64Author's Notes:
Hey everyone! Welcome to the sequel of Before My Body is Dry!
First things first, if you haven't read Before My Body is Dry before coming here, you don't have to worry TOO much. There will be some important parts you missed, so I encourage you to go back and read it, but you don't have to.
With this story we'll get to the OVA, and then some stuff I have planned after. Expect some serious stuff at the start, but as this story progresses I plan on it being much more relaxed than my first one. I also imagine that this story will progress for the foreseeable future, as it doesn't have much of an end game really. At least not now.
So, sit back, relax, and enjoy some more bits from the lives of Akio Takahiro and Ryuko Matoi!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kill la Kill. The source of the cover photo comes from Pixiv, so if you want it just ask in your review or message me and I'll give you the link!
Two weeks later...
"No! No, no, no! Stop!"
Ragyo sneered at Akio's cries, his anguish and helplessness only fueling her.
"A-Akio?" His father, Hiroshi, gasped, his eyes meeting his son's. "Is that you, son?
Akio tried to move, but he couldn't. His feet were locked in place, stopping him from going anywhere. That was to be expected, after all. He had been here before. He knew how it always ended, but that didn't stop him from trying to prevent it. Maybe if he tried a little harder, said something a little different, tried something else, maybe his parents wouldn't meet the outcome he was ready for.
Two tendrils of Life Fibers snaked towards the unsuspecting forms of Kasumi and Hiroshi Takahiro.
"N-no," Akio choked out. "D-don't! Not again!"
He knew what happened next. It was like watching a movie. He could only sit and watch as the inevitable happened, over and over.
Without warning, the tendrils shot towards their necks, coiling around them and squeezing.
His parents cried out in surprise and pain as they were hoisted into the air, their legs dangling beneath them as they fought against the nooses around their necks.
They wouldn't last long. He knew that.
He knew that.
Akio met his parents' eyes one final time. He never wanted to look into them, but each time he was compelled to. His body would always disobey his wishes.
Both of his parents were looking directly at him, they're faces surprisingly calm as they struggled to breathe. Their eyes shone with unshed tears as they watched their son.
As always, in these final moments, the fear of death left their eyes, and was replaced with something else.
Something softer.
Something warmer.
Something that Akio didn't understand.
Ragyo snapped her fingers, the sound mirrored by the cracking of their necks.
Akio woke in a sweat, his eyes wide as he gasped for air. It was that dream again.
Slowly sitting up in his bed, he placed a hand over his heart to calm its rapid beating. It was like a tiny hammer was slamming against his ribcage.
"God damn it," Akio cursed silently, running his other hand over his face to try and wipe away the rampant emotions.
It was the same dream. Each night, he had had the exact same dream. It'd start at the beginning of their battle with Ragyo Kiryuin and Nui Harime, and would always end with the death of his parents at the hands of Ragyo herself.
He was like a specter in these dreams, always watching and never acting. No one would even notice him till the end, and then it felt like the entire world would be watching him.
Akio shivered, the image of his parents' eyes imprinted on his brain. As much as he might try, he'd never forget that look they had given him just before Ragyo snapped her fingers and the Life Fibers broke their necks.
Needless to say, the past two weeks had been very rough. The deaths of his parents had hit him very hard, and coupled with the task of trying to settle down again, things had been quite tough for Akio. It wasn't exactly like he had ever 'settled' down before.
A day hadn't gone by where he hadn't thought about his parents, and a day didn't go by where those thoughts didn't affect him. While he hadn't exactly been that close with Hiroshi and Kasumi for most of his life, the small time he did have with them he cherished. He loved them and they loved him. There was a once time when he thought that once the war was won, he'd go and live with them for a few weeks. Just him, his sister, and their parents. All of them together, doing family stuff. Like having dinners, going on picnics, maybe even going fishing.
That wasn't possible anymore, though.
Honestly, if he were alone, he probably would have locked himself in day one. Just shut the bedroom door and never leave. But he wasn't alone, so he couldn't. He had to be strong, and not just for himself. He wasn't so dense that he didn't realize that.
He had to keep going.
