Chapter Text
"Well, I'll be going now. Ah! But this isn't farewell. We'll meet again."
These words continued to resonate in his ears clearly but distantly as he stared absently at the empty gate in the terminal.
He had known for months that the younger man would be leaving him and had been preparing himself for this moment, hardening his heart so as to not shed a tear when the inevitable separation takes place, but the last words of the younger man had caught him off guard.
"We'll meet... again?" Satoshi wasn't quite sure what to make of it.
He didn't feel like crying nor did he feel lonely. But he did feel lost, like a big part of him had suddenly been taken away from him by a black hole.
"Well don't just stand there!" an annoyed voice yelled from behind, and Satoshi was suddenly brought back to his senses.
"Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry!" he gasped when he realized that he was standing in the middle of the hallway and was causing a traffic jam.
He desperately searched for a sign that would lead him to the exit, sensing a blush climbing up his neck, and quickly jogged away, stumbling over other passengers' luggage along the way and bowing and apologizing all the way to the main gate.
When he finally reached the exit, he let out a long breath that he didn't realize he had been holding, and everything before him suddenly blurred.
It doesn't matter what promise Kazunari had made, and it doesn't matter how soon he will return. The fact is that he is gone now, and Satoshi can't help but miss him already.
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Satoshi has been in a world of his own since watching the single most important person in his life depart the airport. On the subway on the way home that day, he missed his stop twice, and, after getting off, walked in a different direction than that of his house. When he came to once again, he looked up and realized that he had ended up in front of his love's residence instead.
Satoshi burst out crying again at the memory of Kazunari and fell to his knees.
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For the days that followed, Satoshi got no sleep, ate nothing, did nothing, and talked to no one. He had completely isolated himself from the world.
"He said we'll meet again," he would mumble whenever someone approached him.
The rest of Arashi had to cancel all of their shows: without Ninomiya the ratings were sure to take a hit, but without Riida, Aiba, Sakurai, and Matsumoto had lost all motivation as well.
Thus, Arashi went on hiatus.