3rd POV

"All right. Let's do this."

At Dope Sketch, Reki is standing in front of the front desk with a determined look while Langa stands on the opposite side. Langa nods his head also with a determined expression on his face. Everything was quiet as they looked down at what the redhead was holding in his hand. Reki takes a few good seconds before he reveals whatever he has in his grasp before throwing it. "Sketchy! Go fetch!"

On high alert, the little fennec fox looks at the small object that was thrown and his eyes sparkle when he sees a treat flying through the air. In response, he jumps up and catches the treat in midair, only for his little paws to land on two of Reki's mini skateboards. He skated a few inches across the desk and this caused both Reki and Langa to be amazed.

Stars appeared in Reki's eyes as he looked at his friend. "See? See?" he says as Langa nods in response. Sketchy then uses his back paws to kick the mini skateboards back toward the two teens, resulting in them each having the wheels of the skateboards caught in their eyes in an instant.

They cry out in pain as they cover their eye with their hands as Sketchy sits there on the desk with a smug and proud look on his cute face. Right as that happens, Manager Oka walks in from a separate room and looks at the boys with a raised eyebrow.

"You guys finished cleaning?" he asks them. That was when Reki and Langa remembered what they were doing in the first place. Reki kneels down as he gets the dog food for Sketchy while speaking at the same time.

"We just have to toss the water out!" Reki tells his manager. Langa takes the initiative to do that task as he also stands up. "I got it. Be right back," the light-blue-haired boy says as he picks up the water bowl and heads out from the door behind the desk.

Reki places the dog food bag on the desk as he finishes up his chores. "There we go," he says as Oka walks over to him with a smile.

"Seems like you're doing better?" the manager asks the redhead. Reki turns around to look at him and gives him an apologetic look before bowing his head as if saying sorry.

"I'm sorry about having to take so much time off," Reki apologizes, hoping that Oka will forgive him. Oka seemed to have already forgiven him and didn't think that much of it. "Oh, please. I'm sorry about what I said." Now it was Oka who apologized to Reki, and the said boy didn't want his manager to feel like he needed to be sorry for him.

"Don't be. You're right about most of it," Reki explains before pausing to think about his next sentence. "It's not just Langa. I'm different from Joe and Miya and all of them... Even (Y/n)..." The thought of the nine-year-old girl comes to his mind and his face seems to show a look of shame. Oka noticed the change in expression as he crossed his arms over his chest and he pondered on what the redhead could be thinking about.

"You still haven't apologized to her, haven't you?" he asked him, almost sounding like a parent wanting to scold their kid, but he had to hold himself back to create less tension for Reki. He lets out a sigh before speaking. "There still hasn't been any sign of her, yet? Have you tried texting her?"

Reki looked down as he was deep in thought. "No, there hasn't been any sign of her. No matter how many times I send her a text, she still doesn't respond. The only thing I could guess is that she completely cut off communication with the group. I'm starting to get worried."

Oka understands the new situation Reki and facing and he doesn't want him to feel like this. It'll only bring him down more than he is. "This may or may not help whatever you are feeling at the moment, but give her some time. No one knows how long it'll take for her to come back. All we can do right now is hope for the best." Oka then wonders about something in the back of his mind and decides to ask it out loud. "The things that you said to her... You didn't mean it, right?"

Reki looked to be taken aback by that question as he looked back up at his manager with a shocked and urgent look on his face. "Of course not! I was... I was just angry at the time and... just wanted to be alone." The redhead pauses as he looks back down, his red bangs covering his eyes as he clenches his fists. "I didn't mean for things to turn out like this. I was trying to think of a way to get her far from me without hurting her feelings, but then I realized that what I told her really did hurt her feelings. And to make matters worse, I think I pushed her a little too far from me and the group."

Oka nods his head in acknowledgment of Reki's statement. "I can see why you blame yourself for this. Hell, you might even hate yourself and would do anything in the world to take back everything that you said. But what's done is done. The only thing you could change is your approach to the future. You still want to be friends with (Y/n), right?"

Reki nods his head as he looks up at Oka with a hopeful look.

The manager proceeds to talk and tries to give Reki a few words of encouragement. "It is crucial that you make amends with her. Not only you, but Cherry as well. Both of you are experiencing similar situations, and you need to figure out a way to reconnect with her and share everything that you have just discussed with me. Reassure her that she can still rely on you and work together to rebuild the trust that has been broken. The same applies to Cherry."

The teen was touched by his manager's words and took everything into consideration. Yet, he still had a feeling that dealing with all of this wasn't going to be easy. "We both shared a passion for skating. I'm just hoping that she never loses that passion because of me." He brushes that thought of his aside as a determined look appears on his face along with a smile. "But still, I won't love skating any less and I'll make sure to continue skating for her sake. That is something she would have wanted me to do in the beginning."

