A/N: Wrote this out of a random strike of inspiration xDD im actually surprised i was able to write this smoothly and even... Finish it. Note that the summary might be changed (ill note if it is) bcz i dont think it fits much lol

Anyways, enjoy! Oh, and they're 12 here btw.

"I'd give anything to hear

You say it one more time

That the universe was made

Just to be seen by my eyes…"

- Saturn , Sleeping At Last

The hallway was getting dark. He felt his legs giving up, the running too much for them after all the climbing and leaping and running and other such things they'd been subjected to.

The sky was almost a glaring orange, a sign of dusk. It felt like it was searing through him.

He took a turn, jumping above the bushes of the courtyard, his adrenaline doing its absolute best keeping him from pain.

Lightheadedness was coming to get him, the reverberation of his steps keeping him from its tug. Otherwise, it was quiet.

'It hurts. It all hurts.'

He turned to a corridor and stumbled, leaving him crawling on all fours until his feet regained balance and ran again.

Soon, he arrived at a bridge that led to a tall tower. When he entered it, he was gasping for breaths, chest tight. Even though his lungs heaved in and out, he still felt as though he couldn't breathe, as if he was suffocating.

The top of his thighs felt like it was turning to liquid, and there was a dull, numb, aching pain above his posterior that made him arch his back forward to put it away.

'Never enough. No matter my improvement…'

Up above a number of flights of stairs was light. He climbed to it, despite his whole body telling him to shut down.

'He still doesn't approve of me.'

The climb was agonizing, and the ricochet of his footfalls on the marble stairs somehow hurt his head. The cool breeze through the hollow windows helped soothe them, and at last he reached the top.

He collapsed once more in the corner of the room. He leaned against it, feeling the cold from the stone bricks seeping into his skin.

The back of his head throbbed with fatigue, and he felt his stomach lurch out of extreme weariness.

Yuri closed his eyes, focusing his senses instead on the sounds of the waves and the smell of salt in the air that he and the many students have grown accustomed to.

All these soporific things made him drowsy, and he instinctively made himself comfortable—back to one wall and right shoulder to another—and despite not wanting to, fell into the darkness of sleep.

He awoke with a huge gasp, taking in all the oxygen he could.

The floor under his hand was cold, and he quickly took it away. He felt groggy, and his eyelids were heavy. On the window across him, the sky was a very deep blue.

He jumped, quickly regretting it as blood started to throb in his head, and he felt his legs quiver as he walked there. No, it can't be night yet…

He caught a glimpse of a cloud and noticed its top was outlined with orange, and clouds above it were each variants of orange-pink as a whole.

Then, he realized he was looking eastward. A quick one-eighty brought him to the setting sun, leaving the horizon. Its reflection on the sea made it look like it was melting, the golden light floating like oil on water.

He stared at it for a moment, then closed his eyes, calming down and taking breaths as he did.

When he opened his eyes again, he took in the breeze as much as he could. The scenery was beautiful, no doubt. He looked below him. There was a smaller building there, and after, the sea.

The thoughts that brought him here and out of the coliseum were coming back to him.

The Professor had been there, watching.

Every month he came there to do so.

Chills went through him as he remembered the blank stare he gave. There was no emotion in those eyes. No approval. No pride in him improving, which he thought he did, but now he wasn't so sure.

And… It was the same every month.

Yuri climbed the window as he thought. The Professor would come and watch and not show any emotion. He would only exchange a short talk with Sander—Yuri's trainor—on occasion before leaving.

His breath hitched. Wait… There was emotion in his steely eyes.

It was disapproval.

His brows creased, and he shut his eyes tight, trying to stop some tears and a searing pain that seemed to come from his heart. He sat on the stone sill, feeling the cool northeastern breeze rush past him.

He buried his face in his arms and pulled his legs together.

Why?

Why disapproval?

He shook his head, trying to think of a way that would stop that pain from his heart, to no avail.

What had he done wrong…?

