Promise

It was early afternoon. The sunny breeze shook the sakura flowers and blooming buds from behind whirling through the clear skies in a flowery vortex of peace. The gentle waves crashed against oysters, mollusks, and seashells washed among the shore, pulling them in and leaving behind a vast amount of slippery seaweed. Hungry seagulls, green-headed ducks, and feathery geese called out to their packs as they searched the beach area for food. Small sand castles resided where children previously in the morning played, washed up by the shore.

Amidst the middle of the shore was one individual resting by himself; he wore a thin white hoodie, white-striped black trunks, and red sandals. He rested the back of his left hand behind him while placing his right hand on his right knee. He inhaled the aroma of the beach; salty and stenchy. He sighed and leaned back with his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and began dozing off, until...

"Hey!" A cheerful and bubbly voice of a girl called for the man laying down. Her elongated jet-black ponytail ran through her back, and she wore a polka-dot frilly bikini swim set. She hooked a pair of sunglasses on her head, and a Yoshimura motorcycle glove tightly attached to her left hand. "Ryo! Got room for one more?!"

Ryo ignored his sister, closing his eyes tighter to pretend her presence was not there.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" His sister asked, placing her hands on her hips after placing a picnic basket next to Ryo's leaned-back stance. "Ryo, hey! Wake up!"

"God..." Ryo muttered, removing his hoodie to reveal his puffy black hair. "Let me rest in peace for once, Sumire. Can't relax with you yelling at me the whole time."

"Well, excuse me," Sumire sarcastically remarked, snatching the picnic basket and placing it by her side. Her eyes lit up in a starry manner after digging into its contents: hand-wrapped leek and pork dumplings, along with iced milk tea. "Leave it to me to eat all of these dumplings I made for you like good ole times. And milk tea!"

"Homemade dumplings? Milk tea?" Ryo lunged his body up and dug in with his sister. "Don't mind if I do."

Sumire rolled her eyes as she handed her brother his food and drink. The two of them leaned back together, soaking in the peaceful nature of the beach's harmony while they dined on homemade food. Ryo rolled his eyes over to gaze at Sumire, grinning as he caught her smiling brightly underneath the sun. She took a mighty breath through her nose to solidify the position at the moment.

"Hey," Ryo said. "I don't want to kill the mood, but..."

"Hmm?" Sumire asked. "What's up?"

"You really wanna know?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah. Tell me."

Ryo placed his dumpling down and crossed his legs together. Sumire turned to her flank. "Your friend Corlean told me that the others who fell in battle that night in Sagittarius had their funerals recently." He explained.

"Oh..." Sumire said, turning her eyes down to the sand below after thinking about Senna, Bame, and Vayah. "I'm... I'm glad that they're resting in peace now. They deserve it... after their hard run."

"You did your best to save them," Ryo complimented, rubbing his hand on Sumire's shoulder to shake it. "And you did."

"I know," Sumire said, lightly smiling after reminiscing about her moments in Sagittarius Fon. "Is Corlean going to be in charge of everything over there?"

"With Charlotte, yeah," Ryo said. "I guess that's the only good news out of that. Hope she visits soon. I know the two of you are close."

"Yeah, we are," Sumire said, smiling once more. She took a bite of her dumpling before setting it down once again on the picnic basket. She admired the scenery of the clouds stretching through the afternoon sky. She turned back and faced Ryo. "Ryo, I have a confession I want to make to you." She began.

"Hmm? What is it?" Ryo asked.

Sumire's bubbly cheeks rose in flames as she swayed back and forth from her sandy seat. A light smirk beamed through her mouth. "While I was gone, there were many times when I found myself at a dead-end, not knowing what to do. Sometimes I sat down and asked myself, what am I even doing here? Should I even be here? What's my whole purpose in life? And when you came to rescue me when I was trapped underneath those rocks, I had a dream about when we first met in Claude's club. Then, I saw you in a beach much like this one. And eventually, every time I fell back down, I thought of you and Mom... and I always got back up."

Ryo closed his eyes and chuckled. "Then... you'll be surprised to hear that I think about you as well," He admitted. "Same thoughts, different obstacles."

"You do?"

"Yeah," Ryo said, placing his hands on his knees as he stretched them outward. "I think it all has to do with what we have. You took care of me when I was young, and you still are doing the same now. The memories I've had with you truly do carry on, even now. And you can't help but want more after all of the tough shit that we've been through. I think... I think that's why you kept thinking about me before you saved yourself. Just a theory."

"Good theory," Sumire said, laughing. She sipped on her iced milk tea. "But... I had a feeling that you weren't just thinking about me." Her eyebrows lifted themselves up twice in rapid succession, hinting at a broader topic.

"What do you even mean?" Ryo asked.

Sumire poked Ryo's arm with both of her fingers as she continued lifting her eyebrows with an impish smile. "Oh, come on... you know. April? I totally knew that you had the hots for her. When she wakes up, don't worry. You'll get your chance!"

"I don't like April that way," Ryo truthfully said. "I mean... I thought I did. But she just reminded me of Ash Meguro, that girl that I bullied when I was young. Her smile... her eyes... and her voice is so similar. Maybe if Sophie met her, she'd feel the same way."

"But she's on work vacation. With Naoto," Sumire said, edging closer to Ryo and continuing to poke his arm teasingly. "Heehee."

"Would you stop that?" Ryo asked, pulling his arm away.

