"Excuse me! Pardon me! I-I'm sorry!"

[Name] was in a hurry, running down the sidewalk as fast as she could in the direction of the train station. Her breath came out ragged as she tried in vain to get the oxygen she needed through her mouth and her legs had started to cramp a bit due to the sudden onslaught of exercise, but she knew she couldn't stop running. She had to make it in time.

Looking around her surroundings as she ran, she saw a street sign she recognized. She was only a few blocks away from the train station now. It would only take her fifteen minutes if she continued to run at the pace she was going at. Quickly pulling her cellphone from her work uniform's pocket, she nearly dropped it as she glanced at the time. She only had eighteen minutes to get there in time.

"Damn it," she cursed, picking up her pace by just a little bit as she continued to sprint towards the station. Her mind wandered back to the conversation she had with Kasamatsu last night, distracting her from the screaming ache in her leg muscles.

"So, my coworker wants me to cover her shift tomorrow," [Name] said solemnly, phone pressed up against her ear as she lay back in her bed.

On the other end of the line, she could hear the shuffling of clothes and the crinkling of plastic. This continued for a moment before the sound of a zipper shutting replaced it and the other end of the line went silent. [Name] didn't know whether or not to repeat what she had said earlier, afraid that her boyfriend was angry. After a longer moment, she heard a heavy sigh escape his lips, the sound of his mattress shifting following soon after. She could only assume that he had sat down.

"And you accepted."

It wasn't a question. It didn't have to be because Kasamatsu knew that [Name] was fiercely dedicated to her job. In a way, he was proud that she had found something to invest her time in, but he was also disappointed that it had been taking away what little time they had together. Not hearing an answer from the first year female, Kasamatsu continued speaking as he lay back on his bed, his eyes landing on his already packed suitcase.

"I guess I'll just have to see you after work then."

"It won't be too long, I promise." [Name] tried desperately to get the disappointed tone out of his voice, but knew she was grasping at straws for hoping that much. "Her shift is usually a really short one. I'll be over there in no time."

The shift had not been a short one at all. That day there seemed to have a plethora of customers filing in through the doors of the café and [Name] found herself swamped with work. Losing herself in the environment of a job, she had barely noticed the hours passing by. It wasn't until another coworker had pointed out the time on the clock that she realized she had been working far too long. If she didn't leave soon, she would miss him completely. Thankfully, her boss had been understanding of her situation and allowed her to clock out. She had left as soon as the words left his lips, not bothering to change out of her work uniform.

"There it is," [Name] gasped as she saw the entrance to the train station.

Quickly checking for any oncoming cars, she dashed across the street once the coast was clear and head straight for the open doors. The station was huge and there were maps of the interior placed all along the walls. Jogging up to one, [Name] quickly located the star that would symbolize her current location before searching for the right terminal. Her finger followed the path she should take and she made a mental note of all the turns she would be making. She only hoped she could remember them all in the right sequence as she pulled away from the map and continued to run. A clock on the far wall caught her eye as it ticked away. She had nine minutes.

*-Again with this B.S. failfiction refuses to put a line here. I am so sorry for the lack of professionalism.-*

"It's fine if you can't make it," Kasamatsu stated over the phone. [Name] could practically hear the pout in his voice. "We hung out a lot today, so it doesn't really matter if you come by tomorrow."

[Name] frowned. She had upset him thoroughly and she wanted to make it up to him. "I can call them and say I can't come in tomorrow. It won't be too big a deal."

It was silent for another moment and [Name] wondered if he was pondering the idea. Finally, after about a minute, he gave off another long sigh.

"Idiot, you can't do that. You'll only be going back on your word."

Silence consumed them once again as they both lay in their respective beds, cellphones pressed against their ears as they waited for the other to continue speaking. [Name] wished silently to herself that she was lying next to him at his house so she could run a comforting hand down his arm. She wanted to be close to him.

"Hey, Yukio," [Name] said after a good three minutes of silence had passed by. She wanted to change the subject, refusing to dwell on depressing thoughts for long. "I've noticed something." Kasamatsu grunted in response, urging her to continue as he listened. "You've stopped stuttering a lot around me. We don't even have to be talking about basketball anymore. I'm really surprised."

Feeling embarrassed, Kasamatsu growled into the phone's receiver. "I-Idiot."

