A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys! For those of you who don't know, this website had a major bug that has prevented authors from posting new chapters for about the last 10 days. Chapters were posting but then being unviewable to readers except through the app, and even that was spotty. I posted on time but was victim to the bug! A lot of writer's are saying everything's good now! Here's to hoping it works this time!

How to Protect the One You Love

"I think I love you, Hana."

He waited, wondering if she'd return the sentiment.

She didn't.

He hadn't expected her to, though. Hana was shy, and not good at expressing her feelings out loud. Plus, he'd put her on the spot by declaring this confession so randomly and abruptly.

But, he couldn't help it. There was no better time to tell her what he'd been thinking for days now. What setting could be more perfect than this? The cherry blossoms coating the ground, a backdrop beyond her pretty, pink hair. The quiet whisper of the river beside them. The melody of birdsong carried softly on the breeze. A real date, alone with each other and free from the burdens of school. Warmth, peace, and love.

He didn't know when it was appropriate to say those words in a relationship. Was six months too early? He wasn't sure. The only thing he was sure of was his feelings for her—and love was the only word that matched them.

They continued to sit quietly together for a while longer. He wished he could pull her against him and nap on this blanket with her in his arms. But time was crawling by, and he still had things he wanted to do with her.

"Let's go back," he said as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I want to take you shopping next."

"Shopping?" She looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, there's this really cool market and outdoor mall close to where we're gonna drop off the boat! I'll buy you something you like there."

"You don't have to buy me things, Eijiro…" she said, quietly.

"I know I don't have to." He started to pack up the blanket. "But I want to."

"Eijiro…" her voice was quiet and soft.

"Yeah?" He met her eyes as he stood with his backpack.

"I…" her cheeks were tinged permanently pink. She parted her lips to speak, but her mouth just hung there, partially open, unable to form whatever words she wanted to say. Her parted lips caused that same unwarranted desire from earlier to bloom inside of him. He resisted the urge to kiss her again. "Never mind," she said, quietly.

"Hey." He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles before grinning at her. "Don't make that face. You're supposed to be having fun!"

She smiled, then gave a quick nod. "You're right. Race you to the boat?"

"You'll lose, but okay." He smirked, then released her hand and immediately sprinted toward the boat.

Hana beat him, but only because he ended up slipping in the mud before they reached it.

He rowed them further down-river, shedding his jacket when it got too warm. Hana took the discarded article for herself, using it as a makeshift pillow while she closed her eyes and let the water sway her. He caught the moment when she nuzzled her face against the fabric and breathed in his scent, then tried to play it off as though she was just re-adjusting her position. He could have called her out on it, but decided to spare her the embarrassment. Besides… it was so cute.

A while later, they dropped off the boat and began their trek to the marketplace.

"Oh! I know this place!" Hana smiled widely. "Best Jeanist's agency isn't far from here! I've always wanted to come here and check out the shops, but I can't when I'm working."

"Well, now you can!" He grinned and tugged her along.

They explored and shopped for the next two hours, laughing as they tried on ridiculous outfits, sampled food from a stand on the street, and tossed coins to a small shrine and asked the god there to grant them luck for the upcoming school year. Hana adamantly protested against Eijiro buying her anything, but he saw the way her eyes stared longingly into a shop that sold craft supplies.

"I can buy you yarn," he offered, seriously.

"No… you really don't…"

"Then you can use it to make me a scarf or something, so it's like buying myself a present!"

"It's going to get warmer, Eijiro, you don't need a scarf."

"Come on, Hana~ Make me a fluffy-fluff scarf!"

Finally, he persuaded her to choose some supplies. He had the feeling that this wasn't the typical gift a boyfriend would get for his girlfriend on a date. Jewelry, flowers, or chocolate would probably make more sense. But there was no way Hana's pride would allow him to buy her jewelry, he still didn't know if she liked flowers but doubted it, and she wasn't a fan of chocolate. This practical gift worked better for them. And even though it was small, it made her whole face light up, her silver eyes sparkle like constellations, and her hair glow sunlight-blonde.

She's happy. I make her happy.

"We still have some time before we have to get the train back home," he said. "I thought maybe we could get dinner at five, catch the train at six, and be back home before seven."

