Genuinely

"The world certainly is wonderful, isn't it?"

"It is." A pause. "I hate it."

"Hehe." She giggled. "Of course you do. I can't imagine having to deal with it at its ugliest."

"To be fair, you can't Imagine much."

"You have a point. But you know, you could stand to be a little less rude."

"What purpose would that serve? Have you been talking to Shiki again?"

"Actually, it was Neku who mentioned it. He said you'd be a great friend if you weren't such a prick."

"My, such language. Your words or his?"

"Most definitely his. Although it seems that Beat agrees with him whole-heartedly."

"Do you and your friends always gossip about me? Perhaps I should consider myself lucky—you know what Oscar Wilde once said: 'the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about at all.'"

"I am rather knowledgeable on the subject of famous quotations, so yes, I do know; but I wouldn't say that. With the life you lead, I doubt your luck is very high."

"But my bravery is, wouldn't you say?"

Another giggle. "Indeed."

There was a moment of silence as the two came to a stop outside WildKat Café; the taller turned to the younger. "I must thank you for accompanying me. I'll have Sanae make you a cup of joe, on the house."

"Aw, there's no need, really." She sighed and swung her arms behind her back, her too-big sweater covering her pale fingers. "I should be the one thanking you. You allowed me to return, after all, so if you need anything else, you can just let me know."

"I wasn't the one who did it—you can thank your brother for being so hardheaded. But really, is the only reason you've spoken with me because you feel indebted?"

"Not at all. I just realized I never got the opportunity to demonstrate my gratitude, even if I don't have my dreams back."

He sighed and crossed his arms. "I am sorry about that, you know, but rules are rules."

"I know," she replied, smiling. "I'm not complaining."

The two stood for a moment, watching each other, and just as the older began to realize what was occurring, there was a call from the building next to them. "Hey! Can you watch the café for now? The big boys upstairs are demanding my presence."

"Oh, my," the boy replied with a shake of his head. "I wonder what he's done this time."

"Go ahead," the girl said with a grin. "I'll head back home. I'm sure Beat's wondering where I am by now. We – all of us, I mean – we were supposed to meet at Hachiko about five minutes ago."

"Don't let me keep you, dear; though I do appreciate the time you've spent with me. Off you go."

"You sure you don't want to come?" she asked, her brow furrowed. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind. You're one of us too, after all."

He giggled, and he pressed a slender hand against her shoulder; he was so much skinnier than she was. "As appealing as that sounds, Sanae has just requested my presence. Give dear Neku my regards, won't you?"

"All right, I will. Until next time," she promised, and with a wave of her hand she was gone. He watched her leave, and as he did, it was as if all the life in him followed her exit.

How odd, he mused, that he would end up closest to her out of everyone in the cast of characters before him. She had never seemed particularly interesting to him before—nowhere near as interesting as Neku was, to be sure—but something about her struck him as … genuine. A trait that he lacked.

"Oi, boss. What's with the long face?"

He turned to Sanae, and the barista was frowning, scratching the back of his neck. "She sure makes one nostalgic, doesn't she?" Sanae said, his eyes on the direction she'd left. "Next time you bring her over, I'll make her a cuppa' joe. On the house."

He laughed and shook his head, his curls waving as the wind began to pick up. "That's what I told her," he said, smirking. "Can I hold you to that, Sanae?"

"Well," Sanae replied, reflecting the expression, "perhaps if you get your lazy ass in here and watch the shop."

He grinned and gave a wave as he entered the shop. Sanae followed him with his eyes, before he sighed and expanded his wings.

He was still so young, Sanae thought to himself; still so naive. Perhaps, someday, he would allow himself to experience those same emotions that mortals did.

It was a day Sanae longed to see.

Elsa's Note: My first TWEWY fanfic; I can't believe it. I've found it so hard to write for this game, in all two-three years since I've played it... and then inspiration just hit me like a freight train. Gah! I love this couple to bits and pieces. I hope you do too. And if you don't, well... I hope you enjoyed it anyway?

Please review~!