Shinobu's fists pounded against Yoizumi's chest, each blow like a heavy hammer striking his heart. Every tear Shinobu shed tugged at his emotions.
Ah... why does my heart ache so much?
Yoizumi didn't understand.
He gently raised a hand and used his fingertip to wipe away Shinobu's tears, feeling the distinct warmth of them on his skin.
It was his fault... but he didn't know what to do.
All his past memories offered no answers for Yoizumi.
An apology hovered on his lips, but Shinobu wouldn't let him apologize, so he had to swallow it back.
"Shinobu, I'm fine. This pain is nothing to me. I don't mind it."
"I do!" Shinobu grabbed Yoizumi's wrist, the one he was using to wipe her tears, and stared at the glaring crimson on his sleeve. Just looking at it made her incredibly distressed.
"I do mind..."
The less Yoizumi cared, the more her heart ached for him.
She didn't care what Yoizumi had been through in his past to shape his current personality.
If no one taught him to cherish his body, then she would!
Because, Yoizumi was hers now, and he would be hers in the future!
She clutched the fabric over Yoizumi's chest, pulling him down little by little until he bent at the waist. She clearly saw the confusion and bewilderment in Yoizumi's sapphire eyes.
"Shinobu?"
He watched Shinobu's face draw closer, then felt a sharp sting on his lips.
His eyes blinked rapidly. He raised a hand to touch his lips, and seeing blood on his fingers, he stared blankly at Shinobu.
Shinobu had bitten him.
Shinobu sniffled, stubbornly refusing to release Yoizumi's clothes, instead clenching them tighter and tighter. Yoizumi couldn't break free, or rather, he had no intention of doing so.
Yoizumi's blood stained her pink lips red. She whispered, "Does it hurt?"
"It hurts." The wound had completely healed, leaving only the blood and the stinging pain that Yoizumi remembered, proving its former existence.
"Then Yoizumi, bite me back." Shinobu was utterly serious, not joking in the slightest.
?
Bite... bite her back?
Yoizumi opened his mouth, bewildered. His blue eyes looked at Shinobu, whose red-rimmed, tear-filled eyes were fixed on his face.
"No... I can't." Yoizumi lost the courage to meet Shinobu's gaze.
"Why not?"
He used his other hand to wipe away the blood from Shinobu's lips, revealing her original color. Yoizumi pursed his lips, tasting the metallic tang of blood. He said slowly, "Because."
"Shinobu... will hurt."
He didn't want Shinobu to hurt.
He wanted Shinobu to be well.
He wanted Shinobu's beautiful eyes to smile when they looked at him.
He didn't want her to be sad and cry because of him.
No one should make her cry.
"So you know I'll hurt?" As Shinobu spoke, tears fell again, causing Yoizumi to panic once more. The undeniable ache in his heart made Yoizumi frown, and his eyes even reddened.
He frantically hugged Shinobu, his hands tightly circling her slender waist. Her delicate body trembled slightly, and her tears soaked Yoizumi's chest, seeping through the fabric into his heart.
Shinobu's choked sobs made Yoizumi's throat feel incredibly tight. He heard Shinobu say, "When Yoizumi hurts, I hurt too..."
"Yoizumi, don't be like this."
"My heart aches for you."
Heartache... what was heartache?
His chest was throbbing with a dull ache now. Was this heartache?
Tears welled in Yoizumi's eyes. So this was heartache... Yoizumi heard these words for the first time.
But now... besides heartache, he actually felt... joy?
Why was he happy?
"Shinobu."
"I'm so happy."
Happy?
Shinobu looked up. Yoizumi's tears fell on her cheeks, feeling a little cold.
This was the second time Shinobu had seen Yoizumi cry since the Red-light district incident.
That time, he was pleading.
Asking her not to die.
So why was Yoizumi crying this time?
His sapphire eyes were blurred with tears, but in the moonlight, Shinobu still easily saw her reflection in Yoizumi's eyes.
Though tears continuously streamed from his eyes, Yoizumi was smiling.
He repeated again, "Shinobu, I'm so happy." He offered his cheek to Shinobu's hand, gently rubbing against it, feeling the warmth of Shinobu's hand continuously transfer to him.
So warm... so lovely... "Why is Yoizumi happy?"
"I don't know." Yoizumi shook his head, equally perplexed.
Hearing this, Shinobu gave a tearful smile, placing both hands on Yoizumi's slightly cool cheeks, sighing softly, "How can you be like this, you absolute..."
"Idiot."
Pulling Yoizumi closer, she kissed his lips again. This time, Shinobu's kiss was light and tender.
Then, she gently poked the already healed wound on Yoizumi's lips with her finger, asking softly, "Did it hurt a lot?"
"It hurt..."
So... Yoizumi slowly leaned in, their faces inches apart, their noses brushing.
"Only Shinobu's kiss can make it better."
With a soft, inaudible chuckle, Shinobu hooked her arms around Yoizumi's neck and kissed him again.
Yoizumi's eyes were half-open. He saw the dense wisteria flowers on the wall.
He remembered the first time he came to Butterfly Mansion.
What Shinobu had said about the language of wisteria.
Born for love, dying for love.
Intoxicating romance, lingering longing.
Obsessive love.
Shinobu had asked him which phrase resonated with him the most.
He didn't understand these. The flower language was all about love.
And now, Yoizumi gently stroked Shinobu's purple hair.
His heart was beating so fast... Could this feeling... be called...
Love?
----Short Skit----
"Amane, they've made up, haven't they?" Kagaya Ubuyashiki, hiding in the corner, asked Amane Ubuyashiki in a low voice, his already blurry nighttime vision making it even harder to see.
"Yes." A faint smile appeared on Amane's usually serene face.
"That's good... I hope Yoizumi and Shinobu can be happy." Kagaya took his wife's hand and said with a smile.
Returning her husband's grasp, Amane Ubuyashiki nodded gently.
"Mm."
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