"I never knew you could be so responsible," she teased.

"I don't come by it naturally," he smirked. "But you see, I have this really amazing tutor…"

"Hush!" She gave him a playful shove.

He was debating whether tickling her in response would earn him a smack when he saw her eyes shift beyond him. Her expression contorted into something resembling worry.

"Oh no! What happened to it?"

He turned to see what she was looking at, but all he could see were people walking on the sidewalks. "What is it, Hana?"

"Right there! That rabbit! What is it doing out here!" She pointed across the street. "It looks like someone's pet, not something wild, but it's limping really badly."

His gaze followed to where she was pointing, but he still didn't see a rabbit.

She gasped. "Eijiro, we have to help her! Someone's going to crush her!"

"Yeah, okay." He nodded. "Let's cross the street and I'll see if I can find her. You can probably make a net with your hair or something if it comes down to it."

She nodded, then hurried across the street, pulling him behind her.

"Where did it go?" She looked frantically back and forth, silver eyes brimmed with concern. "Shibuya told me once that it's so scary being that small when there are a lot of people around. That poor thing must be terrified."

"We'll find her, don't worry." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"There!" Hana pointed.

Again he saw nothing at the end of her pointed finger. "Wait, Hana… Maybe we should—"

It was too late. She'd released his hand and darted forward, zigzagging past people as she chased an invisible, wounded animal.

"Hana!" He ran after her, a sick feeling suddenly erupting inside of him. His gut was telling him that this was bad news. He'd gotten this sense only a handful of times, and every time it was when villains were involved. No. Not here. Not today.

He fell behind when a woman walked out of a shop with a stroller, blocking his path to Hana. He moved around her in time to see her make a sharp right. "Hana! Stop! Not there!"

A moment later he turned where she had. The sick feeling in his stomach intensified. It was a narrow alleyway that led into other dark corners and corridors.

"Eijiro, she's here!" Her voice came from the shadow around the corner.

He followed her voice to find Hana crouched down at the end of an empty alley. She held her arms up to him, as if cradling a wounded creature. But her hands… were empty.

"Hana…" He crouched down. "We need to get out of here, okay? That's not a rabbit, that's someone's quirk. An illusion or something."

"What are you talking about?" Her eyes were wild. "She's right here, I can feel her fur."

He took a deep breath, then reached out and touched her hands. To her, it must have looked as though his hands had passed completely through the creature's body.

She cried out before dropping the invisible animal and scrambling backward toward the wall. "Oh my god… what…? But why?"

"Cuz my quirk makes convincing illusions," a new voice said. "But only for one person at a time."

Eijiro immediately activated his quirk, eyes scanning for the source of the voice and for their best escape route. He looked up, realizing too late that the threat must be from above. Sure enough, there was the flutter of a black cloak, followed by the thud of boots on the ground in front of him. Eijiro lunged, hoping to grasp the villain's cloak and stop him in his tracks, but then...

Hana tried to scream. The sound was cut short.

The stranger whipped around, one hand crushing Hana's mouth and the other already at her throat with a knife.

For an instant, Eijiro's quirk faltered. All reason, control, and semblance of peace shattered. He had faced and defeated villains before. He had looked death in the face and conquered his fear. But this… seeing Hana in the hands of someone with a knife… watching the way the color drained from both her face and her hair, leaving it stark white against her skin… He thought he'd understood fear before. It was something else entirely to feel fear like this.

Suddenly, he wasn't in an alleyway. He was sitting uselessly in a classroom as his friends fought outside and Katsuki was kidnapped. Time shifted and distorted. He was lying awake in his bed crying, knuckles bloody from beating his punching bag as the fear overwhelmed him. I couldn't do anything to save him.

He heard a muffled sound. It pulled him from the twisted memories and deposited him back in the present moment. At first, he was confused, eyes unfocused on the backs of his hands. His knuckles weren't bleeding. He was somewhere else, some time else.

His gaze shifted back up and vision cleared. Jagged shards of pain tore through his chest when he looked at Hana and saw the tears slipping down her cheeks.

I can't freeze up. She needs me. I have to protect her!

Even though fear made his body feel heavy, he managed to move. He lifted his hands in a placating gesture, then spoke, trying to make his voice as even and calm as possible.

