A/N: This is the first chapter of my 'FireFlies' sequel. If you haven't, I would read that first, since this leads directly on from it.
I wasn't planning on uploading this yet, but decided that I might as well, since this has been sat on my laptop since November. Also, I've constantly been changing the title of this (this was originally called 'Samurai Heart') and when trying to think of different titles, I kept focusing on it in terms of this chapter rather than on the story as a whole. I like what I've got at the moment, but don't be surprised if it changes.
So, this is, of course, Chiaki/Kotoha, though I may add another couple in this. Also, this is going to take a couple of chapters before it gets going. But enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. It belongs to Toei. And I don't own any of the song titles that I use. They belong to their respective owners.
Dark Passion Play
Act I: Happiness
Kotoha pulled her brush through her hair, smoothing it as she smiled to herself. The events of the previous night rushed through her mind, making her smile even more. She still couldn't believe that what had happened had been real and at times, it felt like a vivid blur in that she could clearly remember everything, but because it all rushed through her mind, she wasn't sure whether or not to believe it.
She placed her hair brush on the table next to her flute and the photograph of her and her sister, Mitsuba. She let out a happy sigh before standing up and walking over to the door to join the others for breakfast before they enjoyed the first proper day of their reunion together. She slid her door open and gasped as she nearly collided with someone, who grabbed her wrist in an attempt to stop her from falling over.
"I'm sorry," the person said, helping her to steady herself. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Kotoha looked up. Chiaki, she thought and instantly smiled. "It's alright," she said, shaking her head. "What are you doing here?"
"I, um, I thought I'd escort you to breakfast, seeing as it's our first official day as a couple," Chiaki said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Chiaki," she said quietly, touched by his gesture. She continued to smiling as she once more remembered the previous night. "How long have you been waiting for me?"
He gave her a sheepish smile as he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. A while, I think. I just really like the thought of taking you to breakfast." He held out his hand to her. "So, can I escort my girlfriend to breakfast?"
"Of course." She smiled, leaning up and gently kissing his cheek, before taking his hand. "This is really sweet of you," she said as they walked down the corridor.
"No, it's nothing," he replied, slowly shaking his head in embarrassment.
Instead of leading her to the main room, Chiaki walked towards the kitchen and she gave him a quizzical look.
"Jii said that we should use the kitchen," he explained, catching her expression. "He said something about him and Kaoru setting up a surprise for us."
"Oh," she replied, instantly curious.
As they walked closer to the kitchen, discussing what the surprise could be, she heard the voices of the others and she felt a nervous panic run through her and her grip on his hand tightened. He looked down at her, giving her a reassuring smile.
"It'll be okay," he told her and she nodded in response.
"I know," she replied, "it's just..."
"Both Takeru and Kaoru gave us their approval," he reminded her and she nodded once more, though he noticed that her nervousness didn't disappear.
As soon as they entered the kitchen, silence descended and the four Shinkengers, already sat at the table in the centre of the room turned to face the couple. Kotoha instantly loosened her hand from Chiaki's, holding her hands together in front of her as she sat next to Genta at the table. Chiaki sat next to her, a worried, confused look on his face. He looked up at Mako who was sat opposite him. She tilted her head, a confused expression of her face, asking what was wrong with Kotoha, but he shrugged his shoulders in response. Even though, from the brief discussion they had just had, he had an idea; it wasn't something he wanted to discuss in front of everyone.
Trying to break the tension that was beginning to form in the wake of Kotoha's attitude, Genta tried to change the subject.
"What shall we do today, Take-chan?"
Takeru looked around the table, all of them watching him. He cleared his throat. "I was just planning on taking a walk before the surprise that Jii and Kaoru are planning," he said.
"Aww, Take-chan!" Genta moaned. "This is the first proper day of our reunion. We're supposed to do something fun, not 'go for a walk'!" He threw his arms out in frustration.
"We don't know what's being planned for this evening," Takeru continued. "I don't want to do something that will leave me exhausted and not be able to enjoy tonight."
"Tono is right," Ryunosuke said.
"A walk does sound nice," Mako agreed. "It would give us all a chance to catch up more."
"Didn't we do that last night?" Ryunosuke pointed out.
"Yes, but I doubt we covered everything," she said.
Ryunosuke then nodded enthusiastically and Genta sighed, leaning back in his chair in defeat.
"What about you two?" Takeru asked Chiaki and Kotoha, neither of whom had contributed to the discussion. They had been listening in silence as they ate their breakfast.
