The airport: a gateway to adventure. The place where a journey begins, and also where it ends. The place where countless meetings and partings occur. The crossroads for thousands of paths on a daily basis. For Megurine Luka, it symbolised the commencement of yet another dreamy vacation.
After paying the taxi fare, the pinkette stepped out of the cab and into the late Saturday morning sunlight, sliding her arm through the strap of her flower-print shoulder bag. The cab driver opened up the trunk and handed her luggage, an incredibly colourful duffel bag, to the girl. With eager steps and a bright smile on her face, she made her way to the entrance of the building. The automatic doors opened with the all-too-familiar swoosh as she walked inside.
Doesn't matter whether it's the States, Europe or Japan, the airport doors always 'swoosh' the same, Luka noted to herself nostalgically. And it's always filled with a whole lot of people.
She was indeed greeted with the usual scene of an airport's main hall. Long queues of tourists, businessmen and vacationing families snaked from the check-in stations, generating a basic level of noise alongside the various announcements booming from overhead.
Rather than joining the line-ups, she ambled across the hall, all the while scouring the crowd for a certain familiar face, to one of the sitting areas. This particular one had a sculpture placed in the middle of it for decorative purposes. It was an amorphous figure, boasting of just as many curves as sharp edges, with parts standing out in all directions. The base color was a pearly white, adorned with black lines of various thickness, shape and size. The abstract modernity of the creation was contrasted by the plain wooden benches circling around it; some of them occupied, some of them not.
The pinkette placed her baggage onto an empty bench the nearest to her and took a seat. She sent a scrutinizing look towards the sculpture, acquainting herself with the details of it. She tilted her head and leaned her body to the left, hoping the new angle would give some meaning to the peculiar creation before her eyes. It didn't. However, she did spot something else of interest, on the other side of the sculpture.
A person was sitting on the bench, reading a newspaper. It was one of those traditional papers that were completely in black and white, without any illustrations and were pretty big when unfolded, enough to completely cover you from view; exactly like in the movies. All Luka could see was a black fedora hat peeking out above the paper. She chuckled in amusement.
She stood up from the bench and coughed into her fist, replacing her joyful expression with a poker face. She sauntered towards the suspicious individual, carrying her baggage in hand. A pair of designer shoes and stylish black pants came into view, with a dark navy blue trolley case standing by the bench; without a doubt, owned by a young man. She came to a halt directly in front of him, at a few steps' distance. Black sunglasses were barely visible past the top of the newspaper.
"Excuse me, sir?" Luka called out to him, purposefully using a polite and innocent tone. He raised his head hardly discernibly, making sure that the newspaper still kept his visage hidden.
"How may I be of service to you, Miss?" he inquired, of equal politeness.
"You seem to have been waiting here for a while now," she began to explain, twirling a strand of her cotton candy pink hair around her finger, "and I was hoping that you could tell me if you've seen my acquaintance pass by."
"It'd be my pleasure to be of assistance to you, Miss. What are the defining features of your acquaintance?" he asked, relentlessly shielding his face with the newspaper.
"Let's see... He's a little bit taller than average height and looks to be about twenty. He's probably carrying a dark navy blue trolley case..." Her gaze wandered over to the one standing by the bench.
"I'd figure that he's wearing sophisticated-looking clothes, like a businessman. Designer shoes, stylish black pants, that sort of thing. Sunglasses, too, even though he's indoors," she added, trailing her gaze along the mysterious man's garments.
"But what stands out the most," Luka paused as she promptly sat down beside him, while the man remained motionless, "is his long, lavender hair that he tries to keep hidden under a black fedora hat when out in public."
With a swift motion right on cue, she grabbed his hat and removed it from his head, letting a messy, braided ponytail of lavender hair cascade down his back. Accompanied by a lively chortle, he set the newspaper aside and took off his sunglasses.
"Well played, Luka," he complimented her, finally turning to face the girl. Azure eyes connected with sapphire orbs, conveying more emotions in that single moment than a thousand words ever could.
"Not too shabby yourself, Gakkun," she returned the praise, breaking into a smile. "I almost didn't notice you this time. But the setup itself was a dead giveaway."
