Author's Note: Hello, readers! Yes, Desire & Hope is officially back and here to stay. I'm still going to work on redoing Hotel Transylvania, but I've given some thought on what I wanted to do with Desire & Hope, so I decided to do a little rewriting before republishing it. To those who have not seen it, this is a love story between Yusuke and a female version of Joker. Enjoy!

"It's no use..." Yusuke murmured, hands falling to his lap, and the brush drops to the wooden floor. Nothing can be more agonizing than the compounding ache in his skull. His thoughts scattered in abandoning any trace of hope or inspiration, and he can't focus enough to grasp them. "I have nothing..."

It's not a good way to start the day. Yusuke had to create a special piece for his guardian in order to dazzle the public for the approaching exhibition this weekend. He had been looking forward to using the fairly new brushes he recently bought. Although, he hasn't splattered his blank white canvas with a splash of color in a fit of inspiration. He rubs his fingers over his temple and sighs. If Yusuke can't find the right inspiration on time, there will be consequences, shuddering at the mere thought.

"I pray for your guidance, mother..." he whispered softly. Hands clasped together in silent prayer.

Orphaned at a young age, Yusuke had lived with his guardian, Ichiryusai Madarame, for the past ten years. He could hardly remember his mother's face, but the memory of her angelic voice often lulled him to sleep on restless nights whenever he suffered rough days. If angels could speak, his mother would send him either a sign or a message to find the inspiration he desired.

Art is becoming more and more of a problem for Yusuke Kitagawa. Inspiration used to come fast like blooming flowers after the snow melts and the paintings would be complete in just one day at a time. Madarame often said that a true artist needs patience in order to find what he's searching for, sometimes they need to live in solitude in order to not be distracted by burdens. Still, it's frustrating that Yusuke once painted more than he has when one is in the throes of overwhelming creativity flowing with excitement. Nowadays, his imagination is at a different place, a dark and eerie place waiting for that light of hope to give him ambition.

Solitude doesn't give Yusuke the creativity he deserves. Back then, there used to be several other students who lived alongside him in this humble little shack. Having no one other than his cherished father figure to call family, Yusuke had come to view his peers as brothers and sisters. Those wintery nights were cold, and everyone huddled together for warmth, mostly due to lack of space, but it gave Yusuke a sense of peace, aware of their presence to make him feel safe. Their lively voices were enough to make this empty old shack feel like home to him. Nowadays, those whom he once called siblings are gone forever, either having moved out or...

"Yusuke?" a man's deep voice cuts off his thoughts.

The young artist jolted and stood up from where he was sitting to see his guardian walk inside his room. The old gentleman had a calm yet firm smile on his features. "Ah, here you are."

"My apologizes, Madarame-sensei!" Yusuke replied, straightening up to appear properly whenever the old man speaks to him. He hardly heard him come in because Madarame's footsteps create soft noises in the creaks of the floor. "I didn't hear you come in."

"You need to get ready for school. Can't expect to see you in front of a canvas all day," he said.

"Understood, Sensei." The young man gave a respectful bow.

Madarame gave him a dismissive nod and left, without so much as a goodbye to his foster son. When he left, Yusuke got his belongings together for school before sliding the door locked behind him.

Around him, the surroundings sights of the city and its people do little to encourage Yusuke's artistic spirit. He kept his sharp eyes on the prowl for someone or something to answer his prayers. No such luck, so far. Yusuke often wishes he lived in his own little world, preferably a world where he can plunder in the endless creativity of a fantasy world, one overwhelmed with aesthetic prompts. He stares moodily at his feet, scuffling against the subway floor after stepping off the escalator.

The young artist pauses to linger near the 105MEN'S signpost, his usual favorite spot where he can simply enjoy people-watching for fun. But this is not a day to do so, the underground walkway was terrifyingly crowded which would be impossible to get through. All he can do is wait for the crowd to disperse. However, his artistic instincts kick in and he remains observant for anybody who captures his interest.

"Good morning, Aki-chan!" A cheerful feminine voice captures his attention.

"You're right on time, babe!" added another voice, no doubt belonging to a boy who dresses like a delinquent.

