We Will Meet Again

Too much of a coincidence, he had already heard those words before. How many times has he heard them already? There are no such things as a coincidence in this world; things don't happen unexpectedly. Everything happens for a reason... Katakura paused in mid-thought. Thinking about it now, the one who said those words were Setsura, not Master Oslo.

...

Lyra tells him to rest and wait until the rain has calmed down. Katakura takes on that suggestion; he was feeling fatigued and wanted nothing more than to rest. Oslo didn't give him time to rest before he got sent here. Being sent to another time takes a significant strain on one's body, guardians have more resistance. But that did not make things any easier for him. Katakura thought he would fall asleep right away, but instead, he remained laying down watching the ceiling.

---

19XX

He peered curiously at her at first. He wondered why she hadn't responded when he'd called her name repeatedly from afar. Now that he stood in front of her, looking at her face, Katakura got an excellent notion of why that was.

On Setsura's face was an expression he'd never seen before. It looked so dim, so devoid of her usual spunk attitude. Katakura hated it.

"Setsura... What are you doing out here in the rain? Where's Akito?" Katakura looked around expecting to find Akito. He expected things to end up how they usually were. Setsura upset, and Akito would chase after her.

His worry for her increased when Katakura realized that she was not talking.

"He.."

Katakura raised his brows, what exactly is going on? Something seems wrong. The two would usually argue, that's something he has gotten used to by now. But..

"He—" Setsura started..

Katakura wondered if this was her voice coming out of her mouth. Her voice has always been pleasant like a gentle breeze. "He said he was sorry."

Katakura's eyes widened when he heard those words. He immediately understood what Setsura was getting at. What an idiot, Akito is so stupid. He didn't know what to say even though he was cursing Akito so much in his head. Him and Setsura? Sure they've known each other for a long time now, but that didn't mean anything.

"He said…" Setsura spoke slowly pulling him out of his trance. "He said he couldn't compete. So he won't even try. He said he gives up; it's too painful for him."

His gaze dimmed, "What the..." Katakura was utterly speechless. He didn't think Akito would be this much of an idiot. Sure he noticed the signs of jealousy - but Katakura brushed it off. He didn't think seriously about it. Katakura always thought that Akito was a smart one. After all, Akito was the only one who could match Oslo in anything.

It was only after his shocking response did Setsura finally look at him properly. Now that Katakura could see her face clearly, he could see the intense look in her eyes and flinched. A look of pure hatred and grief.

"I hate you," she wailed, "I hate you so much, why did you keep getting close to me? You knew I liked Akito, why didn't you keep your distance? Was that so dammed difficult?"

Setsura cried even more. "I hate you so, so much, you bastard."

Katakura knew he couldn't say anything if he were to tell Setsura the truth. Would she be able to accept it? He could say it right now, but her emotions are so clouded. In her current state, she will surely not listen to him.

--

Whenever he thought about what happened back then, he would cringe slightly. Why was Akito so stupid?

Realistically, it wasn't his fault that the flirt was a moron. It wasn't his fault that the idiot had misunderstood. It wasn't his fault that Kasumi was his best friend. It wasn't his fault that he'd known the girl the longest after her parents, and it most certainly wasn't his fault that she was one of the very, very few people in the world who could tolerate him. Those were true, so there was no reason for him to feel bad. And yet, he did.

He felt guilty for what happened then. He felt guilty for the reason why Akito misunderstood her. And even as he felt responsible and at fault, in the farthest corner of his heart, he also felt relieved.

'If Setsura

It was a horrid thought.

Life would've changed drastically for him, and Katakura disliked change the most.

Therefore he couldn't understand why it hadn't been as fulfilling for her. Setsuta told him she hated him. But she wouldn't let go of him. Even now Katakura couldn't forget it, the sensation of the crying girl in his arms. Him a player? It was a joke, a front - he was actually awkward with girls. However, Setsura was different; that's why when he saw her like that. He wanted nothing more than to take her away.

'Please don't go!' to him?

It was a first for him, seeing her cry in that manner. Even though he knew her quite well, and he often bullied/made fun of her. Now that Katakura thought about it, she used to cry a lot then, mainly because of him.

He didn't know how to comfort her, or what he could say to make this better. He knew she understood how impossible this was for him and how uncomfortable he felt.

Though Katakura always joked around about being popular with girls. The reality was that he didn't know how to deal with them. Back then, it wasn't his fault. The idiot just misunderstood. Setsura was a strong girl, so she would get back on her feet soon enough even if he didn't say or do anything at all.

"Hey little fella, you think I should have explained things to Akito back then? Would it have made any difference?"

Of course, the butterfly in his hand didn't say anything; it merely floated around. A deep sigh passed his lips, exactly what is he doing? He should go to the clock tower. The two of them somehow patched things up and got married afterwards. But the scar from that time hadn't vanished yet, even when they got married. Akito was cautious and at times, indifferent.

This situation is very frustrating. At first, Katakura didn't recognize her again. The girl's name was the same, but she changed so much in the years since he last saw her. But, when he kissed her in that space, Katakura immediately understood. It isn't just somebody with the same name and similar features. It's Setsura herself. When Katakura realized that it was Setsura, he couldn't hide his shock. How come? Nobody should go through a time-traveling experience twice. It's not possible. After all, time-traveling causes severe harm on one's body.

'Why did Master Oslo ask Setsura of all people for this job regarding the shards?'

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with an answer. Because Master Oslo rush him, Katakura didn't get a chance to investigate properly. What is Setsura's connection to the case?