The figure in the bed sighs and rolls over, moving his golden gaze to her. He would think that she is awake, but he knows that smile isn't for him, will never be for him. He is leaning against her closet door, his pale arms crossed. A sigh escapes his lips as he looks back out of the balcony doors. He knows he doesn't have much longer to stay there. He also knows that he will be in trouble when he gets back, since Pai will want to know where he was, but he won't answer, so Pai will get mad. They'll probably get in a fight, like the last few months…well, actually, ever since he started watching her instead of stalking his Koneko-chan.
He had just started coming inside her room last month, when he had gotten enough guts to face her if she had woken up by the sound of his teleporting. She sighs again and his ears pick up a small giggle. He smiles slightly then frowns. He knows that's the only time he will ever hear her do that. Only when he watches her will she be so carefree.
He looks back at her, taking in every inch of her. It's not sexual like others would think; he just wants to be able to remember her for the long day to come. He holds back a yawn. He hasn't slept well for weeks. Pai has kept him busy, hoping it would either stop his late night disappearing or make him confess. Neither plan had worked yet, nor will they ever work, if Kish has anything to say about it. He sinks to the floor, knowing it's about time for him to leave. She always wakes up a little before dawn to stretch and practice her dancing. He has never seen her do this but once, when he first started.
He wasn't paying attention to anything going on inside the room, until the light turned on. He jumped and quickly looked over but she wasn't looking at him. She was standing in front of her mirror. He had watched her stretch and start doing the ballet positions before he decided to leave before she found him out.
He watches her now, for the signs of her waking up. She breathes softly and rhythmically, tempting him to close his eyes, if only for a second. He knows that second could turn into a minute, that minute into an hour, and that hour into a few hours. Therefore, he keeps his eyes open. He tries to memorize everything about her before he has to leave. The way the cover falls over her form, the way her hair makes a dark halo around her pale face, and the way her hands are in small fists, curling up near her face. His gaze then turns to her face, her long, dark lashes gently brushing her cheeks, the slight blush on her cheeks, and the small smile that he finds contagious since he always smiles when he sees it.
Suddenly, without a warning, her dark eyes open. He tenses and holds in his breath. The two stare at each other. He flinches when she slowly gets up, her eyes locked on his. She swings her legs out from under the cover and let them dangle over the edge, her toes just grazing the floor. He doesn't move his gaze from her, though. He watches her watch him.
"How long have you been doing this, Kisshu?" The question takes him aback, and he doesn't know what to say. He finally finds his voice, after a few moments of silence.
"What am I doin'?" he asks, pushing himself up.
"Watching me pretending to sleep." His eyes narrow.
"Why would I do something like that? I have to sleep too, you know." Her voice doesn't change. No anger, just…calmness.
"Okay. Then how long have you been here tonight?"
"Not long," he lies.
"How long have you been doing this?"
"Like I said, 'I have to sleep, too.' Watching you sleep would be such a waste of time." Another lie.
"Then why were you doing it?" There her voice changes and a smug look crosses over her face. He feels his cheeks heat up, knowing he as been caught.
"I'm not," he replies turning to face her balcony. He watches her from the reflection of the glass.
"Then what are you doing in my bedroom watching me?" He turns, knowing how to change the subject.
"Why were you pretending to sleep?"
"Because someone was watching me since a few months ago." Once again, he is taken aback.
"I-I…I'm not sure what you are talking about, Birdy." There is uncomfortable silence for him as the first rays of dawn slowly start fading in. That's when he realizes he had passed his time limit. The sun wasn't supposed to rise for another few hours.
"You overslept," he accuses. She shakes her head, her hair gently moving.
"Nope. You stayed too late. I just didn't get up this time, Kisshu." He clenches his teeth, hating to be caught in something he doesn't fully understand anyways.
"What do you mean by this time?" he asks, trying to hide his humiliation and anger.
"I've started getting up earlier, since I first saw you watching me." She closes her eyes. "A few months ago. That time, I had woken up from a nightmare and decided to do something to calm me. That's when I saw you standing on my balcony watching me." He shrugs.
"Whatever, Birdy." He turns again. He thinks back to that night, and realizes she had been tossing and turning more than usual.
"Were you watching me longer than that?"
"That was the first night," he replies, remembering now. She had cried out a while before she had woken up. He had thought about going to wake her up but decided against it. "What was your nightmare about?" She shrugs, and he sees it in the reflection.
