The End of the Beginning

The remainder of the day was best described as surreal. 

The anxious nerves had fully left Sota's mind some time ago. It was hard for the demons to latch onto anything when their conversations and interactions were so natural. 

For Ren, it had become something different as well. After the incident at the arcade, she had begun to think that this could possibly become something. Maybe it was her emotions getting caught up in the moment, but she wasn't concerned with that now. 

Both of them wanted to make the most of this day, regardless of what the future held. They wanted it to last as long as possible. 

"Let's park on the food court side!" Ren exclaimed. "Maybe they'll have something interesting there to try!"

They found a spot near the back, grabbed their things, and headed inside their final destination for the day. 

A couple more hours flew by as they explored the mall. They wandered the whole building, checking out as many things as they could with the time they had left. 

"What do you think?" Ren giggled as she pointed towards a shop window. 

Sota looked. It was a custom T-shirt shop. The shirt she was pointing at was black and had the words "Dynamic Duo" stamped on the front. 

"Could be our team name, you know!" Ren teased. "The two of us could rock it well, don't you think?"

"I don't know..." Sota thought aloud. "I'm not sure if 'Dynamic Duo' fits. That sounds too tame... we'd be more likely to cause chaos or raise hell if we were left to our own devices long enough."

"Hell Raisers, then!" Ren exclaimed. 

Sota laughed at the idea, until Ren made her way into the store. 

"Wait, really?" he called as he followed after her. 

The shirts were printed and purchased about thirty minutes later. 

A few stores down was a nerdier, anime-themed shop that Sota enjoyed visiting. They went inside, and Sota showed her the different items that were there. Sota was ecstatic to be able to share such a 'nerdy' hobby with Ren. Ren was happy to get a chance to experience and learn about something new. She rarely had time to get into this type of stuff given her home life. 

After wandering the full mall, they found a frozen yogurt shop and each loaded up a large bowl full of their favorite flavors. They wandered a bit longer before they found a spot to sit and eat. They talked as they ate, and eventually just began 'people-watching' as they enjoyed their time together. Something so mundane and normal went on for almost a full hour.

"It's funny..." Sota noted. "I'm not a big people-watcher like this. Normally, I'd rather be in a quieter area relaxing. It's crazy how much different it is..."

"When you're with someone who gets you?" Ren asked, finishing his thought. 

"Get out of my head!" he laughed. "You keep doing that. It seems like you've got some sort of 'Mind-Meld' power."

"Mind-meld, huh?" Ren questioned. "I could go get that on a shirt, too?"

"How about we get that one next time?"

A momentary pause overcame them as they sat together, watching people move through. At this point, they were delaying the inevitable. It was getting late, and Ren probably should've been home by now. She had insisted to Sota it was fine for her to be out this late. In reality, she just wanted the day to keep going. She'd figure out the consequences later. 

But even that could only extend so far. As that extra time ran out, it left her with a thought. 

"Will there be a next time?"

Sota looked at her, a bit surprised by the question. Ren was looking at him, locked in on whatever his answer ended up being. Her eyes bore into his - another moment where her intent seemed transparent. Whatever this was, Sota could see that she didn't want it to end, the same as him. 

"As long as you're happy, so am I," Sota assured her. "We can always chat via text, and then setup another day in the near future. How does that sound?"

"I'd love that..."

Ren knew that it could be awhile. With her family being the way they were, she knew that it could end up being some time before she found another opportunity where they got to spend time together like this. Still, she found a lot of comfort knowing that it would happen again, regardless of how soon or far it ended up being. 

***

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. 

They left the mall not too much later than that. It was about a twenty-minute ride back to Ren's house. They lingered in the driveway for a bit longer while talking. At that point, they both saw Ren's grandfather poke his head out of the front door. 

"I'll see you at class, then..." Ren spoke, making her way out of the car. 

"That's the plan. You can always text me, too, if you want to talk."

"Careful what you wish for, Senpai!"

With that, she waved her final farewell and headed inside. She looked back one time, watching Sota pull out of the driveway once he was sure she had made it into her house. 

"You're late," her grandfather growled as she came in. 

"Sorry," Ren replied, taking off her shoes. "We were at the arcade and lost track of time."

"You're going to be working double-time tomorrow to get all this stuff caught up," he noted. "Otherwise, your mother will end up hearing about it."

"I'll get it done," she said, smiling. "But for now, I think I'll head to bed. Goodnight, grandpa!"

