DISCLAIMER: CORPSE PARTY AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE OWNED BY TEAM GRISGRIS/GRINDHOUSE. KITT IS OWNED BY GLEN A. LARSON PRODUCTIONS, THE CREATORS OF KNIGHT RIDER CLASSIC. MY ORIGINAL CHARACTER, PACKER, IS OWNED BY ME.

Author's Note: Hey, everyone. Yes, it's been a long layoff in between new chapters, but as you've been noticing, I have not been idle, as I've been making some big updates and additions to the story. I've just been really busy with life in general to give this the proper attention it deserves, but now that I've finally gotten over the hump with this chapter, I have a lot of things planned for the rest of the story that will hopefully make things flow a lot smoother from this point forward.

Also, couple other things to note. There will be a little bit of sappiness at the end of this chapter, and this will also be the last fun and games chapter for a while, because the next chapter is when things get serious once again.

Thank you very much for your patience, and without further ado, here is the long awaited Chapter 45.

CHAPTER 45: PACKER'S BIRTHDAY

Monday, April 6th, 2009, 6:00 A.M.

(Corpse Party's The Everyday begins playing in the background)

The alarm clock starting ringing loudly in Packer's ears as he opened his eyes. Yawning loudly, he reached over and shut the alarm off and stretched his arms, trying to get the kinks out as he prepared for a new week of school. Getting out of bed, he smiled as he remembered what today was.

"Today's my 18th birthday," Packer said to himself. "Seiko and the others probably can't wait for school to let out today so we can start the party tonight." He let out a small chuckle at the thought.

After showering, putting on his school uniform, injecting his daily dose of serum and grabbing his backpack and keys, he headed for the front door to leave for school. But right as he opened the front door…

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PACKER!" Seiko shouted as she jumped into Packer's arms, planting a big kiss on his lips.

"Thanks, Seiko," Packer said, chuckling at her antics, before noticing that something was different about Seiko this morning. "Question. Why is your hair in a ponytail?"

"Well, I figured I'd try something different today," Seiko replied with a smile. "Besides, today is a very special occasion, so I figured, why not?"

"I see," Packer said, nodding his approval. "Where are the others?"

"They'll meet us at school," Seiko replied. "I just wanted to get here so I could be the first to wish you a happy birthday."

"Well, I appreciate it," Packer said with a smile. "Let's get going, shall we?"

Grabbing her hand, they walked over to KITT, who was parked outside on the street, got inside, and after firing the engine, began the drive toward Kisaragi.

"I am curious about one thing," Seiko spoke up. "If there isn't any paperwork available on your birth, then how do you know what your birthday is?"

"Rush came up with a computer program that could detect what our birthdays are by looking at our genetic profile," Packer explained. "Our genes have a sort of time code stamped on them, so we can determine exactly when someone was born, down to the millisecond."

"Wow, that's pretty incredible," Seiko marveled.

"Our Knights are capable of incredible things. In the collective minds of the Knights of the Covenant, anything is possible."

"After Heavenly Host and everything else we've been through, I can certainly believe that," Seiko replied.

Packer simply smiled as they continued their ride toward Kisaragi Academy.

They arrived about ten minutes later, where they saw their friends waiting for them in the parking lot to greet them.

"Hey, guys," Packer greeted them as he got out of the car.

"Hey, Packer-kun," Ayumi replied with a smile. "And happy birthday to you."

"Thanks," Packer replied.

"So, are we still on for tonight?" Yoshiki asked.

"Is that even a question at this point?" Packer laughed.

"Well, let's get to class and get this day over with," Satoshi said.

"Yeah! I can't wait for tonight!" Mayu beamed.

Laughing amongst themselves, the group of nine made their way inside Kisaragi a few minutes before the morning bell.

(Corpse Party's Good Friends begins playing in the background)

After a long day of classes, the bell finally rang to signal the end of school for the day, much to the delight of the nine friends who were walking out of the school, laughing and talking about various topics among themselves. They walked slowly down the sidewalk toward Packer's home, with KITT in tow, keeping a close eye on the close-knit group.

Finally, after about twenty minutes, they had arrived at Packer's home. As soon as Packer threw the door open, Seiko rushed inside, screaming like a banshee.

