Miyabi

Immediately across the threshold, Miyabi stepped leftward and Wise continued forward. Their different trajectories disrupted their steps and their inter-linked elbows jarred them both to a confused stop.

Wise blinked down at Miyabi.

Miyabi looked up at Wise- her ear twitched.

"Wise, we should not walk the drive," said Miyabi. "Let's take the walking path."

"There's a walking path?" said Wise, his eyes traveling the area in front of him. "Separate from the road?"

"Of course," said Miyabi. She pointed to the beginning of a gravel path just behind the pillar of the torii gate. It threaded through some greenery and vanished into the depths of the garden vegetation.

"Of course," said Wise, his eyes following. He smiled sheepishly. "Of course there is."

Wise followed Miyabi's course and they stepped onto the gravel pathway and found themselves amidst manicured shrubberies. In but a few steps, all signs of the road vanished from line of sight, and were it not for the distant form of Lycaon watching them, a newcomer might lose track of the driveway's position entirely.

"These bushes are called tamamono," said Miyabi, her arm indicating the almost ball-shaped bushes that surrounded them at the moment. "The name is more for their form than their type, as the bush itself can be of several different kinds of plant."

"Huh," said Wise in a vague sort of way. He seemed distracted. "Miyabi? Why did you say yes to our date in Lumina Square?"

Miyabi looked up at Wise in surprise. He was looking down at her with a slight frown, his blue eyes pale against the background of the sky. Was he worried about something? Had she made him worried? She couldn't stop making mistakes with him, could she?

"Well," said Miyabi, feeling her ear twitch. And twitch again. How to explain?

"...When I read your text, my heart started thumping in my chest and my cheeks became very warm. And then my mind began showing me scenes of what a- a- date with you might be like. And I liked what those scenes looked like. So I said yes."

Wise stopped walking, which caused Miyabi to stop walking. He stared down at her and his mouth seemed to be quivering between a smile and a frown. Then he idly scratched at the side of his face as he smiled down at her. What was he thinking of her? What did that expression mean?

"You're telling me exactly what happened, aren't you, Miyabi?"

"Yes," said Miyabi, her cheeks feeling warm under Wise's bemused gaze. "Isn;t that what you asked? Is that wrong?"

"No," said Wise in a happy sort of laughing voice. "No, it's not wrong."

"Does it upset you?"

"No. The opposite. Its.." Wise's eyes lingered on her. "It's a really beautiful way of answering, actually. It makes me feel good."

Miyabi felt her cheeks heat up another notch on the blushing scale and she felt her other ear twitch. So she wasn't making any mistakes? Or if she was, maybe she was making up for them?

"I guess..," said Wise, his eyes looking away from her. "I guess when you told your father I was an 'asset', I- sorta got the impression that you were only dating me because I'm good at being your proxy. Because I'm useful to you."

Where was he going with this?

"You are useful, Wise. You are a good proxy."

"Yes, but that's not why you are dating me," said Wise, turning his sheepish smile back on her.

She must not be communicating very well. Miyabi felt like she was about to lead them both in a conversational circle. "Yes, it is."

Wise blinked at her. He rubbed the back of his head and his eyes narrowed in that awkward smile of his.

"Um- Miyabi. Sorry, now I'm really confused."

Miyabi took a deep breath, her ear twitching.

"I met you because you are a proxy, Wise," said Miyabi, her tone matter-of-fact. "I then claimed you as mine because you are a useful proxy. And because you are a useful proxy, we have worked together many times over the last few months."

"Right…" said Wise, clearly not catching on.

Miyabi's ear twitched again. The heat in her cheeks was starting to be a bit hotter from the frustrated embarrassment she was now feeling. Did she have to spell out the obvious to him?!

"Sorry, Miyabi.. I still don't see what-" began Wise

"S- see what, Wise?!" Miyabi felt herself getting angry.

Miyabi wasn't used to feeling this sort of thing. She constantly trained herself to remain calm when her life was under threat. So why was she struggling to maintain her calm now? While walking in a garden? Focus! Get your words out!

"Do you think my heart thumps and my cheeks feel hot for just anyone? I think it is because we worked so much together. Because you are a useful proxy! I think it is because I think I can trust you. Because you are a good proxy! I think… it is because I want to hear the sound of your voice. Guiding me to my goal. Guiding me back to safety-"

Wise was watching her with wide eyes and growing concern, but Miyabi felt he still didn't understand. Why didn't he understand? Why didn't anyone ever understand?

"-So: if you were not a useful, good proxy, you would be just… just be… some person I don't really know. And my heart would not beat and my cheek would not heat and-!"

Wise suddenly hugged her. Miyabi's ear twitched as her body instinctively responded to his embrace, her arms wrapping around him, her face settling against the firmness of his chest, her nose filling with his scent. Her heart was thudding.

"I understand, Miyabi," said Wise. "I understand you. Sorry, I was just too dense to hear it at first."

Miyabi took a deep breath, Wise's scent filling her nose again, stirring up exciting feelings all through her body. Her heart was thudding, but somehow, she felt calmer anyway. She leaned into Wise's body a bit more, enjoying the sensation, needing the physical affirmation that she hadn't messed all this up again.

