The Ghosts of Our Pasts, Cheering Us On

It was only when Teru had taken abolishing Hanako and Mitsuba into his own hands behind Kou and Nene's back, ending whatever was left of their existence in secret, that the both of them realized that... ghosts and humans were really never meant to be, after all. Nene's scales stopped appearing in the shower. And, as it seemed after a total of 3 years since the incident, her lifespan was no longer in danger. Kou had rightfully distanced himself from Teru a few years after he lost the best friend he'd ever had. Instead, he and Nene had been growing closer in the final year of school. At first, neither of them noticed it happening. Kou had simply started waiting for Yashiro after school. Yashiro had simply started looking for him whenever she left the classroom. He would walk her home, and somewhere along the way their conversations stopped being about Hanako and Mitsuba. They talked about teachers they hated, exams they were dreading, stupid things they'd seen that day. Yashiro would complain about her latest failed attempt at cooking, and Kou would laugh until she threatened to never feed him again. Then she would inevitably ask what he wanted for dinner. Then he'd inevitably say, “Whatever you want.” And somehow, those became the days they remembered most. There was no grand moment when they decided to become important to each other. It happened in pieces. Kou learned that Yashiro hummed when she was happy. Yashiro learned that Kou smiled differently when he was genuinely relaxed. Kou started carrying an extra umbrella because Yashiro was always forgetting hers. Yashiro started buying his favorite drink whenever she stopped at the convenience store, even when he hadn't asked for it. Neither of them ever mentioned these things. They just kept doing them. Soon, it became impossible to imagine a day without the other in it. If something funny happened, Yashiro wanted to tell Kou. If something upset Kou, he wanted to find Yashiro. If Kou saw something she would like, he bought it without thinking. If Yashiro passed a place they had visited together, she smiled before she even realized why. And somewhere in the middle of all that ordinary, unremarkable affection, something changed. Kou noticed it first. It was stupid, really. He was sitting beside Yashiro after school, watching her struggle with a particularly difficult homework problem. She was frowning so intensely that he almost laughed. “Yashiro.” “What?” “You've been staring at the same question for five minutes.” “I am thinking.” “You've been thinking for five minutes.” “Shut up.” She nudged his shoulder with hers. He laughed. And then, for no reason at all, Kou felt his chest tighten. He looked at her. Really looked at her. At the little crease between her eyebrows. At the way her hair fell over her face when she leaned over her notebook. At the smile she tried to hide when she caught him staring. And suddenly, painfully clearly, he understood. Oh. It wasn't because she understood what he'd lost. It wasn't because she was the only person left who could understand. It wasn't because they had survived the same terrible thing. He loved her. He loved Yashiro when she was crying, and when she was laughing, and when she was being impossibly stubborn. He loved her when she was talking about things that meant nothing to him. He loved the sound of her voice saying his name. He loved knowing what kind of drink she would choose without asking. He loved her simply because she was her. And, somehow, that realization was more frightening than anything he'd faced before. Because losing someone was one thing. Wanting to spend the rest of your life with them was another. “...Kou?” He blinked. Yashiro was looking at him. “What?” “You're staring again.” His face went bright red. “I-I wasn't!” “You absolutely were.” “I was thinking!” “About me?” “No!” She laughed. And Kou looked away, covering his face with one hand. He was doomed. Completely, hopelessly doomed. And judging by the way Yashiro's cheeks had turned pink, he wasn't entirely sure she hadn't figured it out too. By the time they were nearing graduation, they were, in every way possible, completely in love with each other. Kou became a subject of Nene's secret love poems, and she hasn't been happier. It happened under an orange tree one afternoon, where they'd decided to lay out gummy candies with an obvious rainbow theme to eat to their hearts content. Kou had a secret in his pocket. And looking at Nene, with her hair done in braids, laying it off for another day would mean a day lost. "...Hey, Nene," Kou said warmly, still getting used to the way her first name rolled off his tongue instead of "senpai." Could you come here?" "Oh? Yes, of course." As Nene scooted over, Kou slung an arm around her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her cheek, which Nene leaned into. Then, to her surprise, he helped her up, and they were standing. “I used to think that if I could just save everyone, everything would turn out okay.” Kou laughed softly, almost