A world for the two of us.

       “It is obvious which is the right choice.” Surrender to death ––– and let him go. The decision she was unable to made. The WEAKNESS which convinced her solitude was a more favourable, although bitter, path. Thoughts she didn’t voice, she let them to his imagination, together with her struggle. A conflict beyond men’s imagination and yet so HUMANE, how else to describe the strife against loss, the endeavour to stubbornly cling to what is doomed to fade to nothingness. Feelings which should be foreign to her, a battle with herself she should have never faced, if only she was but a beast to her very own core. Yet she was there, speaking about that nonsense, while attempting to escape his eyes till the very end, till she could only lift her gaze, and confront the gentleness hinted in his features, and an answer he swore would be truthful.

       “In the end, I would regret both choices nonetheless.” Her fingers reached the back of the hand cupping her cheek, and gently her fingertips traced invisible lines on its skin. So tender, soon to turn to DUST. A realisation that made her chuckle softly, the answer she received one which sketched a melancholic smile on her lips. “I wish I could blindly believe in thine answer. Thou art different, indeed, even so how dost thou know thou wilt not hate me afterwards? Thou canst accept what I do, mayhap, but canst thou approve of becoming a devil? Hmpf.” Sometimes she desired he would refrain from pronouncing certain audacious statements, no matter how sincere or how heartfelt ––– it was not comfort she sought.

       “I don’t want to make the same mistake again.”

         A sigh left his lips upon receiving no concrete answer, although the words’ underlying meanings somewhat contented him for the blonde seemingly faced a very real dilemma, rational thoughts and emotions conflicting in her mind, a desire to protect, to preserve an existence that had grown close to her own, failing to cohabitate with a harsh reality that was to eventually befall them. However fickle may Tatsuya’s sincerity be, he had offered no lies, the query being none he could accurately answer, her strives unbeknownst to his mind, and yet another proof of the impenetrable wall standing between them, separating their existences as mortal and immortal. Lips curled up ever so slightly at the light touch on his skin, his hand soon taking a hold of hers, grasping it tightly as he let them fall between them, grey hues remaining on the vampire, regardless of her own fleeing gaze.

         “I don’t know. I can’t promise you anything.” Whispering sweet nothings while retaining his composure would have taken little effort, how surreal the mental image seemed to the raven-haired male’s mind aiding his excellent actor skills, but he refrained from it nonetheless   for his limited comprehending hid a genuine issue Shinobu faced, albeit one he could hardly offer further words on. “Could you tell me what happened? What is that mistake you made? The last servant you made ended up hating you for it?” The queries left his lips, as much in a desire to further grasp the situation as much as in attempts of forming out a reply of his own, to ponder how he, himself, may face immortality was he to be granted it, no matter how ludicrous the idea had been to him until this very moment, and still remained.

【紫氷の日】まとめ by ちろ ※Permission to upload was kindly granted by the artist. **Please do not remove source/re-upload without permission** **Please rate and/or bookmark their works on Pixiv too**

He leans his back against the coolness of the concrete wall, even in broad daylight with sunglasses as an extra layer to shield, the advertisements flash around him and make their way into his vision. The backdrop behind him reveals a rising silver tower with scarlet imprints of 109. It’s where he’s supposed to meet the other. 

Supposed to, a quick scan of the crowd and he still does not see the other male. Akita is far and the raven haired boy did live in America for a while, not to mention that Shibuya was oh so lovely in how people could wander outside only to realize they had not technically exited the station yet. But he trusted the other to know that much too. Hopefully.

Just in case, fingers swipe upon the screen of his locked phone. Another swipe to reach the other’s name upon the contacts and he quickly sends a message.

          It was not that Tatsuya had particularly desired to run late to an encounter that had been arranged for days now, his own habits much favouring an early arrival to a later one if only for whomever he was to meet to not await for his presence. However, no matter how unthinkable the idea was in Japan, the train allowing him to cross the non-negligible distance between Akita and Tokyo had suffered from a short delay due to a technical issue, what hadn’t failed to throw off his plans more than he wished it had. It was upon reaching the Shibuya station that he felt a buzzing coming from his pocket, his phone signalling him a message that he would have gladly ignored was the sender to be any of the blond he should have been alongside with already. 

[Text] I’m coming right away. Sorry, my train was delayed.

          Fingers typed the message quickly, hurried steps making their way toward a meeting point he was familiar with for the handful of times he had visited the surrounding area ever since coming back to Japan, the thick crowd barely hindering his vision thanks to a height he more often than not was all too glad for, the search of a male of a taller stature than he, himself, was, easing his predicament ever so slightly as well. “I’m very sorry. I hope I didn’t make you wait for too long.” Upon finally joining Kise, words of apologies were offered along with a respectful nod, hoping for the gestures to suffice following a wait he would have much preferred to prevent, to no avail. “Shall we go?” 

