AN: That's it, hit me! Hit me for this very, very late update!!! Nah, seriously, I was busy with school. And now, I'm even busier because the finals are coming up. So yeah, sorry VV.
BTW, a lot of people have been asking where my Tales site is. It's still fairly new, so I'm pretty sure most of you haven't heard of it. Anyway, it's "Abyssal Chronicles" found at www(dot)abyssalchronicles(dot)com. Please visit if you have the chance. And the fan mail? Forget about it.
Chapter (oh damn I forgot what chapter number I'm on...):...
LOL, just kidding.
Chapter 3: A Change...?
"What's this supposed to be...?" was Luke's suspiscious reply as Tear handed to her something that seemed to be wrapped in cloth.
"Your lunch," she replied bluntly. It may have been a gesture of affection to some, but her eyes remained as cold as ever. "I made it myself," she added.
Luke, apparently shocked to actually "see" this side of Tear, the Tear he knew as strict and cold, the Tear he knew as silent and uncaring, had his gaze shifting from Tear, at the food, and back at ear again. Tear!? Making lunch!? For HIM!?
Tear, looking irritated at Luke's lack of response, heaved a sigh and withrew the lunch box. "If you don't want it, then I guess..." She looked around the classroom. Her face seemed to light up as her eyes fell upon a certain blonde guy sitting by the window, quietly eating a sandwich.
"Guy!" she called.
"Hm?"
"You want some food? I made it my-"
"HEY!" Luke interrupted, snatching the food away from her and holding it close to him, as if fearing that she will take it back. "I never said I wouldn't eat it!"
With that, Luke unwrapped Tear's so-called "homemade lunch", feeling excited, and at the same time, a bit scared. He knew for a fact that Tear wasn't really the best in cooking class, but she wasn't exactly bad either.
Slightly closing his eyes, he sneaked a peek at the lunch box. Blinking at it, a small smile crept up his face as he saw what was inside.
Weenies, rice, meat, sushi (?). It seemed like the average lunch a girl would make for someone. Inside, he felt someone embarassed, especially with the his guy classmates teasing him at the very moment. He did his best to ignore them as he started eating the food, having Tear looming above him, which was somewhat bothersome.
"So... how is it?" was Tear's question as he was finished with almost half of it. The boys, by the way, already left for the cafeteria because they suddenly felt their hunger pangs as they watched him eat.
Luke looked up at Tear, his mouth full, and back at the food again. Okay, so the food wasn't bad at all. In fact, it tasted great. He had a few complaints about the size of the cut meat (too big), but that didn't stop him from realizing how Tear actually is a good cook.
Although... he didn't really want to admit it to her, so he waved his hand, telling her to ask later because his mouth was full.
Minutes later, Luke was finally finished. He handed the lunch box back to Tear, contents gone.
"It was... um... good," Luke said in a whisper.
Luke felt his insides jump (for joy, he thinks) as Tear gave him a sweet and warm smile. It was a rare sight for anyone in school to see Tear give anyone a sincere smile. Having seen her with one, he felt... lucky.
By this time, no one was left in the room. It was already thirty minutes past lunch break. It was just now that Luke realized that they were alone in the classroom.
"Uh..." he said, looking at Tear. "Are you going anywhere...?"
Tear suddenly kneeled down on the floor. He rested his arms (not to mention including her ahem front) on Luke's desk, facing him. Luke wanted to jump away, but somehow something inside him stopped him.
"T-Tear...?" he managed to mutter as he tried to contain himself.
"I'm staying right here," Tear replied, smiling. "And so are you..."
"W-What?" he asked, backing away a bit. What the heck was she saying? More importantly, what was she planning?
"Ugh..." Luke suddenly said, holding his chest, as if in pain. From thereon, his vision started deceiving him as Tear's face became unrecognizable. He wasn't feeling any pain, but it was as if everything around him started spinning. Seeking help, he grabbed Tear's arm and went toward her. She acted on impulse and caught the boy in her arms, as if embracing him.
"What's... happening to me...?" he asked Tear as he felt his body starting to go numb, making himself try to cling closer to her. For the first time (he thinks) in his life, he actually felt afraid.
But Tear was there, holding him, watching over him.
What was she, exactly? His nanny? His sister? Mother?
Lover...?
"It's all right, Luke," Tear replied, not letting him go. "This will all be over in just a second."
And with those last words, Luke's eyes closed.
"That took long enough," came a voice from the door. Tear looked up to find Professor Jade Curtiss enter the room, followed by Guy.
"Sorry," Tear replied. "He was a handful."
"I can imagine," Jade replied, shrugging. He approached the somewhat "dead" Luke, lying in Tear's arms.
"Well..." Jade said, both amusement and satisfaction in his voice, plus a hint of sarcasm. "The medicine worked fine."
Tear frowned at this as she glared up at her Physics teacher. "That was a pretty strong dose of... whatever it may be," she complained. "Are you sure it won't have any side effects on him?"
"Oh," Jade replied with a shrug. "I'm not sure about that."
"Professor!" both Tear and Guy yelled.
"Obviously, I'm joking," Jade sighed, pushing his glasses up above his nose. "I wouldn't dream of having myself fired from this institution. Honestly, you kids have no sense of humor."
"That wasn't much of 'a sense of humor' to us," Guy replied.
"Anyway," Jade said, handing a pair of scissors to Tear. "You know what to do."
"Right," Tear replied, taking the scissors. Guy came over and held Luke up in front of Tear, his back facing her. Holding a handful of his hair in one hand, and the scissors in the other, Tear...
"Woah!" Luke yelled, waking up from what seemed to be a really deep sleep. Looking around his white surroundings, he noticed that he was in the school infirmary.
Wait a second... the infirmary? Wait, was he injured or something?
Feeling anxious, he suddenly grabbed his sides, and was relieved to see that there wasn't any bandage (or blood for that matter) there. He threw himself back on his bed, wiping away his sweat from the sudden spooking out.
"Hm...?" Luke said as he sat upright again. "Something isn't right here..."
He looked as his hands, and they seemed fine. His clothes were still the same ones he was wearing since this morning. His height was still the same (okay, that was stupid). But something just didn't feel right...
"Luke?"
"Huh?"
It was Tear, peeking through the bed curtains. She had a smile on her face, for some reason.
"Tear...?" he muttered. "Tear! What happened to me?" he asked, standing up from the bed.
"Calm down, Luke," Tear said, coming to him and holding him back from straining himself. "Don't push yourself so hard."
"What happened?" he asked again, sitting back on the bed, Tear's hands on his shoulders.
"You passed out during lunch time," Tear replied, looking concerned. "Are you sick or something?"
Luke shook his head. "No, I'm sure I'm just fine..." he replied. He too, started sounding worried.
Tear smiled again. "It's all right," she reassured. "The school nurse said you're fine. Shall we go now?"
"Huh?"
"It's dismissal time already."
"Oh," Luke replied, scratching his head. "Right... what the-"
Luke reached for the back of his head again, feeling his hair. It wasn't long before he found himself grabbing the back of his head...
"WHAT THE HELL?"
OMG Tear, you're a good liar. And the last line was supposed to be the famous WTF but...