"Hey man," he said. "Take it easy. You don't have to hurt anybody, we're not going to fight you." He slid his backpack off one shoulder. "Our wallets and phones are right here." He dropped it then lifted his hands back up. "You can have it all, just please let her go."

The man's eyes were deranged in the shadow of the hood. He let out a broken laugh. "You think I want your money, wannabe hero?" The knife gleamed in the dim light. "That's not what I'm here for. Unfortunately for you, boy, it's your date that I want."

"Why?" Eijiro asked, fear spiking again as Hana squinted her eyes shut and trembled in the man's hold.

"I knew I recognized you," the villain hissed into Hana's ear. "This is Jeanist's turf. You know what that bastard did to me? He took down the gang that raised me from the time I was a snot-nosed kid! I only got away thanks to my illusions. Everyone else… not so lucky. And I didn't leave without scratches." He dropped the hand from Hana's mouth and lifted his shirt beneath his cloak, showing skin littered with long, thin scars. The kind that might be caused by string cutting into flesh.

"I get that you're mad about that, I would be too!" Eijiro said. "But come on, man. It doesn't have anything to do with her."

"That's where you're wrong. I've seen her on patrols with him, I know she works with him."

"I don't!" Hana protested, her voice strained by panic and tears. "It was just a work study, he probably doesn't remember me!"

"Liar!" He pressed the knife down against the ribbon on her throat. "I saw the way he looked at you. The way Boss looked at us! Like we were his children! Like he was proud of us!"

Hana whimpered and Eijiro took an instinctual step forward.

"Don't move!" The man yelled. "I'll kill her."

Eijiro froze. He could feel cold sweat running down his neck and forehead.

"No… I'll take her as a hostage and wait for Best Jeanist to come to her rescue. Then, I'll kill him!"

"No, you won't!" Hana suddenly jabbed her elbow into his stomach and jerked away. The man's knife bit down, but only succeeded in slicing her ribbon, barely scratching flesh before she flailed away from him. She scrambled past him, hiding behind Eijiro as the man cursed.

Relief washed over him. She's safe.

"Hana, run and get help!" He activated his quirk again and blocked the alleyway, refusing to let the man get close to her.

"I won't leave you!" she screamed.

"Go! I'll be fine! He can't cut through me!"

The man advanced, blade drawn and eyes crazed.

"You don't have anything to restrain him with!" Hana cried.

"Hana, what kind of man would I be if I can't even protect the woman I love?!"

The villain advanced, lunging forward with his blade. It clanged loudly against Eijiro's skin. He gripped the man's arm and wrestled with him, praying that Hana would run somewhere safe.

The man swung again, blade uselessly scraping toughened skin. Eijiro gripped his wrist and forced the blade out of his hand. It clattered to the ground.

In a flash, Hana plucked the knife up.

"Hana! I said—"

She ignored him, gathered her hair in her hands, and used the knife to slice through it. From her hair, a net was formed. She tossed it forward, and Eijiro took the opportunity instantly, grabbing the net and using it to restrain the flailing villain.

"Go get help, Hana!"

This time, she obeyed. She grabbed his backpack and ran back out of the alleyway while fishing for her phone.

Thank god, she's safe.

An hour later, Hana and Eijiro sat in Best Jeanist's office, with the pro-hero and a few members of the police-force, who were taking their testimony. Or… trying to take their testimony.

The truth was, Eijiro was the only one describing what had happened. Hana hadn't been able to speak since she sat down. And no matter how hard she tried to stop them, hot tears continued to slowly roll down her face. She couldn't control her trembling.

"Kanzashi," a police officer called to her. "Do you have anything to add to the statement?"

She shook her head, watching as her tears fell on the back of her hands, while she clutched her shirt.

"Then, you attest to the truthfulness of everything Kirishima provided?"

She nodded. She could feel Eijiro looking at her, but she was too afraid to meet his gaze.

"Very well. Someone from U.A. should be here shortly to take you kids back to the campus. Good work out there."

The police officers excused themselves, leaving the teens alone with Hana's favorite pro-hero.

No one spoke for a long time. The only sound was Hana's sniffling and the occasional awkward adjustment of Eijiro in his seat next to her.

"Kanzashi," Best Jeanist addressed her.

