Dreams and fate

The following morning, the six reconvened at Junepai Nakamura's household.

“There’s a lot to discuss,” NN spoke first. He crossed his arms over one another before continuing his speech. “As I suspected, the investigation regarding the death of the spies was extremely lackluster, which means that Sasha, for whatever reason, wanted us to be aware of the spies' existence. I’m not entirely sure what her intentions are, but I do know she’s at least somewhat aware of our misdeeds against the Takeba group. The extent of her knowledge on that matter is also unknown, but I’ve chosen to continue moving forward in destroying both the shadow beast and the Takeba group.” He watched as the five others silently nodded. “And in relation to Sylvie's new identity.” He grunted silently and pulled an ID from the pocket of his black slacks. Sylvie promptly stood, leaned forward, and took the ID into her hand, reading the name aloud.

“Nozomi Uchu.” She silently hummed to herself.

“Whenever you’re in public, that’ll be your name. Nozomi Uchu, a woman raised in rural Japan who lost her parents during a monster attack. She promptly joined the American rehabilitation program and became a member of K-Corp International. There’s already a profile in our database, just in case anyone gets suspicious and looks you up.”

Himeno wrapped her arm around Sylvie, pulling her into a side hug as she stared down at her ID.

“You know what this means? We can start hanging out together all the time!” She plastered her face with a smile wider than any of them thought she could manage.

Sylvie's eyes widened as if she suddenly realized something. “Potato chips.” Drool pooled at the corner of her mouth.

“That’s right!” Junepai stood, “She can finally go to the store!”

“Wait a second.” Yuya chimed, “Why not think bigger? Sylvie's never been able to experience the outside world first-hand. After today's celebration, why don’t we all go somewhere fun?”

“Like where?” Himeno asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe an amusement park or something? It’s not like we couldn’t afford it.”

Junepai suddenly turned to NN, who was standing in total silence, arms still crossed. “What about you, NN?”

He looked surprised at the question, “I’m not entirely sure. After all, I’ve never been anywhere ‘fun’ either.”

“Well, now that you mention it, I haven’t been to an amusement park since I was a kid.” Junepai added, “So then, it’s settled, why don’t we go to an amusement park for our next mission!”

“Sounds good to me!” Himeno answered.

“Sure, why not?” NN plainly stated.

“Well, in the meantime, why don’t we take Sylvie shopping with us? She can help pick out the food for the celebration!”

The group filed into the limousine parked right outside Junepai's home. They arrived at the store in minutes, and almost without a second to waste, Sylvie searched for her sacred potato chips.

Most of the group split off, searching for whatever they had a taste for.

Junepai and Yuya stuck together.

“You know how to cook?” Yuya asked.

“I learned a little from my mom when I was younger. I’m no pro or anything, but I don’t think I’ll disappoint.” He turned and flashed a smile, then pulled a packet of meat from the freezer and tossed it into the basket.

“Oh, I know! I’m pretty good at baking, maybe I can make a cake.”

“Is it someone's birthday?”

“Cakes aren’t just for birthdays.” He chuckled. “Just leave the sweets to me! I can make cookies too!”

Himeno managed to find NN while venturing down the aisles, peering into his basket. “That’s a lot of puddings…”

From bottom to top, his basket was lined with different flavored puddings.

“Some of those look very… Interesting.” Her voice trailed, “Alien acid flavor?”

“Why not?” He shrugged, a smirk playing on his face. He then looked into her basket. “All fruits and vegetables?” He sounded perplexed, as if the contents of her basket were any wilder than his.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Vegetables are gross! And why eat fruit when you can eat candy?”

Himeno couldn’t help but laugh, “You sound like a child.” She clamped a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Again, that same perplexed tone of voice.

“I didn’t mean to laugh at you.” She let out a breath of air, still chuckling and wiping her eye.

The group met back up at the front, scanning their baskets. They waited much longer than they’d have liked, thanks to Sylvie and NN’s copious amounts of junk food.

“I thought monsters didn’t need to eat,” Yuya whispered to Junepai.

“They don’t.” He answered.

They’d finally finished, returning to Junepai's home with hefty grocery bags held between their arms.

“Let’s get this thing underway!”

Junepai, Yuya, and Himeno operated the kitchen, making their own dishes. Himeno her salad, Junepai his kebabs, and Yuya his cake and cookies.

It was like a smoke screen in there, and every few minutes the smoke alarm would start blaring, and NN would have to get up and fan the smoke away before returning to the couch and resuming his game with Sylvie.

By the time the three finished, the moon had started to rise, and a beautiful aroma filled the air.

“We present to you!”

The three stood in front of the TV, swiping Sylvie's feet away from the coffee table and setting their dishes atop it.

