A/N: It's been a while, right? I've missed you all. Truly.
"Stood up?"
I glare at Taku as he places a glass of water in front of me.
"She's just running late," I remark after taking a sip of water.
"Not a good sign, buddy," he comments as he pats my shoulder. I shrug him off.
"She'll be here soon." I glance at my phone which shows no missed calls or missed texts. I run a hand through my hair, a sigh leaving my lips.
"About that…" Taku begins. My eyes follow him as he takes a seat across from me. "You know, if it were any other day, it'd be no problem, but it's a full house due to the festival and-"
"Taku," I cut him off.
"I know! But…it's been an hour…"
"She's coming," I stress.
"Soon?"
"Soon," I assure. He nods before he stands up and leaves.
But the minutes slip by one after the other, and my assurances that I gave to Taku, to myself, grow weaker and weaker. So when Taku comes back with an apologetic face, I silently place some money on the table and leave. As I exit the restaurant, I make my way to the bench nearby and check my phone for any messages.
None.
I close my eyes as my head tilts toward the darkening sky. And when my phone finally buzzes with text messages and phone calls, I only sigh. It's only when I hear rapid footsteps running towards me that I finally open my eyes.
She stops in front of me. Her hair is falling carelessly out of her bun. Her cheeks are flushed. And her eyes, filled with unshed tears and apologies, make my own soften.
Before she can catch her breath to apologize, I stand and pull her into a hug. I tighten my hold while my lips press her against her temples. When I finally feel her catching her breath, I pull back to give her a kiss, my hands running through her hair, undoing her bun.
I break the kiss, putting my forehead against hers.
"Y-you're not mad?" She asks timidly.
I chuckle as I place my hands her cheeks.
"On the day that celebrates Orihime and Hikoboshi, would I dare to be mad at you?" I ask as I give her a swift peck on the lips.
"But I…I'm late," she tearfully admits.
I smile as my hand reaches for her hand.
"Did you have fun today?" She nods, looking a little guilty. I chuckle. "Then I'm glad that you are late. That must have been because you all lost track of time, right?"
"But," she begins.
I shake my head as I pull her toward the restaurant.
"But nothing. Don't ever apologize for enjoying yourself, for being happy. That's all I want for you."
I feel a tug at my hand, and I stop and glance back at her.
"You make me the happiest…you know that, right?"
I snort before pulling her into my chest.
"Yeah, I know. Even if it means I get forgotten sometimes," I tease.
Her arms wrap around me, and I feel tiny fists beat at my back.
"Alright, alright. I'll save the guilt trip for later. You must be hungry," I say as I guide her into the restaurant. She hums in agreement. But as we stand next to the podium, waiting to see if we can be seated, I notice that Taku is nowhere in sight and there are no empty tables, either.
She must've seen my frown because I feel her hand squeeze mine.
"We can eat at the festival! It'll be fun!" She reassures.
I inwardly sigh at the unravel of my initial plan, but when I look down at her, I can't help but mentally shrug.
This is just a roadblock. It means nothing. It can still be perfect. This could still be perfect.
So when I nod my agreement and lead her outside, it hits me harder than I expected.
Each drop that land and coat the ground is a stab at my heart, a punch to the gut, and an unrelentless blow to my dream.
Rain.
I grimace as I glare at the sky. The sky which promised to be clear for this special night. Promised to be perfect for Orihime and her Hikoboshi to meet.
I bite back a curse as I resign myself to the fact that it wasn't going to happen tonight. My plans, one by one, had been washed clean by the rain pouring down.
"Sorry, Hime," I mumble as I squeeze her hand.
She looks up at me, and her free hand goes to touch my cheek.
"Why are you sorry?" She asks with worry.
Nothing is going right, I want to say. I couldn't give her anything that she deserved. Not the restaurant, not the festival, not the fireworks. I couldn't give her the perfect proposal.
"Ah~ why is my Hikoboshi so sad?" I sigh as I turn my head into her palm, placing a kiss on her skin.
"Don't you see? They can't meet today. With the rain, the magpies can't come, and Hikoboshi and Orihime cannot meet. These," I begin as my eyes stray to the constant downpour, "these are their tears, Hime."
She frowns before glancing at the pouring rain.
She shakes her head.
"This just won't do," she declares before her eyes meet mine. Her eyes sparkle mischievously.
