Chapter 22: Close to My Heart
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Yahiko and Tsubame had a hard time getting Kenji to sleep that night. Apparently he missed his mother and father. There was much struggling before they got the little boy into his bed.
"Tell story! Tell story!" Kenji begged with puppy dog eyes as he whimpered dejectedly.
Tsubame was totally fooled by this little ruse. "Ok Kenji. Which one would you like me to tell?"
Kenji thought for a moment. "Make one up peaz?" he said, staring up at her, his eyes shining with innocence.
Tsubame smiled sweetly and opened her mouth to began, but then she heard a loud knock. "That must be Sano finally getting over here. I'll go let him in. Why don't you tell Kenji a story, Yahiko?" she said as she stood up.
Yahiko was about to say no when he saw the sweet expectant look on her face and his heart melted. "Ok then." He said. He watched her as she walked off until Kenji pulled impatiently at his pants.
"More, more!" he whined impatiently.
Yahiko thought for a minute. "Once upon a time there was a great swordsman and he married a beautiful woman and lived happily ever after. There you happy you little brat!"
Kenji booed and tears started to form in his eyes. "Tell me a good story or I'll cry!" he said, arrogantly. Yahiko growled. This kid was in for it when Tsubame left.
In truth Yahiko didn't have a clue what to say, so he just began to say what he felt. "Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a lonely boy. This boy wanted nothing more than to become stronger so that one day he would be able to protect the ones he loved. His mother and father had died and he no one left, but himself. But no matter how lonely he got or how rough things became he still drove himself to continue. He didn't want to be weak anymore, he di—didn't want to lose his loved ones again, and so he didn't allow himself to be soft. He kept everything inside of him, his self-hatred, his sadness. He kept of it locked deep inside himself so that no one would see that he was hurting. He didn't want anyone to think he was weak—"he said, his voice gaining an undertone of sorrow.
He continued, his eyes far away and his mind no longer on telling the story to Kenji. What he said began to come from somewhere deep inside that he had never shown before. "—You see, the boy really was weak because when he met up with new people, people who became his family, he couldn't even show the pain that he had hidden. It had buried so deep within his heart that it was now too painful to remove. So he hide it once more, knowing that this was only a temporary solution and that the pain would only grow worse.—"Yahiko paused, unable to go on, as though something was constricting his throat. He felt tears threatening to fall, but he quickly swallowed them back.
Kenji shifted slightly, swept up in the tale. "Go on! Go on!" he said.
Yahiko gripped his hand into a fist and continued. "And then he met a girl, a girl that he knew was—perfect for him. He wanted to show her and tell her how much he really felt for her so that she would like him too. He wanted to be strong for her so that she would think that he was—good enough for her. Never before did he want something so bad, but it seemed that whatever he did—whatever he tried never worked out in the end. All he ever wanted was to be with her—"he said, finishing his tale.
Kenji stared blankly. "Do they live happily ever after?" he asked, slightly confused. This wasn't like his usual bedtime stories.
Yahiko was silent. "No one ever knows, kid. I guess you'll just have to wait and find out later. Someday I'll finish that story and tell you." he said, patting him on the head and standing up.
Kenji yawned and climbed into his bed. In minutes he was asleep. Yahiko sighed heavily as he got up and walked out of the room. He was surprised to see Tsubame leaning against the wall with tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong, Tsubame?" he asked worriedly, putting a hand on her shoulder. Tsubame shook her head and brushed away the tears.
"It's nothing. Sano told me to tell you that he said hi. He couldn't stay." She said her voice trembling.
"Don't change the subject. Just tell me what's bothering you." Yahiko insisted, looking into her teary eyes.
"Oh Yahiko—"she said as she collapsed against him and wrapped her arms around him. "—I think you're the strongest person alive!"
Yahiko blushed heavily. Had she heard his story? "I—I—"he stuttered unable to say anything.
Tsubame sighed as she held onto him. "It's ok—you don't have to say anything... I know."
Yahiko relaxed and held her close to him, close to his heart. "Tsubame, there is something that I did want to ask though."
Tsubame looked up at him. "Yes--?" she asked, her eyes threatening to overflow again.
Yahiko blushed even deeper. "Umm—ahh—umm—you see—I just—wanted to know—"
Tsubame nodded for him to continue. "CanIkissyou?" he said as fast as he could, squashing all the words together.
Tsubame tilted her head. "What? I couldn't hear..."
Yahiko couldn't bear to say those words so he simply drew her face close and awkwardly placed his lips on hers. There were a few seconds where Tsubame didn't know how to respond, but she soon began to kiss him back. And that was when the two awkward teenagers shared their first kiss.
