Chapter 116

Kaito.

Ms. Luka was making me stay after class because I was late, so after my last class, I had to go back to the third floor and sit silently in my seat, watching her pack up her things.

"Ms. Luka," I began slowly, "I have to go to a music club meeting."

"I'm sorry, Kaito," she said it without a tinge of empathy in her voice, "I let you go yesterday, so you'll have to make up for it today."

I sighed and looked out the open door. Miku was approaching the classroom, walking across the empty hallway, and I could see that she had her bag and things with her.

"Hey," she peered in and waved to me. I nodded. Ms. Luka looked at us.

"He can't come yet," she explained. Miku nodded calmly.

"I'll wait for him," she said, siting down on the floor by the classroom door. I looked up at the ticking clock. Now we were both going to be late, and the concert was on this coming Thursday.

"Hey, Luka!" I heard a voice. Miku and I both looked to see Mr. Gakupo at the door, "Do you want to come with me?"

"Where?" Luka quickly finished packing her things and looked at the man.

"I'm part of the music club, remember?" He said, "We're having a meeting today at a student's home."

"Oh," Luka nodded and I prayed that she'd let us go, because Miku was basically the 'boss' of the club, "I'll come!"

He nodded and Miku and I just stared at the two. They were acting all weird and goofy. Luka was twirling a strand of hair between her fingers and Gakupo was grinning at her like an idiot. Miku coughed intentionally and the two broke out their trance and looked at her.

"Hey, in case you forgot, I'm the one who leads the music club," Miku's tone indicated only a slight bitterness, "And I'm not leaving without Kaito, and neither are you, because he's your student."

Luka sighed and gestured towards me. "Kaito," she said and I lifted my head off of the desk as a response, "You're dismissed."

I nodded and got to my feet, pulling my backpack on and walking past the two teachers. Miku took my hand and her touch eradicated all of the gloom from me, but I was still tired.

"Let's go," I heard Gakupo say, and then the sound of footsteps following me and Miku. I sighed and rested my head on the petite girl's shoulder, which was difficult, because she was shorter, but I needed the support.

"You're tired," she whispered. I nodded.

"I'm going to take a long nap after this meeting," I yawned. I felt her hand slither around me and she patted my back.

"The whole outburst about a gift...I'm sorry about that," she said. I chuckled.

"I promise I'll get you a diamond ring, Miku," I said sleepily, "Just...give me a few years..."

"You don't have to give me anything," she said quickly, and then paused before continuing, "Except maybe that. But we'll wait."

"Right," I grinned.

Oliver.

I couldn't believe that Neru actually said yes, and what was crazier was how expected she sounded when I asked her. Did she like me? I had never approached anyone I liked before; this was the first time in my life, and I wasn't even sure whether I liked her or not till a few days ago. Maybe it was the Slurpees, or maybe just her attitude. She was always sticking by me, even though she was teasing me half of the time.

I wasn't even sure, if there was a definite reason, why I liked Neru. I just did, and it couldn't be explained using any one point of our interactions.

"Hey, Oliver, you in there?" Yuma rapped a fist against my head, bringing me back into reality.

"Huh?" I looked at him, "Yeah, I'm here."

"Did you ask her, did you ask her?" This was Rin, jumping up and down as she led us through the gardens and towards her front door. I nodded quickly.

"Psst!" Len nudged Rin and gestured towards the gates, "She's coming!"

"Huh?" Rin and I looked to see Neru, walking slowly, focused on her phone as she approached Rin's home, "She's here for you, Oliver..."

I shook my head and tried to remain calm. The blonde peeked through the gaps between the bars of the gates before calling out to Rin.

"Rin!" She said, "Can I come in?"

Rin glanced at me before nodding and hurrying over to the gates. "Of course! You want to watch us rehearse? Miku, Kaito and some of the others still aren't here yet."

"Yeah!" She nodded and looked at me, catching my stare. I blushed a little in spite of myself before managing to smile.

"Hey," I waved as casually as I could. Rin let the girl in and she walked up to us, finding herself a spot beside me. I tugged nervously at my hat, finding it hard to look at her for long.

"Oliver," she smiled, "Thanks."

"F-For what?" I finally looked at her again.

"For asking me to come with you," she grinned and we all walked in.

"No problem," I answered, "I just...I mean, we're friends, right?"

"Yeah," she answered, "Friends..."

Rin led us into the music room, where all the instruments were already set up. Yuma found himself a place in one corner, pulling out his guitar and strumming it playfully. I sat down in front of the drum set and Neru, after spending a minute or so looking around, grabbed a stool and sat by my side.

