A/N: Welcome back to Cherry Jade! A huge THANK YOU to everyone who faved and followed~! Especially to Yeahboyy and underwhelmedJaded for taking their time to review ❤️❤️❤️

So! Mikey finally meets his mystery girl and likewise Reiya's going to know her handsome "savior". With this development, the fast-paced romance between Mikey and Reiya will now begin.

Some things to note before you read the rest of the chap:

※ Reiya's name is a combination of the Kanji "玲 (Rei)" meaning "the tinkling of jade" and "夜 (Ya)" meaning "night". Her surname, Yunagi (夕凪), means "evening calm". If you're wondering what Reiya sounds like it'd definitely be the voice of Hinatsuru from Kimetsu no Yaiba, portrayed by Atsumi Tanezaki-san. I've actually already made an OC Data Sheet for her on DeviantArt and I highly encourage you to check it out (link available on my profile). It's complete with her visuals, personality description, etymology, and trivia 🍒✧.*

※ We weren't given any First-Future!Mikey crumbs other than that sideview picture of him so I took liberties with my characterization of him here. I'd like to think that the grown-up Mikey of this timeline is someone incredibly mature and just overall cool, while also being cold and aloof due to losing nearly everything he held dear. He's still dangerous but that doesn't stop him from having a soft spot for the people he cares about, and we all know he's a gentleman at heart (plus First-Future!Mikey is so fine and wE'RE JUST GONNA FORGET ABOUT IT?! Oh no ma'am, not on my watch, no sirree 😤😤😤 Ahem). Anyway, I hope you like my depiction of Adult!Mikey ❤️

〖 Chapter Two 〗

Recapturing the Impossible

JULY 3, 2017

The darkness was breaking away, sensation coming back to her one by one as she roused from unconsciousness; the softness of the sheets, the warmth of the blanket weighing pleasantly on her limp form, the distant aching of her left hand, and the comforting smell of new linen.

Reiya opened her eyes with a bewildered whimper. She laid there for a while, the unfamiliar outline of the white ceiling greeting her first, making her eyes squint in confusion. Slowly it dawned on her that she wasn't in her apartment, that she wasn't even in her own bed, and the memories from the night before fell on her like a ton of bricks.

Playing her heart out and crying like a madwoman...her bloodied, battered fingers...a gorgeous stranger with a pair of striking black eyes and the unforgettable sensation of his strong arms around her...

Reiya's face erupted into a dark shade of red, only to turn pale when she realized she was in his bed. She scrambled to sit up, pushing the blanket off as she frantically checked herself. 'Oh, GOD. How could you let this happen to yourself, Reiya!? Aggggrrhhh! Stupid, stupiiiiiid!'

She tried to think above the rush of alarm when she saw that other than being divested of her coat and shoes, nothing seemed to be amiss. It was clear that there were no signs of assault. But oh he took care of her all right. Just not in the way she feared.

Reiya lifted her left hand for further inspection. He had treated it, the tips of her fingers cleaned and bandaged. She moved it a little, holding her breath. She tried it a few more times before placing it on her lap, eyes closing in resignation. She heaved a sigh and went about inspecting the room.

It was of average size and furnished in neutral colors. There was a closet, a full-body mirror, the nightstand by the bed, a chair with her trenchcoat draping along the backrest, and a door she suspected could only lead to the bathroom. She was expecting to see some of the stranger's personal belongings but strangely enough, there were none. The room itself didn't feel like it was lived-in until very recently, like a brand-new shoe that's yet to be broken in.

Finally, her gaze went to Viomaru and its bow sitting in another chair directly beside her, a few scratches marring its upper and lower bouts. Her entire being clenched painfully at the sight, and for a moment Reiya felt so sorry, for how poorly she treated it last night and for how, for the rest of her life, she would never be able to play it again.

But she had no regrets. She played as if last night was the last and that's what it became. And she did it in honor of her beloved friend as a final requiem, her own private goodbye ceremony.

Reiya's eyes began to sting with hot moisture. 'Please forgive my selfishness, Hina-chan. I promise...I will never stop mourning you.'

A myriad of emotions twisted inside of her...Grief, that she would now have to live with an even bigger hole in her already tattered heart...Fear, for the future that awaited her now that her left hand was damaged beyond repair...and curiosity, spiced with a faint note of excitement brought out from her recklessness which resulted in her current predicament, presently taking in the form of one gorgeous blond-haired dark-eyed stranger.

Speak of the devil, her attention was caught by the outline of his shadow rapidly approaching the open door of the bedroom.

