Notes: As a big thanks to lu.e3 for her comment about my previous work "Wonders of the Mind" possibly having more chapters to it, I decided to post this as a continuation one-shot to it. After this one-shot, there might be the possibility that I'll have it branch off into a multi-chapter story focusing on the KaoHaru pair. For those of you who don't know, "sakura" is a Japanese name for the "cherry blossom." Anyway...Read on!
In the early afternoon sunshine, Haruhi decided to take a break from the midst of her studies and take a walk around the campus to clear her head after lunch. She couldn't seem to get the image of last night's dream off of her mind. As she walked along the garden's naturally botanic pathway, she was interrupted from her thoughts when she spotted Kaoru sitting under a cherry blossom not too far away.
He sat there on the grass, alone in his thoughts, with a stoic expression gracing his serene features. His legs were folded up to his chest with his arms crossed over them. Sitting there in a mind-induced haze, he let himself be unconscious of another's presence.
A gentle breeze flitted through the air, ruffling the petals of the cherry blossom and causing some to cascade in a ballet of swirls. He let his thoughts wander along with the falling sakura petals as they flutter about in a feather-like dance. The deafening peace in the garden's atmosphere put his mind at ease while the wind scattered the petals about the school's grounds.
Haruhi wanted to turn away and avoid the person who plagued her very thoughts, but her heart told her to stay. At the moment, she didn't feel like dealing with her emotions after last night. Her troubling thoughts were kept at bay as she wondered, 'Why is Kaoru here alone?' Haruhi walked forward once she finally struck up the courage.
"Kaoru!" she called.
He broke out of his daze and immediately looked up in the direction of the voice upon hearing his name being called. His golden eyes fell upon Haruhi as she slowly made her way toward him.
She curiously asked, "What are you doing here?"
Kaoru's serene features softened and he calmly replied, "I just needed some place quiet to settle down so that my mind can be at peace."
Haruhi accepted his answer with ease. A couple fleeting seconds of silence passed between the two with an air of slight awkwardness. Then Kaoru was hit with sudden realization as he thought back to the morning's activities and remembered how Haruhi had acted differently from her usual self. Every time he turned her way, her back was facing him. He got the feeling that she was somehow avoiding him on the spot. It seemed to puzzle him a bit, and he wondered what brought about the sudden change in her.
After a moment or two, Kaoru was the first to break the silence.
"Haruhi . . . "
She was brought back to reality upon hearing his voice calling out to her like an echo invading her senses in the ebbs and flows of time. Then she faced Kaoru to listen to what he had to say.
"Why have you been avoiding me all morning?" he asked with an edge of concern in his voice.
Haruhi was rendered speechless when she heard his question. Thinking back to that night, the memory of the dream brought a faint blush to stain her cheeks. She turned away from him and began to stiffen in response. When she finally found her voice, she made up for her inability to reply to his question by coming up with an excuse to avoid it.
"Kaoru . . . I just remembered that I have something to do right now. I'll see you in class."
Then she made to head back to the school building. Before she could leave, a hand grabbed a hold of her forearm in a split second to prevent her from escaping. She turned to the owner of the hand and looked up to come face-to-face with Kaoru. His face was stricken with concern for the well-being of Haruhi as he looked down at her.
"Haruhi, please don't go," he pleaded.
She remained still as she continued listening to what he had to say next. Nothing but a draft fluttered in the air, enlivening the tranquil atmosphere of its stillness. Haruhi awaited his response with bated breath.
"If it makes you feel better, you don't have to tell me about it," he added after a moment's pause.
She felt herself relax as her heart rate decreased and her arm fell limp within his grasp. All means of escape were the last thing on her mind upon hearing his kind words of assurance. She inwardly let out a sigh of relief as the tension lifted little by little. He slowly withdrew his hand and brought it to his side. Unknowingly, Haruhi felt as though an unimaginable force had kept her in place with her feet firmly planted into the earth.
The next minute, Haruhi was looking into Kaoru's eyes to see a glint of warming invitation that seemed to ignite a spark deep within her soul. Subconsciously, he seemed to be inviting her to join him. Then she watched as he returned to his previous spot under the cherry blossom and shifted into a sitting position on the grass. He turned to her and patted the area next to him, motioning for her to sit down. At first, she was tentative but soon gave in and made to occupy that said spot.
Once she sat down beside him, she felt a slight tingling sensation tugging at her heart and warmth pooling in the pit of her stomach. His very presence brought comfort and delight flowing through her senses in waves of smooth sail. In turn, having Haruhi by his side brought him relief and made this particular day seem brighter than any other typical day. He felt as though a certain void had been filled and a flame stirred from its ashes.
After a few more seconds of reveling in the other's presence, Kaoru woke Haruhi from her daze with a light tap on the shoulder. She turned to him to see that he was pointing her to look in the direction he indicated. Following the direction of his index finger, she looked up to see a swirl of sakura petals dancing in the spring breeze. The spectacle of the petals twirling in the air captivated her, drawing her under its majestic spell. The petals continued their ascend toward the clear blue as the two watched from below.
They sat together side by side in the calming whisper of the wind billowing through the air. Reality is far from their minds as they focused on the wondrous yet magical sight before them. Some time afterward, Kaoru unconsciously placed his arm around Haruhi's shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She felt her breath catch in her throat at his gesture. Her heart fluttered at their close proximity, and she couldn't identify the feeling that gripped her very being. The warmth emitting from his body at their closeness invaded her senses, thus intensifying her level of comfort. Off in their own secluded world, they sat reveling in one another's presence and watched the dance of the sakura petals hovering with the wind. Time seemed to slow down the longer they remained still.
Their eyes followed every graceful movement made by every swirl and every twirl of the wind guiding the flow of the petals scattering throughout Ouran. Kaoru let his gaze wander to a single petal hurling their way and coming to rest atop Haruhi's brown locks. He lifted his hand from her shoulder to pluck it from her hair. Feeling him shift beside her, she brought her attention to Kaoru just in time to see him holding a sakura petal between his thumb and forefinger in admiration. Her eyes met his, and the two couldn't tear their gaze away from the other.
A bell ringing in the distance to signal the beginning of class in the afternoon broke Kaoru and Haruhi out of their peace-induced haze. They stood up from their sitting position and turned to face one another. Haruhi was the first to break the silence.
"We don't want to be late for class. Right, Kaoru?"
He gave her a nod in return.
"I guess we'll have to hurry then," Kaoru replied.
Then he gently grabbed a hold of her hand and started off at a trot, which gradually built up to a run, pulling Haruhi along with him. They slowed to a walk at the stairways and continued on their run through the hallways, being aware of passersby on their way to class. Neither let go of the other's hand throughout the journey.
When they arrived at their lockers, they quickly grabbed their stuff and headed for their next class together. Kaoru led the way with Haruhi not too far behind. They made it to the classroom in the nick of time and went to their seats.
Once they sat down, Hikaru began to question them about their whereabouts. They told him that they were outside getting some fresh air and just happened to bump into each other along the way. Haruhi also added that she had been studying beforehand. In return, Hikaru accepted their replies and didn't question them further. The friendly class trio then turned to the front as soon as the teacher made her entrance.
Throughout the entire lesson, Haruhi felt the most relieved than she'd ever felt since early morning. All anxiety pushed aside and tension washed away, the day had turned out for the better. It was all thanks to the encounter and time spent with Kaoru under the cherry blossom.
What do you think? Continuation? If I do continue from here, then it wouldn't be another one-shot. (It may be my first multi-chapter story, which I might plan on continuing in the summer.) Please be kind as to leave a review if you must.