AN: This was going to be my original Day 5 fic for the Abyssmare and Unichord Rarepair Week, but then I realized that Day 5 was better suited for Michiru while Day 3 was better suited for Neo. But I still had to write this one out, and as rare of a pair as it is, I managed to squeeze out three mini fics from it. Weird how my brain works, huh?

Yuka smiled sadly at Neo. "Long time, no see."

"Mmm."

Now, Yuka chuckled weakly. "Just the same as you ever were…"

"Mmm."

Really? Nothing? Even after all this time, nothing? Not even a simple, "It's nice to see you again!"?

Then again, maybe that was on Yuka for expecting any different. As she said, Neo was just the same as she ever was…

ooo

Yuka swung her camera around wildly, trying to drink in all the amazing sights and sounds that the good ole' US of A had to offer. She was studying abroad and living the American dream! She was so enraptured by everything that she didn't notice the other girl until it was too late.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" The girl snapped as Yuka's back bumped into hers.

"Gomen, gomen! Err... I mean, sorry, sorry!" Yuka yelped, jumping forward and whipping around. "Woah…"

Standing before her was a tall, imposing girl with long, straight, golden hair and piercing sapphire eyes. Yuka would've wagered that they were about the same age, in middle school, but the other girl looked so mature and intimidating. She was drop-dead gorgeous!

"Well? Have you got anything to say for yourself?" she growled. Her voice was like a distant rumble of thunder, a storm threatening to break over the horizon. Eyes narrowed, arms crossed, head tilted slightly; this girl was good! Yuka felt herself go a little weak in the knees…

"Are you a model?" she blurted out. A second later, she slapped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment, cheeks reddening.

For better or worse, the other girl looked just as surprised, blue eyes widening almost comically. "Am I… a what?"

"A… a… a model…" Yuka smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck, suddenly too afraid to meet that stern, azure gaze. "Y-you see… it's just… it's just… the way… you carry yourself…" She was rambling and she knew it, but to her surprise, never once did the other girl try to cut her off. Instead, she only listened to Yuka, expression slowly turning intrigued.

"You are a photographer," she said in a matter-of-fact tone once Yuka was finished word-vomiting everywhere.

"S-sort of… I- I- I'm a transfer student… from Japan. Photography is just a hobby."

For a second time, the other girl looked mildly intrigued. "Your English could use a lot of work." Her tone was still frank. "But it is not impossible to understand you." Yuka couldn't tell if that was a compliment or an insult. "What is your name?"

"Oh! Uhh… It's Jennifer! Or Jenny, if you prefer." She smiled sheepishly again.

"No, I mean your Japanese name." The other girl waved an impatient hand.

"Sasago Yuka!" Yuka replied on command. This other girl left her totally breathless and brainless. Yuka was down bad.

The other girl nodded, as if deciding whether to approve Yuka's answer or not. "How long will you be in America?"

"Oh! Just- just- just for a semester! This semester! Spring semester! Spring… I'm staying with family friends…" Yuka felt like the biggest baka.

The other girl, meanwhile, was still nodding to herself pensively. "Hmm…" Yes… That was doable… One spring semester would be enough.

Finally, her eyes met Yuka's again. "Well, Jennifer, I'm Neo. Welcome to America. I hope you enjoy your stay." She gave Yuka a crooked smile. What an interesting girl she was… Were all Americans so enigmatic? Only time would tell.

ooo

It certainly was one of the most memorable spring semesters Yuka had ever had, and not just because she was in America. Despite her icy personality, as Yuka would learn, Neo was quite a wild card, even by American standards. Her name was a perfect example. Yuka was willing to bet that it was just an edgy nickname, but Neo gave no name other than that. Despite all odds and oddities, though, Neo and Yuka became…well, maybe not friends, because Neo was hardly the friendliest person Yuka ever met. But Yuka still spent more time with her than anyone, even classmates.

More often than not, it was Yuka excitedly dragging Neo around American cities, laughing and pointing and marveling at every little thing she saw, snapping as many pictures as her poor camera would allow. All the while, Neo would tolerate it, but be completely impassive and silent the entire time. On the rare occasion she did speak, it was either to defend Yuka from people who dared make fun of her broken English while Neo was within earshot, or it was to speak Japanese with Yuka for practice.

"I'd say I'm better at both languages than you are!" Neo said airily, expression haughty and proud as she spoke in perfect Japanese.

"Yeah, you're really good at this!" Yuka encouraged her gently. Neo was a little (ok a lot) arrogant, but Yuka didn't want to hate her for it. As little as Neo spoke of herself, Yuka could sense a dark gray cloud of sadness hanging over her. It was Yuka's hope that her own sunshiny personality could warm and brighten Neo's still and silent heart.