"All right!" Seiko shouted. "I can't wait anymore! What do you say we get this party started?"

"Sounds good to me," Packer replied with a chuckle.

"Alright, then," Satoshi said. "Let's get everything set up."

"Did everyone remember to bring their presents?" Ayumi asked.

"Yes," everyone said. Ayumi nodded her approval.

"Okay," the bluenette said, clapping her hands together. "All that we need now is the cake, which we need to bake."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Nana asked. "Let's go and get started on it right away!"

"Yeah! I kind of have a bit of a sweet tooth right now, so I want to have some of that cake when we get it done!" Mayu giggled.

As the girls rushed off toward the kitchen to get started on the cake, Yoshiki walked over and turned on the television, grabbed several game controllers, turned on the game system, and plopped himself down on the couch.

"While the girls are working on the cake, what do you say we play some video games in the meantime?" the blonde asked.

"I'm game," Satoshi said.

"Sounds good to me," Packer agreed.

"I'll pass," Morishige said. "Video games aren't really my avenue of entertainment. But I'll watch."

"Suit yourself, Morishige," Yoshiki interjected. "Come on, Satoshi. I bet I could beat your ass at Street Fighter."

"That sounds like a challenge, Satoshi," Packer said as he glanced over at Satoshi, who could feel his competitive drive kick into high gear.

"Challenge accepted!" he shouted, running over and grabbing one of the controllers before sitting next to Yoshiki on the couch.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER…

After everyone had their fill of video games, presents and birthday cake, everyone was talking about various subjects and topics of interest, until Seiko interjected with an idea.

"Hey, guys," Seiko said. "What do you say we play a game?"

"What kind of game?" Nana asked, her curiosity peaked. Seiko let out a devious giggle.

"Well, it's actually a fusion of two popular party games," she explained. "I assume you're all familiar with The King's Game and Truth or Dare." The group nodded. "Well, I've combined both games together to form a new party game, called The King's Dare."

"The King's Dare?" Naomi repeated.

"Yep. The rules for both games remain the same, with a slight twist," Seiko continued. "For the Truth or Dare side, we will spin a bottle to determine who's turn it is, and instead of having the others give you challenges, you'll instead draw from one of two bowls filled with slips that say what type of challenge you'll do, with one being for Truths and one for Dares, depending on what type of challenge you want to do. Refusal to do so will result in a very embarrassing punishment, so fair warning."

Several members of the group looked at each other with slight concern, while Packer sat back in his seat and chuckled.

"What about the King's Game portion?" the emerald-haired Knight asked.

"That'll remain the same as well," Seiko replied. "There will be a jar filled with nine popsicle sticks, with eight of them having numbers. The lone stick that is not numbered is the King's stick, and the King can choose to do whatever they wish, by calling out one or two numbers and having those who hold the numbers either do one of their own challenges or draw from the bowl for a completely random challenge."

"And how will we determine which version we play?" Morishige asked.

"Simple," Seiko responded. "We'll roll a six-sided die after each round to determine which format we'll play. If we roll an odd number, we'll do Truth or Dare. If we roll even, we'll do The King's Game. Simple enough, right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and excitement.

"Well, since this is Packer-kun's birthday, I think he should have the honor of being the first to roll the dice," Ayumi giggled. Packer simply smiled, leaned forward to grab the dice, and gave it a good roll. The roll was a six.

"All right, King's Game it is for Round One," Seiko announced. "Everyone, grab a stick and hope for the best!"

Once everyone grabbed a stick, they looked to see if they either grabbed a number or the blank stick. Packer chuckled as he held up the blank stick.

"Well, looks like the birthday boy is starting this off," he said with a smirk. "Alright, for my first challenge, number seven has to try to make number five laugh by any means necessary."

"I'm seven," Mayu announced.

"Five," Morishige said simply, causing some oohs and aahs amongst the group.

"Well, this should be interesting," Packer chuckled as he handed Morishige a bottle of water. "Alright, Morishige, you have to try to keep the water in your mouth, while Mayu tries to make you laugh and spit it out. Mayu, you have one minute to complete the challenge." Packer pulled out his stopwatch. "Ready?" Mayu nodded. "And go!"

