Amaya suddenly felt awkward in the face of the reality that she and Saruhiko would one day be married. Prior to Captain Munakata's comment yesterday about how she was taking care of the stubborn young man since they were engaged, the whole thing had seemed so far away, so… dreamlike.

She had always been used to him being there, been used to them together, which was why she had never minded feeling his arms around her when they were curled up together, or when they were holding hands. In fact, because of Saruhiko, she had ignored, and brushed off boys who tried to make a move on her because none of them were him, and none of them could compare to him in her eyes.

Captain Munakata was handsome, elegant, the very epitome of a gentleman, and the closest when it came to Saruhiko's standing in her eyes, but still…

Yata had left with Anna more than an hour ago after she assured him that his former best friend, her fiancée, was fine, and he would be discharged in a couple of days. Yata had wanted to go and see Saruhiko, but had decided not to when he realized that his injuries weren't that serious. It had annoyed Amaya that he didn't even try to see that the reason for their falling apart hadn't been because of the latter's leaving HOMRA for Scepter 4, but because the former had seemed to forget that his best friend needed him, and left him out in the cold just when he needed him the most after getting really comfy with the Red Clan. Amaya remembered how Saruhiko had trembled in her arms after learning of Niki's death, and clung to her like a lifeline when the Green King had infected him with a virus that made him hallucinate that the psychotic bastard was haunting him beyond the grave; she had felt so helpless, so powerless because all she could do was hold him, and Yata hadn't even noticed his best friend's turmoil. Saruhiko might tell Yata that he left HOMRA for Scepter 4 because he wanted more power, and Amaya that he did it to get his attention, but she knew better: Saruhiko had left because he felt that he didn't have any place in Yata's life anymore, and because he also wanted to protect Amaya.

Suddenly, the memory of the day that her father died at the hands of the Gold Clan rose up in her mind, painfully clear.


After HOMRA had given Koshi Mizuchi and his henchmen a thorough beating for threatening Anna and Honami, which resulted in the latter forgetting about the precious little girl, and that she was her niece, the former had used her marbles to locate the body of Amaya's father.

Saruhiko and Yata told Amaya to wait for them, and despite wanting to go with them to find her father, the look in the raven haired teenager's eyes held her in place.

Seconds seemed to turn into hours as she waited outside the building, holding Anna in her arms since the little girl was distraught that she had lost her aunt due to what had been done to her.

When Saruhiko and Yata emerged from the main entrance, carrying the stretcher that held her father's blanket covered body between them, everyone went silent. Yata, who was at the rear, was fighting to control his grief for his two friends who loved the man who died without ever waking up to see his youngest daughter's face, although he wasn't having much luck since his eyes were red, and leaking tears.

Saruhiko was silent, and stoic, his normally pale face looking almost as white as a sheet, his remote blue eyes stormy with grief for the man who was the father of the brown haired girl waiting for him at the bottom of the steps, and the father that he'd never had.

He couldn't – and wouldn't – meet Amaya's eyes.

Both teenagers set down the stretcher that carried Sentaro Tenjin's body just as Amaya reached Saruhiko, her Aurora Borealis, stardust eyes on the blanket covered body of her father who died without ever knowing what his daughter, and the boy he considered his son had gone through.

Amaya was faintly aware of Yata sitting down on the steps, and crying, but she didn't look at him; her eyes were on the boy she had grown up next to, and she knew that his heart was breaking, but only worse than hers…

Gently, Amaya wound her arms around Saruhiko, and she felt him return the gesture before he sagged against her, his glasses getting dislodged as he buried his face in her shoulder. After a moment, she felt his tears seep through the material of her blouse, and his shoulders began to shake.

They held onto each other as both of them cried for her father…


" I owe you an apology, Tenjin-kun. "

The Blue King's deep voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see him standing away from the stone bench she was sitting on. She blinked up at him, bewildered. " What for, Captain? "

Munakata had to smile at the dark haired girl's naivete in the face of his comment. She allowed him to sit next to her on the bench, her multicolored eyes on him as she waited for him to explain.

" I owe you an apology for my teasing you, and Fushimi-kun yesterday, " he explained. " It seems that my comment made things awkward between the both of you. "

Amaya blinked. The Blue King apologizing to me, of all people?

