Her Name

Amiru had thought that, after the sports festival, she wouldn't see Kirishima-senpai again. At least, not beyond the occasional glance in a hallway. He was done training her and she had disgraced herself in front of him. She admitted to everything in that text message. Admitted to the fact that seeing him with his beautiful, perfect girlfriend made her lose her match. She thought for sure that he'd stop talking to her after that.

But he was the one who suggested they keep training together.

"If you still want to learn, I still want to teach!" he'd said.

"Are you sure that's okay? I don't want to… um… make you uncomfortable or upset your girlfriend or anything."

"Nah, it's cool! It's just hanging out and sparring together as friends, right?"

So, that's what they'd done for the past week. He went to his work-study Monday and Thursday, and hung out with her Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday… and now it was Saturday.

He faced her in the clearing where they always trained. His quirk was activated and his eyes were locked on hers.

"Alright, Orine! I want you to take me down with your quirk! Use it on me!"

This is what they'd been practicing all week. She was doing her best to get comfortable with using her quirk on people. Overcoming that obstacle would have won her the match last Saturday.

She took a shaky breath but nodded with determination. "Get ready, Senpai!"

She held out her hand and activated her quirk. Then watched as he struggled against the weight of gravity, fighting with everything he had to stay on his feet. Her fingers twitched as she applied more gravity and watched him succumb, crashing to his knees. Just a little more forced him flat on the ground.

"A-Am I hurting you?" she asked, uncertainly.

"No," he said through gritted teeth. "Keep me down, student!" He was pushing against the ground with his arms, trying to overcome the invisible weight on him.

No, you don't!

More pressure. Just enough to pin him down, completely immobilized. She could feel him straining against her, causing the muscles in her arms to tighten and burn with the pain that came from her quirk. Still, she held firm. She'd hold him down as long as he had fight in him.

"Okay," he heaved. "That's enough!"

She released her quirk immediately. "A-Are you okay?" she asked as he stood up and released his quirk as well.

"Yeah, I'm great." He cast her his signature, pointy-toothed grin. "That was amazing, Orine!"

His praise made her body feel hot and charged with electricity.

"You'll be able to use your quirk on an ordinary person in no time!"

She was still basking in his words of encouragement when he sat down on the grass, cross-legged near his backpack. "You hungry?" He dug through the bag and pulled out two lunchboxes. "Made a couple of egg salad sandwiches for us!"

He's offering me a homemade sandwich? Am I dreaming?

"What's up? Not a fan of eggs? Man, I knew I should have texted you about it first…"

"No!" She quickly plopped onto the ground next to him. "I love you! I mean I love eggs! I mean I love your eggs! Er, y-your egg sandwiches!" Great, that couldn't have been more awkward. I'd like to crawl in a hole and die now, please.

He gave a loud laugh before handing her a lunchbox. "You're so funny, Orine."

Thank god. He thinks I was joking.

They ate in silence for a moment, though Amiru was so distracted that she couldn't even taste the sandwich. She was acutely aware of the boy next to her, their arms almost touching, his head tilted back to look up at the sky.

He's so cool. I wish I could tell him that. But I shouldn't, right? He has a girlfriend. I shouldn't compliment him too much.

She was trying her best to be friendly—to not let her crush or hero obsession get any worse. Kirishima had Kanzashi. Amiru's friends warned her all the time that those two had been in love since he was a first-year. That they were crowned UA High's cutest couple last year. That they'd been caught past curfew doing unsavory things with each other because they couldn't stay apart.

For a long time, she pretended that Kanzashi didn't exist. It was easier to delude herself when the mysterious girlfriend never made an appearance, never came out from behind the curtain. But then Amiru had seen them together at the Sports Festival and she knew she'd been fooling herself.

They were perfect together.