Taking a few deep breaths, he shook his head, his eyes inevitably landing on the empty space beside him. It hadn't been so bad when Ryuko had stayed over the first few nights. At least then he had someone to comfort him as he tried to go back to sleep. But, as these things go, her time was split between Akio, the Mankanshokus, Satsuki, and even herself. Akio hadn't been the only one to lose someone two weeks ago, after all. He wasn't the only one who was grieving.
Akio's eyes widened, mentally kicking himself for nearly forgetting his sister.
Pushing himself out of bed and placing his feet on the floor, he walked across the large bedroom and towards the other bed in the corner.
That was another reason why Ryuko didn't sleep over after the first two nights. Akiko hadn't been able to sleep alone in her room.
So, the two of them decided it would be best to have Akio bring her bed into his room, and then two could share it, which left them with the arrangement they had now. Akio preferred it this way. At first, he had been afraid to even look at his sister in the eye, let alone be in the same room with her. Thankfully, Ryuko had been able to talk some sense into him, quickly and convincingly.
"You're the only family she has now, you idiot!" Ryuko had shouted at him when he mentioned the idea of sending her to live with someone else. "There's no way you're going to dump her off on someone else! Damn it, the two of you need each other. Now more than ever!"
She had been a little blunt about it, but she needed to. Looking back on it now, Akio was ashamed with himself to have even put forth the idea in the first place. What kind of brother would he be if he didn't take care of his little sister?
Akio sighed in relief when his eyes fell onto the five year old. She was sleeping, but it would be debatable on if it was peaceful or not.
Her small arms clutched onto a lion teddy that was half the size she was, her long, brown hair spilling over top of it. From the way her eyes were twitching, Akio could tell she was dreaming.
It had been clear off the bat that Akiko had taken their deaths very hardly. Harder than Akio, to no surprise. To the little five year old, Hiroshi and Kasumi had been her entire life. At this age, the two of them were essentially all she had; and now they were gone. Ripped away, just like that.
The first four nights were the roughest. Poor Akiko hardly had any tears left in her as the fifth morning came around. The only bright side of it all was that she was eating and sleeping.. She was beginning to settle down a tiny bit, but the giant hole still plagued her heart. It would take ages to heal, but she was learning to cope with it. She was learning to live with it.
Just thinking about it made guilt bubble in his chest.
Sitting down carefully on the smaller bed, Akio reached out and brushed the hair out of her eyes and behind her ears.
"I'll make it up to you some day, princess," Akio murmured.
After his talk with Ryuko, it became clear as to what he should do: he'd become her legal guardian and raise her himself. He was over eighteen, so he was legally an adult. He had an amazing support group. The Mankanshokus, his brother, Ryuko, Satsuki, and hell, even the Elite Four and Tsumugu were all right behind him. It was a huge undertaking, but he knew it was the best for all parties involved.
Money wasn't a problem either, thanks to the huge final check he had gotten from Nudist Beach- which actually came as quite the surprise to him. Apparently his brother, Aikuro, had never filed all the paperwork for his quitting. It just never registered. So, all of the paychecks he had missed, as well as a hearty bonus, was all piled into one, fat lump of cash. It would definitely allow him and Akiko to live comfortably for a very, very long time.
Thank God that Takarada loved throwing his money around. Akio needed it now more than ever.
Akio's hand lingered on his sister's cheek before he sat up, his eyes glancing over to the clock on the wall.
6:30 AM.
He might as well get up now. It wasn't like he was getting back to sleep anytime soon.
Coming to his feet, he walked briskly out of the shared bedroom, yawning as he walked.
First things first. The bathroom.
Moving into the bathroom directly across from their bedroom, Akio closed and locked the door, turning on the lights.
The first sight that greeted him was his ragged self in the mirror.
Akio frowned as he examined himself, making himself look even worse.
His brown, unkempt hair was all over the place this morning, nearly hiding his bright green eyes.
Bringing one hand up to his face, he slowly traced the three grooves that marred the right side of his face.
