A/N: Chapter has been edited to fit explain shit in Ch4. Apparently, I forgot to replace this the last time I was uploading, my bad. A lil' advice from me: make sure to check ur chaps when ur writing ur own story :P


"Love isn't about finding the perfect person;

It's about realizing that an imperfect person can

make your life perfect."

-Crystal Ball


The Day After

The sun rose as people got up, specifically Serena.

She had woken up because of Misty, to be specific. Said cat kept on batting her face and meowing at her loudly.

"Mreow. MEeEow, mrrreeeOW."

"Gee, shut up, I'm awake," she said, still not getting up though.

"Nya." 'So that's how you want it.' Misty walked over her face and positioned her butt on it, getting ready to sit down.

"Ack! Okay, I'll get up!" She sat down and glared at Misty.

So, she first ate some (stolen) breakfast, and fed Misty. She's now preparing to go somewhere.

Serena dusted her parka as she got up to leave. As she's fed, Misty didn't really care right now, all she thought was that she could have the hideout to herself.

"Gee, you're a cat indeed; if you're a dog, you'd follow me," Serena stated.

'I DO follow you. All the time. I just need to rest now, okay…?' Misty thought before stretching and continuing her nap.

"Tsk, stupid cat."

Misty looked up at her. "Oh, so you'll respond to that?" Serena is sure Misty is now glaring at her.

Serena chuckled, "Well, I have things to do elsewhere, so I better get going.. See you later, Misty. You can explore for now," she said, taking off.

"Mrow…" Misty yawned.

Serena walked away.


Sakakis' (Rented) House-6:30 AM

"Get up, get up, get up!" Yuto shouted, banging Yuya and Yugo's room's door. As usual, they were the ones who woke up late. "Yuri and I are already dressed!"

Running can be heard inside, along with some, "Yuya, wake up!"

Meanwhile, inside, Yugo was waking the tomato up by shaking him, saying the above-mentioned statement.

"Yuzu-chan~" Yuya mumbled in his sleep, smirking...

Yuri heard the ruckus and ran upstairs yelling, "Guys, wait! Yuya shou—!"

"Yuya, you can talk to her later. For now," Yugo got ready to… yell, "WAKE UP!"

Yuya's mind figuratively exploded. "I'M AWAKE…!"

"Sigh, finally," Yugo said as Yuya groaned, "Guys, I work at a different place… no need to wake me up so early…" Yuto and Yugo had just realized that. "Right…" Yuto said.

"Sorry." Yugo said, rubbing his head. "It's fine."

Yuri face-palmed as he got there. "Nevermind…"

Later

Yuya got up anyway (Yugo woke him up, what's the point?) to have his breakfast and say goodbye to his brothers.

"See you guys later!" Yuya yelled happily.

"Bye, Yuya. You take care, okay?" Yuto reminded.

"Pf, of course!" Yuya scoffed.

"Don't get dragged by your fans again!" Yugo said. "And make sure to impress that girl of yours. You should introduce her to us soon."

"At least he has fans," Yuri pouted. "But yeah, show us the girl soon, will ya?"

"Soon, don't worry," Yuya answered. "Don't fight during work hours, okay? Especially you two."

"I'll try, Yuya. No promises!" Yuri smiled while raising his arms in a gesture that forms "No".

"Only if he won't start it," Yugo said, eyeing the former.

They then walked away, still waving their arms 'goodbye'.

After a while, they separated, and preferring different routes to work, even though they'll end up in the same destination. It was always a race. A race on being early and that you're able to buy coffee and arrive to work, not spilled. It should also still be full. Yes, they can be childish sometimes (all the time, actually)…

"I'll get there first; I just know it!" Yugo yelled, running away before any of his bros could.

"See ya, Yuri, Yugo!" Yuto yelled as he ran and shoved Yugo to the side. "Hey!"

"Your dreams of being first are usually crushed by me! And I'll make sure to do such (again…) today!" Yuri said, turning to a corner.

