Super Sentai & Kamen Rider Crossover Short Stories/One-shot Collection

Of All The Words (KR Drive: Gou/Ninninger: Fuuka)

Even if it's in my dream, just one day, out of all the words I had to swallow because of the excuse of reality, I'll pick one and tell it to you for sure... -- Just One Day, BTS

xxxxxx

It was just the same habit. Every day since Fuuka found that voice recorder, not once had she stopped listening to the voice retained there. Same words... They remained unchanging, no matter how many times she listened to them. But even with that, she couldn't find satisfaction in doing so. Let alone finding any relief that her day would become any better since losing something from her life a long time ago.

Something was missing. At one point, Fuuka was sure of that. That loss she felt since waking up from a 106-day coma was what had eaten her from the inside. She didn't know why she ended up sleeping for that long. All she was told, her family found her unconscious in an abandoned warehouse with injuries and a concussion that rendered her in a coma for more than 3 months. It took her four more months before she could be considered recovered.

But it seemed that even as she reached home together with her family and her friends, she couldn't help feeling... hollow, for some reason. Even when she told that to Takaharu and the rest, they were clueless as to why she was feeling that way. There was this truth that she needed to grasp at all costs. The problem was, that she had no idea where to start looking for it.

"Fuu-chan, you shouldn't stay here long. You might end up getting a cold."

She turned to the source of that voice and smiled at the sight of Kasumi approaching her. "Kasumi-chan..."

"What are you doing here outside? You should be resting."

Fuuka couldn't help groaning. "I've rested enough for today. Besides, I need to get away from them and their noisy antics for a while."

"You're listening to that again, aren't you?"

She didn't have to deny anything so she nodded. Besides, Kasumi was the only person who knew what she was doing whenever she would get out of the house. "I just... want to know what happened for me to end up in a coma for that long. But since none of you truly knew, I figured that the voice recorded here would stir up some hidden memories. And yet nothing like that happened no matter how many times I'd play it."

"Fuu-chan..."

"I don't want to realize that the voice here that said my name over and over belonged to someone who I decided to forget for good. You know, just thinking of that is already pricking my heart so many times. As if it's refusing to forget."

Kasumi couldn't say anything to comfort Fuuka at that point. With a sigh, she sat closer to her and pulled her into a hug. She might've been a little unaffectionate toward her cousins, but she knew when to pull that card and use it when needed. Fuuka needed someone who could at least listen to her after the ordeal she went through.

"You know, I don't think you intended to forget that person," Kasumi said after that silence between her and Fuuka. "Perhaps the pain was too much for you to bear -- at least when that person was involved. I don't know who he was. But I can tell one thing from the recorded message he left for you."

Fuuka slowly distanced herself from Kasumi and looked at her cousin with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"He cares for you a lot, even after he disappeared from your life. There must be a big reason for him to leave you like that. Right now, regardless of his identity, all you have to do is to have faith that things would work out the way you want to. So that one day, he'd be able to make it back to you."

Fuuka didn't choose to say anything as she sighed and eyed the voice recorder in her hand. She only realized then that her grip on it tightened as tears fell from her eyes one by one.

"He did say he'd come back when the time is right. I just hope it won't take me a year or two waiting for his return. And then I'd finally be able to remember him by then," said Fuuka as she closed her eyes.

"Just don't lose faith, Fuu-chan. You will be."

xxxxxx

Unknown to the two ladies, a young man leaned on his motorcycle as he kept eyeing the back of a young woman with short hair. Gou knew she was crying, and that the other lady was comforting her. But as much as he wanted to approach her and do the comforting himself, he couldn't do so. He was just there, berating himself for leaving her when she needed him the most.

Fuuka ended up in a coma because of him. And at the moment, he still couldn't find it in him to forgive his actions. He doesn't deserve to be by her side. He made it a sort of a mantra upon seeing her fighting for her life months ago.

And yet how come his heart would scream out in pain whenever that thought started echoing in his mind?

"You know, you should stop avoiding the truth and just approach her. You'd only end up torturing yourself more if you stay here like this and not do anything."

Gou turned to the source of that voice. He smiled sadly at the sight of his sister Kiriko approaching him.

"I don't even know if I have the guts to do that at this point. I already hurt her before I left and just let her suffer like that. I don't want that to happen again because of me." As much as it broke his heart, Gou appeared to be determined to stick to that mindset.

Kiriko sighed and looked at the two ladies. "And you think you're not hurting her for not appearing to her? Even when you made the promise that you'd come back to her? Avoiding her isn't going to help any of you, Gou. I can see that now. She wouldn't hold on to that voice recorder and listen to the only message you left for her there if you think you're not important to her."

Gou couldn't utter a word as a realization hit him. He did leave a message to her back then. But at the time he was recording it, their relationship was still amazing. Only a certain battle prevented him from fully expressing his feelings for her. That is until that battle hit close to home and endangered Fuuka's life.

If he had taken care of it sooner, Fuuka would've been able to recall him and the memories they made together. He would've remained by her side. But because of the guilt that he felt upon seeing her hanging between life and death, he couldn't even take a step now to ask for her forgiveness.

He took a deep breath and looked at the sky. It did look beautiful with its pale blue color and wisps of clouds scattered around. But at this point, it was only a reminder of something he had to do first if he wanted to return to Fuuka's side.

"It won't be long. I'll be by her side again. But not right now," Gou said soon after and faced Kiriko.

"Just let her know you're okay. Don't let her stay in the dark for long."

He nodded and looked at Fuuka, whose back was turned from him. He might not be able to see her face at the moment and it was good. He didn't want to see her sad face, anyway. He just hoped that once he returned, he'd be able to see her smiling at him.