Dance

The night can't come soon enough. The day crawls, each second dragging by like a slow torture. It makes him long for the days there were still jerks who treated him like shit, just so he could unwind by beating them up. For now, the garden is the only thing keeping his mind busy, a small reminder of her. But when that no longer works, he checks on his mother. She’s looking better. A small, welcome relief. Once left with nothing else to do, he heads to the kitchen and devours every sweet he can find, until the sickening fullness distracts him from the rest of his pain.

At some point, he falls asleep.

…

Upon opening his eyes, he's greeted by the small white flowers she used to plant for no apparent reason.

The sun is setting. He gets up and starts walking towards the meeting point. He meets Fuhai on his way out. Neither of them says anything.

Once near the border, he sits a few meters from it.

He counts the seconds, and regrets not setting a more specific time. Now he’s left waiting, with no idea how long it will be.

Among the silence, a thought invades his mind, and roots into his head.

What if she doesn't come?

A million things could happen. Maybe her father discovers and stops her. Maybe she forgets. Maybe she doesn't want to come back.

Does Hoshina actually care for him?

Yes, of course she does.

Does she hold affection for a mean and grumpy moron who can't hold a proper conversation without shouting?

She does.

And does such a guy deserve someone like her?

…

Kaji is a murderer, he has claimed eight human lives. War is not a valid excuse for such acts.

Hoshina is a pure soul. Misguided at times, but much kinder than he could ever be.

I can't take this.

Tears fill his eyes, his teeth hurt from clenching, he grabs his hair with such strength it feels like it'll rip. He tightens the grip, hoping the pain will silence these thoughts.

…

A gentle touch lands on his hand, weakening his grasp.

He doesn't dare turn back in fear it might be someone else.

The person, unrecognizable in the darkness, sits next to him.

A lantern's light blinds him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to turn it at max." She lowers the intensity, then looks at him. "You seem like you have some things to get off your chest. I can listen if you want."

He hugs her, and his tears overflow. Then, he feels her touch on his back. One hand warm and gentle, the other cool and reassuring.

"My sister is dead." Her embrace tightens.

"I-I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything. Just let me stay like this for some time."

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

After a while, he lets go of the hug, and she follows.

She can't begin to imagine what he must be going through.

Their conversation about what to do with the war. For now, all she wants is for him to feel better.

"Is there anything you need? We can take a walk, for example. It might help clear your head."

"It's fine. I'm simply glad you're here."

She can't stop a smile, but she should at least avoid getting carried away. This is a delicate moment for Kaji, so she must focus all her efforts on a single goal.

"What can I do to help?"

"Just… be yourself, and tell me about something nice, mundane. Did you have a warm reunion with your family? Were they happy to see you?"

"A bit of everything, to be honest. So, first thing when I got back…"

She starts telling him about the many things that happened on her side, with a focus on the positive ones.

Soon enough, she gets carried away.

When she comments on seeing an unexpected side of a certain someone, his eyebrows lift, mirroring the surprise she'd felt in the moment.

The way she casually recounts brushing off cruel names with a laugh, walking away without a scratch, makes him sit up a little straighter, like he's quietly cheering her on.

Next, she mentions a sudden reunion that quite literally knocked her off her feet. His smile in response is sweet, yet pleasant, hiding a light chuckle underneath.

Then Kaji engages as well. He talks about times before the war. He reminisces about his dear sister, his kind mother, and his friend, who was both annoying and endearing.

She wouldn't mind if this lasted forever, if every single day of her life was filled with these small little talks.

Perhaps she should make it so.

"Hey, Kaji…" He looks at her, expectantly.

She forgets what she was about to say.

"What is it?" He inquires.

"I want you to know… it's fun talking with you."

He averts his eyes. "Y-yeah… I could say the same."

Huh?

How come he isn't desperately scrambling for excuses with his face turning fire red?

What is this expression he's making?

And why is it cuter than any of the ones before?

"Hoshina… you see, for a while now… no, never mind, forget it." No, no, no! Please do continue! "How about we go discuss a plan with the help of Fuhai and Raba." He starts getting up.