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Yahiko and Tsubame had a hard time getting Kenji to sleep that night. Apparently he missed his mother and father. There was much struggling before they got the little boy into his bed.
"Tell story! Tell story!" Kenji begged with puppy dog eyes as he whimpered dejectedly.
Tsubame was totally fooled by this little ruse. "Ok Kenji. Which one would you like me to tell?"
Kenji thought for a moment. "Make one up peaz?" he said, staring up at her, his eyes shining with innocence.
Tsubame smiled sweetly and opened her mouth to began, but then she heard a loud knock. "That must be Sano finally getting over here. I'll go let him in. Why don't you tell Kenji a story, Yahiko?" she said as she stood up.
Yahiko was about to say no when he saw the sweet expectant look on her face and his heart melted. "Ok then." He said. He watched her as she walked off until Kenji pulled impatiently at his pants.
"More, more!" he whined impatiently.
Yahiko thought for a minute. "Once upon a time there was a great swordsman and he married a beautiful woman and lived happily ever after. There you happy you little brat!"
Kenji booed and tears started to form in his eyes. "Tell me a good story or I'll cry!" he said, arrogantly. Yahiko growled. This kid was in for it when Tsubame left.
In truth Yahiko didn't have a clue what to say, so he just began to say what he felt. "Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a lonely boy. This boy wanted nothing more than to become stronger so that one day he would be able to protect the ones he loved. His mother and father had died and he no one left, but himself. But no matter how lonely he got or how rough things became he still drove himself to continue. He didn't want to be weak anymore, he di—didn't want to lose his loved ones again, and so he didn't allow himself to be soft. He kept everything inside of him, his self-hatred, his sadness. He kept of it locked deep inside himself so that no one would see that he was hurting. He didn't want anyone to think he was weak—"he said, his voice gaining an undertone of sorrow.
He continued, his eyes far away and his mind no longer on telling the story to Kenji. What he said began to come from somewhere deep inside that he had never shown before. "—You see, the boy really was weak because when he met up with new people, people who became his family, he couldn't even show the pain that he had hidden. It had buried so deep within his heart that it was now too painful to remove. So he hide it once more, knowing that this was only a temporary solution and that the pain would only grow worse.—"Yahiko paused, unable to go on, as though something was constricting his throat. He felt tears threatening to fall, but he quickly swallowed them back.
Kenji shifted slightly, swept up in the tale. "Go on! Go on!" he said.
Yahiko gripped his hand into a fist and continued. "And then he met a girl, a girl that he knew was—perfect for him. He wanted to show her and tell her how much he really felt for her so that she would like him too. He wanted to be strong for her so that she would think that he was—good enough for her. Never before did he want something so bad, but it seemed that whatever he did—whatever he tried never worked out in the end. All he ever wanted was to be with her—"he said, finishing his tale.
Kenji stared blankly. "Do they live happily ever after?" he asked, slightly confused. This wasn't like his usual bedtime stories.
Yahiko was silent. "No one ever knows, kid. I guess you'll just have to wait and find out later. Someday I'll finish that story and tell you." he said, patting him on the head and standing up.
Kenji yawned and climbed into his bed. In minutes he was asleep. Yahiko sighed heavily as he got up and walked out of the room. He was surprised to see Tsubame leaning against the wall with tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong, Tsubame?" he asked worriedly, putting a hand on her shoulder. Tsubame shook her head and brushed away the tears.
"It's nothing. Sano told me to tell you that he said hi. He couldn't stay." She said her voice trembling.
"Don't change the subject. Just tell me what's bothering you." Yahiko insisted, looking into her teary eyes.
"Oh Yahiko—"she said as she collapsed against him and wrapped her arms around him. "—I think you're the strongest person alive!"
Yahiko blushed heavily. Had she heard his story? "I—I—"he stuttered unable to say anything.
Tsubame sighed as she held onto him. "It's ok—you don't have to say anything... I know."
Yahiko relaxed and held her close to him, close to his heart. "Tsubame, there is something that I did want to ask though."
Tsubame looked up at him. "Yes--?" she asked, her eyes threatening to overflow again.
Yahiko blushed even deeper. "Umm—ahh—umm—you see—I just—wanted to know—"
Tsubame nodded for him to continue. "CanIkissyou?" he said as fast as he could, squashing all the words together.
Tsubame tilted her head. "What? I couldn't hear..."
Yahiko couldn't bear to say those words so he simply drew her face close and awkwardly placed his lips on hers. There were a few seconds where Tsubame didn't know how to respond, but she soon began to kiss him back. And that was when the two awkward teenagers shared their first kiss.