Deep Water

By Kitten

"Yuuhi-kun?"

"Yes, Chidori?"

"You know …that I've always…"

The dark night took the girl's words and silenced them, not giving her even a chance.

"What's that Chidori?" The man asked her, nothing but silence for a reply.

"Chi-Chidori?"

…

"Chidori! You didn't finish! I-…I still want to hear what you have to say!" Yuuhi choked through sobs. Tears were pouring down his cheeks as he continued to plead her name over and over. "CHIDORI!!!!!" He wailed, "DON'T YOU LEAVE ME!!!!" He cried desperately into the night, the moon overshadowing the silhouette of a man and the girl he held in his arms.

Tears rolled down his cheeks and onto the girl's pale face. A smile was imprinted across her lips, the words of the one she loved taken with her… "You're great just the way you are."

Chidori had always loved Yuuhi, ever since the first time she saw him. She hoped that one day he would open up his heart and let her in. He had always teased her about her childish figure, even with the age and mentality of a teenager. He never knew that he really did love her deep down, … until she was gone.

Yuuhi continued to weep and hold her deathly, cold body in his arms. He prayed that it was all a dream, nothing but a terrible nightmare. But he knew that it wasn't.

The stars shined brightly above them as his sobs were reduced long after she was gone. Yuuhi saw the smile across her lips that she had left for him and smiled himself. "She was happy." He whispered, tears coming back into his eyes again. "Oh, Chidori!" He gasped as he pulled her body into a tight hug. "You can't be gone! You can't!"

Her body was limp and cold in his arms. He stroked her curly strawberry blond hair as he whispered, "Chidori, you're not supposed to die."

"It was too quick. Just all of a sudden a-and you were gone." Tears fell down his cheeks again as he cried into her soft hair. "I thought you loved me?! I thought you wanted to spend your life with me!" He yelled, "But now you can't…" Yuuhi sat back and looked at her face again. He smiled, his hazel eyes sparkling with tears. He caressed her cheek with his hand, feeling her soft ivory skin.

"Chidori… I know you loved me, and you know somethin'? …I think I loved you too." Yuuhi saw the tears on her cheeks, not knowing if they were hers or his own. He wiped them away with his hand and softly kissed her cheek. "I love you…" He cried softly.

Yuuhi choked out a sob again, "I love you! Please come back to me, Chidori!… Chidori…" He cried as he held her body tight to his.

I loved you, and I always will…

~~~

Two years had passed since then. It was a warm summer night and Yuuhi had his own place now. An apartment not far from the Aogiri household where he'd lived before with Suzumi and the others. No, it wasn't the greatest place, but it was just fine. He'd fixed the place up immediately after he'd moved in about five months ago. Now it was home, as long as the kitchen was in working order. For Yuuhi, anyway.

But he was alone, and he missed everyone, even though he could visit anytime.

Yuuhi frowned as he cut up a few vegetables to put in his stew that was beginning to boil. He was having grilled mackerel to go with it, and some bread too. "Grilled mackerel," He smiled, "I haven't had that since…" He trailed off and frowned again. The last time he made grilled mackerel was when Chidori had requested it. It was her favorite thing that he made. She loved his cooking, like no other.

Yuuhi almost felt tears coming but held them back and smiled. "Come on, Yuuhi." He spoke to himself, "Try to be cheerful. Chidori would want you to."

It was almost like he was sinking, drowning in deep water. He could swim back up to the surface, again and again. But he always seemed to sink deeper and deeper. He had tried everything to get her off his mind. He even tried to forget about her and go on, but he couldn't. He couldn't just forget everything.

Everything was so quiet. Yuuhi sat down his knife and walked over to the small balcony that was part of the living room. He pushed the sliding doors and walked out. It was very dark out, except for the blue light of the moon that shown through the clouds. He saw a single star in the sky and began to wonder.

When Yuuhi was a small child, his mother told him that if you made a wish on a star, it would come true.

"That's funny." He smirked. "If I could though, I know what it would be." Yuuhi smiled as a picture of Chidori came into his head. "I wonder, what if I could change what had happened? Would she still be here? …With me?"

Yuuhi leaned over the railing, resting his arms to prop him up. He could hear the sounds of crickets chirping and a dog barking far off. He sighed and looked back up at the midnight blue sky again. The star continued to shine brightly in the sky.

Yuuhi groaned and walked back into the apartment, leaving the balcony door open.

~~~

When he got back to the kitchen, he saw that his stew was boiling over and the grilled mackerel was now more like burnt mackerel. "Oh no!" Yuuhi yelped and rushed over to stovetop. He grabbed the pot of stew with his bare hands and screamed, dropping it flat back on the stovetop, causing more to spill out. He reached for the oven mitts and picked it up again, quickly carrying it over to the sink. He put the pot down as it continued to boil over into the sink.

