The Swimming Butterfly (Giyushino Fanfic)

Chapter 11

𝙺𝚘𝚌𝚑𝚘 𝚂𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚋𝚞

We stood there silently, the weight of my words resting on both of our shoulders. I buried my face deeper into his back, letting my burning face cool against his back. After a few minutes of silence, the tranquility we formed was suddenly broken. 

I felt his body shudder and shake, water falling onto my hand. I let my arms go in surprise, wiping the water off with the cuff of my uniform. Tomioka turned around slowly and dropped his face into my chest. Kneeling, he wrapped his arms around my waist and cried.

'I'm glad he can finally express his emotions. I'm sure that it would be impossible for him to do this a year ago.' I smiled sadly and patted his head as he continued to sob. He clutched the back of my haori, grasping it as if I would leave if he let go. 'After all this time, he's finally let himself into the open, not holding anything back.' Just as sudden as it started, it abruptly ended. His crying subsided, but he didn't move his head or loosen his grip in me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 𝚃𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚘𝚔𝚊 𝙶𝚒𝚢𝚞 

As soon as I heard her words, tears began to flow out of my eyes. Whether they were tears of joy, relief, or melancholy, I could not discern. They came out silently and slowly, eventually building up to become a torrent. 'I don't need to hold back anymore now.' Feeling safe in Kocho's presence, I finally let out everything that I was holding in from when Tsutako, Makomo, and Sabito died.

I felt my legs give out beneath me as I fell forward, finally landing in Kocho's chest. I closed my eyes as I laid in her bosom, continuing to let out emotions. When I cried and grabbed her haori tightly, I caught the faint smell of her perfume. 'It smells just like mother's...'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------𝙺𝚘𝚌𝚑𝚘 𝚂𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚋𝚞

After a few minutes of resting in my chest, Tomioka finally stood up and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. If it weren't for his slightly reddened eyes, it would be impossible for anyone to tell that he had just cried.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that unsightly event." He cleared his throat before promptly looking away. 'Wow even after that he won't open up to me.' Smiling, I decided to tease him a little bit after the embarrassment he put me through.

"Do you know how ugly your crying face is? It scrunches up and kind of looks like a dog." I laughed. Looking deeply offended by my comment, Tomioka frowned and opened his mouth to speak before closing it. "Why did you close your mouth? Were you trying to make a comeback but nothing came to mind? I mean, how would you insult a lady as perfect as me?"

He waited for a moment, hesitating to speak. Still hosting an emotionless expression, he leaned in towards my ear. "I would never... didn't I tell you that I'm in love with you." He brushed my undone hair with his fingers, gently untangling the knots.

Caught off guard, I pulled myself back, my eyes widening involuntary. His long, slender fingers lingered in my hair, running them through to smoothen my messy hair. Composing myself, I poked his cheek and smiled.

I continued to poke and tease Tomioka. Eventually, I got tired of his lackluster reactions and began to talk. I rambled on about everything, my past, my hopes, my fears, my likes, my dislikes, and everything in between. He listened contently, never interrupting me at any point in time. 'I wish that we could stay this way forever, where we are always together.'

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 𝚃𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚘𝚔𝚊 𝙶𝚒𝚢𝚞

Kocho talked for hours, her eyes glistening as she talked about everything. She revealed every part of her, including her greatest regrets and wishes. As she continued to talk, the moon began to rise. Through the sole window in the room, her fair complexion and beautiful hair began to shine.

They glimmered and shined, contrasting the dull room we were in, forcing me to stare and appreciate her beauty. As she talked about herself, she cried, laughed, smiled, frowned, truly opening herself to me. She embraced my silence, taking it as an invitation to talk rather than to pause and wait like others.

Eventually, when there was nothing more to say, we both looked out at the window. The moon seemed to be brighter than usual, a goldish tint covering it. "What are your dreams for the future Tomioka? Is there anything that you desire?" Kocho asked me, still staring at the moon. I looked at her for a moment before looking back out.

"If it's possible, I would want to start a family. I had always wanted to have a family of my own, to raise a child and watch them grow into a man or woman, but due to my occupation, it wouldn't be possible." I paused for a moment, thinking of the best words to use. "I always envisioned my wife to be a smart, dependable woman. I would want her to be well versed in the art of medicine and to be strong. I would also like to be playful at times and to tease me occasionally. That's my perfect wife."

I diverted my gaze from the moon towards Kocho's face. Even though the darkness, I could tell that she was smiling and blushing. "Ara ara, Tomioka. If there was a woman like that in front of you, what would you do?" She looked away from the moon as well, staring at me in its place. "If the woman already loved you and was beside you at all times. What would you do?" She scooted closer to me, our bodies only inches away from each other.

"You want to know what I would do?" I whispered in a low tone. A small smile formed on my lips. "This is what I would do." I took several deep breaths before gently holding her delicate chin in my hand. I brought my face closer to hers, locking my lips with hers. 

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.  I'm really sorry for the short chapter, but I'll make sure to write more for the next one. I'd also like to slow down the pacing because I feel as if everything is going by very quickly. School's been super busy, so I've had less time that I had intially thought to work on this, so weekly chapters is probably going to become the norm T_T. Maybe if something changes I'll write more often. Anways, I just wrote all of this in three hours straight, so I'm kind of delusional. THANK YOU FOR READING AS ALWAYS!!!