Tremble, a General story

0. Shakeable, Unsaveable

Shakeable, Unsaveable

å£Šã›ã‚‹ å£Šã›ãªã„ ç‹‚ãˆã‚‹ ç‹‚ãˆãªã„ [kowaseru, kowasenai, kurueru, kuruenai]: breakable, unbreakable, shakeable, unshakeable

*according to the translation of Unravel by TK, the theme song of Tokyo Kushu or Tokyo Ghoul, on the Tokyo Ghoul wiki page

There were always earthquakes, shaking up her already shaky life. There was always someone there to save her from the earth's fury, and with that savior, she was stable.

When she let him in, however, he was as destructive as the earthquake that killed her savior.

I dove under my desk, silently pleading with the earth, asking it to calm down, praying that I was not crushed in its fury. I covered my ears and closed my eyes because I could not afford to see the wreckage that would become of my room. I could see it already: the smashed glass, the collapsed bookshelves, the strewn papers. Everything was shaking, shaking, shaking shaking shakingshakingshaking—

"Shh, Eru, shh," I heard a voice whisper. Gentle hands massaged my shoulders before gentle arms gathered me up. "It's safe now. You're safe. It's all right, Eru."

I couldn't see who my rescuer was through my closed eyelids, but he must have been brave to have carried me through the debris and have put me to sleep.

When I was young, I often discovered that, in my parents' absences, there was one person who had always come to save me. I had never ached for a motherly touch or a fatherly figure because I had always found those and much, much more in the one person who really never left my side.

He had always, for as long as I could remember, hovered over me with such overprotectiveness that rivaled that of a single father with one daughter to care for and many suitors to utterly destroy. Whenever I had a problem with something or someone, he would usually try to fix it himself, so that I didn't have to worry about anything. That often irked me, however, because I wanted to believe that we were equal in our relationship, but he insisted on sheltering me from anything with even the smallest potential to harm me.

If something did go wrong, I could always count on him to save me from trouble, although I normally tried to hide it from him so that I could actually learn to fix it myself. My determination to become independent didn't bode well with his desire to be my everything, but eventually we had matured enough to become codependent individuals with only minor hiccups and setbacks along the way.

In a nutshell, he was my knight in dorky armor, and I was his damsel independent.

Author's Note:

This was my project for Camp Nanowrimo July 2015, as well as the companion to my story, Tremors. I suggest you read that first because this is just a supplement to that. However, this should be able to stand alone, and it is your choice. I hope you enjoy either way!

Updates will be biweekly (aka every fortnight) on Saturdays.

3: 1. Whenever the Sun Rises

1. Whenever the Sun Rises

The first thing I noticed was the smell of pancakes wafting in the air. I grinned and followed it to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Eru," Kenny chirped as I dragged myself into the kitchen. "Pancakes okay for breakfast?"

The second things I noticed was the bags under Kenny's eyes. I rubbed my own eyes and grabbed a couple of plates and forks to lay on the counter. "Kenny, hey. And do I have a choice?" I sat down, smiling softly at the stack of pancakes he placed in front of me.

The third thing I noticed was that glance that I didn't recognize, one riddled with worry, gone as quickly as it came. I thought to question him, but I chose not to. He would tell me if it was important.

Instead, I raised an eyebrow. "What? Did I drool?" I located a spoon to look at my reflection.

"Possibly." He grinned, but his grin soon vanished, replaced by that look once again. "Long night?"

I shrugged and served myself a pancake. "I'm fine. Just exhausted for some odd reason."

He nodded and smiled again. "Syrup?"

"No, Beth, I do not want to go to the stupid party with you," I replied firmly, pulling my hands out of her grasp.

She continued to plead with me. "Come on, Erunai! It'll be so much fun, I promise. You can eat as much as you want. You can bring Kenny, too, if you really want to."

Parties had never appealed to me for the sole reason that they were more like social obligations rather than social opportunities. In my experience, the whole affair was awkward, with people pretentiously pretending to be better than they were, or drinking until everything seemed enjoyable, or eating away their woes in hopes that the sugary desserts would make the world seem sweet. None of these tactics worked in the long run, but that never stopped people from trying.

I sighed. "Beth, stop. I'm not going to the party. Bring your boyfriend or someone else with you instead."

She crossed her arms, eyebrows drawn together. "Mik's already going with me. I just want you to go, too. There will be candy and cake!"

I shook my head. "No, Beth. As tempting as candy and cake sound, I sincerely doubt a four-year-old's birthday party—with a Frozen theme no less. Can't they just lay that one down to rest yet?—will be all that enjoyable to old and graying eighteen-year-old like me. Or you, for that matter."

"Parties hosted by my family are always fun, mind you," she protested.

I laughed and shook my head. "I told Kenny I'd be studying at the library, anyway."

"Of course you did. You're such a goody-two-shoes," she scoffed.

I let out another laugh. "You say that like you're not." I started stepping away, waving. "See you, Beth."

"See you, Erunai. I really hate you right now, by the way." She returned the wave before turning around and walking away.

As I headed in the direction of the library, the possible definitions of "goody-two-shoes" swam around in my head. I had never really understood the negative connotation behind it because I always just viewed my status as a goody-two-shoes as simple honesty. If I was going to agree to do something—or, at the very least, say I was going to do something—then it was only proper that I would follow through with my word.

After all, there was no point in wasting my breath on something that I knew wasn't true.

However, I suppose different people had different views of the world.

The first thing I noticed was the obnoxiousness of the man catcalling me.

If there was anything more obnoxious than a catcaller, then whatever it was or whoever it was probably deserved a trophy or maybe a glitter shower or perhaps even a one-way ticket for a lifetime vacation on the sun. Not only did I find catcalling obnoxious, but I also felt that it was utterly dehumanizing. Being seen as nothing more than a convenient meat suit existing only for someone else's enjoyment and pleasure was not something I enjoyed, and it was definitely not a compliment.

The second thing I noticed was the persistence of the man as he gave me multiple so-called compliments.

A compliment was someone bothering to notice the amount of effort I put into my work. A compliment was being told that somehow I inspired someone to do something amazing. A compliment was being told that my eyes sparkled in the moonlight and that my laughter was infectious and that I was a beautiful person. A compliment was not being told that I would look good on someone's bed.

The third thing I noticed, with great displeasure, was that he was at least twice, if not thrice, my age.

Needless to say, I found the middle-aged man calling after me quite rude and completely disgusting and altogether irrelevant.

"Hey, honey, did you know Chinese girls are my favorite kind?"

I inwardly cringed. I was Japanese, not Chinese.

"Where are you going, honey?"

