AN: I can't believe all the compliments I've been getting! Thank you very much! Especially the praise concerning characterization makes me really happy, because it is a thing I worry about a lot. Kamina is one hard to write fellow, but I'm doing my best.
Also, I've been pretty busy since school began, but hopefully I can keep the updates coming... Okay, back to business: less ramble from me and more fanfiction! Am I right or what?

Enjoy!

Song "Midnight Show" by The Killers.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter four: Midnight Show

Eight days went by.

Yoko woke up to furious pounding. Her initial thought was that the roof was coming down – or to be more accurate, the floor of the apartment above – and to take cover. But before rolling under her bed, her senses kicked in and more rational thoughts flooded her mind.

She was laying flat on her back. On the floor. Just seconds ago, she had been all comfy and warm in her bed. And what the hell was that noise? She had difficulties to trace the source of the racket or the direction it was coming from. She listened for a little while longer, wide awake. Then, just as suddenly as the pounding had started, it paused… only to begin again after a couple of seconds.

Yoko jumped up with a start. It was coming from her door. Someone was there, someone who was desperate to get in. She immediately abandoned the first option to come to mind. It couldn't be a burglar; otherwise he'd have to be an incredibly stupid criminal and entirely on the wrong career.

She started to navigate across her bedroom and into the small hallway, feeling about her surroundings with her hands. With every step, the pounding got louder.

Realization dawned on her. Oh. Hell. No.

She flipped on the light and bumped the door open.

"Yo, " greeted Kamina.

Yoko shut the door in his face. A muffled "Hey!" could be heard through it.

Yoko leaned her back against the door and stared ahead with empty eyes. Kamina had begun to knock, lightly at first, but then in a more demanding tone. Then she heard ominous clattering from her mailbox.

"Red! Open up, it's me!" Kamina yelled through it.

Yoko snorted loudly in annoyance. "Don't shout. I can hear you just fine…you idiot." Her anger was making it hard to grasp just how surreal the whole situation was. She didn't appreciate being woken in the middle of the night, and it to be in this way – that she didn't appreciate at all.

"What do you want?!" She barked down to the mailbox. Kamina was trying to wiggle his fingers inside, and Yoko resisted the urge to shove the box's lid on him.

"I want to show you something," he told her like it was the most common thing in the world.

"What?" She snapped back, trying desperately to calm down. "I mean… can't it wait? Why did you come here in the first place...? And how the hell did you get in?" She could practically hear Kamina's grin.

"I was in the neighborhood, and then I thought of something so I came to check if you were still awake, and when the door down there was open I decided to invite myself in but it seemed that you were asleep so I had to make some noise…"

Only Kamina could come up with something like that. Yoko was silent for a while. "Like I said, can't it wait at least 'til tomorrow…? It's the middle of the night."

"Precisely! You should probably hurry up. We have a trip to make before I can show the thing." His words made Yoko run a hand across her face. 'He's not getting it at all…'

Maybe it would be better to reason with him face to face. Yoko opened the door up a fraction, and immediately Kamina's face appeared into her vision. "I'm not letting you in," she muttered. She then realized that she was in her pajamas, a top and her underwear, and was endlessly happy that he was still in the corridor. Sighing, she tried to look as stern as she could in that situation.

"Look. I can't deal with your tricks right now. I'm tired. I was asleep. Why can't we do this later? It can't be that important."

"You'll just have to trust me." Kamina stated simply, not even grinning in his usual way. "I'll wait here for ten minutes. If you come, you come, if you don't… Well, let's say you'd be missing out on something big." His calm voice sounded foreign to Yoko, who had thought that anything concerning Kamina was all fun and games. Supposedly she was wrong and he could be mature, too. She closed the door quietly.

It was this particular change in him that intrigued her. After thinking for a while she went about finding something to put on.

Five minutes later, Kamina heard a noise from behind him and turned to find an apprehensive looking Yoko. His lips rose to form a tilted smile. Yoko's eyes studied his form carefully, until she murmured, "Alright. Let's go."

Kamina nodded and jogged down the stairway with Yoko in tow. Outside she was happy to have brought her hoodie along, pulling the sleeves to cover her fingers. A cold wind swept over them as Kamina took something from the shadow where it had been propped up against the building's wall.

"It's a… bike." Yoko declared, dubious. A bike. Not two. And why couldn't it be a car like last time…?

"Hop on, " urged Kamina.

Yoko inspected the bike skeptically. It was a piece of junk; the paint chipped and the frame spotted with corrosion. "You're serious, aren't you…" she mumbled quietly to herself, and then said aloud: "What happened to that car? Did you trash it on the way home? I hope you didn't hit anybody. "

"With my superior driving skills? Don't mock me." Kamina said quite nonchalantly, without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He then motioned back to the bike, and Yoko took a few hesitant steps before setting on the carrier above the back wheel. She eyed their current method of transport incredulously, partly expecting it to fall in pieces. Miraculously enough, the bike withstood both their weight and after a wobbly start they took off.

