Back To Darkness

Chapter 14: The Very Special Present

Yuki smiled. He inhaled deeply. His bed was comfortable and warm but he couldn't wait to leave it. Finally it was Saturday. He would be spending the whole day with Tohru. He swung his legs off the bed, ignoring the slight pain and the flaking of dry blistered skin as his feet made contact with the floor. He dressed quickly and hurried downstairs. She was there already. She was always there, even when he really tried to surprise her by being up first. She smiled from the stove, a small smudge of flour on her cheek. He went to her immediately and took her hand. It was the most natural thing. Their hands, both small and soft, seemed to fit together perfectly. He gave hers a small squeeze and began to set the table.

Later that day, as they wandered amongst the market stalls, Yuki couldn't help marvelling at Tohru. She was so bright, so beautiful. She chatted to the stallholders with a genuine, irresistible smile. She fed scraps of her sandwich to a stray cat she spotted lurking by the fishmongers. Yuki held her hand lightly, wishing both to protect her, but never to hold her back.

They browsed some shops in the early afternoon, and Yuki bought her deep purple hair ribbon. He carried their bags and parcels, despite his suspicion that after his time with Akito she was actually stronger than him.

It was a strange day, a lovely day. Tohru's bubble of light and warmth enveloped him, so that he found himself included, talking to strangers in a way he never imagined. He had always felt so separate from everyone else but that day with Tohru he felt connected.

As the evening drew in they wandered contentedly through the park. The warm glow of the fading sun shimmering through the autumn leaves of orange, brown and red brought forth the natural highlights in Tohru's hair. He gazed enraptured, and she blushed beautifully and humbly when she noticed.

When they sat down on an old, worn bench Yuki gently passed her the hair ribbon and a single rose, orange, to match her brightness. She seemed overwhelmed by this, and babbled for several minutes, saying Yuki shouldn't have bought anything for her. Yuki himself was feeling slightly nervous, but his nerves calmed when he took her hand, and all felt right. She too, fell silent.

Gently, quietly, feeling it was surely the most important thing he had ever done, Yuki leant forward, and kissed her.

There was a moment when she didn't respond and Yuki almost panicked, but then she was kissing him back. And it was bliss. There was such warmth. They were gentle, timid with each other. But both felt so safe, and so loved.

When they broke apart, Yuki found their foreheads resting together, but it seemed so natural to be so close, so intimate with Tohru, that this didn't faze him. He felt a grin creeping across his face and he couldn't have stopped it if he wanted to.

It was in that moment, on that bench, on that beautiful autumn evening, as the ducks splashed in the nearby pond and the children screamed and giggled somewhere in the distance, with the rose and the ribbon lying on their laps and their heads pressed together, breath mingling, that Yuki knew. He knew, more than anything else, that he loved Miss Tohru Honda. And that was the best feeling.

That night Yuki lay awake in bed for a long time. He thought of how their warm lips had melded together, of the softness of Tohru's mouth on his. He dwelled on the way her hand had drifted to his neck, so soft, so safe, yet so enticingly passionate. He thought the memory of that kiss could sustain him forever, yet already he wanted another. He would bring Tohru a hundred, a thousand, roses, for another second of that kiss.

And... he loved her. It was such a strange notion to Yuki that he couldn't quite believe it. She had helped him, healed him, enabled him to build a support in his mind to keep the darkness at bay. And now she brought such joy, such colour and light into his life... such love? The thought made him giddy. He smiled to himself. He loved Tohru... That was his truth, his reality, and he would carve his life around it. For her, he could be the brave stone. He could withstand the sea. For Tohru.