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Fall Into You

Summary:

Prompt: When a person makes contact with their soulmate for the first time, they get temporarily transported to a future moment with their soulmate’s future-self.

Makoto’s move-in day for college is already messing Komaru up, but her luck turns around when, nearly avoiding being run down by a couple of students, she trips and falls into Toko Fukawa, her soulmate.

Toko is already having an awful start to college. Move-in day wasn't picturesque like the brochures made it seem and an attempt to stave off loneliness had her going to a coffee shop on the off chance she'd see her beloved Byakuya Togami. However, before she could even exit the building, a clumsy girl crying over her brother's departure falls into her.

Notes:

Hello! I did light edits on this one, but I was having a time with tenses. If you catch any issues while reading (grammar, tense, spelling, etc), please let me know!

 

10/31/22 — I intend to update this! When I originally wrote it, I was playing around with the idea of sexuality in writing and playing with a character’s traits. Looking at this now, I see some of the work is in poor taste or could have been written with more tact. I’m unsure when I’ll get around to it, but just be aware this is an old piece and it may be a bit cringy as a result. Thanks for clicking regardless!

Chapter 1: Komaru POV

Chapter Text

Komaru , you can’t be crying over something like this,” Makoto laughed weakly, patting his little sister’s shoulder, “We can facetime and text...And I’ll be back for break too. I’m not that far away.”

Komaru slapped Makoto's hand from her shoulder before pulling him back into a hug. They were both short, but she was an inch taller, so she tucked her head in the crevasse of his neck without much fight. Makoto didn’t push her away either and, instead, dropped the backpack in his hands to the floor to wrap his arms around her with an exasperated sigh.

She was embarrassed. She had been for a while, ever since they pulled up in the overly-stuffed van and the tears began. It was made worse when the tears didn’t cease and she had to brush away the stream from her eye even as she carried Makoto’s stuff in, barely able to see her feet in front of her.

Being a crybaby since the day she was born, she had expected it. With that said, she figured she could hold herself together at least until he was gone. That didn’t happen and he got to see the familiar sight of her crying her heart out before she left. Hugging him prevented him or her smug parents from seeing it though, so she buried herself further into him. If she was honest, she probably needed it too.

She didn’t like appearing this weak–especially for her pain-in-the-neck older brother–but she had been dreading this day for months. In the end, the built-up stress had finally bubbled over into wheezing sobs that now wracked her body.

Who would she talk about manga with? Who else would go to the mall with to check out new releases? Her friends weren’t as into it as she was and it would bore them to death to wait while she perused. With Makoto, she didn’t have to care because it was her right as the baby sister.

Now, for whatever reason, he decided he needed to move so far for college to get a degree in social work. What baloney.

“I-I’m not!”–Komaru buried her face deeper into her brother’s neck to conceal the hiccup– “I’m not crying! I’m just...gonna miss you a little bit.”

He gave a humored sigh, his hand resting against her upper back. As reassured as he tried to be on the outside, she had a feeling it wasn’t that simple. Maybe he needed the hug as much as she did too because his hands were trembling and he squeezed her harder than he normally would have. It wasn’t something their parents would notice, but, as close as they were, Komaru could feel the anxiety trickle off of him.

Komaru pulled back after a moment or two and fiercely rubbed away stray tears. Her brother’s hazel eyes stared into her own: kind, loving, and a smidge teasing. It was the same look he always gave her, never changing even as he aged into the person that stood before her. Without a doubt, he was her dumb older brother who wet the bed until fifth grade and passed out when he got too scared. She doubted something like college would change that.

Komaru moved forward and pressed another soft punch to his shoulders.

“You better call me at least once a week and keep me updated,” Komaru said, sniffling, “And you have to tell me if you get a girlfriend or boyfriend too! I wanna hear all the college gossip!”

“Of course–”

A scream came from the other side of the dorm. The Naegi family all turned to face the direction it came. Pounding footsteps came from the direction it originated from and grew louder with each pound of the carpeted flooring until a tall man with dreads came charging down the hall they stood in. His face was panicked, eyes pulled wide against his face, and mouth held in an “o” shape. The reaction only began to make sense when a shorter, brunette female became visible behind him. Instead of fear like the first person, the look on the girl’s face was one of absolute, unbridled rage. Considering it was move-in day, Komaru couldn’t even guess what would warrant the reaction.

