I am glad that mum agreed to go off on that weekend retreat. She's been working so hard lately, she really does deserve to treat herself for once! Though, I suppose it's strange without her here. I mean, I've never done the shopping on my own before.

Almost tripping over my own two feet, I released a small, startled cry and came to a sudden, jolting halt to avoid crashing into the towering shelves. Deciding that death by supermarket shelves was really not the way I wanted to go, I instead remained stationary as I allowed my eyes to scan through my list once again. "Let's see... I've got the eggs, milk and rice... Miso Soup and Wasabi, too. All that's left is some sugar and a couple of tins of cat food for Tabby..." Trailing off, I made a quick sweep of my surroundings to check for any of the stated things.

"There's the sugar." I mused under my breath, spying the familiar bag situated on one of the higher shelves opposite me. Faltering slightly, I narrowed my eyes and gazed upwards, attempting to gauge the considerable distance between myself and the sugar. Of course, I just ploughed on, ignoring the hindering factor of my height, and all the flashing neon signs warning me against that action. I mean... I can't be that short, right?

Evidently, I could.

It seemed as though, no matter how far I stretched my arm up, I couldn't get any closer than an inch away from the bag, which by now, was almost taunting me. Despite that, I refused to stop. "Come on... I can nearly reach it. It's just a little further-" I pushed myself up on tiptoes, grasping a suitable hand hold when I wobbled unexpectedly. "Why do they have to make these shelves so tall?" I whined, switching tactics and balancing on one leg, which seemed to help, if only by a little. It would be so embarrassing if I had to ask for help! Sighing heavily, I paused, rocking back on my heels and wondering whether it would be acceptable for me to stand on the cart. That would certainly give me a much needed boost.

"I wish I were taller."

No sooner had the words left my mouth, a hand had easily reached up, over my head, and effortlessly pulled the sugar down. Eyes flashing dangerously, I whipped around, my cheeks flushed with fury. I was fully prepared to confront whoever dared to do such a thing, when I had been so obviously struggling to get the sugar for myself. Though, my expression instantly softened at the sight of Ichii, a kind smile in place as he offered me the bag. "Need this?"

"Yes." I said quietly, secretly wondering for how long Ichii had been following me for. He gently passed me the bag, and, feeling embarrassingly shy, I averted my eyes to the ground when his hand lingered over mine, just a touch longer than necessary. "Thank you."

"What else?"

I hurriedly busied myself with staring intently at the list. It was a much needed distraction to mask the rising colour to my cheeks. "Well... I guess cat food is the only thing left-" My attention was caught by Zero, who had commandeered the cart and was proceeding bury the items I had managed to gather so far under a mountain of junk food. "Zero..." It didn't seem like I was the only one that was shocked, Ichii's incredulous gaze was almost tangible. "What on Earth are you doing?" At the question, the boy angled his head to me and simply frowned. Evidently, he thought it was pretty self-explanatory and I suppose, he was right. "I mean... Can you afford all of that?"

As if on cue, an announcement began. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your patience. I'm pleased to announce that our one time only sale begins right now!" I pretended not to notice Zero smirking at me. Instead, I put all my focus on the man, standing on a pedestal and speaking through a megaphone, clutching a plain cotton bag in his free hand. "Here's the deal; stuff this bag with as much merchandise as you can, and it'll only cost you just ¥300."

Ichii, with calm swiftness, gently took hold of my upper arm and nonchalantly manoeuvred both himself and me to the side in a few collected steps, so that our backs were lightly pressed up against the shelves, a considerable distance away from the mass incoming throng of rabid shoppers pouring into the shop. "Amazing," Zero said, watching the commotion at the front of the store with interest. He, too, had hurriedly vacated the area, lest he got swept up in the furious stampede. Thankfully he had the sense to take the cart with him. Somehow, I didn't think it would be to difficult for it have been trampled if left behind. "This store was all but empty until he made his announcement."

"It must be magic." Ichii agreed, nodding his head thoughtfully.

I barely managed to resist the intense urge to face-palm. After making my way over to Zero, or more specifically, the cart he had with him, I began burrowing for all the items on my list that had been buried by Zero's... Helpful additions. Once I'd managed to salvage everything, Ichii waded in to provide assistance, easily splitting the pile in two, nonchalantly tucking his half under one arm. "So, are you guys ready to go?"

"I still can't believe you bought all of that, Zero." I said, my crossed arms securing the bag tightly to my chest as the three of us exited the store, basking in the warm afternoon sun. "Do you really think you can eat that much?"

"Of course," Zero replied, with a confident tip of his head.

