Chapter 7: As the Time Goes By

At the moment, Nikui was lying on the ground in Saku’s apartment with a bag of ice lying on his crotch. Upon Saku’s request, Irei and Goshippu took Seo-Hyun and Hyun-Woo to stay at Irei’s place so Saku could have to apartment for her and Nikui to catch up from the past. While Nikui moaned in pain on the ground, Saku put a pot to boil for tea… When the tea was brewed, she sat down next to his head and the two slowly brought up conversation…

“Should I apologize for hitting your balls again?”

“… It would be nice… you had to go and assault me the moment you knew it was me?!”

-Saku giggled

“You should have known not to hug me close when I’m pissed Nikui-chan!”

-Nikui let out a small laugh before pushing himself into a sitting position

“I thought you’d be a little happier and excited to see me again! I seriously didn’t think you’d be putting my penis out of business!”

-Both friends laughed like they used to when times were less stressful

-For most of the night they traded stories about their lives while they were separated

-Nikui let out a sigh after a while

“So… I take it you were still pissed at me… all those years… for having to leave?”

-Saku’s smile faltered

“… Should I lie and say no…? To be honest I had to push you to the back of my head…”

-Nikui frowned at the thought of his love attempting to forget him

-The apartment was filled with an awkward silence until Saku’s watery voice broke through the quietness

“… You don’t know how hard it’s been… ever since you left…”

-Nikui moved to sit in front of Saku, placing a hand over hers

“Listen Saku… I know it took me so long to come back�"”

“Nikui… it’s been like… 7 years since we’ve seen each other! I truly didn’t think you’d come back to me. Do you know how terrible it felt?! I had almost no one left for me! If Tsuyoi wasn’t there I probably would have killed myself by now! I had to force the poor guy to go to freaking college!”

-Nikui huffed

“All you had to do was have a little faith in me!

-Saku tilted her head up to prevent the tears from spilling

“Faith… you think after everything that happened I still had the will to keep faith in my heart?! You don’t know how much it hurt hoping you would come back… Believing that my life suffering would end the moment you came back to me… In the end I couldn’t take the pain! I shoved any hope or faith or wish of you coming back to save me because I had gotten a taste of the real world… and there are no happy endings in the real world… only pain, grief, and disappointment…”

-The tears were now cascading down Saku’s face

“… And I didn’t want to think of what would happen if you never returned…”

-Nikui remained silent for a while before quietly murmuring

“… But I did come back like I promised… Saku… I am here now… to save you from your suffering…”

-Nikui gently wiped away Saku’s tears before cupping her cheek and leaning forward

-Saku’s breath hitched when Nikui stopped moving, their lips merely two inches away, to whisper

“I promised I would come back… itoshii… and I’m here now…”

-And with that, Nikui closed the space between him and Saku, pulling her into a passionate kiss

-Saku wrapped her arms around Nikui’s neck and kissed back, feeling the stress, pain, and sorrow she felt for so long suddenly diminish

-When Nikui pulled back, he rested his forehead against Saku’s

“No more suffering… and you’ll not live like this anymore…”

“… Why is that?”

“Because you can live with me… or I can buy you such a better place to live in… and you’ll need to work no longer because I can supply you with anything you need… no more struggling my love…”

-Saku pulled back slightly

“Nikui… I know you’re rich and all… but I can’t just stop working… and you don’t need to pay for everything… I’m doing pretty well right now. Plus, you know I prefer to be independent… Just be there for me whenever I need you and everything will be alright…”

-Nikui stared at Saku before giving her a small smile and nodding

“Well, don’t forget that if you need anything, all you have to do is ask.”

With a final kiss goodnight, Nikui departed from Saku’s house. Saku called Irei to make sure the children were fine and when she was convinced they’d be okay with staying over her dear friend’s house, Saku finished her homework and called it a wonderful night. Before falling asleep, Saku got another text from Amai and ended up participating in a mini conversation with the drummer:

Amai: “I’m asking once more to please let us know if you are in trouble… I don’t care if you don’t want to burden Ji-Hoon with your issues… you’d really be troubling no one… please Saku…”

Saku: “I’m in no trouble Amai…”

Amai: “… Do not lie… onegai.”

Saku: “I am not lying… I am in no trouble…”

Amai: “… Hontou?”

Saku: “Hai… and I’ll prove it to you tomorrow if you’d like.”

Setting her phone down, Saku settled on her back with a frown… With Amai suddenly bringing Kim Ji-Hoon up, Saku felt slightly confused. She did feel something for the older male… but… after the whole fight… she wasn’t too sure anymore. It still hurt her to think about the argument…

When Saku got another text, she ended up laughing when she saw who it was from… she fell asleep with a smile on her face… Ji-Hoon no longer plaguing her mind…

“Aishiteru Saku, watashi no hontou no ai… Oyasuminasai itoshii… <3 from Nikui”