Mayu simply smiled and held up her phone to Morishige's ear, who after a few seconds, nearly spat out his water. Apparently, it was something personal between the two of them, so much so that it nearly made Morishige lose the challenge right off the bat.

"Oh, did he lose it?!" Seiko screeched.

"No, he's good, he's good," Packer said, noticing that Morishige still had the water in his mouth, so Mayu decided to try something different.

"Mayu, pick up the phone," she sang, causing Morishige to chuckle slightly and everyone else to laugh at Morishige's efforts to not laugh out loud. Mayu continued to sway back and forth while she sang as Morishige regained his composure for the moment.

"He's got this," Yoshiki said, noting how much time was left.

"Cherry blossom…" Mayu began, before Morishige suddenly spat the water out, with most of it spraying onto Yoshiki.

"Oh, shit!" he yelled. "I got sprayed!"

Everyone in the room cracked up with laughter, with Ayumi falling onto the couch laughing as hard as she ever had, and even Yoshiki had to laugh at the ridiculous situation. Packer, after finally calming down, checked his stopwatch to see how long Morishige lasted.

"48 seconds," Packer announced. "Which means that Mayu wins the challenge."

"Yay," Mayu cheered in victory, jumping up and down a few times. After finally calming down, Morishige stood up straight, a wide smile still on his face.

"Your Cherry Blossom Tree killed me," he said, still trying to contain his laugh.

"So what does that mean, Mayu?" Nana asked. Mayu simply shook her head.

"I can't tell you guys what I referenced," she replied. "It's an inside joke between myself and Shige-Nii."

"Holy crap, that was funny," Naomi said, giggles still permeating throughout her body.

After all the laughter had finally died down, Packer reached down and grabbed the six-sided die once again.

"All right. Time for the next round," he announced, throwing the dice onto the table. The number was a four. "The King's Game it is. Everyone put your sticks back in the jar and I'll mix them up." After all the sticks were in the jar and Packer had mixed them up thoroughly, he gave the signal for everyone to grab one.

"Looks like I'm the King this time," Yoshiki chuckled, holding up the blank stick. He started scratching his chin, wondering what challenge he should spring upon his friends. Then, a devious idea hatched in his brain. He smiled as he glanced over at everyone. "Alright. This might be a bit unusual, but my commands are for number one to do a truth, and number seven to do a dare."

Everyone looked at Yoshiki with shocked expressions, although a smile was beginning to form on Packer's face.

"Flipping the script," he chuckled. "I like it."

Yoshiki chuckled in response.

"Alright, who's got one and seven?" the blonde asked. Seiko chuckled nervously as she held up her stick.

"One," she announced. Packer arched an eyebrow as he glanced at his stick.

"I've got seven," he said.

"Alright, then," Yoshiki said. "Shinohara, let's see what truth you have to tell."

"Okeydokey!" Seiko shouted gleefully as she reached into the Truth bowl and pulled out a slip. Upon reading it, though, her face turned cherry red.

"Uh-oh," Yoshiki chuckled, as Seiko glanced back up at the group with a shy smile.

"'What is your favorite sex position?'" Seiko read, causing everyone to gasp in surprise. "Well, I haven't had that experience yet, but if I had to choose one that I want to experience first…" She glanced over at Packer with a sly grin, which in turn caused Packer's cheeks to flash red. "…it would definitely be doggy style."

Everyone gasped loudly at her proclamation, while Satoshi and Yoshiki both started wolf whistling and Packer's face turned a very dark crimson. Naomi could only giggle at her best friend's response.

"Well, that's Seiko for you," she chuckled.

After recovering from his bout of embarrassment, Packer reached into the Dare bowl and pulled out a slip. He arched an eyebrow at the dare as he read it out loud.

"It says 'Give an example of what an adult phone line's commercial would be like'. Hm…" He scratched his chin for a moment before coming up with a line, smirking as he did so. "If you're looking for some fun, call 1-900-699-6969." Considering he did it using a sexy voice, it's no wonder why everyone started cracking up laughing, especially Seiko, who had fallen over on the floor and was holding her sides, laughing hysterically. Packer smiled as he succeeded in delivering what was an exceptionally funny line.