"Whatever Tono-sama wishes to do is fine with me," Kotoha said, not looking up.
Chiaki sighed and slowly shook his head. "A walk out will be good," he said.
Genta groaned in disappointment. "I thought you'd have backed me up!" he moaned at Chiaki, who shook his head before going back to his breakfast.
"Well," Mako said, standing up, "I guess I'd better get ready." She then left and was soon followed by the remaining Shinkengers, leaving Chiaki and Kotoha.
"That was a fun breakfast," Genta muttered as they left, referring to Chiaki and Kotoha.
"Yeah," Ryunosuke agreed. "I wonder what happened. They were so happy last night; you know all loved up and everything."
"They'll be fine," Takeru said. "Leave them to sort it out."
As soon as they were all out of earshot, Chiaki turned to Kotoha. "Are you alright?" he asked.
She looked up at him. "Of course, why?" she replied, giving him a quizzical look.
"You've been silent all through breakfast and you wouldn't look at any of them," he explained. "You're not acting as though you're in love."
"Oh, that. I just, I didn't think we should parade our relationship around the mansion and not in front of the others," she said, sighing.
"Why not? We're not Shinkengers anymore. We're allowed to be together." He took her hand in his, gently stroking it. She smiled at the gesture.
"I know. But I'm not used to this. I don't know how I'm supposed to act." She lowered her head slightly in embarrassment at her admission.
He gently lifted her head before kissing her forehead. "That's alright," he said, before lightly kissing her lips.
"I guess I just need to be reassured that this is right," she said, sighing.
He stared at her for a moment, forgetting how innocent she was when it came to relationships. He then smiled at her, standing up, his hand outstretched towards her. "Come on," he said, "we should get ready."
Kotoha took his hand and she felt him give it a reassuring squeeze and she relaxed. "I'm glad that I've got you," she said as he escorted her back to her room.
XxX
"Where are they?" Genta moaned, tapping his foot on the veranda in the garden in an impatient manner as he referred to Chiaki and Kotoha, the only ones missing from the ensemble that had gathered. "I wish they'd hurry up. I'm really looking forward to this walk."
Ryunosuke looked at him sceptically. "Really?" He sighed before answering Genta's question. "I expect they're talking."
"I somehow doubt that that's all they're doing," Genta replied, laughing.
"I don't know," Ryunosuke continued seriously. "Didn't you see them at breakfast? That's not what I expected, especially after last night."
The four Shinkengers exchanged concerned glances, when Chiaki and Kotoha appeared on the veranda. They all sighed with relief at the sight of the two of them holding hands.
"Sorry that we're late," Kotoha apologised.
"Yeah, we just had a couple of things to sort out," Chiaki explained.
"There is no need to apologise," Takeru replied. "We are just happy to see that you two are alright."
"Alright? Why wouldn't we be?" Chiaki asked.
"At breakfast you two weren't acting how we thought you would," Mako replied.
"Oh," Kotoha said, realising what they were talking about. "That was my fault. I wasn't sure if we should be acting so informally, especially in front of you, Tono-sama." She looked slightly embarrassed as she addressed Takeru.
Takeru sighed. "As both myself and Kaoru said last night, there is no reason why you cannot be together; we're not officially Shinkengers anymore. And we are all happy for the both of you."
"I know, it's just, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to act around everyone," Kotoha said.
"Just act as you are now," Mako said. "As long as you guys are happy, that's all that matters."
"Thank you," Kotoha replied, bowing slightly to them.
"Yeah," Chiaki added. "Thanks."
"Right, now that we're all here, can we please go for this walk?" Genta asked, practically jumping with impatience.
Chiaki looked around. "What about Kaoru and Jii? Aren't they coming?"
"No," Takeru replied. "They said something about sorting things out for tonight."
"This is a reunion! We're all supposed to be having fun, not worrying about work things," Chiaki replied.
Takeru shrugged his shoulders. "Let's go." He turned and began to walk out of the garden, the others following.
XxX
As they walked, Kotoha felt herself begin to relax in the presence of the others; her fingers were interlaced with Chiaki's. She couldn't stop smiling.
"See," Chiaki said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, "everything's fine."
"I know," Kotoha replied. "I really need to stop worrying."
"No you don't," Chiaki said. "It's one of the things I love about you."
Kotoha blushed slightly. "Thanks," she said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Come here," he said gently, stopping and making Kotoha walk round so she was facing him. He leaned down and kissed her deeply to which she responded.
