Title: Yellow Ribbons
Author: SicilianMaiden
Pairing: Narumi Ayumu/Yuizaki Hiyono
Fandom: Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna
Theme: #25—fence
Rating: PG (minor, suggestive language, or at least, I think so)
Disclaimer: All characters of Spiral are the property of Kyou Shirodaira; I allege no possession of said characters. I only request to take them to over-rowdy soccer games and force them to play at gunpoint. Inspired by the song Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree by Tony Orlando and Dawn. You can thank my mother and her love of 70's music. :D Oh, don't own the song or the group. The end.
Summary: Anxiously, he gazed through double-paned windows.

Hello. :) Well, here's number sixteen; unbeta'd so please point out the errors.

-o-

It had been three, tremendously long years since he had last seen her smiling face, heard her pleasantly loud yet caring voice, and been able to embrace her soft and supple figure. He'd left for the police academy's harsh training two years out of high school; Wataya had decided that even though he was Kyotaka's brother, he still couldn't waltz right in and take the position of lead detective. He would have to earn that title.

Currently, he was standing in a crowd of people before Shibuya Station. From outside, he could hear a feminine voice alerting passengers to the arriving train on the Yamanote Line. Realizing that the boarding call was for his train, he shuffled along with the horde of commuters, waiting his turn in the winding line. Finally, he entered the terminal and, with a wave to Hachikō (well, his bronzed statue at least) the newly promoted and licensed detective hopped on the idling engine. His stomach was twisted in anxiety, the forming knots making him feel as if he was going to lose his recently consumed lunch. He had faced psychotic killers and cunning thieves, though, through each endeavor, he had never felt any twangs of apprehension. It was something simpler than catching felons; much simpler.

He was warily expecting the reacting answer to a question he had posed a month prior.

Will you wait for me?

The unease that ate at him was unrelenting and, as the scenery flew past him with unimaginable speed, he gripped his armrest and nearly held his breath.

-

As his girlfriend of almost four years, she was allowed to fester with her own fury. When he had told her of his plan to become a detective, she argued that it was a ridiculous idea; an action that should not be taken lightly. However, her frustration was not only born from the simple act of his leaving.

She condoned his training more due to her own fears than his succession. She, in all actuality, knew that he would rise and excel past his brother's ambitious strengths to become one of the most prominent and well-respected private investigators of all time.

No, it had nothing to do with that.

It was the memories, remember what had happened last time a Narumi had left his significant other. Kyotaka may have shown up years later, but, poor Madoka had been a mess the entire time. This was what kept her up a night, stricken with trepidation at his departure.

Though she had tried to barter with him (maybe wait awhile longer?) it was to no avail. Nine days after their first anniversary, he had leapt onto a train to live and grasp his lifelong dream. Then, as she stood watching, tears escaping closed eyes, he heard his voice calling out to her, presenting her with a question that she mulled over for three years:

Will you wait for me?

It was such a silly question, but, she didn't tell him that. She just looked up at him and watched his inquiring gaze as the train sped off.

Now, with his impending arrival roughly twenty minutes away, she had a decision to make. Nimbly, she opened a small wooden drawer and peered cautiously down at the innocent looking, narrow strips of fabric.

Yes or no?

-

"We have now reached Shinjuku. If this is your destination, please gather your belongings and proceed to the nearest exit when the train has come to a complete stop. Thank you."

Plucking his suitcase from underneath his legs, Ayumu gave a sigh of appreciation. He was now free to stretch his sore and cramped calves. Thank goodness.

The brunette was a light packer by nature, always carrying the essentials and nothing more. Yet, with being away for such a long period of time, was forced to pack a bit more than usual, resulting in having to actually carry a suitcase around. And, being the frugal man he was, he bought a ticket for the cheapest seat; hardly any leg room came with the ticket. So, with little to no space and a medium sized bag, Ayumu was left in the position to either leave the bag at the station, or cram it under his legs. He, unfortunately, had gone with the second proposition.

Men and women rose from their seats and walked off the train. When most of them had gone by, Ayumu tucked his valise into his arms to avoid hitting anyone and followed the departing group.

