Chapter Two: Call Me Yuka

Lunch was very awkward. Well, it was very awkward for Yuka and Kuon. The pair sat quietly as they ate their food while the Honjo siblings and Mayuko were talking amongst themselves. Yuka could have sworn that Kuon looked at him a couple of times, and when he would turn his head to look back at her, she was quick to look away. There were times where he would catch himself looking at her, but the girl next to him wouldn't dare look back. Yuka had to admit that it stung a little to see Kuon acting that way, but, of course, he didn't let it get to him.

"So, what have you been up to, Kuon?"

Kuon snapped out of her trance as the sound of Yuri's voice broke through the uncomfortable silence at her side of the table. The young woman looked up to find that said girl, Mayuko, and Rika were looking at her expectantly. She was relieved that Yuri said anything at all. Ever since she arrived and saw him, Kuon couldn't help but be trapped in her own thoughts.

"Well," she started off slowly. "I just got into business school, and I'm working part-time at my father's business. After I graduate, I'm going to inherit everything and run the company."

Yuka's eyebrows lifted as he was impressed by Kuon's ambition and plans for the future. The old Kuon he once knew had grown up and outgrew her hesitation.

"That's exciting!" Yuri exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. "It seems like you have everything figured out."

"What about you guys?" Kuon decided to ask. She didn't want the conversation to end there.

The cheerful girl talked about how she was currently taking courses at the junior college. She had yet to figure out what she wanted to do, but as far as she was concerned, Yuri was considering law school. Her inspiration? They didn't have to ask. Rika was also taking classes at the junior college. Unlike his sister, the older sibling knew what he wanted to do. As for Mayuko, the quiet girl decided to follow Yuri.

"I'm so glad to hear that everyone is doing well," Kuon smiled happily.

The group finished their meals and continued to talk for the next hour. Well, everyone except for Yuka and Kuon.

...

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home, Kuon?" Yuri asked her friend as she clasped the girl's hands into her own.

The offer to go with Yuri sounded tempting, but something was telling her not to, that leaving would be wrong. When she would steal a quick glance at Yuka, feelings of guilt were quick to consume her. And besides, someone was already on their way to come get her.

"I'll be fine, Miss Yuri," the green-haired girl said with a sweet smile. "I'm having someone pick me up anyway."

Reluctantly, Yuri let go of Kuon's hands. She then looked over at Yuka, who was off to the side smoking, and called out to him.

"Make sure you wait with her until her ride comes."

Yuka rolled his eyes as he blew out some smoke.

"Who do you take me for, Honjo? Just go home."

Yuri puffed out her cheeks, but a small smile crept onto her face soon after.

"I'm glad to see that things haven't changed! I'll see you both hopefully soon."

A half hour past and Kuon was still waiting for her ride. She was starting to get fidgety and nervous, especially when Yuka decided to meet at her side a couple of cigarettes later. He didn't say anything while he stood by her, but Kuon thought it was for the best anyway. Seeing Yuka for the first time in two years was already nerve-wracking enough, and the last thing she wanted was to worsen the situation.

The young woman jumped as she felt her smartphone vibrate in her purse. She opened the small brown bag she carried to fish for her phone. As soon as she got ahold of the device, Kuon read the message only to be disappointed. Her ride home was stuck in traffic, and she was told that it wouldn't be for another half hour or so until she would be picked up to go home. The young woman let out a frustrated sigh, catching Yuka's attention.

"Everything okay?" He decided to ask.

Kuon was surprised that the man next to her said anything at all.

"It's my ride. The driver said he was going to be late."

Yuka didn't have to look at the girl next to him to notice her disappointment. He couldn't tell if it was because Kuon really wanted to go home or if it was because she had to stay with him longer than she had to. Considering how she was acting earlier, even now, Yuka knew it was the latter.

"Let's go, I'll walk you home," Yuka suddenly said as he started to walk.

"W-What?" Was all Kuon could say.

"I need you to lead the way, though."

Kuon wanted to object, but she decided to save it once she saw that Yuka had already walked some distance away. She secured her purse over her shoulder before chasing after the tall man. He could have waited the thirty minutes with her, but that would have been dumb on his part if he endured another round of silence with the girl and let her leave without having a real conversation.

