Trying to negate the nervousness in my tone, I respond.

"If you'd have me, I'd be delighted to." I answer her.

I couldn't say no to that!

"Y-You will? Well then, come." She can't keep herself from smiling as she walks up to her house. I follow. She opens up the front doors, and lets me in first. I stop in awe when I enter her house.

"Holy...shit..." I mutter to myself.

Damn. This is unbelievably elegant. Fancy fixtures all over the place. But, what else would I expect? It's just overwhelming, almost. I feel like I could easily get lost in here...

"Ahaha...surprised, Richard?" She laughs, and asks.

"Honestly, yes. I only just entered and I can say this place is amazing." I say in awe.

"Hehe...thank you..." She giggles and says. I look around a little bit more, and she speaks up again.

"Would you like to head up to my room with me?"

"Yeah." I respond, and she leads the way up the hickory stairs. A large glass chandelier is suspended from the celiing to my left. Again, fancy fixtures. She leads me down a long hall, stopping at one of the doors on the right.

"After you." She says, and opens the door. I enter, and I am, once again, in awe.

The walls are lined with a dark violet. There's a large, king sized bed directly in the middle of this room. Lots of expensive looking decorations all over...but...what's in this case?

I walk over to a small display case in the back-left corner of the room. What I saw inside made my heart skip a beat.

Oh...these are knives. I shouldn't be surprised...but I kinda forgot about that whole...thing. I need to find out about that, though.

Yuri walks up behind me, not immediately noticing what I'm looking at.

"What caught your attention?" She asks. Quickly after this, she realizes what I'm looking at. She steps back, but I stop her.

"Yuri. Come here for a second." I forcefully tell her. She complies, and walks up to me. I turn around...and look at her left arm.

"I think you know what I'm about to ask of you." I say.

"Y-Yes...I do believe so...o-okay..." She nervously says, and rolls up her sleeve.

Oh geez, it's even more graphic in person.

As I expected, her arm is torn up. Dried blood remains on her arm from some of the wounds. I stare at it in half disbelief, half sadness. She starts to worry.

"R-Richard? Why are you j-just looking at it?" She asks. I let out a sigh.

"You know that...I already knew about this...right?" I dish back.

"Y-Yes...I knew you would have to h-have known...I'm sorry you have to see this up close..." She sadly says, and lowers her head. I reach my hand out towards her arm. She moves her arm away the first time, but stops moving shortly after. I reached, and I started to caress her razed arm. She looks at me, her expression showing a mix of worry and confusion. I stop, and return my arm to my side.

"Richard...? What was that f-for?" She wonders.

"When was the last time you...did this?" I ask, and she knows what I mean.

"Um...about...a couple days before I found you...so, maybe a week ago...I've found myself somewhat able to resist my urges since you got here..." She says with her eyes closed.

"But...you still feel it...don't you?" I press.

"Y-Yes...I've been trying t-to drop the habit...especially now that you're here...but I can't fully resist it." She says without looking at me, and rather looks down. I sigh and sit down on the bed. I gesture for her to drop her sleeve and come to where I am.

"In relation, I feel there's something I need to share about myself, as well." I say afterward. She sits down on the bed beside me. I look at the floor, and take a deep breath.

I wanted to forget about this...but I have to say it.

"There was a time, once...when I was brought to self-harm." I start. I can notice her eyes widen at this, and she looks at me.

"Y-You have?" She asks. I nod slowly, and go on.

"Freshman year of high school. It was a turbulent time. I needed to find out who I really was, where I was going, and who was going to help along the way...and who wouldn't. I felt lost, though, but learned to get over it and try to settle in. After about two months, I was feeling great, rather content with the way it was going. But...it suddenly came crashing down in the span of a week. The people I thought were my friends ended up being the exact opposite, and I was alone. I separated myself from other people after that. I did see nice people time to time, but my head kept telling me I was worthless. I deserved to be alone for not being like others. I just wanted the thoughts to stop, but no matter what I did, I couldn't distract myself. So..." I let out a heavy sigh, and show Yuri the underneath of my right arm. Her eyes widen when I do.

