They had started their walk five minutes ago and the only words that passed between Alfred and Yuko were about the blustery night wind and intermittent coughs and sniffs. This would normally be fine and dandy to Alfred - not everyone could be the star conversationalist he prided himself to be. But considering the young lady trotting beside him and her uncanny disposition to divulge her current love life just moments prior, it was only natural in Alfred's simple terms to pry for more information.

"Based on what you told me, it should be about a half hour walking back to your family's place." Alfred kicked up a pebble and watched it tumble down the sidewalk. "I have to say, you're crazy for walking around here on your own."

He looked down at her hands, delicate fingers shirking up her skirt to avoid any nosy pigeons or dirty puddles itching to wreak havoc on her shoes. Even Alfred, a man who had worn the same pair of suspenders for the past seven years, could tell that Yuko’s entire outfit was the cream of the crop, probably worth more than all of the rent payments made for the old house in Sioux Falls combined. At the thought he couldn’t stop the sudden snicker of disbelief sliding past his lips.

“What is funny?” Yuko quipped with more bite in her voice than she originally intended.

“N-nothing! Really, it’s nothing.” Alfred stumbled over his words.

She silently scolded herself for treating Alfred with an attitude, especially after he offered to help her, a complete stranger, find her way back home, but she couldn’t help herself! Once that dreaded Mister Albert finally took his long-awaited leave, it was as if her aunt broke the faucet to Yuko’s already dripping spigot of spite.

“You don’t wanna go home, huh?” Alfred chirped up after passing another block.

“How do you know?” Yuko’s shoulders tensed. Suddenly she felt as if Alfred’s two eyes on her multiplied to a hundred.

“Well, I wouldn’t be over the moon to go back either after the fight you told me about with your aunt!” Alfred chuckled.

“Why would I go to the moon?”

“No, not go to the moon! It’s an expression.”

“‘Over the moon?’ What does it mean?”

“When someone is happy about something, you can say that they’re ‘over the moon!’”

“And you say I’m not over the moon?”

“That’s right.”

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“No.” Yuko sighed. “I’m not. But now I want to go to the moon instead! If I can’t go back to my father, I think the moon is better than my aunt.”

“Aw, come on now, don’t say that.” Alfred laughed. He hoped he could keep the blush going on her cheeks until they reached their destination. “You know, my dad always told me this - even if you’re far apart, the sun and the moon you look at are the same! So when you’re mad at your aunt or some ass of a guy, all you have to do is look up at the sky and in a second you’ll be home.”

Yuko’s eyes flickered up to inspect Alfred’s face. This was the first time Yuko had seen him without any inkling of a smile. “You sound like you look at the sky a lot.” She bit the inside of her mouth. “Who are you missing?”

She wasn’t used to prying into the personal lives of others, much less that of a man she had just met. In fact, any information deemed important for her to know about a man had always been delivered by proxy ever since she started showing signs of maturing.

“I left a niece back in my hometown, and she’s not too happy about it, let me tell you.”

“Your niece is alone?” Yuko asked.

“Now she is.” Alfred led them around a corner. “After I left to make some money here, everyone got real sick except her.”

“Oh.” Yuko murmured. “What are you going to do?” She could feel a fire igniting under her cheeks again as Alfred lightly nudged her shoulder.

“That’s the question.” He shook his head. He led Yuko across the street and away from a gaggle of drunks, one sharp look their way stopping any lewd comments halfway up their throats. “You see, I actually went back to South Dakota to bring her here, but she wouldn’t come.”

“South Dakota?” Yuko tilted her head.

“You don’t need to know, it’s the most boring place on earth. That’s why I left as soon as I had the chance! My niece, Lucy? She loves it there, and she’s afraid to let go of what little is left for her. She might even-” Alfred stopped himself. He refused to give his former devil of a landlord any room in his mouth. What Lucy chose to do from here on out was her own grave to dig.

“She might what?” Yuko pushed despite her better judgment.

“I can’t say.” Alfred combed a hand through his hair. “It’s not my story to tell.”

"Why did you leave her?

"I didn't leave her."

"You didn't?"

"Well, I don't think so. I mean, I came back for her and she wouldn't follow."

"Do you think she's okay without you?"

"I don't know."

The sparkling black eyes that had enchanted him just an hour ago lost their seductive allure. Like the flip of a switch, Alfred now wanted nothing more than to be rid of their owner and her questions. No resentment hid behind his sudden urge to be alone. Rather, it was some sort of anxiety, rooting in his heart and showing no signs of leaving Alfred alone until Yuko did first.

For the next twenty minutes they walked on in silence, not a single soul sharing the road with them save for a pigeon here and there bouncing along the sidewalk.

Yuko had always been called a crane - beloved, poised, stunning. Now, as her rescuer paid her no mind save for a wave and “be safe,” Yuko for the first time in her life was not a crane. She felt as small and insignificant as the pigeons, rising up the stairs to her aunt and uncle’s home - taking flight into the night with new thrills of freedom thumping within her freshly broken heart.