Forever SK (epilogue)
Previous: chap09
* * Epilogue * *
[ Earth, the countryside ]
Sho and Masaki huddled under the blanket in the forest clearing and gazed up at the sky. Sho pointed to the nearest stars framed in the sky by the branches above them and named all of them.
"You've been studying," Masaki mused with a smile on his face.
Sho was embarrassed to have his efforts noticed. Only Masaki would casually point it out like that. It actually made him a little happy.
Then his eyes glossed over and he looked down to pick at the blanket on his lap. "I want you to like Earth," he said.
Masaki reached over and stopped his moving hand. He weaved his fingers through Sho's.
"I do," he said. "Even the stars are pretty."
Sho nodded, but he swallowed and tightened his grip of Masaki's hand. He picked his words carefully, knowing that he touched a sensitive subject. But he had to get it out.
"I saw you cry. When they brought down that tree. In the city."
Today, on his day off, he had brought Masaki here because he had wanted to show Masaki how precious Earth was too, even if many here did not appreciate it the same way.
Masaki knew about the Idol's sentiments, had known since that day when he cried, and a slight smile graced his lips. He pulled his hand from Sho's, and the Idol mourned the loss, but the taller man only did so that he could wrap his arms around the former. He leaned his chin on Sho's shoulder and sighed against his nape.
"It's okay. Earth is different. All worlds are different. I will learn that, Sho." He pressed his nose against Sho's skin and tightened his arms around the Idol. "It doesn't matter to me because you're here."
Sho smiled at those sweet words and he turned in Masaki's arms to curl himself around the other man. Warm and contented in Masaki's arms, temporarily reassured, he saw the clumsily made camping tent and the dead campfire behind them.
"It's a long drive home tomorrow. If we're late for the dinner, Matsujun will be mad. Should we go to sleep?" he asked.
"It's the first time you've had three consecutive days off," Masaki pouted. "Why?"
Sho pulled away and threw his head back and laughed. Then while he watched Masaki still pouting, he pressed the latter back until his back came into contact with the hard ground. Sho climbed over him and leaned in to kiss him.
"I was just asking," he chuckled against Masaki's lips. "I love you, too."
[ Earth, Matsumoto Jun's Apartment ]
"Wake up and get off me," Kazunari grumbled, uselessly smacking (not too hard) Jun's arm and upper body that draped over his upper half and pinned him down on the mattress. He threw the covers off them, exposing their naked, entangled bodies to the open air.
Jun groaned and moved back to his side of the bed. He opened one eye and glanced at the clock. "It's five in the morning, Kazu."
"Sho and Masaki will be here in the afternoon. I have to beat the fifth level before they come."
Kazunari shuffled off the bed and searched the bedroom floor for clothes. He pulled on his boxers and Jun's shirt.
The Idol cursed himself for having introduced games to him when the smaller man instantly ran out and the sounds of the television could be heard from the sitting room seconds later. Grumbling, he grabbed the covers Kazunari had thrown aside and draped it over himself, then shuffled into the sitting room after his absent lover.
Jun settled onto the couch behind Kazunari who leaned against it on the floor. The latter ignored him, too focused on the game to care. Jun watched the television as he played, but he couldn't concentrate. His vision blurred. Drowsiness seeped into him and he surrendered to sleep.
Later, coldness forced Jun awake and he opened his eyes to see that Kazunari had pulled the covers back and climbed in beside him on the couch. The smaller man draped the covers over them again and leaned against Jun, but his eyes continued to be focused on his game.
Jun smiled anyway, glad to have him there, and wrapped his arms around the smaller body. He coveted their touches and warmth.
"What would you like for dinner?" he murmured, his eyes still blissfully closed.
"Hamburger," Kazunari automatically answered. He added, a little irritated, "But you told Sho we're having seafood later."
"I'll make hamburgers for you," Jun said.
Kazunari shifted and tilted his head. He planted a chaste kiss on Jun's mouth and then went back to his game, grinning as he did. "Thanks."
Jun's grin was even wider. He sighed against Kazunari's side. "Wake me up if you have to get up or leave."
"Even if I have to go to the bathroom?"
"Even if you have to go the bathroom," Jun repeated.
"You can't live without me, Jun," Kazunari playfully and arrogantly teased, smirking loudly.
Jun easily conceded. "I can't."
Kazunari started and held his breath for five seconds. When the younger man did not immediately correct himself or offer excuses, he flushed when he knew Jun would not deny it.
Kazunari bit his lower lip. He saved his game then turned it off and set the controller aside. He shifted again, turning, so that Jun had to wake and move back a little, before Kazunari also leaned in and wrapped his arms around Jun's middle. He comfortably snuggled his head against the Idol's chest and Jun accommodated him, smiling as he did so.
"You're not playing?" Jun asked even as he returned the smaller man's embrace.
"Shut up," Kazunari grumbled half-heartedly against his bare chest. "Go to sleep."