Before he could object to the statement, she brought her lips to his in a sweet kiss, their eyes slipping closed as they savoured the affectionate contact to its fullest. Much to their regret, they were in a public place, so the kiss had to end sooner than they would've liked it to.
"I missed you so much, my dear Luka." He was the first to speak up, replacing the previous connection by putting his hand over hers and caringly caressing it with his thumb as he looked into her eyes once more. The simple phrase was enough to bring her cheeks a shade closer to the colour of her hair.
"Don't be silly, we talked on the phone just last night," she chided him, keeping eye contact.
"You know how I meant it," he clarified. He looked away from her before continuing, feigning a hurt expression. "Though I suppose I am merely an acquaintance to you."
The pinkette burst out in laughter, weakly punching him in the arm with her free hand. I missed you, too, my dear idiot.
"Indeed, an acquaintance," she went along with the tease for a little bit longer. "A very close acquaintance of my heart, that is. Calling you my boyfriend just wouldn't do it justice."
He chuckled in response, reverting his gaze to her lovely face adorned with a huge smile. "Nice save."
"Hey, shouldn't we get in line to check in soon?" Luka asked after a brief silence.
"Oh, no need to worry. There has been a minor change of plans. We won't be taking a charter flight, nor will we be going to the Kurokawa Onsen," he told her calmly.
Luka's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing the unexpected announcement. After the initial shock had passed, she raised her eyebrows sceptically. "Explain yourself, mister."
"Fear not, we're still going on vacation. Due to various circumstances, I ended up switching destinations with my producer. We're going to his personal vacation house, coincidentally also located near a hot spring. His private jet shall serve as our transportation," he clarified the details.
"Ah, one of the many perks of being Kamui Gakupo, the new rock star sensation," she commented, rewarding him with a kiss on the cheek. It succeeded in conjuring a soft pink onto his complexion.
"Regardless, we should head off soon. We wouldn't want to waste a minute of our vacation together," he declared. Luka nodded in agreement.
Gakupo put the fedora back onto his head, once again concealing his lavender locks. Luka used the chance to stand up from the bench and pick up her luggage before he could take it. He took note of the motion, but opted against offering to carry it for her. She wasn't the type to be treated like a princess... for everyone to see. He got to his feet as well and grabbed hold of his baggage, while he slipped his free hand into hers. Together, they merged into the flow of people.
"You look like an octopus," Gakupo voiced his recent discovery with serenity and in complete seriousness as he looked down at the girl cradled in his muscular arms.
"Excuse me?" Luka snapped back, not entirely sure if she should take the observation as an insult or a compliment, slightly pulling away from him.
A strained silence settled in between the lovers. Nature's orchestra, with the grasshoppers' evening tune and the gurgling waters of the hot spring, only served to elevate the tension in the air. It was a medium-sized pool of water, circled by rocks of various size and shape, though they were sitting in a partially enclosed area of it.
"Since when are octopi pink?" she wondered, in a somewhat incredulous tone.
"Ah, no, it's not the color," he commenced his explanation, taking a tuft of her hair into his hand and playing around with it.
Gakupo had put a lot of thought into the matter. Night after night spent in the soothing waters of the hot spring, he pondered on the strange familiarity of Luka's features. Certainly, he had spent years watching the girl, etching every detail of her being into his mind. However, there was just something different about her in this environment. It took him almost a week, but he had finally realized the resemblance.
"Though I suppose an octopus could turn pink, if properly flattered," he added as an afterthought.
"Oh, I'll show you pink... crimson, even," she threatened him, adding emphasis to her words by raising a fist.
"No need for that," he calmed her with a lopsided grin, placing his hands over hers. "It's how the tufts bear a likeness to tentacles. Adorable, puffy tentacles."
Ah yes, he's my idiot all right, the pinkette reminded herself in thought. She came close to erupting in giggles, but managed to restrain herself for a while longer. Let's see just how octopus-like he makes me out to be.
"Go on," she encouraged him, looking up at him eagerly.
"And your eyes!" he exclaimed, giving her a small scare. "They bulge out a little bit and seem a tad too big for your head, especially with that expression. Very adorably, might I add."
Her face froze into said expression, unable to decide on how to react to that last statement. Or maybe I shouldn't let him continue. I'll beat him up that much worse in the end, she mused.
