Chapter 10: (v.2) together

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Episode 10: Together

The café’s quiet hum fades into the background as Rukasu sits across from Ayane, his fingers still drumming against the table. The world outside might as well have been miles away, but the tension between them... that was right here, lingering in the air like smoke.

Ayane watches him, the faintest trace of hope in her eyes, but there’s still that unease beneath her calm exterior. Rukasu’s mind is running circles, but for the first time in what feels like forever, he doesn’t have any snarky remarks or defensive walls to hide behind.

Ayane: quietly "I know you’re probably thinking that this is all a mess... that I should’ve just stayed away, that you’d be better off without me coming back. But I couldn’t leave things like this."

Rukasu: with a sigh "I don’t know what you expect from me, Ayane. You can’t just... disappear for years and then show up with a bunch of apologies and expect everything to be okay. You can’t just expect me to drop everything and be okay with you being here."

Ayane: nodding slowly "I know. And I’m not asking you to forgive me right now. I just—" pauses, searching for words "I just want to be here. I want to try again. Even if it’s just one step at a time."

Rukasu: staring at his hands "You think one step’s enough after all this time? After all that—" pauses "—You really think we can just pick up where we left off?"

There’s a long silence. Ayane doesn’t try to fill it with more words. She lets the quiet settle between them, heavy but honest.

Ayane: softly "I don’t know if we can go back. I’m not asking for that. I just want a chance to be in your life again. Even if it’s small, even if it’s nothing at all, I don’t want to leave things unfinished."

Rukasu: muttering "Unfinished..."

The word lingers in the air, echoing in his mind. Yuki’s letter, the one that had been weighing on him all week, resurfaces in his thoughts. The line from the letter “Don’t shut people out” feels like a reminder—a push from the past he’s been trying so hard to avoid.

His chest tightens, and the silence between them stretches. He could walk away. He could let Ayane be just another chapter of his past that stays closed. But for some reason, he’s not moving. Not yet.

Ayane: after a long pause "I don’t expect you to make any decisions today. I don’t even expect you to say you’ll give me another chance. But… can we just see where this goes?"

Rukasu: sighing "I don’t know what I’m doing here, Ayane. I really don’t."

Ayane: with a soft smile "Then let’s figure it out. Together."

The words hit him harder than he’s prepared for. He’s not ready for this—whatever this is—but there’s something in Ayane’s voice, in her sincerity, that makes him pause. He wishes he could just leave the past where it belongs, in the past, but something inside him isn’t ready to let go of her just yet.

Rukasu: grudgingly "We’ll see where it goes."

Ayane: smiling, relieved "That’s all I’m asking."

The two sit there for a moment longer, neither knowing exactly what comes next, but for the first time in a long time, neither of them is walking away.

Submitted: February 28, 2025

Romance romance mystery drama comedy thriller