Hollow Point

"Noire, stop dragging your feet and act like a lady. You're getting your wedding kimono for goodness sake." Haruka angrily grabbed Noire's arm, trying to get her to walk faster.

"Mom, they aren't going to sell the thing. Just calm down, alright?" She was already annoyed enough. This was a waste of time. Her and Daelen weren't going to get married, so what was the point of being here?

Daelen felt incredibly uncomfortable walking in to see all the fancy kimonos. There were women everywhere, squeals of excitement and outbursts of happy words in a language he could not understand yet, although he was starting to recognize the odd word or two. The air had a sense of finality to it. Marriage was quite scary when he thought about it, although if he was to admit it to himself, he could not see himself with anyone but Noire. Whether that was due to her rescuing him, her being the only person he knew, or the feelings he found he suddenly had for her, he had no idea. His thoughts were in a jumble.

They all crowded around the front desk. "The kimono is for Noire Aurelia. Though it will soon be Noire Ezra." Haruka beamed at the "couple", continuing to make conversation with the secretary.

"Daelen, I'm really sorry you had to be dragged into all of this. I didn't think it would get this far.." Noire shifted her weight and looked up to see a slender woman carrying her wedding kimono.

He blushed. "It's alright," he said quietly. "I wouldn't want you have to go through all of this without having someone here who knows our little secret." He smiled at her.

She tried her best to smile back, but it turned out to be a wince. Taking the kimono from the saleswoman, she bowed. "Let's go back to the dressing rooms then." She led both Daelen and her mother to the rooms in the back, where a small couch was placed in order for the bride's party to sit.

"Hurry, Noire. I want to see how beautiful you look." Haruka said with much pride in her voice.

Daelen waited silently on the couch as Noire changed. He wondered if her mother would start fussing over her the second she came out of the room. He bet she'd look pretty in anything she wore, she didn't need a wedding kimono to make her look better.

Noire stepped out, her hair pulled into a loose bun. The pink and white colors of the kimono complimented her chocolate brown hair and blue eyes. She walked more towards her mother timidly, afraid of what she might say.

"My goodness, Noire. You look simply stunning, doesn't she, Daelen?" Haruka reached out and touched the fabric, a single tear running down her cheek.

Daelen simply opened his mouth and slowly closed it again once he realized what he was doing. Noire looked gorgeous, alright.

"Oh, sweetheart. We can match everything to your kimono. The bridesmaids can wear pink, the men will wear white shirts under the black tuxedo. The wedding invitations will be just beautiful. We can outline them with pink lace and-"

"Mom, I have to be right back really fast." A pool of tears was forming fast behind Noire's eyes. She ran off in the direction of the bathrooms.

Daelen noticed the look of despair in her eyes. "Excuse me, Haruka-sama," he said quietly and took after her.

"Noire?" he asked when he saw her pacing back and forth near the bathrooms. "Are you alright?"

"No, Daelen! I'm not alright! This is so stupid. We're doing all these things for a fake wedding, when I like you, Daelen. I really do like you.." Noire quieted down and looked off to the side, brushing away her tears.

"Noire," he started, heat rising to his face. He shamelessly leaned forward to touch his forehead against hers. "I like you, too," he whispered. And then he pressed his lips against hers.

She was startled, but pleasantly surprised by it. She kissed him back gently, before pulling away. "Wow.." she said quietly, looking up at him. "You mean so much to me, Daelen." She ran her fingers though his hair before hugging him tightly.

He squeezed her back. "We'll get through this. Don't worry, alright?"

She nodded, before taking his hand and leading him back out to her mother. Looking up at him, she asked, "Should we get this then?"

"Of course," Daelen replied. "You look...really beautiful in it," he admitted.

Haruka smiled and nodded. "Yes, she does."

Noire got up on her tip-toes and whispered in Daelen's ear. "Do you want to continue faking it?"

In response, Daelen boldly wrapped an arm around her and pecked her cheek, blushing slightly.

Haruka smiled proudly. "This is so wonderful. I'll go tell the clerk we'll be buying the kimono." She scurried off, leaving Noire and Daelen alone again.

"So.." Noire said quietly, looking at the ground.

Daelen reddened self consciously, wondering if Noire regretted the kiss. He felt frustrated. He hadn't been thinking at all, and now it was going to be awkward again.

She looked back up at him, seeing his face was bright. "Is something wrong, Daelen?" She reached out and squeezed his hand gently.

He squeezed hers back, grateful for the contact. "No, nothing," he replied.

Looking concerned, she asked again. "Are you sure? You seem upset about something."

Daelen paused, then swiftly closed the space between them, pressing his lips firmly against hers. He had to make sure.

