6Miharu clenched his eyes tightly and heaved out a sigh. He waited. He rolled onto his other side and stayed very still, trying to relax. There really was no hope of that. He simply couldn't get to sleep. Tonight was going to be long and frustrating.
Miharu threw his legs over his bed and stood up, throwing a jacket on. His cat, Shiratama, opened one weary eye in question and then gave up interest for sleep. The moon shone brightly through the curtains. It looked beautiful tonight.
I think I'm going to visit the lake… Miharu thought, trying to make his way through the house silently. The lake was beautiful enough as it was during the day, but who knew what it looked like in the moonlight. Miharu imagined the water shining in the darkness, and the moon's reflection echoing perfectly the image in the night sky. But when he got there it was just dark. The moon hadn't risen high enough yet.
Oh well. Miharu thought, I guess I'll wait. He made his way to the bench and sat down, leaning his head back and letting his vision become enveloped with the night sky. It really was beautiful with such a delicate assortment of stars. It was so quiet, too. Such a contrast from the regular noise of the day. No trucks, no shouting people… just Miharu and the sky and the lake.
Just that...and a small duckling. It had fallen into the water and was making quite a racket, splashing around frantically.
Miharu watched it for a second, wondering what it was doing. It certainly wasn't swimming. It looked like…it was drowning.
Miharu jumped up from his seat and hurried over to the pond's edge. He knelt down and scooped the drowning duck out of the pond.
"Silly little guy," Miharu murmured, laughter tinting his voice. The duckling ran off into a bush, squawking in surprise.
"Miharu…" A surprised voice came from behind Miharu, catching him off-guard. He fell onto the back of his hands in surprise, staring up into a familiar face.
"Yoite!"
Yoite smiled, "Miharu. I didn't think I'd find anyone out here."
"I can say the same to you." Miharu rolled back onto his feet, a big smile on his face. "What are you doing out so late at night? Shouldn't you be trying to get some rest?"
"I couldn't sleep. I thought I wouldn't waste time. I like it out here…"
"I couldn't sleep, either, so I decided that I wanted to see what this lake looked like at night. I don't really know what I was expecting. Something magical, maybe."
Yoite smiled slightly and sat down on the bench, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck. Miharu followed suit, sitting beside him.
"Is it okay if I sit next to you?" Miharu asked.
"I don't mind," Yoite said, staring into the night sky. His pale face shone angelically in the moonlight, his features were smooth.
How different, Miharu thought, staring up at Yoite. All of the fear, all of the pain, all of the sadness that constantly encompassed Yoite…it was always heartbreaking for Miharu to see. He wished that he could take away that pain, or help it somehow. But right now, underneath the stars and wrapped in this peace, Yoite looked content. All of the sorrow was washed away. It didn't even leave a trace. Yoite was beautiful and pure right now. He was clean of that dirt that always held him down.
Miharu smiled unconsciously. Yoite looked down at the movement, question in his eyes, but he smiled back nonetheless. "What's the matter?" He asked.
"Oh, nothing. You just look happy. It's nice to see."
Yoite laughed again. It was a quiet laugh, like the wind. "I like being here. I'm glad that you're here too."
Miharu's smile widened, and he looked out into the lake. "Do you come here a lot?"
Yoite nodded, "Almost every other night. When I can."
"I never knew…"
"Yukimi doesn't know either."
"But Yukimi lives with you!"
Yoite smiled, "Some ninja."
Miharu laughed. It wasn't often that he saw Yoite so relaxed. This was…nice. He could get used to this. The night seemed to push everything else away. All the obligations that they were tied to, all of the tragedy that plagued them. The night erased that. When day came, Miharu knew that things would go back to the way things were. Yoite's face would change back. His bad memories would take over again. So Miharu tried to absorb this night in. He wanted to remember every feeling of it, every scent, every noise, every difference. He wished it could always be like this.
"Hey, Miharu…?" Yoite's soft voice broke Miharu from his thoughts.
"Yes?"
"What are you thinking about?"
Miharu hesitated. "I just wish it were always like this."
