Disclaimer: Ayashi No Ceres is not my creation. Give full credit to the
wonderful creator, Yu Watase! We love Watase-sensei! Bow down to her mercy!
Anyhoo, on to the fic. Enjoy, relax, leave a comment. JCLover 8D (PS -
Don't read if you haven't seen the end of the series - SPOILERS)
It had been a year now, an entire year, without him. No longer able to feel his arms around her, no longer able to walk down the street with him. All she had left was their daughter Chidori. They had decided to name her after their friend, who died suddenly during an incident while in the custody of the Mikage. Yuuhi, poor Yuuhi, had been so upset after she died. He carried her on his back, after seeing her get shot, and tried to keep her awake. But, sadly, it didn't work. She died trying to tell him how much she cared. Aya remembered that night so clearly, like it was yesterday. Of all people, she could never forget that night. The night her friend died, the night she thought she'd lost Tooya. The night she found out she was pregnant.
She sat in the sun, watching Chidori run as best she could, through the yard. She was three years old now. Aya couldn't believe how much she looked like her father. The same red hair, the same eyes, even the same smile. Nothing was more important than that little girl. She thought back to the night she found out about her. She had been sick for a couple of days, and Tooya and Yuuhi were both out trying to rescue Chidori and her brother. So, she thought it was nothing when she began to physically get sick. Mrs. Q, on the other hand, thought it was a different reason.
"Aya, could it be that you're...."
Pregnant? Her? It took her seconds to register that kind of thought in her mind. Suzumi said that she thought it was wonderful, a new family of her own. Aya wanted the baby, she knew that much, but would Tooya want it? Not long after, she found her answer. The look on his face when she told him, the tears building up, the thought of a family becoming a reality.
Aya smiled as she looked at Chidori running towards her. Suddenly, she tripped over a rock and fell onto her hands and knees. Aya couldn't help but smile as she walked over to her daughter.
"Mommyyyyyyyyy!" The little red-head cried, as she raised her arms towards her mother.
"Shhhh, it's alright, Chidori. Let's go inside and clean you up. Then it's time for your nap."
"But mommy..." Chidori started to say, but was suddenly cut off by a yawn.
Aya took her into the washroom and cleaned her knees. There weren't any cuts, just a lot of dirt. She changed her into her sleeping gown and placed her in the room next to hers. Kissing her on the head, Aya closed the sliding door behind her. Looking around her she realized that the Aogiri house hadn't changed one bit since she first came there almost 4 years ago. When Tooya was still around, they had had their own apartment. But when he died, she couldn't take care of Chidori and work at the same time. So Yuuhi and Suzumi automatically said that she could live with them again. Yuuhi still cared about Aya, a lot. When they were packing so they could move Aya in, Yuuhi hugged her from behind.
"You don't have to worry. I'll take care of whatever you need. That's what family's for."
Yuuhi had finally opened his own restaurant. That's where Aya worked during the day. That way she could keep Chidori with her, and not have to worry about finding someone to watch her. Mrs. Q and Suzumi would come during lunch and help them out. Aya didn't know how to tell them how much she appreciated and loved them. They were like a second family to her. They were her family, ever since they first took her in. Her mother lived not far from them, just around the corner. She had sold their house after everything had happened. She didn't want any of those bad memories, especially after she had just gotten out of the hospital. She was so distraut when she found out that she tried to kill Aya. But now, now they were closer than ever. Mrs. Mikagi loved her granddaughter and often hinted she wanted more. Sometimes she would take Chidori for the day, to let Aya have some rest. It was usually on the weekends, since Aya worked during the week. Her mother had told her that she really liked Yuuhi, too. But every time she said that, Aya would blush and tell her mom to stop teasing her.
During Tooya's funeral, Aya was very surprised to see one of the people she thought she'd never see there. Alexander Howell stood next to the tree, leaning against it, and crying. After the funeral, she walked up to him to ask him why he was there.
"I'm not quite sure," he said, "I guess I just wanted to make peace with him. I still feel horrible for all the terrible things we did, especially to you, Aya. If I had known that it would cause all this, I..."
Aya cut him off, smiling, and said, "I know. It's alright, you weren't the one who decieved everyone. It was Kagami. Besides, it's in the past, and I'd like to move forward. Everything is fine now."
