Spring

Star joined April at her royal estate's private spa and bathtub. One of April's most pristine relaxation areas in her house was her very own hot spring room, containing myriads of bath bead assortments and shampoo products. For April, the best moment to relax was before dinner, and its natural healing was perfect for the slight wounds on her back.

Star stood next to April's leg after she fully undressed her winter clothing. She fluffed back her long golden blonde hair, letting it fall to her elbows. April suddenly noticed how long and widespread it had grown over the past few years without cutting it. She gazed at the mirror and she began feeling hints of self-confidence in her appearance, which was something she had never thought of in a while. She swept her long hair back while turning around to show off her curvy hips and thighs soaked in steam.

April then swung her right hand back to pose in the mirror in a fashionable and epic style. She then clumsily frowned and plunged both of her hands down, losing her confidence immediately. "Maybe I should take care of my appearance better…" She muttered.

"April? Are you okay?" Star asked, playing with her short cyan hair.

"Hmm, oops! Sorry, I'm fine. That's right, it's time for us to check out the hot springs," April said after returning to reality. She grabbed a mint bath bead and plopped it into the bubbling hot springs, infusing it with fresh spearmint. "You're gonna love this, Star. If this is your first time in the hot spring, you'll never forget it!"

The two of them entered the hot springs, and Star instantly yelped and pulled herself back out. April stepped in until the mint-infused hot water raised to her thighs. She turned back and caught Star shivering in the paranoia of being cooked in boiling water. "Star, don't worry. Look!" April gleefully called as she played with the water by splashing her hands in it. "See? I'm okay."

"O-okay…" Star's softened voice cried as she dropped the towel wrapping around her body. She stepped in as she closed her eyes. April caught her before she managed to slip into the hot spring with her face dunked inside. "It's hot. It's really hot."

"Don't worry. The longer you stay in, the better it'll feel. It won't be so hot after a while." April explained as she made way for a rotating shower faucet located above the gigantic hot spring. She gently yanked the shower faucet, turning the dial to a steamy hot.

April grabbed her old cherry blossom-scented shampoo on the side of the hot spring and began dousing her hair in the steamy water, feeling the intense warmth of hearth and home as the sprinkles and water droplets began dousing her bosom and breasts. Star watched as she began lathering the cherry blossom shampoo on her hair, dancing and spinning in the shower as a multitude of red-pink bubbles began forming and floating in the intense steamy heat. April opened her eyes slightly to see if Star was okay in the first hot spring she ever endured, but her shampoo entered her eyes to sting them like bees. Instead of acting irritated, April genuinely laughed aloud as she was grateful and overjoyed to be in a non-hostile environment.

"A-are you okay?" Star asked as she watched April's eyes sting in the bubbly springs. By the time she watched April from a distance, she had already dunked her entire body until the minty water was above her chest.

"I'm fine, don't worry!" April called. The shampoo began stinging her back wounds, but she was overjoyed to feel the wounds cleansing themselves. "What about you? Are you good over there?"

"I don't know," Star nervously stated, lowering her body even further into the hot springs. "I'm still scared over what happened before. I had to… I had to…"

"Hey, it's okay," April cheered, still lathering her hair with the cherry blossom shampoo. She began washing it off so she could properly converse with April. She dragged herself through the hot spring waters and patted Star's wettened hair. "You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to. But I do want you to tell me some things about yourself. Such as… if I'm doing the right thing bringing you over here. If your family's back on your home planet, who takes care of you? How do you eat, sleep, or survive? And why were you alone when I found you?"

April watched as Star struggled to answer the questions she threw at her. Star's eyes wiggled in nervousness as April realized she should not have bombarded her with questions. April placed her hand on her mouth to silence herself before sitting next to Star, soaking herself with the steamy water. "I'm sorry, Star," She began. "When I see people alone, I just have the urge to help them. When I saw you, I couldn't just leave you alone with those bullies. But bringing you to my place is another story, I guess…"

"I understand," Star said after sympathizing with April's feelings. "Is that why you brought Chiaki over? Is it because he was like me?"

