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The setting sun illuminates the street, painting the world yellow and blue with shadows. Stepping out of a store, Taishin crosses off on a list, finishing it off. "Alright. That seems to be everything Creek wanted. High time I make my way back, before she starts missing me and huffing something with my scent on it again, hehe!" She chuckles, her lover always tended to get needier and needier every hour that passes without her there. The quicker she got back the less risky things got, so she made her way back with a slightly faster pace than normal. She runs into a stop light and is forced to wait her turn, so she just decides to wait it out and play some games on her phone.
"Huh? Aren't you..."
"? ...!" An old classmate of Taishin's—well, classmate wasn't the word. An old bully of Taishin's to be exact. Seriously... in a place like this?
"Well, well...so you really did get in. I thought you were joking about gunning for Tracen."
"What's it matter to you?" Taishin beckons. "You still remember that crap after all this time? What, are you a fan or something?"
"Oh it doesn't matter—not at all."
"The hell are you wasting my time for then? Get lost."
"...That uniform doesn't suit you in the slightest."
"Tch. Then you should see me in my racewear. Although I'd probably be too fast for you to get a proper look! Just like I was for them." Referring to her stunning performance in her career following the Nikkei Sho.
"Maybe, but running is all a pipsqueak like you is good for. You did pretty good in your career, but you won't amount to much after that. See ya squirt."
"Nngh!" Taishin groans as the mean spirited teenager walks off, the crosswalk light signals for her to go, but the pep that was in her step has vanished. She's come a long way since her rough beginnings, that she knows. She's capable of so much as long as she puts her mind to it, that she knows. She can and will amount to so much more than her racing career, that she knows. But that doesn't make the rude words any less scathing. Dammit... am I really getting worked up over that? It's been the same shit since middle school... I oughta be over it by now! So why....
"Taishiin!" Creek was elated as she sprung up from their bed, cuddling a large Taishin plushie her lover won for her on a date at the arcade. Even though she was sort of in the dumps, Taishin cheered up a bit when Creek did her "Welcome Back" routine, involving a tight hug into her chest and a good helping of 25 or so kisses to the face. They were like a married couple with how they'd share moments like these every time one of them came back or went out, and it was a relief to Taishin knowing that even if her day was terrible, Creek would always be there and in her corner. Such is the joys of their infalliable relationship.
As Creek finishes up her routine, with the 25th and last kiss being a kiss on the lips, and they both pull away with a little chuckle. "Didn't even let me say hi first, no rest for the wicked huh?"
"Hehe! I just missed you so much!"
"I can tell," Taishin looks beyond Creek and to the bed, where more than just a plushie laid, "Were you trying to use a ritual to get me back to you?" Red instantly adorned the big uma's face as she scrambles to pick everything off the bed.
Strip photos taken from those little photo booths found in arcades, photoshoots which Taishin begrudgingly did, interviews photos (all with kiss marks on them as she put on lipstick to kiss the photos), articles of Taishin's racewear, and smaller plushies of Taishin were all across their bed. The sheer amount of Taishin on the bed, one could have thought Digitan was obsessed with her. As Creek hurriedly tries to pick everything up—a futile act as she's long since been caught—she accidentally knocks a photo off the bed. Taishin picks it up before she could get to and smiles.
Its a photo she took of Taishin when they went to a cherry blossom path at night. It was a beautiful photo—Taishin's hair was blowing in the wind as she looked off to the side, unaware to her lover snapping a quick photo of her. Petals blew by her face, and she moved her hand to both guard her face from the onslaught and to move hair out of her eyes. She looked handsome—her clavicle and chiseled jawline on full display as her hair flowed in the wind—and the photo instantly became her lockscreen.
On a quick trip to a local pharmacy to pick up some bandaids and other necessities to refill her bag, she noticed a photo printer sitting near the perscription counter. She printed out the photo so many times it was Digitan level degeneracy, but she didn't care, she loved her handsome little Taishin. She kept majority of them in her drawer, but she kept a copy taped to the underside of the flap to her bag. Whenever she'd open it, she'd see the love of her life.
