Before you continue, I must warn you that you may have some spoilers if you only watch the anime (do yourself a big favor and read the manga!) and for the manga readers, I thought about this fanfic before chapter 89 was released, so please imagine the atmosphere comes from chapter 88 and before.

About Obi

It had been a while since the last time they had been able to meet like this. Shirayuki and Obi were doing a quick visit to Wistalia's castle in order to bring some supplies that could only be found there, well, the supplies were really just a kind excuse from their friends at the Lyrias' pharmacy to let them visit the castle. So after a busy morning, they had finally managed to get together to recount all the adventures they'd been through to their friends. Kiki and Mitsuhide were standing idly near the couch Zen was sitting on, while Shirayuki had decided to sit in front of them in the windowsill with her left shoulder against the wall. Zen wasn't really bothered by that, but he wished she could be closer to him after so much time apart.

Since when does Shirayuki like sitting on windows anyway? Did she actually adopt that habit from Obi? Wondered Zen turning his gaze to the cat-eyed knight that was, in fact, leaning against that same window on the opposite side, maybe it had become a second nature for Obi to stay near Shirayuki.

"…you should have heard Mitsuhide's little squeal when he thought I was going to hit him," said Kiki with too much of a serious expression, making it difficult to tell if she was joking or stating the sheer truth.

"Wait, what? It wasn't a squeal, it was a manly expression of… concern!" stammered Zen's aide in his defense.

Everyone exploded in laughter and Shirayuki covered her mouth with her right hand in that delicate way she often did. After she managed to calm her laughter, her hand landed on the ridge just a few centimeters away from Obi's. For an unconscious moment, Zen's eyes fixed on their hands so innocently close to making contact, and his gut clenched, yet, in a matter of seconds, Obi moved his hand slightly away from hers in such a subtle and natural way that nobody noticed, nobody but Zen. To be honest, he wouldn't have noticed either if it wasn't for the talk they had had on the ship before Obi left to Lyrias. The sneaky guard was a master at keeping his expressions, no, his entire body language at check, after all.

Then, the prince's blue eyes turned back to the ex-assassin looking for a clue, after all, he was very good at reading people and, at the moment, they all seemed to be too engrossed with Mitsuhide's and Kiki's story to notice him.

Ah, he had seen that face a few other times before, but he had never thought anything of it, it was too subtle to be noticed. Obi's eyes had softened in the way they always did when he talked about Shirayuki, and his mouth had twisted into a slight smirk, not the infamous mischievous smile everybody knew, this was faintly different.

Is that a self-mocking expression? …Is that melancholy? Zen wondered somewhat impressed to realize the always cheerful Obi could make such a forlorn expression. Obi's mouth turned into a lopsided thin line right before his right hand searched for his shoulder, then, like nothing had happened, his face relaxed back into a smile. Had Zen imagined that? Was he reading too much into his knight's actions? Suddenly, Obi looked back at him with questioning eyes, he had noticed Zen was scrutinizing him.

"Master?" he asked with a slightly concerned look in his eyes that quickly transformed into a wide smirk and mischievous eyes "Do I have something stuck on my face… or is it possible that you're falling for me?"

Everyone looked at him and then at Zen, the prince felt his face become hot with embarrassment.

"Wha…" he started.

"You know miss will get sad if you do" continued Obi earning a burst of laughter from everyone.

"Obi!" snickered Shirayuki pushing him a little with a glint of blush in her own cheeks.

Obi held his offended arm play-acting like the red-haired girl had actually hurt him and laughed even harder. In that moment, Zen forgot about that knot he had felt inside a few minutes ago. Seeing all his friends reunited like this, chatting, laughing, just being there, warmed his heart. A smile crept slowly to his lips, he loved all of them so dearly.

"Well, Zen, Kiki and I promised to attend to the soldiers' training today, we'll be leaving first" announced Mitsuhide noticing they had lost track of the time.

