This chapter is dedicated to reavenprincess! Happy reading!
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Ruka pov:
I was lost in thought as I walked behind Tomo kun to my 'room' after a long and tiring dinner, him holding one hand and me clasping my guitar in the other. Well, dinner itself wasn't tiring but all the commotion and fussing after had drained me of energy. I barely concentrated on any conversation after playing my guitar for I was uneasy and feeling guilty. I was afraid that I had almost no chance of escaping and I felt bad for being the reason for Akari's sadness.
When we reached my room, I waited silently for Tomo kun to leave so I could just wallow in self-pity and misery. However, my wish was far from being granted immediately.
"Why did you try to push me away when I kissed you?" he asked, making me look at him.
His gaze was narrow, almost like a glare. I had to resist from flinching back. I swallowed thickly, averting my eyes. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I actually disliked it – I was worried that he would get angry and yell at me or, in worst cases, hurt me.
"T-there were so many people watching...and the smell of sake was too strong..." I answered lamely.
He was silent for a few minutes before he stepped up to me and lifted my face with a hand on my chin. I met his eyes, cringing at the mischievous spark in them. "You're adorable when you're shy."
My heart ached and my eyes stung when I recalled the kiss he had forced on me. I felt even more wistful when he brought me into an embrace that felt so strange – Tomo kun had become stronger but he wasn't as well built as Kichiro sama so his embrace wasn't as...warm. I closed my eyes as Tomo kun caressed my head and I recalled all the tender moments I had had with Kichiro sama. The numerous times we had held hands, that I had sat in his lap, that he had held me when we slept, the gentle way he ran his fingers through my hair and traced the back of his fingers on my cheek...I remembered it all so clearly, yearned for it so desperately.
My heart picked up speed as I opened my eyes while wondering why I was thinking about him so much. I gripped Tomo kun's clothes tightly in my fists as realization hit me like a ton of bricks. In the time I had been trying my best to show him affection, to give him a little of what he should have had as a child, as a human, I had fallen in love with him. I had fallen in love with the stern, cold, cruel man who was actually an innocent, lonely child inside, a child yearning for love, yearning for someone to see him as something besides the ruthless ruler he had to be to keep everything in his empire running smoothly.
It was because I was in love with him that I missed his warmth, his strong hold, his kind gestures towards me...everything.
I hadn't pushed Tomo kun away before merely because I didn't like it or was embarrassed – I had pushed him away because it was wrong. When I loved Kichiro sama, how could I possible be okay with kissing someone else? It was as if I was cheating on Kichiro sama!
I returned to the present when Tomo kun pulled out of the embrace. I didn't look at his face – I couldn't because I knew my real feelings now. I couldn't bear to look at him knowing that he saw me with emotions I could never return.
He made me look at him though and kissed me softly. I tensed and clenched my fists so tightly that they hurt. My heart hurt and my eyes stung when he pressed harder against my lips, silently expecting me to return it. I did, as convincingly as I could, and he pulled away when I whimpered as he slid my yukata a little off my shoulder. He was smiling but also breathing heavily. However, his expression turned to one of shock when he saw the tears that had welled in my eyes. He wiped them off gently, ran his hands through my hair and then cupped my face to touch the redness of my cheeks that had risen not from his kiss but the fluster I felt for realizing my feelings towards Kichiro sama.

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Imprisoned to Love You [Edited]
RomanceA flash of lightning is all it took to turn Takeo Ruka's life upside-down. She is thrown 400 years into the past, into a world of war and bloodshed, but not quite the past she's familiar with from history class. The war is brutal and those a part of...