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Chapter 39
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The host club loved picnics.
It was Spring, the wind was light, the sky was padded with white and shades of deepening grey, the sun broke through and formed a watery haze, illuminating the mountains. And the lake shone. Like diamonds.
Yuuki stood on the edge and listened to her son and her friends children laugh happily in a game only they knew the rules to. Kain was five. And he looked like his father. He had his eye colour and shape, his nose, his chin. He had her cheekbones though. And her hair. He laughed like she did, only his bell was baritone where as hers was like that tied to the bridle of a Christmas horse. Kain was smart. He was already a little analytical, just like his father. But he took joy from the smallest things, like his mother. And he taught others about it, just like she'd taught Kyoya. The boy had a demeanour that was deep and impenetrable; only those who lived in his world knew about it. And they were the ones who had created the world.
"What are you thinking?" Kyoya still never knew. He stood beside his wife and stared over the water. Diamonds.
Yuuki smiled slightly. "I was thinking that it looked like the night sky." She had the only diamond she wanted. It never left her finger.
"Interesting perspective."
"What do you think it looks like?"
"A lake with the sun on it."
"Very imaginative of you."
Kyoya smiled slightly. After lunch, everyone had separated into little groups. As per usual, he and Yuuki had separated into their own. "We can't all see sunbursts and marble halls."
"Yes, because not all of us read Anne of Green Gables." Pause. "What do you think that cloud looks like?"
"Which one?"
Yuuki pointed and outlined its shape with her finger so he knew which one.
The man pushed his glasses up. "It looks like a cloud."
"Really? Thanks captain obvious."
He laughed softly. "Okay." To see the world from her perspective. "It looks like...an umbrella."
"I think it looks like a horse."
"That is a very different shape to an umbrella."
"It is...." Yuuki pondered a moment. One of them had something wrong with their eyes. He had the glasses. Problem solved. "Look. That one looks like a rabbit."
"Which one?"
"The one that looks like a rabbit."
"I see a cloud."
"Look closer."
Peering pause. "No. It's still a cloud."
Yuuki laughed. "I love you. You're so obscure."
"I love you too, but you're the ambiguous one."
The girl looked up at him. Kyoya was still staring over the water. She smiled softly and he turned his head. "You truly are ageless."
"What do you mean?" He frowned slightly.
"You just are."
The man stared at her gently. "In the same way that, you're still the loveliest creature anyone could set eyes upon?"
"Thank you Hallmark. But yes." Yuuki tied her fingers into his. "Of course, lovely isn't very manly. So, if I were to say that to you I would use the word...divine, exquisite...uh..." She paused to think. "hot?"
"Hot?"
She frowned. "Handsome."
"You said hot."
"Yes. But I meant handsome."
"I'm not hot?"
"Yes. But, it's not very...literate to say so." Pause. "Anyway. Awkward. Um..." She laughed. "What I was saying. Do you think other people see their partner aging? Or do you think their like us?"
"Did they say eternity?"
"I don't know."
"Could it be, that, the world of other couples is just as arcane as our own?"
"Other couples fall out of love. Like Mako."
"Was he ever in love?"
"Maybe. Maybe like my mother and father. But to a certain extent, yes. Maybe it was a different kind of love. Maybe, he didn't know any better." Yuuki ran a hand through her hair. "It's sad."
"I wouldn't share what we have."
"You never share."
Pondering moment. Smug smile.
Yuuki turned her body to his and kissed the smugness out of the smile. Kyoya wrapped his arm around the small of her back and pulled her tightly into him.
Suki saw them and whispered something to Tamaki. The blonde glanced at the pair; it was as if the rest of the world didn't exist.
The Suoh stood straight and smiled coyly. "Got a camera?"
"That's awful." Haruhi handed him an ice-cream cone.
"No it's not." Twin one said, digging into his bag.
Twin two found it first. "It's awesome."
Tachi broke the Kodak moment. "Oi! No. Not in front of the children! Keep it rated PG! My daughter is here!" He ignored the fact that she wasn't a little girl anymore.
Misa was chatting with Riki; the latter had just gone into middle school, the former was a few years older, just out of school. Upon hearing her name, Misa looked up. Instead of distracting her, Tachi pointed and made an OK sign with his hands. His daughter looked over and laughed. Riki pulled a face. She still had a crush on Kyoya. Her uncle wouldn't let her forget that when she was younger, she'd tried to kiss him.
Kain stopped running around looked at his parents. He grinned and burst away from his friends. He laughed happily as he hugged their legs. Those watching witnessed a world of intimacy widen, but not change. It was how things were supposed to be. Kyoya picked his son up, not letting go of his wife. She smiled and pressed her mouth against Kain's head. The boy squeezed his eyes shut and laughed again.
That was what a family should have looked like. What it looked like in advertisements. It wasn't impossible. It was just probable. Hard to attain, but worth it. A group of happy, healthy individuals who bound themselves together without explanation. People who experienced joy by putting themselves last. It was the only place Kyoya would put himself last. He was still, essentially an egoist. A feared, powerful ruler. The king of the Ootori Empire. He was still cold and hard. But not with them. He had never been like that with true friends.
"Did you get that?" Hikaru put his hands in his pockets and asked his twin.
Kaoru stood with the camera. "No."
"Why?"
"There are some things that just can't be justified on film."
Tamaki smiled. "I think you two finally understand."
"Understand what?" They asked together.
"What it's like to be entirely one's own, but entirely another's. To love not for yourself, but for that who loves you. Not because they deserve it, but because you want to. Because they're the only thing that matters..."
"Are you done?" Riki said, now standing my him with his arms crossed. "I'm going to be sick."
"Why princess?"
"Because." She paused. "Its not real. I bet they fight. All the time. I bet she uses all the hot water in a house that shouldn't run out. I bet...they're not like that all the time."
"Of course not! That would be tiring to even them. You can feel like that all the time, but you can't live it. That's where people get lost! Dear, princess. Understand me when I say this; love is not love because it exists everywhere, but because it exists."
"I don't get it." Riki said flatly.
"You will. One day. Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"If you want to understand it, you have to be prepared to hurt for it."
"As if they hurt."
"As if they don't."
