A/N: Hi again. Yes, I know it's been a while. Sorry about the wait. Again… Heheh… But thanks Lulala, Gambet, Tohru Sohma, and RoseDart RanYuuya for reviewing. Every review makes me want to write more and more! Now I'm going to try and use the review reply thingy fanfiction . net has set up, so if you review, I'll try my best to reply!

In this chapter we get to delve further into the freakish strangeness that is Yuuya's psyche. Yes, scary, I know, but just bear with me here. There is a method to EveryNever's madness.

Kinda.

Disclaimer: I still have to do this after eight consecutive chapters? That is sad. Really, really sad.


Chapter 9: The Laws of Chemistry: Undeniable

Key:

"sentence"- speech/dialogue

italicized word or 'word'- thoughts or an exaggerated phrase/word

italicized sentence – daydream/thoughts


There was this bench. Yuuya had to admit it was a pretty nice bench as benches go. It was very… chic in a sense, with its wooden slats finely carved to perfection beneath a flawless coat of brown paint that might as well have been brushed on yesterday. If benches were people, Yuuya presumed, this bench would be that charismatic Italian zooming along in their custom made Lamborghini with their choice of any and all of the hotness in the dating scene in the area.

Yes, it was quite the bench.

This bench, in fact, was the object that was finally successful in stopping Yuuya in his tracks. Skidding to a halt, he quit running from… What was he running from again? He couldn't quite remember. Not that it mattered, though. He wasn't running from anything anymore – at least, not for now.

Resting a hand, hesitant at first, over the armrest on one side, Yuuya was amazed to find the workmanship was as pleasing to the touch as it was to the eyes. He almost mistook the metal for silk for a moment; it was uncharacteristically smooth and soft for something that was usually so rough and hard.

It was decided then. This was going to be his bench. A bench like this didn't come along every day, so what kind of moron would he be if he passed this one up? Not a very smart one, that's for sure.

Like Lance, no, Neil Armstrong and the moon, or the English and their Plymouth Rock, he'd stake his claim on this bench.

But how?

Determined, yet uncertain, Yuuya faltered. It wasn't as if he had the flag for the United Nations of Yuuya on him at the moment or even a piece of paper and a pen he could use to make a temporary one. Of course he could just go sit on the bench to show any passerby that this seat was taken... but, no... really, he couldn't, wouldn't, do that. This bench was just too special, too amazing for that sort of run-of-the-mill tactic. It deserved someone just as amazing that would do something just as special to claim it.

Was he special enough? Was he worthy? Was it even worth it to try? What made him so special that he could do this? Wasn't there someone better? Would he just ruin things? Was he willing to risk that? Was he-

Suddenly from up above, there was the slight rustling of branches. Training his gaze towards the noise, Yuuya saw a flash of brown hopping through the tree above him. A bird maybe? Or a chipmunk? No, too large. Then… what?

As if to answer his question, the object of mystery suddenly came crashing down through the leaves with a resounding thump. Jumping back in surprise, Yuuya tripped, as gracefully as one trips, over a rather annoyingly placed rock, landing flat on his tailbone.

Now that's gonna be one helluva bruise in a few hours, Yuuya winced as he rubbed the sore area.

OOK!

What the…? Ignoring the pain for a moment, he raised his head to find himself staring straight into the wide eyes of a hyperactive monkey. That little guy must have been the one making all that noise before dive-bombing out of the tree. Was it suicidal or something? It certainly couldn't be safe to perform a crazy stunt like that without a parachute, or a trampoline, or a hardhat at the very least. Were there monkey doctors for this kind of thing? Monkeys could get mentally ill, right? Maybe it was genetic?

AH! AH! OOK!

Intent on glaring pointedly at the animal for interrupting his thoughts, Yuuya sucked in a small breath as his eyes came to rest on something slightly lower. It finally registered with him where the monkey had landed: directly on the bench. Hopping around like a mad man, or mad monkey in this case, the energetic fur ball was dancing all over the wood, staining the perfect paint with muddy paw prints and marring the seat with its tiny claws.

No! How dare that little... Yuuya wanted to scream. He wanted to charge at the monkey and ring its puny, little monkey neck. He wanted to save what remained of that wonderful bench. He wanted to stop all this. He just wanted it all to stop.

So why couldn't he open his mouth? His lips were glued together; the saliva weighted his tongue down like cement. He needed to stop this! Why couldn't he stop this!

Finally, his legs supported him. Finally! They carried him off and away. Wait! He didn't want to go away! He had to go back and kick some monkey ass! He didn't want to run anymore! Why the hell couldn't he stop running?