The stew slowed down as he turned off both of the burners and took the mackerel off. He sat it down on the counter top, making sure there was a potholder underneath. Yuuhi sighed annoyingly. "Well, there goes my dinner. All though… Hmm, maybe I can fix it up a bit." He took the spatula out of the drawer and flipped the burnt mackerel onto a paper plate to drain what was left of the oil.

When Yuuhi was finished cleaning up everything, he turned on his CD player to listen while he ate. He opened up his CD booklet to choose a CD and took out the Hayashi Nobutoshi one that Aya had given him for a birthday gift last year. It wasn't his favorite artist, but still. He started the CD on shuffle as he served himself some stew, bread and the grilled or rather, burnt mackerel.

As Yuuhi sat down at the table, he began to listen to a song that started playing. He remembered that he had heard Aya and Chidori sing it as a duet during one of their karaoke nights. He smiled, listening to the song being sung,

Even the setting sun that sinks like it was caught on fire is alone

Unable to embrace the earth or the seas

Though sleeping deep down at the bottom of my heart is

A red painful passion takes me by surprise

Whenever I see your tears I can't bear it

It makes me want to embrace you tightly from behind

I love you so much it breaks me no words are enough

I also have love that I can't express

Can't become a man by only having been born

True strength definitely begins from love

If there's a smile beyond your tears

I'll watch over you like the dependable guy I am

I love you so much it breaks me no words are enough

If it's a love that won't be granted then I'll only wish for your happiness

The setting sun sinks again as it embraced its passion is

It reaches its hidden sleep even though it's painful...always

As Yuuhi listened to the song, he sat down his fork. He thought of Chidori and how the song reminded him so much of her. She had always thought of him that way, but now, … He felt like he was the one singing that song.

Yuuhi felt tears coming back to his eyes again and went ahead and let them fell. He cried, burying his head in his arms. "Chidori, I miss you so much…"

~~~

It was about an hour later when Yuuhi had set himself down to watch TV. Iron Chef was on and he didn't want to miss it. He'd been watching this show forever. "Maybe one day I'll get to be on it." He laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, go Morimoto!" He cheered as the two chefs tried to beat the time limit.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and he growled, "Aw, can't ya come back another time? I'm trying ta watch my show!" Yuuhi sighed as it rang once again and got up off the couch to answer it. Just as he did so, the timer rang on Iron Chef. "No!!!" He raced back to the television and glued his eyes on it. "Who won?! Who won?! Arghhh, get on with it ALREADY!!!"

Yuuhi forgot all about the doorbell and leaned over the couch's back to watch the television. The door opened and shut, and he barely even heard footsteps creaking over to him. He was tapped on the shoulder, and he batted his hand. "Not now, Suzumi. Can't ya see what's on?"

"Yuuhi-kun! What've you been up to?"

Yuuhi shot his head around, only to come face to face with a slightly older Chidori. And then, he freaked out. "W-WHA?!!!!! A GHOST!!!!!!" He screeched and fell backwards onto the couch. He tumbled over and onto the floor, crashing into the coffee table. His foot landed on the remote and it flipped through many channels over and over. He stared at her wide eyed, not believing a second of it. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!!!!" Yuuhi yelled at the top of his lungs, SD form.

Chidori rolled her eyes and grabbed the remote, turning off the tv. "Yuuhi-kun. Have you been drinking?"

Yuuhi became speechless. He looked over her and frowned. She did look like she was about fourteen or fifteen now, and she was about a foot taller. Her long, wavy hair was down and she was wearing a jacket over a denim skirt and red sweater. He rubbed his eyes, "I get it! I'm dreaming, right?" He pinched himself as hard as he could and yelped in pain. "Ow, dammit!"

"You're such a goof. But it's okay! I love ya anyway!" Chidori laughed. She walked over to the kitchen door and gladly pushed her way in.

"Wait…" Yuuhi frowned. "This can't be. I don't understand. Why doesn't ANYTHING make sense?!"

"Yuuhi-kun! Did you already make dinner?" Chidori's voice called out to him from the kitchen. "I see you have cookies in a jar here for dessert!"

"Wha…." Yuuhi spoke unbelievably.

~~~

"What is with you? You're acting all funny." Chidori frowned.

"I'm fine." Yuuhi mumbled as he sat across from her.

She picked up a tea cup and smiled as she poured tea for him. "You look okay. Are you feeling all right?" She handed him his tea and he shakily accepted it.

"I'm not too sure." Yuuhi answered with a sigh.

Chidori smiled and stepped over to him. She put her hand on her forehead, and the other one on his. "Hmm, no fever."

Yuuhi almost gasped. Her hand was so warm, almost like she really was there. Was it a dream?…

Even if it was, he didn't want to waste it. He quickly pulled her into his lap and hugged her tightly.