He had defeated and carded a good four people earlier in the coliseum, each duel with a different deck, all while The Professor watched. That's what he wanted from Yuri, right? For him to take them all down no matter the situation and turn them into cards. He even taught Yuri to like it, and he did! He would play any instrument, conquer the obstacle course, and top all the students in his level. He'd learn anything the Professor told him to learn, and do anything he told him to do!

Yuri's toes curled in his shoes, and once again he tried to shake the thoughts away, but really, all Yuri ever wanted was his approval, his pride! What had he ever done to him that made him disapprove of him…?

Like in some way, his improvement was more a danger than something useful?

His hands traveled, randomly pinching some parts of his forearm. And when his fingers slipped off the fabric of his clothes, he clenched his fist so hard, he felt his nails start to dig his skin. It grew bigger— stronger , the invisible pain. Tsk. Why can't that go away instead and not leave him crying so pathetically?

Oh. He was crying.

It was a sign of weakness, he had heard, but he also found that somehow, once he'd let all the tears out, he felt a bit better than keeping it in.

He… shouldn't have thought of that. He should've just remembered what his trainor—a far more experienced man—told him, not whatever observations he had.

He heard the steps on the stairs, and he decided to ignore it. Let them come, whoever they were. He looked to his left, to the ground ways below.

Wouldn't it be nice to just fly off, over there to the horizon where the sun continued to burrow into the sea? To go and touch the clouds traveling up above and follow them wherever they go?

Those thoughts again, huh? He sighed. They have been coming repeatedly recently, especially in times like this.

The rhythmical steps from the stairs stopped after two more hard steps on the floor.

There was a presence behind him.

He wouldn't look back, he told himself.

But he dared.

Magenta met green.

Green saw so much purple, and noticed how the setting sun had outlined him with gold.

Magenta saw red, as well as indigo and a yellow on it.

For a moment, Magenta forgot about the surroundings, deeply fixated on those Greens…

He had seen her before. Not so many times, but he has. He could not forget the face of the Professor's not-so-well-kept 'princess'.

He remembered the rules around her. To not talk to her. To do nothing but bow or nod to her.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was low, no hint of anything else but curiosity.

Do not talk to her, he echoed in his mind.

"I said, 'What are you doing here?'" Now there was suspicion.

Don't do it, Yuri, but he did. "That's not your business. Leave me be."

Dread made the world dark and him deaf, while guilt clawed at him, pulling him back and making him almost fall over the edge.

He caught himself, but she ran to him anyway and hoisted him.

"It is my business." Her eyes were bright. Very alluringly bright, like they'd pull him out of his deep reveries. "You're… Important to him."

And they stayed bright even when she let him go and frowned. Now that's just unfair, his eyes should be more beautiful."You look like you cried just a while ago," she commented.

He came up with a response that was much different but had the same feeling. "I was running away from something that can't… exactly… hurt me, but of which I fear very much." He turned to the aether. "You know, I shouldn't be talking to you…"

He sensed that she wanted to ask about what it could exactly be, the thing he's running from, but she didn't do it. "And I'm not allowed to speak a word to you, either. We're both breaking rules right now."

He was about to interrupt her but she pretty much explained why she continued—and started—talking to him.

She moved to the unoccupied part of the sill, placed her elbows there, and left her head on them.

"You know, I'll make use of us both breaking rules. Can I ask what compelled you to go here?" Yuri said, looking at the waves below. He noticed her flinch.

"I know it's early, but I came here to watch a supermoon." She wouldn't look at him.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I like them, alright? Barrett got me a book called, 'What We See in the Stars,' and this space obsession I have has just gotten stronger, is all. If there's a supermoon that I can't see from my tower's lonely window, I'd go here. The presence of windows on each of the walls is convenient," she quickly explained.

After that, there was only silence between them. Somehow, not talking to each other did not feel weird, as it usually should.

