The Beast Within

Chapter 3 : Realization

Warning : Prepare tissues...for people who cry easily...

The sound of crows cawing as they flew across the blue sky that was slowly set ablaze by the orange sunlight. Asuna flapped the white sheets as she took them down from the clothesline and placed them into her basket. She looked up into the sky as more crows flew past above her and her hazel eyes shifted down to her left, gazing at the breathtaking view from her hillside cabin overlooking the small village below. Just a little further, she could see the burning sun gradually setting down beyond the mountainous edge of the village.

A strong savory smell drifted out from her cabin window and floated across the breeze. The inviting aroma reached Asuna's nose and she smiled with excitement. Carrying her basket, she headed inside and towards the kitchen after placing down her basket. A large pot was boiling in her open hearth with the sound of the lid rattling mixing in with the sound of the sparks coming from the burning firewood. Asuna quickly grabbed her mittens and carefully opened the lid. A burst of aroma escaped from the pot while she could see the bubbling contents inside it. She grabbed a spoonful of the content, tasting it after a few gentle blows to cool it down. A groan of approval rose from her throat when she tasted her own cooking. "He's definitely going to love this!" She said in a hushed yet excited tone and carried the pot onto the counter with caution. Her head turned towards the bedroom and she smiled, thinking about a certain black-haired boy resting inside. "I guess I'll go wake him up before it gets cold." She mumbled, stepping into the bedroom after discarding her mittens and apron.

Walking into the room, her lips curved up into a smile at the scene before her. There he was, fast asleep on her bed. The black-haired boy was on his side, emitting soft snores as he slept. Kazuto had spent the whole morning helping her out with picking the herbs and even organizing them. He was letting out frequent yawns during the afternoon so Asuna had insisted that he use her bed to rest must to his protest. He had suggested napping on the bench but she was worried that her customers might come in anytime and it would be troublesome for them to find her alone with another boy who was not from the village. Eventually, he had no choice but to comply and had fallen asleep almost instantly when he got onto the bed.

Asuna walked closer and kneeled beside the bed as she watched him sleep. It was the first time she had been able to watch him sleep up close. She noticed that he had a peculiar sleeping posture where he was all curled up with his knees tucked in close to his body and both his hands right by his head, fisted. He was lying on his chin with his head tilted cutely to the side, his mouth slightly opened while emitting gentle breathing sounds. The way he was sleeping almost resembled how a dog sleeps which she found intriguing. It was weird but at the same time adorable that he would adopt the sleeping posture of an animal.

As someone who loves to read and gain any knowledge she could about life, she had read books about animals when she was younger, learning about the meaning behind the sleeping posture of dogs at one point. Kazuto's current sleeping posture could most certainly be compared to the curled up position of a dog's have three possibilities; preserving body temperature, comfortable or in some cases, insecure. Asuna pondered about the possibility of him feeling insecure as she saw his hands were fisted instead of relaxed. But she then smiled wryly to herself for trying to compare a human to a dog. When she extended her hand to pat him on the head, Kazuto's eyebrows furrowed, groaning as he snuggled his nose downwards against something soft under his chin, with his arms bordering the soft object protectively.

Peering in closer, Asuna felt her face heat up when she saw that he was snuggling against her head pillow. Sure they had gotten closer, but to have a boy somewhat close to her age doing such things to her belongings made her flustered. However, her embarrassment was instantly forgotten when she saw his closed eyes and eyebrows twitching as if he was afraid. 'Is he having a bad dream?' Asuna thought worriedly, brushing his hair to soothe him.