Another overlong chapter, perhaps? But I managed to complete this one well on time, so that went well. I started writing on the 28th of August, and I finished today. *sigh* What a journey. At any rate, this is the last chapter... It was a fun ride with all you readers, and I look forward to writing more in the future...

But wait! Don't go! It's not too late for a little show! A chapter nine, legendary and rare, all on its own! *pulls rabbit out of hat* Bloopers! It'll be fun, I hope. Tickets nonrefundable.

Enjoy.

She stared through the bus window at the outskirts of Tokyo, readying herself to wake Okabe and get out soon. She had told him not to go back to sleep, but since when did he listen? His sleep cycle was going to become worse than it was already, if that was even possible. Not only had he ignored her warnings, but he was asleep on her shoulder. He hadn't been, originally, but it was only logical that he sleep comfortably. Even then...

She decided not to wake him up till the last second. He could consider this her pity for his dark eyebags and thinning hair and squinting gaze. Maybe if she gave him this, he would be alright. Maybe he would wake up restored tomorrow.

It was probably the same logic Okabe used when he had asked her to eat dinner yesterday. It was too quick, too easy to be true. But it was difficult to not want to believe in, because, as she had said, she hoped that Okabe's days would pass as he wished. It probably wasn't too difficult for that wish to come true for an ordinary person. What a foolish thing she had said.

She tried to ignore her other foolish thoughts, such as her fantasies of him waking up again, with that lost look in his eyes, and comforting him, like she had done when he woke up when the bus stopped at a food mall. It was nice to give affection and to receive it - an idea that she had always preferred to ignore until now. Her mother had been relieved, at first, that she didn't seem to be interested in romantic pursuits, then vaguely concerned, but Kurisu didn't take it seriously and she would have been glad for it to stay that way. When Kurisu admitted her curiosity, Maho implied that she considered it a weakness. Her reactions were possibly jealous, rather than contemptuous, now that she thought about it.

The words she had said yesterday made her squirm uncomfortably. Maho had said, "You'll be talking to intelligent minds again, instead of that pretend scientist. Look forward to that when you come back."

And Kurisu replied with, "Yes, I am looking forward to that. Talking to intelligent minds like yours."

Any person other than Maho wouldn't have taken it as a slight. But Kurisu had said it - she didn't mean to say it - or maybe she wanted to say it to hurt Maho. She didn't want to know which of those was true. The stakes were too high.

She noticed Okabe's phone buzzing. He didn't stir. After pulling it out of his backpack - which was an awkward movement, with the man on her shoulder - she picked it up. "Hello, Mayuri."

"Tutturu! Kurisu, it's you? Where's Okarin?"

"Okabe's asleep, actually. I picked it up since it was you. Is it anything important, or do you want to call him later? Should I wake him up?" The familiarity with which she had taken the liberty of picking up his phone ought to have made her more embarrassed than this. Traitorous brain. She wondered what Mayuri thought about it.

There was a short silence on the other end. "Uh, it's okay, don't wake him! I just called to say we're all set up and everyone will be here soon."

"A-already? I'm sorry for springing this on you on such short notice... I told Okabe not to do this, but he insisted and wouldn't listen to me. He doesn't listen to a single thing I say, I swear. I'm really sorry for causing an inconvenience."

"Don't worry about that! We're going to have lots of fun. We haven't had a party since June. So we're all really happy. I hope it'll be fun for you too, Kurisu!"

"O-Oh. That's a relief." She wondered what it would be like when Mayuri realised what she and Okabe had been up to last night. What would Mayuri think when she realised that Okabe was asleep on her shoulder? She didn't want to hurt Mayuri like she had hurt Maho.

...Thank god Daru didn't have a window into her thoughts right now.

"What time will you reach?"

"We'll reach Tokyo in about ten minutes. So we'll reach Akihabara at about seven thirty?"

"Okay, we'll be waiting. I'll say bye-bye, then. Have a safe ride home!"

"Sure..." She sighed and pushed back into her seat. It was very nice of them to hold a party, but she was too tired for all of this. She had told him that she had been wishing to meet the lab members properly again, and he had granted that wish, so maybe it wasn't entirely his fault.

