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Kaori was sitting my the koi pond and watching the fish move. The beautiful koi fish dancing around through the crystal water. She was really attached to that pond, since it was her father’s koi, so she took extra care of it and sat by them every day.
Kyōjurō knocked on her door to check up on her and hang out, but didn’t hear an answer. He assumed she was maybe in the back.
He walked around the house and to the back to find Kaori at the pond. He looked at the fish swimming, counting them quietly in his head. There were 13, 6 adults and 7 babies.
He took a few steps closer, making sure not to startle her or anything. “Hey Kaori” He says in a small voice to not scare her. None the less, it still made her jump a bit and look back in shock. “Sorry, you didn’t answer the door, so I assumed that you might be in the back. Mind if I join?”
She was hesitant. She’s never had anyone around her father’s fish, or herself much. They had only met a few months ago, so she wasn’t sure. She turned back to the fish.
Kyōjurō’s heart dropped a bit, but he understood in some sense. She had a lot happen and couldn’t cope with it properly. He was about to leave her be until he saw her pat the spot next to her. She knew he had no bad intentions.
He smiles and slowly approaches and sits, making sure not to startle her. He notices her looking at the fish and does so to. “They are very pretty…~” He mumbles with his wide smile.
Kaori didn’t look up, but nodded in acknowledgment. His smile faded a little and looked at her. She never showed much emotions, and even when she did, he could tell they were fake most of the time. Any time she smile, laughed, made jokes, it was all fake. He could always see that hint of sadness in her eyes.
He felt bad. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to help.
“Why are you so closed off?” He only realizes after how blunt that was, he was a bit embarrassed, but looked to see how she reacted.
She didn’t look at him. She kept her eyes forward at the fish until only a few minutes later, looked up at him.
His eye were genuine. His smile wasn’t there, it was serious. Her eyebrows furrowed in sympathy and curiosity.
He looked right back into her eyes. On the outside, she looked quite emotionless, almost dead in a way with sadness flooded in her eyes, like she was drowning. On the inside, she wanted to yell. She wanted to scream for help. She wanted to cry, to relieve this weight. She wanted help. She wanted to be free.
Her body tensed when Kyōjurō placed a hand on her shoulder. “I want to help you. I want to hold your hand and help you through whatever is going on. Please let me help you.” His voice…it was gentle. It is gentle and sweet and warm…l-like her father’s. “You shouldn’t have to carry whatever burdens you are carrying alone. Let me take some, that’s what friends do. I couldn’t have the honor of being your friend if I let you deal with this alone.”
Her eyes teared up, she wanted to cry and wrap her arms around him and just let it all spill…but something was stopping her. She bite her tongue and dug her nails in her thighs, her eyes going back to the pond as she forced her eyes to dry.
Kyōjurō kept his eyes on her, then were drawn to her legs. He hated touching her, he knew she hated it, but he couldn’t and wouldn’t sit here and watch this going on.
He gently takes her hands in his, holding them tight. Her nails dug in his hands, but the pain was nothing, he was focused on hers.
Kaori’s head shot up as he took her hands. She stared into his eyes in shock, it was taking so much to hold back, to not burst. She only then realized her hands were digging into his and she tightened her grip, but stopped digging her nails. Kyōjurō…smiled…his smile was enough to feel like a life preserver. To keep her afloat. To stop her from drowning.
Kyōjurō could see her struggle, that she was trying to hold back. Everything was quiet, the only thing they could hear was the wind, their breath, and the fish swimming in the pond.
“Please Kaori…” He said quietly, giving her hands a tight squeeze. “Let me help you…you don’t have to be strong around me…this stays here, you and me…this doesn’t leave the two of us…”
His smile was reassuring, it was so warm, like the sun after the rain. She was hanging on the edge until she felt the warmth his arms around her and his body against hers. He pulled her up from the edge and held her tightly. It was like a warm blanket. Like…nothing in the world could hurt her…
Her eyes teared up as she practically went limp in his arms, even leaning into his embrace as he whispered. “it’s okay. I’ll hold you, I’ll protect you, I’ll shelter you. All you have to do is let me.”
Her eyes widen just a bit before closing in contentment. He…wanted…he wanted to help her…
Tears begin to stream down her cheeks silently until a few sobs escape. Kyōjurō smiles a little that she is finally not bottling everything in. He gives her a tight squeeze and mutters reassuring words.
“It’s okay…I’ve got you…don’t worry…you’re safe…”
After a few minutes, he hears her stop crying and is about to back up. Just as he was about to, he felt small arms wrapped around his torso. He was shocked and looked down to see Kaori snuggling and clinging close. Instead of him holding her in his arms, she was hugging him back.
From the small curled up woman in his arms who was crying to the woman who had her chin on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around him, almost as if saying thank you without saying it.
No…not a woman, it was like…like holding a small lost little girl…
He gave her body a squeeze, moving a hand to cup her head a bit with the other cradling her back.
“I’m here for you, Kaori,” He says with a smile. “Remember that, alright? You’ve got these thoughts in your mind? You’re stressed? Heck, you’re just disappointed about something, I’m your man. You don’t have to hide from everyone, you can hide from everyone else, but don’t hide from me, alright?”
She lifts her head to look at him, her eyes were still wet.
He smiles sympathetically before wiping her cheeks with his thumb before curling his index finger and tapping the bottom of her chin up.
She smiles a little. And actual smile. Not a fake one.
He smiles more and wraps one arm around her shoulders and looks back to the koi. She follows his eyes and looks at the koi.
For now, she doesn’t focus on they were her father’s fish. She can focus on just purely their beautiful nature. She looks up at him a bit, looking at his face before keeping a soft smile and looking back.
“They really are beautiful…” She mutters quietly. “Thank you…for taking some of this weight…”
He smiles a bit. He knew they weren’t close, but he felt this was the next step in their friendship.
She smiles and rests her head on his shoulder, watching the fish swim gracefully as the sun glimmers on the surface of the water. The sun highlights the scales on the small fish. It made them even more elegant than they already were.
“Of course, I’ll always be that sunshine in the dark for you,” He smiles, giving her shoulder a tight squeeze.
She leans into his warm embrace. “You give really good hugs…”
He laughs heartily, which made her eyes soften from how much she wanted to hear it over and over. “My mother always said that too, I guess I was born with the gift.” He smiles down at her with a gentler smile. “But really, I’ll be your sunshine, no matter what, you won’t get rid of me. You can’t get rid of me, I won’t leave.”
