𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨, 𝖱𝖺𝗇 𝖧𝖺𝗂𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗂

▬▬▬ 𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗬 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡

He held Miyuki's jaw and began inspecting her face. His sight shifted, and his hand moved from her arms into her wrist, his eyes widening as he noticed Miyuki's swollen knuckles, exclaiming, "You're hurt!"

I'm alright, Shu! It doesn't hurt- "Hanma grabbed Miyuki's wrist before she could finish words, placing a kiss on her swollen knuckles. Miyuki snatched her hands from Hanma's grasp, startled by his doing.

"What's that for?" Miyuki raised a brow at Hanma as she put her hands to her hips, but Hanma only gave her a teasing smile before replying in a soft and goofy tone, "I thought you wanted me to kiss you boo-boo?"

"What am I, a kid?"

Hanma sighed, "You have no fun, Yuki-chan!" He and Miyuki always have the sweetest nicknames for each other.

"Shut up, Shu, this is all your fault! If you didn't punch that guy, this wouldn't happen!" Miyuki retorted.

"Nah, it's the cat's fault!" Hanma blamed the cat that Miyuki recused earlier and reasoned, "Besides, they're trash-talking you, and I don't want you to get disrespected like that."

Miyuki approached the bushes near a bench where she had placed the injured cat earlier. "Don't blame the poor kitty!" she said as she picked up the cat and sat down on the bench, placing it on her lap and patting it as the cat cozied up to her fingers and purred.

Hanma sat next to Miyuki and murmured, "I wish I was a cat." Miyuki didn't hear Hanma since she was preoccupied petting the feline, confused; she asked him what he was talking about, "What did you say?"

"Ah-nothing! "Hanma was adamant about not telling. Hanma Shuji has always had a crush on Miyuki because, like the Haitani brothers, he admires strong girls who can defend themselves.

Hanma reclined his back on the bench and gradually rested his arms on the backrest, pulling Miyuki closer to him. Miyuki closed her eyes and gently rested her head on Hanma's shoulders, basking in his comfort. "Do you remember when we were 12? We used to punch people in the face because you didn't like the way they looked at you!" Miyuki cracked up laughing, recalling all of the mischiefs they used to make as children

But she's wrong. Hanma punches people in the face because he dislikes how they look at her.

"You were 12, and I was 13," Hanma corrected. It was in elementary when little Miyuki got saved by little Shuji. They were friends for a long time, and after so many years, they still haven't forgotten how they met.

Miyuki believed Shuji saved her, but he didn't. Shuji was just passing by the playgrounds when he saw boys his age bullying a little girl, and Shuji, an adrenaline junkie, jumped in and punched the guys for fun, and Miyuki seemed to have the incorrect impression.

Shuji has no intention to save her. He intended to bully her, but he was stunned when Miyuki cried and hugged him, thanking him for saving her, and with her embrace, Hanma softened.

"We were quite a menace when we were kids, no?" Miyuki stated.

"Yeah..." Hanma replied before falling silent because, for him, Miyuki was never a menace to him. She's innocent, perhaps too naive for the world.

For a moment, they were silent, and the only thing they could hear was each other's heavy breathing. It's uncommon for them to be quiet; they never run out of stuff to discuss when they're together, but today was different. It seems that there is a wall building between them.

"I need to tell you something!" They blurted in unison, breaking the silence.

"Oh, go ahead first," Hanma insisted.