She reached for his hand, hoping his dreams were unlike hers. There wasn't much else she could do for him, anyway. If she wrote her next thesis on dreams...would he agree to be a test subject? Or was it too risky? If neither of them could get help, they would have to rely on each other, no matter how dubious it was. He certainly needed it.

She woke him up as the bus slowed, patting his arm. He stared around like a child, and she resisted the urge to laugh. From Shinjuku, they took the metro back to Akihabara. He was half asleep, dragging his steps through the station. She threatened to pinch him if he fell asleep on the train, so he agreed to wash his face. His face was still thin, but his brows were relaxed and open in a way she hadn't seen before. She wondered what she looked like, so she made an effort to catch a glimpse in a mirror near the turnstiles. To her disappointment, she couldn't see anything different. But he pulled on her hand insistently, so she let it go.

As they approached Chuo Dori, the amount of people gradually increased to a crowd. It wasn't long now, to the place she had been dreaming of. The way was lit up by restaurants and electronics stores welcoming the customers of the night. They passed into a residential area, with fewer stores, and a small park filled with the shrieks of children. The air was warm with the last breath of summer. A light wind pushed them forward.

At the entrance of the lane to the lab, she stopped.

"What happened?" He said, yawning.

"You need some sugar and caffeine, or you're going to fall asleep again."

She felt his curious stare as she made him buy a Dk. Pepper, but didn't elaborate. They sat on a bench so that he could drink comfortably. She sighed and looked down to her feet.

He nudged her with the bottle. She took a small sip, making sure not to touch her mouth to the edge. Actually, did things like that even matter at this point? To get worked up over such a small thing had to be illogical, after all...the other things that they had said and done. "What are you smirking at?" She demanded anyway.

"I thought a pervert like you might have something to say."

She rolled her eyes. "Seeing as I didn't say anything, it's clear who the real pervert is."

"But you imagined something, hmm?"

"So what if I did? I-is that a bad thing?"

He looked a little surprised, then, he leaned into her shoulder. "I guess not. But you are a pervert, that's for sure..." They were too close. Too close to him, to the others. She turned away, wondering how to say this without hurting his feelings. It wasn't that it was happening too fast. It wasn't that she didn't want to go to the party, even if it meant waking up to pack at 5 a.m. tomorrow. It was just felt like it was going to fall apart the moment she walked through that door again.

Everyone hated her in the end, anyway.

"Kurisu?"

That was too much, she had already given it all away, all the things she didn't want to say-

"Are you tired?"

"Yes." A convenient excuse. What good luck. All she had to do was take it.

He sat up straight, and fear dashed through her heart for a few moments. "Clearly, you are feel it just the same as I, Christina."

Wait - did he actually understand? Could he read her mind? Or was he feeling nervous, too?

"There is a malicious presence that has followed us home."

Maybe he was feeling afraid, afraid to introduce her to all his friends. She imagined him blushing, something she hadn't seen him do yet, unfortunately. Perhaps their emotions were in sync -

"Undoubtedly, it's an Organization spy!" He whipped out his phone.

"No!" For once, she didn't care if the entire street heard her yell. He deserved it. "Stop it." He considered her, then the phone. He put it away, but not before sneaking in an "El. Psy. Kongroo."

"Give me that." She snatched the Dk. Pepper from him and choked down the rest in one gulp. It was all because she had given him this stupid beverage. To think that she had encouraged its consumption. To think. She crossed her arms and glared at him until his expression changed to apologetic. "Oops. I just remembered - I left one of our bottles of Dk. Pepper in the fridge. In your house. In Aomori."

"Okabe!" She had warned him not to forget anything there. He grinned. "Let's go back."

"Are you kidding me?"

He laughed, and she felt a little silly for believing him. She permitted herself a small smile. The bottle wouldn't rot. The worst thing that could happen would be it expiring. It reminded her that Okabe was harmless - or at least, he was supposed to be. He might understand. If she tried to explain.

He stood. "Shall we go?" She didn't move, and he frowned. "What happened? Kurisu?"

"Okabe, can I tell you a secret?"

I must be crazy to think about telling him this... He's going to look at me like I'm pathetic.

"Go on. Spit it out."

Her voice choked a little, but she managed to begin. "Before today, that is, until this week, I haven't had many friends. Actually, let me be clear: I haven't had any close friends since I was eleven. Or maybe even before that. Seeing as they never bothered to keep in touch, we must not have been...real friends."