"Am I making you nervous?" She asked with wide eyes. I grinned stupidly and shook my head.

"Nope," I answered, "Not at all."

Meiko walked in a few seconds later, looking at me and then at the blonde sitting beside me. She giggled and winked before standing in front of one of the keyboards.

"Having luck?" She whispered. I made a face, trying to tell her to shut up. It seemed that Neru didn't get what Meiko was talking about, though.

"Rin!" Doris peered into the room, "The rest of them are here. They'll be in any minute now."

Rin nodded. "Thank you, Doris," she smiled, exchanging glances with Len, "I'm so scared, you know."

"Why?" Len asked her. She shivered and shook her head.

"This is one of our last rehearsals," she answered, "We have to be ready for the concert!"

"We'll be ready, all right!" This was Kaito, walking in with Mr. Gakupo, Ms. Luka and Miku close by, "Is everyone else here?"

Miku elbowed him. "That's my line!" She teased. Kaito laughed sheepishly before turning his attention to Len.

"How's your nose?" He asked. Len smiled.

"It's all better," he replied, "The ice cream really did it."

"Of course it did; ice cream has divine healing powers!" Kaito grinned, "Now, I think we ought to get started, eh, princess?"

"Right," Miku nodded, walking up to the microphone. Luka took a seat in the corner and Gakupo stood in front of the second keyboard, "Let's do this, you guys. Second last rehearsal, from the top!"

Neru.

I watched the group work their way through one song after the other, timing themselves and making sure that they were singing properly. When they finally came to the last song, which was Yuma's to sing, they all looked extremely tired.

"That was horrible...," Len mumbled at the end, leaning against a wall. Rin's guardian, Doris, brought in some water for everyone. We were all splayed out in the room, except for me and Luka, probably because we weren't part of the concert and we didn't really have to do anything.

Miku sighed. She was lying of the floor in the middle of the room. Kaito was sleeping soundly beside her. "It wasn't horrible," she said, "It was just...really long."

"Well, the actual concert will have an intermission, right?" This was Yuma. He took a glass of water and downed the entire thing in two seconds.

"Yeah," Miku replied, "But that wasn't bad at all. It was pretty good, you know. Len and Rin especially."

"Those two are amazing," Meiko clapped and the others followed. Rin smiled sheepishly and Len did the same.

"Amazing?" Len shook his head, "I've barely been singing! I mean, I started singing only less than a month ago!"

"But you're talented," Oliver clapped. I was still sitting on my stool, but Oliver had moved to the floor beside me. He pulled his hat off and ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you like that hat, Oliver?" I asked suddenly. He looked up at me.

"I guess," he replied, "I've only got a few hats, but they're fun to wear."

That was when I realized what I could buy for him.

Rin.

Soon after the rehearsal, everyone started to leave, as usual. Kaito and Miku left, with Yuma tagging along, and Mikuo came to pick up Meiko. Gakupo and Luka left together, and that left Neru and Oliver.

"Do you want me to drop you off?" Oliver asked Neru. Len and I were standing by the door, watching these two talk in the garden.

"N-No, it's fine," Neru looked down at her feet, "I mean, unless you want to."

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

This made Neru blush. "Well, if you put it that way, fine," she managed to say, "But I expect you to protect me if something horrible happens."

Oliver patted her shoulder as they walked towards the gates. "Of course," he turned to look at us for a moment, waving before leaving the grounds and walking past the gates, pulling them to a close behind him.

"They're so cute," I mused.

Len grinned and tousled my hair. "He's going to tell her tomorrow," he whispered. I nodded furiously.

"I can't wait!"

We walked into my home and Len plopped down on one of the sofas, closing his eyes and sighing. I sat down beside him and yawned.

"It's nearly six," I said. He nodded.

"I should go and visit my mom," Len whispered, "But I'm so sleepy..."

"You could take a nap first," I suggested, "Or maybe to see her tomorrow?"

"But what if she's lonely?"

"Do you want to go, Len?" I put a hand on his shoulder and looked right at him, "We'll go right now."

"It's okay, I'll go alone," he mumbled, "You don't have to..."

"But I want to," I interrupted, "I need to be with you. I know how hard it is on you, I mean, true, your mom's getting better, but...just seeing her like that hurts me so much that I can't even begin to imagine how it would make you feel."

"It's horrible," Len whispered, "She used to be able to do so much. Even simple things seem like such a blessing now that she can't do them. Walking, running, moving her arms..."

"She'll get better," I assured Len, hugging him, "Let's go, okay?"

Yuma.

