A/N: Just a couple of announcements - my Vaio laptop had a nasty fall a couple of weeks back. Hinge broken, hard drive damaged. It's headed to a data recovery place to see what can be done. Good news? I have a storage blog where I keep my fics almost fully updated. (Don't fly too close to the sun, kids, always back up your fics.) Annoying news? I'd edited the documents since then, so I don't know if the version I recovered is missing vital revisions or not. So I figure, if I do get my data back, I'll replace the chapters I've uploaded since then and I'll let you know which chapters have been changed.

In lighter news, according to the Heartbreak Cure timeline, today is Naoi and Yuri's third anniversary! I've checked Japan's time zones so the moment is sort of long gone, but just think, somewhere in Mizuzaka a few hours ago Yuri and Naoi were walking home from their broken down car. (Also, that means a little over two weeks from now is Iwasawa's fateful concert, which marks the return of Heartbreak Cure).

So anyways, that's why I'm updating on a Wednesday. Hope you enjoy!

[Chapter 07]: Mother

"Where in the world have you been?!" his mother cried, waving a wooden spoon in her hand. Some strands of her dark hair had come loose from her normally neat bun, while others had begun to frizz. She looked disheveled, tired, and relieved but in a lingering frantic way. "You're lucky your father is still at the shop! He—"

She paused. Blinked twice. Stared at them with a peculiar expression on her face. It occurred to Ayato that Yuri still had a firm grasp on his wrist. But perhaps it was more that they must have looked a sight, with rain sticking their dampened hair to their chins and their uniforms to their skin. Raindrops were dribbling down his forehead and he could taste them on his lips.

"Sorry to keep him out so late, Mrs. Naoi," Yuri said with a friendly smile. She unhooked her hand from Ayato's and clasped both of hers in front of her before giving his mother a small bow of greeting. "There was a baseball game after school, and I just happen to appreciate his company."

The spoon fell to the floor with a rattling clatter. His mother's whole face lit up in a way that made her look years younger.

"Ayato, aren't you going to introduce me to your cute new girlfriend?" she asked smoothly, somehow managing to control her heart-eyes.

Wait—girlfriend?!

Face simmering, Ayato opened his mouth to correct her, but found himself embarrassingly tongue-tied. Luckily, Yuri stepped forward and covered for him.

"I'm Yuri. Yuri Nakamura." She awarded his mother a cordial smile, which she returned. "It's a shame this didn't happen sooner. Your son was just a little nervous about taking me home to meet the folks."

Ayato glared at her, shooting her a warning "don't encourage her" look. And hey—his mother could call her cute, but when he did it he got his ear tweaked?

"I understand. His father can be a bit overbearing," his mother said with a nod. She wiped her flour-covered hands on her apron. "Would you like to come in? Usually my husband prefers that Ayato keep himself busy when he gets home from school, but he won't be home for at least half an hour. Such a hard worker, that man."

Ayato couldn't remember the last time his mother had talked so much and been this… cheerful. His amazement died down when she spoke about Kimito with adoration. Just this morning he'd made a critical comment about her size, and yet hours later she had a kind word for him. It made his stomach turn.

She side-stepped, motioning them inside. "At least come out of the rain. I made tea, if you'd like some."

"Yuri's more of a coffee drinker," Ayato said.

Yuri elbowed him in the side, then flashed his mother a warm grin. "I'll make an exception for you, Mrs. Naoi."

His mother beamed. "And she's charming too. Come on in, I won't leave a sweet girl like you out in this miserable weather."

Ayato waited until his mother turned around and disappeared into the house, then cast Yuri a disbelieving glance and tugged on her sleeve.

"What the hell are you up to?" he hissed aside to her, but she escaped his grip with a light shrug.

"What? Tea sounds good right now."

He had a feeling her motives were more than just drying off and being cordial, but he shook the rain out of his hair and followed the two of them inside once he'd slipped out of his shoes.

Not that it came as a surprise, but his mother was a gracious hostess. A better host than he was being, anyway, as his gaze kept switching toward the window every ten seconds. After he took the first sip of the green tea his mother placed in front of him, however, he felt his nerves melting away ever-so-slowly. It was one of the more popular comfort teas she served him after fights, so he'd come to associate it with peace.

His eyes wandered to Yuri, who was sitting on his right side at the table. She seemed to enjoy it too. The muscles in her face relaxed, and she closed her eyes as she breathed in the steam. It was soothing just watching her.

When he finally glanced away, his mother was… scrutinizing him. Once caught, she averted her eyes and turned back to the meal she was cooking, but he could still see a smile on her face. He hesitated as he brought his cup to his lips. What was she so happy about? He hadn't seen her look at him like that before, or even smile afterwards. If he had, it'd been too long ago for him to remember.

