I turned on the next block, my hands in my pockets, knowing that my tracks would lead me back to the park. I didn't mind; I wanted some time to think. About the consequences of everything I had done. Quitting Hokage, joining Weiß, returning to Hokage again, and…and…
My mind went over the events that took place the night before. I bit back a small smile.
Hmm, I wonder how Domon would react...
I smirked, picturing the stupid idiot crying his heart out. It wouldn't be a nice scene, and no matter how big a bother he was, I didn't want him to get too depressed, demo…
Sorry Domon, but I'm not going to give Fuuko away to you. No matter what.
I was suddenly delighted even more that Fuuko felt the same way from the beginning. Because if she didn't, then there'd still be a tiny bit of a chance that some other guy would win her heart.
Kirisawa Fuuko…I never expected everything to turn out like this. But I'm glad it did.
"Mi-chan!!!"
Such familiarity of the voice.
"Mi-chan!" Fuuko came running to me, panting a bit, a wide smile on her face.
I turned to her, my day lighting up despite the literally dark sky. "Nandeska, Fuuko-chan?"
"I was just wondering if you have…you know," she said.
I nodded and shrugged. What can I say, I couldn't resist.
She smiled at me victoriously. "Once again, Kirisawa Fuuko has triumphed over Mikagami Tokiya, not only had she made him apologize before, but this time, she had successfully made him obey an order!!!" she giggled.
I didn't tell her to shut up like I had done before. Instead I just smiled at her like I hadn't ever since oneechan's tragedy. She stopped laughing and gave me a genuine smile.
"Mmm, that's more like it. You should do that more often," she cooed, tracing my lips.
I bent down to kiss her again, but she held her finger up my lips and chuckled.
"Before we get to that, I want to let you know that I didn't come here alone," she said, still smiling.
I straightened up and looked at her questioningly.
She giggled again and asked me to close my eyes.
"What?"
"Just close them, Mi-chan. I have to show you something," she grinned mischievously.
I knew she was up to something again, but I did what I was told anyway.
I could feel myself being pulled somewhere, and moments later; she stopped.
"Okay, Mi-chan!"
I opened my eyes and came face to face with Yanagi.
"Y-Yanagi-san! Um, shibaraku desu ne," I said. She smiled.
I stood there, again pondering on how much Mifuyu looked just like her. But she had Recca now.
And speaking of Recca…
"Where's your shinobi?" I asked her.
She and Fuuko sighed at the same time. Fuuko pointed an irritated finger at something lying against a tree. My gaze followed the direction of her finger. And there was Recca, snoring beneath the tree's shade.
I looked at her, crossing my arms. "Ne, Fuuko-chan, what's the deal?"
She grinned. "The deal is, since you're coming back without him knowing it yet, you both should get along."
"No way."
"And that's what Yanagi and I cooked up today! She brought Hanabishi here just for you!" she beamed.
"I don't---"
"Aw, c'mon, Mi-chan, kudasai???" she batted her eyelashes again, leaning closer.
I took a step back, avoiding what had happened this morning. I didn't want to kiss her in front of Yanagi. Besides, no one knew about us, yet; that I was sure of.
"Uh…um…okay, okay. I'll try to get along with the dim-wit nuisance," I shoved my hands into my pockets.
"Yatta! That's my Mi-chan!" she clung to my arm and squeezed it.
Yanagi was staring at us, confusion popping out of her eyes.
"Uh…Fuuko---"
"Okay, Yanagi-chan, wake him up! We need to give Mi-chan's words a test to see if he's going to keep it!" she let me go just in time, and walked over to where Recca was dozing off.
Yanagi nodded and crouched over Hanabishi to poke him.
Obviously, it didn't work.
Fuuko made a face. "That's not how to do it; you have to give him this," she held her breath, walked closer to Recca's ear, and screamed, "Get up Hanabishi, you stupid idiot, Domon's back and he just said he's out to kill you!!!"
Sure enough, Hanabishi jumped up and called out Madoka automatically, and once inside the barrier, he rubbed his eyes and clutched his ear, still staggering a bit.
He looked left and right, his eyelids still heavy. "D-Domon…is…here, w-where…where, what…" he yawned.