Noire smiled through the kiss, placing her hand behind his head and kissing him back. "You're the best, Daelen." she said once they pulled themselves apart.

"Far from it," he disagreed, but smiled back nonetheless.

"To me you are." Hugging him tightly, she pressed her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Haruka rushed back to them. "Okay, Noire. You can go get changed into your regular clothes now. We have to go look for a tuxedo for you, Daelen." she said with a smile on her face.

He groaned inwardly, but managed to plaster a grateful smile on his face. He didn't have any money, after all.

Noire got changed hastily and they headed next door to the tuxedo shop. After looking for 10 minutes, her and her mother finally picked out something for him to try on.

"Dressing rooms are back there." Noire pointed out, following him to sit on the chairs.

Daelen trudged over to the dressing rooms, trying not to look too downhearted. He hated trying things on. And he had never even worn a suit before. As he pulled on the clothes, he noticed that he seemed less underfed. As he studied himself in the mirror, fumbling around with the jacket, he also observed the healthier look in his face. It was amazing what a few good meals and full nights' rests could do to help. Finally, Daelen stepped out of the room, albeit a little nervously.

She looked delighted as Daelen walked out. "That looks wonderful on you. Doesn't it, Mom?"

Haruka nodded. "I think we'll get that one. It fits you nicely, Daelen."

Daelen shot them both a small, grateful smile. "Are we done, then?" he asked eagerly.

"I suppose we are." Haruka said quietly, turning and heading back to the front desk, getting ready to pay.

Noire shook her head and smiled. "She's gone and gotten herself all upset now. My mom is finally realizing I'm 'getting married' and leaving home."

"We're moving out?" The thought had never occurred to him. He supposed his mind was too busy as it was.

She winced and turned away from Daelen. "I um..I forgot to tell you. My parents kind of bought us a house last night. Or, an apartment. I'm not really sure. They told me this morning while you were getting..dressed.." She mumbled the last few words, hoping he wouldn't be mad.

Daelen's eyes widened. "We're...moving out...now?" A whole house to just Noire and himself? The thought made him slightly nervous.

"No. Not now. We apparently can stay at the house a few weeks after the wedding, but then my parents believe that we should be on our own. Especially since I was living by myself back in Lithuania." She looked over at her mother, who was probably trying to negotiate a slightly lower price.

He automatically followed her gaze, not knowing what else to do. He wanted to voice his fears, but he didn't want to hurt her in the process. He hesitated, trying to think of a way to phrase it. "I....I really like you, Noire." He looked at her. "But...I'm scared."

"You know, Daelen, we really don't have to get married. I can tell my parents that we're moving into the house together, but we can buy you a different house if you'd rather that happen." Noire sighed quietly. "I know that you like me. I like you, too. And I know that this is moving really fast, especially for you. So if you don't want to go through this, you don't have to."

"Noire." He took one of her hands and stared at it. "I'd like to live with you." He paused, and he had a feeling she knew what was coming next. "But I don't know if I want to get married."

Tears quickly sprang from Noire's eyes. "How do I tell them then, Daelen?" she said in a frantic whisper.

"Please, don't cry, Noire." He pondered a solution. "Maybe we can postpone it until we get to know each other a little more?" he asked.

"But I lied to my parents, Daelen. Especially my dad." she said as she started to hyperventilate. "Okay, Noire. Calm down." Turning to Daelen, she said, "I need to go tell my mom."

"No! Noire, wait." He grabbed her hand, pulling her back. "They don't need to know we lied." he began.

She jerked her arm away angrily. "Yeah they do." she said before storming off. How could she be so stupid? She had thought..when he put his arm around her and kissed her cheek..she thought that he didn't want to fake it anymore.

"Noire. Please come back." There was desperation in his voice---and a hint of panic.

Noire walked up to her mother, who was putting her checkbook back in her purse. "Mom, I have something I need to tell you." She glanced back at Daelen, trying her hardest to not cry again.

Haruka looked up and smiled, eagerness in her eyes. "It's alright, Noire, dear, you'll look beautiful in that kimono. Do not fret." Her smile faded slightly as she observed the strained expression on her daughter face. "What is it?"

"Mom, Daelen and I aren't getting married. We're together but we aren't engaged." She winced, waiting for her mother's anger to slowly seep out of her.

Haruka froze. The leftover expression on her face slid off and turned into shock, which quickly turned over into extreme disappointment, finally melting into anger. "WHAT?" she roared.

Daelen flinched. Even from where he was standing, he could feel the rage Haruka was exuding. He grimaced as people began to turn in their direction.

"I'm sorry, Mom. It's too hard to explain but we had to move here. I knew you and Dad wouldn't believe me if I just said he was my boyfriend. I'm sorry." Noire started hyperventilating again.

