What Lies Below the Surface

Chapter 17: Confessions

I smirked and looked at Takumi. "Alright! I finally did it!"
He nodded with a smile. "Yeah. That was great."
"Mhm. I hit the target ten times in a row!" I said with a slight giggle.
Takumi nodded, gently putting a hand on my waist. "I can tell that you have natural skill. However, you still have a lot to learn," he said with a slight sigh. "Hit the target one hundred times in a row, then I'll get excited. If you manage to hit a moving target on the battlefield, heck, I'd bow down before you."
I sighed as I set my Silver Yumi down on a nearby rock. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I have a long roadahead of me."
Takumi nodded. "Mhm. And just remember. I'll be there to help you along the way."
I smiled. "Thanks, Takumi. It really means a lot to me that we've gotten to spend so much time together."
He smiled, gently pulling me closer to him. "Not a problem. Though, there is another reason, besides our training, that I've been spending so much time with you," he said as he reached his other hand into his coat.
I gave him a look, slightly concerned. "Oh? And what might that be?"
He closed his eyes. "I...I've been meaning to get this off my chest for a while now. Kai, I really like you."
I smiled. "Oh! That's great, Takumi! I mean, you seemed to hate me so much -"
He suddenly cut me off. "No. I like you. Like...agh...what I'm trying to say is, I love you, Kai."
That caused me to go into a full-out blush. "H-huh?! Me?!"
Takumi shook his head. "I know. I'm sorry. The reason I wanted to spend so much time with you Kai...I...I just love you. And that's why," he said as he pulled his hand out of his coat, revealing the box I'd seen Ryoma give him, "I sent Oboro to Hoshido so she could get this for me. All I told her is that in the box was the ring that I was going to give to the woman I was going to marry. But Ryoma wasn't there when she got there, so that's why he gave it to me then. And...before you say anything, you should read this," he said as he pulled a piece of paper from his coat, and handed it to me.
I then looked at it, and quickly figured out what it was. "A letter?" I asked, slightly confused.
He nodded. "Yes. It's...it's from Mother. It...explains the circumstances of your birth. Specifically, it says that you aren't the child of Sumeragi."
I waz stunned by what Takumi had said, but sure enough, as I quickly glanced at the letter, I saw that it's exactly what the letter said. "How is thispossible?! What about the others...?"
Takumi sighed. "Sumeragi was my father, and theirs as well. But...he wasn't yours."
I sighed, slightly annoyed by a single fact. "... how long have you had this letter without telling me?"
Takumi slightly hesitated before he responded. "...Mother gave it to me when you returned to Hoshido, but I only opened it recently. She told me to read it if I ever worried about who I was in love with. At the time, it seemed bizarre...but she did have the gift of prophecy. She must've known that someday I would fall in love with you. That it was...fated."
I let that sink in for a moment. "So you're telling the truth, then."
Takumi went on, summarizing what the letter said. "It says she brought you to Hoshido as an infant, seeking help. And so Father took her in- and you, though you weren't his child. Having fallen in love with her, he raised you as his own."
I shoom my head. "He did all this- even died for me- knowing I was another man's? Then he was my father, whatever my blood. But...wbk was my real father?"
Takumi sighed. "The letter didn't say."
"Oh..."
Takumi shook his head. "I'm sorry. I struggled so long with wheather or not to tell you any of this. After all, now that you know, we can never go back to being just siblings. But I can't simply pretend to be your brother for the rest of my life. Especially not with the way I feel about you. It's shameful, I know."
I smiled. "It's fine, Takumi. I'm actually glad you told me."
He then closed his eyes, returning the box to his pocket. "So...does this change anything? About how you feel about us, I mean."
I shook my head. "No. In the short time we've spent together, I feel I've gotten yo know you all so well."
Takumi smiled. "I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that."
I then leaned my head on his shoulder, and swept some hair from his face. "You know, I can finally say this now. Takumi...I love you too, Takumi."
That caused him to blush. "What?!"
I sighed and gently wrapped my arms around him. "When you said that you were in love with me, my heart started racing. But...I didn't want it to show because I didn't know about Father. Everything is just so confusing..."
Takumi nodded and gently stroked my hair. "Mhm. But, in a confusing world, we must cling to what we to be true. And for us," he said with a smile, "that is the fact that we love each other. So...Kai. After this war is over...will...will you take me as your husband?"
I blushed and nodded. "Y-yes! Of course I will, Takumi!"

He then looked at me with a smile. "If you were aiming for my heart, you've struck true," he said before pulling me in for a kiss.
Without hesitation, I kissed back with a smile.