NO!

She mustn't allow him to leave, not yet.

She has to do something.

Anything.

"Kaji." He looks at her, and her mind goes blank again.

Godsdamnit!

She grabs his hand.

"Stay." Is all she can muster. She feels his hand pulse in response. Her head spins.

"U-umm… S-so… you don't want to go yet." She nods so many times her neck hurts. He sits back.

Silence.

Both dimly illuminated by the lantern.

Not a word between them.

Silence so thick it clogs their throats.

The mild wind is lukewarm, though getting colder by the moment.

Hoshina opens her mouth a dozen times trying to say a word, and doesn't manage as much as a whisper.

"Ugh, f-fine!" He grunts. "Listen, Hoshina." She struggles to turn towards him, and when she does, he lowers his gaze. "I-I j-just… think you are nice, as you might already know."

She nods fast again, and he continues.

"Nicer than most people I've met."

"Yes." She says. "I mean no! I mean… I t-think you are nice, too." Someone kill me.

He sighs. "What are we doing? We both know what we… want to say, I think." She grips his hand harder. "It shouldn't be that hard."

"Y-yeah…"

"So we don't need to say it, I-I guess…?"

Yes.

Of course!

Screw the words.

She grabs both of his hands and brings them together.

"Eh? H-Hoshina?"

Before it gets awkward again, she closes her eyes and moves forward.

…

A warm feeling spreads through her mouth, flowing down the entirety of her body, reaching even her cold limbs.

Kaji lets go of her hands and pulls her closer.

The warmth becomes fire.

Passionate.

The taste is sweet.

A pleasant kind.

She might develop a liking to it.

Movement follows. A graceful, circling motion. A dance she has never practiced yet comes naturally.

Every turn sends tingles down her spine.

Every circle spins her whole world.

A brief pause to catch back air, each of them breathing hard, almost hungrily.

Then, the dancing continues.

The flow extends to the rest of their bodies.

Both move together, guiding each other, slowly undressing one another.

His body is rugged and beautiful, gleaming like a diamond in the rough.

The scars are a reminder of her mistakes, but this time, there's no regret.

She’s grateful for everything that led to this moment, for every lesson that shaped them into who they are today.

When he removes her upper garment, a twinge of insecurity touches her, and she looks down at her left, unhuman arm.

An equally artificial hand lands on her shoulder.

"You're gorgeous, and you know I mean it." Her cheeks flush, and her gaze softens, a quiet smile tugging at her lips.

The dance evolves, bolder, laced with a hint of danger, yet still slow and passionate.

And it continues until both are so exhausted they can barely think…

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

It takes a while for the sound of panting and heavy breathing to subside. Sweat cools, settling into a pleasant freshness.

While both are facing the serene night sky, Kaji feels Hoshina take his hand again.

"That was… intense," she exhales.

"No kidding. I didn't get so worked up even during our fights to the death."

"I hope you'll take responsibility"

"Ah, shit!"

"Ey!"

"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean it like that. I was just thinking that we have a whole war going on, so we can't afford to raise a family."

"That's fine, I'm not worried." Kaji gives her a look that clearly asks 'what?'. "Either this war ends in the next few days or we both die, so it's all good."

He turns to face her. "Really? I thought you were over that already."

"I am over a lot of stuff, but I think seeing things this way is fine. I'm not afraid of what might happen, I'm ready to risk it all for the sake of ending this madness."

She looks at him, a light shake in her eyes.

"There's only one thing I fear." She says in a trembling voice. "Promise me that, whatever happens, you won't leave me alone."

He tightens his grip on her hand. That's a tough promise. If he were to die, he'd rather she lives on and finds happiness, even if it's without him.

On the other hand, when he imagines a situation where the roles are reversed, where she's the one who leaves…

The mere idea makes his chest hurt.

So he answers.

"It's a promise. Either we both live our whole lives with one another, or we go out together. Death will not do us apart."

They seal the vow with a kiss.