She Tried hard to not think of him. Desperately, largely in vain. Eight hours... She caught herself whispering internally, and hung her head, defeated.
It's no use. In America, at work, at the lab, it wasn't so difficult. She could evade the heartache and shameful longing by keeping busy, but every year, at least twice, Kurisu Makise would find herself separated from that guy by only Eight hours.
Just Eight Hours, as the plane's engines roared. Less, now. Seven Hours and forty minutes, she reasoned, imagining his face, and the words he'd offer her once they met at his lab.
"Ah, My venerable Assistant..." she smiled subtly. Things had changed a great deal between them; Since Last summer, when she stablized his memories along the Steins; Gate Line, they had...
She Thought back on the past year.
His Girlfriend. She leaned back abruptly replaying a scene from her previous visit, in January. His long-distance Girlfriend.
A distinct heat played along her cheeks even recalling it. They had parted last on that determination, but of course, being so clumsy with his feelings, they'd hardly spoken since. She couldn't help but wonder where they'd be at month's end.
It had crossed her mind that he may want to become...Intimate.
Steam poured unbridled from her ears. Was She ready? Would he really want to, or...No, the thought was unbearable. Did she want him to?
She coughed violently, shaking her head. No, no. She was meant to think of other...Anything else...Like Mayuri. Oh yes, Mayuri and Rukako, And Feris. How lovely It would finally be to see them again, she did miss her friends. Surely they'd be waiting at the terminal, but would...he? Would he be there..?
She tapped her chin pensively. He was usually not there, but now that she was his...Long distance girlfriend, had things changed?
Or what if...What if things were different now? What if his feelings had changed...? She felt a sudden pang of jealousy. Maybe Feris had succeeded in winning his heart, her Okabe's heart. She'd known about Feyris' feelings for long enough, and she imagined he knew as well.
Feris saw him everyday...She rationalized, as the plane struggled through vicious turbulence entirely unbeknownst to her. Was it possible that she...Seduced him? Kurisu managed an audible gasp.
Was she too late? Okabe lived on the other side of the planet! And even a mad scientist suffers the urges of male sexuality...It could be that Feris realized his frustration and appealed to his masculinity!
Purple eyes darkened. She would have to get to the bottom of this. No, beyond that...She would't let her long distance boyfriend fall to that woman! There's no Way she'd allow herself to lose Okabe Rintaro.
-(At the Terminal, In Japan)-
"KURISUUUU!" Mayuri shrieked the moment the redhead appeared. "KUUURIIIISUUUUU!"
She Smiled, watching the relatively little woman sprint at her like an Olympian. Hey eyes flicked up immediately though, independent of her will, and searched the terminal hungrily.
"Looking For Okarin?" Maryuushi smirked smugly, And Kurisu flushed.
"Is...Is he here...?" She went on, weakly. Rukako and Moeka waved from the door.
"No," Mayuri shook her head, amused. "But we can go see him immediately!" She added quickly, seeing her American friends eyes cloud over.
"Yes..." Makise mumbled absentmindedly, forming scenarios for his absence wildly behind her eyes. "let's do that."
They stepped outside to hail a Taxi.
"The Future gadget Lab, please-" Mayushi waved her money when they settled in. Makise opened her mouth to offer directions, but the driver nodded pleasantly and sped away, preempting her.
"You know the way...?" Her jaw dropped slightly as the driver made an exceptionally obscure shortcut.
"Of course." He glanced back at her, wierdly.
"Oh yes,"; Rukako Smiled. "Kurisu hasn't seen the new lab.";
-(Outside the Future Gadget Lab)-
Kurisu just stared up.
Rukako and Mayushi Carted her luggage up around her, and Moeka had immediately begun sweeping by the doors, but Kurisu just stared.
What the...
It was enormous. Monumental, awe-inspiring even. Shiny Windows and brilliant chrome bastions, Pylons. Columns of gleaming silver. Four or five stories at least, entirely encompassing the Braun CRT emporium it was constructed around.
Nae shouted at the sight of her from within, excitedly mouthing something incomprehensible to her father.
"Oh, Kurisu..." The redhead turned, recognizing the Super hacker by his voice but...
Skinny?
No, She decided, looking him up and down. "Daru!" She hugged him cheerily. "You lost weight!"
He was definitely skinnier. The bespectacled super hax0r was chubby at worst. "A little, yeah." he looked away bashfully. "I suppose you're looking for your Boyfriend?"