As Komaru stepped back to prevent the oversized moose of a man from hitting her or getting smacked with the fury of the pony-tailed female behind him, the strap of Makoto’s forgotten backpack tangled against her ankle. She stumbled, reaching her arms out in an attempt to catch onto something. The wall slipped from her grasp, but she didn’t hit the carpet as she expected.

Rather, she had been caught in the arms of someone behind her.

Komaru looked up in an instance, meeting the face of another female with long dark-brown braids low on either side of her head and gray eyes framed by dark bags. She stared for a moment more, unable to speak, before a prickling sensation began to form in the back of her head and move forward. It was electric, burning, and all too overwhelming. As the image of the other girl’s face was burned into her head, she felt the familiar sensation of being on the cusp of passing out.

Then, the girl was no longer there, nor was Komaru lying on the dirty dorm hall floor.

Instead, she was standing upright and, with a cursory look around, it appeared she was in a living room of some kind. It didn’t look familiar and, more so, it made little sense how she got there. Where was her brother or her parents? Where was the girl who caught her? Where was her cellphone? Where was she ?

There were distant sounds from a room further in the apartment; something Komaru could only pin as guttural, choking breaths. It didn’t seem like the best idea to pursue the noise: she could be in a kidnapper’s house for all she knew and, with what appeared to be a gap in her memory, little to protect herself with knowledge-wise. Even so, it was her only lead and she never claimed to be smart, so she followed it with slow, cautious steps past the living room into a long hall.

The place itself seemed lived-in and smelled freshly of lavender. The windows weren’t barred or anything of the like. Rather, a good many were left ajar and sounds from the busy street life below were clear despite the distance from the ground. It appeared she was in an apartment complex a couple of floors up. When she peered carefully down, she realized it had snowed recently too which made no sense. It was September . Even the area where Makoto would be living couldn’t get snow until late December!

But...maybe they had taken her to a place where it snowed a lot? Komaru couldn’t be too sure. The chill crept in through each of the windows, so she shut each one with a careful click and questioned why they had been open in the first place. She didn’t want to freak out yet, but she kept a mental note that the locks were flimsy enough to break and she could probably scream loud enough to get attention from someone below.

She was nearing the end of the hall now and the ragged breathing was more audibly a panicked cry. Sloppy, choppy breaths intermingled with heart-wrenching weeping. If words were being spoken behind the door, Komaru couldn’t make them out. She considered if she should bother the person as torn up as they sounded and if she had any right to do so, even in her current situation. She paused once she got to the door, hand hovering over the knob, as she considered her options.

Looking to her right, she caught sight of a rectangular mirror she had passed, centered between the door she stood in front of and the door one down. Her appearance was visible from the angle she was at, but it looked off. Silent, she stepped directly in front of it and paused once she saw the reflection.

She was herself, but, at the same time, not.

Her hair was longer now: no longer the bob she had freshly cut in time for her senior year of high school, but grown past her shoulder with her bangs bluntly cut right above her eyebrows. The skin on her face seemed older too with soft wrinkles forming underneath her eyes and her youthful skin seeming almost dulled by age. She didn’t look too much older–probably three or four years at best–but it was jarring to see herself like that when she was a couple of months past eighteen years old.

Looking down, her clothes were different too. It was an unnoticed fact that seemed all too obvious now. As if to test a visual illusion, she tugged experimentally at the maroon sweater’s collar and followed the fabric down to a pair of leggings. There was a silver ring on her finger too with some delicate engravings lining the middle.

What is happening?

The questions from earlier resurfaced in her head and Komaru replayed the events of the day. Everything had been normal: she woke up Makoto at eight am, left the house shortly thereafter, made her dad stop at a pastry shop on the drive there, helped Makoto move in, nearly got tackled by college students, and then fell into some girl–

It clicked. She had to have met her soulmate.

The memory of her soulmate at that moment was vague and blurry though. The chaos during the moment corrupted its clarity, but Komaru could put the pieces together. Little effort was needed though and the other girl’s face returned to her mind, burning the image into the back of her eyelids.

She wished she could have a redo on the moment because Komaru didn’t want her first moment with her soulmate to be so chaotic. She wanted it to be like the shoujo manga she read: the introduction to a cute transfer student who she felt an unnerving attachment to and, when they finally touch after six grueling novels, all the pieces fall together. The meeting she had experienced instead had been too quick and messy, so unfair that even now her clumsiness would impact her.

