Even though my pain is lessened today, it shall return tenfold tomorrow.

╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳

The bright rays of the sun shone against Ryuu's face
as it had always, and it excited Ryuu.

Thinking for a moment that he was in his room,
tucked in his favorite Kumamon-themed blanket,
expecting to be greeted with the same white walls of his room
that he had grown up waking up to,
he immediately woke up,
only to be met with the ice-cold reality,
dawning on him once more.

Ryuu's elated expression reverted back to a blank one,
and he swallowed due to the great discomfort
in his ears because of the pressure.

He looked out the window once again,
slightly annoyed at how it was starting to become a habit of his
and how little he had to look at—
he loved staring off into space.

Frustrated, he irritatedly scratched his head,
messing up his hair.

In the middle of his annoyance,
he remembered his sob fest the other day.

I cried in front of a girl...
again.

Ryuu shook his head
and dismissed his thoughts.

So what if I did?
It doesn't really matter right?
My reputation isn't everything...
and besides, I don't really have one to uphold anyway.

He sighed before jolting slightly
as his mother cleared her throat.

She handed him a bread,
which he gratefully accepted.

As he munched,
he couldn't help but recall his time with Chou
at the mall.

The time we ate...
ARGH!!! Why does everything remind me of you guys?!

He shook his head at himself
before sighing in a melancholic way.

It seems like memories are all I have to hold on to...
...but I'll gladly cherish them until I see you guys again.

Fuyuko cleared her throat yet again,
catching Ryuu's attention.

She took out his phone from her bag,
and gave it back to the baffled teen.

Ryuu blinked for a moment
before taking the phone without questioning his mother.

╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳

Just as he thought the plane ride would never end,
the pilot announced they would be landing in a few.

"I'm so excited to see our new house!
Aren't you, Ryouta?"

Fuyuko enthusiastically nudged at Ryouta
and he melted at the sight of her childish behavior.

If only you'd remained like this...

Ryouta thought to himself
as he smiled at his wife.

"I am."

Suddenly, Ryouta felt a pair of eyes watching him.
Finding the source of his discomfort,
he looked just in time to see Ryuu quickly avert his gaze.

"Son."

He quietly called,
and Ryuu immediately looked to him.

Ryouta sent Ryuu an apologetic smile,
and Ryuu nodded,
a ghost of a smile appearing on his face
for a split second, before completely disappearing.

╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳

The plane had successfully landed,
and Ryuu stretched,
exhausted from the plane ride.

He felt someone tap his shoulder
and looked to see Hanae waving goodbye.

Ryuu waved back
and Hanae left with her mother.

╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳

As he went down the steps,
he couldn't help but wonder :
Is this how Chou felt?

Being in a new place
of which he knew nothing about
and where he didn't know anybody
was pretty intimidating for him,
but he knew that if he wanted to go back to Japan
he'd have to finish what he had to do in America—
excel at piano or music to a certain extent to please his mother,
and study hard to find a suitable job.

With his priorities set straight,
he felt more calm about the situation at hand.

That's right.
I can do this.

A cool breeze swept over,
causing his hair and clothes to flutter in the wind,
a smile finally spreading across his lips,
he hopefully looked ahead.

I will meet you again.

╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳

By the time they reached the neighborhood
that they were going to live in,
it was already noon,
an intense magenta, orange, and red color scheme
graced the sky.

Ryuu earned a lot of bewildered glances
from the people who lived in the neighborhood,
but he ignored it.

Walking past several houses,
Ryuu's parents came to a halt
and he was greeted with a stunning house before him.

"This is our house!"

Fuyuko exclaimed,
grinning from ear to ear.

Ryuu helped his father carry some heavy bags
and opened the door to reveal a neatly furnished interior.

Ryuu was puzzled why it had furniture already,
but was glad he didn't have to help move in any furniture.

"Take these up to your room and unpack,
okay?
Your room is the leftmost one."

Fuyuko pointed to the bags Ryuu held,
and ended her sentence with a sweet smile,
causing Ryuu to shiver at her sudden change in mood,
but he merely nodded and did as he was told.

╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳

Ryuu immediately shut the door of his room
and slid down it, sitting and taking a breather.

He reached to his pocket
and pulled out his phone.

Pressing Shouta's contact,
he tried to call him,
but Shouta didn't answer.

He slumped down and left a voice message,
hoping that Shouta would hear it
before proceeding to pack up.

╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳╳

a/n : short chap, i know XD
but a voice in my head kept telling me to keep this chap short idk why;; no, i do not need to go the mental hospital thank you 😂
edit : i just noticed there were some things i forgot to write so i edited the chap again, sorry ಥ_ಥ ✌️ and it turns out the chapter isn't short XDD