In one last desperate attempt at something, Yuuya turned his head back to look at the distant scene. The monkey's golden eyes caught his with a knowing flick of the tail.

You waited just a little too long, it seemed to say.

The monkey was gone. The bench was gone. He kept running from… it.

No… No. No. No! No! NO! NO! NO!

"NO!"

Yuuya woke up.

Silence took the reigns.

Cautiously, ever so cautiously, he raised an unsteady hand to his face. It was clammy and chilled, drenched in a cold sweat, barely visible in the murky light. He moved his fingers experimentally.

"Heh, stingy! I know you can put more cotton candy on that stick than that! Try again and get it right or I'll kick your… asgrahpmy… mephgrammm…"

"Ran," Yuuya breathed out, watching the girl twitch happily in her sleep.

That's right. He was here at the Kotobuki's for reasons he'd rather forget for the time being. Not that there was anything wrong with being here. It was just… there were better ways to get here. Not that beggars could be choosers or anything. It was just…

Yuuya sighed and attempted to pull himself up.

"Ow!" he hissed and slumped back down to the floor.

So part of the dream really did happen, Yuuya thought wryly to himself, trying to block out the throbbing his movement had caused his fragile tush. He must have fallen on the floor sometime in the middle of the night and given his butt quite the beating.

Gritting his teeth, he managed to help himself up without too much pain thanks to the sturdiness of the edge of the couch. With a strange mixture of hopping and limping, Yuuya slowly made his way over to the kitchen. Leaning against the side of the sink, he turned on the water as cold as it could get, splashing his face with it a few times.

"There," he murmured to himself, grabbing the nearby dishtowel, wiping his flushed cheeks a few times. "Nothing like chucking ice at your face to get the blood pumping."

And to scare the monkeys away, he mentally added as he gave his forehead one last vicious scrub as if to rub off the remnants of the dream.

Folding the towel neatly, he placed it back while stealing a quick glance at the digital clock. Three thirty a.m. And he'd gotten to bed sometime after twelve. Great. The nightmare and face rub might have gotten the adrenaline pumping for now, but he knew from experience that in a few more hours he'd be comatose at best. At least there was still a week or two of summer left, which gave him a while to catch up on some of that lost sleep, and an excuse to misplace his homework for a little while longer.

Jamming his hands into the pockets of the pajamas that were sewn on to the material like swinging car doors, Yuuya wandered back into the living room where his socks brushing with the carpet broke the heavy silence again and again.

There she was.

Yuuya couldn't imagine a time, place, world crisis, hot model, or anything that would find him tired of looking at her. It was like defying the laws of physics.

You just don't defy the laws of physics, because, well, they just can't be defied. According to his physics teacher, anyway.

And he'd just have to assume that chemistry was the same way, because, well, Ran was Ran. Well, she was last time he checked.

Grunting in her sleep, the Ran known to be Ran curled her lips into a full smile, and, Yuuya, finding out firsthand how contagious certain grins were, returned hers with a shy one of his own… until he felt a cold weight fill his hand.

About ready to scream his head off and make a nose dive for the space under the couch, he peered down with the reluctant eyes, relived to see only a glass half filled with water resting right in the middle of his hand. He didn't know what he would have done if it had been some palm-sized slug monster from the twilight zone, and, thankfully, would never have to find out. Getting a firm grip on the drink so as not to drop it, Yuuya took an appreciative sip, refreshing a dry throat.

Right in the middle of a swallow, however, the gears in his sleep-deprived brain began to turn, and the conclusion it drew was almost enough to send the water right back out where it came from. Stubbornly strong esophagus muscles and a tightly clenched jaw allowed Yuuya to finish that swallow, but nothing was stopping the logic of a certain train of thought that wasn't really one of the happiest or funnest thoughts to think as thoughts go.

It started with a question.

Who the hell just gave me that glass!

Which led to a few truths.

Ran didn't give it to me, unless she travels at the speed of light. She travels pretty fast but not that fast, and when has she ever given me anything anyway?

Wow, now that I think about it she's never given me a single thing, except, maybe a restaurant bill or two. Man, that's a bit depressing.

Which led to even more truths.

Well, I know I didn't give it to myself. The only way that could happen would be if I blacked out and some part of my subconscious took control long enough to go to the kitchen, get a glass of water, then sit down right where I originally was before giving me back myself.

Huh hum.

Yeah, I think there was a movie about that once… What was it called again? Dang, can't remember… But there was this guy that kept blacking out at random times and it turned out that this other side of himself was taking control during those times and was going on a killing spree.

Yep, serious craziness issues there.

And that's definitely not me.

Definitely.

Which after a serious mental beating led to an undeniable fact.

Someone other than me or Ran gave me this glass.