Just like that, she moved past him and headed off to her room. Her grandfather was surprised at her demeanor. She didn't seem to panic or have nerves regarding the threat about her mother, like she normally would. 

Ren was beyond being worried, though, at least for today. She had never been so happy, and she intended to carry those happy emotions with her right through until she went to sleep. 

--I'll handle everything tomorrow. For just tonight, though, I want to sit and just enjoy everything that I was able to do.

She closed the door and made her way into bed. She sat there for a few minutes, reliving the day in her head over and over. It was like a sponge of happiness that she was determined to get the most out of before tomorrow came and her normal life started up again. 

There were a lot of questions in her mind to sort through. Multiple emotions to sort out - the biggest being that she was going to miss being with Sota. 

She realized at that moment, though, that she didn't have to completely be away from him. She giggled to herself and grabbed her phone.

--I did tell him to be careful what he wished for!

***

Sota also took the drive home to process and relive everything that had happened. It had gone far better than he could've anticipated. There was now no doubt in his mind that he had feelings for this girl, despite her young age. He could feel turmoil stirring in his heart at the thought, but he kept it down. 

"I'll face that another time," he noted aloud. "For now, it's time to head home."

By the time he got home, his exhaustion had fully begun to hit. He hadn't slept in over 24 hours, so he was beginning to doze off by the time he pulled into the driveway. He got his stuff out of the car and checked the time. Given how late it was, he decided that the easiest route to avoid conflict was simply going to be crawling back in through the window. 

He did so, re-entering the small purgatory that he spent most of his time in. It was a bit depressing to be back, but at least he had classes with Ren to look forward to. 

It also seemed he wouldn't have to wait that long to interact with her again. 

As he changed into pajamas and got ready for bed, he noticed that his phone had a notification. He sat in bed, unlocking it and looking at what it was.

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Hi Senpai!

Sota chuckled to himself as he read her text and tagline. 

[Sota]: Couldn't make it until morning, huh?

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Hey, I warned you :P

[Sota]: That you did.

Sota wasn't entirely sure how to proceed from here. He was used to people getting sick of him way before this point. The fact that Ren was still opting to talk with him, even after they had spent the whole day together, was something he wasn't sure how to process. 

[Sota]: Any fun plans for tomorrow?

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Not really. Catching up on chores and homework from today, I expect. 

[Sota]: Did staying out so long cause you any issues?

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Not really! I will just have to work a bit harder than usual tomorrow. 

[Sota]: We can always aim for a smaller hangout next time. 

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Nice try! You can't get rid of me that easy :D

Their back-and-forth lasted for a little bit. Sota sat there, watching TV in the background as he chatted with Ren. She would get back to him almost immediately, which was different from the usual 1-2 hours it took for someone to 'maybe' reply to his text. 

--Is this what it feels like to have someone 'see' you?  To be more than just a ghost that could disappear tomorrow without the world batting an eye. It feels so ... warm. 

Sota held the warmth while he continued texting Ren, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. 

He wasn't sure what was going to come next. He wasn't sure if things would end well, or if he'd screw something up. He also didn't know Ren's full story, or if there was anything on her side that would cause issues. What he did know, however, were the words Riku had spoken during their conversation at the diner. 

--A few years of dating with an awkward age gap. After that, it could turn into a lifetime of ... this happiness.

Sota didn't second-guess his thought. He was determined to handle what came next. People had been judging him and writing him off for his entire lifetime. Who cared if they had one more reason to treat him that way - they were going to do it anyway. 

[Sota]: Are you going to be at the tournament next weekend? 

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: I want to, but I'm not sure :( It's pretty far away, so I don't know if my grandparents will want to travel that far to bring me. 

Sota got a second text before he could even respond to the first. 

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Unless...you'd be willing to bring me?

[Sota]: Sounds good to me! Maybe after the tournament, we can hang out for a bit somewhere. I know a couple cool places in the area. 

[Ren]: Absolutely! I'll let my family know that the tournament will run long to give us a little more time!

Sota wasn't sure how he felt about having Ren lie to her family like that, but he left it to her judgment. He wasn't going to say 'no' to another afternoon of hanging out. 

"Alright, then." Sota spoke aloud, sending off one final 'goodnight' text. "Next weekend... I guess I need to figure out my feelings between now and then..."

Because he knew that the longer he waited, the worse his odds got. That was more time for his demons to cause his problems. More time for Ren to decide she didn't want to. More time for Natsu or someone else to make a move. 

In seven days he would make a leap of faith to determine what his future, if any, would look like.