"Oh, my God, that was good," Satoshi said, still laughing a little bit as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Alright, time for Round Three," Packer said, nodding to Yoshiki, who picked up the six-sided die and gave it a good roll. This time, the roll was a five.

"Truth or Dare it is," Seiko announced, placing an empty bottle in front of Yoshiki. "Alright, Kishinuma, give it a whirl."

Smirking, Yoshiki grabbed the bottle and spun with all his might. After several revolutions, the bottle land squarely on Nana, who paled as the bottle stopped on her.

"Oh, crap," she shuddered. "Um, I choose… Truth."

Everyone oohed as Seiko held the Truth bowl in front of Nana, who reluctantly took a slip and read it out loud.

"'What is your favorite food?' Well, for me, it'd have to be cheesecake," she admitted. "Cheesecake is sooooo good."

"I'd have to agree with that one. New York style cheesecake is especially good," Packer said, while everyone nodded in agreement.

Nana grabs the die and gives it a good roll to start Round Four. A three.

"Okay, Nana, give that bottle a good spin," Seiko said, as Nana spins the bottle in the middle of the group. The bottle comes to a stop pointing at a very surprised Ayumi.

"Oh, boy," she shudders. "Um, Truth."

Seiko holds the Truth bowl out for Ayumi, who takes a slip and reads it.

"'What is your dream job?' Easy. I want to be an illustrator. It's where my passion lies, considering I'm a huge fan of art," Ayumi said with a dreamy smile on her face.

"Man, those last two were pretty easy," Morishige pointed out.

"There are some easy ones in the bowls," Seiko replied. "It's just a matter of picking the right ones. Otherwise, it could be a very embarrassing thing you'd have to say or do. Hence why this game is so popular."

Morishige nodded in understanding.

"Alright, Round Five," Packer announced as Ayumi rolled the six-sided die, this time coming up a four.

"Time for the King's Game once again," Seiko announced, as she held up the bottle full of sticks. Everyone grabbed one and glanced at it to see if they got a number or the blank stick.

"Whoo-hoo, I got it!" Naomi yelled as she held up her blank stick. "Alright, this time around, I order number one to trip number three to the ground and stand over them in a victory pose."

Everyone arched an eyebrow at the order. Satoshi sighed as he saw the number on his stick.

"I'm number three," he mumbled, but then yelped as he suddenly had his legs swept out from under him. He landed on the floor with a thud, causing him to moan in slight pain, while someone placed their foot on his chest. Looking up, he saw that it was Mayu standing over him, flexing as if she were Hulk Hogan.

"Sorry, Mochida-kun, but I couldn't resist an opportunity to take you by surprise," Mayu giggled, holding her stick to his face so he could see the number three printed on it. "I was number three."

Everyone chuckled at the sight, especially Morishige and Naomi, who were trying their best not laugh out loud.

"Round Six," Packer said as Naomi rolled the six-sided die. This time, it came up a one. Seeing that it was Truth or Dare this round, Naomi spun the bottle in the middle, this time landing on Mayu.

"Okay," Mayu said, glancing up at Seiko. "Dare."

Everyone gasped in response.

"Someone's brave," Seiko giggled, holding the Dare bowl in front of Mayu, who took a slip and read it aloud to everyone.

"'Tickle the person to your right,'" She read, before glancing over at the person to her right with a sly smile, which happened to be Morishige, who paled when she read the dare.

"No, Mayu, no!" Morishige pleaded, as Mayu yelled and pounced on her boyfriend, tickling him in the ribs and causing him to laugh in response. "Okay, I give!"

After a few more seconds, Mayu ceased her tickling, giggling as Morishige righted himself, a blush visible on his face.

"Dare complete!" Mayu announced triumphantly.

"At my expense," Morishige scoffed, although he was smiling as well.

"Time for Round Seven," Packer said, as Mayu rolled the die. A six.

"Alright, you all know the drill," Seiko said, holding up the bottle of sticks. Everyone quickly grabbed one and checked it.

"So, I'm the King! Or in this case, the Queen," Ayumi announced, holding up her blank stick. "For my order, number five has to attempt to backflip over number three."