"Morning, guys!"

And that's when his astonished eyes catch on to their companion.

The girl, Aki as she was affectionately referred to, was of average height, slightly close to the same height as a girl with sky blue eyes and ash blonde hair tied in bushy ponytails, but shorter than a strange boy with bleached blonde spiky hair and shorter than himself. She wore a school uniform similar yet different to her friends; black blazer with a white undershirt underneath, a plain red and black printed skirt, her legs covered by thick black pantyhose stockings and matching loafer shoes. Her two friends wore uniforms slightly modernized, different enough to make them stand out.

Yusuke studied Aki's uniform's Emblem displayed over her left breast. Yep, it's a Shujin uniform. Staring at her body shape, he couldn't help but admire the curves of Aki's figure, and the way her outfit hugged her curves. Not as alluring as the blonde girl's modified uniform, simply normal and somehow divine. Her hair color reminded him of a raven's feathers, slightly frizzled reaching down her back behind her bosom and tied in a low half loose ponytail with a red ribbon.

Aki didn't wear any fancy makeup, her lips a natural shade of pink, neither shiny nor anything special. Just normal, content to be comfortable just the way she is. One hand clutched the strap of a carry-on school bag over her shoulder. Her black framed glasses took up the majority of her face, even the light reflecting off her glasses made it difficult for Yusuke to get a good look at her eyes. If only he could get a closer look...

"Hey, your hair doesn't seem properly brushed," the blonde girl, a foreign one as Yusuke correctly deduced, pointed it out. "Here, let me take care of that."

"Thank you," Aki replied, and untied the ribbon.

When those long black locks came loose, Yusuke's heart fluttered at the way her thick mass of hair swayed like rippling waters of a midnight waterfall glistening in the moonlight. It looks so soft that Yusuke could almost feel it within his fingertips. While the blonde girl started brushing her friend's hair with the utmost delicacy, Aki removed her glasses to take out a handkerchief and rub a smudge off the lens.

Yusuke's eyes grew wider, and he could only hope that nobody close by can hear his heartbeat pounding rapidly and loudly in his ears. The sight of those dark gray eyes bewitched him. And when the girl's lips lift into an appreciative smile... "Oh, dear mother in heaven..." he whispered. "You have helped me in my time of need!"

This girl, Aki, is the most radiant and loveliest person he has ever laid eyes on. Yusuke felt like he could stare at her forever and draw her for as long as his heart desires. Draw...? That's it! He fishes out his sketchbook and pencil, hurriedly drawing her features in a haste before he loses his chance. Slowly but surely, her image comes to life on the paper's surface.

Yes, she'd be perfect for the part of his muse. Aki is all the inspiration he'd been searching for. Thank his mother in heaven for answering his prayer. Aki's image was a depiction of what he felt when he first saw the Sayuri, the beautifying hues of Madarame's maiden work hold a candle to this girl's radiance, and it stood out incredibly different from the rest of Sensei's artworks in his collection. He fell in love with the Sayuri so quickly as a child, Yusuke just had to become an artist after being inspired.

"Well, that should be it." The blonde girl declared, finished with her little job. She helped Aki tied her hair back in its usual low ponytail and the raven-haired girl placed her glasses back on.

"Thanks, Ann. We better get going now." Aki started her group's stroll toward the station.

It took the young artist a while before he realized his muse had totally vanished when he needed to draw more of her hourglass body on paper. He simply had to find her and request her to be his next masterpiece. Taking a risk, he threw himself into the huge sea of never-ending pedestrians. Yusuke quickly rushed in the direction she had gone, checking every area of the underground station carefully. She is nowhere in sight.

Bad luck doesn't last long for him, though. Yusuke's heart leapt to his throat when he found her. Aki stands waiting by the sidelines with those two strange blondes. Yusuke silently thanked his lucky stars. His stomach does somersaults by the swift movements he makes, but the sound of his footsteps and the people around him fall deaf to him.

"It's time for us to take down Kamoshida..." Aki had spoken to her friends in a rather dead serious tone.

