Kikio's P.O.V.
As my feet travel the trail I know so well I keep thinking to myself, why do I keep going back? I think I allready know the answer, but I also know that it can never work. He wouldn't understand if ever I told him. This is the dillemma I constantly fight. To him, I am merely a friend, possibly a best friend. Nothing more. He has no Idea how I really feel, and he never will. I mean, he's the only person i've trusted enough to let see me cry, I go to visit him often, yet when he tries to find me I suddenly melt into the earth, become invisible. It makes me angry with myself to think that I love him, yet I avoid him when he's the one who wants to talk.
I arrive at the waterfall, the place where I first saw him, and I collapse. I have never broken down crying in a public place, and I always hoped I never would. Now, however, I find myself in the most visited place in the forest, crying. Five months ago... Five terribly long months ago is when we met. Two weeks after that was the ARK incident. I will never forget how long the next three months felt to me. It was like I was missing a part of myself. That week was when i realised that I loved him and he still has no idea. All of this is what has decided to control my emotions. Shadow...
This is when I realise that someones hand has been resting on my shoulder for some time. I look up and see my love looking down at me. "Kikio, you wanna go inside?" he asks.
"Yes please..." I manage to choke out through sobs. He easilly steers me to the other side of the small pond, through some trees and through a door.
"Kikio, what's wrong?" he says in that unusually caring voice that he hardly ever uses for anyone else.
"Nothing... nothing's wrong..." It hurts me so much to lie to him like this. I try to stop crying, but the tears won't dry. They will not go away for quite some time and I am afraid I may tell him at any moment.
"You cannot act like this. It's not who you are Kikio. Tell me what is wrong and I may be able to help." He is speaking in that soft caring voice again and I know he sees through my lies, but I will not tell him.
"No. No one can help me with this. I must figure it out on my own. Thank you for letting me in but I think I need to get back to Knothole." I instantly stop my sobbing, as I have re-gained control of my emotions, and walk tward the door.
"Kikio, do you really want to leave so soon? What if someone comes across you while your eyes are still red and puffy from crying? Then what'll you tell them?" I know instantly that he's right. Besides that I start to feel another wave of tears coming. I pretend that I need to go to the restroom and lock myself in so he doesn't try to get me to tell him what's wrong again. I don't want to come so close to telling him again. Almost ten minutes later, I come out. I probably look worse then I did before and I really don't care what he says.
"C'mon Kikio! Tell me what's wrong? It's not like you to be so silent like this when you come to visit me." I try hard not to look at him, but it's hard not to when he's so close. I look up.
"Shadow you'll not understand so please, stop asking! The less you force that question upon me, the less i'll cry, and the more i'll be able to talk." I say before he can say anything else.
"Allright. I'll stop asking." He says as he pulls me into a friendly hug. As far as I know, he only thinks of me as a friend. "Kikio, if you don't want to go back out there and face the whole villiage with those blurry eyes, you can stay here. Well, if you want." He's inviting me to stay here for the night. That's new. I do know him well enough to know that this is an invitation he expects me to decline.
"I will stay here then." My answer obviously surprises him. "Did you really expect me to decline that when it's nine at night and I don't think this'll clear up for a while?" I ask.
"Erm... I did actually expect you to decline..." He's blushing. Maybe he does have feelings for me.
"I'm just full of surprises today aren't I?"
"I suppose so. Wanna go outside for a bit?"
"Sure. I could use some fresh air." I've surprised him again.
We go out and sit near the waterfall. I really like it here for some reason. It has calmed me down a lot. The waterfall is a dark velvety blue at this time of night. It is very beautiful. I now realise that he's sat further from me than is normal. He is nervous for some reason. "What ya doin' way over there??" I ask. He doesn't know that I can see well in the dark. He is blushing again.
"Erm... Nothing." He reluctantly moves closer.
He is still blushing. He is also shivering. I suppose it is a bit chilly out here. I move a little closer to him to try to warm him up a bit. He does notice this and bluches an even deeper crimson than he already is. He is still nervous. "It's such a beautiful night, isn't it Shadow?" I ask him, just to break the silent stillness of the night.
"Yeah. Y'know, I still wanna know what's wrong." He replies.
"You really wanna know, don't you?"
"Well, I don't wanna be nosy, but yeah. I do wanna know what's up with all the tears lately."
"You." My one word sentance startles him. He doesn't know what I mean. "You are what all these tears are about. You don't realise just how many pieces my heart is broken into now, do you?" My eyes are starting to fill with the unshed tears of earlier. He leans over and hugs me.
"Is that all?" ha asks. His simple question leads to an explosion of tears from me.
"No... You... you don't understand how I feel. I don't just like you as a friend... Do you realise how many times you've actually broken my heart without even meaning to? What I mean is... is that I love you... Shadow, I still love you. You'll never accept that but at least i'm telling the truth." I'm now once again crying into his shoulder. I'm once again lost and broken.
"Kikio... I will accept that, but you've got to stop crying for a minute so you can hear me." I quietly obey. "Kikio, I've never purposly boken your heart, have I?"
"N...no..."
"You say you love me... The truth is... I still love you too. I don't know why i've kept it from you all this time, but I love you Kikio." With that, I felt his lips land on my own. It is probably the best feeling i've ever let out. The feeling of love. Silent tears stream down both our faces. Those silent tears... they are tears of joy, happieness and love.