Emi Epilogue - Stopping Short: Chapter 2

*NOTE* Chapter 1 now takes place two weeks after the good ending of Emi's Route. Check back there if you want to read the few edits I made.

Stopping Short - Chapter 2

The dull gray of my dorm room ceiling comes into focus as I groggily blink away the sleepiness from my eyes. I sit up slowly before shifting to the edge of the bed, already awaiting the inevitabl-

BEEEEEEPBEEEEEEP BEEEEEEPBEEEEEEP BEEEEEEPBEEEEEEP

*click*

I suppose my body's schedule has finally adjusted to getting out of bed so early, as I find myself waking up much more easily now, often times before my alarm has gone off. One less thing to worry about, and man is that helpful right now.

My feet hover over the floor for a few moments longer before dropping down, carrying me to the wardrobe to prepare for my morning run. As I lazily throw on some old soccer shorts and a t-shirt, my mind races in search of ideas for my date with Emi this coming Saturday. It's not as if I haven't been putting some thought into it for the entirety of the week, but it seems as though the perfect idea for a date is eluding me indefinitely.

Why not just take her to a movie? She'll probably like that.

One half of my mind mentally slaps the other at the thought of such a cliché date. I'll need something much more creative than that if I want to redeem myself for the embarrassment of the previous Sunday...

As these thoughts churn in my head I make my way towards the track, knowing full well that I'll have hell to pay if I keep The Fastest Thing On No Legs waiting.

I wonder if...nah, too girly. Well maybe...no, she hates that type of music. Ooh, I could...oh wait, that was LAST year.

Screw it.

My final thoughts are that I desperately need help in order to deliver the most wonderful date that I can to Emi. I suppose there IS a certain someone that knows her well enough to help me with that...

"Hey! Hisao! Are you gonna start warming up or are you just gonna keep staring into space like that?"

I'm snapped back into the realm of reality by the usually cheery voice of my girlfriend. A smile slowly creeps onto my face as my heart flutters slightly at the sound of her voice. We may have been dating for a while already, but some parts of me still get legitimately nervous when I'm around her. Her extremely adorable nature and bubbly personality don't help in that regard, either.

Geez, have I always been this lame?

"Morning, Emi. Sleep well last night?" I ask, nonchalantly beginning my stretching routine.

"Yup!" she replies, sliding her feet as wide as possible and bending over to stretch towards the ground. "Slept like a baby, so I'm not planning on holding back on our run today!"

Good GOD are her legs attractive.

"Fine by me," I chuckle, swapping positions once more. "But don't get upset if I outdo you."

Emi immediately jumps out of her stretching poses and shoves her nose into my own. "Is that a CHALLENGE, Hisao Nakai?" she says confidently, staring unblinkingly into my eyes.

I pull myself up as well, matching her gaze with equal confidence. "I think it just might be."

Those green disks appear to be itching for competition, completely willing to smoke me at my own expense. I'm suddenly regretting my decision...

Before I can back down from my own issued challenge, Emi's eyes take on a playful look as she pats me on the head.

"Sorry, Hisao, but no can do! Can't risk you killing yourself just to show me up, now can we?"

"Ah, so you're afraid of me, is that it?" I muse, silently thanking every higher power known to man for sparing me.

"Nah!" Emi giggles, flashing me a cute smile. "Just can't have you dying before we go on our super special date this Saturday!"

My air of confidence is immediately shattered and my expression falters momentarily as she mentions the coming Saturday. Not only do I have nothing planned, but now she's going to try to interrogate me to figure out what we'll be doing.

"Speaking of which..."

No.

"What exactly..."

Stop.

"...did you have planned?"

Why.

"Er, it's a s-secret," I stammer, glancing around for some way out of my current predicament.

"Uh-huh, sure it is, Hisao," Emi mutters, narrowing her eyes at me. Everything about her expression is calling bullshit on me right now.

FUCK. THINKOFSOMETHINGHISAOANDDOITQUICKLY.

"Have you even planned anything?"

"How can I make this a surprise if you keep questioning me?" I blurt out, praying that she'll let it go before further interrogating me.

