#arahika

Their land is at peace again, but there is still a lot to do. There are deceased to mourn, ruined buildings to clean, peace treaties to be signed, and much, much more.

But tonight, the night the final battle took place, is a night of resting.

Hikaru has always waited for this day to come. The day the Dark Lord is finally defeated, and they can live happy again. But the assassin didn’t think that it would be like this.

The people are joyful, yes, but they are also subdued. Calm. Quiet.

He used to expect bonfires, festivities, and vibrant life, but the people... they’re just hugging friends and family and crying tears of relief, completely grateful that they are no longer under the influence of the dark.

Climbing up the last steps of the hill that overlooks the city and its grandness, Hikaru finds exactly what he’s looking for.

Rather, who.

Sena Arata, the hero.

The redhead seems to not notice him, or pretending not to, as he continues to gaze upon the stars, his legs swinging back and forth over the cliff.

Hikaru watches the moonlight encompass the idiotic redhead that saved them all like a silver blanket of magic, before he nestles himself right beside him.

Casually, without a single twinge of hesitance, the blond entwines their fingers together, and rests his head upon the other’s shoulder.

Arata doesn’t say anything, but he welcomes the touch by leaning into Hikaru as well, breathing deeply as he does so.

It feels like the silence stretched all the way to the moon before the redhead finally speaks.

“We lost a lot of good people today.” Arata whispers, his eyes still on the stars.

“We did.” Hikaru replies, just as softly.

Silence again.

“What are you going to do now that all of this is over?” Arata asks.

“I don’t know...” He answers truthfully. What is there to do when all your life you have been trained for this moment, but then a hero comes along and takes all the glory?

Arata tightens his fingers around Hikaru’s. He turns his head towards the blond, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Hikaru sees something in the other’s violet eyes, and he understands.

Especially during her feeding time.

She hide behind the shadow of the building, gritting her teeth as she wipe the side of her stained mouth. Her nose manage to identify his scent, and hissed.

So annoying.

Hikari notice his head turning in every direction, taking small steps as he walked. It was odd, his scent doesn’t match with what he’s doing. He’s a ghoul, isn’t it ?

Why does he look so timid -- and nervous ?

Hikari purposely step on the pile of trash, it clattered and his head shoot up -- alert but doesn’t do anything except looking back behind him, and continue walking.

What a weird man.

Then again -- it’s an easy prey.

Hikari didn’t wait, she jumped at him, wings beautiful spread as she rain down her crystal shards. She heard gasp and he jumped back. She have to admit that his reflexes were pretty good. He manage to dodge her attack with a just a small scratch on his cheek.

“Impressive.” she said. He didn’t move, much less fight back but his eyes was fixed on her. She saw a glint of sparkles in his eyes and find it irritating.

“What are you looking at ?”

He fidget, quickly scrambling his thoughts, “Err -- I --”

“You’re annoying.”

She stabbed him.

--and pull away her kagune, letting it disappear as she watch him fall down on his knee. Hikari roll her eyes, pathetic. He should’ve fight back -- he should’ve fight her. She hates weaklings like him.

“Are you done moaning into the ground ?”

He lift his head, looking up at her and he managed a small chuckled. Hikari grit her teeth, “What’s so funny, bastard ?”

“I--I’m sorry for disturbing you -- but -- I was just passing by.” He give her a gentle smile and she stared down at him in shocked -- passing by ? Her eyes darted on his side, a small package that was ripped and a book peaking through it.

Oh.

“Uhh -- Can you please -- help me ?” he asked and something inside her, shaken.

Why are you so nice to me ?

Such person -- doesn’t exist anymore.

:::

She patched him up in his house -- not finding it odd that he was living alone. His house were pretty small, comfy for one or two people at least but it have those calm and peaceful atmosphere around it.

Maybe he’s a peaceful person.

“I’m sorry -- for troubling you.”, he said as she wrap the bandage around his stomach. He have a soft blush on his cheek while Hikari is too immersed on treating his wound -- not realizing that his upper body was left exposed.

“Why are you apologizing ? It’s not your fault.”

“Ha--ha -- I guess so.”

“Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I just react out of wimp.”

“That’s fine. Anyone would do that -- especially -- us.”

Hikari finishes with the bandages, and her eyes rolls up on his shoulder -- and down to his arms and abs.

He have a bit of muscles -- not much -- but --

It’s pleasant to see.

“Err-- Are you done ?”

Hikari clears her throat, and quickly back away from him, “Yeah, it’s done.”

“Thank you.”