Reiya hurriedly wiped at her wet eyes and braced herself the moment he reached the threshold. He paused by the door and she fought to suppress the ripple of nervous awareness running along her spine the moment their eyes met. He was already so stunning last night but he was absolutely breathtaking in the morning now that there wasn't anything covering his head, his shoulder-length blond hair shining like golden silk. He was wearing a black tank top and a pair of gray sweatpants, wicked articles of clothing that perfectly conformed to his fine physique.

But there was also something else...something Reiya didn't see the night before, something that made her heart leap up to her throat.

For there on the left side of his neck was the stylized design of a dragon tattoo. Truthfully, it didn't frighten her as much as the negative connotation behind it. However, they were living in the golden age of a modern era where tattoos were now seen as works of art rather than a mark alluding to a life of crime. Moreover, he didn't do anything incriminating to her and even went so far as to treat her wounded hand so he couldn't possibly be a criminal, right?

For a moment none of them spoke. Reiya was at a loss for words and the stranger looked like he was content to just stare at her, his eyes cool and appraising, not giving anything away but taking everything in.

She attempted to speak first, feeling as if she might drown in the strange hot-and-cold tension that was rising between them.

"U-um...about last night..."

He made a staying gesture with his right hand. "You don't have to tell me right now," he said before throwing a thumb out towards the door to his right. "The bathroom's over there. You can use it, if you want."

Reiya managed a small nod, dumbfounded but not failing to recognize the courtesy. "O-okay. I will, thank you."

He gave her a small smile in return, the simple gesture causing her heart to flutter. He turned to leave but lingered for a few seconds more, left hand coming up to grip the doorframe.

"Come out when you're ready. Then we can talk, okay?"

After making use of the bathroom and setting herself back to rights, Reiya grabbed her phone to let her boss know she couldn't make it. Then she took a deep breath, gathered all of her courage, and went out the door to face her blond-haired 'savior'.

Usually, by this time, Reiya would be heading off to her day job as an English translator at a certain Foreign Service agency where she would slave away at the desk with a sizeable amount of documents waiting to be translated and proofread. So to find herself in a stranger's house feeling as nervous as a bride with her left hand busted was absolutely jarring. Absolutely insane. Yet she also knew it was time to be accountable, to be a proper adult and to face her problems properly, starting by dealing with the stranger in question.

The rest of the apartment was just as she expected – painted in a neutral color palette with barely any stuff in it, with a trio of countertops separating the kitchen from the living room. A panel of four floor-to-ceiling windows took up an entire wall, leading outside to a small veranda. Gray curtains framed the windows on either side, allowing a patch of sunlight to shine through and fall across the floorboards.

He was currently in the kitchen, his back greeting her first, and Reiya had to force herself to breathe against the sudden rush of admiration for the way his biceps flexed as he moved about the kitchen counter, her gaze traveling down from his perfectly developed trapezius to his slim waist, and then even lower to his lean thighs.

Realizing that she was practically ogling him, her panicked, blushing stare flittered over to the only furniture in the adjoining living room; a brown leather couch with a pillow and a blanket stacked neatly by the armrest.

Guilt stewed low in Reiya's gut. She saw his head tilt from the corner of her eye, his gaze following hers.

"I'm so sorry," Reiya began sheepishly. He shifted to look at her, his placid stare meeting her apologetic one over the kitchen counter. "You had to go through so much trouble because of me."

'Even though you didn't have to,' piped the cynical part of her mind, but Reiya immediately brushed it off. It wasn't his fault, she told herself. He just wanted to help and she only had herself to blame for what happened.

He waved it off as if it was of no importance and gave her another smile, this one a little bigger than the last, and once again, Reiya was rendered completely immobile. He had a pretty smile, easy and soothing, if not a little...

Empty.

"Don't worry about it. Consider it my thanks for the taiyaki," he said.

Reiya blinked twice. "Taiyaki?"

"Yeah. Here." He placed a white ceramic plate on the counter with the adjacent wooden barstools. "They're leftovers from last night but I re-heated them and they still taste great."

He grabbed one from the plate and gestured for her to sit on one of the barstools before padding back to lean against one of the kitchen counters beside the fridge.

She gave the plate of steaming taiyaki an incredulous glance. 'He decided to help me...all because of taiyaki?'

"I-it's okay!" Reiya started with a self-conscious wave of her palms. "I've given you enough trouble already..."

He paused, the taiyaki halfway into his mouth as he contemplated her with a raised brow. "You sure? Your stomach's been awfully loud when you were unconscious, you know."