I was so very tempted to turn around and give the man a piece of my mind, but I could just imagine Kenny's reaction if he were to find out that I did that.

"Come on, honey, don't be like this. I know a good hotel, and—"

I spun around, ready to tell the man off for being so repulsive, but someone else had already cut in by then.

"Excuse me, but I would like to request that you kindly leave the young lady alone."

The first thing that I noticed was the sincerity in his voice.

"Just run along now, kid. This isn't any of your business."

The second thing that I noticed was his formal way of speaking.

"Please do not bother her any further. Are you all right, miss?"

The third thing that I noticed was that he was speaking to me with that formal sincerity of his.

I manually kicked myself into gear and spluttered back to life. "Yes, I'm all right. He didn't touch me."

"Very well. Would you like me to give you a ride home?" he asked me, gesturing to one of the many cars parked along the street, though I couldn't figure out which one was actually his.

"Hey, kid, get out of here. Can't you see we're just having a nice conversation? No need to be all Mr. Nice Guy here because no one asked for it." The old pervert apparently hadn't left, and he was now reaching for my wrist.

"Don't you dare touch me, you warm glass of overly sour lemonade," I spat, jerking my hand away. "I don't need to be infected and catch dirty pervert disease, thank you very much."

My defender decided to cut in again. "Miss, I can give you a ride home. It'll be my pleasure."

"I'd rather give this soggy French fry a piece of my mind, actually," I protested.

The man snarled, lunging for me. "Why you little—" And with one punch, he was knocked unconscious on the ground.

I was surprised, honestly, when my defender didn't even bother taking a look at his fist. He treated the sucker punch like it was no big deal, as if his hobby was to knock people unconscious.

"Miss, please let me give you a ride. We've caused quite the scene," he said.

I glanced around, realizing how right he was. Mentally cursing the man on the ground for getting me into this mess, I nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go," I muttered, following him to his car.

He and I climbed into the back seat, leaving me wondering if he had a self-driving car or if he planned on driving it from where he was. That was until the driver in front turned around and asked me for the address where I would like to be dropped off.

I rattled off my address and settled back in the seat, slightly amazed by how soft the leather was. Traffic had taken a turn for the worse, so I took the opportunity to observe my defender properly.

I liked to think that the first things that someone noticed about other people said something significant about oneself. Of course, this philosophy of mine was not set in stone, as many things never are, but it wasn't usually wrong.

Kenny, for instance, liked to observe the way people reacted to their surroundings. Usually he only noticed simple minutia of people's habits, like the probability that a child whose shoulders tense at the sight of a dog was afraid of the pets or the fake smile of a waitress who was most likely underpaid, but I continued to entertain the thought that his habit of trying to analyze people came from the author side of him.

I wondered what my defender had seen in me. His expensive-looking car and personal chauffeur didn't lend to the idea that he wanted something from me. I supposed defending me was just another example of the profound compassion I had discovered within him. As much as I appreciated the gesture, I was not going to let him remember me as the one who needed to be saved.

"I could have defended myself, you know. I can speak just fine." I spoke quietly, so as not to startle him out of the comfortable silence that had settled in the car.

He gave me a startled look anyway. "Miss, I do not doubt your ability to speak. Forgive me, but I did not intend for my intercession on your behalf to offend you in any way. Rather, I doubted the man's ability to listen and understand you, so I took it upon myself as a fellow human being to defend you from someone who clearly was not treating you as one. I am sorry if I offended you."

I let out a laugh. "No, no, I'm not offended. I appreciate the gesture. I don't really think he could be considered a fellow human being, though. He was way too repulsive."

"I do not think that one's repulsiveness takes away their status as a human," he murmured.

"Really?"

"Rather, I think they're just examples of how bad humanity can truly be." When he turned to me, there was an emptiness in his eyes that filled my soul with sadness.

I briefly wondered what Kenny would think of that.

"Here is your stop, miss," the driver announced, pulling up to my apartment building.

I nodded gratefully and smiled at my defender. "Thank you."

He held his hand out for me to shake. "Goodbye, miss."

On my way up to Kenny's and my apartment, my thoughts wandered back to my defender. His business suit had screamed wealthy executive officer, and his accent and physical features boasted of Brazilian roots, but his soft-spoken manner had betokened an inner calm to be envied, and his altruism had told tales of a love for humanity that could not be tainted.

His eyes had shown the wonders of a broken but beautiful being, and I wondered which of these defined him.

Corresponds to chapter 1.01

Author's Note:

I'm really excited for this story because I actually like the way it's going right now (and it helps that I have Tremors as the backbone for this story). I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! Please tell me what you thought of it, especially ways it could be improved. Thank you for reading!

4: 2. Whenever Exhaustion Sets In

2. Whenever Exhaustion Sets In

"I'm home!"

When a person is extremely worried about something, his concern will often manifest itself through his voice and his demeanor. Often, he will speak with more urgency than normal, and his whole body will be much tenser than average. His worry will appear under his eyes in the form of eye bags because sleep is no longer an option. It makes itself known in the way he cannot remain still.

I had never known Kenny to be worried, yet his voice could be heard clearly from his bedroom, laced with consternation.

I slipped off my shoes and hurried down the hallway to knock on his door. "Kenny? Who are you talking to?"

He bade a quiet goodbye to the person on the other end of the line and opened the door for me. I walked right in, noting his cell phone on the desk.

"Who was that?" I asked, pointing to the phone as I sat on his bed.

He shrugged. "Just my agent." Kenny plopped down next to me.

"You should have said hello to Susy for me, then," I admonished, wrapping my arms around him.

He hugged me back and gave me a kiss on my forehead. "Sorry, it just slipped my mind. How did studying at the library go?"

I let go of him and laughed. "It was boring." I didn't bother mentioning the moldy leftovers that had bothered me on the street or the rich man who had come to defend me, knowing Kenny would overreact and probably try to kill the man while calling the cops.

He gave me a grin in return. "Not going to sugarcoat it, huh?"

"Why would I?" I riposted. I glanced around his bedroom, eagerly looking for the next topic of conversation. My gaze settled on the phone on his desk. "What did Susy think of your manuscript? Is it going to be published?"

A low chuckle escaped his lips as he moved over to his desk chair. "No," he began melodramatically, "it's going to have to be heavily edited because the content is too dark for my writing style."

"That's too bad," I mock-sympathized, jutting my lower lip out in an attempt to pout. "Do I still get to read it?"

"By all means." He rotated his chair to face the desk and began rummaging through his impeccably organized yet impossibly confusing file cabinet. After a few moments, he finally pulled a thick document in a report folder out of the cabinet. "Here it is."