"Eh, guys!" Genta called. "Do you have to? We are in public, you know."
Kotoha giggled as they broke apart. Chiaki turned to the others who were a slight distance ahead of them.
"I thought that this was how you wanted us to act," he replied.
"Yeah, but," Genta paused as he thought of how to continue, "we're in public," he finished, throwing his arms out to emphasise that they were in the middle of a busy street.
"So?"
"So? So," Genta struggled to continue. Instead he threw his arms out in frustration before he turned and continued walking. The others laughed, following.
"Maybe he has a point," Kotoha said seriously to Chiaki, who shrugged.
"Does it matter?"
"No, I don't know," she replied, biting her lower lip nervously.
"Don't worry about it," Chiaki said, giving her a reassuring smile. "Just as long as you're happy, then I don't care about what anyone else thinks and neither should you." She nodded in response. "Come on," he then said, "we'd better catch up with the others." They quickly ran and were soon back with the other four.
"So," Mako said to Kotoha, once she and Chiaki had joined them, "what's it like?"
"What's what like?"
"You know, dating."
"Oh," Kotoha quickly glanced at Chiaki who was now talking to Takeru before continuing, "I don't really know," she admitted. "I mean we've only been a couple for a few hours and we haven't done anything except talk and," she smiled, "kiss." Mako also smiled. "But, it's nice. Really nice," Kotoha continued. "To have someone love you that much, it's really nice."
"I'm glad," Mako replied.
"Yeah. I mean if Onee-chan hadn't told me how I felt before I came back, then this may not have happened," Kotoha said, indicating to Chiaki with a movement of her head.
"Oh, how is Mitsuba?"
"She's fine, thank you. Doing a lot better."
"Have you told her?" Chiaki suddenly asked, making Kotoha jump. She hadn't realised that he'd been listening to their conversation.
"Oh, of course. I told her after you left me last night. She said that she's really happy and that she can't wait to meet you."
"I'm looking forward to meeting her too," Chiaki replied, smiling. He stopped walking and gently kissed her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute," Ryunosuke said, interrupting Chiaki and Kotoha, making them break apart. "What do you mean by him leaving you last night?" He directed his question at Kotoha.
"What? Nothing." Kotoha looked at Chiaki, confused.
"We didn't do anything," Chiaki replied, slightly angry. "All I did was walk her back to her room and kiss her goodnight."
"Really?"
"Yes, really," Chiaki retorted becoming angrier. "And anyway, it's got nothing to do with you what we do."
Ryunosuke gasped before turning to Takeru, "Tono!"
Takeru sighed. "Leave them, Ryunosuke," he said. "Chiaki's right, it's got to do with us what they do."
Ryunosuke opened his mouth to respond but the looks from Mako and Genta made him close it again. "Yes, Tono," he said.
"So," Mako said, trying to change the subject, "where are we going?"
Takeru shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it," he replied.
Genta suddenly started twirling his hands with excitement. "How about we send the Kurokos out to get us some food for a picnic!"
"A picnic?"
"Yeah. It's a nice day and surely it'll be a great way for all of us to catch up," Genta explained.
"Didn't we do that last night?" Mako said.
"Yeah, but we couldn't of covered everything in one night." Genta smiled as he repeated what she had said earlied.
"Ooh, I like it," Ryunosuke said, beginning to jump and down with excitement.
"A picnic would be nice," Kotoha agreed.
"Fine." Takeru sighed. He then addressed a nearby Kuroko, explaining what they needed. The Kuroko bowed before leaving with a couple more.
The Shinkengers walked some more, until they arrived at a park. There were lots of families also enjoying picnics, watching their children run around playing. They settled themselves under some Sakura trees and shortly after, the Kurokos returned with some food and drink, along with a blanket for them to sit on. Takeru leaned against a tree with Mako and Ryunosuke sat either side of him. Genta, Chiaki and Kotoha sat opposite them. The Kurokos started to hand out the food, but Takeru sent them away, saying that they could manage on their own. The Kurokos bowed, leaving them to it. Takeru then placed all of the food on the blanket so that they could help themselves.
Genta took a pair of chopsticks and took out a piece of sushi from the closest box. He placed it in his mouth, chewing on it. "Mmm," he said, "sushi." He started to choke and the others looked at him, worried, as he spat it out. "Sushi?" he cried. "But I'm not at my cart! How did... where did they get this from?" He looked around for a Kuroko, but they had all retreated to a safe distance out of sight.
"Genta, calm down," Chiaki said.