Unless…

Ayato frowned and took another thoughtful sip.

Was it just something mothers did when their children brought home friends from school? It wasn't like he would know anything about that. Hayato hadn't had time for any of those either. When it wasn't just his father and his brother spending the work day together, they were each other's only playmates.

But life was different now.

He had Yuri. And maybe that was another thing that distanced him from his brother. It made them different, distinctive.

The thought made him grin. He was the first to bring a friend under Kimito's roof. That alone warmed him just as much as the tea did, and gave him a fonder appreciation for Yuri's bold little game of chicken.

"Thank you for the tea," said Yuri, in a tone so mellow and respectful that it caught Ayato off-guard. She gave his mother an appreciative nod. All this from a coffee-addict, Ayato mused to himself. But his mother perked up so much, it was as if the woman had tasted coffee herself.

"It's no trouble at all." She folded her hands in front of her flour-dusted apron, bowing her head in return. "After all, I had to reward you for walking my son home in the middle of such a downpour."

Yuri shrugged. "Eh… rain or shine, he's just nice to have around." She winked, then flashed his mother a little grin. It was possible she was already more comfortable with her than he was. "I had a good time watching the game with him. Though I hope I haven't been keeping the two of you from anything important."

His mother hesitated at first, but waved it off.

"It's just not sensible to send H—" Another millisecond of hesitation, followed by a small strangled noise he recognized, a haunting look, and a pained grimace. She cleared her throat. "To send him straight to work when he comes home soaking wet. Especially on the rare occasion that we have guests present." Turning back to the stove, she poured another cup of tea. "He can start when his father gets back. For now, I think he could use the break. Don't you?"

"I'll say!" Smirking, Yuri elbowed him in the side. "It was hard enough to get the guy to sit down and see something fun today."

He almost didn't hear her. The only reason he did was due to the fact that he'd heard his mother call him Hayato a million times before, and catch herself in the middle of saying it a million times again. He should be used to it. Used to her coping mechanism of turning around and averting her eyes, avoiding his face. She certainly was no stranger to her habit. The woman had mastered the skill of regaining her composure by now.

But the idea of his mother calling him by his brother's name in front of Yuri was a whole new level of mortifying. He was glad she'd caught herself. And relieved Yuri hadn't caught on to her burning embarrassment. It was so subtle and contained, so adapted over time, that only Ayato detected her aura of shame. How long would it last this time? That was his only question at this point.

He never liked to linger over his mother's hiccups; she could usually tell when he did, and that made them go on for even longer. Instead, he registered Yuri's comment and shook himself out of his daze.

"You're one to talk," Ayato said with a scoff, feeling the onset of a returning grin. "You never stand still! This is the most sedentary I've ever seen you."

That wasn't entirely true, but it was close. She did have a few lazy moments in the empty club room, stretching out or kicking up her feet as she sipped her coffee. Usually, though, that coffee would only serve to stimulate her. He could no longer count on one hand the number of times he'd come looking for her outside for lunch and found her climbing the damned tree.

And then there were the times she hopped on top of one of the brick walls around the school grounds and treated them like balance beams. Or even hurdles. He hardly believed he'd ever live up to her kind of pep.

"I did gymnastics when I was a kid! It's ingrained," said Yuri, crossing her arms. Ayato raised his eyebrows in interest. That was something he actually hadn't learned about her before, though he should have guessed it. She bit her lip, knitting her eyebrows together for a second, but then her strange expression vanished as quickly as the subject changed. Her attention switched to Ayato's mother at the stove. "What's that you're making?"

"Why, korokke of course," said his mother. He was grateful for the subject change too. Though her face was still hidden, her posture had straightened and he could see her cheering up already. Talking about food could do that to her.

Besides, korokke was always relevant to his interests. He knew he recognized that smell!

"Potato or kabocha?" Ayato asked.

She blinked, glancing over her shoulder at him, and it occurred to him that he'd barely said anything to her since he got home. Why hadn't he noticed that? Maybe it was just another thing he was used to.

"Potato korokke tonight." Smiling, she turned to acknowledge Yuri, and lowered her voice as if sharing some juicy gossip. "Besides anpan, it's his favorite food." With a light laugh, she went back to the stove. "Just like his father."

He froze. Gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white. He felt Yuri's eyes on him more consciously than he felt her hand on his own, and he tried to relax. But now he remembered part of the reason he couldn't keep up a conversation with… with Kimito's wife.

The fact that she could in good conscience ever compare him to that man…!

