Author's Note: There's supposed to be an image with this chapter, but I'm not exactly sure how to incorporate images or if you can at all. And FF loves to cut out Ao3 links for one reason or another, so just DM me if you want the link.

Tick tock, tick-tock.

The watch was all that he could hear in the deafening white noise. How many minutes had passed? Five? Ten? He didn't know, nor did he want to know. His leg began to shake uncontrollably, shaking the small wooden table where he sat.

"Where is she?" Makoto said to himself in a worried whisper.

Yukari had told Makoto to wait for her at the station after supposedly dropping her wallet. He remembered how adamant she was about him staying behind and to let her do this on her own…

"Wait…lemme see how much money I have-" she paused as her hand reached for her pocket.

"What's wrong?" Makoto asked.

"I-I don't have my wallet! I think I dropped it somewhere!"

"Didn't you have it when you pulled out your ticket?"

"Huh? Oh, that's right! But… how did I lose it then?" she scratched her head out of frustration, trying to remember where she could have possibly dropped the darn thing. Suddenly it hit her that there was no way she could have dropped it. She had been carrying it in her hand the entire time. "Wait a minute… someone bumped into me back on the train… did I get robbed?"

"Yukari… if that's the case, I think it's as good as gone now…"

"If you think it's about the money it's not! It has something special in it!" She yelled at him, trying to get him to understand.

For his part, Makoto felt like an idiot for dismissing her problem so easily. He didn't mean to do it out of spite, he was only worried that something could happen to her if she went looking for it.

"Sorry, you're right…But if you're gonna go back, at least let me come with you!"

"No, just stay here! I swear if you're worried about me don't be. I'll be fine."

"Yukari I-"

"Stay, please!" She didn't yell this time, but the tone in her voice told him that he needed to trust her.

She took off and headed back towards the train, the next stop on it read Port Island. He at least saw her off as the train took off and left his field of view…

He had been told to stay, but it just didn't feel right. It didn't help that chilly winds of October circled him, only amplifying his anxiety. Makoto cared too much about Yukari to just leave her alone in this, yet he had to do as he was told - wait.

He chastised himself for following through and listening. It's not that he doubted her capabilities, he knew better than anyone how independent she was, but still, the nagging feeling that something had gone wrong sat like a rut in his stomach. He couldn't just sit there and do nothing, he had to find out if anything had happened to her. Even if it meant bearing her anger later, at the very least she would be safe...

His mind was set and he got up in a rush, racing towards the station. Luckily for him, the station wasn't that far away, making it rather easy to catch the next train to Port Island. He quickly boarded the train and took his seat near the entrance. All he could do now was wait patiently as the locomotive slowly began to leave the station. He kept his hands close to his face worriedly, looking out towards the orange-colored sky. The sun would be setting soon and he couldn't help but feel his heart squeeze at the thought of nighttime in Port Island.

' Please let it just be my imagination, and let her be safe…'

The train ride itself wasn't all too long, having only been roughly a ten minute ride; however, that didn't alleviate the fact that the train seemed to be braking at a snail's pace, moving ever so slowly towards the platform. Truthfully, it was probably an exaggeration on the blue-haired teen's part, but his impatience was getting the best of him. As soon the train opened its doors he shuffled past the crowd, making sure to not bump himself into anyone or anything as he exited the train. He had a brisk pace about him as he entered the central plaza of the island, and yet Yukari was nowhere to be seen. Not even a single student was present in the area. That worried him, he knew that Port Island was not kind to those who visited during after school hours. Even so, he kept looking and-

"Give it back you jerk!" A voice cried out in the distance.

Makoto ran in the direction of the voice, there was no mistaking that it was Yukari's. Though much to his annoyance he found her surrounded by three other thugs. They kept demeaning her, calling her a "bitch" as they moved in closer, all the while holding her wallet above her.

And as if on instinct Makoto's body moved on its dashing against low-lives as he fought them off without so much as a whisper. He wasn't the strongest, but he had the speed to dodge the attacks they sent his way. He had trained enough with Akihiko to know when an enemy would slip-up and leave an opening for him. It wasn't long before they were knocked down to the pavement, causing the thugs to drop the wallet and run off into the dark alleyway. Makoto turned to Yukari, watching her stand there dumbfounded that he had shown up to rescue her.

"Thanks… but you got carried away," she eyed him with an annoyed look.

"What? What do you mean?"

Yukari clicked her tongue, clenching her fists angrily. "I thought I told you to wait back at the station!"

"Wait, Yukari I-" he tried to explain himself, but she didn't seem to be listening. He was confused as to where her sudden anger had come from. Surely she didn't mean this out of some need to prove herself right?

"Did you think I was joking when I said I could do it by myself?!"

She did.

"..." He stayed quiet, wanting to tell her just how wrong she was. However, it wasn't the time or place for that.

"J-just go…" she muttered quietly.

Makoto couldn't help but refuse her every time she asked him to leave. He couldn't stand seeing her tremble with fear, and deep down he knew that she had not meant what she said.

And he was right, she couldn't be happier that he had saved her, but the nagging feeling of helplessness consumed her whole. She wanted to show him that she had grown on her own, but ironically she hadn't learned a thing since she met him.

He had been the one to teach her how to reach out for help. And the first thing she thought of doing was putting herself in a dangerous situation that could have ended much worse than it did. She felt like an idiot for even thinking of pushing him away, so much so that by the time she decided to look up, she was surprised to find him there still, waiting patiently for her to relax.

'Ugh! Why is he so caring?!' she thought. It was no wonder her heart seemed to flutter every time she was with him. For as lovestruck as she had been, she had a knack for making things difficult for herself. Though, the simple fact that he had stayed and not run-off meant more to her than he realized.

