Secret Santa
Okay, posting my Secret Santa here too 'cause Sa' it's a pain in the ass and wanted me to post it here besides ff.net....(you know I love you *kisses*)
Title: Unspoken Words
Rating: T (no smexy scenes guys not even a kiss, just because it's war centered...)
Pairing: KaitoxAoko
Prompt: In a war-torn world, two people meet. One has a secret.
To January a.k.a katiesparks a.k.a katie-chan since this is her Christmas present ;D
Cold. All the air around her was cold. The noise of the faraway bombs alerted her that the attack from today still wasn’t over.
(It would never be over…)
She kept walking, the sound of her footsteps were muffled by the once white snow (that perfect white that made you blind when the sunshine hit its surface but you still could see and everything was oh so white and just beautiful and calm…). On the distance she now only saw long columns of smoke reflected on the flashes of light behind the mountains and over the dark sky.
(She couldn’t even see the stars anymore…)
She kept walking, small bag over one shoulder (what she could save) until she finally saw the few lights of what was left of the village in the distance.
She took a deep breath and walked towards the village. She just hoped this one would last longer…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The bar glowed dimly in the dark empty street; on the inside a few lights were seen over the tables, barely lighting up the faces of the people occupying the tables, and some over the counter making the place look gloomy and cold. Not much difference from the outside world.
Some of the people inside turned to look at her, throwing suspicious looks over their shoulders and watching her movements while she made her way towards one of the bar stools.
“Don’t pay attention to them.”
Aoko turned to look at the bartender, a young man with messy dark hair and the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen.
(First true color she had seen in days)
“They just don’t like strangers” The bartender continued with the shadow of a grin.
Aoko nodded, she was used to it by now. Used to the silence, used to eyes full of fear and grey colors.
“So, what can I get you? Not that there is much left to choose but…”
Aoko shrugged. “Anything is fine.”
The bartender grabbed two small glasses and filled them expertly without dropping a single drop of the brownish liquid. He gave her one while he lifted the other in front of her.
“For this bloody war to end already?”
Aoko snorted. “It will never end. Not while those greedy pigs keep playing with their toy soldiers.”
“Ah…so true…” Again a shadow of a grin played on his lips.
In the end she lifted her glass and toasted with the bartender.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“You sure there is no trouble at all? I don’t want to cause any inconveniences…”
The bartender, whose name was Kaito he later told her, nodded. “Sure, it’s okay. I told you I’m the owner of this place.”
“Yes, but the people downstairs didn’t look too happy when you said you had an available room for me.”
And indeed they looked quite angry when he said it.
Kaito snorted. “Those cranky old men can complain all they want for all I care. I own this place, and no one is going to tell me what I can or can’t do. No one…” He emphasized the last words.
Aoko arched an eyebrow. “Okay…If you are sure…Thanks.”
In fact she was glad he would let her stay, after drinking a few glasses she left the bar in search of a place to stay. How odd it was that no one had one single room available…even if it looked like it had been a long time since anybody (apart from the citizens of the town) stayed there…
That was when, with zero hopes of finding a roof to sleep that night, she spotted the bar along with the bartender making signs from one of the windows for her to come inside…
(“No luck eh? Don’t worry, there is an empty room on top the bar that you can use.”)
“Here is it.” He suddenly said while opening one of the doors on the left and startling her from her thoughts in the process. “It’s not very big but at least it will keep you a bit warm from the cold.” He pulled a crooked smile.
(And she started to wonder if he ever truly smiled before.)
She walked inside the room; a single bed, a night table, a lamp, a chair. That was all.
She turned to look at him, the corners of her lips turning upside a little. “Thanks, it’s more than I could ask for. How much will it be?”
Kaito shook his head. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing.”
Aoko found that strange, no one gave anything for free, it was not normal…she suddenly felt uncomfortable. Why was this man letting her stay in this room for free?
