Monomyth: Taro Arai's Story [Complete]

[AntonSlavik020]

Yeah, I'm sure they have a good reason, I've just read that kind of thing enough times to seriously sour me on the idea, fair or not. I trust you to handle it well. It's just something that gets on my nerves extremely easily(I tend to view it as them not trusting or lying to their friends) when not done well. Even if you do handle it well, I can't see myself enjoying them doing that more more than a day or two. I'm that against the very idea of it. Sorry, I know I'm going on about something that likely won't even end up mattering, I just dislike it that much.

[Hesmiyu]

I'm surprised that everyone is finding the Suzu and Molly thing cute. I don't seem to find the whole Yuri(?) thing cute. What does that make me?

[swampie2]

I'm surprised that everyone is finding the Suzu and Molly thing cute. I don't seem to find the whole Yuri(?) thing cute. What does that make me?

Heartless.

Everyone has tastes.

[Sharp-O]

I'm surprised that everyone is finding the Suzu and Molly thing cute. I don't seem to find the whole Yuri(?) thing cute. What does that make me?

I would hope that it's my characterisation and their interactions more than their genders playing a role in the support.

If there were more male characters to play with, I'd have probably gone for a homosexual relationship at some point as opposed to a bisexual/lesbian relationship and I would hope that my writing would still make them cute and fun. Plus, let's face it, Gay Suzu has been done to death.

[swampie2]

I'd have probably gone for a homosexual relationship...

Tarakio for life.

[Sharp-O]

I'd have probably gone for a homosexual relationship...

Tarakio for life.

Taro and Akio with a bear/otter relationship would be fun to write for. I bet Akio would be a power bottom too...

I'm going to end up writing this, aren't I?

[Decadent Albatros]

I'd have probably gone for a homosexual relationship...

Tarakio for life.

Taro and Akio with a bear/otter relationship would be fun to write for. I bet Akio would be a power bottom too...

I'm going to end up writing this, aren't I?

Well you can end up putting that AU in the Fixers FF!

[Sharp-O]

Well you can end up putting that AU in the Fixers FF!

Let's just say I have at least TWO alternate endings to this series in mind...

[Decadent Albatros]

Well you can end up putting that AU in the Fixers FF!

Let's just say I have at least TWO alternate endings to this series in mind...

Oh no... you monster.
You wouldn't do that to my heart, nay, OUR hearts D:

Just kidding, I trust you and I know that it'll end up being just as good

[Sharp-O]

Chapter Forty-Eight: Winter’s Closure

~~~~Miki~~~~

“Dude, seriously. Don’t.” I warn my jolly companion. His beaming smile and boisterous manner is more than I can handle right now.

“Miki, I don’t care if you can’t get me something, I’m still going to get you a present.” He insists with a hearty laugh.

“There’s no arguing with him, Miki. Believe me, I’ve tried.” Ritsu says with an exasperated sigh.

We make our way down to the Shanghai on the snowiest day we’ve had since our first year. It’s cold as balls too. Quite the nostalgia trip for me and Taro, even with Ritsu being a passive barrier between us. She might be with him but trips to the Shanghai for hot chocolate will always be our thing. My festive ringtone makes me fish my phone out of my jacket pocket and look at the text message.

“Awww, Suzu is just about to introduce Molly to her parents.” I smile at the message and thumb a quick ‘good luck’ to her.

“Hana and Akio are meeting up with his mom in the city too. That’s got to be tense, in both cases.” Ritsu idly comments.

“Probably, but they’re both sweethearts so they’ll do fine.” I chuckle before closing the phone.

“I bet Kyoko would love to meet Molly. Her dual heritage would fascinate her.” Taro says, Ritsu nodding in agreement.

“Your folks are coming to the graduation ceremony, right? Maybe I’ll finally get to meet her too!” I grin. I never met Taro’s step-mother but the stories he told me made her sound like a pretty awesome lady.

“Oh, she’ll love everyone. She was so nice to me when I stayed with them.” Ritsu smiles at me and I can’t help but feel it’s a slight jab. She keeps doing that, a lot more subtle than what she used to do and Taro doesn’t seem to notice it but I do.

“I heard about that. Did they ever find out how you actually broke the bed?” I raise an eyebrow with a sly smirk. Ritsu’s face burns red and Taro looks at me with wide eyes. “Oh c’mon! Like I wouldn’t see right through the little tale you told to the others.”

“Of course you would…” Taro smirks, pinching the bridge of his nose and Ritsu just grips his arm tighter. She needs to stop her shitty little games ‘cause I’ll beat her every time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

