Chapter Text
This was meant to be a night where no barriers existed, a night where background and social class, meant nothing, where everyone could relax and mingle without the self-imposed chains of society's expectations weighing them down.
Unfortunately, Aki seemed to be one of the only ones still struggling to relax this late into the party. Even with the beautiful clothes and the intricate mask she wore, she was still struggling to feel like she belonged around all this finery.
How Aki had even gotten invited, she had no idea.
Aki was a nobody, a nothing. She wasn’t famous nor had she done anything great that got her into these kinds of events.
And before she was a nobody, she was a student under Ichigen Miwa, a swordsman and a hermit in the peaceful countryside, close to Shizume City. She was his 2nd pupil, which Yukari was the first while Kuroh was the very last one.
Regardless of how long the three had been stuck together, their future remains a mystery of which path they will choose to take. And unfortunately, Yukari was the first to leave their little peaceful life.
“Yukari! Why are you doing this?! Why are you pointing your sword at Ichigen-sama?!”
“Stay out of this, Aki-chan. I won’t like it if I ever touched your beautiful face. Let me through.”
“Yukari!”
“Aki… let him…”
“Ichigen-sama!”
In the end, Yukari defeated Ichigen-sama, which Kuroh and Aki were glad that he only got injured. Even though Aki wished to avenge Ichigen-sama, she couldn’t do it. Kuroh may not understand it, but she was able to. Yukari has a path he wants to find for himself, and he’ll leave so with the last duel with his master.
“You’re not coming back, are you…?” Aki looked down, disappointed as though she won’t be able to see Yukari for quite a long while.
Yukari chuckled, Ayamachi, given by Ichigen-sama himself, glinting by his hip, patting her on the head.
“We definitely won’t see each other for a long time indeed. However…” he pulled her close for an embrace, making her gasp in surprise.
“Maybe soon, we’ll see each other again. Have faith.”
And years later, he still hadn’t made any contact with her. Even if she left the countryside to study college in the city, he still didn’t even contact her. She couldn’t even contact him since she never knew where he even was.
Well, until she got an invite.
Despite the whole purpose of these nights, it was still rather hard to get an invite unless Aki knew the right people. She had no such connections, and yet still she had somehow been gifted an invite, having woken to it slipped delicately under her door one morning, her name written across the black envelope in an elegant golden ink that shimmered a little too perfect to be natural.
She would have rejected the invitation, seeing as how she was just an ordinary citizen and an amateur violinist who wants to make a living on her own. Yet the contents of the invitation made her want to go.
Even after many years had passed, she knew that handwriting no matter how different it might be.
Yukari had invited her, personally.
Now here she was, in a place that so many dreamed of being, and she couldn’t even seem to relax enough to just enjoy it. It was beyond frustrating.
Sighing lowly, Aki leaned back against the wall, sipping carefully at the glass you had been handed earlier. She’d probably never drink something so expensive again in her life, so she was savoring it as much as she could, the taste of the treats she had indulged in moments ago, still lingering on her tongue and making the flavors all the more intense.
The nice quiet little spot Aki had found for herself, gave her a perfect view of all the people dancing elegantly in the center of the room, the sight seeming surreal with all of its fantastical splendor. If nothing else, she would at least have the memory of this night for many years to come.
Despite the intricate masks that everyone wore to hide their identities, it was still easy for her to spot quite a few of the people that were here tonight, very little capable of truly hiding their deadly grace and the aura of power that clung to them. Whether they were simply drawn to them unknowingly, people seemed to flock to them, eager for their time and attention.
Standing silently on the sidelines, Aki watched the sea of masked faces move around the ornate ballroom as she sipped from her steadily warming glass, a slight frown pulling at her features, hidden behind a simple mask of her own.
“Where was even Yukari when he’s not even among them? Did he ever pulled a prank on me?”
“Aki-chan?”
Aki was so focused on watching this all unfold, that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a silken yet voice spoke up from behind her, his breath teasing her ear with how close he had leaned in to be heard over the music and laughter. She felt strong arms silently wrap around her from behind, a smile instantly pulling at her lips as she relaxed back into his embrace. With a pounding heart, Aki whipped her head around, masking almost brushing against his own as he peered back at her.
As he pressed his masked face into her neck, she felt her smile widen, not having to ask to know how he had found her first. Still, she couldn’t help but tease Yukari a little.
“I’m sorry, have we met?”
Aki both knew that the smirk in her voice wasn’t fooling anyone, just as she both knew that she was messing with Yukari. Seeing that he had her attention, his eyes crinkled behind his mask.
“You know exactly who I am. If you didn’t know who I was, you wouldn’t have leaned into me in the first place, Aki-chan.”
Aki could tell he was pouting, their voice tinged with a teasing grin as his grip tightened on her fractionally, making her lips twitch in amusement at his predictability.
Yukari’s statement was emphasized by the slight scrape of his teeth on her skin, making her face flushed at the gesture.
“Hmm…. I can’t say I do. Maybe I only leaned into you because I was tired from waiting around. In which case, I should have probably left in the first place. I am meant to be meeting someone after all and he seems to not arrive yet when he was the one who invited on this special occasion.” Aki teased, pretending to pull away.
“Not so fast, darling~” Letting out a soft laugh, Yukari pulled back and started leading Aki away from all the people, her laughter easily swallowed up by the sounds of the party as she was tugged along somewhere.
As Yukari pulled Aki away, she earned a few glances from the other party-goers. Between the extravagant outfits and the laughter leaving her lips, she couldn't help but look.
Some would smile and continue their conversations others would gossip with jealousy laced on their lips. She couldn't help but smile, disappearing into the back of the party as Yukari led her which appeared to be the outside.
The feeling of fresh air on her heated skin, drew forth a relieved sigh as Aki stepped outside, the breeze teasing at her clothes as she took a moment to simply breathe.
Yukari took off his coat, draping over her shoulders, making her smile at the gesture further. “For you, darling.”
“Well, thanks Yukari.”
Still feeling rather overwhelmed by it all, Aki and Yukari quietly made their way down the dimly lit steps and out onto the garden path, each step away from the bright lights and overly opulent finery, draining a little bit more of the tension from her spine. It was only once the voices of the party had faded completely, however, that she felt herself truly relax.
“Tiring day?” Yukari asked, taking off his mask, revealing the dazzling face features that could make any person become green with envy.
“Well…” Aki finally took off her mask, feeling relief like a weight on her face is finally off. “It was easy to get overwhelmed at events like these, especially in a presence of such strangers, all by my own.”
She looked up at him, pouting. “In all honesty, I would much rather be spending my time at home where there is quieter. Do you know how tiring these events are?”
“Oh, Aki-chan.” Yukari pinched her nose. “You never changed, you an introvert.”
“Yukari!”
Both of them let out a laugh, coming to a stop before a peacefully trickling fountain, her mind drifting elsewhere as her head filled with many questions regarding Yukari’s whereabouts, only to find herself interrupted a short while later as he offered Aki a leather-clad hand.
“It’s a shame for one such as yourself to be left all alone on such a night… But now that we’re both alone in this wonderful night, would you care to have a beautiful dance with me?”
“If I danced with you, will you answer all my questions about where you have been?”
“Of course.” Yukari winked, taking her hand as he wrapped his other hand around her waist.
Instead of the annoyance, Aki had expected to feel, she found her heart skipping a beat as she turned and met the gaze of Yukari’s brown eyes, something inside her blooming as she took them in, in full.
Somehow... Aki had a feeling that tonight wasn’t all they seemed, dancing throughout their reunion under the gaze of the moonlight.