"Well, kinda," April only slightly agreed, knowing Chiaki's background was on a completely different level than a little girl like Star. She still resisted the urge to ask him about the purpose of his appearance in Aries other than to locate Ryo. She was very vehement about interfering with dangerous personal issues but realized she had already stepped in by rescuing him from the Yakuza. "He's different because he's an adult-like I am. I think if I didn't save him, he would have died. But it doesn't matter. I like helping anyone out. It doesn't matter who they are."

"You're very nice, April," Star complimented after realizing how honored she was for April to accept and support her even if they were strangers. "I don't like talking about myself. But… I want you to know that I'm okay."

"Okay," April said, patting her head once more. "Maybe you can tell me sometime. I won't ask anymore until you're comfortable. But for now, you, Solo, and Duo can stay over in the guest rooms, okay? And if you're hungry, we have lots of food."

"Okay," Star agreed, hugging April tightly. "Thank you, April."

"It's no sweat," April replied, stroking her hair. "I have to ask Chiaki about his relationship with those people later. I said I'd never get myself into dangerous situations, but it may already be too late…"

"April?" Star asked, glancing up at her.

"Oh, nothing! Nothing!" April said, releasing her affectionate grasp on Star. "Just thinking aloud, that's all." She returned to the running shower and rinsed off the rest of the shampoo on her blonde hair.

She lathered her skin with aloe scented body wash by placing a careful amount on a pink loofah from the side of the hot springs. She began rubbing her armpits and her arms, delicately scrubbing her body while the loofah's gentle cloth pleasured and tickled her body. She scrubbed her thighs and her feet, laughing as the loofah's tickling sensation nearly made her lose herself. She stomped on the wet shower floor, placing the loofah on an iron pedestal before grabbing the showerhead and detaching it, soaking her entire bosom and waist down with warm water.

"Ryo Nakai…" April whispered. "Are you one of those people? How can I associate myself with you… when you're a criminal? I said I accepted it… but I never thought it would go this far. Ever since we were attacked, I've been feeling uneasy about it all. What should I do? What can I do? Is this even my responsibility?"

April turned off the shower and placed her hands over the edge of the hot springs. Her flustered body became redder by the moment after sensing an inevitable encroaching danger that she feared. "No… it's not my responsibility. It's not my job to shelter these people. If I get involved in this, I don't think I could handle this. Star wouldn't be able to handle it. If she was hurt… then I'd be the one to pay the price."

Without another thought of Ryo's background, she ascended out of the hot springs and began wrapping her body with a towel. With another towel, she dried her hair before glancing off to the side to see Star enjoying her time in her first hot spring. "Don't stay in there for too long, okay?" April called. "I'm going to go talk to Chiaki."

"Okay," Star acknowledged, splashing water across to create ripples through its surface. "This is fun! I like this!"

April smiled. Yet as soon as she moved out of the private spa area, her smile regressed into a straight face as she entered one of the many closets she had in her estate. Each closet was lined up with different fashion styles; chic, royal, classy, and so on. However, for this instance, April wanted to dress in a white sweater with a lavender-colored short skirt and black leggings. It was her go-to casual outfit.

She began drying her hair in one of the bathrooms nearby with a hairdryer. She began reflecting on her decision of allowing Ryo to enter her estate. She wasn't sure if she was at fault for getting involved with criminal activity, or if it was Ryo that had been brought up. Perhaps it was both of their faults, she thought. After losing track of her thoughts, April realized that she had been drying one particular part of her scalp for half a minute, which prompted her to yelp and pull back immediately.

April followed the narrow pathway from her private spa area towards the main hall as she continued drying her hair with the towel. The chandeliers enveloped the entire hall with a dimly lit rose-tinted light. She nearly slipped across the hall's marble floors after projecting herself in the hot spring's steam. She entered through the kitchen area and into one of the four guest bedrooms that the estate had. Chiaki's clothes on his upper body were off and on the ground, and his skin had been bandaged neatly to recuperate his strength.