Alex was so stunned by what she said. She was the last person he thought would forgive him. He leaned down and wrapped him arms around her. Aya, a little stunned herself, just smiled and hugged him back.
"Would you like to meet my daughter?" Aya asked Alex.
Yuuhi walked over carrying Chidori, who wasn't quite two years old yet. Taking her from him, Aya turned and smiled at the blond haired man.
"Alex, this is my daughter, Chidori. Can you say hi to Alex, sweetie?" Aya said to her daughter.
"Ie, Ex." She said, it was the closest she had to a hello.
Alex couldn't help but smile. He was amazed at how much she looked like Tooya. Suddenly, Chidori grabbed his braid and tugged.
"Oh, no Chidori! Don't pull Alex's hair."
"It's alright. I don't mind."
Quiet surprisingly enough, the two of them became friends. Alex was now working for a local laboratory, helping to find cures and create new medicines. He lived closer towards the city, but close enough to visit. At first, Yuuhi was uncomfortable with him, but soon realized that he was never a bad guy.
Aya turned and walked back down to the kitchen. It was a nice beautiful Saturday, and she decided to get a cold glass of ice tea. Suzumi had gone to the main branch house, Mrs. Q had gone to the market, and Yuuhi...well, she wasn't sure where Yuuhi went. He was probably at his restaurant, although it was closed during the weekend. Walking into the kitchen she found a vase of flowers on the counter. Next to it was a note, sealed in an envelope. Picking it up, she read:
Dear Aya, I know it's been hard, especially the first year anniversary and all. So I decided to get you some flowers to cheer you up. And don't cook anything, I'm making dinner tonight.
Love, Yuuhi
A small tear escaped the side of her eye as she leaned down to smell them. It was a mixture of wild flowers from a nearby field. The same field she used to sit in and think. She knew Yuuhi was a good man, in fact, she thought he was wonderful. But it wasn't right, especially with little Chidori. She would think it was wrong. No one could take the place of her Father, she would never accept Uncle Yuuhi as her dad. Besides that, she didn't want to give up on her heart. She was afraid the if she started to date again, then she'd lose the memory of Tooya. She didn't want to forget her love for him.
Taking her drink, she went back outside and sat down in front of her room. It looked exactly the same as it did four years ago, and Yuuhi's room was still next to it. She didn't feel weird, and neither did he. She felt secure and safe knowing he was right there. It was strange, even though Ceres had been gone for a long time now, she felt as if there was still a part of her there. Almost like she was watching out for her.
Ceres, that woman was never going to give up unless she got her hagoromo back. No one would have guessed that Tooya was the hagoromo, created from it, and it was there in him the entire time. That's why he had to find the Mikage. And Aki, going through what he went through. It was heartwrenching when he died. If she could, Aya knew she would have tried to stop Ceres from killing him. But there was no other choice. He had had a disfunctional hagoromo inside of him, and it would eat him up until he died. And she didn't want that, even he told her that there was no other way. Aki and Chidori, both buried on the same day. She was drained from the entire experience, but she kept smiling, she didn't want people to worry about her.
Suddenly, she heard the gate open and close. Standing up, she walked closer to the front.
"Hello?" She called out.
"Hello."
Standing just in front of the gate was Alex, his usual smile plastered on his handsome face. The long blond braid hung gently over his shoulder as he walked up to her.
"Alex, this is unsuspected. What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I thought I'd drop in and say hello. It's been a month since the last time I saw you, so I decided to come over. I hope I'm not bothering you."
"No, not at all. Can I get you something to drink?"
The two of them sat and talked all afternoon. They even talked about Tooya, although Alex would have preferred not to, but Aya said that everyone shouldn't walk on glass just for her.
"You know," Alex said, pushing his glasses back up. "I think you're starting to have feelings for someone else now, aren't you?"
"What?" Aya said, her face turning a red brighter than a cherry.
"Aya, I know that look you give Yuuhi when you see him. I know most people don't take me as the romantic type, but I can tell when a woman has feelings for a man. And it's ok to have them."
"No, it's not." Aya said, looking down at the ground. "It's not right to have feelings so soon. And what would Chidori think? She thinks of him as an uncle figure or even as a brother. And what would people say to that?"
"Aya, it's only natural for you to move on. It's not like you're trying to replace Tooya. You're heart is big enough to love both of them. And have you ever thought about asking Chidori? I know she's only 3, but 3 year olds have a lot to say."
