A/N: oml it's been so long since my last update... I'm sorry! I was reading reviews today and T-T gosh, you guys are the best! I'm busier these days but if you've stuck around you have my hearttttt 3 Also, I've rewritten all the previous chapters to this one over the past...eh 2 years owo Been so long...! Hopefully, my writing's improved since the original writing of this!

Chapter 8

EMA

"A neighborhood gathering?" I ask, wiping the sweat from my brow. "Ah! That's the last of the boxes!" I sigh, setting it down with a thud as I reach the top of the flight of stairs.

"Phew!" Makoto sets down another box beside mine. "Yeah, well, a picnic, actually. You'll never guess who invited us."

"Oooh lemme guess." I say, feigning wonder, "Must've been Kaname…?"

"Close! But… Not quite. Masaomi did." Makoto groans as he flops onto the hardwood floor as if it physically pained him. "I hate to say this, but I actually want to go. With the AC broken, anything's better than stewing in this oven." He flips up his plain T shirt to wipe the sweat from his face revealing his chiseled flesh. "At this point, I'd bet it's cooler outside anyway."

I must admit, I almost didn't hear anything he had said.

The way his skin pulls tight around each ridge on across the planes of his abdomen… How long has he been working out like that… I quickly scold myself for looking so shamelessly.

I turn away. My cheeks feel like they're on fire.

"Yeah, when's the AC gonna get fixed?" I manage.

"I dunnooooo… But I'm exhausted. You brought so much stuff with you." Complaining, he crinkles on the ground searching for a cooler space.

"Haha…" I can't help but giggle as he squirms on the ground like that.

"What're you laughing about?" He moans though it doesn't actually sound like he cares.

"Ahhh," I swipe a laughing tear from my cheek, "The heat always turns you into a big baby, that's all," I say, crouching beside his now still body.

Today the heat is reminiscent of those years ago… our days together out at the house planted on the flat expanse of farmland. "You know, I remember those summer days as kids, when we'd play hide in seek in your grandfather's house out in the country." I can feel my lips being tugged upwards at the fond memory. "We'd play for hours and hours on end, out in the courtyard… Hide and seek… Tag…"

"Marco Polo" I can hear the smile in his voice as the timbre of it reverberates in the hollow wood beneath us.

"Ah, that's right, that's right…" I note quietly. "Yeah, and when we decided to call it quits,"

"We'd flop on the ground of the foyer where the fan blew the strongest, and Dad would give us popsicles." Makoto finishes our anecdote.

"Right… Wish we had some popsicles now..." I frown, which even I know is feigned before continuing, " And back then too, you'd always pull your shirt over your head, like a turtle ducking into its shell and complain!" I can't stop the giggle. "But come on now ~ you're all grown up now, so pull down your shirt and wear it properly! Don't you have any decency?" I joke, giving the fabric a yank.

"Heeeey, it's hot, lemme do what I want," he groans again, stubbornly, trying to pull away. I allow for no escape and with another swift yank, his head pops out from beneath the fabric, sending his feathery hair cascading into his eyes.

"Woah!"

His eyes are so pure. The flecks of cobalt and gold near the edges of his irises are something that I never had noticed before. His eyes widen with a bit of shock; a dust of pink tint races across his porcelain cheeks…

Suddenly I am aware of the hand on my back and the way his hair has spread out on the floorboards beneath him. The way I'm hovering just above him, each breath of his I can almost taste…

"...Sorry." I quickly scramble, to get off of him and out of the position I'd landed in.

Calloused hands grip my wrist and he pulls me into his embrace.

"Don't worry about it." His breath tickles my ear.

What…? I-I can feel his warmth on my back, his breath on my neck… My arms want to move… I want to return the embrace… But it would be so wrong…

"Don't say it. It's okay." Without rasp, even though it's a whisper, he pulls me closer… "Just let me hold you like this." He's so close… I can catch the faint scent of his cologne at his neck now and feel the hum of his heart…

I close my eyes. How I love you.

...

A knock comes from the open door downstairs, interrupting my silence… our harmony.

"Hey~ you two in here? We'll let ourselves in if you have your hands full!" A voice calls.

"Ah, looks like someone's here, I'll go look." Makoto eases himself up, that moment fading like it had never happened.

...

When did it all change? When did he become… like this?

"Hey- Hikaru, you can't just let yourself into someone's house like that!" Another voice interjects in a rushed whisper from the foyer below.

"Oh, shush, Yusuke, you're no fun." The other voice snaps, "We're coming in~"

"It looks like we get to meet some more of Masaomi's brothers," Makoto reports as he leans over the stairwell rail to see who our guests are. "I'll greet them." He smiles, eyes sparkling.

Did I ever think of the cobalt blue and the gold flecks? That that was what made his eyes so bright… so stormy? So promising...

You coming Em?" Those enchanting eyes are on me.

