Groove Adventure Rave: No Way To Say
Groove Adventure Rave is copyright of Kodansha and Hiro Mashima. No infringement is intended.
It was one of those days where the weather, for once, seemed absolutely perfect. The sun was out, a cool breeze was flowing, and everything felt pleasant. Julia leaned against the rail of the airship deck, her blonde hair streaming in the wind. The young Dragon woman appreciated the peacefulness the last few days had brought, as she had used the opportunity to get acquainted with the new friends her fiancée had made.
After Let had freed her from the dragon's curse, restoring her from a dragon to a human, the two had spent their time trying to catch up with the Rave Master and his friends, and had rejoined them in Ribelya, where they had entered a dancing contest to raise money for their journey. But before she could properly meet them, the gang had been confronted by the Blue Guardians, a massive terrorist group with power to rival Demon Card. For days, they had battled the power mad Hardner and his various cronies, with help from a group of rebels named the Liberation Army, led by the warrior Yuuma Ansect. After a titanic battle, Haru had sent Hardner falling to a certain death, his orbital base destroyed.
Since then, they had had nothing but peace and quiet, continuing their journey in an airship Musica had borrowed. The peace wouldn't last, after all, Demon Card was still around, with the deranged Lucia still out to control the world, but at least the peace had allowed Julia to get to know her new friends better, and get closer to her love.
A smile crossed her face as she walked onto the upper deck of the ship. After years of being a mindless slave of Jegan, she loved being around Let and the Rave Master's friends, even if they were a bit weird.
On the far end of the deck, she could see Let sitting cross-legged, his eyes closed in meditation. She smiled. Even after years apart, he was still the same old Let. She sat next to him, and couldn't resist purring in his ear. "What you doing?"
His face remained the same. "Just relaxing." A small smile appeared. "Care to help me out?"
"Sure. Then you'll be done in half the time." She nudged closed, her left arm moving behind his back, and her head resting on his shoulder. She sighed happily. Let wasn't the easiest guy to get along with, but at moments like this, it felt perfect.
Her eyes gazed down to the lower deck, where some activity was taking place. On one side, she could see Haru, busy polishing his sword, the Ten Commandments. Nearby, Elie was dancing to some pop tune playing on a digital player. Plue was hopping around ear her feet. She chuckled. After meeting them, she had found it hard to believe these two were the sole hope of the world. She had never imagined that Haru, a clumsy if kindhearted and determined man, would be the strongest warrior in the world, or that the ditsy, sometimes irrelevant Elie held within her the powerful magic Aetherion, and that both were fated to save the world from Dark Bring. The fates had a funny sense of humour. She then blinked, studying the Rave Master closer.
Haru had stopped polishing, and was now watching Elie, who stepped around gracefully to the tune of the music. She was unaware that Haru was watching her intently. His head rested in his hands and… she peered closer. He appeared to be in total bliss, his eyes never leaving Elie. The girl then stopped, turning to Haru. In a flash, he resumed his polishing, scrubbing furiously on the sword, an embarrassed look on his face.
Julia blinked. Now Elie was staring at Haru, watching him polish while his head was down. Elie then sat down to watch him, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
Julia laughed. Since meeting the gang, she had always wondered if any of the men were attracted to Elie, and it seemed she had captured the heart of Haru. She wasn't too surprised, Haru had been protective of her during their battles against Hardner.
Haru had now noticed Elie, and she jumped in fright, before scampering off to the far end of the deck. There, she sat and continued her vigil of Haru.
"Aww, how cute." She chuckled.
"What is?" Let asked absently.
"Haru and Elie." She pointed at the two. "They've been giving each other looks for a while now."
"Looks?"
"You know, longing looks at the people they like, like we did once." She focused on the younger two. "I bet they have a crush on each other."
Let shrugged. "Really? Oh, nothing new then."
Julia blinked and faced her man. "Nothing new? What do you mean? I thought they liked each other since we survived Hardner's airbase."