"I lost someone important."
"Who?" She looks over at him in the reflection.
"Someone who I couldn't see everyday. Someone I could see everyday but couldn't." His brows furrow.
"That doesn't make sense," he states.
"It does," she replies looking away from him. He turns again to look at her, still debating on leaving or not. Pai will really be furious now. "I can't see him everyday unless he comes home."
"Are you talking about your brother?" She smiles, a small smile. She just shrugs. He then thinks of something else. "Where are your parents?"
"Working," she instantly replies then sighs. "No, that's a lie." She looks back at him, serious. "They're dead. They died while on a business trip. What about your parents? Do they worry about you?" He smirks.
"Doubt it. They died a long time ago." He shrugs. "I barely remember them anyways." Another lie.
"You do. Deep down." Sunlight streams in through the windows. He shrugs and looks away. Pai is going to be so furious. He is tempting on not going back at all.
"How have you been able to wake up so early without being trained to?" he asks just to get out of the silence.
"I just can," she replies. "I am part bird, remember?" She's teasing him. He clenches his teeth together, again.
"Yeah, whatever." He walks over to the balcony doors and looks out, watching the sun rising. He finds himself captured by it, so he jumps when she appears beside him. He looks over and partly down at her. "Shouldn't you be angry? An alien in your room and everything?" She shrugs and shakes her head, looking out at the rising sun.
"I should be since I'm a Mew, but I never wanted this."
"They didn't give you a choice?" he asks.
"No. Didn't you cyclones know that?"
"We prefer aliens," he says getting defensive, "and no." She shrugs. They stand there, side by side, watching the sunrise. Alien and Mew standing close without fighting. Without wanting to fight.
After the sun had risen, she turns and starts walking to her bed, explaining, "Whenever you would leave, I would go back to sleep."
"Why wake up then?" She stops and looks back at him, mimicking his smirk.
"Why shouldn't I? Then my nightmares can't be true."
"How not?" She shrugs, getting back into her bed and pulling the cover back on herself.
"They can't because the person I lose, is always there when I wake up."
"That old woman that watches over you?" She smiles, and he finds himself smiling.
"Nah. She's important, but she's not the person I would miss the most. I just wish I could show how much I would miss him if he left." He walks over to the bed and sits down on it. He then lies on his back, looking up at the ceiling.
"What are you doing?"
"Lying here," he replies, trying to stifle another yawn. Realizing how early it is only making him more tired.
"Why?"
"'Cause I can."
"Says who?" She scoots over as she asks, though.
"You," he replies, flipping to his side to look at her. He props his head up on his arm. She looks over at him then turns on her side to face him.
"You're tired," she states.
"Very," he replies yawning again. Lying down has made him even more tired, especially since the bed is so soft and comfortable.
"She won't come in for another few hours if you want to sleep."
"And have to worry about you killing me?" He chuckles. "No thanks." Although, he closes his eyes.
"Do those other two know where you are?" she asks.
"Hope not," he replies without opening his eyes. "Then Pai will really get on my case." There's silence again, and she closes her eyes, a smile on her face.
"Don't you feel scared?" he asks.
"Should I?"
"I'm an alien and could easily kill you, so probably. None of you humans trust me."
"I'm not all human," she points out. She can feel him shrug. She then feels him move and feels an arm go around her. He pulls her close to him. Her eyes open, and she looks at him. He's looking at her, a smirk on his face.
"You know, when you smirk like that, people tend to think you are joking."
"Let people think. There's only one who needs to know when I'm joking or not," he mutters, closing his eyes again. She moves closer to him. They both like the feeling. He tightens his grip around her.
"Who is it?"
"The only person who is as afraid of losing me as I am her." She smiles, nuzzling her head into the small of his neck.
"Wonder who that is." He smirks.
"Me too." She smiles. They lay there like that until they both fall asleep. His grip on her is still tight, and her hand comes up to lie on the place where his slow heartbeat is.
Her nana wakes up and goes to wake up Minto. Something stops her. She noticed that Minto had started to look tired, so she decides to let her sleep a little longer than usual. That doesn't bother the two preteens who hadn't slept very well those past few months.
Pai will be furious, though, when Kisshu finally appears smelling faintly like mints, and Ryou will be curious when Minto finally appears for work, more than two hours late. Neither will really press it, though since the two will be willing to do whatever it is they are told to do. Since they will both be waiting for the night to come, so they can see each other again.