Disclaimer: I do not own Hiiro No Kakera.
It was a quiet afternoon. The two boys in front of Tamaki were laughing and wondering aloud what Mitsuru might make for dinner. One of the boys, Mahiro-senpai, turned around to speak to Tamaki.
"Ah Tamaki! I'm going to skip the storehouse today. Ohmi-san needed one of us at the shrine and I volunteered. Anything is better than reading books all evening, so it'll be just you and Takuma until dinner." Mahiro-senpai smiled as he raced off to the shrine leaving Takuma and Tamaki alone.
Tamaki smiled back at Mahiro-senpai who's figure was slowly disappearing in the horizon. Takuma noticed this and suddenly envied Mahiro-senpai. What is it about Mahiro-senpai that makes Tamaki smile like that. Tamaki's smile faded and she looked at the remaining boy in front of her and remembered something he had asked her. Do you like Mahiro-senpai? She didn't understand why he had asked but no, she did not like Mahiro-senpai. Not in the least bit. After months of teasing from Kiyono-chan, she started to realize that it's Takuma that she likes.
But it could never be. It's been made a fact that he only protects her because he is bound to her by blood. It is his duty to protect her and only his duty. In truth, Takuma protects her because he wants to protect her. This girl who treats them as friends instead of servants, he would protect her even after the Onikirimaru is sealed. But it could never be. Those words tumble through his head as the oni blood within him writhes and agrees with him.
"Is everything okay, Takuma?"
He nods and begins walking to the storehouse. Tamaki trailing behind him. I'll seal the oni within you, Takuma. I'll free you from the chains that bound you. The chains that bound all of us. You, me, Mahiro-senpai, Yuuichi-senpai, Shinji, and Ohmi-san. She wondered where they would all go when the Onikirimaru will be sealed. Mahiro-senpai will be in the States, riding his motorcycle cross-country. Yuuchi-senpai will travel in search of the perfect sun-filled spot. Shinji will go on to become a famous chef and own a restaurant. Ohmi-san will continue to teach calligraphy and collect tea from various countries. She smiles at the thought of them, and these thoughts drive her to work harder to awaken the Tamayori princess. Takuma... She leaves Takuma's future empty, for she will leave that for him to fill. They soon reach the storehouse and begin to open the books they had been reading the previous day.
Hours pass and Tamaki begins to tire. Her eyes begin to droop until something nudges her back to full consciousness.
"Hey. Are you getting tired?" Takuma is kneeling down infront of Tamaki, their faces just inches apart.
"No, I'm fine! I must keep reading!" Tamaki exclaims. She is embarrassed at the fact that she had almost fallen asleep when she should have been reading. Takuma tilts his head and shrugs. Instead of resuming his seat across her, he sits down next to her and begins to read again. Tamaki has her head burried in a book and Takuma takes the chance to look at her. He finds himself staring at Tamaki quite often when in the storehouse. He can smell the soft scent of Jasmine incense on her hair as she dries her hair over burning incense after she showers. Tamaki can feel his stare as she has felt it so many times before during the storehouse visits. She looks at him but he is no longer looking at her. Just like a routine. She smiles to herself as she looks back into her book, but she can feel her eyelids starting to fall again. Tamaki doesn't have the strength to fight it and lets sleep take over.
Takuma glances back to her but instead of finding her reading, he finds her falling asleep. He is taken aback for a moment but smiles. And in a moment of sheer boldness, he leans in to kiss her. He know's it's wrong. He know's that it's not meant to be. But during that moment he doesn't quite care. Tamaki stirs and feels something brush against her lips. And Takuma is unaware that Tamaki is awake until her lips press back. His initial shock grows into happiness as his hands release a book and move up to her waist. He feels Tamaki's arms wrap around his neck and he pulls her closer to him. They break the kiss and Tamaki lays her head against Takuma's chest. She listens to his heartbeat and breathes in his scent of autumn air. And she feels comfortable against his body and she closes her eyes. He thinks she's asleep and lets her use him as a pillow. Soon enough, both are faking sleep. I will free you, Takuma. He could hear her mental thought as if she willed it to be heard by him. And they both know that the other will try their hardest to unseal their sealed fate of the Tamayori princess and the Shugogo house guardian.