After the meeting, I headed over to Gumi's place. Her mom's car wasn't parked in the driveway, so I figured that she probably wasn't back yet. I was about to turn back when I heard a loud thumping.

I looked towards one of the windows on the first floor of the house and saw Gumi grinning at me, pressing her palm to the window. I walked up to the window and she pulled it open.

"Can you let me in?" I asked with a grin. She nodded and ran towards the door. It clicked and she pulled it open in a few seconds, so I walked in, tousling her hair as I entered.

"My mom's out for a while," she said, "It's Friday, so yeah."

"And you're just staying here?" I asked as Gumi led me into her living room. I sat down on the sofa and looked up at her. She shook her head.

"I figured you'd come by," she said, tugging at her ponytail and removing the hair tie, "So I washed up and waited."

"You didn't have to," I said. She ran her hands through her hair. It was much shorter now, "Nice haircut."

"Thanks," she tilted her head to one side and her bangs fell over her eyes. She blushed a little before going on, "So...you came for the grill?"

"I'll pick it up tomorrow," I said, "Just wanted to see you."

"You sure?" She asked. I nodded.

"You're coming with me tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"To the fireworks," I elaborated. She sat down beside me and nodded.

"Of course," she smiled, looking down at my hand before taking it in hers, "Say, Yuma?"

"What is it?"

"Now that you're here, do you think you could make me something?"

I frowned and sat up straight. "What do you mean?"

"You know, like, cook something!" She pecked my cheek quickly and beamed, "I mean, I can cook, but I'm not great at it or anything."

"Neither am I," I shrugged, "But now that you mention it, I'm a little hungry..."

She nodded and we both got to our feet. "Let's go to the kitchen!"

The kitchen wasn't anything I hadn't seen before; it was where I had breakfast with Gumi and her mother a few days ago. The entire kitchen was white, just about, from the refrigerator to the counters and the cupboards.

"What should we make?" Gumi asked. I looked around at the area.

"May I?" I asked, a hand against one of the cabinet knobs. Gumi grinned and nodded, so I pulled them open one by one and took a look inside at the spices and supplies, "We could make...steak?"

Gumi's eyes widened and she started jumping up and down. "I love steak!"

I yelped as she threw herself at me and hugged me tightly. "Really?"

"Yes!" She looked up at me and nodded, "And I bet it'll taste amazing!"

I smiled. "I don't know," I said, "Come on. Let's get the meat out of the freezer."

Haku.

Dell and I went through the same thing as last week. We met at the school and he was dressed nicely. He blushed at the sight of me and I tried to lighten the mood. We got into his car and that was when things began to change.

"So, Haku," Dell pulled the vehicle out of it's parking spot, "What kind of music do you like?"

I frowned. "D-Do you really want to know?"

"Of course I do!"

I sighed. "I like a lot of stuff, but...I don't know...dubstep opera, I guess?"

He gaped at me. "What?"

"You've never heard dubstep opera?" I frowned, "It's different from opera dubstep, you know."

"I haven't heard of either!"

"Really?" I pulled my phone out of my purse and flicked through my songs, finding one of my favourite dubstep opera pieces, called "The Magic Boomerang."

"Here, you can plug your phone into the car's speakers," Dell gestured towards a cord that dangled near the radio. I plugged my phone in and pressed play.

Dubstep opera filled the inside of the car and I watched as Dell's expression changed as he took in the music.

"It sounds like...dubstep...mixed with opera," he mused. I nodded excitedly and began headbanging as a particularly fast portion of the song started up.

"It's awesome!" I exclaimed, falling back against the seat's headrest, "What do you think?"

"It's different," he offered. I laughed. I was already having more fun than last week.

"So, where are we going tonight?" I asked. He offered a smug smile.

"Well, I decided that I'm not going to take you to a restaurant tonight," he shrugged.

"Oh? Then where are we going?"

"You'll see," he flashed a grin before focusing on the road, "See, I'm trying something different this time."

"I know," I said, "And it's working."

He braked suddenly and stared at me. Thankfully, we were at a red light. I shifted slightly in my seat and he leaned forward, his icy blue eyes still set into mine.

"Is it really?"

I nodded. "It is."

He started driving again, and the light was green now. "I'm so happy. You know how happy you've made me, Haku?"

"I can imagine," I drawled, leaning back, "So tell me already, where are we going?"

"You'll see," he grinned, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel in time with the music, "We're almost there."

He made a sudden turn into an empty parking lot, finding a spot and parking the car. I looked out the window and at the parkland around us. There were lights and benches here and there, and a paved path passed through the grass.