~~~~Taro~~~~

I walk down the girls’ dorms hall that’s been sparsely decorated with tinsel and some scheming girl has put mistletoe over every doorway. I come to a stop and rap twice on Miki’s door, quickly retrieving her gift from the bag I carried it over in with Ritsu’s.

“Hey ma-- Oh for fuck’s sake!” Miki doesn’t lose her smile even as she curses me out. “I told you not to do this!”

Her protests ring hollow as she gladly accepts the carefully wrapped gift. She turns on her heels and walks back towards her bed and I follow her in, sitting on her desk chair as she sits on the edge of her bed.

“Seriously, man…” Her grin remains wide as she looks between the gift and me a few times. “Can I open it now?”

“Given your infamously poor impulse control, do you think I’d give it to you if you couldn’t?” I smirk and she giggles in genuine excitement. “Merry Christmas, Miki.”

She tears into the package like a woman possessed. Her eyes and mouth go wide in realisation before pulling a dark green hoodie from out of the wrapping.

“Dude…” She unzips it and hastily slides it on her arms and shoulders, the hood covering her raven hair.

“I couldn’t quite remember your size so I hope it fits okay…” I rub the back of my head sheepishly as she zips it up and moves her arms to test the sleeve length.

“It’s perfect, Taro.” She whispers before looking at me with the sweetest smile I’ve seen in a long time.

“Well it was either that or another flannel shirt for your collection…” I chortle and she jumps off her bed to throw her arms around my shoulders.

“Thanks, buddy.” She nuzzles into me and I wrap my arm around her back, patting it gently.

“{You’re welcome}. I know you don’t deal with the cold too well so…”

She steps away from me and flips the hood back, running her hand through her hair to pull it from the collar. She twists and bends a little before putting her hand and stump into the front pockets.

“It’s not quite as warm as yours…”

“That’s because I can’t fit into that.” I laugh.

“Now there’s a fun image.” She joins me with a chuckle before peeking into the bag at my feet. “Ritsu’s next then?”

I look at the smaller box in the bag and nod.

“You’re legit playing Santa Claus this year, aren’t you?”

“I do have the body for it…” I pat my belly and she releases a singular snort of amusement.

“And you do love to empty your sack!”

I look at her incredulously as she cackles at her own joke.

“That… That was just awful!” I can’t help but laugh along at her truly terrible dirty joke. “Seriously, that was so bad!”

“Awww, c’mon!” She whines as I shake my head and get out of my seat.

“Besides, I come more than just once a year.” I offer a dirty joke of my own with a wry smile and she playfully punches my bad arm.

“That’s better! Now you’re getting into the spirit of the season.” She grins.

“I don’t think dirty jokes are the true meaning of Christmas.” I say as I stand on the other side of her doorway.

“They are and if you keep arguing with me, so help me, I will deck you in the halls!” She narrows her eyes menacingly and I throw my hand up in surrender.

“Okay, okay. Well, I better get this to Ritsu. Merry Christmas, Miki!” I say cheerily but before I get the chance to turn, she grabs my collar and pulls me back. She points upwards with her stump and I see the mistletoe hung above her doorway. Before I can protest, she’s kissed me on the lips and let me go.

“Merry Christmas, Taro.” She smirks and I look from her to the mistletoe and back to her.

“You are such a cheapskate.” I chuckle and she punches me again.