"Thanks, Kenny," I said, taking the manuscript from his hand. A few moments passed before either of us said something again. I broke the short silence, asking about dinner.

"I've heard there's a shady sushi restaurant over on First and Twenty-fourth." He waggled his eyebrows playfully.

I giggled at his antics and stood up. "All right, all right. Is it any good?"

"Oh, it's to die for," he assured me, slinging an arm around my shoulders and steering me out of the apartment. "As long as you don't get food poisoning."

We laughed on our way out together.

"Hello?"

Beth's voice came crackling from the other line. "Hi, Erunai." The first thing I noticed was the slight breathlessness in her voice.

"Hey, Beth. What's up?" I asked, plugging in my earbuds so I could pack up my books without dropping my phone.

"About our study session tonight…Is it okay if we move it to lunch today? Or maybe tomorrow?" The second thing I noticed was the hint of uncertainty that her voice carried.

"All right," I agreed. "Tomorrow works better for me, anyway, because Kenny found this new restaurant he wanted to try. What's the occasion?"

The third thing I noticed was her sigh of relief, which made the corners of my mouth curl up into a smile. "Mik may or may not have decided that we should go out for a date tonight, and I may or may not have accidentally agreed."

I tried my very best not to laugh, instead giving an exaggerated gasp that made my lungs feel like they were going to burst with the excessive amount of air that I had just inhaled. "Beth Ann Hunts, please do not tell me you're ditching me for a date!"

"No, no, no, of course not!" she cried out. "I was just asking! If it wasn't okay with you, I would have told him to reschedule for tomorrow. Don't pin this all on me! You wanted to go out for dinner with Kenny!"

"I was not going to ditch you for Kenny!" I retorted, ignoring the curious looks from my classmates as I exited the classroom. After a few more minutes of annoying Beth to no end, I couldn't hold in my laughter. "All right, all right, Beth! Calm yourself. I was just joking. You didn't have to talk about seventh grade again!"

"I really hate you right now, Erunai," she said, but I could hear the giggles escaping her lips.

"Aw, you love me." I settled down on a bench, curling my legs under me. "Anyway, have fun on your date. And be safe."

"Of course I will," she tossed back. "See you."

"See you." I hung up the phone and stretched out on the bench, lacking any inclination to care if someone else wanted to sit down.

I stared up at the sky, marveling at the way there were no clouds, save one. The small white puff of a cloud moved quickly across the great blue expanse seemingly with a sense of purpose, lonely as it was.

The first thing I noticed was the gently teasing voice pulling me out of my silent reverie. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

I turned to the source of the voice, trying to pin down the slight accent. The second thing I noticed was the huge, friendly smile. I smiled back at him, answering, "Yes, it is."

"If I were anything like those charmers in the movies, I'd say something like, 'Not as beautiful as you,' but, unfortunately, I'm not. So I'll just comment on how I wish it was cooler today. I wish it was cooler today."

I let out a laugh.

He gestured to the part of the bench where my feet were. "Mind if I sit?"

The third thing I noticed was the playfulness in his entire being, akin to Kenny's.

I shrugged and swung my legs off the bench to pull myself up to a seated position, noting the many free benches just a few paces away. "Not really." I leaned my head back and continued staring up at the sky. The cloud had long disappeared.

I watched the stranger out of the corner of my eye as he sat down in the newly vacated spot and tilted his head back to look up at the sky, too. A beat or two passed in silence as we let ourselves be lost in a world where being found was everything.

This time, an embarrassingly loud sound coming from my phone startled me out of my thoughts.

"Hello?" I asked, barely glancing at the caller ID.

"Ken on the line," came his cheery voice.

"Kenny, hey," I greeted him, a smile slipping onto my face automatically.

"Just checking up to see if you're free now. There's a movie playing in the theater soon that I wanted to see before you go off studying with Beth."

"Yeah, all right. By the way, change of plans. Beth's going out with her boyfriend tonight, so we can actually go out for dinner if you want."

"By all means."

I slung my bag over my shoulder and stood up. "What movie did you want to watch?"

"I'll figure it out when we see what's playing in the theater."

I groaned jokingly. "You are such an idiot."

"You wound me, my princess," he answered, most likely holding a fist to his heart in mock hurt.

I rolled my eyes. "And you exasperate me, my dork."

"I'll be in the usual spot in about five minutes. Love you."

"I love you." And with that, he hung up the phone. I turned to my bench buddy apologetically. "Sorry, I have to go. Nice meeting you."

He gave me a reassuring smile coupled with a nod. "It's fine. I'm Mark, by the way."

"I'm Erunai," I answered and then hurried away to meet up with Kenny.

He rested his chin on the back of his hand and leaned forward. "So, Eru…"

I mimicked his position, leaning forward across the table myself. "Yes, Kenny?"

"Tell me what you think of that waiter over there," he challenged, warm brown eyes flickering over to the man ringing up a table's order at the cash register. "Don't spare me any details."

I turned my focus on where his eyes had indicated, scrutinizing the restaurant employee. The first thing I noticed was the slight slump of the server's shoulders. The second thing I noticed was the exhaustion in his expression. The third thing I noticed was knocking of his knees.

I looked back at Kenny to tell him about what I had gathered. "He's worn out. He's got a dead-end job, maybe even two or three, and he doesn't know what to do with his life. He looks pretty done with life just in general, too. Not necessarily suicidal, though possibly, judging by the nervousness just radiating from him, but definitely completely and utterly exhausted."

A lazy grin crept onto Kenny's face, confusing me.

"Am I wrong?"

"Well, my princess," he began slowly, "I agree with you that the waiter is tired—or, 'exhausted,' as you worded it. That's definitely for certain."

"You were a bit excessive in expressing your certainty," I muttered.

He carried on speaking as if I hadn't interrupted. "However, the reasoning behind it is not quite right. You see, my dear princess, he is not done with life. In fact, life's looking pretty good for him. I don't think his career is looking up, but his love life definitely is. If you look closely enough, you'll see there's a hopefulness in his eyes that you would never find in a suicidal person's eyes. You see that lady over there?" Kenny gestured surreptitiously to a tall woman sitting at a small table in the far corner. "My theory is that she and the waiter are engaged to be married, so he's nervous about wedding preparations."

"Why do you think that?" The words tumbled out of mouth before I could properly take a moment to observe the couple in question.

Kenny, however, was not so quick to speak, and instead of an actual answer, he gave me a fraction of a knowing smile before focusing his attention on the two people we had been discussing.

