Phoenix: I'll just be really frank right now and say that I'll skip most of the game, gonna go straight to Baku's question, hope you don't mind!
The gang played and played each other, throwing questions back and forth. Back and forth meaning not playing into Zanya or Baku, lest give them a chance to fire up the already created sparks. There was tension that rose with every question given, though it was between the two people who weren't asked at all. They were clearly waiting, with full anticipation, that a question would land on them, so they could embarrass the other.
"Gao, in a situation where if you chose one, the other would have to vanish, never will you see again, would you rather choose me or Tetsuya?" Kiri asked.
"Gosh man, that's harsh. How can I choose just one? Can't I just take both of you guys?"
"In real life, yes. In this question, no. Choose," Kiri forced.
"If I choose one, the other's feelings won't be hurt, right? It is just a game," Gao asked, making sure his friends wouldn't get mad at him.
"Naw man, I'm cool," Tetsuya said.
"It's okay," Kiri told his friend.
'But how can I just decide? Even I don't know who I should choose. Man… here goes nothing,' he thought, then he picked his hand off the ground and shut his eyes.
"Eeny meeny miny mo, which one of my friends will I choose for this question?" he said, changing the direction of his finger every time he let out a syllable. Everyone else dropped to the ground, exasperated with his way of deciding.
"Tetsuya my man, we're bonded!" he exclaimed as he slapped Tets a high-five.
"You do know that if you use this method to choose girlfriends, the one that didn't get picked would just slap you in the face," Zanya said, pushing up his glasses.
"I know, man. But these are my best bros, right?" Gao said, pulling both Tetsuya and Kiri under his arms, smiling his usual goofy smile.
"My turn! I pick… Baku!" he said in a fit of excitement without thinking. The colour from Zanya's face drained as soon as he heard the name.
"Finally! Hit me with your question and make it fast!" Baku exclaimed with sheer joy.
Gao stopped to think. No one would be that happy to be picked, right? Then he remembered the reason nobody has called on him for as long as they were playing between the four of them.
"Ahh… umm… Can I please take back the name?" he said, seemingly shrinking into a corner under Zanya's death glare.
"Nope! Now give it your best shot!" Baku said, slapping Gao hard on the back.
"Umm… well… would you rather sing Bruno Mars' 'Marry you' in front of the entire school or dance Gangnam style at Castle?" Gao asked, trying to be as creative as possible.
"Wow. When I said 'your best shot' I didn't think you'd take it seriously. Let me think…" Baku said, trailing off in his sentence. "I choose singing in front of the school. Okay now Zanya!" he rushed, not even giving time for his friends to comment on his answer.
"Heh heh… Would you rather kiss or be kissed by Kuguru? And you're going to do it after you make your choice." he asked with a mischievous smirk plastered on his face.
Zanya didn't answer, his face turned into pure shock while Kuguru blushed madly. One way or another, they were going to either kiss or be kissed.
"Are these questions allowed?!" Zanya asked embarrassedly, trying to escape this predicament of his.
"Anything is allowed so just go ahead and answer it," Kiri said, shrugging while everyone else, well other than Kuguru who was still blushing, started at Zanya, somewhat forcing an answer out of the boy.
"I… I choose…" he stammered, trying to hold off answering.
"Choose?" Gao and Tetsuya asked in unison.
"To… to be kissed."
"Ooh… So you like to be on the receiving end?" Kiri asked playfully.
"No!" he exclaimed.
"Kuguru, make it so," Baku said, swiping his finger from one side to another.
The girl, with her eyes shut, inched over to Zanya. He gave up resisting the group and let Kuguru's lips gently touch his cheek. By the looks of the blush on both their faces, you'd think that Kuguru was even more embarrassed by it. All the witnesses clapped their hands while giving them approving nods.
"Where's the ring, Mr and Mrs Kisaragi?" Baku asked, letting out a huge fit of laughter.
"Wasn't the kiss enough for your entertainment?" Zanya asked, reaching for and grabbing a tissue from the night stand.
"Guys, it's way past bedtime," Kuguru said, flicking on her tablet.
"Then we should just call it a day," Zanya said while turning to head out the door.
"Remind me again, when did we need to be downstairs for breakfast?" Gao asked as his friends left the room.
"8:30 latest. See you tomorrow," Baku said, waving to Gao before closing the door.
"Zanya, I'm done!" Kuguru said with her hair down after taking her bath. The boy looked up from his phone and got off his bed, swinging his towel and night-clothes over his shoulder as he headed into the bathroom.
"Go sleep first," he said, patting Kuguru as he shut the bathroom door behind him.
She stood there for a moment, looking lost in thought.
'Zanya's touch seemed really warm,' she thought as she touched the part of her shoulder that had been patted by the boy.
She walked over to her bed in her frilly pale pink nightgown. Tucking herself in, she suddenly remembered something.
'Oh no! I left all my clothes, even my lingerie inside the bathroom!'
Zanya hung his towel on the racks, and that's what he saw. Kuguru's clothing still dangling off it, including her pink and purple bra. Nosebleed.
'God damn it, why did she leave it here?! She knows I'm sensitive about… girl stuff,' he thought to himself as he washed the blood down the sink. Rubbing his nose, he pulled his towel off the racks and resorted to using the hook on the door.
"Maybe it's wiser if I don't ask at all…" he mumbled as he turned on the water.
'There's just one thing I don't understand so far,' he thought. 'Why would Kuguru fess up so hurriedly that day in school? She barely caught her breath at that time then dragged me away so we could talk at that one secluded spot. What's with the rush? A confession is serious business, that I know, but…' He sighed. There were so many things he had not yet understood.
'Anyways, I've got to give her an answer soon, and I think I've made up my mind. Kuguru, I'm confessing my love to you too.' He turned off the shower and changed into his clothes, making sure to take all his stuff with him before he left the bathroom.
Kuguru was still worrying about the lingerie she left in there until she couldn't sleep. When she heard the door open and a tired sigh let out, she ducked her head inside her pillow and pretended to be fast asleep. Zanya walked out with his right hand still ruffling his hair, and put away his usual clothes in his backpack. Hanging his rather wet towel in the closet, he looked over his shoulder.
'She is pretty cute when she's sleeping.' He smiled.
He sat down onto the edge of Kuguru's bed and looked at her for a few seconds. He pulled the blanket so that it covered more of her and looked at her some more.
'To kiss or be kissed,' he thought. 'I've experienced the be kissed part, maybe it's time to know what it's like to kiss someone else.' He gently brushed her hair away from her forehead, and looked at her seemingly sleeping face.
'Oh God, what is he going to do?' Kuguru thought exasperatedly.
He bent down closer to the girl and laid a soft one on her forehead, smiling and running two fingers through her hair after. He clambered into his covers and fell asleep.
'Zanya, why don't you have the courage to tell me how you feel?' she thought, tugging at her blanket and finally falling asleep.
Phoenix: Whoopee! This entire chapter was done in less than an hour and it's still the longest and the most satisfying! (For me, at least)
Kuguru: YESS! Finally the kind of fluff I've been waiting for!
Phoenix: You sure waited a long time for this, huh?
Kuguru: Of course! I was seriously getting impatient.
Phoenix: Believe me, I was waiting to get to this chapter myself. Shippers will be shippers!
Kuguru: I think I'm gonna melt away soon…
Phoenix: Well then get yourself together because there's gonna be even more fluff in the chapters to come, most likely in the next or the one after the next where I wrap up my story. Well then, read, enjoy, please review if you can and bye-bye!