"What about your senpai?"

"She's...alright. But she's a very competitive person, so she tends to push me away every time I try to get closer to her. It becomes tiring after a while."

"Nobody in the lab will do that to you. You know that."

"I - What if they don't like me?"

"Kurisu -"

"Seriously, Okabe. I can't do this whole socialising thing, I can't. I'm not capable of making friends with people so easily, and it makes me feel pathetic to admit that, but I have to face reality. Nobody will like me to be there, I'll just ruin the mood, and there's no use going."

"That's not reality, even you have to admit-"

"That's exactly how it is." She gripped her tie tightly. "I should just go back to the hotel now. It's getting late, anyway." Now that she had said so, she would have to leave. She gathered up all the folds of her jacket, wishing that she didn't feel like a hypocrite, that she had the courage to do the thing that would hurt the least, that wouldn't result in a confrontation with the sweetest girl in the world.

"Are you afraid that you won't be able to eat in front of them?" He said. His voice was gentler than she thought it might be. "You can say that you're sick. They won't hold it against you."

At the party, there would be dinner, and she wasn't sure she would be able to eat anything at all. Yet another reason why this was a terrible idea. The cola was already sloshing around uneasily, and she shuddered. "That also."

"Listen to me. In all the worldlines I've been to, there was only one where you weren't part of the lab."

"If I was dead before I met you, obviously not."

"No! Alright, there were two worldlines. In this other worldline, you were alive and well. But we weren't friends-"

"What if this is a worldline just like-"

"The reason we weren't friends, Kurisu, was because the lab didn't exist."

Such a worldline...actually existed? Of course it must; if you diverged far enough you would observe all kinds of anomalies. The lab not existing was tame compared to the possibilities.

"Kurisu, as long as the lab exists, you will have a place in it. This has been proved by convergence. Do you finally understand the choice of Steins Gate?"

A preposterous claim, but it made sense. Somehow everything had added up to her coming back here. First it had been against her will, then, against her better judgement, now, it was against her natural bent of mind - but she was still reluctant to leave. In the end, she wanted to believe that she could stay, that she would be allowed to stay. This wasn't Victor Chondria, where people watched her for a slip up, waiting to prey upon her hard work. It was okay to want to stay, to fight for it, even.

He pulled out something from his pocket and presented it to her. It rolled around in his palm, the streetlights catching in the letters. "Take it, or don't, but we'll always be here."

She looked up at him. He was as serious as he had been while saying "I love you." Of course, she could run away again. But even if there had been a point to that, she didn't want to anymore. So she took the pin.

He muttered something to himself in a relieved tone. She searched for a place to put it on. Her shirt? Her collar? Finally, she settled on her tie, her favourite red tie. Her jittery fingers fumbled with the clasp. "Don't be afraid. Even if it wasn't the choice of Steins Gate, it couldn't possibly turn out any other way."

Maybe he could tell what she was thinking, after all. "I-I believe you."

"Good."

He stood again. "Coming?"

They had lingered here for far too long, and she wanted to escape the stares of the passerby as fast as possible. "Let's go."

"Wait!" He called, scrambling to throw the bottle in the recycling bin as she took off down the lane. "Why were you so upset, anyway? Didn't you say that you feel really comfortable in the lab, yesterday?"

"I know, but talking about it and meeting them with all this pressure is different."

"Since when has there been any sort of pressure?"

She increased her pace, more angry at herself than at him. "I want to be as good friends with them as my other self was, and I'm well aware that meeting them like this is hardly going to be the ideal first impression."

"Why-" She cut him off. "And as if that wasn't enough, there's the whole problem of you."

"What problems could I have possibly caused?"

"Seriously, Okabe? Are you completely socially inept? You do realise that your friends are going to be seeing you for the first time after a three-day trip with me, right? After which you asked them to throw a party, with a few hours' notice, to say farewell to me? At which I won't be able to eat a single morsel of food?"

"So? They'll be glad to meet you."

"Okabe. You idiot. They're going to think that there's - something - of some nature - going on between us, and-"

"Well, isn't there?"

She stopped short right in front of the CRT store. "I-I suppose there is."

He slowed to walk up to her. "Then that's it, then is there anything else? Any problem?"