I followed his gaze to the woman and the waiter. The first thing I noticed was the pristine yet minimalistic jewel on the lady's ring finger. The second thing I noticed was the way the waiter sent loving glances her way. The third thing I noticed was the way she returned them with her own.

When I had finished creepily watching the two, I glared into my bowl of noodles. I dreaded what came next.

"Don't look so glum, my princess," Kenny cooed, smirking proudly at me. "I'm not going to be too tough on you this time. Why don't you just foot the bill?"

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered under my breath, pulling out my wallet to see how much money was actually in it. "Next round, I'll give you a difficult one, and then you can do me a favor."

"By all means."

I picked up my chopsticks and began shoveling noodles into my mouth. "I really hate this game sometimes."

"I personally think it's a good life skill," he answered, already halfway through his vermicelli. "The ability to observe other people, I mean. If you're going to judge people based on their appearances—which we all do to some extent—then at the very least you should try to be as accurate as possible. Of course, there's no way of knowing exactly how accurate you are without actually confronting the person."

I laughed a little. "Apparently I'm no good with that skill."

"You'll be fine. You've got your whole life ahead of you to hone that skill, and besides, you've got me to help you," Kenny assured me with a smile. "I'll always be here to save you."

"I'm no damsel in distress, dork," I retorted, even though a small smile started to spread across my face anyway.

"I know that well, my princess."

Beth shut the door behind her, and I tossed my bag onto her bed and followed after it, jumping onto the bed.

"The other girls should be at a party tonight, so we'll probably have the dorm to ourselves all night," Beth told me, plopping down next to me. "What do you want to study first?" she asked, pulling numerous textbooks out of her bag.

"English, maybe. Shakespeare might just be the death of me."

"He's already the death of many," she remarked drily, searching through her binder for her notes. "Have you read Romeo and Juliet?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I have. What do you take me for?"

"A complete idiot," she answered immediately with a completely blank look on her face.

I turned to her with my own, but within nanoseconds we were already falling off the bed, giggling. Once our laughter had faded, she rotated her head slightly to look me in the eye.

"I'm glad we're best friends," she murmured after a moment, facing the ceiling once more.

I let out a laugh. "Best friends? Beth, we're practically sisters."

She answered with a smile, and we lay there in silence for just a moment, quietly contemplating.

The moment ended when Beth jumped up, clapped her hands, and exclaimed, "Time to get back to studying! School, school, wherefore art thou so troublesome?"

I drearily lifted my head to answer Beth's question. "No, I don't feel like studying anymore."

Beth nodded. "Neither do I. Are you going home, then?"

"Yeah. Kenny's going to kill me if I don't get home soon." I glanced at the time on my phone and yawned. "I might as well give him a call."

"You do that," she replied, already falling asleep.

Kenny picked up immediately. "Ken on the line."

"Kenny, hey," I greeted him. "I'll be home soon, okay? I was just studying with Beth."

"You sound tired." His voice was so gentle and soothing.

"Yeah." I couldn't come up with a better answer.

He paused for a moment before saying, "I can pick you up."

"Really?" I smiled faintly, trying not to collapse into a deep sleep. "I'm in Beth's dorm."

"I'll be there soon." I could hear him starting up the car engine.

"Sounds good. Love you."

"I love you."

I decided that I could take a nap before Kenny arrived.

I woke up but didn't hear or smell any signs of breakfast. One glance at the clock told me it was almost noon. I stepped out into the hallway, figuring Kenny might have left me breakfast in the fridge and had gone out to run some errands.

I busied myself in the kitchen, frying an egg to eat with white rice. As I scooped myself a bowl of rice, something on the sofa moved. I approached with a hint of caution, wondering if Kenny had let another stray cat in. However, I only found the man himself. The corners of my mouth were tugged up into a small smile as I draped a blanket over him.

I quickly grabbed my own blanket and his book's manuscript from my room. I couldn't help but smile again as I curled up next to him.

It was so rare to find him sleeping so peacefully.

Corresponds to 1.02

5: 3. Whenever the Storm Calms

3. Whenever the Storm Calms

I should have known that he would come back.

Beth sipped her raspberry iced tea, finally taking a breath after talking for at least eight minutes straight. I had been timing it.

"I see you're very passionate about this subject," I remarked, quite unsure of how to respond to her eight-minute rant about other people's lack of properly sourcing their information.

"Well, how am I supposed to believe that Congress is actually going to approve of a possibly nonexistent new copyright act?" she bit back. "If I can't read the new law for myself, then how am I supposed to know that artists are actually going to suffer?"

I shrugged. "Luckily, Kenny is an author, not an artist. But I agree. People do need to give credit to the proper sources."

Beth nodded vigorously. "Exactly—"

"Hey, honey! Long time no see!"

There he was, draped over the railing near to our table. I should have chosen to sit inside the restaurant. Dealing with this stalkerish pervert was not on my agenda for that day.

"Erunai, who is that?" Beth asked in a whisper.

I rolled my eyes. "Just an old banana peel someone forgot to throw away. Don't mind it."

The stale piece of burnt toast wouldn't shut his piehole. "Honey, don't ignore me. Come on, we can have some fun. You can bring your friend, too. It's a good thing that one nosy kid isn't around right now."

"Erunai?" Beth pleaded. The fear emanating from my best friend was almost palpable, and I couldn't help but soften my gaze at the sight of her.

I whirled around because I knew there was no one to step up to my defense this time. I was all right with that; I could defend myself just fine. "Listen here, you overcooked turkey. I do not take kindly to being treated like a piece of meat for your own enjoyment, and I will not just stand by and watch you do the same to my best friend. So scurry on back to your little rathole and try not to cry about it to your mother."

He leered back at me and said, "I like 'em feisty."

I grabbed Beth's iced tea and dumped it over his head. "Well, I'd like you dead—or maybe like you never existed, even. Doesn't matter which, as long as you leave me alone," I spat in return. "Beth, let's go." I grabbed my bag and stood up to leave, but the old fool grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

"Where you going, honey?" he asked in a low voice next to my ear. "Don't you wanna have some fun?"

"If you do not remove your hands from her this instant and start running on the count of three, I promise you that the alternative will not be pleasant," an all too familiar voice demanded coldly from behind me.

The pervert's hands flew up in the air. "Hey, look, man. I was just talking with her—"

"I'd call that more than talking, you slimy, disgusting slop," he growled. "You'd better start running. Three…"

He swore. "Listen, we were just—"

"Two…"

And he was out of there.

Kenny turned to me, the anger still visibly alight in his eyes. For a second, they softened. "Eru, are you okay?"

I nodded a little.

