Chapter 118

Neru.

I closed my eyes and only took in the sounds of the fireworks. I was lying half in the grass and half on the picnic blanket. My reaction was really too much, but I couldn't help it.

"N-Neru?" I heard Oliver's voice and felt a hand on my back, "Are you okay?"

I took a deep breath and sat up straight, nodding and looking at him. I pulled my backpack into my lap. Inside was the gift I had gotten from him.

"I'm fine," I whispered, "There's..."

"Yeah, there's..."

"Something I need to tell you," we both said at the same time. And then we both blinked, and then blushed, and then we laughed. Maybe we both knew what we wanted to say without even saying it.

"You first," I said. Oliver shook his head.

"You first," he said. I sighed and nodded slowly.

"I...," I fumbled with the zipper of my bag and hurriedly tore it open, reaching inside, "I got you something."

He smiled. "Is it a Slurpee?"

"N-No! It's...," I pulled the large box out and tossed my bag aside. I met his gaze and threw the cover off, "It's a hat!"

"A hat?" He peered into the box with a wide eye, looking so adorable and childlike as he examined the grey fedora that was inside, "Neru..."

"I wanted to get you something!" I burst out, "P-Please, can I put it on your head?"

His face flushed and he nodded, pulling his old sailor hat off and putting it down in the space between us. He smiled sheepishly at me and I reached into his hair with a shaky hand, settling his ruffled pale blond hair into place before putting the fedora on his head, adjusting it carefully.

"There," I whispered, pulling my hands back into my lap and admiring how the hat looked, "It's nice."

He ran his finger along the rim and grinned. "Thank you, Neru."

I pursed my lips, unsure of how to reply. "Hey, it's nothing," I finally said, "N-Now your turn."

He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Geez, you're so nervous...it's making me nervous!"

"You don't have to be afraid, whatever it is, just say it!" I sounded pretty desperate, but I couldn't mask my feelings anymore. Oliver nodded and looked up at the fireworks as they exploded and painted the sky.

"Neru," he whispered, looking at me, "I don't know...I don't know how else to say this, I mean, I've always been honest about everything and with everyone...I can't help but be blunt, so I'm just going to say it."

"Then...say it, Oliver," I stared into his one visible eye, "If I couldn't take your honesty...I don't think I'd be here with you right now."

"Right, right," Oliver said, taking a deep breath, "Neru. I really, really like you."

"Oh my God, I like you, too," my whisper sounded so girly but it was crazy how just hearing him say it made me feel. I had thought it over so many times since Thursday after school, when I had overheard him taking about confessing, but that moment was something that I could never have been truly ready for. I threw myself forward and hugged the blond boy tightly, so tightly that he cried out at first, "Oliver, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Neru, you...," he began and I pulled away, pushing strands of my blond hair out of my eyes and grinning.

"I liked you from the start," I said, "The moment you knocked on my door and said that I should stop falling for someone who was already taken, I realized that you cared. I didn't feel it at first, but as time went on, I found that I liked being around you. It's...it's hard to explain."

"It's okay," Oliver was also grinning stupidly, "I can't really explain myself, either. Oh! And I got you something, too!"

He pulled a small trinket out of his pocket and held it in front of my face. It was silver and pink. I took it from him so that I could examine it better.

"A cell phone charm?" I frowned. He looked so embarrassed.

"Of a cell phone," he said. I nodded. It was basically a cell phone charm shaped like a cell phone, "I didn't know what else to get you..."

"You idiot, you didn't have to get me anything!" I yelled, "I was already in love with you!"

"B-But you got me something!"

We both turned when we heard Miku click her tongue. "Already arguing like an old married couple," she smiled slyly. We both stared at each other and blushed.

"Thanks," I said with a sigh, pulling my phone out and attaching the charm. I scooted over beside Oliver and looked down at his hand before looking up at him, "D-Do we...?"

"Can I?" He asked, his fingers brushing against the back of my hand. I nodded and took his hand, our fingers intertwined. Gently, I let my head droop and rested it on his shoulder, watching the fireworks with him.

Yuma.

Gumi and I were silently watching the fireworks when suddenly she poked my arm. I turned to look at her with a frown. She was chewing on the small stub that remained of the carrot I had given her.

"Do you have anymore?" She asked, "Carrots, I mean?"

"Huh?" I looked around and found a bag of baby carrots, "Will these do?"

She snatched the bag and tore it open, stuffing three at once into her mouth and mumbling, "Thanks."

"N-No problem," I watched her eat and within minutes, she had gobbled down the entire bag. Once she was done, she sighed and fell back into my lap.

"I need more," she whispered, "Gotta buy a few hundred bags of these tomorrow. Will you come shopping with me?"

"A few hundred?" I repeated, "First a ninja, then a magical healer, and now a bunny rabbit? You should stick to one, Gumi."