"But.."
"And don't worry about what other people will say. Follow your heart, listen to it. You deserve to be happy."
Not long afterwards, Alex left to go home. Aya started to walk back towards Chidori's room when she heard her daughter's scream.
"Chidori..." Aya whispered, then took off down the hall.
Pulling the screen open she found her daughter sitting up.
"Chidori? What's the matter?" Aya said as she pulled her into her lap.
"I had a nightmare. Yuuhi left and we were all alone. Who's going to protect us if he's gone?" Chidori cried into Aya's arms.
"It's alright, Yuuhi isn't going anywhere. It was only a dream."
"Promise?"
"I promise." Aya kissed the girl on the head.
About an hour later Suzumi, Mrs. Q and Yuuhi returned home. While the girls chatted in the living room, Yuuhi was in the kitchen making dinner. Little Chidori was happily drawing pictures while she layed down on the floor. Excusing herself from the room, Aya walked towards the kitchen. Sliding the door open, she slowly closed it behind her. Yuuhi had on his headphones, so he couldn't hear her as she slowly walked up behind him. His eyes were fixed on the carrot that he was chopping, his hands moving faster than she could keep her eyes on. Placing the knife down, he threw the carrots into the pot. She could hear the music softly coming from the headset as she smiled when he tapped the chop sticks against the counter. Without even realizing it, she leaned her head into his back.
"Aya?" Yuuhi said as he pulled his headphones off. He looked down at her tiny frame as she wrapped her arms around his waiste.
"Yuuhi?"
"Hm?" He replied, while he continued to mix the soup. He didn't know what else to do, she had never done this before. He could feel her heartbeat on his back, the way it would speed up a little and then come back down.
"Do you still love me? She asked. She knew she had to know, but she was afraid that she would push him away.
"Always." He said.
Suddenly, she let go of him and turned him to face her.
"Good." She smiled.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. She didn't want to do anything that might push him away, she wanted him to make the first move.
"Aya..."
"I love you, too. It's just taken me awhile to get used to that fact. I wanted to tell you for almost 2 months now, but I thought it was too early to say anything."
"It's never too early...or too late." He replied.
He leaned down and gently cupped her face. He had waited so long to hold her, but he never stopped loving her. A single tear slipped down her face as they shared their very first kiss.
It's never too late.
It had been a year now, an entire year, without him. No longer able to feel his arms around her, no longer able to walk down the street with him. All she had left was their daughter Chidori. They had decided to name her after their friend, who died suddenly during an incident while in the custody of the Mikage. Yuuhi, poor Yuuhi, had been so upset after she died. He carried her on his back, after seeing her get shot, and tried to keep her awake. But, sadly, it didn't work. She died trying to tell him how much she cared. Aya remembered that night so clearly, like it was yesterday. Of all people, she could never forget that night. The night her friend died, the night she thought she'd lost Tooya. The night she found out she was pregnant.
She sat in the sun, watching Chidori run as best she could, through the yard. She was three years old now. Aya couldn't believe how much she looked like her father. The same red hair, the same eyes, even the same smile. Nothing was more important than that little girl. She thought back to the night she found out about her. She had been sick for a couple of days, and Tooya and Yuuhi were both out trying to rescue Chidori and her brother. So, she thought it was nothing when she began to physically get sick. Mrs. Q, on the other hand, thought it was a different reason.
"Aya, could it be that you're...."
Pregnant? Her? It took her seconds to register that kind of thought in her mind. Suzumi said that she thought it was wonderful, a new family of her own. Aya wanted the baby, she knew that much, but would Tooya want it? Not long after, she found her answer. The look on his face when she told him, the tears building up, the thought of a family becoming a reality.
Aya smiled as she looked at Chidori running towards her. Suddenly, she tripped over a rock and fell onto her hands and knees. Aya couldn't help but smile as she walked over to her daughter.
"Mommyyyyyyyyy!" The little red-head cried, as she raised her arms towards her mother.
"Shhhh, it's alright, Chidori. Let's go inside and clean you up. Then it's time for your nap."
"But mommy..." Chidori started to say, but was suddenly cut off by a yawn.
