♢ Kiss Me Sweet 《Tokyo Ghoul/Vampire Knight》 ♢

12: Springtime Lullabies

As reason clouds my eyes

with splendor fading,

Illusions of the sunlight

and the reflection of the lie will keep me waiting

With love gone for so long.

This day's ending

is the proof of time

killing all the faith I know

Knowing that faith is all I hold.

-Shattered

Trading Yesterday

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"....-kun! Come and find me!" yelled a little excited girl squatting behind a patch of bushes. Her yellow sundress made her an easy target to spot, however the boy pretended not to notice. Instead, he chose to continue down the forest path, leaving the girl undisturbed and almost failing to keep his laughter in.

"Miko-chan! Where are you?" he called, projecting his voice outwards. The boy looked up at the forest, admiring the peace of spring. The sweet dew from the morning rain made the air fresh and crisp, perfect for outdoor activities hence their little game of hide and seek. The sun was smiling down upon the valley, the clouds streaming wind between his fingers. The long and old tree trunks stood as a testament of time, their age reflected in their leaves and stature.

The little girl struggled to keep in her laughter after seeing ....-kun so confused, holding her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stay quiet. Unbeknownst to her, the boy was only pretending, knowing that she would have more fun this way. He walked further away from the girl, choosing to kneel by a stream. Giggles came from behind him, bringing a smile to his face as he let her indulge in her own happiness.

Little Miyako kept an eye on ....-kun's back, silently celebrating her victory. Huddling in the bushes, she surveyed her attire- a small yellow dress with cute pink bows all around it. She couldn't describe it with grown up words, so she just preferred to call it a princess dress. Her doll-like shoes were smeared with dirt from their games though, which made her frown. The scary man is going to yell at me again. 'But.....It's worth it,' she thought. 'I'd much rather have fun out here with ....-kun than stay inside all day.'

The scary man said he wouldn't do anything to me.

"Miko-chan?" his voice sounded very far away, the silence of the forest being her only company in her hiding spot.

"....-kun?"

Miyako stood up from her hiding spot, her eyes wide with worry. She couldn't see ....-kun anywhere. Where had he gone? He couldn't have gone far right? She took her eyes off of him for just a second! Looking behind her, she walked towards the stream. How could he be gone?

Snap

Birds sprang from the forest line, squeaking their birdy tunes. A flurry of feathers floated in their wake, leaving the girl with unease.

"Who's there?" whispered the girl, a streak of sweat running down her temple. Only silence permeated the forest however. "I said, who's there?!" said Miyako, this time louder. Her gaze shifted from tree to tree, turning in every which way to find the source of the noise.

"....-kun?"

"Booooo!!!!" said a voice close to her ear, making Miyako whip her head around to come face to face with ....-kun.

"Wahhhhh!!!" she squeaked.

"It's okay! It's okay! It's just me. Hahahaha!" laughed her best friend.

"Don't scare me like that ....-kun! I almost thought it was that scary man! Bad! Bad! Bad!" yelled Miyako, hitting the boy in the shoulder. Due to her small childlike fit, the hits were more like gently taps, which didn't hurt that much.

"Gomen! Gomen! Miko-chan. I didn't mean to scare you that badly," the black-haired boy apologized sweat dropping.

"Very well," the little girl said, looking away and biting her lip. It took all of her power to keep the redness from spreading to her cheeks. She didn't know why her face was burning, but she didn't like it one bit. She wanted to look like she was still mad, just a little bit though. Unbeknownst to her, her efforts were for none.

Her cheeks were cherry red.

"But scary man? Isn't that a little harsh?" questioned the boy, taking her hand.

"Nope! That's exactly what he is!"

"But he's my father."

"Foster father."

"He hasn't done anything wrong though. You shouldn't judge people by their looks.

"It's not cuz he's old and has wrinkles and has weird eyes!"

"Then what has he done to you?

"......Nothing..."

"Bwahahahahaha!"

"Don't laugh! He's scary! Wearing black all the time! "It's the only color he wears!

"He's a priest."

"He's a boogie man!"

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꧁A/N: Thanks for sticking with me! I know it's been awhile since I last updated. College has been a rolar coaster ride of emotions and work and stress. *Breathes in. Please comment and vote for more. I wanna hear your thoughts. Thanks!