Title: Falling Away With You
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Greece/fem!Japan, Netherlands/fem!Japan (kinda sorta), America, fem!Turkey, Egypt, fem!South Italy, Osaka. Mentions of fem!Germany and fem!France.
Rating/Genre: PG-13, Slice-of-life/Romance/Fluff
Warnings: Gakuen-AU, Gender-bends, language, booze&smokes, slight-angst. Oh and Heracles' failed attempt at a robot-dance. Yes, there is a hawt Grecian dancing in this fic.
Summary:Sternbild Academy was a place of prestige, of world-class education and of youthful ambition. It was also the place Kiku Honda least expected herself to fall in love again, and with the college delinquent at that.
Notes: Written for the LJ APH-Fluffathon prompt "Kiku tutors Heracles." Kiku is still Kiku because I personally think it's cuter and like it better than "Sakura." Besides, the prompt listed "Kiku" so yeah. Also to LJ-friends who helped me out: A gazillion thanks to tinywhitekitty for helping me check through this and for offering New Yorky tips! Thanks also to counterheist for some advice on big-city-Americanism, and to naturethezafara for brainstorming ideas. You guys helped a LOT with the writing of this fic, and I appreciate it all! *insert heartssss*

~.*.~

-1-

"A friend in need is a friend indeed."

"Pssstt..."

Honda Kiku wondered whether she'd just imagined it at first – that near-inaudible yet persistent sound of a voice whispered through clenched teeth, the hiss of urgency evident in every syllable. No, she must have imagined it, because if she hadn't then she would be forced to look up from her work and turn her gaze towards the tall blonde youth several seats away from her.

"Pssssssstttt! Hey, Kiku … Kiku!"

As much as she'd like to pretend she couldn't hear the voice a second time, she also felt a guilty twinge within her, because doing so would be considered rather impolite. And Kiku was a polite and respectable young lady, who really couldn't bring herself to ignore someone who needed help. Besides, it was her duty as a Teaching Assistant to guide the undergraduates and she'd already guessed what Alfred wanted. With a reluctant sigh, she swivelled her head to glance over at her friend.

"Do you need any help, Alfred-kun?" she offered, studying the pile of unwashed glassware littered all over the other youth's bench – it looked stained and weary from repeated spillages.

"Yes!" Alfred exclaimed. "I need help in… in fucking everything!" He waved his arm out towards his experimental setup, where he had a condenser clamped to a flask heating slowly on the electric heater. Kiku noticed his solution was the wrong shade of colour – it was more brownish-green than teal.

"Did you follow the steps in the manual correctly?" she asked, looking over his setup.

"Yes.I skimmed through it just this morning on the bus! I mean, it's just 'Add reactant A to reactant B' and wait till it boils over or something, right?" Alfred tapped the manual in his hand in frustration and in doing so, accidentally knocked over the condenser, which then tipped the flask over.

"Arggghh, fuck!" Not only did he have a broken condenser and flask to add to his growing mess, but he also had sticky goo pooling all over his workspace, staining the bench and his lab manual a ghastly green. "Fuck chemistry!"

Kiku sighed, shaking her head. She couldn't help feeling somewhat amused by Alfred's antics though and at times, she even wondered how they managed to be friends in the first place. Not that she didn't appreciate his friendship – because she did and very much so at that – but because they were polar opposites in character.

Kiku felt her lip curve upwards into a smile. She remembered how she felt, when she first arrived in Sternbild Academy for her graduate studies – there were many times she'd almost considered turning back and taking the next flight home to Japan, to Namimori, because it was all too new, too flashy and bright, too… scary. But she'd met a couple of people who helped her settle down, one of them being Alfred F. Jones – charming, loud and friendly. A little stupid at times, yes, but kind-hearted nonetheless and ultimately a good friend.

Despite their differences, they complimented each other in the oddest ways, bonding over a shared interest in games and comics. Alfred called them "bros", something Kiku didn't really get, especially since she was quite certain she didn't have a pe– she blushed. In any case, the last she checked, she was still female.

She was in the midst of helping Alfred wipe up the brown-green gunk with rolls of tissue when a mini-explosion rocked the far end of the lab, sending small puffs of acrid smoke into the air. There was the initial gasp of shock and trepidation, only to be engulfed by roars of laughter and Professor Beilschmidt's angry yelling. Kiku watched the commotion a little longer, before turning back to the cleaning, putting it out of her thoughts. It was a chemistry lab after all, and these were undergraduates – undergraduates and chemistry were the best recipe for explosions.

Alfred frowned at his muddy-green fingers, exasperation painted all over his face. "No seriously, fuck chemistry!"

Kiku sighed again.

~.*.~

-2-

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

It was a quarter past three in the afternoon when she finally reached the designated classroom, a stack of papers in her hands, a brown messenger bag slung over her shoulder. She was fifteen minutes early but Kiku always liked to be early – it gave her time to compose herself and go over her plans – she felt this was important, especially since she would tutoring a fellow student.

Monika Beilschmidt, the chemistry professor, had approached her several days before, asking if she'd be willing to tutor a certain Heracles Karpusi.

"Not a terribly bad student but extremely lazy and possibly too laid-back for his own good." Professor Beilschmidt said, frowning hard, her fingers clasped together before her. "He plans to continue his studies with a Master in philosophy, but he's been repeating his general chemistry module for the past two semesters, and frankly speaking, if he doesn't pass it this semester, he's not going to be able get enough credits to continue."

So here she was, ready for the first tutoring session. Kiku had some experience tutoring undergraduates before, so she didn't really mind, especially if it meant helping someone pass their exams. It would be quite a pity if Karpusi-san couldn't continue on with his choice of study after all.

"And it would be nice if he didn't keep causing a mini-explosion every fortnight just because he always falls asleep halfway through the lab."

