27 - Side Story 2

[Sorry about making another side story. I was unsure about where to go for the next arc so I just wanted to by myself some time by making something different.

"Kazu, what are you doing?" A girl ran up to her friend, a tall black haired man. "I'm investigating a crime scene… I'm walking home dumb-ass, what did you think I was doing?"

"Uh….. I don't know, you do weird stuff a lot, actually most of the stuff you do is weird. You're just weird." She starts to walk alongside Kazu, playfully throwing jabs at him. "Gee thanks for raising my confidence, let me go hang myself real quick."

"Nope! You're stuck with me!" She said hugging Kazu, before releasing her grip but still keeping a hold of his arm. "Ophis, please let go of me." "Nope."

The girl is Ophis, she has been friends with Kazu ever since they were young, around 6 or 7. Ever since then the two were inseparable. No matter what happened they would reconcile and become friends once again. For better or for worse.

"So, Kazu. You got anything going on today, I just wanted to hang out and have fun today, maybe talk about some stuff." Kazu sighed and looked at his calendar, before looking back up. "Yep, got nothing. You can come today."

"Yaay! It's been so long since we've hung out, lets fucking go!" Kazu slapped Ophis on the back of the head. "Shut up! Jesus christ woman you need to learn how to calm yourself."

"Hehe, sorry~." They just continued walking for another 15 minutes before arriving at Kazu's house. They both walked upstairs after greeting Kazu's mom, who was in the kitchen cooking dinner. As soon as Ophis walked into the room she started complaining. "Oh come on. Why is your room always so bland? This reminds me of the senior home rooms with how bland it is."

"Sorry, unlike you I don't like being flashy and catching everyone's attention, I like being by myself. Sometimes I wonder how we ever became friends." Kazu said, sitting down on his bed, taking the remote and turning on the TV. "Because I had a crush on you and would also stand next to you no matter where you were." Ophis crawled next to Kazu and sat in his lap, being just big enough to have Kazu's chin resting on her head. "Though I guess that's how we still are, without the crush part."

"Yeah I guess, but I don't mind. I may call you annoying but it's not the worst to have your gremlin ass jumping around next to me."

"Hey! I'm not a gremlin!"

"Short, Energetic, quick to anger. Sounds like a gremlin to me."

"...."

Before my self esteem is ruined even more than it already is." Kazu looped his arms around her waist and grabbed a controller. "I still never get why you like playing like this."

"You're warm, and very big. It's like getting hugged by a warm blanket. Except the blanket weighs 200 pounds and could crush my head like a watermelon. Still, you make me feel very safe, you know how I get anxious easily."

"Yeah I know… Hey don't pick him, he's MY main!"

"Nope, he's my main now bitch."

"Do you want me to stay like this?"

"... Fuck you."

After an hour or two of playing games and Ophis constantly losing she drops the controller and lays down on the bed. "Kazu, I'm booooooooooorrrreeeedddd! Give me something to do!" Kazu just stares at her and proceeds to throw a pillow at her face. "Ohmp! Ow, that hurts you know!"

"Don't care." They stared at each other for a couple of seconds before Ophis jumped on top of him and playfully punched him before sitting on his stomach. "Hah! How does it feel being beaten by a shrimp like me!"

"oh no, i've been beaten, what shall i do?"

"Apologize for hurting me and my feelings!"

"I'm sorry, oh lord, please spare this fool's life."

"Hmmm, You have been spared…" Ophis slowly scooched up Kazu before planting her head on his chest. They sat in silence for a bit before Kazu started patting her head. "You've been lonely haven't you? You only do this kinda thing when you're lonely."

"Y-Yeah… I've been lonely, I've just been thinking about the college thing and I... I don't want you to leave, I want you to stay here with me." Kazu sat up and hugged Ophis while still patting her head. "I'm sorry, but you know I have too, I simply can't refuse an offer like that. A scholarship for the best school in Japan will take me a long way, and you know that."

"I know… It's just that I've never been without you, even when we had arguments, even when we hated each other over some stupid petty shit, we still got back together in days, I… I don't know how I would live without you for 4 years, without you there to guide me and keep me on track." Ophis looked up at Kazu and put her hand on his face. "I love you and I don't want you to leave me all alone."

"I know, I don't want to leave you either…. But one day, I'll come back alright? Once I have my degree, I'll book a train to come back as soon as possible." Kazu bent down and kissed her forehead, before going down again for an actual kiss. "I love you too Ophis, and I'll come back as soon as I get my degree. If I don't, I give you express permission to kick me in the nuts as hard as possible."

Ophis looked at him and chuckled, she then stopped and laid her head on his chest once again. "Fine, but you better keep that promise… When are you leaving?"

"I'm leaving in a month."

"I see… I guess that's enough, you better give me enough kisses to make up for the years you'll be gone."

"I'll still visit you on holidays, you know? But fine, I guess I can make up for all the lost kisses in those years, now and during my visits." Kazu leaned down and grabbed Ophis' chin, then kissed her. Then Ophis grabbed Kazu's face and kissed him. This game of back and forth went on for multiple minutes, before both of them stopped to catch a breathe.

"That was something." Ophis forced Kazu to lay back down again and rested her head on his chest again, this time with a smile on her face instead of a frown. "It was indeed something.. Do you want to stay like this for the rest of the time?"

"Yeah, I just want to lay on you like this for the next couple of hours. At least until dinner is done, I ain't missing out on your mothers cooking." Kazu then flipped and Ophis was the one on the bed. "Well then, we might as well use this time wisely and make up for some of those kisses."

"Uhh…. Mercy?"

"You asked for kisses, so you will receive them."

"Halp!"

And that would be how their nights went for the next month, until Kazu had to leave and go to the other side of the Nation. Ophis was there as the train pulled up, hugging Kazu before he went on, their cold breaths touching each other. "Kazu, make sure to come back okay? And stay away from other girls! You're mine okay?"

Kazu just exhaled and kissed Ophis on the forehead. "Don't worry Ophis, no girl could ever be as spastic as you... I'll miss you."

"First off, fuck you. Second of all, I'll miss you too."

Kazu pulled away from the hug and got on the train, waving goodbye as the train left...

But 4 years later that same train came back, and so did Kazu.

It was December 25th, 2017 when he came back. It was very late at night, so no one was crowding the streets as Kazu walked through them. "Christ, It's been 4 years and this part of Japan hasn't gotten any warmer during the winter." Kazu then stopped and looked at the board to the house he stopped at. "Yep, this old thing is still standing." Kazu stopped and looked at the garage, seeing 1 more car than usual there. "Though it looks like there's something new here."

Kazu walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. He heard scrambling and panicked steps from inside. "Coming!" A messy haired Ophis opened the door, still wearing the oversized hoodie Kazu gave her before he left. Ophis and Kazu stared at each other for a couple of minutes. Both ignoring the cold, just staring at each other, as if time stopped for the both of them.

Kazu lifted up the bag of presents he was carrying with his arm, but Ophis didn't grab it, she just looked at him. Understanding Kazu sighed and opened his arms.

"Merry Christmas."

[Do you any of you guys want a part two? I wouldn't mind doing another one some time soon.]