She was going to grab the bag she had previously left on the bed and flee from that place when Kaito grabbed the handle of the door to close it.
“Sleep well.”
And before he left and closed the door, she saw a purplish tattoo on the inside his right wrist with the numbers 1412…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Smoke, screams, houses burned. Chaos everywhere.
People running in hopes of saving their lives and the ones they loved.
People crying for the ones they lost and will never see again.
A little girl standing alone in the middle of the pandemonium, crying for her parents and her broken doll.
‘You have-‘
The little girl started walking. She knew her daddy and mommy had to be somewhere, they always were with her.
‘You have to-‘
And when they found her, her mommy would hug her very thigh and her daddy would pat her head with soothing words and warm smiles.
‘-run.’
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The next day came in colors of grey. What should have been pearl white snow on the floor, it was shaded by the thick clouds on the sky; giving the impression that the floor was covered in an irregular layer of dust and ashes.
Aoko slept uncomfortable that night (not that she had been sleeping well the past days); she still felt suspicious towards the nice bartender who let her stay for the night without paying anything…in this war-torn world everything had a price…
She had reflected during the night on leaving the place unnoticed before anything bad happened to her; her mind had played different scenarios in her head were hands came from the shadows and chased her to take away the only thing she had left in the world… But the night outside had been so cold and she had been so tired from walking all day on the freezing snow, that she had decided to stay and eventually dozed off into the same awful dream…
She walked down the stairs trying to be as quiet as the old wooden steps would let her. It was still very early in the morning. The bar wasn’t even open yet, and she saw Kaito taking down the chairs from the tables and cleaning them in the process.
Aoko sighed and quietly sat on one of the bar stools staring at the wooden pattern of the counter. ‘I better leave now… before something does happen.’
“A penny for your thoughts?”
Aoko looked immediately up; tired blue eyes looked deeply into hers behind thick messy locks of dark hair. He wasn’t that close but she felt as if he was touching her skin and soul with that only look.
“What?” Her mind suddenly felt very light for no reason at all…
Another of his crooked smiles. “Did you sleep well?”
Aoko blinked. “Oh… Yes, thank you.”
For a few minutes they just stared at each other, until Aoko couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“I don’t feel comfortable staying here.” She said bluntly to him with her eyes firm on his face.
“I know, I could tell.” He answered casually.
“Why did you let me stay for free?”
He shrugged. “Felt like it.”
“People aren’t just nice with strangers. It’s not normal.”
“Mmmh…maybe…”
Another silence; without noticing Aoko leaned further over the counter. She could see better his face now that they faces were closer and noticed how his ocean eyes held a tint of darkness on the borders but still so immensely bright in the middle… (“You have to-“) She also detected a small scar over his right eye that looked like it was from long ago. Her eyes unconsciously lowered to his lips and immediately travelled down to his wrists resting a few centimeters near hers.
“Why do you have that tattoo?” She whispered.
Kaito blinked, like he was waking up from a long dream, and moved his wrists behind the counter.
“That’s a secret.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Aoko tried one more time to find a place to stay and were she able to pay…
No luck. Not a single place in the whole town.
She couldn’t blame them though. She was a stranger and in that world it meant she couldn’t be trusted.
Only one idiot didn’t seem to think the same… and she was back to square one…
“Give it up.” He said while cleaning a glass behind the counter. “You won’t find a room available in this town.”
Aoko sulked looking down at her cup of coffee. “Then I’ll leave and walk to the next town.”
He suddenly because very serious. “Don’t. The next town is five days from here towards the north, and we just got notice that the troops are heading there…”
That got her attention and she suddenly became as serious as he was. “How do you know that?”
He continued cleaning the glass in silence for a few seconds.
“I just know.” He finally whispered.
Aoko was going to ask more about the issue when he interrupted her. “How about me make a deal? Since you seem so intent about paying for the room you are staying at. “
She noticed immediately how he changed the direction their conversation was taking; still she followed him since the new subject was as interesting as the last one.