"Yeah… coming." I try to bring the warmth to my face, but I feel empty more than anything.

"Oh Em, come on already!" He grabs my hand, pulling me to my feet. "Let's go!"

"So you're the prince of the University Subaru goes to." the auburn haired man says. "Nice to meet you, boy." He offers a hand a bit forcefully to Makoto, "I'm Hikaru."

After giving Makoto's hand a brief shake, he turns to me. I can't quite place what the look on his face is in that second… Calculating? Judgemental? It's something… His chatter brings me back out of my mind. "And you must be the beloved princess!" he beams, revealing pearly teeth. He leans in lowering his voice, "You have quite a few of my brothers tied around your finger." A quick, teasing frown pulls at the corners of his rosy lips, "I see why… But I'll be a little harder to get." he adds winking a chestnut eye.

Mischievous. That's what the look is.

MAKOTO

The way he leans towards her to whisper something I can't pick out makes me scowl. She's far too trusting of a person… I sigh.

He looks up at me while he finishes whatever he's saying and his lips pull up a smug look at whatever he's reading on my expression.

How irking.

Swinging an arm around the shorter boy that accompanies him, the guy grins. "This is my younger bro, Yusuke."

I've never seen hair that reminded me so much of fire. Yusuke stumbles on his words, sputtering out nothing intelligible and I do my best not to roll my eyes when I see she's paying him so much mind.

"Sorry, he's like this around pretty girls," Hikaru cackles.

At that, Yusuke finally finds his voice, "Hey! I am not!"

"Well, anyways," Hikaru said, holding back a swinging Yusuke with a hand, "we just came here to remind you the picnic is at 4 o'clock this evening. Don't forget!" He pauses, moving his spare hand to stroke his chin, "Oh! And Yusuke can help you if you with moving boxes. I've got a book to be writing, so I don't have spare time. If I did, I would definitely help… I'll leave him with you, bye!" Hikaru spins around redirecting Yusuke towards Ema and I, while making his quick escape, trotting down the stairs to the foyer... And leaving Yusuke to crash right into her.

I think my eyes are cursed now. I try to keep my growl from being vocalized. Get off of her...

YUSUKE

When I look up all I can see are eyes filled with a murderous intent. I look beneath me, a bit scared to find out what I'd done to cause such a harsh reprimand.

Ema, the girl beneath me, smiles sheepishly.

Damn gorgeous eyes.

My attention is pulled back to the daunting man looming over us, "Quite the fall, need some help?" The hand he's extended me looks ready to strangle me rather than help.

I decide now would be as good a time as any to curse Hikaru.

MAKOTO

Too embarrassed to move any further, Yusuke's face turned the same color as his hair as he continues to sit on her hips, "OH I'M SO SORRY MISS. I'M SO SORRY! I-I DIDN'T M-MEAN TO! IT WAS JUST- HIKARU - I COULDN'T CONTROL..." He continues to ramble his apologies on and on.

He's trying my patience.

"Ugh." Ema groans underneath his weight. "That was some tackle, Yusuke," she says, sitting up to only find that Yusuke hasn't budged. "Can you get up? You're heavy."

I feel a twitch run through my eyebrow.

What the heck was that all about?" How can you be so casual? He had you pinned... And he did it in front of me.

"Here, I'll help you." I clench a smile picking him up and setting him on his feet. Before I can stand up right again, I can't help it as my voice betrays me, "Don't ever think about doing that again."

He didn't do it on purpose… I reason with myself. But over the sound of my blood boiling in my ears, I don't regret saying it.

EMA

I can't catch what Makoto says to Yusuke, but when he stands back up, he grins at me while Yusuke pales as white as a ghost.

"Okay, let's go. Picnic's at 4, it's 3." Makoto chirps. "We should bring along something so let's go to the store beforehand."

I nod along in agreement, opting to forget that earlier incident.

MAKOTO

"Aren't you gonna change your shirt?" Yusuke points out, "It looks grimy."

Really dude?

I look at my t shirt and frown when I find Yusuke wasn't really lying. It had some marks where the boxes rubbed against, and his sweat had soaked the white fabric making it close to transparent as it clings to my skin. "Damn." I pluck the fabric away from my skin. "Well, I'll change. Then let's head out." I try to force excitement into my voice and an enthusiastic smile to my face. For her.

But by the way she raises her eyebrows, I suspect she senses something's amiss. And she's not wrong.

There'll be so many guys. Masaomi will be there too.

What's worse is that Em actually likes him.

I stride towards my bedroom, stopping only short of the door. "Actually…" I look to her face and watch her expression fall as I continue, "I forgot, but there's a paper I need to finish for class. I can't come this time Em… Sorry."

That questioning, hurt look in her eyes pierces me and I feel like I messed up. I do my best to reassure her with another smile. "Go on without me. Have fun~"

I wait until they head out and rest my head against the door.

Damn...What am I doing.