Emi's eyes bore into me, silently asking me why I won't tell her and what I have in store for Saturday. If only I could answer those questions.

"Uh, we should p-probably, you know, go ahead and start running so we're not off schedule," I mumble, slowly turning away and moving towards the track. I'm fully aware of the fact that we have no set schedule, especially with it being summer vacation now, but hopefully it was enough to deflect the topic for a while.

 "Alright, you win THIS round, Hisao," Emi sighs from behind me as I walk onwards.

The instant the words are out of her mouth I start onto the track without hesitation, settling on a brisk jog to escape Emi's suspicious glare. I'm sure that Emi won't attempt to talk to me while I'm running and risk distracting me, so I consider myself safe for the time being. Now to think of a way out of this situation...

Just as predicted, Emi effortlessly passes me with her wide strides, not even glancing in my direction.

Oh crap, I hope I didn't piss her off again.

Despite my worries, the remainder of our morning run is finished without issue and we're soon on our way to Nurse's office. Emi's still too winded to bombard me with questions, so I stay silent as well to avoid provoking them. As we reach the medical building and head down the hallway to our daily appointments, I allow Emi to take the lead into Nurse's domain. The small girl briefly eyes me with an odd look, but shrugs it off and enters ahead of me.

Through the door I can hear muffled conversation between the two as Emi's check-up progresses. I begin to tune out their voices to avoid being nosy until-

"So, Nurse, today Hisao was acting kinda-"

My body becomes instantly alert as I hear Emi mention me from beyond the door. I press my ear softly against the surface in order to try and hear better the words spoken about me. However, I'm treated to a rude awakening as the door swings open quickly, removing all of my support and sending me tumbling towards the ground. As I groan and slowly open my eyes both Emi and Nurse come into view, one wearing his trademark grin whilst the other clutches her sides in laughter.

"Looks like you caught yourself a peeping tom there, Emi," Nurse jokes, practically beaming down at me.

"Hasn't anyone told you that it's rude to eavesdrop, Hisao?"

"Ugh," is all I can mutter as I right myself, giving each of them a nasty look of disapproval. Which of course only brings forth more laughter and grins.

"Well, you're all done Emi!" Nurse exclaims, his goofy expression not faltering in the slightest. " I'll bring your dear Nakai out momentarily."

Emi giggles once more before dashing up and giving me a quick kiss, saying she'll meet me in her dorm after I finish up in Nurse's office. Before I can even cough up a goodbye she's racing down the hallway, eager to get clean after the morning's activities.

"So, Nakai. According to Emi, there are some questions you should be asking me," Nurse states matter-of-factly, his grin only widening as I sigh in response.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with."

==========

Hot water spews out of the shower head and splashes against my skin as I continue running through plans in my head. Although Nurse claimed to be helping me, the most advice I got out of him was to "give her the Emi-est date you can think of." Yeah, thanks.

The first thing that came to mind when Nurse told me that was an amusement park. Wind whipping through her hair as she travels at a high velocity just seems to be Emi's style, so the idea felt appropriate. My only worry is that this date idea is even more cliché than the movie one. Perhaps I can run it by someone else and see what they think. The first person I can think to ask is Emi's mother, Meiko. However, I'd have to talk to Emi to get her phone number, and that would definitely raise some red flags. Going directly to her house is out of the question as well, as I imagine Emi would want to know where I had been all day if I left to do so.

I turn off the shower water and step out into the tiled bathroom, quickly drying off with a towel and heading back to my room to get dressed. As I pull on my boxers, pants, and other articles of clothing, I consider my next course of action for figuring out this date mess. Clearly I'll need to ask someone who spends a healthy (or rather unhealthy) amount of time with Emi, and my feet begin to take me to my destination automatically. It isn't long before I'm standing outside the dorm room of the person in question.

Guess I'm moving on to option two, which just so happens to be...

"Hello, Rin."

"Oh. Hello, Hisao," Rin greets me in her usual monotone voice, pushing her door open a bit wider with her foot.

"I, um, have an important question to ask you," I say, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

"I feel like that's the type of question you should be asking Emi," Rin suggests, no part of her expression changing in the slightest.

