THUD

"Ack!" Hiro yelps in slight pain as he is thrown to the ground by the boys. Gulping, he notes the intensity of their stares pointed towards him are giving him shivers. 'It's like they're here to kill me!" he thinks to himself, trying to grasp hold of the situation. "Um, guys? Did I do anything wro-

"What did you two mean by kiss?"

"HA?" with the sudden perplexity rising from Zorome's interrogation, Hiro could feel the burn rising to his cheeks as he mentally cursed them for eavesdropping on his and Zero Two's conversation. Right now, he doesn't know if he has the courage to speak about it, as if it was some taboo subject not meant to be spoken about so he tries feigning ignorance, "What...do you mean by that?"

Unfortunately, this doesn't budge the smaller guy, instead, Hiro gets cornered by Zorome with an annoyed expression.

"Cut the bullshit, dude! We all heard you and Zero Two talking about kissing!" Zorome says.

"Yeah!" Futoshi agrees with a dream like look etched on his face. With hands clasped together, he exclaims further, "Ahh~ just hearing it makes me feel all mushy on the inside!"

'Well that is true…' Hiro agrees to himself, but quickly berates his own thoughts. 'Now's not the time to be thinking of such!'

'I gotta run. Quick!"

But how could he if he was cornered by two rowdy boys- 'Oh wait, Goro's here!' Hiro realizes, crooning his neck in order to see his best friend more clearly. "G-goro!" he calls out. "Help me out, would you?" however, to his surprise, and utter horror, Goro had a serious glint in his eye and said as well,

"Have you two kiss?"

'TRAITOR' Hiro's mind screamed.

"So, have you?" Futoshi asks, this time a bit gentler.

Knowing that refuting was not an option, (Why in the world would they even eavesdrop anyway?!) Hiro lets out a deep sigh and nods slowly. "Y-yeah…"

The boys were rendered speechless with Hiro's sudden revelation, making the dark haired teen redden in embarrassment. It was only when Zorome exploded did the awkward silence finally end. "W-W-WAIT! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME LEGIT KISSED?!" The dirty blonde yells, pointing an accusatory finger at the man in question. Never in his whole life would he expect Hiro, the child prodigy, goody two shoes turned emo boy, score a kiss from a girl- most especially from someone as hot as Zero Two! 'Damnit! This guy keeps winning!' he sighs in frustration before looking back at Hiro, who was already a blushing mess.

"Man, you really are one lucky son of a bitch, aren't you?" Zorome grumbles under his breath just loud for himself to hear; no way was he gonna say that out loud!

Meanwhile, Futoshi excitedly comes closer to the rave haired teen, heart fluttering over the concept of a 'kiss'. "Hey! How does kissing feel like?" he asks as he has never, in his 16 years of existence, been able to kiss someone, and knowing that one of his friends managed to steal one, makes Futoshi feel all jittery within the pits of his stomach. "Ahhh~ Just thinking about it makes me feel all soft and mushy on the inside!" he thinks out loud, making the other guys cringe

"Dude, that's hella gross.." Zorome utters with a look of disgust that goes ignored by the ginger haired boy.

"W-well…" Hiro stutters, at loss over what to say about the kiss he and Zero Two shared once upon a time. He had a myriad of feelings at the moment, yet, he could feel his tongue get caught up in his throat; how was he supposed to describe the kiss?

Magical? Extraordinary? Exhilarating?

Glancing at the patient, curious stares of his friends, he gulps hard. "It felt...soft.." Hiro chimes softly, before adding, "..it was warm and m-made my heart race.." in a short moment, he recounts what had transpired between the both of them at that moment- seeing Zero Two fend off the delinquents by herself, and him, with a surge of adrenaline, helping her, and afterwards, getting to know each other more. To be honest, the kiss was something Hiro did not expect, because for God's sake, who would kiss a person you've just met?!

But still, the way he described it now..deep inside, he knew it was so much more than that.

"You should only kiss the person you love!"

Love? What did she mean by that? Hiro was no idiot when it came to this certain kind of talks, but he's left wondering to himself what did she actually mean by that? Yeah, he knows a kiss isn't something you do randomly, but then, why did she kiss him in the first place? Hiro was never the type to assume things, but he's left questioning whether it was simply an impulsive act on her part, or rather, an act of gratitude caused by his unwavering kindness towards her that day. Nevertheless, he knew that their kiss wasn't based on romantic feelings (you CAN'T fall in love with a person you've just met!), and whatever it was, made Hiro's head spin and chest tighten.

'I wonder why…'

"So...does that mean ya two're dating?" pulling him back from his thoughts, Zorome asks suspiciously. "I, mean, you two have been going at it for MONTHS. All your lovey dovey crap is gonna make me sick!" the smaller boy gags.

'D-d-date?!' Hiro blushes madly in embarrassment. Never had he spared a thought over dating and relationships, well, how could he? With all the pressure that had accumulated from back then, what mattered to him most was being able to get through the day without giving in to his urge to cut.

Dating was never an option for him to begin with!"

"N-no! Me and Zero Two aren't dating!" Hiro cries out. "W-w-we're just...friends! That's all!"

"Heh, friends" Zorome scoffs.

Meanwhile, before the smaller boy could retort back, Goro intervenes, a small smile etched on his lips, masking the slight worry he was feeling for Hiro.