"Snap out of it, Hanabishi!!! I was just kidding!!!" Fuuko giggled.
Finally, his eyes came to focus and he frowned as realization dawned on him. The psychic barrier disappeared, and he glared at Fuuko.
"Aw, what the heck do you think you're doing?!?" then he looked around and saw me. "N-nani?!? Mikagami?" he glared at me. "What are you doing here?"
So how was I supposed to get along with this pain in the neck again?
"Is that a proper way to greet someone you want to get along with?" I smirked at him.
"Huh??? What the heck are you saying? Who ever told you that I wanted to make peace with a stubborn mule like you?" the pest smirked back.
I took a challenging step closer. "Well, I---"
"Mi-chan, c'mon! Stop it already! I thought you promised me that you'd get along with him?" Fuuko tugged at my shirt.
I sighed and stepped back. "Wakatta. So tell me what to do."
Hanabishi stared at me, his jaw dropping. "What??? Am I hearing this right? Hey…hey Fuuko, since when did Tokiya ever give in to your demands without any kind of resistance at all?!?"
She took my arm again and grinned at him. "Well, let's just say that I've got Mi-chan under my control now!"
"B-but…when…how…why---?" he stammered.
"Recca-kun, please…get along with Mikagami-sempai, okay? He's coming back to the team, you know," Yanagi said.
"H-hime-san??? But, how did he…I mean, nobody even told me that yet! No one's even considered consulting me!" he pathetically protested.
I sighed again. "Look, Hanabishi, let's just get this over with, okay? Why don't you just shut---" I glanced at Fuuko, who was looking at me demandingly.
Whoa, she sure was right about that having-me-under-her-control thingy.
"I-I mean, I promise that I won't get in your way anymore, okay? As long as you do the same thing," I told Recca hesitantly.
"Hey, hold on a minute, did you just promise me that you wouldn't get in my way? You, Mikagami Tokiya, the stubborn jerk that used to enjoy making me miserable???" he asked, still dumbfounded.
I clenched my fist and glared at him, my patience running out. "Yes! Yes, I just did, damn it! Don't you know a treaty when you see one?!?"
Fuuko cleared her throat. "Mi-chan…" she said warningly.
"Well…okay, Tokiya, you got yourself a deal," he said. "Only if you promise to obey my orders as the team leader, too," he smirked challengingly.
I clenched my fist tighter and cringed. Crap, this is all just for Fuuko.
I nodded slowly. At this, he smiled triumphantly and extended his hand out to me. I kept my eyes shut close, not believing that I was actually shaking it.
"And you better keep it," he glared at me out of the corner of his eye.
"Alright, Mi-chan!!!" Fuuko wrapped her arms around my neck while Yanagi took Recca's arm.
"Um…Fuuko-chan…not…not now, okay?" I told her.
Then, Hanabishi's confused expression shifted into a devious smile. "Oh, I know what's going on here," he grinned. "Could it be that…?" he raised his two index fingers and squeezed them together, making faint kissing noises. " Mikagami Tokiya and Kirisawa Fuuko? Ne, hime?" he grinned at Yanagi. She smiled, too.
I didn't say anything. Fuuko's mouth was open, but words failed to come out.
Recca's smile widened. "Woohoo!!! I knew it!!! Wait 'till Domon hears this!!!"
Fuuko's eyes widened. "W-wait, Hanabishi… matte yo…" she reached out, but Recca had already turned around, taking Yanagi with him, heading for Domon's house.
I just stood there and watched them leave. It wasn't that I didn't care about Domon's feelings getting hurt, but what could I do, anyway? I was satisfied with what Fuuko and I turned out to be.
She sighed. "Oh, great. I hope Domon doesn't kill you for this," she smiled faintly at me.
I cocked an eyebrow. "Domon? Kill me?" I smirked. "Hn, you must be kidding. That idiotic gorilla would be frozen to death by the time he reaches the air around me."
She chuckled. "True, demo, we really shouldn't be underestimating him, you know. He could get pretty strong when he's serious. Like that time when he fought with Magensha."
I just shrugged.