"Oh they've liked each other for quite a while before that."
Julia was confused. "Before? How long before?"
Let crossed his brows in thought. "I think… I think they started to like each other after the whole Doryu encounter. I could see they were quite close after that."
"Doryu…" Julia recalled Let's story about how Haru and the gang had faced off against the dark necromancer. "But… you faced Doryu months ago. They can't have been crushing on each other for that long… can they?"
"Well…"
They were interrupted by the voices of the other members of the group as they walked closer, deep in conversation.
"You're nuts Shuddy! A broadsword like Haru's could beat your katana anyday."
"Only if you have the strength for it. Now a katana, that's the perfect weapon."
"Tosh! The true weapon of a warrior is a rapier. With enough skill, every movement is a beautiful ballet…"
"Which is fine, until the guy stabs you while you prance around."
"Hmmph! Philistine!"
"Hey guys, does my magic sword count, poyo? I've managed to get it to shoot fire now"
Upon meeting them, Julia had commented that Let had kept some very odd company. The friends Haru had accumulated were the most eclectic bunch she'd ever met. Hamlio Musica, the playboy Silver Claimer, Shuda Bakuen, the ex-Demon Card general who had battled Haru just to try and best the Glory family, Griffon Kato, the blue blob who was a major pervert (as she had discovered when she found him installing hidden cameras in her room), Ruby, the millionaire penguin who owned a casino and was practicing magic, and Iulius, another former Demon Card soldier, and possibly the campest man she'd ever met. These five were about to walk past, when she called out.
"Guys, I need to ask you something."
They stopped and faced her. "Sure thing." Musica shrugged.
Julia got up and pointed at Haru and Elie, hoping they couldn't hear. "Do you think Haru and Elie have crushes on each other?"
She hoped that the others would act slightly surprised by the question. Instead, they just laughed.
"Well, duh!"
"Please, he's been giving her the eye for ages." Musica laughed.
"He has?" Julia was stunned. "For how long?"
"Ooh ooh. I know this one, poyo!" Ruby hopped excitedly. "They've been in love ever since we passed the Death Storm. I spotted them hugging each other, poyo."
Iulius smirked. "I believe you're mistaken my boy. Remember our battle in Symphonia? When I saw them together, I was almost overcome by the bond they shared."
"Dude, you were trying to kill them." Musica scoffed.
Iulius glared. "A minor detail."
Shuda shrugged. "Whatever, you two are wrong. Haru and Elie didn't fall for each other at that period…"
"Thank goodness.." Julia breathed.
"It was much earlier than that. It was during my battle against Haru. He was extremely concerned for her when I attacked her to provoke him…" He sighed. "A large mistake on my part. I didn't know he'd get that angry."
"You're out of your gourd Shuddy." Musica spoke. "They weren't hot for each other then."
Shuda rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, I forget, you're the romantic expert. Pray tell, when was the last time you got laid?"
Musica ignored the barb. "They were attracted to each other the day I met them in Punk Street. Yep, they were totally all over each other."
"I think they fell for each other during the train ride to Luca Continent." Griff spoke. "I didn't see them for ages, maybe they were in a room together…"
Julia's face turned red from rage. "You…. you ASSHOLES!!!" She swiftly gave each of them a firm slap in the face.
"Auuugh!! My beautiful face!!" Iulius shrieked. Musica rubbed his cheek.
"What the hell was that for?"
"You jerks!" Julia was seething now. "Haru and Elie have been attracted to each other for who knows how long! I think they may love one another, but they can't say it to their faces. And you…. his best friends… you've done nothing to help them!!"
"That's it? You're mad because Haru hasn't kissed her?" Shuda blinked. "It's hardly our fault."
"Yeah, why should we poke our noses into Haru's personal life?"