"You know, Yuri," Serena began, " I was there earlier when the Professor was watching you. I couldn't get close as my guards wouldn't let me and I was told to stay where I was, but I snuck off anyway and found a spot where I could watch you closer, even though it was still rather far."

This shouldn't have been surprising, but it was.

"I was sent back to my tower after, of course. You know… It always intrigues me how much the Professor monitors you and how he's so interested in you."

'I can say the same about you,' he thought. She's always been a very peculiar mystery to him.

"But now, I seek to be of as much importance to the Professor as you. Every month he would watch you, assess you, and look at your performance—see if you've been doing better than before."

"Me, though?" Was that sadness, or jealousy in her eyes? "Not ever does he watch me. There are rare occasions, of course, but usually Barrett's reports are enough."

She started to play with her bracelet. "That's why I show off so much when I manage to escape my tower and he's near, because, while satisfying myself as well, I want to show him. Prove to him that I'm strong and willing to go to the frontlines if he needs me to.

"It's not for you. It was never for the students, nor the faculty."

The sun left the horizon.

"It has always just been for him, and only him.

"Yet somehow, he still doesn't see me as anything more than something to be protected and kept safe."

He met her eyes again as she looked up to him.

"Unlike you," she finally said.

Was she… jealous? Of him ? He laughed.

"Oh Serena," he breathed, much in disbelief. "We're alike in a lot of ways. It may seem like I'm more important, but really, I also wish he'd look at me the way he looks at you. That even if you don't do anything you're told—and most of the time more trouble than you're worth—you're accepted and precious no matter what."

The pain within him rose again, and it seemed like the waves were calling him to them as well. Maybe the ocean would be a nice place, too.

"Tell me…" he made the pain numb. "Have you ever thought of how this island—this school—would be if he hadn't come here? I love him too, don't get me wrong. Just a question, and I'm not revealing anything to anyone not present here."

He would've liked to be able to talk to her more. Right now, she's more interesting and alike to him than he thought.

"Well… no. I can't… I don't want to. But since I'm considering it anyway…there would be no tower to hold me, for one, and I would like that very much. I can also attend normal classes and have more social interaction. And I can roam this place freely on my own when I want to without the need of his permission nor him at my side, and especially no Obelisk Force looking for me at every corner."

She sighed. "I don't, uhm, want to say it, and don't you dare tell him, but maybe it would be better without him around…"

"I guessed," was his simple response. "There's something I've been thinking about. I know I can't leave this castle, but I can leave in a different way. There's a place I can go to with just one leap. It'll be like flying."

Her eyes narrowed, and dread rose in her. "Elaborate."

"Well," he felt his breath slow, "there is a place where his gaze won't affect us and the burden of his approval will go away." A flash of faces from people he carded went through his mind, almost driving him mad. "In that place, even the rest of our pains and guilt would go away. Do you want to go there with me, Serena?"

Venus showed herself in the sky, and he smiled at her. "I heard it is also a beautiful place, with many beautiful things. But I do not want to take you there if you don't want to." And with a murmur she could still hear, "You shouldn't go there if you don't want to…"

Those needles of pain were piercing his heart again, mildly until it pierced him all at once and the pain felt more like it was squashing his heart than piercing it, compelling him more and more to just fly, fly away to join the traveling wind and ask it to lead him to the cosmos above. It was maddening.

"Yuri," there was warning in her voice, "I want to go where you go, too. But no, I shouldn't go. Don't think that I don't see past those otherwise pretty words." It amused him that her gaze at him was stronger. "And you…"

Somehow, he felt the ache in her heart—in her trembling voice, and he dropped his smirk.

She climbed to the other side of the sill, locking her eyes to his. He wished his eyes were prettier than hers; just looking directly at them was so hypnotizing.

"If ever you try to fly, I will become the string that will cling to you, and tightly. My strength may not be enough to the Professor, but I will nonetheless try and try again to pull you down and keep you grounded.

"But… if you really want to go, then I will fly with you."

Those were very much unexpected, and it looked as though she had understood him more than he thought. He felt the prickly needles detach, falling off.