"Can we not tell them?" It would be too much for tonight.

"Why-" He cut himself off, looking away. Then he sighed."Okay. We won't tell them anything for now." He didn't look very enthusiastic at the idea of hiding it like this, but he understood, right?

"Thank you, Okabe." He put his hands on her shoulders. "Of course. Now let's go."

She wouldn't be able to tease him too much now. And she definitely wouldn't be able to feel his touch again. Or have a long, heartfelt conversation. She would have to keep him at an appropriate distance.

It seemed impossible. Hadn't they just been talking about how they would always be together?

...Or something like that?

"Wait." She gripped the lapels of his lab coat. "Just - because." She pulled him into the first kiss of the day and the last kiss of the night. He wrapped his arms around her, and how easily it escalated was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

"OKABE! STOP MAKING OUT IN FRONT OF MY PRECIOUS INNOCENT NAE, OR I'LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED FOR PUBLIC INDECENCY!"

He scrambled away. She was sure that she would die of embarrassment. "Mr. Braun - couldn't you have held off for a minute?!" He demanded.

They started arguing about the rent. She shook her head and looked up.

The lab mems were staring through the open window.

They burst into cheers. "Finally! Daru, you owe me two hundred, nya! Moeka, you owe me five. Tough luck."

Of course they had made bets. What had she expected? Still - she couldn't read the expression on Mayuri's face as anything but happy.

Okabe stomped into the building after she pulled him away. She followed him up the stairs, heartbeat thudding in her feet.

"Welcome back!"

It was too familiar to be anything but comfortable. The food was delicious, courtesy Luka - Mayuri had helped a little - and to her surprise, though there was pressure to eat, it wasn't too difficult to swallow a little and then excuse herself. Faris chattered non-stop, Daru made ridiculous comments, and Moeka took way too many pictures. They all teased Okabe soundly. He ran to the development room, yelling about "treachery", loud enough for Mr Braun to yell back. They showed no mercy, and instead invited her to join in on the teasing, which she did wholeheartedly. It was easy to fall into the group, as though they had never been apart.

Okabe was right, she couldn't help but think.

At nine, Moeka, Luka and Faris left, because they had to get up early the next day, and in Luka's case, had strict parents. She could have left with them - they even offered to walk her back to her hotel, but she reasoned that this was her last chance to hang out in the lab, so she might as well stay for as long as possible.

Besides, it was nice to clean up with Mayuri, to know that Daru was going downstairs to the trash can, and that Okabe was sulking in the shower. Cleaning up mostly consisted of rinsing glasses and throwing out the trash, of course, but it was still nice, to play at being there with them, and taking care of the lab as though she did it every day. She collapsed on the sofa with Mayuri when they were done.

"Kurisu? Can I ask you something important?" Here it comes.

Mayuri peered up at her with wide eyes and an intense expression. "Was Okarin really asleep?"

She had not been expecting this question. "When?"

"In the bus. You said he was, right?"

"Yes, it's true. He was asleep the whole bus ride. I think he was trying to catch up on his sleep. I told him that's not how it works, but he wouldn't listen to me. You know how he is."

"Ah..." Mayuri looked down. "It doesn't work like that?"

"I'm afraid not. It's not like exercise, where you can burn off a couple of days' worth calories in a few workouts. You have to sleep for six to eight hours every day to stay healthy."

It was difficult to know what to tell her. She was so pure - her love was so deep that it almost made Kurisu want to hold her and never let go - because she would never know how deeply Okabe loved her back, and that she could never know was a testament to that.

"Kurisu, did you notice how Okarin isn't sleeping much? Do you think he needs to see a doctor?"

Considering everything, there was no way she could ever say yes, no matter how true it was, but what came out was an I don't know. It was weak, too weak. Mayuri went on. "I've been telling him, but he won't listen to me, so I thought he might at least listen to you."

"I'm sorry, Mayuri."

"Don't worry, Kurisu. Okarin might act a little foolish sometimes, but I'm sure he'll get better. He'll definitely get better, so let's do our best, okay?"

She was glad that Okabe was in the shower. He didn't need to hear this. His face last night had been tormented enough. "I think we should give him some time. He's going to make an effort to sleep properly from now on." He hadn't actually said that, but she would have to make him do that now, somehow.

