The longer You works as a pilot, accidental meeting with her fellow Aqours become more common, given that most of them working as entertainer or CEO. Of course, that's mean it's only the matter of time when she'll meet Mari again. But although she understands it, she knows that she won't be ready whenever that time comes...

SKY JOURNEY

A 'Love Live! School Idol Project' fanfiction by Yuuki.

"Italy, huh?"

Even though it had been years since You became a long haul pilot, for some reason she never landed at Italy for works. It had felt a little strange for her since she often visited her girlfriend—now ex-girlfriend—when both of them were still in the early 20s. It actually had done her favors though, as there were too many memories here, both the sweet and the bitter ones. But now that she was there again, she just couldn't hold all the memories that slowly coming into her.

She let out a wry smile as she scanned through the airport. The sight didn't change much from back then, but there was one huge difference for You. Ohara Mari wasn't there.

"Captain, are you crying?"

You startled a bit as she turned to her crews. She certainly didn't realize that her eyes were tearing a bit as she was too busy pushing Mari out of her head. "A-Ah, no," she laughed it off as she wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. "I'm just a bit sleepy," she said, before faking a yawn just to make sure they believe her.

"I know right," retorted one of the female flight attendant. "Let's go to the hotel immediately, then. I think we're all tired," she continued, as it was already so late in the night. You nodded before leading them walking through the immigration.

"You women can sleep but leave Captain You to us," said You's co-pilot, continuing the previous topic. It was followed with nods from the other men as they finished with the immigration.

"Eh, no! We want to have all girl night with Captain!"

"Aren't you too old to have a girl night?" a male flight attendant sneered, which made the women—except You—glared at him.

"And didn't you say you're tired?" chimed the male pilot. "Anyway, she's ours for tonight. We still want to know the secret behind her amazing abs!"

You chuckled, clearly didn't mind it at all, but it was the other women who protested. "Ew, that's a sexual harassment!"

And just like that, they started to argue which side could have Captain You tonight while they waited for their pickup bus. You was glad that there were just a few people left at the airport because it was getting a bit out of hand. They yanked her arms from the right and left and even though her arms didn't hurt, it was a little uncomfortable.

Well, if she could choose, a quiet good night sleep would be preferable. But the chance of her doing that kept getting smaller as the time went by. "Umm, guys?" she tried to call but none of them heard her.

"She's ours!"

"No! Captain is ours!"

You sighed, closing her eyes as she hoped whichever side she had to entertain tonight, they would at least give her enough sleep.

Mari cursed for the umpteenth time today. After getting her flight delayed for almost two hours, now of all time, her pickup car was getting late. This wouldn't be too much problem elsewhere, but not at Italy. She had too many goddamn memories there and being there longer wouldn't do any good for both of her heart and body.

She had been there too many times years ago, either for going to Japan or waiting for You to arrive or seeing You off. Whether she wanted it or not, she had already associated the airport with meeting You, which of course wouldn't happen now. She thought that moving to America would help her to forget about You, but, hey, there was no person who could control her feeling. No one could blame her if she was still madly in love with You, not even You, not even herself.

She had sworn she wouldn't shed any tears anymore about it, but finally, she just couldn't hold it. The airport being quiet wasn't help at all, as it just helped her focus on the memories that were there.

She was in the middle of digging her handbag for handkerchief when she heard a commotion from a group of pilots and flight attendants. They're not too loud but she could hear them clearly because there weren't many people there.

"She's ours!"

"No! Captain is ours!"

She turned her attention to them, just for the sake of it. Well, it was better than crying herself again.

She examined the group as she wiped her tears. The standard of being flight attendant sure was getting higher and higher, she thought because in terms of just appearance they could pass easily as idols. The pilots also weren't bad at all, especially the Captain in the center of the commotion. Even though the Captain was a woman, Mari could see that her body was well built. She looked dashing in her uniform and didn't look out of place at all. Judging by the crews that fight over her, Mari could conclude that she was also popular. Out of all people she ever met, only You could match the Captain's traits, so Mari unconsciously stared at her longingly.

The fight over the Captain was finally over, or at least that was Mari thought because she could see the Captain yanked her arms gently from both sides. They finally seemed to reach an agreement, as they toned their voice down and gave the Captain room to breathe. As the crowd around her thinning out, Mari could see the Captain more clearly. Mari sighed, both admiring the Captain and also trying to push the memories with You that kept on coming.

