Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Days Like These ❯ Days Like These ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Title: Days Like These
Author: Saiai
Fandom: Weiss Kreuz
Type: Het
Pairing: Yohji x Birman
Rating: G/PG
Challenge: Seasonal
Disclaimer: As much as I would love it, Kudou Yohji and Takoka Kyoko (Birman) do not belong to me, but do belong to Koyasu Takehito and Project Wei. Please don't sue! ^_^
Notes: A rarity in the WK fandom are het pairings. A little ficlett about a certain playboy and how he falls for the seemingly ice-like Birman.
Time Taken: 54 minutes


It was the time of day that I think I love most. That moment of time between day and night when the sky fills with most incredible colors imaginable. The air was brisk, enough to make you want to tug the collar of your coat up just a bit further to guard yourself from the wind. I had been waiting here for only a few minutes when I saw her approach from across the park. The slight breeze picked up her hair, tossing it about her face and making her seem even more beautiful than I had thought possible.

I wait until she's closer to rise from the bench I had claimed as my own, closing the distance between us as I wrap my arms around her slender waist. She rests her head against my shoulder, face turned towards me so that her breath tickles my throat. "I didn't think you'd be here," she whispers softly, her fingers rising to clutch in the fabric of my wool coat. I tighten my arms around her in response, resting my cheek against her head.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Kyoko," I murmur quietly, my voice drifting off on the breeze that choose that moment to rush through the park. She smiles at that, nuzzling gently against my throat. The moment is near perfect, but yet seems out of place in our world.

My life is full of so many contrasts, it boggles me. Playing with flowers that brighten the world, taking up an occupation that I never would have dreamt of in the past. Me? Yohji? A florist? I still want to laugh at the idea, just because of the absurdity. But somehow, as crazy as it seems, it works. The flowers are soothing. Their scent intoxicating. I can tell you in an instant the name of many flowers by scent alone. Their heady fragrances envelope me most every day. One might say I've developed a sort of love affair with them.

But on the flip side, you have my darker occupation. Who would suspect a florist of being an assassin as well? Would you be able to tell at a glance that I kill people for money? For benefits? For a supposed 'need' to purge the world of dark beasts? If being a florist makes me want to laugh at times, then being an assassin makes me want to cry. But I can't escape either of these. I'm trapped.

Any more though, I don't mind being trapped. Especially if it means that I'm trapped with <i>her.</i>

Kyoko Takaoka.

The only way I can think of her now is as Kyoko, though when I first met her, I only knew her as Birman. One of Persia's secretarys, Wei's contact to Kritiker. The hard-edged woman with dead aim. I never would have thought that she had a softer side.

I never saw it until an afternoon a year ago. I was in this very park, a place I often go to get away from the hustle and bustle of the flowershop and just think. I never see many people on my visits here. The park is slightly out-of-the way, and I think some people are just repelled by the thought of so much greenery around them. Me? I'm soothed by it.

So it came as a surprise when I heard the crackle of dry leaves in the distance. I glanced over in the direction it came from, surprised to see the brunette woman emerging from a grouping of trees. She didn't notice me, which suited me just fine. There were certain people that I didn't want to run into, and she was one of them. We normally only ever saw her when there was a mission of sorts, another dark beast to eliminate. I never associated her with anything but death and destruction.

Part of me wanted to escape at that moment, to not bring attention to myself. I was about to do just that when I heard a sound that I knew was a sob. Being that there was no one else around, it had to belong to her.

<i>Birman is... crying?</i> The thought boggled me. Women made of ice don't cry. They don't melt. They're all business. But maybe... maybe... maybe she was human too, under all those layers of ice and brick.

I was at her side before I knew it, a hand reaching up to rest on her shoulder seemingly of it's own will. "Are you alright,?" I asked softly. She jumped at the sound of my voice, brown eyes turning up to look at me in shock.

"Yohji!" she exclaimed, taking a step back in her haste to escape, but only succeeding in tumbling to the ground in a pile of dried leaves. She pressed back until she hit a tree, staring at me in shock. "No one else was supposed to be here!" she said in quiet, broken voice. I could see the way the muscles in her face tensed, the tendons in her neck standing out as she fought to hold back the emotions she didn't want me to see.

"I won't tell anyone," I murmured, not moving close to let her have the distance she seemed to need. "And I'll leave if you really want me to, but did you think that no one else knew about this place?" I gesture around me with one hand. "I come here all the time when I need to think..." This seemed to calm her just a bit, some of the visible tenseness leaving her body. Sighing, I crouch down in the leaves beside her, brushing a burnt orange one from her hair. "Like I said, I won't tell anyone... You can talk to me."

"I... I can't," she said in a voice that held no determination. "No one else needs to share my pain..." she added in a softer tone, eyes closing as she let the tears flow down her cheeks. I've never been good at seeing a woman cry, especially when it's someone I've always seen as being strong. Certain things, certain people... They aren't supposed to break, and it's unsettling to see one of these people crumble before you. Gently, I brush the falling tears from her cheeks with my thumb, cupping her hand in my palm. Brown eyes open slowly, dark lashes clumped together with the wetness. "Why?" she asked softly, her voice breaking even in that small word.