Reiya flushed a deep red at his bluntness. 'H-he didn't have to say that!'

"T-then if you insist..." She drew closer, holding her head up with great dignity and for a millisecond she swore she heard him snicker.

"I don't have anything that'd resemble a decent meal so this's all I got right now. I'd make us some coffee but it'd probably suck 'cause I just don't know how to work that thing," he said as he rubbed at the back of his neck, indicating at the coffee maker by the sink with a nonchalant nod of his head before taking a bite of the fish-shaped cake.

"Oh, t-then let me!" Reiya replied, eager to give back in any way she could. "I work part-time as a barista, actually. I can't guarantee the taste but coffee with taiyaki sounds about perfect, doesn't it?"

His brows lowered. "But you're injured."

It was her turn to wave him off this time. "It's fine, it's fine. I've burned myself more than once when I was still a newbie. Trust me, making coffee with one hand isn't as hard as it sounds."

Feeling bold, Reiya put her hands around the coffee maker and met his skeptical stare with a wink and a cheeky little smile, making the dimple in her left cheek bloom. She saw his eyes momentarily dart to it before flicking up to meet her gaze as she went on to say, "Consider it my thanks for treating my injury."

She blushed a little, ducking her head as she remembered how he held and comforted her last night. "A-and for the other things as well."

At his continued silence, Reiya looked at him for confirmation only to feel her heart skip a beat. She caught him off guard, she saw, his obsidian eyes widening with surprise, fascination, and a hint of something that made her warm and tingly.

"There's no stopping you, huh...Alright." He held the half-eaten taiyaki firmly between his teeth and strode to the other side of the kitchen, hands reaching for the cupboards.

He took a bag of grounded coffee out, some sugar packets, and other utensils she might need, setting them on the counter beside her while she filled the coffee machine's water compartment. Reiya immediately set off to work, measuring the grounded coffee and depositing it into the portafilter.

"I can see why you'd have trouble with this," she commented as she secured the portafilter back into place and pushed some of the machine's buttons. "It's a manual XP5620 single espresso machine. We used to have one of these at the café, but my boss had it replaced with an automatic one since most of our customers just don't have the patience to wait for their coffee."

She sent him a bemused glance. "It's not a bad choice, but it's a bit pricey and a little complicated, so people usually don't buy it as their first coffee maker. Also, you don't see these being displayed in the market these days. Where did you buy this?"

He had been watching her the whole time, looking serene and relaxed, but averted his gaze the moment she asked.

"I got it from..." He paused, took a bite out of his taiyaki, and took his time breaking it down before finally answering. "...One of my colleagues. He gave it to me as a housewarming gift."

He looked grim for a moment, cold. Reiya turned to face him, the two of them leaning against the counters with about a meter and a half in between.

"So...you just recently moved here?" she asked, hoping to change the dour mood that was starting to loom over like a raincloud.

"You could say that. But I only ever stay here when I'm in town for business."

'I see. No wonder why there isn't a lot of stuff in here,' she thought. Reiya wanted to ask what kind of business it was but something in his tone told her it was something he wasn't particularly keen on discussing. And this was proven true when it was he who changed the subject next.

"How's your hand?"

Reiya lifted her hand and fought the urge to wince as she flexed her fingers. "It still hurts a little...but I can manage."

'Just like all the other things that hurt...I can live with this.'

She lowered her hand and smiled at him. "Thank you for treating it, by the way."

He stared at her for a second, and then his gaze fell unto the unfinished taiyaki wedged between his fingers.

"Don't mention it. You should have it checked by a doctor, though. You did quite the number on 'em last night," he said before tossing the rest of the cake in his mouth.

"Yes...I suppose I did," Reiya replied softly, her smile diminishing into a sad one. Hina's smiling face flashed right before her eyes, bringing that all-too-familiar sting again, but she steeled herself, not wanting to bawl her eyes out in front of him again. "It's been a long time since I played, too, so I'm not really surprised I cut some of my fingers."

The smell of freshly brewed coffee permeated the air. Reiya turned the coffee maker off while her companion prepared two mugs.

"I got this. You can go sit over there now, Cherry-chan."

Reiya's eyes widened at the nickname. She quickly assented with a squeaky hum as he approached with the mugs in hand, the full force of his proximity making her take a step back. She sat on the first barstool she encountered, keeping her hands clasped on her lap and her eyes downcast as she forced herself to stop blushing.

'Why did he call me that? Is it because of my earrings?' She reached up to touch one of them. 'A lot of people commented on them but no one ever called me that before and he said it in English...'