Zen walked Kiki and Mitsuhide to the door and waved to them as they left the rooms promising to meet everyone again at night. When he looked back at his friends, Shirayuki was happily chatting with Obi while he still held his shoulder sternly and seemed to be stroking the fingers that had almost touched her hand absent-mindedly.

"Shirayuki… could I talk to you for a minute?" The prince's expression had become strangely serious all of a sudden. The royal herbalist noticed the change of mood and instinctively interchanged a confused glance with Obi. Obi simply shrugged and smiled with a nod to encourage her to go with her loved one. "We will be back soon, Obi" added the prince before taking Shirayuki to the courtyard.

"No problem, master, take all the time you need," replied the cat-eyed aide with a toothy smile that turned into a concerned frown after Zen and his miss had disappeared behind the door.

Zen and Shirayuki sat side by side near to a fountain, he had remained silent since they had left the room, so she searched for his eyes a little worried.

"Zen?"

"Shirayuki" started Zen a little unsure of how he should address this topic. He wished that everything could remain just as it was, or at least, as it was before he had realized Obi's feelings, but the knot in his stomach and his throat would not go away until he found an answer to the questions that had been unsettling his heart for a while now. Is it alright to let things remain the way they are? Could I be content to be by Shirayuki's side like that? Am I being selfish? "What do you think about Obi?"

"Oh!" exclaimed the girl making a big O with her mouth and adopting a professional's expression, "Don't worry Zen, I checked his injury and it's healing very fast, you'd think he heals as fast as a cat! …Maybe he is part cat, I mean, I had never seen eyes like that…" Shirayuki started rambling while her nose wrinkled a little, Zen loved when she did that, but right now it wasn't the time to ramble.

"Shirayuki, I mean…, how do you… feel about him?" interrupted Zen lowering his head, for some reason he felt a little petty asking that question. He knew how Shirayuki felt about Mitsuhide, actually, Obi had told him. He was like a big brother for her… And Kiki? Well, she was probably like a big sister as well. But Obi…

Shirayuki was startled with the question and turned to look at him with wide eyes. Suddenly, her cheeks felt warmer, so warm that her right hand moved reflexively to feel her own face. Why was she feeling so flustered all of a sudden? It was an easy question, wasn't it? She would have been able to answer it without even thinking if Zen had asked about Mitsuhide or Kiki. Then it dawned on her, Obi had become incredibly important to her, it actually amazed her that she hadn't noticed before, but that was exactly the way Obi was, wasn't he? Even when he could appear very abrasive, his presence, his real presence was actually very subtle, he would hardly ever ask anything from others, he'd just be there for them, for her… and then, an unexpected fear invaded her.

"D-did he do something wrong?" she felt her heart in her ears, "I'm sure he…" No, Zen wouldn't send Obi away, she tried to cool her head, "No, I mean, did he said he wanted to leave?" asked Shirayuki with a tiny voice, feeling a lump starting to form in her throat. She remembered the way she had felt before she had run looking for Obi to talk after she had been rescued in Tanbarun, she had also felt afraid that he'd suddenly disappear to never come back, but this time it felt ten times worse.

"…No, it's nothing like that… I just wanted to know" replied Zen surprisingly incapable of looking at her concerned expression. He had started this conversation out of concern for Obi, or that was what he had thought, he remembered an exchange he had had with Mitsuhide.

"Mitsuhide, do you think Obi is happy?"

"What? Why do you…? Ah… Well… if you ask me, I don't think he's unhappy"

Had been his loyal aide's words. Yet, right now, meeting upfront with Shirayuki's concern for his knight had unsettled him a little. His heart felt strange, heavy, and confused.

Shirayuki's expression softened, she didn't understand completely why was Zen asking her such a strange thing, but she had noticed the glint of doubt struggling in his heart and felt a surge of love for him. She took a deep breath and thought her words carefully before speaking.

