Time | Shu Kurenai

Far too Long

The night sky glowed, the added fluorescence of the lanterns strung throughout the festival creating a scene the crowd stared upon in awe.

Shu walked through the crowds, his kimono swaying in the night breeze.  It was orange and speckled like a clear night sky. The loose sleeves swung with every step creating the effect of royalty walking in the midst of mere peasants.

His hair, which hung in a ponytail near the base of his neck, was shimmering in the light of the moon creating an ethereal halo circling him.

He looked as though he belonged in the sky with the other mythical beings, though even they could only dream of rivaling his beauty.  The people parted at his step in an almost subconscious manner, staring at him as one would stare upon a god descended in their midst.

For in this moment he looked as such.  Nobody dared to approach him, even with the kind smile showing upon his face, for he was far above them.  And his face shone with joy, it was a calm, peaceful joy, one created from the content of the scene.

Hidden from sight by the length of his sleeves was a sensu, matching his kimono in color and pattern, though much more generously starred.  It was opened only slightly, dancing across his lips, still in a mirth filled smile.

With every step he took he garnered more and more looks, though he remained seemingly ignorant.  At once everything changed, his eyes, which before had calmly flickered in joy seemed to be glowing.  What before was the tide coming in, was now a tsunami taking everything by storm.

And oh, he had, the moment his expression filled with joy, the world very well may have stopped.  Silence had overtaken the crowd, them seemingly understanding that such a scene was not to be disturbed for anything.

What had caused such joy was less evident, as one moment he had been merely walking and the next it looked as if he were struck by bliss.  His sensu had been shoved almost carelessly away as his arms spread in preparation for a hug, though the recipient was unknown.

Moments later, it was clear.  Emerging from the crowd was a girl, not too tall but most certainly not short.  Most eyes drew to her hair, for it was a stunning shade of red, but one soul in particular, a street vendor's son, glanced towards her eyes.

A gasp was heard, for her eyes were like endless vines that would overtake you at their nearest convenience, like twisting brambles that would stab you without hesitation, yet at the same time a breathtaking garden so obviously loved and cared for, so welcoming to all those who stumble upon it, a warm soothing cup of green tea after a particularly bad day.

In those eyes held pain, yet softness.  For all that they shunned, they welcomed. To call them green would be an insult, for it didn't even dream of capturing even the barest hint of the true color.

But now, those eyes held only joy.  They shone with the force of the love she held for the boy in front of her.

The second their bodies touched, the world seemed to explode, colors burst from between them.  People jerked to awareness with a sense of right.  For that was all it could be described as, right.

Everything suddenly fit together in a way they didn't before, the world seeming clearer than ever before.

Dual sighs of relief left them as they came in contact.  It had been far too long for both of them, as could be seen by the way that they attempted to merge every inch of their bodies, refusing to have a single centimeter between them.

It was a near blinding sight for the mortals around them, the pure love radiating from the scene filling most with strong guilt for intruding.  Though the couple themselves didn't seem to notice the rather large gathering beside them.

The girl, dressed in a dark purple kimono nearing black with swirling galaxies scattered in various locations on the kimono, separated reluctantly after what seemed like hours together, using the word separated loosely as she had merely removed her head from the crook between neck and shoulder.

Shu huffed in amusement as he raised a stand to stroke her hair.  He allowed himself this indulgence for mere seconds before completely removing himself from her, something neither of which seemed to enjoy.

For less than a blink was there no contact between them, for in a mere moment they had attached themselves to each other's side.  Their arms were linked and heads were stacked upon each other, despite this they seemed to have no problem walking.

They walked quickly, the overwhelming desire to be alone together after all this time far too great to even dream of resisting, even if they could resist neither of them would.

The girl, (her name was Chiyaki, though no mortal knew) had a fond smile on her face as she soaked up the presence of the man she had so missed.

Shu, who vividly remembered every second that they spent apart, seemed to collapse in relief.

"It has been far too long." The words were uttered softly and it elicited a soft sigh of joy from Chiyaki.

"That it has, beloved." The endearment rolled easily off her tongue despite not having been said for over two decades.

"That it has."

After what could've been minutes, but felt like seconds, they arrived at a small cottage.  It was cozy with flowers in the planters by the window.  It wasn't grand in size, more of a respectful medium than anything else.  It looked untouched by time, as though it had been built in the mid twelve hundreds and hadn't been touched since then.

It was everything they had left behind, besides of course their official residence which sometimes felt like more of an office than a home.

They had missed it.

Just as it had missed them.  Squirrels scuttled around the ground slowly approaching the couple, doe emerged from behind trees, their fawns following shortly behind.

It was just as they had left it, they thought.

They entered, Chiyaki dragging a fond looking Shu to their couch.

They had much to talk about.  And much time to make up for.