"Really? I'm so glad." Mayuri's eyes were shining. "It was so bad when he didn't want to talk about it and he kept pushing everyone away. It was really painful to watch him thinking that he was all alone. I tried to tell him that he could talk to me. At first, I tried to give him hints, then, I told him directly, then I tried scolding him..."

Kurisu found herself grabbing Mayuri's shoulders. He wanted to. He really wanted to. Don't ever doubt that, she wanted to say. But it was too revealing. Even if Mayuri wasn't the kind to pry, she would definitely wonder where this had come from, and that was a rabbit hole nobody needed to go down. Instead, she said, "He told me a lot about you. He said that you're the kindest and most compassionate person he knows, Mayuri. So if he didn't listen to you, that's his fault, okay?"

Mayuri shook her head and fell silent. Kurisu tried to think of something more to say, but this was really a conversation that Mayuri and Okabe needed to have with each other. There was no point to acting as the interpreter. All she could do was give Mayuri the courage to hold that conversation once again. And smack some sense into Okabe. "He's going through something... difficult right now. And a lot of the time - I mean, you said that he tells me when he's sad, and he does, most of the time, but the truth is - the truth is that he needs you too, Mayuri." If you hadn't called us yesterday, I don't know what would've happened, she almost said.

She remembered his unashamed statement that she was his most important person. If she was - that - then Mayuri was equally important. Without her goodness, the whole world would fall apart. And Okabe couldn't bear to taint that with his own pain. "You keep him walking on the right path, just by being there. So don't you lose faith either. He'll be fine. As long as this place exists, he'll be fine."

Or so she hoped, but she liked to think that it was a reasonable hope. His face lit up when he talked to Mayuri, and that smirk of his that showed up when he prodded at Daru, the warmth with which he spoke to Luka, the pleasure with which he bantered with Faris, and the understanding with which he treated Moeka told her that he would be alright. One day.

"Mayushii didn't understand everything you said, but I think I understood what you were trying to say. Thanks for cheering me up, Kurisu. I'm going to tell Okarin off again." The determined look on her face made Kurisu laugh with relief.

To her surprise, Mayuri hugged her tightly. "I'm glad you came here. Until now, I didn't realised that I was missing you, but now I do. So come back soon, okay?"

"I would love to, but it might be a little difficult to get more paid leave this year..." Mayuri made a sad noise.

"I'll try! Christmas, how does that sound?"

"Yay!" No, I can't even compare this to Victor Chondria. And Mayuri's nothing like I imagined, either. Fear made such a fool out of me.

Could I be doing the same thing with Maho? Maho's actually a nice person, it's just that we tend to overcomplicate things. Even if she's mean to me, that's not how she really feels. I know that it took me a while to figure that out about her. With everything that went on, I allowed myself to think the worst.

"What are you thinking about, Kurisu? You look sad."

"Oh no, I'm a little confused. There's this friend of mine, and I want to call her, but I'm a little afraid."

To her surprise, Mayuri took her hands in hers. "Don't be! You can do it!"

Maybe this was what it was like, to be a normal person, with friends who cared for her.

I better call her right now. Before I lose my nerve. She moved to the development room to talk. Maho picked up on the third ring. "Hello, Senpai?"

"Kurisu." Maho's voice was flat. Even after all the time they had spent together, she wasn't sure whether Maho was angry, sad, or, well, normal. Maho was a friend she had made out of desperation. She had hoped that because they were Japanese American neuroscientists, women, and roughly the same age, they would both want to relate to the closest thing to a peer either of them had ever found.

"Why are you so quiet?" Kurisu winced, backing into the development table. "Did something happen?"

She was definitely being overly critical of Maho, considering her prickly nature. But it was only after being amongst people like Mayuri and Okabe, who could love without limits, that she could admit to herself that all those rejections from Maho had hurt somewhere deep inside.

"No, Senpai..."

"Forget it, then." Maho sighed. "You are coming back, right? You aren't calling me to say that you're taking another week off?"

"No, no-"

A head poked through the development room curtain. "Oh. You're here." Okabe looked for her when he didn't see her, huh.

"Kurisu? Are you there?"

"Huh? Oh. Yes. I mean. No. I'm not."

"Are you talking to your senpai again?" Okabe asked.

