Part 1
"Hana, we need to talk."
The Ace Gunner looked up from the cleaning of her namesake nonchalantly. Akio had his arms crossed over his chest and a stern look on his face, although his brow was creased with worry.
"Hm?"
He stood there, not quite hesitant. It seemed more like he was trying to find the correct words, or the right time to say them. He'd never been so good at heart to hearts, but she knew his eloquence and that he'd breach the subject eventually, soon. She appreciated the last moments of peace.
"About Yuki. I'm not asking you to tell me what happened, I simply want you to know that if you do want to talk, I'm here."
Hana leaned back with a small smirk. Akio knew her tells.
"Look at you, all worried about me. I'm fine," she said.
"Don't lie to me, Hana. Please."
Her smirk fell a little, and she tensed up lightly; she hoped he wouldn't notice, but knew for a fact that he would.
"No, really. I'm good. It's probably better this way."
Akio's features grew more stern.
"And you call me stubborn."
Any trace of a smile faded from her face, and she straightened up. Carefully, Hana laid her Gun against the Unaaq's banister with the click of metal. Akio gladly gave her the time.
"Look. I wasn't ready to settle down. Neither was she. We went our separate ways, and that's the end of the story."
"If you're trying to tell me that's the reason Yuki left you, I don't believe you."
He knew Yuki, and Hana knew he knew. She also knew it was very naive of her to hope that he'd buy the lie. Yet, she doubled down.
"We're Hunters. That's how it goes. You got lucky, you're on the same team as Leiko, but we could hardly see each other, and neither of us had any plans to stop hunting any time soon. So we parted ways."
"After seven years? And you're telling me Yuki gave up? On you?"
She grit her teeth a bit, but kept a straight face. She grew tenser, just a little, and again she hoped he wouldn't see it. But Akio knew her tells, and she knew he knew.
"Yes."
He uncrossed his arms and, while his features hardened, his shoulders fell and he sighed.
"Hana..."
"Look," she snapped without being able to stop herself, "I thought you said you wouldn't force me to talk about it?"
"I won't. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't lie so outrageously to my face."
She tried to argue, but he cut her off. She backed down.
"Silence is a valid option. But please stop lying to me."
She shut her mouth on more lies and pursed her lips around them. Her shoulders fell, ever so slightly, and she closed her eyes in surrender. He did not find satisfaction in the victory.
His features softened.
"I'm simply worried about you. We all are," he admitted.
"I'm fine."
He stood there, silent. Debating whether he should give up and give her what she wanted, or press the issue further.
Diplomacy won out.
"Well, alright. Just know that if you ever want to talk, I'm here."
A smile tugged at her lips.
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry your pretty little face."
He gave a stern nod, turned, and left to the clinking of the Gun he guessed Hana hoisted back to herself.
"Yuki!"
She turned around to face Leiko, quickly walking towards her.
"Hm?"
"Hi. We need to talk."
"Oh?" Yuki gave a small smirk. "Gimme a second."
She turned back to whatever she was doing (Leiko couldn't see, and she wasn't about to peek) for just a second, then faced Leiko again, laying her hands on the table behind her and leaning back slightly.
"Alright. I'm all yours."
"It's about Hana. Well, not about Hana. But about you and Hana."
Yuki hadn't been as cheerful as her usual self from the start of the interaction, but that fact was made more evident to Leiko when Hana's name crossed her lips. It wasn't quite something Yuki did, or a change in her expression, but moreso a change in the atmosphere. As if she'd somehow managed to forget, and Leiko had reminded her of the loss.
"What happened? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but..."
Bitterness and anger tightened the corners of Yuki's mouth.
"It's fine. We just, uh..." She hesitated. Leiko stayed patient. "I was... tired. Of always being second to everything else. Of our relationship being something that she conceded to me, rather than something she wanted. Even though I know she loves me, I'm just... tired of loving me being a chore."
She pursed her lips to stop the tears slowly amassing under her eyelids.
"It just... hurts to give up, you know?"
"Yeah," Leiko breathed. "I get that."
She stood there for a moment, slightly unsure of how to proceed. She wished they'd known each other longer, so she could be a shoulder to cry on. The way things were, she wasn't quite sure she'd be the comfort she wanted to offer.
"I mean," Yuki continued, and Leiko gladly let her. "She couldn't stand to go to your goddamn wedding with me! That's just... That isn't even about me! If it's so awful to be seen together with me that she'd rather be late to Akio's wedding, then what the hell am I even doing with her?"
Yuki stopped to catch herself, smoothing out her pained expression by passing a hand over her face.
"I'm sorry," she sighed. "This isn't your problem."
Leiko gave a small smile, something compassionate and warm.
"You're fine. Go on."
Yuki swallowed around the lump in her throat, nodding her thanks.
"I just... Seven years, Leiko. I spent seven years trying to fix her. Trying to be the thing that would finally make her open up, stop lying to herself. Accept that she can feel feelings, and that's okay. Accept that she can get attached, and that's not the end of the world. Seven years, desperately trying to be the person that would convince her to commit to someone. Clinging to her to show her that it didn't matter what she did: I wasn't giving up on her. I wasn't going to let myself be pushed away."
"And what for? To be stood up on the most important day in the life of two of the most important people in her life? To be in the way of her presence there? She was so scared of appearing committed to me that she almost missed such an important event. I just... I can't deal with that. Not anymore. Seven years..."
She gestured the dropping of something she held in both of her hands; her tears flowed free as if released.
"Ploof. Down the drain. Just like that. She gets what she wants. She wins. I'm done."
Yuki wiped her tears with the palm of her hand, and released a sob hidden in a sigh. She stayed silent for a moment, but the words were begging to be let out. They twisted her mouth painfully.
"I'm just so scared..."
Silence hung in the air for a single, agonizing second as Yuki considered the possibility.
"What if she can never find happiness?"
Leiko's eyes widened softly.
"That's really scary, isn't it?" she murmured.
Yuki nodded meekly. She put a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob.
Leiko took a step forward. Slowly, she opened her arms in an offer, sincere and warm. Yuki took a second to decide before she accepted the comfort, and Leiko softly wrapped her arms around her.
"Yeah, I get it," she breathed. "It's terrifying."