AN: Anyone got a good Bleach fics! I'll mass release after some users give out good ones....
Ariga-tanks!
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Haru seemed to be simply grumbling at her, perhaps just the kind of mutual teasing between friends. Yet when Sakiko lowered her head and obediently admitted fault, he slipped a confession into his words, one stripped of any trace of romance.
As if he were afraid she might say it before he could, competing like a stubborn child who had to win.
It was not romantic at all.
"So sly… far too sly…"
The one who should be saying sorry, the one who should be telling Haru 'I like you'… that should have been her. So why…
His confession sounded like a casual remark made during an after-dinner walk, yet it sent tremors through Sakiko's heart, an uncontrollable swell of emotion rising like a whirlpool. She pressed her lips together without thinking.
How many times had she cried already?
Ever since the day she dissolved CRYCHIC with her own hands, Sakiko had sworn she would never shed another tear. Yet today, her tear ducts felt broken, spilling endlessly, unstoppable.
She had done so many terrible things, yet he had never once blamed her.
"…"
Like a child abandoned by her parents, Sakiko stood dumbly at his bedside, crying loudly. The sound made Haru's heart pound in panic, and he quickly reached out to gently grasp her wrist.
Thankfully, Sakiko was like a child now, offering no resistance at all as he drew her into his arms.
"I-I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… You worked so hard for me, and yet… yet I treated you like this…"
"I'm sorry… I like you… I'm sorry… I really… really love you."
Her broken words were tangled with muffled sobs. As Haru clasped her right hand, a faint shadow of guilt flickered in his eyes. Her delicate white fingers were so cold it felt as though they had just been pulled out of the snow, every inch of her skin radiating a biting chill.
Like soothing a child, Haru reached out and gently patted her trembling back. In the middle of winter, she was wearing only a thin dress, her small face pressed against his chest growing wet with tears.
He did not know what it had taken for her to come here, but he could guess it had not been easy.
"I was never angry at you, Sakiko."
Again and again she whispered "I'm sorry," and again and again he answered, "It's all right."
The girl who tried to act the most mature was in truth the most childish. Now, with her hard shell peeled away, she revealed before Haru her truest, most fragile heart.
"Haru, thank you…"
Her tear-streaked voice trembled like a kitten seeking shelter from the rain, her cheek rubbing against his neck.
"I should be thanking you, Sakiko. Even after knowing what I've done… you're still willing to love me."
"But, Sakiko, you're a little silly."
A faint smile softened his face, his gaze filled with quiet warmth.
She was childish and stubborn, and even after finding out about his entanglements with other girls, after realizing how blatantly he seemed to be building a harem, she still chose to confess to him.
"…How am I silly?"
Sakiko lifted her tear-stained face from his chest, those misty amber eyes still blazing with pride as they locked on his.
The young lady who had always been called a genius refused to admit she could ever be foolish.
"A smart girl, once she knew I was seeing so many girls at once and that I was a shameless womanizer, would never accept me. But you, Sakiko, still say you love me—"
"My feelings for you have nothing to do with whether you're with anyone else!"
Sakiko cut him off without hesitation, pressing her forehead lightly against his chest. But the moment she remembered he was an injured patient, regret and worry flooded her eyes.
Not that it mattered... his wounds were nearly healed, and her little headbutt was no stronger than a child's pouting gesture.
"…I've thought about it carefully."
"No matter how much I want to have Haru all to myself, I can't force you to break up with the others. Especially with Mutsumi and Uika… their feelings for you aren't any less than mine."
"And besides, my fate was already thrown into chaos by you. You once said you could never leave me to face it alone, that you'd be the one I could rely on completely."
She could never leave him now.
For Sakiko, her future with Haru was already woven into her life. There was no way to turn away, because she only loved him, and no one else.
It was her first time truly intertwining fingers with him, her first real embrace. His arms were ten, a hundred, a thousand times warmer than she had ever imagined.
At this point, she did not want to leave.
Her amber eyes, shimmering with both shyness and resolve, lifted toward him. With her cheek pressed against his chest, their heartbeats overlapped. The warmth wrapping her body blurred her thoughts, but with her last strength she whispered:
"For saying something like this, please… take responsibility for me."
Her pure beauty was like the moon hanging bright in the night sky.