Not the least concerned to what she meant by that, Yusuke had finally been nearly close to reaching his target... until, a taller and firmer body collided against his shorter frame. Such a massive impact knocked him to the ground, spilling the contents of his school supplies all over.

"Watch where you're going, punk!" An overweight man sneered at him as he abandoned the boy on the cold, hard floor.

Yusuke pursed his lips, frustrated, and shook his head to cease his growing anger. He began picking up his stuff, placing them back in his bag. "How rude!" he scoffed. Nobody bothered to care if he had been hurt or help him pick up his things, ignorantly walking by and pretending he doesn't exist. When he got everything together, he raised his head to glance in the direction where Aki stood in the hopes that he would find her still there.

She was gone.

The young artist's disappointment radiates from the frown on his handsome face. With a dejected sigh, he simply trails off to go pay for his train ticket and get on his way to Kosei High. His pathetic attempt to catch up to her resulted in an impertinent hooligan sabotaging his chance. Yusuke shot that incompetent hoodlum one last disgusted glare, before he gathered his thoughts and went on his way.

Aki captivated him the moment he first laid eyes on her. From this point forward, he made it his life's mission to capture her beauty on a canvas and put it on display for the whole world to acknowledge it. "I hope to see you again, my muse..." he whispered.

Days passed. Despite having trailed his mystery muse to the station more than once, Yusuke officially never got the chance to interact with her because of various problems: One, a security guard nearly accused him of not paying for a ticket when he tried to tail Aki passed the gate. Thankfully, he did explain himself to get out of trouble. Two, crowds are usually an obstacle when in pursuit of pure beauty. Three, she often disappeared like magic with her friends whenever they said something strange like 'Mementos' or 'Shadows.'

He would keep on visiting the same station every so often in the hopes that he would see her again. Unfortunately, he never did catch a glimpse of her. And with the exhibition fast approaching, Yusuke needed a muse more than ever. If another girl from his school offered herself to be his muse, Yusuke sensed the lust in their eyes and seduction in their voices whenever they spoke saccharine-sweet to him.

All they cared about is either making out with him or preferring a one-night stand in bed with him because of his attractiveness. Yusuke had to react firmly whenever he rebuffed their advances and offers. Those girls quickly grow deflated, ignoring their eyes welling up with tears. Yusuke hoped to God above that he won't have that same expression if Aki rejected his request to paint him, and the mere thought of it made his chest ache. He had never faced such a predicament before.

Today, he sits in the limousine alongside his Sensei. He was going to be driven to school for a change, mostly because Madarame has an important meeting at hand and decided to offer Yusuke a ride to school on the way. The black car stops at a traffic light and a bored Yusuke just happens to glance out the window to gaze at strolling pedestrians until he's struck by the ethereal vision of Aki walking by, not the least intrigued by her friends bickering over something.

There she is! My potentially perfect muse! Yusuke is out of the car in a flash, faster than a runaway train and ignoring Sensei's calls. He couldn't afford to let her slip out of his grasp. Not this time.

The young artist followed them to the station, hurriedly paying for a ticket to get a ride. At the platform, Yusuke noticed how the blonde girl was nervously glancing over her shoulder, studying the faces of the crowd with a small frown brimming at her lips. Eventually, their eyes locked on and she paled slightly, taking a fearful step back.

Yusuke was once told he has the eyes and deep voice of a man who could sound intimidating if he told someone off for offending him. This foreign girl didn't offend him. In fact, she looked scared of him. Hopefully, this doesn't turn into a misunderstanding. She whispered something to Aki and the blonde male, and the ravenette peered over the crowds' heads trying to catch a glimpse of him.

If their eyes meet, what should Yusuke do? Wave to her or try to get her talk to him?

The blonde male looked too tired to be interested. His female blonde equal said something which had to be negative because she shook her head dismissively. It didn't take long for the train to arrive. Yusuke wasted no time in boarding the train, but too many people blocked off his path to reach Aki. She managed to stand by her friends and not get separated from them in the crowd.

