SHOUTO

The rain kept on pouring outside since morning. I listened to the sound of the raindrops while slurping my cold soba.

I heard Kuroiwa sigh. He was serving his own soba when he looked at the windows. His eyes were half-open.

"If you're going to stalk, make sure the people you're stalking won't notice." He muttered in his breath, and continued serving the soba onto a medium-sized bowl.

"Is it an enemy?" I asked. Kuroiwa shook his head.

"No, just a fellow schoolmate. I'm sure you've noticed."

I thought about his answer for a moment. Then I finally noticed the ongoing rain.

"I see. I'll tell the teachers about it." I stated, then continued eating my soba.

"Speaking about observing someone. Why don't you want to see Aoi?" Kuroiwa asked.

"Why are you asking something you already know?" I asked back. I knew he was going to ask about her. He naturally does.

He chuckled as he sat down on the seat across the table. "I might misinterpret the things that I see, you know~"

I didn't answer and continued eating my soba.

"You don't want to see her because you feel guilty about the things that happened to her?" Kuroiwa speculated. He was wearing a sly smile but his half-opened eyes indicated that he was serious.

I decided to keep quiet.

"Or are you still selfishly wishing that she would stay ignorant and unknowing about everything that happened?"

I looked at him once again. 'You know that is not true.' I snapped at him in my thoughts. He heard it and exaggeratedly nodded in satisfaction. I looked back down at my soba and ate peacefully.

"Yep, the reason you don't want to see her is because of the kiss." He stated cheerfully, so cheerful and casual that I almost choked.

I glared up at the sly creature in front of me.

"Shut your mouth, Kuroiwa."

But he only tilted his head like an innocent girl, as if to say 'What's wrong?' or 'What are you so angry about?'

I gritted my teeth. There's no point in arguing something that you can't even deny or justify yourself.

"Okay, Aoi you can come out now~"

Wha—

Kuroiwa was looking at the wall separating the stairs and kitchen. I looked behind me and saw a girl with long pale-blue hair who slowly walked towards us with a nervous expression.

"I got busted." She smiled wryly.

"Are you hungry? I cooked soba. It's perfect for the rainy weather." Kuroiwa spoke. Aoi nodded. Then Kuroiwa stood up and walked to the kitchen to serve a bowl of soba to her.

How long had she been there? Did she hear everything?

Aoi sat at the seat beside Kuroiwa's place. Her hands on the table where nervously scratching each other's fingers, and she was looking down. Her pale blue hair covered her eyes. She is clearly nervous. And I know that it's my fault.

Kuroiwa placed the small bowl of soba on the table together with a pair of chopsticks. Aoi bowed her head and thanked Kuroiwa before clasping her hands together and muttered "Itadakimasu"

While observing the cute young lady across the table on the left side, her golden eyes wandered to my face. Maybe because I've been used to it, I immediately knew that she was staring at the scar on the left side of my face.

Perhaps she had already since those fragments of our past.

"If you keep staring at Shou-kun, he'll melt you know?"

Aoi's eyes widen, as if she just woke up from hypnosis. She looked down at the steaming soba, and brought the bowl closer to her face, then started eating. Probably due to the heat of the noodles, her cheeks were tinted red. Seeing her eating like this, makes my mind helplessly react how cute she looks. She's like an innocent little child, but instead of feeling annoyed, it's making me want to protect her more.

"Now, you're making Aoi melt, Shouto"

Crap... I didn't realize that I was staring at Aoi. Her golden eyes moved up at me once again, as if to confirm if what her best friend said was true. I looked down and continued eating my soba before she could look at me in the eye. My eyes focused solely on my favorite food yet my mind kept wondering at the pale blue-haired girl.

I need to hurry up and go upstairs. Staying here would make the situation more uncomfortable. I'm not even certain how long she had eavesdropped a while ago, and how much she had heard. I wanted to ask her but, I'm not sure what to do after that.

Finally, the eternally slow minutes ended and I stood up from the chair. With the empty bowl in hand and a pair of metal chopsticks, I went to the kitchen sink and started washing them.

After soaping them and drying them with the kitchen towel, I turned around.

"I'm going upstair—"

"Ahh, Shouto can you do me a favor?"

Kuroiwa's voice overlapped with mine. My eyes narrowed at him.

"Why should I?"

Kuroiwa looked at me and feigned a nervous smile.

"I am going to check the gate outside if it's lock. But I can't leave Aoi alone." He stated while scratching the back of his head.

"I'll just be the one checking the gate."

Kuroiwa pouted at my statement. He turned to Aoi.

"I'm sorry Aoi, it seems like Shouto doesn't want to be with you anymore."

"Wha—"my eyes widen.

Kuroiwa was looking at Aoi who tried her best to give a normal smile, but instead gave a stiff and painful one.

"It's okay...I can handle myself, Shin." Her voice were calm but I can't neglect the sound of pain lingering in it.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Aoi nodded cheerfully. Kuroiwa patted her head and stood up.

He glanced at me, briefly revealing a cold metallic gaze. He immediately looked back at Aoi and smiled like nothing happened.