The fire in his eyes returned. "Great Scots, Eru, why didn't you call me? Were you just going to let him take advantage of you like that?"

"No, I wasn't!" I answered back. "What do you take me for? I just didn't know he'd show his miserable excuse for a face again!"

"Again?" Kenny burst out. "You mean this has happened before? I can help you, Eru! I want to help you, so let me, yeah?"

I retorted, "I don't want you saving me every single second of my life, Kenny! You're not my knight in shining armor, and I for sure am not your damsel in distress! I can take care of myself!"

He rolled his eyes. "You were doing such a great job of it, too."

Beth interrupted quietly, saying, "I want to go home now. People are staring."

Kenny turned to face the crowd that had gathered to watch and stare at us. "And what were you all doing? Were those crêpes so good that you couldn't help but stuff your faces with them while an old pervert sexually harassed a helpless girl in front of your own eyes?"

"I am not a helpless girl! I am eighteen years old and a full-fledged adult, thank you very much!" I protested, but he ignored me.

"Maybe you thought she was just asking for it! Well, let me tell you that no one asks to be sexually harassed! So stand up for someone once in your life, yeah?"

"Ken, Erunai. Please," Beth begged in a small voice.

He took a deep breath and nodded resolutely, saying, "Yes, I'm sorry, Beth. Let's go." Kenny led us to where he had parked his car and waited until we had both strapped on our seat belts before driving away.

I fidgeted with my seat belt, suffocated by the silence—more specifically, Kenny's silence. When Beth had exited the car and gone up to her dorm room, the tense air grew heavier as each moment passed. I stole glances at Kenny as he drove to our apartment, hoping he'd begin talking, scolding, ranting, anything. Every time I looked, however, his eyes never strayed from the road.

I sighed and turned my body to stare out the window, watching the rundown buildings of San Francisco pass us by.

I hoped to escape into my room as Kenny fumbled with the locks on the door, but I heard his voice calling after me. Resigning to my fate, I shuffled back into the living room, where he was sitting on the sofa. His elbows were resting on his knees, and his eyes were trained on his hands folded in front of him.

I sighed internally and crossed in front of him to seat myself in the recliner.

"Erunai," he began but didn't say anything else for a while.

I took his moment of silence as an opportunity to speak. "Look, Kenny, I'm sorry. I didn't think much of it, all right? That charred piece of meat was just so irrelevant, so I never really thought to tell you after the first encounter. I just—"

"Erunai," he repeated again, in a much softer—yet somehow harsher—voice.

I shut my mouth to silence myself.

"You worried me." He paused. "You really worried me. I almost died when I saw Beth's text about what was going on. I was so very worried." He hesitated again, searching for the right words.

A wave of guilt crashed over me. Kenny never ran out of words, yet here he was, at a loss for the very things he loved.

"I was so worried," he reiterated. "Then I finally arrived on the scene, and that was when he grabbed you. It was such a cliché moment, too. If I wasn't seeing red, I probably would have laughed." At this, he let out a low, humorless chuckle. "The amount of worrying I was doing was unbelievable."

"Thank you, Kenny." My voice sounded as small as I felt.

"Erunai, you said you didn't want me saving you all the time." He turned to me, his warm brown eyes drilling into my soul. "But I just can't help it, you know? What am I supposed to do if I'm not saving you?"

I gulped audibly. "You could, you know, get a life," I tried to joke.

His expression turned horrified, as if he couldn't believe my suggestion. "A life beyond you?" he scoffed, a bit of his usual mischief slipping into his voice. "Impossible!" In a moment, the seriousness and worry returned. "Come here, Eru," he pleaded, extending his arms.

I obliged, nestling into his warm embrace and reveling in the feeling of his fingers running through my hair.

"Next time, Eru, will you please tell me if anything happens?"

I nodded with the full knowledge that I could never refuse the glaringly obvious and heartbreaking desperation laced with love in his voice.

"So!" Kenny exclaimed, startling me out of his arms. "Tell me about your first close encounter with the alien species. I want to make a decision about how I will shred its flesh to bits with my katana."

I rolled my eyes. "Kenny, don't do that. That's such a waste of energy. Besides, he couldn't even lay a hand on me the first time. Someone stopped him and dropped me off here."

He raised an eyebrow. "So you'll let someone be your mercenary soldier, but you won't let me be your knight in shining armor? I take personal offense at that."

"More like a knight in dorky armor," I retorted. "And that was a one-time deal with him. I already told him I could take care of myself. After thanking him, of course."

"Eru," Kenny sighed, "I know you can take care of yourself, but accept help, too. It's easier when you're not alone." He elbowed me with a small smile on his face. "Besides, you want to be equal in this relationship, yeah? We'll need communication for that. We're in this together, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." I nudged him back. Eager to change the subject, I said, "I've finished reading your manuscript."

He cocked an eyebrow again. "Really? Weren't you going to study for your geophysics test tomorrow?"

I dismissed his concern with a quick wave. "I'll be fine," I insisted upon seeing his expression. However, I knew that if I didn't begin studying for it soon, I would probably fail to achieve the grade I wanted.

"If you say so," he shrugged. I probably could have written a book myself with all the disbelief written all over his face.

"Don't you want to hear what I think of your story?" I asked, trying to egg him on.

"By all means." His answer was accompanied by a sweeping gesture, telling me to continue talking.

"I agree with Susy. The writing style is too lighthearted for the actual story. You should darken the tone." I knew it would probably be difficult for him, considering his own lighthearted attitude.

"I'll do my best."

"Also—" I hesitated, wondering if I should actually tell him what I had to say, but he reassured me with a quick grin. "I think her assassin friend's character is a tad underdeveloped. He has so much potential as a character."

He nodded enthusiastically. "I'll look into that. Thanks, Eru."

I grinned. "Any time, Kenny." I stood up and brushed imaginary dust off my jeans. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to study for that test tomorrow." I heaved my bag onto my shoulder and made my way down the hallway.

"I trusted you, and you lied to me," I heard Kenny call after me.

I laughed softly to myself, wondering if there was a deeper meaning behind his words or if my guilt was causing me to overthink it.

My eyebrows instinctively shot up as I read the last question on the test. I had not studied the material for this essay very well because I didn't think the professor expected such thorough understanding of it. I flipped through my test, hoping to find relevant information in the other questions. After at least another five minutes of deliberating my answer, I began to write.

As the rest of my classmates filed out of the room, I hung back to speak with the teacher.

He raised his head as he tucked the tests away in his bag. "Yes?" he asked.

I twiddled my fingers, giving him a halfhearted smile. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was just curious to see how I did on that test."

