saori hates packing. if she could, she would just shove every piece of her clothing into her suitcase and be done with it. but she can't because her aunt's gonna check up on her and scold her for not packing properly.
it took her an hour of folding and rearranging her clothes, leaving extra spaces for the souvenirs she'll buy for her friends and boyfriend.
she whines about trying to close it and asks yuzuki to sit on her suitcase while she zips it close.
"how many did you pack?" yuta appears, leaning on her doorway.
"enough," saori answers shortly. "i want to buy a lot of snacks for johnny!"
"you should buy him one of those black bodysuits that burglars wear," yuta suggests.
"maybe. or maybe i'll buy him a totoro hoodie—oh my god that'd be so cute on him!" saori coos, pulling yuzuki into a hug and pinching her cheeks.
"saori, that hurts!"
"sorry!" saori giggles.
she's in a good mood today. she's gonna have an awesome winter vacation back and osaka. she gets to see her childhood house and neighborhood again. and most importantly, she gets to see her dad after months. last time she saw him was when he went to korea for a business trip and made a detour at yuta's house.
"you're really excited, huh." yuta muses, a smile creeping on his lips.
it's been a while since he last saw her like this. he's glad he still gets to see this sight of saori.
"of course i am!" saori cheers, letting yuzuki go, who runs to her mom, ratting saori out. "i'm so psyched to go back to japan!"
yuta smiles at that. yeah, it's gonna be fun to revisit their hometown. it feels bittersweet, going back to a place they once lived in. still, great memories.
of course, both saori and yuta have still to address the elephant in the room. the elephant being momo and her unresolved friendship with saori.
"will you be okay though?" yuta had to check.
going back to japan means a series of nostalgic memories. but it also means saori has to relive everything that has happened. both pleasant and unpleasant.
saori grows quiet as she stares at her out the window, avoiding yuta's gaze.
"dad's gonna be there. we're gonna be okay," saori says more to herself than yuta.
yuta wants to give her a hug but his feet are rooted onto their spot.
"sao," he calls.
saori finally meets his gaze.
"you know we love you, right?"
that makes saori smile. "i know," she replies. "i love you guys too."
yuta's satisfied. he's happy saori knows.
after that, yuta's mom starts nagging them to load their things into their car. soon enough, they're headed to the airport, with everyone cramped up into mr. nakamotos minivan.
"i hope the mochi shop's still open by the time we get there," saori crosses her fingers.
"sao, mr. ino is 100 years old. he can barely keep his eyes open when he tends the shop," yuta reminds her.
"i know but still!" saori pouts. she feels her phone vibrate as she checks to see who texted her.
she shakes her head fondly upon receiving a message from her boyfriend saying he misses her already.
yuta manages to sneak a peek and can't help but roll his eyes. "lame."
"you're lame."
"shut up."
—
the flight felt quicker than it was. well, actually saori was asleep the whole time. she and yuta both. naomi even managed to sneak a picture of them drooling with their mouths open. once again, getting compared as twins.
"saori, wait up!" of course, saori was the one leading them through the airport.
yuzuki chases after, holding her hand so she wouldn't get lost.
upon reaching the arrival area, a big smile grows on saori's face when she spots her dad waiting for them. he was with a family friend and their grandpa.
"dad!" saori screeches, running over to give him a big hug.
her dad sees her speeding towards him so he opens his arms, catching his daughter.
"hey, gumdrop."
"i missed you so much." saori hugs her dad tightly.
"me too, saori. me too."
soon enough, the nakamoto family had been reunited, greeting and giving each other hugs.
saori's dad and their uncle sai assists them with their bags, leading them to the minivan which they rode back home.
they're currently staying at saori's grandparents' grand house. it was large enough to accommodate everyone, plus they had their own bath house. saori's grandparents were known business owners in the area.
"dibs!" saori yells as soon as she finds her old room that she used to stay at when she was a kid.
she hears yuta grumbling from the other room, settling his own stuff in there.