"We'll see!" Yuto yelled.

Yuri turned to a corner while walking backwards.

"Heh. Time to take the secret shortcut." He smirked.

But as he spun to walk normally, he accidentally (or not) bumped into someone.

"Turn your turn signal on next time, asshole…" it was a girl wearing a red parka, some black shorts, a dirty-white colored shirt, brown loose socks, and reddish timberland boots. Her blue hair was let down, and atop it was a dark-gray beanie. (A/N: Idk why I still wrote this, but please refer to the cover of this fic, except her clothes are somewhat dirtier, and she's wearing fingerless gloves on her right hand) She also acted as if she owned the place.

"Excuse me, miss. I did turn mine on. You should've seen me, anyway…" Yuri trailed off while turning to look at her. "Oh my, what in Obelisk the fucking Tormentor's name happened to you?!"

"What do you mean?" The girl asked.

"You're bruised! Has a blackeye, and some dirtied clothes! I'm sure something happened. Anyone in their right mind and has time WILL care!" Yuri answered.

"Well, nobody else really does," she shrugged, pointing it out nonchalantly. "And these?" She pointed to the parts of her body described above, "Are little things, it could be worse."

Yuri just gaped at her. 'What kind of a woman are you!?'

Serena sighed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go somewhere. And if you do want to help, just give me some money."

"You look like you shouldn't be trusted," Yuri said, eyeing her suspiciously.

Again, she was homeless and had a bruise on her right fist—signifying a hard punch—like she had been in a fight with someone. Who knows what she'll do with the money.

"I know," she said as if she knew she shouldn't be. And frankly, she shouldn't be! "But look, I'm a girl. If anything, I'm the vulnerable one here" she continued, pointing to herself. "You'll never know if I prolly almost got raped, but just escaped!"

She does have a point. Though, if she did just escape, how come she–not counting the bruises–pretty much looks… Fine? To the point of calling him an a-hole, which, if, say, he was a thug, could just get her into another fight, or worse.

"Sigh… Even though you don't look as vulnerable as you said you should–could be," he started, taking his wallet, "I'll give ya some."

Then Yuri smiled. "But first, tell me your name."

"Yours first," she demanded. "I don't trust anyone all that much."

'Well, me neither.' He thought. "Tch, Yuri. Sakaki Yuri." He said, gritting his teeth. The girl smiled. "Serena." She held her hand out.

Yuri shook it. "Okay then, Serena. Here you go." Yuri said, handing her about 100 bucks.

"You serious?! You give me, a, 'homeless' person, 100 Dollars?! You either trust me too much, or you're crazy," Serena said, no one in their right mind would do this. (A/N: I'm not American… so Idk what could be considered "too much" but is still the right amount)

"Judging by your reaction, you know it's a lot, but you seem like you don't want it, so…"

"N-No, I'll take it!" Serena said, snatching the money from his hand. 'Yeah, jackpot! Wait, this means…'

"Guess I'll… see you around, then," Yuri said, stuffing his wallet back into his bag.

Serena smirked while he did so, but felt a tug on her heart with what he said. "O-Okay, see you… I guess."

"Bye," Yuri hastily said.

"Yeah," Serena agreed. For some reason, she doesn't want to say anything related to "Bye".

They then parted and felt alone again,–of course, not without Serena somehow pickpocketing him of his wallet–as if parting was like being broken from a part of a whole…

A whole they had made when they just met. Which was roughly just a few minutes ago, and ironically, it wasn't a very good first meeting.

And though Yuri isn't feeling this as hard as Serena is, he still felt weird. Never has he felt anything like this. It's a peculiar feeling he's fine and willing to explore. li


Yuri, a few minutes later...

He went to a coffee shop to (supposedly) just buy some coffee. A guy named Dennis knows the challenge, and always already has coffee prepared for him. But this time, Yuri subconsciously stayed there to chat about none other than Serena.