“Fuck you, I told you not to get me anything. I had to give you something in return.” She smiles coyly and then pushes me away from her door. “Now get! You’ve got a certain girl’s stocking to stuff.”

I laugh at her last filthy joke of the evening and I offer a wave before she closes her door.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

~~~~Ritsu~~~~

I smile down at Taro’s present in my hand as I walk through the halls, a pretty silver necklace with a musical note hanging from it. I let it hang freely as I come to Miki’s door. I look at the mistletoe above the door and frown. I’m going to slap whoever put that up there but first I need to see if I should slap Miki first. I give a couple curt knocks on her door and she slides the door open.

“Sup, Ritsu? Aren’t you hanging out with the big guy tonight?” She asks with a quizzical look. “Oh! Is that the present he got you? That’s pretty!”

“I see you got your hoodie.” I respond with a small smile and she nods with a grin.

“Yup, it’s pretty cozy! Now I just need some winter socks and I’m set! What can I do you for?”

What do I want? Taro's busy fetching us some tea so I came down here for... Something. Did I come here looking for a fight? No, I would have put my braces on if that were the case. Plus I doubt it’d go any better than last time…

“Rits? You okay?” She tilts her head and I point up at the mistletoe.

“Do you want a kiss too?” She asks with a look of mild surprise. Okay, I didn’t expect her to just come out and say it.

“No, I just wanted to see how you’d react.” I state plainly and Miki sighs, folding her arms and leaning against her doorframe.

“Wow… That’s kinda devious. Testing me and all.”

“You did just kiss my boyfriend and you two do have history.” I say, placing my hands on my hips.

“A mistletoe kiss. It’s customary plus I can’t really afford to get him a real present. I’m sorry, if that’s what you want to hear.” She says, probably not meaning it.

“Well make sure it doesn’t happen again.” I warn before attempting to leave.

“Is it hard work? Being paranoid all the time?” She asks and I turn.

“What?” I stare at her and she hasn’t moved, looking just as nonchalant as she did a minute ago.

“You came down here, in the middle of your evening with Taro, after he gave you a Christmas gift just to see if I would lie about a Christmas custom. I’m just saying; paranoia doesn’t suit you.”

“I’m not paranoid!”

“Then stop acting like I’m going to steal your boyfriend out from under you.” She glares.

“I don’--”

“Yes you do, I can see it every time I hang out with him. I thought we sorted this, Rits?”

I sigh heavily and lean against the wall opposite her door.

“Yeah, me too…”

“Look, I’m not exactly an expert on love but believe me, even if I wanted to take Taro, he’d think less of me for trying to do it while you two are together. There’s no outcome to that play that would end well.” She laughs and I crack a small smile. She’s crass but she can really be succinct when she wants to be.

“Fair enough. Sorry if I’ve been acting like a bitch toward you. And thanks… for back then. You could have kicked the shit out of me and you didn’t.”

“No problem but just to be clear, my warning still stands.” I look up to her confused and she smirks.

“You break his heart and I will kill you. Nothing personal.” We stare each other down before cracking up with laughter.

“You really do care about him, huh?”

“Course I do. He’s one of the best friends I ever had.” She smiles to herself a little and I nod. I push myself off the wall and start to walk away. “Besides,” She says, causing me to look back at her.

“He was mine first.” She winks playfully. Cute, Miki but I don’t plan on ever letting him go. He’s mine now.

[brythain]

'Summer's Clover' reflected, eh?

[Sharp-O]

'Summer's Clover' reflected, eh?

Yup! The two-part prequel that explored Taro and Miki's history was called Winter's Lover and this is the final part of that little trilogy.

[AntonSlavik020]

For a second there I was worried we'd have a repeat of the Ritsu vs Miki stuff, but it seems Ritsu is at least trying to get over her paranoia, hence Miki being able to calm her down. I guess that makes sense, though. Nobody can get over emotional issues like that quickly.

Also, I'm kind of hoping we get to see the "meet the parents" scenes. I love that kind of stuff.