Kanzashi was beautiful, with her blonde hair, long legs, and clothes that looked more expensive than anything Amiru could ever afford. Worse, she probably made them with her own, awesome quirk. And Kirishima-senpai looked even cooler next to her, his strength and confidence somehow bolstered by her quiet presence beside him. They were the definition of a power couple, the kind of people that struck awe everywhere they went.

He looked so happy. Much happier than Amiru had ever seen him. He looked so happy that he could laugh out loud or dance. When he put his arm around Kanzashi's waist, his whole body seemed to scream, "She's the best gift I've ever had."

Seeing them together hurt. A lot. But an emotion even stronger than the pain had reared its ugly head that day—when she was crying in the waiting room before her battle.

Shame.

She felt terrible for even thinking she had a chance with Kirishima. For thinking of him as more than her favorite hero and her tutor. She should have never fantasized, never wanted more than that. It was so selfish to imagine a world where he wasn't with his girlfriend. Because—at the end of the day and whether she liked it or not—he was in love with her, they were happy together, and thinking about ending that made Amiru a horrible, selfish human being.

So, she'd been careful this week to tame her tongue. She didn't want to fawn over him too much. She hoped that she would get used to being his friend and training buddy without thoughts of anything else. She wanted to learn to just enjoy their time together. As friends.

"It's warm today," he said, pulling her from her thoughts. "Really feels like summer is right around the corner."

"It's only a month away," she said. "Only two months until summer vacation!"

He laughed. "You know… I can't decide if two months is the shortest or the longest time ever."

"Two months is just two months, weirdo," she teased.

"Yeah…" he laughed, quieter this time. "I guess you're right."

Something about his mood seemed to change and Amiru got the sense she'd said something wrong. Quick, I need to recover! "So, um… speaking of summer break! Do you know what you're going to do yet?"

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say too, because his shoulders visibly stiffened and he started to pick the bread on his sandwich like he lost his appetite.

"I don't know." He gave a noncommittal shrug. "Last year I went to my parents' summer cabin. It was… the best summer I've ever had."

"Well… if you had that much fun, why don't you go there again?"

He let out a sigh that was so small she almost didn't notice it. "Things might be different this year," he said. "Who knows what will happen by summer break."

She started to pick at her bread too. "Well… if you can't find anything else to do, then we can hang out during the summer! I usually stay around here and don't travel, so you can hit me up if you get bored!"

Oh no. I shouldn't have said that. That sounds like I'm trying to get closer to him. Closer than a friend would. That's what it sounds like, right? I didn't mean it like that, I was just trying to be nice!

He glanced at her and gave a small smile. "Yeah, maybe. Doesn't sound too bad." He sat down his half-finished sandwich and leaned back on his palms. "Hana will probably be too busy to spend time with me anyway."

Oh. That's why he's being weird.

Amiru didn't say anything to this. She never knew what she was supposed to say when he brought up his girlfriend—which had happened a few times now. He never said much about her. Just that he missed her and she was too busy to spend much time with him. Amiru didn't want to tell him that maybe it wasn't appropriate to talk about his relationship with her, because she also wanted to be supportive and let him lean on her the way any friend would. But she also couldn't offer any advice or ask too many questions because she knew she was biased, whether she wanted to be or not. So, usually, she just sat in silence, waiting to see if he wanted to talk about her.

"She's still ignoring me," he continued, after a few moments of awkward silence. "You'd think she'd at least respond to a text, right?" He laughed but the sound was bitter. "I mean, it's been a week now."

She sat down her sandwich, too. "Um… do you want to talk about it?"

He let out a long sigh that definitely sounded relieved. Was he waiting for her to ask that? Waiting for permission to vent?

"I kinda feel like things are falling apart for us," he said. He lowered his head and plucked up a few blades of grass. "Ever since she graduated, things have been different."

Amiru thought carefully about how to respond to this. "Um… isn't that normal, though? I-I mean, like… of course things would change! She doesn't go to school anymore. It's kind of a long-distance relationship now, right?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Which would be fine if she wanted to at least visit or talk sometimes."

