Now he was here, bleeding mouth and all.

His bruises were an interesting story (one that he thought could be saved for another time, possibly when she noticed and asked about them), but he didn't want to remember it.

As he watched her, he noticed that she had changed; she seemed older and somehow more attractive (which baffled him a bit), and there was a certain look about her- tempered innocence?- that caused his eyes to linger on her. A bloodied hand dropped from its spot on his mouth and fell to his side. "Kiki..."

Was it right to suddenly appear like this? No. Was it right to expect her to accept him back into her life? No, of course not. In fact, he expected to be completely dropped from her mind- and heart- indefinitely. He knew from her posture that he had caused her a lot of pain, the aura around her having changed a bit, and the punch itself had been its own tell all...

Would it be wrong to try to kiss her now? He stiffened, entertaining the thought. What would her reaction be if he tried to kiss her, bloodied mouth and all, after neglecting to contact her for three years? It amused him to think that she would punch him again (though he wasn't sure why), though he hoped, selfishly, that if he attempted such a thing that she would accept it.

"I'm sorry." He said finally, swallowing the dulling pain in his mouth and heart, and he knelt before her on the sidewalk and bowed, prostrating himself. "Please forgive me." He was crying again, he thought, nearly cursing himself aloud, but he'd said it. Even though it had taken him three years, he said the words he'd been meaning to say since they'd met, a repentant phrase that he hoped would cover up his many flaws and bouts of insecurity, the main one being his decision to leave her.

"I'm sorry."