/ . /
Ken smiled and sipped his tea. It was wonderful, her company was amazing. She was prepared to give him the world. There was something more Ken wanted, but it wasn't time. He wouldn't move in just yet.
"It's quite alright, I can understand how that would be very frustrating, not getting what you want, despite your best efforts." His voice drifted off and Yukiko looked at him, blushing slightly. Bringing the tea cup closer to her face, he noticed how her eyes were the same color as the blue in the plateware.
"So you work at the Snow Shrine?" He asked her as she put a bite of cookie in her mouth, leaning in closer to her. She blushed at his tone of voice, slightly seductive, yet inquisitive.
"Y..yes I do. I manage it during the day. Sweeping the stones, giving fortunes, and helping anyone who manages to wander in and want something." Her voice weakened as she sensed him getting closer to her.
"I hear those Shrines are a great place to escape away to. When people aren't visiting, they're very secluded, peacful places to live out your life." He spoke softly, letting the words roll off his lips. She was entranced by him, overcome by how he knew her life so well without her even having to speak of it.
"Yes, that's exactly how it is. The Shrines that are up in the mountains, like the one's that my parents used to run when I was a child. Those were the most peaceful days of my life." She reminisced and Ken knew he had her right where he wanted her.
"Do you want to go for a walk Yukiko? My compliments on the cookies and tea." He smiled coyly as he stood up and awaited her. She looked down and noticed he hadn't touched the cookies and barely sipped at his tea.
As his eyes wandered over her, picking up the dishes and taking them over to the counter, his sinister side began to kick in and take over more. Ken was fighting it off desperately, hoping she wouldn't end up like all the others.
That she would be different.
He hoped with all his heart, that she would stay.
"I'd be delighted. After the walk, we can go to the Shrine and watch the sky. I heard on the Weather Channel there's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight and there's a cozy bench under a Sakura tree in the yard." She sighed and leaned backwards a bit so she could look through the glass windows of the cafe. "I enjoy star gazing there at night." She almost looked pained as she said this,
Ken could sense something depressing about her tone, but she masked it well with her warm, inviting smile.
She stood up, thanked Komioji, and walked out side-by-side, still bumping into one another playfully.
/ . / . /
The night air was chilly as they walked, so she stayed close to him. The sky was dotted with the sparkling lights. It couldn't have been more perfect if Ken had planned it himself.
"So your parent's died when you were still young Yukiko?" Ken asked, as she leaned on his shoulder, watching the meteors fall from the sky and disappear as their feet clicked against the concrete sidewalk.
"Yes." The tone of her voice showed a great submission to the more depressing side of herself.
They had been walking for hours, in circles around the local park by her Shrine.
"I'm very sorry." His voice low-key as ran his fingers through her hair lightly.
They had stopped in front of the Shrine enterance.
Their silouettes in the archway, moonlight all around, shadowing their bodies beneath it. He pulled his hand away and revelled in how soft her hair was and how it smelled like strawberries.
She stared into his eyes and looked at him as he looked at her.
"The world's no place for someone like you, Yukiko." He whispered softly as he leaned in, his lips softly brushing hers, the barest hint of a kiss there.
She kissed him back, welcoming the warm lips of another body.
After a few playful kisses, they began to get more and more serious, Ken's tongue running along her lips and soon massaging hers as she parted her lips in submission to him. The faint taste of chocolate chip cookies still lingered in her mouth.
She pulled back, a little dizzy from what just happened. Blinking lazily, she looked at him through her water-colored eyes, his face reflecting what looked like longing, but at the same time, something like desperate fleeting passion and warmth.
"This world is a place where if you're not prepared to be hurt and cold, you'll fail. A place where tragedy and pain are all that rule your emotional being."
The words stung, but the way he spoke, she wanted to hear more.
"You're so innocent, you mean well Yukiko, but some place where death and despair are all you can hope for, its not a place for you." Ken had lead her past the stone archway of the Snow Shrine enterance and before the Sakura tree was where they stood.
"You're wrong you know. Kindness does exsist." Her eyes pulled away from him and wandered up to the sky.
"Just because you haven't experienced it, doesn't mean its dead." She spoke with such conviction against his words, even though they had so less meaning than his did, so less of an impact on him as his words had on her.
Her expression changed from fleeting happiness to that of exasperation, frustration, and pain.
"I'm sorry Yukiko, I had no intention of my words being a burden, but it's hard to find genuine caring and kindness in a world so full of people that are ready to sell their souls to shallow pleasures." His lips closed and he smiled softly, reaching to push a strand of hair out of her face.
"Someone always wants to take something away from you, something they don't have, something they want.." Ken's breath was heavy and warm against Yukiko's cool skin. The cloud dispersed from his mouth and disappeared into the night air.
It was abandoned and quiet outside. No movement between the two, only the crickets chirping were heard. She tore her eyes away from him, from his outline in the pale light and looked down once again.
"There's nothing left to take away." Her voice broken from the memories of her parents. Ken closed the gap between them and put his lips right next to her ear.
"But there's so much that I can give.."