Amiru shuffled, uncomfortably. Should she stay silent and let him talk? Or show she was interested in his problems and that he was allowed to talk to her about anything?

"What happened between you guys?" she asked, finally. "I mean… you seemed totally fine at the festival. Like, you were so cute together, you know? I could tell that you were really, really happy."

He rolled his shoulders back to ease some building tension. "We were! Or, I thought we were. But then afterward—" he stopped abruptly. Now, his red eyes flicked over to her, and there was clear indecision in them. He must have realized he was saying too much.

"You don't have to tell me!" she held her hands up. "T-That's your business with your girlfriend, not mine! I just thought that if you wanted to talk about it, I would totally listen to you! Like, if you need to get something off your chest! As a friend!"

He looked back up at the sky. "I want to talk about it but…" Another glance in her direction. "Ah… maybe it's not appropriate."

"T-Totally up to you!"

He closed his eyes, assumedly considering how personal he was going to be with his information. "We… got in a fight," he said, carefully. "She didn't tell me she had to go back to work. I thought we could hang out longer and talk about stuff but she sort of ditched me in a way that… really hurt. I still feel kind of used or something. Sorry, I probably sound like a whiny kid."

"What?" She turned to face him. "Why would you say that, senpai? You don't act like a kid at all! You're strong and mature and super cool! You can't help the way you feel! Your feelings don't make you any less cool or any less… anything! If you feel used, you feel used. That's okay!"

He met her gaze. His lips were parted slightly and his eyes wide, as if he wasn't expecting her to say something like that. He finally smiled and looked away. "That's nice to hear. Hana… uh, I mean… Sometimes I feel like a dumb kid. Probably just because she's older than me."

A pang of sadness touched Amiru's heart. Did Kanzashi make him feel like he wasn't good enough? Did she call him a child or make him feel stupid when he was being honest with his feelings? If she was really that kind of person, then was it healthy for him to be with her? The way it looked from where she sat, Kirishima wasn't happy with her at all. At least, not right now.

"Senpai…" she took a deep breath. "Why do you feel used? Maybe it's just a bad script in your mind making you feel that way. Or maybe you really were treated unfairly and your brain is trying to deal with it. You can tell me. If you want."

He glanced at her again, then away into the forest, then back. "Uh… Well… you know that me and my girlfriend… We like… you know."

She tried to make sense of his words. She felt like she was missing something very obvious here.

"We get physical with each other…" he said, his face hopeful, wanting her to understand.

"Like… making out and stuff?"

"Yeah… and more than that. We… you know… have sex."

A flash of heat surged through her so fast and so violently that she actually squeaked in surprise. She clasped her hands over her mouth to prevent another startled sound, then stared at his concerned expression.

"Sorry." He scratched the back of his head, nervously. "That was TMI, right? I shouldn't have said anything."

"N-No, it's okay!" She waved her hands frantically in the air. "I-I mean, of course, you do that! You guys have been dating for a long time, right? T-That's totally normal! I think… N-Not that I know anything about it, I just mean that you don't have to feel bad about saying it! It's not TMI, it's just the truth! You don't have to censor yourself in front of me, it's okay to just say whatever's bothering you, I promise I won't be weird! I mean, I guess I was weird just now, but I won't be weird again, I promise!"

He chuckled. "Don't worry. A year ago, I would have freaked out about it too. I didn't know anything about it back then, either."

When he said this, Amiru suddenly felt like the divide between them, which she often tried to ignore, was wider than ever. He was older than her, with much more experience in just about everything. Hero-work, school, life, love. She was just a kid by comparison. He was out there living his best life, having sex with his grown-up girlfriend (wait, was that even legal?), and dealing with problems way bigger than things like homework and exams.

"Anyway…" He cleared his throat. "I won't go into details or anything. I just brought it up because last Saturday me and Hana were… doing that. I thought things were good between us. I was having a good time. I thought that she… I thought she really wanted me." He let out a sad sigh. "But she didn't. She was just trying to get it over with so she could go back to work. We got in a fight about it and both said things we shouldn't have, and she hasn't talked to me since then."