“I’m listening.” She answered with a defiant tone.
“You help me attending the customers at the bar and you can stay as long as you want in the room up stairs.”
Aoko arched an eyebrow. “Help you with the bar? You mean as a waitress?”
“Yes.” He lifted his gaze from the now polished glass. “Deal?”
Aoko reflected about this proposition inside her head. If what he had said about the troops was true then she was trapped in that town until who knew how long, and she refused to stay another night in that room without paying (not that if she paid it meant she was safer but at least it was between her normal standards).
Now the trick to all this deal was what if he was lying? What if there were no troops headed to next town? She had no way to corroborate that information.
She had no options left.
“Fine. I’ll work with you in this bar. But as soon as the troops are gone I’ll leave and if I find something I don’t like about this whole situation I’ll also leave. Troops or no troops.”
The corners of his lips turned upwards a bit. “Thanks.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Smoke, screams, houses burned. Chaos everywhere.
People running in hopes of saving their lives and the ones they loved.
People crying for the ones they lost and will never see again.
A little girl standing alone in the middle of the pandemonium, crying for her parents and her broken doll.
‘You have-‘
The little girl started walking. She knew her daddy and mommy had to be somewhere, they always were with her.
‘You have to-‘
She felt someone grab her arm and when she turned around she saw a small child pulling in the other direction she was heading. The boy was speaking but the only thing she could understand was…
‘You have to run.’
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
It had been a week since she had started to work at the bar and they had gone by slowly and boring without any inconveniences. There wasn’t much to do at the bar and the customers still wouldn’t look at her when she brought their orders but she didn’t care. She was only working there for a place to stay, not to make friends.
Kaito behaved much like the first day she met him and she was starting to believe that maybe there was good people left in the world. Still, there was something about him…something about his movements, his looks, his way of talking or reacting to some things that made her believe that something was going on with the man. Not to mention his reaction when she had mentioned his tattoo (which she had noticed the day after, it was covered by a bandage under his white cotton shirt).
“You can go.” He said that day at night after closing the bar. “I’ll finish cleaning here.” The snow outside was falling harder and the customers had decided to leave early in care it got worst.
Aoko sighed and nodded. She didn’t know why but she was suddenly feeling really tired and the idea of going to sleep pleased her immensely. “Ok. See you tomorrow.”
Once in bed she curled between the rough sheets of her small bed and dozed off to sleep immediately…
She woke up later in the night.
She had the same dream again.
Fire.
Shouts.
A little girl…
Her head throbbed and tears started to form in her eyes. She then realized she was not going get much sleep and headed downstairs to grab something to drink from the bar.
She saw Kaito in one of the tables drinking.
Without thinking much about it she sat on the opposite chair from him and drank from his glass.
Whiskey.
The silent atmosphere felt nice between them, it was comfortable and soothing. The snow seemed the calm down a bit out side and the white small dots fell soundless on the ground.
“Do you know” he suddenly whispered while looking outside the window. “what it feels like to be all alone in a small place with no windows and no where to hide?”
Aoko stared at him; his eyes got glazed with whatever memory was forming inside his head. She also noticed he was rubbing his right wrist…
She didn’t say a word. She knew he needed this so he let him speak.
“It’s awful.” He continued. “You feel like there is no hope left. Like you are drowning in a dark ocean and no one can see you no matter how much you scream or beg.”
After a few silent seconds she only asked. “How long where you there?”
He hesitated, moving his eyes to rest on hers now. So much emotion was bottled up inside…so much pain and fear…it was hard to believe that with such dark emotions he could act so calm and at ease…
(She suddenly felt a pull…a need to be with him and take away his pain…)
“I don’t know…I-I don’t want to know…”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Two months had passed.
Three…
Four…
The snow was starting to come less and less. A few parches of green could be seen in some corners of the streets giving the feeling that spring was just around the corner.
The people in the town were starting to open up to her. Not much, but at least they now greeted her when she walked on the street or thanked her whenever she brought their orders.
