X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Akuen ❯ Misomeru ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: I do not own any of the characters and settings from X, only my own creations.

Misomeru

Love At First Sight

Kamui Shirou had saved the Earth. True, it had required the sacrifice of everyone and everything he loved, but the people of Earth were safe. And right back on the road that had led them to near annihilation, he thought with a grim frown. Bitterness and resentment ate at him from within, and over the years he had tried to suppress them, but lately he had lost the desire to do so. It seemed the sacrifices that had been made for these people were wholly unappreciated. Although to be fair, he knew most of them had no idea what had taken place so many years ago. The Great Cataclysm, as it was called, was considered to be one of Earth's unknown phenomena. It had resulted in extensive structural damage, but no one could discover how or why it had occurred, though most believed it had been an act of terrorism. And while Kamui knew the truth, he had no interest in sharing it with the rest of the world. People would think him insane.

Sometimes he wondered if he just might be crazy. It had been ten years since those fateful events, ten years since the death of Fuuma and Kotori…He had seen nothing of the Dragons of Heaven or Earth, but they were all dead, so that wasn't surprising. Still, sometimes he wished he would come across some proof of their existence. All he had left of those days was his sword, and a piece of the dress Kotori had been wearing when Fuuma killed her. He absently reached inside his shirt to touch the well worn cloth, a frown on his face as he stared at the moon in the sky.

He was feeling restless, even for him. A sense of foreboding had been bothering him all week, and now there was a strange feeling on the air, as if the planet itself were anticipating…something. He shifted and slowly stood, his eyes scanning the small forest around his home. Since the years of the Cataclysm, he had developed into something of a celebrity. Although no one understood what part he had played in the events, many witnesses had seen him locked in battle with the Dragons of Earth and had assumed the Cataclysm had been started by some sort of terrorist group. Because he had defeated them and the Earth's destruction had ceased, the people considered him a savior and a hero. As a result, he was fabulously wealthy. He had been given lands, riches, and even been offered women. He had accepted many of the gifts, feeling he had earned them, but he had not been comfortable with the adoration of the public eye, and so he had built his home on a small island not far from Japan which he owned. He enjoyed the peace and solitude. He had only the animals for company, for not another person lived on his island. Kamui liked it that way.

And yet, at the moment he felt as if someone was watching him. Glancing around in the darkness, he saw nothing, but his hand slowly slid to the sword he kept strapped to his back, his eyes searching for signs of life. There was nothing, but he felt a presence nearby.

A gentle breeze played with his dark hair as he surveyed the area, and for a moment he wondered if he was losing his mind. He was not usually given to flights of fancy, but then again, once one has been a Dragon of Heaven, what exactly was unreal? As he pondered this thought, the night remained calm, and he began to relax again. Perhaps he was feeling more melancholy and tense then normal because it was the anniversary of the Cataclysm.

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He was so very handsome, she thought, watching him with eyes darker then his own. So handsome, and so sad, was this savior of Earth. Her Champion. The Chosen One who had fought for the Dragons of Heaven and defeated Jouyoku's Dragons of Earth, restoring peace to the world. She had thought that with time, his pain would fade, for he had been so very young during his time of Destiny. He still was young, and even when he reached the advanced human age of 100, he would still be as a child compared to her years. But in his haunted eyes there was a maturity few could hope to achieve in their lifetime, earned through pain and loss, and she knew he was no child. She had been watching him for his entire life, and while sometimes she had despaired over the sacrifices he had been forced to make, she knew that it must be thus for the safety of Earth. But she had hoped that when it was all over, he would learn to heal and move on.

He had not.

And so she had come to start him down the path of healing.

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Kamui forced himself to relax as the minutes ticked by and nothing happened. It was obvious his imagination was getting the better of him. Perhaps he needed to rest or sleep more, but then he would have to deal with the nightmares even more. He spent much of his time traveling the world and was rarely home. He felt he should visit every corner of this planet that had taken so much from him, as if in doing so, he would finally feel as if his losses had been justified. Yet no matter where he went, the hollow feeling of emptiness remained in his heart.

Closing his eyes, he turned his face to the moon and breathed in the rich scents of the forest at night. A feeling of peace began to swell within him, and he sank down onto his front porch, leaned his back against a chair and gave himself over to the serenity of the moment.

An instant later, his eyes snapped open as he heard the sound of footsteps. His hand instinctively went to his sword, drawing it as he leaped to his feet. The blade shined with fierce intensity even in the black night as he waited. The dim outline of a figure took shape in the shadows before him. Whoever was approaching was not bothering to hide their location, but that didn't mean they came in peace. His grip tightened on the sword and his muscles tensed as he prepared himself for a possible confrontation. He did not like to have unexpected visitors on his island. The entire world knew his home was off limits unless he extended an invitation, and he was expecting no company this night.