"Oh…" Amiru let this information settle. She didn't fully understand, but it sounded like Kirishima was trusting Kanzashi with his feelings and his body, and she took advantage of those things. "So… it felt like she was doing it for the wrong reasons? Instead of like… because she loves you?"

"Yeah," he affirmed. "It felt like it didn't mean anything to her and she just did it so that I couldn't complain about her not spending time with me or something."

"Wow…" she chewed her lip. "I'm sorry, senpai. It sounds like she really hurt your feelings."

"She did," he agreed. "And she doesn't even want to talk about it. I don't think she's ever been this mad at me before. It makes me feel like… Like what if she's over me?" His expression turned pained. "What if she's tired of wasting her time on a high school kid when she has way more important things to deal with? What if she wasn't into it on Saturday because she's not into me anymore, and she's just trying not to hurt my feelings? What if she wants to break up with me?"

Amiru thought that, by the sounds of it, it might be better if that were the case. It seemed like their relationship had grown toxic and there were unmet expectations on both sides.

"I don't… really know how to comfort you, Kirishima-senpai…" she said, softly. "But I'll listen if you want to keep talking."

"I want to talk to my girlfriend," he said with a groan. "But she won't talk to me anymore, and I just… I don't know. If she does break up with me, then I don't know what I'll do. She's everything to me. She was my first everything. My first crush, my first date, my first kiss, my first…" he cleared his throat. "We've shared all of that with each other. I feel like there's nothing in the last two years of my life that she hasn't colored and changed in some way. I don't want to imagine a life without her. I don't want to imagine a me without her."

Wow… He really loves her.

The realization hurt. Amiru knew that even if Kirishima and Kanzashi did break up… Even if he started dating her one day, he would never love her the way he loved Kanzashi. Because Amiru couldn't be his first anything. Nothing would change that. And that was why it was so selfish to delude herself.

"I've never had a boyfriend, so I can't give good advice," she said carefully. "But, um… I know that sometimes things happen in peoples' lives that change things. And that sometimes couples realize they're not really compatible with each other, after all. I'm not saying that's how it is with you guys! I just mean… Maybe you thought you had stuff in common but now that she's out of high school, you're realizing that you don't? And that must hurt so much… But, it will be okay." She offered him a smile, hoping he saw her sincerity. Hoping to convey her support, she reached out and rested her hand on the back of his. "Everything will be okay, senpai. You have to believe that. And you have to keep believing in yourself, no matter what happens. Even if Kanzashi breaks up with you, which is a big if. I think maybe you should stop thinking about that for now and just focus on believing in who you are."

"So, you're saying that I'm worrying too much, right?" He looked at her with sparkling red eyes and chuckled. "And that I should stop thinking so much and just try to make myself happy?"

She nodded, vigorously. "That's all we can do right? Worry about our own happiness?"

"Yeah." He let out a soft sigh. "I guess that's true. I can't change what happened on Saturday and I can't change how Hana feels about me either. But I can change my outlook."

"See!" She grinned. "You're such an easygoing person underneath your worries! Just think about that!"

"I guess I will," he laughed. Then, he turned his hand over, wrapped his fingers around hers, and gave a long squeeze. "Thanks, Orine. You made me feel a lot better."

She blushed at the contact. He was holding her hand. Squeezing it. Looking at her dead in the eyes, smiling, and saying 'thank you.'

"Anytime," she whispered. "Seriously, Kirishima. You can talk to me whenever you want to. I'll do anything to make you feel better. I'll do anything for you."

She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Here she'd been trying to control her tongue. Trying not to say anything inappropriate, or anything that would suggest she was trying to pry apart the romantic relationship he already had with his girlfriend. But the words just flung themselves out of her mouth like they tended to do.

