Reunion

"M-Mine", he whispered, eyes tearing up, not even daring to believe she was right there.

Her own eyes misting, "Yeah, it's me. I'm right here."

They both hesitantly drew towards each other before dropping all decorum and throwing themselves into a colliding hug.

"Benji!"

"Mine!"

They both started excitedly yelling as they continued to try and crush each other's ribs in the thrill of seeing each other. A feverish exchange of what could only vaguely be called human speech was had. Their tongues being tied with so many questions and emotions cascading together in a cacophony of happiness. It had been nearly three years since the two long lost friends had seen each other, but right in that moment it didn't matter. All that did matter was that they were there.

Benjiro took a moment to separate and take a look at Mine or rather what was now Mine. When he last saw her, she was sixty pounds overweight and simply had a rather 'soft' look about her. She was now half her original size. Even though her body was covered, he could tell that she had traded in a majority of her baby fat, as she used to call it, for muscle. Then there were her hands which were noticeably rough and torn up. But just as before, with her hair down, one side of it still stubbornly remained in front of one eye.

"What on earth happened to you? You look amazing", Benjiro complimented, "Wait a minute. Is this that surprise you were hinting at in your letters?"

"Speaking of which, since your here, that must mean you got my letter?"

"Which one, cause I didn't get one recently."

Mine looked a tad confused, "Really? I sent you a letter telling you I'd be here today and to come to the gym."

Benjiro stroked his chin in thought, "Nah, Dad had to work today so I check the mail myself. There were a few pieces of mail but none from you. Must've gotten held up."

Mine threw her hands in the air, "Eh, regardless, you're here!"

She donned a proud grin, "And you're darn right this was that secret. Let me tell ya, dropping all that weight was one of the toughest things I've ever done in my life, and, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat."

"I'm guessing with all your buddies around, it was tough for Ashitomi to get close to you?"

Mine crossed her arms, "Having friends is good. Having friends that know how to kick peoples a**es when you're being bullied is a whole other story."

"And you said that you weren't an expert. Oh please. You wiped the floor with that other girl and made it look easy. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were going for shock value."

"Well, take a look at yourself. I sure hope you feel better than you look, cause you look like hell."

Benjiro gave her a mock offended look, "Well, sorry that we can't all be as pretty as you."

Mine play slapped him in the chest, "You're even taller and ganglier than I remember and you were already pretty darn gangly. I swear, your family descended from ogres or something."

"Oh yeah", Benjiro drawled, "You're even tinier than I remember. Did those dwarf genes finally do their work?"

Mine's face colored slightly and she hammered her fists as he laughed, "You a**hole, just cause you have your head in the clouds doesn't mean we can all sprout so much."

An abrupt clearing of the throat was heard behind Benjiro. The two girls he arrived with were looking at the two of them with less than amused expressions. Benjiro was unsure of why, but he couldn't shake the feeling he had committed a party foul.

"Benji, who are these girls? Are they friends of yours?"

When that question was dropped like the bomb it was, the two girls gave Benjiro looks of expectation, "Um, something like that", he gestured at the two of them in turn, "I mentioned both of them in my last letter. This is Haruoka, she's the person I'm tutoring."

As Mine waved, Daitan responded with a stoic nod as she continued to evaluate the newcomer.

"You been giving my Benji any trouble with teaching? He's a pretty stiff guy at first, but he's a lot smarter than he lets on."

Benjiro rubbed an embarressed hand on the back of his head, "He he, it was a bit of a rough start, but we're making progress. Although, her deadline is just about up for me."

Daitan maintained her poker face, "He's managed to make learning into a slightly less boring ordeal than the other teachers."

Mine smile with a mix of both, amusement and pride.

"And this other one is Higaki. She's the one that got me involved in the drama club."

"Oh, that reminds me, you said you were giving them monsters. What did that mean?"

Benjiro explained to her the job he had been conscripted and Mine sounded happy that her friend found something worth his time.

"Monsters aren't all he does", Akiko called out, "He also did this for me this morning."

Before she looked amused, but now Mine was impressed. She stepped forward to get a better look at her friends' handiwork, "OK, I'm honestly at a loss for words, Benji. I remember you telling me that you were learning how to do makeup, but I wasn't expecting something like this", she turned back to him, "If you can make girls look this pretty, you should have a girlfriend before too long."

Akiko burned redder than a Chinese flag while Daitan felt the need to stargaze while constantly shifting her weight from foot to foot. Benjiro wasn't faring much better, "Cmon, Mine. We both know that I'm going to be that lonely, old man that just hangs around on his front porch all day long. Any girl worth her salt probably wouldn't even consider looking my way."