Her flaws were like scattered stars, countless, yet her virtues burned as fiercely as the sun. And when the sun rose, every star vanished without a trace.
"…I think you're the sly one, Sakiko."
Haru's heartbeat raced as he steadied his breath. His hand slid around her slender waist, pulling her gently closer as he lowered his head. Their shadows melted together, their breaths mingling in a single stream.
Her long lashes quivered, her body drowning in the heat of his breath.
The warmth of blood rushed through them, soul and body immersed in the most ordinary yet most profound of kisses. The soft sweetness carried a love that spread like fire through every corner of their beings.
"…"
At some point, her breathing grew slow and even.
Exhausted after a sleepless night and her emotional storm, she had finally let go and fallen asleep, sinking completely into his arms.
"…For a second I thought I kissed you into unconsciousness."
Haru could not help but murmur with a wry smile, then lowered his gaze to her sleeping face.
Dark circles shadowed her pale skin. Her swollen eyelids were still misty with tears, her delicate lips cracked and bloodied. He sighed quietly.
But now, what should he do?
This was not his home. He could not move her without waking her, yet this single bed was the only one in the room. He could hardly go sleep somewhere else, not as a patient.
Click
The door opened a crack. A small head of pale green hair peeked cautiously inside.
"…"
Mutsumi had been waiting at the door the whole time. She had stood there silently even after Sakiko's crying stopped, fifteen minutes passing before she finally opened the door, and even then only enough for a narrow gap.
Haru couldn't help but smile wryly.
He waved her in. Seeing the scene, Mutsumi walked quietly over, her face full of quiet understanding.
"Sakiko…?"
Her small lips parted as she gazed at the sleeping girl in Haru's arms.
"She must be exhausted. I'll let her stay here tonight, no point in waking her."
"…"
Mutsumi nodded softly, eyes fixed on him as he carefully laid Sakiko beside him, pulling the blanket gently over her. But in her gaze there flickered a shade of envy.
Even as his fiancée, she had rarely shared a bed with him.
"…Sorry, Mutsumi, but this bed won't fit three people."
Haru noticed the shadow of disappointment on her face. With a helpless smile, he explained, then casually reached for her hand, drawing her close.
Before she could react, he brushed his lips against hers in a fleeting kiss.
"But once I'm out of the hospital, there'll be plenty of chances."
"So don't think either of you can escape then."
A bed too small for three?
Ridiculous. He could always get a bigger bed.
And if not, well… he could always just stack Sakiko and Mutsumi together.
"Yes, I understand."
With her cheeks slightly flushed, Mutsumi nodded obediently, then, as if embarrassed, quickened her steps to the door. At the last moment she cast one more casual glance back into the room before carefully closing it.
Haru could only smile wryly, then turned his gaze toward Sakiko, who was still sound asleep, refusing to let go of his hand.
"This really is going to be a long road ahead."
…
—December 12, clear blue sky—
Snow lay across the mountains, clouds drifting like white dust.
Tokyo in winter seemed to be wrapped in a quiet prelude to Christmas. Thin, soft flakes of snow floated down like smoke, swirling and swaying with the wind. The air was cold and sharp, every breath visible as a faint white mist.
Haru, wrapped in a bright red scarf, held a shopping basket and carefully examined the frozen goods on sale at the supermarket. Beside him, also bundled in a crimson scarf, stood the pale green-haired girl, obediently following along. Her thick scarf almost swallowed her small face completely.
"There will be the big 'discharge' celebration with everyone in a few days, but since it's already a day to celebrate, how about we make something nice for tonight too?"
"Yes, I think that's a wonderful idea."
His fiancée nodded firmly, clearly in favor of the suggestion.
Today was the day Haru was officially discharged from the hospital.
Mutsumi had wanted him to stay under observation for at least another week, but in truth his wounds had already healed by the third day, to the point where even bandage changes were unnecessary.
Not only was Haru feeling restless in the hospital, even the silver-braided doctor had started showing signs of impatience.
"In that case, let's have a proper wagyu hot pot for once~"
Whoosh, whoosh…
A faint rushing sound brushed his ears. Turning his head, Haru saw that Mutsumi was still standing there quietly, though the tips of her ears peeking out from the scarf were slightly red. Otherwise, she looked the same as before.
"Hm?"
Haru narrowed his eyes with mild suspicion, then casually returned to picking ingredients.
