It had been a few days since the incident. Haruchiyo was already discharged from the hospital but he was living with Benkei rather than his house or Takeomi's. Takeomi was dead set on not talking to his younger brother and he practically ignored Shinichiro's calls.

It was probably a good thing. Haruchiyo felt more... relieved, being away from his older brother. There were times where Haruchiyo did talk about wanting to live with Takeomi again, but for the most part, he was happy that he didn't have to shoulder some responsibility to Senju or to anyone. The only thing he had to be responsible for was making sure the gym equipment was put in the right place.

When August 12 came around, Shinichiro texted to Benkei that he would arrive there with a bag of clothes and other necessities. The gym wasn't a long drive and finding it would be no problem. Shinichiro (and also Waksa) would visit from time to time to train. Takeomi rarely visited, which was something Benkei was grateful for.

"Hey, Benkei! I'm here with Haruchiyo's stuff!" Shinichiro knocks on the door, the bag slung on his shoulders. He hears the lock clicking and it was Haruchiyo who answers it. He had bandages from the diamond-shaped scars he received that day, and he hasn't been taking it off. Sure, he changed his bandages whenever he had to apply medicine or take a shower, but he always kept them on even when sleeping. "Huh. Did Benkei teach you how to pick the lock?" Shinichiro asks jokingly, making the younger boy laugh a little. "No, but he did tell me to open the door since he was cleaning up." Haruchiyo informed.

Shinichiro took off his shoes before entering inside. The gym was big, that's for sure. He wondered how his friend managed to by the building, let alone fix it up. The boxing ring was the same as Shinichiro had saw it, but this time there were punching bags along with a stationary bicycle and a bench press. Near the ring was the studio mirror with a barbell and a few metal plates along with a shelf used to put the bags in. Shinichiro even saw the lockers which he hadn't seen before. Then again, the last time he went here with Wakasa, Benkei was still renting the building out whenever they had training sessions. Shinichiro couldn't believe that he missed this when he died...

Ah, now wasn't the time to think about that.

"Sorry I couldn't get you at the door." Benkei faces him. Around the man was a few boxes. Shinichiro knew what those where: Photo albums and a couple of notebooks. "It's cleaning day, didn't want to miss another month." He chuckles at his own statement.

"You didn't say why you were cleaning though." Haruchiyo pointed out.

Shinichiro didn't know this either. Benkei only started cleaning once a month after they saved that girl from a burning building... Now that he thought about it, that could be the reason why. Oh boy, Shinichiro finally found new blackmail material. But just to make sure if he was right or not, he needed to be subtle.

And what better way to be subtle when he could see the picture just right next to Benkei.

"So, how's Mina?" Shinichiro asks with a sly grin.

Benkei stays silent, and Shinichiro could see a red tinge on his face.

Bingo.

"She's fine." Benkei puts one of the boxes away, closing it. That meant he was done with that one. "I saw her last week."

"Do my eyes deceive me?" Shinichiro takes a few steps towards him. "Is the great Redcliff flustered at the mention of a girl?"

"Uh, who's Mina?" Haruchiyo asks the two.

Benkei clears his throat. "A friend. We saved her when Black Dragons was still around." He answered.

"Don't keep it to yourself, big guy." Shinichiro chuckles. "See, Benkei here was the one that saved her. Waka and I just called an ambulance to make sure she was okay. Luckily she only inhaled smoke and just needed to be under observation for a few hours before her dad picked her up." He added. Shinichiro could see the red tinge on Benkei's face reach his ears. Haruchiyo must've noticed this, and he just nods. "So... she's his girlfriend?" Haruchiyo asks again.

Shinichiro grins. "No, but they are close friends."

Shinichiro remembered that day like it happened yesterday. The day they saved her was the day Benkei and Wakasa agreed to the merge but both Ragnarok and Koudou Rengou didn't know, so the option was to discuss this in a nearby coffee shop. Their plans were cancelled when they saw a burning building and a distraught father yelling for the firemen to move out of the way so he could save his daughter. It was Benkei who made the bold move to go in the building to save her despite the risk.