Akiko's blush disappeared in a flash, while Daitan stopped rocking.

"Oh Benji, still being such a fatalist."

"Oi, Scarecrow, we should probably get moving soon", Daitan called.

"Yeah, we still have school in the morning", Akiko concurred, "You should probably wrap things up."

Without even blinking, he turned around, "You two can go on ahead of me. I'll probably see you tomorrow."

The two girls jaw's were on the floor hearing that. Not only had he outright rejected their offer, but he had done it with so little hesitation. Akiko felt flattened while Daitan wondered about the odd feeling like a needle in her chest. It was slow going, but the two of them left the school grounds. Their homes were in opposite directions so, they parted rather quickly, not even caring to say goodbye. But as they wandered off into the night, the girls, despite being different in so many different ways, both made the same conclusion. They had unwittingly found themselves massively crushing on the same boy.

For Akiko, that realization was something she was vehemently denying. Yet, no matter how much she denied them, she kept arriving back where she started. While for most people, this would make them burn with passion, with Akiko it brought a sense of wonder and dread. For Daitan, this was an entirely new sensation. During her time as a delinquent, sure she had her thrills. She had her comrades not to mention a fling or two along the way. However, this was the first time she felt something so...simple yet complex. Her time with the Scarecrow hadn't been long but, still. She had her instincts and she knew that underneath that anxious exterior was something truly strong. The way he had wormed his way into her life wasn't pleasant. As time went on, he definitely wasn't as creepy as before.

Across the distance, two girls were simultaneously thinking, 'What do I do now?'

....

Back at the school, the two friends were still talking, reminiscing and just enjoying each other's company.

"Still, I gotta say that I'm impressed. You seem to be doing pretty well. I was worried that you were going to hole yourself up again."

Benjiro's smile slightly faltered. He hated lying to her, "Well, things haven't been all that good."

Mine's face became serious, "Benji, has someone been bothering you?"

The spindly young man began rubbing his one arm, "I-I-"

"If someone's giving you crap, I won't hesitate to give them a serious talking to."

He couldn't help but smile at that, "I know you would, Mine. But it's fine, I'm managing. Besides, things are going a lot better than they were before."

Mine gave him an inquisitive look, "Benji, were those two girls back there not really your friends."

'D**n, this girl's like a bloodhound for dirty little secrets.'

"We had a rocky start, but like I said, things are getting better."

Mine paused to give him a soft expression, "For as long as I've known you, you've had a good heart, Benji. No matter how much you claim that you don't care or don't want to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, you can't help yourself."

'That doesn't sound like me at all.'

"And I know you're thinking that doesn't sound like you", Benjiro was beginning to feel creeped out, "But... I want you to promise me something."

It was new to hear her talk so seriously, "What is it?"

"Just promise me that you won't stretch yourself too thin. That you won't try to take too many things on by yourself."

As he was about to ask what she meant, Mine explained, "Even back when we were kids, you always did you damndest to reach out to people that were having a tough time", she smiled a little, "I can't complain since I was one of those people. But still, you have this nasty habit of trying to help the wrong people."

Benjiro wasn't sure how to feel about that. He could sense there was truth in that statement but another part of him felt almost offended. Even more unsure of the second emotion, he just filed it away.

"I'll try not to get into too much trouble."

Mine didn't look entirely satisfied, "Alright, but if anything happens", she reached for her pocket, "Then you had better give me a call."

She pulled out her phone and held it up to exchange numbers. Benjiro was elated, he now had a way of talking to her that wouldn't take a week or two to reach her.

"It may not be as personal as a letter, but texting can still work, ya know", Mine echoed his thoughts.

After they exchanged numbers Benjiro brought up something that was still bothering him, "Well, with that out of the way. What are your plans for Christmas? Like, officially?"

It was Mine's turn to look unsure of herself, "I honestly don't know, but", she raised one finger, "I was a little too eager about Christmas. My boyfriend and I

Those words made Benjiro's chest ache, "-both know that now. So maybe you and I can spend the holidays together after all!"

The ache went away, replaced instead by a bubble of hope. A car horn interrupted their talking, "Ah, that's my coach. We have to get on the road if we hope to make it home before midnight."

The mop headed boy gave his wave headed friend a grin, "You do what you gotta. But I'd better see you again sometime soon."

Mine walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him in a gentle hug, one which Benjiro readily returned. He could feel her muscles, yet still felt so soft and so steady. She may have looked different, she may have become much more confident, but she still had the same kind heart. Watching someone walk to a car hadn't felt so painful in a long time.