Author's note :

Hello everyone !

Thanks to all the people who have taken the time to read, favorite or follow this work, I appreciate you lot !

Now onto business, time's up for these two lovebirds ! You want action, I want action, THEY want action and thou shall get it ! I love for people to pine and for drama to unfold, I also want love to be beautifully uncomplicated, as it should be. I hope you'll bear with them and with me as they take a few more steps in their shared journey.

Thank you again, please leave a review. See you soon ;)

Chapter 6 - From Blue to Purple

1 month later

Mitsuri Kanroji sighed as she looked at her laptop. She had not been taking notes for at least five minutes now, courtesy of her brain bombarding her with thoughts that she definitely did not want to think about. She glanced up at her teacher, who was going on and on about some notion she had already studied before - thus her lack of interest leaving the door open for unwanted thoughts to take over her brain.

She tried to take a few notes, went back to staring at the window, then back to her computer screen and back at the teacher again. The cycle went on for the rest of the hour without her having made any progress on her classes' notes whatsoever.

The teacher was telling them what they had to study and prepare for the next class, but Mitsuri wasn't even listening. She gathered her things and left without a backward glance. Uh. Guess I'm just in a bad mood today.

But it wasn't just this day, and Mitsuri knew it. She had been going through a rough patch for the past month, with her moods swinging from one day to the next, her focus shifting out of her studies and her nights spent tossing and turning in her bed.

She could pinpoint the exact moment this had started and could make a rather accurate guess as to the reasons she was in that state in the first place. But she wasn't ready to face any of it. Blessed was the escape mechanisms she had put in place inside of her head that allowed her to act like she wasn't experiencing major struggles on her day-to-day basis.

It didn't matter that oftentimes at night, when she was alone and the world was dark, she'd lie down and pray for her brain to just quiet down. Most of the times, it didn't. And most of her nights were then spent in turmoil. Therefore, most of her days passed in a blur lately, she didn't feel equipped to deal with other people, hence her avoiding them altogether.

Mitsuri aimlessly walked down a corridor, she didn't have class for another few hours, she had made internal plans about how she'd find a quiet room and sit down for another depressing lunch on her own. Which was really tragic because she only ever had herself to blame for the situation in which she found herself in. She had managed to make friends with a number of people ever since she had gotten here, and even more when she had gone to the party at Sanemi's.

She just didn't know how to reach out to other people, she wasn't conditioned to be a good friend, she had never had many when growing up. Kyôjurô had been the exception at some point when she was younger, but even that had lasted about a year or two before she had moved to another house, to another city where she didn't know anyone. And then began the cycle again.

However, in this particular instance, she truly could only blame herself. It wasn't her parents' fault if she found social interactions to be the hardest skill to master when on her own. She couldn't blame them for what she was now failing to do, what she had desperately tried to do ever since she had gotten here : to fit in. No, this was all her doing, and now that she had started digging that gruesome hole, she very much struggled to climb back out of it.

Mitsuri kept walking, hoping to find refuge in a nearby room where she would sit and wallow in the misery of her own making. Urgh. Why am I like this ?

She bumped shoulders with someone along the way, uttered a small apology and immediately resumed her path, she was not ready to interact with anybody this day.

"Er.. It's you Mitsuri, right ?" she registered the words only much too late, when her back was turned to the person she had sidestepped and when she had been so close to just run away. She turned around.

"Oh. Sanemi." She stared dumbfounded at the guy, her annoyance melting away like ice under a blazing sun. Mitsuri had not been expecting to cross path with him anytime soon. After all, she didn't even know what kind of studies he was doing, stupid me for not even asking the most basic questions.

For some reason, his presence and the way he had stopped her on her walk of self-pity hadn't pushed her over the edge. Although the guy looked anything but inviting - his stance was straight, his eyes were cool and his all demeanor looked coiled and rather menacing towards normal people - she could find no reason in her mind as to why she should avoid him. Mitsuri only remembered how nice he had been to her at that party, how he had seemed to care deeply for the few friends he had, how soft his gaze had turned upon looking at Shinobu's older sister - whom she hadn't met yet, but the resemblance between the two sisters was kind of astounding.