'Knowing him, I bet he's feeling confused as hell right now'

"Let's leave Hiro for now guys. If he says he and Zero Two are just friends, then we don't have any say about it, okay?" He glances back at Hiro, who had a thankful expression written all over his face. 'Still, as your best friend, it's best if I talk to you about stuff like that..' Goro thinks to himself.

'No matter how brilliant you are or how much books you read Hiro, I know for sure that deep inside, you're as innocent as a child when it comes to love and relationships!'

'I mean, not even once have your computer caught any virus!' Goro suppresses a chuckle.

Suddenly, the boys hear someone calling their names. Turning to see who was it, they see the girls, sans Zero Two, panting slightly. Miku, who had worry written all over her flushed face speaks first,

"Hey guys, have you seen Kokoro? She told me she was gonna go to the bathroom, but it's been more than thirty minutes!"

"Mitsuru's been away too…" Ikuno adds quietly, but is cut short over Futoshi's loud wailing.

"EHHH?! YOU MEAN KOKORO CHAN'S MISSING?!"

"What is this place?" Kokoro muses quietly to herself. Curiously, she turns her head from side to side to marvel at the scenery before her. What was left of the seemingly abandoned town were ruins mostly covered in vines, but what piqued her curiosity was how the large temple situated at the heart of the town shown greatly with its fiery red colors. It was a mystery how amidst the earthy ruins, it manages to look as if time had not worn it out.

In her state of childlike wonder, she is caught off guard when she suddenly hears a male voice speak. "This seems to the hidden temple, the locals were talking about." turning around, Kokoro gasps to see Mitsuru keenly observing some of the ruins.

"Mitsuru kun?!"

Looking over her with his usual stone cold glare, he straightens his back and walks over to her. "What are you doing here, Kokoro san?"

"So you were here.." Kokoro takes a short breath and feels herself tense under his scrutinizing stare.

"Did you follow me here?" The olive haired boy accuses, his Forest green eyes narrowing questionably, making Kokoro's breath hitch. Taking her silence as a yes, Mitsuru sighs and turns his back at the doe eyed girl. "It's best if you just leave me alone."

"But I…there's a beach and..we should all be having fun" Kokoro tries reasoning slowly but is quickly shut off by Mitsuru's cold response.

"Not interested. I'd rather explore this place, alone"

"But I-

"...You should just go back, Kokoro san. I can't guarantee your safety ahead."

'As always, you keep pushing yourself away from others…' Staring at his hardened back, Kokoro couldn't help but feel her worry for Mitsuru bubble once more. If things would get bad for him, especially with his heart condition, who would be there to make sure his safe?

'Mitsuru kun…'

It wouldn't hurt to disobey once in while, wouldn't it?

"Hey, how long are we gonna trek this place?" Miku asks breathlessly, managing to send a glare at Zorome who was carelessly leading the group somewhere unknown. With no response coming from the boy, the redhead huffs and rolls her eyes. Feeling her legs slightly turn into jelly, Miku pauses for a bit till she finds Zero Two beside her. "Oh, Zero Two!" she beams before continuing walking, now while chatting with the pinkette to distract her from the impending fatigue creeping up on her.

Trailing behind just inches away from the two girls were Ikuno and Ichigo. With her muscles feeling light from swimming, Ichigo sighs. Despite the tall trees obscuring the harsh sun rays, she could still feel the summer heat radiating all around, capturing her in a heated frenzy she so desperately wishes she was back in the cool water. With beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, down to her reddened cheeks, she suddenly feels a cool hand brush her face. Instantly, she flinches and looks wide eyed at Ikuno, who had an unreadable expression on her freckled face.

"Ichigo, you look like you're about to faint" Ikuno comments worriedly.

"Oh, I'm fine Ikuno. Thanks for worrying." Ichigo waves off with a sheepish smile. "You know how hard it is to walk under so much heat."

Ikuno lets out a small giggle. Looking fondly at the small bluenette, her lips curve into a content smile. "Well, if ever you faint, I'll be here to carry you." she jokes, making Ichigo's flushed cheeks turn even redder.

"H-hey-

"-You and Hiro, seriously kissed?!"

The sound of Miku's incredulous voice catches the attention of both Ikuno and Ichigo. 'Kissed?!' Ichigo thinks to herself, and unknowingly, this sends a pang to her chest. Never did she think Hiro would do such thing!

Waiting for the pinkette's response, the girls were rendered shock when Zero Two just hums and shrugs her shoulders. "I kissed him." she says nonchalantly, before adding, "It was only one time though."

"Ehhhh?! How was it?" Miku curiously asks, cheeks flushed pink over the sudden revelation of the horned girl beside her. Expecting Zero Two to describe the moment as something special, she was left surprised when she received some mediocre response.

"It was okay, I guess..?"

"Okay? Does it mean Hiro wasn't good with it?" Miku questions, before a realization hits her. "Wait, does that mean...you've kissed someone before?"

Zero Two just smirks, but before the redhead could say anything, she quickly tells her, "It was a small kiss on the cheek. No big deal.."

Ichigo, who was listening to the whole conversation, suddenly speaks up, "Wait..since you kissed Hiro..does that mean you like him?"

A long pause ensued between the two girls, but before Zero Two could speak up, they heard Futoshi's loud voice booming towards Zorome frantically.