She now had a permanent room at the top of the bar. She added a few things of course, like a small wardrobe that an old lady had sold to her and a curtain that she had made herself from unused tablecloths.
She noticed Kaito was smiling more but still hadn’t opened up completely to her. That was okay though, she had an idea of what he had been through and didn’t want to push him into doing so.
She felt like a new person. She felt like she could finally move on.
She looked at Kaito while he talked with some customers.
She felt like she had finally found a place to live…the feeling came from her chest and it was warm and light, making her feel fuzzy around the edges…and just wonderful…
Later that day, Kaito approached her while she was cleaning some dishes and put a small plain brown box in front of her face.
“For you.” He said softly. “I saw it and thought you may like it…”
Aoko quickly dried her hands on her apron and took the present. She just looked at it and then at him. “Why?”
Kaito chuckled. “Again no reason at all, just wanted to do it.”
She looked strangely at the package. Kaito noticing this arched an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No. Thanks Kaito.”
She could tell by his look that he hadn’t bought that but still said nothing about the subject and went back to attend the bar.
Aoko later opened the package.
It was a small dream catcher…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Smoke, screams, houses burned. Chaos everywhere.
People running in hopes of saving their lives and the ones they loved.
People crying for the ones they lost and will never see again.
A little girl standing alone in the middle of the pandemonium, crying for her parents and her broken doll.
‘You-‘
The little girl started walking. She suddenly was alone, everything was dark around her. No sound could be heard. She was scared.
‘You are-‘
She felt someone grab her hand. The little girl was now a woman and when she turned around she saw a man with messy hair and shadowed face. His hand was warm and his presence calmed her down. The man was speaking but the only thing she could understand was…
‘You are safe now.’
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“How about taking a walk? It’s a nice day and there isn’t much snow left…” Kaito suggested one morning while eating breakfast.
Aoko lowered her coffee. “What about the bar?”
He shrugged. “We can close it. I’m sure our customers will survive without us for a day.” He said while throwing one of his new grins that made her feel all giddy inside.
“Well…” She hesitated. “If you think there won’t be any troubles…then yes. I would love taking a walk.” She smiled.
A few hours later they were walking side by side along the long streets of the town. They even reached the forest of the town and walked near it savoring the soft noise from the tree branches dancing with the wind.
“Do you like living here?” Kaito suddenly asked her while looking at the cloudy sky.
Aoko paused. She looked everywhere but him. “Why do you ask?”
“Curiosity.” He then asked again. “Do you?”
“Yes…” She finally whispered. “I like it.”
The soft wind was curling in her long hair making it look messier than it already was.
She felt a warm hand on hers and a blush kissed her cheeks. She felt light and happy for the first time…
“Doesn’t it bother you?” She later asked with guilt attached on her face.
“No.” He answered softly fully understanding what she was talking about.
“But…you told me a bit about your past, and I can figure the rest…” She was getting nervous and a bit angry. “Doesn’t it bother you at least one bit that you don’t know anything about me? About my past? About…” her voice wavered. “About my secret…”
Kaito was silent. He then stopped walking and finally spoke. “I know the necessary to know that you are not a bad person, and that is enough for me.” He turned and looked directly to her eyes. “I know that whatever happened to you or whatever you did, made you the person you are now…and that is more than enough for me. Since I’ll be forever grateful to whatever brought you to me.”
Aoko was speechless, the air on her lungs had left her since the moment his blue orbs rested on hers. Her eyes started to sting and with a bit of surprise she noticed a small tint of red touching his cheeks.
“And since I don’t intend on delving into your past and you only know a bit of mine…” He continued while lifting a hand towards her face and with a quick movement made a rose appear between his fingers. “…how about we start a new one? Hi, my name is Kuroba Kaito. Nice to meet you.” He fully smiled while offering her the rose.
And Aoko could only cry and with shaky hands she accepted the unusual red flower.
