(Canon) Confessions
Apr. 21st, 2017 01:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
togepi_writes- Confessions -
Characters: Yuma Tsukumo, Kotori Mizuki, Akari Tsukumo, Haru Tsukumo
Synopsis: Yuma confronts Kotori about her feelings for him. Akari then later confronts Kotori about the things that have been happening to Yuma while at the Academy.
On Monday evening, a small get-together was being held at the Osiris Red dorms to celebrate Yuma, Yuzu and Yuya being able to stay at the Academy, before their family and friends, who had visited to support them, were due to leave. As the small celebration continued while the sun began setting on the island, Yuma had decided to ask Kotori if she wanted to take a walk with him before she left, which Kotori was happy to agree to.
The two teenagers walked calmly, side by side, from the ruckus of the small party into the quiet of the rest of the island which was basking in a wonderful warm glow outside. The two of them glanced around, enjoying the serene sunset and the beautiful scenery of the island around them.
Eventually, the two of them reached the beach, which thankfully was more or less empty except for one or two people. Yuma knew from her previous visit, that the beach had been Kotori's favourite area of the island, so it seemed perfect to bring her here to see it again before she went back to Heartland City.
As the two of them stood together quietly admiring the sunset, Kotori glanced up at Yuma, a small smile appearing on her face.
"You know, Yuma, I'm really proud of you." Yuma looked over at Kotori curiously as she continued. "In that duel today, you showed how much you've matured while being here. As both a duelist and a person. You really surprised Akari-san with it too. She didn't know that you'd improved that much."
Yuma smiled down at her, happy to hear those words from Kotori, but a small frown eventually began appearing on his face as his thoughts began to wander on the duel. He looked away slightly back to the ocean in front of them.
"...I owe part of that win to you."
"Hm? To me?"
Yuma nodded. "You were the one who was able to bring me around when Beelze was summoned. When I saw that thing I just... froze. My mind instantly went back to that dark game and I just couldn't do anything.
I was scared.
But then you called out to me and reminded me that I wasn't in that situation anymore and that wasn't the Beelze from back then. You were able to bring me back to my senses. If you hadn't..."
Kotori glanced over to him with concern. She had often wondered, over the last few months, how much that experience with Beelze had effected him and if he was okay. It would of been silly to think that he'd be completely over the dreadful experience, especially since she had also struggled with what happened and knew how difficult it had been to keep it out of her mind.
Turning to him, she slowly took his hands in her own, looking down at them.
"I was scared too. I'll admit... I've occasionally had nightmares about it in the last few months since it happened."
Yuma's heart sank a little hearing that. He hated to think that Kotori had been suffering because of what happened to them.
"But that's all they were. Nightmares." she continued. "Today what we were scared of were our own memories and imagination."
She looked up at him, her eyes fixed firmly on his.
"What happened to us, happened and we can't change that, but it's in the past now and we both got through that fear today, together."
With that, she leaned into him, letting go of his hands and wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.
"We don't have to be scared of it anymore."
Slowly, Yuma wrapped his arms around her to return the hug, pulling her tighter towards him.
The two stood in silence for a moment, simply enjoying the comfort the embrace with each other was bringing them. As Yuma held her, his thoughts wandered to the main reason he'd asked her to go on this walk alone with him.
He wanted to know how she really felt about him and he'd been planning to ask her directly. He felt like if he knew for sure how she felt, he'd be able to work through his own feelings and understand them better.
Though, he had to admit, he had felt differently towards her since her last visit and right now he really didn't want the hug they were in to end.
Once he'd gathered up the courage, he began to speak.
"Hey, Kotori? There's something I've been wanting to ask you."
Kotori pulled back from him a little and looked up curiously. "Hm? Ask me?"
"Yeah..." Yuma paused awkwardly for a moment, but taking a deep breath, he looked down at her.
"The gift you sent me for Valentine's Day. You didn't just send that to me as a friend, right?"
Kotori's eyes widened a little at him. This wasn't a question she had been expecting Yuma to ask her and even though she had received his White Day gift the day before she left to visit him, she hadn't realized he'd caught on as fast as this. Slowly, Yuma broke the hug between them and took Kotori's hands back in his own. Without breaking eye-contact, he continued.
