The moment he opened his eyes, I knew I was done for.

When his eyes fluttered open the world went to slow motion. And I couldn't help it. I was done for—a goner, a sap, gonna kick the can, pushing up daisies, whatever other analogy anyone can think of, I was it.

Because those light blue eyes just haunted me with beauty.

I kept my expression neutral, fighting the blush that threatened to spread across my face. "Get up," I spat, watching him closely.

His head lowered as he silently assessed his situation. Beneath the fringe of his dark hair, those blue eyes wavered quietly, calmly, as he tried to come up with a solution. I saw his fingers twitch briefly, considering picking up his blade, but by the hammer in my hand, he thought otherwise.

So he decided to stand up, and he found it frustrating when he saw that I was a few inches taller than him.

"You are under arrest in the name of the Black Order for murdering Officer Allen Walker."

"Save the bullshit…," He waved a dismissive hand at me, all too casual. "I knew someone was going to come." His sword clacked as he placed a hand on it. "Care to go down with him?"

My fingers twirled the hammer, and with the press of a button it doubled in size. He kept his expression neutral, but was clearly confused. "Just technology, unlike that stump of a blade…"

"Hey…" He drew the sword, eyeing it closely, almost running it across his lips. "This stump of a blade killed your comrade. It still reeks of his blood…"

The next moment he was on the ground, rubbing where my fist met his cheek. "I guess you really do wanna fight…"

"Wait…" I didn't know how strong he was, but with a few more clicks of that button, he would be mincemeat. I couldn't dare to think of those stunning, gorgeous blue eyes gazing at the sky, unfocused. It was cowardly, stupid, and a very cruel disservice to Allen, but I couldn't hurt him.

"What do you want now?" He glared.

"L-Listen, I'm going to let you go," I told him calmly and quietly, my head flipping around for any other signs of life. "So get out of here!"

He narrowed his eyes at me in confusion. "Coward…I expected more from the friend of a fallen 'brother'," he smirked at me, and I continued to battle the red slowly dusting my cheeks.

"Tell me your name," I asked him firmly, staring him down.

"…Kanda Yuu," his musical voice filled my ears, clogging my mind. Yuu, my head sighed happily, and I refocused my eyes on his. Yuu kept his narrowed, scanning me for any signs of a false note. The only one he seemed to find was the one screaming to kill him for Allen. Once he concluded I was serious, he stood, hand clacking his blade again. "You can't possibly forgive me for slaughtering that boy."

I grimaced at the use of the word slaughtering. It seemed all too descriptive; as if Allen never had a chance in the world. I couldn't bring myself to imagine how he went down, so I turned my head and stuttered, "I couldn't possibly forgive you for that. But I can't kill you." When I looked up and saw the raw confusion and disgust in his expression, I elaborated dismissively with, "Don't even try to ask me why."

"To be fair," he paused, fingers lingering on the collar of his coat, "it seems awfully kind of you to do this for me. How are you going to enact revenge if I now purposely stay away?" That was an interesting thought. I could possibly never have another chance at killing him if he knew I, too, wandered around in this forest. Come to think of it, why was he pointing out all of these options for me? He didn't seem like the kind of person to take the sort of thing lightly. He must have noticed the confusion hidden poorly in my eyes, because he added, "It isn't too late to pull out that weapon of yours and take me on like a man."

"Why are you doing me favors and giving me options?" I turned back to him, my expression so quizzical it was comical. "Do you really take fighting so lightly? Or is it just so hard to accept the fact that I'm choosing to let you leave?" He opened up his mouth to make a point, and then closed it silently. The silence between us lasted for too long, and I repeated my question, to which he ground his teeth.

"No, it isn't hard to believe that you're as sickeningly soft as you are. In fact, I'd love to fight, but I'm not one to pass up a good opportunity. I'm in no way prepared to kill you right now. I think I'd actually like to wait a little while – I mean, if that's alright." His eyes narrowed to sapphire slits, hissing his words as best he could. "In the meantime, consider what a terrible mistake you're making. I could follow you back to wherever your precious Black Order resides and have you all beaten raw." Yuu's fingers gripped the hilt of his blade harshly, his knuckles quickly paling to white.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Yuu," I chuckled far too comically for the situation. The stern glare in his eyes was deadly serious; I could easily read that much. My position as record director of the Black Order gave me years of experience in reading the atmosphere, and this one was screaming tension. My snide remark seemed to sterilize the extreme anger in the atmosphere, and at that point, it seemed safe to leave. I turned on my heel, the snow crunching before me as I nonchalantly added, "Now, I'm going to walk away as if I never saw anything..."

"Don't even think about leaving just yet," Yuu grabbed my forearm, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. I could almost feel his blue eyes staring me down, just daring me to turn around. What was he doing? To figure it out, I turned back around, finding him surprisingly closer then I'd imagined. "I gave you my name, and you must give me yours."

His seemingly tight grip on my arm loosened. It almost seemed to burn where his fingers lay, and I wondered briefly if his hands were just warm or my skin was just prickly and cold. My lips moved loosely, but I didn't hear any sound come out. I couldn't hear anything – the chirping of the birds shut off and the pressure of the snow beneath our heels disappeared, leaving the air thin and weak. My feelings swirled in the pit of my stomach. I pondered if I'd actually told him my name or I'd accidently whispered something much more meaningful and impulsive.

As soon as he quietly muttered my name back to himself and added quick thanks before disappearing into the trees, I knew I'd said the correct answer. I was enchanted, and there was no moving me from that spot. In the endless amount of time that I stood there completely motionless, my eyes fluttering, I took in every inch and detail of my surroundings. I'd remember this place for as long as I had room to remember. No, not even then – I'd rather forget my name then the way it sounded coming off of his lips. Why did he entrance me so? Yuu was a coldblooded killer – that was easy enough to tell. He was also hiding something important. But none of that really mattered anymore – there was a very slim chance I'd ever see him alone ever again, if I ever saw him.

For weeks, it seemed that my body would mercilessly bring me back to the place where I first met Kanda Yuu.


Author's Comments

God, it's finally updated. Sorry I took so long - but hopefully, as whoever is still reading this can see, I've improved writing. A lot, hopefully. Happy new year everyone, by the way!

Thank you for reading, and more is on the way!