God damn it. I know I have to take care of her Kuroiwa! It's the reason we're here after all.

"Okay fine. I'll watch Aoi for a while."

"E-Eh?" Aoi looked at me with wide eyes. "You don't have to—"

"Really? Thanks Shouto! You're a lifesaver."

"Shin, I'll can take care of—"

"Now be a good girl to Shouto, okay?"

"SHIN!"

Then Kuroiwa headed the door.

"Shin, listen to me! HEY!"

The door finally closed, leaving the two of us in this house.

I looked at Aoi's red face. Her shoulders jumped when she noticed me and she resumed eating her soba noodles. I stayed quiet and sat on one of the kitchen stools.

It was an awkward moment, where only the sound of Aoi slurping her noodles and the pouring rain from the outside could be heard. But it did not hide the deafening silence around us.

I turned the stool around to face the kitchen counter, trying to immerse in my thoughts, trying to distract myself from her. However, all the thoughts inside my head were about her. Finally, I took a deep breath.

"He-." I turned my stool to face her, only to find that she was staring at me.

Her eyes widen and looked away.

"I-I'm sorry. Shouto-kun... It's just that I... uh...Ughhhhuuuu.... This is so embarrassing...." Her face turned red as a tomato.

"No, no, it's alright Aoi."

"You're wrong! It's very rude of me to stare at you. And this is not just the first time. I was staring at you a while ago too. I'm really sorry! It must be very uncomfortable." She bowed her head down.

"It's really fine. I'm not feeling uncomfortable." I told her gently while gesturing my hands to calm her down.

Her head remained low.

"Shouto-kun doesn't need to lie." Her words froze me on the spot. "I know you're uncomfortable with me around, because,"

She slowly lifted her head up. Then Aoi gave a smile that was excruciating to look at.

"Shouto-kun, doesn't even want to see me, right?"

"That...."

Seeing the look on her face added a heavy weight in my heart. Guilt was poured all over me like shards of glass stabbing all over my body.

Why did I forget? The Aoi right now is an innocent one. She is full of kindness. She has done nothing wrong but the way I'm treating her is...

"Aoi..." I stood up from my seat, and bowed my head very low.

"Shouto-kun, what are you—"

"I'm very sorry, Aoi. It's not your fault. What happened days ago was not your fault. I am to blame for everything."

"Shouto-kun, don't be like this, please raise your head!" Aoi's voice showed concern, but I clenched my fists and continued.

"No—everything I have done, it was for Aoi, but I ended up hurting you instead. All I wanted was to keep you away from danger but all I gave you were frustrations. I wanted to protect you but I ended up hurting you. I'm very sorry. I...never intended to kiss you that time.

Even if I wanted to tell you why I did that, I didn't even know myself. I know myself that I loved someone else but still... I... I could not forgive myself."

"Shouto-kun..."

"I'm not hoping for you to forgive me." I admitted. "But at least, you would know that I don't hate you Aoi. I could never hate you...That's why.

Don't be in pain, Kiseki Aoi."

I shut my eyes closed, waiting for her answer.

I've made another mistake. But I will do my best to make up for it. This guilt inside of me will never be enough for what happened. It will never be enough for the time that I kissed her. It will never be enough for the time I tried staying away from her. It will never be enough for the time I blamed her. It will never be enough for the time she lost her memories. But I will try to never make another one again.

"Shou...Shou-kun." I heard Aoi's voice broke.

I looked up to see tears flowing down from her golden eyes.

"...Shou-kun..."

I wonder why.

"Shou-kun...I..."

I wonder why, when Kuroiwa says it, the sound irks me. However, when she calls me with that nickname, I feel warm inside.

"S-Shou-kun..." Aoi sobbed, as she tried to wipe the tears in her eyes.

I knelt my left knee in front of her, then caressed her cheeks, wiping her beautiful tears. Then,

"T-thank you, Shou-kun"

Aoi gave a smile that I could never forget. It was a smile that I haven't seen for a long time. It's the smile that I would be willing to turn back the time and change everything just to see it again. It was a bright, gentle smile that reminds you of the morning sun.

"Uwahh!!"

"Aoi!"

A sudden bolt of lightning followed by a roaring thunderclap caused Aoi to cover her ears. Her hand accidentally hit something on the table. I totally forgot the soba she was eating. It dropped on the floor and the glass bowl shattered on her feet.

"A-ahh!" Aoi gasped in pain as she saw a shard of glass stabbed on her left foot.

"It's gonna be okay." I gently held the back of her foot and touched the shard of glass. "Take a deep breath." As Aoi inhaled, I pulled the shard out of her feet.

"Gha...!" Her hands gripped on the chair tightly as she cried in pain.

"Now, don't move okay? I'll get the broom and—"My eyes widen in shock.

Why? Don't tell me... No, it can't be.

A pale golden light glowed from the wound on her feet, slowly closing it

Why is her Quirk back? 

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9-27-2018

It's a double chappie update! Things aren't feeling going so well with my schedule right now... But I'll still try and update as much as I can ^^