"Oh...my..." Was all she said. I look back at the arm myself, and shudder at the sight of my multiple slash scars.

"I did something I was told was never the answer. I needed an escape from the emotional pain. So I started...cutting myself. I did it once to start, and it hurt like hell...but...I forgot about it. It distracted me from my loneliness, when nothing else could. I started to depend on this distraction. I needed the pain from it to forget about the rest. I spent the next couple of days trying to find my real friends, but still came up short. I...did it again. And again. And the cycle kept going, until I found my real friends. People who were truly like me, and that I got along with easily. And I didn't need an escape anymore...I haven't done it since..." I stop, and look at her. She's been staring at me the entire time.

"R-Richard...I'm sorry you were brought to doing...this, too..." She looks at her own arm while saying this.

"Looking back on it afterward, I realized it was never worth it. While I did forget about the pain, it only led to more. But...I'm rambling..." I look down and away. She puts a hand on my shoulder.

"No...you're not rambling...if there's more you want to say, keep going...you know I'm listening..." She softly says.

"Well...I need to get to the point..." I look back at her.

"I've been down the road you're on before. I know what you're going through. It's just not worth it. But I've heard your talks about it before...and I understand." I say, as she lowers her hand. I put my right hand on her left, and her eyes widen again.

"I can't ask you to stop doing this for good, and expect results...I know you still feel the need to do it. I just want to ask you to try. For me. Just promise me you'll try to continue to stop..." I grip her hand tighter. Her eyes start to water a little, but she breaks a small smile.

"I promise...for you...I'll try my hardest to stop." She nods and responds.

"When I first saw you had this problem, I always felt powerless. I was forced to see it, but couldn't do anything do try to help you. And now that I'm with you, I want to do anything I can. Just...know that I'll do anything I can to help you." I tell her.

"Richard...thank you..." she says, and grips my hand tighter.

"Of course...if you ever feel the urge again, just remember this. Remember what I've told you, and try to resist. And if it doesn't work, and you feel like you must do it for any reason...tell me." I say. She pulls something out of her pocket with her free hand.

"You might...want this, then..." She says, and hands me a small slip of paper. I look at what's on it.

Oh? It's her number. I didn't even have to ask.

"That's true...thanks." I respond.

"You're welcome." She replies, and smiles. I slowly let go of her hand, and stand up.

"Was one of the rooms we passed a restroom, by chance?" I ask.

"The second door on the left from the stairs." She responds.

"I'll be right back, then." I say. She nods, and smiles to herself. I exit her room and find the restroom. When I shut the door, I let out a large sigh.

That could have gone a lot worse. She said that she hadn't done it since she found me...so hopefully she can keep it that way. I didn't want to have to admit my cutting issue from two years ago...but it felt necessary. Now, I think we need to get the mood back to positivity. She didn't invite me here so I could mope about my issues...

I nod to myself, and return to Yuri's room. She has already changed her attire into a indigo nightshirt and black spandex pants. She's laid out on her bed, and appears to have just pulled out the same book from club. When she notices my entry, she grins and rubs the spot to her left, on her bed. I lay down in that spot, right next to her.

"Ahhh...this feels great..." I marvel at how comfortable the bed is. She giggles, and holds up the book.

"Would you like to continue reading with me?" she asks. I detect some excitement in her tone.

"Of course." I respond. We both shuffle a little bit back so we can sit upright against the headboard. She lays the book in her own lap.

"I'll read aloud, if that's alright." She says. I nod, and shuffle forward to lay down. She clears her throat, and starts to read from where we left off. I close my eyes and listen attentively for about ten minutes, and then I look over at her. Her expression is flat, dead-set on the book and nothing else. I look at a wall clock hanging to my left.