"Because… he can't seem to start a relationship, and you lot owe him! Let, we would never had found each other without his help. Musica, you would have never found the Silver Ray if you hadn't stayed by his side. Ruby, you would never have become a magician. Shuda, you…" Julia stopped to think. "… would never have gotten that cool metal hand."
Shuda cracked the knuckles of his prosthetic hand. "Well I'm sorry, but what do you want me to do? Do I look like a relationship councillor?"
"Julia, it's not like we don't want to help, but some things you just leave alone. Like love, poyo." Ruby spoke.
"Damn right." Musica joined. "If there's one thing I've learned, is that you don't get involved in another man's romantic troubles. You only make things worse."
"What crappy men's magazine did you steal that from?"
"He merits a point." Let said. "After all, it is their affair, not ours."
Julia glared at them all. "Well fine then! Maybe you guys don't care, but I do! I'm going to get Haru and Elie together, and you'd better not try and stop me. Those two deserve each other, and I'll make sure they see that!"
Musica shrugged. "Okay, but don't come crying to us if things go wrong." He walked off, Shuda and Griff close behind. Stamping her feet, Julia turned and began to walk to the lower deck.
"Julia…" She his Let's hand on her shoulder, and spun to face him.
"I'm not listening Let, I'm going to do this."
"I know, and I'm not going to stop you." Let sighed. "I wouldn't have a hope of stopping you. And besides, I think it would be good for Haru and Elie to get together. It's about time."
Julia softened. "Well… that's good. I'm glad you're with me on this."
His eyes hardened. "All I ask is that you be careful. You are planning to play with two people's lives here. If things go wrong, can you bear the consequences?"
Julia crossed her arms. "I won't fail. I just know they want each other."
"Just one more thing… Why are you so determined to help them?"
She stared into his eyes. "When I looked at Haru down there…. The way he looked at her… it reminded me of you. many years ago, when you couldn't bring yourself to fall in love." She looked down. "I can't bear to see a person like that anymore."
Let gave one of his rare smiles. "Then I hope you succeed. Let me know if you need me." He then walked off to join Musica.
"Humph! He could have least given me some ideas…" Julia growled.
"Don't worry, poyo! We'll help." Ruby piped up, pointing at himself and Iulius.
"You?"
"You're right, poyo. I owe a lot in my life to Haru and Elie. They deserve a chance to be happy, poyo."
"And I feel I should do it as penance for my behaviour in Symphonia." Iulius replied. "I did break the poor girl's arm once. The least I can do is give her what every other female on this planet wants"
Julia clapped her hands. "Great! Then lets begin at once. First, we have to figure out just how much they like each other, and try to gently persuade them to go out."
"Do we just ask them, poyo?"
"No… it'll be a secret. We can't let them know what we're doing. You two talk to Haru, and try to get some info about how he feels about Elie."
Iulius nodded. "Ah, I see. Easy Peasy!"
"Just remember you two… be subtle."
She blinked when Ruby and Iulius stared at her in confusion.
"Subtle means don't let him in on the secret."
"Oh riiiight.." Iulius grinned. "Well, come on then." He and Ruby walked off. Leaving a grinning Julia to move toward Elie.
Elie sat down, Plue resting in her lap for a nap. Turning off her music, she watched clouds flutter lazily by. It was so nice to be able to enjoy a day without someone trying to kill them, She glanced back to see what Haru was doing. He had gone off, probably to practice with his sword somewhere. She sighed in disappointment, but smiled when she saw Julia approach.
# # # # # # # # # # # #
"Julia-chan!" She waved her over. She always enjoyed chatting with Julia. She was a refreshing change from talking to battle-hungry warriors and deranged animals. Julia sat down next to her. "What's up?"
"Oh nothing." Julia replied. "I just felt like a nice girly chat." She looked at the sky. "Lovely, isn't it?"
"Yeah… I can never get tired of looking at a nice blue sky."
Julia chuckled. "Too bad I can never get Let to sit still and appreciate something like this. He's always too busy with training or some other lame excuse."