The sound of crying crawled back into her senses. Maybe that was her? That’s how it worked anyways. It was supposed to be a future moment with your soulmate, so, by that logic, Komaru moved to the front of the door, clicking it open.

She stepped into what appeared to be a dark bedroom. The crying halted only for a second before continuing with a quivered breath and the sound of the mattress springs adjusting. Komaru felt up the wall and flicked on the light switch.

There was no doubt that she lived here or, at least, the current version of herself did. The wall was lined with bookshelves and, while most appeared to be typical novels, there was a notable amount of manga organized carefully with the help of figurines. The room itself was made up of various shades of purples and grays with the only sparks of color being the contribution her future self had probably snuck in. 

In the middle of the bed and curled into the comforter was a girl who appeared to be of equal stature to herself with long, black hair sprawled around her. Her face was tucked into the pillow on the far side of the bed.

She wasn’t sure how to proceed, so she acted. Moving to the bed, she hoisted herself on top and watched as the human mound adjusted themselves underneath the eggplant-colored blanket. For a moment, she wondered how many times her past self had seen this sort of thing and how many times she must have talked the other down from these sort of moments. The other girl seemed accustomed to her presence and barely moved even as she got closer. Something about that said it must have occurred more than enough for it to fall to a pattern.

“Komaru?...” Another hiccuped cry. Something inside her chest stung and Komaru wondered if, even if her brain didn’t, the current body she was inhabiting still felt all the emotions her future self would have had in this situation. 

But that was a thought for another time. This was obviously her soulmate and her soulmate needed her.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Komaru said, placing a hand on the top of the mound. “Why are you crying?”

She wondered if she should announce that she wasn’t the Komaru of the future, but the high school version. It seemed like a bad move when the other was so bent up over something. Consoling her to the point of being more stable was of the highest priority then. She didn’t know how long these flashforwards lasted, but she needed to beat the invisible timer before then.

The girl exhaled hard, a shaky attempt at words quelled when she rolled her face back into the pillow. Her voice wasn’t bad and Komaru would have most likely equated it to the way a library felt: quiet, mysterious, and full . It sounded even better in her head that it was all hers too. Well, it would be as soon as she got back to her own timeline and started the journey back to this moment.

With a renewed sense of determination, Komaru rubbed her fingers gently against the blanket in an attempt to persuade the other to speak again. Given the state she was in, Komaru didn’t know what to expect. She relaxed when the girl faltered under her touch, before moving ever so slightly back against it, leaning into the touch. After a deep breath, her soulmate rolled over just enough for the back of her head to face Komaru and her mouth to be unobstructed.

“I...can’t do this, I can’t go to that damn orientation.” The girl spoke once more, tucking her body further into herself. “I’m going to be me and ruin everything. You should have never married me–some pathetic, disgusting woman like me is just going to ruin your chances of–”

Something told Komaru that if she didn’t act, the girl would keep rambling off self-depreciations. That wouldn’t be a good outcome either, so she moved to stop it.

“Hey, wait”–Komaru grabbed a handful of the blanket and tore it off the other girl with a single tug–“What are you talking about? How are you going to ruin everything?”

The other girl’s breathing grew hard again and Komaru was certain she could hear the tell-tale sounds of sniffles start up again. It was only confirmed when her shoulders shook. The scene was painful to watch and Komaru felt a pang shoot through her chest.

“Please...look at me?” Komaru said, her voice a bit softer now, “We can figure it out. You don’t need to panic. Look at me, okay?”

Komaru wondered if she heard, but, when the breathing began to regulate, she became more certain she had. After a couple of moments, the girl finally rolled the rest of the way. It seemed little had changed appearance-wise. The only difference to the face she had seen in her time being the delicate signs of aging like deep crow’s feet on the sides of her eyes and other less noticeable wrinkles. Her eyes, on the other hand, spoke a more in-depth story.

They had been rubbed raw from crying and, underneath red-tinged skin, sat dark, dark bags framing the under-eye. These changes were temporary, negligible, however. There was no question in Komaru’s brain that these eyes were identical to the gray irises she had seen just minutes before. Although, in this timeline, Komaru supposed it had been years since the other girl caught her in the dorm hall. 

Her soulmate.

Komaru felt giddy at the thought.

“Jack...Komaru, what if I can’t keep her in? Fuck, what if Jack takes over and–"

Komaru couldn’t get a word in. The other girl seemed to spiral further.