Just past 9. Huh, thought it was later.

I notice her expression start to falter after another 15 minutes. She stops, and looks over at me. She slowly rubs my head and speaks.

"Sorry...I'm a little tired. Today has been...an eventful day...could you read on? If you want to keep going, that is."

"Yeah, I'll keep going." I reply, and she gives the book to me. I sit upright, and she lays down. I find where she left off, and start to read aloud. She looks to me, and intently stares at me as I read. After five minutes, her gaze has never lifted off of me. I continue to focus on the book, regardless. A moderate span of time passes, and I feel something on my right arm. I glance over. She looks forward, and wraps her arms around my arm. She rests her head against it.

"Mmm..." She quietly utters. I don't react to it, and continue to read on. Another 20 minutes pass.

"Now forced to flee once more, I broke for the ridge. I was back to running. If only I could have seen it coming...if only I had another eye to see where it all went wrong..." I read. That ends this current chapter, and her head perks up. She looks up at me.

"I think this is a good stopping point...we can go on later..." She tells me from right below me.

"If you say so." I reply. I bookmark the page, close the book, and hand it to her. She reaches to her right and sets it on a nightstand without looking. I lay down in my spot. She gets her arms off of my right arm, and puts them over her torso. After looking at the ceiling for 15 seconds, a very important thought hits me, and so I turn my body to the right, so that I am turned towards her.

"Hey...I meant to ask this earlier..." I lead on. She turns her body to face mine, and we're now within half a foot of each other.

"Hm?" She wonders.

"What did you do about...her?" I ask, with nasty emphasis on "her". She closes her eyes and laughs, knowing I'm talking about Monika.

"Ahaha...I had a feeling you would be wondering. Don't worry. The mod I mentioned while we were at the park gave me enough power to...let's say...suppress her. She is normal. I guess you could say me and her ended up switching places." She replies.

"Yeah, but you aren't using your power to kill your friends." I say, and laugh a little.

"Hehe...that's true. She's still here, obviously, just doesn't have any power." She giggles, and finishes.

"Okay. I was a little worried." I admit. She boops my nose again and giggles.

"Don't worry. She's not going to interfere with us." She says, and grins. I get a little red faced, and decide to check the clock again.

"Almost 11 now." I say, then turn back towards her.

"Mm...and we do have school tomorrow..." She adds on.

"Do you want to turn in for today?" I quietly ask.

"Yes...I am moderately tired..." She replies.

"As am I...it's like you said...eventful day today..." I say.

"Yeah..."

"But...it was certainly in a good way." I input, and move my left hand towards her.

"Yes...it certainly was." She smiles, and grabs my hand.

"But...I'll have to leave early in the morning and get to my house, so Sayori doesn't get suspicious. Probably around 5 or something." I bring up.

"Ah...right. Okay." She responds.

"If I wake up early, do you want me to leave you be if you're still out?" I ask.

"N-No...I usually wake up early anyway..." I can see her face start to redden.

"I want to...um...see you out when you have to go..." She nervously says.

"Okay. I'll...wake you, then." I say. I'm unsure of what to say now, but Yuri continues to redden.

"U-Um...do you...want to...um..." She struggles to finish her thought.

Is...she about to ask if I want to...do it?

"C-Cuddle?" She finally manages. I feel myself get a little red-faced.

Ok, apparently not what I was expecting, but still...never actually done that before, either...

"Uh...I mean, if you want to..." I answer. She breaks a grin and giggles, but none of her redness fades. That compliments my response easily, so I shuffle a little bit towards her. She suddenly moves herself all the way to me, where our torsos sometimes touch as we face each other. My face starts to heat as it gets even redder. I slide my right arm under her, and my left over, pulling her into a sideways hug of sorts. She, again, rests her forehead against mine.

"Mmm...this feels so...good..." She cooes. I can't help but grin at hearing this. I feel so...warm. She pulls her head off of mine, and stares at me, our faces only 2 inches apart.

