Here's a little Valentine's Day special. The idea for this actually struck me this past weekend, and was planning to work on it bit by bit along with my other story as a way to sort of break up the monotony and get the creative juices flowing. Then I realized Valentine's Day was coming up and decided I'd go ahead and knock this one out right away. Let me know how you like it!
Excuse Me While I Wax Poetic
A single ray of golden sunlight pierced the drape-covered window pane and fell on the intertwined hands of the couple that lay facing each other on the bed. Their rings took in the brilliant light and scattered it across the small room in small, dazzling bursts splashed with streaks of vivid color. It was a magnificent display of nature's splendor that would inspire wonder in even the most stoic individual.
But the two saw only each other. Saw only the light in each other's eyes.
All else faded compared to spectacular beauty they glimpsed there. Their unwavering gazes met and formed a connection that penetrated far beyond conscious thought. It went deeper within so as to join their very souls. It was a bond of fathomless depth and unspeakable joy. They could easily have spent hours like that: Still, wordless, lost in each other with no desire to be anywhere else.
But it was not to be.
"Why do you love me?" the pure, melodic alto voice of the woman rang out, breaking her partner from his reverie.
"What?" he asked, making sure he had heard her correctly.
She didn't answer right away. Her eyes wandered to their hands, locking on the two sparkling rings. As she regarded the pieces of jewelry, her smooth, supple fingers caressed the larger hand of her husband.
"Why do you love me?" she repeated at last, her eyes never leaving the symbol of almost two years of marriage as it refracted the sun's early morning beams.
The man looked at her oddly and flashed a lopsided smile.
"You want to know why I love you?"
"Right." She nodded and looked at him expectantly as he appeared to consider the question.
"Well," he began, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world. Your hair, your mouth, your cheeks, you cute little nose, your skin..." He touched each one in turn. "Everything about you is perfect. My heart catches every time I look at you and I think just how lucky I am to have such a wonderful woman."
She blushed at his compliments.
"I love your gorgeous blue eyes." He softly stroked her cheek with his thumb as he looked into the objects he praised. "I could stare into them until I died and be happy with my life. I love how one look into their infinite depths can tell me what you're feeling—if you're happy, sad, lonely, angry—without you having to say a word.
"You are a part of me. When you smile, my world lights up and I feel invincible. And when you cry, something inside me breaks and I would do anything to dry your tears. Your pain is my pain. Your happiness my happiness."
She started to tear up, listening to his beautiful words.
"I love that you're strong, stubborn, and independent. You're unafraid to speak your mind and don't let anyone take advantage of you. And yet underneath all that you are also gentle, kind, caring, sweet…" He slid next to her and wrapped her in his arms. "And even a little insecure sometimes."
He held her close to his body, resting his chin on his wife's head. One hand stroked her thick black hair while the other he ran up and down her back. Blushing, she laid her head on his chest, enthralled by the steady thrum of his heart. For those precious moments, nothing was said as they simply enjoyed each other's presence.
"When I hold you close to me, I feel complete," he said softly. "Everything else ceases to exist but you, and I feel like there is nothing that I cannot do."
"You always stay by my side. When I am on top of the world, you're right there alongside me to celebrate. When everything goes wrong and I just want to give up, you cheer me on and lend me the strength to continue. When I fall, you pull me up. When I'm in pain, you comfort me. Wherever I am, you're always willing to do anything to help me.
"You are my light when everything else seems dark. You are my crutch when I am weak. You are my closest confidant when I need to talk. You are my companion when I am lonely, my best friend in good times and bad.
"You are my everything; I cannot imagine living without you." Pulling back slightly, he looked lovingly into her eyes. They were filled with tears. "But none of that is why I love you," he said.
She blinked at the unexpected words, releasing a single tear to streak down her cheek. Unable to speak, she just watched and waited for her love to explain himself. He tenderly wiped the crystal drop away and did just as she desired.
"I love all those things about you, but they are not the reason why I love you." Pausing, he looked at her with all the affection in the world.
"I love you," he said deliberately, "because I chose to."
"You chose to?" she asked. Her voice scarcely came out as a whisper past her constricted throat.
Releasing her from his embrace, he edged back slightly, grabbed her hand, and held it up to her face.
"You see this?" he questioned, pointing to her ring as he spoke.
She nodded.
"This is a symbol of my love. On our wedding day, I gave it to you, not because I had to but because I chose to. Even knowing all that other stuff that made me like you, care for you, long for your presence, I still had a choice: To love you with all my heart or to use you for a while until I lost interest. This ring is a symbol of the very real love that I chose to give to you.
"A love that puts your needs above my own. A love that is committed to protect you whatever the cost. A love that will endure all the fights, anger, and strife, and come out all the stronger for it. A love that does not depend on such shifting things as physical attraction. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
"I have chosen to love you with all my heart and for all my life, Videl." He kissed her lightly on the forehead and folded his arms around her once again. "And I'm glad I did."
For a few magical seconds, man and wife lay in each other's arms. It was a moment they would remember forever, though it was short-lived. Videl tilted her head up, bringing her face-to-face with Gohan. They drew closer and closer until only a few more inches separated them. A bit more and their lips would touch.
Finally, they kissed.
It was not a kiss of passion. Indeed, it was nothing more than a soft touch of the lips. And yet, it carried so much more meaning than even the most passionate kiss they had shared. It contained all their love and affection towards each other, all poured into one brief moment of contact so intensely that it left the couple breathless.
When their lips parted, they stared into each other's eyes, not willing to sever the emotional connection and end the moment of bliss. Outside, the sun was shining brightly as it rose higher on the horizon. It was well into the morning, now—time to get up and start the day.
But Gohan and Videl saw only each other. Saw only the light in each other's eyes. And that was more than enough.