Cold stream of air caught her hair and made her shiver in spite of her hoodie. She hoped the drive wouldn't be long. Not a single being, apart from a stray cat, crossed their way and the only sound was the bike's continuous creaking. The only words being said were quiet curses from Kamina every time a hill came along.

After twenty minutes Yoko noticed that they were going further away from the city, which wasn't a long trip as she lived in the city's outskirts. Buildings shrank in numbers when vegetation grew. Yoko figured that they were heading in the direction of the old railroads.

And sure enough they came to a bridge reaching over the numerous rails that crossed and curled around each other like serpents. The bike squeaked awfully when Kamina hit the brakes and got off. Yoko followed his example, rubbing her sore behind. She looked around. To her right she could see the large shadow of a building looming in the darkness. It was the pit stop and storage for train cars. At least it used to be.

This night just kept on getting stranger. She turned to look at Kamina and scrunched her eyebrows. He was digging around in the bushes before the bridge, his back towards her.

"Here, found it," he called before Yoko could even ask what he was doing, and waved her to come closer. Amidst the shrubs was a small path that by the looks of it was rarely used. It led downhill, all the way to the rails. Kamina went to get the bike. "Hurry up. If we get caught, I'm deserting you."

Yoko's eyes turned into slits as she stared at his back, but decided not to bother with an answer. She knew it to be a lost cause.

She started to descend along the path, choosing her footing carefully. Roots and large rocks on the excuse-of-a-path made it hard to walk, and she hoped not to end up in one of those bushes with menacing thorns sticking out. She felt incredibly stupid, sneaking around in the dark. This would've been remarkably easier in daylight. Now they looked like criminals with no self-respect.

Kamina followed behind her, telling her constantly to hurry up or they'd be here come dawn, right 'til Yoko snapped.

"Why the hell did you want me to come if I'm such a hindrance?!" She stomped around, fuming.

"Take it easy, Red. We're here." His lame reaction only made her mood worsen and his relaxed voice grated on her nerves. Nevertheless she glanced over her shoulder to see that they had indeed made it down. Kamina walked the bike around her and put it against the fence surrounding the railway. He then stopped to eye the obstacle like it was his personal enemy.

Yoko stepped closer. "What now…?"

Her words didn't get an answer as Kamina had made up his mind and simply kicked down the fence. It tumbled down clattering noisily, its constructions weakened with rust and age. Kamina stepped over the wreckage to the other side, turning to see if Yoko was following.

She hesitated for a moment before climbing behind him. Now this was definitely trespassing, if not illegal. The worn out signs on the fence made crossing over prohibited. But, it seemed that Kamina didn't feel like there was a problem; striding confidently over the rails like that. Yoko hurried after him, not feeling comfortable alone amongst the black, shiny rails. With the silhouette of the bridge hanging over them, the whole scene was creating an eerie atmosphere.

Soon they had crossed over and were at the other side. Here was a fence just like the one before, with the exception that it had already collapsed. Kamina pulled her up on the bank, where they gazed at another hill ahead of them, this time more steep and high. The ground was covered with hay reaching up to her thighs and flowers that had closed their petals during nighttime.

"What is this place?" Yoko asked, watching the hay swing in silence.

"Don't know," replied Kamina, "I'm guessing private property." He shrugged, not at all concerned with this.

"In other words… we shouldn't be here." Yoko noted. "So you're a bad boy, huh?"

Kamina smiled, starting the walk upwards. "Let's go." He pulled her along.

Yoko didn't resist, but there was nothing to keep her from complaining. "This is stupid. You're taking me hiking before dawn? And that horrible thing we came here on, seriously…" It really wasn't your ideal second date.

"A little exercise has to be made to prevent your ass from getting fat. If that happens, I'm breaking up with you." He sounded too serious to be joking, but Yoko really wasn't worried about his rudeness. She felt they had something else that needed clearing up.

"Kamina…" she started, looking for the right approach, "you get it that there really isn't anything to break up with? I mean you dragging me around to do crazy stuff… That really doesn't qualify as dating." She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "I don't want to be cold, but this is how it is."

"So, what you're saying is that you haven't thought about me at all since last week?" He didn't sound at all thrown off, just mildly puzzled. He watched as she struggled with her reply.

"Well… no…" Truthfully, she had thought about him a little. Well, not so much as she had thought about his words before they had parted over a week ago. They still made her lose her balance. There were definite warning bells going off in her mind, but on the other hand, him proving not to be some lady-killer had made her feel… well, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. 'Relieved, I guess?'

"But you didn't call me after that, so I thought there wasn't more to it."

This time, Kamina shot her a dry look. "You didn't give me your number," he reminded before continuing, "and I expected you to make the next move. No good for me to keep trying if you aren't interested, right?"

'…then why are we here…' Yoko thought but didn't say anything; it looked like he wasn't finished.

"Then this thing came up and I couldn't wait anymore. But don't worry, I won't try anything - it's just that we came this far, so let's check it out and then we can go. I won't come to your store anymore."

So he could let it go after all? And without sounding bitter or disappointed, either. It was pretty adult of him. Yoko looked at him with widened eyes before nodding. After a pause, she added: "…thanks."