"So..." Haruchiyo looks at Benkei now. "You haven't asked her out."

That hit Benkei right in the heart. Shinichiro was trying his best to hold his snickers and eventually he just started laughing. "H-Hey!" Benkei stammered, now standing up. "You—You stop laughing! You know the reason why I can't ask her out!" He squawked.

"I'm... I'm not following." Haruchiyo looked confused. "If you have feelings for her then you should ask her out, right?" He asks them curiously. "Isn't that how love works?"

There was silence before Benkei let out a sigh. "Listen, Haruchiyo," He kneels down this time to put a hand on the young boy's shoulder. "Sometimes things don't work out... sure, even if she felt the same way I doubt that it'll ever work."

"Why's that?" Wakasa looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you even have to ask?" Benkei opens his can of beer before looking up at the night sky. "As stupid as it sounds, we're both from different worlds. She's someone who has everything and I'm just some kid who wanted some sort of... feeling." He takes a sip from the beer can after saying that. "In short," Wakasa pats him on the back. "You're scared that you'll lose a friendship that you both bonded over."

Benkei looked at him before back at his beer. "...probably. Normally I wouldn't even give a damn if anyone tried to confess but with Mina... I don't know. She's there and I'm..."

"...I'm here." Benkei finishes the sentences with a small smile. Shinichiro remembered the scenario. They were up on the roof one night after some fight (which Shinichiro lost, by the way) and with a few cans, Benkei admitted that he did have some sort of attraction to Mina. Shinichiro was listening in on the conversation, seeing as he was the only one (at the time) who did not have a significant other and got rejected nineteen times.

Haruchiyo was still confused, even with the explanation. He looked like he wanted to say something but the words were stuck in his throat. "Go on, Haru," Shinichiro encourages. "You can tell him if you want." "Yeah, I won't judge." Benkei reassures him. Haruchiyo let out a sigh of relief. "Well... why don't you try?" He asks them again. "Try asking her out instead of waiting for a 'what if' scenario to happen."

Benkei widened his eyes at that statement. Even Shinichiro was surprised. "Haru... who told you that?"

"Dad did." Haruchiyo answered. "He may be busy but at least he tries."

"Even the kid's got more sense than Takeomi." A familiar voice makes their way into the gym. It was Imaushi Wakasa, in his usual baggy clothes and messed up hair that was now in purple and white. Next to him was a familiar face that neither Benkei or Shinichiro didn't expect to see.

Blue hair that reached her shoulders, green eyes, and no matter what the occasion, she would always wear that butterfly hairpin on the right side of her hair that somehow matched with anything she wore.

"Why silent?" Wakasa asks before turning to his friend behind him. "Ah, right." He turns back to the three. "Mina said she wanted to visit, and I was on my way here." He added with a shrug.

Haruchiyo's eyes widen this time, pointing at the woman. "You're the—the—!" He stammered before blurting out, "You're Sakurai Mina! The sponsor for Yume Kagami magazine!" Haruchiyo then turns to Benkei and Shinichiro. "You're friends with the only daughter of Sakurai Akihiro?!" "First of all, how do you know that?" Mina asks with a small laugh. "And second, yes, I'm friends with them." She says, smiling a little.

"Finally got permission and decided not to sneak out?" Shinichiro asks jokingly.

"Oh, very funny." Mina lightly punches Shinichiro's arms. "I'm old enough to leave the house alone, Mr. Weak King."

"I'll borrow these two for a moment." Wakasa intervenes by grabbing Haruchiyo and Shinichiro by the shoulders, leading them to the boxing ring. "Listen, let's just pretend to clean up while they catch up." Wakasa whispers to the two, and they nod.

'If I died back there...' Shinichiro started to get lost in his thoughts once more. '...that meant that this whole conversation never happened... and that Benkei and Mina didn't even bother in talking... considering that Mina died before me in that timeline...'

Shinichiro remembered seeing the news one day while he was in the hospital. The headline on the newspaper was "Sakurai Mina, the missing daughter has now been found, her body buried six feet underground". He couldn't even go to the funeral due to his busy schedule. He did visit the grave once, but that was only on her birthday. Which was ironic, because Sakurai Mina died on her birthday. It was a horrible way to die.

