Author's Note: Hey friends! Yes, I'm alive and so is this fanfic. I'm honestly so so so sorry for the long wait (if anyone's still even reading this). My last update was three years ago, if you can believe. Wow, I'm just the worst, aren't I? I'm really sorry. I was forced to go on a hiatus because of several reasons. College, for instance, took up most of my time. Then I joined the school's publication and, well, things went from busy to hectic really quick. I was overwhelmed, basically.

Although, truth be told, school wasn't the only reason why it took me this long to update. I honestly considered dropping this for several reasons. For one thing, I really really didn't like how I wrote the early chapters, particularly Aoi's chapters. I know I told myself that this was only going to be a fun little fanfic so I wasn't going to put too much pressure on myself but, rereading it now, I can't help but rage over how terrible my writing was. I considered rewriting everything but then... well, it'd take more work and more time, wouldn't it? And I am, if anything, lazy. Also by that point, the season 2 of K started and I kind of... didn't like it so much? It didn't have the mysterious but fun elements that I loved in the first season. I actually still haven't finished it. So, basically, I was kind of in a sort of dilemma. School had bombarded me with stress. I wasn't satisfied with how I wrote this fanfic. And, to top it off, the second season didn't exactly inspire me. I was so close to just calling it quits.

But then! See, I had already written about 50% of this chapter before I was in too deep in my dilemma and I kind of liked how this chapter went. I kept rereading it and eventually rekindled my interest in this ancient fanfic of mine. I remembered why I wrote this thing in the first place and how much I kind of liked the dynamic of Yata and Aoi. It's totally narcissistic, I know, but it was basically the only reason why I kept this chapter on the back burner. So yay for stubborn narcissism!

To those who've waited for years for this chapter, I'm really sorry and I thank you for your patience. Anyway, enough about me. Let's get this show on the road!


Yata

"Come on, Yata-san! It's like you're not even trying!" Kamamoto jeered hesitantly, eyes glued to the video game but could feel his friend's listlessness. The blond playfully elbowed the young vanguard, hoping to get a rise - or any emotion really - out of him but Yata barely reacted.

Yata really wasn't trying. In fact, though his hands were on the game's controls, he hadn't moved his character on screen at all. Normally he'd have beaten his large friend with his eyes closed but Yata simply couldn't find the energy.

It had been more than two weeks since Yata had seen Aoi but the deep and dull pain still felt so fresh in his mind. He had accepted the fact that Aoi didn't want to see him again - the Wild Crow couldn't blame her... not after what he put her through - but still... He couldn't help but miss her dreadfully. Seeing her had been the highlight of his days for so long that losing Aoi felt like having a part of him ripped off. Yata had since spent the past two weeks in a daze, hardly eating, rarely speaking, and almost completely indifferent to everything.

His fellow clansmen tiptoed around him the first few days, assuming that the two 'lovebirds' just had a minor spat and would get back together in no time, as Totsuka had put it. But when the days turned into a week and later into another week, the others began to worry. It became clear then that the two teens hadn't met up since the incident and that Aoi was a much more important person to Yata than they initially suspected.

Totsuka tried to get Yata talking but the younger clansman refused to budge. Chitose tactlessly tried to 'reassure' Yata that women were quite fickle but would come around eventually, which earned the playboy a pretty serious punch in the gut. Kamamoto, on the weak pretext of having to see Ayumi, asked Yata to go with him to the cafe but Yata just walked right out of the bar. The closest anyone got to comforting the teen was Anna who simply told Yata that Aoi hadn't just abandoned him. Yata badly wanted to believe the young Strain but just couldn't convince himself.

HOMRA's vanguard hardly even went out of the bar except for his daily patrols, and even then he did so without heart. Yata refused to go anywhere with his fellow clansmen, not even when some punk had badmouthed HOMRA. It had been nothing short of a miracle to get Yata to go with them to the arcade at all. Shouhei had suggested it since Yata used to love arcades but they were still surprised when their disconsolate friend actually looked up and mumbled something in agreement. For a moment everyone believed that maybe - just maybe - the old Yata was coming back.

