A/N: The lovely characters of Zettai Kareshi do not belong to me but to their esteemed creator. A little warning to the readers that this fic is actually based on the Live Action Drama of Zettai Kareshi and NOT the manga. With that, ENJOY!
Info:
tadaima - a greeting usually said by a person returning home
okaeri - a greeting usually said when a person is welcoming someone home
-chan - a suffix usually used to address young girls. However, it is sometimes also used as an expression of endearment
-san - a suffix used to address a person formally and politely
Eternal Loves
The sun was shining and the birds were singing, a clichéd day filled with joy and cheer, yet to one Izawa Riiko or now more commonly known as Asamoto Riiko, it was a day of misery and lingering grief. It had been exactly ten years to this day that her first love had left her, that Tenjou Night had smiled his last. Though that deep-seated anguish had mostly faded, leaving in its wake the nostalgic bliss of happy memories, this single day would always bring her a sadness that thrummed within her heart. It was an annual routine for her to bring out that special microchip, the last proof of Night's life, and place it in front of her as she went about doing the house chores. She would always take the day off, and such a routine it had become that even her boss no longer questioned her because she was a hardworking, dedicated and creative employee all the other days of the year. Riiko would always reserve this day for she wanted to remember the times when she had been but a lowly temporary staff at the Asamoto company, working at home and sharing chores with Night. Even as she washed the dishes, her thoughts lingered on the memories of laughing as she playfully splashed Night every time they washed the dishes together or when he dragged her out to buy groceries during a sale. Even though they were merely a couple, with no marriage ties or official bonds between them, they had lived their daily lives so closely together that they had achieved an unspoken understanding and synchronicity that permeated their every action.
And sometimes, Riiko wondered what life would have been like if Night had lived, had kept to their promise to be together and face life together until both flew to Heaven. Sometimes, she wondered if she would have married Night, if they would have adopted children, if she became a wife and mother while Night became a husband and father. If Night had lived through that fateful night, would she have traded her tangible reality for that intangible fantasy?
'Riiko-chan, tadaima.' The announcement jerked Riiko from her daydreams, the plate in her hands falling and shattering on the ground as she jumped out of her skin. Though she was in the kitchen the loud harsh noise of breaking glass echoed to the doorway where her husband stood. His ears ringing and his heart thundering, Soushi dashed into the room of the shell-shocked Riiko, his own features painted with worry and a hint of panic. 'Riiko, what happened?! Are you all right?!' he demanded, rushing to the glassy-eyed Riiko's side and shaking her gently, barely noticing the fragments of china that clawed at his bare feet.
The warm sensation of being gently cradled and the hot sensual breath against her ear woke Riiko from her stupour. 'O-Okaeri, Soushi-san,' she breathed, her voice hitching in her throat at the minute trembles that ran down her spine. Oblivious to the effect he was having on his wife, Soushi breathed a loud sigh of relief, his hands unconsciously caressing her arms and rubbing them tenderly. 'Thank goodness for that,' he declared, trying hard to regain control of his pounding heart, his usual careless smirk tugging at his lips. When he had heard that crash, he had certainly feared the worse. It was after all, the anniversary of Tenjou Night's death.
Riiko drew her own shaky breath, pulling herself to recover from the sensory overload. Staring into her husband's eyes at such close quarters, she could see the darkened worry that still lingered despite his easy attitude. And, she smiled, a gentle radiant smile that seemed to shine from the bright flame within her, her unwavering spirit never flickering even in her darkest hours. 'Don't worry,' she whispered, her own arms wrapping around Soushi's waist in a tender embrace, 'I'm all right.' She tucked her head under his chin as they stood still, enveloped in each other's arms, caught in a moment of pure unadulterated love.
However, the fragile peace did not last long as Soushi shifted his weight and hissed loudly. Now that the adrenaline had left him, the glass shards in his feet were beginning to make their presence known. Startled out of her romantic moment, Riiko glanced up at Soushi's pain-twisted expression before her eyes landed on the mini battlefield of china around them. She panicked. 'Oh my gosh!' she exclaimed, her voice close to a shriek of hysteria as she leaped out of Soushi's arms and dashed to find a towel and some warm water. The mess could be cleaned up later but her husband's wounds could not wait. 'Don't move,' she commanded her tone firm as she left him standing gingerly in his place. Shortly after, she returned from her quest, towel over her shoulder and a basin of water in her hand. Draping Soushi's arm around her shoulder, she guided him to a chair, walking slowly as he hopped to keep up with her. Rolling up her sleeves and getting to work, a hiss of sympathy escaped her lips as she saw how deeply the shards had dug into the soles of his feet. Soushi had after all, simply dashed into the kitchen with no thought to anything but Riiko. Feeling his muscles tense from pain under her albeit gentle administrations, guilt welled up within Riiko. It was her fault that Soushi had been injured!
