Reunion

She took a very deep breath in order to calm herself. But as she expected, she failed. Her mind was agitated to the fullest. It was most pobably the happiest moment of her life, beside the proposal from him, but it was difficult. She had no idea how to face Kazuto in that moment. He was waiting for her, lonely and isolated, behind the door on which she pressed her forehead against. Midori was behind her, a hand placed on her left shoulder, and a side glimpse told her that even she was in no other condition. She breathed in as much as she could under the pressure, and exhaled slowly, while listening to the dampened beeping of Kazuto's heart.

Then she turned the door knob to the right and went in without giving herself anytime longer to hestitate.

The room was divided into two by orange curtains crossing through the room. Though dimming daylight seeped through the curtain and provided enough light to see everything clear, the white light of the flourescent lamp gave the room the standard hospital-look and lighted every so little corner. The shapes of loud working and beeping machines could be seen through the thin curtains they hang up for whatever reason. Cables, as she supposed, were leaving the machines and melted into the shadow of the bed.

And lying on the bed was the shadow of a slim person.

Silently she took step after step, everyone seeming a little harder to make than the pervious one. Fortunately, Midori was there too, so Asuna hadn't had to do the first move. Midori pulled the curtains to the side, barely enough to let one person slip in at the same time. Asuna followed Kazuto's mother, the thoughts almost consuming her.

But then, all the thoughts vanished as if magic was cast on her, when she saw the lying figure of her lover and beloved. Electrodes were connected to almost every part of his body. They couldn't see his face as it was turned away from them, a bandage was wrapped around his head and he was looking out of the window at the orange clouds covering nearly all of the sky. Her mind was dominated by joy, endless happiness and relief, making the previous mind-splitting thoughts from earlier disintegrate into thin air.

"Ahh.." The sound escaped from her mouth which she had let open unconsciously as she gazed in sheer bliss.

Then she concentrated all her mindforce to move her feet a few steps, which was needed to move the weak and doddery legs of hers, so she was standing next to Midori.

Kazuto had noticed them by now and had turned his head from the window to meet their gazes. Asuna couldn't stop a tear of joy welling up in the corner of her eye, and wiped it away with the back of her fist.

"Sorry..." Kazuto croaked. The weakness in the voice made almost her heart crumble. Asuna tried to respond, but she didn't even get out a croak.

"I am sorry, so sorry." Midori cried and rushed to Kazuto's side, taking both of his hands between her palms. Tears were rolling down her cheek as she spoke on.

"I shouldn't have hid it from you for so long." The despair was catching and now Asuna was sheding tears along Kazuto's mother's words. Kazuto shifted his weight, and sat up which caused some cables to stretch more than they should, but he obviously didn't care. He looked around the room, first at the ceiling, then to Midori very long, and finally directly at Asuna. No, it was more like he was looking right through her. The diming orange sunlight shimmered in the corners of his eyes, what she supposed to be tears.

"I am sorry." This time it wasn't a croak, but a loud whisper and it was clearly directed at Asuna. She couldn't hold it in, the tears she tried to hold back after letting some slip. They flowed down without stopping, and she walked with unsteady steps to the edge of the bed, taking the unmoving body of him into a tight hug. It was a hug, to make sure he was really 'the' guy in front of her, to be able to inhale his calming scent once again, and to get rid of all the nerve-wrecking thoughts she had a minute ago. But to her disappointment, Kazuto didn't return the hug. Though his hands were freed from Midori's grip, his arms only lay on the bed like limp.

Asuna took a few steps back, or rather stumbled back, and looked at the boy's face painted in sorriness. He didn't look to Asuna, just down at the ground at nothing in particular.

"...I can't .." Tear drops fell to the bed sheet, and his full-body trembled painfully.

"I am...so sorry...for everything...so sorry..." The pace of drops splashing on the sheet and leaving gray spots increased with each moment. Asuna tried to surpress the ache deep in her chest upon seeing Kazuto in such a state.

She went for another hug. If there was something she could do despite the heavy helplesness she felt, then at least be with him. Embracing him tightly once again, half to stop the trembling of his body and half to stop her own, they remained like that for a while.

The sough of severe rain splashing partially on the stone pavement, and partially on the umbrella held above him, reverberated without stop. He was wearing a suit, crouched low, and had his gaze locked on two stones stuck into the wet carpet of grass in front of him.

Of course they weren't random stones...- They were tombstones

The ones of his genuine parents, to be more exact...