"Well, I guess it's thanks you you we have these coupons for the shopping arcade. We should enter the raffle on the way home." I carefully burrowed into my bag to locate the coupons, which I promptly pulled out in order to scan them more thoroughly. Ichii, my ever faithful protector, used a light grip on my upper arm to guide me out of the path of incoming obstructions. "Oh, wow. The first place prize is a deluxe trip to the hot springs!"

"Sweet!" Zero exclaimed, leaning heavily over my shoulder to get a better look. He was chewing one of the peppermint candies he was addicted to. "Let's go pick up the spa package."

I barely managed to subdue the wide grin threatening to take up my features. He's pretty adorable when he says stuff like that. "You don't pick it up, Zero. You enter the raffle for a chance to win the prize. I guess you shouldn't get your hopes up. The chances of us actually winning it are pretty slim, we'll be lucky to even get third place." It would be fun if we won, though. Then I wouldn't have to return to an empty house... I doubt the boys would invade my privacy too much, and I'd be too awkward to keep disturbing them... It's going to be lonely with just me and Tabby...

Ichii, seemed to have sensed my sudden negative attitude, he was really surprisingly perceptive it was so incredibly difficult to hide things from him, and had easily remembered the last item that I needed to acquire, which, admittedly, I had forgotten completely in all the commotion. He spotted something across the other side of the street, gently captured my hand in his, and, after checking to make sure the coast was clear, insistently tugged me across the empty road. Zero was apparently as equally perplexed as me and followed closely behind, looking similar to a little lost puppy. Ichii didn't hesitate upon reaching the door, he swiftly entered and held it open for both myself and Zero.

It took me a moment, in which my eyes widened dramatically, to see exactly where he had brought us. "I'll go grab that cat food. You can have a little wander around." I was practically trembling with excitement as I glanced towards the boys to confirm whether this was actually okay. Zero had his arms crossed and was smirking at me, apparently amused by my reaction. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

It wasn't necessary for Ichii to prompt me any further. After Zero commandeered my bag, I was already skipping forwards, feeling lighter than air, with the said boy following closely at my shoulder. He didn't look too interested as I raised myself on tiptoes to gain a better view over the glass partition, at the adorable rabbits huddled inside. I almost melted at the sight of them, and desperately wished I were able to bring one home with me.

"So cute!"

It took quite a while and a fair amount of bribes for the boys to finally pry me from the shop, specifically as I was far too distracted with drooling over the playful little kittens to pay much attention to them. I was a little disheartened to leave, though the boys, being amazing as they are, quickly raised my spirits as we headed towards the raffle station on the way home.

"Ne, ne. You're walking a little fast there."

Both Zero and Ichii appeared to be a little startled as they glanced back towards me. Evidently, they hadn't even realised that I was struggling to keep up. So much for Ichii being perceptive. Unfortunately, this was just one of the many troubles being short caused. I was forced to take at least two steps for every one of theirs. I had been jogging every couple of paces just to stay at their side, but after a little while, it became fairly tiring, and I lost all motivation to continue with the endeavour.

"Can your widdle legs not keep up?" The smirk Zero sported was Wicked-Witch-of-The-West evil.

"Watch it. I am fun-sized."

Of course, Zero didn't watch it. In fact, it amused him so much that didn't drop the matter for the entire journey.

When we finally reached the stall, we gathered around, me bouncing with anticipation while we waited to see whether we had won anything. Both boys were equally as interested, though Ichii was far more controlled with his reaction. Zero, on the other hand, looked like he was about to explode with impatience. "We have a winner! The first place prize has been taken; You've won a free trip to Haruyama hot springs!"

I blinked exactly three times before I had fully registered exactly what had just happened. But, even then, I didn't quite believe my ears. "What did you just say?"

I allowed a moment to stretch my arms out above my head, before settling back down on my bed with a small sigh and gently stroking the soft, silvery fur over Tabby's delicate ears. "Why'd we have to win this trip on the weekend that mum was out of town? Ayumi and Kei are both having fun with their own families, I wouldn't want to disturb them." Tabby licked my index finger with her little pink tongue, and I took that as a sign she agreed with me. "Maybe I can just go to the spa alone?"

She gave an indignant meow and pawed at my cheek. While this action was likely her demanding me to commence my fussing over her once more, I didn't heed it much, though as she persistently nudged my hand, I giggled and stroked her. "Of course I'd take you with me, you silly little kitty." I assured, gently scooping her up. She didn't complained and merely curled up on my stomach, her head resting on my chest, staring deep into my eyes, her whole body seeming to tremble as she purred. "You're a good kitty. You know that, Tabby?"