"ZOROME! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS IS A DEAD END?!"

"WELL DAMN FUTOSHI, I GUESS YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO LEAD US FROM NOW ON."

"WHY YOU LITTLE-"

With how loud their bickering was going, Ikuno heaves out a deep sigh. 'Looks like we'll be walking a little longer.'

"Kokoro san…"

Mitsuru shakes his head after glancing at the kind blonde trailing behind him with an oblivious smile on her face. 'Or is it? I bet she's doing this on purpose..' He thinks to himself, slightly annoyed over what Kokoro's motives were

Frowning, he sighs in frustration. "I see you haven't paid heed to what I said earlier.."

His frustration grows higher when he is met with a soft, quiet, chuckle. "It's just that, you were so serious back there, I couldn't even take you seriously!" Kokoro answers.

A sarcastic thought enters his head. 'How ironic..'

Anyways, it seems that no matter what he'll tell her, she would just ignore it, so Mitsuru chooses not to mind Kokoro's presence behind him. 'She's quiet as she is, so that makes things better..'

"-Also, this place seems to be interesting! Especially with that temple over there!" Kokoro notes excitedly, pointing a dainty finger over the said structure. Sensing this, Mitsuru merely shrugs his shoulders in feigned disinterest and replies in an even tone.

"Well, I've read about this once and heard from some locals on the bus earlier that the temple at night houses a million fireflies.." He says, not bothering to spear a fleeting glance over his spontaneous companion at the moment. "However, I think it's too risky if you explore the temple Kokoro san, since-

Wait a minute

'I don't hear any footsteps…' The olive haired boy mentally notes before his eyes widen in realization. 'That girl must've..!' looking back, his hunch was proven correct when he is greeted with no Kokoro in sight. Gritting his teeth, Mitsuru feels his about to get a headache with how troublesome the young girl's curiosity was becoming. Doesn't she know the dangers of wandering off in some place unknown to their friends? 'Geez, doesn't she know the saying: Curiosity kills the cat…?'

Thankfully though, he knew exactly where her curiosity was directed at, and immediately, he rushes towards the blazing red temple without any second thought.

"Eh?" Kokoro lets out a small sound of surprise after ascending the steps towards the temple. Once she enters, she finds the inside to be a whole lot different compared to the exterior of the structure; it was empty with the exception of a small shrine situated at the farthest part. with every step she takes, the floor boards loudly creak and unknowingly to her, she fails to notice the wearing ceiling that could falter at any minute.

A cool wind blows inside, making Kokoro shiver slightly.

Meanwhile, while she stood silently, faint footsteps were heard approaching the temple's interiors as well. Unsurprisingly, Mitsuru, slightly panting, spots Kokoro with her back facing his. Letting out a quiet sigh, his gaze turns stern as he starts approaching Kokoro. "So you were here." he says in an accusing tone. "What in the world are you-

Crack

"Huh?" feeling slight bits of rubble falling from above, Mitsuru's forest green eyes avert towards the ceiling and a chill runs through his spine once he realizes it was about to collapse with Kokoro coincidentally being under it. With a sudden surge of adrenaline coursing through every fiber of his being, Mitsuru charges quickly towards the unknowing woman and calls out in panic.

"..KOKORO SAN!"

Meanwhile, while the others were busy muttering their complaints over the prolonged trek, Goro, who walked alongside Hiro, gave him a side glance before speaking up, "Hey, you know, about the kiss we've been talking about earlier, when did that happen?" Goro asks with slight curiosity and amusement.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" Hiro mutters while keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Well, try me!" the blonde man grins encouragingly. After a short moment of contemplation, Hiro sighs and tells his friend the truth.

"Remember when I came home soaking wet from the rain?" the raven haired teen blushes at the memory. "That was when she kissed me…" Taking a moment to process what Hiro said, Goro is hit with a realization that makes him gasp in utter surprise. Pointing a finger at his blushing friend, he concludes with a hush whisper only they could hear. It would be embarrassing on Hiro's part if everyone had heard what they were talking about, of course.

"Wait, so you two seriously kissed on the first day of school?!" Goro's suspicions are further confirmed when the boy's cheeks redden harder while he shifts his blue eyes to the side. Seeing this new expression on his friend leaves Goro with his jaw wide open, only for him to quickly recover with a small blush of his own.

'Damn, this seems like something that comes out of an anime…' he thinks to himself while looking back at Hiro who was still blushing hard. Immediately, Goro's expression turns into one of knowing, eyes softening at his friend's vulnerable and flushed state.

'Ah, looks like he really has it BAD..'

"Hey Hiro, what do you feel whenever you're with Zero Two?" he asks slowly, as if he was talking to some child.

Hiro looks back at him, his flush slowly disappearing as a look of innocent confusion dawns on his face. "What I feel…?" for awhile, he pauses to think of all the moments he shared with the pinkette and this leaves a bubbly feeling emerging from his chest. With an unknown surge, he couldn't help but curve his lips into a fond smile, and as Goro notes on the sudden softness of his bright blue orbs, he listens to his friend speak,

"I don't actually know how to explain it, but...whenever I'm with Zero Two...I realize that I've been missing out so much on being happy, and thanks to her, I started seeing things differently." Hiro says quietly, his heart constricting at every word he dare utters. "It's like, with Zero Two, I feel like I can conquer any problem y'know? And at the same time, I want to be there for her when she's down, even if she doesn't need me...I want to be someone she can rely on since I rely on her the most…"

"To be honest, thanks to her, I'm beginning to feel complete." Hiro smiles brightly at Goro, who smiles back knowingly.