Oka smiles at Reki as he nods his head. "Understood."

The moment of silence between the two friends felt like it could last forever. Unbeknownst to them, Langa was listening in on their conversation from behind the back door of the skate shop. He still held the empty bowl in his hands. A small smile spreads across his face as he hears the words leaving Reki's mouth. He knows how much Reki wants to see (Y/n) again, but he also wants to keep his promise to the child by not telling anyone of her whereabouts. (Y/n) does need the time for herself as she slowly starts to heal from her wounded mental feelings.

Speaking of, not too far from the shop, a familiar-looking girl wearing a (2/f/c) jacket with the hood over her head was skating down the sidewalk. Her (h/l) (h/c) hair blows through the wind as her speed almost increases by the second. Needing the time for herself by going out, she made sure to always be aware of her surroundings since the last thing she wanted was to be spotted by the inspector if she was still out looking for her. It shouldn't be a problem being seen since there are some people out and she could easily blend in with the crowd if she wanted to.

After a few blocks, (Y/n) looks up and notices that particular skate shop up ahead on the same sidewalk she was skating on. Her mind immediately told her to turn in a different direction, so that's what she does. She makes a left turn and goes down the path as the wheels skate across the concrete floor. She lets out a sigh as she begins to skate further away from the skate shop after every passing second.

"That was close," (Y/n) says to herself as she looks down and continues to kick against the ground with her dominant foot. Her mind wanders over to the people who are more than likely in that shop working their shift as a part-time job. 'What would have happened if I skated by? Would they notice me through the window? Other than Langa, will Reki run out and try to stop me from skating away?'

She kept her gaze on the ground for a few more seconds before looking to the side. Her eyes scanned a building that looked familiar to her for some reason. Now focused on that, she comes to a stop and gets off her skateboard, leaving one foot on the board to keep it from rolling away. Her (e/c) orbs look at the large and luxurious two-story building that had cherry blossom trees at each corner beside it. A sign could be seen on the side that reads "Sakuyayashiki Calligraphy" in Japanese, but it's not like (Y/n) could understand it.

The girl takes her hood off her head as she continues to look up at the shop as her eyes brighten at the sight of it. It was no wonder that it looked familiar. In addition, this path she was taking was also very familiar. It wasn't until it hit her that she realized why she recognized everything around her.

"This is where I first met Reki and Langa," the child mumbles in a low tone. All of the memories she had in the past come back to her. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of birds chirping along with the wind blowing past her ear, making a soft whistle that puts her in a sense of peace. She takes in a deep breath as she is in a daze.

She remembers the whole thing, it was as if a flashback started to play in her head...

~~~~~~~~~~

(Y/n) was too deep in thought to even notice that something was coming towards her at full speed.

"Hey, kid! Watch out!" someone yells to her. Even though the girl didn't understand what the person said, it still got her attention.

Taking one last bite of her sandwich, she looks up and sees a skateboard rolling toward her. Out of reflex, she lifts her foot and slams it down on the nose of the board, causing it to flip up in the air. She then extends her arm and catches it with ease.

But wondering who yelled at her, she looks in the direction ahead of her and sees a teenage boy with red spiky hair. He was running towards her while another boy with medium-length sky-blue hair was walking at his own pace.

~~~~~~~~~~

Not too far from the nine-year-old's spot, a familiar black-haired boy in an orange and black-striped long-sleeve shirt skates by the path of the shop. It was none other than the Japanese National, Miya Chinen. He comes to a stop when something in the corner of his eye catches someone who is wearing something (2/f/c)-colored and has (h/c) hair on their head.

He turns to look in the direction and spots someone young standing in front of the calligraphy shop. He notices how that person is looking up at the facility and is not doing anything and he finds it kind of weird. "What are they doing standing there?" Miya asks himself as he gets a better look at who he is looking at.

(2/f/c)-colored jacket...

(H/l) (h/c) hair...

And has a skateboard...

At that sudden moment, he realizes that it is (Y/n) who is standing in front of Kaoru's shop and his eyes go wide. His green eyes soften as his breath hitches when he inhales a gasp.

"(Y-Y/n)?"

He picks up his skateboard and immediately runs in the direction of the girl he has been so worried about over the past day or two. His footsteps were loud the faster he ran down the concreted path and was panting heavily.

"(Y/n)!"

Upon hearing her name, (Y/n) snaps out of her daze and is about to look to the side only to find herself trapped in someone's arms. She was startled because she thought someone was kidnapping her, but feeling the arms holding her in an embrace and replaying the voice she heard a few seconds ago made her calm down. She looked up a bit and saw short black hair in her view and she recognized who it belonged to.

"M-Miya?" the girl stutters, almost sounding surprised to see him there.