"Who is that?" Maho was confused. Too many people talking at the same time. She hastily motioned for Okabe to shut up.

"Oh, he - I mean, it's -" The TV. The radio. An anime. A voice message. A video online. She said nothing.

Maho sighed. "Anyway. Just come back to the lab next week."

"I'll - yes. I'll come back."

"Sounds like she misses you." Okabe grinned at her. He was still peeking out from the curtain, and she very badly wanted to tell him off for that dramatic pose.

"Okay, bye, Kurisu."

"No, wait, Senpai. Senpai! Are you still there?"

"Y-yeah! Don't panic."

"I just wanted to. Tell you. About-" About what, exactly? She looked at Okabe. He smiled and raised his eyebrows comically. "Tell her about Steins Gate."

"No!" She hissed.

"Who are you talking to?"

"I'm talking to the guy. You know. The weird guy."

"What - why?"

She ignored Okabe muttering in the background. "I met his friends. They're really nice people."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Okabe gestured for her to give him the phone. She mimed cutting her neck. He gave her a sulky look and closed the curtain. Now he wasn't around to distract her, she could concentrate...on Maho's silence.

"I mean, I don't know how much you might like them..." And it wasn't as though almost all of them weren't some kind of weirdo. But even the non-weirdos interacted peacefully with the strange ones, supporting them and being supported by them. And that was something that she wasn't sure Maho would be able to appreciate. "But they're all very good friends."

"Are there any girls?"

"Oh, most are girls."

"Oh."

"And I'm going back to the hotel soon, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Yeah."

"And I had a lot of fun with them."

"Huh."

"I-I don't know why I'm telling you all this, Senpai. I'm sorry."

"Well, ah, you do always tell me everything whether I want to hear it or not, so."

That was true.

"Kurisu."

"Yes, senpai?"

"Let's go out for a movie next weekend, if we don't have too much work. To celebrate you coming back unhurt."

She couldn't help but react with a squeaky "Why?"

There was another silence on the other end of the phone. Kurisu groaned internally and plopped into the chair, holding her head in her hands. "You know, when I heard that...that you had almost died, I did feel bad, you know."

"Oh. I remember, you called me up."

"I - thought that it would be best to give you some time."

"It was a good thing that you did." Kurisu assured her hastily. "It was a mess. Um. Very difficult."

"To tell you the truth, I wondered a lot about whether I should just call you up again. But you didn't seem like you wanted to talk about it. Even more than usual. And I thought that it was different from your usual 'pretending to be unaffected so that you can get me to pester you about it'. I have to apologise for that. If I misread you."

Because talking to you is so hard. "I'm sorry too! F-for being rude."

To her surprise, Maho chuckled. "Don't worry about it."

She felt the need to justify herself. "I just needed some time to understand what was going on in my life."

"So that Homin Koma guy helped you with some kind of epiphany, is that it?"

Kurisu giggled. "Something like that."

"Did you hook up with him?"

"No!" Okabe poked his head through the curtain again. She mimed kicking him. He rolled his eyes and retracted himself.

"It sure sounded like that."

"It did not - I mean, nothing of that sort happened!"

"Well, whatever. But as your senior, I have to tell you that in case you're planning-"

"No, Senpai. Just - no." Maho and Daru would get along well. I pray that I never have to introduce them to each other. Never.

"Okay. But make sure you go back to your hotel on time. And don't do anything dangerous, like letting him walk you there."

What did Maho take her for? "Of course, Senpai. And don't tell my mother, please?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Anyway." She straightened her tie, touching the pin by accident. If she was going to wear this regularly, she would have to explain it, somehow. Maybe that would be a little easier now. "Senpai. I'll look forward to it. To going to a movie with you. We'll watch whatever you want to watch. And I'll buy you popcorn."

"Eh, it's not like I know what's playing anyway, so you pick. Just nothing too sappy."

"Yes! Yes. I won't disappoint you."

"I have no doubt you will." Maho snorted. "You like romcoms too much to miss the opportunity. But it's fine. I can bear it for one night."

"Okay..."

"Alright then, I have work to do. Goodbye. Safe journey."

She flipped the phone shut and leaned against the development table, feeling like she had run a sprint. All the events of the day had been squeezed into far too little time. At least she was leaving tomorrow, so she would get the weekend to deal with jet lag before getting back to work.