"Hikari," I carefully angled my head to enable me to glance over to the two boys without dislodging the kitten. My attention was instantly drawn to the bags that were resting against their feet. "Ta-Dah!" Zero declared, spreading his arms out in a manner that I suppose I was meant to praise, if I hadn't been so befuddled by it.

"Anoooo... What are you two doing?"

My question seemed to have induced a face fault for both boys, who were left momentarily speechless. Zero, as expected, recovered first and decided to explain. Which, wasn't exactly the best idea, since he lacked a fair amount of tact. "We're packing ready to go to the hot springs. Doy!" His shouting only succeeded in frightening Tabby and inducing a scowl from me, as I attempted to calm the poor kitten.

"Oh."

Ichii edged closer, kneeling by the side of my bed and carefully extending his fingers towards the kitten, who had her back arched and was hissing furiously at Zero. She hesitated, before cautiously padding closer, giving him an experimental sniff, before licking him. "It'll be fun, Hikari. I promise." Ichii shot me a wink that was powerful enough to stop a girls heart, as he continued to soothe Tabby with gentle strokes. I knew for a fact that my face had gone pink from the tell-tale tingling of my cheeks, and promptly ducked my head in an attempt to conceal the blush behind a veil of hair.

"You want us all to go together?" Apparently, I'd asked another stupid question, as Zero actually hit the floor this time. Though, rather than acting like a normal person and getting back up, he only empathised his pain by repeatedly hitting his head against the carpet, muttering under his breath as he did so. "Uh... Zero?" Upon receiving no answer, I switched an uncertain gaze to Ichii, who was now perched on the edge of my bed. He looked nonplussed, to say the least, but continued to pet Tabby, who had clambered into his lamp and settled down in a position that gave her a good vantage point of the entire room. "Did I break him?"

Evidently, Ichii was just as clueless as me, for the only reply he could give was a confused shrug. He then politely commandeered my pillow to use as ammunition and not-so-politely threw it at Zero's head, which fulfilled its purpose as it gained the expected reaction and effortlessly stopped Zero's little episode in the process.

"What the heck was that for?" He demanded, launching it clumsily back at Ichii. His aim failed quite spectacularly, though, and the pillow sailed straight through the air, closing in on my face. Though, Ichii, bless his kind soul, did try to catch the pillow, it slipped right through his fingers as he dived towards it, unseating Tabby in the process, and as he slammed into the ground, the pillow hit my face, catapulting me backwards so powerfully that I promptly flipped off the side of the bed, falling out of sight.

In an instant both boys were leaning over the bed to assess my condition, Zero spluttering apologises, while Ichii gently pulled me back to my feet and settled me on the bed, expertly checking for any injuries I may have sustained from my unexpected tumble. I was fairly certain that I almost scared poor Ichii to death when I suddenly burst out laughing. And once I had, I couldn't stop. Soon, both boys had abandoned their concern and were laughing, too.

"Can we go with you?" Zero asked, quietly, once the laughter had subsided. "To the hot spring? All of us... together?"

I smiled brightly, and pretended to think for a long moment, lightly tapping my finger against my chin as I did so. "Hmm... Lets see... I guess I could let you come, but... Only if you help me pack."

That settled it. After a couple of loud complaints from Zura, it was easily agreed that he would also accompany us. And, true to their word, the boys did pitch in, despite the fact that I had been joking. I discarded an empty duffel bag in their general direction, explained exactly what they needed to gather for it, and they set off. Of course, that didn't mean that they didn't mess around. Though, their playfulness brought an easy smile to my face. They returned very quickly, juggling everything in their arms. Two towels, some toiletries, medicine and plasters, some packaged food, a couple of good books, a small umbrella and a spare pair of shoes wrapped in a plastic bag.

I packed some clothes in the bag, transferred the books to my backpack, and added my torch, phone, keys and a spare fluffy jumper, in there as well. And, much sooner than I thought, we were done.

To get there, we had to take a couple of trains.

I liked trains. I liked how fast they were. How, when they whooshed past, all the wind whipped in your face. I remember, when I was younger and times were simpler, that I would always turn to my parents whenever this happened, hair askew, eyes wide and lit with wonder, a certain rosy glow to my cheeks as I grinned. I would be so excited, I could barely stand still. Though, they didn't seem to mind at all that I would be bouncing and skipping all over the place. To be honest, I wasn't really sure why I had such a love of trains. I suppose it was because of all the fond memories they carried. I used to travel on them all the time with my parents during our holidays. Normally, we'd manage to snag and seat, and dad would sit across from us, and laugh his warm, booming laugh, lean forwards and ruffle my hair as I sat with my nose almost touching the window, watching the scenery fly past.