[To: Himuro Tatsuya] [Text] My father is familiar with some men,       Yukimaru attended few races. [Text] However, not me was a rider— [Text] I wonder if training is severe— [Text] And thank you, you’re doing a great favour,       if there’s a way for me repay? [Text] I’m restrained with obligations to allow       self to travel, but I desire to behold many cities and historical monuments. [Text] And what can’t be found in Japan—? [Text] We have most of board games similar to       Western, however— [Text] There were some bizarre looking ones— [Text] RISK, Axis and Allies, Trivial Pursuit. {Text] I can’t recall trying them.

[To: Seiijurou Akashi] [Text] So your horse has done some races but you never raced yourself in a competition like this? [Text] I don’t know but I’m assuming the training is a bit different from the one in regular competitions? [Text] Probably harder since the horse riders have to race almost every day.   [Text] The horses probably need to be taken care of even better than for regular competitions too. [Text] There's nothing for you to repay me with. I’m the one grateful to you. It was very kind of you to accept my presence for the day. [Text] I understand, I’m lucky to have my family living in Los Angeles so I can travel easily. [Text] Those three? They’re quite popular in America. It’ll be easy for me to find if you’re interested in trying them.

A world for the two of us.

       “Back then, thou could’st have died.” Her statement was not a reproach, nor there was the veiled intent to reprimand him as she spoke, simply she stated a matter of fact. There was nothing belligerent about her voice, and even from her gestures he should be able to tell she wouldn’t slap his mistakes to his face. Unlike her, perhaps ––– she was never talented at acting like the adult she was supposed to be, after all. Though that was but the BEGINNING, that was not the root of a most thorny topic. “Call it a philosophy, though I do not create servants. Methinks thou must have a vague idea of what it means, I’m sure literature is plenty of such stories.”

       When their eyes met, in spite of the state of her heart her eyes firmly gazed within his own: she couldn’t avert her look even if she wished, silent fell as she run after the thread of her thoughts, for vaguely ashamed she was of what she was about to say. “It is precisely because I once turned someone into my servant that I have always abided by this principle. Nonetheless, if I had arrived too late ––– I do not know what I would have done.” And at last, she broke the contact as she glanced down, a moment of WEAKNESS in which, rather than his gaze, she couldn’t bear her own words. “Would’st thou have… despised me?”      

         Features hardened, the corners of his lips falling down, eyelids furrowing ever so slightly at the mention of a certain event that had signed their reunion, the words, although bearing no chiding, not failing to greatly displease him for pointing out a slight misstep on his part that could have nonetheless have signed his doom (that he was at the very least willing to admit). His focus on the light irritation however, concealed to the blonde’s eyes as skilfully as Tatsuya was able to achieve, had prepared him in no way for the words to follow, eyes widening at the realisation of her statements’ significance, and what they entailed for the mere human he was. No words were uttered, gaze remaining on Shinobu for so long as she unveiled hidden truths from her heart, the details ones he was certain she would have not exposed was the situation any less serious, any less important to her.

         “Despised you? For letting me die or turning me into a servant?” Assumptions following the discourse all pointed toward the latter undoubtedly, and yet, had her timing been any less perfect upon him facing an imminent death, but two choices would have stood in front of her, none of which he would have been able to make in her stead. “What would you have done if you had arrived too late back there?” The query left his lips before he could stop himself from uttering it, his words holding all the gentleness he was able to display, a hand raising to a cold cheek, cupping it to raise the blonde’s gaze toward his own yet again, his curiosity now piqued by a vulnerability he internally couldn’t help but be glad to bear witness of, a sign of faith and affection, he believed. “I don’t know. I never thought about eternity and how it would feel like. But I don’t think I could ever despise you.”

【紫氷】まとめ by ちろ ※Permission to upload was kindly granted by the artist. **Please do not remove source/re-upload without permission** **Please rate and/or bookmark their works on Pixiv too**

A world for the two of us.

––– miragesshooter

       “There is something I would like to ask thee.”

       Yet she was uncertain whether she really wanted to. But it was too late both for doubts and second thoughts, and although she still had the chance to dodge the matter, change the content of her inquiry, she decided she wouldn’t escape from the question which has been troubling her mind. The only reason for her to hesitate was her desire to not ruin the evening they have been spending together, the chance to enjoy a moment together without forcing a problem on him that might look UNIMPORTANT to him –––  an issue which, nonetheless, hounded her ever since the day of their reunion. She HAD to ask ––– and there were things he ought to know.

        “Can I trust thou wilt answer sincerely?”

          “What is it?” Lingering in her tone was an hesitancy the blonde displayed on but all too rare occasions, the corner of Tatsuya’s lips curling up ever so slightly, offering her what he hoped to be a reassuring gesture as well as a sign to carry on with her queries. He could only form hypothesises pertaining to the content of her concerns, ones undoubtedly related to a friendship turned into more, although its nature remained unbeknownst to the both of them, what had been no particular bother to him thus far. “Yes, I will.” Tender words left his lips, honeyed lies supported by a flawless act for his honesty would merely hinge on the topic touched upon, grey hues now gazing at the vampire, offering her their full attention in expectancy of the demands for answers to come. 

Kuroko no Basuke 54Q NG