What they didn't know was that Yata had remembered one particular afternoon he spent with Aoi in an arcade. He felt sorry for his nerdy friend who had never even set foot in any sort of arcade. To Yata, who had spent most of his teenage years in arcades - even when he was supposed to be in school - he couldn't help but believe that Aoi was missing out on life big time. He wanted to show Aoi the surreal feeling of being surrounded by a wide selection of video games, the thrill of getting so sucked into a game, the euphoria of winning and feeling incredibly accomplished. Yata wanted to share that kind of happiness to Aoi who seemed to hesitate at first but had fun. Eventually.

The bespectacled girl had poor hand-eye coordination and even worse reflexes. Seeing her try - and inevitably fail - with all her might made Yata feel a rush of affection that he had never experienced for anyone before. The expressions she made every time she lost were priceless, a mixture of shock and disbelief and despair. No matter what game they played, Aoi just couldn't seem to make it past the first level. Yata urged her on as best as he could but even he couldn't help but be amused at his friend's incredible lack of dexterity.

"What? No! I shot you! Why are you still moving?!" Aoi had cried out when she and Yata played a zombie shooting game. Yata had to suppress a laugh at how seriously Aoi was taking the game. The girl really had never played any sort of video games before.

"You gotta shoot them in the head otherwise they'll just keep going after you." Yata explained, shooting the wayward zombie with ease.

"That makes sense, I suppose." Aoi mumbled mostly to herself. "Since they're already dead, their pain receptors don't work so shooting them anywhere but their heads won't instigate any sort of reaction. Perhaps their brains are-

"Aoi-san..." Yata said, pausing the game and turning to his dark-haired friend. "You're doing it again."

"E-eh?"

Yata let out an exasperated sigh and smiled good-naturedly to Aoi who was beginning to flush a deep - and adorable - shade of scarlet. "You really need to stop over analyzing these games. D'you want to repeat that Whack-a-mole thing?"

"T-there was a logic behind that game, I just know it! If I could have studied the way the moles popped up a little longer, I'd have been able to figure out the sequence and predict the game completely." She paused and, realizing how ridiculous she sounded, turned away, steam rising from her face. "I-I mean, maybe. Maybe I could have."

He couldn't help himself. Yata laughed heartily, clutching his sides tightly. "Yeah, you could have. That's for sure. But then where's the fun in that?"

Yata hooked an arm over Aoi's shoulders, barely flinching at the physical contact. "Arcades are for mindless fun, Aoi-san. Not... Studying."

"I guess so."

The redhead could never quite understand why it was so easy to be around Aoi, who was his total opposite in every way. He also couldn't understand how he was able to casually be so intimate with her when he couldn't even look at other women straight in the eye. Probably because the girl didn't seem to be intimidated by him at all, even though, for all intents and purposes, she should have. Aoi, instead, seemed to like being around Yata almost as much as he liked being with her.

At least... she did before that incident.

"Looks like you lose, Yata-san." Kamamoto said with obviously fake cheerfulness. "Best two out of three?"

Yata stared at his limp hands on the video game's controllers for a few seconds before sighing and, leaving his large friend, walked away. Being in the arcade he and Aoi once visited together didn't make him feel better at all. In fact, he felt even worse since he was reminded yet again that he'd never be able to spend time with Aoi anywhere.

Vaguely, HOMRA's vanguard felt his fellow clansmen glance at him worriedly but he couldn't seem to care. Shouhei tried to approach him but he waved his friend off. Yata walked to one mostly quiet corner in the arcade and leaned against the wall facing the glass doors of the arcade.