Miya doesn't let go of her as he keeps her close to him, afraid that he might not see her again if he were to let go. He felt like he wanted to cry out of joy, but he held it back as his grip never loosened around the girl.

"(Y/n), where have you been?! I was so worried about you!" Miya cries out in the Japanese language as he looks down at her, his eyes meeting hers. "When I heard what happened, I couldn't stop thinking about you and what you might have gone through! I wanted to be there so that you could talk to me and you wouldn't have to worry about anything! I'd be willing to help you get through everything and you wouldn't have to be alone!"

The boy was talking way too fast for (Y/n) to understand, neither could she understand the language to the fullest yet. The only things she could remember and understand were "Where have you been," "I was worried about you," and the rest was just all over the place.

She replies back using the Japanese words she could remember being translated by saying, "Miya... speaking... fast. Can't... understand..."

Remembering her situation with speaking English and Japanese, he lets go of the hug and quickly takes out his phone. He just wanted to make it easier for (Y/n) to understand what he was saying, so he opened up the language translator website she always uses so that she could feel better talking to him without worrying about what each word he said meant.

He holds down on the microphone website and speaks clearly in Japanese. "Sorry. I'm just glad to see you." After the phone recorded everything he said, it translated it into English. He turned his phone over so that the screen was facing (Y/n) and she was able to read what he said.

Her eyes sparkled when she remembered she could use her phone to communicate with Miya. She pulls it out of her jacket pocket, uses the same method as the boy, and talks through the mic."It's okay. I'm glad to see you, too." Once it was recorded, her English dialogue was translated into Japanese and Miya was able to read and understand every word.

Now there was no issue with talking to each other.

Miya was the first one to speak again as he kept his finger pressed on the microphone button. "How have you been doing... after everything that's happened?" he asks as he expects his words to be translated.

(Y/n) reads the words off of the screen and lets out a sigh. It has been hard for the girl, but she feels like she could say that to her black-haired friend. She replies back the same way Miya did but on her phone."I'm still getting through it. It's not easy when it feels like I lost everything and everyone I know."

Miya nods his head when he reads off what her screen says. "I know how that feels," he says in a low tone of voice as he thinks back to the times he felt alone when all of his friends in the past disappeared. But it didn't bother him as much now since he had better friends than his old ones. He never forgets the night at "S" when he and (Y/n) practically declared to become friends and that was the best thing to ever happen to him.

That smile that started to grow on his face soon subsided at the remembrance of "S." He'd been dying to know if (Y/n) was going to be at Crazy Rock that night. "Are you planning on going to 'S' tonight? The tournament is still going to be taking place there," he asks her with a curious look on his face.

(Y/n) almost forgot about the tournament, but now that Miya mentioned it, she was planning on going, only to see how things were going. It doesn't feel the same if she just watches the race on her phone, so she'd rather go there in person.

"The tournament. That's right," She mumbles to herself as she lifts her finger off of the mic button, but she presses it again as she speaks and asks a question. "Did you end up winning that one race against Snake? I know I missed it since I went with Joe to take Cherry to the hospital."

Miya lets out a sigh as he reads the question. It still bothered him that he didn't win the race against that skater, but he brushed it off. "No, I didn't. That Snake guy seemed to be way out of my league," he said surprisingly. It's always hard when admitting that an enemy of yours is better than you, so it's normal for him to be annoyed by it.

(Y/n) could hear the annoyed tone in the boy's voice as she read what he said and didn't want to keep asking about it. She knew who Snake really was and was kind of guessing that he would be the one succeeding. "I see," she says to herself, this time in Japanese since she already knew how to say it in the language. "Well, I guess he would be the one moving forward, then. And since I'm not in the tournament anymore, Adam's probably going to be giving my open spot to Shadow or something."

The black-haired teen takes a second or two to re-read what (Y/n) had said. He was confused at first when she said that Shadow would be given the open spot, but that was when he remembered something. "Oh, that's right. You don't know," he mumbles to himself. The recording on his phone didn't quite catch what he said, but (Y/n) was able to understand the last two few words he said. She lifts up an eyebrow and tilts her head to the side as she wonders what he meant by that.

"Don't know what?" she asks the cat boy, this time saying it in English so that Miya could get the hint that she understood what he said. He snaps out of his own thoughts and looks back at the girl, feeling ready to explain everything to her.

"Shadow... got severely injured yesterday. So there's no way he'll be skating in the tournament," he starts off saying, waiting for his words to be translated on his phone. (Y/n) reads off what was said so far and her confused look changes to one of shock as a small gasp escapes her mouth after reading the news. A sense of worry fills up inside of her.

Miya notices the look that is on her face as her eyes widen a bit, seeming to grow alarmed. He doesn't want her to be that worried about him because he is perfectly fine, so he waves his hand to the side as a way of brushing off the thought. A small smirk appears on his face as he chuckles lowly. "He'll probably be sulking about it knowing that he would have had a chance at something only to be let down at the last minute," the boy says as he places his hand on his hip, trying to lighten up the mood.