"Zen" she took his hand "You know you're my inspiration and the person I want to follow. I want to be by your side and support you with my life."

He finally raised his face to look at her with wide eyes and cheeks burning. Shirayuki's hand was trembling faintly and her face matched the color of her hair, yet, her eyes were steady and reassuring. His heart filled with warmth and love for her, but also with admiration, she had become so much more confident at expressing the way she felt, this had to be Obi's influence, after all, he always pushed all of them to be more honest about their feelings, How ironic. He smiled tenderly, squeezed her hand softly, and nodded for her to continue.

"…but Obi…" Shirayuki looked at his favorite spot in a tree while trying to think the right way convey her feelings, his presence had become so natural to her, so easy, that she had never dwelled much about their relationship. "I'm sure he'd do anything for you. And I feel like he often pushes himself to his limits in order to help me…" Is that why Torou said he was dangerous? She wondered silently while feeling unable to express her feelings entirely."He's always there, taking care of me and Ryuu, always willing to help me, to cheer me up or simply make me laugh, to listen or to give me an advice…" She stopped for a moment taking her free hand to her chin to think. People that don't know him sometimes tell me that he's like a walking weapon and shy away from him, but he's so much more than that, he makes me feel safe, somehow allows me to remain true to myself and act upon my ideals, then, her expression became clear with realization "…He's my sword… but he's also my shield. Zen… he's my ally and my dear friend" she said looking back at him with a tint of color lingering in her cheeks, not for someone that she was in love with, but for an irreplaceable and precious friend.

Zen felt astounded by Shirayuki's words, he knew they had become close, but he had never imagined that Shirayuki could have such a special place in her heart reserved for his knight. If Obi only knew. The former assassin was terrifyingly intuitive and could read people's character, intentions, and most inner feelings in a matter of minutes, but when it came to himself, to what people felt about him, he was completely clueless. A glint of sadness invaded his thoughts.

"To be honest… I don't know what I would do if he ever left…" continued the girl with the apple colored hair, "and I wouldn't want him to be alone again either" she added smiling tenderly to herself.

Why does it suddenly sound like she's talking about a stray and lonely cat? Zen imagined a lean black cat with golden eyes and a suspiciously familiar neck wrap. Now whose mind is digressing? But in all seriousness, it is as if Shirayuki knows exactly what Obi went through before coming to the castle, did she felt like that too before coming to Clarines? Zen wondered, always surprised to realize how alike those two were, sometimes it would seem like they knew and understood each other better than anyone; again, he felt a little, what's the word Obi uses to tease me? Ah, I must be feeling a little jealous, he laughed at himself. He wished to be all that for Shirayuki, to hear her talk about himself like that, yet, he knew there was not a single reason to question Shirayuki's love for him, and he knew he couldn't be her only ally, she needed to have her own allies too. Yes, Mitsuhide and Kiki protected and loved her through him, they obviously liked her for herself too, but in the end, they had sworn their loyalty to him. Obi, on the other hand… well, when people said he had tamed him, he couldn't help but to laugh inside. He might be the one holding his reins, and he was certain that Obi would never betray him, that Obi probably held him in a higher esteem than he deserved, but he had noticed a while ago that the only one that had truly tamed him, his real master, was no one but Shirayuki. He would never forget the first time he had kissed Shirayuki. He had acted impulsively and had caused Shirayuki a hard time, that day Obi had shielded her and without hesitation had called him on that with a rather dangerous glare.

"I don't think he'd ever leave if you asked him to stay," said Zen with a knowing smile. A gloom of red emerged back under Shirayuki's green eyes.

"But…" a cloud passed through Shirayuki's eyes "isn't it… selfish of me to ask him that? After all, he is like a wild animal… maybe someday he'll get tired of being my personal attendant and…"

"He could never get bored of all your antics, Shirayuki" Zen interrupted her to reassure her teasingly. He tenderly placed his forehead against hers. "I promise."