"Where are we?" I mumbled. Dell opened the door and stepped out, approaching my door and opening it. He offered me his hand and I took it, getting out. He smiled sweetly and led me to the back of the car, opening the trunk and pulling out a few tote bags.

"It"s hard to explain," Dell remarked, putting the bags on the floor before slamming the trunk shut, "I wanted to...well, I thought we could try something simpler."

We walked out of the parking lot and down the path towards a bench. Dell pulled a checkered cloth out of one of the bags and spread it out on top of the table. He began pulling boxes and containers out of the bags and setting them onto the cloth.

"Take a seat," he said. I nodded and sat down, watching him unpack, "I made all this myself."

"You cook?" I asked. He chuckled.

"I kind of have to," he said, laying down some napkins and silverware, "I live alone you know. Cook alone, do my own laundry, that sort of thing."

He opened the boxes, revealing food that was still hot. The smells and steam wafted through the warm summer air and I felt my stomach gurgle. Dell sat down on the bench opposite me and took a plate, scooping out some pasta.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head suddenly, putting the box down, "This feels weird, doesn't it?"

"No!" I answered, "It doesn't! This is all very sweet of you, Dell."

He sighed and I watched as his face flushed. "You say one thing and I fall apart."

He handed the plate to me and got some out for himself. We ate quietly under the light of the lamps, the only sounds around the us the wind blowing through the trees and the crickets chirping.

"You know, I also got some oranges," he said once we were both done with the pasta, pulling out a box of orange slices, "I heard you liked them, so..."

"Like them?" My eyes lit up at the sight of so many oranges, "I love them!"

Once we were done with the oranges, we wiped our faces and sat silently. Dell was fumbling with his napkin nervously, focusing intently on the piece of cloth. I reached forward and put my hand over his, making him stop.

"Don't be nervous," I said softly, "This was wonderful."

He sighed and looked at me. "I'm sorry, Haku, I...this is all my fault."

I nodded slowly, getting up and sitting beside him, looking him in the eye. His silver hair fell over his face and even in the dim light, I could see how red his face was. Gently, I lifted a hand and ran my fingers along his face.

"Maybe you're right," I replied, "It's all your fault."

I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against his. His hands moved away from the napkin and clung to the old, splintered wood of the bench. I exhaled slowly, moving closer, tilting my face so that our noses, and eventually our lips, met. I kissed him softly, silently, under the pale light.

"You taste like oranges and dinner," I said under my breath, pulling away for a moment, our foreheads and noses still touching. My hand was still against his face, and his skin felt much hotter now, "That's nice."

"Haku...," I kissed him again before he could continue. He kissed back slowly, but I didn't take it too far.

"It's your fault," I said after the kiss, "It's your fault I'm falling for you like a stupid fool. One date..."

"Two," he corrected.

"Whatever," I said, "Two dates and here we are."

"No other place I'd want to be," he said softly. I nodded.

"Yeah," I replied, "I think it was the oranges that got me."

Len.

The next day, Rin and I woke up around ten in the morning. I woke up first, awoken by Mr. Banana jumping onto my face. He yowled and pawed through my hair.

"Hey!" I groaned, throwing the cat off of me before sitting up straight, "Are you hungry or something?"

He meowed in response and I yawned, stretching before getting off of the sofa. I was sleeping in Rin's room, like before. I looked towards her bed and saw a few stray strands of her flaxen hair.

"Shh," I put a finger to my lips and looked down at my cat before tiptoeing towards Rin's bed. Once I was standing beside her bed, I grinned and slowly reached under the sheets until I felt her figure. Then, I started to tickle her.

She groaned softly, furrowing her brow and shifting in place. I pulled some of the sheets off and tickled her harder.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" I teased. She opened her eyes and giggled drowsily.

"Len, stop...," she pulled the blankets back over her. I slipped into the bed beside her and looked into her sleepy eyes. She blushed, "This is..."

"It's comfy," I grinned, hugging her. She squealed and kissed my cheek.

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up!" She threw the sheets aside and sat up straight, "What time is it?"

"Around ten," I said, glancing at the bedside clock. She yawned.

"I betcha Doris is making breakfast right now," she said. Mr. Banana mewed quietly.

"You know what today is, Rin?" I asked, hugging her. She squirmed out of my arms.

"What do you mean? It's Saturday," she said. I nodded excitedly.

"Fireworks," I said, "Tonight."

We washed up and headed downstairs, still in our nightclothes, greeting Doris. She had set the table with breakfast and there was a small food bowl towards one side with food for my cat.

My stomach growled at the sight of the food. There were bowls of sliced bananas and oranges, as well as a jug of milk and another one of orange juice. Waffles were piled onto a large tray, surrounded by bowls of strawberries and blueberries and a bottle of syrup.