Whoosh, whoosh…
The sound came again. This time Haru quickly reached out to the side without even looking, and caught hold of a small hand sneaking toward the shopping basket. Trapped along with the hand was a packet of fresh sea cucumbers.
Sea cucumbers?
Haru raised an eyebrow and glanced into the basket.
Abalone, sea cucumbers, broccoli, tofu… even kidneys. None of these were things he had chosen himself. Clearly someone had been sneaking them in.
And the culprit was now standing before him, looking utterly wronged.
"Mutsumi, tofu and broccoli I can understand, but abalone and sea cucumber?"
"These are hot pot ingredients."
"Normally, who puts things like that into hot pot?"
"These are hot pot ingredients."
"…And this bag of goji berries?"
"These are hot pot ingredients."
Like a stubborn doll who absolutely refused to admit defeat, the girl kept repeating the same phrase, her face blank. Haru's lips twitched, and even his raised brows began to tremble.
He gave her a long, subtle look.
Really now, you could at least come up with a different excuse.
"…"
Mutsumi's face was still flushed red, and under his gaze she chose cowardly silence.
Unable to out-stubborn her, Haru clicked his tongue inwardly. Even after they left the supermarket, her face remained tinted pink, and when he took the initiative to hold her hand, her body shivered violently.
"…"
Now that was telling.
Snowflakes like white dandelions drifted in the air, carrying a biting chill, but the small hand he held was hot and burning, just like the soft little face hidden beneath her scarf.
Before long, the two of them reached the familiar "Bridge."
Haru stopped instinctively. He cast a wary glance at the bridge that had sent him flying at least three times before, scanning the area as if afraid of seeing something he'd rather not.
But instead of the danger he imagined, what he saw was a small, familiar figure.
A gray-haired girl stood at the center of the bridge, wrapped in a white scarf, rising on tiptoes. Snow piled steadily atop her head until it formed a little mound, but she didn't seem to notice, only staring blankly up at the sky.
"Tomori?"
At the sound of his voice, the girl blinked back to awareness. Cradling snowflakes in her hands, her amber eyes widened when she saw him. Then she broke into a run.
"Haru, you really got discharged today!"
Her hurried little steps made her look like a waddling penguin.
"As you can see, a perfect recovery."
"But what about you, Tomori? What are you doing here at this time?"
The girl froze at his question, then raised her hands carefully, showing the snow she was holding, and answered with earnest seriousness.
"I'm touching the snowflakes. Each one… is unique."
"They're like countless small, nameless lives drifting through the air. In the end they might melt into water, but I don't feel sad, because I've already etched them into my heart."
Haru widened his eyes, then glanced toward Mutsumi.
Even she looked surprised. As a former CRYCHIC member, she knew better than anyone how pessimistic Takamatsu Tomori could be. But now, Tomori's words carried a very different kind of feeling.
"…Well said. Head pats for you."
Haru couldn't resist ruffling her soft gray hair. Having touched snow, her strands were cool against his palm, strangely pleasant to the touch.
The warm and familiar touch made the girl close her eyes in comfort, even rising on her toes to lean into his hand.
"I'm about to prepare dinner with Mutsumi. From the looks of it, Tomori, you probably haven't eaten either. How about coming over for hot pot?"
"Th-that wouldn't be right…"
Takamatsu Tomori froze for a moment, then frantically waved her small hands.
As one of the strictest followers of the so-called "girlfriend code," she would never choose to intrude on Mutsumi's private time. No matter how close she was to Mutsumi, that was a rule she had always upheld.
The quiet wooden doll parted her lips slightly, gazing calmly at the penguin-faced girl with golden eyes.
"…Tomori, you come too."
"Eh?"
Mutsumi suddenly reached out and grabbed Tomori's wrist. The unexpected gesture left Tomori completely at a loss, and Haru, watching from the side, couldn't help the flicker of amusement in his eyes. He quickly added his own encouragement.
"See, even Mutsumi is inviting you."
"Hot pot is always better with more people."
Tomori blinked in a daze. Already wavering, she could no longer bring herself to refuse. And since the invitation had come directly from Mutsumi herself, the "girlfriend code" was no longer in effect.
Still, there was something odd in Mutsumi's eyes.
"…"
Expressionless, Mutsumi stared at Tomori for a moment, then quietly nodded to herself, as if she had made up her mind.