Growing Affections

A Garden of Blooming Feelings

     As the sun shined down from the cloudy sky, its golden rays breaking through the large, fluffy clouds, it was the perfect day to be out in the gardens. Everything was in full bloom, the sound of bees and insects flying around, a butterfly or two fluttering past with its colorful wings shinning in the light.

     As Yui was helping picking large, fresh beans from the tall green beanstalks, picking the best, large ones, and placing them in the round wicker basket beside her, a shadow suddenly falls upon her. When she turns around and looks up, a pair of sharp eyes were looking down upon her. With a small smile, she tosses the bean in her hand and wipes off her hands on her pant.

     "Yuma...you startled me. I'm guessing you are finished with the potatoes?"

     As she looked up into the tall vampires face, she could see that there was a smudge of dirt on his nose and left cheek. Yuma's sharp, but soft, brown eyes were looking down at Yui, and then he looks to the beanstalks. He reached out with his right hand and starts to examine her work, making sure that Yui was not missing any that were ready to be picked.

     "Of course I am..."

     His deep voice simply answers her.  A sudden small breeze breaks through the garden, making Yuma's bangs and hair sway a little. In silence, Yui was watching him examine the stalks, hoping she was doing it correctly. For the last few days, Yuma had been acting a little strange. He recently had been asking Yui to help him in his gardens more often, even asking to help with the smallest, simplest of tasks. His approach to her was not as aggressive as it used to be when she came to be with Yuma and his three other brothers. But one thing she really noticed was how he had barely been taking and drinking her blood. It was a nice change, but since it was different than how she was used to Yuma acting around her, Yui was starting to feel a little worried towards the big, strong vampire.

     "It seems that you are doing good...I'm actually a little impressed. Once you finish the last of the two stalks, we will call it a day..."

   Yuma looks up the the sky. He suddenly seems to smell the air as another breeze came over them. The wind was becoming a little colder.

     "And it's a good thing, too...It  smells and feels like it's going to rain later on this afternoon...probably into the night."

     Yui looked up at Yuma with a bit of a surprise...he had actually gave her a complement, and he said it in such a nice and simple way!  Normally he would be criticizing her, or tell her to work a little faster, but he was speaking to her so normally. Yuma sensed Yui's eyes on him and then looks down at her.

     "It's not like I told you to stop. Lets get this done before the rain comes."

     Yui gave a small jump, only just realizing that she had been blankly starring up at him with a blank look on her face.

     "Oh! Yes...sorry Yuma."

     With a light feeling inside her chest, Yui returns to the task. For a minute, Yuma watches her in silence, his eyes fixed on her. He ha a strange feeling in his chest that he could not explain. As Yui worked, he goes to the other side and silently starts to help her. With his height, it was easy fro him to reach the high beans, and with his hands so large, all the ones he found he just collects them in his hands, and keeps picking.

     "Yuma...you don't have to do that. This is my task...I can finish it up."

Yui had not expected the sudden help, but she was grateful for it. Normally, when given a task, Yuma always let her do it on her own, saying that it was the best way to work up strength, and learn how it's all done, leaning through trial and error, with him keeping a close eye on her, calling out instructions from afar. Yuma was not looking at Yui as she called to him from the other side.