Yoite angled himself better so that he could see Miharu, "Like what?"
"Well, there are just some things that I don't really want to remember…"
Yoite's calmness remained. "All the bad things…" He mused. "I wish that too sometimes."
Miharu sagged back in his seat, "I wish things were better for you."
"Miharu," Yoite said. There was a lightness to his voice that made Miharu look up, "I wouldn't change anything. If those things never happened to me…I wouldn't have met you or the others. I can honestly say I wouldn't want things to be different. Meeting you is the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"But Yoite!" Miharu shouted in desperation, despite trying to control himself. "You don't know that for sure. We could've met under different circumstances!"
"No, Miharu…" Yoite looked across the lake, his eyes were glossed over. "My parents tried to kill me. They almost succeeded. If Hattori hadn't found me… I would already be dead."
"But Yoite…"
"It's okay, Miharu." He smiled, and there was kindness in his eyes. "This might sound odd, but… it's nice to have someone worrying about me. I'm not quite used to it. But…thank you, Miharu. You make my life have meaning."
"Yoite…" Miharu stared up at Yoite. He was still calm and peaceful looking. Nothing could touch him. Miharu sighed and looked back at the lake, regretting bringing up the subject at all, "I'm sorry for ruining your night, Yoite."
Yoite laughed. It wasn't his quiet, delicate laugh. He laughed outright - happily.
"Miharu, haven't you been listening?" The smile on his face was brilliant, capturing the light of the non-existent sun, "You're the most important person to me. You've made my life worth living. I don't want to die anymore… because I want to stay here. Because of you. I don't see it as a bad thing. Finally, there's something I want besides vanishing. It might be depressing, but…at least it's something…"
"Yoite…" Miharu dived into Yoite, grabbing onto him like his life depended on it. "I'm sorry. I'm going to save you. I promise, Yoite."
Yoite returned Miharu's gesture and held onto his small form. He didn't say anything, he just looked up into the night sky. He allowed his eyes to close, breathing in Miharu's familiar scent. He wanted to remember this moment. It was peaceful. It was nice. He could feel the warmth of Miharu through his jacket. It was comforting. Eventually Miharu's breaths came evenly, and his grip on Yoite's coat relaxed. Yoite smiled to himself, and soon he drifted off into dreams, as well. The moon shone off of his face like a reflection in the water.
A small duck waddled its way to the pond, stopping by two people who were fast asleep on the bench. It was morning, and the sun shined across the ocean, lighting up the pond. The duck stared curiously at the two people, fascinated by their presence. In it's fascination, it blurted out a small noise.
Yoite jumped slightly, causing Miharu to stir. Yoite shook off the sleepiness that was still in his eyes and looked around. No one was up yet, but he had been out for far too long. Now Yukimi was going to bombard him with questions when he got home. He looked down at Miharu, who was still fast asleep on his shoulder.
"Miharu…?" Yoite said quietly. "Miharu."
Miharu grumbled in his sleep and buried his face into Yoite's shoulder. He wrapped his small arms around Yoite's arm.
"Miharu… wake up."
Slowly, Miharu gained consciousness. He looked up at Yoite in confusion. "Yoite? Where are we?" He looked out at the lake and recognition dawned on his face. "I fell asleep?"
"We both did," Yoite responded, smiling. "I really need to get back before Yukimi gets angry."
"Oh," Miharu sat back on the bench. "That's a good idea…"
"Your friends are probably wondering where you are, too."
Miharu scratched the back of his head and yawned widely, "Yeah."
Yoite stood up and then stopped, looking back at Miharu, "I'm glad I was able to see you."
Miharu smiled up at him, "Thank you for staying."
Yoite nodded. "If ever you can't sleep…"
"I'll come here."
Yoite smiled, then he turned around and walked down the path. Miharu watched him go. He could still smell him on his clothes. He raised his arm to his face and breathed in, then he curled up into the bench, placing his hand where Yoite had just been moments before. The bench was still warm.
Aizawa found him a little while later, asleep, curled up on the bench, with his hand delicately placed on the seat beside him.
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