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Kaji was zoning out. Well, to be more accurate, he’d zoned out around half an hour ago, when his mum started scolding him for leaving his dirty clothes on his floor. Or something like that. He can’t recall. It’s not his fault that she decided to speak to him just after he had come back from patrol- he was tired! Of course, he wouldn’t be paying attention to whatever she was saying!
“Hey! Kaji! Are you listening?!” Kaji’s mum chided, snapping her fingers in front of her son’s face. “Yes.” Kaji lied, responding a bit too quickly for it to be genuine. His mum seemed to think so too, as she raised one eyebrow suspiciously, exhaling loudly and pinching the bridge of her nose.
“What did I just say then?” There was a pause, followed by another irritated sigh. “Have you even been listening to a word I’ve been saying for the past hour?!” Oh, so that’s how long it had been, Kaji thought absentmindedly, ignoring the seething glare his mum shot his way.
“Not really, no.” Kaji replied belatedly, putting on his headphones and shuffling past her, making his way to the front door, then opening it and promptly shutting it in her face. “Ren Kaji, get back here! Oh, you little-” The protest began getting more muffled as Kaji jogged away, leaving behind his angry mother. Oh well. That was a problem for future Kaji to deal with.
He unwrapped a sucker, peach flavoured this time, and stuck it in his mouth, wondering where he could go to kill some time. He remembered hearing someone in his class talk about a new book café opening up around his area… maybe he could go there?
What was it called again? He sent a quick message to Enomoto, if anyone would know, it would be him. In less than two minutes, Kaji got a response.
Enomoto: It's called the Heart Leaf Café; it’s supposed to be really nice! Are you thinking of going?
Kaji: None of your business.
Okay, so maybe that was a bit rude, Kaji thought. Enomoto didn’t say anything that warranted such a harsh reaction.
Kaji: … Thank you.
And with that, Kaji swiped up on the thread, ending the conversation. He then opened up his browser and started typing in the name of the café. The directions popped up almost instantly. It was only a five-minute walk from where he lived. Huh. Maybe he should go there more often, even if it was just to escape from his parents’ wrath.
Kaji made his way down the dirt path, looking wistfully at the sky, trying to take his mind off the ass beating his mum would give him when he got home. The sky was starting to look a bit overcast… He checked the forecast; 90% chance of rain. Shit.
The leisurely walk turned into a jog, which turned into a run, as the clouds overhead started to congregate, rumbling and darkening the sky with their coverage.
The temperature started to plummet drastically, with the first few drops of rain starting to fall, splashing wetly on the pavement. “Shit, shit, shit!” Kaji yelled, as he was now sprinting like a madman, searching frantically for the café, or some form of shelter.
The rain, much to Kaji’s dismay, started to fall harder, leaving behind wet patches on the floor. Then, a miracle happened; he spotted a light green sign, with the words ‘Heart Leaf Café’ written across it in loopy white letters. He practically cried at the sight.
Kaji really did not want to get wet. If he got wet, he would have to go home, and then he would have to accept his fate of being potentially grounded by his mum, or worse, all while looking like a soggy tortilla chip.
And to make matters worse, he would have to wash his hair for the eighth time this week, because no way was he smelling like dirty rainwater when he went to bed. The more Kaji thought about it, the less ideal it sounded. He started running faster, approaching the café with alarming speed.
As soon as Kaji made it inside the building, he slammed the door shut behind him. A few seconds later, the rain really started to pick up. Fat, heavy droplets of precipitation started to slam down on the path Kaji had been walking on, wind howling ferociously and smearing the water on the windowpane, rattling the sign outside with its strength.
Kaji let out a loud exhale of relief, putting his hands on his knees and panting heavily, exerted from the sudden physical exercise. After he had gathered his bearings, Kaji ventured further inside the building, eyes darting around to look at the scenic water colour paintings that were mounted on the pale-yellow background, decorating the walls with a pleasant interior.
“Oh! Hello there! I didn’t hear you come in!” A voice chirped from next to Kaji, who was too caught up in admiring a large landscape painting of a field of vibrant red flowers to notice the other presence.
Embarrassingly, he let out a little squeak of surprise, jumping up with a jolt and almost knocking the gorgeous painting off the wall entirely.