“Hello, my name is Nakamori Aoko. The pleasure is mine.”
Title: Unspoken Words
Rating: T (no smexy scenes guys not even a kiss, just because it's war centered...)
Pairing: KaitoxAoko
Prompt: In a war-torn world, two people meet. One has a secret.
To January a.k.a katiesparks a.k.a katie-chan since this is her Christmas present ;D
Cold. All the air around her was cold. The noise of the faraway bombs alerted her that the attack from today still wasn’t over.
(It would never be over…)
She kept walking, the sound of her footsteps were muffled by the once white snow (that perfect white that made you blind when the sunshine hit its surface but you still could see and everything was oh so white and just beautiful and calm…). On the distance she now only saw long columns of smoke reflected on the flashes of light behind the mountains and over the dark sky.
(She couldn’t even see the stars anymore…)
She kept walking, small bag over one shoulder (what she could save) until she finally saw the few lights of what was left of the village in the distance.
She took a deep breath and walked towards the village. She just hoped this one would last longer…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The bar glowed dimly in the dark empty street; on the inside a few lights were seen over the tables, barely lighting up the faces of the people occupying the tables, and some over the counter making the place look gloomy and cold. Not much difference from the outside world.
Some of the people inside turned to look at her, throwing suspicious looks over their shoulders and watching her movements while she made her way towards one of the bar stools.
“Don’t pay attention to them.”
Aoko turned to look at the bartender, a young man with messy dark hair and the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen.
(First true color she had seen in days)
“They just don’t like strangers” The bartender continued with the shadow of a grin.
Aoko nodded, she was used to it by now. Used to the silence, used to eyes full of fear and grey colors.
“So, what can I get you? Not that there is much left to choose but…”
Aoko shrugged. “Anything is fine.”
The bartender grabbed two small glasses and filled them expertly without dropping a single drop of the brownish liquid. He gave her one while he lifted the other in front of her.
“For this bloody war to end already?”
Aoko snorted. “It will never end. Not while those greedy pigs keep playing with their toy soldiers.”
“Ah…so true…” Again a shadow of a grin played on his lips.
In the end she lifted her glass and toasted with the bartender.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“You sure there is no trouble at all? I don’t want to cause any inconveniences…”
The bartender, whose name was Kaito he later told her, nodded. “Sure, it’s okay. I told you I’m the owner of this place.”
“Yes, but the people downstairs didn’t look too happy when you said you had an available room for me.”
And indeed they looked quite angry when he said it.
Kaito snorted. “Those cranky old men can complain all they want for all I care. I own this place, and no one is going to tell me what I can or can’t do. No one…” He emphasized the last words.
Aoko arched an eyebrow. “Okay…If you are sure…Thanks.”
In fact she was glad he would let her stay, after drinking a few glasses she left the bar in search of a place to stay. How odd it was that no one had one single room available…even if it looked like it had been a long time since anybody (apart from the citizens of the town) stayed there…
That was when, with zero hopes of finding a roof to sleep that night, she spotted the bar along with the bartender making signs from one of the windows for her to come inside…
(“No luck eh? Don’t worry, there is an empty room on top the bar that you can use.”)
“Here is it.” He suddenly said while opening one of the doors on the left and startling her from her thoughts in the process. “It’s not very big but at least it will keep you a bit warm from the cold.” He pulled a crooked smile.
(And she started to wonder if he ever truly smiled before.)
She walked inside the room; a single bed, a night table, a lamp, a chair. That was all.
She turned to look at him, the corners of her lips turning upside a little. “Thanks, it’s more than I could ask for. How much will it be?”
Kaito shook his head. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing.”
Aoko found that strange, no one gave anything for free, it was not normal…she suddenly felt uncomfortable. Why was this man letting her stay in this room for free?
She was going to grab the bag she had previously left on the bed and flee from that place when Kaito grabbed the handle of the door to close it.
“Sleep well.”