"Oh, crap. I'm number three," Yoshiki groaned. He looked up as Packer gave him a shoulder bump.

"Don't worry about it, because I'm number five," he said. Yoshiki smiled and sighed in relief, remembering Packer's acrobatic skills.

"Alright, let's do it," the blonde said, standing in the middle of the living room. After taking a few breaths, Packer suddenly spun around and began running in the opposite direction. He jumped and pushed off the opposite wall into a series of back handsprings, before launching over Yoshiki in a backflip, easily clearing his blonde friend before landing on his feet behind him, causing everyone to cheer and clap at the feat. Yoshiki and Packer high-fived each other before returning to their spots.

"That was awesome," Satoshi said in admiration.

Round Eight started with Ayumi rolling the six-sided die, which came up two. Everyone took a stick out of the jar and checked to see what their number was.

"Yay! I'm the Queen!" Nana yelled. "Alright… what should my command be? Hm… Oh, I've got one! Number four and number eight must do the rubber band slaps game!"

"Uh, what the heck is that?" Ayumi asked, confused.

"It's where two people stand facing each other, and both have one end of a rubber band in their mouth," Packer explained. "At the signal, both try to open their mouth as quickly as possible to release the rubber band, and whoever takes the longest will get smacked in the face by the rubber band."

"Oh, that sounds painful…" Seiko shuddered.

"It is. I've seen this on many Japanese television programs," Packer replied. "Hilarious to watch, not fun to do."

"So, who's four and eight?" Yoshiki asked. Naomi looked downtrodden as she held up her stick.

"I'm number four," Naomi said.

"Crap, I'm number eight," Mayu interjected. Morishige chuckled.

"I guess this game really likes you, Mayu," he pointed out.

"Seems like it, doesn't it?" Mayu agreed.

Packer quickly ran into the kitchen and came back out with a comically oversized rubber band. After Naomi placed one end into her mouth, albeit reluctantly, Packer stretched the rubber band out to where Mayu could grab the other end with her mouth. Once they were ready, Packer stood in the middle, prepared to give the signal.

"Ready?" Packer asked, looking over as both girls nodded. "Now!"

SMACK!

"OW!" Naomi shouted as the rubber band smacked her in the face. She quickly rubbed the part of her face with the stinging sensation, while Mayu raised her arms in victory, thankful for her quick reflexes.

"Mayu is the winner!" Packer announced as Mayu jumped up and down in victory. After the stinging in her face died down, Naomi could finally let out a chuckle.

"Good job, Suzumoto-san," she congratulated. "Seems like you're really good at these party games."

"Yeah, I guess so. Not bad for a first timer, huh?" Mayu said.

Round Nine begins with Nana rolling the six-sided die. A one.

"Time for Truth or Dare again!" Seiko squealed as Nana spun the bottle, this time landing on Ayumi once again.

"Well, I did a Truth last time, so this time I'll try a Dare," Ayumi said. Seiko held the Dare bowl out to her and the bluenette grabbed a slip and read it aloud. "'Sit in the trash can for the next round.' Wait, what?! What kind of dare is that?!"

Everyone began cracking up laughing as Packer ran into the kitchen once more and brought back a small trash can.

"There you go, Ayumi. Sit," Packer said. Ayumi, knowing full well what the consequences would be if she refused, reluctantly sat in the trash can, her face glowing red with embarrassment as everyone laughed. "Don't worry, Ayumi. It's just until the end of the next round."

"Humph!" Ayumi huffed in response.

Round Ten began with Ayumi awkwardly rolling the die onto the table, which was kind of difficult considering she was sitting in a trash can. The die came up a three, signifying Truth or Dare. Ayumi couldn't reach the bottle with her arms, so she resorted to kicking the bottle to get it to spin, and it stopped on Seiko.

"Yay! I'll choose a Dare this time!" the excitable girl squealed as she dove her hand into the Dare bowl, pulling out a slip. When she read it, her cheeks turned pink, but a sly smile appeared on her face. "'Play the Pocky game with someone of your choosing.' Well…" She glanced over at Packer, whose face began to glow a bright red at the way she was staring at him. "It looks like we're playing the Pocky game, Packer-kun."

