Under the Elm
by SMYGO4EVA
It didn't take long for Aoi to find Kariya in his usual haunts. As he sat near the lake on the edge of town, Aoi was careful not to startle him, hardly making a sound.
"You shouldn't be here. Or anywhere near me," he spoke, his voice soft and weary. As she sat next to him, Aoi offered him a friendly look.
"I was looking for you, Kariya. Is that so wrong?"
He shook his head, eyes cast down to the shadowed ground. "I-I'm not worthy of your kindness, or your friendship. My whole family thinks of nothing of me, and it's best if you do as well."
A tinge of sadness blooming in her chest, Aoi looked afar for a moment. As long as she had known him, he always thought little of himself. But he was good and kind, she knew that, and she didn't want that to be replaced with a cold and empty heart.
Shaking her head, she placed a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. Kariya stiffened, his cheeks tinted red, turning away from her, but not without putting his shaky hand on top of hers.
He couldn't do anything but hide how he felt about her. Even as the Fourth Holy Grail War loomed over the horizon, it would find nothing of worth in them.
"Don't say that, Kariya, don't even think it. You do have worth, you'll just have to find it for yourself, in your own way." she murmured to him, almost tenderly, and Kariya shut his eyes.
If only it were that easy.