YUUKI - To Move Forward: Prelude 1

A girl with red hair sat by the boy in the bed. She let him sleep, hiding her worry and anxiety behind relief and love. She loved him dearly. She loved him more than anybody else in the world, for sure. She loved him more than Dad, and Ali, too. They both loved him lots. But not as much as her. No. She loved him the most.

And she waited for him to wake up.

So she could tell him that.

She wanted him to know just how much she loved him, because she never did it anymore. At some point, she stopped telling him that she loved him. For some reason, she never said it anymore. For some reason, she treated him like just another person.

But he did. He never forgot to tell her how much he loved her. He would hug her, and tickle her, and tell her he loved her. He loved her so much he just had to make her smile no matter what.

He made her feel so happy.

Her dearest brother, Kazuki Yuuki.

She wanted to tell him how much she loved him.

That’s why Rosa waited by his side. Because...

“...that’s how much I care.”

His eyes twitched.

Rosa’s eyes jerked up as the boy stirred at last. His eyelids moved, and twitched, and moved again. Slowly, they opened, and she finally looked directly into his coal-black eyes with her own.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, Kazu shifted around until he was sitting up against the head of the bed. He turned his head, absorbing every detail of his surroundings. Sunlight wrapped around him from through the window, both masking the contents of the room and cradling the precious peace that had been absent for so long. His eyes rested on the girl by his side. She had long, red hair and a beautiful face. The girl was kneeling on the ground, staring right back at him.

“Kaze...”

Her voice was like a dewdrop slipping from the last blade of grass in a world gone dry. In her eyes twinkled fresh dewdrops, threatening to fall and bring moisture back into the lifeless soil. Kazu closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the gentle air around him, allowing his body to reawaken one part at a time. He felt his fingers, his hands, his toes, his legs, his body. When feeling returned to his face, he felt hours of inactivity strain his muscles, but there was something he had to do, before anything else.

Kazu looked directly at the girl, smiled with all his strength, and spoke.

“Hey, Rosa.”

His voice was rough and strange, but it was his own. His emotions fueled his words. He could be proud of what he said.

Yes, this was him talking.

Rosa gasped as she heard his voice, and closed her eyes, wiping the dewdrops away.

“Guess you’re finally awake, sleepyhead. You should really take a shower. No girl’s gonna want to go out with you like that!”

Did he stink? He realized that was probably so, assuming nobody cleaned him while he was out. “Heh, sorry about that. Guess I should, huh? But later. Right now, I’m just...just so...” Whatever he was about to say got cut off by a loud yawn.

Rosa burst out laughing. “Why...of all the times to... Ahahahaha!”

“Hey, what’s so funny?”

She shook her head, taking deep breaths to stifle the remnants of her giggling. “No, it’s not that. I guess I’m just...happy that you’re back, for real. You finally look like my big bro again, after a bunch of years! Ali told me what happened during the field trip, and I guess... I...” her voice trailed off as she saw Kazu’s face darken. Memories began to flood through him.

Of the cliff.

Of his outburst.

Of his childhood.

Of Alison.

The smile disappeared from his face as he remembered everything.

But Rosa was prepared.

Rosa jumped to her feet, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a red ruby and smiled, handing it to him. As the cool gemstone made contact with his palm, he seized it with both hands, holding it to his chest instinctively.

“...”

Why did he do that? Why did he want to treasure that gem so badly? What was so special abo-

An image of Alison flashed in his mind, radiating warmth.

He looked down at the ruby. It was the exact same shape as the one in the center of Alison’s chestpiece. A bit smaller, though. He remembered everything Alison had said to him on that cliff, and the warmth began to creep into his heart. Kazu wasn’t sure how to describe it, but it felt good.

“Ali got that for you. She said it would help you if your face ever went all dark and scary. Looks like she was right.”

It was true. He felt that warmth spread throughout his body, easing his tension and relaxing his muscles. She had told him so much. He had acted so terribly, and she had stuck by his side. She showed him that there were people who cared about him unconditionally.

She had done so much for him.

But he had no idea what to do in return.

“Hey, Rosa?” His eyes were closed, still clutching the ruby that connected him to the world of the living. He felt that he could lose everything if he let it go. “What do I do? I’ve caused so much trouble for everyone, and I’ve hurt a lot of my friends, too.”

She sat against a wall, leaning her head back to stare at the ceiling.

“Hm... hm hm hm... hm hm hm hm hm... I got it!” She stood up suddenly, hopping over to Kazu. She opened her mouth wide...

