"Don't EVER scare me like that again," he snarls at me, pacing the length of the room with quick steps, like a caged animal. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? Do you have ANY idea how AFRAID I was?! Don't ever...EVER...do that to me again, Kirameku!" I meekly watch his movements, my head lowered so I won't look him in the eye. Something about him tells me that he's holding back, forcing himself to stay restrained. Maybe it's the way his steps aren't smooth, flowing, but jerky, like he has to make himself move. Maybe it's the way that muscle twitches in his jaw. Maybe it's the expression on his face. Or maybe it's all of the above. But, most likely, it's because I know him so well. I can sense his every emotion...well, all except one.
"I...I'm sorry." I blink back the wetness that threatens to creep into my eyes. "Yoshiyuki-san..." He stops in mid-stride and turns back to me. "You're not the only one who was afraid," I choke out haltingly. "I was afraid, too. I didn't want to be away from you. I was afraid of leaving you. I don't...I don't...ever..." A sharp pain grips my chest. "Want...to..." I grit my teeth against it. "To...leave you..." My last words escape on a thin whimper. I wrap my arms around myself and try to stave off the agony that came at the thought of being separated from Yoshiyuki. It's almost unbearable. I don't even know I'm going to cry out until I do.
"Don't you ever leave me, Yoshiyuki-san!" I scream. "Don't EVER LEAVE ME!"
He just looks at me, obviously startled. I look him dead in the eye. "Don't ever leave me," I murmur. "I don't ever want to be alone. But most of all...I don't ever want to be without you. I know...I'm not supposed to have these emotions for you. But then how do you explain this?" I put my hand to my chest. "How do you explain the pain I feel here, when I think about being apart from you?" I press my fingertips against the flesh underneath my eyes. "How do you explain the tears?" I move forward. "And how do you explain...what happened to me earlier?" He's frozen in place, staring down at me, and I take advantage of this. I rise onto my tiptoes and slip my arms around his neck, looking up at him, pressing my body against his. "How do you explain any of it?" Closing my eyes, I capture his lips in a delicate kiss, then slowly pull away.
"Kirameku-chan." He sounds stunned. He keeps on looking at me with that same half-frightened, half-hungering look in his eyes. "I...don't know," he says. "I don't know how I can explain any of it." His hand moves to caress my cheek. "I don't know how you can have these emotions for me. I don't know any of it." His fingers slide through my hair, to the curve of my ear. "So...why don't we find out?" He leads me into the console room, and sits me in front of his workstation. "We'll find it all out," he says. "Go on...connect." I nod, and move my hand to my ear. With a quick twisting motion, I free the cord there, pull it out, and hook it into his console.
"I...I'm sorry." I blink back the wetness that threatens to creep into my eyes. "Yoshiyuki-san..." He stops in mid-stride and turns back to me. "You're not the only one who was afraid," I choke out haltingly. "I was afraid, too. I didn't want to be away from you. I was afraid of leaving you. I don't...I don't...ever..." A sharp pain grips my chest. "Want...to..." I grit my teeth against it. "To...leave you..." My last words escape on a thin whimper. I wrap my arms around myself and try to stave off the agony that came at the thought of being separated from Yoshiyuki. It's almost unbearable. I don't even know I'm going to cry out until I do.
"Don't you ever leave me, Yoshiyuki-san!" I scream. "Don't EVER LEAVE ME!"
He just looks at me, obviously startled. I look him dead in the eye. "Don't ever leave me," I murmur. "I don't ever want to be alone. But most of all...I don't ever want to be without you. I know...I'm not supposed to have these emotions for you. But then how do you explain this?" I put my hand to my chest. "How do you explain the pain I feel here, when I think about being apart from you?" I press my fingertips against the flesh underneath my eyes. "How do you explain the tears?" I move forward. "And how do you explain...what happened to me earlier?" He's frozen in place, staring down at me, and I take advantage of this. I rise onto my tiptoes and slip my arms around his neck, looking up at him, pressing my body against his. "How do you explain any of it?" Closing my eyes, I capture his lips in a delicate kiss, then slowly pull away.
"Kirameku-chan." He sounds stunned. He keeps on looking at me with that same half-frightened, half-hungering look in his eyes. "I...don't know," he says. "I don't know how I can explain any of it." His hand moves to caress my cheek. "I don't know how you can have these emotions for me. I don't know any of it." His fingers slide through my hair, to the curve of my ear. "So...why don't we find out?" He leads me into the console room, and sits me in front of his workstation. "We'll find it all out," he says. "Go on...connect." I nod, and move my hand to my ear. With a quick twisting motion, I free the cord there, pull it out, and hook it into his console.