｢Chapter 8｣
Fighter laid on her bed staring at the ceiling. 'One more hour til my birthday is over." Turning over to her stomach, Fighter reflected, 'It's a nice day today. At least I didn't spend it alone as what I thought I would in the first place. And the pleasant surprise from Ouhi during dinner just adds more joy to my birthday.'' Fighter smiled a little as she remembered the faces of her comrades.
Then suddenly, she winced. Pain was filling full in her. 'Maker didn't remember that it was my birthday.' Tears started filling her eyes. 'It felt sad. It felt lonely . . .' Fighter frowned a little. 'Why am I feeling this way. Why do I feel sad when Maker said that she had forgotten about my birthday. Why do I feel empty when Maker stopped communicating with me since that day. Why did it mattered to me whether Maker liked someone else. Why is this so? Did I fall for her?'
Fighter glanced at the moonstone bracelet that she had placed at the bedside table. 'Since when? Do I like Maker because of who she is, or is it because of the consolations she gave me during this period of time, when I'm grieving over the unrequited love for the moon princess? And would she feel the same way like I felt, for someone who never had her love returned?'
"Fighter, are you asleep?" Maker's muffled voice across the door was heard in Fighter's room, interrupting Fighter's self interrogations .
'Maker? She's looking for me?' Fighter thought in her mind. "No!" Fighter shouted back as she dried the tears in her eyes on her pillow.
"Can I come in?" Maker asked.
'Why is she looking for me? It's unusual for her to look for me in my room. I'm usually the one who goes over to her room. Not her coming into my room. Does this means that we are over this awkward period that have been on throughout the whole month? ' Fighter asked herself as she got off her bed. Fighter walked towards the connecting door and opened it. Maker's palm was on the door knob on the other side. So when Fighter opened the door, she sent Maker toppling over her own self.
"You okay?" Fighter asked as she held on Maker's tall physique.
"Yah." Maker replied as she regained her balance.
"So, you're looking me ?" Fighter questioned as she moved towards the sofa set in her room.
"I'm here to say Happy Birthday to you. " Maker responded, following behind Fighter, and pulled out something before Fighter. "And this is for you." Placing it on the table, Maker began to move out of Fighter's room.
"Wait!" Fighter yelled out as she grabbed Maker's retreating hand, making Maker to sit on her sofa set with her. "Where did you get this? Did they start selling this on kinmoku? How come I don't know about it?" Fighter asked, as she picked up the hamburger Maker had placed on the table.
"No they are not selling this on a Kinmoku." Maker replied without looking at Fighter.
"Then how did you get this?" Fighter asked excitedly, totally forgetting about the sadness that filled her previously. It had been three years ever since she saw her favourite food, let alone to taste it. And now on her birthday, she had this 'dream food' appearing right in front of her. It did felt like she was dreaming now.
"I made them." Maker answered her breath.
"You made them? How?' Fighter asked as she took a big bit out of the burger. She had a full meal previously, but the hamburger is too good a temptation to resist.
"Jupiter passed me some recipes of Earth delicacies when she was here a month ago." Maker explained as she stood up, preparing to leave the room. That was what she intended to do until Fighter tugged her back to the seat.
"What do you want, Fighter? "Maker asked with slight irritation. She just want to get out of the room as soon as she could. Any moment spent alone with Fighter is killing her away.
Placing the food that she was holding in her hand on the table, Fighter forced Maker to look at her eye to eye, the thing that Maker was avoiding to do all these while. "I just want to know what happened to us this whole month. You are not acting as your usual self. You're not talking to me."
Maker tried to break the eye contact, but Fighter's grip on her face was firm. So she closed her eyes, choosing not look at Fighter. "No, nothing had happened. You've worried too much." Maker choked out. "Can I leave please?
"No you can't" Fighter stated bluntly. "You are not leaving until we get through about this issue today. What happened?" Fighter asked again.
"Nothing. I've said a lot of times, nothing had happened." Maker insisted.
"Is it because of that kiss that night? You have been acting weird since that night, didn't you?" Fighter stated the fact out as she let go of her grip on Maker's cheek.
"I said no before, didn't I? Why would I be bothered and angry about the pra-ank you had made. It's not the first time you pulled prank on me." Maker whispered out softly, shuttering a little as she mentioned the word prank.
"But your actions aren't telling me the same things, Maker." Fighter said sadly as she pull her knees close to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.
"What did my actions told you then?" Maker loosen a little, but still having the tense feeling within her.
"You're upset. And you're avoiding me." Fighter replied truthfully.
Maker remained silent. 'True. I'm upset and I'm trying to avoid you. But what else can I do? The yearning for your love is growing stronger and stronger. I can't let it be. You will never return it, Fighter.'
Fighter took Maker's silence as an acknowledgment to what she had mentioned earlier on. "Sorry." Fighter managed to blurt out.
"You don't have to be sorry, Fighter. You did nothing wrong. It's not because of you." Maker said softly before falling back into silence.
The two of them sat in the room in silence. Awkwardness started to fill in the room, with the two of them seated on the sofa. Maker broke the silence. " Enjoy the food Fighter. I'm turning in. " With that, Maker stood up from the sofa, and started walking towards the door.
Fighter, realising that Maker was no longer at her side, started to panic a little. Without thinking, Fighter ran after Maker and hugged her tightly from the back before Maker could leave the room.
"Wh-a-t are y-ou do-ing?" Maker shuttered. She was ultimately shocked by the actions.
"What am I doing?" Fighter repeated. Then she realised what was she doing. She let go of her grip on Maker's waist immediately. "I'm . . . sorry" 'What am I doing? What are you doing Fighter?'
Maker did not turn back. When she heard Fighter's apology, she closed her eyes and continued walking forward back to her room.
'Am I going to just let this be?'
"Wait Maker!" Fighter called out once again, reaching out for Maker's hand this time round. "Don't leave. I don't want you to leave." Fighter cried out.
Fighter felt Maker's muscles stiffened. "Why?" Maker asked under her breath.
"Stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone tonight." Fighter begged, not answering Maker. "Say you will stay with me."
"Why? Fighter, why?" Maker repeated her question, pulling away Fighter's hand from her own.
'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' Fighter screamed at her inner self. "I . . ." Fighter's mind was not sure how she should she do it, but her instinct knew. Her instinct lead her to it. She turned Maker around, tip toed, and kissed Maker on her lip for three seconds before Maker pushed her away.
Maker stared at Fighter with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for your one last prank, Fighter. Can I leave now?"
Fighter saw the tears in Maker's eyes. She knew that Maker is not someone who allows her emotion to surface so easily, let alone to cry in front of anybody. Fighter realised what was making Maker to act weirdly the past few weeks. The kiss that was labelled as a prank.
"NO!" Fighter screamed out. "It's not a prank at all!" Fighter barked out, staring straight into Maker's teary eyes. "Not even the first time. The first time is not a prank either. Definitely not." Fighter continued.
"Fighter, I had enough. I'm leaving." Maker said as she brushed off a fallen tear from her face with the back of her hand and turned away from Fighter.
"I LIKE you Maker! And I know you too have the same feeling. If not you will not be reacting in this way, Maker!" Fighter shouted at Maker's back, causing Maker to freeze on the spot.
Moving towards the frozen starlight, Fighter grabbed both of Maker's wrists and looked into her eyes. "I like you Maker. I mean it. I don't know how this will turn up into, but I do know that I like you." Fighter finished as she kissed Maker again on the lips. "Stay with me." Fighter asked again, pulling Maker into an embrace.
Before Maker could make any response, Fighter's body fell like a slump, with all the body weight falling on Maker. "Fighter?" Maker called out.