(Hysteric Birthday's Oozing with Sex Appeal begins playing in the background)

Packer chuckled nervously as the rest of the group let out giggles and chuckles at his slight unease. Seiko unwrapped some Pocky and placed one end in her mouth, while motioning for Packer to do the same. Packer gingerly put the other end of the treat in his mouth, his cheeks getting ever hotter as he stared into Seiko's amber eyes.

"Alright, you two ready?" Yoshiki asked. Both gave a slight nod. "And go!"

At Yoshiki's signal, both Seiko and Packer began to slowly eat the Pocky, inching closer and closer to each other's faces. Packer could feel his heart beating in his chest as Seiko inched closer and closer to him, until finally, Seiko placed her hands on his shoulders and their lips finally met, giving each other a passionate kiss as their friends cheered them on around them.

Finally, the kiss came to an end, leaving both of them staring at each other loving, their cheeks burning hot. Snapping out of his stupor, Packer glanced over at Ayumi.

"Uh… Ayumi, you can get up out of the trash can now, since this round is over," he said. Ayumi sighed with relief as she was finally able to get out of the trash can.

Round Eleven began with Seiko rolling the die, which came up a one, which meant another round of Truth or Dare. Seiko spun the bottle, and it finally came to a stop on Packer.

"Dare," Packer said. Seiko handed the Dare bowl to him, and he quickly pulled out a slip and read it… and immediately turned dark cherry red. "Oh, geez… Um… 'Fondle the breasts of your significant other for one minute.'

Everyone gasped in shock, including Seiko, whose face also began to grow red as well.

"Well, then," Satoshi chuckled. "That's certainly quite the dare."

"Lucky bastard," Yoshiki mumbled, causing everyone to laugh and Ayumi to slightly elbow him in the ribs, even though she was chuckling as well.

"Well, I guess all I can say is… Happy birthday, Packer-kun!" Seiko said, with a little more enthusiasm than Packer expected, which only served to further darken the crimson on his face.

"You're not exactly making this any easier, Seiko," Packer mumbled as he got behind Seiko, gingerly placing his hands underneath her arms and around to her chest. Seiko grabbed his wrists to help guide his hands, since he really couldn't see her front that well. "Yoshiki, you timing this?"

"Yep," Yoshiki replied, stopwatch in hand. "And… go!"

Packer exhaled loudly and began running his hands slowly up and down Seiko's breasts, while Seiko, surprised at the unexpected sensations she was feeling, closed her eyes and began moaning sensually, a large smile on her face. This, of course, only caused Packer's face to grow even more red than it already was, and he let out a very ragged breath as he continued running his hands up and down her chest.

Naomi had her mouth covered and was trying not to laugh out loud, while Nana could only shake her head in amusement at what she was seeing.

"Shinohara really seems to be enjoying this a lot more than I expected," Nana observed.

"Well, it is Seiko, after all. She's always been into the 'sexy times', as she calls it," Naomi laughed.

Finally, after a minute, the dare was finally over, and Packer was quick to release his hands from Seiko's chest, his face sweating and his heart racing. Seiko glanced over with a sly smile on her face.

"You okay, Packer-kun?" she asked. Packer nodded as he reached for his bottle of water.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he quickly said. "I just need a minute." He took the cap off and nearly downed the bottle of water, causing everyone to laugh in response. Seiko let out a giggle, glancing over at Naomi.

"Heh, now I know how Naomi felt when I did the same thing to her," she said, causing the tomboy's face to flash red.

"T-T-That's not true, Seiko!" Naomi shouted. "Stop saying such embarrassing things!"

"Whatever you say, Naomi-san," Seiko countered, letting out a devious giggle and causing everyone in the room to bust out in laughter at Naomi's discomfort.

Round Twelve began with Packer rolling the die, which came up a three, so it was another round of Truth or Dare. Packer spun the bottle, and it finally came to a stop on Satoshi, who paled at the prospect of playing the game.

"Oh, crap," he mumbled.

"Well, look who it finally landed on," Seiko said, her cat-like smile appearing on her face. "So, Mochida-kun, Truth… or Dare?"

