Chapter 105

(Earlier than usual author's note: I'm switching to third person omniscient! Also, this is a huge chapter!)
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Gumi held Yuma's hand tightly as they walked down the dark streets, the gentle yellow of the street lights illuminating their way. She looked up at him every now and then, watching his face for the slightest traces of a wince or grimace, wondering if she should let go of her beloved's hand. She didn't want him to be hurt.

Just looking at those bright red bandages tied around his knuckles earlier had sent shivers down her spine. The last time she remembered seeing him hurt was a few years ago, when they weren't really very close. She recalled that he had a sprained ankle, and while she always wanted to approach him and maybe talk to him about it, she was just too shy to do so.

"Something on your mind, Gumi?" Yuma looked down at her, his figure outlined by the gentle glow of the lights. He smiled a little, making her blush.

"Does it hurt?" She asked softly. He squeezed her hand and stopped walking, turning to face her.

"Lots of things hurt, Gumi," he said softly, pulling her towards a corner, "There's nothing we can do about it. How many letters does the word 'life' have?"

Gumi furrowed her brow, the answer spilling from her lips. "Four," she answered quickly. He nodded.

"What about the word 'pain', and the word 'hurt'?" He asked, his tone slightly morose.

"That's stupid," his girlfriend scowled, "The word 'love' also has four letters!"

"Ha! I never said that life was all hurt and pain, now did I?" Yuma bonked her on the forehead. He seemed to love doing that, "Right. Love, hurt, pain. Life. Four letters. Four words."

"There must be more," Gumi mumbled. Yuma smirked.

"But those are enough for now, Gumi," he said softly, gently pecking her forehead. She flinched. He kissed her forehead so often, more times than anything else he did to express his affection, and it was such a small thing, but it always made Gumi lose her mind.

"Yuma, I'm crazy!" She declared suddenly, her voice echoing down the empty streets.

"Oh, are you?" He twirled a lock of her bright green hair between his fingers, smiling slyly.

She yanked him forward so that he crashed into her before she wrapped her arms around his figure gently and buried her face into his torso.

"I'm crazy for you," she whispered, careful not to hug him too tight, "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

Yuma shook his head and gently pried her away. "So am I," he smiled, "Except it's you that I'm crazy about."

He kissed her on the mouth, pulling her face close with his hurt hands, wincing only slightly against the green haired girl's small, soft lips. He gripped her shoulders tightly and they opened their mouths, the small kiss becoming something much more passionate.

The shadows of the alleyway hid them from the world as Gumi continued to kiss him and he reciprocated, a response to some sort of burning flame that had been ignited over the course of the day.

"Is this a goodnight kiss?" Gumi asked once they had pulled away, out of breath, "Or something else?"

"Just finishing what we started," Yuma whispered, taking her hand and leading her down the street, "Memories, Gumi."

"That doesn't have four letters, you know. And besides, can't we just live for the moment?"

"That's what we just did," Yuma answered. It still felt strange, though undoubtedly wonderful, to kiss her like that, mostly because they rarely did it.

"Here's my home," Gumi tugged at Yuma's arm. He seemed absolutely out of it, walking right past her house, "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Yuma blinked, frowning apologetically, "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Gumi smiled and walked up a couple of steps, looking down at him, "Yuma, please take care of yourself."

"What?"

"Your body, I mean," Gumi said slowly, meeting his gaze, "Don't push yourself. No physical exertion, okay?"

Yuma smiled. "Nice to hear that you care," he said, "Come down here for a sec."

Gumi nodded, jumping from the porch steps and landing with a thud the pavement. "What's the matter?"

Yuma kissed her forehead again and tousled her hair. "Goodnight," he said softly, "I'll be here tomorrow morning."

"R-Right," Gumi grinned, "And...I wanted to tell you, Yuma..."

"What is it?" He put his hands in his pockets and leaned down towards her, his bangs brushing her forehead.

"Y-You look nice," Gumi mumbled, "That's all."

"Nice?" Yuma smirked, amused, and took her trembling hand, "Do go on."

"You know, like, you look nice!" Gumi said, a bit louder this time.

"Huh," Yuma frowned and put a hand in his hair, "Is it the shirt?"

He pointed his chin downwards, gesturing towards the plain black top he was wearing. Gumi's eyes fell across his figure and she turned away quickly.

"You know, in the...bathroom," Gumi mumbled the last part and Yuma laughed, "Even with all those bruises..."

"That means a lot, you know," he hooked an arm around her neck and stifled his laughter, "Coming from you, it really does. So you liked what you saw?"