Shirayuki's face lit with trust and joy, she remembered the day Obi had arrived to Lyrias he had said he was willing to follow her along in whatever direction she headed, hadn't he? She would never understand why in the world she had been lucky enough to meet Zen, to know Mitsuhide and Kiki, and to have earned such a precious ally and friend in Obi, but she knew she'd always treasure his loyalty as the invaluable gift it was.

"Obi is actually pretty amazing, isn't he?" Murmured Zen with a smile of his own, he had become a good friend for all of them and he was certain that nobody could ever protect Shirayuki as Obi could, truth be told, he admitted to himself, not even him. Maybe, little by little, Obi would be able to realize how important he was to them, to Shirayuki, until then, the prince knew he had made the right call, they all belonged together. He didn't know how it could be possible, but he knew their stray cat was going to be alright.

When Zen and Shirayuki returned to the rooms, Obi was sitting on the couch Zen had been sitting before, he looked slightly tense, but his expression remained mostly unreadable, or at least that's what he thought. Good thing I'm wearing my headband, he grimaced, it always made him feel safer to cover his face. He had noticed Zen's expression, was he finally going to send him away from miss? Had he finally stepped over the line? Had he not been careful enough with the invisible barriers he had carefully constructed to keep himself from crossing any line? He didn't care if he couldn't even touch the tip of her fingers as long as he could remain by her side, make sure no one would ever hurt her. Those were his thoughts as Shirayuki approached to him and bend half of her body to look directly into his eyes.

"Thank you for everything" he was startled for her sudden closeness, but her words made his heart skip a beat, Is she saying goodbye? Is this it?

"Miss…?" he said with a hoarse voice.

Without notice, without any warning, Shirayuki leaned forward and planted a kiss on his forehead. His eyes opened like saucer pans and his pupils dilated. He could barely feel her lips through his headband, and the moment only lasted for a couple of seconds, but it was enough to send a surge of electricity through his entire body and to freeze him to the core. She straightened up with a big grin and a slight blush.

"Please, stay by my side, Obi."

"…A-always." Was the only thing he managed to say after making sure his heart hadn't stopped.

His master was walking towards him too, so it was at that moment, despite the haze in his mind, that Obi realized that, for the first time in years, he had allowed his cheeks to get painted with a color as bright as Shirayuki's hair, but Zen's expression wasn't angry, was that a cheeky smile?

"Good work, Obi. I'll keep counting on you, my friend." Said the prince ruffling his hair affectionately.

Obi's vision became blurry, his eyes were feeling treacherously watery. He had never experienced such warmth in his entire life. There were still times that he could not entirely understand why these two individuals could cause such a feeling of devotion from him, but it was even less understandable that they would accept and even care for him despite all the things he had done, things that he would never forget, but he knew that he had never lied once when he said Zen held his reins and that he would follow them to wherever they'd go. Still, right now, he could not find his own voice to express something that was beyond words. The prince realized that his poor knight was, for once, completely hopeless and overwhelmed with an emotion he wasn't used to having, so he interchanged a nod with Shirayuki and each of them took one of his hands and pulled him into an embrace. Obi could do nothing but hide his face in the two shoulders that belonged to the two most important people in the world for him.

Fin

Ekk, so that's it, this is my first Akagami no Shirayuki fanfic, so I hope I managed to keep everyone in character, it was kind of hard considering how mature everyone is in this anime! But I hope I managed to keep true to everyone, especially Zen, I really wanted to show he trusted them, but that deep down he was struggling a little with this, for one, because Obi's position is truly not easy (unless you're as awesome as he is) and second, because it is only natural that Zen would feel at least a tiny bit jealous sometimes, right? :P

As you can imagine I just love Obi and his relationship with Shirayuki to pieces, I hope you liked this little piece and that you leave me a comment if you want. I'd love to know your opinion and to chat with other fans of Obi!