Syphon's Peace

Chapter 24: Itadakimasu

Toshinori didn't know how to comfort Reina. Gregory's prediction had left her reeling, though she so desperately tried to hide it as she smiled and danced with Hana, undoubtedly not wanting to take away from her friends special day. However, he saw right through the beautiful smile and happy falsetto she wore like a mask to ward off any suspicion of her inner panic and turmoil. She was hurting on the inside, he could see it in her eyes when she glanced at her old guardian when she thought no one was looking.

The song playing over the speakers changed to La Vie en Rose, and Toshi made his way over to her, tapping on her shoulder gently. She turned from her conversation with Hana's sisters, smiling when she saw his outstretched hand as he said "Care to dance with me?"

"Now how could I turn you down, handsome?" She giggled at his blush as she waved at Hana's sisters as he led her to the dance floor, where they started a slow waltz alongside the other couples.

"I didn't know you knew how to dance, Toshi." she said with a smile, impressed with the ease in which he moved through the steps, in perfect sync with her. He chuckled.

"In our third year at UA they thought it might be important for us to know how to properly conduct ourselves at official parties and functions. That included dancing." he explained as he continued to gracefully move through the steps with her.

"Well consider me impressed, sir. You're pretty graceful for a giant." He chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. She groaned and he raised an eyebrow at her as she feigned an annoyed expression. "Even in eight inch heels, you could swallow me and not know you ate anything."

He smiled wickedly before leaning down to her ear, the close proximity making her shiver. "If I'm eating you, I assure you I'll know it. I'll enjoy every second of it" he whispered before kissing her on the cheek, straightening as they spun again. She was blushing furiously as she laughed.

"Walked right into that one didn't I?"

He grinned. "You really did." His expression turned serious. "Are you alright, Reina?"

His blue eyes seemed to glow as they fixed on her with so much intensity and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that her smile wasn't fooling him. There was absolutely no way she would be able to lie to him about it, no matter how much she wished she could to save him from worrying about her. But despite that, she was grateful that she had one person at least who she didn't have to pretend to be okay with.

"Not really. I'm scared Toshi." she said, speaking in japanese so she wouldn't be overheard by Hana and Dave or Dave's parents, who were all dancing around them. She kept her smile in place, but he could still see the tears she was desperately trying to hold back. "Gregory is never wrong."

Toshi reached up and wiped a tear away as it escaped her eye, cupping her face in his hand. She was slowly cracking, he could see it, the tremble in her hands and the distressed look in her eyes becoming more prominent by the minute. As desperately as she was trying to fight it to make it through the wedding, she wouldn't last much longer and he knew he needed to get her back inside, she wouldn't want to break down in front of everyone.

Turning, he caught Dave's eye, who looked up from his lovestruck ogling of his new bride, and motioned with his head to tell him he was taking Reina inside. Dave's smirk fell off his face when he saw Reina's face, however, making it clear that they weren't retiring because of what he had originally thought. At his questioning look, Toshi shook his head, mouthing 'later', before he gently and as discreetly as possible, pulled Reina out of the tent and back to the cabin. He could feel her hand shaking in his, and he picked her up, cradling her to his chest as he activated One for All, running up the stairs and to their temporary bedroom  in the blink of an eye, gently pushing the door closed with his foot.