His face lit up in understanding. "I haven't graded them yet, but if you have time, I could actually grade yours now."

I nodded hastily. "That's fine with me."

He rifled through the papers again and pulled my test out along with a red pen. He gestured to a seat. "Go ahead and sit. I don't really feel comfortable with you standing over my shoulder."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "All right. Take your time."

As he graded my test, I fiddled with my phone, sending a text to Kenny to talk about dinner. We had gone out to eat quite often in the past week, and I wanted to stay home that night.

"I've finished, Erunai," said the professor. When I looked up, I saw him putting my test and his pen back in his bag. "I can't give you the test, but I can tell you your grade."

I jumped up and nodded enthusiastically. "All right."

"Guess what?" I called out as I entered the apartment, barely able to contain my excitement as I locked the door behind me.

Kenny looked up from his laptop screen as I squealed and ran to him.

"Guess what? Guess what?" I repeated, trying to get him to respond.

He set his laptop on the coffee table, and his expression morphed into one of horror. "You're getting married?" he exclaimed, setting his book down forcefully and standing as he did so. "How could you betray me like that?"

That stopped me in my tracks. "What?" I burst. "No!"

At this, he paused to stroke a nonexistent beard. After a moment or two of consideration, he gasped, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "One of my books just sold a hundred thousand copies?"

I slapped his shoulder. This was getting ridiculous. "I wouldn't know about that," I groaned. "Are you going to let me say what I have to say or what?"

He gave an exaggerated sigh but failed to prevent the mischievous grin from creeping onto his face. "By all means," he said, gesturing for me to continue speaking.

As my earlier enthusiasm returned, I jumped up and down. "I got an A on my test!" I barely managed to squeal.

His demeanor visibly deflated. "And I thought it'd be exciting," he quipped, rolling his eyes.

"Hey!" I cried out, slapping his shoulder once again. For good measure, I reached up to cuff him on the back of his head. "Don't be mean!"

Kenny caught my hand before I could hit him a third—or, more accurately, fourth—time. "Fine, fine," he sighed, signalling that the joke was over—or, at least, that he'd move onto another one. An easy smile slipped onto his lips. "Great job, Eru," he cheered, finally being supportive. Then, he had to ruin it by adding, "Don't you get all A's, anyway?"

I scoffed at him. "That doesn't mean I can't be excited. Don't you get excited every time your books sell well?"

"Of course," he replied, raising an eyebrow to question my question. "It means my hard work pays off."

I let out a triumphant smile. "Then it's the same for me. When I get an A, that means my hard work pays off."

His expression softened, and he pulled me close and pressed his warm lips to my forehead. "That's great, Eru. Keep it up, yeah?"

"Of course," I answered, pushing him away teasingly. "I'm gonna be valedictorian," I announced, childishly jabbing my thumb at myself. Something on his laptop screen caught my eye. "Hey, what's that you're looking at?"

The smile returned to his lips swiftly as he replied, "Relaxation exercises." At my worried glance, he let out a small chuckle. "I've stumbled across a problem with the publishing company, so I got these to help me stop stressing. Wanna do them with me?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

My concern disappeared for a moment as I shoved him again, laughing. "I'm okay." My worries returned as quickly as they had vanished, so, to ease them, I asked, "Are you okay, Kenny?"

He laughed away my worries, nudging me with his shoulder and saying, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

I answered with a grin and tried to stifle a yawn.

He nudged me again, but this time he did it with gentle concern. "You look tired, though. Need to get some sleep?"

"Yeah," I replied, leaning into him, "but I have a paper due next week that I need to work on a little more."

Kenny wrapped me in his warm embrace again. "Why don't you sleep for a few hours? I can wake you up later, if you want."

I could feel the vibrations of his chest as he spoke, and I loved how soothing the feeling was. "That sounds good," I murmured, closing my eyes and burrowing deeper into his arms.

He let out another laugh and nudged me.

I groaned in response but stood up without complaint. "G'night, Kenny. At least for now. Love you," I spoke with one breath, insulting him in my head for not letting me fall asleep in his arms.

"G'night, Eru. I love you."

I smiled at that. There was a simple happiness in requited love. However, knowing that my love was returned tenfold because he actually loved me for me rather than just responding to my love for him was a joy that no word could ever describe, that no dictionary could ever define, that no language could ever divulge.

Corresponds to 1.03 and 1.04

6: 4. Whenever the Foundation Cracks

4. Whenever the Foundation Cracks

The first thing I noticed was the faint hints of worry masked behind the soft voice.

"Eru," came the gentle voice. "Eru, please wake up. It's almost nine."

I sprung to life, jumping out of my bed and whipping my head around to see the clock. My eyes widened, and there was no time to make any other observations.

"Good morning, Avatar Eru. I have long awaited your return."

I turned my head to face Kenny, throwing my hands up in the air. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner? I thought you were only going to let me sleep for a few hours!"

He laughed. "It's fine, Eru. First of all, you and I both know that you finished your paper. Leave it alone, or else you'll end up editing out what makes it uniquely yours. Secondly," his expression softened inexplicably, "you needed it."

I groaned, practically throwing myself at the ground as I hurried to find an outfit in my closet. "I have to leave in—oh, I don't know. Two minutes? Just to get to class in time."

Kenny laughed again, hopping onto my bed as I darted around my room in an effort to get ready. "Don't worry about it, Eru. I checked with your professors this morning, and all of them said you didn't need to go to class today because they're just reviewing past tests or lessons. You and I are having a fun day today."

I froze, my grip tightening around the shirt I was holding. "Really?"

"You bet," came the swift reply.

I slowly turned to him, a lazy grin stretching across my face. "All right."

The cashier offered a friendly smile as he rung up our ice cream. "That will be eight dollars and fifty-three cents, please."

I dug into my pocket for some money, but Kenny managed to beat me to it, handing the boy a twenty dollar bill. "Keep the change."

He nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

Kenny grabbed our ice cream cups and followed me out the door. We ate our ice cream as we walked down the street.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked, breaking what had been a comfortable silence.

I thought about that for a moment. Ice cream had been Kenny's idea, so I had the opportunity to choose the next place we were going to go and the next thing we were going to do. After a few minutes of quiet deliberation, I knew where I wanted to go.

"Visit the Japanese Tea Garden," I answered decisively.

The Tea Garden was just the right place for wandering around until all other signs of human life had disappeared. Both Kenny and I knew that we needed the break. Also, the garden was absolutely breathtaking with the way that it managed to remain tranquil yet bursting with life. I had fallen in love the moment I laid eyes on it, and I had remained in love ever since.

Kenny grinned mischievously and asked, "Is that only because we're Japanese?"

