Sixteen

Akane had taken a long time to fall asleep. She had pretended to be asleep but Kousuke knew otherwise. He had not wanted her to see her parents precisely because of how much she silently missed them already. She hadn't wanted him to worry and had, hence, not spoken about it. He had not known how to approach the subject either. He probably should have addressed it before she decided to make a move.

She was hurt and yet, she smiled through the rest of the night till the darkness made her feel that it was okay to abandon the need to put up a front.

At times like these, Kousuke could only wish that he had the same effect on her as the dark did. But he wasn't her family or her close friend. He wasn't her person. He was someone who'd recently just barged into her life.

'I'll fell a little less like I abandoned them.'

He wasn't the one she blamed.

It was probably past 02:00am. The moonlight filtering in through the blinds was just enough light for him to make out her troubled features.

Was she having a dream?

His eyes never left her face. Through all these many years, he'd watched her grow. He'd protected her. He'd watched her learn. He'd watched her interact. He's seen her at her weakest. He'd seen her when she was shining the brightest. He'd come to understand her. He'd worried about her. He'd felt happy for her. He'd cared for her. He'd come to cherish her. His whole life suddenly revolved around her. With his own brother's demise and the events that followed, he had found his strength in her. He'd come to love her.

He wasn't Miyazono Shibata.

Carefully, he reached over and touched her cheek. He knew how to comfort her but he couldn't even hold her. He wasn't the one she wanted. He couldn't ask her to lean on him because he was the one who took everything away from her.

She moved, nudging her face into his palm. It was probably the warmth that made her do it. Nevertheless, it made his chest ache.

It was beyond him how anyone could trust another person 100 per cent like she had trusted him. She trusted him enough to have fallen asleep so peacefully right next to him. And yet, here he was, wishing that he could do more than just touch her cheek when she slept, unknowing. He did not like the Miyazono boy and often lost his cool around him. All he had wanted was to see Akane happy and even if he had said that it was okay for her to be with Miyazono as long as it kept her happy, he couldn't feel happy for her.

This vile emotion had made itself apparent after she came to live with them. With the way she cared so much and tried so hard, it was only natural that he'd want to protect her all the more.

Protect?

He wanted to more than just protect her.

"I'm sorry." He mouthed softly.

The words fell on unhearing ears. Beyond her, Chizuru turned on her side, still fast asleep.

He withdrew his hand.

He would guard her with his own life. He would continue watching her.

That was all that he could do after all.

"Yo!" Shibata-kun cheerfully greeted me as he exited the college gates.

"Good evening." I beamed. Having decided to move on, the sight of this smiling face was a very warm welcome. "How were classes today?"

"The usual. Nothing of interest to you." He said, then took my hand and began walking away from college. "Come. There's something I want to do."

"Eh? Where are we-" I followed despite being surprised by his enthusiasm. Terasaki-san followed us at a distance too. After walking a bit, we entered a mall. I didn't question him any further. Soon, we came to a photo booth.

"This." He stopped and smiled at me. "Let's take pictures."

"Pictures?" I blinked. "You could have just used your phone."

"Yeah. I could have but it's not the same feeling. A few pictures can't hurt, right?" His eyes were pleading with me. I couldn't possibly decline- neither did I have a reason nor the will to decline. I let him know so through the smile I gave him in response. He then looked at Terasaki-san who had come to join us.

"This is fine, isn't it?"

Terasaki-san looked at the photo booth and then at me. I shrugged. He looked back at Shibata-kun. "Go ahead."

"Cool." He nodded and held the booth curtain open for me. "After you."

Terasaki-san walked away from us and towards a nearby display of sweets. He probably wanted to give us some space.

"Okay." I gave in and entered the booth. He stepped in behind me. We took our seat in front of the camera and he fiddled with the controls.

"How many do we take? Eight?"

"Then you can keep four and I can keep four." I said. Photo booths seemed old-fashioned but they were still around for a reason. The sentiments attached to them made me happy.

"Works for me." He said and once he was done, he sat back and draped an arm over the seat behind me, scooting closer. "Here goes."

I smiled. Eight photos were taken in close succession. We even made funny faces. Like I'd said, it was all about the sentiments. Photo booths were fun!

"I wonder how those turned out." I said as I prepared to get up.

"Ah! Wait!" He stopped me by my arm.

"Hm?" I settled back into the seat. "You want to take more?"

"Eh? A-Ah. No. That's not it." He turned to completely face me. "I kind of wanted to talk... without being watched closely."

"Oh." I recoiled. He'd become serious all of a sudden. "You thought of the photo booth just for that?"

"The idea occurred to me when I saw it yesterday while shopping with my mother and I did want to take pictures with you but... it just seemed like the perfect opportunity."