I smile in what I pray is a comforting manner. "Because I can't stand to see someone like you cry." This only makes her tears fall faster, and I'm surprised when I feel her arms wrap around my waist, crushing herself against me. Her shoulders started shaking and I do the natural thing; wrap my arms back around her, pressing a soft kiss against the top of her head.

This woman in my arms is not the person I know as Birman. This is someone who is fragile, who needs to be protected. Someone who feels and hurts. Someone with a past that haunts them to this day. I'd never met this person before today, but I already know I never want to let her go.

She is the reason I don't mind so much being trapped.

And here, a year later, we're still where we first started. By the tree where I saw her cry. When I first realised that even the strongest person can be fragile. When I felt that need... that desire... to protect someone for the first time since Asuka. I never thought I'd feel that way again about someone. She was too firmly held within my heart for me to just forget her. I spent so much time comparing every woman I met to her that a relationship with anyone but myself seemed impossible. But this changed with Kyoko. She doesn't make me want to forget Asuka. She just wants to make me grow enough to love them both.

"I have something for you," I whisper after a moment, pulling back from her enough so I can see her face. Her eyes light up at my words, a sparkle that I've found is reserved for me alone. I'd rather keep it that way. I'm possessive and I don't like sharing.

"You didn't have to do that, Yohji," I hear her say, a common response to her each time I tell her I've got something for her. And while I know it's true, I also know that the small gifts mean a lot to her. It's a physical reminder that we're not just teammates or coworkers. She doesn't have to doubt me or my feelings for her. There are plenty reminders around her of my devotion.

"I know I didn't have to," I say with a playful smile. "But the look on your face makes it worth it." And I know the look on her face shortly will be the best gift I could ever receive in thanks. "But it's a surprise... so close your eyes." Kyoko made a face at me, sticking out her tongue before obediently closing her eyes, lowering her arms to clasp her hands in front of her.

I step back further just to look at her for a moment. She really doesn't know how beautiful I think she is. But standing there, the breeze ruffling her hair... the sight nearly takes my breath away. To me, she is perfection, even though I know of her faults.

Tearing my eyes away, I take a deep breath to try and compose myself. This was a scenario I had run through in my head countless times, but now that the moment was finally here, I was suddenly loosing faith in my ability to actually go through with it. Fumbling in the pocket of my coat, I pull out a small wrapped box, gazing at it in my hand for a long moment. There were no doubts in my mind that this was the right thing to do, but I didn't want to look like the fool while doing it either.

Quietly, I moved back towards her, my boots crunching in the dried leaves that blanketed the ground of the park. "I've been wanting to give this to you for a long time," I say quietly, my voice surprisingly strong despite the rapid beating of my heart. I lift one of her hands and press the box into her palm, letting my hands drop away.

Her face screwed up in confusion, and even this I found adorable. She opened her eyes, glancing at me for a moment before looking down to the box in her hand. Trying not to seem too eager, she tore the paper away and opened the box, peering down inside it. "It's.. a snowflake.." she murmured softly, lifting the delicate crystal figurine from within it's protective box. Again, brown eyes raised to me before looking back down at the fragile piece. She turned it over and over in her hand, the box dropping to nestle in the soft dried leaves. The moment seemed to run on for an eternity before I heard her small gasp. "Yohji!" she said, glancing up at me quickly, brown eyes wide in a mixture of shock and surprise.

"Something wrong?" I murmur, trying to keep the knowing smile from my lips. I know exactly what it is, but the look on her face was too much for me to give in quite yet.

"No.. I mean yes. I mean no! But this..." She stumbled over her words, a flush rising in her cheeks as her knees suddenly gave way beneath her, falling down into the leaves, staring at the figure in her hands. "This.. is what I think it is, isn't it Yohji Kudou?"

Her voice was soft as she looked up at me, her eyes watery with unshed tears. I nod in response, dropping down to my own knees in front of her, cupping her cheeks in the palms of both my hands, using my thumbs to brush away the tears that started to tumble down her cheeks. Kyoko kept staring at me, a smile starting to break upon her lips. "I love you Yohji!" she finally exclaimed, throwing one arm around me in a crushing hug. "I love you so much," she whispered fiercely in my ear.

We sat like that for a long moment, letting the breeze move the leaves around us. Finally, she pulled back, wiping at her eyes again as she looked down at the figurine, using her fingers to untangle the piece of green ribbon that was wrapped around the base. A small ring dangled at the end of it, and I took this from her, deftly freeing it. Before she has time to react further, I slip it over the ring finger of her left hand, lowering my lips down to kiss her hand quietly. I can hear her start crying again, her hand resting atop my head, threading slender fingers through my hair.

"I hope you'll say yes," I say softly, lifting my head to look up at her with a soft smile. She nodded quickly, words escaping her in return for a smile that I swear lit up the sky around us. "I'm glad," I whisper, hugging her to me as tight as I dare, her arms embracing me just as tightly, the small crystal snowflake clutched in her hand. Around us, the wind picks up slightly, leaves rustling around us, providing a soothing backdrop to the emotional moment.

And I am glad. Glad to have been trapped in this existence. I can handle all the pain as long as I can spend it with her.

That's why I love days like these.