She stepped into the classroom, wondering if she'd bitten off more than she could chew by accepting the job – this student did seem to have the makings of a destructive delinquent, unintentional or not. Just as she was setting her papers down on the nearest desk, she heard a terribly loud snore and she turned around, startled. There, slumped over a desk several metres away, was a young man, his head resting against his arms in blissful slumber. His hair was a mess of wavy brown locks, a single curl sticking up rebelliously at the back of his head like a tiny vine.

Kiku approached the sleeping figure tentatively, uncertain on how to wake him. After a few moments of careful consideration, she decided to go with a soft, polite cough. The man's only reply to that was another snore. She fidgeted a little, tucking a lock of dark hair behind her ear as she leaned a little closer over him.

"Um... excuse me, sir." she began hesitantly. "Are you Mr. Heracles Karpusi?"

She had been sure that he wouldn't be able to hear her over his snoring, so the abrupt movement caught her by surprise and before she knew it, she found herself staring into sea-green eyes, the drowsiness in them gradually giving way to something more alert as they focused on her. She jerked back hastily.

The man yawned, stretching languidly in the manner of cats, before running a hand through his hair. He stopped abruptly, as if he'd recalled she was still there.

"Sorry," he said in a slightly husky voice. "Didn't mean to scare you like that. I hadn't realized I dozed off. You're... Kiku Honda, right? My tutor?"

Kiku nodded slowly. "I am."

Heracles gave her a quick glance-over, his eyes brightening up considerably. "You're Japanese, correct?"

"A-ah! Yes, yes I am."

"I know a little bit of Japanese."

"Oh, you do?" Kiku was intrigued.

"Yes, I took a Japanese language class in my second year." Heracles paused, eyes half-lidded as if he were thinking of a phrase.

"O genki desu ka?"

"O kage-sama de."

"Ya.. Yakitori ga suki desu ka?"

"Ah, h-hai. Daisuki desu."

"Totemo kawaii desu."

"Eh?" Kiku frowned, a little confused by what he meant exactly. "A-ano..."

"You're very cute." Heracles repeated, his lips quirked into a soft smile, leaning forward to rest his chin on his arms, which he'd curled back on the desk.

Kiku felt her cheeks colouring, uncertain of how to respond to such a blunt statement. She had never given much thought about her looks before, to be honest. While she did take some care to always dress appropriately (never to show off more skin than it was necessary) and occasionally she too fell victim to pretty dresses (with cute ribbons and sometimes with a bit of lace), she never really thought of herself as anyone worthy of physical admiration. Neither did she think she was hideous. She was just a normal girl, a wallflower, understated amidst the other brighter, more elegant blossoms in the field.

She coughed lightly, shuffling through the papers she brought with her. "Let's start with some of the fundamental concepts, and work from there all right?"

Heracles hummed, the smile still playing upon his lips. "Sure."

And so began their tutoring lessons together.

~.*.~

-3-

"Beware of Greeks bearing gifts."

Even though it was close to three years since she first set foot in New York City, Kiku never failed to have Google Maps ready at hand. It didn't matter if she already knew the city like the back of her palm (or at least the most important places: like the Asian market, and her favourite manga and game stores; or that little bubble tea shop, two blocks away and a left turn down a quiet alley, that sold the most delicious melon milk tea ever).

It didn't matter because, well, what if one of the stores closed down due to bad business, or if one of the roads were diverted due to an accident? Kiku liked having a backup route to school, a just in case. Her friends said she was a little eccentric like that. She thought it was just a matter of foresight which, in her humble opinion, several of her friends (read: Alfred) lacked. Otherwise they (read: he) might just be early to class for once.

She could probably say the same for Heracles too. She sighed, flipping through her notes patiently before glancing up at the clock. When the minute hand swung past the gold number "6", she shook her head, as if in resignation and then begin to recite aloud to herself, "Five... Four..."

A faint mew wafted up towards her from the ground somewhere by her feet. She smiled, leaning down to pat the cat which had appeared under the desk she sat at.

"... Three... Two..."

A couple more mews, and two other cats hopped up into the chair next to her, wrestling each other for her attention.

"...One."

And at precisely three-forty-eight pm, Heracles sauntered languidly into the classroom, his hair a little mussed up at the back, a slightly dazed and sleepy look within his eyes. Kiku watched him, her face crinkling in amusement at his features before recalling that oh right, he's late, I need to lecture him on thatand carefully rearranged her expression into one of a disapproving frown.

"Karpusi-san," she began, in a voice with as much firmness as she could muster. "I do hope you'll remember to keep track of time for the next session. You've been late for the last two days, and it's no good for both of us if we can't finish the revisions on time. You do have a midterm in two weeks."

"I'm sorry," Heracles said, and he did look sincerely apologetic, like he'd already known she was going to comment about his lateness. "I just wanted to get this before heading here." He held out a small box towards her. "For you."

Piqued, Kiku reached for the box tentatively and slowly opened it to reveal a single bronze hair pin with a yellow silk chrysanthemum flower attached to one end.

Heracles tilted his head, giving her a sidelong glance. "I thought it'd suit your hair – it's very pretty. You should let it grow longer."

At his words, Kiku felt her face heating up. "Thank you, Karpusi-san. It's very kind of you. But why did you feel the need to buy this for me?"

Heracles shrugged offhandedly. "Because you're taking the time to help me with chemistry, even though you could be doing other meaningful things after school."

"I don't mind, I like helping others if I can." Kiku shifted her gaze to study the hairpin again, before glancing back up at Heracles. The shadow of a blush still upon her cheeks, she smiled and dipped her head in a polite bow. "But thank you, again. I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

After she handed out the new worksheets for Heracles to practice on, she checked through the other exercises she'd assigned him the day before.

"You've improved quite a lot with each exercise." she said, impressed. "You've even got the difficult questions right and at your first try."