The sound and smell of pouring coffee helped to calm her down. Reiya stole a quick glance at his back, a thoughtful pout scrunching up her lips as she thought about how unusually composed he was about having a stranger in his house.

'Is he used to having people over? Or perhaps...is it because he already brought a lot of girls home with him before?'

The thought stung. Reiya didn't know why, but it did, and the realization nearly made her fall off the barstool.

'Nonsense, Reiya. It's not like he brought us here because he had a choice in the first place. He's just being nice, okay? There are still a lot of good people out there and he just happened to be one of them so stop being such a dummy!'

A mug full of steaming black coffee slid right into her vision.

"Here you go. Would you like some sugar with that?"

Reiya shot upright in her seat, cheeks warming and hands immediately shooting out to grab the mug. "Y-yeah! No, I-I mean, yes, I would like some, please..."

He chuckled as he handed her a teaspoon and a sugar packet. "Don't burn yourself."

As Reiya emptied the packet into her mug and stirred, the stranger grabbed another taiyaki and went back to his original position by the fridge, resting an elbow on the counter's gleaming marble surface as he nibbled on the cake. He gave the impression of a benevolent predator — someone who was genuinely kind, but nevertheless a beast underneath it all, and for a second Reiya had the strangest notion that he'd catch her in an instant if she ever tried to outrun him. He might've had a slender form but that didn't make him seem less formidable. He could have been the devil himself, casually leaning there with his eyes trained on her, keeping quiet and biding his time...waiting to see what she's going to do...entertaining himself at her expense.

Reiya fidgeted in her seat, keeping her eyes on her hand as she reached for a taiyaki. She could barely taste anything at first even as the red-bean paste began to melt on her tongue, but she couldn't help the satisfied sigh once it reached her stomach. Before she knew it, she was already reaching for another one.

As she ate, Reiya heard the tiny clink clink clink of metal hitting ceramic as the stranger stirred his own mug, followed by a nerve-wracking gulp and the gratifying sound of his satisfied hum.

"This is good," he commented, a touch of wonder lacing into his voice.

Reiya picked up her own mug and took her first sip, a smile warming her features at how it was even better than she expected – rich and strong but without the bitterness, with tender notes of nutty-roast and a velvety smooth finish.

"The secret's in the brewing time," she answered warmly.

They took another sip at the same time and for a moment Reiya allowed herself to finally relax in his presence, allowing herself to think that there was nothing wrong with sharing a cup of coffee this early in the morning with a handsome stranger in his house after he brought her home when she passed out from crying herself to exhaustion.

There's a strange pleasure in it if she were to be completely honest herself, just the two of them basking in the ambiance of this pleasant morning, listening to the sporadic symphony of the birds chirping outside and sharing this space that's illuminated by nothing but the sunshine.

It all felt impossible but at the same time, it didn't feel like it was. After all, wasn't life made out of impossible things?

They descended into an oddly companionable silence, the stranger looking out the window while Reiya took her time with her coffee. She discreetly studied him from over the rim of her mug, noting the flawless outline of his side profile and relishing in the way his pale, thick blond hair glittered underneath the glow of sunshine streaking through the daylight shaft above the kitchen.

She noticed the faint smudges of shadows beneath his eyes, which did nothing to impair his angelic good looks, of course, but it made her wonder just how old he was. He appeared young, but there was an aura of world-weariness about him, like he'd already seen his share of the world and was now hardly surprised by anything. And then there were his eyes; dark and shrewd, calm like the ocean at dawn and yet containing a melancholic quality that somehow still conveyed like he's in pain even when he smiles.

Reiya felt a searing compassion for him then. She wanted to get to know him, know his story. She wanted to reach out and see past his dazzling beauty, to see the real him. At the same time, she felt herself poised at the brink of something she couldn't name yet. But there was freedom in it as she let her thoughts and desires unravel naturally, the kind of lightheaded ease that invigorated her wounded soul.

"That song you played last night..." he started without looking at her. "What's it called?"

Reiya released a small, bracing exhale through her nose. Although he wasn't being direct about it, she knew it was finally time for what she's been bracing herself for ever since she woke up.

They were finally going to talk about what happened last night.

She hid her mouth behind the mug, taking the time to reply. "The first movement of Julius Conus' Violin Concerto in E-minor. Although some parts of it weren't in E-minor anymore, and the melody's out of tune..."

She smiled sheepishly into her cup as she remembered her ridiculous performance, wanting to shrivel away right then and there. "Gosh. It probably sounded awful. I feel sorry for those who heard it now. And for the piece, too...I didn't do it any justice at all."

