Kingdoms (kaimaki fantasy AU)

Chapter 29: Warmth

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Wanting to make her feel more comfortable, Kaito gently picked Maki up in his arms again. Maki blushed a little at this. She wasn't expecting it. She didn't need to ask where Kaito was taking her as he gently placed her on the bed. Maki relaxed into the mattress, once agin feeling less tense. Kaito gently pushed her until she was laying down with her head on the pillow. He then grabbed the chair he had sat on and sat next to the bed on it. He looked at her patiently, not needing to ask her anything. Maki took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling. She didn't know where she wanted to start, and she was glad that Kaito didn't rush her.

"When I was down there, I didn't think that I had been that scared in my life." Maki finally spoke after piecing together what she wanted to say. Her words were slow, as if she was either making it up as she went, or she was hesitant to speak. Again, Kaito didn't rush her. He wanted her to take her time. "I wasn't scared by the thought of being sacrificed to be friends with a dead person. Or that I was going to die alone. I was scared because I didn't know what would happen to you if I had died."

"What do you mean?" Kaito asked, unable to stop himself. Maki looked at him, her eyes showing a mixture of fear as she remembered everything and concern for how Kaito might react. She bit her lip so hard that she thought that the skin would break.

"He said that when you woke up, after he had killed me, he'd tell you that I left without you." She said, her voice sounding drained.

"I wouldn't have believed that." Kaito replies right away, feeling angry. The nerve that the psycho had made his blood boil. He was wiling to lie about what happened to Maki, just so he could keep on killing innocent girls. Kaito didn't want to think of what could've happened if he didn't wake up in time. Maki could've ended up in that awful room. And she undoubtedly wouldn't be the last victim.

"I know. I knew that if I died, then you wouldn't last long either." Maki agreed, her face troubled but everything that could've happened. She couldn't look at Kaito, finding the ceiling more interesting. "It was my fault that you ended up like that. I didn't want you to die because of the mistakes I had made. I'm so sorry that it happened to you because of me."

"Don't talk like that." Kaito gently said, grabbing her hand carefully. He rubbed his thumb on the back of it to comfort her. "We didn't know what was going to happen. And I'm the one that convinced you to make that choice. You know what kept me going? It was knowing that you'd save me. I'm still here because of you. And I owe you so much for that." Maki looked at him as he said that. No, Kaito didn't owe her anything. If anything, she's the one that owes him. That's what Maki wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead, she gripped Kaito's hand, squeezing it a little to give herself some comfort, letting the warmth of the touch consume her. She gave Kaito a tired smile, glad to see him smile back at her. However, Kaito suddenly looks conflicted, making her worry. He seems like he wanted to say something himself, but he wasn't sure about it. Maki squeezed his hand a little again, reassuring him.

"Maki Roll, there's something I want to ask you." Kaito finally spoke, his face unreadable. Maki hesitantly nodded, not sure what he wanted to say. "I...I don't know what happened while I was unconscious. But I was disturbed by what I went through."

"You looked like you were having nightmares." Maki shuddered, remembering the sight of Kaito while he was unconscious. How he would mutter and cry in his sleep, trapped in a nightmare that never seemed to end.

"I was reliving what happened to my grandparents." Kaito sighed, gripping Maki's hand a little tighter. He fought hard to not break down as he saw his grandparents passing away in front of him again. It was bad enough knowing what had happened, but seeing it again just as he was recovering from his grief almost sent him into that downward spiral again. "It was horrible seeing them to die in front of me again. But then I heard you. I heard you speaking to me. I think that's what helped me to wake up."

"You...you heard me?" Maki stuttered, her eyes widening a little. Did he really-

"I remember almost every word you had said." Kaito said, smiling wearily. Maki blinked in surprise. "That you had never fought to protect someone before. That you had never even given a nickname like "Maki Roll" before. That you had never met someone as stubborn as me before. And that you've never-"

"-fallen for someone before." Maki finished, feeling a stinging sensation in her eyes. So he heard everything she said after all. Maybe that's what he was trying to ask her about before they bumped into Ryoma.

"Is it true? Do you really love me?" Kaito asked, his voice gentle but a little hesitant. Did he think that she wasn't being truthful when she said those things?

"Yes." Maki whispered. The face that Kaito had was unreadable. It hurt Maki a little. She turned on the bed, her back facing him. "It's okay if you don't feel the same. It won't change anything because...even if we're friends, I'll still fight to protect you." It hurt a little to say that, but Maki needed to let it out. She didn't know why, but she felt a little ashamed at this. She didn't want to think that Kaito didn't feel the same, but it might make their goodbye at the border easier. Kaito suddenly, but gently grabbed her shoulder. He carefully turned Maki back on her back. He was leaning over her, looking into her eyes. Maki felt the heat rise in her cheeks, making them rosy red, as she realised how close he was to her suddenly. She opened her mouth to ask Kaito what he was doing but he had beaten her to it.

"Who says that I don't love you too?" He whispered. Maki tensed a little at this. Kaito didn't give her a chance to ask what she wanted to ask. He gently pressed his lips to hers. This wasn't their first kiss, but it felt like a proper one compared to the night they first met. Their first time was rushed, nothing shared between them. No feelings other than the panic of needing to be hidden. This was the complete opposite. This kiss was slow and warm. It made Maki feel warmer than she was moments ago. It made the world disappear around them. Maki couldn't feel the bed under her as she slowly pulled Kaito closer to her. Kaito allowed her to do so, letting his body come onto the bed on top of her. Neither one cared about anything at that moment. All they cared about was what they shared at that moment. This pure bliss was all that they cared about in that moment.

The kiss ended when both of them needed air. Maki looked up at Kaito, feeling lightheaded form the kiss. Kaito looked back at her, almost longingly. He gently climbed next to her, being careful not to jostle her too much. Maki watches as he laid down and wrapped his arms around her again. He pulled her close, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder, using it as a pillow. Maki finally felt sleep slowly overcoming her. She tried to fight it, but her eyes were starting to droop.

"No matter what, I'll protect you too." Kaito whispered as he saw that the assassin was slowly succumbing to sleep. Maki gave him a tired smile as he kissed her on the forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too." Maki whispered before she finally fell asleep. Kaito stayed awake a little longer, smiling a little himself. He held Maki a little tighter, reassuring her that she was safe while she slept. He kept looking at her until the candle in the room, the only source of light, burned out. He fell asleep too, content to hold the one he loved in his arms.

What more could he want?