Akio's teeth grounded in his mouth as he felt the rough scars. He hated looking at them, he hated feeling them, he hated everything about them. Ryuko seemed to like them, but Akio couldn't get over them. Partnered with the bags under his eyes, they made him look at least ten years older this morning.
They were just a visual representation of the injuries he received during his seemingly never ending battle against Ragyo and the Life Fibers. Every time he looked at himself, they would always be there. They would always remind him of his mistakes.
Shaking his head, Akio moved about to do his morning routine. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, combed his hair, and used the toilet, then left the room as quickly as he had entered.
Walking into the kitchen, he flipped on the lights, then moved to the coffee maker and turned it on.
As he waited for the coffee to brew, he took a quick glance around the suite around him. Only hours after the battle had ended, Satsuki had offered Akio one of the spare Three Star accommodations for him to use. School wasn't over, after all. They still had a month till the end of the term.
Even though it was one hell of a generous offer, Akio refused and haggled her down to a One Star suite. Living in the mansion that was a Three Star suite would just be too much for him and Akiko. With it only being the two of them, the home would probably feel more empty than anything, and neither needed that. The suite's that the One Stars lived in, however, was perfect. They weren't too small, but they weren't too big either. A living room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen. That was more than enough for the two of them.
Funnily enough, she had even offered the Mankanshokus and Ryuko one as well. Unsurprisingly, they all turned it down immediately. It just wasn't their style.
Turning back to the coffee pot, he grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup, lightly blowing on it before he took a small sip.
Opening up the fridge, he decided he'd go light on breakfast today. It was a big day, after all. It was Akiko's first day at school.
She should have been attending kindergarten awhile ago, but with everything that happened she just didn't get the chance. So, Akio felt it best to enroll her in the school here for the time being. It'd give her a chance to get out of the house and interact with the real world, and hopefully get her mind off things.
On his end, Satsuki had given him the option to take time off as he recovered from his injuries and gathered his thoughts. At first, Akio thought better of it, but as time went on he decided it was for the best. Aikuro was his teacher, after all. It'd be easy for him to catch up, especially with Mako and Ryuko both in the same class.
Grabbing some eggs from the fridge and pancake mix from the cabinet, Akio set out to whip up a breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs and pancakes. Couldn't go wrong with those.
"I wonder if we have any bacon," Akio mumbled to himself, scratching his cheek.
He reached for the fridge door, when the sound of knocking stopped him.
Knock, knock, knock!
Akio raised an eyebrow, his eyes moving back and forth from the door to the clock. It was still before seven. Who the hell knocks on someone's door before seven?
Grumbling to himself all the way, Akio paced over to the door, opening it up before the stranger could knock again.
"Morning, Akio," Aikuro greeted with a smile, walking past Akio and into the apartment behind him.
"Hey, Aikuro," Akio grumbled, slightly annoyed that his brother had just barged in. "What can I do for you this morning?"
"Oh, nothing," Aikuro said as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring himself a mug. "Mind if I have some?"
"Oh please, help yourself!" Akio rolled his eyes as he followed him into the kitchen. "Do you want some of my breakfast, too?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," Aikuro turned to him with a smile, mug in hand and completely oblivious to his tone. "Thanks."
Akio sighed and continued to cook, this time making enough for two. How very much like his brother. While he acted like the leader he was when he worked for Nudist Beach, he was somewhat aloof and easy going when it came to his personal life. The teacher persona that he had put up for so long had finally bled through a little bit, even more so now that he was back to work at the Academy.
So, inviting himself to Akio's breakfast wasn't much of a surprise for him. Not that it really bothered Akio in the first place, but he wouldn't be a brother if he wasn't slightly annoyed.
"So, why are you really here?" Akio asked as he poured some pancake mix onto a skillet. He knew it was more than just 'nothing.'
"Just checking up on you," Aikuro shrugged and took a sip from his mug. "I wanted to make sure you were settling in alright."
Akio nodded, his previous bad attitude dissipating some. Both of them knew there was more to it than that. For that, Akio would always be thankful.
"Yeah, well. I've been doing fine, but thanks for coming out here to check up on me."
Aikuro returned the nod, his eyes drifting towards the food Akio was preparing.