Heracles rested his chin against his hand on the desk, nibbling absent-mindedly at the tip of his pen, as if he were pondering about her comment like how he would with the writings of Nietzsche.

"Well," he began. "It isn't really that hard if I set my mind to it, I guess. I just don't like chemistry as much as philosophy, so I lose interest pretty fast."

Kiku shook her head at that, but not unkindly. "But with hard work, you'll be able to pass the module."

"I know, but chemistry has never been my forte."

"You sell yourself short, Karpusi-san. Maybe you just need to find the right kind of motivation to study and pass."

Heracles hummed softly, his eyes bright. "Having you as my tutor does motivate me a little."

"Are you always such a tease?"

"Only with you, I think."

Kiku laughed, surprised by her own amusement at his words. If it were anyone else who had uttered such things, she would simply wave it off as mere pleasantries, words spoken solely with the aim of flattery and with only half the sincerity. But when she met Heracles' gaze, studying the flecks of hazel within those sea-green eyes, she realized he wasn't just offering sweet words; in some strange way, she could tell he was quite sincerely honest about it. That realization set a strange fluttering within her gut.

"Perhaps there's another way to help me score well for the test."

Breaking out of her musings, Kiku quirked her brows questioningly at him. "Ah, what is it?"

Allowing the tiniest of smirks to play around the corners of his lips, Heracles leaned in closer towards her. "If I pass this test, you give me a kiss."

Kiku blinked wordlessly at him. Did he really just suggest that? She couldn't help but laugh again, unsure whether to take him seriously at the absurdity of such a request. "That's extremely forward of you, Karpusi-san."

Heracles only grinned cheekily at her. "So that's a yes?"

"... We'll see." Kiku coughed lightly, trying to keep her features impassive, although she could still feel the heat on her cheeks. Heracles let out a short, breathy laugh then but didn't pursue it and continued on his worksheet, that soft smirk still on his lips.

Kiku sighed, shaking her head again.

Men.

~.*.~

-4-

"When God throws, the dice are loaded."

If there was one thing Kiku was quite certain about herself, it was that she generally wasn't a very lucky girl. That was not to say that she was shrouded in perpetual bad luck. Her life was uneventful most of the time, so it wasn't as if she was experiencing one misfortune after another. But she was never the one who was lucky enough to win a prize in a lottery game, or to chance upon her favourite comic artist by accident while exploring the booths in those conventions she'd attended with Alfred. She wasn't even lucky enough to walk into her favourite pasta shop one day and get a surprise discount off her bill for a special promotion-of-the-day.

So it really shouldn't have come as a surprise, when Heracles – all smiles and radiating a quiet sense of pride – showed her the test paper he'd gotten back and she saw a bright red "78%" scrawled on the top-right corner, a grim reminder again of her lucklessness. She swept her gaze over the paper, scanning through the questions and reading Heracles' answers in thin, loop-ish handwriting, which were surprisingly not as illegible as seemed.

"You did very well." Kiku finally said, looking up from the paper.

Heracles only shrugged. "I was sufficiently motivated."

Kiku couldn't tell what was on his mind then but a part of her had already accepted that she'd lost the bet. "I guess I owe you a kiss then."

Heracles blinked, confused. "A kiss?" He began, brows furrowed before his expression switched to understanding as he recalled their conversation from several weeks back. "Ahh, I wasn't really serious about that, you know. I was just teasing you."

Kiku watched him tentatively, hands fiddling with the corner of her uniform vest as she considered her reply carefully. When Heracles admitted he'd been teasing, she couldn't help but feel a little... what, disappointed, dejected?She sat up straighter, shoulders squared as if she'd made up her mind about something. "W-well, but you did pass the test and... and I did not ... I..."

She exhaled slowly, steeling herself for the words and pretending that she wasn't already blushing like a teenaged-schoolgirl, said in the softest audible voice she could muster, "I wasn't opposed to the idea in the first place."

You did not just say that. You didn't. You didn't just admi –

Heracles' eyes widened further in mild surprise and Kiku wished the ceiling above her would just collapse on her there and then. Being squashed to death right now didn't seem like a bad idea, not when she could feel the back of her ears burning and the blush spreading across her cheeks like wildfire as they kept their eyes locked in several heartbeats of awkward silence.

Unable to stand the tension any longer, Kiku averted her gaze, glancing downwards instead at her shoes. Her mind was still in a whirl when she felt a warm touch on her hand and she looked up to see Heracles' palm resting against her hand, tracing his fingers gingerly over her knuckles. She tensed, but didn't pull away.

The Grecian cleared his throat, trying to catch her gaze. When she finally gathered enough courage to meet those sea-green eyes again, she noticed the barest tinge of pink dusted upon his cheeks as well. Heracles smiled. "I'm not opposed to it either if you still want to. It's not every day a cute girl offers to kiss me."

Even though she was still flushing quite furiously, Kiku couldn't quite hold back a chuckle. "So blunt."

She tilted her head sideways, thinking, before giving what Heracles thought look a very determined look. She lifted his tanned hand towards her and in a one swift, bold move, pressed her lips closer to kiss the back of his palm. She coughed politely, releasing her hold and then straightening the front of her vest in the most formal manner she could muster, as if looking for something to do to distract herself.

"We never did decide on where I was to kiss you, after all."

Heracles gaped at her, a little stunned at what had just occurred, before leaning back into his chair, chortling. "Indeed we didn't. How sly of you."

They both laughed again, and suddenly the tension was gone and there was only humour and smiles between them. They fell into a comfortable silence for a moment, watching the cats meandering about under the desks.

Heracles swivelled his head towards the clock, checking the time. "Would you like to have dinner with me? I know a decent Japanese restaurant few blocks away from here. They serve pretty good yakitori."

