May: This one is a Yumeiro Patisserie based, the pairing is Makoto and Ichigo. Again a one shot.
It has been a year since Makoto admitted his feelings for Ichigo. It has also been a year since they have started their own patisserie shop without any disturbance from either Johnny or Miya; both who are crazy inlove with each of them. And lastly, it has been a year since his older sister had married their head bodyguard.
And he still shivered at the thought when he remembered the day when his sister had annouced their engagement. The day of the Cake Grand Prix in Paris. He's mind was full of the competition that he never had the chance to even tell anyone what he feel, although Ichigo remains oblivious to it, both Hanabusa and Andou knew what he really feels for their former teammate and leader.
He loved her, and it only took a push and a threat from Hanabusa to make him realize his feelings.
And now, he was standing hand in hand with the girl he loved below the Eiffel Tower in Paris, preferred to stop by and gazed at the stars after they had passed by the Lock Gate. Where thousands of padlocks where clasped, their keys at the bottom of the water. A symbol that a secret or a love would be eternal.
"Kashino?" he turned his head to looked at her. Her brown eyes looking at him with their usual cheery but with somewhat mixed with worry.
"What is it?" he inquired as he tightened his hold on her waist. Eversince he found out that Johnny also have taken a liking to her, he had become overprotective to the point of accompanying her everywhere.
And a small smile decorated his face as he remembered her father looking at him uneasily when he announced his intention to court her.
He had solemnly promised the older that he would never hurt her, not physically anyways and would try to tone down his temper. He admitted, albeit to himself that she had become worthy to be called a great patisserie. Even surpassing her legendary grandmother-which he heard of a lot of times but never got to really understand his girlfriend's grandmother.
But he couldn't accept and even admit one thing to himself.
Love is...difficult for him to grasp.
If it were anything related to making sweets he could give it his best, but love is a new concept for him.
And nothing that he studied-even when he was younger and with the experience of his normally stoic and sadistic sister could teach him what he should do or what he should think about. He was all for himself.
He let out a sigh as he tightened his hold on her. All because of one thing. Momentarily, he relaxed his hold on her as he remembered that they were spending their night as a couple and not people who are afraid. Afraid of being separated.
"Kashino?" he heard her call and he turned his head again to look at her.
"Hmm?"
"It was quite fun to be with you here in the City of Love." she told him as she leaned her head on his chest. He was thankful that his hormones had kick in at the last year before they even made their relationship real. If not, he didn't want to be the one who will be in her position right now.
But a smile made its way across his face, as he held her close. "Ichigo?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for staying with me." he told her. "I greatly appreciated it."
He didn't hear anything from her or felt any movement but a light quick kiss on his cheek.
"Wha-what was that?" he asked, his eyes wide as he looked at her. Sure, they had kissed a few times before, but most are purely accidental and there was only a time when he could recall that they did it for real. That it was the surge of their emotions for each other that triggered it.
Ichigo laughed at his face and answered, her voice cheery. "It was me." she then leaned her head on his shoulder. "I agreed to stay with you. Forever."
He let out a sigh. Nothing could make this day better. He was here with the woman he had asked to be with him forever. And nothing could change it.
"I'm so glad that you agreed to go with me." he told her. "Nothing-"
"Oh, I beg to differ, Makoto-kun." a voice spoke.
He tensed as the voice processed in his head. There's only one person who calls him that. And it could never be other than...
"Miya-san!" Ichigo beaten him to it. He turned his body halfway to see the heiress herself with a red scarf tied around her neck, with Johnny standing beside her.
"Wha-what are you doing here?" he asked as he looked at her, his arms fell to his sides. His nightmare had gone true!
The girl walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why to spend this romantic evening with you, Ma-ko-to-kun." she told him seductively which made him all the more sick with her.
He turned his head to see Johnny hugging Ichigo too tight for his own liking. He then turned back to look at Miya and couldn't help but cringed his neck away from her-as far as her hold on him would allow. He turned his head again to look at Ichigo.
And for a moment there, all he could see was her.
He released himself from Miya's hold and quickly grabbed Ichigo's hand who was thankfully had been released. And ran off with her.
For the first time, he didn't care someone was following him. Nor the fact that his emotions are jumbled and also the fact that he couldn't understand love as what others perceived it to be.
But right now, all he cared about was getting away from the two crazed cousins.
He has all the time in the world to think about it. And a chance to understand it in his own terms.
But again, for him, being the son and heir to the Kashino fortune is making it all the more hard for him. Among with other things.
He turned to look at Ichigo who was not saying anything but he knew for a fact that she was glad to be away from them.
And realization hit him: Love is...difficult for people who don't really understand it but perceives that what they feel is love.
But for him, it was what he truly feels even if love is still a difficult subject for him to get.