It had started raining and Yata distantly heard a muffled clap of thunder which made him inevitably think about Aoi again. The dull throbbing pain in his chest was momentarily replaced with worry. Among Aoi's many fears were thunderstorms. He couldn't really understand why she was afraid of them so much but he figured that the ominous sound and the sharp blast of light weren't easy to deal with considering her overthinking nature so he hadn't tried too hard to get her to face that particular fear. Yata had, after all, made a promise to himself that he'd help Aoi confront her fears as best as he could. She had confided in him that she wanted to stop being so cowardly and start facing things up front.

The way Aoi had said it put Yata in awe. Aoi genuinely wanted to be braver and Yata - who was not only brave, but stupidly so, as others had commented - felt a burning desire to aid his friend in whatever way he could.

'Guess it doesn't matter now though.' He thought wanly.

In the distance, Yata noticed a figure running towards the awning of a closed store. A part of Yata probably recognized the dark haired petite figure but for a few moments the fact wasn't really registering to him. It was only when another clap of thunder rumbled the skies that Yata realized that he knew that person, that timid little person who was bravely trying not to cower in fear. It was her.

"Aoi-san..." Yata breathed out.

HOMRA's Wild Crow couldn't believe his eyes. Surely he was just imagining things? But... No, Aoi's figure stayed put under the awning and Yata could even see her shiver ever so slightly - was it from the cold or from fear? Yata didn't know. He also didn't know how he should feel or how he should act. Should he be happy to finally catch a glimpse of her after two weeks of not even hearing from her at all? Should he be devastated to see his friend who he had scared away? Should he go to her? Hide from her? Apologize to her? Yata's head was spinning with his thoughts. Seeing her like this, even from afar, made him realize just how badly he had missed her.

Yata's feet moved on their own. The first step he staggered. The second was better and not as difficult or heavy as the first. He had all but reached the glass doors when another figure appeared with Aoi. Yata stopped in his tracks, his right hand - about to push open the doors - hovering in midair.

A cold and heavy feeling erupted in his chest. He couldn't tell what it was at first, though he was sure it was just a remnant of his initial shock at seeing Aoi so suddenly like that. However, as Yata stood and watched the figure - a guy, blond, and looming over Aoi - the strange feeling turned hard until even Yata could guess that it was panic. Who was that guy? Did Aoi know him? Is he a friend? Or something more?

Before the feeling of panic evolved into something akin to jealousy, however, Yata noticed something even more disturbing. Aoi seemed to shrink under the guy's gaze. Her shoulders were tense and she avoided eye contact as much as possible. Yata could see her flinching every time the guy crept closer to her. And the guy didn't seem to realize just how uncomfortable Aoi was. Yata felt rage build up inside him and could see nothing but red.

The last straw came when the guy grabbed Aoi's hand and pulled her out of the awning. Yata moved quickly and wordlessly, shoving the arcade's doors open. Seeing that scumbag even touching Aoi like that and seeing Aoi trying in vain to escape the bastard's clutches was enough for Yata to forget about anything else.

"Yata-san, where are you-

Yata barely heard Kamamoto. He felt his red aura boil and ache, hungry for blood. The Wild Crow gritted his teeth when he saw that the blond asshole still kept on pulling Aoi. Yata wanted to burn the guy into nothing.

Luckily for the guy - as Yata would later realize - Yata felt himself being pulled by the shoulder. Before he could throw a solid punch at whoever grabbed him, he heard Chitose calmly say, "You'll scare her too."

Normally, Yata didn't care much for listening to HOMRA's resident playboy, but this time he was right. As badly as Yata wanted to bash the tall blond's face in, Yata had to think of Aoi too. She'd be terrified of him, more so than she already was. There'd be absolutely no hope of forgiveness then.

So Yata steadied himself, controlling the red aura that wanted - very badly - to be unleashed. He still felt like he was on fire but at least it wasn't nearly as much as before. Yata could even hear the faint hiss as drops of rain hit him. Probably knowing this, Kamamoto, Shouhei, and Chitose went ahead of him.