Well, that was only until a passing by car highlighted the Captain's face so Mari could see her more clearly. In that short time, Mari quickly realized that the pilot wasn't similar to You. She was You.

"No way," she told herself, absent-mindedly stood up from her chair. "No way," she said again as she dragged herself closer to the group. "No, no fucking way," she repeated as the ashen hair, the bright blue eyes, and the all familiar smile entered her sight.

Before she could even realize, she found her feet ran, and when she realized it, she didn't fight it. She accelerated it. And when she was just a jump away from You, she jumped.

"YOU!" she screamed before lunged You as hard as possible just because she knew that You could hold her with little problem. How they had already broken up, how You might already have a new partner, how she attracted people's attention, she pushed all of those matters aside. All she wanted now was feeling You in her arms, even just once again.

"M-Mari-chan?" You shrieked as she tried to keep herself and Mari from falling. Not easy as Mari surrendered all her weight, but she managed it nonetheless. Mari beamed when You realized her immediately.

"Yeah, it's me! Your one and only Ohara Mari!" Mari exclaimed as she hugged You from the side.

For a moment You almost forgot that they were supposed to be ex-girlfriends because Mari didn't seem awkward at all around her. Almost, because one of her crew just needed to ask. "Um, Captain? If I may ask, who is this person?"

"A-Ah," You suddenly tensed up. "Let me introduce you," she tried to sound as calm as possible which is hard because she was still in Mari's arms. "This is Ohara Mari, and she's my..." she stopped, unsure as what they were now. Somehow she felt glad when she felt Mari's body also tensed all of sudden.

"She's my friend," You finally said. Her lips twitched up into the tiniest smile when she felt Mari relaxed.

"Yeah, we're an old pal!" Mari said, in her usual energetic tone that was so familiar to You. "I saw you all fight over her just a moment ago, but sorry~ She's mine tonight!"

"E-Eh? Mari-chan?"

You's crews were confused and wanted to protest but Mari shut them up with an overwhelming death glare. You didn't catch it because she was too busy being embarrassed as Mari still hugged her from her side.

"Come on, we don't have much time. That's my car," Mari pointed to a car that had just shown in the pickup zone. "Bye~" And just like that, she dragged You to her car, before abruptly leaving the airport.

You's crews could only exchange glances with each other, not too sure about what just had happened.

Contrary to how she was at the airport, Mari didn't talk to You much in the car, except when she told You they were going to one of Ohara's hotel. She seemed busy taking care of something as she kept talking over the phone in languages that You didn't understand. Truth be told, it made You a little glad. She still wasn't sure of how to talk to the blonde, considering what happened between them, and also considering this was their first meeting in years.

With little to nothing to do, You kept glancing at Mari along the way. They didn't meet for years and You couldn't help but admire how beautiful Mari had grown into. Sure, she was already beautiful when they dated, but growing up just made her charm went many points up. Now that she remembered it, the third years indeed have the beautiful face that could make any king kneel before them. She was still jealous of them, given how boyish she looked even now.

"Are you done with admiring my beauty, Captain?"

You startled when she found Mari grinned at her. Somewhere along the way, she started staring at Mari without even realizing it. It also seemed that she was lost in her thought because she just realized that the car was already stopped. "N-No! I'm certainly not!" she unconvincingly retorted.

Mari shrugged, but the grin was still there. "Well, I just want to say that we've arrived."

"O-Okay."

After thanking the driver, both of them exited the car. You just followed Mari as the older girl talking to the receptionists, taking their room key—which flustered You because she realized they were sharing a room, and leaving their luggage to the bellboy. It was not long before they entered the room.

They took turn using the shower, and when they finally finished, they just awkwardly sat on their respective beds. Mari's awkwardness certainly surprised You, given how relaxed she was before. You thought maybe it was because they weren't alone before, and now they were.

Because Mari just sat there, You finally talked. "So, umm... How are you?"

"Fine, I guess."

"I see."

The silence quickly grew again between them. If they could read each other minds, they'd know that both of them were frantically thinking of topics to talk right now. Unfortunately, both of them failed miserably and both of them weren't espers.

"Awkward, isn't it?" Mari ultimately asked.

