"Martial arts? Oh that sounds good. Very good," said my father, absentmindedly. Just as he began to drink his coffee, he seemed to have processed my words and he spit it out all over my mother's face just as she was setting his food down.
"My face!" screamed my mother before running over to the sink to splash some cold water on her face that was now burning from the hot coffee.
"Y-You want to go into martial arts?!" shouted my father in surprise, not even realizing what he had just done to his wife. You idiot! Do you know what you just did to your wife's face?!
"Yeah…why?" I asked, wondering what he was going to say with a scowl.
"You know that martial arts classes are expensive, right?" asked my father. I nodded and turned when I heard my mother sit down at the table. She glared over at my father and grinned, evilly, when a thought crossed her mind.
"I think it would be a great idea to let Issei join martial arts," said my mother. I sweat-dropped, knowing she was just angry, but accepted it nonetheless. My father shrunk down in his chair and attempted to reject it with a 'We can't afford it' but my mother merely glared more fiercely. "I could easily get part-time job, dear. Either ways, I have a friend who owns a dojo downtown."
My father and I looked at my mother in surprise and she explained that one of her high school friends married an old MMA fighter and they opened a dojo together. She even said that her friend had suggested Issei learn martial arts earlier but she had refused because she thought it would be too violent.
I finished up my breakfast and told my parents I was going to go see Irina and was out the door before they could respond.
[Well, that's out of the way] said Ddraig, happy things went our way. I nodded and walked down the street to Irina's house and saw the huge moving truck parked in the driveway. Irina's parents and some of the movers were loading all sorts of things into the truck and I ran over.
"Oh my, Issei-kun," said Irina's mother after she noticed me. She smiled, happy to see me, but continued to help load the truck.
"Did you come to see Irina before she leaves?" asked her father. I nodded, sharply, and he smiled. "Why don't you go up to her room and play for a little while. We have plenty of time before we have to leave."
I smiled and ran inside before quickly climbing the stairs. I walked over to her room and peeked inside to find Irina packing her things into bags.
"Hey," I said, smiling a bit bitterly. I was going to have to experience her leaving for the second time and it made me kind of sad to think about. Irina turned around and smiled an equally bitter smile.
"Hey Issei-kun…" said Irina, sadly.
"So…" I said, sheepishly, not really knowing what to say. She smiled at me, sheepishly, also unaware of what to say, but I couldn't think of anything.
[Partner, aren't you going to find out is she remembers anything?] asked Ddraig.
Of course! But where could I possibly start?
Ddraig gave me a suggestion and I smiled.
That might work.
"Hey, Irina, I had weird dream the other night," I said, going with Ddraig's plan.
"A dream?" she said, confused by the strange topic. I nodded while smiling and she continued to listen.
"Yeah, in it you were an angel. You had white wings and a glowing halo," I explained. Irina stared at me for a moment and her face contorted in confusion.
"But I don't want to be an angel," she said, annoyed.
Eh?
[Eh?] said Ddraig. Both of us were very confused by what she had said.
"B-But angels are pure and good. A-And you're becoming a follower of God just like your dad," I said, trying to convince her.
"But it's because of God that I'm moving away," said Irina with a sour expression. "I just wanted to stay here and go to school with Issei-kun and I love it here. I don't want to leave."
Irina had tears streaming down her face and I frowned.
[It seems she doesn't remember us after all] said Ddraig, calmly, and I sighed. This might've been a good thing. When Irina and I had reunited as friends in the present, she told me how she hated the private school she was forced to go to as a child.
"A-And my parents are even sending me to some private school when we get up there for Catholics. I just wanted to go to a normal school," said Irina, sniffling.
[Issei…] said Ddraig.
I know.
I walked up to Irina and gently stroked the top of her head.
"Eh?" said Irina, confused.
"It's going to be okay Irina," I said, smiling brightly. "Remember that we heroes don't cry, no matter what."
"H-Heroes? What?" said Irina, confused.
"Yeah, we're heroes! And the number 1 rule for heroes is that they never cry!" I said, a bright smile on my face.
"B-But I won't ever see you again," said Irina, sadly. I sighed and put out foreheads together.
"That's another rule for heroes. We never say goodbye," I said, a refreshing smile on my face. I could see her tears stop and my smile brightened. "Heroes will always come back together. As long as we stay heroes we'll meet again, I promise."
"You pinky promise?" asked Irina before holding out her pinky. I smiled at her and grabbed her pinky with my own.
"Or cross my heart and hope to die," I said as I made an X-shape on my chest. She smiled, brightly, and jumped to her feet.
"Issei-kun! Let's go to the park and play superheroes one more time!" shouted Irina, happily. I smiled and nodded in agreement before we both ran out. We went and got our respective mothers and went over to the park to play and on the way I received a massive headache.