"You're really honest, Amiru," he laughed. He released her hand and stood up, stretching toward the sky. "I like that about you."

She stood up, too.

"I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest! Kind of funny, considering your quirk." He winked at her while cheesing it up with his wide grin. "I'm gonna head back to my dorm and take a shower, now. Text later?"

"Yeah!" She said, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Cool! See ya." He picked his backpack up and slung it over his shoulder before walking out of the clearing.

Amiru stood there for a long time, her body churning with a million feelings and sensations. Louder than any of them, however, was the word echoing like an explosion on canyon walls in her mind.

Amiru. He said my name. It was an accident, right? He didn't mean to say it. Right? But what if he did?

He said my name.

She wasn't easy to read, that was for sure. Her ever-changing hair colors were misleading. Sure, they expressed her emotions at the surface level—even if she'd have preferred they didn't—but the temptation to judge her based on that alone was a trap that too many fell into.

He never had to ask what her quirk did. It was obvious within the first few minutes of meeting her. Her hair shifted color in response to basic emotional changes. Red was anger, black was bitterness, pink was embarrassment, blue was sadness, green was envy, and blonde was both the neutral state as well as an expression of joy. But these crude expressions were no better a gauge than those cheap mood rings that changed color according to temperature.

No… the real tell was in the subtleties—and not the ones in her hair. It was the tiny motion at the edge of her lips, or the way an eyebrow arched, or the twitch of her fingers or flutter of her eyelashes.

It had taken James almost two months to crack the code, but he liked to think he was finally starting to understand Kinuhana Kanzashi.

Like now, as she flipped through the pages on his tablet. Her eyes were focused, her hair was blonde, but the corner of her lip kept twitching in a frown.

"You hate them, don't you?" he asked.

"No. Of course not." She straightened up.

"Come on, Kinuhana. The last time someone looked at my designs like that was when I tried to convince my mom that I could make it at a design school in France."

She covered her mouth with her wrist to mask her responding giggle. She had no idea how cute she looked when she did that.

"Kanzashi," she corrected, reminding him that he was still firmly planted in the friendzone. "And it has nothing to do with your designs. It's the materials that I'm worried about."

"What, you don't think you can make the costumes?"

She gave him one of her best withering looks, which he supposed should have made him feel deeply sorry for suggesting she would struggle with something so amateur. Instead, the threatening gaze made him laugh.

"I can make them just fine," she said, haughtily. "But the client wants these outfits mass-produced, right? I'm worried that the material might be hard to come by in that country and it could end up costing more for them to import the materials than it's worth."

"Hm," he scooted his chair closer to her so he could look at his sketches, too. "I would never have considered that, Kanzashi. What would you suggest?"

She pulled a pair of pink scissors from her purse and snipped off a bit of her braid. She presented him with three squares of fabric.

He examined them carefully, running his fingers over the material as he considered how they would each look on the skirt of his designs. "This one would retain the color the best, but this would be more comfortable to wear."

"I guess, in this case, we should prioritize comfort over aesthetic, right? Since the clothes will be worn for long stretches of time?"

"Good thinking. I'd say we're ready to bring the concept to Jeanist."

She nodded. "Alright, I'll get started making sample pieces so we—"

He placed his hand on the back of hers, cutting her off. "How about we take a break first? We've been working non-stop since eight and I could use some food."

She pulled her hand sharply away from him. It stung, but he had it coming. Though, this time he hadn't meant it in a flirty way. His intentions had been pure. Still, he often forgot how reserved the Japanese were. Especially Kinuhana. It was a struggle to remember how much space she needed. Especially when her aversion to him seemed to fluctuate between "don't touch me or I'll bite your head off like a Floridian alligator," and "okay, I'll nibble."

"I don't know," she said, cautiously. "I want to be ready for the meeting when he gets back from his mission."

Her tenacity was easily one of her most attractive features. She was stubborn as a rock and the hardest working high-school grad he'd ever seen. She went overboard, even here in Japan where work was equivalent to life.