"Um… Truth," Satoshi meekly said, knowing he was screwed either way. Seiko held the Truth bowl out to him, and he gingerly took a slip from the bowl and read it. "It says 'How was your first kiss?' Oh… um…" His face turned dark red, as did Naomi's, as everyone awaited Satoshi's answer. "It was… really nice… because I had been waiting to do it for a while, so…" All the girls went 'awww', while Naomi let out a shy, but appreciative giggle at Satoshi's answer.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER…

Packer glanced at his watch, and saw that it was almost nine in the evening.

"Well, looks like we should wrap this up and hit the sack, considering we have school tomorrow," he announced.

After everything was cleaned up and the living room was back to the way it was before, everyone bid each other good night and went off to their respective bedrooms. All except Packer, who after he had grabbed himself a cup of coffee, sat back down on the couch and turned out the lights, watching as a flash of lightning lit up the night sky. A thunderstorm had rolled in just a few minutes before, and the rain was pelting hard against the window, and the occasional flash of lightning lit up the night sky, followed by the telltale rumble of thunder in the distance.

(Corpse Party's And Comfort begins playing in the background)

Packer let out a content sigh he as watched the rain pelt the living room window. He enjoyed nights like this, with nothing but the sounds of the storm to listen to. He found that, for some reason, it had a great calming effect on him, and he let out another content sigh as he sipped his coffee, all sorts of thoughts swarming his mind as he thought back on the last year or so, when he met his Kisaragi friends for the first time, and despite the need to rescue them all from Heavenly Host, which he was successful, he had no idea that they would become such great friends, and that one of them would end up becoming the object of his affections…

"Hey, Packer-kun."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Packer glanced over at Seiko, who was now in her sleepwear, which consisted of a short-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of shorts, which revealed a lot more of her legs than Packer thought was possible. Shaking that thought from his head, he quickly glanced up at his girlfriend, noting the concerned look on her face.

"What's up?" the emerald-haired boy asked.

"Nothing," Seiko replied. "It's just… you hadn't come to bed yet, so I was getting a little worried."

"Nothing to be worried about," Packer assured, setting his cup on the table. "I was just… relaxing, listening to the sounds of the storm. It's… comforting."

"You find a thunderstorm comforting?" Seiko asked with curiosity. "Thunderstorms kind of freak me out, with the loud booming and everything."

Right as she said that, a loud thunderclap exploded around them, causing the excitable to girl to shriek and jump into Packer's arms, shivering in fright. Packer let out a small chuckle.

"It's not funny, Packer," Seiko grumbled.

"Sorry," Packer apologized. "I wasn't expecting your reaction to be quite like that."

Seiko then realized that she was hugging Packer in a very awkward position, and adjusted herself to where she was sitting on his lap, her legs dangling over the edge of the couch while keeping her arms wrapped around his neck, and gazed into his eyes with an apologetic look.

"Sorry about that," she said. "I was never a fan of storms as a kid. Guess I still don't a fondness for them after all these years."

Packer nodded in understanding, and the two of them sat there for a while, listening to the sounds of the storm, although it was beginning to die down a bit.

"Hey, Packer, can I ask you something?" Seiko suddenly spoke up.

"Sure," Packer replied

"Um… earlier, when we did the one dare where you… you know… fondled my breasts… that didn't weird you out, did it?" Seiko asked timidly. Packer's face flashed red as he looked at Seiko.

"No… it actually didn't," Packer said. "It was just embarrassing that we had to do that in front of everybody."

His answer caused Seiko's cat-like smile to appear on her face once again.

"So, in other words, you like the fact that I have big breasts," she said. Packer glanced away shyly as he nodded his head, causing Seiko to giggle in response.

"Yeah… you're not wrong there," Packer replied shyly.

"That's good," Seiko said, before a seductive smile appeared on her face. "Just imagine what it'd be like when you're doing the same thing when I have no clothes on."

"Oh, jeez, Seiko…" Packer gasped, feeling his face go hot from Seiko's teasing. However, it seemed to disappear when he noticed that Seiko's face had sobered, and now appeared to have a more serious expression.

"All joking aside," Seiko began. "When you said you said you wanted to start a family with me… did you mean it? Or is it just the sex you're looking forward to?"

