i tasted life

I tasted life

- Emily Dickinson

His jet-black jacket glistened sharply under the moonlight as they traversed back to their residences after that meeting with the Brahman. Takemichi was uncharacteristically silent as he stared straight ahead on the road. The normally bubbly and boisterous blond was reticent as he walked beside Draken who had his hands in both of his pockets. Takemichi was still processing the earlier events that had happened at that meeting which frankly looked like an underground fighting ground that reminded him of that unsanctioned street fighting led by Kiyomasa during their middle school years.

After the official announcement made by Senju about him now being a member of the Brahman, that's when it finally hit him. He really was risking everything on the line including his life again to make Mikey's future great and peaceful along with them. Nevertheless, Takemichi didn't feel any anxiety or doubt within himself. He felt that he was doing the right thing and everything was falling into the right pieces.

Nevertheless, he couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that wanted to crawl outside of his being.

"Oi. Takemitchy."

Draken's familiar deep and baritone voice jolted him out of his thoughts and looked up at him. Those sharp yet concerned obsidian irises were trained on him as if trying to decipher his innermost feelings and thoughts with that single gaze alone.

A warm feeling started to creep inside his chest and Takemichi resisted the urge to smile like an idiot in front of him.

"Yeah Draken-kun?" Takemichi gazed back at him curiously.

"You okay there? I can almost hear your loud, running thoughts you know." He commented noncommittally but there was a tinge of concern beneath his nonchalant tone.

It made Takemichi chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Ah, sorry about that Draken-kun. I got lost in my head again. Sometimes." He smiled sheepishly at him.

It made Draken paused and just stared at Takemichi's figure who was now walking past him. But the blond had noticed that he stopped walking and turned back to him.

"Draken-kun?"

Draken didn't know what kind of face he was making but Takemichi looked at him with his tender, blue eyes that were devoid of malice and were just watching in genuine predilection and goodwill.

It made something inside of him break. He could say thousands of words laced in silky threads of affection and sweet encouragement. But he wasn't made that way. Words were not his forte.

But what he lacked in words made up for the simplicity of his actions and for him that was enough.

He walked quietly towards Takemichi and stopped right in front of him. Before the other could react, his arms enveloped him in a firm yet gentle hug.

"You're wearing that kind of face once again Takemitchy. For once, I gotta tell you to stop looking like that cause you're not alone in this fight. Not anymore. We'll save and bring Mikey back together. Understood?" His whisper was a gentle caress around Takemichi's being that promised a brighter future and a dazzling ray of hope.

However, why did it feel different for Takemichi?

Why did it feel like a veil of a passing bell under the gloomy skies hung around them?

"Yeah..." Takemichi choked out a response, trying to swallow back his tears but his eyes glistened slowly. He could only return back his hug tightly as if he was afraid to let him go.