Overall, he reminded her of herself in a way, only wilder, and maybe even angrier. But he wasn't angry at her, or at any of his friends, only at life in general, it seemed. It was only fitting, she was angry at life most of the time, too. Lately even more than in general.

"Whatcha' doing ?" Sanemi only asked. He was alone in that hallway as well, probably because he had gotten out of class around the same time as her.

"Oh, erhm.. Nothing really, I was going to look for a place to sit and eat lunch, actually." Somehow, she didn't even feel embarrassed, she had a feeling he was perfectly able to understand the sentiment of roaming around on one's own.

"Alright," he looked a little self-conscious now, "You don't have to say yes if you feel like staying on your own, but I was about to meet with the group and have lunch outside on the lawn. While it's still sunny and not so cold, ya know. You could join us ?"

Mitsuri stood there for a few seconds, unmoving. She felt seen, he had only needed a glimpse of her alone in that godforsaken building to make a rather accurate assumption about what she was about to do… Stay alone. And probably about what she was feeling as well. Her face was literally and open book, that she knew. Only one look in the mirror lately was enough for her to feel utter shame and disgust at herself : dark rings under her eyes from the lack of sleep, a paler constitution than ever, and an overall tired face and body that she had to drag around all day long.

Fuck it, she just thought. She had come here on her own, she had braved so many things just to get out of not only one, but two extremely toxic households and environment. She was supposed to be thriving here, definitely not wasting away like the pitiful thing that she currently was. She had to take back control on her nightmarish moods and face the world and everything it threw at her day after day after day.

"Oh and…" Sanemi looked in thought for a brief moment, wondering about what he was about to say, his face took on a determined expression as he stared at her, "Obanai will be there, too."

Mitsuri eyes flew to him just as her heart slammed in her ribcage. Blood rushed to every corner of her body, and she blushed profusely. There it is. There was no other reaction possible for her each and every time she heard his name, each and every time the mere thought of him crossed her mind.

Her heart was beating so loudly in her body that she was sure he'd hear it, and Sanemi, being the keen observer, would immediately guess the feelings that she had kept so close to herself for the past month.

Was it even possible to reverse fall in love with someone ? Because Mitsuri was not sure how much longer her heart and body would be able to take on the overload of feelings and sensations that came every time she thought of Obanai Iguro. And now she remembered that fateful night, when her whole body and soul had screamed for him, had yearned so powerfully for him to take everything from her and consume her until there was nothing left.

There it is, again. The reason why she had panicked that very same night. The reason why she hadn't been able to have a good night's sleep ever since. The reason she walked alone between every class, hoping - praying - to be left that way. Because Obanai Iguro was so very dangerous to her. He alone threatened to take down everything she had ever built for herself, without even knowing, without even caring, for all that she knew.

One entire month spent battling with herself, when every night she would grab her phone and her fingers would hover over the keyboard, wanting nothing more than to send him a text message. And say what ? The hell if she knew. Still, she wanted to talk to him so badly, she wanted to see him even more, and the thought of him holding her close, like he had done that one time, was slowly driving her to complete and utter madness.

Which was why she hadn't texted him… And he hadn't texted her, either. The longer that time passed without them interacting with each other, the more the idea that this whirlwind of feelings she had for him settled in her mind as being one-sided. Her heart did a painful squeeze on the heels of that particularly dark feeling.

It's ok, she tried to internally comfort herself, there isn't much to love here, after all.

She only had to forget everything about him and the way he made her feel. Impossible. Everything about him was branded in her heart and soul now and forever, probably.

She could still feel it all. When he had taken her hand in his and it had felt so natural, when he had walked alongside her up to that magical spot on the hill, when he had shared it with her, the only soul he had ever taken there - she so wanted to believe that.

Sometimes, at night, she swore she could feel his arms encircling her again, the warmth of his body spreading to her own, the magnetic pull of his gaze every time it landed on her, promising a place to belong to, promising home.