*
Sho and Masaki arrived to Jun's apartment in the late evening, two hours later than their expected time. Sho blamed Masaki, but Jun was unusually complacent and ignored his excuses.
After all, he had barely just completed cooking their dinner himself.
[ Core ]
Time moved along, unhindered by past, present, and future events.
After hundreds of lost years in blissful sleep, the World of all worlds awoke from it's eternal spell.
Deep within the walls of the Palace, Satoshi slowly opened his eyes.
Across the Land, at the Temple of Truth, the Prophet also spoke.
The day that Five Stars are born, the Storm will brew.
Five will become One and One will become all.
SATOSHI:
One day, forever will be true for us.
* *
END
Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!
Author's rambling rant and things about this fic addressed:
Omfg! I'm done! Finally!
I'm sorry it took me three long years! I looked at my planning sheet for this story this summer and was so appalled to learn that Jun was only 27 years old when I first started to write this. Three long, damn, years. Wow.
To be honest, I didn't actually think I would finish this even though I said so. It'd been so long. I had to reread this story again and again and edit because my style of writing had changed, even if just a little. I didn't change too much when editing, and especially not the story, but I can't believe I wrote so many broken sentences and fragments in the past.
When I started writing this fic, I planned it to be NC-17, but sorry again after rereading I didn't think it fit the mood so I ultimately changed it to R for all the violence and anything else.
I'm certain there are a lot of holes in the plot and story, but I'm such a lazy author I either didn't know how to fix it or didn't want to change the rest of the story too much from what I originally planned.
Although this is fiction and fantasy, I guess some things in this story went beyond realistic probability. Take everything with a grain of salt. :p
Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP - I'm a fan of it. The idea of this story did not come out of this manga though (I think), but upon writing the fic it became really similar, yes. I can't say the plot of Forever SK is really original though.
Nakamura Kenji is delusional. I'm sorry he's so 1 dimensional. There was supposed to be more to Fuji Tohru and Mine's story, but I didn't care enough about them, sorry. I just wanted to finish this fic too much.
So I realized I love writing Matsumiya. I still have a difficult time writing Sakuraiba and unfortunately may never do so again.
I feel like I have to say something about Sho's character because he was the hardest to write. He's kind of OOC here maybe because I really love dorky, screaming Sho. And my image of him still after all this time is that he has a hard time adjusting to anything new because he's just so set on order. Well, Sho have always been the hardest for me to write, weirdly, lol. He's so stoic, but such a fail too.
Finally, I'm happy I can move on and this fic will no longer be on my conscience.
* * Epilogue * *
[ Earth, the countryside ]
Sho and Masaki huddled under the blanket in the forest clearing and gazed up at the sky. Sho pointed to the nearest stars framed in the sky by the branches above them and named all of them.
"You've been studying," Masaki mused with a smile on his face.
Sho was embarrassed to have his efforts noticed. Only Masaki would casually point it out like that. It actually made him a little happy.
Then his eyes glossed over and he looked down to pick at the blanket on his lap. "I want you to like Earth," he said.
Masaki reached over and stopped his moving hand. He weaved his fingers through Sho's.
"I do," he said. "Even the stars are pretty."
Sho nodded, but he swallowed and tightened his grip of Masaki's hand. He picked his words carefully, knowing that he touched a sensitive subject. But he had to get it out.
"I saw you cry. When they brought down that tree. In the city."
Today, on his day off, he had brought Masaki here because he had wanted to show Masaki how precious Earth was too, even if many here did not appreciate it the same way.
Masaki knew about the Idol's sentiments, had known since that day when he cried, and a slight smile graced his lips. He pulled his hand from Sho's, and the Idol mourned the loss, but the taller man only did so that he could wrap his arms around the former. He leaned his chin on Sho's shoulder and sighed against his nape.
"It's okay. Earth is different. All worlds are different. I will learn that, Sho." He pressed his nose against Sho's skin and tightened his arms around the Idol. "It doesn't matter to me because you're here."
Sho smiled at those sweet words and he turned in Masaki's arms to curl himself around the other man. Warm and contented in Masaki's arms, temporarily reassured, he saw the clumsily made camping tent and the dead campfire behind them.
"It's a long drive home tomorrow. If we're late for the dinner, Matsujun will be mad. Should we go to sleep?" he asked.
"It's the first time you've had three consecutive days off," Masaki pouted. "Why?"
Sho pulled away and threw his head back and laughed. Then while he watched Masaki still pouting, he pressed the latter back until his back came into contact with the hard ground. Sho climbed over him and leaned in to kiss him.
"I was just asking," he chuckled against Masaki's lips. "I love you, too."
[ Earth, Matsumoto Jun's Apartment ]
"Wake up and get off me," Kazunari grumbled, uselessly smacking (not too hard) Jun's arm and upper body that draped over his upper half and pinned him down on the mattress. He threw the covers off them, exposing their naked, entangled bodies to the open air.