...and gave him a massive smile. “Hahah! See? Just smile, nice and big! If you feel bad about making them sad, then smile and make them happy! Isn’t that the obvious thing to do?”

He felt a smile creep onto his face, and he turned away, chuckling. Just seeing her smile was enough to make him smile.

So couldn’t he do the same?

Maybe it was just by smiling that he could make up for being so awful. Maybe they’d actually be okay with that.

He turned back to his little sister, and returned her smile wholeheartedly.

“See? Smiles make everyone happy!” She jumped up, cheering.

And he laughed.

He laughed at how dense he’d been. He laughed at how gloomy he’d acted. He laughed at at how boring he’d become. He laughed, and felt all the sadness drain away. It wasn’t gone, of course. The sadness and regret he felt wouldn’t simply disappear. But that was okay. As long as he could smile about the good parts, he realized it was okay for that sadness to linger.

At that moment, Kazuki Yuuki realized what he had to do. He knew what he wanted to be.

“Hey, Rosa.”

“M’yea?”

“Where...are we right now? Another hospital?”

She started to giggle again, pointing around the two of them. As his eyes followed her finger around a familiar setting, he felt heat rise to his cheeks.

“We’re in your room, stupid!” And with that, she collapsed to the floor, laughing her heart out.

He realized his entire face must have been beet red, so he did the only sensible thing he could think of in this situation.

Kazuki laughed his head off with his sister. “Wow, I always knew I was the densest of them all. Holy crap, how blind am I? Wait, that means—!?” He jumped out of bed, staggering a bit as he felt his own weight on his legs for the first time in a while. When his legs stabilized, he looked towards a large closet. As he worked his way over, Kazu asked how long he’d been out this time.

“Uuuum, about half a day, I think? It was like midnight when you passed out according to Ali, and it’s 4:00 in the afternoon now, so... not too long!”

He breathed a sigh of relief as the worried faces of his friends flashed in his mind, and opened the closet door. Moving a few things aside, he finally found what he was looking for.

“Hey, Rosa? Could you step outside, please? If you could, actually, could you please go get my Squad over here? I’d like to say a few things to them.”

“Huh? Are you kidding? They’ve all been waiting outside since this morning! I think Francis even brought a board game to keep them company while they waited.” She sounded like she was stating the obvious.

And she probably was.

Kazu smiled to himself. Of course they were waiting for him. At this point, he shouldn’t be surprised about that.

But still...it felt nice to know that his Squad had his back, even now.

“Yeah, I should’ve guessed. Hey, one last thing?” He looked over his shoulder, right as Rosa was walking out the door. “What happened to Little Jack?”

Rosa just smiled, and cracked the door open a little bit more. A small creature darted through the opening, and bolted straight for Kazu. The puppy sailed magnificently through the air and tackled Kazu, gleeful paws digging into his shirt.

“Woah!” He caught the puppy before it could fall to the ground, and brought it up to his face. It responded by unleashing a devastating volley of licks directly to his mouth and cheeks.

“I was wondering how long it would take for you asked about poor Jackie! Ever since the fire, Nicole’s been taking care of him. Dad and I would come over all the time to check up on him, but she did most of the caring.”

The fire!

Kazu stumbled back, tripping to the ground. He looked around frantically as a realization dawned on him.

“W-Wait, h-how is this my room if—”

Rosa bolted from the door, running over to him. “Oh! I’m so sorry, I forgot to tell you! I got so caught up in the moment, I forgot the disclaimer.”

“H-Huh!?”

“The thing is, this isn’t technically your room, since it got all roasted and stuff... This is sort of a temporary house as Dad sorts things out. He appealed to the Duke, and they made arrangements for a temporary abode. As a result,” she looked out the window longingly, “Dad’s working twice as much as he was before. B-But we did our very best to remodel it just like your old room! Anything we could spare from the old house was imported here, including most of your stuff, actually. It was really weird, but a little bit after the fire, most of your stuff was found safely stored in some chest beneath the rubble.”

That is weird... Who could have done that, and when?

Kazu felt so many questions arise, but he slowly calmed down as he realized just what the situation meant. Most of his belongings had been spared somehow. They had a new house, even if temporary. Little Jack was happy and cared for. It seemed like everything was suddenly turning out alright.

A strange feeling to be sure.

He knew everything wasn’t peachy, of course. That darkness within him still lingered, biding its time deep in the back of his head. Poor Dad was working overtime, too, to make up for a temporary house for his family. And his old friends were still...

