Chapter 5: A new day (2)

Ruby's POV

'Aqua's hand is so gentle to the touch, and it was warm too. His entire presence is so comforting and enjoyable. I feel protected and loved around him. Thank you, god for reincarnating me and my sensei next to each other in this life, now I can be beside him and we can become prominent figures in the entertainment industry. I would have preferred it if we weren't siblings though, that way we wouldn't have to keep our relationship entre nous. But, now that I think about it, it is so bad. Now I can reminisce all the fond memories that I spent with Aqua in the past, as me and Sensei, maybe I could even tell our children our story. I really want to bear Sensei's children, I want to feel more of his love, so we can be together forever and ever unlike everyone else.' 

"Come on Sarina, finish your food, it's going to get cold," Sensei coaxed, his voice like a calm wave that washed away all my anxieties. 

"No! I want you to feed me sensei," I replied in a childlike voice, with the insatiable urge to be pampered by Sensei, to feel more of his love. 

After hesitating for a moment, Sensei reluctantly picked up my spoon and scooped food off my plate before feeding it to me. Feeling like a child again, I was transported back to the fond memories of my childhood where each day spent was filled to the brim with warmth and happiness. 

'I knew it. While being an independent adult is good and all, being taken care of by the people I love is simply the best thing in the world!' I thought contently while gulping down the food given to me by sensei. 

"Hey, hey. Slow down, you might choke on your food," Sensei cautioned.

'Oh my gosh, he cares for me so much, I'm so lucky to have a sensei like Gorou sensei.' 

After relishing the delicious meal prepared with love that my sensei fed to me, and just relaxing in the atmosphere of his love, Aqua started to stand up.

'Could it be that he doesn't want to spend time with me? Am I scaring him away? Does he not love me anymore?' Fears started to pop up in my mind, causing my once warm heart to be frozen with the fear of being abandoned again like many times before. 

"Where are you going sensei?" I asked nervously, the paranoia of being abandoned creeping up on me, "Could it be that you don't want to spend time with me?" 

'Please say no, please say no. Please stay with me forever sensei. I love you' My heart cried out, as the unspoken fears of my heart started to wrap their grimy fingers around my soul, threatening to steal away the happiness that I just recently got, the love I recently found again in sensei. 

"No, of course not. It's just that I have some pressing matters to take care of outside," Aqua reassured me with a warm smile, causing my initial fears of being abandoned to be dispelled. 

'So sensei still loves me. Yay! Now we can be with each other forever and ever, and we can cuddle on the couch and do all the romantic things couples do when he comes back!"

However, a new chill started to grip my heart in the absence of the initial doubts that had crept up on me earlier, a chill caused by the foggy and unpredictable future. 

'What if he gets into an accident?' A silly thought popped into my mind, a situation so improbable that it would probably never come to pass. 

However, although this thought was unlikely, it spurred on a new line of fears, and caused another question to loom in the background of my mind 'What if death steals him away from me again?' 

At that exact moment when this question was brought up in my mind, I felt myself whisked away to the memories of the recent past. 

It was 8 pm in the evening. The forest was eerily quiet, save for the cawing of the wretched crow which had stolen the key to my room at the inn just a moment ago. Yet, I paid it no heed, instead, I stood frozen in place, staring at the skeleton that lay on the forest ground before me. The skeleton's clothes were torn and ragged, and the body decayed to the point where its bones and cavities were fully visible. But the thing that really shocked me, was the keychain hanging from the skeleton's neck, the beautiful face of the popular idol Ai Hoshino clearly visible. I remember my heart just collapsing in on itself as all the hope from within my heart, all the dreams sucked out from my soul as the star in my heart died, spawning a black hole that absorbed all light from within my heart. Everything was quiet that day, and everything I did from that day onwards was hard and painful. I don't ever want to experience that again. The painful feeling of being left alone, no one I loved left to love me. 

'I don't want him to go, I don't want to lose him again to the unpredictability of destiny. He should just stay with me, by my side, forever and ever, protected and safe. That's how it's meant to be.' 

"No Sensei you can't go, what if you get hit by a car? What if you suddenly get into an accident outside and I am unable to help you and you perish? Stay with me please, I can't afford to lose you again," I pleaded with tears flowing down my eyes, voicing my concerns and all the trauma that piled up deep inside of me. 

"What are you talking about? I'll be careful Sarina I promise," Sensei reassured. But I was still not convinced, the possibility and fear of him simply loomed too largely in my mind for me to ever allow such a thing to happen. 