"I love you, Richard..." She softly says.

"I love you, Yuri. I'm so glad to finally be here with you like this..." I say.

"Mmm...I'm glad you are, too..." She says.

"Erm...hold on a second." I quickly say, and release her. She appears both sad and confused. I grab the shirt I'm wearing, and pull it off. I leave my shorts on, but throw the shirt on the floor next to the bed.

"Ah...better." I say, and return to my past position. I don't hug her again, though.

"Oh...huhu..." She looks at my now bare chest, and giggles a little, getting a large grin. She moves even closer to me, and lowers her head into my chest. She closes her eyes.

"So...warm..." She cooes. I move an arm to her head, and gently stroke her hair for a minute, amazed by its softness. She tenses up, suddenly.

"Your heartbeat...it's so fast...are you nervous?" She asks without looking up.

"I'm always nervous around those I love." I respond. She giggles and pushes harder into my chest. I look down, and start to nuzzle the crown of her head. Her lavender scent is almost overwhelming, and it compels me to do it more. She giggles at it.

It's true...my heart is racing right now...

"Mmm..." She moans in pleasure. I stop nuzzling after a minute, and say one last thing before trying to get some sleep.

"Goodnight, Yuri." I quietly say to her. She looks up at me.

"Goodnight..." She says at the same volume. I give her a kiss on her lips. She gets a large smile, and returns to resting her head on my chest. No more words are spoken, and after about 15 minutes, I find myself dozing off...

(*Timeskip: 5:45AM*)

I sharply inhale as I awaken. There is little to no light from outside. I slowly look at the clock, careful not to disturb Yuri, who is still against my chest.

A little later than I had hoped, but still ok. I can be home by 6:10, way before Sayori wakes up. Yuri wanted me to wake her, so...

I tap Yuri's shoulder. She remains asleep, but mumbles something.

"Stay...don't...leave me..."

I nudge her, and she slowly awakens. She yawns and looks up at me.

"Good morning...did you sleep well?" She asks through her tiredness.

"Yeah...did you?" I return.

"Um...I had a n-nightmare...sort of..." Her expression falls. I give a concerned expression, and she speaks again.

"Y-You mentioned...maybe having to leave me s-sometime...I dreamed that you did..." She says, as her lips start to quiver and she tears up. I start to stroke her hair again.

"It's all okay...don't cry...I'm still here..." I gently say. She sniffs and nods.

"I know...I'm just w-worried about it..." She replies.

"I understand...I am, too. But if we worry about it too much, we won't be able to enjoy our time together...Just know that, at least for now, I'm not going anywhere..." I say. Sne sniffs again and smiles slightly.

"You're r-right...um, what time is it?"

"Almost 6, now. I think I need to be going soon..." I say with a hint of sadness.

"Oh...yes, you probably should..." She says. I get up and out of the bed, and put my shirt back on. I walk to the bedroom door. She rubs her eyes and follows me, as I walk down the stairs and to her front door. I stop before opening it, and turn around to face her.

"Thank you for inviting me to stay at your house last night...I enjoyed being with you." I say with a smile.

"You're most welcome...I enjoyed it, too..." She replies.

"Maybe we could do this again sometime..." I say. She gets a little red and grins at this.

"Huhu...mayhaps so..." She responds. I walk over to her and, without saying another word, pull her into a tight hug. She returns it, and we embrace for about ten seconds. When we release, I speak.

"Bye, Yuri. I'll see you at club."

"Goodbye, Richard. I look forward to it." She says. I open her door, and proceed down the stairs to the street. I turn around, and see that she is still standing in her doorway. She blows me a kiss, and I pretend to OBJ one-hand it, almost losing my balance in the act. She laughs and smiles brightly. I nod, and start to walk toward my house. I hear her door shut. As I walk back into my neighborhood, thoughts rush me once more.