"Kotori, I want you to tell me how you really feel about me. And be super truthful! ... Okay?"
Kotori paused and looked down at her hands that were once again in his. She'd asked him to be truthful to her about the things that had been happening to him at the academy, so she should really be truthful about this. There was no point in hiding it, anyway. He knew and now he was asking for confirmation from her.
"I guess... I've always kind of admired you, ever since we were young. Even though it could be annoying sometimes, I really admired your determination and your ability to smile no matter what challenge you were given. You never let things keep you down for long, no matter what. But... when you left for Duel Academy, I found my life was a lot quieter without you there... and that I missed you being there. I'd known for a while that my admiration for you was sort of like a crush, but it was at that point where I realized that those feelings might of been more than just that. It took me a while to really figure it out, but, I found the longer you were apart from me, the more I wished you were there with me.
And visiting you over the winter holidays really just made me realize it more that... I love you." she paused for a moment, letting those words settle, before she looked up at Yuma with a smile on her face. "I love you and your smile, Yuma!"
Yuma blushed slightly and seemed to tense up a little at her confession at first, not really knowing what to say or do, but after a moment, he seemed to take a deep breath and relaxed a little. The look of pure gentle admiration on Kotori's face certainly made him feel a lot calmer.
Slowly, he released one of his hands from Kotori's and rubbed the back of his neck as a slightly awkward, but gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Well... I guess this WOULD be the part where I'd ask you out on a date or something, huh?" he said. "...but we don't really have the time for that since you'll be leaving soon."
Through Kotori's smile was a slight look of disappointment as she looked down a little. "...yes. I guess this wasn't really great timing for us."
Yuma watched her for a moment, noting the slight disappointment on her face. Kotori had opened up to him and had revealed her true feelings towards him. He felt like he wanted to at least try answering to them. He knew that no matter where it would lead them, it'd be fine, because no matter what, they were best friends and they would always stay best friends, even if their relationship developed beyond that.
"Well then..." he began, as a grin appeared on his face. "...I'll just make a promise to you instead!"
Kotori looked up, raising an eyebrow. "A promise...?"
Yuma nodded confidently at her. "Yeah! A promise that the next time we get to meet up, I'll take you out on the best date! Where ever you want to go!" he paused, but then laughed a little sheepishly, rubbing his head. "...and... y'know... I guess we can see how things go after that. If you want."
"Yuma..." Kotori stood there is disbelief for a moment. Yuma was not only accepting her feelings, but was willing to give returning them a go when they next had the chance to be together. Smiling gently, she gave him a nod in agreement. "...I'll wait for that day, then."
She paused momentarily, before continuing.
"...I guess we do still have a bit of time left today though. Do you want to sit together here for a bit?"
Smiling, Yuma nodded. "Sure."
The two of them sat down on the sand of the beach. As they did, Kotori hooked her arm around his and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Yuma glanced down at her with a content smile as their hands that were closest to each other intertwined together, before he looked up at the sunset over the ocean.
Romance and romantic feelings were something he'd never thought much about. It was something he'd never really considered or concentrated on until now. But sitting here with Kotori like this, he had to admit-
- this really was an amazing feeling.
---------------------------------
A while later, Yuma was stood at the harbour of the island, with Kotori, his sister and grandmother as he prepared to say his goodbyes to them. They were heading back to Domino City, where they were staying overnight, then heading back to Heartland in the morning.
"You'd better stay out of trouble now!" Akari complained as she pointed a finger at her brother. "And don't you dare grow any taller!"
Yuma just grinned mischievously at his sister in response. "Not promising anything!!"
"Gwah, Yuma!!" Akari let out an exasperated sigh and placed her hands on her hips. Yuma just laughed before he pulled both his sister and grandmother into a hug.
"I'll miss you guys!!"
"We'll miss you too, Yuma dear." his grandmother responded, before the hug broke. After that, Yuma turned towards Kotori. The two smiled and blushed slightly at each other as Akari watched them, raising an eyebrow. Haru, on the other hand, just chuckled to herself.
"Until the next time we meet." Kotori said, prompting Yuma to pull her into hug as well.
"Yeah. Until next time."