Her hand drops from my face. She turns slightly and steps away from me. Her grip tightens around mine before she looks at me over her shoulder. She gives me a large smile.
Then she turns and sprints into the rain, tugging me along with her.
"What are you doing?" I shout as she runs forward, the rain soaking us in an instant.
She doesn't stop running as I see her head tilt back, her laughter filling the chilly air.
"Hime!" I yell, trying to get her to answer me, but all she gives as a response is to tighten her grip on my hand, her speed not decreasing. In fact, her steps grow faster.
I am tempted to pull her to a stop, but I'm scared the sudden movement will make her lose balance on the slippery pavement, so I just hold her hand, maintaining her speed.
But when I see that she is leading me to the riverbank, I grow wary. And when she steers us toward the river, without thought, I pause. It's in that short moment in which my steps falter that she is jerked back, but because the grass is slick with water, she can't find her footing, and I can't maintain my grip on our slick hands, and because of the decline of the slope, I can't grab her.
She slips away from me.
I'm already running desperately after her as she slides, rolls, and plummets into the river.
I dive into the water, already frantically trying to get my eyes to adjust to the dark water so I can find her.
Because it's already sinking in. Because I'm already drowning in it. Panic is surrounding me. And without her in sight, I can already feel myself falling out of orbit.
As if she can feel it, feel me plummeting out of her gravitational pull, I am suddenly encased in her powers.
Like a flotation device, I'm gradually pulled to the surface of the river. The breath that I had held releases as I see the sky through her shield, as I feel her hand grab mine.
I turn my head to see her smiling at me, completely dry and at ease.
I frown at her relaxed expression, but she just brings my hand to her lips, kissing the back of my hand as she inches closer to me. I try to pull my hand away from hers, still upset at her actions, but she pouts and shakes her head, silently urging me to relent to her.
I sigh as I leave my hand in hers. She gleefully giggles before her eyes turn toward the sky.
In her bubble, we are floating on top of the river. Her golden shield protects us from the onslaught of rain, rain that continues to fall. We stay quiet as we watch the raindrops land and slide across her golden dome.
It's soothing. Watching the raindrops fall and disperse across the surface. Beautiful, even. So peaceful that any negative or pessimistic thought or emotion evaporate from me. As if she can feel the release of tension, she pulls mine and her hand toward her shield. Her fingers unlock from mine, and I watch as her fingertips pierce through her shield. Her laughter fills the air as the cold rain touches the tips of her fingers.
My eyes turn toward her as I see her head gesture up. She silently urges me to follow her movements, so I mimic her lead. I slide my fingers against her palm until my fingertips reach hers. I feel her shield's heat against my skin before my fingers slip through. I nearly pull my hand back when my flesh meets cold, wet air, but I stop when her fingertips press against mine. I glance over to see her looking at me, her eyes bright and sparkling as they reflect the glow of her golden shield.
She's beautiful. Even more so when her lips spread upwards into a smile. She's so painfully beautiful and warm that I relax even further, and I feel myself return her smile, which only makes hers grow larger and wider.
No words pass between us because no words are needed. In this moment, under a sky crying the tears of the princess and her love, wrapped in her protective barrier that blocks the cold and the darkness, with her unrelenting warmth next to me, I feel for the box in pocket. Because in this moment, it's perfect. Everything's perfect.
And I should have known. That loving a woman who could manipulate time itself, a woman who could illuminate the night so that all I could see is light, a woman who could bring back my smile, a woman who could make me happy even in the rain, I would eventually find it. Find the perfect timing.
Because every moment with her is nothing less.
So with the ring I pried from the box, I bring my hand upwards.
I'm so focused on slipping the ring onto her finger that when I plunge into the water, I am barely able to stop my breathing before my lungs fill in with water, but whatever breath I had preserved rushes out when I feel her lips press against mine.
I fight to keep back a laugh before her shield wraps around us again, keeping us dry and safe despite being completely submerged. It's when she looks down at me, her hands pressed against my cheek, her tears dripping from her eyes onto my check, that the laugh I contained spills out.
And with the feel of the cool band of the ring against my cheek, with her lips pressed against mine, her reiatsu burning me as if I've strayed to close the flame, I close my eyes and bask.
I smile and bask in her perfect love.