" It's alright, Captain, " she said softly. " I know you didn't say that with the intention of making things awkward. "

" Both you never seem to discuss your engagement, " Munakata pointed out, glancing at his third in command's betrothed. Her dark hair was held in a low, simple braid, providing a better view of her baby faced, natural beauty, and her eyes seemed to sparkle.

Amaya smiled faintly, her cheeks turning pink. " Not that often, " she admitted. " We've never discussed it because it seems to be more of a grown up thing, and we're not ready yet; frankly, I remember him saying that he never wanted to grow up. Anything can happen in the years to come, and there might come a time when we decide to go our separate ways, although I don't want to… "

" You love him. "

Once again, Amaya dared to look up at his violet eyes, which were as mysterious as the man himself, her rosy blush spreading over her face. " Yes Sir, I love him… but I can't say anything because I'm afraid it might drive him away. There are times I wonder if he just holds onto me because I'm there, and not because… "

" Maybe you should ask him. "

Now she was bright red. " That would be embarrassing… "


Do you love her?

She loves you…

Anna's words played in his mind over and over again even after Anna and Misaki left; the latter hadn't even bothered coming to see him, but it wasn't like he would.

He remembered Anna's ruby eyes on him as she asked him about her friend, and told him how Amaya felt about him. He hadn't been able to answer, because he didn't know how to. She'd seemed to realize that she had hit a point that he hadn't even bothered to explore himself, and decided to leave without asking him to answer.

Yes, he had grown up around Amaya, been comforted by her presence in his life, and he had always wanted to protect her from monsters like Niki, Kisa, Chou, and Mizuchi, but he had never asked himself, let alone admitted how he'd felt about her. The arrangement between that man's wife, and her parents was something he had lived most of his life with, although he'd never given it much thought.

Now, following Anna's question, he found himself remembering how enraged he had been when he had gone to see her, and found her almost raped at the hands of the one person who should have protected her.

His grief over her Sentaro Tenjin's death hadn't only been because the man had been his father figure, but also because he knew how much he'd meant to Amaya; the knife in his heart had been driven deeper when Anna had revealed that Amaya hadn't only gone to Nanakamado for her, Honami, and her father, but also for him.

She had been trying to protect him.

The sound of the door to his room opening, followed by Amaya's voice ( which she was keeping low in case he was asleep ) brought him back to the real world, and he turned his head to see her coming in.

Fushimi's brow furrowed when he saw how red her face was, and how awkward she seemed. " Hey. "

She smiled faintly, her cheeks reddening even more. " Hey. "

She had always been there…


He wasn't able to sleep, so he went downstairs, and sat on the long sofa in the den, watching the shadows playing around in the silence of the midnight hour.

Saruhiko didn't know how long he had been there before the sound of small feet coming downstairs caught his attention. He turned to see Amaya at the entrance, a blanket in her arms. He sat up as she came to stand beside the couch, looking small for her eight years before she climbed beside him, and spread the blanket over both of them. " Can't sleep? " she asked, her eyes large and innocent.

He sighed. " No, " he replied, thankful for her presence, and the blanket that protected them from the chill. " What are you doing here, anyway? I know you're scared of the dark. "

Amaya looked up at him. " I was afraid that you were having nightmares again, " she answered, " So I went to see you in your room, but you weren't there. "

Saruhiko sighed again, knowing that she was right. He had been having nightmares about Niki again, but tonight had been worse than the others, and since he didn't want to bother her parents – or her, he'd tried to sit quietly in the dark.

His thoughts were interrupted as Amaya snuggled up to him, before reaching up, and hugging him around the shoulders, stroking his hair the way she had done many times when she sat with him until he slept.

" It's okay, " she said softly. " I'm here… I'm right here. "

Her parents found them the next morning, sleeping peacefully under the blanket, Saruhiko's cheek resting atop Amaya's hair, and her head was pillowed on his shoulder.


Funny how that memory had always been there, something he was able to go back to in the years that followed, and the tragedies that had come with them.

Now, as his eyes met those of the girl who had always been at his side, Saruhiko knew.

From the moment they had met as children, until this very moment, and until the day he died, it was her.

It would always be her…