#neruna

Spring 1999

A few weeks had passed since then. It turned out that you and Reigen shared a few classes: history, language arts, and home ec. It helped to have a familiar face in separate classes, especially since you were both in your first year of high school. Home ec had been the last class of the day. You were so ready to go home, although you couldn't exactly say you were looking forward to it. Just as you were about to leave campus, you heard a voice call out to you.

"Hey, wait!"

You stopped in your tracks. The familiar voice made you linger. You turned around with a soft smile. 

"Hey."

For a moment, he didn't know what to do. He gathered the guts to walk after you but lost his train of thought at the sight of your smile. His hands instinctively went into his pockets, brushing against the small item. He suddenly remembered why he chased after you in the first place. 

"You forgot this when you walked out!" He began to make his way toward you, waving something in his hand.

Your eyes widened. "Oh my goodness! I can't believe I didn't notice!" 

He gave you a boyish chuckle, clearly a bit shy. "It...smells really nice." It was your turn to let out a small chuckle, feeling a bit bashful knowing he had been the one to find your scented eraser. 

"Hehe, it does, doesn't it? Strawberry scented..."

You gave him a small thanks as he handed the eraser to you. For a moment, neither of you knew what to say. Reigen looked down and softly kicked one of his sneakers against the pavement. "You ready for that history exam tomorrow?"

You let out a soft sigh and rolled your eyes, shaking your head. "No, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't wanna get it over with. Have you been studying?"

He silently nodded. "My parents make sure I do. Even if I already know the information off the top of my head. They won't believe me! They want me to be like my sister who constantly head her face in the books."

A small smile tugged at your lips. Raised with high expectations - another thing you guys had in common. "Yeah, I get that. You do get really good grades, though."

He looked at you, taking in the way the sunlight hit your eyes and made them appear like honey. "You're not bad yourself. You have one of the highest grades in the class."

You let out a soft chuckle. "I do my best." You turned around as a sign that you wanted to walk and continue talking. "Are you walking this way?"

This was one of those moments where if you had the opportunity to walk with a pretty girl after school, you'd lie to the moon and back, even if it came back to bite you.

"Yeah."

The two of you began to make your way past Black sesame high school toward the bustling city streets. He knew he would get an earful about being late once he got home, but right now he could care less. The scent of your shampoo invaded his scenes. Just as he had suspected - strawberries. 

"You're really a big fan of strawberries, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

He pointed to the small coin purse attached to your school bag: a red and white gingham pattern with a strawberry charm on it. 

"Awww come on, am I not allowed to like them?"

"I think your version of like is a little more than just like..." You both couldn't help but laugh. Guess he had a point. Reigen decided to come right out and acknowledge the elephant in the room.

"You're not really from here, are you?"

He noticed the way your demeanor changed and quickly apologized with a not-so subtle panic. Gosh, the last thing he wanted was to make you feel bad. Rumor was it that you grew up abroad and because of your mixed ethnicity, you were the envy of many of the girls at school. He could see why, but it's not like you deserved any of it. He knew all too well how kids would start rumors and do things to bring others down. It was the shitty side of school that many would experience in their youth. Popularity didn't matter; you'd catch wind of it at some point. You waved him off with a laugh.

"Relax. You hit it right on the nail. That much I would assume is obvious."

"But your last name... Fujikawa..."

You glanced at him with a practiced smile. "I'm half Japanese. My mother separated from my father when I was younger. She decided to move back to Japan and remarried."

You glanced back at the road ahead of you with practiced ease. Like it was nothing but another detail about the weather that you just shared. Reigen looked at you for a moment longer before staring down at his own feet, feeling a bit unsure of what to say next. He didn't know what it was like to have separated parents, but he had a strong feeling that there was more weight behind it than you allowed yourself to share.

"Oh..." he looked back over at you again. "What about your first name?"

"(Y/N)."

"(Y/N)..." he repeated, testing the way your name rolled off his tongue. You smiled cheekily and walked in front of him now, facing him while walking backwards with a preppy little bounce in your step.

"What about you, Reigen-san?" You leveled your arms out as if you were walking on some invisible beam. Cute. He felt a little more awkward now being put on the spot. That and the way that you walked so confidently in front of him like that. You were charming in his eyes to a degree he wasn't used to.

"Umm, well my first name is Arataka. Reigen Arataka..."

You let out a soft hum. "Reigen Arataka... I like it! That means "blessed by divine powers," or something like that. Am I right?"

He gave you a half-hearted shrug. "I guess so. That's what my parents have always told me. Don't know why they chose that name out of all names..." He looked up to the sky with a thoughtful expression. "I hope I can live up to that..."

There was something about this kid that made you smile and wonder just how far he would go. Your thoughts were suddenly interrupted by someone yelling at you from afar.

"Big sis has a boyfriend!!!"

((Read the rest here...))

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2

The apartment is almost entirely dark, the only source of light coming from the square screen in the corner of the room. Soft clicks bounce off the walls. Reigen works in silence tonight. No classical music or Mobtube playing in the background. His leg bounces softly as he rests his chin in his hand.

“Damnit, why did I agree to take this on last minute?…”

A client earlier in the day had requested photoshopping a spirit out of a family photo. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t desperate for the money. Or rather… eager to assist for a pretty penny. The woman said her in-laws were arriving in just a few days, so she was counting on the job to get done asap. And if that weren’t enough, she asked if he could touch up her photo a bit. Make her look more youthful and bright...

”Jeez, what do I run, a photo editing service? Come on…”

He’s trying not to mess up on the picture. He’s already erased her eyebrows twice.

Suddenly, the phone rings, startling him out of his thoughts. His hand jerks. Time to redo the eyebrows for a fourth time…

He reaches for his cellphone with his free hand, not even bothering to check who it is. 

“Hello?”

“Reigen—”

He freezes. He wasn’t expecting you to be the one calling him. Not at this hour. Much less sounding like a wreck. 

“(Y/N)?” he asks cautiously. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you oka—”

”I’m sick of this, Reigen!” Your voice breaks over the receiver. “I’m so sick and tired of everything!”

His heart begins to race. “S-slow down. You’re not making any sense—”

“Why do I have to bear the weight of being someone's consequence! I didn’t ask to be born to begin with!”

He doesn’t like where this conversation is headed. He’s heard it once before. His own voice begins to sound nervous, but he masks it behind authoritative logic. He saves his progress and shuts off the computer.

”(Y/N), listen to me, take a deep breath. Tell me what happened.”

”What’s the point?! It’s over, Rei! I’m done with everything—” You slump down beside your bed, hugging your knees to your chest. It feels like life has worn you out to the point of no return. Just getting through each day lately has felt like such a heavy burden. And who's to carry that burden than none other than yourself. Reigen has always said that there’s an opportunity to start over. But this time, it feels like the damage has been done. You want an out, but not before calling him one last time. 

“I’m sorry, Rei. I’m just… really tired…”

You take a shaky breath, mustering a bittersweet smile. Tears blur your line of vision. Your free hand brushes over the object lying beside you on the carpet.

”I just wanted to talk to you one last time…”

No. No, this can’t be happening. Reigen’s hands become cold and shaky. 

“(Y/N), no, please stay on the line—”

“I’m so tired.. I just want to—”

((Read the rest here...))

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2