"Yeah." He waved her off. "It's your loss anyway."

Yoko smiled.

The rest of the trip was made in silence. Yoko felt a little more relaxed, but her conscience knocked. 'Stupid conscience.' She had nothing to feel guilty about; she had refused him properly, he had taken it rather well - end of story. Maybe she had, deep inside, hoped to keep this strange man around for a little longer…but such silly desires had to be suppressed. She couldn't abide her every whim, now could she? Before she could notice, they had finally reached the top of the hill. A fierce wind burst from behind her; she hadn't realized that they climbed that far. Below could be seen the bridge, the rails, and on the opposite side thousands and thousands of lights were glittering. They were farther from the city than she had originally thought.

And, above them—

"…beautiful," she breathed, her eyes fixated on the night sky, so vast, reaching over them almost endlessly… Countless stars dotted the dark, satin like blue, sparkling almost in an unreal way. It was like a fabric with a unique weaving of jewels all size and color.

Dry hay ruffled when Kamina sat down beside her, looking up as well. "Pretty special, huh? But I guess it's nothing compared to my hometown…" He mused, the later part sounding like he was just thinking aloud. Yoko mimicked him and sat down, eyes still aimed upwards. Pale moonlight rained down on them.

"So you weren't born here?"

"No. I used to live in Jeeha village. What a pathetic place, really." He chuckled with dry realization in his voice. This made Yoko look at him.

"You don't miss it?" she inquired, "I moved here from the country as well, and while the city is definitely better, I still think about home sometimes…"

"Well, the stars were brighter, but that's it. I'm never going back."

"But what about your family? Don't you see them anymore?"

"I don't have any, as far as real family is concerned. I don't remember my mother at all. My old man used to take me with him, to watch the stars, but that's the only memory I have of him. He split when I was a little kid and I haven't seen him since."

His face held and empty look and his eyes were distant.

"People in my village said that he was a good-for-nothing dad, so maybe its better that he left. Anyway, I didn't have any relatives so I was taken into foster care, and tossed around the families in my village. I always knew that there had to be a bigger, better place, so I took Simon and left as soon as I could."

"Simon…? But I thought you didn't have any relatives?"

Kamina's expression changed, softened, into a silent little smile.

"He's a brother of sorts. We're not related by blood, but since we got placed into the same foster family, he's been the only family I ever had, or ever truly needed." He glanced at Yoko, who had a thoughtful expression.

So he could act all sober and grown-up when it came to important things. He probably was a dependable big brother.

"This may sound funny, " she said quietly, "but I'm a little envious of you. I was an only child, and every Christmas I hoped for a little sister or brother…"

"You're crazy," he replied and they both laughed companionably before relapsing back into silence.

Minutes went by, but Yoko found herself entirely content, just sitting here and watching the glistening mosaic over them.

"I'm really happy you brought me here." Her voice was soft, almost like a whisper.

"Yeah," he repeated simply, losing all pretences.

Their eyes met. Yoko moved by instinct, closing the distance between them and bringing their lips together. Kamina seemed bewildered at first, but then dived into the kiss willingly. His mouth moved against hers in the most wonderful way. The sensation made her mind fill with sudden, striking feelings so strong they almost scared her, but still she inched closer to him and leaned even further.

Kamina was the first to retreat, and Yoko's eyes opened slowly. Apart from that, their eye contact hadn't been broken for a second.

"What…" He was, for once, at loss for words.

Yoko blinked, but then their eyes were locked again. "I don't know. But I liked it." Her hand moved on its own, touching his hair, and her lips grazed his again. She couldn't stop it. '…wait a moment now, why did I say that so easily…'

Kamina let go of his surprise and lay on his back in the grass, pulling Yoko next to him. His arm only settled under her head, but otherwise he just let her be, guessing, quite correctly, that she had a lot of thinking to do. Right now her words were in direct contradiction with her actions.

The spell, or whatever it was, was gradually wearing off her and she was feeling a little more in hold of herself. She wasn't sure what had just happened. The kissing, of course, was clearly in mind but just why she had done it – that was unclear.

Maybe his words had changed how she viewed him. No longer was he just some random guy playing around, but a man who not only was respectable, but actually earned that respect; someone trustworthy and mature perhaps even beyond his years. Speaking about his past there was not a trace of remorse on his face, like he had been able to let go of those certainly difficult things. This Yoko appreciated the most. Not bearing a grudge, moving forward, thinking of what was important.

Then her own feelings; she could now see him as someone to be interested about, but there was more to that. She didn't kiss men just because she thought she could potentially like them, so that was certain. Physical attraction. Memory of his lips lingered on her mind. That and his good qualities suddenly revealed to her, making something inside her stir.

Would it be so bad to let romance mix with her, only for the vacation? It could be fun, it could be bad, but it would be something to shake her from her stupor. What was more, that romance seemed dead bent on invading her life. All she had to do was stop resisting.

On the way home, she let Kamina's fingers close around her hand. His hand was warm and big and made her forget about the cold wind biting their cheeks, for now her skin emanated only heat caused by his touch.