The person, seemingly unperturbed, continued to talk, either oblivious, or uncaring of Kaji’s display of fright. “Aren’t they nice? One of our workers painted them for me! However, he seemed reluctant to tell me where this remarkable scenery is set. Truly a shame.”
Now that Kaji had partially recovered from his initial surprise, he peered over at the person talking to him. It was an old woman, with light grey hair and thin, silver spectacles perched atop her head. She wore a simple floral cardigan, paired with a white blouse, and a light pink flowy skirt. She smiled up at Kaji, eyes sparkling with mirth and kindness.
“Oh goodness me! It seems I forgot to introduce myself.” The woman started, not deterred in the slightest by Kaji’s lack of response. “My name is Kaori Hateno, but you can call me Kaori. I’m the owner of this café. It is a pleasure to meet you!” She said with a smile.
She bowed curtly, smile never leaving her face. It occurred to Kaji that he should probably respond sometime soon, so he did. “H-hello Kaori-san, it is very nice to meet you.”
He bowed, slightly embarrassed at his slight stutter, but determined not to let it show, he continued speaking. “My name is Kaji.” The woman - Kaori - let out an amused chuckle, reaching over to flick a fleck of dust that was sitting on the painting frame.
“My, my, what a polite young man! Please, come in.” She ushered Kaji down into the main area, where an assortment of tables and chairs were laid out, each one covered in a colourful tablecloth, and vibrant cushions. Not a person was in sight. Were they closed?
Sensing Kaji’s awkward gaze, Kaori started to speak again, effectively shattering the silence. “I do love these tablecloths. The same worker who gifted me the paintings did these as well!” She beamed, speaking fondly of her employee.
Kaji’s lips twitched upwards into a shy smile. “They sound wonderful.” He remarked, allowing his mind to wander. “Are they in today?” Kaori continued walking towards a table by the counter, pulling out a chair for Kaji to sit in. “Why, yes! I’ll bring him over now!” She exclaimed.
Kaji smiled wider, his earlier embarrassment forgotten due to his excitement to meet the employee he had heard so much about. “Haruka-kun! Haruka-kun! Come over here! A customer wants to meet you!” Kaori called out.
A small figure emerged from behind the counter, running a hand through his black and white hair. Wait. Black and white hair? “Hah? Granny, what are you talking abou-” Kaji and Sakura locked eyes, and whatever he was about to say, died in his mouth.
Kaji was speechless for a moment, but after a lengthy pause, he managed to choke out a word.
“Sakura?” Kaji questioned disbelievingly. “Oh, you know Haruka-kun?” Kaori interjected, looking between both boys. “Well, how delightful! I mean, I can’t this came as a surprise.” Kaji looked over at her, jaw slack. “You’re wearing your Furin uniform, darling. And, oh-”
She looked at Sakura, whose face had gone a disturbingly bright shade of red, metaphorical steam radiating off of him. “He’s that Kaji.” Kaji looked between both of them. “Wh-” He started. “I NEED TO GO OUT BACK.”
Sakura suddenly exclaimed, whipping around and retreating behind the counter, tripping over a chair, and hitting his hip on the edge of the table, which caused him to let out a low wince of pain before he slammed the storeroom door behind him.
Kaori laughed again. “Oh Haruka-kun.” She said fondly, before turning towards Kaji, who quickly shut his mouth and straightened his posture in his chair, for a reason unknown to himself. What did he care if Sakura was here?
“Would you like something to eat?” Kaji nodded. “Yes, please, but… I don’t really know what I want.” He admitted. Kaori nodded, seeming to understand Kaji’s current predicament as she wandered over to the glass cabernet that displayed a variety of sweets, and colourful pastries, before turning her head to look at Kaji again.
“Any allergies?” She questioned, filling up a kettle with water and placing it carefully on the stove top. “No.” Kaji replied, curious as to what Kaori would surprise him with.
Dishes clattering, and various tinkering sounds could be heard from behind the counter.
“Do you need any help?” Kaji called out, the growing concern in his chest for Kaori started to seep into his features, which was ridiculous; he had only met her a couple minutes ago, damn it! “No, no, I’m fine.” She replied breezily, like she had done this thousands of times before. She probably had. How did Sakura meet her? Kaji continued to think of the bicoloured boy, even though he never really stopped.
