This is only ridiculous fluffy fluff. Just warning you.


"Don't shift gears yet!" Akari screeched from the passenger seat as Yuma fumbled with the controls of her ancient car.

"Stop yelling at me!"

"You stop yelling!"

Astral found it very hard to remain seated in the back as Yuma alternated between driving far too fast and abruptly stopping.

"Okay, that's it, we're done, you're going to kill my clutch," Akari forced the car into park and took the keys out.

"But Akaaaari, you said you'd teach me how to drive today," Yuma worked his face into a pitiful pout.

Akari rubbed her temple with her thumb, "Look, you should probably study up more on how a manual works. They clearly didn't show you how in that driver's ed class. I need to get back to my article." Akari forced Yuma out of the driver's seat and began to drive them home.

Yuma sighed as he slumped in the passenger's seat, staring out the window sullenly.

Yuma, a stoic voice whispered in his mind. Why is this 'driving' so important to you? You get around the city just fine.

It's about freedom! Yuma wistfully thought. Even if I don't have a car right now, just having a license…it means a lot.

I see. There was silence from the part of Yuma's thoughts Astral has taken to occupying for the rest of the ride back to his house. Akari walked briskly to her office without so much as saying goodbye to Yuma, but he shrugged it off, walking to his own room.

"Yuma," Astral floated in behind him, "Tell me about 'freedom'"

"Uhhhh," he stammered out, staring at the spirit. "It's like, being able to do what you want, when you want to. Not having things tying you down."

Astral closed his eyes in contemplation, stopped in the middle of the air of Yuma's room. "That is a very foreign concept."

"What? What makes you say that?"

"I have many responsibilities. I was charged with protecting the astral world; I must collect the Numbers; I can still feel that I have a greater goal I must do in this world – "

"But that doesn't mean you can't do stuff for yourself sometimes! What do you want to do?" Yuma put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side, smiling up at Astral with such warmth and compassion that Astral was caught off guard.

"I want to kiss you." Yuma's face changed to one of shock and he took a step back.

"What?"

"That is something I want to do."

Yuma blushed a little as his eyes drifted down, "Uh, well, it's not like…but you're not solid." He covered his mouth in shock.

Astral's mouth curved into a small smile, "I suppose I really don't have any freedom."

"No, no, you do!" Yuma waved his hands furiously in between himself and the incorporeal spirit. "How about…we just give it a try?"

Astral bent down to Yuma's face, hands hovering barely an inch away from his skin. Yuma's eyes slid shut as Astral's slick lips hit his own, like a layer of plastic was placed against his mouth. He shivered as the energy of Astral's body broke down and flew through his head. It was probably the strangest thing he'd ever felt, being kissed by something made of energy that was only partially in the human world. But it was – nice. Yes. He tried to wrap Astral's body into a hug, but his arms hit nothing but empty air. The kiss was broken, he fell through Astral's floating form.

"I'm sorry," Astral whispered before he disappeared in a shower of golden sparks.