EPISODE 2.1
"Just Be Friends"? I Think Not!


What the hell am I doing?

Luka couldn't stop pacing around her own room, her heart beating so fast that she could literally feel it hammering hard against her chest. She had changed out of Kaito's shirt for a fresh one from her wardrobe. She insisted Kaito to use her bathroom and get a quick shower as an apology for getting him dirty (he did use his own body to cushion her from getting bruised from the rouge elevator ride just now). She also helped herself to some of Gakupo's spare clothes for him to change into, where they were neatly folded on her bed.

She stole a glance towards the bathroom at the blurred silhouette of a man beyond the frosted glass door. Why did I make him use my private bathroom? I could have just got him to use the one along the hallway, right? …Or I just want to get a chance to see him naked again? She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the indecent images from her head.

A muffled tune from the bathroom stopped her in mid-pace:

"Just be friends, all we gotta do
Just be friends, it's time to say goodbye
Just be friends, all we gotta do
Just be friends, just be friends, just be friends…"

Luka chuckled to herself—that guy was really singing in the shower. At first she was merely humming to the song herself, but before she knew it she ended up singing along with him. She was vaguely aware that he increased his volume to match hers; when they reached the chorus part she was completely into the song. She had to admit that the little duet actually helped to lift up her mood considerably and cleared her clouded mind.

Unfortunately, the song had to come to an end—and so was her sweet trance. She was surprised at the sight of him walking out of the bathroom dressed in a white bathing robe, his sapphire-blue hair freshly wet from the shower. Her eyes paused at his partially-bared muscular chest, and she could feel the heat creeping up her neck to her cheeks.

He was oblivious to her apparent discomfort. "You have a very beautiful voice," he grinned at her. "It was fun singing a duet with you. Well, I was a little embarrassed when you started to sing with me…"

"I-I like your voice too!" she blurted out before she could stop herself. She saw that he raised his eyebrows in disbelief, so she pouted, "I'm serious!"

He laughed. "I'm honored to receive such a compliment from you. Actually I'm pretty much a bathroom singer—I can't sing beyond those four walls." His face was so close to hers—she could smell her strawberry-scented shampoo on him. He used my shampoo…

"Are those for me?" He peered over her shoulder and pointed to the clothes on her bed. She nodded silently. He moved over to the bed while he slipped his robe off his left shoulder. Luka wanted to yell at him for being too carelessly casual around her, but she noticed that he winced as he bent down to pick up the shirt. There was a big bruise on the back of his shoulder.

"I'm sorry that you're injured because of me."

He turned around, surprised at her sudden apology. He spotted her staring at the purplish mark on his shoulder and raised a hand to cover it. "This…is nothing."

She let out a sigh. He was really a bad liar—those deep blue eyes told her so. She strode towards him, her gaze still locked with his. She pulled off his hand gently and touched the bruise…

And she poked it, hard.

He let out a gasp of pain and stepped back, sitting on her bed from the shock. She was impressed that he didn't scream from that—Gakupo would, even if she only just pinched his mosquito bite mark. She glared at him sternly. "Now you just sit still while I fix that ugly patch."

"Uh, there's no need for you to—" He got up to his feet. He gave her a weak smile, which wasn't able to hide his nervousness.

"I said sit." She forced him down on her bed and pulled out a bruise cream from one of her drawers. She pried open the lid, dabbing the thick white cream on the blue-black area. She rubbed it around a few times until the color of the cream disappeared. "Better?"

He didn't respond; instead, he simply stared at her blankly. Finally he blinked and murmured, "…Thank you." He suddenly got up and snatched up the clothes, heading straight to the bathroom. "I'll go and get changed."

"W-Wait!" She grabbed his hand. "I…I'll help you change."

What the hell did I just say?

His face began to turn pink. "I can do it myself—"

"I insist!"

"H…Huh?"

Both of them lost their balance and fell onto the bed together. Luka pushed herself up and looked down.

Kaito's bathing robe was loosened in the struggle, and she found herself staring at his topless body for the second time in a day. He turned his head sideways and glanced at her from the corner of his eye, the pink on his face was now a deep shade of red. "L-Luka…san?"

She was momentarily frozen at the stimulating sight before her. Various thoughts—from sensible to dirty—were all spinning in her head so fast that she was starting to feel very dizzy. "I…" Her strength seemed to be sucked out of her. "Um, I…"

Her arms suddenly gave way and she collapsed on top of him.

"Luka-san!" She was dimly aware of how close his concerned voice was to her ears—to her, it felt nothing more than a tickling whisper. He gently pushed her off and turned around to face her, both of them still lying on the bed. He placed his cool hands around her warm cheeks. "Are you having a fever?"

She was slightly alarmed when he pulled her face nearer to his and their forehead touched; her body felt detached from her mind as her arms automatically put themselves around the bluehead before her. Kaito seemed unfazed at the closeness; he simply allowed himself to be led towards her, their lips inches away from each other…

"Say cheese!"