Chidori smiled, "Yuuhi-kun? Are you upset or something?" She could feel him crying into her hair.

"No, I'm great. As long as you're here…" He whispered.

Chidori smiled as he pushed her back a bit and held her chin in his hand. "Chidori?" He whispered.

"Yes, Yuuhi?" She blushed.

"Are you really here? With me right now? … I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"Of course not. You're not dreaming at all." She smiled at him, her amber eyes sparkling brightly. With that, Yuuhi raised her chin and kissed her lips. "They're so soft…so real…" He thought to himself as she kissed him back. "Is this what I really wanted all along?"

Chidori pulled back from him and looked him in the eyes. "I love you, Yuuhi-kun." She smiled.

Yuuhi kissed her again, savoring the moment. He pulled her into a tight embrace, praying that she would stay there forever. He never felt more happy in all his life. Chidori hugged him back, smiling at the thought of him. "This is what I wanted all along. It has to be…" He thought. "Just to feel her body close to mine, so close…"

"I love you, Chidori. I always have. I know that now for sure." He whispered through her soft hair.

"Yuuhi, please… Never let me go. Just hold me forever and ever… Just like you are now…" She breathed.

"I promise. Never again will I let you go… I love you." Yuuhi replied. The wind blew in from the sliding doors on the balcony, blowing their hair along it's currents.

Chidori leaned back and looked into his soft, hazel eyes again. She smiled widely, tears in her eyes. "You don't know how long I've wished for this."

"I understand now." Yuuhi spoke softly. "I think I always have. I just never knew how much I loved you until…" He trailed off and frowned.

"Until?" She pressed him.

"When you…" He kissed her again, trying to silence his thoughts. Was he in heaven?… Maybe he had died and he was now at last with the one he loved… Or maybe…

"Chidori, you're not really here. You can't be…" He choked. "I have to be dreaming… Don't you remember what happened over two years ago?!" He cried.

Chidori looked at him with shocked eyes. She frowned and then smiled, talking his hand in her own. She lifted it to her face and pressed it against her cheek. "Yuuhi… Am I dreaming? Are you really here with me now? How do I know that this is just what I've longed for time and time again?… Yuuhi, look at me."

Yuuhi looked up and fixed his eyes on her face. He examined her lips, a full smile across them, and her eyes, sparkling with admiration.

"Sometimes, maybe we do dream. We have dreams for the future, hopes too. But what good are they if we never accomplish them, Yuuhi? …Someone once told me, you need to work on growing up." She smiled again and continued, "I think everyone does. Because if we don't grow up, we'll just go on with nothing to show for it. But I do have something to show for it, I have you. …I have you. And I love you, with all that I am. …And I know, that this isn't a dream. It's a miracle."

Chidori smiled and kissed his soft lips.

As he kissed back, Yuuhi thought, "It really is a miracle, isn't it?…"

"I want you…" He whispered. "More than anything…"

Chidori kissed him, harder this time. "Yuuhi-kun…" She whispered, "I want you too, I always have. But now,… At long last…"

Yuuhi smiled gently and lifted her up along with himself. He carried her back to the bedroom and laid her down on his bed. Chidori smiled up at him, tears in her amber eyes. He stood over her as she looked into his hazel eyes. He sat down next to her as she lifted her head up to kiss him. She kissed him again and again, over all his face. He did the same, hungrily tasting her skin with his lips.

Chidori pulled Yuuhi's shirt over his head and threw it aside. She came closer and pressed herself against him as he drew her into another deep kiss. Yuuhi wrapped his arms around her body, holding her very tight. He pressed his tongue against her lips, asking for an entrance. She let him, their tongues entangled together as they hungrily kissed each other for more.

Chidori wrapped her arms around his neck as they did so, bringing him closer to her. Yuuhi responded by running his hands and fingers through her silky, strawberry blond hair. He lowered her back down, himself pressed on top of her. As he kissed her, he slowly began to undress her until there was nothing left but her matching bra and panties.

"We shouldn't be doing this…" He thought as Chidori started at his own clothes. "But… I love her. Isn't that what matters? …What if she's not here when I wake up? Then everything I have left, will be… Even if she is here tomorrow, it must be a miracle. A dream doesn't feel this good…" He pulled back and looked at her. She was grinning ear to ear, begging him to go on.

"I love you." He whispered, "But, if you're not ready. Then I won't-"

"I'm fine. That is, if you are."

"I am. I want to be with you forever. I love you more than life itself." He breathed.

"That's all I needed to hear." Chidori smiled and lifted her head up to kiss him.