Aya took her into the washroom and cleaned her knees. There weren't any cuts, just a lot of dirt. She changed her into her sleeping gown and placed her in the room next to hers. Kissing her on the head, Aya closed the sliding door behind her. Looking around her she realized that the Aogiri house hadn't changed one bit since she first came there almost 4 years ago. When Tooya was still around, they had had their own apartment. But when he died, she couldn't take care of Chidori and work at the same time. So Yuuhi and Suzumi automatically said that she could live with them again. Yuuhi still cared about Aya, a lot. When they were packing so they could move Aya in, Yuuhi hugged her from behind.
"You don't have to worry. I'll take care of whatever you need. That's what family's for."
Yuuhi had finally opened his own restaurant. That's where Aya worked during the day. That way she could keep Chidori with her, and not have to worry about finding someone to watch her. Mrs. Q and Suzumi would come during lunch and help them out. Aya didn't know how to tell them how much she appreciated and loved them. They were like a second family to her. They were her family, ever since they first took her in. Her mother lived not far from them, just around the corner. She had sold their house after everything had happened. She didn't want any of those bad memories, especially after she had just gotten out of the hospital. She was so distraut when she found out that she tried to kill Aya. But now, now they were closer than ever. Mrs. Mikagi loved her granddaughter and often hinted she wanted more. Sometimes she would take Chidori for the day, to let Aya have some rest. It was usually on the weekends, since Aya worked during the week. Her mother had told her that she really liked Yuuhi, too. But every time she said that, Aya would blush and tell her mom to stop teasing her.
During Tooya's funeral, Aya was very surprised to see one of the people she thought she'd never see there. Alexander Howell stood next to the tree, leaning against it, and crying. After the funeral, she walked up to him to ask him why he was there.
"I'm not quite sure," he said, "I guess I just wanted to make peace with him. I still feel horrible for all the terrible things we did, especially to you, Aya. If I had known that it would cause all this, I..."
Aya cut him off, smiling, and said, "I know. It's alright, you weren't the one who decieved everyone. It was Kagami. Besides, it's in the past, and I'd like to move forward. Everything is fine now."
Alex was so stunned by what she said. She was the last person he thought would forgive him. He leaned down and wrapped him arms around her. Aya, a little stunned herself, just smiled and hugged him back.
"Would you like to meet my daughter?" Aya asked Alex.
Yuuhi walked over carrying Chidori, who wasn't quite two years old yet. Taking her from him, Aya turned and smiled at the blond haired man.
"Alex, this is my daughter, Chidori. Can you say hi to Alex, sweetie?" Aya said to her daughter.
"Ie, Ex." She said, it was the closest she had to a hello.
Alex couldn't help but smile. He was amazed at how much she looked like Tooya. Suddenly, Chidori grabbed his braid and tugged.
"Oh, no Chidori! Don't pull Alex's hair."
"It's alright. I don't mind."
Quiet surprisingly enough, the two of them became friends. Alex was now working for a local laboratory, helping to find cures and create new medicines. He lived closer towards the city, but close enough to visit. At first, Yuuhi was uncomfortable with him, but soon realized that he was never a bad guy.
Aya turned and walked back down to the kitchen. It was a nice beautiful Saturday, and she decided to get a cold glass of ice tea. Suzumi had gone to the main branch house, Mrs. Q had gone to the market, and Yuuhi...well, she wasn't sure where Yuuhi went. He was probably at his restaurant, although it was closed during the weekend. Walking into the kitchen she found a vase of flowers on the counter. Next to it was a note, sealed in an envelope. Picking it up, she read:
Dear Aya, I know it's been hard, especially the first year anniversary and all. So I decided to get you some flowers to cheer you up. And don't cook anything, I'm making dinner tonight.
Love, Yuuhi
A small tear escaped the side of her eye as she leaned down to smell them. It was a mixture of wild flowers from a nearby field. The same field she used to sit in and think. She knew Yuuhi was a good man, in fact, she thought he was wonderful. But it wasn't right, especially with little Chidori. She would think it was wrong. No one could take the place of her Father, she would never accept Uncle Yuuhi as her dad. Besides that, she didn't want to give up on her heart. She was afraid the if she started to date again, then she'd lose the memory of Tooya. She didn't want to forget her love for him.
Taking her drink, she went back outside and sat down in front of her room. It looked exactly the same as it did four years ago, and Yuuhi's room was still next to it. She didn't feel weird, and neither did he. She felt secure and safe knowing he was right there. It was strange, even though Ceres had been gone for a long time now, she felt as if there was still a part of her there. Almost like she was watching out for her.