"Y-yes sir…?" Her voice was little more than a whisper.

"Come here."

She stood up, body sagging and protesting the motion. She still avoided Eijiro's gaze as she dragged her feet over to where the man was standing.

"Look at you," Best Jeanist sighed. "You look like you're coming apart at the seams. Let's get you stitched up."

She held perfectly still while he fussed over her, brushing and smoothing down her wild hair and fixing the wrinkles in her clothes.

"What's in your hand?"

She stared at her clenched fist. The tails of her ribbon flowed down from it. She held it up to him, and for some reason, the sight of it sliced in half made her sob. It was so stupid, but when she'd seen it laying on the ground next to the backpack, dirty and torn, she couldn't help but pick it up and clutch it to her chest. It was just a scrap of fabric made from her own hair, and yet… it was precious to her. And it had saved her life.

"No need to cry over frayed thread." Best Jeanist took the proffered ribbon, plucked a hair from Hana's head, and used the thread to instantly sew the two pieces back together. "There you go." He patted her short, blue hair. "For what it's worth, I'm proud of you, Kanzashi. Your quick thinking made you an invaluable asset to a young hero. It seems you and I are cut from the same cloth."

She should have been honored to hear those words. Praise from the hero she admired and wanted to work for once she graduated. But it wasn't pride she felt soaking deep into her bones. It was shame.

He poured them tea while they waited for All Might to arrive and drive them back to campus. Hana didn't drink or speak again. She avoided Eijiro's eyes, and the occasional, quiet question. "Are you okay, Hana?"

All Might picked them up and gave them a similar pep talk. His words were nothing but garbled nonsense to Hana. White noise in the background of her looping thoughts. He was praising them for their teamwork, promising to tell Miss Thirteen all about Hana's bravery. The words were hollow and disjointed. She ignored them as she stared outside at the twilight-touched landscapes passing by.

Once, she felt Eijiro's hand rest on the back of hers. It was gentle, his fingers soft as they slid over the backs of hers to interlace with them. But Hana ripped her hand away and tucked it under her armpit, denying him any kind of access. She watched from the corner of her eye as his hand hovered there, stung by the rejection.

I'm sorry, she wanted to say. I can't. I'm so sorry, Eijiro.

But the words wouldn't come.

Mr. Aizawa and Thirteen were waiting for them when they got out of All Might's car. The first thing Eijiro did was to prostrate himself low before his homeroom teacher. "I'm sorry I failed you, sir! I promised you I wouldn't let my guard down, but—"

"Kirishima," he interrupted. Eijiro winced as his hand reached out to pat his head. "You did good, kid."

Thirteen put her hands on Hana's shoulders and looked at her for a long time. Hana didn't speak, neither did her teacher. At last, her space-suit arms circled around her in an uncharacteristic embrace. Hana realized she'd done this so the others wouldn't hear her whispered words against Hana's ear.

"This was not your fault, and you will be okay."

The words made Hana start to cry again.

"I think these young students need to get some rest," All Might said. "It was a trying day for them. Facing a villain is never easy. Particularly the first time." Hana felt his eyes land on her.

"You heard the man," Mr. Aizawa said. "Come on, Kirishima."

"Wait," Eijiro blurted. "Can I… have just a minute to talk to Hana alone?"

Mr. Aizawa shared a look with the other teachers, then gave a brief nod. "Five minutes, Kirishima. Then I want you in the dorm."

"Yes, sir!"

The teachers left them alone in the courtyard, standing in the yellow light of a street lamp in the silence.

Hana tensed as Eijiro stepped closer to her. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Suddenly she was freezing.

"Hana…?" His voice was cautious but gentle. "You haven't talked to me ever since…" he trailed off. "Are you okay?"

She didn't answer. How could she? How could she possibly express everything that she was feeling? Her throat was clamped shut, words impossible to force out.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. He stood directly in front of her. "I should have done more to protect you."

She rubbed her arms as the shivers shook her body. It's not your fault, she wanted to assure him. But her mouth was a barren wasteland, the words nothing but dust.

"I know how scared you must have been," he said. "But we made it! We caught the villain and no one was hurt! That's a victory, right?"

She didn't respond.