"...There's only two pancakes," Aikuro noted with a frown.
"Yep," Akio chuckled as he flipped the first one. "Don't worry, one of them is yours. Some of the eggs, too."
"What about you?"
Now it was Akio's turn to shrug.
"I'll eat later. I'm not very hungry right now."
Aikuro's frown deepened, this going unnoticed by Akio.
"Akio-"
"Hey, would you mind taking over for me?" Akio turned to him and jerked a thumb towards the bedrooms. "I'm going to go wake up Akiko."
Aikuro sighed, but nodded nonetheless and took Akio's spot at the oven. It wasn't like he could say no.
Akio walked briskly past him, letting out a sigh of his own once he had walked out of sight.
Walking back into the bedroom he had only left thirty minutes prior, Akio walked over to Akiko's bed, sitting back down on its surface as he moved to shake his sister's shoulder.
"It's time to wake up, Akiko," Akio whispered as he shook her softly.
Akiko began to stir, her eyes slowly fluttering open and taking in the half lit room around her.
Her eyes finally landed on her brother.
"Good morning," Akiko greeted with a yawn as she pushed herself up in bed.
"Morning sleepy head," Akio smiled and tousled her hair. "Ready to get up?"
Akiko looked like she wanted to say no, but instead nodded. Her tired and baggy eyes definitely didn't agree with that.
"Good," Akio continued to smile at her, hoping somehow his mock good mood would rub off on her. "Today's a big day, after all."
Akiko turned her head down to her lap, a slight frown gracing her lips.
Akio's brow furrowed in worry, his head tilted to the side as he tried to get a better look at her face.
"Is something wrong?" He asked after a brief pause.
Akiko shook her head, but didn't lift it.
"That doesn't look very convincing, you know."
"Can't I just stay here with you?" Akiko mumbled without lifting her head.
Akio's smile faltered. By all means, that was a valid request. But Akio knew better. Staying in the house all day was no way to live. She needed to go out and experience the world. Have fun, make some friends. A five year old shouldn't have to stay here with him all day.
"You wouldn't want to stay locked up with me all day," Akio laughed and patted her on the knee. "That'd be super boring. Besides, I hear that the kindergartners get to play games all day and do a bunch of other cool stuff."
Akiko finally peaked up at Akio, her eyes a little more hopeful.
"Really?"
"Really, really. I was a kindergartner too once, you know."
Akiko's face brightened, but immediately darkened when another thought struck her. Raising her hands palms up, she looked to them, and then to the rest of her body, before looking back at Akio.
"What if they don't like me?" Akiko whispered, a few hints of tears coming to her eyes.
Now Akio really frowned.
Damn. These types of self-destructive thoughts weren't thoughts that a five year old should be having.
"Not like you?" Akio said as he stood and looked down at her, placing his hands on her hips. "Are you kidding me? They'll love you!"
Before Akiko could reply, Akio reached down and grabbed her by her armpits and lifted her into the air.
"H-hey! B-brother, put me down!" Akiko giggled as she smacked at his arms. A smile broke out on her face as Akio lifted her higher into the air, making Akio himself feel lighter than air. If she could enjoy herself, even for just a second, Akio would feel like he was on top of the world.
"Nope!" Akio laughed and placed her on his shoulders. "I'll only put you down when you agree to come have breakfast and go to class, where you'll meet lots of wonderful people and make some wonderful friends."
"And what if I never agree?" Akiko hummed as she patted his head like a drum.
"Then I guess you're staying up there. I hope you don't mind doing boring grown up stuff with me. Maybe I'll even go to the library today... Oh! I know! We can go and get our teeth cleaned!"
"Ew!" Akiko giggled and stuck out her tongue. "Okay, you win! I'll go."
He knew that would do it. Who honestly likes going to the dentist?
"That's the spirit!" Akio cheered and walked towards the door. "Now, let's go get some breakfast, and then you can get dressed for your big day."
Akiko let out another giggle and nodded, her legs dangling over Akio's shoulders as he walked into the kitchen to have breakfast with his brother.
It was a start.