I miss those times so much... Before, I would always wish that I could just have one more day like that. But, now... Now I know that making new, exciting memories with new people is what really counts.

This time, travelling with Ichii and Zero, were we unlucky. Though we valiantly searched all up and down our compartment, it was to no avail. There were just no empty seats left.
I couldn't help but stumble as the train jerked into motion. Before, I'd never really been standing unassisted when the train had began moving, so the new, unexpected feeling roughly threw me off axis and unto Zero, who thankfully caught me without complaint. While I couldn't see his expression, I could only imagine the look of awkwardness he must have been wearing as he gentle guided me back up into a suitable standing position. After assuring that I was balanced, both boys easily reached up and grabbed hold on the handles, with me quickly following suit.

Only, I didn't.

Because I couldn't reach.

My struggle had already attracted Ichii's attention, though the boy was at least attempting to play it smooth and pretend like he hadn't noticed me awkwardly shifting my weight from side-to-side, longingly staring up as I discretely stretched to try and reach. Ichii threw a short, commanding look at Zero, who rolled his eyes and pointedly looked away. I noticed that the bluenette was watching us out of the corner of his eye as Ichii lent in, a kind smile gracing his lips. "Can you reach?" He asked, his quiet voice just as gentle as his smile. I could feel the colour flooding my cheeks as I slowly shook my head, averting my eyes as I did so. His index finger gently raised my chin up, to meet with his warm, ochre eyes. "Grab my arm. It'll keep you steady."

I didn't hesitate.

I caught him around the inward curve, right above his elbow, practically snuggling right up to Ichii's side. At that moment, being that close with the brunette wasn't something I was particularly bothered about. On the other hand, falling over in a cramped compartment would've caused me to die from embarrassment.

Zero, apparently decided that it was safe enough to glance back over at us. He smirked wickedly, but the instantly he tried to open his mouth to tease me; he stopped. And focused on something just above my head, probably Ichii's face, and promptly pouted and looked away, seemingly quite put out. I could only conclude that Ichii must've pulled an expression so fierce it stopped Zero right in his tracks and made the younger boy back off. The thought of him protecting me like that gave me a warm, fuzzy glow inside.

"Are you feeling better now?" His voice was soft and breath tickled my ear as he stooped low enough so only I could hear.

I beamed at him, and nodded my head.

Yes. I'm most definitely feeling a whole lot better.

"Wow!" I exclaimed, captivated by the towering building. It was incredibly pretty, looking both modern and quaintly old-fashioned at the same time, which only seemed to add to its charm. The scenery was embodiment beautiful, looking picture perfect, and in the background, I could hear the faint, melodic tweeting of birds. "It's awesome!" This trip is going to be so much fun. I can't believe that I even considered going by myself. How stupid would that have been?

"Amazing," Ichii breathed, eyes wide in awe as he turned in a full circling, drinking in all the wondrous sights around him. Ichii was usually fairly reserved, but, seeing him standing their with that spellbound expression, he did look incredibly adorable. "Just look at this place, you guys."

"I wonder what kind of food they've got," Zero said, lazily rubbing the back of his neck as he yawned. "Riding all those trains made me work up an appetite. I'm starving."

"I just want to take a nice, relaxing bath." Zura had popped out to say this, though, upon catching sight of him, I quickly ushered him into the safety of Zero's backpack, afraid that he may get chased away if he was spotted. I couldn't help but notice Zero's smirk, which was easy enough to translate. It's funny, she worries too much. I crossed my arms across my chest and huffed in a way that I hoped displayed a fraction of annoyance, pointedly looking away from him.

Zero ignored me, too. At least, for a little while. He quickly grew bored and gently tapped me on the back of his head with his knuckles. I pretended to pout at I glanced back at his, cradling my injury and sniffling loudly. "Come on, idiot. Let's go check in." I followed without compliant, walking at a sedate pace that had me to falling behind both boys. They noticed, and slowed down to match my speed. "Why are you walking so slow?" Zero complained, tugging my hand for empathises. "Hurry up."

I allowed him to coax me into going a little faster. "My legs hurt a little." I replied, but averted my eyes from both boys in case they sniffed out my lie. Zero looked startled by that, and instantly decreased his speed. But, he didn't let go. I don't think he even realised he was still holding my hand. "It's probably from all that standing we were doing. I'm sure they'll be okay after a little while." I added quickly, after spotting Ichii's concerned expression. I wanted to enjoy this trip as much as possible. I wouldn't be able to do that if he was worried about my health and forced me to stay inside.