“Phew, what a relief! Well then, if you’ll skedaddle for a sec, I’d like to try something on. Thanks a mil, Rosa. Really.”

She slowly backed away towards the door, smiling brightly. When she reached out to close it behind her, however, her head jerked up, and she leaned into the room.

“Oh! Kaze, one last thing!”

“Yeah?”

“I love you!” She said it will all of her heart, putting on her biggest smile yet.

Kazu mirrored her enthusiasm. “Yeah! I love you too, sis!”

And she left, closing the door softly. Kazu turned back to the closet, treasuring the warmth she’d left him, and smiled.

There it is.

Chang Squad watched as the front door slid open. Rosa slipped out, closing it softly behind her.

“How...is he?” Alison took a hesitant step forward.

“Oh, he’s just fine. In fact, he’s better than he’s been in years. And it’s thanks to you, really! You and that guy, I guess.”

“Huh?!”

Alison nodded, blushing. “Glad to hear he’s better.”

“Wait, seriously?! ’I guess’? I did a ton of the heavy lifting, excuse me.” Francis puffed his cheeks, turning away.

“Oh yes, getting all angry and yelling a ton really calmed him down, didn’t it,” Nicole jabbed with a smirk.

“You little—”

“You mad? Reminds me of this one time on a cliff—”

“Noooooo you don’t!” Francis quickly placed a hand over Nicole’s mouth, eyes darting to the audience of their little exchange.

Everyone but Isabelle was holding back laughter, and the exception had long since given up trying. Not even his trademark death stare could silence the human rainbow.

The door handle turned, and everyone’s eyes leapt to the sound. As it creaked open, the group fell silent.

But what came through the entrance was not what they’d prepared for.

Instead of an moody, awkward teenager clothed entirely in black, the person who came into view widened the eyes of everyone. His shirt was a radiant yet humble sky blue, with a silver chestplate on top. Dark blue pants covered his legs, stopping just above black running shoes. But the most impressive addition was flowing proudly down his back.

A beautiful cape hung confidently behind Kazu, attached to the back of his chestplate. It stopped just below his waist so he couldn’t trip over it, but it radiated a confidence and strength that had previously seemed nonexistent. The inside was white, and the backside reflected his sky blue shirt. His smile had a familiar aura, but the attitude that brought it forward was nothing like the Kazu they’d seen before.

Nothing but one little detail, that is.

Rosa was beside herself, holding back tears. Unlike the rest of Chang Squad, she had been there before the incident. She had seen her brother like this before, even if they were just little kids. But she had never forgotten that smile, or that confidence.

And seeing it again was more than she could ever have wished for.

“Hey, guys. I’m back. Sorry to keep you all in suspense, again,” his sheepish tone lingered, but as he stepped towards his friends and family, the hesitance he once harbored had evolved into confident entheusiasm. An entheusiasm he was determined to share with everybody, no matter what.

Alison was too stunned by the sight to reply, so Nicole took the lead. “Hey, that’s a pretty neat look. Guess you got tired of black, eh?”

“Ha! Guess you could say that. Actually, I’ve had this for a while. Isn’t that right, Rosa?” He nodded at his sister, who returned the gesture ecstatically. “Actually, Dad made it for me himself years ago. He made the pants and shirt super flexible so I wouldn’t outgrow it, and— Sorry, I guess that part isn’t too important, is it? Haha...”

Francis piped up, nodding approvingly. “Not too shabby at all. You know, I was starting to wonder if our similar designs was just laziness on the author’s part. Glad to see that wasn’t the case! However, while I do admire the change in design, I gotta ask: why is your hair the exact same mess it’s always been?”

Every pair of eyes focused on the top of Kazu’s head, and sure enough, it was as ungroomed as ever. “W-Well, actually, there’s a reason for that. Thing is, I don’t want to abandon the person I was up to this point. I know that I screwed up yesterday, bad, and I accept the person that I’d acted like back then. I want my hair to be a reminder to myself and to others that it’s still me. It’s still the same person who tried to save a so-called damsel in distress, tripped over a rather uninterested pair of legs on his first day of school, got wrecked by a rather mean-spirited kid in his class, and couldn’t help but smile whenever smiled at. I’m still that kid, but just a little more. And I think the untidiness up top reflects that perfectly. That, and Twilight’s Fury, of course.”

Francis seemed satisfied.