"Well…" Packer stuttered, caught off guard by the unexpected question. "The prospect of having sex is… intriguing. That part I won't lie about." He then took one of Seiko's hands and gave it a chaste kiss. "But that's something that I want us to share together. And as for starting a family with you… I meant what I said. I really want this, Seiko. I really think you'd be an excellent mother to our children."

Seiko was left speechless by Packer's honesty. She really didn't know how a boy like him could've ended up with her, but she was thanking her lucky stars nonetheless.

"Y-You really think… I'll be a good mother?" Seiko asked shyly. Packer chuckled.

"No doubt about it," he replied. "If your siblings are anything to go by, I would love nothing more than for you to be the mother of my kids."

Seiko bit her lip as her emotions started to overwhelm her senses. Her boyfriend really seemed to know what to say to get her flustered. With unshed tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, she leaned in and gave Packer a big kiss on the lips that he was more than happy to return. When they broke apart, Seiko had an epiphany.

"I just thought of something," Seiko realized. "You've never actually seen me with my hair completely down, have you?"

"No, I haven't," Packer replied. Smiling, Seiko reached up to pull her hair tie out of her ponytail.

"Well, then here you go," Seiko retorted as she pulled the hair tie out, causing her long brown hair to fall onto her shoulders, only this time without her trademark curls. Packer let out a surprised gasp, seeing Seiko without her curls for the first time. "So, what do you think?"

"Beautiful," Packer said, mesmerized at what he was seeing. Seiko's cheeks flashed red at the compliment.

"Really? Because there aren't many people who've seen me without my curls, so…" Seiko began.

"Beautiful," Packer repeated, causing Seiko to blush and her cat-like smile to reappear. "It doesn't matter what your hair looks like. You look beautiful any way you look, and I consider myself lucky to have you. Although... that's not the only reason."

"Oh? What other reasons do you have?" Seiko asked.

"Well, there's the fact that you're bubbly, charming, and you care so much for your friends and family," Packer explained. "To me, those qualities are a bit more important than what you look like."

"Oh, thanks a lot," Seiko pouted, which caused Packer to chuckle.

"Don't get me wrong," Packer replied. "You look great." He smiled as Seiko shyly looked away, her cat-like smile getting bigger on her features. "But I'm sure you've heard that a lot long before I ever started dating you, huh?"

"Yeah, well, you're not wrong there," Seiko confirmed. "Because of my bubbly personality, as you said, I was usually the one who got the most flowers during Valentine's Day. And there were a few boys who were interested in me. They even tried to ask me out."

"Oh?" Packer inquired. "How did that go?"

"Well," Seiko began. "I did the same thing to them that I did to you. They would get ready to ask me out, then I would quickly cover their mouth and whisper what they were thinking in their ear. Each and every time I did that, the boys would stutter and come up with some lame excuse or try to deny that they weren't about to ask me out on a date, which confirmed that I had no interest in any of them, because if they weren't going to be honest with me about asking me out, then how can I expect them to be honest with me in a relationship?"

"Good point," Packer agreed.

"Which is why it was a bit of a surprise when I saw your reaction to my little test," Seiko continued. "I figured you would've come up with the same lame excuses that I had heard from the other boys, but I was quite surprised when you asked me how I knew that you would ask me out. And then to see you fight through your nerves and my teasing and still ask me out... I will admit, I was intrigued by you." She wrapped her arms tighter around Packer's shoulders. "And I still am, now more than ever. You've given up so much for me, even though we haven't really known each other that long. Hell, you even sacrificed your powers to bring me back to life." Her eyes filled with tears once more. "I... I really don't know how I can repay you for everything you've done for me."

Packer gazed at her for a few moments, before grabbing her right hand and giving it a chaste kiss.

"You already have," Packer said, causing Seiko to look at him in confusion. "You gave me a chance to prove to you that I'm your soulmate, the one that you would spend the rest of your life with. To be perfectly blunt with you Seiko... I honestly couldn't imagine my life without you in it."

Seiko felt her heart swell at Packer's words as she leaned in for another kiss.

"That's good, because I feel the same way about you," the amber-eyed girl replied, as her lips met his in another soul-searing kiss. The two remained in each other's arms as the rain continued to pelt the window, nothing else disturbing them for the remainder of the night.