"Didn't seem that way for me, honestly. I mean, you hugged me like nothing happened..."

Mari blushed as she remembered her outburst before. "Well, sorry..."

"N-No!" You quickly turned to Mari because the latter sounded dejected. "It's not like I blame you or anything, I was just surprised, Mari-chan."

"I know," Mari retorted. "Well, I also thought I was okay before, but now that we're alone I can't help but feel nervous. It seems that I miss you so much that I just forgot about things," she said off-handedly, not fully realizing what had just slipped out of her mouth.

You could feel her cheeks heated up. "But out of all place, Italy, huh? I never thought that we'll accidentally meet here out of all place."

"Yeah, me too. Actually, I haven't been here since I graduated."

"Really? This is also the first time I landed here for work."

"Doesn't it seem like fate for you?"

You laughed. "You're starting to sound like Nozomi-san, you know?"

"Oh, please," Mari rolled her eyes. "You don't know how much she has gotten worse since the college. Yoshiko speaks a lot better than her now."

You raised her eyes, which answered with a nod by Mari. Soon, both of them laughed their heart out. Not just because of Nozomi or Yoshiko, but more like because they were glad that they finally could talk. Finally knew what topic they could talk off, both of them started telling each other what was their friends up too, mostly things that didn't show in their group chat.

"Anyway," Mari said when both of them just finished talking about Dia's wedding, "You didn't change at all, eh?"

"No way!" You quickly brushed it away. "I'm taller than you now," she bragged proudly.

Mari laughed, but You could realize there was something more behind it. "No, it's true. You didn't change at all. Inside," a melancholic smile showed on her face. "When I saw you with your crews earlier, I know you're still the same You I knew before. The You who couldn't be honest with others because you were too kind."

You who didn't except their small talks suddenly took a drastic turn couldn't say anything in return.

"Sometimes—even now—I think if that was the real reason we broke up. Because you saw me struggling to choose between my career or you back then."

"Mari..."

"Isn't it ironic? You dumped me because you're kind."

"Mari, I—"

"But lately, I also think that maybe it was also my fault. Maybe just like with Dia and Kanan, I wasn't honest with you. I didn't say what I wanted to you. So much that even when I knew things were starting to go wrong, I ignored it. Because I thought I knew everything, because I kept on assuming things."

You certainly didn't know what Mari intended to do by bringing the topic up, but this time You knew that she had things she wanted to say. Like how she missed her, how she wanted to fix things up, and how she still loved her after all this time... But then, what if Mari just wanted to talk? What if there was no hidden meaning behind that? What if this? What if that? In the end, with You still being You, she still couldn't say anything at all. Human just couldn't change that fast, and all she could do now was cursing her own cowardice.

But maybe, if Mari could push it a little more...

"Anyway!" Mari clapped her hands, hinting them to end the serious topic. You couldn't help but thinking that Mari looked a little disappointed at her. "You said that you are taller than me, didn't you?"

"E-Eh? Ah, yeah!" You quickly retorted. She didn't know whether she had to feel disappointed or glad that the topic ended. Half or even more of her wanted they kept talking about that, something that they didn't do back then. So maybe this time they could reach a different conclusion. But once again, she couldn't voice it out.

"Nonsense, You," Mari sneered, bringing You back from her inner thought. "At most, we're the same right now. I didn't feel much difference when I hugged you in the airport earlier," she winked as she teased You.

You cleared her throat before she answered, trying to sound as natural as she could, "That's because you wore heels, Mari."

"No way," Mari argued as she jumped from her bed. She pulled You up and starting to compare their height. "No way! You're right!" she laughed.

Seeing Mari laughed made You happy inside, and she laughed as well. But as soon as she stopped laughing, You immediately realized the close proximity between them. She could feel her heart went a lot faster now. While Mari was busy comparing their height, You couldn't help but examine the blonde's face that's just slightly below hers. And somehow Mari's lips just seemed so attractive, more so than the usual. Maybe, just maybe, if she couldn't bluntly say what's in her heart, she could just show it to Mari...

"You, what are you doing?" Mari asked gently, arms crossed. You blinked at the question and at Mari who suddenly felt closer. Another blink and she realized it was not Mari was closer; she leaned toward Mari.

"I don't know," You said. "My body moves on its own, I don't know."