She lowered the mug and cradled it with both hands as she attempted to adopt a cheerful air, even when her throat felt like it was about to cinch in on itself. "If you can, please listen to the official piece. It's definitely better than mine."

He hummed into his cup, took a sip, and quietly said, "I like your version better."

Reiya blinked and sat a little straighter at the proclamation. He looked at her again, this time more intensely, as if he wanted her to understand something.

A small, mystifying smile split across his lips. "It's exactly as I remember it."

For some reason, Reiya's heart began to race. "You...heard it before?" she ventured.

"Once," he admitted, eyes sliding down into his mug, looking at its contents like he's seeing the past itself. "I heard it one rainy afternoon twelve years ago. I think it was around August."

Reiya froze as the hot-and-cold jolt of awareness came back to hit her full-force. 'August...that's the month I found out about Dad's death...No way. Maybe it's a coincidence. He couldn't possibly have heard me back then, could he...?'

She couldn't fathom the possibility of them meeting before, or the possibility of them living in the same neighborhood. She didn't think she'd ever forget about him if they did.

"Are you sure it's the same one?" she brought herself to ask, heart thumping hard inside her chest. "There are pieces that kind of sound the same so it's pretty easy to mistake them as one and the other."

He momentarily looked up to stare at her, the smile dissolving from his face. When he finally spoke again, his voice had sounded so low and distant it sent a chill of despair down her spine.

"I've never been able to forget about it no matter how hard I tried. Because the day I heard it was the day after one of my friends died."

Reiya went completely rigid in her seat. "I'm very sorry to hear that," she responded softly, feeling her own heart ache for the loss he must've suffered.

He took another sip from his mug with a sharp inhale. "'s fine. That was a long time ago, anyway, and he's probably in a much better place now. Lucky bastard," he snickered, before murmuring with his mouth almost hidden in the mug. "Things weren't the same after he died, though."

Reiya drank from her own mug as well, not knowing what else to say or do. He might've looked like he wasn't affected but she knew she just stepped on a landmine back there. She could see it in the way his lashes lowered over dimming eyes, in the rigid way he was gripping the mug.

On the other hand, the way he was looking at her finally made sense. The reason why he took last night in stride was because he understood. He empathized. And that sense of belongingness warmed her from the inside out.

She might've been uncertain whether they already met or not but dwelling on the past had never been one of the things Reiya liked to do, no matter how heavy its shackles surrounded her. What truly mattered was the now.

And she was going to savor it.

"Conus' Violin Concerto...It's one of my favorite pieces, you know," she said gently, unable to put her guard up any longer and she was gratified as he eased back on the counter and readily listened, his features kind and receptive. "It was my dad's favorite, too. I would listen to him play for hours, and begged him to teach me after he gave Viomaru to me."

"Viomaru?" he inquired with a bemused smile.

"The name of my violin," Reiya answered cheerfully, beaming at the memories as she recalled them. "Dad gave it to me on my 10th birthday. Viomaru's like a friend to me, so it felt rather sad to just call it a violin, because he's more than that to me."

He chuckled and said, "I know what you mean."

"Dad and I would play together most nights," she continued, eyes twinkling, "my wonky playing relentlessly trying to match his polished one...You could just imagine how ridiculous we sound!" She expelled a brief self-deprecating laugh before carrying on, the light in her eyes dimming gradually. "But Dad...he always made the Violin Concerto sound positively elegant. He never faltered. I, on the other hand, can only manage a poor imitation."

"But you always gave it your all, didn't you?" he asked quietly.

Reiya released a small sigh, smiling at him with what could only be described as helpless resignation. "When it comes to the things we love...I suppose we can only give it our all."

She stared at him with quiet, compassionate contemplation, remembering the words he had told her the night before, their underlying bittersweetness pushing through with a poignant vividness.

"You wouldn't break yourself over it if it didn't."

"Even if it ends up breaking us...I don't think we would've minded at all because it matters so much to us." She regarded him kindly and spoke softly. "Have you ever felt that way before?"

Something in his demeanor shifted at her words, the dark depths of his irises appearing to glow with indescribable emotion. He turned sideways before she could fully perceive it, the forefront locks of his hair temporarily obscuring his eyes as he made a show of looking down on his mug, a disapproving frown pinching his mouth.

"Hold up. I think I need another dose of coffee from this, uh...what do you call this again?" he asked, referring to the coffee machine.

"An XP5620," Reiya answered, grinning in spite of herself.