Again, it was very quiet. Nothing but the sound of traffic, the sound of the wind rustling through the trees, and the sound of their footsteps could be heard. The silence was starting to get old; both Yuka and Kuon were growing tired of it. Yuka wanted to strike up a conversation, but the words in his mouth were caught at the tip of his tongue, refusing to come out. There was so much Kuon wanted to say to her friend, but she, too, struggled to speak.

"When did you get so quiet?" Yuka finally asked the girl walking next to him. "If I remember, you were always talking and nagging at me."

Way to go, Yuka. Very smooth. Not.

Kuon was taken aback by Yuka's cheeky comment.

Nagging? She thought. Was that really how he saw me?

A small frown crossed Kuon's beautiful features as she replayed that rude comment over and over in her head, slightly puffing out her cheeks. It was then when Kuon realized that Yuka was trying to alleviate the awkward atmosphere between them. She also had to think about how Yuka must have felt after seeing her for the first time in a couple of years. Just like her, he struggled with his words. Just like her, he didn't know what to say. She mentally slapped herself for being so quick to overreact.

"I-It's a big deal seeing you again, Mr. Mask. Seeing you unmasked is also quite a shock. When we escaped, I never got the chance to..."

Kuon's words fell as she got a better look at the former sniper. His face... It was more handsome than she could have possibly imagined. It fit his voice and personality perfectly, but she had to admit that she wasn't expecting for Yuka's face to appear gentle and soft. A faint blush colored Kuon's cheeks once she realized how long she was staring at the tall man.

"That's right," Yuka nodded. "Everything happened so fast after we escaped, and you never got the chance. Hopefully you're not too disappointed."

What Yuka said came out as a joke to him, but Kuon took what he said rather seriously.

"No, not at all!" The woman exclaimed. "I feel the complete opposite." She grew quiet as she tried to contain herself. Kuon could list a lot of things about the former sniper's appearance that she liked, but she knew if she decided to say anything, she would die in embarrassment.

For the past fifteen minutes, Yuka and Kuon were able to break down the awkward atmosphere with friendly conversation. Firstly, Kuon apologized to Yuka for being rude; she explained how she was at a loss for words when she recognized who he was. She was relieved to hear that Yuka felt the same way, feeling less guilty. Once they exchanged apologies, Kuon told Yuka about her father's company and how she was going to take his place as the next CEO. She wasn't looking forward to the long hours and the many responsibilities, but Kuon was willing to make her father proud and carry on his legacy. It was the least she could do after all the sacrifices he made to give her such a luxurious life. Yuka, however, was working at an office job. It was nothing compared to what Kuon would be doing, but the position was enough to get him by with the hours being so flexible. It allowed the ex-sniper to take care of himself as well as keep him busy. He also confessed to "playing the field," but the couple dates he went on were anything but successful. Kuon wanted to feel bad, but she had to admit that she felt relieved.

"I'm glad to know that you've been well all this time, Mr. Mask," Kuon said in a hushed voice, but she was loud enough for Yuka to hear. "You don't know how much I've thought about you. I've longed to see you even."

A faint blush crossed Yuka's face. He tried hiding it by looking away, but he couldn't help but notice that the girl next to him was red in the face as well. Typical Kuon. She always had to say something really mushy. It wasn't that Yuka didn't like it, but her heartfelt words always seemed to make him go speechless. He had to admit that it was sometimes embarrassing.

Kuon would slow to a stop once she saw a tall mansion come into view. Yuka would stop walking when he saw that Kuon fell behind. He looked over his shoulder, sending the young woman a questionable look, but his face was quick to show that of concern when he saw the look of sadness shadow Kuon's delicate features.

"What's wrong, Kuon?"

Before she answered the man in front of her, green eyes would meet brown. She then looked past him to get another glance at the mansion up ahead. Yuka took a moment to follow the green-haired girl's gaze until his eyes landed on the large manor. That was when he started to connect the dots.

"I didn't realize we made it. Nice place," he complimented.

"I'm not ready to go back," she suddenly said. "It's too soon..."

"Too soon? What do you mean-"

Yuka was caught off when Kuon grabbed his hand to drag him opposite of their destination. Startled, Yuka lightly protested, but he allowed the girl to lead him by the hand. They walked a couple blocks down a neighborhood, each street containing several big houses that were about the size of Yuka's apartment complex. Before he knew it, the tall man found himself at the community park. It was quiet as there were only a few people either walking along the stone path with their dogs or lounging on one of the many park benches. Kuon led her friend to a secluded bench that faced a small pond located at the end of the park. Hanging over the bench was a tall tree adorned with hundreds of cherry blossoms. Every now and then a light breeze would pick up and brush through the blossoms, causing them to dance in its wake. The young woman would take a seat on the wooden bench with Yuka following suit.