More than once, passersby mistook them for sisters. They were, after all, both tall, blonde, gorgeous American girls with bright blue eyes. But at least as far as Neo was concerned, that was where the similarities ended. In terms of personality, they couldn't have been more different even if they tried. Contrary to Yuka's airheaded idealism, Neo was insistent that she didn't have a single ounce of softness in her, and whatever Yuka thought she saw was either projection or delusion. One could neither brighten nor warm that which was never there to begin with.

I do not despise her, though, of course, but… To Neo, relationships were purely transactional. She would indulge this slightly annoying, very excitable, Japanese Jenny-girl in her starry-eyed awe of the star-spangled banner. In return, she would receive Japanese lessons, and perhaps…

"H-hey, N-Neo… Would you mind if… if… if we took a photo together? Just this once? Just to commemorate this special day?" Yuka pleaded hopefully. Neo wasn't normally the type to allow Yuka to take pictures of or with her, but today, they were at the very top of the Empire State Building. It meant nothing to Neo, but everything to Yuka.

"Hmph."

"Umm… ok… Was that a "yes" hmph, like "you're ok with it" hmph? Or was that a "no" hmph, like "why would you ever even ask that, Jenny? You're so stupid!" hmph?" A slight inaccuracy, Neo never called her Jenny, just Jennifer. Although, increasingly of late, she would call her Yuka, especially when they were practicing Japanese together.

"The former."

"Yes!" Yuka fist-pumped the air. "I'm getting pretty good at learning your language, huh, Neo?" Her eyes were sparkly as she giggled. Neo's nose wrinkled, but she allowed Yuka to drag and pull her this way and that, trying to pose her for the perfect picture. "Team Jen-Neo forever!" she cried as she captured her coveted selfie, an arm slung around Neo's shoulders. "Or do you prefer Ne-uka?"

Ordinarily, Neo hated physical contact. The first time Yuka tried innocently to cling onto her arm, or grab her hand, or come up and hug her from behind, Neo lashed out and violently pushed her away.

"Don't touch me!" she snarled, and it surprised and frightened Yuka so badly that she never tried to hug or hold Neo ever again. Although she did wonder what the girl must've been through to make her so repulsed and averse to even small or affectionate touches.

Neo disliked having her picture taken by embarrassingly overzealous ignoramuses almost as much as she disliked being touched, but if it got her name out there… She even took Yuka to one of New York City's largest parks and sang for her. She didn't ask Yuka to film or photograph her, but she didn't need to. She already knew the camera-crazy girl would start of her own accord. What she didn't know, though, was why.

The reason Yuka loved photography was because she loved capturing best moments, and watching Neo sing and dance was surely one of them. She truly had the voice and talent of a diva, a goddess! But what Yuka was most captivated by was Neo's face, her movements!

I KNEW she had it in her! This was exactly what Yuka was talking about! Behind that icy, emotionless façade, something lay in wait.

And just look at her go! The girl that once barely emoted or moved came alive with the music. In return, Yuka's camera came alive.

I've never seen her so animated! Neo still wasn't smiling, per se, but her expression was fierce, and her smile was proud and confident. She moved with grace, elegance, certainty, and power. Her voice and dance were fluid and hypnotic.

I hope she's seen herself perform before! She certainly deserves to! This is surely one of her best moments, it definitely might be one of mine!

Long after the metaphorical curtains closed, Yuka never forgot that day. "You never told me you were into physical fitness!"

"I'm… not." Neo was back to her usual stony self.

"But surely you must have at least some training to sing and dance so well for so long?!"

"Well… yes… I suppose…" Neo braced herself for the inevitable tirade Yuka was about to unleash. This time, it was about abs and gyms.

Her family owned a gym back home and it sparked Yuka's own love of competition and exercise. It was then that Neo got many good looks at Yuka's abs, both in real life and on social media. Neo raised an eyebrow. Was everyone in Japan this obsessive? Well, it did not matter. Neo was not here for a gym buddy. Although, Yuka was able to rope her into a few sessions, promising they could practice Japanese the entire time. As much as Neo's Japanese improved (although she was confident that she was already fluent enough, she just wanted the extra practice), Yuka's English was still pretty poor. But she did not mind, it was just fun having a gym buddy. Arrogant though she was, Yuka liked having Neo around.

ooo

Before either of them knew it, spring semester was over, and Yuka had to go home. Despite herself, Yuka felt tears threaten to fall. She was going to miss Neo, despite how thorny she was. Yuka held in her tears, though, knowing Neo would only smirk and tease her if they actually fell.

"Goodbye, Jennifer," she said flatly on the day of Yuka's departure. Although Yuka didn't know it, Neo made no effort to look at any of the photos or videos Yuka took of their time together. All Neo cared about were the performance videos Yuka promised to bring back to Japan. It was not for sentimental reasons as Yuka thought, but what did Neo care what Yuka thought so long as the job got done?