There were some weird air floating around them, she feel suffocated as if something slowly dragging and tighten around her neck. He put on his shirt, and Hikari watch him as he twisted those buttons.

“I think I should go. You’re okay now, right ?”

“Yeah -- let me send you to the --”

“It’s fine.”

“You know -- I didn’t get your name.” he nervously scratch his cheek, letting out a small chuckle. Hikari didn’t answer him, staring at his face and he fidgeted. She turn her heel, walking towards the door.

“Hikari Yomo.”

He’s a retail worker, assigned to the cash register this week, so he has to deal with all types of human beings walking through the doors of this street corner store in search of clothes.

His fake smile feels heavy on his lips, and after that incident with an unsatisfied customer, he doesn’t even try to faux cheer. His co-worker lets him be for now, but he’ll have to go back to his Customer Service Voice and Smile tomorrow, which is just urgh.

He’s not built for this.

The door chimes open and a red-haired guy walks in with curiosity in his purple eyes. He’s accompanied by three other males, a short green-haired one with goggles on his head, and a black-haired one with, what Hikaru can tell from this distance, green eyes.

Hikaru doesn’t bother greeting them. (Even though the redhead is kind of cute.)

Yuno, his co-worker, chirps from where she was standing. “Welcome!” she says, all bright smiles.

The trio just smile at her and nod their heads, and the two of them let them be to browse. Hikaru prays in his heart they’ll leave without purchasing anything.

The blond minds his own business by checking his phone, loitering on Twitter. He hears the customers being a bit loud over something suddenly, but ignores them. Yuno will take care of it.

But then a shadow looms over his spot on the counter and he looks up to meet eye-to-eye with the cute redhead.

Damn it.

Hikaru straightens himself, and doesn’t miss the way the other man’s purple eyes follow his body.

He feels a slither of annoyance, but pays it no mind. It’s not the first time people checked him out. Hikaru eyes the clothes that the customer brought with him to the front and says, “Is that all, sir?”

The redhead grins and Hikaru feels a little blown away.

“Yup,” he chirps, placing the shirt on the cold surface. Hikaru takes it and was about to scan it and take off the security tag, when the guy says even more.

“So, you’ve been working here long? It’s my first time seeing you around.”

Hikaru is really not up for this, but urgh, Yuno’s squinting at him from the distance. And where did this guy’s friends go anyway? He doesn’t see them anywhere.

He shrugs as he punches buttons on the cash register. “A month or two.”

“Ah, I see. That explains a lot.”

“Mhmm.”

“Oh cool, is that a Plats bracelet you’re wearing?! I’m a big fan!!” The man suddenly says, gesturing at the black rubber bracelet that Hikaru’s wearing on his wrist.

The blond raises an eyebrow. He smirks. “Oh really? What’s their first single?”

When the customer starts singing the first verse and he actually sounds good, Hikaru admits to himself that he’s surprised the other knows the obscure band.

But he’ll never admit that his heart skipped a beat.

The redhead stops singing, ending in a flourish as he hands over cash to pay for the shirt, and Hikaru begrudgingly takes it and slides the plastic bag with the clothing inside towards him.

“You weren’t lying.” Hikaru says.

“I totally wasn’t.” The redhead winks at him as he takes hold of his purchased item, and continues, “So when I leave, don’t be surprised if the alarm goes off, because I just stole your heart.”

Hikaru deadpans.

What?

He doesn’t even get the chance to respond, because the customer is already walking away with a skip in his step.

But just when Hikaru thinks things are finally over, the security detectors start blaring red lights and deafening his ears, and the customer is standing at the entrance with a smug grin on his face.

“See? Told ya.”

It takes five seconds of staring before Hikaru leans over the counter laughing his head off, Yuno rushing towards the customer to interrogate him in a flurry, and for the customer’s two friends to come in with panicked and confused expressions on their faces.

The customer, all the while, kept insisting that the only thing he stole was the cute cashier’s heart.

“Hikari --”, his gentle voice calling for her and she turned her head, looking up at her husband with a big box he’d balance on his shoulder, “Is this the last box?”

“Uhh--I think so. I didn’t know we have a lot of stuff.”, she said as she stood up and helped him with the heavy box.

“Well, we did get a bought a few things along the way.”

“I hope it didn’t take too much space.”

Arata gave her a reassuring smile. “There’s a small store we can used to keep all the stuff we don’t need or give it away. I think it’ll be fine,” he said. A few minutes later, he had started arranging their stuff, filling up the shelves with books and clearing out the hallway from blocking the way.

“I think the kitchen is a bit too big though.”, Renji voices startled her, forgetting that her little brother were there, “You could get a bigger space if it was smaller.”