Akio lazily browsed the day old newspaper in front of him as he nursed his coffee, his attention divided between the words in front of him and the conversation beside him.
"And what about lunch? How do they do lunch?"
"There's a big cafeteria that everyone eats in," Aikuro answered as he chewed on some scrambled eggs. "You get your food on a lunch tray, and then you sit down and eat."
"Really?" Akiko's eyes widened, causing Akio to smile over his paper. It was nice to see her excitement starting to build.
"That's right."
They had been on like this for the entirety of breakfast, Akiko asking the school questions and Aikuro answering. Occasionally Akio would chip in with an answer or his thoughts on something, but honestly he was pretty content to just listen to them talk. It felt... normal. Like a normal family breakfast.
He couldn't help but cherish it rather than take part in it.
"What do they have for lunch?"
Aikuro opened his mouth to answer, stopping when he realized he didn't actually know.
"...Well, when I was still in grade school, they'd usually just serve day old pizza or soggy hamburgers," Aikuro chuckled after a moment of reflection.
Akiko tilted her head to the side, her lips moving as she mouthed the foreign words.
"And what's that?"
Aikuro blinked at her, his mouth opening slightly in a stunned silence.
"Just because your school served western food, doesn't mean they all do," Akio informed Aikuro before he turned to Akiko. "Hamburgers and pizza are just popular fast food choices."
"Oh. Well, I've never had any."
"Really now?"
"Nope," Akiko shook her head. "Mom and Dad say that I... shouldn't... eat junk food."
Akiko slowly trailed off, turning her head down to her plate as she finished her sentence.
Akio closed his eyes and cursed to himself, his brain immediately kicking himself for continuing down that line of questioning.
"Well, how about after school today, Akio and I can take you out for a burger," Aikuro grinned. "It'll be a treat for finishing your first day."
Akiko looked up towards Aikuro, her face somber before a her lips slowly tugged upwards into a smile.
"Really?"
"You betcha," Aikuro nodded and glanced Akio. "Isn't that right, Akio?"
Akio looked back and forth between Aikuro and Akiko, before nodding himself.
"Right," Akio murmured.
Akiko smiled and turned back to her breakfast, her expression looking a bit more bright now than it did seconds before.
Making eye contact with his brother, Akio mouthed a silent 'thank you,' to which Aikuro only waved off.
If it wasn't for these people, he'd be so screwed. Akio was doing his best, but when it came down to it he really didn't know what he was doing. He was only trying to emulate what he saw his adopted parents do, or what he saw families do on TV. He still had a lot to learn.
"You better go get dressed if you don't want to be late," Akio commented as he glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Oh, right!"
Akiko hopped out of her chair, trotting her way back to her room to get dressed.
With her out of the room, Akio unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
"Akio."
Akio shook off his thoughts and looked to his brother, who was watching him now with a worried expression on his face.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He continued, his tone dripping with seriousness.
"Of course," Akio deflected and opened back up his newspaper so he could pretend to read.
Aikuro rolled his eyes, reaching across the table and snatching the newspaper out of Akio's hand.
Akio's eye twitched, his nostrils flaring slightly in anger at the action.
"This is serious, Akio," Aikuro continued, waving the now folded up newspaper at Akio.
Akio reached out and tried to snatch the newspaper back, only for Aikuro to raise his hand and keep it out of reach.
Growling and plopping back down in his seat, Akio crossed his arms and turned his head away.
"...I'm dealing with it," He finally admitted.
"Why don't you just have Satsuki handle the funeral arrangements like she offered?" Aikuro asked with a shake of his head. This wasn't the first time the two discussed this. "This is just too much to ask of you."
Akio's expression faltered, his eyes darkening for a fraction of a second.
"Because, they're my family, Aikuro. I have to do this."
"Well, what about your grandparents? Shouldn't they be a part of this?"
Akio winced and turned his head, making sure that Akiko wasn't listening in.
"Our grandparents on both sides have already passed," Akio answered in a hushed whisper.
"What?" Aikuro gasped, his eyes widening. "How is that possible? Kasumi and Hiroshi were only in their late thirties, I thought."