"He won't be back for another hour and a half," James argued. "And you know how he is. Always fashionably late."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Puns again? Really?"

"You like puns, I can tell."

She rolled her eyes, but he didn't miss the twitch in her smile or the way the tips of her hair turned slightly pink.

"Let me treat you to coffee again," he offered. "You'll need some more caffeine if you plan to keep up that same work ethic through the end of the day."

She considered his proposition for a long time, as expected. There always seemed to be something holding her back. She responded to him with suspicion on the best days and downright distrust on the bad days.

Why are you like this Kinuhana? Did someone burn you in your past or are you trying to hide something?

Whatever it was, the mystery enthralled him.

"...Fine," she finally relented. "But let's try to be back in an hour. And I don't want to go back to that creepy place in the alley."

They settled on a more mainstream coffee shop, got lattes and muffins, and fell into a comfortable silence.

James didn't mind this. Kinuhana wasn't one for small talk. She preferred to sit quietly, her gray eyes seeing things beyond his comprehension as she lost herself down wandering trails of thought. If her choice not to speak stemmed from a hope that he would lose interest in her, then she was wildly off-target. If anything, these were his favorite moments with her. There was something serene and beautiful about this young woman. Something alluring that only seemed to grow when she was lost in thought. He wished he could draw her in the perfect stillness, wished that his artistic talents expanded beyond fashion design. He wouldn't mind sitting here for hours, trying to capture the way the sunlight shone on her golden hair, and the shape of her soft lips as she pursed them while deep in thought.

"James," she said, pulling him from his fanciful wonderings. "Can I ask you something?"

"Can I answer truthfully?" he countered as he sipped from his coffee.

Her brows furrowed. "You need permission to be honest?"

"Depending on what you ask, I might be forced to choose between tact and honesty. But if you give me permission beforehand, then…"

"I don't know what you think I'm going to ask you, but sure. Be honest."

Hm. She's been extra cold this week. Something happened, but what?

"Do you… have a partner back home? In America?"

He studied her face. Her eyes were wide and serious, open gates ready to absorb his answer by picking apart his verbal and non-verbal reactions to the question.

"A partner?" he asked, carefully. "As in a business partner? Or a cowboy 'howdy pardner?'"

She rolled her eyes again. Her lips twitched as she fought to withhold a laugh.

"As in a romantic partner," she explained. "A wife, girlfriend…" she raised an eyebrow and scanned him up and down. "...boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" He laughed. "Is it because I told you I'm from California?"

She blushed and looked out the window. "I've heard rumors…"

"About California or about me?"

Her blush deepened and she pointedly refused to answer.

"I fancy myself pansexual if that's what you're asking. Though, the topic of my sexuality and-or previous relationships is a conversation for a different time and venue. Preferably one that serves hard liquor."

"I-I wasn't asking about that," she said, nervously. Her true feelings were beginning to surface now. He noted the way she kept reaching for her braid as if to twist it, a nervous habit of hers. But she kept catching herself and placing her hands on her coffee instead.

"Are you checking to make sure I'm single and baggage-free?"

"No, I…" she sighed, growing increasingly more flustered with the topic of conversation. "It doesn't have to be a romantic partner. Just… Is there anyone back home that you don't talk to anymore? Relationships that fell apart because you moved here?"

What are you trying to sort out for yourself, Kinuhana? How can I help you?

"Relationships that suffered because I moved, eh?" He leaned back and sipped his drink as he considered this. "I'd have to say… my relationship with my parents, for sure."

"Really?" Her gaze fixed on his. She was desperate for more information, hoping to use it to navigate her own internal struggles, apparently.

"My mom, specifically. See, I wasn't raised in California. I grew up in the South, a place where someone like me has a hard time being himself."

"Why?" she asked, curiously.