"Hungry yet?" Rin smiled as we sat down.

I looked at her and nodded. My mouth was watering. We took plates and began piling fruit and waffles onto them. It was hard to wait even that long, but once I had everything, I ate it all up in a few minutes.

"Len! You'll choke on something!" Rin laughed, her mouth stuffed. My face reddened and I slowed down my chewing.

After breakfast, we got changed and finished up our homework. It was already two in the afternoon by the time we were done with everything. We were sitting in her room with our books splayed open in front of us and loose note paper everywhere. I chewed on the end of my pencil nervously as I looked up at the clock. I couldn't wait to give Rin the necklace. I was so sure that she was going to love it, and even Miku thought that it was perfect.

"Something on your mind, Len?" Rin glanced at me and I snapped out of my thoughts, nodding quickly as she continued, "We should call up the others and decide on where to meet up, right?"

"Right," I said, dropping my pencil, "We should also get some snacks ready."

We packed up our things and headed down into the kitchen, making different kinds of sandwiches and filling plastic lunch bags with crackers, cookies and candy. I called Kaito and he said he'd bring ice cream bars in a cooler, along with stuff for tacos. Miku was going to bring leeks. Yuma and Gumi were going to bring skewered shish kebabs, along with the barbecue grill.

Doris helped us put everything in the car, and by then, it was nearly six. I put the little box from the jewelry store in my bag, which I was bringing with me. Once everything was set, Rin called Miku, putting the call on speakerphone.

"Where are we meeting?" Rin asked. We were sitting in her car, with Kai, the driver, in the front.

"There's this little place not far from our homes, about a half hour drive, where there's a bit of parkland overlooking the city and lake," Miku said. Her words made my ears perk up.

"I think she means that place," I whispered to Rin, "Where I took you the day you came back."

"I think I know the place," Rin said into the phone.

"Well, just come by my place. That's where we're all meeting. If we leave together, we won't get lost, right?"

"Right," Rin nodded, "Can we come over now?"

"Of course! Yuma, Gumi, Oliver and Neru are already here! Mikuo and Meiko are on the way, and Mew and Miriam will be watching them from someplace else."

Rin and I exchanged glances. "Okay," she said with a smile, "We'll be there in a few minutes."

She hung up and grinned. "This is so exciting!" She whispered. I nodded as Kai started the car.

"How...how do you think my mom's doing?" I asked. Rin took my hand and rested her head on my shoulder.

"I'm sure she's fine," she said, "Len, I had an idea. Maybe you should get her something."

"Like what?"

"Flowers?" Rin offered, "You and your mom were never really that close, right? The accident's brought you closer. And besides, there's nothing wrong with a small gift, right?"

Neru.

I was sitting in Miku's car with Oliver right beside me, and we were both being really awkward. I knew, because I had eavesdropped accidentally the other day, that he was excited and probably stressed about telling me about his feelings. I was scared, too, even though I guess I didn't really have any reason to be.

I wanted to tell him that I loved him right there, in the car. I had brought my backpack with me, and inside was a gift bag with something that I had bought for the bandages blonde. I hadn't thought about how I'd give it to him, but I figured I'd come up with something.

"You okay?" I managed to ask, looking at him. He was startled, and as his eye met my gaze, his face flushed. I put a hand in his shoulder and offered a comforting smile.

"Yeah," he smiled back, "Thanks, Neru. You...you really care, don't you?"

I nearly lost it when he said that. It was so difficult to keep my emotions under control. "I do," I croaked, trying to hold back the blush that was crawling up my face, "Of course I do."

Miku, who was outside the car, opened the side door and looked at us. "Meiko and Mikuo are here, you two, and so are Rin and Len. Yuma and Gumi are going to be riding with them, okay?"

We both nodded. Mikuo and Meiko got into the car and the brunette offered a friendly wave. Kaito and Miku climbed in right after that.

"You guys all set?" Miku asked, looking at all of us one by one. We nodded.

"Used the bathroom?" Kaito chuckled. We nodded again.

"Okay, then!" Miku clapped her hands together before screeching, "Jeremy, get this vehicle moving, and don't go too fast! We've got friends following!"

I glanced at the time on my cell phone's display. It was nearly six-thirty, and the fireworks were going to start around nine.

My heart started to beat faster and faster as the car started and we left Miku's home. In about two and a half hours, Oliver would tell me how he felt about me.

First. Apologies for the late update.
Second. Apologies for Len skipping scenes so fast. Some things are better 'told' than 'shown.'
Third. Please vote, comment and...thank you!
See you soon!