Which finally worked up to the water-spitting conclusion.

Someone other than Ran or me saw Ran and me. And after seeing us, they gave me this glass of water…

Which brought around yet another question.

Why am I still alive?

And another.

Or am I alive?

Which, after a painful pinch, led to a thought.

Maybe just dying isn't good enough for them. Maybe they want to torture me slowly as I wither away in pure agony.

Fun. Just the way I like to spend my Saturday mornings!

What about cartoons, they'll ask?

Jeez, that's such old school entertainment! Bring out the shotgun and the whip, I say!

Which, after a few more moments of bitter sarcasm, brought around another possibility.

They poisoned the water!

Which led to a wish.

Why oh why didn't I spit it out when I had the chance! Stupid instincts!

Which led to another wish.

Why oh why didn't I listen to the media when it encouraged bulimia? Now I know how great throwing up on demand could actually be…

Which would have inevitably led to something else if not for the firm interruption to his thoughts that bumped right into him. Literally.

Nearly knocked over backward, Yuuya flailed around mutely – so as not to wake the rest of the household – to regain is balance before looking around wildly for the mystery intruder. He found them kneeling, back stiff, knees aligned straight, next to Ran and the couch. And as for who it was? Well, it was the girlish yellow hair that gave him the clue.

"Um, Sayo? You're Sayo, Ran's little sister, right?"

He was answered with silence as the figure brought her hands up and placed yet another glass next the Ran's sleeping figure before promptly getting up and walking stiffly to the kitchen.

"Uh, that's a pretty dangerous place to put that," Yuuya whispered to the retreating figure. "I know from experience that Ran can get kinda violent in her sleep. Let me just move that for you… here."

After placing the water glasses safely on the nearest counter, Yuuya glanced cautiously towards the kitchen, half expecting Sayo to come charging back out brandishing that whip and shotgun with glaring, blood red eyes that told any passerby that pain on the brain.

"Sayo. Hey," Yuuya laughed nervously as he made his way over to the kitchen. "Yeah, I know this might be kind of weird for you, but just so you know, I'm a friend. I'm no burglar or kidnapper or anything. Well, I am something but just not anything like that. Like I'm a good something, not a bad anything… or something like that."

Dangit! Yuuya gave himself a mental shake. You gotta pull it together, man, before she really starts thinking you're some crazy man molesting her sister in the middle of the night on her couch.

Ouch, that really sounds bad when I put it that way! But it's all a misunderstanding! And it will be resolved peacefully! Diplomatically! Without bloodshed or World War II reenactments!

Hopefully…

"I hang out with your sister and her friends sometimes. You might have heard of me? The Second Place Guy? The really nice, kind, innocent Second Place Guy?"

Still no response.

This was really starting to freak Yuuya out to put it lightly. Feeling like he was trapped in the middle of one of those teenage horror movies, you know, where poor Billy gets his head chopped off right after Mary is suffocated by her own shirt. Praying he wouldn't be the next unwilling victim, Yuuya slowly, ever so slowly, opened the door to the kitchen.

And there they were, ten of them at least, lined up in solemn rows of threes across the kitchen counter. Sliding another one into place, Sayo turned to prepare another for its place in the formation.

Yeah, um, question?

"Sayo, uh, do you mind telling me what you need all those water glasses for?"

Question not answered.

Still completely ignoring him, Sayo continued her strange task of filling and placing water glasses on the counter. She had collected a miniature army already, having captured almost every glass in the open cupboard and still coming back for more.

Was this some nightly Kotobuki household ritual? Or maybe Sayo was just obsessive-compulsive?

Huh…

Yuuya put his little brainstorming session on hold when he noticed something strange. Not that all this wasn't strange, but this was something strange in a strange situation, which made what he noticed even stranger. It was like putting a magnifying glass to the word and giving it a fluffy pink sweatshirt to model. That kind of thing would be weird even in the company of a three-eyed, tap dancing pirate and a talking rock.

Well, enough about how strange it was. Now, about what it actually was that he noticed…

Sayo's eyes were wide open, as in wide. Really, you could stick a watermelon between those lashes with room to spare. But even though those eyes were open, it was obvious they weren't taking in any information. They were glazed with a slight far-off look to them, never moving side to side, or up and down, but always staring straight ahead. Her mouth was set in an empty line, matching her stiff, almost robotic, walk.

There was a saying, Yuuya remembered, that kinda fit here. What was it? Ah, yeah! 'The lights are on but nobody's home,' because that was exactly what seemed like the case with Sayo.

Waving a quick hand in front of her face as she passed him by with one of the final glasses, he received no reaction whatsoever.

So it was official then.