"There's a lot of cultural context you wouldn't understand unless we had days to talk about it. Basically, she wasn't a fan of my 'worldly' perspectives and didn't support my dream to do fashion design. We haven't spoken much since I left home. To put it simply… she and I have never fully understood one another. That became a problem."

"You didn't understand each other, huh?" Kinuhana said this as if it meant something to her.

"Not at all," he laughed. "I still love her, of course. But it's best to surround ourselves with like-minded people, wouldn't you agree?"

"I guess…" she said, her tone disappointed, as though this wasn't what she had hoped to hear. "But… if you really love someone, you can find a way to communicate even if you don't understand each other completely, right?"

What are you looking for, Kinuhana? I see your puzzle pieces strewn before me but the image is all white. How can I solve this without the painted picture?

"I'd like to hope so," he said, thoughtfully. "I'd love to work things out with my mom. I think I'm waiting for something, though."

"Like what?"

He shrugged. "I feel like I need to prove myself first. Like I need to make a name for myself, do something amazing, have something substantial under my belt so that I can show her that my hard work paid off and she was wrong about me. Petty, I know."

"That's not petty!" she said, voice impassioned. "I understand how you feel. I understand wanting to make a way for yourself… and wanting to prove yourself."

He studied her, trying his best to make sense of it. There was no denying that she worked hard every day to prove herself in every aspect of her life. But why? What was the end goal? Did she grow up in poverty and so desperately wanted to maintain a good job to support herself and possibly family members? Was she aiming for something? A future with someone, perhaps? Was the act of preparing for the future impacting her relationships in the present?

"Kanzashi," he said, seriously. He sat his cup down and leaned on the table. "What's on your mind? You've been out of sorts since I got back from my sick leave. I can tell that something's going on. You can talk to me. I've got your back. Not just as a coworker. As a friend."

"I… don't want to talk about it," she said. "It's private."

"You could be vague with the details. I'm not smart enough to figure out your secrets." He winked. If only she knew how desperately he wanted to learn her secrets. How deeply he yearned to put the puzzle pieces together and watch the image unfold before his eyes.

"I know you just want to help, James…" she sighed. "I don't… You know I'm not trying to be mean to you, right? I'm not good at expressing myself. A lot of people think I'm too harsh or cold but… I like you, James. I don't want you to be offended when I don't want to talk."

She likes me.

"Listen, you're not obligated to talk to me," he said with a smile. "You can disclose, or not-disclose, as much information as you want. It doesn't offend me that you're a reserved person. Not everyone can be the fun, extroverted American." He winked. "If you don't want to talk, we can just drink our coffee in silence."

She studied his face, maybe looking for sincerity. Whatever she found made her cheeks and hair take on a rosy shade.

What do you see when you look at me, Kinuhana? Can you see what you're doing to me? Day by day? Mystery by mystery?

"You really… aren't upset that I don't want to talk about what's on my mind?" she whispered.

"That'd be a silly thing to be upset about," he chuckled. "How can I put this…" His eyes scanned over her, drinking every detail, her image crystal clear within the frame of his glasses. "Getting to know a person has far less to do with what they say, and a lot more to do with how they act. Talk, don't talk. Either way, I have my eyes. I can use them to learn about you. I can see when you're happy or when you're hurting. When talking is too painful or your feelings are too embarrassing."

She looked down at the table, her long eyelashes fluttering at his words.

"Words aren't necessary. I can get to know you through sight alone." He waited until she looked up at him again. "And I want to get to know you, Kinuhana."

He waited for her to correct him on the use of her name. It was a test. A gauge of the unruly waters that she basked in.

"I see…" she said quietly. "Then, I guess you'll just have to watch me, James."

He smiled, fighting the victorious grin that threatened to reveal his emotions prematurely.

Her name. She didn't correct me. She let me say her name.

A/N: I like Orine and James. They developed a lot more than I had ever planned. At the end of the day, they're just two innocent bystanders who happen to have feelings for the wrong people at the wrong time. I hope I conveyed that well!