contents…

"…Kinda wish we could keep him, though—"