“We might not needed it --but he does.”, Hikari pursuing her lips, pointing at the man before he turned looking at both of them --staring down at him with a gaze he couldn’t differentiate whether it was a threat or something less, “W--what?”

Renji gives him a weird look, “You’re not --going to cook --human food, right? --and eat it?”

“Why not ?”

“But --you can’t eat them.”

Arata stood up as he strecthed his arms, “If you want to fit in, you should at least act like one. Cooking is one of the things that could bond people together --like friends and family.”

Hikari sigh, “It’s in one of his books --don’t mind him.”

“I heard that.”, he flick her nose jokingly and chuckled. Hikari hissed, pouting -- and moving to the boxes instead, leaving the two of people chattering with each other. HIkari lift one of the books from the boxes, recognizing the familiar handwriting, she flipped through the book.

She couldn’t hold back a snort, “Arata.”

“Yes ?”

“How many time --did you rehearse this line ?”

“Hmm? What line ?”, his face flushed as soon as he recognize the notebook in her hand, “Hikari! Where did you get that book ?”, he tried to snatch it away but Hikari was fast enough to move it away.

“Please -- you have to said it like you really mean it -- marry me sounds a bit too desperate so use something not to direct --maybe a hint between the line --”, she already burst into tears from laughing before she could finished the sentences. She never knew how much research he went through just to get the perfect line for his proposal and the amount of details he put inside his notebook --

“Hi--hikari -- don’t laugh!”

“I can’t believe you really this --”, she grab another book, “and this book ? Ways to propose and not making a fool out of yourself ? You really use this book?”

“I -- I have to --I don’t know what to do. It really helps you know --”

Hikari chuckled as the man had his face covered with his palm, embarrassed. She crouched down next to him, patting his head, “I think it’s cute.”

“What?”, slowly lifting his head, meeting her beautiful orbs. Hikari peck his cheek, “It’s cute.”, she repeated.

“P --please eat my miso soup!”

She still remembered the day he propose to her --or maybe tried to -- It does sounds weird no matter how much she think about it. They’re not human. Seeing his face at that time, she secretly wish she could torment him a bit more --Arata is fun to played around with and he’s too kind for the world.

“I’m just going to put this box in that room.”, Renji walked pass them with a blank expression, already used to the amount of affection --or their overly shown love and crossing his fingers from seeing anything not suited for his eyes.

“Come on.”, she said as she gently hold his wrist, pulling him up on his feet, “Let’s not waste anymore time.” Arata nodded, giving her a shy smile and leave a small kiss on top of her head.

They manage clear out most of the boxes and arranging them in place. Renji also helped out with the furniture and he was grateful that none of them weren’t too fussy about the arrangement. Hikari gives him a big hug and a kiss on his cheek before he leave.

“Make sure you come over and visit us~”

Arata notice her sighing and her smile slowly fades away as she staring at the closed door, “What’s wrong?”, he drapes his arms around her shoulder, letting her snuggle her face on his side.

“I wish Renji could stay in with us.”, she mumbled.

“He could.”

“But -- he wouldn’t.”

Arata pat her shoulder, “It’s okay. Renji is strong and I’m sure he can take care of himself. Don’t worry.”

“Can I still go out and visit him?”

“Of course.”, he peck her cheek and she return with another one on his cheek, “Oh! I found something and I think you might like it.”

She didn’t notice the record player on the table and she never know they still have this kind of stuff around, “Where did you get that ?”

“From a friend. It’s a gift. It’s pretty old.”, he played one of the record and classical tunes swimming in the air.

“It’s pretty cool.” Hikari wasn’t a fan of classical music but it does gives her a nice warm feeling when hearing the soft tunes. Before she knows it, Arata had her hands entwined with his, dragging her to the center of living room.

“What are you doing?”

He step closer, squeezing her hands with a big smile painted on his face. He leaned down and kissed her softly on her lips, “I love you.” he muttered against her lips. Hikari never really answered him, just silently staring at him. Arata never asked and sometimes she feel guilty about leaving it hanging on a thin lines.

He started to move from one side to the other, and she couldn’t help but laugh, “Really smooth.”, she said.

He chuckled, and he twirled her around as if there were dancing in one of those grand ball. She squeeze his hands tightly, not letting it go even for a second. She can’t afford to lose him --Arata is a part of her. She’s not losing him --not to anyone.

She lift herself up, standing on her tiptoes. She bring her mouth closer to his ears and she could feel tears threatening to spill from the corner of her eyes.

She was smiling.

“I love you, Arata.” --and he kissed her without a word.