They both giggled. "You know, I find it hard to believe sometime that you two are together." Elie spoke. "You're so different from each other."
"Yeah, a lot of people in our homeland said that. In the end, my parents insisted we see a fortune teller."
Elie blinked. "Fortune Teller?"
"Yeah. We're pretty big on fate and stuff, like your pal Sieg Hart. Anyway, this fortune teller took our dates and other stuff, compared it to the stars, and said we were compatible. He said we would probably be together forever."
"Wow…"
"Not that I needed a fortune teller." Julia smiled. "After spending a few days with Let, I knew he was the one for me…" She sighed. "It's hard to explain. I know he's not the most talkative guy, but I can always tell what he's thinking. And he can do the same…"
Elie smiled. "Awwwww…"
"And of course, there's the great sex.."
Elie instantly turned beetroot at the comment, causing Julia to laugh.
"But enough about me and Let. What about you Elie-chan? Is romance in your cards?"
Elie fumbled with her words. "Romance… well.. eh…"
"Don't be shy."
"Well… I haven't really thought about stuff like that much really. You know, I've been mainly thinking about our quest, and you know… where I'll find my memories."
Julia nodded, understanding. For a simple girl, Elie had maybe the worst burden on her. Apart from the loss of her memories, she held the powerful magic Aetherion within her, a force that could bring life.. or cause death. Count the fact that nearly every villain, from Lucia to Hardner, desired her power for their evil ends, and it was easy to see why Elie never thought about romance.
"Oh… but lets say after Haru saves the world and stops Dark Bring. Would you want a boyfriend then?"
Elie blushed deeper. "Well… yeah, I guess." She smiled. "I like to be with a guy. A really nice one."
"What kind?"
"You know… the type who always stands by me, who can make me laugh
"Anyone in mind?"
"Anyone… I don't know. I don't really know enough people."
"Oh come on." Julia was getting close, she could feel it. "You've met loads of people on your travels. Really nice men. Musica, That Solacido guy in Rabarrier, people in the Liberation Army… Haru."
Elie went rigid for a second, before laughing.
"Really Julia-chan, why are you being so nosy?"
"Well, I'm in a nice relationship with Let, Shuda is attracted to Haru's sister, and Musica and Iulius… well, they have their own ways of getting dates. That leaves you and Haru.
Elie suddenly pouted. "Well… why not help Haru? He's the one that needs a partner, not me."
She got up and walked away, dumping Plue on the floor, The creature watched her walk off, a concerned expression on his face, then looked at Julia. She patted his head.
"She's denying him for some reason… if only she could see…"
# # # # # # # # # # # #
On the other side of the ship, Haru and Shuda were engaged in a furious sparring battle, both clashing their swords in an attempt to break through their opponent's defences. Musica and Let watched from the side.Haru swung his sword rapidly at Shuda, each swipe deflected effortlessly by the master swordsman. Haru backed off, looking tired from his effort, and Shuda saw his chance and advanced, sword raised. But then Haru swung the Ten Commandments up, knocking the sword from Shuda's grasp, and holding the sharp end at Shuda throat.
Shuda grinned. You're getting better Haru. Didn't take so long to disarm me this time."
Haru grinned back. "Not really. It still takes me too long to get past your blocks."
"Work on it. In a battle, speed is of the essence."
Musica smirked. "Of course, that wouldn't apply to everything though. Would it Shuddy?"
"Here we go…" Shuda sighed.
"I mean, how long did you stay on Garage Island after that night with Cattleya? An hour or so?"
Shuda and Haru sighed. After joining the group, Shuda had confessed that he had travelled to Garage Island to get information on Rave from the first Rave Master Shiba, and in the process, slept with Haru's sister Cattleya. To say Haru had been angry at Shuda touching his beloved sister was an understatement. But Haru had found it in his heart to forgive Shuda, but the whole thing was still good ammunition for a teasing by Musica.
