Chapter Thirty-Six

-Luka-

My smirk is cut off abruptly by the sound of my cell phone buzzing in the pocket of my ripped denim dip-dyed short-shorts. What does Len want now? I huff out a stubborn sigh and fling it up to my ear.

"Hey, Lukaaaa," I hear an unfamiliar voice drag on. My eyes widen instantly.

"Who's this?" I growl, my voice about an octave higher from shock.

"Your friend from the beach, remember?" the voice asks. It doesn't take a genius to identify the caller as a male- quite an annoying one, too.

"What friend? How do you know my name? How the hell did you get my number?" I shake my head in disbelief, holding the phone up closer to my ear.

"You don't remember me? We totally hit it off earlier today!" he laughs. I close my eyes, swallow down my scream, and re-open them. Right, it's the pink-haired idiot from this afternoon.

"Why are you calling me?" I sneer, my finger hovering over the 'end call' button.

"I'd like to propose something. How about we-"

Call ended. I let out a sigh as I pull a strand of long pink hair out from behind my ear. I twirl it in my finger. How is it that Gumi, Miku, and even Rin all have romantic interests and I don't? If anything, wouldn't it be me? I think back to all the times I've had a boyfriend and they haven't. Those times were so long ago… My fingertips brush across my pink bunny phone case, wrapping around the plastic edges and picking it up gracefully.

I hear clicks from what must be the front door, and then the sound of it swinging open as footsteps walk in. That must be Rin and Len. I let out a heaving sigh as I prepare to get up and greet them, only to stop midstride. They can let themselves in. I roll around on my bed, feeling completely, utterly…

Bored.

Let the Kagamines be by themselves for right now. I hear their matching childish voices in the air, drifting upstairs like a scent. Their voices, however, seem to be drifting closer, as do their footsteps as they walk up the stairs to the second floor. Whatever you do, Luka, don't listen to their conversation… you know how badly that ended last time (cue flashback).

I roll around on my bed once again to face my pink antique-style alarm clock. 6:24pm, it reads. My eyes widen. How the-

HOW DID IT GET SO LATE SO FAST? MY- I MEAN, MIKU'S FASHION SHOW IS IN AN HOUR! WE HAVE TO BE THERE TO SUPPORT HER, OR ELSE-

Suddenly, my mental rant is silenced by singing coming from the room next-door. It's a melody I've never heard before, and while the words are familiar, the tune is not. I decide to listen in closely, as it seems to be Rin's voice. What a beautiful voice she has… I'm surprised she doesn't sing more often. I'll be sure to tell Miku about this wonderful talent…

And then Len began singing. They sang together, their voices seeming to match perfectly. It's like… they seemed to form their own magic chorus with just the two of their melodic voices. Rin even found some harmony. Unfortunately, it's not long before they stop singing.

"How'd you know the song?" I hear Rin ask through the wall, and rather loudly. They carry on softer dialogue that I can't really make out (especially when Len speaks, he's the quieter one).

"What did you just say?" I hear Rin gasp suddenly. I hold my breath and press my ear against the wall in attempt to hear Len's response.

"My parents don't love me, you don't love me," Len sighs in attempt to raise his voice to Rin's level.

"Len! How could you say that?" Rin shouts, so loud that I cringe upon hearing it with my ear pressed to the wall. Rin then mumbles something that I can't make out.

"Rin, how many times do I have to remind you? It's not your fault," Len says softly.

"But I do love you, Len!" Rin's voice quivers. Aww. They make the best couple ever. I'm surprised she hasn't told me if they were dating or not.

"Me too, Rin," Len's voice seems to radiate with a smile. Just ask the girl out.

"You're the best brother ever," Rin sighs. Wait, what? They wer-

Suddenly my door creaks open and I whip my head around. How did they get to my room so fast- I do what my instincts tell me to do and play dead. No, Luka, that's STUPID! Ugh!

"Luka? Oh, sorry, were you sleeping?" I hear a fairly masculine voice ask. I open my eyes foggily.

"Huh?" I play dumb, "Oh, yeah."

"In that position?" the voice asks. I rub my eyes to see Kaito leaning in the doorway, his cobalt hair slightly tousled. His eyebrows are creased in a way that reads worry.

"Hah, yeah, I guess. I was tired. It's been a long week," I admit, this part shining true. He nods. "You can come in," I say hesitantly. He walks in and collapses on my desk chair with a sigh. "What's up?" I ask.

"Does Gumi ever talk about me?" Kaito asks, seeping with hesitance.

"She…" I think back to all the times I've heard her blab on about stuff. "She… no, she doesn't," I finally finish, a bit apologetically.

"Oh, I see. Thanks," he says, running a hand remorsefully through his hair. I can't help but bite my lip as my feelings seem to play tug-of-war.

"Hey, I'm sorry. You hungry?" I ask. He looks up at me through his hair.

"Hungry?" he repeats, searching my eyes.

"Yeah," I throw on a smile and place my hands over my knees, "I can cook for you if you want!"

"Oh, thanks. But aren't you supposed to be preparing for your fashion show?" he asks.

"No, remember?" I remind him, uncrossing my legs to show him the bruises and scratches.

"Right, I almost forgot," he says, obvious discomfort trickling from his voice. Something about that reaction doesn't strike me as… real… Why would Kaito react in this way if he takes all that guts-and-gore in horror movies and video games?

"Yeah," I murmur, not tearing my eyes from his as one of my eyebrows rises suspiciously. In reply, his bold sapphire eyes seem to dance in a way that unsettles me. "What do you want for dinner?" I find myself unable to look away, tugging at my long pink tresses.

"I dunno," he shrugs casually, "Maybe… grilled chicken, rice, maybe those fruit cocktails that you're always so good at making," he grins. His eyes seem to settle, sending chills down my spine. What is this feeling? It's eerie… make it stop!

"Really? I'm surprised you didn't say ice-cream!" I challenge him dubiously. His eyes widen for a half-second, burning with fear and… and anger.

"No! Haha, no…" he collects himself quickly and laughs it off, almost a bit too forcefully. I raise my chin and my eyebrows.

"Alright," I shrug, "Sounds like a dinner to me." He nods, standing up. I open the door for him to left him leave.

"Thanks for everything," he finally says, turning back to give me a warm smile.

"Oh, and one more thing. You're a really good actor, Kaito," I say, making sure the fake smile I give him seeps with venom. He grins.

"Thanks," he chuckles unknowingly as I close the door behind him. I listen to his footsteps as they cross the hallway. Suddenly, they stop dead. I grin mischievously. They begin walking again… slower this time. You're welcome.

For those of you who may have wondered why Kaito stopped in his tracks, he did so because he realized that Luka saw under his little mask there.
I'm not going to do that eating/drinking/blabla thing anymore... it's tiring, and I just woke up (I know, I know.)

Bad Kaito... I'm really growing to dislike this character.

Thanks for reading! I'm planning on getting to Miku's fashion show next! :)