'Hiro...you..'

"So, it means you love her right?" at the taller guy's blunt words, Hiro is suddenly caught off guard before laughing nervously.

"It's kinda strange, Zero Two mentioned something about love earlier too…" Hiro half jokes in between laughs, but taking a good look at Goro's serious expression makes him stop and heave out a deep sigh. "Well, to be honest, ever since the school festival, I've been thinking off what I've been feeling for Zero Two...but, I'm not sure if it's love, Goro.."

"And why so?"

Hiro purses his lips tightly before answering, "I don't know..it's just that, after all that has happened in the past few years, I'm not sure if I'm ready for stuff like that…

'If this is really 'love', then I'd start expecting for more-and that's why I'm scared.'

'I'm perfectly contented with how things are..'

"Besides, I'm not even sure with how Zero Two sees me!" He forces a smile, and with furrowed eyebrows, Goro responds,

"But, it's obvious how much Zero Two cares for you.."

"And that's because…?" Hiro questions.

"I don't think you need reasons to care for someone.." Goro comments while interlacing his fingers behind his head. With a thoughtful expression, he continues, making Hiro look at him in wonder, "..And I think it's the same with loving someone. You don't need to answer too many questions to be sure of how you feel over a person. Once it hits you, everything just suddenly seems to make sense.."

"Goro…"

Flashing a boyish, lopsided grin, Goro exclaims coolly, "For a guy who has an IQ of 141, you really are slow with things like this!" slightly annoyed with his friend's comment, Hiro opens his mouth to respond back but is then greeted with a closed fist placed over his chest. "You better start listening to what your heart tells you"

'I….'

.

.

All my life, I've been caged by what people expected from me, and thus, I followed them till I forgotten my own voice.

.

.

'Goro's right.'

.

.

It's time I follow what my heart tells me to do!

.

.

'After all...I have you..'

'Oof,' Groaning in pain, Mitsuru finds him and Kokoro just a few feet away from the collapsed remains of the ceiling; he figured he had probably pushed Kokoro out of the way with a lot more force than he had actually intended, resulting in them lying sideways on the floor with the blonde within his strong hold. Lifting his head slightly to check if she was okay, he asks "Are you alright, Kokoro san?" when she wriggles a bit in his hold, he is left speechless when a quiet moan escaped her lips- some sound he wouldn't dare imagine come from someone as gentle as Kokoro. Tilting his head to see her more clearly, his usually stoic face reddens all over once he sees where his hands were situated.

'S-soft…!'

Once she breathes out another moan, Mitsuru wills himself to get away from her body while trying to suppress the blush he was sporting.

What made things worse was he managed to catch a glimpse of what was hidden beneath her bikini top.

Fortunately, the impact caused Kokoro to become overwhelmed with dizziness, which made her unaware of what transpired between the both of them. Holding her head, she slowly sits up and finds Mitsuru sitting a few meters away from her with his back facing her. Worried, she asks, "Mitsuru kun? Are you-

"-Haven't I told you awhile ago? I can't guarantee your safety! So please don't go off by yourself, understand?" He scolds her in a rush, leaving her momentarily stunned over his brash way of showing concern, but immediately she hangs her head low in shame.

"I'm sorry…"

Mitsuru huffs, "You should be! I mean, what would've happened if you've gotten hurt and nobody around was there to help you?" he shoots a glare at her, yet, he is left confused when he sees her begin to giggle, the sound making him flush in embarrassment. "W-what's so funny?"

Once her giggles died down, Kokoro shakes her head before sending a kind smile to the befuddled boy. "It's nothing to worry about, Mitsuru kun; it's just, I never thought I'd see you get so worried.."

'What's THAT supposed to mean?' Mitsuru thinks, slightly irked. "Well, it's not that much of an issue, unless you-

"Thank you, Mitsuru kun." Not quite getting what she said, Mitsuru turns to look at Kokoro who had a contented look plastered on her mildly blushing face. Furrowing his eyebrows together, he asks her one more time,

"...What did you say?"

Taking a deep breath, the young girl repeats what she said earlier, this time, with more clarity. "I said...thank you Mitsuru kun. If it weren't for you, I don't know what could've happened." with her lips curling into an ecstatic grin, she adds, "You're so brave and cool, Mitsuru kun! I wish I was somehow like you.."

"Hmph.." at loss over how he should respond, Mitsuru finds himself growing flushed over Kokoro's honest words of praise towards him. As he plans to get up, he finds his knee slightly buckle before a sharp pain shoots right through it. Hissing in pain, he returns to his previous position, and while inspecting his leg, Mitsuru finds a long gash just inches below his knee. 'Damn it!' he winces, trying to put pressure on the wound to prevent the bleeding. Immediately, Kokoro notices Mitsuru's painful reaction and rushes to his side.

"We have to bandage the wound!" she frantically says, but as she tries standing up to find anything she could use, Mitsuru holds her by the wrist to stop her.

