The bus had been early for once, with nobody really needing to get on and off between the FIT campus and NYU. It was a rare occasion, and it also meant that the bus was relatively empty. It made things so much easier for Kealey when that was the case. Busses were always a problem…possibly because of the close proximity of all the passengers. More likely because of the fact that everyone who rode the NYC busses seemed to be in a perpetual state of emotional turmoil.

This, however, was not the case, and it had Kealey in an excellent mood. It also had her arriving at the NYU campus a good twenty minutes early. It was a nice, autumn day though, and she simply found a park bench near the appropriate building to sit on while she waited for classes to get out.

There were a lot of people on the NYU campus, and Kealey chalked it up to the fact that she was there in the middle of the day during classes. There were varying degrees of different emotions, and for a few moments she simply sat and stared into space. It was a bit overwhelming and the feelings made her antsy. She needed distraction while she waited.

Kealey opened the messenger bag she’d made for classes this year, and pulled out a slightly rumpled newspaper shed found in the desk she’d chosen that morning for her first class. Kealey wasn’t a big newspaper reader, but with nothing else to distract her, it would have to do.

Blue eyes skimmed headlines until they settled on one pertaining to the very place she sat. Apparently a big name comedian had dropped into a NYU class recently and unexpected. The story was interesting, the students had been thrilled, and something about the name of the class and professor rung a bell in Kealey’s head. Hadn’t Shin mentioned something similar in conversation?

She’d have to ask.

In the meantime she continued to read, waiting for Shin to exit the building and hoping she’d be able to keep herself together emotionally for the rest of her stay on campus.

It had been a busy few days for Shin. All that week, there had been lectures, and studying, and homework... one day had even had cameras and famous people. As he exited out of the building reading the book he'd been gifted by Jon Stewart's production company, he chuckled to himself at the thought. It had been a good lecture. Stewart's book wasn't bad, either.

Shin's eyes slid along the campus grid, taking in various details. Distances, angle measurements, where people stood... it all made sense in his head. He settled eyes on a Kealey in the distance. That too made sense. Shin smiled to himself, humming a little bit of Tuxedo Mask's theme. He closed his book on the bookmarked page, and stopped in front of the bench.

"Kealey," he got her attention gently. Shin shifted the backpack around, and slid the book inside, then slung the strap back over his shoulder all in one fluid motion. "I'm ready to go now," he said.

The article was interesting, and Kealey had to laugh a little at how one of the students had been napping during the lecture, then admitted it to the reporter! It sounded like it had been a good time, though, AND all the class was getting to be on national television during a major talk show. Incredible. Really incredible.

The reading had accomplished its purpose, and even though all the other emotions were still there, they hummed in the background like mosquitoes while Kealey read. So focused on her task, was the blond, that she jumped a little at the sound of Shin’s voice so close.

Up she looked, paper drooping in her hands as they dropped to her sides. Kealey grinned. He was ready to go.

”Hey.” she said, pushing up from the bench and doing a terrible job of folding up the paper so the article she was working on was facing up.

They started making their way towards the bus stop, and Kealey glanced down at the paper again.

”I was just reading this paper I found. It looks like some famous comedian was at your school. Did you know anything about that? I feel like I’ve heard the name of the class before…and the professor.” she said curiously, still working at ignoring the mosquito buzz of emotions in the back of her head.

She laughed a little uneasily.

”There was this guy they interviewed. He made me think of you. He said he was napping in class.”

"Oh. That was me," Shin laughed a little self-consciously. "They actually used that quote? I kind of hoped they'd use someone else's... there were lots of good candidates. I guess they just liked the look of me, though. Weird. Wonder if they've posted that clip on youtube yet... I'll have to tell my sister to check it out..." Did Copyright laws even allow that? Maybe he'd have to send her the clip some other way. He was sure Sasami'd enjoy it, since it was kind of a big deal. Jon Stewart, really.