Once again, the two friends were accompanied by the silence they now often share. However, the silence was comfortable this time around. Yuka would gaze at the body of water before him, watching as the falling petals created ripples as they made contact with the water's surface.

"Sorry if I worried you earlier," Kuon finally said. "I didn't want to go back home."

"How come? Wasn't that what you were trying to do this whole time?"

Yuka meant for that to come off as a joke, but the solemn look on the girl's face made him feel instant regret. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel worse than she already was.

"You know, if there's something bothering you, you can tell me."

Kuon glanced over at him before looking down at her lap. Her hands weakly fiddled with her yellow dress as she thought about what she wanted to say.

"A part of me got scared that I would never see you again once I took a step inside that house. I meant what I said about seeing you again. Seeing you here with me now is a big deal. You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment... I'm sorry if that sounds stupid."

He didn't think it was stupid. He understood the feeling completely, even if the thought itself sounded outlandish. To acknowledge Kuon's feelings, Yuka placed his large hand over her small one in her lap. When he touched her hand, he would feel what felt like a light spark course through him. Unbeknownst to Yuka, Kuon felt it too, causing the girl to look up at him.

"You never have to worry about that, Kuon," he promised her with a tender smile. "As far as I'm concerned, I won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

Small tears formed at the corners of Kuon's eyes, but she forced them away with a relieved smile. She was glad to see that nothing about her angel had changed; Yuka never once failed to tell the girl what she needed to hear. Taking his hand into hers, Kuon shifted herself closer to the tall man to where their sides were lightly touching. Without having to contemplate, the girl leaned over to rest her head on Yuka's shoulder, causing her green and blonde wavy locks to fall gracefully over his arm. Yuka had to admit that she left him immobilized; it was like he forgot how to move. When he was able to get himself to relax, Yuka slowly reached an arm behind Kuon to pull her close. Due to him being a nervous wreck, he pulled a little too hard, causing the young woman to fall onto his chest. So uncool. Kuon would let out a quiet yelp as her face was pressed against the navy-blue fabric of his shirt. Their eyes would reluctantly meet before a fit of laughter erupted from the both of them.

...

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now."

After some time at the park, Yuka thought it was best to get Kuon home. Of course, Kuon was against the idea; she didn't want their time together to end. Being in Yuka's arms was something she dreamed of even when they were stuck in the other world, but she knew it was getting late. She didn't want to keep the former sniper around longer than he had to just to fulfill her selfish needs.

"Yes, for now," he further emphasized. "If time allows, we should do this again. I'm sure it won't be so awkward next time."

"I really am sorry about that, Mr. Mask," Kuon apologized as she brought both her index fingers together.

"Hey, I'm only joking," he chuckled. "There is no need to apologize because I am just as guilty for that. Anyway, before you go, I do have a favor to ask."

"Of course! What is it you need, Mr. Mask?" She perked up.

"Well, for starters, I would like it if you called me Yuka. I thought that since we're close and I'm on a first name basis with you, you can call me Yuka. It's okay if you don't get it right away, but I'd prefer if you call me by that name."

As if on cue, Kuon softly blushed. She would put a hand on her cheek as her lips formed into a small smile.

"Very well... Yuka," she nodded.

Yuka's smile returned. He was glad to have gotten that all cleared up.

"Well, I guess I better head in," Kuon announced as she turned on her heel to go inside. Before she left, she would glance over her shoulder to look at Yuka. "Walk home safe, okay? I'll see you soon."

"Very soon," he promised as he watched the girl disappear inside.

He wasn't planning on losing her again for another two years.

A/N: The cheese is real. I'm so glad I had the time to edit and publish this. I am working on chapter 3 as we speak, so I hope to get that out as soon as I can (no promises, though). You see, I'm graduating college this coming December and my professors are threatening us with a busy semester. So far, I'm surviving.

I appreciate that fav and follow! I actually wasn't expecting anyone to find this story and the other one I did back in the summer. I also want to thank the reviewer Marta for the comment! It really made my day when I read it. I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading!