"Darliiiing! Hurry up!"
It hasn't been like, five days since their last outing at the beach and here Hiro was, trying to catch his breath, as both he and Zero Two ran downtown to the nearest train station. He was still quite tired after the beach trip and later, from visiting his parents, but Miku insisted on going on a trip to the hot springs; something he couldn't quite understand since it was the middle of summer. Nevertheless, the girls, including Zero Two, were ecstatic on going, so he and the others had no choice to join as well.
It was better rather than moping around, Hiro guesses to himself.
Meanwhile, with his hand in hers, Zero Two was still as chirpy as ever. It's been a few days since the last time they saw each other, so seeing the pinkette beaming with her usual childlike nature, was something Hiro greatly admired. To be honest, earlier, his heart skipped a beat when he asked her what she did during their three-day separation.
"Wait for you to get back.." she said with large eyes filled with longing.
Anyways, now that they were together, all they had to do now was ride the train all the way to District 26. After that, they'd just have to locate the bath house they'd be staying at with the map Miku sent them. 'travelling with Zero Two…' they've already done it back then when the pinkette brought him to Cerasus lake, but now, just the thought made Hiro feel strangely giddy for some reason. It was like his heart was beating out of anticipation and he doesn't know why.
"So it means you love her right?" remembering what his blonde best friend told him at the beach made the boy blush crimson. 'Love..' the more he thought about it, the more jumbled his mind got. It was like trying to fit bits of puzzles while blindfolded. 'Maybe it's better for me to not think about it at all!' he resolves, as Hiro wouldn't want things to be awkward between him and Zero Two once his anxiety kicks in. Besides, Zero Two wouldn't fall for someone like him, right?
Would she?
'No! No! No!' the raven haired teen mentally scolds himself. Shaking his head, he pursed his lips tightly, 'You're having strange thoughts again Hiro! Stop letting Goro's words get the better of you!' In frustration, he lets out an audible grunt.
"Eh, you okay, darling?" slowing down her pace, Zero Two looks back to check on Hiro, who seemed to be pretty flushed in her opinion. 'he must be tired?'
"Hey, darling, it's okay if we rest for awhile. We could go grab some wa-
"N-no I'm fine!" Hiro reassures nervously. "I guess, I'm just pretty excited for the hot springs!" he says, clearly an excuse which Zero Two fortunately accepts.
With a playful smirk, she says teasingly, "Ah, as always~ Darling is a pervert!" Hiro blushes but doesn't say a word, leading her to prod further. Poking at his chest, she gives him a wink, "No peeking darling~"
'She's making fun of me again…' sighing, Hiro grabs Zero Two's hand and starts walking. Trying to hide the growing blush on his cheeks, he looks away from the surprised girl thanks to his bold action. "Let's go, Zero Two." Smiling, she adjusts her hand so her fingers could interlace with his.
"Okay!"
On the train, they found themselves seating closely side by side, their arms lightly brushing against one another, but for Zero Two, she doesn't mind it. Things like this weren't such a big deal for her, and truth be told, she liked feeling her darling near her. It made her feel calm and happy. Reaching out to her bag and grabbing her water bottle, she takes a sip before passing it to Hiro. "Want some, darling?" she offers with an apologetic smile. "You must be tired from running. Sorry about that.."
Smiling over the pinkette's consideration towards him, he grabs hold of her bottle and takes a few, small sips as well. When the cool, liquid washes down his throat, Hiro couldn't help but notice the water had a tinge of sweetness to it- kinda like honey.
'Maybe it's cause Zero Two drank from it.' Hiro blushes before giving back the bottle while uttering a small 'thanks.'
The ride was fairly peaceful, with the occasional small talks and Zero Two humming happily to herself, Hiro finds the young lady suddenly shift all her weight towards him to casually lay her head on his shoulder. As usual, he feels a blush starting to creep up his face, but when he hears the light snores beginning to come out the pinkette's lips, Hiro couldn't help but smile to himself. Gently, he lifts his hand to pat her head; an act that was endearing to the bystanders.
Feeling rather drowsy himself, Hiro murmurs to Zero Two quietly before closing his eyes, "...Zero Two?"
"Hm?" she manages to say.
"Are you enjoying summer?" he stifles a yawn. Hiro feels Zero Two shift her body closer to his, to the point of snuggling him. Whispering by the crook of his neck, she says before ultimately falling asleep.
"As long as I'm with you Darling, I'm happy.."
Lips forming a drowsy smile, Hiro responds back before succumbing to his own dreamland.
"Me too...Zero Two…"
"It's getting quite late, don't you think?" Kokoro muses to the group worriedly. "I wonder where Zero Two and Hiro kun are?"
"They're grown ups now. They can handle themselves well." Mitsuru brushes off the blonde's queries with a straight face; still, this doesn't elevate any of the kind girl's worries, yet she chooses not to say more about it. Meanwhile, Ikuno overhears the small exchange and decides to voice out her own queries, as well.
"They're probably frolicking on their own, again" Ikuno sighs before stealing a glance at Ichigo, who was busy conversing with Goro. Inwardly, she frowns, a feeling of frustration she seldomly experiences. "...I just wish those two would hurry up-" cut off by an arm suddenly wrapping around her shoulders, the dark haired maiden lets out a small gasp.
"Mou! Let's not judge those two quickly! For all we know, Hiro and Zero Two must've gotten lost along their way." Miku chastises with Ikuno in her hold, before continuing with a cheeky grin. "Besides! We're going to a hot spring! Taking an evening dip is way more relaxing!" with the redhead's optimism, Ikuno and Kokoro find themselves letting go of their previous worries. Looking back at each other, then at Miku, they all smile.
"Mhm!" they agree in unison before excitedly talking about the hot springs. Unknown to them, they were being scrutinized by a certain small blonde, accompanied by Futoshi, with a look full of judgment.
"Man, what is it with girls and hot springs?" Zorome questions with arms folded. "Besides, who the hell would want to go to one in the middle of summer?!"
"I do." Futoshi answers back, pointing to himself with a smile, making Zorome turn to him with a questioning stare. "It relaxes the muscles, mind you, plus, it's real great for keeping the skin smooth and healthy!"
"Keeping the skin what?" the young man cringes at his friend's statement. In return, Futoshi just shrugs his shoulders and continues on like it was no big deal.
"Hey, the body is just like bread. Gotta make sure it's always in top shape!"
"Yeah yeah…" Zorome rolls his eyes as he brushes off what Futoshi said before calling out to a certain redhead. "Oiii, Miku!" mildly startled, Miku turns to him with her head tilted and eyes wide with confusion. "Oi, why didn't you bring along Nana sensei?" Zorome asks, frowning when he sees the girl shrug her shoulders.
"Nana-nee said she was busy with all the school work.." Miku replied.
"Even during summer break?"
"Mhm!" Miku makes a sound of affirmation before going into deep thought. "...Also...I'm not sure but..I heard her say she was gonna meet some friend.." before Zorome could once again ask about the redhead's older sister, they hear Goro call out loudly from a distance.
"Yo guys! Hiro and Zero Two are finally here!" quickly, the group rushes towards Goro to see two of their friends panting slightly with apologetic smiles plastered on their lips. Hiro was the first to speak out.
"Hey, sorry we're late.."
"Darling and I kinda lost our map on the train.." Zero Two adds. "We had to ask people along the way.."
"Never mind that." Ichigo reassures then with a smile. "It's better if we go to the hot springs now before it gets late.." she turns back, but not before giving a glance to all the others, her gaze lingering a bit longer at a certain raven haired male. When their eyes met, Ichigo smiles as her heart jumps for a moment. Once more, she says;
"Everyone, let's go."
"Waaah, this place is so…" Starry eyed, Kokoro marvels over the facade of the bathhouse. At first, they were only expecting some small inn, but never did they imagine they'd be staying at some place reminiscent to a mini japanese castle from the medieval period; just one look, and you can easily tell how the place was made up of expensive material and such, it was quite a surprise they managed to be there as high school students.
"Well, it's a perk to have connections..!" Miku winks to the group. Stretching her sore muscles from the trip, she walks towards an opposite direction. "Let's take care of our first, kay? Then after, I'd ask the caretaker to ready us some dinner." She says before waving off.
"You heard her. Let's separate for now shall w-" Ichigo cuts off her sentence when she sees Zero Two following Hiro. Quickly, she grabs hold of the pinkette's shoulder; a rather, challenging feat given their immense height difference. With a stern look, she scolds Zero Two. "No. Girls and Boys aren't supposed to sleep together."
"But darli-
"You. Stay. With us." the bluenette says with more force. "It'll be a pain if we get in trouble because of that."
Seeing how serious Ichigo was with her stone hard gaze, Zero Two ultimately gives in with a deep sigh. Frowning, she begrudgingly follows the other girls. "How boring.." she mutters under her breath. While walking to their rooms, the group passes by an open window, to which the pinkette takes notice. Pausing for awhile, she peers out to see that the sun had finally set and the stars were beginning to appear one by one, however, what catches her attention is a small bridge from a distance with a clear pond under it. Blinking, Zero Two is quickly snapped out from her thoughts once she hears Ichigo calling for her.
'Looks like I'll be checking that out, later.'
Once they took care of all their stuff, and changed to more traditional clothing as per the caretaker's request, the group all head to the dining hall to see an oriental feast set for them. On the table, there were various choices of grilled meat and fish, with different side dishes and a heaping serving of hot soup to top it all off. To Zero Two and Futoshi's surprise, there was also a portion for different breads and sweets, they were left practically salivating over the ample amount of choices.
"Anpan!" Futoshi exclaims while grabbing heaps of red bean buns and stuffing them in his mouth; Zero Two on the other hand, picked a yellow colored mochi and plopped it in her mouth. Chewing it slowly, her face twists into pure joy.
"It's honey flavored mochi!" She says to Hiro with her cheeks puffed up. Hiro could only laugh nervously at her usual excitement.
"AH, LET'S DIG IN!" Zorome exclaims loudly as he seats himself close to the grilled meat, and like the rowdy guy he is, stuffs himself without giving a damn about proper table manners. His messy eating makes the others, sans Zero Two and Futoshi, feel a bit squeamish. Taking a seat beside Zorome, Miku takes hold of his hands and as usual, is the only one capable of scolding him.
"Have some manners, will ya!" the redhead smacks Zorome on the head, hard. "Ugh, for someone so short, it's unbelievable how you could act like a pig.." her statement ticks the dirty blonde off.
"First of all, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SHORT. Second, lighten up will ya, it's just us anyways.." Zorome mumbles while he continues devouring. His eyes wander to his friend Futoshi who was conversing happily with Kokoro. Looking back at an irritated Miku, he nonchalantly points at the two and deadpans, "Maybe if you were as pretty as Kokoro chan, then maybe I'd listen to your nagging."
"WHY YOU LITTLE-
As the two fought, Futoshi's heart was beating like crazy seeing Kokoro so close to him. Donning a kimono, she wasn't wearing her usual headband, making her natural waves cascade loosely. She was currently giggling at a joke he made, making him marvel over how cute her laugh sound.
'She's like an angel…'
Due to his intense staring at the gentle blonde, Futoshi fails to notice the cream bread slowly slipping off his hand. Only when it falls down his chest and smears cream all over him does he snap out of his dream like trance. "A-ah! My yukata!" he cries out. While he fussed, Kokoro tries calming him down as she reaches for a table cloth. Leaning towards him, she gently wipes off the blotches of cream from his clothes, the contact making the ginger pause and flush.
"Stay still Futoshi kun, only a little more to go.." she tells him, focused on the task at hand.
"...Okay…"
Futoshi stays still for a moment, just as she told him, but he could feel his heart thumping crazily as more blood found its way to his cheeks, especially when she raises her head up to meet his gaze; her long lashes framing her ocean blue eyes, and to his pleasant surprise, her hand lifts to wipe off probably some remaining cream on his face.
"There. All better" she beams with a smile. 'SHE REALLY IS AN ANGEL!'
"Kokoro chan! I-
"AH, WHY DOES FATTY HAVE TO GET THAT TREATMENT FROM KOKORO CHAN!" Zorome cuts off whatever Futoshi was about to say to profess his envy towards the said guy.
"DO YOU HAVE TO SHOUT EVERYTHING YOU SAY?" Miku yells back towards his brashness, making Zorome turn to her annoyed.
"THAT APPLIES TO YOU TOO." He counters back, voice raising higher. Grabbing some sauce, he smears some on the redhead's cheeks, making Miku gasp in shock. Laughing at her messy face and reaction, he fails to dodge her counter attack as she smears some cream all over his face. With an evil gleam in one another's eyes, the two teens take hold of the anything within their reach, and to their friends' horror, proclaim at the top of their lungs.
"FOOD FIGHT!"
"You and Miku just HAD to throw food all over the place, huh?" Goro sighs, placing a hand over his temple. Moments ago, the whole dining area got messed up due to an argument from the two 'love birds.' Luckily, the caretaker was nice enough to let it pass, but not without making them clean the whole area (with Ichigo's initiative of course.) Now, all sore and sweaty from the cleanup, it was a relief for Goro to finally have relax and enjoy the hot springs.
"What? If she just stopped her nagging, then I would've never ever done it in the first place!" Zorome answers back, choosing to wade towards the more shallow part of the springs. Leaning towards the concrete, he stretches out his arms and folds them before resting his head on them. "Besides, it's all because fatty over here was flirting with his 'girlfriend'" he mutters enviously, glaring at the certain ginger haired man.
"Oh stop being a jellybean Zorome!" Futoshi brushes him off, his whole demeanor changing after being reminded once again of the moment he and Kokoro shared. Clasping his hands together, he says dreamily,
"Ah~ Kokoro chan is just so beautiful and oh so kind! I swear I could see hearts flying everywhere earlier!"
"Maybe you should get your eyes checked then." Mitsuru interrupts with his usual sarcastic tone, making Zorome cackle.
"Damn, for once, Mr. Broody here's right!" The blonde says in between laughs, but Futoshi remains unbothered.
"-Ah...what I'd do to have Kokoro love me the way I love her...it'd be a dream come true for me!" He gushes with a blush, making all the other guys, except Hiro, cringe in disgust; the raven haired boy, on the other hand, finds himself growing curious over Futoshi's sudden declaration of love.
"You love Kokoro?" Hiro asks, wading closer to Futoshi.
"Wasn't it obvious?" Zorome questions from afar.
Blushing at Hiro's query, Futoshi gives off a sheepish smile before answering. "Y-yeah, for a while now.."
"How'd you know?" Hiro tilts his head in genuine interest but Futoshi finds himself fumbling on what to say, "I...u-um..i-it's like.." luckily, Goro approaches the two with a boyish smirk forming on his face. Slinging his arm on the plump boy's shoulders, he says,
"It's like your heart's going crazy, isn't it Futoshi?" Goro winks.
"y-yeah!" the ginger nods fervently before detailing his own feelings for Kokoro, "I-it's like, being around Kokoro chan...thinking about her, your chest tightens..In a good way of course!" Futoshi laughs nervously before continuing. "It's like, her whole presence spreads this warm, fuzzy feeling even better when I eat the tastiest red bean bun!" he blushes.
"To put it simply, I love Kokoro chan more than I love bread, okay?" Futoshi exclaims to the whole group. "A-and, maybe...once the timing is right..I'll try confessing!"
A pregnant silence ensued after Futoshi's resolve, until a certain olive haired boy breaks it by hastily getting out of the warm spring water. Grabbing a towel, he heads off, but not before replying coldly, "..What a waste of time.." Once Mitsuru has left, the others find themselves taken aback by his sudden exit.
"Man, he's usually cold, but this is new!" Zorome comments, genuinely surprised. "He's probably in a bad mood or sumthin.."
Futoshi coughs, trying to ease the sudden awkwardness of the situation, before turning to Hiro would a small smile. "How about you Hiro? Don't you feel the same way about Zero Two?" his words automatically sends Hiro blushing like a tomato.
"I-I..!" Hiro chokes out, and seeing the boys' intent stares focused on him, he wishes he could just disappear at that moment. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, he submerges deeper into the water while murmuring, "I'm...not quite sure.."
"Is that so?" Futoshi says. "Well, you and Zero Two would make a great couple!" Hiro blushes harder, averting his eyes from the plump male. Goro couldn't help but chuckle over his best friend's flustered state.
"Hey now, let's not trouble Hiro any further, kay?" Goro says in amusement, only to be pressed by Futoshi with the same topic.
"How bout you, Goro? Have you ever been in love with someone?" taken aback, Goro's mind drifts off to an image of a certain bluenette. Smiling to himself, he responds to Futoshi with a playful wink.
"It's a secret~~"
"Mou, what a killjoy!" the ginger pouts, but quickly notices how quiet Zorome had become, which was quite weird given there was never a moment he wasn't loud and rowdy. "Yo, Zorome, how about y-" turning to check his friend, Futoshi instantly panics, followed by Goro and Hiro, the moment he sees the smaller guy passed out by the bath's corner.
"ZOROME!"
"Miku, you knew better than to engage in some petty food fight with Zorome.." Ichigo berates Miku with a small frown. With the mess the group had caused earlier, it was a miracle they weren't kicked out by the caretaker; still, it was stressful on their part and if it weren't for the hot springs, Ichigo would probably be irked for the whole day.
"I can't help it! It was Zorome's fault for being so annoying!" Miku snarls before wincing over her hair being scrubbed by Zero Two.
"To be fair, both of you were in the wrong.." Ikuno chimes in, opting to just dip her feet into the water.
"You guys should talk to each other later.." Kokoro softly says while hugging her legs closer to her body.
"Also.." Ichigo mutters while pinching the bridge of her nose in slight disappointment. "Zero Two, you just HAD to join in the food fight, did you?" Zero Two shrugs, continuing with her work on Miku's hair. Her fingers tangled themselves into the young girl's auburn tresses, making sure not a single scrap of food was left.
"What? You gotta admit, it was fun." she snickers but quickly shuts up once her eyes meet with Ichigo's unamused ones. "Yeah, ain't happening again." she whistles to herself, meanwhile, Miku was still fuming over Zorome's actions.
"Stupid Zorome..always so childish and annoying...even calling me ugly, HAH! Look who's talking, that shithead…" she grumbles angrily, making the other heave out a sigh.
"It seems to me, by the looks of it, you like Zorome." Ikuno states it as a matter of fact, making the redhead burn in anger and embarrassment. "-the more you hate, the more you love, is it not?" Ikuno adds with a small smirk threatening to show on her lips. Zero Two cackles over the sudden teasing towards Miku.
'Things are starting to get interesting!' she thinks to herself in amusement. Wanting to tease the redhead a little more, she leans down to whisper closely to the girl's ear.
"Perhaps, you really do have feelings for that boy?"
"E-eh?!" Miku squeals, pulling away from Zero Two and almost stumbling on her feet. With red stained cheeks, she exclaims haughtily, "There's no way I'd fall for that idiot! He's nothing but a good for nothing troublemaker that has an ego the size of a hot air balloon! Plus, he's a super duper pervert who just wanna get into my sister's pants!"
"Yeah, and you still hang out with him.." Zero Two deadpans with Ikuno agreeing as well. This infuriates the redhead even further, making her turn to Kokoro, who looked like she was about to get out from the bath. Grabbing hold of Kokoro, who lets out a startled yelp, Miku cries out,
"Ne, Kokoro! They're bullying me!" Miku whines cutely, making the blonde sweatdrop lightly.
"There, there, Miku…" she says while patting the girl on the head, an attempt to soothe Miku's raging emotions. "I'd love to stay, but I promised my grandma I'd call her by this time." carefully, she unwinds herself from the pouting girl's hold, "I'm really sorry! We can talk later, okay?" Kokoro waves to her and to the others as well before finally exiting the bath with a robe wrapped around her slender body.
"Mou.." Miku huffs, before Zero Two dumps some water all over her head.
After a few more rounds of teasing coming from Zero Two and Ikuno, the girls opt to just bask in the quietness of the place and just sit back and revel in the warmth of the hot springs until their bodies were flushed from the heat. All together, they get out from the bath and put on once more some freshly cleaned kimonos. Unbeknownst to them, while they managed to fully enjoy the benefits of the hot springs, the boys were frantic over their companion's unconscious and naked state.
"Yes grandma, we're safe here…" Kokoro murmurs through her phone. Aimlessly, she walked through what seems to be a hidden garden of the inn, given that there were lots of different flowers peppering the earth. Once she puts down her phone, the blonde spots a familiar figure amidst the nightly facade. Walking closer, she immediately recognizes who it is and decides to call out to them. Happily, she waves,
"Mitsuru kun!"
Jumping at the sudden mention of his name, Mitsuru turns to see Kokoro approaching him with a gentle smile. Momentarily taken aback, he immediately assumes his aloof persona. "..Kokoro san.." he acknowledges with a quiet murmur.
Smiling wider, Kokoro then notices that they were, indeed, in a garden of full of variety. Setting out to touch the succulents through its glass case, the blonde speaks out to Mitsuru through a question.
"Perhaps, you've taken a liking to plants?"
The olive haired boy averts his gaze from her curious blue eyed and shakes his head. "Not really."
"Then, why are you here?" she asks.
"I just wanted to be alone, that's all." he responds coolly, his fingers in hidden in his pocket to fiddle with his medicine bottle. Observant as she was, Kokoro notices what he was doing and decides to ask him about it.
"Have you been drinking your meds well?" her concern leads to Mitsuru narrowing his eyes at her coldly, and Kokoro recognizes it as a signal to drop that specific subject. Flustered, she bows in apology. "I-I'm sorry! It's just..I'm still worried about what happened before.." she says with her head hung low, but as she hears a sigh escape the boy's lips, Kokoro decides to take a little peek from underneath her lashes.
"That...was none of your business.." his words make her feel slightly uncomfortable, until he adds further, "This condition of mine is the least of my worries, so it shouldn't bother you.."
"..Mitsuru kun.." his name slips off her tongue in awe, when her eyes land upon a small field of bright red flowers. Captivated by its simple beauty, she moves past Mitsuru to look at them closely. "Wahh..such lovely camellia!" she exclaims excitedly before turning to her companion. "Ne, Mitsuru kun, have you ever heard of the language of flowers?" he remains silent but the gentle beauty continues on,
"These are camellia flowers; its meaning is 'perfect love.'" Approaching another set of flowers, she continues, "This is cattleya, which means 'alluring'. Oh! And that over ther-" realizing how quiet Mitsuru was being, Kokoro immediately stops her rambling and stares at him. As always, he had a stoic expression on his face, but Kokoro could see he didn't seem as cold as before; in fact, although she may be assuming things, he looked a little more relaxed.
"Ne, is it okay for me to chat like this?" She asks shyly.
"What do you mean?" he asks, slightly peeking at her crouched form.
"Well..you said you wanted to be alone, and..here I am rambling about something you might not be interested in.." her brows knit together worriedly. "I apologize if I'm bothering you…"
"It's a little too late for you to say that.." Mitsuru humours dryly, yet, this somehow makes Kokoro's eyes drop to the ground. Clearing his throat, he vehemently adds, "..it doesn't matter whether you keep talking about those kind of stuff...talking about what you're most passionate about, who am I to judge?"
Surprised by the reassuring nature of his words, despite his bluntness, Kokoro couldn't help but blurt out, "Really, that's cool.."
"Cool?" Mitsuru chokes out, not quite ready at the sudden praise.
The blonde nods. "You're so straightforward in everything you do and say..I wish I could be like you more.." she pauses before smiling nervously, "-but, I'm too afraid to do so…"
"..You..-
'Kokoro's so beautiful and oh so kind..' Futoshi's words from earlier rang inside his head, and thinking about it, Kokoro was indeed kind by default towards everyone she meets; it was like she had no flaw within her personality, yet, with her words, Mitsuru was quite sure that this girl who was constantly held at such high value, too, had secrets of her own.
"-I'm not the good girl you guys keep on talking about…" she whispers but Mitsuru could hear every word perfectly, further proving his own assumptions; still, her business wasn't his to worry about, yet, he wonders why the moment their eyes meet, her face immediately reddens.
"M-mitsuru kun..! No!" She stutters while hastily pulling on her kimono that has somehow hiked its way up her thighs. Her reaction leaves him clueless,
"Huh?"
"You're always staring at Kokoro's thighs.." A voice suddenly has them both jumping in surprise. Being cornered by no other than his cousin, Ikuno, Mitsuru flushes in embarrassment over the false accusation.
"You're wrong!" He argues. "We were just talking and it so happens Kokoro san was in that position!" he is left fuming when a visible smirk makes its way to his cousin's face.
"Really now.."
"Ikuno chan...what are you doing here?" Kokoro asks while standing up to pat her kimono from dirt.
"Ah," Ikuno turns to Kokoro. "We just finished bathing and were on our way to our rooms, till I found you and Mitsuru here all alone." she points to the olive haired boy who was still grumbling over her teasing. While Kokoro wasn't looking, she flashes the boy a smug grin, to which Mitsuru instantly responds with a cold glare, when suddenly, a loud sound booms from the inn. Alerted, all three run back inside to see the other girls staring in disbelief at an unconscious Zorome being lifted by Goro.
