this is a follow up to my one-shot Flames and Flowers.
Rin panted as he sheathed his sword. He took a seat on a nearby bench and leaned back, tilting his head towards the ceiling. Ever since he unleashed his powers in front of his peers, Rin had become obsessed with training to make sure he could better control himself in his demon state.
That morning the half demon had woken up with an amazing feeling in his heart. He couldn't quite pinpoint the emotions it was evoking, but it felt good. Unfortunately, he couldn't recall the dream that had given him these feelings.
Which led to where he was now. With the amazing sense of...whatever he was feeling in his heart, it gave him so much energy that he decided to come train early on a Saturday morning. When Yukio had seen his twin up early on the weekend, he questioned if his brother felt alright. Rin assured Yukio that everything was ok as he walked out of the house with a bounce in his step, leaving a confused Yukio in his wake.
As Rin's breathing evened out, he closed his eyes to try to figure out what his dream was. Because of the amazing emotions and energy it was giving him, he was transfixed on finding out what he could've possibly dreamt about.
"Oh!" A soft gasp tore Rin from his thoughts. He opened his eyes and saw Shiemi standing in the doorway to the giant training room. "I-I thought I heard someone in here. Good m-morning, Rin."
The sight of the innocent blonde in her kimono getup with her hair pinned back cutely triggered it all. Rin held back his shocked expression as he recalled bits and pieces of the dream; being in the Garden of Amahara, trying to fix a garden for Shiemi, her arrival, their confessions, their...kiss. As he looked at Shiemi his heart began to beat wildly. Everything hit him like a ton of bricks.
And all Rin could do was stand there like a deer in headlights.
After an early start to the day, Shiemi got the strangest feeling in the back of her mind. It kept nagging at her to go to the school for some reason. But it was Saturday; what could possibly be going on at the school?
Then the blonde began to panic. Was someone in trouble and needed her to help heal them? She was so confused. First she had awoken from that amazing dream and felt like she was walking on cloud nine. And now she was experiencing this sense of dread. Her head hurt from going from one extreme emotion to another. But the blonde knew what she had to do.
"I'm going to the school, mom. I left a book there. I'll be back in a bit."
Shiemi wandered the halls, confused. She had listened to her emotions, came to the school to investigate, and now, after 20 minutes of walking around, was finding absolutely nothing. Granted, it was a big school, but she hoped that something would trigger where she needed to go.
Turning down the hallway where the training rooms were located, Shiemi could hear grunting coming from one of the rooms. Since it was the only action she'd heard in the whole school that morning, she decided to investigate.
As she approached the room, the noises stopped. She panicked, thinking that whoever was in there had gotten hurt. She sped up her walk and opened the door, but only took one step into the room.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, unable to keep her surprise in check. Since when did Rin wake up early on a Saturday to come train? The boy in questioned was resting on a bench. He opened his eyes and looked at her, causing Shiemi to blush lightly.
"I-I thought I heard someone in here. Good m-morning, Rin."
With the amount of time it took Rin to respond, Shiemi wondered if she had done something wrong. He was just staring at her and the intensity of his gaze made her blush deeper. She considered turning around and leaving due to his silence, but finally the half demon spoke.
"H-hey Shiemi. Yeah, I woke up with...a lot of energy. So I decided to come train."
Shiemi offered a smile and nodded in response. "I woke up early too." She decided to spare him the details of her emotions. "Can...can I s-sit by you?"
At her words, Rin nodded in response and scooted over slightly to give her more room. The blonde walked over to the bench and sat down. She pondered why exactly she felt the urge to stay next to Rin's side, especially since she had nothing to talk about and the two were currently stuck in an awkward silence.
Shiemi opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when she caught a smell of Rin's hard labor from training; the scent of smoke.
Smoke. Fire. Flowers! Her dream! Shiemi's eyes widened as she recalled everything her mind allowed her to regarding her dream from the night before. Her cheeks reddened and she quickly turned away from Rin, pretending that something on her kimono sleeve was holding interest.
Shiemi swallowed a lump in her throat as she remained still. She was embarrassed that she was recalling the dream in Rin's presence. Had she been alone, she could've taken the time to try to remember every moment. But here, next to Rin, she frantically tried to think of anything else to distract her from the romantic dream.
"Sh-Shiemi." Rin began. The blonde slowly turned to face him, her shoulders hunched over in shyness.
"We...we promised each other to talk about our feelings for each other...or whatever." Rin mumbled. Shiemi could tell he was struggling with having to discuss his feelings. The blonde was the same way, but Rin was right. They promised each other in the dream that they wouldn't keep their feelings for each other a secret anymore.
"I know, it's j-just hard to talk about when we're s-sitting in front of each other like this." Shiemi explained, wanting Rin to understand that her hesitance had nothing to do with being ashamed of liking him. She was just a shy girl and found normal things hard to discuss, so this topic really upped the ante. "So you r-remember everything?"
Rin nodded, looking up into her eyes. A silence fell between them again.
"So now what?" Shiemi questioned. Rin stretched out, taking a deep breath. The blonde could tell he was contemplating his next words.
"Ah, well that's up to you. Do we...want to try this? Me and you?"
It was scary, the idea of starting a romantic relationship with Rin. There were so many negative things that could happen, but also so many positives. Shiemi was an optimistic person, but she severely doubted herself to remain up to other people's standards. Would Rin be ok if they didn't immediately begin kissing? Would he be embarrassed by holding hands in public with the weird girl wearing an old fashioned kimono?
"Shiemi." Rin spoke, breaking the blonde from her thoughts. She looked into his eyes. "You're really important to me. You never judged me after you found out I was a demon; the son of Satan, even. I can always count on you to be honest with me." Rin looked down and took both of Shiemi's hands into his own. His face was red. "I really, really like you Shiemi."
Shiemi forgot how to breath. She remained still, her hands warm in Rin's. She looked down and closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down. After a few moments of self composure, she looked up at Rin.
"I really like you too, Rin. I...I want to t-try this. You and m-me." She couldn't bring herself to say 'dating,' but it was a start. They were both hesitant to discuss their feelings, but by being together, they could learn and grow.
"A-awesome. Now I believe it was you that said 'no more secrets.' We have to stand by that." Rin smiled, rubbing his thumbs over Shiemi's hands in a soothing fashion. Shiemi smiled back and nodded.
"No more secrets."
such fluffiness, d'awww. this couple is so cute it kills me! this was a fun experience to write these one-shots for RinShi week!
I hope you all enjoyed this little journey, because I know I did! xoxo