Akihito looked at the girl sitting across from him. She was busy eating up a hearty bowl of rice with beef. As she dove in for another bite he chuckled warmly.
Mirai looked at him. "What?" She asked before placing the full chopsticks in her mouth.
"I just find it cute how you eat after you fight youmu." He said smiling.
She looked at him blankly. "You're being unpleasant." She murmured swallowing.
He stifled a laugh as she looked down at her food. "Kuriyama-san," He started again. He'd barely eaten, but then again he had something he wanted to say. Only a couple weeks ago she had returned to Nagatsuki after she had disappeared when Akihito had defeated Beyond the Boundary. Now that they were together again he hoped that they could move they're relationship forward. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her. And to tell her that he loved her.
"Yes?" She asked her brown eyes turning back to him.
"Right before you vanished, you said you were glad you fell in love with me. What made you fall in love with me?"
Mirai looked at him and set her chopsticks down. Her eyes were wide as she thought for a moment. She smiled at him then.
"It was the way you treated me. When we met you didn't look down on me. You weren't afraid of my blood. You even offered to help me. You never once thought badly of me because I couldn't pay for a meal or because I was afraid to do my duty as a Spirit World Warrior." She paused to catch her breath and took his hand in hers.
"You treated me like I was special. You came to save me even though it meant putting yourself in danger. Every time I needed someone you were there. Even when you knew I could unintentionally harm you, you found a way to show me kindness. Not since Yui died had I been treated so kindly by anyone." There were tears welling in her eyes.
"It was your heart that I fell in love with. Your selflessness and your compassion made me realize that maybe just maybe I was wrong about the world, about myself." Her voice grew weak as she tried to keep from losing it.
"No one has ever looked past my blood like you do. And in doing so you gave me a relationship I could only dream about. You fought for me, you held me, you carried me, you yelled at me when I was being stupid, you told me you understood me, you showed me more love than I had ever seen before."
Akihito leaned forward and with his free hand wiped away her tears.
"You gave me something worth fighting for." She murmured.
"Kuriyama-san," Akihito began but she lifted her hand and stopped him. "Thank you Akihito Kanbara, for making me feel like I was important and special and needed."
He grabbed bother her hands with his and pulled her forward. "No, thank you Kuriyama-san." He whispered placing his forehead against hers. They were both warm and the heat from the touch spread down their spines like liquid fire.
"Like you said, we aren't alone anymore." Mirai murmured. She was trying very hard not to kiss him but when he sighed and she turned to look up at him she didn't realize he was gazing down at her.
Their lips brushed instantly. Surprise lit in Akihito's eyes as he felt the heat in his lips. They seemed to burn with some unfulfilled desire. He wanted a real kiss.
Mirai had turned bright red as she fought the urge to turn away and hide. That wasn't necessary with Akihito. The sudden touch had sparked something inside of her. Something she realized she hadn't known she wanted.
"Call me Mirai." She murmured leaning closer against her logical judgment. She was going to get a real kiss from him right here right now.
"Mirai." Akihito whispered gently. The way he said it was so full of respect and kindness and love that she lost her last shred of restraint and leaned forward towards his face. The kiss was sudden and unsure. Neither one was experienced in kissing, it wasn't like they kissed people regularly.
But the emotion and the desire was more powerful than unaccustomed lips. When they pulled away both were shocked and rosy cheeked.
"Akihito," Mirai whispered between breaths but he was already leaning forward again.