A Lovely Melody [Part Two]

..continuation.

Ai is going to meet with Reiji and the others today..
He just finished changing clothes and fixing his hair.

"I'm going out, you're not coming with me?"
Ai said as he got out of his room and spotted Lily.

"A-Ai-kun!!" Lily was startled cause she was
lost in thoughts again. "I-I'm sorry, b-but I..
I am not.. I have to finish composing.."
Lily gave him an apologetic smile.

"Oh, I see. I understand. Well, take care here
  Lily. I'll see you again later!" Ai responded
expressionless. He waved as he left the house.

"Yeah.. See you later."
Lily said and waved back.

Lily went back to her room and sat down.
She stared at the blank paper. Thinking
of what else to write. She must write
the best song for Quartet Night.

"What to write..."
Lily played with her pen.

She sat there thinking for a while..
But then she suddenly heard a
sound of someone opening the door.

"Ai-kun?!" Lily wondered. "(Oh my
he's back early! I don't know, but
I think I'm glad)

Lily hurriedly ran over to the door.

"Ai-kun! :D"
Lily greeted him with a smile.

but that wasn't Ai, it was the professor.

"Hm? What's wrong, Emily?
   It's me. Where is Aine?"
The professor asked, changing
the topic right away.

"O-Oh.." Lily looked disappointed.
"Ai-kun went to meet Reiji-kun
  and the others to discuss about
   their career.." She explained.

"When will he return? It's about
 time for his monthly maintenance."
The professor asked again.

"I don't really know.. but I'm
  expecting him to be back by evening."
Lily said, expressionless.

"I see. I'll be in my laboratory.
  Notify me once he returns."
The professor said as he
left and went to his laboratory.

"Yes, professor..."
Lily nodded.

Lily went back to her room,
she sat down but it feels
like she doesn't have
any energy at all.

"Sigh... Lily-chan, why am I
  so excited to see Ai-kun again?
  He just left! -.-" Lily sighed
as she stroked her cat that
curled up on her lap.

"I should just.. focus composing.
  Yes, that's right. I should!"
Lily tried to convince herself.

However, some of her memories
with Ai keeps flashing back inside
her mind, distracting her so much.

Lily squished her cheeks, "OH
WHY AM I THINKING OF SUCH
THINGS? I must focus! Focus!!"
She shook her head and tried again.

But without realizing it,
she wrote Ai's full name
instead of writing lyrics.

"What's wrong...."
Lily just couldn't focus at all.

A few hours have passed,
she just couldn't focus.

It's almost dinner.
Lily wasn't able to
prepare anything
for herself...

Because she was
too busy composing.

Ai finally came home,
but since Lily is busy
being frustrated
inside her own room..

She didn't notice Ai
walking in the door
and calling our her name.

"Lily..? Where are you?
  Reiji made us something.."
Ai looked for Lily while
calling out to her.

He eventually opened
the door to her room.

"Lily..?"
He tilted his head
as he wandered inside.

"A-Ai-kun!!!"
Lily was surprised,
she suddenly crumpled
a paper where she
wrote Ai's name.

"What are you doing?"
Ai looked around her room,
noticing all the crumpled papers.
"..Still composing, I see.."
Ai said.

"Y-Yeah.. but I just can't focus,
  I can't tell why but.. don't worry,
  I won't give up. I'll definitely
  write a great song for Quartet Night!"
Lily nodded her head and tried
to change the "awkward" mood.

"I know. I believe Lily can do that.
  It's alright, you don't have to
  rush it either. We're willing to wait."
Ai comforted her while picking up
all the crumpled papers on the floor.

"A-AH D-D-DON'T T-TOUCH THAT!!"
Lily looked extremely embarrassed,
she blushed without knowing it.

"E-Eh?"
Ai's eyes widened,
curious and wondering.

"I-I'm not m-mad, i-it's just that..."
Lily didn't know what to say. Ai's
name were written all over those
crumpled papers which he picked up.
"I.. It's... nothing. I-I'm sorry. I
  was just.. frustrated for a moment.
  I didn't mean to yell at you....."
She gave up trying to make up a reason.
Then she looked on the ground, trying
to hide her embarrassed face.

"o.O..."
Ai was speechless for a moment.
Then he eventually walked up
to her and placed his hands
on both her shoulders.
"It's okay, though I don't how
  that really feels like... It's
  alright with me. I know you
  didn't mean it. So cheer up,
  okay? I don't like seeing
  you looking shy & embarrassed
  with me. You don't have to be,
  I'm Ai Mikaze, we've always
  been together. That's why,
  please smile... for me?"
Ai gazed at her with such
a loving yet worried expression.
His words were expressed
with a warm and sweet voice.

"(My heart..)" Lily's eyes widened.
"Y-Yeah..." She agreed as she looked
at him, face to face. "(It's really..)"
She stared deep within those eyes of his..
"I will always smile for you" She smiled.
"(Beating... so... rapidly.. and only..
when Ai-kun is right in front of me..)"

Ai finally smiled at her.
"That's good." Then he
gently released her.
"Oh, wait, here.." Ai
gave a box of cake for
Lily. "Reiji made them..
He said it's for us but..
I know I can't eat them.."
Ai looked sad since
he can't eat the cake
his friend made for him.

"Wow, they look delicious.
  Oh! H-Hey, Ai-kun.. don't
  look so down, I'm sure
  the professor is already
  doing something to let
  you eat and taste food safely!
  In fact, he's here right now.
  I think we should go see him?"
Lily tried cheering him up
by encouraging him to
believe he can eat sometime.

