Here's a continuation of "N Y L A," where I explore a little more in the idea of a long-distance Hiro and Sakura (Zero Two). I wondered where to start, what I could do within the constraints of never having two characters being able to feel or touch each other. I ended up just focusing on simple things for a start. Here's "Distance."

Hiro wonders what he might need to do to close the distance. How can you really close a distance so wide, when all you have is a drive for someone who's so far away?

Chapter Text

Despite knowing that this would be difficult, Hiro believed that they could make this work. He'd keep his phone on him, lay in bed and wait for a message from her to pop up if he wasn't writing a message himself. Instant messaging was far from hearing her voice, how she giggled at his silly jokes, and the way she called him "Darling." It was something though, at least, when they didn’t have the ability to voice.

Recently they had started throwing fanart at each other, fawning over potential characters to play out and deciding who would play what, thinking up scene ideas. She had found two characters--three, actually, but they'd probably end up just playing two of them. One was a pretty girl with long white hair that went down past her lower back, long, blue, curvy horns, and silver eyes. The other had white hair, too, except not as long. His horns were a dark purple-black gradient, and seemed almost like flames how they rose off the sides of his head. His eyes, though, were nearly solid black, and he looked awesome.

"So which one would my darling play?" he saw below all the art that had been piled onto the chat like a treasure trove that they had to split equally among each other. His thumb gently scrolled up his screen and considered her question. The girl did look very pretty, and he doubted he could've gotten the personality of the guy correct…

At the same time, he knew she liked strong guys, something that he.. Very much wasn't. Roleplay was perhaps one of the best ways to be something you weren't, to feel strong where you weren't naturally. It was all a matter of putting on the persona and getting into the mindset… Though, when something was so far off the bat, how could you even make a swing? "Probably the girl..?" he typed unsurely, after repeatedly typing, deleting, then re-typing his response over and over. Send.

"Alright darling! <3" she typed back with almost no delay, and he smiled into his screen. He could hear her voice in his head. Darling, darling, darling. It was the cutest name ever, and he was honoured to have it said to him multiple times throughout the day.

He began getting more images pushed through their chat, and he chuckled, rolling over onto his side and letting the phone flop against the palm of his hand. Reaching over with his over arm, he twirled the charger around his finger from the side of his bed, and dragged it up so he could plug it in. He had let his phone die overnight way too many times, and had learned from his mistakes ever since finding his darling. The one that made him happy. The one that he spoke to through his computer and his phone, and if anything ever happened to either of those two connections… It'd all be gone.

"Oooo, his eyes are really nice in that one. Who'll that be?" he asked as she posted more of the third character that they had been fawning over, another guy. Bright, purple eyes, white hair like the other two, and he wore a purple t-shirt underneath a very, very fluffy jacket.

"Dunno!" she responded, and then he paused before he replied as soon as he saw her 'Typing. . .' appear again. "Hypothetically, if I played him… Which one of your characters would he fit with?" she finally sent. Oh god.

He had a habit of making cool character concepts: Healing half-demons, singers that raised the dead with their voice, an alien that was the cutest, most harmless thing in the world. It was all for her. Every character he made, he created with the idea in mind that he might potentially write them with her. She was his muse, his happiness, and all he wanted.

Sadly with the lack of time on her part due to personal issues among her family, it was hard to sit down and write with her. He had to settle for occasional chit-chats before she'd inevitably fall asleep so the wouldn't be dead tired for work. He didn't give up, though. He'd make more characters, plan for the future, show them off to her to see if they'd spark any ideas with her. They couldn't spend time together right then, but he knew they eventually would have all the time in the world. Just not at that night.

"Remember that singing necromancer that I made? With the pretty blue horns and wings?" he asked, tapping away at his screen then pressing in on the 'Send' button. Shuffling his shoulders to get more comfortable, then turning his head so his cheek was buried in his pillow, he waited patiently, trying to make sure his eyes would never close for too long at a time.

"Hmm. . ." she typed, then shot a second message afterwards. "Could work! We shall see <3"

There went his heart again, throbbing in his chest, making his blood race with excitement. Tap tap tap went his fingers across the screen, until he lingered on the finished message of "I can't wait. Maybe tomorrow we can get some writing in?" He knew the potential answer. She'd be at work, or have to go out. He'd be stuck at home, hoping that she wouldn't have to do any of that.

The lingering motionlessness of the screen made him rub his cheek into his pillow more and drag the covers closer to his face. Eyes slid closed, he wondered how much it was to fly over to her… Even for a minute, he'd do anything to feel his darling's fingers entwined in his own. Anything to hear her voice on his ears and not over a voicechat. He'd throw away his entire life where he was now, so long as he could spend eternity in her arms.