Ceres, that woman was never going to give up unless she got her hagoromo back. No one would have guessed that Tooya was the hagoromo, created from it, and it was there in him the entire time. That's why he had to find the Mikage. And Aki, going through what he went through. It was heartwrenching when he died. If she could, Aya knew she would have tried to stop Ceres from killing him. But there was no other choice. He had had a disfunctional hagoromo inside of him, and it would eat him up until he died. And she didn't want that, even he told her that there was no other way. Aki and Chidori, both buried on the same day. She was drained from the entire experience, but she kept smiling, she didn't want people to worry about her.
Suddenly, she heard the gate open and close. Standing up, she walked closer to the front.
"Hello?" She called out.
"Hello."
Standing just in front of the gate was Alex, his usual smile plastered on his handsome face. The long blond braid hung gently over his shoulder as he walked up to her.
"Alex, this is unsuspected. What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I thought I'd drop in and say hello. It's been a month since the last time I saw you, so I decided to come over. I hope I'm not bothering you."
"No, not at all. Can I get you something to drink?"
The two of them sat and talked all afternoon. They even talked about Tooya, although Alex would have preferred not to, but Aya said that everyone shouldn't walk on glass just for her.
"You know," Alex said, pushing his glasses back up. "I think you're starting to have feelings for someone else now, aren't you?"
"What?" Aya said, her face turning a red brighter than a cherry.
"Aya, I know that look you give Yuuhi when you see him. I know most people don't take me as the romantic type, but I can tell when a woman has feelings for a man. And it's ok to have them."
"No, it's not." Aya said, looking down at the ground. "It's not right to have feelings so soon. And what would Chidori think? She thinks of him as an uncle figure or even as a brother. And what would people say to that?"
"Aya, it's only natural for you to move on. It's not like you're trying to replace Tooya. You're heart is big enough to love both of them. And have you ever thought about asking Chidori? I know she's only 3, but 3 year olds have a lot to say."
"But.."
"And don't worry about what other people will say. Follow your heart, listen to it. You deserve to be happy."
Not long afterwards, Alex left to go home. Aya started to walk back towards Chidori's room when she heard her daughter's scream.
"Chidori..." Aya whispered, then took off down the hall.
Pulling the screen open she found her daughter sitting up.
"Chidori? What's the matter?" Aya said as she pulled her into her lap.
"I had a nightmare. Yuuhi left and we were all alone. Who's going to protect us if he's gone?" Chidori cried into Aya's arms.
"It's alright, Yuuhi isn't going anywhere. It was only a dream."
"Promise?"
"I promise." Aya kissed the girl on the head.
About an hour later Suzumi, Mrs. Q and Yuuhi returned home. While the girls chatted in the living room, Yuuhi was in the kitchen making dinner. Little Chidori was happily drawing pictures while she layed down on the floor. Excusing herself from the room, Aya walked towards the kitchen. Sliding the door open, she slowly closed it behind her. Yuuhi had on his headphones, so he couldn't hear her as she slowly walked up behind him. His eyes were fixed on the carrot that he was chopping, his hands moving faster than she could keep her eyes on. Placing the knife down, he threw the carrots into the pot. She could hear the music softly coming from the headset as she smiled when he tapped the chop sticks against the counter. Without even realizing it, she leaned her head into his back.
"Aya?" Yuuhi said as he pulled his headphones off. He looked down at her tiny frame as she wrapped her arms around his waiste.
"Yuuhi?"
"Hm?" He replied, while he continued to mix the soup. He didn't know what else to do, she had never done this before. He could feel her heartbeat on his back, the way it would speed up a little and then come back down.
"Do you still love me? She asked. She knew she had to know, but she was afraid that she would push him away.
"Always." He said.
Suddenly, she let go of him and turned him to face her.
"Good." She smiled.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. She didn't want to do anything that might push him away, she wanted him to make the first move.
"Aya..."
"I love you, too. It's just taken me awhile to get used to that fact. I wanted to tell you for almost 2 months now, but I thought it was too early to say anything."
"It's never too early...or too late." He replied.
He leaned down and gently cupped her face. He had waited so long to hold her, but he never stopped loving her. A single tear slipped down her face as they shared their very first kiss.
It's never too late.