"No, I'm okay.." He pants, "I just gotta let it bleed for awhile and then…" he couldn't finish what he was saying due to the sudden bouts of pain, making Kokoro completely ignore what he just said. Standing abruptly, she slings Mitsuru onto her shoulders with all the strength she could muster, and gently drag themselves outside the temple because it was too dangerous to be inside. Once they've gotten out, Kokoro gently sits her injured friend onto the temple's stairs, then runs off, but not before telling Mitsuru, "I'll be right back!"

A few moments later, Mitsuru's surprised to see Kokoro holding out what seems to be a bottle full of water, to which she replies that she found a small stream while trekking up here in the first place. Dipping down to level of his injured leg, Kokoro rips a part of her jacket and dampens it with the water she found. Gently, she dabs on the wound until somehow, the bleeding stopped.

"Kokoro san…" Mitsuru whispers, flinching a bit when the remains of her ripped cloth hits his skin. Looking down at the kneeling female, his eyes mistakenly dip down to the soft suppleness of her chest, and immediately, recalling the scene earlier, he averts his gaze and hastily looks anywhere but at Kokoro.

'Stop this! You're better than those damn perverts!' Mitsuru reprimands himself angrily.

Meanwhile, as Kokoro finishes wrapping his leg up, she looks back up at Mitsuru with a worried expression. "I'm really sorry, because of me you got hurt.."

"What's done is done. This isn't your concern anymore." He responds back in his usual, blunt tone.

"Can you walk?" Kokoro tilts her head, "-or maybe I should go back first and tell the others.." she tells him but for the second time today, he grabs on to her wrist firmly and looks at her with those icy, green eyes of his. For a moment, Kokoro finds herself unable to look away from his hard stare and quickly takes a sharp breath.

"No, don't go off on your own." Mitsuru says, his grip tightening, although it was gentle enough to not hurt Kokoro, "Let's just wait until the pain subsides, then we'll go back." hearing the seriousness laced in his voice, Kokoro nods and doesn't say anything else while sitting beside the male.

"Do you really think a million fireflies live here?" Kokoro softly asks as tries to make some small talk with the man beside her. Mitsuru, who felt a little clammy from the previous blood loss, only shrugs.

"It may be possible.."

"Really? You think so?" Kokoro's deep blue eyes sparkle in wonder. "Mou, I really would want to see it." she smiles, to which he arches a brow at her giddy behavior. "How about you Mitsuru kun? Would you to see them?"

"Nope. Not interested." he deadpans.

"That's too bad." Kokoro lets out a sigh before softly giggling. "But it would be troublesome for you now." she says, pointing to his bandaged leg.

Subtly checking her for any scrapes or bruises, he asks on impulse, "How about you, Kokoro san?" glancing at him with eyes big with confusion, she questions his inquiry, not fully understanding what he meant.

"What about me?"

"Are you hurt?"

"..." Kokoro pauses for a moment before putting on a large smile for Mitsuru. "I'm fine, Mitsuru kun, thanks for asking." he nods then focuses his gaze on the ground, opting to enjoy the serene sound of nature. Honestly, he had to admit that having Kokoro san be the one with him was absolutely better than having either Zorome or Futoshi, or worse...Hiro..yes, that would've been unbearable for the young man. Since it was Kokoro, he was able to just mind his own business without feeling fully irritated;

But alas, just as he was about to fully immerse in the peaceful aura, he and Kokoro suddenly hears a bunch of people call out their names, and minutes later, they are immediately approached by the gang, with Futoshi hovering over Kokoro.

"KOKORO SAN! YOU DON'T KNOW JUST HOW MUCH I'VE BEEN WORRIED FOR YOU!" The ginger haired boy cries, making Kokoro laugh nervously.

"Sorry, Futoshi kun…" she sincerely apologizes.

Hiro, who was just observing the others flock around Kokoro, notices a quiet Mitsuru with his leg covered up with a bandage that was lightly tinged with red. Concern gracing his looks, he approaches the said guy and asks, "Mitsuru, you okay?" turning towards Hiro, Mitsuru's face immediately twists into an expression of sheer contempt, and through clenched fists and gritted teeth, he seethes.

"Funny to hear that come from you." with words laced with sarcasm, he walks away from the confused teen and unconsciously turns his gaze towards Kokoro, who seemed to be walking slowly compared to the others.

With furrowed eyebrows, he decides to keep a close eye on her for the time being.

It was finally night time and everyone had already set their sleeping bags for the night. They've all just finished eating their grilled meals, and right now, were huddled in a circle as a bonfire burned brightly at the middle. With marshmallows on sticks, Miku and Zorome sat closely next to each other as they intently watched their marshmallows roast by the fire.

"I bet my marshmallow would come out better than yours." Zorome challenges, making Miku scoff loudly.

"Ha! Say that to your burning puffy!" she retorts back while pointing towards his, truth be told, already burning marshmallow.

"HOLY SHIT-" Zorome shouts, trying to blow on the char colored sweet.

Laughing at the two's usual shenanigans, Kokoro slowly stands from her seat and waves to the others. "Um, I'd like to walk for a little more, if that's okay." she timidly asks, making Futoshi stand abruptly to hold onto her two shoulders. The young girl lets out a small yelp of surprise.

"LET ME ACCOMPANY YOU, KOKORO CHAN!" Seeing his enthusiasm, Kokoro couldn't help but feel guilty if she doesn't agree to his wishes.

