Chapter 29: Chapter 29 - Aoi Knows Him Best

Kyoto was overcrowded.

The city was just too overcrowded for Kuro Kurogane who had spent a good part of the morning being pulled around to: temples, souvenir shops, his class yelling at each other,

and Mina trying on fox masks for 30 minutes.

"This mask suits me?" said Mina, wearing one of the masks.

"Yes, but you look evil," replied Kuro.

"Seems perfect!" replied Mina excitedly.

In the meantime, Akari kept badgering Kuro to take pictures with him against his will.

"Kuro-kun smile!" said Akari.

"No," replied Kuro, trying to get away from her.

"Smile or I am going to use your childhood picture that is bad ." said Akari.

" You are a terrorist."

"Yes, I am."

Meanwhile, Aoi was walking next to Kuro with everyone’s shopping bags .again as usual.

By early afternoon, Kuro was worn out.

As the class made its way through a very crowded shrine containing both students and tourists, his teachers frantically attempted to keep everyone together.

Kuro was fading away from behind everyone in the group.

Kuro could not take the noise or the number of people anymore.His social battery was completely drained.

"I just need five minutes of quiet," he said quietly to himself.

Then, without thinking he veered off the regular path. Not far, but far enough .

The depth of the shrine paths was so quiet.

Wind blew gently through the trees in those areas as distant bells rang softly in the summer air.

Total peace.Finally.

Kuro sat alone on a small set of stairs just outside of the shrine grounds and exhaled slowly.

"I like this place."

For the first time since way earlier that day (before he got inside of the evolving chaos and confusion of the day), he relaxed.

He had no chaos...no one was yelling...no Mina (slightly sad though).

All he could hear was the silence.

And then someone broke that silence with a very familiar voice.

"I knew I would find you here."

Kuro looked up to where the voice came from.

Aoi stood a few steps away from Kuro with two canned drinks in her hands.

"How did you find me?" Kuro asked.

Aoi walked up to him.

"You always run away when you are overwhelmed," Aoi told him.

Kuro blinked at the thought.

"That specific?" Kuro asked.

"Very specific," Aoi said.

She handed Kuro one of the drinks.Cold coffee.Kuro’s favorite.

"Thanks," he said.

Aoi just sat down next to Kuro underneath the shrine’s trees.

There was no awkwardness or forced conversation.Once again, they had complete quiet.

Somehow, that quietness was more comfortable than anything else experienced at this trip.

The wind from above and around them was gently blowing while the cicadas making their distant summer sound produced a bijou to the best sound of all quietness between Aoi and Kuro.

Kuro took his time drinking from the can.

"You didn’t let the others know I was here?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

"Akari is probably panicking," Kuro said.

"Probably," Aoi said.

Then, surprisingly, Aoi smiled.

"...But I knew you were not wandering."

Kuro quietly turned and looked over at her.

"...Do you have that much faith in me?"

Aoi glanced ahead of her calmly.

"...I know you well enough."

Directly answered.Yet it somehow felt like an unusual closeness.

Kuro looked away first.Caution. Atmosphere was very cautious.

They were both silent for a few moments.

Just sat together in a pleasant manner while the sun filtered through the trees of the shrine that surrounded them.

Then suddenly Aoi spoke again.

"...You’re different."

A slight frown came onto Kuro’s face.

"...In what way?"

"You spend much longer periods with others."

No reply.

"...You smile more often as well."

"That’s not true."

" It is true."

Kuro stared straight ahead quietly.

Because it was annoying it was true.

Several months ago Kuro had most likely spent the entire time isolated on this trip.

But now he was constantly becoming involved in the lives of those around him.

And in a way he didn’t dislike it now.Aoi softly gazed over in his direction.

"...I’m happy."

Kuro’s heart sank.

"...Why?"

Another moment of silence. Then -

"...Because you looked lonely before."

The statement was delivered gently.

No accusations.No drama.Just truth.

Kuro thought immediately of his journal.

An accumulation of observations made over the years. Hours and hours of distance observing.

Aoi saw things that no one else would see.

Even the things he tried to hide from everyone.

And for some unknown reason, the realization of this made being close to Aoi feel extremely safe.

Once again, as they made their way down the shrine path, a cool, gentle breeze danced about them.

As she looked up toward the distant temple gates, Aoi reached up and swept her hair back from her face, "I have worried so much"

A pair of eyes focused in on her, "About what?"

" That if you stop coming around to play and see me someone will come take you away from us."

Kuro froze.

Aoi continued, " The times we kept in contact have decreased since middle school"

Aoi’s voice dropped ever-so-slightly lower. "...I hated not seeing you as much as I’d liked and thought I would."

The shrine path felt empty and silent.

Kuro sat quietly with no immediate response.

For the first time, Aoi was not hiding her true feelings behind calm expressions (not completely).

And for his first time, he was beginning to see her emotions clearly.

Aoi sat quietly and regarded her drink once more.

"...But we are living together again," Aoi softly said.

Three words escaped Aoi’s mouth. "So, I am selfishly happy."

Kuro felt his heart beating louder than any other time before.

All of a sudden, the serene atmosphere of the shrine felt so dangerous to him (too quiet. too close).

Then Aoi turned and looked directly into Kuro’s eyes while giving him a little smile.

A smile that was small, warm, and beautiful.

"I like moments like this most," Kuro looks away as soon as they have eye contact.

"You’re saying things that are dangerous like it’s everyday," Kuro shakes his head as he answers.

"This was only casual to you."

That didn’t help, at all.

Eventually the faint sounds of the class could be heard again echoing through the shrine paths as an example; Akari’s voice was louder than all of them combined.

"Kuro - Kun! Aoi!"

He sighed again, this time to himself.

" I guess they have found me," Aoi slowly walked towards him while rubbing the back of her neck.

"Five minute longer than expected," she lightly pulled out Kuro’s collar before walking away.

That simple gesture should of had a very different meaning compared to what it did have.

He stayed there stiff from shock until Aoi passed him and whispered to him.

"See Kuro I know you better than anyone," as if it were part of her normal routine she continued on to the rest of the class leaving Kuro standing by himself in the middle of the shrine trees with his heart beating way too fast.

For the first time, he was starting to wonder if Aoi had always been so beautiful.