Bright Lights Of Love

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Meine Liebe or its characters. They are property of Yuki Kaori. If they were mine, I'd have Eduard and Naoji fall in love with each other.

In Japan…

Naoji heard silence throughout his household, so he decided now was as good a time as any. He crawled out of his futon and silently made his way out of the house. He hurried to the little clearing he'd run to after being beaten by his father. He could never blame the man though, he felt he deserved it for not being the strong son he was sure his father desired. He sat in the clearing and felt a sense of comfort. He'd always run to this spot so his father wouldn't see his tears and find anything more to beat him for. However, his mother always found him in this area and always comforted him in the end. He still felt warmth as he remembered what she'd told him that very day, that he should cry all of his pain out, so in the end he is able to smile again.

The seven-year-old boy looked to the stars and made the wish he did every night. "I wish to be stronger than I am." He gazed upon his arm and saw a large, ugly bruise. "I wish for there to be no reason for Chichiue to have to beat me." He felt tears forming in his eyes. "I wish for there to be someone out there to help me find my strength someday." He closed his eyes and the tear to confirm his wish fell from one of his soul windows.

Meanwhile in Kuchen…

A small redhead boy stopped running for a second as he thought he heard something.

"Ed, hurry up, if they catch us, we're in big trouble!" the blonde boy called to his friend.

Eduard nodded and hurried after him until they found a safe place to hide. Once they were sure their pursuers would be far enough to not notice them, they would run to the blonde's older sister Robertine. "Orphe, I thought I just heard someone crying…"

Orpherus turned to the just turned seven-year-old and blinked. "I don't hear anything except for our breathing and your voice."

"I'm certain I heard someone crying. They were saying they wanted to be strong and not have a reason for their father to hurt them anymore."

"It seems you've been hearing things. Oh no, shh, someone's coming!" he whispered harshly as he and Eduard quickly ducked down.

Ten years later…

Naoji was sitting in the grass staring at the stars. He remembered that wish he'd made as a child and was glad that it eventually has managed to come true in a way. He felt a little stronger knowing he was not alone, and had been accepted to follow Ludwig because he had the potential. He heard footsteps approaching and knew who it could be. Who else would actually come to check on him?

"So, this is where you've been!" Eduard smiled as he sat down beside Naoji. "The stars are looking good tonight," the friendly male stated.

"Yes, they are." Naoji turned away from the stars and looked towards Eduard. Ever since the day he'd met and befriended him he'd had a crush on him. There was just something that drew him to the smaller male. Was it fate? "So, did Lui send you?"

"Nah, I came out here on my own. I saw you sneaking out so I decided at first to let you be, until I realised the only time you do that is when you feel bothered about something."

"Oh, nothing is bothering me this evening, I just wished to get a much better glance at the stars. Each of them is twinkling brighter than in the past evenings, as if the diamonds had been polished to shine again."

Eduard smiled warmly. It took a little while, but he soon got used to Naoji describing things in a poetic manner. Not that he complained, he found it to be a very endearing trait. He's been holding affection towards Naoji ever since the day they met, he just never had the right time to say it. Well, this evening was perfect. But he couldn't suddenly blurt it out, Naoji would probably never speak to him again, or so he believed. "You know, sometimes people make wishes on bright stars, even if they aren't the infamous shooting stars."

"Yes, I must admit I did that myself a lot when I was a child."

"Really? Has it come true?"

"In a way, I suppose it has."

"Would you like to share it with me?"

Naoji bit his lip for a minute before he nodded. He glanced to the stars again. "My father used to beat me."

"What?!"

"But, I know it was because I wasn't the strong son he'd hoped for."

"That's no reason!"

Naoji faced Eduard whose smile had faded.

"He had no right to hurt you, you are a strong individual, Naoji, he had no reason to beat you! It's not right!"

"I never blamed him."

"You should've. You were not at fault."

Naoji sighed and averted his gaze back to the stars. "Every evening of the day my father beat me, I would wait until everyone was asleep before I headed to the clearing I used to run to afterwards."

"You ran to a clearing?"

"Just so Chichiue would not have another reason to be disappointed in me."

"You see? You were never at fault in the first place. I know what you are saying…you ran to that clearing so he wouldn't see you cry."

Naoji wordlessly nodded. "I would always wish for someone to help me find the strength I needed so I would no longer disappoint my father. That wish has come true in a way now that I am here."

"Wait, I remember something…sometimes when I was younger, I would be playing with Orphe or running with him to escape people who were mad at us."

"That is to be expected when you cause trouble."

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, I could've sworn I always heard someone crying, someone saying they wanted to be strong and not have a reason for their father to beat them anymore…Naoji, that was you?!"

Naoji smiled shyly, not facing Eduard. "It would seem someone did hear my wish after all."

Eduard turned Naoji to face him. "And you can bet I'll make it come true."

"Ed…" Naoji felt a sudden burst of courage. He quickly moved in and placed a peck on Eduard's lips. "I apologise, that was improper."

Eduard blinked in surprise before his smile returned full-force. "Naoji, you're fine. I've been wanting that for a while now. You see, I…when I first met you, I felt feelings towards you. I still do."

"Ed…"

"Yeah. I'm trying to say I love you without either scaring you off or making you hate me."

"Quite the contrary, Ed, that has made me very happy." He suddenly hugged Eduard and felt the embrace being returned instantly. "I love you too, I have since the day we met." He rested his head on Eduard's shoulder. "When we first met and became friends, I felt something telling me that this meeting was meant to be, that you are the one."

"I'm the one?"

"The one I will love, the one I wished for, the one to help me find my strength, the one to…just, the one I was destined to meet."

"I had that same feeling that you and I were meant to be."

Naoji pulled back, his dark eyes filled with stars of their own. His eyes were shining with happiness and unshed tears of joy.

Eduard smiled and moved in. He rested his lips on Naoji's and gently kissed him, he felt it being reciprocated instantly. It was just gentle, tender, chaste, perfect for the first true kiss.

Soon, the kiss had to end, Naoji pulling back first with hesitation. "I…"

"You don't have to say it, Nao." The smile on the redhead's face was softer than his usual smile of glee, it was rather tender. "Say, we should head back now."

"Ed, can we please stay here just a little longer? The stars have brightened because of our love."

Eduard looked up and saw the Japanese youth was right, the stars really were much brighter. "Sure." He lay on his back and allowed Naoji to rest his head on his chest.

The next morning, both young men found themselves in the infirmary with Ludwig, Orpherus and Camus by their bedsides with chiding looks on their faces. It seemed that they got so comfortable they fell asleep under the stars and each caught a cold for it. But, they didn't let that bring them down. To them, getting sick because of falling asleep under the very stars that eventually brought them together was worth it.

The End