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Hina Nanjo-Sakurayashiki has always wanted one thing growing up: to finally attend S with her parents. She grew up hearing about the underground skating scene and always hoped to attend it someday. Hina was adopted by Kojiro and Kaoru soon after her second birthday and started learning how to skateboard around the age of five. She took to it very quickly and with her parents being incredible skateboarders, she had some of the best training she could ask for.
Despite how good she was, her parents made it clear that she wasn’t allowed at S until she was older. They eventually compromised on an age and now that she was turning twelve, she finally was going to be able to attend S with her parents and their group of friends that helped raise her. Kojiro and Kaoru just had three conditions: always stay close to them or someone in their group, they have to approve of anyone she wants to beef against, and of course: have fun (this one was from Kojiro specifically).
Kojiro and Kaoru made the decision to adopt a child a few months after the race between Adam and Langa. At that point, they had been together for ten years, married for five, and were more than ready to start a family together. When they first met Hina, with her tan complexion and dark purple, wavy hair, they fell in love with her instantly.
A decade has passed since then and Kojiro and Kaoru have given Hina the best life they possibly could have. They stayed close to their ragtag group of friends over the years, and have grown even closer to some of them. They all became like a second family to Hina, being babysat by almost all of them throughout her life. Kojiro and Kaoru's appearances haven’t changed much over the years. Kaoru still looks as young as ever, with pale, flawless skin. He keeps his hair longer now than he used to, still treating it with the upmost care. Kojiro has grown out a beard in the last few years and Kaoru absolutely loves it, even though he rarely admits it out loud.
Langa had started pursuing skateboarding professionally after graduating college and now competes on the Japanese national team. Reki and him have been dating for years now and live together in an apartment close to Dope Sketch, which Reki is now the proud owner of. Reki studied industrial arts and business in university and put his education towards what he’s always loved: designing skateboards. After graduating and taking over Dope Sketch, business has never been better.
Oka still helps out at the shop when he can. These days he spends most of his time at the flower shop that he owns with Hiromi, who he has been dating for eight years now. No one saw the two of them dating coming but once they got together, they just made sense. Miya had just graduated university and had moved back home before he would begin searching for jobs with his degree in computer programming.
Adam and Tadashi had gotten married soon after Kojiro and Kaoru did and the pair couldn’t be happier for them. It took a while for Adam to get back into their good graces after everything that happened but now he is one of their closest friends once again. The four of them have dinner with each other at least once a month, talking about their lives, careers, and of course, S. Adam and Tadashi now run S together, side by side, with Tadashi having his own extravagant outfit when he is in attendance as the mysterious Snake that compliments Adam's matador attire.
Everyone is happy and thriving.
Life was good.
Hina was woken up on her twelfth birthday by her parents to her favorite breakfast food: a giant stack of chocolate chip pancakes. After breakfast, the three spent the majority of the day at Hina’s favorite zoo where she would excitedly run from one exhibit to another, shouting random animal facts to her parents. After a fun-filled day at the zoo, the trio returned home and Kojiro made Hina her favorite meal, some traditional spaghetti and meatballs. Later that night, the three of them get ready for S.
About a month before her birthday, Hina told her parents the one thing she wanted for her special day: to race the S legend known as Snow for her very first race at S. She has seen Langa skateboard countless times before but skating against him in a beef at S is something she has always dreamed of. Now that her birthday is here, Kaoru and Kojiro both want to make sure that Hina is one hundred percent sure that she wants to go through with it.
“It’s gonna be my first night at S!” Hina exclaims. “I need to make a good impression as the daughter of Joe and Cherry Blossom!”
“And you want to do that by taking on the most famous skateboarder in Japan?” Kojiro asks in awe.
“Yes, I do,” Hina replies simply.
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Well duh, the two of you raised me,” Hina replies with a grin.
Kaoru pulls Hina in for a hug and Kojiro wraps them both in his arms, squeezing his two favorite people in the whole world tightly.
Kojiro and Kaoru make their way through the crowds at S, hand-in-hand, Hina following closely behind. She takes in all the people around her, in bizarre costumes and fun hairstyles, and can’t help but grin at all the people she passes. She knows deep in her heart that this is where she belongs. Hina hears people whisper as she walks by. She knows that her parents have been open about being a couple at S for years now so she figures they are whispering about her, speculating about who she is. She waves back to those gawking at her, throwing a wink or two at some of them. She holds her skateboard, her favorite thing on the whole planet, close to her chest as her parents join their group of friends.
With Reki’s help, Kaoru designed the perfect skateboard for Hina. Since she was a toddler, Hina has been obsessed with space so Reki had designed the deck of the skateboard to look like a galaxy with blue and purple swirls and covered in stars. Hina and Reki decided on her S name being Rocket and he also custom made Hina a helmet and pads to match the theme, even though Hina insisted she didn’t need them. Still, she wore them every time she skateboarded to appease her parents, who knew how dangerous skateboarding could be and wanted to keep their little girl safe. Kaoru had also integrated Carla into Hina’s board like he has with his own and Hina has learned to skate with her assistance for a few years now.