The two stood in the hug for a moment, until it broke and they parted, but as they did, they briefly held hands for a moment, before they slowly and gradually let go. Yuma nodded silently to her as Kotori smiled back, before stepping onto the Monorail, followed by Yuma's family.
As the doors closed and the monorail pulled away from the harbour, Yuma stood waving to it until it disappeared into the horizon.
--------------------------------
"Kotori, I need to ask you something."
Kotori looked up at Akari curiously as she spoke not too long into their journey, but Akari wasn't looking at her directly.
"When Beelze was summoned in Yuma's duel, the both of you reacted with fear towards it. You told Yuma that it 'wasn't like before' and that he could 'beat it again' right?" Kotori's eyes widened as Akari looked slowly over to her, looking concerned. "Did something happen when you visited him over the holidays?"
Kotori froze as she looked at Akari. She didn't know what to do. She'd promised Yuma she wouldn't tell them about what had been going on, but right now Akari was questioning her and she wasn't sure how to respond. Should she try lying? Tell the truth? Before she could decide, Akari leaned over and placed her hands over Kotori's, which were resting in her lap.
"My dad once told me that something was going to happen with Yuma's dueling and told me to keep an eye on him. Kotori, please! Is there something going on with Yuma that you're not telling me about?"
Akari's expression was one full of concern and worry over her brother, which only worsened the longer Kotori didn't reply.
Feeling pressured, Kotori's eyes began tearing up, before she lowered her head. As her eyes closed, teardrops fell from them and onto Akari's hands. Ever so slowly, Kotori nodded. There was no getting out of this, there was no way to avoid it. She tell to tell them.
'I'm sorry, Yuma...'
Kotori had to tell Akari and Haru everything. The whole thing behind Desperado, the dark game, Beelze, Yuma's powers.
Everything.
Akari was at a loss for words. It had all sounded so far-fetched and unbelievable, but Kotori was not the type of person to tell such tall tales and the fact that the teenage girl was now lightly sobbing where she was sat was evidence enough that everything she had just said was real.
"No way... I... I should of kept a better eye on him..." Akari held her head in frustration as she began to pace the monorail car in a panic. "I should of never let him come here and continue dueling...I..."
Suddenly that panic turned to irrational anger as she glanced around. "How do I make this thing go back to the island!? I swear I'm going to drag him back if it's the last thing I do!!"
"No, Akari-san, please...!" Akari looked over at Kotori, who was pleading at her with tear-filled eyes. "Yuma wouldn't want that! That's why he was so scared of telling you about this, because he was worried you'd make him leave. He fought so hard today to have the right to be able to stay with the friends he's made there. He loves it there!"
"But... if he stays there who knows what danger he's going to get into!! You told me that he almost died in that 'Dark Game', how can I sit by and risk letting that happen to him again!? What else can we do but bring him back home where I can keep an eye on him!?"
"We do nothing."
Both Kotori and Akari looked around at Haru, who was sat beside them. Her expression was serious and defiant, but she retained an air of calm around her.
"What do you mean 'nothing'? We can't just do nothing!!"
"We can." Haru replied calmly. "Yuma is finding his own path and we should allow him the space to do so. Every path is difficult and every path has danger, but Yuma has grown into a strong and capable young man. This journey will continue to help shape the person he'll become."
Feeling defeated and out-matched, Akari's legs gave way beneath her as she fell to her knees, clutching her face with her hand in anguish.
"This is so unbelievable... why does that idiot ALWAYS make me worry!"
Quietly, Kotori moved from her seat and knelt down beside Akari, before gently pulling her into a hug.
"...all we can do is believe in him and believe that he'll be okay.
If he needs us... he'll let us know."
Akari silently returned the hug from the girl. As she did she pondered over the situation with Yuma. Their family had already been torn apart once when their parents disappeared with no trace, leaving her and her grandmother as the soul carers of her younger brother. She didn't want to face losing Yuma too.
But it was true that Yuma was growing up and that he had to learn to stand on his own two feet, she couldn't stop him from doing that. She couldn't be there to protect him all the time, so he had to know how to deal with things himself.
But this... this situation was crazy. Prophecies? Dark Games? Powers? What was all that and what did it even mean? Akari had no idea. Right now all she could do was take a leaf out of Kotori's book.