"Perhaps we shall meet again someday," she told Yuka pensively. "Perhaps I will visit you."

"Oh, I'd love that!" Yuka gushed, eyes growing all sparkly again. "We could find you a cool Japanese name too! Now, "Atarashii" is probably the most direct translation of your current name, but of course, you don't have to stick to just that!"

"We can worry about it when the time comes," Neo cut Yuka off before she could start rambling again. "Don't you have a flight to catch?"

"Oh, you're right!" Yuka's eyes widened as she caught sight of the clock. She gave Neo one last longing, apologetic smile. "Goodbye, Neo, it was so much fun getting to know you!" They had a lot of downs, yes, but Yuka was sure they also had some ups. She took a single step forward, arms slowly opening. But then she met Neo's steely glare and thought better of it. Ah well. Maybe someday…

"Ja mata ne, Yuka-san."

Yuka's ears perked up slightly. Perhaps it wasn't "Jenny", or "Yuka-chan", but Yuka knew Neo well enough to know that pet names were out of the question. But hearing Neo say goodbye in Japanese was more than enough. It solidified her promise to see Yuka again. Yuka smiled and waved a final farewell, racing off to catch the cab that would take her to the airport.

Goodbye, Neo! I'll be waiting for you! I'm sure we'll have so many more best moments to take pictures of when the time comes!

ooo

"If I didn't know any better, I would've said you did it on purpose." Yuka smiled dryly. It was a very Neo thing for her to see Yuka again not as a friend, but an enemy, although of course, Yuka knew that even Neo couldn't have predicted this. None of them could've.

"You wouldn't say it was fate?" Neo teased, mocking Yuka, but Yuka's shyness was gone. She'd changed since last they met. She'd grown. After all the trials by fire that she went through with Peaky, she was not the same, silly, little Jenny-girl that Neo used to know.

I've experienced a rebirth, of sorts, Neo. I'm readier than you remember, and now, you're on MY turf! Peaky had prepared her in ways she never even knew she needed until now. Could Neo say the same? It didn't seem so, when she seemed just the same as Yuka remembered. For just a moment, some of Yuka's old compassion for the other girl returned.

"Doesn't it ever get tiring or lonely, always fighting by yourself and never truly being able to rely on your bandmates for support?" she asked gently. Neo was always a lone wolf, they both knew that, but even the loneliest of wolves needed a pack every now and then.

Neo only shook her head, just as Yuka would've expected of the girl she met back in America in middle school. "It is easy to work with people you like. It makes you soft and complacent. The real challenge lies in making work together the people who would ordinarily otherwise never even interact. By looking past personality and seeing only potential, only then will you unlock your true power!"

Poor thing, she'll never lower her defenses. She's really so determined to be a winner that she wants to be on top even of her own unit. Yuka sighed sadly to herself. Neo had a few decent points, Yuka had to admit, but she still disagreed with the core of Neo's worldview. Neither of them were strangers to the thrill of competition and victory, but Yuka wanted to win with her unit, not against or in spite of them.

They were entering a new spring semester, but this one was so different from the one before. It truly was a rebirth.

"I hope you have your camera ready," Neo said suddenly. "Or has that changed about you as well? I want you to be there when Abyssmare wins. It will certainly be my best moment." Her smile was cruel, but Yuka still wouldn't yield or cower.

"My camera is a more constant companion than you ever were," she said. "And yes, it will be there to capture best moments. Just don't be so sure that those best moments will be yours."

Neo gave a sharp, harsh, barking laugh. That caught Yuka off guard. I don't think I've ever heard her laugh before…

"It's nice to see you again, Jenny. Pray that you do not disappoint me in our upcoming spring semester, hmm? I will not tolerate a rival too far beneath me. I demand a fair fight."

"You'll get a whole lot more than that," Yuka promised grimly. "Welcome to Japan, Neo, I hope you enjoy your stay."

AN: Oh yeah, another reason Neo got Day 3 rather than 5 was because I'm unoriginal and remembered that Day 3 had bars in it and was like "yep, perfect for angsty and mature Neo! Alcohol!" LOL!

As for why I chose Yuka as Neo's original other half, I once made a joke to my friends that a fight between Neo and Yuka would be America's ass (Yuka's bikini card) vs. America's ass (how Neo treats everyone) LOL! Plus, I kinda "fell in love" with the dynamic of golden-retriever-puppy Yuka with angry-hates-everyone-cat Neo, LOL! It's definitely not a healthy ship, but IMO, it's funny!

Also, I just realized that with this fic, I used all of Peaky in this Abyssmare and Unichord thing. That wasn't intentional, LOL!

And one last random, stupid observation: If Neo actually IS her real name, and her surname starts with an L, I'm totally going to make a "that's an anagram for Lone" joke.