Hina spots Reki and Miya first and runs up to Reki, giving him a big hug. The redhead hasn’t changed much in the last decade, still loving skateboarding just as much as he did when he was teenager. He still wears his signature hoodies every time he attends S, although now he wears his hair with an undercut, keeping the top shaggy. He has gotten a few piercings over the years, including a septum ring that Hina has always thought looked so cool.
“Happy birthday, Rocket! How’s the board been?” Reki asks, pulling away from the hug.
“It’s been awesome, thank you so much!” Hina replies.
“Hey, it wasn’t all me. Kaoru came up with most of it,” Reki says, gesturing at the pink-haired man.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Reki. You did most of the work,” Kaoru replies with a small smile.
“Thanks, man,” the redhead says, a small blush forming on his face.
Hina finally releases Reki and looks over at Miya, who’s busy playing a game on his phone. Miya wears his hair longer now, pulled back in a loose ponytail off to the side. Sometimes Hina wonders if his papa was the inspiration for Miya’s style, knowing just how much Miya has looked up to Kaoru.
“Hey!” Hina yells at him, grabbing the phone from his hand. Miya lets out a squeal in response and eventually grabs his phone back from the twelve year old after she puts up a good fight.
“It’s my birthday, pay attention to me!” Hina yells at Miya.
“Why should I?” Miya responds with a sly grin. Even at the age of twenty three, Miya is still a little brat.
“Because you’re the one I’ll be racing next time,” Hina challenges.
“Oh, you’re on,” Miya agrees, holding out his hand.
Hina shakes Miya’s hand before pulling him in for a hug, which Miya reluctantly returns.
After pulling away, she looks around and says, “Where is everyone else?”
“Old man Shadow and Oka are out of town this week,” Reki replies. “They’re at some flower conference in Tokyo. Adam and Snake are around here somewhere, I saw them earlier.”
Hina nods in response, sad that she won’t get to see Hiromi in all his glory today. She has seen pictures over the years of him done up in his skate persona but was really hoping to see it in person today.
“And Langa?” Hina asks, bummed that she hasn’t seen him yet.
“His flight just got in,” Reki replies, looking up from his phone. “Don’t worry, he’ll be here soon.”
Adam and Tadashi soon join them, Tadashi handing her a giant present from the two of them. She squeals in delight after opening it, seeing it’s a new gaming system that she has wanted and a dozen or so games. Miya perks up after looking into the box, eyes widening.
“I’m coming over tomorrow to help you set it up,” he says, leaving no room for argument. Kojiro chuckles at the interaction before pulling Miya in for a hug and ruffling his hair.
“Hey!” Miya protests, swatting at the green-haired man.
The group catches up for a bit until Adam gestures for Hina and her parents to follow him onto the stage. Hina isn’t quite sure what’s going on but Kojiro pulls her in for a reassuring hug.
“Attention, my lovelies!” Adam exclaims. “We have a very important announcement to make that you do not want to miss!”
The crowd quiets as Adam gestures to Kojiro and Kaoru beside him, with Hina standing nervously beside her parents.
“Listen up, everyone!” Kojiro yells out to the crowd. “Before anymore rumors spread around S, we wanted to make this clear. This is Rocket, our daughter.” Kojiro gestures to Hina, who does a shy wave to the crowd. “Rocket is going to be attending S with us from now on. I know the rules of S are usually ‘anything goes’ but none of you better hurt her, you got that?!”
“If any of you harm her, even a scratch, there will be hell to pay,” Kaoru sneers into the crowd.
“You heard them!” Adam adds. “If any of you so much as hurt a hair on this adorable girl’s head, you will be banned from S indefinitely. Also, it’s her birthday so be sure to wish her a happy birthday, yes? Now, let the first race commence!”
The crowd is silent for a moment before they begin cheering.
Happy birthday, Rocket!
Can’t wait to see you race!
You rock, Rocket!
Hina’s nervousness starts to dissipate as the crowd chants her name. She waves back at the crowd, smiling and waving. They soon leave the stage and join the group again and spend the next hour watching the races. Hina knows that her race with Langa will be the last one of the night, the one people are most anticipating. Word has spread through S that Snow would be returning after some time away for a beef, but no one besides their friend group knows that it is Hina that he would be racing.
“Are you sure he’ll be here?” Hina asks. “Our beef is soon!”
“Of course! He wouldn’t miss this,” Reki replies. Right after the words leave Reki’s mouth, the crowd starts cheering and yelling.
Snow has arrived!!!
Welcome back, Snow Boy!
Congrats on your last win, Snow!