Okay, so maybe Kaji had a little, teensy, tiny, crush on Sakura. It was something he would never admit to himself and had only realised it a few months ago. His mind started to recall the memory with an aching fondness.
It all happened when they were on patrol, their shift started off seemingly normal, with little to no problems arousing for majority of their time, allowing the boys to talk with each other, and enjoy the walk.
Unfortunately, their peace was broken when they came across a larger group of thugs, at least twenty men, covered in grime, and smelling of alcohol and cigarettes. Majority of them were armed.
The group was harassing a group of teenage girls, who were looking progressively more uncomfortable the bolder the thugs got, ignoring their polite rejections and grinning cockily as a taller girl slapped his hand away.
Kaji knew this wouldn’t settle with the man, as his eyes lit up with a sleazy fire that make his skin crawl. However, before he could even react, Sakura was already running towards the group, slamming a heel into the man’s face, causing him to skid across the floor and slam into the wall with a sickening crunch.
“Pathetic weaklings.” Sakura muttered, adjusting his shirt and scoffing loudly, face scrunching up into a disgusted scowl. “People like you losers.” He turned back towards the group. “Make me sick!”
Eventually, with the two of them fighting together, they had managed to whittle their number of opponents down to one final man. He was desperate, as they had managed to back him into a corner, but he had grabbed a girl, and was holding her hostage, pressing a long switchblade into her neck.
Kaji and Sakura had to cease their advance. “Piss off, you Furin twerps!” He spat, causing Sakura to let out a low growl as he begrudgingly stopped moving.
“If you come any closer, I’ll slit her throat!” The man yelled suddenly, the girl let out a whimper of distress, wrapping her hands around the arm of her captor in an attempt to prevent getting injured.
“Stop moving!” He growled, the hand that held the knife pressed closer to her neck, hovering dangerously above her carotid artery. “Do ya wanna die?!” He spat. Kaji held up his hands as a sign of peace. They needed that girl out of there, he thought. They couldn’t fight when a hostage was involved. “Alright, alright, you can go. Just let go of the girl.”
Sakura was staying uncharacteristically quiet. “No! Fuck you! I’m taking her with me! We earned it!” The man pressed the knife closer to her neck, drawing blood that trickled down the blade.
“Leave, bowl cut! I’ve heard aboutcha. How you get angry and beat people half death. You don’t care about anyone but yourself, selfish prick! What kinda hero is that? You ain’t protecting anyone! Your little band of saviours would be better off if you left.” He sneered, wrapping an arm around the girl’s waist, hugging her closer possessively.
Kaji’s expression flickered, his heart beat loudly in his ears and his breath stuttered, coming in ragged, short, bursts. That man was right. He was an angry beast. He needed to be controlled, no, contained. He didn’t deserve- “Shut the fuck up!” Sakura snapped, breaking Kaji out of his stupor.
“You don’t know him, you piece of shit.” Sakura spoke clearly, advancing towards the man with a predatory expression, causing the guy to stumble. “You think he’s taking advice from scum like you? Yeah right, you bastard!” Sakura kicked off the ground, propelling himself forward, and in the blink of an eye, punched the guy square in the face, knocking him to the ground.
As soon as his grip loosened, the girl broke free and scrambled away, darting around the corner and disappearing, while the guy clutched his clearly broken nose, blood rushing out and spattering on the floor. He still held the knife out blindly, spitting out curses, fear evident in his actions, and terror reflecting in his eyes. “Stay away from me you freak!” He shrieked, the sentence garbled by the amount of blood that fell into his mouth.
“Call me whatever you want.” Sakura said, taking advantage of his fear and kicking him in the abdomen. Hard. The knife skidded across the floor, far from his reach. The man made a run for it. “But don’t you say anything about Kaji. You don’t deserve to.” Another kick, this time on his knee, causing the man to collapse to the ground again.
“Spare me! Spare me! Please! I’m begging you-” He reached out a hand, clawing at Sakura’s pant leg. Sakura’s eyes were cold, expression hard as stone as his stare bore holes into the man.
