The Samurai That I Loved

第30章

Dedicated to Fantasy_maniac86

The snow continued to fall outside like glistening powder as the sounds of the forest were wonderfully muted by the shack walls. Eliza laid nestled against Shojiro's chest as his good arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, ever so often gently squeezing her hip and caressing her skin through her robes. She shivered and snuggled closer to him. The shack was chilly, but his body exuded such an incredible warmth that she couldn't help but smile.

She could feel the soft, steady rhythm of his heartbeat, being lulled into a relaxed state from its perpetual thrum. Although deeply comforted by his attentions, Eliza was still unsettled by how quickly they had both come together in a way she had never experienced with another living soul.

At first believing he could not stand her when they met, she was now left taken aback by this change in him.

His hand came up, tucking her hair gently behind one ear. She closed her eyes against the delightful feel of his slender fingers and she turned her face into his robe.

"What is it, little hana?" He asked softly in English while playing with her hair. She sighed and smiled before answering quietly,

"Can I tell you something?"

"Hai."

(Yes)

"When we first met...I was quite terrified of you." She said with a small snicker. He breathed out a light chuckle and lowered his hand to her shoulder, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Eliza continued hesitantly,

"I believed you hated me...and I...I know that now that simply isn't true. But I am frightened. Not of you, goodness not anymore, but of...losing my heart to you," She lifted her head and turned slightly to look up into his eyes even though blushing deeply, "Somehow I feel as if I've been asleep my whole life. But when I look at you I know that I am truly awake...not only awake but living."

Shojiro listened to her words and felt like an inner dam holding back his feelings was still amazingly breaking wide all anew. He had thought he couldn't feel anything more for this girl, yet she kept surprising him and pulling his heart even deeper into uncharted territory. This notion unnerved him. How much more could he fall headfirst into before shattering and losing himself completely? He was beginning not to recognize the man he was.

Swallowing down the torrid thoughts, he smiled warmly at the beautiful girl in his arms looking up at him with such innocent adoration it nearly crushed him.

"When we met I thought you were stubborn and maybe your head was...broken?" He teased, placing one hand beneath her chin and caressing her face with his thumb absent-mindedly. Her nose scrunched up adorably and she retorted back,

"What's this now? What do you mean by broken?"

He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped past his lips. Leaning down, he captured her mouth in a stolen kiss to soften the pout that had formed on her lovely face. She tisked and began to push away from him, he simply pulled her back and kissed her again, softer and longer this time, losing himself all over again to the sweetness of her being.

Her frown fell away into an uncontrollable smile as she sighed against his attentive mouth. He eased back and looked down into her sapphire eyes.

"I also thought you were beautiful and brave, I see your head is strong and good. Your voice, when you talk, when you sing...I cannot say in your words, but I shall tell you in mine....Kawaakari." He hadn't realized when his voice dropped to a lower octave, or that he was looking at her in a way she would never forget. She was gazing back at him as if nothing else in the world existed.

"What does it mean?" She asked him softly. He considered the question as he searched for the proper words.

"At night, the river is dark. So dark it is black. You cannot see the rush of water, only hear it, feel it. Kawaakari is the one shining light you can see reflecting off the surface that reminds you it is always there. You are this...to me."

Eliza felt something inside her chest blossom with an indescribable happiness from his confession, a cherished feeling she wanted to store inside a precious box and treasure forever. Without thinking, she moved up and kissed his lips on her own volition.

His light sigh as his arms immediately locked around her sent flutters of butterflies to her stomach and she couldn't help but to remain pressed against him, claiming his mouth like she would never be able to kiss him again.

By the early afternoon the next day, Shojiro and Eliza departed from the abandoned hut. Helping him onto the horse, she chose to sit behind him instead so he could have easier access to steer the horse with only one hand.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, she rested her head against his solid back while they galloped across the snowy hills and plains towards Edo.

Although she knew in time they would...must part from each other, she fiercely decided to cherish every blessed minute within his presence until that fateful, tragic day. She would embrace every morning, every evening and hold onto her memories of him dearly for all the days to come.

                             ¤¤¤¤

By nightfall the following day, the hills and valleys were entirely covered by a fine, sheen white blanket of fresh snow. Shojiro guided the horse down to a wide river and trotted alongside it leisurely.

"Eliza-chan, stay here. I show you something." He said suddenly over his shoulder before hopping down from the horse and walking ahead a few paces.

Eliza was left grasping for the reigns of the horse as she watched him dissapear through a thicket of trees. Curiosity overcame her and she called out,

"What? Where are you going?! Shojiro-san!"

After a few moments of shuffling leaves and birds overhead, Shojiro finally reappeared from the trees holding something vibrantly red in his hand. While his other arm was nestled in a bound make-shift wrap, he quickly strided back to the horse with a downcast face, but then suddenly lifted his head and beamed up at her like a school boy would.

Eliza blinked, marveling in how incredibly handsome he looked when he was fully grinning with light in his almond eyes, the wind playing through his midnight black hair.

She looked down when he lifted his arm and handed her the radiant red cluster of...she gasped.

"Are these?" She asked with an uncontrollable smile.

"Noboro." He offered with a sheepish dimple appearing in his right cheek.

She lovingly looked down at the cluster of wild, red roses he had just given her with warmth spreading through her entire body. Her fingertips delicately smoothed over one soft petal as tears began to brim in her eyes.

Upon having three seasons in London, Eliza was more than familiar with recieving luscious bouquets of all kinds of beautiful, colorful flowers, roses in particular. They were always left behind with her butler containing a pleasant calling card or superficial, overly-used poem.

They had always been trimmed, doused in perfume and wrapped in pretty silk or muslin. However these were different than all the others. These roses were intimately special.

They were untrimmed, covered in sharp thorns and many of the blossoms were overly spread wide in full ripeness catching bits of fallen snow on their edges.

They were perfect.

"You like?" He asked, taking hold of the saddle and swinging back up onto the horse in front of her. She rested her head against his back once more as she whispered,

"I love them, Shojiro-san. I love them very much."