Langa makes his way through the crowd, giving small waves to those yelling his name. His hair has grown out in the past few years and he now wears it in a messy half bun, the loose hair now down well past his shoulders. He soon joins their group, scooping Reki up in a hug and whispering “missed you” into the redhead’s neck. Reki hugs Langa back tightly before pulling back and giving Langa a peck on the lips.
“It’s good to have you back, Langa,” Kojiro greets him with a grin and a fist bump.
“Thank you for being here. It means a lot to Hina. And to us,” Kaoru says with a soft smile.
“Of course. I couldn’t miss Rocket’s debut at S,” Langa replies, grinning at Hina. She beams back at Langa with a big smile before running over to him and tackling him with a hug. Langa is taken aback for a moment by the hug but then squeezes her back tightly.
“I’m so glad you came!” Hina says.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, Hina,” Langa replies. “Happy birthday.”
It’s soon time for everyone but Hina and Langa to make their way to the finish line.
“We’ll be waiting at the finish, alright? Go get ‘em, sunshine,” Kojiro says, pulling Hina in for a hug.
“Good luck, darling,” Kaoru says before doing the same.
Hina watches Reki give Langa a good luck kiss before joining the rest of the group to head to the warehouse. Hina and Langa watch the next few races together on the big screen, both yelling in excitement over the talented skaters. Soon, it’s time for their own race and they make their way to the starting line.
“You sure about this?” Langa asks, a concerned look on his face.
“Of course I am,” Hina replies. “Why, you scared?”
Langa’s look of concern shifts into a warm smile. “You wish.”
“You’re going down, Snow!” Hina yells for the crowd to hear.
Langa grins back and crouches down, ready for the beef to begin. Hina does the same, concentrating on the stoplight in front of them.
When the lights turn green, they take off.
Hina crosses the finish line just ahead of Langa with a huge smile on her face. She brings herself to a stop right in front of her parents before throwing herself into their waiting arms.
"You did so good, sweetheart!" Kojiro yells, peppering her face with kisses.
“We are so, so proud of you,” Kaoru says, squeezing her even tighter. As Hina extracts herself from her parents’ arms, she finally takes in the crowd cheering for her, once again.
Way to go, Rocket!
A new legend is among us!
Rocket is the new champion of S!
Hina beams and throws up a peace sign to the crowd, taking in all the excitement. After a few minutes, the crowd dies down and she walks over to where Langa is with his arm around Reki.
“That was a good race, Rocket,” Langa says kindly.
“I know you let me win,” Hina says softly. “Thank you for that.”
“I’d love a rematch some day.” Langa holds his hand out for a fist bump.
“You’re on,” Hina says with a grin, touching her fist to his.
“You were amazing, Hina,” Kojiro says while tucking her into bed that night. “Way better than I was at skateboarding at your age.”
“Agreed, you were awful,” Kaoru chimes in, sitting down on the bed beside Kojiro.
“Hey!” Kojiro protests. “This is the part where you're supposed to say I wasn't so bad!”
“I will not lie in front of our child,” Kaoru replies simply.
“Are you two done?” Hina asks with a giggle. “This is about me, remember?”
“Forgive us, my darling,” Kaoru replies. “Of course it is.”
“We do have one more birthday present for you,” Kojiro says before pulling a picture out of his pocket and showing Hina.
Hina looks at the picture of a young girl, who’s smiling brightly at the camera. She has curly, light green hair with two sunflower clips holding back her bangs that match her sunflower dress.
“She's adorable!” Hina almost yells. “I love her hair clips! Who is she?”
“Well, her name is Mizuki,” Kojiro replies. “She just turned six a few weeks ago. We know how much you’ve wanted a sibling. So, if you’re okay with it, she might become your new baby sister.”
Hina stares at Kojiro for a moment before looking at Kaoru, who nods and offers a small smile.
“Wha- Really?!” she finally replies. “No way!” She pulls them both in for a hug and can feel tears start to fall down her face from happiness.
“We can go see her tomorrow, if you'd like,” Kaoru says, bringing a hand up to brush away Hina’s tears.
“Can we? Please?! This is the best present EVER! Thank you, dad. Thank you, papa.” She pulls them in for another hug and gives them both a big smooch on the cheek.
“You're welcome, sweetheart. Try to get some sleep, yeah?” Kojiro settles her back under the covers and tucks her in once more before leaning over and kissing Hina on the head. "Love you, kiddo."
"Sweet dreams," Kaoru says, doing the same. “I love you, so much.”
“Love you too,” Hina replies, snuggling into her blankets. “Goodnight.”
The pair quietly close the door behind them after leaving Hina’s bedroom. They stare at each other for a moment before Kojiro pulls Kaoru in for a kiss.
“That went well,” Kojiro says while pulling back.
“It did,” Kaoru agrees. He brings a hand up to cup Kojiro’s cheek. “I’m glad I get to do this life with you.”
“Right back at you, princess,” Kojiro replies, pulling his husband in for another kiss.