The girl glanced up at Tamaki and then back at his wife. Haruhi was collecting Aimi and Kenji so that they could have ice-cream. And she saw that he had it to. The Suoh's had it to. Even though they weren't standing on the shore of a lake with the mountains behind them and an approaching storm looming romantically over the water. It existed, if you knew what to look for. If you knew it existed. But it never existed the same for everyone. Tamaki was a romantic, he adored, he doted, he exclaimed. Kyoya was a shadow, he cherished, he told secrets, he esteemed and respected.
But they weren't like that all the time. They had to go to work. And they fought. And they cried. And hurt. But that didn't mean that a moment like the one on the shore; of best friends and lovers, didn't cease to be. It just shifted into another shape. Like water. Carving a path. It was the same all the time, it just altered when it needed to. And provided room.
Many couples tried to be the rock that contained the water. And they found no freedom.
Tamaki sighed happily. "Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove: O no! it is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark, whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come: Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me proved... no man ever loved."
"You missed, 'I never writ'. Shakespeare was quite mad. Sonnet 116 was proof." Mako undid the top of a thermos and poured himself coffee.
"But was he wrong?" Tamaki said profoundly.
"Sometimes I think you're gay." The Cunxin said flatly.
"No." Haruhi appeared with Kenji on her hand. "Just European."
Suki raised her eyebrows in realisation. "Ha." Pause. "It still doesn't make sense."
"It does to you." Tamaki crossed his arms and watched the young family head back to them from the water's edge. As if nothing had happened.
The woman thought a moment, glanced at her husband, found him asleep under a tree, smiled slightly and understood every word. To her. Everyone loved differently. And love was not a set emotion. You could love someone and not like them. Especially when fighting. But you would love them. You could love them and miss them. Be annoyed and still want to do things for them. Love to love in all circumstances.
-
For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you
-
"Oh. That's good. That's...it was dewy this morning, Kyoya." Yuuki crossed her arms and looked at her son. He had a patch of mud across one eye and specks of dirt across a white shirt.
"The fact was duly noted." Kyoya pushed his glasses up.
"Ma?" Kain looked up at her.
"Yes, baby?"
"Do I have to wear a tie?"
"Yes." She scowled at her husband. Kain had got outside. Just before they were about to leave for a function.
"Why?"
"Because, this is an important occasion and you're important. You need to look the part." Kyoya knelt down and undid his son's tie. He needed a new shirt. The damp one was swiftly removed from a curious little body.
Yuuki took it from him and disappeared to the laundry, her heels clacking on the floor. The function in question was a fundraiser for children's hospitals. There would be dinner and dancing for the parents, movies and dress-ups for children. She stuck her head into the nursery. "We ready?"
"I have no idea." Kyoya looked at his son, the little red tie in his hand.
"What?"
"You know how you can't drive a car? And that's the thing you can't do?"
"Yes?"
"Well, I just found the thing I can't do."
"What?"
"Put a tie on someone other than myself."
Yuuki laughed and crossed the room. "Aw, darling. Disaster." She took the tie, amused that he couldn't do something so simple. Then again, driving to him was simple. "It's easy."
The girl knelt down, balanced on her heels and put the tie gently around her son's neck.
Kain sat very still. "Ma?"
"Mm?"
"Why is it red?"
"Because, that's the colour of the ribbon the foundation gives out."
"Why?"
"Because...um..." Yuuki glanced over her shoulder at Kyoya. He'd chosen the colour.
He smiled smugly. "In Japan, red is a traditional color for a heroic figure."
"Ah."
"Ah." He said lightly as his wife straightened the tie.
"Why?" Kain stated at his father.
"Because everyone wants a hero."
"Who are the hero's?"
"The children." He handed his sons jacket to his wife so she could put it on him.
"Am I a hero?" The boy beamed.
Yuuki kissed his forehead and brushed his hair neatly aside with her fingers. "Of course." He'd survived.
Kain grinned and closed his eyes bashfully before letting his mother lift him to her hip.
"Ready?" She breathed on him.
"Yes." Pause. "Can we watch Lion King?"
"You'll watch what is put on."
"I want to watch Lion King."
"Other kids might not. You might get a lot of the things you want, but you have to give to."
"What do I get?"
"You get to sacrifice."
"Why?"
Yuuki sighed. "Because, that's how it works."
"I don't want to sacrifice." He struggled with the last word.
"Why not?"
"Because. I don't want to."
"When you find someone you want to give everything to, then you'll want to." His mother teetered a little on her heels as she carried him behind Kyoya to the front door.
Her husband turned his head slightly. Just enough to see the corner of his mouth lift up as he listened.
"When will that be?"
"I don't know baby." Yuuki hoisted him a little higher.
"Do you have someone?"
"I sure do."
"Who?"
The girl laughed musically. "I got your dad."
"What's so special about dad?"
Yuuki glanced at her husband. "You tell me, huh?"
Kain thought a moment. "He's smart."
"Uhuh. What else?"
"He likes to teach me things."
"Like what?"
"Like addi...addit..."
"Addition?" His mother offered.
"Yeah."
"Yes." His father turned around and corrected him as he opened the door.
"Whatever." His wife said lightly.
Kain laughed happily and waved his arms to his father. "Will there be lots of lights?" He'd been caught with the paparazzi once.
Kyoya took him gently, a smug expression on his face as Yuuki straightened her dress. "Yes."
"Do I have to like them?"
"No. But you have to smile."
"Why?"
The man gave his wife the house keys so she could lock the door. Juggling took turns. "Because, as an Ootori you always have to present yourself well."
"Why?"
"Do you like people who frown?"
"No."
"Do you want people to like you?"
"Yes."
"Then smile."
Kain nodded firmly. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay."
Yuuki looked at the gravel of their drive cautiously. She didn't trust her shoes. At all. It reminded her of the time Kyoya had taken her to a ball, just before the Olympics. It didn't feel like long ago at all. Nothing felt like long ago with him. It felt like yesterday.
"You coming?" Kyoya was halfway to the car already.
"Um. Yes."
"Shoes?"
"Shoes." She nodded.
The man put Kain in the car and turned to find her still staring at the drive, a quarter of the way across. He sighed and went to walk with her.
They were halfway to the car when she stumbled on a particularly stubborn set of pebbles. The Ootori caught her by the waist, even though Yuuki had corrected the mistake. Kyoya stared at her...
"What?" Yuuki looked up at him.
"Why do you wear them?"
"Makes it harder to run away."
"Why would you run away?"
"You tell me."
"I won't do that again."
"Neither will I."