When they reached Aoi and the guy, Yata couldn't trust himself to move closer. Seeing the scum up close - and how tightly he held on to Aoi - made Yata nearly deaf to logic and reason. The blond bastard was saying something and Yata despised just hearing his voice.

Then, before Yata could release his red aura, Aoi stepped closer to him. They were a good couple of meters apart and the rain was beating down on them but he heard her loud and clear.

"Y-yata-san..."

And just like that, Yata felt his anger - most of it, anyway - disappear. All he saw now was her. Aoi, her long dark hair, her deep green eyes behind her large clunky glasses, her small, soft lips - it was like seeing her again for the first time. Yata felt a tug in his heart.

Before Aoi could say another word, the blond grabbed Aoi by the wrist again and barely heartbeat passed – before Yata could throw himself at the guy, before Kamamoto could stop Yata from beating up the guy – Aoi swiftly yanked her hand away from the guy.

"It's fine, Tamaki-san." Aoi said, averting her eyes yet sounding a little bit firm. "They're my friends actually."

"Friends?" The guy nearly spat out, his face contorted. Yata felt another tendril of hate erupt somewhere in his chest and he could feel his muscles tighten. "But they're-

Yata had been staring daggers at the guy when he saw a streak of black whiz past him and he suddenly felt something soft and reassuring grab his hand, gently tugging it to one side. "My friends, Tamaki-san." Aoi's voice all of a sudden sounded a lot closer.

With a barely concealed jump, Yata realized that not only was Aoi standing next to him, she was also holding his hand. Seeing her up close – close enough to see her long lashes behind her thick lenses and smell the faint scent of lavender that he always associated with her – made Yata feel a myriad of emotions that he couldn't hope to pin down any time soon. Her hand was so delicate and gentle that Yata had to check several times that she was still holding him.

"Yata-san was the… the friend I meant before." Aoi said, her face that familiar shade of scarlet that Yata had seen a hundred times before. He was still dumbfounded by Aoi's sudden touch that it took Yata several seconds to fully comprehend what she had said.

"Wha-what?" He screeched just as the other guy exclaimed the same thing.

"You're not serious, right, Aoi-san?" The guy said through gritted teeth, taking a step forward as if to make a grab for her again. Before the guy could take another step, Chitose placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, none too gently yanking him back.

"You heard her, man. Time to back off." Chitose practically sang.

In one smooth motion, someone had slipped Aoi's bag and umbrella from the guy, disoriented but still on guard, and before Yata knew it he was catching the bag and umbrella mid-air with his one free hand.

"You go on ahead with Aoi-chan, Yata-chan." Chitose cheerfully said, one hand still gripping the guy's shoulder. "I think we'll have a nice little talk with Tamaki-san, was it?" The three HOMRA members crowded the blond before he could have a chance to protest. Yata distantly heard him try to weasel his way out of the situation but Yata knew he wasn't getting away with it. Whatever the guys will do to him will be a mercy compared to what Yata had had in mind. Oh if he could get his hands on that blond creep-

"Um, Yata-san?"

Yata felt the anger leave him completely when he realized that nearly forgot that he was still holding Aoi's hand. He turned to her slowly, as if afraid that she might run away if he moved too fast. In his hand, literally and figuratively, was something he felt was so fragile that if he wasn't careful he might lose it again.

"Y-yeah?" He hadn't been thinking about it too much before but he realized that he might have been squeezing her hand too tight and immediately loosened his grip.

Aoi, of course, noticed and turned beet red. Quickly she released her hold on his hand and Yata felt the pit in his stomach plummet. He was such an idiot.

"U-um, uh, I was just thinking… maybe… it would be a good idea to use my umbrella now?" She stammered, adjusting the hem of her coat.