And before he left and closed the door, she saw a purplish tattoo on the inside his right wrist with the numbers 1412…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Smoke, screams, houses burned. Chaos everywhere.
People running in hopes of saving their lives and the ones they loved.
People crying for the ones they lost and will never see again.
A little girl standing alone in the middle of the pandemonium, crying for her parents and her broken doll.
‘You have-‘
The little girl started walking. She knew her daddy and mommy had to be somewhere, they always were with her.
‘You have to-‘
And when they found her, her mommy would hug her very thigh and her daddy would pat her head with soothing words and warm smiles.
‘-run.’
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The next day came in colors of grey. What should have been pearl white snow on the floor, it was shaded by the thick clouds on the sky; giving the impression that the floor was covered in an irregular layer of dust and ashes.
Aoko slept uncomfortable that night (not that she had been sleeping well the past days); she still felt suspicious towards the nice bartender who let her stay for the night without paying anything…in this war-torn world everything had a price…
She had reflected during the night on leaving the place unnoticed before anything bad happened to her; her mind had played different scenarios in her head were hands came from the shadows and chased her to take away the only thing she had left in the world… But the night outside had been so cold and she had been so tired from walking all day on the freezing snow, that she had decided to stay and eventually dozed off into the same awful dream…
She walked down the stairs trying to be as quiet as the old wooden steps would let her. It was still very early in the morning. The bar wasn’t even open yet, and she saw Kaito taking down the chairs from the tables and cleaning them in the process.
Aoko sighed and quietly sat on one of the bar stools staring at the wooden pattern of the counter. ‘I better leave now… before something does happen.’
“A penny for your thoughts?”
Aoko looked immediately up; tired blue eyes looked deeply into hers behind thick messy locks of dark hair. He wasn’t that close but she felt as if he was touching her skin and soul with that only look.
“What?” Her mind suddenly felt very light for no reason at all…
Another of his crooked smiles. “Did you sleep well?”
Aoko blinked. “Oh… Yes, thank you.”
For a few minutes they just stared at each other, until Aoko couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“I don’t feel comfortable staying here.” She said bluntly to him with her eyes firm on his face.
“I know, I could tell.” He answered casually.
“Why did you let me stay for free?”
He shrugged. “Felt like it.”
“People aren’t just nice with strangers. It’s not normal.”
“Mmmh…maybe…”
Another silence; without noticing Aoko leaned further over the counter. She could see better his face now that they faces were closer and noticed how his ocean eyes held a tint of darkness on the borders but still so immensely bright in the middle… (“You have to-“) She also detected a small scar over his right eye that looked like it was from long ago. Her eyes unconsciously lowered to his lips and immediately travelled down to his wrists resting a few centimeters near hers.
“Why do you have that tattoo?” She whispered.
Kaito blinked, like he was waking up from a long dream, and moved his wrists behind the counter.
“That’s a secret.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Aoko tried one more time to find a place to stay and were she able to pay…
No luck. Not a single place in the whole town.
She couldn’t blame them though. She was a stranger and in that world it meant she couldn’t be trusted.
Only one idiot didn’t seem to think the same… and she was back to square one…
“Give it up.” He said while cleaning a glass behind the counter. “You won’t find a room available in this town.”
Aoko sulked looking down at her cup of coffee. “Then I’ll leave and walk to the next town.”
He suddenly because very serious. “Don’t. The next town is five days from here towards the north, and we just got notice that the troops are heading there…”
That got her attention and she suddenly became as serious as he was. “How do you know that?”
He continued cleaning the glass in silence for a few seconds.
“I just know.” He finally whispered.
Aoko was going to ask more about the issue when he interrupted her. “How about me make a deal? Since you seem so intent about paying for the room you are staying at. “
She noticed immediately how he changed the direction their conversation was taking; still she followed him since the new subject was as interesting as the last one.
“I’m listening.” She answered with a defiant tone.
