Black Steel and Worldly Wisdom
Along the Moonlit Bay
By Mystic Dawn
Summary: (AU) Tomoyo and Kurogane take a walk in the moonlight, and she confronts him on a subject that he's been avoiding...
The moon shone brightly in the darkness of the night, its pearly-white light shimmering upon the surface of the waves drowsily lapping the beach's shore. Two figures walked along, side by side, their bare feet sinking into the damp sand as the water every now and then frothed around their ankles. A light breeze caressed them, bringing with it the tangy scent of the sea.
Tomoyo shivered slightly and wrapped her arms about herself to ward off the chill. Noticing this, Kurogane drew her closer, wrapping an arm about her small shoulders to provide her with warmth.
"You smell nice," she whispered, snuggling against his chest, the wind whipping her skirt about her knees.
He did not reply; instead, he led her away from the shoreline to a dry patch of sand where they sat down. But he still kept her arm around her.
They sat together in silence for a time, listening to the waves of the ocean and gazing at the star-dotted sky. It was a quiet night, one that inspired peace and tranquility. A perfect night.
"The moon is so beautiful," Tomoyo sighed, inhaling deeply. "It was a good idea to come here."
"It was the only way we could ever have a moment's peace to ourselves," he agreed quietly. "The others are always in the way..."
Tomoyo was silent for a time. "Maybe we should tell them," she suddenly suggested thoughtfully.
"Tell them what?" Kurogane asked blankly.
"About us... our relationship."
Kurogane snorted. "Yeah, right. And have that blond bastard laughing his head off? I'll pass."
Tomoyo chuckled. "Fay-kun might find it amusing at first—that's the way he is, after all—because it'd be something totally out of the blue and unexpected for him."
"And for everybody else, no doubt," Kurogane added dryly.
"Well, yes, I suppose so. Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan are definitely going to be as surprised as Fay-kun." She grinned. "But at least they won't be laughing."
Kurogane shifted himself slightly to face her, looking deeply into her eyes. "Do we really have to tell them?" he whispered, stroking her cheek with his fingers. "Aren't you happy the way we are?"
Tomoyo's eyes were half-closed and she parted her lips slightly, her face very close to his, but she cut herself short. Kurogane's eyes always had a way of mesmerizing her and making her forget everything, but she was determined that she would make him see the wisdom of her point of view.
"But it's not easy to see each other as often as we like," she said softly, drawing closer as she lay the palm of her hand against his chest. "Sometimes we don't see each other for days on end."
"Tomoyo, that's not true," he pointed out. "We see each other everyday at work."
"Exactly," she said, the tone of her voice hard. "At work." She began to trace her fingers lightly over his chest. "I don't want us to act like we hardly know each other at work."
"What's wrong with acting like that?"
"A lot of things," Tomoyo replied, closing her eyes and inhaling his scent deeply. "I want to be able to feel your arms around me whenever we see each other. I want to see your rare smiles, the smiles that you reserve only for me. I want you to greet me with a thousand kisses, just like the way you greet me whenever you take me out."
"Do you really want all that?"
"Yes," she whispered, laying her head against his chest. "I don't want us to hide what we feel for each other." Her hand suddenly gripped at the material of his shirt. "Are you ashamed of me?"
"Of course I'm not ashamed of you," he said immediately, stroking her hair lightly. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"The why can't we tell them?"
Kurogane lay his cheek upon the top of her head. He remained silent for a time, his expression one of deep thought. He finally exhaled softly and looked down at her. "Since you want to so much... okay."
Tomoyo looked up at him hopefully. "Really?"
"Really," he confirmed, smiling faintly. "We shouldn't hide anymore."
Tomoyo smiled up at him in gratitude, her luminous violet eyes shimmering with happiness. Kurogane caught his breath in his throat, awestruck at how stunningly beautiful she suddenly appeared in the moonlight, her long dark hair fluttering behind her in the wind and her smooth skin almost glowing. Just like a princess.
He raised her chin with his forefinger, held captive by the stunning depths of her eyes, and gently touched his lips to hers. Tomoyo closed her eyes and wrapped her arms about his neck as she opened her mouth beneath his. Kurogane's hands slipped around her waist, drawing her closer to him.
"Kurogane..." she whispered faintly after a few moments.
"Mm?" he murmured, too busy kissing her neck to pay much attention to what she was saying.
"Do you remember that"—she inhaled sharply when he playfully nipped at her earlobe—"assignment they gave us a few weeks ago?"
"Mm-hmm..."
"Well... isn't it due... tomorrow?"
Kurogane stopped kissing her abruptly, his body stiffening. Tomoyo could feel his hot breath on her neck, and it sent pleasurable shivers down her spine.
"Crap," he muttered under his breath. "I forgot about that. I haven't gotten anything ready."
"Neither have I."
Kurogane drew back and looked down at her with amused eyes. "You forgot, too?"
"Well..." she said slowly, her lips forming a small, seductive smile. "...with you constantly on my mind it's impossible for me to concentrate on anything else."
"Oh, really?"
"It's the truth," she whispered.
Kurogane pretended to actually consider the situation. "We can always ask for two more days to work on it," he suggested lightly.
"That's not going to make Eriol-kun happy," Tomoyo noted with a playful pout.
"Screw him," Kurogane said huskily, pulling her closer to him. "There's no way I'll be able to concentrate on anything like that tonight."
"Is it my fault?" she asked innocently with a small giggle.
"Hell, yeah," he said, drawing her into another passionate kiss, and she gladly surrendered, melting against him.