embarrassed. “I think I was wrong about that, huh! Heck, I wasn't cut out for anything but being a simple man." He took her hands in his. “But I don't think that means we're supposed to spend the rest of our lives being afraid of losing people.” His smile was small at first. Then it grew. Because this part, at least, he was certain of. “I lost people I loved. You did too. And I know we'll probably carry that with us for the rest of our lives.” His thumb brushed gently over her knuckles. “But when I think about my future now, that's not what I see.” Nene's eyes began to sting. “I see you.” His voice softened. “I see us getting older. I see us arguing over stupid things and making up five minutes later. I see us in a bed with sheets of your cute taste, sharing a blanket. I see myself pretending to be annoyed about it even though I'll probably buy backups for laundry days." She laughed through the tears gathering in her eyes. "K-Kou-kun...!" “And I see a home.” Kou smiled. “Not because I need somewhere to hide from everything that happened. I loved Mitsuba. I wish he could have heard that in his time; that someone wanted forever with him, even if it meant dying. I really did, but that's not it. It's because..." He squeezed her hands. “Because I want somewhere to come back to. With you. Always with you." Then he got down on one knee. Nene stopped breathing. “So, Yashiro Nene..." For perhaps the first time in his life, Kou looked completely certain of himself. He opened the box, revealing a ring with a pink diamond in it. “Will you let me spend the rest of my life loving you? Will you give me the privilege of being your husband, and let me love everything you are and will be?" Suddenly, a tear fell into the silver. Then two, and three. Nene's expression was adorable, her eyes filled with joyful tears. "Yes... yes! Yes, I'll marry you, Kou-kun!" -- The house was quiet in that comfortable sort of way that only came after years of sharing the same space. Morning sunlight spilled through the curtains, warming the kitchen floor while the tea maker hummed softly in the background. On the wall were two portrait photos of Amane Yugi and Sousuke Mitsuba, back when they were alive, surrounded by candles and written wishes they put there every year, decorated with low effort doodles of the things they liked; like donuts and cameras. Kou Minamoto emerged from the bedroom, already halfway through rehearsing what sounded suspiciously like a stage introduction, when he was actually going to showcase an art piece at his new workplace that he landed with his sudden passion for graphic design, one of his wife, Nene, in her traditional wedding kimono. Something along the lines of "A wife anyone would be lucky to have." "And I've been trying ever since then to make sure she's happy, well-fed and not worrying about how fat her ankles are!" Nene Minamoto looked up from where she was packing Kou's lunch and smiled to herself, her white nightgown fluttering as she straightened up, resting her palm over her stomach. She was currently around eight months pregnant with their second child, a daughter, conceived under the most intentional of circumstances. Her swollen belly seemed to portrude like a sore thumb against her petite body, and her legs, dubbed as "daikon" by Mitsuba, seemed to resist standing for long periods of times. Even then, she turned around, clasping her hands in front of herself. "Good morning, Kou-kun! Did you sleep well?" Kou's eyes drifted over to Nene, who stood near the kitchen, waiting expectantly. Kou's face broke out in a smile as he approached her, his feet moving almost automatically. "I always sleep amazingly with you around, you know that," Kou was at Nene's side in an instant, his hands framing her face. "You're absolutely radiant today! You're so beautiful, Nene. I love you." "Hehe, thank you. You're quite handsome with your colorful ties, too, Kou-kun." "Thanks! I like to think I'm quite lovable." "You are! Now, give me a morning kiss. I've applied something sweet just now." As he captured her lips in a kiss, lifting her up into his arms, she couldn't help but giggle. Even after all these years, it still amazed her how easily one quiet greeting could dissolve his composure. "You said you'd bring Chiba-kun back today," Nene mumbled against his lips, referring to their first, three-year-old son—and Kou's so-called "photocopy"— who was currently blessing Nene's mom with his chaotic presence, tilting her head back. "He called me in tears yesterday. He misses us!" "Um, well... you know how it is, I didn't want him to bother you, but I can call Yashiro-san to bring him back if you miss him too." Kou chuckled, pulling back to clutch his sketch a bit tighter, just in case... "I'm assuming you loved me enough today to draw something in that canvas, right?" Nene suddenly asked. Great, Kou thought he could get away before Nene even questioned it. "N-no... not necessarily," Kou whispered, beginning to turn around until Nene grabbed his sleeve. "Come on, I wanna see! If you're this hesitant, I'm a hundred percent sure it's covered in me, me, and me!" "No.... ugh!" Nene managed to snatch the canvas a bit too hard, accidentally falling over, thankfully only on her bum. Nene didn't even seem to notice the pain as she flipped it over, her eyes widening at the canvas' content. "O-oh...!" "You know I would have tried to get it back if you weren't carrying our daughter," Kou took a seat next to her, having a few minutes to spare. "And... if you weren't the love of my life. I feel like it's just beginning." "Just beginning?