Blurred Lines | ✓ [1st Edition]

30 | Back To Japan

"For all the things my hands have held,
The best by far is you."

After the whole Cody and Bianca drama, Yuko decided it was a good time for us to leave town for just a little while. Just the two of us.

He said we were always too busy here, always getting caught up in other people's problems, so it'd be nice if we could finally get some alone time together. After all, we hadn't had much time to enjoy the fact that we're officially dating now, he had said.

It took some convincing on his part to get me to agree to fly to Japan and stay at his castle (or house) for a week, but since our exams were just over, I decided why the hell not? The last time we were in Japan, our plans were halted due to Robin's sudden hospitalisation, and there were many places I have yet to visit and many things that I wanted to do.

For one, I really really wanted to take part in this year's hanami (flower viewing, e.g the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers, flowers in this case almost always referring to those of the cherry blossom or, less frequently, plum trees). Yuko had told me about it once, and told me that it was his favourite thing in the whole entire world. It was a big part of Yuko's culture, and because it he loved it, I knew I had to go see it for myself too.

"Remember to call so we know you're not dead," Asher grunted when he dropped us off at the airport like the caring friend he was. Even though we weren't exactly buddy-buddy, I realised that I was slowly getting used to his sarcasm and dark humour. Emily and I got on well, but I found myself gravitating more towards Tessa and Slater, who had become great friends of mine over the term. Tessa remained as cheery and bubbly as ever, and although Slater wasn't a man of many words, I managed to get him to crack a smile during lunch last week, so at least I was making progress.

"We will," Yuko sighed. "Take care of the rest, and Emily."

"I will," Asher answered, sounding almost offended that Yuko had to even remind him to take care of his beloved fiancé. "When you visit Robin, smack him in the head and wake him up, will you?"

"He's in a coma, Ash. Things don't work that way," Logan snorted, but there was a silent understanding that passed through all of us. Robin was still unconscious, and every passing day our hopes are getting more and more bleak. But we still had to believe that he'll make it, right? That's all we can do now.

"He's being transferred back to Paris, Ash. He'll be here tomorrow, so I won't get to see him," Yuko explained softly and with a hint of disappointment. Asher blinked, taking in the new information and nodded quickly.

"April finally decided to take him home," Asher sighed. "That's good. It'll be easier for us to visit."

"And you can smack him yourself, too," Yuko said half-heartedly, earning a mischievous smile from Asher.

"Not too hard, please," Logan winced, glancing not at his friend warily. Asher simply shrugged and said it'll depend on his mood. Typical.

Yuko glanced at his gold Rolex, a beloved gift he had received from his little sister two years ago, and sighed.

"It's time for us to go," he said, casting an amused glance at me. "Do you need help with your bags?"

I turned my head downwards to look at the three Louis Vuitton suitcases with a sheepish smile.

"Yes, please," I said, laughing a little. Yuko smiled gently and grabbed two of the bags with a little difficulty. We bid Logan and Asher goodbye and began to make our way to the check-in counter.

"You have the tickets, don't you?" Yuko asked, and I nodded before retrieving the two red tickets from my baby pink Berkin bag.

"Two first class tickets," I grinned, waving the tickets in his face. Yuko's eyes brightened slightly and he laughed under his breath.