Believe in Yuma and believe that he knew what he was doing.
Characters: Yuma Tsukumo, Kotori Mizuki, Akari Tsukumo, Haru Tsukumo
Synopsis: Yuma confronts Kotori about her feelings for him. Akari then later confronts Kotori about the things that have been happening to Yuma while at the Academy.
On Monday evening, a small get-together was being held at the Osiris Red dorms to celebrate Yuma, Yuzu and Yuya being able to stay at the Academy, before their family and friends, who had visited to support them, were due to leave. As the small celebration continued while the sun began setting on the island, Yuma had decided to ask Kotori if she wanted to take a walk with him before she left, which Kotori was happy to agree to.
The two teenagers walked calmly, side by side, from the ruckus of the small party into the quiet of the rest of the island which was basking in a wonderful warm glow outside. The two of them glanced around, enjoying the serene sunset and the beautiful scenery of the island around them.
Eventually, the two of them reached the beach, which thankfully was more or less empty except for one or two people. Yuma knew from her previous visit, that the beach had been Kotori's favourite area of the island, so it seemed perfect to bring her here to see it again before she went back to Heartland City.
As the two of them stood together quietly admiring the sunset, Kotori glanced up at Yuma, a small smile appearing on her face.
"You know, Yuma, I'm really proud of you." Yuma looked over at Kotori curiously as she continued. "In that duel today, you showed how much you've matured while being here. As both a duelist and a person. You really surprised Akari-san with it too. She didn't know that you'd improved that much."
Yuma smiled down at her, happy to hear those words from Kotori, but a small frown eventually began appearing on his face as his thoughts began to wander on the duel. He looked away slightly back to the ocean in front of them.
"...I owe part of that win to you."
"Hm? To me?"
Yuma nodded. "You were the one who was able to bring me around when Beelze was summoned. When I saw that thing I just... froze. My mind instantly went back to that dark game and I just couldn't do anything.
I was scared.
But then you called out to me and reminded me that I wasn't in that situation anymore and that wasn't the Beelze from back then. You were able to bring me back to my senses. If you hadn't..."
Kotori glanced over to him with concern. She had often wondered, over the last few months, how much that experience with Beelze had effected him and if he was okay. It would of been silly to think that he'd be completely over the dreadful experience, especially since she had also struggled with what happened and knew how difficult it had been to keep it out of her mind.
Turning to him, she slowly took his hands in her own, looking down at them.
"I was scared too. I'll admit... I've occasionally had nightmares about it in the last few months since it happened."
Yuma's heart sank a little hearing that. He hated to think that Kotori had been suffering because of what happened to them.
"But that's all they were. Nightmares." she continued. "Today what we were scared of were our own memories and imagination."
She looked up at him, her eyes fixed firmly on his.
"What happened to us, happened and we can't change that, but it's in the past now and we both got through that fear today, together."
With that, she leaned into him, letting go of his hands and wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.
"We don't have to be scared of it anymore."
Slowly, Yuma wrapped his arms around her to return the hug, pulling her tighter towards him.
The two stood in silence for a moment, simply enjoying the comfort the embrace with each other was bringing them. As Yuma held her, his thoughts wandered to the main reason he'd asked her to go on this walk alone with him.
He wanted to know how she really felt about him and he'd been planning to ask her directly. He felt like if he knew for sure how she felt, he'd be able to work through his own feelings and understand them better.
Though, he had to admit, he had felt differently towards her since her last visit and right now he really didn't want the hug they were in to end.
Once he'd gathered up the courage, he began to speak.
"Hey, Kotori? There's something I've been wanting to ask you."
Kotori pulled back from him a little and looked up curiously. "Hm? Ask me?"
"Yeah..." Yuma paused awkwardly for a moment, but taking a deep breath, he looked down at her.
"The gift you sent me for Valentine's Day. You didn't just send that to me as a friend, right?"
Kotori's eyes widened a little at him. This wasn't a question she had been expecting Yuma to ask her and even though she had received his White Day gift the day before she left to visit him, she hadn't realized he'd caught on as fast as this. Slowly, Yuma broke the hug between them and took Kotori's hands back in his own. Without breaking eye-contact, he continued.