Even sharing his blood disgusted him. What was the damn point of commenting that they liked the same food?!

He tried to choke down his rage with a generous swallow of tea. It was still hot, but scalding his tongue felt better than snapping at his mother. She had enough to deal with. Besides, it was a better distraction.

He didn't even realize his hands were shaking that much until Yuri touched them again to steady them. Exhaling quietly so as not to draw attention from his mother, he looked toward Yuri to offer her an apologetic quirk of his mouth. He was aiming for a half-smile at least, though it felt more like a grimace. But then he caught a glimpse out the window of a figure emerging from a forest path. And his nerves made a vicious return, along with a sweeping wave of nausea.

Speak of the wretched devil.

He felt his tea making a comeback in the form of bile in his throat. Taking Yuri's hand, he leapt to his feet and brought her up with him. The rain was letting up significantly; he should be able to sneak her out and send her on her way with no trouble.

"Mother, Yuri has to go," he said, and the older of the two women gave him a look like he might as well have just insulted her entire family.

"Well, that's very rude—"

"Father's on his way home," Ayato insisted, "and you know I should have started my chores an hour ago."

His mother looked conflicted. "Your schedule isn't skintight…"

"Tell that to him."

An empty suggestion, actually. Knowing his father and his mother, he would advise against that course of action. He didn't like the look of consideration that crossed her face.

"I don't see why you're kicking her out like this—why she has to leave right away—"

"I don't want him to see her!" Ayato snarled.

His mother recoiled, taken aback at his words. Still, understanding flooded her tired features. A sad sort of sympathy that made his old bruises ache just by looking her in the eyes, so he cut his gaze to the side.

"Then at least walk the poor girl home," she said after a pause.

Ayato gaped at her, because he couldn't possibly have heard that correctly. Did she completely forget the other issue here?

"But—"

"She walked you home. Obviously you enjoy each other's company. Why don't you do the same for her?" she pressed, placing her hands on her hips. "At least halfway. You weren't going to just send her away without walking her out like a gentleman, were you?"

Well, he hadn't thought things through that far—having a rapidly approaching Kimito Naoi on his mind—but no, when she put it like that…

"But my chores…?" he said feebly.

"I'll tell your father that a classmate walked you home, and that it was in the best interest of the Naoi name that you returned the favor." His mother nodded toward Yuri. Perhaps she had recognized the name Nakamura. "It's the truth, so I'm sure he'll see reason. You'll get right to work when you get back."

Ayato stared at his mother, then at Yuri. It was only polite. And he didn't have enough time to decide for sure if he could get away with this. What struck him was the realization that at the moment, he didn't care. He gave Yuri a look to confirm, and she nodded.

After Yuri bowed respectfully to his mother and thanked her for her hospitality, Ayato locked his hand with hers and led her out the back door. They snuck around the side of the house, pressing against the walls until Ayato came to a stop at a corner and motioned for Yuri to wait.

The expression on Kimito's face was hard to make out. Lingering storm clouds coupled with the approaching nightfall and the shade of the roof made Kimito's features even darker. From the rough sound of his breathing, riddled with mutterings and sighs, he was done with people for the day. Maybe after working a couple of extra hours, he would just want dinner and a long rest.

Ayato frowned, peering over his shoulder at Yuri. Why did her optimism have to be so ridiculously contagious?

A board creaked under his feet.

Ayato glanced down sharply, cursing under his breath for shifting his weight onto the other leg like that. The audible muttered self-deprecation again did nothing for his nerves, and neither did Yuri's gestures for him to keep it down.

They both held their breath as Kimito stood in place like a soldier. Ayato could even swear he saw the old man's ear twitch. When all he heard was a cicada buzz, he harrumphed, pulled open the front door, and disappeared inside the house.

Once the door shut behind him, they lit out.

He knew Kimito could look out one of the windows on his way to the kitchen and spot them, so they had to be quick about it. Down the slope, past the workshop, onto the trail. Only once they'd made it into the forest did he stop to catch his breath.

When he managed to control his heart rate and breathing, he looked up to see Yuri leaning patiently against the trunk of a tree. Her lips were pursed into a pensive frown, her arms were crossed, and apparently she hadn't even broken a sweat.

"You done?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Well, we can't all be former gymnasts like you."

Yuri's frown deepened.

"After our talk earlier, you still don't want him to see me?" she asked, quiet but matter-of-fact.

Ayato groaned. Not this again. "And what would you do if he saw you?" Yuri opened her mouth to say something, but he continued. "Better yet, what do you think he would do?"

"Let you off the hook again, probably," Yuri considered.