"They were," Akio nodded, his eyes turning down. "I tried looking them up, but they were already deceased. Mom's parents were old when they had her, and they both already passed of old age, while Dad's parents both died in a car crash when he was in his early twenties, along with his younger brother."
Akio sighed, running a hand over his face his face and through his hair.
"Other than a few aunts and uncles and a couple of cousins, we were all they had."
Aikuro frowned, leaning back in his seat. That had not been the answer he was expecting, but it should have been. He should have known this already. Now he felt foolish that he didn't.
"Well..." Aikuro began after a few seconds of silence, taking a moment to think of what to say next. "At least promise me you won't stay cooped up in here alone. Go over to the Mankanshoku's. Invite Ryuko over. Hell, at the very least meet up with me for lunch."
Akio gave a mirthless smile, nodding along with Aikuro's suggestion.
"Sure thing, brother. I'll do that."
Aikuro stared long and hard at the eighteen year old from across the table, but he didn't say anything else. If Akio wouldn't follow his suggestion, then there was nothing he could do about it.
Knock, knock, knock!
Akio perked his head up at the sound of someone at the door.
That's right. Mataro had offered to walk Akiko to school for her very first day.
"Akiko!" Akio raised his voice as he stood and moved for the door. "Mataro is here!"
"Coming!" Akiko shouted back from her room.
Akio reached for the door handle, opening it up to reveal who he expected. Mataro, Mako's younger brother.
However, he was accompanied by someone he didn't expect.
"Ryuko?" Akio blinked at his girlfriend, surprised by her presence.
Ryuko was wearing her usual get-up now that Senketsu wasn't with her: a black jacket with white sleeves over her plain white shirt, with a red neck tie tied around her neck. She wore a black short skirt, that only went down to about the middle of her thighs. Her black hair was the same as it always was, coming down to right around her shoulders, the red streak running through it as prominent as ever.
"Hey, Akio," Ryuko smiled as she strolled up to him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before moving past him and into the apartment.
"What are you doing here?" Akio asked, his eyes following her as she moved to the table he was once sitting at and taking his spot.
Mataro rolled his eyes and walked in as well, his presence completely forgotten.
"Nah, I'm cool," Mataro grumbled and walked over to the couch in the living room and throwing himself down on it. "Totally cool. How was my morning? Well, it coulda been worse I guess, thanks for asking!"
Akio pretended not to hear his younger friend's snarky remarks, his eyes still trained on Ryuko, who was now leaning back in her seat with her arms behind her head.
"What, am I not allowed to come visit my boyfriend now?" Ryuko narrowed her eyes at Akio, but the slight smile that tugged at her lips made it a lot less threatening.
Akio sighed and shook his head, but couldn't help but smile a bit too.
Aikuro especially looked pleased with the situation, a victorious smile plastered on his face as he looked back and forth between Ryuko and Akio. Looks like he got his wish.
"Well, of course you can," Akio mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "But, don't you have-"
"Alright, I'm ready!"
Akiko came walking back into the room, wearing the familiar white and blue of the school's required outfit and a black backpack on her back. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, a look that he had never seen on his younger sister.
Akio's confusion faded away when he looked to her, replaced with a warm feeling in his chest and a smile on his face. She looked positively adorable.
"You look great," Akio said and walked up to her, getting down on one knee and brushing away one of the wrinkles on her shoulder. "You ready for your big day?"
"Hmhm," Akiko nodded happily, surprising Akio. It was nice to see that her initial fear had disappeared.
"Good," Akio smiled and patted her on the head as he rose back to his feet. "Make sure you thank Mataro for walking you to class, okay?"
Akiko tilted her head to the side, looking around Akio and to Mataro who was still sitting on the couch.
"Thanks, Mataro!"
"No problem," Mataro replied, lazily waving her off as he too came to his feet. "We better get going, then. Sis will have my head if I'm late again."
"She's not the only one," Ryuko smiled dangerously at Mataro, causing him to gulp.
"R-right," Mataro stammered and briskly walked to the door. "L-let's get a move on then, then."