"Can we not go there?" Gumi pressed her palms against his chest and pushed him back playfully, "I've already said enough!"

Yuma laughed again and waved goodbye. She nodded, turning and walking yo the steps, watching as he disappeared down the streets and into the darkness.

All of a sudden, she found herself unable to wait for tomorrow, when he'd be at her door, waiting for her, wanting to peck her forehead and tousle her hair.

Rin had insisted that Len sleep in the same room as her, if not in the same bed. The whole talk had left him flustered and blushing and a little uncomfortable.

"You sure you'll be fine on the sofa?" Rin asked from the bed. Len sat the sofa and looked at her. He was wearing some new pyjamas that Rin had lying around, and thankfully, they weren't very girly.

Rin, on the other hand, was wearing a small, blue nightdress with lacy black straps. She stared at him for a moment, concern painted across her face, before stepping out of bed and walking up to him.

"I asked you something, Len," she looked down at him and his gaze snapped up and away from her dress.

"Right," he nodded, "I'm fine. Sorry, it's just...I'm a little tired."

Rin yawned. "Me, too. Are you going to message your mom or something so that she knows you're here?"

Len smiled slyly. "I did," he replied, "I wrote that I was staying at a friend's house. You're very pretty."

Rin crossed her arms. "You sure you're not talking about food or something?" She laughed and Len blushed.

"I didn't mean to say that out loud," he mumbled. It wasn't a lie, though; she looked pretty, even as she was about to go to sleep.

Rin grinned before breaking out into laughter. She plopped down on the sofa beside him, laughing and laughing, tears forming by her eyelids.

"What's so funny?" Len frowned and she placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"I still can't believe it," Rin said finally, wiping her eyes, "Len, we're not siblings. We never were. All that heartbreak..."

"It tested us," Len smiled, the words leaving his mouth without a second thought, "It tested our love."

Rin nodded. "I would've loved you either way."

"But it feels better this way, doesn't it?"

Rin paused before nodding. "I guess," she said and yawned, getting up from the sofa, "Okay, I better get to sleep."

Len nodded and she bent down, giving him a quick kiss before heading over to her bed and burying herself under the sheets.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

Meanwhile, out past the small suburban neighbourhoods and deep within the bustling heart of the city, there was a chic Chinese restaurant decorated with glowing orange lanterns and scarlet wallpaper that was strewn with ornate gold designs.

Luka and Gakupo were sitting at a table in the far corner, opposite the door and almost entirely secluded. Two swinging saloon doors made of pale, dry wood separated them from the rest of the restaurant.

"Luka, you're staring," Gakupo offered a wry smile and made Luka blush a bright red. Her fork slipped from her dainty fingers with a clatter. Sh exhaled sharply and raked a shaky hand through her coral coloured hair.

"A-Am I?" She looked at Gakupo, flustered. He frowned and leaned foreword, gently patting her head. She looked so adorable when she wasn't calm and composed.

"Don't worry," he said softly, "It's fine."

Luka fidgeted uneasily. How could it possibly be fine? Just a few hours ago, she had confessed her love to the purple haired man sitting across from her. Now they were sitting in a fancy Chinese eatery and she was downright staring at him as he ate.

"How's it fine?" She shook her head before pushing her bangs to one side, "It's not fine! It's unacceptable! How could I..."

"Luka," Gakupo's voice was soft, just like his touch, gentle fingers brushing against Luka's cheek. He pulled his arm back slowly, eyes settling against her mesmerized expression, "You're beautiful."

"Wha...," Luka averted her gaze and swept up her glass of water, chugging it down and nearly choking, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Stare at me," Gakupo grinned, "I like it."

"That's lewd!" Luka exclaimed, and Gakupo responded by shaking his head.

"No, it's not," he picked up Luka's fork and gently scooped up a few grains of browned rice and diced carrots from her plate, bringing the utensil up to her lips. She pursed them slightly before hesitantly letting her tongue peek out, running it along the metal. She opened up and Gakupo put the fork into her mouth.

She felt her face grow hot and her heart began beating faster and faster. Just thinking about this purple haired man made her grow faint. She took the fork from his hands and gobbled down the rest of the rice.

"There," she swallowed and exhaled, "We're done. Let's go."

Gakupo smiled and nodded, getting up and offering Luka his hand. She took it slowly and they walked out of the restaurant.

Once they were in Gakupo's car, Luka nearly broke down. She dropped her chin and set her gaze on her shoes, hands trembling in her lap.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm so...bipolar."