He pressed the guy’s face into the tarmac with his foot, sneering. “Then beg.” And with that, he stomped his foot down, the sickening sound of bone and muscle squelching could be heard echoing throughout the alleyway.
Sakura turned towards Kaji, covered in blood that wasn’t his own. “Are you okay?” He asked, reaching a hand, out towards Kaji, who was on the floor.
When did he get on the floor?
“Y-yeah. ‘M okay.” Kaji stood up, but his legs started shaking, threatening to give out on him. Before he could collapse, he felt a steady arm wrap around his middle. “What that guy said.” Sakura started, anger seeping into his voice. “It wasn’t true. He’s a fucking liar, and you shouldn’t take anything that scumbag said to heart.”
His voice softened, so did his features, and his arm around Kaji’s middle tightened reassuringly. “You’ve gotten so much better, Kaji. You are a protector of Furin. Don’t you forget it.”
Kaji looked at Sakura in awe, in reverence, in… something else. He could feel the hot tears pooling in his eyes as he pressed his face into Sakura’s shoulder, bunching his hands into Sakura’s jacket and pulling both of them to the floor. “Thank you.” Kaji sobbed, burying his face further into the fabric of his jacket to muffle the sobs that shook his body. “Thank you for saying that.”
“It’s okay.” Sakura murmured, hesitantly pulling Kaji into a hug which he instantly reciprocated. “I’m not going anywhere, take your time.” He said determinedly, gaining confidence, and pulling Kaji into his lap, cradling him in a tender embrace.
They stayed there on the floor for a few hours, the outside world bleeding away, leaving the two of them, and only them, suspended in this moment forever. Sakura started running his fingers through Kaji’s hair, massaging his scalp with one hand, and rubbing comforting circles into his back with the other, holding him impossibly tighter. Kaji remembers that moment like it was yesterday.
“Ta da!” Kaori exclaimed, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Peach clafoutis, with a cup of white tea!” Kaji’s mouth watered. “This looks amazing!” He exclaimed picking up a fork and shovelling the cake into his mouth. “Slow down! Slow down! It’s not going anywhere! I have lots more tea as well.” Kaori said.
Kaji didn’t listen, as he shovelled the food into his mouth, finishing off the last of the clafoutis. He gulped down some tea and swallowed noisily. Then realised that he had just been incredibly rude. “I am so sorry.” Kaji said, apologising profusely as he hastily wiped crumbs off his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
Kaori just laughed. “Ah, don’t worry, Haruka did the same thing when he first came here.” She pulled out a chair and sat down, pouring herself a cup of tea and taking a long sip. “Also, he mentioned that you liked peaches, so I thought that this would be a good choice for you.”
Kaji blushed quietly, face dusting pink. “Mhm. I like peaches.” He paused. “What else did Sakura tell you about me?” He asked, taking another sip from his cup and averting his eyes. Kaori was about to respond, when the door opened with a bang.
“Old lady! ‘M back!” Sakura called out, looking at the table and locking eyes with Kaji. “Ah!” Kaori exclaimed, waving a hand and beckoning Sakura over. “Come sit down Haruka-kun. I have a pot of your favourite white tea here! Grab your cup and join us.”
Sakura broke their eye contact and started rummaging through a draw, eventually pulling out a clearly used coffee mug that had a cute black and white cat on the front, that was playing with a ball of wool. Kaji stifled a laugh.
“Shut up.” Sakura mumbled, sitting down and pouring himself a cut of tea. “I bought it for him.” Kaori said proudly, as Sakura turned away with a pout on his face, ears red with embarrassment. “So, Sakura.” Kaji started. “How did you start working here anyway?”
“Uh.” Sakura said intelligently, taking a large gulp of tea. “Well, ya see…” He trailed off, looking pleadingly at Kaori. She sighed. “C’mon you big baby.” She chided. “Use your words.” Sakura looked down, muttered unintelligibly, then took a deep breath and continued speaking.
“Well, it all started when old lady-” He cleared his throat. “I mean, Kaori-san was setting up shop. It was the store’s first day open, and she was outside trying to hang that sign up by herself. I was… in the area, so I helped her set it up, and then I asked for a job. There. You happy now?” Sakura was pointedly looking everywhere but at Kaori and Kaji.