Fuck ...You should just go by yourself–say I’m sick.” She let out a choking nose, her fingers gripping at her neck. ”’Cuz, even if Jack isn’t there, I would be. They’ll look at me and say such a disgusting, pathetic woman like me should be nowhere near a child!”

“Hey, baby…” Komaru wasn’t sure if the endearment fit the context (what would her future-self use anyway?), but she hoped the tone would be enough to help her placate the situation. “Calm down for me, okay? Breath in and out.”

“But–”

“No. Do it with me. Breathe in and breathe out.

Komaru displayed the action, taking deep breaths in and out. The girl hesitated, but, after a couple of seconds, began to follow her example. The other girl’s breaths came out shaky for a couple of runs before becoming more stable, albeit the tremor never quite went away. 

At some point during the process, Komaru noticed the female’s hand was still clamped tightly around the blanket. There was a silver band on the ring finger too, cementing the marriage narrative. She moved for it, placing her hand over the much colder one and coiling fingers around the boney flesh. As the breathing stabilized, the girl grew more receptive to the touch until, finally, she unlatched it from the blanket and it wrapped around her own. There was a certain familiarity in the way it was done too, so Komaru felt more certain in her action. She supposed her future self and the current her couldn’t be that much different then either.

The other girl let out one final deep breath before again meeting her eyes. It was a look of reverence, one that shook Komaru to her very core.

“Sorry...I know I’m probably overreacting. I just don’t want to ruin this. We’ve already been through so much and I can’t be me and ruin this when we’re at the homestretch. I want to bring Kotoko home...I’m so tired of all this stress.”

Komaru squeezed the other girl’s fingers.

I should probably do it now, Komaru decided, I don’t know how much time I have left. She seems as put together as she can be...given the situation.

“This...is going to sound weird...but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The other girl’s nose scrunched at the statement, an incredulous expression taking the place of the one from earlier. She sat up now; their hands still locked together while her free hand retrieved a pair of glasses from the nightstand. She appeared to be wearing an outfit similar to her own, but black joggers replacing the leggings and the sweater being a dark gray.

“Omaru, you’re joking, right? The adoption orientation? Are you braindead?”

Komaru flinched at the difference in tone but tried to remain neutral. This was her future...wife? They were married, the matching wedding bands had confirmed that at this point beyond what the other had said. So, she obviously didn’t mean that or say it out of maliciousness. It was probably just how she talked.

“Adoption, huh? I wouldn’t have taken myself to have kids so early? I must only be twenty-three or twenty-four.”

The other girl’s mouth fell agape at that. 

“You’re 27, Komaru. What’s wrong with you?” She said, taking her free hand to press it against Komaru’s head, “You don’t feel hot. Why are you...saying things like that?”

The other female stared before, wordlessly, retracting her hands and placing them firmly in her lap. Komaru’s hand and forehead felt cold in their absence.

“You’re not...Omaru, are you? You have got to be kidding me– This ? This was your first impression of me?”

The female began panicking again. She gripped hard at the locks of her hair on her head and began pulling hard enough that Komaru was sure some hair must have been pulled out by the root. Frantic, Komaru reached forward and grabbed both her hands, forcing their fingers together, and leaned close so that the girl couldn’t avoid her eyes. 

“None of that! What’s your name? I never got to hear it. Referring to you as ‘girl’ in my head is getting annoying.” Komaru laced their fingers further together when she sensed another escape impending with the way the fingers flinched. “I’m Komaru Naegi, but you know that much, huh? I’m a senior in high school right now.”

Komaru blushed. The other probably knew that much. If the other did, however, she didn’t bother to let her know. Instead, her mouth flapped like a fish before sputtering out a few words.

“Toko...Fukawa. Don’t make past me repeat it.”

“Toko, huh? Pretty, very fitting,” Komaru said.

“Toko? You don’t even know me yet. You’ve always been so assumptive.”

“I’m not calling my soulmate by their last name. And sorry...I didn’t tell you right away. I was still figuring stuff out and it didn’t seem like a good time to put that on you.”

“Oh, yeah, that. ” Toko cringed, again failing to retract her hands. She managed to avert her eyes from Komaru’s green ones with some effort, however. “Sorry, you ended up paired with a complete mess like me. You’re already going to have to go through so much shit because of me. You might as well reject me when you get back. It’ll make it easier on you in the long run…”

“You don’t mean that–”

“Komaru, you deserve so much better.”