When Mitsuri had moved to this city and registered in this new university, without knowing anyone, with the promise of her life being swung sideways every day or so, then she had thought : surely, this will be my greatest trial. When Mitsuri had met Obanai Iguro, everything before had paled in comparison to the field of possibilities that had arisen with him.

This is my greatest trial, she thought now. This was what she was meant to battle, to overcome, the million-dollar question resided in this alone : Would she fight this - whatever it was - every step of the way ? Or would she take the deepest dive of her life - in uncharted waters - not knowing if she'd come out unscathed ?

"I'd love to join you guys," she answered Sanemi's question without thinking, it seemed her body and soul had chosen for her. After one month of sheer torture, of limited interactions and of unguarded desperation, Mitsuri had only one path left for her to walk.

Go for it. She had never felt so sure of anything in her life.

Obanai sat down on an empty spot of grass next to the people he called friends. They all greeted him and resumed their conversations. He didn't mind not being included in them; he had always been more of a listener than a sharer among this group.

He silently observed as they started to eat around him. He didn't join, he never did. He had already eaten enough to last him until that night, having quickly grabbed a bite before joining them. Even though most of his friends had seen a glimpse of his face at some point in the past, he had never felt comfortable enough to just lower his mask around them. Especially when they were outside and other people could see him too.

His group of friends would never judge, they wouldn't even comment on it, on him, but to accept others' eyes on one's deepest wounds, one had to accept their own judgmental stare first. And Obanai couldn't stand the sight of his face most mornings, and most nights either, for that matter. So he kept the mask on everyday of his life, from the moment he woke up to the moment he went back to sleep.

He watched as Kyôjurô laughed and explained something funny about their latest training session to Giyuu who just stared and nodded, impassive as ever. Shinobu was fully in on the joke, however, and kept pestering the quiet guy with words and gestures. Giyuu didn't look like he minded, though, considering he kept stealing glances at her every time she talked to someone else, and he never avoided any contact she deigned giving him. A pretty telltale sign of his interest in her, in Obanai's mind.

This had come as a surprise to him when, over the course of the past month, he had taken a much keener notice of others' feelings around him. Although he had previously never questioned Shinobu's and Giyuu's behaviors when they stood next to each other - which was admittedly a lot - he someday started taking notice of some things. Like the way they stood closer to one another than to anyone in the rest of the group each time they met, or the way they constantly argued about everything and nothing, yet they never left the other's side.

Little by little, Obanai had started taking mental notes of his friends' demeanor around him, and he couldn't help but think that this was all thanks to a particular woman entering the picture. He thought of Mitsuri and how he wanted her to sit as close to him as Shinobu was to Giyuu. Or even closer, like that fateful night under the stars, when she had practically burrowed herself in his chest.

His insides did a staggering jump at the thought of her cozied up against him, gazing at the stars above their heads when in reality, she had been the truest, most beautiful sight to witness that night.

A deep sense of loss threatened to take over his soul, just then. Because they hadn't been in much contact ever since that had happened. And Obanai couldn't help but think that this was his own doing, that this was his punishment. He had found the one person that could fill his entire life with joy and pride and… love, even ? Until she had slipped from his grasp like running water.

Taken under by some force that he hadn't been able to control, let alone even see. That night she had drawn away from him and taken everything of his in her wake. Mitsuri had pulled back just as suddenly as she had given in. Somehow, somewhere, a piece of his battered heart had already been given to her, and he feared he'd never take it back. Did he even want to ? When she had been with him, close to him, surrounding him, that was when he had felt more alive than ever before.

No. Obanai would take nothing back, because even one night spent with her had been worth the agony of missing her with his whole being for the entire month that followed. One quiet night spent out of time had given him something he hadn't experienced for so long: the will to act upon his desires, the purpose to find the place in this world where he could exist free from the shackles of his family's sins as well as those of his own doing.

He would fight for this, even when he felt so undeserving of whatever she could give him, he'd take every crumb she was willing to let him have, if only he had the strength to reach for it, for her.