“Haruka…” Kaori warned. “Fine, fine, I get it.” Sakura replied, finally looking at Kaji, and oh- he was flustered. “Kaori-san was setting up the sign, and she almost fell. I was in the area…” He paused. “Because I was…” Another pause. “Looking for you.”
Sakura trailed off, staring intently at his mug of tea. Kaori laughed, ignoring the shocked silence the other boys had fallen into. “Yep! I almost fell, when Haruka-kun saw me, and managed to catch me just in time!”
She affectionately ruffled Sakura’s hair, ignoring the weak protests come out of his mouth. “I then offered him a job. He’s my only employee at the moment, and he’s been great, too! Customers love him! They love his paintings, and tablecloths, and desserts!” Kaji smiled and let out an amused huff.
“They are good paintings.” He mused, setting down his teacup and resting his face on his hand. “Where’re they from? What scenery, I mean.” Sakura paused. Clearly thinking about his answer. “Well, they’re all places I dreamed of. Whenever I was sick, or sad, or feeling lonely, I used to dream of places I wanted to go. Places I wanted to be.”
Kaji’s smile vanished. “Did no one take you to those places?” Sakura shook his head. “Nah. But ‘s okay. I’ll go one day.” He smiled gently, as if he had remembered something. “What’s your favourite painting then?” Kaji asked, hoping to steer the conversation into safer territory.
“Hmm, that’s a tough one. I think I have my favourite one at home.” He looked at Kaori, then back at Kaji. “I could show you… if you want?” Kaji’s heart skipped a beat. “Yes!” He exclaimed, then seeing the surprised expression on Sakura’s face, quickly toned down his excitement. “I mean, uh. Yeah. Sure. That’s fine with me. Only if you want me there that is. Uh.” Kaori stood up, with Sakura and Kaji following shortly after.
“We can pack up, old lady.” Sakura said, picking up a plate off the table and holding it for only a second before she snatched it back. “No!” She said, confusing both of them. “Shoo! Shoo! I can do it myself! I don’t need to be looked after just yet, you know?! How old do you think I am?!”
And with that, Sakura and Kaji were forced out of the café, standing outside with a confused, and slightly gobsmacked expression.
“Ah, young love.” Kaori remarked.
“Well, that was weird.” Sakura said, walking along with Kaji. “Yeah. She seems nice, though.” Kaji replied, kicking a loose pebble along the path. “She is.” The two walked in comfortable silence until they reached the door of Sakura’s house.
“I haven’t been to your house before.” Kaji commented once they were inside, taking off his shoes and leaving them in the entry way. Sakura let out a nervous hum of agreement. “I guess you haven’t.”
Kaji watched Sakura take off his shoes, then turned away, embarrassed. “So.” He said, wanting to break the silence that had befallen the two. “Where’re your paintings?” Sakura turned and grabbed Kaji’s hand, and started walking, causing Kaji’s heart to skip a beat. “In my room. I’ll leave you there for a second, I just need ‘ta use the bathroom.”
Kaji didn’t say anything, instead choosing to stare very intently at where their fingers were intertwined. They entered Sakura’s room. “That okay with you? You can wait somewhere else if you’re not comfortable.” Kaji looked up, surprised to find silver and gold eyes already looking back at him.
Damn it. Why was Sakura so beautiful? If Kaji wasn’t careful, he might do something stupid, like confess. He is not fucking this up.
“Uh, yeah. That’s fine with me. Go take a shit.” Kaji wanted to die. ‘Go take a shit?’ How mortifying! Kaji you idiot- “Pfft. ‘Kay. See ya in a bit.” Oh, never mind, he made Sakura laugh. Kaji you genius!
“Bye.” Kaji replied, even though Sakura was already mostly out the door. Well. Kaji could just wait here for Sakura to get back… or he could have a look around. It’s not snooping! No, it’s. Um. Well. It’s not snooping! He’s just curious! Yeah! Curious. Kaji reasoned with himself.
But first thing’s first, so Kaji laid down over Sakura’s futon, burying his face into the soft pillow. “Oh my god it smells like him.” Kaji sighed, inhaling the scent of Sakura. Kaji then stretched his hands out, splaying his fingers under the pillow when he hit something.