"What? You don't even know what I was going to say yet!"

"How do you know I don't know that? That would make you a mind reader. I'm not a mind reader, so you're definitely right about me not knowing what you're going to ask me, but I can't assume that you're a mind reader either because you might b-"

"Rin."

"Yes?"

"Can I just ask my question now?"

Rin pauses for a moment and looks diagonally upward, as if considering whether she'll allow me to do so or not. "Was that your question?" she asks blankly, looking back at me.

"No, of course not," I reply, starting to lose my patience.

"Then why don't you ask me your question?" Rin inquires, seeming genuinely confused.

"Because you won't- nevermind. Look, Rin, I'm trying to take Emi out on a really fun date and I need to know if my idea is good enough."

"I'm not a mind reader, Hisao. You'll have to tell me what your idea is for me to-"

"An amusement park!" I interject, interrupting her before she can go off on another tangent that isn't even tangentially relevant.

Rin seems to muse the idea over in her head for some time. I'm almost positive I've stood here for more than 5 minutes before she speaks up.

"90% her Emi-est."

"I...what?"

"90% her Emi-est," Rin repeats slower, putting more emphasis on each word.

"I'm...not sure I know what that means."

"Running would be 100% her Emi-est. Therefore an amusement park is 90% her Emi-est."

"Ohhhhhhhh," I respond as I begin to understand. "So then it's a good idea?"

Rin just closes her eyes and nods slowly, confirming my thoughts. Then, without another word, she points her toe towards Emi's room.

"Ah, well, thank you for the input, Rin. I'll see you around."

"Most likely," the auburn-haired girl replies, backing away from the door and swinging it closed with her foot.

What the hell is wrong with this school.

I brush off the strangeness of our previous conversation as I move towards Emi's door, knocking quietly to avoid being too disruptive. The door flies open almost immediately and I'm soon tackled (or something of the sort) by a tiny pink bullet. Granted, the force of the collision was nothing to be worried about, but I still feel my heart's beating increase a tiny amount before settling back down.

"What took you so long?!" Emi pouts, looking up at me while she keeps me locked in her tight embrace.

"Got caught up with Nurse and Rin," I answer, kissing her lightly on the forehead. "But hey, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yep, you are," she responds. "So, what do you wanna do today?"

"Well...I should probably stay on top of my studies..."

"OH NO YOU DO NOT, HISAO. I SWEAR-"

I raise my hands in "self-defense" as Emi glares daggers into my eyeballs. "Heh heh, I'm only kidding. How about we go for a walk?"

Emi's eyes light up and she enthusiastically agrees, dragging me outside before I can even suggest where we should go. Not that I really mind, as the sight of her practically bursting with joy at the idea of such a simple activity gives me hope. Not just for Saturday, but for our future together. Maybe I actually CAN make this girl happy for the rest of her life. Well, technically the rest of MY life, but let's be optimistic here.

It isn't long before we find ourselves mere feet away from the dense forest covering the outskirts of Yamaku, connected to the school only by the grass leading off of the track nearby. There's a small beaten path that winds deeper into the greenery, beckoning passersby to enter and be amazed...or at least I hope.

"Rin told me about this pathway," Emi muses, gently squeezing my hand. "She said that's it's super cool to walk through and explore! Let's go!"

"Wait!" I object, pulling the small girl back before she can make a break into the trees. "Are you sure it's safe out there?"

"As inattentive, distracted, and unfocused as Rin is, do you seriously think she'd have made it back alive if there was anything dangerous in there?"

"You realize that those words all mean the same thing, right?"

Emi doesn't laugh at my light jab, but rather ignores me outright as she begins tugging my body into the green abyss. I oblige and just pray that nothing goes horribly wrong.

Wow.

Rin was definitely right about this place being amazing. The sight of various amounts of wildlife, the exotic sounds of the forest, and the intoxicating scent of nature fill me quickly. My previous objections are now completely forgotten as I scoop Emi up into my arms and take off into the vastness. I can feel her wiggle slightly against my grip, not wanting to lose her freedom to move as she pleases. I look down at her, catching her eyes and silently speaking to her:

This is an act of love, not dependence. Just let me have this.