[Sharp-O]

For a second there I was worried we'd have a repeat of the Ritsu vs Miki stuff, but it seems Ritsu is at least trying to get over her paranoia, hence Miki being able to calm her down. I guess that makes sense, though. Nobody can get over emotional issues like that quickly.

And if all else fails, Miki will just slap the shit out of her.

Also, I'm kind of hoping we get to see the "meet the parents" scenes. I love that kind of stuff.

I'll dust off the one-shot thread!

[Sharp-O]

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Climax Goes On, No Matter What

“So. That’s it then…” Molly mutters. She lifts her glasses and wipes away a small tear rolling down her cheek.

“Yeah…” I admit with a sniffle. We sit in silence as my laptop screen goes dark and the media player’s window appears.

“Man… Kind of a bittersweet ending.” She comments sliding off my bed and onto the floor. She brushes her uniform skirt down and sighs. “I’m going to miss everyone.”

“I’m sure they’ll be back. There’ll be crossover movies and anniversaries.”

“No, not Den-O, though fuck you for making me wait until the day before the last day of school to watch it!” She smirks as she flips me the bird. I hop off my bed and shut down my laptop. “I mean… God, what am I going to do with my time once I go back to {Blighty}?”

“How long until you go back?” I ask.

“I still have a couple weeks but still… Saying goodbye to you lot is going to be a {bloody} ball-ache.” She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. I pat her shoulder and she turns to face me.

“Hey, we’re not going to lose touch, {mate}. Not a chance.” I offer a reassuring smile and she nods, taking her glasses off and slipping them into her pocket.

“I know. It’s just… Kind of an end to an era, almost. It’s going to be really hard to go back and not be around you guys anymore…”

“We’ll always be here, Molly. Memories and time and all that nonsense.” I smirk, referring to a line from the show we just watched. She smiles sweetly and wraps her arms around my torso. I hunch over a little to hug the tiny girl.

“It’s been a pleasure, Tarotaros.” She giggles and I laugh. Never really thought about how most of the characters’ names end in ‘taro’ before now.

“Stop that or your strength is going to make me cry.” I smirk and pat her head. “Now go on, I’m sure Suzu has plans for you.” I encourage the girl out of my room, only to find Ritsu standing there when I slide the door open.

“Is it too late to get a revolving door put in here?” She asks with a cocky smirk. Molly laughs and says goodbye to us both.

“You guys done with your geek shows now?” Ritsu asks, closing the door behind her as I lie back on my bed.

“Yeah. I kinda hope she keeps up with it but I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. Would probably be much harder to get toku shows in the UK.” I respond as Ritsu clambers onto my front.

“Awww, you’re going to miss her!” Ritsu teases, prodding at my nose.

“Of course I’ll miss her. She’s one of my friends.”

“Do you think she’ll miss us?”

“Yeah, she said so before you showed up. Man… I wish tonight would last forever. I just don’t want all this to be over.” I admit, suddenly realising the crushing inevitability that is the end of my time at Yamaku.

“Hey. There’s plenty of night left to go, big guy.” Ritsu looks deep into my eyes and she alleviates all my worries. “What do you want to do?”

“I can think of a few things, Miss Tainaka.” I give her a playful smile and she smiles in such a way that makes me think that’s exactly what she wanted to hear.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The lunch time bell rings and my friends split off in all directions. Akio meets with Suzu and Molly, prepping the handover of the Literature Club. Ritsu kisses my cheek and dashes off to meet up with the Music Club and Hanako meets with the Newspaper Club. I take a walk out of the classroom to find Miki waiting for me, tapping her foot impatiently.

“You sure know how to keep a girl waiting, Taro.” She smirks, unfolding her arms.

“I like to think I’m worth the wait.” I chuckle and she jabs my shoulder.

“Keep thinking that, jackass.” She cackles as we make our way outside. I haven’t seen the campus this busy since before the festival, it’s quite nostalgic.