"How old exactly are you Silver Rhythm?" Shuda spat. "You seem rather tall of an over-sexed fourteen year-old."
Musica was about to insult back, but was interrupted by a chopping sound. They all looked up to see a small helicopter descend towards the ship deck.
"Not again.." Musica grumbled as they moved back to give the chopper room to land. On the side of the craft, the words 'Wang Chinese Food' were written.
A young boy climbed out, carrying a large bag. "Hey yo! You ordered ten Chow Mein specials?"
"I did, poyo!!" Ruby called, waddling up with Iulius close behind. The penguin took some Edels from his pocket. "This should cover it."
The boy handed Ruby the bag, and returned to his chopper. As it took off, Ruby took some cartons out of the bag. "Grubs up, poyo!"
"All right!" Haru cheered, snatching a carton and eagerly wolfing down the contents. Musica sighed as he took his.
"Ruby, you seriously have to stop ordering fly-in takeaway every day."
"Why, poyo?" Ruby asked between bites of his meal.
"Well one, it's expensive, two, Demon Card could figure out where we are from all the phone orders, and three… I'm frigging sick of Chinese every night!!
"Oh okay. Next time, I'll get Indian, poyo."
Musica huffed and grabbed the bag from Ruby to give to the others. Iulius ambled up to the penguin.
"Ruby, I believe our quarry is alone." He pointed at Haru, who was sitting down with his meal.
"Poyo. How do we get him to talk about whether he likes Elie or not?"
"We remain subtle. Don't let on we're inquiring about Elie. Just be casual." He smirked. "Now to put two years of drama school to good use. Follow my lead."
The two moved to the guardrail, standing within earshot of Haru. Iulius took a deep breath.
"I say Ruby, an absolutely beautiful day, don't you agree?! He spoke in the loudest, most overblown voice imaginable.
Ruby looked confused, but caught on. "Oh.. um.. yes. I agree. Poyo." He spoke in a wooden voice. "It certainly is nice weather we are having. Poyo."
"Why yes!!" Iulius drawled in response, checking to see if Haru was listening. "It's the sort of day one really needs to share with a significant other."
"Indeed. You really need a girlfriend or boyfriend to truly appreciate a day like this. Poyo."
"Indeed! I feel sorry for those poor souls with no one to be with on a lovely day!"
"He's coming over." Ruby whispered, as Haru got up and walked toward them.
"Excellent acting old boy." Iulius commented.
Haru joined them, his Chinese in one hand. "You guys okay? You sounded a bit odd."
"Ah, Haru." Iulius spoke in his normal voice. "Don't mind us. We're merely lamenting on being alone on such a nice day."
"You're not alone. We're all here."
Iulius sighed. Haru was a nice lad, but as bright as a sack of hammers. "No no. I meant alone as in.. lacking female company. Or male, if you swing that way."
Haru blinked. "Oh right. You guys pining for girlfriends?"
"Not really, poyo." Ruby sighed. "Just about all the women I meet are only after my money, poyo."
"You read my mind." Iulius put on his best dramatic face. "Ah, it's been so long since I've been with someone." He grasped Haru's arm. "You can only stave off loneliness for so long before it eats at your soul. We all need somebody, somebody close!" He focused on Haru's eyes. "You understand me?"
"Er…." Haru swallowed. "Iulius, I'm flattered, but um… I well… prefer girls."
Iulius blinked, removed his hand from Haru, and stepped away. "I knew that! What I meant was… why the devil haven't you got a girlfriend by now?"
"Me?" Haru was confused. "Why do you ask?"
"Merely curious. I mean, when I was your age I was guaranteed several love letters a day. Two years later, I started my own concubine.."
"Concu-what?"
Iulius sweatdropped. "Er…. I'll explain later."
Haru shrugged. "I dunno. With all that's going on in my life. I don't have much time for girls. Plus, I haven't really found a nice girl I would want to be with."