Hah… She was good at this. But he didn't want her to follow just because he wanted to… Looking at her determined eyes was painful now.

"I can't be the only Professor's favorite who ironically suffers from his disappointment," she added, smiling. "As captivating as the stars and the clouds and the moon and the rest of the cosmos are, I don't think it is time for you and I to join them yet."

That…

He was silent for a while, gazing at Venus again. He took her hand with the bracelet, looking at the charm—its blue violet gemstone, especially. "You know, we are both beautiful things," he muttered.

He stifled a chuckle seeing how the statement had caught her off-guard.

"I guess the heavens can't take us yet," he went on, "or else it will just become more beautiful." A smile that he thought came deep from him found a place on his face. "Meanwhile, if we stay here, then there will be two more beautiful things in the world."

"I think that's kind of off-topic, but if it gets you to stay then yeah, sure."

He grinned. "Don't worry, I get it." Stars started to light up everywhere. "The heavens right now are only for display. I guess we should not touch— grasp —it yet. At the moment, it is only for our eyes to behold. Not us. Not yet."

She smiled, and he admitted it made him smile too.

"Wait, did you just reply that I'm… Beautiful?"

"Why, aren't you? You're alluring, you know. As alluring as the thing you say you obsess over."

His blarney made her silent. And it was the awkward type. He laughed.

"Hey look, that's the first compliment I've ever gotten, so don't laugh at my silence." She gave him a playful punch, which just made him laugh more.

Ah, it was nice being in her presence.

Then, he almost fell.

And once again, she grabbed him.

Now the silence present between them was relief.

"Why don't we… Just get off the sill?" she suggested, and he agreed with a nod.

When their feet were safely on the floor, Serena led him to a different window, and she pointed to the sky.

"Look," she whispered, "it's the Hunter's Moon."

"'Hunter's Moon'?"

"Each month has a different name for the full moon, even though it's the same one. This month, it's the Hunter's moon, and as a supermoon."

"It's… Brighter than usual, isn't it?"

"Supermoons look bigger and brighter at their perigee—the point they're closest to the Earth."

She went on to explain the number of times supermoons can appear, and what the names of other full moons were.

They raced down the stairs now. They knew that it was late and that they still had to go back: Yuri to his dorm, Serena to her tower.

Then, they won't be seeing each other again for a very long time, if ever.

Seeing the moon through the windows, Yuri realized something.

"The moon's position…"

"What about it?"

He stopped, and she did too.

"You can see it from your tower. Am I right?"

She sighed, and in the limited light, he saw her nod. "I'll be blunt—I went here because I saw you enter."

"What do you mean?"

"I was walking around—enjoying another of my escapades—somewhere outside, and I saw you run past. I followed and found you went here, and I thought of whether to follow you further. I took a walk around the academy to think about it, and then I decided to follow you."

"I know I'm intriguing, but alright." Ah, that signature 'Oh come on, stop that' look was there on her face again. "Weren't you afraid of me, though?"

"I saw your pained face. Before I noticed that, just seeing you reminded me of what happened earlier on."

"Oh."

They went on, going down.

"I knew you'd be distracted by your own thoughts, I should know…" Those words said something that wasn't. "And I really don't see why other students think you're 'scary.'"

That hurt, he thought sarcastically. Maybe that's why the Professor still doesn't approve of him, because his princess doesn't think he's scary enough to be avoided—something she should do, even if she had to pretend.

But as far as he'd seen, she isn't the type to do that and stick true to herself anyway.

"I've, of course, also seen your dragon. I'd say even he's neat," she said coolly.

He felt Venom growl. He rolled his eyes, thinking. 'Should it really be really neat and scary? Come on. Neat is enough, honestly.'

"Never heard anyone say that about my Venom. That's nice to hear, and I'm sure he agrees." 'No, you do. Stop that.' It was fun 'talking' to him sometimes.

Finally, they were at the doorway that led outside.

