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Bamburai and Bamberly were relaxing on the old, beat up couch at her house, with Bamberly cuddled up against Bamburai, looking up at him as he flicked through the TV channels. She had that curious expression she had when she wanted to say something, and the samurai knew that, so he decided to get it over with and ask what she wanted.

"You have that look on your face. Tell me what's going on." He smiled warmly, as if inviting her to ask a question.

Bamberly hesitated for a moment, not wanting to overstep any boundaries before asking the question.

"How come we've never been at your house before?"

Bamburai froze, his eyes widening as the question sank in. The truth of the matter was, he had no home, he lived at a homeless shelter. But she couldn't know that, she would surely leave him if she knew his living situation, his past, all of the things wrong with him.

"Uhmmm..." He managed to get out after a long silence, trying desperately to return to a neutral expression as he came up with an excuse. "My house is a mess."

"Is that it?" Bamberly looks a bit skeptical, before smiling kindly. "We can clean it together."

"Nonono, you don't get it." He said, in a vaguely convincing voice, as if trying to convince himself as well. "It's a deep mess."

At this point, Bamberly knew that Bamburai was hiding something. She didn't wanna push him into telling her what was wrong, but she was so concerned. What if he didn't have a home? What if he lived in a bad place? She had to ask.

"Bamburai, what is going on? It's okay, you can tell me. I won't judge." She gazes into his eyes, a look of pure love in her eyes, which only served to make Bamburai more nervous, darting his eyes away.

He didn't want to think about it, he didn't want to think about opening up the still fresh wound of being kicked out from his only home. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, but tried hard not to show it.

He didn't deserve her, and he knew that. As the village used to say, an outcast like him deserves to be mocked, deserved to be laughed at, deserved to have no one. He wanted to run away forever, and live in solitude, for even his own home didn't accept him. He wanted to never deal with another living being ever again.

It wasn't until Bamberly spoke up that he was pulled out of his thoughts, and realized some tears were running down his face.

"Bamburai! Please tell me what's wrong." The woman said, concerned for him, a couple of tears in her own eyes. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to make you cry!"

"You didn't make me cry." Bamburai wiped his tears away, but he was still crying, feeling selfish as he said this. "I just didn't want to lose you."

"There's nothing that you could do that would ever make me stop loving you, my love." She wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into a one armed hug. "Please, tell me."

Bamburai took a deep breath, considering if he really wanted to tell her this. In the past, being honest has never proved fruitful, so why would it now? But lying is bad, he thought, and he owes her the truth.

"I live... at the homeless shelter." He looked over to Bamberly, feeling a bit better when she did not look disgusted with him. His crying intensified a bit as he recalled the scene when he was kicked out, causing his voice to waver. "I don't come from Popcorntopia. I come from a village far away. My brother kicked me out."

"It's okay... your brother can't hurt you anymore. You're not at that place anymore." She attempted to comfort him, as she wrapped her other arm in the hug. Bamburai, realizing this, hugs her back, their faces inches from each other.

"You don't think I'm pathetic? An outcast?" The samurai melted into her arms, the crying stopping at her kindness.

"No. I'm just glad you were honest with me." She gives Bamburai a brief peck on the lips. "I love you, always and forever."

"I love you too. Always and forever."

They held each other for a couple of minutes, as they fell asleep next to each other.

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