» I See Your True Colors, Seiya

[Yaten Kou]

Yaten had never thought that she would live to see the day when anyone would tell her that beautiful word. She wouldn't even allow herself to dream of such a moment, mostly concerning Seiya. And yet, not only did the day come when someone was telling her that they loved her, but that person also happened to be the one which Yaten had loved since she was merely a teenager. Although it seemed so unreal, her senses confirmed her that everything was real, that the intense love Seiya was feeling was for her and not for someone else. After almost one thousand years of painful loneliness, the sun was finally beginning to shine upon Yaten's life and things seemed ready to take a turn for the better.

Gazing tenderly into Seiya's eyes, her palm still delicately held on the other Light's cheek, Yaten brought her other hand to wipe away her tears. A soft blush appeared on her face when Seiya began speaking. ”Thank you. I... I had lost all reasons to smile, all will to live...”, her voice trailed off, ”But I'll smile more often from now on, I promise”, Yaten added with a smile on her face. ”I understand Seiya. I was so afraid that if I'd told you how I felt about you, that my feelings have changed into something deeper, you'd be disgusted with me, or hate me, or look down upon me. Your friendship was much more important than my heart, so I promised myself never to say anything. I never realized... I never imagined... that you started feeling the same way for me.”

Yaten gently pressed her hand one more time against Seiya's cheek before bringing it down to the book in her lap, raising it slightly and gazing down at the beautiful cover. ”It's beautiful, Seiya, thank you. But the best gift you've given me today isn't this book, it's that one word which brought me back to life”, the silver-haired woman replied softly. Raising the book to her chest and holding it tightly in her arms, Yaten lifted her eyes back towards Seiya, looking at her quite absently as she started slowly voicing the thoughts running through her head: ”That day when we met at the store and you asked for my help... everything you've said... was about me? To think of how hurt I've felt to think about that lucky woman for which you were going through so much trouble... how I've felt for these past days, thinking that this time I was losing you for good. Such a cruel irony...”

[Seiya Kou]

Seiya smiled as she gazed into Yaten's eyes. This entire situation just seemed so surreal to her that she could hardly believe it. If she hadn't just gone through it, she never would have believed that it was even possible. The fact that Yaten was not shouting at her or walking away was definitely a good thing. She had been so very afraid of something like that happening, and honestly she didn't know what she would have done if things had turned out that way. But there was no need to even think about that anymore, because fortunately the silver-haired woman had felt the same. To know that she wasn't the only one feeling this way was probably the best reaction she could have hoped for. Sitting here now, she couldn't help but think of how silly she had been acting recently. Perhaps things would have been easier if she had just come right out and told Yaten everything right from the start? No, there was always the possibility of the other woman thinking her mad, or worse yet - thinking she was teasing! That surely would have been a bad situation. No, she had done the right thing in going about it this way.

"You're absolutely welcome. I'm sorry you had felt that way, but now you'll never have to feel that way ever again. I promise!" she responded, turning her head slightly to place a gentle kiss to the other woman's palm. She meant every word of it too. From that moment on she was going to do everything in her power to make sure Yaten never had another reason to feel that bad. Sure it seemed like a tall order to fill, but there was no doubt in her mind that she could do it. Now that she knew what had truly been bothering the other woman she was able to breathe a bit easier. The fact that she had been part of the problem made her feel slightly guilty but that couldn't be helped really. All she could do now was make sure she lived up to that promise she had just made. She fully intended to make good on that promise too, regardless of whether or not Yaten expected her to do so. "Good. I meant it when I said you were beautiful, but you're even more so when you smile. That doesn't matter now. I could never be disgusted with you Yaten, that would never happen," she added in response to the woman's next words.

The raven-haired woman fought the urge to pout as Yaten's hand left its position on her cheek in favor of the book she'd just given her. "Again, you're welcome. I'm glad you like it." Her voice trailed off as she watched the woman sitting in front of her. Just the fact that she had managed to put a smile on Yaten's lovely face was enough to make her want to jump for joy. As the silver-haired light began to speak again, Seiya focused her attention once again on those beautiful green eyes, though it seemed as though Yaten was suddenly distracted. "Hai, everything I said, I meant. All of it was about you. I didn't mean to hurt you or mislead you. I. . . wanted to tell you everything that day in the store, but I panicked and that was the first thing that came to mind. I shouldn't have done that. You're not going to lose me, I'm not going anywhere. . . Can you forgive me?" she questioned, hoping the other woman would be in a generous mood.

[Yaten Kou]

Just the fact that Seiya had declared her love for her and that she had been able to finally admit to her feelings without any of her imaginary horrible scenarios coming to life were enough to make Yaten truly believe that she was living the happiest moments in her life. She had never dared to dream of a moment like this ever taking place, but even if she would have, she probably wouldn't have pictured it into a setting as beautiful as the garden of the Crystal Palace. If she would have been asked to say what was going on through her soul right at that very moment, Yaten would have been unable to do it. It was impossible to put into words the warm feeling that took over her once she heard that beautiful word, to describe the sensation of her broken heart coming back to life and pulsating animated by love.