Kiku had almost begun to decline but when she looked at him again, into the warmth of those eyes, she found herself nodding instead. "Yes. I would like that."

~.*.~

-5-

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."

Sternbild Borough was a unique place. It was never as brightly-lit as Tokyo at night; Tokyo always seemed like it was lit from within the city grounds itself, the colours springing from the polished roads to snake upwards the towering buildings in neat, orderly lines of bright neon. The lights in Sternbild weren't as sharp; the city still glowed at night, true, but there was a softer feel to the glow, fuzzier around the edges like the blurred corners of those photos she'd taken with her Lomo camera. The colours were muted, saturated at certain corners and grainier at the rest unlike the crispness and clarity of Tokyo at night.

Before leaving Japan, Kiku had thought big cities were mostly similar everywhere – the same kind of congestion in streets and in shops; the same tall buildings, spiralling high against the skyline; the same beat of life the city-dwellers seem perpetually geared into. The big cities were similar yes, but she knew now that it was the littlest of details that made each of them different. Like how the light flickered off the shiny panes of the skyscrapers, as the sun climbed from its metallic nest between the city blocks every morning. Or like how dirty the sidewalks were due to litter and smog and car exhaust, and yet that didn't stop those hotdogs (bought off the street carts) from tasting so good – perhaps the smog made it taste yummier?

Kiku lived and breathed in these tiny differences and as much as they threw her off at the beginning, she'd slowly grown accustomed to them, slowly accepted them as part of life in the Big Apple. So she was mildly surprised when she stepped into the restaurant Heracles directed her to, and was flooded with a sense of nostalgia and brief flashes of home – paper streamers fluttering in summer winds, black and gold chopsticks placed neatly on the dinner table, the scent of freshly baked rice crackers wafting from Nakamise-dōri blending with the burnt incense of Sensō-ji.

She hadn't realized how, as much as she loved Sternbild, a tiny part of her still ached for home.

"I thought you might like this place," Heracles nodded towards a chair he'd pulled out for her. She dipped her head politely in a gesture of thanks, before sitting herself down. "You must miss home a lot, with Sternbild being so different."

Kiku felt her heart warm at his words. "I love Sternbild, there's so much to see here and it's all very new. But at times, I think of home and I... well, I just missit."

She offered him a tiny smile, quite unable to articulate this feeling of homesickness. Nonetheless, Heracles seem to understand and he nodded.

When the waiter approached them to take their orders, she let Heracles decide on the food since he seemed to know which their specialties were. Her smile grew wider when the Grecian tried his best to place the orders in slightly broken Japanese – she couldn't tell if this was his normal routine whenever he visited the shop, or he was just doing it for her sake. Either way, she found it rather endearing, especially how his usually dazed expression was now one of firm concentration.

As the night wore on, with plates of dishes and mugs of chilled beer filling up their table, the two gradually found themselves opening up to each other.

"Aaahh, so you've been living in Sternbild all your life?"

"Mmhh, since my mum decided to leave my bum of a dad when I was ten or so. Best thing she ever did for herself. And you?"

"Oh, I've only been here for about three years. I was offered a scholarship to further my Master program and I thought it was a good opportunity to get out more, despite my parents' initial protests."

"It must've been quite tough, uprooting yourself like that from something you've been so used to." Heracles mused, biting into a piece of yakitori.

"It was challenging. But I had always wanted to experience life in America; it just seemed so... so exciting and so lively." Kiku chuckled softly, taking a sip of her beer. "I guess I have to blame all those American TV shows, huh?"

Heracles grinned at that. "Maybe. You look like you've adapted pretty well though. I'm not sure if I could have done as well in the same situation."

Kiku's cheeks pinked, and she was sure it wasn't just from the beer alone. "You flatter me too much at times, Karpusi-san."

"Please, just 'Heracles' is fine. You make me sound like an old, angry Math professor with 'Karpusi-san.'"

This time, they both laughed at that. Kiku licked her lips tentatively, before settling for a compromise instead. "All right, 'Heracles-san' then."

Laughter and chatter from the other patrons filled the short lull in their conversation, the chinks of cutlery and beer mugs chiming like soft music in the backdrop. The aromatic scent of tare sauce and grilled meats wafted slowly from the kitchen, adding to the warm, laidback but merry atmosphere that Kiku was starting to love so much.

Just as she finished her last bit of enoki maki, the music on the player switched to something vaguely familiar and as she strained to listen to first strings of melody over the chatter, she saw Heracles' eyes lighting up. She tilted her head curiously towards him.

"This is one of your favourite songs right? You showed me the music video once on your laptop."

"Ah," Kiku said, finally recognizing the tune as World Order's Boy Meets Girl. She chuckled. "It has very cute video, ne."

Heracles gave her what looked like a suspicious wink then, like he had some devilish plan up his sleeve before he abruptly stood up from his seat and to her slight horror, began to dance to the music.

He was dancing.

In the middle of a restaurant.

In front of her, in front of everyone.

Not only was he dancing, but he was attempting a robot dance (and failing stupendously at that), earning himself peculiar looks from the other restaurant occupants, patrons and servers alike. Kiku didn't know whether to feel scandalized or just plain humoured. But then Heracles gave a ridiculous robotic pelvic thrust and that set everyone roaring with laughter. Some began applauding enthusiastically, and some even stood up to join in Heracles' silly moves. At that point, Kiku figured humour was probably the best, and she couldn't help but laugh appreciatively into her sleeve along with the rest of the crowd.

'*'

Heracles had already suspected that Kiku wasn't quite herself when she expressed such keenness on visiting his place. That and how she seemed a little chattier, a little more cheery. He didn't think she was drunk though, since she still blushed whenever he complimented her offhandedly, like how he thought she should smile more because she looked cuter that way. Or how the chrysanthemum hairpin she wore looked pretty with her hair. He figured she was probably just tipsy (she did have more than a couple of beers). He made a mental note to send her back home safely after that.