"Kotori, I want you to tell me how you really feel about me. And be super truthful! ... Okay?"
Kotori paused and looked down at her hands that were once again in his. She'd asked him to be truthful to her about the things that had been happening to him at the academy, so she should really be truthful about this. There was no point in hiding it, anyway. He knew and now he was asking for confirmation from her.
"I guess... I've always kind of admired you, ever since we were young. Even though it could be annoying sometimes, I really admired your determination and your ability to smile no matter what challenge you were given. You never let things keep you down for long, no matter what. But... when you left for Duel Academy, I found my life was a lot quieter without you there... and that I missed you being there. I'd known for a while that my admiration for you was sort of like a crush, but it was at that point where I realized that those feelings might of been more than just that. It took me a while to really figure it out, but, I found the longer you were apart from me, the more I wished you were there with me.
And visiting you over the winter holidays really just made me realize it more that... I love you." she paused for a moment, letting those words settle, before she looked up at Yuma with a smile on her face. "I love you and your smile, Yuma!"
Yuma blushed slightly and seemed to tense up a little at her confession at first, not really knowing what to say or do, but after a moment, he seemed to take a deep breath and relaxed a little. The look of pure gentle admiration on Kotori's face certainly made him feel a lot calmer.
Slowly, he released one of his hands from Kotori's and rubbed the back of his neck as a slightly awkward, but gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Well... I guess this WOULD be the part where I'd ask you out on a date or something, huh?" he said. "...but we don't really have the time for that since you'll be leaving soon."
Through Kotori's smile was a slight look of disappointment as she looked down a little. "...yes. I guess this wasn't really great timing for us."
Yuma watched her for a moment, noting the slight disappointment on her face. Kotori had opened up to him and had revealed her true feelings towards him. He felt like he wanted to at least try answering to them. He knew that no matter where it would lead them, it'd be fine, because no matter what, they were best friends and they would always stay best friends, even if their relationship developed beyond that.
"Well then..." he began, as a grin appeared on his face. "...I'll just make a promise to you instead!"
Kotori looked up, raising an eyebrow. "A promise...?"
Yuma nodded confidently at her. "Yeah! A promise that the next time we get to meet up, I'll take you out on the best date! Where ever you want to go!" he paused, but then laughed a little sheepishly, rubbing his head. "...and... y'know... I guess we can see how things go after that. If you want."
"Yuma..." Kotori stood there is disbelief for a moment. Yuma was not only accepting her feelings, but was willing to give returning them a go when they next had the chance to be together. Smiling gently, she gave him a nod in agreement. "...I'll wait for that day, then."
She paused momentarily, before continuing.
"...I guess we do still have a bit of time left today though. Do you want to sit together here for a bit?"
Smiling, Yuma nodded. "Sure."
The two of them sat down on the sand of the beach. As they did, Kotori hooked her arm around his and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Yuma glanced down at her with a content smile as their hands that were closest to each other intertwined together, before he looked up at the sunset over the ocean.
Romance and romantic feelings were something he'd never thought much about. It was something he'd never really considered or concentrated on until now. But sitting here with Kotori like this, he had to admit-
- this really was an amazing feeling.
---------------------------------
A while later, Yuma was stood at the harbour of the island, with Kotori, his sister and grandmother as he prepared to say his goodbyes to them. They were heading back to Domino City, where they were staying overnight, then heading back to Heartland in the morning.
"You'd better stay out of trouble now!" Akari complained as she pointed a finger at her brother. "And don't you dare grow any taller!"
Yuma just grinned mischievously at his sister in response. "Not promising anything!!"
"Gwah, Yuma!!" Akari let out an exasperated sigh and placed her hands on her hips. Yuma just laughed before he pulled both his sister and grandmother into a hug.
"I'll miss you guys!!"
"We'll miss you too, Yuma dear." his grandmother responded, before the hug broke. After that, Yuma turned towards Kotori. The two smiled and blushed slightly at each other as Akari watched them, raising an eyebrow. Haru, on the other hand, just chuckled to herself.
"Until the next time we meet." Kotori said, prompting Yuma to pull her into hug as well.
"Yeah. Until next time."