The diminutive shape drew closer, its movements unhurried and unthreatening, and that strange feeling of peace Kamui had experienced a moment before returned to him suddenly, as if emanating from the approaching person. Confused and uncertain, Kamui lowered his sword a fraction of an inch as the figure finally moved into sight. To his surprise, it was a young woman.

Love.

That was the first thing that came to mind when he saw her for the first time, though why he could never say.

She was hardly threatening in appearance, except perhaps to a man's sleep at night, though even then Kamui initially doubted it. She was no great beauty, albeit she was certainly pretty. She was short and slender, and dressed in a long flowing sleeveless gown that somehow reminded him of the ones worn by Greek women in days of old. Though her figure was covered from head to toe, the material of her gown gently swirled around her, almost clinging to her skin at times, revealing long legs, a tiny waist and wonderful breasts. Even then, he had seen women with better bodies.

Her face was a bit more compelling. She had a pert nose, full lips, a dainty chin, sharp cheekbones and flaring eyebrows that arched with delicate grace. But it was her eyes that demanded attention. They were enormous and dark, so deep a shade of brown that the pupils were barely visible, and framed by incredibly long eyelashes. Midnight hair swished around her shoulders as she moved, and he noticed her gait was both even and graceful. Despite all of these things, she was definitely no great beauty. Merely pretty, as he had first surmised, and yet…

Kamui sheathed his sword as she continued moving towards him. He sensed she meant him no harm, or else he would never have considered putting away his sword. He had learned long ago to not underestimate someone because they were dainty in appearance, but he sensed no malice in this woman. Still, he frowned as he stepped down from the porch to meet her approach.

"Are you lost?" he asked, when he wondered how on Earth she had come to be on his island. Perhaps she was one of his crazy fans come to beg for an autograph. He sincerely hoped not. Some of those teenage girls could be downright troublesome.

"No," she replied in a gentle voice, her tone simultaneously stimulating and soothing.

Love.

That was the first word that sprang to mind when he heard her speak for the first time. Her voice was sweet and calm, like a light breeze, seeming to reach out and caress everything around her. Kamui blinked at her, startled by the way the sound of that one word seemed to take a sleigh ride down his body, leaving chills in its wake. His body began to tremble as an odd awareness spread through him, and he was startled when heat suddenly roared to life within him, a desire to touch her surging through his veins. For a moment he stared at her, too surprised to react, and she smiled at him in silence.

Love.

Again, that was the first word that came to his mind when he saw her smile for the first time. Her smile was truly magnificent, for it seemed to lighten her eyes to gold and transform her face from pretty to downright breathtaking with its genuine warmth. In fact, in that moment, as Kamui stared into her enormous eyes shining with friendliness, he felt something within his being shift towards her, drawn by that radiant smile. Had he merely thought her pretty? How absurd. She was surely the most devastatingly perfect woman to ever walk the face of the planet…

Shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts, he said, "If you're not lost, then why are you here?"

She laughed then for the first time.

Love.

Once more, that word echoed within his mind as the joyous sound of her laughter washed over him for the first time. Her laugh was carefree and unrestrained, without a hint of calculation or hesitation in it, as if she treasured laughing just for its own type of happiness it brought with it. He instinctively took a step closer to her, the sound of her joy piercing through the depths of his wounded soul and for a moment banishing the sorrow that always seemed to reside in his heart. And as he looked at her, he realized she was so beautiful, it almost hurt to gaze upon her.

"I'm here to see you, of course," she answered him as her laughter danced on the air around them.

"Me?" he stupidly asked, too astonished by his reactions to her to respond in a coherent fashion.

"Yes, you," she agreed.

"Why?" he questioned, though it sounded incredibly rude. Shut up before your appalling lack of manners drives her away, you idiot! Kamui's brain silently screamed at him. He couldn't seem to stop staring at her. She was so very lovely…

She didn't seem to mind his lack of manners. In fact, she was still smiling at him, as if his stupid one line statements weren't troubling her at all. "To meet you. And to say thank you."

She sank down into an elegant curtsy, and Kamui had the strangest urge to pull her to an upright position. It seemed wrong to have her bowing before him, though he couldn't say why. When she straightened once more, he realized she was very short indeed, about a foot shorter then him, and she was so very delicate. He felt an overwhelming need to protect her blossoming within his chest, but he ignored it, desperately trying to listen and respond to what she was saying.

"You wanted to meet me?" he asked, wondering if she was a fan of his after all, suddenly thrilled by the notion now. When she nodded, he grinned (something he hadn't done in years), and then bowed to her. "I am Kamui Shirou. At your service, lady, day or night."

"I am pleased to meet you, Kamui," she replied, and the sound of his name on her lips sent desire scalding through him in suffocating waves. "My name is Aikou."