"It's nothing much, really." He said as he slowly opened the door to his apartment, letting her peek in curiously. As she entered slowly and began studying the decor, Heracles suddenly feel a little embarrassed, noticing just only how disorganized the living room was – there was an ashtray on the coffee table, with burnt remnants of cigarettes (he suspected those were Sidika's) and crumpled paper cups littered the top of the dining table. When Kiku was busy studying the paintings on the wall, Heracles hastily swept the paper cups off the table and into the waste basket nearby.

"It's really cosy." Kiku said, settling herself down on the couch (thankfully he'd cleaned it this morning, and it was still clean). "Do you live by yourself or...?"

"Ah no, I share the place with Hassan and Sidika and–"

"You just can't keep it in your fucking pants, can you?"

"Heracles, we've spoken about this before."

The Grecian groaned. Speak of the devil.

He turned to face his two housemates who had just appeared from the kitchen. "Kiku's a friend from school. She's been helping me with my chemistry and we just got back from dinner together."

Sidika snorted, flicking a silky lock of dark hair with her manicured nails. "That's a new one. A private tutorthis time! You're one kinky fucker, aren't you?"

Heracles rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to Hassan, who didn't say anything but wore a sceptical look upon his face, his arms folded disapprovingly in front of him. Heracles sighed, realizing now that he should have sent Kiku straight home instead, to save her the trouble of having to put up with his idiosyncratic housemates.

He hummed softly, still glaring at Sidika before he decided to ignore their remarks and settled on introductions instead. "This is Sidika and Hassan who are, unfortunately, my housemates." He turned his gaze back to Kiku. "And this is Kiku Honda who... oh– "

"Who seems to find your disgusting couch the best place to fall asleep in." Sidika finished for him, before throwing her hands up, exasperated. She strode over to give Kiku a quick glance-over.

"How much did you let her drink?" Hassan asked softly.

"Not much actually. Four glasses at most? And before you ask, no she wasn't drunk... well, not really."

"Well, it doesn't look like she'll be going anywhere tonight." Sidika said, straightening up. "You are nottouching an innocent thing like her or I swear I will kick your ass."

Heracles only frowned at her. "I was going to send her home, if you must know. And I would never do anything to her."

He met both their gazes steadily, as if challenging them to say something. Sidika looked at him before looking back at Hassan. Then she threw back her head into cackle. "Didn't realize you were such a romantic."

She turned on her heels, dragging Hassan back into the kitchen after her. "Right, beer pong time! Loser has to do the laundry, the dishes andtake the trash out for the next two weeks."

Hassan groaned. "Why can't we just stick to the duty rooster like how I planned? I spent two hours drawing it up."

"It's no fun like that. Heracles, you coming along? Or should we just declare you the default loser right now?"

Heracles snorted, "Like hell I'll let you."

He checked to make sure Kiku was comfortable enough on the couch, covering her with his coat n case she got too cold. Making sure Sidika and Hassan were already in the kitchen, he leaned in closer to give a quick, soft kiss on her forehead. The girl sighed softly in her sleep but did not wake, and Heracles felt his lips quirk into tiniest of smiles. Then he turned to follow after his friends, determined to win this round of beer pong so that he would have the sweet satisfaction of having Sidika wash his week-old pile of dirty socks.

'*'

When Kiku finally cracked her eyes open, she could only make out the faint mewing of cats somewhere in the vicinity, before the slight giddiness of a lingering headache caught up with her other senses. She blinked, squinting a little at the light seeping in from the between the folds of the curtains. She blinked again when she realized she didn't recognize those curtains, or that the colours of the walls weren't the same as those in her own room. She shifted hesitantly, wondering if this was a dream, only to feel the soft weight of a sleeping cat curled beside her right foot. When she carefully moved her foot, she was then aware of another sensation – that of an arm curled around her and of a warm, gentle breath against her forehead.

Kiku bolted upright, biting back a cry of shock. She heard a grunt beside her and felt someone... felt Heracles move to sit up beside her and suddenly, suddenly, her world was collapsing around her.

"W-what..?"

Heracles shook his head, stifling back a huge yawn. Seeing the look on her face sobered him up however, and he realized what must have crossed her mind. "Kiku, it's not what you think," he began slowly.

Kiku tried to keep herself calm, but her hands were shaking, and she was clutching the blanket – no, not blanket, that was Heracles' coat – so tightly her knuckles were white. She stood up hastily, patting down the creases in her uniform – thank goodness she was still wearing them, thank goodness Heracles wasn't naked because then she might ... what no, what kinds of thoughts, no!– and bowed awkwardly.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have... I mean, I didn't know and... I should go..." She stumbled over her words, trying her best to excuse herself, trying not to panic, when deep inside all she really wanted to do was to run away and to keep running forever. Heracles saw distress etched upon her face, and moved to comfort her, to explain everything. But when he reached out towards her, Kiku only flinched.

"S-Stop that!"

Heracles paused, hurt in his eyes, as if she'd just hit him.

Kiku bowed her head, unable to meet his gaze. "I ... M-My apologies... but I've stayed here beyond my due!"

And blushing furiously, she fled.

~.*.~

-6-

"Into each life some rain must fall."

Heracles didn't see Kiku in school for the next couple of days.

Maybe she's feeling under the weather.

He wasn't quite sure if he was just trying to reassure himself or that he hoped her absence had nothing to do with what'd occurred in his house… he shook his head irritably. No, Kiku was probably just having a bout of fever, and she would show up eventually when she got better; she was never one to stay away from her studies for long. Grades meant a lot to her, after all, and she prided herself on being a model student.