“You help me attending the customers at the bar and you can stay as long as you want in the room up stairs.”
Aoko arched an eyebrow. “Help you with the bar? You mean as a waitress?”
“Yes.” He lifted his gaze from the now polished glass. “Deal?”
Aoko reflected about this proposition inside her head. If what he had said about the troops was true then she was trapped in that town until who knew how long, and she refused to stay another night in that room without paying (not that if she paid it meant she was safer but at least it was between her normal standards).
Now the trick to all this deal was what if he was lying? What if there were no troops headed to next town? She had no way to corroborate that information.
She had no options left.
“Fine. I’ll work with you in this bar. But as soon as the troops are gone I’ll leave and if I find something I don’t like about this whole situation I’ll also leave. Troops or no troops.”
The corners of his lips turned upwards a bit. “Thanks.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Smoke, screams, houses burned. Chaos everywhere.
People running in hopes of saving their lives and the ones they loved.
People crying for the ones they lost and will never see again.
A little girl standing alone in the middle of the pandemonium, crying for her parents and her broken doll.
‘You have-‘
The little girl started walking. She knew her daddy and mommy had to be somewhere, they always were with her.
‘You have to-‘
She felt someone grab her arm and when she turned around she saw a small child pulling in the other direction she was heading. The boy was speaking but the only thing she could understand was…
‘You have to run.’
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
It had been a week since she had started to work at the bar and they had gone by slowly and boring without any inconveniences. There wasn’t much to do at the bar and the customers still wouldn’t look at her when she brought their orders but she didn’t care. She was only working there for a place to stay, not to make friends.
Kaito behaved much like the first day she met him and she was starting to believe that maybe there was good people left in the world. Still, there was something about him…something about his movements, his looks, his way of talking or reacting to some things that made her believe that something was going on with the man. Not to mention his reaction when she had mentioned his tattoo (which she had noticed the day after, it was covered by a bandage under his white cotton shirt).
“You can go.” He said that day at night after closing the bar. “I’ll finish cleaning here.” The snow outside was falling harder and the customers had decided to leave early in care it got worst.
Aoko sighed and nodded. She didn’t know why but she was suddenly feeling really tired and the idea of going to sleep pleased her immensely. “Ok. See you tomorrow.”
Once in bed she curled between the rough sheets of her small bed and dozed off to sleep immediately…
She woke up later in the night.
She had the same dream again.
Fire.
Shouts.
A little girl…
Her head throbbed and tears started to form in her eyes. She then realized she was not going get much sleep and headed downstairs to grab something to drink from the bar.
She saw Kaito in one of the tables drinking.
Without thinking much about it she sat on the opposite chair from him and drank from his glass.
Whiskey.
The silent atmosphere felt nice between them, it was comfortable and soothing. The snow seemed the calm down a bit out side and the white small dots fell soundless on the ground.
“Do you know” he suddenly whispered while looking outside the window. “what it feels like to be all alone in a small place with no windows and no where to hide?”
Aoko stared at him; his eyes got glazed with whatever memory was forming inside his head. She also noticed he was rubbing his right wrist…
She didn’t say a word. She knew he needed this so he let him speak.
“It’s awful.” He continued. “You feel like there is no hope left. Like you are drowning in a dark ocean and no one can see you no matter how much you scream or beg.”
After a few silent seconds she only asked. “How long where you there?”
He hesitated, moving his eyes to rest on hers now. So much emotion was bottled up inside…so much pain and fear…it was hard to believe that with such dark emotions he could act so calm and at ease…
(She suddenly felt a pull…a need to be with him and take away his pain…)
“I don’t know…I-I don’t want to know…”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Two months had passed.
Three…
Four…
The snow was starting to come less and less. A few parches of green could be seen in some corners of the streets giving the feeling that spring was just around the corner.
The people in the town were starting to open up to her. Not much, but at least they now greeted her when she walked on the street or thanked her whenever she brought their orders.
