Taka's Promise
The night was still. Not a sound was heard as Zero and Taka stood silently in the shadows. Taka had not let go of Zero; her arms held him tightly and though silent, he did not refuse her. Tears of regret streamed silently down Taka's face; she watched as the rippling waters of the campus terrace pool caused the reflection of the moon to tremble. "Comen…na sai…" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Comen…na sai…!"
Zero's head turned slightly at the sound of her voice. His eyes closed as the hardened walls around his heart melted away. No matter how deep his resolve to remain angry and indifferent, Taka's sweet voice disarmed his hardness and resentment in a moment.
"I never wanted to hurt Zero like this… Zero is everything to me! And I'm going to protect you! I will! I'm not going to give you an excuse to give up on life and always hold onto the hurt that there is no one who will ever care, ever trust…ever love."
Zero's eyes opened wide; his heart leapt in response to Taka's words; the feeling was strange.
"I will never let anyone or anything come between us, Zero…nothing and no one will ever hurt you again." Her arms tightened around him as her resolve deepened.
Zero bowed his head and for the first time, a lone tear trickled down the pale cheek. He looked up at the stars, for the first time allowing his heart to grasp on fully to the hope and wish that Taka's words would be true. For the longest time, he had steeled himself against any and all hope of a heart healed. When Yuuki left, he'd lost everything and resigned himself to an eternity alone, his heart forever locked away in ice, unreachable by anyone. But now…the sincerity and deep resolution in Taka's words for the first time, broke through that solid ice and steel, reaching into his cold empty heart and easing the aching painful wound that had festered for so long. Slowly turning, he faced her, his eyes gazed affectionately down at her and a gentle smile spread across his face.
Taka smiled back through her tears.
Zero brushed them away with his thumb. "You are unlike anyone I've ever known, Taka-san. But I promise you this, you and only you have my complete trust…and my undying loyalty and protection. And I don't think I could have asked for a truer friend.
Taka knew the deepest desires of her heart, but for now she was content and smiled back at him. "Yes."