It was a moonless night. Kurogane was up late, his face upturned towards the lonely sky with ice in his heart. Somehow, he just knew, something, something was going to happen. Princess Tomoyo had seemed kind of trouble of late, and he had the feeling he was the reason. Much as he hated to admit it, he did not want her to be flustered over him and his rashness, his way of doing things.
"The skies do look lonely without their moon tonight," a polite voice came from behind him. Kurogane grimaced and turned, expecting to see that familiar face who once again read his mind effortlessly, wearing a lovely smile on her lips. But his gaze softened when he saw none of that crescent beam but a slight frown of worry was written over her breathtaking face.
There was a moment of silence when the wind stirred with the fragrance of a sweet smell. He gazed expectantly at her, that smile, that smile had to come! But she closed her eyes and he felt his heart drop.
"Tomoyo." Kurogane said, with a softer tone. "Are you alright?"
She looked away from him as he started towards her unsurely. He sighed. Princess Tomoyo was still the same, since the time he first met her on the battlefield, and now, sixteen. She was always worried and melancholic despite her cheery exterior she tend to put up in front of him. Sometimes, he wanted to just hold her and listen to her troubles, but he was never able to do something so gentle, something that expressed so much affection. Perhaps it was because he'd never want to love anyone in fear of losing them. That included the princess.
She finally opened her eyes and he saw that they shone with tears. "Kurogane... when are you going to learn?"
"What happened now?"
"Those dead warriors at the palace gate. Did you do it?"
He blinked, taken aback. Why was she always harping on who he killed and why? "Yes, but they were assassins-"
"You should have detained them, asked the other guards, catch them, whatever, not kill them!" she sputtered, not sounding like herself at all. He felt sorry for once.
"They were out to kill you, Tomoyo," replied Kurogane softly, trying to calm her outburst. She shook with apparent anger. Her forehead was now slightly creased in frustration and he touched her arm briefly. "I just wanted to protect you."
"You didn't follow the warrior code," she ignored his reasoning. "I-I think it's time you learnt."
Kurogane took a step back. Time he learnt? He could not believe his ears. Through these years, it has always been Tomoyo giving in, Tomoyo forgiving him, and now she had enough.
"I am sorry, princess," he whispered, forcefully drawing her into his embrace then tenderly placing a kiss on her soft lips. She blinked in shock but those tears kept streaming down her face. He wished he knew what to do... if only he could take that pain away.
It was a short moment, but it felt like a lifetime. Tomoyo finally drew away and rested her magnificent head on his steely chest.
"Kurogane, I hope you will not blame me," she looked up with a new strength in her eyes. "There are things I have to do, and I have my reasons."
"What are you talking about, Tomoyo?" he said back, surprised.
She averted her face. "Whatever I do, you must remember, I love you." She removed herself carefully from his arms. "I should not be here with you, Kurogane. But think about it... what is true strength?"
He stood in shock at her confession and her puzzling words. What was she going to do? She wiped the final tears from her eyes.
"I-I'll see you... tomorrow night," she paused a little at the last words. "Think of me, will you?"
There was a graceful swish of robes and she excused herself from the balcony.
He looked back at the lonely stars twinkling like eyes in the bare sky; he knew they missed the moon just like he missed Tomoyo. He wanted to be close to her. But she was so far, so unreachable, and after what he did, he was sure she would distance herself from him even more. He did not know what was in store for him, but somehow he knew it would make him very homesick, very heartbroken from missing Tomoyo...
"You have to know, everything I do, even if I did the wrong things, is to protect those whom I love," he admitted to the fragrant breeze. "Why don't you understand, Tomoyo?"
The clouds removed themselves from the pale orb in the sky, and Kurogane's troubled soul was becalmed. He stared at the serene moon in the sky, then at the door where she last stood.
"No matter where I will be, I will always find my way back to you."