'Still..I think it's better if I'm alone, for now…' she purses her lips before shaking her head slowly.

"Mm..I'll be fine, Futoshi kun. No need to join me…" she says in an apologetic tone. Bowing at the others, she then starts to walk away; however, two piercing eyes stare at her retreating form, and immediately senses something weird with Kokoro.

'She's limping..' he thought, thus, instinctively, he too stands up and begins walking towards her direction.

"Mitsuru?" Ikuno says, "Where are you going?"

"Fresh air." Is all he simply says, not bothering to spare a glance towards the others.

Meanwhile, after finishing her nth marshmallow, Zero Two, turns to Hiro and ask if she could take a deep once more in the sea. "You sure? It's gotten pretty dark now." Hiro questions her with a mildly concerned expression, yet, he knew Zero Two wasn't one to budge. With how reckless she may get, a little night swimming wouldn't scare her.

"I'll be fine, darling!" She grins before running back to the ocean for a last minute dip, leaving Hiro sighing. 'You've just eaten, Zero Two..' he wanted to tell her, but she was too quick to go.

The cool, summer breeze lifts Kokoro's hair into the wind, lightly tickling her face. After a few minutes of walking, she opted to just sit by the shore and let the waves just brush against her bare feet.

She breathes out a deep sigh.

Earlier, when she and Mitsuru got into a minor accident at the temple, she immediately panicked seeing the boy's leg bleeding from a long gash that she didn't pay attention to her aching ankle. At first, it was bearable so she made sure no one would notice, just so that they wouldn't worry over her, buy now that hours have passed, Kokoro could feel it beginning to swell and bruise so she opted to try and walk; hoping it would somehow ease the numbing ache.

'Looks like walking seems like a bad idea.' she thinks sadly to herself and is left wondering how long will it get her in order to get back to the squad's resting place.

"Looks like I'll be hanging around here a little longer." lonely, she hovers her fingers just above the sea foam, when she feels the sand beneath her crunch. Looking back, she sees no one other than Mitsuru staring down at her with his usual piercing gaze.

"...Mitsuru...kun?" she says quietly, quite surprised to see he has found her, only for a sudden feel of shame to arise from her chest.

'He's probably mad at me for not telling the truth…'

"You're hurt." his words didn't form a question, but rather, was stated with as much straight forwardness he could muster at that moment. As Kokoro mouth opened, trying to come up with an excuse, looking at his no nonsense gaze made her falter and hang her head low. It was futile to lie to someone so observant.

"I'm sorry.." she mutters softly, bracing herself for the boy's harsh scolding.

"For what?"

"For not telling you the truth." Kokoro says while motioning at her swollen ankle. "I'm sorry."

Expecting a rather brash comment from the other, Kokoro gasps when she sees him walk in front of her and kneel with his face hidden. "Hop on." was his simple and short command but it made the girl's heart skip a beat out of nervousness.

"T-that's...what about your wound?" she tries reasoning out through stutters.

"It's better now, so hop on"

"I'm heavy!" She blurts out, her hands covering her already blushing face, only to be shut off by that serious tone of his when he says her name. Sighing defeatedly, she wobbily stands up and braces herself against Mitsuru's back, skin heating up when she feels the pad of his fingers hook themselves onto her exposed thigh. Lifting her up, albeit shakily, she lets out a small yelp and instantly wraps her arms around his neck tightly. Once they finally gotten stable, Kokoro subtly leans her head down and whispers a small apology.

"Stop saying you're sorry." Mitsuru chastises. "It's not like you wanted to get hurt." with a small flush appearing on his face, his voice comes out in a hushed murmur

"Besides, you helped me earlier, so think of this as way of thanks.." hearing him utter those words just for her, Kokoro tries her best to relax, but strangely, she feels her heart racing like crazy. It felt like at that moment, she was about to burst.

'I wonder if Mitsuru kun's experiencing the same thing…' she wonders as they begin their way back at their camp site. Being swayed by his walk, Kokoro feels the lull of sleep slowly take over her. Burying her face against his hard back, she murmurs sleepily, "Ne, Mitsuru kun...I remembered something…"

"What..?"

"Do you think we'll be able to see the fireflies, sometime..?" she asks one more time closing her eyes.

"I don't think-" Mitsuru suddenly stops in his tracks as his eyes follow the small glowing lights that seemed to increase by the second until they were totally surrounded by the lights. Mitsuru would be lying if he said that the scene before him wasn't mesmerizing, so he carefully shakes the girl on his back and says, "Look, Kokoro san..there they are.."

No response.

"Kokoro san..?" he tries taking a peek from behind but suddenly hears a soft snore coming from Kokoro. '..She's sleeping..' he sighs, thinking how much the sleeping blonde would've loved to see just how much fireflies had actually appeared. Seeing one rest upon her button nose, Mitsuru can't help but smirk.

'Maybe next time…'

Once the fire had burnt out, everyone soon prepared for bed and a few moments later, had fallen fast asleep; all except Hiro, that is. Not only was he anxious over Zero Two still not coming back, but deep in his innermost thoughts, he was still processing what Goro had told him earlier.