"Alrighty then, have a good day, princess," Akio told her as he gave her a kiss on the head. "I'll see you after school, and then we can go get that burger to celebrate. If you need anything during the day, just give me a call, okay?"
Akiko nodded and walked over to Mataro.
Akio glanced over at Aikuro, motioning to the two kids with his head.
"Why don't I walk with you kids to school?" Aikuro asked as he pushed himself to his feet, quickly catching onto Akio's unsaid request.
"Thanks, Uncle!" Akiko smiled and held out her hand, which Aikuro took in his. Akio was very amused when he noticed Mataro's shoulders slump a little.
"And we'll see you two later," Aikuro gave Ryuko and Akio both a farewell nod before he moved towards the door.
"Bye, Akio!" Akiko waved at her elder brother happily as she followed Aikuro close behind. "See you, Ryuko!"
"Have fun," Ryuko grinned and waved.
Akio waved back, smiling broadly as he watched Aikuro and Akiko walk out the door with Mataro right on their heels, closing the door behind him.
"It's good seeing her with a smile on her face," Ryuko noted, voicing exactly what Akio was thinking.
"Yeah," Akio replied distantly. "Wait..."
Akio blinked a few times, shaking the thoughts from his head and turning to Ryuko and raising an eyebrow.
"Shouldn't you be heading to school, too?"
"Eh," Ryuko shrugged and leaned back in her chair, letting an arm drape over the backside. "I thought I'd skip today and keep you company."
"If you skip you'll fall behind, you know."
"Oh, gee, thanks Mom," Ryuko rolled her eyes. "Please. You know as well as I do that we're just cruising until the end of the year."
Akio pursed his lips and nodded, albeit begrudgingly. That was true. From what he had heard from Aikuro, the end of the year schedule was pretty lax. Basically just lectures, without any other real work to do. No quizzes, no tests, no nothing. He knew that Satsuki probably pulled the strings to make it that way, as surprising as that might sound. It was probably a way of congratulating the student body while rewarding them for their hard work.
Either that or Satsuki and the others just didn't have a plan for the end of the year. That was very possible. It wasn't like there were any assurances that there would even be an end of the year.
"Well, I don't want to condone inappropriate behavior..." Akio began slowly before a smirk formed. "But, I suppose I can allow it this once."
It wasn't like he never skipped class, either. Plus, he knew that Ryuko was worried about him, and that made Akio feel better. It was nice having her here when he really needed it. Despite her brash and blunt nature, she was actually very caring and gentle when she wanted to be.
"Even if you didn't allow it, I'd still be here," Ryuko scoffed and kicked her feet up on the table to lean further back in her seat.
"Yes, I know," Akio said as he sat down in the chair beside her, pushing Ryuko's feet off as he did so.
Ryuko huffed and put her feet back up on the table, this time Akio not caring enough to push them off again.
"So, what have you got planned today?"
Akio sighed. "The usual."
Ryuko frowned for a fraction of a second, but tried to remain neutral.
"You've been working on that for a few weeks now," Ryuko said. "Is there really that much left to do?"
"Not really," Akio shook his head. "I just need to call the people and set a date."
"That's it?"
Akio nodded. "Yeah, why?"
The two maintained eye contact for a few moments before Ryuko blushed and looked away, her right hand playing with her hair.
Akio slowly began to grin, recognizing that reaction anywhere. He hadn't noticed it before, but now with them returning to their normal lives Akio noted that Ryuko often played with her hair when she was feeling sheepish about something. Maybe it was because she was treading in unfamiliar territory, or maybe she had a shy side that Akio wasn't aware of, but he had seen it a few times now. Maybe it's always been there, but Akio could swear it was a habit she was only just now picking up. Regardless, it was cute.
"Did you have something in mind?" Akio smirked.
"Not really," Ryuko shrugged and looked up at the ceiling, her voice dropping a decibel as she got to the embarrassing part. "I was just thinking that maybe we could spend the day together?"
"Ew, really?"
Ryuko turned to look at him, her eyes blinking rapidly while her mouth fumbled around for a response.
"Kidding," Akio smiled and grabbed her hand. "I'd love nothing more."