With his heart beating nearly one hundred times per second, he felt faint and unsure. What if she said no? What if she decided that, because he was insensitive and left her, he was unworthy of a relationship with her? They had bought an apartment, choosing to live together so, what if, after all this time, she changed the locks and disposed of the rest of his belongings? What would he do then? He would have no home. Where would he go? Would anyone else take him in? When could he afford a new place? What would happen to him? To her? To them? The questions manifested like quickly reproducing rabbits.

"Oh dear..."

-

She allowed the silky fabric to slip between her fingers. The soft sheen was warm in the late afternoon's sun. She wished she could feel as comfortable and assuring as the ribbon appeared. She was still as uncertain as the day she received the letter.

If you will have me, leave a ribbon round the doorknob.
- Ayumu

She was faced with a decision and, after looking up at the clock, she noted she had only five minutes to chose. With a blaring wail, the train took off again and Hiyono watched it with fearful fascination. Did he get off? Was he walking towards their apartment? Could he see their door?

Groaning, she could feel her chest tightening. She loved him. She honestly, truly loved him with all of her heart. Even when he made her cross with his devil-may-care attitude and his nonchalant lack of romanticism, she deeply loved him. Yet, did she want to take the same gamble Madoka did? What if Ayumu left her to follow a case and never came back? Or, supposing he did return, would she be able to forgive him? What would she do if he came home a different man? Could she love him then?

"Mou, I don't know."

She was on the fence with the issue. Part of her wanted to knot the strip around the knob and rush into his awaiting embrace. Another side of her wanted to lock the door and never open it even if he did have a key. To tie or not to tie? T'was the question she was asking herself.

-

Ayumu begrudgingly walked up the asphalted road to the apartment complex he and Hiyono lived in. Though he could see the line of doors that made up their level, he dared not take a chance at seeing something he longed to find. Instead, he kept his gaze down on his feet. His shoes scuffed along in an indiscernible pattern and a few birds sang in the neighboring treetops.

The sun's rays disappeared behind a rather thick cloud and the area became dark.

"Perfect," he muttered.

His belly was filled with one hundred, million butterflies that defied his orders of leaving. They fluttered to and fro and refused to be banished. His knuckles were becoming white with the sheer force in which he grasped his bag. Nervousness and apprehensiveness chewed away at his nerves. It wasn't as if his entire future was riding on this very next moment, he mused.

Then, with a deeply swallowed sigh, he allowed his eyes to shift upwards, in the direction of their home.

-

A darkly lit silhouette meandered nearby. She could tell by its hunched manner that it was more than likely her boyfriend. He was dragging his feet and refusing to look up. She knew why.

Glancing at her now empty hands, she breathed shakily and then positioned herself by the door. She wanted to be there when he found out. She wanted to see his initial reaction he looked at the door. Would he be sad? Or maybe happy? She wouldn't know until he did.

-

His eyes were wide with understanding. The butterflies were flitting about at full force now and he was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to run. To sprint as fast as his tired legs could carry him. To leave his bag and dash away.

There, on the door, was not what he had hopefully expected to see. No ribbon was tied nor was their any other means of explanation to her thoughts. There was just a door among other doors; nothing special about it.

She didn't want anything to do with him.

He was crushed; truly, honestly crushed. Even when he refused to acknowledge the door, his heart had still glided along with the hopes that she would say yes. There had always been the slightly glimmering glow of hope. Now, there was nothing.

He understood. Of course she wouldn't want him. He had left her and hardly talked to her the entire time he had been gone. Why and how could she care for him now? Easily spoken, she couldn't.

Still, he continued to walk up the flight of stairs, down the hallway, and to their apartment number.

3B; where they had started a dream and now, it had ended.

With tentative fingers, he gripped the cold brass knob and turned. How thoughtful of her; she didn't change the locks. Uncharacteristically, tears pushed at his lids, begging and demanding to be set free. He couldn't and wouldn't cry in front of her. He wouldn't show her how much she had killed him with her answer.

"Narumi-kun?"

He almost wanted to scoff at the sweet sound of her voice. He had thought awhile back that, when he heard her again after so long, he would be filled with elation. Now, only bitter anguish captivated him.

He did not reply. Alternatively, he kicked off his shoes and stood patiently in the doorway.

"Narumi-kun?"

"What?" he finally snapped.

"Why won't you look at me?"

