After Story: Resolve

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Departure

It was a somber mood as we stood around at the train station waiting for Mei's train to come. We hadn't heard anything from the teams we had sent the applications to, so I think we were all fighting a sense of failure as well. At least I was.

"I'm sorry we didn't get anything back from them in time, Mei," I said for the umpteenth time. "I really wanted you to see your brother succeed."

"It's okay," she replied. "I know you did your best. Nii-san did his best, too, so I think everything'll be okay."

Yohei gave us a thumbs-up. "There's still a lot of school left, so there's still a lot of time before the end of the year!"

She and I exchanged smiles at his enthusiasm. "I believe you'll be accepted, Nii-san," she said.

"And here we go with the sugar shock again," we heard Kyou say, and the three of us turned to see the twins and Sakagami approaching. "You three make me nauseous."

"Onee-chan...say something nice for a change, please?" Fujibayashi said in an unusually forceful tone...forceful for her, that is.

Kyou simply 'humphed'.

"I, for one, am glad to have met you," Sakagami said as she reached out to shake my girlfriend's hand. "I know we didn't get to talk much, but I enjoyed the conversations we did have."

"Thank you very much," Mei replied as she ducked her head shyly.

The student body president nodded approvingly. "I don't have any real power at the school, but if you want to enroll for next year, I'll put in a good word for you."

"Thank you very much," Mei repeated.

Sakagami then looked up and gazed at me for an uncomfortably long time, with the corner of her mouth twitching occasionally. "C-Congratulations," was all she eventually said to me.

Mei and I exchanged smiles before giving each other a squeeze. "Thanks," we said nearly in unison.

Oddly, Sakagami didn't smile with us; in fact, she looked kinda lost as she turned and started arguing with Kyou about...something. Probably her attitude. I'd never understand those two.

"It was very nice meeting you," Fujibayashi said, drawing our attention. "I hope you can visit again soon. We could spend more time together next time."

"Thank you." Mei seemed bolder this time; maybe it was because Fujibayashi was even more timid than she was. "I'd like that."

We made small talk until we saw the train arrive. I was facing away from the train, but I could tell from the way Mei suddenly squeezed me...I swallowed a lump in my throat. "It's coming, huh?"

She nodded, teary eyed.

"You'll call me when you get home, right? Let me know you got home safely?"

Another nod.

I knew the train would be at the station for a few minutes, so I took Mei by the hand and excused us from the group to go somewhere relatively private. "Before you get on the train, Mei, I need to tell you something."

She nodded solemnly. "Okay."

"But," I said as I put my hand to her face, "I'm not going to use any words, okay?"

"Huh?"

Without giving her any other warning, I ducked my head down to gently place my lips against hers.

She responded instantly: she wrapped her arms around my neck while keeping her lips pressed against mine as she started to cry.

Our 'first kiss' wasn't a passionate kiss; it was a tender one and an honest one. It was the perfect kiss for us. No pawing, none of the theatrics like I'd seen in movies or at school; just two people who loved each other showing each other their love.

We eventually broke the kiss and held each other tightly. She had stopped crying but her breath shuddered, her head resting on my chest as we simply held each other. "D-Does this mean what I think it means, Tomoya?"

"If you're thinking that this means you're extra-special to me, then yeah, it means what you think it means," I replied. "Sorry it took so long."

She giggled lightly as she dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's okay. If it means I can have this, then it's been worth the wait."

I led us over to a nearby bench, sat down, and drew her into my lap. Out of sight of the others we kissed several times more, and I found myself amazed at how much love and affection could come from such a small girl. Or from someone like me, for that matter.

"We need to go," I finally had to say as we touched foreheads.

All she could do was nod sadly. "Yeah, I know."

She slid off my lap and took my arm as I got up. We slowly walked back to the main platform where the train still waited.

When we returned I let go of her so she could say her goodbyes to Yohei. "Nii-san," she cried; our goodbyes were a lot more emotional than last time. Then again, we'd accomplished a lot more than last time, and grown a lot because of it.

"Be a good girl, Mei. Make your brother proud," Yohei said as he returned her hug. I hadn't really noticed before, but he'd lost that part of himself that made him such a good target for picking on. 'Buttmonkey'; yeah, he was no longer the 'buttmonkey'. I smiled at the thought.

As the others watched, Yohei and I walked Mei up to the door to one of the train cars. "Well...I know I can call any time, but say 'hi' to Mom and Dad for me anyway, 'k?" Yohei asked.

"You bet," Mei replied in a shuddering voice. Then she turned to me and stared at me. I knew she was memorizing as much of me as she could, and I stared right back. Finally, she threw her arms around my neck to pull me down for one last kiss. Then she quickly boarded the train just before the doors closed.

I felt like my heart was being pulled out of my chest as the train started moving, picking up speed. Mei and I kept our eyes locked as long as possible. The train completely left the station, and she was gone.

I staggered over to a ceiling support and leaned heavily on it; I'd never felt pain like this before, and it nearly took my legs out from under me.

A hand thrust itself into my field of view, and I looked to find my best friend with a sympathetic smile on his face. "Let's get you home, eh Tomoya? You'll be expecting a call, right?"

I managed to chuckle in spite of the ache in my chest. "Yeah, you're right." I reached out and gripped his hand, letting him pull me upright again. "Let's go home."

As the five of us left the station I still found myself looking back several times to where the train had left carrying my Mei.