"Zorome kun..?!" Kokoro gasps in concern.
"What the hell happened to him?!" Miku cries out while pointing to the knocked out guy. "Don't tell me Zorome couldn't take the heat?"
"Seems to be it.." Hiro mutters while scratching his cheek.
'Mou! This boy is so troublesome!' the redhead huffs and crosses her arms in disdain. "So what now?" she asks the boys with a small frown.
"Um..I guess we'll be bringing him to a separate room?" Goro tells Miku, but to his surprise, the smaller girl approaches him and quickly unwinds Zorome out from his hold. With a slight struggle, she now had the sleeping boy leaning towards her thinner frame. "U-uh, what are you doing?" knowing just how brash these two could get when together, a cold sense of dread washes all over Goro. "You know..I could easily bring him to his room.."
"Nonsense!" Miku cuts him off with a dignified tone. "I could fare with this on my own, thank you very much!" she huffs as she begins walking away from the group. Some of the girls tried stopping her, but she just reassured them everything will be okay. "I'm used to this!" she beams with a confident grin.
'Besides, only I could take responsibility for this idiot..!'
'U-uhn..my head feels like shit..'
Releasing a groan of discomfort, Zorome opens his eyes to be instantly greeted with blurriness. Despite the intense light headedness he was feeling, the dirty blonde forces himself to sit up, flinching when he feels some damp cloth fall from his forehead. 'What the hell just happened?' he questions himself, trying to recall the events that happened earlier to no avail.
'We were just chilling in the hot springs, after me and Miku...Miku!' Zorome jumps in shock when he sees a small tuft of red hair sticking out from the side of his bed. Immediately recognizing it as his friend, Zorome hastily shakes Miku who was asleep.
"OI! MIKU! MIKU!" Thanks to his loud voice, the redhead's eyes began to flutter open.
"Huh..?" she murmurs sleepily, but lets out a distressed shriek when Zorome suddenly pulls her to him, their foreheads bumping painfully. Angry, Miku impulsively headbutts the poor boy, sending him backwards in pure agony.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR..!" Zorome cries out while holding his throbbing forehead.
"Same here! Why was your ugly face so damn close to mine!" she growls. Before Zorome could retaliate, another wave of fatigue washes all over him, making him plop down on his bed.
"Ugh..this is no good.." He groans out before peering at Miku with half lidded eyes. "Why..are you here?" he huffs out, body slowly getting covered in sweat. "What the hell happened back there?"
Miku sighs. "Goro and the guys told us you fainted in the hot spring." she chuckles lightly over Zorome's disbelieving expression. "Quite manly, don't ya think?"
"So why are YOU here.." he mumbles under the blanket, embarrassment weighing over him.
"Taking care of you, of course."
Zorome scoffs, turning to his side so he isn't facing Miku. "You're doing a crappy job, that's for sure.." he grumbles, still upset over the headbutt. 'I mean, who the hell headbutts a sick person anyway?!'
It was Miku's turn to scoff, yet, this time, she didn't do anything violent towards Zorome. Instead, she carefully picks up the cloth from his body and dampens it one more time with some cold water she had asked from the caretaker. Gently, she lifts the boy's messy bangs and places the cloth on his forehead; the contact eliciting a soft sigh of relief from Zorome's mouth.
"Be thankful. If I hadn't been doing this for an hour and a half, your fever wouldn't have gone down.." Miku scolds softly. "Mou, you really are such a pain at times!"
"Tch, stop acting as if you aren't one as well.." he argues back with a rasped throat. Surprisingly, he hears the redhead giggle.
"Well, you aren't wrong about that!" she teases, "I don't mind being a pain if it means being a pain in your ass!" Zorome couldn't help but let out a weak chuckle of his own. Slowly, he feels his body being lulled to sleep.
"Stupid woman.." he yawns, eyes fluttering closed, until the last thing he sees is Miku smiling at him.
"Just go to sleep, Zorome." he hears her say the moment his eyes shut close, "I'm not going anywhere for the time being.."
Unconsciously, his lips tug upwards into a smile. "I know that. Thanks Miku."
After all, we promised to be there for each other for forever, right?
