Chapter Text
You were nervous. You don't ever recall a time in your life when you were more nervous than this very moment. You were wracking your brain, trying to think of something, anything; to distract you from the tense feeling coiling in the pit of your gut. It was a vicious cycle. The more you thought about your current situation, the more anxious you became. Your hands started to feel clammy and you could feel sweat start to prick the back of your neck. Thankfully, it wasn’t a very hot day or you were certain you’d die of heat stroke. You just couldn’t stop thinking about it.
A few days ago, you had been talking with Kaito. You admitted to yourself you had a major crush on him. After all the things you had been through together with Yuma and the Duel Carnival, you wanted to get to know him better. At first you thought he had been a bit cold and even possibly callous in his actions. But after learning about what he had been through, you could understand why he did it. He truly loved his younger brother, Haruto, and would obviously do anything to protect him. You admired his strength and his commitment to his family. You fell for him and you fell pretty damn hard.
After everything had blown over you had a private chat with him. You were both young adults and you didn't see why you couldn't get to know each other a little better. Kaito didn't object to the idea as he listened to your proposal. After a while he nodded and agreed he would like to know you more as well. It was a little surprising to learn he harboured some feelings towards you and that what you were feeling was mutual. He did warn you that he wasn’t sure if he had enough room in his heart for another person. He thought Haruto was the only one he could care about anymore. But you had somehow managed to worm your way under his skin and you left a lasting impression on the former Number’s hunter. He simply couldn’t deny his feelings nor his curiosity any longer.
Hearing Kaito admit something so personal made butterflies erupt in your stomach and you didn’t know whether you wanted to laugh or cry. Somehow you managed to keep it together with a gentle smile. You agreed to meet up in a few days and he added before parting:
"It's a date."
Hearing the words leave his lips made your heart suddenly jump up into your throat. The realisation of what he had said dawned on his face and he seemed to be just as flustered as you were. If you hadn't been freaking out internally you might have pointed out how cute he looked. Alarm bells were ringing in your head while your brain screamed: “Abort! Bail out!” You had promptly excused yourself and gotten out as fast as you could before you combusted on the spot.
Your heart still fluttered thinking about it as you stood in the town square, waiting for Kaito to show up. You had agreed to meet at 10 but you had gotten there a little early, possibly earlier than you should have. You didn’t care how early you were; at least you were in the right place. Anxiety gnawed at your gut and you could feel your stomach start to twist. You fiddled with your clothes, making sure that everything was straight and perfect. Since you classified it as a date you thought it appropriate to dress for the occasion. You wore nice simple clothes for your date, nothing too fancy or over the top. The shoes you wore were one of your favourite pairs and you figured they'd be good to wear on a day out. You had chosen a nice perfume to dab on you before you left the house and the faint smell still tickled your nose. You had a bag slung over your shoulder with the essentials and you resisted the urge to start playing with your phone. You didn't want to be stuck in it all day, which would just negate the purpose of this date.
You felt your cheeks heat up. So, this really was a date. The reality did take a while to sink in. Once it did you felt both scared and excited. Dating wasn't your forte but you were going to give it a good shot. You hoped you looked nice and about a thousand different things ran through your mind as you stood there, still waiting for Kaito to arrive.
The seconds ticked by and your gaze kept travelling back to the clock as the appointed time drew near. You tried to focus your mind on something else so your eyes wandered to the throng of people that walked by you. There were a few people wandering around the square today, you noted. It was the weekend so you mainly saw a lot of school kids going shopping with their group of friends. You smiled to yourself as they passed by, talking and laughing amongst their friends. They looked like they were having fun with not a care in the world. School was obviously the last thing on their minds. Seeing their big cheerful grins and hearing their boisterous laughter reminded you of a certain ball of pure energy.
As you started reminiscing about the old days you failed to notice a familiar face in the crowd. Yuma ducked and weaved through the crowds of people and as soon as he saw you, he quickly bolted around the corner, hoping you didn’t spot him. His bright eyes shone in the sunlight as he focused on you, a frown tugging at his lips. Yuma kept his distance from you, using the corner of a building as cover so you wouldn’t spot him. His brow furrowed as he stared at you in mild confusion.
"What are they doing out here?" he asked aloud.
He stared at you for a long time, like the answer would suddenly smack him in the face if he concentrated hard enough. The people around him walked by without a second glance or they were too busy in their own little world to care about what the youth was doing. Yuma didn’t classify himself as a stalker. He wasn’t. He was just merely investigating. Yeah, like a detective. He was currently working on a case. He had been so focused that he didn’t realise when another pair of eyes joined in on the staring.
"Is that your friend?"