"Then why the shoes?"
"Because." Pause. "Their gorgeous." She pouted. They also hurt somewhat. Sit down shoes.
"Is it worth it?" He still had her waist. The car was humming slightly. They had a driver for functions. It wasn't good to arrive from the back.
"Yes." Yuuki smiled. "I'm also taller."
"Do you want to be taller?"
"I've always wanted to be taller."
"Why?"
She kissed him. Without having to stand on her toes. "That's easier."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Will you fall over anyway?"
"Yes."
Kyoya...wrapped a piece of her hair around his finger. One of her dark waves. It was loose for the night. Her dress was navy and gold. Grecian. Elegant. "Let's hope not."
Yuuki stared at him softly. The last few months had been a blur. A good blur, one she would put into slow motion, over and over again. He was hers and he wanted her. An equal treaty. The girl kissed her husband again. Husband. Odd word. It didn't explain enough. It seemed to dull down a relationship to a stereotype.
"No fish tanks." Kyoya said into her ear.
Yuuki shook her head. "Not this time."
"Same hotel though."
"De'ja'vous much?"
"Act your age."
"What is my age?"
"You tell me." She was still nineteen to him. Always.
"Not yet thirty-five." Came the smug reply. She knew age didn't matter at all.
"35 is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained 35 for years."
"Thank you, Lady Bracknell."
Kyoya laughed. She liked The Importance of Being Earnest. "The Olympian and the Gentleman; Behind the scenes."
"Oh gosh." Yuuki put a hand on her face remembering the article. "At least you bought the Merc."
"Yes. But we're not going in it."
"No. You have to have something fancy."
They were going in their other car. A pitch black Jaguar. Brand new. Very shiny. "There's a kids seat."
"Will you be in it?"
Her husband raised an eyebrow.
"No. You need a padded room."
"It's fine." He kissed her forehead as they covered the final stretch to the car.
"It's classy."
Kain was waving his feet, banging them against the booster seat. "Is tonight boring?"
"Not for you darling." Yuuki smiled as she climbed into the car.
"For you?"
"Maybe."
"Why?"
"Because, mommy and daddy can't be mommy and daddy. They have to be Mr and Mrs Ootori."
"Who are they?"
"Exactly." Kyoya said flatly as he climbed into the passenger seat.
Yuuki smiled. "You'll understand when you're older."
"Promise?" Kain held his hand out.
His mother locked her pinkie finger with his. "I promise."
He smiled and gave her an Eskimo kiss.
From a time before the Olympics. From a time before the wedding. From a time just after her revival. Things had turned out so right. Because, they always had been. When they'd accepted that. And each other.
-
I'm getting into you
Because you got to me
In a way words can't describe
I'm getting into you
Because I've got to be
You're essential to survive
I'm going to love you with my life
(Getting into you, Relient K)
-
The arrival of the Ootori's sprouted many a flash of light and many a cry for attention.
After taking Kain to his first function, they had been dubbed the Brangilina of Japan. The early stages of anyway. She always managed to look demure. Him, confident. Their son, their heir, was always smiling. And always sincerely. As if his task was enjoyable. Because his parents said it was right.
"Mr Ootori!" A man yelled above the rest. "What do you have to say to the current health crisis in China?"
The man paused and put a finger to the bridge of his nose in thought. "I would say...that if they call upon us, we will help them."
"And if they don't call?"
"Then we will see how they manage to help themselves. I will not jump into a situation until it is necessary that I do so. It could damage the honor of the nation if we hand out aid dramatically. The situation is being controlled."
"What if it spreads to Japan?"
"Then we are prepared for it."
"Are we?"
Kyoya smiled. "Believe me, we can handle it." They did. And they could. The Ootori group had stockpiled medical supplies in case of another outbreak like the bird-flu. Measures could be taken. And they had.
"Mrs Ootori?" The man had pushed to the front of the line. The pair often didn't talk to the mass of front-media. They went to the back.
The girl smiled nonetheless.
"Your son was premature. Is this benefit for him?"
"This benefit is for the children's hospital. My child is no longer in hospital and has no plans to be there any time soon." She squeezed Kain's hand. He was standing beside her, waiting patiently.
Kyoya nodded at the mass of cameras and they moved on.
The media they would talk to was at the back.
Fashion went straight for Yuuki. "Dear, you look lovely."
"Oh." She blinked. "Thank you."
"Who are you wearing?"
"I'm wearing Lisa Ho."
"Is it hard to prepare with a son?"
"It is when he goes out to play before we leave."
There was a short laugh. "He have antics?"
"Dirty one." Yuuki smiled. "He likes the paddock. He doesn't like his suit."
"He looks sweet in it though."
"I know." The Ootori sent her son a private smile. "But boys will be boys."
"Mr Ootori doesn't seem to mind a suit."
"No. He got used to it." Her husband was talking to a business magazine just beside her.
"Kain?" The interviewer turned to the boy.
The youngest Ootori looked up.
"That's an awful nice tie." The woman beamed.
Kain thanked her.
"Where did you get it?"
"Narnia."
"Narnia?"
Yuuki laughed. "His closet leads to Narnia."
"Really?" The interviewer said in an amused tone.
"Yes." Kain nodded stoutly. "Mommy went and got it for me. I'm not tall enough yet."
"Not tall enough for Narnia?" The woman gasped.
"Not yet." The boy's mother said politely.
Another interviewer turned their attention to Yuuki. "Mrs Ootori, I hear you're writing a book?"
"Yes. I am."
"What's it about?"
"Life." She said simply. "It's just a story about life. And love. From my perspective."
"It's a biography then?"
"No. It's a novel. It isn't my story. But my story has helped describe it."
"What's it called?"
"Gilded Butterflies."
"Why?"
"Why make something more elaborate and beautiful than it is? Life is wonderful simple, we try to make it difficult, but it's not. To see it like that would be to see true beauty."
"To love another person is to see the face of God."
"Exactly." Yuuki smiled.
"When does it come out?"
"Winter."
"Christmas book?"
"It can be whatever book you want it to be." Kyoya had taken her hand; it was time to go inside.
"Have a good time?" He pressed his mouth close to her ear and picked Kain up onto his hip. The media loved the image.
"The wolves had been fed before we came it seems."
"Rose is here."
"Oh. Explains it." Pause. "Why?"
"Her father is now Health Minister of France. He needs to be here as part of the Ootori group."