A small blush creeps into her cheeks as she senses the emotion behind my gaze. Emi averts her eyes to avoid me seeing her expression, but it does nothing to hide the smile that begins spreading across her features. Without warning she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me on the cheek, a quick, loving peck. Guess it's my turn to blush now.

As Emi settles back into my arms, I pick up speed. Although the path isn't exactly flat, I don't have too much difficulty navigating it, even with a little extra weight in tow. Before long I spot a gap in the dense foliage and make a beeline for it, bursting into an open clearing as we cross the tree line. My feet carry me up a steep hill nestled near the opening, slowing as we come closer to the top. Once there, my jaw drops and I nearly lose my grip on Emi.

An enormous field lies before us, vast and open, flowing across the land in a matter that can only be described as breathtaking. Across the field sit thousands upon thousands of dandelions, bearing their white tipped seeds for all to see. Wind sweeps slowly over the expanse of land, strong enough to tilt the dainty flowers but not strong enough to release the seeds from their current homes. Not just yet. The entire scene takes my breath away, giving off the impression of a sea of grass and other plant life, rolling gently with the wind just as waves do in the ocean. If only I could do it any sort of justice...

Emi appears to be just as captivated as I am by the sight before us, so I set her down so she can take it all in on her own two feet. But rather than roam the fields exploring everything in sight, Emi takes my hand once more and guides me to the tallest point of the hill before plopping down, motioning for me to do the same. We sit side by side, her leaning into my chest while my arm wraps around her waist as support and comfort. Both of us share a moment of silence, simply taking in all that with can with our senses before Emi interrupts.

Or rather, opens her mouth before quickly closing it.

"Hm? What's up?" I asked, gently coaxing her to speak.

Emi gives me a look of confusion, which shifts to conflict, then to pain, then to sorrow.

"Hisao..." she starts, not looking away from me. "...where do you see us? Like, in the future. What do you...what do you think we'll be?" The last portion of her sentence is choked out, clearly forced.

I know Emi hates to think beyond the present, to imagine what lies in store for her in days to come. She's clearly putting a lot of effort into asking me this question, so I need to show her that she doesn't need to worry.

"I don't know," I say simply.

Emi just continues to stare at me, a strange mixture of pain and love forming on her face.

"I can't tell you what's going to happen in the next 15 minutes, the next 15 days, or the next 15 years," I continue, rubbing her side gingerly. "There's no guarantee that things will end up the way we plan for them to, and there's no definite answers to how the future will unfold."

I glance down at Emi. Her eyes are beginning to water.

"No one can promise either one of us tomorrow. There is no certainty of us both still being here in the next 24 hours," I murmur, bringing my hand up to rest on Emi's head. "There's no way for me to promise you I'll be here. If I'm gone in 10 years-"

"Don't say that!" Emi sobs. "Don't you dare leave me, Hisao Nakai!"

I pat her head reassuringly as she looks up at me, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"There is one thing I can promise you, though."

Emi's eyes widen a bit and her sobs become softer as I say this.

"Whether or not I'm here tomorrow, the day after that, the months to follow, or the many years to come, I promise you this." As I speak I take Emi's face into my hand, stroking her cheek gently with my thumb. I whisper quietly, under my breath. "I will always love you, Emi Ibarazaki. I don't have to be here to do that. Even if I'm off in another world where we can't reach each other, I'll always love you. My broken heart is yours, and yours alone. Not even death can take that way."

Tears fall out of Emi's eyes like waterfalls, staining her face with dark streaks. Her sobs become louder and less controlled.

"You're su-ch a big *sniff*, goofy id-*sob*-iot," she chokes out. "But I *sob* love you becau-se you're MY *sniff* big, goofy idi-*hic*-ot, Hisao Nak-ai."