"hey, yuta wanna explore the gardens?" saori feels giddy. it's been years since she had a large family gathering like this. well, not that a lot was added. only her dad, her other uncle, and their grandparents. she wishes she could add more but...
"i'm tired, sao. maybe later." yuta declines her offer, flopping down on his childhood bed.
saori enters his room with a pout. "c'mon! i wanna explore the grounds!!" she whines, throwing a pillow at him.
yuta easily catches it before snuggling his face into the soft texture. "night, sao."
"it's noon, dumbass!" saori groans but leaves him be.
she goes out to explore her grandma's zen garden; with it being one of her go-to places whenever she visited.
she finds her dad there, lazing by the bench, appreciating the flowers planted by his mom.
"dad." saori joins him on the bench.
"hey, gumdrop." he greets. "you done unpacking?"
"later. too lazy."
"sao..." her dad sighs defeatedly. "you really take after your mother, don't you?"
saori doesn't answer that. well, her mom never answered to her messages so they're even! still it doesn't hurt that much compared before.
plus, this is all new to saori. this is the first time in two years that his dad mentioned her. her dad was used to live in this constant state of denial about everything.
denying about getting fired. denying that his wife will never come back. denying that his daughter is fine and doesn't need his emotional support. denying that he's hit rock bottom.
"sorry if that took you by surprise," saori's dad apologizes. "i just... i just thought it was about time we talked about it."
"dad." saori shakes her head, not liking where this is going. damn, her dad really conditioned her to avoid all confrontations. "not now. this is supposed to be a fun vacation."
"we have to talk about it eventually, sao," her dad says.
"you're going to ruin my vacation mood."
"i'm sorry," he chuckles sadly. "i just ruin everything, don't i? it's my fault—"
"no, it's not, dad. stop that." saori cuts him off before he says anything that'll set her off. "it was her choice."
"yes, but i could've done something—"
"you did everything, dad." saori retorts, feeling her blood boil. she is not going to listen about her dad remorse over her mom again. "it wasn't enough for her. deal with it."
"sometimes people just don't like what they get so they leave." saori stands up and walks out.
her dad tries to call out to her but pauses when he notices yuta hiding by the veranda. "yutes," he calls him.
"i'll talk to her." yuta mutter to him.
"thank you, yuta." he gives the boy an affectionate pat at the back. "thank you for always looking out for her."
"yeah, well." yuta shrugs before following saori to wherever she feels to runaway to.
—
"yo, sao." yuta finds saori at the park where they used to play at. "your dad's looking for you."
saori grumbles by the swings. "you can tell him to stop being a dumbass first," she responds.
yuta takes the swing next to her and sighs. he looks up at the orange sky, wondering if they made a run for it, they'd be able to watch the sunset by the riverbank.
"here." yuta tosses her an ice cream bar.
saori catches it and eyes him. "really? right before dinner?"
"didn't stop us before." yuta shrugs, opening his own snack and taking a bite.
"wow, such a rebel." saori chuckles, and helps herself with the bar.
the two sits in silence, savoring the nostalgic feel as they revisit their childhood memories. yuta recalls a time where he accidentally knocked saori off the swings. or when they had to climb the tree when a big dog was chasing them.
they were great, happy memories. saori's glad she gets to share it with yuta. and momo. good times.
"grandma's making our favorites so expect a feast later." yuta breaks the silence.
"bet i can eat more bowls of rice than you." saori challenges.
"you're on." they hook on it.
yuta gets up, dusting his pants. "c'mon, let's go back."
saori makes a disgruntled noise but follows him anyway.
the walk back to the house was nostalgic. yuta fetching saori whenever she runs away, and also buying her ice cream.
saori smiles fondly at the memory. she skips closer to yuta, humming happily.
just like that, saori doesn't feel estranged from yuta anymore. who knew all it took was a cheap ice cream bar from the convenience store down the street.
a/n: hello thank you for reading!!
i managed to print my project early and write another chapter!!
please appreciate saori and yuta and their path to reconciliation uwu hope you like this chapter!! pl s tell me what you think!!
thank you for reading and have a nice day/night!