"Sensei, please. Please just stay with me for today. I'll do whatever you want. Please," I begged, not seeing the living sensei in front of me but instead seeing the same skeleton of Goro Sensei from many years past right in front of me. 

'Anything, I will do anything just to be with sensei.' 

"Please," I beseeched once more, tears now flowing incessantly from my eyes. 

All of a sudden, Sensei wrapped his left arm under my leg and his right arm went to support my back as he lifted me up into the air and brought me over to the couch, visible strain ever so present on his face. 

Gently, he set me down on the comfortable couch and proceeded to grab some tissues from the counter near the couch which he then used to dab my tears. 

Hugging me, he replied, "Okay Sarina, I will stay with you today okay?" 

Falling into his warm embrace, I buried my face in his shoulder and muttered a calm acknowledgment, my fears quelled by his calm assurance. 

'He'll be safe now, he won't die again,' I told myself with a smile, as I tightened my arms around Sensei, hugging him firmly. 

lub~dub. lub~dub.

His heart's rhythmic beat, I can hear it. It's so calming, can he hear mine? I like it like this, we're both so close together our hearts can beat as one. I want us to remain like this for all eternity. 

But, that hope was never realized as sensei quickly pulled away from my embrace, pulling his face close to mine, so much so that we were about a hair's breadth away. 

'Is he going to kiss me?' I thought as a blush started to creep up on my face, as I started to lose my composure staring into his alluring pale-blue eyes. Unconsciously, my eyes drifted down to his rosy pink lips, and my lips parted, in preparation for our second kiss. 

However, upon seeing the crimson on my face, Aqua's eyes widened and he moved his face back a little bit, to my disappointment and embarrassment. 

'I can't believe I thought he was trying to kiss me just because we were close. What am I doing? Did he see that? Does he think differently from me now? Will he run away?' I thought nervously. 

"Are you okay now Sarina?" Aqua asked with a calm voice filled with genuine concern which touched my heart. 

"Yes," I answered sheepishly while shifting my gaze to my toes to avoid the discomfort of looking into his captivating eyes. 

"It's going to be okay now Sarina, I won't leave you behind again," he promised, his right hand lightly gripping my shoulder as he pulled me towards him. 

"Sensei ... I love you ... please stay with me" I confessed lovingly, as I gave in to his advances, resting my head on his shoulder, the soft fabric of his cotton t-shirt like a soft pillow to my ear. 

"I know, I know. I will stay with you Sarina don't worry," he reassured again, pulling me in closer to the point where our shoulders are squeezed together. 

"Would you like to watch something to calm your nerves? It seems to me like you can really use a break," Aqua suggested, his left hand extending to hover above the remote on the counter. 

"Yes, umm ... you can pick whatever you want to watch," I agreed, content with the thought of just being beside Sensei. 

Turning on the television, he logged in to his Netflix account while I continued to enjoy being held by someone I loved. 

"Okay, how about this?" Aqua suggested after scrolling down to a movie called "Your Place or Mine", " I heard it's really good." 

"Sure" I replied, not really caring about what we were watching so long as there was a 'we'. 

Halfway into the movie, Aqua suddenly paused the film and asked "I'm thirsty, would you like to get anything to drink?"

"Umm no thank you," I replied sheepishly. 

'Surely nothing will happen to him while getting a drink right?' I reassured myself, but eventually fear took hold of me and I ended up watching Aqua go to the kitchen and pour himself a glass of water, just to ensure he didn't slip or anything. 

'Hold on, now that I think about it, isn't this a movie date?' I questioned inwardly, as I started to fulfill the checklist in my mind of what constituted a movie date, to find myself ticking nearly every box, 'Is this our first date?'

Upon the sudden realization that this might be our first date, I quickly took note of the date and rushed off to my room, leaving Aqua stunned and confused as he sat on the couch in a daze upon seeing my sudden series of actions. 

Inside my room, I went to the mirror and touched up on my makeup a bit, as well as marked the date down in the small diary I kept underneath my bed, writing down a reminder for myself to cherish and celebrate this special occasion in the future. 

'3/12/22 First date with sensei. We watched a movie together at home.'

I wrote it down in black pen with a smile. 

'So does this mean we're officially dating?' As that thought entered my mind, my eyes lit up and my heart fluttered, like a butterfly fresh out of the cocoon. 

'Sensei and me...' 

What used to be a foolish daydream I had in the past had now actually turned into reality. 