'Am I really in love with Zero Two? If so, then what's next..?' the question kept repeating on and on inside his head until he, himself, could not take it. Sitting up, he carefully tries to slip out of his sleeping bag as to not wake the others up, however, with just one foot sticking inside the bag, he sees a small figure sit up as well. Recognizing who it was, even in the dark, Hiro gulps nervously before speaking in a slight stutter,

"I-Ichigo..?" the bluenette only smiles in response.

Little do they know, there was someone who already got up before them.

Emerging from the dark waters, Zero Two takes in a deep breath before continuing on with fluid strokes until she reaches the small dock. Slowly climbing up, her eyes takes notice of a figure standing before her. Looking up, a genuine look of surprise colors her face as she acknowledges his presence.

"Goro..?"

With a cheeky grin, the boy who was apparently holding some fishing gear waves at the pinkette half submerged in the cold evening waters.

"Yo."

Sitting a few meters apart, Zero Two turns to look at the blonde man carelessly casting his fishing line while whistling some tune she couldn't quite get. hugging her knees closer to her chest, she calls out to him, "Hey Goro, why didn't you go fishing earlier?" stopping from his tune, he looks at Zero Two and lets out a nervous chuckle.

"Well you see...it's kind of embarrassing to do this in front of the others.." he scratches his cheek with his free hand before resuming, "-also, only rare specie of fishes come at night!" Goro's tone switches to that of excitement, making the pinkette's eyes widen out of wonder.

"Really?! I should tell gramps about that!" she exclaims loudly, making the other guy smile.

"Heh, who would've thought the headmaster would actually engage in such activities." He jokes, making Zero Two laugh out heartily. Wiping a tear from her eye, she backs him up with a humorous response,

"Hah! You haven't seen his most prized collection just yet!" she cackles, referencing her grandpa's obsessive love towards his porcelain ceramics. Once their laughter had finally died down, Goro suddenly remembers something.

"Hey Zero Two.."

"Yeah?" she tilts her head towards his direction.

"-I'll be giving back the comic you lent me, okay?" Zero Two shakes her head in rapid succession.

"Oh no need to hurry, I've been reading a few ones I've seen online.." she replies coolly.

"Oh really? What is it about?" Goro asks out of curiosity since he finds the pinkette's tastes similar to his'

"It's about a girl who's some kind of monster wanting to eat this boy, but then stuff happens and they fall in love?" Zero Two tells him with a thoughtful expression, before adding, "..oh, it's Korean by the way, so yay for colored pages!" bringing an open palm to his face's level, the two friends do a high five while grinning at each other, when suddenly, Zero Two notices a flash of black and blue from the corner of her eye. Turning to see what it was, she recognizes it as her darling with Ichigo trailing behind. Quickly, she grabs Goro's shoulders and turns him towards the other two's direction.

"Look, Goro! It's darling and Ichigo!" Zero Two points out.

"I couldn't sleep for some reason.." Ichigo softly says while following Hiro from behind. Her eyes trail over his back, making her realize just how much Hiro has changed from back when they had first met as kids. He was significantly taller now, and his baby face was replaced with more refined features that accentuated his boyish charm; however, one thing that strikes Ichigo the most is how, despite all the secrets and pain he had held onto, his bright blue eyes remained as kind as before. Ichigo understands why Zero Two instantly got attached to Hiro, and it was probably because he was the first person to ever accept her despite her horns.

His kindness stands out more than his intelligence, and Ichigo likes him for it.

If it wasn't for Hiro, she would have never learned to get out of her shell and be the leader she was today. Thanks to him, Ichigo learned how to believe in herself.

"Same here." Hiro responds to her previous statement while looking up at the sky. 'It sure is a starry night.' he thinks to himself while silently marvelling at the thousands of constellations. Meanwhile, while she stares fondly at his observance, Ichigo lightly steps on the footprints Hiro left, mimicking somewhat a dance that made her feel light on her feet.

'It would be nice to walk beside him, always..' she giggles quietly to herself. Lifting her head up, her eyes immediately spots a certain constellation and excitedly, she points out to the sky.

"Look Hiro! It's Orion."

Glancing to where Ichigo was pointing, Hiro confirms that what she saw was indeed, the constellation that of the hunter. "In the past, Orion was considered to be the most prominent winter constellation.." Hiro muses to himself.

"Really?" the bluenette's eyes sparkle in amazement over her friend's vast knowledge over constellations. "You used to tell me a lot about stars back when we were little, huh.."

Hiro chuckles before looking at her with subtle confusion. "Have I now?" he says, making Ichigo pout over his forgetfulness. Feigning anger, she huffs,

"Mou! I may be stupid sometimes, but I remember everything you've taught me!" looking up once more, her eyes find another pattern, but this time, her heart begins throbbing; a dull ache forming in the depths of her chest. In a hushed whisper, she says "You've probably forgotten about that star too-

"You mean the Ichigo star?" Hiro's response left Ichigo off guard, the subtle ache in her chest being replaced by a tender warmth. Her cheeks redden when he continues on, "-the 15th star of the Orion constellation, same as your name…" Hiro smiles to himself. "I once read in a book that the star was so dark, you couldn't see it..I guess the book's right." he chuckles.

"Hiro.."

"We promised each other we'd see it someday, right?" overcome with emotions, Ichigo hides it by throwing a light punch at his shoulder, making him wince slightly.