He reached out as if he wanted to cup her face, but he must have remembered the way she pulled away from him in the car, because his hand fell. "Please… talk to me, Hana."

"I-I…" she tried, but it was useless. "I can't…"

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what you're feeling," he said quietly. "It's my job to be there for you. You gotta communicate with me. That's what couples do, right?"

She shuddered, then shook her head. I can't.

"Here…" He unzipped his hoodie and draped it over her shoulders. "You're shivering."

Her tears splashed on the pavement between them. Eijiro started to pull away, but hesitated. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. "It's okay, Hana. It's gonna be okay."

It's not, she thought. It's my fault. It's all my fault.

"Let me walk you to your dorm."

She shook her head and stepped out of his embrace. "No… I want to be alone."

She closed her eyes so she wouldn't see the hurt on his face.

"That's cool!" he said, though the cheerful tone was strained. "Text me when you're settled in, kay?"

She nodded, then started to take off his jacket, but he shook his head.

"Keep it," he said. "Maybe it'll make you feel better." He was smiling, despite everything. "If you sleep with it, it'll be kind of like I'm there with you, holding you all night long. You can even imagine me, if you want! I don't mind."

He was trying to make her laugh, trying to diffuse the tension between them.

Hana tried to smile, but she was sure it looked more like a scowl. "Thank you," she said, voice hoarse.

"Yeah, no problem."

An awkward moment ensued. He looked like he wanted to say or do more. Maybe he wanted to hug her again, or kiss her, or beg her to open up to him about the things she was feeling. Whatever it was, he decided against it. Instead, he gave her a wave, then stood there in the yellow light as she walked away.

Five days. Five full days and Hana hadn't answered one text or phone call—had missed every meal and somehow was never where he expected her to be in the halls. He'd been to the third-year dorms once to ask for her, but her classmates had been evasive, refusing to allow him access to the second floor where her room was.

Five days.

It was Friday, now, and Eijiro wasn't paying attention in class. His whole body felt sore, all the energy drained from him as though he'd been stricken with the flu. And in his chest was an ever-present, crushing ache.

She'd said she wanted to be alone. He understood that she had to cope with what happened on Saturday. He also knew that it must have been so much more traumatizing for her to run into a villain than it was for him. And yet… did all of that warrant her avoiding him, blatantly ignoring him, hiding from him for five days?

He couldn't stop thinking about how she'd ripped her hand away from him in the car. And how she'd rejected his offer to walk her to her dorm that night. The stinging poison of rejection spread even further, tainting the kiss they'd shared on the riverbank when she'd pulled away from him then, too. He'd thought that it was because she was embarrassed and not ready to have that intimate of a kiss with him, but what if it was something more? What if there was another reason she pulled away? A reason she didn't respond when he'd told her he loved her?

Maybe she doesn't feel the same way. Maybe the whole date was just Hana trying not to hurt my feelings since I was so excited about our anniversary. Did she even want to be there?

Maybe… just maybe… the final straw for her had been in that alleyway. She'd seen him freeze up. She was the one who had to pry herself away from the villain and come to Eijiro's rescue with the net made from her hair. She'd seen him weak and useless and scared. And maybe seeing him like that had tarnished whatever remained of her feelings for him. Maybe it was over.

He didn't even know the bell had rung. It hadn't registered in the dark place of his thoughts. He might have stayed there forever, staring at the corner of his desk until the lights went out for the night. But then Katsuki kicked his desk, jerking him out of his slump.

"Stop being a sissy," his friend barked.

"Would it kill you to be nice for once?" Eijiro said, finally standing.

"It might," Katsuki growled before storming from the classroom.

Eijiro didn't go to dinner. He had no appetite and decided he'd rather play games on his computer than be around people. Plus, he knew Hana wouldn't be in the cafeteria either, and it was almost too much to take. He didn't want to find himself looking for her just to be disappointed again.

He gave up playing League of Warstory after about an hour, when he kept getting slaughtered in battle for being too distracted. He slumped on his bed and stared at his phone again—at the thread of messages he'd sent Hana over the last week. He must have asked if she was okay at least ten times. A few texts were walls of apology for failing her. One was begging to see her again.

The more he looked at them, the more humiliated and rejected he felt. There was even bitterness growing inside of him. He'd tried so hard to make Saturday special for her, but because of his failures during a villain attack, all of that meant nothing?