-" "You're were a really cute girl, Nene. Really fond of supernaturality and boyfriends," Kou teased, earning a slap on the wrist, followed by Nene's hands clutching the canvas tighter, her eyes traveling over the attention to detail as Kou began talking. "I, on the other hand, just kind of involved myself with the supernatural world on a whim. Met Hanako and thought he was an easy target, but I'd say he was a good friend. To the both of us. To think you're my wife now... it's been..." He talked of the sacredness of the moment he saw Nene from a distance in the shrine. He talked of the day they conceived their beautiful child, and, finally... how he'd love to meet her very soon. Breakfast passed peacefully, punctuated by idle conversation about Nene's due date, grocery lists, and whether they were running low on tea leaves again. It wasn't exciting by any stretch of the imagination. Nene loved it. "Hey, Kou-kun...?" Nene leaned over the table, a soft smile on her face. "Yomē!" Kou lowered his chopsticks with a smile, tilting his head. "Hehe! Remember the time when Mirai-chan used her clock keeper powers on you and turned you into a good-looking adult?" "Yeah... I can't believe I let her get away with it, though." "Well..." Nene blushed slightly as she continued, reaching for Kou's larger hand across the table. "You really grew into that man, I think. I had to look away so I wouldn't fall for you! Your arms are strong, and you have that slight bark at the start of your sentences... you're very handsome, is what I mean." Kou stared at Nene for a second, blinking twice. Then, his face heated way up to his ears as he scratched the back of his head, laughing loudly. "Oh— uh, thank you, Nene! Even though she got away before you got to try out the powers for yourself, I knew you'd be a total babe when you grew up!" "Really? But I'm round as a balloon and haven't grown an inch since four years ago." "And it's perfect. Here, open up," Kou held up a piece of egg, brushing the food against Nene's lips. "Aaah!" "Tasty?" "Yes!" "Haha!" -- When it was finally time to leave, Kou slipped on his jacket with the confidence of someone about to step onto a stage. "I'll make today shine!" As always. As naturally as breathing, Nene stepped closer before he could reach the front door. "One moment, love!" "Hm?" She reached up, smoothing the lapel of his jacket before straightening his tie with practiced fingers. A stubborn strand of golden hair had escaped from where he'd tried to tame it that morning. She tucked it neatly back into place. "There. Please, try your very best today." Kou blinked, smiling brightly. "Was it that messy as to grace it with your thorough taming, Nene? Did you want to just touch me?" "Just a little." "I see. I've been enlightened!" He cleared his throat, suddenly finding the floor very interesting. Nene smiled warmly. "Kou-kun is very adorable like this, too...!" "...Nene." His ears had already turned pink. Nene leaned back just enough to admire her work before giving him a satisfied nod. "There. Now you look like someone who can do anything he puts his mind to." A brief light swirled through Kou's eyes. For a brief moment, all of his usual confidence vanished. "...Thank you." The words came out much quieter than usual. Nene's smile softened. "Have a wonderful day. I'd like to go lay down for a bit, the baby is quite active." "And you have a wonderful day as well, darling! I'll bring Chiba back tonight." "Oh, yay! My baby— I want my baby back!" "You'll have him back, and we'll give him all the hugs and kisses he wants." He took two steps toward the door before pausing, a smile crossing his face. "Make sure to check if your milk can fill a bottle at least halfway, baby. Yuuki plans on turning our entire life around very soon." "That's right!" Nene beamed, feeling a kick that was a little too insistent. "I'll make sure to take care of myself before you're back. Again, have a wonderful day, my love." Nene came over and pressed a kiss to his jaw, standing on the very tips of her toes. Kou rested a hand over her belly, the other coming up to cradle the back of her head. "If we persist in this good course, Heaven's blessing shall be ours," Kou whispered into her ear a saying as old as the Minamoto Clan's foundation. "Hang in there, okay?" "Okay... I'll miss you... and Chiba-kun..." Nene's eyes drooped as she leaned her weight against Kou. Kou chuckled, realizing she could barely stand upright, and carried her to the nearby couch, draping a blanket over her body. "Sleep tight."