(Kazuto's POV)

I felt her tremble in my arms as she said this.

"I've missed her since she went mental. But at least I could hold her hand. At least I could look into her eyes. But, if I decide she dies, I won't be able to do that anymore," she mumbled. I rubbed her arm, and pulled her closer.

"I took her for granted," she whimpered.

She tucked her head in the crook of my neck.

"I think I need to pull the plug," she murmured. I felt her hot breath against my neck, and felt a tear drop from her cheek and hit my skin.

I kissed the top of her head, and caressed her hair. I held her like a child, trying to ease her pain with my touch. Until visiting hours were over. We stayed like that for about a hour.

Shino told the doctor she would like to stop using the machine that keeps her mom alive tomorrow. I've never seen her so grim before.

When she walked back to me, she instantly leaned on me, her forehead landed on my chest. She doesn't have much strength right now. I can tell.

"Before we go home, I'd like to go to my dad's grave, please?" She spoke weakly into my shirt.

"Oh course," I rubbed the top of her head.

We left the hospital, and she lead me to the graveyard. It was pretty nice. There was no patch of dry grass, and it was filled with colorful flowers.

Except for one, which only had dried ones.

"This him?" I mumbled as she knelt down next to it, and I followed her lead.

We both bowed down to it before we sat on our knees.

"You don't know how your parents were like, right?" She turned to me. I frowned and shook my head.

"My aunt doesn't like talking about it. Neither did my grandfather. I don't have a single memory of my mom's embrace. Or my fathers face. Nothing," I looked down, because my eyes began to fill with tears.

"That seems awfully painful," she murmured. I wipe the tears away and looked towards her. Her stared vacantly at the grave.

"You lost parents you never knew. I lost my parents that raised me. Two of the worst pains anyone can go through," she started. A sigh escaped her lips before she began to speak again.

"It pains you because you never knew, and the mystery haunts you, nonstop. It pains me because I know what I'm missing out on, because I had experienced their love, their affections, hugs and kisses, and was suddenly I was cut off from that. Two different kinds of pains, yet they hurt just the same," Shino sighed and had a a sad smile, with tears trailing down her cheeks and down her neck.

"Shino," I mumbled. She looked at me with a weak smile that tore me apart.

"Maybe next time we can visit your parents, if you don't mind me coming along," She asked almost pleadingly. Before she knew it, I pulled her closer, with a sorrowful smile of my own.

"I don't want to go alone anymore, and I'm glad its you that accompanies me," I whispered.

"You will never feel so lonely anymore, not if I can help it," she mumbled. I sighed blissfully, relieved to hear these words I've been aching to hear for so long. Words no one dared speak to me.

That night we became closer. We continued to become closer over the past few days but today we're inseparable. Not because we're too dependent on each other. But because we both found someone that we couldn't afford to lose, each other.

We went back to the bus stop after paying our respects to her father. We waited there for a while, leaning on each other, and I had my arm wrapped around her.

Once the bus stop arrived we swiped our bus cards and took our seats. It was a quiet bus ride, but no words were spoken. There was no need.

We said everything by our actions. By the way she leaned on my for support, and so did I. We said everything just by the way I slipped my hand into hers, and she locked our fingers together. We're beyond words.

She had her head on my shoulder and I rested my head on hers, both emotionally exhausted and physically weary.

Once we arrived to our destination, we hesitantly got up from our comfortable positions and got off.

I held her hand in my pocket and walked her home, about two blocks away.

On the way there she seemed jittery. Is she nervous?

"Shino-"

"Kazuto-"

We spoke simultaneously, and we ended up chuckling at the incident.

"What were you going to say?" I rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand nervously.

"You seem awfully tired, and since its not a school night, well I thought, that maybe, if you wanted to, I don't know," she rambled shyly, I chuckled some more. She was a open book, that only I could read.

"I would love to stay over," I replied cheerfully, and she seemed pleasantly surprised.

"We never did have that sleep over you wanted," I teased. She giggled as the memory occurred, that day, the seven minutes in heaven.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't used to think that was the worst day of my life. Asuna left me that day. But now looking back at it, I was wrong.

It was the best. Because despite of my heartbreak, it showed me who would stay by my side through my pain, and try to make it go away.

The only person who even attempted to comfort me was Shino and only Shino. Its not because my friends are bad friends, but it proves how special I am to Shino. And just how special she is to me.

"Right, the sleepover," she sighed contently, I believe she's remembering that day. We were at her apartment now, and she squirmed.

She lead my shyly into the apartment complex, and we took the elevator up.

Once we got to her door, she fumbled with her keys and opened the door.

"I'll be back, ima go get changed," she mumbled as she went through her closet and pulled out some PJ's and entered the bathroom.

I take off my shoes and leave them at the door. I took my jacket off, only leaving me in my shirt, and sighed when I realized it would be weird if I took off my jeans. I frowned at my predicament.