"Oh," Chiaki noticed as he gently rested his back against two fluffy pillows. His round haircut seemed roughened up as if he hadn't showered in weeks. Before April could say anything, Chiaki utilized the last of his strength to leave his bed and perform a seated bow of mutual respect. "Thank you so much, April. I don't deserve your hospitality after what I had involved you in. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," April clarified while dropping her towel on a nearby chair. She kneeled on the ground with him and tapped on his bandaged shoulder as a means for him to relax. "I was the one who chose to come after you."

"If you hadn't, then I probably would have…" Chiaki arose from his bowing position and nervously fidgeted. He glanced away from April as his cheeks blossomed into red in embarrassment. "I'm just sorry. This is something that I-"

"No more," April said, gently lifting Chiaki off of the floor to place him back on the bed. His forehead was bandaged, so April made sure to only touch areas of his frail body that weren't wounded to let him down. "No more. Just relax."

"O-okay," Chiaki stuttered, resting his back against the white pillows. "So, where is Ryo-senpai?"

"Senpai?" April asked.

"Oh, sorry…" Chiaki covered his mouth with his bandaged hands. "I usually call him Nakai-senpai, or Ryo-senpai. It's a Japanese term that we use for respect when it comes to naming our teachers or masters. That's what Ryo-senpai is to me, at least…"

April tried her hardest to understand the Japanese terms as part of their culture, but she had a difficult time understanding the meaning behind their societal norms. Instead, she chose to focus on the question at hand that had been bothering her ever since she had returned home. "Those people that attacked you…" She spoke in a low, hushed tone. "You had something to do with them, didn't you?"

"Well, I-" Chiaki began.

"And so did Ryo, isn't that right?" April interrupted, standing up and taking a seat on a nearby chair.

"They were hunting you and him. I remember when I first met him, he was talking about something he was forced into, and he wanted to protect you. He did it because of you, am I right?" She crossed her arms and folded her legs, becoming mildly aggravated in the number of secrets that Ryo and Chiaki held and involved her in.

"That's right," Chiaki agreed, confirming April's suspicions. However, Chiaki burst into a spring of emotions, releasing his thoughts about the situation. "But… Ryo-senpai's not a bad person! He's just trapped, that's all! And I was by his side ever since he became one of us. I watched him from far away, training day and night to become stronger. If only you saw his face, you'd see how much he dedicated his life to becoming the best a person could be. But then… he stopped."

"Why?" April asked.

"I don't even know," Chiaki replied, looking towards his bandaged hands. "He stopped talking to me one day. He told me that he wanted to leave because there was something he had to do. I never knew what it was. But I wanted to leave along with him because I admired Senpai so much. He was the one who made me happy ever since I was a child, and I wanted to follow him if that was going to make him safe."

"And you did," April continued. "But why here? Why Aries?"

"They forced him to do something," Chiaki continued. "You were right. He was only trying to protect me. They were forcing him to take part in this secret mission where they would make tons of money. They stole expensive items from this laboratory. But I knew they were planning on killing him during the mission. I was trapped in the underground as they tortured me. They used me to get Senpai back to the underground after he left years ago. I stayed because I knew that I couldn't just leave. They'd punish me. Guess I knew it was coming anyways…"

"Just to protect you…" April muttered, looking into Chiaki's glistening wet eyes shimmering with tears. She used her sixth sense ability to sense the intentions of his speech to declare if it was truthful. She saw no glimpse of deception. At the same time, she remembered she had seen nothing but sorrow through Ryo's pupils. Even though he did declare himself as a criminal, he was a lost individual with no clear path to tread on. Ever since their first meeting in the jazz club, Chiaki's speech about Ryo's generosity and warm heart matched his eyes. But she wanted to confirm more.

"How long have you known Senpai?" Chiaki asked.

"We met a few days ago," April said, thinking back to when she had saved him. "He snuck inside my estate and was bleeding badly. I took him inside and treated him. I couldn't leave him dying. But I remembered his eyes and wanted to save him."

"His eyes?" Chiaki was confused.