"The health of France is in Ootori hands?"
Her husband smiled haughtily. "Do you hear the people sing?"
"Singing the song of angry men I imagine." She twisted the lyrics.
"They bought us."
"And got dominated." Yuuki laughed lightly.
"Well. They should have looked at our history."
"They should have."
"They have control of it."
"What do you control?"
"Their funds."
"AKA, all of it." Yuuki paused in an amused manner, her expression expectant.
"Of course." Kyoya said. Nothing less would do.
At that instant, a woman with short, dark hair and bright red lipstick burst through the crowd and smiled at them. "My old friends!" She looked like Natalie Portman crossed with Megan Fox.
Yuuki did a private double take. "Rose?"
"Yes." She paused. "I don't dye my hair anymore. I don't drink to get drunk. Although, I do get drunk sometimes..." Progress was progress. "...And, I'm engaged." She held up her left hand. The diamond was the size of South Africa.
"Congratulations." Yuuki hugged her lightly.
"I wanted to call you when I heard about your son. But I didn't know if you would want me to. Considering the circumstances."
"What circumstances?" The girl smiled. She'd forgiven them both. Not forgotten, it had happened. But she could move on. If she could, they could.
Rose breathed. "I was so scared you hated me. Even though you helped me that night."
"No. Rose. It's okay."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Kyoya was talking to Kain in the background. Keeping his distance from the woman. The boy was asking questions. Again. This time about why there were so many people. Where were the children? Why couldn't he go with them? Why was it a grown-ups party?
"Is that your son?" Rose said softly.
"Yes. That's my son." Yuuki turned proudly. "Want to meet him?"
"Of course."
Kyoya heard the request and changed his demeanour from father to associate. "Rose."
"Hello." She smiled. "And hello." The woman turned her attention to Kain.
The boy stared at his mother. She nodded at him and he smiled at Rose. "Pleased to meet you."
"Oh. That's adorable."
Yuuki looked around for a moment, searching for the woman she knew she had to talk to that evening. For the company's benefit.
"I have one too." Rose said suddenly.
"Really?" The Ootori turned her attention back.
"Yes. To my fiancé. That's not why we're getting married though." She covered. "A little boy. Jacques. He's two."
"That's lovely." Yuuki said sincerely.
"Mm. How did you get your body back? You were in a magazine in Paris a few months after the birth and I said to myself 'there's a women who hasn't had a baby'."
The Ootori's smile reached her eyes. "I had a caesarean. And I did the whole Pilates, treadmill thing."
"You had a caesarean?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because, I wasn't well."
"Lucky you. Maybe that's why it was easier for you to lose the weight."
"I couldn't tell you'd had a child."
"Really? Thank you." Rose beamed.
Yuuki laughed. Kyoya caught her eye. Kain needed to go.
The girl turned to Rose. "Is your son in the children's program for tonight?"
"Of course. Only the best."
"Okay. I need to give mine over for a bit." Yuuki took Kain's hand as he balanced on her husband. "Ready to go?"
He shook his head.
"I'll miss you." She smiled crookedly at him.
"I'll miss you too." Kain said sweetly. He didn't want to go. But his parents didn't want him to either.
"You know why you have to go?"
"Yes. Because mom and dad have to be Mr and Mrs Ootori."
His mother's expression became cheerless. "Sorry."
"It's okay." The boy nodded.
Kyoya smiled at his son. "Good boy. Love you." He said sincerely.
"Love you too." Kain petted his father's shoulder.
The man turned to his wife. "You or me?"
"Um. Where is it?"
"Me then." He said smugly.
"Hey. I didn't..."
"I know."
"Right. Well, I'll be with Rose." Yuuki was friends with the woman. Even if her husband and Rose were on less than smooth ground with each other. Healed, but rocky.
"I know." His tone was sarcastic.
Yuuki raised a humoured eyebrow. "I thought we were having a state-the-obvious contest."
"So did I." Kyoya shot back flippantly. He was okay with her being with the other woman.
"Whatever." She kissed him nonchalantly and turned to her son. "I'll see you later, okay?" She pressed her lips to Kain's forehead and fixed his tie. Media or no media, a mother couldn't not love her child.
"Okay. Bye mama."
"Bye baby." She waved lightly as her husband disappeared through the throng of people.
"You think I could ever be like that?" Rose said, leaning casually on one leg.
"Sure." Yuuki ran her finger across the back of her wedding band. "I think everyone could."
"Really?"
"Of course. You can make it work like that."
"How?"
"Respect. Acceptance."
"I didn't respect your husband. That wasn't very fair of me."
"No. But he didn't respect you. That wasn't very fair of him either." The topic still gave Yuuki the chills. Even though she and Kyoya had been apart at the time. He had always been hers. Since before they'd met. "I think that you can make it work if you're willing to work." Pause. "Where is your fiancé?"
"He's in Paris. Working."
"What does he do?"
"He runs a software company."
Yuuki smiled. Rich. "He's good to you?"
"Oh. Very."
"He loves you?"
"He says so."
"Does he love you without saying so?"
Rose paused. "Yes."
"Do you love him?"
Another pause. "Yes."
"Than you can be like Kyoya and I."
"Really?"
"Of course. Give him everything and you will get the world."
"That doesn't make sense."
Yuuki lifted the hem of her dress slightly so she could start moving again without tripping, her expression easy. "It's not supposed to."
-
If I had my own world; I'd build you an empire.
(Angels and Airwaves, 2008)
-
The function went as planned. Speeches were made. Donations were made. Things were bought. Doctors told statistics. They were praised. Dinner ended.
The party slowly made their way to a giant ball room for after dinner socialising and dancing.
Rose decided she would dance with Kyoya. No matter what. First dance. First song.
"Hey there." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Dance with me."
"Rose, that's not a good idea."
"Oh. Come on. I'm sober. I'm engaged. I'm not attracted to you." Pause. "Okay. Maybe a little."
"No." The man peeled her off politely. "You know perfectly well why that's not a good idea. The media would love it too."
"Would you love it?"
"I want to dance with my wife."
"Is that all?"
"Its more than enough."
"Is she a good dancer?"
Kyoya paused as if remembering something. "No."
Rose laughed. "Well, do me a favour and give me a final dance."
"Why?"
"Because. I can move on knowing that it's okay between us."
"It's okay between us."
"Yuuki taught me tonight that words are just words, you have to show the person."