That was right. It was time to leave for her hotel. Before other people also started to get dumb ideas.

She took one last look around the room. The last time she had been here, she hadn't thought that she could possibly come back here, let alone miss this place. All the gadgets (barring one) rested proudly in their places. Knickknacks, old notebooks, dead pens, crumpled papers and chips packets, and cheap toys, the kind you got for free with the chips, sat on the unbroken table.

A mousepad with anime boobs for buttons. Ugh. She took a step away, then stopped. Future Gadget No. 2 caught her eye, and for reasons she didn't quite understand, she slipped it into her pocket.

She moved the curtains out of the way to see the members yawning and relaxing on their respective favourite seats: Okabe on the sofa, Daru at the PC, and Mayuri on the floor next to the table. "I think I should leave now." She smiled at all of them. "It's getting pretty late. Thank you for hosting such a wonderful party."

Mayuri smiled back happily. "Kurisu, when you come back to Japan, you should stay for longer."

"I'll try."

"You know," Okabe said, grinning cheekily, "If you want your flight to be delayed, all you have to do is ask."

"Oh, and how would you do that?" She pulled out her jacket that Okabe was sitting on.

"You are forgetting the powers of our resident Supah Hacka!"

"Okarin! I'm not going to hack into airport just so that she can spend a couple more hours here with you, you disgusting normie."

"You know you want to, Supah Hacka."

"It's Super Hacker!"

"Daga kotowaru." Kurisu cut in. "I'm leaving."

"So cruel." Daru sniffled. "Cutting down all his hopes in a single stroke. So hot."

"Shut up, pervert." She wore her jacket, affixing the buckles messily. "Bye, everyone."

"I'll come with you, Kurisu, I have to go home too." Mayuri got up, stretching.

"That's right, Mayuri, you should leave before the last train. And you can walk Kurisu back to her hotel too." Okabe said.

"Where is it, Kurisu?"

"It's in Ochanomizo. It's beyond the station, though, so you don't have to walk me there. Let's just walk together till the station."

"Okabe, why don't you come along, then? Mayuri asked. "You can walk Kurisu back to her hotel."

"Yeah, Okabe." Daru said. "Go trip that romance flag. She'll invite you up and then you can stay the night."

"In your dreams, Daru." It would be nice if he did come along, though, never minding Maho and Daru. "Come along, Okabe. I have some things to discuss."

He sighed dramatically. "Since all of you are insisting, I suppose I'll have to go."

Mayuri trotted downstairs, Okabe and her following closely behind. They reached the starion soon, and dropped Mayuri off with a wave and a hug. The walk from there to her hotel was supposed to be barely fifteen minutes. Okabe was quiet, and so was she, filled with thoughts of how exactly to convince him to promise that he would try to sleep.

The streets were open, but not empty, at ten thirty. They were now two among tens, rather than among hundreds. Restaurants were beginning to wind up, and the night was now at a pleasant temperature - not too warm, but just enough for her to maybe wish for his arm around her.

His lab coat swished about this way and that as they walked. The traffic was beginning to slow, and as they entered the overpass shortcut near Radikan, she realised that they were all alone.

"Kurisu."

"Huh?" His voice startled her, though she tried not to let it show. '"What is it?"

"You'll be alright, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just... Never mind, I'm speaking nonsense."

"No, no. I was wondering the same thing about you, actually." She forced herself to admit it.

They fell silent again, as they moved off the overbridge and into the street along the park. "Have you ever come to my hotel before?" She tried nervously.

"No. This is the first time."

"Oh. It's strange, I feel like I've walked this way a lot. I must have visited the lab all the time."

"You did. You know, you might have called me jobless, but it's not like you were really busy either."

She huffed. "Of course I was busy. I must have been giving lectures all the time. And I only visited to the lab because I was curious about your time machine. Nothing else."

She could hear the smirk in his voice as he said, "Are you sure that's all you were curious about?"

Her face heated up. She resisted the urge to tell him to shut up. He had got her good, so the only way to get back at him was to get down to his level. "Like you weren't begging me to grace your tiny little lab with my presence."

He snorted. "Oh? Who stayed there all night, faithfully working?"

"You stayed too, though I'm sure you didn't help at all."

"I live there! And I gave very important moral support and guidance, thank you very much."