Sayo Kotobuki was a sleepwalker! Yuuya Asou would not be dismembered (as of yet)!

Heaving a sigh of relief, Yuuya leaned heavily against the sturdiness of the counter. After a short, mental victory dance and a moment of relaxation, he glanced up again to watch the girl carry out her strange mission. He'd never seen a sleepwalker in action before –not that he'd had much of a chance to- so, he had to admit, this was pretty cool.

When he thought about it, Yuuya realized that filling up a glass of water could very well be harder than it looks. It involves some pretty complicated hand eye coordination to get the right amount of water with the least amount of spillage. And doing that flawlessly in your sleep? Now that takes some major skill.

Finally, it seemed Sayo was on her last glass. The cupboard was empty and if anything else was placed on that kitchen counter a lot of glassware was going to shatter to their untimely dooms.

After a moment's pause near the glassless cupboard, the girl promptly turned and headed out the kitchen.

"Hey, good night, Sayo!" Yuuya whispered after her. "Even though you probably won't remember this, it's been cool!"

He poked his head out of the kitchen doorway just in time to see her disappear up the stairs.

The Kotobuki family was a strange, albeit lovable, breed. Lesson most definitely learned.

Shuffling back to the living room, Yuuya knew what he had to do. If he wanted much of a chance of living through this fast coming morning, he had to get Ran off that couch and into her bed without notice. This would bring some normalcy to the place, thus canceling out some of the strangeness. Like a buffer!

Maybe.

Maybe. Maybe.

The only question was how? Waking her up was as good as impossible and he certainly wasn't Tom Cruise, so that nixed that.

Teleportation? Levitation? Now, he was just being stupid.

Well, there always was the old fashioned way… actually carrying her up there himself. He'd lifted a weight or two before. Lifting a human being should be pretty similar.

Right?

Right?

Hm, it was worth a shot…

Before he could change his mind, he quickly scooped her up bridal style and stumbled his way towards the stairs. Surprised, Yuuya found her quite light and easy to lift. Now he really was wondering where all that food went. Maybe her stomach led to a black hole where the stuff just disintegrated. That would explain why she was constantly so hungry! Black holes have quite the insatiable appetites, or so he heard.

Reaching the stairs, he turned sideways and slowly began to climb. His progress continued until he felt something latch onto his shirt.

Murmuring softly in her sleep, Ran had unconsciously scooted towards the nearest source of warmth burying her head in the material by Yuuya's chest.

Loosing all sense of coordination, Yuuya nearly tripped, almost sending both him and Ran flying. Damn! She just had to be born that cute!

Alright, Yuuya. You can do this man! Just don't think about it! Don't think about the fact that Ran's cradled in your arms. Don't think about the fact that you're putting Ran to bed.

God, that sounds so dirty…

Panicking slightly, Yuuya and his reddened face stood frozen, halfway up the stairs, eyes never moving from Ran.

Just, uh, imagine that she's someone else! Yeah! She's… she's that old guy I always see walking his poodle in his long johns in the middle of the night! That wrinkly old dude! Yeah! I'm carrying Mr. Old Guy up the stairs!

Jeez, that's just plain wrong…

Agh! To hell with it!

With a soft grunt he dashed the rest of the way up the stairs, pushed open Ran's already half way open bedroom door and dropped his cargo gently on her bed. Slightly squeaking bedsprings played out his victory song.

Tonight, or should he say this morning, had been full of way to many close calls. He could only hope this was the last of them.

Yuuya knew he wouldn't ever leave if he didn't get out of that room soon, so with one gentle look back, he quickly tiptoed back to downstairs, collapsing, satisfied, on the couch.

Hah! Take that Monkey Boy! I bet you've never put Ran to bed before! Score one for the Yuuyameister!

Yuuya grinned smugly to himself before snuggling down into the mass of pillows and cushions, eyes closed and breathing steadily slowing. After about five seconds of that, a pair of eyelids snapped open faster than blinds on a highly caffeinated diet.

"This is where Ran just slept!"

Time continued to pass nevertheless.


And here we have the official, kinda, sorta, halfway point of A Gal's Life! Yays! Here's a peek at what we have to look forward to in the next few chapters…

Monkey Boy's really leaving. What's a Super Gal to do? Will Ran even be there to see him off? What about Yuuya? What was up with that dream he had? What was/is he running from? Does Ran have anything to do with any of it? And how about Aya and Rei? Is everything as great as it seems for these two? What's got Rei so ticked off? Will it affect his relationship with Aya? And who is this other familiar contestant that is bringing some major competition for Tatsuki? And what exactly is this dance contest anyway?

These questions and more will be answered in the coming chapters of A Gal's Life. Stay tuned!