"She did, did she?" Kyoya glanced over Rose. His wife was standing, talking to a group of women wearing pastels. She smiled and waved lightly at him.
"She did."
"Did she say she was okay with you and I being close?"
"She didn't have to." Rose looked him in the eye. "She knows nothing happened." She breathed. "It was nothing, Kyoya. I know that. I think you do to. You needed something to rectify yourself and I needed something to prove myself. We were both wrong."
"We were."
"Then, let's make it right."
Kyoya sighed and pushed his glasses up. Yuuki caught his eye for a second. In that moment, he understood that it was alright. It was alright to make mistakes and have them forgiven. It was natural not to forget. It was possible to move on and learn. "One dance."
"Really?" The woman seemed truly surprised. And honoured at the same time. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"I'm sorry, Kyoya." For using him.
"I know. I am too."
"I know."
The song was faster. A mid-beat. There was nothing personal about it. It was just dancing. Just two people; who had only ever been two people. Despite what had happened. And that was it for them. To taste the bitterness of a mistake, to be tainted with sin, and brush one's teeth.
Yuuki watched slightly from the sidelines. Her attention was predominantly on the conversation, but it was needed with her husband. Not because she didn't trust him, but because she didn't know how he would be without her reassurance on the matter. Even though she'd forgiven him and moved on, it was something he carried silently. His scar from when she flew away.
As the song wound down, Yuuki took her leave of the gaggle of pastels and found her husband. She tapped Rose on the shoulder. "Can I cut in?"
The woman nodded. She didn't speak. Which was odd for her. She'd shifted somewhere inside. Understood something. Something Yuuki would never understand because she was not her. Because it was not for her to understand.
"Thank you." The Ootori said lowly as Rose thanked Kyoya.
The French woman smiled lightly. "No, thank you."
Yuuki nodded lightly and watched her leave.
"You were cutting in, remember?" Came a supercilious voice.
"Oh. Yes." The girl shook her head and smiled happily. "Sorry."
"Penny for your thoughts?" Kyoya said, taking her hand and pulling her against him.
"A whole penny!?" Yuuki gasped playfully. "Then I can't pass on the offer."
Her husband laughed lowly. "Then don't."
"I was thinking that it's funny how things work out."
"What things?"
"You and Rose. You can't pretend something like that didn't happen. And you can't live without that grievances inside, the reminder. But you can move on. It's about time you moved on."
"Hm. Dr Phil."
"Well. I do my best."
Kyoya glanced over her head. "Having fun?"
"I am now." The music was slow. Gentle. Pause. "Do you think Kain's okay?"
Her husband smiled slightly. "I think he's fine."
"Okay." Yuuki let her head fall gently on his shoulder.
"It's only the second dance."
"Are you complaining?"
Pause. "No."
The girl smiled slightly. "Did you know that the McGill's are planning to extend the Ootori group in London?"
"Really?"
"Mmmhmm. They will keep it a McGill Health Centre, but they'll do it with your funds."
"Oh really?" Rhetorical question. They would do no such thing.
"Uhuh. I told the wife not to tell too many people. She asked why. I told her it was quite impossible with the structure of the Ootori Group."
"Good girl." Kyoya kissed the top of her head. "And she said?"
"She said 'oh bother'. Or something like that. She'd tell her husband...that maybe you two could talk." Functions were not just social or political events, they were reconnosaince missions.
"Oh, we'll talk." Pause. "We'll have a long discussion."
"You can't fire him."
"No. But I can come close to it."
"Enough for him to feel the heat?"
"And never get close to it again."
Yuuki laughed softly. "No more business."
"Okay." He squeezed her hand. "No more business."
The girl loved how she could get him to do that. Drop a topic. Drop work. He might be the dominant member of their relationship, the male side; but that did not mean she was secondary. Of course, he wasn't about to stop work for her and she wasn't going to stop riding because he said so. They were their own person. Just within the other. Individuals with an individual bond. It was about acceptance and respect. Not dominance and submissiveness. "Mm. Kyoya?"
"Yes?"
"Is Kain going to Ouran?"
"Our Ouran?"
She smiled. Their Ouran. "Yes."
"Well. Do you want him too?"
"Is it what's best for him?"
"We're not moving and it's the best in the area. So yes."
"Is he going to be a host? Kenji is at Ouran..."
Pause. Awkward pause. Dreading pause. "I forbid it."
"You forbid it?" Yuuki looked up at him. "You hypocrite." She added good-naturedly.
Her husband let a happy ghost flit through his expression. "I was in the Host Club to prove something to my father. He has nothing to prove."
"You were also in it because you enjoyed it. The work, the happy smiles, Tamaki..."
Kyoya went to object.
Yuuki spoke over him. "Don't. I think we both know it's true."
He frowned but didn't say anything more on the topic. Across the room, Rose was talking to a group of women. She was completely open with them. They were not with her. She was the girl who had a child before she was married. The one who got drunk at the Black and White ball. She was taboo.
But she wasn't. The upper classes might think that having a child out of wedlock is the worst thing one can do; but that's to them. To Rose, it was a blessing. She had a little boy who loved her as much as she loved him. And a finance who had stuck around to love them both. She made her mistakes and learnt. And was still learning. She was Rose. She was beautiful, talented and exuberant. Everything that society said should be loved. But she had been lost. And would be to the world until they found her as her. As the person with choices and outcomes. And a life.
"You're right." Kyoya said, holding Yuuki steadily by the waist. "It's funny how life turns out."
"It is.""
"Though, funny is not the word I would have used."
"What would you have used?"
"Inimitable."
"Each to their own."
The man thought a moment and smiled smugly. "Does that mean you are my own?"
Yuuki frowned. "To a certain extent."
"To what extent?"
"To..." Pause. "The full length."
"I thought so."
"Well...I only know because that's what it's like for you." She grinned.
Kyoya didn't like the term 'owned'. That didn't work. She was not an accessory. And he was not an object. "Hm."
"Hm indeed." His wife laughed sweetly.
"Oh my gosh. This song." Yuuki dropped her forehead in a play of dismay as the music changed.
"What?"
"Overplayed."
"You want to stop dancing?"
"No." She replied stubbornly. "Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone..." She mocked slightly. Yuuki did like Taylor Swift. To a certain extent. She did not like continuous repeats.
"Was that a insinuation?"