"So I bumped into this weird girl earlier… I think her name was Serena."

"Oh? What was she like?" Dennis asked, handing him his cup of coffee and a bag with two croissants.

"Well, she definitely isn't like any other girl I've met/dated in the past." Yuri then remembered something while taking a croissant out of the bag and biting it. "She also had some bruises on her fist and face. In my opinion, she probably has not a single girl feature." He stated.

Dennis chuckled. "Well, maybe she's 'The one'."

"What do you mean?" Yuri said, voice muffled as he ate.

Dennis grinned. "You've always talked about how animals had a mate, or something about not having a girlfriend."

Yuri almost choked. "Her? You kidding me? She could probably punch the living daylights out of me!" He exclaimed.

"Any other girl who'd actually accept you and would be manipulated!"

"What." Yuri said, more as a statement than a question.

"What I mean is," Dennis started, putting a hand on his shoulder, "you could use that girl to do anything you want psychologically. And this, 'Serena', might be one who couldn't. She also sounds like a fighter, which is saying something."

Yuri laughed. "I'd actually prefer one who can be used easily, and as if I'd never want someone like her in my life."

'But if she is,' he thought, 'then what a plot twist in my life she could be.' He smiled.

But frowned when he saw the clock. "Shit—"

"Sorry, Den-den! I'm late, bye!" He took his case and food then ran.

"Wait! Pay up!"

"Right." Yuri went back to pay him but he couldn't find his wallet. 'What the…!?' "My wallet isn't here."

"Yuri…"

Yuri calmed himself down and looked at Dennis then smiled. "Dennis, my man…"

Dennis shook his head. "Ohohoho, no. I am not falling for any lies you'll make up again!"

"But this ain't a lie, really. I mean, I have done so much things for ya in the past—"

Dennis raised an eyebrow. "No, not really."

"—nah, I did. Remember that I helped you in school once?" He put his hand on Dennis's shoulder.

"Ah, yes. You told me I could cheat off you, and, of course, I said no." He removed Yuri's hand.

"No, no, a different time. I helped ya get a date, remember?"

"...hm. Yeah, I remember that one…"

"Mhm, and I helped ya on different occasions as well! So please, let me off with this one. I always pay you, remember?"

"Not all the time."

"But I still do—"

Annoyed asf, Dennis just yelled, "Fine, fine! Go ahead…" then pushed him out of the shop.

"Thank you so much, Den-den. I will remember this day and all others. I promise I'll pay ya back!" He said as he headed to the exit.

Dennis smiled. "And all those other times."

"...okie." He left. "Bye~!"

"Hm. See ya!"


Leo Corp.-Later

'Crapf*ckcrapf*ck…!' Yuri thought as he ran to the building's doors, they were about to close, good thing he caught 'em in time.

"You're late, Sakaki," Reiji said, adjusting his glasses.

"I know, I had some…" Yuri thought if he should tell him.

He decided not to.

"…Troubles, along the way," Yuri said, panting. He had realized he was late (only by, like, 3 minutes, but we know him) after he got his coffee from the Mackfield Coffee Shop, a shop owned by one of his friends, Dennis. He was talking to him about Serena. How they had just met and had a little argument already.

How is Serena…? was she fine? Is she getting beaten up, or was she currently the one beating someone up? Why the fuck was he even thinking these things...

"Well, you better change into your lab coat and go to your department, then," Reiji said, snapping him from his thoughts. Right, he was in his workplace now.

"Yeah, I will." He didn't really like people bossing him around. He ought to run his own company one day… for now, he at least had his co-workers to boss around.

He then walked down the hall where Yuto was standing.

"Now, this is new; you're usually the early one." Yuto stated bluntly with a hint of surprise.

"Augh, I know, okay? I'm late, but this is only the first time," Yuri said, rolling his eyes.