That's selfish, he told himself. If I hadn't frozen up and acted weak, she'd still be talking to me.

He tapped on the message box, thumbs hovering over the keys. Then, with his heart thumping somewhere in his throat, he sent her one last text.

Are you going to break up with me Hana?

He waited for a couple of minutes to see if she'd respond. When she didn't, he tossed his phone on the ground and curled up with his pillow.

This sucks.

Emotional exhaustion wore down on him and, even though it was still early, he let himself drift to sleep.

He was roused from his slumber by a knock on his door. He rolled over and sat up groggily, rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. 9:16 PM. Great, my sleep schedule's gonna be screwed.

There was another, more insistent knock.

"Hold on," he yawned. "Give me a sec."

Probably Kaminari coming to hassle me about letting him leech off my Webflix account.

He dragged his feet to the door, stretched, then opened it. "Kaminari, dude, you can't just freeload off of people forever. I already pay for Katsuki, Ashido, and… Hana?"

His heart stopped beating.

There she was. Her long hair was messy, as dark blue as the ocean depths. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose scraped raw as if she'd been wiping it all day. Her skin pale and splotchy. No makeup, no ribbons or bows or hair ties.

It was shocking. It was heartbreaking. He didn't want to see her like this, and yet he couldn't look away.

"Hana… what are you…?" His eyes went wide. "It's after curfew, why are you over here?!"

She stared at the ground, her body trembling. It was only then that he realized she was wearing his jacket, wrapping it tightly around her torso as she shivered. "Can I come in?" she asked, voice hoarse.

"Yeah, of course. Always." He held the door open for her.

She slipped inside, then stood in the middle of his floor near his punching bag as he closed the door behind them.

He waited, watching her closely as she stood there. His chest hurt so much more with her in his room. The pain and fear he had felt were nearing a breaking point. And on top of that, the guilt and shame. He was the reason she was crying. He was why she looked so run-down and worn-out. If he'd just been stronger…

Even though she was the one who'd showed up at his door, she still didn't speak. She just stood there, crying. And Eijiro had no idea how to respond to that.

"Hana…" are you okay? he wanted to ask. But it was a stupid question. She obviously wasn't okay. Neither was he. Neither were they. "Hana, I'm so sorry I let you down!" He clenched his fists, feeling traitorous tears prick at his own eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you."

Her jaw clenched and a fresh wave of tears fell. "You're so stupid, Eijiro!" she said, her voice a frantic cry.

He winced. "Yeah… I know.."

"How could you ask me that?!" she sobbed. "Do you really think I'm going to break up with you?"

Oh, he realized. My text message.

"Well, I…" he frowned. "You've been ignoring me for an entire week, so… yeah, I thought that maybe…"

"You're so stupid…" she gasped for air, clearly trying to control her tears, but failing.

"So… you don't want to break up with me?" He asked, not sure how to take her words.

Without warning, she threw herself against him, clutching his shirt in her hands as she cried against his chest. He stood there, unmoving, while she wept. His instincts told him to wrap his arms around her, but he didn't know if she wanted that. She'd pushed him away so much lately…

"It's my fault," she whimpered. "I followed that stupid rabbit into the alley. I was the one he wanted. If it wasn't for me, then…" her hands shook, "I'm so sorry, Eijiro! He could have hurt you and it would have been all my fault!"

"Hey…" The outburst shocked him. Hana had been blaming herself this whole time? But he was the one who failed her. "It's not your fault. The villain was after Best Jeanist, not you. And of course you wanted to help the rabbit. You're a good person."

"I'm not…" she cried. "A good person doesn't push away her boyfriend and hurt him just because she's scared!"

"Hana…" This time, he did wrap his arms around her.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you," she whispered. "I don't… I'm not… it's so hard for me to talk about my feelings. And I felt so many things, that I… I ran away from you again, like you were the villain. But I didn't mean to make you think that I don't want to be with you!"

"Sorry…" he said, quietly. "I just didn't know what to think. You've gotta talk to me, Hana."

"I know…" she whispered. "Eijiro… I was so scared that day…"

"Me too," he admitted.

She looked up at him, her silver eyes surprised. "You were?"