Lost in his own world, Obanai took his phone from his pocket and went to the open conversation he had with Mitsuri. It was always open, because he waited for her to text him when he felt like the weight on his soul was too heavy for him to do it. And when at night, he'd remember the feel of her flush in his arms, he'd stare at the screen and will himself to be a fucking man, for once in his life and just text her. He never did, obviously. Even though he must have had a hundred draft messages in his phone, ready to be sent. This time he would do it, he would text her and ask if they could meet some time this week, he'd take anything - even when everything was what he yearned for.

A gentle hand settled on his shoulder and he startled, before willing his body not to flinch at the physical contact. It had taken him a long time to stop jumping out of his skin every time someone initiated contact with him without his knowledge or permission, he was about to pride himself for his iron-grip control on his body when the most sensual scent hit his nose.

Someone sat right next to him, close.. very close. So close in fact, that their bodies touched. He noticed the striped, thigh-high socks and the pleated black skirt and somehow, he just knew. Her sweet perfume wafted over him and everything in him came to life, or rather … went up in flames.

"Hi stranger," she whispered close to his ear before settling down on the grass next to him.

Fuck but now he was blushing ?! It had to be illegal to have that kind of effect on anybody, everything about her was drawing him closer, until he wanted to mesh their bodies and souls together and leave everything behind them. Goosebumps erupted all over his skin and any words he might have awkwardly uttered died on his tongue when he glanced at her.

Mitsuri's captivating green eyes met his own and they locked for what felt like an eternity. He drank in her features, she was breathtaking, as always, and a sight for sore eyes. Obanai felt like he hadn't seen her for ages, and her being here when he was just about to finally text her made the whole situation appear so much more unrealistic.

He had to make sure that she was there, that she was real, and not a figment of his obsessive imagination. Just like he had done one month prior, he raised his hand, but instead of caressing the soft skin of her face - like he desperately wanted to, but definitely not in front of an audience made up of all of his friends - he chose the safest course of action and gently tucked a loose strand of pink hair behind her ear.

When his hand met her silky soft hair instead of the mirage he halfway expected, he realized that this was real, that she was really sitting here, so close to him that she eclipsed everything around them.

He shuddered as he quickly drew back his hand and tried to compose himself, you're not alone here, dumbass, people will see and start asking questions after that. He was berating himself inside of his head, but couldn't help but be fully engrossed in her being so near. He felt like a parched soul wandering aimlessly in the desert, and her a luscious oasis, too perfect to be real, but from which he couldn't help but want to drink.

A stronger shove came from the other side of him and Obanai felt like a bucket of iced water had been dumped on him. Oh right, he wasn't lost in the desert, he turned and noticed Sanemi sitting beside him and taking out his lunch from his backpack.

"What's up, everyone ?" he greeted with a toothy grin, "I found our new friend Mitsuri on my way here and couldn't help but drag her along !" he added before flashing Obanai an even bigger grin.

Shinobu immediately jumped in and launched a conversation with the pink haired beauty next to him. Mitsuri looked happy to see her too, even though she probably felt really shy upon entering a group from whom she had only recently been introduced to. Kyôjurô was excited to join in on their little chat as well and kept peppering questions at Mitsuri about her studies here and her life nowadays.

Obanai tried to act engaged in the other talk taking place closer to him involving Giyuu, Tengen and Sanemi but couldn't help but keep track on what Mitsuri was saying right next to him. Of course, there was nothing he could do to avoid her - not that he wanted to anyway - when she sat so close to his side and all he wanted was to bring her even closer. Sanemi must have guessed at his current mind frame considering he didn't even try to include him that much in what they were saying.

What he noticed, however, was the clear discomfort that seemed to color Mitsuri's replies every time Kyôjurô implied or tried to ask something about her past and especially about her family. Her answers were very evasive and even Obanai could sense the growing awkwardness that was coming off of her in waves.

