Bygones 5 (Yuriko End)

This rest of the party went by fine enough. The kids didn't really care about the little outburst caused by Ruo running off. They were just happy he was okay now and the group returned to being happy little children.

"Looks like all's well that ends well." Arata said peering over them playing and running around. "Wouldn't you two say so?"

"Sure." They both replied in unison. Just the same, they also shared in the same tone of voice being rather down about it. Rouza because she only reluctantly had to agree that her little brother was happy. Yuriko because while it was nice to see her sister get with her crush, that now made her current situation appear more pitiful.

Somehow a girl who was only ten beat her to getting a boyfriend. Sure, it probably didn't count at their young age, but at least that girl didn't get in her own way. She looked over at Arata, was this the time to finally tell him that she made up her mind? That she believed him to be the boy for her?

No, there was no way she could just pop the question now. They were at a little girl's birthday party. That was hardly romantic at all. However, her gaze towards the boy wasn't lost on Rouza, who took note of why the girl was acting so strange right now.

After some time, the party to come to an end. So soon, the children began trickling out as their parents came to pick them up and bring them home. Since Rouza and Ruo walked here, they were the last to leave since the boy wanted to keep seeing the girl he liked.

"I want to walk home with you." Yurisa suggested. Of course she would say that, and in order for that to work out. Yuriko would have to come along so they could walk back to their own home together.

"Can we, please?" Ruo begged Rouza pretty hard on it. So much so that there was no other choice but to relent to the kids.

"Okay fine, I'll do it because you're so cute." She playfully nudged the boys cheeks. For someone who was mean at school, she was quite the doting sister.

"Guess that means I'm stuck with you." Said Yuriko, who got herself ready to head out as the sun was setting.

"Yeah." She had a disgusted look on her face in disappointment. "Yo, Kashimura. You better come along too."

"Hmm?" That was an odd request to him. "Why? I'm not related to anyone here."

"Because, I don't want to walk around awkwardly with this girl. At least if the two of you are talking, we won't look like weirdos." It was a strange thought process to him coming out of her. All that would succeed in is making her feel left out as they walked home together. Though he accepted as it would benefit Yuriko.

So together they all went. The two kids walked on a bit ahead as they laughed and held hands together. Seeing it made Yuriko feel a lot more jealous about her sister and wished she could have the same feelings. Not that she wanted to do that with Arata or anything… Wait no, she did. That girl wished deeply to be able to hold his hand while they walked. Maybe even something a little more than that.

But for now, that was just a pipe dream in her head. There were so many other girls after him that it was already unlikely she'd have a shot even if she confessed. Though at this rate, she was probably going to go through out the rest of high school without ever clarifying to him that he was the one in her heart. Yogi was no longer a question anymore.

How would she even go about telling him that? Just saying it? But then, how should he respond to it? If she just told him that she only liked Arata fully, and no longer held feelings for Yogi. Then, he would have to give a proper answer? Now this was why she couldn't be honest about her feelings. Because it was more likely he'd reject her and end any shot she had with him.

Finally, they arrived to the home of Rouza and Ruo. Somewhat surprisingly, it appeared to be a rather nice looking house. Nothing like what some might expect out of a girl who was a delinquent, but then again, her brother appeared to be a nice kid.

"Okay Yurisa, it's time to say goodbye now." Yuriko knelt down to tell her sister that. Obviously they'd be seeing each other at school anyway. Though it was a shame for the younger ones since they weren't actually classmates.

"We will…" Disappointed, the little girl went up to the boy as they chat for a tiny bit before having to separate for the day.

"I guess we'll have to keep in touch." Yuriko wasn't looking forward to it, but it seemed that her and Rouza were going to have to put their differences aside for the sake of their younger siblings. Then again, maybe that was for the best for everyone.

"Oh yeah?" Rouza responded. "Then maybe the two of you should keep in touch too." She took each of her arms and wrapped them around Yuriko and Arata. Then, she shoved the pair together uncomfortably close. It was a shock for him, since now he was practically touching a lot more than he'd bargained for with her. This was going to earn him a knuckle sandwich.

"What's this all about?" He asked, trying to push himself away from the girls. There was no way this girl they hardly hung out with could know about them.

"I'm saying that Yuriko's holding back act is getting old." She explained to him. "So what I'm trying to say is-"

"Okay, I'll be the one to say it." Yuriko pushed off, which she was successful at as she was stronger than him. That was far easier than the next thing she had to do. "I like you, okay Arata?"

"I already knew that." Finally, Rouza released her grip from the boy. "And you also like-"

"I don't like Yogi anymore." Now this was the real surprise to him. "He's fine and all as a friend. But, I don't feel the way about him as I do for you." She explained to him that she had discovered what her true feelings were. It was difficult to explain, even for someone who was normal. However, coming from a tsundere was like when someone was trying to speak in a language they weren't native in.

"She was being down about seeing her sister have more game than her." Rouza butted in before he was able to answer. "Isn't that so lame?"

"S-shut up." Yuriko meagerly tried to defend herself. "So there you have it, happy now?"

"Yuriko…" Arata now understood what it felt like to finally make a decision. All this time, he had been concerned over trying to find what he liked. However, she was in the same boat as him for a while now trying to pick between two good boys. To finally understand where one stood, they needed to try and connect with someone. So this girl was able to finally decide based on who she felt happiest with.

"If you want to reject me go ahead…" She tried to make it sound like she didn't care. When in reality she wished deep inside that he'd accept her. "You're an idiot, but I'm the bigger idiot for falling in love with someone like you…" Yuriko paused. There she was again, trying to sabotage herself from having happiness. "No, I don't want you to reject me." Tears began falling down her cheeks. "I… I want to be with you. I want to hold hands and kiss and… And…"

"…" Without saying a word, and without a moment's hesitation from her emotional outburst. Arata leaned into her and planted a kiss right on her lips. This silenced her and it showed the girl his answer without having to speak a single word. He realized now how he wanted to be with as she finally broke through her own walls.

"You… You like me back?" She asked, stunned as he backed away from her. "I'm… I'm not crying about it." Yuriko tried to wipe away the tears so that no one could see them. It was embarrassing to it in front of Rouza, and she wanted to set a good example for her little sister.

"I do." He answered. "You're a wonderful girl, who just needs a little help being open." It was something he could relate to. And considering everything the pair had been through across their entire lives, it made sense to him that he'd feel so strongly for her.

"Yay, Yuriko and Arata finally got together!" The children saw the whole thing, and of course Yurisa was excited to see the pair come together with their feelings. "You were right all along, Arata."

"Right?" He looked at them bewildered. "Right about what?"

"About my wish coming true today." They laughed as they realized that her hidden desires weren't about her. Instead, she wanted her older sister to find love and happiness as well.

"I'm surprised you helped out so much." Yuriko asked Rouza. "Why?"

"Eh, the two of you ain't that bad." She replied in a vague manner. Truthfully, she was grateful for how they helped out Ruo in his time of need. So she chose to repay the favor. "You know what, we should celebrate this occasion."

"Another celebration?" It was a bit quick after celebrating a birthday with children. However, it was always fun to spend time with those you love. "Let's do it!"