Two days lazily drifted by. Of course Yang's Pintendo CS had run out of batteries by now, and Yin could hardly stand all the bug bites she was getting for refusal of taking Yuck's advice and getting even one bit of dirt or grime in her fur. For the same reason, she ended up taking about three "baby-wipe baths" per day. Despite these hardships, the three got along well, even if Yang was still cautious around Yuck. It seemed as if the test would go fine even without his help.
That was the problem.
He was reclining on the thickest branch of a very tall, old tree while the other two were down at the lake, catching fish. From there, he had a good, clear view of the wilderness all around him, and even the edge of town the distance, opposite the mountains. It was a good, secluded spot to just relish the silence and lose oneself in thought, as Yuck was doing.
'Maybe they'll leave...' he couldn't help thinking. 'Maybe they'll leave and I'll have to go back to fighting Yin just to get her attention...' he grimaced ever so slightly. 'But what else can I do?'
"Buck up and suck up you waste of fur!" a voice not unlike his yelled into his right ear. He turned his attention toward the voice. It was the boy half of his conscience... or whatever.
"Buck up? Why don't you buck off?" he muttered back. "I can handle this myself."
"Oh really?" another voice taunted from his left. The girl half.
"You're pathetic! You managed to drive off an entire pack of wolves single-handed but you can't even tell Yin how you feel? WEAK!" her face was twisted up as if the very thought was repulsive.
"Oh, fine, say I do tell her. Then what? She'd hate me even more and never speak to me again!" the subject of her apparent disgust snapped back.
"Can I say something?" the boy half cut in.
"NO!" the other half screamed. "Following your advice never got us anywhere!"
"Fine jeez..." And with that, he promptly vanished, leaving nothing behind save for a thin puff of smoke, which in turn vanished as well.
"Look," the girl half went on, pinching the bridge of her nose, "If you like her so much then she's bound to feel the same way. And if she doesn't then just make her!"
"But-" Yuck started just as she, too, disappeared, leaving him confused and frustrated.
"Yuck?" a third voice called from far below. He leaned to view the forest floor below. Of course, who should the voice belong to but a certain pink rabbit?
Figures.
"What are you doing up there?"
He stifled a sigh and answered, "Nothing," as he levitated himself gently onto the ground in front of her.
"Are you okay? You sound upset," she observed, always able to pick up on the feelings of others. He was too distracted with his own thoughts to notice the worried look in her eyes.
"I'm fine, really," he lied, pretending he had an itch in his side to avoid looking directly at her eyes. "You and your brother catch anything yet?"
"Yeah, a few catfish and a bass. Yang's taking them back to the cave." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "I-I hope that's okay," she added quickly.
"Yeah, that's fine."
"Tell her." He could hear the girl half nagging at him from the back of his mind.
"So Yuck-" "Tell her!" "-I was wondering if-" "Tell her!" "-you'd like to go-" "Tell her!" "-and get some walnuts?" "TELL HER!" The two voices went back and forth. Yuck lightly shook his head and answered,
"Yeah I guess..." though the thought of being alone with her intimidated him. "Er, what about Yang?"
"Oh I don't think even he could manage to cause too much trouble in just a few minutes. Come on you big stinkwad," she half-teased, half-urged, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him along next to her.
"Y'know, Yuck," she began, "I really haven't gotten the chance to thank you for all your help. I'm sorry I didn't do it earlier."
"Well, I can't say I blame you..." he admitted, half to himself, reflecting on all the bad times they'd had. That time in Pong's Market when he'd been half-destroyed, the incident with the Toilet Brush of Illumination when he was destroyed again, the Fooplicates, Camp Magic Pants, and worst of all, the whole "Brett" incident.
She had kissed him that day.
But it wasn't meant for his lips.
It wasn't real.
And he'd betrayed her.
He never got over it...
"I know we haven't had the best past," she interrupted his thoughts and voiced them at the same time, "but I'm willing to look beyond that. You seem a lot nicer than I realized, and I was hoping we could be friends."
A mint wrist was abruptly yanked from a fuschia hand.
"That would never work and you know it," he replied dryly. "Good and evil just don't go together. Besides, what would your brother and Master Yo think?" Yuck tried to keep her from taking him down the road she was leading him too. If he didn't gather up what little self-control he had, then he would surely be pulled into an adventure he was quite ready for.
"They hardly think at all," she retorted, waving a hand. "Don't think I'm stupid, Yuck."
'I don't.
"I know as much as you do that you don't want the life you were given. I know you don't want to be evil."
"You... You what?" amber eyes widened minutely as their owner tried to process this. How does she know that? Did she notice when I held back in all those fights? Is it really that obvious that…' He didn't have time to think about it too much before she went on.
"That's right. You don't. So would you like to change your answer or go on lying to yourself?" she taunted, knowing full well she had him all figured out.
"Wait," he paused, "how did you know?"
"Oh, it wasn't too hard... I mean, why else would you help us? Why else would you hold back in all those fights?"
'So she did notice.'
"And why else would you even try to do all the things you've done? It's not like you wanted revenge or anything, and it's not like you're after more power…" seemed to have really thought this through. "On top of that, Yang is well known for pulling cheap stunts to get a girl's attention, and because of that, so are you." She wore a smirk and batted her eyelids at him.
"Am I right?"
Now Yuck was speechless.
She knew.
She knew everything, the entire time. What could he possibly say after that? "Yin, I-" "Ssshh..." She put a finger on his lips. Then she leaned in, gently wrapped her arms around his neck, and...
'Her lips are like velvet...' He put his arms around her waist, returning the kiss.
Finally.
After two years of fighting and hate and remorse and longing, they could be together.
And this time, it was for real.
The kiss ended and they embraced each other in a hug that lasted a few sweet moments. His eyes concealed themselves, letting their owner relish her scent. "How do you think Yang will take this?" he asked, half-worried.
"He'll either freak out or laugh," she answered bluntly.
"Yeah..." he gave a dreamy sigh before opening his eyes and noticing the sun was beginning to set, staining the skies a mixture of pink, yellow and red.
"So much for walnuts. We should get back to the cave," he suggested.
"Sure."
She took his hand in hers. Yuck was still reluctant of breaking the whole thing to Yang, but that didn't matter now. All he really cared about was that she had feelings for him just as he did for her.
"Toldja..." the girl half of his conscience poked in.
Author's Note: *GAAAAAAASP" OMGOMGOMG THEY KISSED EEEEEEEEE