The soft thunk of metal on metal draws my attention to Miki at the vending machine. She tosses me a cold can of watermelon soda and pops the ring pull of her own.

“I don’t know what these guys are so panicked about. It’s only the end of school, not like the world’s coming to an end.” She smirks derisively.

“It might as well be for some of these guys. You should know better than anyone the kind of bonds that can be forged here.” I say to my companion and she shakes her head.

“I know… Just trying to lighten the mood a bit, big guy. All this… It’s scary, y’know? Imagine how bonkers it must be for regular kids and then dial that up to eleven for us. I’m… Honestly, Taro, I’m petrified of living in the real world again.”

“This is the real world, Miki. Always has been. We got dealt shitty hands…”

“Ha!”

“But we’re still regular-ass teenagers. But, with an added bonus.” I smile and she tilts her head curiously.

“We know loss. We know failure and, more than anything, we know what it takes to stand again in the face of that.” I puff my chest out a little as I deliver my rousing pep talk, only for Miki to laugh in my face.

“That’s what I wanted to hear! One last piece of Taro optimism.” She shakes her head with a smile. “I’m going to miss you, you adorably noble fat ass.”

“And I’ll miss you, you contemptuous, sarcastic bitch.” I smirk and we both embrace tightly.

“Seriously though. Don’t you go forgetting me.” She whispers and I nod, squeezing her a little tighter. “Never.” I whisper back and she tightens her grip on me.

When we break, she’s got a small tear in the corner of her eye. She’s saved from a light ribbing by Emi, who comes to a skidding stop beside us.

“Whoa! Where’s the fire, hot shot?” Miki grins, wiping her face. Emi looks shattered, which is a feat I’ve never seen accomplished before.

“A… Fire… Would top off my day… Nicely.” She huffs, bracing herself against her knees. “Captain’s called an ‘emergency’ last minute meeting at the track. I’ve been running all over campus to grab everyone.”

“We do have phones, y’know!” Miki declares loudly but pats Emi’s back all the same for her effort. “I’ll go grab Haruhiko and meet you there, okay?”

“Roger!” She salutes to Miki and gives me a warm smile. “Nice to see you, Taro! We need to catch up soon.”

“Sure thing, make sure to give my best to Rin too!” I end up calling out as she sprints away. Miki pats my shoulder and grins.

“Duty calls. Catch you back in class?” She asks, already jogging backwards.

“Count on it. Go!” I point and she bolts, giving a playful wink as she does.

The rest of day passes in a daze of laughter, tears and goodbyes. It’s exhausting, honestly. Mutou gives a hearfelt, impassioned speech at the end of the day, wishing us all the best in the future. When the final bells tolls, it’s not met with cheers or groans but a silent solemn acceptance that our time at Yamaku is truly over. There’s only one place I want to be right now.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I pass by the front gates, passing the Student Council trio of Hisao, Shizune and Misha on my way out. They’re striking a pose like the Three Musketeers as Misaki takes their picture. I think that theme suits them quite well. I can’t help but think of my friends and all the little identities I made up for them, or that they acquired themselves, over the years.

“One day, perhaps you might tell us what your vision of yourself is.”

Lilly once asked me that and to be honest, I don’t think I ever gave her an answer. I don’t think I even have an answer. I smile a little to myself when a chorus of shouts draws my attention back towards the school.



“Where do you think you’re going, wide-load?”

“I hope you didn’t think you could sneak off to the Shanghai without us!”

“Just for that, you’re buying the first round!”

“Typical, trying to hog the cool hero exit for yourself…”

“He got further than I expected though.”

“Did you really think we’d let you get away that easy?”

Akio. Ritsu. Miki. Hanako. Suzu. Molly. My friends.

“I figured you guys would catch up!” I shrug innocently and they gather around me, all beaming. I look around them and know one thing for certain, this might be the end of this chapter of my life…

“Come on then, you moochers. One last hurrah. Drinks are on me.”

But this is not the end of my story.