"To talk?" Well, it definitely was difficult to have an open conversation when Terasaki-san was following us everywhere, watching our every move. It was awkward. I could understand why he would want to do this.

"Well..." He looked away briefly before meeting my eyes again. "You... wear that bracelet every day, don't you?"

"I do." I frowned. Why was he asking me that now? "I mean, you bought it for me so..."

He smiled and embarrassed smile. "Somehow... that makes me happy."

"Miyazono-san?" I called. The air around us seemed to change a bit. It was a change that I wasn't dumb enough to miss.

I held back further words. He'd made it such, really. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest.

"Kirishima-chan, I..." He paused. "Are you really okay with this relationship of ours?"

I knew it.

I could read the seriousness in his eyes. This was what he wanted to talk about. This... It was okay to be honest about at least this with him, right?

"I mean, it's not that-" He began talking again but I spoke up before he could continue.

"Honestly? No."

He pursed his lips, his brows knitting ever-so-lightly. "Then... what do you want to do about it?"

I remembered how Agari-san kept calling him my lover. The way he was looking at me so seriously also drove me over the edge.

Shibata-kun was all I had left from my previous life.

No.

He was the person I loved.

Did I need any more reasons?

I was so reluctant earlier because of how his association with me could put him in danger but seeing that he was in danger either way and that nothing untoward had happened till now and that Terasaki-san had said that I was almost ready... "What do... you want to do?"

I couldn't answer the question myself. That was why I asked the question back to him.

He placed a hand on the backrest of the seat and moved closer. "I want to kiss you."

What the hell?!

I backed into the side wall of the photo booth and held his gaze, the blood rushing to my face. I hadn't expected him to just come out and say that.

"May I?" He asked, lowering his voice a bit.

There was no way I could remain calm when he did that!

"Y-You may..." I averted my eyes.

He chuckled. "Wha... Don't be so nervous."

"B-But... I never thought that you'd... say something like that." I countered.

"Didn't like it?" He asked, but the smile that graced his lips told me that he already knew my answer.

"Geez..." I looked back at him.

Maybe it was a good thing that all that had happened had happened. Despite all that I had thought about that lost birthday celebration, I doubt that either of us would have confessed till the day of our graduation because it would have hit us hard only then that we were going to go our separate ways otherwise.

Maybe this was good.

He ran a hand to the back of my head and pulled me closer. Our lips met. A long and sweet kiss.

Despite how I'd stiffened up at first, when his free hand found mine and he laced his fingers with mine, I eased into it. I reciprocated.

When he pulled away and rested his forehead against mine though, I felt my eyes fill up. After all that had happened and all that could happen and my having already lost him once before... this moment made such complex emotions wash over me that I wasn't even sure what caused the tears to show up.

"Hey..." He frowned and caught my face in both of his hands. "What are you crying for?"

"S-Sorry. It's just that..." I don't want to lose you again. It was too painful the first time. "I-I love you."

I finally said it aloud.

"I love you."

He kissed me again, then wiped my tears and pulled me into a hug that I responded to immediately by hugging him back. I stopped myself from crying but I wanted this comfort. I wanted to be held by him.

He rested his cheek on my head. "I love you too."

Oh God!

Did I really deserve this?

A few good minutes passed us before we finally let go of each other. I was not sure about what to say though, or how to look up at him with him still staying so close to me. "Miya-"

"At least call me by my given name now." He shook his head.

Right. "Shibata-kun."

"Yes, Akane-chan?" He asked, as if the preceding exchange hadn't happened at all. I found myself laughing at that a bit.

"We should probably get going. We've been in here long enough."

"Right." He nodded, then pecked my lips again. "Now we can go."

Terasaki-san was waiting by the sweets display, a packet of sweets he'd just bought in his hand. He'd probably bought something for Chiyo.

Shibata-kun and I split the photos halfway as we had decided and then we took a leisurely stroll around the mall hand-in-hand. It was a wonderful evening and when the time finally came to part for the night, I couldn't help but want to hold on.

"Tomorrow. You know my schedule already, don't you?" He asked at the exit of the mall.

I had always known it. "Yes."

"Alright then." He glanced at Terasaki-san who was standing behind me, then leaned in and kissed me. "Good night, Akane-chan."

"Good night." I smiled and saw him off. Once he was gone, I turned to Terasaki-san who was looking away. "Shall we?"

"What was that about?" He asked slowly.

"Hm? Oh. We might have, um, become... lovers after all." I admitted shyly. I wouldn't hear the end of it from Agari-san.

"Is that so?" He began walking out. I caught up and kept pace with him.

He did not say anything more. He didn't even look at me after that.