She grit her teeth a little, feeling her face warm ever so slightly. "Ah...Why, yes." She grimaced internally. "So he told you?";
Daru laughed, waving open the massive Glass doors. "He Tells Everyone.";
She gaped for a moment. He tells everyone? That guy? No way. Her eyebrows knit together. But, if it was True...Why wouldn't he have been at the Terminal?
She gasped, twitching. Feris. Feris Wasn't at the Terminal either! She shuddered. Of course, she knew it! He wanted to get a little action in with his Side Hoe Before his main Bitch landed!
Makise fumed, following Daru inside. "Hey, Daru..." she called to him, growling. Labmem 003 Turned away from instructing what appeared to be a lab intern. "Where are Feris And Oka-"
Daru facepalmed, chuckling. "Fail. You're jealous?"
She seized, beet red. "NO! What?!"
He turned away, shooing the concerned intern. "Oh good, it just seemed from the way you framed the question..."
"Forget it! I don't even care about that Lousy, Good-for-nothing Jerk Anyw-" She began heatedly, but felt the breath catch in her throat as the object of her Frustration rounded the corner flanked by scientists.
"My venerable Assistant-!" Okabe Rintaro Crowed, as anticipated.
She growled, but bowed slightly as the lab officers on either side of him offered the evident superior their respects. "Makise Kurisu, isn't it?" They looked her up and down, cheerily. "The Assistant?"
She nodded through clenched teeth.
"Oh, We've heard so much about you!" The woman on the left added, flashing her a knowing wink. The man on the right Chuckled.
Kurisu felt her face light up. "W-What's that...Supposed to mean?" She squared up against Okabe, who handed a clipboard and pen to the officer at his right, ignoring her.
"Bring this to the fourth floor, and return the results to Daru or Suzuha by 1400 hours." They bowed and took their leave as a unit.
"Have fun you two!" The woman called back to them over her shoulder.
Makise tapped her foot impatiently. "Okabe..."
The lab Chief walked past her, hooking her Elbow suavely on the way by.
"O-Okabe!" Kurisu Squeaked, flushed.
"Problem?" He grinned down at her. "wasn't this protocol for walking couples...?"
"That's brave, considering you haven't messaged me all summer!"
He glanced away, uncomfortable. "July Seventeenth..."
"For ten minutes! A ten minute phonecall?"
Okabe leaned back against a wall, pulling her along with him. "It's easier to wait for your Arrival in Japan."
"Easier, How?" She frowned. "It's horrible, how am I supposed to know you even still care about me? How do I know you even still want me? How am I supposed to tell you aren't off fucking Feyris in some back room-"
She gasped, bright red, and fell silent, glaring at her toes.
When she looked up, Okabe was just watching her with strange eyes.
"..."
"..."
"Are you fucking Feyris in-"
"No."
She sighed, and took a deep breath. "Well how am I supposed to know that If you never contact me..."
He seemed to turn this around in his head. "Come with me, Assistant."
She had the distinct impression he wasn't changing the subject, but imagined she would have been hot on his heels regardless.
Some part of her wished she was still on his arm.
They found their way in silence to distant elevator marked "Lab Chief", which, inside, was smooth gunmetal black. The only destination was the unmarked 6th floor, The Office of Hououin Kyouma.
It was Largely Glass, and a black desk covered in computers. "Kurisu, You know you never message me either."
He called out across the giant space, from the window.
She was entirely ready for something like that. "Obviously, If you don't contact me, The assumption is you don't want to talk..."
"That's not true. I live to hear your voice."
He said it so quietly, she almost questioned whether she heard it at all.
Did she hear it? It was the strangest moment, and there was absolutely no way she could break the silence and ask him to repeat it. She was entirely not prepared for something like that.
Not at all.
Speechless, a few moments passed, and she just stood there, stupidly.
FInally, she managed to close the distance between them and stand at his back. "Okabe...Why then?"
She heard him take a deep breath, and turn to face her; She wasn't sure she was able to look him in the face of her own volition.
"It hurts too much, hearing you voice without seeing you. Talking to you without touching you-"
She understood very suddenly, painfully, before he could finish.
"Having a long-distance girlfriend is difficult." His voice had sunk to a monotone. She certainly couldn't look him in the face now...
"I..." She tried, but there was no strength in her. This was not the Okabe She'd prepared to meet up with.
"You're here now." His voice was suddenly very warm, his long arms snaked around her, and she realized something terrifying.
As he held her there, even before she could gather the words for it, she knew she was trapped.
In the Taxi, on the way back to her Hotel room, she realized in words what she'd come to accept in his office.
She'd never leave Japan again.