”You don't have to apologize. You couldn't have known what was going on through my heart” Yaten replied, smiling and blushing when Seiya kissed her palm. Even though Seiya's promise was beautiful and comforting, Yaten didn't need to hear it in order to know that she would never lose her will to smile or to live any more. As long as she had Seiya by her side, she would smile and she would live just to be happy and make Seiya happy. The petite woman found herself blushing even more intensely when Seiya complimented her beauty again. The fact that she was a little bit too vain was no secret to any of her few close friends. Even those who only got to know her for the first time wouldn't take long before realizing that Yaten enjoyed being complimented on her looks more than anything. However, no matter how many times she had been told that she was beautiful, never had it felt the way it felt now, when she heard it from the woman which she loved and loved her back. It was such a sublime feeling that Yaten couldn't help but offer Seiya one of the most beautiful smiles which had graced her lips in hundreds of years. ”I was just a coward, I guess. It doesn't matter now that I know that you could never feel that way about me.”

Placing the rather heavy book next to her on the bench, Yaten gazed into Seiya's eyes as she listened to her speak. Now that she thought about it, only Seiya could think of asking for help with buying a gift from the exact person for whom the gift was meant in the first place. Granted, she had no way of knowing what effect that would have on her, but still, Seiya could be such a baka sometimes. But she was her baka and she wouldn't have wanted her to change at all. ”I have nothing to forgive you for, because you haven't done anything wrong. Even though you've acted that way back that day, you've still been braver than I could have ever been. You had no way of knowing that your words would affect me that much, it would be silly of me to blame you for that” Yaten softly spoke. With a small gesture of her hands, the silver-haired Light asked Seiya to wait. Slowly rising from the bench, Yaten returned to the spot in which they had been previously standing, leaning down and delicately retrieving the yellow fallen rose from the ground. Gently she brushed her fingers against the petals to remove any dust which might have settled on them before returning to the bench, where she sat down right next to Seiya. Carefully holding the rose between two fingers, Yaten extended her hand to offer it to the raven-haired woman, gazing into her eyes as she spoke: ”I want to offer you a gift as well. I give you this rose: delicate and beautiful, yet so full of thorns. I give you my heart and my life. Aishiteru, Seiya...”

[Seiya Kou]

"Then I won't apologize. But don't you think my having the ability to know what was going on in your heart might have made things a bit easier? Ah! That doesn't matter now. All that matters now is the fact that I love you and you love me. Man it feels good just saying that!" she replied, a cheerful smile tugging the corners of her lips as she gazed intently at the woman who had stolen her heart. Truly, she had imagined this conversation many times but now that she was living it, she decided that the real thing was much better than anything she could have hoped for. To be honest she had almost been expecting Yaten to slap her or something, but she hadn't and there just weren't enough words to describe what was going on in her mind right at that very moment. She felt warm despite the gentle breeze and her heart felt like it was going to beat its way right out of her chest. She was giddy and her mind was absolutely racing. In short, she hadn't felt this good in years. And to think she had almost chickened out of saying anything! That would have been the biggest mistake of her life, she realized. But it didn't matter now because she had faced her fears and come out victorious once again.

"You're not any more of a coward than I am," Seiya mused, her gaze locking with Yaten's as she returned the woman's radiant smile. Yaten was truly one of the most beautiful women she had ever met. "I see. Well even I can realize now that asking you for that kind of help was not something I should have done. In truth I didn't want to do so in the first place but I panicked and it just slipped out. Haha! You know how I am sometimes, and you still want me. I think you must be one of the bravest people I know!" she joked, chuckling lightly. It truly felt good to be able to sit and talk with Yaten like this again. Part of what had bothered her the most about the silver-haired woman's recent problems had been the fact that she hadn't been able to spend as much time with her as she was accustomed to. She understood why that was now and to be honest she was looking forward to spending as much time as humanly possible with the smaller woman. In fact. . . she knew without a doubt that Yaten was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

A slender brow quirked as Yaten gestured to her to wait and her blue eyes followed the other woman's slight form as she crossed over to where they had been standing moments ago. A light smile played along her features as Yaten approached the bench again. Her gaze swept from the face of the woman she loved to linger on the rose that was now being offered to her once again. For a moment she sat there, gazing thoughtfully at the flower, and then she realized her earlier mistake. Seiya shifted her gaze once again to meet the silver-haired woman's eyes as she reached out and carefully wrapped her hand around the smaller one holding the rose. "You were right before. Everyone wants the beauty but not the thorns, It's a shame that something so delicately beautiful should need the thorns to protect herself but that's just the way things are I suppose. Still, I'm not afraid of the thorns anymore. Aishiteru Yaten. . . Hehe, it feels so good to finally be able to say that!"