"Miku hasn't returned, huh.." Ikuno mumbles while placing her glasses at the night stand. Quietly, she tiptoes to Ichigo's bed in order to not wake Kokoro, who was now sleeping soundly in her mattress. The blonde girl was supposed to wait for Miku, as they promised to sleep together, but unfortunately, sleep had already taken over her. It was only Ikuno and Ichigo up now.
"By the way, have you seen Zero Two?" Ichigo asks the dark haired woman once she sits beside her. The bluenette as well, was starting to feel a little drowsy; the effects of the hot springs.
"Mm.." Ikuno hums in reply, "I believe she said she was gonna explore a bit.."
Ichigo sighs as she lets herself lay beneath the covers. Ikuno just stares at her as she prepares herself to sleep. "Mou..I just hope she isn't up to any trouble…" Ichigo yawns, placing her hair clip by the bedside. "Hey Ikuno, aren't you sleepy yet?"
"I'm good."
"Huh...good for you.." Ichigo drawls out. Her eyes were starting to grow heavy but she tried her best to keep them open. Staring at half lidded green eyes, Ikuno's heart couldn't help but jump. "Ne, today was stressful.." the bluenette murmurs, making Ikuno chuckle in amusement.
"Ichigo, you're rambling." She muses, "You should get some sleep.." her orders went completely ignored by Ichigo, who just continued on with her sleepy mumbling.
"-Miku and Zorome...along with Zero Two..it was all so troublesome..yet, I too, had loads of fun…" Ikuno smiles fondly at Ichigo's content look.
"Really now?"
"Mhm!" the bluenette shoots her a drowsy grin as she exclaimed. "..I wish we could always have fun like this together…" her voice ends in a hushed tone, and before she finally succumbs to her nightly dreams, Ichigo whispers just loud enough for Ikuno to hear.
"...I love you, guys.."
'Really, this girl..' Ikuno sighs to herself. Scanning Ichigo's sleeping face, she memorizes all the details until it was forever ingrained in her mind; how Ichigo's lashes were long enough to touch her cheeks, how her nose would twitch from random intervals, or how her short blue strands would seemingly make its way to her face, framing it. Ikuno raises a hand to swipe away the hair on impulse, yet, she couldn't manage to pull away just yet.
With a trembling hand cupping the bluenette's cheek, her eyes trail downward to Ichigo's lips. Ikuno gulps. 'What am I doing? This is wrong!' she mentally berates herself, because one; her friend was sleeping and this can be seen as non consensual behavior, and two; whatever impulse she was feeling right now, wasn't right.
But oh, how Ichigo's naturally pink lips glistened thanks to the moonlight; how they'd cutely mumble incoherent words while she was asleep. In Ikuno's eyes, they resemble cotton candy, and with curiosity getting the better of her, she finds herself leaning down ever so slowly.
'If just for this night...I could..'
Only inches remain;
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'You've always been so kind to me..so gentle and warm..'
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Closer and closer…
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'
For long I've..'
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It was only a matter of time until-
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'Ichigo...I-
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Just one, last, push….
'I..'
"Hmm..there isn't really much in this inn, huh…" Zero Two hums to herself while checking every corner of the interiors. Thanks to her semi photographic memory, she managed to memorize most of the details, which might prove handy once she starts doodling again.
'Speaking of doodling, it's been quite awhile..' She thinks to herself. 'I hope I ain't rusty just yet..!' Before, Zero Two had all the time to draw since she was alone all the time, however now, she realizes how busy she suddenly was all thanks to her new friends and of course, her darling. A warm feeling bubbles up her chest.
'Friends..'
Yeah, that sounds nice..
In a light mood, Zero Two finds herself skipping through the walls. "Too bad I couldn't hang with darling more!" she says to herself, "No matter! I could ask him to hang at the apartment anytime..!" just the thought makes her giggle in anticipation, when suddenly, her skipping stops when she hears soft sniffles echo across the halls. "Is that..crying?" scanning the inn, a scary thought enters her mind.
'What if...don't tell me this place is haunted!' cold shivers run down her spine, but fortunately, she halts when she sees a figure sitting by the entrance of the inn. Listening carefully, she deduces that the sniffling, indeed, came from the figure. In fact, she could faintly distinguish quiet sobs eliciting from the person. Worried, Zero Two slowly approaches the figure, and in shock, stares down the back of a certain person she never expected to see in this vulnerable situation.
'..Iku..no?'