As the days continued to stretch out into a week however, Heracles felt his heart sink. He feared the worst. Still, he didn't stop attending his tutoring sessions, never failing to be in the classroom on time and to remain there the entire time. He waited, diligently working on the chemistry worksheets she'd passed to him previously, hoping that Kiku would show up one of the days.

She didn't.

~.*.~

-7-

"No rest for the wicked."

Alfred was livid; he was fuming, he was impassioned. Fortunately for Heracles, he was also easily distracted and that was probably why he got off easy without Alfred taking a swing at him. As he watched the blonde run off after a cackling Françoise Bonnefoy ("Fuck no, who said you could post videos of thaton Youtube?"), Heracles let out a sigh of relief. Not that he was afraid of getting hit by Alfred – he sort of agreed that he deserved it – but because it was a little exhausting having Alfred hop around manically like a seven-year-old on a sugar rush for fifteen whole minutes. Heracles wondered how Kiku managed a full day with him.

"I'm so not done with you yet, dude. We'll have a proper talk later about what you did to Kiku, I swear!" Alfred yelled back, before disappearing around the corner of the hallway.

Here, Heracles wanted to point out that had Alfred stopped talking for a second, he would have been able to explain everything, but then he figured the blonde was too far away (and too distracted) to hear him anyway.

Several days later, on a cold, rainy morning, Heracles woke up to what sounded like Chewbacca hammering on the front door of his apartment… well, minus the RAAAAAARRR-ing alien roar, but whoever it was certainly sounded like a very angry (and perhaps very wet) Wookiee. Rubbing away the remnants of sleep from his eyes, and stifling a yawn, Heracles opened the door.

"Kali̱méra." he began, belatedly wondering why he'd decided to greet whoever it was in his native tongue.

The man standing before him was tall and built, his pale-blonde hair – which was possibly slicked upwards previously – hanging before his brow in short spikes, damp from the rain. Chewing on the remnants of a cigarette, he fixed the Grecian with possibly the coldest and sternest expression that Heracles had ever had the misfortune to encounter. Heracles thought he looked vaguely familiar (that scowl, it reminded him of someone) and was thinking of a name, when the man moved to return Heracles' greeting with one of his own – in the form of a flying punch.

"What did you do to Kiku?" the blonde snarled softly, bright green eyes flashing with a quiet rage.

When Heracles felt that fist connect with the side of his jaw and momentarily saw stars swim into his line of vision, something clicked within his mind and he thought, Oh that's right. Willem van Nassau.

He staggered back slightly, one hand nursing his jaw gingerly, nose crinkling from the stinging pain that had already begun to throb.

"Answer me. Or do I need to hit you again?" Willem glowered, jaw tightening as he gritted his teeth against the cigarette.

"I did nothing." Heracles said softly, meeting the blonde's gaze steadily. "I brought her out for dinner as a way of thanks for tutoring me. After that, she wanted to see my place so I brought her over."

Willem looked as if he was going to hit Heracles again anyway, but he held back, waiting for the Grecian to finish. Heracles watched him for a moment and then continued, "I hadn't realized then she was a bit tipsy and while we were talking, she fell asleep on the couch. I didn't know where she lived and Sidika told me to let her stay."

Letting out a tired sigh, Heracles let his shoulders go slack before leaning against the doorway. "I swear nothing happened. I would never do anything to hurt Kiku."

He didn't think Willem would believe him – he had no reason to, especially since they hardly knew each other. Heracles only recognized the man because he would pass Willem's flower shop on the way to school every day. There were only so many florists along the street from his house after all, and Willem stood out because he was always chewing either on a cigarette or on a gold-tipped pipe as he watered the many-coloured tulips (his shop's specialty). Oh, and the rabbit; Willem had a small white and brown rabbit that sat on the lone work bench amidst the buckets of flowers, always cleaning her ears nonchalantly with her little paws.

Willem was still glaring at him, and Heracles wondered if there was any point trying to convince the man, because he didn't look like he was going to listen anymore, and instead seemed quite ready to hit him again. The Grecian was about to speak again when he felt the weight behind him disappear and he realized that someone was opening the door wider.

"Why the fuck are you standing there, letting the rain in and– Willem?"

Sidika had appeared behind Heracles and was now staring wordlessly at the blonde. Heracles blinked, swivelling his head to glance from Sidika to Willem and back to Sidika again.

"Uh, you two know each other?"

Sidika rolled her eyes. "Well duh, I just called his name, didn't I?"

"Just checking that you aren't still high off your stash of weed."

Sidika dealt a sharp kick to Heracles' shin. "I work at Willem's shop part-time during the weekends, you buffoon."

Willem cleared his throat irritably. "I don't have time for this nonsense."

"What's all this about, Willem? Did the stupid Greek's cats try to hurt Miffy?"

This time, it was Heracles' turn to roll his eyes at Sidika. He explained the details to her (because he was certain Willem wasn't going to do so, and he was quite right about it – Willem only lit himself a new cigarette while Heracles spoke).

"He didn't do anything to her, Willem." Sidika said, folding her arms around herself from the rain. "Kiku fell asleep and we thought it was best to let her stay the night, since we didn't know where she lived. And really, she was too drunk for anything but a good night's rest. Besides," she sneered at Heracles, "if he'd tried anything funny, Hassan and I would know. It's not like the house is sound-proof."

Heracles rolled his eyes again. Willem remained expressionless, save the scowl and the slight twitch of the vein at his temple.

"We spent most of the night talking in the kitchen anyway." Sidika snorted in disgust. "I can't believe I'm speaking up for this jerk."

Willem scowled (did he ever stop scowling, Heracles wondered) and putting out the last of the cigarette with his heel, stormed away from the two before either of them could utter another word. The rain continued to pour in a slow, heavy shower, drops of water splashing in wide arcs whenever they hit the ground.