"Nonsense! You're the Rave Master. You must have fangirls begging to jump your bones at every port."
"Not really…" Haru sighed.
Iulius smiled. "Come now Haru, don't be shy. There's no shame in admitting you like a girl. I get the impression you do have your eye on someone."
"No I don't." Haru sounded defensive now.
""Julia? Nagisa? Belnika? That mermaid person you met a while back? Elie?"
"No I don't!!" Haru shouted. "Jeez, shut up!" He stomped off.
Ruby watched as Haru walked away, then hopped up and down. "Poyo! Did you hear that? He got upset when you mentioned Elie. He must love her!"
Iulius rubbed his chin. "Yes, that is one of the possibilities."
"What's the other, poyo?"
Iulius swallowed at the penguin's question. "Er… I'll tell you when you're older."
# # # # # # # # # # # #
Julia tapped her feet as she waited for Iulius and Ruby to return. Staring at the setting sun, her mind was working overtime. She was damn certain Elie held a flame for Haru, but how best to get her to admit it?
Iulius and Ruby walked up. "Well?"
"Poyo, he is totally into her. He got really nervous when we mentioned her."
Julia clasped her hands. "I knew it! Now we just have to get them to admit it."
"How, poyo? They're pretty secretive about it."
Julai racked her brains, a sly grin gracing her face. "Ruby, could you order in dinner?"
"Uh, sure. But why, poyo?"
She rubbed her hands. "I'm going to do some baking."
# # # # # # # # # # # #
Musica yawned as he plodded around the deck, wandering what was being done for dinner. He looked out at the setting sun, the yellow orb sinking below the clouds. Further along, he spotted Haru, leaning over the rail and staring out with a bored expression on his face.
He sighed, wondering what was wrong with him this time. Haru was perhaps the ultimate optimist, running around with a cherry grin on his face, and jumping head-first into any danger. But sometimes, whenever he was thinking about something serious, or the dangerous nature of his quest set in, he'd retreat into himself, sitting in silence. It pained Musica to see his friend like this, Haru was at his best whenever he wasn't depressing himself.
He ambled up to his pal. "Yo Haru, you okay man?"
Haru looked up at him. "Yeah… I'm just thinking."
"Oh man, not something depressing I hope." Musica moaned. "You always do this whenever something big comes up. What is it?"
Haru gave a small smile. "Girls."
Musica blinked. "You're thinking about girls? Then why aren't you smiling?"
"Cause… I don't know anything about them."
"Dude, we had a girl with us for about a year now." Musica replied, now exactly sure what Haru was on about.
"And I still don't understand her.." Haru gave a small smile. "Musica, don't worry about me. I'm fine, okay. I'm just being stupid."
A chopping sound was heard, and the two looked up to see a helicopter approaching. "Huh? Did Ruby order out again?"
"For crying out loud…"
The helicopter landed, and Haru and Musica strode up to greet the pilot. "What? More Goddamn chowmein?!!"
"No man." The pilot held up a tray full of cartons. "I'm from Symphonia Suppers, specialising in quality old-style Symphonian recipes and meals. The country may be gone, but the great taste remains!"
"How tasteful." Musica deadpanned.
"Ah, our dinner." Julia walked up, and handed the pilot some money. "Thanks a lot."
"You ordered this?"
"Uh-huh. My treat."
Haru sniffed the air. "Smells nice…"
"Exactly. So let's stop complaining and tuck in."
Musica sighed, and followed the others into the ship. Inside the ship's mess hall, everyone took their place around the large table, while Julia sorted out the packages. Shuda noticed that there were only five boxes.
"Oops! Julia piped up. "I accidentally order five meals by mistake. I guess we'll just have to share them."
"I'm not really hungry…" Let began. Julia stamped his foot.
"Share them…" She repeated. She place one box between her and Let, and the others between Musica and Shuda, Plue and Griff, Ruby and Iulius, and Haru and Elie. Elie opened her box, her eyes gleaming in excitement. "Gourmet beef and chicken! Excellent!"