"An XP5620..." he repeated as he refilled his mug. "Sounds like something you'd name a motorcycle."

"It does, doesn't it?" Reiya replied with a chuckle. Seeing an opportunity to lighten the mood, she cleared her throat to get his attention and threw him a mock-flirtatious smile, holding her empty mug out towards him as she quipped in what she hoped was a seductive voice, "Won't you take me for another ride on your XP5620?"

He stiffened with a blink, his cheeks turning a shade darker before he burst out laughing and oh, what a heavenly sound it was; light, sly, and throaty like a flawless rubato. He reached for her mug the moment he recovered, left hand rubbing at his jaw like he hadn't laughed like that in a while. He grinned at her, this smile dazzling than ever before and it made his face look like a different face altogether, like somebody who knew what it was like to be happy once.

But then the light in his eyes simmered down into something hot and unsettling, his toothy grin sliding into a slow smirk.

"As many times as you want."

Goosebumps rose all over Reiya's flesh, her hands balling unconsciously against her lap as she felt a blush start, the embarrassing kind that kept heating and growing, spreading all throughout her limbs and immobilizing her from head to her toe. She couldn't remember the last time a man looked at her like this; direct and interested, his eyes warming with sweet promises.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt this way, either; this vibrant, sensual awareness of another person. It threatened to overwhelm her senses, and it's already done its job of robbing her of speech.

Thankfully, he turned to refill her mug, giving her a much-needed reprieve.

"So you've been playing the violin since you were a kid?" he suddenly asked.

"Un," Reiya answered, her heartbeat returning to normal as she eased into the topic. "Ever since I was ten."

Time passed with dreamlike slowness as she practically gushed about the beauty of classical music, sharing her favorite pieces when prompted by his interested questions, refilling their mugs thrice in the process with the small pile of taiyaki decreasing steadily until, at last, only one taiyaki remained. He picked it up and broke it into two jagged, uneven halves. They shared a laugh at the discrepancy before he offered her the bigger half, cheekily laying claim on the other by biting into it, leaving her no other choice but to accept. Reiya shook her head with a smile as she reached to take it, the tips of her fingers brushing against his own.

Right then and there she heard Camille Saint-Saëns' The Swan playing inside her mind, unbidden, floating and weaving around and between them like invisible strings of musical notations, the symphony growing louder and more profound the longer they held each other's gaze. It felt as if something was being lifted from Reiya's eyes, the world suddenly becoming brand new, her surroundings awash with vibrant color. Time flowed in a state of slow-motion, everything around them melting away into a blur of formless shapes, and for what seemed like an eternity, all she could see was him; the way his skin bloomed under the sunlight filtering through the shaft, the way his pale-blond hair framed his face and the way the look in his eyes mirrored her own...all of it imprinting into her heart and eyes with searing clarity.

But all too soon the spell is broken when a peculiar tone rang through the air. He receded back into the counters, murmuring a quick "Sorry, gotta take this," as he fished his phone out of his pocket, the warmth dissipating from his eyes the moment he glanced at the caller ID.

"No problem. Please take your time," Reiya bid quietly.

He went out of the kitchen and she kept herself busy by emptying her mug. He returned three minutes later, his expression inscrutable as his eyes fell on her. It made Reiya frantic to say something, anything to dispel the odd heaviness buzzing through the air.

"Business?" she guessed timidly.

"Yup. Just the usual," he answered as he took one last sip from his mug.

But something told her that was not the case at all. He became somewhat subdued after that, looking like he was trying to solve some mind-boggling equation. Reiya understood it wasn't her business and refrained from asking about it no matter how much she wanted to help him.

With all that's said and done, she found herself being escorted outside his apartment with Viomaru and its bow tucked safely inside a paper bag he provided. She was surprised to find that the apartment complex he resided in was located near the outskirts of the city, but not so much as the fact that he offered to walk with her all the way down to the ground floor.

"You didn't have to, you know," Reiya chided gently as they paused by the threshold, her being one step lower on the stairs while he stayed on the edge. With their current positions, he was now a whole head taller than her.

He slipped his hands into his pockets, smiling down at her as he gave a light shrug. "What can I say? It's the gentleman's code to see a lady off properly."

She giggled, feeling her cheeks flush once again. "How very gallant of you. Although I must say, that statement is only partially effective with the sun shining so brightly."

"It's better to be safe than sorry. And you never know...accidents happen when you least expect them," he said solemnly, imparting the impression that he'd already experienced it firsthand.

"I'll be careful," Reiya assured him.

