Scarlett was beautiful.
Even Saki could see it from where she stood. The little girl was pudgy with baby fat, and had round, rosy cheeks. Her dark hair was clipped back in pigtails, her eyes as large as Saki remembered. A hearing aid rested on both of her tiny ears, and she stared intently at her teacher, trying, in vain, to copy the finger movements the aide made.
Without thinking, Saki began to make her way to Scarlett. Mifune caught up to her quickly, laying a hand on her shoulder.
“Wait,” he said.
“For what?” Saki demanded, looking again at Scarlett, who was giggling.
“Me.”
“I can’t believe you got us kicked out,” Mifune huffed.
“Not kicked out,” Saki said, blushing. “They asked us to come again later!”
He all but growled, running a hand through his hair. “What were you thinking?” he demanded.
“I was thinking,” she glared at him, “that they needed a little nudge!”
“A nudge to do what?”
“Give us our daughter.”
Our daughter. It still felt like a pang to his heart each time she said it.
“They simply asked that we come back tomorrow,” he argued.
“And I simply told them to--”
“Saki,” he exclaimed. “It was a room full of infants!”
“I know,” she said, sitting forward on the bench, “and I’m sorry.”
“I know you are,” he answered. Saki just nodded, rubbing her arms and exhaling. Her breath came out as a puff of smoke, and the frigid air made her cheeks bright.
Mifune shrugged off his jacket, and, doing what any man should, gave it to her. She didn’t hesitate to take it, and leaned her head on his shoulder with a sigh. “I’m sorry,” she said again.
“I know--”
“No,” she said, “not just about that. About everything. I shouldn’t have left, and I shouldn’t have gotten engaged to Asher, and I shouldn’t have--”
“You shouldn’t have done a lot of things,” he agreed, “but you did them to keep your family safe, and that’s what matters.”
“Do you still think of me as your family?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper.
He didn’t even have to think over his answer. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry,” she said one last time.
When he opened his mouth to speak again, he found her asleep, her face lit up by the moonlight.
And he swore that she looked more beautiful than the city they were in; lovelier than any old Paris.
YOU ARE READING
Forgive and Forget? ~ A Soul Eater Fanfiction
FanfictionMifune Nagani had been waiting two years. He'd only waited for the chance to love Saki Amaya again, even if the chance be slight. He didn't run off with other women--never did the thought cross his mind. That was the problem, though, because maybe...