"Then it can't be helped," Mari smiled, before closing her eyes. "By the way, it seems my eyes also close on their own."

"Really?" You asked absent-mindedly, as she giving up the control of her body to her feeling. "It can't be helped, then," she muttered as she leaned closer.

And their lips meet once again, after what they thought as forever.

After the kiss, both of them try to stay as far as possible from each other. They knew if they crossed the line, if the kiss lasted even just a second longer, they'd end up wanting more and more, and they knew they couldn't do that. After all, You still had her flight early in the morning and Mari—she said to You's back when they were about to sleep—still had her meeting.

Actually, more than that, they were afraid things will end like back then if they hastily make their moves. After all, they were old enough to know that love alone wasn't enough. And after all, after their previous conversation, they knew more than anyone that they didn't change much from back then.

For now, just knowing there was something left between them was more than enough. As long as they knew that, they could try again, again, and again...

And with that in their mind, both of them fell into the most peaceful sleep they ever had since a long time ago.

They spent the morning in complete silence, trying to interact as little as possible, and only communicate through body gestures. As awkward as it could get, the two of them earnestly wished they could have more time together.

So when You said that she'd take a taxi to go to the airport, Mari insisted that she'd drive her because she didn't have to do anything before her meeting. Both of them knew that was a lie, and Mari could see that You realized that her phone kept buzzing along their way to the airport. Mari could also see a grin escaped from You's lips, and it inevitably made her smiled.

At the airport, Mari chose to park her car instead of dropping You in the drop-off zone. She chuckled at You's blatant lie that her seatbelt might be broken and she needed 10 minutes to release it.

But now they're in front of the departure gate, they couldn't make excuses anymore. "Well, then. I think that's it," Mari said, her disappointment showed through her usual facade.

"Yeah," You absent-mindedly nodded, but she didn't move even an inch. She just stood there and stare at Mari.

Minutes passed but they just stood there without saying anything, until finally, Mari gave up. "Okay, I think you have to go now or, for what it's worth, you'll screw dozens of people's flight."

"Well, maybe you're right," You said. "Bye, Mari-chan," she added.

"Bye, You," Mari waved.

You was unsure of how she should address their goodbye, but in the end, she just waved back before walked away. After a few steps, she could feel that Mari was still there and she just couldn't fight the urge to turn. And sure, when she turned Mari was indeed still there, looking at her with a gentle smile. She ignored Mari's asking expression as she walking back to Mari. "Will we meet again?" she asked.

Mari beamed at the question. "I'll make sure we will," she said. "But now you better go."

"Okay, bye then," You nodded before walking to the gate. But then she turned. Again. Mari was still there, and the blonde now couldn't help but chuckle at her,

"Err, I don't know your current number."

"Don't worry. I know yours and I'll make sure to give you call after my meeting. Or during the meeting, if you want."

"No, that's not necessary," You blushed. "Okay, then. Bye again."

Mari thought that was the last time You turned but no, she proved to be wrong. You was already at the gate when the ashen-haired girl hastily turned and ran to her.

"Mari, um, where do you live now?"

Mari laughed at You's desperate attempt to stay. "You spoiled little thing," she teased as she pinched You's cheeks. "Priority, ever heard of that word?"

"Sowwyyy..."

"Don't worry," Mari said, stroking the cheeks she just pinched just now affectionally. "I promise we'll meet again soon," she added. "For now just focus on your priority."

"Okay," You nodded obediently.

"Now, go. Your crew must be waiting," Mari ordered, but not before giving You a peck on the lips. You nodded again, this time with more spirit in it, before walking through the gate.

Mari didn't take her eyes off You until the ashen-haired girl disappeared from her sight. After that, she walked to the parking lot, with a definite spring in each of her steps. She took a quick glance to the airport as she wished safety for her favorite Captain.

Take care, my Captain.

A/N: I was in the middle of writing my "It's Soldier House!" when I stumbled upon this one picture of YouMari and my head immediately screaming and telling me to make something out of it lol. Yay for rare pairs!

Why I titled it, Sky Journey? Because the lyric is how they see each other, and that's also how their story will go... (Or mostly because You is a pilot but I just don't wanna say it's a pun.)

Also, I don't know almost anything about how people work as pilots and the little knowledge I have about those only limited from the internet. So I'm sorry if I don't describe the job life properly. I just hope the story makes sense.