[AYAMI]
The Yamashita enforcer knew she was working with borrowed time. That all of this would have to end sooner than she had wished for, but even then, as she stared at Yuzuki, here real, in her arms, she wondered if just for tonight she could go rogue and leave with her.
A part of her, of course, the rational part, reminded her that Rinko would keep Yuzuki away from her forever if she tried that, but the part of her that was in love, the one that begged for scraps of affection from a bond that had strung her dry over the years, wanted to risk it.
Wanted to go somewhere with Yuzuki. Somewhere only the two of them would be, somewhere private, not a riverside where her sister would probably yank her from Ayami's arms.
"You… you look tired," Yuzuki breathed, her eyes roaming over Ayami's face as if she was trying to remember it. Perhaps she really was, because given the state of their kingdoms, this in itself was a violation of the fundamental law.
Yamashita was an enemy of Kurayami.
Kurayami was an enemy of Yamashita.
There were no in-betweens.
Yet even with those at the back of both their minds, they were here. Two souls in love, it was sickening, and they were ready to do whatever the hell it took to make things better for them. Maybe it was a long shot, but damn, a girl could dream, no?
"I'm sure now that I'm here with you, little dove. I've missed you. so much. I thought... I thought I lost you forever," Ayami whispered like she was scared someone could take away the words from her mouth.
She had yearned for moments like these, and she looked at Yuzuki like the entire starlit sky was in her eyes, like all the constellations bloomed in there, and she was the best thing that ever happened to her.
"Your kiss kept me going," Yuzuki said, like she was talking about the weather.
Ayami choked.
Of all the things she had been expecting to hear, that was not it.
It made her feel some type of way, like there were butterflies blooming in her stomach, like her heart rate was trying to sing along to the tunes of a song that had existed long before, but one that she didn't know yet would willingly lean into, even with all the risks.
"You can't just… say things like that with a straight face," Ayami mumbled, and Yuzuki smiled sheepishly at her, the sincerity in her eyes there for Ayami to see.
"Wait, you're serious…"
"Four hundred and thirty-seven," Yuzuki said quietly as Ayami guided them to sit on the riverbank.
"What?"
"I thought I'd lost my mind, still holding on to the thought of you. Still pining over a powerful enforcer who probably already had someone else to keep her bed warm. I… I missed you so much it hurt.
"Tried to drown in work, to forget about it, to pretend that that had just been a one-time thing, but I couldn't. Every hallway I walked, every time I saw people being affectionate, every time I smelled peaches that would never be you, I felt like I was losing.
"Like I was delusional for holding onto something so simple yet something I yearned for my whole life," Yuzuki said, lost in her thoughts of Ayami, as if that was the only thing she could think of.
Ayami watched.
Listen carefully.
There was something different about Yuzuki.
She had noticed in the way that Yuzuki had smelled her earlier and still had not turned.
In the way that the servant had been so nonchalant about my intrusion. She had expected Yuzuki to be surprised that she had shown up, but she just stared and waited, like someone who already knew this was happening.
Perhaps because Rinko had to have told her. Maybe because a part of her always wanted the same thing as Ayami. Yet even with that in mind, listening to Yuzuki here felt different. Like she was the naive servant she had been a year ago.
And it had Ayami wondering if this was her doing.
If she had fucked up so badly that she had forced her mate to mature up that fast.
But love was something many grieved even when it still lived. And right here, as Ayami looked at Yuzuki, listening to the woman she was mated to and wasn't about to let go, she didn't need to ask, to know that Yuzuki had suffered as she had in the past year.
It was supposed to be comforting, knowing that they had both been pining for their love, but the longing in Yuzuki's voice as she spoke gave Ayami hope that this wasn't one-sided.
Maybe Ayami was dumb for leaning into that direction, but what else could she lean on when a whole year had passed and she still only ever wanted Yuzuki?
"I never looked at anyone else, peaches. Not after I met you. Not after I saw you that night. How could I, when my beloved was a kingdom away, and I didn't even know how to find her? I wanted you.
"I always wanted you, and maybe it is stupid how I yearn for you, but you were worth it," Ayami mumbled as she held onto Yuzuki's face like she was already jealous of the nature around them.
"I love you," Yuzuki breathed, closing her eyes and leaving her cheeks on Ayami's palm like this was home.
And for Yuzuki, it was.
This woman had to be the reincarnation of her beloved, and she was not letting that chance go by. The fact that she had stayed away for a year was all the reminder that Yuzuki needed. The confirmation of something that went far beyond the present and the past.
And she wanted it.
With Ayami.
She needed it.
Because without the idea of Matsui, Yamashita would fall in seconds, and Yuzuki wouldn't think twice about it.
"Peaches…" Ayami trailed off softly.
Yuzuki didn't open her eyes, not even when Ayami kissed her nose gently, as if this were heaven for them.
"Your voice kept me alive… hearing about your missions made my life a bit easier. Knowing that you were still out there, and not a figment of my brain. Made it easier to hold on through work. Even when it got a little too overwhelming.
"You kept me sane," Yuzuki breathed slowly.
Ayami listened.
It was what she had definitely not expected, but it was something that she loved. Something she would lean into too, everyday healthy life had never been the same without Yuzuki.
"I looked for you, but without a last name, it was hard. The merchants said your name was common in Kurayami, that it would never be easy for me. And ... and I didn't see enforcer Rinko again," Ayami said, and Yuzuki listened, knowing where this was headed.
"My last name?" Yuzuki asked sheepishly.
"Yeah. I tried asking for your sister's last name, but no one knew who you were. I almost went insane looking for you," Ayami admitted.
Yuzuki opened her eyes softly, tenderly.
"My name is Yuzuki F—" Yuzuki began, only for Rinko to suddenly show up.
"Your time is up. We need to leave, Yuzu. Like right now."