We both kept quiet for a while. I kept my gaze on her as a gentle breeze swept by. She was looking at me with an awkward expression on her face.
"So…" I began.
She smiled at me and stepped closer. "What do you want to do?
All I had wanted to do was stand there and gaze at her forever. I opened my mouth to speak, but she spoke first.
"Koganei told me this morning that he was going to be spending his whole day cleaning up and doing chores at his new apartment room," she blinked at me. "Don't you think it'd be nice if we helped out?"
Help out? But that's Koganei's problem, not ours! I didn't like the idea, but somehow, she had me convinced. Her eyes again… I sighed.
"…wakatta…" I trailed off. Fuuko's eyebrows shot up.
"Let me guess…you left your madougu in your apartment…and you want us to pass by and get it…?" she grinned.
"…how the heck did you know that…" I mumbled, staring at her in astonishment.
She shrugged. "Um…lucky guess…?"
"Give me a break."
She looked at me questioningly. "First of all, I'm surprised you used that unserious phrase for once in your life," she smiled. " Second, I never thought you'd go anywhere without your Ensui. Third, is that, what are you planning to do with it, anyway? You're not going to get into a fight again, are you, Mi-chan?" she asked worriedly.
"Daijoubu, Fuuko, I'm not getting into any fight. I just didn't feel too good about just leaving it there unguarded," I said. I knew the Weiß Kreuz wasn't after it anymore but, you could never know. Someone else might want to. And I really didn't want to lose it just like I had lost Yanagi and…Botan, too.
She smiled and snuggled closer. "Well, okay, it would rain soon, and I wouldn't want to be left behind, would I?"
***
"Wow, this is a pretty nice place, considering it belongs to one of Hokage team's killers. Plus you're a guy, too. I bet neither Domon nor Hanabishi can manage to make a place as neat as this," she mused, looking around. "Except maybe for Kaoru, since we'll be helping him clean up soon."
I closed the door behind her. "Glad you like it."
She beamed at me. "You bet I do!" Her smile faded as her eyes fell on something on the desk.
"Mi-chan, what…?" she pointed to it.
I walked over to the desk. A single red rose was piercing through the wood; the stem was too sharp that cracks were spreading across the desk. The window was wide open, the curtain flowing with the morning breeze.
Hn, Kurama no baka.
I pulled the rose off, my eyes narrowing. If that's what you want, then, I shall accept it. A truce. For now. But it's not over yet, Kurama, keep that in mind. And keep it well.
"What was that for, Mi-chan?" she asked, concern in her tone.
I turned to her and smiled. She was always too caring. Plus she could get me into anything.
It was pretty surprising to have made peace with two people all at the same day. It wasn't the usual me. Had I changed that much? Was she that persuasive?
Many thought she lacked a feminine touch, and that she fought to the death just like a guy, but deep down it wasn't a tiny bit true. She was always concerned, and she had a way of making people feel better despite themselves. It was disappointing to think that such a lady didn't have anyone to protect her own self, while she continued protecting others. But right now there was no need to think of such things. Because I was going to protect her with my whole life, come what may. It was my only purpose, my real purpose, in life, I finally realized. To protect her.
It had finally come to me that the reason why my sister's death had troubled me too much was that I had wanted to protect her but failed to. And for all of these years, I had thought of revenge as my only objective, only to find out in the end that I was wrong. Revenge was not what I had wanted.
It was not until last night that I had figured out what my real goal was.
All along it was the need to protect someone. I had been longing to use my Ensui to penalize those who dare touch that someone. I had been longing to have someone to defend again. Someone to serve. Someone to live for. Someone to love. And someone to love me back.
Everything was in her. She was all I wanted, all I needed. And she was standing right in front of me. Kirisawa Fuuko.
I looked out the window at the sky and smiled. Oneesan…I promise…I won't fail again…this time…I'll make sure I keep my word…
"Ne, Mi-chan…? You haven't answered me ye—"
"Fuuko…eien ni aishiteru." I smiled and sealed her lips with a kiss.
I closed my eyes, wishing that I could stay kissing her like this forever. But there was no hurry. I didn't need to make haste.
Because I knew that she would always be mine.
And I would be hers eternally.