'Don't blame yourself.' Riiko looked up as a hand tenderly cupped her cheek and guided her to face Soushi. The smile on his face, though somewhat twisted from the pain, was genuine and cheerful, a very rare expression from the man who guarded his happiness with an iron claw. 'But-' Her protestations were halted as he leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
And, she was struck by the difference between both the men in her life as a shadowed image of Night loomed in her mind. When she had kissed Night, the first time of her own violation, it had been perfect. His lips had been smooth and warm, a sensual movement against her own sensitive lips that oozed practiced perfection. He had known how to angle himself so that there were no bumps, no accidents and it had been complete and flawless pleasure. It was because, Riiko reasoned, Night had been created as the perfect boyfriend.
However, when she had shared her first kiss with Soushi it had certainly not been flawless. It had been a cold winter day, a time after both of them had been exhausted from playing in the snow for hours, so when he leaned over to kiss her, his lips were cold and chapped, creating a delicious heat and friction with her own chilled dry lips. While there was no doubt that Soushi was a practiced kisser, his ministrations oozing sensuality, he was still human and they had bumped noses quite awkwardly as they both forgot to breathe, lost in their newly discovered passion. It may not have been as perfect as Night's but as they both laughed afterwards, Riiko realized that the imperfections had made it perfect in her eyes.
As she lost herself to his lips once again, the realization dawned on her. There was no question, no doubts, none at all. Soushi may have had competition in the past but at this very moment, Riiko would not have traded her current life for anything in the world, not even for an alternate reality as Night's wife.
The times she had spent with Night had been amazing. He had been her perfect boyfriend and in many ways, would always be her eternal boyfriend. Whenever she had been with him, she had been in constant smiles, in constant cheer because of his affections and desire to make her happy. He had given her love and had taught her how to give love in return, how to be happy in the glow of their relationship and how to be in bliss even in troubled times. They had been through thick and thin side-by-side and hand-in-hand, the happy memories they created far outweighing any disasters and anguish they might have faced. Even at the very end, he had made her smile when all she had wanted to do was withdraw from the world and cry. Their love had been a perfect miracle. Tenjou Night had been her perfect fantasy.
After Night had left her, her world had seemed so grey. Even though she laughed and smiled, it was tainted by an unspoken grief that did not seem to fade, tendrils of anguish that clung stubbornly on to her and refused to relinquish her from their grasp. But, Soushi had been there for her. He too had been grieving for a friend he had lost, and a love that had been lost. Where everyone had asked her to smile, he had demanded that she cry, that she simply break down and allowed her emotions to erase the pain, her tears washing her heart to a clean slate ready for a fresh start. It was with him that Riiko learned how tears and sadness could be healing and not destructive. It was with him that she first learned to smile again, untainted by grief. Unlike her relationship with Night, where her life had been unwaveringly constant, she and Soushi shared a bond that could be likened to a bumpy rollercoaster ride, complete with the biggest loop-the-loops. In Paris, they had been equals and once Riiko had got over the timidity brought about by previous social status, they had clashed. They had argued and bickered as they both chased their dreams, as they fought to live up to each others' expectations. There were times when Riiko despaired when their fights reached the peak and it seemed like they would never see eye-to-eye. But then, Soushi would quietly embrace her and whisper his apologies, and through her own tears, she too would express how sorry she was. Their relationship had never been perfect because unlike Night, Soushi was a human being, who had his own life and his own happiness and desires. He had his own identity just as Riiko had hers. And both refused to give up their true selves and lose themselves to the relationship. But, when they reached a compromise, when they met up in between and settled their differences, those moments when both revealed their raw emotions and true feelings, when both accepted each other for who they both were, it made it all worthwhile. Certainly Riiko had always been somewhat insecure in her relationship with Night, some part of her had always wondered if it was the program within him that made him love her or his own true will. With Soushi, such insecurity never surfaced. He was with her because he wanted to be with her and vice versa. They were together by choice and though they bickered and fought, their love was always grounded by reality.
Tenjou Night was her perfect fantasy. Asamoto Soushi was her grounded reality. Both men she loved with all her heart, both loves so different yet so similar.
The purity of love between Night and her had always been a joy and pleasure. Together they had been the perfect couple, two people willing to fight to be together, willing to sacrifice for each other and Night had made Riiko's intangible fantasy of romantic love come true.
The strength of love between Soushi and her was not flawless and many times tainted by tears, yet the moments of raw emotional connection outshone every single miscommunication. Together they had worked and struggled to be a best that they could be for each other and Soushi had given her the strength to make all her dreams come true, creating a real love where she once only had daydreams of romance.
Riiko could not imagine dating Soushi because Tenjou Night had been and always will be her absolute boyfriend.
However, Riiko could not imagine marrying Night because Asamoto Soushi had been and always will be her chosen husband.
And both these loves she treasured for all eternity.