I laughed as I smacked his shoulder. "Of course not, Kenny!"

He laughed along with me, slinging an arm over my shoulders. "If you say so, Eru."

I leaned into him as we ambled down the street, letting ourselves forget about all of the trials of life, if only for a few hours.

I loved the way Kenny's fingers soothed me as he ran them through my hair, untangling the mess my hair had become. I was using his lap as a pillow as we relaxed on a bench in the shade, staring at the beautiful sakura tree above us, though the blossoms were not in full bloom.

Moments of silence were much in demand in a world of constant motion. People drove themselves to the point of complete and utter exhaustion if only for the hope of trying to make sure their children did not have to work to obtain rest. I knew for a fact that this tactic didn't work; the unceasing development of technology to allow others the time to be lazy only forced more people to work harder in order to keep up with the increasing demands of better and more efficient technology. It was a vicious cycle.

In all their efforts to work hard enough so that they didn't have to later, I often found that people forgot why they wanted moments of rest, feeling lost when they realized they finally had what they wanted. Perhaps society forced us to value neverending activity in exchange for the little things that seemed to make up life. Or perhaps we had done this to ourselves; after all, we were the people who made up the society we criticized.

Did it matter who was to blame? When everything was said and done, did it matter who had caused what and why it was done? Did knowing it all change the fact that it had impacted so many lives, whether that impact was negative or positive?

Maybe it did. Maybe the knowledge would prevent similar things from happening to later generations. However, history did have a habit of repeating itself. We were all rats running around in the maze, in hopes that there was something better waiting for us when we would have finally figured it out.

My phone rang out loud, startling the both of us out of our respective reveries. I hastily answered the call, not particularly shocked when I heard Beth's voice on the other end.

She immediately jumped into her purpose for the conversation, not bothering with pleasantries. "You're still coming over for a study session on Saturday, right?"

"Yeah, I am," I answered and mouthed her name to let Kenny know whom I was talking to. "Why?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you didn't show up to school today?" she quipped.

I rolled my eyes. "Kenny and I took a fun day. He cleared it with all my professors, but could you send me the homework and everything anyway?"

"Of course," she replied swiftly, as if she had already anticipated the question. "Anyway, I'll let you go. Have fun, Erunai."

"Will do." I slipped my phone back into my pocket after she hung up. For a moment, I thanked the designer of my jeans shorts for giving them pockets that could actually hold items other than lint.

Kenny gently tapped my forehead. "Shall we venture onward, my princess? Closing time is nigh."

I laughed and sat up. "Yeah, all right. Your turn."

He grinned at me and said, "How about dinner? I've heard of a sketchy restaurant on our way home."

"Fine by me. Race you to the car?"

"By all means."

"I thought we were going to study in your dorm?" I asked Beth, poking her for at least the hundredth time.

"Of course we are," she replied easily, turning on the screen of her phone to check the time. "He's just running late."

I turned my head this way and that to catch a glimpse of whomever we were waiting for. "Who?"

"That would be me," a voice answered from behind us.

I turned to find two men standing there. Beth squealed and all but tackled the taller one, and he leaned down to kiss her. I quickly looked away, focusing my attention on the second guy because I did not enjoy the public displays of affection between Beth and the guy I presumed was Mik.

He held his arms out, as if expecting me to run into them. I laughed at the gesture.

"That's no fun, Erunai," he pouted, retracting his arms.

I paused for a moment, trying to match his face to a name.

"Do you know each other? Because I've never seen this guy before in my life," Beth burst out, arms wrapped around Mik's waist. I elected to ignore her.

A familiar grin slipped onto the guy's face, as if he realized that I didn't quite remember who he was. "Wow, Erunai, am I just that forgettable?"

"I know who you are!" I bit back, perturbed. "At least, you're familiar. I just can't pinpoint where I know you from."

He let out a laugh. "Should I give you a moment, then?" His accent was familiar, too.

As I tried to pin a name to his face, my mind wandered toward thoughts about how most people were so memorable to a select few yet so forgettable to so many others. It was funny to think about how some people could be so indispensable to our lives, yet we never gave them a thought because they weren't in our lives. We all lived off of each other, whether we liked it or not, and we all had an impact on the world, whether minor or major, but none of us liked to admit that the people we couldn't care less about were probably the people we couldn't live without.

I decided I didn't like forgetting people just as much as I didn't like to be forgotten.

"Your moment is up," he spoke, cutting into my thoughts and pulling me out of the abyss. "But first: Beautiful day, isn't it?"

My eyes widened in recognition. "You were my bench buddy on that one day. Mark, right?"

He sent me a large, friendly grin in return. "And so she remembers."

I opened my mouth to retaliate, but we were interrupted by the sound of Beth clearing her throat.

"Now, if you two would quit flirting, we could actually get around to introductions," she said pointedly. "I do actually want to get some studying done."

Mark cooked an eyebrow, turning to her indignantly. "I'm sorry," he began, "but I believe you two were the ones flirting with all that PDA that everyone—except you, apparently—could have lived without."

Beth removed her hands from Mik's person to place them on her hips. She stepped closer to Mark, and I knew it would be a while before either one of them backed down.

I focused my attention on Mik instead, smiling slightly at him. "So you're the renowned Mikhail Mengejar. I'm Erunai—"

"I know who you are," he interrupted, the corners of his lips quirking up in a smile. "Beth never shuts up about you."

I sent her a sidelong glance, letting out a laugh. "That's strangely flattering. Also, very creepy."

"It's annoying; that's what it is," he responded, gazing at my friend lovingly as she bickered with Mark about a TV show. This time, he couldn't help but give a huge grin. "If she loves you so much, why doesn't she just date you?"

"I wouldn't consider myself a threat," I chuckled. "We're both straight as a line, and you're the only one she would stop studying for."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "That's slightly sweet and worrying at the same time. How does she manage it?" His eyes hadn't moved off of her, which made me smile. I was glad that Beth had found someone who would clearly treat her right.

I did believe in the right kind of love, and I believed it came in multiple forms: romantic, platonic, or familial. I believed in a love in which one built the other up. I believed in a love in which one would sacrifice one's entire life for the other. I believed in a love in which one protected the other's heart just as one would protect one's own. I believed in a love in which one entrusted one's heart to the other fully, without restraint, without hesitation, without misgivings.

"She's just a girl, and you're just a boy," I answered. "You just happened to collide in a beautiful array of love."

He laughed, tearing his eyes away from my best friend. "I'm not just a poor boy; I do need some sympathy. And I don't know if we quite love each other yet."

A knowing smile slipped onto my face.