A cicada started up a cry nearby. A bird chirped. A gentle breeze of late afternoon blew through the trees. All of that seemed somehow idyllic from inside a hug. It reminded Miyabi of when she'd first gotten Wise's original text a few days ago.

"Wise? Why did you ask me on a date?" said Miyabi, her cheek still pressed into his chest.

Wise didn't immediately answer, then he laughed slightly, his chest vibrating against Miyabi's ear.

"Because I was scared of you. At first, anyway."

Miyabi's brow furrowed. She withdrew from his embrace and looked up into Wise's face, finding that comforting, sheepish smile there. That was encouraging. "Explain more."

Wise rubbed the back of his head. "After that truck crashed into the hollow. In the Outer Rim. I remember opening my eyes and seeing you staring down at me, and… I don't know how to describe it, Miyabi. But the expression on your face made me think I was in a lot of trouble. A lot."

Miyabi remembered that moment. She had been considering slicing Wise's achilles tendons to make sure he couldn't get away from her, but she'd ultimately decided that she was more likely to get him out of the hollow alive if he could move on his own. And she had wanted him alive for the information he may have had regarding Hollowfall and those responsible. That was back when she'd thought he might actually be an enemy in disguise.

Miyabi's ear twitched and she decided there wasn't any need to share that fact with Wise at this time. Or ever.

Wise continued: "But then we worked together to get out of there. And then when your sword went crazy…" Wise's eyes seemed to glaze over slightly.

"I can still see what you looked like, Miyabi. In here." He pointed at his own temple. "Your face was a mix of worry and determination, your eyes were… intense, your hair was billowing about as the foxfire boiled out of Tailless. You were… terrifying. Impressive. …" Wise looked at her again. "...beautiful."

Miyabi felt her cheeks warm again. She remembered that moment, too. Wise struggling to bring forward the sword sheath to Tailless, the two of them straining towards each other as the sword fought against them. She'd been afraid that she'd utterly lost control of the blade; that the spirit would break free; that the hopes of her clan and her private revenge were slipping away before her very eyes. But Wise had been there, ignoring her warnings that he could die, and saved them both.

Wise was blushing now. "And I remember you catching me when I fell, and I remember thinking that you were surprisingly strong…"

He went quiet a moment again and looked away. He laughed and rubbed the back of his head again. His blush deepened.

"What?" said Miybai.

"I.. ah… honestly? I was embarrassed I'd fainted into your arms like-.." he took a breath. "Its stupid: But… like a girl... I know that's not how I should have felt, but there it is. And I think I teased you about seeing foxfire on your body to make myself feel better. But you were really cute when you became flustered, I couldn't stop."

Miyabi didn't remember the teasing very much. She'd been so worried about the sword and getting them both out of the hollow. But the moment seemed important to Wise, anyway.

"And after all that, and then worrying about you with the Bringer stuff…," Wise looked at her fully again. "I couldn't wait to work for you on a mission. And another mission. And another. But soon it wasn't enough to see you through a bangboo, Miyabi. And I didn't want to just know the Void Hunter. I wanted to know you."

He smiled his bright smile. "So I asked you on a date, expecting you to say no- but I had to shoot my shot. And then you said yes!"

Miyabi heard Wise's words, but she wasn't sure what they made her feel. He thought she was strong and scary and beautiful. That was good, right? Maybe not the scary part.. but: he wanted to learn about her? That was certainly very good. Yet Miyabi wasn't entirely sure she understood what Wise was saying. Was he saying he dated her because he was thinking about her? Or because she was pretty? Was that all? No, that wasn't all. He'd said a lot more than that.

Maybe she had been wrong to get frustrated with him a moment ago. It was difficult to figure out what people really meant! Especially about this kind of thing.

She tried to think of a way to understand: "So: why did you ask me on a second date?"

Wise blinked at her, and then his expression went thoughtful. "I guess because the first date made me realize that everything was... Just… better with you, Miyabi. And I wanted to experience that again: being with you. Like in this garden now and-"

Miyabi understood that. Being with Wise here now was better than if she were alone here now. So much better- all her heart thumpings and blushing aside- or perhaps because of those things. That was a little unclear, but regardless, Miyabi was suddenly filled with an impulsive desire that she'd entertained once before.

She reached up, grabbed Wise's shirt collar in a gentle grip, and pulled his face down to hers. She wanted again the feel of his lips on hers. To again taste his mouth. The first taste back in Lumina Square had been far too brief and far too rushed.

Wise saw the kiss coming this time, and he stepped into her and wrapped her up again in his arms. But his embrace was different from his earlier hug. This time one of his hands trailed down to the small of her back and he pulled her body into his. His other hand gently cupped the side of her neck and chin, pulling her face into his as much as she was pulling his down to hers.

Their lips met and it seemed to Miyabi that all the world swirled around her in warmth and peace and excitement. The afternoon wind surged through the garden and buffeted her ears, fallen leaves whipped up and swirled about their legs. A sensation of satisfaction within her suddenly wrapped itself around a new, growing, and insistent desire that she could not quite name, and as her lips moved instinctively against Wise's lips, as her body melted into his embrace, that confusing new tangle took deeper and deeper root within.