"That's the thing, you're actually late; for the first time." Yuto chuckled while sipping his coffee. He's the kind of guy who can't run nor function without at least one cup every morning.

"Hey Yuto, is that Yugo goofing off again? He never learns, does he…"

"Where?"

But there was no Yugo.

When Yuto looked away, Yuri took Yuto's coffee, took its cover off, then spilled its remnants on Yuto's uniform.

"You little…" Yuto said as Yuri laughed, hard.

The other employees chuckled but looked away when Yuto turned to them.

Yuto felt like he should strangle his brother, squeeze his throat, and make him suffer till he'll apologize.

"Yuri, go to your department. Now," Reiji said strictly.

Yuri just continued chuckling before walking to his lab. "And you," Reiji said, referring to Yuto, "change if you have any spares. If you have none, you go get one during lunch break."

Yuto bowed, then nodded. "Yes, sir."

Laboratory

As Yuri entered, the people under him were already working. Yuri made sure to train and keep them that way.

"How's everything, Sora?" Yuri asked.

"Well, the bismuth was shipped just today," Sora said. Sora was Yuri's assistant. He did everything Yuri told him perfectly. They're almost friends, and that itself is a milestone for anyone. The only thing Yuri didn't like about him was that he always sucked a lollipop or ate candy.

"What about the reactor?" Yuri was a scientist, but he isn't just focused on one field, nor branch. No, he is an expert in almost (if not, all) all branches and fields of science, making him almost all that Reiji needs, and is the reason why Reiji hasn't fired him even with his sheer creepiness.

"Well, Yugo is still working to fix it," Sora said.

If you're wondering, they were trying to make Polonium, one of the most dangerous (it's actually the most dangerous) elements on Earth. (A/N: This is based on my research. If you're a scientist who knows how to really make this element, I'm all ears.) It can be made by first by artificially changing Bismuth-209 to Bismuth-210, which then decays to Polonium.

This started when Reiji formulated "Operation 6". They didn't know what that was supposed to be, but he suddenly told them to make that.

"Well then please tell him to hurry up so that we can start the process." Yuri sighed. The other day, they were helping Yugo with the reactors (Yes, they have 3 of them). Yuri stayed late because he was testing them with other things.

"R-Right away," Sora said sadly. Yuri was sometimes too focused on his job. "Isn't he your brother? Can't, or Didn't you tell him yourself?"

"Unlike other people, my personality changes. At home and at work, I'm different. When I start working, I don't care if you're my family, friend, nor foe," Yuri said darkly but suddenly went normal again. "Sigh… Well, let's go visit him."

"O-Okay." Sora murmured.

"Let's go, let's go!" Yuri said while clapping his hands to get everyone's attention.


Fast forward to Lunch

As Yuri was walking out of the building, Yuto had spotted him.

He looked FURIOUS.

"YURI, COME HERE, YOU ASS!" Yuto yelled.

'Shoot.' Yuri thought before running. "Sorry, Bro! I have to eat!" Yuri laughed.

"…What happened?" Yugo asked. "Yuri spilled Yuto's coffee on his shirt, making Yuto go out and buy new clothes." Sora answered blatantly.

"Sooo…?" Yugo said, quirking an eyebrow.

'Sigh… how do your brothers even put up with you!?'

"Well, that made him angry," Sora told him blatantly.

"OOOOOHHH!" Yugo said. He had just figured it out. Sora let out a deep, anime-like sigh.

"SHUT UP, YUGO!" Yuto bellowed and proceeded to chase Yuri. Yuri continued to run. (If you think Yuri's the kind who doesn't know acrobatics, just remember everything he did in the anime.)

Yuri ran through a wet market a block-or-so away from Leo Corp, but Yuto still followed him…

…And unknown to him was that he was now crossing a big, disgusting, fish-smelling puddle. He tripped at some point. "Oof…!" he grimaced as he fell on the disgusting puddle. Yuri just laughed and continued to run.