A little ping from the chat made his eyes snap him out of his daydream, and those hopeful, blue eyes settled on her latest message: "I have to go out early tomorrow…" Exactly what he feared. 'Tomorrow' for her was 6 hours from where he current was, and he wasn't feeling particularly tired unless he forced himself to sleep… Which had variable results usually. Right when he was about to reply, he saw her typing more, and the next message made him perk up: "But after that I shouuuld be free" followed up by a "Sound good darling?"

Immediately his face was returned to having that bright, dorky smile that stared into his phone screen. "Yeah!" He didn't make mention of not feeling like sleeping. They knew each other's time issues. He'd either fall asleep right when she did and wake up when she did, or fall asleep right as she woke up and not see her until 5 in the morning.

"Perfect~" she returned, immediately proceeded by, "Come join me under the blankets, darling?"

Of course he wanted to. "I'd love to," he typed back. There was a double meaning there. Being roleplayers, they liked to always imagine that they were in the same house, in the same bed, sharing the same sheets. Their imagination could run wild together, and no distance could keep them from that. However, there was always a longing in his words that went unsaid. If he had one wish in the world, it would be to beside her. To gaze into her eyes as she fell asleep. To wrap his arms around her and kiss and cuddle her until they were a mess of entangled limbs that drifted off into sleep.

He saw her go offline for a little while, signalling that she was getting ready for bed. He had some time to pick through some airline tickets, just out of his own curiosity. Maybe he could surprise her, one day? They could see each other, hug and kiss. The issue though, as always, was... Money. That thing that kept society going. It was the sole barrier to eternal happiness, and he only felt that sting harsher when he saw some of the ticket prices. They were… Definitely out of his price range.

Maybe if he had gone to college, he'd have a job, and he could work towards it. He had done pretty well in school, he had set everything up to get into a good college and yet… He didn't want to go. What was the point? What was he really moving forward for? Two years had passed since he graduated high school and he had nothing to show for it except his mediocre gaming skills and slowly forgetting all that French that he had shoved into his head.

Now though, he had reason. He had drive. He had her. She was his darling, and he was her darling. She needed him and he needed her.

Fingers typed a new search into the search bar: "Local jobs." He clicked the first job search website he found, and began scrolling through all the already-clicked links, along with all the ones that were way out of his experience range. "Experience: 2 years customer service," "Qualifications: 3 years in an office environment," "Responsibilities: Must be self-driven." That last one even made him dryly laugh to himself. Self-drive? No, that wasn't something possible at all. The only drive he had was from his darling Sakura. If someone put him in front of something and let him access his phone whenever he needed, he'd be the hardest worker they'd ever seen. Yet, no sane person would ever hire someone like that.

A deep inhale exhaled into a sigh, and then he saw a notification pop up at the top of his phone. A message from Sakura! He clicked over to the messaging app as soon as possible, let it load, and then read her message. "I'm really sleepy darling…" That was her signal that she was about to pass out.

Quickly, knowing she could fall asleep on a dime, he typed "Get some sleep darling. I love you," and then hesitated for a second, before following up with "I'll see you in our dreams."

He knew she at least saw his message. Her adorable pink-haired icon stayed lit up for a little while, before inevitably he assumed she had done just as expected and fell asleep with her phone in hand. She was so adorable all the time. He could imagine it for himself, wrapped up in her bed covers, that sweet smile and beautiful green eyes staring into her phone.

Though, now that she was asleep, he felt empty. He had woken up just a few hours ago, making sure he'd mostly be asleep while she was at work, but she was so tired when she got home always… At least tomorrow, he thought to himself, she didn't have to do much. He, of course, never had to do much either. Maybe they could spend some extended time together.

Instead of sitting and reflecting on what might could be, he decided to get up and work on things. He'd put in more job applications, chat to some of his other friends. Maybe Goro or Ichigo were online. Zorome and Miku were surely bickering in their chat server over a game, they always were.

It was all just something to distract himself until his darling came online. He considered just occupying himself into sleep depravation so he didn't pass out the second she came online. Then again, he always considered doing that, and it always became a bad idea a few hours later.

As soon as he sat down in his chair and turned his computer back on, he sighed out, seeing his background of their two anime characters that they had turned into their icons. In the picture they were so happy, hand in hand, running off into the sunset together.

Hopefully that'd be him and Sakura together one day.

They'd make this work, he knew it.

They loved each other too much to ever let it fall apart, no matter the distance.