Gakupo patted her shoulder. "No, you're not," he said softly, "You're just like me. I'm afraid, too, Luka. I'm afraid I'll make a mistake and lose you."

She looked up at him slowly with wet eyes. He pulled a tissue out of his pocket and wiped her tears.

"Whatever you do, I'll still love you," he nodded, grinning childishly, "Don't think that you have to act a certain way around me."

Luka nodded slowly.

"I know, easier said than done," Gakupo started the car and sighed, "I'm trying, you know. I'm trying to be myself around you. It's hard."

"It is," Luka agreed. She wanted to go back home and hide under her covers out of embarrassment. She was being a horrible date, putting him through all this.

Her thoughts were shattered by Gakupo clapping his hands together suddenly. "I have an idea," he said.

"W-What is it?" Luka knew that Gakupo enjoyed eating eggplants, but she really wasn't a huge fan of them.

"You'll see!" Gakupo smirked and suddenly clasped her hand in his. The cool touch of his skin made Luka's heart beat rebelliously against her ribs.

She was only falling deeper.

Gakupo drove the car to his home and led Luka into his house. She instantly became fidgety and tense, and Gakupo clearly took note of her stress. He patted her back and led her into the living room.

"I want to show you something," he said, running off into the kitchen. He returned with his kitten in his arms.

"That's..."

"Incubator Megurine," Gakupo nodded and chuckled, "I know, the name's still a work in progress..."

"She's grown," Luka reached forward and took the kitten from Gakupo. He sat down beside her as she gently rubbed the feline's tummy. It yawned and mewled, eliciting a soft laugh from Luka. She smiled and felt the walls around her inner self begin to crumble. She looked at Gakupo, still smiling before leaning forward and exhaling slowly.

Gakupo didn't move, but his heart did. It was practically galloping inside of him as Luka's face inched closer to his. He could smell the sweet scent emanating from her hair, left by her shampoo. Her nose brushed his and their mouths came closer.

Suddenly, Luka jumped, nearly falling back and dropping the kitten. Her phone was ringing. Blushing, she pulled it out of her purse and looked at Gakupo, who nodded.

"Hello?" She said into the phone.

"Luka, Luka!" Haku was on the other end, clearly excited, "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I get to keep my job!" Haku whooped on the other end and there was some crashing before she returned to the phone, "Okay, I have to go. See you tomorrow, Luka! And thanks for the cake!"

Luka hung up and tossed her phone to one side. "Haku gets to stay," she said to Gakupo, her heart still racing from nearly kissing him, "Can we..."

"Of course," Gakupo nodded, leaning forward and cupping Luka's face in his hands. She closed her eyes and dug her fingers into the seat cushions. How was this happening? Wasn't it all too fast?

She decided that it wasn't. She did indeed love him, and she wasn't going to shy away from this kiss. She felt Gakupo's hair against her forehead and their noses touched again. He slipped his hands on top of hers and kissed her softly, eyes closed, brows relaxed.

Once upon a time, Luka would have slapped him for even conjuring up such ideas. The new Luka, however, was thrilled the moment their lips met.

She really was in love with an eggplant-adoring, purple-haired art teacher, and there was nothing wrong with that.

It was around two that night at Rin's home when Len was groaning in his sleep, tossing and turning on the couch. He was having a dream about faceless bananas with legs that taunted him and ran away from him. He was starving, in the dream, at least, but those damned bananas never stopped running.

"Huh?" He sat up suddenly. His pillow was vibrating. He pushed it onto the floor and picked up his cell phone with weary eyes. Had the bananas decided to call him?

It wasn't a number that he knew, so maybe it really was a banana. He yawned, glancing at Rin, who had also stirred and was now sitting up in bed, looking at his silhouette in the darkness.

Len picked it up and mumbled, "Hello?"

"Is this Len?" The voice was raspy and battered by time. There were other voices in the background as well; hurried, tense sounds.

"Yes," Len said after a pause. The person on the other end certainly didn't sound like a friend. Maybe it was a prank call.

"Len, listen," the voice said firmly, "My name is Dr. Kiyoteru of the Northtown Hospital. Your mother was in a car accident just now."

Okay, you guys, now I really need your help. Tell me if this third person POV is better than the old third person I used way back. I'm trying to open up and write on the Internet the way I write in real life, because honestly, the latter is way better.
Also, yeah. Fangirl much? I'm still trying to get this whole 'fluff' concept down...
So please, comment and tell me what you thought of this chapter! Please!
And since this is a huge chapter, don't expect a sudden update (heh heh I'm evil, aren't I?).