Both of them sat up at the sudden flash of blinding light. They were stunned to see a purple-haired guy beaming at them with a digital camera in his hand. The blond twins were both tugging at the hem of his Hello Kitty apron. "Gakupo nii-chan~ Lemme see, lemme see!"

Gakupo squatted down to show picture to the twins. "They are a really cute couple, aren't they?"

"Waaaah~ Kaito nii-chan is so cool!" One of the twins—the boy—exclaimed when he brought the camera up to his face. His girl twin snatched it away from him. "Muu~ Luka nee-chan is so pretty! Rin is jealous!"

"So who's with me that they should get married right away?"

"Yes! Yes!" the twins danced around Gakupo and screamed.

"Wha—?" Kaito opened his mouth to speak, but Luka beat him to it. "What the hell are you all doing in my room?" she screeched, particularly at her idiot brother.

"Hmm? Onee-sama?" Even after receiving a direct voice attack from his furious sister, Gakupo still had the stupid grin plastered on his face. "Oh yeah, I also have recorded your singing! It's absolutely lovely!" He plucked the camera out of Rin's small hands and flashed the video before Luka's face; both Kaito's and her voice came out strong from the loudspeaker:

"koe o karashite sakenda
hankyou zankyou munashiku hibiku

hazusareta kusari no sono saki wa
nani hitotsu nokotte ya shinai kedo

futari o kasaneteta guuzen
anten dansen hakanaku chiji ni

shosen konna mono sa tsubuyaita
kareta hoho ni tsutau dareka no namida…"

Rin and her brother bobbed their head, clapping and humming to the tune. Gakupo sighed and wiped away his tears. "Ah, such a sad song… So touching…"

"G-G-Give me the camera!" Luka lunged for the device in Gakupo's hand. He simply smirked at her and raised it above her head. "Too bad that now I'm taller than you, muwahahahahaha…"

"Ga-ku-po!"

He quickly dodged Luka's punch and stuck out his tongue at her before running out of the room, whistling. A moan behind her made Luka turned around…

And she wished that she didn't. She gaped at the somewhat-erotic scene before her.

Both blond kids were crowding around the bluehead: the boy was licking and leaving kiss marks on Kaito's bare neck, while Rin was tracing his abs with her finger. "S-Stop it, Len! That tickles! And w-what are you doing, Rin?"

"Kaito nii-chan hasn't have sex with Luka nee-chan yet, right?"

"H-H-H… Huh?"

Rin suddenly whipped out a square package—Luka was shocked to recognize that it was actually a condom—from her pocket. "P-Please give your first to Rin!"

Kaito was as stunned as Luka. "Where…where did you get that?"

"Gakupo nii-chan gave it to Rin." The twin girl put a corner of the condom pack in her mouth. "Pweesh (please)?"

"W-What are you saying?" Kaito stretched out a hand, but Len suddenly grabbed it and started sucking his fingers. Luka noticed that Len was giving Rin an evil look, and the twin girl returned him with a glower.

Kaito sighed and pulled his finger out of Len's mouth, then snatched the condom pack away from between Rin's lips. "That's enough. Now get out while I have to wash myself again."

"Can we bathe with Kaito nii-chan?"

"No," he replied them firmly. "Just behave yourselves and stop stirring up more trouble, or else no fruity puddings for you two." He looked up and spotted Luka staring at them, then gave her an apologetic smile, mouthing the word "sorry" while he pushed the sulking twins out of the room.

"Y-You're pretty calm about that," Luka commented humorlessly as she slammed the door shut behind them.

Kaito shrugged and strolled towards the bathroom. He tossed the condom pack into the bin before rinsing away Len's saliva on his hands. "Rin and Len are just my cousins, but we're this close like siblings because I often have to babysit them while their parents are busy with work." He wiped his neck with a towel and looked into the mirror, frowning at the kiss marks. "I dunno what's wrong with them today. Normally they aren't like this."

"Kids nowadays sure grow up very fast, huh?" Luka felt shameful that the young twins could be so open about the adult world while she, already a grown-up, was still cowering and running away from it.

"Maybe." He tightened the sash around his robe and got out, nearly walking straight into her. "Uh… I'm really sorry about all that." Why is he blushing?

"You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault…" She felt her heart racing wildly once more. Stop running away, she told herself, determined. Face it.

"Luka-san?"

She grabbed the front of his robe and pulled him closer to her. He seemed to have realized what she was planning to do and his cheeks reddened further. "Luka-san, I…"

A shuffling sound from the door distracted them from the awkward development. It was Gakupo with his camera again, peeping at them through the gap with the twins. "Ehehe, we've been spotted."

"It's ok!" Rin was rubbing her hands together with glee. "Luka nee-chan can have Kaito nii-chan's body after Rin has taken away his first—"

"No! Len will be Kaito nii-chan's first!"

Something clicked in Luka's mind. Didn't Rin mention that idiot gave her the…whatever it was? What had that guy been teaching the poor innocent twins?

"GA-KU-PO!" Luka screamed at her brother, positively murderous now. "DIE, YOU PERVERT!"