His weak insult, weakened further by the fact he had stumbled over the word, made [Name] laugh loudly. She couldn't help but feel like she wanted this moment to last forever, the two of them talking with each other until they could no longer speak. Then they would just bask in each other's presence, contently happy.

"[Name]cchi, you made it!"

[Name] looked ahead and saw a familiar blonde, surrounded by other familiar basketball players, waving at her spastically. Pushing herself to go a little bit faster for just a little bit longer, she started panting heavily as the small crowd of boys made a clearance for her. Stopping with her hands on her knees, she coughed once before looking up at the former captain of Kaijou's basketball team with an apologetic expression.

"You're late."

"Y-Yeah… Sorry."

The pair gave each other small smiles as they shared the inside joke with each other before [Name] lunged at him, pulling him into her embrace. Kasamatsu, in turn, wrapped his arms around her tightly as if letting her go would reveal that this entire experience had been one long dream. Burying his face into her neck, he inhaled the mixture of café sweets and sweat that lingered on her skin, not caring that his family and friends were watching the two of them interact with each other.

"I didn't think you'd make it," he mumbled into her skin, leaving a soft kiss at the corner of her jaw before pulling back. He kept her in his embrace, wanting to hold her for as long as he could.

"And miss seeing you off? No way."

Tears had started to form at the corner of her eyes as she gazed at him. She had been genuinely worried she wouldn't get to see him before he left, but the weight on her heart had been instantly lifted once she was in his arms. Noticing her tears, Kasamatsu rubbed his thumbs gently at the corner of her eyes, willing them away. He placed his forehead against her own, bending down a bit to accommodate for the height difference.

"I'll come back to visit," he repeated his promise from the last time she had cried, hoping it would calm her.

"I-I know," she mumbled back, her voice feeling thick from having to hold back tears. "A-And I'll visit, t-too. A-And then we have breaks together. And I-I'll only be in high school for t-two more years. I-It'll all go by in no time, r-right?"

Hearing the crack in her voice pained him and he knew instantly that this long distance relationship between them would be a hard one. It had been hard enough being with someone that went to a different high school in a different district, but it would be even harder now that he was moving towns in preparation for college. The distance, though only four hours away by train, had grown between them and he knew a larger struggle was ahead.

However, he was willing to take it head on.

Nodding his head awkwardly against hers, he closed his eyes and enjoyed her presence before the speakers in the station announced the arrival of his train. He would have to leave now or risk missing the only train heading in the right direction. Releasing her from his hold, Kasamatsu placed both his hands upon her face before leaning in for a gentle kiss. As their lips met for the last time in a while, Kasamatsu could feel [Name]'s tears start falling as they brushed up against his hands. Pulling away reluctantly, his steel blue eyes found hers.

"I love you."

[Name]'s hand went up to her mouth to cover up a sob that threatened to bubble up her throat. "I-I love you, t-too."

Stepping away from her, Kasamatsu bent to pick up his luggage before going to stand next to his parents. He watched as Kise and his other friends went to console the crying girl, Kise placing a friendly arm around her shoulder. When Kasamatsu's eyes met the blonde's, he gave his junior a nod in thanks.

"Don't worry, Senpai! I'll make sure to cheer [Name]cchi up when you can't!" Kise had his own tears in his eyes as he waved a sporadic goodbye. Kasamatsu had to keep himself from rolling his eyes and yelling at the model, knowing it would ruin the moment if he did.

"A-And I'll make s-sure to punch Kise-kun when y-you can't!" [Name] retaliated. Kise agreed with her before her words sunk in, instantly sounding offended once her implied message reached his mind. This time Kasamatsu couldn't help it. He rolled his eyes.

"I'll make sure to call when I get there."

Lifting his hand in a final goodbye, Kasamatsu turned towards his train and walked away.

{EXTRA}

An hour into his travel and both of his parents were sound asleep sitting across from him in their seats. Kasamatsu sighed, looking out the window as the scenery passed by rather quickly. A vibration in his pocket alerted him to an incoming message and he instantly plucked it from his pocket, wondering who the text could be from.

'Senpai, [Name]cchi kicked me when I tried to give her a hug! She's so mean and it's all your fault!'

Kasamatsu snorted, quickly typing out a response. A few seconds later and he received another text, this one from Kise's attacker.

'It's his fault, I swear. You're not a bad influence on me. You taught me how to defend myself.'

'[Name]cchi is lying!'

Kasamatsu rolled his eyes, a small smirk finding its way to his lips. It was as if he hadn't even left.

End