AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This is my first time trying a fanfiction, so...I'm not sure how you'll react to this, but I hope you enjoy! XD
*Also, I'm not a native speaker of English, so I'm sorry if you find out many mistakes...! T^T
The Oath
"A-Achoooooo!"
Sneezes could be heard throughout the house. The girl sat up on her bed pushing the covers off of her heard. She reached for a tissue and blew her small nose, now redder than a tomato.
"You're the one to blame, idiot Kujo…" – she mumbled to herself – "Taking me to crowded places contaminated by lots of viruses in the air…"
She leaned on her bed's headboard, sighing. She let her head fall slightly to the side, noticing a small vase with white Camellias as she did so.
"Idiot…" – she uttered under her breath, smiling faintly. Her expression lightened up when the memories of that day started flashing through her mind.
At that moment, Kujo entered her bedroom carrying a tray with a bowl of soup, only to find a giggling Victorique.
"Bonjour, Victorique!" – He greeted her cheerfully, placing the tray in the bedside table – "Are you feeling better?"
"I've had better days…" – declared the girl without looking at him.
"Do you like them?" – Asked the boy as he realized she was staring at the flowers – "I picked them up for you this morning"
"Oh" – her face reddened at his words. She turned her head towards him and was just about to whisper something, but nothing came out. She lowered her head and caught herself staring at her hands.
Kujo sat on the bed and approached her small form, lifting her chin and looking her right into her eyes. Her heart was racing and his face was just a few inches from hers. She was feeling dizzy, unable to understand if that was due to her sickness or due to their sudden faces' proximity. Her vision was getting blurred, she closed her eyes and…
"Wh-what are you doing, you perverted?" – She pushed him out of the bed with her small trembling hands.
"Eh? Perverted!?" – Asked Kujo confused – "Why?"
"How do you dare to take advantage of a defenseless woman like that?" – shouted the girl, annoyed.
"Take advantage?" – The boy seemed taken aback by her conclusion. He stared at her in confusion, her face a mix of embarrassment and anger. He tried to make himself clear – "I-I just…It's just that your face was so red that I thought you had a fever…so I was just checking…"
Her face reddened even more. Bothered by his answer, she turned her head to the other side pouting and crossing her arms. Kujo tried to explain himself once again;
"You know, to find out whether someone is feverish or not, you usually touch his or her forehead with yours…to check the temperature…"
She was still facing away from him. For a few moments, no one said a word. He kept looking at her as if waiting for a reply. After a few minutes of silence, she said at last:
"Anyway, why are you here?"
"Oh, that…" – he remembered – "I've made lunch for you"
She turned her face to him. She looked at the tray and stated she was not hungry, crossing her arms once again.
"Geez, don't you start again…you haven't eaten breakfast either!" – complained Kujo.
"You only bring sick people food to me!"
"Why, I wonder!"
"Humpf! Don't act like a know-it-all, you are the one to blame!"
"Are we really going to fight?" – asked Kujo wearisomely.
She stared at him intently. Her angry expression gave place to a worried one as she noticed the fatigued look on his face. Was she feeling guilty? Sulky, she lowered her head.
Kujo sat on her bed with his head in his hands. The only sound she could hear was his soft breathing…she looked at him by the corner of her and moved clumsily towards him, grabbing his shirt. He turned his head slightly to the side to look at her and found a regretful puppy-like face staring back at him, as if asking for pardon. He smiled at her at her unexpected action and suggested:
"Hey Victorique, let's make an oath, you and I?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "An oath?" she asked.
"Yeah" – answered him, offering his little finger to her – "It's very simple: I take care of you and you take care of me. What do you think?"
"Oh" – she lowered her eyes, blushing. Their little fingers met and intertwined, sealing the oath.
"It's an oath!" – exclaimed both in unison. Both seemed to be in a good mood now.
"That's why you must eat your lunch" – declared Kujo in a triumphant voice – "The lunch was included in our oath"
"What?" – Somehow she felt fooled by him – "That's not fair! You never told me about the terms at all!"
"You never asked…" – replied Kujo, laughing.
"Idiot! I don't want soup, I'm not hung-"
Grrrrrrrrrr
She was interrupted by a loud growling…It was her stomach.
"What were you saying?" – asked Kujo trying to hold back his laughter.
"Tsk" – pouted Victorique – "I'm not eating unless you bring me sweets!"
"I guess it can't be helped…" – said Kujo, standing up and walking towards the door. He stopped by the door and looking over his shoulder, he uttered kindly these careless words – "Then starve".
With a forced smile, he left the room closing the door behind him, leaving a perplexed yet upset Victorique alone.
"Kujo, you idiot!" – cried Victorique, throwing one of her pillows at the door.
After an hour or so…
Kujo opened the door slowly and peeked into the girl's bedroom, frightened of what she'd do if she found out he was there. The room was silent and he stepped inside calmly. He approached her bed, listening to her slow and rhythmical breath – she was sleeping. He looked at the tray; at the bowl…it was empty. He sighed in relief and turned his eyes to her.
