She giggled at Kunihiro’s pleading expression. “You put on a tough exterior, but deep down you’re just a nerd who wants to attend prom and dance with a girl wearing a cape.” She snuggled closer to him, feeling light and happy and so relaxed for the first time all year. She could finally stop questioning his motives and just trust him, believe that he would make her happy. That was what real love was; taking a chance on someone.

The trip to the school was pretty uneventful, and soon enough they stood at the familiar entrance, and Minako could feel everyone’s gaze on them as they entered the room, just like at the beginning of the year. She wondered how surprised they were to see her with Kunihiro when she’d been dating Motoki, and if anyone thought she was an easy girl who used and discarded guys as she liked. Mio was looking at her with a sneer, whispering to her cheerleader friends, and Minako decided right then that she didn’t really care anymore.

She didn’t care what everyone else thought. She knew who she was, and why she made her choices, and so did Kunihiro. And that was all that mattered.

“I really can’t wait until Mio graduates,” she muttered, then turned her back on her as she grabbed two glasses of punch from a nearby table, offering one to Kunihiro.

“To us,” she said with a smile. “May this night be a thousand times better than Homecoming.”

The endless amount of staring they faced upon entering the prom didn't bother Kunihiro one bit. Let them stare, he thought. Let them see what it really looked like to care about someone instead of use them and hurt them.

Despite his overwhelming feeling of pride and joy, Kunihiro felt as if he had been punched in the stomach when Minako made her comment about Mio graduating. He didn't want to think about that right now, because when Mio graduated, he would be graduating, and the thought of being apart from Minako actually kind of scared him.

What if she went back to Motoki? What if she grew bored and found someone else?

Suddenly all of his pride and confidence started to melt, and it wasn't until Minako smiled as she handed him a glass that Kunihiro felt better. For some reason, he knew this would work between them. It had to.

He grinned back and accepted the glass, tapping it against hers. "To us," he said, bringing the glass to his lips. The taste was burning, setting his throat on fire as he struggled to swallow. Realizing the truth, Kunihiro grabbed Minako's wrist before she could drink it. "Don't -" he coughed, "don't drink that."

Satoshi came up behind him and clapped Kunihiro on the back, causing him to cough again. "Hey, man! Try the punch? I thought I would...enhance it a little bit. It's good, right?" Satoshi said, ignorant as always. Kunihiro glared at him as he recovered from the...tequila?

"I hate you," Kunihiro growled. Satoshi laughed and clapped him again before moving on to find something more interesting to do.

"Sorry...about that," Kunihiro said, letting go of Minako's wrist. "Would you like to-"

He was interrupted by the screech of a microphone. It was Principal Kamekichi, ready to announce the winners of this year's prom royalty.

Minako brought the glass to her lips, but paused when Kunihiro told her not to drink it. She stared at it in confusion, and then up at his face, who seemed to be going through… a thing. Blinking when his friend mentioned how he’d ‘enhanced’ the punch, it finally clicked for her, and she put the glass on a nearby table. She smiled in amusement as Kunihiro apologized for his friend’s behavior.

Their conversation was soon interrupted by the principal, who was climbing the stage with envelopes in his hands. He fumbled with them a little bit, before adjusting the microphone’s height.

“Good evening, students. I am here to announce tonight’s Prom Queen and King for the graduating class of Shiba Koen High School. Drumroll please!”

The drummer of the band obliged, and Minako looked around. She had about zero doubt that Mio would win this, and she didn’t really care about it. Her eyes scanned the room to look for Motoki, and she finally found him in the corner, conversing with a tall brunette who seemed just as shy as he was, but who offered him a genuine smile. Minako felt hope blossoming on her chest as she watched the two of them. Maybe Motoki would find his happy ending too.

The microphone crackled again. “And this year’s Prom King isssss…. Kunihiro Kinzoku!” he announced, which was immediately met with a round of applause.

Minako looked up at Kunihiro with little surprise, grinning to silently congratulate him. Now she wanted Mio to win less, and her gut twisted at the idea of having to watch those two dance. A sudden burst of white-hot jealousy shot through her at the thought alone, and suddenly she willed a different result.

“And our Prom Queen this year isss…” Principal Kamekichi opened the second envelope, and raised his eyebrows. “Well, this is unusual. We have a repeat from Homecoming, it seems. Please welcome your Queen, Minako Aino!”

Minako jumped, startled, as the spotlight shone on her. She thought she was imagining it, since she had wanted it so badly in her head. She was trying to will it to happen… but was she hallucinating it vividly?

When everyone kept prodding her to go up the stage, however, she realized that it was really happening.

Confused but filled with joy, she climbed up carefully, standing there proudly, just like at the beginning of the school year, this time feeling like she had actually earned this, no tricks or manipulations involved, especially seeing the genuine way everyone cheered for her. Maybe they didn’t hate her after all. Maybe she really deserved this.

She glanced at Kunihiro, her partner tonight and hopefully forever, and realized there was nowhere else she’d rather be than in his arms, always.

And soon she could do just that when they had their proper dance, this time filled with happiness and love instead of hurt and pain.

Kunihiro wasn't too surprised to find he had been voted prom king. It would be either him or Satoshi, and even though he didn't really care about it anymore, it made him feel at least a little dignified. He still had the admiration and respect of his classmates, which was a good thing to have if he was going to continue as captain of the team.

But the last thing he wanted right now was to ruin everything with Minako by dancing with Mio.

He didn't even want to dance with Mio anyway, regardless of whether or not Minako was in the picture. In all honesty, Mio was nothing more than entertainment. Which was disgusting, Kunihiro suddenly realized. He was disgusted with himself and how he had so mindlessly considered others all of this time.

He stood on the stage, and his gaze found Minako. In that moment, he realized how, in just one year, Minako had changed his entire life.

And then her name was called instead of Mio's, and he could not have been happier. As she walked up to the stage, shocked, Kunihiro couldn't keep the goofy grin off of his face. She was so beautiful, and she was all his. He made it a point to glare at the guys watching her pass just to show it.

She joined him, and he took her hand, leading her to the dance floor to begin their first dance. His hands were on her waist, and he couldn't help kissing the top of her forehead. This was where he wanted to be. He had been her before, perhaps more than once, and he wanted to be here every day. With Minako, without problems, and with nothing standing in the way of their happiness.

Something dawned on him in that moment. It was strange to think about at seventeen, but there was some deep part of him that knew they were meant to be, and they would always be together.

Someday, Kunihiro knew. Someday, he would ask her to marry him. And someday, they would grow old together, bickering about what kind of cookies to buy at the grocery store and who snores the loudest at night. And someday, he thought sadly, they would die together.

But it wouldn't be the end. They would start over, just like in this life.