She now had a permanent room at the top of the bar. She added a few things of course, like a small wardrobe that an old lady had sold to her and a curtain that she had made herself from unused tablecloths.
She noticed Kaito was smiling more but still hadn’t opened up completely to her. That was okay though, she had an idea of what he had been through and didn’t want to push him into doing so.
She felt like a new person. She felt like she could finally move on.
She looked at Kaito while he talked with some customers.
She felt like she had finally found a place to live…the feeling came from her chest and it was warm and light, making her feel fuzzy around the edges…and just wonderful…
Later that day, Kaito approached her while she was cleaning some dishes and put a small plain brown box in front of her face.
“For you.” He said softly. “I saw it and thought you may like it…”
Aoko quickly dried her hands on her apron and took the present. She just looked at it and then at him. “Why?”
Kaito chuckled. “Again no reason at all, just wanted to do it.”
She looked strangely at the package. Kaito noticing this arched an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No. Thanks Kaito.”
She could tell by his look that he hadn’t bought that but still said nothing about the subject and went back to attend the bar.
Aoko later opened the package.
It was a small dream catcher…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Smoke, screams, houses burned. Chaos everywhere.
People running in hopes of saving their lives and the ones they loved.
People crying for the ones they lost and will never see again.
A little girl standing alone in the middle of the pandemonium, crying for her parents and her broken doll.
‘You-‘
The little girl started walking. She suddenly was alone, everything was dark around her. No sound could be heard. She was scared.
‘You are-‘
She felt someone grab her hand. The little girl was now a woman and when she turned around she saw a man with messy hair and shadowed face. His hand was warm and his presence calmed her down. The man was speaking but the only thing she could understand was…
‘You are safe now.’
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“How about taking a walk? It’s a nice day and there isn’t much snow left…” Kaito suggested one morning while eating breakfast.
Aoko lowered her coffee. “What about the bar?”
He shrugged. “We can close it. I’m sure our customers will survive without us for a day.” He said while throwing one of his new grins that made her feel all giddy inside.
“Well…” She hesitated. “If you think there won’t be any troubles…then yes. I would love taking a walk.” She smiled.
A few hours later they were walking side by side along the long streets of the town. They even reached the forest of the town and walked near it savoring the soft noise from the tree branches dancing with the wind.
“Do you like living here?” Kaito suddenly asked her while looking at the cloudy sky.
Aoko paused. She looked everywhere but him. “Why do you ask?”
“Curiosity.” He then asked again. “Do you?”
“Yes…” She finally whispered. “I like it.”
The soft wind was curling in her long hair making it look messier than it already was.
She felt a warm hand on hers and a blush kissed her cheeks. She felt light and happy for the first time…
“Doesn’t it bother you?” She later asked with guilt attached on her face.
“No.” He answered softly fully understanding what she was talking about.
“But…you told me a bit about your past, and I can figure the rest…” She was getting nervous and a bit angry. “Doesn’t it bother you at least one bit that you don’t know anything about me? About my past? About…” her voice wavered. “About my secret…”
Kaito was silent. He then stopped walking and finally spoke. “I know the necessary to know that you are not a bad person, and that is enough for me.” He turned and looked directly to her eyes. “I know that whatever happened to you or whatever you did, made you the person you are now…and that is more than enough for me. Since I’ll be forever grateful to whatever brought you to me.”
Aoko was speechless, the air on her lungs had left her since the moment his blue orbs rested on hers. Her eyes started to sting and with a bit of surprise she noticed a small tint of red touching his cheeks.
“And since I don’t intend on delving into your past and you only know a bit of mine…” He continued while lifting a hand towards her face and with a quick movement made a rose appear between his fingers. “…how about we start a new one? Hi, my name is Kuroba Kaito. Nice to meet you.” He fully smiled while offering her the rose.
And Aoko could only cry and with shaky hands she accepted the unusual red flower.
“Hello, my name is Nakamori Aoko. The pleasure is mine.”