"I'll insinuation your face." She had no idea what it meant.
"Hint."
"Oh. Right." Pause. "That did sound a little suspect, didn't it?"
"Mm."
"Listen. Slow music."
"You're powers of observation never cease to amaze me."
The beat instantly picked up. "I love you and that's all I really know." Yuuki said it in an amused manner. But she meant it in another.
Kyoya kissed her in public. Other couples smiled slightly at their youth. But they were not youth. They were nothing to time. They just were. And that's why the smiles turned sweet. They'd seen what people strived for, but got lost on their way to it. Distracted. Unbalanced.
They hadn't.
-
Kain was fast asleep when the couple got home. Yuuki woke him up to a conscious state so she could put him in his pyjamas. Her son's sleeping clothes were the coolest. The girl had a fetish for the children's section. They got the greatest clothing. Kain had a pair of grandpa pants, pinstriped with navy and white. His shirt had a sailor's collar printed into the plain cut and an anchor in the bottom corner. He looked like a mascot for the Navy.
The boy grumbled as his mother tucked him in.
"I know baby. It's late. Sleep okay?"
"Ma?" Came the sleepy voice.
"Mm?"
"What time is it?"
She smiled. "You beat your old record. It's eleven thirty." They'd left early to get their child home.
"Really?"
"Yes baby. But go to sleep. You'll have an early night tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good boy." She kissed his forehead and let him drift off.
Yuuki slipped into the hallway, her shoes lay dejected by the front door. The remnants of a party. A sign of a good time. Upstairs though, Kyoya's shoes were happily set in their place in the closet. His jacket was neatly on the chair. A maid would come and fetch it the next day and take it to dry cleaning. She would take Yuuki's dress; if the girl remembered to put it where it was supposed to go.
"You know, that's depressing."
"What?" Kyoya was undoing his tie.
"You're so...ordered."
"You're so spontaneous."
"Who gets more done?"
"Well...that depends." He knew what she meant though. "We're different. Do not envy thy neighbour."
"Do not quote the commandments unto me." Came the stubborn reply from the wardrobe.
The man laughed. "Is Kain asleep?"
"Like you at four in the morning."
"That far gone?"
"Further, if it's possible."
"It's not. But I understand what you mean."
Yuuki smiled and pulled a sweater over her head. "Black?"
"No." Kyoya replied flatly.
His wife stared at the clothes. "Red?"
Sigh. "Do I have a choice?"
"Not really." Yuuki appeared in a maroon sweater after having pulled the black one off.
Her husband shook his head. She just smiled deviously and put her dress over his jacket.
The girl went to the dresser and picked up a brush and ran it through her hair. "Will I ever go grey?"
"Bit early to be thinking about it."
"Is it?"
Pause. "You will if you don't dye your hair."
"Do you want me to dye it when it inevitably happens then? She looked at him in the mirror.
"No." Kyoya pushed his glasses up slightly. "You can't get your colour out of a bottle."
"We're going to get old, Kyoya. Not...us. But our bodies."
"Yuuki, you're still in the prime of your life."
"I know..but. It's scary."
"Scary?"
"Well...sort of. Think about it. I won't look like this forever."
"You will to me."
Yuuki looked at him. It was true for her too. He would always look as he did in that moment. Young and healthy and in love. Always in love. The girl smiled demurely. "Me thinks...you're right."
"I think that was very grammatically incorrect of you."
"Yeah..."
"Yes."
"Whatever." Pause. "We can't stop time, but we can enjoy it."
"It's impossible not to."
"Whoever said nothing was impossible obviously never tried to slam a revolving door."
Amused pause. "Personal experience?"
"Yes..." Her expression was whimsical for a moment. "But, what you say is impossible, is."
"I know."
"Of course you do. Like I said; ageless."
"Believe yourself then."
"I believe you."
"And I told you that you were ageless. Believe me."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
She glanced at her hands. To him, their skin would always be smooth. To her, his would always be too. That's what true love was. Accepting age and doing it together. But never ageing to the other, or to one's self. Not in their world. Not that of the world. Their place was eternal. It had no time. No end. No beginning. It just was. "Yeah."
"Ye..."
"Whatever." Yuuki said sharply, affably, laughing. Like a bell on Christmas morning.
Kyoya's lips played upwards. They had a way of discussing something that worried the other and then turning it into something that was more than a worry. It became a riddle to work out. Something that was more than a task, something deeper.
Yuuki finished untangling her hair and set the brush down. She crossed the room to her husband and slid her arms under his from behind. He'd just turned to set his glasses on the bedside table and smiled when he felt her kiss the back of his neck. Her gift. Her blessing. Her life. So warm and welcome and timeless. Unending. Ceaseless.
He turned around and captured her in his arms. And didn't let go. Like secrets, love was the hardest thing to keep from her. And both he wanted her to know. Which is what making love was. Their secrets. Them. Not a single person. But a single entity. For
-
You are the reason that I breathe
You are the reason that I still believe
You are my destiny
Catch me, catch me, catch me, come and catch me,
I know you can save me, come and save me,
I need you now.
I am yours forever, yes, forever,
I will follow anywhere in anyway,
Never gonna let go.
I can feel you
Rushing through my veins,
There's an notion in my heart,
I will never be the same.
You are the reason that I breathe
You are the reason that I still believe
You are my destiny
(Jai Ho (my destiny), Pussy Cat Dolls)
-
Kain's first day of school was a melancholy occasion. Yuuki came in from her ride that morning and sat on the end of the bed. Her son hadn't woken up yet. Kyoya had told him about school, and he'd gotten so excited that he'd gone to bed in his uniform and promised to get as much sleep as possible to be amazing for his first day.
There was a mumble from the top of the bed.
The girl petted her husband's foot. "You too."
"Did you fall?"
"No."
"Okay."
Silence.
"Kyoya?"
Mumble.
"Does he have to go to school?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?"
"Can't you teach him?"
"I have to go to work."
"Where do I go?" Pause. "Take a sick day."
"For the rest of the year?"
"Yes. And the year after that."
Kyoya's head appeared above the covers. "What time is it?"
"Its six thirty."
He groaned and pulled the covers back up.
Yuuki laughed softly and took her riding jacket off. "I don't want him to go to school. I won't have him. I won't have you. I'll get to sit at home all day. And talk to Suki. And Haruhi."
"And write."