Well. That just happened. I actually got to see her house, not to mention sleep with her! That was amazing! But I didn't ask to see, or check myself, about the basement. I totally forgot, so I still don't know what it is. What worried me the most about last night was her nightmare. She's already afraid of losing me...afraid of me having to go back to my world...what IS happening in my world?! Is time frozen or something? Am I in comatose? Geez...why didn't I put this in perspective earlier...I left everything behind...my friends...my family...all for this woman, who I never thought I'd be with in person. While I am glad I'm here...I haven't put enough thought into this. All I have now is her. I've left everything behind...and I almost miss my world. But yet...I don't want to go back! I don't want to leave!

I can feel myself tear up a little upon my deeper thoughts into my situation, and all I lost. I wipe my eyes, and realize that I am nearing my house. I take a glance at Sayori's house before entering mine. I head upstairs and look at the clock in my room.

Huh. 6:20. That works.

I switch clothes into my uniform, and get ready for school. I eat some toaster pastries as a breakfast of sorts, with some OJ. I head back upstairs and await the time for me to go. After a half hour, it's now 7:20. I head downstairs and look out the window...and am immediately startled.

Sayori? Already leaving? Well that's interesting, maybe I should...wait...why is she coming this way?

Sayori walks up my steps and approaches my door. When she gets to it, she knocks. I wait a couple of seconds, then open the door.

"Sayori? You trying to get a head start or something?" I say, and laugh. Her upset expression doesn't change.

"Richard, I need to ask you something." She flatly states.

I've got a bad feeling about this...the same pit in my stomach when Yuri asked me to stay at her house is back...

"After we got home yesterday...I saw you leave your house again. Later that evening, I wanted to visit you, so I came by your house...but you still weren't home. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing you come home yesterday...and...what am I smelling on you?" She stops her persecution to ask, and she whiffs in my direction. Her expression widens.

Do I still have Yuri's scent on me? Uh oh...

"This smells so...familiar. Richard..." Her sapphire eyes bore directly into me, making me even more nervous. Her expression is clear dismay.

"Why do you smell like that? Why didn't you ever come home? What exactly were you up to last night?" She questions, as her tone raises. The pit in my stomach escalates to an abyss.

Oh no! SHIT!


AN: And so the mood swivels to the opposite end of the totem pole. People were wondering about the "drama" category label. So Richard's kinda busted here. Also...sorry to anyone who was expecting more..."action" than that. I had already planned on keeping it clean...for now. The Wholesome vs Smut vote is still a thing, if you all want to voice your opinions on it. Who knows what might happen later...hehe...anyways, I hope you all still enjoyed the fluff. And, I've been getting questions and concerns about my story from some of you, and I'm glad! Asking questions helps me know what you guys want to know, or want explanations of, or want to happen, all of that! If you all have questions you want to ask me, please do so! Okay, response time.

Enigma: A plot twist? Again, not my plan. But I felt the need to throw that in, as some people were wondering about it. I'm glad you liked it, though. In my story, Sayori's problem is less severe, so it doesn't really affect her behavior *too* much, as you've seen. That was really the first time she hadn't been happy. Something you need to work on? Dude, your story is amazing the way it is! You've been focusing on your own plot points, so you don't need to worry about it too much. You do you. You think its on a road to greatness? Thank you! You're hoping to see more? I hope you liked this chapter!

sbg1218: You admit it was a good chapter? Must have been tough lol. Dropping the stutter? I'd agree with your point, there. It is easily overdone. And dude, you already knew what his choice was gonna be. Everyone probably did. When's the smut coming? As you saw, not now. Later, if at all. Thanks for the review.

GertaNn: I'm glad! You fall into that category? Nothing wrong with that. Not really sure what you mean by "on THAT level"...but still. Your vote is acknowledged lol. Thanks.