The young boy almost jumped several feet in the air as his eyes widened with surprise. He almost gave away his position by screaming but he was able to clamp a hand on his mouth before he shrieked. He briefly forgot that Astral was with him. He tended to forget the strange duelling spirit was always with him. He liked to pop out at random times and today he seemed to be just as interested as Yuma was. The blue spirit floated in the air behind Yuma, peeking around the corner to look at you.
"You have been following them since we left this morning" Astral noted. "Why?"
Yuma flinched. That wasn't easy to explain. It just so happened that when he left his house this morning, he saw you walking down the street ahead of him. He called out to you but you didn’t notice him as you continued to walk with purpose towards your destination. His curiosity was sparked then. He knew you wouldn’t simply just ignore him. He was convinced that something had you distracted. He wanted to know where you were going and for what reason. He decided to follow you and so far, you hadn't noticed him tailing you. You seemed to be lost in your own little world that you didn’t even register his presence. He stared at you, the gears in his brain working to try and put the pieces together.
"I wonder where they are going" Yuma muttered, completely ignoring Astral's question.
Astral stared at you for a few seconds longer, his brain also working to complete this puzzle. He was able to come up with an answer a lot quicker than Yuma could.
"I believe they are meeting someone here" he deduced.
Yuma's head whipped up to Astral, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Huh? How can you be so sure?" he questioned.
Astral folded his slender arms over his chest, his feet barely hovering above the ground as he explained it to Yuma.
"Note their appearance. They look a little dressed up for just a trip to the mall. In addition, they have been waiting in the same spot for quite a while now. I believe they’re waiting for someone to show up."
His explanation made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Yuma huffed as he turned his attention back to you. He didn't think you would be meeting with someone. The thought had never crossed his mind. Looking at you now, it started to make sense. Why else would you dress up in such nice clothes? To make an impression on someone. But who could it be? Could it be a friend? If they were just a friend, he didn’t think you’d put that much effort into it. His curiosity was gaining the upper hand and he had to know. He just couldn’t tear himself away.
You took a deep breath, exhaling through your mouth as you tried to calm your nerves once more. The simple act of focusing on your breathing was enough to keep you distracted. That was until he showed up. You spotted him amongst the crowd and you could almost feel your heart come to a complete stop. You had seen Kaito before, but never like this.
He looked a lot more casual than he usually did. His normal outfit consisted of a long overcoat, skin tight clothes and the essential items that every duellist needed. But today he looked completely different. He didn’t go too overboard with his attire; he just wore some dark jeans and a nice dress shirt that matched his shoes. Seeing him in a casual state made your heartbeat increase. You could hear it beating frantically inside your ears and you felt your knees start to shake. He looked really nice and you could have sworn you were about to cry because he was so beautiful.
You started to fan your flushed face. You swore that you were usually more level headed than this. You were so flustered that your emotions were starting to have mood swings. What was this boy doing to you? Before you could even consider scampering away like a startled rabbit, he had found you. Kaito locked eyes with you through the crowd and his breath suddenly hitched. You both stared at each other in silent awe, taking a moment to just simply admire each other as he approached. He stopped only a foot away from you and he seemed a lot taller than you remembered. Neither of you said anything as your heart raced while gazing at his oceanic eyes.
"You look beautiful" he muttered.
Kaito’s eyes widened slightly before he quickly averted his gaze, clearing his throat awkwardly. He didn’t mean to accidentally let it slip out. It was obvious to you that he was just as nervous as you were. You could feel your face heat up from his kind words. You brushed a stray stand of hair out of your face, averting your gaze to the ground.
"Thank you" you replied.
Dear lord what was this boy doing to you? If your heart kept fluttering like this you may actually just pass out. It felt awkward for a long moment and you started chewing on your lips, trying to think of something to say. Kaito found his confidence again before you did and he broke the long pause.
"Where would you like to go?" he asked.
Right, it was still technically your idea so you had to pick. Luckily you came prepared with a list of places you could spend time. It was better than wandering around aimlessly all day. You smiled lightly, appreciating the sudden change of subject. You didn’t want to linger on how sweet he was and have another brain malfunction.
"I know this great cafe just down the block. I thought we could go get something to drink" you suggested.
Kaito gestured for you to start walking. "Lead the way."
You smiled lightly as you adjusted the strap of your bag. Yuma watched in stunned silence as you left with Kaito, disappearing into the crowd of people. He almost screamed. What was Kaito doing with you? Sure, Yuma didn't really have anything against him but it still confused him. Why were you two hanging out? What was going on? Why was he being left out of the loop? Astral could see the gears in his head turning as he continued to stare after your retreating figure.
“Yuma” he warned.
Yuma didn’t listen to his warning. He decided to follow you. He would find out himself where you two were going and what you were up to. Detective Yuma was on the case!