"And...write." The girl ran a hand through her hair. "I can't write. I finished writing. It's gone." She'd sent it the day before. "What in the world am I supposed to do? I can't go back to normal life."
"Do you want to?"
Thoughtful pause. "No. I liked that life. But I can't go back to it. It was good for the time."
"Okay."
Silence.
"Yuuki?"
"Mm?"
"You can do some things the same. This isn't the end of everything you knew. Just like having Kain didn't end your life. It was basically the same. With minor adjustments."
Yuuki smiled slightly and folded the covers back so his feet were sticking out before heading to the shower. The weather loved bare skin. It was getting cold again. Before she closed the door, Yuuki heard her husband make a noise of frustration. He was fine though when she crawled back beside him.
"No objections?"
"Do that again and I will..."
"What? Press your toes against me? You forget that my feet don't reach that far. You lose. Being short rocks in winter."
Mumble. He pulled her closer. She was warm. She was also the only Ootori who was good at waking up in the morning.
Yuuki hugged her husband. Her son was going to go to school. He was growing up. Just like she'd grown up. It was inevitable. When mothers said that their sons would always be their little boy, they did mean it. Kain would always be her little boy. Always. No matter how old he got. Just like how she would always be the Yuuki Kyoya had met, and he would be the man who tried to lease her horse. The one she'd eventually fallen in love with. Joyously in love with. Like her son.
There was a curt knock at the door before it flew open. Kain flew into the room and jumped on the couple.
"Mom! Dad! We're going to be late! Let's go!"
Kyoya grabbed his son under the arms and pulled him down between himself and Yuuki. He was still half asleep, so it was like watching a zombie rise from the grave and lay back down again with its victim.
"No!" Their son wriggled. "We're going to be late."
His mother waited until he stopped writing. "Shh. Kain, school starts at eight-thirty. What time is it now?"
"Its seven. And you have to get up and eat and pack your bag and drive..."
"Mommy and daddy went to Ouran. We know how long it takes to get ready. We've done it before."
Kain stared. "You went to Ouran?"
"Yes. We both went to Ouran."
"Is it good?"
Kyoya blinked hard and put his glasses on. "Would we send you somewhere that wasn't good?"
"No..." He was like his mother in mannerisms, like his father in complete action. The thought pattern was somewhere in the middle. Which was a dangerous thing.
"Kenji will be there today as well. Will you sit with him?" Yuuki propped herself onto her elbow.
"Am I allowed to?" As excited as Kain was about school, he was scared as well.
"Yes. Kenji is your friend."
"But he's older."
"So? Dad's older than me and I'm his friend."
"That doesn't count."
"Why?" Yuuki glanced at her husband as he leant against the headboard. He was pushing his glasses higher and trying to wake up at the same time. It was a little uncoordinated. Slightly amusing.
"Because." Their son pouted. "You're married."
"So?"
Pause.
Kyoya shook his head, slightly frustrated. "I had friends who were older and younger than I was."
"Really?" Kain was always awed at his father.
"Really." The man smiled at him.
Pause. "Dad?"
"Mm?"
"What will mom do when I'm not here and you're not here? Can she look after herself?"
Yuuki laughed. "Mom's going to be fine."
"Really?"
"I'll miss you." She sat up and pulled him onto her lap. The girl brushed his hair out of his eyes. Onyx eyes. Like his dad's. "And I'll come get you at one."
"Okay." He did what his mother did when she was nervous. He diverted the attention away.
"Okay?"
"Yes." The boy beamed. "Will I be smart enough?"
"You're plenty smart enough." She kissed him on the nose. "Dad and I taught you everything you need to know."
"And probably more." Kyoya said smugly as he swung his legs off the side of the bed. He turned lethargically and petted his son's head. "You're my son."
Kain beamed even brighter. He was proud he was an Ootori.
Yuuki bounced him lightly. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" She knew the teachers would ask.
"A CAR!" Her son exclaimed happily.
"A car?" Pause. "Why a car?"
"Because, I can go fast."
"You have to drink petrol."
"What's that?"
"Its what cars drink when their hungry."
"Is it yummy?"
"It looks like the medicine you had to take when you were littler. Remember?"
Kain pulled a face and shook his head. "I don't want to be a car."
"Well. What was your second choice?"
"I want to be just like dad."
"Really?"
He nodded. "I want to drive and carry a briefcase and tell people what to do."
Yuuki laughed. "Sounds good to me. You want to be the heir?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
"THIS MUCH!" Kain stretched his arms as wide as he could.
"How much do you want to be a car?"
After the petrol realisation, the distance between his fingertips dropped slightly. "This much."
"Sure?"
They dropped a little more.
"Better." Yuuki kissed his forehead and set her feet on the floor. "What do you want for breakfast?"
"Pancakes."
"What do you want for breakfast that mommy can make?" Motherhood did not make her a cook. It just made sure the cook was hired for more days.
"Cereal?" He tested.
"Mommy can make that." She smiled and set him on the ground. "Want to go get everything ready?"
Kain nodded and rushed off.
Yuuki went to find her husband in the walk in robe. She leant on the door frame and pouted.
Kyoya turned around. "Mile-stones."
"I wish they were mete-stones."
He smiled. "Maternal feelings?"
"Maternal feelings." She walked close to him and leant her weight against his chest. Her arms stubbornly across her chest. "Life keeps going on when I want it to stay still."
"Life keeps moving because it knows that you'll miss out if it stays still."
"But I like it."
"You'll like the future even better."
"Which one?"
"The future of us."
Yuuki smiled. Eternity began before they did. They began before they did. "I like that."
"Darling. You have to go to the publishers today and design a book cover."
"Really?"
He waved his phone as he slid it into his pocket. It was difficult with her leaning on him, but the effect managed to be conveyed.
"You have a planner?"
"Yes."
"Mine's a little diary thing with pages sticking out all over the place."
"And it's very you."
"It's messy."
"But ordered."
"Yay for successful clutter."
"What are you wearing?"
"Track pants and a t-shirt."
"No. I meant today."
"Oh. Right." Yuuki sniffed and stood up straight. "I'm taking my kid to school. What do I wear? Stepford or Wisteria?"
Kyoya smiled and stepped back so he could finish the job she had interrupted. Buttoning one's shirt.
"I'm going...Tiffany." Yuuki grabbed a sky blue long sleeved shirt with a pale blue chiffon overlay. She paused a moment and grabbed a white skirt. Then realised she'd need a jacket.