"Dick," Ryuko growled, her hand crushing around his. "Was that really necessary?"
"No, but it was fun," Akio answered, doing his best to hide his wince.
"Well, as long as you're enjoying yourself."
Akio chuckled and rose to his feet, bringing Ryuko with him.
Honestly, he could probably use the break. He didn't want to become one of those people that get so wrapped up in the bad things that they forget about the good things.
He promised himself that he wouldn't get to become one of those people.
"So..." Ryuko began and looked around the empty apartment before looking back to Akio. "What do you wanna do?"
"Well, we are home alone."
Ryuko's blush deepened, her eyes widening at the implication.
"I-I mean, yeah, we are, b-but that's a pretty big step and- well, I don't know, I guess if you're ready for something like-"
"Huh?" Akio tilted his head to the side and rose an eyebrow. "I was thinking about going and taking a nap. I'm still pretty tired."
"Oh... oooooooh, okay," Ryuko nodded, a little bit too excessively perhaps. "Yeah, right. Napping."
"...Right..." Akio replied slowly as he tried his best not to laugh. "So, would that be alright with you?"
"Yeah, I can just watch TV or something," Ryuko answered a lot more calmly.
"Great," Akio grinned and lead her over to the couch.
For a cat nap like this, he'd prefer the couch. Plus, it was placed in front of their flat screen TV so Ryuko could watch TV while he napped. The couch itself was pretty nice, too. It was long, blue, and very cushiony. Definitely large enough for two people, and definitely comfortable enough for a quick nap.
The One Star suites had some really nice accessories. Back in his dinky little apartment with Aikuro they didn't even have a small television, let alone an actual couch. Compared to his living arrangements in the past, this place was like an extravagant heaven.
Plopping himself down on the couch, Akio handed Ryuko the remote as she sat down beside him.
"You mind if I lay out?"
Ryuko shook her head as she pointed the remote at the television, pressing the power button to turn it on.
Akio grinned and laid out on the couch, positioning himself so that his head was in Ryuko's lap and his legs were stretched out.
Ryuko giggled and rested a hand on Akio's head, absently playing with his hair as she flipped through the channels.
"You really should take a shower," Ryuko noted with a smirk as she curled some hair around her finger.
Akio winced, this going unnoticed by Ryuko.
To be frank, he simply forgot to. He washed his face, but he didn't think to take a shower. Whoops.
"Yeah, probably so," Akio yawned and wiggled around to get more comfortable. "So, anything exciting happen in my absence?"
"Nah, not really," Ryuko replied, her eyes still glued onto the television. It looked like she had settled for the Discovery Channel. "Although I heard Jakuzure's father is coming to town to visit."
"Really?" Akio rose an eyebrow.
"Yep. Don't know why though."
"Huh. Anything else?"
"Hmmm," Ryuko pursed her lips as she thought. "Oh, yeah! Sanageyama and Satsuki are having a duel later today."
Akio blinked. "A duel?"
"Uh-huh," Ryuko nodded and glanced down at him. "You wanna come watch with me?"
"Sure thing," Akio grinned. "As long as you don't mind me sleeping a few hours first."
"Just so you know, it makes it a lot harder to fall asleep when you talk so much."
"And here I was, just wanting to talk with my wonderful girlfriend," Akio feigned a hurt look, placing a hand on his heart. "My poor heart. No one appreciates me!"
Ryuko giggled and bopped him on the head with her knuckles, then moved her hand back to fiddling with his hair.
Akio laughed and turned himself on his side so that he faced away from the television and towards Ryuko's stomach. Even though they were joking, she had made a solid point. Kind of hard to fall asleep when you keep talking.
Ryuko only giggled a bit more, her eyes glancing down at the boy in her lap.
Seeing the smile on his face made her smile, too.
They all could use a little break now and again.
Besides, it'd be fun to go and watch her sister duke it out with that green haired chump.
Author's Notes:
So, there ya have it!
This chapter was basically an introduction to the story, obviously. It sets up some of the stuff from the future, as well as gives some info on the characters and the world.
Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed it! Next chapter we'll get to the OVA!
Thanks for reading everyone! Until next time!