"You better. Don't go running off in the middle of nowhere like last night, alright? You never know what kind of danger's lurkin' around. This city isn't exactly child-friendly, you know."

"You're right," she chimed as she contemplated him for a long moment, causing him to look at her expectantly.

Reiya gave him an iridescent smile. "I'm glad you're the one who found me."

His eyes widened, and seeing that she caught him off guard once again made Reiya smile even wider. But the sunburst quality of her grin dimmed into a timid flame the longer he stared at her, as if he was trying to consume every detail and commit it to memory.

"My name is Yunagi Reiya, by the way," she heard herself say bashfully, peering up at him from beneath the sweep of her lashes. "Pardon the late introduction."

His face softened almost tenderly the moment she introduced herself, his mouth parting unconsciously as if he longed to repeat her name right after she said it.

But then the flash of curious vulnerability disappeared and he immediately took to masking it with a charming smile.

"It's cool. I didn't exactly introduce myself either," he returned pleasantly, but Reiya had an inkling that he wasn't really planning to from the very beginning.

"Won't you...tell me your name?" she prompted gently. Some distant part of her mind scolded her for sounding so desperate, for being so impulsive. But for the life of her, Reiya didn't care. She would have his name or die trying.

As she waited for his reply with bated breath, Reiya could see the progression of his thoughts flitting behind his eyes. The weighing of decisions, reluctance, longing, and distress...all of it engaged in an internal debate until finally...

"It's Manjiro."

Reiya found herself breathing with ease again, her insides tingling pleasantly as if she was stretching on velvet silk.

"Manjiro..." she reiterated, delicately shaping each syllable with her lips. "Is that your first name?"

He dipped his chin in a single nod. "Yeah. It's a mouthful, right? It's why I stick to my nickname."

Reiya was about to say it wasn't a mouthful at all but was distracted at the mention of his nickname. "What is it?" she asked, intrigued.

Manjiro looked away for a moment, a small frown forming between his eyebrows. Then he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he crossed his arms, humming in thought before regarding her with a mischievous half-smile.

"Why don't you give me a new one?"

Reiya's smile turned skeptical. "Eh?"

"You can call me whatever you want," he suggested. "It's only fair since I already gave you one, Cherry-chan."

She forgot about that, not that she disliked it. Reiya found she rather liked the sound of it, the way it made her feel just a little bit closer to him.

"Very well," she stated, rising up to the challenge. 'Manjiro... I wonder how it's written? It's such an uncommon name but it suits him. What would be a good nickname, I wonder...Manji-kun?' She nearly scowled. 'No. It reminds me too much of Toman...How about Rou-kun, then? Hmm, it doesn't feel quite right and it seems rather inappropriate calling him that...Oh!'

Reiya leaned forward with a smile as she prepared to christen him with a brand-new nickname, putting a finger up for emphasis.

"How about 'Jiro-kun'?"

He gave a quick laugh, eyes glazing over with dark warmth. "I like it. From now on, that's who I am to you, okay?"

Reiya knew he was speaking with an overtone but she didn't understand what exactly. Perhaps he meant that she was the only one who would ever get to call him that?

"Okay," she returned warmly. Just then a pang of something resembling panic rose from her gut as a troubling thought occurred to her. What's next now that she had his name? Will they ever see each other again after this?

Before she quite knew what she was doing, Reiya found herself straining up into his space. "J-Jiro-kun...! When can I see you again?"

Manjiro looked positively bolted out from the blue. But this time, his surprise was tempered with a hint of anxiety.

"I want to repay you," she added, looking determined. "As soon as possible, in fact. If that's okay with you."

"You don't have to..." he told her slowly.

"Then...I can't see you again?" she asked in a small voice, looking up at him like a kicked puppy.

He strained as if he'd been shot, his gaze darting out behind her, far beyond her, anywhere but her. Manjiro took so long to reply that Reiya was beginning to lose hope. But then he finally gave her his word.

"I want to see you again, too," he confessed quietly, almost as if it hurt to say it. "But not here," he added grimly. "How about I see you instead? There's somewhere I've been wanting to visit for a while now. How about I pick you up for dinner later?"

Reiya gave him her brightest smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I would love that!"

Manjiro released a small sigh of resignation through his nose, his face softening as he beheld her expression. In a split second his eyes gleamed slyly as he bent to level his face with hers, mouth curling upwards into a wicked smirk.

"But there's something you gotta do for me first, Cherry-chan~."

"What is it?" she asked almost immediately, struggling not to squirm at how close his face was all of a sudden.

"You get your hand checked and treated properly by a doctor first."