Shino walked out with her pajamas and looked at me amusingly.

"What?" I asked and she giggled.

"Sleeping in jeans?" She laughed as she outt her clothes away. I pouted and huffed.

"Don't be shy," she teased. I was genuinely surprised, although I knew what she meant. She was giving me the okay to sleep in my boxers. The overwhelming heat conquered my cheeks.

"Right," I mumbled. My cheeks grew hotter.

"I'll be back," I rushed to her bathroom and I heard a giggling fit in the bedroom. I slip out of my jeans and embarrassingly walks out and enters the bedroom.

She had blankets on the floor with pillows, the room was dark, and the only light provided came from her flashlight lantern she had.

"What is all this?" I said in awe as I stumbled my way to her.

"A sleepover, duh," she laughed. I sat down across from her with a grin.

"Well it is long overdue," I admitted. We sat crisscrossed, facing each other.

Her face was illuminated with the golden light from the lateen she had, framing her features just right. I saw a faint rosy color appear on her cheeks, lighting up her tear stained cheeks. I smiles sadly.

"What now?" She murmured.

"You've never had one of these, have you?" I teased. She pouted her lips.

"Well obviously, socially impaired, remember?" She replied, crossing her arms. I chuckled and held her shoulders and pulled her into a embrace.

"You're right, how insensitive of me," I cooed as I rubbed her back. She merely laughed and rolled her eyes at me.

"So how you holding up?" I spoke in a serious tone. She sighed.

"For tonight, I want to forget, just for tonight," she whimpered quietly. I nodded and changed the topic.

"I don't think guys really have 'sleepovers'. Its more like we crash at a friends place. But if I remember correctly, when Sugu had her sleepovers, they'd play spy," I recalled. At least that's what it seemed like they were playing.

"Spy?" Shino raised a brow, with a sceptical look.

"Yeah, spy," I replied simply.

"How exactly did they play?" She questioned.

"Well they would spy, you know, take a peek in my room when they think I'm not looking, stuff like that," I shrugged and she shook her head.

"Oh Kazuto," she said as she continued to shake her head.

"Whaaaaat?" I replied defensively.

"Its not a game called spy, they were just checking you out, peeping," she began to smile at the thought. Ok that made more sense.

"Ohhhhh," I said in realization.

"Seriously, you're pretty clueless sometimes," she teased as she crossed her arms. I laughed, embarrassed as I rub the back of my neck.

"But I guess that's what I find so cute about you," she grinned towards me, catching me by surprise.

"Really?" I was kind of in disbelief. She giggled and nodded. It felt good to be liked for who I am.

"So other than playing spy, what do people do on these, sleep parties?" Shino seemed so foreign to the idea, I laughed.

"Let me show you," I stood and began to grab all the blankets I could find.

"What're you doing?" She stood up, absolutely clueless.

"It isn't a sleep over until there's a fort, duh," I replied as I began to pull chairs and pillows, lining them up with the bed, and began to throw the blankets on top, creating a roof and walls surrounding us.

"Seriously?" She laughed as she was being sheltered by the fort I was creating, a rather big one, I might add.

"I want go build a fort with you," I grinned. The fort was magnificent, and the lantern she had inside made the outside of the fort glow.

"That's more like it," I crawled inside the fort and she just looked around it in awe.

"This would be one epic mess to clean, but its totally worth it," she sighed with a content smile.

"Tonight, Shino, we'll forget, and hide away. Tonight, in this fort, is our own little world," I replied.

"Our own little world, huh?" She seemed to like the idea.

"Yup," I grinned and nodded, rubbing the back of my neck.

"So anything goes in our little world, right?" She mumbled.

"Right," I responded cheerfully.

"So in this perfect little world of ours, we can be together," she whispered. I blushed.

"What're you talking about, we're already together!" I reassured. She blushed even further.

"That's not what I meant," she leaned in closer until she was only a few centimeters away from me. I could feel her warm breath against my lips.

"Marry me," she whispered, and my eyes widened before she teasingly kissed the edge of my lips.

Tonight, in our perfect little world, we forgot time. We forgot the pain. And the problems. Tonight, we were married.

And I promise myself, I'll make it happen, for real.

•••

Done ~

Hehe I'm alive! Sorry it took so long to publish this. I've just been thinking, that's all. And went thru some stuff. Haha a lot can happen in just 10 days. A lot.

I couldn't find a decent picture of a blanket fort so that's why I picked that one. Idk if anyone noticed Baymax and Pika!

Well I hope you enjoyed this. This was just a filler chapter. We're still not done yet.

More to come! Sorry for the wait! XD

Thank you all for your patience. My readers (you all) mean so much to me. Thank you. 🙏

Until Next Time!

-InGameProdigy