Kazu continued. “Well, since nobody looks too bored out of their minds yet, there’s a few things I’d like to say. First of all, I wanted to say thanks for sticking with me. Really. We’ve known each other for less than a year, and even that time was limited because of my pseudo-narcoleptic... tendencies. In fact, I guess this is the first time I’m talking with you guys as a squadmate; as myself. Sorry about that. But despite that, each and every one of you are standing here, right now. You could be wherever you want, doing whatever you want. None of you have really any benefit by being here, but I can tell each and every one of you came because it’s what you wanted. It’s honestly so amazing, and I can tell you’re all amazing people. B-But I’m not trying to flatter you or anything, it’s just... Thanks. I swear, I’ll do everything I can to make it worth the wait! ...I hope so, anyways.”

Kazu turned to each member sequentially. “Nicole, thank you so much for taking such good care of Little Jack. He looks just as healthy and happy as when I first met him, and I’ve you to thank for that. I really appreciate it.”

She blushed slightly as he mentioned the little pup, nodding.

“Francis. I still don’t exactly like you, but I’m still grateful for what you did back there. You had absolutely no reason to interfere, no matter what excuses you brought forward, and yet you put your heart into trying to help me, in your own obnoxious, passionate way. I’ll still kill you one day, but until then, thanks for bringing me back to my senses.”

“Yeah, looking forward to it. Just try not to break a leg next time, alright?”

“You be quiet! As for Isabelle, no matter where or when, you always seem to laugh and smile to the point where even the Silverwolves around us probably couldn’t help but grin! To be honest, it’s your attitude that greatly inspired me to do all of this. I just hope that no matter what, you’ll always be there to brighten the mood.”

“Oh yeah, I knew you’d come around! Smiles and laughter all around! That’s just how we roll!”

“Yeah. Alison... Honestly, I don’t know what to say. You’ve done so much for me, I can’t even begin to show my appreciation. Wait! Before you respond, I know. I get it. I know you’ll just say that all of that just makes us even, so I won’t pretend to be forever indebted in you. Nevertheless, you saved me, and there’s no getting around the fact. You plunged into a filth that nobody else dared to, and never let go until I was safe on land. Thanks, Alison. Seriously! Thanks to all of you, I—” He felt his words stumble over each other, so he stopped trying. He took a deep breath to calm his overwhelming emotions.

“I couldn’t have done it without you all.”

In the following silence, Alison walked up to him, face down. When she got close to him, she grinned, and planted a fist right onto his forehead. She looked at him squarely, narrowing her eyes.

“Oh? What’s all this, ‘makes us even’ talk? I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about! From how I see it, you owe a greater debt to me than you could possibly repay!” She brought her hands up to her cheeks, swaying from side to side. “I think I’ve just earned myself a lifelong servant! Oh, the things I’ll do~!”

“H-Hwah?! A-Are you serious, Alison? Wait, I-I just, uh...”

She stopped mid swing and stared at him curiously. The next second, she stumbled back, holding her stomach as she bawled in laughter. “Ahahahah... There’s that stuttering speech I remember! You... You should see the look on your face! Ahahahaha!”

Alison actually looked like she would collapse in sheer hilarity, but she managed to take breaths between her bursts of laughter.

Kazu, on the other hand, hadn’t the slightest idea how to react. One thing was for sure, though...

“Okay then, I guess I’d better let you speak for yourself from now on.”

“That’s right! Don’t think I intend to be a predictable little sidekick, now. I am the leader of this wonderful little Squad, after all. And don’t you forget it!”

“...Yes, ma’am.” What a track record: first day on the job and he’d already lost his mojo once. But if it came as a result of these types of conversations...

“...I think I can live with that.” He looked up at the trailing, scattered clouds above. In front of him, Alison’s smirk transformed into a genuine smile, followed by each of his friends.

“Man, I feel like I’ve totally been third-wheeled here,” Rosa commented with a smirk.

Alison turned to face the rest of her Squad, and raised her voice like a commanding officer. “Alright, everyone. I think that’s enough sappiness for a day, so let’s pack it up and get a good rest for whatever lies in store tomorrow! Any last words from today’s MVP?”

Kazu responded by walking past everyone. They all turned to face him, and he spun a quick 180 to return their gazes. With a smile planted firmly across his face, he spoke with every bit of entheusiasm he had:

“Watch closely, Chorus. Today, I make a solemn pledge with my Squad, my friends, my family. No matter what challenges we come across, no matter what bullshit problems slap us across the face, no matter who stands in our way...

“I, no, we will show you a tomorrow worth smiling towards!”

All around him, everyone shouted out to the heavens with the same passion.

And the heavens, for the first time, heard their proud declaration of war.

-END OF PRELUDE-