It seemed to have worked because (Y/n) looked like she was calming down again after reading the words on Miya's phone screen. There was one thing Miya wanted to say so he continued to speak as he had his gaze facing down towards the ground. "But when I visited him at the hospital, I ended up seeing Cherry as well." He pauses for a second to take a breather before continuing. He remembers the look on the adult's face when he saw him in his wheelchair. "It hardly looked as if he was his true self. He was quiet most of the time and I could tell he was thinking so much about you."

(Y/n) didn't say anything as she re-reads every word that was translated into English to make sure she was reading this right. But she was reading it right. This wasn't the first time she was told that Cherry was worried about her, but this coming from Miya made it sound different. The AI skater was genuinely concerned about her well-being. She felt her heart skip a beat as she stared off into space, but she was brought back to Earth when Miya spoke again.

"I also saw Reki." The tone of Miya's voice made it sound like he forced himself to say that. The topic of Reki really affected (Y/n), but it seems to have had an effect on the cat boy as well. He scoffs as an upset look is plastered on his face. "In all honesty, I don't even want to talk about that slime! He was a traitor since he lied when he said that he'd always be my friend no matter what. He left Langa in the dark and to top things off, he said horrible things to you and that was what upsetted me the most. I still won't forgive him for doing that..." His tone seems to have quieted down a bit as he gives time for (Y/n) to understand what he's saying. "...but it seems like he's changed ever since he and Langa made up. The only time I will forgive him is when he actually apologizes to you... Maybe I'll wait a day or two after that."

(Y/n) felt a slight tug in her heart after reading everything off of Miya's phone. What he said made it sound like he would do anything to make sure that she was okay. She felt like she could go to him if she felt it was necessary. She can see the amount of care he had towards her just by looking at his facial expression and hearing the tone of his voice. He sounded so soft-spoken and his face expressed many different kinds of emotions-- like concern, worry, and most importantly, hope.

She snaps out of her thoughts as she speaks as a way of getting Miya's attention to look at her phone to see what she's saying.

"I really like the support you have for me, Miya. I'm glad to know that I could also talk to you if I ever need to."

Miya smiles at that as his green eyes brighten up. "Of course, (Y/n). Not trying to play favoritism here, but I would truly help you out the most out of everyone in the skate group." (Y/n)'s smile seemed to have gotten bigger after reading that. Miya noticed the time on the girl's phone and saw that it was getting later in the afternoon. He knew that he had to go, but he also didn't want (Y/n) to be out for a long time because of the whole situation with the inspector who is more than likely still trying to find her.

"Well, I won't keep you waiting. I don't want you to feel like you have to stay here and chat. I'll keep in touch with you to make sure things are going okay," Miya tells (Y/n), almost sounding a bit urgent when speaking those words. The girl understood what he meant when she read the translated words on his phone. She nods her head as she says the last thing that is on her mind.

"Thanks, Miya." Before she puts her phone away, another thought comes to mind, and decides to tell him so that he's aware and what she's going to be doing later on that same night. "Oh, and uh... I will be going to 'S' tonight. I want to see if Adam ends up getting his ass kicked."

Miya reads the words that she said and is quite surprised and taken aback when she says the last part, but he still laughs, nonetheless. "Hey, watch your language, (Y/n). You are still a kid," he tells her, sounding like an older brother playfully scolding a younger sibling. (Y/n) didn't seem bothered but that and she shrugs her shoulders with a smug look on her face.

"Why's that? I'm not gonna get in trouble. The only ones who are out here are you and me," she tells the cat boy, giving Miya time for a reaction as he reads the translated words in Japanese. He eventually chuckled after reading off of her phone's screen.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Just don't make it into a habit," he lastly tells her before turning off his phone and stuffing it into his pocket. "Take care of yourself. And be careful with your surroundings."

Even though he didn't use his phone to translate his words, (Y/n) knew exactly what he was telling her just by the tone of his voice, so she responded as she put her phone in her jacket pocket."I will. See ya, Miya!" she says as she hops on her skateboard and started skating in the direction she came from. It was also at that moment that she realized something. "...Hey, that rhymed!"

She laughs at her own words as she skates faster down the path with Miya watching the entire time until she turns the corner and is no longer in sight. Miya chuckles again as he crosses his arms over his chest, looking proud of himself for at least having a conversation with the little girl whom he's been worried about for a while now.

He could see something inside of her that seemed to have come back to her after a while of not seeing anyone else in the friend group.

"She still has that spark. I'm proud of her for never losing sight of that."

A/n: That took a while to finish! School is very tiiiiiiring, but at least I make sure to keep writing for you lovely readers! But I'll leave it at that. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next one!