"Really? If so.. then I
  really hope so. I want
  to eat what Reiji made
  for me... for us... and
  I want to taste your
  cooking too... This
  morning you were cooking...."
Ai said with a hopeful expression.

"M-My c-cooking..? O-Of course!
  I'd love to cook for you!"
Lily smiled at him brightly.

"That makes me even more
  happier.. I think I feel that way.."
Ai smiled. He sat on the floor
and patted the cat.

After that, they left the room and
went to the laboratory to call the Professor.

There, Lily saw it again.
So did Ai. When the
professor isn't present,
none of the two goes
to the laboratory.

Lily only goes there to
clean it up or to check
if things are okay.

"(That's.. Aine..)"
Lily stared at Aine's body,
floating in the chemical
filled blue water..

Lots of wires and other
scientific stuffs were
attached in Aine's body.

Ai knows he looks like Aine.
But he doesn't really know
the real purpose why he was
created to be his, Aine's replica.

"(I'm not you...)" Ai placed
his hand on the glass where
Aine's body was inside.

"Ah, Aine. You are here. I have
  good news for you. I know you
  have been waiting for this."
The professor stopped typing as
the two walked in and rotated
his chair, facing Ai and Lily.

"What is that?"
Ai asked the professor.

"I've finally completed the
  device that needs to be
  installed to your body.
  A device that allows you
  to eat safely and the food
  won't cause any damage
  to your body's system."
The professor made some
strange hand movements
as he explained this device
he created for Ai.

"All that we have to do is
  check your current body's
  system, customize them
  a little and install the device
  and we're done. Is that
  good to hear, Aine?"
The professor looked excited
as he scanned Ai's body from
head to foot. His eyes beamed
with terrifying excitement.

As if he look at Ai as another
test subject, just another object.
Just another piece he can play.

"(Even though Ai-kun is a machine..
    I truly believe he's more human
    than anyone else...)" Lily smiled
hopelessly at Ai while his body
is being checked by the professor.

"Um.. professor..?"
Ai called him.

"Hm? What is it, Aine?"
The professor stopped
moving and asked him.

"Can I hold Lily's hand?
 Ai asked him straightly.

"(EH? WHAT?)"
Lily was once again surprised.

"Emily..?"
The professor adjusted his
glasses and turned to take
a look at Lily who was
smiling at Ai from a distance.

"Can I?"
Ai asked him again.

"Yes you can, but tell me, why?"
The professor agreed but he
questioned Ai's unusal behavior.

"I honestly do not know. But please..
  I believe I'll be fine just by holding her hand."
Ai insisted.

"Hmm.. very well then. You must haven't
   learned those things yet." The professor walked up to Lily and
patted her shoulder. "I guess you
  can teach him." The professor
smiled at Lily and pushed her
lightly to Ai's direction.

"(T-Teach him.. WHAT?)"Lily
almost lost her balance but
then Ai got up and catched
her. "A-Ai-kun! I-I'm sorry
for being clumsy!"
Lily bowed her head as she apologized.

"It's okay."Ai smiled warmly.

"Ohh.." The professor looked amazed.

Ai gently lie down once again
and reached out his hand
to Lily. "Will you hold my hand?"
He asked her with an apologetic smile.

Lily didn't know how to react.
She just decided to take his hand..
When she did.. he gently closed
his eyes as the machine scanned his body.

Ai was automatically put to sleep mode.
Even though Lily didn't want to let go,
she had to for the professor had to
access Ai's mind. Which will take
really long and Lily had some
things to finish as well.

Lily went back to her room.
Where she continued to composed..
After an hour, she finally wrote something.

When she's finally done, she picked up
all the crumpled papers and threw it
to the trash can. Little did she know,
some of the crumpled papers fell
on the floor on her way outside.

She went to bed but however,
she just couldn't sleep at all.Lily just laid there, while
touching the necklace that
Ai had given to her as a
birthday present.

Then she remembered the cake,
She sat on the table and stared at it.
"I don't want to eat it..."

"I'll wait until Ai-kun can finally eat.
  Then we'll eat together. Right, Lily-chan?"
Lily said as she stroked the cat who
walked up to her and curled up on her lap.

"I know how much he wants to
  eat this cake that Reiji made for us.."
She poked the cat as she said.

Lily eventually grew bored of waiting.
She decided to sing the song she
wrote for Quartet Night and she
finally became sleepy. She fell
asleep trying to fight against
her sleepiness. But she failed.

After a few hours...

It's already around 12 midnight.

Ai's maintenance was successful.
However, he haven't tested yet
if the installation of the device that
allows him to eat safely without
damaging his system
was a success as well.

He walked around the hallway..
then he noticed the crumpled papers.

He picked it up and realized it was Lily's.

He uncrumpled it and read it.

"My name... Why did Lily wrote my
   name all over this paper?..." Ai
wondered as he uncrumpled the other one.
"And this one.. it's a lyric...

'You make my heart beat so rapidly,
Have I fallen for you unknowingly?'

..the next paragraph has been
blackened out..."

Just when Ai was about to crumple
the paper again and throw it away,
he noticed something written
in such tiny letters on the bottom..

The moment he read it,
his jaw slowly fell open.

"I think I am in love"

"Lily is.. in love...? How..?"

Chapter 12 -
A Lovely Melody [Part Two]