"I remember nothing of the sort."

He chuckled. "Remember when you told me that you wanted to got to Aomori to see your father? You blackmailed me into promising we'd go together."

"I did what?"

"Well - I did promise." His voice was soft. She spun around to look at him. He was standing still with his hands in his pockets, gaze fixated on the ground. "We never got to go."

"Why not?"

"You know. There was no time..."

"Oh." Now, it was a little easier to understand why he had been so insistent on going there with her, and why he had looked so upset when she had asked. It must have felt like she was throwing everything he had lost in his face.

"I'm sorry, Okabe."

"Don't apologise ."

"It wasn't entirely your fault either, you know. We both agreed to make the Time Leap Machine. Even though I knew the risks, I made such a dangerous invention. I was so reckless."

"Kurisu..."

'"I just wanted to show my father." I thought he might...be proud of me. I know how foolish that idea was now.

"Kurisu."

"And that's why I have to shoulder part of the blame."

"I told you, you aren't responsible for what he did-"

"No, Okabe. I was. I understand that now. I'm just glad, so glad, that you weren't like him, and you were there for me - wh-when it went too far. I'm equally at fault, so every time you have a nightmare and can't sleep, I won't be able to either, do you understand me? And if you care about your assistant at all, Mr. Mad Scientist, you wouldn't give up on sleeping altogether when that happens, do you understand?"

"Wh-what are you...what?"

She took a deep breath, searching for words. "I'm also worried about you. So I'm trying to remind you that you can rely on me. And that we're in this together. We don't just share this reality, SG and SG', but we're both responsible for creating it. So I feel responsible for you."

"Kurisu, I'm so sorry."

"You said that you love me, right?"

"Yeah, I did. I do. Of course I do." The way his frown eased while saying that gave her a little courage.

"Then try to understand what I'm trying to say. I want you to keep the promise you made to me yesterday. Call me. If you're hurt. E-mail me. If you're afraid, or you just want to tell me something. Not just me, but all the lab members. Especially Mayuri. I'll - I'll try to do the same."

She took trembling steps towards him, feeling out the right way to punctuate her words and drill them into his head. They caught each other just in time, the lab coat sheltering them both. She pressed her nose into his shoulder and drew her arms tightly around his back, wanting to make him remember this moment, whenever he thought he was alone.

They hugged for a long time, longer than she thought it was possible for two humans to hug, and yet, it didn't seem like enough, when he drew back. "Hey."

"Y-yes?"

"I'll do that."

"Don't forget just because you won't see me around any more-"

He kissed her lightly in reply.

"Okay." She murmured. She kissed him again, if only to cover up her embarrassment.

"But you have to promise me something in return, Assistant."

"Not your assistant."

"Promise me that you'll take care of yourself as well."

"I'll try."

"If you don't, I'll know. And I don't care if you're on a different continent. I'll transport myself there and make sure my Assistant is being taken good care of." The intensity of his gaze made her blush, despite his ridiculous words. She decided to indulge him. "Alright, Okabe Rintarou. I won't disappoint you if you don't disappoint me."

They held each other for a moment that was too short despite how gratifying it was, until she separated herself. "We should get going, it's probably almost eleven by now."

"Yes."

It was easy to feel exhilarated, on this warm summer night with Okabe next to her and the lab right behind her, and Maho waiting for her. It was easy to have faith - not that the future would be easy, but that she could overcome it, no matter what it was.

"Kurisu?"

"Yes?"

"I was thinking. About you going to America. I could try to transfer to Victor Chondria next year."

She smiled. It was a nice idea, sure, but he was getting in over his head as usual. "Do you even know what kind of grades it takes to get in?"

"I read up about it, yes. And my grades aren't as bad as you think they are."

"Okabe, I know you're not exactly dumb. But the fact of the matter is that you're too wrapped up in your grand chunnibyou ideas to apply yourself. And even if you do, it's incredibly hard to get in."

"Oh ye of little faith, just wait and watch. Hououin Kyouma does not back away from any challenge!" She snorted. "Sure. Let's think about that if and when you get in."

He went on, about his grand plans and sweet wonderings and delightful teasing, and they walked on, into the future.

Thanks to all who stuck with me to the end and offered me advice.

And don't forget to check out the bloopers next week!