At the very center, and most notable, was Yuya's double-stacked cake, topped with white and pink frostings and sliced strawberries. On one side sat Junepai's all-meat kebabs, and the other was a large plate of salad and fruit kebabs.

“And there are cookies on the stove!” Yuya said with a proud smile.

“Whoa!” Sylvie began to drool, eyeing the food with wide eyes. When she stood, the empty chip bags surrounding her fell to the ground, crumbs spilling onto the floor.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Junepai gently pushed her back, “Wash your hands, and grab a plate.” He commanded, to which Sylvie slunk off to the kitchen with a frown. “Geez, how can she even have an appetite after all that?” His eyes fell toward the empty chip bags.

“It’s cause of their stomachs,” Himeno answered, startling him. “According to Sylvie, monsters don’t really have stomachs, not in the traditional sense at least. Whatever they consume just kinda disappears.” She laughed, her face practically brimming with light.

“You look really happy.” Junepai muttered, “Not to sound rude, but I never imagined you smiling so wide like that.”

She looked away, trying to force away her smile. “I’m not too sure why… I’ve just been feeling really happy today. Maybe it’s because Sylvie doesn’t have to hide anymore.” She turned back to face him, allowing herself to smile. “And I guess I have you guys to thank for that.”

It was Junepai's turn to look away, his face burning up.

So cute! His thoughts screamed. His hand found its way to his rapidly beating heart.

“Oh, and before I forget. I want to apologize for kicking your ass, twice.” She spoke almost as if she were proud of herself.

“Only that one time really counts, the other time I wasn’t even in control of my own body!”

“I’d say that counts more, considering the shadow beast was amplifying your magic.” She laughed.

“W-whatever.”

Himeno suddenly turned to the kitchen, “We should eat before Sylvie swallows everything up.”

And that they did. For the first time in all their lives, they felt as if they’d truly belonged somewhere, as if they were unburdened by the shackles of responsibility. After they’d eaten, they gathered around the couch, doing karaoke. And although NN refused to sing, he couldn’t help but smile as the others did so. When he caught a glimpse of Yuya, he could feel that same sensation and smell that same scent.

Some more time had passed, and most of them had fallen fast asleep.

Junepai stood upstairs by himself, leaning over his balcony and staring up at the moon with a wide smile.

“Hey, Junepai.” Yuya groggily spoke. “Sorry for barging into your room.” He, too, leaned on the balcony railing.

“It’s alright.”

They stood silently for a few moments, listening to the gentle winds and watching the moon.

“Y’know, I’ve been thinking about something,” Junepai spoke, “It’s about NN’s ability.”

“What about it?”

“It’s like fate.” He answered. “It’s that ability that brought us all together, probably the only reason why Himeno got to smile like that. And it’s the reason why I was able to find my dream again.”

“I guess you’re right…” Yuya perked up for a second, “Wait, but what about me? His ability didn’t really work out for me.”

“Oh, I forgot about that.” He let out a nervous chuckle, “Well, that doesn’t matter, after all, you’re a part of my fate, because without you, I wouldn’t have reached the conclusion I’ve come to now.”

“I guess so.” He hummed a bit, then that humming turned to grumbling, “I just don’t get it. If I’m a part of your fate, then why wouldn’t I be a part of his?”

“I’m not really sure. I mean, this whole ‘fate’ thing is hypothetical, so maybe that’s not how it works at all.” Junepai turned to face Yuya, “but that’s not the point I’m trying to make here. Yuya.” He struggled to say what was on his mind, gritting his teeth as if the words were painful in his mouth. “I love you, Yuya.”

“W-what are you getting at?”

“No, not like that!” Junepai laughed, “I love you like best friends would love each other. After all, you are my best friend, and you’re the first friend I’ve ever had. It’s because of you that I didn’t give up on myself, the reason why I had the courage to fight the shadow in my heart, and the reason I was able to rediscover my dream. Because of you, I can stand alongside NN, Sylvie, Himeno, and you. I can stand beside you all to face the scary future. I’m glad that it’s me who gets to fight against the Takeba group. It may sound childish, but I’ll be the superhero the world needs, a person that can carry the hopes of the world, and fight the monsters that try to destroy that hope.” Once he’d finished, tears began to well up in his eyes.

“A-are you ok?” Yuya asked, concerned.

“I’m more than ok.” He wiped his tears, “Thank you, Yuya, for showing me that there is hope in this world.” He pulled him into a hug, refusing to let go. “So long as there’s fire blazing in my heart, I shall never yield.”  

NN stood at the door, silently watching the two with a hand clutched around his chest. That sensation around the two of them had only gotten more intense. 

To be continued in Live: Love: Rage! Reborn!