My Sunshine

Strawberries / The Teahouse - Haru

Haru awoke much later to more rain, this time coming down in thick sheets. Feeling refreshed, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of peace and autonomy that was now hers. She had slept. No one had hurt her. She didn't even have a nightmare about someone hurting her. She ran her scarred arms against the smooth, crisp cotton sheets as thunder rolled in the distance.

This had to be heaven.

As she rolled over, the first thing she noticed was that there was a bowl of fresh strawberries sitting at her bedside table. She sat up weakly but curiously, taking the bowl and placing it in her lap as she settled herself lotus style under the blanket.  Picking up one of the strawberries, she inspected it.  She had only read about strawberries,  They weren't native to the Island, and even if they were fresh fruit was a luxury saved for important guests, not her.  She slowly bit the tip of it, savoring it's juiciness and flavor.  It was both sweet and a little tart.

"Mmmmm..."

She closed her eyes and took another bite.  She could eat just strawberries for the rest of her life!

"Hey, how's your snack?"

She opened her eyes to find Iruka in the doorway.

"Amazing!  This is my first strawberry!  It's so good!"

He came and sat down on the bed next to her, grinning.

"Really?"

"Yes, they're not native to the Island.  My father used to ship them in for important guests, so of course they weren't for me."

Iruka looked at her sadly,

"Not even one?"

She shook her head no, popping the rest of the strawberry into her mouth, savoring it.

"No, and I wouldn't have taken one anyway.  I had to be very careful of my food choices.  There were few edible plants on the Island, and I tried not to eat the food from the palace, if I could help it."

"Why not?"

"My father would put strong sedatives in my food when he had a debt to pay, which was practically all the time.  I've woken up countless times from a poisoned meal with a strange man on top of me."

Looking over at Iruka, he looked green, as if he were about to throw up.

"I'm sorry.  I shouldn't-"

"Never apologize for telling me about her past.  Ever.  It's a part of the person you've become.  And it helps me so I can be better for you."

Iruka picked up a strawberry and slowly brought it to her lips.  She took another bite, just as delicious as the first one.

"I promise that you'll only get safe food, nutritious food, and in abundance.  You'll never know that fear or hunger again."

Tears were running down her face as she took another bite from his hand.

"I can't even imagine what that would be like.  Is it like the hospital?"

"It's so much better than the hospital.  There is so much delicious food in the village.  I'll take you anywhere you'd like to eat.  We can do anything you want to do."

He reached out and took her hand in both of his. 

"I promise, Haru, things are different here.  You won't have to be hungry or afraid anymore."

She noticed tears rolling down his cheeks. She slowly ate the rest of the strawberries with her free hand while allowing Iruka to hold the other.  Soon, they were gone and she was licking their juices from her fingers.

"Thank you.  If food can taste like that, then I can't wait to try more of it."

***

Later in the evening, Haru found herself at a table for two in a very small teahouse.  The rain was falling in sheets outside, making their haven from the rain feel even more cozy.  She was drinking something called a hot chocolate, which was creamy and sweet.  Iruka sat across from her, a steaming mug of tea in his hands as well.  He was gazing out of the window, watching the rain fall.  Looking back at her, he gave her an embarrassed smile.

"I'm sorry I got you stuck out in the rain.  This wasn;t how I wanted your first official night out in the village to go."

She looked down at her hot chocolate, giving it a small smile.

"It's really not a big deal.  It rains a lot where I come from.  I'm used to it."

She took another sip from her mug and closed her eyes, letting the drink warm her chilled, damp body.

"Do you like that?"

She opened her eyes to find him now smiling directly at her from across the table.

"It's delicious.  I've never had anything like it."

He was beaming.

"Really?  I'm glad.  This is the calmest I've seen you since you arrived home.  I was afraid you didn't like it here, staying with me."

"No, I do like it.  Very much.  It's just... a little overwhelming.  This is nothing like the Island..."

She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, burning her nose.

"No, no.  I'm sorry.  I didn;t mean to upset you.  We don;t have to talk about anything that you don't want to .  Just know that... if someone there hurt you, I'll fight to make sure you never have to go back."

His eyes were sympathetic.  Genuinely sympathetic.  She barely knew him, but she trusted him.  At least, as much as she could trust anyone at this point.  She picked up her mug and realized there was only one sip left.  Drinking it, she frowned at her cup as she put it onto the table.

"Would you like another one?"

She looked at him for a few seconds before nodding.  Normally, she wouldn't accept anything unnecessary, but... this was different.  She really didn't think that he was going to hurt her.  At all.  He got the woman's attention behind the counter, ordering her another hot chocolate , this time with whipped cream.  This made her smile.

"Thanks."

He blushed a little again.

"It's really no problem.  Just enjoy yourself."

The woman set the drink in front of her, giving her a small wink.  It had a dome of white on top.  She took a finger and grazed it along the top of the foam, popping it into her mouth.  It was so sweet!  She hadn't had sweets since she was very young... back when her mother was still alive, and before her life turned into a nightmare.  But, it wasn't a sad memory.  It was instead calming and satisfying, filling her with as much warmth as the hot chocolate.  She picked up the mug, bringing it to her lips and sucked the foam off of the top.  The mixture was even creamier and more delicious than the original.  When she put her mug down, she realized that Iruka was chuckling at her.

"What?"

He touched his own nose gently.

"You've got foam on your nose."

She touched her own nose, realizing it was foamy, and let out a laugh.  She couldn't remember the last time she laughed.

"It's so good!"

"It looks like it."

He did make her feel comfortable, and that was the feeling that she was enjoying more than anything.