Yukari's meticulously cared for hair was in danger of being pulled out strain by strain.

S.E.E.S's fans have been waiting a long time for their new album. It's been in the works for months now and is only one song from being finished.

It's just that Yukari has no idea what to write!

Of all the songs, this one has been the one asked for the most. Soul Phrase: a song about the death of a loved one and the promise of moving on and forward even though they're gone, was a huge hit with their fans.

For the final song of the album, the band wanted to accommodate the fans. For the finale, they wanted to give The Answer: the reply from the departed about the loved one's new found resolve.

But the answer just wouldn't come. She was drawing a complete blank for the song, which made no sense. Mostly every member of S.E.E.S has had to deal with death. She's definitely no exception. She should be able to come up with this.

She's tried everything: hot tea, took a few breaks, even moved around the apartment for a different atmosphere. This was her third move and though the recording room had excellent acoustics, it was super cold.

A low rumbling sound echoed around the room.

Scratch that. Screw the acoustics. She was just starting to get the hang of ignoring her stomach too.

"Maybe I should've gone out for sushi with them after all," Yukari huffed. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her aching eyes. They were starting to cross from staring so intently at a blank sheet of paper for so long. A shiver racked her. She quickly rubbed her bare arms. They were cold to the touch, Maybe a tank top and shorts wasn't the best choice of clothing for an empty recording studio.

"You should've. Would've made it more interesting." She jumped at the sudden voice. Something was draped over her shoulders next.

Minato dropped himself in the chair next to her, his leg thrown over the other and his torso too bare for the weather conditions happening outside. She now knew what was draped over her shoulders: Minato's peacoat.

"You're back."

"Mmhmm. Made any progress on the song?" He nodded his head towards the small notebook nestled in her lap.

"Absolutely zero. It's so frustrating!" She huddled up in her seat, bringing her knees to her chest while being careful with her notebook. She still side-eyed him. He always made it a habit to catch her off guard. "And why do you always have to sneak up on me like that?"

He gave a ghost of a smile. "Your reactions are cute."

This bastard.

"What about using personal experience? What about that video your father left you."

Before her father passed away, he had left her a video recording. It had taken her so long to find it. But after she found it, she felt relieved and sad. Relieved that she now knew how her dad felt about her and didn't want to leave her, and sad because she wanted so badly to tell him she loved him too.

"That's different. Soul Phrase is more of a message towards a friend or a lover. Quoting dad's message wouldn't fit it."

"So what you're saying is that you can't write it… because you haven't experienced it before."

"W-Well, yeah. More or less I guess." She blushed. It was an embarrassing topic for her.

Her stomach rumbled low again in the quiet room of excellent acoustics. Her blush deepened. Maybe this was her stomach getting revenge for ignoring it all this time.

"Come on." Next thing she knew he was pulling her chair back and pulling her out of the chair by her arm and leading her towards the door.

"W-Wait! Where are we going?"

"Octopia's. You might want to get changed first. It's cold outside."

"How can you eat that much takoyaki after coming back from sushi with everyone?" Yukari asked him as she watched him pop a whole takoyaki into his mouth. She'll never understand how Minato's able to pack so much away. Maybe it's true he has a bottomless stomach.

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's a gift."

"More like a curse. I don't know how being hungry 24/7 can be a gift. I also don't see how this is supposed to help me with the lyrics," Yukari said before taking a bite of one of her takoyakis.

"Who said this was for the lyrics?"

"Wha-! Minato!"

"Your stomach isn't complaining." He shoved another ball of takoyaki into his mouth.

"Minato! I need to get these lyrics finished by tonight! I can't just spend the rest of the day walking around the station eating takoyaki like- hmpf!" Her rant was stopped by the rest of her takoyaki being popped into her mouth.

Did he just-

"Takeba-chan, trust me." He dropped the toothpick back into the tray. His hand came back towards her face. He swiped the pad of his thumb across the corner of her lips, the callus scratching pleasantly against her skin. The close proximity made her cheeks feel hot.

It was no secret that Minato was attractive. The man himself had a plethora of fan clubs himself as the lead guitarist and lead singer. Many would've paid an arm and a leg just to spend one night with him.

But Minato brushed them all off. The love letters and emails, the gifts, the blatant flirting(that one really worked on her nerves). He ignored them all. With his normally quiet and aloof personality, no one really took offense to it either. In fact they loved him all the more for it, thinking it cute and so cool of him.

There were some that protested though. Junpei couldn't believe his gall, mostly because he wishes he could have fangirls like that too. Mitsuru worried that his aloofness would ruin his image and urged him to at least answer a few emails. Akihiko didn't see the problem since he himself throws away his love letters and gifts too (unless it's protein). Mitsuru seemed to protest less when she discovered this knowledge.