Sturm-Ray: Saw a long review from you and got exicted, no lie. This turned out fantastic, removed that trope you mentioned? That wasn't just my plan for that, but literally the entire story haha. Maybe something more? Mayyybeeeee...The word choice threw you off in some spots? I can understand not knowing Amorous, and maybe Seraph, but Charade? I figured that was a simple word? I thought everyone knows "charade". To be honest, I didn't know Amorous was a word, either. But I found it as the perfect synonym to something else I was going to have where it is. It captivates you, and you find the usage process "fascinating"? I'm glad to hear that! I'm becoming more like Yuri, you say? Maybe that's a good thing... The cliffhanger? Y do I do dis? Sorry, man. Needed a stopping point. You already knew what was gonna happen, though. Cliffhanger on Sayori? Huh? I didn't really have one...I mean, I guess you could call it that. But still, glad you thought it was good. That was a nice little touch? I'm glad you're ok with me not delving into it immediately. But now she's onto Richard. Uh ohhh. Aw, your last pargraph, man. Thank you. Pumping it up another notch, you say? Yes, I know what you mean. As you saw, it did intensify, but probably not the way you wanted. I hope you still liked these fluff parts!

DatXeno91: Sorry to not meet your expectations...glad you still liked it, though. W-Y troops are coming? SHIT, BOOK IT! Don't worry, Sayori is never going to die. I can assure you that. Thanks for the review.

Jack54311: Thank you for voicing your concerns! We discussed them in PM's. Plus, thanks for honestly voting even if you feel outnumbered. Need to watch Sayori? Definitely likes him? Good spot man, you're right, he does need to watch her. But now...she's onto him. He better be careful. Thanks for the review!

YankeeBoi: Classic cliffhanger? Oof. You were scared for chapter 6? Understandable, but don't worry. I believe I hinted it was gonna be fluff haha. Thanks for the compliments and the review.

NeonTheUmbreon: Yeah...you could say that. Lmao. Thanks for staying updated, and for the review.

Guardian: When you told me your review was coming, I was like oh boi...ok, here we go. 1: Hey, it might be. I don't intend it to be, though. 2: Damn right. YEET. 3: Yeah, that's what she meant. Yes, I will get to that. Probably. 4: Shit, good point, he'll go do that rq. 5: She's fine! It's fine! 6: Actually, yes, probably a higher want than that. Back at it with the smooth? Mmmhmm. 7: I'm have crippling osteoporosis! 8: That she is. And fuck, you's right. 9: She was trailing him, and she failed the mission. 10: Wow. That would be harsh. Harmonica is appropriate. 11: Snake? SNAAAAAKE?! 12: I didn't? Shit! No wonder! 13: Yes, they do. 14: Wrong bench m8. 15: Do it. Makes sense. 16: That's actually an interesting point. And I agree! 17: He couldn't hear you, I think, because he kept it wholesome instead of getting sloppy. Sorry if you wanted more. Maybe later. 18: I will hit dem! Glad you liked it, and I can't wait to see your review on this chapter! Much love.

Guest: You think my story is "the perfect balance"? Dude, thanks! I'm glad you could say all those things about it! I hope you liked C6 and C7, too. Your P.S: It's not "the main character", it's an OC x Yuri. Idk if you knew that or not, just saying. Glad it was what you were looking for!

RandomGinger: Hehe, not yet. Glad you loved the chapter. In response to your concern, I hit that a little bit in this chapter, but I plan on PM-ing you more, if I haven't already. Your concern is valid, thanks for mentioning it. No, YOU stay awesome!

If you are reading this and haven't read, or just read, chapter 6, and wanted to review on that, I'll still respond to you on that as well! This chapter will probably be updated in the future, as well.

And so, this ends the fluff. For now. We'll definitely come back later...and maybe, spin the dial forward? Hehehe...anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Again, if you have concerns or questions, do add them in your reviews! Thanks for being awesome, you all. See ya NEXT TIME ON DRAGON BALL Z-erm...I mean in chapter 8!