OC x Rengoku Kyojuro [REMAKE]- "Thankful for you "

Chapter 6.

               I scratch the back of my neck and gulp.
"Well?"
Kyojuro smiles curiously.
"You see, in my childhood, I've acted quite cold towards you. And I felt like apologizing for that."
Kyojuro jumps up, he seemed taken aback by my sudden apology. His cheeks glow a bright pink and he chuckles.
"Why would you apologize?"
He pats my back and I start to feel embarrassed.
"Because you've shown me kindness! You've been nice to me and, in a way, you were like my sister. I never considered you a friend. And I felt bad for that."
Kyojuro snickers and sighs.
"Chō that's fine. No matter what you considered me, I've always thought of you as my friend."
I look over to him and stare into his eyes. I blush and smile.
"Ever since my sister died I needed to fill the empty space left in my heart. So that's why I went out of my way to look for you."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, silly!"

I furrow my eyebrows and smile nervously. Before I could say something he grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. I was taken aback and shocked. I didn't know how to react. I felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in my chest. My stomach was turning upside down and I could feel butterflies in it. I felt sick, in a good way. My heart was beating fast.
"Kyojuro, what is this?"
"A hug."

He didn't pull back. I slowly put my arms around him as well. Hugs are nice. I haven't gotten a hug in years. It felt so strange. But whenever my sister hugged me I didn't feel the same nervousness. What's so different about Kyojuro? My grip around him tightens. I wanted to stay in his arms forever. It felt so nice and comforting. Tears formed at the corners of my eyes and I suddenly pull back.
"Oh! Are you alright?"
He asks, confused.
"I'm fine! I was just a little surprised."
I wipe the two drops of tears from my eyes and sit back in my seat.
"Hey, I reckon we tell some stories."
He nudges me and smiles warmly. I chuckle and nod my head.
"Alright...Well, remember when you came to stalk me? You looked at me train for a few hours, truth is, I knew you were there! You almost got caught by my mom as well!"
"What? You knew I was there?! You could've at least said hi!"
He punches me softly as I laugh.
"Well, remember when I scared you that time and you screamed like a little wuss?"
Kyojuro crosses his arms proudly and snickers to himself.
"You did scare the shit out of me!"
I pout and look away. Kyojuro's playful side came out whenever he'd talk to me, it felt special in a way.
"Oh! I made you a flower crown once!"
I turn and smile, my eyes sparkling.
"Right! I still have it in my room at my estate! It's probably withered away, it's been like, 7 years!"
He laughs as he slaps his knee. I smile.
"I remember watching the stars and teaching you about astrology! You had no idea what that meant."
I cross my arms and imitate him. He puffs his chest and clears his throat.
"Well sorry for not knowing star names! Or constellations!"
"It was fun tho! We stargazed almost all night until my mom had to drag me inside and you had to run through all the mud in the forest."
"My socks were ruined that night."

I chuckle and yawn softly.
"Man, remembering things sure is tiring..."
I lean on Kyojuro, as he does the same, leaning his head in mine.
"Indeed it is."
"Heh. We should hang out more."
"Indeed..."
His words were slurred, before I could say anything else I fell into a deep sleep. Deeper and deeper. I think to myself for a moment, until I see a blinding light. I bolt out of my bed. I breathe heavily as I grasp for the ribbon in my hair. Everything was a mess. I look around and I soon realize I was at home. So it's a dream. I get up and fix my hair. I look down and see that I'm dressed in a loose kimono. I go to my closet and look for my usual clothes. I didn't seem to find anything so I just went with my pastel yellow kimono and my pink floral printed haori. I quickly change and ran into the main room of the house. I look around the corner and see everyone at the table. Even my sister and father. I gasp and run up to the table.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!"
My sister smiles brightly as I run up to her and jump into her arms.
"Chō! Be careful!"
My mother shouts at me as she stabilizes the table. My father chuckled in the background.
"Are you ok Chō? You're clingier than usual!"
I pull away and wipe my tears as I sob uncontrollably.
"Woah! Hey, Hey! Did you have a nightmare? Come on, it's fine, let nee-san help you."
She pulled me back into her arms and pet my back to calm me down. I hugged her back as tight as I could.
"Hey now, Tsumiki, Chō is an adult. It's probably nothing."
My father chimes in as he furrows his eyebrows.
"You're just saying that because I wouldn't hug you like that when you'd have your silly nightmares."
My mother responds as she sips on her warm tea. I pull back from the hug and smile.
"Come on, mother planned us a day off in town!"
I stop and tilt my head confused. I decided to play along so nothing felt weird. Tsumiki got up and I followed after her. My mother soon got up as well, slowly walking to the door, assisted by my father.
"Are you sure you'll be fine?"
My father asks her.
"We'll be fine."
She responds as she walks after us in the garden. She turns back and waves goodbye to my father and follows after us on the path to town. I was holding hands with my sister as we were skipping and hurrying through the forest. The only time I saw this place was when I left home on my own. We soon reached the village center and we both looked around curiously, especially me. I've never been to a town center like this one, everyone was selling stuff and everyone was happy and giddy. I get pulled back for a second, my sister looks behind me and smiles.