"Goodbye?" Yuri asked. He almost cringed at the longing he heard in his voice.

"Not yet, nitwit. You really wanna avoid me that much?" she lightly pushed him, then pulled. "I want to tell you something."

This time, it was she who took his hands. "There's this quote in the book I mentioned, and I feel I should share it with you." Hmm… he wondered why it's so significant.

"It says, 'I know that I am mortal… But when I search out the massed wheeling circles of the stars, my feet no longer touch the earth.'"

She looked up, to the bright moon above, her eyes illuminated by its light. "If you wanna join the heavens that much, you can at least always look up and find yourself in the stars. Looking at them always calms me. Won't hurt if you try it, too. And it's something I'm sure can't be taken away from you."

"Don't think much about this," she gave him a hug.

His heart leaped, and he almost cried.

He knew he shouldn't return this embrace. He already talked to her. His rational thoughts protested against it. This was an order he shouldn't ever break. She was like the cosmos she described: something he shouldn't ever reach on his own—or at least not yet .

He shouldn't hug back.

Talking should've been enough, he thought again, but her embrace left him longing, and he couldn't take it.

He hugged back.

Thoughts of keeping her like this—both of them safe with each other—came to his mind, but he knew it was impossible.

They both ended up kneeling to the ground hugging, and they stayed like that for a long, long while.

The pain of leaving just increased in their little hearts.

"I want to talk to you more…" He heard her whine. "I want to make sure you really won't fly away, especially without me."

"We cannot , Serena… But I promise you, I won't. Don't worry about that." He felt his voice hitch as his pitch increased. Only she could've caused that to happen.

A tear escaped, and more followed. He felt the crook of his neck wet, too, and that just made him tear more.

Stifled sobs were the only sounds that escaped them.

"I only really met you today, but it feels like I've known you for a time much longer," Yuri confessed, voice breaking. Even before they had ever talked, he's always felt it.

"Somehow, I feel that, too…"

The ring of the bells that warned students to go back to their dorms echoed throughout, and they gripped each other closer.

Everyone should at least be in their rooms within the next thirty minutes.

"Look," Serena said, pulling away, "even if we can't talk, we're at least still on the same island, right? And that means one day, we'll be able to talk again."

Yuri sighed, looking down, before he nodded.

"Then let's see each other again when that day comes," she went on.

Once more there was silence.

"I'll look forward to it," he said, finally.

They wiped their eyes, stepping into the light of the moon, onto the stone bridge.

It was silent all around—the students normally go as soon as the bell is rang—but he let her walk first, just in case.

"Yuri?"

"Hm?"

"Continue gazing at the skies this evening. Tonight should be the beginning of the Orionids meteor shower, if the bright moonlight won't block it all. Watch out for it. Even if we're apart, we can at least watch it together."

"Of course." And he knew he would. "Promise we'll see each other again?" The question felt embarrassing, but he wanted to hear her affirmation one more time.

"We will. If not, and you go hiding, I will find you, and I will duel you. And I will win."

He grinned. "Such confidence! You haven't even gone face-to-face with my deck yet. We shall see."

A hand to his back, one to his chest, then a bow. "Farewell, Rena dearest. May we meet again."

He saw her roll her eyes before doing a small curtsy, to Yuri's surprise. " Until we meet again."

She smiled, turned, and slipped a short glance at him, muttering, "See you, Yuri." before jogging off.

Away, and away…

Until her silhouette became a shadow that merged with the darkness, and the echoes of her footfalls faded into the breeze and sound of the ocean waves.

'Thank you, Rena.'

A/N: forgive me if i didnt write those uhm thoughts that well... TT

Book mentioned is an actual illustrated book by Kesley Oseid and yea it helped me write this is a source of inspo :D also ive always thought sere might have a thing for space beyond just the moon/s, yk?

ty for the read! see yall in whatever i might post next (which hopefully will be that yugorin longshot ive been working on...)br /
-01, out!