"So, how's your day been?" Shin asked casually, not thinking for an instant that there'd be anything weird about anything he'd just told Kealey.

”Oh neat. I didn’t realize….” Kealey said, the words sounding odd even as they left her mouth.

She hadn’t realized it was him?

How was that possible…the paper had quoted the source of the words.

The rest of what Shin was saying got blurred out in the rush of thoughts and feelings that suddenly went through Kealey. She looked down at the paper as they walked, eyes narrowing on the name attached the quote.

She looked sideways at Shin, not quite sure how she felt all of a sudden.

”How was this you? It doesn’t have your name there.” she said, partially in denial of what was quickly starting to look like fact.

How had she missed that?

"Hmm?" Shin looked sideways at her. He snuck forward, and snagged the paper from Kealey's hands. Shin's eyes trailed down the page to focus on the part where they'd quoted him. He stopped at the curb by the bus stop, and pointed at the spot on the page, eying her with mild confusion. "Yeah it does, Kealey. It's right there."

This was weird. Why was she confused by this?

Oh boy, was Kealey ever confused as she and Shin made their way to the bus stop. Math wasn’t her forte, and the way things were adding up was even more confusing. Kealey tried to remember, as they walked, exactly how long she had known Shin, and exactly how it was possible that she’d missed this.

Shin snagged the paper from her hands, and Kealey watched him as his eyes traveled down the page. Now he was confused too, and it added to Kealey’s own slightly muddled thoughts on the subject at hand.

"Yeah it does, Kealey. It's right there."

He pointed, and Kealey didn’t even need to look at the quote. Her cheeks started to pink up and she wondered if there was any way to cover up what she’d just admited.

”I thought….” she said quietly, reaching back out to take the paper so she’d have something to twist in her slightly wringing hands.

”That your name was Shin….”

"It... is..." Shin stared at her. "My nickname."

Did she really not know that? That was odd. He'd of thought she'd have gotten it from the little nameplate on his desk, or on his office door. From rooting around in his files when she'd helped Andrew, perhaps? Something somewhere should have stood out.

He didn't really make it a habit of giving out his full name, though. It had just become a habit, living in New York and dealing with Americans who never pronounced the full name right, or in the right order. He'd gotten used to only giving his full name out to the people close to him... or for forms and stuff.

Did she really not know?

Shin. Was his nickname.

The newspaper crumbled more in Kealey’s fists as more heat rushed to her cheeks. All this time and she didn’t know her boyfriend’s name.

It really seemed to defy reason, and Shin was every bit as confused as she was. That was probably the worst part. It felt like she should have known….

Kealey thought back, trying to locate a time in her memory when she’d been given this information. It absolutely defied logic.

”So…what is your real name?” sure she’d seen it in the newspaper…but Kealey hadn’t really been paying attention.

She was embarrassed. This was... embarrassing?

Well, he supposed if he was the one who didn't know his girlfriend's full name, he'd be the one embarrassed here. Full names were an important thing. Say someone's full name, and it could be dramatic, it could be romantic, it could be any number of ultra-important things. He hadn't told her his, and somehow, she thought it was her fault... or, at least that's what he thought as he glanced away, faint blush of his own lighting up the sides of his cheeks.

Awkward. He tugged at his collar. It was his fault, really, and here, he figured she was feeling like it was all her. Shin swung his gaze back her way, gently.

"Kealey," He began softly. "It's my fault, not yours... usually, I just give out my nickname. My full name was too hard for most of the people here in New York. That's why I shortened it to 'Shin'. Really, it's more... the kind of name I only give out to people close to me,"(?) Shin said it like it was true. There was a mental question mark at the end, though. He didn't always do that. "-hem, lemme try that again." He stepped closer to her, resting his hands on her shoulders. He looked her sternly in the eye. "Don't be embarrassed. I'll give it to you now. Try and remember it. I don't think I'll give it out to anyone but you." He smiled gently. He wanted her to be happy, didn't want any embarrassment, or feeling it was her fault. He was serious about it, but also calm, gentle? Intent. "Listen close. I'm only repeating it once."