"Yeah, it's only sushi," Ryunosuke added.
"Only sushi?" Genta began.
Kotoha and Mako both learned over to try some. As they ate, they looked at each other and nodded in unison.
"This is nowhere near as good as your sushi," Kotoha said.
"Yeah, nowhere near," Mako repeated. "Nothing is as good as your sushi," she added, smiling.
This calmed Genta down, though he refused to touch any more and cast the others dirty looks whenever they ate some.
There was a light breeze in the air and the sun was shining down upon them as they enjoyed spending time together without the fear of being attacked by the Gedoushuu. The afternoon passed as they relaxed and they continued to talk about their lives over the past year. Takeru stretched himself out, leaning more against the tree, closing his eyes as he relaxed. Mako had unconsciously placed her head on his shoulder, though he didn't seem to mind, as she stared at her surroundings. Kotoha was resting her head against Chiaki's shoulder and was absentmindedly playing with the grass in between them, while Chiaki watched her. Genta and Ryunosuke had both sat back and seemed to also just be taking in the peacefulness of their surroundings.
"Hey," Kotoha whispered to Chiaki, "do you want to get out of here?"
Chiaki looked up at the others, and seeming that they were all absorbed and daydreaming, he agreed. He helped her up, interlinking their fingers as he did so. They quietly began to walk away.
"Where are you two going?" Ryunosuke asked.
"Just for a walk," Chiaki replied. "We'll be back soon."
"Oh, just don't been long," Ryunosuke said, waving them off.
"We won't," Kotoha promised.
Ryunosuke lay down on the grass as Chiaki and Kotoha left them. He turned his head slightly, watching them walk away. Chiaki had wrapped his arm around her. Ryunosuke felt a pang of jealously as he watched them. To him, it was clearly obvious that they were in love with each other and he felt jealous over the fact that he doubted whether he would find someone who loved him just as much. He sighed, he really wanted the happiness that everyone else seemed to have and he eventually feel asleep, thinking about this.
"Are we going anywhere in particular?" Chiaki asked, as the others disappeared from sight.
Kotoha shook her head. "No," she replied. "I was just kinda getting bored just sat there." She stopped walking and placed her arms around Chiaki's neck, pulling him down slightly. "Anyway," she continued, "we haven't had any alone time since we became a couple." She leaned up slightly and kissed him deeply. This surprised Chiaki. He had never expected her to kiss him like this, especially so early into their relationship and out in public, but he couldn't resist kissing her back with the same intensity.
"What was that for?" he asked, once they eventually broke apart, slightly breathless.
Kotoha smiled coyly as she shrugged her shoulders, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "I just felt like it," she replied. "You're always the one kissing me, so I wanted to kiss you first." She then lowered her head slightly, moving her arms so that they were resting on his arms, as though she were ashamed of her action. "I'm sorry," she then said, "I shouldn't have done that."
"Why?" he tilted his head slightly, trying to look at her face.
"It wasn't right of me, especially out here. I apologise."
"Kotoha," Chiaki placed his hand on her chin, lifting her head so she was looking at him, "I don't care," he said. "I don't care what people think. Anyway, it's not like you can't kiss me, we are together after all and honestly," he felt his face redden slightly, "I really liked you kissing me like that."
"I know. I know you're right, but I'm still not sure what is right."
"Just act as you are now, like you're in love."
Kotoha sighed. "As usual, you're right," she said, feeling increasingly comfortable about their relationship. "I just need guidance."
"Well, I think we should just act as we are now. I mean, I'm not completely sure either, since I've never been with anyone before," he admitted.
Kotoha looked at him, surprised. "You've never...?"
"Nope. I never wanted to be with anyone, except you."
"Wow," she whispered. She had thought that during their time apart he might have been in a relationship, that he would have been with Momoko, but the fact that he had been waiting for her made her heart quiver. "You waited for me."
"I would have always waited for you," Chiaki replied, gently kissing her and she wrapped her arms around his neck once more in response.
They broke apart and she placed her hand on his heart, feeling it beat rapidly. "I love you," she said, smiling up at him.
"I love you, too," he replied. They were about to kiss again, but someone calling Chiaki's name startled them. They turned to see who it was.
"Chiaki-kun!" Momoko called, running towards them, waving.
A/N: So, Momoko's back. Wonder how she'll react to finding out Chiaki's with Kotoha?
The title for this story 'Dark Passion Play' is the title of one of Nightwish's albums.
Chapter Song: Happiness
Artist: Alexis Jordan
Please review ^_^