"Noire-chan." Haruka sounded close to tears now. All the anger had faded, replaced by sorrow. "Your kimono. Daelen's suit!" She glanced over at Daelen for a moment, who jumped at his name. She glared, the anger returning. "You lied," she said, gesturing over at him. "You and your boyfriend. Have you no respect for your own parents?"

"Save them, Mom." she pleaded. "Maybe one day we will get married, but not now. I have so much respect for you and Dad, I swear. I didn't mean to lie, Mom.."

Her mom paused. "Why did you lie, Noire-chan? Why did you come back? I thought you were happy in Batakiai."

"I thought I was, but I missed you. I missed the crowded, busy lifestyle here at home. I needed it back." Noire was so scared and nervous her mom would find out why she really came home.

Fortunately, Haruka seemed to buy it. She hugged her daughter, sighing. "You know your father will take this harder. You should have told us. You know how he hates lying."

"I know, Mom." She looked at the ground and wiped away her tears. "Can you go get Daelen please? I'm going to go wait in the car."

"Of course." Haruka hugged Noire again, and she was able to convince Daelen to come with her back to the car.
--
The ride home was tense, to say the least. Daelen was intent on hiding in an empty room so he could bash his skull against the wall. He felt like such an idiot. And Noire hated him. And it wasn't even over yet.

Noire got out of the car and turned to her mom. "Mom, can you please tell Dad about what happened? I'll talk to him about it later. I really just want to go sleep now." She began sulking into the house.

"Only if you promise to have a sit-down to talk about it, alright?" Haruka called out to her.

She nodded and slammed the front door, dragging herself into bed and burying herself under the covers.

Daelen looked to Haruka pleadingly. "She's angry with me," he stated with an upset expression. "I know it is more than I deserve, Haruka-sama, but may I use the guest room?"

Haruka sighed and nodded. "Please try to talk to her first though. Communication is key in a good relationship." She bowed and started to grab the kimono and tuxedo from the trunk of her car.

He bowed to her as well, bending a little lower than usual to show his gratitude. "Thank you, Haruka-sama." And with that, he made his way to Noire's room, silently listening outside the door for any sign of aggression.

Noire hugged her pillow tighter. "I'm so stupid..Noire, why do you have to be so dumb?"

Daelen heard this, and with a pang, he knocked on the door.

"What.." she said, almost inaudibly.

"Noire." His voice cracked. "Please, can we talk?"

"Sure. Let's talk." There was bitterness in her words.

Daelen opened the door, unsure as to whether she would explode on the spot. He cautiously walked over and sat down on the bed next to her. "Noire," he said again. "I don't want you to think I don't want you. And I know I was stupid, but you don't understand...what it was like." He stopped, trying to keep himself under control. "I didn't even know I was going to have a life to live back in Hollow Point. And then everything happened...and it just happened so fast. And thrown into my face was a beautiful girl who wanted to save me. And I can't lose her." He was frustrated as his voice broke slightly at the end.

Noire played with her hair. "It's still annoying. I thought when you kissed my cheek earlier today when I asked if we were gonna fake it..I thought that meant that you didn't want to fake it." She hugged herself tightly. "It was a surprise to me, Daelen, and I'm hurt."

"I know," he replied. "And I'm sorry that I was the cause of it." Daelen looked down at the bed, plucking at the sheets nervously. "And I don't want to fake it," he said, inhaling. "Because I want it to be real, someday." He blushed, looking up at her.

"O-oh.." she said quietly. She made it so she was facing him, their noses almost touching. "I'm sorry this got pushed onto you. And I'm sorry I made such a scene today at the tuxedo shop. I was angry.."

Daelen leaned closer and their noses brushed. "And you had every reason to be. I don't blame you if you're still angry," he whispered. "I'm...getting better, but I still have a lot of trouble with saying the right thing."

Noire managed a smile. "I know you are. And I know how tough it was to open up to the world after being taken away from it for so long. If you ever need to talk about it, you know I'll always be here to listen." She kissed his nose gently.

He smiled at her, not drawing back. "Am I forgiven, then?" he asked softly.

"Of course you are. I could never stay mad at you." She turned her back to him, so that she was pushing against him. Taking his arm, she gently put it around her waist, tucking her head under his chin.

"Noire?" Daelen whispered.

"Yeah?" she said, gently holding his hand.

He was sure she could feel his body tense slightly, wondering if he dared even ask. He decided that yes, he did dare. "Can I kiss you?"

Noire reddened. "Yes. You can kiss me." she replied, her voice quivering slightly.

Daelen moved over slightly, letting Noire roll onto her back. He placed his hands on either side of her head and just stared down at her for a moment. And then he leaned down and kissed her.