"You ate it after all…"
He sat on the bed carefully, trying not to wake her up. He seemed delighted with the sight before him, his cheeks tinted in a faint red as he stared at her.
"You know, sleeping like this…you look more like a kitten…" – he whispered – "Why are you so stubborn?"
He bent over her petite form and kissed her forehead tenderly. He stood up, picked the tray and left the room.
"Mm"
Sleeping Victorique had finally woken up. She sat up and looking at the window, she realized the dusk had already come. She yawned; her vision was still a bit blurred from all the sleeping hours. Furthermore, her small nose detected a familiar smell. After rubbing her eyes, she figured out where that smell came from. On the bedside table laid a cup of tea and a small plate with a slice of strawberry cake. She reached for the cup and drank a sip of tea.
"It's hot…" – she murmured to herself.
Her face reddened at the thought of who had done that. That Idiot was the only thing in her mind before she started eating her meal.
"Why is he not here yet?" – complained the girl. It had been half an hour since she finished eating and he hadn't come to see her.
"Honestly, Kujo" – mumbled Victorique as she got up – "Don't think you're so important you can make me go after you…"
She headed to the door and left the room. The atmosphere was quiet and the only sounds were those from the outside. She searched for him in the living room, in the kitchen, in his working room, in the garden…
Only one place was left, she went to search in his room…
The door was ajar; she peeked inside and entered the room on her tiptoes. Apparently, he was sleeping.
He was laying on his back and an open book was on top of his chest, one of his hands resting on its pages. She chuckled while watching him sleep. She tried to remove the book carefully…well, she tried; but the hand of his holding the book gripped hers in a sudden movement. For a moment, she stood petrified. His once slow breathing was now an uneasy one. Somehow, he managed to calm down and loosened the grip on her hand.
"Victorique…" – uttered Kujo while letting go of her hand. He sat up and faced her, startled eyes facing him back.
"I-I'm sorry" – he apologized – "It was just a reflex…"
His expression darkened and he lowered his eyes. It was clear to her that painful memories were reminiscing…
"Is it the war?" – questioned the girl in a soft voice. He nodded. She sat beside him and they chatted for a while. She would always listen to him, no matter how long it'd take. In the end, those unpleasant thoughts used to haunt both of them…
He sighed heavily.
"Am I bothering you?" – asked the boy.
She shook her head. He smiled at her and continued "Anyway, are you feeling better?"
"Yes…"
"Do you need something then?"
She felt confused at first but then she remembered she was the one who had come after him.
"Oh, that…well, I…I'm far too tired to fall asleep!"
"I guess that's normal…You've been sleeping all day long…"
They gazed at each other for a few seconds…
"It's your duty to make me fall asleep!" – stated Victorique.
"Eh?! How do you expect me to do that?"
"That's your problem, not mine…"
"O-okay…"
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, making both of them lay down. She struggled at first but ended up giving in and let her head rest on his chest. She couldn't say she hated to stay like this… Actually, it was just the opposite. She didn't want to struggle, but she did anyway. Why? She wondered. What am I afraid of? Is it wrong?
She felt miserable for not being able to understand her own feelings. She could feel one of his hands caressing her head, the other hand almost touching hers, she could listen to his heartbeat…and yet, in spite of his tenderness, she was afraid of what would happen if she corresponded. She grabbed the fabric of his shirt and caught herself playing with it nervously. Almost unconsciously, she asked – "Why are you doing this?"
"That's my problem, you said…" – replied Kujo.
She said nothing. His other hand finally reached hers…their fingers interlaced. That had happened before so many times before, but it always felt like the first time to her. In the end, that problem was also hers; her heart was racing…she just didn't know what to do anymore. She closed her eyes…
"Am I being rude?"
Her eyes snapped open at his words. She raised her head in an attempt to protest but her lips were caught by his.
Only a few seconds had passed when they let go. He gazed at her and revealed timidly – "It's getting more and more difficult not to love you more each day that goes by…"
That felt like an arrow to her. She wanted to run away badly but she knew she'd regret if she did so. She touched his face with her tiny hands and made her way to his lips, kissing him softly. This time it lasted longer and it felt sweeter…
After they broke the kiss, she touched her forehead with his and uttered under her breath "Be patient, please…"
He kissed the tip of her nose and hugged her tightly.
"I'll wait for you…" – promised Kujo.
She smiled at his words. She knew those were true words…
"Idiot…if we keep like this, you'll end up sick as well" – advised the girl.
"It's okay" – he said stroking her hand fondly – "We have an oath. You'll take care of me"
"Idiot" – whispered the girl burying her face in his shirt, trying to hide her embarrassment.
And so they cuddled, the Fairy and the Reaper. The moon had showed up and that night was just the beginning of a love story which is yet to come.