"Bunnies are cute."

"You're cuter."

"Besides, can't I be a magical healing ninja bunny?" She grinned and I pinched her nose, "Hey, stop it!"

"Your voice sounds nasal!" I laughed. She pulled my hair and I cried out, letting go of her nose, "That hurts!"

Gumi chuckled and let go of my locks. She stared up at the sky. "So anyway, Yuma, do you want to come shopping with me tomorrow?"

"Sure, why not?" I tousled her hair and she exhaled softly, "Say, Gumi...you owe me something, remember? For eating that whole orange at Rin's party?"

She looked up at me and I smirked. She blushed and nodded slowly. "I remember..."

"Well?"

"W-We can't do that here," she mumbled, getting out of my lap and hiding her face in her knees.

"You know I'm just teasing you," I said softly, running a finger along the length of her arm, up to the hem of her t-shirt's sleeve, which was a couple inches down past her shoulders, "Come on, stop being like that."

"I'm fine," she said, "Just thinking."

"About?"

"Summer," she whispered, turning to look at me. The fireworks lit up her eyes. I sighed and looked down at the checkered picnic blanket.

"Let's think about now," I said.

"Why? Summer's just around the corner."

"Gumi," I put my hands on her shoulders and pulled her towards me, my face starting to grow hot just from the mention of summer. I closed my eyes and pressed my nose against hers, "K-Kiss me, okay?"

"Yuma, what's wrong?" She asked. He voice was laced with worry and I swore at myself silently for making this so hard on her.

"Nothing," I exhaled, "I'm just...kind of tired, that's all."

She sighed. I felt her figure shift and her hands crawl up my shoulders. The savoury smell of barbecue and the sweet scent of carrots floated past me and the crackling of fireworks polluted my ears. Soon after, I felt the pressure of Gumi's soft lips against mine and her tongue teasing me, but nothing could block out the sound of the ticking time bomb inside my soul.

Kaito.

This makes me sound like a creep, but I kind of watched Gumi and Yuma kiss. They just looked so cute, and they made me think about me and Miku.

"Miku!" I yelled suddenly. She was chewing leeks and focusing intently on the fireworks. My sudden exclamation had made her jolt and she glared at me.

"What? I'm trying to watch the fireworks!"

"I have something I want to give you!" I announced.

"What? Aren't you broke or something?"

"I am broke! But!"

She frowned. "Did you lose your question marks and periods somewhere?"

I chuckled and patted her head. "Just wanted to get your attention, princess."

"Huh," she looked up at the sky again and I slumped.

"You like the fireworks more than me, huh?" I mumbled. She spun around and looked at me with wide eyes.

"No, no, no!" She shook her head, "Oh, Kaito, that's not true!"

She changed so suddenly...

"It's just...the fireworks are fleeting! They'll be over in a few minutes," she went on, "But you, Kaito...I've got you for the rest of my life, right?"

I couldn't keep a frown on my face any longer. "That's true," I nodded, "Now look, I have something to give you."

"Are you going to kiss me?"

"No."

She looked disappointed.

"Er, what I mean is, that's not what I meant!" I blubbered, "I'll kiss you all you want, it's just that the gift I got isn't a kiss!"

I pulled a pair of headphones of out my pocket and held them in front of Miku. The earbuds were designed to look like leeks.

"I got Mr. Gakupo to customize them!" I explained nervously, "I paid him with money from my ice cream budget!"

Len seemed to overhear this. "Hey, Miku!" He called, "Kaito spent money from his ice cream budget on you; that really means something, you know!"

She took the headphones and frowned. "I told you that I didn't need anything."

I shrugged. "I had to get you something, right?"

"No, you didn't, you idiot!" She suddenly hit me with a leek, "Now how are you going to pay for that diamond ring?"

"I'll come up with something!" I grabbed the leek and tossed it aside, hugging Miku, "Besides...you're rich. You could...lend me some money, right?"

I watched as she fiddled with the headphones. "Sure," she whispered, "Why not?"

We watched the last minute or so of the fireworks silently, just staring up at the sky in awe. That was the one of the last days that we all spent together, having a good time like that.

The last day would have to be the day of the concert.

There are still more chapters to go about the days leading up to the concert, so don't get too worked up about that last sentence...yet. *evil laughter*

That's the end of the fireworks scene.

Hey, I said shorter chapters, but more regular updates, right? I think it's a fair compromise. What do you guys think? Would you like longer chapters where I update every four to five days, or shorter chapters where I update more regularly, like every day or every other day? The other good thing about short chapters is...we can delay saying goodbye for longer...

。・°°・(＞_＜)・°°・。

I'm still very sad...

Please vote, comment, tell your friends, share the story on Facebook or Tumblr or Twitter or whatever...and I'll see all of you soon! We'll be one chapter closer to the end...