"So... Natia then!" Sumire mentioned.

Ryo's voice uttered a single sound before he turned away in embarrassment. Sumire leaped up into the air and cheered. "Stop." Ryo said.

"Haha, I knew it, I knew it!" Sumire teased. "I was thinking, hey, if it wasn't April, then it's totally Natia. Don't worry, I know all about the details. Jinni told me everything. How you were so heroic and brave for finding the truth about Genesis and how she chased after you like a princess flocking to their prince!"

"But you hate Natia." Ryo said.

"Hmm? What does that have to do with you?" Sumire mentioned.

Ryo sighed. "Guess it doesn't." He said.

"So... you like her then, right?"

Ryo sighed. "I don't know," He admitted. "I know she doesn't hate either of us. I'm still trying to understand how she really feels about herself. There was this moment where I traveled with her to find Lucine, and we ended up gazing at the stars alone. We fought eventually, and then we made up as we were searching for you. I could just sense something inside her that was different and waiting to come out of hiding. And I appreciate her for giving me that opportunity to find out."

"Nah, you like her because she's got a smokin hot bod." Sumire teased, poking Ryo's arm again.

Ryo held his breath in with both of his hands and dodged away in hiding. Sumire laughed uncontrollably, nearly choking on her iced milk tea. "Yeah, well... what about you and Zack?" Ryo brought up.

"What about us?" Sumire asked.

"I saw you that day we stopped Genesis," Ryo mentioned. "The way you looked at him. And eventually, you told me the truth about it all. The way he lied to you about everything."

"He did," Sumire said, sighing and turning away. "He did lie."

"But he didn't lie about loving you, I bet," Ryo continued. "No one would say such a thing out of the the blue like that."

Sumire shrugged and hid her face away from Ryo by turning around. "It's... complicated," She said. "After he saved Lucine and I... he never spoke a word with me ever since. I think it's safe to say that he doesn't anymore."

"But... do you?" Ryo asked.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Sumire lashed out, nearly tossing her milk tea at Ryo's forehead. "How can I love someone who I don't even know anymore?"

"You loved Maven," Ryo said. "How is Zack any different?"

"Zack's different because he has a purpose in his life now, and that's to protect Lucine," She said. "He... he won't come back for me. I just feel it in my bones."

"Well, I have a feeling he will," Ryo said. "Just an instinct."

"Man, you really think you know him that well?" Sumire asked, leaning back into the sand entirely.

"Just an instinct, I said," Ryo repeated. "Besides, you really are one of the densest girls I know out there. You didn't even know that Naoto liked you."

"Wait, wha-" Sumire froze before lunging out of her sandy seat. Her dumpling and milk tea flipped over, but she caught it on time. Her eyes widened and her mouth drooped to its side. "Naoto likes me?!"

"See what I mean?"

"Wait, but... Naoto likes Jinni," Sumire said. "Or... the other way around. There's no way."

"I had a feeling."

"Same..."

A minute passed in the beach area, and both Sumire and Ryo finished their picnic lunches. Sumire stood up from her seat and rushed toward the waves with her frilly bikini ready for watery action. She spun around as the water splashed against her gentle skin, laughing at the tickling sensation. She turned around and waved at Ryo, beckoning for him to come with her.

Ryo rolled his eyes and joined his sister with his hands in his hoodie pocket. The heat was getting to the both of them now. While Sumire frolicked in the water, Ryo called for her name, forcing her to turn around in surprise.

"Thank you..." Ryo said with a wholehearted smile on his face. "For everything."

Sumire's face froze in pure adoration of Ryo taking the initiative. She then smiled along with him and nodded. "Of course," She replied. "That's what siblings are for."

Half an hour passed as the both of them played around with the water and the creatures by the sea. Eventually, both of them returned back to their picnic basket. Ryo laid down on the sand while Sumire laid above him; her head met with his on the opposite side. Their stamina was completely drained, and the coolness of the waters calmed their nerves down.

"I've... still got a lot to overcome before I can face Ash again," Ryo said, clenching his fist. "She's still out there, all scared. Defeating Genesis was only the beginning. Now we need to know what they were planning behind the scenes."

"I'll get on that ASAP," Sumire said. "I've... got some obstacles of my own too. Seeing my mother again. Maybe my father."

"Earlier you said you had something to tell me about your family," Ryo mentioned. "Did you want to tell me now? It's a good a time as ever."

Sumire thought about it, but after a few seconds, she rejected it. "No, not now. Maybe another day when I've grown much stronger and I'm ready for it."

"Okay," Ryo respectfully agreed. As they both closed their eyes, Ryo turned around to face Sumire. "Love you." He said.

Sumire giggled, feeling her heart pound as the two of them rested together. "Love you too." She replied, giggling even more.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm just imagining you saying that to Natia."

"Shut up..."

"What?! It's good practice! Don't lie to yourself!"

"Whatever..."

The two of them closed their eyes as they continued relaxing in the sun. The sounds of crashing waves, ducks quacking, and crabs clacking their claws was enough to make the both of them fall asleep in the middle of the beach. The two of them fell in a deep slumber next to each other, dreaming about the future and what it would hold.

But whatever it was, Ryo and Sumire would promise each other to be there for each other, no matter how dark it was.

They promised.

Later that night, she awoke from her slumber...

And whispered Ryo's name as life returned to her spirit.