Though the rain shouldn't have touched his eyes, he felt liquid running down from them. Wiping them away with his sleeve, he looked above towards the petite hand which held the umbrella. Following the slender arm, clad in a white-grey jacket, he finally met the face of the person.

The hazel eyes were focused on the two tombstones, with an expression hard to read. With each gust due the bad weather, her smooth chestnut-brown hair, fluttered beautifully, and made him remind once more how lucky he nevertheless was.

Yesterday, he, Asuna and Midori, his 'mother', talked, cried a lot, and cheered at last. He apologized for his childlike deeds upon hearing the truth, and Midori for having hid the secret for so long. Though Asuna hadn't done anything wrong, she cried too.

He averted his gaze back to the two tombstones, and imagined how his parents would look upon him from somewhere behind those dark grey clouds dominating the whole sky.

A honk, almost completely drowned by the loud rain, registered barely in his mind.

"Are you ready ?" Asuna asked, right next to him, and he could guess she was looking to him with a worried expression without looking up.

"Hm" He nodded slightly and rose to his usual height. Taking the umbrella's grip away from her hand, he held it between them (though more at her side) and they slowly walked down the stone path leading towards the exit of the graveyard.

Before the tombstones got out of sight, he glimpsed back at thw two and prayed a last time that his mother and father could hear his thoughts.

Thank you mom, dad, I will visit soon again

After exiting the graveyard, they got into the dull black car waiting for them at their side of the street. His mother, Midori, waved and beckoned them through the window of the car. A smile formed on his face as he recalled the plans they had. Asuna didn't left that unnoticed and pressed harder against his shoulder while giggling cheerily.

"Let's go..."

A humongous sofa in the in front of a grey background and grey floor. The room was well-lit from various corners and directions. The camera was placed at head-height. There wasn't any shadow, well it was only natural. They were in a photographic studio.

"Please ready yourself for the family photo." A woman with a huge pony-tail out of chocolate-brown hair at the back of her head, said as she placed herself behind the camera and danced with her fingers above the screen, suppossingly setting something in the options.

I, Kirigaya Kazuto, took a glance downwards to my body to check and readjust my suit, but before I had a chance to do so, my right arm was dragged by a force which I wouldn't have liked to resist, Asuna. She had an elegant violet dress, and her hair wasn't braided as I knew it, but curly and wavy flowing down her shoulders. Though I was already mesmerized by her appearance when she stepped out of the cabin (fully made-up hair and removed jacket), and normally the effect of her beauty should have lessened, I was as mesmerized as the first time.

Dragging me to the big sofa, she sat down on and pulled me right next to her. I don't know when but Suguha and Midori had already sat down to the other side of it.

After a short while...

*Flash !*

Suguha left, to her right was Midori who had her arms slung around her, and her fingertips touching Asuna from behind, and to my right was Asuna clinging on to my arm with a radiant smile.

I looked at the picture for several seconds, before an elbow-jab into my side disrupted my stare. A giggling Suguha was the cause and before I had a chance of being angry, she exclaimed like a child. ...Well, she was one.

"It's great !" Midori, who was driving the car right now, looked towards us through the driving mirror and nodded. The front passenger seat was occupied till a minute ago, but Asuna had already been driven to her home. I once again gazed at the photo in my hands.

"But there is a slight flaw..." I had no idea what Midori meant with that so I pricked my ears. As she grinned through the driving mirror, I already knew what was about to come.

"Asuna isn't in our family yet officially, sooooo Kazutooooo..." My cheeks assuming the colour of crimson red heated up at that thought which was brought into words soon.

"Don't let her wait too long..."

"I don't intend to." An almost instant reply left my tongue. Either it was the red cheeks of mine which I couldn't get bsck to normal colour, or my wry and sheepish expression, words beyond my imagination entered my ear.

"Kirigaya Asuna has a good ring to it, doesn't it !"

"mooooom..."

"And I already know a great name you could give your child when you have one."

"Eh ?!" My cheeks weren't cheeks anymore, but two burning stovetops.

"Yuuki, though Kurohime isn't bad either."

"MOOOOOOOMM, Staaaaaaahp iiiiitttt !"

My creativity is below zero, and motivation all the more. Originally I intended to let Kazuto lose his memories, or let him draw the 10%, and bring death upon him (ofc that one would be the most tragic one, even if I planned to make him go through a miracle and be saved in the end, cause I can't just let him die). But all these plans were cancelled due...lack of time (actually laziness).

Well, this was originally only an experiment (to write something w/o action). However I am unable to mantain something like that for long, so I'll get back to writing action-based stories which is totally more my thing.

Hope you liked it !

Sayonara...