"Well," Sidika finally broke the silence, stretching her arms over her head, letting a sliver of skin peek out from under the t-shirt she was wearing. "You sure suck at making new friends, don't you?"

Heracles didn't bat an eyelid, his gaze still trained on Willem's retreating back.

"With your luck, that's probably Kiku's secret boyfriend she didn't tell you about." Sidika added smugly.

Heracles was certain then she was the last of the Furies, hell-bent on seeing through his misery.

~.*.~

-8-

"The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one,
and it would not be a wasted life."

Kiku moped, extremely crushed. She was quite certain she had done terrible things with Heracles, things that she didn't even dare voice to herself, even though she wasn't too sure what occurred after she passed out. Every time she thought about it, she thought of other things she didn'twant to think of. The implications of those thoughts... it scared her so much. No, much better to deny those thoughts (memories?) because then, she would have the perfect excuse to pretend nothing ever transpired between them, therefore keeping her conscience intact.

Somehow that didn't make her feel any better.

Depressed, she hid herself in the room for days, refusing to see anyone and missing all her classes. She felt terrible about the latter, worrying about how much it'd affect her grades, but still, she couldn't bring herself to do anything about it. Worried about her condition, her house mates Chiara and Seiji tried talking to her, tried comforting her, but Kiku made no response to their concern, drawing further into herself.

She blinked, listening to the raindrops pattering lightly against the glass panes, to the soft thrill of birdsong somewhere outside her window, to her own shallow breathing. It was eleven thirty three in the morning and still, Kiku felt the ache of that hollow space that once housed her heart. She wanted to cry.

"Hey, who said you could just storm in like this, you creep?"

"Willem-san, please, Kiku's not exactly in the best conditions right now... u-uwaaaahhh!"

Kiku pricked her ears, straining to listen to the commotion outside her room, but not really caring about what it was about exactly. There was a strange rustling noise, as if someone was brushing something over fabric or paper, coupled with Chiara's sniff of disdain and a sharp squeak which was possibly from Seiji.

"Hmph. I'll go make some tea." She heard Chiara huff begrudgingly. The door creaked slowly as it opened, and Kiku heard the soft shuffling of feet.

Willem hesitated, but only for a few heartbeats, before he cautiously entered the room, shutting the door behind him. Kiku was in her bed, a lump curled under her blanket and dead to the world. He watched, unspeaking, a flicker of emotion crossing his features. Sighing, he quietly approached her. He thought of reaching out to touch her, but thinking better of it, decided to sit himself on the carpeted floor instead, his back resting against the foot of her bed.

They remained in silence for a moment, with only the sound of the wind-chimes tinkling lightly in the soft breeze that travelled in from a gap in the window. Willem had put out the cigarette before he reached Kiku's house, but she could still smell the woody scent of tobacco off him, mixing with the earthy deodorant he wore and the faint aroma of tulips in his clothes.

"Stop doing this to yourself, Kiku." Willem said softly, his voice breaking the stillness in the air. He shifted around to face her huddled form under the blanket. "Whatever you and Heracles did that night, there's no reason to go on beating yourself up for it. What is done is done."

The lump tensed, and Willem thought he heard a stifled sniff. He bit back a curse, chiding himself for possibly being too harsh with his words. He sighed again, frowning.

"I spoke with Heracles."

The lump tensed again.

"... he didn't do anything to you. Apparently you fell asleep on their couch and they continued their nonsensical trash-talk in the kitchen."

Willem heard the sound of shifting fabric and very carefully, like a cat checking her surroundings for danger, Kiku finally pulled the blanket from over her, peeking out tentatively. She gazed at him with those unreadable brown eyes – they looked a little damp, but not red. She was not crying. Willem's expression soften and he gave her a small smile.

Kiku stared at him for a moment, before dropping her gaze, wringing her fingers into the blanket as if she were contemplating what to say to reassure him.

"... I know." She managed, head still bowed.

A look of surprise crossed Willem's face briefly, but he said nothing, waiting patiently.

"I vaguely remember most of the night," Kiku continued, "I didn't realize I dozed off initially, but I woke up midway before dawn, and I saw him sleeping on the floor beside the couch. Sidika was asleep at the coffee table too, so I knew nothing happened."

She paused, tracing the patterns on her bed sheet with a finger. "I ... well, I guess I overreacted the next time I woke up, because I was lying against him on the floor. I must have rolled off the couch and I just...I was just embarrassed."

"I see. Then why are you hiding yourself? I don't think the brat took any offense in that."

"I... I'm afraid."

"Of the implications? No one would think any less of you, certainly not those three."

"N-Not that." Kiku paused again, her heart thumping. "I... I think I..." She faltered, unable to go on, her cheeks tainted a rosy pink.

Willem tilted his head sideways, the initial confusion within those fiery green eyes slowly giving way to mild surprise when comprehension dawned upon him. He opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, and closed his eyes instead.

"You've fallen for him."

Kiku's muted silence only confirmed his suspicions further. Still wearing his characteristic scowl, Willem shook his head irritably but not unkindly. He chuckled softly under his breath.

"So why are you afraid?"

"I don't know. I just don't want to hurt anyone if... if nothing comes of it in the end."

Willem felt a tiny part within him ache at her words; he understood her fears. But even so... He cleared his throat, and leaning closer towards her bed, gently took her hand in his. Kiku was surprised by his touch, and Willem felt her draw away at first, before she slipped her hand back into his hold.

"Whatever happened between us," He began tentatively, his eyes still trained on her hands, "or what didn't happen, it's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault so stop blaming yourself." He lifted his gaze to meet hers. "We just work better this way."

Kiku tighten her jaw, curling her fingers around his. "But what if happens again? With Heracles and...,"

"If you never try, how will you ever know? You've told me once before, if you don't try your luck with sakura viewing, you might miss your chance to see the last blossom before they all wither. Is the beauty of the sakura not worth at least one try?" Willem watched the girl carefully, hating to see the sadness painted upon her soft features. It made him want to reach out and pull her into a comforting hug, but he didn't. He knew their time for that had passed.

