For someone who'd spent his whole life flying faster than the wind, Hawks found it strange how much he slowed down lately.
He'd take longer patrol routes — the kind that just happened to pass over the old church on the hill. He told himself it was coincidence, maybe habit. But deep down, he knew better.
It wasn't the church he was checking on.
It was her.
The girl with the soft voice and the kind eyes.
The one who spoke to him like he wasn't a Pro Hero, just a person.
The one whose name he still didn't know.
---
That thought bothered him more than it should have.
He'd met hundreds of people — reporters, fans, fellow heroes. He always remembered names, faces, ranks, quirks. It was part of his job. But her?
He couldn't stop thinking about her, and yet, somehow, he'd walked away twice now without even asking who she was.
"What kind of hero forgets to ask a girl's name?" he muttered to himself, perched atop a rooftop overlooking the church. The wind ruffled his feathers as he frowned. "Smooth, Hawks. Real smooth."
Below, he could see her again — sweeping the courtyard, sunlight turning her blonde hair into threads of gold. She paused sometimes to water the flowers by the stone steps, humming quietly.
It wasn't the same song as before — this one was lighter, like laughter in sound. Even from a distance, he could feel it — that strange warmth that settled over the city whenever she sang.
He leaned on his knees, wings shifting behind him.
"Who are you, angel girl?"
---
Later that afternoon, he decided to land — quietly this time. No jokes, no flirting, just curiosity.
"Hey," he said softly as his boots touched the ground behind her.
Kagome turned, a little surprised but not startled. Her gentle smile greeted him like sunlight through clouds. "Oh, hello again, Mr. Hawks."
He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly feeling less confident than usual. "You know, I just realized something… I've been here three times, and I still don't know your name."
Kagome blinked, then laughed — a clear, musical sound. "Oh, I never said it, did I? I'm Kagome. Kagome Inoue."
"Kagome…" Hawks repeated, testing the name like it was a secret. It fit her — soft, graceful, but strong underneath. "Nice name. Pretty, too."
She smiled politely. "Thank you. And you can just call me Kagome — no need for titles."
He grinned. "Only if you call me Keigo."
"Keigo?" she repeated. "That's your real name, isn't it?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Don't tell anyone though — it might ruin my mysterious hero image."
Kagome tilted her head, thoughtful. "I don't think mystery makes a person strong, Keigo. Honesty does."
He blinked at her, a little stunned by how easily she said it. Most people were careful around him — respectful, cautious, even fearful. But she… just saw him.
For a moment, the hero and the songstress simply stood there, surrounded by the quiet hum of life — the flutter of wings, the scent of flowers, the faint sound of a world that had forgotten how to slow down.
Hawks smiled faintly, lowering his voice.
"You're a strange one, Kagome Inoue."
"Maybe," she said with a laugh. "But strange can be good, right?"
He chuckled softly. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess it can."
---
That night, as Hawks soared back toward the city lights, he found himself whispering her name again, just to hear it.
"Kagome…"
He didn't understand it — why her voice stayed in his mind, why her smile followed him through the clouds. But he knew one thing for certain:
She was more than a mystery now.
She was becoming his reason to keep coming back.