Yuuhi smiled and kissed her back. He kissed each cheek and her forehead. He kissed her neck as he moved downwards to her collarbone. He continued downwards against her chest and ribs, and her stomach. When he was finished, he moved back upwards and looked at her bra clasps. He looked up at her for permission. "Go on." Chidori breathed.

He nodded and undid the clasps on her bra. He slid it off her shoulders and dropped it on the ground beside the bed. He turned his head and looked back towards her. Chidori sat up and quickly covered bare chest. She frowned, her cheeks flushed with red. She hung her head, acting as if she was ashamed of something. Yuuhi frowned too and lifted her chin with his hand. "What's wrong, Chidori?"

"I-I… I'm afraid."

"Of what? If it's too soon, I can stop. Am I doing something wrong? Is it me?" He questioned her.

Chidori looked away and closed her eyes. "It's not you at all. It's just that I don't look my age at all. I look like a junior high kid, not an adult! I just turned nineteen, but I don't think it helped any. I'm small! Tiny and petite! I can't even-" Yuuhi hushed her by bringing his lips to her own.

He pulled back, looking into her eyes that glistened in the moonlight. "You listen to me." He held his hand against her cheek. "You're perfect. I couldn't wish for anything more than who you are inside, …and out."

Chidori smiled and dropped one her hands, covering herself with the other. She clasped her hand over his, caressing it against her cheek. "Oh, Yuuhi. Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do." He leaned in closer to her, "I want to see you." He whispered gently.

Chidori blushed as he pulled back from her. He sat across from her, waiting.

"Yuuhi-kun…" She breathed. "Close you eyes." He obeyed her and did so, smiling. Slowly, she let her hands drop to each side of her. Smiling, she brought them down on her waist and leaned back against the pillows. She slid off her panties, feeling an extreme warmth creep into her cheeks, and lower.

Once Chidori was finished, she slowly crawled off the bed, making sure Yuuhi didn't hear or feel her. She walked across the room, and turned off the lights. Now, only the moon and stars would be their light. "Don't open your eyes yet." She spoke softly. She saw Yuuhi nodd from the bed and smiled at him. "Oh, Yuuhi-kun. You don't know how long I've wished for this. Just to be near to you is all I wanted. But I'm getting something much more, aren't I?"

Chidori walked over to his bedside table and looked at what was on it. An alarm clock, a vase with some flowers in it, and a framed picture. It was a photo of herself. Chidori picked it up, feeling tears come into her eyes. "This is that one from two years ago. The one I gave him. I never thought that he would actually…" She trailed off in thought as tears overcame her.

Yuuhi opened his eyes and looked over to her, "Chidori, are you all right?"

"I'm great." Chidori turned around and smiled at him through her tears.

Yuuhi noticed that she was completely naked, her long, wavy hair hanging down her back. He blushed a bit and smiled back at her. Chidori noticed it too and turned away, trying to cover most of herself up. "I-I'm sorry." She apologized. "I've just never done this before. I'm sure you've-" She stopped as she felt strong, warm arms wrap around her.

"No, I haven't." Yuuhi whispered to her. "And you know what else? I think you're absolutely beautiful, Chidori."

Chidori smiled and tilted her head to kiss his jawbone. He smiled and hugged her tighter, kissing her forehead. "I love you, Yuuhi Aogiri."

"I love you too, Chidori Kuruma. I always have, and I always will." Yuuhi smiled and kissed her lips with all that he was. He pulled away and sat back down on the bed, patting the place beside him. Chidori looked at him and smiled. She slowly walked toward him until she was close enough that he pulled her over. He held her warm body in his arms, kissing her passionately.

Chidori looked up at him, love in her eyes. "It's times like this, that I think I could just cry."

"But you are." Yuuhi smiled as he examined the tears in her eyes.

Chidori pulled him closer and hugged him, "That's because I am! I'm so happy. I've never been this happy than when I'm with you. Especially now, like this."

"Please answer me again, and tell me that you're really here. I know this can't be a dream!" Yuuhi cried.

"I've told you before, Yuuhi-kun." She smiled as she softly kissed his lips. "You're not dreaming…"

~~~

The moon and stars shone through the window, overlooking the two lovers that lay together in bed. Everything was silent, excepting for their slowed down breathing and crickets out in the summer night. The wind blew the curtains across it's current, the cold breeze blowing against their bodies. The man sighed heavily and held her naked body close to his own. Pulling the sheets up over their sweaty bodies, he smiled. He rubbed his hand up and down her back, trying to be more soothing. She smiled widely, sweat beaded on her forehead. "Yuuhi-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"You know… that I've always…"

"Always what, Chidori?" Yuuhi smiled.

"I've always loved you." Chidori grinned widely, inching closer to him.

Yuuhi sat up and leant down to kiss her. Chidori did the same, lifting her head to meet his lips.

"And you know, that I've always loved you, Chidori…

I love you "

~The End~

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