Her husband reached past her and handed her a cream one.
"Ah." She took it from him. "I forgot I had this."
"Is that because you have another just like it?"
"Probably."
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm a girl." She defended herself, pulling her shirt over her head. "I have rights."
"To my credit card."
"It was mine."
"Really?" His tone was light.
"Joint account." Yuuki handed him a tie and grabbed herself a pair shoes for herself at the same time.
"Mm."
Pause. "He's going to school...."
Kyoya grabbed her hand to stop his wife breaking the zip on her skirt. "He's growing up."
"Does that make you sad?"
"No. That makes me happy. It means we're doing it right."
She stared and shrugged nonchalantly. "But..." Yuuki pulled the offending fabric out of the way of the zip and did it up.
"Uhuh."
"I'll miss you both."
"You can come visit me."
"But you're not Kain." She said obdurately.
"No. But Kain is half of me."
Yuuki pulled her shoes on, balancing with a hand on his shoulder. "Can I just keep you both at home?"
"We're always with you."
"Generic." Pause. "He's going to school. To school. Kain, my son, is..."
"Going to school." Kyoya finished. "I know. I know it's dreadfully exciting and devastating, but try to focus on the former."
"I'm trying." She wined lightly.
"Let's just hope he has my wit with his friends. Not yours." Kyoya said with a haughty smile as he walked through their room.
"What does that mean?" Yuuki followed curiously.
"Do we want him to find the love of his life on the first day?"
"No...I don't want him to love anyone else." She said stubbornly. "Wait...why..."
"Because, she's the only one who would ever understand him."
"Oh." Pause. "Hey!" She cried playfully as her husband descended the stairs. "That's harsh."
"Not from me it's not." He was the one who understood her. "Come feed your son."
An hour later they were standing in a throng of other parents. Yuuki held her son's hand tightly until it was time for him to go to his very first formal class.
Kyoya knelt in front of Kain. "Who are you?"
"An Ootori." He said honourably. Proudly.
"And that means?"
"If anyone is mean to me, I can call dad."
"Good boy." The man kissed his son on the head.
Yuuki scowled at him. They would talk about that. "Kain, no one is going to be mean to you. You just do your best, okay? We're proud of you."
He nodded.
"You excited?"
Nodding.
"Scared?"
Nodding.
"Miss me?" Yuuki held her arms out.
The little boy flung himself into them. "Bye mama. I'll be good. You'll come get me at one?"
"Promise, baby." She pressed the tip of his nose with her forefinger.
"Dad?"
"I'll be here." Work or his son's first day. When he was at Ouran, it was an easy decision. Work before humans. But he'd become human. And the roles were reversed.
The parents watched as their son ran with his oversized schoolbag and disappeared into a classroom. Kyoya pulled Yuuki into his side and they stood and stared for a melancholy moment.
A few minutes later, they were wandering the old corridors.
They visited the third music room and stood in the middle. It was empty. But not forgotten. It was almost as if the tables and couches would reappear and Tamaki would bounce around delighting young women. It was as if it was about to happen in a few minutes. Nothing had been left behind. It was all with them.
They then went to the balcony beside the Great Hall. The one that had been covered in snow. The one they'd begun to fall on. The one they'd broken on.
"Remember this?" Yuuki said, staring over the garden below.
"I don't think I'll ever forget."
"Last time we were here...I'm sorry."
"I am too."
The girl turned to him. "I don't care that I'm not sixteen anymore. I don't care. It's the same. We were always the same, weren't we? Right from the beginning."
"Of course."
"That was rhetorical. You're ruining my little moment here."
"Sorry."
Pause. "No. It's gone." She frowned.
Her husband slid his hands around her waist and stood behind her as they stood. Just stood. And remembered.
"Do you remember what I told you?"
"When?" Yuuki turned her head slightly to him.
"The night you left."
"I remember quite vividly what I told you."
Kyoya closed his eyes in the dark. "I don't hate you. Quite the opposite. Yuuki, I never expected to fall in love with you, but I did."
He had taken his walls down again. Ripped himself open to her in a way that couldn't be an act. The part of their relationship that couldn't have been manipulated for capitalist merit.
"I don't want anyone else to kiss you. I don't want anyone else to hold you. I don't want you to love anyone else. I'm scared because, I don't want anyone to take my place."
Yuuki twisted around to face him. "No one's ever going to take your place."
Kyoya pressed his forehead against the top of her head. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. But I'm glad it did."
"Me too."
No one means to fall in love. It just happens. Anyone who goes out with the expectation of falling in love won't find what Yuuki and Kyoya found. It was unexpected. And so perfect. Two lost souls, not knowing they were so until they found each other and found themselves.
The man slid his fingers below her chin and lifted her face to his.
Kyoya traced his thumb in a line across the front of her throat before settling just below her jaw where the other fingers rested below. She exhaled and felt her own breath wash of Kyoya's face and mix with his before rushing back against her. His mouth lingered just above hers. Kyoya ran his nose down the side of her own and held her ever so slightly tighter. Yuuki closed her eyes; a whole colony of butterflies had hatched in her stomach.
Kyoya kissed her. It was soft, lingering and sweet. His fingers moved slightly behind her neck as he pulled himself to linger above her, just as he had moments before. Yuuki opened her eyes and found herself staring into Kyoya's, neither of them broke the gaze. She could still feel him breathing on her, the warmth spilling from her face and dripping down her neck.
He smelled like peppermints.
Yuuki extended her neck the short distance and pressed her lips to his once again. Kyoya felt her relax against him.
She smelled like white rose and sandalwood.
Soon their story would open a new chapter.
And it would be lived to its fullest. It would be beautiful. Perpetual. Endless. Captivating. Them.
And then it would end.
And another would begin.
And they would continue to exist into eternity.
Each moment as exciting as the one before. Just different. It maintained the same frequency of love. It maintained the same perception of beauty. To love another and see them as them because they see you for you. To love imperfections because they are the cause of perfection.
Their life was starting school. Starting where they had begun. Starting where they had found the threads of life they didn't know existed; that existed solely for the other. Starting where they had found themselves and known that there would be no other.
Soon they would tell him their story.
---------
Soon. One more chapter. One more.
Please let me know what you thought.
Your opinion is much appreciated. And needed at times.
Thank you so much for reading.
Blessings,
-pp