“Ow! Wait, what the?” He pulled out a worn, black, sketchbook. “The fuck is this?” Kaji muttered to himself as he held the book up gently, like it contained all the secrets to the universe inside its pages. Yeah, if he read this, it would definitely be considered snooping. It was hidden! Poorly, yes, but still, hidden! Opening this and reading its contents would be a serious invasion of Sakura’s privacy!
Kaji opened the book.
“What?” He looked at the first page. It was a picture of… himself? Was this printed out?! Kaji ran his fingers over the page. It was drawn?! The picture - drawing - of Kaji was beautiful. “I do not look like this.” Kaji muttered to himself, holding the book away from his face.
“What are you doing?!” Sakura snapped from the doorway, mouth agape, as he started running over to where Kaji was on the futon, tackling him to the ground. “That’s mine! Give it back!”
He snatched the sketchbook out of Kaji’s hands and flung it across the room, as it hit the wall and sunk to the floor, sliding down and landing with a sad, anticlimactic, thud.
“What the fuck Sakura!” Kaji exclaimed from his position underneath Sakura, trying his best not to think about the fact that Sakura was currently straddling him. “What do you mean ‘what the fuck’? You took my stuff! It was hidden!” Sakura protested, leaning in closer to Kaji’s face, as Kaji very pointedly looked into his eyes.
Not at Sakura’s bare chest that his shirt revealed when he shifted. His eyes. “Yeah, under your pillow. What, you don’t have a drawer or something you can put it in?!”
Kaji tried to ignore the blush he could feel creeping up on his face as he glared into Sakura’s eyes. “Obviously not, dumbass.” Sakura replied, peering over at Kaji and breathing heavily, sporting a blush that coloured his whole face and the tips of his ears. “… How much did you see?” He asked timidly, averting his eyes away from Kaji.
“Oh, you know, not much. Just the first page.” Kaji said nonchalantly. “Shit.” Sakura mumbled, shoulders hiking up to his ears as he rubbed at his eyes. “Look, it’s not like I’m obsessed with you or anything.” Sakura started. “I just think you’re hot- I mean cute- I mean- Fuck.” Kaji was shocked.
Is Sakura… serious right now? Did Kaji hear that right? Sakura. The Haruka Sakura thinks he’s hot?! Is it Kaji’s birthday? Did it come early? Sakura, oblivious to Kaji’s inner turmoil, took a deep breath in, and continued speaking. “Okay. Um.” He started. “This isn’t how it was supposed to go.”
Kaji rolled his eyes. “What, with me ending up under you?” Sakura shook his head. “No, not that, that was meant to happen later, after I told you I liked you.” They paused and locked eyes, awkward silence following Sakura’s proclamation. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.
“After you what?” Kaji was the first to break the silence. “Don’t worry about it.” Sakura mumbled, trying, albeit reluctantly, to peel himself off Kaji. He quickly pulled him back down, strong arms holding him in place.
“No, no. No. After you what.” Kaji said insistently, looking at Sakura intently. He could feel the hope blossoming in his chest, infecting him with its optimism.
He knew he need to kill it, squash it down, and cast it back into the depths of his mind, never to be called upon again, but he couldn’t do it. Kaji knew that he wasn’t worth of Sakura’s love, he knew that the chances of him being loved back were less that one, but he couldn’t help it. He loved him anyway.
Kaji loved Sakura before he knew he loved him. He loved the way Sakura’s eyes lit up when he was in Furin, he loved the way he laughed when he was having fun, and he loved staying by his side.
Kaji accepted every aspect of Sakura, every smirk, grin, and smile, every frown, yell, and snarl; Kaji wanted to keep every part of him to himself.
He worshiped the very ground he walked on, because Haruka Sakura was too pure for this world. He didn’t deserve a trainwreck like Kaji to come crashing into his life, tearing down the peaceful home he had finally found.
Kaji thought he didn’t care if Sakura didn’t love him back, because he thought there was no chance that he actually did. But in one sentence, in less than one day, all that had changed. If Sakura was being serious, if Sakura felt the same as Kaji did, then that changed everything.
“Sakura.” Kaji pleaded; begged. “Look at me.” Sakura complied. Whether it was the way Kaji said it, or something else that caused him to look at Kaji, it didn’t matter. But what he had to say next did. “I like you.”