The two stood in the hug for a moment, until it broke and they parted, but as they did, they briefly held hands for a moment, before they slowly and gradually let go. Yuma nodded silently to her as Kotori smiled back, before stepping onto the Monorail, followed by Yuma's family.
As the doors closed and the monorail pulled away from the harbour, Yuma stood waving to it until it disappeared into the horizon.
--------------------------------
"Kotori, I need to ask you something."
Kotori looked up at Akari curiously as she spoke not too long into their journey, but Akari wasn't looking at her directly.
"When Beelze was summoned in Yuma's duel, the both of you reacted with fear towards it. You told Yuma that it 'wasn't like before' and that he could 'beat it again' right?" Kotori's eyes widened as Akari looked slowly over to her, looking concerned. "Did something happen when you visited him over the holidays?"
Kotori froze as she looked at Akari. She didn't know what to do. She'd promised Yuma she wouldn't tell them about what had been going on, but right now Akari was questioning her and she wasn't sure how to respond. Should she try lying? Tell the truth? Before she could decide, Akari leaned over and placed her hands over Kotori's, which were resting in her lap.
"My dad once told me that something was going to happen with Yuma's dueling and told me to keep an eye on him. Kotori, please! Is there something going on with Yuma that you're not telling me about?"
Akari's expression was one full of concern and worry over her brother, which only worsened the longer Kotori didn't reply.
Feeling pressured, Kotori's eyes began tearing up, before she lowered her head. As her eyes closed, teardrops fell from them and onto Akari's hands. Ever so slowly, Kotori nodded. There was no getting out of this, there was no way to avoid it. She tell to tell them.
'I'm sorry, Yuma...'
Kotori had to tell Akari and Haru everything. The whole thing behind Desperado, the dark game, Beelze, Yuma's powers.
Everything.
Akari was at a loss for words. It had all sounded so far-fetched and unbelievable, but Kotori was not the type of person to tell such tall tales and the fact that the teenage girl was now lightly sobbing where she was sat was evidence enough that everything she had just said was real.
"No way... I... I should of kept a better eye on him..." Akari held her head in frustration as she began to pace the monorail car in a panic. "I should of never let him come here and continue dueling...I..."
Suddenly that panic turned to irrational anger as she glanced around. "How do I make this thing go back to the island!? I swear I'm going to drag him back if it's the last thing I do!!"
"No, Akari-san, please...!" Akari looked over at Kotori, who was pleading at her with tear-filled eyes. "Yuma wouldn't want that! That's why he was so scared of telling you about this, because he was worried you'd make him leave. He fought so hard today to have the right to be able to stay with the friends he's made there. He loves it there!"
"But... if he stays there who knows what danger he's going to get into!! You told me that he almost died in that 'Dark Game', how can I sit by and risk letting that happen to him again!? What else can we do but bring him back home where I can keep an eye on him!?"
"We do nothing."
Both Kotori and Akari looked around at Haru, who was sat beside them. Her expression was serious and defiant, but she retained an air of calm around her.
"What do you mean 'nothing'? We can't just do nothing!!"
"We can." Haru replied calmly. "Yuma is finding his own path and we should allow him the space to do so. Every path is difficult and every path has danger, but Yuma has grown into a strong and capable young man. This journey will continue to help shape the person he'll become."
Feeling defeated and out-matched, Akari's legs gave way beneath her as she fell to her knees, clutching her face with her hand in anguish.
"This is so unbelievable... why does that idiot ALWAYS make me worry!"
Quietly, Kotori moved from her seat and knelt down beside Akari, before gently pulling her into a hug.
"...all we can do is believe in him and believe that he'll be okay.
If he needs us... he'll let us know."
Akari silently returned the hug from the girl. As she did she pondered over the situation with Yuma. Their family had already been torn apart once when their parents disappeared with no trace, leaving her and her grandmother as the soul carers of her younger brother. She didn't want to face losing Yuma too.
But it was true that Yuma was growing up and that he had to learn to stand on his own two feet, she couldn't stop him from doing that. She couldn't be there to protect him all the time, so he had to know how to deal with things himself.
But this... this situation was crazy. Prophecies? Dark Games? Powers? What was all that and what did it even mean? Akari had no idea. Right now all she could do was take a leaf out of Kotori's book.
Believe in Yuma and believe that he knew what he was doing.