'There's still so much I want to do with him, like him just patting my head, him ...' As the dreams and visions of the past started to appear in my mind, I quickly took out a piece of paper, writing down a checklist of all the things I wanted to do with Sensei as a couple. Now satisfied, I put down my pen and hurried back to the living room to continue our date. 

On the couch, there sat a man with long golden hair who stared intensely at the screen, enthralled by the movie that he had started playing. His face was an artistic masterpiece, his brows furrowed, with his bewitching blue eyes hidden beneath which focused intensely on the screen, his hands curled up and placed right below his chin, acting as a brace to support the handsome face craved by so many girls and boys worldwide. 

'That's my boyfriend' I thought to myself in disbelief. Yet it was not his attractive facial features that made me feel so unbelievably lucky but it was instead his even more beautiful heart. 'My boyfriend is kind, there for me when I needed him, plus he's handsome, what a catch. '

"Sensei," I yelled in uncontrollable excitement before jumping onto the couch and snuggling right beside him again. 

With a small yelp of surprise, Aqua turned around and gave a small chuckle at my antics.

"Would you like me to rewind the film for you? Sorry, you were gone for a while so I started on without you," Sensei offered with a smile, his shining face amplified even more in the sun's glow. 

'Should I tease him?' 

"No way Sensei, you started without me? That's so mean," I complained while pouting. 

Hearing my offended tone, he visibly got flustered as his face reddened and his eyes widened as he started to apologize nonstop. 

"Pfft I was just ... "

Just as I was about to continue, Aqua suddenly butted in, "Is there anything I can do to make up for it? I'm so so sorry Sarina, I should have been more considerate and thought of your feelings. I'm really sorry. "

'Wait. Can I use this to my advantage?' I asked myself. What was originally supposed to be a harmless prank actually turned into an opportunity for me to get chummy with Sensei.

"Well ... you can kiss me," I offered as I peered into his eyes with silent anticipation, my hands fiddling with each other endlessly in order to combat the nerves deep inside me. 

"Haiz, you know I can't do that Sarina, anything else I could possibly do?" He sighed, his eyes filled with remorse and the eagerness to repent. 

"But I want a kiss ... " I replied, adamant about reliving the experience from yesterday. 

"Sarina, you got to stay true to your word, OUR word," Aqua stressed, "Is it okay if I just rewind the film and rewatch it with you?"

'Urgh, he's still so dense. I don't care about the film at all, I just want to be with him.'

"Okay," I replied nonchalantly, slightly disappointed in me wasting this opportunity. 

'But just then, the 'couple bucket list' I created earlier popped into my mind. 

'What do couples always do when watching things together? Cuddle right? Mmm, cuddling with Sensei will be so nice. Just the two of us, his hands around my waist, my head resting on his chest. I can just imagine it!' 

"But ... you will have to cuddle with me while watching the film okay?" I asked, my heart pounding loudly in silent anticipation of his answer. 

Hearing my offer, his eyes started to wander a little as he hesitated, before he finally accepted my request, patting his lap as a welcome for me. With a yelp of joy, I quickly jumped onto his lap and rested my head on the soft fabric of his t-shirt, inhaling his sweet sweet aroma. 

'My sensei ... Just the two of us, I want to be like this forever' I thought as he wrapped his thin but muscular arms around me, which made my heart feel like it was about to explode in joy. 

'AARGH I'm being embraced by Sensei!'

This was one of my lifelong dreams, I used to spend all my rest days binge-watching K-dramas and films, just imagining my beloved Sensei wrapping his arms around me like this. 

"Sensei ... Sensei ... " I repeated on and on again like a deranged lovesick lunatic, my brain overdosed beyond repair with dopamine and oxytocin. 

~to be continued~ (Aqua's perspective )

Author's comments: Sorry I haven't been posting daily for a while, I've just been really caught up with catching up with my friends and my sleep honestly. Idk about you guys, but after a long long year of having unhealthy amounts of sleep deprivation and sleep debt pile up, no matter how much you sleep, you just can't seem to shake off your brain's attraction to going back to sleeping man. Like I just feel lethargic the whole day, but sorry once again. I will get back to posting daily. But I will try to make my chapters longer. Also BTW give me some time for the fighting shit, I still researching all the different martial arts so I can give you the best, somewhat authentic martial arts fights I can give. But once again, this will mostly be slice of life and romance, with the exploration of some dark topics like trauma and phobias.