Before long, Obanai couldn't stand her being so ill-at-ease, he wanted her to feel good among this group and he wanted his friends to become her friends too. What he didn't want was for her to be driven away because her past was not something she liked to discuss - another common trait that the both of them undoubtedly shared.

Shinobu must have caught on Mitsuri's reluctance as well because as soon as she caught him casting her a pleading glance, she interrupted Kyôjurô's persistent flow of questions and directed his attention on another subject - something that had nothing to do with Mitsuri in the first place.

Mitsuri resumed eating beside him but Obanai noticed that she barely touched what was left of her food. He leaned a little closer to her - if that was even possible - and gently nudged her shoulder with his own.

"Hey," he spoke softly, somehow this situation felt oddly similar to the one they had gone through one month ago, when Mitsuri had suffered a bad panic attack next to him. He didn't want her to run away from him again, not when she had been the one renewing contact between the two of them. He only had to try and find a way to distract her from distress. "I was just about to text you."

Should he have said that ? It was too late to turn back now but admitting this to her felt so much bigger than it actually was. He was sure she'd guess at the inside battle that had been raging in his mind right before she had showed up. Still, it was too late, he only had to commit to it now.

"Really ?" her eyes were wide open when she turned to him, she ran them over his face until she finally settled them back on his, a mischievous glint appearing in their depth. "What were you going to say ?"

Oh, but she had him in the palm of her hand, she had to realize that. There was nothing he wouldn't do to see this expression illuminating her features, this one and so many more - he'd give it all. He had no barriers, nothing to hide behind, she was dragging the truth out of him with every word she spoke, every glance she gave.

"I…I'm not sure…" he started, feeling more than a little self-conscious, he had to be truthful though, he had to tell her how much he had wanted to see her these last weeks, how he had missed her even when they had spent so little time together. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to meet for a movie… or something…?" Why did he have to sound so unsure of himself when in reality, he very much wanted to spend time with her, no matter how, or when.

A pretty blush tinged her cheeks and Obanai was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss every inch of her, to take her face between his hands and take her lips between his teeth, take everything she had to give and more.

"That sounds great," she replied as she leaned ever closer, "When did you have in mind ?" She was definitely teasing him, she had to be aware of what she was doing to him. Obanai stared at her like he had never seen someone so beautiful, and he never had, she was well and above everything and everyone on this planet. He couldn't tear his eyes from the invitation of her, not from the delicious scent of her skin, not from the rosy plump of her lips nor from the soft lashes that framed her enticing gaze.

He had to stop thinking of her that way, he had to control himself, it wasn't like he'd ever even get to taste anything of hers, not matter how hard he craved for it. But Obanai also had enough of all the hate he kept directing at himself. He had had enough of never looking in the mirror, of never facing the plethora of issues that centered around his mind and body. For once in his life, he wanted something, he wanted someone - he wanted Mitsuri Kanroji with every fiber of his being. And he wouldn't back down.

"How about Friday night ?" he asked her, and he felt like his heart was beating out of his chest, like blood was rushing to his toes and coming back to his heart again before flowing to his fingers and ending in his cheeks. He was blushing again, thankful now more than ever for the mask that allowed him to hide his face. Fuck it and everything, he had to go for it.

Mitsuri was there and she was in the present and he had to stop the past from destroying everything good that would come in his future. It didn't matter that revealing his face, his deepest, darkest wound to her was excruciating just to think about, he was not about to let her slip from his fingers, not ever again.

She smiled softly at him, "Friday night works for me. Will you show me your home, Obanai ?"

"Yes," he said, and he sounded out of breath. For the first time in his life, he would bring someone home and be a normal guy, with a massive crush on a girl, and the opportunity to spend time with her in his own home. Free from the watchful gaze of others, free from the constraints he usually put on himself, he wanted to be normal, desperately.

"I'll bring popcorn !" she exclaimed and winked at him before leaning her head and resting it on his shoulder.

How is this my life ? Obanai Iguro wondered upon feeling the soft weight of her against him. Finally, for the first time in a very long time, he truly felt like his life was good.