Finally, they successfully emerged from the crowded rush of pedestrians and started to ride up the escalator towards the street level. Yusuke isn't far behind. He catches up to them outside the subway, his keyring jingled with every jog he made. He finds the foreign girl standing a few paces away from him. Where the other two had gone, he cannot see them. He decided to ask her if she knows where his muse had disappeared to.

Yusuke made a beeline for her with the girl's back facing him. He extended his hand out and just about to tap her shoulder to get her attention. She frightfully turned round when she felt his presence grow closer, just as the bleached blonde boy and Yusuke's muse hurriedly came out of nowhere, placing themselves between him and their friend.

"Ah..." Yusuke gasped, pausing in his steps and lowering his hand. He tilted his head sideways, confusion written all over his face.

The blonde delinquent stared at him for a moment, taking in his appearance. Doubt increases on his features as he turns to his friend, "Hey, uh... are you sure it's him? Or are just that self conscious?"

"Rrgh, I'm not that-" The blonde girl readied to snap at him when Yusuke cut her off.

"Is there something you want?"

Growling, she furiously pushed past her friends and literally shoves an accusatory finger in his pale face. "That's MY line! You were the one stalking me!"

Yusuke shifts a slight frown at her finger. That explains a lot. She thinks, for some reason, that he's stalking her. While this foreign girl is indeed quite a lovely one, she isn't the muse he seeks. "Stalking you...?" He adjusted his bangs when some of it droops in his face. "That's outrageous."

"I know you've been following me! Ever since the train!"

"That's because..." Yusuke focuses his attention directly at his muse to dissuade these reckless accusations. "...I have been following your companion."

The group's defensive stance withers away, speechless.

"ME!?" Aki gasped, pointing at herself.

A car honking interrupts the conversation which Yusuke has prepared to explain himself. That familiar black limousine pulls up to the curb beside them and the back window rolls down, revealing Madarame's relived yet amused smile.

"My goodness... I had wondered why you left the car," he said to his pupil. "So this is where your passion led you? All's well that ends well." Madarame laughed heartily.

"Sensei..." Yusuke mumbled, pale cheeks going slightly red for his foolishness. He should've informed his guardian sooner of his recent behavior. "I apologize, Sensei!" he bowed low to the old man.

"Uhh, am I missing something here?" Aki questioned.

"I saw you from the car... and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you," Yusuke explained himself in order to clear up this misunderstanding. "I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei... But thank goodness, I caught up to you." He sighed in relief.

"So, what do you want?"

"You're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Please, won't you-"

Aki takes an uneasy step back, hands waved in front of her to keep him at bay. "Hey, wait! I'm not that kind of girl!" A pink hue caresses her cheeks, which kind of looks captivating in Yusuke's perspective.

"Be the model for my next art piece!"

His muse stands frozen, mouth falling open in stunned silence. Whilst Aki gapes at him, the blush in her face falters as she processes what he has to offer. She looks at him, dark gray eyes examining his features, he assumed, and then studying at his chest and so on. The ravenette swallows after realizing she got caught, averting her shy gaze toward her feet.

"Huh?" The male blonde's mouth hangs open in disbelief.

"Model?" The foreign girl's eyes widen, stunned.

Yusuke takes a bold step forward and swiftly snatched up Aki's hands within his own, silently pleading for her to accept his request. "All that I've drawn till now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else."

A cat meows from somewhere nearby, or did Yusuke imagine it?

"Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?" The blonde delinquent questioned suspiciously.

Yusuke's brow furrowed. That miscreant had the nerve to call him shady. Instead of defending himself, the young artist outright ignores him whilst clutching Aki's hands tighter in his grasp, bringing them very close to his chest. "Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?" he pressed further one.

"But I don't have the experience in modeling! I don't want to waste your time since I'm not perfect." Aki admitted apologetically. Then she tried to divert his attention toward her friend. "Why not pick Ann? She's a professional model and has more experience and better looks than me!"

"Leave me out of this!" Ann grunted, not wishing to get involved. At least now he knows the name of the foreign blonde girl.

"Stop speaking such nonsense. I agree that you're companion is a lovely woman, but it is you who has stolen my heart." Yusuke shook his head vigorously. He wouldn't settle for anyone else. Aki is perfect for the role of a model. "And don't worry about your lack of experiences. It won't be an issue."

