Her Answer

I couldn’t believe he was standing right in front of me. I clenched my fists to my sides, debating whether or not to smile tearfully that my best friend finally returned to me, or to verbally cut into him until only his Ravager cap memorabilia remained.

Kenta looked just as surprised as Hiro did that I came downstairs. I was on the brink of a breakthrough, but I think my unspoken feelings about my old friend may end up being the final push I need to finally put this chapter behind me.

“I’m guessing you learned something from the journal you could use,” Kenta said.

“Uhuh. But there’s still a bit more I need to finally finish. I need to write out the final half of the last chapter and give my story the ending it deserves.”

“Umm, hey Violet, er–I mean Fumiko,” Hiro said.

He was so anxious he couldn’t even properly stay in character. It was oddly endearing to see White, the leader who brought me into the world of Ravagers in the first place, to be unable to project the confidence the first romantic hero possessed. I didn’t want to watch him flounder around anymore, so I decided to give him a lifeline and finally greeted him.

“Hello, Hiro. It seems after all these years, there seems to be a crack in your White’s mask,” I said, smiling.

“Well, It’s been used for so long, that there’d inevitably be some cracks,” he said, lowering the brim of his cap.

Kenta walked behind me and gripped my shoulder.

“I don’t want to get in the way of two love allies’ reunion, so I’ll wait for you in the apartment, okay,” Kenta said.

“You don’t have to be in character too! You can just say you’ll leave us alone!”

“I know, but this is admittedly more fun, now that you’ve shown me the light,” he said, chuckling from his abdomen and belting as Zauru would, his head rocking back and forth.

“Geez, just go already, Kenta,” I said, my cheeks and ears hot from embarrassment.

“Good luck,” he said with a smile and a wave.

Kenta decided to take a walk and went right of the apartment, whistling with his hands in his pants pockets. Maybe I was imagining things, but I could’ve sworn that another familiar face with sharp black hair was on a collision course with him from the horizon. Ryuuji maybe.

I sharply inhaled and exhaled, gripping my forehead as I shook my head. He somehow manages to make me smile, even when he annoys me.

I returned my focus to Hiro, who for whatever reason, could only keep one eye directly on me. When I intentionally tried to directly meet his gaze, he swiveled his head away from me.

“Okay, obviously we both need to talk to each other, but is there any particular reason you can’t look me in the eyes, Hiro,” I asked, tapping my foot.

“A lot has changed, Fumiko,” he said.

“Clearly. I guess leaving without saying goodbye would create a large wall of evil miasma between us.”

“Things are not the same, Fumiko. And I didn’t do it on purpose. I had to leave because of my family’s work.”

“Yeah, I know. Your parents told me. After I called them!”

“Okay, if we’re going to keep doing this–I think we need a more neutral location.”

I bit my tongue, realizing that I wasn’t getting through to him. Well, if he won’t talk to me as my best friend, Hiro, then maybe he can talk to me as White.

“Okay, then let’s go.”

“Where did you have in mind?”

“We’re going back to our secret base. Our home away from home.”

***

It was barely an inconvenience for us to travel from my apartment to our old elementary school. The benefit of living in one place most of my life meant that everywhere I needed to go growing up as a student was relatively close by. And just for this one particular instance, Hiro could join me too. Well, at least until he had to leave again.

I marveled at the play structure at the center of the playground, the bright blue cobalt-blue slide still intact, minus a few small plastic knicks that stuck out to the side from the frequent use of the children that came after us.

“This is really nostalgic and all, but why did you bring us here, Fumiko,” Hiro said.

Now was my chance to put my master plan into action. I broadened my shoulders and stood ramrod straight, similar to Iori after she inherited the mantle of the purple Ravager. I pointed my index finger squarely at his heart.

“White, It’s great to see you after all these years, old friend! Tell me, has your year long search for the universal meaning of love yielded any results,” I asked, projecting my voice as deeply as my vocal chords allowed.

“Erm, yes. The complexity of love has slowly revealed itself to me after my many years of traveling in isolation, but sadly, not without consequence,” he said, lowering his head.

“What do you mean, White?”

“You see, it seems the universal definition of love is something that can only be learned by a whole lifetime of experiences, and on one’s own terms. But I have learned one thing in my travels. With love, comes a personal responsibility, one all allies of love can’t take lightly.”

A sudden scratchiness crept up my throat as I tried to speak again, noticing the shuddering of his head as he said his last words.

“You can tell me, old friend! What responsibility did you inherit after your long travels?”

“It’s that–well Violet, love is…”

***

He tumbled to one knee and hid his face with one hand as he began to weep, the facade of his alter ego completely faltering. Even with his best efforts to muffle himself, I could hear the subtle sounds of his choked groaning.

I leaned down to grip his shoulder with my hand and tried to gently nudge it so I could turn him around and properly face him.

“No–it’s nothing. I mean–it’s nothing I won’t eventually get over. Fumiko, do you really want to know why I left?”

“That doesn’t matter right now. I’m really worried about you right now, Hiro. Why don’t you just tell me what’s wrong?”

“Fumiko, I don’t know how else to say this, but right before I left without saying goodbye, I don't know how it happened, but I somehow developed feelings for you, and it’s only gotten worse since I left you.”

“You might be a bit late to the party with that one,” I said with a nervous chuckle.

“I know. I heard what happened in the last month from Kenta. But after everything he told me, my gut feeling was right. I don’t think I was the right guy for you.”

“And you were so sure of that? On what grounds?”

“That we just weren’t compatible. No offense, Fumiko, but you have to admit, when it comes to certain parts of a romantic relationship, you definitely react differently than most girls. In a sense, I think you were more pure than most girls in that regard.”

“Yeah, it’s true,” I began, my hair snapping as I suddenly sprung up to stand. “But you’re wrong. Can I share something with you that doesn’t reach back to Kenta’s ears? In how he loved me, you were no different. Even with my lack of interest in those “more raunchy areas” of love, Kenta never gave up on me, and one day soon, we’ll find that elusive answer together.”

“Hmm, is that so,” he asked with a smile and a curled brow.

“Yeah.”

Hiro took off his Ravagers cap and gingerly placed it in my hands.

“Well I’m going to hold you both to it, then.”

“Wait, what do you expect me to do with this,” I asked.

“I’m retiring the mantle of White. It was a good run,” he said, walking to the edge of the raised concrete boundary of the elementary school playground.

“Hey, wait! Aren’t you going to at least say good-bye? Have you learned nothing?”

I flailed my arms violently and stomped my feet, gnashing my teeth in annoyance.

“You’re right. It was nice seeing you again, Fumiko. Goodbye. Oh, and one last thing, when we meet again, I want to know your answer to the universal definition of love.”

I ran up to him and locked his body into a tight vice-grip with my arms.

“Not before you tell me what yours was! And what happened to that manga?”

“Hahaha! So you still remember that, huh? Well it’s coming soon. All you have to do is look in your local convenience store, and my pen name will be there.”

“What is it?”

“Raito Yukimura.”

I chuckled to myself. In the end, he chose White’s original name, before he forgot it.

“Goodbye, Hiro. You better make your manga a bestseller!”

“Yeah, yeah. Can’t have a former ally of love showing me up, after all.”