'Great… Now I have to change… again.' But that didn't stop him from chasing Yuri.

But of course, he lost the annoying cabbage.

After a while, Yuto got tired. In the past, yes, he was trained for these things–chasing after someone, etc.–and all that paid off for the job he currently has as the chief of the Security Department and head of the Lancers.

But this was his brother we're talking about. They almost match in strength and stamina when it comes to these things.

He ultimately gave up and went into a clothing store and bought some cheap, simple, replacement clothes and a plastic for his dirtied ones.

He then went to a diner to have his lunch.

"I'll have some Tuna Sandwich and Orange Juice," Yuto said as he sat on a table.

"Woah, slow down there, sir," a female's voice said.

"Sorry, I…" Yuto said, but as he looked up, he met her violet-maroon eyes, and was… lost. He didn't know what to say anymore, as if his ability to speak was taken away. She was just so… beautiful. No, gorgeous, captivati—

The female giggled. "Hello, you still there, sir?"

"S-Sorry, I want a Tuna Sandwich and Orange Juice," he clarified.

"Are you sure we even have that? And I think that's what kids usually order." She didn't know if he had either been here before or knew the menu, but just to make sure. "Oh! Uhh… If you don't, I'll just choose something else," Yuto said, trying not to blush. "Those were just what came to my mind for some reason…"

His waitress just laughed, "It's fine. We do, anyway. Oh, I'm Ruri, by the way. Ruri Kurosaki."

"Yuto. Yuto Sakaki." 'Wait… Kurosaki? Where have I heard that name before…' He thought.

"Okay then, Yuto," she said, smiling. But then frowned. She remembered someone else who loved tuna sandwiches. Said person loves cats and is one of the reasons why. That person would share the sandwich with all and any stray cats she'd meet.

"What's with the sad face?" Yuto asked as he saw her frown. (Both as a noun and a verb, if u know what I mean.)

"Oh, nothing. Your order just reminded me of one of my sisters," Ruri said sadly.

'Great, you made her frown! What to do, what to do…' "Wanna talk about it?" Hopefully, it'd make her feel better.

"Well, I can't now."

"Right! I mean, right. How about… when you're… free?"

"Are you asking me out?"

"N-No, nothing like that." Yuto stammered, waving his hands; he didn't want to creep her out. 'She has the wrong idea! Oh no, I creeped her out, it's all my fau—'

"Okay then, how about tomorrow?" Wait a minute, she accepted!

'Whew… I'm lucky this time.' "S-Sure," he said, a hint of excitement and nervousness evident in his voice. "What time? And Date?"

"Maybe tomorrow 'round 5 pm. I can't today because there are lots of customers coming for our special promo that's ending Today. You're just lucky because you somehow found a seat."

"Oh, okay."

"Well, gotta go! Still need to get to the other customers. Your order will come in a while."


With Our Beloved Purple Cabbage

"Heh, he can never catch me," Yuri said proudly.

Yuri was walking down the streets when—

"You got the thing?" A girl asked. 'Hm?' Yuri turned to see…

The same girl earlier, but with a muscular guy. "Yeah, here," he said, handing her some mysterious white powder in a packet and something with a syringe. If this guy is her boyfriend, Yuri will beat him up himself for ever (if he (the guy) was ever the one) beating Serena up, worse is the one giving her drugs!

Wait, did he actually think that?

"Thanks," he heard Serena say, handing him some of the money Yuri had given her earlier. That bitch…

"Where'd ya get this money from?" the guy asked, surprised.

"Uhh, a… friend?" Serena answered. "Oh, okay. Well, see ya soon, Serena!"

"Yeah, you too." They then parted.

She walked parallel to the guy's direction. 'Must be going somewhere else again.' Yuri thought. He decided to follow her, not knowing that something bad might happen.


A/N: I FINALLY updated this lol. Out of the other chapters, I might go back to this one soon and edit something here. I might not, but maybe.

Bye~!

-01