"Well, obviously , I stayed with you even with this being my flashforward! So, no matter what you say, you captured my heart enough for me to marry you and want to start a family with you,” Komaru said, finally removing her hands to open up her arms, “Now stop being a baby! Soulmates should have a happy meeting and I’m making sure you get yours. C'mere!"

Komaru spread her arms out further and Toko observed her in a cat-like way as if she somehow expected malice. Instead, Komaru gave a big grin and beckoned her forward with a nod. Toko hesitated, however, her eyes wandering up to Komaru’s eyes with slow, nervous caution.

“You don’t even know me yet. You’re too trusting, Komaru.”

“You don’t want a hug then?”

Toko puckered her lips and looked aside for a moment before returning Komaru’s gaze.

“No...I want a hug. God, this is so embarrassing,” Toko said but moved forward anyway to wrap her long, skinny arms around Komaru’s pudgier ones. It must have been muscle memory that Toko hugged her the way she did, so intimate that Komaru’s heart caught in her throat and she stopped breathing for a moment. Her hands floundered around the other, uncertain how intimate she should make her own. In the end, they ended up coiled around the other’s midsection, resting on the indentation of Toko’s bra.

Komaru found any attempt at words getting lost in her head as she breathed into the hug. It was pleasant; Toko had a light smell of lavender and roses. The smells wouldn’t have smelled as good together in most cases–one always trying to outmatch the other–but Toko seemed to make it work. She loved the smell.

“You smell good.”

“You...You’re too much.” Toko’s lips brushed against Komaru’s neck, covering Komaru’s skin with goosebumps, “Hey...let go for a sec.”

Komaru complied reluctantly since the request didn’t seem to come from a place of self-deprecation. She never fully let go though, only enough for her hands to linger down to the Toko’s forearm and for their faces to be inches away. Toko bit her lips anxiously as Komaru stared into her, awaiting the reasoning as a vibrant blush spread across the apple of Toko’s cheeks.

She spoke, finally.

“Let me kiss you.”

“Huh?” Komaru flustered but she didn't pull away. “Weren’t you just saying I was too trusting?”

“It’s payback. Now, let me kiss you.”

“Isn’t it too soon? Is it cheating since I’m technically not your Komaru?”

“Would you be mad if I kissed a past you?

“...Probably not. I’d think it's funny.”

Toko’s skin pinkened worse.

“Just let me kiss you then! God, who knew you were such a prude.”

“I-I’m not a prude...Anyways is that how you should ask for a kiss? You should say please at least.”

Toko grumbled, but obliged, “ Please let me kiss you.”

She allowed it.

“Well if you’re gonna be a big baby about it. I will steal your first kiss though as payback.”

Something flashed in Toko’s eyes, something Komaru couldn’t place.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Toko mumbled, “Fine. You can steal my first kiss. So, again, can I please kiss you, Omaru?”

Komaru felt a nervous swelling in her chest but nodded. Toko’s analytical eyes stared her down before her hands moved up to cup the round flesh of Komaru’s cheeks, rubbing soft circles. Then, with reckless abandon, Toko brought herself forward and pressed a kiss against her.

It was sloppy, especially for a kiss that should have been rehearsed by the other at this point, but it wasn’t bad by any means. This Toko had the experience of finding all her weak points and was actively pursuing them and making Komaru weak at the knees. When Toko ran a tongue against her bottom lip, Komaru barely contained the whine that tried to sneak past her teeth. Desperate, she wrapped her arms around Toko’s neck and pulled her closer.

They, her future self and this Toko, had probably had sex at this point too, now that she thought of it. So, these interactions must be second nature. It made Komaru almost embarrassed when she thought of how many times this body must have been explored by the other and how many times her own hands had touched the girl in front of her, undoing her touch by touch. It was enough to make her body ignite, but she chose to ignore it. She wasn’t about to have sex with her future wife, she wasn’t going to go that crazy. She still wanted to try for that shojo love story and, according to her books, that should be more than a couple of manga in.

When she felt Toko’s tongue slip in and press against her own, Komaru figured some steps could happen a little earlier than usual though.

After a couple of long, pleasing minutes, the kiss had to end. Both pulled away gasping and Komaru refused to remove her hands. Toko didn’t seem to mind, however.