"W-what the? You remember everything so clearly!" she cries out, hiding the redness of her cheeks. When Ichigo finally managed to calm her heart down, she starts walking past the bewildered boy slowly. "Y'know…" she begins, slightly hesitant with what to say, "..we could always see that star another time, since high school has just started for us, right?"

Hiro nods.

"I-I know I haven't told you this but…" Ichigo's body trembles, unable to contain the feelings she has for a little longer. She didn't dare look him in the eye, out of the fear of doing something she'll probably regret after, so she stays where she is. "...All these years of knowing you..I'm thankful for every second I spend with you, Hiro, so please, even of this is selfish of me, I want to be by your side-

"Look, Ichigo! Falling stars!" Hiro unintentionally cuts her off as he stands mesmerized over the thousand stars falling from the night sky.

Although she is met with disappointment, the moment Ichigo gazes at the sky was the moment she dare wishes to never end; her and Hiro, under a majestic shower of celestial beauty- just the two of them; that's why in the midst of her contentment, she wills herself to close her eyes and make a wish.

'Please let me stay by his side, forever..'

When she's done, Ichigo sees Hiro looking at her with curiosity. "What did you wish for Ichigo?" grinning cheekily, she launches another hit on his shoulder.

"I've already said it earlier, you dummy!" she jokes, making them both laugh. When Hiro returns his gaze to the sky, he immediately notices two specific stars he had once read about, including the myth behind it.

'Altair and Vega, the two lovers who have been separated, only to be reunited once a year on…

.

.

.

.

Tanabata.

FZZZZZZ

Without any warning, a sharp pain shoots through his head, making him wince and wobble slightly on his feet. Ichigo notices this and supports him by putting a hand on his back. "Hiro, are you okay?" she asks, concerned over his sudden demeanor, meanwhile, Hiro, who was slightly out of breath from the pain, now subsided into a dull ache, smiles weakly.

"I-I'm fine..maybe we should call it a night, ne, Ichigo?" Said bluenette furrows her eyebrows for a moment, not believing a thing Hiro said, but chooses to let it go and lead him back to the campsite; when suddenly, she hears Hiro speak,

"Hey um, Ichigo, I'd like to ask you something about the Tanabata…"

"Looks like they're going back huh.." Zero Two comments while staring at the two friends. Turning back to Goro, she notices the subtle change of his demeanor. With slight worry, she pokes him by the shoulder and asks, "Are you okay..?" this manages to snap Goro out of his silence as his gaze focuses on her unusual, teal colored irises. "Hey, Goro, you seemed to be out of it..?" she prods once more, only to be brushed off by the man with a reassuring smile; although Zero Two could clearly see it was forced.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be..?" she rolls her eyes towards his words and respond by saying something Goro would have never expected from Zero Two.

"You're in love with Ichigo, huh?" her abrupt way of saying it made the blonde go red in embarrassment.

"W-what makes you say that..?" he curses himself for stuttering in front of the smug girl.

"The way you look at them." she states with a crooked smile, "I could see how much you long to be by Ichigo's side...unless..-

"YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH DARLING?!" Zero Two yells loud enough for everyone to hear, making Goro panic and clamp her mouth shut with his hand, the action making the pinkette glare at him and growl lightly. Gulping, he immediately lets her go and sighs, knowing it was useless trying to cover up his feelings. Besides, Zero Two really wasn't the type to broadcast secrets, right?

'RIGHT?!'

"You're right, I'm in love with Ichigo…" he says dejectedly. "but she only sees me as her childhood friend…"

Seeing how down the blonde suddenly got, Zero Two sighs and hastily places a hand on his back, carefully trying to pat him lightly as a sign of comfort. "There, there…" she inwardly cringes, "You see, darling is also Ichigo's childhood friend and look how special he is to her? It's the same with you too…" when Goro tries to argue back, he is shocked to see Zero Two put on an expression he has never seen on her before. Usually, she's bubbly and playful recently whenever she was with Hiro, but right now…

There was a look of sadness and..longing? Embedded on her glowering eyes.

"Zero..Two.." he manages to say.

"Having a childhood friend...such a special bond, right?" unsure whether she was talking to him or herself, Goro watches Zero Two continue with her musings. "Say, Goro? Has darling ever had someone special back then?" he shakes his head.

"None that I've ever heard of…"

Her lips curl into a sad smile, hands balling into fists as her nails dig deeper into the tender flesh of her palms. "Ah, I see..that's too bad.." she mutters before finally standing up to go back. "I'll be heading off Goro. Good luck on your fishing!" she cheers, but this time, Goro is the one to catch her off guard with his own questions;

"Zero Two, do you love Hiro?"

Hello everyone! Exams are finally finished so I managed to update after so long! Thank you always for your patience and I'd like to warn you all that the next part of this story is gonna get slightly rocky, not only with Hir02, but also with the others' relationships as well. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter and please tune in for more!

P.S: I kinda wanted to expand on the friendship between Zero Two and Goro cause I believe it wasn't explored that much in the anime. They could've been a great support team, platonically speaking. :((

Also, the comic Zero Two was reading in this fic is actually based on an actual Korean webcomic titled 'Appetite' (shoutout to my dude out there for introducing me to it!) it's a great story that kinda reminds me of our own Dino couple and it's already completed! I hope you guys consider reading it really is amazing, art and storywise!

Till next time!