Her lips are upon mine immediately as the phrase leaves her mouth. Everything about her tastes and smells lightly of strawberries, an enamoring scent and flavor that sends my heart rate through the roof. As the kiss continues, I realize that this is all I really need in this world. This girl sitting next to me, this amazing woman, is my entire future. I couldn't give a damn about the rest of the world, so long as I get to spend what remaining years I have left with her. I would gladly die for her. But it's because I love her so much that I'm going to live as long as I can for her.

After what feels like an eternity, the embrace is broken. Emi beams at me, tears still streaming down her face.

"I love you, you moron," she murmurs, leaning her forehead against my own.

"Geez, do you really have to insult me every time you say that?" I complain, giving her my best pouting face.

"Ugh, you're such a spoiled brat," Emi giggles, tracing one finger up and down my chest. "I love you, Hisao."

"I love you too, Emi."

The rest of the world melts into nothingness as we lay down together on that hill, surrounded by nothing but our own love and promises. Even the wind comes to a standstill, not daring to interrupt this perfect moment.

==========

Just one more day.

One more day before tomorrow.

Wait, no.

One more day before the big day.

No, too repetitive.

...I tried.

I yawn loudly and stretch myself out on my bed, feeling the seconds tick away ever so slowly. A small resistance around my waist reminds me of the small girl clinging to me like a baby koala, her nap disturbed by my sudden movements.

Emi's eyes flutter open lazily as she stirs awake, giving me a peculiar look.

"What time is it?" she asks groggily, rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she stifles a yawn.

My eyes shift over to the alarm clock perched upon my desk, resting aside the mountain of pills. "It's 10:27."

Emi sits up and slowly stretches as I did, letting her tangled pink hair flow down her back. She begins to run the locks of hair through her fingers to untangle them as she sighs, addressing me.

"Well now I won't be able to get back to sleep," she mutters. "Need something to tire me out." Her eyes lock onto me.

I return her stare.

Her mouth tilts upwards in a cat-like grin. And like a cat, she pounces on top of me, pushing my body into the mattress as she hovers above me. I sense the mood of the situation immediately and move my hands to Emi's face, pulling her down and into my lips.

We kiss slowly at first, a deep, heartfelt connection that lasts for a short while before devolving into an entirely different beast. Each kiss becomes hotter and heavier as the seconds pass. Emi's tongue finds its way into my mouth and begins delicately exploring, quickly discovering my own and meeting it eagerly. I can feel Emi's body start to shift against me as well, her hips falling into a steady grind on top of me. All of our actions become entirely lust driven. Blood begins rushing towards the lower portion of my body; it isn't long before Emi notices the bump brushing between her legs, which causes her to separate her lips from mine and hold eye contact for a moment.

"Do you wanna keep going?" she asks quietly.

"I...I do, but..."

Emi gives me a quizzical look. "But what?"

"I feel like this would be so much greater if we waited 'til tomorrow night," I say, shrugging my shoulders. "Kinda like a reward for if my plan goes well tomorrow, ya know? Delayed gratification, I suppose."

Emi stares at me for a few more seconds, her face completely still. "Tell you what," she says, stroking her index finger lazily across my chest. "You satisfy my needs tonight, Hisao."

Emi moves her mouth closer to my ear, her hot breath tickling my skin. The slow and enticing grinding motions start up again.

"And tomorrow," she purrs seductively, her voice little more than a whisper. "I'll give you an EXTRA special reward."

Oh GOD.

My mind runs wild attempting to imagine all the possibilities. I consider that there are only so many things Emi could and would be willing to do, but I couldn't care less what it is, so long as we haven't done it yet.

I suddenly realize that I must've been very out of it as Emi has already resumed her movements, increasing the pace slightly. I feel her hands tug lightly against the bottom of my shirt, silently begging me to take it off. I comply, allowing her to strip me little by little as I do the same to her. Before long, both of us are completely bare, lying atop one another, simply waiting for one person to initiate.

Well, I suppose it's only fair that I take the lead tonight.

Gently, I flip Emi onto her back and position myself above her, preparing myself to continue. A brief thought crosses my mind and I reach over to my nightstand, fishing a box out of the drawer and removing a small, square packet.

Safety first.

Emi and I lock eyes one final time before I move forward, allowing the real world to give way to one of pure pleasure and ecstasy.