"I-I understand," she said, taking a moment to compose herself. "I'll go to the hospital as soon as possible."

Satisfied with her response, Manjiro gave her a nod of approval and took a step back before exchanging contact details with her.

"You gonna be okay on your way back?" he asked as she turned to leave.

"Of course," Reiya replied with a tender smile. "I'll see you later, Jiro-kun."

Mikey gave her a small wave and watched until she was finally out of sight, his hands balling into fists as he glanced upward with conflicted eyes.

"Now I've done it..." he muttered beneath his breath.

Things weren't supposed to turn out like this. He was supposed to help her just this once and send her off with the intent to never see her again. She was better off without him, better off not getting herself involved with him, but how could he resist when she looks at him like that? When she smiles at him with the cutest little dimple he's ever seen? How could Mikey refuse when she was right there? Her? The mystery girl of twelve years ago. No longer a mystery and a girl, but a corporeal and endearing woman well within his reach.

She had a face now, a name. It weighed heavily on his tongue and he uttered it, softly into the air like a prayer and he winced as if he'd been stung.

Goddamn. What the fuck was he doing?

Mikey could barely recognize himself around her – laughing with her, flirting with her – and now this. He felt downright ridiculous giving in just like that. Exchanging nicknames, exchanging contacts. Asking her out for dinner. But all that was a damned sight tamer compared to what he did last night.

Going after her in near maniacal haste...bringing her to his emergency apartment and tending her wounds...briefly (stupidly, indulgently) running his knuckles along the slender shape of her cheek all because he couldn't believe she was real...

It was scary how much emotion he could feel for a woman he barely even knew. But when she'd opened up to him, her regard blossoming right before his very eyes, showing how she wasn't afraid of her own vulnerability and at how, in spite of her apparent heartbreaks, she had the strength to remain steadfast and pure...

She'd unlocked something in him by doing so, a reservoir of feeling so vast that he was sinking in it, so strong that it almost frightened him to discover he was still capable of feeling such a way.

It was dangerous, that feeling. And yet trying to stop felt like trying to fight against a ten-meter tsunami.

Mikey had grown weary of fighting. He had done it all his life, losing his heart in the process, losing many. He was finally at the top but he'd never felt more at rock bottom and he had come to accept it, an empty broken place for an empty broken soul.

But now the walls around that trapped place was slowly crumbling down. He'd never felt so exposed.

Because for the longest time in his life Mikey finally felt full.

He was convinced he was never going to see her again and yet there she was, imparting so much tenderness and warmth, making him feel like a soldier coming home, making him aware of his humanity like nothing else could.

There were undoubtedly a lot of ways for things to go wrong than for it to go right should he choose to go through with what was forming between them, but it was far too late to back out now. Not that Mikey wanted to. He wanted to be with her, wanted to be in the light with her, even if it's just for a little while. With her he could be someone else, someone brand new. A man without the weight of his sins but simply her 'Jiro-kun' and he was willing to risk it all, his selfish yearning for the nameless things only she could give winning over his better judgement.

But Mikey also knew this couldn't go on forever, that she couldn't be his even when every cell in his body told him that she was. It was why he had refrained from introducing himself in the first place. He hadn't wanted to even give her his name but refusing her just wasn't possible. He knew that since the very first time she smiled at him, and now it felt like he had given away a part of his soul.

She appeared to have no idea who he really was and Mikey wanted to keep it that way. He didn't even want to think what would happen if she knew and she was the one person he didn't want to lose. He would protect her, no matter the cost. Even if it meant protecting her from himself.

One more time, Mikey decided. One more time in her company, and then he would never approach her again.

Reiya couldn't help from smiling as she made her way back to her apartment. She felt like floating, faintly humming the symphony she's been hearing in her head the entire time she was with Manjiro.

She'd never met anyone like him, someone so charming and mysterious, reserved yet utterly kind. A small frown made its way across her mouth as she thought about how guarded he had been about meeting her again. Then again, they were still virtual strangers to each other.

No matter. Reiya would take her time getting to know him, and hopefully he would trust her enough to let her into his world. She wanted to give him comfort and companionship, to be a friend if nothing else, just as he had done for her in her time of need.

He never did ask about what happened. It was like he was content to be just there for her, evoking a deep sense of yearning that made her want impossible things. Things that she considered out of her reach, things she stopped looking for, until now.

Until him.

With her cheeks flushing into a deep pink, Reiya cupped her hands and placed them over her mouth as she looked up at the sky, feeling like her heart might burst out at any moment now.

'Hina-chan, I...I think I'm in love.'