"Don't press your luck." Breaking into a brisk walk down the trail, he motioned for her to follow. "Haven't you ever heard of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'?"

"That's about repeated lies losing their credibility."

"He's going to get tired of you asserting yourself and using your parents as an excuse. He'll get mad that he has to bend to a little girl's will."

Yuri scoffed. "And what's he going to do about it?"

Sighing, Ayato ran a hand through his hair. That sheer illusion of invincibility was inspiring sometimes—but when it came to her talking about Kimito, it just terrified him.

"I know you have this great daydream of facing off against him," he said, closing his eyes and trying to breathe in the evening air. "I appreciate what you want to do for me. Just…" With a wince, he touched her shoulder. "Ease up a tad…?"

The evening went quiet for a moment, enough to hear her suck in a breath. When she released it, it was in the form of a soft chuckle. "I guess I am already winning our game of chicken."

Though he laughed with her, she tensed afterwards, her forehead creasing.

"Walked right into your house. Even met your mom." She rubbed the back of her head, glancing at him furtively before fixing her eyes on the road. "Was… was that okay?"

"Yeah. It was fine." He knit his brows in thought, remembering how different his mother's demeanor had been. How drastically her expression had changed when she first saw her. "I think that made her happy."

Yuri broke into a smug smile. "I think she didn't want me to leave." After another shared snicker, Yuri bumped his arm with her shoulder. "Unlike you."

"Hey–!"

"I know, I know. You have your reasons." She held up her hands in mock surrender as they rounded the trail. "It's just hard to remember that when you're shooing me out the door. I feel like a damn mistress."

"It isn't you I'm embarrassed of," was his reply.

A lingering pause. "I know that."

Although he sensed the understanding in her tone, he subtly moved closer to her during their trek. If she thought he was eager to get rid of her because he didn't enjoy her company, she was terribly misleading herself.

He could even safely argue that once they emerged from the forest and pressed on a couple extra blocks, the "I'll find my way from here" was as painful for him to hear as it was for her to say.

He turned his back first, so he wouldn't have to see the look. Her "goodbye" look, the one that reminded him of what he was walking away from and what he was walking back to. He couldn't imagine anything worse than that look, so he nodded at her and mumbled a quick "see you tomorrow" before turning on his heel.

"Naoi, wait."

The tug on his sleeve and the tone of her voice implored him to stop in his tracks. When he turned back to her, searching for an answer, the usual determination on her face had a hint of bashfulness he'd only seen a handful of times since they'd met.

"You aren't like him, you know. Or else I wouldn't want to be around you so much." Yuri released her grip on his sleeve, letting her arms fall loosely to her sides. She broke eye contact, chewing the inside of her cheek and restlessly switching to a crossed-arms stance.

Ayato held back half a grin. There went that inability to sit still he mentioned earlier.

She let out a small puff of air, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "I guess the reason I keep pushing the boundaries isn't just the protection thing," she said, pursing her lips in thought. "It's because I can't stand the idea of a guy like him keeping me from spending time with someone like you."

"Same here." He rested a hand on her shoulder, bringing her gaze back up to his. "Believe me, I don't want him controlling this aspect of my life any more than he has to. But to tell you the truth, I think the more we talk about this, the more control he has over it."

"I see." She tilted her head, mulling it over. "When it comes to boundaries, we'll go at your pace from now on. Sound good?"

That sounded fair, so he gave a light nod. "Yeah. Sounds good."

"Good. I mean, the way we're going, I'm going to get you into trouble one of these days," Yuri said with a wry grin, which faded a few seconds later. She threw him a fleeting wave and started to turn towards home. "See you tomorrow, Naoi."

"Ayato."

She halted in mid-step. Pivoted to face him again. "Huh?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, he offered her a shy grin. She couldn't be the only one making the next steps.

"You can call me Ayato. I'd like you to," he said, carefully reading her reaction. "If you're okay with it."

The smile slowly returned to her lips.

"Ayato, then," Yuri said, a brighter twinkle in her eye. She threw him a more cheerful salute before taking off again. "See you later, Ayato!"

He'd only ever heard her say his name once before, back when they'd first met. To her, he had never been Hayato, and now he wasn't just Naoi like his father. He was always Ayato Naoi.

He was Ayato, and he had a feeling he was going to get used to hearing her saying that.

Preview:

"It's about time you woke up."

"You know I don't drink coffee."

"I don't need to hear your dirty dreams about me!"

"She won't stop staring!"

"Maybe you can help clear something up for us."

"You understand jokes, don't you Hejjiguchi?"

"I wouldn't want her to get hurt."

[Chapter 08]: Fatigue and a Fantasy.