"And so, I shall henceforth call you Tako Luka," he announced in a ceremonious tone. He beamed with delight from his genius idea.
She could stand it no more: she plummeted into uncontrollable laughter, partially out of amusement and partially out of desperation, bordering on maniacal. It's not every day that your boyfriend sweet-talks you by comparing you with a sea creature. A generally ugly and creepy one, to boot. And strangely manages to sound romantic despite it all!
Gakupo stared at the hysterical girl, dumbfounded. Worry began to slink into his eyes when she had not stopped laughing after several minutes; had she gone insane for good? At that precise moment, her laughs came to a halt and she regained her composure. He let out a sigh of relief.
"If that's the case, then Tako Luka's going to eat your face now," she declared with an entirely serious expression.
True to her word, the pinkette slapped her palms onto his cheeks and swooped in to take possession of his lips.
The days passed by in too rapid of a succession. It seemed like they had only barely arrived and made themselves comfortable in the vacation house when the last night was already upon them.
Luka leaned on the wooden railing of the balcony, resting her head in the palm of her hand as she gazed up at the countless sparkly stars of the deep blue sky. A gentle breeze swayed the light fabric of the maroon yukata she was wearing and played with the few strands of her hair that escaped from the bun she had styled it into. The magical moment only lacked one thing: however, it was well in her capabilities to remedy the situation.
"Usubeniiro ni somaru, kaerimichi ni kimi omou,
Arukinareta kawara ni wa, setsunasa hakobu haru no kaze,
Hanarete sugiru hibi no naka, omoide ni tachitomari,
Haru no yozora miagereba, onaji hoshi mite nani omou,
Hana moyauyau ike no hotori,
Uta koso nahookashiki mono nare,
Haru no yoru no yami wa ayanashi,
Yume niya miyuran kimi koishi."
The wind carried her clear voice and pure feelings over the treetops and across the mountains as the song continued. As the last syllables resounded into the night, warm hands curled around her waist and enveloped her in a gentle embrace.
"Every time I hear you singing, it makes me fall in love with you all over again," Gakupo whispered into her ear, his tone laden with emotion. A warm, fuzzy feeling bloomed in her heart from his deep, velvety voice.
"Thank you for bringing me here. This is a magnificent spot and I enjoyed every minute of our vacation," she told him, letting out a wistful sigh. "I wish we could stay another week."
"I'd love to stay as well, here, with you. Alas, the dream has to end and we must return to our lives again until next time," he put the harsh truth into words. "You have your brother to take care of now. You've been hiding it well, but I know you're worried about him."
"Of course, that's a given. We spend a decade apart without really keeping in touch and then he suddenly becomes my complete responsibility. How could I not worry?" she suddenly began to pour out her anxieties. "But I have to trust him, that Daddy raised him properly. And I couldn't have stood the thought of not seeing you."
"You'll see him tomorrow, and I'm sure he's doing just fine. Have you heard any news from him?" Gakupo inquired, hugging her tightly in comfort.
"From him personally, no. But I expected that... So I asked Miku-chan to check up on him before I left, and she sent me a text a couple of days ago that he's doing okay," Luka informed him. "Well, the house is standing, at least."
"Then you have nothing to fret over," he concluded. "With time, he'll open up to you. It was just as sudden a change for him as it was for you... All he needs is a bit of space to get used to it. In the mean time, I know you'll take excellent care of him."
"I suppose you're right. Let's enjoy our last night together, ne?" she suggested, turning around to look at him, a coy smile appearing on her lips.
"I have no objections to that," he acquiesced, kissing her on the forehead.
Disclaimer: Luka's song is called Kimi Koishi, and belongs to EasyPop (BETTI), the NND code is nm9325841.
Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, everyone! The next chapter's going to come sooner, I promise xD
I forgot to mention it in the previous chapter, but Len's certain expression is one the Nendoroid expressions, and I have my friend to thank for inspiring me with it ^^
This chapter is dedicated to my faithful proofreader, Sakagami Hina. All you GakuLuka fans can thank her for suggesting that I write about their vacation =)
Also, a huge thanks to the people who reviewed! Even if I don't always reply, it makes me happy to hear your feedback =) I obviously enjoy writing my own story, so it's nice to know that others are enjoying it, too ^^