"So that's what you were doing with your phone that day... then you went and got it printed out...."
Creek sheepishly takes the photo from her hands and hides it behind her back, eliciting a chuckle from Taishin because of how futile the act was. "Well I just... love you so much thats why..." She mutters as she fidgets, a shy explanation for her behavior, but the warm smile on Taishin's face washes away any embarrassment she had.
"Hehe, believe it or not, this little seance brightened my day a little."
"Hmm? What's wrong sweetie?" Concern drowns out the shyness as she instantly goes into motherly mode. "Did you forget something? Or was it out of stock? It's fine we can just get it ano-mmph!" Her worried rambling silenced by a kiss, her thoughts melting into the sweet warmth. As they both pulled back, they stared into each other's souls,"Taishin...."
"Just lay down with me. I'll tell you the whole story." Promptly, they moved whatever remnants of Creek's summoning ritual were left on the bed and laid down with eachother, hugging each other tightly and caressing each other's heads. "I... ran into an old classmate of mine on my way back."
"Oh, how nice! Did you too catch up well?"
"Well, classmate isn't the word. An old bully of mine from middle school. Old habits die hard apparently, and even with everything I managed to do he still manages to find something to get on me about."
"You shouldn't worry about him Taishin. He doesn't have anything better going on in his life so he decided to reignite an old flame. You've done so much more incredible things than he has, don't listen to him."
"I know I have just... I dunno." She sighs, sorrow without reason. Why did it bring her down? She had such a phenomenal career, she won so much, with only 2 losses to her record, why does a nobody like him have such an effect on her? "Something he said... kinda stuck. Running was all a 'pipsqueak' like me is good for. I know I can do more way more than run circles around people-hell I even got into kickboxing and I'm great at it-but it still stings for some reason."
"Taishin...." Creek coos with sorrow evident. She hated seeing Taishin like this. She doesn't doubt herself much anymore, not since her victory at the Arima Kinen and the holiday they got together, so seeing her back in the pits of despair she rose out of pained her.
"I know I'm good for you now, I can see that clearly for sure," Taishin says as she grabs one of the plushies of her that is still on the bed,"But what about the future...? We won't be in Tracen forever-hell even though this place has colleges I don't want to stay here. I want to see more, do more, and I want to be with you until the end, but I haven't given the future much thought. Just what am I gonna do after high school? I don't want to be some leech living off you. I want to be successful, I want us both to be successful, but I'm scared." She clutches Creek ever so tighter, memories of the evening after the Kikuka Sho flood back into her lover's head. "I don't want to be a burden again, not to anyone and especially not to you, but I'm admittedly lost right now."
"Taishin... please don't say that. Please..." She cradles Taishin closer, just like that evening. "You're not a burden to anyone, you're not a burden to me. I want to be with you until the end too, and I won't just leave you to wallow in your own sorrow. Not again—not ever again. What kind of lover would I be if I just let you suffer in silence? I couldn't live with myself! I love you so much, I refuse to just let you navigate this alone, we will figure it out together"
"But what if it isn't that cut and dry? What if I just can't figure it out? What if college just isn't for me? I'm not an extremely lavish person but... I don't want to live off your money. Even if my racing earnings are a bunch, I still want to be useful—I want to pull my own weight! I want to help us stand on our two feet by standing on my own."
"I understand that. Even if you can't figure it out, I'll still be by your side. Even if you don't go to college, I'll still be by your side. Even if it isn't simple. I will be by your side, Taishin." They both tighten their grips on each other, and Taishin looks up from the bosom she was cradled in to meet her lover's eyes. Tears border her eyes, but they're wiped clear as Creek brushes aside her hair as well. "Don't cry sweetie. I'm here for you. Always have been, always will be. My handsome little Taishin...." She coos as she kisses her forehead, making her eyes dilate like a cat's. She shifts her upward with her legs, bringing her closer to kiss her. As their lips meet, a tear streams down her face as Taishin closes her eyes and melts into the sweet embrace of her lover.
Just like that night over 2 years ago, their silent vow held true to this day. Maybe everything would be okay. As long as they have each other, they can jump any hurdle that comes their way.