(Volume 2) Super Sentai Couple Pairings

Bamba/Asuna (Ryusoulger): With This Yearning

Even with this yearning, I can't stop my heart from feeling this way towards you... ~ Florence Joyce

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"How long do you have to wait here for him?"

"Until he comes back. And I know it won't be that long."

Asuna kept on replying the same way to the same question that her friends would ask her over and over. It was crazy that she had to do it again and again. But her friends could seriously be annoying and persistent most of the time. Even if she had to use her strength just to make them shut up, it doesn't work. And so she decided to learn how to hold in her temper and annoyance over getting asked the same issue using the same question.

"But you've been waiting here for three years now. Still, no words from him. Won't you ever stop?" Koh asked as he sat beside Asuna.

"3 years is still short to us belonging to the Ryusoul Tribe. And he already told me before he left that he won't be able to call me or write to me since he would be busy. Because he had planned this for quite a long time already, I don't see any reason why I should be complaining."

No words were spoken between the childhood friends after that. Both of them just chose to look up and gaze at the stars that scattered over the night sky. This had been her way of trying to dissipate the longing she felt since that person left. It was true -- 3 years was just short. But even so, she couldn't help missing him so. And to be honest, it was enough to drive her crazy. She wasn't going to admit that to Koh, though. She just wanted to keep it to herself, only because she felt that revealing her emotions to anyone would make her feel vulnerable.

Then again, there was nothing wrong with showing one's vulnerability, right? At least, even if it was to those close to here...

"Do you miss him?" Koh asked later on, breaking the silence between them.

Asuna sighed as she continued looking up. "I would be lying if I say no. But I promised him that I would be patiently waiting for him. He was doing this for himself, after all. He'd always been the person truly dedicated to his duty as a Knight. And I guess I'm using this distance to test myself, as well."

At that point, Koh couldn't help but frown. "Test yourself?"

"To test if what I feel for him was real and not just some passing feeling. I couldn't help thinking about it as days passed since he left. I wanted to be sure of myself, that's why I agreed when he said that he would be traveling as a way to train, as well."

There. Asuna finally said it. But instead of feeling vulnerable, all she felt was a relief. Was that supposed to be a good thing?

"So... what do you feel about him now? 3 years had already passed since he left the village." Of course, for Koh, he wasn't expecting Asuna to answer that question as bluntly as she would usually do. Then again, he still couldn't pass this opportunity as this was the first time she had spoken of her thought about the whole affair since it started.

Asuna sighed before smiling. "It's better that he would be the one to know the answer to that question first. At least, I was thinking that he has the right for that."

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All the while, the only thing that Bamba could do was listen as Asuna spoke of those words. He was standing not far from where both Asuna and Koh were sitting at. Koh had already been aware that he had arrived and now he had returned. But the moment he saw the said female Knight sitting there and looking at the starry night sky, he stopped and decided to watch her instead of telling her that he was finally back after all this time. It wasn't his intention to make her wait that long. But several issues held him back from returning to the village earlier.

And now, he was here. Then again, he couldn't help feeling a little unsure about how to deal with Asuna's sentiments about his departure three years ago. He'd never been the person who initially had an idea on how to deal with such things, to begin with.

"You can approach her even when she's like that, you know."

Bamba didn't have to turn around to see who it was. He was aware that Towa had also returned from his travels a few days earlier than he did. Even so, he chose not to say anything in response to that.

"Melto said that she would go there at night since you left. Except for rainy days, of course, as she said that she couldn't see any stars when it was raining."

Then she truly fulfilled her promise... As much as he wanted to smile, the black Knight chose to hold it in.

"She's not going to be mad at you for returning now after a long while. And I think it's about time that she also finds the answer to her questions. Your return would give her just that," Towa continued.

It was exactly what Bamba was afraid of knowing from Asuna. But of course, if he wouldn't make a move now, then he would never know the answer. Regardless of the results, he had to know.

Before he could even take a step to approach the female Knight, he saw her stand up from the ground she was sitting on and turned around. The moment her gaze locked with his, it seemed that all time stopped. It was indeed strange to feel that way again after a long time. But at the moment, he didn't mind.

After all, it was about Asuna.

He saw her smile after what felt like a long while. Of course, it startled him but chose not to show it to anyone -- even to his brother. He just continued looking at her, waiting for more movements.

"Welcome back."

Two short words, and yet they meant so much to both of them. Whether or not he would know the answers to his questions at the moment, he'd know later. He just nodded and showed her a small smile. A kind and gentle smile that he rarely showed to anyone.

The answer would show itself. At least, the two of them knew that it would -- especially now that they were together again after that distance separating them from each other.

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WRITER'S NOTE: So this is my first Ryusoulger fanfic and it's about (possibly) my OTP for this series. I know I haven't been able to write here in a long while (at least for this fanfiction). But I'm just glad that I got to post this here somehow. Enjoy reading! And please tell me what you think of it. I appreciate comments and reviews.