The EXO’s comeback performance had gone pretty well. So well that both managers decided to treat the boys to dinner. Naturally the two girls came along. They had just started eating when HyunKyun stood up to congratulate them and everyone raised their glasses (except for the minors of course) and cheered. However, the next news caused everyone to frown:

             “We’ll be returning to China in the next few days for promoting,” HyunKyun glanced around the private room, only to find scowls and frowns upon the twelve boys. He sighed, “don’t look at it like a separation, boys. Just look forward to our next visit. It’ll be soon, I promise you all.”

              Those words were enough for the smiles to return and EXO M’s manager sat down in relief when everyone began to eat again and chatter loudly.

              “So, Haruka right?” SeHun was in the middle of chewing when he looked to the girl on the other side of the table. Lu Han smacked the back of his head as a punishment for being so impolite.

               “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” the singer rolled his eyes before returning to his food. Haruka laughed a little bit before nodding her head and swallowing.

               “Yeah, SeHun right?” He continued to eat before talking again.

              “And you used to go to hyung’s college?” Haruka took a sip of her water before pushing her sweatshirt sleeves up to her elbows. She nodded. “So you’re my noona.”

               “You could say that. I don’t mind if you don’t call me that,” Haruka shrugged before reaching for a piece of meat on the grill.

               “Are you going to stay in South Korea after you finish your studies?” BaekHyun, who had been sitting on her right side asked, placing his chopsticks down. 

                “Well...” She puffed her cheeks.

               “You should!” Tao exclaimed on her other side while grinning at her. Haruka laughed and ruffled his hair.

                “I would, but I’m not sure. I might be taking a job in Japan or maybe even in China.”

               The black-haired boy’s grin widened. “Well, China’s good too. You’d be able to visit us more often there!”

               “That’s true,” Haruka sighed and her eyes unconsciously fell on Lu Han. “Yeah...I would...”

~*~

               Three days had passed and everyone stood in front of the security check of the airport. Packed and ready to go, was EXO M and Yang. Xing Ke was hugging Kris and Yang tightly, mumbling something about not wanting his favorite cousin to leave. Pour Yi Xing, it doesn’t seem like either of his cousins favor him... Lu Han thought as he stood to the side, kneeling beside Xiao Fu. He turned back to the sliding doors of the airport, waiting for someone. SeHun approached the light-haired boy who was seemed to be daydreaming. 

                “Hyung, call me when you arrive?” He asked, with a small pout.

              “Yeah...” he said softly, seemingly not listening. He was pulled out of his trance when he felt a small tug on his t-shirt collar. Lu Han looked down to find the small five-year-old boy, looking up at him with curious eyes. He ruffled Xiao Fu’s dark hair with a small smile. “What’s wrong, Xiao Fu?”

               Without saying a word, the little boy wrapped his arms around Lu Han’s neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The singer pulled his neck back to look at the boy who had a satisfied smile on his face. He couldn’t help but smile at Xiao Fu, who continued to hold tightly onto Lu Han’s neck. 

               “I wanna go with Ge ge,” Xiao Fu said softly as Lu Han picked him up in his arms. He gave the boy his own kiss on his cheek and laughed.

               “Maybe when you’re older, okay?” Lu Han used his other hand to fix the little boy’s hair a bit. “Ge ge, will come visit you again soon, okay?”

               The five-year-old continued to pout, but after a few minutes he reluctantly nodded. Yi Xing looked over at the pair briefly before turning away, feeling left out since neither of his cousins seemed to want to bid him goodbye for now. Seeing this, Lu Han whispered in the little boy’s ear.

               “Go give Yi Xing ge a hug.” Xiao Fu looked up at Lu Han with a scared expression and Lu Han placed him down on the ground. “You know, your Yi Xing ge loves you very much.”

