Chapter 11: Broken Bonds

[May 11th, 2010]

(YT POV)

"Well, Espresso?" Minato asked through clenched teeth. "Answer the damn question. Why are you trying to seduce my girlfriend?"

"Minato!" I yelled. "Leave him out of this."

"Kinda hard to. After all, he had you in his arms!"

"Just listen," I pleaded. "It's my fault. Don't punish him for my mistake."

"…Fine. You know what? Fine. It's clear that you prefer him over me, anyway. We're done."

My heart almost stopped. "…Done?"

His eyes narrowed. "You heard me. If you aren't interested in our relationship anymore, then it would have been better to just say so instead of cheating on me behind my back."

"Minato! It's not like that-"

"SHUT UP!" He yelled. "I don't want to hear your excuses! It's over between us. Goodbye, Yukari Takeba." He turned on his heel and stormed off to his car. "And good riddance!"

I immediately began to feel lightheaded. I'd really screwed up now. But instead of sadness, I only felt anger. "That ungrateful piece of shit!" I growled. "I gave him a place to lay his head, I helped him fight that monster, I held him while he cried, and THIS is how he repays me?!"

"It was just a misunderstanding," Espresso commented. "What he did was completely uncalled for. The least he could have done was hear you out."

"Exactly!" I replied. "At least SOMEONE gets it! Like I said, he's such an ungrateful piece of shit."

Espresso's face suddenly went deathly pale as he slumped down on the ground, clutching his head.

I knelt down next to him, as he started to shake and tremble. "Hey, are you okay?"

"…" No response.

"Espresso?!" I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder, only for him to place his own hand over it.

"Just give me a second," he said quietly. "I'll be fine…"

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I just… remembered something… that's all…"

"What did you remember?"

"My father used to call me that."

"And I just brought that memory back up." I started to cry. "I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault," he said gently.

"But I-"

He cut me off by pulling me close to him, and wrapping his arms around me. "It's not your fault."

What happened next was unexpected for both of us, as we toppled over onto the ground. The mood was just right…

"Excuse me Espresso, but I just wanted to ask you some… thing." We looked up, to see the surprised and somewhat confused face of Fuuka Yamagishi.

She quickly looked away with a light dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Sorry if I was interrupting something…"

It was then that I finally realised the compromising position he and I were in, and I quickly got up off of him with a blush of my own starting to set in. "N-no, it's fine. Right, Espresso?"

He nodded and turned to her. "So, what can I help you with?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about that… 'incident' at your garage. I'm sorry for hitting you like that."

"Don't worry about it. To be honest, I kinda had that coming."

"Still, I wanted to apologize. I… also have to ask you about something."

He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what is it?"

She looked down and took a deep breath. "Do you… like me?"

"Sure, I like you. Why do you ask?"

"Do you like me… you know… as more than a friend?"

His eyes widened. "Um, this is kinda sudden… but I guess…"

"What?"

"Well…" his eyes darted back and forth before he sighed loudly. "I guess I have… feelings for you, but…"

"Huh?"

"I might not be who you think I am… would that still be okay for you? If I showed you the real me?"

Both of us raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Sorry. Forget I said anything. It's no big deal," he said as he laughed nervously.

"Okay…" I said slowly. "Well, sorry for that thing with Minato."

"No problem," he replied. "By the way, just know that if either of you need to chat, I'm always free."

It was then that something occurred to me. Before I could stop myself, I blurted, "Could I stay at your place for a while? Minato probably needs a little space right now."

Fuuka bolted upright, and immediately spoke up. "Could I also stay the night, Espresso?"

He seemed somewhat taken aback, but smiled after a moment. "Sure. I don't see why not…"

Fuuka pumped her fist.

"…as long as one of you is fine sleeping in my room," he finished, in a way too nonchalant tone.

(E POV)

Both of them went beet red. No idea why, it seemed like an innocent enough thing to say.

"WHAT?!" They both screamed.

"What?" I asked. "The guest bed only holds one person, so one of you in my room is necessary if you both want to stay over."

"T-that's hardly the issue!" Yukari shouted. "You… you want one of us to… sleep with you?!"

"What?! No, I'll be on an air mattress. Jeez, chill out."

"Oh…" Fuuka responded. Strangely, there was a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Now that that misunderstanding's all sorted out, I'll be off. Would either of you like a ride?"

(WK POV)

[Evening]

After the first few hours of driving, I realized exactly how far from home that weird blue world spat me out.

Eventually, I made it to a small town in the middle of the woods. As I walked into town looking for a place to lay my head for a good night's sleep, a hooded stranger with vibrant blue eyes and a young boy walked up to me.

The boy looked up at me, his eyes staring straight into my own. "Hello, sir."

"Hello," I replied politely. "Can I help you two?"

"I've heard quite a lot about you," the stranger said. "You are the one who assisted Minato Arisato, correct?"

"Yeah, so? What do you guys want with me?"

"Simply to offer our services. We are also rather close to him, and I can tell he's in serious danger."

I rolled my eyes. "What else is new?"

"This enemy is one only you can defeat," they insisted. "All we ask is simply to accompany you on your journey back to Iwatodai."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we'll find our way there ourselves," the boy chimed in, a smug grin on his face.

"Saw that coming. Well, let's go…"