Chapter Nine:

They had woken up early in the morning to catch the flight they were scheduled for. Even now, three hours later, Akari could feel the tendrils of sleep reaching out to grasp her. She yawned and Yuuchi looked sideways at her, cocked his head to the side, and asked if she was tired. Akari mustered a smile for him, though she still wasn't sure how to act around him. The sunlight streaming through the clear glass ceiling seemed to light up Yuuchi's face as he smiled readily back at her. It caught at the side of his face, making his steady gaze more carefree than usual.

The line for their luggage check-in was moving excruciatingly slow. Akari leaned her weight gently against their upright luggage, her eyes struggling to stay open. She felt a pressure at her waist, two arms circled her protectively, and she was no longer leaning against the hard leather of the suitcase. Her body leaned back on a warm body and when she breathed again, she caught the scent of Yuuchi engulfing her. Her head rested against the hollow space just underneath Yuuchi's neck and he brought his mouth down to whisper into her ear, "Close your eyes."

"But the line..." Akari protested, but to no avail.

"Rest." In Yuuchi's voice, there was a steadfast stubbornness; Akari knew there was no room for discussion. She made a soft sound of agreement and closed her eyes, giving in to her want of believing in Yuuchi. Her mind whirled with questions, warnings, but Akari shut it out. Yuuchi's scent was like a drug, lulling her to sleep, into the dreams where nothing had happened between her and Yuuchi.

After a while, the line began to move at a faster pace. Akari broke apart from Yuuchi, unsettled to find herself wishing to be close to him again. However, the quickening of the line pulled Akari out of her trance; the sleepiness fading away with each movement she made. Not long afterwards, Akari was sitting in one of the window seats on the plane itself.

Of course Yuuchi was besides her. He was probably up to one of his tricks too as he was paying attention to her in a way he hadn't done in a long time. Akari did her best to observe the plain runway outside her window, but the knowledge that Yuuchi was looking at her made her flush all the same.

When the plane took off, lurching upwards and finally leveling out, Akari heard Yuuchi pushing his arm rest back so that it wasn't between them anymore. She felt a weight on her lap and looked down, meeting Yuuchi's eyes. There was a familiar twist in her heart, warning her to be cautious, but she did not make Yuuchi get up.

And when Yuuchi laced one of his hands skillfully through hers, she sighed and gave in, laying the palm of her cool hand against his cheek.

And she remembered everything.

The feel of his body against her right now, his body laying across the two seats.

His scent, his shape.

And his face under her hands, she would always remember that. He was so familiar to her... Her hand remained where it was, gentle, not moving against the side of his face. When he propped himself up and ghosted his lips across her, she did not stop him this time. Encouraged, he closed the distance between them, their bodies pressed so tightly together.

And she remembered too, the times when she sat with Yuuchi, the contact of only body and warmth, and nothing else. Akari had never realized that a distance had grown in between them, growing even before she found out about Hatsumi.

They crashed together with a sort of ferocity, lips fiercely on each other for a second until they both pulled away at the same moment. Her bewildered eyes were mirrored in Yucchi's. Not willing to lose the feelings stirring inside her, Akari ran her hand along the side of Yuuchi's face. "I rested before, you should rest as well."

"Rest where?" His grin was wolfish, alluring, making her feel like a willing lamb. He stole another kiss from her before laying back down and closing his eyes. With her left hand trapped with Yuuchi's hand, Akari used her other hand to thread it through Yuuchi's hair.

It was a long while until Yuuchi fell into a deep sleep. Akari was feeling pretty drowsy herself, but she looked out at the endless blue outside her window, taking occasional sips from the tea she ordered from the flight attendant. Yuuchi moved slightly, and Akari waited for him to wake up. Instead, he groaned softly and a name escaped from his mouth. Hatsumi.

Akari froze, her heart thudding irregularly in her chest. Disbelief blossomed in her, but she shakily touched Yuuchi's cheek again. He continued sleeping, with no other movement. She felt cold all over, as if he had somehow become foreign to her again.

Akari didn't know when exhaustion took hold of her, but she dreamed of standing before two doors. One door was already open to a warm, inviting room. She didn't know if the other door was opened or not; it was much too dark to differentiate the difference between the dark brown color of the door and the pitch-black of the darkness within the room. She was about to enter the brightly-lit room when Yuuchi materialized in front of the dark room.

"Akari," he said. She stopped in front of the lit room and backtracked to where she was first standing.

"Yuuchi?" she asked, confused.

"Come, come with me." He held out his hand to her.

Akari hesitated...and took it. He pulled her into the blinding darkness.

It was too dark to tell what exactly was in the room. She concentrated on the sound of Yuuchi's voice. But there was a chasm and she was suddenly falling... falling and screaming his name... he did not answer her. Where was he?! Did he care? Panic shot through her, as real as a living thing-

-She shot upright, almost out of her seat.

Akari took in her surroundings. The endless blue outside, marred with occasional clouds. The blue rectangle in front of her that she registered as a seat once her mind quieted. The humming of the floor beneath her. And the eyes watching her steadily.

It had only been a dream.

"Bad dream?"

"Yeah." She sunk back into her seat, only to find that their positions had changed. Yuuchi must have woken up and rearranged himself because Akari was the one leaning against him now.

He handed her a closed, clear cup with swirling dark green tea leaves. "I saw you were almost finished with your cup," Yuuchi offered.

She took the cup gratefully. He watched with furrowed brows when Akari's facial expression changed to almost something similar to sadness when she took a drink.

"No, it's nothing," she said reassuringly.

"Do you want something else?"

"It's fine."

That was only partially the truth though. The tea itself was hojicha, the type of tea Isamu had served her the other night, while she was waiting for Takaki. The taste itself was easily distinguishable the moment it touched her mouth. However, it was not right to think of Takaki anymore.

She twisted her head to look at Yuuchi, her brown hair covering part of her face. He reached to brush it away, baring her cheek to his hands. Akari took a silent deep breath. "Oh, but I do want something."

"What is it?" He was all playful smiles now; his mouth lowering to hers.

There was a moment of uneasiness, a fleeting moment where Akari knew she might be making a mistake, but the feeling was swallowed in her longing.

"You," she breathed.

Author Notes:

Please do not be disappointed. As always, thank you to those who have read and/or reviewed! Those reviews are like the "cherry on top," as some might say.

On a side-note: This is straying away from the story, but... Is there anyone interested in MMORPGS? (Preferably Aura Kingdom).

Again, suggestions and comments are always greatly appreciated.