               Xiao Fu glanced at his cousin before pulling his arms away from Lu Han’s neck and running towards his cousin and hugging his leg. Shocked, the dancer looked down to see the small boy latched onto his leg, looking up at him expectantly and with a small smile. It wasn’t before long that Yi Xing bent down to scoop the boy up in his arms with a wide smile. Lu Han swore that that was the most happiest smile the younger had shown in a long time.

               After watching the cousins for a few minutes, Lu Han found himself glancing at the doors every now and then. Each time they opened, his eyes sparkled with excitement, but when they revealed a stranger, he frowned again.

                “Ge ge, it’s time to go,” Chen pulled on Lu Han’s shirt sleeve and nodded at the others getting in line to go through the security check. With one last look at the doors, he followed the other singer to their group after giving EXO K’s members and the two cousins another goodbye. 

                It was almost his turn to give the officer his passport and plane ticket, when he thought he heard someone call his name. He turned around, seeing no one, and turned back to Tao, who was handing the officer his passport and plane ticket. Just as he was about to hand his passport to the bored officer, the call became clearer than before, making him freeze.

                “LU HAN!” 

                This time, Lu Han turned around to see a dark-haired girl, her hair cropped to about her shoulders. She wore a Naruto character on her grey shirt, underneath her traditional green sweatshirt with dual white strips running down the sleeves. By the time she reached him, she was all out of breath. 

                The Beijing boy stared at the girl in surprise, “...Ha...ruka...”

               “I...I wanted...to say...bye....before,” Haruka gasped for breath. and stood up straight once the oxygen seemed to return to her lungs. “I wanted to say bye before you left.”

               The look of surprise soon widened into a genuine smile as he reached into the side-pocket of his backpack to grab his unopened water bottle. He opened it and handed it to her as he stepped aside to let other business passengers pass through to the officer so he wouldn’t be jamming traffic. As she took it, a small wooden keychain dangled from her ring finger when she lifted the bottle to drink.

               “Thanks, Han,” he handed her the bottle cap and she twisted it back on. “Sorry about your water.”

               With the smile still present on his face, Lu Han shook his head. “No, you’re fine. Xiu Min was gonna buy some more water anyway. I’ll just ask him to get me one,” the singer lied. He pointed to the dangling keychain. “What’s that?”

              “This?” Haruka held it up to eye-level and formed an “o” shape as if she’d just remembered something. She moved her hand so that she was holding the keychain out to him over the security ropes. “A second-year in my class, InSu, helped me carve it. It’s for you. Something for you to remember me by so you won’t forget me this time.”

               She winked at him with a laugh and Lu Han couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “You are ridiculous, Ruka,” he said as he took the small carving into his larger hand.

               “Oh come on,” she made a face at him. “I worked hard on this one! See, it’s Ichigo’s zanpakuto–his newest version–with the Hidden Sand, Hidden Rain, Hidden Rock, Hidden Cloud, Hidden Mist and the Hidden Leaf’s emblems on the blade. Konoha’s the biggest one in the center of the blade, on both sides–”

               Haruka was interrupted by Lu Han’s laugh. She opened to ask him what was so funny when he answered the unasked question.

               “Nothing, nothing. Thanks for this, really. I definitely won’t forget you this time, Ruka,” he rolled his eyes as his laughing died down to chuckles every now and then. “I’ll put it on my backpack, where everyone can see it.”

               To prove his point, Lu Han slid his backpack off his shoulders and placed it on the floor to place the keychain in the very center zipper on his backpack–right where everyone would see it.

               “Lu–”

               “Well, I gotta get goin’ now,” Lu Han stood up and slid the backpack over his shoulder again. “I’ll be bragging about your artwork in front of the others later.” He gave her a hug over the line, a bit awkwardly. “I’ll give you a call when things die down after our schedule today.”

              “You better,” Haruka punched his shoulder lightly and he feigned pain, causing her to roll her eyes. “Go on or you’ll miss your flight! Good luck promoting, Han.”