However, with the awkward silence surrounding them, it was hard to discern what either of them was thinking. She couldn't help but feel full of regret the more times she looked to him. She bit her lip and let out a sigh as she managed to relax, finally gaining the courage to speak again.

"I-I'm sorry Makoto, I didn't really mean all that, I-"

"I know," he said so matter of fact. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

"N-no, it's fine, you were just making sure I was okay… let's just go home okay? I think we've been through enough today."

He simply nodded and extended his hand out to the brunette. She took it kindly with a small smile.

A short train ride later and the teens had made it back to the dorm safely. However, upon going inside they had noticed that the lobby was empty. Not a single soul was present, leaving the two to quickly escape upstairs. A short while later the pair stood in front of Yukari's door. Makoto had planned to leave her there to finally relax, but as soon as he turned around he felt something tug at his sleeve. When he turned around he noticed Yukari was still holding on to him and her face said more than she could at the moment.

She wanted him to stay with her for a while longer, even if they were to somehow get caught, she would defend him and take the responsibility. For now all that mattered to her was to have him close.

To her surprise, Makoto had caught on to what she had in mind and followed her inside. They stood at the center awkwardly avoiding each other's gaze. She finally had him all to herself and still, she couldn't think of what to do or say. As for Makoto, he was just bewildered by the fact that he dared to even make it this far.

"S-so…" Yukari started in an attempt to break the drowning silence. "Sorry I just can't help but feel nervous, even though it's you Makoto."

"Really? I thought I was the only one…" he laughed with a teasing smile.

"I'm serious! Even though everyone's gone they might still find out you were here later… Not that I'd tell them of course… haha," she laughed nervously.

"Y-yeah I agree… I wouldn't want to be executed by Mitsuru…"

"Oh stop she isn't all that bad," she teased. However, she couldn't but feel a strange sensation in her stomach, it was if butterflies had been dancing inside of her. She wanted to tell him just how much he meant he meant to her. "Actually, I-I wanted to tell you that-" she bit back her lip, she was afraid of rejection. What if he didn't feel the same way? What if he was already in a relationship? What if he- "No stop that!" She let out a deep breath, trying to recompose herself. It's true that rejection still scared her, but the uneven pace of her heart told her that this was it, that she had to confess now or risk losing herself in a pool of regret.

"Yukari?" Makoto looked at her concerned.

She, in turn, snapped out of her thoughts. "S-sorry I got side-tracked for a bit there…" she said facing towards him again. "A-anyway I wanted to tell you that… I want you to have this… it's the strap to my cell phone." She unhooked the thin fabric from her phone and placed it in his hands. "It's special to me, my Dad gave it to me just before he passed away. He told me to hold onto it as a good luck charm. And well I wanted to give it to you because you mean a lot to me Makoto."

"I-I can't accept this, not if it means this much to you," he said, handing the thin fabric back.

She shook her head with a gentle smile, placing it once again in his right palm and closing it with her hand. She was certain about this, and she wasn't taking no for an answer.

"You're serious, aren't you?" He asked.

"Mhm. I made a promise to myself that I would give it to the person I l-loved."

"Y-you what?" His eyes went wide at the sudden confession. "Y-you l-love-"

She didn't let him finish, instead, she threw her arms around his neck and tiptoed up to his lips. She didn't know where she had suddenly gained the courage to act so boldly, but she wanted this and she was going to have it.

Makoto was taken aback from the sudden kiss, however, he quickly recovered and returned the kiss, deepening it further while wrapping his arms around the small of her back.

It was slow and gentle accompanied by a small exchange of quiet breaths as they slowly got a sense of their rhythm.

They pulled apart shortly after, smiling and giggling at each other. A peaceful silence ensued thereafter as Yukari leaned her head into his chest, relaxing into him. She could hear the gentle beat of his heart as each thump came and went. She envied him a bit because of that, for she had been a nervous mess up to the confession.

Still, it was nice to be held by him. Though. a part of her wondered what his plans were once the dark hour was gone. She had wanted to always go somewhere away from the city, even if it was just a short time, as long as she had him along that's all that mattered.

"Ask him then," she told herself, breaking the silence between

"Did you say something, Yukari?"

"Makoto, let's go somewhere after this is all over. Just the two of us."

"Oh? This is sudden. And just what place did you have in mind?"

"Somewhere up in the mountains, with a cabin or something," she smiled.

"Sounds perfect," he said, rubbing her back gently.

Content with his response, Yukari took hold of Makoto's hand and pulled him towards her bed. They sat beside each other while holding hands on top of the mattress. Embarrassed blushes filled the color of their cheeks as they looked to one another. Mouths opened and closed as neither of them could figure out what to say to each other. Well more so that they lacked the courage they had moments ago. Through bits of fidgeting here and there, Makoto finally regained enough courage to ask about that, the thing that was so special in Yukari's wallet.

"B-by the way, what was in your wallet that was so special?"

"Huh? Oh, that! I guess I can show you now, but promise you won't laugh!"

"I promise," he swore crossing his heart.

She smiled and reached for her wallet. When all was said and done she pulled out a small photo, it was of them at the festival leaning into each other and watching the fireworks in the night sky.

"How did you get this?"

"I may have asked a photographer there and I just kept it with me since." she giggled.

"Is that why you didn't want me following you too?" He teased.

"I-I wha- no-" she was speechless as her cheeks began to glow a warm red color. "I'm blushing aren't I?"

He simply laughed it off, breaking his promise, but he found it worth doing so. They eyed each other one more time before slipping into yet another kiss, this time much slower and tender.

"I love you, Yukari..." he whispered.

"And I love you, Makoto," she said in a soft reply.

For all the confusing feelings they had for one another at least this one felt so right. No matter what or who tried to separate them they would always find their way back to each other.