"Why would I want to?" He suddenly felt disgusted with himself. Frustratingly, he didn't know exactly why.

"Why wouldn't you want to?"

"There's nothing here for me."

"Why would you say that?" Her voice sounded greatly hurt by his statement. Why would he ever think of something like that? She didn't understand

"Why wouldn't?"

"Just look." The abruptly soft demand seemed to echo in the starkly silent room.

As part of him screamed to turn round and run, another yelled that she had a small right for him to hear her out. Resentfully, he raised his head to stare at a pair of large, honey-colored eyes. They were opened wide with tension and fear. It was then that he noticed something different about her.

Usually, her hair was in two twists and even when they weren't, her bangs were still present. However, during this moment, they were not.

Confused, his eyes traveled from her doe-like gaze, past her forehead, to land on the her makeshift headband. It was a sleek ribbon of bright yellow. An audible hitch of his breath alerted her to his find and she smiled.

"I don't understand," he confessed.

Stepping forward with an expansive grin, she offered, "It's simple really."

Still entranced by her approaching figure, he only shrugged and muttered, "Explain then."

"Easy."

Pale, thin fingers slipped beneath the band and pulled it free. She then entwined her ribboned hand with his own and clarified.

"Ano, I was thinking earlier. You said to tie a ribbon around the doorknob if I still wanted you. That had me wondering..." Her voice faded off so he prompted, "About?"

A light laugh tinkled like the sound of petite bells and she continued, "Well, why would I tie a ribbon to the door? Hmm, Narumi-kun? I mean, do you really want to spend the rest of your entire life with a door?"

Her logic had him dumbfounded. Honestly, how long did she plan this whole thing out and where in goodness' name did she come up with this stuff?

Flabbergasted, he breathed, "No, I guess not."

Stifling a small bout of giggles, she replied, "I thought so."

All was quiet except the calming tunes of the nightingale and the pair stood in front of one another, their eyes glued to the other's. Smiling, Hiyono reached forward and closed the space between them to place a chaste kiss on his cheek.

She dramatically sighed. "Well, now that that's over..."

A grin threatened to split his face and Ayumu was at a loss for words. Every once and awhile, the woman before him had a way of ethereally slipping through his fingers with wisdom far beyond her current age. Sometimes, the words she spew were not always the most knowledgeable, but, more often than not, they had a way of mystifying him. He guessed that was why she was such a fantastic writer; the air of mystery that shrouded her on occasion definitely had something to do with it.

He let his lips linger on her forehead before she pulled away unexpectedly. He looked down at her, his brows furrowed.

"Nani?"

"Narumi-kun?" she delicately asked. A pause and then, "What's for dinner?"

"Ah…?"

"And don't make something boring like curry okay? I mean, since we'll be spending forever together, I think you should mix it up a bit, don't you think? Boring is... well, boring."

Somethings never changed.

She ran off to set the table and, as she hummed to herself, he spoke up. "Why did you put the ribbon on the door? I honestly think you didn't put that much thought into it." Though her answer was rather poetic, it really had nothing to do with his question.

"Narumi-kun," she practically chastised, "that's a silly question."

"Is it really?"

"Yes."

"So, what was your reason then?"

Looking at him as if he asked the dumbest question ever, she scoffed, "Uh, suspense. Geez, you're so dense. Now, make dinner, slave!"

And with that, she laughed to herself and set the table. When he gazed at her, she only brought her puppets to his head. Yelping, he complied and began to cook. He felt so relieved at that moment, he wondered if he was going to float away. He surprisingly did not. As he stirred the steaming wok, he watched his girlfriend animatedly tell him about her day.

They had overcome their first obstacle. Now, the second one was bounding towards them with unexplainable speed and he knew that eventually, he'd have to tell her (in actual words) about his feelings; though, he had a sense that she already knew. Well, they would cross that bridge when they got their, wouldn't they? Until then, they would have each other and the time they needed.

He stared down at the bright yellow ribbon and smiled, "Arigatou."

-

I'm coming home, I've done my time.
Now I've got to know what is and isn't mine.
If you received my letter telling you I'd soon be free.
Then you'll know just what to do if you still want me.
(If you still want me.)
Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree.
It's been three long years;
Do you still want me?

Tie A Yellow Ribbon|Tony Orlando

The end. You know the routine. :D