While Wakasa and Haruchiyo were pretending to fix up some of the equipment, Shinichiro couldn't help but watch Benkei and Mina. While he didn't understand what they were saying, it was clear on the smiles on their faces that they enjoyed each other's company.

"Try asking her out instead of waiting for a 'what if' scenario to happen."

'Maybe I could have a small chance after all.'

"You can do this... you can do this... Yeah, I can't do this." Shinichiro was pacing back and forth in front of the central library in Yokohama, which was where Hitomiko worked part time on the weekends. He knows this because this was where they first met when he was still leading the Black Dragons.

Why did he decide to go here on August 14, which was supposed to be their anniversary?

Oddly enough it was him of all people to initiate the break-up, but told Hitomiko that if anyone would ask who initially started it, she would have to say that it was her who wanted the relationship to end.

It was to save face. And from Shinichiro's own perspective of things (or maybe because he got rejected twenty times), it was normally better for the woman to break up with the man. Society can be a bitch sometimes but that's how it is, apparently.

"Yup, I'm not doing this." Shinichiro sat down in defeat. "How can I even face her... Ugh, I feel like an idiot..."

"Shin?"

Shinichiro jumps from his position in hearing that voice. The familiar scent of lily perfume was there. He didn't even need to turn around to see who it was, but for his sake, he turns to look. Blue eyes and greenish-black hair, along with a blue blazer with a white shirt underneath and pants.

This was Kira Hitomiko.

"Uh... hi? I, uhm," Shinichiro clears his throat, trying to hide his nervousness. "I wanted to see you. Despite what I did..."

Hitomiko only stares at him before sighing. Shinichiro knew that expression all too well—that same expression she had when the topic of breaking up came. "I don't know you anymore, Shin." Hitomiko says to him. "We were happy. I don't know why you decided on breaking up like that—Was this because of my dad?"

"Well... partially." Shinichiro admitted.

"Then what was the whole reason, Shin?"

In all honesty, Shinichiro's reasoning was that he didn't want her involved with him—Even if Shinichiro disbanded the Black Dragons, people still might come after him. And that would mean his loved ones would be involved. Hitomiko's father, Kira Seijirou, also knew this and privately asked Shinichiro for a little chat. Obviously, Shinichiro expected the whole "you're not fit for my daughter" speech, and that's exactly what he got.

Hitomiko was also in the same status as Mina: Both are rich and are most likely to get kidnapped. But for Hitomiko's case... if she gets kidnapped, then it'll be the end for Seijirou.

"I already lost a son." Seijirou says to him, showing genuine worry. "I don't want to lose a daughter."

"I..." Shinichiro's words were stuck in the back of his throat as Hitomiko was staring at him. Shinichiro was weak whenever she would look at him like that, and he was already weak in both fighting and women. "Look, I said what I said when we broke up, and nothing—"

A hard slap broke the sentence. Hitomiko had tears in her eyes, but she was angry.

He remembered those eyes when she first confessed. But those eyes were happy. Now they were just... hurt.

"The next time you show up like this, I will punch you." Hitomiko spat at him. "If I don't get a proper explanation to why we ended up like this, then I can just forget we ever happened."

"Miko-chan—"

"Don't call me that." Hitomiko snapped. "You have—you no right in calling me that right now."

"I'm sorry." Shinichiro pleaded. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want you involved with me knowing that your dad would lose you, too."

Hitomiko was quiet, but she shakes her head. "Don't bring my younger brother into this. If that was your reason why you broke up with me then this is just bullshit to you."

"Miko-chan—"

"Stop." Hitomiko's voice almost breaks. "Stop calling me that when you hurt me."

There was silence, then Hitomiko walks back into the library while Shinichiro just stares at her retreating figure. He... he definitely expected that, considering that he did come here out of the blue.

"Wow." Shinichiro manages to chuckle, but even he had tears in his eyes. "Miko-chan's still the same as ever..."

Shinichiro left the library that day. Despite smiling, the tears in his eyes would say otherwise.