Shin leaned forward, and whispered his name in her ear.

Confusion faded into…something that wasn’t contrition, but felt similar in that it felt like Shin was trying to claim some ownership? It was hard to find the right word, but Kealey knew the emotions. It made her feel better. At least he wasn’t mad that over all this time she’d never figured out the fact that Shin wasn’t actually his name.

They had stopped walking by this point and when Shin reached out and put his hands on her shoulders, Kealey avoided his eyes for a moment, then gave up and looked at him as he spoke. His full name was hard to pronounce…he only gave it out some of the time…to people who were close to him. Kealey blinked at that for a moment…if she wasn’t close to him, she kind of wanted to know what the qualifications were.

He re-qualified the statement, and Kealey nodded her head. That made more sense. His feelings on the matter also helped. It wasn’t a big deal…well, it was…but it wasn’t in the sense that she was making it a big deal. He was intent, and he was going to tell her…but he was going to say it quietly.

Shin whispered his name in her ear.

Kealey tilted her head.

”Can you say it again?”

Could he say it a-- hadn't he just said he'd only say it once for her? Shin laughed and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He supposed it wouldn't be too dramatic. Big old lines wouldn't work here. He couldn't not repeat it for Kealey. What if she'd misheard it? He thought he'd whispered it so she could hear him, but maybe she had not. Did he want to turn her away after his promise over a little thing like something he'd said, or some bold promise he'd made? No, the risk was too great. The promises conflicted. One didn't need to be, and he knew which one it was. Shin smiled and shook his head, tilting it so it was the same angle as hers, and eye contact could be achieved.

"It's Tetsuya Shinbo. My first name... is Tetsuya. Can you say that? Te tsu ya? Accent on the 'tsu', followed by the ya?" Could she say it like she meant it? Could she... say his name?

Kealey could feel Shin trying to decide whether or not he was going to tell her his name again. She thought she’d heard right, but the fact of the matter was before she started trying to say it…she wanted to be sure.

Sure Shin had said that he was only going to repeat it once…but had he really been serious? Apparently he had.

He made a decision though, and spoke out loud this time. Kealey listened, making note of where the emphasis went. She was still a little shocked, and a little confused by the whole thing. Shin wasn’t even a part of his first name. It was a nickname based off of his…last name.

Kealey shook off the oddness of that and nodded her head to show she understood. ”Tetsuya.” she said simply, then grinned at herself. She’d done a good job. She tried it again, just for good measure. It was a nice name.

"There," Shin said boldly. "I knew you could say it. Proper pronunciation and everything! And so cutely, too~" He was grinning like it amused him. "Sooo, from now on," Shin linked his hands behind his back, staring innocently up towards the sky. "When you want to get my attention, you can just... say it. Just... say my name," He smiled harmlessly, then paused. His eyes narrowed. "Wait... this all sounds a little weird. Hrm... I'll have to think on this. Using it all the time might be too cute, and..." he glanced back at her, and the bus stop. People were filing out of the bus now. Some were staring. Shin chuckled to himself. So sly. "We can't have that."

Kealey grinned at the praise Shin gave her when she pronounced his name right. She still felt a little sheepish about the whole thing and really wondered how she had managed to go so long without the information, but they’d moved past that and she wasn’t going to rehash the memory. Apparently the way she’d said the name was cute too. Huh. Shin’s first name wasn’t Shin. Who’d have thought?

He pointed out that all she had to do to get his attention from now on was say his name…but then he reneged, apparently if she said it too often, it would be too cute and that would be a bad thing. That was mind boggling too.

”Now why on Earth would you want me to not be cute?” she asked as the bus pulled up and people started to pile on. This trip was not going to be as empty as the other one had been.

She thought about it for a few moments, then smirked slightly, ”Then again…maybe I should save it for special occasions.”