Wolf Spree: A Takuma Ichijo Romance

Chapter 1: Wind Reflections

It was one of the most challenging things that I had to learn to do, but I had to trust Zero. He had always done what he could to protect Yuki and if enduring the pain meant that I was doing the same then I would.

I had retreated into the farthest corner of my bed and covered up my entire body. Yuki entered the room but I remained silent. She was also silent after climbing into the bed. I waited a while for her mild snoring which indicated that she had fallen asleep. I fell asleep shortly after, remembering what Zero had told me.

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As the days passed, the pain did begin to fade away. There soon came moments where I would go the entire day without feeling any pain and I felt that I could actually participate in my daily routines of making it to class independently.  Father was relieved when I told him that I was feeling much better and allowed me to return to class. My classmates didn't seem to notice that I had been missing for over a week and Zero was, again, nowhere to be found. His absence used to be very rare but now it seemed to be very common. I hadn't seen Zero much since the night of his decision, but I made sure to do what I could to show him that there were no hard feelings about what he had decided for me. Yuki remained by my side for most of my being bedridden, and I decided to dedicate some time to showing my appreciation once I learned how to best do it. From what I could tell, the best way had something to do with Kaname. She had been missing a lot more lately, but she shined when I couldn't tend to myself.

Yuki interrupted my thoughts by rushing into the room. She threw her belongings onto her bed and headed to the bathroom to turn on the shower. I looked at her with a confused expression and stood up.

"Yuki? What's going on?" I asked.

She continued to brush her teeth as she jumped into the shower.

"Are you going to visit with Kaname?" I asked.

She delivered a mumbled reply that sounded like a gargle. After acknowledging my confusion she finished and delivered a clear  'yes'.

I smiled, knowing that with events like this, I would be able to show my appreciation in some way.

"Why don't you take him something? Something like a gift?"

"I don't have anything to give him. I wish I could."

"Why don't you MAKE something?"

"I'm not good at that type of thing Kaori!"

The shower water stopped and she stepped out very quickly wrapped in a towel.

"Well, I can help you if you want. Just let me know if you ever want to try."

She smiled at me as she continued.

"Thanks Kaori, I appreciate that."

She paused for a moment -possibly taking time to consider what the gift may be.

I sat quietly as Yuki finished grooming herself and getting dressed. I could see the sun slowly descend from our room window. I untied my hair from a ponytail and brushed it as I stared at the sun and nurtured a beautiful daydream.

I continued to stare out of the window only for a brief moment before deciding to take a quick walk through town. I very seldom decided to venture past the confines of the school, but Yuki and Zero had both proven to be very busy lately or at least distracted. A quick walk would surely suffice and alleviate at least some of my ambition to do something aside from homework and school related projects.

After a shower and another quick brushing of my hair, I quietly left the dorm room and headed out towards town. Very few townspeople were out and there were only a few students that were still heading to their dorms. A breeze sailed through my hair; I could feel the extra coolness from my hair still being damp from the shower. I paused to take it all in. The setting sun, the wind--even the shop owners closing up their stores. I maintained a constant pace, walking into a vacant park that featured a bench that faced a now deactivated fountain. Sounds of familiar wildlife accompanied me as I sat on the bench, wishing that the fountain would somehow activate to perform for me. Though the water was relatively still, a few ripples shook its reflection of light. I leaned my back onto the backrest of the bench and let out a sigh. Here I am at a vacant park at night enjoying it, but for some reason lately when I am alone on campus I feel as though something is missing. Yuki has been patrolling more than usual and Zero has been absent much more than he had been. I had been able to see him less and less and it seemed to also be the case with Yuki though sharing a room helped. I began to wonder if my being disabled had been a burden big enough to encourage Yuki to feel the need to escape.