𝔸 𝔹𝕆ℕ𝔻 𝔹𝔼𝕐𝕆ℕ𝔻 𝕃𝕆𝕍𝔼 | ʏᴜᴋɪ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

\\ Sparrows That Fly Away \\

[ for the sake of my peace, Kureno and Arisa have a smaller age gap in this story!]

Earlier that day, you had gotten a call from
Kureno. He said he wanted to talk to you, to both you and Tohru, actually. Which led the two of you to wait in the park. "Look at the sparrows! They're so cute!" Tohru said, crouching as she admired them from afar. "They are cute, aren't they!" You respond, laughing at her rather childlike expression. She approached them carefully, crouching and placing her hand towards them. "Sorry, I don't have food for you."

"Wow, they're kinda friendly!" You say, watching as they interacted with Tohru. "I wanna touch one too." You added, as you crouched beside her watching as one stepped towards you. Your attention was taken off the birds when you heard the faint sound of footsteps. You glanced up, watching as Kureno slowly approached the two of you. "Kureno-cha—" You were suddenly cut off as the birds flew away in fear, flying past you and away, up into the sky. Tohru shrieked in fear from beside you.

You blinked up in surprise, watching as Kureno approached the two of you, his hands stuffed into his pocket, and a rather serious expression on his face. "The birds...." Tohru mumbled, as you turn to her, coming to the same realization as her. The birds had flown away from him, unlike most of the animals that were usually attracted to their respective zodiac member. Kureno offered you a hand, and you took it. He pulled you up, allowing you to stabilize your footing...

....before Kureno pulled you towards him, your body softly colliding with his. "Wait! Kureno-san! You'll trans.... form...?" Tohru yelled, however her words grew quiet even when Kureno didn't transform as he embraced you in his arms. "K—kureno-chan? What is this? What's happening? I'm confused..." You say, offering him a hug back. "I'm different now. I don't transform either. My curse has already... broken." He quietly said, his voice wavering as he spoke. "It happened when I was slightly younger than you both. So now I'm no longer part of zodiac curse."

"What?" You say, placing your hands on his chest as you moved to look up at him. "You're saying all this time... you didn't have a curse...?" You ask, as he offered you a hesitant nod. "Why... didn't you say anything? You're telling me all this time I could've hugged you and you wouldn't transform?" You ask again, watching as Kureno's expression twisted into one you couldn't exactly read. "I can't fly, anymore."

"How did the curse break?!" Tohru asked, latching on to his hand, her voice grew desperate. "Even I don't know. It happened suddenly. With no warning." He explained, before smiling to himself softly. "It was like my field of vision opened up. Within myself, there was only me. There was nothing to drive away. The sky looked so blue. I became sad when I thought about how i'd never fly in that sky again. And I was happy. I felt like I became a human... finally. I was happy."

"But.. the other zodiac members still think you're part of them. And.. you still stay by Akito-san's side." Tohru asked, looking up at him with a worried expression. "Isn't there something that still binds you?" She asked, as Kureno turned away from her, before handing her a cd. "Sorry, your present was for nothing. Sorry, that's all I came to say." Kureno added, as you watched him frown. "I won't see Arisa. I will continue to stay by Akito'a side."

You grab onto his wrist, preventing him from leaving. "Why.. why are you running away, Kureno-chan? When you have the opportunity to be free?" You ask, as he gently shook off your grip. "I know you want to see Arisa too!" You say, raising your voice slightly. "(Name)..." Tohru softly said, turning towards you.

"I do want to see her!" Kureno snapped, clenching his fists at his side. "I want to see her! But.. i only saw her twice... she was the first person I fell in love with as my own person after becoming truly human. I can embrace her all I want. There's no longer a spirit inside of me." Kureno said, as tears began to form and fall down his face. "So what's stopping you?" You ask, as he turned away, attending to wipe his tears.

"I was so easily freed from the curse that still torments the other members. Me, alone. Only i'm free to go wherever I wish, love whoever I wish.." Kureno said, taking a step away from the both of you. "For that reason, I must.. I must stay by Akito's side...." Kureno stopped talking for a moment, letting out a sigh. "I can't abandon Akito. To Akito, our bond is everything. The god cannot exist without its memebers. So the day my curse broke, I swore I would stay with Akito, forever."

You let out a soft sigh, trying not to let your frustration show. "It's true that the curse is broken, and the bond that I felt back then is gone. I may have embraced Akito out of pity.... but I cannot abandon Akito." Kureno said once again, turning away with a scowl on his face. "Embrace...?" You ask, blinking in confusion. "I swore I would stay with Akito. And until Akito no longer needs me... until that day.. I will stay forever."

"But Akito will always depend on you if you stay by him—" You say, as Kureno turned away. "I swore to that sorrowful girl, that I would stay by her side. And that is what I will do." Kureno said, his tone firm, this time. "A.... girl....?" Tohru asked, as you gasped all of a sudden, before clamping a hand over your mouth. Tohru mimicked your actions, her eyes wide in surprise. "Akito... is a girl?"

☁️☁️☁️

[A/N: hi! so my updates are actually going get less frequent since summer is ending and i go back to my busy life soon. but i will try to update as much as possible when i can. sorry for the inconvenience.

with this we're at the end of season 2! and only have one season left! i promise i'll finish this book by the end of this year hahah. but thanks for reason so far! i hope you look forward to my future updates :))]