The meal continued with small chat between the friends as they devoured their meals. Only Shuda was silent, watching Julia with a suspicious eye. He tracked her as she walked out the room, to return holding a small box. Her eyes suddenly flashed in surprise. Shuda looked over to see Haru feed a piece of chicken into Elie's mouth, the girl smiling happily. Her smile only just bettered by the grin on Julia's face.
"Everyone, I managed to get us a little treat." She opened the box revealing it to be full of small biscuits."
"What are they? Griff asked.
"Symphonian fortune cookies, of course. You eat them, and there's a fortune inside."
It took all of Shuda's self-control not to burst out laughing. Synphonian fortune cookies? Julia didn't really think the others would believe these were real? She had obviously made them earlier. Then he remembered who his companions were.
Julia took two cookies and handed them to Haru and Elie, then to the others. They all cracked the biscuits open to retrieve a small slip of paper."
"Wow…" Elie breathed. "Mine says… When love shines brightest, it blinds you to what your true love is."
Haru read his. "Beauty comes in all forms and shapes, but the most beautiful is the one that never changes in our hearts."
He and Elie looked at each other, as if wanting to ask each other what the messages meant. Instead, they ended up staring into each other's eyes. They remained frozen… only seeing each other…
"Look both ways before crossing the street?!" Musica yelled. "What kind of crappy fortune is that?!"
The shout broke Haru and Elie from their trance, and they flushed beetroot, turning away from each other.
"Poyo! I think my cookie is bad. My fortune read… A penny saved is a penny earned. Humph, like I don't know that already."
"Mellow out and let the good times roll?" Let questioned.
"Stop taking photo's of naked girls or suffer the consequences?" Griff trembled.
"Phone your mother?" Iulius' eyes teared up. "It's… it's so true!" He ran out of the room. "I need a phone. Mother!"
# # # # # # # # # # # #
A few hours later, Julia peered into the mess hall, her wide grin still remaining. Haru was resting on the couch watching TV, while Elie was sleeping, leaning against his body. The Rave Master made no move to wake her, sitting perfectly still. Julia almost giggled with delight.
"Well, I've seen some ridiculous things in my time…" She turned to see Shuda behind her. "But tonight takes the cake. Symphonian fortune cookies?"
"They worked, didn't they? Look at them." She pointed at the two on the couch. "By tomorrow, they'll have admitted their love."
"I still think you don't stand a chance. Those two are as stubborn as mules. If they do admit to it, it'll be on their own terms."
Julia glared at him. "Lighten up Shuda. Even you're capable of feeling love, whether you want to or not."
Shuda snorted. "I'm going to bed. I suggest you don't keep your fiancée waiting and do the same." He walked off.
Julia smirked. She'd show him.
# # # # # # # # # # # #
Taking one last look at Haru and Elie, she headed for her room.
After a few minutes, Haru switched the TV off, deciding to get some sleep. He looked over at Elie, debating whether to nudge her awake, or let her keep sleeping. He watched her as she breathed softly, her eyes closed tight.
Let her sleep.
Moving quietly, he lifted Elie into his arms, her slight weight no burden for him. He carried her over to her room, his eyes never leaving her.
In her room, he lowered her onto her bed, before tucking her under the covers. She murmured in her sleep, and he chuckled, wondering what she was dreaming about.
"If only I knew… I could help you more that way…" He thought sadly, as he ran a hand through her short hair.
He then felt himself kneel next to her, his face inches from hers. He trembled.
Would it be so bad… to kiss her goodnight? She would never feel it…
"No.." He wrestled the notion down. He didn't dare kiss her now, seeing her as she was.
If he did, he knew he would never be able to stop himself from doing more…
Sighing, he rose to his feet and walked out the room. He cast one last look at her.
"Goodnight angel…"