If it was one thing the females of S.E.E.S could say, they could definitely trust their men.

She was brought back out of her thoughts when he pulled his thumb away. Her mind imploded when he brought his thumb to his mouth.

"Eat your takoyaki and follow me."

They left Iwatodai Station and they set off, dumping their trays before they left the strip mall. The further they walked the more and more familiar the path became.

Naganaki Shrine is still as peaceful as it is in the day. It seems to have a different atmosphere with the shift of time. The sun was starting to set, and even though the shrine was usually empty, the setting sun gave it a more ethereal feel.

"We made it in time." Minato wasn't looking at the shrine.

"Huh?" Minato grabbed her hand and raised their hands together, he pointed. Yukari followed the way he was pointing and jaw dropped.

Long ago when she used to write small skits and lyrics in her Hello Kitty notebook, her mother told her of a wonderful source of inspiration - a special moment that happens only twice a day - that only a few are able to catch. She called it The Golden Hour: a time of day that made everything look absolutely beautiful. The newly bloomed cherry blossoms were no exception. A soft wind coursed through, carrying the petals in the breeze.

"It's beautiful." She was breathless.

"When I saw this, you were the first person I wanted to share this with."

She hasn't a clue why that made her cheeks darken in color. He could've just meant he wanted to share it with her as friends.

"Well, I'm glad you had me in mind. It's beautiful."

"When I was little, my parents would come here every spring together." Yukari was shocked at the explanation. Minato has never talked about his parents and she didn't make him; she knows how hard it is to talk about past traumas, so she listened intently. She could tell this was important. "My mom used to love gazing up at the branches while the petals fell down around her. She would make it a game to catch as many in her hands as she could carry, and when she was done my father would kindly walk up behind her and pluck the cherry blossom petals from her hair and kiss her on the cheek."

"That's sweet. They sounded very much in love."

"They were. Even though my memories of them are hazy, I still know that they were each other's whole worlds."

There was a silence between them. They just stood there and enjoyed the view, but the longer they stood there, the antsier Yukari became. She wasn't kidding when she said she really needed to get back to finish the song. She would also hate to sit through Ikutsuki's terrible dad puns for too long.

"This is beautiful and all Minato, but I really have to get back to writing the lyrics…"

"Takeba-chan, I can't say that I know what it feels like to lose a close friend or a lover, but I'd like to think that I'd know what I'd say to them if I died." He joined their hands together down by their sides. His skin was warm against hers. Her heart was skipping beats, but why was he doing this? Did he know about her feelings for him? Was he doing this just to humiliate and turn her down later? No. Minato wasn't like that.

"I know that I wouldn't want to worry about me, to move on, and know that I loved them dearly. With everything I am and everything I had." Her breath thinned as she listened to his words and completely left her when he turned to look at her with such deep meaning and emotions in his eyes that her eyes were tearing up to reflect them. He brought their joined hands up and he brushed a stray strand of hair away from her forehead and slid down to cup her cheeks. He stepped closer, even closer than they already are, until their breaths mingled.

He leaned in. Or she did. Neither of them knows.

He tasted sweet. She could still taste the remnants of the takoyaki and she's pretty sure he can taste it on hers too. This kiss was sweet, no heat or other intentions, just the gentle brushing and soft pushing of lips meeting in the middle; enough to reciprocate. He pulled away, and the resulting smile absolutely took her breath away.

"I hope this helped you, Yukari-chan." He leaned in again - like her heart wasn't beating fast enough already - pecking her lips again and pulling away before she could kiss him back. He already can't get enough.

Sure enough. She's pretty sure she's found her inspiration.

Even from backstage the fans' screams could be heard loud and clear as S.E.E.S finished their third song of the night. Their loud cheers chased the band backstage. Minato ran straight to Yukari. He was slightly sweaty from his long performance.

"The fans loved it. Good job, Yukari-chan."

"What are you thanking me for? I wouldn't have come up with anything if it wasn't for you."

He shook his head, "Not true. You just needed the motivation."

"Listen to that crowd calling our names!" Junpei reveled in the applause. He was practically jumping on his toes to get back out there. "They're asking for an encore. Come on, Minato!"

Junpei ran out first with the others behind him, Mitsuru fondly rolling her eyes at the guitarist's eagerness. Minato hesitated to follow them.

"Go on ahead. They're calling for you. I'll be right here."

He still hesitated, looking between her and his teammates. Seemly making up his mind, he turned back towards her. "What do you say after this we go to Paulownia Mall tomorrow? They just opened up a new store, I heard."

"That new cosmetics store? Sure." She needed to pick up a new skin treatment anyway. It'd be more fun if Minato went with her too.

He smiled, "Then it's a date."

Then he leaned down and blew her mind again.

She could distantly hear an off-key guitar chord.

Major kudos to whoever finds out what this AU is.