"Is he not worth at least one try?"

At his words, Kiku felt her breath catch in her throat, felt that hollow space within her gradually fill with something else; something warm, comforting yet painful at the same time; something that made her eyes grow damp and–

–and she wept, not in sadness, but in the final acceptance what she truly felt.

Kiku wept softly as Willem patted her head with his hand.

The rain continued to fall, pearly drops streaking against the window pane like swirls of emotions. On the bedside table, a single pink tulip lay, unmoving.

~.*.~

-9-

"Better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all."

"Athena, if only you could lend me half your wisdom now, I wouldn't feel so lost."

Heracles sighed, leaning his head back against the wall in defeat. It was already a quarter past five, and he knew that the art studio would be closing for the day in half an hour. He made no attempt to gather his things however, even if he knew it was a little selfish and inconsiderate of him. But he was disheartened and even though he'd managed to pass his midterm, he felt no pride in that, no sense of achievement at all.

"How do I make her believe me, when she can't even stand the sight of me anymore?" He asked the line of statues before him again.

And again, like countless days before, the statues remained silent, staring blankly back at him, unspeaking.

Heracles sighed again, closing his eyes, feeling utterly wretched. He didn't hear the door creaking open slowly, and only noticed the soft scrape of shoes against the floor when it was almost directly behind him.

"It is time to close?" He reached for his things slowly. "Sorry, I'll leave earlier next time and–" He never got to finish his sentence because he felt his breath catch in his throat.

Kiku stood before him, carrying a small tortoiseshell cat in her arms. She offered him a tiny smile, her cheeks dusted pink. In her hair, she wore a yellow flower pin – the one he'd bought for her as a gift.

"Hi." She began hesitantly, before kneeling down to where he was sitting on the floor.

"Hi." He replied, reaching out slowly, as if testing to see if she would draw back. When she didn't, he gently touched the cat she was holding, scratching it behind the ears.

"I passed my midterm." He continued, managing a smile for her, although she could see it was traced with sadness.

"A-Ah, that's really good to hear." Kiku bit her lip, uncertain of what to say next. Releasing the cat, she took Heracles' hand in hers. The Grecian looked at her, mildly surprised but said nothing. They sat in silence for a moment; Heracles making no pretense to keep on gazing at her and Kiku continuing to meet that gaze, even though she felt like he could see every bit of her innermost thoughts and emotions with just that single look.

"I'm very sorry," she began softly. "That night, I overreacted, and I should have listened to you and I... I just..."

Whatever it was she'd wanted to say was lost then because she moved forward, before she realized what she was doing, before she realized she wasn't thinking anymore, before Heracles himself realized what was happening. She moved and she kissed him, lightly, tentatively, before her embarrassment finally caught up with her and she pulled away.

Heracles stared at her, wearing a look of utmost surprise. Kiku felt her heart thumping in her ears, felt her face burn from the blush spreading across her cheeks and up to her ears.

"...and I... I still owe you a kiss for passing the test, don't I?" she finished lamely. She didn't know what she was doing, what she was saying but... but it didn't matter anymore, not when she heard Heracles' soft laugh and saw the flash of a genuine smile upon his lips. It didn't matter anymore, not when he gently cupped her face with his hands and brought them closer together again to kiss once more.

It didn't matter anymore because she knew that come what may, she was willing to try again, this time with Heracles, and that was enough for her, for both of them, to begin.

-End-

Translations:

O genki desu ka? – How are you?
O kage-sama de (polite form) – I'm fine, thank you.
Yakitori ga suki desu ka? – Do you like yakitori?
Ah, h-hai. Daisuki desu– Ah, y-yes. I like it a lot.

Totemo kawaii desu– Very cute (literally). Depending on context, the subject of "cute" can be ambiguous. So Kiku was confused when Heracles used it because it sounded as if he meant liking yakitori was "very cute" (because it came after they spoke of yakitori). In actuality, Heracles just switches subjects easily, so he really meant to say he thought that Kiku was very cute. Yeah, Japanese can be confusing like that.

Kali̱méra– Good morning

:::

- I have never been to New York, let alone visited any 'big city' in America. So I apologize for any inaccuracies I may have made in my description of "Sternbild" as a fictional NY borough. Also, "Sternbild" isn't my brainchild; if you Google it, you'll know where I got the name from :P

- Alfred is running a colourful Grignard experiment. Not particularly difficult, but the product solution can get messy. And yes, mini-explosions do occasionally occur in chemistry labs I should know, I've seen it for myself a number of times xD

- This was the dance Heracles was attempting to copy for Kiku: http:(doubleslash)www(dot)youtube(dot)com(slash)watch?v=35hCo_grAqw
Needless to say he probably failed quite spectacularly, lol

- If anyone's wondering, the characters are all somewhere in their early-to-mid twenties. I actually have back-stories for everyone written into this fic. Moar one-shots of this verse in future, perhaps.

- fem!Japan doesn't seem different from how I normally write Japan, I think? She was one of the reasons why this fic took a while. I was kinda nervous writing her.

- Willem is Willem van Nassau because of this photo: http:(doubleslash)en(dot)wikipedia(dot)org(slash)wiki(slash)File:YoungwilliamII(dot)jpg
Look familiar? :P

- Yes, I secretly ship Netherlands x Japan. Or at least, I feel they had some chemistry that went a little past the "friends" line but it didn't quite work out. This song inspired that scene in #8: http:(doubleslash)www(dot)youtube(dot)com(slash)watch?v=KVHx0o8ozvo

Critiques/comments are always welcomed! And I hope you enjoyed reading this :')