It took Yata a few beats to realize what she meant. It slowly dawned on him that although the rain was slowing down, it hadn't completely stopped. And Aoi and him were standing out in the rain. Aoi's hair was getting damp, her eyeglasses fogging up, droplets of rain were running down her cheeks and-

"Oh crap! Right!" Yata fumbled with opening the umbrella, kicking himself the entire time. Aoi was probably freezing by now! Idiot!

"H-here!" He said, more gruffly than he intended. He held up the umbrella to her, making sure that she was fully sheltered. Yata himself barely felt the rain silently beating down on him.

Aoi looked at him for several seconds. Although her eyes were slightly obscured by her foggy lenses, Yata could see her gentle green eyes gaze at him, part confusion and part hesitation. After a brief silence, Aoi took a deep breath and slowly took hold of the handle of her umbrella. Yata felt himself linger at her touch but ultimately decided to withdraw his hand. Before Yata could say anything, Aoi wordlessly took a few steps closer to him. Aoi was less than a feet away from Yata now, her umbrella shielding both of them.

"Thank you, Yata-san." She said, looking up to him to meet his gaze. Yata noticed that she was holding on to her umbrella almost awkwardly tightly and seemed like she was going to say something. Yata swallowed and steeled himself for the worst.

Aoi opened her mouth to but, for a second, looked at the side of Yata's head distractedly. Before Aoi could utter a word, her nervous gaze dropped and was replaced with confusion.

"Th-they're gone." She said.

"Hah?"

"Your friends... and Tamaki-san..."

Yata whipped around and saw that he and Aoi were indeed alone in the streets. 'Those bastards! How did they even get away so fast?!'

"I'm sorry, Yata-san."

"Wh-what?" He turned and saw that Aoi was no longer looking at him but at the ground, her shoulders tight, and her umbrella was drooping to the front.

"I caused you trouble... again..." Her voice broke and Yata could tell that she was remembering the incident weeks ago.

"I-idiot! It's nothing!" Yata said quickly, wanting to say so much more but not finding the right words fast enough.

Aoi shook her head. "It's not nothing. It's-

Before Yata could change his mind, he quickly grabbed Aoi's hand, the one holding up the umbrella, and said, "L-let's just go."

"Go? Where?"

Yata took a deep breath, hoping that he'd sound more confident than he felt. "I-I'm walking you home, obviously."

"Eh?"

"C'mon!" He said, tugging on Aoi's hand gently and averting her gaze. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Aoi was still looking at him questioningly. If he looked at her too much he'd lose his composure for sure. He resisted the urge to look back and prayed that she wouldn't hate him too much for being so presumptuous.

Yata wasn't entirely sure what he was planning. Obviously, he was going to apologize... once he'd summon enough nerve and come up with the right words. The nerve was easy since he truly was sorry for putting her through so much danger. It was the words that bothered him. Yata was never the best at communicating his feelings and he wanted Aoi to know exactly how sorry he was and, if it's still possible that she and him could maybe still hang out from time to time? Maybe not even hang out just... talked? Or... y'know, just keep being friends? Yata didn't know what he wanted to mean, much less how to say it. Aoi could easily misinterpret his intentions if he said the wrong thing. And Yata was known by many for always saying the wrong thing.

"Yata-san?"

"Y-yes!" Without thinking, he looked at her and saw that she looked hesitant.

He half expected her to yank her hand away and tell him that he was the worst. And maybe he was. Maybe he should just

"The bus stop is that way." She said, pointing to the opposite direction.

"...Right."


A/N: I really didn't progress the story as much as you guys had hoped, didn't I? Sorry, I was going to write more but then I figured I'd save the juicy, cutesy stuff for the next chapter and use this chapter to reassure you guys that I was't dead just yet. I'll hopefully get the next chapter up soon. Won't say when but just soon.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did (or didn't), drop me a review, eh? Writers like me are more motivated to write when we get reviews. Tell me what you think, guys. Don't be afraid to point out this chapter's (or this whole fanfic's) flaws because I'm sure there are a lot of them.

Thanks for reading!