Our conversation was interrupted when Beth grabbed Mik's elbow and dragged him away from Mark, screaming, "Let's just get to studying!"

To say that I was completely and utterly exhausted was an understatement. To say that Mik and Mark were studying even the smallest fraction of the material was a lie.

I sighed and lay back on Beth's bed, unwilling to hear yet another completely unrelated story from Mark. It occurred to me that we hadn't actually properly introduced ourselves, and I voiced this realization to the group.

Mark started off with an excuse, saying, "Well, we would have, had it not been for that—"

"Markus," Mik cut in, "it was funny the first time, but my brain is too tired to deal with you right now." He was struggling to restrain Beth.

I sighed, deciding to just begin without waiting for them to actually settle down. "Hi, I'm Erunai. First-year geophysics major." I nudged Beth with my knee, urging her to introduce herself.

She grudgingly obliged and said, "Beth Ann Hunts, first-year. Undeclared."

"Mikhail Mengejar, third-year architectural design major," Mik chimed in after her.

"Markus Zhornak, third-year creative writing major."

His major piqued my interest. "Are you going to be an author?" I asked him.

He let out a huge smile. "I definitely hope so."

I grinned back. "I know someone who could possibly help. Maybe sometime I'll try and set you guys up for a lunch or something."

He laughed and nodded his head. "Tell me if it actually happens."

"Markus, what homework was there in math?" Mik interrupted.

He raised an eyebrow, challenging him. "We aren't even taking the same level of math. Why are you asking me?"

"Well, what homework did I have?"

"Well," Markus began, "I believe your teacher told you to do a handstand and measure the curve of the floor from that angle."

Watching the two exchange snarky remarks reminded me of Kenny. Markus's mischievous personality was so similar to Kenny's. He loved playing pranks, though he never let it go too far or actually harm someone. He also possessed an extremely dry sense of humor. Even with these seemingly careless personality traits, his words hinted at a high level of insightfulness that not many would even imagine.

And I loved him for it.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of the smell of grilled fish. I thought that was odd because having breakfast together on Sundays had been a family tradition since before my great-grandparents' generation.

The second thing I noticed was the bright light streaming in from the window. I was perplexed by the sight; my blackout curtains were almost always drawn, a habit I'd picked up as a rebellious preteen. Fortunately, that embarrassing phase had died quickly.

The third thing I noticed was the sound of someone snoring beside me. I turned my head to find Beth splayed across her bed beside me, mouth hanging open in the most unattractive way possible. I snorted in laughter and turned on my phone screen to check the time.

Then, I dropped it.

Realizing in slight horror what I had just done, I dove for the phone, crushing Beth's leg in the process. However, I didn't manage to catch it in time. My phone landed on the floor with what might have been a glass-shattering smack, but the fear coursing through my veins was the only thing I could sense. I gingerly picked up my phone, heaving a sigh of relief after closely inspecting the screen for cracks. My relief quickly diminished when I saw the notification again.

Four missed calls. Ten text messages. All were from Kenny.

"Ouch," Beth muttered from her bed. "Erunai? What was that for?"

"Dropped my phone," I answered quickly. "I have to go."

Her eyebrows rose as she reached up to tame her wild mess of hair. "What's wrong? It's only—" she turned to glance at the clock on the wall— "nine on a Sunday morning."

"I forgot to tell Kenny I was staying over."

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head, and her jaw dropped so low it almost touched the floor. If it had not been for the dread pooling in my stomach, I would have found the sight quite comical. "How many times has he called or texted?"

"Four calls and ten texts."

For a moment, all was silent. It was official. I was going to be skinned alive, roasted on a spit, and eaten, bones and all.

Then, Beth felt the need to comment on that fact. "I'm so sorry, Erunai. I mean, usually if I get four missed calls from my mom or someone, that means that she accidentally ended the call a bunch of times. I'm normally only worried if the number of calls is closer to ten, but with Ken—" She paused for a short breath. "Oh, you are so dead. Ken is so overprotective, and he really hates it when you don't pick up because he starts panicking and thinking that you've been mugged, kidnapped, and stranded on an island. At least we sent Mik and the idiot home—"

"Beth," I interrupted. "Shut up." I inhaled a shaky breath and unlocked my phone to play the couple of voicemails he'd left.

"Ken on the line," came his voice, crackling through my phone's speaker. His worry and concern pierced me through the speaker even before he'd spoken. "Eru, please answer your phone."

Beth shot me an uneasy look as the next one played.

"Ken on the line." He had paused. "Again."

I could barely breathe myself as I heard Kenny take in a shaky breath.

"Eru? Where are you?" He had paused for another sharp inhale. "Please answer your phone. It's late. I'm worried. Or just send me a text. Anything." There was nothing but white noise as he paused again, as if he, the wordsmith, had been scrambling for the right words to say. "Okay, I'll stop bothering you now. Erunai, please be safe."

I stopped my voice mails from playing and immediately located his contact. "I'm going to call him."

"Wait!" she cried out, lunging for my phone. "Not here! Ken is going to want to talk to me, too! Wait until you're on the bus!"

That was what I ended up doing. Twenty minutes later, as I sat on the bus, I unlocked my phone and located Kenny's contact. I hesitated slightly as I tried to form my apology. In the end, I decided I'd let the words tumble out of my mouth as they saw fit. A sincere apology was always something to be desired, and impromptu apologies were almost always just that.

His response to the call was immediate. "Ken on the line."

"Kenny, hey."

I almost choked on my own spit. Out of all the things I had wanted to say, that greeting was not one of them. However, I had no chance to cover my mistake because Kenny started talking.

"Eru? Well, thanks for the advance notice of your disappearing act."

I winced and started apologizing, like I'd intended to before. "I'm sorry. I was studying in Beth's dorm and lost track of time. It was late, so she had me stay over."

"Lost track of your phone, too, huh?"

I froze. I hadn't expected his biting response. It had been an honest mistake, after all. Almost sullenly, I elected not to dignify it with a response.

After a few moments, he spoke again. This time, his voice was softer, gentler. "I'm sorry," he began, sighing. "There's no use in being angry. You're safe now, and that's all that matters. Besides, you're an," here, he paused, as if he couldn't believe it himself, "adult." He hesitated for just another moment before talking. "But you'll tell me next time, yeah? I was really worried."

I nodded eagerly before remembering that he couldn't see me. "I'll definitely remember next time. I'm sorry for worrying you, Kenny."

The relief in his voice was so evident that I could have almost seen it with my own pair of eyes and touched it with my own fingertips. "Don't worry about it."

Corresponds to 1.05–1.07

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