[Yaten Kou]

”True, I guess it would have made things easier. But maybe it's for the best that things happened the way they did. After suffering so much, these moments of happiness seem even more beautiful and intense than they already are. Let's leave the past and all regrets behind. What matters is the present and the future” Yaten answered. Another cheerful smile played on her lips as she added: ”It really does feel good to finally be able to say it.”

With Seiya gazing into her eyes, Yaten couldn't help but realize just how easy it was to lose herself into her eyes, how her heart raced when the other woman was looking at her with so much love. She could have spent hours just gazing at the woman she loved so much and she would have considered them the best moments she could live. As she listened to Seiya's words, Yaten was surprised when she found herself chuckling softly. It had been so long since she had such small displays of joys, that Yaten truly couldn't remember when was the last time that it happened. ”Sometimes you can be the greatest baka in the universe... but that's what makes you so special. I would never want you to change, not even the slightest bit. You might be a baka, but you are my baka, Seiya”, Yaten lightly teased the other woman. Despite the teasing tone however, Yaten did mean every word. She loved Seiya just the way she was, even if sometimes she did incredibly silly things and even if some of those silly things ended up hurting her.

Yaten's heart almost seemed to have frozen in place as the petite woman waited for a gesture and answer from Seiya. Even if Seiya didn't realize the significance of her gesture earlier before, it had been really painful for Yaten to see that she didn't take the rose she had offered her. The still uncontrollable fear that Seiya could reject the most precious gift she could offer her was obvious on her features. Her expression however, showed relief and she smiled when Seiya wrapped her hand around hers. Her green eyes moved to gaze at their hands wrapped around the delicate rose before she started replying to Seiya's words. ”I wish I wouldn't have needed to grow so many thorns. Hopefully, in time, you'll understand why I did it. Even though you're not afraid of the thorns anymore, I promise that I will do everything I can not to let any of my thorns hurt you again. I won't need to protect myself from you any more. Aishiteru, my ray of light, my Kou...” her voice trailed off as Yaten moved closer still to Seiya, leaning her head on her shoulder. Her eyelids slowly fluttered closed and she just stayed there silently, her hand into Seiya's, enjoying the warmth of her closeness, the feeling of love and protection... the first of hopefully many happy moments to come.

[Seiya Kou]

"Hmm, I think you're right. After being alone for all that time, it just makes everything even more wonderful than they would have otherwise. I could sit here all day and night and try to apologize for being such a baka and worrying about what might have happened, but I'm not going to do that. Hahah, I still can't get over how things turned out. Even if I'm not going to dwell in the past, I have to laugh at both of us. Just think if we had said something sooner we could have avoided a lot of misery!" Seiya replied with a chuckle. She probably sounded like a complete wacko, but she couldn't have cared less at the current time. Just the fact that Yaten had felt the same made her feel like shouting gleefully from the highest point of the palace. It was unlikely that she would do so, but the idea was enough to make her grin widen considerably. She could almost imagine the looks on everyone's faces if she did happen to do something like that. Surely everyone would wonder if she had gone out of her mind! In all honesty, she was still partially wondering if she was dreaming.

"Hahah! You always say the sweetest things. Even I can admit it's true, though," she responded, snickering a bit at Yaten's teasing. True, most people might have taken offense to the shorter woman's words, but Seiya had come to view it as a sort of flattery - albeit a very unconventional one. "Well I don't plan on changing anyway so I guess you're stuck with me the way I am! That's a nice way of putting it - I think I can get used to being your baka!" she remarked cheerfully, her smile widening considerably. If someone had told her this morning that things would have turned out this well, she probably would have looked at them as though they had grown a second head. Seiya allowed her gaze to flicker toward their joined hands and the rose held protectively there. True she hadn't really gotten the true meaning behind the gesture at first, but by the time she finally did realize it was too late, she had already managed to do something stupid again. But instead of worrying about that, she decided to just focus on not doing something like that again, specifically if it would end up hurting Yaten.

"Hey, I think it would be better if we stopped thinking so much about how we acted in the past and just focused on what we have now in the present. We could sit here all day and all night and apologize back and forth for something we could have done differently but it still wouldn't change anything. So. . . let's just not worry about it!" Seiya replied after a moment, "Aishiteru, my Kou," she added a moment later as she wrapped her free arm around Yaten's waist and pulled her closer. Tilting her head forward, she smiled and brought her face closer to the smaller woman's ear and allowed her eyes to slowly flutter closed as she began to sing, her voice barely above a whisper. "Show me a smile then, don't be unhappy can't remember when I last saw you laughing. . . if this world makes you crazy, and you've taken all you can bear, you call me up because you know I'll be there. . . And I'll see your true colors shining through, I see your true colors and that's why I love you, so don't be afraid to let them show, your true colors, true colors are beautiful, like a rainbow. . ."