Jun groaned and moved back to his side of the bed. He opened one eye and glanced at the clock. "It's five in the morning, Kazu."
"Sho and Masaki will be here in the afternoon. I have to beat the fifth level before they come."
Kazunari shuffled off the bed and searched the bedroom floor for clothes. He pulled on his boxers and Jun's shirt.
The Idol cursed himself for having introduced games to him when the smaller man instantly ran out and the sounds of the television could be heard from the sitting room seconds later. Grumbling, he grabbed the covers Kazunari had thrown aside and draped it over himself, then shuffled into the sitting room after his absent lover.
Jun settled onto the couch behind Kazunari who leaned against it on the floor. The latter ignored him, too focused on the game to care. Jun watched the television as he played, but he couldn't concentrate. His vision blurred. Drowsiness seeped into him and he surrendered to sleep.
Later, coldness forced Jun awake and he opened his eyes to see that Kazunari had pulled the covers back and climbed in beside him on the couch. The smaller man draped the covers over them again and leaned against Jun, but his eyes continued to be focused on his game.
Jun smiled anyway, glad to have him there, and wrapped his arms around the smaller body. He coveted their touches and warmth.
"What would you like for dinner?" he murmured, his eyes still blissfully closed.
"Hamburger," Kazunari automatically answered. He added, a little irritated, "But you told Sho we're having seafood later."
"I'll make hamburgers for you," Jun said.
Kazunari shifted and tilted his head. He planted a chaste kiss on Jun's mouth and then went back to his game, grinning as he did. "Thanks."
Jun's grin was even wider. He sighed against Kazunari's side. "Wake me up if you have to get up or leave."
"Even if I have to go to the bathroom?"
"Even if you have to go the bathroom," Jun repeated.
"You can't live without me, Jun," Kazunari playfully and arrogantly teased, smirking loudly.
Jun easily conceded. "I can't."
Kazunari started and held his breath for five seconds. When the younger man did not immediately correct himself or offer excuses, he flushed when he knew Jun would not deny it.
Kazunari bit his lower lip. He saved his game then turned it off and set the controller aside. He shifted again, turning, so that Jun had to wake and move back a little, before Kazunari also leaned in and wrapped his arms around Jun's middle. He comfortably snuggled his head against the Idol's chest and Jun accommodated him, smiling as he did so.
"You're not playing?" Jun asked even as he returned the smaller man's embrace.
"Shut up," Kazunari grumbled half-heartedly against his bare chest. "Go to sleep."
*
Sho and Masaki arrived to Jun's apartment in the late evening, two hours later than their expected time. Sho blamed Masaki, but Jun was unusually complacent and ignored his excuses.
After all, he had barely just completed cooking their dinner himself.
[ Core ]
Time moved along, unhindered by past, present, and future events.
After hundreds of lost years in blissful sleep, the World of all worlds awoke from it's eternal spell.
Deep within the walls of the Palace, Satoshi slowly opened his eyes.
Across the Land, at the Temple of Truth, the Prophet also spoke.
The day that Five Stars are born, the Storm will brew.
Five will become One and One will become all.
SATOSHI:
One day, forever will be true for us.
* *
END
Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!
Author's rambling rant and things about this fic addressed:
Omfg! I'm done! Finally!
I'm sorry it took me three long years! I looked at my planning sheet for this story this summer and was so appalled to learn that Jun was only 27 years old when I first started to write this. Three long, damn, years. Wow.
To be honest, I didn't actually think I would finish this even though I said so. It'd been so long. I had to reread this story again and again and edit because my style of writing had changed, even if just a little. I didn't change too much when editing, and especially not the story, but I can't believe I wrote so many broken sentences and fragments in the past.
When I started writing this fic, I planned it to be NC-17, but sorry again after rereading I didn't think it fit the mood so I ultimately changed it to R for all the violence and anything else.
I'm certain there are a lot of holes in the plot and story, but I'm such a lazy author I either didn't know how to fix it or didn't want to change the rest of the story too much from what I originally planned.
Although this is fiction and fantasy, I guess some things in this story went beyond realistic probability. Take everything with a grain of salt. :p
Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP - I'm a fan of it. The idea of this story did not come out of this manga though (I think), but upon writing the fic it became really similar, yes. I can't say the plot of Forever SK is really original though.
Nakamura Kenji is delusional. I'm sorry he's so 1 dimensional. There was supposed to be more to Fuji Tohru and Mine's story, but I didn't care enough about them, sorry. I just wanted to finish this fic too much.
So I realized I love writing Matsumiya. I still have a difficult time writing Sakuraiba and unfortunately may never do so again.
I feel like I have to say something about Sho's character because he was the hardest to write. He's kind of OOC here maybe because I really love dorky, screaming Sho. And my image of him still after all this time is that he has a hard time adjusting to anything new because he's just so set on order. Well, Sho have always been the hardest for me to write, weirdly, lol. He's so stoic, but such a fail too.
Finally, I'm happy I can move on and this fic will no longer be on my conscience.