This is going to be so much fun!

I carefully left my backpack leaning against the leg of the table, giving a cautious glance over my shoulder as I did so. Both Ichii and Zero were sitting down, clearly relaxed. They'd cheerfully dumped their bags near the door. Since they weren't carrying anything delicate, they didn't need to be worried about how they handled them. Ichii met my eyes, and smiled lightly at my fluttering. I was so excited, I'd been bouncing around for quite a while now.

"Are you guys thirsty? I'm thirsty. Should I go make something? I was thinking about making some coco. Do you guys want any? Wait. Do we have a kitchen? Is there a kitchen at all? Do we even have any coco?" Zero, recovering from his shocked state, jumped to his feet and gently clamped his hand over my mouth, effectively halting my hyper-active babbling. We remained that way for quite a while, revelling in the peace and quiet, before Ichii rolled his eyes and fixed Zero with a look only they could understand. After giving me a warning look, Zero carefully removed his fingers and backed away.

"Someone's excited."

I nodded frantically, which raised smiles from both the boys. "This place is so cool. Do you think there are lots of people here? It looks nice. I expect it'll be pretty busy, right?"

Ichii chuckled good-naturally, though his reply was cut short by a cute little meow. I froze solid and attempted to conceal the guilt that was rising on my flushed cheeks. Ichii was regarding me so carefully. I could tell just how suspicious he was and wasn't prepared to allow him to find out my little secret. I bit my cheek to force myself to calm down. "Did you guys gear that? It... sounded like a cat."

"I didn't hear anything." My reply was far too rushed, and now Zero was also looking my way, frowning intently at me. Feeling my heart thump heavily in my chest, I flitted over to the door leading outside and peeked my head out. "Maybe it's hiding out here?" I suggested, though I only succeeded in drawing unnecessary attention to myself. To distract them, to divert their attention. It was the first and stupidest thing my brain pushed my to do. "Here, kitty. Come here, kitty."

"Hikari," Zero's voice was light and incredibly casual. But I winced. Visibly. He seemed far too casual. "What's this here?" I took a deep breath to steel myself. Zero was kneeling down, he'd fully opened my rucksack and beside the huge invasion of privacy, he had discovered my secret. Well, more accurately, he was cradling my secret in his arms as she purred and snuggled into his chest. I stood very still I knew for a fact that my face had gone scarlet and my mouth didn't appear to be working properly. It was just uselessly opening and closely, completely unable to form coherent words, but providing a very good goldfish impression. "You brought Tabby?"

Those three words were the trigger I needed to correct my incapability to speak. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to lie to you. But I couldn't possibly leave her in that big lonely house all by herself. And asking Kei or Ayumi to take care of her was out of the question. I'd have to explain everything and that would be far too complicated! I thought this would be the best solution. Their parents would've informed my mum and she wouldn't be too happy about me going off on my own with two guys she's never even met before, despite the fact that she seems pretty fond of you guys. I'm so sorry! Please don't be mad at me! I wasn't thinking straight. I should've done something different instead of being so s-stu-stupid-"

I was instantly silenced by Ichii, as he pulled me into a tight hug. I melted against him, burying my head into his chest as I attempted to gain a better control over my erratic breathing. "Hush, Hikari. It's alright, we're not mad at you. Not over something as insignificant as this." He slowly held me out at arms length and his smile was so reassuring, I felt ridiculous for ever getting so worked up. I chanced a small glance at Zero. His face was creased with genuine worry and he was hovering uncertainly, shifting his weight around in a way that fully displayed his indecisiveness. He appeared as though he really did want to do something to provide comfort, but lacked the critical knowledge of how. So, he merely satisfied himself with taking a backseat, while Ichii easily calmed my racing nerves. "You don't ever have to be afraid to tell us things, Hikari. We're here for you, no matter what. Okay?"

"Okay." I took a deep breath. "I was scared you'd tell me to leave her. She'd be so sad being stuck at the house, I couldn't do that to her."

"We'd be hypocrites if we did that, wouldn't we?" Zero said, grinning lightly. "We brought Zura along, after all." My lips tugged up in a small, hopeful smile. I almost giggled when Zura loudly protested that he wasn't a pet, so it wasn't an entirely different matter that he was allowed to come. He sulked by Ichii, who was barely managing to stop himself from laughing. "We've just gotta make sure no-one spots her. It'll be easy. Trust me."

"I trust you."