He didn’t just like him, but he didn’t want to scare Sakura off, he didn’t want to be an emotional burden, he didn’t want to dump his feelings onto Sakura. Didn’t want him to feel obliged to accept them. However, that was enough for the dam to burst.
Three words.
Three, small, words that could change Kaji and Sakura’s relationship forever.
“What?” Sakura breathed. “Don’t fuck around like that, asshole. Don’t pity me.” It was meant to come out angry, but instead it just sounded scared, like he was waiting for Kaji to reject him.
“I like you, no. I love you, Haruka.” Kaji’s bottom lip quivered as he spoke, like he would start crying any minute. “I love you; I always have. I love you the way that stars love the sky, the way that flowers love the Earth, I loved you when I hated you, and I loved the way my name sounded on your lips. I love-” Kaji was cut off by the press of Sakura’s lips on his.
Fireworks lit up inside him, bursting to life inside his stomach, and erupting in sparks of light as he felt Sakura press himself closer, cradling Kaji’s face. Kissing Sakura was even better than he had imagined it. It felt like he was flying; free, liberating, and exhilarating. Kaji was addicted.
So, when Sakura swiped his tongue across Kaji’s bottom lip, tentatively biting his lip, Kaji let go.
Sakura kissed like he fought; hard, ruthless, and unforgiving. He took what he wanted, as his hands, rough and calloused from fighting, roamed over Kaji’s body, as he pressed him into the wall.
The two fought for control, tongues clashing with vigour, spit mingling, as they breathed deeply, together, as one living being. Sakura took what Kaji gave, and touched him like a starving man, like he was dying of thirst, like he had been deprived of warmth, deprived of something to hold.
Eventually, when the need for air became imminent, the two reluctantly pulled apart, panting and gazing wantonly into each other’s eyes. Blue meeting gold, black meeting blue.
Warmth blossomed throughout Kaji’s chest as he tentatively cupped Sakura’s cheek with his hand, Sakura closed his eyes, sighing reverently as he leaned into the touch like a stray cat.
“Did you regret that?” Sakura asked in a small voice, continuing to nuzzle Kaji’s hand, as if he was afraid this was a dream, that it wasn’t real, and that when he woke up, Kaji would leave him there. All alone. Kaji would rather die.
“No.” He said firmly, causing Sakura’s eyes to fly open. Suddenly, in one fluid motion, Kaji grasped his face gently, two hands bringing him in closer, so their foreheads touched, resting against each other, as they basked in the presence of one another.
“I didn’t regret it at all.” He started. “I wish I had done that sooner.” Kaji admitted. “Did you-” He started. “No!” Sakura exclaimed. They fell into silence once more.
“Kaji.” Sakura said suddenly. Kaji waited patiently. “Yeah?” He breathed. “I love you.” Sakura said in a small voice.
“I love you.” He said, louder this time.
Kaji smiled, eyes filling up with happy tears, and he kissed him again. This time, the kiss wasn’t languid, or rushed, it wasn’t fervent, or intense.
It was a promise.
It paved a path to new beginnings; it was a glimpse of the future that they would share. Together. Kaji let the tears that were building up in his eyes fall, and roll down his cheeks, coating his face in wet streaks.
Sakura’s soft, lithe, fingers brushed them away, reassuring Kaji with his actions that everything would be alright, that this was okay.
They had spent so long wandering through the darkness alone, suffocating in the feelings and emotions that clouded their head and their heart, that when they met each other, when they reached the light, they felt safer, and more secure than they had in a long time.
They had been trapped underwater, and had finally burst to the surface, taking their first breath of air.
For as long as they lived, they had spent their lives in solitude, in seclusion, in isolation, with no one to understand how they felt. That was why meeting one another, meeting someone who understood what they were feeling, was so monumental.
Because they had spent their whole lives running and had now finally found what they were looking for.
That was why this time, when they kissed, neither of them felt uncertain. Neither of them felt worried. Instead, they felt happy. Because they were together.
And so, when they pulled away, and looked into each other’s eyes, they weren’t afraid anymore, because this was real. Their eyes locked, and they held their gaze.
Blue met gold, and black met blue.