First Kiss

(One Shot)

I was completely, irrevocably in love with the woman walking down the aisle towards me. Her face was flushed with pleasure, and her long chestnut hair tied back into a simple knot. My heart fluttered in my chest as she took her short, unsure steps towards me. Our closest friends surrounded us, beaming. Tsukumo, Toko, even that brat Kuroto came. Ria and her partner stood next to each other, shoulders barely touching, and the loner Sairi was sulking in the corner of the small sunlit room.

The twenty seconds it took for my love to cross the short aisle felt like eternity. She was my love, my partner, my everything. She settled to my left, casting a quick smile my way. My heart was in danger of jumping out of my chest, my soul couldn't contain any more happiness, I was going to burst.

Standing in front of us was our patriarch, Takashiro. He spoke the vows that had been said for centuries between Zweilt.

"In this life and the next,
My everything, I pledge to you."

The vows were simple, yet poignant. My love and I repeated the lines, looking into each others eyes. Her eyes were the purest gold, her ivory skin as pure as snow. We exchanged simple gold bands, sliding them onto each other's fingers over our Zweilt rings. Our friends cheered and shouted, and the room filled with an air of happiness. She looked into my eyes and, it seemed, into my very soul. Her arms came up to my shoulders and my arms fell naturally to her slim waist. We pulled each other close and our lips met. The world faded to pure happiness around us. We were the only two beings in the world, to live and die together, to endure, to fight, to love, never alone. Our lips parted and I murmured her name, as her hands lowered over my fluttering heart.

"Shuusei..."

My eyes opened and I gasped, my face flushed pink. It had been a vivid dream from our former lives. We had been... Married. My face turned a brighter shade of red at the thought. It was as if my unconscious self wanted me to remember the romantic times. I was alone in my bed, my computer monitor glowing softly. I rested my head into my hands, sitting up in my bed. Shuusei was my friend, I had grown with him, I had been able to survive through life because of his constant presence. After the Ashley incident, he had become even more precious to me. I had a taste of life without him, and I never wanted to feel that pain again.

I had realized how much I didn't know about him, how much I had hurt him, to the point where he wished for his own death. I was a monster for hurting him, yet my guilt was what hurt him most. I wanted nothing more than to take him into my arms and never let him go. But love? What was love? To be unable to survive without the other? In that context, I did love Shuusei. My former self obviously loved Shusei, and to a certain degree, the romantic feelings carried over to this life. My heart did beat quickly as he entered the room, I did ache to touch him, and I did get a little possessive of him.

"But how could I not?" I thought, a scowl creasing my brow. Shuusei had a fan following, similar in size to Tsukumo's. All those girls, even some guys, all trying their hardest to get closer to him. I was his partner, I had to be closer to him than anyone.. Reflecting on my thoughts, I realized how much I sounded like a clingy boyfriend... I shook my head back and forth quickly, clearing the thoughts.

I stood and crept out of my room and into the hallway. I thought, " If I can just see him, then I'll know my feelings. I'll understand this mess of emotions." I silently cracked his door open, and slid in. Shuusei's breathing was steady as I sat on the corner of his bed, observing him. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned, and I could see the marring on his skin that I had caused. I attempted to stifle the wave of regret and guilt as I hovered over him. My hand reached out, almost unconsciously, and brushed the soft chestnut hair out of his face. He let out a small moan and his eyes fluttered open.

"Hotsuma?" he murmured, sitting up slowly. My heartbeat was thundering in my ears. I leaned towards him. His eyes widened, as our faces were now only a couple inches apart. My left hand raised to cup his cheek, and his breathing hitched and his pale cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Our lips moved closer as I leaned forward. I moved slowly, so he could move if he felt uncomfortable. But he didn't, and for the first time in this life, our lips met. It was not the awkward first kiss of teenagers. Even if our bodies didn't remember the sensation, our minds did. The kiss deepened and a quiet moan escaped me. I pushed him back down onto his bed, our lips continuously locked. After a few moments, I reluctantly pulled away and stared at his perfect face. He was breathing a bit heavily and stared back at me, his eyes the pure gold of my dreams. He reached up and ran his delicate fingers through my hair. He smiled lightly and said,

"Well, good evening to you too. Plan on getting off me soon?" I leaped backwards and returned to the corner of the bed. He sat up and laughed lightly. "What brought this on?" He was almost nonchalant.

I stammered, "I-I had a dream, about our past lives. Our... W-wedding..." I dropped my gaze from his face. Shusei's gaze remained steady and he opened his mouth,

"I had the same dream..." My head snapped up to see Shuusei looking bashful. "I think our past lives are sick of us trying to push these feelings away. Dropping us some not-so-subtle hints..."

"So they're like a roundabout dating service?" After a few seconds of silence, I burst into laughter, trying to stay silent as ripples of humor coursed through me. Shuusei laughed with me, covering his mouth with a free hand. As the laughter died down, I looked back up and our gazes met. I leaned forward again and he did the same. This kiss was a simple peck, and after it I lay down in the space next to him. He looked down at me for a moment before sliding back down under the covers with me. Our hands found each other and our fingers locked together.

"You know we're going to be exhausted at school tomorrow.." Shuusei murmured, his head leaning into my chest. I chuckled and my eyelids drooped, drifting into sleep land.

"In this life and the next..." I whispered.

"...My everything, I pledge to you" was the response.

With him in my arms, my soul felt complete. My everything. My partner. My love.
My Shuusei.

AN: Aha this idea just sort of popped into my head. I absolutely love love LOVE this pairing, it's a shame the series isn't better known. So yes, here's a disgustingly fluffy oneshot for all of you (lessthanthree)

The Betrayal Knows My Name is created by the amazing Hotaru Odagiri