"Yeah," he nodded, seriously. "Facing villains is always scary. But what really scared me was thinking I might lose you, and that I was powerless to stop it."

Her eyes flicked back and forth between his. "I was afraid of you getting hurt because of me," she admitted. "And I was afraid of him taking me away from you."

"But look," Eijiro pushed wet hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "We're okay now. We made it."

"That's not all…" she looked away again. "I ruined everything. You worked so hard and I wrecked it. It was supposed to be the best day ever, but…"

"Most of the day was still the best day ever," he said, smiling down at her. "You have to look at the positive. What about our train ride? Sitting in the boat on the water? The cherry blossoms, lunch on the shore, kissing each other… Those were good things that happened that day… right?" His tone betrayed the hint of insecurity there.

She didn't answer, and even though she'd made it pretty clear she wasn't going to break up with him, the silence still hurt. He knew it. He knew that those things didn't mean as much to her as they did to him. It was like Ashido said. He'd gotten too invested in something that wasn't as equally valued. And it was going to end up breaking his heart.

"I'll try," she whispered.

"Huh?" He blinked at her when she met his gaze.

"I'll try… to stop hiding my feelings…"

It was so ironic that this was Hana's biggest obstacle to overcome. The girl whose hair changed colors to match the feelings she so desperately wanted to flee from.

He opened his mouth to respond, but didn't get the chance. Suddenly, she was kissing him. Her hands released his shirt so that she could wrap her arms around him. She pressed her body flush against his as her lips moved, coaxing his own to respond.

One of his hands tangled in her hair while the other cupped her face, wiping away cold tears from her wet cheek. "Don't cry anymore, Hana," he whispered against her mouth. "I want you to be happy with me. I want to be one of the reasons you smile."

"Eijiro…" She kissed him again, and this time the motion made very different feelings suddenly ignite inside of him—when her tongue tenderly explored his lips.

She pulled away from me before, but now…

He parted his lips and deepened the kiss, more than willing to accept the invitation of her waiting tongue.

It was tender, careful, and easy. He'd expected this to be awkward, but that wasn't the case at all. Instead, it felt like a natural evolution of the kisses they already shared together. It was intimate and warm, stirring emotions deep inside of him. The love he felt for her expanding and unfurling as they tasted each other for the first time. I want to do this forever… I don't want to lose you… I want you to love me like I love you.

They gently broke the kiss when it felt natural, but kept their faces close to one another, warm breaths on skin, quiet sighs.

"...I think… I do, too," she whispered.

He leaned back to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed, and the blue in her hair seemed lighter now, streaked with gold and pink. He brushed her jaw with his thumb and gave her a puzzled look.

She kissed him again, chastely now. "You know…" she murmured.

"I…?"

"Here." She reached into the pocket of his hoodie that she was wearing and pulled out the familiar, pink ribbon. It was almost impossible to see the scar on the fabric from where it had been cut, but it was there. A reminder of their fight in the alley. A reminder of the way they supported one another in a time of trial. She stepped back and placed it in his hands. "Can you put it in my hair? For old time's sake?"

He smiled. "Yeah, of course."

She turned around and Eijiro managed to make a poor excuse for a ponytail, with the ribbon as its place-holder. He ran his fingers through her soft hair, relishing in the way it flowed against his skin. "So pretty," he said.

When she turned around to look at him again, she was smiling.

"Hana… you don't want to break up with me?"

"No," she said, taking his hands in hers.

"Do you still like me?"

"Yes," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Do you… love me?"

"Eijiro… don't make me say embarrassing stuff like that…" Her gaze was full of meaning.

"Please, Hana. Just this once. Tell me how you feel. I need to know."

She sighed, then kissed him one last time as his hand played with the ribbon in her hair. "I love you, Eijiro Kirishima."

A/N: There you have it! The ending of The Ribbon! Please tell me what you thought of the story! I really want to hear all of your opinions!

As previously stated, this is the last official chapter and the story will now be moving on to a sequel with different tones. I'll post the introduction to the sequel in the coming week! Thanks to everyone who enjoyed this story! Special shoutout to Carl Johnson1, Conejo-sama, and EmikoBankotsu for your regular reviews and feedback on the story! Your reviews kept me going!