"Stole your...?" Aki's voice goes meek, and that pink hue comes back on her cheeks.

"Hold your horses!" The blonde hooligan interrupts the moment, shoving himself between the artist and his muse, forcing an irked Yusuke to release her hands. "Who're you anyways?"

Yusuke realizes the mistake he made of not even introducing himself. Now that he thought of it, he should require full knowledge of Aki's name. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine-arts division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. What is your name?"

"My name is Akiko Amamiya," his muse introduces herself.

Satisfied to have complete that little goal, Yusuke abruptly pushes the blonde hooligan out of the way so he speaks freely to his muse. "I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."

A moment of recognition on Ann's face beams, seemingly impressed. "Huh!? Do you mean THAT Madarame? The one who was on 'Good Morning Japan' the other day?" she stole a brief glance at the old man still seated patiently in the car, who nodded cordially to confirm it.

"The very same." Yusuke smiled proudly.

"You know who that is?" The blonde male doesn't seem to recognize the name, how pitiful.

Ann grinned excitedly. "He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognized all over the world." Her face morphs to a slight uneasiness. "But we heard that name in the other day in Mementos..."

"Hmm?" Yusuke raised a baffled eyebrow, wondering just what on earth is the girl referring to. He would've liked to question what she meant when...

"Yusuke!" Madarame's voice calls for him.

"I'm sorry, Sensei." The blunette replies. "I'll be right there!"

"That old guy's Madarame?" The blonde male questioned.

Ignoring him, Yusuke quickly turns his attention to his muse and approaches Akiko. "Madarame-sensei's exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I'll be there to help out on opening day. Please come by." He fishes out three tickets from the back pocket in his pants. It's a good thing he has enough in his possession (after having those tickets thrown in his face by three irritating girls at his school when he rejected their flirtatious advances to model for him), otherwise he'd have to buy a ticket for his muse. "I'd be great if you could give me your answer in regard to being a model then."

"Can I least think it over for a today?" Akiko asked.

"Absolutely!" Yusuke smiles understandingly, but then he aims a dismissive glare in the blonde boy's direction. "I bet one of your... friends have no interest in the fine arts, but I'll give them tickets too." He places the tickets in Akiko's hands, ignoring the blonde male's scowl. "Well then, I hope to see you there tomorrow."

And with that, Yusuke returns to the car and once inside, the limousine sped off. The young artist has high hopes that Akiko will come to the exhibition tomorrow, although he seriously doubts that one or both of her friends will attend. At least this Ann girl is more knowledgeable enough about his beloved Sensei, but her equally blonde male friend is another story, one that earned his ire.

The Shujin trio is left standing where they are on the sidewalk not long after that strange boy had left with his master. Akiko continued to stare at the limousine before it disappeared from sight, bewildered that someone like Yusuke had suddenly requested her to model for him out of the blue. Given her criminal record, the ravenette had always believed herself to be unwanted by so many and considered the least attractive in the eyes of the world. To be requested to model for a shockingly handsome guy, who studies under the tutelage of a famous painter and saw her as a human being rather than a delinquent, felt like heaven is sparing her some mercy.

"That guy's as easy to read as a book," Ryuji scoffed, kicking at nothing in particular with his foot. "You're not planning on going, are you?"

Having made her decision, Akiko wanted to give it a shot. "I'm definitely going," she announced, putting the tickets in her bag for safe keeping.

"I think I will too." Ann decided to tag along.

Ryuji's jaw drops. "For real!?"

Ann gave a startled gasp when she checked the time limit on her phone, eyes widened in a panic. "Crap! Look at the time! We have to get to school!" She caught Akiko by the wrist and yanked her into a full speed race to Shujin, with Ryuji trying his best to catch up to them.

"How dare he go after Akiko..." Morgana's disgruntled voice muffled inside his mistress' bag. "I thought for a minute that he'd go after Lady Ann, but Akiko...? Grr, I've memorized that face of yours, Yusuke!"