Destiny Knot

47. The End Is Near

~==~ Friday, December 25, 2015 ~==~

~==~ 3:00pm ~==~

Kyrie and Anthony were the center of attention for most of the afternoon. The Ai Clan is a dominantly short group, so they were excited to see how tall Anthony was. Prior to now, Vallen had been the tallest in their clan, despite being born to the Hikari Clan.

~~/(^-^)\~~

While the guests were busy talking to Anthony, Kyrie escaped to get a breath of fresh air. She was getting overwhelmed and needed a short break before anyone else bombarded her with questions.

She walked through the kitchen, which is where KR had been stationed. KR was in charge of keeping the snacks full, so she hadn't gotten stuck like Kyrie.

KR laughed. "Taking a breather?"

Kyrie looked over the food on the counter, opting for a cookie with pink sugar on it. "It's getting to be too much for me right now." She indulged in her cookie. "I'm actually going to step outside for a little while."

KR smiled, then offered Kyrie a small plate of various things: cookies, fruit, and some other sweet things. "I'll try to keep it a secret while you cool off."

Kyrie smiled wide and took the offering. "Thank you." Then, before she walked outside, she turned back to KR. "Where's Vallen?"

KR shrugged. "He's here, there's a chance he's in his room though."

Kyrie just nodded in response, then stepped out onto the back porch. She took a seat at the glass table and enjoyed the silence and snacks.

~~/(^-^)\~~

Kyrie looked up as Vallen sat down across from her. He looked like a mess overall. "I thought you were hiding."

His voice was low, but hoarse. "I was."

She sighed. "Is this really that much of an issue for you?"

"Yes."

Kyrie looked to the backyard. "I don't know what you expected of me after I forced our contract to end."

"Neither do I."

"Vallen."

"What?" He looked at her, admiring how beautiful she looked right now.

"You need to move on for more then one reason." She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around her.

"I figured as much."

"Why are you making things this difficult on yourself? You have my sister now, I never acknowledged you in a manner that would imply romantic interest, why stay hung up on someone who did that to you?"

He was at a loss, but he was certain about one thing. "The day I met you I just felt this urge to always be with you. Like, something about you is something I needed." He sighed. "I don't even know how to explain it, but being with you made me feel whole."

"I'm sorry, but I never felt that way."

He laughed at himself. "I knew that much. You ran from me everyday, then completely left without warning."

She slowly got to her feet, taking the empty plate in her hand. "I need to get back inside, feel free to join us."

"Why did it have to be him?"

Kyrie stopped where she stood and glanced over her shoulder. "Who? Anthony?"

Vallen met her eyes, his expression answering without words.