“I...wasn’t intending on a makeout session. I’m not a whore, so don’t be getting the wrong idea!” Toko said, adjusting her glasses that went askew in the process.

“No, it’s fine. That was good. Better than good, uhh…” Komaru looked away this time. “Sorry, I’m kind of dizzy.”

“That good, huh?” Toko sounded smug. “Well, good. Now I feel better.”

There was a quiet in the room, both unsure how to proceed. The distant sound of the heater starting up again kept the room from total silence along with the sound of still labored breaths. Komaru heard Toko swallow hard, adjusting her position on the bed as Komaru’s jelly-like arms fell from her neck to the comforter.

“Hey, I want to say this before you go. I’m sure we’re almost out of time. This time, Omaru, I want you to chill out on your brother-complex. It about killed me the first time around.”

The state of bliss was quick to be replaced with indignation. 

“I-I do not have a brother-complex!” Komaru said, “We’re just normal siblings! He’s a lovable idiot, so, of course, I dote on him a bit!”

Toko shook her head, a soft giggle escaping her lips despite the slight frustration engraved in her brow. Instead of fighting back, Toko merely rubbed circles on the temples of her forehead.

“I have this funny feeling that there’s no reality where you don’t have one,” Toko sighs, “Tell the past me good-luck.”

“I really don’t have one, but, anyways…” Komaru remembered something from earlier in this whole event. She wondered if she should bring it up at all, but eventually decided to go for it. ”Who’s Jack by the way? You mentioned... her? You mentioned her earlier.”

Toko paled, but she didn’t seem nearly as panicked at the name as she did earlier.

“Oh, her . Don’t worry about that, yet...Past me will figure that mess out,” Toko said, “Still, I’m sorry...when you have to meet Jack for the first time.”

“Is Jack a bad person? Should I know so I can help past you–”

Komaru didn’t finish the sentence. The world seemed to grow black around them and that tingling feeling began to overwhelm her senses. As it progressed, only Toko remained visible in her vision. She felt arms snake underneath her armpits in an attempt to keep her steady.

“Time already, huh? Well, good luck, Omaru,” Toko spoke, but Komaru couldn’t move her mouth to respond, nor force her eyes to blink. Instead, she found those gray eyes filling her senses once again as the electric feeling started up once again, working from the back of her head to the front strategically. 

“And...I love you. Don’t forget that... idiot . I love you more than anything...I can’t wait to see you again.”

Komaru wanted to respond, but it was too late.

She was back. She was in the dorm hall and staring into the younger Toko’s eyes. As her senses returned to her, she could feel the much shorter, black braids curl against her neck and how Toko’s tiny arms wrapped around her waist, nearly flush against her breasts. They both stared at each other for a moment more before Komaru found the strength to stand.

Even so, it was only a moment before she was turned back around, refusing to let Toko’s eyes wander.

“What’s...happening?” Komaru could hear Makoto ask from behind her. “Why do you both look like that? Are you guys okay?”

Dense. Her older brother was so dense. She’d have to tease him about it later.

“Toko Fukawa...It’s nice to meet you,” Komaru found her voice, offering a big smile to the other girl. Toko flinched when she heard it.

“Komaru Naegi, huh?...” Toko looked away. “You pervert.”

“Pervert? You’ve got to be kidding! You’re the pervert here,” Komaru remarked, but it didn’t stop her from throwing her arms around the girl for a hug. The other girl stiffened under her grip. “You should have seen what you did to me–”

“Umm, speak for yourself! Now, get off me. I barely know you. You have to work for a hug, even from someone as repulsive and disgusting as me.”

“That’s fine!” Komaru said, pulling away after another moment. They continued to stare at one another: Toko’s unrelenting skepticism apparent despite Komaru's rivaling eagerness.

Makoto spoke again from behind her, but Komaru couldn’t bother to listen this time. She felt her parents stand beside her; their excited energy palpable. Her mother moved first, placing a hand on Toko’s shoulder. Toko seemed to nearly faint from the contact.

“Welcome to the family...Toko, was it?”

Toko stared at the hand until it was released from her shoulder. Komaru’s father spoke this time.

“We have to finish saying goodbye to our son and then we can let you steal Komaru for a bit. I’m sure you both have a lot to talk about.”

“No kidding,” Komaru said, staring at the form of the girl who would one day be her girlfriend, her wife, the mother of her children. Hers .

She just had to get there now. One step at a time.