Ken smiled and sipped his tea. It was wonderful, her company was amazing. She was prepared to give him the world. There was something more Ken wanted, but it wasn't time. He wouldn't move in just yet.
"It's quite alright, I can understand how that would be very frustrating, not getting what you want, despite your best efforts." His voice drifted off and Yukiko looked at him, blushing slightly. Bringing the tea cup closer to her face, he noticed how her eyes were the same color as the blue in the plateware.
"So you work at the Snow Shrine?" He asked her as she put a bite of cookie in her mouth, leaning in closer to her. She blushed at his tone of voice, slightly seductive, yet inquisitive.
"Y..yes I do. I manage it during the day. Sweeping the stones, giving fortunes, and helping anyone who manages to wander in and want something." Her voice weakened as she sensed him getting closer to her.
"I hear those Shrines are a great place to escape away to. When people aren't visiting, they're very secluded, peacful places to live out your life." He spoke softly, letting the words roll off his lips. She was entranced by him, overcome by how he knew her life so well without her even having to speak of it.
"Yes, that's exactly how it is. The Shrines that are up in the mountains, like the one's that my parents used to run when I was a child. Those were the most peaceful days of my life." She reminisced and Ken knew he had her right where he wanted her.
"Do you want to go for a walk Yukiko? My compliments on the cookies and tea." He smiled coyly as he stood up and awaited her. She looked down and noticed he hadn't touched the cookies and barely sipped at his tea.
As his eyes wandered over her, picking up the dishes and taking them over to the counter, his sinister side began to kick in and take over more. Ken was fighting it off desperately, hoping she wouldn't end up like all the others.
That she would be different.
He hoped with all his heart, that she would stay.
"I'd be delighted. After the walk, we can go to the Shrine and watch the sky. I heard on the Weather Channel there's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight and there's a cozy bench under a Sakura tree in the yard." She sighed and leaned backwards a bit so she could look through the glass windows of the cafe. "I enjoy star gazing there at night." She almost looked pained as she said this,
Ken could sense something depressing about her tone, but she masked it well with her warm, inviting smile.
She stood up, thanked Komioji, and walked out side-by-side, still bumping into one another playfully.
/ . / . /
The night air was chilly as they walked, so she stayed close to him. The sky was dotted with the sparkling lights. It couldn't have been more perfect if Ken had planned it himself.
"So your parent's died when you were still young Yukiko?" Ken asked, as she leaned on his shoulder, watching the meteors fall from the sky and disappear as their feet clicked against the concrete sidewalk.
"Yes." The tone of her voice showed a great submission to the more depressing side of herself.
They had been walking for hours, in circles around the local park by her Shrine.
"I'm very sorry." His voice low-key as ran his fingers through her hair lightly.
They had stopped in front of the Shrine enterance.
Their silouettes in the archway, moonlight all around, shadowing their bodies beneath it. He pulled his hand away and revelled in how soft her hair was and how it smelled like strawberries.
She stared into his eyes and looked at him as he looked at her.
"The world's no place for someone like you, Yukiko." He whispered softly as he leaned in, his lips softly brushing hers, the barest hint of a kiss there.
She kissed him back, welcoming the warm lips of another body.
After a few playful kisses, they began to get more and more serious, Ken's tongue running along her lips and soon massaging hers as she parted her lips in submission to him. The faint taste of chocolate chip cookies still lingered in her mouth.
She pulled back, a little dizzy from what just happened. Blinking lazily, she looked at him through her water-colored eyes, his face reflecting what looked like longing, but at the same time, something like desperate fleeting passion and warmth.
"This world is a place where if you're not prepared to be hurt and cold, you'll fail. A place where tragedy and pain are all that rule your emotional being."
The words stung, but the way he spoke, she wanted to hear more.
"You're so innocent, you mean well Yukiko, but some place where death and despair are all you can hope for, its not a place for you." Ken had lead her past the stone archway of the Snow Shrine enterance and before the Sakura tree was where they stood.
"You're wrong you know. Kindness does exsist." Her eyes pulled away from him and wandered up to the sky.
"Just because you haven't experienced it, doesn't mean its dead." She spoke with such conviction against his words, even though they had so less meaning than his did, so less of an impact on him as his words had on her.
Her expression changed from fleeting happiness to that of exasperation, frustration, and pain.
"I'm sorry Yukiko, I had no intention of my words being a burden, but it's hard to find genuine caring and kindness in a world so full of people that are ready to sell their souls to shallow pleasures." His lips closed and he smiled softly, reaching to push a strand of hair out of her face.
"Someone always wants to take something away from you, something they don't have, something they want.." Ken's breath was heavy and warm against Yukiko's cool skin. The cloud dispersed from his mouth and disappeared into the night air.
It was abandoned and quiet outside. No movement between the two, only the crickets chirping were heard. She tore her eyes away from him, from his outline in the pale light and looked down once again.
"There's nothing left to take away." Her voice broken from the memories of her parents. Ken closed the gap between them and put his lips right next to her ear.
"But there's so much that I can give.."