A New Generation: A ZoroMiku Story

49: Hidden Feelings

Miku

Miku woke up earlier than Zorome the next morning and decided to make them both something to eat. She'd wake him up when it was finished. She was baking muffins using a recipe and ingredients that Futoshi had left behind when he and the others had visited their place the other day. 

As she baked the muffins, she was aware of Zorome twitching and grunting in his sleep. Somehow it was both annoying and cute.

Cute.

That was what Miku thought of Zorome a lot these days. She always had, subconsciously at least, but she felt even more so now that she knew what lengths her partner would go to in order to protect her and keep her away from harm. Whenever she thought of how Zorome had come to her aid, she felt a rush of pride and gratitude. He was truly a good boy at heart even when he did some pretty stupid things. She knew him better than she was sure he knew himself. He was a bit dumb at times but Miku had learned that apparently, all boys could be like that sometimes. He had a good spirit, something that resonated well with her as well as most people he met and was quite caring. She would never replace him and would never want another guy to stand by her side. She was glad that she'd faced so much with him and no one else. Their connection was strong and so were her feelings for him.

But Miku was unsure if she would ever be able to tell him how she felt, how much she cared about him and how thankful she was for him, as well as how grateful she was he'd saved her from Hyaku. The thought made her freeze up. It also meant she'd have to be all sappy which was something she didn't do often when she had a clear mind. 

Ugh! Why does telling him how I feel have to be so...weird? Miku made a face and crossed her arms. I just...ugh, I want him to know how I feel but I don't want to have to say it. But he's too stupid to know if I don't tell him, I think. 

By the time the muffins were done baking, Zorome had still not yet woken from his slumber and was still in a very deep state of sleep. Miku took the muffins out of the oven and set them aside on their table before heading over to wake him up.

"Zorome, you've slept in long enough," Miku said as she took the blanket off him.

"M-Miku!" Zorome snapped up into a sitting position, breathing heavily as he did so. This caused Miku to let out an alarmed yelp and jump back in surprise. 

"Woah! Watch it!" Miku snapped, though she hadn't intended to and it had just been her response to the alarm she felt. When Zorome didn't say anything she began to worry about his sanity a little. "Are you alright?" She asked him.

Zorome

Zorome rubbed his forehead. He truly wasn't exactly doing the greatest at that moment. Miku had roused him from yet another nightmare about some bad guys doing bad things to her. 

"Uh, yeah," Zorome lied, trying to shake the memory of his terrible dreams. "What's up?" 

"I just finished making us breakfast," Miku told him. She walked over to the table and grabbed a tray of muffins. She brought the tray over to the bed, plopped down, and put it between her and Zorome. "Wanna eat some?"

"Of course!" Zorome grabbed a muffin and immediately shoved it into his mouth. Although he'd had a terrible night, he was still quite hungry and maybe eating a delicious homemade muffin would help him regain his spirits. The aroma was also too enticing for him to be able to stop himself. "Mmph! These are good muffins!" He grabbed another one and started eating it. 

"Ew, Zorome," Miku whined. "You're getting crumbs all over the place! Ack, and stop trying to talk with your mouth full!" 

"Shaddup," Zorome muttered with his mouth full of crumbs. A few crumbs flew out of his mouth, causing Miku to jump to her feet. 

"Ew, I'm just going to eat mine over here," Miku said as she snatched a few muffins and went over to her own bed to eat them instead. 

When Zorome finished his breakfast and let out a big burp- which caused Miku to yell "Ew!" one again- he sighed and lay down with his hands on his newly fed stomach. He needed time to think. He wasn't sure if he was ready for Miku to go back to the teacher's meetings the next day. He was still paranoid that someone was out to get her and that he wouldn't be able to stop them in time. He found this really weird because he had never felt that way before. It seemed out of character for him.

Ah, well, he'd just have to pretend he wasn't upset about things. After all, he did like that Miku felt she was ready to go out into the world again and he was kind of getting bored. All he'd done was look after Miku and toy around with things. It was so boring! 

"So, are you excited to get back to business?" Miku asked when she had finished her muffins. "I'm looking forward to it! I've really missed the others. I'm glad nobody took Hyaku's side. At least the rest of us are sensible."

Zorome wondered if she was trying to convince him that everyone could be trusted. Maybe she was even trying to convince herself. Regardless, he wasn't sure what to think anymore. He didn't know what he would do if something like that were to happen with one of the other teachers.

Yet another quite more horrifying thought jumped into his head.

What if Hyaku wasn't the only one who'd snap due to stress or trauma or whatever the hell caused him to lose it? What if one of the other teachers did? What if one of Zorome's other friends did? Or, even worse: What if he and Miku did?