Chp 11

But in all, it truly wasn't that easy. It isn't easy to be hurt for so long and find happiness with a snap of your fingers. That loneliness, that emptiness, that hopelessness Hikaru felt would not be gone overnight. But he was there now. Kyoya would be the support she so desperately needed, and he would be there to help her pick up the pieces of herself she had lost. Being in love, so young, it's confusing. It's a hurricane of emotions, both terrifyingly complex and dangerous. But it's alright to forget all of that, and just live in the moment.

Hikaru pulled away from the kiss. A sigh of relief left her lips. She looked down at the ground for a moment, unsure of how to collect her thoughts, but he could see a slight pain in her eyes.

Kyoya pulled her into an embrace, slowly, almost as if she was a fragile doll. He held her delicately along the waist, and slouched slightly to press his head against her shoulder. Hikaru doesn't respond, simply letting him hold her as he pleases. She stiffened a bit.

"What's on your mind?" Kyoya whispered softly - afraid to ruin the tranquility of the moment, in this park decorated by the late starry night.

She breathes heavily. "I -" She starts. But the words won't come out.

Kyoya keeps his head against her shoulder. "Yes?" He responded.

She breathes again. Her voice cracks, her body is trembling; He knows that she's about to cry. But Kyoya remains close to her, holding her lightly, bringing one hand that was on her waist to the back of her head, slowly stroking her hair.

"It's okay to cry."

Hikaru's body starts shaking terribly, her knees feel weak. She begins sobbing and brings her arms around Kyoya's back, holding him ever so dearly. He tightens the embrace a bit, hoping the feeling of his body against hers reminds her that he's here. He's here. He can feeling her tears stain his clothing and her tight grip letting up as she calms herself. Hikaru pulls back slowly, her hands still around his back, and his on her waist.

"I'm sorry." She smiles somberly. "I ruined your coat." A fragile laugh leaves her lips. "I just- " But the words stuck in her throat. She pointed her face to the ground, afraid to let him see her cry again. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes once more, so Kyoya took initiative.

"God, have I ever told you how much I hate this jacket? I mean really, I ripped the sleeves off just because I thought it made me look cooler." He softly chuckles - trying to lighten the situation. As lacking his attempt was, it brought a small smile to Hikaru's face. She picked her head up and looked him in the eyes.

Another deep breath. She closed her eyes but kept her face pointing towards his.

"When I was little I dreamed of being this amazingly strong blader - that my name would shine in the world, and everyone would know, that I'm not just some weak person- " Hikaru clenches her eyes shut tighter, and puts her head on his chest - worried she'll start crying again.

Kyoya doesn't speak, and simply strokes the back of her head as he did before. He wants to listen closely.

"I wanted to be strong. For my mom. For myself. And then I just-" Hikaru pauses for a moment. "I let some stupid irrelevant boy mess with my feelings, all because I thought being loved by someone else felt nice, even though it turned out to be a lie in the end."

She continues. "And it just - it just added on with the pain, the fear I wouldn't be able to be the strongest blader, like my mom wanted. She gave me all her love and time, and I can't even defeat you in a battle. I've barely won anything. I can't even get over some stupid boy who hurt my feelings." She spits out those last words with frustration, angry with herself for being so vulnerable.

But she keeps going. Letting these thoughts and emotions spill like water over a dam. And he listens to every syllable that spills from her mouth. "You're one of the strongest people I've ever met, and I just think-

-I think why can't i be like that. Why would you even want to be around someone like me when you could be training. Becoming stronger, and working harder. That's how you were when I first met you, so determined to be number one, and instead you're here, late at night in this park with this pathetic girl."

It grew silent when she stopped talking. Just the slow hums of traffic near the park.

Kyoya felt a pang in his heart. He never thought any of those things about Hikaru, and here she was, pouring her heart out to him, even after he selfishly hurt her.

He put his hands on her shoulders with a tight grip. Finally face to face, Hikaru opened her eyes wide and saw Kyoya with a strained look on his face. She saw his eyes were glossy, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Hikaru." His voice slightly cracked. "When you battle you've got a fire in you I've never seen in anyone else, you're a fighter, you're fierce, and you're so so wonderful."

Hikaru gasped lightly. Her face was decorated with a faint blush and her heart fluttered.

Kyoya took a deep breath and went on. "You so much stronger than you know, I like being around you because you are so fun and vibrant, you make everything around me better. You made me realize that I can do more than just be the best blader in the world."

He pauses, taking his hands from her shoulders to cup her cheeks. Kyoya holds her face ever so close to his. She feels his breath on her face, but she won't look him in the eye. She's far too embarrassed.

He speaks first. "I want you to know you're not alone, I'm here for you. We can grow stronger together and make each other better." Kyoya's thumb ran over her cheek, stroking it comfortingly. She melts into his touch as small tears fall from her face.

Kyoya grows panicked as her tears fall - "No, no, I'm so sorry, god - all I've been doing is upsetting you and making you cry-" But his words are cut off with a kiss. Hikaru had grabbed the edges off his jacket, pushing her lips strongly against his. It wasn't a perfect kiss, her lips didn't shape onto his smoothly, but he could feel her love through it. The warmth of her body get more and more noticeable, as he held her face to lean more into the kiss.

They parted after a few seconds, gasping for air as they forgot to breathe.

"You know-" Hikaru began. "All my life I've never felt as special as I do with you." She gave him another peck on the lips. "You make me want to get better, be bolder, be stronger…"

Hikaru's voice lowered to a soft whisper, to utter words meant only for him. "Will you please, stay by my side? Because I want to give you all the love you've given me and more, and be someone who can stand proudly beside you."

Now it's Kyoya's turn to start tearing up - all his life he only had one goal in mind. But ever since Hikaru walked into his life, he's opened his eyes to a whole new world he never touched before. Now in front of him, is a strong person who wants to stay by his side and grow with him.

His lip starts quivering and he nods slightly. He's not the most charming with words but he tells her, "Definitely, how could I say no to the offer of a lifetime, and spend the rest of my days with the person I love." He takes her hands and squeezes it tightly, reassuring his words to her.

They smile at each other sweetly, pigments of pink and red on their faces from embarrassment and happiness.

"Hey" Kyoya says.

"Yes?" She responds.

"It's getting pretty late, ya know? Let's head back home."

Hikaru nods.

"Yeah, let's go home…"

Still holding her hand, Kyoya whisks her away from the park onto the path home. They walk in silence stealing glances from each other time to time, faces still flushed and warm.

Only time would tell if they would keep their promises to each other. But for now, the warmth of their hands together is enough.

howdy, it's been years now since I've written something that wasn't an essay, but I've gotta say this is one of my most commented on works and I still get reviews from it even though it's years old. i started this story when I was 13 and now I'm 19. my health physically and mentally have been deteriorating, but sometimes getting notifs from my old fanfics is a little confidence boost. I'm happy there's still some fans out there who still come and read my writing, even though it's super lacking. i never gave this story the ending it deserved, so i thought i'd try to rewrite it on a whim. anyways thank you guys for your support, it's very uplifting and i'm so appreciative of all the people who still read the few stories i posted online.