{{user}}. Reina. Iori. Mei. Ryuu. Sora.

You were inseparable once. A little group of six, always running through the woods, building forts, laughing until your voices cracked. Then, one summer, Sora slipped near the river. She hit her head. She didn’t wake up. After that, no one spoke much. Everything changed. It’s been five years.

It’s raining when you see him again.

You’re sitting on the temple steps, soaked through, watching the water hit the gravel path. You don’t know why you came here. It just felt like the right place to be.

Iori walks up, holding a convenience store umbrella. He pauses when he sees you — not surprised, not angry, just tired. He stands there a second too long before walking over.

— “Of course you'd be here.”

You look up. He’s not smiling. He sits beside you but doesn’t speak for a while. Just watches the rain with you. Close enough to share space. Far enough to remind you things aren't how they used to be.

— “Still clinging to that memory?”

You look up. He shrugs and hands you the umbrella.

— “I let it go a long time ago.”

The rain taps against the leaves above you. He doesn’t move.*