              The singer gave his passport to the bored officer who glanced at his plane ticket and the booklet before handing them back. Lu Han gave the dark-haired girl one last wave before heading through the security scanners to meet up with the rest of his group.

               After all the procedures were done and the seven of them were heading to their airplane gate, Lu Han felt a tug on the back of his backpack, causing him to make a full stop. He looked over his shoulder to see the three youngest curiously examining his bag.

               “What are you two doing?” Lu Han raised an amused eyebrow. Chen gently fiddled with something between his fingers before he lifted it up slightly, into Lu Han’s field of vision.

               “What is this? When’d you get it, hyung?” Chen had an intrigued expression on his face, making him resist the urge to laugh.

              “It’s a gift from someone–”

              “Koizumi?!”

              “Haru?!” 

             Both Tao and Yi Xing jumped in together, cutting Lu Han off on whatever he was about to say. The oldest let out an awkward chuckle. “Heh, how’d you guys know?”

              Lay took the piece of beautifully carved wood into his long fingers. He let out a small laugh of admiration as he turned it over in his fingers. “She really took her time on this...”

              “She said a second-year in her class helped her with it a bit,” Lu Han’s voice was full of pride, almost as if this magnificent carving was his own. He took his backpack off and sat down in one of the seats in the waiting area, picking up the piece to inspect it closely.

              Tao plopped down beside him, turning his head to look at the piece of wood. Being the child he was, he recognized most of the symbols and the sword, “She’s a Bleach and Naruto fan, huh?”

              The singer chuckled, “You bet. She’s been trying to get me into it since my college days.”

              “That stubborn girl,” Yi Xing shook his head. “It’s expected from her...”

              “Gum, anyone?” Tao held out his pack of mint gum to the others as he pulled his phone out and relaxed into his seat. He began his gaming session on his phone as his pack of gum was passed from member to member. 

             “I’m going to get something to eat.... Do any of you guys need anything?” Xiu Min stood up from his seat beside Yang. Yang and Kris shook their heads and so did the three sitting with Lu Han. 

             The eldest started to walk off with his wallet in his hand when Lu Han remembered, “Oh wait, hyung can you get me some water too?” Xiu Min puffed his cheeks out and rolled his eyes at the younger. 

             “Yeah, yeah...”

              Lu Han traced his finger over each carefully carved symbol on the sword, admiring the handiwork. The smile on his face refused to leave, as he thought about all the hard work his friend has been going through with her studies. But she was strong, he knew that. He believed she would be able to get through all her challenges, just as he did with his as a trainee at SMEnt. 

              On the other row across from the four, Yang sat beside her boyfriend, their hands intertwined as Kris whispered in her ear. He didn’t notice that she wasn’t listening to him until she pulled her hand away. Xiao Yang had seen the entire exchange between the two friends earlier as she stood in line to go through the security check. She refused to admit that the caustic feeling in her heart was jealousy. 

              The dark-haired girl pulled her hand away from Kris and into her lap, surprising him. She hadn’t ever withdrawn from him before.

             “Yang Yang? What’s wrong?”

             She turned her head away from him, “Nothing. It’s nothing...”

             Kris sighed, he pretended to ignore the fact that she wasn’t listening to him earlier, but it wasn’t helping his breaking heart. He didn’t like how she was looking at Lu Han lately. He looked down at his empty hand, thinking that he’ll have to get used to this feeling again soon. It was only going to be a matter of time anyway. He knew that ever since his own relationship started...

A/N: ( I’m trying out a new format, tell me, how does it look? Or is it too weird and spaced out? )

Hey guys, I’ll be taking a few weeks off since I’ll be going to France with my school. I have to stay with a French family for a whole week, and my Français ...really. I will try my best to write during this trip, but I have a feeling I’ll be too distracted. I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep...(just look at my last A/N... :’( ) Anyways, I love you all my dear readers: the silent ones and my dear, vocal wulinefan! Wish me luck!