"His eyes were stone cold," April continued with a monotone hushed tone. "As if his feet were freezing in the dark, and the only light was paths with infinite destinations. He was unsure of which path to take because he was scared," She placed her finger on the side of her hair and wrapped it around like a noodle. She released her finger from her hair, and her strand formed a ring shape from her movement. "I've never seen eyes so cold, so lonely, and so sad. I knew I had to help him out. I knew I couldn't let him die. Because if I did, he wouldn't have a path to walk on anymore."

"April…" Chiaki said. "I'm glad you saved Senpai. What you said about his eyes are more than true, at the very least."

April gasped as her pupils widened. She was surprised that her senses were accurate.

"I could see it in him too," Chiaki continued, rubbing his hands gently. "He fought and trained endlessly, but he never told me what his goals were. I never knew why he was punching our punching bags in the morning, running every single day to stay fit, or studying every night when we were in school. He was the perfect student in our school, but he hid so much that I just couldn't understand why he wanted to do it. I never asked him either. I just watched and watched… and watched. Sometimes I'd encourage him to keep going, but those words were just empty because I didn't know why I wanted him to fight. Sometimes he'd sit alone and I'd come to him and ask him what's on his mind. But he'd always had this vibrant personality and accepted me as his friend. I just don't know if he was happy or not. I wish I knew."

"I see," April said, touching the corner of the white sweater's collar. "Maybe one of these days you'll find out. Maybe it won't be so long until he comes to visit. He's quite busy now. He's been with his sister ever since he met me."

"Sister?" Chiaki exploded in excitement. "Huh? Senpai has a sister?"

"Oh, you don't know?" April said, thinking about Sumire's speech about her background. "Wait, I don't think you could have. She only recently came back into his life. I saw her a few days ago. She's a nice person."

Chiaki smiled. "Then I'm glad he's being taken care of. I was so worried about him."

April held her white sweater collar tighter, thinking about Ryo's situation. A man who had escaped a life of solitude and brought back to partake in crime didn't seem like a criminal. The man who had no clear paths to walk towards, no light and only shadow, and no hopes or dreams. April compared him best to a little boy who had never experienced the universe before to understand what he wanted to do. It seemed that he had been tied to a leash and forced into confinement, fighting mundanely as his timorous nature only expanded. April's eyes gently closed slightly, imagining the loneliness inside his heart.

"April, what about you?" Chiaki asked, wondering about her status. He broke her concentration about Ryo. "How did you get such an estate this big? You must be rich, right?"

April chuckled, flipping her hair back. Her amber eyes gleamed in joy. "Guess I am," She said without attempting to sound boastful. "My parents work in real estate. They're off in another district somewhere trying to sell houses. They've been away for a few months. It's just been me alone for the time being. Me and my cat, Nero."

"Nero? You have a cat?" Chiaki asked.

"Yes, but he's sound asleep right now," April clarified. "He's really just one fat lazy cat."

"Oh, I see," Chiaki chuckled, looking around the guest room to see how spotless and exquisite the architecture was. There was a mounted flat-screen television on the wall and several floral-themed paintings decorated across the room's walls. Even the carpet was washed properly and diligently. "Then, do you live alone? There's no way that one person could maintain an entire house like this."

April nodded. "It's just me," She repeated before standing up and stretching. "I think it's time for me to eat something. I'll go, cook-"

A loud buzzing sound came from the estate's main hall that startled both April and Chiaki. It was the buzzer to indicate someone had arrived on her estate's front gate, signaling approval to enter. April wondered who it was at the hour. She turned back for a glance at Chiaki. "Someone's at the door. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, April." Chiaki kindly said in appreciation for her generosity.

Before April left, she turned her head as she grabbed the edge of the guest room's door. She peeked back into Chiaki's room and smiled at him. "I believe everything you said. And I'm glad you took good care of him." She stated.

April exited the guest room and made way for the main hall. She opened the twin doors leading to her outdoor garden and caught a golden beam of light streaking through the gate's main entrance. It came from Sumire's motorcycle. Ryo stood by the gate, waiting for April's arrival. When April noticed the light flashed near his cheeks, she was reluctant to even go because of his criminal background. But she invested hope into Ryo, believing that he could be someone better than he already was. She just wanted to know more information so that she could help him light a path.

Any path.