He had not expected to be so caught in her, in the pain and uncertainty and surprisingly, the shyness. She always seemed to exude this quiet kind of confidence, even when they had been pups in the school room. She was always cold, always strong and assured and unflappable and though Toga knew it was beyond idiotic to think she had no weakness, that she was perfection in every way; he had not thought to ever see it. It was somehow…endearing, to think that behind that frozen mask she always wore, there was a warm, soft woman beneath.
But what he had witnessed in this room…he remembered growing up all the trouble he had given her about her name and everything else, but especially about her marking. It made him sick to think that there was even the slightest bit of similarity between himself and the Western Lady. He made a silent vow then to not be so hard on his mate-to-be. It was not much, considering they didn't like each other, but it was something.
Realizing he had been silent far too long, Toga let his hand fall and moved to sit next to her. "I do not know," he admitted.
Fuiasu sighed and looked down at her lap, fiddling with the hems of her sleeves absently. "Then why are you still here?"
He chuckled and nudged her side, turning a little to look at her. "Because I can be."
It was such a Toga answer that Fuiasu smiled a little too. She didn't notice the look of fascination on her partners face at that smile, didn't even realize it was the first time she'd smiled in years. Suddenly, she looked up at him, uncertainty and a little bit of fear in her eyes. "You cannot-
o.O.o
Word Count - 297